Sunday, October 13, 2019

What Causes Teenagers to Lose Motivation in School? Essay -- Education

What Causes Teenagers to Lose Motivation in School? missing works cited Some reasons for high school student academic failure, which range from drug use to individual student insecurity, can be plainly traced to the nature of adolescence. Social acceptance and a desire to belong to a crowd are placed above academics in the minds of teens. When academic underachievement is the norm, devoted students may come under ridicule as being "nerds" or "teacher's pets". There is a difficulty, therefore, in getting students to become motivated. How do you propose to motivate a group of students who feel that they cannot jeopardize their social status for doing well in school? Other reasons for academic failure range from student feelings of incompetence in learning the materials, to boring class subjects and busy work. To adequately solve the problem of academic failure, researchers are looking for ways to build a connection between identifying these students and reinforcing motivation in them. Causes and Effects of Adolescent Academic Failure: Lack of Motivation This category encompasses discussion of drug use, peer pressure, inadequate study and time management skills as well as adolescence itself, as they pertain to the causes and effects of each of these issues. "Facts About Alcohol and Drugs: Grades 9-12" is a web page containing statistics compiled by a national school health survey. The poll taken by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the fall of 1987 revealed that eighty-nine percent of the tenth graders surveyed reported having tried alcohol. Thirty-five percent of tenth graders reported having tried marijuana. The survey was conducted among eleven thousand eighth and tenth graders in a nationwide survey... ...uate to get by. The way sociological and psychological aspects of student motivation relates to the overall topic of student motivation lies in the fact that the root of the problem resides in the minds of students and teachers, rather than in the outward manifestation of low grades, test scores, etc. In other words, even if a teacher makes it possible for students to raise their grade from an "F" to an "A", it does not necessarily mean that students learned anything at all. It is possible that the teacher made special provisions for a certain student to get through the class easier, such as offering extra credit. Only by tapping their minds for the want to learn will students actually thirst for knowledge, putting our educational standards on par with Japan and other world powers that pride themselves on preparing their kids for entrance into the real world.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

lab on matter :: essays research papers

I. Introduction  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Purpose: the purpose of this experiment was to determine if the distance between matter effects the time it takes for the matter to reach thermal equilibrium.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Hypothesis: If the distance between the matter is decreased then the time it takes for the matter to reach thermal equilibrium will decrease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Science concepts: Temperature- measure of the motion of molecules Thermal equilibrium- when two pieces of matter are the same temperature Kinetic energy- energy of motion Heat- energy that flows from matter of a higher temperature to matter of a lower temperature   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the experiment the time it took for matter to reach thermal equilibrium was measured. The temperature of the water was measured every thirty seconds. The heat was transferred from the hot water, into the air, then to the cold water. When the water reached thermal equilibrium the average kinetic energy per molecule was the same for all the water. II Procedure:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The materials used were-   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  125ml flask  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  200ml cold water   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  200ml beaker  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2 lab probes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  125ml hot water  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  logger pro 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  first the lab probes were plugged into the lab pro 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the lab pro was connected to the USB port 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the computer was turned on and logger pro was opened 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the flask was filled with 125ml of hot water 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the beaker was filled with 200ml of cold water 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the flask and beaker were placed 20cm apart 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the temperature was measured every 30 seconds until the hot and cold water reached thermal equilibrium III. Results and Conclusions A. Experimental Data: The results of the experiment indicate that the farther apart the matter is the longer it takes to reach thermal equilibrium. The touching water took only sixteen minutes while the non touching water in about the same amount of time was 41.6 degrees from reaching thermal equilibrium.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Graphs and Tables: see attached C. Evaluate Prediction/Hypothesis: The results of the experiment support the hypothesis. The hypothesis stated that the greater the distance between the water the greater the amount of time it takes to reach thermal equilibrium. IV Extension and Summery A. Extension: Some causes of experimental error may have been if the computer failed and a manual thermometer had to be used some seconds could have been lost. This could have been fixed by using a manual thermometer the whole time or starting over if the computer failed. Another possible cause of experimental error could have been if the probe was being moved while the temperature was being measured.

Friday, October 11, 2019

The impact of race and gender on Antoinete’s identity

The blacks call her White cockroach' and the whites refer to her as White Niger. Antoinette is not white enough for the Europeans and not black enough for the natives. Antoinette is a descendant of English slave owners. This fact Increases the tensions between her family and the Islanders. Antoinette strives to find a true Identity, but unfortunately she falls. Her identity is fragmented because of her race and gender Madam Syrup argues that identity is shaped by simultaneous operations of social dynamics such as race, class, nation and gender.She affirms that identity is determined through two different ways: the outside and inside. The outside of our identity Is how others see us. The Inside of our Identity has to do with our vision of ourselves. 14) Identity Is not a flat description of our personality, but It takes Into consideration different perspectives of the self in order to construct a coherent Hall states that cultural identity should proceed from the past to image. Unders tand its present formation. He defines cultural identity as a state of being as well as of becoming.It is not fixed in history but rather it is a subject to transformation, fluid change and constant development under certain circumstances. Hall says that we should recognize the other side the differences and hybrid as a part of our cultural Identity because the common history can unify people across heir differences but cannot show exactly who they are. (395-397) Hybrid is an important issue in post-colonialism. It is used to interpret what it means to be a hybrid, belonging to no place.These hybrids live â€Å"border lives' on the margins of deferent nations, In-between contrary homelands† (McLeod, 217). In fact, living In-between multiple Identities leads to, an ambivalent state of mind where there is no stable place or home. Bah also describes hybrid as â€Å"the sign of the productivity of colonial power, its shifting forces and fixates; it is the name for the tragic rev ersal of the process of domination through disavowal Hybrid is the revaluation of the assumption of colonial identity through the repetition of discriminatory identity effects† (Bah 112).Bah clarifies that hybrid identity Is produced by the colonial power and cannot exist without a common history of a migrant who is dispossessed, schizophrenic, exiled, often profoundly unhappy and exploited under capitalism. † (384). In Wide Cargos Sea, Antoinette suffers from hybrid. She struggles to find a clear direction to follow. Antoinette is neither black nor white, but somewhere in-between Europe and the Caribbean. This creates her an uncertain and fragmented identity.Anta Loom describes in Colonialism/Postcolonial how race and gender provide metaphors and images for each other in the colonial arena: â€Å"In short, lower races represented the female' type of the human species, and females the ‘lower race' of gender† (161). Loom explains how in colonial texts both no n-Europeans and women were viewed as being either passive, child-like and needing leadership or as sexually aberrant, emotional, wild and outside society (159). From the beginning of the colonial period, female bodies symbolized the conquered land. Loom, 152) The definition of woman as the other' and the object' has been determined by the principles of patriarchy. Benjamin claims that the prevailing idea about women in the Victorian age is that â€Å"Woman was considered to be in the full flourish of femininity in the service of home, husband, and children. Women drew on domesticity, the Joys of motherhood, and the influence it accorded them in Justifying public activity. † (15) So, it is clear that women were always regarded as ‘objects' belonging to men.This pushed women to seek their individual identity. Spiral defines women at that time as ‘Third World Women'. In this respect, Madam Syrup says: † Spiral argues that the idea of the Third World is monolith ic entity and that people should fight against such labeling. † (164) Moreover, Madam Syrup maintains: The ‘Third World Woman' is not allowed t speak; she is caught between patriarchy and imperialism, subject-constitution and object- formation, between continuously tradition and modernization. She is rewritten as the object of patriarchy or of imperialism. 165) The patriarchal system made Antoinette seem as a zombie and object in the hands of her husband. She was subordinate to her husband for financial safety, after losing re inheritance. Wide Cargos Sea is a tale of a weak Creole whose struggle for identity leads her to madness (Fayed, 225). Antoinette is defined as a monster by her English husband and does not have voice in Jane Rye. However, Rays wants to change this fact by allowing Bertha to speak and defend herself against â€Å"the onslaught of a strong male such as Rochester† (Fayed, 226).Emery says in this context: â€Å"In Wide Cargos Sea, the madwoman silenced in Jane Rye speaks, and her voice exposes and turns upside down the values, patriarchal and colonialist, upon which the plot and the characters of Bronze's novel depend. (168) Spiral also states that â€Å"Antoinette, as a white Creole child growing up at the time of emancipation in Jamaica, is caught between the English imperialist and the black native. † (242). Emery Cocoas Mason Rochester places herself as lost somewhere in between the two central figures of her life† (35).Fayed argues that Antoinette emphasis on the opinions of the â€Å"Judgmental they † of society indicates her lack of an autonomous self that can grow independent of others' prescribed notions regarding her Creole background (226) Drake describes Antoinette triumph at the end of the novel â€Å"her ultimate regaining of an identity stolen by cultural imperialism. † (205). This essay will show the impact of gender and race on Antoinette identity. Antoinette classification as a mixed product of Caribbean black and European white races contribute to the fragmentation of her identity.Antoinette and her mother experience alienation by the black community and their white European counterparts whose political power and wealth allow them to maintain significant influence over Caribbean society. Antoinette suffers from race problems in both of her childhood and adulthood. Since early childhood, Antoinette family is despised by the people around them because of their background as slave owners: â€Å"l never looked at any strange negro. They hated us, they called us white cockroaches. Let sleeping dogs lie. (Rays 13) Rays presents the post-Emancipation Jamaica as a significant period in the Caribbean history. The Abolition of Slavery Act means the death of Antoinette family members because it declined their economic status: â€Å"Why probably? ‘ the other voice said. ‘Certainly. ‘ ‘Then why should he marry a widow without a penny to her name and Collier a wreck of a place? Emancipation troubles killed old Cocoas? Nonsense – the estate was going downhill for years before that. † (Rays 17) Antoinette returns to her previous social class after the marriage of her mother with Mr†¦ Mason.Antoinette recounts numerous instances of black violence against her family, ranging from the hate-inspired labels of â€Å"white cockroaches† and â€Å"white naggers† to the vicious black mob's burning of the estate at Collier . Antoinette makes efforts to identify herself as a black girl. After Mr†¦ Mason becomes her stepfather, she tries to assert her blackness again by calling him: â€Å"white pappy' (Rays 20). Moreover, Antoinette attempts to search for social acceptance by black people through her interaction with a black playmate named Tia: â€Å"Soon Tia was my friend and I met her nearly every morning at the turn of the road to the river. At the river, Tia calls Antoinette White cockroach ' and steals her clothes. Because of this theft Antoinette is forced to wear Tit's left dress. Tit's dress is symbolic of Antoinette desire to be like Tia. When Antoinette returns home and puts on another dress, it rips. This explains that her old identity no longer fits. Nothing fits Antoinette: her original dress has been stolen, ND her new dress rips. When her house is burnt, she thinks that Tia is the only hope left in her land. Later on, Antoinette discovers that she will never be like Tia because of her race.Therefore, her attempt to be black Caribbean fails: Then, not so far off, I saw Tia and her mother and I ran to her, for she was all that was left of my life as it had been. We had eaten the same food, slept side by side, bathed in the same river. As I ran, I thought, I will live with Tia and I will be likelier. Hand but I did not see her throw it. I did not feel it either, only something et,running down my face. I looked at her and I saw her face crumple up as she began d octor. We stared at each other, blood on my face, tears on hers. It was as if I saw myself.Like in a looking glass. (Rays 27) Antoinette cannot find an identity that suits her and this lack of belonging means her inability to assimilate to the Caribbean culture. In her adulthood, Antoinette begins to doubt her right to claim the island as a part of her identity. She later conveys these feelings of uncertainty and desperation to Rochester when she tells him, â€Å"l loved [the island] because I had nothing else to eve, but it is as indifferent as this God you call on so often. † (Rays 78). Antoinette tries to gain acceptance among whites in order to form her identity.When Antoinette marries Rochester, she feels an increasing love for him. She refuses to leave him for the simple reason that â€Å"he is my husband after all† (Rays 66). Antoinette expresses to Christopher her deep love for Rochester and asks her for an obey potion in order to keep her husband beside her. I n â€Å"Race and Caribbean Culture,† Sandra Drake mentions that â€Å"Antoinette wants to use the spell to complete her assimilation to England and to whiteness. â€Å"(198) When the potion ultimately fails to produce her desired effects, Antoinette is forced to recognize her non-whiteness as well as her non-blackness.Christopher states to Rochester, â€Å"She is not b ©k © like you, but she is b ©k ©, and not like us either. â€Å"(Rays 93) For Rochester, Antoinette and her mother are seen as White naggers' who do not belong to English culture: â€Å"Long, sad, dark alien eyes. Creole of pure English descent she may be, but they are not English or European either. † (Rays 39). In the midst of two different cultures and nations, Antoinette cannot find any place of her own: â€Å"And Vive heard English women call us white naggers. So between you I often wonder who I am and where is my country and where do I belong and why was I ever born at all. (Rays 61) L ike Tit's dress, the white dress (England) does not suit Antoinette. It is clear to Rochester that though she is of English descent, she is still different: â€Å"She was wearing the white dress I had admired, but it had slipped untidily over one shoulder and seemed too big for her. † (Rays, 76)Antoinette relationship with Rochester reveals that she does not really belong to her mother country. Antoinette otherness and race leads to the demise of her relationship with Rochester. Rochester begins to treat Antoinette cruelly and seeks to control her identity.Although Antoinette is eventually imprisoned within the dark, frigid confines of Threefold Hall, She finally realizes the impact of her homeland and Christening's teachings on her character. Antoinette is a Creole woman living in a society dominated by male colonizers, like ‘Rochester'. After her marriage, Antoinette displays a sense of estrangement and uncertain cultural identity: â€Å"So between you I often wonder who I am and where my entry is and where do I belong and why was I ever born at all. † (Rays 61).Rochester seeks to possess Antoinette identity through exploiting her money, changing her name and uprooting her from her familiar land. Me, or so she thinks. I looked down at the coarse mane of the house†¦ Dear father. The thirty thousand pounds have been paid to me without question or condition. No provision made for her (that must be seen too). † (Rays 41) â€Å"Everybody know that you marry her for her money and you take it all. And then you want to break her up, because you Jealous of her. † (Rays 92) In fact, Rochester doe not love Antoinette.He only shows gratitude for her because she has given him money: You are safe, I'd say. She'd like that- to be told you are safe. Or I'd touch her face gently and touch tears. Tears- nothing! Words-less than nothing. As for the happiness I gave her, that was worse than nothing. I did not love her. I was thirsty for her , but that is not love. I felt little tenderness for her, she was stranger to me, a stranger who did not think or feel as I did. (Arrays) The deprivation of love and happiness that Antoinette experiences during her marriage contributes in fragmenting her personality.After her marriage, Antoinette loses all her fortune. She is unable to free herself from Rochester's brutality because she has no financial independence. Her money goes automatically to her husband without stipulation: â€Å"He will not come after. And you must understand I am not rich now, I have no money of my own at all, everything I had belongs to him. â€Å"(66) Antoinette is then obliged to remain with him because she has no other choice. In fact, Rochester aims at possessing Antoinette self and destroying her identity. Changing her name is another measure taken by Rochester to destroyAntoinette identity. Antoinette succumbs as a slave to Rochester when he begins to call her Bertha. She refuses to be called by ot her names, and tries to defend her identity, but she fails: â€Å"When I turned from the window, she was drinking again. ‘Bertha', I said Bertha is not my name. You are trying to make me into someone else, calling me by another name. I know that's obey too. â€Å"(88) By calling her with different names, Rochester wants to crash her personality and transform her into an object, a doll: ‘†She tell me in the middle of all these things you start calling her names. Marionette.Some words so'. Yes, I remember, I did' (Marionette, Antoinette, Marionette, Antoinette) ‘That word mean a doll, eh? Because she don't speak. You want to force her to cry and to speak. † (Rays 92-93)His inhumanity and cruelty leads him to undermine her and consider her as a zombie: Main, silly creature. Made for loving? Yes, but she will have no lover, for I don't want her and she will see no other†¦ She's mad, but mine, mine. † (Rays, 99) Sandra Drake mentions: â€Å"If she[Antoinette] had married Sands Cocoas, she would not have lost either of her names, for she and he array the same family name. (198-199) Rochester dislocates and uproots Antoinette from her familiar land: â€Å"She said she loved this place. This is the last she'll see of it. † (Rays 99)He drives her to an unknown place where she finds out the feeling of non-belonging and displacement. â€Å"l get out of the bed and go close to watch them and to wonder why I have been brought here. For what reason? There must be a reason. † ( Rays, 106) Antoinette does not feel England collapses. â€Å"They tell me I am in England but I don't believe. We lost our way to England. When? Where? I don't remember, but we lost it. Rays, 107) Antoinette dislocation makes her mad and takes away any chance to establish a stable identity for herself. Despite Rochester' imperialist effort to erase all aspects of her identity, Antoinette masterfully creates a new sense of self within her. At l ast, Antoinette realizes her submissive situation and wakes up from her deep sleep. She achieves her freedom and puts an end to her sufferings. When she dreams of burning Threefold house, she was therefore liberating herself: â€Å"Then I turned around and saw the sky. It was red and all my life was in it. I saw the grandfather clock and Aunt.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

A Snowflake Is Winter’s Butterfly

A snowflake is winter’s butterfly. When I awakened, very early, the ground was covered with little pearly snowflakes. They had floated gently from the sky, twirling and whirling. Millions in flight, blanketing the ground with sparkling little pictures traced in a line, and shining whitely. Some magician must have come and by the starlight, worked through all the quiet darkness. I must be dreaming, after what happened†¦ Daddy told me he had a surprise for me, boy do I like surprises! We were going to hunt for reindeers in the mountains near our house. My eyes immediately set aglow, my heart felt warm and excitement rushed through my body.I was finally going to kill my first reindeer and he will fall before me after my finger pulled that trigger. Although I was just a little girl, I always wanted to go and hunt with my daddy and now was my opportunity so I packed a full picnic basket with lots of freshly baked cookies. I gazed in wonder at my first coat as we were leaving t he house. We walked and talked for hours. Although the air was crisp and stirring, love kept me warm and laughter filled me with unspeakable joy. We had a map and when dad said he was just going to peek if the river was nearby, as indicated on the map, I saw something and ran after it.I ran till my lungs burnt and finally came to a sudden stop. I looked around in horror for my daddy but he was now where to be found. After minutes of searching, which felt like hours, the sun said good bye and the night sky greeted with a very chilly, thin wind. I was freezing, shivering and shaking like a pudding in a mould. I was colder than the contents of a million ice cream cones. Oh, I could not feel my fingers neither my toes. Wait, there was something but I couldn’t move. It has been hours in this snow storm. It came closer and closer†¦ A reindeer approached me, pushing his nose against me.I was scared to death and therefore prayed for help. A sudden relief swept over me and the re indeer pushed his nose against me for the second time as if to tell me – â€Å"You’re going to be all right†. A sound escaped it’s throat, and the second reindeer came closer, watching, guiding and then in seconds, the two reindeers came lying beside me, covering me, and warming me. I fell asleep as graceful beauty came raining down, each snowflake like a falling star, smiling beauty that spun afar. I felt peace and serenity before me for the first time in hours.The sun rose higher and higher with his wand of golden fire. I was suddenly awake after the most beautiful dream. DADDY!!! He was calling for me. He searched all night and when he saw me lying there he joyfully embraced me. I told him the miraculous story and he smiled down at me with love and happiness. A snowflake is winter’s butterfly. It doesn’t have the intention of harming you, nor trying to kill you with a snowflake-thunderstorm. It touches your soul lightly until finally you are saved by love. Even by the love of an animal you were so excitedly ready to kill. Charlene Total words: 553

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Bank Role in a Nations Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bank Role in a Nations Economy - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, a discussion of a short history of banking would provide a good background on the role of this financial institution two centuries ago. As mentioned before, storehouses were considered banks Nevertheless, even when barter was replaced by currency, the existence of a bank as a financial institution was not yet fully established. In fact, Hildreth ( 1837) wrote that the first bank in Genoa, Venice came into being only after the Republic ended. Hildreth recounts : â€Å"The Republic is engaged in war, and falling short of funds, had recourse to a forced loan. The contributors to that loan, were allowed an annual interest of four percent on the sums they had been obliged to lend; certain branches of the public revenue were assigned for the payment of that interest; and a corporation, entitled the CHAMBER of LOANS, was created for the express purpose of looking after this business, managing those branches of the revenue assigned to the lenders ; and attending to, and securing the punctual payment of the interest, as it fell due†( Hildreth, 1837,p.5) The Chamber fulfilled some of the roles that modern-day banks do such as selling and exchange, lending money, circulating money, and accepting deposits. Later the Chamber was known as the Bank of Venice. From then, banks sprouted into different cities such as Genoa and Barcelona since they engaged in so much trade too. In our current time, banks have played roles not much differently from the Bank of Venice. Only, the banking industry has become more complicated as international trade became dynamic and currency exchange from different countries have grown.  

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Energy savings Entrepreneurship in Singapore Essay

Energy savings Entrepreneurship in Singapore - Essay Example ing companies’ horizon has grown vast with the realisation that investment made on the energy saving technologies would be a profitable deal in the long run. ESCOs provide a complete package of services starting from the appraisal to the project financing, guaranteeing the success of the project besides providing equipment maintenance and servicing. Only accredited ESCOs can provide energy saving technology services; Energy Sustainability Unit (ESU), a division of the School of Design and Environment, National University of Singapore, runs an accreditation programme to introduce quality and standard in the services of energy saving companies (E2 Singapore) 1. Before discussing the ESCOs in detail, let’s have a good view of energy sector in Singapore. Energy sector in Singapore involves electricity consumption, energy consumption, energy intensity, energy statistics, and energy efficiency policies. Electricity consumption as per 2005 stats given in the National Energy Policy Report includes power generation sector consuming 51% fuel to generate electricity for different sectors namely transport, buildings, household and others, as shown in the chart below. The Energy Market Authority governs the business of awarding licenses to private companies to generate electricity. The graph below depicts the electricity consumption and electricity consumption per capita from 1990 to 2007, as given by the Energy Market Authority and the Singapore Department of Statistics (Eugene, May 14, 2009). 4 The graph shows ever-increasing level of consumption, culminating to 2.6 times from 1990 to 2007 but consumption per capita went up at a slower pace of 1.8 times, showing no movement between 2005 to 2007 (Eugene, May 14, 2009). 4 In the matter of energy consumption and energy intensity, stats of the two organizations -- the Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) are different while comparing Singapore’s energy intensity with America

Monday, October 7, 2019

Strategic Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Management - Case Study Example   It works in numerous industries such as electronics, financial services, films, games as well as music. The company is acknowledged for creating value for customers, which is highly admired. It is because of this fact that Sony has managed a combination of resources such as capabilities as well as core competencies that have permitted the company to design a strong sustainable competitive advantage. It was noted that the company in the month of May’ 2011 decided to sell nearly 27 million television sets in the month of July of the year 2011. However, it could manage to sell only 22 million television sets in the month of July 2011. Intangible resources of the company are those non-physical assets that are used by it in order to manufacture goods and services, or are expected to create future productive advantage s. The Sony brand is generally quite recognizable as well as trusted in the globe. It focuses upon superior quality, style as well as innovation. The companyâ€⠄¢s employees are considered to be the key drivers towards success. However, it has been found that the company had reduced 30000 jobs and commenced joint manufacturing venture. Furthermore, since the year 2000, the company has been losing its market value by a considerable amount (BusinessWeek, 2011). Question 1(iii) Sony Strategy Using the Competitive Advantage (Porter) Framework A company which is able to maintain its profits and thereby surpass the average of its industry is said to possess a competitive advantage against its rivals. According to Michael Porter, there are two types of competitive advantage. They are identified to be cost advantage and differentiation advantage (Worldscibooks, 2012). It has been observed that Sony is taking measures in order to improve the image as well as audio quality of its Bravia range of LCD televisions that forms the basis of its current television line-up. It is customizing its product offering so that it is capable of meeting specific reg ional market requirements. The company aims at enhancing the functions as well as performance of LCD models so that it is capable of differentiating itself from the other competitors (Sony, 2012). Sony aims at following differentiation advantage which generally takes place when a company is capable of establishing a premium price in the marketplace from its differentiated products surpassing the cost of offering the differential characteristics (Blackwell Publishing, 2011). Sony needs to recognize the customers and the way in which its products can meet their needs. When the performance of the television business of Sony is undermining, it becomes imperative for the company to adopt differentiation advantage so that it can maintain competitive advantage in both the short as well as the long-run. The company even make use of various 3D contents in order to speed up the growth of 3D entertainment (Scribd, 2012). Question 2 (ii) Comcast Strategies from the Perspective of the Resource-B ased View of the Firm Framework Comcast Corporation is performing quite well in areas of media, communication as well as entertainment sectors.Â