Aztec Religion and Gods of the Ancient Mexica

Aztec Religion and Gods of the Ancient Mexica The Aztec religion was made up of a complex set of beliefs, rituals and gods that helped the Aztec/Mexica to make sense of their worlds physical reality, and the existence of life and death. The Aztecs believed in a multiple-deity universe, with different gods who reigned over different aspects of Aztec society, serving and responding to Aztec specific needs. That structure was deeply rooted in a widespread Mesoamerican tradition in which concepts of the cosmos, world, and nature were shared across most of the prehistoric societies in the southern third of North America. In general, the Aztecs perceived the world as divided into and balanced by a series of opposing states, binary oppositions such as hot and cold, dry and wet, day and night, light and dark. The role of humans was to maintain this balance by practicing appropriate ceremonies and sacrifices. The Aztec Universe The Aztecs believed that the universe was divided into three parts: the heavens above, the world in which they lived, and the underworld. The world, called Tlaltipac, was conceived as a disk located in the middle of the universe. The three levels, heaven, world, and underworld, were connected through a central axis, or axis mundi. For the Mexica, this central axis was represented on earth by the Templo Mayor, the Main Temple located at the center of the sacred precinct of Mexico- Tenochtitlan. The Multiple Diety UniverseThe Aztec Heaven and underworld were also conceived as divided into different levels, respectively thirteen and nine, and each of these was overlooked by a separate deity. Each human activity, as well as the natural elements, had their own patron deity who overlooked different aspect of human life: childbirth, commerce, agriculture, as well as the seasonal cycles, landscape features, rain, etc. The importance of connecting and controlling the cycles of nature, such as the sun and moon cycles, with human activities, resulted in the use, in the pan-Mesoamerican tradition of sophisticated calendars which were consulted by priests and specialists. Aztec Gods The prominent Aztec scholar Henry B. Nicholson classified the numerous Aztec gods in three groups: celestial and creator deities, gods of fertility, agriculture and water and deities of war and sacrifices. Click on the links to learn more of each of the main gods and goddesses. Celestial and Creator Gods Xiuhtecuhtli-Huehueteotl (Old Man, the cycle of seasons)Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror, god of night and sorcery)Quetzalcoatl (the god/hero, the once and future king figure) Gods of Water, Fertility, and Agriculture Tlaloc (rain god)Chalchiutlicue (She of the Jade Skirt, childbirth)Centeotl (Maize Cob Lord, maize)Xipe Totec Lord with the Flayed Skin, fertility) Gods of War and Sacrifice Tonatiuh (Aztec sun god)Huitzilopochtli (war god, patron god of Tenochtitlan)Tlaltecuhtli (earth goddess) Sources AA.VV, 2008, La Religià ³n Mexica, Arqueologà ­a Mexicana, vol. 16, num. 91 Nicholson, Henry B., 1971, Religion in Pre-Hispanic Central Mexico, en Robert Wauchope (ed.), Handbook of Middle American Indians, University of Texas Press, Austin, Vol. 10, pp 395-446. Smith Michael, 2003, The Aztecs, Second Edition, Blackwell Publishing Van Tuerenhout Dirk R., 2005, The Aztecs. New Perspectives, ABC-CLIO Inc. Santa Barbara, CA; Denver, CO and Oxford, England.

M13 Comparative Law in a Global development Context Essay

M13 Comparative Law in a Global development Context - Essay Example Legal systems within the national levels and the lawyers as well as the judges administering such legal systems seem to be destined to interact with unfamiliar legal systems within national, regional, and super-national levels/nature in various ways that are typically multi-faceted. The associated trends and the resulting developments are therefore found to exert a significant effect on the legal environments in any region. There is thus the need for traditional doctrinal curriculum to create a balance through offerings, which would enhance young lawyers’ perspectives by instilling the practical appreciation of the prevailing comparative issues in them. This paper specifically identifies the various issues within the context of comparative methods of dispute settlement in a Global Development Context. Usually, any parties to a given dispute are under the duty of settling the dispute peacefully according to Article 2 of the UN Charter. The parties are expected to remain in principle for the dispute settlement. The parties are also free to make decisions on particular dispute settlement means that they prefer, especially in the absence of a specific treaty obligation according to Article 33 of the UN Charter. All settlements in this category depends inevitably on the parties’ agreement. In this regard, international dispute settlements are accompanied by inherent tensions between the legal duties to peaceful dispute settlements and the absence of real and compulsory mechanism for rendering such obligate effective. According to Menski, in Ãâ€"rà ¼cà ¼ and Nelken (2007:213), â€Å"Non-European informal methods of dispute settlement might resemble healing rituals rather than legal processes, but they are just as powerful as formal legal mechanisms.† This assertion is certainly true to a great extent since the settlement of disputes covers a wide range of settlement devices. Typically, there is a complex relationship between law and religion and that is why the

International Marketing and communications Essay

International Marketing and communications - Essay Example The report is conclusive although the company should conduct future research in the market for it to be successful in the market. The company should follow the proposal in its operation to succeed in the new market. In the recent times companies have been undertaking measures to diversify their products and services in order to compete in the world market. The report gives an analysis of the entry mode, marketing strategies and other factors affecting the introduction of Verizon wireless mobile phones in the Iranian market. The report studies the effect of culture on a product, pricing and positioning. Research is done on the factors that affect the sale of the product in the country including the origin of the country which affects its marketing. The Iranian telecommunication sector has been experiencing massive growth in the past few years. Verizon wireless is a joint venture company in the telecommunications field which is based in the United States in New Jersey. The company is the second largest in this line in the United States and it reported an immense amount of revenue in the previous year as explained by Information Gatekeepers, Inc (2009).The company is well established and this can be seen through its expansion and mergers with other companies for example in 2009 it bought Alltel wireless according to Polishuk (2010). This is a clear indication that the company has enough resources to venture into the Iran telecommunications market and compete with local based companies by employing proper strategies. The company is one of the major carriers in the United States to use the CDMA technology. The company offers 3G data and voice services and it invests annually to expand and maintain its network as explained by Information Gate keepers Inc. (2009). The communication system in Iran has developed over the years an d the current plan is to modernize and expand the network with the aim of improving efficiency, increasing the urban

London Residential Property Market Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

London Residential Property Market - Assignment Example It affects almost our entire lives, from the quality of our lives, our health and well-being; it determines not only our choice of transportation means but also our choice of work, and status (Baker 2003). Housing also affects our economic wellbeing, family structure, choice of friends and status in the society. It is with no wonder that, Abraham Maslow classified it under basic need of shelter in his social pyramid. Most often, investors see valuation as the first step toward intelligent investing. It has been argued (e.g. Penman 2003) that an investor can make informed decisions about where to invest once the value of shares are determine based upon the fundamentals. This is so because, without this value investors can either buy high or sell low. Investors who trade on these stocks are often forced to ask themselves whether they are buying or selling at the right price. (Penman, 2003). In the face of this situation and their quest for an alternate answer, investors turn to various media including internet chat rooms, printed press, "talking heads" on television. ). In addition, investors consult investment analysts who provide an almost endless stream of information and recommendations to sort out. There are often claims that some shares are undervalued and vice versa. (Penman, 2003). Against this background, the aim of this paper is to carry out an analysis of the United Kingdom London residential markets so as to enable investors make informed decisions as to a buy, a hold or sell decision. The next section provides an overview of the London residential markets. 1.1.2 Overview of the London Residential Market Property prices in United States, the US began falling in 2005 making sub-prime mortgage loans more risky as the borrowers are normally expected to exercise their options to default. Consequently, the US subprime mortgage market is suffering from foreclosures arising from falling real estate prices and borrowers exercising their options to default. (Schumer and Maloney, 2007). Investment banks such as Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and CitiGroup all fortune 500 companies have witnessed significant declines in profits, share prices and are planning to lay off workers as a result of the sub-prime crises. (Ellis, 2007). With regard to the United Kingdom UK particularly London, large empirical literature examined the determinants of the two booms experienced by home prices in the early 1970s and the 80s. Findings from these studies provide tentative evidence in support of the view that speculation on expected future house prices must have been an important force driving actual house prices (Muellbauer & Murphy 1997). Concerns over an ongoing house price bubble in the UK have been repeatedly raised by both the press and policy makers. Over the last thirty years, UK house prices have risen in real terms by around 2 % a year and according to HM Treasury (2003) report this stands in contrast to other European countries such as Sweden, France, and Germany where real house prices have decline or remain

Transmission Of A Tv Signal English Language Essay

Transmission Of A Tv Signal English Language Essay In electronics, many different types of carrier signals exists and due to the fact that this signals simply carry data intended for a different audience, which most of the times, are farther than the area of production of such signals. This gave rise to various modulation techniques to ensure effective transfer of these signals bearing information without loss of quality or degradation. This paper deals on how to modulate a Television (TV) signal using 16-QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) Keywords include: 16-QAM, TV Signals, Amplitude Modulation, Data, and Attenuation, baseband. 1.0 Introduction Everyday different types of signals transverse the air around us, most of which we cant feel or see, but we see their impact or influence everyday through different electronic gadgets we have or own personally. Most of these electronic gadgets are able to work as a result of them being able to receive a signal and they able to correctly interpret that signal and we in turn appreciate the devices. For the devices to correctly interpret these signals a kind of technique was used and this is known as Demodulation, this being that the devices are designed to receive this type of signals. The processes that led to being able to demodulate is what my focus is on; the process is known as modulation. Why modulation? This is due to the fact that not all intended users of a particular device or service reside close to the production station and also production signals called baseband signals cant travel much and would need a lot of power to transmit them over the air medium and this adds to the operating cost of the station and this is not acceptable. 2.0 Transmission medium for TV signal As with any kind of signal, the most important of that signal is to be received and decoded correctly, so that information encoded can be seen or viewed. The medium of passage of such signals is of consequence, because these helps to know the appropriate modulation to use and what, this information is tied to the channel coding, the advantages of the channel and the noise rate of that channel in consideration. For example, the transmission medium for sound received by the ears is usually air, sound can also travel through solids, liquids and plasma Electromagnetic waves have no need of any material substance for it to propagate but can be affected by the transmission media they pass through at the boundary between the media by absorption, reflection or refraction. Therefore, TV signals are like communicating data sent from one location to another which requires a pathway or medium. These pathways, called communication channels; two types of preferred media are: (a) Cable (twisted-pair wire, cable, and fibre-optic cable) and (b) broadcast (microwave, satellite, radio, and infrared). {Note:- Cable media use physical wires of cables to transmit data and information, while Twisted-pair wire and coaxial cables are made of copper, and fibre-optic cable is made of glass.} 2.1 BASEBAND SIGNAL The definition of a baseband signal is a signal that contains information, which may vary from audio signals, video signals, speech signal, image signal and many different other types depending on application and use. These signals cant move more than a few metres after production; for example, a speech signal; two persons can hear themselves clearly in close proximity to each other, as the distance between them increase, they start hearing faint messages or signals from each other and at a point, they cant hear each other again. Therefore for them to be heard no matter the distance between them there is need to modulate the speech signal generated by each person, so that each person can hear what the other person has said or is saying. A signal can be said to be an analogue data stream with which it varies with respect to space and time; with this property, each signal can be sampled, quantized, and transformed into digital data streams or packets. These processes it goes from being analogue to digital data streams or packet is called modulation. There are different modulation techniques used to carry different signals depending on the transmission medium and the condition inherent in that medium. 2.2 Modulation What is modulation? According to Margaret Rouse, modulation is the combination of signal to an electronic signal carrier, modulation is useful in direct current by turning it on and off to alternating current. Literally, modulation can be said to be a way of quicken the transfer of data or information through a medium. Transmission of sound through air has restricted degree of power generated by the lungs, to give the extent at which the voice can reach there is need to transmit it through a medium such as phone line, radio etc. therefore, the successful conversion of information in this case voice, to pass through a medium such as wire or radio waves is known as Modulation (www.complextoreal.com ). 2.3 TYPES OF MODULATION Modulation helps in many ways and it can be referred to as the process of transposing a signal wave onto a carrier wave in order to carry information. There are 3 three key properties of this carrier wave, which is a sinusoid wave with an amplitude, a phase and a frequency, these properties can be exploited to generate another kind of waveform to carry the intended information which is known referred to as a modulated signal. (www.encyclopediapro.com/mw/modulation) In most part of the world, frequency spectrum is expensive to waste and often its a national property, which means, to use it, the intending user has to be licensed and must follow a protocol process to have that frequency band assigned to him solely and given the channels parameters he can use. This is because, there are many different users competing for the same frequency band, due to the fact that the lower the frequency given, the lower the operating cost of using that frequency band. There are 2 broad class of modulation; they are the analogue modulation and the digital modulation. In analogue modulation, there is a continuous change in response to the signal to be modulated; this can be seen in Phase Modulation, Frequency Modulation, Amplitude Modulation, Single-Sideband Modulation, and Vestigial-sideband Modulation. In digital Modulation, there are changes in the signal position with respect to a starting position, while each position corresponds to a piece of information or symbol and can be represented on a constellation diagram. Examples include: Phase-Shift Key (PSK), Frequency-shift Key (FSK), Amplitude-shift Key (ASK), Minimum-shift Key (MSK), Gaussian minimum-shift Key (GMSK), Very minimum-shift Key (VMSK), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), this a combination of PSK and ASK. Continuous phase modulation  (CPM) and Trellis coded modulation  (TCM). (www.encyclopediapro.com/mw/modulation) For each of these types of modulation techniques, their phases, frequencies and amplitude are assigned a unique sequence of bits which corresponds to an equal number of bits and make up a symbol that represent that particular phase or code. 3.0 QAM The modulation of interest for the purpose of his paper is the QAM, or Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, from research; it was noticed that QAM has both an analogue and digital modulation properties depending on how its to be applied. QAM is made up of two modulation scheme, namely the Amplitude-shift Keying which is achieved by modulating or changing the state of the amplitude of two carrier waves to carry two analogue message signal or two digital data streams. The other is the Phase-shift Keying, in which the sinusoidal waves are usually out of phase to each other and apart by 90o. When these two waveforms are combined, it results to Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (two different amplitudes two out of phase signals). QAM, this modulation technique is used to encode and transmit digital cable channels, while the simplest of the QAM techniques is the 16-QAM i.e. 24 phase points, this is able to carry 6MHz bandwidth regulated by the authoritys policy. The type of signal interested in is the signal generated from a video source, this type of signal consumes more than the set frequency of 6MHz, a typical video source signal is huge, so using 16- QAM techniques, it is possible to encode the signal onto the QAM carrier wave to carry it and pass through the 6MHz bandwidth limit and still be able to carry additional signals such as the voice signal component of the video signal. However there are different video formats such as the NTSC, PAL, MPEG; this video formats also help in reducing the size of video signal, hereby assisting the 16-QAM to effectively encode the signal without loss of quality and making it noise proof. Other variants of QAM includes 64, 256 phase variants, but as this phases size inc rease, so do they incorporate noise and mismatching often affect the performance of the receiver to be correctly tuned in to receive the sequence of bits sent over the medium. One of the uses of QAM is in the modulation of digital television systems, due to its high spectral efficiencies and the requirement of a cleaner path, and such hybrid fibre coaxial cables are used to deliver digital television signals to homes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAM_tuner, 2012) In the United Kingdom, 2 variants of the QAM are being used, this are the 16 and 64 variants and they are used for digital terrestrial TV like Freeview by British Telecoms Top-Up TV, while for the 256-QAM, is being considered for the HD version of freeview which is delivered over high speed fibre optics links to homes across the country. Therefore, the makeup of QAM is shown via the figure below and the different modulation techniques it uses to modulate and encode its own signal and how it lead to the development of QAM. 3.0.1 Amplitude Shift Keying (Ask) According to N.Vlajic (2010), Ask is the modulation of digital data with changes in the amplitude of a carrier while both frequencies an d phase remain constant; carrier signal is varied by representing the binary with 0 and 1. Also in ASK, the mode of operation is to vary the amplitude of the carrier wave to carry a baseband signal, while the frequency and phase remain constant. Ask has two levels called binary bits of implementing its modulation process and it is often referred to as Binary Amplitude shift keying or on-off keying (B-ASK or OOK). Each binary bit corresponds to a symbol that represents an amplitude level. According to (Glover and Grant, 2004, chapter 11, page 391), they said that in B-ASK, the two digital levels can be one and zero, to represent the pulse of a sinusoidal carrier wave, although any one of the changing amplitude can be inferred to be one and the other zero and from this result, it describes why it also referred to as on-off keying sequence. This method of digital sequence of one and zero can be referred to a switch and was used to transmit Morse codes (Wikipedia) in the early 20th century. In recent times, additional amplitude levels has been developed for enhanced encoding schemes such as a 4 four level encoding scheme to take on two bits or 22with corresponding shift in amplitude, also there is an eight level scheme to represent 3 three bits or 23, and so on. This gives a reduced power required to transmit and hence advantageous to use. (Wikipedia-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude-shift_keying) A binary amplitude-shift keying (BASK) signal can be defined by S (t) = A m (t) cos 2pfct. For: (0 Implementation of ASK is relatively cheap and simple but its amplitude is usually affected by noise, distortion s and the propagation conditions on different route which makes the process more difficult. In ASK digital data is transmitted over an optical fiber. Figure 1. ASK signal representation. 3.0.2 Phase shift keying (PSK) Phase-shift keying (PSK) refers to a modulation scheme that is used to carry information by changing, or modulating, the phase of the carrier wave. PSK can still be defined as the modulation of digital data with amplitude at peak, frequency remain constant and phase with carrier signal varied to depict binary 0 or 1, with binary 0 = 180 degree phase and binary 1 = 0 degree.PSK is not sensitive to error and productively make use of bandwidth, so high data rate is possible but has more complex signal detection (N. Vlajic, 2010). This modulation scheme like the Amplitude shift Keying (or ASK) also uses a finite number of distinct signals to represent digital data. Each of the finite phases, is assigned a unique pattern of binary digits that forms a symbol. Phase shift keying comes in two forms, which are binary PSK (this uses two phases which are 180o apart) and Quadrature PSK (this uses four phases and the phases are 45o, -45o 135o and -135o). (Forouzan, 2013 pg 144) 3.0.2.1 Binary PSK In Binary PSK, it has only two signal element said suggested by Forouzan, 2013, pg 142; with each phase set at 0o and the other at 180o. The general form for BPSK follows this equation Sn (t). (wikipedia- H. Stern S. Mahmoud, Communications Systems, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004, p283) s_n(t) = sqrt{frac{2E_b}{T_b}} cos(2 pi f_c t + pi(1-n )), n = 0,1. This yields two phases, 0 and à Ã¢â€š ¬. In the specific form, binary data is often conveyed with the following signals: s_0(t) = sqrt{frac{2E_b}{T_b}} cos(2 pi f_c t + pi ) = sqrt{frac{2E_b}{T_b}} cos(2 pi f_c t)For binary 0 s_1(t) = sqrt{frac{2E_b}{T_b}} cos(2 pi f_c t) For binary 1 [where fc is frequency of the carrier-wave.] Also, the BER of a two signal BPSK in AWGN can be calculated as follows P_b = Qleft(sqrt{frac{2E_b}{N_0}}right) P_b = frac{1}{2} operatorname{erfc} left( sqrt{frac{E_b}{N_0}}right) 3.0.2.2 Quadrature PSK This sub part of psk is such that it uses two separate BPSK modulations to generate a QPSK modulation scheme; this is able to work due to each BPSK band as an in-phase carrier and the other out of phase carrier. The phases are different and the first point is located at 45o, then 135o, then -135o and lastly -45o, the amplitude stays constant at 2 ½. The bit stream is then split into two bit streams I (in-phase) and Q (Quadrature) .The bit stream in-phase (I) is called the even stream and quadrature(Q) is called Odd stream. (http://turboblogsite.com/quadrature-phase-shift-keying-qpsk-modulation.html) QPSK is used mostly to transfer digital data by varying the phases of the carrier signal, the 4 phase points tally with 4 points on a circle and can be so represented. The figure below shows the mapping of the 4 phase points. QPSK diagram showing how four different binary codes can be transmitted Fig: QPSK diagram showing how four different binary codes can be transmitted The list below gives some of the other commonly used forms of phase shift keying, PSK, they are O-QPSK Offset Quadrature Phase Shift Keying, 8 PSK 8 Point Phase Shift Keying, 16 PSK 16 Point Phase Shift Keying, QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation, 16 QAM 16 Point Quadrature Amplitude Modulation and 64 QAM 64 Point Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/what-is-psk-phase-shift-keying-tutorial.php) Figure 2. PSK signal diagram representation 3.1 QAM bits per symbol The advantage of using QAM is that it is a higher order form of modulation and as a result it is able to carry more bits of information per symbol. By selecting a higher order format of QAM, the data rate of a link can be increased. (http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/8qam-16qam-32qam-64qam-128qam-256qam.php) The table below gives a summary of the bit rates of different forms of QAM and PSK. Modulation Bits per symbol Symbol Rate BPSK 1 1 x bit rate QPSK 2 1/2 bit rate 8PSK 3 1/3 bit rate 16QAM 4 1/4 bit rate 32QAM 5 1/5 bit rate 64QAM 6 1/6 bit rate 3.1.1 Quantized QAM using constellation diagram In QAM, the constellation diagram plots are usually arranged in square formation with different spacing and this spacing point represent binary bits per symbol, this spacing point is in the power of 2s. The more the bits per symbol, the more it is to transfer more information over a given channel or medium. But as the bits increase, the points move closer and make the system susceptible to noise corruption, and this gives rise to a high BER ratio, making useless the information sent due to its high noise component. There are different bit positions for the constellation diagram, this diagrams show the different position of each symbol and the states of QAM, and the constellation diagrams for BSPK, 16 QAM. 32 QAM, 64 QAM. Therefore, the figures below show various constellation diagrams: http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/modulation-constellation-bpsk.gif http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/modulation-constellation-16qam.gif http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/modulation-constellation-32qam.gif http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/modulation-constellation-64qam.gif 3.1.2 QAM applications QAM is in many radio communications and data delivery applications. However some specific variants of QAM are used in some specific applications and standards. For domestic broadcast applications for example, 64 QAM and 256 QAM are often used in digital cable television and cable modem applications. In the UK, 16 QAM and 64 QAM are currently used for digital terrestrial television using DVB Digital Video Broadcasting. In the US, 64 QAM and 256 QAM are the mandated modulation schemes for digital cable as standardised by the SCTE in the standard ANSI/SCTE 07 2000. In addition to this, variants of QAM are also used for many wireless and cellular technology applications. 4.0 Conclusion In this review, it is clearly shown that Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) and Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modulation techniques that form Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) ensures effective transfer of TV signals In QAM different combination of amplitude and phase are used to achieve higher digital data rate, the number of bit transmitted per time T (sec) interval can be further increased by increasing the number of levels used References Behrouz A. Forouzan , Data communications and Networking H. Stern S. Mahmoud, Communications Systems, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004, p283) http://engineering.mq.edu.au/~cl/files_pdf/elec321/lect_mask.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplitude-shift_keying (Accessed 06 December 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAM_tuner, 2012 (Accessed: 28 November 2012) http://turboblogsite.com/quadrature-phase-shift-keying-qpsk-modulation.html http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/8qam-16qam-32qam-64qam-128qam-256qam.php (Accessed 06 December 2012) http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/rf-technology-design/pm-phase-modulation/what-is-psk-phase-shift-keying-tutorial.php (Accessed 06 December 2012) Ian A. Glover and Peter M. Grant, Digital communications, second edition Intuitive Guide to Principle of Communication, www.complextoreal.com Margaret Rouse, July 2005 Merriam Webster N.Vlajic, Instructor, CSC 3213, fall 2010. Analog transmission of digital data (ASK, FSK, PSK, QAM) Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia (Accessed: 28 December 2012) www.encyclopediapro.com/mw/modulation (Accessed: 28 November 2012)

karma :: essays research papers

Christians and Americans different from Japanese. But here too the core experiences were the same. There are obviously two sides of the story. One must look at both sides with careful eye and determine for they what they believe is true. This is where the idea of reincarnation comes in. Because it is 7 incorporated in so many religions, you find an answer to a question, which you truly want to know the answer to, and do not abandon your faith in doing so. Reincarnation is detected in many religions. Reincarnation is normally thought of as a Hindu philosophy and it is traced back to Hinduism, yet it can be found in Judaism, Christianity, and Buddhism and in many more religions. In Judaism, reincarnation is known as Gilgul. Though it has a different name it has almost the exact same meaning. Gilgul was a dominant teaching in Judaism for over three hundred years. Cabala, a book of Judaism, which is often, studied by Rabbi’s, one of the holy books of the Jews which talks of reincarnation. Rabbi Steinsaltz (Cranston 181) is an authority on the Cabala. He states: According to Cabalistic doctrine, the Torah contains not only manifest but also hidden truths: the same transcendent God whom the Bible celebrates as supreme king and lawgiver is, from the mystical also an infinity of divine knight that exists as the foundation of every human beings soul. For me, every soul is an emanation or spark of the divine, and its ultimate purpose is to rejoin the God it came from.... I hope to demonstrate the secrets of the Cabbala-, which rationalistic Rabbi’s of the nineteenth century dismissed as dangerous magic-, are fully consonant with traditional Rabbinic Judaism. (181) 7 this view is also held by a large group of Orthodox Jews known as the Hasidim. Reincarnation is universally taught among them. On the other hand, the soul, its life and immortality are rarely mentioned in the Old Testament. There is also no direct denial of it either. In the Book of Job (14:14), Job plainly asks, â€Å" If a man dies will he live again?† but receives no answer. So in the Old Testament, reincarnation is not ruled out it is just not brought up as a major point in the book. On the other hand, if one were to look into the Bible, the question of like after death is brought up and answered.

Robotization of Human Workforce

The Robotization of a Human Workforce Job satisfaction has been defined as â€Å"a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences. † It lists two different formulas for calculating job satisfaction: the Value Percept Theory, and the Job Characteristics Theory. This paper discusses the former and how it relates to Foxconn and its CEO, Terry Guo, whom writers Balfour and Culpan describe as a â€Å"ruthless taskmaster. † The Value Percept Theory is essentially the workers’ WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) paradigm, describing how certain job elements affect employee satisfaction, and the ramifications of that satisfaction. It focuses on eight specific categories of employee values: how the salary compares to other employees in the same line of work; the frequency with which qualified people are promoted; supervisors’ conduct and recognition of employee efforts; the enjoyability and qualifications of co-workers; The â€Å"psychological pay† derived from the work itself, described by the text on page 106 as including â€Å"utilization of ability, freedom and independence, intellectual stimulation, creative expression, (and) sense of achievement†; to what extent the work has a positive impact on society; the level of prestige associated with the job; and the safety and comfort afforded on the job. Most people base their job satisfaction on five of those eight criteria. The magazine article discusses Chairman Gou’s business philosophy and response to twelve employee suicides during the first few months of last year. According to the authors, Gou realized there was a problem after the ninth employee jumped to his death from one of the company’s ubiquitous, crowded dormitories. Gou responded by stringing netting around the exterior of the dormitories at second-floor level and set up a 24-hour employee hotline. He also gave employees a 30% pay raise and promised another salary bump during 2011 – principally due to pressure by one of his biggest customers, Apple. These measures were almost certain to reduce the number of employees who sought their own demise by jumping from their dormitory windows – provided they did not land on one of the steel support braces – but it failed to address the real problem of why so many people became despondent enough to end their own lives. The reasons seem clear, using the Value Percept Theory. Among the top five job â€Å"satisfaction facets,† the rate of pay is lowest on the list. Far more important to most workers, according to figure 4-2 in the text, are the work itself and the conduct of supervisors. With respect to those two facets, interviews with employees were telling. One employee stated that supervisors and managers â€Å"aren’t nice to people,† and a spokesman for China Labour Bulletin, which seeks to uphold the rights of Chinese workers (clb. org), characterizes Foxconn as â€Å"repressive. † Another employee explained the high levels of stress she suffers while performing repetitive tasks that require intense concentration. Though Gou places little value on a college education, he would do well to read our textbook.

Cosmetics and Revlon

Introduction of the Company Revlon Inc. is a leading cosmetics company offering cosmetic, skin care, fragrance, and personal-care products. Revlon was formed in 1932, and started out with selling only nail enamels. Over the course of the past 75 years, Revlon has become a leading brand in the cosmetic market, recognized both in the United States and worldwide. Revlon owns popular brands such as Revlon, Charle, Mitchum, and Almay. Revlon has recently been struggling with debt, posting losses for the past eight years. Mission Statement AnalysisRevlon’s vision is to glamour, excitement, and innovation through quality products at affordable prices. The key objective of Revlon is to offer high quality beauty products while keeping the costs down for the consumers. I believe Revlon has been holding true to that vision; however they could be following it too closely. Revlon’s recent losses and issues with debt could be attributed to their vision. While the answer to solve thei r issues is uncertain it is clear a new strategy is needed to help Revlon recover. External Analysis External| | | | Opportunities| Weight| Rating| Score| 1. Men are using cosmetics more| 0. 6| 1| 0. 06| 2. Weakening of the US dollar making foreign markets more appealing| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 3. Growing trend of using personal care products| 0. 1| 3| 0. 3| 4. The increase in the mini-baby boomers (young teens)| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| 5. Baby boomer females entering retirement| 0. 12| 3| 0. 36| | | | | Threats| | | | 6. Concern for product safety growing| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 7. Concerns about environment and animal testing growing| 0. 07| 2| 0. 14| 8. Increased gas prices greatly reduce disposable income| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 9. Natural fashion trends| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 10. Intense competition| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 1| | 2. 01| 1. There is a growing trend of men using cosmetic products. Product lines marketed specifically for men will be necessary to profit in this market segment. Men will be reluctant to use pr oducts made for women, so separate product lines are necessary. 2. Weakening of the US dollar makes any US based product more appealing in the foreign markets. Not only will people with other currencies favor the currency advantage of buying Revlon, are huge emerging markets growing in Latin America, Asia, and India. 3. There has been an overall growth in the use of cosmetic and personal care products worldwide.As countries become more developed, more people are earning income to spend on these products. Especially in the United States, appearance is strongly valued and cosmetics play a large part. 4. As with the increasing trend in cosmetics, there has been a significant increase in the mini-baby boomer market. Young teens are using cosmetic, personal care products more, and more. This market of teenage women is huge, especially in the United States. 5. The original group of baby boomers are beginning to reach the age of retirement. Most have reached their peak earning potential an d now have large amounts of disposable income.With old age comes the need for cosmetics to help people maintain a youthful look. Retired women of the baby boom era are a significant market segment for Revlon. 6. There have been growing concerns for product safety. Most cosmetics are applied to the face, and some if not properly tested can have adverse side effects. The population is becoming more health aware, and is always looking at the health effects of everyday products. Most companies now advertise the use of natural ingredients to market to health conscious consumers. 7. There is also growing concern for the environment and the use of animal testing.Animal testing had always been an issue for the cosmetic industry; however it is becoming more prominent in recent times. Even more is the growing concern for the environment. Consumers are looking for products that are not harmful to the environment and are eco friendly from the manufacturing process all the way to packaging and d isposal. 8. Increase in gas prices has hurt many industries across the board. Gas is something that the majority of consumers have to buy, and they are forced to pay whatever price is asked. The more consumers have to spend on gas the less to have to spend on items that are not considered a necessity.Costly cosmetics are probably one of the first things to be forgotten when spending needs to be cut back. 9. There is a trend of using natural products from food to cosmetics. There is a trend of going for a completely natural look altogether, meaning no cosmetics whatsoever. Even natural cosmetics discourage the use of other similar or supplementary products that would normally be used. 10. Competition is fierce in this industry. Marketing, price wars, and product differentiation among the cosmetic industry make it an extremely competitive industry. Each company has numerous brands that are recognized globally.Breaking consumer brand loyalty can be a hard task to accomplish. Revlon has a score of 2. 01 which is average. Revlon has been lacking in taking advantages of the different opportunities that it has. Failure to seize these opportunities will allow competitors to move in and gain the upper hand. Revlon should definitely take advantage of the growing foreign markets, especially in light of the weakening US dollar. In terms of threats, Revlon has been passive in responding to are preparing against them. Revlon has to make sure it markets its products in a way that is fitting for the changing view of the consumer.Product quality is becoming less important, as image is becoming everything. Completive Analysis Competitive Analysis: Porter’s Five-Forces Model | | Potential development of substitute products| | | | | I| | | Bargaining Power of Suppliers| -| Rivalry Among Competing Firms| -| Bargaining power of consumers| | | I| | | | | Potential Entry of new competitors| | | Rivalry Among Competing Firms Rivalry is high in the cosmetic industry. A few huge cosmetic makers dominate the market. They all have to deal with the decline in disposable income due to rising gas prices.Companies fight with marketing and cost reduction. Consumers have many ways to purchase these products. While a large amount of cosmetics are sold in drugstores and large retailers such as Wal-Mart there is still a significant sales done door to door. Competition is getting so strong that there has been a move to increase door-to-door sales to help steal market share from competitors. Potential of New Entrants The cosmetic industry is a 200 billion dollar industry. Competition is already high, and the industry as a whole has been faced with difficulties in these economic times.So the threat of new entrants is unlikely. However, new entrants to the industry could be successful if they can make a quality product at affordable prices. While there is a significant amount of brand loyalty, a consumer would easily switch to a more affordable quality product. Potential Development of Substitute Products As mentioned before rivalry is intense in this market. While brand loyalty does exist, price is becoming a very important factor. As a whole the market for cosmetics is very dynamic. While price is important, quality is just as significant if not more significant for some consumers. Companies re faced with the difficult task of balancing the two. Consumers will likely switch to a cheaper product with quality even though they might have loyalties to a particular brand. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of suppliers is low to moderate. Rising commodity prices affect all industries. The raw materials used in cosmetics are used mainly by cosmetic and personal care companies. The cosmetic companies do have some leverage, and these companies are able to keep costs down to offer lower prices to consumers. Bargaining Power of Consumers The bargaining power of consumers in this market is relatively high.Products are easily substitutable and pri ce is probably the most significant factor. Customers have all of the buying power, and often lean towards the cheaper products in these hard economic times. Since consumer bargaining power is high, companies in the cosmetic industry are forced to drive their prices down to stay competitive. While there are segments of the market that will pay a premium for a quality product, are majority of consumers will chose with their wallets. Generic Forces | Approach| Focus| Cost Minimization| Product Differentiation| Broad| X| | Narrow| | |Revlon offers various product lines focused at different segments of the market. The company was founded on the idea of providing affordable cosmetics. While many cosmetic companies attempt to differentiate their products from competitors it is almost an impossible task. Cosmetic products are easily substitutable so cost becomes the more significant factor. A broad focus cost minimization strategy is the one I would recommend for Revlon, there are some pot ential risks. As for any company, introducing new product lines can be a hit or miss. Revlon had recently introduced a product line called Vital Radiance that was aimed towards older women.The new line was not successful and was eventually discontinued, but not without taking losses. I believe Revlon should continue to use the same approach, they just need to make sure enough research is done before introducing new products to minimize the chances of failure. Competitive Profile Matrix Revlon Estee Lauder Avon Critical Success Factors| weight| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| 1. Financial Position| 0. 3| 2| 0. 6| 3| 0. 9| 4| 1. 2| 2. Brand Recognition| 0. 1| 4| 0. 4| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| 3. Market Share| 0. 35| 3| 1. 05| 4| 1. 4| 4| 1. 4| 4. Global Expansion| 0. 15| 3| 0. 45| 3| 0. 5| 4| 0. 6| 5. Marketing| 0. 1| 4| 0. 4| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| Total| 1| | 2. 9| | 3. 35| | 3. 8| Out of the three companies, Revlon is in the worst position. While Revlon does excel in marketing, th e amount spent on advertising is piled on to the already massive amount of debt. The most important factors here in this situation are market share and financial position. In both areas, the competition is clearly ahead of Revlon. Another significant area is global expansion, and Avon is the leader in expansion. The global market is the key to success in the cosmetics industry and Avon's overall score proves that.If Revlon can fix its financial position, then they can begin to look at competing toe-toe with Avon. However, the longer they wait to straighten out the longer they will continue to fall behind. Internal Assessment Internal| | | | Strengths| Weight| Rating| Score| 1. Strong marketing efforts| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 2. Large distribution network| 0. 1| 3| 0. 3| 3. Produces Quality Product| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 4. Tailors product lines to different segments| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| 5. Strong Brand Recognition| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| | | | | Weaknesses| | | | 6. Limited Locations| 0. 15| 2| 0. 3| 7. In crease in long-term Debt| 0. 1| 1| 0. | 8. Weak overall financial position| 0. 15| 1| 0. 15| 9. Risk of Investing in a Project with No Return| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| 10. Relatively high prices| 0. 05| 2| 0. 1| | 1| | 1. 7| 1. Marketing plays a large part in the cosmetic industry. Most companies compete on price. So ultimately the consumers’ choice is based on the perception of the product. Certain cosmetic lines are marketed towards different groups of people. The success of certain products is directly related to the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns. 2. The channels of distribution also play a large part in the success of any cosmetic company.Today most companies sell their products in a variety of different stores. Having their products available at many different locations helps to keep he competitiveness. Cosmetics are sold at drugstores, grocery stores, and large retailers such as Wal-Mart. Some companies even use door-to-door sales such as Avon. Revlon is beginning to u se that approach in certain regions such as China. 3. While price is the most important factor for most consumers, quality plays a large part with cosmetics. Furthermore actual quality is probably less important than perceived quality. 4.Ultimately people are willing to pay a premium for a higher quality product. In the case of cosmetics, quality is less about the product itself and more about the result to the consumer. 5. In order to make market campaigns successful the products themselves need to be designed differently for different market segments. For example, cosmetics aimed for the older population usually focuses on wrinkle education and skin firming ingredients, whereas cosmetics aimed for young women might offer a lot of color variety and other flashy designs. There clearly exists a different fashion trend among different age groups and different cultural groups.Having product lines tailored specifically for each group can help drive sales for each product line. 6. While Revlon does sell its products globally there are large markets outside of the United States that are yet to be entered. Because of the weakening of the US dollar US products are more favorable to foreigners. This event, along with the recent growth and development of these foreign countries form a large untapped market for cosmetic companies. India, China, and South America are becoming huge unsaturated markets waiting to be taken over. The first company to enter and successfully market to regions will become profitable.If Revlon continues to stay in its concentrated markets it will continue to fall behind the pack. 7. One of Revlon’s largest pitfalls is its failure to reduce its long-term debt. This is due largely to a few failed product lines that Revlon has launched in recent years, with Vital Radiance being the latest disaster. A lot of resources are required to launch new products. Not only are there the costs of production, but also the research and developments before the products are actually made. If the new lines do not yield the expected results the company is left in a net loss.In Revlon’s case, they never get a chance to pay off their debt, and are constantly playing catch-up. 8. Having a large amount of long-term debt is one thing, but for Revlon their overall financial performance is in need of repair. If Revlon able to generate enough income to balance out of their debt they would be much better off. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The amount of income and addition of new assets is not enough to keep out with the increase in liabilities. Because of this their overall financial position is very weak. Something needs to be done in order to set the company on the right path. . The main risk involved in launching new product lines is the potential for complete failure. So much research, time, and capital are spent to launch new product line. If the product does not sell as expected then none of those costs are recovered. Even wit h proper research of both the product and market, there is always a risk of failure. Already having such a large amount of debt, Revlon needs to take its time and do all the necessary research involved to increase its chance of launching a successful new line. 10. Price is the most important factor involved in the consumers’ purchasing decision.Cosmetic companies must find a balance between price and quality. Cost reduction is key to the success of any company in the cosmetic industry. If consumers decide to ignore quality, then price becomes the deciding factor. Though some cosmetic companies might sacrifice quality to keep prices low, they tend sell better when consumers have less money to spend. Revlon obtained a score of 1. 7 which is below average. Revlon’s biggest struggles are faced internally. The inability to pay off their long-term debt and their willingness to acquire new debt leave them in an extremely unstable financial position.Revlon needs to focus on it s marketing and product strategies. In these hard economic times Revlon should focus on price minimization. Consumers are more concerned about price these days with all of their purchases because money is tight. Revlon needs to focus on fixing its internal problems before they can begin to adjust to external factors. Financial Analysis Revlon’s main area of focus should be reducing its debt. Revlon posted net losses from 2004 to 2006. Sales had been leveling off during the same period. Net loss per share went from (. 47) to (. 2) from 2004 to 2006. Overall Revlon had been performing poorly, and failed new product launches helped contributed to the losses. By the end of 2006 Revlon’s long term debt amounted to 2. 3 billion dollars. Because of their ongoing issues with debt, Revlon has been undergoing debt restructuring. Moving forward Revlon must change its strategy to help increase sale, while minimizing the addition of new debt. In 2006 Revlon had a current ratio or l iquidity ratio of 1. 29 which improved slightly from 1. 25 in 2005. However, Revlon’s long-term debt still outweighs their assets.Revlon needs to look at its current product lines, and consider liquidating lines that are not generating expected returns. They are better off canceling unsuccessful product lines, then continuing to take on losses. While it may cost more in the short term, reevaluating existing product lines, and doing the research and development to launch new product lines will be more profitable in the long run. SWOT Matrix | Strengths – S 1. Strong marketing efforts| 2. Large distribution network| 3. Produces Quality Product| 4. Tailors product lines to different segments| 5. Strong Brand Recognition| | | | | | | Weaknesses – W 6. Limited Locations| . Increase in long-term Debt| 8. Weak overall financial position| 9. Risk of Investing in a Project with No Return| 10. Relatively high prices| | Opportunities – O 1. Men are using cosmetics m ore| 2. Weakening of the US dollar making foreign markets more appealing| 3. Growing trend of using personal care products| 4. The increase in the mini-baby boomers (young teens)| 5. Baby boomer females entering retirement| | SO Strategies1. Create product lines for new markets. (O1,2,5+S1,S4)2. The company should expand in to global markets. (O2+S1,S5)3. Focus existing product lines to their targeted demographics. (O1,3,4,5+S4)| WO Strategies1.Open new locations worldwide. (O2,O3+W6,W9)2. Reduce costs. (O4+W10)3. Conduct research before starting new product line. (O1,3,4,5+ W7,W9)| Threats – T 6. Concern for product safety growing| 7. Concerns about environment and animal testing growing| 8. Increased gas prices greatly reduce disposable income| 9. Natural fashion trends| 10. Intense competition| | ST Strategies1. Expand into global markets. (T10+S1+S5) 2. Reduce costs. (T8+S3)| WT Strategies1. Open New Locations. 2. Carefully plan new projects to maximize their profitabilit y. 3. Research safer ways of product testing and formulate safer and environmentally friendly cosmetics. T6,7,9+W9)| Space Matrix ————————————————- Financial StrengthRatings Decrease in Debt1. 0 Increase in Assets 2. 0 Net Income Per Share1. 0 4. 0 ————————————————- Industry Strength Growth Potential2. 0 Profit Potential 2. 0 4. 0 ————————————————- Environmental Stability Competitive Pressure-3. 0 Going Green Trend-3. 0 Economy Dependent-4. 0 ————————————————- -10. 0 —————————†”——————- Competitive Advantage Market Share-5. Brand Loyalty -4. 0 -9. 0 Conclusion ES Average is -3. 33, IS Average is 4. 0 CA Average is -6. 0, FS Average is 1. 33 Directional Vector Coordinate:x-axis: -4. 5+(+2. 0) = -2. 5 y-axis:-3. 33+(+1. 33) = -2. 0 Insert Space matrix The SPACE Matrix shows that Revlon has a defensive profile. They are financially unstable, which is why the point falls in the negative quadrants. BCG Matrix High| Medium| Low| Medium| StarsRevlon Brand| ? ’sAntiperspirants/Deodorants| Low| Cash CowRevlon Beauty Tools| DogsVital Radiance Brand| Revlon’s star product is their Revlon brand.The cosmetic market is still showing considerable growth, and Revlon has a total market share of 13%. Globally the market for cosmetics is expected to grow with the help of the weakening U. S. dollar. Revlon Beauty tools are the cash cow for the company. The overall market share for that product line is almost 25% which makes Revlon a dominant player. Growth in that market is expected, but not nearly as much as the cosmetics segments. Market share of Antiperspirants and Deodorants has dropped within the past year. While growth in that segment is expected, Revlon maintains a small share of the market.However, with the right strategy that segment could become another star for Revlon. Lastly, Revlon’s Vital Radiance line dropped to less than 1% in market share in the most recent year. That segment showed negative growth along with minimal market share. It was a wise decision on Revlon’s part to discontinue that line as it was generating any net profits for the company. Strategy Recommendation Revlon should follow to strategies to help turn things around. The first recommendation I have is for Revlon to expand its business in foreign markets. Currently the US dollar is weak, which makes US products more favorable in foreign countries.There are huge emerging markets in India and China. As these countries become more developed women have more income to spend on cosmetic products. In these countries Revlon might have a better chance at success if they try more direct forms of marketing such as door-to-door sales. There are rumors that Revlon is considering that strategy for China. While I believe times have changed, and marketing has changed especially with the age of the internet, I believe direct marketing works well for cosmetics. The typical users of cosmetics are more likely to buy a product if they get to see it in person, or get to try it themselves.I think door-to-door sales would be successful and could be used in the United States and in other countries. I also believe free samples would be another good form of marketing. I’ve noticed that a lot off cosmetic products are sold on the home shopping network in the United States. I think consumers feel more comfortable buying a cosmetic product when they can see how it is used and what results they generat e. There are cultural differences between the United States and foreign countries. Revlon should create new product lines tailored to each culture.I believe they are better off making fewer product lines focused on broader groups of people, rather than making too many product lines. They need to test the waters of each region, and determine the most effective ways to gain market share. The second recommendation that I have for Revlon is an internal one. Revlon has serious issues with debt. Part of the reason they are in this situation is because of the launch of unsuccessful product lines such as their most recent Vital Radiance. It takes a lot of time and resources to launch a new product line or to acquire new manufacturing locations.Any new product launch poses a great risk for any company. Revlon is not in any financial position to be taking these risks. I believe they need to do two things. First Revlon needs to look at its existing product lines and reevaluate their effectiven ess. Lines that are not meeting sales expectations need to be modified or discontinued altogether. It is better for Revlon to accept its losses and start fresh. The second thing Revlon needs to do is to spend all the time and resources necessary to make a successful new product launch. This was obviously not what happened with the Vital Radiance brand.While it may cost more time and money initially, a successful product line will easily be able to recover those expenses. As they make the decision to launch new brands or re-launch existing brands, Revlon needs to make sure all of its advertising spending is put to good use. Revlon is already deep in debt, and they need to make sure than any additional expenses will generate concrete returns. Revlon needs to refocus some of their brands, and launching new ad campaigns can help them do so. Revlon needs to find out which of its products are successfully marketed, and follow those same strategies to market their less successful product l ines.Focus is necessary in getting Revlon back on track. Effective marketing can help to increase sales both in the United States and abroad. Pro Forma The US market accounts for over half of Revlon’s sales. There is great potential for Revlon to expand its global markets. Realistically their sales in the foreign markets should be more than half of their overall sales. Revlon’s international sales have increased over the past three years, but the growth could be far more rapid. With the reorganization of Revlon’s current brands they could possibly cut some advertising costs by not having to market every product line to the same extent.Refocusing their brands with successful marketing, they might experience a slight increase in sales. I can estimate maybe a 5% increase in sales, and hopefully expenses can remain the same. Whatever extra cash is earned should be used to begin to pay off their debt. However, if neither of the strategies help turn things round, Revl on might consider be bought out by another company. Epilogue Section Revlon had made little improvement since 2007. The company maintains a debt in excess of over 1. 3 billion dollars. Although the company stock price has increased from 13 dollar per share to around 16 dollars. Google Finance) In general Revlon is still in the same boat it was in four years ago. Over half of Revlon’s sales are still from the United States. There has been little progress made in foreign markets. However, things are starting to turn around for the company. Revlon has been facing declines in sales since 2007. Now, in the first quarter of 2011 they managed to increase sales. (WikiInvest) They are estimated to increase overall sales by 2% this year. These sales are attributed to an increase in spending of advertising. Apparently the marketing efforts are beginning to pay off.This additional spending has helped to strengthen some of the Revlon brands. While things are beginning to look positive, th ey are going to need a much greater increase in sales to help pay off the debt. If they continued to lose sales in today’s times I would say it would be smart to consider selling out to another company. The recent albeit small turn around might give Revlon one last chance pay off its debt and become a big player in the industry. Resources: http://www. wikinvest. com/stock/Revlon_(REV)/News/2566033/Revlon_Reports_First_Quarter_2011_Results http://www. google. com/finance? q=NYSE:REV