Introduction to business, macro environmental factors (PESTLE) Essay

Introduction to business, macro environmental factors (PESTLE) - Essay Example This structure was a result of various acquisitions that have taken place over the period of time. Detailed analysis of the history of Borders Group and its subsequent liquidation indicated that failure to adapt to market changes and technological advancement coupled with faulty investments and financial decisions lead to the demise of this once glorious chain of bookstores. The founders of this group are also the pioneers when it comes to superstores in published books industry after Barnes & Noble (Peterson, 2011). The traditional image of small-scale alley shops was replaced by Tom and Louis Borders in 1971 when they opened major stores in different states. In addition to many published books available under one roof, their Book Inventory System which was originally designed to support their sales and inventory management, also formed a major part of the products that they were offering. Following Borders group’s stake in published books market, it was purchased by Kmart ho wever the deal was not as successful as expected and later on lead to divestment in 1995. After this separation, Borders group expanded its operations internationally in Europe, Australia and Singapore (Fundinguniverse, 2011). ... blishing self-owned stores however due to excessive market competition in physical book stores and also other market players like Amazon, Borders group faced aggressive competition. Due to this market condition, Borders group sustained immense losses and filed for bankruptcy in United States followed by subsequent closure of over 30 stores only in UK. As of now, all the directly or partly owned stores of Borders groups have been sold or closed down (Fundinguniverse, 2011). It is important to note that Borders group’s problem was not the changing market space and consumers’ demand but its rather sluggish approach towards the adaptation of changes. With major capital invested in physical stores, the cost of running the stores became extremely high. It did try to create an online presence in 2001 after emergence of Amazon.com and other e-book retailers however the results were not encouraging enough. Where Amazon was in the market after 1995 and had a stable establishment by 2000, it was already too late for Borders group to compete with the diverse and highly personalized nature of service offered by it (Wasserman, 2012). After being unable to have a successful presence, Borders group formed an alliance with Amazon which proved fatal in the long-run. The alliance ended in 2007 with another attempt of forming online presence in 2008 however increasing overhead, operations and interest expenses along with many changes taking place in organization’s management, the group was struggling to stay liquidated which further resulted in further bankruptcy of the group in 2011. Although over the period of time, Borders group added many features to its stores in the form of espresso bars and personalized service of its employees (who were already learned individuals with

Senses and the endocrine system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Senses and the endocrine system - Essay Example These abnormalities that occur sometimes have no effect on the systems while in other cases the effects are detrimental. One of the common seen abnormalities as people age is the formation of cataracts. Cataracts are a clouding of the lenses in the eye to where light becomes hard to pass through. As a result of the light not being able to penetrate, problems with vision occur. Cataracts can form in a person’s eyes as the result of multiple conditions. Exposure to ultraviolet light can cause proteins to denature, which can lead to the condition. Certain diseases such as diabetes have been known to cause this to occur. Eye trauma and genetic issues can also be accounted for with the development of cataracts (Goldstein, 2010). Cataracts are an abnormality that is forming which affects the visual field of the individual. This is because the lenses in eyes are biologically centered around having a clear lens that is adjusted by the retina to allow light in depending on the light le vel. Even though aging of biological components is inherent as humans age, the formation of cataracts is often caused or started by external or internal determinalistic factors that cannot be accounted for. As a result, these are biological factors, which represent an abnormality to normal human physiology.