Overview and Evaluation of the Smart Grid

Overview and Evaluation of the Smart Grid The Smart Grid, Smart City Program was arguably one of the widest-ranging technology assessments of smart grid products in the world. It saw: The deployment and testing of several smart in-grid and customer-focussed technology groupings across the Ausgrid network and EnergyAustralia retail business in New South Wales Examined the impacts and benefits of additional distributed generation and distributed storage solutions Involved approximately 17,000 electricity customers in consumer-focussed trials examining how residential customers could contribute to peak demand management through behavioural changes The Smart Grid, Smart City Program focused on residential customers, as they represent the largest user group in Australia, and generally have more discretion over when and how much energy they use. Little was known before the Smart Grid, Smart City trials about how customers perceived, or how they might respond to, the opportunities that smart grid technologies offer. Most residen tial electricity customers in Australia are currently provided with limited information and very few incentives and tools to manage their domestic electricity use. A quarterly electricity bill is the main source of customer feedback, and this only shows the total amount of energy used during the previous three months, limiting the opportunities to systematically modify behaviour in order to save electricity and money. Based on the trials undertaken, this final Smart Grid, Smart City report, Shaping Australias Energy Future: National Cost Benefit Assessment found the potential for a net economic benefit of up to $28 billion ($2014) over the next 20 years from the deployment of smart grid technologies in Australia. This report demonstrates that there are four key aspects to realising these benefits and improving consumer pricing outcomes: Technological development and deployment of enabling (smart grid) technologies The introduction of cost reflective electricity pricing including d ynamic tariffs Consumer behaviour change with respect to electricity consumption (to better manage any future growth in peak demand) Energy market reform4 (many aspects of which are already underway) Realising the potential benefits requires an integrated solution if any one aspect is not implemented, then the extent of net national economic benefits available will be reduced. A large proportion of the net benefits identified can be derived from the economic deployment of a number of in-grid technologies which improve operational efficiency, reduce capital investment (through better managing peak demand) and deliver improved reliability for consumers at a lower cost. There are vast differences across Australias electricity grid, from highly populated suburban areas to sparsely populated rural areas, and different smart grid technologies are better suited in different circumstances. For those Australians living in suburban areas, there are significant potential benefits from certa in in-grid technologies. Likewise, for less densely populated rural networks, there are alternative in-grid technologies which can assist in improving the reliability and cost of managing the grid. Smart grid can simply be defined as the deployment of Information technology and also communication technology with the aim of improving the way electricity is generated, transported, distributed and stored. Across Australia, the distribution and the retail value chain elements primarily makes up the smart grid system. However, the impact also cut across how electricity is generated and transmitted. In this report, the smart grid smart city program which was funded by the Australian Government will be examined. The smart grid study focused primarily on residential distribution network and also with the introduction of a data centre for information processing. Smart grid technology find application in several purposes which can be grouped into customer side application, key enabling application, grid-side application, renewables, distributed energy and electric vehicles, data collection, processing and back-office. Several logical layers can also be used to represent each of the appli cations which could be traditional power systems equipment, communications network, computing capability, and also smart grid application layer. The Smart Grid Smart City (SGSC) program is one of the largest smart grid projects in the world. It was announced in 2009 by the Australian government with the aim of implementing smart grid technology at a large scale in line with the National Energy Efficiency Initiative (NEEI). It happen to be the first large scale smart grid project in Australia which was executed by Ausgrid and its partners. The project was aimed at showcasing the importance of the deployment of smart grid technology in commercial scale, building both public and corporate awareness of the economic and environmental benefits of smart grids, gathering an elaborate data with the aim of informing wider industry implementation of the various applications of smart grid across Australia, and also to investigate the interaction with other existing infrastructure. So many trial s were examined in the program which includes the deployment of smart meter infrastructure, distributed generation and distributed storage, and also the utilisation of electric vehicles in the Australias electricity distribution network. So many trials were deployed in the program. Part of the trials that is of interest to me is the deployment of the smart meter infrastructure. This trial entails the installation of smart meter at various residential buildings. The various components that make up the smart meter infrastructure are the communication technologies for information transfer to and from the smart meters communication unit, the meter management system, home-office operational systems. (Energy Australia, Sydney Water and other partners) and also the customer acquisition application. With the deployment of smart meter, data for electricity usage, storage and delivery were obtained for participating household. Another fascinating part of the Smart Grid Smart City program is t he distributed generation and distributed storage work stream which was initiated with the aim of providing critical data and information to help understand the implication of greater penetration of the combination of distributed storage and generation in conjunction with other smart grid technologies. In addition to the aforementioned, the electric vehicles project is also a part of the Smart Grid Smart City program I find interesting and it was aimed at understanding the potential impact of the utilisation of electric vehicles in Australias electricity distribution network.

Revelation Essay -- essays research papers

"Revelation, n. A famous book in which St. John the Divine concealed all that he knew. The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing."1 The book of Revelation, the only apocalypse among the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, has always occupied a marginal role within the field of Biblical interpretation. Its bizarre visions of beasts, dragons, plagues, and cataclysms have inspired poets and artists while confounding more traditionally minded scholars for centuries. England in the early seventeenth century proved an exception to this rule. The flowering of apocalyptic exegesis in this period among academic circles bestowed a new respectability on the book of Revelation as a literal roadmap of church history from the time of Christ to the present, and on into the eschaton. The principal writers in this field, including Arthur Dent, Thomas Brightman, and Joseph Mede, have been dubbed "Calvinist millenarians" by modern historiography. They were cer tainly Calvinist in their views on doctrine, and also in their melioristic vision of England as the consummation of the Reformation, as an elect nation with the potential to recreate the true church of the early Christians. Their intense belief in the imminence of the end of the world, however, along with the mode of interpretation which they applied to the Revelation, reflected trends in Christian thought redirected by Martin Luther, and largely ignored by John Calvin. In this paper I will examine Luthers role in three English interpretations of the Revelation, discussing both his influence as an intellectual precedent, and his appearance as a character within these texts. Luther himself never wrote a detailed commentary on the Apocalypse, but in a preface to the 1530 edition of his German New Testament, he outlined a mode of exegesis which emphasized the application of the Revelation to history. This literal approach first appeared in England in a 1545 commentary by John Bale, a transitional figure often considered the progenitor of the English apocalytic tradition. Later works utilized Luthers model more completely, and I will cite three of these in particular: Arthur Dents Ruin of Rome (1603), an excellent introduction to the mainstream of English commentaries; Thomas Brightmans Revelation of St. John (1609), which epitomized the Anglocentric slant inherent to the Englis... ...rines and works."16 Unlike some medieval commentators, who also identified the pagan Turk with Antichrist, Luther chose to apply the image strictly to the papacy, and associated the Turk with the beasts unleashed by the devil after his millennium of bondage.17 Thus Luther used both history and Scripture to attack the Pope, and this doctrinal foundation allowed him to carry his polemic one step further. He believed that under the influence of the ungodly papacy the Church had diverged from the true, "hidden" Church which continued to uphold the Word of God under persecution. Luthers reinterpretation of the two cities of Augustine appeared in his 1530 preface, where he stated that one could read the Revelation as a warning against the trials the church will face. In these battles, the enemies of the faithful will obscure the church under heresies and other faults, calling the elect "them damned heretics who are really the true christian Church."18 Luther was far from being the first to interpret history as Gods work, but his insistence on the agreement between the Bible and history led him to mount a novel, doctrinally based assault on the Catholic Church.

Averting Problems in the New Millennium Essay -- Technology

Averting Problems in the New Millennium As we approach the end of this century, many people have raised concerns regarding the serious issues surrounding the Y2K problems. Although no one knows precisely what will happen on January 1, 2000, the general opinion is that Y2K related problems will cause failures of basic services including utilities, water and phone service. Contrary to popular opinion, I believe that the Y2K problems will have more of a positive effect on our society because it has caused us to analyze more carefully, the data and the technology we rely on in everyday situations. In addition, the new millennium will usher an era of tremendous opportunities for technological advancements in our society. In other words, the current preparations to avert a Y2K crisis, has given us an advantage which will minimize technological breakdowns in the future and create new technology which will ensure a relatively smooth transition into the new millennium. The main focus of our concerns regarding the Y2K crisis is the fact that we know precisely when it is scheduled to begin and "this appointment with destiny cannot be postponed or avoided" (Jeffrey 10). During the past eighteen months, we have been bombarded with extensive information in the media regarding the Y2K problem including predictions on how it will impact our society. This problem can be traced back to approximately forty years ago, when programmers in the fledging computer industry made a fateful decision to save memory and space by recording year dates with only two digits. Unfortunately, no one anticipated that these early computer programs and mainframes would still be using these systems in 1999. As a result, this technological glitch may cause compute... ...other utilities, hopefully for short periods and the worst case scenario, could be a few weeks. However, these incidents will not translate into doomsday proportions and will not mean the "end of the world" as we know it. There is less reason to panic over Y2K because unlike the many natural disasters that we experienced in the United States we were able to proactively address this crisis. I am certain that we will witness one of the best New Year's Eve celebration in this century as the Waterford crystal ball is expected to drop and glow " 2000" in brilliant lights and the city lights will stay on. Works Cited Gould, Stephen Jay. Questioniung the Millennium. New York: Harmony Books, 1999. Seymour, Jim PC Magazine. "The Year 2000 Countdown" New York: April 1999. Jeffrey, Grant R. The Millennium Meltdown. Toronto: Frontier Research Publication, Inc., 1998.

Philosiohy Comparison Essay

Continental philosophy, Pragmatic philosophy, and Analytic philosophy are all three forms of philosophies that are in response to Hegel. The differences began within English speaking countries and European speaking countries, which off-set into two separate traditions. Continental philosophy is the most different in its response to Hegelian idealism in Europe in the 19th and 20th century. The main schools of philosophical thought are existentialism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, and critical theory, being that existentialism and phenomenology are the two prominent schools. Some of the themes of existentialism include â€Å"Philosophy must focus on the individual in her or his confrontation with the world,† and â€Å"Senselessness, emptiness, triviality, separation, and inability to communicate pervade human existence, giving birth to anxiety, dread, self-doubt, and despair,† (Moore, B. N., & Bruder, K. , 2011, p. 154). Continental philosophers do not agree that science is the best way to describe the ways of life and emphasize on metaphilosophy. To me, Continental Philosophy is difficult to describe because it seems critical instead of expressive. Next, Pragmatic philosophy is the main tradition of philosophy in the United States. Overall, Pragmatic philosophy speaks of the lack of an absolute truth. The truth can change accordingly to any situation depending on the time and place. The three best known pragmatists are C.S Peirce, William James, and John Davey. Instrumentalism, which is Dewey’s product of pragmatism, says that human activity and human thoughts are instruments used by humans to solve practical problems. They believed that truth varied from person to person depending on where he/she wanted to progress in life. Lastly, Analytic philosophy is the main tradition of philosophy in England and later in the United States. Of course the main purpose of Analytic philosophy is analysis, which expresses complex concepts into more simple concepts. A philosopher, Bertrand Russell whose emphasis was mainly in mathematics, related to logicism. Logicism says that mathematical truths can be proved from principles of logic. Russell along with G.E Moore and Gottlob Frege disagreed with Absolute Idealism, but also traditional philosophy all together. Continental philosophy, Pragmatic philosophy, and Analytic philosophy all have quite different concepts but have been conceptualized around the same roots. References Moore, B. N., & Bruder, K. (2011) Philosophy: The Power Of Ideas. (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

The Management of Grief” and “and of Clay Are We Created”

Comparison and Contrast of â€Å"The Management of Grief† and â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† Introduction missing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ The main characters in â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† and of â€Å"Management of Grief† differ in many ways. In â€Å"Management of Grief†, Shaila Bhave is the main character who is a 36 year old Indian Hindu Canadian woman that lost her husband and two sons in a plane crash to India. On the other hand, the main character in â€Å"And Clay are we created† is Rolf Clarke who is a middle age TV reporter, first to arrive at the mud slide disaster caused by volcanic activities that tries to save a girl trapped in the mud.The difference of both characters separates them from one another. While one character is a reporter at the scene trying to save life the other is dealing with the grief of her lost ones and helping a social worker with the families of the crash. â€Å"This should be paragraph 2† The tone an d point of view of â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created â€Å"and â€Å"Management of grief† differs from one another. â€Å"The Management of Grief† is narrated in the third person limited by the main character Shaila.In contrast, the other is narrated in the first person in a very unique way and is told by the main character’s lover as witness miles away, through television with unedited access. The tone of â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† is melancholy throughout the story. It gives the sense of gloom â€Å"the sky is weeping† as murmured by Azucena as she begins to cry. Unlike in â€Å"The Management of Grief† the tone is more subtle through the voice of Shaila. The narrator has a more rational view of the events and delivers it with calmness. â€Å"This should be paragraph 1† †¦..A transitional sentence between the difference and similarity paragraph should be here. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ The characters in â€Å"And of Clay Are We C reated† and â€Å"The Management of Grief† are quite similar in repressed feelings towards the tragic events of their lives. In beginning of â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† the narrator describes Rolf Carle to report the news with â€Å"equanimity in the face of danger and suffering† and seemed detached from his emotions. The way he tried to comfort the girl and help her through the night by singing songs and staying with her shows his demeanor and resilience in the face of the tragedy.Midway in the story when the girl starts to remind Rolf of all the women in his life, his past opens up and the repressed memories becomes fresh in his mind. The memories – burying of prisoners died from starvation in the concentration camps as he recalls â€Å"the naked bodies piled like a mountain of firewood† and how his father would beat him and his retarded sister. Likewise in â€Å"The Management of Grief†, Shaila doesn’t lose herself in t he tragedy and remains calm while she narrates the story as a reporter much like Rolf and is described by the people as â€Å"the strongest of us all† in coping with the tragedy.Then underneath it all as she says in her mind â€Å"I wish I could scream, starve, walk into Lake Ontario, jump from a bridge† shows that she is repressing her feelings of the tragedy. Towards the end of the stories, the characters reached a point of acceptance and started on the path of healing. In â€Å"And of Clay Are We Created† and â€Å"The Management of Grief† deals with the inadequacy of the government in dealing with tragedies. In the tragedy of the mud slide, millions of dollars of special television equipment, helicopters and personnel arrives at the scene but fell short of a mere water pump.The narrator calls important people from the city, senators, and commanders of the armed forces, begging for the pump, and only obtained vague promises. Likewise in the plane crash tragedy that was under investigation for a terrorist plot and how the social worker Templeton could not effectively help the families of the tragedy. Templeton who continues to endeavor to assist members of the Toronto Indian community who either refuse to accept the loss of their family members, or who have no ability to operate effectively in a Canadian culture of legal requirements, bank documents and government forms.Shaila assists her with the families but soon realizes that Templeton doesn’t understand that not all Indians are the same and they are different in religions and traditions. For instance when they visited a couple and she told Templeton â€Å"They are Sikh. They will not open up to a Hindu woman. † Templeton shows her frustration afterwards and Shaila sees that she doesn’t understand their culture and stopped helping her. Although the stories have different tragedies in different countries, the fact remains that the government was not as effec tive as they should have been in dealing with the tragedies.The two stories are of different tragedies in different places with different people. In those tragedies despite the differences the grief is the same as is their government response. To finish the title â€Å"and of clay are we created’ and to clay shall we be returned gives the sense of acceptance of death which synchronizes with the title of ‘management of grief’ in that the final stage in grief is acceptance. â€Å"generally need more quotes†

Macbeth Appearance vs Reality

Appearance vs. Reality The role of deception and the motif of appearance and reality had a large role in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. The motif of appearance and reality is first introduced by Shakespeare early on in the play when Macbeth must cover up for the murder of Duncan. This motif of appearance versus reality, or deception, appears again when Macbeth fools the murderers that killed Banquo. Macbeth tricks the murderer’s into believing it was Banquo’s fault that they led such miserable lives when in reality Banquo had nothing to do with them.Finally, the reader sees this motif of appearance versus reality appear one last time towards the end of the play when Macbeth believes he is invincible and ends up ignoring one of the witches’ prophecies which ultimately leads to his demise. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth has the knack to make others believe in him although he is ultimately lying to them. This can be first seen during the murder o f King Duncan and his two servants when Macbeth must disguise the fact that he had committed the crime.Macbeth initially feared committing a crime such as killing Duncan because he had no reason to do it and feared the consequences. Lady Macbeth, however, sensing the weakness in her husband’s heart gives Macbeth a piece of advice; â€Å"False face must hide what the false heart doth know. † (I. VII. 92). Lady Macbeth tells her husband to deceive everyone into believing that neither he nor his wife had anything to do with the murder of Duncan or his servants. After the crime has been committed, both Lennox and Macduff knock on Macbeth’s door.At this point Macbeth is feeling extremely guilty. However, Lady Macbeth diverts all attention away from Macbeth by fainting. â€Å"Help me hence, ho! † (II. III. 129) During this brief time span Macbeth manages to collect his thoughts and weasels his way out of a hole by lying about his knowledge involving Duncan†™s death. As the play progresses Macbeth uses his ability to deceive people to his advantage. He uses this ability to remove suspicion from himself when he kills his best friend, Banquo.The motif of appearance versus reality was shown to appear after a murder, but as the play wears on it is possible to see that it also occurs before a murder. An ideal example of this can be seen when Macbeth decides to kill Banquo. Macbeth decides to hire professional murderers to carry out the deed of killing Banquo so that he would not have to get his hands dirty. The murderers, stricken by poverty, lead difficult lives and Macbeth uses this fact to manipulate the murderers into believing his lies.Macbeth blamed the murderers’ hardships on Banquo even though Banquo had nothing to do with it. â€Å"Both of you Know Banquo was your enemy. † (III. I. 124-125). Using the ability to deceive others, Macbeth managed to trick the foolish murderers into believing Banquo was indeed their ene my. He later arranged for a feast to occur on the same day as the murder so that he could have his name cleared from any list of suspicions. Finally, one can also see the concept of appearance vs. reality when the Weird Sisters foretell their prophecies.One of the three apparitions that the weird sisters made appear before Macbeth was a child holding a tree. This apparition told Macbeth that he â€Å"shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him†(4. 1. 105-107) By saying this, the apparition caused Macbeth to gain great confidence, because if taken literally, it then sounds impossible for Macbeth to die. How can a forest move? Well it can’t. The witches used equivocation to deceive Macbeth into thinking that the whole forest needs to move, but reality only parts of the forest need to move.An example of this would be when each person in Siward’s army carries one piece of the forest to Dunsinane and unknowingly Siw ard has completed part of the prophecy. Soon after Macbeth receives word of this, â€Å"As I did stand my watch upon the hill, /I looked toward Birnam, and anon methought/ the wood began to move. † (5. 5. 37-39) Once Macbeth gets word of this, he realizes that what he thought was impossible, has just happened. The second apparition is a bloody child. This apparition tells Macbeth to â€Å"Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn/ The power of man, for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth. (4. 1. 90-92) Because of this apparition Macbeth gains copious confidence. Through his eyes, every man is of woman born, for everyone has a mother. The Weird Sisters, being very devious, do not count being born by a caesarian section as â€Å"of woman born† (4. 1. 91) This causes Macbeth to get a since of false security. So through Macbeth’s eyes he appears to be very safe. But in reality there is a dark future in store for him. The last of the three apparitions would b e the armed head. This apparition says â€Å"Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife! Dismiss me. Enough. † (4. 1. 81-82) This apparition essentially foretells who will kill Macbeth, sadly after hearing the preceding apparition, Macbeth ignores this warning and makes it seem irrelevant. These apparitions have, through Macbeth’s eyes, been nothing but good news. First he hears he will not die until a forest moves to his castle. Then he hears that he should beware Maduff, but then ignores the warning after he hears that anyone born from a woman cannot kill him. Anyone would have gained confidence after having heard this news.However, the Weird Sisters never speak literally, â€Å"the witches' prophesies are intentionally ambiguous† (Lizhi, Ye). So this since of invincibility that Macbeth gets, will later lead to his inevitable yet heroic demise. In conclusion, the concept of appearance vs. reality is found throughout the whole play. Thi s concept of deception is used, but not limited, to Macbeth. Macbeth takes the idea of deception and enhances it to the point of manipulating other people. This not only causes Macbeth to rise to power, but also once he has gained too much confidence, it causes his heroic and inevitable downfall.

Principles of Marketing †Shoes Essay

For most women shoes are probably the most important part of the whole outfit. The shoes you wear can increase your confidence or destroy it, and you can never have enough. Companies capitalize on this idea by mostly targeting women when they are marketing their shoe products. The market for fashion forward men is growing rapidly, thus more stores are providing a lot more variety of men’s shoes as well. The shoe market is divided into three major product categories athletic shoes, casual and dress shoes, and then â€Å"boom-or-bust† novelty designs. The shoe industry is one of the more â€Å"mature† industries, meaning that it has passed the emerging and growth stages and the sales are slower and more constant. The average woman owns 17 pairs of shoes. Women make up 25% out of the 40% casual/dress shoes segment, while the remaining 15% of it belongs to men. In order for a company, to retain its old customers and attract new customers, they must continually offer better and bolder shoes. The taste of shoe buyers changes often, and so the retailers must improve their shoes. The improvements in an athletic shoe would focus on comfort and performance enhancement. The dress and casual shoes would rely on the fashion-forwardness and the superior products and novelty designs focus on improving profitability. The whole shoe industry has to be able to adapt to change and with the electronic era here. The biggest change the industry probably has to make is moving to an e-business adjusting a company’s sales to stay the same and even increase, while keeping up with the technology and trends at the same time. That could mean expanding internet sales and closing down low performing stores or just marketing their online segments harder. The Designer Shoe Warehouse, more formally known as DSW, opened in 1969 and over the years has become a â€Å"leading branded footwear and accessories retailer†. DSW offers a wide range of brand name shoes and sneakers for men women kids as well accessories. Their strengths rely in the distinctive and convenient store layout as well as the prices offered to customers. Some shoes at DSW are offered at lower prices than in other stores. DSW is a warehouse with rows upon rows of shoes. The possibilities seem endless. They carry lots of different brands and styles so everyone can find something that they like. The company has 364 stores in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, as well as 346 leased departments for other retailers in the US. Not only does DSW have a whole bunch of traditional brick and mortar store locations, there are two websites. There is a product site where you can purchase shoes and accessories, and there is an investor relations site where you can find information about the company, press releases, SEC filings, and stock information since it is a publicly traded company. DSW became public in 2005. One effort in retaining customers would be their rewards system. To become a member is free of charge and you receive reward certificates after every 1,500 points earned. There are special deals and offers that are available to members only, such as, double-point shopping days twice a year, birthday certificates, and tracking purchases. And if you want to, you could upgrade your membership to the Premier Rewards status; for a small price. But, the Premier Reward members get all the perks, such as free next day shipping, triple-point days twice a year and access to events and offers that are just exclusively for them. The product website has an easy layout for customers divided into categories and sub categories. When a customer is in the process of looking for a shoe to purchase there are many great features included to help along the way. Such as full product detail that includes a colorful description of the shoe, the materials the shoe is made out of, and the dimensions. The customer can see ratings other people give the shoe such as duration, width, and comfort. There are also indications on the site that are more specific to feet preferences. Options such as choosing whether you want the shoe to come in a wide or narrow, the different colors and sizes available are given to the customer as well as, compare prices to show you how much you can save on a particular shoe. These details help the customers find a shoe that is the best for them. ALDO is a private company that is deeply rooted in culture, tradition, and service to others. Their mission is to deliver Total Customer Service, and make people feel good through the products that they provide. Similar to DSW, ALDO sells shoes and accessories to men and women. ALDO stores are found all over the world in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and 60 other countries. ALDO’s success relies on its ability to be fashion forward and globally conscious. This company is big on giving back and the employees participate in community service events, fundraisers and causes. One big cause ALDO participates in is the fight against AIDS. They have been involved with the fight since 1985 but in 2005 the ALDO Group launched campaign called ALDO fights AIDS that has been spreading awareness and raising money for a cure by using talented and known celebrities and media genres to donate as well as promote it. Something that differentiates ALDO’s website is that they have a ‘Trends’ tab on their website that describes the looks, or styles they represent and has a gallery of pictures to show how they would dress while wearing the shoes. To make it easier for the customer, they have a section on the website that has the top pic ks for both men and women. When thinking about purchasing a pair of shoes from ALDO there are many helpful things such as videos to teach you about the style of the shoes, colors available, a full written description of the material of the outside of the shoe and what the soles made of and a size guide with US and European sizes since their shoes vary in the sizes offered. The website also provides recommendations on what else you may like according to their beliefs. ALDO offers free returns and fast delivery. There is a new age among us where shoe stores don’t have to actually have a building, but only a space online to sell and showcase shoes. Zappos is one of those stores. Zappos was founded in 1999 at the peak of the internet boom because the founder Nick Swinmurn was dissatisfied with the shoe market. No one retailer had everything that he was looking for. The vision for the company is to have the best service and best selection online and they are living the vision, and have been evolving with the market for the past 9 years. Zappos has been called the Amazon of shoes. Even though the company does not have traditional brick and mortar stores they do have a warehouse that houses all of the shoes that they make available for sale. Zappos is a family that is made up of different members that do different things. The first member is Zappos.com, Inc. which has the facilities, finance Treasury and Accounting departments, the Help Desk , Human Resources, etc. The next member of the family is Zappos CLT which takes calls, emails and chat live with customers. Zappos Development is responsible for content, creativity and marketing. Zappos Gift Cards sells gift cards. Zappos Insights provides insight into the company culture and mentors people on Zappos Family culture. Zappos IP is comprised of development and the Project Management Team. Zappos Merchandising develops relationships with the vendors and purchase the products on the site. Zappos Retail consists of clothing and apparel to help with retail therapy. And the last member of the family is 6pm.com, LLC, this site sells shoes, clothing, bags, and accessories at discount prices. The Zappos Family has ten core values that they live and abide by in order to grow strong and fulfill their goal to have the best service and best selection online. When on the Zappos website it is extremely easy to navigate through the pages. There are many categories and sub categories to choose from and the selections under them are endless. Zappos currently houses 1,140 different brands of shoes clothing and accessories with the goal and plan on increasing that number. They sell merchandise from Crooks and Castles which sells hip clothing to Giuseppe Zanotti which sells expensive high fashion shoes, heels, boots, and sandals. A newer, all internet company is Just Fabulous or JustFab.com. This company is led by, fashion icon and owner of Baby Phat, Kimora Lee Simmons. JustFab keeps its members and customers up-to-date with fashion trends and styles. This company is differentiated because when you first sign up for JustFab, you take a style quiz about the different styles and looks you like. And every month your own style experts pick out items that they think you will like, and adds them to your boutique. There is a VIP membership, where members pay $39.95 for everything on the site and receive free shipping and returns. There is no obligation to pay but each month you must browse your boutique by the 5th or else you will be charged the $39.95. It is very important for a company to differentiate itself from others. Differentiation is key to getting and retaining customers, whether the differentiation comes from customer service, brand style, membership perks, etc. The companies selected all have things that differentiate them from each other, most of them relying on their rewards programs and customer service. DSW and Zappos pride themselves on having a wide range and variety of shoes, accessories, and clothing. They both try to be a â€Å"one-stop-shop† getting all of your needs fulfilled in one place. I think the personalized stylist in the JustFab Company is a brilliant idea because it is a form of interactive marketing. They are increasing relationships between the customer and the company. The only critique of JustFab is in the variety and styles. Most of the shoes and clothes they sell look cheap and ugly, but that is the price to pay when you are only spending about $40.00 for a pair of shoes, when they can run from $60-$200 for a good pair, or even more. ALDO has a strong sense of community and the products are extremely stylish. The AIDS campaign is also a good sense of social responsibility that increases the goodwill of the company. Out of all the companies the best and most effective business model and presence would have to be Zappos’s. The Zappos Family established a set of goals in the beginning and have been working toward them ever since. They live, work, and thrive by their ten Zappos Family Core Values. They are constantly working on growing the company and offering more brands to sell. The prices are good because they give sales on different shoes periodically. One thing I would do to better the company would implement a â€Å"boutique† just like in JustFab because all the variety it can be a little overwhelming at times. Websites Used http://www.dsw.com/ http://investors.dswshoe.com/ http://www.aldoshoes.com/us/culture http://www.justfab.com/how-justfab-works.htm http://about.zappos.com/ http://www.statisticbrain.com/footwear-industry-statistics/ http://www.investopedia.com/terms/ http://articles.philly.com/2011-10-18/entertainment/30292867_1_shoes-foot-pain-women http://www.valueline.com/Stocks/Industry_Report.aspx?id=7259