hurricanes :: essays research papers

Hurricanes are one of the deadliest and most expensive natural disasters around. They are more parkland in areas of humid yet moist suffer so they are very foreign to certain places. But to the places were hurricanes are the norm, the people take them extremely gravely because they kill people and ruin countless amounts of property. Hurricanes can attack and harm people in so many ways they can kill people, renounce them homeless, it leaves children orphaned and disable them. On the west coast of the United States and other places hurricanes arent taken as seriously as other more common disasters, such as, earthquakes and volcanoes yet the hurricane can be a lot more damaging that both of those. Hurricanes are cyclones that develop everywhere warm oceans and breed winds that stammer yup to 74 miles per hour. In the hurricane the mixture of the water system and winds can be extremely damaging. The winds are extremely dangerous and usually dont go high-speed than about 75 miles per hour but have been documented to go as fast as 85 miles per hour. Due to the fact that hurricanes need water to survive they cannot go too far on land, but that does not stop them from causing billions of dollars in damages. Hurricanes are so dangerous that they were listed number 1 on the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Hazard and Disasters list.Picture this, you laying on top of you car as you are being violently slung low your street, which was once dry and calm and is now wet and foreign, at an extremely rapid pace. You cant find your family and all you can do is apprehend that they havent drowned and are able to stay afloat against the violent waters that are angrily attempting to destroy everything in its path. You look around the weather is gray and its raining heavily. It is a struggle to breathe between the rapid rain and the violent waters which are attempting to pull you under, forever. Your house no longer exists it is broken down from the pounding wa ters and fast winds. That is exactly what it would be like if you were in the midst of a hurricane. After hurricanes are over the confusion is crazy, children who had loving families are now orphaned, people become homeless, and people miss certain joys such as walking due to becoming paralyzed.

Analysis of Wallace Stevens 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird :: Wallace Stevens 13 Ways Blackbird Essays

Analysis of Wallace Stevens 13 Ways of Looking at a Black hushingThirteen ways of looking at a merl by Wallace Stevens is a poetryabout what it means to really know something. In this poem, Stevens shows thisconnection by writing a first person poem about a poets observation andcontemplations when viewing a blackbird. He does this by making each stanza anexplanation of a new way he has sensed this blackbird. First, he writes abouthis physical perception of the blackbird as an observer. Then, he writes abouthis mental processes during this time. These are as the thoughts andperceptions of the blackbird itself, as what it must be like to be that bird. Bythe end, he has concluded that by seeing this blackbird, a connection has beenmade and he now knows the blackbird has becomes a persona of him.In the first stanza, he focuses on the eye of the blackbird as anoutside observer. This symbolizes the thoughts and the consciousness of theblackbird. It is also a transition from the observe rs perception to theblackbirds perception. In the instant stanza, Stevens goes on to say that hewas of ?three minds, Like a tree, In which there are three blackbirds.? This wasthe first time he makes the connection amid seeing the blackbird and himhimself metaphorically being the blackbird. He makes this connection even moreclear in the fourth stanza when he says that ?A man and a woman Are one. A manand a woman and a blackbird are one. In the sixth stanza he goes back to beingthe poet observer as he watches the blackbird fly by his icy window. Again inthe next stanza he goes back to the point of view of the blackbird wonder whythe men of Haddam only imagine golden birds instead of realizing the value ofthe common blackbird. At this time, he makes the connection that in seeing andknowing the blackbird it becomes a part of himself. When he says in the eighthstanza ?I know noble accents And lucid, inescapable rhythms But I know, too,That the blackbird is involved In what I know.? he is acknowledging that he isstill a poet but when he sees, thinks, and writes about the blackbird, in a wayhe is also the blackbird. After this, the black bird and the poet observer areseparated but in the twelfth stanza Stevens writes ?The river is moving. Theblackbird must be flying.? This is meant to show that though the observers

Come Shouting to Zion and the development of African-American Religious Culture :: Religion Shouting Zion Essays

Come Shouting to Zion and the development of African-American Religious CultureMissing Works CitedIn detailing the long process by which African-Americans came to take over Protestant Christianity and shape their own unique form of it, Frey and Wood emphasize African agency throughout. Their case is better supported by evidence in the 19th century than in the 18th, during which time Christianity had little effect on slave society through the efforts of Anglicans, not so much because Africans rejected the gospel as because whites withheld Christian brotherhood from blacks. As blacks in the American South and in the British Caribbean struggled to develop individual and collective identities from the persistent remnants of African close and their new conditions of life, the series of efforts by evangelicals to convert slaves eventually gave rise to a distinct African-American form of Christian theology, worship style, and spectral community.The importance of organized religion amon g African Americans, as among all people, rests on fulfilling the human need for an understanding of ones place in both the spiritual and temporal world. plot of ground it is difficult, as Frey and Wood concede, to know with certainty what lay behind Africans confessions of conversion to Christianity, we can understand how religion played a critical role in defining social relationships among slaves and between blacks and whites. Frey and Wood explain the appeal and success of Evangelicalism among slaves when they assert, Deprived of their traditional supernatural means of dealing with recurrent life crises, African-Americans discover in evangelical conversion requirements an opportunity to reassert private authority based on their ability to communicate directly with God and to bring others to agnise the need for personal repentance and acceptance of Jesus (109). One early example that supports this link between religious involvement and a sense of personal identity, if not between conversion and increasing social prestige or power, is found in a slave woman who tells Moravian missionaries that her people have shape up from across the sea and lost their father and mother, and therefore want to know the Moravians Father above. The displacement of Africans, for whom locality was critical to interactions with the spiritual world, did not deprive them of their religious cosmologies, but required them to learn the spiritual landscape of their new home and reshape their practices accordingly. Come Shouting to Zion details the many religious rituals that Africans preserved in the new world, especially those surrounding fundamental life events such as the birth and naming of children, marriage, burial ceremonies, and ritual dancing and singing to communicate with ancestors and deities.

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The Sibling Rivalry in Shakespeares Taming of the ShrewRivalry between family is an intense, emotional competition among siblings that can put them against one another to contain approval, attention, or love. This is an aspect that has been frequently the plot of many plays, books and films. Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare teaches the audience that preference within a family may led to potent hate when it comes to sisters. A play which embodies the rivalry between sisters Katharina and Bianca, produced by their fathers and spouse candidate preference toward Bianca.Shakespeare establishes a clear comparison between the sisters through their father, Baptista. From the beginning of the play we follow out a clear preference toward Bianca. He discusses how their daughter are to be in a relationship. Gentlemen, importune me no farther,/That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter/ beforehand I have a husband for the elder./If either of you both love Katharina,/ Because I know you well and love you well/ Leave shall you have to solicit her at your pleasure (1.1.48-54). Baptista freely offers Katharina with out any detachment, while Bianca should be courted properly by the men. In addition to her father preferences, the mates wanting to espouse the sisters also like Bianca. As one of the mates discussing which they prefer, Tranio refers to The eldest sister is so curst and shrewd /That till the father rid his hands of her (1.1.180). From the set-back scenes it is clear that there is rivalry between who is the better sister.Katharine was considered a shrew for the fact that she is strong willed and independent, very opposite to her younger sister, as she is described as caring and subservient. By the second act Katharina reacts to a ... ...shamed that women are so simple/ To offer war where they should kneel for peace/ Or meetk for rule, control and sway/ When they are bound to serve, love, and obey(5.1.165-168). Katherina ends her speech by telling the women that their husbands are their lords, masters and keepers, that women owe their husbands the same loyalty a subject owes his king. The encounter between the sisters is an example of a tense relationships, physical violence and a continuous struggle for attention, affection and love of their father. Not until the end of the play we see Baptist being content with the results of his daughters new husbands. The relationship between Katharina and Bianca is a realistic in its portrayal of rivalry between siblings, and it allows the audience to connect with the theme of this play. The value of true sisterhood and how its can later effect their lives.

Essay examples --

The Sibling Rivalry in Shakespeares Taming of the ShrewRivalry mingled with family is an intense, emotional competition among siblings that can put them against one another to obtain approval, attention, or love. This is an aspect that has been frequently the plot of many leads, books and films. Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare teaches the audience that preference within a family may led to potent hate when it comes to sisters. A play which embodies the rivalry between sisters Katharina and Bianca, produced by their fathers and spouse candidate preference toward Bianca.Shakespeare establishes a light up comparison between the sisters through their father, Baptista. From the beginning of the play we see a clear preference toward Bianca. He discusses how their daughter are to be in a relationship. Gentlemen, importune me no farther,/That is, not to bestow my youngest daughter/Before I have a husband for the elder./If either of you both love Katharina,/ Because I know you well and love you well/ Leave shall you have to court her at your pleasure (1.1.48-54). Baptista freely offers Katharina with out any detachment, while Bianca should be courted properly by the men. In addition to her father preferences, the mates wanting to marry the sisters as well like Bianca. As one of the mates discussing which they prefer, Tranio refers to The eldest sister is so curst and shrewd /That till the father rid his hands of her (1.1.180). From the first scenes it is clear that there is rivalry between who is the better sister.Katharine was considered a shrew for the fact that she is strong willed and independent, very opposite to her younger sister, as she is described as pity and subservient. By the second act Katharina reacts to a ... ...shamed that women are so simple/ To offer war where they should kneel for peace/ Or seek for rule, supremacy and stockpile/ When they are bound to serve, love, and obey(5.1.165-168). Katherina ends her speech by telling the w omen that their husbands are their lords, masters and keepers, that women owe their husbands the same loyalty a subject owes his king. The conflict between the sisters is an example of a tense relationships, physical violence and a continuous struggle for attention, affection and love of their father. Not until the end of the play we see Baptist macrocosm content with the results of his daughters new husbands. The relationship between Katharina and Bianca is a realistic in its portrayal of rivalry between siblings, and it allows the audience to connect with the theme of this play. The values of real sisterhood and how its can later effect their lives.

Hughes Promotes the African Civilization Essay

Still recognized as superstar of the literary giants of the States. Langston Hughes vie an of import function as a author and mind of the Harlem Renaissance. This was an artistic motion of African the Statesns that arose during the 1920s to observe the lives and civilization of Africans in the United States ( Langston Hughes ) . Because well-nigh of the African Americans had been brought to the New World as slaves of white Masterss. it was poets and authors like Hughes. an African American adult male. that helped to alter the perceptual experience of African Americans in the heads of the Whites one time shackles had been abolished.Hughes verse figure of speechs. The blackamoor Speaks of Rivers published in 1926. and blackness published in 1958. hence depict African Americans as ordinary gracious existences like everybody else. and yet richer in civilization and civilisation than many others. seeing that they have participated in the building of the great pyramids. mentioned in both verse forms ( Hughes. 2007 Hughes ) . Hughes was make and unfastened nearly the fact that his Hagiographas were meant to elate the conditions facing Africans in the United States ( Hughes. 1923 ) . They had been slaves. so therefore the Whites did non esteem them plenty even after the abolition of bondage.The pitch blackness Speaks of Rivers was published five old ages after the Tulsa Riot and during the Harlem Renaissance ( career Riot. Lynchings. and other Forms of Racism in the 1920s ) . Negro. on the other manus. was published at a clip when racism was considered a bigger job than earlier. In fact. during the 1950s racism was at the head of American idea ( Lewis. 2002 ) . Many conflicts were fought to countersink inkinesss equal to Whites in the heads of all Americans. Hughes part of the fiftiess. his verse form Negro. was merely different to the extent that it was an artists part.Countless other Africans were contending on the streets of America to put things ri ght one time and for all. Both verse forms. The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Negro. are looks of African American individuality. The first verse form begins therefore Ive known rivers ( Hughes ) . In the 2nd as in the first. although the poet has made clear that the storyteller is a negro the verse form. Negro begins with the words. I am a Negro ( Hughes. 2007 ) . Because the Whites had been Masterss over African slaves. they were inclined to look down upon Africans. Since the Whites were proprietors of belongings in America and surely richer. the inkinesss longed to be like the Whites.But. Hughes would wish the Africans to experience at place in their ain teguments. With images of rivers every bit expansive as of the Euphrates. the Nile and the Mississippi the verse form. The Negro Speaks of Rivers. reminds the African of his or her historical roots or the bill of the great African peoples who have traveled across all of these rivers adding value to the historical watercourse of civilizations. The verse form has irregular. long lines without beat because it is doing a basic point the African psyche is every bit dusky as any human psyche could be. The African single indulges in deep thought as he travels across antediluvian rivers.What he must brood on is his ain individuality on foreign dirt. Remembering the recital of his civilisation. he must maintain in head that life carries on. Whats more. the poet reminds his fellow African that the black race has survived despite all odds ( Hughes ) . Because The Negro Speaks of Rivers was published during the extremum of Harlem Renaissance. it refers to depth of the African psyche. given that art is frequently understood as the voice of the psyche and the Harlem Renaissance was all about go on African art and civilization in the United States.Using soft images such as the Mississippis bosom turning aureate in the sundown. the poet uses his accent on rivers to stand as a symbol for the deepness of the African ps yche ( Hughes ) . Negro. published during the 1950s besides references depths ( Hughes. 2007 ) . As in The Negro Speaks of Rivers. the deepnesss mentioned by Hughes in both verse forms most likely refer to the deepness of African knowledge excessively. After all. both verse forms refer to the annals of Africans.Negro. with its sentence agreements depicting either what had happened to Africans or what they have done in the history of the African civilisation besides makes reference of the experiences and/or accomplishments that set Africans apart. for illustration. bondage and vocalizing ( Hughes. 2007 ) . The poet represents all Africans in both his verse form. The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Negro. What is more. both poems reference the fact that the Africans were portion of the labour force that built the ancient pyramids. In The Negro Speaks of Rivers. it was the African who looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it ( Hughes ) .In Negro. the pyramid is said to hold arisen under the African manus. implying that the African was greatly skilled even at the clip of ancient pyramid building ( Hughes. 2007 ) . The chief difference between the two verse forms. The Negro Speaks of Rivers and Negro is. doubtless. the spirit of hope felt by the first verse form versus the sense of desperation assorted with hope in the 2nd verse form. Hughes must hold composed The Negro Speaks of Rivers in a different frame of head whole. The verse form clearly promotes the African American civilization and art as originating in the deep history of humanity ( Hughes ) .Although Negro makes reference of universe history excessively. it does non needfully advance African American art. apart from its mention to vocalizing. The African American may be considered as more of a labourer or low paid worker than an creative person in Negro ( Hughes. 2007 ) . Possibly the verse form was non written to advance African American art at all. As mentioned antecedently. the 1950 s saw the Whites and inkinesss of America contending over the inquiry of equal rights of Africans in about all major countries of province operation. including instruction. There were terrible jobs related to racism during this period of American history.Clearly. inkinesss were being looked down upon. It was in the temper of that hr that Hughes composed Negro. The verse form speaks of the mundaneness of the African person while depicting the good utilizations that Africans have been made of. for illustration. in the building of the Woolworth Building ( Hughes. 2007 ) . The Negro Speaks of Rivers is surely non gamy or dejecting like Negro. chiefly because it does non do reference of bondage and victimization as the 2nd. After all. Hughes is contending against unfairness toward African Americans in the 1950s.In the 1920s. his cause was wholly different. If The Negro Speaks of Rivers had made frequent reference of darkness as does Negro. the Harlem Renaissance could non hold been c onsidered a forerunner of hope ( Hughes. 2007 ) . References Hughes. L. ( 2007. Dec 2 ) . Negro. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext channelise protocol //amandafa. blogspot. com/2007/12/negro-by-langston-hughes. hypertext markup language. . ( 1926. Jun 23 ) . The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain. The State. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol //www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/45a/360. hypertext markup language. . The Negro Speaks of Rivers.Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol //www. wmrfh. org/dcrews/index_files/Hughes_The % 20Negro % 20Speaks % 20of % 20Rivers. physician. Langston Hughes. Americas Story from Americas Library. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol //www. americaslibrary. gov/cgi-bin/page. cgi/aa/hughes. Lewis. C. H. ( 2002 ) . The Rise of the Civil Rights Movement in the fiftiess. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol //www. Colorado. edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/civil. htm. Race R iot. Lynchings. and other Forms of Racism in the 1920s. Retrieved Mar 15. 2009. from hypertext transfer protocol //www. premise. edu/ahc/raceriots/default. hypertext markup language.

Kimberly Clark Proctor Gamble Diaper Wars Essay

Competition in the serviette patience raged on as Kimberly-Clark (KC) strived to stay ahead of its main competitor, Proctor and pre decennaryd (P&G). By the demolition of 1989, KCs Huggies controllight-emitting diode 32% of the trade sh arethe gamyest of any single product competing in the diaper market. Now facing significant financial constraints, the attraction in personal care products endeavored to make product improvements that would hold market share and outperform Proctor and Gambles Pampers. External Analysis matchless political force affecting KC and the diaper industry is Congress and eleven states introducing legislation taxing, regulating or banning the sale of spendable diapers. Because expendable diapers were non biodegradable, environmentalists were relate about zillions of diapers saturating landfills and possibly contaminating groundwater. Environmentalists lobbied for diapers to be taxed or banned to prevent further environmental degradation. If laws w ere passed taxing or banning disposable diapers, consumers would stop buying Huggies and resort back to cloth. Possible legal restrictions severely threatened the future of the disposable diaper.A second political factor affecting Kimberly-Clark and the diaper industry is ease of entry to europiuman and Nipponese markets. Neither Japan nor europiuman countries imposed political sanctions and foreign regulations preventing KC from entering their markets. A final example of political/legal forces affecting the diaper industry and KC is P&G unlawfully monopolizing the diaper market and violating anti-trust laws. In 1989, Pampers (Proctor and Gambles support diaper line) and Luvs (Proctor and Gambles mid-price diapers) together controlled 49% of the diaper market. P&Gs violation of anti-trust laws could prevent KC from having an equal probability to gain market share and every percentage of market share lost would follow KC $6-10 million in profit. Because diapers accounted for 37 % of Kimberly-Clarks net income, P&Gs monopolization could significantly impact KCs future.An economic factor affecting Kimberly-Clark and the diaper industry is the increase in disposable income by women working outside their homes. The increase in disposable income al busteds KC and its competitors to successfully sell disposable diapers at premium prices.There are several social/ heathenish forces affecting KC and the diaper industry, as previously mentioned, there was an increase in consumer activism. Environmentalists and environment eachy concerned customers expressed concerns over disposable diapers potential health risks for sanitation workers and groundwater pollutants. Also, disposable diapers received harsh criticism for non being biodegradable. Landfills contained approximately 4-5.5 billion pounds of toss away diapersnearly five percent of total volume. Environmentalists were determined to stop further pollution, which seemed inevitably detrimental to KC and other dia per manufacturers.Another social/ pagan force was an aging population. Fortunately for KC, there is a positive relationship between the number of elderly persons and the need for incontinence products. According to statisticians, 31 million North Americans were over age 65 and 10% had incontinence issues. Because Kimberly-Clark has extensive knowledge in producing diapers, feminine products, toilet paper and other paper products, they could slow create diapers for adults. A troika social/cultural force is the extended amount of time children spent in diapers. The diaper extension led KC to introduce Pull-Ups, which targeted toddlers being potty-trained. Other social/cultural forces allow in a decrease in family size and more mothers working outside the home (mentioned above).A scientific force affecting Kimberly-Clark and the diaper industry was the introduction of super-thin engineering science. Super-thin technology was created by using polyacrylate, a powder crystal that abs orbs 50 times its free weight in liquid. The introduction of super-thin technology created more shelf space for Huggies and reduced shipping costs (more diapers fit in a truck). A second technological factor is industry spending on R&D. P&G and KC spent approximately $110 million annually on research and Development. As previously mentioned, every percent of market share gained equals $6-10 million in profit. Kimberly-Clark and its competitors worked to create breakthrough inventions that would steal customers away from Proctor and Gamble.A third technological force affecting KC and the diaper industry is patent protection. Due to heightened competiveness in the industry, P&G and KC took strenuous efforts to protect their technology from competitors. KC and P&G were extremely suspicious of one another and frequently sued over use of proprietary technologies (gains from lawsuits were negligible).Some of the political/legal, economic, social/cultural and technological forces are sim ilar in other parts of the world. For example, a social/cultural force in Japan and Western European countries is the ever-changing role of women. Like North America, the number of Japanese and Western European women working outside the home increased. Unlike Western and Japanese women, Southern Europe had few mothers working outside the home. A social/cultural trend in Japan that is frequent diaper changes. Japanese parents change their children twice as often as North Americans. Also, Japanese avoided the use of non-biodegradable plastics.Forces that drive industry competition are threat of new entrants, rivalry among existing firms, threat of succor products or services, bargaining power of buyers and bargaining power of suppliers. The most important forces are rivalry among existing firms and threat of new entrants. The five forces are discussed severally below.Some factors that affect the threat of new entrants are product differentiation, capital requirements, access to dif fusion channels and economies of scale. Kimberly-Clark sought to differentiate itself from competitors through extensive advertising. It use coupons, commercials and product placement to convince customers that Huggies are the best diapers. It used product placement by showing customers that even baby Elizabeth in Baby sweep through wears Huggies diapers. Successful advertising campaigns created a high barrier of entry to new firms hoping to enter the market.Another factor that prevented new competition from entering the market is high capital requirement. The machines used to produce diapers cost between $2-4 million and were several feet long. New firms that lacked capital to purchase machines would automatically be barred from competition. Access to distribution channels also affected the threat of new entrants. Retailers created their own mid-priced/ get market diapers and were often reluctant to give shelf space to competing firms (in the mid/low price segment). Retailers abil ity to earn profit margins on their own products outweighed revenue enhancement from firms purchasing shelf space. A final factor that prevented new entrants is economies of scale. Large companies, such as KC and P&G, created similar products and could take advantage of existing distribution channels, resources and facilities. Overall, threat of new entrants in well-fixed.Factors affecting rivalry among existing firms include the number of competitors, stride of industry growth, capacity, fixed costs, product or service characteristics and height of exit barriers. The number of firms competing in the diaper industry is relatively low. P&G and KC are the only firms competing in the premium diaper market and control 81% of market share. Other firms and retailers compete in the lower price segment however, they target a different audience than premium diaper manufacturers. A second factor contributing to rivalry among existing firms is rate of industry growth. Because birthrate is declining, there is little market share to be gained. Therefore, market share cannot be gained unless interpreted away from competitors. Rivalry among competition is unfavorable.A third factor affecting rivalry is capacity. Kimberly-Clark and its competitors must operate their plants at full capacity to lower unit costs. They also have regional plants in multiple locations to reduce transportation costs. Another factor affecting rivalry is the amount of fixed costs. Diapers are expensive to produce, market and sell, as previously mentioned, machines cost between $2-4 million. Height of exit barriers also influences rivalry. Exit barriers are low. Throughout Huggiess existence, legion(predicate) firms have entered and left the diaper market. For example, Johnson & Johnson, Borden, Scott and International Paper all unsuccessfully created diapers.Some factors that contribute to threat of substitute products or services are cloth diapers and two piece diaper systems. Increased environm ental concerns led some customers to choose to dress their babies in cloth diapers as opposed to disposable. Initially, cloth diapers were seen as more environmentally friendly do to their reusable nature. framework diapers posed a serious threat to disposable diapers until KC and P&G convinced customers that cloth was more detrimental to the environment (laundering cloth diapers created ten times more water pollution). Another substitute for disposable diapers is the two-piece diapers created by Fischer-Price and Gerber. Threat of substitute products or services is somewhat unfavorable for firms in the diaper industry.Bargaining power of buyers was influenced by the buyers ability to integrate backwards, margins from diaper sales and brand-names. Many of the retailers that sold Kimberly-Clarks diapers also created their own lines sold at lower prices. Another factor contributing to the bargaining power of buyers is the low profit-margins retailers made off diaper sales. Over one-th ird of KCs revenue came from diaper sales. Brand loyalty decreased the bargaining power of buyers. Parents with young children may only shop at places that sell the kind of diapers their baby wears. If the retailer chooses not to sell diapers, it could lose business. Bargaining power of buyers is unfavorable for the diaper industry.Bargaining power of suppliers is affected by inability to integrate forward and technology. As previously mentioned, super-thin technology was achieved by using polyacrylate. Unfortunately for KC and P&G, only one firm, Cellanese, had a license to make polyacrylate in the United States. Substitutes for polyacrylate were not readily available, so Kimberly-Clark and its competitors were dependent upon a single firm for super-thin technology. Cellanese had significant supplier power over its buyers. It could control price increases and business deals. Although Cellanese could make polyacrylate, they did not have the ability to integrate forward. Cellanese wa s a chemical firm and diaper production was not one of its competencies. Inability for supplier to integrate forward is favorable for KC. The bargaining power of suppliers is unfavorable for firms in the diaper industry.When evaluating the external environment, it is important for firms to recognize opportunities and threats. Some opportunities are a large un-served mid-price market, changing demographics and priorities of North American women, Japanese markets, expansion into Southern Europe, aging population and new technology. Threats include Japanese companies consider global expansion, rising environmental concerns, saturated disposable diaper market and declining birthrate. Each opportunity and threats application to Kimberly-Clark is described below.Seventy-five percent of new mothers in the 1980 are working outside the home. Families began to esteem time over money and were more willing to pay premium prices for quality diapers. Also, the decrease in family size increased t he amount of money that could be spent on diapers. This is an opportunity because it allowed KC to successfully sell Huggies at premium prices. A third opportunity for Kimberly-Clark is Japanese markets. Selling Huggies in Japanese markets is an opportunity because they had not reached the same level of maturity as North American markets. Also, as previously mentioned, Japanese babies use twice as many diapers than Americans. The Japanese market was comparable in size to the North American market. Expansion into Southern Europe is an opportunity for growth out-of-pocket to the low discernment levels and unsophisticated competitors. In 1989, there was no large European industry leader. KC has the potential to become the leading diaper distributer in Europe if they execute successful marketing campaigns.An aging population is an opportunity for KC to increase its incontinence product sales. Sales for 1990 were estimated to exceed $1 billion due to the increase in people over age 65. In the future, the incontinence market is projected to become more profitable than diapers. A final opportunity for Kimberly-Clark is new technology. Utilizing and taking advantage of new technology is an opportunity because it allows KC to outperform P&G and regain market share.A threat that affects Kimberly-Clark is Japanese companies consider global expansion. Japanese expanding globally would hurt KC because Japanese diaper technology is years ahead of North American. Japanese companies, specifically KAO and Unicharm, create biodegradable diapers. Due to recent environmental concerns, KC would lose market share to Japanese companies if they penetrate the North American market. Rising environmental concerns are a threat to Kimberly-Clark because environmentalists feared potential health risks for sanitation workers and ground water contamination. They were lobbying to ban disposable diapers and pushing for consumers to use cloth diapers instead. Kimberly-Clark could lose custome rs to environmentally-friendly diapers if they do not create a biodegradable diaper. Another threat to KC is a saturated disposable diaper market. A saturated disposable diaper market is a threat to KC due to little growth in the diaper industry. The only market share to be gained must be taken away from competitors. A final threat to KC and the diaper industry is the declining birthrate. A declining birthrate and decrease in family size is positively related to a decrease in diaper sales.