Americans for Safe Access vs Dea Essay Example for Free

Americans for Safe Access vs Dea Essay Abstract This paper examined The American’s for Safe Access’s petition before a federal court to have the Drug Enforcement Administration reduce its current classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug. As this case goes before the court, there could be three possible outcomes: a judgment in favor of the plaintiff, the defendant, or a decision for the DEA to reexamine marijuana’s current classification. Of these three outcomes, I believed there would be sufficient evidence in my findings to support a decision by the justices to reexamine marijuana’s classification. One key component to this decision will be whether or not enough evidence exists to support marijuana’s medical use, as a drug that is used for medical treatment is typically not classified as Schedule I. Evidence for arguments from both sides was gathered from various sources, including medical publishings, the University of Washington’s School of Medicine archives, and online articles. After reviewing this information, the conclusion that enough evidence exists to reexamine marijuana’s current classification was reached. Introduction As more and more states petition to and effectively pass legislation to legalize medical marijuana, its current classification as a highly banned substance by the Federal Drug Administration continues to serve as a harsh stance against the desires of the public for the option of marijuana as a medical treatment. The escalation of this debate in the political and federal arena appears to be overtaking the medical industries ability to determine marijuana’s harms and benefits. Perhaps the heart of this debate lies in marijuana’s current classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule 1 drug. Of all of the drugs on the current DEA Schedule I, list marijuana is the only one that has doctors supporting its medical uses. In light of this, does marijuana still deserve the same classification as heroin and LSD? As more states are passing this legislation and more states desire it, is it now time to reexamine marijuana’s current classification? Section 1: Case/Issue Summary Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration rejected a petition by medical marijuana advocates to reduce its classification as a Schedule I drug, which kept marijuana in the same category as drugs such as heroin. The DEA concluded that there wasnt a consensus opinion among experts on using marijuana for medical purposes (Press, 2012). However, medical marijuana advocates have not given up in their pursuit to reduce the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration’s classification of marijuana. In my chosen case, the plaintiff is Americans for Safe Access and the defendant is the Justice Department. Once again, the key issue at hand is the Drug Enforcement Administrations continued classification of marijuana as a Schedule I drug. In order to be classified as a Schedule I drug, the drug must be officially determined to have no medical use and a high potential for abuse (McClathy, 2012). Justice Department attorneys site an absence of available evidence of acceptable and controlled studies, and a lack of agreement among experts as to marijuanas effectiveness as a medicine, as their basis for its current Schedule I classification. Those standing against the Justice Department claim that regulators are disregarding hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on the effectiveness of medical marijuana and the subsequent medical marijuana laws passed by 16 other states. The concerns for both the plaintiff and the defendant lie in the same key issue – is there enough acceptable medical evidence that marijuana does in fact have medicinal benefits? Studies and opinions as to which side has the most support to back its claim are widely varied, but both sides claim they have sufficient evidence to support their assertions. Take, for example, to very different statements, one from the medical book â€Å"Marijuana as Medicine?: The Science Beyond the Controversy† (Mack Joy, 2001), and the other from the medical book â€Å"Marijuana and Medicine, Assessing the Science Base† (Joy Stanley, 1999): â€Å"The cannabis plant (marijuana) . . . [has] therapeutic benefits and could ease the suffering of millions of persons with various illnesses such as AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, chronic pain, and other maladies.† – from the editor’s introduction to Cannabis in Medi cal Practice, by Mary Lynn Mathre, R.N. (Mack Joy, 2001). â€Å"Consequently, the rapid growth in basic research on cannabinoids contrasts with the paucity of substantial clinical studies on medical uses.† (Joy Stanley, 1999). These two statements help highlight just how much inconsistency on exists on this issue, inconsistency that could be a concern for both the plaintiff and the defendant. Section 2: Identification and Evaluation of all Main Possible Solutions Though the challenge filed by the plaintiff is directly asking for one solution, there are several solutions that could be reached. The first solution would be that the judges would dismiss the challenge without review. The result of this would be that the appeals court considers marijuana’s current classification to be proper and this would represent solid validation of the DEA’s authority to determine a drug’s status and classification. There would be evidence to back this decision. According to the doctors that authored â€Å"Marijuana and Medicine†, more extensive data exists on the harmful effects of marijuana than data on its medical benefits (Joy Stanley, 1999). It is the opinion of these doctors that clinical studies on marijuana’s positive and negative effects are difficult to conduct, due to both difficulty in procuring funding and the encumbrances of the many federal regulations involved with such testing (Joy Stanley, 1999). The court could also reach this decision due to the bioethical principle of Nonmaleficence. Under the standards of care, this is the principle that a healthcare provider should not bring harm to a patient (McCormick, 1998). Should the court determine that not enough evidence exists to support marijuana’s medical benefits, it would have to conclude that prescribing marijuana to a patient could lead to their harm. This decision by the court would serve as a strong deterrent to future challenges of the DEA’s classifications of drugs. The consequences would be a major setback for advocates of widespread legalization of prescription marijuana. Dismissing the challenge would, for the time being, lay to rest all claims made by American’s for Safe Access. Another solution would be for the district court to decide a reduction in marijuana’s drug classification to be justified. For the plaintiffs, reducing marijuana’s classification from a Schedule I drug to a lesser controlled substance would be a major step in their ultimate quest to see marijuana legalized for medical use in the remaining 34 states that don’t already allow for such use (Press, 2012). Should its classification be reduced to a Schedule II drug, it would then be legal for marijuana to be prescribed to patients in need. Along with the physical medical benefits, reducing marijuana’s classificati on would also lessen the penalties faced by those found in possession of it. Currently, possession of a Schedule I drug can carry a maximum sentence of up to 7 years in prison. Ruling in favor of the plaintiff could indicate that the judges felt the principle of beneficence – that a healthcare professional must act to provide medical benefit to a patient – is involved (McCormick, 1998). In this case, the benefit to the patient would be relief from pain and protection from harm. A recent petition by Governor and former senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, and Governor Christine Gregoire of Washington filed made the assertion that â€Å"patients with serious medical conditions who could benefit from medical use of cannabis do not have a safe and consistent source of the drug as a result of its current classification† (Madison, 2011). This ruling could also be a result of the justices deciding that enough trusted medical evidence does in fact exists to support the use of marijuana for medical purposes. According to the book â€Å"Marijuana Medical Handbook: Practical Guide to Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana†, some medical marijuana specialists have reported a significantly large amount of uses for medical marijuana, ranging from treatment for nausea and convulsions to an appetite stimulant for cancer patients (Gieringer, Rosenthal Carter, 2010) For the Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration, seeing marijuana’s classification reduced would be a major setback in its efforts to eradicate a drug that Justice Department lawyer Lena Watkins says is â€Å"the most widely abused drug in the United States, (Press, 2012). A decision against them by the federal court would essentially erase all of their efforts, along with damaging their ability to make similar determinations in the future. A third solution could be that the court could order the Drug Enforcement Administration to take a more in-depth look at the available evidence (McClathy, 2012). This would be a blow to the DEA, who claims they have spent a substantial amount of time and energy in executing due diligence to determine marijuana’s Schedule I classification. It would counter their stance that not enough acceptable evidence and proper studies can be found to support marijuana’s medical benefits. In turn, a decision by the court for the DEA to reexamine its evidence could ultimately lead to another challenge for its legalization. Consequently, this same decision would be very positive for American’s for Safe Access. They claim that the DEA has failed to consider notable support for medical marijuana from many respected institutions, all of whom support the reclassification of marijuana (McClathy, 2012). A request by the Court of Appeals for the DEA to reexamine its findings could be due to the principle of respect for autonomy. This principle protects the patient’s right to make their own informed decisions with regards to treatment (McCormick, 1998). Not having access to the best evidence as to marijuana’s medical benefits could act against this principle. The principle of justice could also play a part in this ruling. A patient in Missouri suffering the same amount of pain as a patient in California, but not having the opportunity to benefit from the same medicinal advancements as a patient in California, might be a constitute a breach of the principle of judgment in the eyes of the court. Section 3: Decision Statement and Defense Against Weaknesses After examining the facts of the case and all possible solutions, the solution to allow for the reduction of marijuana’s classification to a Schedule II drug seems the most prudent. This conclusion was reached for several reasons. Despite the DEA’s claims, there appears to be enough acceptable evidence on the ASA’s side to support its assertion that marijuana has applicable medical benefits. Cocaine is certainly proven to be a harmful substance when taken irresponsibly, yet its remote medical benefits have landed it on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Schedule II. For marijuana to remain on the Schedule I list while cocaine is on Schedule II hardly seems just considering there is even one state that has passed legal medical marijuana legislation. That there is even a small amount of substantial evidence from credible institutions supporting marijuana’s medical benefits makes the penalties involved with its possession seem severe. The recent petition sighted earlier by the two governors offers that they have support from many respected institutions, including The American Medical Association, The American College of Physicians, the Rhode Island Medical Society, the Washington State Medical Association the Washington State Pharmacy (Madison, 2011). All of these institutions are respected, making a decision to dismiss the challenge without even a reexamination seem imprudent. One also can’t help but wonder if the DEA’s current stance comes from a fear of its potential legalization for recreational use. This solution would also address another important issue in terms of marijuana use, and that would be to provide â€Å"safe, reliable, regulated use of marijuana for patients who are suffering,, as the governors have suggested (Press, 2012). In conclusion, certainly it seems that the current Schedule 1 classification of marijuana obstructs the medical principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice . References Gieringer, D., Rosenthal, E., Carter, G. T. (2010). Marijuana medical handbook, practical guide to therapeutic uses of marijuana. Oakland: Quick American Archives. Joy, J. E., Stanley, J. W. (1999). Marijuana and medicine, assessing the science base. National Academies Press. (Joy Stanley, 1999) Mack, A., Joy, J. E. (2001). Marijuana as medicine?, the science beyond the controversy. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. (Mack Joy, 2001) Madison, L. (2011, November 30). Govs. chafee, gregoire lobby for reclassification of marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57334326-503544/govs-chafee-gregoire-lobby-for-reclassification-of-marijuana/?tag=contentMain;contentBody McClathy, N. (2012, October 12). Medical marijuana case going before court. Maine Sunday Telegram. Retrieved from http://www.pressherald.com/news/medical-marijuana-case-going-before-court_2012-10-13.html McCormick, T. R. (1998). Principles of bioethics. Ethics in edicine: University of Wa shinton School of Medicine, Retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/tools/princpl.html Press, A. (2012, October 16). Federal court considers marijuana classification. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57533647/federal-court-considers-marijuana-classification/

Amazon SWOT Analysis

Amazon SWOT Analysis Amazon is an american electronic commerce company that has become an icon of internet business. Jeff bozos founded the company in 1994 and launched it online in 1995 as an online bookstore. However, the logo soon became symbolic as they started to sell everything from a to z. Time magazine names bezos 1999 person of the year and said, bezos vision of the online retailing universe was so complete, his amazon.com site so elegant and appealing that it became from day one the point of reference for anyone who had anything to sell online. In 2001, amazon.com reported a fiscal loss and over a couple of years they laid off over 1000 workers. But, this set back did not discourage bezos instead he came up with the idea of joining forces with other retailers to sell their products online through amazon.com. So, through hard work and determination bezos has been able to turn the simple online bookstore from its early beginnings into the global phenomenon that is amazon.com. INTRODUCTION OF AMAZON:, Amazon is one of the largest internet retailing company in the world, that sells from books to electronics to potential buyers from all over the country, it is well known to have cheaper prices for their items, and having great expertise in making sure their customers needs are met at all times (Amazon, 1996-2010) Amazon has been in business for so many years to where they will not be undersold to any other company that are trying to compete with them. The products are displayed with great advertising publish with using the press release, competent customers who will invest their products to be displayed through amazon to make money, and great policies that show lower rates, When the customer is needing for their product to shipped to them (amazon, 1996-2010). Amazon has always kept their prices to a minimum, to where most customers will use Them around the holidays, to have the products sent to their families that live in further Countries. There have been customers that apply for a career at amazon, making money Just sitting at home, waiting for potential buyers to show interest in wanting a great Quality product that they would not find cheaper at any other retail store, such as target, Sears, and toys R us (amazon, 1996-2010). Amazon has a type of behavior that it shows customer satisfaction as being no.1, that if a product is defected, it would not cost anything to have it sent back to them. The product will be returned with one that is new and will have warranty. SWOT ANALYSIS:, Amazon.com has become the king of its own private little industry. The only problem with being the king is that everyone wants your throne. While Amazon.com has many strengths and opportunities it has threats and weaknesses, too. STRENGTHS: Well established web brand Loyal customers base of over 12million shoppers Distribution facilities to handle growth and fulfillment Leader in use of technology to delivery targeted content Excellent offline customer service Amazon has moved away from being a low price supplier of books toward a focus on delivering outstanding service at a price, WEAKNESSES: Too much diversity in their product line and Amazon.com could risk damaging its brand name. There is the potential for confusing their clients Shipping costs could be a deciding factor on whether a customer buys from Amazon.com or goes to a traditional store. More online retailers are offering free or discounted shipping and some, such as Wal-Mart, offer site-to-store free shipping. Need to restructure business to drive toward profitability has meant upward pressure on prices No offline brand presence Insufficient community added value No telephone support OPPORTUNITIES:, Opportunity to establish itself as a global mass merchant leader in the online shopping arena Building community events around the brand would help create brand affinity as well as loyalty Establish 247 hour telephone support for customers and order processing Frequent shopper discounts will increase retention and repeat purchases Further offline partnerships can potentially help Amazon by allowing customers to return products offline stores. Amazon has an opportunity to Create a higher international market segment. Also can make Strategic alliances with companies. THREATS:, Competitors such as Barnes and Noble, eBay.com, and half.com. Book publishing companies could start up own website and get rid of the middleman companies The continuous changing of trends in the marketplace. Amazons lack in-depth community leaves it exposed to customer being attracted to competitors with more in-depth content. AMAZON.COM KEY SUCCESS STRATEGIES:, CONTINOUS INNOVATION The areas of innovation shown by amazon was the use of collaborative filter technologies which allows customers to evaluate books on a one to five star rating system and browsers can rate which reviews are helpful and which are not. The site offers peep into books contents index and beginning pages with a search inside the book feature that allows customers search the entire text of 120 000 books- about as many times as are in Barnes Nobles bookstore. Amazons .com one click shopping lets buyers make purchase with one click. Another innovation is the syndicated selling networks. Through this network or association, amazon.com has a cross product programme that enables those who visit those associate sites to purchase several titles across multiples product lines, from single source. In addition, almost all web search engines are members of the associate programme with hotlinks on the entry of every research page, its like amazom.com has a store on every major mall around the wall, i.e. clever advertising Amazon .com has also established itself as an electronic market place enabling merchants of all kinds to sell items on amazon.com. It powers and operates retail websites for Target, the NBA, Timex, Marks and Spencer. Amazon.com cards offers every visitor the ability to send free cards to friends from its web site, these creates an opportunity to set new customers as well as keep current customer happy, because the recipients of the those cards must visit Amazons website to view the personalized messages. VALUE ADDED SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS In a competitive environment, amazon.com has scaled through as a firm with the offer of value added service as its competitive advantage which includes courteous, personalised customer services. Amazon.com personalised the storefronts for each customer by providing more useful information and more choices that could not be found in neighbourhood bookstore. This Allows customers communication flows, information site on products, quality, praise, complaints, rating, featuring, description, reviews, comparison, discussion, problem report, information statistics, ranking prices, discount, e.t.c thereby building its customer relationship management (CRM). Through this (CRM) Amazon were able to record customers reading habits, buying habits and buying trend, which allows Amzon.com to offer different promotion and selling strategies tailored to meet customers demand and needs. Amazons diversification into other types of services (music, video, home improvement and auction) also enhances their competitive advantage because all other services links back to them faster than their competitors can duplicate. Amazon.com offers services beyond discount, for example; the ability of the site to allow students search book of related topics for their projects, search for books in foreign languages or out-of-print, provides information about its products editorial contents in the form of reviews, interviews, excerpts, purchases, circles and related recommendation made for deeper exploration of the site, provide information for those who cant remember a book or video or are looking for a sound bit , but dont remember exactly what they want. UNBEATBLE LOGISTICS Amazon.com offering for fast, inexpensive shipping has helped the firm to overcome the lag between purchase and delivery of a product. For a $79 annual fee, Amazon.com prime offers unlimited free express shipping for most items. At amzon.com customers orders are handled in-house and to achieve this they established distribution centres and each distribution centre is equipped with the latest material-handling equipment technology. For instance, each distribution centre has a pick-to-light system which uses a terminal display mechanism to guide a worker through the picking and packing process; frequency technology is used to direct workers to warehouse locations with a radio signal, and voice technologies which allows computers to communicate instructions to workers. 2. Current Strategic Situation Amazons mains resources and capabilities: , The presence of strong as well as effective leadership in todays organization imposes a great responsibility to the organizations team and management networks as leadership implies the overall capacity of the organizations performance like for instance, in terms of operations and research development. It can be said that Amazons resources and capabilities can be divided in the management of the company specifically their leader which is Bezos, the ability of the management to effectively use strategic supply chain management and aligning it with their business process and information technology, their competitive advantage in the online market, and the financial resources that it gains through its successful approaches. There are various resources in the enterprises such as human resources and customer resources. First of all, concerning human resources, AMAZON COMPETITORS: , Amazon.com has major competition including such well known business as below Ebay.com EBay is Amazon.coms prime competition for its online auction services .Ebay.com is also on the Internet and it is much larger than Amazon.com and offers live auctions and bidding for customers. Amazon and eBay all provide generally similar information, but additional information is provided based on the companys primary of sales method. Customer product reviews are one piece of extremely valuable data for making purchases that is provided by all three companies. One difference is that since Best Buy is a retailer that primarily focuses on driving sales through physical stores and they have a place where customers can go to physically touch and feel their products, they have the ability to provide information that is less extensive on their website Barnes Noble.com Is an internet commerce branch of Barnes Noble Inc. which includes physical bookstores that have been designed with comfort and convenience. It receives more than six million unique visitors per month to its Web site, www.bn.com. It is perhaps their largest competitor. Barnes and Nobles and Amazon.com are competing, but both stores and other online stores recognize what works and are studying one another often duplicating one anothers business strategies. This has resulted in them having more similarities than differences and it helps the consumers find similarities across the Web such as; When a description of an item is given, Amazon and Barnes and Nobles both place the shopping cart option prominently displayed to the upper, right portion of the screen. This makes it very efficient and useable for the viewer and they do not have to search around the page for this button. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) In pricing, both Amazon.com and Barnesandnobles.com display the average price for their items above their own discounted rates so that the users feel as though they are saving money. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) Both sites are Flexible, there is an option of buying things at a later date and placing them in the shopping cart temporarily. This option is called the wish list and it is displayed just beneath the Add to Cart button. Users can access this saved information and access it on their next visit. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) Both sites offer Security that provides safe shopping, privacy and efficiency by requiring customers to join as members at a certain point during a transaction. Membership is free and requires an email address, full name, home address and phone number. It allowing customers to maintain an order status and helps provide a history of what they bought. (Clementina Imobhio May 5, 2001) C) Wal-Mart.com Wal-Mart has experienced success internationally because of its ability to transport the companys unique culture and effective retailing concepts to each new country. They respond to customer needs, merchandise preferences and local suppliers. Business strategies that have helped Amazon.com to enhance its competitive advantage are The first strategy, cost-leadership is pursued by Amazon.com by differentiating itself primarily on the basis of price. Due to this strategy, Amazon.com always makes sure that it offers the same quality products as other companies for a considerably less price. Its third strategy is long-tail, Amazon only started the online retail business with books, but now it sells everything from toys to books and is looking in future to sell more and more products. Unlike its competitor Amazon.com didnt maintain huge inventories of books; it relied on wholesalers to supply books on time. The most obvious benefit of this just-in-time procurement system was that it multiplied inventory turns and reduced working capital requirements. Amazon saved money on everything except people and computers. Amazons investment in computer technology was focused on software rather than hardware. In that sense Amazon.coms business strategy involved maintaining Unique resources, its people. Amazon did more than just sell books; It also provided a range of services including information about books: interviews with authors, book reviews and recommendations from other customers and media, links to other sites, new release information and more. Stakeholder Analysis: . A) . Government Agencies The Federal Communications Commission, is a commission that defines the broadband to meet customer broad communication needs and desires. B. Labor Unions Since Amazon is an online buying center, there are no labor unions. These unions exist when there are enough in center employees to need protection as an employee. C. Completing Organizations In the technical products and systems market, competitors are looking towards opportunities to get ahead of others. The best thing for Amazon is to push forward ahead of the competition because of their diverse background and continue their surge for new customers. D. Employees Failure to remain competitive will affect the employees. The president is about making cost cuts to improve profits which in turn will cut the salary of current employees. Layoffs are the first method most often in making cost cuts. E. Suppliers The suppliers for this company include the sellers that offer their personal products for sale, as well as the partnerships Amazon formed. F. Customers Amazon.com caters to people of all ages and discretions. These customers include seniors, baby boomers, generation X, and generation Y. Each group have a percentage in the population of customers with tastes for different products 3. Strategic Direction for the future Strategic Management The main area we will look at is Amazons strategic management capabilities, we will look at the External factors that have influenced Amazons stratgey and the Opportunities and Threats this industru poses. We will also look at the strengths and weakenesses that Amazon have to address these threats and take advantage of the opportunites presented to them Firstly it is necessary to conduct an external analysis of the environmnet that may have influenced amazons strategic management decision. We will look at the PEST analysis model that may have influenced Amazons strategic planning. The main two external factors that influenced amazons strategies were Political These factors address legal issues such as trading laws etc. The low sales tax in seattle was one of the factors that encouraged Amazon to set up their first distribution center Technological Factors Introduction of new technology can create new markets. The main reason for Amazon setting up an online store was the growth in the use of the world wide web technologies and their ability to offer a flexible service online. Ansoff matrix: Amazon seem to have chosen two of the four growth strategies: 1. Market Development Â- through the opening of distribution centers and the launching of websites in the UK and Germany Amazon offered their existing goods and sevices for sale in new markets. 2. Product Development Â- through the acquisition of several online companies such as pets.com and drugstore.com Amazon could offer new products for sale in their existing market Based on these strategies the following mission statement has been formulated: Our vision remians being the Earths most customer centric company, the best place for customers to find and discover anything they want to buy online In addition Amazon wish to achineve the objective to become the best place to buy, find and discover anut product of service available online. In line with this and the growth strategies adopted to do this Amazon will continue to enhance and broaden its brand, customer base and eCommerce expertise Recommended Solution Implementation Technology Integration and RD Amazon.com should increase expenditure in the research and development arena. We believe that Amazon should prepare itself for additional telecommunications implementations such as high speed internet and network security. These types of implementation, though representative of considerable RD costs, are probably most significant factors that etailers must prepare for near future. As users, connections increase in speed, any delays on the part of the etailer they are connecting to will become obvious and less tolerable. Amazon can stay ahead of the pack by preparing a unique and comfortable interface for the users. Strategic Cost Analysis Amazon.com should also use Strategic cost analysis process where identify the firms value chain, diagnose the key elements that drive the costs of each value activity, identify competitors value chains, develop a strategy to lower relative costs by controlling cost drivers, ensure that any cost reduction does not erode differentiation in service and test the cost reductions if its sustainable in the end of the analysis. Differentiation They should also consider by costs by determining Differentiation where the process goes as determine who the real buyer is, identify buyers value chain and put in rank order the buyers reason to purchase, asses the current potential sources of diffentiation, identify the cost of these resources, design a value chain to maximize value relative costs, test for sustainiablity and reduce costs in activities that do not affect the chosen forms of differentiation. Inventory; There are programs built to be extremely user-friendly, and most offer great support along the way of usage for online businesses to maintain the book database. Amazon should invest in software to best highlight and maintain the data on the site and importantly back up systems. Keep inventory accurate and up to date; This is also an important aspect that Amazon can out beat its competitors with as this is first step towards building a long-term relationship with that customer. Inventory of the books stock-out and sold out will be kept up to date on the site. Visionary Informative A picture is worth a thousand words; Uploading pictures by decreasing explanations or descriptions could attract customers attraction and curiosity in exploring the book. Somehow it boosts up sales compared to other online booksellers who give attention in words. Product Review Information; In case of books, editorial reviews are provided by the company and it applies for all books. Customers can also rate each others review. A rating is placed against each review so that customers can decide whether to read or not based on that. Most online booksellers do not include this but they display the customers satisfaction on the delivery service provided by them which is less important to boost up sales. People out there want to pay you for your books; Amazon should use own merchant service account or a service offered by a listing site, make sure that customers can buy books quickly and painlessly with a credit card while you have them on the brink of finalizing said purchase. Dont judge a book by its cover; First impressions are lasting impressions. When a customer receives the book theyve ordered, make sure the first thing they see is a product and package that you are proud to have supplied by using use clean, new boxes without writing (or envelopes for low-cost paperbacks) for shipments. Customers will be expecting an excellent service but if its vice versa then they are chances for them to switch to other online retailers. Keep customers in the loop on everything; Amazon should update the status of order to customers on the order made and also keep them in loop by e-mail the listing service directly with questions about their orders and keep updating the latest events and new stocks of books through emails. Shipping Delivery Follow-up; After shipping out an item to the customer, Amazon should send them an e-mail a day or two after expecting that theyll receive their package, asking them if theyve received it and are satisfied, and reminding them that there customer rep are there to help should they have any questions about their order. This is also a great time to remind them that you have similar items in stock or to offer them a coupon towards future purchases. Expansion to Asia Region Amazon should strive to expand its expertise to Asia region as well as high potentials are there which huge population. Education is becoming one important aspect in Asia and lack of important reference books are always a problem in many parts of Asia. It should diversify its marketing capability in Asia too to capture the market. Amazon is very less popular in Asia regions. Amazon.com should take Asia to consider for its business expansion. Amazon could also diversify its marketing and research ability to expand mostly to the developed countries of other territory. In order to grow big and always sustain in the market and competition, Amazon should takes this sort of steps to expand. International Sites; Amazon.com has got an added advantage of international sites on Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France and China. All about what the customers have to do to browse the site with their language is by clicking to their national site. For example, if you clink Japan, immediately the whole website will change its descriptions and instructions into Japanese language. This is not at all applicable for a customer in Malaysia or any other regions of Asia. It should expand and add more languages options in its site to accumulate its customers. Giving customers what they want is also one strategy not all online business can do but if this can be proven in Amazons case then it have all the potential to be the one. Word-of mouth advertisement Amazon also should increase its word-of mouth advertisement. This might seem odd for an industry leader to rely upon such a quaint tactics as this, but we truly believe that in the world of Internet this is a powerful tool. We are quick to visit sites that our friends identify as being fabulous, and Amazon might capitalize on this by rewarding its customers who can reel in a new prospects. Expand the product lines Amazon should expand its product lines. Givens Amazons vision and its unique position in the etailer industry, the cost associated with entering new markets is significantly lower than that of its competitors. There is no reasons to let this advantage slip away unused. Conclusion In order to stay focus on business Amazon.com has various ways and strategies that can be implemented with proper organizations communication networks. Financial reports should be reviewed annually and quarterly if necessary to come up with decisions whether to boost up sales or to maintain on a certain criteria for the wellness of business. Amazon.com also should have a frequent customer feedback program where they could exchange view on the services and products most desired to be acquired online by customers. Top level management meetings should be initiated to assure goals are achieved. A proper corrective action should be determined after the first year if annual objectives werent accomplished. 3) Recommendations 1. Develop and implement a B2B exchange for suppliers manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to use. Because the largest percentage of e-commerce sales resulted from transactions conducted on B2B exchanges, this opened up a large potential market for Amazon.com to expand into. The benefit of this alternative was that Amazon.com could easily market this service to its large number of affiliates and partners that it conducted business with. 2. Amazon should expand its online auctions. Amazon has a need for an intermediary in transactions and would be able to market this additional service to both current customer base and use of personalized emails to new customers through advertising campaign. The benefit of this alternative is that Amazon.com would be expanding on an existing service offering and would not incur any developmental or startup expenses. This would work because of the prior experience of Amazon in expanding and marketing other product lines and services. 3. Develop an effective differentiating enterprise wide strategy to survive and prosper over the competition for the long-term future. 4. Amazon should use a web-based model to personalize service. Amazon should attempt to use personalization to build the right store for every customer. Each customer has a web page personalized based on his or her recent purchases. This is the equivalent of having a unique storefront for each customer in hopes of drawing in as many return customers as possible. 5. Increase advertisement to increase brand awareness. Through a general advertising campaign, like television and print ads, Amazon would be able to market their service to current customers and new customers. 6. Create a location where people have access to the internet to do online shopping. This could be in an Amazon location in different cities. The cities could consist of major populated areas to start. If this idea is a success, then they could venture out to under populated areas. Conclusion Amazon.com is a public owned company, which focuses on employees and excellent services. It is team oriented organized by product. Amazons web site offers the ability to present a broad range of merchandise. Well organized and easy to navigate help and FAQ pages make the difference in smooth shopping experience. Building a customer community helps to keep customers coming back to the site. It also helps shoppers identify with the brand. Amazon has built a loyal customer base of millions, thanks to a highly efficient web buying experience and outstanding customer service. With some controlling interest in popular Web sites, word-of-mouth from users, the ease of communication using e-mail and options such as gift certificates, Amazon.com has created one of the most popular home-shopping sites today.

Francis Ford Coppola :: essays research papers

Following careful thought on which director to study, I chose Francis Ford Coppola. Although he has directed more films than I have had the opportunity to experience, I have viewed enough to understand his progression and style of his work. Over almost forty years of work, Coppola has directed about twenty-five films, produced near forty-five, composed two, and acted in eight. He is known predominantly for Apocalypse Now (1979) and The Godfather I (1972), II (1974), and III (1990). However, he has worked in other genres, such as Horror/Romance, Musical, and even Comedy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the few of his numerous films that I have seen, Coppola appears to use much of the same aesthetic techniques. Most of his works’ mise-en-scene, with some exceptions, seems to be very basic. When he is filming, Francis Ford Coppola does not put too many unnecessary items into the scene. When using a Wide-angle lens, the frames are very open and spacious. This allows the viewer to focus on what is happening, rather than distract their attention. This technique can also prove useful. For example, if he wanted to make a character seem alone, abandoned, and insignificant, this type of shot would work well. Opposite a number of his films, in Apocalypse Now, it was important to some of the frames full. However, they still were not completed with excess objects, instead they were lavishly filled with the natural, lush greens of the Philippines. Francis Ford Coppola also uses dissolves in his works. In The Cotton Club (1984), this technique was used a couple of t imes, when both dancing and singing was being performed. His editing style proved continuous. It was neither choppy, nor disruptive to the viewer, which allowed for a more pleasant experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Francis Ford Coppola uses sound in a rather conventional way, but at times adds a touch of his own creative style. The character that the audience is meant to empathize with may have their own particular motif, displayed through music. In The Conversation (1973), whenever Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman, was intensely thinking about something, the same piano music would play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His direction of the actors was executed extremely well. He knew exactly what he wanted from them, and did not give up until it was as he had expected. Some of his setbacks in Apocalypse Now support this opinion. He wanted every part to be performed perfectly.

Street Racing Essay -- Research Racing Safety Cars Essays

Street Racing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To race or not to race, what will keep you safe? Racing can be safe but not always if you race illegally. There are a lot of safety items that some racers don’t even use, I mean they keep you safer but they don’t spot the buck for the equipment. They spend so much money on their cars to make them faster, yet most of them don’t spend money towards safety. I know what you’re thinking, THIS IS LUDACRIS but it is the truth and you will learn more by reading below.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Safety is a very important thing when you are in an object that weighs over a ton and could do over 100mph or more. A lot of racers do not spend enough money on safety, yet a surprising majority of racers do. Racers can have different combinations of these safety items; racing seats, racing harness, fire extinguisher or in some cases a roll cage (to prevent being crushed in a roll or flip). A racing harness goes hand in hand with a racing seat to keep you held to the very durable (usually aluminum) yet comfortable (padded) seat, also the fire extinguisher in case of a fire. A roll cage is in the more serious racers car to prevent the car from crushing you or being crushed in a flip or roll.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many different types illegal racing, there is drag racing, stoop light races, and point to point races. Drag race is simply when cars line up and race a short distance usually between  ¼ mile and one mile. A stoplight race is something you could see on the road any time. This is when t...

The Legalization of Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes :: Medical Marijuana Drugs Papers

The legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes has become an increasingly controversial topic, with many different issues on which people have many different opinions. There is opposition to the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes because it has the potential to be used incorrectly, however it is also considered that there is the potential for marijuana to be used in relieving the suffering of many seriously ill patients. Marijuana has been used by people for thousands of years to provide relief from many different serious medical problems. There are many doctors who currently support the effectiveness of using marijuana as treatment for various medical conditions. The many people who are suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS have found that marijuana can be a very effective pain and symptom reliever. The legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes is viewed by its opposers as one of the worst things that we could do. Their reasons are that they feel that marijuana should not be legalized for medical use because it is an illegal substance and until that is changed, prescribing it is against the law. "Attorney General Janet Reno announced that physicians in any state who prescribe the drug could lose the privilege of writing prescriptions, be excluded from medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, and even be prosecuted for a federal crime" (Kassier 1). Government officials such as Janet Reno are not the only ones to object to the legalization of marijuana. Many parents groups like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers object to the legalization of marijuana for medical uses. Their objections come from a reasonable concern that there has been an increase in the use of marijuana by youth. Their concern is expanded since the marijuana of today is much more potent than the marijuana of a few decades ago. The potential for these teens to obtain the drug would increase. Also, the Federal Health and Drug enforcement officials feel that by le galizing marijuana, they would be sending the wrong message to young people ("Your Health" 1). Strong evidence that shows that regular use of marijuana for long periods of time could cause severe lung damage ("Your Health" 3). If the use of marijuana could damage a patient's lungs, then the risk could outweigh the benefit. Marijuana smoke can be twice as toxic as tobacco smoke to a human lung. The strongest point that many make opposing the legalization of marijuana is that there just is no clear evidence that smoking marijuana can help an individual who is ill ("Marijuana for the Sick" 2).

Clinical Applications Of Exercise Health And Social Care Essay

Documents look intoing the benefits of exercising plans for PAD, constituents of PAD exercising plans and patient conformity to exert plans were sourced for this essay. The undermentioned databases were reviewed, AMED, Medline ( PubMed ) , Medline ( ESCO ) , CINAHL, Sports Discus, Cocharane, Google, Google bookman, ( form origin to show ) . Using a combination of the undermentioned key words, Peripheral arterial disease, Peripheral vascular disease, exercising, benefits, conformity, attachment, effectual, constituents, guidelines, and exercising rehabilitation. Merely English linguistic communication publications were considered. A sum of 253 relevant surveies were retrieved between Feb 24th and March 10th ( non including Google which retrieved a consequence of 51,000 of which merely 10 were relevant following reading the full rubric ) . Consequences from the hunts were viewed and 1s of the most relevancy were chosen restricting it to 24 articles. Mentions from these articles were so searched utilizing the databases together with an extended manus hunt.Benefits of exercising programme.In patients with ( PAD ) intermittent lameness ( IC ) is the chief clinical symptom experienced. Patients can see musculus cramp/aching during walking secondary to muscle ischaemia in the calf, thigh or natess ( Willigendael et al 2005 ) . These symptoms may restrict public presentation in day-to-day activates and possible impair personal, societal and occupational functional capacity ( Regensteiner et al 1996 ) . An intercession like exercising preparation improves lameness symptoms, additions pain free walking distance and enhances quality of life. There are a figure of possible mechanisms for this betterment such as, alterations in musculus metamorphosis, versions of blood flow in the fringe, addition in hurting threshold and alteration in pace ( Regensteiner et al 1997 ) . For over 50 old ages simple walking exercising has been the primary recommended intervention of Peripheral Arterial Disease. In fact the original recommendation for an exercising plan as a method for handling patients enduring from intermittent lameness came from ( Erb in 1898 ) .In 1966 Larsen and Lassen conducted the really first randomized controlled trail look intoing the consequence of exercising on a population with PAD. Fourteen patients were indiscriminately allocated to either a Pedometer monitored exercising group verses a tablet placebo group. The consequences showed that after six months of the walk-to exercising plan unpainful walking had increased by a distance of 106 % and the mean maximal walk-to clip had improve by 183 % compared to the control, ( Larsen et al 1966 ) . Since so there has been a big figure of non-randomized and randomized controlled surveies look intoing the consequence of exercising on patients with PAD. In the most recent Cochrane reappraisal in 2008 look intoing â€Å" Exercise for Intermittent Claudication † ( Watson et al 2008 ) , the chief purpose was to find the efficaciousness of an exercising plan in patients with IC relief symptoms and bettering walking distances and times. Twenty-two randomized controlled tests met the inclusion standards affecting a sum of 1200 topics. Fourteen of these surveies compared exercising with usual attention or a placebo and the others compared Exercise with other intercessions i.e. surgery. The signifiers of exercising in this meta-analysis varied from walking to strength preparation to upper or lower limb exercisings to punt striding. Sessions were either supervised or un-supervised. The Sessionss by and large took topographic point twice a hebdomad. Outcomes were measured at times runing from 14 yearss to two old ages. The consequences showed that in comparing to usual attention exercising improved maximum walking clip on a treadmill b y an norm of five proceedingss in a sum of 255 participants. Pain-free walking distance was increased by norm of 82.2 metres and the mean maximal walking distance was increased to 113.2 metres in six tests. From the meta-analysis it is clear that the mean betterments in walking distance and clip were clinically and statistically important, some topics responded better than others which may signal changing conformity issues with different exercising programmes. Clearly we can see being able to keep walking for a longer period of clip with less lameness hurting is improved with exercising governments which will hold a clinically important impact on the functional capacity of the PAD patient. This meta-analysis of randomised surveies nowadayss good confirmation of the benefits of exercising as a intervention and these consequences are supported by grounds from a old meta-analysis carried out by Gardner and Poehlman in 1995. This meta-analysis of 21 randomised and non-randomized tests o f exercising preparation showed an mean maximum walking clip addition of 120 % and unpainful walking clip addition of 180 % on norm. ( Gardener et al 1995 ) . These findings suggest that exercising plans have a clinically of import function to play in the intervention of PAD. One of the most recent surveies by ( McDermott et al 2009 ) supports this construct. The aim was to find whether supervised treadmill exercising or lower appendage opposition preparation better functional public presentation of patients with PAD with or without lameness. It was a randomized controlled test performed in a clinical scene over a period of four old ages affecting 156 patients with PAD. Subjects were indiscriminately assigned to a, supervised treadmill exercising, lower appendage opposition preparation, or a control group. The treadmill exercising group had a average addition of 35.9 metres for their 6-minute walk trial in comparing to the control group, whereas the opposition preparation group had an addition of 12.4 metres in comparing to the control group. For brachial arteria flow-mediated dilation, those in the treadmill group had a average betterment of 1.53 % compared with the control group. The treadmill group had greater additions in maximum treadmill walking clip 3.44 proceedingss than the control group. The opposition preparation group had greater additions in maximum treadmill walking clip 1.90 and step mounting 10.4meters than the control group ( McDermott et al 2009 ) . From this we can clearly see the benefit exercising programmes have in relation to PAD.ComponentsThere is really strong grounds of the important clinical application of exercising as a intervention of PAD. We know the benefits of an exercising plan for PAD but what are the constituents of most effectual exercising intercession. Harmonizing to the meta-analysis by ( Gardner et al 1995 ) the greatest additions in walking ability were noted when certain constituents were implemented into a plan. The primary constituent of an exercising plan for bring forthing betterments was walking to near maximum hurting. â€Å" Exercise plans that had patients walk to approach maximum lameness hurting ( high hurting terminal point ) demonstrated greater betterments in lameness symptoms than plans that had patients halt walking at the oncoming of lameness hurting † ( Gardner et al 1995 ) . Harmonizing to the meta-analysis the 2nd most important constituent was the length of the exercising programme implemented. There was a reported â€Å" 22 % and 28 % in the addition in the distances to onset and to maximal lameness hurting during treadmill proving, severally in Programs enduring 6 months or more. â€Å" ( Gardner et al 1995 ) . Third the type of exercising was the following effectual constituent for the betterment. †Programs that had patients exert entirely with walking produced greater additions in lameness hurting distances than plans that included a assortment of physical activities † ( Gardner et al 1995 ) . A factor of less significance was the continuance of exercising preparation of at least 30 proceedingss was advised as it had a greater result. These consequences have really strong deductions for planing a specific exercising plan. The current American College of Cardiology ( ACC ) and American Heart association ( AHA ) Guidelines for the Management of Patients with PAD are based on a reappraisal of †Exercise and lameness † by ( Stewart et al 2002 ) . They comprise of the undermentioned recommendations. Treadmill walking/track walking are regarded as the most good exercising for lameness. The method of exercising should set up an strength that produces the lameness symptoms within three to five proceedingss depending on the topic. Once these symptoms of moderate badness are reached the topic should rest either in sitting or standing until the symptoms are resolved. Once the topic no longer feels any uncomfortableness exercisin g sketchs at the same strength once more for three to five proceedingss until moderate strength hurting is reached one time more. This rhythm of exercising remainder continues until a sum of 30 five proceedingss of treadmill walking is completed. ( Stewart et al 2002 ) recommends integrating an excess five proceedingss each session until a entire clip of 50 proceedingss of treadmill walking is achieved. As the topic progressed in the plan their walking and therefore clip to chair strength hurting lameness will be prolonged. Their work burden should therefore be adapted. This is done by custom-making the grade/speed of the walking to guarantee advancement is maintained. Harmonizing to the TASC I guidelines ( The Inter-Society Consensus for the Management of PAD 2000 ) †either the velocity or class can be increased but an increased class is recommended if the patient can already walk 2mph. Besides an extra end of the plan is to increase patient walking speed up to 3mph from the mean walking velocity of 1.3-2.mph. † An facet that must be kept in consideration is that many of the surveies in the reappraisal by ( Stewart et al 2002 ) and significantly the Meta analyses by ( Watson et al 2008 ) and ( Gardner et al 1995 ) on which the current ACC/AHA guidelines are based, is that there are many unidentified factors taking to possible differences in the lameness distance. In many surveies factors such as average age which harmonizing to ( Gardner et al 1995 ) did hold a relation to additions in lameness distances following preparation, and other factors such as hapless peripheral hemodynamic profiles, disparity in badness of PAD, different capable weights, tobacco users and non tobacco users and patients with diabetes, were non taken into consideration in the reappraisals. While there is some possibilities for prejudice the chief findings and the deductions of these are incontrovertible.Conformity issues associating to EmbroiderA reappraisal on patients attachment to exert and advice ( Middleton 2004 ) postulated that there are legion direct and indirect factors that have an consequence on patients attachment in relation to exert. These included, the topics ain beliefs and attitudes, patients anterior exercising history, Age, Self-efficacy, grade of sensed hurting, venue of control and psychosocial factors. In a reappraisal survey by ( Slulijs et al 1993 ) three chief lending factors of patient non-compliance came to the bow. Firstly †Barriers patients perceive † ( Sluijs et al 1993 ) . Barriers such as non happening the clip or non being able to suit the exercising into their day-to-day modus operandi. Besides mentioned were Motivation to exert and trouble. These all tended to be factors that had the most consequence on attachment. Secondly deficiency of encouragement and feedback lowered attachment. It was noted that the more supervising, positive feedback and encouragement the patient received the better the conformity. †Feedback influences conformity rates † ( Sluijs et al 1993 ) . The 3rd primary factor act uponing attachment was the patients ‘ grade of weakness. Patients with more disablement caused by unwellness adhered better in comparing to those who were less handicapped. ( Pollock 1988 ) in a reappraisal of factors impacting exercising conformity besides concluded that exercising prescriptions of †of moderate strength were associated with greater attachment than prescriptions for vigorous activities † ( Pollock 1988 ) . The above are adherence issues with exercising intervention in general and although they are non specific to PAD, many of the concerns and issues will be the same for PAD. A reappraisal ( Armen et al 2003 ) that is more specific to this clinical status studied the conformity issues and behavioural schemes in patients with PAD, CAD and DM. It was found that a big bulk of patients discontinued the exercising plan within the first twelvemonth. Frequent direct and indirect barriers that the patients encountered were locations of the service, as mentioned antecedently reduced encouragement and hapless supervising by the clinician besides reduced attachment. Un-realistic ends and outlooks set by patients was besides a factor. Boredom and motive once more affected conformity. Both the particular and non specific factors associating to exert attachment must be taken into consideration.DecisionFrom this essay we can see how the grounds shows how effectual and good an exercising programme can be for patients with PAD. We know the constituents that make up the most effectual exercising programme and we besides know in item many of the conformity issues that are related to patients with this status.

Gods: Greek Mythology and Thor Essay

Zeus and Thor are both respected gods in Norse and Greek mythology. Both have amazing strength and powers and were feared by many because of this. While both were the all mighty gods of their time, one huge difference was that Zeus was the god of all gods. In Greek mythology there was no one who ruled over Zeus and ultimately Zeus was in control of all the gods and people. While Thor was the strongest god of Norse mythology, his father Odin was the supreme ruler of the gods like Zeus was in Greek mythology. While both had amazing strength, Zeus still had the power over all the gods which Thor did not. One of the huge similarities is that both Thor and Zeus were gods of the sky and thunder. Zeus would use a thunderbolt as his weapon and Thor would use his hammer in which only he was able to lift. Both of these gods also had a similar appearance. Both were muscular built and had long hair and also a long beard. Thor and Odin also both had children outside of their marriage. While Thor had children with two women, Zeus was known for his lust for women and sex and had a very large number of children. Zeus’s lust for women was one of his biggest weaknesses and also got him in a lot of trouble with his wife. While Zeus was the God of all gods and the common man respected him, Thor seemed to be more worshipped and liked as a god. Thor was the protector of the people and did not require any form of sacrifice from the people for his help. This is one of the reasons Thor surpassed even his father Odin in popularity. Odin required human sacrifices since he needs warriors on his side to fight with him at the Ragnarok, while Thor did not since he is practically a one-man army. These made him more liked then even his father Odin who was the god of all gods in Norse mythology. Another large difference between Thor and Zeus was the fact that Zeus was immortal and Thor was not and would eventually die. The Greek Gods were immortal, and were never depicted as in danger of â€Å"dying†. While most pantheons were immortal, the exception to that rule was the Norse Gods, who could die from injury or old age. Thor and other Norse gods would eventually die in the battle of Ragnarok. He fought the Midgard serpent, which surrounds the whole world. While he did succeed in killing this serpent, he walked about nine paces from its dead corpse and died from the poison it had spewed out onto him. While Thor was the mightiest God of his time just as Zeus, He was unable to avoid the faith of dying during this battle. Zeus is meant to rule Mount Olympus for all eternity amongst the rest of the Greek gods. Zeus had a hatred for his father unlike Thor. Thor fought alongside of his father while Zeus was the destruction of his. Zeus could not actually kill his father because his father Cronus was immortal just like Zeus. Instead, Zeus used his father’s own weapon to slice Cronus into a thousand pieces. Zeus then tossed all the pieces into Tartarus, the deepest crater in the underworld, and Cronus never escaped. Cronus was still alive because he was immortal, but he was harmless since his body was scattered in Tartarus. Thor had nothing but respect for his father and would do anything to help him. While Zeus did destroy and hate his father, he had plenty of reason to since his father was not what most would consider a good father. Cronos would have eaten Zeus like he did to the rest of his brothers and sisters, since he had a fear that one day one of them will rule over him. If it was not for Zeus’s mother Rhea creating a plan to save him, Zeus would have been eaten by his father and not have overthrown him and become the ruler of the gods. Overall both gods possess exceptional power and are the strongest of their times. Both gods are extremely dangerous and getting on their â€Å"bad side† is not generally a good idea. To me is seemed Thor was liked a lot more by the people then Zeus was. But with Zeus’s affairs and also the fact that he was the most revered god of his time, while Thor was not really the most revered god since Odin was, Zeus had a lot more criticism. I liked how Thor had his special weapon (Mjollnir Hammer), but I felt as if Zeus using the thunderbolt as his main weapon made him just appear more as a â€Å"Sky God† even though Thor does use thunder as a weapon as well. Both gods have many differences and similarities but one thing everyone can agree with is that no one wants to get into a battle with either of these mighty gods.