Financial analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Financial analysis - Assignment Example Despite the fact that there are more phones than humans worldwide the global penetration of cellular technology is 79% of the population. The market for cellular phones is attractive, particularly the sales of smartphones such as the iPhone 6. In 2012 the worldwide sales of smartphones reached 967.8 million units (Plunkettresearch, 2014). In the United States the market penetration is 104.3% with 68.8% of users using smartphones. Smartphones are revenue makers for companies such as AT&T that sell cellular talk, text and internet data services for cellular devices. Cellular devices are the biggest seller of any kind of consumer electronic with approximately 1.8 billion units sold each year. 53.76% of all cellular phones sold each year are smartphones. New phones today offers a vast array of advanced features that make smartphones the new computing device of the 21st century. U.S. wireless service company revenues in 2013 reached $189.2 billion. The average user of a cellular phone spends $48.79 on their monthly bill. The ability to sell internet data services has greatly increased the capacity of cellular phone providers to increase their revenues. A major merger that occurred in the industry in 2013 was Japan Softbank merged with Sprint Nextel. The cash flow of Sprint increased by $5 billion after completion of this deal. Cellular phones have become a mature product in the United States as market penetration exceeds 100%. Focusing on selling smartphones with better features and specifications has become the mostly utilized strategy in the industry to achieve growth. Cellular phone providers benefit from the innovation of companies such as Motorola, Apple, and Samsung. New smartphones are going to become more powerful due to the consumer desire to have a computer at the reach of their hands. A growing trend among cellular phone users is to utilize phones to pay for goods or services. 3G and 4G networks are the current standard of the industry, but beware

Gender Inequality Essay Example for Free

Gender Inequality Essay I have chosen to make my presentation about inequalities between genders after having seen a video last week . I don’t know if someone has seen the speech of Emma Watson at the United Nation about that but if you don’t , the actress gave an impassioned speech on feminism and gender at the U.N. headquarters in New York this weekend to launch the â€Å"HeForShe† campaign which aims to galvanize one billion men and boys as advocates for ending the inequalities that women and girls face globally. â€Å"I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Apparently I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive. Why is the word such an uncomfortable one? I am from Britain and think it is right that as a woman I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decision-making of my country. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men. But sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights.† No society treats its women as well as its men. Thats the conclusion from the United Nations Development Programme, as written in its 1997 Human Development Report. Almost 50 years earlier, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly had adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which specified that everyone, regardless of sex, was entitled to the same rights and freedoms. The 1997 Human Development Report, as well as every Human Development Report that followed, has highlighted that each country falls short of achieving that goal.. In this presentation, well take a trip around the world to examine 10 examples of gender inequality 10: Professional Obstacles Women fought for decades to take their place in the workplace alongside men, but that fight isnt over yet. According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Census, women earn just 77 percent of what men earn for the same amount of work]. In addition to this gender wage gap, women often face a glass ceiling when it comes to promotions, which is evident when you survey the lack of women in leadership positions at major companies. Women who have  children often find themselves penalized for taking time off; if theyre not dismissed, they may face discrimination and outdated ideas of what a woman can accomplish if shes pregnant or a mother.. 9: Limited Mobility Saudi Arabia provides the most extreme example of limited mobility for women: In that country, women are not allowed to drive a car or ride a bicycle on public roads. The strict Islamic law in the country prohibits women from leaving the home without a mans permission, and if they do leave the home, they cant drive a car . While Saudi Arabia is the only country that prohibits women from driving a car, other countries restrict womens overseas travels by limiting their access to passports, and even women in developed countries may complain of limited mobility. While these women may have the legal right to drive cars and ride planes, they may elect not to go out by themselves at night due to the threat of rape or attack. 8: Violence In 2008, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported that one in every three women is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime .In both the developed and the developing world, violence against women in the form of rape, spousal abuse, child abuse or spousal killing is such routine behavior that it rarely even makes the news anymore. In conflict zones, rape of women and children is increasingly used as a weapon of war 7: Feticide and Infanticide Youll often hear expectant parents say that they dont care if they have a boy or a girl, as long as the baby is healthy. In some countries, such as China and India, a male child is more valuable than a female child, and this gender bias causes parents to care very much if they have a boy or a girl. Thanks to advances in genetic testing, parents can find out if theyre having a boy or a girl, and they may elect to end a pregnancy that would yield a female child Chinas one child policy may have led to many sex-selective abortions. 6. Restricted Land Ownership In some countries, such as Chile and Lesotho, women lack the right to own  land. All deeds must include the name of a man, be it the womans husband or father. If one of those men were to die, the woman has no legal claim to land that she may have lived on or worked all her life. And some women remain in abusive marriages so that they wont lose a place to live. Such restricted rights can be particularly frustrating in rural areas where agriculture is dominant. 5: Feminization of Poverty Women in some countries have no right to own the land on which they live or work. Not only can such a state trap women in abusive marriages, it also contributes to a phenomenon that economists have deemed the feminization of poverty. More than 1.5 billion people in the world live on less than one dollar a day, and the majority of those people are women . The United Nations often cites the statistic that women do two-thirds of the worlds work, receive 10 percent of the worlds income and own 1 percent of the means of production Many female entrepreneurs have been foiled and left to dwell in poverty because of restricted access to basic legal rights. 4: Access to Health Care In many countries, a pregnant woman in labor can head to any hospital, confident that she will receive assistance in delivery. That seems like a luxury to women in developing countries, however. According to the World Health Organization, one woman dies in childbirth every minute of every day. Thats more than 500,000 deaths every year, many of which could have been prevented if the woman had been allowed to leave her home to receive treatment, or if shed had a skilled attendant by her side. Childbirth is but one example of how women receive unequal access to health care services. 3: Freedom to Marry and Divorce In the United States, love (and the lack of it) is a subject for romantic comedies and conversation over cocktails. In other countries, love may not enter the discussion at all when it comes to marriage. In many countries, young girls are forced to marry men two or three times their age. According to UNICEF, more than one-third of women aged 20 to 24 were married before they turned 18, which is considered the minimum legal age of marriage in most countries When a woman wants out of a loveless marriage, her options are limited in many countries. In some places, courts automatically grant custody of children to the husband, and women often have no chance of receiving any measure of financial support. In other places, such as Egypt, women dont even have access to a court. While men are allowed a divorce after an oral renunciation registered with the court, women face years of obstacles to get in front of a judge. For this reason, many women around the world are trapped in abusive marriages. 1: Education Attainment Of the children that arent in school right now, the majority of them are girls.]. When it comes to education, girls worldwide get the short end of the stick. Girls may be kept out of school to help with household chores, they may be pulled from school if their father deems its time for them to marry, or there may only be enough money to educate one child from the family and the boy assumes the responsibility. This gap in educational attainment becomes particularly maddening when you consider the numerous studies that have been done which show that educating girls is a key factor in eliminating poverty and aiding development. Girls who complete school are less likely to marry young, more likely to have smaller families and exhibit better health outcomes in relation to maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS. These women also go on to earn higher salaries, which they then invest in their own families, thus ensuring that future generations of girls get to go on to school. Indeed, its addressin g the inequalities in education that may solve many of the other problems on this list. 2: Political Participation Analysts often posit that many of the issues on this list could be solved if women had higher levels of political participation. Despite making up half the global population, women hold only 15.6 percent of elected parliamentary seats in the world. Theyre missing from all levels of government local, regional and national. Why is it important that women take part in politics? A study that examined women in leadership in Bolivia, Cameroon and Malaysia found that when women could take part in shaping spending priorities, they were more likely to invest in family and community resources, health, education and the eradication of poverty than the men, who were more likely to invest in the military [source: Some countries have experimented with quoBy No society treats its women as well as its men. Thats the conclusion from the United Nations Development Programme, as written in its 1997 Human Development Report [source: UNDP]. Almost 50 years earlier, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly had adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which specified that everyone, regardless of sex, was entitled to the same rights and freedoms. The 1997 Human Development Report, as well as every Human Development Report that followed, has highlighted that each country falls short of achieving that goal. The severity of the shortfall varies by country; Nordic countries such as Sweden, Norway and Iceland, for example, are routinely hailed as having the smallest gender gaps. In the developing world, however, women face unfairness that can be hard to fathom. In this article, well take a trip around the world to examine 10 examples of gender inequality.

Analysis of Obesity in the UK

Analysis of Obesity in the UK Obesity in England:  Reason Consequences Generally, the objective of this statistics report is to evaluate the obesity in England. 1.0 Abstract The main purpose of this report, is to identify the statistics analytical report regarding ‘Obesity in England’ that is specifically based on the physical activity and the lifestyles of people in England. In addition to the objective of this report, is to highlight the fact that peoples physical activities and lifestyles are changing year by year. Additionally, this report will analyse the obesity statistics of the population in England. The report will then discuss about the physical activity of the population relating to obesity in England. In order to ease the understanding of the reader, historical tables and pie charts will be included in this report which can also help readers to make comparisons between the obesity rate, physical activities and lifestyle statistics. 2.0 Introduction Figure 1 represents the calculation formula of BMI with different units of measurements. The unit of ‘masses in BMI can be applied by using Kilograms (kg), Pounds (lbs), or Stones (st). However, the SI units for BMI is still remain on kilograms. (Figure 1) Obesity can be defined as an individual who is overweight with a significant degree of body fat and fatty acid (NHS, 2012). In the past twenty five years, the occurrence of obesity in England, was measured and studies found that the statistical records, had doubled the figures from the past years (Publich Health England, 2014). There are several reasons that could cause obesity to happen. The two main factors influencing obesity are, due to lack of physical activities and lifestyles. Obesity is undoubtedly harmful for an individuals health. An individual who face obesity, may encounter some severe health issues such as diabetes, strokes, heart disease and even some common cancer such as breast cancer or colon cancer (NHS, 2012). The question is, how can one determine whether an individual is considered obese or not? An individual’s weight can be measured in various ways and measurement to determine the severity of overweight. However, according to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), the method that is widely practice for body weighting is the body mass index (BMI). By using the calculations in (Figure 1), individuals can acknowledge whether he/she is overweight or obese. BMI overweight severity is separated into a few categories. For instances, individuals with BMI range of 25-29 would be considered as overweight, while individuals who falls in the second category with BMI between 30 and 40, would be considered as obese, followed by people who has his/her BMI over 40, would be considered as unhealthy obesity (NHS, 2012). This report will provide essential statistics data to give a bigger picture of obesity in England for readers. The statistics will be supported with graphs, tables and pie charts that will be included as well to demonstrate a better illustration of the comparison between the variables. Last but not least, by the end of the report, readers will understand the potential reason of obesity in terms of physical activities and consequences of obesity. 3.0 Methodology The information that was used in this report, were collected through various types of sources such as online journals, articles, internet and books. These sources were done using secondary data. In addition, several reliable websites and annual reports of official institutions were used to interpret and analyse the data and was converted into information to discuss this statistics report. The websites that were used in this report consists of Guardian, Telegraph, and National Health Service (NHS). Furthermore, regarding to the obesity’s data and information, the data were mainly obtained from the reports published by NHS in order to improve the creditability and reliability of this report. In short, the information, data and materials in this report are extremely genuine, trustworthy and reliable. 4.0 Findings 4.1 Statistics of obesity in England by age group (2002 to 2012) (Graph 1) Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health Social Care Information Centre (2014). According to (Graph 1) above, the graph specifically shows the statistics of obesity in England from year 2002 to 2013 according to age groups from the age of 16. The statistics showed that the obesity’s population in England, is trending up from 2002 to 2013 for all age group (16 to 74 and over). In 2002, there was a record of 29,237 people facing obesity while in 2003 the obesity rate had significantly increased to 33,546 people which calculated 14.74% change. During that moment, the population of obesity in England rose rapidly from year 2004 to 2009 with 21.45%, 27.68%, 29.20%, 20.39%, 27.28% and 38.90% increase respectively. In population, the numbers of people suffering from obesity, had gone up dramatically from 40,741 to 142,219 people. By comparing to year 2009, the percentage change of the obesity’s population had reached its peak which is 48.91% in 2010. There was a record of 211,783 individual which are obese from the age of 16 to 74 and over. Additionally, the statistics of people facing obesity in England climbed up to 266,666 with a 25.91% change comparing to year 2010. Last but not least, the total population of obesity in England in year 2012, had reached up to 292,404 people. However, this increase had accounted to only 9.65% change in population of obesity. In the bigger picture, the population for obesity in England had been escalated from year 2002 to 2013 with an increase of massive 900%. 4.2 Obesity between men and women in England (Year 2002-2012) (Graph 2) Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health Social Care Information Centre (2014). As you can see, (Graph 2) represents the obesity’s population between the men and women in England. The graph shows a significant uptrend formed with the recorded statistics of obesity’s population. Other than that, you can see the difference between the obese men and women. The difference between the men and women that are obese, showed that both genders were increasing year by year. In 2002, the number of women who suffered from obesity (17,169 people) were 5,100 people higher than the number of obese men (12,068 people). Furthermore, in 2007, the number of obese women (48,829 people) had a 16,749 people of difference compared to the obese men which was tripled the result of year 2002. Nevertheless, the most significant data recorded was in year 2012. The population of women being obese (192,795 people), was approximately twice as many as the population of obese men (99,579 people). In result, we can conclude that regarding to England’s obesity’s population, the number of women who suffered from obesity are higher than men. According to the research, lack of physical activity were the cause of obesity. 5.0 Physical activity Physical activity is known to bring healthy benefits to individuals and it is proved that this will reduce incidence of many chronic conditions such as obesity (HSCIC, 2012). However, individuals that are lack of physical activity may suffer from obesity. 5.1 Physical activity guidelines MPA (minutes/week) VPA (minutes/week) Active 150 10 Some activity 60-149 30-74 Low activity (Overweight) 30-59 15-29 Inactive (Obese) MPA: Moderate intensity Physical Activity VPA: Vigorous intensity Physical Activity (Figure 2) Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health Social Care Information Centre (2014). HSCIC (2012) had set up a standard for physical activity guidelines as shown in (Figure 2). The activities are divided into four categories to determine whether an individual is active or inactive. Individuals must meet the requirements of at least either MPA or VPA or both in order to fall into that category. 5.2 Self-reported physical activity of men and women (Chart 1) (Chart 2) Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health Social Care Information Centre (2014). HSCIC (2012) stated that individuals must have at least 30 MPA in order to get rid of obesity. Low activity and inactive individual will be considered as overweight and obese. Chart 1 and Chart 2 are the pie charts that represent the self-reported physical activity data that HSCIC (2012) collected. According to both of the figures, the percentage of active individuals in terms of physical activity of men (67%) is obviously more than the women (55%) by a difference of 12%. Relatively, 26% of women in year 2012 are inactive regarding to their physical activity. Furthermore, the percentage of low activity of women is slightly (2%) higher than men. In contrast, the inactive population of men in their physical activity was just 19% which is 7% lower than the women. In comparison, the percentages of inactive women are higher than inactive men whereas the percentages of active men are higher than the women. In short, since the individuals that fall in the ‘low activity’ and ‘inactive’ category, are considered to be overweight and obese. Therefore, referring to (Figure 3), we can conclude that physical activity is be one of the main reasons that caused obesity and it also showed why the population of obese women was more than men since year 2002 until 2012. 6.0 Comparative rates of adults’ obesity in 2010 (Graph 3) Source: National Obesity Observatory, International Comparisons of Obesity Prevalence, available at: www.noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/international/ Graph 3 shows latest data of comparative rates of adults obesity in year 2010. As we can see, the countrys highest obesity prevalence is the United States (35.70%). This is followed by Mexico, Scotland and New Zealand coming in second, third and fourth place accordingly with the obesity prevalence of 30%, 28.20% and 26.50% respectively. England’s obesity prevalence is 26.10% which is considered high by comparing to countries such as Australia (24.60%), Northern Ireland (23%), Luxembourg (22.50%) and Slovak Republic (16.90%). Last but not least, Japan and Korea have the least obesity prevalence by comparing to other countries in the graph shown; they have a percentage of 3.90% and 3.80% relatively. Ultimately, this graph shows that the obesity level of England which is considered severe. 6.1 Map of excess weight of England Map 1 shows the percentage of adults that are involved in obesity from different regions of England. Guardian (2014) stated that it has an average of 64% adults bringing obese in England by considering all the regions. (Map 1) 7.0 Cost of Obesity The cost of obesity, consists of human cost and National Health Service (NHS) cost. This session will discuss about both the cost for obesity. Figure 2 shows the relative risk of women and men in terms of the diseases caused by obesity. The table consist of diseases that may cause hypertension, stroke and cancer. It can be seen that the relative figures of women, is higher by comparing to the men especially in the Type 2 Diabetes which is two times more of the probability. Type 2 Diabetes can cause serious life shortening that will affect the mortality of human being (NAO, 2011). 7.1 Human Cost of obesity Disease Relative risk Women Relative risk men Type 2 Diabetes 12.7 5.2 Hypertension 4.2 2.6 Myocardial Infarction 3.2 1.5 Cancer of the Colon 2.7 3 Angina 1.8 1.8 Gall Bladder Diseases 1.8 1.8 Ovarian Cancer 1.7 Osteoarthritis 1.4 1.9 Stroke 1.3 1.3 (Figure 2) Source: National Audit Office estimates based on literature review 7.2 NHS Cost of Obesity (Graph 4) Source: National Audit Office estimates (2012) Graph 4 shows the approximate obesity cost in 2012. It is estimated a spending of  £457m on obesity cost, is considered as a burden to the England’s economy. NAO (2012) estimated that the obesity cost for year 2015, will increase dramatically up to  £6.3 billion and up to  £9.7 billion by year 2050. The reason behind the cost of obesity will be significant high, is because of the indirect cost of lost output in economy. NAO (2001) stated that the economy will be in recession due to the sickness or death of the England’s workforce caused by obesity. Therefore, the consequences of obesity must not be ignored but must be taken into serious considerations. 8.0 Conclusion In short, the statistics of this report identified some important details regarding obesity in England. It is important to understand how the impact of obesity and the growth of population can cause the increase of people with obesity to be two times more in the past 25 years. Furthermore, the trend for obesity in all different age groups, showed an increase in England from year 2002-2013. The differences between the genders as well, will show the reasons to why there is an increase in obesity in relations to physical activities because of the activeness of men, inactiveness of women and vice versa. Importantly, this report stated the consequences of obesity which is severe illnesses that causes death with related risk statistics about men and women. Lastly, the report showed the comparison between other countries related to obesity, the percentage of obesity in the regions of England, followed by the human and NHS cost of obesity. 9.0 Recommendations As aforementioned, the level of obesity in England is getting more and more significant year by year. Government should conduct more campaign to fight obesity as it will provide more information about importance of physical activity in life to individuals or families. In addition, government should continue to subsidise NHS for the ‘Health Check programme’ in order to prevent and avoid severe disease such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Besides, government should not just focus on physical activity; they must focus on other reason that causes obesity as well, such as diet and lifestyle. Government could implement some political strategy to fight obesity, such as increase the taxation of fat-food in order to stop people from buying the unhealthy product. Last but not least, government could also increase the advertising of healthy campaign and advertisement of disadvantages of obesity to encourage people to get rid of obesity. 10.0 References: Boseley, S. (2014). The Guardian: Almost two-thirds of adults in England classed as overweight by health body. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/04/two-thirds-adults-overweight-england-public-health [Last Accessed 28th March 2014]. National Health Service. (2014). Obesity: Introduction. [Online] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Obesity/Pages/Introduction.aspx [Accessed 27th March 2014]. Public Health England. (2014). Trends in Obesity Prevalence. [Online] Available at: http://www.noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/trends [Accessed 20th March 2014]. Figure 1: Source :http://healthy-living.knoji.com/does-your-bmi-really-matter/ HSCIC. (2014). Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England 2014. [Online] Available at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13648/Obes-phys-acti-diet-eng-2014-rep.pdf [Accessed 20th March 2014]. HSCIC. (2012). Physical activity in Adults. [Online] Available at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13218/HSE2012-Ch2-Phys-act-adults.pdf [Accessed 24th March 2014]. NAO. (2012). An Update on the Government’s Approach to Tackling Obesity. [Online] Available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/tackling_obesity_update.pdf [Accessed 24th March 2014]. HSCIC. (2012). Chapter 7: Health Outcomes. [Online] Available at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=13887returnid=3945 [Accessed 24th March 2014]. NAO. (2001). Tackling Obesity in England. [Online] Available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2001/02/0001220.pdf [Accessed 28th March 2014]. Public Health England. (2013). Social Care and Obesity: A Discussion Paper. [Online] Available at: http://www.local.gov.uk/documents/10180/11463/Social+care+and+obesity+-+a+discussion+paper+-+file+1/3fc07c39-27b4-4534-a81b-93aa6b8426af [Accessed 29th March 2014]. HSCIC. (2012). Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England, 2012. [Online] Available at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB05131/obes-phys-acti-diet-eng-2012-rep.pdf [Accessed 20th March 2014]. HSCIC. (2013). Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet: England, 2013. [Online] Available at: http://www.bhfactive.org.uk/userfiles/Documents/obes-phys-acti-diet-eng-2013-rep.pdf [Accessed 20th March 2014].

Office of National Drug Control Policy Essay -- Drug Abuse

Office of National Drug Control and the Present Threat Over the last decade, Southwest border violence has elevated into a national security concern. Much of the violence appears to stem from the competing growth and distribution networks that many powerful Mexican drug cartels exercise today. The unfortunate byproduct of this criminality reaches many citizens of the Mexican border communities in the form of indiscriminate street gang shootings, stabbings, and hangings which equated to approximately 6,500 deaths in 2009 alone (AllGov, 2012). That same danger which now extends across the border regions of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California has the potential for alarming escalation. Yet, despite the violence, evermore-brazen behavior continues to grow, as does America’s appetite for drugs. Even though drug-related violence mandates that law enforcement agencies focus on supply reduction, the Office of National Drug Control Policy should shift its present policy formulation efforts to only drug demand reduction because t reatment and prevention efforts are inadequate and strategy has evolved little over the last three decades. Role of the ONDCP President Reagan established the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) following the passage of the Anti-Abuse Act of 1988 amidst mounting risk of drug dependence becoming more pervasive in American workplaces and schools. The legislation established the need for the federal government to make a good-faith effort in maintaining drug-free work places, schools, and drug abuse and rehabilitation programs for many users (Eddy, 2005). The early focus for the ONDCP’s was to curb the rising drug threat emanating from the drug cartels operating throughout South America, in... ...ved from http://www.gao.gov/assets/100/97472.pdf Office of National Drug Control Policy. (n.d.).AllGov: Everything Our Government Really Does. Retrieved March 18, 2012, from http://www.allgov.com/Agency/Office_of_National_Drug_Control_Policy Reduce the Threat, Incidence and Prevalence of Violent Crime and Drug Trafficking: FY 2011 Overview. (2011).Intelligence (p. 6). Washington, D. C. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/jmd/2011factsheets/pdf/reduce-drug-trafficking.pdf Roberts, M., Trace, M., & Klein, A. (2004). Law Enforcement and Supply Reduction: Report Three (p. 15). Retrieved from http://www.beckleyfoundation.org/pdf/report_lawenforce.pdf White, F. E. (1988). Memorandum from Frank E. White to Donald L. Ashton, Drug Enforcement Agency, on Operation Snowcap dated March 8, 1988 (p. 12). Retrieved from http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB69/part1.html

Differences in Teaching Styles Essay

â€Å"Young children too may die†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The New England Primer 129). When reading this statement it is difficult to comprehend that this is written in a children’s book. The New England Primer is the book that was used to teach Puritan students to read in the 1700’s. There are many differences in the way that students were taught in the 1700’s and how they are taught today. A few of these differences are; that in the 1700’s, being taught religion was more important than to gain actual knowledge, and learning to have obedience and morals was an important part of a child’s school day, the content of The New England Primer and other modern children’s books, as well as the ultimate reason for children learning to read is altogether different. Religion was the main focus of the reading in The New England Primer. Today, children are taught to read by using a list of ABC’s, and saying, â€Å"A is for Apple, B is for Boy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and it is made so that it is easier for younger students to understand. The list of ABC’s in The New England Primer has the letter and then a picture next to it, but instead of having a word that would make it easier for the children to understand there is a sentence such as, â€Å"A – In Adam’s Fall/ We Sinned all, B – Thy Life to Mend/ This Book Attend†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The New England Primer 128) but some were more appealing to the students (Kreilkamp), â€Å"The Cat doth play/ And after flay, Nightengales fing/ In Time of Spring† (The New England Primer 128). The students learned in the book through sin, disobedience, and death, instead of learning through things that children learn through today such as dogs, love, and happiness. All of the ABC’s sentences are about God and the Bible, so there is no room for the child to disagree with any part of the ABC’s. The children read about things such as, God’s Works, Fall of Adam, Jesus, Justification, Adoption, and Sanctification. These are things that are important for a child to learn, but also make it harder for them to read with large words and concepts that are difficult to understand. Children today read about things that interest them and have different reading levels to make learning to read easy and fun. If a child today were handed The New England Primer they probably would not want to read it or may not even have the ability to read it. The Puritan children did not know anything other than The New England Primer, so they did not have anything to compare it to. The children in the 1700’s saw God and Jesus as, â€Å"the avenging father and a forgiving son† (Watters 2) because that is how The New England Primer portrays them. In the time between the 1660’s and the 1690’s, God went from being portrayed as an angry and wrathful God, to being a loving and caring God. (Elliot 13-14) The New England Primer failed to show that shift in beliefs so the children would continue to fear God and obey their parents and elders. The parents wanted the students to have a thorough understanding of God, Jesus, and the Bible, so it was the first thing that they learned and everything was based on this particular concept. The New England Primer was used to teach students to read as well as to teach them to be obedient and to have good morals. It tells the students that Adam and Eve were sinful and disobedient so they were punished by God, but it also says that children are guilty for their own thinking and deserve continued punishment. The children read, â€Å"The Dutiful Child’s Promises†, which is a list of things that a dutiful child does, or strives to do. The children are told to â€Å"honour my Father & Mother† and to â€Å"Fear God and honour the King† (The New England Primer 129). The children were also told to follow the Ten Commandments, which were also to be memorized so that God could â€Å"read† them. This shows how fearful and compliant the children are to their parents and to God. The children also were encouraged to memorize â€Å"The Dutiful Child’s Promises† so that they could use it to make correct and obedient decisions. Punishments for the Puritan children were emphasized in the ABC part of The New England Primer, by â€Å"F – The Idol Fool Is whipt at School†. This was an additional warning to the students that they must behave in the classroom or there will be punishments. The punishments in the 1700’s and today are very different, back then teachers could hit their students with rulers, but today teachers may not even raise their voices with students without the risk of losing their jobs. The first theme that you read about in The New England Primer is death, and death is a very heavy topic for children in today’s age for many different reasons. In the 1700’s, children understood death, better than children today, because it surrounded them every day. The hardships that the Puritans faced are nothing like any young student today could possibly understand. Death is understood by the Puritan children, and when The New England Primer says, â€Å"Rachel doth mourn for her fifst born†, the children understand it because they many of them have lost a sibling because of the lack of medical knowledge in the 1700’s. It seems dark and depressing to people today, because today’s society is uncomfortable with talking about death and dying. For the children in the 1700’s it was just a way of life and something that happened every day. The New England Primer emphasized that very point in the Verses of â€Å"The Dutiful Child’s Promise† in saying that death does not only take away the old, but that children can die as well, and so they need to be prepared when they do die to go to Heaven. Children today are getting saved, but they are not doing so to get prepared for death, they are getting ready to serve God with all of their heart and soul. Students today are being taught with the mind set of learning everything they can to reach their own personal goals in life. In the 1700’s the reason for reading was very different from the way that it is today. The parents wanted to children to be able to read so they could read the Bible, not so they could learn about different topics or to read for enjoyment. When educating students today, it is understood that it is the end goal for teachers to help the students get ready to be able to provide a living for themselves with the knowledge that they learn, but in the 1700’s it wasn’t necessary to learn to read for any other reason than the bible because the poems emphasized how to live and act. The New England Primer was â€Å"designed to provide, Spiritual Milk for American Babes† (Anthology of American Literature) and to keep them from being tempted by Satan and other religions that may try and tempt them. The people of the 1700’s believed that there were, â€Å"millions to read, and not one to sin† (Anthology of American Literature), which means that it was believed that the people who read The New England Primer, understood what God wanted them to do and how He wanted them to live, never sinned again, for fear of angering God. The idea of people never sinning again from reading a book is not accurate and students today will read and understand what is going on in the book and be able to enjoy it. The New England Primer was the most important book in teaching Puritan students in the 1700’s to read, but the most important book that they could read was the Bible. The Puritans emphasized their belief in God in every aspect of their lives, especially in teaching their children to e good and kind members of the Puritan community. Teachers of student’s today want to see their students progress and keep learning even after they have learned how to read, because it teaches them about the world that we live on and what is going on outside of their houses and towns. There are many differences between the teachings in the 1700’s and the teachings today, but in the end the important thing is teaching the students to read.

Poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe Essay

This is a magnificent piece of poetry. The hypnotic monotony of rhythm reflected the speaker’s frame of mind. The poem is clearly about the sorrow he experienced over the death of his wife and her ideal, spiritual love. The raven, being a symbol of death, and the lines, â€Å"Other friends have flown before-On the morrow he will leave me as my hopes have flown before,† meant that he was afraid death might abandon him, leaving him comfortless. Then he sits in front of the bird wondering why the raven croaked â€Å"Nevermore†. The raven is trying to tell him â€Å"she shall press, ah, nevermore†, but he thinks the bird is lying because his grief is so great, and he doesn’t believe that Lenore’s death is final. When he realized that the raven is trying to tell him that her death is final, he becomes angry and upset. He begs the raven to tell him if she is in heaven, whill the angels love her and take care of her the way she should be. In the last four lines of the poemwhere â€Å"the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting,† and the shadows that â€Å"shall be lifted-nevermore,† mean that the raven is a symbol of the wisdom and knowledge that he will always have memories of Lenore, but that her death is final. He will always mourn her.

Explanations of Schizophrenia Essays

Explanations of Schizophrenia Essays Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay Explanations of Schizophrenia Essay Describe two explanations of schizophrenia and evaluate these explanations (9 and 16 marks) Two explanations of schizophrenia are the biological perspective and the psychological perspective. The biological perspective involves genetic factors that influence schizophrenia, however the psychological perspective involves environmental factors in which you learn the behaviour of a schizophrenic. The first explanation is the biological perspective, it has two subtypes, these are biochemical and genetic. The biochemical type talks about enlarged ventricles in the brain, these are cavities that supply nutrients and remove waste. The reason for enlarged ventricles could be due to an issue with diet. It also talks about the dopamine hypothesis, this is excess neurotransmitters. Dopamine occurs in the limbic system, this plays a major role in regulating emotional and sexual behaviour, attention and thoughts. Amphetamine and cocaine both largely increase levels of dopamine and can cause psychosis, this can sometimes explain attention and thought problems in schizophrenia as the dopamine neurons play a large role in guiding a person’s attention. Anti-psychotic drugs like chlorpromazine are thought to work by binding to dopamine receptor sites. The genetic type goes on to talk about how schizophrenia is found more in biological relatives depending on how close the family link is. Monozygotic twins have a 44. 37% of being born with schizophrenia. The PPP3CC chemical is an enzyme which regulates the immune system; it appears to be defective in many patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The second explanation is the psychological perspective; there are many different explanations for schizophrenia that take a psychological view. These contain psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioural and other socio-cultural factors like the role of family and society. Cognitive explanations acknowledge the role that schizophrenia is characterised by thought disturbance. This could be down to cognitive deficits which can weaken areas such as perception and memory. Schizophrenics usually first discover symptoms of voices and abnormal sensory experiences, this then usually makes them turn to friends and family to confirm the experiences. Then other symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions are formed after the failure to not accept the reality, these of which are cognitive. The behavioural explanation suggests that schizophrenia is a consequence of faulty learning. Children who do not receive small amounts or little reinforcement early in their lives will put larger attention into irrelevant environmental cues. This behaviour will eventually appear ‘weird’ or strange to others and so will generally be avoided. These strange behaviours may be rewarded by attention and sympathy and so they are reinforced. This can continue until the behaviour becomes so strange that they are then labelled as schizophrenic. The psychodynamic explanation was developed by Stephen Freud. In terms of schizophrenia he suggests that the health condition is a result of regression to a pre-ego state and attempts to re-establish ego control. If the life experiences of a schizophrenic are harsh then the person may go back to a stage of development before the ego and awareness of the world is properly formed. Symptoms such as delusions can reflect this basic condition and other symptoms such as hallucinations and voices reflect the attempts of the person trying to re-establish its ego control. Socio-cultural explanations stress the role of social and family relationships. This can include social labelling, family relationships and life events. The family relationship theory suggests that children who frequently receive contradictory messages from their parents are more likely to develop schizophrenia. This will lead the child to receiving confused and conflicting messages about their relationship, conflict between verbal and non-verbal. Chronically this can develop into schizophrenic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations. One strength of the biological explanation is that it has high reliability. The reason for this is because the research is carried out in highly controlled environments. This suggests that if this research was tested and re-tested the same results would be achieved. Another strength is that it has practical applications. However, a weakness of the biological explanation is that it lacks population validity. The reason for this is because the samples that are used are too small in numbers and only a select number are actually used. This suggests that there are issues with the findings being generalised to the whole population. Another weakness is that it is reductionist and too over simplistic. Also, is the raised dopamine levels the cause of the schizophrenia, or is it the raised dopamine levels which are the result of schizophrenia? It is not clear which comes first. This suggests that one needs to be careful when establishing cause and effect relationships in schizophrenic patients. One trength of the psychological explanation is that it has practical applications. Another strength is that it takes on board the nurture approach to the development of schizophrenia. For example, it suggests that schizophrenic behaviour is caused by environmental factors such as cognitive factors. However, a weakness of the psychological explanation is that you cannot determine cause and effect. Another weakness is that there are ethical issues in blaming the family, particularly as there is little evidence in which to base thi s. Gender bias is also an issue as the mother tends to be blamed the most. This suggests that the research therefore does not protect individuals from harm. Another weakness is that it can said to be reductionist. The reason for this is because the approach does not consider other factors such as genes. It could be that the problems are caused by low neurotransmitters and that creates the cognitive deficits. This suggests that the cognitive approach is over simplistic when considering the explanation of schizophrenia.

Free Essays on Ruthiue

. However, this writer can highlight some of the key responsibilities to which strategies, methods and planning can be impinged upon. The following is a list of suggested activities which when presented may facilitate development during the student/teaching experience. These activities are by far not complete in its research. As such one may wish to modify them to make it fit in their situation. I. Initial Activities 1. Handle classroom routines such as attendance, dismissal and perhaps lunch distribution. 2. Assume teacher’s duties – conduct assembly, clubs and other co-curricular activities. 3. Check students' written work and keep necessary records, such as progress report, assignments and projects and mark them. 4. Keep students’ in a healthy environment and thus keep them safe. II. Organizational Activities 1. Keep a notebook or idea file; include "minute fill-in" ideas such as games, songs, stories, sources of information and materials, ideas for learning c enters, bulletin boards, etc. (Inform O.J.T. of these). 2. Make direct observations of classroom activities. (Ask O.J.T. for their opinion). 3. Plan a design for a classroom. Allow the O.J.T. to help set up and arrange the classroom. 4. Ask O.J.T. to help group students for instructional purposes. 5. Become responsible for the general appearance of the classroom. (Cleanliness, arrangement of charts, etc.). 6. Prepare bulletin boards. 7. Develop a repertoire of techniques for class management or handling individual behaviour problems. (Punishment, Time out, etc.). 8. Create an individual be... Free Essays on Ruthiue Free Essays on Ruthiue Effective Teaching THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER â€Å"The Teacher is like an oil lamp – if its flame is steady and bright a hundred lamps can be lit by it, without in any way diminishing its brightness. For ensuring the brightness of the lamp, it is necessary that the wick be in good order and the oil supply be sufficient.† Certainly the role of the teacher cannot be written in mere words. However, this writer can highlight some of the key responsibilities to which strategies, methods and planning can be impinged upon. The following is a list of suggested activities which when presented may facilitate development during the student/teaching experience. These activities are by far not complete in its research. As such one may wish to modify them to make it fit in their situation. I. Initial Activities 1. Handle classroom routines such as attendance, dismissal and perhaps lunch distribution. 2. Assume teacher’s duties – conduct assembly, clubs and other co-curricular activities. 3. Check students' written work and keep necessary records, such as progress report, assignments and projects and mark them. 4. Keep students’ in a healthy environment and thus keep them safe. II. Organizational Activities 1. Keep a notebook or idea file; include "minute fill-in" ideas such as games, songs, stories, sources of information and materials, ideas for learning centers, bulletin boards, etc. (Inform O.J.T. of these). 2. Make direct observations of classroom activities. (Ask O.J.T. for their opinion). 3. Plan a design for a classroom. Allow the O.J.T. to help set up and arrange the classroom. 4. Ask O.J.T. to help group students for instructional purposes. 5. Become responsible for the general appearance of the classroom. (Cleanliness, arrangement of charts, etc.). 6. Prepare bulletin boards. 7. Develop a repertoire of techniques for class management or handling individual behaviour problems. (Punishment, Time out, etc.). 8. Create an individual be...

Alzheimer’s Disease Biological Causes

Alzheimers Disease Biological Causes Alzheimer’s disease is driven by two processes: extracellular deposits of beta amyloid and intracellular accumulation of tau protein.[9] â€Å"It is characterized by accumulation of amyloid-ÃŽ ² peptide, generated by proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by ÃŽ ²- and ÃŽ ³-secretase.†[10p554] The APP gene provides instructions for making APP. This protein is found in many tissues and organs including the brain and the spinal cord. It plays a role in cell growth, formation of new synapses, differentiation of neurons, cell adhesion, calcium metabolism, and protein trafficking.[10] The length of APP varies between 695 to 770 amino acids. Protein breakdown generates AÃŽ ², a 39- to 42-amino acid peptide. This form is the primary component of amyloid plaques found in the brains of AD.[10] APP may be processed via a non-amyloidogenic pathway that prevents AÃŽ ² formation or through a toxic, amyloidgenic pathway, resulting in AÃŽ ² plaque formation. In the non-amyloidogenic pathway, APP is processed in peripheral cells. In this pathway, APP is cleaved by an enzyme called ÃŽ ±-secretase followed by ÃŽ ³-secretase. These are integral membrane proteins where cleavage by ÃŽ ±-secretase occurs within the AÃŽ ² domain. Cleavage by ÃŽ ±-secretase prevents AÃŽ ² formation and releases the extracellular secreted APP ÃŽ ± fragment.[11] Research shows that secreted APP ÃŽ ± protects neurons, regulates stem cell production, plays a role in brain development, and promotes the formation of synapses and cell adhesion. The remaining C-terminal fragment of APP then undergoes either lysosome degradation or ÃŽ ³-secretase cleavage, which generates p3 and the APP intracellular domain.[11] In the amyloidogenic pathway, APP is primarily processed in neuronal cells. Within this pathway, APP is cleaved by ÃŽ ²-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 ( BACE1 ), followed by ÃŽ ³-secretase. BACE1 initiates the production of the toxic AÃŽ ² that plays a crucial role ea rly in the pathogenesis of AD.[11] Cleavage of APP by BACE1 releases the extracellular secreted APP ÃŽ ² fragment which is thought to assist with axon pruning and cell death.[12] BACE1 cuts APP to produce a membrane-bound C-terminal fragment C99 that is further processed by ÃŽ ³-secretase to generate AÃŽ ². The site of ÃŽ ³-secretase cleavage within the transmembrane domain of APP can vary and determines the type of AÃŽ ² that is produced, AÃŽ ² 39-42. Once produced, AÃŽ ² is usually secreted into the extracellular space via exocytosis.[12] AÃŽ ² is a major component of plaques that are found in both intracellular and extracellular locations. AÃŽ ² 42 is considered to be one of the main causes of these plaques because it clumps together more quickly than other isoforms, forming clusters and fibrils.[10] In individuals with AD, elevated concentrations of AÃŽ ² plaques can lead to many cellular dysfunctions. The presence of AÃŽ ² plaques alone is not enough to diagnose AD since ma ny people without cognitive decline have plaques. Tau is a protein in the microtubule-associated protein family. It has several physiological functions in healthy axons including microtubule assembly and stability, vesicle transport, neuronal outgrowth and neuronal polarity. This protein consists of 352 to 441 amino acids and presents in various isoforms in the brain.[10] In AD, tau protein is hyperphosphorylated, causing disruption in microtubule transport and loss of neuronal transmission. Tau phosphorylation is the addition of phosphate to a tau protein through regulation of tau kinases. In humans, the tau gene is positioned on chromosome 17. In a normal brain, there are two to three moles of phosphate per one mole of tau, indicating that this amount of phosphorylation is necessary for tau to perform its normal biological functions. When tau becomes hyperphosphorylated, the ratio of phosphate to tau increases three to four fold compared to normal phosphorylation levels. This incr eased amount of phosphate alters the function of tau, making it insoluble and lacking affinity for microtubules. This leads to the degradation of the microtubules and neuronal cell death.[10]

Chemical Engineering Dissertaion. Designing a venturi scrubber Essay

Chemical Engineering Dissertaion. Designing a venturi scrubber - Essay Example This happens in the bottleneck of the venturi. Behind this bottleneck, the pressure drops, reducing flow velocity back to normal. At this point, contaminant particles are collected and removed. A venture scrubber is the simplest but most compact but efficient wet dust collector. It collection efficiency is rated from 0.2 Â µ particles when high linear gas velocities ranging 50 to 150m/s reach the throat as the gas is contacted with water. Therefore, collection efficiency of a venture scrubber depends on the pressure drop experienced during the operation. The scrubber is made of a long tube with consecutive converging and diverging sections with steep rising velocity in the convergent section. This enables the scrubbing liquor to get in contact with the throat and convert the kinetic energy into pressure in the downstream divergent diffuser. When gas flow is a variable, it is necessary to adapt the cross-section of the throat to maintain constant velocity as well as collection efficiency. In a simple tubular design, the throat is made of rubber and pinched pneumatically. Other types consider mechanical control to adapt the cross-sectional area. Amount of water injected is also varied. As water moves in the closed circuit, a settling basin is incorporated that separates the collected dust as slurry. The high velocity of the gas makes it important to consider erosion and abrasion factors as well as corrosion due to the absorption of acid gas compounds. Water treatment of the collected water pose considerable costs to venture dust collectors. The water droplets coalesce to a size of 0.1mm and are separated by centrifugal forces (conventional cyclones), lamellae separator, sick-sack flow, inertial forces and wetted collecting surfaces, or wire or fibre gauge packages. The droplets from venturi scrubbers require entrainment. Therefore droplet separators are required. A two step arrangement is preferred with a first contact using recycled water while the

The Business Aspect of The Firm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Business Aspect of The Firm - Essay Example The struggle by Amalgamated Manufacturing to make profit shows that the business aspect of the firm is not doing well. Profit maximization depends on costs of operation and revenues generated (Moyer, et al. 2008). Costs of operation should be minimized and revenues maximized. The goals of the form therefore include: expound business aspect, minimize cost of operation and improve sales of electronic components in order to maximize revenues. In expounding the business aspect, the firm may need to conduct consumer research in a bid to identify the loopholes characteristic of its products in the market. Customer satisfaction is fundamental in pursuing profitability of the firm. This is because; they seek to maximize their utility at the minimum cost possible. On the same note, revenues and costs determine profitability. Revenues are generated from sales volume, and it is therefore essential to boost sales in the pursuit of profits. Agency problem depicts an aspect of conflict of interest between the principal and the agent. The principal requires that the agent pursues goals and objectives set by the principal. Sometimes an agent pursues other goals and objectives other than those set by the principal, resulting in an agency problem (Moyer, et al. 2008) In the case of Amalgamated Manufacturing, conflict of interest may arise between the owner(s) of the firm and the manager(s). Owner(s) may want to maximize profits, while the manager(s) may seek to pursue another set of activities before the profit motive. These differences therefore result in conflicting ideas of the right time to push for profitability. The firm therefore may continue to struggle for profitability as a result of the characteristic agency problem.

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Final - Essay Example By not delivering the coffee as stipulated in the contract, Java Distributors has made a material breach of the contract. A material breach of contract comes into effect when a party to a contract substantially and unjustifiably fails to meet their contractual obligation(s). Although Green Coffee can take Java Distributors to court, it is advisable that it pursues a different path of dispute resolution especially considering that it will have to incur a lot of expenses in legal fees and yet it will receive a little compensation in case it wins the case in a court of law. As earlier noted, Green Coffee can pursue an alternative avenue in resolving the dispute at hand, other than going to court. It may engage negotiation, arbitration, and mediation, all of which are less costly and which are known to be faster than litigation. One case in point that involved a material breach of contract is Miller v. Mills Constitutional, Inc. In this case, the district court held that Mills had breach ed the contract by failing to deliver the materials that it had agreed to deliver as stipulated in the contract. In the case of Miller versus Mills, the case rightly ended up in court considering the amount of money involved. This case is quite similar to the case involving Green Coffee and Java Distributors. By failing to deliver the coffee, Java Distributors caused Green Coffee losses. Green Coffee was not able to serve customers and therefore lost business on that day. This being the case, Green Coffee should receive compensation from Java Distributors that equals the amount the Green Coffee normally makes on a Monday, tips included. The best thing for Green Coffee to do is to invoke a dispute resolution method that is less expensive. Since Java Distributors may be unresponsive to a negotiation, the organization would best apply mediation or arbitration to resolve the dispute. If mediation as a process is chosen as a way of resting the case, both parties will have to choose a neu tral party who will suggest ways for resolving the dispute and facilitate communication. Normally, a mediator is knowledgeable in the matters of law. In some cases, mediation may lead to litigation. By opting for arbitration, the parties rely on a neutral party (the arbitrator) who is not necessarily knowledgeable in legal issues. The arbitrator listens to both parties before making a legally binding decision which can be subject to appeal at the district court. Considering the situation, Green Coffee would better go for arbitration and avoid going to court as much as possible. Part B The location of the coffee shop, the environment, the clientele, and the prices of the products on offer determine the kind of table that is suitable. If the coffee shop is located in an upmarket area in Boston visited by high class clients and serves as a place where people meet, then tables with stained glass tops are suitable for purchase. On the other hand, if the shop targets middle class and low class clients and is located in a downscale location, stainless steel tops would be suitable. Whichever the choice between the two, a contact will have to come into effect. The contract will include an offer, consideration and acceptance so as to be valid. When a stained top glass is chosen especially, a warranty should be granted so that in case of any damages, there can be a replacement. Part C The three new workers signed a written contract. However,

The Reasons for the Collapse of WorldCom in 2002 Coursework

The Reasons for the Collapse of WorldCom in 2002 - Coursework Example Corporate governance is known to entail associations amid the board, other bodies involving an indirect form of engagement with the organization, management and stakeholders of the organisations. The mentioned aspect is even supposed to present a comprehensive composition from which the intentions of that particular organization are believed to descend. However, it becomes imperative to mention the procedure through which the behaviours of the directors in a particular organization are supervised and controlled. The process is also learnt to entail the factor of decision making, supervision and responsibility and is termed as corporate governance on the whole (Monks & Minow, 2011: 433). Brief Background of WorldCom WorldCom was founded in Mississippi. The nature of its business operations was telecommunications and the company was learnt to have surfaced from murkiness in a period of rage in relation to corporate behaviour with regard to the mentioned sector. The rage was measured to be let loose as a result of deregulation in the telecommunications sector in the United States (US). ... It i worth mentioning that Bernard Ebbers was selected as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company in the year 1985 and was considered to be majorly responsible for the progress as well as for the downfall of the company. The progress of WorldCom attained its zenith with the acquirement of MCI Communications in the year 1998 which was recorded to be the biggest and most noteworthy corporate merger (Ngoda, 2011). The Reasons behind the Collapse A huge amount of accounting misstatements was identified as the major reason that triggered the collapse of WorldCom. The accounting misstatements were found to conceal the progressively grave situation of the mentioned company. Fake or rather unproven accounting entries involving a huge amount were learnt to be made in the financial methods of the company with the intention of attaining the aspired record of financial results. The major contributor to trigger such a fraudulent activity was stated to be the pursuance of a particular bus iness strategy by the CEO, Bernie Ebbers. During the period of 1990s, the only focus of the CEO was supposed to be on the attainment of remarkable progress with the help of acquirements. The company was learnt to be making aggressive moves towards acquiring other companies with the aid of the stocks held by the company. The stocks of the company called for the requirement to record a constant rise in terms of their worth in order to carry out the acquiring spree. However, this particular aggressive strategy followed by Bernie Ebbers witnessed a halt when the company was compelled to discard a planned unification with Sprint owing to antitrust oppositions (Berglund, n.d.). This definite halt triggered a strong influence over the CEO to project a picture

Can Viral Marketing Replace All Other Forms Of Advertising Research Paper

Can Viral Marketing Replace All Other Forms Of Advertising - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that various people have cited the negative effects of this method of advertising as compared to the traditional means of advertising. Looking at the two methods of advertising and analyzing them is important because it helps in understanding the best manner in which to market commodities. Without looking at the negative aspects that involve this form of advertising, it is vital to remain subtle when analyzing this method. Viral marketing is a credible way to replace all other forms of advertising and it is appropriate to review the various ways of doing this while still reviewing the benefits. One effective manner in which this method of advertising can replace other methods of advertising is through comfort when advertising. Many methods of advertising are hectic and require an individual to move from one position to another with the aim of attracting customers. However, viral advertising just requires an individual to use their gadgets such as phones or lapt ops to post the products they want to the internet. Posting these photographs on the internet is simply because it can be carried out from the comfort of a person’s home without any hectic activities being involved. Another advantage of viral marketing that can assist people to view its value as compared to the normal methods of advertising is its economical nature. Other methods of advertising normally involve the people or rather the advertisers engaging in the marketing of their products by posting them in media providers such as televisions, radios or even the print media. These services are very costly and they involve the product owners paying a lot of money for these products to receive quality marketing. Viral marketing, as opposed to this method of advertising, is very cheap as the only amount of money spent is that used to pay service providers for the internet. When compared with the print media method of advertising, this method is very economical.

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Final - Essay Example By not delivering the coffee as stipulated in the contract, Java Distributors has made a material breach of the contract. A material breach of contract comes into effect when a party to a contract substantially and unjustifiably fails to meet their contractual obligation(s). Although Green Coffee can take Java Distributors to court, it is advisable that it pursues a different path of dispute resolution especially considering that it will have to incur a lot of expenses in legal fees and yet it will receive a little compensation in case it wins the case in a court of law. As earlier noted, Green Coffee can pursue an alternative avenue in resolving the dispute at hand, other than going to court. It may engage negotiation, arbitration, and mediation, all of which are less costly and which are known to be faster than litigation. One case in point that involved a material breach of contract is Miller v. Mills Constitutional, Inc. In this case, the district court held that Mills had breach ed the contract by failing to deliver the materials that it had agreed to deliver as stipulated in the contract. In the case of Miller versus Mills, the case rightly ended up in court considering the amount of money involved. This case is quite similar to the case involving Green Coffee and Java Distributors. By failing to deliver the coffee, Java Distributors caused Green Coffee losses. Green Coffee was not able to serve customers and therefore lost business on that day. This being the case, Green Coffee should receive compensation from Java Distributors that equals the amount the Green Coffee normally makes on a Monday, tips included. The best thing for Green Coffee to do is to invoke a dispute resolution method that is less expensive. Since Java Distributors may be unresponsive to a negotiation, the organization would best apply mediation or arbitration to resolve the dispute. If mediation as a process is chosen as a way of resting the case, both parties will have to choose a neu tral party who will suggest ways for resolving the dispute and facilitate communication. Normally, a mediator is knowledgeable in the matters of law. In some cases, mediation may lead to litigation. By opting for arbitration, the parties rely on a neutral party (the arbitrator) who is not necessarily knowledgeable in legal issues. The arbitrator listens to both parties before making a legally binding decision which can be subject to appeal at the district court. Considering the situation, Green Coffee would better go for arbitration and avoid going to court as much as possible. Part B The location of the coffee shop, the environment, the clientele, and the prices of the products on offer determine the kind of table that is suitable. If the coffee shop is located in an upmarket area in Boston visited by high class clients and serves as a place where people meet, then tables with stained glass tops are suitable for purchase. On the other hand, if the shop targets middle class and low class clients and is located in a downscale location, stainless steel tops would be suitable. Whichever the choice between the two, a contact will have to come into effect. The contract will include an offer, consideration and acceptance so as to be valid. When a stained top glass is chosen especially, a warranty should be granted so that in case of any damages, there can be a replacement. Part C The three new workers signed a written contract. However,

Can Viral Marketing Replace All Other Forms Of Advertising Research Paper

Can Viral Marketing Replace All Other Forms Of Advertising - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that various people have cited the negative effects of this method of advertising as compared to the traditional means of advertising. Looking at the two methods of advertising and analyzing them is important because it helps in understanding the best manner in which to market commodities. Without looking at the negative aspects that involve this form of advertising, it is vital to remain subtle when analyzing this method. Viral marketing is a credible way to replace all other forms of advertising and it is appropriate to review the various ways of doing this while still reviewing the benefits. One effective manner in which this method of advertising can replace other methods of advertising is through comfort when advertising. Many methods of advertising are hectic and require an individual to move from one position to another with the aim of attracting customers. However, viral advertising just requires an individual to use their gadgets such as phones or lapt ops to post the products they want to the internet. Posting these photographs on the internet is simply because it can be carried out from the comfort of a person’s home without any hectic activities being involved. Another advantage of viral marketing that can assist people to view its value as compared to the normal methods of advertising is its economical nature. Other methods of advertising normally involve the people or rather the advertisers engaging in the marketing of their products by posting them in media providers such as televisions, radios or even the print media. These services are very costly and they involve the product owners paying a lot of money for these products to receive quality marketing. Viral marketing, as opposed to this method of advertising, is very cheap as the only amount of money spent is that used to pay service providers for the internet. When compared with the print media method of advertising, this method is very economical.

19th Century American Imperialism & 20th Century War Essay Example for Free

19th Century American Imperialism 20th Century War Essay Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan couldn’t have said it any better, â€Å"No nation had ever become great without control of foreign markets and access to the natural resources of foreign countries† (Kinzer 33). Throughout the years, America has had an astonishing obsession with the idea of global imperialism. One can’t help but ask the following question: what sparked this sudden obsession with global imperialism? Even though there are many different factors that helped spark this sudden movement, the biggest single factor was the industrialization of the world’s major industrialist societies, such as England, United States, Japan, and Germany. The sudden explosion of industrialization sparked a huge consumption of the earth’s natural resources, and initiated the need for expansion. Throughout the late 19th century up until today, America has approached global imperialism in a number of different ways. Methods such as deception, intimidation, fear, and violence have all been used throughout the American conquest in order to expand this imperialistic society. America had to start expanding and had to take over weaker countries. See more: Homelessness as a social problem Essay Americans had to look to faraway countries, weak countries, countries that had large markets and rich resources but had not yet fallen under the sway of any great power† (Kinzer 34). This paper will primarily focus on the reasoning provided by Kinzer’s book Overthrow. America has become the imperialistic society it is today because of the rapid 19th century industrialization and the constant American hunger for natural resources, territory, and global domination. â€Å"Whether they will or no, Americans must now begin to look outward. The growing production of the country demands it† (Kinzer 33). During the late 19th century, America enjoyed a successful conquest of Hawaii, Cuba, Philippines, and Nicaragua. Hawaii, which has always embraced a history of tradition and culture, was faced with the issue of modernization. Throughout the years, Hawaii had slowly started to fall under white control. Hawaii has always been a huge producer of sugar, with one problem. The major market for sugar was in the United States, but the Hawaiians could not export as much as they would like because of the high tariffs imposed on imported sugar in the States. When the reciprocity treaty as signed in the summer of 1876, Americans started installing military and commercial bases in Hawaii. The renewed treaty however was what really displayed that Hawaii was falling under white influence. The renewed treaty gave United States control of Pearl Harbor, an extremely fine natural port. On January 14th 1893, Queen Liliuokalani made a disturbing announcement to her cabinet. She proclaimed a new constitution which stated only Hawaiian citizens had the right to vote. This meant that the Hawaiian population of Americans would no longer be able to vote. This move gave Lorrin Thurston and John Colburn the reason they needed to initiate the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, which would mark America’s first overthrow of a foreign government. The alarmed Thurston quickly wrote a letter to John L. Stevens, requesting military assistance for the overthrow of the queen’s regime. Soon after, on July 4th 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed. During the Spanish colonization of Cuba in 1897, William McKinley was sworn in as president of the United States. McKinley did not like the idea of the Spanish in Cuba. However when talking about McKinley, Kinzer states â€Å"William McKinley believed that a self-governed Cuba would pose an extreme threat to the United States, for they might not do Washington’s bidding† (Kinzer 35). After all, the revolutionary leaders in Cuba were already talking about the social reforms and land redistribution they wanted to initiate. This greatly alarmed many American businessmen, for over $50 million was invested primarily in Cuba’s agriculture. McKinley had finally had enough and had decided it was time to use military force to end the Spanish regime in Cuba. On April 25th 1898, the Spanish-American War had officially begun. After the Spanish surrender, America started to kill Cuba’s dream of independence. In the 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain gave up all rights to Cuba, surrendered Puerto Rico and Guam, and sold Philippines for $20 million to the United States. The Platt Amendment gave the US some economic and military control of Cuba. McKinley initially only wanted to build a naval base at Manila, Philippines. Later however, he decided he would embark on a journey of Christianizing the country. This was unnecessary however, for most Filipinos were already Catholic. On June 2nd 1899, the official Philippine-American War started. The United States would win the war, and dissolute the First Philippine Republic. At this point, the United States had obtained, by force, full sovereignty over the Philippines. With Cuba, Hawaii, Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico under its belt, America now had access to a wide array of natural resources and an assortment of markets. However, the conquest would not end there. In order for one to understand the takeover of Nicaragua, one must understand Central America in the late 19th century. The late 19th century proved to be a strong idealistic era for Central America. Ideas of both social and political reforms were sweeping many Central nations, ideas inspired by European philosophers. These ideas were absolutely despised by the American government, for these ideas called for change. These ideas were admired by Central Americans because they all desired change. Jose Santos Zelaya became president of Nicaragua in 1893. He adopted many revolutionary changes, such as importing the automobile and legalizing civil marriage. He also had a very strong emphasis on building and expanding the country’s infrastructure. At first Zelaya and America were on good terms, for there have been talks of building a canal through Nicaragua. Later however, Panama was chosen as the building site, temporarily ending American interest in Nicaragua. As historian John Ellis wrote â€Å"To the State Department, Nicaragua was no longer a country that needed to be coddled or cared for in preparation for future usefulness, rather, it was not a country that needed to be watched carefully and kept in line† (Kinzer 60). A very strong nationalist, Zelaya was giving some of the American business based in his country trouble, which didn’t appeal to the United States secretary of state Philander Knox. What angered Knox even more was that Zelaya went to European banks to borrow money for his railroad project, not American banks. This showed the Taft administration that Nicaragua was trying not to depend on the States as much as they used to, which of course cause congressional panic. After much trouble from Knox, Zelaya finally resigned in 1909. After the brief command of Jose Madriz, Juan Jose Estrada took over the country, and the new conservative government was much admired and supported by the United States. Estrada’s coming to power marks the conquest of Nicaragua, because of America’s strong influence on Estrada’s regime. As demonstrated, the United States has always obtained a hostile approach regarding takeovers and conquest. The first overthrow took place in Hawaii where the queen was relieved of her position. Cuba was later obtained from Spain with the help of brute force and intimidation. Philippines and Puerto Rico were also obtained in the same fashion. Nicaragua’s government fell victim to an American sponsored coup, and their government was taken over by the Americans. It seems like there has always been a recurring pattern throughout American history. If you try to stand up to the US government, you will go down. If you operate your country in a way that doesn’t appeal to the US government, you’re going down. If you just happen to be doing good for your country, there’s still a good chance you’re still going down. America has always been that big bully that beats on the little kids at school, because they are just too weak to defend themselves. America throughout the 19th century was a product of a heavily industrialized society, a society that must rely on domination of other markets and other countries’ resources in order to keep expanding and thriving.

Oliver Twist Analysis

Oliver Twist Analysis Explain and discuss the main problem or obstacle that is introduced. Discuss how the protagonist or any other significant characters deal with this problem. Describe how this problem escalates, who is involved in this conflict, climax, and how this problem is dealt with. (Length: ÂÂ ¾ of a page) Character (Protagonist, Antagonist and/or other significant characters) Describe the exterior physical traits and personality of the protagonist. To do this effectively, you must consider the characters home environment, social group and personal attachments/relationships. Analyze the characters thoughts and perceptions, behavior, actions and reactions in the book. Do the same to the antagonist and/or any other significant characters. (Length: ÂÂ ¾ of a page) Oliver Twist: Oliver is a young orphan who is usually described as wearing tattered clothes. Although he is the protagonist, he has very little influence over the course of his life. Through Dickens writing, Oliver is revealed to be a saint-like figure. He is contradictory to others in his social class by almost every means possible. He speaks proper English whereas his companions speak rough slangy English. He is a very kind and loyal person who wants to always help the ones who provide for him and take good care of him like, Mrs. Maylie and Mr. Brownlow. He wants to live honestly even if that means to die trying. Even when he is tortured, he maintains his purity and does not become angry. Oliver is not a character torn between good and evil; he is simply a good person in all situations. Fagin: The ruthless and antagonist who hire young orphans to steal and pickpocket for him. In return, he feeds them and provides shelter. Dickens portrayal of Fagin seems to be influenced by anti-Semitism. Constant references to him as the Jew throughout the book imply that his negative characteristics are linked to his ethnic identity. He is described as a loathsome reptile (p. 145) and that he has teeth like the fangs of a dog. Fagin believes that betrayal is part of their lifestyle and enjoys watching people get executed. He is the ultimate opposite figure of Oliver in the story. Nancy: Although she is neither the protagonist nor the antagonist she is the most complex character used by Dickens to portray the problems present in Victorian London. Dickens portrays Nancy as a good person who has gone so deep into the evil side that coming back is impossible. As an orphan Nancy has been a thief and drinks a lot. Presently, she is a prostitute who works for Sikes and remains very loyal to him no matter how much he abuses her. In between characters that are only able to comprehend the good or evil, Nancy is capable of both. Perhaps, the noblest action in the book was when Nancy sacrifices her own life to save Olivers. She understands the terribleness of the path she has chosen and does not want a poor creature like Oliver to take the same path. Her ultimate decision to do good shows that no matter how terrible the environment might be, a strong soul cannot be poisoned. Her love for Sikes is strong even though she realizes that it will lead to her destruction. When Mr. Brownlow offers help, Nancy kindly rejects and says that she has gone too far and her death is inevitable. She maintains her loyalty to Sikes until the moment he kills her. Setting (Initial setting and/ or any other significant setting) The setting of a story or novel helps the reader to visualize the environment and its importance. Describe the initial setting and how it adds to the overall storyline. Describe any other setting you believe serves a purpose to the reader. How important is a setting with regards to the plot? (Length: ÂÂ ¾ of a page) Workhouse: Orphans and peasants are brought here to work. They are deprived of their civil rights and given very little food. The children are separated from their parents; couples are separated in hop of reducing breeding of the lower class. Ironically, the authorities who preach the necessity of a meager diet in the workhouses are very fat gentlemen who have far more luxurious lives. The woman in charge of taking care of the orphans takes most of the money allocated to their welfare for her own needs. This results in many children dying under her administration but she files the cases as accidents. This initial setting shows the environment that Oliver was brought up in. London: Although the story takes place during the Industrial Revolution in London (around the 1830s), Dickens depicts the extreme poverty present in London during the period and ineffectiveness of the Poor Laws. The Poor Laws were one of the main reasons Charles Dickens chose to write this story. There are many orphans who live on the streets and turn to pick pocketing for enough food to ensure another day of survival and pain. Many of the peasants on the street have no other option other than thievery or prostitution. This setting gives the reader some explanation on the actions of many characters like Fagin, the Artful Dodger, Sikes and Oliver. Fagin merely takes advantage of the situation and promises adequate nourishment, clothing, and proper shelter in return for the services of the young orphans in thievery. In the end he gets punished but the ultimate cause of poverty, which Dickens believes to be the society remains unchanged. This setting explains the hypocrisy of the societ y, with the help of Dickenss satirical writing, and challenges the conventional views of rich people regarding poverty being related to the hereditary of the peasants.

The Problems With Standardized Testing Essay -- Standardized Testing Es

The educational system in the United States has gone through many changes over the last century. These changes are a part of a constant movement toward educational excellence for every child in this nation. One of the most recent acts placed on public school systems by the government is to create more accountability for schools in order to ensure that all children are receiving the proper education. Part of this mandate is that public schools will require students to take tests in order to gather information about their academic achievement. Although educators and administrators claim that the mandatory ability testing programs being initiated in America’s public schools will hold students and teachers accountable for academic achievement, these programs are really causing more problems than they are solving. Mandated standardized testing is also known as â€Å"high-stakes testing†. When the tests are used to evaluate students and to hold educators accountable these tests are deemed to be â€Å"high stakes tests† because the consequences can be serious. An example of a serious outcome of these tests would be whether or not a child moves to the next grade or graduates high school. High stakes test were put into action by our nations policymakers in an attempt to improve education. Shortly after taking office in 2001 President George W. Bush announced his No Child Left Behind, which he called â€Å"the cornerstone of my administration.† (The No Child, 2002) This law has been implemented to ensure that all students reach proficiency within 12 years. No Child Left Behind is increasing accountability for our public school systems. Students in grades 3-8 must take annual test in reading and mathematics. The results of the tests are bro... ...w.ed.gov/offices/OESE/esea/exec-summ.html This article gave the text book definition of The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the governments position on the law. President Gorge Bush’s comments were also posted on this site. Each section on the law was reviewed in this article. Weathers, D. (2001, May). The Evils of Mandatory Testing. Retrieved April 12, 2003, from http://www.lessontutor.com/dw1.html This article was much more of a personal opinion of a concerned parent. Even so I found the information useful in order to compare the pro’s and con’s of this issue. Wright, W. E. (2002, June 5). The Effects of High-Stakes Testing in an Inner-City Elementary School: The curriculum, the teachers, and the English language learners. Current Issues in Education [On-line], 5(5). Retrieved on April 15, 2003. from http://cie.ed.asu.edu/volume5/number5/

Great Rock Musicians: Their Achievements And Effect On Rock And Roll Es

Great Rock Musicians: Their Achievements and Effect on Rock and Roll The blues are undeniably the roots of early rock and roll. Rock today has mutated so much that the basic blues patterns have been all but lost. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the birth of, and evolution of rock and roll by focusing on three of the arguably greatest rock musicians of the sixties and seventies. The origin of the blues can be traced to the emancipation of the slaves in the rural black areas of the south, where most of the people worked on share- cropping farms. Musically the blues are defined as a 12-bar chord progression, harmonized with the corresponding scales and patterns. The chord progression pattern is four measures of tonic chords followed by two measures of sub- dominate chords, two more measures of tonic chords, one measure of dominate chords, one measure of sub dominate chords, and finally two measures of tonic chords. Blues performers would travel around the south singing about their loss of love and family, and the pains they were forced to endure. The music became popular because nearly every one who heard it could identify with its message. This type of Blues later became known as country blues because it was rooted in rural areas. The Blues became more main stream and popular in the 1920's because of the recording industry coming into existence. More instruments were added such as pianos, organs, and wind instruments. Big Band and Rhythm and Blues stemmed from City Blues. Rock and Roll then stemmed from Rhythm and Blues, in fact, many of the first recorded "Rock" songs where simply white musicians re-recording Rhythm and Blues songs originally written by black artists. It took Bob Dylan 23 years to realize that he wanted to become a rock musician. Bob Dylan, whose birth name was Robert Allen Zimmerman, had a relatively uneventful childhood in a Minnesota mining town. He adopted his pseudonym when he went to the University of Minnesota. "Dylan" came from the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, with whom Zimmerman was frequently compared in the University folk circles. After leaving the University, Dylan moved to New York's Greenwich Village to follow his folk hero, Woodie Gunthrie. In fact, his main goal of moving to the Village was simply to meet his hero. He not only met the fo... ... Lady Land, which contained his most successful single: Dylan's "All along the Watchtower". Hendrix's most memorable performance was in 1969, at Woodstock, where he played his immortal "Star-spangled Banner", however it is still unclear if he played the song in such an unpatriotic, angry style in protest of the war, or from the pressure from black militant groups. In 1970 Hendrix died from inhaling his own vomit after an intoxication of barbiturates. The debate has never been put to rest over whether it was suicide or carelessness. "Jimi Henrix was and original, and, unlike most great rock musicians suffered no imitators" (Rock Giants). Rock and roll has become one of America's greatest musical culture contributions. Indeed, America would not be the same if it did not have rock and roll. One of the reasons rock has become so great is that rock groups in more present time have tried to follow the highly creative musical standards set by the musicians in this paper. If rock continues to follow the trends set fourth by the greats, Neil Young's lyrics may prove true, "Hey, hey, my, my, rock and roll will never die."

Making Habits

We want from our target market to make a habit of eating their meals in our restaurants. If we are able to reach them, this will help us to grow at the end of the first year. In addition to this, we have another objective which is to decrease the number of people who are not aware and people who are resisting to not purchase our goods. In this case, we are planning to encourage them to taste our products and take their opinions about them to adjust our goods according to their needs and wants. Stressing our competitive advantage to our target customers is our another goal which makes them loyal to our restaurants.Identify the marketing segment for the product and explain why this segment was selected. Because we are producing healthy fast foods for different diet programs, mass marketing does not fit our marketing strategy. Therefore we segment the market based on Demographics. For example, if gender is taken into consideration, woman and man should take different amount of calories per day in order to carry on their daily activities. Besides, amount of calories are taken by young people, adults, and elderly people changes as well according to their heights, weights, and activity levels.Therefore when our customers come to our restaurants, they should be able to find a food that best fits their diet in order to be satisfied. Moreover, we also segment the market based on geographic as well. In this case, we are planning to run our business in United States because there is a high demand for healthy foods since people want to live healthy and longer. Discuss the target market and why these customers will be targeted. We segmented market according to people’s ages and genders. We decided to target people whose ages are between 18 and 64 or more and tried to figure out the market size.According to US and World Population Clocks in the US Census Bureau web page, there are 309,092,421 people living in America now. Again, according to the report posted on US Census Bureau, Meyer (2001) stated that people whose age is under 18 is 26 percent, people whose age is between 18 and 64 is 62 percent and people whose age is more than 64 is 12 percent of US population. So if we assume that the percentage of people whose ages are between 18 and 64 or more remain unchanged from 2000 to 2010, the total population of young people, adults and elderly people is now 228,728,319. 62%+12%=74%, 309,092,421? 74%). Moreover, if we assume that 50 percent of this amount is woman and 50 percent of it man. So we have 114,364,159 men and 114,364,159 women whose ages are between 18 and 64 or more. This is a huge number and it seems that targeting this segment is profitable. Furthermore, this market size can grow in the future because in 2000 the total US population was approximately 281 million according to US Census Bureau 2000 report. (Meyer 2001). Today, as I mentioned above it is nearly 309 million. Conduct a SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunities and treats analysis for company.One of our strengths is offering healthy foods. Our menu contains foods that they are rich in terms of protein, vitamins, mineral etc. which play an important role in the structure of human body. Secondly, while we are preparing our menu, we consult nutritionists about the ingredients, the types to enhance the variety and cooking techniques. In addition to this, our customers can benefit from the dietician service on every Mondays, and Fridays between 1-5pm. They can ask their questions and have a chance to take medical support. Moreover, we are using organic and fresh foods while we are cooking and these vegetables and ruits are produced and picked diligently. This is also one of our strengths that help us to meet our customers’ expectations. Unfortunately, we have also some weaknesses as well. One of the most important weaknesses of our healthy fast food restaurant is our prices. To produce organic vegetables and fruits is very costly. Therefore this is reflected in prices of those kinds of products. Because organic foods are crucial ingredients of our foods, we also have to reflect the prices of vegetables and fruits to our food prices in order to make profit.In addition to this, because we do not offer any unhealthy foods such as fried chicken, fried potato, hamburger etc. our foods may not fit the people’s tastes. Beside our strengths and weaknesses, we have also some opportunities coming from macro environment. Firstly, people love eating in Unites States and they like to know about different and new foods. In addition to this, United States is the best place to run a fast food restaurant because of being a home country of fast food industry. Secondly, number of obese people is increasing day by day in United States because of overeating fast foods.Since these kinds of meals are unhealthy and they can cause serious health problems, this makes people more conscious while they are making decision about food choices. Therefore they tend to eat more healthy foods. Thirdly, organic food industry is growing in Unites States and people tend to consume organic foods because of being healthful compared to regular vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, number one fast food chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, etc. do not offer rich healthy meals alternative to unhealthy ones. In this case, consumers are in pursuit of healthy food restaurants.Lastly, in United States technology is advanced a lot to prepare fast and healthy foods. This leads fast food restaurants to work more efficient. We also have some threats caused by macro environment as well. For example, people may not have enough purchasing power to buy healthy foods. In this case unhealthy foods seems cheaper to them. Therefore they may tend to prefer unhealthy fast food restaurants. Besides, organic foods are expensive. As a result, restaurants that are not using organic foods charge lower prices to their meals compared to restaurants that use those kinds of egetables and fruits. Moreover, eating hamburger, fried potato, fried chicken, cheese burger, etc. can seem more attractive to customers. Therefore customers may prefer places that offer those foods. Describe the market position for your product and service When we are positioning our product, the quality and the price are taken into consideration and we compared our product with the one that is produced by our competitors. In the fast food market, we have many competitors; however our number one and well known competitors are McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and others.In figure one, circles which are depicted closely represent our competitors and the upper circle represents our fast food company. The competitors’ circles are depicted closely because they are perceived more or less the same by consumers. For example, their menus and prices are more or less the same. They are using nearly same strategies. For instance, both Burger King and McDonalds have the dollar menus. Although our competitors offer some kinds of healthy foods such as salads, grilled chicken, etc. they are still selling unhealthy foods. On the other hand, our company’s number one strength is always serving healthy foods to our customers. Besides, we are offering free dietician service for our customers. Our customers can ask their questions and get a customized service. In light of these facts, our product quality is high relative to our competitors. price X’s Healthy Fast Food Restaurant Low qualityHigh quality Our competitors Figure 1 Perceptual Map In addition to our product quality, our products’ prices are also higher than the average prices as well. Because organic foods’ prices are high, we have to reflect this to our prices.According to figure 1 it can be seen that our competitors dominate us in terms of prices. However, we also dominate them in terms of product quality as well. Recommendations Service is an intangible product and X’s Healthy Fast Food Restaurants are producing both tangible product (i. e. food) and intangible product (i. e. dietician service). In service industry customer satisfaction is very important. If a company satisfies their customer’s needs and wants, they become loyal.Therefore management should know whether their customers are happy with the service provided or not. This is the case that X’s Healthy Fast Food Restaurant can be face with. Therefore we should do some surveys to measure the satisfaction level of our customers about the service quality. There are many tools to do this. For example, Winner (2004) stated that â€Å"One of the most popular approaches to measuring service quality is the SERVQUAL instrument† (p. 418). In this type of questionnaire there are several questions that measure the quality of service.If we put servqual surveys on customers’ table and request to fill them after they finish their meal we can measure the satisfaction level of our customers by looking the results and this helps us to improve our service quality. Because service is an intangible product, customers may not know what they are buying until they buy. One author said that â€Å"†¦the service provider’s task is to make the service tangible in one or more ways† (Kotler 1999 p. 648). In this case, we should find some ways to make our product tangible.For example, if we give importance to keep our restaurants clean, our customers may think that we prepare our foods diligently. Providing a qualified and quick service can be another way to make our product tangible. If consumers see how we deliver our service quickly, they always prefer us. ReferencesKotler, P. (1999). Principles of marketing. New Jersey: PrenticeHall Winner, S. R. (2004). Marketing management: New Jersey Pearson PrenticeHall Meyer, J. (2001). Age:2000. US Census Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2010 from http://www. census. gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-12. pdf