Prince Case Study Essay

Over the years Prince has proven themselves as an industry leader in tennis racquets and equipment that has transformed the game of tennis through their innovations. They have proven themselves as innovators through their development of the first synthetic gut string and many other things that have met the levels of all tennis players. As the world of tennis changes and the number of participants increases, Prince is once again faced with a challenge to reinvent themselves to meet the demands of 21st century tennis players. The growth in tennis participation results in a change in the market environment and requires Prince to think of new ways to stay ahead of competition. In the 21st century the presence of technology and social media are two major tools that can be used to Prince’s advantage. Prince’s first attempt to use technology in a new racket innovation was a failure. They released aracket with â€Å"O Port† holes that was supposed to improve racquet speed. â€Å"The idea was to differentiate itself from the marketplace, but it wasn’t necessarily what the market wanted† (Rovell, 2012). Knowing the market demand when releasing a new product is one of the most important details to ensure success. Another issue they faced in the release is they put all their faith into this new development and lost focus on the other products that made them who they are today. To reverse this mistake I feel it is the right time with the tennis market growing to release a new type of racquet. This must meet the demand of the new emerging market while still paying attention to their older market to continue growth without loosing consumers. They can achieve this by directly contacting consumers and seeing what they would like or feel they are missing in a tennis racquet. Another idea to steer away from their last racquet release would be developing three new racquets that meet the need of each group. I don’t think its possible to develop a racquet that caters to all strokes and levels. I feel that using new technological developments to design a racquet based upon the three different strokes would meet the needs of all levels of their market. Along with the growth of the tennis industry, Prince needs to continually  market themselves and the industry to influence consumers to invest in their products. To accomplish this Prince could host local tennis tournaments in cities to get people playing the sport. As a result this would link tennis directly to their brand which markets themselves and the sport all in one to maximize profitability and gain consumer awareness. To increase their market segment and reach a new audience to increase their market presence they could sponsor a school tennis team or donate racquets to a school to get kids into the sport at a young age. If the child enjoys the sport the odds are the parent will purchase their products from Prince which is a great way to get a younger audience into the sport and also use this as a social media opportunity. They could start an after school tennis program with school where they donate equipment and teach kids the sport while keeping them active and out of trouble. This could certainly result in many opportunities for social media and increase brand awareness through their donations. Parents are always looking for ways to keep their children active and out of trouble so this serves as a great opportunity to do so and once again allows them to diversify their market and give them a competitive edge. As Prince begins to grow their company in attempt to keep up with 21st century demands they will need a new way to market and promote themselves to keep ahead of competition. One way to do this is hosting a sponsorship for players that can be promoted through social media such as twitter and Facebook. It is important for Prince to reach a younger audience and their large presence on social networks makes it important for them to gain as much presence through social media as possible. Each market segment has a different way to be reached so it is important for Prince to understand each of those markets and then decide how they will promote themselves according to their demands. The large number of distribution channels within Prince poses challenges but also holds many opportunities for growth. One of the most important distribution channel is mass merchants such as Wal-Mart. It is important that their presence within mass merchants is well received and this can be done by setting up specific displays to promote their product in which the general consumer of these stores will relate to. The way a product is promoted in Wal-Mart may be very different than the way its promoted in a specialty store. I feel that smaller store displays should be centered around the sponsored player linked to Prince. A store like Wal-Mart should have the display accessible and visible amongst the many products within the store. Wal-Mart is also known for their low prices so Prince should have a presence in the catalog and advertise discounts on their products within the catalog and in the the store. Wal-Mart can carry the lower end racquets to allow this discount where as smaller shops can carry higher end racquets to cater to their audience. Understanding the audience of each distribution channel will allow Prince to properly promote and advertise their product within each store. Another area that Prince relies on to generate revenue is the global market. Global success is extremely important in having a competitive advantage and constantly needs to be improved to meet global market demands. Being that tennis is played all over the world their global presence is just as important as it is in the US. Latin America has a large presence with professional tennis players and due to this the sport is continually growing in this area. To enhance their global presence I feel it is important to sponsor players outside of the US to maintain their global presence. When a consumer sees a professional player from their country using a Prince racquet it will influence them to purchase it. Prince should use the origin of top players and target these markets. There is a great deal of pride that comes when someone reaches a level in sports from your home country. Prince can use this to their advantage and enhance their market presence in the countries of professional players. Prince continues to be one of the leading companies in the world of tennis. They strive to continue their name as a top innovator in the field and maintain their global market presence. With the current growth in tennis participation there is no better time to re market themselves to stay ahead of competition and developing trends. Their impressive track record with major inventions over the years have shaped the game of tennis and give them  a competitive advantage. To accomplish the results they are after they need to create a new development that caters to their extensive market and increase their presence among youth by expanding their social media presence. The company has all of the tools for success and if implemented correctly they can solidify their spot as the top manufacturer in the world of tennis. Rovell, D. (2012, August 28). Tennis Company Prince Eying a Comeback . Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/1295/tennis-company-prince-eyeing-a-comeback Authentic brand group propels prince sports throughout the globe with key operating partners. (2012, August 16). Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/authentic-brands-group-propels-prince-sports-throughout-the-globe-with-key-operating-partners-166404106.html Glassel, L., & Skaly , N. (n.d.). Prince sports, inc. tennis racquets for every segment [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0078028892/943336/transcript_vc_Prince_Sports.pdf Kerin, R., Hartley, S., & Rudelius, W. (2011). Marketing. (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill-Irwin

Important Events in the European History That Changed the European Society Essay

The changes are an integral part of progress and development. It is a well-known fact that in order to gain a new level the society should go through the series of different transformation. These transformations are not always pleasant and peaceful but, in general, they are useful for the society and help it to become a better one. In this work I am going to explain how, the European world changed dramatically as a result of a series of stresses in the late 13th to the mid 15th centuries and how such events as Black Plague, the One Hundred Year’s War and the collapse of Papal Power influenced the Medieval European society. The transformation of the Medieval society was long and painful process, which lasted approximately 150 years. The development in the years 1000-1300 brought the positive changes in agriculture, finance and trade. Growing food supply, the creation of guilds, the development of urban life, commercial revolution, the new life of learning – all these changes influenced positively on the society (Beck et al. 387-392). This is the first reason why the later changes were so dramatic for the society. They were so much unexpected that the people were simply not ready for them. The Black Plague, which is also known as the â€Å"Black Death† was probably among the most dramatic events, which constantly changed the face of the Medieval World into the new one. When the historians talk about â€Å"The Black Death,† they mean the specific outbreak of plague that took place in Europe in the mid-14th century. The Black Death came to Europe in October of 1347, spread swiftly through most of Europe by the end of 1349 and on to Scandinavia and Russia in the 1350s† (Shell, â€Å"The Black Death†). This epidemic also came back several times during the rest of the century. These events were followed by mass fear and hysteria. The main changes in social life brought by the plague were the rise of marriage and birth rate, the increase of violence and the upward mobility. The economic effects also were quite dramatic. First of all, â€Å"surplus of goods resulted in overspending; it was swiftly followed by a shortage of goods and inflation† (Shell, â€Å"The Black Death†). The second effect was lack of laborers. The level of trust to the Church also decreased. The One Hundred Years’ War was another historical even, which influenced on the society in the Middle Ages. It â€Å"was a long struggle between England and France over succession to the French throne. It lasted from 1337 to 1453, so it might more accurately be called the â€Å"116 Years’ War† (Wheeler, â€Å"The Hundred Years’ War†). Actually, it was the series of smaller wars and included several battles. The war involved two countries, England and France, which were among the leading ones in Europe during the Middle Ages. Nothing special, that such a massive struggle, which involved a large amount of people during the extremely long period of time, resulted into the drastic demographic, economical and political changes. England lost most of its continental territories and the insanity of the King brought it into the series of internal conflicts. On the contrary, France was able to strengthen its positions. The third important point, which initiated the changes in the European society and brought it to the new era of development, was the collapse of Papal Power. In the Middle Ages the belief that there is one Pope, who rules the church, was extremely strong. That is why the division of the Papacy into the two ruling points, one in Avignon, France and one in Rome was a great tragedy for many people as everything that they believed in, was destroyed. Despite the fact that finally the power was re-united in Rome, â€Å"it never recovered entirely from its stay at Avignon, and from the Great Schism. The power of the popes was never again as great as it had been before the quarrel between Boniface VIII. and the King of France† (Harding, â€Å"The Story of the Middle Ages†). The respect to the Church, which was among the most important factors, which influenced the Middle Ages, was destroyed. That is why these events are so important for the formation of the new society. To sum up, the European society went through the series of dramatic changes from the late 13th century to the mid 15th century. One of the most important factors, which influenced the changes, was the high speed of it. Such events as the Black Death, The Hundred Years’ War and the collapse of Papal Power were the events, which were â€Å"the beginning of end† for the Middle Ages. After them, the society required changes in order to adapt to the new conditions of life.

Detection of the Diurnal Rhythm of Cortisol Secretion Essay

Detection of the Diurnal Rhythm of Cortisol Secretion - Essay Example Irregular high levels of cortisol indicate stress in a patient’s case. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) utilises antibodies coupled to colour changes in order to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate substances in biological organisms’ fluid streams such as blood and saliva (Lequin, 2005) (De La Rica & Stevens, 2012). A competitive ELISA operates by competitive binding where the competition occurs between already bound antigens and standard added sample antigens. Competitive ELISA allows for strict quantification of results unlike other ELISA methods such as basic ELISA which is slightly quantitative (National Diagnostics, 2013). Cortisol detection requires the use of competitive ELISA since cortisol molecules are too small to be used with sandwich ELISA methods and need to be bound to carrier proteins. A competitive ELISA requires that the purified antigen be attached to the surface after which it is probed in the presence of similar free antigens labelled as samples. The free antigens are treated as the standard for comparison and tend to compete with the bound antigens which in turn lead to lower levels of bound antibodies. The samples are standard yields are then evaluated in order to discern quantitative comparisons (National Diagnostics, 2013). This is illustrated in the diagram provided below. Cortisol tends to pass into saliva relatively quickly so saliva samples from the same person are obtained at regular intervals over 24 hours. Saliva samples are labelled with the time when they are obtained. A microtitre plate is coated with just enough anti-cortisol antibody that can bind around half of the labelled cortisol added. Row eight is left uncoated in order to measure the non-specific binding of labelled cortisol for tubes without any antibody. In order to set up a calibration graph, a set of

According to the article and answer the question Assignment - 1

According to the article and answer the question - Assignment Example Furthermore, the assertion that Sifaka have different colors is true. This is because on closer examination of these animals, it is possible to denote that they portray patches of black, gray, white and a gold colored fur. Furthermore, the author accurately describes the physical appearance of the Sifaka. In the description, the Sifaka have a slightly bugged out eyes, long limbs, and special characteristics that enables them to groom themselves (Kappeler, 21). This includes possessing a toilet claw, found in their second toe. It is important to denote that these are the characteristics of the family of Indriidae, and specifically, the genus of Lemur. It is further important to denote that Lemur is vegetarian in nature, and this makes the Sifaka to be vegetarians. On this basis, the writer is correct through the article which asserts that the diet of the Sifaka involves flowers, fruits, leaves, and the bark of a tree. Kappeler (31) also supports the fact that Sifaka likes sunbathing. This is a luxury to them, and it normally occurs when they are not looking for food. On this note, the information given by the author concerning this behavior is correct. Furthermore, the description of the author regarding the gestation period of the female Sifaka is correct. All Lemurs normally have a gestation period of between four to five months. The only shortcoming in this article is the inability of the writer to give information concerning the growth and development of the young

Are zero tolerance rules the best way to keep schools safe Research Paper

Are zero tolerance rules the best way to keep schools safe - Research Paper Example Thus, the zero tolerance rules. According to Ted Watchel, zero tolerance â€Å"have become commonplace in American schools in recent decades’ (par. 3). Although many people agree to the zero tolerance rule policy in schools, this does not ensure a totally safe learning environment. This policy uses a lot of money, might be too strict on the students, and might not be too affective. Further, it is unfair to some students, and some rights might be violated by this rule. A report by Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah states that Chicago Public Schools spent $51.4 million on school-based security guards in 2010, an amount which was fifteen times higher than that of the budget spent on college and career coaches (par. 2). But students say they did not feel any safer in their schools despite these disciplinary policies. Zero tolerance policies are ineffective and have even been harmful to students and school environments (Watchel, par. 2) because it is too strict, that even minor offenses such as not being in uniform or bringing cell phones in class, result to removal from school, instead of giving them second chances and the counsel and advice they need in order to realize their mistakes if they have committed any. According to Kristen Graham, a report stated that students in the Philadelphia District are â€Å"too often punished harshly for minor infractions, and suspensions, expulsions, and transfers to disciplinary school are overused† (par. 2). This is clearly against putting the students’ welfare first in terms of their behavioral development or improvement and putting their future at risk. Some students might not want to continue their studies after they are kicked out of school either because of shame or disappointment. This will also make the students feel that the school does not exude the image that they once have, which is an academic and learning institution where they have the freedom to enjoy their learning years. Watchel stated that the polic y is ineffective and I totally agree with him. Watchel further stated that, â€Å"The American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force issued a report in 2008 concluding that severe punishment at schools neither reduces violence nor promotes learning. The report asserts that zero tolerance can actually increase bad behavior, lead to higher dropout rates, and increase referrals to the juvenile justice system for infractions once handled in the schools†(par. 5). This clearly proves the infectivity of the policy. Sean McCollum stated that â€Å"zero tolerance policy is getting twisted in many school districts and schools are not checking to see that the policies are even working† (par. 4). The first goal of an academic institution is to promote learning. This includes learning academically and behaviorally, which means that aside from their academic development, they are also taught the value of discipline and the sense of responsibility. This can only be done in a way that the students will have to realize, without being severely punished, their mistakes and then learn from them. By punishing them harshly for even the smallest infractions, we are further pushing them away from accepting their mistakes and thus give them reasons to feel angry and resentful. This will get in the way of their academic and learning development. In its eager campaign for a safer learning environment, the policy has become unfair in its treatment of infractions. Offenses, whether major or minor are met with almost the same punishments:

Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Medical Marijuana - Essay Example Contextually, the use of marijuana has confronted with various significant issues owing to the reason of the infringement of federal law in different countries2. Thesis Statement In this paper, the legal issues concerning whether or not the existing medicinal marijuana program in California violates the federal law of the nation and the power of the federal government towards limiting the passage of laws linked with medical marijuana would be addressed. Moreover, the issue relating to the lawful right of raiding medicinal marijuana providers by the officials of law enforcement belonging to any state will also be addressed in this paper. Analysis or Discussion California has been viewed to be one of the states, which is certified towards using marijuana especially for medicinal purposes. In relation to analyze the legal issue concerning whether or not the violation of California’s current program relating to medical marijuana violates federal law, it has been viewed that the Ca lifornia voters enthusiastically passed the ‘Compassionate Use Act’ in order to legalize the substance i.e. marijuana particularly for medical purposes in the year 1996. It has been apparently observed in this context that California has been a foremost leader in adopting marijuana legally3.Before the year 1996, California prohibited the sale as well as the possession of marijuana but the state once again started to endorse in making limited drug usage for medical reasons only with the commencement of the aforementioned Act. The state considered this approach for the motive of delivering useful drugs to the patients at the time of any urgency. The Act was mainly established in order to persuade both state along with federal governments for adopting as well as implementing deliberate steps towards ensuring secure and sensible drug allocation to the patients in necessity4. There are various reasons for introducing the ‘Compassionate Use Act of 1996’ in Califo rnia. In this similar concern, the different purposes of the Act encompass ensuring that every seriously ill individual of California possesses the right to acquire as well as use marijuana especially for medical reasons and fostering both federal as well as state government towards utilizing a plan for delivering effective allocation of marijuana to all patients in need5. With regard to analyze the legal issue concerning whether California’s current medical marijuana program violates federal law, it has been apparently observed that federal law forbids the production, allocation as well as possession of marijuana by a significant level. In this regard, no exclusion has been facilitated by the federal law for using marijuana for medical purposes. The federal law strongly possesses the viewpoint that the substance i.e. marijuana is extremely addictive and most importantly does not bear any medicinal value. This critical standpoint of the federal government against marijuana ma y cause the medical practitioners to not recommend marijuana to be used for medical reasons under the provision of federal law. The federal laws concerning the use of marijuana have been identified to be quite serious and to be depicting severe punishment to those individuals who broadly engage in the

Patient Presentation with COPD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Patient Presentation with COPD - Essay Example COPD is partially irreversible and its symptoms are associated with hyper-responsiveness of the airways. The aforementioned conditions are recognized as a major disability causing a progressive chronic airway obstruction or narrowing that frequently occur as one entity. In the United Kingdom (UK), the prevalence of COPD affects both men and women more commonly in their fourth decade of life. Differential diagnosis of COPD includes asthma, congestive heart failure, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, obliterative bronchiolitis, and diffuse panbronchiolitis. Nonpharmacological and pharmacological management are considered in treating the patient. Other treatments include rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and ventilatory support. Patient Presentation with COPD A Brief Introduction: This paper discusses chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its significance in the family and community settings, its socio-economic and cultural background, past medical history, differential diagnosis, and current guidelines relating to pharmacological and nonpharmacological patient management. The analysis of psychosocial impact of COPD to the patient and her family as well as strategies for patient education, and the context of multidisciplinary care team are also will be discussed in the paper. Short Background on COPD: ... Nursing Assessment: Patient, JC, is a 76 year old female patient with a ten year history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). JC, white female, now 76 years old was 66 year old when diagnosed with COPD in 2002. In the United Kingdom (UK), the prevalence of COPD affects both men and women more commonly in their fourth decade of life (NICE, 2010). It is associated with high rate of mortality and significant healthcare system cost (Raherison and Girodet, 2009). Epidemiological studies note a close association between chronic bronchitis prevalence and low socioeconomic status (Viegi, et al., 2001). COPD is classically thought to be a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, even though in COPD patients, only one of the previously mentioned conditions is present (MayoClinic, 2011; CDC, 2011; and British Medical Journal, 2012). Sharma (2012) defined chronic bronchitis as persistent productive cough for more than three months each year in a period of two consecutive year s. The mucous glands in lungs of individuals with chronic bronchitis are enlarged, the airways are inflamed, and the bronchial walls are thickened with subsequent changes and loss of supporting alveolar connection, which results to narrowing and deformity of the lumen of the airway and eventually causes limitation of airflow (Sharma, 2012). On the other hand, emphysema, one of the causative agents of COPD is defined as an abnormal and permanent alveolar enlargement of the terminal bronchioles that results to destruction of the airspace wall (Sharma, 2012). The patient has her own home; she is married with two children and one grandchild. Prior to her diagnosis, the patient worked in an office for most of her working life. She was a known cigarette

Children's Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Children's Literature - Essay Example Science was starting to understand some of the great mysteries of life and becoming capable of explaining them in ways that didn’t depend upon the church. Political structures throughout the world had undergone significant changes within living memory and were not yet fully settled. Women began to band together against their oppressed status and philosophers were beginning to puzzle out a greater understanding of the human mind and the way it works. The child, up to this point, had often been considered either a sinful and wild creature or a miniature adult yet these new advancements revealed the child was instead something still developing. There was a â€Å"veritable explosion of information about this period of physiological and cognitive development in human beings† in which literature became â€Å"a central vehicle for expressing ideas about the self and its history† (Steedman 5). The introduction of magic and fantasy through the fairy tale and other stories proved quite effective in teaching children important life lessons in a way they could understand as can be seen in stories such as J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Breaking away from mundane experience through the introduction of fantasy and the magical realm enables authors to personify and exaggerate various behaviors, values and character traits. This provides children with a more accessible avenue to comprehending complex concepts while remaining in keeping with their varying levels of understanding. Although cognitive ability is known to be present at birth, it continues to improve upon skills acquired throughout the preschool years in order to apply and adapt to things that exist outside of the self. There are four main categories of skills developed during this period (Santrock). The first to develop are self help skills in which the child learns to take care of their daily needs such as getting dressed. They also learn social help skills in which they begin to perceive the importance of helping others such as taking part in household chores and demonstrating their ability to think outside of themselves. Academic skills also develop as the child builds analytical skills such as those necessary for mathematics and logic. The final main category of development refers to play skills. These skills enable the child to further perfect previously learned skills by participating in play and physical activity. They also end up placing themselves in situations in which they must analyze situations quickly and accurately to achieve the desired goals. Through such activities, they significantly improve their speech and communication skills as well as comprehension, vocabulary, pronunciation and sentence construction. These are all ideas brought forward in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (1865) and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan (1904). Many of the early fantasy novels such as Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan are frame stories. These are stories that reveal a collection of adventures tied together by a unifying thread of narrative. The popularity of this format for these kinds of stories exists in the ability of the frame to reveal the connection between the real world and the world of fantasy. It provides a means of breaking through the adult paradigms of reality that are

The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility - Toward the Moral Article - 2

The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility - Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders - Article Example The article by Archie B. Carroll deals with the concept of CRS in relation to businesses and organizations, for all of which the main task is to be profitable. Carroll distinguishes three types of business management – immoral, amoral and moral, each of which entails a different organization’s treatment of its stakeholders and the society in general. The author claims that each company’s management should act in a moral way in order to fulfill its corporate social responsibilities. Background Information Though the article was published in 1991, its ideas are valid today too, since it provides certain definitions of such terms as corporate social responsibility, stakeholders, immoral management, amoral management and moral management, among others. Such definitions are based on the works of earlier authors. Nevertheless, they can be said to be valid since they determine the general concept related to the CSR theory used by businesses nowadays. Therefore, the arti cle should be judged on the basis of applicability of the concepts and ideas presented in it. Furthermore, it seems necessary to determine how in particular the presented ideas can be applied in an organization if it is possible at all. Summary One of the major ideas presented by A. Carroll is that businesses and organizations can become more socially responsible if managers of such organizations become more moral instead of being immoral or amoral. Being immoral, in the author’s understanding, means acting in the financial and economic interests of the company and the manager. Similarly, being amoral means manager’s acting without considering any moral or ethical principles of the society or even the company itself – the major focus in this case is on the manager’s interests only. A moral manager, on the contrary, is an individual who acts in the best interests of both the company and the society. Such a person, therefore, is to manage the companyâ€℠¢s economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities of the company in relation to all of the stakeholders – owners, customers, employees, community, competitors, suppliers, social activist groups, public at large, and others. Evaluation The author’s goal was to explore the nature of CSR having defined its major components. A. Carroll intended to describe the different types of CSR strategies a manager might use in order to make his or her organization more effective and efficient in terms of corporate social responsibility. Finally, the author’s desire was to determine what it means to treat the stakeholders, who were to be determined in the article as well, in an ethical and moral manner. All these tasks have been accomplished by the writer. Carroll suggests that a moral manager should consider the interests of such stakeholders as customers, employees, community or social activist groups in order to run a business in an ethical and moral manner. Sti ll, it might be noted that the author does not provide any practical advice on how such a state of the business can be achieved. While the theoretical background looks quite sufficient – the author bases the argument on earlier works of the scientists.

The Beginning of Agriculture Essay Example for Free

The Beginning of Agriculture Essay The beginning of Agriculture was found years ago. It involves plants and animals. It was developed 10,000 years ago. At that time, people began altering plant and animal communities for benefit through fire stick farming. Humans survived as foragers or hunter gatherers, gathering wild plants and hunting animals in their environment. Agriculture has significant developments since the time of the earliest cultivation. The Fertile Crescent of Western Asia, Egypt, and India were the earliest sowing and harvesting plants. Independent agriculture happened in northern and southern China, Africas Sahel, New Guinea parts of India and several regions of the Americas. Agricultural deals with irrigation, crop rotation,fertilizers, and pesticides. They were developed a long time ago, but were made with great strides in the past. Corn, grass, tress, wild life was the key to the beginning of agricultre for the early. The wild crops including wheat, barley, and peas are traced to the Near East region. Cereals were grown in Syria as long as 9,000 years ago. Though the transition from wild harvesting was gradual, the switch from a nomadic to a settled way of life is marked by the appearance of early Neolithic villages with homes equipped with grinding stones for processing grain. The origins of rice and millet farming date to the same Neolithic period in China. In Mexico, squash cultivation began around 10,000 years ago, but corn had to wait for natural genetic mutations to be selected for in its wild ancestor, teosinteCorn later reached North America, where cultivated sunflowers also started to bloom some 5,000 years ago. This is also when potato growing in the Andes region of South America began.

Critical Analysis of Marketing Audit for D-GSM

Critical Analysis of Marketing Audit for D-GSM 1.1 Introduction In todays dynamic telecommunication industry it is critical to analyze the dynamic environment and analyze key product/service offering to target customers. Further, the information gathered from marketing audit is used to critically analyze Dialog product line performance and current product management issues with relevant tools and models to identify the key opportunities/weakness which D-GSM could face in future. 1.2 General Issue Inefficient Channel Distribution Management The downstream distribution is a key part of achieving sales objectives for D-GSM. In other words, business-to-business (B2B) customers push the products of D-GSM to end customers. Currently D-GSM is operating with four major first tier distributors and 1200 retailers in 85 cities in Sri Lanka. In recent past further the retail distribution chain has declined in each province (Refer Appendix B 10.0). The long tier retail distribution has reduced the profit margin thus resulted the retailers willing to promote competitors products (Refer Appendix B 11.0). Another reason identified for this decline is high sales staff turnover which resulted for poor retail management. The issue highlighted above can be highlighted using Ishikawa Cause/Effect diagram shown below (Refer Figure 1.0) Model Adopted from (Albert, 1989) 1.3 Product Management Issue Current Health of Product Portfolio Figure 2.0 BCG Matrix BCG Model Adopted from (Kotler, 2008) Healthy product portfolio is important for organization to gain competitive advantage. Further analyzing the Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) matrix (Refer Figure 2.0) its understood that D-GSM key products are positioned i0n cash cow. In long term these products could move to dogs section which could harm the product performance of the organization. Further products like Kids connection and Code-Division-Multiple-Access (CDMA) are currently in dogs section of BCG matrix needs to be removed from the product portfolio as they consume high cost to maintain the products and return low profit to the organization. Moving forward D-GSM needs to plan for product development to position in star segment of BCG matrix which is currently with few products. Star products are highly needed for organization to gain competitive position; eventually star products will become cash cow and dogs respectively, Further D-GSM needs to identify products are in the question-mark segment to invest to generate market share and returns. Now it is proved lack of product portfolio management has resulted developing low income generating products and thus D-GSM needs to follow a strategic system to have a balanced product portfolio management to gain competitive position in dynamic market. Inefficiencies in New Product Development(NPD) Model adopted from (Kotler, 2008) D-GSM is currently facing set back with competitors. Presently D-GSMs core products, which face severe competition from competitors, are in maturity stage. Thus these products are experiencing reduction in the profit margin (Refer Appendix B- 8.0). The marketing audit (Refer Appendix B) clearly indicates that Dialogs Mobile-broadband is currently in maturity stage and clearly indicates declining in profit. Further it is evident that no product-line-extensions are developed for the product survival which has created a quick decline stage for most of the product. There are few products and product-line-extension that are developed having long gap in introducing to the market in the new product development pipeline (Refer Appendix B- 11.0); as a result existing mature products (Cash-Cow) tends to decline faster. Moreover this is further evident that D-GSM has allocated low marketing budget allocated product innovation (Refer Appendix B- 12.0).Overall improper management in NPD has created threat for D-GSM of being a market leader and loosing first mover advantage for key products. Gap identified in mobile-broadband STP Strategy Today in telecom industry mobile-broadband is a core product and a matured product in the PLC; it is consumed in a very high level and has become a commodity in daily life. The marketing audit has identified that D-GSM has been targeting the same segment which are professionals/senior executive since inception their mobile services. This is a drawback for D-GSMs long term survival and its market leadership. Further competitors are able to manipulate this service and will lose its market share (Refer Appendix B; Appendix B- 4.0). The PESTEL analysis provides evidence that new potential segments are emerging such as entry level executives (1), undergraduates/students (2), travellers and businessmen (3). As result old segments are becoming outdated. (Refer Appendix B- 12.0). The below diagram illustrates the ability of D-GSM to cater and take necessary action for new segments (Refer Appendix B- 9.0). Figure 4.0 G.EMatrix Model adopted from (Business tools, 2007) The output of market segmentation matrix identifies the emerging new segment to generate more revenue and increase market share by repositioning the broadband (Refer Figure 4.0). Knowledge gap in customer preference Internet technology is continuously evolving and adapting to such changes is highly important to D-GSM. Continues adaptation to such technology and augmenting future technology is important for long term survival. The marketing audit explicitly specifies that D-GSM provides the core features of MBB to present customers. Further it is not providing the expected features or long term product augmentation of MBB (Refer Appendix B- 9.0). Referring to figure 5.0 clearly indicates gap between current feature offering of broadband and customer expectations. To fulfill this gap D-GSM needs to continuously evaluate customer expectation and adopt to provide new technologies to retain market leadership. 1.4 Conclusion of Critical Analysis Lack of information Knowledge gap in changing market Gaps in STP Potential New segments to target Deficiencies in the product portfolio 2.0 Recommendation Following recommendations are addressed below to overcome current drawbacks faced by D-GSM having critically analyzed using market audit. Recommendations are categorized to cater mobile-broadband and product portfolio management. 2.1 Recommendations for Mobile-broadband product Line Recommendation 1 Reposition Mobile-broadband Topic 1.3 above states that current segment targeted for mobile-broadband is declining. Following segments are identified as target audience who are students, travellers and undergraduates to be targeted to generate high revenue for mobile-broadband. Proposal in Detail Following recommendation is to reposition the mobile-broadband product line targeting new potential segments as the current segment is declining. This is also evident where 3 major UK telecommunication vendors has overall share of 30% mobile-broadband users as students and undergraduates affording on the go low-cost internet facility (Gabriel, 2011). Currently mobile-broadband is a cash cow product. Repositioning this product can help D-GSM to reach more customers and generate more revenue. Based on the proposed recommendation, following product forecast is analysed using net present value (NPV) analysis. Table 1.0 NPV Analysis for Mobile broadband reposition Key Finding of NPV Analysis Return on Investment (ROI): The entire return on Investment on the repositioning the product will be fully recovered by the end of the first year. Forecasted sales performance: Repositioning the product will pave the way to the sales to increase notably. Nearly 67% increase in first year, 150% within two years and 200% within three years. NPV analysis indicates positive (+) result which mean reposition will be successful. The product can be expected to perform well in the market to gain more revenue and market share for Dialog mobile-broadband. Further D-GSM could follow the proposed product reposition process for mobile-broadband Further D-GSM could follow the proposed product reposition process for mobile-broadband Figure 6.0 Proposed product reposition process for mobile broadband product line To better position mobile-broadband D-GSM could adopt the following marketing mix to reach the newly identified segments since the current marketing mix for mobile broadband is outdated. Table 2.0- Proposed new marketing mix for mobile broadband product line Following perceptual map can be considered for the new repositioning strategy, 2.2 Recommendations for Product Management Recommendation 2 Appoint Product Management Team The present marketing structure is incapable of managing multiple product portfolios at D-GSM. This structure only focuses to cater existing product portfolio and provides low importance for NPD. Further, it is inefficient to support and manage more products by fewer staff which increases the existing workload. Proposal in Detail It is recommended to restructure existing marketing hierarchy to cater NPD, to conduct product management efficiently and reduce burden on staff of marketing department. This recommendation emphasises the creation of a product management team, which could be formed to better manage product portfolio for D-GSM. Below product team structure is recommended (Refer figure 7.0) Recommendation 3 Financial Resource Allocation to Product management Further to the critical analysis conducted it is understood low financial resource allocation as key reason for poor performance of product management in D-GSM. To overcome this issue more financial resource allocation has to be allocated for better product management in future. Proposal in Detail Following recommendation is to cater financial resource for product management team. Proposed financial resource will cater the team to conduct product portfolio management, new technology acquisition for product development, research development to introduce new products/service to market. It is recommended to allocate 10% of the annual sales revenue to facilitate product management team. The following financial allocation breakdown is proposed. Table 3.0-Proposed Financial Allocation breakdown for project management team Recommendation 4 -Implementation of Product Portfolio Management System (PPMS) In topic 1.3 identifies the lack of system and process in place to manage product portfolio and help senior management make strategic decision towards managing product portfolio as it consumes human and financial resources .This recommendation will highlight in implementing a PPMS for D-GSM. Proposal in Detail This recommendation is to implement PPMS for D-GSM. This system in place will help management make strategic decisions and allocate investments to individual products with the goal of optimizing the entire product portfolio. Also this system will provide a tool to maximize the performance of product portfolio in varies stages of PLC. The following system will help product management have a consistent view of product performance, products status in PLC, new product development pipeline progress, monitor product operation cost and more with product portfolio management. Further with the help of such system product development managers to align product roadmaps with market expectation and help to increase revenue, grow market share and reduce costs. Benefit for D-GSM by implementing PPMS Maximize the performance of D-GSM product portfolio PMSS in place will enable centralized management of product portfolio PMMS in place will enable product managers to align product roadmaps with marketing objectives to increase revenue, grow market share, and reduce costs PMMS will enable product management team gather historical information which is valuable information that will improve time to market of future products Recommendation 5 Expand Re-align Channel Distribution This recommendation will highlight in improvising the current retail management and introducing new retail partners for D-GSM to expand the channel distribution to compete with competition and in long term to penetrate Sri Lankan market. Proposal in Detail Proposed strategy of expanding the channel distribution to reach wider untapped market of D-GSM as competitors are aggressive in penetrating the market .This strategy will enable D-GSM to gain more consumers and boost profit through additional venues and expanding current channel distribution can be an effective tool to increase existing business for Dialog GSM. Benefit for D-GSM by Expanding Re-aligning Channel Distribution Channel expansion will cut down operational cost in every region and improve sales performance Current level of channel risk will be minimized and risk could be shared among many regional retailers Expanding channel distribution will help in brand building and make products available in more locations which will raise consumer awareness of D-GSM offerings. Recommendation 5 Implementation of Marketing Information System (MKIS) Further to the critical analysis conducted in 1.5 and 1.6 it is evident that there is no system and process in place to monitor dynamic market environment and consumer behavior, in current situation without a proper system in place D-GSM has not been able to understand consumer behavior and identify emerging segments and target potential new market. Proposal in Detail The following recommendation is to implement a MKIS. This system in place will help D-GSM to scan dynamic market environment constantly to make strategic decisions. Further this system will enable the marketing and product management team to analyze consumer behavior and act accordingly in competitive environment. In long term this system in place will enable the organization to be market oriented. Proposed key integrated feature of this system will be; Marketing intelligence Information Analysis Marketing research Internal Records The prototype of the proposed MKIS will be as shown in figure Benefit for D-GSM by implementing MKIS MKIS will enable organization to constantly monitor dynamic marketing environment Distribute marketing information within organization MKIS will enable to analyses consumer behavior, This will help D-GSM to better manage STP strategies for new products MKIS will facilitate towards product planning and control 3.0 Evaluation of Resource capability and Capacity Management 3.1 Introduction This section evaluates the resources and capability requirements to deliver the identified recommendations for product management of D-GSM. This analysis is based on drawbacks identified from the critical analysis and possible recommendations are proposed to re-align the current D-GSM resources and capabilities to desired level. 3.2 Analysis of current organizational capability and resource When conducting a project management in this scale it is important for D-GSM to evaluate current resource capability and capacity of the organization to deliver the recommendations proposed under heading 2.0. Further to evaluate the current strength of delivering the recommendations, a skill audit was conducted within marketing department against the expected skills and competencies required for the product management project (Refer Figure -9.0) Figure9.0 Marketing Team Current Skill vs. Expected Skill for product management project The skills audit analysis (Refer Figure 9.0) against the marketing audit (Refer Appendix B- 14.0 ) indicates there are lack of gap overall skills, therefore there is a need for skills improvement from external or internal sources which needs to be acquired to close the current skill gap. The marketing audit analysis indicates present marketing teams resources are limited and the current structure is incapable of managing the proposed project (Refer Appendix B- 5.0). Therefore it is recommended to recruit a new project management team to implement the recommendation made for D-GSM. To overcome the skill requirement a project management team can be formed from a cross functional basis of appropriate staff who will have relevant skills and knowledge to implement the proposed recommendation as a team. Further D-GSM could acquire required skill and expertise resources from external environment. 3.3 New Capability Resource required Provide Training in Product portfolio management Marketing team currently needs new skills in understanding the importance of organizational product portfolio management to achieve organizational objectives. By training the staff on portfolio management it will enable the marketing team to formulate effective product portfolio management strategies to cater dynamic market environment. Increase Financial Allocations for Portfolio Management To have an efficient product portfolio management more financial resource is needed to cater new product development. The current budget quota is insufficient for product portfolio management and therefore to implement the identified recommendations and to gain new capabilities and other needed resources which needs sufficient financial allocation for product portfolio management. Training on customer relationship management Marketing team is currently in need for training in customer relationship management. Currently in the highly competitive Sri Lankan telecom market relationship management with key customers, retailers and distributors are important to retain recurring business. By conducting such training D-GSM could retain customers to generate more revue for organization. 3.4 How to Acquire New Capability and Resource Internal Development Internal development refers to the changes that a firm undertakes by recombining its existing resources or developing new resources on its own (Capron and Mitchell, 2004). To acquire new capabilities at minimal cost marketing team along with human resource department could form an internal development team to provide key skill and mentoring to staff, this could be in the form of: Knowledge Sharing Session Internal Presentation One to One session Hiring External Consultant â€Å"External sourcing means trading in a strategic capability that stems from external sources† (Capron and Mitchell, 2004).The hiring of a consultant will help D-GSM in gaining external/industrial expertise on product portfolio management and enable the marketing team to build new strategies to increase performance for Dialog Mobile-broadband product line. Training and Development D-GSM could evaluate the option of on-demand training and development to cater highly critical skill and capability needs to manage competitive product portfolio to the market. Further D-GSM could follow the proposed model shown in Figure 10.0 to plan training development. Figure 10.0 Training and Development process Model Adopted from (Moskowitz, 2008) The Benefit of Training and Development Improved motivation Individuals see their skills base extending and their promotion prospects being enhanced. Opportunities for self-improvement, leads to people staying longer in one employment. Higher levels of performance Trained and motivated staffs are more likely to give of their best which in the end justifies the training budget. Recommendation for accruing new resource and capability The options discussed above to acquire new resources and capability to manage product portfolio for D-GSM is to hire external consultant to gain new ideas and industry expertise. Further hiring external consultant will help to reposition broadband product line effectively. Moreover, D-GSM needs to constantly identify new skill required for employers since marketing environment is dynamic and employees adapting to such changes instantly is important, therefor it is advisable to constant monitor required skill and plan to train and develop by external consultant. There is a high risk of outsourcing new resource and capability because it will create conflicts within internal employees and internal information could be considered as risk when outsourcing key resources from external environment 3.6 Financial Consideration Herewith financial proposal is addressed for future budgeting purpose to acquire new capability and resource to implement effective product portfolio management. Table 1.0 Financial Consideration for new resource and capability management 4.0 Project Plan Introduction To the priority of recommendations provided above in topic 2.5, following project will focus to reposition mobile-broadband product line targeting newly identified segment with differentiated marketing mix and finally position the product as affordable product for consumers Project Initiation The following project is selected to increase the mobile-broadband. A stable project based approach is required. This therefore enables the management to monitor the manage performance, cost and time scales. Fore reference purpose this project will be named as â€Å"Project 3G†. Project Objectives The project objectives expected to be achieved by implementing project 3G are as followed, To successfully reposition Dialog Mobile-broadband product line To successfully create awareness to newly identified segments To increase mobile-broadband trial among new segments targeted To position the product to the new target segments using new differentiated value propositions within the period of six months. Project Scopeand creep The project scope refers to the work that must be accomplished to deliver the project objectives and successfully complete the project with quality, time and minimal cost (Hill, 2009). Project scope management will be used to make sure that project covers all the key tasks to deliver high efficiency of triple constraints [4] and focus of project. Further the management will resist and prevent scope creep as it will dent the achievement of triple constrains- budget, performance, and time as project creep could bring negative effects on the members (Kendrick, 2009). Therefore below matrix illustrates project boundary (Refer table 2.0). Table 2.0 Project Scope Matrix Every project stakeholder must be educated about project scope from deviating. If there are any changes to the scope a request should be made to the project manager for consideration (Pritchard, 2004). Project Team The project manager will be General Manager- marketing and sales. He/she is selected for because of leadership skills and previous experience in handling similar projects. The key role of project manager is to manage the project team from initiation to evaluation stage, while leading and motivating the team towards achieving the objectives and clearly defining teams roles, responsibilities and performance, budget and time (Lock, 2007). The proposed project team structure is shown in Figure (9.0). The project team consists of seven members including staff from different department of Dialog GSM. This system will become a cross functional team for the project. Project Sponsor will be the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). According to Melton (2009), project sponsor is accountable for the delivery of the business case and to ensure that project is financially worthwhile. Project Managers and sponsors must work closely together to deliver the project and maintain control. External resources for the project team will be the outsourced marketing consultant and the advertising agencies key account manager for D-GSM for this Project. The consultant will guide the project team in implementing the project by providing training and in-depth guidance on product repositioning of Dialog Mobile-broadband. Furthermore, project manager will be responsible for driving the project team to achieve the project objectives by delegating the project tasks, proper resource allocation for the project through possible mediums and finally responsible to deliver project report for management. Project Beginning and end dates Project 3G will span for a period of 6 months and will be implemented from 1st of July 2011 till the 30th of December 2011. Project Key Deliverable Key deliverable of Project 3G could be highlighted in a work breakdown structure (WBS). The top of the WBS is the project itself. The next layer or level in the structure is ‘work packages (Lock, 2007). WBS explains the key deliverables of the project in figure (10.0). Figure () Key deliverables for project 3G ProjectMethodology

Comparing Sir Thomas Mores Utopia and Virgils Aeneid Essay -- Compar

Identity and Power in Sir Thomas More's Utopia and Virgil's Aeneid In Utopia and the Aeneid, Sir Thomas More and Virgil describe the construction and perpetuation of a national identity. In the former, the Utopian state operates on the â€Å"inside† by enforcing, through methods of surveillance, a normalized identity on its citizens under the guise of bettering their lives. In the latter, the depleted national identity of the future Romans in the wake of the Trojan War must reformulate itself from the â€Å"outside† by focusing on defining what it is not. In both instances, the lines between the â€Å"inside† and the â€Å"outside† are clearly drawn and redrawn. The two methodologies are in actuality the flipsides of one another: in clearly defining the accepted national identity and contrasting with it the danger and instability outside this narrow conception, the state is legitimized in doing violence on a massive scale to either eliminate the constructed outside threat or to further the imperialistic project so that th ese lines remain intact and unquestioned. In Utopia, the state imposes a culture of normalization to formulate a national identity that both defines and binds its citizens. The fifty-four towns of the country are virtually identical with the â€Å"same language, laws, customs, and institutions† (More 70). Even the appearances of individuals resemble each other with no distinctions in dress. This imposition of conformity serves to form a singular national identity that is artificial yet prevalent. As a result, the normalization is internalized by the people, becoming a cult of self-surveillance where the uniformity of physical appearances is superceded only by the uniformity of identity. The state succeeds in establishing a panopt... ...te literary Trojan Horse. As the representative work of the entire Western civilization, his work is guaranteed wide dissemination. However, the ambivalence of his literary conventions often traps the unwitting reader and forces him or her to confront the violent undercurrents of Pax Romana. In essence, More and Virgil speak to the dangers of imposing a normative national identity that actually becomes the flipside of a violent imperialist project. More importantly, they open up space for dissent by critiquing the seemingly impenetrable state system from the inside and thus exposing its inherent contradictions precariously built on a foundation of violence. Works Cited Virgil. The Aeneid of Virgil: A Verse Translation. Trans. Rolfe Humphries. Ed. Brian Wilkie. New York: Macmillan, 1987. More, Thomas, Sir. Utopia. Trans. Paul Turner. New York: Penguin, 1965.

Raising the Dropout Age Essay -- Education, GED, high school

Children are told from a young age that it is mandatory for them to graduate from high school, but it’s not until they are on the verge of dropping out that they hear the importance for staying in school. It is also when they hear how high school students who dropouts learn the incredible price to pay in the future when they give up on an education. Thinking with a teenage state of mind and trying to take the easy way out they go straight for a GED, which is told to be an equivalent earning of a diploma. Stated in a complete listing of educational resources most teachers tend to argue that â€Å"The General Educational Development lacks the depth and breadth found in a traditional high school education† (â€Å"The Facts about Getting a GED† par.5) Initially, the program was created for World War II veterans to receive their high school education after the war and not for students who decided that they wanted to give up (â€Å"General Educational Development† par.1). This was until the year of 1959 when veterans were not the only ones getting there GED but also those adults who had yet to finished high school (par.1). In the article â€Å"Dropouts†, from Education Week, it was stated that â€Å"Overall, the dropout rate has changed among racial and ethnic groups; the minorities tend to have higher dropout rates than their white classmates†(Kaufman and Bardby par. 4). As of today the GED profile is still changing into 3.5 to 6 million young teens between the age of 16 and 17 year olds who have decided that they do not want to finish school (Haskins par.1). Due to the National Public Radio it was stated that â€Å"Many states are willing to reduce the dropout rate by rising the high school dropout age to 18† (Abramson par. 10). This law should be passed throughou... ... set the same as the mandatory age for dropping out of leaving school. This is a high risk for giving children the opportunity to leave their education to earn money which will not benefit them in the long run without a diploma. There are few that will state that the mandatory age of a high school dropout is good at sixteen. Main requirements taught in high school become unnecessary, especially lower skilled jobs so not all people who dropout will be unsuccessful. Therefore, society is creating an economic waste by providing a service that has very little benefit to the majority of people (Rodriguez par.2). The PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, provided facts that show that not all GED recipients are less successful than high school graduates. In example, both comedians Bill Cosby and Dave Thomas both received a GED and became highly successful. (Schleicher 1).

Essay --

â€Å"Currency devaluation is typically an event resulting from a policy (political) decision and is most often associated with the nations that elect to â€Å"fix† the exchange rate for domestic currency in relation to another nation’s (or region’s) currency or some other fixed standard† (Owen, 2005). In other words, devaluation occurs in a situation when a country is operating under a fixed exchange rate regime and its government decides to lower the value of its currency in relation to the currency it is pegged against. In the case of Venezuela, the bolà ­var fuerte is pegged against the US dollar. A government objective generally associated with devaluation is the improvement of a trade deficit. If a country’s imports are greater than their exports, devaluing their currency can help, as it reduces the â€Å"purchasing power of domestic money in terms of foreign goods and increases the purchasing power of foreign money in terms of domestic goods† (Johnson, 1971). This in effect means domestic goods (exports) become cheaper and imports become more expensive, resulting in an increase in the demand for exports, with a fall in imports, and hence improving the balance of payments. Being South America’s largest oil-producing nation, Venezuela receives most of its export income from this industry. It therefore comes as no surprise that devaluation is so attractive to their policy makers as increased demand for their oil exports would allow them to accumulate more domestic monetary resources. However, an implication of this policy has been the negative effect on th e poor who spend the majority of their income on food and other basic necessities that are mainly imported goods. With inflation averaging between 20-30%, this has meant that fewer goods are... ... cites the theory of Mundel(1960) and says that, " According to this theory, it is impossible to simultaneously have a fixed exchange rate, free capital movement (an absence of capital controls), and an independent monetary policy. In conclusion, a currency devaluation whose primary aim is to improve the balance of payments has both its advantages and disadvantages. In the case of Venezuela, it has done more harm than benefited the economy. Even if the government were to try and borrow, very few investors would be willing to hold Venezuelan government debt as it would be deemed very unattractive and risky. Devaluation has in many cases been known to reduce the credit worthiness of an economy on the global markets. In the end, it could also result in an out flow of investments as investors may feel that the risk is too high for them when they invest in Venezuela. Essay -- â€Å"Currency devaluation is typically an event resulting from a policy (political) decision and is most often associated with the nations that elect to â€Å"fix† the exchange rate for domestic currency in relation to another nation’s (or region’s) currency or some other fixed standard† (Owen, 2005). In other words, devaluation occurs in a situation when a country is operating under a fixed exchange rate regime and its government decides to lower the value of its currency in relation to the currency it is pegged against. In the case of Venezuela, the bolà ­var fuerte is pegged against the US dollar. A government objective generally associated with devaluation is the improvement of a trade deficit. If a country’s imports are greater than their exports, devaluing their currency can help, as it reduces the â€Å"purchasing power of domestic money in terms of foreign goods and increases the purchasing power of foreign money in terms of domestic goods† (Johnson, 1971). This in effect means domestic goods (exports) become cheaper and imports become more expensive, resulting in an increase in the demand for exports, with a fall in imports, and hence improving the balance of payments. Being South America’s largest oil-producing nation, Venezuela receives most of its export income from this industry. It therefore comes as no surprise that devaluation is so attractive to their policy makers as increased demand for their oil exports would allow them to accumulate more domestic monetary resources. However, an implication of this policy has been the negative effect on th e poor who spend the majority of their income on food and other basic necessities that are mainly imported goods. With inflation averaging between 20-30%, this has meant that fewer goods are... ... cites the theory of Mundel(1960) and says that, " According to this theory, it is impossible to simultaneously have a fixed exchange rate, free capital movement (an absence of capital controls), and an independent monetary policy. In conclusion, a currency devaluation whose primary aim is to improve the balance of payments has both its advantages and disadvantages. In the case of Venezuela, it has done more harm than benefited the economy. Even if the government were to try and borrow, very few investors would be willing to hold Venezuelan government debt as it would be deemed very unattractive and risky. Devaluation has in many cases been known to reduce the credit worthiness of an economy on the global markets. In the end, it could also result in an out flow of investments as investors may feel that the risk is too high for them when they invest in Venezuela.

Global Warming Essay

Every day we go about our own business. Many of us never take the time to look around and see how we are affecting our earth’s atmosphere. Everywhere you look today you are bound to see some factory or machinery polluting our air. Just think how many times you have seen those large semi trucks or big fossil fuel factories emitting thick dark smoke into the atmosphere. We need to come to reality and realize that all that polluting we have been doing over the last half-century is finally catching up to us. It is very easy to detect through scientific research that our earth’s climate is changing, Time magazine reports in its 2004 issue that the earth’s average temperature is increasing at a steady rate. Yes, we all have heard the term â€Å"global warming†, however many people don’t know in depth what global warming is, or how our actions will affect our earth if we don’t respond to the issue. If we can educate ourselves on what global warming is and how it will affect us in the near and far future, we can then begin to change our old habits of polluting and create new habits and goals to living in a much healthier and cleaner environment. During the earliest times, the life-styles of our ancestors were very simple. The air they breathed was clean. The streams were clear and free of harmful organisms. They used natural fertilizers for their agricultural crops. The surroundings were free of household throwaways. Today, there has been a tremendous growth in science and technology. Such advances have brought about changes in terms of new products, improved equipment, and more effective methodologies. Unfortunately, this same technology which made life easier for us produced wastes which are now affecting the quality of our surrounding air, water, and land. Factories and motor vehicles send tons of pollutants into our air. Excessive air pollution poses a danger to our health and environment. It can likewise cause stunted growth and even death to our plants. Out streams are polluted by discharges from industrial plants that use chemicals. Garbage and sink wastes are carelessly thrown in our surroundings. Synthetic fertilizers and insecticides pollute our land and farm products. At the same time, the burning of fossil fuels, particularly coal and oil, produces sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which are hazardous to the atmosphere. Findings show that a single smokestack may produce as much as 500 tons of sulfur dioxide a day. When these gases combine with oxygen and moisture, sulfuric acid and nitric acid is formed. The rain will carry the acids to the ground (acid rain) which may cause the depletion of calcium and magnesium in the soil, elements needed by plants for the formation of chlorophyll and wood, or it may cause the release of aluminum in the soil, which are poisonous and can kill the roots of trees. How can we take care of our environment? We must undertake measures to preserve our resources and minimize utilization of energy before it’s too late. Our fight against pollution is an initial step toward conserving our environmental resources and energy. We must all join hands for this common goal. Furthermore, of all issues affecting humanity, climate change is the most pervasive and truly global, posing a very real and serious threat to our environment. Climate change is the alteration of the pattern of global climate that may be due to human activity that alters the composition of the atmosphere.

Accusations Without Proof

Accusations Without Proof In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, he tells the story of Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials. He does this to draw a comparison between the red scare of the 1950s and the false accusations of the girls and the community in Salem in 1692. In his play the little girls who are about twelve to eighteen, they were dancing naked in the forest with a black caldron with Tituba.Paris is the one who finds them and ow all the girls have to lie and say Tituba is in touch with the devil, act like they see evil spirits, and say that people were witches even thou they were not. In the end a lot of people die over silly things that could not even be proven. Some of the things they would do for punishment was, they would hold them underwater for ten minutes and if they came back up dead they were not witches, if they were alive they were. It was a lose lose method and not the best way to solve things.Most cases they came up dead. Another thing they would do is Ju st hang hem and not give them a chance to explain themselves. When they would take them into court and testify that they were not in touch with the devil the girls would act like they see things, and start to get scared. One girl went as far as faking a coma for several hours. The people that died did not deserve to over something silly like little girls trying to get out of trouble. This was much like the Red Scare because, everyone was paranoid thinking communism was taking over.People were questioned to see if they were communist, ust like in The Crucible. It Just goes to show how fast rumors can spread. Arthur Miller wrote about The Crucible because he wanted to show how close it was to the Red Scare, and that people would be questioned without proof. The point of this book is to demonstrate how hysteria and rumors can cause people a lot of problems, which in this case caused several people to die. In the Red Scare people thought Russians were spreading communism. In The Crucibl e people thought witchcraft was spreading through Salem.The girls went as far as letting eople close to them die Just to save themselves from getting in trouble. When Proctor and another member of Salem start an argument over whose land they are on, rumors start to spread that the girls are doing this to get their neighbors land. Elizabeth is the one who convinces John into admitting that he has seen the devil. John agrees to do it. The officers of the court rejoice in finding out something about the trials. But John refuses to give up anymore names in which he saw with the devil.The officers of the court want John to make his confession public but he grows ith anger and tears up the document he was suppose to sign. John and three others were hung at the very end of the book. All of the Salem witch trials could have been avoided if the group of girls would nave Just contessed to dancing naked in the torest. They could nave saved several lives from being ended and unnecessary punishm ents. People had to sit in Jail for years and would have killed themselves instead of going crazy in Jail.In the end they still got in trouble but if they would have confessed right away they would have robably Just got in minor trouble instead of ending up having a bunch of innocent people. The court didn't handle the situation in the right manor either. They put people in Jail that they had no proof against. They could have thought of better ways to decide if they were witches or not instead of having them killed. In conclusion all of the Salem Witch Trials could have been avoided and lives could have been saved if the self-centered girls would have Just confessed right away. â€Å"Mr. Hale, you surely do not doubt my Justice. † -Danforth

How smart are sheep? Essay

How Smart Are Sheep by Barbara Drake is about the intelligence of sheep and the studies that have been conducted to prove that sheep can feel different emotions and recognize dogs and humans as their enemies. Evolution has re-wired the sheep brain to know to hate and stay away from humans and dogs. Brain activity research in sheep has shown that sheep see dogs and humans as more alike than comparing the human and the dog to themselves. Drake explains that â€Å"Of course, fro ma distance, if a human being gets down on all fours, there is little uncertainty and the sheep’s brain may start sending ‘possible other sheep’ signals until the sheep gets close enough to realize its mistake† (247). Research has also found that sheep have emotions. They have been known to feel and display moods of fear and happiness. For example: when sheep see an approaching human they will start to feel fearful or if an approaching human is carrying a bag of grains for them to eat then they will start to feel happy because they know that they are about to eat. Drake believes that people who believe that animals do not have feelings or emotions are just trying to find an excuse not to feel bad about the horrible things that we do to animals to be able to harvest their bodies for food. â€Å"If a creature has no feelings, it can feel no pain,† Drake explains is the common clichà © phrase that humans use to make themselves feel better about the harmful things we do to animals as a society (248). The feeling of happiness sheep feel when a human is bringing them food is not because of the human, but it is that the human is bringing them. Bummer lambs, which cannot be brought up by their mothers, are bottle-fed and are most commonly known to display happy emotions when their bottles are being brought to them. The bummer lambs start to become hostile and resentful when it’s human starts to wean it from its bottle. Drake has â€Å"seen weaned bummers use a resentful kind of body language that can only be called sulking† (248). This kind of behavior is the beginning of the behavior that has naturally been wired into their brains to dislike humans. Other research shows that sheep produce more excitable brainwaves when being shown a picture of horned sheep. If a sheep is shown a picture of a sheep upside down it will not recognize the sheep because, usually, sheep are only recognizable on all fours. Drake states, â€Å"In fact, a sheep on its back is liable to be in trouble† (249). Sheep have been categorized as stupid because of their  strong herding instincts. Entire herds of sheep have been known to walk off of cliffs just because their leader went off first. Sheep were tested below the intelligence level of horses and cattle when presented a bucket of feed that was covered in in a black cloth. It took the sheep more than several tries to figure out that the cloth has to be removed to retrieve the food. Another test showed that in single-trial learning, sheep knew how to recognize a plant they shouldn’t eat after only eating it once. Lambs also learn this by example from their mothers. Sheep also know to go into their pens at night and how to sort themselves into the ram and ewe sides of the pen. Drake encountered an eight-month old lamb that was lost and was trying to find its way home. Not sure where the lamb belonged, Drake sold the lamb to some people who lived on the other side of town. A few weeks later the lamb had gone missing. The lamb had panicked and jumped the fence because it had been left all alone in the pen by itself. â€Å"This time when the new owners returned the lamb to their farm, they made sure there were a couple of ewes waiting for them in the pen,† Drake explained, concerning the lamb that had escaped (251).

A Comparison of Democratization Process in China and India

The term â€Å"democracy† first emerged in the societies of ancient Greece where it is meant to be a form of decision-making where the community is allowed to participate, which later on served as the system used for governance (Woolf & Rawcliffe, 2005). Bryce (2009) noted that the term is used to describe the power that is legally bestowed by the people to the government.Likewise, the term â€Å"people† moved farther away from the privileged few and focused more on the entire community. As a result, the consideration for the rights and the voice of the citizens became a central theme in democratic governments.Aside from the political aspects of democracy, the free market structure is also an element that has become inseparable from that of democracy (as cited in Snauwaert, 1993). In the free market system, the government has less control over the affairs of the market and individuals are given the chance to choose among several options (Snauwaert, 1993).In the present day, democracy has become a very popular system of government as the West and other advocates continue to hail it as a suitable form of governing the society. Based on the arguments of Francis Fukuyama, a resolution is reached regarding the best way to organize the political and economic aspects of the society and suggested democracy as the answer.In addition, Fukuyama contends that â€Å"democracy, in the political realm, and markets, in the economic realm, had triumphed over all challengers and were in the process of becoming the universal forms of political and economic organization† (Bova, 2003, p. 243).In history, nations did not immediately employ democracy. Some have taken other paths, such as India and China that experienced the colonial rule and Communist rule, respectively. Both countries have experienced undergoing a process of democratization, which is said to â€Å"[begin] when the principle of citizenship is acknowledged by a regime in certain ways by allowing the opposition to become involved in politics† (Des Forges, Luo, & Wu, 1993, p. 231).In addition, the democratization process proceeds from the distribution of power and responsibilities throughout the community (Des Forges, Luo, & Wu, 1993).From the previous systems of government, India proved that it can undergo the process of democratization and sustain it until 50 years after. On the other hand, China remains a communist state amidst its futile attempts to apply several democratic principles from the West (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2010; He & Feng, 2008).The two countries, China and India, are both Asian countries that are striving hard to apply and implement the concepts of democracy as it is observed from the Western ideals.The interesting experiences of the two nations with regard to the process of democratization serve as the focus of the present paper, which would also highlight the differences and similarities between the experiences of the two nations. In s o doing, emphasis is placed on theDemocratization Process in IndiaNational ProfileIndia is a member of the Southern Asian region and has a total area of 3,165,596 sq km (Oldenburg, 2008). The 7 union territories and 28 states are ruled by a President, who is the head of state, and a Prime Minster, who serves as the head of government (Oldenburg, 2008).The present form of government is Federal Republic and is governed by the Constitution that was amended last 2002 (Oldenburg, 2008). India also has an existing legislature, which is composed of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) (Oldenburg, 2008). The Judicial branch of the Indian government is headed by the Supreme Court (Oldenburg, 2008).For a lengthy period of time until 1947, India was subjected to British colonial rule (Mishar, 2000). The country gained independence through the Indian Independence Act, which received the Royal Assent on 1947 (Mishra, 2000).The Indian Independence Act served as an important factor in the process of democratization in the country because it gave way for a Provisional government that would later on take the form of a democracy. At the day when the said Act took into effect, Jawaharlal Nehru said that it is a time when â€Å"India discovers herself again,† (as cited in Hukam, 2005, pp. 309-10).In relation to this, it is important to identify the events surrounding before and after the promulgation of the Indian Independence Act in 1947 and the progress towards democracy that was made up to the present time. More specifically, emphasis is placed on the economic and political changes in the country and the actors and elements that allowed for successful democratization.

Labour Relations in Canada in relation to hospitality industry(It can Term Paper

Labour Relations in Canada in relation to hospitality industry(It can be any topic of interest in relation to this.) - Term Paper Example cation between workers and managers, inform managers of potential trouble, provide an outlet for complaints, and avoid slowdowns, absenteeism, strikes and damages.† Here we take a look at why grievance procedures are important in improving labor relations. The ILO states that grievance procedures help solve a variety of issues that are likely to crop up in any work environment some of which are explained as follows (â€Å"Good Practice Guide†). Many a times, problems in the work place occur when the terms and conditions of employment which were guaranteed to the employees at the time of hiring are not implemented correctly by the management. Grievance procedures help to give employees the necessary motivation and support to continue in their work place without feeling betrayed by their employer. It gives them a sense of job security and an ability to understand what they rightly deserve. It also helps them to seek legal counsel or aid in the circumstances where their terms of contract have been compromised or violated in any unfavorable way. Lack of proper health and safety measures is another major concern for employees in an industry. In some cases, workers are subjected to risky and dangerous conditions and sadly many of them are unaware of the potential hazard to their personal health and well being. However, the presence of effective grievance procedures makes sure that employees can ask for compensation in the occurrence of any form of occupational harm or injury. Sometimes, changes in policies or in the organizational structure can cause a disturbance in the flow of activities for a regular employee. In some cases, employees are not notified of crucial changes in policies which consequently lead them through the wrong path. It is the right of any employee to know of significant changes or alterations in the policies, procedures and organizational structure of the company where he / she belongs if such changes are intended to have significant direct or

The Capital Asset Pricing Model is a very useful model and it is used Essay

The Capital Asset Pricing Model is a very useful model and it is used widely in the industry even though it is based on very strong assumptions. Discuss in the light of recent developments in the area - Essay Example recent developments to see if it can be considered a credible and reliable model for asset pricing and forecasting for today’s dynamic business environment. The CAPM is seen as an asset pricing method which gives a theoretical determination of the required rate of return of an asset, given the condition that the asset is being added to an existing well-diversified portfolio (Berk, 1995). This means that estimating the rate of return of an asset based on the CAPM requires that the asset in question will not be an independent asset being invested but part of a portfolio considered to be well-diversified. Again, Fama & French (2002) stressed that the use of CAPM in asset pricing must be based on the use of assets which are considered non-sensitive to non-diversified risks which come as either systematic risk or market risk. In short, the asset must be a risk-free asset which guarantees the repayment of interest and principal with absolute certainty (Banz, 1981). There are several determinants and variables used in the calculation of CAPM and hence the CAPM formula. There are generally traditional and modified formulas for CAPM but this pap er is limited to the use of the traditional formula. Fama & French (1992) stressed that for CAPM usage, it is important that the expected return on the capital asset E(Ri), which can only be known when the risk-free rate of interest Rf, sensitivity of the expected excess asset or beta ßi, expected return of the market E(Rm), and market premium E(Rm) – Rf are all known. With these known, it is possible to obtain the CAPM given as For the actual applicability of the equation and SML to function, there are very important assumptions that must hold. In all, CAPM makes use of nine assumptions which are briefly analysed as follows. The first is that investors aim to maximise economic utilities. Based on this assumption, investors would only want to go into investments that have asset quantities that are known and fixed so that the

Should Cigarette Smoking be Banned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Should Cigarette Smoking be Banned - Essay Example Therefore, the claim that the federal government has no power to ban tobacco use is inconsistent. Truly speaking, the government is scared of the political responsibility that comes with imposing a ban on tobacco. As Washington continues with the political game, many Americans continue to suffer the consequences of uncontrolled smoking. We must agree that placing a complete ban on tobacco and tobacco products could be impossible due to the large number of smokers involved, approximately 450 million, and lack of adequate law enforcement personnel. However, the federal government should pass relevant laws to help curb this worrying trend. Tobacco use should be controlled due to various negative effects. First and most importantly, it is a serious health risk. According to Britton, â€Å"The greatest health impacts of smoking are on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases† (Britton 2). These diseases range from bronchitis, heart disease, and different strains of cancer. Cigarette contains several additives, approximately 599, all of which have varied health complications to smokers. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), tobacco causes more deaths than all deaths resulting from alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, murders, suicides, and HIV combined (2007). It is estimated that tobacco causes 443,000 deaths annually. This number includes deaths from secondhand smoke. Secondly, smoking should be banned because it violates non-smokers’ right of choice. Whoever chooses to smoke despite the negative side effects of smoking should not be denied the chance to do so. However, the lack of an effective way to control non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke is justification enough for the government to ban smoking. Smokers are people who have made the choice of dying for what they like, and should not, under whatever circumstance, drag non-smokers to their deathbeds. Money is yet another reason why smoking should be banned. Buying a cigarette may seem to be a painless financial involvement. However, if the amount spent in a month or a year is accumulated, it could literally start of a medium size business. Therefore, by banning tobacco and its related products, the government will be instilling a saving culture in its citizens. The advantages of investing in business cannot be disputed. The cost of treatment to victims of cigarette smoking is a burden to the government. Medicine and facilities for treatment of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases resulting from excessive smoking are expensive, but the government’s hands are tied. These funds could have helped in fulfilling other key government obligations such as education, social welfare, retirement, and security. Lastly, smoking should be banned or regulated as a means of curbing its growing influence. Unfortunately, smokers tend to influence those around them tremendously. Students and children who watch their colleagues, parents, or peers smoke have to face th e challenge of resisting smoking daily. This is even worse when the smoker glorifies the smoking. As simple as it may seem, many people are led to smoking in this manner. Smoking decision should be personal and not influenced by persons who have signed their death certificates. Despite the wide criticism, tobacco use has many advantages. To begin with, many rural economies rely heavily on tobacco farming.

Small Group Dynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Small Group Dynamics - Essay Example He coined the term "group dynamics" to describe the way groups and individuals act and react to changing circumstancesThe social process by which people interact face-to-face is called group dynamic. Small group communication experts Isa Engleberg and Dianna Wynn (2003) have identified seven types of groups to which you can belong: primary, social, self-help, learning, service, work, and public. For the purpose of the study a group is selected which was appointed by the Government. The group is a public group, in which group members interact for the benefit of an audience. There was wide spread fear among the public due to the outbreak of bird flu in many parts of the world. The government was doing its best to ensure the public that the poultry was safe to eat. But the public were reluctant. The poultry business was affected and many restaurants faced problems because of this. The government decided to do a live talk-show on the National television network, wherein the public can call and talk with the experts to clarify their doubts. The experts appointed by the government were: The members knew very little about the other members in the group and they did not know how to function as a group. The group had to, therefore, go through the all the stages in group formation. So the group was a "zero history group". They had one-week's time and so decided to meet every day before the D-day at 9 in the morning. The first step taken was the exchange of certain information about them or about people close to them such as address, phone, fax and email including their housemates, family, neighbours and friends and also their activities and habits. Groups and Relationships A small group is always influenced by the way how the group fits into its content and how the members balance their relationship both within the group and outside the group. There was very cordial and supportive relationship among the members. The members were engaged in the following activities: a) Problem solving- The members tried to find a way to alleviate the fear for poultry products among the public. Their task was to propagate message about the safety of poultry products in the country. b) Creation of identities- The members voluntarily decided to take up the following roles: Mrs. G- Coordinator and Leader (Shows the relationships between ideas) Mr. D- Initiator-contributor (Generates new ideas) Myself, Ms. C- Information-giver (Offers facts or generalization to the group) Mr. E- Recorder (Keeps a record of group actions) Mrs. G was a democratic leader;

Book Review on 'The Modern Firm' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Book Review on 'The Modern Firm' - Essay Example Thus, these insights can be more readily applied to any developing business firm to achieve the desired level of success. According to the Economist, The Modern Firm is the "..best business book of the year...deserves to be a classic...Nobody, it can now be said, is fully fit to run a modern firm until they have read "The Modern Firm. " (The Economist, 16th December, 2004). Times also agrees with Economist calling the book â€Å"interesting† that is not so in many business literatures. Objective The book’s objective is to explicate some of the core concepts in organizational economics in a language accessible also for the lay people (Fredrick Tell, November 2006). The Wave of Change In this book a strong conceptual framework has been developed to analyze the interrelation between business environment, competitive strategy and organizational design features. According to Fredrick Tell, the essential problem that Roberts discusses is how features of strategy and organizat ion can be modified by a â€Å"designer† so as to achieve higher level of performance in relation to the firm’s context. Industries from all the corners of the globe are introducing new and modern designs for their organizations. They are going in for better and innovative architecture. They are changing their processes and routines. Thus, we find that the total corporate culture is undergoing a dramatic transformation in a bid to maximize their profit. However, all these changes are contributing towards a great upheaval that promises to reconstruct the entire organization. Hence, we can see that the values and beliefs of any organization are greatly transformed with the passage of time. The changes do not stop at the infrastructure level but move on to the power making authorities too. Hence, newer governing bodies are being formed within the organizations that affect the overall decision taking authority. The organizational charts are being redrawn while the manpower is shrunk and made as diverse as possible. Outsourcing is also coming up as a cost effective and simple solution that solves much of the productivity problems. The mechanism to reward and motivate people is being revamped. The information system is also being redesigned to include latest technologies. Hence, the entire organization is suffering a facelift to present the business in a healthier and better way. Compulsory Changes John Robert argues in favor of these changes as he says that they are compulsory for the growth of the industries. He says that these changes would affect the organization in a better way and accelerate the companies’ performance and growth. However, the writer cautions that the change should not be done to the cost of the basic profit formula. The industries that are already successful and showing great monetary returns should continue to embrace that winning formula while affecting the required overall change. The Determinants of Performance Accordi ng to the writer, the performance has three determinants- Strategy, Organization and Environment. Strategy: What merchandise is suitable for which market? Organization: It consists of a collection of workers and the way they are grouped. Environment: Customers, competitors, technology, regulatory and regal context, various social, demographic and political features, and so on. When all three determinants work in accordance with each other then the performance level is maximized that result in a greater level of achievement. PARC PARC is Roberts’