Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, Essay - 1

Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, and a short paragraph Evaluation of the text below - Essay Example According to Melissa, Obama does bear responsibility because he is a black in whom the African-American’s triumph is embodied. Therefore, the successes that are associated with his election can be accomplished if the blacks come out to protest the discrimination they are still subjected to by the whites. Indeed, this article can be a very invaluable resource. First, it was written by a reputable scholar who is so credible and has authored lots of books and articles and made imminent contributions to the field of journalism. Besides, it provides a lot of detailed information about the cases of alleged racism by the US police in different parts of the country. Indeed, it sensitizes me about the plight of the African-Americans who, despite constantly fighting race-based discrimination, still suffer in the hands of law enforcers. At the same time, the manner in which the author associates President Obama is challenging and thought-provoking. Since it provides all the necessary information about the plight of the blacks, the article becomes authoritative, valid and enjoyable to read. After all, the credibility of its author is not doubted at

Dickens novels Essay Example for Free

Dickens novels Essay Hard Times was one of Dickens’ novels that focuses mainly on the education system and industrialisation. Dickens was furious about the changes in industrialisation throughout the Victorian period and this motivated him enormously to write the novel. Industrialisation meant that working conditions were poor and it had a massive impact on the way schools were run. Dickens hated Victorian schools; he saw the Victorian education system as boring and monotonous and often wrote essays to show his anger and frustration at the government and those responsible for what he saw as the poor schooling techniques. Dickens creates Coketown in this novel and it is used as a representation of the government at that time and is seen as a perfect world for the fact obsessed characters but the novel explores how this way of living is not healthy. Dickens suggests that facts have become a way of life, like a religion, which was very unacceptable for that time because in the Victorian period people were especially religious and that facts were taking over a religion would have been seen as disgusting  Dickens suggests that English towns around the industrialized era are ugly, polluted and debilitated, he suggests this because facts, repetition and the lack of individuality was taking over, one of the ways he achieves this is through his description of coketown. ‘Coketown’ suggests a very scary, dull and boring place, Dickens would have intended us to have this perception because this is how he saw the government’s way of teaching and he wanted us to perceive it in the same way that he did. He also wanted us to see through his description how monotonous and unhealthy the town and way of life in that area had become. Dickens describes the school in this novel as bland, containing no creativeness, or embellishment, a framework built purely on facts and reality alone. The rooms consist of white-washed walls, stripped and bare revealing the actuality industry at the time. Dickens describes the rooms as ‘plain, bare monotonous vault of a school-room’. The word ‘vault’ suggests the school-room takes the image of a jail cell; bare, isolated, barred windows. Therefore this also suggests the pupils attending the school represent prisoners- influenced by the oppressive rules and watchful eye of Gradgrind. Their order is even arranged like prisoners, in a regular pattern, rows spaced evenly, closely monitored and not allowed to move.The rooms consist of white-washed walls, stript and bare revealing the actuality industry at the time. Dickens describes the rooms as ‘plain, bare monotonous vault of a school One of the main statements Dickens is trying to make throughout this novel is the obsession and repetitiveness of facts. The word fact is repeated so much that it feels like its being shoved into the children’s heads. We hope to have, before long, a board of fact, composed of commissioners of fact, who will force the people to be a people of fact and nothing but fact. This firstly shows that it is not just Gradgrind that is obsessed with facts, it is the whole school; implying the whole education system is like this. Also they wish for the facts to be forced upon all people as they are doing in the school. Dickens put Gradgrind across as forceful, having high standards, obsessed and full of facts and wishing every one of his pupils to be as smart as he is. Mr MChoakumchild is portrayed very similarly to Gradgrind, this gives the impression that all teachers of this time were like this. A character who is a representation for Dickens views is Gradgrind. He is used as a representation because he is made to be everything Dickens is against where education is concerned. ‘Forming the minds of reasoning animals’, Gradgrind is referring to the children as animals for testing out his way of education, he does not see them as human he sees them as animals that he needs to train to be just like him. However there are characters in the novel that challenge his way of teaching and try to be individual but Gradgrind sees this as wrong and tries to stop them and get them back in line. actuality industry at the time. Dickens describes the rooms as ‘plain, bare monotonous vault of a school-room’. The word ‘vault’ suggests the school-room takes the image of a jail cell; bare, isolated, barred windows. Therefore this also suggests the pupils attending the schooactuality industry at the time. Dickens describes the rooms as ‘plain, bare monotonous vault of a school-room’. The word ‘vault’ suggests the school-room takes the image of a jail cell; bare, isolated, barred windows. Therefore this also suggests the pupils attending the school represent prisoners- influenced by the oppressive rules and watchful eye of Gradgrind. Their order is even arranged like prisoners, in a regular pattern, rows spaced evenly, closely monitored and not allowed to move.One character who shows a contrast to the Victorian education system is Sissy Jupe. She is polite and full of life, she curtsy’s to address to Gradgrind and this shows how cheerful and polite she is. You can tell sissy loves and respects her father a lot from when she says ‘it’s father calls me Sissy sir’. Gradgrind tries to intimidate Sissy and because she is such a shy character Gradgrind easily embarrasses her with his intimidation ‘she would have blushed deeper, is she could have blushed deeper’ This shows the healthy colour in her face which represents how full of life she is and the fact she could have blushed deeper and deeper shows that she has so many different ideas and wonderful individuality that they just want to burst out of her as she is being made to keep them locked inside her.

The Body Shop Marketing Plan Marketing Essay

The Body Shop Marketing Plan Marketing Essay The purpose of this paper is through analysis the current market environment to establish the marketing plan of The Body Shop in Hull to help it hold the competitively position during the spring of 2013. The context will analysis the external environment and the internal environment of the Body shop in Hull, and based on these information to do the SWOT analysis to evaluate the current market and try to build reasonable marketing objectives which are benefits for the development of the their market share. background of the Body Shop According to the Bodys Shop website, their business is about engaging and inspiring customers around their individual needs for skin care and hair care this relies on attracting and retaining the skills, knowledge and creative talent to deliver excellent products with exceptional service to their millions of customers worldwide. The company has a presence in over 51 countries, conducts business in 21 languages, operates nearly 2000 stores (about 70% are franchised), and employs over 6000 people in company stores, regional offices and UK-based Service Centre. Products are also sold via the Body Shop at Home, an in-home sales program that operates in 48 US states and Australia and via a company website in the US. Environment analysis In order to increase marketing share in a current market, companies must carefully examine a host of issues. One of the most important issues is the marketing environment. The marketing environment includes two essential elements, one is external environment, the other one is internal environment. External Environment This part explores that the trading and ability of an organization to satisfy its customers who are influenced by the external forces which fall into two categories: the macro and micro forces of the marketing environment (Dibb, 2006). Macro Environment The macro-environment defined by Worthington and Britton (2009, p.6) as those macro-environmental influences on business which affect a wide variety of businesses and which can emanate not only from local and national sources but also from international and supranational developments comprises the PEST checklist which stands for Political, Economic, Sociocultural and Technological. Political The government will shrink the finance expending, which may further reduce consumers shopping willingness. At the same time, governments have passed specified law to forbid animal-testing (CNN, 2003). Additionally, this series of industries need to deal with the waste and rubbish, which comes with production. In this way, all over the nations, societies, and companies would keep a sustainable development and material recycle using. The Hull Council have doorstep recycling collections and  a network of recycling sites, and they make it easy for people to recycle.(www.hullcc.gov.uk,2012)Above all, the whole industry should not make any pollution to our environments. Lastly, the countrys political steady is the root line to keep a regular industry chain (Nicholls A, Opal C, 2005). Economic Not only in the UK but also in the whole EU, governments are now all suffering from financial issues more or less. Following debt-fuelled growth, households remain laden with debt. As a result, the beauty and personal care market saw increased price consciousness among consumers and thus a switch to family and bulk purchases during 2011 (Euromonitor International,2012) . In this situation, its really not a positive circumstance for private label products development. More importantly, in such a negative economic situation, the companies need to do something more, such as promotion and discounting, or develop some more products for some more potential consumers. Sociocultural In this section, the health and beauty industries need to take the aging and male potential consumers into consideration, in which way to satisfy their special needs (Euromonitor International,2012). Secondly, an industry should be responsible for their customers. The products need to be developed without any synthetic ingredients in order to lower the risk for health (Euromonitor International,2012),and also over half of women refuse to use any beauty products, which have been tested on animals first.(SkinInc,2008).Lastly and equally importantly, Consumers upgraded to one time bulk purchases in categories such as bath and shower, deodorants, hair care and oral care (Euromonitor International,2012) Technology Increasing the potation of e-commercial sale methods, such like new coming products introduction and promotion on line, dealing and negotiation over the internet, or business consultants with live video chat. And the company is highly recommended to build their own website or with some relative partners, via which to display the productions and deepen their brands as well(Euromonitor International,2012). Meanwhile, companies should focus on developing new technologies, for example, whiting, In this way, related companies would also in a positive competitive. Most importantly, an efficient product is the root of a brand as to a company. Micro Environment Micro environment have a very board influence on every organisation operating in a particular market, from market to distributers to competitors to customers, and such an impact is largely universally felt by such organisations (Dibb, 2006, p89). Market 2010 is a year of prosperity and growth for the beauty and personal care industry. The growth rate of the industry value increased from 4% to 5%, which was contributed mostly by the mass market. In particular, with 3% value growth following a 0.5% drop in the last year, the recovery of cosmetics was the most eye-catching in this industry(Beauty and Personal Care State of the Industry, 2011). Customers Target audience ¼Ã… ¡ The first target audience is females, age 18 to 34, who have low brand awareness for the body shop and little discretionary income but still want to indulge in the spa-at-home products. The second target audience is females, age 35 to 55. Currently in the US, there are 43.98 million total women ages 35 to 55.Buyer power(see appendice3). Customer behavior The price in Hull are similar low in the market, and people use less money to buy convenience products or high price products like house, so people have more free money to buy beauty products like products which are sold in the Body Shop especially the average earnings have increased. (www.hullcc.gov.uk/,2012)(see appendice8). Competitors The body shops main rival is Bath Body Works who offers a variety of beauty products. Bath Body Works runs more than 1600 stores in the UK compared to the body shops 300 nationwide stores. In 2009, the turnover of Bath Body Works exceeded 2,300 million dollars, at the same time, it spent more than 915,000 dollars in advertising(see Appendice7). Compared the website page with The Body Shop, they are similar except the color, but The Body Shop have a higher high brand loyalty(www.dmnews.com/beauty-product-retailers-tick-all-the-boxes-but-only-one-passes-the-sniff-test/article/265442/,2012)(see Appendice9). Suppliers The suppliers of this industry could also be divided into three classes. The first one is Top-level brands, Most of the suppliers are sold in bulk and the diversity of special ingredient is not too much, so the power of the suppliers is stronger than other suppliers. The second one is Mid-Level Brands. In this level, the suppliers also produce non-differentiated products and specialized . The power of those suppliers is also strong, and the switching costs are low as the same as top-level brands. The last one is Generic Brands. There are various suppliers in this group, the diversity of the products is low, therefore, the switching costs are low(IAA Cosmetics, 2002). Distributors There are two main kinds of distributors. One is according to the traditional distributors, the supermarkets played a dominant role in the distribution channel of beauty and personal care industry in the UK, it accounted for a 49.8% share of totality in 2010. (Hand Body Care Industry Profile, 2011) Another one is internet retailing, The internet retailing makes beauty and personal care advanced remarkably. Internal environment The last step in the Environment Analysis is gathering information for the internal environment. Brand Image The Shop ensures their image by guarantying its cosmetics and personal care products are not tested on ani-mals, and that they contain sustainably sourced oils and other vegetarian ingredients (The Body Shop). In addition, the campaigns in which The Body Shop participates is another step they take to make a difference both environmentally and individually. The company promotes beauty is in the customers eye instead of the beholders (Hoovers, 2004). Competitive advantages If the company can sell the products which are hard to copy and have great value which their competitors cannot have, the company own the competitive advantages which can increase their market share and build their brand identity. We compare The Body Shop with LOreal and OlayNivea(see Appendices3,4). Product/Service The Body Shop  operates in the global cosmetic and toiletries (CT) industry. From  Euromonitior, the CT industry includes the following broad group of  products; baby care, bath and  shower products, deodorants, hair care, color cosmetics, mens grooming products, oral hygiene, fragrance, skin  care, sun care and  depilatories. Skin care products are the majority occupying 27% of all products. (Schieffer Multimedia: The Body Shop Media Plan ). Company has already produced a range of over 600 beauty and health products and more than 400 related accessories including exfoliating bath gloves, mitts, body buffers and so on until March, 2010. These products can further be segmented into two categories based on  product ingredients those made from natural materials and those made  from synthetic chemicals. As green policies TBS always pursues, company reduces their packaging by use as little packaging as possible in the first place. For the vast majority of products they use simple bottles and jars, with no secondary packaging (The Body Shop Values Report, 2009) and most of their gift packaging can be reused. TBS also provides varieties of services for customers. TBS official website includes a Technical Support area designed for those experiencing difficulty with the online store. An extensive FAQ section with categories pertaining to shopping, ordering, shipping, returns and so on(see appendice1,2). Price The prices are ranged from highest 43 pounds to lowest 2 pounds. Compared with the average income level in Hull, the price of TBSs products can be considered as relatively affordable level. Compared with competitors in Hull, the price of TBS is medium level described as massige price. Place In Hull city, TBS owns two stores managed directly by headquarter. There are also some shops which are run on a franchising basis in Hull. These two shops locating separately in Princes Quay Shopping Centre and St Stephens Shopping Centre which are largest shopping centers in the Hull where can attract quantities of people especially on the weekends. In order to satisfy the customers requirements and obtain timely and detailed market information, the body shop the reduce the distribution channels, they want to do the direct market which do not contain any agents to sell their products. They use their own shops and websites to do the selling. Promotion The body shop does little advertising because they regard stores as the most effective platform to advertise themselves. Advertising Traditional media: the TBS in Hull advertises on traditional media such as magazines. New media: the body shop try to use new media to attract more customers, they make a high profit through the website campaign. TBS develops an e-CRM structure as network marketing of TBS matures and evolves. This system provides different services containing the Body Shop SPA, personalization program and so on. And TBS in Hull also sells products face to face with kind service. Staff of stores in Hull have been train well to be familiar with products and offer good service.(see appendice5) Following the development of the apple online shop they promote their own app software called Love Your Body. They also build the home shopping party plan in the UK. Personal selling TBS had built a unique member club for loyal customers where rewards them with discounts, free gifts and access to the kinds of perks and privileges only club membership brings. They also have a lot of discounts and gift packages in different seasons and festivals which can attract customers. SWAT Analysis Strengths 1.Leader of Animal Protection 2.Expand E-Commerce Activities 3.Innovative products 4..High brand loyalty Weaknesses 1.Small number of stores in UK 2.Many products are in the mature of declining stage 3.little advertising Opportunities Bans of animal-testing laws which help the body shop to attract more customers 2.Expand The Body Shop at Home Program 3.Increased awareness of organic and eco-friendly product 4.Increasing number of online buyers Threats 1.the shrink finance which influence peoples awareness to buy products 2.Competition in Cosmetic Industry 3.Risks in Material Supply Marketing Objectives 1.Reinvigorate the body shop in the minds of women who have previous experience with the brand to increase the market share. The body shop can do some campaign like give people free samples and show people the material of the product. 2.Promote awareness of the Body Shop core brand and specific mens grooming product offerings through targeted channels such that at least 35% of the target demographic  are aware of  the products and the unique values of  the Body Shop. In Hull there are marginally more males in the general population than females whilst in the East Riding there are marginally more females, this is likely to be a function of the younger population in the city. The Hull City Assessment Report notes that in Hull in under 70 age bands males outnumber females in every age group whilst females outnumber males in older age groups. This highlights the continued trend towards higher female life expectancy(Economic Development Regeneration, 2011)(see Appendices8 ). Conclusion In conclusion, in order to get a high market share and attract more customers, the body shop should do more advertising and extend their market to the men. Appendices Appendice1 FIGURE 1: The Body Shop UK: Estimated sales as share of UK cosmetics and toiletries specialists sales, 2006-10 SOURCE: Mintel Appendice2 FIGURE 2: The Body Shop: Outlet data, 2006-10 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 UK Outlet numbers 312 322 338 329 311 Of which: Company owned 261 282 299 295 297 Franchises 61 40 39 34 14 Estimated sales per outlet ( £000) 542 577 511 477 490 Estimated sales per outlet (à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬000) 797 849 639 536 581 SOURCE: LOrà ©al Company Accounts and Annual Reports/Mintel Appendice3 FIGURE 3: The Body Shop shoppers in last 12 months, by gender, age and socio-economic group, November 2011 Note: Bars show The Body Shop shoppers relative to all people who have bought skincare, cosmetics and fragrances/aftershaves in the last 12 months SOURCE: Ipsos Mori/Mintel Appendice4 FIGURE 4: The Body Shop shoppers in last 12 months, by ACORN group, November 2011 Note: Bars show The Body Shop shoppers relative to all people who have bought skincare, cosmetics and fragrances/aftershaves in the last 12 months SOURCE: Ipsos Mori/Mintel Appendice5 FIGURE 5: The Body Shop: Online consumer demographics, three month average to October 2011 SOURCE: comScore/Mintel Appendice6 Table 1 Table: United Kingdom hand body care market distribution: % share, by value 2010 Channel % Share Supermarkets/hypermarkets 49.8% Pharmacies/drugstores 19.0% Specialist Retailers 13.2% Others 18.0% Total 100% Source: Datamonitor DATAMONITOR Appendice7 Table 2:Compare with other beauty brand The body shop LOreal OlayNivea Product line Mainly skincare Broad Focus on skincare Market position Environment friendly Leader Major competitor In skin body care market Competitive advantages Natural-base brand value Very experienced global brand Low price product innovation Price range Mid-range Slightly lower than the body shop Mid-low (the body shop, Kannu Priya Rawat 30th Mar 2010) ONS MYE 2009 Hull East Riding GB Appendice8 Table 3:Resident population ONS MYE 2009 HULL East Riding GB Number % Number % Number % Resident Population (2009)1 262,400 100% 337,000 100% 60,003,100 100% Males 132,800 50.6% 166,000 49.3% 29,495,400 49.2% Females 129,600 49.4% 171,000 50.7% 30,507,700 50.8% Source: ONS Mid Year Estimates 2009 1Percentage is proportion of total population Appendice9 Figure6:the average earning increase Source:HULL ECONOMIC SITUATION UPDATE No. 31 28 April 2011 Appendice9 Table 4: compare the Body Shop with BathBody works

The Power of Myth :: American Myth Myths Essays

The Power of Myth In the texts that we have recently read, we have seen the importance of myth in giving meaning and understanding to life. In the Beginnings of the Western Mind we read about the importance of myth in the consciousness of the oral societies of pre-classical Greece; in Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs we read about the myth of the "West" in the U.S. and its influence on the thought of many Americans; In Things Fall Apart we see the power if myth and the consequences of the break down of those myths and stories upon which a culture is structured on. I wish to discuss the importance of telling myths and stories in influencing the quality of our culture. Often, Americans look back on older cultures and try to understand them in terms of their myths and stories but, I fear, we do not question our own myths and stories. Perhaps the problem is not that we don't question our myths, but that we are not aware that we have myths and stories. If we don't recognize that as part of human nature that we are going to have myths and stories to explain who we are, we can not fully understand who we are. Traditionally, myths have been our stories about "gods." Gods have been, throughout our history, the "personifications of the transformative power" (Malloy 1998, Lecture Notes). Our archetypes are part of our myths and stories--they tell us who we are and give us meaning. Myths can be thought of as messages in symbols (archetypes), they give meaning, explain "why?" and allow us to change and to understand change. Today however, we live in a demythologized world. Our myths and stories are us. Myths and stories tell us who we are, why we are and how we should be. But we must wonder, "what happens when we stop telling good myths and stories?" Carl Jung, the famous psychologist and pioneering anthropologist, after studying the archetypes, myths, and stories of the native American peoples, went back to Europe where he began to notice that Europe no longer had archetypes, myths, or stories to give the necessary meaning to life. Thus, while early twentieth century Europe may have been technologically more advanced than the tribes of the Amazon or Kalhari, it lacked any of the stories that give us meaning and in a sense (in the context of the history of humanity), we are in a disparate way, less culturally developed. The Power of Myth :: American Myth Myths Essays The Power of Myth In the texts that we have recently read, we have seen the importance of myth in giving meaning and understanding to life. In the Beginnings of the Western Mind we read about the importance of myth in the consciousness of the oral societies of pre-classical Greece; in Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs we read about the myth of the "West" in the U.S. and its influence on the thought of many Americans; In Things Fall Apart we see the power if myth and the consequences of the break down of those myths and stories upon which a culture is structured on. I wish to discuss the importance of telling myths and stories in influencing the quality of our culture. Often, Americans look back on older cultures and try to understand them in terms of their myths and stories but, I fear, we do not question our own myths and stories. Perhaps the problem is not that we don't question our myths, but that we are not aware that we have myths and stories. If we don't recognize that as part of human nature that we are going to have myths and stories to explain who we are, we can not fully understand who we are. Traditionally, myths have been our stories about "gods." Gods have been, throughout our history, the "personifications of the transformative power" (Malloy 1998, Lecture Notes). Our archetypes are part of our myths and stories--they tell us who we are and give us meaning. Myths can be thought of as messages in symbols (archetypes), they give meaning, explain "why?" and allow us to change and to understand change. Today however, we live in a demythologized world. Our myths and stories are us. Myths and stories tell us who we are, why we are and how we should be. But we must wonder, "what happens when we stop telling good myths and stories?" Carl Jung, the famous psychologist and pioneering anthropologist, after studying the archetypes, myths, and stories of the native American peoples, went back to Europe where he began to notice that Europe no longer had archetypes, myths, or stories to give the necessary meaning to life. Thus, while early twentieth century Europe may have been technologically more advanced than the tribes of the Amazon or Kalhari, it lacked any of the stories that give us meaning and in a sense (in the context of the history of humanity), we are in a disparate way, less culturally developed.

Poverty and Crime Essay

Relationship between poverty and crime. Name Course University Tutor Date Introduction There is no single definition of poverty. One definition holds that poverty is the society’s standard of living in a particular time and people are said to be poor when they cannot even afford their basic necessities or if their income is insufficient. Crime is the violation of the rule of law as it is stipulated in the constitution. Its increase calls for measures and sanctions that ensure that social order prevails. There is a correlation between poverty and crime though many who claim that there are some states where poverty is very high have refuted this argument. They argue that the crime in these areas is very is low. This research paper, will discuss intensively about poverty and crime. It will analyze the relationship between poverty and the crime rates, its root causes and means of its eradication. Who are the poor? Poverty is defined differently by various agencies in America. Generally it could be said to be the deprivation of the basic needs such as food, cloth and shelter. Depending on the standards of living opportunities, employment and respect that fellow citizens enjoy their lives but this does not meet that the set living standard is below poverty line. Poverty can be categorized in to three classes namely absolute poverty, social exclusion and relative poverty. These classes have different resources that would promote harmony between the body and the soul. Relative category denotes lack of resources needed for one to participate fully in issues that affect their life. The third class of poverty is what is referred to as an area that lacks Begin Match to source 5 in source list: (8-18-03) http://www. ic. gov. au/conferences/cypc/proceedings. pdfa combination ofEnd Match various necessities Begin Match to source 5 in source list: (8-18-03) http://www. aic. gov. au/conferences/cypc/proceedings. pdfsuch as unemployment, poorEnd Match infrastructure, Begin Match to source 5 in source list: (8-18-03) http://www. aic. gov. au/conferences/cypc/proceedings. pdflowEnd Match income and substandard skills. According to the United Nation’s world summit of social development, poverty is a condition in which one is deprived of the basic needs such as food, clean water sanitation, heath and education. According the 2006 statistics on poverty, the poverty rate in the united state declined from 12. 6%, as it was the case in 2005. When this was translated in to figures it meant that 36. 5 citizens lived in penny, as it was the cases in 2005. Currently about 12% of the population in the United States lives below the poverty threshold. Poverty in America sometimes is not something stable as it fluctuates with time for some people earns more than the set poverty line but in other times, they earn below it. As per the 2001 statistics, minors were the most affected of all groups in the industrialized nations America being the worst because 14. % of the minors lived below the poverty line. This also largely affected the Americans. (Haveman RH. 1987) According to the United States Research Center, the poverty rate has increased over the recent past from what it has been for over twenty-six years. In the past, it was 11. 3 percent but in 2004 it stood at 12. 7 percent though this gradually declined in the year 2006 to 12. 3 percent. In the period between 2000-2006, the poverty level among the minors significantly increased from 16. 2 percent to 17. 8 percent but in following two years it decline to 17. 4 percent. Poverty in America varies across race, family, sex and age but America has registered a decline in poverty rate when compared with the 1990’s figures. This could be attributed to the economic depression. The current rate is still bigger than that of the 1970s. As per the United States Census Bureau, it calculates the rate of poverty by assessing the much one earns and his purchasing power. As it is noted above that poverty varies in America, poverty rate is highest among the juniors who are under 18 years. According to a survey that was done in 1998, the poverty rate amongst children was 18. 9% and this was a decrease from the 1997 figure. The rate of poverty to those who are under six years was 20. 6% in 1998. The rate for those within the bracket of 18-64 was 10. 9%. In 2005 the poverty rate for over those 65 years was 9. 4 percent than that of 2005 which was 10. 1 percent while that of the minors stood at 17. 4% Depending on peoples’ nationality, those who were born in America had a poverty level of 11. 9% or an equivalent of 30. 8 million people in the year 2007 and this was the same as it was in 2006. To the foreigners, the poverty level in 2006 slightly went down to 15. 2% when compared with the 2005 figure and in 207 the figure still went down. Moore D. 2007) Causes of poverty. Poverty has many causes and some of them are overpopulation, unequal distribution of resources high living standards, lack of proper education and skills, lack of employment, economic and distribution of people in a location, natural disasters. Overpopulation can be linked with poverty. In areas that have a lot of people, there is strain in resources as people tend to deplete them because competition there in but this is not a major cause of poverty in US. The real causes of poverty in USA are low wages and lack of reliable and well paying employment. In America over two thirds of all poor households with some children rely on only one or two people who are in jobs. However, many of them are in low paying jobs that cannot help them to meet their needs. Many people do not get jobs because of a number of factors. Some of them do not have the required skills while others are handicaps, personal hazards and general inability to perform. In America people who were sometime in the past employed but due to some reasons such as misconducts were dismissed are poor. They could also have been dismissed due to insubordination, unionism or because of participating in strikes. When people do not get good jobs or are not at all employed, they cannot provide their families with their necessities and hence the high rate of poverty. In America most of the unemployed turn to drug abuse. (Dwarkin R. 2005) Another thing that cause poverty in America is that there is a very high living condition. With little money, it is not possible to get adequate food, shelter and clothing many who claim to be employed are in low paying jobs that pay minimum wages and this is the problem that non employed face. Because USA is a developed nation, the prices of items are very high so anyone earning a dollar a day finds it hard to survive. For example a Mexican can get one dollar in hour and then buy some food for the family. The same case applies in America where food is very expensive; one may earn five dollars in a day only to spend all of this money on food. Generally life standard in America is very high and for this reason many are considered to live below poverty line. This causes most Americans to have physical and mental disabilities and may lead to pathological disorders. This has been a problem to many because once you get addicted to drugs as your life becomes dependent on them. In such a situation, then you prioritize drugs instead of other things that are more important. These drugs cause a mind to fail to function properly and for this reason they cannot secure themselves jobs in America. Mental inability, social problem and disability are some of the challenges that Americans face. Disabled people cannot be able to compete effectively in the search for jobs as physically normal people do. Because they have low incomes, their families give them special attention and this puts strain to their meager resources. These people are also isolated by others something that increases the level of social stigma. Another thing is exclusion in the social processes and this has been another cause of poverty in America. It happens when people do not get a chance of leading a normal life. It occurs to the disabled, the imprisoned and to the people who have language difficulties. The homeless and the ex- prisoners as well as those that are suffering from aids are also affected. These factors have greatly led to the increase in poverty cases. It should be understood that these people though they are not actively participating in social processes, they still require food, shelter and clothing. (Cohen S. 985) Poverty and crime Crime is doing contrary to what is required by the constitution. Many people indulge themselves in criminal activities if they do not meet their basic needs. Most people become criminals because of poverty but it should not be forgotten that others deem it a career. According to the conflict theories, economic strife has been related or associated with crimes. Many people who d o not have any other source of their livelihood, result to crimes such as burglary, assault and robbery. Most of these individuals are socially propelled to behave this way due to their poverty level and social alienation. Increase in per capital income tends to reduce crime rate something that attests to the fact that poverty leads to crime. Crime rate depends on social and cultural factors for example; if many children are born by single mothers then the level of the crime goes up. Most children who are fatherless are more likely to become criminals because they lack proper attention at home as their mother cannot meet their basic needs. They go to the streets to seek solace. Crime rates. There are three things that could be attributed to the rise in crime rates in America. These are for example the rise of outbreaks. This was one major cause of crimes in the 1986 and in 1960s and 70s there were some family policies that were make which resulted to upsurge in juvenile delinquency. The third cause of crime is the saturation of the criminal systems. (Cassdill H. 1962) This has compromised the fight against crime as prisoners are being sentenced for a shorter period than they should and are prematurely released. When this happens, they leave prisons uncorrected. According to a research that was done by the Kirwan Institute increase in poverty was linked to high-level crime rate. This is because when the poverty level goes beyond a certain point it invites crime. In the United States, the high rate of illegitimate births is linked to crime prevalence and this is as a result of many single parented households. When these children do not get the proper care that they deserve, they turn to crimes. According to Milton Eisenhower’s foundation, seventy per cent of all African Americans in America have single mothers. While only eighteen per cent of all the whites have single mother. The increase in single motherhood increases the prospects of people indulging themselves in crimes. Most poor people engage themselves in crimes such as prostitution, selling drugs and even murder while others engage in juvenile crimes. What should be done to control this level of crime rate is to make some reforms in the judicial system to ensure they are more effective. Criminal should be jailed for a term that is equivalent to the crime they committed. The tougher and reasonable judges should be put on the bench to ensure that justice would take its course. Those violent offenders should not be on the loose especially when they are supposed to be serving their term in prison. This is the only way the high rate of crime could be scaled down. The way forward. There are various ways of eradicating poverty in America and one of them is ensuring that property rights that are respected to the letter. Property rights should be seen as the same as human rights. All American citizens have a right to own property wherever they want. If this is properly addressed the gap between the rich and poor would be reduced. The main cause of crime in USA is because the poor living in close proximity with the rich. Also those lacking reliable income are forced to look for alternative means of meeting their basic needs. The presence of both rich and the poor people puts the government in a very tricky place, as it is impossible to collect taxes for it is not easy to determine who should pay and who should not. (Smeeding TM et al, 1990) The United States government can reduce the poverty level by providing the poor with some small amount so that they could start some businesses as it was done in the Western States under a program known as a Welfare State in the 20th Century. Those that should be taken care of are at least the poor and the disabled as they are the most disadvantaged in the society. People are social beings and for this reason they cannot sit back and watch their friends continue suffering so the government should come up with Charity Programs that would allow people to channel assistance of any kind to the poor as the rich might be willing to help them. These organizations should either be voluntary or non-profit making groups. The United States government should embark on subsidized households and medical issues. The government should also analyze the importance of subsidized medical care than the free governmentally supported health care. The poor should be provided with employment by the government as not all poor people lack the relevant job skills. Lack of employment in America is one reason that increases poverty prevalence so if they are given jobs they would be able to meet their basic necessities and this would help in reducing the gap between the rich and the poor. The poor should also be helped in accessing free health care. Most poor people do not even afford to go to hospitals once they get sick and stay at home. This also puts strain on their meager income making them to become even poorer. The government should also offer free family planning programs as many who turn to be criminals are from those households that do not provide them with proper attention. Children from single parented households and especially those that are headed by the mother are more likely to result into becoming criminals. These families should be provided with some family allowances by the government so as they would take care of children properly to avoid them being attracted to become juvenile criminals. The poor who mostly live in ghettos should be provided with better housing facilities for example the government should upgrade these ghettos so that they would enjoy life just like the rich do. This would help in bridging the gap between the rich and the poor Currently the talk on poverty is still on going and has become a campaign tool among the presidential candidates. They are promising Americans what they will do once they become the next US president come the 2008 Election. Obama who is one of these candidates promised the Americans that he would establish Twenty Promise Households and especially in the areas that are affected by high levels of poverty and crime. They would operate just like the Harlem Children’s Home operates. He said he will spend about six US dollars on this program and this will benefit the Harlem, the Town Hall Education and the Town Hall Education. (Kristof N. D. 2008) Both Edward and Obama are challenging Hillary Clinton who up to now has not come up with any poverty reduction proposal. Obama’s speech was mainly on urban and rural areas and most particularly on city initiatives while Edward focused on this poverty issue might have a lot of impact on who will be chosen as the president of the United States of America. Edward said that he would relocate the poor families so that they would be in a place where they would easily access jobs and other facilities. From the research findings, it is safe to conclude that poverty greatly contributes to the rise in crime level that is both are interrelated. This is evident in that poor people inhabit regions that register high crime rate. (Kristof N. D. 2008) When poor people lack their basic needs, they resort to crimes such as drug selling and trafficking, juvenile delinquency and assaults. There are various measures that if they are undertaken, the crime level would definitely go down and some of these are to strengthen the correction and judicial system and to empower the poor people so that the gap between the rich and poor would be closed. This is something that is of prime concern to the 2008 presidential candidates such as Obama who promised to boost the cities initiative especially those that work to help the poor. Indeed, there is a relationship between poverty and crime prevalence in United States of America. Most of the crimes occur in areas that are occupied by the poor people. When people are wallowing in poverty they are prone to indulge themselves in criminal acts. In order to reduce the rate of crime, the government should try to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. The poor should be economically be strengthened and their living standards be uplifted. Houses in the ghettos should be upgraded to improve the quality of life for the poor. To reduce the level of crimes, the judicial system should be adjusted so as to make it more effective. The laws should be enforced to ensure they are followed to the letter.

Outline and evaluate behavioural therapies to treat mental disorders Essay

Because of the nature of the behavioural model which measure specific behaviours in precise terms such as how many times a negative behaviour is performed, improvements can be accurately measured. Which in turn means therapies effectiveness can also be measured. The classical conditioning therapies have been proved to be effective by Wolpe who found an 80-90% success rate with these therapies. Barlow and Lehmen also found a success rate of 77% following treatment. However medication can interfere with systematic desensitization because medication suppresses anxiety. Operant conditioning is also based on scientific principals proven to be effective by Azrin who examined female patients in a mental hospital who were incapable of doing everyday tasks. Using token economies, positive behaviour in these women increased. However studies looking at children and students by Lepper and Deci also found that rewarding intrinsic interests actually reduces behaviour. A strength of the classical conditioning therapies is that the patients have a high level of control. In token economies however patients have very little control over their therapies. This raises ethical issues as informed consent is not achieved for token economies, instead they are enforced with or without the patients consent. Token economies are also open to abuse and can be deemed as a form of social control. Classical conditioning therapies also raise ethical issues in terms of putting their patients at risk of emotional harm. Other problems with classical conditioning therapies include the fact that some patients may not have a vivid enough imagination for flooding, and social desensitization may be difficult to arrange and control, whereas token economies are practical as they can be done anywhere. A problem with token economies though, is that changes are due to external rewards and not an innate desire to change and so if the rewards are removed the positive behaviour may cease. Finally debate will also continue whether the treatments provided by the behavioural model only treat the symptoms and not the causes, and if only the symptoms are treated, does it matter?

How to Create an Effective Classroom Library

How to Create an Effective Classroom Library The greatest contribution that you as a teacher can make to the educational success of your students is to help them become proficient readers. You can do this by providing them with a classroom library. A classroom library will give them the easy access they need to read. A well-stocked, organized library will show students that you value books as well as value their education. How Your Library Should Function While your first thought of a classroom library may be a cozy little place in the corner of the room where students go to read quietly, you are only partially correct. While it is all of those things, it is also much more. An effectively designed classroom library should support reading inside and outside of school, help students learn about how to select appropriate reading materials, provide a place for students to read independently, as well as serve as a place to talk and discuss books. Lets dive into these functions a little bit further. It Should Support Reading This space should support learning both inside and outside of the classroom. It should include both fiction and nonfiction books that have different reading levels. It should also accommodate the different interests and abilities of all students. These books are going to be books that students can check out and take home with them. Help Children Learn About Literature The classroom library is a place where your students can learn about books. They can experience a variety of book genres and other reading materials like newspapers, comics, and magazines and more in a controlled, small environment. You can use your classroom library to teach students how to select books as well as how to take care of books. Provide Opportunities for Independent Reading The third purpose a classroom library should have is to provide children with the opportunity to read independently. It should be used as a resource to support daily reading where students can self-select books that meet their interest. Building Your Library The first thing that you will want to do when building your classroom library is to get books, a lot of books. You can do this by going to a garage sale, joining a book club like Scholastic, soliciting donations from Donorschose.org, or asking parents to donate. Once you have your books, follow these steps to building your library. 1. Choose an open corner in your classroom where you can fit bookcases, a carpet and a comfy chair or love seat. Choose leather or vinyl over fabric because its easier to keep clean and it doesnt carry too many germs. 2. Combine your books into categories and color code levels books so that they will be easy for students to decipher. Categories can be animals, fiction, non-fiction, mystery, folktales, etc. 3. Label every book that belongs to you. The easiest way to do this is to get a stamp and stamp the inside cover with your name on it. 4. Create a check-out and return system for when students want to bring a book home. Students should sign a book out by writing down the title, author and which bin they got the book from. Then, they should return it by the end of the following week. 5. When students return books you must show them how to put the book back where they found it. You even assign a student the job as book master. This person would collect the returned books from the bin every Friday and place them back in the correct bin. Make sure that you have strict consequences if books are misplaced or mistreated. For example, if someone forgot to return their book by the due date then they may not choose another book the following week to take home. Looking for more book-related information? Here are 20 book activities to try in your classroom.

Essay on Critical Thinking

Essay on Critical Thinking Essay on Critical Thinking Essay on Critical ThinkingThe transition from adolescence to early adulthood takes place between 18 and 25 years old (Santrock, 2013). The signs of transition into early adulthood are largely related to ones behavioral characteristics and actions than associated with physical development. Officially, the U.S. citizens are considered adult when they reach the age of 18; upon reaching this age, most U.S. citizens (depending on the state laws) receive the right to work legally, to vote, to marry, to sign contracts, to join the military etc (Fingerman, 2011). Some rights such as purchasing alcohol are however limited by the minimal age of 21 (Fingerman, 2011). At the same time, not all individuals who reached 18 years, possess the characteristics of a young adult.The typical markers of the transition from adolescence to adulthood are economic independence, having a more or less full-time (permanent) job, being able to take responsibility for oneself and such life decisions as marriage, g iving birth to children, etc (Santrock, 2013). Among these developmental markets, the most significant marker is the presence of a more or less permanent job.Therefore, the first girl is not actually right that she should be considered an adolescent basing only on the fact that she was 18 years old. Nothing specific is known about other developmental markers of the first girl, but since she did not demonstrate a willingness to refer to herself as an adult and did not think beyond the limits of age, it is reasonable to classify her as an adolescent. As for the second girl, she is most likely in the stage of early adulthood since she states she pays her own way through college; assuming that she does it using her own earnings, it is reasonable to conclude that she has a more or less permanent job and that she is economically independent or is close to economic independence.John Gottman identified seven principles for making marriage work: 1) enhance your love maps; 2) nurture your fon dness and admiration; 3) turn toward each other instead of away; 4) let your partner influence you; 5) solve your solvable problems; 6) overcome gridlock; and 7) create shared meaning (Santrock, 2013). Basing on these principles, it is possible to develop recommendations for couples planning to marry in order to improve their marital satisfaction and reduce the probability of divorce. These recommendations are the following.Research and write down the preferences of your partner and ask him or her to do the same. It might also be helpful to play questions ask the partner a question about himself or herself and provide an own answer to this question, and then to exchange roles.In the end of every day, recall at least five good things that your partner made to you or positive traits that he or she demonstrated and write them down. It is also beneficial to write at least three thank you to the partner for these actions or traits.Prepare a plan for a week that would include one unusual expression of love and affection for your partner and follow it. These actions can be repeated whenever it is needed.When it is necessary to make a choice or a decision, ask your partner about his or her choice and feelings, discuss yours and work out a shared decision.Identify situational problems that exist between you and your partner, and address them using the following sequence of steps (Cavanaugh Blanchard-Fields, 2014): initiate the conversation in a neutral tone (without negative emotions), deescalate tension associated with the situation, soothe yourself and your partner by taking a break, relaxing or using other ways, reach a compromise and accept the partners flaws or shortcomings.If there is a feeling of dissatisfaction or gridlock in relationships, identify the dreams or wishes that are causing this feeling and choose a time to discuss this question with your partner.Identify activities and values that are shared between you and your partner, and create family ritual s and traditions nurturing these values. For example, this might be going together to church, organizing family meetings or creating a tradition for spending a weekend or a weekday in a specific way. Essay on Critical Thinking Essay on Critical Thinking Essay on Critical ThinkingThe transition from adolescence to early adulthood takes place between 18 and 25 years old (Santrock, 2013). The signs of transition into early adulthood are largely related to ones behavioral characteristics and actions than associated with physical development. Officially, the U.S. citizens are considered adult when they reach the age of 18; upon reaching this age, most U.S. citizens (depending on the state laws) receive the right to work legally, to vote, to marry, to sign contracts, to join the military etc (Fingerman, 2011). Some rights such as purchasing alcohol are however limited by the minimal age of 21 (Fingerman, 2011). At the same time, not all individuals who reached 18 years, possess the characteristics of a young adult.The typical markers of the transition from adolescence to adulthood are economic independence, having a more or less full-time (permanent) job, being able to take responsibility for oneself and such life decisions as marriage, g iving birth to children, etc (Santrock, 2013). Among these developmental markets, the most significant marker is the presence of a more or less permanent job.Therefore, the first girl is not actually right that she should be considered an adolescent basing only on the fact that she was 18 years old. Nothing specific is known about other developmental markers of the first girl, but since she did not demonstrate a willingness to refer to herself as an adult and did not think beyond the limits of age, it is reasonable to classify her as an adolescent. As for the second girl, she is most likely in the stage of early adulthood since she states she pays her own way through college; assuming that she does it using her own earnings, it is reasonable to conclude that she has a more or less permanent job and that she is economically independent or is close to economic independence.John Gottman identified seven principles for making marriage work: 1) enhance your love maps; 2) nurture your fon dness and admiration; 3) turn toward each other instead of away; 4) let your partner influence you; 5) solve your solvable problems; 6) overcome gridlock; and 7) create shared meaning (Santrock, 2013). Basing on these principles, it is possible to develop recommendations for couples planning to marry in order to improve their marital satisfaction and reduce the probability of divorce. These recommendations are the following.Research and write down the preferences of your partner and ask him or her to do the same. It might also be helpful to play questions ask the partner a question about himself or herself and provide an own answer to this question, and then to exchange roles.In the end of every day, recall at least five good things that your partner made to you or positive traits that he or she demonstrated and write them down. It is also beneficial to write at least three thank you to the partner for these actions or traits.Prepare a plan for a week that would include one unusual expression of love and affection for your partner and follow it. These actions can be repeated whenever it is needed.When it is necessary to make a choice or a decision, ask your partner about his or her choice and feelings, discuss yours and work out a shared decision.Identify situational problems that exist between you and your partner, and address them using the following sequence of steps (Cavanaugh Blanchard-Fields, 2014): initiate the conversation in a neutral tone (without negative emotions), deescalate tension associated with the situation, soothe yourself and your partner by taking a break, relaxing or using other ways, reach a compromise and accept the partners flaws or shortcomings.If there is a feeling of dissatisfaction or gridlock in relationships, identify the dreams or wishes that are causing this feeling and choose a time to discuss this question with your partner.Identify activities and values that are shared between you and your partner, and create family ritual s and traditions nurturing these values. For example, this might be going together to church, organizing family meetings or creating a tradition for spending a weekend or a weekday in a specific way. Essay on Critical Thinking Essay on Critical Thinking Essay on Critical ThinkingThe transition from adolescence to early adulthood takes place between 18 and 25 years old (Santrock, 2013). The signs of transition into early adulthood are largely related to ones behavioral characteristics and actions than associated with physical development. Officially, the U.S. citizens are considered adult when they reach the age of 18; upon reaching this age, most U.S. citizens (depending on the state laws) receive the right to work legally, to vote, to marry, to sign contracts, to join the military etc (Fingerman, 2011). Some rights such as purchasing alcohol are however limited by the minimal age of 21 (Fingerman, 2011). At the same time, not all individuals who reached 18 years, possess the characteristics of a young adult.The typical markers of the transition from adolescence to adulthood are economic independence, having a more or less full-time (permanent) job, being able to take responsibility for oneself and such life decisions as marriage, g iving birth to children, etc (Santrock, 2013). Among these developmental markets, the most significant marker is the presence of a more or less permanent job.Therefore, the first girl is not actually right that she should be considered an adolescent basing only on the fact that she was 18 years old. Nothing specific is known about other developmental markers of the first girl, but since she did not demonstrate a willingness to refer to herself as an adult and did not think beyond the limits of age, it is reasonable to classify her as an adolescent. As for the second girl, she is most likely in the stage of early adulthood since she states she pays her own way through college; assuming that she does it using her own earnings, it is reasonable to conclude that she has a more or less permanent job and that she is economically independent or is close to economic independence.John Gottman identified seven principles for making marriage work: 1) enhance your love maps; 2) nurture your fon dness and admiration; 3) turn toward each other instead of away; 4) let your partner influence you; 5) solve your solvable problems; 6) overcome gridlock; and 7) create shared meaning (Santrock, 2013). Basing on these principles, it is possible to develop recommendations for couples planning to marry in order to improve their marital satisfaction and reduce the probability of divorce. These recommendations are the following.Research and write down the preferences of your partner and ask him or her to do the same. It might also be helpful to play questions ask the partner a question about himself or herself and provide an own answer to this question, and then to exchange roles.In the end of every day, recall at least five good things that your partner made to you or positive traits that he or she demonstrated and write them down. It is also beneficial to write at least three thank you to the partner for these actions or traits.Prepare a plan for a week that would include one unusual expression of love and affection for your partner and follow it. These actions can be repeated whenever it is needed.When it is necessary to make a choice or a decision, ask your partner about his or her choice and feelings, discuss yours and work out a shared decision.Identify situational problems that exist between you and your partner, and address them using the following sequence of steps (Cavanaugh Blanchard-Fields, 2014): initiate the conversation in a neutral tone (without negative emotions), deescalate tension associated with the situation, soothe yourself and your partner by taking a break, relaxing or using other ways, reach a compromise and accept the partners flaws or shortcomings.If there is a feeling of dissatisfaction or gridlock in relationships, identify the dreams or wishes that are causing this feeling and choose a time to discuss this question with your partner.Identify activities and values that are shared between you and your partner, and create family ritual s and traditions nurturing these values. For example, this might be going together to church, organizing family meetings or creating a tradition for spending a weekend or a weekday in a specific way.

Reducing Ambiguity in Business Requirements Case Study

Reducing Ambiguity in Business Requirements - Case Study Example On the other hand, the word â€Å"or† implies uncertainty. This implies that any rules developed from such word will have different meaning interpretations to different people. This makes the end users in the system to have different interpretation for a particular process leading to ambiguity or bad business requirements. Although ambiguous business requirements are a major cause of bad business requirements, they are not the only reasons behind bad business requirements. Deficiency in requirements is the second cause of bad business requirement. Deficient requirements are requirements with insufficient rules or rules that do not consider all end users involved in the system. Errors in requirements are also a major cause of bad business requirements. Error in business leads to wrong interpretation by different users leading to bad requirement. Requirements without boundary conditions also lead to the development of bad business requirement. Boundary conditions are rules that define limits according to rights and or wrongs. Lacks or specification on people required to run the system is also a cause of bad business requirements. Lack of the word I or we in the requirement will lead to the development of bad business requirements. Such words specify the roles or requirements of different people required to run the system. In addition, lack of specification of component or feature in the system causes the production of bad business requirements. A bad business requirement therefore lacks specification of the people or a group of people that requires taking a certain action. Most business requirements focus on the technology rather than the business outcome of a system. A system that is biased towards technology has bad business requirements. Finally, bad requirements lack the ability to be traced back to main decision makers in the business. A requirement that state that the system must support employee’s birthday is a bad

Software Development (JAVA) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Software Development (JAVA) - Coursework Example The working methods illustrate the functionalities / pusposes of the different classes. The underived class checkStock has not been dervied or linked to any child classes and therfore it has been shown seperately with its data members and method members. Class Hierarchy_Diagram The class hierarchy diagram shows the 5 classes in a hierarchical way with the super class / parent class / base class on top i.e., the class calculateCost. The child classes are shown at the bottom and they have been labelled as implementing classes with definitions of the member methods of the parent class. The super class has been labelled as an abstract class because of the absence of method definitions i.e., abstract methods. Instance_Diagram The instance diagram shows the object instances of the class calculateCost and its sub classes: box, triangular and cylindrical. It shows the super classes protected data members being accessed by the sub classes. The instance diagram depicts the flow of the object o riented program and traces the entire execution path or process flow of the application. It shows the values and the calculations as it occures in a real time execution scenario. Use Case Diagram The Use Case diagram illustrated the actors i.e., the Operator who initialises the stock of grade 1, grade 2, grade 3 of boards present in the company’s reserves for designing of tubes and boxes. The processes of a customer logging in and making an order choice for a box or a tube, the grade and the other additional specifications like reinforcble bottom, sealable top, color printing etc. Calculation of Cost: The cost is calculated based on the grade of the material. The additional costs of sealable tops, reinforcble bottoms, color printing are added to the total cost as percentages The main calculation is involved in the part where the surface area is calculated using the method calculateSurfaceArea. It accepts the inputs for total units ordered (example n), the dimensions and the t ype ( board grade) from the user. For the Box it calculates the surface by employing the folowing mathematical calculation: Surface area = n X length X height For the Triangular tube the following calculation is performed Surface area = n X {(0.5 X side1 X side2) + {squareroot {(side1)2 + (side2)2}* height} +side1 X height + side2 X height For the cylindrical tube the surface area is calculated using the following mathematical formula: Surface area = n X 3.14*radius2 + (2 X 3.14 X radius * height ) Here n is the number of ordered units or the quantity Height is the height of the triangular or cylindrical tube Side 1 and side 2 are the two sides of the triangle base tube Radius is the radius of the cylindrical tube Length, breadth and height are the three sides of the box Calculation of available material (Quantity Exceeded) The total ordered surface areas of grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3 are compared with the initially entered quantity of board material by the order. Accordingly the output is displayed and message shown whether the ordered quantity has exceeded the stock

Abortion and Womens Rights Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Abortion and Womens Rights - Research Paper Example A woman, however, is a container for the fetus and without her, the childbirth is not even possible (Shafak, n.p.). She needs to make the decision regarding whether or not she is capable of carrying the child in her womb for a period of 9 months. Every woman must have the right to make the decision regarding abortion depending upon a number of factors like the involvement of the father, financial resources available to her, health implications as well as a matter of mere choice of whether or not she wants the baby and is willing to sacrifice her life to care for her child (Abortion Is Every Woman's Right, n.p.). A woman’s body is her own and thus no other person should be allowed to make the decision regarding what she wants, especially if she is an adult of sound mind, capable of making her own decisions. The right to abortion is a very crucial topic that needs to be discussed and taken care of because it involves the life of an unborn child. It is thus up to the woman to dec ide whether or not she wants to give life to the fetus because she herself will be able to ascertain whether or not she has the potential to do so and carry on with the pregnancy (BBC News). Many times, women fail to gather the support of the men that got them pregnant in the first place; in such a situation, how is it that a woman should not be given the right to carry on with the abortion if she wants to? (Abortion Is Every Woman's Right, n.p.). A woman is a human being too, something that a patriarchal driven society often tends to forget; it is not an easy task to carry on with pregnancy and give birth to a child especially without financial resources and proper nutrition. Unless and until a woman wants to have a child, she should not be forced into doing so because this takes away the rights of not only the mother but also her unborn child (Dreaper, n.p.). A pregnancy does not always have to be planned; in many cases, two people engaging in sexual intercourse while using all th e necessary precaution could still fall short – condoms are not a hundred percent effective and neither are birth control pills and that is why a woman should have the right to decide whether or not she wants to keep the child once pregnant (Dreaper, n.p.). Young couples could get pregnant without having the means to support a child or a plan for the future of the child and in this case, if they deem fit that they should abort the pregnancy, it is their decision. Moreover, if a woman is young and has her entire future ahead of her, she should not lay prey to society to do what is best – she should know what is best for her and take the necessary actions because otherwise, she will have to deal with the consequences (Shafak, n.p.). Pregnancies have a very adverse effect on the body of a woman; they tend to disrupt the normal course of lifestyle for her and there are many changes that she goes through in her body.  

Variable Air Volume (VAV) System to achieve better Indoor Dissertation

Variable Air Volume (VAV) System to achieve better Indoor Environmental Quality for a commercial Building & energy saving - Dissertation Example The main reason for these functions like heating, ventilation, cooling, and air-conditioning is to make occupants of rooms comfortable (Awbi, 2003). VAV system is one of the HVAC applications and its main purpose is to reduce energy cost as well as maintenance cost. The use of VAV process contains two main components and the components are the room and the VAV damper. The main VAV air handling system is the embedded HVAC system which most of the times are invisible. It is this system that is responsible for delivery of conditioned air to the whole building or structure. The use of this type of system has two merits and the merits are based on the constant volume that is found within the system. This system has the fan control capacity unlike other systems like CAV and the fan control capacity enhances reduction of the used amount of energy. CHAPTER ONE 1.1 INTRODUCTION Variable Air Volume also commonly known as (VAV) system is a kind of ventilation, heating, and air-conditioning devi ces that use a supply duct of fresh air and gives out hot or cool air as the supply air. The air which is being supplied to this device most of the time has constant temperature and therefore, the resultant airflow always varies for the achievement of the fall and rise of the losses or gains characterized with thermal zone. Most of the VAV systems have two primary merits and the merits are due to the constant volume within the system. The system has a fan control capacity which is capable of reducing the amount of energy consumed through the fan. This energy which is used by the fans forms the total energy cooling requirements which are beneficial to the building (Etheridge & Sandberg, 1996). The Variable Air Volume system has a lot of dehumidification compared to the constant volume system because the constant volume system is capable of modulating the temperature of the discharge air. The attainment of the temperature for the discharged air constitutes the cooling load of the whol e system. Within this system the blowing rate for the air is greatly varied and in the case of Variable Air Volume with a single handler for air, the serving for various multiple zones can be achieved. The flow rate associated with each multiple zone when only one handler is operational is always varied. The Variable Air system has a terminal unit and this terminal unit acts as a VAV box which controls the air flow rate for the different zones. This box operates automatically with the help of the actuator. There is a direct connection between the central or local control systems with the VAV box and the control system at times is pneumatically controlled. The use of Variable Air Volume (VAV) for many years has been able to provide quality indoor air thereby improving the quality of the surrounding environment. The quality of the surrounding air greatly affects the general environmental quality and therefore, the use of this system has been preferred in many buildings that belong to private individuals as well as companies. A lot of health benefits are attributed to indoor air quality since low quality air contains microbes that are capable of affecting the occupants of the buildings (Chadderton, 2004). A lot of prevalence has been given to the VAV system compared to CV system and this prevalence is

Writing a paper about a "TED TALK" Essay

Writing a paper about a "TED TALK" - Essay Example Professor Amy Cuddy said that some power poses don’t only change the way people are perceived by others but also change their body’s chemistry immediately. Body language judgments will predict life outcomes that are meaningful like who people are, who they will promote or hire and how they will ask out for a date. This research will focus on how body language shapes who people are. Amy Cuddy argues that nonverbal expressions of dominance and power in the animal kingdom is about stretching out, expanding, and making you big. It is not limited to primates alone but also to animals which also do this whenever they feel chronically powerful and also the moment they feel powerful. Both people, born blind or with sight expand their bodies and throw hands in the air after winning in competitions. When people feel powerless, they wrap themselves up, close up, make themselves smaller and can’t pump into others. It is possible for people to fake it until they make it. Nonverbal communications can govern both how people feel and think about themselves and also how other people feel and think about them. People smile when they are excited but also feel happy when forced to smile thru holding a pen amid their teeth. A power pose is likely struck by people feeling powerful, but when they pretend to have a powerful feeling they are likely to feel more powerful. People know that their minds can change their bodies (Amy). They should know that their bodies can also change their minds. The minds of the powerful tend to be more optimistic, assertive and confident. They will take more risks as they reason abstractedly (Amy). Difference in physiology is there too, on both the stress hormone and the dominance hormone, cortisol and testosterone respectively. Therefore, when people think of power they should not think on testosterone only but also cortisol as

US and Vietnam War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

US and Vietnam War - Essay Example The final contingent of the U.S. commitment departed Vietnam 60 days after the signing, but the level of violence between Vietnamese adversaries did not significantly decline; no peace came to Vietnam. In the United States, Watergate was changing from amber to red, and as his presidency unraveled in 1973, President Richard Nixon's secret commitments to South Vietnam's President Nguyen Van Thieu were rendered meaningless. Less than two years later, faced with funding a $722 million budget supplement, the U.S. Congress showed little interest in providing military equipment or financial support to America's longtime ally, South Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam ceased to exist. For most Americans, the last images of the war were of the dazed U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin carrying a folded American flag under his arm during the final evacuation from the U.S. Embassy; or perhaps the chaos surrounding the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese families from the Embassy rooftop. No one seemed interested in such critical questions as the nature of the war, why the United States chose to fight the way it did, how North Vietnam had prevailed, the relationship of political objectives to military strategy, or the lessons that could be derived from the public diplomacy and secret negotiations that had characterized so much of the conflict. The dire situation would change as scholars gained access to a series of significant declassifications of primary source documents located in archival depositories in the United States, Vietnam, China, and Russia, and as principal architects of policy-the so-called "best and brightest"-began to reflect and write on their roles during the period. In 1995, former Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara broke his own long silence on the subject with the admission that "we were wrong, terribly wrong" (McNamara & Van De Mark 1995). Another principal architect of Vietnam policy, political scientist Henry Kissinger, has generated several books that address why the United States fought in Vietnam (Kissinger 1999). We approach our topic chronologically by examining 30 years of war from 1945 to 1975-beginning with the historic Vietnamese proclamation of independence and ending with the fall of South Vietnam in April 1975. We have identified what we believe are important components of this unfolding saga, and we begin from the intellectual premise that truly understanding why the United States fought in Vietnam requires that we comprehend the roots of the conflict (before it became America's war in Vietnam) from the perspective of countries other than the United States- specifically, Vietnam, China, and the Soviet Union. After all, it was the United States that chose to fight in Vietnam's war (Young 1991). Research The disciplines of history and political science have illuminated many important aspects of the war, including presidential personality and leadership, war powers, public opinion, the role of the media, advisory processes and interactions, political dissent, and congressional-executive relations. Political science has also contributed significant theoretical advances on

Variable Air Volume (VAV) System to achieve better Indoor Dissertation

Variable Air Volume (VAV) System to achieve better Indoor Environmental Quality for a commercial Building & energy saving - Dissertation Example The main reason for these functions like heating, ventilation, cooling, and air-conditioning is to make occupants of rooms comfortable (Awbi, 2003). VAV system is one of the HVAC applications and its main purpose is to reduce energy cost as well as maintenance cost. The use of VAV process contains two main components and the components are the room and the VAV damper. The main VAV air handling system is the embedded HVAC system which most of the times are invisible. It is this system that is responsible for delivery of conditioned air to the whole building or structure. The use of this type of system has two merits and the merits are based on the constant volume that is found within the system. This system has the fan control capacity unlike other systems like CAV and the fan control capacity enhances reduction of the used amount of energy. CHAPTER ONE 1.1 INTRODUCTION Variable Air Volume also commonly known as (VAV) system is a kind of ventilation, heating, and air-conditioning devi ces that use a supply duct of fresh air and gives out hot or cool air as the supply air. The air which is being supplied to this device most of the time has constant temperature and therefore, the resultant airflow always varies for the achievement of the fall and rise of the losses or gains characterized with thermal zone. Most of the VAV systems have two primary merits and the merits are due to the constant volume within the system. The system has a fan control capacity which is capable of reducing the amount of energy consumed through the fan. This energy which is used by the fans forms the total energy cooling requirements which are beneficial to the building (Etheridge & Sandberg, 1996). The Variable Air Volume system has a lot of dehumidification compared to the constant volume system because the constant volume system is capable of modulating the temperature of the discharge air. The attainment of the temperature for the discharged air constitutes the cooling load of the whol e system. Within this system the blowing rate for the air is greatly varied and in the case of Variable Air Volume with a single handler for air, the serving for various multiple zones can be achieved. The flow rate associated with each multiple zone when only one handler is operational is always varied. The Variable Air system has a terminal unit and this terminal unit acts as a VAV box which controls the air flow rate for the different zones. This box operates automatically with the help of the actuator. There is a direct connection between the central or local control systems with the VAV box and the control system at times is pneumatically controlled. The use of Variable Air Volume (VAV) for many years has been able to provide quality indoor air thereby improving the quality of the surrounding environment. The quality of the surrounding air greatly affects the general environmental quality and therefore, the use of this system has been preferred in many buildings that belong to private individuals as well as companies. A lot of health benefits are attributed to indoor air quality since low quality air contains microbes that are capable of affecting the occupants of the buildings (Chadderton, 2004). A lot of prevalence has been given to the VAV system compared to CV system and this prevalence is

US and Vietnam War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

US and Vietnam War - Essay Example The final contingent of the U.S. commitment departed Vietnam 60 days after the signing, but the level of violence between Vietnamese adversaries did not significantly decline; no peace came to Vietnam. In the United States, Watergate was changing from amber to red, and as his presidency unraveled in 1973, President Richard Nixon's secret commitments to South Vietnam's President Nguyen Van Thieu were rendered meaningless. Less than two years later, faced with funding a $722 million budget supplement, the U.S. Congress showed little interest in providing military equipment or financial support to America's longtime ally, South Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam ceased to exist. For most Americans, the last images of the war were of the dazed U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin carrying a folded American flag under his arm during the final evacuation from the U.S. Embassy; or perhaps the chaos surrounding the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese families from the Embassy rooftop. No one seemed interested in such critical questions as the nature of the war, why the United States chose to fight the way it did, how North Vietnam had prevailed, the relationship of political objectives to military strategy, or the lessons that could be derived from the public diplomacy and secret negotiations that had characterized so much of the conflict. The dire situation would change as scholars gained access to a series of significant declassifications of primary source documents located in archival depositories in the United States, Vietnam, China, and Russia, and as principal architects of policy-the so-called "best and brightest"-began to reflect and write on their roles during the period. In 1995, former Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara broke his own long silence on the subject with the admission that "we were wrong, terribly wrong" (McNamara & Van De Mark 1995). Another principal architect of Vietnam policy, political scientist Henry Kissinger, has generated several books that address why the United States fought in Vietnam (Kissinger 1999). We approach our topic chronologically by examining 30 years of war from 1945 to 1975-beginning with the historic Vietnamese proclamation of independence and ending with the fall of South Vietnam in April 1975. We have identified what we believe are important components of this unfolding saga, and we begin from the intellectual premise that truly understanding why the United States fought in Vietnam requires that we comprehend the roots of the conflict (before it became America's war in Vietnam) from the perspective of countries other than the United States- specifically, Vietnam, China, and the Soviet Union. After all, it was the United States that chose to fight in Vietnam's war (Young 1991). Research The disciplines of history and political science have illuminated many important aspects of the war, including presidential personality and leadership, war powers, public opinion, the role of the media, advisory processes and interactions, political dissent, and congressional-executive relations. Political science has also contributed significant theoretical advances on

I’m Nobody Essay Example for Free

I’m Nobody Essay â€Å"I’m Nobody! Who are You? † is a poem written by Emily Dickinson. The poem conveys the main idea of being alone, isolated from the society – or being â€Å"nobody†. This is partly influenced by the social gender status of Dickinson’s time – 19th century featured the inequality of sexes, where females were expected to stay at home and serve their husbands, thus disconnected from the society. As a result Dickinson had adapted and perhaps taken pleasure into being an outsider, whilst she found it boring to be part of the society – or to be a â€Å"somebody†. These are all various ideas reflected through Emily Dickinson’s poem. The poem has 2 stanzas very typical of Emily Dickinson’s style. Her choice of language in this poem is also very simple and succinct – but at the same time meaningful and pithy. The first line, â€Å"I’m nobody! †, shows how Dickinson admits to be a â€Å"nobody† willingly. Being a â€Å"nobody† can mean an outsider – a person who is isolated, alienated from the rest of the world and society. The second phrase of the line – â€Å"Who are you? † shows that the poem is directly written to a target. This person – shown on the second line of the first stanza, is a â€Å"nobody† too – perhaps even a friend of Dickinson. The poet also realizes the fact that being a â€Å"nobody† is to be loathed by the society. This is shown in line 3, when she advises the other â€Å"nobody† not to tell, as she states in line 4 â€Å"They’d banish us†. The word â€Å"They† in the beginning of lines 3 and 4 suggests the rest of the society – people who are â€Å"somebody†, as opposed to Dickinson’s â€Å"nobody’. The use of dash in line 3 shows the furtiveness of the phrase â€Å"don’t tell! †, emphasizing the hatred or dislike they face from the society. The same effect is achieved by the use of exclamation mark in line 3. Lines 3 and 4 can also be interpreted as that after she finds another â€Å"nobody†, they are a pair – not longer belong to a group of â€Å"nobodies†. She does not want to be banished from the status of being â€Å"nobodies†. A conclusion can be drawn that she feels more secure to be a â€Å"nobody†; she feels comfortable to be treated as a â€Å"nobody† by the rest of the society. The second stanza sees a noticeable change in Dickinson’s tone. The repetitions of â€Å"How† and â€Å"To† in the beginning of each line give a more secure and commanding tone. This can be explained by the â€Å"discovery† of another â€Å"nobody† stated by the poet in the first stanza – she feels more assured that to be a â€Å"nobody† is not too unacceptable as she is not the only one. Also perhaps because she feels more secure to be with a person who feels the same as she does and understands her, she is more willing and daring to express her more inner feelings. The poet states that it is â€Å"dreary to be somebody† in line 5 of the second stanza. â€Å"Dreary† refers to being boring or dull; and â€Å"to be somebody† suggests to be recognized by the society and belong to it. Hence Dickinson is suggesting that to be part of a society is tedious and meaningless to her, which can also implies being a â€Å"nobody† is the contrary – interesting and meaningful. A further implication may be that being â€Å"nobody† allows her to write poetry – as it is not part of the â€Å"traditional role† of women at her time to write poetry, and instead women were expected to serve only their husbands. However, being a â€Å"nobody† in the society helps her to escape her role of being a â€Å"women†, granting her freedom instead. Hence we can see that poetry is meaningful to her. She also compares that to be â€Å"somebody† is like to be â€Å"public†, another indication that Dickinson likes isolation – which is proven correctly as one would learn that she locked herself in her house for the majority of her life. Dickinson uses a simile to compare â€Å"somebody† to a â€Å"frog† in line 6. This can be explained by the fact that â€Å"frogs† are considered noisy with the sound they generate. Combining with line 8, â€Å"To an admiring bog! †, it suggests the idea that frogs create noise to be noticed – but only by â€Å"an admiring bog†. A bog is the environment in which a frog dwells – this creates an irony. Emily Dickinson is suggesting that although being a â€Å"somebody† means being noticed by the public, but the public to â€Å"somebody† is like a bog to a frog – it is not really a relationship, or friendship, as no one would say that a bog is the friend of a frog. Also the word â€Å"admiring† creates a whole sense of sarcasm to the idea – and the technique of personification is used to describe the â€Å"bog† as well, perhaps to emphasize the sarcasm of the simile. Overall the poet suggests that to be â€Å"somebody† might mean to be well-known, accepted by the society; however the relationships are often shallow, distanced or impersonal. The rhyming of the words â€Å"frog† and â€Å"bog† also suggests a congenial relationship between â€Å"Somebody† and her targeted audience – conveying the idea that the poem is a direct criticism against the â€Å"somebody† – the general public. Through the use of contrast and irony between â€Å"Nobody† and â€Å"Somebody†, her strong will to be a â€Å"nobody† is shown, as well as her despise towards â€Å"somebody†. This poem reflects Emily Dickinson’s life and perhaps her more inner and cryptic feelings – it was probably written from the heart. She imprisoned herself for the most of her life, completely isolated from the rest of the world. This may contribute to the reason why she thinks being an â€Å"outsider† is better than being â€Å"somebody†, and that she does not value â€Å"friendship† in the same way as normal people do. However at the same time it was also proven in the poem – for instance she found another â€Å"nobody† in the first stanza – that she is not totally a recluse, and that she treasures the very few friendships she had.

What is the Purpose of Franchising?

What is the Purpose of Franchising? Franchising is a method of marketing goods. It is important that this basic fact is understood; franchising is not an industry indeed the use of franchising as a marketing method crosses industry borders. The application of franchising principles to each separate industry involves the blending of the ingredients to produce the right and product. Having grasped that basic fact, it should be appreciated that as franchising is a marketing method it should be approached in a flexible way. Franchising in its full sense the business format franchise may not be a suitable method for your business. However, you may well find that certain elements can have application and provide benefits. If that is so adopt them, even if the end result is that you have not adopted a franchise for your business. In the final analysis you have to make and live with your decisions if franchising is not right for you, or you are not right for franchising, do not embark on that course for it could well end in disaster. But, you should not lead franchisees into disaster for that they do not need a franchisor: many of them could manage quite well on their own. Other methods of marketing which are well known involve all levels from manufacture to retail sale. Some manufacturers or wholesalers appoint agents those who will act on their behalf with power to undertake binding commitments. Others appoint distributors with whom they have a buyer/seller relationship. The distributor is an independent operator who may sell many competing ranges. Some manufacturers enter into licence agreements with others who manufacture their products or who carry out processes resulting in the production of goods. These arrangements may also involve trade mark licences coupled with know-how agreements under which the licensee manufactures or completes the manufacture of goods for sale. None of these agreements is the sort of marketing method with which this manual is specifically concerned although, at times, business people refer to them as franchises. The expression franchise is also used to describe the right given for the operation of commercial TV and radio networks. The operation of a motor car manufacturers dealership is usually called a franchise and in many cases quite rightly so. The suggestion fell on open minds who really understood that it was possible to expand a network using the financial and manpower resources of others. However, the franchisor had to develop an infrastructure to enable it to cope. That infrastructure, the way in which it is put together and sustained, is what this manual is concerned to explain. FACTS TO SUPPORT ADVANTAGES For franchisors: Expansion Franchising is one of the only means available to access venture investment capital without the need to give up control of the operation of the chain in the process. After the brand is carefully designed and properly executed, franchisors are able to sell franchises and expand rapidly across countries using the resources of their franchisees, earn profits commensurate with their contribution to those societies while greatly minimixing the risk and expense that would be inherent in conventional chain operations. Legal considerations The franchisor is relieved to obtain the necessary licenses and permits to start a new outlets. In some jurisdictions, certain permits are more easily obtained by locally based, owner-operator type applicants while companies based outside the jurisdiction find it difficult if not impossible to get such licences issued to them directly. For this reason, hotel and restaurant chains that sell alcohol often have no viable option but to franchise if they wish to expand to another state. Additionally, the franchisor is relieved of the obligation to carry liability insurance on the independently owned franchise units that produce the gross sales of the franchised system since this is the obligation and responsibility of the franchisees under the franchise agreement. As long as the franchisors operational manuals is followed by the franchisees, the franchisors are generally always protected from any liability for any incident that occurs on the property of the franchisee. Franchisors can sel l franchises without making any representations. Operational considerations Franchisees are said to have a greater incentive than direct employees to operate their businesses because they have a direct stake in the start up of the branded business and the tangible assets that wear the brand name. The need of franchisors to closely scrutinize the day to day operations of franchisees is greatly decreased. Franchisors can increase their profits on the gross sales of the franchisees and avoid the operational expenses for the physical units that wear their brand names. Franchisors can decrease their risk and therefore increase their profits as their franchisees bear the expense of operating the units and the expense of being employers. For franchisees: Employment Opening a franchise is a way of personal business. Quick start As practiced in retailing, franchising offers franchisees the advantage of starting up a new business faster based on a proven trademark and formula of doing business, as opposed to having to build a new business and brand from scratch. A well run franchise would offer from site selection to lease negotiation, training and ongoing support and statutory requirements and troubleshooting. Training Franchisors usually offer franchisees significant training, which is not available for free to individuals starting their own business. Although training is not always free for franchisees, it is sometimes supported through the traditional franchise fee that the franchisor collects and tailored to the business that is being started. When training fees and travel expenses, etc.. are required beyond the initial franchise fee, these fees are deductible as part of the startup expenses of the business. FACTS TO OBJECT DISADVANTAGES For franchisors: Limited pool of viable franchisees In any city, there may be only a limited pool of prospects who have both the desire to purchase and start up a franchised business, as compared to the pool of individuals who can be hired and trained to competently manage directly-owned businesses, as paid employees. However, in periods of recession where traditional good jobs are in short supply, this disadvantage disappears because those who cant find good jobs are willing to invest money in a franchise as a means of self-employment. Control Successful franchising necessitates a much more careful vetting process when evaluating the limited number of potential franchisees than would be required in the hiring of direct employees who may have experience in the concept sector. An incompetent manager of a directly-owned outlet can easily be replaced, while, regardless of the local laws and agreements in place, removing an incompetent franchisee who owns the tangible assets of the business is much more difficult. For franchisees: No guarantee There is no guarantee of financial success for the franchisee made by the franchisor in the written disclosure circular and the actual franchise agreement. While the estimated startup costs of the franchise are an implied earnings claim some franchised outlets do fail. Unfortunately, the unit financial performance statistics are not required to be disclosed to new buyers of franchises and this omission makes it impossible for new buyers of franchises to assess the odds of success and failure of their investment in the franchise in terms of profitability and failure as experienced on a unit basis of the franchise system. Control For franchisees, the disadvantage of franchising is a loss of control. While they gain the use of a system, assistance, training, marketing, the franchisee is required to follow the system and get approval for changes from the franchisor. For these reasons, franchisees and entrepreneurs are very different. A franchisee is merely a temporary business investment where he may be one of several investors during the lifetime of the franchise. In other words, he is renting the opportunity, not buying a business for the purpose of true ownership. Additionally, A franchise purchase consists of both intrinsic value and time value. A franchise is a wasting asset due to the finite term: the franchisor is only obliged to renew the franchise if it chooses to contract for that obligation. Price Starting a franchise business carries expenses. In choosing to adopt the standards set by the franchisor, the franchisee often has no further choice as to signage, uniforms etc. The franchisee may not be allowed to source less expensive alternatives. Added to that is the franchise fee and ongoing royalties and advertising contributions. The contract may also bind the franchisee to such alterations as demanded by the franchisor from time to time. Conflicts The franchisor/franchisee relationship can easily cause conflict if either side is acting in bad faith. An incompetent franchisor can damage its franchisees by failing to promote the brand properly or by squeezing them too aggressively for profits. Franchise agreements is unilateral contracts wherein the contract terms generally are advantageous to the franchisor when there is conflict in the relationship. Summary: Yes, franchising is the best business plan. Why? Franchising your business can be a very successful way of expanding. Some of todays largest businesses have used franchising to finance and accelerate their growth into world brands McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Body Glove and the Body Shop. However, franchising must be planned step by step: It must be pilot tested with company owned and operated outlets. Business must be successful, distinctive replicable. Take proper professional advice Solicitor, Banker, Accountant and possibly Franchise Consultant. Take time to write an operations manual. Choose franchisees very carefully and wisely. Avoid overselling and forecasts. Focus on franchisee satisfaction and profitability. Have first class training. Maintain good ongoing relationships. Keep developing the Franchises status and maintain standards. Ensure marketing, advertising and PR are first class. In commercial practice there are some elements which considers fundamental in full business format franchising. These are: The provision to the franchisee by the franchisor of initial training in the operations of the franchised business this is perhaps stating the obvious for the franchisee would not be able to carry on the franchised business without such training. The fact that a franchisee will own their business; the franchisee is the owner of the business although they are obliged to run it in accordance with the franchisors system and under the umbrella of the franchisors name. The franchisee will have to make a capital investment in their business. This is very important. The franchisee must have their own resources at risk. The investment they make must be sufficiently significant in relation to the franchisees total resources for the person to be worried that they might lose it. Conversely they will find motivation in their ability to increase the value of their investment in addition to producing a profit annually. A well-motivated franchisee with their own resources at stake will invariably conduct the business far better than any manager would, to the mutual advantage of themselves and the franchisor. The advantages of franchising for a franchisor may be summarised as: The growth of the network is achieved using the financial and manpower resources of the franchisee; The franchisor is not concerned with the day to day operation of each outlet; The franchisors organization is compact and can earn profits without involvement of high capital risk; The network has an ability to grow rapidly; The franchisor has less staff and its problems; The management of each outlet is the owner who will tend to be well motivated to be successful; It provides wider outlets for products and services; It enables the franchisor to service national customers using their network of outlets. Franchising is an exciting marketing method; when it is properly structured and well run it provides benefits and satisfaction for both parties. It is not an easy route to riches for franchisor or franchisee nor is it a panacea for the ills of a sick business. The establishment of a franchise has to be under-take with skill, patience and capital. The time scale for establishing a franchise system and preparing it for marketing can be as long as two years and it can take another three to six years before the franchisor begins to see net profits and cash flow. The capital requirements of the franchisor have to reflect these time spans. For an example of Franchise Opportunity: RIDPEST is a key player in the pest control industry in Malaysia and the first of its kind to embark on the franchise route. The driving force behind the growth and recognition of the RIDPEST brand is a strong set of corporate values that translates into continued growth for the future. Franchising is undoubtedly one of the fastest-growing sectors of the Malaysian economy. Smart new business owners prefer a franchise, because it helps lower the risks of starting out, and offers savings on things like marketing and purchasing product. Over the years RIDPEST had developed and refined its system to the point where we believe it gives its franchisees the very best chance to build a successful business. CONCLUSION: A proper business plan ensure the long run and success of a business whereas a business which lacks of proper plans and motivation cannot survive in the market and the tough competition the business world have to offer. There are many ways a business plan is introduce and implemented in a trade. However, to have a proper business plan it is necessary that the business plan is on proper format and is not made casually or hastil. ATTACHMENTS: Application forms Franchise loan List of franchisor Panel franchisor Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNS) application checklist Sample franchisor letter Graph or chart References of sources References of sources: The franchisors Manual Martin Mendelsohn Masters of Franchising Mark Henricks www.myfranchise.com.my Business For Sale Magazine www.mfa.gov.my Obesity: Causes, Effects and Treatments Obesity: Causes, Effects and Treatments Samantha Sensing Abstract Looking at the scope of obesity it is complex and often left with quick judgment. The purpose of this discussion is to look at the qualifications of obesity to be a listed as a disease; the impact of the disease (such as cost, statistics, etc.), the behavioral-cognitive aspect, and resolution to the disease. Findings were from journals or the Center for Disease Control. Prior to the research I viewed obesity as a voluntary disease that could be fixed with getting off the couch. During the research of many web-based articles, journals, videos, and statistics I am now on the other side of the fence. Those individuals with obesity are in this situation for a variety of reasons. It would be of more help to support them and raise awareness of the disease and how it is affected behaviorally, environmentally, and from a change in corporate standards. Introduction A growing epidemic in America and Western civilization is one that is self-inflected. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 29.5 or higher. Based on your height and weight a BMI is often used to determine a person’s level of physical health. There has been a growing trend of those considered overweight (BMI 24.5-28.5) or obese in the United States. More recently there have been heavy debates over the classification of obesity being considered a disease. Disease can be defined as an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant: condition that prevents the body or mind from working (Webster). A research study as listed by the CDC states that as â€Å"weight increases to levels of overweight or obesity the risks of the following also increase: Coronary Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Cancer, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, stroke, live and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, and respiratory problems, osteoarthritis, and gynecological problems.† As we increase in weight we ten d to develop serious health problems. And by referring to the definition of disease we can see that disease can occur or correlate with obesity. Definition of Disease What exactly does the word disease mean? We hear the word frequently. And think in concrete terms of disease as a terrible shortcoming that grapples at the lives of so many undeserving or seemingly healthy individuals. Most people don’t look at a person with a disease in disgust. Or in angst, or shame them. Disease is defined by the Miriam-Webster dictionary as, â€Å"an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant: a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally†. So by definition we can consider the controversial classification of obesity as a disease. The controversy surrounding classifying obesity as a disease rests on the thought that those who are obese can help themselves. Those obese individuals inflicted this upon themselves and so therefore the term disease doesn’t apply. However, comparing the term disease and looking at the qualifications of having a disease, obesity does apply. By having obesity you become at risk for a variety of other diseases or overall health problems. Pathological Impact Obesity rates among American’s and the western world have been rising with exponential growth. In the United States about one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese and about 12.5 million of children and adolescents are considered obese (CDC). There are many factors in these numbers. Some variables are but not limited to socio-economic status, racial differences, job or career, level of education, and location. Those with a low socio-economic status appear to have greater obesity rates. This is impacted by the affordability of fast-food that offers a meal for a couple of dollars. In comparison a healthy, more nutritious meal could cost an additional $5.00. Obesity related diseases can cause heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. (CDC). Aging also impacts higher rates of obesity due to the hormonal and biological changes that take place over time. Mortality rates also seem to be higher for those who are obese and have obesity related diseases. Disabling Obesity An on-going debate in obesity is can these individuals be considered handicapped, and what does it mean to be handicapped. In a study, 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, obesity rates are 58% higher for than adults without disability. And obesity rates for children with disabilities are 38% higher than for children without disabilities. Annual health care costs of obesity that are related to disability are estimated at approximately $44 billion (CDC). By these numbers it is noticeable that there is a correlation between disability and obesity. The term disability can be described as, a physical or mental condition that limits a persons movements, senses, or activities (Merriam-Webster). By definition obese individuals would or could be considered disabled by their own inflictions. However, not all are eligible for the right to receive Social-Security Disability. Those with a BMI over 40 are considered morbidly obese. This category of people tends to have the biggest imp act on their organs and organ systems. Moreover, there seems to be more that meets the eye with obesity trends. While in most cases it is self-inflicted there are a number of people that have a genetic predisposition or thyroid problems. Or they are on medications for another disorder that impacted their weight gain. In the famous case of Cook v. Rhode Island, the courts ruled in favor of a 300lb female, Bonnie Cook, who took to the courts to protect her against discrimination of not being hired due to being obese. The court initially ruled in favor of her potential employer but the jury sided with Cook. So the state took the case to appeals court where they lost their battle protecting the possibility of discriminating against obese applicants. The court stated, â€Å"†¦ voluntariness is not a criterion for determining whether a person is disabled or perceived to be disabled.† (Cordes1994). New ground was broken by the proclamation of disability and obesity being joined together and protected together. The statements went further, â€Å"Voluntariness only comes into play if the condition can be easily controlled by the person†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Cordes 1994). The impact of disease obesity can cause is not a light subject or to be sought as laziness through and through. There is good reas on for obese individuals to be given protection. Responsibility of Employers Another large debate in the issues and impacts of obesity is the responsibility of employer’s. Especially for those whose obesity comes from a sedentary lifestyle. Or perhaps need the preventative measures of keeping obesity at bay. A hot topic on the rise is whether or not employers should be mandated to give employees a work-out period in their schedule. The employers could offer employee’s incentives for utilizing resources (a company gym, discounted memberships, and dietician, walking a company track) and by using the resources keep costs low. Though initially it could be costly to take on the responsibility to offer extra incentives to employee’s it could offer long term potential savings. (Villareal, Apovian, Kushner, and Klein 2005) Those whose companies offer various programs and actively engage in them express more happiness, productivity, a greater quality of life, and overall better health. Better health allows for employee’s to serve their empl oyers better. They use less sick pay, keep insurance premiums low, and are more likely to be in tune with their daily job. So while the initial cost may be high, the long term financial gain of a happy, healthy, productive team is hard not to invest in! Responsibility of Citizens Those who are overweight and obese not only impact themselves but they also impact their peers and fellow citizens. The responsibility of American’s to help those who are suffering from obesity is absent. This is understandable, considering we are not responsible for the actions of others. However, change arrives when other’s no longer stand idly by watching suffering. Those who suffer from addictions or psychiatric abnormalities experience greater success in getting back on track when they have a support group. The more awareness that is raised on the disease of obesity the better society can understand it. Understanding can be in noting that obese individuals are not just self-indulgent lazy people. Most experience other health problems. For some this may include a behavioral or cognitive issue that led them to the weight gain. Or the obesity can be from side effects of medication. (Latzer, Y., Stein, D. 2013) The better we educate ourselves and others on the obesity epidemic the faster we can assist them to a healthier lifestyle. Cost of Obesity The less healthy American’s are, we all pay the price. According to a study in 2008 the annual medical cost of obesity was $147 billion dollars (CDC). This amount spent on health care costs of a disease is breath-taking. And this is just in health care costs. The $147 billion spent annually related to medical costs of obesity does not include time spent out of work, time spent going to the appointments, the extra costs to the families affected by obesity, or worse it doesn’t include the mental cost. Adolescents who are obese experience a greater amount of psychological and social problems. Often (obesity) is linked to the numerous absences from school and is thought to be one of the main reasons for poor performance (Latzer, Y., Stein, D. (2013)). It is also reported that lower IQ scores from children translate into obesity in adulthood (Latzer, Y., Stein, D. (2013)). The data proves that the cost of obesity is not merely short-term. But the disease continues to impac t those afflicted during obesity and post obesity. Behavioral-Cognitive Aspect The reasons for procuring obesity or an unhealthy lifestyle is often looked at through the behavioral-cognitive perspectives. Behaviorists feel that the bad habits of obese individuals can be unlearned with the right treatment. On the basis that (increased engagement in sedentary activities and overeating) are learned (A.Tamlyn Shields 2009). Moreover they intend for alternate behaviors and encourage a healthier lifestyle (A.Tamlyn Shields 2009). Increasingly, adults and children are more tuned into technology and less in tuned with the outside world. The undying interest in technology leads to a more sedentary lifestyle coupled with high caloric foods. Where individuals should compensate for their inactivity by decreasing their caloric intake, quite the opposite seems to occur. Fattier foods that can be purchased on the go or take little effort to make are easier to consume. In addition to the fact that these foods are overloaded with sugar that act on our brains like a drug. Sugary foods activate the reward system in our brain allowing for a small flood of dopamine to be released. This in turn excites our body and we are left wanting more of the euphoria these foods bring (N.Volkow R.Wise, 2005). Resolving the Problem Trying to undo what has been done to so many American’s by the way of obesity is not an easy task. It at least will require self-determination. While determination of those afflicted may sound easy, it certainly is not. Some ways we can assist are through offering consistent support and intervention for them to seek a combination of behavioral, medical, and physical assistance. With the three, obesity can be reduced by pinpointing the origin of weight gain (medication, health problems, depression, anxiety, and addiction). In addition to mediating with a behaviorist, and ending by increasing physical activity. However, it would be of great assistance to hold businesses more accountable for what they put in the foods they produce. To offer consumers a better, wholesome product would increase profits and company morale. For example the average soda contains about ten of sugar. The American Heart Association states that men should allow up to nine teaspoons of sugar and woman shou ld allow for six teaspoons of sugar a day. Considering the breakfast cereal Honey-Nut Cheerio’s contains about 8.25 teaspoons of sugar before adding the milk. Our daily limit is almost reached before we finish eating breakfast. While sugar is not the only culprit to substantial weight gain it does inspire other health problems. Though it is the consumer’s responsibility to monitor what they put in their own body, it would be of great assistance to hold companies accountable for better products. For many families grabbing a $5.00 hot-n-ready large pizza in less than ten minutes beats spending $20.00 in groceries and forty-five minutes in cooking time. The fast-food industry spent in 2012 $4.6 billion dollars in advertising (Yale News). If companies spent the same amount on promoting healthier options and producing healthier products it would make a large impact on obesity in the U.S. The initial cost may be higher but perhaps we can apply the behavioral perspective and ‘unlearn’ these business practices. Eventually supply and demand would bring the healthier options to a lower cost to produce and consume. While saving many lives and reenergizing American enterprise and American citizens. Conclusion Obesity rates have sky-rocketed in the past twenty years in the United States. Approximately 34.9% of all adults and about 12.5 million children and adolescents are afflicted by obesity (CDC). The prevalence of obesity related disabilities cost the health care system approximately $44 billion dollars annually (CDC). Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 29.5 or higher and is associated with inducing secondary diseases and illnesses that are not always irreversible. The impacts of the disease (or diseases) can afflict suffers with mental illnesses (anxiety, low confidence, depression,) or poorer IQ as children. Combining these together can produce a lower socio-economic status and inspire other problems related to that. Such as housing, careers, quality of life, financial troubles, that is hard to bring oneself out of alone. By offering support or putting together organizations coupled with self-determination we can assist those with obesity. Combined with employer incentives, mediati on, and increased physical activity along with reduction in high caloric foods the rates of obesity and obesity related illnesses could drop. References Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014) â€Å"Adult Obesity Facts†. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012) â€Å"Causes and Consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/causes/index.html Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014) â€Å"Childhood Obesity Facts†. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014) â€Å"Disability and Obesity†. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/obesity.html Cordes, R. (1994, January). Obese gain protection under disabilities law. Trial, 30(1), 85. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.stacks.tridenttech.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A14790304v=2.1u=trident_ttcit=rp=AONEsw=wdigest=a511d0c25452f5c5befcf70bb01be8e0asid=e0ef951c3bba192b24df7ad82e0b9d06 Shields, A. T. (2009). Examination of the obesity epidemic from a behavioral perspective. The International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 5(1), 142+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.stacks.tridenttech.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A214102591v=2.1u=trident_ttcit=rp=AONEsw=wdigest=a511d0c25452f5c5befcf70bb01be8e0asid=5afeed98da8853ac80c820c028538061 Orciari, Megan. (2013). Fast food companies still target kids with marketing for unhealthy products. Yale News. Retrieved from: http://news.yale.edu/2013/11/04/fast-food-companies-still-target-kids-marketing-unhealthy-products Latzer, Y., Stein, D. (2013). A review of the psychological and familial perspectives of childhood obesity. Journal of Eating Disorders, 1, 7. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.stacks.tridenttech.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A323050895v=2.1u=trident_ttcit=rp=AONEsw=wdigest=a511d0c25452f5c5befcf70bb01be8e0asid=7dbe38997361b44ce7cd1a98ad17bfd1 Villareal, Dennis T, Caroline M Apovian, Robert F Kushner, and Samuel Klein. (2005). Obesity in older adults: technical review and position statement of the American Society for Nutrition and NAASO, The Obesity Society. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82(5), 923-934. Retrieved from: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/5/923.full Nescafe Brand: An Analysis Nescafe Brand: An Analysis Nestle promise we commit to everyday, everywhere- to enhance lives, throughout life, with good food and beverages. Nestle was founded in 1866 by Henri Nestle and is worlds leading confectionary, nutrition and food company today. This company is based on Vevey, Switzerland and employing around 280000 people in over 150 countries and running 461 factories or operation in 83 countries. The strategy of the Nestle is guided by several fundamental principles: Innovation and renovation are the basis for the growth of the product balancing the geographic activities and product lines Never sacrificed long term potential, for the short term performance Regardless of the geographical barriers, Nestlà ©s priority is to bring the best and most relevant products to people Nescafe UK Nescafe is one of the renowned brands among various brand produced by the Nestle. The rich taste of your favourite coffee is reflected in its rich history. Generally, coffee is a beverage that has some properties which can energize and revitalized the consumers. In the UK, Nescafà © is targeting basically young adult customers range between 20-35, middle and high class people and also the professional or working executive (who are working very hard). In present context, the biggest challenge for every company is to recover and to survive in the recession, and, Nescafà © is not apart from the current situation. Even though it is still in the profit, companies profit is getting lower due to downfall on the sales the volume of goods sold rose 2.8% in 2008, but down from 4.4% in 2007. Figure 1: Sales trend of Nescafà © The bar chart above shows the continued growth of the sales of the Nescafà © till the second half of the year 2008; but, the profit of the company is gradually decreasing as the sales started to fall by the first half of the year 2009. The main reason behind this problem is the macroeconomic factors like the global recession thats leads to the increase in the inflation rate in UK by 3%-5% (generally, 2-3% of the inflation is acceptable). However, to revive from the current situation, Nescafe has applied various innovative and renovate ideas. Nescafà © even have various brand within the coffee, for example Nescafà © gold, premium, decaff etc. targeting the various range of the customer according to the taste and the preferences. Besides coffee, the company has launched other product such as coffee maker machine, and also following sustainability strategy, refill pack, etc. under Nescafe plan for profit maximization. It is also merging with various other companies like burger king or other businesses using their Nescafe Milano Plan. Following these alternative, Nescafà © is expecting to increase its sales in the second half of the year 2011 by reducing the cost of production, improving the market and price strategy to capture the target markets. A. Alternative Scenarios with regards to the cost of production: The company is having down fall in the sales as the variable cost associated with the cost of production increases due to economic factors like increase in labour cost, raw material, energy bills, cost of packaging, transportation and various other factors. The following table shows the variable cost, represents the minimum cost required to produce 3000 quantity of Nescafà © for the first half of the 2011, which is in increasing order as the quantity produced increases. Material for Production Cost associated 000 Total Cost Variable cost: Raw material (coffee, glass jar, packing paper) Transportation Part time worker Energy Marketing 300 100 50 175 125 750 Fixed Cost Plant and Machinery Building and Renting Full time worker Others 200 100 150 50 500 Total 1250 Figure 2: variable cost associated with production for the 1st half of 2011 Figure 3: Various cost and output (000) As the quantity produced by the Nescafe increases, the cost associated with the variable cost increases, however, the fixed cost remaining the same, results in the reduction of the revenue so it has to either increase the price of the product which leads to decrease in the demand, due to high inflation, the customers has less purchasing power (even though the income has increases, the proportion of the increase in income and inflation is equal) or Nescafe should try to reduce the variable cost associated with the production. Figure 4: Trend of total fixed cost and total variable cost The main challenge of the Nescafà © is to sustain in the competitive market and redeem the profit. The Nescafe plans are followed in order to reduce the variable cost within the micro level: Transportation cost: The global initiatives plan which support the commitment of the Nestle responsible farming, production and consumption. Under this commitment, responsible production is the most foremost steps related to sustainability with environment by producing the refill pack for the various coffee including 150g Nescafà © gold blend and decaff and original which also lures to the reduction in road journey and transportation cost by 50% for the same amount of coffee as one can fit twice refill pack in one pallet. Energy Consumption: Another alternative is to reduce the consumption of the energy using energy saving measure. In this method use the coffee ground as a fuel which supply 20% of the energy. While other method is the use of new innovative technology new refrigeration plant to reduce and improve the processes. Packaging cost: Nescafe is cutting cost of the production by reducing the weight of the glass jar used for the coffee. The approach is use of refill pack made of paper which is cheaper than the glass jar. Thus, by following the above approach the new variable cost associated with the production for the second half of 2011 is shown below: Variable cost Cost Raw material Transportation Energy Part time worker Marketing 241 50 140 50 125 Total 606 Figure 5: New variable cost Figure 6: New cost and output (000) Figure 7: Revised trend of fixed cost and variable cost for 2nd half As comparing the two charts, we can conclude that the Nescafà © is able to reduce the variable cost by applying the various alternatives. At the same level of output e.g. 3000, the variable cost was 750,000 before (fig 4) whereas reduced to 606000 for the second half of the 2011 (fig7). The other various alternatives available for the Nescafe, in macroeconomic concept, can be as follows in terms of: Recession, shift to a plant to the emerging country or the country with the minimal effect of recession such as china or India i.e. slowdown-hit. The company can shift the plant to these country as raw material i.e. coffee can be produced here as well. Employment, in India, the unemployment rates are higher, whereas, china is providing the cheap labour to attract the new investors so the company can really be benefited from the low labour cost.. Political stability: Both of these countries are politically stable. Nescafe cant shift plant to the insecure country as there will always risk of the close down due to civil wars. B. Elasticity of a Nescafe Price Elasticity of supply (PES): is calculated as: PES: % change in quantity supplied % change in price According to table below, the supply elasticity of Nescafà © is less than one which imply that the supply is not responsive towards the price change so its supply inelastic. The change in the quantity demanded is 0.5%, less than the change in price, 0.9%. The Nescafe cannot have extra supplies of the raw material i.e. coffee due to limited suppliers and also depend on the climatic condition, the decision made before about the plantation of coffee that affects the production yield. As the coffee is main ingredient, it cannot switch to other raw material and in other hand; it cannot hold the product for a really long time as product is a consumable and not a lifelong. It can still produce more goods for the same quantity with same cost of production but will be less than as of the supply elastic due to some constraints. Fig 8: Price elasticity of supply Income elasticity of Demand (IED): is calculated as: IED= % change in Quantity demanded % change in Income As per the following table, the income elasticity is between 0 and one which shows that Nescafà © is the normal good and less income inelastic. As the income of the consumer increases, other things remaining constant, the demand of the Nescafà © increases. For instance, the income elasticity of Nescafe is 0.1 as income rises to 10500 from 10000, which implies demand is not very sensitive towards changes in incomes which is the nature of the normal goods. Figure 9: income elasticity Cross elasticity of demand (CED): represent the responsiveness of the demand of the Nescafà © to the change in the price of either complimentary goods e.g. sugar or substitute product e.g. Kenco and calculated as: CED= %change in demand for Nescafà © %change in price of Kenco When the price of the sugar increases, demand of the Nescafà © decreases and vice versa and cross elasticity of demand will be negative, whereas, if the price of the substitute product decreases, the demand for the Nescafà © will increases, and vice-versa, and is positive as shown in table below. Figure 10: cross price elasticity C. Market structure and Strategies: Nescafe shares the attributes of the perfect market structure as it is inelastic to the supply and income of customers with horizontal integration product. The assumptions are: Existence of many firms e.g. Nescafà ©, Kenco, bru, percol, carte noire, super market brand, etc. perfect knowledge about the market and target customers homogenous product but customers distinguish the product with brand name and taste preferences Free entry and exit Nescafà ©s strategy based on the think globally, act locally. According to Keegan and Green Nescafe coffee is marketed as a global brand even though advertisement message and product formulation vary to suit cultural difference. Considering the rival company, Kenco is biggest competitor of the Nescafà ©. The strategy of the Kenco is to produce sustainability product and refill pack instead of coffee jar. Nowadays, customers are more concern about the ethical business and the environment friendly product, so to maintain the current market shares; it has to follow the concept of refill pack and the environment sustainability. Besides these, following are the possible alternatives: Introduced the new product lines and product differentiation. Recently, Nescafe has launched 3 in 1 pack which can be followed with 2 in 1 product. Fair Trade Nescafe can vertically merge with the different company offering different but co-related product. For example, Nescafà © has merged with Burger king, a food chain company that offer Nescafà © coffee to its customers with its food. The other strategy, Nescafe can merge with supermarkets and offer free samples to the customer as a complimentary product and with other businesses using its Nescafe Milano Professionals plan. Provide the customers a taste of coffee at a busy street as a reminder strategy and distribute the free samples. On the other hand, Nescafà © should enhance the vending machine network and should set up in train station, airport and on busy places. Advertisement includes sales promotion, publicity which attracts different target customers. The different advertising is strategies applied according to customers and countries values and beliefs but with same logo and red mug cups. Research and development Enter into emerging market D. Market Segment and price strategy: Nescafe is the UKs prominent coffee brand followed by the other various substitute products like Kenco, percol, super market brand etc. Now, the main customers of coffee are university student, working people or professional but should also try to attract should target people of above the age of the 35 and teenagers to maintain its market share. Figure 11:  ©Ã‚  1995: the new internationalist The possible pricing strategies for the Nescafe are: Competitors and market oriented price: Nescafe should be able to maintain or reduce the price according to the market or competitors. If its price is higher than the competitors, it will affect the demand and profit as well so it should be competitive price. Promotional allowances like offering during the occasions like buy one get one free offers in the super market, offer Nescafà © red mug with 400g of pack, discounts on second purchase. Quality assurance with reasonable price E. Development of Global and Local Market: Nescafà © objectives should be entering in new emerging market as the demand will be high in such country which results in the growth of business. So, the main idea is to expand the business not only locally but globally as well and be the first one to reach new market. Nescafe can take advantage of its product differentiation and brand name, so it can be the leading coffee in few years as availability only of few local competitors. Nescafe is opening its new plant in U.K creating new jobs. While in other hands, Nescafe is opening plant in countries like china, India and Vietnam to strengthen its global plan as these countries have potential to produce raw material, coffee and the really cheap labour cost which results in the low cost of production and high revenue. The taxation rate and government policies should be considered before entering new market, even though china is closed economy, China is flexible towards the taxation policy for the new investors and reduced the tax to 15% for the first three year. However, in context of India, government policies are quite flexible towards the foreign investors. Vietnam is emerging country, its open toward the investors. F. Scenario of Currency Market: During first half of the year 2011, due to soaring in the Swiss franc and down fall in the American dollar, the Nescafes sales pushed first half sales down, As the Nescafe is Swiss company, final transaction is converted to Swiss franc. Even though the U.K has strongest value in the market, the cost associated with the production is also high. Nescafe has to spend more money for the same amount of raw material and operation plant in Britain and relatively less in in India, china or Vietnam. According to exchange rate 1.497 Swiss franc = 1 British pound whereas 1 Swiss franc =58.3121 Indian rupee. So it will cheaper to operate the business in the country with less inflation, where the consumption power will be higher. Thus, Nescafà © should produce the product at the country with low currency value and import it to other countries and the exchange rate difference will raise the profit of the company, Thus shift of the company to India, China or Vietnam will be beneficial for the company.