Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The benefits of technology in giving presentations Essay

The benefits of technology in giving presentations - Essay Example Nowhere has the development of technology had a greater impact than in the domain of communication. In the world of academia and business, the usage of proprietary software like Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook have become quite common. The PowerPoint software in particular is a potent tool in giving presentations. Students use it to present their seminars; lecturers and professors use it to impart knowledge to their students; and business executives use it to convey ideas to their team members. In this sense, one could say that the use of technology in the world of colleges and business corporations has become quite pervasive. There are some decisive advantages in using tools such as PowerPoint over conventional chalk and black board. A PowerPoint presentation can be prepared beforehand whereas someone using white chalk on black board has to write down during the lecture. Moreover, using chalk can be cumbersome and clumsy compared to using PowerPoint. For example, the latter gives the user flexibility with respect to choice of template, font size, audio-visual options, color schemes, editing facilities, etc, which are not available in conventional methods used to give presentations. An allied tool that is used alongside PowerPoint is the overhead projector. Basically, the projector helps to magnify and display the content written in the PowerPoint slide onto a large white screen. The projector also allows the presenter to use light beam as a pointing tool. Moreover, the light shed by the projector on to the screen is quite bright, making it easier for the audience to focus on the lecture. The other striking aspect of technologically powered tools such as PowerPoint is provisions made by them for customizing the content. Instead of restricting the content creator with rigid templates and formats, these tools provide a range of customizing options that can be utilized to tailor the presentation to specific needs. While the overhead

Monday, October 28, 2019

Blue Duck Essay Example for Free

Blue Duck Essay This report is made on the objective of executing a strategic analysis and evaluation of Blue Duck Shearling in order to be able to answer the following problem statement: â€Å"How could Blue Duck increase their consumer based brand equity (CBBE) by improving their social media appearance?† In order to answer the question an assessment of Blue Duck’s marketing strategy and implementation of the strategy was carried through. It focused on the Blue Duck’s social media marketing strategy and it led to giving suggestions how to improve their current approach with the aim of improving Blue Duck’s consumer based brand equity. In order to find out the industry leading trends in Social Media Marketing there were examined reports and statistics about the leading tendencies and developments in social media marketing. Blue Duck is a premium high-end shearling outerwear manufacturer. They design, manufacture and distribute high quality shearling and fur-trimmed and fur-lined coats in addition accessories for men and women. All the coats are produced in their New York based showroom in the fashion district. The analysis of the company’s current situation was carried through examination of Blue Duck’s positioning strategy. It included forming a perceptual map about Blue Duck and its competitors as well analyzing the competitors’ online appearances. The evaluation showed that the main advantage of Blue Duck is to carry on improving and implementing their social media strategy, as the competitors seems to lack in terms of social media marketing. As well there was carried out a comparison by analyzing the points of parity and points of difference concerning the competitors. The examination showed that compared with the main competitors Blue Duck lacks trendiness. Nevertheless Blue Duck seemed to have the strongest social media marketing strategy that they could benefit from. In addition, to analyze the company’s strengths and weaknesses, learn the growth possibilities and external threats there was carried out a SWOT analysis. It revealed that the main assets of the company are the quality and long experience in the shearling industry; still their weakness is the limited distribution channels. As they are strongly dependent on the weather, the global warming and climate change might affect their business as an external threat for the company. In order to assess Blue Duck’s current marketing strategy there is examined the Integrated Marketing Communication practices carried out by the company. As well there is analyzed the company’s current social media marketing strategy in particular. According to the findings Blue Duck concentrates on online marketing and in addition to that they do a bit of print advertisement. Lately Blue Duck has been focusing on the social media marketing, as it is one of the fastest developing forms of marketing. The main focus of Blue Duck’s social media activities is to increase brand awareness and the goal is to build online audience and a strong online community. Thus far they have slowly been moving towards their goal and objectives. Still they could benefit from some adjustments in their strategy to get faster results. To evaluate the current customer based brand equity there were carried out interviews with 3 people from the target group. Based on the answers there was formed a CBBE pyramid. It appeared that the overall customer perception matches brand’s own positioning statement, though 2 out of 3 interviewees noted that Blue Duck lacks trendiness. The recommendations for the future to Blue Duck would be to keep on developing their social media strategy and making adjustments to it according to the needs. Still as the brand image is inclined to be outdated and old fashioned they should consider improving their design aesthetics and producing trendier designs as well. Fruthermore Blue Duck should pay more attention to Pinterest as it is a growing platform. In addition Blue Duck should consider inserting a product reviewing and rating to tool to their website as it might appeal for their target group. Following these suggestions Blue Duck will increase their customer based brand equity and will succeed in building a stronger online community. Introduction The aim of this report is to examine an American shearling outerwear manufacturer Blue Duck’s online appearance and give suggestions for their social media marketing strategy. Blue Duck is a small company that serves the needs of United States shearling market. It is one of the main manufacturers of luxury shearling in the US. As their core product is shearling outerwear the active business season for them is from October till March the following year. During the summer season they mainly deal with the product development and design of the next season’s collection. As the winter of 2011 and 2012 was rather warm, the business suffered and the sales volume declined. In the summer of 2012 Blue Duck decided to develop a new marketing plan and they hired branding agency Art Zulu to help building a social media marketing strategy. The main aim of the new approach was to increase brand awareness and build a strong online community. This report will be assessing and analyzing the implementation of the strategy and in the end gives suggestions according to the findings. Problem Statement To assess the possibilities of increased brand awareness following problem was formulated: How could Blue Duck increase their customer based brand equity (CBBE) by improving their social media appearance? To analyze the social media marketing trends in fashion industry the following sub-question was formed. 1.What are the leading social media trends in the USA fashion industry? Secondly to assess the company’s current situation and their strongest assets to rely on while building the social media presence following sub-question came up: 2.What are the key assets of the Blue Duck’s present customer based brand equity that the company should rely on while building social media presence? In addition to propose the strategy and implementation for Blue Duck following sub-question was formed: 3.What strategy should Blue Duck use in order to build a strong on-line presence? Finally, to find out which social media platforms and technologies to use in order to implement the strategy the following sub-question was formed: 4.What technologies and social media platforms should Blue Duck use in order to target their potential customers? Delimitation Market This report will analyze the social media marketing trends and the possibilities for Blue Duck to improve their customer based brand equity on their current target market. As well the report will be focusing on how Blue Duck could expand their target group and appeal to a younger market segment and give suggestions based on the research and analysis of the company’s current brand equity. Due to lack of consumer primary consumer data the CBBE matrix will not be as objective as it could be. Geographical Area As Blue Duck operates locally the report will be based on the United States market, with a special focus on New York area. Time Frame The report will be based on the on going financial year of 2012 as Blue Duck is going through development of new branding and marketing strategies. Finance The report will not be focusing on marketing budget and the financial situation of the company. Methodology This report will be based on primary and secondary research method. The primary data will be based on the information acquired directly from Blue Duck. To find out the latest social media marketing trends the report will be analyzing several marketing industry reports about the current tendencies. To analyze Blue Duck’s current situation and strategies and find the possibilities for improvements there will be used different branding and marketing analyzing methods such as CBBE matrix, PoDs/PoPs, SWOT and perceptual mapping. To evaluate Blue Duck’s customer based brand equity there will be interviewed 2-3 subjects from the company’s target group in order to get a little overview of the consumers’ perspective concerning Blue Duck. Due to the few examinees interviewed the results and consumer perception of the brand is rather subjective, still it gives a little impression about the brand equity. In the end based on the findings of the study the report will give suggestions and recommendations about Blue Duck’s social media strategy by following Bernoff’s four-step social strategy called the POST method. It will start with concluding the targeted PEOPLE’s social activities. Then it will evaluate the OBJECTIVES to decide what Blue Duck wants to accomplish. That will follow to the STRATEGY – the planning of how the relationship with the customer will change. To sum up the report will come up with the TECHNOLOGIES that Blue Duck should use in order to implement its strategy. (Bernoff Li, 2008) Social Media Trends Today companies are confronted with the raising influence of new communication channels. It is completely transforming the marketing field, as it has existed for 100 years now. The traditional ways of marketing are increasingly influenced and integrated with social media. Nevertheless mainstream medias will still be vital, but will be strongly influenced by the newcomers. (Gillin 2008) Top Social Media Marketers note that Social Media Marketing is disappearing in the means of a separate media. That implies that Social Media Marketing is becoming one of the marketing tools and it will not be a separate activity, but an integral part of marketing. (Dreamgrow 2012) In the last decade and in particular the last 4 years there has been radical changes how people consume and search for information. A part from getting the information from the direct source such as traditional institutions like corporations, people have started using technologies to get things they need from each other (Bernoff Li 2008). It is called the Groundswell. This trend can be very beneficial for the companies, if they set their strategies right, or it can be great threat for a company’s image if the Groundswell movement is disregarded. Following will point out the main trends that will affect Blue Duck and the fashion industry in general in the United States. Rise of Social Media Marketing In a survey of 700 marketers, Wildfire App discovered that nearly all marketers find value in Social Media Marketing and over 75% of them were planning to increase their Social Media Marketing budget. The main benefits noted by the marketers were the increased brand awareness and direct interaction with the customers. Furthermore Social Media Marketing efforts seemed to increase sales and reduce marketing spending. More businesses are investing in Social Media. According to Borrell Associates, small- and medium-sized businesses in USA doubled their social media advertising budgets in 2012. State of Social Media Marketing study by Awareness Networks found that 70% of businesses planned to expand their presents on social media platforms. (Mershon, 2012) Social Media as a Customer Service Tool For the past ten years companies have been directing their clients to their websites for supporting information instead of having them call to the expensive support line. As one part of the groundswell, companies can benefit from using their Social Media platforms for offering customer support. By doing that they build loyalty and might cut costs on customer support activities such as support calls. Today customers are able to contact the company in real time through social media networks. When a person can easily interact with the company on Facebook for example, it increases trust. People can rely on the company. Furthermore customers get help from each other as well by commenting each other’s posts and communicating online. This will save a lot on company’s customer support expenses if the customers are able to help themselves. On top it will facilitate the communication for the customers. (Bernoff Li, 2008) Social Sales As users have access to unlimited amounts of information online, consumers identify trust as a key factor for finding valuable solutions. Consumers will not even enter the purchase funnel if certain trust elements are not triggered (About.com, 2012). People are used to getting recommendations from their friends and family, but now social media integration will allow customers to get real user reviews and ratings about products straight on the product pages. People will be more encouraged to purchase a product if it has positive reviews from customers who already purchased it. At the same time brands have to be careful and make the reviewing process as transparent as possible by revealing negative reviews as well to make it trustworthy. In that way people get the most objective overviews. A study has shown that reviews seem to build more trust than â€Å"likes†. 50% of the consumer say that a brand having a lot of good reviews and a few negative ones adds trust, at the same time only 26% of consumers find that having a lot of â€Å"likes† adds trust. Consumers seem to get confused about the origin of â€Å"likes† so they prefer reviews from people who have already purchased the product (About.com, 2012). Social Media ROI While there has been a lot of controversy about Social Media ROI and if it could be measured, marketers seem to start evaluating the importance of measuring the outcome of their social media efforts. However less than half of the businesses measure their results. Lack of monitoring might lead to waste of investment as companies are increasing their spending on social media. This again will be indicated by the poor ROI. By monitoring the results it makes it easier to adjust the strategy and change over to more efficient ways of social media marketing. Pinterest as an Ecommerce Site Lately the new Internet bookmarking site Pinterest has exploded. Based on industry reports, Pinterest is becoming the most significant driver of social traffic to eCommerce sites, even outperforming the more mature social media giants as Twitter and Facebook. Lately many online retailers are integrating Pinterest to their product pages. In that way the consumer is able to pin the things they like on their inspirational boards. Amazon has added pin button to every product. The evidence that Pinterest is skyrocketing is clear considering the reports. In Q2 in 2012, referral traffic from Pinterest rose 2,535 percent year over year while at the same time referral traffic from Facebook is up 2,7 percent. On top of everything the traffic driven on Pinterest is free. Companies ought to pay a lot of attention on Pinterest as it can be a great traffic driver besides email campaigns and search engines. (Duryee, 2012) Tabletizing and Mobilizing Websites In connection with the new technologies and portable devices companies have to start conforming their online present. More than half social networking sites’ usage will be on mobile devices. As more people use smartphones and tablets, the companies have to adapt their websites for mobile use. People are getting used to sharing content on the go, no matter where they are. Brands as Entertainers As companies move on to Social Networks such as Facebook and Twitter they have to learn how to engage and entertain their customer that they will not loose interest in the brand page. On social media networks brands have to be aware that the branding and marketing messages displayed on the page will not get annoying and people will not perceive them as spam. As case studies have shown the most successful social brands have a subtle branding and marketing approach. They offer their audience everyday entertainment and news, while occasionally interposing brand messages to keep the brand on top of the mind. Every message that a brand posts on their Facebook does not have to be related to the brand. This leads to the following social media trend. Online News Will Become More Social It has been forecasted that in the near future applications integrated with social media will gradually replace online news websites. People will get their daily news straight on their Facebook news feed for example. As well the people who are reading/sharing/tweeting the news will decide which news are the most popular and there wise the trending stories appear on their friends newsfeed. It is the consumer who decides what will be read. News Brought to Us by Ourselves For example on many news-broadcast channels the audience can speak up through Twitter and interact with the live news show. Furthermore during live debates there is the possibility for the audience to vote and express their support through Twitter. In some cases of live TV the audience is the main influencer of the course of the show. Twitter has become sort of a live broadcast channel itself. During the Spring-Summer 2013 fashion weeks in the fashion capitals in September the tweets and pictures from people at the shows gave a good overview of what was going on for their followers. People are getting more involved in being distributors of information and news. It is not only the responsibility of the press to be the prime distributors of information any more – it is the consumer. Conclusion Concerning the latest trends mentioned above Blue Duck has to take a lot into consideration while building their online presence. Blue Duck must be sure that their social media profiles interact with the consumer and that the conversation taking place there is not unanswered. Furthermore in connection with new technologies and platforms Blue Duck has to indicate the ones that their target group is the most involved in and take them into focus while developing a social media strategy. For example Pinterest is a great bookmarking tool for women concerning home and lifestyle subjects. It is appealing for them to take inspiration from other people all over the world and make pin-boards with great ideas and products. Finally Blue Duck has to make sure that their social media pages are entertaining and provide interesting content for their customers, so that they will not loose interest in the brand and keep it on top of their mind.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Racism is Unacceptable Essay examples -- Racial Prejudice Discriminati

Racism is Unacceptable From the beginning of recorded history, possibly before then, humans have found a necessity for classifying and categorizing every aspect of life. This need for order has been used to efficiently organize and clarify the endless details on Earth. This arrangement of objects in groups has also created a very sinister and volatile mindset that some people live by. This associative manner of classification has lead to the formation of beliefs in race identities, stereotypes, and superiority in the form of racism. Racism is contempt for people who have physical characteristics different from your own (Nanda and Warms 1). This concept is often combined with what is called racialism. Racialism is an ideology based on the following suppositions: There are biologically fixed races; different races have different moral, intellectual, and physical characteristics (Nanda and Warms 1). This is the ideal that many people engage in consciously and the way some people think without even realizing i t. The only way to overcome this derogatory belief system is to define the meanings and misunderstandings of racial differences. Race is the term for classifications of people based on opinions about physical characteristics and differences between groups of individuals. The problem with this is that these differences do not really provide distinctions between ancestral lineages. In fact, these subtle differences between so called races, like broadened noses, physical structure, and skin color, are the results of environmental circumstances encountered by early nomadic human groups as they moved and settled in new territories. These traits are the products of many thousands of years of genetic hit or miss. Some of these... ... not curious about the skin colors, hair textures, bodily structures, and facial features associated with racial background (Rensberger 57). As a result of this, we can only hope that by not tolerating this type of thinking in our children and not being part of it with our associates we can help make racism an unpopular and unacceptable way of life. Works Cited 1. Keita, S. O. Y. and Kittles, Rick A. â€Å"The Persistence of Racial Thinking and the Myth of Racial Divergence.† American Anthropologist. 99 (September 1997): 534- 542. 2. Nanda, Serena and Warms, Richard L. Cultural Anthropology. Belmont, CA: West/ Wadsworth, 1998. 3. Rensberger, Boyce. â€Å"Racial Odyssey.† Science Digest. (January/ February 1981) Reprint. 57- 63. 4. Wachtel, Paul L. Race in the Mind of America: Breaking the Vicious Circle between Blacks and Whites. New York: Routledge, 1999.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Defining Honor

If I were to ask half a dozen people at random to tell me what they meant by the word â€Å"honor,† I think that I would probably receive very different answers. One of the reasons for this is that it often means different things in the minds of different people. For instance, we say that it was a great honor for Jim Smith to be elected captain of the football team; and then, on the other hand, we talk about a code of honor, — or the laws of honor. What does Jim Smith’s being captain of the eleven have to do with the laws of honor? What we mean, in the case of Jim, is that his election as captain shows that the other boys have confidence in his play, and therefore this position gives him a local reputation as a comparatively good player and leader. Now many people in the world have only this idea of honor; and, when they speak of holding their honor sacred above all else, they mean keeping their reputation good in the eyes of men. For this reason, they value any office or reward that adds to their reputation; and the more their reputation grows and the more distinction they earn, the more honorable they feels themselves to be. This was the idea of honor existing among the ancient heathen people before the Christian era. You know that, after the fall of the great Roman Empire, there was a period of about a thousand years, when the light of civilization went out in Europe, and the darkness of ignorance and barbarism took its place. During these dark days, there was much going on that was not better and sometimes even worse from a moral point of view than in the days of the Roman Empire; but, when the minds of men began to wake up again, their standards really had advanced further than the old heathen standards of life. A seed Christian principle had been germinating for all these years and finally blossomed out in the Age of Chivalry. This, as you know, was an assertion first of all that the notion that â€Å"Might makes Right† is false, although it had been almost universally believed to be true, in practice, before the coming of Christ. The orders of knighthood which arose in various parts of Europe were composed of men who made it their business to bring order out of confusion, — to kill the wild beasts that interfered with flocks and herds and made farming difficult, — to overpower and abolish the highwaymen and robbers who made traveling unsafe, — and to protect women and children in respect and security. These men bound themselves by solemn vows to keep certain laws which were necessary for carrying out their work, and their obligation or sense of responsibility to keep these laws they called their â€Å"Honor. † Hence a new conception of honor came into being, and their code of honor was the law according to which their conduct was judged among themselves. This is, of course, a very different idea of honor from that which consists of thinking that distinction before men is better worth having than anything else, and which therefore puts reputation above character. Anybody who compares these two ideas of honor can see that the one is only a counterfeit imitation of the other, and that there is not necessary connection between them at all; for a man may have character without reputation, and he may have reputation without character, for reputation may be either true or false; and, when true, it is in many cases because of the character underlying it. But many fine reputations of all sorts are the result of clever self-advertising, and this practice is one of the most destructive and degrading to character and true manliness. This is so because, when we seek reputation for its own sake, we are yielding to the temptation of vanity; and vanity is a weakness and disease of the soul. Everybody has temptations to overcome, and it is everybody’s business to know and work against his weaknesses; but, when our chief ambition in life fosters our weakness, and we deceive ourselves by giving the name of â€Å"honor† to that which weakens us, we can hardly expect to grow stronger as the years go by. The old knights had the right idea of honor, and there have been a great variety of orders of chivalry in different countries, such as those mentioned in the Boy Scout Manual; and the main idea in all of them was to hold up a standard of public service which would raise men above the habits and customs of selfish brutes and merely worldly men. There is another great distinction between these two conceptions of honor: when we think of our reputation as our honor we require spectators, for our reputation is what we are in the minds of other men; but the honor of character, which is our sacred obligation to keep the law of our code and to do our duty in God’s sight, is just as binding upon us when we are all alone, and therefore it must control our most private acts and secret thoughts. A little newsboy boarded a crowded car the other night with a very large bundle of papers, and the conductor, with coarse good-nature, tried to favor him by declining to take his fare, although of course he could not do this without cheating the railway. The boy looked at him with indignation and could not believe that he was the conductor. He went all through the car hunting for the real conductor to whom he could pay his fair. This little boy was richer than if he had had millions in bank in place of this high-minded feeling of honorable independence and of determination to fulfil all his obligations; and, if he remains true to this principle in all the phases of his life, he will accomplish far more than if he amassed millions, or became President of the United States. He will add to the joy and dignity of many other lives as well as his own; for, sooner or later, every human being finds out that without this loyalty to honor life cannot be happy, is — indeed, not worth living. But we must be careful to remember that, although this is such an important and central truth, we cannot expect every one to know about it; and therefore we cannot expect them to act accordingly. In this, as in all other such matters, we must be on our guard against feeling superior to those who have not had our advantages. Next to keeping our own obligations of honor is the duty of protecting the honor of all those with whom we have contact; — and especially of the weak and ignorant. The weak must be protected by whatever means is necessary and appropriate, and the ignorant may be taught if we go about it quietly and in a friendly spirit, without â€Å"laying down the law. † Of course, it is the duty of patrol leaders to see that all their boys understand as thoroughly as possible the nature of the obligations which they have taken upon themselves. It is also the duty of scouts to hand along whatever helpful knowledge they have to other scouts within reach of their friendship. But this holds good not only for boy scouts and their officers but for all men; and it cannot be done unless, in the first place, we ourselves try to practice what we teach and then teach it with a humble appreciation of the beauty or use of the subject, and without any vanity or conceit. There is no merit, but only privilege, — so great that it is difficult to estimate, — in teaching and being taught to understand and live by the deep and tested truths of life; and the more we learn, from obeying them, the more humbly grateful we shall be.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Forced Community Service Persuassive Essay

Benchmark Essay Courtney Ceurvels Purple 6/12/12 Students shouldn’t be required to perform seventy five hours of community service. This is because the work wouldn’t be done well if the students were forced. Also time would be taken away from clubs, sports, social life and school work. Then again it will make the town look better. If students were forced to do volunteer work to complete schooling then it would most likely not be done well.Being forced the students won’t get the same lesson and/or experience from it. Never mind the work wouldn’t be done as well because they don’t want to do it. Then if they don’t want to do it, the work won’t be done to the best of their ability. Also forcing 75 hours of volunteer work would take time away from school work, sports, clubs and social life. Most kids have sports practice or club meeting after school hours & then have t complete school work after that.With a schedule already that packed the n adding more responsibility to a student’s life could effect their sleeping habits and cause stress. Volunteer work could also lower grades and the sport skills of students if they miss practice or studying time over community service work. Some people might say that it would make the town a better place to make the students more involved. Also some might complain that it would keep kids out of trouble, when really all you’re doing if giving them another way to get in trouble.Since kids are forced to do the work and some are already extremely busy then they won’t complete their hours and then that would effect them receiving a diploma. This is why students shouldn’t be required to perform 75 hours of community service for schooling. The students are already too busy with their school work, clubs, sports and social life. They would have a bad work ethic since they were being forced, also it wouldn’t have the same meaning/lesson. The only pro is tha t it would help the town but in this situation, the cons greatly outweigh the pros.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on When I Was Puerto Rican

A Developmental Analysis Of The Main Character In The Book â€Å"When I Was Puerto Rican† By Esmeralda Santiago Negi’s childhood home in Macun was in a community which had few ties with the rest of society. She was an intelligent child who grew up poor, with six siblings, a virtually absent father, and little knowledge of how the world worked. Yet she was driven to shape an identity separate from her family, and in her heart still remain the â€Å"jibara† she was raised as. Negi was a stable child with no significant drawbacks in her childhood that would inhibit healthy growth or development. She seemed healthy and happy. It is hard to consider Negi’s childhood as â€Å"normal† reading about it from an American viewpoint. Reason being she grew up in a country and a culture dramatically different from most people’s in America. Even though her houses were described as one or two room shacks, her bed shared by 5 or 6 siblings, she walked around barefoot outdoors, never visited the doctor, and ate rice and beans almost everyday; in her culture and in her community that is normal. People that have that experience growing up in America would be labeled â€Å"poor† or â€Å"underprivileged†. One must be culturally sensitive and consider the location and context of her childhood to fully appreciate her experience. Regardless of the context of the child, there are a number of general factors to consider when examining healthy development. Negi had a close knit family which provided love and support. Her mother encouraged maturation, education, responsibility, propriety, and respect. Her father, when he was present, promoted her growth by answering questions and bringing knowledge into the home usually in the form of reading material. According to Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2004), â€Å"A good family environment provides nurturance, support, guidance, and a safe, secure place to which children can turn† (p.158). Luckily this en... Free Essays on When I Was Puerto Rican Free Essays on When I Was Puerto Rican A Developmental Analysis Of The Main Character In The Book â€Å"When I Was Puerto Rican† By Esmeralda Santiago Negi’s childhood home in Macun was in a community which had few ties with the rest of society. She was an intelligent child who grew up poor, with six siblings, a virtually absent father, and little knowledge of how the world worked. Yet she was driven to shape an identity separate from her family, and in her heart still remain the â€Å"jibara† she was raised as. Negi was a stable child with no significant drawbacks in her childhood that would inhibit healthy growth or development. She seemed healthy and happy. It is hard to consider Negi’s childhood as â€Å"normal† reading about it from an American viewpoint. Reason being she grew up in a country and a culture dramatically different from most people’s in America. Even though her houses were described as one or two room shacks, her bed shared by 5 or 6 siblings, she walked around barefoot outdoors, never visited the doctor, and ate rice and beans almost everyday; in her culture and in her community that is normal. People that have that experience growing up in America would be labeled â€Å"poor† or â€Å"underprivileged†. One must be culturally sensitive and consider the location and context of her childhood to fully appreciate her experience. Regardless of the context of the child, there are a number of general factors to consider when examining healthy development. Negi had a close knit family which provided love and support. Her mother encouraged maturation, education, responsibility, propriety, and respect. Her father, when he was present, promoted her growth by answering questions and bringing knowledge into the home usually in the form of reading material. According to Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2004), â€Å"A good family environment provides nurturance, support, guidance, and a safe, secure place to which children can turn† (p.158). Luckily this en...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Germans to America - Passengers Arriving at US Ports

Germans to America - Passengers Arriving at US Ports Are you researching German immigrants to America during the 19th century? Germans to America, compiled and edited by Ira A. Glazier and P. William Filby, is a series of books which indexes passenger arrival records of ships carrying Germans to the U.S. ports of  Baltimore, Boston, New Orleans, New York, and Philadelphia. It presently covers the  records of over 4 million passengers during  the period January 1850 through Jun 1897. Due to its inclusion criteria, this series is considered to be an incomplete- though fairly thorough- index to German passengers arriving in America during this period. The quality of the transcription varies, but the series is still an excellent research tool for tracking down German immigrant ancestors. If a listing is found in Germans to America, then the original passenger lists should be consulted, as they may contain further details.   Where to Find Germans to America The individual books in the Germans to America series  are fairly pricey, so the best research option is to either find a library with the series (most major genealogical libraries will have it), or locate a database version. The database version created by the Center for Immigration Studies at the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies (the same group that created the published versions) was originally published on CD and is now available for free online from the National Archives and FamilySearch. It is unclear exactly how the data compiled in the Germans to America, 1850–1897 database relates directly to the published volumes.  NARA staff has found that there are ship manifests included in the database that are not included in the respective published volumes, and that there is also a difference in the covered time periods.   The Germans to America Series The first 9 volumes of the Germans to America series indexed only passenger lists of ships that contained at least 80% German passengers. Thus, a number of Germans who came over on ships from 1850–1855 are not included. Beginning with Volume 10, all ships with German passengers were included, regardless of the percentage. However, only those identifying themselves as German are listed; all other passenger names were not transcribed. Volumes 1–59 of Germans to America (through 1890) include arrivals to the major U.S. ports of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston and New Orleans. Beginning in 1891, Germans to America only includes arrivals to the port of New York. Some Baltimore arrivals are known to be missing from Germans to America- see  Why Some Baltimore Passenger Lists are Missing and How to Find Them  by Joe Beine for more information. Vol. 1 Jan 1850 - May 1851 Vol. 35 Jan 1880 - Jun 1880 Vol. 2 May 1851 - Jun 1852 Vol. 36 Jul 1880 - Nov 1880 Vol. 3 Jun 1852 - Sep 1852 Vol. 37 Dec 1880 - Apr 1881 Vol. 4 Sep 1852 - May 1853 Vol. 38 Apr 1881 - May 1881 Vol. 5 May 1853 - Oct 1853 Vol. 39 Jun 1881 - Aug 1881 Vol. 6 Oct 1853 - May 1854 Vol. 40 Aug 1881 - Oct 1881 Vol. 7 May 1854 - Aug 1854 Vol. 41 Nov 1881 - Mar 1882 Vol. 8 Aug 1854 - Dec 1854 Vol. 42 Mar 1882 - May 1882 Vol. 9 Dec 1854 - Dec 1855 Vol. 43 May 1882 - Aug 1882 Vol. 10 Jan 1856 - Apr 1857 Vol. 44 Aug 1882 - Nov 1882 Vol. 11 Apr 1857 - Nov 1857 Vol. 45 Nov 1882 - Apr 1883 Vol. 12 Nov 1857 - Jul 1859 Vol. 46 Apr 1883 - Jun 1883 Vol. 13 Aug 1859 - Dec 1860 Vol. 47 Jul 1883 - Oct 1883 Vol. 14 Jan 1861 - May 1863 Vol. 48 Nov 1883 - Apr 1884 Vol. 15 Jun 1863 - Oct 1864 Vol. 49 Apr 1884 - Jun 1884 Vol. 16 Nov 1864 - Nov 1865 Vol. 50 Jul 1884 - Nov 1884 Vol. 17 Nov 1865 - Jun 1866 Vol. 51 Dec 1884 - Jun 1885 Vol. 18 Jun 1866 - Dec 1866 Vol. 52 Jul 1885 - Apr 1886 Vol. 19 Jan 1867 - Aug 1867 Vol. 53 May 1886 - Jan 1887 Vol. 20 Aug 1867 - May 1868 Vol. 54 Jan 1887 - Jun 1887 Vol. 21 May 1868 - Sep 1868 Vol. 55 Jul 1887 - Apr 1888 Vol. 22 Oct 1868 - May 1869 Vol. 56 May 1888 - Nov 1888 Vol. 23 Jun 1869 - Dec 1869 Vol. 57 Dec 1888 - Jun 1889 Vol. 24 Jan 1870 - Dec 1870 Vol. 58 Jul 1889 - Apr 1890 Vol. 25 Jan 1871 - Sep 1871 Vol. 59 May 1890 - Nov 1890 Vol. 26 Oct 1871 - Apr 1872 Vol. 60 Dec 1890 - May 1891 Vol. 27 May 1872 - Jul 1872 Vol. 61 Jun 1891 - Oct 1891 Vol. 28 Aug 1872 - Dec 1872 Vol. 62 Nov 1891 - May 1892 Vol. 29 Jan 1873 - May 1873 Vol. 63 Jun 1892 - Dec 1892 Vol. 30 Jun 1873 - Nov 1873 Vol. 64 Jan 1893 - Jul 1893 Vol. 31 Dec 1873 - Dec 1874 Vol. 65 Aug 1893 - Jun 1894 Vol. 32 Jan 1875 - Sep 1876 Vol. 66 Jul 1894 - Oct 1895 Vol. 33 Oct 1876 - Sep 1878 Vol. 67 Nov 1895 - Jun 1897 Vol. 34 Oct 1878 - Dec 1879

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Embracing Change

Embracing Change Easy words to say. The type of words seen on decorative Facebook posts with oceans in the background, like you never thought about dealing with change before. I recently had a hard day. Not of challenge or obstacles, but of the silent yet keen edge of change. After attending a luncheon featuring an author Id just learned of, an annual event Id attended for years, I left deflated and demoralized, and I couldnt put my finger on the reason why. Actually spent the better part of the day pondering what in the world had knocked my internal gyroscope off its center. My very core felt bruised. Nobody did anything horrendously wrong or broke any social mores to get up at arms about. That literary event had become a staple in my world, but it had developed new leadership, and some of the old guard was gone. The speaker wasnt like the others, a bit formulaic without much inspiration, and the event adjourned with little fanfare, less charm. . . the sense of special gone. It was more about me accepting the fact that nothing remains the same. Im usually good at embracing change, often excited about the opportunity it presents, but this altered an environment around me that Id come to rely upon as. . . unchangeable. It was like losing a close friend, with nobody else around to fill that void the way they did. . . knowing the change was permanent. Like when we have to learn how to publish differently or lose an editor thats always molded us well. Like when a magazine folds for which weve written dozens of pieces. Like when we change to self-publishing because traditional isnt paying as it used to, only to learn that indie is a whole different animal that might not pay any different. Or when publishers (of any kind) change rules and methods weve come to consider second nature. So, I did something I havent done in years. I opened a book of poems. Mary Oliver, to be precise. She was so good at simplifying life and noting whats important. I turned to poetry to calm my mind and to make sense of the change. Change happens, and Im supposed to be a part of it, so I can help it be better, too.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Temple of Zeus at Akragas, Agrigento, Sicily 500-460 B.C Essay

Temple of Zeus at Akragas, Agrigento, Sicily 500-460 B.C - Essay Example In Agrigento, Sicily, one of the most ancient architectural designs stands there even today, attracting thousands of people from across the globe. Historically, the town is famous for its splendid assortment of more than seven Greek temples that dates back to the sixth and fifth centuries BC. Standing on the southern part of the city of Agrigento, these temples provide a classic example of a historical study about ancient architectural designs, and how they influences modern day architecture (Wilson 7). Many historians believe that the Greek colonialists are the ones who built the city of Akragas in 580 BC. These colonialists had travelled from far, precisely from Rhodes and settled in Sicily. Life during the colonial times was not any easy, as tyranny, persecutions and slavery took the orders of the day. However, these periods happened and democracy settled in slowly and the city dwellers, about 200,000 of them in the fifth century BC, embarked on a journey of developing their city. High-quality wine, olives, and horses decorated the beautiful city, and later on the most famous and beautiful temples stood elected. However, something astonishing happened in 406 BC. The Carthaginians invaded Akragas just barely eight months after the construction of the temples, and mutilated the temples. The Carthaginians ruled the city until 340 BC when Timoleon engaged the Carthage in war and finally defeated them. However, it is important to note that the city had lost its glory and magnificent scene, a scene that stands unrecovered even up to today. The change o one empire to another has not helped in the rebuilding of the temples. However, these temples still have a historical significance to modern day historians and architectural designers (Paton 74-94). In Italy, historians agree that the Olympian Zeus Temple is the prevalent Doric temple ever built and it has some historical significance. However, it is paramount to note that due to various reasons, the construction of these temple never ended. In fact, today, the temple of Zeus lies in ruins as the people responsible for its construction did not do much to compete it. Standing in the Valle dei Templi, other famous temples surround the temple of Zeus thus giving the later a sheer significance. Nonetheless, it is imperative to note that nobody recorded the exact history this temple, and therefore it is quite unclear. This does not however imply that there are no absolute facts about the temple of Zeus. In fact, one of its significance is the commemoration of war pitting Syracuse and Carthaginians (Battle of Himera 480 BC). As earlier noted the Carthaginians had taken control of the city and imposed their rule. Some historians such as Diodorus Siculus point out that the Carthaginians are the ones who built the temple by using slaves. Here, the slaves were mainly the captured enemies parading as soldiers but were now defeated and taken into captivity where they subjected them into hard work and labo r (Wilson 48-61). The ancient literature does not say much about the temple of Zeus although many historians mention it in their writings. For example, Polybius, one of the Greek historians records in a memo that although the other temples surrounding the temple of Zeus looked complete and beautiful unlike the temple of Zeus, the later was completely odd in terms of appearance, design and dimensions. He goes on to say

Technological Advancements and the Rise of Western Civilization Essay

Technological Advancements and the Rise of Western Civilization - Essay Example In particular, the creation of more effective weapons, and the advancement of maritime equipment meant that Western Civilizations could be more easily spread to outlying regions, most of which still are marked by Western culture today. Before it was known as Western Civilization, the culture we are familiar with now was referred to as the 'Occident', as a way of separating it from the 'Orient'. In the 16th century, Western culture was generally defined as those societies which had sprung up from Roman and Greek settlement and, to varying degrees, decided to adopt Christianity and to engage in close trade with one another. The nations participating in these activities included Italy, Greece, England, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, France, Spain and several other Western European nations (Carrier 79). The Western World in the 16th century was marked by radical religious ideologies, mass revolt, the exploitation of European slave markets and ultimately the unification of the Occident into a tightly-knit economic, political and religious unit. Although during that time the citizens of each individual Western country would not have imagined themselves as part of one rising dominant culture, it was the fact that these European countries were geographically forced to deal with one another than made this early Occident the basis for modern Western Civilization. ... s own position in the region but to embrace those fundamental ideals of democracy and Christian morality and from a powerful standpoint, spread them into further reaches of Europe and eventually across the Atlantic Ocean (Ibid 85-95). Technology and Economic Advancement Technological advancements in early Western nations were not only fundamental to the spread of Western culture, but they were the tools by which the slave trade, the primary aspect of Western expansion (Kamen 235-250). Most European countries were involved in the slave trade to some degree, however it was the aggressive tactics of the Portuguese, the Spanish and then the English that fully opened up African countries for slave exploitation and subsequently built their economies and spread their culture. The two major technological advancements for Western Civilization in the 16th century were based on maritime equipment and weaponry. To build a strong economy, based largely on the slave trade, Western European countries needed to update their maritime technologies for better, safer seafaring. Two inventions that helped tremendously with this effort were the mariner's astrolabe and the magnetic compass, both of which were in use for a few hundred years prior to any major Western expansion but that had not been fully adopted by European sailors. The mariner's astrolabe allowed sailors to navigate more accurately by using the stars, sun and moon, while the magnetic compass was a much more reliable version of earlier direction-seeking instruments. With these tools, as well as better ship-building techniques, sailors from Portugal, Spain, England and many other Western nations were suddenly employed in the slave trade to bring workers to their growing countries (Burwash 13-14). Simultaneously,

Friday, October 18, 2019

Concept of analysis of Compliance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Concept of analysis of Compliance - Assignment Example Nurses can embrace a transactional or interactive process in order to form a client partnership, which allows a client to make choices in decision making about a prescribed behavior. Rationale The purpose of the study is to show the attributes and factors that influence nurses compliance in relation with standard precautions in order to shun occupational exposure to bacteria and pathogens, by using a qualitative research methodology. These are the set of guidelines aimed at protecting nurses from exposure to infectious pathogens since nurses can acquire infection during nursing care provision due to exposure to microorganisms, and this can be through needle sticks or exposure to air-borne transmitted micro-organisms. Compliance is of interest to nursing in order to avoid microorganisms’ exposure. It is a legal obligation for the nurses to adhere to the laid down guidelines in the profession. On hand hygiene, use of hand gloves is a requirement by law to prevent exposure to bod y fluids (Taylor 2006). Nurses should implement every component of standard precaution while conducting a clinical practice and take measures to keep away from exposure to pathogens. All nurses are also obliged to use the necessary means to protect their health by use of face masks and gloves. To prevent vulnerability to diseases, some nurses need to take preventive measures since their immune system is weak thus easy for them to be infected due to regular contact with sick persons. This is aimed at reducing risk of infection since nurses are continuously exposed to pathogens. Several nursing procedures such as giving bed bath require patients contact thus very easy to be infected (Baker & Feder, 1997). The risk is not only to the nurses, but also the individuals they come into contact with, more so the family members. Reason for compliance is to prevent occupation exposure. This can occur in different ways; it can be by direct or indirect transmission, airborne transmission and muc us membrane exposure. In the late seventies, the first preventive legislation was issued to help health care practitioners and protect them from microorganisms (Baker & Feder, 1997). It required nurses to treat each patient potentially infectious. It was revised requiring all nurses to use preventive and protective equipment in every case of exposure anticipated. Compliance creates a practitioner-patient partnership. Research has shown the importance of creating a relation in determining compliance level with prescribed treatment (Taylor, 2006). It describes a shared process, which leads to an agreement between prescriber and patient about the aim of drug treatment and how to achieve them. It enables the patient to participate fully and to influence the outcome ultimately. Information by patients informs the decisions made thus information leaflets are given with medicine supplied to each patient. This makes it essential for patients to discuss any information with the appropriate p ractitioner. Attributes to compliance are important in relation with standard precautions. Effective recommendations for nursing practice should be compatible with values among target groups and less controversial (Kanouse, Kallich & Kahan, 1995). It should not require much change to the already existing routine and have a precise definition, with specific actions and advice in different

Fire Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fire Protection - Essay Example After mixing with water, the fluid is poured where hydration hardens the concrete within the desired shape. It is used in constructing roads, pavements, foundations, poles, blocks walls, structures, parking, bridges, underpass, etc. In either mode of construction, the most important aspect to keep in mind is fire resistance as after setting on fire the whole building can collapse. The best way is to keep the building airy and using non-combustible material (tiles of clay or slate, cement and concrete mixture, etc) in ceilings/roofs (Avillo, 2002). For windows smaller pane and double or tempered pane glass is preferred while skylights must not be made of flaming material. Firewalls, rated wall to resist fire, can be constructed to avoid the spread of fire. It slow downs the movement of fire from one side to another by separating the building into different fire areas. Constructing a project on large scale involves a number of tasks. Mixture of cement and concrete can be used to reinforce the infrastructure to increase its durability where inflammable material must be avoided for walls and roofs. There should be fire exits and firewalls to keep the burning area separate from the safe compartments.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Delinquency Program Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Delinquency Program - Research Paper Example The scared straight program was used throughout the United States of America, to discourage the juvenile children or the one potential juvenile’s children, from committing criminal activities in the future. In this program the children were told harsh stories about the adult prisoners, what sufferings do they go through in the prison. The program consisted of counseling the juvenile children. The interview of the juvenile with the adult prisoner, they are allowed to ask a question about the prisoner’s life. The detailed study of this program showed that this juvenile program is not only futile but it is harmful to the children and mostly leaves a negative effect on the children’s mind. There was a documentary made, focusing the scared straight program as a subject. This documentary was a great success and showed to build a positive image of this program in the minds of its audience. This documentary showed juvenile paying their visit to the adult prisoners in the penitentiary of New Jersey. In this documentary the idea conveyed was that attempting a crime is a matter of choice, it has little to do with social variables too. A research was conducted by Anthony Petrosino and some other writers at the Campbell Corporation. They studied nine scared straight programs. The finding of this research was that the crime rate was increased up to 26% in the experimental group in comparison to the control group. Similarly, Mark Lipesy of Vanderbilt Institute of public policy studies analyzed the program.

Document Analysis Pravda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Document Analysis Pravda - Essay Example We can easily understand that the article is being vague on purpose not to bring any suspicions to the reader regarding the rising conflict between the two nations. What is also very surprising is that the paper does not seem to have been written by a very talented journalist and was certainly not on the front pages of the newspapers. It is one of the characteristics of the Pravda, often isolating important news to small columns at the end of the newspaper. As we stated earlier the article is vague on purpose. We should be struck not by the details but actually by the lack of details of what should be an important piece of news. No names are quoted, no declarations from any political figure - neither Russian nor German. The opening statement is a disproval of any negotiations between the USSR and Germany but no fact is given to prove this statement. As in the entire article, we have to believe the author's words even if he doesn't give us any piece of information or evidence. The article is built just to persuade the reader that nothing is happening. Opening statement made as a disproval, explanation of the movement of the German troops and a closing sentence reassuring that both of the countries are observing the non-aggression pact.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Delinquency Program Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Delinquency Program - Research Paper Example The scared straight program was used throughout the United States of America, to discourage the juvenile children or the one potential juvenile’s children, from committing criminal activities in the future. In this program the children were told harsh stories about the adult prisoners, what sufferings do they go through in the prison. The program consisted of counseling the juvenile children. The interview of the juvenile with the adult prisoner, they are allowed to ask a question about the prisoner’s life. The detailed study of this program showed that this juvenile program is not only futile but it is harmful to the children and mostly leaves a negative effect on the children’s mind. There was a documentary made, focusing the scared straight program as a subject. This documentary was a great success and showed to build a positive image of this program in the minds of its audience. This documentary showed juvenile paying their visit to the adult prisoners in the penitentiary of New Jersey. In this documentary the idea conveyed was that attempting a crime is a matter of choice, it has little to do with social variables too. A research was conducted by Anthony Petrosino and some other writers at the Campbell Corporation. They studied nine scared straight programs. The finding of this research was that the crime rate was increased up to 26% in the experimental group in comparison to the control group. Similarly, Mark Lipesy of Vanderbilt Institute of public policy studies analyzed the program.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Critically discuss the extent to which Fayol's classic analysis of the Essay

Critically discuss the extent to which Fayol's classic analysis of the management function has largely been made redundant by - Essay Example With the advent of globalization and continuous advancement in technology, it can be viewed that the way business operated decades ago has radically changed. Many critics around the world are developing new theories that are providing much better ways than the theories that were propounded by managerial theorist in the past. It is believed that today’s managerial theories comparatively provide much detailed analysis and suggestions that can help a business in present highly competitive world. Among all Fayolism is a management theory that was developed by the famous French management theorist Henri Fayol. It is believed that though the theorist work as a guideline for administrators the theory contributed and highlights the practises that would be implemented while managing an organization (Wren, & et. al., 2002). The major purpose of this essay is to discuss the extent to which Fayol’s classic analysis of the management function has largely been made redundant by the m ore recent empirical studies of what managers actually do, such as that favoured by Mintzberg. Discussion Management theories are considered to be a vital part of every business association in today’s competitive commercial environment that serve as a road map and standards for accomplishing their broad objectives. It not only provides a blueprint on how business should be operated but also helps in proper management of resources and in formation of measurable aims and objectives for the business organisation. Henri Fayol is considered to be a pioneer in the field of management theories. With Fayol’s work viz. General and Industrial Management, Fayol was considered amongst the best management theorist in the past. However, with the passing time it can be viewed that many experts were largely convinced with the theory propagated by Fayol while some criticised it on certain ground. Among them the contemporary theory propagated by Henry Mintzberg has been largely been com pared with Fayol’s management theory which has resulted in raising question regarding the applicability and acceptability of Fayol’s classic analysis of the management function. The Different Perspectives on Management Taken by Fayol and Mintzberg Description on Fayol’s Work Henri Fayol generally known as the father of administrative management is considered to be amongst the first management theorist that provided business organizations standard way of managing their business effectively that would help them to achieve their goals and objectives smoothly. According to Fayol, all industrial organization consists of six different group of activities including technical which mainly focused on production, manufacture and adaption; commercial which consists of buying, selling and exchanging; financial which concentrated on searching for chances that would help in optimum utilization of resources; security which mainly focused on protecting property and persons; acc ounting which main task was to maintain stock captivating, balance sheets and cost statistics and managerial

Monday, October 14, 2019

Critical Perspectives on Accounting Essay Example for Free

Critical Perspectives on Accounting Essay In this article Marcus Milne provides critical overview and analysis of literature devoted to establishing evidence for positive accounting theory in regards of corporate social disclosure. The central argument of the paper is that positive accounting theorists are trying to colonize social and environmental accounting research. The present article is empirical research and the author employs qualitative and quantitative data to support the claim that positive accounting theory of social disclosure has failed in its endeavor. The author’s purpose is to challenge the perceptions of positive accounting theory and to illustrate why efforts of theorists to social and environmental accounting has failed. The author focuses on the original work of Watts and Zimmerman and tends to present their concern and ideas with the lobbying behavior observed in US oil companies. The companies were claimed to be monopolists and self-interested politicians that had pursued mainly wealth transfers in the form of taxes and other political costs. For them, social responsibility is passing remark. The article is useful to my research topic as Milne suggests that modern businesses and companies should be more concerned with social and environmental responsibility as our world’s resources are not unlimited. The main limitation of the article is that only one original work is incorporated – the article presents one viewpoint without presenting multiple views on the problem. The author indicates that literature on positive accounting theory has failed to provide arguments for self-interested managers’ wealth maximizes. The article will be useful supplementary information for my research on social and environmental responsibility.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Princess Diana Spoke Volumes on AIDS Awareness :: essays research papers

During Princess Diana's life she helped with many foundations and charities. But she finally dedicated herself to one cause in particular. Princess Diana became very involved with helping AIDS sufferers and their families. Starting in the early nineties until her death in 1997 Diana did everything she could to help all AIDS foundations. Even though she was regal, she did not consider herself better than any AIDS sufferer, and constantly held AIDS victims and visted them when everyone else was afraid of their touch. Princess Diana first became interested in helping the needy when she was in high school. Diana fisrt started charitable works with the Voluntary Service Unit, where she would visit mentally handicapped teenagers. While many of Diana's friends were afraid and resistant about visiting Darenth Park, a huge mental hospital, Diana found that she had a natural desire for this work. Even though Diana was a princess and part of the royal family, she was not afraid to help AIDS vi ctims and sufferers. Diana wasnt afraid to touch or even hug kids or adults who had AIDS or were HIV-positive. On the other hand,the Queen, the Queen's sister, and the queen's niece always wore gloves when merely shaking hands. "Everyone needs hugs" Diana once said. Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first royal family member to openly work with and support AIDS victims. "I touch people, I think everyone needs that,"stated Diana when discussing about how she freely hugs and touches AIDS patients and people who are HIV-positive. In 1989, Diana made one of her first public visits to an AIDS facility in England.Diana started her work with AIDS during a very hard time in her life. Even though Diana could have quit her charitable works after her divorce, she embraced them with a renewed passion. Diana's support for AIDS victims and sufferers came a crucial time when tabloids and her royal family didnt fully approve of her works.Diana became a favorite around normal, ev eryday people because she made them feel loved. Diana thought it was normal to touch and have conversations with AIDS patients when others wouldnt go near them. Diana conquered public fear of AIDS when she held a baby with AIDS in Washington in her arms. Diana was special because she won people's devotions by simply being devoted to them. To many people Diana was a hero because she actually listened and understood AIDS patients, as well as show affection and love.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Reflection on Alternative Assessments Essays -- Education Assessment E

Reflection on Alternative Assessments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditional and alternative assessments share some key elements, yet differ as well. All assessments, whether given as a test after a unit or alternative, should be measurable and be reliable and valid by having clear criteria to measure the learning targets. Traditional and alternative assessments generally differ in timing, feedback, student's involvement, and how the teacher uses the information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The time in which traditional assessments such as after the unit tests are designed to provide feedback is at the end of a unit only. There is also generally a time limit to complete this type of assessment as well. These are not true of alternative assessments. A KWL or pre-test can provide feedback before a lesson or unit. Nearly all alternative assessments can also provide ongoing feedback during the lesson or unit as well as after it is completed. Also, many alternative assessments do not have a time constraint to demonstrate understanding of content.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The feedback given from a traditional assessment is a letter or percentage grade, which does not tell the content that the student knows, only a measure of quantity of knowledge from a scale of nothing to everything. This feedback is used to tell the teacher and/or school whether or not to promote the student and how they fall in comparison to the other students. With alternative assessments the feedback can be used by all parties (teacher, student, parent, and sch...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Adavantages of Management Accounting Information

Advantages of management accounting information The provision of management accounting information are for the intention of planning, control and decision making which may contribute to the success of an organization. Management accounting is the process of gathering information about economic activity that will be advantageous for the organization.For the planning of an organization, the manager can use the historical, present and future information obtained from management accounting which based on the organization’s situation and position in predicting organization’s future needs, setting clearer objective and implementing specific strategies that can bring achievement to the organization. After interpreting relevant management accounting information provided, it will be more efficient for the organization to apply and realize their planning and objective that had been set earlier.For the planning of an organization, the manager can use the historical, present and fu ture information obtained from management accounting which based on the organization’s situation and position in predicting organization’s future needs, setting clearer objective and implementing specific strategies that can bring achievement to the organization. After interpreting relevant management accounting information provided, it will be more efficient for the organization to apply and realize their planning and objective that had been set earlier.Management accounting able to assists the manager in controlling organization’s cash flow and improve financial stability which included the costs and business operational expenses. With the management accounting information obtained, the manager is able to review the cost of economic resources and other business operations. Therefore, the manager is clearer and familiar with the estimation of cost needed to run the business. Manager can analyze the quality of economic resources consumed in producing goods by us ing the management accounting information.As an example, if the overall quality of product would not be affected significantly by replacing with cheaper raw material, the manager can change towards a reduction of production costs. Budgeting is considered as major part of management accounting. To create an effective financial plan with lower operational expenses, manager able to analyze necessary and unnecessary business expenses based on the budget plan obtained from management accounting information in the pathway of saving money for the organization. In ontrast, there is also some limitation of management accounting information which based on financial and cost accounting. The interpretation of financial information usually depends on the interpreters’ judgments. The accuracy of decision mostly will be affected by their personal bias or prejudices. Manager usually uses management accounting information as a decision-making tool. This is because management accounting inform ation consists of specific and accurate details related to different competitors, market and industry the organization involved.With the analyzed data such as competitive advantages, consumers’ demand, potential sales and consumers’ response to price change, manager is able to make decision among all other business opportunities. In contrary, there are some limitations of the management accounting information. The quality of the information is restricted with the proper understanding and knowledge of the management accountants who provided the information.They may be lack of knowledge in related subject such as Statistic and economics, thus it will lead to inaccurate management accounting information. In conclusion, it is foreseeable that management accounting information is important and can be known as a business tool for the organization although it may has some limitations. But, it can also overcome by applying expertise and professional training for every level of management in the organization.Therefore, the information still able to assists in internal operation management of an organization. Furthermore, all decisions of the organization rely heavily management accounting information due to the reason it identifies all the factors that will affect the organization to succeed. ABMC 2023 MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING FUNDAMENTALS TUTORIAL GROUP: 2DAC4 WORD COUNT: 2997 NAME| STUDENT ID| KHOR SEONG SENG| 11PBD05485| KHOR PEI CHIEN| 11PBD03114| KHOR SHER LEE| 11PBD06416| ONG KAR SIN| 11PBD03057| YE YUN SHENG| 11PBD04700|

Thursday, October 10, 2019

A critique of a defense of abortion a book by judith jarvis thomson Essay

In this paper, I will explain in what circumstances an abortion would be unjust based on Thomson’s argument.   Also, I will explain why this result does nothing to weaken her argument.   In Thomson’s â€Å"A Defense of Abortion†, she makes a claim that it is usually morally permissible, just that is, to have an abortion.   She defends this claim with varying analogies, the strongest being the case of the violinist which I will explain later.   Thomson’s main point (only for the sake of argument) is that the fetus does have a right to life (Thomson p. 29).   However, she also points out that it is morally permissible to perform an abortion if the fetus has not been granted the right to use the mother’s body (Thomson p.31).   I will argue that in certain cases the fetus is in fact granted right to use of the mother’s body, and therefore, in such cases, it would be unjust to perform an abortion. I will argue for this by presenting an analogy presented by Thomson in her paper.   In this analogy, Thomson presents a situation: You have been kidnapped by a music group to have your kidneys hooked up to a famous ailing violinist’s body for nine months in order for him to survive.   Thomson claims that it would not be unjust or morally impermissible for you to unplug yourself from the violinist’s body because he has been granted no right to use your body (Thomson p. 30).   Now, I will use this analogy to argue for when it would be unjust to unplug yourself from the violinist’s body.   Suppose, for example, that this music group had asked you for permission to use your body prior to plugging you into the violinist.   Say, that you gave them permission and agreed to be attached to the violinist for nine months.   However, later on, you decide that you have better things to do than to be stuck to this violinist for nine months, and then decide to unplu g yourself from the violinist, leading to his death.   That act would be an unjust killing; because you gave the violinist the right to use your body, then took it away from him. I will now use the example of an actual pregnancy to defend my argument for the unjust killing of a fetus.   Suppose that a young couple, both in their mid-twenties decides to have their first child; this is your typical planned pregnancy.   They buy a new home and all other certain baby necessities.   However, say that during this pregnancy the couple has a change of heart.   Say that spontaneously the couple decides that they do not yet desire a child.   Thus, they decide to have an abortion for the child that they had previously given the right to life; they had previously given it the right to use the mother’s body.   It would thus be an unjust killing of the fetus, and it violates the fetus’ right not to be killed unjustly. This result does not weaken Thomson’s argument by any means.   I say this because Thomson was arguing for when an abortion is not morally impermissible (Thomson p. 37).   She was not arguing for which cases an abortion is impermissible.   Therefore, further questioning as to which abortions would be unjust under Thomson’s argument would be irrelevant.   Also, I was able to make my argument without relinquishing any of Thomson’s claims.   Moreover, based on my argument, one can, in fact, make a claim for what â€Å"certain† cases of abortion are morally impermissible.   Lastly, Thomson is merely pretending that a fetus is a person from conception in the first place, so her notion that some abortions may be unjust is irrelevant to her opponent’s argument (Thomson p.37)

Brazil leading the BRICS case study Essay

As of the date of the case and as explained in the case: is Brazil leading the BRICs? Please explain and defend your position. (We will discuss more recent data in class if time.) From the case I can see that for the past decade, Brazil has experienced greater integration into the global economy which has been characterized by significant growth in economy and reinforcement of the country’s weight in international trade negotiations. Brazil played an increasingly important leading role in the BRICs. However, Brazil was the underperformer of the BRICs in many areas. It faced significant obstacles to growth, including rising inflation, high interest rates, an appreciating exchange rate, poor infrastructure, excessive bureaucracy, and persistent crime. Overall, I think that Brazil plays a more and more important role on the international stage but is not leading the BRICs. BRAZIL PLAYS A MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT ROLE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE STRONG ECONOMIC GROWTH Brazil had sustained an average annual GDP growth of 4% since 2000. Between 2002 and 2009, inequality and poverty had declined significantly and more than 30 million Brazilians had advanced from lower income strata to the middle class. Goldman Sachs expected the BRICs to be among the five largest economies in  the world by 2030, forecasting a growth rate of more than 5% per year for Brazil. INTENSIVE INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT In 1964, Brazil was opened to foreign direct investment an expansion in manufacturing and services generated GDP growth averaging more than 10% annually. By 2008, Brazil was in the top 20 countries ranked by international trade. After Brazil joined the WTO, over time, the number of Brazilian firms on a list of the world’s 2,000 largest public companies grew from 13 in 2003 to 33 in 2010. Foreign investors had transferred more than $30 billion in portfolio investment to Brazil in 2010 alone. A MAJOR PLAYER IN MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS During numerous meetings of trade ministers from more than 140 countries, Brazil stood out as a leading voice of emerging markets. President Lula led the creation of the WTO G-21, a block of developing countries that negotiated collectively at WTO meetings. Brazil took a leading role in WTO negotiations and it also held important leadership positions in the Group of Twenty (G-20). AN AGRICULTURAL POWERHOUSE Brazil had become an agricultural powerhouse, ranked as the world leader in the production of six crops, ranging from sugarcane to dry beans, and among the top five producers of 32 other agricultural goods. BRAZIL IS NOT LEADING THE BRICS. UNFAVORABLE HISTORICAL FACTORS Brazil became independent in 1822, which was the latest independent country among the BRICs. Brazil had been in a climate of political unrest for a long time inundated with rebellions, individual dictatorship, and tensions between the landowners and slaveries. THE GOVERNMENT’S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IMPOSED OBSTACLES ON ENTREPRENEURS Under the Import substituting industrialization (ISI) development strategy, State-owned enterprises expanded but new businesses were pushed out of the formal economy. Labor laws made it costly for companies to hire or fire workers FINANCIAL ISSUE High interest rates and barriers to borrowing blocked market entry for entrepreneurial Brazilians. Brazil had a long time relying on aggressive growth which fueled import consumption and to a large extent worsened Brazil’s balance-of-payments, while government debt ballooned. RED TAPE AND POOR INFRASTRUCTURE Brazil’s infrastructure is in terrible shape and the country isn’t saving and investing enough. Red tape and poor infrastructure made it difficult for Brazilians to start companies. LOW-QUALITY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM In 2011, Brazil still transported many agricultural exports distances of 1,500 kilometers or more on low-quality roads in order to arrive at ports with backlogs and ineffective logistics. The World Economic Forum’s â€Å"quality of roads index† ranked Brazil 105th out of 139 countries. THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION REMAINED LOW Brazil’s students ranked near the bottom in the Organization for Economic Coordination and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment. COMPLEX DIPLOMATIC RELATIONSHIPS Brazil’s success in World Trade Organization dispute, use of compulsory licensing provisions to break patents, and diplomatic negotiations with Iran had generated tensions with the United States and the European Union. In Africa, Brazil found itself competing with China for development projects and political influence. (2) Was Brazil or the U.S. correct in the Merck dispute? Please explain and defend your position. THE MANUFACTURING COST OF THE EFAVIRENZ WAS VERY HIGH. The combination of prescription drugs that made up the HAART approach historically cost more than $15,000 per patient annually in the United States. The high price in the home country already showed that the relevant R&D, manufacturing cost was very high, let alone the other extra cost for selling in a foreign destination. BRAZIL THREATENED A COMPULSORY LICENSE TO FORCE PHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS COMPROMISE ON THE PRICE. In 2005, Abbott Pharmaceuticals made a compromise deal because Brazil’s  health minister threatened a compulsory license. Brazil governments saw it an effective way of pushing the pharmaceutical firms to compromise, so they started to make the same step towards other pharmaceutical firms. What they considered was their own benefit but did not carefully rethink whether it was inappropriate. MERCK OFFERED MODEST DISCOUNTS AND SOON AFTER LOWERED THEIR PRICE AGAIN BUT BRAZILIAN OFFICIALS DID NOT STOP AND INSTEAD DEMAND MORE. Brazilian officials intensified negotiations with Merck after they received discounts from the company in 2005. Over the course of 16 official meetings, Merck lowered its price again to $570 per patient per year. Brazilian health and trade officials demanded better, citing generic suppliers ready to provide the drug at $240 per patient per year. BRAZIL IGNORED MERK’S MULTIYEAR STAGED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TO FARMANGUINHOS. To protect its IP, Merck proposed a multiyear staged technology transfer for efavirenz to Farmanguinhos, Brazil’s national drug manufacturer. In the process, Farmanguinhos can learn and develop progressively with the help of Merck, but Brazil government was too anxious to obtain the short term benefit and did not realize that the multiyear staged technology transfer would benefit more in the long run. MERCK ADOPTED PRICING RELATED TO THE COUNTRIES’ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEVELS WITHOUT DISRESPECT OR DISCRIMINATION. As the world’s 12th largest economy, Brazil was able to pay a little higher price, which on the other hand can help the countries that are more underdeveloped to lessen budget for the medicines. However, Brazil only compared the price with some of the more inferior countries and condemned that Merck did not respect them and charged them unfairly. MERCK WAS NOT PROFIT-ORIENTED AND IGNORED THE PUBLIC INTERESTS AS BRAZILIAN OFFICIALS SAID. Merck operated several donation programs for medicines valued at more than $750 million annually, which showed their sense of social responsibility and care for the public interests. THE COMPULSORY LICENSE WOULD CAUSE INVESTMENTS TO GO ELSEWHERE. Breaking off discussions with Merck and seizing its intellectual property sent a dangerous signal to the investment community. In Brazil, more than 550 domestic and international firms were involved in pharmaceutical. All these firms were taken aback by the compulsory license and getting worried that their intellectual property could be expropriated. THE EFAVIRENZ COMPULSORY LICENSE ALSO POSED A CHALLENGE TO FARMANGUINHOS. Farmanguinhos initially was unable to manufacture efavirenz with little more to go on than Merck’s patent. It had to work very hard to obtain the know-how to manufacture efavirenz. INTERNATIONAL OR PRIVATE COMPANIES FELT THEY INCREASINGLY LOST COMPETITIVE POWER. Since companies like Farmanguinhos that are owned by the government paid no tax and did not need to go through the public bid pathway to sell their products, they had original considerable advantages over the other international or private companies. Moreover, intensive help and attention were given to them that made them overwhelmingly dominant. THE GOVERNMENT REACTION CONTRADICTED ITS PROMISE. To reassure investors and firms, the Brazilian government sought that patent laws remained in force. The Ministry of Science and Technology declared that they would respect the international intellectual property legal framework. However, soon after Brazil’s health minister announced that the AIDS drug tenofovir, manufactured by U.S.-based Gilead Sciences, was â€Å"of public interest,† and the company’s patent application for the drug was rejected.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

How to Encourage Economic Stability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How to Encourage Economic Stability - Essay Example In answering the questions above, the economy will determine what is necessary to produce in order to achieve the desired economic goals and the manner of production i.e. whether to use the labor-intensive or capital-intensive technique. After production, the goods and services must be distributed to the target group or sector of the economy. In doing this, the economist must further ensure that it promotes economic stability i.e. a situation in which the inflation rates, interest rates, unemployment rate, foreign exchange rate are all put under control. Moreover, resource allocation must promote economic growth. The government in solving the economic problems and achieving economic stability uses both fiscal and monetary policies. Fiscal policy is the use of taxation and government spending to influence economic performance whereas monetary policy entails the control of interest rates and spending to attain economic stabilization (Bidard 66). The government can use either fiscal policies or monetary policies or both in solving the economic problems. During the recession, for instance, the level of economic activity is low and the government problem will be on how to stimulate economic activities in the economy. To achieve this, the government will increase its level of spending and reduce the tax rate. This would, therefore, result in an increase in disposable income that would be invested to stir economic activity. Increased investment would lead to economic growth and increased level of employment. Similarly, the government will control the level of inflation by the use of monetary policies. In the case of high level of inflation, the government, through the central bank will increase the level of interest rates (Bidard 72). An increase in the interest rates will lower the level of economic activity and reduce the amount of spending.  Ã‚  

Monday, October 7, 2019

Evaluating Models of Executive-Legislative Relations Term Paper

Evaluating Models of Executive-Legislative Relations - Term Paper Example The reason for this is because, the structure of a democracy, has an influence on the democracy’s effectiveness and performance. The effectiveness of these three democratic systems can as well be evaluated using different criteria. This paper evaluates the democratic systems of the presidential democracy, majoritarian parliamentary democracy, and consensual parliamentary democracy, using the criteria of accountability, representativeness, and effectiveness. Accountability is an important aspect in a democratic system, as it acts as a cornerstone in good government. This term might lack a definite definition because of its vast applications. However, in a democratic system, accountability presents itself, when there is a relationship, and an individual or organization is answerable to the other for their actions and decisions. This way, one party is subject to the oversight and direction of the other. Therefore, answerability and enforcement is core of accountability. In a demo cratic system therefore, the government is answerable to the citizens. ... Representativeness in a democratic system is whereby a few individuals are selected from the majority, mainly through elections, to represent the majority in government. These therefore, have to listen to the concerns of the public and represent them in government. Additionally, the elected few have to listen to the opinions and views of the public and other political actors, and present these in government, for action to be taken, where necessary. Therefore, in representativeness, the elected minority are the voice of the public. Effectiveness in a democratic system involves the level of performance of the system. In an effective democratic system, the government performs its responsibilities appropriately. This ensures that the citizens are comfortable, with basic needs, employment, and secure in all ways. Effectiveness of the government is also reflected in its policies, if they are successful or not, the nature of rights of people, freedom, and liberties of the citizens. An effec tive government therefore, registers positive performance in all these aspects. The aspect of representativeness is best utilized by parliamentary democracies, specifically the majoritarian parliamentary democracy. Gallager, Laver and Mair note that most European countries are characterized by the parliamentary democracies, except a few (47). The reason why the majoritarian parliamentary democracies are in a better position to represent the public appropriately is because; the majority people in the constituencies elect their members of parliament, who will represent them in the parliament. Therefore, the parliamentarian serves as the voice of the people of their constituency. This way, it is easier for the wishes of the majority people

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Culture Assessement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Culture Assessement - Essay Example They should be fully aware of the need for such an assessment and that they agree to such a review. Aside from the commitment from the top level management, the other lower rank employees should also cooperate with the project. A certain degree of openness must be expected among all the participants who will be interviewed; thus, it is important that the objective of the assessment be relayed to all concerned to ensure the success of the culture assessment (Schein, 2004). A culture change initiative which I experienced happened when I was still working with a development bank. Unlike other banks, we were required to go to the office on Saturday mornings. This was the time devoted to short seminars, personality development programs or the like. Attendance was always a problem because we did not see the relevance of such seminars. We viewed the activity as a total waste of time. When the objectives of the program were explained clearly and its importance emphasized to us, everyone beca me more enthusiastic and attendance greatly improved. Furthermore, we were consulted on the topics that we want to be discussed so we became more interested. Most of us even looked forward to Saturday mornings. References Schein, E. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership. John Wiley and Sons.

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Evaluation of Open Source Operating System Assignment

Evaluation of Open Source Operating System - Assignment Example There are also companies who concentrate their efforts on open source software like Sun and IBM who consider the open source systems as an opportunity to undermine the monopoly of Microsoft in the computer software. The third group of users is public institutions and government agencies especially in Europe who consider the use of open source systems as a viable alternative for US technology and because of the increased safety and security that can be built in the open source systems.  There are also companies who concentrate their efforts on open source software like Sun and IBM who consider the open source systems as an opportunity to undermine the monopoly of Microsoft in the computer software. The third group of users is public institutions and government agencies especially in Europe who consider the use of open source systems as a viable alternative for US technology and because of the increased safety and security that can be built in the open source systems.  Definition a nd Functions of Open source Systems (OSS) Originally at the time of initial developments, the software was known as ‘free software’ as defined by the GNU project. The term ‘open source’ has been coined later and according to Stallman it is an attempt to express the same kind of concept as that of free software but with a more prudent and palatable approach. The functions of OSS include:(a) Facilitating and monitoring user interface(b) Effective job management to save computer usage time(c) Efficient task management to act as an aid to facilitate multi-task completions(d) Efficient data management to accommodate more volume of data  (e) Better device management for an efficient handling of the associated hardware and(f) Ensuring the security of data which is the foremost requirement of any efficient operating system.

Friday, October 4, 2019

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management Essay - 7

Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management - Essay Example The evaluations of the assumptions help to understand to what extent the assumptions are valid. Finally a conclusion is provided to summarise the findings and the assumptions considered in the business plan. 2.0 The business plan The business plan endeavours to create a guideline about the market segment, the sources of fund and the cash inflow and outflows for a period of three years. The choice of non profit organisation is limited and so is the type of products and services. The non profit organisation is named as Sumptuous Catering Service. The choice of the non profit organisation is also supplemented with the choice of products and services. Sumptuous Catering Services is a food catering service that serves food both demand based occasions as well as for regular occasions. 2.1 Choice of products and services Types of products Sub categories in each type of products Boxed typed lunches Sandwich, salad, deli type salad, fresh fruits, cookie and chips Buffet type lunches Party pla tters, Sandwich wrap platters, Baked potato bars, Lasagna bar, and Taco salad bar Source: (Author’s Creation) The choice of the products must be supplemented with proper justifications regarding the market segmented of the product. The market segment depicts who are the target customers and the proportion of takers of the particular product in the population. The choice of the product is food and catering. The probable market segment will represent two types of customers; one who place orders on a regular basis and ones who seldom place orders. For example, the infrequent customers can include parties and get-together, celebrations of special occasions and other on-demand basis. The more frequent customer types include office lunches, school lunches, college lunches, hospital, other government sector canteen lunches and dinners. The demand from the regular type customers are more or less stable and have same type of demand for a long period of time (Garnier and Gasse, 2001). 2.2 The following table indentifies the major and minor customer types Source: (Author’s Creation) 2.3 Market analysis of the major and minor type of customers Source: (Griffith and Dorsman, 2008) Projected growth of the market segment Market Analysis       Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5    Potential Customers Growth                   Major customer types 2% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%    Minor customer types 14% 2% 14% 16% 18% 20%    Total 16.00% 4% 16% 18% 20% 22%    Source: (Author’s Creation) 2.4 Promotion strategy Sumptuous Catering Service is a non profit organisation so the promotion strategy will be designed keeping in mind the cost involved in promotional campaigns. The promotional strategy will be a low cost, low visibility programme at least for the first year. A number of non profit organisations like the NGO and self help groups will be roped in using the word of mouth strategy and the email campaigns (Griffith and Dorsman, 2008). The self h elp groups and the NGO are linked to various governmental and nongovernmental

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Evergreen Naturals Market Essay Example for Free

Evergreen Naturals Market Essay There were numerous factors that contributed towards the constant success of Evergreen Natural Markets. The company’s methodology towards growth and expansion is one of the integral factors. Where most companies seek to grow by re-investing their profits back into their businesses (ploughing back), Evergreen adopted a more radical approach by acquiring other competing companies or companies that show potential of growing rapidly. Evergreen designed a strategy that was twofold in nature. By bringing in rival companies under the Evergreen umbrella, the approach simply eliminated any competition, increased the resources and financial base and made it easier for Evergreen to have a wider scope and reach. Granted, acquisitions have issues with integration of management and operations. However, this approach has been steadily used by Evergreen, and this has resulted in its prosperity as an organic food distributor. As the latest addition to the Evergreen umbrella, Aragula Grocers serve to make the effect of the mother company increasingly widespread. The recent acquisition can allow the company to lower its prices and engage in aggressive marketing that will make Evergreen more successful. 2. Why do stores improve their performance after being acquired by Evergreen? The main reason for the increased performance after joining the Evergreen was the approach adopted by Evergreen. On the surface, they may seem like clear acquisitions. However, the acquired stores are allowed to maintain their functional systems and procedures. In this way, Evergreen owns the stores but allows them to continue operating in the same way. The slight modifications that at times were made on the administration and management included branding, change in sales approach, and other minor issues. Using the operational systems of the different stores, Evergreen was able to utilise their combined efforts and attain massive profits. On the other hand, the smaller stores also got to prosper under the Evergreen because of two arch factors. One was the fresh infusion of capital and administrative support provided by Evergreen. Evergreen offered increased investment opportunities by providing the capital, human resources, and other assistance. The second factor was an advantage of working under a larger company that allows one to work without much competition from the outside. 3. How well does the acquisition of Arugula Grocers align with Evergreen’s established approach to integrating new stores? What modifications, if any, should Norton make? The acquisition of Aragula Grocers is an advantageous addition to the Evergreen group as it offered new opportunities in Nevada, Las Vegas. However, several modifications would serve to improve the situation in their relations. Firstly, Mrs. Norton should introduce more effective communication measures that will ensure that the link between Evergreen and Aragula Grocers is not severed. It was discovered that the link between these two parties was weak, and this will lead to confusion and dilution of the vision of the mother company. Secondly, Norton also needed to rectify the financial status of the store before investing in it seriously. Aragula Grocers was acquired amid a series of financial issues and complications that showed signs of mismanagement. Adopting these problems will lead to failure of the store and eventually, losses for Evergreen. Mrs. Norton should also consider making modifications to the management style in Aragula Grocers. The changes should reflect the three proposals that she made concerning all acquisitions under Evergreen. These changes involved investing in improving human resources, maintaining the local setting, and caring about the welfare of the employees and customers. These three proposals would serve to change the atmosphere and approach taken by the Aragula management as they start operations under Evergreen.