Pest Analysis of Coca Cola

PEST Analysis The PEST Analysis identifies changes in the market caused by: Political , Economical, Social and Technological factors. Political Analysis and Factors: Those Non- Alcoholic Beverages like; Coca-Cola, are within the food category, under the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The government has control over the manufacturing procedure of these products in terms of regulations. Companies who fail to meet the standards of law, are fined by the government. Following are provided some of the factors that are influencing Coca-Cola's Operations. 1.Changes in Laws and Regulations like; changes in Accounting Standards, taxation requirements (tax rate changes, modified tax law interpretations, entrance of new tax laws), and environmental laws either in domestic or foreign authorities. 2. Changes in Non-Alcoholic business era. These are; competitive product and pricing policy pressures, ability to maintain or earn share of sales in worldwide market compared to rivals. 3. Political Conditions, specifically in international markets, like; civil conflict, governmental changes and restrictions concerning the ability to relocate capital across borders. 4.Ability to penetrate emerging and developing markets, that also relies on economic and political conditions, and also their ability to form effectively strategic business alliances with local bottlers, and to enhance their production amenities, distribution networks, sales equipment, and technology. Economic: In 2001, the recession influenced the companies operations, but because of aggressive actions the US Economy estimated to have returned in positive growth in 2002. Currently, because of global recession, Coca-Cola can borrow capital and invest in other products, because the interest rates are lowered.Also, it can borrow to advance its research of new products and technology. By researching for new products is cost effective, the company could sell its products at a lower price, so its cutomers would purchase more Coca-Cola products at a lower price. Social: The majority of US citizens are excersizing healthier lifestyles. That has strongly influenced the sales of non-alcoholic beverage sector, because many customers are switching to bottled water and diet colas like; Coca-Cola Light or Zero, instead of drinking beer or other beverages.Additionally, time management is quite 43 % of all households, and it has increased. Customers aged from 37 to 55, are concerned with their nutrition. Also, large portion of the population is within the range of baby boomers age. While many cutomers are getting at older ages in life, they are more concerned in long term increasing their permanence. That will continue to affect the non-alcoholic beverage sector, by increasing the demand, in healthier and other beverages. Technological: Some factors that affect the company's actual results to vary essentially from the expected results, are the following: 1.The efficiency of company's advertising, marketing and promotional programs, The new technology advances of television and internet that use incomparable effects for advertising through the use of media. Those advances make the products seem attractive. This supports the selling promotion of the products. Coca-Cola in media tends to use this technology so, to sell effectively its products. 2. Entrance of cans and plastic bottles in the past, have increased sales volume for the company because they are easier to carry and customers can bin them once they have been used. . Since the technology is advancing continuously there has been entrance of new machineries' equipment all the time. Because of that, Coca-Cola's production volume has increased sharply compared to few years ago. 4. CCE-Coca-Cola Enterprises have six factories in Britain by using modern technology equipment so to ensure top product quality and quick delivery. In Wakefield,Yorkshire in 1990, CCE opened one of the Europe's largest soft drinks factory. That factory has t he ability to produce faster the cans of Coca-Cola even faster than bullets of a machine gun.

Greece: A Country with a Rich Cultural

Greece is a country characterized by a remarkable history and a rich cultural heritage.   In ancient times, Greece played a crucial role in early civilization that proved to be monumental in shaping both European and world history.   At present, it successfully maintains its distinct culture in the dynamic modern society.Greece is a country with the land area of 131, 957 square kilometers (â€Å"Countries† 302).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Its capital is Athens, which is also one of its major cities (â€Å"Countries† 302).   Other major cities include Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Patras, Iraklion and Larissa (U.S. Department of State).   In 2005, the Greek population was estimated at 11,104,000, ten percent of which consists of immigrants (U.S. Department of State).   Three million of the said population is situated in Greater Athens (U.S. Department of State).In terms of religion, the majority of the Greek citizens are members of the Greek Orthodox Church (â€Å"Countries† 302).   Other religions present in Greek society include Islam, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism (â€Å"Countries† 302).   Greece is characterized by an interesting and diverse culture which is established on customs and traditions, religion, food and wine, and music.   Religion and traditions are closely linked, since the latter is usually based and anchored on the former.   Ironically, the Greeks also believe in superstitions.One of the Greek traditions still honored today at is the name day celebration (Greeka).   The Greeks give more importance to name days than birthdays; those who share a name with a celebrated saint also celebrate in a particular day of the year.   During a certain person's â€Å"name day,† family and friends visit to give wishes and gifts.   At the house, the hostess provides food for the guests (Greeka).Another Greek tradition is the Carnival or the â€Å"Apokries† (Greeka).  Ã‚   This feast occurs within a two week p eriod; it starts on Sunday of Meat Fare and ends on â€Å"Clean Monday† or Kathari Deutera (Greeka). â€Å"Clean Monday† or Kathari Deutera is the first day of Lent; at this time, families usually gather for a picnic and kite flying.   The Carnival is believed to have originated from paganism, and is derived from the merrymaking associated with the god Dionysus (Greeka).   This tradition is characterized by people in costumes partying in the streets.   A Carnival parade is held in Patra, where the festivities take place from day until night (Greeka).Easter is also significant for the Greeks.   In fact, it is considered more important than Christmas (Greeka).   Easter is a celebration that brings Greek families together.   Greek women are tasked to color the eggs red using dye; Godparents also give the children new things, such as shoes and clothes (Greeka).   Even the houses and streets are prepared for this occasion, as both are whitewashed for Easter.   In addition, the Greek family gathers for a feast of roasted lamb, wine and appetizers (Greeka).Music also plays a crucial role in Greek culture.   Music in Greece began as early as Antiquity, as it was an essential part of Greek civilization (Greeka).   The best example would be that of Greek tragedy, in which music was one of its key elements.   The demise of Ancient Greece also resulted in the decline of Greek music.   Fortunately, Greek music reemerged in the 19th century (Greeka).Folk songs also play a large role in Greek history.   The folk songs originated from ancient times (Greeka).   These songs are categorized into two: akritic and klephtic styles of music.   The former originated in 9th century AD. This kind of music conveyed the experiences and hardships of the â€Å"akrites,† or the Byzantine Empire guards (Greeka).   The latter was produced by â€Å"kleftes† or those who fought against the Ottoman Empire.Even though music is an express ion of the gruesome period in Greek history, it also included love songs.   This style of music was believed to have originated between the latter part of the Byzantine era and the early part of the Greek Revolution (Greeka).   Instruments that accompanied the folk songs include the bagpipe, tambourine and lute, just to name a few.   Other important elements of the Greek musical tradition are cantadha, nisiotika and rebetiko (Greeka).Food and wine are also significant in Greek culture (Greeka).   Greece is known for their appetizers and wines.   Mezedes, or Greek appetizers, are crucial in Mediterranean culture, as it promotes friendship through the sharing of food.   Some of the recognized Greek appetizers include the Greek salad or Horiatiki Salata, Tiropitakia, Htapodi and Feta cheese.Greece also produces wines. It is therefore no surprise that Greek alcohol such as Tsipouro and Ouzo are a main component in Greek culture.   Also, meat is almost always present in Gre ek main dishes, while their soups are very much preferred during the winter season.   The Greeks are also famous for the herbs and spices used in their dishes (Greeka).The history of Greece is extensive and thorough.   Greek culture began in the classical era, and proved to be a crucial element in the development of civilization in general (Pounds 326).   The Greek island of Crete was the location for the Minoan civilization, the earliest in Europe (â€Å"Countries† 303).   Greece is also home to the city-states, whose prosperity brought the development of culture in aspects such as philosophy, literature, politics, architecture and art (â€Å"Countries† 303-304).   Greek civilization was at its peak under the control of Philip II of Macedonia and his son, Alexander the Great.   However, the Greek civilization declined when the Roman civilization emerged (â€Å"Countries† 304).Greek history also includes several wars. Civil War erupted following the occupation of German forces from 1941 to 1944 (â€Å"Countries† 304).   Then, under the leadership of Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos, Greece officially became a part of World War I in 1917 (Pounds 328).The history of Greece was also marked by the constant change in form of government.   From 1925 to 1935, Greece was a republic (Pounds 328).   Then, Greece became a constitutional monarchy (Pounds 328).   In 1967, the monarchy was deposed by a military coup (â€Å"Countries† 304).   The republic was restored in 1973, which lasted for only a year.   In 1975, democratic elections were held once again.   Six years later, Andreas Papandreou became the first socialist Prime Minister of Greece.   Then, in 1990, a Democratic Party member named Constantine Mitsotakis was elected at the same post (â€Å"Countries† 304).With its extensive historical background, Greece remains a crucial part of world civilization.   With its customs and traditions, Gr eece keeps its diverse and unique culture in modern day society.   Indeed, Greece remains relevant at present through its history and culture.Works CitedBateham, Graham, and Victoria Egan, eds. Illustrated Guide to Countries of the World. Australia: RD Press, 1996.Greeka. 17 March 2008 ;http://www.greeka.com/greece-culture/;.Pounds, Norman J.G. â€Å"Greece.† Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia. 21 vols. New York: Lexicon Publications, Inc., 1992.U.S. Department of State.   17 March 2008 ;https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3395.htm;.

Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill” Essay

Katherine Mansfield’s short story â€Å"Miss Brill† is an great example of how a writer can use various literary techniques to lead the reader to a better understanding of Miss Brill the character. Instead of merely stating the message of the story, Mansfield used various literary techniques to allow the reader to draw his own conclusions about the character. Using these literary aspects to reveal a truth about a character to the reader is often referred to as characterization. Four of the most easily recognized literary techniques used in Mansfield’s â€Å"Miss Brill† are her use of symbolism, setting, allusion, and points of view used by different characters in her story. Symbolism plays a very large part in understanding Miss Brill the character. This can easily be seen by the relationship between Miss Brill and her â€Å"alter-ego†, the fur. A symbol is â€Å"a person, object or event that suggests more than its literal meaning.† In other words, it is something that has two levels of meaning: on the literal level it is what it is, for example, Miss Brill’s fur is just a fur. It can also represent a more â€Å"hidden† meaning such as the fur being a symbol for Miss Brill herself. Miss Brill lives for the days that she spends in the park, this can be seen when she rubs â€Å"the life back into [her fur’s] dim little eyes†. This quote reveal that the trips to the park help to â€Å"rub† life back into Miss Brill. The condition of the furs eyes also imply that Miss Brill is not as full of life as he once might have been, but as long as she can see the beauty and worth still in her fur, she can retain her sense of worth. Mansfield uses the bond between Miss Brill and the fur the show how deeply she needs to belong. For example, throughout the story when Miss Brill is happy the fur is also happy, and when the fur is insulted then Miss Brill is also insulted. Perhaps the best example of this bond is when Miss Brill is sitting in her cupboard-like room and puts her fur away, and thinks that she hears â€Å"something crying†. Rather than facing the sadness and disappointment of the day, she attributes her sadness to the fur. The setting of â€Å"Miss Brill† is an important feature of the story because Miss Brill defines herself in relation to the setting. As she walks about the park, she feels more and more in tune with her setting, as she notices that  all of the people at the park, including herself, are actors in a weekly play. Her sense of herself in relation to the setting changes drastically, of course, when she overhears the young couple ridiculing her. As the story opens, she is upbeat and happy watching the other people in the park. After the young couple mock her, we see the sadness as she walks slowly back to her apartment, her â€Å"cupboard†. Mansfield also uses allusion to reinforce the theme of the story. We first see Miss Brills allusions to a cupboard as she describes the other elderly people in the park. She seems to sympathize with them because they are not a part of this grand play like she is. After being confronted by the young couple, Miss Brill realizes that she also lives in a â€Å"room like a cupboard†. This allusion Mansfield gives to Miss Brill’s room is valuable because of two reasons. She first used the term â€Å"cupboard† to describe the homes of the â€Å"funny old people† in the park every Sunday. It does not occur to Miss Brill that she is also one of these â€Å"funny old people† , however, Mansfield tells the audience that she is indeed one of these â€Å"funny old people† when she describes Miss Brill’s room to the reader. The used of the term â€Å"cupboard† is also important because it demonstrates the effect setting can have on the readers opinion to the characters true nature. The quote referring to Miss Brills cupboard room, also gives the reader a look at the point of view that Miss Brill has. When Miss Brill is happy her room is not so bad, however, when she is depressed then her point of view is that she is like those â€Å"funny old people† that she notices in the park every Sunday. In â€Å"Miss Brill,† the limited omniscient point of view allows the reader to see that Miss Brill remains unchanged when the story ends. The point of view is based strictly on what Miss Brill sees and feels, without being biased by her rose-colored view of life. Upon arriving at the park, Miss Brill begins to take in the details of her surroundings. She seem to cling to the best qualities of her surroundings – there were far more people than last Sunday, the band sounded louder and gayer, and the conductor was wearing a new coat. As she sits in her â€Å"special seat† she is disappointed that the odd man and seated next to her. She had become â€Å"quite an expert at listening as though she didn’t listen†. She views her eavesdropping as active participation in  conversations surrounding her. Although she continues to watch the others in the crowd in and awe and fascination, she views the elderly people in the crowd quite differently. She calls them â€Å"odd, silent and nearly all old†¦and they looked as though they had just come from dark little rooms or even – even cupboards†. Trying to keep her mid of the elderly people, Miss Brill convinces herself of her importance in this grand play and that â€Å"no doubt, somebody would have noticed is she hadn’t been there†. When the young couple seated beside her begin to talk, Miss Brill listens intently to their conversation. It is then that she hears them talk of her the way she has been viewing the other elderly people throughout the afternoon. â€Å"Why does she come here at all – who wants her†? The omniscient point of view allows the reader to view this conversation as it actually occurred, not as Miss Brill would have no doubt changed it in her mind. When she returns home â€Å"to her room like a cupboard† without getting her usual slice of honey cake, we see that she scene at the park has affected her. Yet, she is not changed by it. When she puts away the fur, â€Å"she thinks she hears something crying†. As a defense mechanism, she attributes her grief and pain to the fur, making it possible to carry on in her fantasy world. Mansfield’s â€Å"Miss Brill† is an excellent example of how a reader can gain an understanding of a character through characterization. The reader is allowed to understand and interpret the story utilizing their own methods. Mansfield uses the literary methods of symbolism, setting, and points of view to enable the reader to understand the story and this get the greater meaning. Bibliography â€Å"A Short Story: Katherine Mansfield’s Miss Brill†. http://www.op.org/domcentral/study/ashley/arts/arts404.htm Mansfield, Katherine. â€Å"Miss Brill.† Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: 1999. 33-37. â€Å"Symbolism†. http://www.kysu.edu/artsscience/LLP/211/symbolsm.htm

ENG315 WEEK5 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ENG315 WEEK5 - Term Paper Example I was able to insert some argument points that not only inform my audience, but also influence them to believe that what I am presenting is the best proposal there is. Another tip from Toastmasters International (2011) for effective speaking is â€Å"Organizing your proposal,† which again, I find very useful. Sometimes, we get to wrapped up in details that we fail to see where the presentation is really going. A good organization of ideas will lead the audience better towards the position the presenter wants them to be. 2. Delivery - Of the different types of speech delivery, identify which type or types you would feel most comfortable with and explain why. Identify and explain which type of speech delivery with which you would feel most uncomfortable. Describe what you could to do overcome this. => I would feel most comfortable in extemporaneous speeches, because it will give me more leeway to add more ideas according to the current situation or audience, and at the same time will give me the structure of the best organization of ideas to present. I would feel most uncomfortable with impromptu speeches because of the lack of available time to prepare (McKerrow, 2006, p.35-6). I believe that I can overcome this by reminding myself that for impromptu speeches, though I will strive to give the best speech possible, I should not scold myself if it comes out less than perfect. If I keep thinking this way, and keep on allowing myself to be exposed to impromptu speeches, I believe the exposure and practice will develop me more into delivering better and better speeches, impromptu or not. => I made several drafts of the presentation. After each draft, I put myself in the place of my audience. â€Å"What would I want to know? What questions would I want answered? If I am against the proposal, what will convince me to at least give it consideration?† (Guilmartin, 2010, p.211) All these questions prompted me to revise and keep on revising

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 36

Management - Essay Example use it maximises the â€Å"must† and â€Å"want† criteria, as well as having lowered uncertainty and risks through the lowest negative impact on the environment and employees, while Brand B is the second choice because it is satisficing in relation to the minimal criteria of â€Å"must† and â€Å"want.† Brand A is chosen because it has the most points when it comes to the â€Å"must† and â€Å"want† features and has the lowest risks involved. Brand A has the highest points for meeting the â€Å"must† features of maximum cost, being compatible with related equipment, availability of support services, and having no need for renovation. Aside from meeting the planned budget for the equipment, Brand A has the least negative effects on people and workplace because it is already compatible with resources and space, so it reduces costs for renovation and other physical changes at work that can disrupt everyday routine. In other words, it has the fewest risks of changing the status quo and creating conflicts that might be causes of resistance to changes. Brand A also meets the â€Å"want† features of safety, availability upon delivery date and not needing special training for its use. By being available, a plan for its future use can be set up. By not requiring special training, it has the least consumption of training resources and do not need to change work flows and other work habits. The next most important factors are pricing and flexibility, which Brand A meets. Brand A has a good price, unlike Brand C. Though there is more uncertainty with Brand A because the minimum years of service are not assured compared to other brands, it has the fewest negative effects on employees and the workplace. Brand A has safety features and it is compatible with existing equipment and space that Brand C does not have, for instance. Brand A requires no renovation for existing space and additional special training, which again means less uncertainty for workers. In addition, Brand A has

A Study in Ethics - What's you ethical style Essay

A Study in Ethics - What's you ethical style - Essay Example izations are trying to maintain effective workplace environment and significant collaborative workplace environment in order to ensure effective workplace performance. In addition to this, several leading organizations are trying to develop a multicultural workforce in order to ensure effective knowledge sharing within the workforce. Therefore, any kind of harsh and critical step can change the entire environment of the workplace as it can develop several types of critical workplace conflicts. However, ethics of care can help the organizations to increase the motivation level of the team members. Leadership style of Steve Jobs can be considered as democratic leadership style. He used to implement visionary leadership trait within the workplace under the democratic leadership style in order to increase the level of creativity and motivation among the employees. He always implemented ethics of care during the strategy development and decision making process. Therefore, it is clear that ethics of care and responsibility cannot affect the leadership style of a leader. It is true that ethics of care and responsibility can be considered as the characteristics of women rather than men. Women always try to be kind and sympathetic and motivate the employees or team members to get the work done. It is highly important for a manager or a leader within an organization to implement leadership style according to the nature and demand of the workplace situation. It can help the organization to provide effective solution to the developed challenges and issues. This particular attitude or be havior or characteristic of an individual can help him or her to undertake and implement situational approach that can be termed as most right or appropriate approach in the management style (O’Brien, 2013). In addition to this, reflection of ethic of care or responsibility in the leadership style of a manager or a team leader within an organization can help to adopt and implement flexible

Sentencing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sentencing - Essay Example They lower down the judge shopping culture, by getting rid of illogical and disparate sentencing practices. The sentence for a crime should be in the hands of legislature so that they may determine the crime through sentencing guidelines making the common people more confident that the falcons (many of whom are involved in the illegal business of narcotics) will meet the harsher punishment as they deserve. The uncertain condition that the judges may narrate severe sentence or be lenient becomes out of question by the establishment of sentencing guidelines. At the same time, this approach has some shortcomings. The sentencing guidelines lead to the loss of good judgment to formulate a criminal sentence that is suitable to the individual because the guidelines inflict mathematical formulae that do not match with the human ideas. The judges instead of working mathematically go through the circumstances of the case and the individuals and then decide according to the human conditions. So , I think the judges should have more control over the sentences. The guidelines reflect political concerns while the judges are away from this.

Medical mistakes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Medical mistakes - Research Paper Example The Canadians are a society that places much emphasis and importance on issues to do with health, and health needs for those approaching their end of life are not ignored. The ministry concerned ensures the universal access of apposite and quality healthcare to all the citizens regardless of race, age, color, gender, religious beliefs or social class. To ensure that no one is discriminated, the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care was established and is an organization bringing together researchers, clinicians, doctors and substitute decision makers. It was formed with an objective of reaching out to the Canadians and raising their awareness concerning issues, aspects and importance of engaging in advance care planning, and how to get involved. The Health Care Consent Act was also founded with an intention of educating people about advanced care planning, and informing them of their rights as substitute decision makers and those of their patients. Another body that is in Canada that is concerned with issues to do with advance care planning is the Consent and Capacity board (Robert and Michael, 2013). The Consent and Capacity Board, as Robert and Michael (2013) collectively note was established to give timely, dignified and fair hearings in a bid to get an equilibrium state between medical and legal matters. This work shall discuss the ethical, legal and professional issues that arise in making such decisions (end of life decisions). To begin with, imperative statistics about the health situation in Canada shall be presented, examples of major life decisions shall be discussed and then a case study shall be provided. From this case study; the ethical, professional and legal issues shall be discussed in that order. Thereafter, a conclusion focusing on end of life decisions shall be drawn. A research conducted in 2006 showed that between 2005 and 2036, it was projected that the number of aged people (who in this

Impact of technology on today's life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Impact of technology on today's life - Essay Example Even though the great strides in technology have offered technologies and increased opportunities, it has also impacted society to where there have been consequences as well. In particular, the use and development of technology has most impacted the fields of education, medicine, communication, and the environment. Traditional educations in early history were the explicatory nature of academics that were passed through the word of mouth. With the development of written language, knowledge could be stored, harnessed, and taught through the use of books. As technology has been developed, it has opened new avenues into the way teaching is conducted. The Internet, in particular, has become a widely used utility. It allows for a great amount of flexibility in learning. The vast amount of resources that can be brought into the classroom gives educators access to supplementary material that can enhance lectures. Classes can now be taken at a distance, which gives adult and non-traditional s tudents access to education and can take courses at their own pace. This has become a common way in which classes occur in higher education. New technologies such as smartboards and computers are used to teach students in new ways. However, there are also cons to the use of technology in education. Because students have access to a whole new set of resources, plagiarism has become more commonplace and has had to become a strictly enforced academic area. In addition, technology can also hinder educational development as educators and students are now dependent on the need for technology in the classroom through computers and electronic books. The field of medicine has also been influenced by technology. The first movements in the field of medicine consisted of apocrethary and other herbal treatments. As the early scientists became aware of the properties of these herbs, they started learning how to harness and process these chemicals in pure form. This necessitated the development of new devices and procedures by which these compounds could be synthesized. In order to help treat conditions such as bone degeneration, breaking, etc., metallic and polymer alloys have been synthesized to serve as a replacement for these parts. As neural anatomy and the complex thought processes of sensation and perception have been unlocked, more and more advanced prosthetics has been developed to help substitute the replacement of functional limbs. Greater detection devices such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (X-ray computed tomography), etc. have served to help detect injuries, diseases, and abnormalities rather than through the use of exploratory surgery. Laser and computer assisted surgeries have helped increase the successes of surgeries as well as help make complex surgeries easier for medical staff to handle. There are some faults to the use of technology in medicine. An important part of the healing process is the therapeutic relationship between the patient and th e doctor. The overuse of technology can hinder this process, which affects the healing process. The use of technology and medicine is also often times untested or is known to have adverse side effects. As a result, in the case of patients that have illnesses, the use of experimental technology and medication can lead to further complications that accompany the condition. In this field, the use

Business Laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Laws - Essay Example Single-firm conduct is a practice that undermines several United States’ laws, for example, Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The behaviour is evident in companies that are successful to the extent that they do not observe common competitive pressures. A normal market, such as the American market, supports a competitive market with competing firms. Most of the laws to regulate this malpractice are effective, but to some extent. The Sherman Act makes monopolization or attempts to monopolize trade activities illegal (Katz, 2006). The law may be ineffective because of its ambiguity, especially in the definition of monopolization. For instance, it provides room for aggressive marketing procedures, unless a company tries to achieve monopoly through â€Å"unreasonable† measures. A legitimate business justification is not an â€Å"unreasonable† method, according to a court of law. For instance, a business may have effective strategies that ensure they meet their target mark et without the use of any unlawful methods that may be injurious to competitors or customers. An example is the Microsoft Company, which fashioned a monopoly over operating systems software for personal computers that are IBM-compatible. Through this, the company managed to dissuade other computer makers and software developers from installing non-Microsoft browser software in its products. Through the law, competing firms were able to make Microsoft end their conduct that prevented rivals from gaining a market share. Fraudulent advertising is a negative practice that undermines fair, balanced, and competitive business practices. Listerine, a largely commercial product in the early 1900s, has faced several bans and fines owing to its false advertisements. As a mouthwash product, its advertisements claimed to cure colds, a fact that was clinically incorrect. This business practice affects several stakeholders, especially consumers

Piaget and the Concrete-Operational Period Assignment

Piaget and the Concrete-Operational Period - Assignment Example The concrete operational stage, which is the element of focus, begins from seven and ends at around eleven years. It involves integration from preoperational stage and children in this stage are able to apply logical reasoning based on principles of conservation (Flavell, 1994). Beyond the concrete operational stage, a child is able o apply deductive techniques in reasoning and solving seemingly complex problems (Garcia & Nanez, 2011). The following is a play to elaborate the concept of a concrete operational period and involves four children (Adam, Isaac, Norah and Cynthia). Adam is six years eight months, Norah is seven years, Isaac is ten and Cynthia are 11 years. The mission of the play to investigate how the children were at different ages will determine or explain changes in the quantity of sugar poured in three different containers using one standard measuring container. An adult named James is going to guide the children through the play and ask questions as well as record observations. (James uses a cylindrical container of one kilogram, 10-centimetre diameter and 30 centimetres height to scoops a kilogram of sugar and pour into the three containers. The first container is cylindrical, 30 centimetres high and 40 centimetres diameter. The second container is cube and measures 20 centimetres length, 20 centimetres wide and 20 centimetres height. The container is also cylindrical in shape and measures 60 centimetres height and 5 centimetres diameter. Transfer of the sugar is such that all the contents of the scooping container fit into each of the three containers. James ensures that each child is attentive and observes the distribution process. James then asks each child to comment by showing container with most and least quantities, and explain their observations). Adam: The third container is taller than the rest and capable of holding more sugar.  In addition, the sugar has filled it near to the brim.     

Tootsie Roll Paper Essay Example for Free

Tootsie Roll Paper Essay Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. Loan Package The financial statement of Tootsie Roll Industries provides insightful details into the  financial activities of the decades old organization. A financial statement is the â€Å"summary report that shows how a firm has used the funds entrusted to it by its stockholders and lenders, and what is its current financial position† (Financial statement, 2012). The company is known for products such as Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Roll Pops, Caramel Apple Pops, Child’s Play, Charms, Blow Pop, Blue Razz, Cella’s chocolate covered cherries, Mason Dots, Mason Crows, Junior Mints, Junior Caramels, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Babies, Andes, Fluffy Stuff cotton candy, Dubble Bubble, Razzles, CryBaby, Nik-L-Nip and El Bubble (Kimmel, Weygandt, Kieso, p. A-2, 2009). Strong financial statements aid Tootsie Roll Industries in the submission of a loan package to increase company’s total liabilities by 10%. A loan package requires research to ensure that all details are met as well as a ratio analysis of liquidity, solvency, and profitability ratios. The company must justify the reason for the need of the loan, such as expansion, inventory purchases, or debt retirement. Finally, Tootsie Roll Industries must provide an explanation of how the company plans to use the proceeds from the loan as well as how loan approval might affect the company. â€Å"A loan package is the collection of documents associated with a specific loan application† (Loan package, 2012). Loan packages are instrumental in the startup and growth of many small businesses because it provides initial funding and support. The process begins typically with a cover letter, which  includes the business background, business nature, loan amount, loan purpose, repayment terms, loan benefits, business profile, and management experience (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). The borrower must provide proper documentation including Form 4: Application for Business Loan, Form 4-a: Schedule of  Personal History, Form 1624: Certification Regarding Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion Lower Tier Covered Transactions, and Form 1846: Statement Regarding Lobbying (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). Lenders and borrowers must work together in order to apply for the most applicable loan to the business. According to U.S. Small Business Association (n.d.), â€Å"Borrowers should provide complete financial statements for the last three years including balance sheets, income statements, and a reconciliation of net worth as well as a current (no more than 90 days old) interim financial statement† (Business Financial Statements). The borrower must also provide projections to the creditor. The projections predict a year out or the positive flow of cash, which includes earnings, expenses, and the reasons behind the projections (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). The borrow should include documentation to assist in the predications such as contracts of lease proposals, franchise agreements, purchase agreements, articles of incorporation, plans, specifications, copies of licenses, letters of reference, letters of intent, and contracts partnership agreement (U.S. Small Business Association, n.d.). If the borrower does not provide the proper documentation to the creditor, then the borrower is not likely to receive loan approval. Financial statements are key supporting documents to the loan package.

Application Of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Principles Environmental Sciences Essay

Application Of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Principles Environmental Sciences Essay In most West African sub-region countries, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a fairly new idea and has therefore not been approached and adopted as a management practice. Thus, the management of the coastal zones is seen to be a diffused activity being undertaken by many institutions with interests and stakes in the coastal zone. Nigeria being a country with coastline of approximately 853km facing the Atlantic Ocean, its coastline lies between latitude 4Â ° 10 to 6Â ° 20N and longitude 2Â ° 45 to 8Â ° 35 E (Badejo and Nwilo n.d). The coastal area is low lying with heights of not more than 3.0m above sea level (Dublin-Green et al. 1999). According to (Ibe 1998), the Nigerian coast is composed of four distinct geomorphological units namely the Barrier-Lagoon complex; the Mud coast; the Arcuate Niger delta; and the Strand coast. Nigeria has one of the largest coastal zones in West Africa; with soaring socio-economic, cultural, physical, and environmental importance. Thus, its coastal zones have undergone sequence of advanced environmental development programs through the Federal Ministry of Environment and its environmental stakeholders in the quest of incorporating conservation and sustainable use of its rich cultural and environmental importance. However, environmental programs introduced are seen to have been unproductive owing to the fact that it was not properly approached due to politics of significant players in the Nigerian coastal zone management. Hence, for Nigeria to achieve the aims of incorporating conservation and sustainable development of its coastal zones, the administrative and stakeholders on environmental management needs to implement an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in order to achieve its this sustainable growth. 1.2. AIM OF RESEARCH To assess the need and feasibility of applying Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) principles in the management of Nigerian coastal waters with a case study on Lagos State coastline. 1.3. OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH In the context of this research, the following objectives shall be considered: Literature review of ICZM and its principles; The key coastal issues facing Nigeria coastal zone; Assessing the current management of Lagos State coastline against the principles of ICZM; Evaluate barriers to the implementation of ICZM on Lagos State coastline; Evaluate the potential benefits of an ICZM approach. 1.4. BACKGROUND REPORT OUTLINE The Nigerian coastal zone sprawls a total of nine (9) states, out of the thirty-six (36) states of the federation, namely: Akwa-Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State, Edo State, Lagos State, Ogun State, Ondo State and Rivers State. These coastal states are estimated to account for 25% of the national population. Nigerian coastal zones stretch inland for a distance of about 15km in Lagos in the West to about 150km in the Niger Delta and about 25km east of the Niger Delta (anon. n.d). FIG.1 MAP OF NIGERIA COASTAL AREAS Fig. 1 above is the map showing the Nigeria coastal areas (Nwilo and Badejo n.d.) Nigeria with about 853 km stretch of coastline has been characterized with differing erosive activities; a result of combination of natural and anthropogenic forces. Consequently, the importance of the Nigerian coastal and marine environment as the main socio-economic nerve centre of the country; where over 70% of the national income is generated, and there is need for an understanding of the physical changes taking place which would have profound socio-economic implications on the area and the entire nation (Okude and Ademiluyi 2006). The main key environmental management and development problems on the Nigeria coastal zones that needs addressing; in particular as degradation of the coastal environment in many of its coastlines decline in the quality of life of its local populations are stated below; Coastal and marine resource degradation; overexploitation of fisheries, coastal drifts-(erosion and flooding), clearing of mangrove forest, physical modification and destruction of habitats, Coastal and marine pollution; oil spillage, dumping of heavy metals, explosives, sewage and garbage, climate change and sea level rise For some years, coastal and marine resource degradation has been a major problem on the Nigerian coastal zones. (Okude and Ademiluyi 2006), evidences from studies and experiments have shown that the rate of shoreline retreat in some section of the Nigerian coast is so rapid as to be alarming. Generally, coastal erosion and accretion occur concurrently worldwide, even though erosion would appear to have a greater magnitude (Oyegun 1988). More so, (Okude and Ademiluyi 2006) the inadequacy of information about the Nigerian coastal areas would explain for the inadequacy in the management of the coastal erosion problems. In addition, lack of sustainable development policies with inadequate resources to implement coastal zone management by Ministry regulating Nigerian coastal environmental have contributed to the degradation. Apart from the natural environmental problems, such as flat topography of the region, high intensity and long duration of rainfall, high water table and low soil permeability, etc., man-made environmental problems are caused by unplanned and uncoordinated development; poor highway and watercourse design and construction, inadequate waste disposal infrastructure and lack of adequate and proper maintenance programme, and so on (Santos 1999). Being one of the largest oil and gas suppliers in West Africa, Nigerian economy is dependent on the oil and gas sector, thus, incurs a high risk of disastrous oil spills on the coastal zone owing to increasing oil tanker operations which are being carried out without utmost compliance with MARPOL 73/78, an IMO convention which regulates and prevents marine pollution. 2.0. LITERATURE REVIEW Coastal zone are unique. Such as daily tides, mangrove forests, coral reefs, tidal flats, sea beaches, storm waves, and barrier islands are found only on the coast (Clark 1996). Furthermore, due to the uniqueness of coastal zone in many coastal countries, the region has been recognised as a distinctive region which requires unique attention. Nevertheless, (Post and Lundin 1996), the increasing population on the coastal zone has caused conflicts between challenging uses in its resources and thereby calls for the need to ascertain long-term supply of these resources, on both land and the sea. However, the (European Commission 1999) asserts that coastal zones will continue to be areas of rich potential for our modern society as its productivity such as tidal inlets, salt marshes, and estuaries has an important role to play in food production- through maintenance of fisheries and aquaculture- and in safeguarding nature and biodiversity. In no doubt, (Clark 1996) the coastal zones is seen to have undergone adverse environmental adaption and weakening through developed human activities such as; dredging, fishing, sand filling, and pollution. According to (Sorenson and McCreary 1990), coastal zone is defined as the interface or transition zone, specifically that part of the land affected by its proximity to the sea and that part of the ocean affected by its proximity to the land. an area which processes depending on the interaction between land and sea are most intense. (Doody 2001), to the marine biologist; coastal zone includes the sea and all those areas which are periodically covered by the tide. While to the coastal ecologist, the zone extends landward to the limits of tidal movement or the influence of salt spray on soils and vegetation. Meanwhile, the quality of coastal waters is a major cause for concern. The two most spectacular phenomena in recent years, oil slicks and algal blooms, are illustrations of the fact that coastal communities frequently suffer the consequences of events or developments occurring inland or offshore and therefore beyond their control (CEC 2000). Therefore, it is imperative to conserve c oastal zones in order to accomplish a sustainable growth. There must be a demonstration of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) to achieve sustainable growth of coastal zones. According to (CEC 2000) from 1996 to 1999, the Directorates General for Environment, Fisheries and Regional Policy in Europe operated a Demonstration Programme on ICZM which is designed to: Provide concrete technical information about the factors and mechanisms, which either encourage or discourage sustainable management of coastal zones. Stimulate a broad debate and exchange of information among the various actors involved in the planning, management or use of European coastal zones. This debate was intended to lead to a consensus regarding the appropriate measures necessary at the European and other levels of competence in order to stimulate ICZM in Europe. The demonstration programme has yielded a wealth of technical information about ICZM mechanisms and solutions to specific problems faced in the coastal zone (EC 1999 p.5). Furthermore, the demonstration projects have confirmed that there are serious inconsistencies between sectoral and territorial policies, programmes and plans whose impacts are felt on the coast. This fact is responsible for the failing of an application of an integrated approach to coastal planning and management (EC 1999). 2.1. THE THEORY AND PRINCIPLE OF ICZM Due to inefficiency of varieties of environmental resource management and development control programs adopted, many countries are now embarking on special integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) which strategizes compatible development and resource conservation management that are for the good of the nation as a whole (Clark 1996). (Shi et al. 2001) ICZM represents a dynamic and continuous process which administers the use, development, and protection of the coastal zones and its resources towards common objectives of national and local authorities and the aspiration of different resource user group. (Bower and Turner 1996) states; ICZM consists of a set of tasks, typically carried out by several or many public and private entities. On the other hand, (Morksness et al. 2009) ICZM can be defined as a decision-making and management process with which to achieve the sustainable use, development and protection of coastal and marine areas as well as of their resources. Thus, ICZM stands for an enviro-economic regulatory system for numerous competing interests (Eremina and Stetsko). Nevertheless, from the lessons of the European Demonstration Programme on ICZM (European Commission 1999), there are several dimensions to the word integration in coastal management: The horizontal integration of policies, management arrangements and development plans amongst different sectors, services and agencies at a given level of government (national, provincial, district and more local) as well as amongst interest groups with common interests in coastal areas and resources; The vertical integration of policies, management arrangements and development plans from national through to local levels of government, including community based approaches to coastal management; Geographical or territorial integration: which takes into account the interrelationships and interdependencies (physical, chemical, biological, ecology) between the terrestrial, estuarine littoral and offshore components of the coastal zone; Integration over time: the consistent integration of sustainable development objectives policies, plans and management strategies in the course of time. The process of ICZM starts with the awareness of issues of common concern, which facilitates a dialogue and exchange of views among interested and affected parties, and this is the basis for coordination of action, which in time fosters integration of management (EC 1999 p.15). With reference to the (European Council, 2002) integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) shall be based on series of principles as stated below: A broad overall perspective (thematic and geographic) which will take into account the interdependence and disparity of natural systems and human activities with an impact on coastal areas; A long-term perspective which will take into account the precautionary principle and the needs of present and future generations; Adaptive management during a gradual process which will facilitate adjustment as problems and knowledge develop. This implies the need for a sound scientific basis concerning the evolution of the coastal zone; Considering local specificity and the great diversity of European coastal zones, which will make it possible to respond to their practical needs with specific solutions and flexible measures; Working with natural processes and respecting the carrying capacity of ecosystems, which will make human activities more environmentally friendly, socially responsible and economically sound in the long run; Involving all the parties concerned(economic and social partners, the organisations representing coastal zone residents, non-governmental organisations and the business sector) in the management process, for example by means of agreements and based on shared responsibility; Support and involvement of relevant administrative bodies at national, regional and local level between which appropriate links should be established or maintained with the aim of improved coordination of the various existing policies. Partnership with and between regional and local authorities should apply when appropriate; Using combination of instruments designed to facilitate coherence between sectoral policy objectives and coherence between planning and management. Clear evidence of research but needs greater emphasis on assessing the quality of the published literature. 3.0 METHODOLOGY As the aim of this research is an assessment of the application of ICZM principles in the management of Nigerian coastal waters, case study: Lagos State coastline. The following listed methodology shall be applied to achieve the aims and objectives of the research; Data Collection; researching data comes in a wide variety of shapes and forms (i.e. primary versus secondary data). (Lancaster 2005) on one hand, a primary data will often be collected through techniques such as experimentation, asking questions, interviewing (one-on-one/telephone), observation and surveys. On the other hand, a secondary data is information which already exists in some form or other but which was not primarily collected, at least initially for the purpose of the consultancy exercise at hand. In most cases, a secondary will be the start point of this research as it consists of both external and internal data sources which encompassing internal company information such as databases, reports, government surveys, competitor information and increasingly, internet and web-based sources of information (Lancaster 2005). Qualitative Research Strategy; this type of research strategy shall be used for this research due to the fact that it can investigate how and why particular events and actions happen and how people feel about such activities. With reference to (Bryman, 2004 p.19-20). A qualitative research emphasizes words rather than quantification in the collection and analysis of data. Therefore, gathering a qualitative data for this research is imperative as the aim of the research is the understanding of believe and experience. Evaluation Research Strategy; this type of strategy will be used to discover whether the programme of ICZM intend to bring certain changes to coastal management of Lagos State coastline. (Thomas 2004) such studies are closely tied to concerns with accountability and are used to discover whether programmes and expenditures intended to bring about certain changes or to reach specified policy objectives have in fact achieved their goals. Study Design; this would be achieved through the use and study of relevant textbooks, online journals and articles to gather secondary data. Using the internet (e-mail) for primary research; the attraction of using a web-based survey are that it can potentially reach an enormous number of respondents anywhere in the world, the costs and time involved in distribution and collection of questionnaires are minimized, and analysis of data that are already in electronic format is made easy (Walliman 2005). Action Research; this is intended to improve understanding of and prospects for change in organisations by involving organisational members in collaborative relationships with specialist researchers who jointly design and carry out research studies (Thomas 2004). Collection of relevant document papers primarily from organisations, institution and authorities facilitate research. Sampling Design; this shall be based on costs, quality, time, and feasibility of the research studies. Ethical Research; throughout this study research, a good ethical research culture shall be maintained and abide by. (Greenfield 1996) ethics in its widest sense, as the principles of good human behaviour, is one of the issues for which philosophers have striven to provide guidance. Methodology for each objective should be based on the Research Onion (see page 132 of Saunders et.al), working from the outside inwards. It is essential to include justification for the chosen approach/method 4.0. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY Likely limitations towards the quality of this research study are listed below; Duration of research study; the time allocated to conduct this research is too short to conduct an assessment of the management of Lagos State coastline against the principle of ICZM, Online restrictions; some significant organisations while trying to access recent and quality online journal and articles on ICZM, restricts access and request payment by debit/credit card. Poor information database; unavailability of quality information database through the Nigerian Ministry of environment will be a barrier to this research due to lack of quality IT infrastructure, Finance; costs of communication/travelling to Nigeria to conduct a feasibility study on the management of Lagos State coastline will be a barrier due to Access inability; securing permission to some agencies/organisations while trying to carry out the study research will be a barrier owing to protocols. 5.0. CONCLUSION Although, the implementation of the practice of ICZM in Nigeria coastal zone has long been discussed by stakeholders in the Nigerian Ministry of Environment and it has been seen to a very difficult task and proved abortive. In view of some problems faced on how to balance the economic growth and conservation of coastal environment for sustainable development on the Lagos State coastline, the author of this research shall study critically and extensively on the application of ICZM and its principles and after that compare against the Lagos State coastal zone management practices, and in the end propose to the States Minister for Environments some viable ways of applying effectively the implementation of ICZM principles in order to achieve an integrated Lagos State coastline management and Nigerian coastal zones at large. 5.1. SCHEDULED IMPLEMENTATION Tasks Duration Start date Finish date Project topic selection 5days 26.04.2010 30.04.2010 Developing aims, objectives, and hypothesis 1day 30.04.2010 30.04.2010 Literature review 3days 30.04.2010 04.05.2010 Designing methodology 7days 30.04.2010 06.05.2010 Planning research programme 6days 01.05.2010 06.05.2010 Submitting project proposal 1day 07.05.2010 07.05.2010 Familiarising with research database 21days 09.05.2010 29.05.2010 Receive proposal feedback 5days 31.05.2010 01.06.2010 Reviewing proposal feedback 7days 31.05.2010 06.06.2010 Collecting research data 20days 12.06.2010 31.07.2010 Evaluating research information 32days 01.07.2010 03.08.2010 Drawing project conclusion 8days 09.08.201 16.08.2010 Publish project findings 9days 09.08.2010 17.08.2010 Findings appraisal 6days 10.08.2010 15.08.2010 Complete Project 16days 15.08.2010 31.08.2010 Submit project research 5days 30.08.2010 03.09.2010 REFERENCE LISTS ANON., n.d DRAFT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: [online] Available: http://www.unep.org/AbidjanConvention/docs/THE%20STATUS%20OF%20THE%20NIGERIAN%20COASTAL%20ZONES%20version%202.pdf [accessed 05 May 2010] BADEJO, O.T., and NWILO, P.C., n.d. Impacts and Management of Oil Pollution along the Nigerian Coastal Areas. [online] Available: http://www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub36/chapters/chapter_8.pdf [accessed 05 May 2010] BOWER, B.T., and TURNER, R.K., 1996. Characterising and Analysing Benefits from Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). [online] Available: CSERGE Working Paper GEC 97-12 http://www.uea.ac.uk/env/cserge/pub/wp/gec/gec_1997_12.pdf [accessed 06 May 2010] BRYMAN, A., 2004. Social Research Methods. 2nd ed. Oxford: University Press COMMISSION OF EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 2000. Communication from the commission to the Council and the European Parliament on Integrated Coastal Zone Management: Strategy for Europe [online]. Available: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/iczm/overview.htm [accessed 06 May 2010] CLARK, J.R., 1996. Coastal Zone Management Handbook. New York: CRC Press DODDY, J.P., 2001. Coastal Conservation and Management: An Ecological Perspective. London: Kluwer DUBLIN-GREEN et al. 1999. Climate Variability Research Activities in Nigeria. Lagos: Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 1999. Towards a European Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), General Principles and Policy Options. Italy: European Communities EUROPEAN COUNCIL, 2002. Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2002 concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe. Official journal of the European Communities. L148/25 p.2 Available: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2002:148:0024:0027:EN:PDF [accessed 05 May 2010] GREENFIELD, T., 1996. Research Methods, Guidance for Postgraduates. London: Arnold IBE, A.C., 1988. Coastline Erosion in Nigeria. Ibadan: University Press LANCASTER, G., 2005. Research Methods in Management, a concise introduction to research in management and business consultancy. Oxford: Elsevier MORKSNESS E., et al. 2009. Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Chichester: Blackwell OKUDE, A.S., and ADEMILUYI, I.A., 2006. Coastal Erosion Phenomenon in Nigeria: Causes, Control and Implications. [online], 1(1) pp.44-51. Available: http://idosi.org/wasj/wasj1%281%29/10.pdf [accessed 05 May 2010] OYEGUN, C.U., 1988 Process-Form Relationships Along Forcados Beach in Southern Nigeria Department of Geography. Ibadan: University of Ibadan POST, J.C., and LUNDIN, C.G., 1996. Guidelines for Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Environmentally Sustainable Development Studies and Monographs Series No.9 [online] p.1 Available: http://www.nacoma.org.na/Downloading/WBGuidelines_ICZM.pdf [accessed 04 May 2010] SANTOS, P.O., 1999. Director of Drainage, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning, Environmental consequences of uncontrolled development in Lagos State. IOC-SOA International Workshop on Coastal Megacities, Hangzhou, China, 27-30 September 1999 SORENSEN, J.C., and McCREARY, 1990. Institutional Arrangements for Managing Coastal Resources and Environments, Washington, D.C.: Coastal Management Publication SHI, C., et al. 2001. Towards a sustainable coast: an integrated coastal zone management framework for Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China. Ocean Coastal Management [online] 44(5-6) pp.411-427. Available: Elsevier/ARTICLES [accessed 06 May 2010] THOMAS A.B., 2004. Research skills for Management Studies. London: Routledge WALLIMAN, N., 2005. Your Research Project. 2nd ed. London: Sage WELLENS-MENSAH, J., 2000. UNESCO. IOC Workshop Reports series No. 165. Pan-African Conference on Sustainable Integrated Coastal Management; Proceedings of the Workshops: An integrated approach, (PACSICOM), Maputo, Mozambique, 18-25 July 1998. [online] p.7. Available: http://ioc.unesco.org/iocweb/iocpub/iocpdf/w165e.pdf [accessed 04 May 2010]

Cloning :: essays research papers fc

Bioethics, which is the study of value judgments pertaining to human conduct in the area of biology and includes those related to the practice of medicine, has been an important aspect of all areas in the scientific field (Bernstein, Maurice, M.D.). It is one of the factors that says whether or not certain scientific research can go on, and if it can, under which rules and regulations it must abide by. One of the most recent and controversial issues facing our society today is the idea of cloning. On February 23, 1997, Ian Wilmut, a Scottish scientist, along with his colleagues at the Roslin Institute and PPL Therapeutics, announced to the world that they had cloned a lamb, which they named Dolly, after Dolly Parton, from an adult sheep (Mario, Christopher).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two share the same nucleic DNA, but differ in terms of their mitochondrial DNA, which is vitally important for the regulation of the cell. The media and the press ignored this fact, and thus claimed that Dolly and her â€Å"mother† were genetically identical, which sparked a fury of outcry all around the world. The technique of transferring a nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg cell of which the nucleus had been removed, called nuclear transplantation, is an extension of research that had been ongoing for over 40 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Up until now, scientists thought that adult cells could not be â€Å"reprogrammed† to behave like a fertilized egg and create an embryo, but the evidence obtained by Dolly’s success prove otherwise. The issues of cloning have been around for a long time, starting with the publication of Joshua Lederberg’s 1966 article on cloning in the American Naturalist, and the publics interest has been perked by many sci-fi books, films, and movies including Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel â€Å"Brave New World,† 1973’s â€Å"Sleeper,† the 1978 film â€Å"The Boys from Brazil,† and most recently, the movie â€Å"Multiplicity† (Mario, Christopher). The ethical, legal, and moral issues aroused by cloning have been raised by previous projects, and are now simply emerging again, with its focus on three major points: the shift from sexual reproduction with that of asexual replication of existing genes; the ability to predetermine the genes of a child; and the ability to create many genetically identical children (Report/Recommendations of the NBAC).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The public responded to Dolly with a mixture of fear and excitement, questioning the benefits and the disasters that could happen in the future if research was to continue. From a poll taken by Maurice Bernstein, M.D., the results showed that 72% of the votes said that cloning Cloning :: essays research papers fc Bioethics, which is the study of value judgments pertaining to human conduct in the area of biology and includes those related to the practice of medicine, has been an important aspect of all areas in the scientific field (Bernstein, Maurice, M.D.). It is one of the factors that says whether or not certain scientific research can go on, and if it can, under which rules and regulations it must abide by. One of the most recent and controversial issues facing our society today is the idea of cloning. On February 23, 1997, Ian Wilmut, a Scottish scientist, along with his colleagues at the Roslin Institute and PPL Therapeutics, announced to the world that they had cloned a lamb, which they named Dolly, after Dolly Parton, from an adult sheep (Mario, Christopher).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two share the same nucleic DNA, but differ in terms of their mitochondrial DNA, which is vitally important for the regulation of the cell. The media and the press ignored this fact, and thus claimed that Dolly and her â€Å"mother† were genetically identical, which sparked a fury of outcry all around the world. The technique of transferring a nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg cell of which the nucleus had been removed, called nuclear transplantation, is an extension of research that had been ongoing for over 40 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Up until now, scientists thought that adult cells could not be â€Å"reprogrammed† to behave like a fertilized egg and create an embryo, but the evidence obtained by Dolly’s success prove otherwise. The issues of cloning have been around for a long time, starting with the publication of Joshua Lederberg’s 1966 article on cloning in the American Naturalist, and the publics interest has been perked by many sci-fi books, films, and movies including Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel â€Å"Brave New World,† 1973’s â€Å"Sleeper,† the 1978 film â€Å"The Boys from Brazil,† and most recently, the movie â€Å"Multiplicity† (Mario, Christopher). The ethical, legal, and moral issues aroused by cloning have been raised by previous projects, and are now simply emerging again, with its focus on three major points: the shift from sexual reproduction with that of asexual replication of existing genes; the ability to predetermine the genes of a child; and the ability to create many genetically identical children (Report/Recommendations of the NBAC).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The public responded to Dolly with a mixture of fear and excitement, questioning the benefits and the disasters that could happen in the future if research was to continue. From a poll taken by Maurice Bernstein, M.D., the results showed that 72% of the votes said that cloning

The Operation of Humans vs. Computers Essay -- Computer Science

The comparison of how humans and computers operate is an integral part of research in Cognitive Psychology. This essay discusses how this comparison allows us to turn ways in which humans and computers are similar into the development of useful computational models. These enhance our understanding of human perception in more detailed and quantitative ways which traditional research would not allow. It contrasts this by describing ways in which humans and computers are different, highlighting how such models may have limited application, and must be kept in perspective. The field of visual perception is one which has made good use of computational models to advance its knowledge, and so is a logical exemplar. One of the first instances of using a computational model to research visual perception was in response to the classic problem â€Å"how does the visual system ‘know’ that the varied appearance of a coloured surface is a property of the surface rather than its illumination?† (Gordon, 2004, p. 187). Both Land and McCann (1971) and Horn (1974) suggested that the key distinction is that the effect of a change in illumination is gradual, whereas changes that are because of an object’s edges are abrupt. To investigate, they recorded output differences from two adjacent detectors which sample lightness values. They found that the difference in output on a uniform surface with a change in illumination was small and insignificant, whereas when the detectors were on either side of a boundary between two surfaces of different lightness, there was a large difference in output. This suggests that our visual system uses a similar method to detect important changes in su rfaces properties and distinguish them from transitory changes in illumin... ...em such as vision, it is important not to oversimplify the idea to the point where a model is no longer representative of how the brain is working. Works Cited Dreyfus, H. L. (1972). What computers can’t do: A critique of artificial reason. New York: Harper & Row. Gordon, I. E. (2004). Theories of visual perception (3rd ed.). Hove: Psychology Press. Horn, B. K. (1974). Determining lightness from an image. Computer Graphics and Image Processing. 3, 277-299. Land, E. H. & McCann, J. J. (1971). Lightness and retinex theory. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 61, 1-11. Marr, D. (1982). Vision: A computational investigation into the human representation and processing of visual information. San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman. Marr, D. & Hildreth, E. (1980) Theory of edge detection. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 207, 187-217.

Cubas Economic and Political Instability Essay examples -- History Ec

Cuba's Economic and Political Instability Cuba’s political instability and sugar-centered economy were the result of U.S. influence through the Platt Amendment and the various Sugar Acts and reciprocity treaties. Marifeli Perez-Stable takes this stance in her book The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course, and Legacy in her interpretation of Cuban radical nationalism in the 1950’s. The domination of Cuba’s economy by the sugar industry was responsible for much of its wealth but also a great deal of its problems. While the sugar industry generally remained a profitable enterprise in the first half of the 20th Century, Cuba’s growth was hindered by her dependence on it. It fostered unemployment or underemployment, the standard of living was unable to rise, and attempts at diversification of the economy were unsuccessful. Yet without the income and investment sugar brought into Cuba, the economy would collapse. This is what Perez-Stable terms ‘the sugar conundrum’. The United States was the main market for Cuban sugar, and its trade policy perpetuated ‘the sugar conundrum’, discouraging diversification in agriculture or manufacturing. The influence of the United States in the political affairs of Cuba is a vital part of Perez-Stable’s interpretation. There was a constant need to negotiate with the United States to preserve Cuba’s preferred sugar trading status, and decisions made by the U.S. were of critical economic importance to Cubans. Therefore, even after Roosevelt abrogated the Platt Amendment in 1934, the wishes of the U.S. government were more influential than what was in the best interests of Cuba. For instance, corruption became rampant as the most honest of all Cuban political groups, the communists, lost political clou... ...n the words of Marti, that "The only fruitful and lasting peace and freedom are those accomplished by one’s own effort" (Manifesto, 130). References Castro, Fidel. "History Will Absolve Me", excerpt from The U.S., Cuba and the Cold War: American Failure or Communist Conspiracy? Ed. L. Langley, Lexington Mass, 1970. 26th of July Movement, "Program Manifesto of the 26th of July Movement", in Cuba in Revolution ed. R. Bonachea and Nelson Valdes, Garden City NJ, 1972. Guevara, Ernesto Che. "One Year of Armed Struggle", from Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War, trans. Victor Ortiz, New York: Monthly Review Press, 1968. Perez-Stable, Marifeli. The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course, and Legacy. Oxford University Press, NY 1993. Paterson, Thomas G. Contesting Castro: The U.S. and the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Oxford University Press, NY 1994.

Succubus Shadows Chapter 11

I was in Seattle. Modern-day Seattle, thankfully. I wanted to be nowhere near the fourth century, even though I dreaded what awful vision the Oneroi would show me now. Not only was I in Seattle, I was with Roman. He had just parked on Cherry Street and was striding toward the heart of Pioneer Square, which was buzzing today with tourists and others enjoying the clear autumn night. This time, I wasn't in the dream. I was an observer only, following along with him like a ghost or maybe a documentary camera. I wanted to talk to him, to communicate in some way, but I had no mouth with which to speak. I had no form whatsoever, only my consciousness watching this vision. His pace was brisk, and he pushed through the meandering crowd with no concern for the dirty looks and occasional comment. He was focused on his destination, one I recognized immediately: the Cellar. Our favorite immortal hangout was crowded with mortals tonight. Yet, for whatever reason, no matter how busy the bar was, Jerome always managed to get the same corner table in the back. He sat there now with Carter but didn't wear the usual unconcerned look we often found him with while drinking. The demon's face was filled with agitation, and he and Carter were arguing about something. Roman's signature was masked, so neither angel nor demon noticed his approach. Jerome shot him a glare, no doubt thinking some human was bothering them. Jerome's expression promptly changed when he saw who it was, and he opened his mouth to say something. He didn't get the chance because Roman spoke first. â€Å"Where is she?† demanded Roman. He sat in a chair and jerked it toward Jerome so that father and son could look eye to eye. â€Å"Where the fuck is Georgina?† The music and conversation covered most of his shouting, but a few nearby patrons gave him startled looks. Roman was oblivious. His attention was all on Jerome. Anger crackled around the nephilim like an aura itself. Jerome had been clearly distressed about something when Roman had entered, but now, in the presence of an underling, the demon put on the cold, haughty expression that was so typical for him. â€Å"Funny,† said Jerome. â€Å"I was going to ask you the same thing.† Roman glowered. â€Å"How the hell would I know? She vanished right before my eyes! You're the one that's supposed to have some sort of divine connection to her.† Jerome's face didn't twitch, but his words were like a gut punch to both me and Roman. â€Å"I can't feel her anymore. She's disappeared for me too.† I might have had no physical form, but cold fear ran through me nonetheless. An archdemon was connected to his subordinates. He always knew where they were and could tell if they were in pain. When Jerome had been summoned, that connection had shattered, cutting us off from our hellish â€Å"gifts.† Now, the opposite had happened. I had been summoned, so to speak, and torn from Jerome. The Oneroi's words came back to me: He won't find you. He can't find you. You no longer exist for him. â€Å"That's impossible,† growled Roman. â€Å"Unless†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A troubled look came over him. â€Å"Someone's hiding her signature?† It would be terribly ironic if the scheme he'd once planned came to be through someone else. Jerome shook his head and gestured to a waiter for another round. â€Å"I wouldn't be able to find her if that happened, but the connection would be there. I'd know she still existed.† You no longer exist for him. â€Å"Is she†¦is she dead?† Some of Roman's initial fury had dimmed a little. It wasn't an unreasonable question, really. I kind of felt dead. â€Å"No. Her soul would have shown up in Hell.† Jerome took a sip of his new drink and narrowed his eyes at Roman. â€Å"But it's not your job to ask questions. What do you know? You said she disappeared. Literally?† Roman's face was downright bleak now. He glanced between Jerome and a grim, thus far silent, Carter. â€Å"Yes. Literally. She's been having these†¦I don't know how to explain it. She couldn't even explain it.† â€Å"I was there,† Jerome reminded him. â€Å"She told me. The music. The colors.† The sneer in his voice made it clear that he regarded those types of things as nuisances. â€Å"It was like this weird force pulling her, enchanting her. It wanted her to come to it.† Roman was repeating known info, possibly to make Jerome take it more seriously. â€Å"She called it a siren song and kept sleepwalking, trying to get to it. And then†¦and then tonight, she went to it.† â€Å"Did you see it?† asked Carter. It was odd to see him so serious and†¦well, confused. The former emotion I'd seen only a handful of times. The latter I'd never seen on him. â€Å"I saw her disappear. Like, vanish into thin air. But I didn't see it exactly. I felt it. I could sense whenever it was around.† â€Å"What did it feel like?† asked Jerome. Roman shrugged. â€Å"I don't know. Just†¦a force. A power. Not an entity exactly. And not something I could identify. Not a greater immortal or anything.† â€Å"That,† declared Jerome, â€Å"is absolutely useless information.† Roman's anger returned. â€Å"It's all I've got! If you'd listened to her more, this wouldn't have happened. You let this happen. You didn't take it seriously, and now she's gone!† Yelling at Jerome. Not a good thing. â€Å"Be careful, lest I revoke your invitation,† hissed the demon, eyes boring into his son. â€Å"And I did listen. I set you to protect her. You, apparently, are the one who ‘let' this happen.† Roman flushed. â€Å"I was in the other room when that thing showed up again. I hurried in as fast as I could, but it was too late. Georgina'd already given herself up, and honestly†¦I'm not sure I could have stopped it anyway.† It was a big concession for Roman. Nephilim could inherit anywhere from none to all of their immortal parent's power. Roman was very close to having as much strength as Jerome but still lagged behind just a little. Additionally, the types of power wielded by greater and lesser immortals differed. As a type of hybrid, Roman might not have been able to fight what Jerome could have. Jerome didn't push that point further. â€Å"So, we still know nothing.† â€Å"We know that whatever did this isn't one of ours,† said Carter quietly, speaking at last. â€Å"Yes,† snapped Jerome. â€Å"Which only leaves a billion other things it could be. Unless†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He glanced over at one of the chairs at their table. One moment it was empty. The next, Simone sat there. Carter didn't seem surprised, but Roman and I certainly were. And she was especially surprised, as shown by her squeal of fear and befuddled expression. Being teleported by a greater immortal was not a pleasant experience. She was blond today, dressed in a plain blouse and pair of jeans. It was a sign of her agitation that she didn't widen her neckline when she saw Carter. â€Å"What – what's going on?† she stammered. â€Å"What'd you do to Georgina?† asked Jerome. Her eyes went wide. He might still wear the guise of John Cusack, but as he stared her down, it was easy to see that he truly was a demon of Hell. â€Å"Nothing!† cried Simone. She cowered back into her chair. â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about!† Jerome was up and out of his chair so fast, he might have teleported himself. He jerked Simone up as well and shoved her against a nearby wall, hand on her throat. I'd been in a similar position with him before and felt pity for the other succubus. No one else in the bar noticed, so Jerome was either glamoring them or making him and Simone invisible. â€Å"Do not lie to me!† he exclaimed. â€Å"What have you done? Who did you get to do this?† I could see his line of reasoning now. What Roman had sensed might not be demon or angel, but it wasn't impossible that someone from our side could have worked with an unknown entity. It wouldn't be the first time. Roman had caught on as well and leapt up to stand beside his father. â€Å"I swear, if you've hurt her even a little, I will rip you apart!† Simone's fear was put on pause as she gave Roman a puzzled look. With his signature hidden, he only came across as a human to her. As far as she was probably concerned, he had no involvement in any of this – and no ability to back up his threat. Little did she know. She turned back to Jerome, cringing when she saw his face once more. â€Å"Nothing,† she said, her voice hard to understand with Jerome choking off her air. â€Å"I didn't do anything to her, I swear it!† â€Å"You were trying to get Seth into bed,† said Roman. â€Å"That's all! I didn't do anything to her. Anything.† Simone's face turned pleading as she spoke to Jerome. â€Å"You have to know why I'm here. It's not to harm her.† Jerome's face was still filled with terrible fury, but there was also a flicker of consideration in his eyes. He said nothing, and it was Carter's voice that filled the tense silence. â€Å"She's telling the truth,† he said. Jerome didn't break his hold on Simone, but that calculating look was still in his gaze. â€Å"Do you know anything about her disappearing? Anything at all?† â€Å"No! No!† Jerome glanced back at Carter, who gave a swift nod. With a disappointed sigh, Jerome released her and stepped back. Roman looked doubtful, but he too had to know that if Carter vouched for her, it was gospel, so to speak. Jerome returned to his chair, downing his drink in one gulp. Roman joined him a moment later, but Simone remained standing, watching the whole group uncertainly as she rubbed her bruised throat. â€Å"I don't know what's going on, but if there's anything – â€Å" â€Å"I'm done with you,† said Jerome harshly. He waved his hand in a type of dismissal, and Simone vanished as quickly as she'd arrived. â€Å"That was mean,† noted Carter, idly stirring his bourbon. â€Å"I sent her back to her hotel,† said Jerome. â€Å"Not to a desert island.† Roman's anger had cooled a little, and he wore a calm, considering expression that looked remarkably like his father's. â€Å"What did she mean when she said you knew why she was here? Why was I following her?† â€Å"I can't report this,† said Jerome. He was speaking to Carter, like Roman wasn't even there. â€Å"Not yet†¦not unless I have to. We can't let any higher authorities know.† â€Å"And I can't do anything at all,† mused Carter. â€Å"This is technically your problem.† He took a long drink, as though that would fix everything. â€Å"But you will,† said Roman boldly. â€Å"You'll try to find her?† â€Å"Of course,† said Carter. One of his trademark cynical smiles lit his lips, replacing the grim expression from earlier. I suspected it was a cover-up for how he truly felt. â€Å"This place would be too boring without her.† For a heartbeat, I kind of liked this invisible watcher thing. Carter had no sense that I was there, and for the first time, I was able to truly study him without him looking back. He might have that annoying levity on now, but he'd already shown concern for my well-being. And I really couldn't believe it was simply because he found me entertaining. What was his game? Those gray eyes revealed nothing. â€Å"Yes,† said Jerome dryly. â€Å"Who knows how we'll get by without her maudlin misadventures.† Carter started to protest, but again, Roman came forward with an interruption. â€Å"Oh. That's the other thing, what we talked to Erik about.† He gave them a brief recap of Erik's observations and how I was only visited when I was depressed. Roman also described each of the incidents in as much detail as possible. Jerome and Carter exchanged looks. â€Å"With as down as she usually is, that's not much to go on,† noted the demon. â€Å"But it might be worth a visit to the old man.† â€Å"Jerome,† said Carter in a warning voice. The two locked eyes again and had some sort of silent communication. When Jerome finally looked away, it was to casually pick up his latest drink. â€Å"Don't worry. I won't scare him. Much.† I wondered if he'd go to Erik right then, but I didn't get a chance to find out. The world dissolved once more, and I found myself back in my prison. Aside from being terribly uncomfortable, I also felt exhausted. Studying the smiling, shining Oneroi, I could guess what had happened. In feeding off my dream, they'd taken some of my energy with it. â€Å"Dream†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I murmured, suddenly confused. I'd braced myself for some terrible outcome, but it hadn't happened. â€Å"That wasn't a dream. That was real. You showed me what was really happening. What my friends are doing.† â€Å"Some dreams are true, and some are lies,† said Two. I really wanted to slap him. â€Å"That one was true.† A story came back to me, the faintest memory from my childhood. Christian priests had long had a foothold in Cyprus when I was born, but old stories and rites had lingered. What were considered myths today had been held as fact back then. One such story said that dreams were sent to humans from one of two gates: one of ivory and one of horn. Those from the ivory gate were false; those from the horn gate were true. I didn't know if that was just a metaphor, but the outcome apparently had some validity to it. â€Å"But why?† I asked. â€Å"Why show me true dreams? You'd torture me a lot more with another stupid nightmare.† That nightmare hadn't been stupid. It had been agonizing, but I didn't want them to know that. What was stupid was me suggesting how they should torment me. â€Å"Because you don't know,† said One. â€Å"Soon you won't know truth from lies. You assume everything that causes pain must be a lie. But you won't know. Soon you won't trust anything at all.† â€Å"I'll know,† I said adamantly. â€Å"I can tell the difference.† â€Å"You believe what you just saw was true?† asked Two. â€Å"Yes. Absolutely.† â€Å"Good,† said One. â€Å"Then you've also learned another truth: it's impossible for anyone to find you. You'll stay here forever.†

Marketing Excellence: BMW Essay

? 1. What are the pros and cons to BMW’s selective target marketing? What has the firm done well over the years and where could it improve? When I see someone riding in a BMW, I know that they must be making good money. The stereotype for people who drive BMW’s is that they are rich, and these are the people that the people over at BMW target. The pros to targeting the higher income population is that they will be targeting people who are more likely to purchase their product. Since BMW is known as a luxury car, people who have lower incomes are less likely to purchase from them. The cons to the selective marketing are that by not advertising to lower income people, they have nothing to be motivated for. Someone could see a BMW ad, and be motivated to one day own one. Since the market is specifically the wealthier incomes, the lower income population may not be as aware of BMW. I see commercials for Mercedes all of the time now, and I know that I can’t afford one yet. As soon as I’m able too, I plan on making it a priority to purchase a Mercedes. The firm has done a great job of improving its vehicles over the years. They have added so many electronic features to its cars to stay up to date with technology. BMW also has come out with high-performance SUV’s for people with larger families and who are more active. To improve, I would suggest that they maybe create a model for the lower income population. Considering the majority of the population is middle-class or lower, there is a whole untapped market for BMW to reach. 2. BMW’s sales slipped during the worldwide recession in 2008 and 2009. Is its segmentation strategy too selective? Why or why not? I would say that their strategy is not too selective. During the recession, everybody struggled. So to blame BMW for their strategy that had made them so successful in the first place would not be fair. I believe that their strategy could’ve actually helped them during that time. Since BMW is so selective, they are only targeting people that have money anyways. So money that they spend on advertising wasn’t necessarily being wasted.

Unit 1 D2

Amy Holihan CACHE Level 3 Unit 1 D2 â€Å"Multi Agency working brings together practitioners from different sectors and professions to provide an integrated way of working to support children, young people and families. † (www. education. gov. uk 18. 10. 2021) Multi Agency Teams are made up of professionals who are brought into the childcare setting for a variety of different reasons.They ensure that all children, young people and families who need additional support have exactly the right professionals they need in order to support them. A Multi Agency Team could involve anyone who’s voluntary or job puts them in contact with children, young people or families. Other professionals who may work as part of a Multi-Agency Team are social workers, educational psychologists, health visitors and paediatric dieticians.They help children and young people who may be suffering from special needs, learning in difficulties or behavioural difficulties they assess these children and give them individual support and together with their families. The Multi Agency Team approach has many benefits such as there is better support for the parents and easier to meet every child and families individual needs and to address them more appropriately and children seeing professionals around then working together as a team.Communication between different services and confidentiality is crucial when working in a multi-agency team to ensure that all children and families get the support they need and their rights are never breached. â€Å"The CAF should be offered to children who have additional needs to those being met by universal services unless a child is presenting a need it is unlikely the CAF will be offered. The practitioner assesses needs by using the CAF. † (www. education. gov. uk 18. 10. 2012) The common Assessment Framework is to be used by all professionals who are in contact with children young people and their families.It is used to help practitioners i dentify a child’s need and offer them extra support before it reaches crisis point and to ensure important needs of children are not overlooked. Information is also shared between other practitioners so that parents only have to tell one professional information about their child. Parents also get to see the assessment information and get to voice their views and opinions with practitioners. Families play a big part when developing an action plan for meeting all children’s additional needs and consent must also be given by the parents.

Aegis Case Analysis Essay

The main question posed in this case is whether Aegis management should continue the relationships with their partners ProPack and POMS, and if they decided to continue with the relationships, how to structure them more effectively. Operating in a slumping economy, Aegis was worried about their level of sales resulting from the partnerships they had entered into. The main goal for Aegis when entering into both partnerships was to bolster sales, and neither company had accomplished that. With the possibility of terminating either relationship, Aegis would have to find another strategy for improved sales. With the absence of this strategy, it will be more productive for the company to restructure their existing relationships. Looking at this case through the concept of strategic alliances will help to find a strategy that will pull Aegis out of its downhill slide. For both relationships, Aegis has entered into licensing and distribution agreements. POMS and ProPack have combined their name with Aegis for separate products, as well as working together to distribute each other’s products. Unfortunately, in this situation economies of scale will not work to lower costs because of the nature of the product and the industry Aegis is competing in. Aegis and its partners have developed a product that is the technological standard for its category, but can continue to add value to the product, making it desirable and useful in the future. In my opinion, the best way to increase the benefits of these relationships is to foster an environment of trust and communication to operate in. This may mean revisiting the contracts that are in place to redefine what each entity wants out of the agreement, and the best way to go about creating sales. If they can do this effectively I believe the companies will work better together, creating more value for potential customers. This will result in an increase in sales for their products.

The purpose of the annual review is to reflect

The purpose of the annual review is to reflect on the past year’s endeavors, as well as to discuss and set attainable, mutually beneficial goals for the future. It should be viewed as a vehicle to share ideas and insights based on your work in the firm this past year. In your review please address the following: 1. Project Contributions: Design, Management, Client Relations, Technical, Teamwork and Profitability. I had been requested to work on a project in New Jersey, which required the renovation of the Korea Telecom office building.However, we could not accept their request due to our firm’s workload at that time. I have been making efforts at being a reliable team member by contributing my skills and knowledge in Auto CAD and other 3d program techniques to the current project and developing rapport among the team members. 2. Firm-wide Contributions: Leadership within firm, promoting firm to others, and business development. I have promoted the firm to potential inte rnational project partners and clients by giving out the firm’s brochures and my business cards to well-known and distinguished architectural firms in Korea.3. Growth: State how these contributions demonstrate growth from previous years’ performance. Even though I’ve had architecture practical experience for over 6 years in Korea, I started all over again in this firm in New York after finishing Graduate School last May 2006. 4. Improvements: How might improvements have been made – either in your performance or by the firm? When I first started working for the firm, I was confused with architectural unit and architectural drawings in terms of architectural drawing standard differentiations, which are different from the methods I was used to back in Korea.However, I got rid of those difficulties by understanding practical knowledge and learning U. S. standard architectural drawing. Now, I’m working on a construction document for the Chapin school pr oject team. 5. Goals: State your goals for next year. I definitely would like to become a more reliable and dynamic member of the architecture staff for this firm by improving my skills in practical drawing and creative drawing. I also hope to contribute to the success of this firm in becoming an internationally well-known design firm through my efforts in procuring international projects and/or partnership.

Child Labour in the Global Economy Dissertation

Child Labour in the Global Economy - Dissertation Example Children had been historically involved in a variety of jobs ranging from agricultural and farming to industrial and manufacturing jobs. But, this conventional idea employing children in the aforementioned fields is rapidly changing as most often it is their parents who force their offspring into laborious activities. A survey conducted by ILO across 36 less developed economies reported a fraction of the 25 percent children employed in economically active jobs to be working for others. In addition, most of them work without pay with dominance of such form of exploitation more prevalent in urban than in rural areas. UNICEF reported this figure at 4.2 percent in case of rural regions and 5.2 percent for urban areas, for LDCs. Furthermore, out of the few children who work for others, nearly 6 percent do not earn any wage; such situation normally arises in cases when parents hold their children as collaterals while accepting loans and default payments on the same owing to poverty (Edmond s & Pavcnik, 2005, p. 202). Figure 1 alongside summarises the outcome of a survey conducted by ILO in 2006 to comprehend the change in occurrence of child labour across the world through 2000-2004. It shows the highest concentration of child labour in Sub-Saharan Africa followed by Asia-Pacific areas. Child labour is found to have dropped drastically in Latin America and Caribbean with a reduction of more than 10 percent of the total child population over the region. On the whole, the scenario has improved for child labour throughout the world within a span of four years.... But, this conventional idea employing children in the aforementioned fields is rapidly changing as most often it is their parents who force their offspring into laborious activities. A survey conducted by ILO across 36 less developed economies reported a fraction of the 25 percent children employed in economically active jobs to be working for others. In addition, most of them work without pay with dominance of such form of exploitation more prevalent in urban than in rural areas. UNICEF reported this figure at 4.2 percent in case of rural regions and 5.2 percent for urban areas, for LDCs. Furthermore, out of the few children who work for others, nearly 6 percent do not earn any wage; such situation normally arises in cases when parents hold their children as collaterals while accepting loans and default payments on the same owing to poverty (Edmonds & Pavcnik, 2005, p. 202). Figure 1 alongside summarises the outcome of a survey conducted by ILO in 2006 to comprehend the change in oc currence of child labour across the world through 2000-2004. It shows the highest concentration of child labour in Sub-Saharan Africa followed by Asia-Pacific areas. Child labour is found to have dropped drastically in Latin America and Caribbean with a reduction of more than 10 percent of the total child population over the region. On the whole, the scenario has improved for child labour throughout the world within a span of four years. This fact has an obvious implication that the world is indeed developing at a fast pace and in a homogeneous pattern. Figure 2 on the other hand, emphasises upon the kinds of jobs that children between 5 and 14 years of age, are employed in. It shows a majority of them to be employed in agricultural and farming