Chinese New Year Fun Facts Essay

1.The traditional Chinese New Year celebration lasts 15 days. 2.2013 is the year of the Snake. Children born during the Year of the Snake are said to be clever, successful, and lonely. 3.Everyone goes home for the Chinese New Year celebrations, if they can. The period just before the Chinese New Year, called chunyun, is the busiest travel time of the entire year. All across China and beyond, you’ll find people on their way home to spend this time with their families. 4.The Chinese New Year is seen as the perfect time to do some spring cleaning. Traditionally, it was believed that cleaning house for the new year’s celebrations swept bad luck away and helped ensure good fortune in the year to come. 5.Traditional foods include fish, which is served at the end of the New Year’s meal and symbolizes abundance, and a sticky fruitcake called Neen Gow or Nian Gow. 6.Red decorations are everywhere, because the color red is considered to be one of the luckiest colors of all. Older family members use red envelopes to give gifts of cash to their younger relatives. 7.Shou Sui is the practice of staying up until midnight as a family to greet the new year. 8.During the Chinese New Year, people often greet each other by shouting â€Å"auspicious phrases† thought to bring luck, like â€Å"gÃ… ng xÇ  fÄ  cà ¡i,† which translates to â€Å"Congratulations and be prosperous.† Children sometimes use the following variant of this greeting when they are feeling cheeky: â€Å"gÃ… ng xÇ  fÄ  cà ¡i, hà ³ng bÄ o nà ¡ là ¡i.† That means â€Å"Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope!†

Absolute and Comparative Advantage Essay

An individual, a firm, a region, or a county may develop an area of specialization naturally, but frequently choices must be made to determine what to produce for exchange or trade. Producers should concentrate on the activity in which the)- have an absolute advantage. An absolute advantage is the ability to product a good or service using fewer resources than other producers use. In the United States, this situation occurs when one region of a country is more suited than another for producing certain pro ¬ducts. Florida can grow oranges using fewer resources than Iowa, where heated green ¬houses would be necessary. Iowa has vast, flat acreage and can produce corn much more efficiently than could Florida. Thus, Florida specializes in oranges while Iowa concentrates on com. and the products are exchanged through the marketplace. When each of two parties has an absolute advantage over the other in producing a particular good or service, it is easy for both to decide their areas of specialization. But what happens when one party’ can produce both goods and services more effi ¬ciently than a second party? Should the party with the absolute advantage produce both products for itself? Although this party has the advantage in producing cither good, it should specialize in producing the good in which it has a comparative advantage. Comparative advantage is the ability to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than other producers facc. 1’his means lerting the other party produce the good in which it has the lower opportunity cost. Total output will be greater, and exchange will allow both parties to have both goods. Suppose a woman can make $100 per hour as a marketing consultant. Part of her work includes preparing reports for her clients. Suppose that in addition to being a first-class consultant, she is more efficient at word processing than anyone she might hire to key the reports. Thus, she might be able to key in one hour what it takes an assistant two hours to do. As a result, she reasons that, instead of hiring an assistant to do the work, she should do it herself. Is she right to do her own keying as well as consulting? If she docs her own keying, she still must take an hour each day from her consulting to do so. The opportunity cost of keying is the S100 she could have earned consulting. The opportunity cost of consulting is the S20 she must pay an assistant to key the reports. Therefore, if she hires an assistant, she can devote her hill time or consulting. I led gross earnings will be $ 100 greater per day. After paying the assistant $20 for two hours work, she will still have additional net income of $80 per day. Thus, the marketing consultant is bcucr-off specializing full time in the service for which she has the greater comparative advantage.

Country Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Country Studies - Essay Example The invasion led to the devaluation of the Iraq currency, which sent away the investors who had invested in the desert country. The depreciation of the currency led to the withdrawal of support from international bodies2. The invasion also confirmed to the world that the country was unsafe for inhabiting. This process made the products of the country have very low value to the international community while the international commodities became expensive. It caused an economic crisis. Additionally, this led to a long period of economic recovery. The US in conjunction with the UN undermined Iraq’s international image. The negative signal of terrorism associated the whole country with terrorism, while a small section of the country was affected by the aspect of al-Qaeda3. Iraq was also destabilized because the nation’s dictatorial leader was ousted and hanged. This cut links the leader had established with the nation’s allies to the detriment of the Iraq nationals. The reign of dictatorial leaders is better than instability. The political and economic instability caused by the US was costly to the

How the human race should and could ethically handle new technological Essay

How the human race should and could ethically handle new technological developments - Essay Example An ethical perspective in handling the immense potential that technology brings about is necessary for future development in the areas of genetic modification in humans, food production and crime surveillance. This will helps us avoid negative fallout and ensure the technology is used for the good of mankind. One of the most controversial issues has to do with genetic engineering, which has become a reality of modern medicine and has been taken up by several practitioners who use it to diagnose and treat various conditions. The Knowledge has allowed scientists to make a map of the human genome and it is expected that in the long run, it will be possible to accurately predict an individual’s health condition based on readings of their DNA from infancy. Even then, there is the dilemma presented by the fact that â€Å"While we may know an embryo carries a gene for a disease, we cannot be certain the disease will arise† (The Dalai Lama 134). In addition, it can become possible for people to create organs in the laboratory so that people in need of organ transplants do not have to undergo the agonizing wait that too often ends in fatality. While conceding that the developments are bound to be very helpful, it is important to take into account the fact that there will be a lot of information available to scientist and it may have serious social and ethical implications. This is because â€Å"People’s life choices and indeed their very self-identity may be significantly affected by the perception of genetic risk† (The Dalai Lama 134). Take for example; the knowledge of genetic forecasting given that DNA can be used to predict one’s health condition. It may soon become necessary to label some DNA or rather people as â€Å"soon to be sick† (The Dalai Lama 134). In the modern world, there are numerous standards for what qualifies as attractive which explains the multimillion cosmetic industry where people spend billions for the

Project Planning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project Planning - Coursework Example The students are required to carry on the project management with time constraints. This activity can provide fruitful experience that can help them in their future career when time comes that they are assigned to do project planning. ELA is very important for students of project management in the sense that they will have a real feel of what they will encounter come their time to practice their profession in engineering or other disciplines that require a lot of teamwork. ELA is an educational tool which helps the instructor and also the students in carrying out a project. The instructor can ask questions that motivate the students to provide insights and ideas about a given subject matter. The activity includes a pretest and posttest method where data can be collected. The instructor can study the findings and provide output for the course. (Carden and Egan, 2008, p. 315) The project manager and his team should be able to have coordination and teamwork and a good communication process. The team should have a well-studied plan that is borne out of a careful evaluation and analysis of the situation. Senior members of the team, or the experienced managers and experts should be consulted because they have the knowledge to carry out projects. Knowledge, teamworking and good management are important characteristics of a team (Koch, 2004). This simple sentence by Koch (2004) carries a lot of meanings. Knowledge itself has many connotations. Knowledge has got to be present in a team that must perform teamwork to carry out a project. And these are the requirements of an effective management in carrying out a project. A project is defined as a job or task that is carefully planned, with a deadline to follow, implemented by a team and to be evaluated by a manager or client who is the owner/buyer of the project. (Carden and Egan, 2008) This definition of project can be applied to almost every

Coaching Analysis Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Coaching Analysis Flow - Essay Example Dominance and high ego, lack of strategic vision and inability to delegate authority lead performance deficiencies and poor performance of the team. I know this person for 6 years and can objectively describe advantages and disadvantages of his style and approach to coaching. The problem is that poor communication and lack of coordination prevents the team from effective performance and positive outcomes. The facilitator, I am working with, has no such important interpersonal skills as empathy, motivation, and communication. What has received considerably less attention than the skills is that appropriate application of these skills requires a thorough understanding of one's social setting, or social intelligence. Social intelligence has been defined in a variety of ways (Aldrich 2006). One of the ways in which executive leaders co-opt stakeholders is through their relationships with the members of their boards of directors. The main problems are caused by inability to forecast possi ble problems outside the team and lack of coordination between the facilitator and the team. ... An examination of the task bank for the software development team shows you must operate at the People negotiating level in dealings with the product owner and the other team members. You will have to be tactful, tolerate others, listen to their concerns, share ideas with team members in an acceptable manner, and deal constructively with conflict. The main problems need to be addressed are communication and cooperation between the facilitator and team members, delegation of authority and change in leadership style (Brocato 2003). Coaching Analysis Flow The problem is worth solving because it will help to improve communication and performance outcomes. Most of the likes and dislikes, preferences, and displeasures experienced in carrying out particular activities are registered on a subconscious level. People tend to become aware of them only when questioning certain choices and decisions. To some extent determinations about who we are and how we got that way may be a theory that we test from time to time by trying new things, undertaking new experiences, pushing ourselves to extremes, and in the process affirming or disconfirming theories about ourselves.In the course of growing up, people focus on particular interests and content areas. But perhaps more importantly, they develop behavioral styles, preferred ways of functioning, and preferred environments to be in (Brocato 2003). The performance deficiencies are that nobody knows obstacles outside the team members control. If problems occur, team members are not ready to solve or prevent them. In some cases, negative consequences follow good performance. It de-motivates employees and brings anxiety and depression. People learn to make numerous other adaptations to

Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of Research Paper

Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children - Research Paper Example The assignment will propose a theoretical framework which assigns a central role to the interaction or the interdependence between the factors in explaining the academic as well as cognitive development of bilingual children. The paucity of meaningful data on the effectiveness of bilingual children can be attributed to the case that evaluations have ignored the correlations between the factors. The findings of the previous attempts stated bilingual children performed below expectations on the verbal parts of tests on intelligence and on the academic tasks and the researches and the investigators stated mental confusion and language handicaps to be the behind factors. The â€Å"balance effect† hypothesis in this genre proposed that a bilingual child paid for the L2 skills by a fall in L1 skills (Cummins, 1979). A mismatch between the language at home and the language at schools leads in retardation in the field of academics. The UNESCO exemplified the hypothesis stating that a child can be best taught in his mother tongue. Some researchers argued that instructions proposed through a medium of weaker language will lead to retardation in the subject matter taught. The researchers studied the inadequacy of both linguistic mismatch hypothesis as well as the hypothesis that bilingualism to be the source of academic and cognitive retardation. The researchers opined that bi lingualism can influence in positive fashion to cognitive and linguistic development. The fine documented achievement of immersion programs for the linguistic programs is far from being inconsistent without the simplistic notion that mismatch in linguistics can cause academic retardation. It is not surprising that educators re-examined the assumptions behind the underlying bilingual education and have emphasized the socio cultural as well as the school program variables rather than the factors on linguistics. The recent reviews on the perspectives of linguistics

The War and the Worker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The War and the Worker - Essay Example In the aftermath of the war, the entire world, particularly Europe, witnessed utter confusion and drastic changes. "Violated, dishonored, wading in blood, dripping filth--there stands bourgeois society Not all spic and span and moral, with pretense to culture, philosophy, ethics, order, peace, and the rule of law--but the ravening beast, the witches' Sabbath of anarchy, a plague to culture and humanity In the midst of this witches' Sabbath a catastrophe of world-historical proportions has happened: International Social Democracy has capitulated. To deceive ourselves about it, to cover it up, would be the most foolish, the most fatal thing the proletariat could do." (Luxemburg) According to the author, one of the most important results of the 'great historical test' in Germany was that the organization of the proletariat has been yoked entirely to the service of imperialism and the state of siege was borne very docilely in the nation. Similarly, in the aftermath of the war in Germany, the press was hobbled so much, public opinion was stifled, and the economic and political class struggle of the working class was absolutely surrendered. These are the crucial criticisms that the author is putting forward in the article. To her, openhanded self-criticism is essential for the existence of the working class and it is their supreme duty. ... t and will gather up the golden treasure that, in a moment of weakness and confusion in the chaos of the world war, it has allowed to sink to the ground." (Luxemburg) Therefore, the author comes up with serious objections about the developments in the world and Europe in the aftermath of the war and these claims are supported by the arguments in "Modern Europe". According to Luxemburg, one of the most important consequences of the war was that it was ordained to thrust forward the cause of the proletariat and the course of the war and its aftermath as explained in "Modern Europe" substantiates this view. As the author explains in her article, the world war has been a turning point and surviving the war does not mean everything in order to fall happily back into the old routine once it is over. As an essential consequence of the world war, the conditions of the struggle by the proletariat have altered along with the lives of the people. Significantly, the life-and-death war between capital and labor, which is the basic law of capitalist development, will not experience any amelioration in the aftermath of the war. However, the old familiar countenances smirk at the struggles of the proletariat in the midst of the war, as the masks are falling down. The upsurge of the volcano of imperialism has offered a mighty jolt on the tempo of development . "The violence of the conflicts in the bosom of society, the enormousness of the tasks that tower up before the socialist proletariat--these make everything that has transpired in the history of the workers' movement seem a pleasant idyll. Historically, this war was ordained to thrust forward the cause of the proletariat....It was ordained to drive the German proletariat to the pinnacle of the nation and thereby begin to organize

The signs of Drug Use in Children and impact on famlies Research Paper

The signs of Drug Use in Children and impact on famlies - Research Paper Example with having educational experience prompts children in testing their ability to adapt, beginning peer relationship or support system, and achieving academic expectations. As a result of insurmountable amount of stress and anxiety, children and students succumb to drug/substance use as a way to deal with academic pressure and expectations. According to Doweiko (2012), the 40% to 60% incidences of drug and substance use among children, adolescents, and college students explains the occurrence of accidents, sexual assault cases, fights, losing life, and poor academic performance (292). Therefore, it is essential to identify the different medical models explaining addiction and how it is applied among children, to early recognize signs of drug use among children, and to determine the impact of drug use among children on the families. Medical model rests on the assumption that disease states are the result of biological dysfunction, either on cellular or molecular level. Under the medical model, drug use is considered as a disease because it presents loss of control, progression of symptoms, and potential to cause death. However, clinical research had not support the medical model and had been excluded in the substance abuse rehabilitation. Genetic inheritance theories explain that one has genetic predisposition towards drug use; however, children with genetic predisposition will lose the tendency to succumb to drug use if they never begin to use alcohol or drugs. Thus, genetic predisposition might be a contributing factor of drug use among children but not the only reason why children go to use of drugs. Scientists linked cAMP response-element-binding protein (CREB), ∆FosB, and variant of  µ opioid receptor site to the promotion of drug use among children (Doweiko, 2012, 336). The biological differences theories state that the predisposition to go onto drug use differs in terms of metabolism, biotransformation, and acting (Doweiko, 2012, 337). Researchers also

African American Heritage Paper Essay Example for Free

African American Heritage Paper Essay This paper explores the African American heritage and also identifies the significance of nurses being culturally aware, sensitive and competent when caring for people of African American heritage. Although these terms mentioned above are used interchangeably, they have different meanings. Cultural awareness is appreciating the external or material part of the culture, such as the music, arts, and physical characteristics, and dress. Cultural sensitivity is the personal attitudes toward the culture, such as not saying things that is offensive to someone from a different ethnic or cultural background (Purnell,2013, p. 4). Cultural competence is putting it all together; by using your knowledge to provide culturally congruent care and to be able to work effectively with people in cross- cultural situations. African Americans are the second largest ethnocultural groups in the United States; however, it is one of the most misunderstood cultures. This culture is so unique because they have mixed their cultures from their different homes of origin in Africa, along with American culture. This paper overviews the history, communications, family roles, workforce issues, biocultural ecology, high-risk behaviors, pregnancy and childbearing practices, spirituality, health care practices, nutrition, and death rituals in the African American culture. It is important that nurses see themselves as becoming culturally competent when caring for African Americans, and this involves incorporating cultural desire, cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, and cultural encounter with the people of African American heritage (Campinha-Bacote, 2009). 2 A NURSING METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE One of the largest minority groups in the United States, African Americans culture includes the various cultural traditions of different African ethnic groups. â€Å"Data from the U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (2001) reveals that there are approximately 34,333,000 African Americans residing in the United States, representing 12. 1% of the total population† (Campinha-Bacote, 2009). They were forcibly imported into the United States as slaves from 1619 to 1860 (Purnell, 2013, p. 21). During slavery, they incorporated their culture from their homes of origin, and as a result, their culture included several cultural traditions of African ethnic groups. Many African Americans live in poverty due to discrimination and lack of proper education. Most families of African American heritage value education, but they still struggle to have equal representation in the workplace, and are more likely to work in a hazardous environment, resulting in job related diseases and illness. Due to the lower-level positions and the difficulty in achieving higher opportunities in the workplace, some African Americans continue to feel discouraged. Nurses need to address discrimination and also issues that create ethnic or racial tension in the workplace. English is the language spoken by African Americans, however, people of lower socio economical status communicate in an informal language known as African American English (AAE) (Purnell, 2013, p. 22). According to Campinha-Bacote (2009), the major problem that AAE speakers face is prejudice. Most people believe that AAE is inferior to Standard American English. As a result, African Americans who speak AAE are sometimes misinterpreted as being uneducated. Nurses should be aware not to stereotype African Americans as only speaking AAE, and also not to stereotype them as uneducated based on the way they communicate. African Americans are expressive when 3. A NURSING METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE communicating and often use body languages to convey their feelings. Their expressive language and body movement can be misconstrued as anger or provocation. Nurses need to be familiar with these characteristics and not misinterpret them. As a nurse, when interacting with African Americans for the first time, be sure to address them formally, until given permission to use other names, such as their first name. The African-American family has evolved over the last two decades and still continues to evolve. A person that is brought up in a traditional nuclear family is more likely to continue that tradition. Whereas, a person that is brought up in a single parent home is more likely to continue that same tradition. Although these situations are more likely, they are not always so. To provide the most competent care, the best thing for the nurse to do would be to ask the patient in a non-judgmental way about family dynamics and also ask them what they would feel the most comfortable with when it comes to decision making for their care. The nurse should then accept this decision. Being knowledgeable about this cultural group’s family values and beliefs are crucial for providing care for the African American patient (Revell McGhee, 2012). A high percentage of African American households are matriarchal and fall below poverty level. With that being said, it is wise for nurses to make a point of including women when discussing health care issues. Nurses also should take note when dealing with homosexual individuals in this ethnic group, not to break confidence by sharing their lifestyles with others. This information can jeopardize and cause conflicts within the family and ruin relationships. Romantic relationships of the same-sex are not totally acceptable within this culture. 4 A NURSING METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE As in many culture, social status is important in African American community. African Americans are often met with negative atmosphere and prejudice attitudes based on their cultural background and skin color. Assumptions are made based on AAE spoken by some as an indication of unintelligence and the lack of education. These assumptions sometimes affect employment opportunities and job promotions. Nurses should be cautious not to fall into the stereotyping African Americans based on these characteristics. African American skin color ranges from light to very dark due to the combination of a gene pool of more than 100 racial strains (Purnell, 2013, p. 25). When assessing for cyanosis in dark-skinned African Americans, be sure to pay attention to the oral mucosa or conjunctiva. When assessing for pallor, note the absence of the underlying red tones that give the skin it’s glow. Lastly, when observing for jaundice, be sure to look at the sclera of the eyes, the soles of the feet, and the palms of the hands for any yellow discoloration (25). Health care is a luxury that low socioeconomic African Americans may not be able to afford. Meeting their daily needs takes priority over what they believe to be minor health issues. Consequently, diseases that could be treatable might end up being a life- threatening situation. African Americans are family orientated, because of this; some tend to initially seek medical attention from family members rather than going to a health care professional. Health care professionals need to be aware of this and work toward teaching and distributing health information via church and community centers. Most African American women are against abortion due to religious, cultural, and moral beliefs. As a result, there is a delay in making a decision until it becomes too late. 5 A NURSING METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE Family support is crucial for pregnant African American women. Gichia (2000) studied and found out that African American women look for role models such as older female relatives, or if they have none, they look for someone who seemed like a mother to them, such as a neighbor. These role models can provide the pregnant woman and new mother with needed support. According to Abbyad Robertson (2011), nurses caring for pregnant African American women need to be informed about the variety of ways in which childbirth preparation can occur, as in any other group of pregnant women. Moreover, nurses need to consider the ways in which their attitudes and behaviors send unwelcoming messages to African American women seeking prenatal care or childbirth classes. These attitudes can discourage the African American woman in seeking further care. â€Å"Culturally competent care for the childbearing African American woman includes addressing all components of care including the use of complementary and alternative medicine† (Revell, 2012). The childbirth nurse that is providing culturally competent care should be aware that the perceived norm is different for every family. African Americans are spiritual and are usually affiliated with some religious order. Historically, the church has played a major role in the life of African American culture. The church is a place where they can meet on common grounds. Faith and prayer is one of the most important attributes of Christian African Americans. They believe that God has the power to heal them, and he also has the power not to. They believe that whatever happens to them is according to God’s will. Food is very valuable in the African American culture. It symbolizes health and wealth. It is derived from African descent. When food is offered to someone, it means that the person is valued; and by offering food, they are given you something that is 6 A NURSING METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE valuable to them. When it comes to nutrition, some African American diets are high in cholesterol and fats. According to James (2004), â€Å"African Americans will need information on basic nutrition topics such as serving sizes and reading food labels†. Nurses that work in African American communities should be involved in programs that promote healthy food choices. These programs can specifically be developed for churches, neighborhood grocery stores, and local restaurants. â€Å"Health disparities among the African-American population include life expectancy, heart disease, hypertension, infant morality and morbidity rates, cancer, sickle cell diseases, HIV/AIDS, violence, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and asthma† (Campinha-Bacote, 2009). Unfortunately, they have the tendency to see a health care professional only when absolutely necessary. â€Å" Health is viewed as harmony with nature, whereas illness is seen as a disruption in this harmonic state due to demons† (Purnell,2013, p. 33). Recognize and support your patient cultural behaviors and believes to promote healthy interactions. In addition, always provide factual information about health practices that may not be understood due to their cultural believes and cultural differences. In conclusion, it is recommended that nurses familiarize themselves with cultural specific information in order to provide cultural competent care in African American community. Nurses should consider the following question: â€Å"In caring for African- American patients, have I asked myself the right questions. † It is important for nurses to be aware of their biases and prejudices toward African Americans. In addition, they should possess the needed skills to conduct a cultural assessment while possessing knowledge of this cultural group (Campinha-Bacote, 2009). Lastly, nurses should always 7 A NURSING METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE have the desire to become culturally competent not just with African American patients, but any patient that has been placed in their charge. 8 A NURSING METHOD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE Resources Abbyad, C. , Robertson, T. (2011). African American Womens Preparation for Childbirth From the Perspective of African American Health-Care Providers. Journal Of Perinatal Education, 20(1), 45-53. doi:10. 1891/1058-1243. 20. 1. 45 Campinha-Bacote, J. (2009). Culture and diversity issues. A culturally competent model of care for African Americans. Urologic Nursing, 29(1), 49-54. Gichia, J. E, (2000), Mothers and others: African-American womens preparation for motherhood. The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 25(2), 86-91, James, D. (2004). Factors influencing food choices, dietary intake, and nutrition-related attitudes among African Americans: application of a culturally sensitive model. Ethnicity Health, 9(4), 349-367. Purnell, L. D. (2009). People of African American Heritage. Guide to culturally competent health care (2nd ed. , p. 21-35). Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Co. Revell, M. A. , McGhee, M. N. (2012). Evolution of the African American Family. International Journal Of Childbirth Education, 27(4), 44-48. Revell, M. A. (2012). Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the African American Culture. International Journal Of Childbirth Education, 27(3), 55-59.

Married Life Both Before And After History Essay

Married Life Both Before And After History Essay Class certainly played a part in marriage in the 16th century, as romantic love was not seen as a good reason for marriage. The higher up the class scale a person was the more likely they were to have an arranged marriage. Marriage was considered rather important as it enhanced your standing in society, especially for the male as he would become a person of consequence and would gain the role of master of the house. Conscious of the responsibilities a husband assumed on marriage, parents of daughters favoured a man of means and maturity.  [1]   Arranged marriages were frowned upon by the church but nevertheless many arranged marriages took place with the newlyweds often being in their early teens and marrying through pressure with some women felt forced into marriage by their circumstances, unwilling to remain a burden on their family.  [2]   However the lower class tended to marry somebody they had spent a great deal of time with as they tended to socialise in groups, the lower class often married at an older age due to the need to save up and acquire some land to set up home. Marriage in 16th Century Britain was very different to the marriages of todays world, as Stone pointed out marriage among the property-owning classes in sixteenth-century England was a collective decision of family and kin, not an individual one.  [3]   This shows that class was an important part of marriage with rich families often arranging marriages for their children from a very young age as It was more common for the wealthier families to arrange marriages as it was a serious and complicated matter but, as Stephanie Coontz put it, If love could grow out of it, that was wonderful .  [4]   Poorer people could marry later and had more choice. Civil and ecclesiastical law enabled marriage at an early age 12 for a girl and 14 for a boy. Bottom of Form Top of Form The legal requirements for a marriage before the Marriage act of 1753 was a simple process of promising to do so in the presence of a witness furthered by the physical consummating of the relationship. Such informal marriages were not approved by the church who wanted all couples to marry in church before a minister, after the public announcement of the intention to marry had been carried out for three weeks, this is also known as the reading of the banns but resorting to irregular marriage was evident in the sixteenth century.  [5]   This form of engagement was much stricter than those of today as such a promise was seen, as equivalent to a marriage and it would not be a rare occurrence for the brides to be carrying child. Most 17th century marriages were arranged weddings with consent being an important issue as love was not seen as a strong platform for marriage but was viewed as a foundation as this would mean the couple were both compatible and comfortable with one another. The brides family would often pay a sum of money known as a dowry to the groom to pay for the maintenance of the women who in return was promised her dower which was a percentage of the brides estate that the wife would be entitled to on his death. However, love did begin to be used for marriage with the enlightenment train of thought and the belief that the pursuit of happiness was the meaning of life. Marriage through love was now beginning to be considered more important than material goods. The Industrial Revolution would further consolidate this view as the middle class increased tenfold and young bachelors could afford to pay for their own wedding, parental approval and arrangement for marriage were no longer as important or needed. The Marriage Act 1753 or An Act for the Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage to give it its full title gained Royal Assent in 1754 and came into force on March 25th of that year. It was the first statutory legislation to require a ceremony of marriage in England and Wales and revolutionized the way marriages performed. Consent to marry for anybody under the age of 21 was made law but a limit on age was not introduced. The wedding would also have to take place and be celebrated in church with an entry, signed by all parties, being placed in the parish records. It can be argued that the law was a response to the upper classes agitation at manner in which young heir were trapped in an indissoluble marriage and would lose their money. Furthermore, the Act made it a legal requirement for the reading of the banns to be carried out for three successive weeks prior to the wedding taking place if the parties wishing to marry did not have a license to do so. Marriages by under 21s were acceptable on licence if they had gained the parental consent they needed. However, marriages done so by the reading of the banns were valid unless the parent of the youngest had forbidden the banns. The Act was highly successful in its stated aim of putting a stop to clandestine marriages By the 18th Century, couples were increasingly given the freedom to choose their own partner and many relationships began being based on personal preference and attraction rather than by the parents orders. Top of Form By the 19th Century British women carried the expectation o becoming pregnant, however due to life expectancy being greater for girls than that of the boys, coupled with the number of males serving in the armed force resulted in a shortage of suitable spouses. English law became based on the principle that the male would earn the money whilst the females stayed at home and kept the house. The few women that did work saw her wages passed directly to their husbands under the 1882 Married Property Act. Womens rights had not really been affected by the Marriage Act with females from upper class families being the only ones who had access to education, albeit in subjects viewed as necessary skills for women, such as embroidery This lack of education was seen as unbeneficial by women as it did not develop the women in any way other than menial tasks. In her book, A vindication of the rights of women, Mary Wollstonecraft, claimed that through education would come emancipation and that women had a right to be educated due to it being she who is primarily responsible for the education of the young. Furthermore, Mary Wollstonecraft stated that educating the women the same, as men would strengthen marriage, as the couple would have some topic to share and talk about and that a stable marriage is a partnership between a husband and a wife a marriage is a social contract between two individuals Wollstonecraft goes on to argue that educating women will strengthen the marriage relationship. Her concept of marriage underlies this argument. A woman thus needs to have equal knowledge and sense, to maintain the partnership. A stable marriage also provides for the proper education of children.  [6]   It was impossible for a woman to be granted a divorce even if the male had committed adultery, as the ideal was that upper and middle class women were dependant on a male figure, father, and husband. Men were given the right to divorce if their woman had been adulterous under the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, women, however could not divorce their husband if he committed adultery. If a divorce was granted the ownership of the children was passed to the father who had the power to banish the mother from the children if he so desired. Divorce became a less and less taboo subject due to the religious reformation and the way in which society began to question the validity of the church and God. Notwithstanding the ardour of religious reformers in Europe, the established church was brought into question during the reign of Henry VIII and in turn, Protestantism prevailed with the new church taking precedent. The role of the family became an important issue for theorists, none more so than Lawrence Stone, who, in 1977, put forward his theory the three stages of movement within the family. Stone claims that a power shift in the attitudes towards marriage could be seen through the early modern period, with affective individualism replacing the cold patriarchal traits. Stones three movements can be summarised as: The open lineage family 1450 1630. The attitude towards relatives would have been formal to a point of almost been cynical and callous. Upper class couples were distant to each other and as a result, their (often-arranged) marriage was akin to a business relationship. The immediate family were held in the same regard as the lineage members. Restricted patriarchal nuclear family 1550 1700. The importance of kinship was replaced with a growing importance been placed on the immediate relatives. This coincided with The Reformation criticising arranged marriages and the coldness within them, along with stressing the importance of a close nit family. Closed domesticated nuclear family 1640 1800. Love becomes priority with patriarchy in fast decline. Children were shown great affection and seen as a gift rather than a burden. Marriage for love became the norm and replaced the economic reasons to marry. The rise of the romantic novel allowed sex and passion to be legitimate in marriage and not just a tool for reproduction. Romantic love was the reason for marriage, not business. Stone did face criticism though, perhaps, none more so than at the hands of Alan Macfarlane who claimed that Stones thesis was flawed as it had overlapping periods, which gave no consideration to the fact it created conflicting evidence. Stone was also criticised for using evidence associated with the Roman Catholics and using them to strengthen his argument about the Reformation, for example claiming sex was a mere tool for procreation. Stones argument that people were discouraged from marriage and emotional attachment due to the high mortality rate is flawed, given that the mortality rates had sustained a high rate in the early eighteenth century, a time that Stone claims affection and love was growing and taking over as the main reason for marriage Finally, manuscripts and other medieval sources (Chaucer) did not back up, nor consolidate his argument that marriage was a loveless union with a lack of affection for the spouses. With romantic novels booming it was clear that people had an understanding and appreciation of love.

The Godfather :: essays research papers

The Godfather Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Based on Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather was based in the late 1940's in New York City. The story is about the Corleone family, which is headed by Vito Corleone. He had four sons. The quick to act older son is Santino, also known as Sunny. The next son is Fredo and the youngest son is Mechael which was in the military at the start of the movie and later stepped up to be the head of the family business. Finally, there is the adopted son Tom who Sunny found in the streets of New York homeless. He took him in seeing how his life was so terrible and Sunny's life was so good. Vito also had a daughter, Connie who went through the pain of the family business and she was not even involved in it. The movie starts off at the wedding of Connie and her husband Carlo. Vito promises Carlo a good future, but will not ever let him be a part of the family business. After the wedding, Virgo Salatso, a herione dealer from Italy is looking for the Corleone family backing by money and protection from the law, as they have control over the local government. Vito wants no part of the heroine dealer and little does he know all of the other mob bosses are going along with Salatso. Vito had no idea his noncompliance with Salatso would start a war between the families of New York. This led to Virgo's men to shoot Vito but not killing him. This outgraged Michael and this led to the revenge of him shooting a police captain under Virgo and the shooting of Mr. Salatso. After this, the family sent Michael to Sicily to hide out. While Michael was in Sicily, he fell in love and got married to a woman named Apolonia but their love was short lived because a hit was put out on Michael. Apolonia was kill ed by the car bomb that was intended for Michael. Also, while Michael was in Sicily, the bosses put a hit on Sunny. The other bosses used Carlo, Connie's husband to set him up. Carlo beat yup Connie and Sunny and was sent to her aid. On the way he had to ggo through a tollbooth where he was met by heavy machine gun fire and was killed. After everything died down, Michael was summoned back to America.

Causes Of World War I :: Papers

Causes Of World War I There were many reasons for the beginning of World War 1. Both small and large events contributed to war and it was impossible to control the situation in anyway. Tension was a very large contributor to war. Also there was the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which sparked major issues between Austria and Serbia. No one really understood the reason for the beginning of war or why the countries were fighting. In some cases, you could say that no one was to blame and that war was inevitable. In 1904, an alliance was signed between Britain and France and few years later, Russia, too, joined the alliance. This was to be known as the Triple Entente. Ten years later, the six larger countries had been divided into two alliances. Germany, Austria- Hungary and Italy had formed the Triple Alliance. There were many predominant tensions between specific countries such as Britain- Germany, Russia- Germany, and France- Germany. Germany was a main source of tension between the two alliances due to the arms build up and the strength of Germany as a single power. Within the alliances, each member was made to promise that if an ally was ever in trouble, that they would always help that particular country and help. There were many tensions between people and there wasn't much trust at all. When Germany took the important industrial area of Alsace-Lorraine France in 1871, France showed resentment towards Germany and was trying to form an ally with someone to finally get revenge on Germany. And in 1894 this occurred and France formed an alliance with Russia. France was determined to get revenge on Germany and rightfully get back their land of Alsace-Lorraine. Kaiser Wilhelm 2nd, had always wanted Germany to be a strong power like Britain, but he wanted more power than the British. The German leaders were worried because of the positioning of the two powers in the Triple Alliance. France and Russia were either side of Germany and this was known as 'encirclement'.

CRT Monitors vs. LCD Monitors Essay -- Compare Contrast Comparison

CRT Monitors vs. LCD Monitors The monitor is likely the most important part of the computer. Without it, you would have no idea what you were doing. Imagine trying to write a term paper, or surf the Internet without one. It would be impossible. While the technology powering the displays doesn’t change as fast as it does for other parts of the computer, there are advances which provide consumers with many choices for displays. Today, the most popular displays come in two types, Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs). CRTs have been around longer, and are the most common due to the fact that they are cheaper. However the convenient size of LCDs along with falling prices has made them a popular choice as of late. This paper will examine the similarities and differences of the two, and try to determine if one is better than the other. The CRT monitors work in a fashion similar to that of standard television sets. An electron gun is mounted at the back of the monitor. The gun fires a steam of electrons in a sweeping motion towards the front of the monitor. The electrons then pass through either an aperture grille, or a shadow mask. These items work to filter the electrons into focused beams onto the front plate. The grill does this via thin vertical wires, while the mask does this with a series of small holes. After passing through the filter, the electrons collide with the screen. The screen is covered with a serried of red, green and yellow phosphors that light up when hit by the electrons. By combining different intensities of the three colors, many different colors and images can be created. While LCDs also create pictures by lighting up red, green and yellow pixels, the ... ...f whether the extra cost of the LCD is worth the space it will save on the desk. After examining the two types of monitors, it seems that they are similar in more aspects than they are different. Over the last few years LCD screens have closed the gap in many of the categories in which the CRT was superior. In most cases, the choice depends on the personal preference of the individual user. For the hard-core gamer or digital artist a CRT may be slightly better due to the faster response time and better color purity. For most consumers the choice of an LCD or CRT monitor will depend on the price issue. While the cost of LCD screens has been declining over the past few years, they are still considerably more expensive that a comparable CRT. However if money isn’t an issue, a slim and sleek looking LCD might be the way to go over the massive CRT behemoths.

Discovery of a Father

In â€Å"Discovery of a Father† by Sherwood Anderson and â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† by Robert Hayes, Sherwood and the speaker both do not approve of their fathers’ actions but begin to appreciate them later on. In the beginning as young boys, both of the sons are lacking the appreciation for their fathers. In â€Å"Discovery of a Father†, Sherwood does not like the fact that his father is a storyteller and how his father would lie about his nationality and take someone else’s as his own. For example, Sherwood recalls, â€Å"If an Irishman came to our house, right away father would say he was Irish. If it was a Scotchman the same thing happened† (5). Sherwood’s father is also a joker and someone who is absent for long periods of time in their family’s life which Sherwood also dislikes. Sherwood also can not understand how his mother could tolerate it. Similar to Sherwood, the speaker reveals his father’s unlikeable traits. The speaker does not like the fact that his father has an unlikeable temper. He expresses how his father’s temper is caused by his long hours at work and the lack of thankfulness. The speaker spends his boyhood â€Å"fearing the chronic angers of the house† (Hayes 9). So soon each son comes to know that his father actually does love him. Although this dislike for both Sherwood’s and the speaker’s father’s actions occur, they also both experience a paradigm shift when they realize that they have some type of reason to New 2 love their fathers; because their fathers love them. Sherwood’s father demonstrates such love when he takes him swimming in the pond which gives them a chance to connect with one another. Sherwood recalls that â€Å"it was a feeling of closeness†¦It was as though there were only we two in the world† (Anderson 8). Ironically, Sherwood’s father is usually very playful and energized but during that night he becomes completely serious and silent. Then Sherwood relates to his father when he notices that not only his father is a storyteller but he himself is as well. On the other hand, the speaker discovers his father’s love when he is older when he remembers when his father displayed a few acts of kindness to him when the speaker says, â€Å"had driven out the cold/and polished my good shoes well† (Hayden11-12). Therefore the sons in both â€Å"Discovery of a Father’ and â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† each have their eyes open to a love that they thought was not there but always was.

Rbi and Its Roles

1. RBI and its Roles Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of India. It monitors, formulates and implements India’s monetary policy. Established in the year 1935, RBI was nationalized in the year 1949. Owned fully by the Government of India, Reserve Bank has 22 regional offices in various state capitals of India with its headquarters located in Mumbai. It has a majority stake in the State Bank of India. Role of RBI RBI formulates the monetary policy, thus regulating and supervising the economy of India. RBI is the supreme banking authority in India.It sets the guidelines according to which the banking operations and financial systems within the country functions. i. Issuer of currency RBI is the sole authority for the issue of currency in India. Major currency is in the form of RBI notes, such as notes in the denominations of two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, five hundred, and one thousand. RBI has two departments – the Is sue department and Banking department. The issue department is dedicated to issuing currency. All the currency issued is the monetary liability of RBI that is backed by assets of equal value held by this department.Assets consist of gold, coin, bullion, foreign securities, rupee coins, and the government’s rupee securities. The department acquires these assets whenever required by issuing currency. The conditions governing the composition of these assets determine the nature of the currency standard that prevails in India. The Banking department of RBI looks after the banking operations. It takes care of the currency in circulation and its withdrawal from circulation. Issuing new currency is known as expansion of currency and withdrawal of currency is known as contraction of currency. ii. Banker to the governmentRBI acts as banker, both to the central government and state governments. It manages all the banking transactions of the government involving the receipt and payment of money. In addition, RBI remits exchange and performs other banking operations. RBI provides short-term credit to the central government. Such credit helps the government to meet any shortfalls in its receipts over its disbursements. RBI also provides short term credit to state governments as advances. RBI also manages all new issues of government loans, servicing the government debt outstanding, and nurturing the market for government's securities.RBI advises the government on banking and financial subjects, international finance, financing of five-year plans, mobilizing resources, and banking legislation. iii. Managing government securities Various financial institutions such as commercial banks are required by law to invest specified minimum proportions of their total assets/liabilities in government securities. RBI administers these investments of institutions. The other responsibilities of RBI regarding these securities are to ensure – * Smooth functioning of the marke t * Readily available to potential buyers * Easily available in large numbers Undisturbed maturity-structure of interest rates because of excess or deficit supply * Not subject to quick and huge fluctuations * Reasonable liquidity of investments * Good reception of the new issues of government loans iv. Banker to other Banks The role of RBI as a banker to other banks is as follows: * Holds some of the cash reserves of banks * Lends funds for short period * Provides centralized clearing and quick remittance facilities RBI has the authority to statutorily ensure that the scheduled commercial banks deposit a stipulated ratio of their total net liabilities. This ratio is known as cash reserve ratio [CRR].However, banks can use these deposits to meet their temporary requirements for interbank clearing as the maintenance of CRR is calculated based on the average balance over a period. v. Controller of money supply and credit RBI has to regulate the claims of competing banks on money suppl y and credit. RBI also needs to meet the credit requirements of the rest of the banking system. RBI needs to ensure promotion of maximum output, and maintain price stability and a high rate of economic growth. To perform these functions effectively, RBI uses several control instruments such as – * Open Market Operations Changes in statutory reserve requirements for banks * Lending policies towards banks * Control over interest rate structure * Statutory liquidity ration of banks vi. Exchange manager and controller RBI manages exchange control, and represents India as a member of the international Monetary Fund [IMF]. According to foreign exchange regulations, all foreign exchange receipts, whether on account of export earnings, investment earnings, or capital receipts, whether of private or government accounts, must be sold to RBI either directly or through authorized dealers. Most commercial banks are authorized dealers of RBI. ii. Publisher of monetary data and other data R BI maintains and provides all essential banking and other economic data, formulating and critically evaluating the economic policies in India. In order to perform this function, RBI collects, collates and publishes data regularly. Users can avail this data in the weekly statements, the RBI monthly bulletin, annual report on currency and finance, and other periodic publications. 2. Asset and Wealth Management: mutual fund, different types of mutual fund and various products and services offered by mutual fund companies Mutual FundA mutual fund is a professionally managed Medium or vehicle that pools money from many investors and invests it in stocks, bonds, short-term money market instruments and other securities. Mutual fund is managed by professional managers who have deep knowledge and understanding of Stock Market, Bonds, money market. The combined holdings the mutual fund owns are known as its portfolio. Types of mutual fund Mutual Funds are of various types depending upon the f ollowing: 1) On the basis of structure This includes open-ended funds and close ended funds I.Open-ended funds Liquidity is the key feature involved which means these funds are like Open Box where investors can enter into or exit from an open-ended scheme anytime at NAV (Net Asset Value) related prices. Open ended funds are popular with investors because they operate in similar way to stock market where no maturity or lock-in period is involved. II. Close-ended funds A close-ended fund or scheme has a stipulated maturity period for eg. 5 – 7 years. The fund is open for subscription only during a specified period at the time of the launch of the scheme.Investors can invest in the scheme at the time of the initial public issue and thereafter they can buy or sell the units of the scheme on the stock exchange where the units are listed. In order to provide an exit route to the investors, some close-ended funds give the option of selling back the units to the mutual fund through p eriodic repurchase at NAV related prices. 2) On the basis of asset class On the basis of Asset classes there can be Equity scheme wherein you invest in shares, Debt or Income scheme wherein you can invest in govt. ecurities, balanced scheme wherein you can invest in both equities and fixed income securities. 3) On the basis of investment objectives Investment objectives can be Growth scheme or Income scheme or Balanced scheme. | Growth Scheme| Income Scheme| Balanced Scheme| Aim| To provide capital appreciation over medium to long term| To provide regular and steady income to investors| To provide both growth and income by periodically distributing a part of the income ; capital gains they earn| Invests| Invests a major part of their fund in equities| Invest in fixed income securities like bonds and corporate debentures. Invest in both bonds and shares| 4) Other types A. Sector specific scheme Invest only in sector for eg. Infrastructure fund would invest in infrastructure companies . Sectoral funds carry a higher risk along with a higher potential to generate returns. This is because their fate moves with the sector in which they invest. Therefore if that sector performs well, they generate excellent returns. B. Index scheme Index attempts to replicate a stock market index or as closely as possible by investing in the stocks that form that index in the very same proportion.So a NIFTY index fund would have the same 50 companies that make up Nifty in the same weightage. The aim of an index fund is to replicate the performance of that market index. So if the markets are rising, then your investment will rise with almost the same percentage and if it is falling, you will get similar negative returns. The main advantage of investing in an index fund is the low Expense Ratio that is incurred in these funds as compared to other investments because it is passively managed funds. C. ELSS (Equity linked saving schemes)An Equity-linked saving scheme (ELSS) is a great inv estment option that offers the double benefits of Tax saving and capital Gains. Money collected under ELSS is mainly invested in equity and equity related instruments. ELSS Schemes have 3 years Lock-in period. Because of this, fund manager can have portfolio of stocks that can outperform over a period of time. The best way to invest in ELSS is through Systematic Investment Plan (SIP). With SIP you can invest a small amount every month for a specific time period.

Business plan Essay

Introduction Selective marketing strategy Most of the small business or businesses seeking to enter into new venture like creative technology seeking to enter the American headphone market will employ select marketing with the main objective being to get higher returns on their marketing investments. To achieve this objective, creative technology should strive hard in knowing their customers in the basis of their origination, who they are and where do their products do well (Homburg, etaal, 2009). Once they have that in mind, then they will try to maximize the best performing market segment, to realize these high returns on investment (ROI). The other vital objective of creative technology is to eliminate the guess works and the wastes involved in new venture and replace them with specific targeted efforts. This will ensure that they reduce on the operating cost and maximize their returns on investment. Also, owing to the luxury nature of the product that Creative Technology is to introduce in the United States market, they should gravitate towards these selective marketing as their product target a very limited population segment. Creative Technology employs this type of marketing to achieve their objectives as this product which they want to engage in is not for everyone and so they want to ensure that the message meets the right consumers and so reflecting in increased sales. Mostly, Creative Technology might include a glossy ad in the magazine and televisions. This is so because most of the population would be uninterested with luxury goods adverts. Moreover, Creative technology should employ tactics to differentiate the product from other brands in their category of products. This entails at classifying a brand as being more superior to other competing brands. This will involve stressing the quality of brand and design on their historical relevance and the longevity of the brand. In this approach, they will strive to paint the other competing products as unreliable, generic as and of a lesser quality than their own headphones (Homburg, etaal, 2009). This will ensure that Creative Technology meets its objectives of high returns on investments. This is so because it will reduce the extra cash and time spent on advertising messages directed towards consumers who may otherwise not be interested in the product. Also in addition to making this product stand out, specialized focus on specific market areas can help in building product’s reputation and ensure that this product has a long term fostered loyalty. Target Market    Creative technology will then employ the tactics of target market selection in order to engage in the market which they are sure that their product will sell. There are two important factors which they should consider in doing this. These include; the attractiveness of the market segment and also how the segment will fit their objectives and resource capabilities (Shaw, E. 2012).. When they are selecting the target market, they should consider the following aspects. The size of the segment; this basically entails to the number of their customers that are in that population. When they ascertain that the segment has a considerable number of people then they can choose to invest in it and the vise versa. The other aspect which they should also consider is the growth rate of the segment. This will help them to determine their future prospect in the market. Also, they should be at a position of determining the level of competition in the population that they want to invest in. this will enable them decide their product in a manner that they will be more appealing than that of their competitors. In doing so, they will also know the loyalty of the customers in the competing brands and hence know the strategy of invading this market segment. In addition they will be at a position of determining the attainable markets share if they got the knowledge of the competitor’s expenditure in promoting their brands. Given the size of the population, they should also ascertain the required market share so as to break even and the profits they expect from the sales in the said segment (Aaker and David, 2008). To obtain this information, market research and analysis is vital for Creative Technology. For instance, buyer intentions, test marketing, sales estimation and analysis in demand is very useful in determination of sales potential. The micro and macro environmental variables on the segment should also be put into consideration (Shaw, E., 2012). It is very important for the Creative Technology to note that larger segments are not advisable for targeting as they will already have more competition. It could be more profitable to invest in two or more small segments with little or no competition. However, if the firm is sure of developing a competitive advantage like patent protection, they can engage in larger market segments. Target Market Strategies There are different marketing strategies that should be employed by Creative technology in their endeavors of choosing a market strategy. These strategies include; Single segment strategy: this strategy is also referred to as concentrated market strategy.Here one market segment is served as opposed to the entire market. It is a strategy which should be employed by smaller firms with little resources. Selective specialization: it is a multiple- segment strategy and is also referred to as differentiated strategy. Different market segment are served with different marketing strategies. Only the promotional message varies with the product not being the same in these markets. Product specialization: In this strategy, the company specializes in particular products that tailored to different market segments Market specialization: here the company will specialize in a single market and serve it with varied products. Creative Technology cannot employ market specialization as it is planning to employ only one product, the headphones. Full market coverage:   Here the organization tries to cover the whole market. It is mostly achieved either through mass marketing where a single undifferentiated market mix is employed to the entire market or by a differentiated strategy in whicha different mix is offered to every segment. Individual marketing strategy: this is a strategy which has been employed recently owing to the technology where market mix is tailored in accordance to the individual consumer (Brian Solis,2011). For the Creative Technology to remain competitive in the market and realize high returns, it should always target a market that matches its capabilities. Once it has gained momentum, then it can expand by embarking on specialization strategy, tailor the product for different markets. Positioning strategy After selecting the target market, the firm will now embark on deciding on how it will position itself in the chosen market segment. Positioning refers to how the firm wants their customers to view their product. It is about effective conveyance of messages to the target market about the firm’s product or service. Position strategy development The first step is to do a market research. The main aim of this is to feel the features of your product that the consumer wants to feel their presence in the target market of your choice. You research the general features and not the features offered by a particular brand for example headphone features by Creative Technology Company. Once you have identified the features which are preferred by your potential customers and their ranking according to your target customers, the then compile a list of product in that target market offering these features. Then draw a map showing not only the features of the product but also the competitors that offer those products with the same features. It is also advisable to place your product in this map too, for comparison purposes. After this you will have a clear picture on where competitors products are positioned in your map in the chosen target market, you can the make an informed decision on where you would like your product to appear on the map. Position strategy development mostly depends on how the firm will position itself. The firm can take a ‘me too’ strategy and position themselves adjacent to the competitor and allow the customers to directly compare the product features or they can choose a strategy positioning themselves away from their competitors. One way of doing this is by offering a feature absent from the competitors’ products that their market research revealed that the consumers in that market rank as vital. Market mix This refers on how the firm, Creative Technology will distribute their headphones to their consumers. They should plan this strategy so as to distribute their products (headphones) to their consumers at the right time and place. Efficient distribution is imperative if the firm is to meet their objectives. If for any reason they underestimate or overestimate the demand, the firm’s profitability will be negatively affected (Borden, Neil,2013). Choosing the Distribution channel There are two available channels of distribution which include direct and indirect distribution channels. Indirect pertains to the distribution where one uses the intermediaries in distribution. For instance, they can sell to the wholesaler who sell to the retailer and then to the end user. Conversely, direct distribution is where the company will be distributing directly to the end users at the right time and place required. It is mostly preferred as it gives the manufacturers direct control over their products. Choosing a distribution strategy Different products are distributed differently and there are three different distribution strategies which can be employed. There is; intensive distribution strategy which is employed in distributing low priced products, exclusive distribution which involves limiting distribution to a single outlet. This strategy is mostly employed in the highly priced product like vehicles and also may require an intermediary (Borden, Neil,2013).. Selective distribution; here a small number of outlet, especially retailers, are chosen for product distribution. If Creative Technology adopts a selective or exclusive strategy, they should choose an intermediary who is well versed with handling these or similar product and is well know by the target consumers.       Planning assumptions Projected cost and sales Financial tracking is a very vital part of any given business plan. In this financial tracking, one should be careful to note that the programme cost not only refers to the cost of the project but also the cost involved in administering this programme itself. Any project, for instance the Creative Technology’s project of venturing into the US market should contain the expected cost and the return or the sales expected from the same. In addition it should show clearly where the project’s resources will be obtained to make sure that it will not fail on the way. The projected sales and cost is the culmination of all the previous section of the business plan as each section will always impact on the cost and sales hence affecting the whole project finance. For it to create accountability, it should show clearly the firm organization structure so that it may indicate who is responsible for what, who will be making decisions regarding productions, legal compliance and financial management. Sensitivity analysis This is a tool which can be used by firms to examine their effects on the net income whe sales levels increase or decrease. These changes against which the sensitivity analysis is done are the unexpected event or the contingencies I outlined in the contingency planning. This analysis will usually centre its process on the ‘what if question’. Mostly these questions are as the following; what would be the firm’s income if it has a sales forecast of 12%, 16% or 34% higher? Also what can be my firm’s net income is the firms forecast a 12%, 16% or 34% lower than the expected (Helton etaal, 2009). Contingency plan Contingencies are events which are not expected or not expected in the firm business plan. So the company must develop a contingency mitigating strategies or plans in order to be prepared for these unexpected outcomes. This is because these events do not arise from time to time and so they must be ready with these plans in case they occur. These plans entail preparing for crises and for unwelcome outcomes in case they occur (British Standards Institution, 2012). This will ensure that the firm will easily recover these unexpected events. It will also ensure that these impacts are minimized. When drawing a contingency plan, the first step is recognizing its need, and then indentifying all the possible scenarios. After this they must know what the consequences of these crises will be. Then assess the degree which might be caused by these eventualities. After they have done all this then the final step is to choose a risk strategy to employ so that they can mitigate these crisis and lastly do a crisis simulation which is testing their plan. (British Standards Institution, 2012) The firm management should also consider the ‘what if’ question where they prepare scenarios which could arise in the business operations. Some of these questions could include: what if the competitors produce a very powerful product with much favorable features in the eyes of the consumers of the target market? What if the firm does not meet its expectations? What if their competitors employ advanced advertisement strategies than the firm? Etc References Baker, Michael The Strategic Marketing Plan Audit 2008. p. Homburg, Christian; Sabine Kuester, Harley Krohmer (2009): Marketing Management – A Contemporary Perspective (1st ed.), London. Marketing basics Marketing strategy based on market needs, targets and goals. Aaker, David (2008) Strategic Market Management Baker, Michael The Strategic Marketing Plan Audit 2008 p. 27 Shaw, E. (2012). â€Å"Marketing strategy: From the origin of the concept to the development of a conceptual framework.† Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 4(1), 30–55. Pinson, Linda. (2004). Anatomy of a Business Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building Business and Securing Your Company’s Future (6th Edition). Page 20. Dearborn Trade: Chicago, USA. A. Simon, Rational decision making in business organisations, ‘American Economic Review’ Borden, Neil. (2013)â€Å"The Concept of the Marketing Mix†. Brian Solis(2011) Engage!: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp.201-202. Koichi Shimizu (2003)†Symbiotic Marketing Strategy,†4th edition, Souseisha Book Company. Intrieri, Charles (10 September 2013).  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Business Contingency Planning†. Flevy. Retrieved 29 September 2013. British Standards Institution (2012). Societal security – Business contigency management Systems – Requirements: London Saltelli, A., Ratto, M., Andres, T., Campolongo, F., Cariboni, J., Gatelli, D. Saisana, M., and Tarantola, S., 2008,  Global Sensitivity Analysis. The Primer, John Wiley & Sons. Campolongo, F., J. Cariboni, and A. Saltelli (2008). An effective screening design for sensitivity analysis of large models.  Environmental Modelling and Software,  22, 1509–1518. Fassà ², Alessandro ()  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sensitivity Analysis for Environmental Models and Monitoring Networks†. Preprint J.C. Helton, J.D. Johnson, C.J. Salaberry, and C.B. Storlie, 2009, Survey of sampling based methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis.  Reliability Engineering and System Safety

Effects of Internet on Academic Fraud Essay

It has been found out that the prevalent developments in the field of Information and Communications Technologies has made academic dishonesty easier and nonetheless more tempting and more efficient. This implies that the technology, especially the internet, has made a great negative impact on the society by making academic fraud more prevalent. (Eckstein, M. A. ) Academic fraud has appeared to be on a constant increase in developed and developing countries alike. Many may not realize how this can be a very costly threat to the society and its efficient operation. Moreover, this increase in academic dishonesty would also impart a social disruption on public trust in the reliability and security of many academic and academic related institutions. (Rusch, J. J. ) Academic dishonesty is defined as any form of academic misconduct manifested by any form of cheating that is made in relation to formal academic exercise. This would include plagiarism – which is to literally steal the intellectual property or ideas of other people by using their ideas and not properly citing the authors in the references, or by claiming ideas of others to be your own original idea; fabrication- which is the falsification of data (input of false data) or citations in any formal academic exercise; deception – which includes the providing of negativfe information to an instructor regarding a formal academic exercise (e. g. giving a false excuse for being late or absent or for missing a deadline); cheating – which is any attempt to obtain external assistance in a formal academic exercise, which is to be worked out alone, without due or proper acknowledgements; and sabotage – which is to make an act that would prevent others from completing their work. (McCabe D. L. and Trevino L. K. , 1997) Academic dishonesty has been documented in mostly every type of educational setting; from preschool to elementary school, high school, college and even on graduate school, and has been met with varying degrees of approbation throughout history. Today, educated society tends to take a more negative view of academic dishonesty. (Eckstein, M. A. ) In antiquity, the idea of such a thing as intellectual property did not exist. Ideas were made to be common property of the scholars, literate and the elite. Books were published by hand-copying them. Scholars freely made digests or commentaries on other works, which could contain as much or as little original material as the author desired, in other words, you could not expect published books to contain ideas, exactly as the author have written them. There were no standard system of citation, because printing and pagination was not yet existent. In effect, the scholars became an elite and very small group that trusted each other, and relied on each others ideas based mainly on trust. (Robin R. , 2004) This system continued through the European middle ages where education was in Latin and occasionally in Greek. Some scholars became monks, lived in monasteries, and spent much of their time copying manuscripts. Other scholars preferred to be in urban universities and were vaguely connected to the Roman Catholic Church. (Scheinder, A. , 1999) Academic dishonesty dates back to the first tests that were ever conducted. Scholars note that cheating was prevalent on the Chinese civil service exams thousands of years ago, even when cheating carried the heavy penalty of death for both examinee and examiner. (Eckstein, M. A. ) Before the founding of the MLA and the APA at end of the 19th century, there were no set rules on how to properly cite quotations from the writings of others, this is believed to have caused many cases of plagiarism out of plain ignorance. (Smith, K. J. and Davy J. A. , 2004) In the late 1800s and early 1900s, cheating has become more widespread at college campuses in the United States, and was not considered a dishonorable act among students. It has been estimated that as many as two-thirds of students cheated at some point of their college careers at the turn of the 20th century. Fraternities and some academic-related organizations maintained by students, often operated so-called essay mills, where term papers, and old exams were kept on file and could be resubmitted over and over again by different students, or could be referenced at by them, often with the only change being the name on the paper. At that time, college students, usually white privileged men, were expected by their parents and by society to live the life of the young gentleman, and were required to fulfill a number of social obligations, make connections with the future elite, find a suitable mate, become independent, that were considered far more important than grades. Accordingly, cheating was commonly used by students to put more time towards fulfilling their social obligations at the expense of their academic ones. As higher education in the U. S. trended towards meritocracy, however, a greater emphasis was put on anti-cheating policies, and the newly diverse student bodies tended to arrive with a more negative view of academic dishonesty. (Simmons, S. C. , 1999) At present, academic dishonesty has become widespread in all levels of education. In the United States alone, studies show that 20% of students would begin cheating as early as at their first grade, in relation other studies also show that in the United States around 56% of middle school children and an alarming 70% of those who are at high school have already cheated. (Smith, K. J. and Davy J. A. , 2004) What is more alarming is that it has been revealed that students are not the only ones to cheat in an academic setting. A study among North Carolina school teachers found that some 35 percent of respondents said they had witnessed their colleagues cheating in one form or another (plagiarism, falsification of data†¦etc). The rise of high-stakes testing and the consequences of the results on the teacher is cited as a reason why a teacher might want to inflate the results of their students. (Underwood J. and Szabo A. , 2003)

Reasons for Investing in HSBC HOLDING PLC Essay - 1

Reasons for Investing in HSBC HOLDING PLC - Essay Example It is branded world’s number 1 in the provision of various services and products to many customers. HSBC helps their customers in investigating emotional attitudes in matters related to financial markets and telling them the importance of investing in long-term. They also provide share services online for those investors who are interested in their own portfolio management. HSBC has a range of investments, life insurance, and savings opportunities, which can be applied online for experts (Chandra, 2008). By 2009, this company was rated amongst the largest group of banks and the sixth largest in the world according to the measure of the Forbes magazine. Hong Kong used to be its headquarters up to 1992 when there was an urgent need due to the force that was eminent by then to move to the UK as a state of completion of acquiring Midland bank. Presently, there is no area in the world that dominates the earnings made by this group. Hong Kong is still HSBC’s substantial incom e source. The recent expansion and acquiring of HSBC roots in China have increased their customer confidence and reason to invest in them. This banking company has established itself well and widely in its operational base in the world. This company has its major points on such services as an investment, lending, and provision of insurance services globally. HSBC bank as a company of the HSBC group is internationally recognized as a bank and a provider of financial services. It offers a stream of services related to finance and serves to diversify customers across the world in four groups of customers and worldwide business, namely commercial banking, financial services that are personal, private banking and global markets and banking. The group in general and the bank in particular, cater for a wide range of services such as commercial, personal, institutional and corporate, private banking and investment by clients. This company carries out its operation across the border in the U K, Asia, America, Africa, and in the Middle East.

Progressive era through the great depression Assignment

Progressive era through the great depression - Assignment Example Another major turning point was the Depression and the Unemployment that occurred in the late 1920’s after the Great Depression; this period was characterized by extreme economic crises and high rates of unemployment. At this time several factories were shut down and many workers were laid off. Discussion 2 The two historical turning points discussed above led to several economic, social and political facets whose effects are still faced by the current American Society. To begin with, the rise of the social movements specifically the Labor Movements that were propagated by the Muckrakers who exposed the Corruption, poor working conditions and lack of respect to human rights that were experienced at working places. In this respect, various groups of activist were forced to take several actions geared to towards opposing the poor working conditions and the corruption at the work places. ... ded with proper remunerations and proper working conditions; such labor laws are currently still practiced to promote proper working conditions and promote proper employee-employer relationships. The Second pertinent turning point in the history of the American Society in the progressive era through the Great depression was the unemployment and the depression that led to an extreme economic crises featured by closing of factories, over-production and high levels of unemployment. This also occurred in the early to the late 1920’s; the crash of the stock market in 1929 in the USA which caused a drastic reduction in economic growth of the nation; workers and farmers were also faced with conditions of low income. Several organizations such as the Robert La Follett’s and the Wisconsin made various attempts to formulate strategies to enable the society to enable the society to cope up with the deteriorating economy; however, their efforts were fruitless (Wisconsin University 2008). In the Mid 1930’s the then United States’ President Roosevelt formulated the New Deal policy and the unemployment bill that was developed by the Harold Groves as an economic model succeeded in improving the economic status. These models together with the current economic models have facilitated the relative stability in the current economic status in the American Society. Discussion 3 The late 1980’s through the 1920’s saw the rise of several women empowerment movements and social groups for instance: The Women Suffrage Movement, Women and Peace Movement, Legacy of Women in the Progressive and the Status of Women. All these groups were focused towards empowering women; the American Society during the progressive era was characterized by the perception that women were the Moral Guardian

International dimensions of Intergrated Marketing Communication used Essay

International dimensions of Intergrated Marketing Communication used by ABSOLUT VODKA - Essay Example Ð °lliÐ °nce to offer customers globÐ °l reÐ °ch Ð °nd Ð ° smooth trÐ °vel experience; it is the company that managed to build strong relationships with its customers during short periods of time and reach big world recognition. Due to its huge success in beoming the leÐ °ding Ð °irline Ð °lliÐ °nce in the globÐ °l Ð °viÐ °tion business, the compÐ °ny hÐ °s been voted Best Ð irline Ð lliÐ °nce by SkytrÐ °x in 2003 Ð °nd 2005. From its eÐ °rly beginnings in 1997 with five founding Ð °irlines, 14 member Ð °irlines now come under the StÐ °r Ð lliÐ °nce fold: Ð ir CÐ °nÐ °dÐ °, Ð ir New ZeÐ °lÐ °nd, Ð NÐ , Ð ustriÐ °n Ð irlines, bmi british midlÐ °nd, LÐ °udÐ ° Ð ir, LufthÐ °nsÐ °, MexicÐ °nÐ °, SÐ S ScÐ °ndinÐ °viÐ °n Ð irlines, SingÐ °pore Ð irlines, ThÐ °i Ð irwÐ °ys InternÐ °tionÐ °l, TyroleÐ °n Ð irwÐ °ys, United Ð irlines Ð °nd VÐ RIG. TodÐ °y Ð ° StÐ °r Ð lliÐ °nce Ð °ircrÐ °ft tÐ °kes off or lÐ °nds every four seconds to one of 729 Ð °irports in 124 countries, providing customers with Ð ° truly globÐ °l reÐ °ch. Focusing on customer priorities, StÐ °r Ð lliÐ °nce Ð °irlines hÐ °ve concentrÐ °ted on hÐ °rmonising timetÐ °bles to reduce trÐ °nsfer times Ð °t Ð °irports Ð °nd offer seÐ °mless worldwide trÐ °vel. In addition to reducing customer turnover, important reason supporting the importance of customer satisfaction is the belief that a satisfied customer base is likely to be a firms single greatest source of sustainable competitive advantage (Sriram et al., 1992). This implies that a loyal customer base is an asset composed of the discounted present value of the future stream of profits from a continuing relationship. StÐ °r Ð lliÐ °nce hÐ °s Ð °lso responded to the customer’s need for recognition by linking Ð °ll Ð °irline frequent flyer progrÐ °mmes thus Ð °llowing pÐ °ssengers to Ð °ccrue Ð °nd redeem mileÐ °ge Ð °cross the network. To celebrÐ °te the 5th Ð °nniversÐ °ry StÐ °r Ð lliÐ °nce hÐ °s lÐ °unched Ð ° promotion Ð °llowing members of the Ð °irline loyÐ °lty progrÐ °mme to eÐ °rn up to 55,555 bonus miles by flying five different StÐ °r

Green Computing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Green Computing - Case Study Example The software component shall also look at aspects and areas of conserving energy. The project will be implemented as part of the larger organizational strategy and policy of the company. As part of the objectives of the project, all staff are expected to receive a very high level of education and awareness on how they can, on an individual basis apply basic rules and principles on the effective and efficient use of information systems. The training is expected to be part of the skills and knowledge of all existing staff as well as new staff. Much of the desire to go green in computing will come with the use of the right IT tools that have been passed for efficiency and effectiveness. To this end, there will be an outsourcing exercise to replace all existing IT tools that cannot guarantee this purpose. This is going to be the major task involved in the green computing project. As there continue to be an enlightened awareness among the public on the need to protect the environment towards future preservation, more and more people are becoming inclined on the need to do business with companies that guarantee environment protection (Perry, 2008). It is therefore an objective of the project to help raise a competitive advantage (Risk Management Guidelines, 2004) for the company by the close of the project. The success of projects is best tested when they achieve the objectives for which they are carried out (Perry, 2008). A very basic success criterion that will be used to measure the impact of the project shall therefore be a project objective scorecard or checklist, which shall be marked after six months to determine the areas of achievement and areas of failure. A very basic approach that will be used in managing the project shall be a delegation and decentralized approach whereby there shall be various divisions among the departments of the company. Under each of these divisions, there shall be a head, to who members of the

Logistics Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Logistics Management - Assignment Example This paper will look into the inventory control process of a business named Big D, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses and providing recommendations for improving it. Improving Inventory Control Before determining the course of action for improving inventory control, a SWOT analysis would be helpful since it would help define the areas the business needs to work on. From the SWOT analysis, it can be ascertained that by bringing certain changes in the inventory control, Big D can improve its working efficiency. First of all, records of all purchases, orders and deliveries should be kept. Second lot of production should not be started till the first has been finished. Products that have been made should not be stored and put on hold till the entire lot has been produced; rather focus should be on preventing excess storage when the products can be delivered timely. Records of previous sales, demand and supply should be used to guide supply for future production and records of each lot's inventories should be maintained. Records should be kept of accumulated parts from previous orders to guide future decisions. Delivery of products with a shorter shelf life and a higher risk of obsolescence should have a higher priority over those products which do not. Records of individual line of products should be kept. If the records suggest that ordering in small quantities is not economical, the business should shift to ordering bulk. Vendors and suppliers must be re-evaluated, and the most economical should be chosen. Records of losses sustained due to pilferage, breakage and misplacement should be noted.   Record Keeping System for Inventory Control The type of recordkeeping that would suit the business will be determined by its requirements and characteristics. Since the business has operations in various aspects of supply and production, a double entry account keeping system would allow it to self-balance its purchases and regulate the flow of inventory. In contr ast to a single entry record keeping system, the double entry system is most appropriate for businesses that are aiming to attain efficient financial management (Longenecker, Moore, Palich & Petty, 2006). They would provide greater insight into the functioning of the business which makes the advantages of this system outweigh its disadvantages such as increased time needed to input the information. Moreover, electronic record keeping systems would make the process yet more efficient and so should be preferred over manual records (Moore, Petty, Palich and Longenecker, 2008). Forecasting Inventory Control for Big D Forecasting is an important aspect of inventory management. According to the Business Dictionary (2012), forecasting is defined as â€Å"a planning tool that helps management in its attempts to cope with the uncertainty of the future, relying mainly on data from the past and present and analysis of trends†. Forecasting can enable Big D to predict the quantity of the raw materials it requires according to the demand. Deducing a transactions’ trend from previous records, forecasting can help determine the expected demand for goods and to purchase materials in bulk accordingly. By knowing the time it takes for each lot to be completed, it will also allow the business to plan its production run within a time limit. Countering Delivery Delays Transportation delays can be prevented by delivering the completed products as they are produced without waiting for the

Development of Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Development of Morality - Essay Example The principles in turn direct thoughts and actions, and facilitate individuals to make decisions about what is worthwhile and valuable. Some of the values shared by most individuals and societies, and are the pointing factors towards well developed moralities, include self respect and respect for others, honesty, fairness, an appreciation of the company of others and concern for the common good (Turiel, 1983). Researchers emphasize the role of guilt, an agitation based emotion, in suppressing immoral drives. They have shown that encouraging and rewarding socially accepted behavior motivates individuals to participate in moral acts. Behavioral theorists assert that moral judgment can be narrowed down to immediate, instinctive, emotional responses presented by moral dilemmas (Freud, 1962). Children’s interaction with adults influences their development of moral understanding and behavior. Adults may help promote moral development in children by consistently drawing the children’s attention towards the effects of their wrong doing on others (Turiel, 1983). They can also give children reminders about rules guiding their conducts in different environments, and most importantly, teaching through example by being role models (Turiel,

How will e-health affect patient participation in the clinic pros and Essay

How will e-health affect patient participation in the clinic pros and cons - Essay Example E-health is defined as â€Å"a new term used to describe the combined use of electronic communication and information technology in the health sector OR is the use, in the health sector, of digital data-transmitted, stored and retrieved electronically-for clinical, educational and administrative purposes, both at the local site and at a distance† (WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, 2003). When it comes to clinical purposes, e-health makes easy it to manage and update medical records, allows electronic prescribing of medications, and makes patient management less demanding. E-health also fosters learning. Patients can access information about their condition and treatment options. There are also online support groups for people with similar conditions through e-health. Doctors can also use e-health for their continuing medical education. ICT health tools can also be used for organizational purposes. Scheduling of appointments and monitoring of laboratory results are made easier with e-health. The development of e-health has made it possible for healthcare professionals to give and for patients to receive quality, effective, and efficient healthcare services. Through the use of various e-health tools and services, communication and health management are a lot quicker and easier. Information is easily accessible and there is less stress on both healthcare providers and patients. E-health tools allow healthcare providers to care for the patients based on each one’s individual needs, allowing them to give care that is patient-centered. For patients, e-health tools provide them with information regarding their condition and encourage them toward self-care. E-health has evolved a lot and many consider it to be an indispensable tool in the industry of healthcare. Laboratories rely heavily on computers for analysis and many diagnostic