Finagle A Bagels’ upside-down organization chart Essay

1.What does Finagle A Bagel’s upside-down organization chart suggest about the delegation of authority and coordination techniques within the company? Finagle A Bagels’ upside-down organization chart suggests that the people who are normally on top, support the people who are at the bottom, such as the general managers and workers. This gives general managers the authority to do whatever it takes to alleviate problems in their stores or increase sales. 2.Is Finagle A Bagel a tall or flat organization? How do you know? Finagle A Bagel is a Flat Organization. Flat organizations generally are more responsive to customer demands since decision making power may be given to lower-level employees which is what Finagle a bagel does. Whereas tall organizations have many layers of management which can cause communication to be distorted as if flows from one manager to next before reaching the employee dealing solely with the customer. 3.What values seem to saturate Finagle A Bagel’s corporate culture? The values that seem to permeate Finagles A Bagels’ corporate culture is team work, positive work ethic and strong a support system. 4.Why would Finagle A Bagel build a dough factory that has more capacity than the company needs to supply its stores and its wholesale customers? A reason why Finagle A bagel would build a dough factory that has more capacity than the company needs would be to account for future business growth. By purchasing a factory that is able to produce more then what they currently need, they are leaving open the option of expansion without having to spend more revenue on another factory to compensate for growth.

Ai WeiWei Essay

Ai WeiWei blurred the lines between the aesthetic and the political. According to the internet, aesthetic is defined as concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty. Ai WeiWei used art to â€Å"protest† against the Chinese government. Ai Weiwei was a creative man who thought of ideas how to represent the names of all the children who were killed in a deadly earthquake. A commentator in the movie claimed that Ai WeiWei was doing a job that the government should be doing. A deadly earthquake collapsed many buildings including homes and schools. Thousands of children were killed and were left unrecognized. Ai WeiWei wasn’t going to let this go. He assembled a project, full of volunteers to help him search for the names of the children who were killed in the disaster. He placed every individual name on his wall. The project inspired him to create more pieces of art work to revolt against the Chinese government. Ai WeiWei was a fearless man. Ai WeiWei was very involved with social media. He used twitter to share to the world how corrupt China’s government was. He left China when he said â€Å"Fuck You Mother Land. † Cameras are sometimes forbidden in China. Ai WeiWei was assaulted by a police officer, but that did not stop him from taking pictures in front court houses or of an officer who was at the scene when he was attacked. Ai WeiWei created a wall full of back packs to make other individuals aware of the children that died in the earthquake. During the 2nd anniversary, Ai WeiWei asked his followers to pick a name and record it on tape and share it to the world. Ai WeiWei was sharing his experience in China of the corrupt government with thousands of people around the world. Ai WeiWei made people aware of what was going on in China. Ai WeiWei became well-known through his work of art. He expressed his ideas through his work. Not only did his art make him well-known, Ai WeiWei captured many supporters to revolt against the corrupt system. Ai WeiWei was a man with no selfishness. He looked out for others and he was always looking and searching for ideas that would help him and his followers. Ai WeiWei was not afraid of the consequences, as long as he knew it was for the good.

Topic is the Vietnam war. The main thrust of your comment will be from Essay

Topic is the Vietnam war. The main thrust of your comment will be from the view point of the aggressor. For example, if WWII - Essay Example Ho Chi Minh being a communist and an aggressor, he started guerilla violence in opposition to the Japanese with the sustainability of the United States of America. Towards the end of the war, the Japanese began promoting the Vietnamese patriotism and in the end approved the country's ostensible independence. According to Caputo, in the subsequent years the Japanese were defeated and the French returned to occupy their colony (287). Viet Minh singly accepted their access into Vietnam after being assured that the country was to be granted independence as part of an agreement with the French union. However, negotiations broke down between the two warring factions and in December 1946, the French soldiers’ surrounded the city of Haiphong and compulsorily got back the capital city Hanoi. These events started the clash between the Viet Minh and the French, which resulted in the Indochina War. The French soldiers were at last defeated at Dien Bien Phu in the year 1954 (Karnow 501). D owns further illustrates that in the beginning, the United States of America had no interest in Southeast Asia and Vietnam (211). Nevertheless, it became obvious that after the World War II the globe would be subjugated by the United States of America and its allies. The Soviet Union together with its allies was at the opposite side of the fence. This isolated the communist movements as a strategy for their success. These concerns were in the end converted into the principle of domino theory; the only remaining option of containing the communist tendencies is to close them within their borders. Tonsenic asserts that these trends continued dominating the United States foreign policy for a long time (165). In 1950, to stop the spread of communism, the U.S began supplying weapons to the French military in Vietnam and financially assisting the French troops. This was meant to dismantle the Viet Minh; these operations continued into the year 1956, when highly trained advisors provided co aching facilities to the army of the newly established Republic of South Vietnam. In spite of their excellent hard work, the army of the republic of Vietnam was poorly equipped and, therefore, ineffective throughout its existence. Karnow shows how the US continued supporting the Diem regime as it battled against Ho Chi Minh’s Marxist military aggressors in the north (624). In the year 1957, a small guerrilla pressure group began to come forward in the south, led by Viet Minh’s soldiers that had not come back from the north after the accords. In 1959, these groups fruitfully pressured Ho’s administration into issuing an undisclosed resolution requesting for an equipped struggle in the south. Military personnel along with the Ho Chi Minh group began supplying weapons and troops into the south. The subsequent year, National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam began in earnest to carry on the fight (Downs 167-168). The situation continued to deteriorate in Sou th Vietnam, worsened by the corrupt regime of Diem government and the Viet Cong continued encroachment. In 1961, the Kennedy administration agreed to pump more aid, weapons, and additional financial support to the rebels. Washington had begun deliberations to force a government transformation in Saigon. In November 2, 1963, the Criminal Investigation Agency CIA of the US assisted the rebels to remove the Diem government from power. In order to mitigate the post coup d'etat chaos, President Kennedy enlarged the number of US soldiers in South Vietnam to

Phonemic inventories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Phonemic inventories - Assignment Example or instance, you have to begin with closed lips, build up some air pressure behind that closure, and then release it in a small burst (Bischoff and Fountain 2011:4). According to Bischoff and Fountain (2011), a vowel is a sound in an oral language made by opening the vocal tract such that, no air build up occurs above the glottis. For this reason, ‘vowel sounds are typically much darker (louder) than the consonant sounds’ (Bischoff and Fountain 2011: 6). Bischoff and Fountain (2011:42) defines phonetic inventory as the set of phones that are distinctive in a given language. Phonetic inventory is not simply a collection of sounds; rather it is more of a set of phonemic distinctions (Bischoff and Fountain 2011:11). Understanding of phonemic inventory of a language helps learners of the language make complex combinations of features with ease (Bischoff and Fountain 2011:11). According to Bischoff and Fountain (2011:41), a minimal pair is a pair of words that have distinct meanings, but that differ only with respect to a single phone. (Bischoff and Fountain 2011:41) further says that the existence of a minimal pair is proof that the phonetic distinction between the differing phones is phonemic in the relevant language. Minimal pairs help us to discover which phonetic properties are distinctive, or phonemic, in a language (Bischoff and Fountain 2011:6). My illustration of the IPA article is about Bardi, a language spoken in Western Kimberly Region in Northwestern Australia (Claire et al. 2012: 334). Bardi consists of 17 consonant phonemes, twelve (12) of which are sonorant, and has no fricatives (Claire et al. 2012: 337). Bardi is important as I investigate my field language, because, itself also being in the Austronesia family, it helps me understand the corresponding use of speech sounds in Mocinese. Noticeable similarities and differences between Mocinese and Bardi exist, with regards to their consonantal arrangement. A major similarity is that, all Bardi

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown - Essay Example Mary Magdalene's womb (symbolic chalice) is established to be the actual Grail and the very site of conflict because Magdalene is proven to be Christ's wife and the mother of his child. There are a lot of fictitious facts that are supplanted both through the visual medium (in case of the film), and by Dan Brown. The author establishes this notion not only through simple conjecture but moulds all available evidence in favor of his theory, which is not too difficult because all artwork (which he uses as aid) contain indefinite signs and symbolisms that can never be anchored by a single definition. In short he attaches exceptional importance to Gnostic theories and fringe writings that he over reads and complicates them in their implication. Dan Brown therefore depends on Leonardo Da Vinci's works to establish him as a member and keeper of this secret that are abundant in his art. The Mona Lisa becomes a testimony to the sacred union between the male and the female and the perfect balance that the patriarchal Church has secretly and strategically fought all through the ages to usurp. He rewrites a lot of historical events and hence it gives him a perfect opportunity t o play with the end result. The response to the book and the film actually anticipates a romantic recovery of truth, which is an ideal desire of all human beings. From Plato to the recent theories, all philosophy and metaphysical speculations have been about reaching the Ideal and finding Truth. The novel paradoxically accomplishes this very fact by upsetting a very strong source of truth-The Bible and the history of Christianity. One must give sincere credit to Dan Brown for ensuing such a fiery debate about the nature of Truth that the book challenges us with. The fiction is convincing and hence simulates the Truth that should be and not that is. It fails to be a scholarly work of discovery, but becomes a conspiracy theory builder. The Bible claims a certain Truth and Dan Brown, another. Both depend on human credibility and faith. One must understand the bigger picture and the real practice of faith. The world where the Church is shown to be a villain is a book under the control o f its creator and real life, and history has been essentially reduced to a series of orchestrated unfolding. All evidences are put accordingly in order to achieve optimum reader response because it refers to real life objects like the Vinci paintings and plays with readers thirst for a little adventure. What better adventure that to go on a journey into a familiar world, which actually becomes a testimony to the hidden and almost alien Truths The Grail is revealed to be a human, and Christ becomes a literal father and a possessor of a bloodline (sang real), where the entire Christian history is reduced to a single theatrical moment of assassinations (everywhere on the face of Earth where Christianity evolved). The Da Vinci Hoax is a non-fiction book written by Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel published in 2004 by Ignatius Press, which states that Dan Brown popularizes unfound theories and seeks to confuse the layman.1 It definitely hurts religious sentiments, but the crucial point of argument is that the book makes absolute demand for the truth. Any demands for absolutism is always a little suspect because it gives undo importance to anomalies in history that have remained unexplained and unaccredited for too long to suddenly be infused with so much Truth, purpose and certainty. The book

Managing Performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing Performance - Assignment Example on what awaits in the achievements list as a strategy of organizing and empowering the human resources to meet important organizational goals and objectives. Managing performance underlines and therefore is inexorably related to every tasks of the human resources of a company (Cardy and Leonard 169). This includes its organizational culture, the approach to completing tasks and communications strategy. The extent and importance of the performance management plan is based on the structural context and can differ across organizations. Moynihan specified that managing performance involves applying strategy by aligning the job designations of the staffs along broad organizational issues and long-term objectives (189). In addition, it should be integrated, in the sense that it links different organizational aspects, human resources management, aspirations of individual staffs and working teams. As such, performance management ought to incorporate: a) ways to improve performance of the staffs across all units of the organization including individual respect among the workforces; b) teamwork; c) a clear development plan since this is the only way to ensure continuous productivity and development of individual workforces and teams to enhance their performance, and d) managing behavior by ensuring that the staffs are motivated to adopt a working culture that permits and encourages sound working relationships (Cardy and Leonard 170). Effective communications between staffs and across departments and proper tools to measure and make vital improvements it is one of the ways in which employee performance management can be achieved. Managing performance ensures the workplace is safe and enjoyable for every employee to work in (Cardy and Leonard 171). It improves interpersonal relations, psychological and physical health by eliminating risk factors associated with them such as harassment. As such, it improves productivity, efficiency at work, and career development. In

The woman warrior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The woman warrior - Essay Example However, the actualization of her tales represents Maxine living the life of the persona. She uses her position as a warrior to interject her personal and familial experiences to the discriminations of the communist rule in China. In the second section of the chapter, she uses her position to lift the cultural gap portrayed by Chinese emigrants in America under the realm of Chinese Revolution. The significance of the changing roles of women in White Tigers as depicted by Fa Mu Lan represents the conventionalism and flexibility for women to pursue a man’s life. Whatever a man can do, a woman can do, is the typical representation of the diversity of female roles in the story. She manages to maintain her family (her husband and child) and simultaneously takes on her community against authoritarianism. The role of Fa Mu Lan in the context differs with the real actualization and impersonation of her as a man warrior. She wears the traditional male armor, and having an entire battalion of traditional warriors to lead the fight against communists. She undergoes intense training in a secluded place and starves herself to attain warrior-like aspects need to sustain her role to protect her community, strategies that a typical woman cannot withhold. According to Kingston, Fa Mu Lan, having an honorable death due to social status does not determine the ideology of death. Barons and the communists’ status quo in the traditional Chinese community represented dictatorial leadership and demand honorary respect from the subjects. However, Fa refutes this stereotype by defeating the communists’ and beheading the lead baron. With her sword, she slashes the head off and leaves the baron to die. Her sword represents the continuation of the fight against societal alienation from changes in revolution (Helena 23). The use of the forest as a spatial convenience of warrior training is used as a traditional setting that induces

Ethical Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Case Study - Essay Example Although the act of Paige seems neutral since the negative consequences seem to be balanced out by the positive ones, yet analysis of the two positive and the two negative outcomes suggests that the two don’t weigh equal. The positive outcomes benefited only two people i.e. Liz and Paige whereas the negative outcomes affected a lot of people i.e. the hotel as a whole and also, the woman and her child. In addition to that, although the grant of $50 note to Paige seems to be a positive outcome for her, yet that is bribery and has negative impact not only upon the whole society but also for Paige who would be held accountable for her act in this world or/and in the world hereafter. Agreed that Liz had remained a hardworking and loyal member of the staff and deserved special treatment, but not if that had to come on the cost of others’ peace. Therefore, the negative consequences of Paige’s act outweigh the positive ones, so Paige’s action was wrong. According to the third course of action, Paige could have granted Liz access to the room, but with the condition that she would clear the room within a maximum of ten minutes as soon as the expected customer arrives. Doing this, Paige would have respected the hotel’s rules, satisfied Liz as well as the customer. So according to the utilitarian theory, Paige should have granted Liz with conditional access to the room. The theory of ethical hierarcicalism suggests that â€Å"[a]n actual person is more valuable than a potential person† (jan.ucc.nau.edu, n.d.). In light of this principle, at the time when Paige was conversing with Liz, Liz was the actual person because she was there and the woman and her child were... This essay discusses that although the act of Paige seems neutral since the negative consequences seem to be balanced out by the positive ones, yet analysis of the two positives and the two negative outcomes suggests that the two don’t weigh equal. The positive outcomes benefited only two people i.e. Liz and Paige whereas the negative outcomes affected a lot of people i.e. the hotel as a whole and also, the woman and her child.  This essay discusses that although the act of Paige seems neutral since the negative consequences seem to be balanced out by the positive ones, yet analysis of the two positives and the two negative outcomes suggests that the two don’t weigh equal. The positive outcomes benefited only two people i.e. Liz and Paige whereas the negative outcomes affected a lot of people i.e. the hotel as a whole and also, the woman and her child.  According to the third course of action, Paige could have granted Liz access to the room, but with the condition t hat she would clear the room within a maximum of ten minutes as soon as the expected customer arrives. Doing this, Paige would have respected the hotel’s rules, satisfied Liz as well as the customer. Paige should have granted Liz with conditional access to the room.   The theory of ethical hierarchicalism suggests that â€Å"an actual person is more valuable than a potential person† (jan.ucc.nau.edu, n.d.). In light of this principle, at the time when Paige was conversing with Liz, Liz was the actual person because she was there and the woman and her child were potential people as they were expected but not there. Therefore, Paige’s act of granting Liz access to the room was ethically justified. But another principle of the ethical hierarchicalism suggests that â€Å"A complete person is more valuable than an incomplete person† (jan.ucc.nau.edu, n.d.).   Concluding, the course of action that is deemed justifiable by both theories of ethics is for Paig e to grant Liz with conditional access to the room.  

Educational interests and goals, educational background, special Essay

Educational interests and goals, educational background, special interests, and plans for when you return to your home country - Essay Example In 2006, I was given the Most Outstanding Boarder award from Hills International, as well as a Certificate of Achievement for academic results for demonstrating diligence in studies. I feel proud to state that, in 2007, I was among the top 10 percent of the Hills International graduating class. I received commendations for academic excellence in English and Mathematics, and in Physical Education. I also received the prestigious Caltex All Rounder Award for achievement at school and in the broader community. I was College Captain of Hills International College in 2007, and was also a student of the Hills International Golf Academy in 2006-2007. Sport has been an important part in my life-golf is a passion with me. Interest in the game developed because of my family-especially my dad-who, having served three terms as club captain of the Sabah Golf and Country Club, also takes keen interest in junior golf development in Malaysia. I started golf at the age of 12 under my father's coaching, and later trained under British and Australian PGA's. I have received many awards in the sport (a detailed list is enclosed), among which are the First Place for Girls Under 12 Sport Excel Junior Circuit qualifier (Sabah-2002) and the Best Overall Position for All Sabah Players-2003(international Event). In Australia, I represented the Methodist Ladies' College in the golf tournament for Western Australian schools, and also the Royal Fremantle Golf Club in all junior tournaments. My current scores are: average scores 9 rounds, 693 strokes, average 77; Personal Best Tournament Score 72 (par). I derive inspiration for my game from Jason Day, who studied at Hills, and is a golf buddy. Jason was the World Junior Champion in 2004. I spend an average of four hours a day practicing golf. I also play badminton, basketball and touch football for fun. I represented my school in Badminton, cross-country and middle distance running. I am also a PADI open water diver and have logged over 50 dives. I frequently dive at Sipadan Island, which has some of the best diving spots in the world. I read a lot during my free time, especially after my golf practice, which helps me to unwind. I have participated in arts and musical events too while in school. I passed the examination in Pianoforte with high honors, and obtained the third position in the 21st Inter-Secondary Schools Choral competition. I now play the piano for relaxation. I also received an 'Outstanding Achievement' mention in the poster competition for the theme Sports against Drugs under the Rotary Youth Leadership Development Program (2002). I have had some work experience, having worked as 'Assistant Banker' at the Commonwealth Bank, Claremont (W Aus.) in 2005. I have also done voluntary work with the deaf and dumb center at Bukti Padang, Malaysia. Here I participated in activities with hearing impaired children, and was a 'buddy' to a child at the center. I learned sign language for this purpose. I enjoyed my time and learned a lot during the past 3 years in Australia. I had the chance here to meet many friends and people from different parts of the world. It is this experience away from home as a student-athlete, which taught me the importance of being independent, as well

Learning Team Assignment Analyzing and Interpreting Essay Example for Free

Learning Team Assignment Analyzing and Interpreting Essay Ask your instructor for specific information regarding the analysis you are required to perform for your data set. Combine your Week Two Learning Team assignment and Week Three findings with Week Five findings and make a recommendation to the research problem. Use the statistical tables given in the appendices of the textbook and a statistical analysis application: a Microsoft Deadline: ( ), Business General Business Its important to get familiar with the teachers you have when you start your classes. Be sure you know where they have their offices and understand how to get in touch with them easily. You need a good relationship with your professors for many reasons.

Formalistic Approach To Ode To The Death Of A Favourite Cat English Literature Essay

Formalistic Approach To Ode To The Death Of A Favourite Cat English Literature Essay The New Criticism began in the 1930s and 1940s and has since been a dominant force in twentieth century literary studies. To the degree that New Criticism focuses upon literary texts as formal works of art, it departs from the traditional topical / historical approach. The objection raised by the New Critics is that as topical / historical critics consider literary history, they evade direct contact with actual texts. The inspiration for the formalist or New Critical approach was the French practice of explication de texte, a method that emphasizes detailed examination and explanation. The New Criticism is at its most brilliant in the formal analysis of smaller units as entire poems and short passages. Discussions of point of view, tone, plot, character, and structure, for example, are formal ways of looking at literature that are derived from the New Criticism. The aim of the formalist study of literature is to provide readers not only with the means of explaining the content of works (What, specifically, does a work say?) but also with the insights needed for evaluating the artistic quality of individual works and writers (How well is it said?). A major aspect of New Critical thought is that content and form including all ideas, ambiguities, subtleties, and even apparent contradictions were originally within the conscious or subconscious control of the author. There are no accidents. It does not necessarily follow, however, that todays critic is able to define the authors intentions exactly, for such intentions require knowledge of biographical details that are irretrievably lost. Each literary work there fore takes on its own existence and identity, and the critics work is to discover a reading or readings that explain the facts of the text. Note that the New Critic doesnt claim infallible interpretations and does not exclude the validi ty of multiple readings of the same work. It seems  Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat in the Formalistic point of view is very absorbing. First skimming hurriedly through the poem gives this idea to the reader which it is the story of a cat struggling to catch a goldfish and finally drowns, but as we approach closer, we find out that the poetry is really meaningful. Even the form of the poem is not ineffective in its deep impression. The poem is divided to seven 6 lines stanzas with Thomas Grays used rhyme of AABCCB. The only primitive way to write this poem is employing the point of view of either cat, fish or separated third person, a beholder. The using of narrator approach by Thomas Gray is really adequate and impressive because it rises this idea that all characters are entangled and included. The symbolism another hint plays further important role in the poem. Gray never tries to recount things in a plain and unsophisticated way but he uses very vivid and pictorial adjectives like emerald eyes, ears of jet, tortoise vies, snowy beard, and pensive Selima thoroughly and exhaustively. Using this sort of expressions adds its adoration and decoration. The cat itself is a symbolic character. It describes something which is very similar to Freuds concept of Id. This is much like a two-year-old child. They only observe what they wish and go for it. Any sense of impediment is sensed in this person and you might think that there is not a thought in that persons head. Many instances of assonance are seen in the poem. Assonance refers to a technique that the beginning letters in a phrase are repeating to add emphasis. He utilizes such phrases like emerald eyes, golden gleam, and heedless hearts. In this sense it looks efficient because it employs the further metaphors and remarkable descriptions. The sequence of events in the poem determines the structure of Thomas Grays Ode to the death of a Favorite Cat. The poem starts by sharing an account of both cat and fish. The climax of the poetry is when the cat is going for the fish and it comes to deduction with the death of cat in trying to grasp the goldfish. Most readers can easily relate to this poem. Im assured that many people have often felt and recognized themselves in a situation that they have collapsed while in following of what they supposed would change their lives for better. The explanation of this poem can be considered by two different ways. In the surface study of the poem it is seen as a story of a not good fortune cat that drowns in the following of a goldfish or it recounts the story of all us in pursuing our dreams to grasp our desires and coming to what which we never predicted. What is clear is that Thomas Gray writes this poem to retell the feeling most of us and that struggling which many of people felt some time.

Pricing Strategies :: Business Market Marketing Price

Pricing Strategies (graphics not included) One of the four major elements of the marketing mix is price. Pricing is an important strategic issue because it is related to product positioning. Pricing also affects other marketing mix elements as well, such as product features, channel decisions, and promotion. A pricing strategy is a course of action designed to achieve pricing objectives. This strategy helps marketers set prices. There are many ways to price a product. The following, figure 1.1, shows a list of five major types of pricing strategies. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 421) Figure 1.1 New-Product Pricing There are two primary types of new product pricing strategies, price skimming and penetration pricing. An organization can use one or both of them over a calculated period of time. Price Skimming involves charging the highest price possible for a short time where a new, innovative, or much-improved product is launched onto a market. The objective with skimming is to â€Å"skim the cream† off customers who are willing to pay more to have the product sooner. Prices are lowered once demand falls. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 422) Penetration Pricing is the opposite extreme; it involves the setting of lower, rather than higher price for a new product. The main purpose is to build market share quickly. The seller wants to discourage competitors from entering the market by building a large market share quickly. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 422) Differential Pricing Differential pricing occurs when a company attempts to charge different prices to two different customers for what is essentially the same product. For this to be effective, the market must have multiple segments with different price sensitivities. Differential pricing can happen in several ways: negotiated pricing, secondary-market pricing, periodic discounting, and random discounting. The following describes two of the ways. Negotiated Pricing happens when the final price is established through bargaining between the seller and the buyer. This occurs in various industries and at all levels of distribution. Prices are normally negotiated for houses, cars and used merchandise. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 423) Periodic Discounting is the temporary reduction of prices. This normally happens when retailers have holiday sales or seasonal sales. The downside of this is that customers can predict when the price reductions will occur and hold off on buying until the sales take place. (Business, 8th Ed., pg 423) Psychological Pricing Psychological pricing is a marketing practice based on the theory that certain prices have a psychological impact.

Female Ideals and Their Roles in Icelandic Society Essay -- Iceland Wo

Female Ideals and Their Roles in Icelandic Society Female ideals in medieval Icelandic society revolved around a woman's behavior and actions in her marriage, work, and family domains. The historical background of Icelandic women, women’s general function in society, and the roles of female characters in the Icelandic sagas provide hints towards the common attitude towards women of the time, that is, how women were expected to act, what they were expected to do, and essentially, what the ideal woman was. To examine what an ideal Icelandic woman would have been like, it is first necessary to look at some background information on the life of women in the period. While women were nowhere near the status of men in terms of the amount of power they had, they did enjoy a lot more rights than other women in medieval Europe (Simpson 129). A woman could own her own property (Simpson 128). Being able to manage her own property and refuse a second marriage, widows enjoyed the most independence (Simpson 129). At the same time, there were many things a woman could not do. For example, a woman could not vote at the Thing, be a judge, or conduct her own lawsuit. The approval of a father, husband, or other male guardian was needed for a woman to buy or sell anything above a low value (Simpson 128). While a woman did not have power over other people, especially men, she did have power in her own domestic sphere to make decisions in the household (Dommasnes 71). In her essay "Women, Kinship, and the Basis of Power" Liv Helga Dommasnes states, "As managers of all kinds of farm products, such as food, textiles, and hides, it was in the hands of the wife to see to it that the often quite big household of many generations, serva... ...sible to get a very clear picture of women in Icelandic society through the sagas alone, the coupling of historic background with the sagas provides a clearer image of the ideal woman - strong, confident, married or widowed, loyal to her family, concerned with her family's honor, and an extremely hard worker. 12 Works Cited Dammasnes, Liv Helga. "Women, Kinship, and the Basis of Power." Social Approaches to Viking Studies. Ed. Ross Samson. Glasgow: Cruithne Press, 1991. Jochens, Jenny. Women in Old Norse Society. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1995. Simpson, Jacqueline. The Viking World. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1980. The Sagas of Icelanders. Ed. Thorsson, Ornolfur. New York: Penguin Group, 2000. Sawyer, Birgit and Peter. Medieval Scandinavia: From Conversion to Reformation, circa 800-1500. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.

Professional Practice in Early Years Settings Essay

1.1 Explain how the range of early years settings reflects the scope and purpose of the sector The range of Early Years Settings reflects on the requirements of parents and families for their children. Some parents want care for their children so that they can return to work, some may want to stay with their children while they socialise, some may want their children in a setting which offer services aimed at learning, whilst some may want their children to be in a home based environment and some families cannot afford to pay fees for provision. This is why the |Early Year’s sector has various forms of provision to meet the needs of families. Provision include Nurseries, child minders, pre-schools, crà ¨ches, children’s centres and parent and toddler groups. 2.1 Identify current policies, frameworks and influences on the early years There are various policies in place which each setting is required to follow. There are five basic policies of good practice, Equality and Diversity Rights and responsibilities Confidentiality Promote anti discrimination, effective communication. There is also the Childcare Act 2006 were Child minders and childcare providers registered on the Early Years Register must meet the legal requirements set out by this act. The legal requirements you must meet for the safeguarding and welfare and the learning and development of young children are set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is the EYFS Framework which was put into place to ensure every child is given the best possible start in life and to ensure every effort is made ensure a child has equal opportunities to learn in a safe and secure environment. There is also the Foundation Stage, The Birth to Three Matters Framewor k and the National Standards for Under 8s Daycare and Childminding, to which are replaced by the EYFS. There is also the Every Child Matters Framework. The education act introduced free childcare provisions for under-fives and since September 1st 2010 this rose from 12 and a half hours a week to 15 hours a week. 2.2 Explain the impact of current policies, frameworks and influences on the early years sector The purpose and impact of current policies, frameworks and influences on the Early Years sector is about connecting everyone  together as a whole. By having policies and frameworks in place it ensures the safety and welfare of the children. Children are now able to play, engage in and express themselves freely and are being heard. With all groups linked together, working with the same child will mean that the child will learn more effectively. Information is encouraged to be shared with the children and families. Whatever their backgrounds, all children and families are now given the access to affordable quality childcare. 2.3 Describe what is meant by evidence-based practice and give examples of how this has influenced work with children in their early years Evidence based practise is a setting which is influenced by objective evidence gained from research. Professional practices require you to keep up to date with researched findings and to consider how these can be applied to your own setting. An example of how research has influenced work with children is The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) which is a comprehensive report which investigated the effects of pre-school provision, its findings found that children who had attended early years provision were more likely to have better cognitive, social and behaviour skills when they started formal education than those who had no early years provision. EPPE also confirmed the value of early learning through ‘play’ especially from low-income families. Key Elements of effective practice (KEEP) is another example. This documen t emphasises that effective learning in children is dependent on secure relationships. Learning through play and forming secure relationships are both key elements to the EYFS. 4.1 Explain the importance of reviewing own practice as part of being an effective practitioner It is important to review your own practice to enable opportunities to evaluate and reflect on your own work. Reflecting on practice will help to see where changes need to be made and also note if errors have been made and how to rectify them and ensure the same errors are not repeated. To reflect on practice, as a setting you need to be able to provide constructive criticism, question actions and see whether what you are doing is working or whether there is room for improvement. Reflecting on your practise will help you to have a clearer picture of what you actually do within your work role and what is expected of you, and to ensure you are  meeting the required standards. 4.2 Undertake a reflective analysis of own practice Through working with 0-2 year olds it has provided me with opportunities and experience to acknowledge children’s needs by finding ways to communicate through body language. By having opportunities to extend by knowledge via different courses has allowed me to extend my knowledge. Although I have gained a great deal of experience with deal with behaviour and leaning to different forms of discipline, I would like to learn more and extend my knowledge and experience. 4.3 Develop strategies to deal with areas of difficulty and challenge encountered in professional practice in early years setting One of the main difficulties a setting comes across is how to deal with a child that may have difficulties with their behaviour, and how to approach the child’s parents. The first strategy would be to follow the setting’s policy on behaviour and monitor the situation. It may be necessary to approach the parent’s and try and work together. It may be useful to explain the settings policies and strategies to the child’s parents to enable them to carry out the same strategies at home.

Microeconomic Factors in Automobile Industry in India

Automobile Industry Hailed as ‘the industry of industries’ by Peter Drucker, the founding father of the study of management, in 1946, the automobile industry had evolved continuously with changing times from craft production in 1890s to mass production in 1910s to lean production techniques in the 1970s. The Asian countries, mainly by Japan, China and India, registered a 9% increase in production over last year, constituting 35. 9% of the global production. In fact China and India posted positive growth rate over 2003.This supply mainly catered to meet the demand from households where the automobiles constituted the second largest expenditure item next only to housing. Thus the global automobile industry dominated by Europe, US, Japan, and of late by China and India, continued to have a significant influence on economic development, international trade, foreign direct investment and environment-friendly practices. Total Sales Trend of Four-wheelers in India Demand Factor s 1. Financing Options Auto industry observers cite car loans as the biggest driving factor for the expansion of the Compact Car segment.At present, almost 85 per cent of all new car sales are  backed by auto finance, compared to 65 per cent five years ago. Interest rates on car loans have come down drastically in the past four or five years, which helps prospective buyers, take the plunge. The growth of the CC-segment in the  past few years can be mainly credited to factors such as rise in income levels leading to increased affordability and simultaneous reduction in interest rates leading to lower  EMIs. The drop in interest rates usually helps very few people to probably shift from the base model to a deluxe model.A larger shift happens if people are willing to take long-term loans, like five years instead of the earlier three-year loans. 2. 2. Advertising And Marketing Due to the advertising techniques adopted by all the manufacturers in the CC-Segment the sales have risen drastically. It is all due to because the companies now days are using even aggressive selling techniques for which they are even coping with the Film celebrities and Cricket stars, like Maruti has contracted Irfan Pathan as the  brand ambassador of Zen and for Santro Hyundai has contracted for Shah Rukh Khan.And the companies are even trying to approach to the customer as to their demand for  a vehicle at special interest loans, etc. They are using data according to the customers return and earning capacity for attracting the customers for their vehicles. 3. Price of the Car One of the major factors that affect the demand of any commodity in the market is the  price of the commodity. As the law of demand also states that with an increase in  price the demand of the commodity decreases and vice versa.Since, in the compact car segment market even there are very less competitors there is stiff price competition. Like the price of Zen in 2001 was Rs. 3. 93 lacs which increased to Rs. 4. 01 lacs in 2005, but still the sale of the Maruti brand keeps on increasing it was due to the company’s reputation with the customers. 4. Income of Consumer / Buyer The income of the consumer or buyer of the car is a very important factor of demand. In recent time we have seen that due to increase in the Income of the general public, there has been a shift from the Lower CC-segment cars to the Upper CC-segmentcars. 2Due to the recent increase in the number of multinationals in India, the income level of the employees have risen drastically and has made CC-segment cars an entry level car for a lot of people. The average age of a CC-segment car owner has also dropped from 35 years to 31 years in India. 5. Increase  in  Affordability The demand for passenger cars is driven mainly by greater affordability, which in turn increases the aspiration level of the customers. Today with high amount of disposable income in the hand of Indian youth, who forms major portion o f the population, P-marker has larger addressable market. 6. Demographic DriversCars being aspirational products, purchase decisions are influenced by the overall economic environment. Increase in per capita income increases the consumption tendency of the customer. Growth in per capita income and rising aspirations and changing lifestyle is leading to increased preference for cars over two-wheelers, which is also having a positive rub off on car demand. 7. Availability of Easy Financing Options A majority of PV purchases are financed through financial institutions. Over the past4-5 years car industry has been benefited through significant increase in affordability due to the decrease in EMIs.Car finance rates dropped from 17% in 2000-01 to 11%in 2005-06. However it has increased and averaged at 13. 75% in 2006-07. The current hardening of interest rates is expected to affect demand by reducing affordability. 8. New Offerings Car sales increase when a new model hits the market. Due to escalation in competition in Indian car market, frequency of new model launches has increased. In the past one year only the Indian car market has seen many launches namely SX4,Swift Diesel, Zen Estill, Spark, Logan, etc. 9. ExportsThe share of exports from domestic production is currently at 12-13%, which is much lower than current export hubs. Currently, India’s share of global passenger cars export volume stands at less than 1%. But India is fast emerging as a manufacturing hub for leading global car makers, and several manufacturers have already firmed up  plans for setting up manufacturing bases in India, which will also be used for exports. 3 Supply Factors 1. Presence  across  Segments Manufacturers with presence across various product segments can ensure higher  volume and better capacity utilization by using the common manufacturing capacity.Typically a customer upgrades from one segment to higher segment and the presence across various segments ensures th at the company retains its existing customers. 2. Efficient Operations Competition in PV segment is very intense and this requires the existing players to initiate steps to reduce their cost of production. Effective and successful operation methods like platform commonality, reduction in vendor base and workforce rationalization can help a company immensely. 3. Wide  Dealer Network and Availability  of FinanceA wide dealer network helps the company serve customers over wide geographical area. For e. g. Maruti has used its available wide service network as point of difference over competitors. The companies are tying up with the financial institutions having rural presence to provide additional financing options to customers in such areas. 4. Access  to Latest Technologies Indian PV segment is highly competitive with as many as 14 players operating in it and more than 80 models on the offering. But still any new model launch meets with increase in sales volume for the company.M oreover in a time when a substantial  portion of Indian customer is looking to upgrade in higher segment, companies with latest technologies and latest models will catch more attentions 5. Price of the Car Price of the car is one of the major factors that affect the supply as well as the demand of a car. If the price of the car is high in the market, the manufacturer or the supplier  will want to supply more units in the market so he can earn more profits. In the automotive industry where the market type is oligopoly, if one company drops its price for the car, there is a huge impact on the sales of the other cars as well as the same car.In the market the price of one car is inter-related to the price of the other  cars in the same segment. The best solution is that market equilibrium should be achieved so that the amount of the quantity demanded should be equal to the amount of the quantity supplied to achieve maximum profits. A Market Equilibrium is achieved at the point of intersection of the demand line and the supply line. The point is the equilibrium point where the quantity demanded is equal to the quantity supplied. 6. Factors of  Production There are some factors of production which influence the supply of a car likeCost of Raw Material Labor Cost Machinery Input Cost. These factors influence the supply of a car largely. If the cost of the raw material (Steel, Spare Parts, Rubber) increases there will be an increase in the cost of  production leading to decrease in profit margins. Costs like labor costs, machinery and input costs also influence the supply with the increase or decrease in these costs. 7. 7. Government Policies and Taxes If there is a change in the government policies regarding the increase in the road tax charged or the tax which is to be paid per unit sold, the supply of a car will fluctuate with the nature of the change.Recently the government has reduced the custom duty on inputs and raw material from 20% to 15% which has increased the supply. Conclusion Market economies are assumed to have many buyers and sellers, high competition and many substitutes. Monopolies characterize industries in which the supplier  determines prices and high barriers prevent any competitors from entering the market. Demand and supply refer to the relationship price has with the quantity consumers demand and the quantity supplied by producers. As price increases, quantity demanded decreases and quantity supplied increases.On the other hand, elasticity tells us how much quantity demanded or supplied changes when there is a change in any of the factor. The more the quantity changes, the more elastic the good or service. By studying various demand and supply factors affecting  the automobile industry we can conclude that an upturn or downturn in this sector is due to an aggregate effect of  multiple factors. These together govern the economies of automobile sector. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of Indian Automobi le Sector Industry Rivalry Bargaining Power of CustomersBargaining Power of Suppliers Threat of New Entrants Threat of Substitutes Industry Rivalry Bargaining Power of Customers Bargaining Power of Suppliers Threat of New Entrants Threat of Substitutes 1. Industry Rivalry * Industry Concentration: The Concentration Ratio (CR) indicates the percent of market share held by a company. A high concentration ratio indicates that a high concentration of market share is held by the largest firms – the industry is concentrated. With only a few firms holding a large market share, the market is less competitive (closer to a monopoly).A low concentration ratio indicates that the industry is characterized by many rivals, none of which has a significant market share. These fragmented markets are said to be competitive. If rivalry among firms in an industry is low, the industry is considered to be disciplined * High Fixed costs When total costs are mostly fixed costs, the firm must produce capacity to attain the lowest unit costs. Since the firm must sell this large quantity of product, high levels of production lead to a fight for market share and results in increased rivalry.The industry is typically capital intensive and thus involves high fixed costs * Slow market growth In growing market, firms can improve their economies. Though the market growth has been impressive in the last few years (about 8 to 15%), it takes a beat in even slight economic disturbances as it involves a luxury good. Aggressive pricing is needed to sustain growth in such situations * Diversity of rivals: Industry becomes unstable as the diversification increases. In this case the diversity of rivals is moderate as most offer products which are close to standard versions and the competitors are also mostly similar in strength Highly competitive industry: The presence of many players of about the same size little differentiation between competitors, and a very mature industry with very little g rowth were the features of a highly competitive industry. Higher the competition in the industry lower would be the profit margin. To remain ahead in competition, auto-makers were tempted to offer value added services to the customers incurring more costs 2. Threat of New Entrants These are the characteristics that inhibit the entrance of new rivals into the market and in turn protect the profits of the existing firms.Based on the present profit levels in the market, one can expect the entrance of new firms into the market or not. The entrance is however also affected by the start-up costs * Economies of scale: The Minimum Efficient Scale (MES) is the point at which unit costs are minimized. The greater the difference between the MES and the entry unit cost, greater is the barrier. Economies of scale are becoming increasingly important as competition is driving the profit margins to lower levels. Also being a capital intensive industry economies of scale have important consequence * Government policies: Automobile Industry was delicensed in July 1991 with the announcement of the New Industrial Policy * The passenger car industry was delicensed in 1993. No industrial licence is required for setting up of any unit for manufacture of automobiles except in some special cases * The norms for Foreign Investment and import of technology have been progressively liberalized over the years for manufacture of vehicles including passenger cars in order to make this sector globally competitive * At present 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is permissible under automatic route in this sector including passenger car segment.The import of technology/technological upgradation on the royalty payment of 5% without any duration limit and lump sum payment of USD 2 million is allowed under automatic route in this sector * The automotive industry comprising of the automobile and the auto component sectors has made rapid strides since delicensing and opening up of the sector to FD I in 1991 * The industry had an investment of about Rs. 50,000 crore in 2002-03 which has gone up to Rs. 80,000 crore by the year 2007.The automotive industry has already attained a turnover of Rs. 1,65,000 crore (34 billion USD) * The industry provides direct and indirect employment to 1. 31 crore people. The contribution of the automotive industry to GDP has risen from 2. 77% in 1992-93 to 5% in 2006-07. The industry is making a contribution of 17% to the kitty of indirect taxes of the Government With all the policies regarding the FDI and Tariff barriers as mentioned above, it has become easier for the foreign players to enter the Indian automobile industry. 3.Threat of Substitutes * The replacement market is characterized by the presence of several small-scale suppliers who score over the organized players in terms of excise duty exemptions and lower overheads. * A product’s price elasticity is affected by the presence of substitutes as its demand is affected by the chang e in the substitute’s prices * The cost of the automobiles along with their operating costs was driving customers to look for alternative transportation options * The new technologies available also affect the demand of the product E. g. In case of Maruti’s products, the threat of substitutes is high. The competition is intense as several players have products in the categories given by Maruti. However, in the 800cc range it is the market leader and the threat of substitute products is low. Price performance comparison favors heavily towards Maruti in most product categories. Also the high availability and quality of services offered by Maruti gives the customer a better trade-off 4. Bargaining Power of Suppliers * Suppliers can influence the industry by deciding on the price at which the raw materials can be sold.This is done in order to capture profits from the market. * Steel is a major input in this industry and so steel prices have a sharp and immediate impact on the product price * The industry being capital intensive switching costs of suppliers is high, other than steel as raw material which is highly price sensitive and the firm may easily move towards a supplier with lower cost 5. Bargaining Power of Buyers * It specifies the impact of customers on the product * When buyer power is strong, the buyer is the one who sets the price in the market.Here there is purchases of large volumes * There is prevalence of alternative options * Price sensitive customers were some of the factors that determined the extent of influence of the buyers in this industry E. g. : In the case of Maruti, the sales volumes have shown increasing trend over past so many years. The customers are more or less concentrated in metros or other tier two cities. The industry is also concentrated in these regions mostly. Most of them are have good amount of knowledge about the product.Except the 800cc range in other categories brand loyalty is only moderate. Also it is dif ficult to measure since repurchases are rare. Product differentiation is high as there are many categories in the passenger vehicle segment. Buyers get incentives in the form of cost discounts and better after sales services * The major focus of Indian Component suppliers is Quality as suggested by one of the Japanese Quality focus firm. The Industry association ACMA reports that over 170 of its members have already received ISO-9000 certification and 23 have received QS9000 certification.There are examples of Indian suppliers becoming single source global suppliers for leading OEMS (GM and Ford), and also becoming global leaders with Sundaram Clayton receiving the Deming award but there are few drawbacks as shown by A. T, Kearney survey which found that defect rates in India are in the range of 1000-2000 ppm against Japanese average of 100-200 ppm * The rising gasoline price is bound to influence the buyers Taxation India has a well-developed tax structure. The power to levy taxes and duties is distributed among the three tiers of Government, in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Constitution.The main taxes/duties that the Union Government is empowered to levy are:- Income Tax (except tax on agricultural income, which the State Governments can levy), Customs duties, Central Excise and Sales Tax and Service Tax. The principal taxes levied by the State Governments are:- Sales Tax (tax on intra-State sale of goods), Stamp Duty (duty on transfer of property), State Excise (duty on manufacture of alcohol), Land Revenue (levy on land used for agricultural/non-agricultural purposes), Duty on Entertainment and Tax on Professions & Callings.The Local Bodies are empowered to levy tax on properties (buildings, etc. ), Octroi (tax on entry of goods for use/consumption within areas of the Local Bodies), Tax on Markets and Tax/User Charges for utilities. Excise Duty Central Excise duty is an indirect tax levied on those automobiles which are manufactured in India and are meant for home consumption. The taxable event is ‘manufacture' and the liability of central excise duty arises as soon as the automobiles are manufactured.It is a tax on manufacturing, which is paid by a manufacturer, who passes its incidence on to the customers. Types of Excise Duties Basic Excise Duty: This is the duty leviable under First Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 at the rates mentioned in the said Schedule. Special Excise Duty: This is the duty leviable under Second Schedule to the Central Excise Tariff Act, 1985 at the rates mentioned in the said Schedule. At present this is leviable on very few items.Basic Central VAT (CENVAT) or Excise Tax Structure for Automobiles Year| CommercialVehicles| MUVs| Cars| 2 Wheelers| 3 Wheelers| Unit| | | | | ? 75 CC| > 75CC| | | 2001-02| 16| 32| 32| 16| 16| 16| %| 2002-03| 16| 32| 32| 16| 16| 16| %| 2003-04| 16| 24+1*| 24+1*| 16+1*| 16+1*| 16| %| 2004-05| 16| 24+1*| 24+1*| 16+1*| 16+1*| 16| %| 2005-06| 16| 2 4+1*| 24+1*| 16+1*| 16+1*| 16| %| 2006-07| 16| 24+1*| 24/16**+1*| 16+1*| 16+1*| 16| %| 2007-08? | 16| 24+1*| 24/16**+1*| 16+1*| 16+1*| 16| %| Source: Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturing (SIAM) – Based on Government of India Notifications,  ?Additional higher & Secondary Education Cess of 1%,  *National Calamity Contingent Duty (NCCD) of 1 %,  **16% on cars (up to 4000mm in length &1200cc for petrol & up to 4000mm in length & 1500cc for diesel) and 24% for rest National Calamity Contingent Duty (NCCD): Normally known as NCCD. This duty is levied as per section 136 of the Finance Act, 2001, as a surcharge on specified goods. Excise Duties and Cesses Leviable under Miscellaneous Act:On certain specified goods, in addition to the aforesaid duties, prescribed rate of excise duty and cess is also leviable.Education  Cesson excisable goods is levied in addition to any other duties of excise chargeable on such goods, under the Central Excise Act, 1944 or any other law for the time being in force. Customs Duty Customs Duty (Import duty and Export tax) is a type of indirect tax levied on goods imported into India as well as on goods exported from India. Taxable event is import into or export from India. In India, the basic law for levy and collection of customs duty is Customs Act 1962.It provides for levy and collection of duty on imports and exports, import/export procedures, prohibitions on importation and exportation of goods, penalties, offences, etc. Basic Customs Tax Structure for Automobiles Year| CVs1| MUVs2| Cars| Two Wheelers| Three Wheelers| Unit| 2001-02| 35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| %| 2002-03| 30| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| %| 2003-04| 25| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| %| 2004-05| 20| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| 105/60/35| %| 2005-06| 15| 100/60/15| 100/60/15| 100/60/15| 100/60/15| %| 2006-07| 12. | 100/60/12. 5| 100/60/12. 5| 100/60/12. 5| 100/60/12. 5| %| 2007-08| 10| 100/60/10 | 100/60/10| 100/60/10| 100/60/10| %| Source: Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturing (SIAM) – Based on Government of India Notifications, *For Used Vehicle/New CBU/CKD & Components respectively,  1CVs = Commercial Vehicles  2MUVs = Multi-Utility Vehicles   Ã‚   Export duties are levied occasionally to mop up excess profitability in international prices of goods in respect of which domestic prices may be low at the given time. But the sweep of import duties is quite wide.

Dynamic Programming Essay

Dynamic Programming is a mathematical technique dealing with the optimization of multistage decision processes. In this technique, decisions regarding a certain problem are typically optimized in stages rather than simultaneously. This generally signifies that the original decision problem is divided into small sub-problem (stages) which can then be handled more efficiently from the computational view point. Basic Elements of Dynamic Programming To apply Dynamic Programming, we have to pay special attention to the three basic elements of the DP Model. They are: 1. Definition of the stages. 2. Definition of the alternatives at each stage. 3. Definition of the states for each stage. Definition of the states varies depending on the situation being modeled. Nevertheless, as we investigate each application, we will find it helpful to consider the following questions: 1. What relationships bind the stages together? 2. What information is needed to make feasible decisions at the current stage without reexamining the decisions made at previous stages? Application of the Dynamic Programming in the Business World We will try to present three application models and finally a worked out implementation of Dynamic Programming showing the superiority of DP over the usual or straight forward method of solution. 1. Work Force Model: In some construction projects, hiring and firing are exercised to maintain a labour force that meets the needs of the project. Given that the activities of hiring and firing both incur additional costs. In such cases, through the implementation of DP Model, we can get the optimum result regarding how the labor force should be maintained throughout the life of the project. For example: A construction contractor estimates that the size of the work force needed over the next 5 weeks is to be 5, 7, 8, 4 and 6 workers respectively. Excess labor kept on the force will cost $300 per week and new hiring in any week will incur a fixed cost of $400 plus $200 per worker per week. The elements of this DP model are: 1. Stage i Such problem can optimally be solved through DP Model. Equipment Replacement Model: The longer a machine stays in service, the higher is its maintenance cost, and the lower its productivity. When a machine reaches a certain age, it may be more economical to replace it. The problem thus turns into determining the most economical age of a machine. Suppose that we are studying the machine replacement problem over a span of n years. At the start of each year, we decide whether to keep the machine in service an extra year or to replace it with a new one. For example: Shajib Farms wants to develop a replacement policy for its 2-year-old tractor over the next 5 years. A tractor must be kept in service for at least 3 years, but must be disposed of after 5 years. The current purchase price of a tractor is $40,000 and increases by 10% a year. The salvage value of a 1-year-old tractor is $30,000 and decreases by 10% a year. The current annual operating cost of the tractor is $1,300 but is expected to increase by 10% a year. Such problem can optimally be solved easily by applying DP Model. Investment Model We commonly assume that an investor wants to maximize â€Å"Total Return†. Suppose that Mr. Jamal wants to invest Tk. 4,000,000 (4 Million) now and 2,000,00 (2 Million) at the starts of years 2 to 4. The interest rate offered by NCC Bank is 8% compounded annually and the bonuses over the next 4 years are 1.8%, 1.7%, 2.1% and 2.5% respectively. The annual interest rate offered by Eastern Bank is 2% lower than that of NCC Bank, but its bonus is .5% higher. The objective is to maximize the accumulated capital at the end of 4 years. Such problem can also optimally be solved easily by applying DP Model. A company is selecting the advertising for its productand the frequency of advertising by each material are shown in the following table: |Frequency per week |Expected Sales (In Tk. 1,000) | | |Television |Radio |Newspaper | |0 |0 |0 |0 | |1 |25 |20 |33 | |2 |42 |38 |43 | |3 |55 |54 |47 | |4 |63 |65 |50 | We have to determine the optimum combination of advertising frequency and sales. Solution: States: Let X1= The frequency of advertisement at stage-1 (0~6) X2= The frequency of advertisement at stage-2 (0~6) X3= The frequency of advertisement at stage-3 (=6) S= Total Frequncy Stage-1 |Total Frequency (S) |Frequency at |Expected Sales | | |Stage-1(X1) | | |0 |0 |0 | |1 |1 |25 | |2 |2 |42 | |3 |3 |55 | |4 |4 |63 | Stage-2 | X2 |f 2(S, X2)=R2(X2)+ f 1*(S-X2) | | | | | |f2*(S) |X2* | |S | | | | | |0 |1 |2 |3 |4 | | | |0 |0+0=0 | | | | |0 |0 | |1 |0+25=25 |20+0=20 | | | |25 |0 | |2 |0+42=42 |20+25=45 |38+0=38 | | |45 |1 | |3 |0+55=55 |20+42=62 |38+25=63 |54+0=54 | |63 |2 | |4 |0+63=63 |20+55=75 |38+42=80 |54+25=79 |65+0=65 |80 |2 | Stage-3 | X2 |f 3(S, X3)=R3(X3)+ f 2*(S-X3) | | | | | |f3*(S) |X3* | |S | | | | | |0 |1 |2 |3 |4 | | | |4 |0+80=80 |33+63=96 |43+45=88 |47+25=72 |50+0=50 |96 |1 | Now we can derive the optimal values: X1=1 X2=2 X3=1 Expected Sales= 96,000 Usual or Straight forward method of solution √ Circle indicates alternative plans at each stage & √ Arrows represent the decision. The features of the above exhaustive enumeration scheme are: 1. All the decisions of any combination must specified before a combination can be evaluated. Here during solution, we have to make 64 alternative plans first. 2. An optimum policy cannot be determined until all combinations have been evaluated. This method is inefficient because some of the combination may not be feasible. 3. In other cases the number of combination may be too large to allow exhaustive listing. The Dynamic Programming approach avoids the above mentioned difficulties by first breaking up the problem into smaller sub-problems which are called stages in DP. A stage here signifies a portion of the problem for which a separate decision can be made.

Negative Economic Impacts of Tourism Essay

There are many hidden costs to tourism, which can have unfavorable economic effects on the host community. Often rich countries are better able to profit from tourism than poor ones. Whereas the least developed countries have the most urgent need for income, employment and general rise of the standard of living by means of tourism, they are least able to realize these benefits. Among the reasons for this are large-scale transfer of tourism revenues out of the host country and exclusion of local businesses and products. Leakage The direct income for an area is the amount of tourist expenditure that remains locally after taxes, profits, and wages are paid outside the area and after imports are purchased; these subtracted amounts are called leakage. In most all-inclusive package tours, about 80% of travelers’ expenditures go to the airlines, hotels and other international companies (who often have their headquarters in the travelers’ home countries), and not to local businesses or workers. In addition, significant amounts of income actually retained at destination level can leave again through leakage. A study of tourism ‘leakage’ in Thailand estimated that 70% of all money spent by tourists ended up leaving Thailand (via foreign-owned tour operators, airlines, hotels, imported drinks and food, etc.). Estimates for other Third World countries range from 80% in the Caribbean to 40% in India. Of each US$ 100 spent on a vacation tour by a tourist from a developed country, only around US$ 5 actually stays in a developing-country destination’s economy. The figure below shows how the leakage happens. There are two main ways that leakage occurs: Import leakage This commonly occurs when tourists demand standards of equipment, food, and other products that the host country cannot supply. Especially in less-developed countries, food and drinks must often be imported, since local products are not up to the hotel’s (i.e. tourist’s) standards or the country simply doesn’t have a supplying industry. Much of the income from tourism expenditures leaves the country again to pay for these imports. The  average import-related leakage for most developing countries today is between 40% and 50% of gross tourism earnings for small economies and between 10% and 20% for most advanced and diversified economies, according to UNCTAD. Export leakage Multinational corporations and large foreign businesses have a substantial share in the import leakage. Often, especially in poor developing destinations, they are the only ones that possess the necessary capital to invest in the construction of tourism infrastructure and facilities. As a consequence of this, an export leakage arises when overseas investors who finance the resorts and hotels take their profits back to their country of origin. A 1996 UN report evaluating the contribution of tourism to national income, gross levels of incomes or gross foreign exchange, found that net earnings of tourism, after deductions were made for all necessary foreign exchange expenditures, were much more significant for the industry. This report found significant leakage associated with: (a) imports of materials and equipment for construction; (b) imports of consumer goods, particularly food and drinks; (c) repatriation of profits earned by foreign investors; (d) overseas promotional expenditures and (e) amortization of external debt incurred in the development of hotels and resorts. The impact of the leakage varied greatly across countries, depending on the structure of the economy and the tourism industry. From the data presented in this study on the Caribbean, St. Lucia had a foreign exchange leakage rate of 56% from its gross tourism receipts, Aruba had 41%, Antigua and Barbuda 25% and Jamaica 40%. Source: Caribbean Voice Enclave tourism Local businesses often see their chances to earn income from tourists severely reduced by the creation of â€Å"all-inclusive† vacation packages. When tourists remain for their entire stay at the same cruise ship or resort, which provides everything they need and where they will make all their expenditures, not much opportunity is left for local people to profit from tourism. The Organization of American States (OAS) carried out a survey of Jamaica’s tourist industry that looked at the role of the all-inclusives  compared to other types of accommodation. It found that ‘All-inclusive hotels generate the largest amount of revenue but their impact on the economy is smaller per dollar of revenue than other accommodation subsectors.’ It also concluded that all-inclusives imported more, and employed fewer people per dollar of revenue than other hotels. This information confirms the concern of those who have argued that all-inclusives have a smaller trickle-down effect on local economies The cruise ship industry provides another example of economic enclave tourism. Non-river cruises carried some 8.7 million international passengers in 1999. On many ships, especially in the Caribbean (the world’s most popular cruise destination with 44.5% of cruise passengers), guests are encouraged to spend most of their time and money on board, and opportunities to spend in some ports are closely managed and restricted. Other negative impacts Infrastructure cost Tourism development can cost the local government and local taxpayers a great deal of money. Developers may want the government to improve the airport, roads and other infrastructure, and possibly to provide tax breaks and other financial advantages, which are costly activities for the government. Public resources spent on subsidized infrastructure or tax breaks may reduce government investment in other critical areas such as education and health. Increase in prices Increasing demand for basic services and goods from tourists will often cause price hikes that negatively affect local residents whose income does not increase proportionately. A San Francisco State University study of Belize found that, as a consequence of tourism development, the prices for locals increased by 8%. Tourism development and the related rise in real estate demand may dramatically increase building costs and land values. Not only does this make it more difficult for local people, especially in developing countries, to meet their basic daily needs, it can also result in a dominance by outsiders in land markets and in-migration that erodes economic opportunities for the locals, eventually disempowering residents. In Costa Rica, close to 65% of the hotels belong to foreigners. Long-term tourists living in second homes, and the so-called amenity migrants (wealthy  or retired people and liberal professionals moving to attractive destinations in order to enjoy the atmospher e and peaceful rhythms of life) cause price hikes in their new homes if their numbers attain a certain critical mass. Economic dependence of the local community on tourism Diversification in an economy is a sign of health, however if a country or region becomes dependent for its economic survival upon one industry, it can put major stress upon this industry as well as the people involved to perform well. Many countries, especially developing countries with little ability to explore other resources, have embraced tourism as a way to boost the economy. In The Gambia, for instance, 30% of the workforce depends directly or indirectly on tourism. In small island developing states, percentages can range from 83% in the Maldives to 21% in the Seychelles and 34% in Jamaica, according to the WTO. Over-reliance on tourism, especially mass tourism, carries significant risks to tourism-dependent economies. Economic recession and the impacts of natural disasters such as tropical storms and cyclones as well as changing tourism patterns can have a devastating effect on the local tourism sector. Seasonal character of jobs The seasonal character of the tourism industry creates economic problems for destinations that are heavily dependent on it. Problems that seasonal workers face include job (and therefore income) insecurity, usually with no guarantee of employment from one season to the next, difficulties in getting training, employment-related medical benefits, and recognition of their experience, and unsatisfactory housing and working conditions. Other industry impacts affecting tourism Economic crises, like the Asian crisis that hit Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia a few years ago, can be devastating to inbound tourism flows. The financial turmoil triggered a sharp fall in tourism flows to affected countries during 1997 and 1998. In the Philippines, the crisis and the temporary closure of Philippine Airlines affected inbound arrivals significantly as there was a decline of almost 3.3% in 1998. Economic Effects — Positive Tourism creates jobs, both through direct employment within the tourism industry and indirectly in sectors such as retail and transportation. When these people spend their wages on goods and services, it leads to what is known as the â€Å"multiplier effect,† creating more jobs. The tourism industry also provides opportunities for small-scale business enterprises, which is especially important in rural communities, and generates extra tax revenues, such as airport and hotel taxes, which can be used for schools, housing and hospitals. Economic Effects — Negative Successful tourism relies on establishing a basic infrastructure, such as roads, visitor centers and hotels. The cost of this usually falls on the government, so it has to come out of tax revenues. Jobs created by tourism are often seasonal and poorly paid, yet tourism can push up local property prices and the cost of goods and services. Money generated by tourism does not always benefit the local community, as some of it leaks out to huge international companies, such as hotel chains. Destinations dependent on tourism can be adversely affected by events such as terrorism, natural disasters and economic recession. Social Effects — Positive The improvements to infrastructure and new leisure amenities that result from tourism also benefit the local community. Tourism encourages the preservation of traditional customs, handicrafts and festivals that might otherwise have been allowed to wane, and it creates civic pride. Interchanges between hosts and guests create a better cultural understanding and can also help raise global awareness of issues such as poverty and human rights abuses. Social Effects — Negative Visitor behavior can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of the host community. For example, crowding and congestion, drugs and alcohol problems, prostitution and increased crime levels can occur. Tourism can even infringe on human rights, with locals being displaced from their land to make way for new hotels or barred from beaches. Interaction with tourists can also lead to an erosion of traditional cultures and values. Environmental Effects — Positive Tourism — particularly nature and ecotourism — helps promote conservation of wildlife and natural resources such as rain forests, as these are now regarded as tourism assets. It also helps generate funding for maintaining animal preserves and marine parks through entrance charges and guide fees. By creating alternative sources of employment, tourism reduces problems such as over-fishing and deforestation in developing nations. Environmental Effects — Negative Tourism poses a threat to a region’s natural and cultural resources, such as water supply, beaches, coral reefs and heritage sites, through overuse. It also causes increased pollution through traffic emissions, littering, increased sewage production and noise. Tourism and Travel 1. Define the following terms: Hospitality Tourism Leisure Travel Attractions (20mks) 2. In your own opinion, what will make you choose to travel to Country A than to Country B during your holiday? (20mks) 3. What are the positive economic impacts of Tourism in Kenya? (20mks) 4. People do travel for a particular purpose; therefore what are the different types of tourism? (20mks) 5. The no. of tourist in a destination varies over time, what are the different reasons for that to happen? (20mks)

Violence Involving Weapons

The Board of Education has removed the principal of the troubled Martin Luther King Jr. High School after a spate of violence involving weapons at the school. Most recently, on Friday, a student sneaked a knife into the bustling five-story building and threatened another student. The removal of the principal, Ronald Williams Wells, came almost three weeks after a crush of students, teachers and administrators dashed from the building and for cover in classrooms when a man shot two students in what appeared to be a dispute over a girl. The school is at West 66th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, a block from Lincoln Center. On Friday, two students were arrested after one student displayed a folding knife during an argument. He passed it to a second student after security officers arrived to break up the fight. The first student sneaked the knife into the building by passing it inside a book bag through the school's weapons scanner. Martin Luther King school officials did not call th! e Board of Education until hours later, said Catie Marshall. The Board of Education requires school administrators to call the board's emergency information center immediately after such incidents. During an investigation into the timing of the report, Tony Sawyer, the Manhattan high school superintendent, removed Mr. Wells Ms. Marshall said. The New York Post first reported the dismissal yesterday. Mr. Wells has been replaced by Steve Gutman, a 36-year veteran of the system who retired in September but came back to the board at Mr. Sawyer's request. Mr. Wells's new assignment has not been announced. After the Jan. 5 shootings, Mr. Wells came under criticism for not being at work. He was on duty with the National Guard that day. Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy, who toured the building after the shooting, found that some people who were not enrolled in courses were carrying photo identification cards. The school has had its share of trouble in the nearly three decades since it opened. Efforts to improve the curriculum have faltered, and principals have quit. Next year, the school – which is large, with about 3,000 students – will be divided into two smaller academies. The removal of a principal cannot be seen as having fixed the problem,† said C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan borough president, who is a member of the task force working to phase out the old school. â€Å"There is much work to be done. We need to address safety and security, as well as other concerns that have been raised, including academics and student selection. † My opinion on the whole thing is that the school made the right decision to remove the princible from the school. For one reason what if something happened again like Columbine. That would not be good.

Controlling Project Performance and Project Closure Essay

Controlling Project Performance and Project Closure - Essay Example This is advantageous in that the facility can procure latest technology without having to undergo renovation of the facility. The facility also doesn’t have to provide financing for the equipment without generating income(Daniel 2014). This is helpful especially to those that want to use top notch technology while controlling costs. Fast tracking also has its own down sides. Late release of documents, increases chances and frequency of mistakes and conflict in information provision in specification and plans. The contractor needs periodic adjustments due to reliance on incomplete documents to provide schedules and pricing. This means that both change orders and contingency funds must be utilized in a bid to offer compensation to the contractor. By using fast tracking, all parties; the contractor, owner and architect engage in a flexible and open relationship. The owner must not expect cost cutting and saving in both construction and design(Daniel 2014). Fast tracked projects arrive over budgeted and are late than other procurement strategies. It hence becomes prudent for the owner to access both the risk, relationships with both architects and contractors and sophistication levels of the project. This project with a S.P.I of 0.8 means that its below the mount level thus will experience a normal range of losses and profits. The project therefore is viable to prosper depending on the actions of project management team to oversee that all factors such as shares, dividends and investments all contribute to the growth of the project(Daniel 2014). The project having a C.P.I of 1.2 means that it is way above supernormal profits. therefore this project will make unrealistic sense hence could lead to much anticipation for growth then end up in collapsing. The monitoring of performance on projects is based on indices. While Cost Performance Index usually represents the amount of work completed on a project for each spent unit. Schedule Performance

Why did so many immigrants, both free and slave (and the descendents Essay

Why did so many immigrants, both free and slave (and the descendents of slaves), return to their countries of origin after immigrating to the United States And - Essay Example As Swedish immigration reached a new peak during World War I which resulted in the Swedish government setting up a commission to find solutions for the problem. The commission proposed better employment, housing and economic opportunities for Swedish people. The reforms implemented by the government also included political and religious freedom which provided Swedish people more incentives to return to their homeland (Joppke, 1998). Italians migrated in large numbers to the United States. Unlike other immigrant groups they did not settle here and become farmers. Instead they headed for the cities where they took up jobs as construction workers, laborers and domestic servants. An estimated sixty percent of the Italians who migrated to the United States returned to their homeland. They lived as inexpensively as they could. They sent money to Italy to preserve the traditional order. Most of them had a desire to work hard in the United States and save enough money to return to their country for a better life. Chinese were the earliest Asians who arrived in the United States during the nineteenth century. The economic and political turmoil of China forced thousands of Chinese to migrate to other countries. Most Chinese worked in the railway and mining industries. The California Gold Rush also attracted Chinese because of their cheap wages. However xenophobia and racism towards Chinese was rampant which forced the United States government to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Chinese immigrants were thus expelled out of the United States by legislation and public hostility. The Chinese faced economic, political and religious discrimination in China and therefore were reluctant to return to their country. They were willing to work in harsh conditions in the United States and despite severe opposition from the local population (Joppke, 1998). Japanese and Koreans soon replaced Chinese in the railroad and mining industries. Like the Chinese, they also

EDWARD THORP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EDWARD THORP - Essay Example Like many great arts, this art has great clarity. It is possible to locate different scenarios of this painting in a single look. For instance, one can locate bending female, different features of her nudity, and different textures of her body parts. This immediately sets the mood of the painting to achieve the intended meaning. The painting is made on a landscape depicting a story behind it. From this painting, I understand Western culture so well with the nude female sunbathing, picnicking, or sleeping. Linhares painting gives the audience what they need to see and enjoy. The painting achieves a special attraction to its audience form the lovely combination of different colours. There is articulate use of bright colours alongside glowing ones make me understand realism from the story. For instance, the body of the nude female has brown colour, with some blue hues to depict realism. Her hair and eyes are brown to depict that the female is western and to represent their sunbathing culture. In addition, Linhares has used colour to represent special bubbles in the painting to show that the woman is in a watery area. A pine tree is seen form a distance with some dark colours to depict a shore as part of the background. Although some areas bear the same colours, shadow tone helps Linhares to make remarkable combinations. Some of these shadow tones include yellow, magenta, olive green, brown, black, purple, sienna, and others. She has used bold backgrounds that make the skies and the terrain on the paintings look real. Additionally, Linhares uses darker sha des to make the message clearer. For instance, the thighs of the woman have thicker paintings to show how much they are stretched to get the woman to the ground. Her imagination can only be compared with the effects seen on films shot at the magic hour of dusk (Kreimer

What do non-humans present in graphic design Essay

What do non-humans present in graphic design - Essay Example AbsÐ µncÐ µ or lack of which could makÐ µ art losÐ µ novÐ µlty. Talking of novÐ µlty, how about looking at art in naturÐ µ? Richard Dawkins statÐ µs that thÐ µ diffÐ µrÐ µncÐ µ bÐ µtwÐ µÃ µn human art or dÐ µsign and thÐ µ amazingly â€Å"ingÐ µnious† forms that wÐ µ Ð µncountÐ µr in naturÐ µ, is duÐ µ tho thÐ µ fact that Human art originatÐ µs in thÐ µ mind , whilÐ µ thÐ µ natural dÐ µsigns rÐ µsult from natural sÐ µlÐ µction. Which is vÐ µry truÐ µ. HowÐ µvÐ µr it is anothÐ µr mattÐ µr that natural sÐ µlÐ µction and cultural sÐ µlÐ µction, that will ultimatÐ µly dÐ µcidÐ µ on thÐ µ â€Å"popularity† of an art don’t function in thÐ µ samÐ µ way. Anyhow How can wÐ µ rÐ µmovÐ µ thÐ µ cultural bias or thÐ µ human bias that wÐ µ havÐ µ in our art forms? .AnswÐ µrs in Artificial LifÐ µ: Artificial lifÐ µ may bÐ µ dÐ µfinÐ µd as â€Å"A fiÐ µld of study dÐ µvotÐ µd to undÐ µrstanding lifÐ µ by attÐ µmpting to dÐ µrivÐ µ gÐ µnÐ µral thÐ µoriÐ µs undÐ µrlying biological phÐ µnomÐ µna, and rÐ µcrÐ µating thÐ µsÐ µ dynamics in othÐ µr physical mÐ µdia - such as computÐ µrs - making thÐ µm accÐ µssiblÐ µ to nÐ µw kinds of Ð µxpÐ µrimÐ µntal manipulation and tÐ µsting. This sciÐ µntific rÐ µsÐ µarch links biology and computÐ µr sciÐ µncÐ µ.†1 Most of thÐ µ A-LifÐ µ simulations today can not bÐ µ considÐ µrÐ µd truly alivÐ µ, as thÐ µy still can not show somÐ µ propÐ µrtiÐ µs of truly alivÐ µ systÐ µms and also that thÐ µy havÐ µ considÐ µrablÐ µ human bias in dÐ µsign. HowÐ µvÐ µr thÐ µrÐ µ arÐ µ two viÐ µws that havÐ µ Ð µxistÐ µd on thÐ µ wholÐ µ idÐ µa of Artificial LifÐ µ and thÐ µ Ð µxtÐ µnt it can go. WÐ µak A-LifÐ µ is thÐ µ idÐ µa that thÐ µ â€Å"living procÐ µss† can not bÐ µ achiÐ µvÐ µd bÐ µyond a chÐ µmical domain. WÐ µak A-lifÐ µ rÐ µsÐ µarchÐ µrs concÐ µntratÐ µ on simulating lifÐ µ procÐ µssÐ µs with an undÐ µrlying aim to undÐ µrstand thÐ µ biological procÐ µssÐ µs. Strong A-LifÐ µ is Ð µxactly thÐ µ rÐ µvÐ µrsÐ µ. John Von NÐ µumann oncÐ µ rÐ µmarkÐ µd â€Å"lifÐ µ is a procÐ µss which can bÐ µ abstractÐ µd away from any particular mÐ µdiumâ€Å". In rÐ µcÐ µnt timÐ µs

Annotated Bibliography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Annotated Bibliography - Assignment Example Yet, in a world that is increasingly complex and financially segmented, the power of relationship banking and lending to continue to define the future is increasingly limited. Another wrinkle that the authors indicate is the fact that the loan officer becomes nothing more than a receptacle of â€Å"soft† information specific to certain individuals and based upon existing relationships and past choices that have been made. In such a manner, the researchers point to the fact that this not only limits the degree and extent to which promotion and business development can take place, it constrains the organizational development of the banking institution. Nevertheless, the system, as described, helps to create a more dynamic entity that is able to react to market changes better than a faceless bank that is not attuned to the needs of the individual investor or borrower. This particular article, although somewhat old, focuses on the effects of bank mergers and acquisitions; specifically focusing on what the authors refer to as the static effect. Within this level of inquiry, the analysis seeks to divorce related issues from bank mergers and acquisitions by focusing on the antecedent institutions and refocusing the analysis on the similar and differential realities that are exhibited post-merger or acquisition. Similarly, the analysis provides a heavy analytical and quantitative measurement of these determinants in the hopes of pin-pointing the key differentials that are exhibited by firms at varying stages of the process. In order to counter for some of the data that was represented, the article also goes on to discuss the ways in which offsets to these factors may be recognized; essentially indicating that synergy and other business concepts can be applied as a means of understanding the oftentimes difficult process of two distinct entities coming to be one. The article

Markting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Markting - Essay Example For example, while considering an automobile company, the customers have a number of different demands, like speed, performance, roominess, while others have demand pertaining to the looks, safety, economy and also the engine power. Thus, the needs are different for different customers and a company cannot accommodate all the demands into one product. There have been various studies that have been conducted and these show that companies which choose one group of customers over another tend to be more successful. Segmentation is not a simple decision and in a number of cases it requires the companies to take extremely tough choices. Taking the example of WM Soft Drinks company, there are a number of variables that are related which need to be considered before segmenting the customers, these include factors like, a) preference in tastes vs. the number of calories, b) preference in the tastes, i.e. cola or non cola, c) price Sensitivity and d) or even heavy versus light customers. Targeting: The next step that needs to taken is targeting. This is where the companies target one or more segments. The choice of the target markets is based on a number of factors. This includes analyzing the existing segments that are catered to by other manufacturers. In this case it would be best to choose the segments that are catered to by smaller companies and local soft drink companies. This will provide WM Company with a fair idea of the target market based on which the company can move forward and start targeting customers and build strategic plans based on this. Positioning: This involves the implementation of the previous section, i.e. Targeting. One of the best examples of this is of Apple Computers. The company has created a brand image for itself by high number of advertisements. It has positioned itself in the markets as computers for ‘non geeks’. Similarly if the WM soft drinks need to position their own products of ‘First – Fruits’ it

Invention Synopsis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Invention Synopsis - Essay Example Many alternative fuel sources like electricity, LPG, CNG etc. have been discovered and develop but the problem doesn’t seem to go away. Something needs to be done about it. During the mid and late 1970’s, Elsbett of Germany began works on a new type of fuel for automobiles, Vegetable oil. The concept of SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) was born. It is the concept that diesel engines can also run on vegetable oil (Addison, n.d). This oil can be unused or recycled. Recycled vegetable oil must be clean, free of any water or particles. Vegetable oil serves as a substitute for diesel fuel which is the prime fuel source for heavy transport such as trucks and busses. These make up a large percentage of commercial and private transport. Converting these vehicles to run on an alternative source could save millions of dollars on oil purchases. Apart from commercial vehicles, a significant percentage of private vehicles are also diesel powered. If converted to SVO, this could further improve the situation. Furthermore, there are conversion kits and services available for gas/petrol powered cars. People, who do not own diesel powered cars, would definitely want to convert seeing the sharp drop in fuel prices. SVO fuel is cheaper than diesel and much cheaper than petrol. So, what’s the catch? Until now, the vehicles that have used vegetable oil fuel have done it privately or individually. Companies do provide conversion services and filtering and recycling of used vegetable oil on a small scale, but nothing is being done on a scale comparable to other primary fuel sources. Maybe this is the reason why it’s not getting popular. My idea is to provide this service on a bigger scale. A company that has a contract with local restaurants and food outlets to purchase this used oil at low prices, filter and recycle it and provide it to the general public. With the growing fuel prices today, a proper outlet for a cheaper fuel source would be a welcoming

Personal Revision Strategy Essay Example for Free

Personal Revision Strategy Essay My personal strategy for revising a piece of writing involves reading through the entire paper to ensure that it conveys the intended meaning. It is important to wait a while after writing the first draft before taking another thorough look at it. Specific emphasis should be placed on the thesis of the paper to ensure that the argument of the paper is strictly adhered to. After this, I examine the manner in which the paragraphs flow into one another and I arrange them in the appropriate order. For example, a typical essay is arranged by putting the introduction at the beginning, followed by body, before the final part of the paper known as the conclusion. Every paragraph in the paper should also have a link to the thesis of the paper. It is necessary to ensure that the opening argument of the paper is explained in the first line of each paragraph to ensure that there’s sufficient clarity and consistency throughout the document. After checking for proper paragraph transition, the next thing I do is check for typographical errors. This ensures that punctuation marks like commas and semi-colons are used appropriately. Tools such as the Grammar Check, Spell Check and the Dictionary also come in handy during the revision process (Zinsser, 2001). When the aforementioned steps have been concluded, I format the whole document to suit the required audience. For example, academic writings are presented in a format that’s entirely different from presentations. The next step involves sending the paper in for peer review. Peer review is very critical to producing a good paper because it gives the writer a chance to receive feedback and constructive criticism on the document before the final submission (Hairston Friend, 2002). Other areas of importance that need to be examined during the revision process include the balance of the paper, tone and formality of the language used, accuracy of facts outlined, references and the general writing style (Elbow, 1998). References Elbow, P. (1998). Writing With Power . New York: Oxford UP. Hairston, M. R. , Friend, C. (2002). How do you Revise, Edit, and Proofread? New York:: Longman. Zinsser, W. (2001). On Writing Well. New York: HarperCollins .