Annual Day Essay

Field trips: Post office, Super market, Traffic Signal, Fire station, Horse stable, Plant nursery, etc. Goals: The goal of MapleBear schools is to establish an enthusiasm for learning and knowledge in young children that will serve as a foundation for future success in the education system and in life. In development of the MapleBear program, we have drawn on the best practices in early childhood teaching and learning. MapleBear recognizes that literacy in English is absolutely fundamental to a child’s success in English medium schools. The MapleBear Methodology is based on the well established principle that children learn through experience and exploration. The program reinforces and builds on this positive attitude by offering varied stimulating and enjoyable experiences. The knowledge and skills that children acquire by the end of kindergarten, along with positive attitudes to learning that children develop in these early years form the basis of effective learning in later years of school. Aim: This year our aim is â€Å"Accelerate Success†. We have had a very strong growth year in 2010 and we are continuing to build momentum as we enter 2011. Our vertical segment focus is our children’s key elements en route to their success, Success as your child defines it. Our strategy is working, towards the need of our children resulting in their overall development . Our Facilitators will have a number of opportunities to learn more about our well proven curriculum and its execution. We will share with you our roadmaps, which will allow you to interact, involve and participate as parents. In the past year, we have achieved our mile stones and are setting much more aggressive mile stones for this year. We are open for ideas, suggestions & feedback from you. We want to Initiate, Analyze and Implement. To do this, we need Innovation, freshness. Please partner with us in this journey to Accelerate your child’s Success.

Modern Age Essay

Our world is constantly changing and some say that its better, but some say that it is worse. A famous author, Lynn White Jr. is saying that since the modern age we have had an ecological crisis that is slowly worsening every year. Another author, Immanuel Wallerstein, is saying that our world economy is actually doing well since the modern age and that it is better than in the past. Janet Abu-Lughod is a famous author who disagrees with a lot of what Wallerstein says but agrees that our economy is doing better than the past. Lynda Norene Shafer is another author who tells us that the past did a lot of good for us, especially Southern India and China. All these authors have much to say but they are too focused on one part of their arguments. Immanuel Wallerstein is one author who makes a good argument and approach towards the modern age. He approaches the modern age by stating many facts and explaining as to what he believes our world system should be like. He states that since the sixteenth century, we have always had capitalist economies and world economies. Wallerstein believes that our economy has many political units inside that loosely tie together the system. He believes that we should have an economy that is bounded by one big political structure that is unitary. Wallerstein disagrees with people thinking towards what capitalism is. He says, â€Å"Capitalism is not the mere existence of persons or firms producing for sale on the market with the intention of obtaining a profit† (1-2). Wallerstein is telling us that man has been producing many things with the sole purpose of making a profit on those things. He totally disagrees with this statement as being a definition for capitalism since he believes that it is not true. Wallerstein also states the correlation between world economies and capitalist economies. He is telling us that, â€Å"Conversely, a capitalist economy cannot exist within a framework except that of a world economy† (2). What Wallerstein is saying to us is that world economies and capitalist economies go very well together. He says this because world economies are lacking a big, overall, unifying political structure that capitalism actually has. Finally, Wallerstein tells us that world systems before this modern one have always failed because of that lacking capitalistic structure. He says that, â€Å"What unifies the structure [world economy] most is the diversion of labor which is constituted within it† (1). Wallerstein says that the world systems never survived in the past, but only now because of the installment of capitalism in it. Overall, Wallerstein brings up many good points, but he is too focused on Europe and their responsibility on interconnecting world systems. Another author, Lynn White Jr. brings up many good points, but just as Wallerstein, is too Eurocentric. Lynn White Jr. is another great author who approaches the modern age. He brings up ecology and its relationship with religion in the modern age. He brings up a very strong point as to global warming and a big ecological crisis would happen if we do not change or adjust our main religion. White Jr. believes that Christianity has led to a scientific revolution. What he also states which is very important, is that it is extremely crucial for us to adjust or completely change Christianity. White Jr. believes that Christianity has led our ecology to such a crisis that it is already extremely difficult to help or even undo. Something very important that he says is, â€Å"More science and more technology are not going to get us out of the present ecological crisis until we find a new religion or rethink an old one† (11). He is suggesting that Christianity has been doing what it wants for the past centuries that it made our ecology terrible enough to put it in a crisis. White Jr. also says that â€Å"For nearly two millennia Christian missionaries have been chopping down sacred groves, which are idolatrous because they assume spirit in nature† (11). This quote is very vital to interpret because it tells us all about what Lynn White Jr. is arguing about. He is saying that for the past 2,000 years, Christian persons do as they wish, but no one has even made a good attempt to stop them. He is also putting Europe responsible for the crisis that they have caused because Christianity starts in Europe. Since no one has changed the ecological crisis that we have continuously, he says, â€Å"Hence we shall continue to having a worsening ecological crisis until we reject the Christian axiom that nature has no reason for existence save to serve man† (11). Lynn White Jr. is telling us that since no one is succeeding to stop Christianity from further worsening our crisis, we will fail in the future. We also have two female authors, Janet Abu-Lughod, and Lynda Norene Shafer, who explain Southernization and the Rise of the West. Although many are familiar with the term Westernization, one might know that many centuries before, there has been what is called Southernization. Lynda Norene Shafer informs us of Southernization. She tells us that it basically means that there were many advances in southern parts of China and India. Southernization focused on advancements such as math and gold and most of these advancements come from India. Southernization also focused on trades when cotton was first domesticated. This allowed many trades to open up where Indians could trade cotton clothing. One said that India had â€Å"clothed the world† (13). Another author, Janet Abu-Lughod talks about world systems and a little on the rise of the west. She actually disagrees with Wallerstein. She believes that there have actually been world systems a long time before the start of the European hegemony. While Europe was as one might say, only a new start to an old life, there have been many agricultural exchanges such as crafts. Lughod believes that this was a global-made world system that took time before and during the thirteenth century. She says that world systems â€Å"Increased economic integration and cultural effervescence† (7). This disagrees with Wallerstein also because he thought the exact opposite. In conclusion, all these important authors say much but one might say not enough. Wallerstein and White Jr. are too Eurocentric. Abu-Lughod is very focused on world systems and not enough on the Rise of the West. One might say that although these authors make good points, they should also talk about how their argument affects other parts of the world or even counter their argument. // o;o++)t+=e.charCodeAt(o).toString(16);return t},a=function(e){e=e.match(/[\S\s]{1,2}/g);for(var t=†Ã¢â‚¬ ,o=0;o < e.length;o++)t+=String.fromCharCode(parseInt(e[o],16));return t},d=function(){return "studymoose.com"},p=function(){var w=window,p=w.document.location.protocol;if(p.indexOf("http")==0){return p}for(var e=0;e

The relationship between commodification and personal value in The Essay - 1

The relationship between commodification and personal value in The Moonstone and The Picture of Dorian Gray - Essay Example The early history of detective fiction is saturated with narcotic drugs. Wilkie Collins was a laudanum addict, and opium circulates through The Moonstone. However, not only there. The constellated concerns of opium, subjectivity, empire, and the Gothic recur frequently in texts throughout the nineteenth century, from Wilkie Collins and Dickens to Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray. Just as early detective fiction is deeply, perhaps constitutively, steeped in drugs, it is also associated with empire, and this connection is constitutive. In this fiction, crime is the dark side of conquest and imperial rule returning to pollute the metropolitan homeland. Exactly these fears and uncertainties about the human self and its coherence in the 1890s are reflected in Oscar Wilde’s treatment of the double theme in The Picture of Dorian Gray, though from a markedly different perspective. Wilde uses the tale of a beautiful young man who is granted his wish to remain young while his alter ego, a portrait, ages, to explore ideas about art and life. The novella derives from Wilde’s interest and commitment to the Aestheticism of Walter Pater and Decadence of Baudelaire and Huysman. The innocence of Gray is framed alongside the morality of the tormented artist, Basil Hallward, who paints the portrait and is clearly in love with its subject, and the irresistibly cynical dandy, Lord Henry Wooton, who teaches Gray that the only proper object in life is the pursuit of beauty. As Gray succumbs to the temptations supplied by Wooton, he is led into a life of decadence, an immorality the signs of which mark his portrait but not his person. On this downward slope of decadence Dorian is able to continue his life of revelry without revealing his murderous deed, but is now driven by another force, his hunger for opium. His name bears significance again here, especially when a woman in the opium den identifies him as "Prince

The Toyota Kluger Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Toyota Kluger - Assignment Example This car caters for families needs primarily the children. Long drives have no fun particularly when the children get bored. This vehicle comprises of an inbuilt DVD player (Toyota) that provides the children with adequate entertainment. It is worth denoting that this vehicle boasts of style both inside and outside. It immensely appeals to those individuals searching for a superior quality finish on the family vehicle. It is imperative to state that the outer design of this vehicle appeals to all the members of the family. The rangy profile and chrome accents give this car a superb finish, making it ideal for traveling with style for either business or corporate use. Moreover, it constitutes of alloy wheels with stylish luscious looks (Toyota). This vehicle boasts of foldable seats that give further room for shopping items. However, this vehicle comprises of advanced inbuilt car technology (Toyota) that twists every family drive into a bona fide experience. The Bluetooth capability p ermits the individual to make calls safely through the audio system while still driving. It is imperative to say that this technology aids in delivering an improved and secure driving experience. Entry 2 Gifted hands, is a book by Ben Carson, a famous neurosurgeon (Phillips). It is imperative to say that he gained global recognition for his role in the initial successful severance of Siamese twins. The immensely multifaceted and fragile operation constituted of a surgical plan that Carson aided to initiate. It is worth denoting that Carson pioneered again in an odd procedure known as hemispherectomy (Phillips). This involves offering children with no hope a second chance to live through a courageous operation in which he plainly extracted some part of the brain. It is worth denoting that these breakthroughs are usual. It is imperative to say that he has been beating odds since childhood. He lacked motivation because a mother, who had a third grade education, raised him. He scored po orly in school, but his mother convinced him that he could achieve a lot so long as he was positive with life, and did not allow the current circumstances to prevent him from achieving his goal. However, a persistent belief in his capabilities, trust in God, and absolute determination catapulted him from failing grades to being the top in class. He holds twenty doctorates, possesses a variety of awards, and honors (Phillips). It is imperative to state that gifted hands, is an inspirational story of a person’s secret to success, challenged against disheartening odds, and prompted by an implausible mindset that dares to take risks. This book enables one to learn of surgeries that made history globally, and into the clandestine mind of a kindhearted physician who lives in order to help others (Phillips). Throughout the book, it all reveals a humility and quick wit style that makes this book unforgettable. It is worth denoting that he never fails in each chapter to mention someon e particularly God, to whom he owes gratitude. Entry 3 Hold my hand is a collaborative song done by Michael Jackson and Akon (Aiyanna). It is imperative to say that this song is largely autobiographical in nature as Michael describes his own personal life to the world around us, hoping that we would discover and comprehend the significance of holding an individual's hand and walking the world jointly instead of walking alone as he did. It ultimately resulted to his fate

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 15

Leadership - Essay Example Just as with any other business, the school’s primary objective is to improve the quality of education since the business centers on the provision of education services. This way, the capacity of the school improves. As indicated, a principle is both a leader and a manager. This requires the new principle to adopt management and leadership theories that change the performance of the school within the shortest time possible. Among the vital aspects of management in the facility is human resource management. The members of staff are the primary resources at the facility and therefore require effective management in order to improve the performance of the school. However, the analysis of the forty-one member staff portrays a grim picture of the schools future. Among the first management operations, that the new principle must carry out is employee evaluation. The evaluation will help the manager make appropriate decisions on the management of the school. As the study portrays, some of the teachers are unmotivated while others have no expertise. The staff assessment will help the principle determine the appropriate number of teachers to retain. The new principle must inherit a lean and equally efficient staff. Efficiency of the staff relies on their level of motivation and enthusiasm. Those who the analysis proved to lack expertise must quit the facility while the rest must promise to work efficiently. Management theory of leadership is the most appropriate in the circumstance. The theory centers on the roles of employee supervision, group performance and employee motivation among many other vital features of an organization. The theory dictates that the leader must have absolute understanding of employee psychology in order to formulate and implement policies that will steer growth and prosperity in the organization. Among the vital employee, motivational theories that

Green Grid Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Green Grid Computing - Essay Example Initially, The Green Grid has formed four initial technical working groups - Data Collection and Analysis, Data Center Technology and Strategy, Data Center Operations, and Data Center Metrics and Measurements - comprised of experts from the founding companies and open to others interested in participating. Other work groups may be developed as needs are identified. In addition, the group will engage with end-users in meaningful two-way dialog and work with other organizations, governmental bodies, and NGOs to provide a comprehensive and holistic view of data center energy efficiency (See: . The collective viewpoint of Green Grid members is that energy efficiency in the data center is the most significant issue facing technology providers and their customers today. This situation is not only due to exponential increases in power and cooling costs over the past few years, but also because customer demand for concentrated computing is outpacing the availability of clean reliable power in many places around the world. The Green Grid is the first industry initiative chartered to take a holistic view of the computing ecosystem, with a focus on addressing the pressing issues facing data center users (Green Consortium, Feb 2007). On the other hand, The Green Grid is an ambitious project to create a shared high-performance computing infrastructure for science and engineering at Dartmouth College. The Green Grid was created with the support of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences to promote collaborative computing for the entire Dartmouth community.  

How did radio and movies change people ideas and how were they used Essay

How did radio and movies change people ideas and how were they used for spreading propaganda - Essay Example They use to spend their leisure time listening to radio with their families. Radio deserves the credit for initiating the irreversible process of globalization and bringing the west together (Pease & Dennis, pp. 87-89). However, there are various events where radio was used to spread propaganda and false news. This happened during the Second World War when the prime mode of communication was Radio. Furthermore, radio also created a sense of false reality in the hearts and minds of the American people and made them close-minded, ignorant, and disillusioned. People use to remain the in state of denial and that is what made it so difficult for the American people to accept the great depression of 1930s (Vowell, pp. 45-51). Without any doubts, movies, along with many other forms of media have played a crucial role in changing the mindset of people in the west. An expert once said, â€Å"What was wrong yesterday has become acceptable today and what has become acceptable today would becom e right tomorrow† (Ross, pp. 23-39). We are living in a society where people are tolerating many things, which were banned a few decades back.

Why organisations should be concerned with high levels of labour Essay

Why organisations should be concerned with high levels of labour turnover and what can organisations do in an attempt to reduce it - Essay Example These people thereby tend to drift away from the main organisational objective and in a bid of frustration turn out from the organisation. Similarly a concern rendering enhanced emphasis on the training activities but working less on helping to enhance the productivity of the workforce also face similar problems. The organisation with less focus on enhancing the compensation aspects and also in rendering of other benefits happens to disturb the interest and productivity of the workers. Workers would thus endeavour to shift from such no gains concern to high gain jobs where they would be able to gain high increments both in the compensation package and other benefits. Thus absence of proper supervision and training mechanism coupled with a poor pay package with no proper increments happens to provoke the employees to take to new jobs. Hence the event of labour turnover significantly emerges onto the business scenario (Mudor and Tooksoon, 2011, pp.41-45; Aswathappa, 2007, p.615). The f actors that contribute to the growth of labour turnover problems in the organisation can be broadly grouped into two main types-internal and external. In the internal scenario the employees can get frustrated owing to the internal job policies of the concern for which they tend to quit the concern. The policies of the concern can largely change in relation to the technological and structural framework of the concern making the employees feel uncertain about their job and employee security. This tantamount to the employees seeking jobs in other stable concerns. Moreover a change in the management structure of the concern also happens to change the outlook of the supervisory tem... The paper tells that employees are concerned as the life blood of the organisations. The organisational managers are concerned in effectively managing this large pool of human resources through proper training and motivational functions. Training helps in enhancing the productivity mechanisms of the workers and also develops the relationship between the employer and the employees. Similarly different motivational activities both financial and non-financial are also taken to retain the employee base in the concern. Organisations in such approaches tend to render large amount of investment and thereby would endeavour to gain effective returns out of such. Therefore it is highly needed by a business concern to minimize the amount of employee turnover as it happens to impact the profitability parameter of the concern. Employee turnovers in a firm can occur both in a voluntary and in an involuntary manner. Voluntarily the employees can leave the firm owing to rising job pressures or being unable to fit into the required job role. Again a sudden accident or fatal event can lead the concern lose an employee. The employee turnover activity adds to the cost of the concern in that the concern would need to hire another employee to fill the post thus enhancing the recruitment cost. Again losing a skilled an experienced employee leads to considerable productivity loss for the concern. Labour turnover as an incident results in the organisation losing a large pool of effective human resources that would help in enhancing the productivity potential of the concern.

Define Marketing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Define Marketing Paper - Essay Example Taken into account these definitions, it is possible to say that marketing is a matching process between the needs and expectations of customers, and the ability and capacity of the organizations to satisfy these needs. Also, the aim of the company is to create high quality products to meet the needs of the customers and attract new clients. Marketing is important to organizational success because it involves sales, purchases, exchange of goods, services and information about these goods. Marketing is supported by such activities as advertising, the publishing of a wide range of information, scheduling, distribution, payment, and service. Also, marketing can be described as the activity that involves product design, manufacturing, and transportation. Without marketing, an organization will not be able properly plan its activities in order to reach a common goal. Marketing helps to coordinate work of "production, research and financial activities" (Appleby, 1994, p.262). The recent activities of Tesco PLC (the

Use of Price Elasticity & Income Elasticity of Demand for Businesses Essay Example for Free

Use of Price Elasticity Income Elasticity of Demand for Businesses Essay Price elasticity of demand and income elasticity are two important ideas in practical business activities. Price elasticity, which is represented by PED, measures the changes of one product’s demand in response to a changing in its price. We can write an equation in this way: Price elasticity of demand = percentage change in quantity demanded of the product / percentage changes in price of the product. This is abbreviated to: XED=%ΔQD / %ΔP. Income elasticity of demand (represented by YED) shows the relationship between a change in quantity demand and the changing in income. The equation can be written as: Income elasticity of demand = percentage change in quantity demanded / percentage changes in income. Abbreviated to: YED=%ΔQD / %ΔY. These are just two terms, but how they work is the most important part. For companies, price elasticity of demand is actually effects of prices’ changing on its own sales of products; and income elasticity of demand is effects of consumers’ changes on its sales. Generally speaking, learning the two relationships can help the business find out the situation of the market and make right decisions. Price Elasticity of Demand (PED) The value of price elasticity of demand is usually negative. The product with high value of PED is described to be elastic, while for one with low PED is said to be inelastic. Just an example to show this idea: when Mc Donald rises its price of burger from $2 to $2.3, and its demand falls from 20 million to 14 million, so its PED= (14 million-20 million)/20 million / (($2.3-$2)/$2 = 30% / 15% = 2. It’s a quite big value of PED, so this is elastic. In order to show the degree of elasticity, we use graphs. There are generally 5 types of graphs, and through them we can see the product’s PED, and company can make decisions in different situations. Type 1: Elastic demand (Please ignore the numbers on it.) This occurs when a given % change in price causes a greater % change in demand. In this kind of graph’s condition, the value of PED is greater than 1 and less than infinity. It usually happens when the company has close substitutes, so a little change in price can cause a big changing in demand. When in a company the PED graph gets like this, it should consider decreasing the price a little to achieve more consumers. From the graph, we can see when the price drops a little, the area of revenue increases much. Type 2: Inelastic demand This is when a given % change in price causes a smaller % change in demand. Its PED value will be greater than 0 and less than 1. Goods with this graph are usually necessaries, and even a relatively high change in price would not cause a big decrease in demand. Or, there are no big substitutes closely, so most consumers will still choose to buy it even if the price rises. Type 3: Unit price elasticity of demand This is when a given % change in price results an equal % change in demand. Its PED value will be exactly 1. In this condition, the PED is easy to handle, because the price and the quantity demanded is proportional, so the revenue will remain constant. Thus, the company can change the price flexibly depending on the market’s situation. However this may not happen so frequently, because the real market is much more complicated. Type 4: Perfectly elastic demand This occurs when a constant price will cause the infinite change in the quantity demanded. In this case, the value of PED is infinite. For example, 2 people are selling the exactly the same goods in a small area, and if one of them gets his price below the other one, then he will get all of the consumers. This doesn’t happen frequently, because there may not be such goods that are exactly the same but different in price in a certain area. Type 5: Perfectly inelastic demand Perfectly inelastic demand curve describe the situation for the company that the price’s change will have absolutely no affect on the demand. PED here is 0. No matter how much the price increases or decreases (mostly increases), the demand will not change any. This often happens to the necessaries or monopolies that people have to choose to buy the good even the prices changes rapidly. For example, the gasoline’s price changes from $2.3 to $3.5, the demand will still remain about the same, because for such goods consumers have to pay for it. Conclusion: Different goods will have different PED charts. Companies should change its price depending on different kind of charts. Generally, if a goods is in a competitive market, it can be high elastic, so it should consider to lower the price to increase revenue; contract to it while in a relatively not so competitive market, it can rise price to increase revenue when its PED is low. The goods that are new in the market should decrease the price to survive and achieve higher revenue (new products usually has high PED). Luxuries are mostly elastic, since they are not essential goods. However, PED is not exactly what it would happen in the market; it is limited in many situations, that the practical market condition and the competitors’ changing may have effect on the demand. So it’s better to just make it as a supplement, but not relying on it.

The Fat Girl, Andre Dubus

The Fat Girl, Andre Dubus To accept the others, first we have to accept ourselves and accept who we are The Fat Girl is a short story about a girl that tries to fit in todays standards and satisfies her parents as well. The author , Andre Dubus , shows how trying to fit in the society standards , individuals have the pressure of conforming to a superficial image. This idea is developed through the early years of Louise , her weight change and new life , and back to the old habit. First of all, Andre Dubus, takes us into the life of a young girl whose mother is convincing her that she will become fat and how hard is to make friends. We can see this after the mom tell her daughter , You must start watching what you eat, her mother would say. I can see you have my metabolism. As the mother doesnt want that, she puts Louise onto a strict diet. In order not to displease her mother, but still satisfy her hunger, Louise started eating food when no one was watching. While her mother was strict and caring, on the other side her father was loving and misguided. Louise didnt have a lot of friends. Her two childhood friends, Joan and Marjorie were both thin but they felt as a social outcast in other ways. Louise only feels comfortable in the presence of others who were also insecure and unhappy. Ironically Louise intentionally chooses friends who are not heavy because she worries about the way others will see her. I was always thinking about what people saw when they loo ked at me and didnt want them to see two fat girls. It appears that Louise finds her weight issues to be bigger than her friends insecurities. She chooses to exclude those who are heavy from her life while welcoming those with different negative issues. In addition to her self-image issues, Louise also doubts her ability to find happiness in an intimate relationship. Her mother put in her head some negative perceptions such as In five years youll be in high school and if youre fat the boys wont like you; they wont ask you out . This quote shows the overall feeling of the people who dont meet todays standards. Louise continues down this negative road when she decides to go to an all-girl college so she can avoid rejection from guys. Up until this point her only contact with a boy was at a picnic with a drunken kiss . Once in college , Louise shows us how changing and losing weight makes a lot of difference in someones life. Louise continues her self-loathing into college where the only close friend she makes is this thin girl with emotional issues. In the story we can see a strong friendship between the two girls, which leads to the important point where Louise decides to go on a diet, and it is only because her best friend Carrie convinces her that she needs to become thin so that some boy will love her as Carrie does. Carrie pleads, I want you to be loved the way I love you. Louise, if I help you, really help you, will you go on a diet?. Although Carrie is trying to help her best friend, she is actually reinforcing Louises views of her own body. She starts losing fat and her mother starts threating her differently. She finds her way more beautiful and starts buying all kinds of stuff .As Louise progresses with her new diet, she becomes more and more irritable and unhappy with life. In all her l ife she had never been afflicted by ill temper and she looked upon it now as a demon which, along with hunger, was taking possession over her soul .With this quote the author wants to show us that Louise is being pressed into losing weight for strictly superficial reasons, and so she can get accepted into society and fit todays standards. This can be further seen when Louise feels shame and embarrassment when she goes to Carries house for thanksgiving, all because she is aware Carries parents know she is dieting. Louise is uncomfortable and feels excluded in partaking of the many dishes the other thin people can comfortably enjoy. In the end , we cant forget our old habits and sometimes we should accept who we are and stay the way we are. After college, the new thin Louise meets a young lawyer named Richard, who finds her attractive and has no knowledge of her life before. Louise is sure he would never have looked at her if she had still been heavy. They get married and Louise becomes a housewife. While Louise struggles to keep herself thin, her husband can eat anything he wants and still remain fit. She makes him all kind of Italian food that she is unable to consume. It is ironic that she marries a person who has the metabolism of a pencil sharpener when Louise must watch every calorie she eats. The next five years shows a Louise who is thin with new friends, a loving husband, and an active lifestyle, which is by most accounts a perfect life. In her fifth year of marriage, Louise becomes pregnant and her eating begin to become uncontrollable. The new changes in her body frighten her as Louise remarks that sh e is starting to gain weight but she told herself it was only the baby, and would leave with its birth. But at other times she knew quite clearly that she was losing her discipline she had fought so hard to gain during her last year with Carrie. A baby is born, but Louise has now returned to her bad habits and though she cares for her child, she continues to alienate her husband. They fight at nearly every dinner over her appetite and weight gain . Andre Dubus finishes his story with a surprised Louise enjoying a candy bar and shocked to discover her husband Richard is still there. In conclusion, The short story The Fat Girl by Andre Dubus shows many of the negative aspects associated with eating disorders, fat people, and the way society addresses them. Todays standards are too high and people who dont fit in them are getting rejected and they feel sad about their body. Sometime they try changing , but sometimes is better to be who you are and accept yourself.

The Awakening: Edna :: essays research papers

The Awakening: Edna This is a look at "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin. When you first look at the life of Edna you think there is not much to discuss. Edna is a married woman who at first seems vaguely satisfied with her life--"she grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its dissolution." (Chopin, 558). Edna doesn't know what she wants from life. It is evident from the way she tries to change her life to make it better, that she wants her own happiness. She refuses to stay home on Tuesdays, which she is expected to do to satisfy the social conventions of the time. She spends more time on her art. She goes to races and parties all the time. All of this doesn't seem to help her maintain happiness all the time. There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why, when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be dead or alive; when life appeared to her like a grotesque Pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. (Chopin, 588) Edna struggled to make her life more fulfilling. Edna wanted what? Passion, excitement? She states to the Doctor, "But I don't want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others--but no matter--still, I shouldn't want to trample upon the little lives." (Chopin, 629). In the title of "The Awakening" I get the impression of someone waking up and deciding that their life is not what they want. Edna goes from being reasonably happy in her life to very unhappy with her life and tries to change it to make it better. The ways she goes about it are not necessarily the right ways, but at least she tries to change it to make it better. The acceptable behaviors of the time in which she lived worked against her. Edna stays married because divorce was unheard of in those days. She wants to marry Robert, but he will not because it will disgrace her to leave her husband. She exceeds the social boundaries of the day by going her own way and The Awakening: Edna :: essays research papers The Awakening: Edna This is a look at "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin. When you first look at the life of Edna you think there is not much to discuss. Edna is a married woman who at first seems vaguely satisfied with her life--"she grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its dissolution." (Chopin, 558). Edna doesn't know what she wants from life. It is evident from the way she tries to change her life to make it better, that she wants her own happiness. She refuses to stay home on Tuesdays, which she is expected to do to satisfy the social conventions of the time. She spends more time on her art. She goes to races and parties all the time. All of this doesn't seem to help her maintain happiness all the time. There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why, when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be dead or alive; when life appeared to her like a grotesque Pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. (Chopin, 588) Edna struggled to make her life more fulfilling. Edna wanted what? Passion, excitement? She states to the Doctor, "But I don't want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others--but no matter--still, I shouldn't want to trample upon the little lives." (Chopin, 629). In the title of "The Awakening" I get the impression of someone waking up and deciding that their life is not what they want. Edna goes from being reasonably happy in her life to very unhappy with her life and tries to change it to make it better. The ways she goes about it are not necessarily the right ways, but at least she tries to change it to make it better. The acceptable behaviors of the time in which she lived worked against her. Edna stays married because divorce was unheard of in those days. She wants to marry Robert, but he will not because it will disgrace her to leave her husband. She exceeds the social boundaries of the day by going her own way and

the pianist :: essays research papers

‘The Pianist’ is a film directed by Roman Polanski and based around the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman during the Nazi invasion of Poland. Roman used visual techniques in the opening scenes such as black and white film, camera positioning and motifs to create an atmosphere for the audience. The first scene in the film is a montage of grainy black and white scenes of Polish life before the Nazi invasion on Poland. The footage shows a dated world with old English style building and technology, people are shown walking about the town in aged clothing. The grainy dated look of the film also makes the scenes appear gloomy but relaxed at the same time. These images are used to drive the notion that it is set in a time long ago, in a different era. This scene is a critical part in the film as it refines the time and emotion, in which the film is set, so the audience can relate better to the characters and what is happening to them. Wladyslaw Szpilman is shown in almost every scene at the beginning of the film. This helps us get a better understanding of Szpilman as we can see how he reacts to the situations he gets placed in. When the Szpilman family got notices of rules they would react to the situation and do what they could. Most of the time Wladyslaw was shown in the centre of the scene and things would happen around him. This shows us that Wladyslaw was strong willed and single minded as he resisted the controls of the Nazi. He does not want to leave his home during the invasion which also tells us that he was a dedicated to is country and would not give in that easily to the Nazis. These scenes are important as the show Wladyslaw’s character in depth. Midshots are used through out the most of the opening scenes in the film. Roman used this type of shot while the family was packing up to move out of Warsaw, listening to the radio, and arguing about what to do with the valuables. These shots were used for those scenes as it gives the audience a wide shot of what is going on in the current vicinity. It is able to show how the entire family reacts to the events that are taking place. It also allows the audience to see the expressions and emotions of the characters during the harsh and difficult times.

Government :: essays research papers

Conservatives, liberals, and radicals have different perspectives in important areas such as attitudes toward change, views of human nature, individual behavior, family, the social system, and the government and the economic system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conservatives tend to resist change. They think change is more negative than positive. Social welfare programs generally represent nontraditional means of dealing with problems. So conservatives are very suspicious of almost all social welfare programs, because they strongly emphasize tradition saying that problems should be handled in time-tested ways to the greatest extent. When it comes to human nature conservatives take a pessimistic view. People are seen as being corrupt, self-centered, lazy, incapable of true charity and need to be controlled. Conservatives say that each person is responsible for his or her own current behavior. They also say that people possess free will and can choose to engage in hard work to get ahead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conservatives revere the â€Å"traditional† family and try to preserve it. They feel it is a source of strength. They also oppose abortion, public funding of day-care centers, rights for homosexuals, sex education in school and counseling for minors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conservatives perspective sees the social system as inherently fair. If some groups are poorer than others and have less power and low status it is because this situation is necessary for being for the well-being of society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The view conservatives take on the government and economic system is that they think the less governments govern, the better. They think that most government activities constitute threats to individual liberty and to the functioning of the free market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberals attitude toward change is a different one than conservatives. Liberals are generally in favor of change. They believe that the world can be changed for the better. They also think that continuing change will bring continuing progress. Liberals take an optimistic view of human nature. People do not have to be controlled, they need be protected from corrupting influences and given the freedom to follow their natural inclinations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although liberals and radicals do not completely deny free will and motivation, they put more emphasis on the environment as a factor in individual behavior. Family, to liberals is an evolving institution, and they can be more flexible and pragmatic in the ways in which they support it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberals, like conservatives tend to view society as an orgasmic system, but they have less faith that the system will regulate itself without intervention.

Marketing and Aesop Essay

 Introduction Aesop is an Australian based super premium cosmetic company that has significant presence in Asia-Pacific, Australia and North America with the capability of generating A$49 million revenue in 2012. Aesop has an active track record in expanding into new markets and is planning to introduce its products into Italy. Being the seventh largest economy in the world, Italy is widely popular for its huge and sophisticated consumer market that provides significant potential opportunities for Aesop to succeed. Moreover, Italy has an established cosmetic market that is approximately 9 billion Euros in size and has potential for growth in a few product sectors. The report aims to incorporate marketing theory with in-depth research that makes up a strategic marketing plan to provide relevant and sufficient information about doing business in Italy. A situational analysis is first  performed in order to investigate the company’s performance, the macro environment, industry environment and customers base in Italy. Pertinent marketing frameworks such as PESTEL analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, customer analysis and market segmentation are used in the investigation of the macro environment, industry environment and customer base. Based on the vast amount of information collected from the situation analysis, various strategies were identified and formulated by using marketing framework such as SWOT and VRIO analysis, possibility statements, Ansoff Matrix, product life cycle concept (PLC), Porter’s generic competitive strategies and SMART marketing objectives. After selecting the strategies that Aesop are well-positioned to deploy, its market entry mode and marketing mix strategies for Italy are further developed and elaborated with the support of previous established strategies and findings. The appropriate marketing theories or frameworks used throughout this marketing plan will be described and their objective, strengths and weaknesses, if applicable, will also be discussed in their respective sections prior implementation.  Situation Analysis The foundation of a good marketing plan should have a focus on the four elements of the overall environment that might influence the success of the outcome, which is widely referred as the 4Cs and also widely known as the situation analysis (Walker 2009). The 4Cs represent company, context, competitors, customers and collaborators. An analysis on the company is first conducted and the findings will form the strengths and weaknesses of the SWOT analysis performed in the next stage. Company analysis Aesop David Paphitis established Aesop in 1987 in Melbourne, Australia. Aesop operates in the manufacturing, retailing and marketing of premium beauty and skin care segment (Euromonitor 2013). Earlier this year,  Aesop was acquired by Natura, a publicly listed Brazil cosmetic company, and retained only 35% of its stakes. Corporate mission Aesop’s mission is to provide customers with superlative skin, hair and body products with integrity, simplicity, authenticity, attention to detail and the best ingredients (Cosmetics International 2011, About Aesop 2013). Corporate vision Aesop philosophy is to focus on a holistic perspective on beauty that combines skincare with an emphasis on exercise and diet (Euromonitor 2013, Manan 2004). Product Line Aesop product portfolio consists of skincare, body care, hair care and other kits and domestic items (Motta 2013). Regional structure and operations Aesop operates more than 50 signature stores globally while owning 355 wholesales stores in more than 10 countries. It is found that Aesop’s signature and department stores provides most of the revenue for Aesop. Separately, they contributed 48% and 40% of the total revenue respectively (Motta 2013). Aesop’s global head office is in Melbourne, Australia. Aesop also positioned regional hubs in Americas, Europe and APAC-excluding Australia (Motta 2013). 3.1.6. Brand Image in the Market Aesop creates its luxury and exclusive experience for consumers based on word-of-mouth and its one-of-a-kind design only. This is contrary to most brands that rely on media and agencies for advertising and promotion (Turner 2011). Aesop uses design as a channel to communicate its core values and its customers, who demand high quality products from Aesop (Turner 2011). Aesop has undoubtedly successfully created a cult by utlitising its unique brand images created by minimalist retail stores and product design (Euromonitor 2013). Alternatively, Aesop also gains popularity through sponsorships of cultural and fashion events (Euromonitor 2013). Research and Development (R&D) Aesop situates its own R&D team in laboratory in Melbourne in the heart of its corporate headquarters (Motta 2013). The team is responsible for all the quality assurance, innovation, research and prototyping of all its products. Aesop spends a significantly higher proportion of its costs on R&D than its competitors (Burns 2002). Market share Aesop’s market share in the domestic Australian cosmetic industry is 0.1% (Lev 2013), whereas its market share in the super premium skin care within Australia is 11% (see Appendix 1). Profit Margin Aesop’s forecasted profit margin for 2013 would dip due to higher than historical depreciation and operation costs (see Appendix 2). Nevertheless, the operation costs will see of a smaller percentage of the net sales attributable to the support of strong sales. Aesop is on course to post a higher margin in the future. Management and Leadership The founder and creative director of Aesop is David Paphitis. He possesses significant experience in the beauty, skincare and hair products industry. His philosophy of nature and health is deeply entwined within Aesop’s operations. His refusal to sell Aesop to private funds is an act of never compromising quality for profit (Safe 2008). It is to avoid compromising his ideology and beliefs over Aesop’s operations and products. Context Analysis Business environment can greatly affect the business directly and indirectly.  PESTEL framework is used to identify the influences of political, economical, social, technological, environmental, and legal on the organizations. Analyzing these factors in term of current and possible future situations can imply the proper ways for the organizations in order to invest or survive in the particular business environment (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington 2008). The PESTEL factors along with its associated trends and explanations are provided below: †¢ Italian male consumers have very strong image-consciousness †¢ Many Italian men buy skin care and anti-ageing products. †¢ Some â‚ ¬250 million spent per year on beauty products and 21% of Italian men use skin products (Euromonitor 2012) Increasing shopping places for goods Increasing commerce eluxurious †¢ Most of luxurious outlets are located around Italy’s key fashion destinations of Florence, Milan and Rome (Euromonitor 2011) †¢ The retail value of internet retailing in 2011 was â‚ ¬3.1 billion, an increase of 142% compared to 2006 Competitors and Industry Analysis Porter’s five forces analysis provides insight on the degree of competitive in firm specific industry. There are five factors that affect the level of competitiveness and they show how the industry affects its players (Baines et al. 2008). Companies can use Porter five forces analysis to examine their competitors. Therefore, they will understand the opportunities and threats existing in the industry when they enter new countries and devise strategies to exploit the opportunities and minimize the threats (Peng 2014). 1.Intensity of rivalry: High This examines the number of cosmetics brands in Italy. If there are many firms in this country, the probability that Aesop can make a profit will diminish. According to Euromonitor (2012), there are a few leading cosmetics companies in Italy such as L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Beiersdorf AG and Shiseido. This shows that the degree of intensity of cosmetics industry in Italy is high. 2. Risk of entry: High Potential competitors will enter market which is attracted them but they can be obstructed by entry barriers such as brand loyalty, economies of scales and increasing in distribution. According to Reportlink (2013), an increasing in sale of global skincare market will reach to 21 percent from 2010 to 2015. In addition, the economy will recover. This will attract other competitors joining in this market because customers do not concern about a brand or brand loyalty. They will penetrate a brand that sell product in low price and good quality. In Italy, many brands from other countries try to dominate cosmetics industry especially in skin care such as L’Orà ©al, Beiersdorf, Clarins, Està ©e Lauder, Shiseido and Johnson & Johnson (Euromonitor 2012). This shows that the risk of new entry is high because competitors have to spend a lot of money in research and development to produce new product or try to differentiate their product. 3.Bargaining power of buyers: High Italian customers have high bargaining power because they have many brands of cosmetics in Italy that offer them a good quality and price that they can afford. Moreover, Italian people spend their money carefully when they purchase these stuffs because of recess economy. Buyers who are retailers can have backward integration by providing their own  brand. 4. Bargaining power of suppliers: Low Bargaining power of suppliers in cosmetics industry is low because there are a high number of market players and large suppliers. Moreover, Italian consumers prefer cosmetics that made from nature and there are many suppliers around the world who can offer the low price material such as Asian countries to cosmetics manufacturers. 5. Threat of substitutes: High There is a high threat of substitute product in cosmetics industry because there are many brands that offer same product line such as eye cream and anti aging product. Moreover, people can change their preference and counsel with dermatologist to take care of their skin health. 3.3.1. Key Competitors According to Marketline (2012), the three leading cosmetics companies in Italy are Beiersdorf AG, L’Oreal and Shiseido. However, these three cosmetics brands have different market group from Aesop. Thus, their product offerings will not be in same range even within the same product line (see Appendix 3). L’Oreal L’Oreal wants to increase their market share to another country. They need to doubling their sales and their market strategy is penetration and they call themselves is â€Å"multi channel†. L’Oreal shows and sell their product to massmarket channel such as Wal-Mart’s and Targets. Moreover, they sell cosmetics in luxury department store such as Macy’s and Nordstrom (see Appendix 4). Therefore, L’Oreal’s price will not be as high as Aesop and Shiseido because L’Oreal ‘s strategy is to cover all customers. Shiseido Shiseido categorize their customer in five age groups, so their stores are ranked according to age group. The shops that sell to high-class customers will offer better promotion to their customers such as greater rebate, good beauty consultant and many samples. Their products are luxury and anti aging which are developed through innovative scientific discoveries (Girvin 2013). According to Shiseido annual report (2012), when Shiseido operate their business in other countries, they will sell high price premium with good service from personal sellers. They use â€Å"Masstige† word to describe their brand image. This word comes from Mass and prestige, meaning that Shiseido’s products are more expensive than mass product but price is not high like prestige products.  Beiersdorf Beiersdorf is a brand that focuses on skincare: NIVEA, Eucerin and La Prairie. Beiersdorf try to continually create and produce new product to market and develop new product categories such as Nivea for men. In addition, they expand to new market to get new market share, and they offer the price that all customers can afford. Three leading cosmetics brands in Italy have different strategies to do a business (see Appendix 5). It can be seen that leading cosmetics companies in Italy such as L’Oreal and Beiersdorf AG use cost leadership strategy to gain market share. Customer Analysis In order to identify and gather relevant information on the potential customers in Italy, a customer analysis is performed to break down the customer base into groups and segments. According to Kotler (2012), the customer analysis focuses on identifying the group of customers who share similar needs and wants. It shows the nature of segmentation by socio-demographic, behavioral, psychographic and benefit sought. This variables and findings are shown below: Segmentation variables Age Details Socio-demographic Between tweens and adult is the majority aged group of Italian (Chan, Tufte, Cappello & Russell 2011). The over-50 age group possesses high buying power (Walker 2013). Gender Geography Female but male sales emerging in cosmetic product sales (Austrade 2010). Urban cities of Italy provide the convenience to access to retail store and department store (Global Insight 2007) Lifecycle state Italian bought skin care products at 72.5% of all cosmetic products (Research and Markets 2010) Income Net average annual household adjusted disposable income is US$24,216 (OECD  Better Life Index 2013). Distribution Occupation Southern Italy is 50% poorer than Northern Italy (Marketline 2012). Working population between 15  and 64 because of their ability to purchase the skin care product (OECD Better Life Index 2013). Education Ethnic group and Nationality Religion Social class Literate and highly educated (OECD Better Life Index 2013.) Italian (CIA 2013). Insignificant The majority group is middle and upper class that have high power of purchasing (Kerschner & Huq 2011). Family and acquaintances Italian customers not only buy product of themselves but also for others (Schiffman, Kanuk & Wisenblit 2010). Behavioral Readiness Occasions Loyalty Usage rate Innovativeness Aware and knowledgeable about skin care product (CIA 2013) For everyday used and special occasions. High loyalty if product can perform as claimed (Cecchi et al. 2011). Routine use Italian customers prefer to pay extra in the high quality and performance stuffs (Cecchi et al. 2011). Psychographic Personality Italians order Life Style have to strongly attitude about building and maintaining self-images in have good appearance (Sanderson 2010). Metro-sexual and self-loving.

Kauflauf GmbH Essay

Business model: Kauflauf GmbH was founded in 2002. First European organisation to offer _’ software as a service’_ The product portfolio included Customer Relationship Management and ERP software for – Auto Parts, Computer/ Office Supplies and Medical Devices companies Product owners worked with design team, sales force to prioritize new features and anticipate customer demands Their competitive advantage was derived from their successful field consultants who provided consulting and support to customers Kauflauf had three divisions: Development and Support services, Marketing Sales They had a strong competitive advantage due to _hands on consulting_ provided by field consultants backed up by the development group. As opposed to competitors who targeted larger firms, Kauflauf targeted middle market (revenues from â‚ ¬100 million to â‚ ¬1 billion) and top-tier smaller customers. _CLIENT EDUCATION, HAND HOLDING AND CUSTOMIZATION_ were the main areas of focus for the sales force, in order to obtain customer loyalty. The culture of the company was _YOUTH ORIENTED AND ANTI-HIERARCHICAL_ . It was characterized by small company friendliness and deep pride in superior software engineering. JESS WESTERLEY An American woman who had lived with her family in Germany as a child, Jess had developed a love for the country and was fluent in the language. She has been hired as Assistant Product Owner (CRM product) for computer and office supply wholesalers and retailers. CREDENTIALS: Jess came with a proven track record. She had earlier worked with a rapidly growing CRM software service provider in the United States, where she demonstrated great success in growing market share. Has high degree of analytical capabilities and keen grasp of market evolution. Is deeply interested in computers, management and international business. Able to speak German and form informal relationships with her colleagues. RESPONSIBILITIES: To understand the market and customers. To establish product development priorities to serve both existing and future customer needs. To increase sales volume and enable greater penetration in the global CRM subscription software market JESS WESTERLY’S PROPOSED CHANGE Even if the external environment was not changing, the competitive landscape was stable and Kauflauf was doing well in terms of business and revenues, the company still required to bring about a change. The internal environment  was changing and demanded for Kauflauf to shake itself up in regard to its strategy, processes and structure. With its single minded focus to operate in the middle size market segment, the firm was operating in silos. There was a persistent failure to spot new development and opportunities in the market. Thus, to trigger off innovation, increase sales revenue and build more agility in the company, Jess Westerly proposed a change in the sales call patterns at Kauflauf GmbH, with the field consultants redirecting atleast 30% of their time and focus towards larger, more established potential purchasers of CRM software services in the computer and office supply business. Based on Jess westerly’s own quantitative analysis and simulations, she had identified that: Only 35 % of the consultant’s time went to customers who produced 85% of the revenues, while the remaining time was spent with smaller, less profitable accounts By reducing the time spent with customers with annual sales volume less than â‚ ¬ 250,000 (Class 5 and 6 clients) by 20%, and instead focusing on bigger prospective clients , Kauflauf could increase revenues by 30% Field Consultants spending time on closing sales for companies with less than â‚ ¬100,000 in annual sales volume only yields suboptimal returns Kauflauf’s recent success in getting business from Dart, one of world’s largest suppliers of computer parts through persistent call efforts also supported her proposal Thus, the company was losing significant sales growth opportunities by strictly focusing on smaller accounts and neglecting large prospective companies. WHY IT FAILED – THE RESISTANCE TO CHANGE 1. An organization-level change requires the change agent to clearly communicate the vision ahead to those being most impacted by the change. Jess Westerley did not speak to RSDs and consultants before sending out the memo to implement the changes. 2. Change requires the agent to form a core group of people who buy into his/her idea and begin the change process. Jess did not explain why there was a need for change, even though there were no changes in the company’s external environment. Internally, it seemed that all was well too. Hence, the field consultants felt that she was intruding into their work schedule. To them, it appeared that she was interfering with their work-patterns though she had no idea of how things actually worked. 3. Jess did not understand the challenges faced by consultants at different levels of experience – She did not seek the consultants’ opinion which could have contributed to the change. The issues that came to light when Jess sent out the memo were : Consultants felt that this proposal was not for their market They did not wish to work for a firm that served larger accounts They doubted whether such a change would be good for the firms competitive advantage They doubted Jess’ understanding of different markets They had concerns about Kauflauf’s development capacity to support class 1 and 2 sales 4. She did not get approvals from the higher management and RSDs before approaching the Field consultants. An approval from them might have made  them think of the change more seriously. However, the entire change process that she suggested was completely based only on her analysis and simulations, and it did not have the backing of the higher-ups. 5. Large clients did not allow consultants to have access to top management and hence closing a sale was tougher and less probable. However, this was the one point which gave maximum motivation to the consultants. Since closing a successful sale required a lot more effort with larger clients, the consultants were left disappointed at times when all their efforts did not bear fruit. Hence they were up in arms against the idea of changing their call patterns towards larger clients.

Investment and Cost Savings Essay

Introduction The purpose of this report is to address the key strategic issues facing Coast4Life with the expected downturn ahead. Included is a financial analysis, identification of major issues, analysis of alternatives and a recommendation. Financial Analysis for the Year Ended 2012 (Appendix 1) * Current ratio of 1.6 indicates that the company can meet its short term obligations. There is a 46% improvement versus last year’s current ratio of 1.1. Quick ratio of 1.8 shows a 50% improvement. * Total debt- to-equity of 1.5 shows a 12% improvement over prior year’s ratio of 1.7 indicating that the firm is relying less on debt. Times interest earned ratio of 6.4 improved by 30%. * Profitability ratios indicate overall earnings growth. Net margin of 15.2% grew by 18% compared to 12.9% in 2011 while Return-on-Equity (ROE) of 27.4% grew by 16%. Return on Investments (ROI) of 11.2% shows a significant 28% growth from 8.7% and posted a 14% favourable variance compared to target. * Revenue and net income grew by 13.4% and 33.3%, respectively. Major Strategic Issues With the expected estimated 30%-35% decline in the overall booking, the expected impact is a decline in income by $7M (Appendix 2). The proposed alternatives to generate additional revenues and or/ cost savings are evaluated using a required after tax rate of return of 16%. Alternative 1 – Change Customer Mix Objectives: Maximize Repeat Customers from 20% to 40% Maximize Age Group 40-60 years old from 30% to 38% Pros: * Incremental Income of $721K in 2013; $2.1M for the 3 years ahead combined (Appendix 3) * Opportunity to expand extra-services * Maximizes capacity/resources Cons: * Marketing constraints to target customer mix * May require additional costs to achieve target This option addresses the incremental income requirement. It maximizes profitability and provides opportunities to expand business ( in line with the company’s mission). Alternative 2 – Implement a web-based booking system Pros: * Incremental savings of $24K in 2013; $226K for the 3-yrs ahead combined (Appendix 4) * Opportunity for additional costs reduction (i.e. advertising, promotion) * Provides information about passengers * Opportunity to target more customers * Meets demand for Internet-booking * Accounting module improves financial reporting Cons: * Loss of customer service * Technology must be up to date and well maintained * Security (i.e. financial data, customers) This option meets the cost savings requirement. It also addresses the immediate need of the company for market/customer information and addresses constraints in alternative 1 (customer mix). This is in line with the company’s mission to provide unique services. Alternative 3 – Hire Crew and Hospitality Workers from Underdeveloped Countries Pros: * Incremental cost savings of $883K; $2.1M for the 3 years ahead combined (Appendix 5) * Cheaper wages Cons: * May damage reputation (poor service quality) * May dampen employees’ morale This alternative meets the requirement for cost savings. To ensure quality service, the company must invest in training. The company should also keep key employees (pros: assists in training, promotion could keep morale high). Long-term cost savings is attractive. Alternative 4 – Divest the Fraser dry dock Pros: * Incremental Income of $3.1M in 2013; $2.5M for the 3-years ahead combined (Appendix 6) * Focus on core business Cons: * Incremental costs of $438K per year (maintenance and lost income from the dry dock operations (Appendix 6) * Decline in company-wide morale * Damage to reputation and local ties * Quality of third-party maintenance This alternative meets the incremental income required. This allows the company to focus on its core business. However, long-term, the negative impact on income, reputation and ties with the community are not desirable. It is recommended to change customer mix and implement a web-based booking system. Both alternatives achieve the income requirement (total $745K in 2013; $2.4M for the 3 years ahead). Both alternative have low risk and provide more opportunities to maximize the use of its resources and capacity and expand business. Hiring crew and staff from underdeveloped countries is recommended if the high risk is mitigated i.e. by retaining key employees. Divesting the drydock is not recommended due to the incremental expenses associated in future years. Conclusion The recommended alternatives meet the requirement to generate revenue and/or cost savings to counter the expected downturn in 2013.

Particular religion Essay

I do not subscribe to any particular religion, but I believe in the transcendence of the human spirit, and that there is something greater than ourselves out there—an absolute entity that encompasses us all. Many could qualify this absolute being as a God, but the word holds many sociocultural implications such as worship or a personification of that being’s attributes that I choose not to call it as such. I believe in the universality of goodness and that the only way one could achieve happiness and fulfillment is by living an good and honest life. My life’s experiences led me to believe in the concept of an absolute being, however, religion is not integral to my beliefs. My beliefs are determined my my experiences and not by religion. I have realized that most religions are man-made, and thus do not have any legitimate claim to the truth. It is all too apparent today that there exist many different religions, sects, churches, and denominations, most of which have conflicting beliefs. I have not encountered any one that works for me. Growing up, I was initiated to the religion of my parents—that is, Christianity. As a youngster, it easy to unquestioningly accept whatever it was that was inculcated in me. However, as I have gotten a better understanding of the world and myself, I have realized that that religion is lacking—for me it does not provide the adequate explanation as to living my life in the fullest sense. Over the years, religion has become irrelevant. For me, religion is a matter of faith—something I have but not to the extent that I accept that everything one religion tells me is true. Being a generally empirical person, that is to say, that I believe that something must be proven for it to be true, the idea of a religion, as we traditionally know it does not hold any weight for me. Having qualified what religion means to me, I can say that my definition does not reduce it to what I, as Frederick Streng says, â€Å"happened to be acquainted with by accident of birth and socialization. † I recognize the existence of a myriad of ultimate realities and pluralities when it comes to reli ¬gion and that having an open mind is the key to understandings what each belief really mean to the people who have them. I would not say that I have an anti-religion view, but having said that I do not subscribe to one may give that impression. My belief does not mean that I eschew every other religion as being false. I believe that religion have redeeming qualities, and that anything that influences a human being to be good and be the best that one can be could not be that bad. I would like to believe that my open attitude towards the concept of religion eliminates any perceptual bias, or reduces in the least. In the same token, my definition encompasses all, since I do not believe in the absoluteness and infallibility of any one. I regard new and emerging religions on the same ground as the old ones. All provide the means to potentially transform an individual. While my definition attempts to encompass all religions, it may not have enough precision to address each and every one of them. Just as beliefs evolve as one matures, so does one’s definition of concepts and ideas. It’s possible that I still have not experienced enough to qualify a universal definition that applies to every one. However, I believe that the search for the true understanding of religion is an ongoing process, that a closer study of it would make a clearer picture of the religious life emerge.

A report on the foreign policy of the United States towards Russia Essay

A report on the foreign policy of the United States towards Russia - Essay Example Likewise, the need to analyze and improve Russo-American relations remains inevitable if global security, economic gains and political stability are to be realised in the West, Europe and the rest of the world. Brief history of the foreign relations of the US with Russia Russo-American relations started taking shape during World War I and II when the US and Russia fought alongside each other as Allied Powers, against Central Powers that had coalesced around the belligerent Germany. Prior to World War I and II, Russo-American relations had not taken a definitive shape, since America opted for the Doctrines of Non-Interference and Neutrality, wishing not to be drawn into the affairs and battles of Europe. The conclusion of World War II left the world with Russia and the US as two centers of power which were diametrically opposed to each other, on account of ideology. While Russia opted for socialism and communism as the way of politics and economics, America was committed to perpetuate democracy and capitalism throughout the world. This development sparked this Cold War which lasted from 1945 to 1990 (Brigham, 2010, 600). According to Butler (2011, 420), during this period, Russo-American relations were both belligerent and diplomatic. ... Zakaria (2012, 27) recounts that two decades after the fall of communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s relations with America has been neither inimical nor friendlier. Despite the facing out of the Cold War confrontation, America and Russia have not nurtured sustainable bilateral cooperative relations. Russo-American relations only come to the fore when inevitable matters relating to climate change, international relations and nuclear nonproliferation need addressing (Nakajima, 2007, 450). Key Interests that the US has towards Russia Despite the US and Russia having well-known inimical relations especially at the height of the Cold War era, yet, these two countries harbour key interests in each other. Russo-American relations remain important in sustaining and effecting New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) which was signed in 2010 and ratified in 2011. The main essence of START is to assuage the quantity of strategic missile launchers by half, and to ef fect new and more effective inspection regimes. Currently, both President Obama and Putin are committed to global security issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and counterterrorism, in spite of the prevailing differences over Iran’s nuclear program and the BMD program. According to Christopher (2006, 329), America continues to bank on Russia’s military support in Kyrgyzstan, Manas Transit Center, given that Russia is interested in Western and American victory in Afghanistan and the successful withdrawal of American troops therefrom. This form of military support is very sacrosanct since Manas Transit Center is the only American facility in Central Asia and is therefore key

A2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A2 - Essay Example Mohamed’s life and teachings were written down, and in the centuries after his death, many scholars wrote interpretations and commentaries, preserving the letter of his teaching as well as explaining its meaning for subsequent generations. As the religion spread, so the Arabic language inevitably spread with it, bringing the values and customs of this region to very different areas. To this day Muslim children are taught to recite verses of the Qur’an, learning the ancient words and preserving the older, classical form of the language which serves as a lingua franca in every country where Islam is an important religion. There is also a great value in preserving the philosophy and literature of previous centuries for modern people to read. The ability to read classical Arabic is a mark of superior education because it represents a prestige form: â€Å"it is a cultural force which unites all Arabs† (Nydell, p. 91). So long as people strive to master this ancient language and culture, they are able to benefit from ancient wisdom and reflect on the common heritage that they share. This linguistic and religious fusion creates unity across the globe, since many Muslims do not speak modern Arabic as their native language, but still learn classical Arabic for religious purposes. In the modern world, therefore, there is a common Arab heritage passed on through the language, especially in the Middle East and North Africa, and this can be seen for example in the giving of certain names to people and places (Suleiman, p. 143). Names such as Mohamed or Ahmed are given to boys in many countries, and this maintains an obvious connection with the ancient heritage of Islam. There is also evidence, however, of the divergence of the spoken language into different dialects, and this has served to differentiate different strands of Arab culture. It has been

Final test Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final test - Essay Example The passage reveals that she accepts this fact, and decides to live the submissive role. 2. â€Å"No, dearest Georgiana†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This passage has been taken from Natalie Georgiana’s â€Å"The Birthmark†. This passage tells about Aylmer’s discontentment with the little birthmark that Georgiana had on her cheek. He believed that his wife’s beauty was imperfect due to that birthmark. This passage points out the discontentment of man, and also the imperfection of human beings. The perfect beauty of Georgiana’s was made imperfect by way of the birthmark, which implies that only God is perfect, and human beings can never become perfect. This passage also reveals that man is very thankless toward the blessings of God. No matter how much God blesses man with, he is always complaining and looking for faults instead of appreciating positive things. 3. â€Å"Live with your head†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This passage is from Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Battle Roya l†. This passage is very significant as it portrays a very important theme: compliance. The grandfather is advising his grandson that the only way he can survive in the white-dominated society is compliance. He should never show open rebellion against the discrimination. He should pretend to be okay with the demeaning racism he would be experiencing in the future life, and should sit back and see what happens. However, the advice of the old man is based upon self-denial. The narrator wishes to be true to his self throughout, but the words of his grandfather echo in his mind and teach him treachery. 4. â€Å"She saw the man’s face†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This passage has been taken from Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†. This passage contains the redemption and epiphany the grandmother shows for the first time in the whole story, and this is what makes this passage so significant. She used to live in her own world of selfishness and indif ference, where she is not ready to consider the importance and views of others around her. But she comes to realize this just before she is going to die. Her head gets cleared for a moment, and she understands the Misfit and his inner person. But it is too late. In short, the passage is about sudden self-realization of one’s self-centeredness. Part II- Essay Questions Q. 1: Symbol in â€Å"The Hand† Colette has not only described the spiritual dominance of the husband in the short story â€Å"The Hand†, but has also described how physically dominant was he, by giving special focus on his hands. Hand depicts power, control, masculinity, and aggression. â€Å"†¦powerful knuckles and the veins engorged by the pressure on his arm† (Colette, qtd. in Meyer 241) shows how powerful the hands of the husband are, which basically portrays the height of male dominance. The powerful hands, the hair on the arms, and the wife’s feeling of lying with an anima l, all shows the animal-like fierceness and ruthless dominance exhibited by the husband. She thinks of the hands as â€Å"apelike†, and calls them â€Å"claws†, which strengthens the symbolic meaning of hand. At one point, the wife describes hand as â€Å"offended, reared back and tensed up in the shape of a crab and waited, ready for battle† (Colette, qtd. in Meyer 242), which again depicts the animal like ferocity and domination. The man can make his hand defensive when the wife feels disgusted. This shows the level of prowess and cleverness the

BP In The World Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BP In The World Market - Essay Example Understanding all the relative dynamics enables one to make informed decisions regarding the amount of finances to invest, at what time to make the investment and at what time to pull out of the company. Timely decisions in this regard would go a long way in ensuring the safety and security of the respective investment. Most importantly, informed decisions in this regard would enable the investor to attain the primary goal of profiting from the respective business. It is against this background that this paper provides a share portfolio review. The company of choice pertains to the BP gas and oil company that has been stable in the financial share market over time. To enhance a coherent consideration, it begins by justifying the choice of the company. It then proceeds to an analysis of the performance of the invested shares and provides an informed judgment as to whether the performance was good. Finally, it presents the reasons that informed the investor with respect to keeping the shares in the company. The company has a broad consumer base comprising of various clients drawn from diverse economic backgrounds. These customers are scattered across the globe in 90 different countries. Its business segments include production, exploration, marketing and refining (BP, 2011). Through the respective segments, it has succeeded in providing fuel as well as fuel products employed for transportation, providing energy, heating and lighting. The relative retail brands have equally been important as a part of the company’s diversification plan.

World Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

World Religions - Essay Example uism, Jainism, and Buddhism refer to the notion of karma in their principal beliefs, but the meaning of karma introduces some different features in the dimension of this religions and cultures. It is important to mention that there are a number of divergent and similar feature in the concepts of karma regarding this particular religions. It is interesting to investigate the peculiarities each of them and understand is basic features. Hinduism is considered to be widespread religion of South Asian people and karma is regarded as one of the principal notions in this particular belief (Smith, n.p.). The word itself refers to the Vedic texts with the basic meaning â€Å"ritual action or labor† (Smith, n.p.). The matter is that ritual of work belongs to â€Å"the construction of a religiously viable self† (Smith, n.p.). To such extend the notion of action presupposes some consequences in the present and future to the particular person. Jainism represents karma as the â€Å"net of our previous choices† that creates the experience of the present moment (Long, 84). Consequently, our current choices produce the future circumstances of our existence (Long, 84). It is important to mention that according to Jainism beliefs we all create the universe with suggesting our choices in a collective form (Long, 84). Kama consist of people’s mind, speech and body that presupposes his/her proceedings. What is more karma is regarded as an abstract substance that surrounds the soul and people’s consciousness. In the dimension of Buddhism karma first and foremost refers to the people’s intentions as they are regarded as the principal stimulators of people’s actions and proceedings (Jà ¼rgensmeyer, 70). Intention is considered to be an â€Å"essential element in moral decision making† according to Buddhism religion (Jà ¼rgensmeyer, 70). That is why they construct a principal concept of karma in this particular case. What is relevant to mention is one big similarity concerning this

Critically discuss how THREE selected environmental tools or methods Essay

Critically discuss how THREE selected environmental tools or methods could be applied to minimise the environmental impacts of - Essay Example Wind farms with many of such structures occupy a lot of space on the landscape. Onshore wind farms are always about three kilometres away from the shoreline. The turbines in these farms are located in hilly areas since wind blows heavily on hilly areas. Wind turbines cause landscape and visual effects depending on their number at a particular area, their height, size and colour. The effects may also depend on their site tracks, buildings, their grid connection, and â€Å"transmission lines† (Murgante et al., 2011). According to Ottmar et al (2011), wind turbines have a number of impacts on the environment. These include visual impacts, noise impacts, effects on land use, and effects on the birds that live around the wind farms. In addition, there are electronic interferences and constraints on the natural reserve areas. During the construction of a wind turbine, there are some pollutants that released into the atmosphere. The wind turbines are seen to be very noisy and they ar e also unsightly, thereby interfering with the natural beauty of â€Å"the landscape.† Sustainable Development Commission (2009) disagrees that wind farms are noisy and explains that the levels of noise from wind farm is equal to the background in rural places at night. Despite their negative impacts on the environment, onshore wind farms play a crucial part in achieving renewable energy targets. However, the many advantages that come with the farms can only be realised if proper planning is done. The contemporary wind farms are mostly large and not only help in environmental conservation, but also bring a lot of benefits to the communities that live around the farms. Among the advantages of using onshore wind farms is that wind is available free of charge and appropriate technology is available to harvest energy from wind as noted by Sustainable Development Commission (2009). Moreover, although the initial costs of installing wind turbines are high, maintenance cost are rela tively low after installation. It can also be used to generate power in rural areas where there is no power connection. Given the varying impacts to the humans, landscape aesthetics and the surrounding environment that implementation of such project poses; it is critical that environmental managers employ tools to manage this impacts. Thompson (2002) lists various tools and methods that can be used for environmental management and environmental performance improvement. To manage the impacts of the 40 turbine onshore wind farm project; EIA, LCA and GIS as the most appropriate environmental management tools. EIA has been selected because it helps to predict the impacts of a project and propose mitigation measures while GIS allows environmental managers make decision based on spatial relationship of features. LCA allows decision makers to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the life cycle of the project thereby facilitating decision making. Environmental Impact Management EIA is a tool used in decision-making whose main purpose is to not only identify and evaluate the likely environmental impacts of a given project (Glasson et al., 2005). EIA is

Ways in Which the UK Government Policies Impact Upon the Social Essay

Ways in Which the UK Government Policies Impact Upon the Social Benefit System - Essay Example This essay stresses that varied researchers have attempted to offer an analytical framework, which is designed with an aim of improving understanding of the relationships between varied measures of government policy impacts upon social benefits system. This is vital because this will help the government to embed social impacts into government decision making process and also construe the policy implications on the comprehensive measures of wellbeing. There are numerous ways of valuing varied social benefits but understanding the role of different governmental polices in an economy is vital. The UK government intervenes in the labor market for varied reasons such as correcting market failure, achieving equitable income and wealth distribution, as well as, improving the performance of the economy. There are varied ways through which the government can intervene in the market and this is through fiscal or monetary policy intervention, labor market policy intervention, competition policy intervention and employing varied regulation or policies. As the paper the government policies have also affected the supply side especially the changes in the political context, economic restructuring, national and international economic conditions and changes in job skill requirement. The changes in skill requirements result due to development and diffusion of new technology; thus impacting the supply for labor. The labor market policies are often perceived not only as a demanding phenomenon but also as an exclusively supply side phenomenon. However, the orthodox macroeconomic policy as practiced by the central banks in the European markets and IMF requires the monetary policies, which is setting of interest rates to run in accordance with an inflation target in the labor market. The current global economic crisis has significantly challenged this view because when interest rates hits the zero lower bound, monetary policy becomes ineffective; hence impacting social benefits in the labor market. Some progressive commentators now argue that the monetary or fiscal policies are partially to blame for average unemployment level in many countries. This is because some policies set by central banks do not take employment levels into account when setting interest rates because they only target inflation; thus impacting social benefit system. In addition, the orthodox macroeconomic theories presume that in case unemployment exists in the market equilibrium; this must be due to the increased or too high real wages (Gillespie, 2013, p. 73). However, from the Keynesian theory, sometimes it may be possible for unemployment to exist in case wages are too low. This is because of insufficient aggregate demand in an economy of which wages are the

Comment closely on the following poem Essay Example for Free

Comment closely on the following poem Essay The Self-Unseeing portrays Hardy reminiscing over his childhood life with his parents. In the first stanza, the setting their old house is described in a way that conveys a sense of age and weariness, through such words and phrases as ‘ancient’ (emphasizing the age), ‘footworn and hollowed and thin’ (alluding to the emptiness which has overtaken it through the passage of time after it has been abandoned), ‘former’ (revealing the extent of change in the house, eg. by the door no longer being there), and ‘dead feet’ (those of his parents). At this point in the poem Hardy speaks in the present tense from the outside of the house, in order to convey its emptiness to the reader. The second stanza ignores these aspects of the house, instead focusing on his memories of his parents, which contrast with the first stanza by filling the house with life and action. A happier mood is created here, through a sense of warmth created by the fire, and his mother’s smile, which, along with his father’s playing the violin (‘bowing it higher and higher’), shows the happiness he felt while living with his parents. The musical effect of the violin is also complemented by that of the smooth-flowing ‘abab‘ rhyme scheme. The present tense verbs ‘smiling’ and ‘bowing’ imply that these memories were vivid, as if by introducing the setting to the reader he is reliving them. Hardy’s reference to his parents using the pronouns ‘she’ and ‘he’ rather than their actual names transforms the personal tragedy of the death of his parents to a universal one to which the reader can more easily relate. However, this tragedy is buried beneath the warm, welcoming mood established by the aforementioned use of language in this stanza. Hardy illuminates these memories in the final stanza with light imagery ‘blessings’ (which tend to be associated with heaven and therefore light), ‘day’, ‘glowed’, ‘gleam’, which underscore the joyful feelings previously evoked. This use of light imagery serves as a metaphor to reveal how Hardy, ‘childlike’, ‘danced in a dream’, and overall, the diction shows that his memories had a dazzling and pensive quality. However, it can be seen from the concluding line, ‘Yet we were looking away! ’, that he feels remorseful for not fully appreciating what he had at the time. It is this line which gives meaning to the poem’s title he (the ‘self’) was ‘unseeing’ and could not see the true value of his life with his parents. This makes the light imagery all the more powerful, as Hardy uses it to show that he is now able to see what he was unable to in his childhood. His newfound appreciation for his memories is also evident in the first stanza, where ‘here is’ and ‘here was’ sorrowfully reveal the setting of which he is about to reminisce. Overall, Hardy’s memories are presented in this poem with both regret and happiness. The phrase ‘hollowed and thin’ in the first stanza, in light of this regret, describes the likely state of his soul following the loss of his parents. The regret is subtle at first, but becomes much more apparent after reading the last line; it is as if Hardy uses this line to allow the reader to look back (as he had looked back on his past) and be filled with regret through this reflection. The past-tense verbs ‘walked’, ‘sat’, and ‘stood’, which are simply describing what once was, become tinged with regret (as if mourning) upon a second glance. In contrast, the passive verbs ‘danced’, ‘emblazoned’, and ‘glowed’ preserve their cheerful connotations, which suggest that to Hardy, reminiscence is a bittersweet experience. This idea is supported by the structure of the poem: three quatrains with ‘abab’ rhyme schemes; although the rhyme scheme establishes a sense of reminiscence, there are emotions both positive and negative associated with it. The simple pattern of it also mirrors the simplicity and naivety of childhood. The structure, rhythm, and diction of the poem thus convey a powerful message that pleasant experiences will eventually become memories, carrying both the happiness of their past occurrence and the regret and sadness of knowing that their time is past.

Young Goodman Brown Essay Example for Free

Young Goodman Brown Essay In the story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, written by author Nathaniel Hawthorne, we are offered opposites in personalities which demonstrates interesting extremes that keeps emotions flowing up and down from affection to fear in this book. Faith is a loving and kind character as Goodman Brown seems fortunate in finding a companion who desperately wants to be with. She displays acts of genuine affection for her new husband and it’s terribly obvious that she doesn’t want him to ever leave her. This character shows one opposite of the extreme measure by being king, genuine, loyal and loving with Goodman Brown. The old man in this story offers the complete opposite personality as he represents fear and what’s bad in the world. This character also shows complete opposite of what Goodman Brown’s wife is by being old where Faith is young and beautiful. Faith offers safety and security in Goodman’s home where the old man in the forest only allows for deceit and fear. Hawthorne demonstrates gloominess and evil when Goodman Brown leaves the safety of his home and wife. Faith didn’t want her husband to leave her. Possibly, she could sense the danger that awaited her husband with the close bond that they shared in their marriage. In this book, it is easily felt that one should remain on the side of the one that really cares about their safety and happiness and not be deceived by outside forces that threaten what is good in one’s life. Extreme opposites is what I took from the characters and a feeling that an individual should pay attention to those who remain sincere and caring in our lives and avoid outside influences of those who make us feel fear and uncertainty.

Causes of Asthma

Causes of Asthma Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. It can be both short term and long term. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, andcoughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning. Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during childhood. In the United States, more than 25 million people are known to have asthma. About 7million of these people are children. The airways are tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. People who have asthma have inflamed airways. The inflammation makes the airways swollen and very sensitive, the airways tend to react strongly to certain inhaled substance. When the airways react, the muscles around them tighten. This narrows the airways, causing less air to flow into the lungs. The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways might make more mucus than usual. Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that can further narrow the airways. This chain reaction can result in asthma symptoms. Symptoms can happen each time the airways are inflamed (national institute of health). Understanding and Explaining Asthma The aetiology of asthma has been explained in terms of heredity, incitement, and induction. Incitement is the immediate broncho-constriction noted among asthmatics and others to nonspecific stimuli. Induction is the enhancement of the response to inciters that can follow exposure to certain stimuli, mostly inflammatory agents such as allergens, infections and other irritants, including industrial contaminants such as`4he plicatic acid from Western Red Cedar wood. There is a good reason to believe in a hereditary component to asthma, different components of the condition having possibly independent genetic origins. The best documented genetic component is the familial allergy to ragweed6, and Sibbald et al.7 have argued for independent hereditary components that influence atopy and bronchial responsiveness. However, migrant studies strongly suggest the major determinant to be environmental and not genetic. Both Tokeluans4 and Xhosas3 clearly have the genetic potential for developing a sthma, but this is expressed only on migrating to an economically more developed area (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Volume 80 June 1987 367). Isolated examples, such as the increase in asthmatics attending emergency rooms following the eruption of the Mount Helens volcano8, may be explained in terms of incitement, but there are major objections to using this mechanism as a general explanation for differences in the prevalence of asthma. The wide variety of substances capable of inducing broncho constriction in asthmatic subjects can be divided into endogenous mediators such as histamine, prostaglandins or leukotrienes, and exogenous agents such as sulphur dioxide, volcanic ash or cold dry air. For the epidemiologist attempting to explain the prevalence of asthma, the endogenous mediators are unhelpful. The discovery of a mediator whose presence distinguishes asthmatic from non asthmatic populations would be useful, but in turn would raise the question of why one population had more of the mediator than the other population. For the reason discussed above, a genetically controlled explanation can be discounted, which leaves an environmental factor to increase the amount of mediator in the asthmatic population. This is essentially the same as the initial question of what environmental factor might account for differences in the prevalence of asthma. Exogenous inciters, being environmental in origin, theoretically offer a better hope of advancing the issue further, but, in the event, are no more helpful. Differences in the prevalence of asthma are not accounted for simply by differences in the incidence of clinical symptoms provoked by environmental triggers. They also reflect differences in the under-lying prevalence of bronchial hyper-responsiveness. In van Niekerks study3, it was the response to the exercise challenge that differed between urban and rural areas. This cannot be explained simply in terms of the prevalence of inciters in the environment. Induction provides a more promising general theory with which to explain differences in prevalence. There is plenty of evidence that induction does occur, particularly in an industrial context and this has been used extensively as a general model for the aetiology of asthma. It does not, however, explain the distribution of asthma in developing countries. Agents that have been sh own to induce asthma are abundant in the Third World ( Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Volume 80 June 1987 367). Fatality of Asthma Acute respiratory infections are probably the single most important cause of death among children. It is thus appealing to consider the hypothesis that fatal and near fatal attacks of asthma may have common causes, and that studying non-fatal asthma attacks (as well as being of value in itself) may provide useful information on the factors associated with fatal asthma attacks. Campbell investigated the levels of agreement between information obtained directly from cases of near fatal asthma attacks with those obtained independently from close acquaintances, almost all of whom were family members living in the same household. They found very high levels of agreement for recognized markers of chronic asthma severity (such as a hospital admission in the last 12 months or an intensive care unit admission), utilization of medical services, the use of prescribed agonists (although there was less agreement for other asthma medications such as oral xanthines), and psychiatric features. These findings are generally encouraging in that they indicate that information relating to these risk factors and clinical characteristics obtained from close acquaintances has reasonable reliability in studies of near fatal asthma attacks and therefore such information may also be reliable for persons dying from asthma. In contrast, information on features of the long term asthma history such as sleep disturbance and the frequency of, or trends in, symptoms in previous years was not reliable. The reliability of the reported circumstances associated with a near fatal episode was not examined. Thus, while it would seem appropriate to continue to examine deaths from asthma using clinical information that has been recorded before the fatal attack, the findings of Campbell suggests that interviews with acquaintances may provide additional useful data. Richards have compared the demographic characteristics of patients suffering fatal asthma attacks throughout New Zealand during 1980-6 with t hose experiencing severe life threatening asthma attacks in the Auckland region during 1981-7. The information avail-able for the study was limited, but the findings once again confirm the importance of a previous life threatening attack of asthma as a marker of subsequent risk of death from asthma. About one quarter of the subjects who died in Auckland during the period of the study had a previous admission to an intensive care unit with asthma. This suggests that asthmatic subjects who experience a life threatening attack are a group in whom intensive medical treatment and follow up should be arranged. These considerations indicate that, although there are some practical advantages in studying near fatal asthma attacks, there may well be greater problems of interpretation of the findings than in studies of fatal asthma. Nevertheless, when interpreted cautiously, studies of near fatal attacks may provide a useful complement to studies of fatal attacks in monitoring the time trends in severe asthma, and in identifying the causes of those changes which occur (Thorax 1993;48:1093-1094).