Globalization A Global Organization - 1710 Words

A Global Presence Requires a Global Mindset If a business has a great product or service; why would it not share that product or service with the world? Business leaders in the business world of today are feeling the push to go global. There has been a huge increase in the size of the global market over the past 20 years and the only alternative CEO’s have had are to get on board or get left behind (Govindarajan, 1998). Business experts believe that globalization is no longer an option, but a strategic imperative for all but the smallest corporations (Govindarajan, 1998). Several organizations have made their global presence successfully and others have been faced with many challenges. Companies that are operating globally have†¦show more content†¦What is a global mindset? A global mindset is an organization or an individual’s ability to openly become well informed about different value systems, differences in norms of behavior, and different assumptions regarding reality (Gupta, 1999). In multiple glo bal mindset definitions researched, the word â€Å"openness† was identified in many different formats. This emphasizes the importance of an organization being receptive to new cultures, different experiences, alternative practices, and most importantly the ability to adapt to change when developing a global mindset. A global mindset is one of the main ingredients in interpreting the dynamic world in which a company operates (Gupta, 1999). It is the ability to scan the world from a broad perspective to identify unexpected trends and opportunities that may be a threat or opportunity to achieve organization objectives (Kedia and Mukherji, 1999). Organizations will need to gear into a worldwide view to build internationally. An organization with global mindset considers every customer regardless of country to be as important as the customers of the home market (Govindarajan, 1998). DEA, a non-profit research company based in Demark, published an article, The Ability to Execute Gl obally- A Fast Track to a Global Mindset, that outlines many ideas and tools companies can use to implement a global mindset. DEA suggests companies focus on goals such as: making international experience an employee requirement,

Mcdonalds †Tnc Free Essays

McDonald’s – the 90th largest economy in the world – feeds about 1 percent of the world’s population a day. That’s 68 million people! It hires more than 1 million workers In the US per year and Is the world’s largest toy distributed. McDonald’s also created the Ronald McDonald House charity, which houses more than 6000 families a year in Australia alone. We will write a custom essay sample on Mcdonalds – Tnc or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, this Illinois-based company is undeniably threatening the ‘global village’. It is doing so in a lot of ways, including the damage it inflicts to the environment, its exploitation of foreign and domestic labor and its active impacts on traditional cultures. In this seminar, I will be analyzing different pictures that support my argument that McDonald’s Is directly destroying the global village. I think that through the Impacts It has upon the environment In which we live, McDonald’s is directly destroying the global village. As a large company, McDonald’s needs a lot of resources to fuel its growth. For example, Americans alone consume over 1 billion pounds of beef at McDonald’s every year. A cow produces 250 ml of methane per day on average. Think of how much methane is created by the sows needed to produce 1 billion pounds of beef! McDonald’s has also been accused by Greenback of feeding Its chickens with soybeans grown on farms In the Amazon rainforest’s. These soybean farms are cleared Illegally. Leading to mass deforestation In the Amazon. By doing this, McDonald’s not only encourages illegal traders in the Amazon, but also sends a worldwide message that deforestation is a viable option that can lead to contracts selling produce to McDonald’s. Encouraging excessive methane production and deforestation are Just a few of the ways in which McDonald’s helps to destroy the environment. McDonald’s also negatively affects the global village by exploiting members of the workforce. This Is done through the misuse of domestic and foreign labor. McDonald’s has always been the target of accusations that they exploit teenage labor, paying them wages that are too low to be readily lived upon. These reduced rates can be seen in this table. But most recently McDonald’s has tried to tackle these accusations head on by releasing an example budget for someone who works for the company. From the start this budget was flawed, as you can see here, the employee would have to work two Jobs to survive. This fact shows that an employee could not be sustained on a McDonald’s wage. Secondly, McDonald’s cited that health cover costs $20. This is not the case, for that amount you would be likely only to get say, ambulance cover. Thirdly, try spending only $25 a day on Just food, let alone drinks, clothes and other necessities. This budget on its own, is certain evidence that you would not be able to live on a McDonald’s wage. In extreme cases some people have had to choose between paying bills and eating food. This exploitation of cheap labor is another reason why I think McDonald’s Is contributing too diminished global village. McDonald’s Is also destroying the global village by abolishing various cultures from around the world. As seen in the picture here, McDonald’s is intervening with traditional culture, replacing traditional pastimes, like food-preparation and consumption, with an internationalists product. Often in these traditional cultures, things like food can be tied up with rituals, so food is linked to their cultural heritage. By replacing chance to pass on their cultural stories through food. However some people in other parts of the world have realized that this tragic loss of culture is occurring. For example, the people of a small town east of Melbourne called Tacoma has recently protested against there being a McDonald’s built in the town. 80 000 people thus far have signed a petition demanding that a McDonald’s franchise not be installed in their town. The fact that the company destroys culture and that people are realizing it is another reason that McDonald’s is destroying the global village. How to cite Mcdonalds – Tnc, Papers

1984 And Big Brother Essay Example For Students

1984 And Big Brother Essay 1984 shows how our lives will not be as secret as they are now. Oceania has no privacy and America is turning into that. In some ways America already is like Oceania. There are many elements in the book to compare with aspects in American society today. So in many ways George Orwell was right and maybe there soon will be a government very similar to the one in 1984. One element in the book 1984 is Big Brother. He is the ruler of Oceania. He is not one person but a name for the whole government. Big Brother could represent our government today. We may not know it but the government knows everything about us. All they need is our name and social security number and they could learn a lot about us. The government has our previous jobs, where we went to school and where we live. Big Brother is also like that in the book, probably even worse. Big Brother is even more intruding than our government today and the only way to get away with things is by thinking them. It even says on a sign, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU 5. Another element in the book is the Thought Police. They are much different than the police in our society today. The police in American society can arrest you for things you only do while the thought police can arrest you for things you think. It was even conceivable that the Thought Police watched everybody all the time 6. If they dont see you getting involved or screaming during the two minute hate they will arrest you. The only similarity is that they both enforce the law. Otherwise they are totally different. The telescreen in the book watches almost every move you do. It invades your privacy and you have no way of getting away from it except by thinking. Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it 6. Today we have surveillance cameras, which watch you too, but these are for safety purposes so no one can rob a store or commit a crime. These cameras are not everywhere either, only in stores, banks, buildings, etc. So I dont think surveillance cameras and the telescreen are comparable. Another element is The Brotherhood, an underground network of conspirators dedicated to the overthrow of the state 15. This can be compared to God. It is the peoples hope. This is the only way the people will overthrow the government. God is our hope in society while Big Brother was their hope. Only some people knew it because others were happy with the government. But they didnt know the government was taking too much control. The Brotherhood is trying to save the people. I think there is a similarity between that and God. One last element are the Ministries. There are four ministries between which the entire apparatus of government was divided 8. This can be compared  to our government. We are divided into sections too. Ours are different and we usually have one main person in charge of those sections such as, the secretary of defense and secretary of state. These are much similar to the Ministry of Peace and Ministry of Plenty. So it shows they had a state of order as we do. In conclusion I think America is turning into Oceania. Your credit card knows a lot about you, like what you buy. With computers today all your information is out there. We give out our credit card number when it comes to computers so we have to trust a lot of people. .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 , .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .postImageUrl , .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 , .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6:hover , .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6:visited , .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6:active { border:0!important; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6:active , .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6 .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u5c35c0d3d5edead18d63220293c2e8c6:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Abigail and the girls deny everything EssayCertain people know things about us that we dont know about. It is not as bad as Oceania but they are secretly taking over.

Tchaikovsky and Beethoven comparison

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, MarchAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tchaikovsky and Beethoven comparison specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The famous â€Å"March† is a part of â€Å"The Nutcracker†, presented as the second piece in the first act. It was written by a Russian composer, Tcaikovsky Pyotr Ilych (1840-1893). It was written in 1891-1892, when the author was in his sixties. This composition is one of his last works. Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, I Symphony No.5 in C minor is a part of the first act of the Opera 67. It was written in 1804 -1808 by Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770 – 1827). Writing this composition, the author was in his mid-thirties; his hearing was constantly getting worse. To compare the two pieces, several aspects should be analyzed, which include instrumentation, form, harmony, tempo, meter, texture, style period, meaning, and orientation. Instrumentation: The Nutcracker is performed by a range of instruments, namely woodwinds, flutes, triangle, violins, snare drums. The Beethoven’s Symphony uses such instruments as Flutes, oboes, clarinets, trumpets, timpani, piccolo, bassoons, contrabassoon, and trombones. Form: the Nutcracker consists of two acts, and the March is the second composition in the first act. This piece lasts around 7 minutes. The Symphony No. 5 lasts nearly 30 minutes. The work is presented in four movements. The first one has a form of sonata Form A :|| B A’; the second movement is presented by the theme and variations T,V1,V2, V3,V4,V5.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Harmony: in Nutcracker the harmony is mainly tonic, sometimes changed by subdominant; the Symphony has tonic and sometimes dominant harmony. Tempo: the Nutcracker is presented in tempo allegro; the Symphony has a comparatively complicat ed structure and therefore the tempo is changeable. The first movement is in tempo allegro; the second movement has the andante tempo, which is later switched back to tempo allegro and at the end changed to tempo accelerando Meter: the both compositions use duple vs. triple meters. Texture: in Nutcracker the loud parts are supported by soft instrumentation; in Symphony the melody is changed rapidly from soft to very loud and back. Style period: While the Nutcracker was written during the Romantic period, the Beethoven’s Symphony was composed during the Heroic period. The meaning of the Nutcracker is absolute. The meaning of the Beethoven’s Symphony is rather programmatic. The orientation of the Nutcracker is rather secular, while the Symphony has a sacred orientation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tchaikovsky and Beethoven comparison specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In my opinion, the both melodi es have some strengths and weaknesses. Concerning the Nutcracker, it is a very harmonic composition, which gives a general impression of good mood and some importance. I liked the party of violins which made the melody smooth and supported the main instrumentation. However, the ending did not impress me much. In my opinion, it would be better to end a march with some kind of slow and loud – textured rising notes than with chords of tempo allegro. This would make the ending more distinctive and exuberant. The Beethoven’s Symphony is a very complicated composition which appeals to me very much. I like the rapid change of harmony and texture, which is very expressive. The instrumentation is perfect; in addition, the composer uses the loud and soft parties to contrast, which is a very successful method. I think that this work is a real masterpiece of Beethoven. This essay on Tchaikovsky and Beethoven comparison was written and submitted by user America E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

What You Need to Know About the US Senate

What You Need to Know About the US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber in the legislative branch of  the federal government. It is considered to be a more powerful body than the lower chamber, the House of Representatives. The Senate is made up of 100 members called senators. Each state is equally represented two senators, regardless of the state’s population. Unlike members of the House, who represent individual geographic congressional districts within the states, senators represent the entire state. Senators serve rotating six-year terms and are popularly elected by their constituents. The six-year terms are staggered, with about one-third of the seats up for election every two years. The terms are staggered in such a way that both Senate seats from any state are not contested in the same general election, except when necessary to fill a vacancy. Until enactment of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were appointed by the state legislatures, rather than being elected by the people. The Senate conducts its legislative business in the north wing of the U.S. Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C.   Leading the Senate The Vice President  of the United States presides over the Senate and casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The Senate leadership also includes president pro tempore who presides in the absence of the vice president, a majority leader who appoints members to lead and serve on various committees, and a minority leader. Both parties - majority and minority- also have a whip who helps marshal senators’ votes along party lines. In presiding over the Senate, the vice president’s powers are limited by strict rules adopted by the Senate centuries ago. While present in the Senate chambers, the vice president is expected to speak only when ruling on parliamentary questions and when reporting the results of the Electoral College vote in presidential elections. On a day-to-day basis, meetings of the Senate are presided over by the president pro tempore of the Senate or, more typically, by a junior Senator designated on a rotating basis. The Powers of the Senate The Senates power derives from more than just its relatively exclusive membership; it also is granted specific powers in the Constitution. In addition to the many powers granted jointly to both houses of Congress, the Constitution enumerates the role of the upper body specifically in Article I, Section 3. While the House of Representatives has the power to recommend impeachment of a sitting president, vice president or other civic officials such as a judge for high crimes and misdemeanors, as written in the Constitution, the Senate is the sole jury once impeachment goes to trial. With a two-thirds majority, the Senate may thus remove an official from office. Two presidents, Andrew Johnson, and Bill Clinton have been tried; both were acquitted. The President of the United States has the power to negotiate treaties and agreements with other nations, but the Senate must ratify them by a two-thirds vote in order to take effect. This isnt the only way the Senate balances the power of the president. All presidential appointees, including Cabinet members, judicial appointees and ambassadors must be confirmed by the Senate, which can call any nominees to testify before it. The Senate also investigates matters of national interest. There have been special investigations of matters ranging from the Vietnam War to organized crime to the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up. The More Deliberate Chamber The Senate is commonly the more deliberative of the two chambers of Congress; theoretically, a debate on the floor may go on indefinitely, and some seem to. Senators may filibuster, or delay further action by the body, by debating it at length; the only way to end a filibuster is through a motion of cloture, which requires the vote of 60 senators. The  Senate Committee System The Senate, like the House of Representatives, sends bills to committees before bringing them before the full chamber; it also has committees which perform specific non-legislative functions as well. The Senates committees include: agriculture, nutrition, and forestry;appropriations;armed services;banking, housing, and urban affairs;budget;commerce, science, and transportation;energy and natural resources;environment and public works;finance;foreign relations;health, education, labor, and pensions;homeland security and governmental affairs;judiciary;rules and administration;small business and entrepreneurship;and veterans affairs. There are also special committees on aging, ethics, intelligence and Indian affairs; and joint committees with the House of Representatives. The United States Senate Fast Facts The United States Senate is part of the Legislative Branch of government and is made up of 100 members called â€Å"Senators.†Each State is represented by two Senators elected statewide, rather than by voting districts.Senators serve an unlimited number of six-year terms, staggered in a way to prevent both Senators representing a particular state from being up for reelection at the same time.The Senate is presided over by the Vice President of the United States, who as â€Å"president of the Senate,† is allowed to vote on legislation in the event of a tie vote.Along with its own exclusive powers, the Senate shares many of the same constitutional powers granted to the House of Representatives. Phaedra Trethan is a freelance writer who also works as a copy editor for the Camden Courier-Post. She formerly worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she wrote about books, religion, sports, music, films, and restaurants. Updated by Robert Longley

Characters in superman study

Characters in superman study Jack Tanner is the protagonist of â€Å"man and superman† play he is the anther of â€Å"the revolutionist hand book†. he has a thin body and blue eyes .he is in the middle age .He speaks fluently. He is rich and single, unattached. He refuses the idea of marriage because he wants to be free form women, especially from Ann Whitefield. Moreover, he describes marriage as apostasy and shameful surrender. Tanner argues, Ann to challenge her mother through his speech against the tyranny of mothers and intends tanner to act hat he believes to be true moral sense. Through â€Å"man and superman† play. Tanner is pursued by Ann Whitefield and he tries to escape form her. At the end of the play tanner announces that life forces enchant him and he will marry Ann. The reader can see form the play that tanner just talks, in other words, he doesn’t translate ideas to actions tanner appears as condemned man who has no control over his fate. Ann Whitefield is the heroine of â€Å"man and superman† play. She is an intelligent woman. Ann is beautiful, graceful and respectable. She wears black dress. Most of the play’s characters are fascinated by her expect tanner who considers her a liar woman, Ann loves tanner and pursues him, but he doesnà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t care of her. She is â€Å"the archetype of the vital woman† (James, lowers.1971). the most important purpose in her life is to find the right father for her children. So she purpose in her life is to marry him, who refuses her at first but accepts at the end. Ann plays her role successfully so the audience understands how she deceives most characters in the play. The reader can see from each act of the play that Ann does every thing to make people do what she wants. Briefly, she uses all means to achieve her destiny. Tanner describes her as a liar woman because she lid when she told him about the reason why Rhoda can not go with him to the trip. Roebuck Rams den Roebuck Ramsden is an old gentleman. He has a white hair. He wears a black overcoat. He works as a free trader. He is a respectable man; he holds an important position is society he is described by Shaw as â€Å"a man of means†( Shaw, 1973)who lives in quite and comfortable. He is the first person who opens and reads Mr. Whitefield’s letter and discover that he will be a guardian with tanner for Whitefield’s daughters, he shocks to discover that, because he hates tanner. Ramsden considers Tanner as a man without morals and he refuses to read tanners book â€Å"the revolutionists handbook† although he denies that this book is not too advanced for him. On the other hand, tanner sees Ramsden as an old-fashioned man. Ramsden wears, as show tells us suitable clothes with a respectable religious man he seems as a complete conformist, although he appears his proud on his position. Octavius Robinson

The Role of Nursing Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Role of Nursing - Article Example The boards set the minimum competencies and qualifications such as academic qualifications, age and experience for practitioners in the professions. One of the reasons the nursing profession requires to be regulated and closely monitored is for the reason that the risk associated with the civic being attended to by unqualified or incompetent practitioners. The boards therefore only offer the licenses to competent and qualified nurses who have met the minimum set qualifications. Because the public may not identify unqualified practitioners or the irregularities, they may be vulnerable to exploitation from unprofessional practices (Shirley, 1998). The state nursing boards ensure competence in the nursing practice through regulating license issuance, entry into the profession, disciplinary action and license renewal. The duties and responsibilities of state nursing boards are defined by the law makers so as to protect the public from unsafe nursing practices. The establishment of state nursing boards ensures that the stake holders in the nursing practice are competent enough and that they meet all the requirements as per the regulations (Shirley, 1998). State nursing boards of nursing are agencies formed by the governments to regulate the nursing practice in the state. ... The state boards of nursing are also involved regulating the nursing practice through licensing all the nursing operations in the state (Allen, 2011). The board issues the nursing license only if they are qualified to safe nursing. After the issuing of the licenses, the state nursing boards continue monitoring the nursing practice where be if unsafe practices are identified the licenses will be reclaimed and legal actions taken. The roles of the board in the nursing involve employing and registering nurses and inquiring on irregularity cases by applying the set discipline procedures. The state nursing boards are required to report to the state administrations such as the governor of the state and the state agencies (Staunton & Mary, 2007). The state boards of nursing are allocated the authoritative powers to make decisions on the nursing practice as well as registering all the qualified practitioners in the nursing sector. The board also has the powers to take disciplinary actions ag ainst unsafe nursing practices (Allen, 2011). Some of the authoritative powers that the nursing boards are allocated involve developing standards of safe nursing, licensing and developing organizational rules and regulations. The nursing boards have also been allocated the powers to approve or disapprove the nursing and health care educational programs offered in colleges and universities. All the nursing practitioners are therefore responsible for understanding all the nursing regulations and applying them in practicing safe nursing. The development of the policies and structures governing the nursing is also the responsibility of the nursing board. The primary legislation is made up of the rules which make up the standards. The primary

Critical Thinking Week 7 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Thinking Week 7 - Coursework Example Pathogens are also spread through physical contact with dirty surfaces or even dirty day to day substances such as money, soil, doorknobs, etc. Money is known to be one of the dirtiest substances that people come into contact with on a day to day basis. Pathogens are also found on peoples skins. Individuals are always advised to ensure that they keep their hands clean and surfaces cleaned with an antiseptic to ensure that pathogens are cleared. Pathogens can be introduced into the body through physical touch, through the mouth and even through the air. Animals are also known to spread germs especially through their skin and hence the need for cleaning from time to time (IOWA State University). The spread of bacteria is very rapid and the only way that individuals can contain it is by ensuring that they wash their hands thoroughly before they eat and also maintaining clean environments around their homes. Direct contact can cause the spread of pathogens, and this can be reduced through the use of condoms, gloves, and masks. However, these are not 100% foolproof as some pathogens are known to pass through the tiny holes that the gadgets have. Indirect contact with pathogens is more common than direct contact and usually spread very fast. Some of the most common devices include doorknobs that cannot be avoided hence the need for regular disinfecting. Inhalation of the pathogens is perhaps more dangerous than the rest of the ways as it affects the individuals respiratory system, and its effects are more severe. It is advised that sick people avoid coming into contact when they have communicable illnesses, and those that have life-threatening diseases such as tuberculosis should be quarantined until they are no longer in danger. Pathogens that come from vectors could be avoided through the use of insecticides, which involve killing the vector. The spread of airborne pathogens could be mi nimized by

Community Health Practice Essay Example for Free

Community Health Practice Essay Community Description and Data Interpretation Pueblo, Colorado, also known as â€Å"The Home of the Heroes†, was given this proclamation in 1993 by the United States Congress, due to Pueblo having as many as four recipients of the â€Å"Medal of Honor† living here in the community. Pueblo dates back as far as 1842, and was known as â€Å"Fort Pueblo† (History of Pueblo). Over the years, Pueblo became the â€Å"backbone† of Southern Colorado due to the ore mines and is also the largest steel producing city in the United States, thus also being referred to as the â€Å"Steel City†. Pueblo has had a long and colorful history and has had five different countries and territories that â€Å"held dominion† over the area. These five areas are as follows: France, Mexico, Texas, Spain, and of course, the United States of America. (History of Pueblo) Pueblo County is 2,398 square mile area and is located approximately 112 miles south of the state capital of Denver, Colorado and approximately 100 miles north of the New Mexico border. Pueblo is geographically located at the intersection of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek and is approximately 4600 feet above sea level. Although surrounded by lots of mountains such as the Wet Mountains, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Green Horn Mountains and Pikes Peak Mountain, Pueblo is very much desert land with annual precipitation being only approximately 12 inches. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo County has a land area of 2389 square feet and 9.0 square miles of water. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012) Population/Economic Assesssment Pueblo’s population according to 2012’s census is 159,063 which is a growth rate of 3.56% since 2000, and which rank it 246th for the most populated city in the nation. Pueblo is comprised of a very diverse mix of people with the majority being white non-Hispanics at 56.2% and the Hispanics or â€Å"Latinos† comprising 39.2% of the population. The remaining population is comprised of African Americans 2.4%, Native Americans 2.9%, Asian 1% and the remaining 2.4% of the population are those that are of two or more races  (American Fact Finder). The average age of Pueblo’s population is approximately 39 years old. The total population percentages of those 18 years and younger is 24.5% and with those 65 years and older comprising 15.3%. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) `As mentioned before, Pueblo is one of the nation’s top leaders in steel production, but the huge â€Å"steel-market† crash of 1982 left Pueblo with a fairly weak economy sinc e that time. According to the 2010 census, the average annual household income in Pueblo is approximately $38,780, which has Pueblo County’s income ranking far below Colorado’s average income of $47,510. With such a difference in the average annual income, Pueblo has a high percentage of the population that is living below the Federal Poverty Level, making Pueblo’s overall poverty rate is the 2nd highest in the state of Colorado. The average household size is 2.47 people. According to statistics from the American Fact Finder, Pueblo County has 18.1% total population below the Federal Poverty Level. Of that population, there are 26.3% that are children 18 years and younger, those 18 years to 64 years old is 17% and those over the age of 65 are 9.6% below the Federal Poverty Level (America Fact Finder, 2012). With almost 20% of Pueblo County’s population being below the Federal Poverty Level, it would stand to reason the increase in the number of people in Pueblo that qualify for food stamps and other public assistance. According to the 2012 American Community Survey, there were an estimated total of 11,976 households in Pueblo County that received food stamps. Of the households that received food stamps 45.7% of them had children 18 years or younger and 23.4% had at least one person in the household that was 60 years or older. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) The unemployment rate in Pueblo County is 9.6% approximately 1% higher than the U.S. average; however, there has been a recent job growth of 1.38% in Pueblo. Even with the more than average unemployment rate and high population below the Federal Poverty Level, Pueblo County has a very low cost of living compared to the rest of the nation. The cost of living in Pueblo, CO is approximately 15.3% lower than the U.S. average with the median housing cost of $96,700. Even with the lower cost of living in Pueblo County, there are still about 175 individuals that are homeless that are living on the streets. With large international companies such as  Vestas pewag, and Rocla Concrete Tie choosing Pueblo, Colorado as new sites for their companies, unemployment rates will lower and this can only boost the economy and increase the population. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Before the inception of the current Affordable Care Act, Pueblo County had approximately 30,312 individuals that were on Medicaid. This number has drastically increased since January 1, 2014 since Colorado was a state that chose â€Å"Medicaid Expansion† to assist with aiding the health care costs and compliance of the Affordable Health Care Act. According to Colorado Health Institute, Pueblo County has done an amazing job getting the â€Å"uninsured† children in public insurance programs. Pueblo County recorded that 95.7% of children eligible for Medicaid/CHP+ is enrolled. Access to health care is largely affected by available and affordable health insurance. Pueblo County was noted to have a total of 13.6% of the population in 2010 that were uninsured. The amount of money that Pueblo County spent per capita on public health funding took a significant drop in 3 years from 2009 to 2011 of over $2.00 per person. Pueblo County also has a large percentage (18.8%) of individuals that not only are on Medicaid but are dually covered by Medicare. Dual coverage is based on income, health and disability; these individuals are usually in very poor health with chronic, complicated health problems and/or mental issues. Even with the public health funding, Pueblo County still has 17% of the population that have unmet health needs because of financial limitations. Hopefully with the new law of the Affordable Care Act the percentage of â€Å"unmet† health needs will completely diminish or at least significantly decrease. Cultural Assessment Pueblo, Colorado is a multi-cultural community with the majority of the population of Hispanics, Italians and Slovenians that have occupied Pueblo for generations. The Hispanic culture is the most prominent in Pueblo, which can be seen in the architecture, art, festivals and museums which pays great tribute to their Hispanic heritage. One of the largest pieces of the Hispanic culture that is enjoyed by all in Pueblo is the food. Pueblo holds annual festivals and celebrations that display the unique cuisines of the Hispanic culture, the most prominent cuisine being the â€Å"Pueblo Green Chili†. Food of the Hispanic culture and the health risks may contribute to the high number of adults that are overweight or obese. According to findings in the Pueblo Community Health Status Report of 2011, 23% adults over the age of 18 are overweight. With such a large Hispanic population comes a high percentage of the population that have genetic disposition for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. (County Health Rankings and Road Maps, 2013) A large family unit which includes generations of â€Å"extended† family is a huge part of the Hispanic culture in Pueblo. The Hispanic population in Pueblo really holds the matriarchs and/or patriarchs to a high respect. Although not nearly as prominent in Pueblo, the Italian culture is a large part of Pueblo’s culture as well. Italian culture is seen predominantly in the culinary influences that paved the way for the unique â€Å"Pueboloan† dishes, such as the Italian Sausage sandwich that you can find at one of Pueblo’s oldest tra ditions, Pass Key Restaurant. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2013). The Slovenian culture is another influential part of Pueblo’s culture. The Slovenians migrated to Pueblo and settled here working in the steel industry. They introduced cultural and culinary traditions that are still very highly practiced and part of Pueblo’s culture even today. For example, Potica is one of the most popular culinary treats that is extremely popular around the holiday season, but can be found and enjoyed all year around. The Slovenian folk music and theatre can also be seen throughout Pueblo. (History of Pueblo) Catholicism is the predominant religion in Pueblo and is a huge part of the culture. Approximately 68% of Pueblo proclaims they are Catholic. In Pueblo’s culture, women are the largest majority of this population, although â€Å"Holy Orders† are the role of the men. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014) Genogram Interpretation From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The Median household income is $38,780 and 16.9% household at or below poverty level. The unemployment rate at 9.6% which is 1% higher that the U.S. average. With such financial difficulties there were approximately 13,760 individuals that receive food assistance, Pueblo is a multi-Cultural community consisting of Hispanic, Italian Slovinian. All cultures brought together with food served at festivals and at restaurants. Pueblo is predominately Catholic religion at 68% with women playing a large part in Catholic Hispanic Culture. Large Hispanic population diagnosed with diabetes type II and obesity. The crime rate is higher than the national average. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. Underage rates of drinking increased with age. Methamphetamine use in youth (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are higher than the national benchmarks. Pueblo has 95% of days with good air quality and drinking water safety at 1%. Pueblo County has a disaster/ emergency management preparedness plan as well as a chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program for the Pueblo Chemical Depot. Pueblo operates in an all-hazards disaster plan with Pueblo Health Department being the lead in the Emergency support function of Public Health. Pueblo County, Colorado is overall a healthy community. Nevertheless, the areas where improvements need to be made are determining a way to attend to each individual’s reaction to negative life events. These events are causing a rise in binge drinking and the use of methamphetamine abuse. Creating and implementing a plan to decrease the poverty level and being able to inform and address access and functional needs. Neighborhood/Community Safety Assessment As sad as it is to say, violence in Pueblo County is a huge â€Å"health† problem. Pueblo’s overall crime index as reported in 2006 was 6945 crimes which was higher than the national average and encompasses â€Å"violent† and â€Å"property† crimes. Violent crimes consist of murder, rape and aggravated assaults. Property crimes include burglary, larceny, theft , motor vehicle theft , arson, and vandalism. In 2006, Pueblo had a reported total of 628 violent crimes with breakdown as follows: Murders – 6; Rapes 49; Robberies – 170; Aggravated assaults – 403. Pueblo’s reported â€Å"property crimes are as  follows: Burglary – 6317; Larceny/Thefts – 4409; Motor Vehicle Thefts – 455 and Arsen – 55. (Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources, 2014) . Along with the high crime rates that fill Pueblo’s neighborhoods that have an effect on the safety and health of the county are the large nu mber of liquor stores that fill them. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) With such a high density of liquor stores and access to alcohol, it can also contribute or be a large relation to the economic and social crumbling of the community and overall rate of crime. There are studies that report that the â€Å"over-concentration of liquor stores increases the perceived lack of safety and limits walkability in the community†. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). The excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to major health problems, such as, cirrhosis of the liver, cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia as well as the effects due to injuries sustained in car accidents secondary to driving under the influence. Substance abuse, including alcohol, is another public health concern in the Pueblo community. One of the biggest concerns of alcohol abuse is that of â€Å"binge† drinking among individuals. Binge drinking is a major indicator of substance abuse and is defined as â€Å"Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one occasion in the pa st month†. From 2007-2009, there were 14.5% of adults in Pueblo that reported binge drinking, a rate that was well below the Healthy People 2020 objective. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). According to the website, Teen Drug Abuse, 90% of alcohol consumption by those that are underage is in the form of â€Å"binge† drinking. (Teens and Addiction, 2014). In Pueblo County, underage rates of drinking increased with age, indicating that teenagers are more likely to experiment or try alcohol around the ages of 16 or 17. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). In Pueblo County, methamphetamine use in youth ages 15-18 years was low (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007 for the â€Å"15 or younger† category. Following national trends, results from 2009 indicate decreasing methamphetamine usage across the board for all age groups. This may be in part to successful prevention interventions, education campaigns about methamphetamine use, or inconsistent self-reporting (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Housing, water quality, and air quality are factors that can be classified as the environmental quality/safety of Pueblo,  County. â€Å"Homes† represent to most a place of safety, security and shelter and because these factors are so important they have the potential to help or harm the h ealth of the community. The United Way Pueblo County evaluation in 2009 reported that Pueblo County had a large shortage of â€Å"low income† rental housing. The estimated rental housing in Pueblo County reported in 2009 was 32% and home ownership was reported at 68%. (America Fact Finder, 2012). Sewage is another factor that can potentially be a huge source of water contamination. Waste water treatment plants in higher populated areas of Pueblo County are used to treat sewage before being released back into the environment; however, not all areas of Pueblo County are served by a treatment plant. Pueblo County has approximately 16,000 homes that have septic systems and are not serviced by a waste water treatment plant. Water wells can become contaminated due to improper septic system treatment. In Pueblo County, the majority of its population the drinking water comes from surface water. In some cases, the drinking water may come from shallow surface sources or underground wells. (Community Health Sta tus Report, 2011). The air quality in Pueblo is for the very good with the particle matter (PM2.5) being very low. Particle matter is defined by the EPA as the tiny particles directly emitted into the air and particles formed in the air by chemical transformation of gaseous pollutants. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010). According to the Pueblo City-County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division, there were over 830 complaints in 2010 with the majority of complaints which were 41% of the total complaints were about the housing. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012). All in all the environmental Quality of Pueblo County is above average. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are in lot of cases higher than the national benchmarks. Premature infant deaths in Pueblo County in 2009 were 8,767. Malignant neoplasms rank first in Pueblo County for the leading casue of death with heart disease being second leading cause of death in Pueblo County. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Morbidity reporting of poor or fair health was 17% Health factors in Pueblo County such as smoking was 23% compared to the National benchmark of 13%, teen birth rate was 63% compared to National benchmark of 21%, sexually transmitted diseases reported in Pueblo County was approximately 352 with the national benchmark of 92. (County Health Rankings and Road  Maps, 2013). Disaster Assessment Pueblo has a Disaster Management Program which includes several support functions based on the emergency which includes the following: transportation, fires, wildfires, victim care, search and rescue, long-term recovery, hazmat, damage assessment, floods, mass fatality, terrorism, tornadoes and winter storms. The program’s goal is to prevent or decrease the impact of natural or human caused disasters. There are also additional support systems such as behavioral health response and an animal health response plan. The department staff and fire fighters are specially trained and ready to respond to any major disasters that may occur. The command staff members assist in the coordination of the disaster and emergency management training exercises in the local region. There are monthly meetings with the members and the Pueblo County Emergency Response Team (PERT) and with other local emergency reponse and support agencies. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo also operates and â€Å"All Hazards† disaster plan that is designed to address the needs of the Pueblo Fire Department and the people of Pueblo in and efficient and effective manner if a disaster occurs. It is also serves as a supplement to the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Plan. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). The Pueblo Chemical Depot, a chemical weapons storage site is located in Pueblo County. Mustard agents HD and HT are stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. The chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program is the federally funded program administered by the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program was placed to prepare the local authorities for a possible chemical weapons incident. If such an incident occurs, Pueblo Chemical Depot will notify the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Communication Center in accordance between the agreement between Pueblo County and Pueblo Chemical Depot. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) Due to the hot dry summers, a fire or wildfire frequently occurs and there is an emergency support system that is in place. The following agencies included are the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Bureau, Public Works, the Colorado State Patrol, the Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service, Colorado State Parks, American Medical Response, both local hospitals –  Parkview Medical Center and St Mary Corwin Hospital. The Emergency Support Function and Wildland Fire Incident Annex is there to guarantee a correct response from the numerous agencies involved for containing and extinguishing fires. This is an effective system that was established to manage the various resources and agencies involved to fight structural and wild land fires in Pueblo County. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013). The Pueblo Activation Sequence establishes procedures for the activation and operation of the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is activated to an anticipated or actual response that involves more than one area or jurisdiction and/or multiple response agencies. This includes agencies that respond to HazMat accidents, severe weather, flooding, earthquakes, civil disturbances or terrorism. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) The Pueblo County Health Department leads the emergency support functions for Public Health and Medical Services. Their supporting agencies are as follows: Local Hospitals, EMS, Behavioral Health Services, Emergency Service Bureau, Coroner, Agriculture, Education, Human Services, Law Enforcement Agencies, Military and Veteran Affairs, Public Safety, Regulatory Agencies, Transportation, Pueblo Community Health Center, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and COVOAD. This program provides a response and recovery action related to the lifesaving tra nsport, evacuation, treatment of the injured, controlling of the spread contamination, prevention of contamination of water and food supplies and the disposition of any dead. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) As you can see, Pueblo County is very well prepared with any type of natural, chemical, or human caused disaster. Summary From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The air pollution in Pueblo County is below the national average with 95% of days with good air quality and only 5% with moderate air quality. An area that could use improvement would be to find a way to attend to the individuals that make negative responses to traumatic or  negative life events. These responses and events may play a huge factor in the rise of homicides that are taking place in Pueblo County. The education of the public community about the emergency and disaster preparedness programs through community outreach will help to inform and develop functional needs for Pueblo. Works Cited (2013). Retrieved February 07, 2014, from Pueblo, Colorado: http://pueblo.org/history America Fact Finder. (2012). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from U.S. Census Bureau: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0862000.html City-Data Pueblo County, CO . (2012). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.city.data.com/county/Pueblo_County-CO.html Community Health Status Report. (2011). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Pueblo.org: http://county.pueblo.org/sites/default/files/documents/Status%20Report%202011%20Final.pdf County Health Rankings and Road Maps. (2013). Retrieved February 8, 2014, from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/aIntpp/#/colorado/2013/pueblo/county/outcomes/overall/additional/by-rank Emergency Services Bureau. (2013). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Pueblo County Sheriffs Office: http://www.sheriff.co.pueblo.co.us/esb/oem.html History of Pueblo. (n.d.). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from Pueblo, CO Official Website : http://www.pueblo.us/index.aspx?nid=119 Particle Matter. ( 2013, March 18). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from EPA United Stated Environment Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/pm/ Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Area Connect: http://pueblo.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm Pueblo, Colorado. (2014, January 31). Retrieved February 08, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo,_Colorado Teens and Addiction. (2014, February). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Teen Driug Abuse: http://www.teen-drug-abuse.org/ United Stated Census Bureau. (2010). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Current Population Survey: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables.htm

Communication as the Key to Good Writing Essay -- Language Education W

Communication as the Key to Good Writing Writing as it exists in this world can be interpreted an infinite amount of ways. Some believe it to be communication, some self expression. Some believe that it is a tool to explain one self, others think it complicates things. Ultimately, writing is used for remembering things so that you can eventually communicate with yourself and others about what you thought at a previous time. If you can talk without confusing, then you can write without confusing. It is as simple as that. In order for someone to become a good writer, all that person has got to do is make sense of their feelings by writing them down in a fashion that is understood by those who one wishes to communicate with. That is, tell the people what you have got to say and explain it so that they can understand. If you do not, you fail as a writer because no one can understand you or what you are saying. If you want to be a good writer, you must make it so that the public can understand it. In order for a piece of writing to be taken by the public as good, a writer must make the literature seem real. If people do not believe it or believe that it could happen, then it is lost. Reality, though, does not mean if does exist or not. Instead it should seem as if it could exist or not. There has not been a sufficient amount of evidence to prove the existence of U.F.O.'s, werewolves, or unicorns but that does not mean that good literature cannot be written about it. It has. Of course, the subject covered in a piece of literature will not appeal to everyone, but you never really are talking to everyone anyway. To make the writing seem real, you should make it seem like you are talking directly to the reader in a believable fashio... ... relate to all the people of the time and for those who could not read, a public theatre was created to visually show the story. And what makes a good writer today? Well today's world is much different than Shakspeares day. Now their are thousands of excellent writers that no one hears about because there are so many different things to read. Every individual can find a piece of literature that can directly relate to them. There are books and magazines about each and every subject imaginable. And the reason for this success is because all of these writers know exactly what they want to write about and only those who wish to associate with the same subject will read it. This diversity can make anyone great in the same subject area as those who read it. These writers know what they are saying and can say it in a way that is believable, interesting, and realistic.

Game theory Essay

Game theory is a broad field of study that involves examining ways in which strategic decisions are derived. The study is applied in areas where strategic interactions among rational players produce outcomes with respect to the preferences of those players (Fudenberg & Tirole 1991). Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics that is mostly used in the social sciences situations like, economics, psychology, political science, and philosophy. The theory is also used in other fields like, biology, engineering, political science, international relations and computer science. Game theory can be classified as; non-cooperative (or strategic) games and co-operative (or coalitional) games (Fernandez & Bierman 1998). Non-cooperative games are involved with how intelligent individuals interact with one another in an effort to achieve their own goals. Co-operative games are where players co-operate in their moves (strategies) to achieve the desired common goals. ‘Strategic-form’ or ‘normal form’ games and ‘extensive form’ games. ‘Strategic form’ games are games where actions by players are taken simultaneously and order of the play is irrelevant to the game’s outcome. ‘Extensive form’ games are games where actions are taken by the players in a sequence and order of play is relevant to a game’s outcome. They are usually presented in a tree diagram. Symmetric and Asymmetric games; Asymmetric games are where the payoffs for playing a particular move depend only on the other player’s strategies. Symmetric game is where identities of the players can be changed without changing the payoff to the strategies. Zero-sum games and non-zero sum games; Zero-sum games are where the total benefits to all players add up to zero (Camerer 2003). In non-zero sum games, the total benefits do not necessarily adds up to zero. Discrete and continuous games; discrete games have finite number of players, moves, events and outcomes. Continuous games have infinite numbers. The basic elements of game theory are; an agent (an entity with preferences/options), game (All situations in which at least one agent can only act to maximize his utility through anticipating responses to his actions by one or more other agents), utility (amount of benefits/welfare an agent derives from occurrence of an event), payoff (an ordinal utility number assigned to a player at event of a certain outcome), outcome (an assignment of a set of payoffs, one to each player in the game), strategy (player’s plan on which action to take to achieved his/her desired payoff) and trees and matrices (ways of representing games that is based on order of play) (Fernandez & Bierman 1998). Game theory is based on the following assumptions: Players in a game are able to make their own preferences i. e. they are free agents. Players are economically rational and they can, assess outcomes, calculate paths to outcomes and choose actions that they think will yield their preferred outcomes. Agents’ purpose is to maximize their utility. Game outcome depends on the actions taken by the players (Camerer 2003). Game theory has been used to explain in different fields to explain varied phenomena. In economics, game theory has been employed to explain business behaviors and economic conditions. Economic theories have embraced game theory in explaining and exhibiting certain economic behaviors. Economists have used other related theories in trying to understand rational interaction of strategic economic decisions that are made by people. These theories are closely linked to game theory and they include, decision theory, general equilibrium theory and mechanism design theory. Decision theory is a game theory of a single player against nature that focuses on preferences and the formation of beliefs (Fernandez & Bierman 1998). The theory is used to demonstrate how best to acquire information before making a decision. Equilibrium theory is a branch of game theory that deals with trade and production and mostly with where there are relatively large number of individual consumers and producers (Fudenberg & Tirole 1991). It is widely used in the macroeconomic analysis of broad based economic policies like monetary and fiscal policies, stock markets analysis, interest and exchange rates studies. Mechanism design theory is built on game theory but have special focus on the consequences of different types of rules (strategies). Example of a game theory is price game used by companies in a duopolistic market to increase their market share. In a duopoly market, two firms control the market and they use factors like prices, quality products and services, promotions, branding and promotion to compete over the market share (Samuelson 2008). When market share of one company increases, the other company’s share decreases. Firms in sectors that sells homogeneous products (e. g. energy sector), uses pricing strategy to win increase their market share. Taking example of two oil companies in a duopolistic market in current oil price surge, the companies are faced with problem of adjusting their prices upwards since this will adversely affect the demand of their oil products and thus reduce their revenues. Increase in crude oil prices has been experienced in the world, and oil and petroleum companies have to increase their retail prices upwards to realize earnings from their venture. Companies also have objective of increasing the volume of their sales, by increasing the market share of their products. Since petroleum companies trades homogeneous products, the main marketing tool to increase their market share is price. For two companies in a duopoly market, if one company increases its prices, and other maintains or even reduces, the former loses market share to the latter. Both companies face the following possibilities from their moves; reduction of market share of their products and hence their future revenues and profit or reduction in their profit margin or loss and hence shrink of their financial performance and growth in the future. Therefore each of the firms is faced with dilemma of which move to take in this situation of sharp increase in their raw materials. The two firms have the following strategic problem; to ensure profitability of their companies amid high cost of their sales, and pressure to maintain their prices at competitive price over their rivals in order to increase demand of their products. These are conflicting goals that management of each company must resolve by making strategic price decisions. Pricing strategies for the two firms are either to increase the price that would results to increase in revenue and retain its market share, reduce price which results to increase in market share of its products or maintain the price (Ibid 2008). Each company want to maximize its utility in the pricing moves i. e. to select a move that will see its market share maintained or increased and also ensure profitability of the company. Each strategy that the companies may take have implications on the other i. e. move by one firm affects the other firm. Example, in case of one firm decreasing its prices, this will affects negatively market share of the other as the demand of the former company’s product increases. Therefore, each company is expected to take choice that will result to its favor. Since the two firms are competing for success in their business, there is no cooperation expected while making this very important pricing choice. However, both firm being the only supplier in the market, they can cooperate and set their price mutually in a way that will ensure that no company will lose out to the other. Such arrangements are common in oligopolistic markets, where producers when faced by price pressure mutually agree to set their prices at the same level that will maintain the market share levels. In this game, each player (company) prefers to increase its market share over the other over maintaining the current market share. Therefore, they are taking conflicting moves to win over the other. The information about the available strategic choices is available to both firms. Both firms also know the current market share of their products and prices of the rival group. Each company has information about the strengths of the other company and knows how much they can support low prices in the price wars. They also know that the cost of crude oil has increased in the world market and that price was the tool to increase their revenues and growth. The only information both companies do not have is which choice their rival make and when. Companies will not make price changes at the same time; therefore the company that will make price changes after the other will have advantage over the other as it has prior information that is very important in making the pricing decisions. This game is an extensive game and the moves are in a sequence order. Therefore, timing of their moves is very important as it will give the second company advantage to make a well informed move. Using a hypothetical case, we take example of one company making first move and then the other follows. Using the game tool we can get the possible outcomes and solutions in an economic situation like ours. The payoffs assigned to each possible result indicate situations where a company can benefit (high payoffs) or lose out to the other competing company (low payoffs). Using a hypothetical example of oil companies BP Inc and Shell Plc as companies that operates in a monopolistic market, we can examine outcomes of pricing moves made by the two companies. The game can be used to give solutions to the price problem in a tight monopolisic market. The pricing game is based on the following assumptions: both BP Inc and Shell Plc are rational entities and in their moves their objectives are to increase their market share. Both firms make a sequential move on pricing that take extensive form (Fudenberg & Tirole 1991). Shell Plc makes their decision after the BP Inc makes their pricing move. There is perfect market information symmetry (all company has all market information). Other factors that affect influence market share of the companies are constant. Strategies employed are price increment, price reduction or maintaining the price level. Payoffs (utility functions) for the moves are assigned as: Company that increases its market share over the other gets 5, company that losses its market share to the other gets -5. The payoffs represent the companies gain or loss in market share. The range for payoff is from -5 to 5, with both the lowest and the highest value representing the highest gain and the highest loss. The medium values represent an outcome of moderate change in the market share of the companies. The game can be represented in a tree diagram as follows: BP Inc P^ Pv PÂ ¦ Shell P^ Pv PÂ ¦ P^ Pv PÂ ¦ P^ Pv PÂ ¦ (0, 0) (-5, 5) (-2, 4) (5, -5) (3, 3) (4, 2) (4, 0) (2, 4) (2, 2) If BP Inc increases its prices ( P^) due to increased world crude oil prices, and shell Plc increases (P^) too the outcome will be (0, 0) i. e. their market share would not change but their sales may reduce due to decreased demand. If Shell Plc reduces (Pv) the prices after BP Inc has increased its prices, the pay offs are (-5, 5) i. e. BP Inc will loss its market share at a rate that is same as one Shell Plc will increase its market share. In the scenario that BP Inc will raise its prices and Shell maintains its prices (PÂ ¦), the payoffs are (-2, 4) i. e. market share for BP will reduce (Pv) but at low rate compared to Shell increment rate will be. On the other hand, if BP Inc reduces its prices first and then Shell raises its prices, the outcome will be (5, -5) i. e. market share for BP will increase at a rate that’s same as the one Shell Plc will lose its share. If both firms reduces their prices, the payoff is going to be (3, 3) i. e. their market share will not change but their sales will be better (higher revenue than if prices are higher). However, if BP reduces its prices but Shell maintains its price, the pay off will be (4, 2) i. e. BP’s market share will increase comparatively higher than Shell’s. In the last scenario, in case BP maintains its price level but Shell Plc increases its price the outcome payoff will be (4, 0) i. e. BP’s share will increase over Shell’s at relatively higher rate. But if BP maintains its prices and Shell reduces its prices, the pay off will be (2, 4) i. e. Shell Plc will increase its market share at a higher rate than BP Inc. In the last possible scenario, if both BP and Shell maintains their prices, the payoff will be (2, 2) i. e. there is not going to be changes in the market share, though both firms will have higher sales than if they raise their prices. The game theory provides the solution that the second (shell) should take a move to reduce its price, if BP increases as it will greatly increase its market share. Also it can get increased market share and profit if it maintains its prices, after BP increases its prices. To the company that makes the first move, the best solution is to maintain the price level as it will have higher payoffs without risking the move by the Shell. These options are the only one that will increase their market share and profitable growth. The price game theory can be used to understand economic changes in duopolistic markets. The game can be used in making strategic pricing and marketing decisions. The approach is important to economic theorists in describing the economic rationale that relates to commodity prices, demand and supply dynamics (Guala 2005). Despite the usefulness of game theory, there are some challenges to this theory. The assumptions on which the theory is based sometimes do not hold (Fernandez & Bierman 1998). Game theorist assumption that players always act in a way to directly maximize their utility sometimes is violated by human behaviors i. e. in practice, human behavior often deviates from this model. This is because of the following factors that need to be considered; irrationality, new models of deliberation, and different motives (). In real life some people tend to respond irrationally in a situation where they are ideally expected to respond rationally. Also different people are motivated by different things and thus tend to respond differently in the same situation. To this end some theorists take game theory as tool for suggesting how people should respond but not as a tool to predict human behaviors and that game theory is used to explain strategic reasoning rather than strategic behaviors. Other limitations of the theory are based on the assumptions that prices changes are the only factors that will affect the demand of the oil products and consequently the market share. In real life there are rational factors that affect the market share of a product or a company. Quality of products and services, brand strength, promotions and other marketing strategies influences the demand of a product and its market share. Companies may also be motivated by other factors other than increasing market share when making pricing decisions. The theory also does not assign specific values to specify to what percentage a company gain or lose the market share. Since it’s an economic analysis it should give outcomes that can be easily understood and that make economic sense. However, the theory is very important in giving the general description of how individuals are expected to respond given a certain economic conditions. In the economic field the theory has been instrumental in explaining behaviors of firms and individuals’ producers and consumers. The theory is also very important in understanding how strategic decisions relate. Reference: Camerer, C. (2003). Behavioral Game Theory: Experiments in Strategic Interaction. Princeton: Princeton University Press Fernandez, L F. ; Bierman, H S. (1998), Game Theory with Economic Applications, Addison-Wesley Fudenberg, D. , and Tirole, J. (1991). Game Theory. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press Guala, F. (2005). The Methodology of Experimental Economics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Samuelson, L. (2005). Economic Theory and Experimental Economics. Journal of Economic Literature 43:65-107.

Comparison Tom and Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby” Essay

In â€Å"The Great Gatsby,† written by Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby are two characters that struggle with the idea of losing their shared love interest, Daisy. Tom and Gatsby’s attachment to Daisy is differently justified due to their contrasting views, personalities, attitudes, actions, backgrounds, and other factors, some of which they do share and concur in. Fitzgerald did a great thing here. He created two purposefully different characters- one that is easily despised, the other that although not perfect, is likable- and united them in their love for money, the power that comes with it , and their haunt for the ultimate prize – Daisy. In this essay, we will analyze Tom and Gatsby’s differences and similarities in several areas, and decide whether or not they are perfect foils of each other like they are commonly perceived to be. To describe who Tom and Gatsby are, we must first analyze where they come from. In this area, Tom Buchannan and Jay Gatsby couldn’t be more different. Tom comes from an old and wealthy Chicago family, hence his residence in East Egg where the old aristocracy of the country’s richest families reside. Tom symbolizes the idea of being born into a golden crib, a prestigious family name, and into old money. Tom is one of those privileged few who never had to work for anything in his life, but is â€Å"privileged† the right description for him? Fitzgerald says in the story, â€Å"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.† Tom’s past never allowed him to learn how to own up to his mistakes, accept fault, and deal with difficult situations, but rather made him unable to adapt to the real world. Because of this, I use the term â€Å"privileged† loosely when describing Tom. On the other hand, Jay Gatsby was born into what some of us call â€Å"the other side of the tracks.† Gatsby faced an impecunious childhood in rural North Dakota, but was an ambitious small town boy with big dreams who thought himself to be superior to the farming life, and simply rejected the lot he had been dealt in life. Gatsby’s father says to the narrator, Nick, â€Å"Jimmy was bound to get ahead†¦ Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind? He was always great for that†, and that is exactly what Gatsby did.  Gatsby left his home town and set out to find his fortune, and although some of his actions were not too admirable, James Gatz, the poor farm boy, used his ingenuity to reinvent himself and become Jay Gatsby, the self-made millionaire. Fitzgerald makes Gatsby’s residence in West Egg, where the newly rich reside, a place for a class of vulgar and ostentatious people who will always lack the social grace and taste that the r esidents of East Egg possess, and can only be achieved from birth. Although the green light in Daisy’s garden is symbolic for hope, I think it also symbolizes the â€Å"green-eyed monster†. It symbolizes the envy and frustration Gatsby must feel through the realization that even though he achieved an incredible amount of wealth, he will never be an East Egger. Gatsby’s impoverished past makes him unacceptable to this socially elite East Egg society that Tom was born into, and is naturally an accepted part of. Now that we know about their contrasting pasts, let us take a look at their personalities. Tom is an overpowering, large man who uses his presence to intimidate people. It says in the book , â€Å"two shining, arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward. Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body†¦it was a body capable of enormous leverage†¦a cruel body.† On the other hand, Gatsby seems to be shy and reserved to the point where he is not even acknowledged at his own parties. In my opinion, Gatsby did not do so well when attempting to pull off a defying front during his confrontation with Tom. Tom also comes off as a racist bigot who fears that the Black race will eventually submerge the White race, a sexist, and an abusive, insensitive, â€Å"brute†, like Daisy calls him. Gatsby’s open house parties which contain very colorful characters, on the other hand, seem to show little prejudice or judgment in his persona. Gatsby’s action of waiting outside the Buchannan’s home all night just to make sure Tom would not physically harm Daisy, show just how sensitive Gatsby is to Daisy’s well being. Tom seems to be very blunt and crude, while Gatsby’s distinguishing feature is the enigma that is his life. Jay Gatsby holds himself to high expectations and lived his life chasing a single dream, while Tom Buchanan seems to have no direction, goals, or dreams, other than to waste away his wealth, and please his selfish needs. In my opinion, the fundamental difference between Tom and Gatsby is how Fitzgerald  decided that justice would be served to each concerning part. Tom is the definition of selfishness, arrogance, cruelty, and ultimately, the ugly side of inherited wealth. Despite all his faults, Gatsby is more good than he is bad, and is a clear rags-to-riches success story. However, Tom ends up getting away scot free, never facing any consequences for his actions or immorality, while Gatsby ends up killed for a crime he did not commit, to save a women who did not love him back. As always, the poor man gets the short end of the stick. Now that we stated some clear differences between Tom and Gatsby, lets look at some of their similarities. Tom and Gatsby are both dishonest and deeply flawed men who commit consistent shows of indiscretions. For example, Tom condemns Daisy’s affair, but does not have the decency to be discreet about his own. Gatsby’s shady business dealings with Wolfsheim and illicit ways of acquiring wealth can, without a doubt, compare to Tom’s unscrupulous character. Both Tom and Gatsby lie and cheat, but Tom does it for the sole purpose of self-indulgence, while Gatsby does what he does in pursuance of his dream. Tom and Gatsby both have controlling personalities, and will do what they can to get what they want, regardless of the consequences. Another similarity between Tom and Gatsby is that both men seem to be playing a role when every they’re in public, by putting on a facade for others to see. With his good looks, education, horses, polo shirts, riding pants, and boots, Tom tries to impress and dissemble others, while hiding the monster he really is. On the same token, the ostentatious parties, mysterious past, and made up stories are all used by Gatsby to hide his hum ble beginnings, and corrupt ways of attaining his wealth. Without a doubt, Gatsby and Tom’s most obvious connection is their link to Daisy. Beautiful, educated, and well groomed, Daisy is the personification of feminism in the 1920’s, and women of an elite social class. Although Daisy is the object of their affection, or better yet, desire, I do not think that either Tom or Gatsby are in love with her. Tom is so pompous, that he married Daisy not because he loved her, but because everyone else wanted her. Tom wants to keep Daisy now because he knows how socially unacceptable divorce would have been, and she looks good under his arm. Gatsby is not so much in love with her, as much as he is with the idea of her. Gatsby places Daisy on this pedestal, and wants her to live up to expectations that she neither can, wants, or deserves. In a way, both Tom and Gatsby see Daisy as  a highly desirable prize that will attest to their own self-worth. In conclusion, because Tom and Gatsby do share some characteristics with each other they may not be â€Å"perfect† foils, but looking at the big picture, they are like oil and water. Tom is a despicable character who embodies everything that is wrong with society, and flies through life unpunished. Gatsby is a man who came from humble beginnings, and made something out of himself for the sole purpose of recuperating the one thing that ever made him feel alive – Daisy. Gatsby lied, cheated, and took part in organized crime, so what can possibly him great, you may ask. Well, in my opinion, Gatsby’s never-ending optimism, simplicity of heart, and power to make his dreams into reality is what makes him â€Å"Great†. In reality, Gatsby never cared for the glamorous parties, the nice clothes, or the fast cars. Acquiring these luxuries were only important to him because he felt like they were necessary for him to accomplish his ultimate goal- winning Daisy’s heart back. Daisy embodied Gatsby’s American dream, and unfortunately for him, his search for her was somewhat more of a fatally romantic idealism that seemed to be best suited in a world of fairy tails and happy endings. I agree with Nick when he tells Gatsby, â€Å"They’re a rotten crowd†¦ you’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.†

Final essay Essay Example

Final essay Essay Example Final essay Essay Final essay Essay Although the poems both illustrate the battle against ones impending doom and have certain similarities in their portrayal of mortality, they also display the two different attitudes towards it. First of all, the two poems take the same approach of personifying mortality as a sentient, malevolent being. In Marvels poem, time is described as chasing the couple in a Winged chariot (22) and may devour them with his slow-chapped power (40). The first metaphor is an allusion to the god of the sun, Apollo, emphasizing the speed and inevitability of time as the sun rises ND sets regularly every day. The second metaphor alludes to Crocus, father of Zeus, who ate his children for fear of being overthrown by them. In the speakers eyes, death is an oppressive and brutal enemy. Likewise, Shakespeare describes death as a grim and arrogant being: Nor shall death brag thou wand rest in his shade (11). It is possible that through the personification of death, the writers attempt to make something as abstract as death and mortality more palpable and comprehensible by giving it human qualities. In reality, all lives go through death, a natural occurrence that has o such evil qualities and is not subject to reason. It is perhaps the mysterious nature of death that strikes the most terror into peoples heart. However, through antagonizing death, the speakers fear and resentment of the unknown can be justified. From the use of personification in the two poems, we can catch a glimpse of how the speakers feel about the inevitable mortality. Though the speakers in the two poems possess similar emotions towards death, they however seem to look at the prospect of death quite differently. To His Coy Mistress is filled with horrifying images of the afterlife, such as deserts of vast eternity (24), worms (27), dust (29) and ashes (30). The speaker in the poem sees nothing but barrenness and suffering in death. The last verse gives further insight into how he views death: Rather at once our time devour/ than languish in his slow-chapped power (39-40), and thorough the iron gates of life (44). He resents mortality, and only finds it imprisoning. He has no faith in the future, but does not attempt to escape from mortality because he knows that death is inescapable. : Shakespeare, on the other hand, does not seem to have such a simplistic point of view towards mortality. When declaring that his lovers beauty surpasses the summer days because summers lease hath all too short a date (4), the tone is calm and the word choice is not as negative as the second verse of Marvels poem. In addition, when Shakespeare talks about how everything beautiful declines, he says And every fair from fair sometime declines, / by chance, or natures changing course, untrimmed (7-8). Again, the tone is rather calm, and he acknowledges that mortality is destined by nature. This realization can again be seen in the line Nor lose session of that fair thou stows (10). An interesting ambiguity lies in the word stows, because it can be interpreted as newest or sweet. If the word means owes?, then Shakespeare is acknowledging that the lovers beauty is borrowed from nature and has to be returned. Therefore, although the two speakers in the two poems both admit that mortality is unavoidable, Shakespeare appears more accepting and neutral of the idea whereas the other resents it. Moreover, the speakers in the two poems choose to rebel against mortality in completely different ways. The young man in wry His Coy Mistress takes a more fierce and impulsive approach. He encourages his lover that they should love each other like amorous birds of prey (38), and though they cannot stop time, they will make him run (46). Birds of prey, also known as raptors, are birds that hunt and feed on other animals. The word raptor originates from Latin word rapper, meaning to seize or take by force (Brown). This simile shows that the speaker desperately wants to overpower mortality, to pursue but not to be pursued. By being like amorous birds of prey, the speaker chooses to unleash his passion and annalistic instincts. When death eventually arrives, the couple will have no regrets, for they embrace the short-lividness of life and make the most of it. Instead of enjoying ones youth and bodily pleasures to the fullest like the speaker in Marvels poem, Shakespeare chooses to resist mortality in a more immaterial way. Unlike the speaker in To His Coy Mistress, who seems to focus on savoring his lovers beauty as it is now, Shakespeare takes it a step further and focuses on preserving his lovers beauty for all eternity. He writes, When in eternal lines to Time thou grows/ So long as men can breathe, or eyes can e/ So long lives this, and this gives life to thee (12-14), where he announces that the poem itself shall live on, thus granting the lover immortality. This determination is the most significant difference between the two speakers approaches. When facing the threat of mortality, one defies it with his power as a human, another defies it with the power of literature. One yearns to live his life to the fullest through the indulgence of physical pleasures, another seeks for eternal existence beyond physicality through the creation of art. This, perhaps, gives us insight into how Shakespeare views literature and its rower: even though literature is a human product, it will outlive its creators because it is not confined by human mortality. Generations of people will be able to read the poem, and his lover will live on in these peoples mind. Interestingly, To His Coy Mistress seems to hold different opinions about the immortality of poetry, though it is open to personal interpretation. One can argue that To His Coy Mistress has onomatopoetic implications about the mortality and limitations of poetry. For example, the first verse is about the speakers idealistic fantasy of having an eternity to praise his lovers beauty. He says he by the tide/ Of Hummer would complain (6-7), where complain means writing a love complaint. Love complaints in literature are a formerly popular variety of poem that laments or protests unrequited love (Complaints). He would be willing to write poems about their love if only he had the time. Also, he describes how he would extol the beauty of his lover: An hundred years should go to praise/ Thin eyes and on thy forehead gaze; and the last age should show your heart (13-18). The praise of individual female body parts and exaggeration of time resembles blazon, which is a attic mode wherein the speaker uses metaphor, simile and hyperbole to describe the parts of his or her lovers body (Literary Terms). However, all these statements which seem to point to poetry are deemed unrealistic and absurd by the speaker, because no one will have that much time. It can be interpreted that the speaker does not believe in the immortality of poetry. In the second verse of the poem, where the speaker explains the harsh truth of mortality, he says Thy beauty shall no more be found, nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound/ my echoing song (25-27). My echoing song may be pointing to the love complaint he mentions earlier. Contrary to Shakespearean view, the speaker points out that poetry may not actually be immortal. Poem exists for people to read them. If the subject of the love poem is dead, then the poem can only echo uselessly in the coffin, devoid of meaning. In the second verse, Marvel writes, Thy beauty shall no more be found, And your quaint honor turn to dust, land into ashes all my lust (25-30). Even though the poem still echoes through the air, the subjects beauty and the writer desire that inspired it is long gone. Poetry can be passed on for generations and inspire future people indeed. But it is impossible to make the people involved in it, who are destined by nature to be mortal, immortal. In this sense, poetry is just as mortal as human beings and it too has its limitations. To conclude, the two poems To His Coy Mistress and Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day are not only about love, but also about the painful and complicated conflict between humans and mortality. They showcase how humans may feel about their inevitable fate, and the different ways that humans may defy it as well.

Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Portfolio - Essay Example Attention, therefore, shall be devoted to the value of negotiation, and the interrelationship between negotiation and intelligence, as learnt throughout the course of this program. Selection of negotiation as the theme was determined by its persistent presence in the greater majority of the themes dealt with and topics covered. Whether explicit or implicit, covert or overt, the importance of negotiation never faded from attention and the imperatives of acquiring a conceptual understanding of this skill for subsequent practical exploitation was an overriding program concern and objective. To illustrate this point, I will use examples from all of the course’s theoretical studies, practical experiences and key readings. The MA in Diplomatic Studies combines between theory and practice, thus, acknowledging diplomacy to be, in part, the practical application of theoretical concepts. As such, academic discussions were consistently grounded in theory, with the aforementioned serving, not only to frame knowledge but, to provide students with interpretive tools as would allow them a more thorough understanding of international affairs and relations. IR theory emphasised the imperatives of negotiation and the role of intelligence therein. The divisive nature of IR theory, as evidenced in clear demarcations between schools of theory, highlights the utility of negotiation aiming towards a compromised theoretical outlook. Quite simply stated, the persistent division of theoretical schools into idealists and realists has culminated in a situation wherein events do not dictate interpretation but theory dictates the manner in which events will be interpreted, with the consequences being less than accurate understandings of the implications of the events in question. Neither the scope nor the complexities of IR withstands such clear, and highly delimiting, demarcations and, their enforcement lends to the loss of meaning. If a diplomat is

American Political System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Political System - Essay Example The Affordable Care Act is said to help ensure that the citizens are in charge of their health care. The Act highlights a patient’s bill of right that states that every American is flexible, and stable in identifying the needs arising from their health. The Act though ignores the crucial issue of health care cost attainments. It is said to be an affordable act but the American patients have to incur a lot to attaining health insurance and cannot attain any treatment without having paid all premiums. Difficulties experienced in the application of Civil Rights in the South The civil rights Act was developed by Kennedy in 1875. Its main aims were to address the issues of discrimination based on color, sex, race, religion and origin, the application of the voters and their requirements and the freedom to access public facilities, work places and schools. Despite this, the bill was faced by a number of controversies that delayed its immediate applicability. But first, the fact that it did not include a number of vital provisions as stated by some of the civil rights leaders, which included terminating the discrimination experienced in private sectors, providing protection against brutality brought out by the police, and creating a department to enhance justice among all citizens disregard less of position or wealth, the bill failed to be passed. In addition, President Johnson said that the bill created a division and stimulated long-term differences in the political support between the North and South.

ETH301 MODULE 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ETH301 MODULE 2 - Assignment Example Others thought that the law must be followed. In this case the law does not allow anyone access to emails of deceased. Agreements are between an individual and the service providers, which in this case, Yahoo. The agreement meant that no third-party should get access to the email for it would be a violation to the agreement signed (Herold, 2012). The military have tried to advice soldiers on having a letter with IDs and passwords to their e-mail accounts. This letter should be kept by someone they trust and delivered ‘only when the solider dies (Kopetski, 2012). But this still raises many concerns on how the person should be trusted since privacy can be compromised (Wilkens, 2011). According to Herold, (2012) privacy is important and many people would not want to share their emails with others whether alive or dead. Another case is having important data stored on ones email. When the person dies it will mean that this information is lost forever. The family will not be able to get what they could have inherited from the deceased (Kopetski, 2012). The case of Ellsworth is viewed either in the Utilitarian or Deontological point of view. According to Utilitarian theory, actions are considered to be right provided they promote happiness and satisfaction and wrong when they cause sadness (Latus, 2012). The Utilitarian in Ellsworths case appeared to have had more meaning to many people who were in support of the familys request as stated by Kopetski. Ellsworths parents wanted some comfort and satisfaction by getting access to their sons emails. They were not happy when Yahoo denied them access to these emails. The action by Yahoo to deny Ellsworth parents access to their sons e-mails was wrong according to Utilitarian since it led to sadness on their part (Latus, 2012). From what Susan Llewelyn wrote, she does not see the difference between an e-mail address and any

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

Portfolio Management Plan - Essay Example Any external or internal factor of communication or dealings may allow the employee to be distracted from the current task assigned. The performance of the organization would be affected if Employee Y is distracted with multiple tasks. Employee needs to work upon the emotions and be engaged to the task assigned. Employee Z needs to be strictly monitored as it has been observed that he does not have a good ethical background and has the potential of violating the rules and regulations of the organization. Employee should be observed under the manager and should not be given any vital task of the organization (Woods, 2003). The performance of the organization would be affected negatively if employee Z performs unsupervised. Employee Z needs to also work upon controlling emotions and focus on being satisfied with the job rather than opting for unethical work practices. Other additional assessments that can be recommended for the employees are firstly the Employee Passion Survey. This survey would allow the organization to depict the level of passion that employees have for performing the job roles at the firm. The results of this survey would allow the organization to determine the needs of the employees, the level of passion persisting in the employee, the level of trust that needs to be build by the organization and employee for better productivity of the firm. The second assessment that can be conducted for the employees is the Team Alignment Survey. This survey would allow the organizations to determine the ability of the employees to work in teams and to what extent are the teams aligned in achieving the goals and objectives for the firm. Trust and alignment are two elements that need to be present for teams to become successful and perform successfully for the firm. Specifically employee X can take up assessments such as What’s my basic Personality? and How Involved I am in

Financial Statement Analysis A.G. Barr

Financial Statement Analysis A.G. Barr Financial Statement Analysis Introduction A.G. Barr p.l.c. is based in United Kingdom it maufacture, distribute, and sell soft drinks. A.G. Barr. operates in carbonates and water. Company has a wide range of brand’s which includes IRN-BRU, Rubicon, Barr Brands, KA, Strathmore, Simply, Tizer, D’N’B, St. Clement’s, Findlays and Abbott’s. Company also has some partnership brands which includes Orangina, Rockstar and Snapple. The manufacturing area located in United Kingdom. Findlays Limited, subsidairy of A.G. Barr P.l.c., is engaged in Rubicon Drinks Limted and natural mineral water as well as the manufacture and distribution of soft drinks. Schweppes International Limited is also a franchise partner of A.G. Barr p.l.c in United Kingdom, authorized for manufactures and sells Orangina. It also has collaboration with Rockstar Inc. in the United States to sell and distribution of energy drink, Rockstar brand in Ireland and United Kingdom. The following pie-chart represent market share of soft dr inks and low calorie drinks. They strategy have developed in a way to deliever long term growth in value and focusing on core brands and markets, brand portfolio, route to market, partnerships, efficient operations, people development, sustainablity and responsibility. Financial Review The business performance throughout 2013 of A.G. BARR has perform well in U.K soft drinks market especially in second half of the financial year with double digit growth rate. The economic conditions in the core market segments survied difficulties in 2012, as well as the increasing cost of promotion effect margins. A.G.BARR growth rate for volume and revenue increased more rapidly then the market in carbonates ans still segments. The overall growth of softdrinks experienced carbonates growth rate of 3.8% in value but decreases in terms of volume, showed growth of 1.9% with avolume declining 1%. In 2013 A.G. BARR carbonates volume increased by 6.0% and revenue increased by 7.1%. On the other hand stills also performed better with a growth of 4.3% in revenue and 4.1% in volume. In addition to delievering a growth higher then the market and much of the build program associated with their new production and storage facility at Crossley Road, Milton Keynes. The Milton Keynes site is an i mportant asset for future business developments. Adverse whether condition in 2012 impacted soft drinks category according to Nielsen research, reflects 0.7% decline while to volume grew by approximately 3%. Conumer participation in the carbonates category has remained at high level supported by price-driven promotions across the main brands. Ratios analysis over the last 3 years Profit Margin: According to the financial statements ended January 2013, Company declared a profit after tax of  £ 25.564 million which represent 10.76% of its sales. Current year revenue grew by approximately 7% from prior year and 3.42% on the basis of average growth rate from the last three year. Profit before tax and exceptional item in 2013 increased by 4.3% but profit margin was slightly reduced in 2013 as compare to 2012, due to higher cost of goods. In 2012, observed as a climate of continued economic uncertainty and increasing cost. Despite these challenges companys profit before tax and exceptional item increased by 6.2% from 2011. In 2011, Profit before tax increased by 13.3% from 2010. In 2011 AG Barr observed 10.4% growth in revenue as compare to 7% in UK soft drink market. Current ratio: measure the financial stability of a company to pay its current liability. According to the financial statement, in 2013 current ratio represent 1.31(in times) thus company has enough to pay its financial obligation. Current ratio in 2012 represent 1.46 (in times) which shows that company financial stability in 2012 is better among 2011 and 2013. Quick ratio: measures the financial stability after deducting inventories and prepaid expense because they cannot be easily converted into cash at fair value. Quick ratio show clearer picture then current ratio, the company’s financial stability in 2012 of having 1.043(in times) as compare to average 0.9 (in times) in the rest of year. Working capital: is defined as the financial ability of a company to pay its short term obligation. Working Capital is an important factor used to measure its financial health. Working Capital Management is the strategy of a company to maintain efficient levels of both asset and liabilities to improve their earnings. It is calculated as current assets minus current liabilities. It involves management of inventories, cash, accounts payable and account receivable. Working capital is required to support the day to day business operation it is treated as life blood for smooth and effective business operations. Working capital in 2013 and 2011 is less as compare to the 2012. In 2012 company has  £ 20.934 millions more than its liabilities. Thus in 2012 company has managed their day to day operations effectively. Dividend: A.G. Barr’s efficient performance through the year enabled them to distribute per share dividend. In 2012 company’s profitability reflected in its dividend, declared  £ 25.96 per share, which is high through the rest of years. Inventory turnover ratio: measures the number of times the company sold its inventory throughout the year. AG Barr have inventory turnover of 6.51(in times) in year 2013 which means that company has 1.84 month of supply of inventory on hand. In 2012 and 2011, company has 2.02 (in times) and 2.05 (in times) months of supply of inventory on hand. ROE ROA: Return on equity in 2013 is greater then return on asset by 12.55% across the year it means that company is utilizing its asset perfectly as well as optimizing its debt effectively. It also shows that management is generating good result from shareholders’ investment. Account receivable turnover: Account receivable shows credit policy of a company according to which average time allow to customer to pay their debt. In 2013, 12.64 days took to recover their credit sales. Among the three year, in 2012 company was recovering their sales quickly at the rate of 7.70 days as compare to the rest of years. Operating Risk: can be defined as the more the proportion of fixed cost and lower variable cost is said to be high operating leverage. A ratio which is commonly used to determine the effect of operating leverage at given level on the firm’s potential earning is calculated by dividing, % change in EBIT by % change in Sales. Financial Risk: is the use to debt in it is calculated by dividing % change in EPS by % change in EBIT. Financial risk is not dependent on sales because whether a company has high or low sales it has to pay fix interest. By calculating financial leverage of AG BARR it appears that only 1% change in EBIT, Earning per share would change by 0.93. Preparation of financial statement: Financial statements of A.G. BARR p.l.c. have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (‘IFRS’) as adopted by the European Union. They have been prepared under the historical cost accounting rules except for the derivative financial instruments and the assets of the Group pension scheme which are stated at fair value and the liabilities of the Group pension scheme which are valued using the projected unit credit method. FINANCIAL MARKETS AND THEIR IMPACT Financial market is a market where an individual and corporation can trade financial securities, commodities. This table shows classification of market and instrument through which corporations can raise funds. Raising funds from equity market may lead the investor to think that the company financial flexibility is weak, and they are unable to get funds from banks or other sources. Stock issue leads to decreased earnings per share. Raising capital from foreign investor involves two main risks which are relevant for foreign investor. They include economic risk and political risk. Economic risk is less in countries with strong and stable economy situation. On the other hand political risk is linked with the economic stability of a country. Political decision and policies plays an important role in an economy. Political risk also called sovereign risk, the ability of a company to pay its foreign financial obligation. Risk is defined as uncertainty. The indication of risk and reward guide the investor that it would have a possibility to loss some or whole of its investment, an investor may experience bullish trend on his investment. Risk and return are directly correlated. The more you take risk, the more the likely return is, because investor demands additional return for additional risk. In finance this relationship is known as the security market line. Common stock and corporate bonds are two asset classes. Corporate bond is a debt instrument and common stock is equity. Corporate bonds and, TFCs are issued by a corporation and sold to investors. Government bonds are less risky then corporate bonds. Common stock is riskier then corporate bond because if an organization goes bankrupt, common stock holders get last priority until debt holders and preferred stock holder have received their assets. But common stock holders have the possibility to earn greater or lower return as compare to stable return on corporate bonds. As far as A G BARR, capital structure for the last two years shows that debt weight-age of the total asset was 42.64% and 50.44% in 2012 and 2013 respectively. So the company has raised fund through debt in order to meet the financial need of company. One of the major benefits by using debt financing is tax advantage and borrowing has a fixed return to stock holder. It has positive impact on the firm but because company failed to control its operating expenses, net profit in 2013 is less than 2012. Future Prospects A.G. BARR has observed a healthy performance in a marketplace impacted by the mixture of very poor summer weather conditions and the continuing economic challenges faced by consumer goods companies, especially raw material cost pressures and unpredictable consumer demand. Looking ahead it is doubtful that these challenges will significantly change, however they remain carefully confident that the combination of our established operating model, continued focus on efficiency, building brand equity, sound balance sheet and ability for growth prospect leave them well placed to continue to build on this performance. In the year ahead, they expect some decrease in the pace of input cost inflation which we expect to be at a low single digit level. Current market pricing for PET is down year on year, fruit pulp costs are lower but the cost of sugar remains persistently high Conclusion A.G. BARR has delivered strong financial performance in challenging year markets. Their products continue to respond well to equity investors. They have driven strong growth in revenue and volume and have continued to increase market share across the soft drinks market. Product and supply chain innovation enabled numbers of consumers to their brands. They are further investing in assets, acquiring additional capacity that enables them to grow according to consumer demands and in line with the market pace. Following a challenging 2011, last financial year survived with strong in terms of operational performance. Last year reported growth in products availability and customer service has improved and cost managed effectively. During 2012 the potential merger received overwhelming shareholder support. In 2013, financials reported profit before tax increased to  £ 35.0 million, showed 4.3% increase from the previous years. Earnings per share increased during the year by 10.9%. Their ba lance sheet measures have improved, showed net assets of  £130.6 million, during the year company also generated free cash flow to the firm of  £ 22.0 million. A.G. BARR p.l.c. group brands, as well as their franchise brand Rock star, showed 8.6% growth. This performance is above as compare to the market reflects that they continued opportunities to develop availability, innovation and distribution among their brands. Their geographical growth rates grew by 4%, and investment except U.K. grew by 12%, showing both important long term growth opportunities and comparably important share from their brands. References A.G. BARR p.l.c. Annual report 2013 pages 70 124 http://www.agbarr.co.uk/pdf/Final Results Announcement January 2013.pdf [Accessed: 12th May 2014] A.G. BARR p.l.c. Annual report 2012 pages 62 – 94 http://www.agbarr.co.uk/pdf/Final results announcement January 2012.pdf [Accessed: 12th May 2014]