Diabetes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Diabetes - Research Paper Example Diabetes describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, either because insulin production in the body is inadequate or the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both occur at the same time (Nordqvist). Furthermore, he states that people with diabetes experience frequent urination, become increasingly thirsty and hungry. The following are the major symptoms of diabetes: constant tiredness; unexplained weight loss; excessive thirst; excessive urination; excessive eating; poor wound healing; infections such as yeast infections of the genitals, skin infections and frequent urinary tract infections; altered mental status shown through agitation, unexplained irritability, inattention, extreme lethargy or confusion; and finally, blurred vision (Ferry). If a person experiences these symptoms, he or she should call a health care professional for assistance. There are many factors that contribute to oneâ€℠¢s getting diabetes, which include genetics, lifestyle, and the environment in which a person lives. Family history (genetics) is a factor in the development of diabetes but it alone does not determine the onset of the disease; moreover, some people are born with a predisposition for the disease but that environmental factors are needed to trigger the disease (Chandler). Age is also a factor in determining whether one has diabetes or whether he has the potential to have it and an example of this is in the case of juvenile diabetes which is usually diagnosed during childhood or young adulthood. Obesity is a major risk factor with eighty to ninety percent of all diabetes patients being obese. A high fat diet and extra body fat can make the liver increase the production of glucose. A lack of physical activity in addition to contributing to obesity also increases the risk of developing diabetes because during exercise, the cells in the body take in seven to twenty times more glucose tha n it does at rest. However, while genetics play an important role, an individual still has the responsibility to take very good care of their health to prevent diabetes (Stoppler). She insists that people should watch their weight and exercise more to ensure that the probability of getting the disease especially those with a genetic predisposition to do so, is greatly reduced. Furthermore, diet is also important because it helps with weight loss because there are some foods such as nuts which when consumed in small amounts provide benefits in blood sugar regulation. There are some tests available which can be used to see whether a person is at an increased risk of getting the disease and these should be done frequently to ensure that there is early detection of the disease. Smoking is harmful in many ways because it not only increases the risk of cancer and heart disease, but it also increases the risk of developing diabetes. There are numerous national organizations that conduct re search and provide information and physical referrals for cases of diabetes. A very good example is of this is Diabetes Australia, which is an Australian non–profit organization which works in partnership with diabetes consumer organizations, health professionals, educators, and researchers to minimize the

Category Analysis of Sports and Energy Drinks In Hong Kong Essay Example for Free

Category Analysis of Sports and Energy Drinks In Hong Kong Essay Introduction Our company, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. , Ltd, is planning for a product strategy to its product: Pocari Sweat. Pocari Sweat is a grapefruit-tasting, non-carbonated sweet beverage and is advertised as an â€Å"ion supply drink†. It is designed to increase endurance, replace electrolyte loss or prevent dehydration when exercising for long periods of time. Pocari Sweat is well-recognized by the local people, especially to the athletes. Category Attractiveness Analysis Category Factor The product category we defined is the Sports and Energy Drinks. We gained the first mover advantage when the product was launched at 1980, which we are the market leader which has a off-trade volume of brand share of 43. 8% in 2012 (see Appendix Table 6). The threat of new entrants in this category is low due to the intensive competition, and there is low pressure from substitutes as sports and energy drinks are specialized products. The bargaining power of suppliers is low while the bargaining power of buyers is high. The competition in current market is highly intensive. Details can be referred to the analysis on Category Factors on Attractiveness in Appendix. Overall, this category is still attractive. Aggregate Factor The product life cycle of Sports and Energy Drinks is more likely in mature stage. From the historical figures of whole beverage market, the market size of Sports and Energy Drinks is relatively small. The market growth of off-trade sales volume of this category is increasing constantly by 5. 4% from 2007 to 2012. It will grow constantly in the future by 5% of each year. Since Sports and Energy Drinks are daily commodities for those people after exercising, the sales cyclicity and seasonality is low, as well as the profit variability. Profit level of the market is high. Overall, this category is attractive. Environmental Factor Due to the rise of childhood obesity and the increasing number of cases of cancer, diabetes and heart disease, there are an increasing number of initiatives by both government and non-governmental organizations to promote healthy living and a more balanced lifestyle. The consumer awareness of doing exercises increases and consumers become more willing to engage in sports to keep fit and relieve the stress of their work. Also, there are an increasing number of participations in sports event. Each year, the number of registration of Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon increases gradually. Other sports events such as Nike Night Run, New World Harbour Race, and charity runs are also well supported by the local residents. These led to increased consumer awareness of the benefits of sports drinks, result in the increase of purchasing of sports drinks. Competitor Analysis Level of competitions Level of competitions can be divided into Sports Drinks, Sports and Energy Drinks, Beverages and Food. Since the sales volume of Sports Drinks is contributed to 80% (Appendix Table 1) of sales in the Sports and Energy Drinks category, analysis of competition would be focus on the Sports Drinks only. Based on the perceptual map analysis, the closest competitor to Pocari Sweat is Aquarius. Both Pocari Sweat and Aquarius are ion supply drinks with a grapefruit-liked flavour. Aquarius tastes a bit lighter than Pocari Sweat. For Lucozade and Gatorade, the brand images of both are more professional for athletes, with stronger taste in different flavours. Aquarius would be the main competitor for further analysis. In terms of the brand shares of Sports Drinks, Lucozade would also be a main competitor of Pocari Sweat. GlaxoSmithKline, the company of the brand Lucozade, stated that strengthening core business is their strategic concern on 2012. The company objective is having growth in the Sports Drinks market, and they set up a new innovation centre in mainland China. Aquarius, which is a sport drink launched in 2011 by Coca-Cola Company, is highly involved in many race events in Hong Kong. Although there are no Aquarius advertisements in Hong Kong, you can find Aquarius as sponsored sports drinks in local events such as Standard Chartered Marathon Hong Kong. Maintaining growth in the market is also the main objective of Coca-Cola Company in Aquarius. Although Aquarius is a new entrant to the market since 2011, it has about 5% of volume brand shares in the market in two years. With the financial background and the brand image of Coca-Cola Company, it raises the brand awareness of Aquarius by keep involving in the public event, in order to attract the sportsmen to buy their products. Aquarius would be the main competitor in the field of isotonic rehydration sports drink. Conclusion. The Sports and Energy Drinks market is attractive, as the market size is constantly growing, the threat of new entrant is low, the pressure from substitutes is low and the profit variability is low. With the continuous sports and healthy lifestyle promotions by both government and non-government organizations, they will boost up the sales of Sports and Energy Drinks. In the Sports Drinks market, Pocari Sweat is the market leader with 43. 8% of brand shares of total in volume. People prefer buying Pocari Sweat for recovery after exercising comparing with other related products. Aquarius is the closest competitor related to our product. Still, the company has to maintain the brand loyalty and attract more customers by marketing and advertising. Recommendation The company can put more resources on advertising and also target a new market segment: manual labours. Manual labours need to replace electrolyte loss and prevent dehydration while working, especially in the hot seasons. Pocari Sweat would be the best choice for them. Also, the company can invest more on RD to develop a new product which is best suited for the new market segment. Words counted: 934. Reference Euromonitor International 2013, Sports and Energy Drinks in Hong Kong, China, Passport. Euromonitor International 2013, Bottled Water in Hong Kong, China, Passport. Euromonitor International 2013, Carbonates in Hong Kong, China, Passport. Euromonitor International 2012, Consumer Lifestyles in Hong Kong, China, Passport Annual Report 2012, Otsuka Holdings Co. , Ltd. Annual Report 2012, GlaxoSmithKline plc. Annual Report 2012, Swire Pacific Ltd. Supermarket Price Watch. [Online]. Consumer Council. Available: http://www3. consumer. org. hk/pricewatch/supermarket/index. php? filter1=027filter2=006lang=en Erik, P. Sports drinks vs. energy drinks. [Online]. Available: http://www. examiner. com/article/sports-drinks-vs-energy-drinks-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly Appendix Category Factors on Attractiveness Reasons Attractiveness Low Threat of new entrants Current market is competed intensively, and the new entrants are hardly survived in this environment. The capital requirement is high as special formula for sports drinks needs to be developed. High High Bargaining Power of buyers The major buyers are supermarkets (61. 4%) and convenience stores (35%), which they have a higher bargaining power when purchasing a large amount of products. (Appendix Table 3) Low Low Bargaining Power of suppliers The ingredients of the Sports and Energy Drinks can be purchased from different suppliers. The switching cost to other suppliers is low. High High Intensity of Rivalry There are 9 major brands in the current market. (Appendix Table 6) The competition is highly intensive. Low Low Pressure from substitutes Other carbonate drinks or juices do not have the same benefits as sports and energy drinks on performance and recovery during exercising. Bottled water would be the main substitutes of Sports and Energy Drinks. High. Attractiveness of Market Variables Reasons Attractiveness Small Market size Compare with other drinks, the market size of Sports and Energy Drinks is relatively small, only has an off-trade sale volume of 20. 3 million litres in 2012. (Appendix Table 2) Low Constant Market growth Market growth of sales volume increased by about 5. 4% each year from 2007 to 2012, the forecast growth rate of the market is also positive. (Appendix Table 4 5) The market is growing constantly. High Low Sales cyclicity Sports and exercising are daily activities across the year. High Low Sales seasonality. Sports and exercising are daily activities across the year. High Profit level With the benefit of economic of scales and mass production, the profit level is high for Pocari Sweat. High Low Profit variability Sports and exercising are daily activities across the year. High Product Life Cycle Stage Reasons Maturity There are lots of competitors in the Sports and Energy Drinks market. The pricing of the Sports and Energy Drinks is stable among this few years, ranged from $9. 5 – 13. 9, which means that the price is at the edge related to the material costs. (Appendix Table 7) Also, the volume growth of category is about 5. 4% in each year from 2007-2012, which is low to moderate growth of the market. The forecast volume growth of the category has 5% which is quite considerable. Level of competitions Product Form Sports Drinks: Pocari Sweat, Aquarius, Lucozade Sport, Gatorade, Drinkazine Energy Watt and other related â€Å"ion supply drinks† Product Category Sports and Energy Drinks: Including the energy drinks, such as Lucozade Energy, Monster Energy, Red Bull, Libogen Tonic Drink Generic Competition Beverages: Carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, beers, juices, etc. Budget Competition All consumer products with similar price. Current Future Company Strategy Matrix on Sports Drinks Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. , Ltd GlaxoSmithKline Coca-Cola Company Objectives Grow market share and volume Grow market share and volume Grow market share and volume Current Strategies Advertising and promotion of products. Products expanding in multiple segments of category. Products launching and increased advertising spend. Expected future strategies Focus on product development, increased advertising and promotions. Focus on brand extensions with new flavours to fill category. Focus on raising brand awareness through local sports events.

Inherit The Wind Essay -- essays research papers

Matthew Harrison Brady, of Inherit the Wind by: Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, never fooled anyone. He may have seemed strong in the beginning but he no substance under the shell. Such a false front can be compared to water behind an earthen dam. It may hold some water for a time but once the water finds a weak point, the whole structure comes crashing down along with the fury of all the water behind it. Within brady, the water represents the gooey inner core of his personality. Once he loses his composure in front of his once adoring audience the entire fluid of his persona comes crashing out. The only strength of Matthew Harrison Brady is his power in deliveringh his ideas. As in the earthen dam example, the townspeople represent the city protected from the water by the dam. Once the dam breaks, all the townspeople below get wet and are shaken to their foundations. Matthew Harrison Brady, without a doubt, deserves no sympathy. One example of Brady’s overly self-confidence would be "No†¦I believe we should welcome Henry Drummond." (P g. 25). Ha! What a shock he is in for. His own "high and mighty" thinking is going to lead to his downfall. Even Brady is taken a tad aback by the news that Drummond will be joining the trial "Brady: (pale) Drummond?" (Pg. 25) While he basks in his loving audience of townspeople, he will yet be pulled down from his high throne to be questioned and scorned. While the town feels much stri...

The Primary Purpose of a High School in the US

U. S. high schools are not properly preparing kids for the college experience. The primary purpose of a high school in the United States is to get kids into college. The courses taught in U. S. high schools are way too lenient in their grading policies and offer students much leeway. High school courses are too lenient because high school teachers make them that way. One good example that proves just how much leeway secondary education offers students is that on average,professors at the high school level accept late papers. Of course late papers are marked down,but this policy voids the purpose to having deadlines. Most universities, both public and private set strict guidelines on these matters and openly encourage their professors to do the same. I turned in papers a week late in high school and still received a grade of 70 % on them. This is coming back to hunt me in college because I now have a big problem meeting deadlines. Although I do not like to admit it, if high school had been stricter in this respect I might not be going through these many difficulties right now. Most public high school teachers are astoundingly underpaid and overworked with sometimes over fifty students in a single classroom. In the last ten years the average class size doubled according to a Time magazine study published in 1995 stating that throughout the whole nation classes have doubled in size. The article mentions that this problem has occurred and will worsen due to illegal immigration, a population expansion, and people migration to cities and urban sites. Some students that can afford a private tutor or the cost of private education follow that path. This is not fair to the majority that can't afford this. Again, the lack of individual and private interaction between professor ends up resulting in that the student gets half of the education. For some reason I don't know, the student ends up always paying the price of an inadequate and inefficient public high school system. These statistics offer little incentive and motivation to get teachers to take action and lobby for change. Governmental cutbacks have forced many schools to close vital advanced placement and other college preparatory courses which are vital for the student aspiring for a college education. Public high schools around the nation should establish and â€Å"enforce† stricter college preparatory curriculums because over 50% of high school students that participated in a Time magazine poll conducted in 1996 said they are interested in pursuing a 4-year college education. The article stated that fifty years ago this would not have been the case. If over half the students attending U. S. high schools wish to pursue university education then public schools should tailor their programs to meet the needs and demands of the majority. It is important to know that there is a small percentage of the nation that don't even go to high school as the October 22, 1990 Time Magazine article, â€Å"Schooling Kids At Home,† points out. Parents send their kids to school confident that the school will prepare them well for the future, but overlook that essential programs like SAT preparation and study skills courses are not offered. How must a school system expect that one study efficiently for exams if they don't show how Clearly people have been studying for many years and there is no set way to study,but it helps to know what are the most time efficient ways to review for exams. I feels thats â€Å"study skills† class should be offered in every public high school around the nation. It this implies a great cost then study skills should be incorporated in the daily urriculum or at least taught once a week during class. The fact is that some time should be set aside for this essential class for which there is great need for. The same concept applies for S. A. T. preparation. Again I propose the conundrum, how must one be expected to pass the S. A. T if schools don't show us how to pass it. Many students are left to figure out how to prepare for the exam itself, assuming they even know how too study. I personally had to pay a costly S. A. T. preparation course that boosted my grade 100 points. The fact that I can pay for the course clearly offers me an unfair advantage. High school courses also lack in encouraging class discussions and debate that are an important aspect of college life as far as I have experienced. â€Å"Getting by† with just doing the work is not enough in college. Class participation motivates analytical thinking and class participation. It is a proven scientific fact that when one applies what one learns and actively participates in the learning process, logically one will assimilate and absorb more information and retain it for longer periods of time because one is forced to actively become part of the learning process and contribute to the learning environment. Many incoming freshmen receive a large shock when faced with such a wide gap that slowly opens up more with the passage of time. As a result of this, many colleges place these freshman in summer courses to polish them up and tie up the loose ends aside from providing a one credit class called Freshman Experience that teaches them such valuable skills as study skills, note-taking, teaching styles, critical thinking, listening and memory skills, test-taking strategies and most important of all, preparing for finals. The fact stands out that if this class were not absolutely necessary, many universities would not require there to take it. Even those people with high S. A. T. scores and a strong academic background must eventually sign up for it because universities know high schools unfortunately don't teach these things, or do not teach them well. Courses like this one are in immediate demand. Originally, all the universities I applied to required this course which pretty much justifies that it is in immediate demand. I personally never had a class so comprehensive as to include theses skills vital for college success. Some high schools produce graduates that cannot read or have extremely poor reading and writing skills. If our high schools were efficient and did look out for the student's best interests, people would not graduate without these basic skill that most people agree must me present for the college experience. Colleges should not be teaching basic, elementary skills such as reading and elementary writing. College is not meant to be a grueling and terrible time for a person, but over the years, U. S. high schools have lost their focus and misplaced their priorities; producing students that cannot independently develop themselves successfully. In some extreme cases, kids are committing suicide in college early on because they can't handle the stress produced by their classes and many of the students that quit or do poorly have poor college survival skills. Finally, U. S. igh schools are not adequately preparing kids for the college life. These high schools are too lenient, complacent, financially unstable, overcrowded, and simply inefficient. The curriculum must set higher standards and make the transition a smoother one. If these changes were implemented,the gap between high school and college education may one day be a thing of the past and once again the college years will truly be fulfilling and rewarding ones and not arduous or frustrating.

American Dream by James Truslow Essay

The ‘American dream’ is a term coined by James Truslow in his 1932 book Epic of America, but it is a concept as old as America itself: anything is possible if only the individual is willing to work hard. The dream draws immigrants to our shores and borders every year and keeps millions of Americans content in the idea that their toiling will pave the way to success for them and for their children. However, for every rags-to-riches story, there are thousands of other hard-working people who cannot get by, who do not have enough to eat, transportation, safe housing, or warm clothes in winter. There is much evidence that the American dream is little more than a myth, a false promise that keeps millions of people working themselves weary for a better tomorrow that will never come. The American dream is the promise of the Declaration of Independence, which indicates that our â€Å"inalienable rights† are â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† There is no single American dream, but Adams defines the concept in its most dignified sense: [It is the] dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement†¦a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which that are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. (qtd. In Ferenz) The lure of America for immigrants and the promise to its citizens is that, as Adams indicates, the individual is not held back by circumstances, but through individual efforts can pursue and attain whatever personal brand of happiness he or she desires. In the midst of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt recognized the part the federal government needed to play in keeping the American dream alive-no longer was hard work the only factor involved in ensuring an acceptable standard of living. Under his administration, a number of social programs were put into place to help Americans achieve the dream, which Roosevelt described as â€Å"sufficiency of life, rather than†¦a plethora of riches [and] good health, good food, good education, good working conditions† (qtd. In Muir). Owing to these principles, Roosevelt’s New Deal included the Social Security Act, Fair Labor Standards Act that banned child labor and established a minimum wage, and a variety of programs that put Americans to work in civil service (Successes 4-6). Roosevelt’s programs and World War II helped drag the nation out of the Great Depression, but were not permanent solutions in making the American dream possible for all Americans. By the 1960’s, one in five Americans were living in poverty, and in his first State of the Union address in 1964, Lyndon Johnson declared, â€Å"an unconditional war on poverty in America.† (qtd. In Quindlen 1) Johnson, too, understood that the American dream was one not attainable through hard work alone. As Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, notes in her 2004 editorial, â€Å"from [Johnson’s] declaration a host of government initiatives sprang, including Head Start, an expended food-stamp program, and sweeping reforms in health care for the needy† (Quindlen 2). Unfortunately, in spite of the attempts of Roosevelt, Johnson, and others to lend a hand to those Americans who need it most, the feeling that the poor are responsible for their own troubles always seems to creep its way back into the American mind. We’ve all heard the rumors that the poor are lazy, that welfare is just n excuse not to get a job. Quindlen comments that â€Å"part of the problem with a war on poverty today is that many Americans have decided that being poor is a character defect, not an economic condition† (Quindlen 2). Public policy of the last few decades seems to follow this line of thinking: the Federal minimum wage has not risen since 1997 even as welfare reform movements have forced millions of people, many single parents, off public assistance and into minimum wage jobs. Quindlen argues that â€Å"forty years after Johnson led the charge, the battle against poverty still rages. The biggest differences today if that there is no call to arms by those in power† (Quindlen 1). How does this shift in American policy affect the status of the American dream? Can we still call ourselves the land of opportunity when the American dream eludes so many of our citizens? Should the American dream exist and is it really worth it to try and live by the dream? In July 2000, Mortimer Zuckerman, editor-in-chief of U.S. News and World Report, wrote an essay about the success of the American dream. Zuckerman claims that â€Å"it is a dream on individual effort-talent, ambition, risk-taking, readiness to change, and just plain hard work-qualities that count more in America than social background of luck† (Zuckerman 120). That is a perspective that Zuckerman, a billionaire whose biography on the U.S. News and World Report website boasts he has substantial real-estate holdings, including properties in Boston, New York, Washington, and San Francisco can afford to have. The reality for most Americans, however, is not nearly so great. It is a reality where social background and luck play far too large a part in achieving the American dream. Two articles written a decade apart demonstrate that bitter reality. In USA Today in 1996, Charles Whalen writes that â€Å"beneath the misleading surface prosperity [of the 1990s] are numerous alarming trends,† among them â€Å"relentless downsizing, longer job searches and sluggish job creation, explosive growth in contingent work (part-time and temporary employment), and wage stagnation† (Whalen 2-3). One would be hard=pressed to find a list that better demonstrates the part luck plays in securing steady employment. Whalen also cites a survey, ironically conducted for U.S. News and World Report, that indicates â€Å"57% of those asked said that the American dream is out of reach for most families† (qtd. in Whalen 2). In 2006 in the Chicago Sun-Times, Clyde Murphy cites a â€Å"new report released by the Opportunity Agenda [that] measures the nation’s progress in living up to the American dream.† The findings? â€Å"That millions of Americans do not have a fair chance to achieve their full potential, despite their best efforts† (Murphy 33). Two of the reasons cited by the study are housing discrimination against blacks, Hispanics, and Asians are employment discrimination against women and minorities, which included favoring job candidates with â€Å"white-sounding† names. These findings clearly refute Zuckerman’s claim, demonstrating that background does in fact count more in America than individual effort when it comes to achieving certain aspects of the American dream. Another dubious claim in Zuckerman’s essay is that â€Å"anybody who wishes to work has the opportunity to move from the bottom of the ladder to a middle-class standard of life, or higher† (Zuckerman 120). As award-winning journalist Barbara Ehrenreich notes in her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform â€Å"assumed that a job was the ticket out of poverty and that the only thing holding back welfare recipients was their reluctance to get out and get one† (Ehrenreich 196). As a wealth of evidence suggests, this is the fundamental misperception surrounding the American dream. In her 2003 editorial A New Kind of Poverty, Anna Quindlen argues â€Å"America is a country that now sits atop a precarious latticework of myth. It is the myth that working people can support their families† (Quindlen 2). Quindlen interviews two women who run services for the homeless and impoverished in New York City, ant they note that more often they are seeing working families in dire need of their help. Indeed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2005 report on poverty, America’s poverty rate has been climbing, from 11.3 percent in 2000 to 12.7 percent in 2004, the latest for which data is available. This translates into 37 million people who live below the poverty line. This is further complicated, however, by the way that the Census Bureau calculates the poverty level. Barbara Ehrenreich explains that â€Å"[it] is still calculated by the archaic method of taking the bare-bones cost of food for a family of a given size and multiplying that number by th ree. Yet food is relatively inflation-proof† (Ehrenreich 200). This method results in a base calculation of $9,310 for one person, with $3,180 added for each additional person in the household. As anyone who has ever lived on his or her own understands, those poverty calculations are very low. Ehrenreich points out that â€Å"the Economic Policy Institute recently reviewed dozens of studies of what constitutes a ‘living wage’ and came up with an average figure of $30,000 for a family of one adult and two children† (Ehrenreich 213). When compared to the federal poverty calculation of $15,670, the gap becomes glaringly apparent. Anna Quindlen explains â€Å"when you adjust the level to reflect reality, you come closer to 35 percent of all Americans who are having a hard time providing the basics for their families† (Quindlen 2). As pioneering psychologist Abraham Maslow’s research reveals, psychological and safety needs-the â€Å"basics† referred to by Quindlen, such as food and housing-must be fulfilled before other needs, core components of the American dream such as belongingness and self-esteem, can be met (Abraham 2). This creates a basic gap between those who can reach for the American dream and those who cannot; if all someone’s energy is focused on providing food and shelter, there is nothing left to reach for higher goals. In a 2002 essay What’s So Great About America? Dinesh D’Souza, an Indian immigrant, makes assertions that demonstrate some common misconceptions about Americans meeting our basic needs. â€Å"The United States is a country where the ordinary guy has a good life,† (D’Souza 23). He even goes so far to say that â€Å"very few people in America have to wonder where their next meal is coming from† (D’Souza 23). Sadly, this is not true. Quindlen indicates â€Å"the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that 1.6 million New Yorkers†¦suffer from ‘food insecurity,’ which is just a fancy way of saying they do not have to enough to eat† (Quindlen 1). Ehrenreich reports that â€Å"according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, 67 percent of the adults requesting emergency food aid are people with jobs† (Ehrenreich 219). Two other basic needs, safe housing and health care, are also beyond the reach of many Americans. â€Å"When the rich and the poor compete for housing on the open market,† writes Ehrenreich, â€Å"the poor don’t stand a chance. The rich can always outbid them, buy up their tenements and trailer parks, and replace them with†¦whatever they like† (Ehrenreich 199). This is exaggerated by the fact that â€Å"expenditures on public housing have fallen since the 1980s, and the expansion of public rental subsidies came to a halt in the 1990s† (Ehrenreich 201). Health care is another sad story. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans with no health insurance has been slowly rising, arriving at 15.7 percent in 2004, and as Quindlen observes, â€Å"poor kids are much more likely to become sick than their counterparts, but much less likely to have health insurance. Talk about a double whammy† (Quindlen 1). How can families dream big an d plan for the future as they worry about whether the next month will bring eviction or illness? Two people in particular have put a human face on the statistical evidence that the American dream remains out of reach for millions of hard-working Americans. At the urging of her editor at Harper’s magazine, Barbara Ehrenreich undertook a yearlong undercover investigation of living on low-wage jobs in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota. She waited tables, worked as a maid, and worked at Wal-Mart, never revealing her statue as a reported, but keeping careful private diaries documenting the details of her experience. In spite of working at least full-time, usually more, she was unable to get by. The most heartbreaking part of her journey, however, was the people she met, women who were not just experimenting with the low-wage life, but who were trapped by it. They were women who were victims of the affordable housing shortage, who lived in cars, or if they were lucky, weekly rental motel rooms. They walked, rode bikes, or bummed rides to work. Certainly among those who experience food insecurity, they skipped meals or ate nutritionally void foods like hot dog buns because they couldn’t afford to eat. They were women with raw hands and sore backs, balancing two or more jobs who would never, in spite of their work ethic, move off that bottom rung of the social ladder. In a similar experiment, Morgan Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame) and his fiancà ©e lived on minimum wage for thirty days in Columbus, Ohio and recorded the results for the premiere episode of his television series 30 Days. As Spurlock works eighteen-hour days making at least $7.50 per hour and Alex works for minimum wage at a coffee house, the pair is faced with a host of challenges that mirror the everyday trials of the working poor. Emergency room visits for a urinary tract infection and a sprained wrist cost them $1,217. D’Souza correctly comments that in America, â€Å"even sick people who don’t have money or insurance will receive medical care at hospital emergency rooms† (D’Souza 23), but he fails to take into account that suck care generates bills are equivalent to six weeks’ of full time minimum wage work. The most affordable housing they could find, a steal at $325 per month, has ant infestations, malfunctioning heat, and is upstairs from an apartment that was a crack house just the week before. Furthermore, their relationship is strained by the stress that results from the constant worrying about money. At the end of the month they find themselves hundreds of dollars in the hole, by permanently changed by their experience. When taken together, the accounts of Ehrenreich and Spurlock offer powerful insight into the everyday struggles of the working poor, those who are anything but lazy but still find themselves drowning financially, the American dream slipping further away all the time. Dinesh D’Souza claims that â€Å"in America your destiny is not prescribed. Your life is like a blank sheet of paper and you are the artist† (D’Souza 24). It is difficult to believe, however, that the millions of working poor are not trying to create a better destiny for themselves, only to find their dreams let down by the harsh realities of daily life. So why is the American dream still suck a pervasive part of our consciousness, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that hard work is not the ticket to prosperity, or even necessarily to a comfortable standard of living? In his â€Å"Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of the Right,† Karl Marx wrote that â€Å"religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for the real happiness† (qtd in Cline). Marx’s clever observation is that religion, in keeping the focus on the afterlife, keeps people from demanding fair treatment in this world. D’Souza suggests, however, that â€Å"capitalism gives America a this-worldly focus that allows death and the afterlife to recede from everyday view†¦the gaze of the people is shifted to earthly progress† (D’Souza 25). If this the case, why is it that we are not more aware of (and enraged about!) the decided lack of â€Å"earthly progress† of so many of our friends and neighbors? Some believe that it is because the American dream has taken the place of religion as today’s â€Å"opiate of the masses.† So long as we all believe that there is a better life ahead, that is we only work harder, our dreams are within reach, it is easy to be lulled into satisfaction about the inequality that is so common in America today. Barbara Ehrenreich predicts that someday the working poor â€Å"are bound to tire of getting so little in return [for their labor] and to demand to be paid what they’re worth† (Ehrenreich 221). Some challenge, echoing Marx, that Ehrenreich’s predication will not come true until the American dream, â€Å"the illusory happiness of the people,† is abolished in favor of a more realistic world view that recognizes that more than hard work, a hel ping hand is needed to make America truly the land of opportunity. From the survey that I took in class, 14 out of 20 people were surveyed and said that they to, disagree that the American dream should exist. They believe as well that there should be a more realistic view in society that allows you to get what you work for. Of the people that did agree, most were people between the ages of 18 and 21, people who have not yet, most likely gotten out into the real world to experience what type of life they can actually work for. If you too, disagree with the American dream, I ask you to go to this website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/the-american-dream-is-not-for-rent , sign the petition, and keep working hard at what you do! Work Cited â€Å"Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.† Shippensberg University Website. Sept. 2005: 2-3. Web. 16 June 2009. Cline, Austin. â€Å"Karl Marx on Religion.† About.com. 5 Apr. 2006: n.pag. Web. 16 June 2009. D’Souza, Dinesh. â€Å"What’s So Great About America?† The American Enterprise. May 2002: 22-25. Print. Ehrenreich, Barbara. â€Å"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.† New York: Owl Books. 2002: 20-38. Print. Ferenz, Kathleen. â€Å"What is the American Dream?† San Francisco State University Online Web Site. 31 Mar. 2005: n.pag. Web. 16 June 2009. Muir, Ed. â€Å"Narrowing the Highway to the American Dream.† American Teacher. Oct. 2004: 25. Print. Murphy, Clyde. â€Å"When Opportunity Knocks, It Skips Over Some Adresses.† Chicago Sun-Times. 14 Feb. 2006: 33. Web. 16 June 2009. Quindlen, Anna. â€Å"A New Kind of Poverty.† Newsweek. 1 Dec. 2003: 1-2. Web. 16 June 2009. Quindlen, Anna. â€Å"The War We Haven’t Won.† Newsweek. 20 Sep. 2004: 1-2. Web. 16 June 2009. â€Å"Successes and Failures of Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ Programs.† Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services Web Site. 10 Mar. 2006: 4-6. 16 June 2009. U.S Census Bureau. 2005 Poverty Press Release. 30 Aug. 2005: n.pag. 16 June 2009. Whalen, Charles J. â€Å"The Age of Anxiety: Erosion of the American Dream.† USA Today. Sep. 1996: 1-3. Web. 16 June 2009. Zuckerman, Mortimer. â€Å"A Time to Celebrate.† U.S. News and World Report. 17 Jul. 2000: 120. Print.

Zero Plural Definition and Examples in English Grammar

Zero Plural Definition and Examples in English Grammar In grammar, the zero plural is a  plural form of a count noun that is identical to the singular form. Also called zero [or null] morpheme. In English,  zero plural marking refers to the absence of the plural markers -s and -es. Several animal names (sheep, deer, cod) and certain nationalities (Japanese, Sioux, Taiwanese) take the zero plural in English. Examples and Observations Here are some examples from famous works: This week the debate is on an idea to let everyone fish a few cod just for food. (Mark Kurlansky, Cod: A Biography Of The Fish That Changed The World. Walker Publishing, 1997)We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way. -General George S. PattonIn English, plurals of nouns are normally indicated by the ending –s or –es, or in a few cases by –en, as in children and oxen. Some vernacular varieties of English do not use plural endings in measurement phrases such as three mile and ten pound. This zero plural has a long history and was not formerly as socially stigmatized as it is today... In adjectival constructions even Standard English has no –s plural: a five-pound box of candy is acceptable, whereas a five-pounds box is not. These adjective phrases derive from an –a suffix in Old English that marked plural adjectives. This ending has long since fallen away, leaving behind the unmarked root forms. The abse nce of –s in the plural form of animal names (hunting for bear, a herd of buffalo) probably arose by analogy with animals like deer and sheep whose plurals have been unmarked since the earliest beginnings of the English language. (plural, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2000 Im horrified of lobsters. And shrimp and lobsters are the cockroaches of the ocean. -Brooke BurkeBluefin tuna contain higher levels of mercury than other species of tuna because they live longer and, like humans, accumulate more mercury in their body tissues. (The New York Times, January 24, 2008) Zero Plurals With Numerals, Quantifiers, and Nouns of Measure [Zero plurals] include the names of some animals, particularly cod, deer, sheep; nouns denoting quantity when they are premodified by a numeral or other quantifier and particularly when they are attached to a noun head: two hundred (people), three dozen (plants), several thousand (dollars). The measure nouns foot (length unit), pound (unit of weight or of British currency), and stone (British weight unit) optionally take zero plurals: six foot two, twenty pound, fifteen stone. (Sidney Greenbaum, Oxford English Grammar. Oxford University Press, 1996)His hat, I reckon, weighed ten poundTo say the least, and Ill say, shore,His overcoat weighed fifty more. (James Whitcomb Riley, Squire Hawkinss Story)I have known when he would have walked ten mile afoot to see a good armour. (Much Ado About Nothing, Act Two, scene 3 )The foggers and cooling fans were going full blast in Jims twin five-hundred-foot-long chicken houses. (Baxter Black, Chicken House Attack. Horseshoes, Cowsocks Duckfeet. C rown Publishers, 2002)

The market discounts everything Essays

The market discounts everything Essays The market discounts everything Essay The market discounts everything Essay Technical analysis assumes that a stock price reflects everything that has and could affect the company and hence, fundamental factors are reflected without the need to be considered separately. Hence, the analysis of price movement through technical analysis should be done as it is vital and representative of the stock as a whole.   Price moves in trends In technical analysis, price movements are believed to follow trends. This means that after a trend has been established, the future price movement is more likely to be in the same direction as the trend than to be against it. History tends to repeat itself. The repetitive nature of price movements has been observed and has been attributed to market psychology. Market participants have been found largely to provide a consistent reaction to similar market stimuli over time. With such repetitive reactions, chart patterns are concrete in analyzing market movements for the understanding of trends as history tends to repeat itself. Just as many tools are available for fundamental analysis, a range of indicators are available for technical analysis. This report uses the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Support and Resistance levels to aid in the better understanding of the price trends of ANZ. Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) The MACD is one of the most well-known and used indicators in technical analysis. It comprises of two exponential moving averages which help to measure momentum in the security. The MACD measures short-term momentum compared to longer term momentum, allowing for signals with regards to the current direction of momentum. When the MACD is positive, it signals that the shorter term moving average is above the longer term moving average and suggests an upward momentum. When the MACD is negative, it signals the opposite. Using the commonly used 12 short periods, 26 long periods and 9 EMA periods, MACD is charted for ANZ. (Based on 5 years history) One of the most common buy signals are generated when the MACD crosses the signal line, as shown at the upward cross in the figure while sell signals often occur when the MACD crosses below the signal, as shown at the downward cross in the above figure. Based on the charts purple circles, the MACD and signal line have been observed to be on par with each other for most periods of time. The latest MACD and signal line are once again on par with each other, Johnnie can buy the stock as based on past trends as it is hardly that the MACD goes below the signal line. Relative Strength Index (RSI) The RSI is another well-known and used tool in technical analysis. It helps to signal overbought and oversold conditions in a security. Plotted in a range of 0 to 100, a reading above 70 is used to suggest that a security is overbought while a reading below 30 is used to suggest that it is oversold. This indicator helps traders to identify whether a securitys price has been unreasonably pushed to current levels and whether a reversal may be on the way. A RSI is charted for ANZ based on its 5 years history, suggesting the periods over the 70 reading to have been overbought and those under 30 to have been oversold. Based on the chart above, the latest showings by ANZ signalled by the purple circle are within the boundaries, signalling that it is not overbought or oversold. As such, it is a good time for Johnnie to buy the stocks since they are not unreasonably priced. Support and Resistance A security price seldom moves above its resistance or below its support level. Support and resistance levels are important in terms of market supply and demand as traders are willing to buy the stock at support level and sell it at resistance level. Once these trends are broken, it is thought that supply and demand have shifted and a new support and resistance level will likely to be established. Based on the last third quarters of 2009 and first three quarters of 2010 history of ANZ, its support and resistance level is established at resistance level approximately AUD$24. 50 and support level approximately AUD$21. Based on the latest showings of ANZ (purple circle), the stock price is predicted to rise at least till its resistance level. As such, Johnnie should buy the stock now as there are rooms before the stock price hits resistance. Besides, the last time the stock price hit resistance level (black circle), it moved slightly above resistance. Based on ANZs current showings, there is a high possibility for price to move up another resistance level. Price Predictions The above chart resembles a breakout from the price convergence pattern of the upside over the medium term (3-6months) and suggests a rising trend with a short term target of 2/3rds the depth of the price convergence pattern. This is roughly $24 + (2/3 x (25. 80-21)) or $27. 20. This prediction of a rise in price can be further justified with by the current stock market which is on its way to recovery after going down from the period of April to July 2010. As the stock market recovers, ANZ stock will be positively affected as well. (Source: tradingeconomics. com/default. aspx) Australias economy on the whole has also been doing well since the start of 2010. The major indicator of the macro-environment, Australias GDP Growth Rate has been buoyant with a significant positive increase in the third quarters of 2010. With the economy performing well as a whole, the price prediction of ANZ rising can be further justified.

Famous Quotes About History

Famous Quotes About History We marvel at the ancient architectural wonders that attract tourists the world over. But the essence lies in the history of the foundation. Historys frozen music is like a mute sentinel who helps cultures survive. Victories and failures, traditions and heritage, make history ever changing. Yet history remains the same. Famous Quotes About History Read these famous history quotes and get drawn into the realms of the past. VoltaireHistory is only the register of crimes and misfortunes. Napoleon BonaparteWhat is history but a fable agreed upon? Karl MarxHistory repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. Winston ChurchillHistory is written by the victors. Thomas JeffersonI like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. John Maynard KeynesIdeas shape the course of history. William ShakespeareThere is a history in all mens lives. Mark TwainThe very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice. Henry David ThoreauIt is remarkable how closely the history of the apple tree is connected with that of man. Alexander SmithI go into my library and all history unrolls before me. Robert HeinleinA generation which ignores history has no past and no future. Marshall McLuhanOnly the vanquished remember history. Mohandas GandhiA small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. Stephen CoveyLive out of your imagination, not your history. Martin Luther King, Jr.We are not makers of history. We are made by history. Dwight D. EisenhowerThings have never been more like the way they are today in history.

JPMorgan Chase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

JPMorgan Chase - Essay Example Securities and Banks are also recognized as the most sensitive economic sectors which are on high risk of gambling due to multiple reasons such as increased internal money supply and violation of laws. Therefore they strongly require protection from agencies, for example, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). These agencies provide protection to Securities or Banks from gambling and fraud subsequently reducing the risk factor attached to them and also analyzes their overall operations and activities. This makes the role of these administrative agencies substantial so as to amplify the economic growth and development. To further explain this lets first consider the example of JP Morgan Chase’s gambling case of summer 2012 (Gordon, 2012). JP Morgan Chase is the leading bank of United States of America; the bank’s Chief Investment Office (CIO) declared a loss of $5.8 in summer 2012. The reasons put forward by the bank w ere concerning inappropriate investment decisions. In order to conceal the gambling case, the top management provided falsified reports of the year’s first quarter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). ... On the other hand Chief Investment Officer, Ina Drew, watched over the responsibility of loss to the trading group. He left the bank soon after this event occurred. SEC along with FBI investigated the trading loss at the biggest bank of US with respect to assets (Gordon, 2012). Elements of a Valid Contract Contract is broadly defined as an official agreement between two parties which is then used by the court in order to make judgments. Generally contracts need to follow certain requirements so as to acquire validity and authenticity only after which they can be used by the court. Following are the main components of a Valid Contract (Laurence, 2013): Offer: It is the initial most element of a contract. It is basically a form of promise between two parties which then transforms into an official contract. Acceptance: Offer is subsequently followed by an acceptance from another party to whom the offer is made. The acceptance of an offer indicates that the other party has approved all t he rules and regulations presented in an offer. Consideration: One the offer is accepted then an exchange takes place between the two parties through consideration. In this case the other person gives something to the first person so as to verify the contract. Creating Legal Relations: Legal relations are created to establish consensus between two parties to legalize the contract so that its authenticity and validity increases. Certainty: It is yet another significant element of a valid contract which deems the rules and regulations stated in the contract. These should be clearly understood by both the parties. It includes details such as the time period of a particular contract. Capacity: Capacity defines the pre-requisites of entering into a contract. For instance,

Human Growth Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Growth Development - Essay Example During the time when the sexual misconduct allegations sprouted, particularly the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bill Clinton still managed to have a smoothly functioning society – but not necessarily a good one (Stage Five: Social Contract and Individual Rights). Although he admitted having extramarital relations with Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers, he was able to get an acquittal from the US Senate and served his complete office term. Towards the end of his last term of Presidency, Bill Clinton even managed to achieve the highest end-of-office approval rating of any US President since World War II. In this regard, the people of the United States view Clinton’s personal setback as less relevant as compared to his achievements as a working President. As emphasized by Kohlberg, â€Å"when conflict arises between individual needs and law or contract, though sympathetic to the former, the individual believes the latter must prevail because of its greater functional ration ality for society, the majority and welfare.†

A study was conducted and an introduction (lit review) section needs Research Paper

A study was conducted and an introduction (lit review) section needs to be done - Research Paper Example f-concept also gives people an opportunity to compare their personal attributes, abilities, and reactions to those of others (Harter & Bukowski, 2012). On the other hand, self-esteem refers to the respect that a person has for himself or herself. Self-esteem is an extremely vital concept since it affects functional behavior, motivation, as well as life satisfaction (Bordens & Horowitz, 2002). Individuals who have high self-concept about themselves normally have positive thoughts. In this regard, they have high self-esteem of themselves. Having high self-esteem is a critical component in one’s life since it gives one confidence about his or her self-worth. In this regard, an individual can compare himself to be attractive. Being attractive entails several components, and personal hygiene is one of the components (Harter & Bukowski, 2012). Therefore, one must assess his or her personal hygiene in the wake of evaluating

Expatriate Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expatriate Management - Essay Example Strong human resources management practices come in handy especially in the international context whereby managers are engaged in foreign assignments. They need to be trained to ensure that they are effective in accomplishing the duties assigned to them. Nevertheless, training of expatriate managers is faced with various challenges. This paper presents a critique of challenges such as identifying the time to train, type and level of training, parties to be involved in training as well as the expatriates’ capabilities to relate with the foreign culture. There are also challenges related to the learning capabilities, interest and willingness of the expatriates to undertake the training. Determining the appropriate time to train presents a major challenge as trainers try to evaluate the training needs of expatriates. They can either be trained before leaving their home organization or immediately after travelling to the foreign country (Bird and Osland, 2005). Both strategies are significant in equipping the manager with the desired knowledge to cope with the new environment, but choosing one of them rather than undertaking the two may be effective in saving time and resources. Planners are faced with a dilemma of determining which strategy would be more appropriate. For example, training before the managers leave the organization instills them with a sense of purpose for their mission. They are capable of imagining the organization’s situation after they successfully complete their mission. Yan et al. (2002) observe that training expatriates before they leave their home country motivates them to work towards accomplishment of the organizational goals to impr ove the situation at hand. When they are trained in the foreign country, they are fascinated by the new environment; either due to its magnificence or otherwise lower standards. The new environment may influence learning and therefore the training might not accomplish the organizational objectives (Chew,

American Revolution and Northern Southern Settlements in America ( Essay

American Revolution and Northern Southern Settlements in America ( 1600s-1700s - Essay Example Finally in 1765, the Stamp Act was passed, that required all printed materials in the colonies to have a revenue stamp on them, which would provide money to â€Å"secure, protect, and defend† the colonies. Though these laws were eventually repealed and replaced with the Townshend Acts in 1767, which placed taxes on goods that were imported to the colonies, the damage was done to relations between Britain and the colonies. Things continued to get worse for both sides. On December 16, 1773, men dressed as Mohawk Indians entered Boston Harbor and dumped all of the tea cargo on three ships. This was done in response to Britain allowing the East India Tea Company to not only gain a monopoly on tea, but also to bypass colonial wholesalers (Hamby 58). To retaliate and show their authority over the colonies, Britain passed the Coercive, or Intolerable Acts, which, among other things, closed Boston Harbor until the tea was paid for, along with rendering most local decision-making bodie s ineffective and requiring the governor to approve town meetings before they could be held. When the colonies did not quietly accept the taxes, more and more British troops were sent to the colonies.

Expatriate Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expatriate Management - Essay Example Strong human resources management practices come in handy especially in the international context whereby managers are engaged in foreign assignments. They need to be trained to ensure that they are effective in accomplishing the duties assigned to them. Nevertheless, training of expatriate managers is faced with various challenges. This paper presents a critique of challenges such as identifying the time to train, type and level of training, parties to be involved in training as well as the expatriates’ capabilities to relate with the foreign culture. There are also challenges related to the learning capabilities, interest and willingness of the expatriates to undertake the training. Determining the appropriate time to train presents a major challenge as trainers try to evaluate the training needs of expatriates. They can either be trained before leaving their home organization or immediately after travelling to the foreign country (Bird and Osland, 2005). Both strategies are significant in equipping the manager with the desired knowledge to cope with the new environment, but choosing one of them rather than undertaking the two may be effective in saving time and resources. Planners are faced with a dilemma of determining which strategy would be more appropriate. For example, training before the managers leave the organization instills them with a sense of purpose for their mission. They are capable of imagining the organization’s situation after they successfully complete their mission. Yan et al. (2002) observe that training expatriates before they leave their home country motivates them to work towards accomplishment of the organizational goals to impr ove the situation at hand. When they are trained in the foreign country, they are fascinated by the new environment; either due to its magnificence or otherwise lower standards. The new environment may influence learning and therefore the training might not accomplish the organizational objectives (Chew,

None Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

None - Assignment Example Further to this, the prompt gives other fallacious statements of the reasons why individual and other Americans should own guns. For instance, it cites the border threats posed by immigrants from Latin America and other forms of gangs. It argues that the borders have become porous hence allowing job seekers, al-Qaida agents, as well as other terrorist organizations. Moreover, it asserts that the border has increased insecurity by allowing individual committing criminal activities such as robbery, kidnapping, murder, rape among others (Rick 17). Therefore, the prompt believes that owning a gun is the only solution towards the increased insecurity in the US specifically in the southern border. There are many fallacies that are emanating from the above prompt. For instance, many US citizens believe that owning a gun can be the only solution to their insecurity. This is not the case because guns do not ensure security, but are for shooting and killing (Lunger 67). Owning a gun does not ensure the security, but threatens and intimidate those living around and who dont own. In many cases, people have been killed even when they have guns. For instance, law enforcement agents have been killed when in patrol through being ambushed (Goss and Cook 133). This is an indication that owning or possessing a gun does not guarantee the security. There are many ways citizens can protect themselves other than owning a gun. Secondly, the prompt asserts that the porous US borders more so in the south have led to insecurity by allowing immigrants. This is a fallacy; not all illegal immigrants are security threats. There are many who have been of help to the US government by offering labor in areas where citizens cannot reach (Goss and Cook 133). Some immigrants are in US legally hence should not be viewed as illegal immigrants. Instead, they should be viewed as people who can contribute positively to the US economy. Lastly, there are a number of cases when the gun owners

Tax Treatments for Individual Returns Essay Example for Free

Tax Treatments for Individual Returns Essay A. Recommended Tax Filing Status The tax filing status that I would recommend is Married Filing Joint. The reason for this is that the IRS has various tax breaks for married persons that file together that are unavailable if you file married filing separate. It also affect the tax rate, they will pay a lower rate of taxes if they file together than they would if they filed separately. A2a. Taxable and Non-Taxable Income Taxable Income for the couple would include the following items: Spouse A’s income from the partnership, Spouse A’s income from the part time job, Spouse B’s income from the electronics firm, and the dividends that were received by Spouse A from Company E. Their Non-Taxable Income items would be: The child support that spouse B receives (child support is nontaxable because it was taxed as income on the parent that is paying it), the interest received on Municipal Bonds (municipal bonds are tax exempt), and the income on the sale of their personal residence is tax exempt because it was their primary residence and they lived there for the required amount of time for the exemption of 500,000 (since they are joint filers). A2b. Capital Gains and Losses The couple has 5,000 in short term capital losses from the day trading while spouse B was unemployed. These losses can be netted against any capital gains that may exist. For example if the sale of the rental property resulted in a long term capital gain, however the rental property is a passive activity so the short term loss can only be claimed for 3,000 and the remaining amount would be carried forward. A2c. Profit or Losses from Sale of Property The profit from sale of the couple’s personal residence would not be taxed. Their personal residence was lived in for at least 2 of the last 5 years and  was under the cut off of the exemption of 500,000 after their adjusted basis calculation was deducted from their sale price. The profit from the sale of the rental property would be taxed as mention in the paragraph above. Depending on how the adjusted basis came out it would either be an ordinary loss or a capital gain. A2d. Partnership Income and Losses Spouse A received a K-1 reporting the share of the partnership income as 142,000. This amount will be reported by the couple on their schedule 1040 as income. The cash withdrawal of 83,500 would most likely not be considered a gain (the determining factor for this is whether or not the amount of Spouse A’s interest in the partnership is higher or lower than the withdrawal amount.) A2e. / A3. Passive Activity Gains and Losses The couple has passive activity from the rental properties that they own but are managed by a local realty company, which means they are not actively participating. Their gross rents are 23,000 and their expenses/depreciation total 29,200. The result of this activity is a passive loss of $6,200.00 The couple also has the gain on the sale of the rental property that could be passive because again it is from their rental properties that they do not actively participate in. The maximum amount of loss they could claim from rental properties is 25,000 per the IRS regulations. A4. Adjustments to Income (on the 1040 form this area is called Adjusted Gross Income) There are multiple adjustments and deductions available to the couple in the 1040 AGI section. The alimony that Spouse A pays can be listed in this section as an adjustment, this will lower their income. Because alimony paid is a deduction to the payer. Alternatively the child support amount that they have listed will not affect anything; you do not need to include it in your income so it is not an adjustment to income. Spouse A’s health  insurance would qualify them for a self-employed health insurance deduction. The contributions to Spouse A’s Keogh plan are also an adjustment to income, this is because they can be deducted in the year they are contributed so that the contributions to the plan are â€Å"tax free†. However, I am unsure about the calculation of maximum because the IRS states that: â€Å"Retirement plans for self-employed people were formerly referred to as â€Å"Keogh plans† after the law that first allowed unincorporated businesses to sponsor retirement plans. Since the law no longer distinguishes between corporate and other plan sponsors, the term is seldom used.† (Retirement Plans for Self-Employed People, 2014) The moving expenses are not an adjustment to Income, the reason for this is that on form 3903 there is a distance test worksheet, when the calculation is done it shows the move was not a difference of 50 or more miles since the move was 52 miles minus the distance to her previous job of 3 miles it is only 49. This does not qualify them to deduct their expenses. A5. Deductions The itemized deductions that the couple would be allowed to take are a deduction for their medical expenses in the amount of expenses that exceeds 10% of their Adjusted Gross Income (line 38 on 1040). So they would take their 10% of their AGI and subtract that number from their total medical expenses and the remaining amount is the available deduction. I don’t believe this would result in much of a deduction if any in their situation. The 6,000 in charitable contributions would be an itemized deduction. However, the 2,600 in business suits is not a valid deduction because you can wear a business suit as everyday clothing. If the clothing were a uniform or something more specifically required by the job that she would not be able to wear in place of her everyday clothes then the amount would be deductible. Due to these calculations, I would recommend to the couple that they take the standard deduction of 12,200 because I believe this would be higher than  their total for itemized deductions. A6. Tax credits Because the couple has a dependent that is in college and living at home they may be eligible to take the American opportunity credit or the lifetime learning credit these credits are available to someone that pays college expenses for themselves or a dependent. They cannot take both however, only one education credit is allowed per year so they would want to calculate which is more beneficial. The couple has dependent children, so they might also be able to take a child tax credit of up to 1,000 per child however, their adjusted gross income may be too high which would phase the credit out to 0. Without doing all of the calculations I am not certain as to whether or not they would actually get this credit. It is also possible that they would qualify for a savers credit which is based upon contributions to a qualifying retirement plan, but again I am not sure if they would end up being over the adjusted gross income limit to receive this credit. References Partners Instructions for Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) (2013 ). (n.d.). Partners Instructions for Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) (2013 ). Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1065sk1/ch02.html Publication 523 (2013), Selling Your Home. (n.d.). Publication 523 (2013), Selling Your Home. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.irs.gov/publications/p523/ar02.html Publication 544 (2013), Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets. (n.d.). Publication 544 (2013), Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.irs.gov/publications/p544/index.html Ten Facts about Capital Gains and Losses. (n.d.). Ten Facts about Capital Gains and Losses. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Ten-Facts-about-Capital-Gains-and-Losses1 1040 Central. (n.d.). 1040 Central. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/1040-Central Retirement Plans for Self-Employed People. (n.d.). Retirement Plans for Self-Employed People. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Retirement-Plans-for-Self-Employed-People

Steve Jobs The Ceo Commerce Essay

Steve Jobs The Ceo Commerce Essay Apple Inc which previously known as Apple computer, Inc., was established on 1st April 1976 in Cupertino, California and incorporated on 3rd January 1977. The founders of the company are Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. On 9th January 2007, the word computer in the company name was removed because Apple Inc was shifting their focus from personal computer making to consumer electronics. Apple Inc. is recognized as an international company, manufacturer and they sell their products (such as the electronic gadgets, computer software and commercial servers) all over the world through the retail sales, online stores, direct sales force, and etc. Apple Inc. is well-known for its hardware products which are the Mac series, iPhone, iPad and iPod. The history of the Apple begin from July 1976, Jobs and Wozniak first received the local retailer order of 50 computers and they started to form a company to build the computer, Apple I computer, computer which is without keyboard, monitor, case and power supply. They also sold 200 Apple I to the computer hobbyists in the San Francisco Bay area for US$666.66 each. After they had the model, Wozniak began his work on the Apple II. Apple II was designed to create a greater market than the computer hobbyists floppy having computer. In 16th April 1977, Apple II was introduced at the first West Coast Computer Fair. After that, Apple products kept on upgrading and become the well-known technology company in this world. Content Autocratic Steve Jobs, the CEO and co-founder of Apple is a typical highly autocratic leader. Autocratic leadership means that a leader always command and hold over the employees or team. The team or employees cannot bring up any idea even if they are the best. Authoritarian leaders are not concerned about the will and needs of their followers. They lead primarily through coercion. If there is a vision, the followers must share the leaders vision. Autocratic leadership style can direct to speedy decision-making and greater productivity under leaders supervision. Drawbacks of this leadership style are that it leads to greater employee absenteeism and turnover. This leadership style perform only when the leader is the best in performing or when the job is inexperienced or where the project is short-term and risky. Because of this kind of leadership, Jobs led Apple into globalization. He was also a high-maintenance co-worker who demanded excellence from his staff and was known for his blunt delive ry of criticism. The autocratic nature of his leadership also bears some transactional traits, such as using verbal lashings and foul language at employees. He was also disgraceful for creating an atmosphere of fear in the company, carrying out rounds of accomplishment to remove less competent staff. Besides, he always suddenly change his mind when making decisions. According to Americas toughest bosses of Fortune magazine, it said Steve Job is inhuman drive for perfection can  burn out even the most motivated worker. Fortune magazine dubbed Jobs as one of Silicon Valleys leading egomaniacs. (Williams, 2012) The labor conditions in Apples Foxconn which manufactured plants in China perhaps a reflection of Jobs leadership style are. According to a report by twenty Chinese universities, they described that Foxconn factories as  labour camps  and detailed widespread worker abuse and illegal overtime. (Williams, 2012) This caused fourteen workers commit suicide in 2010. At the same time, 150 workers in  Wuhan threatened to commit mass suicide because of worsening work conditions. (Williams, 2012) In response to the suicides, Foxconn installed suicide-prevention netting at some facilities, and it sweared to offer substantially higher salary at its Shenzhen production bases. Workers were also forced to sign a legally binding document guaranteeing that they and their family would not sue the company as a result of unexpected death, self-injury, or  suicide. In addition, the employees claimed they had asked for a raise but were told they could either quit with compensation or keep their j obs with no raise. The employees quit, but received no compensation. (Williams, 2012) But it was his complete genius combined with his ability to articulate his vision and bring staff, investors and customers along on the journey plus the lessons learned in a major career setback that made it work. The results: indisputable. Transformational Steve Jobs is also being described as a transformational leader. According to Stephen explanation, transformational leader is a leader who is able to stimulate and inspires (transforms) followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes (Stephen P.Robbins, David A. DeCenzo, Mary Coulter, 2012). As for example, other than transformed Apple Inc., Steve Jobs also changed Pixar into a success legend. He definitely had the ability to motivate, provoke, and inspire his followers to put in extra effort for the purpose of achieving goals. He was able to level up the employees hard work and performances so that it goes beyond expectation. In 1983, Steve Jobs has lured John Sculley (former CEO of Pepsi) to serve as Apples CEO. He once said to John, Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or you want a chance to change the world? (Top 10 Apple Moments). By saying this, it showed that Jobs possessed the quality of being a transformational leader for inspirational motivate John. Nevertheless, Apple is famous for its secrecy. Apple Inc. will not reveal the image of their new product until the day that the leader of the company launched the product during press conference. Jobs said: It is generally not Apples policy to trumpet our plans for the future; we tend to talk about the things we have just accomplished (A Greener Apple). The example above makes Steve Jobs to appear opposite the quality of being a transformational leader. Control Freak According to Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, Steve Jobs is a typical perfectionist and a bit of a control freak. He said, Working incessantly until it was done, that was Steve. He wanted to control every aspect. Including how you pay for an item in a store. Or what it looked like in a box. (Steve Jobs was a control freak, says Oracle boss). Although Steve Jobs has a very strong desired to control other people, but he still willing to accept other peoples ideas in a certain situation. For example, according to Ellison, Steve was one of those people where the best idea won, but you had to persuade him and he was a smart guy. (Svetlik) Besides, Ellison also says about Jobs that When he decided someone had a better idea, he moved on immediately. He didnt care. All he cared about was building the best product. (Svetlik) Steve Jobs is said to be a control freak because when he is getting sick, he still control the progress of the company. He cannot let his hair down to enjoy his life and even concentrate recuperate at home. This can also be said that Jobs is a person who is always worry about his work and cannot let others to handle without his permission. Furthermore, he even control apples customer so that they can only use their product. This can be proof that iphone and ipad have their own charger and system. So, the product of apple can said to be unique. For example, the casing of iphone cannot be opened like other smart phone and iphone use IOS system which only present in apple product. The ways of ipod to download the song must through itunes. With these examples, we can proof that Jobs is a person who possessed strong control desired. The tendency for Apple to be success and become popular among the society and even has the nowadays status are all due to the twelve successful rules that apply by Steve Jobs. These twelve rules are Do what you love to do, Be different, Do your best, Make  SWOT analysis, Be entrepreneurial, Start small, think big, Strive to become a  market leader, Focus on the outcome, Ask for  feedback, Innovate, Learn from failures and Learn continually. (Kotelnikov) Charismatic According to Stephen, A charismatic leader is an enthusiastic, self-confident leader whose personality and actions influence people to behave in certain ways. (Stephen P.Robbins, 2012) There are five characteristics of being a charismatic leader which they have a vision, the ability to articulate that vision, willingness to take risk to achieve that vision, sensitivity to both environmental constraints and follower needs, and behaviors that are out of the ordinary. Steve Jobs is famed for his speeches giving ability to catch his audiences attention. The special ways of his presentations are by communicating his ideas using metaphor, analogies and storytelling. During the launching of new products, Steve Jobs is able to capture his audiences attention and convince customers to buy Apples products. When presenting the new Apple product iPad he would sit down on a couch as some of us would have at home and create a scenario that helps the viewer and listener to imagine a Sunday-morning scene at home, using this new product while reading a paper. (Kramer, 2010) The next reason that Jobs consider as a charismatic leader is on his deep knowledge and understanding of the technology he is immersed in. However, Jobs has been the founder of Apple together with Wozniak, and together they developed the very first hardware. (Kramer, 2010) Jobs had developed his visions and provoke the enthusiasm of the employees to achieve the tasks. What Is The relationship Between Leadership And POLC? Planning Setting objective and determine the course of action is the most important things when come to the process of planning. The planning process requires the manager to think about the current condition of the company environment and determine the company future condition. It is an integral part for the company management especially when the company introducing the new invent product. Every successful product introduce must pass through a harsh and difficult planning process so that the product introduce to the public can meet the demand and expectation of the customers. What we can see from the pass is that, every product introduced by Steve Jobs gets a good reputation from the public. He is very concern with the planning because as a leader in Apple, he would be the one who takes all the responsibilities if the product being introduced does not receive good comments from the public. Organizing Developing organization structure and allocating human resources to ensure the organization can accomplish the objective is crucial when it comes to organizing stage. While work specialization became a very important issue when we talk about organizing. Nowadays, people are all doing things in rush, they also want to get things to be done fast. That is the reason why, we need work specialization to get things done faster. Work specialization involves division of work activities into several tasks. Therefore, it allows an organization to use the skills that workers have thoroughly. Steve Jobs has used his inspiration to attract many people with fantastic creativity and he grouped them together so that they can come out some products which are high in quality and out of ordinary. Leading However, Apple Inc is a huge company which employ almost 25,000 employees. Hence, it is crucial to lead this huge amount of people so that every task can be done smoothly. According to Stephen P. Robbins, Leading includes motivating employees, directing the activities of others, selecting the most effective communication channel, and resolving conflicts. (Stephen P.Robbins, David A. DeCenzo, Mary Coulter, 2012) If an organization is lack of leading, the employees will definitely lose their direction and do not know what they can do to make the company grow. Other than guiding the employees, a leader should also be enthusiastic and has the ability to inspire the others. By this way, the company can hence achieve the organization goal easily. Leaders should have the ability to motivate their employees, directing the activities fairly, learning how to choose the most effective and efficient way to communicate with people and solving the conflict between members. Steve Jobs as the leader in Apple, he definitely has the ability to gather all the employees together with his autocratic and charismatic style of leadership. His innovation has attracted people who are gifted with creativity and make them willing to follow him although he is of a bit control freak. Controlling Last but not least, controlling is also very important function to make the management work in an effective way. Controlling includes monitoring performances, comparing it with goals, and correcting any significant deviations. (Stephen P.Robbins, David A. DeCenzo, Mary Coulter, 2012) Without controlling, the rules will be loosened and the workers will be lack of discipline and hence, the organization will eventually corrupts. The manager should set the standard first of all and follow by making measurement by evaluating the activities done. After that, the manager should has make comparison with the standard that has been set earlier and if the evaluation show that the result does not reach the standard set, actions have to be taken to correct the mistakes. Steve Jobs has been realised the importance of controlling and his autocratic style of leadership that we have discussed earlier cannot be denying but do really develop the Apple company. It is vital for Steve Jobs to control the other employees and make the company operate as usual and able to be innovative. Success of the Apple Inc What lead the apple company from an almost bankruptcy company to become the world largest technology company. There are few reasons why apple will success will be discussed in depth further. Combination of hardware and software Apple invents the software with 100% free of virus since it has its unique code which hard to be cracked. Apple also unwillingness to expose its source code in order to maintains ironclad control of its product universe.Therefore it has its unique invented software and also its innovative hardware. Apple controls both side of the coins and it put itself in as great position. Consumer Pull Strategy Apparently we saw the company are hiring promoters and keep pushing their product to the customers. But what we saw in Apple is people crazy of booking for product before the products put on sale in market such as the case happens when i-Phone introduced. This is because Apple is applying consumer pull strategy, they assume consumer doesnt know what they want, and people are looking for the newest technology and well-equipped products are being pulled by this strategy. The consumers are looking for something new and exciting for example Apple succeed did that with the innovation of iPod, iPhone and iPad. Keep things simple Steve job success makes the product simple and easy to use. He not just makes the design to be simple yet the functions inside the product are also easy to use. Although we cant ignore that some of the people are technology consumer and they prefer the products which are more complicated. Except that most of the consumer prefer simple and easy to use product because apple by minimizing the decision making process of the consumer Easy to use Under the leadership of the Steve job, the management of the company has been change. Most of the companies create a product based on the need of the consumer but Steve job change the philosophy which the product create based on themselves and it must some product which they cant live without it. Design are importance for every product manufacture but it will be consider as useless if the consumer do know how to use. Advance technology Under the leadership of Steve job, he keep gathers all the genius around the field and their work together. The introduction of the Iphone has been a threat for the competitor especially their competitor. These cause a major change of player in the phone industry. The advance technology has been in Apple Company before they introduce the apple phone and this make the company two year ahead of all major competitors. Challenges of Apple.Inc Apple has received large amount of attention after the share price of the company soared higher due to the introduction of the Iphone 5 and apple has become the world most valuable electronic company. If an investor purchase the apple share at june 2003 at the price of 9.80 he or she has gaining more than 6000% profit in the year 2012. Following death of Steve Job has increase the concern of investor whether the new CEO Tim Cook has the ability to create an outstanding product for the apple company. There are few challenge the apple company facing right now ach of them will be discuss in depth in the following: Regulatory risk- Following the trend now, most of the investor prefers the technology stock because they yield higher return than the usual company. With the market capitalization of about 560 billion, the apple company has caught the attention of the regulatory department and government. This is because the government will get the pressure from the investor to impose a strict and stringent regulation in order to protect the interest of the investor. Cash reserve- Apple Company holds more than 60 billion us dollar in hand and it catches the attention of investor on how the company spent and invests it wisely. Most of the investor has suggested the dividend and share buy back when it comes to the annual general meeting Slow production- according to the Bloomberg news, the customer need to wait about 3-18 month to get their product. This increase the unsatisfactory of the apple fan as most of them are desperately want the product so well. The slow production will decrease the satisfaction of the consumer and the competitor Samsung will introduce a new product which will shift some of the customer to their product. Focus on the innovation and product introduction must be fast- Apple Company should focus on the innovative and quality of the product. This will follow back the trend of Steve job by placing much effort on the innovation which creates an outstanding product. The product introduce after Steve job died has remain inside the expectation of the customer which cannot give shock to the customer. If these trends continue then the apple will give away the place of world number one to their rival Samsung. Focus on the employee issue- Foxconn Techonology, a partner of the apple has raise a serious concern of the public when the employee of the technology company come into riot and commit suicide. This indirectly damages the reputation of the apple and will result apple fan to hate their product when it come to a report. This issue must solve immediately in order to maintain a good reputation of the apple company. Findings According to Stephen, an autocratic style is that of a leader who typically tends to centralize authority, dictate work methods, make unilateral decisions, and limit employee participation. (Stephen P.Robbins, 2012) The autocratic leader is who control fully and retains all power to make all decisions. They assume that employee motivation comes not through empowerment subordinates. Therefore, autocratic leaders assume full responsibility and take full credit for the work. From the contents, we know that the autocratic leadership style of Steve Jobs had led Apple into globalization. His autocratic leadership style can direct the company to speedy decision-making and greater productivity. Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, was the best representative of this style of leadership. Once out of Apple after a power struggle with the top management, he struck back, and eventually went on to become the best example of how total control over your company and employees and a focus on innovation can keep the clock ticking. (Chaudhury, 2012) Based on Chaudhury, CEO of Enterprise Management Associates, says, Steve Jobs is a special example of a leader who dominated his company employees and guided them rightly with his authoritarian leadership style and unmatchable vision. He believed that one man with one vision can make Apple an iconic brand and company. And we see that his belief has actually materialised. (Chaudhury, 2012) From our opinion, the autocratic leadership style is essential for short term decision making in performing certain tasks. While the participative leadership style will be more suitable for long term decision making and more effective to perform tasks with difference ideas. Participative leader is a leader who should hear everyones opinion and integrate them into a group decision either in a democratic way, a consensus finding manner or consultative. (Kramer, Leadership Behaviors and Attitudes of Steve Jobs, 2010) This participative leadership style is said to be successful because the decision is made based on the opinion of all the employees and an all rounded decision is made. Due to the decision is accepted by everyone, so the problem of conflict may be reduced. For the purpose of becoming a good and successful participative leader, listen to and accept opinion of others is very important. However, Steve Jobs, who is the CEO of Apple has a low participative leadership. This can be proof by the anecdotes rumour which says Steve Jobs is a rather rude participant in meetings and extremely impatient. (Kramer, Leadership Behaviors and Attitudes of Steve Jobs, 2010)This situation clearly explains that Steve Job is an autocratic person and does not like teamwork. Based on the article, there are five benefits of participative leadership which are everyone participate, new ideas are thrown about, decisions become more result-oriented, leaders can assess the worth of their policies, a progressive approach. (Mike Krutza, Jodi Wiff, 2008) If a leader really has these five principles, it can be said that he is a good leader and is admired by his employee at all the time. In our opinion, there is another choice, which is participative style that suitable for Steve Job. If he participate himself in the team and work together with them, the effectiveness of the team may be higher. This is because different people have different ideas, so the best idea will be selected and yet to produce to the next step.

Cultures :: essays papers

Cultures Culture is something that is very stable but it is still something that is subject to change. There are different causes to change including accidents or the unexpected outcome of events that are already in existence. Sometimes it is also the attempt to solve a perceived problem. Change can also be forced upon a group through intense contact between two societies. Adaption and progress are both consequences and not causes of change. The ultimate source of all change is innovation. This is any new practice, tool, or principle that gains widespread acceptance within a group. A primary innovation is a change that involve the chance discovery of a new principle. A secondary innovation results from the deliberate application of known principles. A great example of primary innovation is the firing of clay which makes it permanently hard. Modeling the clay to be fired by known techniques into familiar objects. Primary stimulate other inventions and may prompt rapid cultural change. Diffusion is known as the borrowing of cultural elements from one society by members of another. Borrowing is so common that the North American anthropologist Ralph Linton suggested that as much as 90% of a culture is accounted for by borrowing. The Pilgrims that settled in New Plymouth might have starved to death if it wasn’t for the Indian Squanto which showed them how to grow crops. There is a creativeness behind the borrowing, picking and choosing from multiple possibilities. Most of these choices are made to be compatible with the already existing culture. Cultural loss has to do with the abandonment of some trait or practice with or without replacement. People think of change as an accumulation of innovations: adding new things to those that are already there. When reflected upon you come up with the conclusion that the existence of a new innovation leads to the loss of an older one. This in not only a feature of Western Civilization. In biblical times chariots and carts were in Widespread use but were replaced by camels because they worked better by the 6th century. Acculturation is the occurrence of two groups of different cultures coming into intensive firsthand contact with each other. An element of force is usually involved directly or indirectly. There are other variables which include the degree of cultural difference; circumstances, intensity, frequency, and hostility of contact; who is dominant and who is submissive: and whether the nature of the flow is reciprocal or nonreciprocal.

Ted Baker

The brief was to create an integrated campaign that articulates the Ted Baker brand in one of these four categories; watches, eyewear, footwear and fragrances. Free to work in any media and it can be displayed in the store swell as in the public domain. Using the Ted baker logo within the designs, free to work in any style and using any media. The requirements for the brief were simply 4 posters relating to the certain category we had chosen. Anything else provided would be optional extras. These posters would support the brand and help push the boundaries in terms of styling, attention to detail and quality. Sources of research were initially just images online, billboards etc.. I found with Ted Baker that their advertising campaigns were pretty limited. In Cabot Circus there's a Ted Baker store with a few bits and bobs dotted around but they don't sell glasses anyway so most of my research was left to depending on online resources. My research consisted of images with Ray-ban, their campaign ‘Never Hide' is really well known and is very recognised, really different posters are designed which is shown in my research. My final ideas were very professional and I feel they related to the brand, I felt they were quite strong. Using Photoshop I played about with imagery and layers, I chose a few high resolution images which I overlaid and edited in Photoshop. Then I chose a border which I also overlaid and played about with, I wanted a grungey feel but at the same time I wanted it to be simplistic, similar to the work i would imagine Ted Baker to look like/And want to put up around shops etc.. After experimenting with backgrounds, I finally came up with one final browny/cream coloured type background with a black border, I then edited this in Photoshop and then played around with effects and eventually came up with inverting it and then playing about with the colours, finally I had a red, blue, green and black one. I then started playing about with vectors of glasses and chose 4 different pairs of glasses online and then drew around them with the pen tool. Initially I had live traced them and then live painted, but I felt drawing them with the pen tool was much more accurate and precise, it also meant it was easier to edit the colours if I did need to change the colours for whatever reason. I would've preferred to have the posters at a bigger scale, maybe A2 as I feel in a shop these would suit the shop more rather than an A3 poster, it's not massively noticeable. I used bright colours which had been lowered in saturation so they didn't stand out so much. I sed the typeface future which was the closest to the Ted Baker Logo typeface as I could get. I used 2 taglines; including â€Å"essential eyewear† and â€Å"eye candy†. I wanted to keep what I was saying professional. The posters all flowed and kept certain things the same, meaning the layout, typeface, background style and positioning of the text. Throughout this brief I took a different approach to how I would normally, I visited the Ted Baker shop because the poster s would be if printed, put up around the store in bigger. The targeted audience are lovers of glasses, Ted Baker or not. I wanted to keep a simplistic feel but at the same time make it very professional, which is different to a lot of the work I would usually produce. I learnt certain simple things in Photoshop which I didn't know before, ‘overlaying' etc. I feel I have successfully met the brief and produced some nice final outcomes which meet the requirements and are aesthetically pleasing.