Mgmt 408 - 1554 Words

Roles of a Manager MGMT 408 Week 1 Farbod Zarkeshian IT Managers now have many responsibilities (data centers, staff management, telecommunications, servers, applications, workstations, websites, mobile access and devices, user support, regulatory compliance, vendor management, disaster recovery, etc.) and work with all the departments (accounting, human resources, marketing, sales, distribution, facilities, legal, etc.) within a company or organization. This is both the good and the bad news. At some companies, an IT Manager can have direct influence on the strategic direction of the company, suggesting and helping implement web initiatives, for example. In other companies, an IT Manager is really only a technician, software†¦show more content†¦According to Chester Barnard, â€Å"Organizing is a function by which the concern is able to define the role positions, the jobs related and the co- ordination between authority and responsibility. Hence, a manager always has to organize in order to get results. A manager performs organizing function with the help of following steps:- Identification of activities - All the activities which have to be performed in a concern have to be identified first. For example, preparation of accounts, making sales, record keeping, quality control, inventory control, etc. All these activities have to be grouped and classified into units. Departmentally organizing the activities - In this step, the manager tries to combine and group similar and related activities into units or departments. This organization of dividing the whole concern into independent units and departments is called depart mentation. Classifying the authority - Once the departments are made, the manager likes to classify the powers and its extent to the managers. This activity of giving a rank in order to the managerial positions is called hierarchy. The top management is into formulation of policies, the middle level management into departmental supervision and lower level management into supervision of foremen. The clarification of authority helps in bringing efficiency in the running of a concern. This helps in achieving efficiency in the running of a concern. This helps in avoiding wastage of time, money, effort, inShow MoreRelatedMidsouth Chamber of Commerece Essay976 Words   |  4 PagesMidsouth Chamber of COmmerce 5-6-12 MGMT-408 Introduction Midsouth Chamber of Commerce entities involved in issue: * Vice President Leon Lassiter * Territory Managers * Marketing Support Supervisor * Staff * Lack of access to new computer system * Problems with using old systems Midsouth Chamber of Commerce Vice President Leon Lassiter is in the middle of transiting systems with several problems arising. Several workstations have had something happened toRead MoreMGMT 1001 Everest Final Report Essay3098 Words   |  13 Pages! Everest Simulation Report MGMT 1001 5/16/14 †© !! ! ! MGMT 1001 ! Table of Contents ! Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................2 1. Performance: Improvement in Scores and Timing ........................................................Read MorePersonality Analysis on The Breakfast Club1372 Words   |  6 Pages1971) . Skinner proposed that the development of an individuals personality is largely dependant on the way in which significant adults in their lives would reward or punish then throughout the course of their childhood. (Carter Grivas 2005, p. 407-408) Therefore, children and adolescents raised by abusive and aggressive parents are more inclined to also be come aggressive and hostile towards peers. (Hellesvig-Gaskell n.d) Throughout The Breakfast Club (Hughes 1985) there are multiple scenes thatRead MoreCommunication Plan4813 Words   |  20 PagesProduct Development monim@.com 408-965-7706 N/A Jim Alexander CM Manager Development VP jim.alexander@.com 704.561.4468 N/A Elaine Hamilton Release Manager Director Program Management elaine.hamilton@.com (408) 965-7472 N/A Hung Truong Director Applications, App Framework Globalization hung.truong@.com (408) 965-7088 N/A Mike Gustafson Director Foundation Group mike.gustafson@.com (408) 965-7352 N/A Jack Mckeown Director Director, Product Mgmt jack.mckeown@.com (408) 965-4669 N/A Marc Cohn DirectorRead MoreLeadership5482 Words   |  22 Pages available at http:,/iopsych.msu.edu/koz/ Kozlowski%20et%20al%20%28in%20press%29-Leadership%20%20Team%20Dev.pdf; Frederick Morgeson et al., Leadership in Teams: A Functional Approach to Understanding Leadership Structures and Processes,20 J. MGMT. 1 (2009). Winter 2013] LEADERSHIP FOLLOWERSHIP 347 As Joseph Rost put it. leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes. ,5 Whether our interest isRead MoreStrategic Information Systems Planning (Literature Review)8531 Words   |  35 Pagesis the defined boundary inside which all the interactions are considered Input It is the information/ material flowing into the boundary of a system Output It is the information/ material flowing out of the boundary of a system CIO Top mgmt Support model Environmental Factors Takes into account the external and internal environment of the firm The model examines how Chief Information Officers (CIOs) gain peer commitment to implementing strategic information systems/technology (IS/T)Read MoreStarbucks Culture Essay9960 Words   |  40 PagesSome say the growing middle class there drinks coffee in part to emulate Europeans and Americans. Starbucks tripled sales in China from 2004 to 2009 and from 2007 to 2010 saw a worldwide increase in its average number of customers per store from 408 to 424 each day. Starbucks in Beijing has maintained an annual sales growth of more than 30% in recent years. In Shanghai, the chain started to make a profit the second year after the first store opened in the city. Its net profit reached 32 millionRead MoreTwo Year Plan Essay9540 Words   |  39 PagesTwo Year Plan Professor: Dr. Ellen A. Drost MGMT 497 Date: Feb, 14, 2011 World: 11 Company: 1 Presented by: Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 3 2. ORGANIZATION 4 3. OBJECTIVES AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 6 a. Sales in Dollars b. Net Income c. ROA d. ROE e. Stock Price Weighting Factors Criteria 4. STRATEGIES 13 5. SALES FORECAST 17 6. PRODUCTION PLAN 19 7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 20 8. APPENDIX 21 * Industry Sales Forecasts in UnitsRead MoreThe Emergence of the Fast Fashion Business Model and Imposed Quick Response Challenges for Chinese Fabric Manufacturers14773 Words   |  60 Pagesattempts to use dynamic capabilities as its strategic approach ought to do the following: 1. Identify latent capabilities within the ï ¬ rm that are widely accepted as valuable and appropriate for advancing supply chain objectives (Pablo et al. 1996). 408 J.H. Peterson et al. 2. Create opportunities for individuals to take personal initiative for organizational advancement 3. Encourage the development of trusting relationships to support individual initiatives. Capability development is deï ¬ nedRead MoreDiscount Cash Flow Valuation of Upstream Oil and Gas Investments18360 Words   |  74 PagesFTI Consulting Inc. Mr. Tyler is counsel and Mr. Deutsch is an associate in the International Arbitration Group of Mayer Brown LLP. E.g., T.W. Wà ¤lde B. Sabahi, Compensation, Damages and Valuation in International Investment Law, TRANSNAT’L DISP. MGMT. (forthcoming); Irmgard Marboe, Compensation and Damages in International Law – The Limits of â€Å"Fair Market Value†, 7 J. WORLD INV. TRADE 723 (2006); John Y. Gotanda, Recovering Lost Profits in International Disputes, 36 GEO. J. INT’L L. 61 (2004);

The Gospel of Luke Free Essays

The Gospel of Luke like the other three Gospels depicts the life, teachings, death and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This is the largest of the four Gospels. The Gospel opens with a salutation to Theophilus and proceeds to tell the story of the appearance of Angel Gabriel to Zachariah, whose wife Elizabeth did not have the ability to bear a child. We will write a custom essay sample on The Gospel of Luke or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Angel announces to Zachariah that his wife will bear a child and that â€Å"he will bring back many people of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go as God’s messenger, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children again; he will turn the disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord’s people ready for him†. The dumb founded Zachariah could not believe the words of the Angel Gabriel. Zachariah was spending a long time in the Temple and when he came out he could not speak. He was punished with the dumbness till the miracle was realized by him. People knew that he had seen a vision in the Temple since he was making signs to them with his hands and unable to say a word. Gabriel then appears before Mary, who was promised in marriage to Joseph and proclaims that the Holy Spirit will come on her and she will give birth to a son who is to be named Jesus. He adds that â€Å"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God† and that the Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob for ever and his kingdom will never end†. After a few months Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, and when Mary greeted her, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb â€Å"jumped with gladness†. In due course Elizabeth gave birth to a baby boy and he was circumcised and named John. Zachariah regained his speech at that time, as he was filled with the Holly Spirit. The baby grew up into John the Baptist. Joseph and Mary went to Becklehem to register their names for the census and ordered by Emperor Augustus. There Mary gave birth to Jesus and laid him in the manger. An Angel announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds. The shepherds visited the Holy Baby and spread the word around. The baby was named Jesus, as preordained, was circumcised, and was taken for the ceremony of purification. There Simeon, a God-fearing man, filled with Holy Spirit, held the baby in his hand and praised the Lord for bringing glory to the people of Israel. When Jesus was twelve years old his parents took him for the Passover ceremony as usual, but that year he did not return with his parents, and stayed back in the temple, with the Jewish teachers listening carefully, and asking intelligent questions. Jesus grew into a boy of great wisdom. While Herod was the ruler of Galilee, John the Baptist was appealing to the people to turn away from their sins and to get baptized. He also preached the Good News that one much greater than him is coming to baptize them with the Holy Spirit. He also spoke critically of Governor Herod and subsequently became imprisoned. When Jesus was about thirty years old the power of the Holy Spirit started radiating from him very powerfully and he was revered and praised by all. The Devil tried his level best to tempt Jesus through many tricks, but Jesus did not succumb to any of the tricks. But when Jesus went to Nazareth to read from the scriptures, He was not appreciated there. There is a saying that the darkest place is under the candle. Nazareth was the place where Jesus had been brought up. Yet people failed to recognize the Holy Spirit emanating from Him. The power embedded in Jesus started performing miracles. At Capernaum, a town in Galilee, He drove away the evil Spirit that had possessed a man. He cured the high fever of Simon’s mother-in-law. Learning about His miraculous powers, sick people started flocking to Jesus. A touch by his hand cured every one of them. He cured a leper of his leprosy. Once a paralyzed man was carried on a bed and brought to Jesus. He told the man that â€Å"your sins are forgiven you, my friend†. The listeners were puzzled by this, thinking that only god can forgive sins. They thought Jesus was impersonating God. The paralyzed man walked back home. Jesus was unconventional in many of his acts. He kept company with outcasts, supported and eating on Sabbath days, and even cured the crippled hand of a man on a Sabbath day. Gradually anger hatred and fear started building up against Jesus among the Pharisees and the teachers of law. Jesus went on healing and teaching the people who flocked to him. He even breathed life into a dead man. He assured the poor and the sorrow-stricken that there is a great reward awaiting them in Heaven. He taught them to shun violence. He spread the gospel of love. He warned people against judging others. Through powerful parables Jesus started driving great ideas into the minds of the people. As time passed, the number of miracles performed by the spiritual power of Jesus grew unbelievably. The fisherman who could not net any fish in spite of a hard day’s labor, caught netfuls of fish at the order of Jesus. A mob of evil spirits had been driven away from a possessed man into a group of swine. He calmed a storm in the ocean with a single command. A woman who had been sick for twelve days touched the robe of Jesus and got cured instantly. He raised from death the daughter of Jairus. Once He fed a crowd of five thousand with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus had gathered His disciples from among the fisherman. He gave them power and authority to drive out demons and to cure diseases. In due course of time He told His disciples about His impending death and resurrection. He recruited more disciples and sent seventy two of them to different towns with the message of God’s love. To the skeptical teacher of law, He gave the parable of the Good Samaritan. He advised the Pharisees to keep their minds clean and worthy. He even told them that they â€Å"are like unmarked graves which people walk on without knowing it. † When one of the teachers of the law protested saying that Jesus was insulting them, Jesus accused them of holding the keys to the house of knowledge, neither themselves going in, nor allowing anybody else to go in. This infuriated the teachers and they wanted to wreak vengeance on Him. In the meanwhile Jesus went on enriching the peoples’ minds through the parables of the Yeast, Mustard Seed, the Narrow Door, the Unfruitful Tree, Faithful and the Unfaithful Servant, the Great Feast, Worthless Salt, the Lost Sheep and many more. His healing miracles continued as ever. He taught the people that the kingdom of God is within themselves. He reminded them that it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of the needle. Jesus drove the merchants from the Temple, and warned people to watch out for the Teachers of Law who take advantage of the weak. They wanted to kill Jesus and finally Judas under the devil’s influence agreed to betray Christ. During the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, Jesus broke the bread and gave it to His disciples saying that it was His body, and gave them the wine as new covenant sealed with His blood. He added that â€Å"the one who betrays me is here at the table with me†. Jesus also predicted the denial of Peter. Jesus was arrested after being kissed and identified by Judas, and Peter three times denied knowledge of Him, as predicted by Jesus. The elders of the Jews, the teachers and the Chief Priests asked Him if He was the â€Å" Son of God â€Å" and He answered â€Å" you say that I am â€Å". For claiming Himself to be God, they decided to punish Him and took Him to Pilate. Pilate sent for Herod. Pilate told the crowd that he did not find Jesus guilty, but the crowd shouted that Jesus must be killed. He was nailed on the Cross along with two criminals. At Jesus’ death, noon turned into darkness, and the curtain in the Temple tore into two. His body was received by Joseph of Arimathea and some ladies who were with him and He was buried. But the third day Jesus resurrected, as He had foretold earlier. Jesus later appeared before His disciples and then was taken into heaven. Conclusion: The word Gospel literally means â€Å"Good News†. But the Gospels in the Bible are more than â€Å"Good News†. They belong to the genre of biography and historiography. As biography it races the birth, growth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. As historiography it draws a continuous line from the scriptures, from Abraham, through Moses, David, and Isaiah to the age of Jesus. The gospel of St. Luke, from another perspective, is the exposition of God. Its power as scripture is simply unique. How to cite The Gospel of Luke, Papers

Treasury and Risk Management Derivatives

Questions: 1.Why futures and options contracts are generically referred to as derivatives?2.What is the difference between a European and an American option, as far as the buyer and the writer are concerned?3.You are a speculator and you think stock prices will increase. Should you buy a call or a put option?4. Under what circumstances would you make a profit at maturity from a long position in a futures contract on live hogs?5.Who might find a futures contract on (the price of) orange juice, useful? Answers: 1. Futures and options are two most general forms of derivatives. A derivative is commonly stated as the financial instrument that receives its significance from the worth of an underlying instrument. The contract prices of futures and options are also determined by the worth of underlying instrument. Therefore, they are commonly referred as derivatives (Golez 2014). 2. The buyer of the put or call option is in a position to take decision about whether to exercise the option or not. On the contrary, the writer holds the passive position and is obliged to go with the decision of the person having long position. In Europe, the option can be exercised only after the maturity date, that is, the expiry date. On the other hand, the person with long position, that is, the holder at any time, can exercise the American option. Therefore, if the person with long position exercises the option only with consideration to his own profit, the writer may have to bear huge losses. The person with long position of a call or put will never bear loss at the maturity of the contract as he always has the option of not exercising the option. However, he has to make the upfront payment for option premium, and if the contract is held to the date of maturity, he will have to bear the maximum amount of loss (Wang, Zhang and Fang 2015). 3. As a speculator, it will be a better option to buy a call as the price of the stock are expected to increase beyond the strike price and will generate profit for the speculator. Here, the seller of the stock fixes the strike price (Schwager and Etzkorn 2017). 4. Suppose, the price of future at the beginning (t = 0) for the contract of futures, which is also known as the delivery price is F0 = $500 per hog. At the expiry date, suppose the hog price is ST = $310. At this point, there are two options. Firstly, the delivery for the hog under the future contract can be taken and payment can be made as F0 = $500. This amount will go for short under the future contract. On the same day, the hog can be taken to the local market can be sold on Spot for ST = $310 and will earn a profit of ($500 - $310) = $190. 5. It is beneficial for the farmers to use the future contract on dealing of orange juice. The reason behind this is that most of the oranges are grown in Florida, where the weather is of disastrous nature. Due to this, the prices of oranges may raise and make it costly for the buyers, which in turn, may results into high supply and low demand. If the weather is favourable and there is no disaster, the price will decrease for the oranges. The competitors from other counties may also lead to price fall. To protect themselves from loss, the farmers will opt for future contract at a fixed price that will prevent them from losses (Glinberg and Landa 2014). References: Glinberg, D. and Landa, F., Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc., 2014.Option pricing model for event driven call and put options. U.S. Patent 8,756,139. Golez, B., 2014. Expected returns and dividend growth rates implied by derivative markets.Review of Financial Studies,27(3), pp.790-822. Schwager, J.D. and Etzkorn, M., 2017. An Introduction to Options on Futures.A Complete Guide to the Futures Market: Technical Analysis and Trading Systems, Fundamental Analysis, Options, Spreads, and Trading Principles, pp.477-485. Wang, S., Zhang, S. and Fang, Z., 2015. A superconvergent fitted finite volume method for BlackScholes equations governing European and American option valuation.Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations,31(4), pp.1190-1208.

World War 1 Essays - World War I, Western Front, Eastern Front

World War 1 World War I: Total War Europe since pre-Roman times has been marked by conflict. Warring tribes often did battle in small skirmishes and hand-to-hand combat. But as the civilizations grew and technology improved the battles became larger and much more intense. With the Industrial revolution, warfare would change forever. This can be best seen in World War One. The war to end all wars gradually escalated to a global conflict, dragging the super powers into a four year struggle. World War One brought many new and horrible inventions to the participants both at the front, as well as at home. There are many reasons why World War I was so much different than all the past conflicts. For one thing, it was the first time in almost one hundred years that all the major super powers were fighting. Not since Napoleons defeat at Waterloo, had England, France, Germany (Prussia at the time of Napoleon), and Russia been fighting at the same time. This in turn made it a global conflict. With all the over sea possessions of these countries, fighting was inevitable in their colonies. This was another first for World War I. Another huge aspect that made this war the first truly modern war, has to do with the Industrial Revolution. This revolution did change the nature of battle. No longer was war considered to be one-on-one. With the improvement of the gun and invention of the machine gun, almost anybody could become capable of killing many enemy soldiers. Industrialization of the warring countries meant a better railroad system. In turn, this meant that moving the supplies of war to the front line could be done relatively easily. For the first time also, countries were able use the entire industrial resources to help insure victory with industrial might. A final difference from this war from any other was the use of science and war. It was during this time when science was looked upon to help break the stalemate of the war. This can be seen in the use of poisonous gas. The Germans looked for ways to gain the advantage, and their scientists developed a way to spread Chlorine gas over the unprepared allies. When war did break out in July, 1914, the belligerents had a high enthusiasm toward the war. The past couple of wars had only lasted a few months at the most. With war between Prussia and France only lasting about eighteen weeks, it was hard for anyone seeing this conflict go any longer. Some of the poetry written during the beginning of the war possesses a romantic flavor. They try to compare the duty of serving in the army as the right thing to do. And dying for your country is the best possible way to die. Another undertone present in the poetry is a deep hatred toward the other side. In Ernest Lissauers poem Hymn of Hate there is an obvious dislike toward the English (Wiesner, Ruff, and Wheeler, 300). Lissauer repeatedly points out the English are the only one they hate and Germans all hate them together. These attitudes of enthusiasm and hate added the total disillusionment of all the people fighting and encouraging the war. In examining sources about the soldiers fighting along the front, a common theme appears. Often the situation describes death and destruction. This is evident in the writings on the front-line by Henri Barbusse. Barbusse gives an excellent look about the true tales of World War I. He describes the land around the fighting as hell; with twisted humans and earth scattered all about. He goes on further explaining the futility of charging towards the enemys position. The confusion and loss of life running toward a storm of bullets is best captured in these real life, trench stories. In Erich Maria Remarques book All Quiet on the Western Front, the German side of the trench life. All in all the same type of death and destruction is evident. Remarque describes the awful conditions facing the collapsing German Army. He tells of the doctors making wounded men go back and fight along the front lines. He further goes on to tell of the starvation and sickness of the soldiers still able

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Essays - Genetics, Free Essays

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Essays - Genetics, Free Essays Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the most common motor neuron disease in European populations. Approximately 10% of ALS cases are familial (FALS) and the other patients are considered as sporadic ALS (SALS). Among many ALS causing genes that have been identified, mutations in SOD1 and C9orf72 are the most common genetic causes of the disease. In Iranian patients, it has been shown that SOD1, as compared to C9orf72, plays a much more prominent role. To date, more than 170 mutations have been reported in SOD1. Genotype/phenotype correlation with respect to either different causative genes or different mutations of a specific gene has not been well established. The inheritance of FALS in many families is atypical with one proband and one or two first/second degree relatives who also have the disease (Valdmanis Neumann et al 2006). Mutations in the gene encoding TDP-43, TARDBP, were subsequently found as a genetic cause of ALS (Sreedharan et al 2008). The genetics of FALS has moved forward rapidly in recent years, providing invaluable insight into disease pathogenesis and allowing the development of animal models to further study the disease and efficacy of therapeutic compounds. Autosomal Recessive: Parents do not have to be affected to have an affected child; often skips generations. For autosomal dominant traits, only ONE copy of the mutated allele is required for an individual to be affected, and this can be inherited from either parent. Individuals with a dominant trait have a 1 in 2 chance of passing that allele, and, therefore, that trait, to each of their children. If a child is affected, one parent must be affected. Clues to Pedigree Problems A. When determining if a trait is sex-linked or autosomal 1. An X-linked trait is usually expressed far greater in males since most are X-linked recessive. If X-linked, we will only consider X-linked recessive traits (none will be X-linked dominant). 2. Y-linked traits are only passed from father to son. Females are never affected. In this assignment, none of the traits are Y-linked. 3. An autosomal trait is expressed approximately equally in males and females. B. When determining if an autosomal trait is dominant or recessive 1. Dominant traits only require one allele to outwardly express the trait. a. Dominant traits are often present in every generation. b. If a child is affected, at least one parent must be affected. 2. Recessive traits require two alleles to outwardly express the trait. a. Recessive traits often skip generations. b. An affected child does not have to have an affected parent. This is a pedigree from two highly inbred families containing the ALS2 gene, and it displays the autosomal recessive nature of the mutation. A partial three generation pedigree of the index patient (indicated by the arrow), heterozygous for the p.D90A SOD1 mutation, is shown. The pedigree suggests autosomal dominant inheritance/transmission.

5 Lucrative and Rewarding Trucking Jobs to Consider

5 Lucrative and Rewarding Trucking Jobs to Consider OTR trucking can be a thankless job- long hours, lots of time away from home, constant tedium, and  the ever-present  need for vigilance where safety is concerned. Given how difficult it can be, and how high the entry-level standards are, it should come as no surprise that many jobs go unfilled every year. What you probably didn’t realize is that truck drivers make great money. If you’re independent, a conscientious driver, and don’t mind the lone-wolf lifestyle, trucking might be a good career move for you. The high demand means high pay and job security. The schedules can be flexible, you can live almost anywhere you want, and your view will always change by the mile. Not to mention, trucking companies usually offer great benefits.And that’s just for your normal, run-of-the-mill trucking job. Here are 5 specialized trucking jobs that offer even higher pay, just to give you something to aspire to.Oversized LoadHeavy loads and double-wides get reflecte d in your paycheck. You’ll have to go through special training and licensing for these positions, but the benefits and pay would be more than worth it.Liquid HaulingDriving a truck full of hazardous liquids, gases, or chemicals requires an enormous amount of skill and expertise. The more of each you have, the more likely you are to get the top compensation.Ice RoadThis is one of the hardest, scariest jobs out there. But you can work just a few months each year and make six figures. Of course, you will also have to be exceptionally talented at driving on ice roads in the Arctic Circle through extreme cold (-40 degrees) and though frequent white-outs and storms.MiningThe mining industry has trucking jobs available driving dump trucks to and from mine sites. These are some of the highest paying jobs in that industry. Even as a contractor, you could make $100k a year.InterstateInterstate truck driving is a bit less glamorous, and certainly less dangerous than some of the options above. But it still requires you to drive hard (and safely) to meet deadlines over enormous distances. And the pay is still comparatively very high!

Modern Business in Comparative Perspective Essay - 9

Modern Business in Comparative Perspective - Essay Example The system is characterized by static standards of living and the interest of the community supersedes that of individuals (Gregory & Stuart, 2014). The command (regulated system) is an economic system where the economy is either controlled by the government or a corporate body as the centralized power. They regulate the distribution and use of resources. In addition, these bodies control wages and prices as well as the individual tasks (Lopus, 2013). This system has the potential of creating nutritious supply of resources to the people. Socialism is an example of command system where governments have certain level of control in socialist nations. Governments in state socialist own and operate commercial sectors for social purpose. On the other hand, in the market economic system, the government does not control major resources and the vital facets of the economy. Individuals make the economic decision such as how to invest their resources, type of job to take, and goods and services to produce. Different organizations influence the economic activities by influencing the supply and demand for resources and goods or services (Dui gnan & Britannica Educational Publishing. (2013). It is similar to free market system. In case it is a pure market system, then the government is completely absent on the economic decisions or economic affairs. In the 19th century, the USA was very close to the pure economic system. However, a mixed economic system synchronizes both the elements of command and market economy. Despite the fact that individuals make decisions in the market, the government influences the distribution and allocation of resources. Currently the US economy is a mixed economy (Gottlieb, Tilly & Shorter, 2013). Corporate economic systems have exhibited diversity in many countries. This is attributed to the different situations in each country such as: a country’s developmental stage, business and government relation, labor

Environmental Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Environmental Ethics - Essay Example The lives of many citizens are still difficult trying to make ends meet satisfaction is yet to be achieved through technology (Mander 29). The people who are in support of technology claim that the concept has brought a standardized lifestyle characterized with speed meaning that transportation enhanced and information retrieved easily (Mander 30). People offered with the freedom, to make preferences this encompasses the skill to jobs and items of choice. Leisure time and spending has also been promoted since technology has improved the weight of work and has enabled people to have time for rest and pleasure times, but Mander argues that none of these advantages inform more about human contentment, delight, safety or the power to prolong life in the world. Mander does not agree that having lots of choices of products in the market makes life satisfactory as judge against friendship, affection and a reasonable work. He further says that choice cannot be equated; to freedom since the technology development controls a person’s mind and influences new experience that eventually make the choices of commodities in the market (Rhodes 35). He also argued on the subject of leisure, watching television and going for shopping considered by the modern man as leisure, but with the increased automation and robotics leisure, time will change used in searching for items over the internet ad employment opportunities that are scarce in nature (Mander 31). In contrast, in the Stone Age period people then had more time for leisure which they used for meditation and contemplating about life. The modern man uses technology to find solutions, and many have abandoned their spiritual background. Furthermore, critics have noticed that the modern man spends lots of time and money to cater for technological gadgets lacking time for pleasure and rest (Braziller 55). Moreover,

Us Beer Industry Overview Essay Example for Free

Us Beer Industry Overview Essay The beer industry is widely known for been an oligopoly. However, in our approach, we will explore the possibility of analyzing microbreweries in particular from a monopolistic competition market structure perspective. The beer market oligopoly is composed by three big players: Anheuser-Busch which holds 48 % of the market share, Miller Brewing Co. , with 18% and Coors Brewing Co. with 11%. Please refer to the below graph and table for information regarding the market share held by the remaining companies. (Market shares are shown based on shipments of 205. 6 million cases in 2005 and 210 in 2006). Based on the above market shares, we calculated the concentration ratio of the three big players and the Herfindahl Hirshman Index for the industry. Both measures confirm that the Beer Industry is indeed a highly concentrated one as the concentration of the big three players is almost 80% and the HHI is well above the 1,800 threshold. Market Analysis The demand in the beer market is characterized by flat consumption trends although we can currently identity two growing markets: First, a domestic niche market for microbreweries, and second, the international market that is currently been targeted by our big national brands. Another very strong market trend is the consolidation of many national brewers. This consolidation has been driven by the increased regulatory burdens and taxation in the industry as well as by changes in demographics: greater alcohol awareness, slow population growth, aging population, etc. Through consolidation, brewers can accomplish economies of scale and other supply chain synergies. Parallel to this trend, there has also been an expansion of specialty brewers (microbreweries) that target more sophisticated and knowledgeable beer drinkers. The players in this market focus on differentiation and therefore can afford to charge premium prices for their products. This is actually the niche market on which we will focus our analysis on in the later part of this paper. Barriers to Entry Standard and poor label the barriers to entry in the beer industry as relatively minimal; however, once firms enter the market, it is really difficult for them to remain competitive. The high barriers to entry are partially due to the fact that the beer industry is a relatively mature industry and that the market is dominated by very well established leaders. Other factors constituting barriers to entry are: an increased tendency for vertical integration (i. e the three largest brewers each own subsidiaries to perform non-brewing functions like grain elevators, milling, can manufacture, labels, etc), advantages of economies of scale and a very intense price competition. As a result, the new entrants are mainly microbrewers which are focusing on a new type of demand. Production Inputs Big or small, companies in the beer market are competing for the same resources and are affected by the prices’ fluctuations of their inputs. In the beer market, some of the key inputs to consider in any economic analysis are grains, hops and yeast. Strategy to succeed: ? Market Leadership ? Expanded market share (internationally) ? Price Increase ? Production efficiencies ? Recent differentiation – Premium Price i. e. Anheuser-Busch – Michelob Ultra for â€Å"Atkins† taste Industry niche markets Smaller micro brews ? Highly fragmented but growing ? Only growing market segment in the domestic beer industry ? Target small consumer market segments with high price inelasticity ? Rely on regional brewers for production to avoid high entry costs ? Market Trends: Consolidation of National Brewers: Flat Consumption trends Regulatory Burdens High Taxation Greater alcohol awareness Slow population growth Aging population Expansion of Specialty Brewers: Uniqueness and high price points High demand in category Constant high prices to attract sophisticated drinker [pic]. ? Although the barriers to entry are classified by SP as relatively minimal, it is still extremely difficult for firms to remain profitable once they enter. Barriers may include: The market is a relatively mature Industry The market is dominated by well established leaders Increasing vertical integration Economies of scale advantages (i. e. the three largest brewers each own subsidiaries to perform non-brewing functions like grain elevators, milling, can manufacture, labels, etc) High price competition New entrants are niche markets – microbreweries ? Grains (i. e. barley, wheat, rice, malt, sugar, etc. ) ? Hops (cascade) ? Water (H2O) ? Yeast FORECAST o Reduced market shares for national brands o Weak domestic consumption trends = Price increases to improve margins for sustained profitability However, o Signs of competitive pricing o Potential decreases in industry-wide pricing levels / decreased operating margins. C3 (2006): 77. 70 % HHI (2006): 2,831. 79.

The Contributions of William Gladstone Essay -- British History

Every country has a leader who helps change the country and the world. William was that leader in Great Britain. Born in 1809 to a self-made Scottish merchant, which taught him to help the average person; he entered the politics at the age of 22 in 1833 where he was a â€Å"tireless administrator† with â€Å"tremendous eye for detail† (Wilson 112). At first a very strong Tory, who felt that any electoral reform would lead to revolution, he became one of the founding members of the Liberal Party in 1859. He would later say that â€Å"I was brought up to distrust and to dislike liberty, and I learned to believe in it. That is the key to all my change† (Wilson 102). As Prime Minister and leader of the Opposition for many years he â€Å"was the standard bearer [and champion of many reforms], and his gov from 1868 to 1874 was one of the foremost reforming administrations of the century† (Tompson 287). His ability â€Å"to manage big crowds and to use the power of the crowd as an extra-parliamentary weapon† (Wilson) allowed him to push tough legislation through Parliament and â€Å"his sheer bigness, and grandeur, and moral weightiness was never to be repeated on the political scene† (Wilson 118, 103). William Gladstone was a British statesman whose reforms had a greater influence than Queen Victoria. With the era named after Queen Victoria, many people believe that Queen Victoria was the most important person of this age. The Queen wasn’t popular until later in life. People hated her for her refusal to come out of mourning after the death of her husband and her unenlightened political views. The royal pair had an active role together until 1861 where she went into prolonged sadness and never made public appearances. She emerged 1870s to a much-diminished role in g... ...y 2012. . Findling, John E., ed. Events That Changed Great Britain Since 1689. Ed. Frank W. Thackeray. Westport: Greenwood, 2002. 75-80. Print. Kagan, Donald, Steven E. Ozment, and Frank M. Turner. "Great Britain Toward Democracy." The Western Heritage: Since 1300. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. 684-87. Print. Olechnowicz, Andrzej. The Monarchy and the British Nation, 1780 to the Present. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2007. Print. Tompson, Richard S. Great Britain: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present. New York: Facts On File, 2003. Print. "William Ewart Gladstone." Spartacus Educational. Web. 14 May 2012. . Wilson, A. N. "William Ewart Gladstone." Eminent Victorians. London: W.W. Norton &, 1989. 99-132. Print.

Internet Markerting Essay

Describe the key benefits and opportunities presented by internet marketing activity for Viola Drinks Ltd. and again how this help formulate and change the marketing mix for the business. In this assignment I will describe the fundamental benefits and opportunities presented by internet marketing activity for Viola Drinks Ltd. and furthermore how this helps formulate and change the marketing mix for the business. Internet marketing brings a lot of opportunities and benefits to businesses for instance reach to wider audience therefore raising awareness of the brand and attracting prospective customers, reducing overhead cost of the company as running and online business does not require as much finances as a regular business, and improve availability. Products: Products choices are informed by market research where customers’ needs and requirements are assessed. Feedbacks given by customers to the organisation will benefit Viola Drinks Ltd because they can modify their existing products or develop new product for their customer’s satisfaction. Internet marketing has divided product into two parts 1) core product and 2) extended product. The core product is the actual â€Å"product purchased by the customers to fulfil their needs† and the extended product is â€Å"the benefits build around the product†. Price: Price comparison is common online. Viola Drinks Ltd needs to make ensure that their online prices match with their competitor online prices. For instance online price comparison websites such as www. kelkoo. com and www. comparethemarket. com dedicated to comparing prices on products in order to find the best deal for the customer. Customers can log on to their website, search for a product, compare the prices and get a good deal. This will benefit Viola Drinks Ltd. to compare their prices with their competitors. The reason why online pricing is better than offline pricing is that online prices are very clear and transparent for the customer and the business at large because they can take advantage of the pricing that may change regularly or take advantages of special offers that last for a limited period of time and compare the amount competitors are charging. This is called price transparency it can only be achieved online as customers will be hunting for bargains. Place: Viola Drinks Ltd has integrated internet marketing within their already existing marketing strategies to create another sales channel. The benefit of Viola Drinks Ltd moving their business online is that they can â€Å"minimise cost of inventory, transport and storage while fulfilling demands from customers†. Furthermore, search Engine Optimisation (SEO) The accessibility and visibility of Viola Drinks Ltd is important through Search Engine Optimisation. Search Engine Optimisation benefits Viola Drinks Ltd. to be recognised among leading search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. For a company to have an online presence they must be on the top list on the search engines. Optimizing your website for search engines is a gathering of techniques that simplifies a search engine’s task of searching, for information posted on your website. Therefore it is crucial to registering with the big search engines including Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines while making sure that the website contains the adequate keywords so the site obtains a high raking placement in the relevant searches that people carry out. This can be achieved by Viola Drinks Ltd. hrough incorporating the adequate keywords that any prospective customers might search for consequently increasing the visibility of page and raising awareness of the brand. Promotion: Promotion is an important aspect in internet marketing. Bringing the products to the customers’ attention will help Viola Drinks Ltd. to generate more sales. Online promotion directly markets to the customers as it regularly pop-up sales ads. â€Å"The marketing function concerned with persuasively communication to target audience the components of the marketing program in order to facilitate exchange†. The opportunity of Viola Drinks Ltd. promoting their products online is that their customers can have real-time up to date what the latest promotional offers. Furthermore customers receiving direct e-mail from Viola Drinks Ltd about products that the prospective might consider purchasing will pull them to visit the website more. Advertising: online promotion has helped Viola Drinks Ltd. to reach their target audience, therefore getting more customers and bringing awareness of the different benefits and features of their existing and new products which is dramatically benefiting the company. Online advertising has grown over the past years â€Å"Online advertising spending in the UK has overtaken television expenditure for the first time, a report has said. Online spending grew 4. 6% to ? 1. 752bn in the first half of 2009, while TV spending shrank 16. 1% to ? 1. 639bn†. This shows how online advertising is increasingly growing in popularity in the UK and the benefit Viola Drinks Ltd. will have from online advertising is that they can get more customers as they are able to reach a greater audience and have new sales channels. Furthermore online advertising is cheaper and more convenient to reach a wider target audience. Viola Drinks Ltd. website enables their customers to shop and search for information 24/7 from the comfort of their own bed or from any other location. The benefit of online advertising to the customer is that he/she can get the information as far as they have an internet connectivity while offline advertising such as TV, billboards and newspapers ads are not that so popular as they used to be. In a recent article from BBC it is stated that online advertising has over taken the traditional forms of advertising. Globalisation: Moving on, the benefit of Viola Drinks Ltd. going online is to reach to a wider audience and expand the company to trade in a single global marketplace and the blurring of social and cultural differences between countries. Viola Drinks Ltd hence has make sure that they have a comprehensive understanding of the foreign markets environment and assess the advantages of their own products and service they provided to their customers on a world-wide scale. 24/7 Accessibility: Last but not least 24/7 accessibility is one of the major reasons for a company to go online. For Viola Drinks Ltd to go online it will mean that more customers can get to their stores at their own time. â€Å"Your store is open, 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week. Further, your customers are worldwide in reach, and can shop anytime that they want to†. This is the benefit that internet marketing provides to Viola Drinks Ltd because their customers can shop online at any given time. With the company’s presence online their customers will not be disappointed as they can always shop at any time of the day without leaving the comfort of their house. P5 – Explain how internet marketing has made Viola Drinks Ltd. more efficient, effective and successful. In this assignment I will clarify how internet marketing has made Viola Drinks Ltd. more efficient, effective and successful and how the increasing availability of the web gives business a number of effectiveness and efficiency. Dynamic Pricing Online pricing is done successfully thanks to the advent of technology. For instance flights change price according to the time of year; prices for flights go up during the half-term, as they know families will want to go at this time. Viola Drinks Ltd. website uses dynamic pricing charged prices categorise customers in different groups. â€Å"The prices are updated in real time to the type of customers or current market condition†. Viola Drinks Ltd. website has managed to establish this through their website. The efficiency and effectiveness of dynamic pricing can get Viola Drinks Ltd to capture more consumer attention and surplus, consequently meaning more generated profit for the company. Social Media: Social media has helped in a great deal in Viola Drinks Ltd. online advertisement. Social Media website such as â€Å"Facebook† and â€Å"Twitter† are the two most popular and used social media networks with over 1 billion visitors between them. The exploitation of social media has facilitated Viola Drinks Ltd to send out promotions and keep people up-to-date on upcoming events and products therefore increasing the opportunity to gain sales and also to profile their customers through psychographic profiling to target, young adults up to the age 24 who spend a great deal of their time online these are. Freedom of Choice has given Viola Drinks Ltd. ustomers the opportunity to pick from a variety of products. Viola Drinks Ltd is providing their customers with options to choose different products online. Furthermore they have offed their customers all over the world the freedom of choice from a different range of products and the option to choose their own delivery time and location. Track your Purchase online processes can help customers to track their order through the company’s website as they will be paying for their products or services before they receive it. The efficiency and effectiveness of this is that customer’s feel reassured that they can track their order without worrying if their purchase will make its way safely to their address. Viola Drinks Ltd website allows their customers to track their purchase from order, dispatch to transportation before it with the courier for delivery to their home address. Once more this reassures the customers and makes them feel that they are obtaining a good service online. Visual appeal, Viola Drinks Ltd. uses images on their website to make it easy and interesting for their target audience to have a clear view of their products in. Doing this it is clear that Viola Drinks Ltd wants to meet their customers’ requirements as they have the option to view the products, label which include the nutritional information of their drinks as consumers undoubtedly would want to know how much sugar the drinks contain if the individual has health concerns. P6 – Explain the challenges of globalization facing Viola Drinks Ltd. when deciding to embark on internet marketing as a promotional tool. In this assignment I will give details about the challenges of globalization facing Viola Drinks Ltd. when deciding to embark on internet marketing as a promotional tool. One of the challenges of internet marketing facing Viola Drinks Ltd. is the costs. Costs of setting up a website can be quite expensive at first, as you have to consider things such as, the domain name; protection of the website; people looking after the website, keeping it up to date and functional; designing the website; hosting and staff to look after the consumer’s requests and query’s. So this is a big thing that a Viola Drinks has to consider about when starting up an online business or website, as all of these things add up and can result in costing a lot of money. Another less taxing challenge of internet marketing confronting Viola Drinks Ltd. can be the information they decide to put on the website. When creating a website, Viola Drinks Ltd. has to be careful of the content that they put on the website. A business doesn’t want to overload the customer with information on products, as the customer will lose interest and find another website, which is more to the point and easier to read. Another challenge of internet marketing that Viola Drinks has to deal with is security. An online business makes their profit through online sales, and therefore needs to make sure that people feel secure and safe doing so. Payment Security is one of the largest challenges that Viola Drinks Ltd. face when operating on the internet. Customers want to ensure that their bank details are kept safe from hackers. Therefore Viola Drinks Ltd. must ensure they have a valid SSL certificate which encrypts sensitive information so nobody else can access it. Furthermore they can do this by making sure their website has regular virus checks and some sort of software to stop it from being hacked. They also could make sure that they use a very secure system when people are paying for products, such as NatWest have the special password system, so that when you are about to purchase a product, the customer will have to enter the password as well as all the relevant card details. A company could also use companies such as, PayPal and ask customers to pay through there. This will make the customer feel more secure as they know it’s a website they can trust. Viola Drinks Ltd. is also exposed to competition through global website visibility. The problem with having your website on the internet is that you are exposing yourself wide open to competitors who can view nearly everything about your business model. Viola Drinks Ltd. exposes their pricing, promotional offers, customer support service, layout of your information and how they have categorized certain data. This is beneficial to their competitors such as Coca Cola. Furthermore having manufacturers with online presence automatically causes disintermediation within the supply chain. This is a challenge for Viola Drinks Ltd. who sells their products that they get from a wholesaler, which needs a manufacturer. Viola Drinks Ltd may run into channel conflict, which is a challenge. This is when a customer can find the product that a business is selling cheaper elsewhere, therefore they are less likely to buy other products from Viola Drinks Ltd and they will lose money. Therefore, a business needs to make sure that it is looking at what its competitors are doing and keep their products and prices up-to-date. Lastly A challenge of internet marketing that Viola Drinks Ltd might face can be culture. When a business is starting up a website in a different country, they will have to take into consideration the country and their views on things. For example: in China the colour red is seen as lucky, therefore Viola Drinks Ltd may choose to make their website red if they were to start up their business in China, as people may be more likely to buy products from them. When starting up an online business in another country they will also have to take into consideration staying within the law. Additionally Viola Drinks Ltd. will have to consider tax; the description of products; language barriers; and modesty laws. All these could be potential problems and could easily cause Viola Drinks Ltd. to fail if they are not looked into and dealt with.

Rich vs. Poor

? A man’s economic status is based solely on his wealth and his material possessions, or lack thereof to define him as being â€Å"rich† or â€Å"poor. † Similarly, these two words, â€Å"rich† or â€Å"poor,† should also describe a man’s character. Rich is characterized as having a lot of money or possessions: valuable, meaningful, or significant. Poor is characterized as deficient in amount or indicating poverty. Yet, when we look at a man or woman, do we judge them by their wealth or by the â€Å"richness† or â€Å"poorness† in their character? Through observations of the rich, a man or woman who has obtained richness often times are lacking in character traits that makes up a good man or women. For example, Donald Trump as a billionaire is shrewd in making money and his personality is one of hostility. We all are familiar with his famous two words,† You’re fired! † Donald Trump, although rich as a child, n ever grasps the fundamental character traits of kindness, gentleness and peace. We can come to this conclusion based on the number of times he was married.This shows the lack of character Donald Trump has because a marriage should be a long term commitment, and it was easy for him to give up on many of his marriages for the next pretty woman who came by in his life. I believe that most people, like Donald Trump, who are rich in material possessions, typically are â€Å"poor† in character. They tend to be very aggressive toward others, not taking into consideration the feelings of others. Most rich people remind me of Ebenezer Scrooge, an unpopular, grumpy, elderly British male human. He was a banker and a usurious moneylender.He worked at a counting house. He was disgusted by the poor and praised workhouses. And he hated Christmas! The point here is, during the night before Christmas, Scrooge was visited by four spirits, who showed him that he hadn't always been so miserable, that he should love Christmas, and that his actions have massive consequences, and if he didn't change his ways, it would be all the worse for him! Many rich people carry a similar attitude of superiority and that there is no need to demonstrate acts of kindness to anyone that is financially below them. Consequently, a man who is â€Å"poor† in material possessions many times is â€Å"rich† in character, which is spiritually defined as the nine fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Having friends and family members who grew up poor and who worked hard to survive to obtain material possessions, their character was strengthened or made â€Å"rich† as a result of it. They had to do the jobs that many rich people would never do, such as being a maid, construction worker, janitor and many more domestic type jobs.Although they differ in terms of definition, being â€Å"rich† and being â€Å" poor† in character can be one of the same as â€Å"poor† in spirit or humble. For example, my great grandmother was an Indian who was very poor, but you never would have known it because she was humble, kind, loving and a peaceful woman who always shared everything she had. ? Without a doubt, those who are â€Å"rich† and those that are â€Å"poor,† in terms of material possession, share a similarity: the desire to be rich or richer. No one really wants to be â€Å"poor. Those who are rich are rich through inheritance or have mastered the know-how to become rich. Such as Prince Williams, who obtained his wealth from his mother and father, Princess Diana and Prince Charles of Whales. Those who are poor have lived in poverty, for the most part, all of their lives. Many of them have not mastered the know-how to obtain riches. This is evident from looking at the statistics in the inner cities and in very rural areas. Regardless of their economic status, howev er, one desires to be rich and the other desires to be richer.The poor would like to live a stress free lifestyle without worrying if there will be food on the table, and the rich want to obtain their fortunes as well as continuing to have their success grow. ?In terms of how the rich communicate with others, the rich typically show confidence and are normally very secured individuals. The rich communication skills have embellished their ability to obtain wealth and to succeed at many other aspects in their life. The Rich, like Donald Trump have many people looking up to them. So it’s almost a responsibility to show no fear and to take charge in everything they do.If Donald Trump were to show lack of Confidence many people would not respect him or believe he had the skills to succeed as a multi billionaire. ?On the other hand, in terms of how the poor communicate with others they generally lack confidence and many times they are very insecure. The poor’s communication skills are generally slang, bad grammar, or rap which decreases their ability to communicate effectively. My cousin Brittney, who grew up in North Philadelphia, was surrounded in bad neighborhoods, run down schools, and no one to look up to.When her mother finally decided to get her out of the area it was very difficult for my cousin to adapt to a better lifestyle. Brittney was use to the ghetto lifestyle that she thought it was the norm. When Brittney’s mother enrolled her into a public school in Fairfax it was a challenging scene for Brittney. She didn’t know how to interact with the other children because her dialect was nothing like theirs and she was not secure with who she was. Therefore she lost all hope and confidence.There are several ways to work on ones confidence but they have to be willing to work on them. ?Being â€Å"rich† or being â€Å"poor,† as Webster Dictionary defines it, does not determine a man’s richness or poorness in his o r her character but defines it as his economic status. Therefore, regardless of your material possessions, we should all strive to achieve the nine fruits of the spirit. Then we can honestly say that we are rich and/or poor. It’s up to us to follow acts of kindness, whether we are â€Å"rich† or â€Å"poor,† if we want to achieve a better quality of life.

Obesity in America Papers That Do Matter a Cost-Free Obesity Essay Sample

Obesity in America Papers That Do Matter a Cost-Free Obesity Essay Sample The American Obesity Association in partnership with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that an estimated 15.5 percent of adolescents aged 12-19 years and 15.3 percent of children aged 6 to 11 years are obese. OBESITY IS NOT A VERDICT Obesity is a rising global concern that has taken a toll on annual health costs across the country. Besides causing a huge health burden, the impact of obesity has contributed to decreased productivity and increased absenteeism among members of our society. It becomes necessary to sensitize the private and public sector partners, medical professionals as well as the public to adopt strategies that will make healthier choices easier to make. What Is Obesity? Obesity is a health condition characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat, usually over 20% of an individuals average body weight. It is associated with an enormous amount of health complications (high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, type 2  diabetes, and cancer), disability and even death. Individuals with a Body Mass Index of more than 30 are considered to be obese and those with a BMI of 25-29.9 are deemed to be overweight. As the condition continues to become an increasing concern in the United States, individuals have developed an interest in a field of medicine dealing with the study and treatment of obesity otherwise known as bariatrics. Further, it is common fortudents to be asked to write argumentative essays (see How to write an argumentative essay) on obesity or other lifestyle issues during their academic career. You can sign up to buy your obesity essay online for an original, high-quality essay that is written from scratch by professional academic experts. Obesity Key Facts From a global perspective, the rise of obesity has been gradual but constant ever since 1980. The American Obesity Association in partnership with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that an estimated 15.5 percent of adolescents aged 12-19 years and 15.3 percent of children aged 6 to 11 years are obese. The condition has continued to increase over the years affecting 78.6 million people in the United States and more than 700 million people in the world. Among the 78.6 million people in the U.S, an estimated 112,000 deaths have been linked to obesity each year making it one of the leading preventable causes of death. As the cases of obesity continue to grow internationally, so are the annual medical costs for  an average of $147 billion being spent in the U.S. on the treatment of obesity and its related health problems. Why Do People Become Obese? The leading causes of obesity are overeating and lack of physical activity. When a person takes up more calories than he or she can consume (metabolize), the excess is converted to fats that pile up with time leading to weight gain. The imbalance between calorie intake and consumption is also influenced by age, gender, genes, psychological makeup, certain health conditions, socioeconomic and environmental factors. 1. Physical Inactivity.  Many Americans are not active and easily take in more calories than they can burn through physical exercise or normal daily activities. Some of the reasons that encourage inactivity include driving, fewer physical demands because of modern technology, longer TV viewing hours, etc. 2. Unhealthy diets.  Consumption of unhealthy meals containing high levels of calories like red meat, unhealthy fats, processed foods and sugary drinks plays a major role in obesity. People with eating disorders such as binge eating also develop obesity. 3. Lifestyle habits.  A sedentary lifestyle where people are stuck  in a routine of long working hours with little room for exercise, oversized food portions, inactivity, inaccessibility to healthy foods due to cost or advertising that sways people to buy high-calorie foods. 4. Genes.  The genetics of a person will determine if a person is likely to develop obesity. Genes play a significant role in metabolism efficiency, storage, and distribution of body fat. If one or both parents are obese, there is an increased risk of weight gain hence the need to maintain healthy lifestyles that can counteract these genetic effects. 5. Medical conditions.  Certain medical conditions such as Cushings syndrome, underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) will contribute to obesity. Some medications are also linked to weight gain like some varieties of corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines. Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is defined in terms of BMI (Body Mass Index), a formula that takes into account a childs age and sex-specific percentile to determine body fat, health risk, and well-being. Obesity in children and adolescents is considered as a BMI greater than the 95th percentile. Obese children are more likely to have risk factors for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, depression, low self-esteem, and stigmatization. Childhood obesity often persists into adulthood and could be associated with numerous chronic illnesses like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, stroke, various types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Top 5 Most Obese Countries Countries that show the highest obesity problems in the world are most exclusively found in the Pacific Islands. American Samoa (74.6%), Nauru (71.1%) and Cook Islands (63.7%) top the list of countries reported to have the highest proportion of people viewed as obese. Other countries like Tokelau (63.4%) and Tonga (57.6%) follow closely with the U.S. ranking at 18th position with 33% and the UK at 43rd place with 27% of the population being obese. What Is Worse: Obesity or Anorexia? Eating disorders like anorexia and obesity have detrimental health effects that could lead to death. Both obesity and anorexia are complex neurobiological disorders with metabolic consequences that have strong genetic and environmental underpinnings. While anorexics intentionally starve themselves even to death and have a fear of gaining weight, obese people are incredibly overweight. Anorexia may be a fatal psychiatric disorder due to its ability to lead to other mental disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression that could cause one to commit suicide. This isnt to say that anorexia is a more dangerous problem than obesity as both conditions pose as deadly health risks. Life Without Obesity It is important for individuals to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a steady body weight by eating healthy meals, engaging in physical exercise and making meaningful societal changes. Careful individualized treatment will often be required for individuals with overweight and obesity problems to help reverse the rising epidemic rates of these conditions. Reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight helps people to lower the risk of developing serious health concerns, boost ones self-confidence and gives more energy to enjoy life. Writing obesity research essays can be challenging for most students as it requires one to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of nutrition and physical activity in tackling the obesity menace as well as analyzing the relationship between obesity and other health problems. Get a comprehensive obesity essay by placing an order with a professional essay writing service. Our knowledgeable writers offer top-notch quality service at affordable prices while providing a clear and concise response to your assignment instructions and requirements. If you need assistance with essay writing, feel free to contact our friendly support team or place an order and we will gladly help you.

Almost Sisters

I couldn’t keep my feet from fidgeting as I sat in the back seat of the car awaiting our arrival at the airport. The two hour drive seemed like ten. I was so anxious to meet the girl who had been the center of almost every conversation for the past few weeks. Everyone was so eager to know everything about the girl who would soon become my new sister for the next year. I reflected back to the night when my parents asked what I thought about hosting a foreign exchange student. We had had an exchange student four years before, and I hadn’t minded having another brother around. I actually enjoyed hearing stories about his life in Venezuela. After a short period of contemplation, I agreed to the idea of hosting another. After all, one more brother among the three preexisting ones couldn’t be so bad, but my parents weren’t exactly on the same page as I was. I had wanted a sister when I was younger, but as a freshman in high school, it had been awhile since the thought had crossed my mind. I had been the only girl all my life, and I wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of changing that now. I tried to convince my parents that a boy would be more what they wanted and that they wouldn’t want another girl around the house, but they insisted that a male exchange student just wasn’t an option. After careful deliberation, I reluctantly decided to give it shot. The next few weeks were spent getting everything prepared for the infamous newcomer. From interviews to paperwork, it all seemed so pointless. We cleared the room that was once my oldest brother’s and made it suitable for a teenage girl. My brother was now doomed to the couch on his sparse visits home. The time went by quickly and before I knew it, it was the day before the beginning of what I projected to be the longest year of my life. By the time we got home with Vartushick, or simply â€Å"V† as we learned to call her, I was already beginning to like her. There was something about her inviting smile that let me know that we were going to have a good time. Throughout the weeks leading up to the new school year, I introduced her to friends and classmates that we ran into around town. When school finally started, I made it my personal responsibility to show her to her classes and make sure she didn’t get lost. Having a sister wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, in fact, it was actually somewhat fun. The first month or two was full of ruts in the road. Although she knew some English, there was still a big language barrier that made it difficult to understand each other. We became easily frustrated with one another as I attempted to teach her simple tasks such as sweeping and using the washing machine. There were times when I felt like she would never learn, but despite our disagreements, we eventually became as close as real sisters. The year went by much quicker than I expected, and soon, it was time for V to go back to Armenia. I was disinclined to let her go, but I knew she missed her family back home. I realized how important it had been to persevere through our struggles. If I had simply given up, like I had so often wanted to do, we both would have had a miserable year, but I hadn’t, and it brought an extraordinary friendship.

Management accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Management accounting - Assignment Example Before I begin discussing this statement, I would like to make my stand known. I disagree with this statement and I welcome the opportunity to argue and defend my case; this disagreement will form the bedrock of my whole discussion. Based on research and my professional experience, modern developments like activity-based costing (ABC) have brought significant benefits and advantages to businesses and organizations everywhere regardless of the size (small, medium-sized and large). These developments have allowed businesses and organizations to implement more efficient systems that guarantee long-term growth provided the implementation process is done correctly and professionally (Cotton 2001, pg. 29). ABC, for example, is a recent modern development/innovation that has been rapidly adopted by organizations in many industries. Governments and NGOs have also been quick to adopt and implement ABC and to make it a core component of their management policies. This shows that there must be something beneficial about these modern developments and ABC in particular, their fanciness is inconsequential to their primary functions. It is important to note that the adoption of such developments/innovations is not done in a wholesale manner because they come with their own disadvantages that must be addressed (Lucas 2006, pg. 39). However, overall, such developments are more beneficial and therefore rightfully warrant adoption and adoption. Let us go back to ABC. This is a technique employed in determining correct costs. It is used to assign resource costs (based on activities that are conducted) to cost objects like customers products, or services. The basis for the ABC approach to costing is that an organization’s products or services stem from activities. Activities consume resources which in turn incur costs. In ABC, the costs of resources are normally assigned to activities on the basis of

Identifying and Describing the Ethical Issue. Worldcom Essay

Identifying and Describing the Ethical Issue. Worldcom - Essay Example The company manipulated the company's financial results in order to meet Wall Street expectations and artificially inflate their stock price amidst declining financial performance. Treating operational expenses as capital investments inflated the company's operating income since expenses are supposed to be accounted for in the quarter that they are incurred, instead of being spread out over a period of years. In this case this illegal accounting practice allowed Worldcom to treat operational expenses that should have been fully recognized each operating quarter as a long term capital expenditure, where related costs are expensed during the operating lifetime of a specific asset instead of being accounted for during one specific accounting period. As a result three former Worldcom executives were convicted of accounting fraud. David Myers, the third executive in command and Worldcom's former controller, was convicted to one year and one day in prison. The former controller received a much lesser sentence than the other executives due to his early admission of responsibility and remorse as well as extraordinary cooperation with the government in exposing the extent of the fraud including the major players involved (Cbsnews, 2009).Scott D. Sullivan, Worldcom's former chief financial officer, was convicted to five years in prison as part of a plea agreement in which he testified against the company's CEO Bernard J. Ebbres. Bernard Ebbres was eventually convicted to 25 years in prison for the Worldcom accounting fraud ultimately leading to the company's bankruptcy (Sullivan, 2013). In 2001Worldcom reported $7.7 billion in cash flow from operating activities instead of the true amount of $4.6 billion as a result of misrepresenting $3.8 billion of operational expenses resulting from the Sprint merger. Mr. Sullivan failed to inform Arthur D. Anderson, the firm's accountant at the time, of his decision to treat the expenses as capital expenditures in a clear and blatant attempt to disguise his illegal accounting manipulations from the accounting firm. This deceptive accounting manipulation resulted in the company overstating its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) which is the barometer that most investors utilize to evaluate a company's overall financial health and performance. As the company started the accounting fraud in the first quarter of 2001, Worldcom reported an EBITDA of $2.1 billion instead of $1.4 billion. By the end of 2001 the company had originally reported an EBITDA of $10.5 billion instead of the correct figure of $6.3 billion. Consequently Worldcom reported a profit of $1.4 billion for 2001 and $172 million in the first quarter of 2002, where in reality the company had loses amounting to billions during that accounting period (Eichenwald, 2002). This accounting fraud directly violates the accounting principles of reliability in accounting practice, as well as the â€Å"full disclosure† and the â€Å"matching† principle, where all expenses incurred during an accounting period are matched with the period revenues which it directly affects (Businessweek, 2002). Explaining Alternative Courses of Action and Related Trade-Offs B) Troy Normand, as the manager for the corporate reporting department, was responsible of the accuracy and reliability of corporate financial reports. Based on his testimony and full account of the conversation with Scott Sullivan regarding the events that transpired, we can conclude that Mr. Normand was in full knowledge and understood the implications and illegal nature of the accounting treatment given to the Sprint merger expense accounts. Therefore his actions regarding the treatment of the Sprint expense accounts was both unethical and illegal

HRM in Context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HRM in Context - Essay Example Employee relationship management (ERM) has over the years emerged as one of the vital constituents of HRM which signifies to managing and establishing the inter-relationship between the varied employees in an organisation. These relationships can occur between the employer and employees and amid employees belonging to a particular level in an organisation. In this context, employment relationship is determined as the lawful association between employees and employers. This association prevails when an individual executes a particular work service or work within certain specified condition in response for remuneration. Employment relationship facilitates to establish the reciprocal obligations along with rights in between the employee and employee. This relationship largely facilitates workers to derive access to their fundamental benefits as well as rights related to their employment (International Labour Organization, 2011). In this regard, it is observed that within the periphery o f employment relationship, HRM’s responsibility is to ensure that the employees are always efficient, effective and productive. A few of the employment relationships facets include drafting the best procedure for the recruitment and selection process, preparing job classification inculcating motivation, training and development for the betterment of the employees and organisation, scaling a payment status, performance appraisal along with ensuring sustained guidance to the staff. In relation to the context of motivation, it is observed that employees generally work to fulfil its psychological needs, but they also need to take care of their relationship with the superiors or the employers, which forms one of the crux elements of employment relationships in the contemporary scenario (Budd & Bhave, 2006). With these considerations, the essay intends to discuss the antecedents and functions belonging to contemporary HRM in facilitating organisations to manage employment relations hips. Theories on Employment Relationship Management The notion of employment relationships is broadening day-by-day and has become a key factor to ensure that both employees and employers are contented with each other in terms of prevailing work process conditions. The approach of employment relationships actually has been developed from various subjects including economics, sociology, psychology, political science and history. It constitutes certain levels namely international, national, industry, organisational or corporate, workplace and individual (Rasmussen & Lamm, 2002). Within the aspect of employment relationships, the notion of hard and soft HRM needs to be specified. Hard HRM significantly incorporates elements within the aspect of employment relations focusing emphasis on workers’ compliance and quantitative output of the organisation. Similarly, soft HRM is a more long-standing and strategic perspective which supports flexibility, quality, performance, recognitio n, negotiation and rights in terms of employment rel

Amadeus Movie By Milos Forman Film Studies Essay

Amadeus Movie By Milos Forman Film Studies Essay -Amadeus movie by Milos Forman , shows the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The story was told by Antonio Salieri who was flashing back the period of his life in which he was so jealous from Mozart wondering how could Mozart be that talented and wishing he could be in his place. Throughout the movie, Antonio was trying to ruin Mozart and become a composer to take revenge. The movie was full of stage scenes and great opera shows. Because of that, we can see that mise en scene technique was mostly used in making this movie. This doesnt mean that it was the only technique, but lets say it was the most obviously used technique. Mise en scene was originally a French theatrical term meaning placing on stage. The phrase refers to the arrangement of all the visual elements of a theatrical production within a given playing area- the stage( Giannetti, p.45). Mise en scene like any technique is related to different elements that combine to make the movie. These elements are the frame, Compositions and design, Territorial space, proxemic patterns , and others. In this paper I will be talking about some of these elements and link them to the movie to express the way they were used to improve the movie. The firm in any movie split between the actual world and the film world by giving it a special taste related to the story of the film. In this paragraph, I will talk about the overall frame and how people were positioned in the frame in some of the scenes. The overall frame of Amadeus that we saw throughout the movie was classical and reflect the 18 century in Europe in general and in Vienna specifically . As the movie was reflecting the 18th century , we dont see electricity its whether the sun or candles light. At the begging of the movie for example , when Antonio was telling the story of him with Mozart and playing music there was a candle on the piano. In all of the stage shows the ceiling was full of candle chandeliers that lighten the whole place. Another thing that reflects the era of the movie and was seen thought the movie as well was the historical customs and wigs that people were putting. Now lets take a closer look into the positing of the people in the movie and how ea ch position meant to give attention to a different thing. Placing whether its in the top, middle , bottom, sides, or off the frame is done for symbolic purposes. In Stage Scenes, Mozart was always in the middle of the frame. This was made to concentrate on Mozart the main character without being distracted with other elements on the screen. Other elements on the same scene will be shown on a less clear view and on the edges of the screen like the people dancing behind Mozart for example to give them less attention. Another example of middle scenes is Antonio when he was telling his story with Mozart. This was because Antonio is also an important character and to make audience attracted to concentrate more on the story he was telling. In some scenes, the camera lens was zooming slowly on Antonios face when he was watching Mozart playing music to show exactly his face expressions and how jealous he was. Moreover, in this scene Antonio was placed in the middle. In another seen, when An tonio was with the women who sings opera on the stage behind Mozart, The women was close to the upper side of the frame to show power and inspiration and Antonio was placed closer to the down side of the frame to show his eyes rolling and viewing her whole body. About composition and design of Amadeus film, we can see that mostly used compositions were balanced. Moreover, the way of picturing things was successful to capture the audience attentions on what the filmmaker wants. There was a link between positing in the frame and dominance of areas as they completed each other without any conflict. Meaning that ,When a character like Mozart was positioned in the middle of the frame while being in the stage, he was the dominant of the area that attracted our attentions first as well. The design was classical that didnt hurt the eyes while watching. No complicated scenes were shown although many elements were used in the same scene. This is because the positing and dominance helped in concentrating on important elements only and view other elements as background as they were meant to be. An example of that will be the opera show which was full of elements like Mozart, dancing people, women singing opera, chandeliers, audience and others. This sce ne was presented in a very simple way by giving dominance to each character alone at a specific point of time and fade the other elements. By doing this, the audience was forced to concentrate on what the filmmaker wanted them to concentrate on. The arrangement of elements like people, shapes, colors , and surfaces to give a good arranged image is not easy. Movie images should tell a story in time that involves human beings and their problems (Giannetti, p.67). Going back to Amadeus film , we saw a really well organized arrangement of elements that reflected the era of the movie as was mentioned earlier. Moreover, the images helps a lot in giving a story that is so close to Mozart story in reality. This is because details were shown and many of his music were played along with his stage shows. Also, people who liked him whether in a peace or jealous way were shown. The consequence of scenes with the good images arrangement took the audience to the era of Mozart in a very smooth smart way. Not only is arranging elements in a good way important , but also determining the space between these elements. Space reflects a way of communication between people and give an impression to the audience about the relationships between the objects. In Antonio and Mozart scenes , always a space was put between them to show that they dont have a good relation with each other and maybe to have a safety distance. On the other hand, audience that were on the opera and Mozart show were standing with almost no space between them to show how interested they are in the show how much they appreciate this show to the extent that they dont care about the way they are standing with others. Space is not only between people, it sometimes on the frame itself. An example of a space in the frame would be after the stage performance when Antonio entered a room and was talking to the opera women. Antonio was standing on the right side of the door leaving a space on the left side. This space was left for the audience to expect the entrance of someone. Actually , this what have happened as after a few minutes, Mozart entered the room. In conclusion, Amadeus movie is a great movie that worth watching. No doubt, this movie won eight Oscars It contains many important information about Mozart that showed a very close picture of his real story. Moreover, Mise en scene technique was used in an amazing way and it combined with other elements which generates an interesting movie. Resources : Giannetti, L. (2010). Understanding movies. New Jersy: Prentice hall.

The Central American Free Trade Agreement Essay -- CAFTA International

The Central American Free Trade Agreement CAFTA is a proposed international free trade agreement between the United States and numerous countries within Central America. Some of the nations who could potentially participate in this treaty are Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. This proposed agreement stems primarily from the fact the United States relies on Central America as a primary export market. In fact, it is believed this area of world is Americas 18th largest export target. Another contributing factor to the proposed agreement comes from what is believed to be an unfair trade policy. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan, Central American countries had many tariffs slashed under what is known as the Caribbean Basin Initiative. This initiative allowed around 74% of all exports to America to arrive duty free. Meanwhile, U.S. goods entering their region faced of much deeper import duty of roughly 10%. All in all, the U.S. government believes this act will solidify democracy and level the playi ng field for future products produced by the United States. From the very beginning, The United States has gone to great lengths to express the upside to altering this existing policy. The country takes the stand that this will benefit both parties by allowing greater access to the U.S. market. The U.S. has also continually used the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a model for the policies potential success. Current government leaders contend CAFTA will benefit all American consumers buy opening up a broader spectrum of trade. They also believe putting this policy into action will promote a more modern concept of trade in Central America, allowing the region to continue in economic development and democratic governance. Perhaps the biggest benefit occurring from CAFTA would be the eventual promoting of U.S. exports. Opening this trade agreement would broaden the spectrum in which U.S. goods are bought and sold. This of course would widen the market allowing for a stronger American economy as a result of a bigger consumer base. Furthermore, a bigger consumer base overseas creates a direct result of a need for more production here at home. In the simplest of terms, that means more jobs here there for creating a stronger economy. Besides all the numbers and economic figures, America also benefits by spreading the philoso... ...e they say, who should be in the forefront of our decision making. Creating a position on CAFTA is a hard and complicated process. There are so many angles to be viewed that it makes a definitive stance almost impossible. When simply going over the general facts it is very apparent both sides create some excellent points. Hypothetically, the United States argument is correct in the fact creating worldwide trade does open the doors for growth and economic expansion. Trade agreements no doubt break down barriers and provide a more cohesive policy. However, the possible side effects can not be ignored, especially in an area as delicate as Central America. In an economy that thin it is dangerous to say the least to alter their entire system and try to mold it after a huge and stable democracy. Just because it works for us does not necessarily mean it will create benefits for them. Furthermore, to throw this policy upon a country that is uneducated in its principles is down right ignorant, and reeks of a self serving motive. Due to this fact, I believe i t is in Central America’s best interest to reject the CAFTA proposal, and perhaps wait for a more proven and solid trade philosophy.

Commentary: The Doctor’s Wife Chapter 4

I will be writing about a very small section of ‘The Doctor's Wife', by Sawako Ariyoshi. The section I will be mentioning is the end of chapter four, from the last paragraph on page thirty four, until the end of the chapter, on page thirty seven. When Naomichi starts off the paragraph on page thirty four, he mentions â€Å"Twenty three years ago, Umpei was born.† The way he starts off his speech like this is as if he is speaking of his life story, or the most important and interesting story ever, as if no one had heard it before, which contrasts with what comes next, ‘probably being repeated for the hundredth time' which shows that it is not a new story, but one that many have heard countless times. In the next few lines, Ariyoshi uses more contrasting ideas, when Naomichi tells of Umpei's birth, of which he delivered with Otsugi in ‘terrible pain' even though outside, it was a ‘fine day' without a ‘patch of cloud'. This contrast shows that there is always a silver lining on the other side after the rough patch, here, with the silver lining being the fine day and the rough patch being Otsugi's painful labour. Naomichi tells this story with very good memories, as he remembers the small details of Umpei's birth which he delivered himself. At the top of page thirty five, the sentences are considerably short, which creates a sense of tension in the text for the readers, which make them look forward to something that may be coming ahead for them to look forward to. As Otsugi got into labour, there is another contrast, as the weather started getting bad, and ‘thunder roared nearby', which is a personified phrase. As Naomichi was the person to deliver Umpei, he has alot of very fond memories of Umpei growing up, of which he mentions remembering ‘his first sounds', and the way he ‘gestured to show how he cradled the baby' shows the reader that he remembers it as if it happened yesterday, and not decades ago. At the end of the very long paragraph lies a question mark, which signifies a rhetorical question, showing Naomichi's pride for naming Umpei as well as his family pride. Kae has been looking up to Otsugi ever since she first heard about her when she was a little girl, and the way Kae is ‘visualising her mother-in-law' near the bottom of page thirty five shows that Kae looks up to Otsugi, and is trying to understand her underlying emotions, feelings as well as thoughts. Not only does she think about Otsugi's emotions, Kae also has repeated thoughts of Otsugi running through her mind. Otsugi is shown as a smart lady at the bottom of the page when she ‘cleverly managed to bring Naomichi's interminable tale to a close'. On the top of page thirty six, there is evidence which points to the fact that this family is not ‘well off' as ‘Kae entered a small room' which was a ‘sleeping quarter for the women'. This shows that Naomichi does not have enough money to have a house where each member of his house would have the priviledge of getting their own rooms. Kae is used to being ‘looked after by Tami', so as there is a change in surroundings, she feels uneasy from the kindness of her new sister in laws. The contrast between the two families is shown around the middle of the page, as the wedding date had been ‘hastily set' by Naomichi's family, whereas Kae's bridal costume had been ‘carefully planned' by her mother. Kae is a girl who is used to taking compliments all the time from her family, so when Ryohei compliments her bridal costume, she is glad that she had finally ‘achieved recognition'. At the end of the chapter, it is described that Kae ‘felt neither enstranged nor unhappy sleeping next to her mother-in-law' which shows that Kae is happy as she is finally close to Otsugi, which has been her lifelong dream, and now she has the chance to be close to Otsugi all the time. Her marriage is very peculiar, as she did not really marry Umpei to marry him, but in fact, she married him to marry his mother.

At&T Wireless: Text Messaging Essay

1. Describe the cost behavior in the wireless industry. What are the implications of this cost behavior for cost-volume-profit (CVP) relationships? The term cost behavior is used to describe whether a cost changes as output changes. In this case the costs are tightly shielded. In order to describe the cost behavior of the industry, we have to study the process that results in cost incurrence. Based on the information in the AT&T case, the industry features a high proportion of fixed costs in relation to acquiring spectrum and building a network. Variable costs are relatively low and, in the case of text messages, are very low. The cost structure in the wireless industry is dominated by fixed costs, so the contribution margin ratio is high. The high fixed costs and large contribution margin ratio result in a relatively high percentage increase in profit. The greater the proportion of fixed costs in a firm’s cost structure, the greater the impact on profit will be from a given percentage change in sales. The wireless industry has high operating leverage, because of high fixed costs and low variable costs. Therefore, the industry has a high ability to generate an increase in net income when sales revenue increases. â€Å"Text messages did not use any extra spectrum – once the carrier had paid the cost of the underlying infrastructure and storage equipment. Any revenue received by the provider on incremental text message usage is almost pure profit†. So, we can assume that, the cost does not change as the output changes. As far as I understand, the costs are incurred when the message is actually sent, and all these cost are very low. 2. What are the key cost drivers? Can a cost driver be used to continually raise prices? Cost drivers 1. Number of text messages per minute 2. Number of cell towers per area covered 3. Number of databases needed for a certain volume of messages 4. Number of customers 5. Number of cell phone plans 6. Number of terabytes 7. Number of devices The choice of the cost driver in this industry is not obvious, and the cost behavior pattern can depend on the cost driver selected. In this case the key cost driver is the number of text messages sent/received per minute. Yes and No. It depends on the cost behavior of the business. If the business has high variable costs and low fixed costs then the organization is more effected by a change in the volume. If the business, like in AT&T’s case, has a high rate of fixed costs with minimal variable costs (we assume that they are at the low end of the range of volume per fixed costs because their profit margin is high) then a change in volume will have little to no effect on the actual costs incurred. 3. What does it cost AT&T to send a text message?[Consider costs of the channel, billing cost, storage cost] Based on this cost, what is AT&T’s profit margin as a percentage of its text messaging business? [Consider per-use pricing and package pricing]How strong a relationship should exist? In Plan Channel cost$.0008641 (.07/81) = using voice messages as a reference which cost $.07 cents a minute. There are 81 text messages/minute transmitted per channel. Billing cost .0017283 (.0008641 x 2) = assume billing costs are twice as much as wireless costs Data base cost.0002857 (10M/35B) = AT&T would carry approximately 1% of worldwide text traffic of 3.5 trillion (35B) in their database which costs ~ 10 million dollars Storage cost .0000003837 (13,430/35B) = Worldwide text storage is 1,343 terabytes. AT&T would carry 1% of this storage =  13.43 terabytes. Cost of storage is $1,000 x 13.43 = $13,430. To get the per text cost divide this by 35B. Total cost per text$.002878 Gross Profit Margin = Gross Profit divided by total revenue $.20 per messageplan of $5 for 200 messagesplan of $15 for 1500 messages (.20 – .00278)/.20(.025-.002878)/.025 (.01 – .002878)/.01 =99%= 88%= 71% 4. How strong a relationship should exist between the prices charged to a customer for a good or service and the cost of providing that good or service? We think that companies should calculate their break-even point for their goods and services and to charge the prices according to that figure. This way, they can make sure that their price covers their expenses. In case of AT&T’s text messaging they are charging much more than the cost. But because there are only four national carriers in United States and they control 90 percent of the market, and text messaging had become widely popular, they can afford high prices. They are considering the demand of the service and pricing the product according to demand and supply. 5. Why is the price that AT&T charges to transmit a kilobyte of data via text message so much higher than the price charged to transmit a kilobyte of data via a Smartphone? The fastest growing wireless industry is text messaging. This also reflects the earlier comment that demand for messaging far exceeds supply, therefore driving prices up. Even though it costs less to transmit a text message than data, it is still seen as a very low cost to the average customer. The customer feels like they are getting a good deal because they are using the text messaging more than the data messaging. Part of the wireless industries revenue is from the sale of the devices. Even the cheapest cell phones have the capability to send text messages. Since the company is not making as much of a profit off of the device (cell phone), they are making up the difference in charging more for the text messages. In addition, since voice  messaging is being replaced by data messaging, both text and email, almost all cell phone chains are developing their own version of an IPhone or smart phone. To compete with these other chains, AT&T must charge the lowest price possible for their data to entice customers to buy their products over the competitors. 6. As we move to a service economy, can we expect to have more or fewer businesses with cost behaviors similar to those in the text messaging sector? Explain. I would assume we would see more businesses with cost behaviors similar to the text messaging sector. The reason being is the service industry tends to have more fixed costs that don’t increase linearly with the increase in service. The fixed costs tend to be step-fixed costs, whereas they can maintain services within a certain range up to a point in which they have to increase the fixed costs. The variable costs tend to be minimal since they often don’t have the manufacturing costs of direct materials and direct labor. After a service industry covers the basic operations, less money is needed as sales rise. Once the fixed costs are paid, the expense of processing additional sales is so little that the profits will grow faster than the revenues. The precedence has already been set in multiple service organizations, particularly internet companies. They have shown that once you achieve the hurdle of covering your basic fixed costs, the increased volume of service is very profitable. 7. What should management of wireless firms seek to do now? AT&T should invest in improving the company‘s wireless broadband coverage and its performance. They can improve network coverage by adding cell towers, laying faster fiber-optic cabling, adding capacity to cell sites and upgrading current cell sites to improve internet speeds. By enhancing the network, they can carry a larger volume of data traffic. This will allow them to accommodate more customers and therefore increase their profits.