Computer Supportive Cooperative Work Essay

Research Question How can businesses in the United Arab Emirates make use of computer-supported-cooperative work (CSCW) in order to enhance productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness in both the domestic and international markets? In this regard, this research study will look at various businesses in the UAE and assess their level of using computer technology in their business operations. In addition to this, the study will identify factors and variables that affect the level of using computer technology in businesses in the UAE. Likewise, it will also assess the features and benefits of using CSCW as it applies to businesses in the UAE. Through this parallel analysis, a better understanding of how CSCW may be implemented in the business environment in the UAE will be explored. Introduction to Dissertation The economy of the United Arab Emirates is a wonder. From being too dependent on oil, it managed to diversify its economic performance through the revenues from oil and gas. Beginning 2005, it was able to overcome its budget deficit and replace it with a surplus. The industries being developed in the country includes the telecommunications and banking, even the stock markets of the UAE are developing and growing. Given these growth of these industries, it is very important to ensure that the growth is sustainable and that these industries should be able to compete both in the domestic and international markets. This is because of the increasing globalization of the economies of the world. Ensuring competitiveness, better productivity and efficiency mandates the need to use all available resources. The information technology revolution and the ever increasing popularity of the Internet are revolutionizing the way that businesses are being run all over the world. Given this scenario, the businesses in the UAE can no longer ignore the fact that they have to compete using every technological means available. The framework of computer supported cooperative work will help them achieve this level of competitiveness, productivity and efficiency in the market. Brief Literature Review The United Arab Emirates is in a very good position in the Arab world today. It is showing the great potential for growth. However, it has been noted that the Arab world is not maximizing the use of computers and internet technology. This trend has a negative impact in the sustainability of business undertakings and in the overall economic growth. Given the widespread use of computers and information technology all over the world, businesses in the UAE have a tendency to lag behind their competitors who are using these technologies. The overriding intention for using computers and information technology, hence, is twofold. For one, computers and the Internet help enhance the overall communication scheme of any company—coordination, and the provision of directives are easily accomplished. On the other hand, computers and the Internet also help businesses gain important information that will help in the overall improvement of the business. Using computers also empower the employees of any given company and enhances the level of output and coordination that they have with their colleagues (Hayes & Walsham, 2000). Timely and accurate communications will lead to greater efficiency of business operations. In turn, greater efficiency will lead to better productivity. It must be noted, however, that improving productivity should still be coupled with other business processes, which may or may not be aided by the use of computer supported cooperative work. When productivity is enhanced, then profits will go up, enabling the company to save and divert these savings to the accumulation of capital or increasing their base of operations. This can then be used as the spring board for UAE companies to boost their competitiveness, and quite possibly, embark on a strategy to extend their operations to other countries in the Gulf region and in the world. In implementing CSCW in the UAE, however, both the technical and non-technical aspects should be considered. Under the technical aspect, the software for CSCW should be chosen carefully. It should be flexible, and easily adaptable to the particular contexts of the people using it (Dittrich & Lindeberg, 2003). In the context of the UAE, such software should take into account the language of the people working there. It should also demonstrate cultural sensitivity wherever possible. In addition to the technical aspect, the non-technical aspect of implementation of CSCW should also be undertaken. Issues of training, organization culture, leadership and matching suitable employees to their areas of expertise in the framework of CSCW should be considered. In this regard, Ackerman (2000) took note of the social-technical divide that pervades CSCW frameworks. As such, the norms for the interactions between people should not be taken over completely by the norms of human-computer interactions. In a society such as the UAE, this is of particular importance in putting CSCW to work in the business settings. Although this proposal has presented a brief literature review, the final study will follow the following outline. First, the literature review will delved with the recent revolutions in the area of information and communication technologies and the driving forces behind this revolution. In addition to that, the impact of this revolution to the economy will be explored. Varian, Shapiro, and Farell’s (2004) The Economics of Information Technology is a good starting point on the forces driving this revolution as well as the effects of this revolution in businesses around the world. From a macro perspective, this literature will then focus on the performance of the UAE in terms of integrating telecommunications in the society, especially in business settings and operations. Ayish (2005), conducted a study of 20 organizations in the UAE and their usage of internet in propagating information within the organization and to the world. In addition to this, the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006, published by the United Nations (2006) will help the researcher understand the overall situation of the prospect of growth in the way that UAE citizens and organizations use computers and information technologies. The literature review will also look at the various research methods and approaches used in analyzing the use of computers in various organizations in the country. Data Collection and Data Analysis This study will make extensive use of the case study as a research method. This research method will delve deeply into the strategies being used by companies in the UAE to ensure productivity and efficiency. Special attention would be given to the computers, information technology systems and the internet that they are utilizing. The product and services of these companies will also be analyzed in relation to the market where they are serving. Corollary to this, the immediate economic environment and competitiveness of these companies will be analyzed through content analysis and by going through secondary data. As such, the needs of these companies will be identified and analyzed alongside the trends in the market. Moreover, their needs for the use of computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). The benefits of using the CSCW will also be analyzed. These will then be applied to the setting of the various companies under consideration with the interest of arriving at a framework that integrates the use of CSCW in the overall business operations in such a way that the productivity and efficiency of the business firm is enhanced. In other words, the variables that this study will look at and measure are: (1) the level of reliance of companies on computer and other related technologies; (2) the effectiveness of the communication and coordination processes that the organization uses to deliver products and services; (3) the responsiveness of the employees of the organization in using CSCW; (4) the impact of external trends and situations in the organization’s drive to achieve its targets; and (5) the suitability of CSCW for the use of business organizations in the UAE. The study will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods to achieve a greater level of reliability and validity. According to Johnson and Onwuegbuzie (2004), the mixed-method kind of research draws upon the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative analysis, which enables the researcher to draw upon several methodologies in measuring the variables of the study. The results of this study will be collated, compared, and analyzed. These data will be presented through various visual presentations such as tables, graphs and charts for easy reference. This will make comparisons and analyses easier and will make plainer the relationships between the variables and factors that shall have been identified by this study. The relationships between variables shall be highlighted. Presentation of Analysis and Outcome of Study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The result of the methods employed will be presented in an easy to understand manner, and in tables or matrices where possible. Such an analysis will help highlight the relationships between the variables identified in the study. These variables will then be used to formulate a set of guidelines that will help business organizations implement CSCW in their organization. Through this set of guidelines, they will be able to make the transition and implementation as smooth as possible and they will be able to avoid the pitfalls in conducting such an endeavor. Significance of this Study The expected outcome of this study is a set of guidelines or framework for the integration of CSCW in the operations of business firms with the intent of enhancing their productivity and efficiency. Such a framework would be very helpful for firms that are operating locally in the UAE, as well as for those that conduct operations abroad. It would also set the foundation for future work exploring this same issue. Through the framework that will be established by this study, the global competitiveness of companies in the UAE will be enhanced. Moreover, those who are not already reaping the benefits that computer support cooperative work offers can begin to explore it and not long after, they will be able to use it. Seen from a wider perspective, the use of CSCW in the business organizations in the UAE will help make businesses more viable in this kind of situation. Structure of the Study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The different parts of this study, together with their brief descriptions may be found in the section below. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Introduction will contain basic information about the subject matter, about the research questions and topic under investigation, as well as the environmental context in which the study may be situated. The Literature Review   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Literature review presents the findings of articles and books written on the subject. Through this, the major points, observations and debates in the research topic will be explored, thereby making the researcher familiar with the research topic. Research Design   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is in this section that the methodology, the research tools will be outlined so that the researcher will have a definitive guide as to the way that he will get the important data for the analysis of the research topic and question. Summary of Results   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the research design, the kinds of data that will be collected and the summary and salient points of the summary should be presented in graphical format such as tables and graphs. Analysis and Recommendation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the results generated, the data will be analyzed and the trends and relationships between variables will be established. Lastly, an action point or call to action may be instituted in this last part of the paper. Reference Ackerman, M. S. (2000). The Intellectual Challenge of CSCW: The Gap Between Social Requirements and Technical Feasibility. Human-Computer Interaction, 15 (2-3), 179-203. Ayish, M. (2005). Virtual Public Relations in the United Arab Emirates: A Case Study of 20 UAE Organizations’ Use of the Internet. Public Relations Review, 31 (3), 381-388. Dittrich, Y. & Lindeberg, O. (2003). Designing for Changing Work and Business Practices. In Patel, N. V. (Ed). Adaptive Evolutionary Information Systems, (pp. 152-157). Hershey, PA, IGI Global. Hayes, N. & Walsham, G. (2000). Competing Interpretations of Computer-Supported Cooperative Work in Organizational Contexts, Organization, 7 (1), 49-67. Johnson, R. B. & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed Methods Research: A Research Paradigm Whose Time Has Come. Educational Researcher, 33 (7), 14-26. United Nations (2006). World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006. Retrieved 20 September 2007 from http://www.un.org/esa/policy/wess/wesp2006files/wesp2006.pdf. Varian, H. R., Shapiro, C. & Farell, J. V. (2004). The Economics of Information Technology: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Blue Nile Study Questions

Marking Scheme Mid Semester Exams Lecturers: Anthony Oboe Spool and Robert Amok-LIndsay Section A (40 Marks) Provide Short and concise answers 1 Explain the term sustainable competitive advantage and why it is so Important to a winning business strategy. (5 marks) Suggested Answer A company achieves sustainable competitive advantage when an attractive number or buyers prefer its products/services over those of rivals and when the basis for this preference can be maintained over time.Competitive advantage could stem from offering lower prices than competitors for equivalent benefits or providing unique benefits that more than offset a higher price. (3 marks) Sustainable competitive advantage is necessary for a firm to win in the market place. It is required for a strategy to deliver on strategic and financial objectives (2 marks) 2. Using examples briefly explain and state the Importance of each of the following a) Strategic vision Strategic vision represents the destination that mana gement seeks to take a firm.Ford's vision â€Å"A car in every garage† Importance Give the organization a sense of direction Inform company personnel and other stakeholders what management wants Its business to look like Spur company personnel to action Provide managers with a reference point to (2. 5 marks for explanation and any 2 points mentioned as importance of strategic vision) b) Strategic mission Strategic mission of a firm focuses on its present business purpose. Strategic mission highlight the present products and services, types of customers served and how it intends to do that.Examples Beacon Books: â€Å"To inspire and equip business executives and entrepreneurs with essential information and knowledge they require for professional and personal growth† Google: â€Å"To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful† Importance: It focuses the business by identifying the boundaries of the current business It distinguis hes a firm from others and gives it an identity of its own. (2. 5 marks) (5 marks) 3. Explain the meaning and significance of each of the following: a. Strategic group mapping A strategic group is a cluster of firms in an industry with similar competitive approaches and market positions. Strategic group mapping entails plotting firms in n industry on a two-variable map using pairs of these differentiating characteristics e. G. Product line breadth, distribution channel use, geographic coverage, price, quality etc. It helps firms to know their positions in the industry versus their rivals It helps firms to know which competitors to focus on in their quest to make strategic moves It helps them to know which positions in the market or industry are attractive to players in the market. 2. 5 marks for explanation of strategic group mapping and any of the above points mentioned) b. ) The bargaining power of suppliers Bargaining power of suppliers defines the extent to which suppliers of in puts to competing firms in an industry are able to dictate the price, quality, quantity and even timing of supplies to these firms. The bargaining power of suppliers has an impact on the cost, profitability and a firm's ability to satisfy its customers and for that matter its competitiveness. Powerful 4.Identify and briefly explain any two of the factors that influence the strength or intensity of competitive rivalry among an industry member firms. (5 marks) Factors Competitors are active in making fresh moves to improve market standing and easiness performance Slow market growth Number of rivals increases and rivals are of equal size and competitive capability Buyer costs to switch brands are low Industry conditions tempt rivals to use price cuts or other competitive weapons to boost volume e. . Perishable or seasonal A successful strategic move carries a big payoff Outsiders acquire weak firms in the industry and use their resources to transform new firms into major market contend ers (5 marks for any two of the above factors mentioned and explained) 5†¦ Identify and briefly explain any two factors that lead to strong bargaining power on the part of suppliers. (5 marks)Industry members incur high costs in switching their purchases to alternative suppliers Needed inputs are in short supply Supplier provides a differentiated input that enhances the quality of performance of sellers' products or is a valuable part of sellers' production process There are only a few suppliers of a specific input Some suppliers threaten to integrate forward (5 marks for any two of the above factors mentioned and explained) strength and leverage of buyers. 5 marks) Buyer switching costs to competing brands or substitutes are low Buyers are large and can demand concessions Large-volume purchases by buyers are important to sellers Buyer demand is weak or declining Only a few buyers exists Identity of buyer adds prestige to seller's list of customers Quantity and quality of infor mation available to buyers improves Buyers have ability to postpone purchases until later Buyers threaten to integrate backward (5 marks for any two of the above factors mentioned and discussed) 7.Using examples explain the difference between a core competence, and a distinctive competence. A core competence is a well-performed internal activity central to a company's competitiveness and profitability. It tends to relate to a firm's ability to perform activities that are critical for success in an industry e. G. A better after-sale service capability A distinctive competence is a competitively valuable activity a company performs better than its rivals.For example Toast's low cost, high quality manufacturing of automobiles â€Å"Lean Production† is far superior to that of other automakers, (5 marks for explanation and establishing the difference between core competence and distinctive competence) 8. What is benchmarking and why is it a strategically important analytical tool? (5 marks) Benchmark focuses on cross-company comparisons of how certain activities are reformed and costs associated with these activities. It looks at things such as purchase of materials, management of inventories, getting new products to the market and so on. 2 marks) Identify best and most efficient means of performing various value chain activities Learn what is the best way to perform a particular activity from those companies who have demonstrated that they are â€Å"best-in-industry' or â€Å"best-in-world† at performing the activity Learn what other firms do to perform an activity at lower cost Figure out what actions to take to improve a company's own cost competitiveness (3 marks for NY 2 points identified and explained) Section B (80 marks 1 . Analyze the competitive forces confronting Blue Nile and other online retail jeweler's.Do a five-forces analysis to support your answer. State the relative strength of each competitive force. Below is a representative five -forces model of competition for the online Jewelry business: Rivalry among online Jeweler's?a moderate to strong competitive force that is likely to intensify in the years ahead. Students should conclude that rivalry among Blue Nile and other online Jeweler's is normal to moderate, but it is likely to grow ore intense (owing to the success that Blue Nile is enjoying).Rivalry is centered on such factors as Price and value delivered to customers Selection and breadth/variety of product offerings Ability to customize and customization options The caliber and trustworthiness of the information/guidance provided to online shoppers (educational information, in-depth product information, access to professional grading reports, and so on) Image/reputation Customer service User friendliness of web site?search functionality, ease of browsing through all the selections, finding and understanding the information provided, etc.Refund and return policies Advertising and promotion?Much of the adv ertising/promotion is being done online, but the online Jewelry business is not one that is a heavy user of TV, radio, and newspaper advertising on a regular basis. Word-of-mouth is a fairly big factor Most online Jewelry competitors pursued either a differentiation strategy to try to set themselves apart or else tried to attract shoppers via the appeal of very low prices (which entailed employing a low-cost strategy).Some rivals focused their efforts narrowly on particular Jewelry items/product categories while others had broad reduce lines. Several factors were working to affect rivalry among industry participants: All rivals seem to be actively and busily trying to attract Jewelry shoppers to their websites, partly via online advertising and promotional initiatives (including search engine listings)?fresh strategic initiatives on the part of various rivals heightens rivalry. Low switching costs on the part of buyers?it is simple for people shopping for jewelry online to locate an d visit competitor web sites.Rivalry decreases when the rate of market growth rises?sales of Jewelry online seem o be growing briskly (with the sales increases coming at the expense of brick-and mortar Jewelry retailers). There is reason to suspect that the online Jewelry segment of the overall retail Jewelry industry is in its infancy (an emerging business or industry in its own right); hence, online sales of Jewelry are likely to grow faster than sales of Jewelry in general?a condition which will act to contain rivalry among online jeweler's.Rivalry increases when one or more rivals are dissatisfied with their market position and launch moves to bolster their standing at the expense of rivals. A case can be Dade that Blue Nile and most all of its online rivals are â€Å"dissatisfied† and thus are likely to make further moves to bolster their market standing, image, and sales. Rivalry increases as the product offerings of rivals become more standardized? many of the online J eweler's seems to be offering shopper many of the same things? wide selection, customization, educational information, access to grading reports, and so on.We see the differentiation among online Jewelry rivals as growing smaller/ weaker, not larger/stronger?with the possible exception of reputation/image, where Blue Nile seems to be the standout leader. Threat of entry?a moderate to strong competitive force Blue Niles success and growing reputation will almost certainly draw more competitors into online Jewelry sales. The barriers to entry into the online segment of the Jewelry industry are moderately The costs of developing a Web site.Developing supply chain relationships Developing order fulfillment capability and achieving short delivery times Expenditures for advertising and promotion needed to draw visitors to a web site and build a trustworthy reputation/image. In addition, students should see that the pool of entry candidates is probably fairly rage?especially for brick-and- mortar retailers already in the Jewelry business. Hence, the entry threat in upcoming years should be viewed as fairly strong. There would seem to be ample opportunity for new entrants to gain a market foothold and to achieve a level of sales high to be profitable.But the longer a company delays entry, the harder it will be to compete effectively against online Jeweler's like Blue Nile that have built a clientele and that have formidable images/reputations. Competition from substitute sellers of Jewelry?a very strong competitive force. Obviously, Jewelry shoppers have many other options for buying Jewelry than from online retailers. Traditional brick-and-mortar Jewelry retailers have the lion's share of the market and currently are the retailers of choice for the big majority of Jewelry shoppers. Hence, the competition that online Jeweler's face from other Jewelry retailers is quite formidable.In addition, there are hordes of possible substitutes for Jewelry altogether (but most peo ple are unlikely to see these alternatives as good substitutes). Consequently, students should conclude that substitutes for buying Jewelry online re a strong competitive force, given that Acceptable substitute sources for purchasing Jewelry are readily available and the prices charged by some of these substitute types of Jeweler's are reasonably competitive Buyer costs to switch to substitute types of Jewelry retailers are relatively low Many consumers are familiar with and comfortable with buying Jewelry from other than online Jewelry retailers.The bargaining power and leverage of suppliers to the online Jewelry retailers and jeweler-supplier collaboration?a moderately strong competitive force, especially as encores the suppliers of diamonds/gems and other Jewelry items. Students should recognize that the suppliers of gems/diamonds/]leery items have considerable bargaining power and leverage in determining the prices and terms at which they will supply their products.Yes, there ar e many alternative suppliers, and it would seem relatively easy for a it is doubtful that suppliers compete aggressively with one another on price?in other words, switching suppliers is unlikely to lead to acquiring a particular gem of particular quality at a lower price.There is no evidence in the case that suppliers of monads/gems compete with one another on the basis of price (indeed, with the exception of Blue Nile and other online Jeweler's, there is little evidence that price competition is active in the market for fine Jewelry?that is, rival Jeweler's are not aggressively trying to compete with one another by selling a diamond of given cut, clarity, grade, etc. At a lower price than their rivals). Blue Niles lower prices stem from its lower costs of doing business, not from the fact that it obtains diamonds/ gems at lower prices than do traditional retail Jeweler's.What is important for students to recognize here is that Blue Niles close elaboration with its diamond/gem suppl iers has resulted in giving it a lower cost value chain as compared to traditional Main Street Jeweler's. The distinctive feature of Blue Niles supply chain was its arrangements with leading diamond and gem suppliers that allowed it to display the suppliers' diamonds and gems on its web site; some of these arrangement entailed multi-year agreements whereby designated diamonds of the suppliers were offered to online consumers only at Blue Niles websites.Blue Niles suppliers represented more than half of the total supply of high-quality diamonds in the U. S. Blue Nile did not actually purchase a diamond or gem from these suppliers until an order was placed by a customer; this enabled Blue Nile to minimize the costs associated with carrying large inventories and limited its risk of potential mark-downs. Other online Jeweler's seem to have similar collaborative arrangements with their diamond/gem suppliers.These collaborative arrangements offer a sizable cost advantage over Main Street Jeweler's?these cost- saving arrangements put added competitive pressure on traditional local Jeweler's because such collaboration (and the resulting lower cost business model) puts them t a cost disadvantage. The bargaining power and leverage of Jewelry shoppers?a weak competitive force Individuals have little power to bargain for a lower price on the Jewelry items they are looking to purchase (except perhaps in the case of very expensive items where some price haggling is often fairly normal).Individuals can, of course, choose to buy or not buy at the marked price but no one individual is usually in a position to enter into direct negotiations over the terms and conditions under which he or she will purchase a diamond ring or other Jewelry item from an online retailer. Any individual an certainly opt to buy from one retailer rather than another, but this does not equate to bargaining and exerting leverage.Conclusions concerning the overall strength of competitive forces: Competiti ve pressures in online Jewelry retailing are strong but not overwhelming so (the best evidence for this is Blue Niles record of attracting new customers and growing its sales at a rapid clip?a convincing sign that it is able to successfully contend with the prevailing competitive forces). Currently, we see competition from substitute types of forces.The entry of new competitors could also prove to be significant, if one or more f the new entrants have a well-recognized and trusted brand name and if such entrants opt to price their products competitively versus the prices charged by Blue Nile. Moreover, while competition is fairly strong, it is not so strong as to prevent companies like Blue Nile from being profitable. The online Jewelry retailing portion of the Jewelry industry is rather attractive from the standpoint of promising growth and attractive long-term profitability?Blue Nile is demonstrating that its business model and strategy are quite attractive.This is the big reason why new entry can be expected. But online sales of fine Jewelry is likely to remain a relatively small fraction of total sales of fine Jewelry for years to come?traditional brick-and-mortar local jeweler's are not going to be driven out of business by online Jeweler's in the foreseeable future. (5 Marks for each point well discussed with the appropriate verdict or conclusion on each competitive force) 2. Do a SOOT analysis of Blue Nile. What are key conclusions you can draw about the its situation?Blue Niles Resource Strengths and Competitive Assets the current market leader in the online retail Jewelry segment by a wide margin AAA teeter known brand name and reputation than rivals AAA first-rate strategy and business model AAA broad and attractive product line from customers to choose from AAA user-friendly web site with good search functionality and very good educational information A sizable and competitively potent cost advantage over traditional local Jewelry stores due to lean operating costs and a cost-effective supply chain Its collaborative partnership arrangements with important diamond/gem suppliers Good product customization and order fulfillment capabilities (core competencies) Blue Niles ability o grow sales with very little incremental capital investment Blue Niles Resource Weaknesses and Competitive Liabilities Limited brand name recognition?many shoppers for fine Jewelry have never heard of Blue Nile Limited financial resources relative to bigger and better-known retail Jewelry chains There is nothing proprietary about Blue Niles strategy and business model?both are subject to imitation by rivals Market Opportunities Geographic expansion?entry into the markets of foreign countries Lots of room to grow the business by attracting customers away from traditional local Jewelry stores in the U. S. ?Blue Nile still has such a relatively small market share of the total market for fine Jewelry in the U. S. That it can continue to employ its current st rategy for many years. The more that the word spreads about Blue Niles attractive prices and quality the more it stands to steal away customers from traditional local Jeweler's.Product line expansion External Threats to Blue Niles Future Well-Being The entry of more online Jewelry rivals that opt to employ much the same strategy and business model?especially if these new entrants should be retailers that have a brand name that is more widely recognized and trusted than Blue Niles. Diamond/ gem suppliers either become less willing for Blue Nile to display their inventories on Blue Niles web site or decide not to renew their multi-year agreements with Blue Nile whereby certain designated diamonds in their inventories are offered to online consumers only at Blue Niles websites. (Blue Niles suppliers represented more than half of the total supply of high-quality diamonds in the U. S. Untold numbers of people shopping for fine Jewelry are very leery of buying fine Jewel online and thus a re not likely to ever be customers of Blue Nile Key Pointed and Conclusions Blue Niles strategy, business model, resource strengths, and competitive capabilities put it in a very strong market position to succeed in the online retail Jewelry business in the upcoming years?it is easy to understand why the company has been extremely successful in growing its sales over the past several years. Blue Nile would seem to have a sustainable cost advantage over traditional brick-and mortar retailers of fine Jewelry. Blue Nile has no resource weaknesses that make it highly vulnerable to competitive attack from local Jeweler's.

A T-shirt Epic Essay Example for Free

A T-shirt Epic Essay ? Pietra Rivoli’s delightful narrative, The Travels of A T-Shirt in the Global Economy , goes about a surprising journey around the global village to discover an entangled web of economic and political forces that move this piece of clothing around. The book is split into four parts of a t-shirt’s life.   Part one of the book deals with the cotton industry.   Rivoli’s own surprise at learning that the cotton used for her shirt comes from Texas opens up this chapter on the continuing dominance of the American cotton industry.   The book then continues to explain the reasons for these—aside from government subsidies, the larger part of America’s continuing competitive advantage is its â€Å"virtuous cycle† of governance.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the United States, the farms work, the market works, the government works, the science works, and the universities work.† (Rivoli 7). The second part of the book is about the textile industry’s so called â€Å"race to the bottom†.   Industrialization is ushered in by the textile industry, and Rivoli gives examples from 19th century England to the Asian economic powerhouses Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong in the 20th century.   The third part is about the complexity of getting a textile import into the United States, with all the confusing legislation brought about by decades of political control held by textile manufacturers in America.   In the final part of the book, Rivoli examines the global market for used t-shirts, which she concedes is the final place where markets actually determine its origin and destination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author is not making an argument for either protectionism or free trade.   Obviously, as a trained economist, Rivoli favors free trade, as do all her colleagues in an almost unanimous voice.   However, the book does not argue for either side, and instead illustrates that both sides of this policy divide unwittingly spur economic development. Free trade policies encourage more â€Å"races to the bottom† as production shifts to low cost countries; however protectionist policies also contribute to another type of race.   In the battle for quota imports to the United States, for example, investment has flowed into areas where there is less restriction on trade with the world’s largest consumer of textiles and apparel.   In the modern-day case with China, the relatively low quota limits that China has for its exports to the US before the expiration of the Multifiber Agreement (MFA) (Rivoli 121) has encouraged investments in other developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and even Sub-Saharan Africa.   As the book notes, the exclusion of one creates opportunities for another, and the humble textile industry is the first step towards industrialization for many developing nations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As Rivoli further notes, when the MFA was scheduled to be taken down, a lot of other developing countries were scared of China eating everyone’s share of the textile pie.   It represents one of the few actually plausible pro-protectionist arguments in the book, which are not really argued for but just explained. The role of politics in international trade It’s a given fact that politicians will listen more often that not to their constituents first instead of to common sense.   Unfortunate as it may be, politics more often than not counter the market forces that power the global race to the bottom.   Rivoli puts it as â€Å"While the market forces powering the race to the bottom are strong, the political forces pushing back against the markets are strong as well, particularly in the United States.† (Rivoli 115) This clash between the two has made importation of textiles a very complicated business in the United States, and changes the face of international trade with it.   If an item cannot be imported from China, it is imported from Mexico instead, giving an artificial advantage to some countries that will not be there if market forces were solely in control.   The decisions that politicians like congressmen and senators in Washington make often influence the very futures of some countries in the world. Rivoli characterizes American industries that are aging as trying to escape market forces by clinging on to their political supports.   Instead of a paradise of no intervention and perfect competition, what happens is that more often politics exert a big unpredictable force that tilts the equation over completely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example was 18th century England, where to no avail Parliament tried to pass acts that would protect their domestic wool producers.   Instead of having the intended consequences (i.e. eliminating imported cotton), it just pushed international trade to adapt to the circumstances. The â€Å"race to the bottom† phrase used so much in the book is one of the most intriguing ideas of Rivoli. Basically it says that the textile industry, like all industries is governed by market forces.   On the supply side, producers seek more and more productivity for lower costs—a reaction that sparked the original Industrial Revolution.   However, as wages go up along with production costs, producers are keen on reducing costs and preserving low prices with huge markets.   These trends doom an industrial country’s textile production after it becomes less competitive than another aspiring country who is not the leader in the â€Å"bottom† of production costs. The fire of the Industrial Revolution spread to the United States, and then in the last century to Asia, where during the past twenty or so years China has held the spot as top in this ubiquitous â€Å"race to the bottom†. The other side of the argument—those activists who bring about higher minimum wages and better labor standards, hasten the fall of a country from the â€Å"race to the bottom†, but at the same time also hasten industrialization and the development of other more value-added industries.   It also makes another country leader of the race to the bottom, ready to start the cycle all over again. This â€Å"history repeats itself† phenomenon—from Britain to Taiwan leaves the reader enthusiastic of the future, and of how economics will eventually make all the people of the world feel a little bit better. Rivoli, Pietra. The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy . New Jersey :Wiley, 2005. A T-shirt Epic. (2017, Mar 03).

FACEBOOK AND ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FACEBOOK AND ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS - Essay Example However, social media sites such as face book have redefined communication among romantically involved persons by encouraging the parties to reveal as much information as possible regarding these relationships. The trend of revealing romantically sensitive information has brought with it some advantages and disadvantages, but in most cases, this trend has led to break up of many promising relationships and broken marriages. This paper will look at the negative effects that exposing romantic relationships in face book has on those relationships. According to Flynn (nd), one of the ways that face book ruins relationships is through the amount of time that one spends in face book and the jealousy that comes with it. An online survey in face book that was conducted among people who were in a relationship asked questions regarding face book and feeling of jealousy such as if they got jealous when their partners added people of the opposite sex. Although the levels of jealousy that an indi vidual feels is thought to be genetic, when an individual is exposed to information regarding his or her romantic partner’s friends and social interactions in face book leads to an environment that leads to jealousy (Marshall, Bejanyan, Di Castro & Lee, 2012). Large amounts of time spent on face book has been positively associated with negative relationships experiences in face book since an individual may be exposed to information about his or her partner that he/she would not have got were it not for face book. This would therefore lead him to increase surveillance on his spouse on face book, which in turn leads him to increase the time he spends on face book creating a vicious cycle of face book use. From another angle, jealousy may come from other people who are not happy with the relationship, this in turn may act as an incentive for the jealous people to look for ways and means by which they can destroy the relationships, though this may not be direct, this serves to de stroy the romantic relationship (Tokunaga, 2011). The information that is discovered in face book, led to individuals creating events and situations that may have or may not have happened. This is confirmed by Muise et al (2009) when he conducted a study on face book users who were in relationships. This study found out that the participants reported feeling that face book setting formed feelings of jealousy and increased fears about the value of relationships that they had. The study found out that the participants who had never before felt any form of jealousy towards their romantic partners started developing feelings of jealousy after surveying them on face book while those who had previous feelings of jealousy got their feelings intensified after looking at their partners face book activity. This can be attributed to the revealing of otherwise unknown information about the spouses via face book. Spending too much time on the internet especially the social sites makes an individ ual to lose touch with reality, which creates distraction from the things that matter. People who spend a lot of time in face book have a tendency to have poor communications skills as they prefer to spend most of their time alone socializing with people in these social sites, this creates a strain in the romantic relationship which may in turn lead to breakdown of the relationship. Face book and other social platform have equally served as platforms through which romantic partners interact. However,

Green Mountain Resort Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Green Mountain Resort - Assignment Example His style of managing change include his innate desire to do what is good for the future of the organization but that there are diverse factors, both internal and external, that are beyond his control. According to Palmer, Dunford & Akin (2009), change managers who are caretakers have â€Å"little influence over the direction of change† (p. 30); likewise, as a nurturer, he recognized the ability of the organization to facilitate projecting a positive self-organizing development, by harnessing the organization’s strengths. When Gunter aimed to address the turnover as a problem, he sought other sources of credible information to assist him in solving it through validating the perspectives of the hospitality literature and by seeking the advice of a consultant. As such, he did not impose any form of coercion or autocratic control to steer change; nor did he allow indifference to set in. As such, since it was initially noted that Gunter, as part of the initial management an d now, a property owner, he had genuine intentions for envisioning Green Mountain as a first-class mountain resort. The hospitality literature? The hospitality literature exemplified the image of an interpreter, by â€Å"creating meaning for other organizational members (such as Gunter), helping them to make sense of various organizational events and actions† (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009, p. 31). ... As emphasized, change managers as coach do not direct action towards members of the organization, but â€Å"relies upon building in the right set of values, skills and â€Å"drills† that are deemed the best ones that organizational members, as players, will be able to draw on adeptly in order to achieve desired organizational outcomes† (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009, p. 31). By treating turnover as an asset, instead of a liability, the consultant capitalized on the strengths of training that has been consistently accorded by Green Mountain personnel as a means for recruited personnel to develop enhanced knowledge, skills, and competencies in their areas of endeavors. As noted, the turnover issues or problem, as it was initially pegged, was dissolved; and therefore, there is no evident need to solve it. 2. How did these assumptions influence prescriptions for dealing with â€Å"the turnover problem?† These assumptions enabled Gunter to see the turnover issue from different perspectives and by seeing potentials for change using the six images, as proposed. When taking roles and images of change managers from these points of view, Gunter was able to turn what initially was identified as a problem, into an opportunity and as an asset and strength of Green Mountain Resort. In so doing, there was no problem to solve, in the first place, and instead, these assumptions opened a new way of seeing things, of thinking outside the box and thereby classified the scenario as a second-order change: where â€Å"the change interventions are directed at the solution† (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009, p. 42). 3. Choose another change image and apply it to â€Å"the turnover problem.† To what new

FInancial Outlook on Social Security Pensions Research Paper

FInancial Outlook on Social Security Pensions - Research Paper Example This takes place at the macro level. Personal retirement savings accounts were established into Ireland through in 2002 through the Pensions Act. These accounts are long term individual accounts that have been designed to help people save for their retirement in an elastic manner (Attanasio 3). The significance of security savings especially for those people with no pension provisions exist. With a personal retirement savings accounts, a person can change their employment and continue using the same account. It is also possible to change from one savings account to another at any time without charges. The two main different types of personal retirement savings account are all aimed at improving the financial security of individuals. These two are; standard personal retirement savings accounts and the non-standard savings accounts. The principle difference between the two saving accounts is on the charges. Moreover, there are restrictions on the type of property that the standard savi ngs account can invest in. They only invest in joint funds where the hazard is extended on huge number and diversity of investments. However, the standard savings account meets the requirements of most people. The non-standard savings accounts tender broader investment alternatives. ... The accounting methods used to estimate their liabilities assume that better planning can earn higher investments with reduced risks. It is likely that plan assets could fall short. In such a case, taxpayers are expected to make up for the difference. However, the taxpayer guarantee value is not disclosed. While states recognize underfunded social security pensions, it is evident that the situation is worse than it is demonstrated by their accounting. If proactive steps are not taken therefore, taxpayers will be forced to cover huge shortfalls (Aguila 39). From such an analysis, it is evident that the financial outlook on social security pension practices is inaccurate. This is because the shortfalls exceed explicit state debts. It is, therefore, arguable that pension benefits, contributions, and retirement ages must be transformed. However, this may be difficult until accurate accounting systems are adopted. It is evident that the social security programs are currently experiencing financial problems. There has, therefore, been the question on social security policy on the retirement behavior of incentive programs. The role of private pension programs has been growing over the past few years. It is, there, important to review and monitor their performance in an international framework especially with the 2008 financial market crisis (Aguila 39). Rapid decline in labor participation of men has been a striking phenomenon especially in the second half of the twentieth century. A lot has been documented on causes of this trend amongst older men. Presently, through life-cycle model of saving, individuals get the opportunity to design consumption and saving plans through the assumed perfect information. Statistics, however, proof that many workers in the U.S. lack

What is the secondary symbolic role of first ladies in western and Essay

What is the secondary symbolic role of first ladies in western and eastern cultures - Essay Example This is as a result of some countries opening up to new possibilities overtime and loosening up some requirements of a first lady. There are also women who are bold and determined to change the old ways of doing things. They did not accept to be controlled and aspired to be greater than second place. Despite the differences in nationality and cultural values, the roles of the first ladies are similar in numerous ways. Several women have gone out of their way to become leaders as first ladies and not as wives to their prominent husbands. In the western countries among the Europeans, one of the first ladies to break the norm was Angela Merkel who was the first woman to become the head of Germany making her husband Joachim Sauer the gentleman of Germany. Merkel was born on July the 17th in 1954. She started out as a trained physicist and joined politics in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin wall. She joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) political party in 1990. Soon afterwards, Merkel was allotted to Helmut Khol’s cabinet (Ferree, 2006, p. 94). Here, she was made the Minister for Women and Youth. After Khol was defeated in the general elections of 1998, Merkel was appointed Secretary-General of the political party CDU. In the year 2000, she was selected as the leader of the party but lost the candidacy of CDU for chancellor to Edmund Stoiber in the year of 2001. However, this did not shake off her determination to prosper in the male dominated politics. In the year 2005, Merkel run for the seat once more and defeated Chancellor Gerhard Schroder by a whisker. She had won by only three seats. Once the CDU conceded to a coalition pact with the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel was acknowledged as the first female chancellor of Germany (Crawford, 2013, p. 38). Merkel’s political career gained more media visibility to her husband

Effect on Demand for Coke as a Result of a fall in the Price of Pepsi Essay

Effect on Demand for Coke as a Result of a fall in the Price of Pepsi - Essay Example There is a vice versa effect on the demand for the good whereby the demand decreases as a result of an increase in the price of the good. There are certain factors that affect the demand for a good or a service. There is the effect on the demand for the good and services as a result of the level of income of the consumer. The consumer can demand more goods with a given level of income when the prices of the goods fall. With the same level of income, the consumer demands fewer goods and services if the price of the goods is increased (Hildenbrand, 2014). There is also the effect of demand for goods and services due to the substitution of the goods. The demand for a good and service falls if the price of the substitute good falls since the consumers turn to the cheaper one. The consumers aim at saving and hence prefer the cheaper goods than the expensive substitutes hence affecting the demand for the two goods both negatively and positively. Consumers use different goods to satisfy the ir needs. There are particular goods that can be used to satisfy the same need of a consumer regardless being of different forms. There is usually a rise in the level of demand of one good if the price of the other good rises and the other one falls. An example of such goods is the Coke and the Pepsi product in the market (Hildenbrand, 2014). These products satisfy the same need of the consumers since they are all soft drinks and they can all be used to quench thirst. This serving of the same purpose by the coke and the Pepsi where the coke can be used instead of Pepsi and Pepsi can be used instead of coke to satisfy the same need makes them perfect substitutes. The coke and the Pepsi products being perfect substitutes can have their demands affected differently by changes in their prices. A change of the price of one good would affect the demand for the other good.  

How Thomas Church and Andrew Jackson Downing were from two different Essay

How Thomas Church and Andrew Jackson Downing were from two different eras but both were influential in establishing the pattern - Essay Example Both men shared the opinion that gardens should be for everyone; indeed, the title of Thomas Church’s book, Gardens are for People, seems to say everything about his philosophy on gardens, believing that they are for people to enjoy, not just look at (Tilston). Downing, as well, thought that gardens should be accessible to all, not just the well-to-do members of society, and lobbied hard with politicians to create a space of greenery in New York City, accessible to all (R.). Though working in different time frames and with different areas of the country, both Downing and Church have had a lasting influence on gardens seen by those living in the present-day era, mainly due to their willingness to go against what was considered â€Å"conventional† at the time during their work, but also because they believed that gardens, plants, and greenery should be accessible to all, not just the wealthy. Andrew Jackson Downing was born on October 15, 1831, in Newburg, New York. He fi nished his schooling at the age of 16, and came by his love of landscaping and gardening honestly, as his father ran a nursery in which he worked after finishing school (â€Å"Living Places†). ... udson River, those with money to spend immediately bough trade gardening books from merchant-class England, where they were popular (â€Å"Gardenvisit.com†). Gardens of the working class, or â€Å"those raised between the plow handles† (â€Å"Smithsonian Gardens†) were limited to functionality. They were not interested in growing a beautiful plant or flower to look at, but how many vegetables could be grown to feed the usually ever-growing family. Downing had an undeniable and lasting effect on American landscape and gardening with the publishing of his first book, A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America, published in 1841. The book, the first of its kind to be published in North America, brought immediate fame and recognition as people realized, perhaps for the first time, that they did not have to have large gardens filled with exotic plants; their style could be more of a simple taste. People also realized, as pro moted through Downing, that they could use the natural beauty of their surroundings and plants that were native to North America to define their style (â€Å"Smithsonian Gardens†). Though Downing was a follower of the English style of gardens, as well as the Greek Revival style of homes, he carefully tailored his book to the needs of North Americans, recognizing several key points (â€Å"Smithsonian Gardens†). First and foremost, Downing recognized that the soils of North America were different from that of Europe, and therefore would need plants and flora that grew and prospered in North America, not imports from Europe, along with the belief that Americans were not aristocratic like most of Europe, and therefore should celebrate their republicanism, hence his designs for middle and lower class cottages and gardens

Difference between a Wired and Wireless Network Security Term Paper

Difference between a Wired and Wireless Network Security - Term Paper Example This kind of threat is most often accidental but sometimes may be intentional too. It includes fluctuations or surges in power supply, that is, sudden rise or sudden drop in the voltage, the efficiency of the supply and electricity failure. The voltage fluctuation tends to damage the computer system and the information stored in the random-access memory because it may cause the system to shut down suddenly. Thus, power smoothing becomes vital. This can be achieved by applying surge protectors on the power supply or by using devices like uninterruptible power supply (UPS) which are charged by the power main. These have built-in power smoothers which are greatly helpful if there is sudden failure of power supply like electricity blackout. The computers over the network are connected to the UPS and in case of electricity failure, they do not shut down all of a sudden. This helps in saving the vital information that was being processed. A power generator does the same purpose, that is, a cts as a power supply and lets the computers continue their processing without losing the information. There should be power-linked parameters connected with both the power supply and the system which give signal before electricity failure. ... In a wired network, you can see by your eyes and through the wires which and how many PCs are connected to a certain network. Hence, the second significant difference is that of trust. A wired network is directly under the control of the administrator and therefore there is a trustworthy attitude toward the whole setup. On the other hand, wireless networks suffer from distrust because you never know who is accessing you network from outside the windows within the access point. No matter how secure you make the wireless network, technology has enabled the hackers to devise more sophisticated means to create a security breach that is hidden from your eye. Hence, we see that there are differences between wired and wireless network security and none of the two types of networks is free from security breaches and threats. References Posey, B. (2005). Have Wireless Networks Surpassed the Security of Wired Networks? WindowsSecurity.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011, from http://www.windowsecur ity.com/articles/Wireless-Networks-Surpassed-Security-Wired-Networks.html Wysocki, B.J. (2005). Advanced Wired and Wireless Networks. USA:

Health & Social Care Essay Example for Free

Health Social Care Essay Ai Identify four key pieces of Legislation and Codes of Practice relating to handling information in social care setting. 1). Data Protection Act 1998 Gives rights to individuals in respect of personal data held about them. It also seeks to protect individuals with regard to the processing of personal data. 2). Freedom of Information Act 2000 The Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to ask any public sector organisation for all the recorded information they have on any subject. Anyone can make a request for information – there are no restrictions on your age, nationality or where you live. If you ask for information about yourself, then your request will be handled under the Data Protection Act. 3). Employees Policies Procedures To make sure that all records that are kept in the office are put away in a locked secure cabinet. And when you write out the daily report sheet in the Care Plan Book, make sure that the Care Plan Book is closed and not left open. 4). Health and Social Care Act 2008 requires us to publish a code that sets out the practice we will follow in obtaining, handling, using and disclosing confidential personal information. Aii Explain how legal requirements and codes of practice affect the day to day work of a social care worker in relation to handling information. It is important to follow the codes of practice in everything you do in your day to day work. For example, I personally had a situation a while ago where my regular service user was in hospital for a couple of months, and a friend of Mr Ts approached me and asked if I could give her the key safe code so she could go into to his property and clean round and get him some shopping. I told her that I could not give her Mr Ts key safe code as it is my duty of care not to give out any information that was entrusted to me. And if I gave it to her then I would be breaking the codes of practice and my employees policies and procedures.

Compare And Contrast ISIS To The KKK Essay Example for Free

Compare And Contrast ISIS To The KKK Essay How many innocent people have to die? â€Å"After the bombings on ISIS from the USA, they have beheaded two American journalists as a direct result of the bombings. They claim they were â€Å"acting as a direct result of your transgression towards us!† ISIS has also vowed: â€Å"WE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL WE QUENCH OUR THIRST FOR YOUR BLOOD.†, Says hub pages articles. The Islamic terrorist group and the Mexican Cartel are similar in some ways, even though they might be from different countries or states, they still have several similarities, such as, both of these groups; kill, and want money. When people think about some of the similarities that the Mexican Cartel and ISIS have in common, you probably think; blood, death, terror, and war. It is well known that the drug trade in Mexico represents one of the biggest industries in that country, accounting for as much as $991 million dollars per year. If- as some have estimated (Chabat as cited by à nderson 2007) drug trafficking is one of the ten most important industries of the country, a serious analysis should be undertaken before dismembering it. â€Å"Sinaloa is and has always been a state where the money comes from drug traffic. Where else can it come from? The fishing and agricultural industries are broken. We cannot even get money from the mineral industry because people do not want to work there anymore. Drug smugglers pay miners ten times more just to take care of drugs ().What are we going to do if there is no other place to get money?† says the writer of an article, Viridiana Rios, from Harvard university. Both groups are menacing, but the ISIS group is far more dangerous, because they are way more violent, and have a direct goal to meet. The Islamic terrorist group ISIS has more difference than they do similarities. The Mexican Cartel assassinates people for their money, and drugs. ISIS assassinates people, just because they do not get  what they want, as in, they do not get people to believe in what they do, and they do not get the power that they want. These drug armies have spread their dastardly trade throughout Mexico and into many other countries in Latin America (Mexican Cartel). Isis, on the other hand, still keeps on spreading across Iraq and Syria. This terrorist group lead by a former Bin Laden confidant, said to be working with Yemeni bomb-makers to target U.S . aviation. The Mexican Cartel, however, is led by Hector Beltran Leyva, the leader of the Arturo Beltran Leyva drug cartel. ISIS started off back in 2013, out of a garage of a college dropout known as, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The group ISIS wants to restore caliphate. Caliphate is an Islamic state under the rule of a community of religious scholars guided by a supreme leader, the caliph or khalifah, which is generally taken to mean the successor to the Prophet Muhammad. ISIS wants; territory, money, power, followers, and revenge toward the United States, because ISIS came about from the aftermath of the U.S. going over to Iraq and their leader, himself was a U.S. captive and was imprisoned for several years. What may come to mind, when you think of the two groups are; assassinations of innocent people and children, hostages, and the torture that these people might be going through, without them knowing what is really going on. This world really cannot stand having either one of these groups. Fifty-seven countries have already united to stop this terrorist group called ISIS. The states included are; Russia, Iraq, and the United States. CNN reporters say,† the United Stated is doing what it must take to †take the fight to terrorists,â₠¬ Ã¢â‚¬  leading a coalition of Arab nations in a series of airstrikes against the so-called Islamic State of terror group in Syria, U.S. President Barak Obama said Tuesday. The United States really does not want to deal with Syria, so instead of calling this Islamic terrorist group ISIS, they call it ISIL. I really do not understand why they do this, if they can see what is really going on in Iraq with ISIS. What makes this group Islamic is not the fact that they so-call themselves Islam, but the fact that they invented another version of the religion Islam, with a lot of violence and murder. There are so many questionable things going on in our world today. One thing there is without question, terror needs to end. Children who are living in Iraq cannot play outside, because of an Islamic group that is terrorizing the people of that country, and it is really hard to comprehend. When, you  turn on the television and see the news flash, â€Å"Islamic terrorist group just assassinated five people in Iraq, during the past week, not one survived†, and a few seconds later, â€Å"Mexican Cartel has assassinated about twenty people during the past yea r and a half†, it makes one question, the war on terror. One thing is certain, our future begins, where terror ends.

Factors Affecting Pricing Decisions

Factors Affecting Pricing Decisions The market type of Lux is monopolistic competition. This type of market has many buyers and sellers due to the low barrier of entrance into the market and this makes the market more competitive. Example of the competitors like Dettol, Safeguard, Protex and others will sell differentiated products of soaps, at different prices in the market. The factors that affect the pricing decisions of Lux are the demand of the market and the taste of customers. In order to get hold of the heart of the consumer, Lux Soft Touch Beauty Bar has clearly stated its target market beauty soaps. Literally, Lux Soft Touch Beauty Bar is more towards female market. From the official website of Lux, it stated that Luxuriate in the sensation of moisturized skin with LUX Soft Touch liquid soap beauty bar, one of Luxs coveted skin care beauty secrets. Enriched with the exclusive Silk Protein Extract and Cherry Cream, it forms a light creamy layer, which covers your skin, helping to hold in the moisture that dry skin needs. Like a goddess dressed in a silk gown, youll leave for the day with self-confidence, feeling elegant and in command. From the above-mentioned, we can clearly see that Lux Soft Touch Beauty Bar is more for female that provide protection to their skin and make their skin smoother after using it. This is different from the other ordinary soaps that declare on anti-bacterial. This makes the female consumers more loyal to Lux. Since there are loyal customers on the market, the demand of will also increase or make a constant in the long run. And due to this, the price of Lux Soft Touch Beauty Bar will not confront to the huge changes of price in the market. 2.2.2 New Product pricing strategies In order to extend the line for its new product to sell in the particular market, market penetration should be the new product pricing strategies of Lux in order to increase sales and demand in this competitive world. To penetrate the market, Lux will not have any problem because its an existing brand with high reputation in the current market. But the following things should consider: Penetrating the brand of Lux means adding some new and attractive features on the product and also taking into consideration the effective communication which will turn into a new value proposition for the product. In order to increase more sales Lux should concentrate on the appropriate reduction of cost which will directly lead to gain leadership in price. Once price will be reduced more and more consumers will attracted to buy the particular product. Moreover by reducing the price of the particular soap Lux will again have growth in their product and it will be very helpful to survive in the competitive market. Lux will also have to do product development for the product line extension and it will be done through by introducing new body wash soap with an existing name and it will also launch new products like introducing Lux face wash all this will ultimately lead to increase in their sales and again to grab the new target market audience for the product. This strategy not only to increase the profit for the company but also to produce new products in the existing market for brand awareness to the consumers which will have greater impact on the consumer to buy the particular product at very low price and again to boost the sale for the personal care product. 2.2.3 Product Mix Pricing Strategies Lux is currently using product line pricing. Since Lux is a large brand, it manufactures many types of product. Therefore it needs to set price steps between various items in a product line based on: Cost differences between products The difference cost of products will affect the price of the products when market. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. Customer evaluations of different features The customers of Lux are more on female. Therefore, Lux should always need to attract the attention of its target market to make sure they will consume the product of Lux. Competitors prices Lux are not only soap in the market, therefore it needs to take consider of the price of competitors when pricing its product. This will make a competitive advantage to Lux. Besides, Lux is also using product bundle pricing. They combine the Lux soft touch beauty bar 3 in 1 and offer the bundle at a reduced price. Pricing bundles of products sold together. 2.2.4 Price Adjustment Strategies The price adjustment strategies relate to all the strategies implemented by an organisation that takes into account the differences between customers and rapidly changing. Lux is using international pricing strategies. Lux is an international product and brand over 100 countries, so its priced differently for each of the countries. For example, the price of Lux in Malaysia is slightly expensive comparable to South Africa. This is because the economic level of South Africa is lower than Malaysia. Besides, Lux also uses promotional pricing techniques. The normal bundle of Lux soft touch beauty bar is 3 in 1, but sometimes, in order to increase demand, Lux will make it into 4 in 1. This will increase the consumer consume more unit of Lux soft touch beauty bar when this promotion.

Right to Abortion Essay -- Abortion Birth Pregnancy Argumentative Essa

Right to Abortion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion has always been a controversial subject among everybody whether they are involved directly or indirectly, whether they are for it or against it. It is nearly impossible to find someone who doesn't have an opinion about abortion. Both those who favor or oppose abortion make superior arguments to defend their beliefs and views. Personally, I think every last person is entitled to his or her own opinions, beliefs, thoughts, and rights. And yes, women have rights too, and denying women the right to choose abortion in the early stages of fetal development is denying her rights as a US citizen and is also discriminating against her. I think that abortion should be restricted to the first 21 weeks, which is when most of the tests can be taken to determine the health of the fetus. Anything after that might be immoral, since the fetus can very well live outside the mother's womb; although, it does depend on the situation. Abortion should unquestionably not be used as a primary birth control use. It should be determined based on the circumstances of the pregnancy. A woman should have the choice to have an abortion if she is raped, impregnated by a disturbed man or by incest. It would be unfair to force a rape victim to bear an unwanted baby and give up all the dreams she ever had and be reminded of that rape for the rest of her life. I also think a womanà ¢s life should not be sacrificed or put at risk, a woman should be able to abort if th...

Literary Analysis :: Essays Papers

Literary Analysis Literature is much more then simply a compilation of words thrown down into a book that work together to make a story. Nearly every author that takes the time to write a book is looking to not only tell a story, but to put forth their own ideas and beliefs. In Dubliners, James Joyce uses the theme of escape and journey to show the conflict between the individual and society in Dublin. Although at first glance many of these themes are simply over looked, upon closer reading it is easy to see that the characters in Joyce’s novels represent Ireland as a whole. The two themes explained above are very prevalent in two stories, â€Å"An Encounter† and â€Å"The Dead†. These two themes are repeated multiple times in both these stories not as a mere coincidence, but as a way for Joyce to show his opinion on Irish culture during that period of time. The idea of needing to escape from society is most blatantly shown in â€Å"An Encounter†. The entire plot of the story is based around two boys’ secret trip out of their local community to explore other things that Ireland has to offer. Although the boys never leave Ireland, Joyce uses them as a representation of Ireland as a whole wanting to escape their everyday boring lives. The young boys dream about living lives in the Wild West filled with adventure and danger. Neither of the boys has traveled this far from home by themselves, and they are excited with the unknown they experience. This small trip just out of their local community is in a way their own adventure in Ireland. This same need for escape is also very prevalent in â€Å"The Dead†. Unlike in â€Å"An Encounter†, Joyce does not decide to make the characters physically leave on a journey. Instead he implies this through their dialogue and thoughts. Toward the beginning of the story, the two aunts discuss their fears that Freddy Malins is going to arrive at the party drunk (176). The sisters fear that he is going to be a nuisance, and to do not want the other guests to feel uncomfortable around him.

Hamlets Madness Essay -- essays papers

Hamlet's Madness Many critics frequently dispute the madness of Hamlet. It is very difficult to label Hamlet as either sane or insane because of his statement to Horatio stating that he will act mad. Even though he tell Horatio that he is acting mad, there are many reasons that can lead him to mentally breakdown. "Hamlet was a prince, by birth a prince; and he wished to reign only that good men might be good without obstruction (Wolfgang 22)." The crown was not hereditary, but if his father had stayed longer, it would have secured Hamlets hopes of succession. The death of his father was a major blow to his nobility because hi mother can remarry and that person would become King. The thought of loosing the crown can make many people commit villainous act's, like in the story of Macbeth, but it can also lead a person to breakdown mentally. "He hoped, in the company of his surviving noble-minded parent, to reverence the heroic form of the departed, but his mother too he loses, and it is something worse than death that robs him of her (Wolfgang 23)." A short time after ...

My Graduation Plan at IUBAT

Every student should have a graduation plan on their mind. A student couldn’t progress without his graduation plan. Such as, a boat without boatman or a computer without processor. Graduation plan refers to what we will do in our future, our educational plan at the organization and what we want to be just like the aim in our life. It’s very important to every student. I’ve also my graduation plan. I’m Shantanu Sarkar.I’m a student of BCSE at IUBAT. IUBAT- International University Of Business Agriculture & Technology. It’s the first non-government university established in Bangladesh. The initial planning began in 1989 and the university established in 1991. Degree programs started in 1992 with agreement with assumption university of Bangkok, Thailand. IUBAT strongly lobbied forth creation of non –government universities and supported the initiative of the government of Bangladesh in passing legislation for formal establishment of non-g overnment universities in the country. IUBAT now operates as a Non-government university Act of 1992. I’ve a graduation plan at IUBAT.I’m a student of BCSE (Bachelor Of Computer Science & Engineering). And I want to be a software engineer. So, the BCSE degree will be conferred only to the student who has fully complied with the graduation plans and has applied for it. The plans are:†¢I’ve to complete all the prescribed courses with a minimum of 141 credit hours plus such courses recommended by the department after reviewing individual background. †¢I’ve to earn ‘A’ grades in each of the core, specialization courses, and English courses. †¢I’ve to achieve the fulfillment of English language requirement, when relevant. †¢I’ve to earn a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.8. †¢I’ve to earn at least ‘A’ or ‘A-’ grade in the practicum. †¢I’ve to earn at leas t ‘A’ or ‘A-’ grade in the comprehensive examination. †¢I’ve to satisfactory behavior and discipline.So, this is my graduation plan at IUBAT. And I’ve to follow this plan. If I follow this plan carefully and sincerely, I’ll be succeed.

Beginning Bodybuilding and Tips on Staying Motivated

The sport of bodybuilding began in the late 1940’s, when Joe Weider began his noble endeavor for human physique revolution that would soon be a bodybuilding empire. He envisioned bodybuilding as the sport that will epitomize a man’s masculinity. Fitness, Nutrition, and Motivation were the foundation for the sport of bodybuilding.One must consider the sport of bodybuilding not as a mere habit but a chance to be the epitome of human physique. Every bodybuilder has a mindset that no ordinary man has. A bodybuilder doesn’t perceive every workout as a routine but as a part of his well-being.Every workout that a bodybuilder does is like breathing for him. It is crucial for him. For one to begin his bodybuilding aspiration, he should find a nearby gym which he can engage himself into various bodybuilding techniques. A neophyte bodybuilder has to be independent inside the gym. Everything should be self-learned yet it won’t hurt to ask an initial training program f rom a trainer. From there on, you should be on your own inside the gym. Being independent is one of your motivations to succeed in the sport of bodybuilding. Each body part you train is crucial because it complements all your other workouts.For instance, you must train your triceps in order to achieve a good lift on chest workouts. Always bear in mind that your program is integrated. One cannot always train for one body part most of the time. Train all body parts and you will achieve progress. Furthermore, bodybuilding supplements will enhance your performance and progress throughout your bodybuilding career. One must know what supplement to take to complement his desired physique. If your program is bulking up, you should have a Whey Protein, Creatine, and Nitric Oxide for you to achieve your goal of getting enormous muscles.Protein is a staple in bulking up, so your body should be getting enough protein than the usual. This is crucial for your body to be in an anabolic state. It m eans that even if you are not training, your muscles are spontaneously growing. Remember that your muscles are â€Å"eating† as well. On the other hand, Fat Burner supplements are only to be used whenever a bodybuilder intends to prepare for a bodybuilding competition. A bodybuilder is hell-bent on getting â€Å"ripped† for him to showcase his muscle definition. He does this by reducing water intake, as well as assuming a â€Å"low carbohydrate and high protein† diet..Most bodybuilders take a respite in taking supplements for them to detoxify. It is important to know when to use such supplements. Always remember that supplements are for the enhancement of your physique. Yet it must not be your source of motivation. Here are five methods on being consistent and motivated as well: 1. Always prioritize fitness among other endeavors. Bodybuilding should be the core of your well-being no matter what crisis you encounter. 2. Consider bodybuilding as a physiological ma tter. Just like breathing, It’s a matter that you do because you have to and not because you want to.3. Manage your time. Bodybuilding should be prioritized yet moderated. Consider other careers that will enhance your bodybuilding aspirations. 4. Nutrition should always matter. Eat like its your last meal. Enough is never enough. Eat six meals a day. A combination of light and heavy meals, in order to maintain your body in an anabolic state. 5. Be Aggressive. Unleash the warrior instinct in you. Always be independent inside the gym. Bear in mind that whenever you are going to workout, it’s always a war inside the gym and your ultimate adversary is yourself. Always outlast your previous performance.

Chapter 5 Case Solutions

CHAPTER 5:ACCOUNTING FOR GENERAL CAPITAL ASSETS AND CAPITAL PROJECTS OUTLINE NumberTopicType/TaskStatus (re: 13/e) Questions: 5-1Distinguishing general capital assets from fund capital assetsDescribeNew 5-2Capital asset disclosuresExplainNew 5-3Modified approach for infrastructureDescribeNew 5-4Capital lease accountingDescribe5-8 revised 5-5Asset impairmentExplainNew 5-6Use of capital projects fundsExplain5-4 revised 5-7EncumbrancesExplainSame 5-8Construction work in progressExplainNew 5-9Multiple capital projectsExplainSame 5-10Special assessment capital projectsExplainNew Cases: 5-1Modified approach for infrastructure assetsEvaluate, write5-2 5-2Options for financing public infrastructureEvaluate, explainNew 5-3Political versus economic factors in financing capital improvementsEvaluate, explain5-1 retitled Exercises/Problems: 5-1Examine the CAFRExamine5-1 revised 5-2VariousMultiple Choice5-2 revised 5-3General capital assetsJournal EntriesSame 5-4Capital asset disclosure statementF inancial Statement5-4 revised 5-5Lease classification and accountingCalculate; JEsNew -6Asset impairmentJEs; ReportingNew 5-7Special assessment financingJEs and Explain5-6 revised 5-8Statement of revenues and expendituresCompute; FS5-5 5-9Construction fundJEs & FS5-7 revised 5-10Capital project transactionsJEs & FS5-8 revised CHAPTER 5:ACCOUNTING FOR GENERAL CAPITAL ASSETS AND CAPITAL PROJECTS Answers to Questions 5-1. General capital assets are those that are acquired with the resources of governmental funds and that are reported only in the Governmental Activities column of the government-wide financial statements.Capital assets acquired with the resources of proprietary or fiduciary funds are reported in the financial statements of those funds, as well as in the Business-type Activities column of the government-wide financial statements for enterprise fund capital assets. 5-2. Capital asset disclosures required by the GASB are quite well illustrated by the City and County of Denv er’s capital asset disclosures shown in Illustration 5-2.In brief, the disclosures should include policies for capitalizing assets and for estimating the useful lives of depreciable assets. In addition, the disclosures should include: (1) beginning-of-year and end-of-year balances showing accumulated depreciation separate from historical cost, (2) capital acquisitions during the year, (3) sales or other dispositions during the year, (4) depreciation expense showing amounts charged to each function in the statement of activities, and (5) disclosures regarding collections of art or historical treasures. -3. The modified approach permits a government an alternative to depreciation of certain eligible infrastructure assets. Eligible assets are parts of major networks of infrastructure assets or subsystems of networks, where a network might be a highway system, for example. If the government meets two requirements it can avoid reporting depreciation on its eligible infrastructure assets.The two requirements are: (1) management of eligible infrastructure assets using a management system that includes an up-to-date inventory of eligible assets, condition assessments and results using a measurement scale, and estimates of annual costs to maintain assets at the established and disclosed condition level, and (2) documentation that the assets are being preserved at or above the established condition level. If the government fails to maintain the assets at or above the established condition level, it must revert to reporting depreciation for its nfrastructure assets and discontinue use of the modified approach. 5-4. If the lease meets one or more of the FASB SFAS 13 criteria for a capital lease, as discussed in this chapter, the lease must be reported as a capital lease. If the lease is deemed to be a capital lease, the governmental fund journal entry on the date of inception will include a debit to Expenditures and a Credit to Other Financing Sources—Capita l Lease Agreements.The journal entry at the government-wide level will be the same as that used in business accounting—a debit to Equipment and a credit to Capital Lease Obligations Payable. Ch. 5, Answers (Cont’d) 5-5. Disagree. GASBS 42 requires the government to assess assets for which value might have become impaired. If impairment is judged to have occurred, then the amount of impairment loss must be estimated using one of the approaches described in GASBS 42. The amount of loss will be recorded as an expense of the appropriate function or program and as a reduction in the carrying value of the asset. -6. The use of a capital projects fund is usually required for major construction projects requiring large amounts of financing. The use of a capital projects fund may also be useful for purchases of high-cost items such as acquisitions of land, buildings, and high-cost equipment. A capital projects fund must also be used whenever required by law or grant provisions. 5-7. To facilitate preparation of financial statements at the end of the fiscal year, all operating and budgetary accounts should be closed, including Encumbrances.However, since the project is still underway and contractual commitments still exist to pay contractors when billed, it is essential that Encumbrances be reestablished at the beginning of the next year in order to maintain budgetary control over outstanding commitments. 5-8. All ordinary and necessary costs to construct the asset are appropriately reported as construction work in progress. This includes all legal costs, engineering and architectural services, site preparation, materials used, and billings from contractors, among other items.Interest incurred during construction is not capitalized for general capital assets, however. Construction Work in Progress is found in the ledger for governmental activities at the government-wide level for general capital assets, and not in the ledger for the capital projects fund. In the capital projects fund, all capitalizable items are debited to Construction Expenditures. 5-9. For a multiple-projects fund, encumbrances and construction expenditures should be identified in a manner that will indicate to which project each applies.This can be accomplished by adding a project identifier to the Encumbrances and Construction Expenditures accounts, such as Encumbrances? Street Project or Construction Expenditures? Project No. 10. Identifying encumbrances and expenditures by project facilitates comparisons to budget for particular projects and presentation of cash and expenditure statements for multi-project operations. For example, the City of Smithville Continuous Computerized Problem that accompanies this text has two capital projects funds named the Springer Street Project and the Alzmann Street Project. 5-10.Capital projects fund accounting for special assessments is virtually identical in both of these situations. The only difference is that the credit entr y for issuance of special assessment bonds is to Other Financing Sources—Contribution from Property Owners if the government assumes no responsibility for the debt, rather than to Other Financing Sources—Proceeds of Special Assessment Bonds with Governmental Commitment. Solutions to Cases 5-1. a. Discuss with students various methods of obtaining financial statements and getting â€Å"benchmark† data to make comparisons across entities.Professional associations such as the Government Finance Officers Association, National Association of State Auditors, Controllers and Treasurers, and Association of School Business Officials publish â€Å"best practices† for various areas of public finance, accounting, and financial reporting. Since each student will have a different list of cities, ask them to compare their results with other students and look for patterns in which types and sizes of governments make similar choices in accounting methods, particularly, in this case, regarding choice of infrastructure asset accounting methods. . An important communication skill for students to master is to convey technical financial accounting information in an effective way so that decision makers find the information useful for making informed decisions. You may wish to ask students to show their memo or essay to a finance director of a city and get their opinion about whether the student has captured the fundamental issues relating to infrastructure and communicated it in a professional and informative manner. c.During the implementation years of GASBS 34, the GFOA and some state auditors released policy statements indicating to governments that they did not have to capitalize infrastructure assets to meet minimum standards for the GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting or the states’ reporting compliance regulations. Despite such statements, most governments that sought a â€Å"clean† audit op inion voluntarily developed inventories of infrastructure and followed GAAP for infrastructure reporting.For most general purpose governments, omitting infrastructure assets would cause their statement of net assets to be materially misstated resulting in a qualified or adverse audit opinion—likely the latter. A government receiving an adverse audit opinion may experience a downgrading of its bond rating and thus face considerably higher cost of borrowing. 5-2a. Option (1), the sales tax approach, offers the advantage of spreading the burden for infrastructure improvements across a larger number of taxpayers, including many non-residents who visit or shop in Desert City.From an equity standpoint, the sales tax approach has appeal because infrastructure improvements enhance the city for visitors and shoppers, as well as for residents. Disadvantages of this approach are the necessity of scheduling and conducting a special election and the political risk of advocating for a tax increase. Option (2), the development fee approach, has the advantage of being relatively â€Å"invisible† to the public and efficient to administer since the number of developers will be relatively small.Although real estate developers can be expected to pass the development fee to new homeowners and businesses, property values may be increased by enhanced infrastructure (e. g. , improved streets and highways, adequate storm drainage, and so forth). As a result, taxpayers may recoup a portion of the development fee. The main disadvantage is the potential inequity of the development Ch. 5, Solutions, Case 5-2 (Cont’d) fee since a relatively high financial burden is imposed on new homeowners and new businesses for infrastructure expansion and improvement that may substantially benefit the entire city.A city council member may prefer the development fee approach since it holds less political risk than asking residents to approve a tax increase. The city manager may prefe r the sales tax approach as retail sales may be less volatile than new construction, which can be strongly impacted by the local, regional, and national economies. Since the city manager is responsible for ensuring that infrastructure stays abreast of population and new development, he or she may prefer a more stable source of infrastructure financing.Current homeowners and businesses might be expected to prefer the development fee approach since those fees would not directly impact on their property and would place the incidence of the tax on others. It would be surprising if new homeowners or new businesses favored the development fee approach as they would probably view it as inequitable. b. Accounting and financial reporting would be minimally impacted by which option is ultimately chosen. Either way, there is revenue to be recognized in a capital projects fund (a tax in one case and development fee in the other).Accounting for infrastructure construction would not be affected b y the source of financing. 5-3. a. Regardless of how a student voted, he or she had plenty of company. With a record voter turnout for such an election, the half-cent sales tax was barely approved. Only 51. 7 percent of the voters in Brown County voted for the tax. As expected, 56. 5 percent of the voters in the City of Brownville voted against it. Except for a few precincts in other cities and towns, voters outside Brownville voted overwhelmingly in support of the tax.While there is no â€Å"right† answer to this question, each student should have provided a rationale similar to one of the arguments provided in the case. A few students may develop unique arguments in support of their vote. Generally, the students who voted for the proposed tax must have thought the county-wide benefits of improved roads and bridges were worth the extra tax costs and outweighed the possible detrimental effects on the City's financial flexibility.Those who voted against it presumably did so us ing the rationale expressed by some voters in exit polls, â€Å"why should I pay more for roads that will benefit rural county residents more than me. † b. Although some students may profess an altruistic motivation for their vote, most are expected to reflect economic rationality. That is, they would likely vote for the sales tax increase if they were an owner of a large commercial or manufacturing property, and would therefore realize a net economic benefit from the property tax rollback and sales tax increase.Even then some students may justify the â€Å"yes† vote on the basis of the county-wide benefits of improved infrastructure rather than their financial self-interest. Ch. 5, Solutions, Case 5-3 (Cont’d) c. Again, there is no right answer to this question. Students (Brownville voters) who voted against the tax probably would argue that residents who primarily benefit should pay for the improvements (i. e. , special assessment financing should have been us ed). Those who voted for the tax probably would argue that the broader (county-wide) economic benefits of improved county infrastructure justifies inancial support by all county residents. Some who voted for the tax may have preferred special assessment financing but possibly feared that failure to approve the sales tax would doom the needed improvements altogether. d. The County's procedures for accounting for the financing and the capital projects activities will differ slightly for the option approved by the voters compared with those that would have been used if special assessment financing had been used.But, as explained in Chapter 5, the procedures for accounting for special assessment-financed capital projects are quite similar to those for other capital projects, especially when, as is often the case, the government is committed in some manner for repaying debt issued for the project. Since bond financing is typically used for special assessment capital projects, accounting for both special assessment taxes and debt service would have been required for an extended period, probably ten years or more.Whether these differences would be termed â€Å"significant† accounting issues is a matter of conjecture; they might be considered significant by the financial staff of the County. Solutions to Exercises and Problems 5-1. Each student will have a different annual report, so he or she will have different answers to questions in this exercise. The various kinds of capital assets and capital projects, wide variety of financing mechanisms, and different accounting policies used in and by governments should generate interesting classroom discussions. 5-2. 1. a. 6. c. 2. d. 7. d. 3. c. 8. c. 4. a 9. a. 5. b. 10. c.

Good nutrition: Striking the Right Balance

Of the many things one can do to enhance one’s state of health, none is more important than maintaining proper nutrition. The mind and body cannot function optimally without the proper supply of nutrients and energy obtained from food.A key tenet of the holistic approach to health is that each person must take responsibility for his or her own health. Making intelligent decisions about nutrition—about what and how much to eat—is an important part of this responsibility, because the diet one chooses and follows can keep one healthy. In the words of Philip Lee (1977) professor of social medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine:As a nation we have come to believe that our medicine and medical technology can solve all our major health problems†¦ But the problems can never be solved merely by more and more medical care. The health of individuals and the health of the population is determined by a variety of biological (host), be havioral, sociocultural, environmental factors. None of these is more important than the food we eat (Burkitt et al. 1974).Good nutrition: Striking the Right BalanceWhat is the best argument for following a good nutrition in one’s life instead of eating all the junk food one can consume. Every person’s body has a unique chemical and physical composition that corresponds to a state of optimal wellness, because the human body is constructed of atoms and molecules that are arranged in particular combinations and proportions that are unique to each person. One’s body contains few of the same atoms and molecules it had even a few weeks ago, because its chemical constituents are continually replaced by different atoms and molecules acquired from the food one eats.There are about forty known essential nutrients and perhaps others are not yet identified, that must be continually resupplied to the body (Ricciuto). Failure to obtain enough of one or more of the essential nutrients can result in a nutritional deficiency disease, such as goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which may be caused by too little iodine, beri-beri, a disease characterized by weakness and wasting away that is caused by too little thiamine (vitamin B1), anemia (too few red blood cells) from insufficient iron; and blindness from vitamin A deficiency, the most common cause of blindness in children, world-wide. Since all nutrients act in concert, a deficiency of one may impair the utilization of others even if the others are acquired in adequate amounts. Thus, a proper nutritional state is a matter of maintaining a complex balance of the essential nutrients.One can argue that one eats a little of everything in the proper amounts just to keep fit. But still it does not work that way. This is because poor health can result in eating too much of certain kinds of food, or from eating too much in general. For example, overeating is the principal cause of obesity, which contributes to the development of such serious diseases as high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer.Cancer of the colon may be related to eating too much meat and processed foods and not getting enough fiber or roughage that may be essential to maintain a healthy colon. High salt intake is related to high blood pressure and high sugar intake is related to tooth decay (the most prevalent disease in the industrialized world). Much of the tooth decay could be prevented if people followed very simple nutrition rules (Breslow & Enstrom 1980).Physiological Benefits of Body WorkOur industrial society depends on an enormous variety of machines that free people from an equally enormous number of physical tasks. Some of these tasks, such as heavy construction work of large-scale farming, would be well-nigh impossible without the help of machines. Others, such as traveling to work or school, getting to the seventh floor of a building, or washing clothes, could be accomplished without the a id of machines (and some people argue they ought to be), but few of us are likely to give up the use of cars, elevators, and washers. They simply make the task of daily living easier. As a result, few people do much moving around under their own muscular power. That is, many of us get little exercise.According to William B. Kannel and Paul Sorlie (1979) who have studied the effects of lifestyle on the occurrence of heart disease:â€Å"Over the past quarter of a century, there has evolved a growing suspicion that the transformation of man by modern technology from a physically active agrarian creature to a sedentary industrial one has exacted a toll in ill health. The evidence on which this is based comes from epidemiological studies, clinical observations, and the work physiologist. Most of the attention has been focused on the possible contribution of physical indolence to the development of cardiovascular disease, the chief health hazard of affluent societies and their leading ca use of death.†In addition to the physiological benefits, regular physical activity has psychological and spiritual benefits as well. Fr example, a study of middle-aged university professors found that regular exercise made them more self-sufficient, more persevering, less likely to experience mood swings, and more imaginative (Ismail and Trachtman, 1973). In another study, both men and women university students who engaged in regular physical activity were found to have greater self-control, to have increased self-awareness, and to be more self-directed. They also demonstrated a positive self-image (Jeffers, 1977).One of the principal psychological benefits that can come from regular body work is experiencing periods of relaxed concentration, characterized by reduction in physical and psychic tensions, regular breathing rhythms, and increased self-awareness. This experience is often compared to meditation. Tennis instructor Tim Gallwey (1976) describes four stages for obtainin g a state of relaxed concentration through body work. The first stage, â€Å"paying attention,† occurs at the beginning of a body work session and involves riveting your concentration on your body work and excluding all other thoughts. The stage of paying attention requires a certain degree of self-discipline—the desire and ability to say â€Å"no† to other demands on your time and energies and to say â€Å"yes† to yourself.WORKS CITEDBurkitt, D. P. Walker, R.P. and Painter , N.S.   â€Å"Dietary Fiber and Disease.† Journal of theAmerican   Medical Association, 229 (1974), 1068-1074.Breslow, L. and Enstrom, J.E. â€Å"Persistence of Health Habits and Their Relationship toMortality.† Preventive Medicine, 9 (1980). 469-483.Ismail, A.H. and Trachtman, I.E. â€Å"Jogging the Imagination.† Psychology Today. 6(1973), 78-82Jeffers, J. M. â€Å"The Effects of Physical Conditions on Locus of Control, Body Image andInterpersonal Relationsh ip Orientations. University Males and Females.Dissertation Abstracts, 37 (1977) 3289.Kannel, W.B. and Sorlie, P. â€Å"Some Health Benefits of Physical Activity.† Archives ofInternal Medicine, 139 (1979) 857-861.Ricciuto, Anthony. What Power Nutrition can do for you. Retrieved April 19, 2007 at:http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/anthony26.htm