Why Are Memes So Funny

My Growth And Development At King University - 1793 Words

My Growth and Development at King University Quinton Elder King University My Growth and Development at King University In April 1866, the Holston Presbytery assembled at the Old Pleasant Grove Church in Bristol, Tenn. to establish a Christian College (King University, 2015). It was built on land donated by Reverend James King, and in his honor, King University was founded (King University, 2015). King University’s establishment and history have led me to a greater appreciation for its systems and the University’s values. My experience at King University has been built and maintained on numerous levels. My educational, professional, and personal world has undergone a positive transformation due to my educational†¦show more content†¦They are models of what inspiration in the Christian community look like. The inspiring aspects of the Christian cultures will help in my ability to lead others in an influential and positive manner; Christ would be the motivation within. The instructors are very attentive when it comes to professional and personal development. I am intrigued by the fact that I always feel a sense of comfort in reaching out to them on all levels. I have found that the University’s stance is that of tremendous leadership and great faith in its representation of cultural and Christian teachings. The Christian culture is presented and incorporated in all assignments it seems. There is always a lesson in how to lead and what culture looks like in its differences and likes. I will be a transformer of my culture as I take the values of my culture and faith and continue to build on its foundation. I will conduct myself in a manner of making my words align with my actions. I will be a leader to my community and those around me. I will prioritize my faith and my family and operate in ways of strength and a representation of the composition of a Christian life. I will also understand my culture as it relates to others and their culture. There are many angels when it comes to culture and how to properly address it. Culture is a broad spectrum that travels deep within a person’s

Gold Coast Convention Center Inventory Cycle Report †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Gold Coast Convention Center Inventory Cycle Report. Answer: Introduction Inventory is also called an inventory stock. Basically, it refers to the planning, controlling andmanagement of the stock inventory of a business. Generally, this means the planning and scheduling of the finished product distribution as well as understanding of the consumer needs and wants to be able to satisfy them to the optimum level. However, for a business like Gold Coast Convention Center, it means themanagement of the raw material purchasing, production process and distribution of the already produced product. The business has decided to start offering catering services for its customers; may it be inside the conference center itself or even outside the conference center. This is as a result of its successful sales and business operations. In the business world, when businesses succeed, they tend to expand themselves or decide to venture in many other different service or product production business (Firmin, 2016). Nevertheless, most of the businesses seem to engage in venture s that are a lot similar or related to their original businesses with the hope of relying on the expertise and skills from its original business. Food and Beverage Department Key Issues Apparently, the company has a new Food and Beverage manager who is not completely experienced in the field. The manager seems to know about the sales terms and procedure in the organization but not able to carry out the leadership responsibility as expected. The profits before his reign were $800,000 and after his reign nil. This is a clear indication of how successful the organization was before the era of the new Food and Beverage manager. The new manager did not seem to perform well simply because the company was not making as much profit as before, made losses at some times and if it made any profits, they were very small profits. Also, with the fact that he had not qualified for the position of being a manager, he relied a lot on the experience of his employees which did not give him effective or efficient results at the end of it all. However, this should not be the case for such a business, i.e. in the food and beverage industry. Every manager should be able to work on his own terms and be able to make his own decisions as well as rely on his experience and thinking capacity of his own (Matthews, 2015). This is not the case for Gold Coast Conference manager. In addition to that, the manager has decided to not device new policies, principles and rules for the department. This means that, even with the separation of the department, he decides to still use the old laws to govern its employees and catering operations. He relied on the assumption that the employees are okay with the new structure of the organization as well as the rules governing the department. Every manager should be able to their own rules and regulations to govern their departments. They should enquire from the employees and any other person who is going to be involved with the departmental operations at any time (Hill et al, 2014). Furthermore, the rules should be able to work towards the overall goal and objective which means that they have to be correlated to those of the whole organization. By doing this, every business will certainly be able to achieve their objectives as well as achieve those of the specific organizational departments. Literature Review Evaluation of the Inventory Cycle and Suggested Improvements The organization is receiving a large number of complaints from the consumers in respect to the catering department but specifically the Food and Beverage department. This is a situation that occurred immediately after the new manager was given the role which means that the job that was done did not give the expected results. In addition to that, the business started making much less or even no profits at some times which reflected negatively on the manager as well as on the whole organization. Therefore, for the business to regain its previous identity and popularity among its customers, it has to change the different ways in which it carries out its operations; especially the Food and Beverage department. Therefore, the following are some of the areas that it has to focus on: Purchasing Operations Quality of the materials This relates to the raw material purchasing. Considering the fact that the organization offers catering services, then it means that most of its raw material are purchased from the farmers or the grocery stores for instance, examples of the material may include food and beverage ingredients. Therefore, they should concentrate on buying the best quality materials to be able to produce the best quality foods and beverages (Li, 2014). By doing this, the problem of food quality that has been reported by the customers. Adequacy of the material Apart from purchasing the good quality products, they should also purchase enough inputs in terms of amounts. The organization should ensure that all the ingredients needed for the production of any type of food or beverage is available and enough to produce the amount that was ordered by the customer (Caniato et al, 2014). It should ensure that there are no shortages of the resources simply because it will cause variances in the amounts of food that the consumer has ordered. Therefore, by doing this, the organization will be able to reduce the problems of the food sizes that they are offering to the customers. Freshness of the raw materials To be able to cub the problem of offering bad or almost bad food to their customers which causes illnesses, the organization should be focused on rechecking the viability of its raw materials before they purchase them. It should ensure that the ingredients are all fresh and very well stored even before they are sold to them (Renaud et al, 2008). They should also be clean. As it is well known, effective and efficient inputs produce the best quality products. Therefore, but achieving this, the organization will certainly be able to prepare the best quality food as well as fresh food for its customers. Receiving Operations This operations will certainly be in relation to the receiving of the customers orders and the raw materials. The organization should ensure that the customers orders are not interfered with no matter what. This means that they are received exactly the way the customers have described them. This may be possible when the business devices a method of direct customer order booking directly to the person in charge rather than passing through many channels where there may be possible confusion. Therefore, when the customer is able to make a direct order, they will be able to give a clear explanation and specifications about their order. Therefore, this will reduce the problem that is being reported by the customers about the fact that sometimes the food is unavailable when ordered. When it comes to receiving of the raw materials, the organization should ensure proper transportation system and methods to reduce the period of receiving the materials. Considering the fact that the organization deals with food and beverage services, it most certainly deals with the transportation of perishable raw materials. Therefore, the receiving period should be as short as possible to make sure that they do not go bad or stale before they are used. Also, the business should ensure that the packaging system of the raw materials is done correctly and appropriately. This will ensure that the physical appearance as well as the quality of the material is not interfered with on the process of transportation. Apart from that, the organization should make sure they are handled in the correct way during packaging, transportation and also during the unpacking process (McCormack et al, 2016). For instance, materials like cooking tomatoes should be transported and handles very carefully. Also, decorating flowers for the tables should be handled with care and transported with the fastest process possible so that they do wither. By doing this, the business will be able to achieve the responsibility of using the best quality raw materials for their food preparation and presentations to the customers therefore reducing some of the problems being reported. Storage Operations Every organizations storage operations should be able to accommodate every type and form of raw material and finished product without affecting its quality or appearance. On the contrary, the method of storage of any product or material should be able to increase its viability and lengthen its lasting period. In that case, the following are some of the ways that Gold Coast can improve its storage system: The organization should ensure that its storage system is modern and with modern technology equipment. This basically relates to the warehouses and stores where the materials and finished products are stored. Therefore, the stores should be equipped with the modern, effective and efficient systems and machines that are able to regulate the environmental conditions of the store e.g. refrigerators, freezers, funs, heat regulators to name a few. This means that the warehouses and stores should have the right temperature levels, humidity levels, pH levels, heat degrees among other things. The storage areas should be able to regulate their conditions according to the type of product or material being stored there (Grillo et al, 2012). Through this, the business will be able to maintain the quality of the materials before they are used for production and even improve the quality of the finished products before they are sold; e.g. the quality of drinks like wines. Therefore, this reduces th e possibility of preparing food with stale or expired material and also the possibility of giving stale food to the customers. In addition to that, by having the storage facilities, Gold Coast will be able to store as much materials as possible for future use. Every organization should ensure that its production is continuous and outstanding throughout the business year. Through raw material storage, the business will be able keep its production high even when the materials are scares; especially with Gold Coast business which uses farm products for its production. Therefore, when the material suppliers face challenges in supplying, the business will still be well catered for. In that case, Gold Coast will be able to provide its customers with the amounts and sizes of orders no matter what the season is which reduces and cubs the problem of offering bad quality food and inadequate food amounts. Also, the storage areas should be able to accommodate the many different types of raw materials as well as the finished products. This means that they should be as spacious as possible. This will reduce congestion of the materials and products and hence distorting any of the feature and characteristics of any of them. This basically to reduce the chances of interfering especially with the appearance of the products and the raw materials as well. Production Operations Businesses should ensure that their production operations are effective and efficient for them to be able to make profits. A products production process determines the quality and appearance of the product. Therefore, the production process should be perfect and reliable. Therefore, as for Gold Coast, some of the methods in which it can improve its production operations are: Ensure that the production process is effective and efficient This will entirely rely on the systems, machines, technology and labor force being used for the production process. Therefore, the organization should implement the use of the best and most modern technology that can prepare any type of food or beverage e.g. cookers and microwaves. Also, it should ensure that the employees are skilled, experiences and are experts on the food preparation industry (Azizi, 2015). Additionally, the devices being used should be fast and effective for the purpose i.e. things like knifes, cooking pots, electricity among others. By doing this, the business will be sure of producing the best food quality and in the shortest time possible which reduces the problems being reported by the customers. Also, the organization should reduce the cost of production or food preparation. This is certainly possible by involving the best technology available, good quality but cost effective raw materials, use effective and efficient production strategies or processes among other things. Through this, the business will be able to shorten and make the production as effective as possible. Cost of Goods Sold Calculation Cost of Food Sold= Cost of food sales/Food sales*100% =$315,000/$510,000*100% =61.76% Cost of Beverage Sold=Cost of beverage sold/beverage sales*100% =$112,000/$290,000*100% =38.62% The costs of both the food and beverages are certainly very high compared to those were being incurred before the new manager is put in place. This means that the revenue became very low at some times or even no revenues at most times. This is not a realistic case for any business. Reccomendations Gold Coast Center should work on themanagement qualities and qualifications of the Food and Beverage department. For instance, it should have offered training to the new manager before offering him the new position or even before letting him start on his new role. However, the general manager should make sure that the need manager is supervised and guided not just left to figure out things on his own. This will be a way to help him achieve his departmental objectives hence overall business success (Oropesa et al, 2016). In relation to the losses that the business is incurring and the small profits it is making, it should improve all of its business operations and most importantly themanagement team of the catering department. It should make sure that all the process are working a certain target achievement. Also, if the process does not make profits, they should rethink it or even change it. Also, as for the sake of the raw material purchases operations, the organization should ensure the materials are of good quality for the production of good quality foods and well-priced too. Through this, it will be able to give the customers the quality foods they desire and with realistic prices. Gold Coast should make sure that its storage systems are well placed, spacious and with the best equipment to perform the responsibility they are set to perform. For instance, the warehouses and stores should be equipped with computers to record the raw material inventory, refrigerators and freezers to preserve some materials to name a few things. Also, they should be able to accommodate the required conditions for certain specific materials to keep them fresh and viable. To improve its transportation operations, the business should use techniques that will guarantee raw material safety in terms of quality and appearance. The transportation and handling process at any stage should not interfere with any of the materials as well as the finished products quality. For the sake of improving the production process, Gold Coast should be able to use the most effective process in terms of labor force, technology, equipment and machines (Azizi, 2015). This is simply because the production process is one of the most fundamental stages of product quality and appearance determinants. It is the stage that is likely going to determine whether the product will attract more customers, will be of good quality or the best and expected appearance. Therefore, with this in mind, the business should ensure that the whole process is effective and efficient. Conclusion From the report, Gold Coast has a very long way to go for it to manage and succeed in the food and beverage industry. This is especially when it come to the management skills and practices. Also, it has to be able to run its operations effectively and efficiently to be successful. This means that it has to ensure that all its operations are leaning towards customer satisfaction and profit making. Therefore, it has to follow the techniques mentioned above and take heed of the recommendations given. Through this, it will be able to manage each operation and improve its management and production processes. References Rothaermel, F.T., 2015.Strategic management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Carraher, S.M. and Paridon, T.J., 2015. Entrepreneurship journal rankings across the discipline.Journal of Small Business Strategy,19(2), pp.89-98. Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014.Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Ethiraj, S.K., Gambardella, A. and Helfat, C.E., 2017. Reviews of strategic management research.Strategic Management Journal,38(1), pp.3-3. Slack, N., 2015.Operations strategy. John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Karlsson, C. ed., 2016.Research Methods for Operations Management. Routledge. Gilmour, P., 2013. Benchmarking supply chain operations.International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management. Matthews, J.R., 2015. Assessing organizational effectiveness: the role of performance measures.The Library Quarterly. Kumar, S. and Harms, R., 2004. Improving business processes for increased operational efficiency: a case study.Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management,15(7), pp.662-674. Chang, J.F., 2016.Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. CRC Press. McCormack, K.P. and Johnson, W.C., 2016.Supply chain networks and business process orientation: advanced strategies and best practices. CRC Press. Chang, J.F., 2016.Business process management systems: strategy and implementation. CRC Press. Azizi, A., 2015. Evaluation improvement of production productivity performance using statistical process control, overall equipment efficiency, and autonomous maintenance.Procedia Manufacturing,2, pp.186-190. Oropesa, M., Del Risco, R., Prez, R. and Lara, J.M., 2016. The management commitment and its impact on economic and competitive benefits gained by the implementation of kaizen in the industry.Handbook of Research on Managerial Strategies for Achieving Optimal Performance in Industrial Processes,428. Firmin, L., 2016, April. Deploying leadership: Steady skills to serve in any environment. InPhi Kappa Phi Forum(Vol. 96, No. 1, p. 18). National Forum: Phi Kappa Phi Journal. Grillo, S., Marinelli, M., Massucco, S. and Silvestro, F., 2012. Optimal management strategy of a battery-based storage system to improve renewable energy integration in distribution networks.IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid,3(2), pp.950-958. Renaud, J. and Ruiz, A., 2008. Improving product location and order picking activities in a distribution centre.Journal of the Operational Research Society,59(12), pp.1603-1613. Caniato, F., Luzzini, D. and Ronchi, S., 2014. Purchasing performance management systems: an empirical investigation.Production Planning Control,25(7), pp.616-635. Li, X., 2014. Operations management of logistics and supply chain: issues and directions.Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society,2014. Vom Brocke, J., Schmiedel, T., Recker, J., Trkman, P., Mertens, W. and Viaene, S., 2014. Ten principles of good business process management.Business Process Management Journal,20(4), pp.530-548.

The Crucible Essays (1301 words) - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible

The Crucible The Crucible When Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, it was during a time when communism was a threat to the American way of life. This particular era was sparked by Joseph Raymond McCarthy's idea about communism in the United States' government. This was a period of political spitefulness and mass hysteria. In 1950, McCarthy had said that there were communists in the Department of State. This accusation was never proven, and the public didn't pay attention to McCarthy's words in the early years of this era. During the year of 1953, McCarthy became chairman of the Senate subcommittee on investigations. Throughout the following years he continued to make his ideas about the government known. In 1954 he accused the secretary of the army of concealing foreign espionage activities. McCarthy started investigating all of his accusations, but was brought up on charges of improper means of investigation and the charges were dropped. One will see in the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, that the United States basically despised Russia during the 1950's because Russia was a communist state. The United States named Russia The Devil (according to the play), because of their communistic ways and dictatorship over the people. The necessity of the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon desig ned and used time and time again in every age to whip men into surrender to a particular church or church-state. Besides what Miller's idea of what communism is, he also has an idea that if one is not communist, or against communism, then they are for the United States government, and if a U.S. citizen does not have the same reactions towards capitalistic doings as the rest of the country, then that citizen is considered to be communist, according to Miller. In the countries of the Communist ideology, all resistance of any import is linked to the totally malign capitalist, and in America any man who is not reactionary in his views is open to the charges of alliance with the Red Hell. This is a very important statement because of how it links the views of Miller to the accusations of McCarthy. Basically by linking these two together, one can come to the conclusion that the United States is a hypocrite (according to the two opinions). Arthur Miller says that the U.S. dislikes Russia b ecause Russia is communist, and that Russia is The Devil and Red Hell, but according to McCarthy the U.S. itself had a government made up of communists. Then, reading more of Miller's opinions, one can come to the conclusion that according to Miller, McCarthy is a communist. Miller says that if one has different views then the rest of the country (like McCarthy) then they are communist. With all of McCarthy's accusations he was clearly against the views of the United State's government. Both McCarthy and Miller have different views on the same subject, but when linked together, one can come up with many different conclusions about McCarthy, Miller, the United States government. To understand this fully you must know what The Crucible is about and the different tragedies that occurred, and how the deterioration of Salem's social structure precipitated the murders of many innocent people. Arthur Miller's depiction of the Salem witch trials in The Crucible dealt with a community that looked like it was tightly knit and church loving. It turns out that once Tituba starts pointing her finger at the witches, the community starts pointing their fingers at each other. Hysteria and hidden agendas break down the social structure and then everyone must protect themselves from the people that they thought were their friends. The church, the legal system and the togetherness of the community died. Being isolated from any other group of people with different beliefs created a church led Puritan society that was not able to accept a lot of change. The church was against the devil, at the same time it was against such things as dancing and other premature acts. The reputation of the family was very important to the members of the community. When the girls were caught dancing in the woods, they lied to protect not just themselves but the reputation of their families. They

Ben Wallace Biography

Ben Wallace Biography Free Online Research Papers â€Å"Subhuman conditions produce subhumans.† Richard Wright’s theme in Native Son says that if you grow up in a family or city that does not have a lot of success, you won’t be successful yourself. It relates to naturalism in a direct way. Naturalism says that your fate depends on your environment and your heredity. I do not believe this theory. There are many others who also don’t believe this theory. One person that disproves this theory is Ben Wallace. Growing up in Benton, Alabama, one of the smallest towns in the country was hard on Ben and his ten siblings. Having a single parent was even harder. Ben’s mother, Mama Sadie, was having a hard time coming up with food and a decent shelter for her family. She grew cotton in a small patch in the yard and also grew crops that would help feed the family. Because of the lack of money they had, Mama had to make clothes for the family. She was a hard worker that never gave up. Because of all the hard work their mother went through, Ben and his brothers tried to help out by working around their area. They helped nearby farmers complete chores on the farm to make some extra cash and help out the family. As he grew older, he learned that he had a new talent. Ben began to cut hair. His reputation grew and soon he started to cut the neighborhood kids’ hair for $3 each. He learned what it felt like to earn what you worked for. Ben Wallace worked hard at everything he did. In high school, he was All-State in baseball, football, basketball and track. Lots of things made Ben the person he was but most likely it was all the hard work he put into every thing he did. Though he did most of the work, people like Charles Oakley, former player who helped Ben get to college, helped. Ultimately, hard work and determination helped Ben reach the level that he dreamed to play at. He is now living the life of a superstar. From growing up in a small town with little money and ten siblings, to becoming a star athlete and earning $60 million for four years is a huge change. Ben Wallace is a prime example that subhuman conditions do not produce subhumans. I think that this theory is flawed and can be disproved by anyone willing to disprove it. I don’t believe that people are controlled by their environment or by their heredity. For example, if my parents were alcoholics and I saw the way they treated me when they were drunk, I would not want to be alcoholic so that I wouldn’t treat my children that way. The way Ben made it through a hard environment shows many others that it can be done. With hard work and determination, you can rise above anything that holds you down. Source Ben Wallace Biography. JockBio.Com. 13 Dec. 2007 . Research Papers on Ben Wallace BiographyThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductGenetic EngineeringStandardized TestingPETSTEL analysis of India

How to Grow a Salt Crystal Garden

How to Grow a Salt Crystal Garden A salt crystal garden produces a tree of white or colored crystals. Learn how to grow a salt crystal garden using a paper towel or toilet paper tube and a salt crystal solution. Salt Crystal Garden Materials toilet paper tube or about 4 of a paper towel tube3 tablespoons household ammonia3 tablespoons iron(III) ferrocyanide solution1 tablespoon table salt The iron(III) ferrocyanide solution may be made by suspending the powdered chemical in water or you may use Prussian Blue artist pigment, diluted to produce a deep blue-colored liquid, or you can use Mrs. Stewarts Laundry Bluing (find online). Grow a Salt Crystal Garden Stir the salt crystal ingredients together in the bottom of a shallow dish.Set the paper tube in the center of the dish. If you like, you can cut the tube to resemble a tree. The salt crystals will be white, so if you want colored crystals, dot the paper tube with food coloring or color it with a water-soluble marker.Place the salt crystal garden somewhere it wont be bumped or disturbed. Over the course of a few hours, the liquid will move up the tube and start growing crystals. Crystals will continue to grow for a day or more or you can add more solution if you want to continue crystal growth for a week or two.

Fair Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fair Trade - Essay Example The minimum price is set such that it can never be below the current market price or level. Despite fair trade gaining momentum and increasing in the United Kingdom and the world over, the fair trade concept is generally unfair. Proponents of fair trade argue that the scheme is meant to help farmers to meet the average costs of production in developing nations. Through the fair trade scheme, farmers and workers are accorded better financing, premiums and a basic set price which is intended to cushion farmers when the world market price falls. All these factors lead to better financial stability for the producers. However, the concept of financial stability of fair trade farmers is very weak (Mohan, 2010). Farmers have to pay certification fees, application fees and renewal certification charges and in the end, these costs are too great for the farmers. A 2009 study undertaken by Saenz-Segura and Zuniga-Arias’ found out that the costs associated with fair trade consume more than a third of fair trade premiums received by farmers. As such, fair trade does not have a significant financial impact on the farmers or producers (Raluca, Giovannucci & Nunn, 2014). Additionally, the financial stability promise d by fair trade is often non-existent. Despite the fact that the minimum set price offers farmers some assurance, they are not assured of selling their products as fair trade. Therefore, farmers have to endure financial uncertainty just like all other farmers. Also, according to Sidwell (2008), only a fraction (10%) of the premiums reaches the farmer or worker. Fair trade is meant to improve the lives of farmers in developing countries. Thus, proponents state that fair trade helps to end poverty in poor countries. On the contrary, fair trade encourages and promotes poverty. A lot of farmers who have benefited from the fair trade scheme reside in Mexico,

Parents and children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Parents and children - Essay Example Parents bring children to the world, and they have responsibility to control children’s eating patterns. Thus, parents should educate their children having a proper eating practice as they are most influential people over their children’s health (Xinhua News Agency 1). First, parents have the resemble genes with children. Specifically, the bodies of babies are from their mothers. The most essential part is the face with its main components such as eyes, nose or mouth that are generally similar. It is an innate characteristic that no one could instead of. Besides, the eating habits might be alike. If children’s parents like eating pork, then it’s really possible that their children like that too. According to Parents’ Influence on Children’s Weight-Related Behaviors, Parents who consume fruits and vegetables have children that are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables, and parents who consume junk food will more likely have children who do the same (Xinhua News Agency 1). This implies that parents and children have comparable eating behaviors. Children get along with their parents every day, and they imitate and learn many things from parents. For instance, when parents are busy, and they don’t have time to coo k, they might buy junk food for themselves. Children will also eat junk food. If parents don’t limit times buying junk food to children, they will be used to eat them and lead to obesity. Second, parents are the most influential to children because children admire their parents. It was report that among the family members, over 80 percent of children consider their father or mother as the one that influences them most, with 43.1 percent choosing mother and 37.6 percent father (Xinhua News Agency 1).They thought parents know about many things that are from the world; they tell stories and buy gifts to them; they met many people. Besides, once they get fever, parents know which medicine they should eat. All of these behaviors are

Recess at school Essay Example for Free

Recess at school Essay Psychology helps marketers understand why and how consumers behave as they do. Psychological concepts such as motivation and personality; perception; learning; values, beliefs, and attitudes, and life styles are useful for interpreting buying process and directing marketing efforts. Motivation- is energizing force that stimulates behavior to satisfy a need. Personality- Refers to a person’s consistent behaviors or responses to recurring situations Perception- The process by which an individual selects, organizes and interprets information to create a meaningful picture of the world. Learning- refers to the behavior that results from (1) repeated experience, (2) reasoning. The way we perceive ourselves in relation to the rest of the world plays an important role in our choices behaviors and beliefs. Understanding social psychology can be useful for many reasons. First we can better understand how groups impact our choices and actions. Additionally, it also allows us to gain a greater appreciation for how our social perception affects our interactions with other people. Claustrophobia is an abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces (Jeffrey, M. K., 2002). This paper will examine if the claustrophobia could have occurred through classical or operant condition or cognitive social learning. Most people who suffer from claustrophobia do not like being in tight, narrow places such as elevators or small rooms without any means of escape (Jeffrey, M. K., 2002). Studies show that most claustrophobic patients have had an experience when they were younger that have left an impression on them causing them to become claustrophobic when they became older. For example, an individual could have been trapped in an elevator for a period of time with no means of escape as a child. Individuals also have fears of being in small rooms with no means of escape and therefore do not like to close the doors to these rooms such as bathrooms (Jeffrey, M. K., 2002).

Discuss the themes addressed in Over the Wall and the devices used :: English Literature

Discuss the themes addressed in Over the Wall and the devices used to express and examine these themes The play ‘Over the Wall’ is very interesting and unique, in that instead of having names for each part, the parts are numbered from 1-9. This removes all pre-conceptions you may have had of the characters. The characters keep changing to different numbers throughout the play; this is to highlight the different types of people in society. Any number can play and the narration may be shared out. The play tells the story of an island community living on an island with a wall running straight down the middle of it. These people like to keep themselves to themselves and continue with life the way it always has been led. They have totally no interest in the wall and all of the questions that go with it. Except for the one! He is the one asking all of the questions and searching for the answers. This quest is not shared at all within the island community and everyone chooses to ignore this ‘nut’. They are all happy to carry on with their daily routines in their pointless lives and see him as an outsider. At the beginning of the play it sounds almost like a fairy tale, â€Å"there was once an island†. It then twists this idea by saying, ‘if you believe it’. However it quickly shows us the real point and meaning of the play. The narrator comments on many different social members in this play and in the first narrator speech he makes a disparaging remark towards the unemployed, â€Å"everyone had a day’s work (which in those times was considered a blessing)†. He also comments on people’s attitudes in general towards the young and the elderly, â€Å"the old were looked after, as long as they didn’t outstay their welcome.† The young also were â€Å"respected as individuals – within reason.† This is so true in modern day societies. The young are not respected because they are seen as immature and the elderly because they are boring and frustratingly slow. The narrator’s first speech ends with â€Å"for, while they were not exactly happy they were not exactly unhappy either.† I think this highlights the fact that people in society are happy with their daily life being very mediocre. We put up with this because we are afraid of change. We sit on the same seat on the bus every day; we have the same routine when we get back from work. There are so many examples of these day to day rituals because we are unimaginative. The characters in the play are stereotyped defined by their language. Discuss the themes addressed in Over the Wall and the devices used :: English Literature Discuss the themes addressed in Over the Wall and the devices used to express and examine these themes The play ‘Over the Wall’ is very interesting and unique, in that instead of having names for each part, the parts are numbered from 1-9. This removes all pre-conceptions you may have had of the characters. The characters keep changing to different numbers throughout the play; this is to highlight the different types of people in society. Any number can play and the narration may be shared out. The play tells the story of an island community living on an island with a wall running straight down the middle of it. These people like to keep themselves to themselves and continue with life the way it always has been led. They have totally no interest in the wall and all of the questions that go with it. Except for the one! He is the one asking all of the questions and searching for the answers. This quest is not shared at all within the island community and everyone chooses to ignore this ‘nut’. They are all happy to carry on with their daily routines in their pointless lives and see him as an outsider. At the beginning of the play it sounds almost like a fairy tale, â€Å"there was once an island†. It then twists this idea by saying, ‘if you believe it’. However it quickly shows us the real point and meaning of the play. The narrator comments on many different social members in this play and in the first narrator speech he makes a disparaging remark towards the unemployed, â€Å"everyone had a day’s work (which in those times was considered a blessing)†. He also comments on people’s attitudes in general towards the young and the elderly, â€Å"the old were looked after, as long as they didn’t outstay their welcome.† The young also were â€Å"respected as individuals – within reason.† This is so true in modern day societies. The young are not respected because they are seen as immature and the elderly because they are boring and frustratingly slow. The narrator’s first speech ends with â€Å"for, while they were not exactly happy they were not exactly unhappy either.† I think this highlights the fact that people in society are happy with their daily life being very mediocre. We put up with this because we are afraid of change. We sit on the same seat on the bus every day; we have the same routine when we get back from work. There are so many examples of these day to day rituals because we are unimaginative. The characters in the play are stereotyped defined by their language.

Caribbean culture Essay

Creolisation is a top element of the Caribbean culture. It is a word derived from the word Creole; it however is not meant to just describe the Creole culture. It is a broad anthropological term used to describe the coming together of different cultural traits especially of the West Indies to form a new trait. This occurs when two or more languages are combined to give one unique language. In essence, Creolisation refers to the blending of diverse cultures to give one unique culture. The adaptability of Creolisation by the Caribbean culture in this age of globalization is a good thing for the Caribbean economy but may be injurious to the culture of the Caribbean peoples. Because the people of the caribbeans will be speaking a common, creolized language it will be relatively easy for the member states of the Caribbean region to communicate with each other. Creolisation of their cultures will enhance further understanding among the creolized states of the Caribbean. ( Ancelet et al, 2001) Nearly all the states of the Caribbean have â€Å"creolized† cultures. From the Jamaicans, the Cajuns, the Bahamas, British Guyana etc. Their various cultures have been creolized. They all speak the language of their colonial masters in the pidgin form and have adopted certain cultures form their colonial masters. Like the drinking of processed liquor, smoking of cigarettes etc. These imperialist cultures have made several African countries’ economies to suffer. Country like Nigeria which used to eat the type of the imperial master’s food, his wine and wear his clothes spent fortunes of its country earnings to fund the importation of these items. This led to a plunge in the fortunes of this country. The Caribbean however are people that are very proud of their heritage. They designed their own music form (e. g. reggae) have their own drinks- which are largely influenced by the culture of their forefathers. Their food has however been creolized as it is influenced by imperialist cultures. Though it is still very much part of their own creation. In creolising, care must be taken not to change an existing culture completely. This fear is as captured by Appiah as thus: â€Å"Nevertheless, contemporary multiculturalists are right in thinking that a decent education will teach children about the various social identities around them. First, because each child has to negotiate the creation of his or her own individual identity, using these collective identities as one (but only one) of the resources; second, so that all can be prepared to deal with one another respectfully in a common civic life. Much of current multicultural education seems to me to have these reasonable aims: let us call this weak version â€Å"liberal multiculturalism† (1997). † From Appiah’s documentation, creolisation has been viewed from these perspectives: a. creolisation as the major social and cultural fact about Caribbean life (what matters will of course be the social process but it may prove illuminating to proceed via linguistics) and b. Arnold’s accounts of i. Western culture as an amalgam of Hellenism and Hebraism, and ii. the English race as an amalgam of Celtic, German and Norman â€Å"bloods†. Considering the errors that are often linked with cultural talk, the creole context, and an Arnoldian perspective on the West or simply on England, both reveal that a culture lives, changes, innovates, is in a process of continuous evolution. Where alternatives are to hand, this often means selection, not simply preserving and reproducing. It is not therefore a complete or necessarily coherent bundle to which we may add Gellner’s point about the multiplicity of nearly all cultures: the official first eleven has a fall-back for other occasions, scriptural Islam versus the dervishes. The Creole context makes it plain that there is nothing genetic in operation. More importantly, that context gives no one reason to think a culture will continue in the same old way. As noted already, we find proper examples in Trinidad or now in St Lucia. Alleyne was sad to see that a form of Twi-Asante is â€Å"dying† (Alleyne, 1988) in Jamaica. There is reason for the Caribbean to regret that they no longer speak like Chaucer, or Arnold. One may regret death, but that does not entail that one would endorse immortality — we must move to a view that puts life and death in their place and accepts both. Or to return to less exalted matters, it may be pleasant to discover†retention† but it is not what makes or breaks a culture. â€Å"Transculturation† (Bolland, 2001) can be endorsed with out it. without it. Economic integration will automatically come in with the achievement of cultural integration. This will provide for a bigger, more cohesive, stronger and unity front for which the Caribbean states can push for economic and political relevance in the world order. It is good to note however that there is a significant level of creoliastion in the Caribbean. They all speak an almost similar language; pidgin English, have similar music etc. however a lot can still be done in the creolisation of the in the Caribbean. Major impediments to a successful creolisation in the Caribbean are the influence of colonialists. Different states of the Caribbean had different colonialists who set then in captivity, freed them and are now coming back in the name of neo-imperialism. The different states of the Caribbean speak the languages of their colonialists-maybe in the pidgin form. A perfect example of creolisation is with the Cajun language, which is a mixture of French and English and also African languages. Language is in general evaluatively neutral. As Macaulay pointed out long ago, there is no intrinsic basis in the language to prefer Latin to Chinook as a component of elite education. If one thinks of culture by reference to conventions like language, there is scarcely any scope for evaluatively ranking exemplars, but if one focuses on the way culture operates as â€Å"an engineering program for producing persons† (Nerlich, 1989) then there is no more reason not to discriminate among them than there is not to distinguish a saint or an ordinary decent person from the likes of Pinochet or Burmese generals. â€Å"Moral† equality among persons is no bar to moral discriminations. Of course creolisation doesn’t provide us with a recipe. There is still much difference of opinion on what has actually happened in the case of prototypical creoles and pidgins. But one lesson I would wish to draw from recent debates is that what is salient for ordinary usage (once upon a time, foreign-born, now whatever it is) or for some theoretical perspective (e. g. , origin in a colonial slave plantation) does not uniquely characterise the outcomes of contact situations. There are a host of types of language contact bringing with them a host of outcomes, perhaps depending on particular social or historical configurations. Mufwene has enunciated his idealised and apparently deterministic version of this idea in relation to creoles, immigrant workers’ varieties, etc. by saying that â€Å"in all these cases of language contact we still deal with the same equation for restructuring; only the value of some variables keep changing† (Mufwene, 1997). Taking this in conjunction with the fact he has particularly stressed, that the categories we rely on have been taken from the contingencies of the social reality, not from theory, we find that what structurally or in some other respect are very similar situations become classified differently. The terminology remains affected by the connotations attached to terms by metropolitan non-specialist users. So, speaking of American or Australian English, Mufwene remarks â€Å"there are other good socio-historical reasons why these varieties have not been called creoles: they developed in settings in which descendants of non-Europeans have been in the minority; and they have not been disowned by Europeans and descendants thereof† (Mufwene, 1997). References 1. Appiah, K. A. (1997). The Multiculturalist Misunderstanding, New York Review of Books, October 9, 2006 2. E. P. Brandon, (2001). Creolisation, syncretism, and multiculturalism

Does It Pay Off

Compare/ assess HSBC and Citi-corps IT strategies. Do they invest in IT primarily as a way of cutting costs and improving their operational efficiencies, or do they invest strategically with a view to entrench their competitive positions? As noted in the conclusion of the article written by the Asia Case Research Center and the University of Hong Kong HCBC and Citigroup have both developed into global financial institutions.Both organizations have heavily invested in Information Technology and, as is self-reported in both companies’ financial statements, both are committed to using IT to gain a competitive advantage. That is where the similarities end. When we examine the details it is obvious that although both firms have heavily invested in IT advancements the types of projects and overall approach are very different. Let us first look at HSBC. The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation was founded by Thomas Southerland in 1865 with branches in London Shanghai, and San F rancisco.By the year 2007 the company had grown to have 9500 offices, 200,000 shareholders, 310,000 employees and over 125 million customers spanning 76 countries. HSBC built their business based on the philosophy of managing for value from 1998 through 2003 with the objective of providing a satisfactory return on shareholder capital. One of the primary ways HSBC attempted to accomplish this strategy was through its approach to leveraging technology.An example of the company’s technology strategy is found in a statement which was part of the company’s 1996 annual report. In this report the company described its IT policy as a strategy based on harnessing the power of new technology to provide new and better services for their customers while simultaneously improving the banks operational efficiencies. Then stated the challenge they saw as a global financial services organization factored highly around their ability to link different parts of the group more closely toge ther.As one progress’s further into the details of HSBC’s information technology approach numerous examples of this 1996 strategy are apparent in the organizations approach to the use of information technology. HSBC’s history appears dotted with instances of the development of ground breaking Independent systems, outsourcing to save costs, and acquisitions of emerging technologies. Despite the hefty price tag the company remained focused on providing innovate value added products and services to both current and prospective customers. Outsourcing is one key to the operational efficiency approach mentioned in its 1996 annual report.HSBC opened its first offshore processing center in China in 1996 and by 2007 had more than 18,000 employees across Asia spanning ten (10) Asian countries. HSBC estimated that by transferring its back office processing to India and China it saved the organization approximately 30 million U. S dollars annually. Further savings were real ized in 2003 when the bank merged and consolidated HSBC and HSBC Finance’s technology service teams later leading to the offshoring of the HSBC Group Service Center creating another 67 million in annual savings.In total HSBC claims that offshoring provides the bank an estimated cost savings of over 100 million U. S dollars annually. Meanwhile HSBC took on more IT staff to support service improvement projects and online banking. Heavily investing in platforms and applications designed to extend or streamline the online process HSBC fully embraced ecommerce. Beginning in 1998 with their successful Y2K testing and implementation HSBC heavily invested in the internet as a means of reaching new customers and deepening current customer relationships.Some of the projects were internally innovated however, most were a product of strategic acquisitions and/or partnerships with other organizations HSBC is very focused on innovation the company has used its innovative focus to successfu lly leverage the power of the internet to reach customers around the world. To create the world’s most inclusive efficient internet portal the company has worked with several different organizations that could assist in furthering its digital capabilities Some examples of these partnerships are:.Working with Compaq to design an internet payment gateway, partnering with HTK to enable merchants to set up online store fronts, working with MasterCard to develop and launch Asia’s first electronic wallet, cooperating with IBM to develop multichannel banking services, teaming up with Sky digital satellite to launch the UK’s first television banking system, and finally a joint venture with Merrill Lynch to introduce online brokerage services. At the same time the bank was partnering with multiple organizations developing several technology offerings things were also being innovated internally.HSBC developed and delivered many value added products and services like launc hing mobile banking and secure net payments for merchants in 1999, the creation of Ibusinesscorporation. com and HSBC. com. HSBC. com which was designed to create a common presentation of all HSBC’s services at any time anywhere to any of its customers was the crown jewel of the technology strategy. Overall the company dedicated a large percentage of its IT budget time and focus on the development, expansion, functionality and inclusiveness of creating a comprehensive online presence.HSBC spent 164 million dollars on the website hsbc. com in 2001 alone. The internet strategy seemed to pay off for HSBC creating large gains in number of customers and transactions. Overall gains were seen in commercial and consumer banking with increases in customer numbers in both divisions. Overall the bank saw its customer number increase 24% with online transactions increasing a whopping 116%. however this massive push online left the company with 26 websites and over 1. 1 billion dollars in expenses.In contrast to the HSBC’s strategies for utilization of IT recourses Citicorp followed the diversified financial services model built on the belief that different financial service products should be conglomerated to balance earnings and to create less earnings volatility. The company believed it was more cost effective to cross sell financial products in one go than to sell them separately. Different than the wide corporate structure found within HSBC Citicorp only consists of three major business groups all primarily supported by standard corporate infrastructure. While both banks focused on lobal growth HSBC focused on innovation and leveraging the internet to reach current and potential customers Citi corps approach was that of growth, commonality, and local control. Unlike HSBC, Citigroup took an integrated approach to its IT governance worldwide. By using a combination of packaged and customized software to develop group wide platforms Citigroup enhanced the s trength of its extensive international branch network to facilitate knowledge exchange across borders. Since IT projects at Citi were often initiated with a local business unit typically they were designed with local solutions in mind.The only truly global requirement placed on the innovating branch were that the local system be capable of effectively and efficiently being linked with Citi groups existing system and that security arrangements could be made. The key for Citi was the consistent platform and the ability to share knowledge across space not necessarily that it was internet driven and deployable to the whole world. Also in stark contrast to the HSBC strategy of cost savings through outsourcing, Citigroup pursued IT outsourcing only in a very limited way and not for strategic initiatives.While HSBC was building strategic initiatives with numerous external companies Citigroup took on projects like the 750 million dollar project in the 90’s to integrate the banks 60,0 00 personal computer and 2,000 LAN’s worldwide into a common global network and system infrastructure. The power of its integrated technology platform would later be demonstrated by the rapid integration of the 750 branch CitiFinancial system By 2000 Citigroup had leveraged its strong common technology platform and its international branch presence to launch its own online presence, Citi on the net.Directly related to their standard technology and growth platforms by the end of the year 2000 Citigroup had over 800 million online accounts in an effort to deliver convenience and value to its clients. Citigroup created new internet units including e-commerce, e-business, and e-capital markets to empower the existing business lines while simultaneously creating an internet operating group to drive the corporate internet strategy and again use it to coordinate efforts across divisions. By 2002 Citi on the net had been replaced by â€Å"my citi. om† providing the platform ne cessary to allow the bank the ability to make online banking available in over 90 countries ultimately leading to processing over 39 million transactions around the world in rout to being named â€Å"best of the web 2003† The banking giants internally driven internet strategy seemed to culminate with the launch of Citibank direct in 2006 and nearly 10 billion dollars in deposits. Overall in my perception of the IT strategies of both Citi and HSBC their direction of IT investment does not appear to fit into one black or white strategy however appears more likely to exist on a continuum.I believe there are examples of both HSBC and CITI investing in IT as a way of cutting costs and improving their operational efficiencies. With HSBC one example of this is outsourcing. With regard to Citi one example is the focus on standard systems providing local solutions. Additionally, I believe both organizations also used technology effectively as strategies to entrench their competitive p ositions. HSBC as a platform to cost effectively expand its global reach without the costly build-out of constructing an extensive global brick and mortar branch network through the use of the internet.In contrast, for CITI to be able to provide local solutions by leveraging its global knowledge, services, and offerings to provide value added products and services to current and prospective clients. In closing not addressed directly in the article but appears to be relevant as I look at the different IT approaches taken by both Citi and HSBC is where they started. Both companies come from different backgrounds created in different environments for the purpose of serving different clients.Although eventually their worlds collided their roots seems quite different. I can’t help but wonder, to what degree were the different approach to types and amounts of investment in IT between the two global banking giants has to be attributed to (1) Different business strategy’s with each company recognizing its own path of least resistance to accomplish their organizations goals. (2) The best way to leverage the current asset base of each individual organization. 2. In your assessment, which one of the companies do you think was cleverer in its IT investments?Both organizations appear to have shown the ability to differentiate one’s organization through the use of technology when technology that can complement their overall business strategy comes available. For Citibank this availability arose through an increase in recourses by the organization; conversely, for HSBC through technological advancements made in the market place. My perception is that both companies utilized IT investments like a vehicle, to get from where they were to where they wanted to be.The numbers provided in the back of this report show the companies are strikingly similar in many ways despite their very different beginnings and historical decisions regarding investment in IT. Fiv e factors compared n the report are compiled below that both demonstrate their striking similarity but also provide clues to who at least for now is winning the battle for global banking clients. Category(2006)| Citi-Bank| HSBC| Leader| #of Employees| 325,000| 312,000| Citi-Bank| IT expenditures| 3762| 4810| Citibank| Net-Profit| 21538| 16358| Citi-Bank| Total Assets| 1,884,318| 1,712,627| Citi-Bank|Market Capitalization| 269. 1| 212| Citi-Bank| | ROA| 1. 14%| 0. 96%| By doing some basic calculations using the numbers above it is easy to see that as of the time of this report the company with the best history of performance was clearly Citi-Bank. Although total assets and number of employees are strikingly similar the difference in the organizations is clearly found in three areas. Net profit, IT expenditure’s, and market capitalization. ROA for HSBC is . 96% which signifies it is destroying shareholder capital by losing 4 cents for every dollar invested.Conversely, Citi-Bank with an ROA of 1. 14% is creating value by transforming every 1$ invested in the company into 1. 14 cents providing a 14% return annually. Another metric not common in finance but appears pertinent here would be an employee to IT expenditure’s ratio where HSBC spent $15,416. 67 per employee and Citi-Bank spent $11,575. 38. The second ratio that appears to point to an adjusted IT strategy for HSBC is a total asset to IT expenditure ratio in which again HSBC spends 28% of its total assets on. IT where Citibank again has a better ratio at 20% of its total assets.Neither of these last two ratios is very common but both appear to be where HSBC could attempt to close the Gap in financial performance between the two companies. Finally of note needs to be the difference in market cap Assuming both companies have a fairly equal amount of issued common equity the fact that Citi-Banks market cap is 57 billion dollars higher that HSBC demonstrates to me that when the marginal investor c ompares the perceived future performance comparing both companies current business plan investors believe with more confidence that Citi-Bank will generate I higher return on investment and stronger cash flows than will HSBC.Despite HSBC’s efforts to cut costs be on the forefront of banking innovation Citicorp clearly was able to leverage its vast global network of fixed assets in a standardized approach more successfully than HSBC was able to leverage the internet to increase its profitability through global expansion. In closing I again wonder if part of the increased performance Citicorp sees beyond that which is seen by HSBC is related to cultural bias Simple current consumer preference in the majority of the cultures in which both firms operate.In conclusion, the writer would like to briefly mention potential factors that came to mind while reading this article. Thinking outside the numbers part of me believes that although trends are less prevalent than they have been f or generations past, several groups of people, are particularly fond of being able to bank at a physical location. Some don’t believe in banking at all. Like the trail that amazon is blazing in the online retail market place online banking platforms are different than most people are used to.Change is often strange and sometimes difficult but if HSBC’s IT strategy is ever to pay off it must hope like amazon that as time passes if more people become comfortable with the idea of online banking their model may thrive. However, until that time unless it were to drastically change its business model and begin to invest in a global network of physical bank branches HSBC’s best strategy may be to stay the course of investing in driving customers more towards the feeling of convenience than perceived safety.

The Inuit People Essays - Indigenous Peoples Of North America

The Inuit People Essays - Indigenous Peoples Of North America The Inuit People Inuit: A People Preserved By Ice Thousands of years ago, during the last ice age, mile-thick glaciers covered a vast portion of North America, and the Asian continent was joined to North America by a land bridge. The Arctic areas of Alaska, Beringia, and Siberia were free of ice. Vast herds of caribou, muskoxen, and bison migrated to these plains. Following them were the nomadic Asian ancestors of today's Inuit and Indians. The doorway to Asia closed about three or four thousand years later as the glaciers receded and melted. These people: the Inuit (meaning the people), adapted to their harsh tundra environment and developed a culture that remained untainted for a long time. The Inuit people relied solely on hunting for their existence. With summers barely lasting two months, agriculture was non-existent. Animals such as caribou and seal were vital. Groups of hunters would stalk and kill many caribou with fragile bows made of driftwood, and their bounty was split evenly amongst the tribe. Bone spears were fashioned to hunt seals which provided food, oil, clothes, and tents. The seal skins were also used to construct kayaks and other boats that the Inuit would use to travel and to hunt whales. One advantage of the sterile cold of the arctic was that it kept these people free of disease (until they met the white man.) Inuit tribes consisted of two to ten loosely joined families. There was no one central leader in the group: all decisions were made by the community as a whole. Nor was there any definite set of laws; the Inuit, though usually cheery and optimistic, were prone to uncontrolled bursts of rage. Murder was common amongst them and it went unpunished unless an individual's murders occured too often. At that point, that person was deemed unstable, and the community appointed a man to terminate him/her. In their society, the duties of men and women were strictly separated. The males would hunt, fish and construct the tools used by the family. Women, however, were responsible for cleaning the animal skins, cooking, sewing the clothes ( a woman's sewing ability was equally as attractive to a man as her beauty was), and raising the children. Male children were preferred because they could care for their parents in their old age; female children when often strangled soon after birth. Although today Christianity has breached some of the southernmost tribes, the vast majority practice a form of animism. Their rituals are based mainly on the hunt and the handling of slain animals. Magic talismans and charms are believed to control spirits, and shamans are consulted in the case of injury or illness. There are traces of beliefs in an afterlife or reincarnation, but they are very minor. The Inuit people, like many other tribal minorities, are greatly stereotyped and misunderstood by the common man. For example: the Inuit word igloo means house and can refer to the cabins made of sod that most Inuit occupy. Also, the word Eskimo is a misnomer meaning "eaters of raw flesh" given to the Inuit by the Algonquin Indians. This is a simple culture that remained undisturbed until whales became a precious commodity. Their isolation is slowly coming to an end as western civilization puts them into government housing and snowmobiles are increasing as a means of transportation. They are beautifully eccentric, and we must work to preserve their culture. References: "Seasons of the Eskimo: A Vanishing Way of Life" by Fred Bruemmer; Microsoft Encarta96 Encyclopedia; Microsoft Bookshelf.

Gender of Nouns in Spanish

Gender of Nouns in Spanish Just as maleness or femaleness is an inherent characteristic of most animals, so is gender an inherent characteristic of nouns in Spanish. With only a few exceptions, mostly those of occupations such as dentista, the gender of nouns doesnt change with the context, and a nouns gender determines the form of many adjectives that describe it. Key Takeaways: Spanish Noun Gender Nouns in Spanish can be classified as masculine or feminine. Adjectives and articles referring to a particular noun must have the same gender as the noun.Most nouns keep their gender regardless of the context in which they are used, so there are some masculine nouns that are used for things we may think of as feminine and vice versa.Although there are exceptions, nearly all nouns ending in -o are masculine and most nouns ending in -a are feminine. Grammatical Gender Not Tied to Biological Gender Although Spanish nouns are classified as either feminine or masculine, remember that there can be feminine nouns that describe things we think of as masculine, and vice versa. For example, una jirafa, which is feminine in form, refers to a giraffe whether its male or female, and persona (a feminine noun meaning person) can refer to men as well as women. For some, it might be easier to think of masculine and feminine as simply two classifications rather than giving them a sexual identity. Unlike German and some other Indo-European languages, Spanish has no neuter nouns, although there are uses for the gender as explained below The basic rule is that masculine nouns go with masculine adjectives and articles, and feminine nouns go with feminine adjectives and articles. (In English, the articles are a, an and the. Also note that in Spanish many adjectives dont have separate masculine and feminine forms.) And if you use a pronoun to refer to a masculine noun, you use a masculine pronoun; feminine pronouns refer to feminine nouns. Nouns and adjectives that end in -o (or -os for plurals) generally are masculine, and nouns and adjectives that end in -a (or -as for plurals) generally are feminine, although there are exceptions. For example, cada dà ­a means each day. Dà ­a (day) is a masculine noun; cada (each) can be either feminine or masculine. Since you cant always tell by looking at a noun or knowing its meaning whether its masculine or feminine, most dictionaries use notations (f or m) to indicate the gender. And its common in vocabulary lists to precede words with an el for masculine words and a la for feminine words. (El and la both mean the.) Here are examples that show some of the ways a nouns gender affects the usage of other words. the man: el hombre (masculine article, masculine noun)the woman: la mujer (feminine article, feminine noun)a man: un hombre (masculine article, masculine noun)a woman: una mujer (feminine article, feminine noun)the men: los hombres (masculine article, masculine noun)the women: las mujeres (feminine article, feminine noun)the fat man: el hombre gordo (masculine adjective, masculine noun)the fat woman: la mujer gorda (feminine adjective, feminine noun)some men: unos hombres (masculine determiner, masculine noun)some women: unas mujeres (feminine determiner, feminine noun)He is fat: Él es gordo. (masculine pronoun, masculine adjective)She is fat: Ella es gorda. (feminine pronoun, feminine adjective) If you have two or more nouns that are being described by a single adjective, and they are of mixed genders, the masculine adjective is used. El carro es caro, the car is expensive (masculine noun and adjective).La bicicleta es cara, the bicycle is expensive (feminine noun and adjective).El carro y la bicicleta son caros, the car and the bicycle are expensive (masculine and feminine nouns described by a masculine adjective). Using the Neuter Gender Although Spanish has a neuter gender, it isnt used for words listed in the dictionary as nouns.The neuter is used in two circumstances: A handful of neuter pronouns such as ello are used under limited circumstances as the equivalent of it, this, or that. Such pronouns dont refer to things whose names have gender, however, but rather to concepts or ideas.The neuter definite article lo can be placed before an adjective to create a phrase that functions as a neuter abstract noun. For example, lo difà ­cil can mean the difficult thing or that which is difficult.

International marketing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International marketing management - Essay Example Marketing has shifted from the traditional product centred view to a service centred view. It has further evolved into creating a new experience for the customer by providing unique values. Marketers, therefore segment, penetrate and promote goods with the objective of attracting customers (Vargo and Lusch 2004). Marketing mix as under 4 Ps does not attract a customer any longer as it is product oriented. Therefore relationship marketing has become more important because it moves marketing from transactional to relationship-based exchange. Relationship marketing brings about a new integration into the marketing dimension. With advances made in technology global trade has changed. The customer that was passive in the past has become interactive, becoming connected replacing his isolation and changed into informed from being unaware. Earlier in the seventies and eighties a large parts of the world were controlled economies, especially those of China and India.

BUSINESS PROPOSAL FOR LEXILIAP FASHION BOUTIQUE Research Paper

BUSINESS PROPOSAL FOR LEXILIAP FASHION BOUTIQUE - Research Paper Example This proposal therefore illustrates the various economic factors that will influence the operations of Lexiliap Fashion Boutique. This report lays particular emphasis on the economic dynamics of the proposed fashion boutique by including assumptions about the elasticity of demand and the market structure in the operational environment. Revenue To begin, revenue is an important factor for the success of Lexiliap Fashion Boutique. Capozzi (2013) highlights the importance of looking at the revenue prospects of a fashion boutique by recognizing the challenges of setting up and deriving gains from one. Fashion boutiques present a challenge to owners because they should find a balance between attracting and retaining customers on one hand whereas striving to achieving or even surpassing the set revenue limits (Gerring, 2007). The fashion boutique intends to use multifaceted promotional campaign to ensure that it drives sales volumes that will surely lead to increased volumes. In particular , the boutique will have an active online presence that will make sure that many clients are targeted and are aware of the enterprise’s products (Ferguson, 2008). Market segmentation strategies will be used to ensure that promotions are custom made to target the youth, women, men and children separately. The shop will also offer competitive pricing so that customers from competing firms are attracted. Determining the Profit-Maximizing Quantity The boutique will deal with different fashion items and accessories. As such, the challenge is to constitute a viable and standard profit maximizing quantity for each of the items. Since items like jewelry and clothing may have defects especially when volume purchases are used to source for the products, the proposed structure relies on this conditionality to propose a standard quantity to be ascertained. Given a unit cost of 10 USD, each product’s price; is it a dress, pant, bangle or ring will be compared against the unit cost value. Taking into consideration that the more items are sold, the higher the revenue; the report then sets the revenue threshold at 100USD meaning ten unit items. As a result, the more valued the item in the boutique, the lower will be its profit maximizing quantity. The projected dollar value for the business is shown in Appendix 1. Profit Maximization Profit maximization is at the core of any enterprise’s operations (Mankiw, 2011). The proposed Fashion Boutique will ensure that there is value for customers on one hand, and value to the owner on the other. To be able to strike this delicate balance between satisfying the needs of the customer whilst maximizing the profits needed for business growth. The marginal cost and marginal revenue concept can be applied to illustrate the technique that will be used to ensure profit maximization. This will be done mainly in the area of stocking for some commodities. Given that fashion industry is dynamic, it is important to stock the current trends for profit maximization (Boyes & Melvin, 2011). As a result, the boutique will review fast moving products and stock them in large number to derive more gains from the sales volumes resulting from the trending items. This is in accordance with the concept that marginal revenue should always be equal to marginal cost for profit maximization (Taylor, 2006). Subsequently, the boutique will require market information on the trending products. This can be obtained from relevant agencies, the media and other

Documenting the Media Revolution Research Paper - 1

Documenting the Media Revolution - Research Paper Example However, the advent of the computer era and the development of various electronic based gadgets have allowed man to finally come up with an alternative to print media. I speak of the eBook readers that come bundled with most of our smartphones and tablet PC's. This paper will take a look into the history of the eBook, what gadgets existed prior to the advent of the modern day eBook reader, and how the technology has made reading a more interactive activity these days. eBooks first appeared on the market back in 1998. The precursor of today's readers were the Softbook and Gemstar Rocket eBook Reader. These particular readers did not easily catch on at the time since most people were still adapting to the internet and paperless era so very little attention if any were actually paid to the launch of these readers. However, the year 2000 launch of Stephen King's horror novel Ride the bullet in pure eBook format called attention to the up and coming technology. By 2003, eBooks and readers were still trying to break into the market as paper books still remain the traditional favorite. by July, Gemstar is merely a footnote in the history of the readers while Barnes and Noble pulls out eBooks from their stores. Critics then begin to predict the beginning of the end for the digital reader format. But the technology gains a new life with the advent of the Sony Librie which is a marked improvement upon its predecessors since it now uses electronic ink and has managed to reduce the backlight glare thus allowing the reader to show the same type of actual ink quality for the reader. By 2007, the Kindle is released and everyone now knows that the eBook reader is here to stay. From that point on other ebook reader devices such as the Nook come into market play. (Kozlowski, Michael â€Å"A Brief History of eBooks†). Even print book manufacturers cannot help but acknowledge that the eBook is fast edging out its physical format competitor in terms of book sales. According to research done by the Pew Research Center: The population of e-book readers is growing. In the past year, the number of those who read e-books increased from 16% of all Americans ages 16 and older to 23%. At the same time, the number of those who read printed books in the previous 12 months fell from 72% of the population ages 16 and older to 67%. (Rainie, Lee & Duggan Maeve â€Å"E-Book Reading Jumps; Print Book Reading Declines†) If one were to think about it, the rise of the eBook reader was actually something that was going to happen eventually. Our society is fast becoming a very tech savvy, gadget obsessed group that is constantly on the look out for the next big gadget that can make their lives easier. In this case, the eBook reader came across at just the right time. People were already conditioned to reading newspapers and other material via the internet and through their computer screens that using the eBook reader was not something that people feared anymore. The technology also found itself vastly improved thanks to the constantly evolving structure of the laptops as well. Newspapers and book publishers acknowledged the fact that there was more money for them to make through the electronic publication of their newspapers and books, so it is easy to surmise that the publishing sector also had a direct hand in the decision of their subscribers to switch to the eBook version of their reading material. (Fowler, Geoffrey & Baca, Marie â€Å"The ABC's of E-Reading). One reason that people are

Organizational Culture and Decision Making

Organizational Culture and Decision Making Introduction. Decision making is an important part to operator a company successfully, in the same time the organizational culture also can influence the company somehow, and the organizational culture can been considered as the centre theme of the whole company because of it describe and explain what the company is and what the company need to do. Decision making also can be influenced by the organizational culture. The concept of organizational culture To define organizational culture, people should understand what culture means in a society. In a broad sense, culture is the summation of spiritual values and material values which was recognized and formed in the historical activities of the society.In a narrow sense, culture is the ideology and the organization, rules which matched with it. But the organizational culture is different from the culture in traditional meaning, and it is the result of effect from serval elements such as the awareness, character, habit of the member in the organization and their scientific and cultural level(See Schien,1985).Organizational culture is the beliefs and values that are shared. As such, the culture prescribe what is true, and describe and, therefore, the goals one ought to pursue and how one should go about pursuing them.(Beyer,1981) And the organizational culture is based on the organization, and forming with the organization or dying with the organization, it exist no matter it has been pr esented.(Nystrom W. H. Starbuck) As a kind of culture which formed in a organization, organizational culture can be influenced by the managers, and that is why the organizational culture is a part of management. It is based on the organizational values, (Wikipedia, Organizational culture, 2010) and the organizational values is ruled and controlled by the manager-CEO(Chief Executive Officer). In the other words, the organizational culture is created by the CEO. There are several types of organizational culture, and they can be classified by several methods. According to Geert Hofstedes research on IBMs employees in different parts of the world. He identified four dimensions of culture. 1.Power distance 2.Uncertainty avoidance 3.Individualism vs. Collectivism 4.Masculinity vs. Femininity.(Hofstede G. 1980). On the other hand, there are some elements of organizational culture People and empowerment focused Value creation through innovation and change Attention to the basics, hands-on management, Doing the right thing, Freedom to grow and to fail, Commitment and personal responsibility, Emphasis on the future. (Wikipedia,Organizational culture, 2010) All of these elements are important in the forming process of organizational culture, and they can not be copied so each organizational culture is unique and an organizational culture is improving all the time The effect of organizational culture on decision making Since the definition of organizational culture has been gave, it has become more easy to analysis the relationship between organizational culture and decision making. There is no doubt that the decisions were made by the empolyee in the organization, according to the definition of organizational culture, the organizational culture influence the member.Organizational culture can be divided into strong organizational cultures and weak organizational cultures. A strong organizational culture means the organizational culture can influence the organization more deeply than weak organizational culture. Whether organizational culture is strong or weak can be relate to the original culture, the scale of the organization, the liquidity of employees and the employee. As a result, a strong culture can decide how the staffs who have a unitive attitude respond to the stimulus, on the other hand,with a weak culture of the organization, staffs have different attitudes and responds. That means a same decision can make different effects in two organization if the organizational cultures are differentin the organization with a strong culture, the decision would be accepted easily,and in the organization with a weak culture, the staffs may doubt the decision and that make the decision implement hard. (CambellNash,1992) So, the organizational culture influences decisions by its members and the way in which it influences its members acceptance or rejection of the decision. That means when the manager making decision, he or she must consider more thing to ensure the decision can work out efficient. As a organization, especially a organization with a strong organizational culture, organizational culture can limit the managers choices to make decision to manage his or her management function. Because the organizational culture establish the regulations about what people should do or should not do. Although the regulations are not write down, even not explicit or people do not talk about, they are exist and influence people all the time. The first hypothesis is that different groups can be demonstrated to have different degrees of culture fragmentation, and that this will either reflect or be reflected in their general well-being and success in pursuit of their goals.(Lee Roy Beach 1998) Decision making in organizations is accomplished by application of both the compatibility test and the profitability test, in precisely the same way as for individual decision makers.(Lee Roy Beach, 1998) This is because the organizational culture, vision, and strategic plans are possessed by its members; there is no organizational mind that retains there images and makes decisions(Beach, 1990) There are many commons in individual decision making between organizational decision making. All of the two type of decision maker must consider about environment, the whole plan of the business, and the danger. But decision making in an organization can be more difficult, because the decision can bring changes, and members of this organization may have resist or welcome two completely different attitude. In turn to conservative, nostalgia, maintain organization, people always based on past the criterion for judging now decisions, always worried in change will lose what will occur, thus to dou bt and fear and changes of psychology and behavior; organ-tissues Conversely, in a pioneering, innovation atmosphere organization, people always with the development the judgement to analysis and decision of rationality, always hope in May produce change, so eager to get what changes, welcome change, support changes. Obviously, welcome change of organizational culture conducive to the implementation of the new decision, and resist change of organizational culture may give any new decision-making implementation disastrous effects. In the latter case, in order to effectively implement the new decision through a lot of work, must first change organization member attitudes, establishing a conducive to change of organizational culture. How an organizational culture enhance a company The organizational culture is core of a organization. For example, the worlds first brand-Coca-Cola Company. Its boss said: Even today all of my factory all destroyed, tomorrow I also can easily built a new one Coca-Cola. That is because the Coca-Colas organizational culture give him the confidence. The general organizational culture is creative and focus on customer. All the decision making processes must focus on these two points. In China, Coca-Cola set up its brands such as Allen su and Qoo to pander to Chinese customer, even Coca-Cola has become the leader of the drink, but they still not give up creating. In 1995 German, the management of Coca-Cola decided to set up a new subsidiary corporation to produce a kind of new drink-koke light and diet koke. That was a result of the organizational culture influence,and the koke light has become the third drink brand in the world. Another example of Coca-Cola organizational culture is the found of Fanta. In World War II, a Coca-Cola fac tory in German insisted produced coke during the war, even the headquarter of Coca-Cola did not know they were still working. But because the shortage of raw materials, they decided to use other materials to produce another orange soda drink, and what make them surprise is the drink achieved a great success and earned a number of profits. This decision made Coca-Cola reborn in European, principals use of these funds, and assisted other European territory Coca-Cola drink plant rebuilding operation, for Coca-Cola postwar market solid foundation. While Fanta was also corporation acceptance, in the 1950s officially launched. (Wikipedia, Fanta, 2010) That is why the organizational culture makes Coca-Cola become the first drink brand whose share of market is 48% in the world. How the organizational culture can save a company Organizational culture not only can make Coca-Cola maintain its overlordship in the market but also can save a small company from the predicament of going bankrupt. In 1980s, Haier is a company which only had a little factory and a backward product line, even worse the small company had debt of over ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¥1.4 million. The Zhang Ruimin took over the company and pushed new management methods, put the attention on creativity. After years hard working, Zhang managed to create a new organizational culture, it made Haier refleash on the stage. As a result of focus on creativity, Haier produced more than 200 types including 13 areas. Now, Haier build more than 29 factory and 8 research centre. In 2008,Haier was appraised as the first brand of Chinese consumer electronics industry. Haier brand topped the top two consecutive years, reflect the Haiers international influence. (Jeannie Jinsheng Yi,Shawn Xian Ye, 2003) How can the organizational culture undermine decisionmaking On the other hand, an organizational culture not only can benefits a lot for a organization but also destroy an organization. Motorola, one of three world communication leaders, it can be recognized as the origin of the mobile phone and telecommunication. Almost all the modern communication technologies can refer to the contributions of Motorola, and Motorola had the largest share of market. But in recent years, the sale performance of Motorola keeps dropping, and the lack of creative lead to the product is repetitive and no advantage when compared with other same kind of products from other company. In an interview of Business Weekly, the CEO of Motorola-Greg Brow summarized the reasons. He said;Among the departments of lack of a free flowing communication. We need to quickly and no filtering the level of free flow of information flow, rather than information is divided into different levels. We should be in technology and products trends as soon as possible to face reality.Successf ul enterprise could hear sounds from both within and outside the enterprise. They are not only depending on technical level, level or search process, but different opinions, and seeking and user most close to the practical needs. They zhongsheng in observing the whole to the developing tendency of the market continuously, and examine the enterprise internal execution and resilience.(Business Weekly ,2009) From the interview, it is not hard to see the organizational culture made the negative effect on the decision making which lead Motrorla went downhill. The overconfidence and wrong forces on the requirement of customer results the share of market decreased from 100% to 4% in 1995 ,and in 1998, the Nokia announced they has become the biggest electric communication company in the world. The three examples of how the organizational culture affect on the decision making, all showed the organizational culture plays an important role in decision making. The managers should adjust the decision to blend in the organizational culture or make decision according to the organizational culture, only this way can make the decision work out more successfully and efficiently. Conclusion In this essay, it is not hard to understand the organizational culture is so important that it can influence the development of the company in the future. An organizational culture can be strong or weak, a weak organizational culture makes the cohesive force low in enterprises, and a strong organizational culture makes more influence than a weak organizational culture, but that does not mean the organizational culture is more stronger is better.The organizational culture affects the decision making in two ways, one way is the organizational culture influences the atmosphere in the organization or encourage the staffs and direct them how to achieve the goals. Another way is to establish the regulations, it may make employees act more carefully in the organization, but it also limits the vision of employees to make right decision.

Discrimination Against The Elderly :: essays research papers fc

Discrimination against the Elderly American society has been described as maintaining a stereotypic and often negative perception of older adults. This negative and/or stereotypic perception of aging and aged individuals is apparent in such areas as language, media, and humor. For example, such commonly used phrases as over the hill and an old fart denote old age as a period of impotency and incompetence. The term used to describe this stereotypic and often negative bias against older adults is ageism. Ageism can be defined as "any attitude, action, or institutional structure, which subordinates a person or group because of age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age"(Webster 25). As an ism, ageism reflects a prejudice in society against older adults. The victims of bigotry and prejudice are generally referred to as minorities. This is not because they are necessarily fewer in number, but because they are deprived of the rights and privileges of the majority (the Aged 4). Ageism, however, is different from other isms (sexism, racism etc.), for primarily two reasons. First, age classification is not static. An individual's age classification changes as one progresses through life. Therefore, age classification is characterized by continual change, while the other classification systems traditionally used by society such as race and gender remain constant. From this we can conclude that denial of old age is a principal source of bigotry against those who are old now (the Aged 4). Second, no one is exempt from at some point achieving the status of old. Unless they die at an early age, they will experience ageism. The later is an important distinction as ageism can affect an individual on two levels. First, the individual may be ageist with respect to others. That is they may stereotype other people on the basis of age. Second, the individual may be ageist with respect to self so ageist attitudes may affect the self-concept. â€Å"We live in a culture that reveres youth. To be young is to be alive, sexy, and full of energy. To be old is to be "senile," "worthless," and having "one foot in the grave"†(Online 1). This is the attitude most often seen in modern society. In general there are at least nine known major stereotypes that reflect prejudice towards senior citizens. These include illness, impotency, ugliness, mental decline, mental illness, uselessness, isolation, poverty and depression(Ageism 20).

Ipremier and Denial of Service Attack †Case Study Essay

In a recent Information Management lecture we went through the case of iPremier (read the full case) which is a popular case study from Harvard Business School. It was a made up case but the recent high profile hacking stories (such as Gawker) show that companies are not taking security seriously. The background is that iPremier suffered a DOS attack in the middle of the night which caused chaos in the company. After an hour the attack stopped and the company went back to business as normal. Two weeks later another DOS attack was spawned from the company’s server directed at a competitor which proved that their server had been compromised. The FBI became involved, the competitor threatened to sue and the city analysts were thinking of downgrading the stock. Our role was to come up with recommendations as to how the processes and plans could be improved for the future. Keeping in mind that the security is about more than just technology we needed to brainstorm around people and processes as well. 1. People and processes Develop a business continuity plan (test it end to end including suppliers and keep it updated) Develop an IT governance framework that includes security in its remit Develop clear reporting lines Better training for emergencies Trust your technical leaders and make sure they have the resources to lead in a crisis Make security part of strategy Hire an independent audit team who report into the board Hire a security and risk expert Develop a better relationship with your hosting provider 2. Technology Avoid single points of failure. Separate the server stack so that database, web and file servers are not on the same network Use a reputable hosting provider with a world class infrastructure and support Make sure all your software is up to date Use a combination of hardware and or software firewalls Backup and redundancy planning and testing Active monitoring Strong one-way encryption of passwords Use open auth systems such as Facebook connect