The Controversy Of Eugenics And Genetic Engineering

Throughout history, mankind has sought to understand itself. We question why we exist and what our role in the universe is, even though we may never receive an answer. One of these problems that humanity has yet to fully understand is evolution, which is the process of a species undergoing changes that suit their environment through multiple generations. However, in the last 150 years, humanity has made great strides in the science of genetics. In that time, there have been some subjects that have been highly controversial: eugenics and genetic engineering. The history of these topics is colored with ethical and moral quandaries that have been topics for fierce debates since the early 1900s, and they continue to this day. Eugenics was†¦show more content†¦Many of these countries, even the United States, adopted eugenic practices. One such practice was sterilizing those deemed â€Å"mentally unfit† to reproduce, attempting to eliminate mental disabilities as a result. However, these practices fell out of favor with the public due to the rise of Nazism and the atrocities of the Holocaust, where eugenics was used to a radical extreme. It wouldn’t be long, however, for genetics to return to the forefront of scientific research, thanks to the discovery of DNA’s helical structure by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953 (Pray). This discovery would later lead Watson to assume the first director position for the Human Genome Project, an ambitious international research project started in 1990 that sought to map out the entire human genome, until his departure in 1992 (â€Å"A Brief History†). This thirteen-year project ended in the successful mapping of the underestimated 20,500 genes that make up a human’s genome and â€Å"has given the world a resource of detailed information about the structure, organization and function of the complete set of human genes† (â€Å"An Overview†). In modern times, eugenics ha s evolved into genetic engineering, and it is still as controversial a topic as it was in the 1940s. But why is that so? Surely if the option to change a negative trait about someone existed, such as eliminating a genetic disease like Huntington’s Disease, why would someone want to oppose that? MyShow MoreRelatedGenetic Modification Is The New Eugenics1441 Words   |  6 PagesHunan Genetic Modification is the New Eugenics The science of eugenics was widely used during the 20th century in the United States to strategically eliminate the reproductive rights of women who were deemed inferior on the social ladder (â€Å"What is Eugenics?†). Some women of color, women with disabilities, and women from lower financial classes were sterilized for permanent birth control, and sometimes without their consent or knowledge (â€Å"What is Eugenics?†). The eugenics movement was aimed to promoteRead MoreThe Science Of Eugenics Movement1423 Words   |  6 PagesThe science of eugenics was widely used during the 20th century in the United States to strategically eliminate the reproductive rights of women who were deemed inferior on the social ladder (â€Å"What is Eugenics?†). Some women of color, women with disabilities, and women from lower financial classes were sterilized for permanent birth control, and sometimes without their consent or knowledge (â€Å"What is Eugenics?†). The eug enics movement was aimed to promote selective human features in order to increaseRead MoreThe Controversies Of Gene Therapy1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe Controversies of Gene Therapy Demolishing genetic diseases from the human race has been and always will be a key role in science. However, there comes a point in time when moral standards have interjected the betterment of cleansing genetic diseases. One of the many branches of science that has the complete capability to exterminate our destiny of any genetic diseases, gene therapy, is being silenced due to the curse of society’s moral standards. There is a very narrow line in what is not morallyRead MoreAnalysis of the Bioethical Issues in Gattaca Essay836 Words   |  4 Pagescontroversial issue in Gattaca is the use of genetic engineering technology in humans to create a more perfect society; this is, essentially, a new method of Eugenics. Another related issue seen in the movie is that of pre-natal selection. Through the use of the same or similar technologies, parents are able to choose the characteristics with which their children will be born. The controversy of these issues stems from the immense potential in genetic sciences for both positive use and harmful misuseRead MoreEugenics: Improving The Human Race? Essay1128 Words   |  5 Pagesoffspring is called eugenics. It is better understood as the process of selective breeding can improve human society. The term eugenics is from the greek, meaning â€Å"well-born†. The idea of eugenics is to have a society be abundant with many wanted traits, during a movement called the melting pot where people tried to solve their problems with the use of technology. Inquiries into Human Faculty and Its Development, is the book in which Sir Francis Galton first mentioned the term eugenics. In the book heRead MoreEssay about The Ethical Controversy of Gene Therapy 1590 Words   |  7 Pagesunpredictable technology. The major ethical controversy is whether to alter the natural human genetic structure. Many researchers were successful in curing both the genetic and non-genetic diseases by altering the somatic cells of the individual. It has been accepted as a good practice. The main reason is only the individual in question receives the altered somatic cells but it will not pass to his off-spring. Thus it doesn’t change the original genetic structure of that individual. Public debateRead MoreThe Ethical Debate Surrounding Eugenics2159 Words   |  9 PagesAbstract The term and concept of Eugenics was introduced into our society dating back to the year 1883, by Francis Galton, cousin of Darwin (Harvard Law Review, 2004). Since that year, throughout history and into our current time the study and debate surrounding Eugenics has taken many forms, but controversy as society developed a better understanding of its concept, has grown in epic proportions. Today we are subjected to constant debates of the pros and cons of Eugenics and its study and use in healthcareRead MoreGenetic Engineering1896 Words   |  8 PagesThrough the exploration of these inherited materials, scientists have ventured into the recent, and rather controversial, field of genetic engineering. It is described as the artificial modification of the genetic code of a living organism, and involves the manipulation and alteration of inborn characteristics by humans (Lanza). Like many other issues, genetic engineering has sparked a heated debate. Some people believe that it has th e potential to become the new miracle tool of medicine. To othersRead More`` Let s Play God ! Gene Drives Could Be A Powerful New Tool892 Words   |  4 PagesGenetic engineering is a powerful tool that can be used to accomplish a multitude of tasks. From species population control to ensuring certain traits in a human baby, there isn’t a lot that genetic engineering can’t do. It is becoming more and more acceptable to genetically engineer organisms as our knowledge on the subject grows. There have been experiments manipulating entire ecosystems by introducing a genetically modified organism into it. It’s even possible to change tiny details allRead MoreThe Human Genome Project Led By James Watson1308 Words   |  6 Pagespeople in our lives die from hereditary diseases and our genetic makeup is almost completely responsible for the traits we are born with and unfortunately stuck with. However the genes and genetic predispositions responsible for these c ommon and rare hereditary diseases have been identified, which allows diagnosis of these diseases in prenatal stages. What if we as humans could choose to improve ourselves and our offspring by a series of genetic testing and germline gene therapy to produce a genetically

The Effects Of Low Socioeconomic Status On Health And...

Countless studies have concluded that low socioeconomic status (SES) predicts poor health among adults(Adler, Boyce, Chesney, Folkman, Syme, n.d.) and adolescents.(Finkelstein, Kubzansky, Goodman, 2006; Goodman, 1999; Starfield B, Riley AW, Witt WP, Robertson, 2002) Objective measures of SES such as level of education, income, and occupation are most commonly used to document these SES disparities.(Shavers VL, 2007) However, subjective social status (SSS) may also be a relevant predictor of health, independent of SES and in some cases a potentially better predictor. (Adler NE, Epel ES, Castellazzo G, Ickovics, 2000; Aneshensel CS, Sucoff, 1996) Indeed, there is a growing body of research regarding individual’s perceptions of their placement in the social hierarchy and how these perceptions relate to health and health behaviors.(Adler NE, Epel ES, Castellazzo G, Ickovics, 2000; Aneshensel CS, Sucoff, 1996) Assessing one’s perceived social status may more completely c apture the cumulative influences of social hierarchy on health by taking into account earlier life circumstances, group experiences, family history, and perceived future trajectories in a way that SES is unable to.(R. G. Wilkinson, 1999; R. Wilkinson, 1999) High SSS has been shown to be a protective factor against poor health in adult populations.(Adler NE, Epel ES, Castellazzo G, Ickovics, 2000; Aneshensel CS, Sucoff, 1996) However, the mechanisms between SSS and health in younger populations are notShow MoreRelatedReducing The Spread Of Obesity814 Words   |  4 Pagesamong social ties. Cigarette use was incredibly common four decades ago, but smoking prevalence has dramatically declined. Cigarette smoking cessation is an example of a positive health contagion, where cessation spread rapidly through networks and pushed smokers to the outside of the network (Christakis Fowler, 2008). A health contagion has not yet appeared to combat the majority of high BMI networks, but there are promising signals. Obesity-related intervention strategies have displayed significantlyRead MoreEffects Of Low Socioeconomic Status On Mental Health1440 Words   |  6 Pageslinked socioeconomic status to mental health, especially in children and adolescents. Low poverty levels have been specifically identified as a key causal factor in developing mental health problems in children. There has been much discussion over the different theories as to why this is the case, but only two of these theories seem to hold a lot of evidence. Certain interventions and preventative measures can be employed in order to improve an individual’s mental health by altering socioeconomic statusRead MoreSocioeconomic Status And Health Care933 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to About.com (Elizabeth Boskey, 2014), socioeconomic status is defined as a arrangement of elements including income, level of education, and occupation. It is a way of looking at how individuals or families fit into society using economic and so cial measures that have been shown to influence individuals health and well-being. Socioeconomic status is broken into three categories: high, middle, and low social economic status. These three categories are used to describe the three areasRead MoreThe Effects Of Stress From Socioeconomic Status And Postsecondary Educational Attainment1083 Words   |  5 Pages the effects of stress from socioeconomic status and postsecondary educational attainment. SAWAT PHANTHAVADY A Child cannot choose the life their born into. For some this means a life of poverty and uncertainty. This group is classified as having a low Socioeconomic Status (SES). Children are the once affected the most in this in this category. They are faced with negative caregivers, malnutrition, toxic environment and stress causing their brain structureRead MoreInfluences on the Health of a Community1152 Words   |  5 PagesInfluences on the Health of a Community The health of a community is influenced by many factors including the social, cultural, and ethnic mix of the community, varying individual belief and moral systems, and the impact of political and economic factors to name a few. Strong social community associations, affiliations, and ties, within the interior of the community also influence the overall health of the community collective. Additional influences are the actual physical environment, surroundingsRead MoreThe Prevention Of Diastolic Blood Pressure1156 Words   |  5 Pageseducation Effects on CVD Gupta et al.,(2017) conducted a study to detect the impacts of socioeconomic status factors were also analyzed. The relationship between socioeconomic status such as, household income, level of education and social alertness of hypertension between low and middle income countries in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. They started the experiment by given a baseline survey to the participants. Their findings indicated that there was limited study conducted among the low and middleRead MoreFood Environments And Childhood Weight Status : Effects Of Neighborhood Median Income1148 Words   |  5 Pages, †¦ Taveras, E. M. (2015). Food Environments and Childhood Weight Status: Effects of Neighborhood Median Income. Childhood Obesity, 11(3), 260–268. http://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2014.0139 Fiechtner, Sharifi, Sequist, Block, Duncan, Melly and Taveras (2015) studied the relationship between childhood obesity, neighborhood median income, and surrounding food environments. Median neighborhood income is a variable of socioeconomic status (SES). Food environments were broken down into grocery stores, restaurantsRead MoreHealth Concerns Among The Indigenous Community1486 Words   |  6 PagesHealth Concern 1 – Inequities among the Indigenous Community Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health inequity occurs across all health areas and many areas of health continue to get worse. Whilst there have been recent gains, the gap is widening as the health of other Australians improves faster. With the gap between aboriginals growing cancer rates has become a major issue among the indigenous community. The crisis facing Indigenous health has a long and complex history. It continues largelyRead MoreChild Abuse Prevention And Treatment Act1159 Words   |  5 Pagesmental health professionals in real-world situations, however, the definition of abuse may vary according to the developmental age of the child victim, the frequency or intensity of the behaviors regarded as abusive, the degree of intentionality, and a consideration of extenuating circumstances (Child Abuse, Primavera). Discipline is that act of training a child in accordance with rules (Online Etymology). Although each parent is rightfully given the authority to correct their child’s behavior, thereRead More The Effect of Social Organization on Everyday Life and Health824 Words   |  4 PagesThe Effect of Social Organization on Everyday Life and Health Most people do not think about their health or issues revolving around their health until they are actually ill or people think that their health is only affected by biological factors. However, our health should be a focus in our lives because our daily life has an affect on our health. Illness does not only have biological causes but is also influenced by social factors such as the socially imposed roles of gender and socioeconomic

Secret Recipe Plan free essay sample

After the authorization of Secret Recipe as a title of our assignment by respected lecturer, we would able to start assignment on time. Our team of 8 members has been queried to assess the market for Secret Recipe in order to develop a marketing strategy with properly planning’s for the Secret Recipe. The main objective of we doing this report is to identify the Secret Recipe currently management and communication level in business in order to develop an successful marketing planning in future for our evaluation of assignment . We did this through completing a market analysis, determining the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat that Secret Recipe facing currently. As we know, the Secret Recipe Cakes and Cafe have established their brand name in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, China, and Brunei. The purpose of this business plan is to analyze the strategic planning for Secret Recipe Cakes and Cafe. The strategic planning is able to help the Secret Recipe Cakes and Cafe to expand and build the brand name and increase the company sales and profit. Across Malaysia the cafe business has seen an explosion growth in these few years. In our market research, there are few competitors such as Old Town Cafe, QSR branch, Starbucks and Coffee Beans provide the food and beverage service. The explosion growth in cafe business provides the variety choice for customers to dine out. Therefore, company should be able to provide the food and service based on the domestic consumer behaviour. The Secret Recipe cafe has over 150 outlets throughout Malaysia and Asia. The distribution channel through the franchise is able the Secret Recipe product distribute equally and efficiently. In the analysis report, the current trend in Malaysia is the customers prefer dining outside from their home these days. Nowadays, the consumers are more concerned the quality of food and services. In addition, the customers have the purchasing power due to higher wages and good financial background but some portion of lower income level customer will have the constraint upon purchasing power. MISSION The mission of the Secret Recipe cafe is to redefine the lifestyle by setting the benchmark in specialty cake, fusion food and services. On the other hands, the Secret Recipe cafe also combats to produce the high and standard quality to increase the brand value. In enhance to increase the customer’s satisfaction and serve premium quality products. VISION The Secret Recipe cafe strives to success to increase the brand awareness and good brand impression. The cafe strives to control and self regulate on the food and service quality. The core values proposed by the Secret Recipe cafe Quality The principle of Secret Recipe Cafe is to maintain the food and beverage quality to maintain good relationship with customers. This is because the Secret Recipe Cafe produces their cake and food with quality ingredients to lead the high satisfaction for the customers. Dedication This is normal a company to maximize performance and productivity in business. The company should be setting the goals, focusing the result, and obligation on to earn the profits to maintain the growth of the company. Besides that, the company should not focus on the short term gain but long term profitability. Concept The Secret Recipe Cafe having the unique concept in the food menu and cakes. Besides that, the Secret Recipe cafe assists the domestic and international food and beverages. The Secret Recipe produces the food and beverage according to the culture and behaviour of the customers. Service The friendly, quality and unique service will distinguish apart from the other competitors. The service will help the company to maintain relationship with their customers. Result oriented The feedback and the complaints from the customers will influence the management and operation of the company. It is importance to gauge the growth of the company. Secret Recipe has successfully established in brand name in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Brunei and Australia by virtue of its fine quality cakes, fusion food and distinctive service. A leading and largest cafe chain in Malaysia, with Halal certification awarded by Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JKIM), Secret Recipe in committed to continue to adhere to the standards of preparations of all food and processing plant in the restaurant in accordance to the regulatory guideline including HACCP and VHM guidelines. Customers can always enjoy in confidence from more than 20 types of fusion food, 40 cakes creations and pastries, with a flavourful range of ice cream and beverages offered in all Secret Recipe outlets. In a short period of 13 years, Secret Recipe has experienced a rapid growth of over 150 cafes throughout the region. Secret Recipe continuously strives to surplus its own accomplishments and to be recognized as a leader in the industry. Goal The goal of Secret Recipe is to constantly provide the best and quality goods and excellent customer service. Besides that, they also hope to provide the highest satisfaction to all its valued customers. For example, they gather personal information in the registration form so that with this information, they can understand the customer’s needs and wants much better and provide a more enhanced and personalized shopping experience for them on their internet store in the future. Personal information is kept solely for internal marketing and billing purposes only. Focus Secret Recipe delivers a high-quality meal quickly, at a reasonable price, and is deeply focused on server- customer interaction. However, Secret Recipe was concerned that its traditional system of handwritten orders and cash registers was restricting the chain’s potential for growth. Culture Secret Recipe had very much focused on brand building early on. It created its own logo, corporate colour, marketing strategies, uniforms, menu layout, interior design and customer service standards. To be different, Secret Recipe identifies the features of a brand that can extend beyond. These features are what make a brand truly unique and distinctive compared with its competitors. Strength The products offered at Secret Recipe are high in standard and quality, which specially crafted and tailored by the Secret Recipe. The products are also closely monitored to maintain their quality at their production plant and the restaurant also offers wide selections of secret recipe of home-made cakes, baked desserts, beverages, fusion foods and many others. Weaknesses Even though the range of prices offered at Secret Recipe is affordable, but it is only focused to serve the middle income group and higher. Lower income group may not have the ability and chances to try their product and decrease the number of customer they could acquire. Macro-environmental Pest Analysis Political Malaysia is a federal parliamentary monarchy, the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the head of government, and there is multi-party system. The Party in Power The ruling party, which is also a coalition, is the  Barisan Nasional (National Front) consisting of  United Malays National Organization (UMNO)  and 13 other parties, most of which are ethnically based. Other parties include  Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Islam se Malaysia (PAS)  and  Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). In total there are more than 30 registered political parties, all of which are represented in the federal parliament. Taxes The major proportion of government revenue comes from taxes, totalling 76 percent of revenue in 1999 (46 percent from  direct taxes  and 30 percent from  indirect taxes). In 1999, the  income tax  rate was 28 percent for both resident and non-resident companies; however, companies resident in Malaysia have tax exemption on income brought in from abroad. The Malaysian government has introduced a number of initiatives for manufacturing activities, tourism, the agricultural sector, transportation, and communication. Trade Policy Trade policy is to pursue trade liberalization through the rule-based multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization (WTO). Free trade agreements (FTAs) have traditionally been confined to trade in goods. However, after the establishment of the WTO, trade in services has been included in many FTAs. FDI /FII structure Malaysia government has a generally favourable attitude toward foreign investment, especially regarding projects that facilitate technology transfers, create high skilled jobs and contribute capital to economy. New ventures in the manufacturing sector may be 100% foreign owned, the financial sector is being liberalized and capitol controls on overseas investments have been relaxed. Any FDI that seeks to acquire assets in Malaysia including ownership of businesses without giving clear benefit to Malaysians will be actively discouraged. All industrial projects must be approved by the Malaysian Industrial Development Agency (MIDA) which has lately stopped granting approvals in what it views as low productivity industries.

Power In Society Essays - Marxism, Marxian Economics, Socialism

Power In Society A world of system designed to keep people in unjust and unequal positions is held in place by several interrelated expression of power over: political power, economic power, physical force, and ideological power (Bishop, 1994: 36). So, we can say power is defined as a possession of control, authority or influence over others. In terms of power of dominant groups over subordinate groups, we define power as domination of one group of people over another in major important spheres of life. Power inequities have been in existence throughout the history of humanity and the ways of manifestation evolved from extreme overt oppression to subtle, covert oppression. Three major forms of power inequalities discussed in this paper are based on property (class), domination whites over others (race) and men over women (gender). Property owners as a dominant group have power over a subordinate group who do not own property. Karl Marx, one of the greatest economists of the XIX century, defines domination from the purely economic point of view. To Marx, a class is defined according to the ownership and control of the means of production; and therefore two major classes present in capitalism are bourgeoisie and proletariat. Bourgeoisie owns and controls the means of production. Proletariat, on the other hand, owns nothing and it sells its labour as a commodity in return for money. The power presented here is this constant antagonism between those who own and control and those who do not possess the means of production. By possessing control over these means of production, they ultimately control labour force itself. Bourgeoisie makes proletariat to work long hours with less pay, makes workers comparative with jobs, and alienated workers just make enough for living. For if you are forced to sell your labour forc e as a commodity in order to survive, you are treated by those who buy this same commodity not differently that any other commodity available on the market that is necessary for the multiplication of capital. In Marx's time, workers lacked bargaining power through unions, legal strikes or sabotage (Grabb, 1997: 17). As a result, they could not form a united front against employers, and give themselves a power of collective resistance. In our society, we still can recognize basic elements of Marx's theory. Today, at the end of twentieth century, capitalism is still a strong and developed system that will most likely remain to be so for some time. One thing that has changed is that through the establishment of workers unions, the gap between bourgeoisie and workers has narrowed. The 8-hour work - 8-hour rest - 8-hour sleep system that Marx proposed seems to be in place in many of the countries around the world. Despite these accomplishments, the power over subordinate group still exist. Grabb argues that oppression on the class basis may seem absent in capitalist societies today, because workers are legally free to choose whether or not to accept to work for a capitalist (Grabb, 1997: 16). But, are workers really free to decide? In other terms, what are their options? For a worker who, by definition, does not own means of production, there is no other choice to earn a living than to sell his/her labour to the capitalist. Contrary to Marx's theory that bases class inequality only on the economic ground, Webber adds two more components, prestige, and political power. He argues that those who are members of dominant classes, status groups, and party associations are able on the whole to exact compliance to their wills, on a regular basis, from the remaining population (Grabb, 1997: 54). In the previous centuries, this compliance was accomplished by physical force when violent social action was absolutely primordial(Grabb, 1997: 54). However, in the late twentieth century, different forms of domination emerge, i.e. control over communication and media, control of innovation and developments etc. Therefore, we can conclude that class antagonism is present, only it is changing in form. Today, the capitalist class owns and controls the media, and therefore controls what information is disseminated to the rest of the population through TV, newspapers, Internet, etc. According to Anne Bishop, ordinary people are constantly exposed to the version of the truth carried

buy custom The Difference between ETF’s and Mutual Funds essay

buy custom The Difference between ETF’s and Mutual Funds essay Nowadays, there are numerous options which serve as a powerful and flexible tool to handle a variety of trading strategies. Among them, there is a choice between buying a mutual or an exchange-traded fund (ETF), which may influence the investors success and the amount of money they can make. Therefore, it is crucial to know the differences between ETFs and mutual funds as well as their nature. Mutual Fund A mutual fund is a portfolio of shares, carefully selected and acquired by professional financiers from numerous investors for the purpose of purchasing securities, including stocks, money market instruments, and bonds. The cost of the funds shares is equal to the total value of fund investments divided by the number of shares (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, n.d.). The main advantage for investors is the risk reduction because of the distribution of investments among a large number of different companies. Another advantage of mutual funds is the saving time as buying a share, people do not spend their time managing the investment. Furthermore, special finance managers work hard to make money, hence bringing a great profit to clients. Instead of independent persons analysis of industries and companies, professional managers analyze all factors and make an appropriate decision (ICI, 2007). This option is ideal for those who do not have either time, desire, or ability to engage in an analysis of the securities Moreover, due to countless transactions in mutual funds, the total amount of commission decreases significantly. If to compare the commission in mutual funds to the commission that a person would have paid by buying many shares independently, the difference will be obvious. When mutual fund collects a huge capital, then to produce a deal on a large scale, the transaction should costs cheaper, which is another advantage of mutual funds, especially for investors. Exchange-Traded Fund ETF is a type of funds, which presupposes hedging risks and investing in certain markets or individual sectors of the economy. It is a passive management strategy traded on public exchanges (U.S. Security and Exchange Commission, 2012). A purchase and sale of ETF do not differ from similar transactions with individual stocks. ETFs allow implementing an index investment strategy with minimal costs. The low cost and flexibility of the strategy are among the main advantages of ETFs for investors. Each ETF replicates the structure of one of the stock indices. Therefore, it allows traders to invest directly in the stock index of the leading stock exchanges of the world. In addition, ETFs may follow the structure of the bond, commodity, or currency indices. There is also ETF, which replicates the structure of regional or sectoral indices (Antoniewicz Heinrichs, 2014). Therefore, ETFs are a good tool for portfolio diversification. Main Differences The main difference between ETFs and the mutual funds is that ETFs trade only on the exchange that can be purchased through a broker. On the contrary, one can buy a share in mutual funds only from the company that manages these funds (Egan, 2014). Moreover, ETF not only combines all the advantages of mutual funds but also has a number of other significant strengths. For example, the procedure of selling and buying in ETFs is similar to that of a common stock. People can invest at any time when they have the opportunity, paying the price indicated at the moment of the purchase. Unlike EFTs, one can invest in a mutual fund only based on the prices established when the market closes (Egan, 2014). In addition, in EFTs, the management fees and the minimum contribution for investment is lower than that of the mutual funds (Egan, 2014). A person can trade ETF shares on margin or to buy the ETF option, which significantly expands the range of capabilities in building trading strategy. ETFs faithfully replicate the change in the price of stocks of the total market and the individual sectors, bonds, commodities, and other assets. Conclusion To summarize, it is worth saying that the main differences between the two options are the number of shares offered, the presence of a mediator in the form of a broker, affordability, and duration of the procedure of purchase. Buy custom The Difference between ETF’s and Mutual Funds essay

How to Make Crystal Clear Ice Cubes

How to Make Crystal Clear Ice Cubes While you are making glow in the dark ice, why not make some clear ice? There is a trick to making clear ice cubes, but it isnt complicated and doesnt require an expensive restaurant ice machine. You need pure water and you need to control how it cools. The ice maker in a typical home freezer has a water filter, but usually produces opaque ice. This is because the water doesnt cool at the right rate to produce clear ice or else there is a lot of air in the water. Clear ice is easily made using bottled water that had been purified using reverse osmosis  or  distillation, but you can make clear ice from tap water. To do this, boil the water to remove most of the dissolved air. Ideally you want to boil the water, let it cool, then reboil again. But, you should be able to get good results just boiling the water once. Let the water cool slightly to minimize the risk of getting burned and then pour it into an ice cube tray and put it in the freezer. So,  you can make clear ice by boiling and freezing filtered water, but the cooling rate is also important. If the ice freezes too slowly the result is milky on the bottom and clear on top. Unfortunately, you dont have a lot of control over the freezers cooling rate. You can play with the starting temperature of the water until you get the results you desire. What can you do with clear ice? One thing you can do is to use it as a magnifying glass. In a pinch, you can use an ice lens to start a fire. Also, unless you like the taste of quinine, clear ice tastes a lot better in drinks than glowing ice.

International economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

International economics - Assignment Example 4. A debtor nation is that which has a negative balance of trade owing to numerous debts owed to international financial institutions while a creditor nation is that which has a positive balance of trade. Entries like exports, loan receipts and investments constitute surplus, hence indicate creditor status while those entries like amount expenditure, are considered deficits and indicate a debtor status (Becker 123). 5. Exchange rate refers to the market rates at which a given currency trades in relation to others. Depreciation refers to the decrease in a country’s exchange rate while appreciation is the decrease in a country’s exchange rate. Arbitrage is the systematic purchase of a good or service from one location at a very low price, and selling it in another location at an exceedingly high price. In exchange markets, arbitrage is used by traders by exploiting weaknesses in computerized systems to make quick profits (Becker 123). 6. Purchasing parity refers to a system normally used in determining various currency values in relation to others. Purchasing power parity would hold when the price of commodities were equal in all countries (Becker 223). A free market economy where goods enter and leave borders may make purchasing parity a good estimate of a country’s currency. 7. The following shows how exchange rate growth is closely connected to differences in money growth, and real output growth across countries whereby the growth of real output leads to a money growth, which subsequently leads to increase in the exchange rate 1. The supply curve is upward sloping since the increase in the supply of Canadian dollars leads to an increase in the value of Icelandic Krona. This may arise due to increased inflation in Canada and poor monetary economic policies. 9. The above graph shows that an increase in the Canadian dollar value leads to a corresponding decrease in the value of the Icelandic Krona. This may take place due to an increased demand

NURSNG ROLE Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

NURSNG ROLE - Research Paper Example The outline also focuses on the two main roles of the nurses, which are a helping role and a teaching and coaching role. These are further composed of various aspects that facilitate the running of the profession. The helping role encompasses the roles of a nurturer, and a direct caregiver. On the other hand, the teaching and coaching role is wider and encompasses aspects such as nurses as agents of change, managers, teachers, counselors and researchers. Further, the outline also brings into focus the aspect the nurse being a champion of the patients’ rights and needs. The nurse becomes the principal care provider for the patient in the hospital. Further, the nurses inform patients of their rights and helps in enforcing and safeguarding those rights. Introductory Paragraph In the past, around the mid-1800s, nurses used to be viewed as the subordinates, or handmaiden, to the doctors. Their roles were remarkably few and majorly involved doing what the physician ordered. Such inc luded looking after patients in the hospitals, straightening beds, feeding the patients, aiding the patients with the bandages and helping the patients find their way around hospitals. Nevertheless, a lot has changed since the mid-1800s. Today, nurses are professionals who have their own roles; separate and different professional roles from doctors. Doctors still write the orders as they did before. However, a nurse gets expected to know when such an order, dosage or a medication are wrong so as to follow the necessary procedures to indulge the physicians on such orders. Further, a nurse has nursing duties that involve assessment, coming up with a nursing plan, family and patient education, medication teaching, dressing changes among others. All these nursing roles fall under two main categories, which are a helping role and a teaching and coaching role. The Helping Role This is the most essential role of the nursing profession and is considered the traditional role. A number of thi ngs fall under this role and collectively facilitate the functioning of the nursing professionals. This role gets manifested in two distinct ways. These are the roles of nurses as nurtures and direct care givers. This care is directed to the human body. The Biblical reference to this role is 1 Cor. 6:19. This scripture reference talks about the body being the temple of God and thus, taking care of it is an imperative. Text Description The helping role is one of the most prominent roles of the nurses in the hospital set up. This role is patient-oriented. The nurse serves as a nurturer of the patient. Further, the nurse is responsible for providing all the necessities of the patients throughout their stay at the hospital. In addition to this, due the extensive interaction of the nurse and the patients, the nurse comforts the patient during their hospitalization. The nurses offer direct care to the patient. Further, they promote the comfort of the client, who is the patient. This role is best made manifested by the mothering actions relevant from the nurses. Such activities involve the knowledge and sensitivity to the matters that are relevant to the clients. In essence, the nursing roles are meant to show concern for the patient welfare. Further, the nursing roles take into account the need for the acceptance of the patient as a person. References Journal of Advanced Nursing,Volume 68,

Nest Coffee Essay Example for Free

Nest Coffee Essay 1. Batch: 2011-2014 Course Code: 50121308Course Name: Marketing II Roll #601 Assignment #302 †¢ 2. Brand Name: Nescafe Parent Company: NestleYear of Establishment of Nestle: 1866 IntroductioNestle was established in Switzerland by Henri Nestle n Year of Entering the Indian Market: 1961 First Plant set up at Moga, Punjab Brief Overview: In 1930 the Brazilian governmentapproached Nestle to create a new instant coffee that would give the consumer another option and at the same time increase the dwindling coffee exports of Brazil. It took eight years but in 1938 Nestle introduced Nescafe. †¢ 3. Product Range (in India) †¢ 4. STP Analysis Targeting A target market is a set of buyers sharing common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve. Positioning. Position is the act of designing the company image to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target markets. A product position is the way the product is defined by consumer attributes Segmentation Market segmentation means dividing a market into smaller group with distinct needs, characteristics, or behaviour who might require separate products or marketing mixes. †¢ 5. Segmentatio n Geographical Segmentation Nescafe has divided the country into four segments i.e. Southern, Northern, Eastern and Western. The Southern Segment consumes the most amount of Coffee and prefers hard and roasted coffee. Where was in Northern region, Nescafe instant coffee is consumed in higher quantities. Demographical SegmentationNescafe has tried to segment every age group, families, region, gender and different socio-economic. †¢ 6. Segmentatio Past n Nescafe was targeted to morning people PresentNescafe is now targeting the Youth According to Andrew Ward, worldwide account director ofNescafe has launched a $30 millionglobal campaign, specifically aimed at 16-24 years old. Use of Youth Icons like Purab Kohli, Vir Das and Deepika Padukone as According to McCann-Erickson Brand Ambassadors World Group, coffee is the most popular drink among the youth. †¢ 7. Examples NESCAFE CAPPUCCINO Targeted to †¢ Premium urban consumers †¢ Core audience aged 17-30 †¢ Concentrates on the theme of â€Å"The magic world of endless pleasure†. NESCAFE CLASSIC Targeted to †¢ The urban professional †¢ Core audience aged 20-30†¢ Concentrates on the classic taste of coffee with the tagline â€Å"Coffee at its Best† †¢ 8. Positioning Nescafe’s positioning is â€Å"1 coffee cup, 1 good feeling † The TVCs and all Promotional Messages focus on passing love between two person. Sharing a cup of coffee is shown as a symbol of sharing happiness. The Red Nescafe mug is another popular symbol which associates the Brand Nescafe with the concept sharing happiness. Nescafe Classic is positioned as â€Å"100% Pure Instant Coffee† Nescafe Cappuccino is being positioned as â€Å"A true Cafe† †¢ 9. Tvc and Print Ads They all focus on positioning the brand as a symbol of shared happiness.

Chevrolet Advertising :: Marketing Advertisement

Missing Figures/Works Cited Genuine Chevrolet Advertisers create ads in magazines to catch the eyes of readers and encourage them to want to buy the product. Each advertisement includes claims, warrants, and supports, which make the advertisements attractive. For example, in the attached advertisement for Chevrolet Cavalier, each of these ideas used, makes the reader want to go out and buy this car. In the advertisement, there are many catchy phrases and pictures which make the car look very desirable. Furthermore, the general nature of a magazine such as "People," where the ad is found, it attracts people of all types. As displayed in the Chevrolet advertisements, claims, warrants, and supports are used to attract people of all types. Claims in the advertisements are used to try and get people of all types to notice, admire, and eventually go out and buy this car. There are three different types of claims: policy, fact, and value. The claims of policy in this advertisement are similar to most claims of policy in ads, which are, "buy this product." The claims of policy are created by the pretty picture on the opposite side of the page, and the writing on the ad. In the picture, the pretty mountains and bright sun look very inviting to someone who needs sometime to relax. By the desire to have free time, the busy worker will think that the car will get them some free time. Then, they will want to buy the car. The writing includes lines such as, "Finally. After working for what seems like forever, you have some time to yourself." Although this quote really does not have much to do with the car, it attracts the reader who may want some free time. The claims of fact include the statements about how many miles the car can go before needing a tune up and how it fits a low budget. These kinds of claims can attract people of all kinds, mainly people looking to spend little on a car for themselves or for their children. The claims of value state that this car can take you wherever you want, and that "even though going out during your free time may cost a lot, getting there won't." From these examples of claims of policy, fact, and value, the car looks very attractive to a reader.

High School Sports Importance

High School Sports Most high schools have at least four sports they offer to their students. In many districts, there must be an equal amount of sports for boys and girls. Some even have co-ed sporting clubs. High school sports have been a vital part of the high school curriculum for many years. For years the school districts have realized the importance of sports. However, not all parents fully realize the importance. Some children are not even allowed to participate in school sports, because of the cost, the time commitment, or the possibility of injury.The truth is that high school sports are more than just fun. They are great tools to helpstudents learn about life. They can teach students who are involved many things. Teamwork, cooperation, and leadership are several things students can learn from school sports. They can take these things into their everyday lives as well. When they build confidence on the sporting field, they are also building confidence against the world. They will be able to work well with others in all other areas of life as well. High school sports are also the perfect way to keep teens away from drugs and other dangerous behaviors.Coaches are great role models that can often encourage players to be well behaved. Some schools even have limits on GPAs for their athletes. If a student athlete’s grades fall below a certain point, they cannot play. Students who love sports will do anything to play, including study more. They will also be less likely to try drugs or break the law in any other manner. So, allow your children to participate in school sports. Get involved and make friends with the parents of the other students as well. The whole family can have a great time and learn about sports together

Gonzales V. Raich

Pace University Michael Khoo LAW 101 Gonzales v. Raich(545 U. S. 1 (U. S. Sup. Ct. 2005)) I. FACTS Angel Raich and Diane Monson (plaintiffs) suffered from serious medical conditions and the only effective treatment was the use of Marijuana which was recommended by the doctors. In 1996, a California statue, under the name of The Compassionate Use Act, was established to legally allow marijuana to be used only for medicinal purposes. Monson cultivated her own Marijuana for her own usage as she relied on it heavily for daily functions.The Drug Enforcement Administration (defendant) came to Monson’s house, discovered the cannabis plants and destroyed all six of them. Raich and Monson sued the DEA to obtain an injunction that would inhibit the enforcement of the federal Control Substance Act (CSA) on Monson. The CSA classifies marijuana as a controlled substance. Raich and Monson claimed that enforcing the CSA would violate the Commerce Clause and the Due Process Clause of the Fift h Amendment. II. JUDGEMENT Angel Raich and Diane Monson (plaintiffs) won the case.The Drug Enforcement Administration (defendant) lost the case. III. LEGAL PRINCIPAL A. ISSUE Whether Congress’ power to regulate interstate markets for medical substances encompasses the portions of those markets that are supplied with drugs produced and consumed locally. B. HOLDING No. IV. REASONING A. GENERAL ANALYSIS In this Constitutional Case, the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) gives Congress and the Federal government the right to confiscate and/ or destroy any discovered controlled substances.Marijuana is considered a schedule 1 controlled substance due to hazards, high potential for abuse and lack of medicinal benefits. The Compassionate Use Act was created in 1996 in California as a statue that legally allows Marijuana to be used only for medicinal and medical purposes. The argument used against the DEA for enforcing the CSA on the plaintiffs is that it would be a violation of the Comme rce Clause which is a major component of the Fifth Amendment.The Commerce Clause establishes that the congress has the authority to oversee, regulate and intervene in interstate commercial activity. B. APPLIED ANALYSIS The Controlled Substance Act’s jurisdiction was used by the DEA to destroy Marijuana in Monson’s house because of the simple fact that Marijuana is categorized as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. However the plaintiffs argue that such action would take away the power of the Commerce Clause of the Fifth Amendment which states that the federal government body has the authority to overlook and regulate interstate activity.Nowhere in that clause does it give the federal body the power to regulate intrastate activity which is the case of the cultivation of marijuana in Monson’s house. In addition to that, the Compassionate Use Act supports the cultivation of marijuana in Monson’s house because Monson is a patient who was severely ill and whose life was dependent on the usage of Marijuana for recovery. According to the circumstances of this case in which the possession of marijuana was due to health, medical and medicinal reason, and for abuse purposes, the Supreme Court has overruled the DEA to execute the CSA on Monson.

Societal Separations essays

Societal Separations essays Southern economic growth was different then that of the North. Northerners looked down towards the Southern way of living. The South was still mainly a rural area, while industry was growing hastily in the North. Some Southerners wanted industrial growth, but the factories in the South were unlike the rising industry of the North. The ways of the North and South were beginning to deviate. The Southern factories were smaller then the Norths because they had trouble raising the finances to build. In order to raise the money to build they needed to sell slaves. This was an alternative that the Southerners were not prepared to take. Southern industry also brought around anti-slavery beliefs through Northern whites which caused dissension with slave owners. Another reason that the South was diverging from the North was the difference in public education systems. Southerners did not want to tax land to support education and they rejected required education. They did not make use of written documents often nor did they communicate with educated Northerners. The South did not see the need for better education. Northerners saw the South as if it were regressing due to their belief that industrial growth brings enrichment. Although the southerners did not grow as the North was accustomed, they were still successful in agricultural areas. By the year eighteen-sixty, southern agricultural developments brought their income above the national average. Regardless of Northern views, southerners counted on cotton as their cash crop, as well as other crops, and benefited from them significantly. ...

Are AP Classes Worth It Should You Take Them

Are AP Classes Worth It Should You Take Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're in high school, you've probably heard about AP classes. You might have even taken some already. But is all the hard work that goes into an AP class actually worth it? We think AP classes can be a great choice for students, as long as you’re well prepared, get a lot out of the class, and align your schedule to work with your college goals. However, AP classes might not always be the best choice. Keep reading to learn when AP classes are a good idea and when they're wasting your time- as well as what steps you must take to build an optimal schedule. How AP Classes Can Be Worthwhile: 4 Benefits There are several compelling reasons to take AP classes in high school. We'll discuss the different ways taking AP classes can help you discover new interests and make you a competitive applicant for college. #1: You Can Get a Challenging, Rigorous Academic Experience AP classes exist to expose high school students to college-level courses. Even though you’re taking the class at your high school, AP classes tend to have harder, more detailed curriculums than your typical high school classes do. So if you’re looking to take more difficult classes or want to impress college admissions offices with a rigorous schedule, AP classes can be a great way to up the rigor of your schedule. (As we’ve discussed in the past, AP classes are just one way to signal to colleges that you're taking the most challenging schedule available to you as a high school student.) AP classes are also useful for showing off a particular academic strength. For example, if you’re strong in math, taking AP Calculus BC and getting a 5 on the test is a concrete way to demonstrate your skills to admissions committees. #2: You Can Earn College Credit If you pass the AP test at the end of the school year (meaningyou get a score of 3 or higher), you will be eligible to receive college credit for that test. This processcan vary at different colleges. While some will grant you actual course credit, allowing you to graduate faster and therefore save time and money, others will use the AP credit to put you in harder classes as a freshman. Either way, AP credit can be very helpful! We recommend looking up the AP credit policies of schools you’re interested in to get a better idea of how the AP classes you want to take could save you time and/or money in college. #3: You Can Learn Time Management and Self-Study Skills Maybe this isn’t the most exciting reason, but taking AP classes can really improve your studying skills. Since AP classes culminate in a cumulative test at the end of the school year, you can’t just go from unit to unit as you can in other high school classes.Rather, you need to ensure you're retaining information the whole year and have a foolproof study plan for the AP test! While any good AP teacher will include review sessions in their curriculum, since there is limited classroom time, students will inevitably have to do some studying on their own. Speaking from experience, I learned a lot of my time-management and study skills by taking AP classes in high school. Every year, I made my own study schedules in the spring to make sure I was prepared for each AP test. Making study schedules and sticking to them ultimately helped me develop more effective time-management skills, which were invaluable in college! #4: You Can Explore New Interests Although some AP classes build off a typical high school schedule (particularly the math, English, history, and science classes), many others are more specialized. Taking these AP classes can allow you to explore specific fields of study as a high school student. Here are some examples of specialized AP classes: AP Micro and Macroeconomics Computer Science Psychology Art History Human Geography Statistics While you can definitely take these courses in college, taking the AP version in high school gives you early exposure and can help you discover a unique academic interest. A specialized AP class can also add a fun, interesting twist to your typical routine of math, English, science, and social studies. How AP Classes Can Waste Your Time: 5 Scenarios Taking AP classes can be helpful for a variety of reasons. But if you slack off, don't get much out of the material, or (worst of all) fail the exam, the AP program loses a lot of its benefits. In this section, we give you some reasons why the AP program might not be the best choice, and offer tips for making the most of your schedule. Scenario 1: You Fail the AP Test While an AP class isn’t a total waste if you fail the test- you still get the academic experience of a harder class, after all- it’ll be much less beneficial. As we discussed, you need a passing score in order to get college credit for an AP class.Without a passing test score, your AP class will be a lot less useful. What's more, colleges will look to see whether you passed the AP test. If you didn't pass, the AP class loses a lot of its admissions benefit. Even (or especially!) if you get an A in the class, that would just mean your class was too easy compared with those in the rest of the country. In short, how good an AP class will be for you hinges on whether you pass the exam or not. Scenario 2: AP Classes Ruin Your GPA Even if you pass your AP tests, if AP classes dramatically drag down your GPA, they won't be worth taking. Colleges want to see that you’re taking the hardest classes available to you, but they also want to see that you’re mostly succeeding and that you know your limits! This doesn’t mean that getting an A- in Calculus BC is a bad thing, though. (In fact, an A- in Calculus BC is more impressive than an A in regular Calculus.) What this does mean isthat taking four AP classes and getting Cs in all of them will not look good. As a general rule, don’t worry about an AP class knocking your usual grades down one half step- that is, an A to an A-, or an A- to a B+. But if you see a full grade drop, even in one class (A to B, B to C, etc.) that’s cause for concern. You should either make serious changes to your study schedule or, if you continue to struggle, consider dropping down to the regular course. This is why not overloading and knowing your strengths is important when signing up for classes! Scenario 3: You Don't Get Much Out Of the Class Even if you pass an AP class and the test, if you personally feel like you didn’t learn much or if the class didn’t improve your study skills, it might not have been worth it. Even if you get college credit for a particular class, it won't be worth it if you decide to take the same version of that class in college. It’s also not worth it if the class doesn’t significantly improve your studying or academic skills. Since all AP classes have a pretty big cost in terms of time, if they’re not serving to develop your academic interests or improve your skills, they’re likely not worth taking. This effect is more dramatic if you’re overloading on AP classes: the fourth AP class you take in a year might not add as much to your skills as it’s taking away from your time. For example, if you’re heading toward a humanities major in college (English, Economics, Political Science, etc.), trying to cram in AP Statistics and AP Calculus your senior year might not be helpful. You’re not likely to do a lot of deep learning in either math class if you’re also busy with college applications and other commitments. And if you don’t do well in these math classes, you might have to retake one in college anyway. Or, let's say you’re a future computer science major going out of your way to fit in an AP Human Geography class, just so you can have another AP class. This, however, likely won’t add much to your schedule, and if it’s not a personal interest, you probably won’t get much out of it. To sum up, if you're taking an AP class just because it's AP, you should reconsider taking it. You don't want to be this guy. Scenario 4: AP Classes Become Your Main Extracurricular While AP classes can be great- academically rigorous, cost effective, interesting- if they’re taking away from the rest of your schedule, those benefits begin to shrink. For example, if you neglect studying for the SAT/ACT because you’re so busy with AP classes, this can really hurt your college admission chances. We strongly recommend taking adequate time to study for the SAT/ACT, since having a high score can greatly boost your college admission and scholarship chances. Furthermore, if you stop getting involved in extracurriculars because you’re too busy studying, that doesn’t help your college applications, either. We’re not saying you need to be a perfectly well-rounded student who's in 10 clubs. But we do think it’s important to a have a few strongly developed interests- and overloading on AP classes can take away from that. In short, AP classes should enhance your schedule and indicate your academic interests- they shouldn't be your chief extracurricular. Scenario 5: You Burn Out in High School Even if you do really well in all your AP classes, you need to have the big picture in mind. If you graduate senior year completely exhausted and struggle your freshman year of college, you’re setting yourself up for a substandard college experience. Remember that the goal of AP classes- and high school in general!- is to be prepared to do well in college. Taking one less AP class but staying more sane and balanced might actually help you more in college than overloading your schedule with APs. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your AP schedule, don’t feel bad about dropping an AP class. If dropping that class allows you to do better in your other classes and stick to your commitments, it will be better for you in the long run. You don't want to be running on empty during your freshman year of college! Next Steps: Should You Take AP Classes? As you know, AP classes can give a huge boost to your college applications, but they can also hurt your college chances if you're not careful. So how do you make sure you're getting the most out of your AP classes? Follow the steps below to make sure your AP schedule is challenging but not overwhelming. Step 1: Learn the Reputation of AP Classes at Your School Learning the reputation of AP classes at your high school can help you decide if taking certain AP classes is worth your time. There is a huge amount of variation in how AP classes are taught at different high schools. You'll struggle if an AP class is poorly taught or overly difficult. On the flipside, a well-taught class might not only help you pass the AP test, but also help you discover a new academic interest. Talk to your guidance counselor, older students, and other teachers at your school to get a sense of which AP classes have positive buzz- and which ones have a reputation of being overly hard or poorly taught. Don’t necessarily avoid a hard class, especially if it’s in an area of interest for you. Also, don’t sign up for multiple AP classes with especially tough reputations the same school year. But if an AP class has rave reviews at your school, strongly consider adding it to your schedule! Step 2: Consider Your College Goals Knowing your college goals can help you decide between AP classes or how many AP classes to take. For example, if you’re aiming for your local state school and want to complete as many general education requirements as possible during high school, you should focus on core subject AP classes, such as Calculus, Literature, Biology/Chemistry/Physics, and US History. However, if you’re trying to get into top colleges, you'll want to use AP classes to demonstrate your academic strengths. In this case, your AP classes might be more concentrated in either math/science or the social sciences/humanities, depending on your interests. Check out our in-depth guideto learn moreabout choosing the right number of AP classes based on your college goals. Step 3: Talk to Your Guidance Counselor Your counselor will be able to help you come up with a challenging but manageable schedule. She'll also have a sense of your school’s context, including how many AP classes students take on average, which teachers get the best AP test results, and how to build a challenging schedule that doesn’t overload on AP. Even if you don’t have a close relationship with your counselor, it’s her job to know about school context, and she has lots of important information.So don’t be afraid to make an appointment and talk through your AP plans with your counselor! Step 4: Remember the Big Picture Your goal in high school is to learn as much as possible and be prepared for college. Taking one extra AP class is not going to dramatically affect your future, but cultivating a strong academic or extracurricular interest will. Try to create a course load that is both challenging but reasonable, and definitely don’t hesitate to drop something from your schedule- e.g., an AP class, a sport, volunteering- if you’re feeling like you’re reaching your breaking point! What’s Next? Need more help picking AP classes? Learn about the hardest and easiest AP classes you can take. AP classes are great, but they’re not going to guarantee admission to college. Learn why a high SAT/ACT score is the best single way to improve your chance of admission to a competitive school. Studying for the SAT or ACT?Check out our in-depth study guides to the SAT and ACTfor expert tips and the best study materials available online! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Law Of Banking And Financial Institutions Benchmark Assignment

Law Of Banking And Financial Institutions Benchmark - Assignment Example When dealing with people and capital, conditions are always at stake. These conditions and the possible conflicts warrant legislation and regulations. Banking and the financial institutions, in general, are intensely regulated by the law. The legislation that has been set aside focus on regulating relationships between the financial institutions and its clients, the institutional securities, transaction and also regulate the tax compliance of the institutions. The need for legal help in banking is a common observation in the financial world. One section of banking that requires strict regulation is private banking. This is the part that involves personalized financial depositing of capital into a financial institution by an individual who has access to high income and therefore has no problem investing in the financial institution in large sizable assets (OConnor & Faille, 2000). The services are, therefore, offered in more personalized terms. In this case, the possibility of entering into a contract without full information is real. In addition, there is a danger of being shortchanged in the process. The legislation, therefore, co mes in to secure the instability of private banking. The risk with private banking including money laundering and litigation must be controlled by the government through the Office of Comptroller of Currencies (Schooner & Taylor, 2010). 2. The instability in the US banking sector in the early years was based on two issues. First, there was a level of inexperience that covered the banking industry. The lack of experience in identifying risks and responding to them led to the ultimate vulnerability. This failure was seen as many of the banks, especially those that were started just before the great recession in the 1930s failed to survive the crisis.

Explain why sea level histories, coastal sector by coastal sector, Essay

Explain why sea level histories, coastal sector by coastal sector, will vary. How are the histories assembled What is the best substitute for a welldated loca - Essay Example In terms of conservation measures it is noted that the Earth's crust has varied terrain and topography that each require exclusively special techniques for sustainable consumption. The paper specifically inquires into one such terrain - coastal zones - in one specific country - Australia. It is not only present consumption levels that must be sustainable but also future ones that accrue through present and future development. The coastal zone, anywhere, is a combination of different types of terrain and topographies and techniques used to conserve it under separate forms of human exploitation are all housed under one countrywise policy - integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). In the context of the paper ICZM shall be reviewed in the context of sea-level histories in special relevance to the Commonwealth of Australia. "Everybody wants access to the coast. The.coast is where people want to live, do business, create development and where people want to recreate (Holliday, 1998) (Derived: Ed. Lazarow et al, 2006). This simple quote puts in a nutshell the types of human exploitation that coastal zones may be subjected to. Australia has a coastal zone that extends almost 36,000 km, excluding external territories, and is considered one of that country's greatest assets (National Cooperative Approach, Australia, 2006). The 'National Cooperative Approach to Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Framework and Implementation Plan' is a report produced under the 'Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council', Commonwealth of Australia. The wide biodiversity thriving within this extensive zone exists in an interaction among the interesting mix of terrestrial, marine and estuarine ecosystems that are generated by the wide-ranging array of climatic, geographical and oceanographic variants (National Cooperative Approach, Australia, 2006). The variants within the habitats and life-forms require as wide a range of conservation measures and these measures are further complicated by the wide-ranging varieties of human activities this broad band of Australian territory attracts. Taking into consideration this wide r ange of factors that have to be assimilated in conjunction to enable positive conservation under projected levels of future consumption, partly derived from development, a result-oriented ICZM plan for the extensive Australian coastal zone is highly complex. This is borne out by the fact that the 'State of the Environment Report (2001)' that notes that, despite efforts at efficient CZM (coastal zone management), zonal quality, as per diverse predetermined criteria, continued to deteriorate and the rate of consumption of coastal resources continued to increase at a rate that would be unable to provide sufficient time for already jeopardized resources to recover (National Cooperative Approach, Australia, 2006). This last noted fact emphasizes the importance of this paper that strives to ascertain how sea-level histories can assist in ICZM. This is how the next part of the paper is

A Letter Of A Prisoner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Letter Of A Prisoner - Essay Example Inside the prison, we have a small clinic, something similar to the family doctor. One day I had a bad stomach ache and they took me to that clinic. The doctor examined me and assured me that I was going to be all right and that there was no major problem to worry about. The pain stayed with me for two days, after that, they took me to the hospital with two guards because the doctor in the prison’s clinic did not know what I actually have. In the hospital, they said that it was the appendix, so I had the appendix operation done for me, and then I went back to the prison. In fact, the guards who were accompanying me were treating were very nice people. They treated me so nicely and for once I felt a touch of the love that I so long to have close to me; your motherly love. I noticed that they were better than when we are in prison. I suppose this was out of compassion. Normally they are not nice people, especially when dealing with us. Prison-officers are tough and stern in the jail. They often insult us, and however much we try to be good and obedient, they can never command us for our behavior. All they do is an insult and mock us; that is the life that I have to live here in prison. We are not treated with less dignity and handled like animals or some creatures that are less human. It is correct that we are here owing to the fact that we are convicted as criminals, even though, it is enough for us to be punished with the confinement. However, not all the warders are that bad.... In hospital they said that it was the appendix, so I had the appendix operation done for me, and then I went back to the prison. In fact, the guards who were accompanying me were treating were very nice people. They treated me so nicely and for once I felt a touch of the love that I so long to have close to me; your motherly love. I noticed that they were better than when we are in prison. I suppose this was out of compassion. Normally they are not nice people, especially when dealing with us. Prison-officers are tough and stern in the jail. They often insult us, and however much we try to be good and obedient, they can never commend us for our behavior. All they do is insult and mock us; that is the life that I have to live here in prison. We are not treated with less dignity, and handled like animals, or some creatures that are less human. It is correct that we are here owing to the fact that we are convicted as criminals, even though, it is enough for us to be punished with the co nfinement. However, not all the warders are that bad. I usually meet a few good ones when I go to the library to study. Let me tell you something about the prison routine. Our day starts at 7:15 every morning lights,and lights are usually on by then. We are allowed to take breakfast from 7:45 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Breakfast is the same every day; two boiled eggs and some cheese, this comes with bread and a glass of orange juice. Lunchtime is from 1:00 until 3:00 in the afternoon. It is usually rice and chicken, and salad on the side. Nonetheless, I have heard from the other inmates that during some special occasions we could have either meat or fish instead of the chicken.

The Impact On Media In Britain Media Essay

The Impact On Media In Britain Media Essay This essay will focus on the impact mass media has had on British society and demonstrate a striking contrast between the previous and present roles of media in Britain society, meanwhile mass media as a propaganda tool , it brings many positive influence on British society. Currently, the people in Britain spend nearly thirty percent of their waking life in the media and communications activities (BBC,2010). The figures from Ofcom shows Britons expend seven hours per day on surfing the Internet, watching TV and using their mobile phones(BBC,2010). Media involve any communication institutions,and in Britain it generally include print media and broadcasting (Oakland,2006). Media have influenced British society in a variety of ways. Oakland claimed that nearly 70% percent of British people gain daily news from television,one fifth from newspapers and nearly 10% from radio. Kasier (2002) cited by Mackeogh (2004) that a investigation of fifteen to seventeen year olds showed that 72% teenagers felt young people can be influenced somewhat or a lot, though only one fourth thought it influenced young peoples behaviour. This paper will first analyze changing role of media in Britain, then illustrate how media influence British society. Finally, it will generate s everal recommendations for this situation. Outline the structure with key and supporting ideas (with referenced support): History: The British press began in the 1620s and development in the nineteenth century(Majesty,1976). Broadcasting began in the 1920s and became sturdy until mid-1980s.BBC was created in 1955 and ITA began in 1954 (Oakland,2006). Internet began in the 1990s ,and it developed rapidly since mid-1990s (BBC,2010). The current situation: Individual spent averagely 538 minutes per day on using all kinds of media(BBC,2010). The time Britons spend on print media are much less than past. Currently, people spend only 31 minutes per day on print media (BBC,2010). TV has become the most significant in the mass media, and the most convinent way for the public to get the news, as well as the information around the world,public spend almost 3.8 hours watching TV per day(BBC,2010). Internet play an important role in current life. Internet has been used by people for everyday,and people spend nearly one third of their waking time on Internet (BBC,2010). The influence of media on British society: Negative: Over-commercialization(Oakland,2006). Media involves some violence, it have some negative influences on young people(Sefton-Green,1993). Positive: Media play an important part of the British economy,people spent more than 10 billion pounds for media activities in 1988(Veljanovski, 1990 ). Media help people culative their citizenship. As a propaganda tool, media promotes citizenship and moral consciousness of the public by using public service advertisement ¼Ã‹â€ BBC,2010 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. The media press ahead with socialist democracy. Burton, G (2005, p.20) highlight that western government clearly know the value of media coverage in swaying public opinion. The broadcasting media play an role as an mirror to keep the diversity of opinion and act as a national communication platform. (Curran, J. and Seaton, J. 2003 p.234) Government control the individuals opinion by mass media(Curran,1938). Media involves the culture of different countries, promotes golblaziation (Hiebert,1987). Recommendation: Reduce the content of unhealth (sex and violence): Magazines for young girls and women should not include lots of information about sex(Stokes,1999). A example of boys own story(Sefton-Green,1993). report more positive aspects. Reduce business investment, re-define the direction of media guide. Media should be a transparent, open, democratic and should not be controlled by government. Conclusion: There has existed several negative affects of media on British society, however, media changed British life style and their thinking way in a variety of aspects. Chosen academic references BBC(2010) Ofcom report highlights multi-tasking media users. Accessed from : www.bbc.uk.com. Burton, G. (2005). Media and society: critical perspectives. Berkshire: Open University Press. Crisell,A.(1999) Broadcasting:Television and Radio. In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.61-74. Curran, J.(1987). Impact Influence. New York:Methuen co. Hiebert, R. (1988) Impact of mass media.New York: Longman. Majesty, H.(1976)The British press. England:Unwin Brothers Limited. Oakland, J.(2006) British Civilization New York: Routledge. Sefton-Green,J.(1993) Untidy, depressing and violent:a boys own story. In Buckingham, D. Reading audiences. pp.89-116. Stock ¼Ã…’J.(1999). Use it or lose it ¼Ã… ¡ sex,sexuality,and sexual health in magazines for girls. In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.209-217. Veljanovski,C.(1990). The media in Britain today. London: News International.

sleeping poll :: essays research papers

Many people have a hard time sleep sleeping, about two in five surveyed in this article are sleepy during the day that it causes them to nod off or interferes with work and activities during that day. Julia Sommerfeld, who wrote the article, "Poll paints portrait of a sleepy nation." Shows how if people got a little more sleep, it can stop a lot of little mistake that happen in everyday life. From getting impatient with the kids, overeating, and making mistakes at the work. These are all probably people have from not getting enough rest at night. The survey illustrates how being sleepy during the day it interferes with their activities during the day at least a couple of times a month. Sommerfeld explains about an additionally 58 percent report a few symptoms of insomnia. This is having problems falling asleep, waking up during the night , waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep and unrefreshed when you are waking up. Because of these problems are reaching for sleeping pills or thing to help you sleep. So to improve a person activites during the day you will need sleep to improve your life and the life around you. Many people have a hard time sleep sleeping, about two in five surveyed in this article are sleepy during the day that it causes them to nod off or interferes with work and activities during that day. Julia Sommerfeld, who wrote the article, "Poll paints portrait of a sleepy nation." Shows how if people got a little more sleep, it can stop a lot of little mistake that happen in everyday life. From getting impatient with the kids, overeating, and making mistakes at the work. These are all probably people have from not getting enough rest at night. The survey illustrates how being sleepy during the day it interferes with their activities during the day at least a couple of times a month.

Project on McDonald’s Corporation Essay

Introduction and Background In 1940 two brothers Dick and Mack Macdonald opened their own restaurant. Eight years ago the first concepts and rules of fast food production and sales were formulated by them. Initially the business was created in a such way that everything should be very fast and effective. Brothers spent much time elaborating the layout of the kitchen in their first restaurant, so  they achieved the goal. Inspire of the fact that later they sold their business and their family no longer the owners of it, nowadays mcdonalds have the same efficient system of production and sales that it is able to introduce and maintain all over the world using different strategies and methods. External Environment External environment is a bunch of various outward forces that may have a great impact on the company’s performance. The external environment of every company comprises of three levels: the general, industry and competitor environments. The integration of information received from these environments helps to identify and shape the company’s strategies. Thereby, in order to understand what hindrances company faces or may encounter in the future, it is essential to analyze all the levels of its external environment. It was mentioned earlier that the headquarters of McDonald’s locates in the U.S. so we will analyze general and industry environments in this region. General Environment The general environment is usually examined by the analysis of 7 segments: demographic, economic, political/legal, sociocultural, technological, global and physical environment segments. First of all, the demographic segment is concerned with the population structure and Ã' omposition. The USA’s population is estimated at 313 286 000 people in 2012. By analyzing population composition, it can be said that there is very high level of immigration. Moreover, it can be said that the birth rate is sufficient: 13.68 births/1,000 population in 2012, according to CIA World Factbook. Thereby, these statistics help to understand that the region is quite profitable and comfortable to operate in due to the large population size and excessive number of potential employees. Last but no least, according to U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income during period of 2006 to 2010 is $51914 which is quite high. Secondly, the political/legal segment is quite important for the analysis because the industry is highly contingent on the different kind of taxes imposed by the governments. McDonald’s  Corporation is obliges to pay business taxes, payroll taxes, Food Product Association taxes (19% of the total profit and 19% in the price of each product) and health and social insurance for the employees. The changes in government’s tax policy may utterly affect the company’s revenue. As regards the economic segment, one of the major challenge for fast food industry is that to keep the price is low for the customer. However, it is quite hard because nowadays the USA is still suffering from the financial crisis which can be a possible reason to decrease in outside food consumption in a whole. The dimension influencing the fast food industry the most is the sociocultural. The reason is that the industry is dependent on people’s preferences and opinions that’s why even tiny changes are crucial. From 2000 to 2002 McDonald’s profits dropped from $1.977 million to $893 million. It was caused by the increase of customer’s health-consciousness and fears of obesity, as a consequence, some customers prefer more healthier options which offer a greater variety of food for health conscious customers. Furthermore, it is quite important to devote attention to technological segment because the technologies always mean faster operation and cost minimization. McDonald’s uses different modern appliances to prepare its food without many dangers and in a quick way. Moreover, the majority of McDonald’s restaurants provides free Wi-Fi. In addition, McDonald’s improved the technology of its supply chain management. Regarding the global segment, it should be highlighted that most U.S. companies are focused globally which means that they operate in many different countries. McDonald’s is not an exception. It is located in 119 countries and is known as one of the most spread fast food restaurants’ chain. Last but not least, nowadays more and more companies are concerned with social responsibility and environmentally friendly policies. Industry Environment The industry environment is usually analyzed by Porter’s five forces model. Firstly, it is the Threat of New Entrants. The threat of new entrants in the fast food industry is high because there are no legal barriers which would keep them from entering the industry. The major barriers in which a firm faces in the industry are the economies of scale and the access of the distribution. In order for a firm to enjoy success in the industry, they must spend a large amount of capital on advertising and marketing. The industry is very competitive because firms are always attempting to steal customers from each other. Access for distribution is crucial in the restaurant industry because if the customer can’t see you or access you easily it’s possible that they won’t go out of there way to eat there. Franchise options also make is easier to enter the market, for example Subway has built their strategic plan around franchise options. Therefore, initially the only cost to enter the market is the starting capital required to open a restaurant. However, it can cost upwards of millions of dollars for all the equipment, licensing, and the property. This costly barrier is the most probable reason that people do not enter this business. The food-service industry doesn’t have any exit barriers, which allow firms to easily leave the industry if they’re not successful, at virtually only the cost incurred. The second force is Bargaining Power of Buyers. McDonald’s, and the industry, has attempted to gain market capitalization, by keeping the customer satisfied, due to the fact there are relatively no switching costs. For this reason, they have adopted the slogan, â€Å"the customer is always right.† The industry must try to maintain a hold on the market by conforming to a changing society as well as maintaining high quality. One of the industry’s most recent concerns is that of creating a healthier society and prevention of obesity. McDonald’s corporation has faced previous law suits on being held accountable for obesity, similarly following the litigation process of cigarettes and tobacco companies. The courts ruled against this issue in McDonald’s favor, making this a remote future risk factor. McDonald’s has had to paid legal fees in order to defend itself in this type of litigation;  however, even with this incremental cost they are still achieving a significant rate of earnings growth. In addition, McDonald’s, in it’s effort to be a more socially responsible corporate citizen by supporting a healthier society, has developed â€Å"light† and healthy menu items in order to give customers additional eating options and in doing so, broadening the array of its customer base while offering it’s existing customer base with healthier menu options. Thirdly, it is Bargaining Power of Suppliers. It can be said that McDonald’s has a large bargaining power because of the fact that they spend 4.852 billion dollars in food and paper in 2004. This can be argued that the companies that McDonald’s buys from could be largely dependent on McDonald’s business. Although in recent years the industry has had a small problem with beef, because of the outbreak of the mad cow disease. This problem raised the cost of beef in Europe tremendously but the cost actually went up around the world because of the beef shortage in Europe. In this case it can be argued that the suppliers of beef have a strong voice as well. The suppliers that sell to McDonald’s have a strong voice also because of the fact that the switching cost for McDonald’s as a whole would be so tremendous that they would not want to make that change, so any problems or disputes would be worked out with there suppliers. Also, with the competition and the number of buyers in the market place, losing a large company like McDonald’s could destroy any supplier but there are other prospects out there to buy that product like Wendy’s, Jack in the Box, Burger King and a few others that they may be able to salvage there losses. As for the paper goods that McDonald’s buy from the manufacturers, if McDonald’s were to change manufacturers the supplier could easily change there manufacturing to note book paper by just readjusting the machines but it would come at a great cost. The fourth force is Threat of Substitute Products. McDonald’s is known for their famous French Fries, Big Macs, and Happy Meals. Competitors of the industry also try to compete with similar products; therefore, leading to price wars. McDonald’s created a Dollar Value Menu, in response to competitors such as Wendy’s 99 cent menu. Overall, the industry has tried various product differentiations in order to accumulate greater market share, but most consumers are drawn to the classics for which the establishment is known for. However, growing concern  to achieve a healthier society has led McDonald’s, as well as other competitors, to make extensive menu changes, in order to conform to a more concerned society. McDonald’s is doing more and more to compete with health focused restaurants like Subway. Nutritionist and other leading experts have been hired to join the McDonald’s team in order to ensure that the correct items are added to the menu, while still keeping and improving the classics that they are famous for. For example, the chicken nuggets that we all grew up on are now 100% white meat. McDonald’s is flexible in their menu to conform to the changing tastes of society, but they always serve with a smile! The fifth and final force is Competitive Rivalry within an Industry. Currently in the fast food industry, there is intense competition for growth in the market. The market growth is rising because of the convenience factor and busy consumers not having enough time to cook a meal. The restaurant industry is also growing rapidly due to opportunities in other global markets. In McDonald’s case, they actually have a competitive advantage because they have already entered many different countries and are succeeding in these countries. Each firm within the food-service industry is susceptible to losing customers because there are relatively no switching costs for consumers, therefore the industry has to rely heavily on their brand image and quality of products. McDonald’s has a number of competitors; however they are currently the leader of the industry in market capitalization with a cap of $39.31 billion. Competitor Analysis It is almost vital to know the competitors in your industry in order to be able to overtake and surpass them. The top competitors of McDonald’s are Burger King, Wendy’s, KFC and Subway. Burger King Burger King is the second largest hamburger fast-food chain in the world and is the number one competitor for McDonald’s. Burger King has 11,400 locations in 58 countries and derives 55 percent of its revenue from the drive-through window. Burger King reported 1.72 billion in 2002 in revenue which is a 17 percent increase compared to a 4 percent increase reported by  McDonald’s over the same period. Burger King’s distinct assets include the unique Whopper with its one of kind charbroiled taste and the company policy of preparing the hamburger any way that the customer wants it. Burger King has distinguished itself over the years in many ways including being the first in the fast-food industry to enclose its patio seating in 1957 thereby offering customer indoor dining experience. Burger King also differentiated itself when it installed the drive-through window in its restaurants in 1975. In addition to the Whopper Burger King also offers a few set items on its breakfast menu that differs it from it competitors including the Croissan’wiches and french toast sticks. The rest of the menu also offered the unique veggie burger and chicken Caesar salad. Wendy’s Wendy’s is the third largest fast-food chain with 9,000 stores in 33 countries world wide. In 2002 they reported 2.73 billion in revenue which is up 14.2 percent from the previous year. Wendy’s offers several unique items including the Frostys and Spicy Chicken Sandwiches as well as healthier items such as salads, baked potatoes and chili. Wendy’s has also distinguished itself through the creation of the special value menu with all items on it under a one dollar. Wendy’s also owns several small companies including Tim Horton’s and Baja Fresh Mexican Grill. It plans on increasingly using acquisitions of smaller brands to further growth. In next decade Wendy’s plans to add between 2 and 4 thousand new stores worldwide. One important weakness of Wendy’s is the lack of easily recognizable product compared to McDonald’s Big Mac of the Burger King Whopper. KFC Strategic Objectives: KFC has the strategic objectives of expansion along with profits and sales growth. KFC has also been applying its strategies at improving services and making them more and more customer friendly. It has not only been customizing its menu according to the countries that it has been operating in, it has also been trying to cater to different ethnic groups like African Americans and Hispanics. Such types of strategies are focused on increasing the customer base by better customization of products. Other than the  traditional eat-in restaurants, KFC has also been expanding into non-traditional facilities like shopping malls, hospitals, universities, stadiums; office buildings etc and a number of strategies have been formulated to aid this kind of expansion. Competitive Advantage: A very strong financial background is one of KFC’s competitive advantages. KFC has been functioning as a multinational corporation for several decades. As a result, the company is familiar with the logistical and quality problems which accompany operating an international food operation, and has demonstrated that it can work with host countries and businesses within the host country to develop a strategy which works in the most cost effective way. With the passage of time, KFC has developed another very important competitive advantage for itself — Environmental Friendliness. In March 2009, the first eco-friendly green KFC was opened in Northampton USA. The restaurant is designed according to environmental goals that include cutting energy and water consumption by 30 percent and reducing CO2 emissions. Operations at the new site are also expected to reduce waste and the amount of rubbish sent to landfills; the restaurant composts and recycles other waste, grease and used cooking oil. Other than this, in an effort to reduce its packaging by 1,400 tons, KFC is now switching from cardboard to recyclable and biodegradable paper wrapping for some of its products. Subway Strategic Objectives: The strategic objectives of Subway focus on creating a global strategic plan to enable Subway restaurants to succeed internationally. Other than this subway is intent upon introducing the concept of ‘healthy fast food’. Sandwiches of Subway have been included in diet plans by experts. Subway’s stand regarding obesity in children is not new to its customers. Strategies at Subway are not only about a really ambitious increase in franchises all over the world but they are also about making the food more and more appealing to the health conscious customers because health conscious attitudes, according to the experts, are here to stay now. Competitive Advantage: One of the greatest competitive advantages that Subway was born with is its healthy menu. The salads and sandwiches appeal much more to the people as compared to fried chicken, burgers, fries and pizzas. With its advertising and promotion, Subway has long been highlighting its healthy food in advertising and promotions and with the passage of time, it has established itself as a healthy brand. Another competitive advantage that subway enjoys is the fact that along with traditional locations, Subway restaurants can be found in more than 4,000 non traditional locations such as food courts, health clubs, hospitals, universities, amusement parks or just about anywhere. In fact, Subway restaurants can even be found in automobile showrooms and Laundromats! This global presence is indeed a sustainable advantage for Subway and needs to be managed properly. Subway’s fresh food is also a competitive advantage because unlike its competitors like McDonald’s it allows its franchisees to choose their own food suppliers, to ensure they can access the freshest ingredients. Resources, Capabilities and Core Competences Resources †¢ Human resources McDonald’s is does its best to reward outstanding employees for exception work. It is also putting more emphasis on its hospitality training to ensure a friendlier and customer focused support staff. †¢ Brand loyalty The long queues to McDonald’s in food courts is the best illustration of high level of brand loyalty, that company continues to develop. In advertising campaigns McDonald’s uses the slogan â€Å"I’m lovin’ it† which it there attempt to make McDonald’s an easy choice for families. They have also started using popular music to appeal to youth population. †¢ Real estate It may be surprising, but real estate ownership is one of the significant Mcdonalds resources. It is estimated that McDonald’s generates more money from its rent than from its franchise fees. One of the ways in which  McDonald’s receives funds from its franchises is in rent money. McDonald’s owns all property in which a McDonald’s outlet was built regardless if the location is a franchise or company owned. Capabilities McDonalds used to have several capabilities, among them hiring process and employees training and product innovation.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Hiring process  It is complicated and systematic. It comprises of 3 main stages. 1. Initial interview and psychometric evaluation. On this step the candidates undergoing simple interview and tests evaluating their verbal and critical reasoning 2. Job evaluation. On this step candidates have 2 days practice in a restaurant that allows them to look at McDonalds as a future employees and HR team to assess candidates performance 3. Final interview. The last stage of hiring process includes overall interview and decision about the candidates is made. Taking into consideration staff training, McDonalds has many training programs on every level of restaurant. Training forums are made for basic workers and they start from the very beginning of working in the restaurant. They are designed to help employees with their communicational skills and encourage growth in the company. Other programs are created for managers of the restaurants, such as Basic Shift Management, Advanced Shift Management, and Systems Management Course . Their main objectives are: providing information about internal standards and procedures, teaching data analyses and strategies of identifying and solving different problems. For higher levels employees McDonalds has internship programs for students and recent graduates. Programs let them practice in different spheres of companies performance such as Information technologies, Marketing, Finance and others. Other McDonald’s project – Leadership Development program is based career planning, Individual Development plans, career maps, succession planning, learning activities and others. †¢ Product innovation The main resource developing product innovation strategy are full-time chief working in studios in Munich, Hong-Kong and Chicago. Moreover, localization of products also plays important role in development of innovative products. For example, in India Beef and pork products are not offered due to Indian religious beliefs. What is more, meat and vegetarian meals are prepared in separate areas of the restaurant again as a result of religious laws about preparation of food for vegetarians and meat-eaters. There is an Indian version of the Big Mac in India is called the Maharaja Mac and made with two grilled chicken slices, onions, tomatoes, cheese and a spicy mayonnaise. In Taiwan company introduced kao fan (literally â€Å"baked rice†), that resembles a burger with rice patties in place of buns. Finally, in Philippines McDonalds serves even spaghetti with in sweet tomato sauce, topped with cheese. Core Competences †¢ Produce quick cheap food to large number of customers With this concept, they are able to expand into many countries be the largest fast-food chain in the world. The process of production is the company core competence. Initially it was designed in such way as to be fast and very effective. There is precise guidance of how to do every activity. Mcdonalds pioneered in the systematization of its processes. Efficiency of operations and synchronization is the basis for success of the company. Also, it may be said, that burgers and fries are themselves McDonalds core competences. McDonald’s classic burgers has always taste the same in any outlet in the world. This consistent quality assures customer’s trust and loyalty to the product. It also provides an assuring brand experience. †¢ Structure Some specialists consider the unique organizational structure of McDonalds as its core competence. McDonalds never used rigid hierarchical organizational structure, that company managed to sustain over the years. It uses â€Å"freedom with framework† mantra, keeping structure decentralized. It allows local managers to make decisions by themselves. It also plays significant role in localization of menu due to local needs. Business-Level Strategy The business level strategy McDonald’s uses integrated cost leadership and differentiation. It means the products of mcdonalds is the cheapest on the market and more over McDonalds does its best to make them absolutely different from what others produce, using localization and launching new products almost every year. So the target of its strategy is to meet the needs of buyers whose preferences are distinctively different from others. So MD deals with the costumers who want very fast service with good quality. And it is different from the visitors of not fast food restaurants. The product line is customized to meet their needs. The marketing emphasis is put on communication and market analysis again to satisfy their needs. Finally the way to sustain strategy is remaining dedicated to serving one niche and be better than competitors in everything and do not dilute the brand image entering other niches. Corporate-Level Strategy Corporate-level strategy is a strategy which is aimed at the long term position of a business. A corporation or business can use plenty of methods to develop a corporate level strategy, however, basically, there are four main strategies that almost all businesses use which are: †¢ Concentrate on a single business, other words, business stays on the same industry on purpose to create a strong competitive position within the industry. †¢ Diversification; which is to move to a new business to provide a new good or service. There are two kinds of diversification, related diversification which is to compete in similar area/industry of activities to build a  synergy and unrelated diversification which is to enter a new industry to compete and build a portfolio strategy. †¢ International Expansion. This means some competition in more than one market to serve the needs of the other markets/countries.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Vertical Integration. This is a way to cut costs by providing your own ways of inputs, backward vertical integration and your own channels of distribution and selling outputs by forward integration. Therefore, now let’s move directly to McDonald’s corporate-level strategy. Nevertheless, before we start to consider all the main points of this particular type of strategy, some overview details will be given. Mc Donald’s is a fast food restaurant operating on a global basis. It is operating on 119countries world wide. Mc Donald’s was opened for the first time in Cyprus in June 1997 and by now there are 16 Mc Donald’s restaurants in Cyprus. So, Mc Donald’s uses corporate level strategies like all other global basis corporations in order to reach corporate goals to be cost effective. MC Donald’s is a business which only concentrates on a single task which is the fast food business industry as stated by Dr. Weber, (2000). This special issue someday will help a lot the business to concentrate directly on one single task and get not only more power and market share, but consumer loyalty also in result. This happens because of the fact that they will run many strategies to find the best solutions of the consumer needs and preferences. However this can be very risky if the business fails to meet the right needs of consumers and therefore will not be profitable and as a result will close down due to the possible bankruptcy. Firstly, as it was stated in Washington post (2005) MC Donald’s diversifies its operations in many ways. Thus, the company uses related diversification in order to produce the same products which are burgers and salads basically, but they provide just an enormous number of choices, such as: Big Mac or Mac chicken, different kinds of salads. Moreover, McDonald’s operates in more than one geographical area but still performing the same task. Also it has opened MC cafes all around the world. McDonald’s gets many advantages by doing related diversification, firstly, if there are two Mc Donald’s restaurants in a city, then the two firms can build a synergy by co-operating with the right to use some special facilities such as the advertisements, suppliers and sometimes events, for instance, charity events. Secondly, as stated by Ricky, W (2003), the firm depends less on a single product, so it’s less vulnerable to competitive or economic threats. Other words, Mc Donald’s having variety of products like burgers, salads, ice creams and drinks is not being threaten of competition because this particular company has diversity in its products, for instance, Mc Donald’s Greek Mac makes it more stable and steady than such rivals as Burger King because the rivals do not have such product. Thirdly, it allows the firm to use technology or expertise developed in one market, for example, fast food to enter a second market more cheaply and easily e.g. MC Cafà ©. However, the only disadvantage that Mc Donald’s faces, is the cost of coordinating the operations of the related divisions. In 2001, McDonald’s launched a new venture by opening two hotels in Switzerland (Zurich and Lully) under the name â€Å"Golden Arch Hotel† Stefan, M (2005). This is a good example of an unrelated diversification because of the fact that Mc Donald’s is taking risks of its business from a single activity to many others like taking part in the Hotel industry. Unrelated diversification provides a portfolio for Mc Donald’s because it is operating on two absolutely different industries and the risk is reduced because if one of the two markets that the business has activity in fails to grow successfully, then the growth of the other market will cover the costs of it. Secondly, such strategy is less vulnerable to competitive threats because any given threat from a competitor is likely to affect only a portion of its total operations. However, unrelated diversification is very difficult to manage since the company has to deal with two markets and their strategies, plans and organization and coordination of each specific market which it is  dealing with. McDonald’s has introduced the American concept of fast food to many foreign Markets as stated by, Francine L, (2005). Moreover, the firm has by now, expanded throughout most of the world by operating on 119 countries. †¢ Thus, Mc Donald’s is known globally today because it is expanded internationally. †¢ Mc Donald’s is using multi-domestic strategy to serve each nations needs. It is customizing the fast food menus for each specific country/nation to suit the people’s wants. For instance there is Greek Mac in Cyprus and Greece. †¢ The advantage of this strategy is that the company is targeting a nation very effectively and gains market share by attracting the customers whereas, the cost of production will increase in order to add a new feature to the firm and the prices will rise to cover the costs. As stated in â€Å"Getting the Facts Straight† leaflet of Mc Donald’s, the firm is working with top suppliers and independent experts on health and safety. The Cyprus Mc Donald’s restaurants’ inputs such as meat, is ordered regularly from Italy with the highest quality and when they enter the island,  it is supplied to all the franchise branches on the island by Mc Donald’s vans and trucks. This shows that Mc Donald’s owns its inputs and has its farms to breed cattle and grow vegetable and potatoes. Therefore, this allows the company to diminish costs by doing vertical backward integration. Moreover, it maintains a guaranteed time, quality and amount of supply to the restaurants when required. The drawback of vertical integration is that, at the beginning of the integration huge amounts of capital should be invested in to the backward integration. Mc Donald’s business has been working since 1956 till now successfully and still operates under these corporate level strategies. Cooperative Strategy A cooperative strategy means interaction between two or group of companies which work together to achieve a shared objective. By measures which are  included in cooperation, companies can create value for the customer at a lower cost or with more benefits than it is able to do by itself. The primary type of cooperative strategy used is strategic alliances. Such kind of cooperations means that companies partly share their resources and capabilities between each others to produce new resources and capabilities, e.g. gain shared objectives. Such corporations as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Disney are the biggest multinational corporation with outstanding profits.But how can they enlarge their profits with the same amount of resources? The answer to this question is cooperation. Let’s look through some strategic alliances formed by McDonald’s. Alliance with Coca-Cola McDonald’s alliance with Coca-Cola has  «no piece of paper to fall back on—just  «a common vision and a lot of trust », according to Mr Ivester (Coke’s chairman) ». On setting up in the burger business in the 1950s, one of Ray Kroc’s first successes was persuading a Coke executive Waddy Pratt to provide him with their drink. Coke’s relationship with McDonald’s goes far beyond than just a supplier – It has helped McDonald’s to go to the new markets all over the world, because Coke is sold in almost twice as many countries as McDonald’s. Michael Quinlan, McDonald’s chairman,  «runs off a long list of areas of cooperation, from banking relationships to equipment design ». There is also very close relations between the members of this alliance at board level. When Coke’s chairman Robert Goizueta died, flags flew at half-mast at McDonald’s around the world. Alliance with Disney The alliance between McDonald’s and Disney has moved â€Å"way beyond doing only movie promotions with Happy Meal toys.† Nowadays this alliance has made enormous amounts of progress, for example McDonald’s being a sponsor of Dinoland, one of Disney’s attraction in Animal Kingdom, has built its restaurant outside this attractions park. This new â€Å"smart McDonald’s† is decorated in DisneyWorld style. The staff wear uniforms which is approved by  Disney, which demonstrates McDonald’s characters. Alliance with Master Card and Visa McDonald’s has announced an alliance with MasterCard and another alliance with Visa USA to bring cashless payment options to McDonald’s restaurants in the US. By this cooperation with MC and Visa, a company has provided more comfortable system of payment in McDonald’s which attracts customers. Alliance with Malls and Gas Stations McDonald’s latest expansion targets call for approximately 3,000 new restaurants world-wide both 2008 and 2009. Two-thirds of new restaurants will be built outside the USA. On the other hand, in the US approximately 600 new restaurants will be so-called satellite units mini-McDonald’s found in malls and especially in nationwide retailer. McDonald’s has formed alliances with Amoco Oil Co. and Chevron Corp. in the US to built restaurants in tandem with gas stations to cover more and more destinations all over the country. Global Strategy McDonalds has initially expanded to international markets in the conditions of strong regulations and overcrowded market in the USA. In the very beginning they offered a standardized products and attracted new clients with clean environment policy and brand equity. Recently the company adapt to new conditions by providing new product line and redesigning retail space in order to meet local needs and tastes. This strategy has allowed McDonalds to adapt quickly to new countries, but at the same time it created a long-term threat of diluting the brand and loosing its association with American culture. For instance, in Europe McDonalds becomes going beyond fast-food conception. In order to compete with coffee shops, McDonalds started offering more comfortable conditions, such as WI-FI and iPods for rent. Moreover, they created new healthier and locally adopted foods. Some specialists suggest, that if the company continue to expand with this strategy, it will be quite difficult to remain recognizable and meaningful brand.  Now it is time to consider McDonalds global strategy in more detail, taking China, South Africa, Brazil and Saudi Arabia as examples of strategy realization. But firstly, it is worth mentioning a few background facts. There is an incredible opportunity to expand in the world. McDonalds annual growth rate is about 1000-1500 restaurants and by 5-10 countries. According to the statistics, the company employed about 2 million people worldwide in 2000. The company adapts easily to new customers preferences by incorporating in the menu pommefrite sauce in Belgium and Holland and special mayonnaise based sauce in Iceland. China The McDonalds strategy in China is vary specific and it is aimed for adaptation to local culture. In comparison with the US, it was important for Chinese clients to focus not only on the food, but also on the restaurants’ atmosphere. That is why in China McDonalds restaurants are very similar to the American coffee houses with comfortable conditions for conversation and meetings. An other part of McDonalds strategy is introducing national tastes in its menu, such as the teriyaki burger. South Africa In South Africa McDonalds decided to focus on high populated cites. The point is to serve people where they eat, shop or play. The companies survey figured out that drive thru facilities are much effective then restaurants themselves, that is why there was made a decision on improving retail spaces. Moreover, McDonalds marketing strategy was concentrated on potential customers with different income level. In South Africa McDonalds has 90 branches spanning all nine provinces. It has 3 000 staff in just 39 restaurants, most working for franchisees. Each new restaurant opening creates as many as 80 new jobs, which is really important in current conditions. Brazil The eighth largest McDonalds market is concentrated in Brazil. Management team here is mostly focused on quality improvement and customer satisfaction and it was awarded for these efforts with Franchising Hallmark of Quality. Furthermore, McDonalds Brazil is one of the best employers and fifth among most admired companies in the country. Saudi Arabia and India The most characteristic feature of McDonalds in Saudi Arabia is that it closes five times a day for muslim prayers. McDonald’s India offers aloo tikki and paneer. And it doesn’t serve beef or pork at all. The Big Mac becomes Maharaja Mac in India. The company created special conditions for vegetarians with separate kitchen, cook and utensils. Moreover, in Ahmedabad the company decided to open an all-vegetarian outlet. Holding in respect Muslim tenets of belief, the company does not serve pork in all Islamic countries. There are two absolutely unique restaurants in the Holy City of Makkah, where Moslem customers are exclusively served by the staff, fully consists of Moslem employees, from the Service Crew to the Restaurant Manager level . And finally, McDonalds efforts have improved the local industries and national economy due to the fact that more than 50% of the products used are manufactured locally and in the gulf regions. Recommendations For Business-Level Strategy The main recommendation in terms of business-level strategy is to remain in the same niche. McDonald’s pioneered the whole concept of the fast food restaurant, that is why it should go to some other businesses, such as higher-level restaurant, because it can dilute their image of best fast food restaurant. For Corporate-Level Strategy Due to the fact that not every family has a direct access to McDonald’s cafes or just their place is too far from the restaurants, the idea to provide fast food to supermarkets. The products will be sold in the special vacuum package, so that it would have their original taste. This way the restaurant will loose nothing because there are only advantages which consist of making extra profit and gaining customer loyalty through spreading their production into the farplaced (far located) regions. For Cooperative Strategy As we have seen in the examples of McDonald’s alliances – cooperation is very efficient way of development. In my opinion, McDonald’s can cooperate with greater amount of companies. However, it should be very selective in choosing partner not to dilute its image. For example McDonald’s can cooperate with Apple: McD’s can provide free rechargers to Apple gadgets in its restaurants, while apple spread some apps by the AppStore. I think that McDonald’s also should create alliance with some attraction park companies, as they’ve made with Disney. Of course it would be more profitable for McDonald’s because of the amount of clients concentrated in one place. On the other hand, ones park logo and symbolic in MacDonald’s is worth it. For Global Strategy In spite of the fact, that McDonalds has great expansion opportunities, it is essential for the company to remember about its strength and to prevent brand dilution by means of concentrating on traditional American fast-food menu and including no more then 30% of specific dishes. Talking about the company’s pros, it is essential to continue developing and improving marketing campaign towards children and adults in foreign countries. In addition, such fresh ideas as creating vegetarian restaurants should be adopted in more countries in order to give customers alternative choice. Moreover. It would be a great idea to install Internet access terminals in each restaurants in order to reduce the amount of lag time between a customer’s orders and pick up of the order. This will show the innovative company level and improve its brand image for customers. Conclusion In the conclusion it is worth mentioning that the best prove of fantastic effectiveness of McDonald’s strategy is the fact that it’s competitors trying to copy its standards and processes to become more competitive at the market where McDonald’s still remains the leader. View as multi-pages