Multinational Enterprise Structures the Economy

A major player in the international political economy is the multinational corporation or multinational enterprise as these structures of economy are commonly referred to. These are business or firms that hold offices and/or major production facilities in two or more different countries. The multinational corporation therefore is any business whether private or public that extends its production facilities or embarks in huge investments in capital across national boundaries. Since the end of World War II, the dominate western countries of Europe and the United States have long been the main headquarters of these multinational corporations, while the lesser developed nations of the world have been the sites for these corporations subsidiary markets and production facilities. On the subject matter of these multinational corporations, there exist two preeminent sources for the political science student in international political economics. The first is Richard Caves, whose article â€Å"The Multinational Enterprise as an Economic Organization† explains the creation and existence of the multinational corporations as a facility to more easily transport capital across international borders. The other source Osvaldo Sunkel, in his article â€Å"Big Business and Dependencia: A Latin American View† believes the multinational corporations have been a major political, economic and social boundary to pure economic growth in Latin America and has put a strangle hold on their own attempts to enter the global market. Richard Caves† viewpoint is that multinational corporations act as a facilitator to the movement and trade of the hard to price assets of a multinational firm. Specifically in terms of business and trade, there are manufactured goods, which are easy to move across international boundaries essentially. Yet, within the market there are many circumstances where transactions are hard to impossible to complete due to the markets ability to establish a fair price on certain assets. The reason for this inability is not due to the nature of the economy mind you, it is that these assets are non-physical. Assets such as patents and copyrights, the new technologies that arise from them and managerial expertise are all assets that cross international boundaries. According to Caves, the multinational corporation is in existence to move these assets across international borders. The multinational corporation in this process takes on three different models according to Caves. The first is a multi-plant firm that produces the same goods in several geographically different locations. This is the static model of â€Å"horizontal multi-plant enterprise† as Caves refers to it. It is the most thoroughly basic kind of Multinational Corporation. The factories abroad are controlled under common management, and are run and operated in the most cost effective locations of production. In most cases of the horizontal multi-plant enterprise, the products or their effects are mobile between national markets. This horizontal enterprise will produce goods that may deprecate but will not have a short life span of productivity. The second model is the â€Å"vertically integrated multinational enterprise†; this is a corporation wherein the outputs of the corporation†s plants serve as inputs to another of the corporation†s plants. This is used in most cases to reduce the cost of production of certain goods. Semiconductors for example are made by the advanced technicians in highly industrialized countries, while the process of soldering the wires and boards of the conductors can be done in a lower-wage country. The third type of multinational firm is the â€Å"diversified company†, which is a company whose plants inputs and outputs are neither horizontally nor vertically related. The reason for the creation of this firm is the multinational corporations bid to increase the diversification of the corporation†s interests abroad. This is done to increase the viability of a company, whether it is to inflate stock prices or some other arbitrary goal of the corporation. This view is quite different than the view of Osvaldo Sunkel, in his article â€Å"Big Business and Dependencia: A Latin American View† Sunkel brings to light the idea of Dependencia: Which is the control of Latin American markets by United States and European multinational corporations. This control of Latin American industry for well over 200 years by the US and Europe has radically altered the socio-economic development of this region. And has added to the dispensation of their current markets since the 1930†³s, which has led to an economic stagnation for many Latin American countries. Sunkel brings to light several points that show how the multinational corporations, be them Horizontal or Vertical. How these corporations do not benefit the country that houses the subsidiary, moreover the corporations home country benefits many times over than the exploited country. Sunkel†s argument is very clear; the very infrastructure of the Latin American economy is based on a hierarchy, whereas the core nations of the world†s economy use their strong positions to exploit the weaker economies. Robert Gilpin refers to this as Structuralism; it is a major school of thought in international political economy. This theory of â€Å"Dependencia† causes many socio-political, and socio-economical problems in the Latin American countries. Sunkel states that when the more powerful United States placed increasingly manufacturing complexes in Latin America the local centers of production were either swallowed by the larger company or put out of business by the lower prices of giant conglomerate. This led to the eventual decrease in exporting that benefited the local market. Sunkel, makes this point very clear: that the trade between the core nations and Latin American never left exploitation not unlike the colonialism of 200 years ago. Whereas Europe used to subvert the local population and exploit the natural resources, the core nations now use the large corporations to do this instead. A bulk of Latin American trade has been replaced with this intra-firm/corporation transfer of products. It benefits the core nation even more, because not only does a bulk of the product or material go to the corporation†s home country, but also the majority of the profit follows the same line. This lack of real trade and a concentration of wealth in the core nations have made the Latin countries even more tied to the elite through huge loans and aid from the IMF and World Bank. Caves and Sunkel share very different mindsets, while Caves believes that the multinational corporation extends the scope of the world economy. Sunkel believes that it exploits the Latin American market, by reducing the capitol in the working class and middle class the corporations take capitol from the local economy that could be used to improve the social condition.

Engineering Hours Accounting System Essay

Introduction Avitronics is a medium sized engineering company that produces components for the aerospace industry. Employees keep track of the hours they work on different projects and at the end of the week turn in a timecard with this information on it. The company can take up to roughly 12 contracts a year; each of these contracts is assigned a ‘Job-Code’. The Current System At present each employee keeps track of their hours using their own system. This could be as informal as a rough tally on a scrap of paper. At the end of the week, the employees fill their hours into a formal timecard, which is handed in and tallied by a clerk. Objectives of The New System Mr. Salomon (the chief accountant) would like a system with data entry forms so that each employee can input their own hours into the system at the end of each week. He would like to have pull-down menus for the job-codes, so that clumsy engineers entering complicated codes do not make mistakes. Hours should be rounded to the nearest quarter-hour. Data entry should be quick and simple. Each individual employee should not be able to see the hours worked by everyone else. The information should be sent to a database from Mr. Salomon can produce reports. He wants to be able to get a report that shows how many hours each employee works each week (these should be sorted by employee number). Mr. Salomon would also like to have a graphical report, which shows the total number of hours worked each week against each contract. He would like to start a fresh new system at the start of each year. Mr. Salomon would also like an easy to understand user guide, which should include complete instructions for a novice, using no jargon. Performance Indicators My solution will have to: * Prevent all employees seeing other employees’ hours. * Be simple to use, and not waste employees’ time. * Prevent errors wherever possible by using validation and combo-boxes. * Allow Mr. Salomon to create reports (with graphs) from entered data. * Include a template for Mr. Salomon to reset the system at the start of the year. * Provide Mr. Salomon with a User Guide designed to assist novice users when they are using the solution. * Accurately calculate the total hours for each employee per week, accurate to each quarter hour. Accurately calculate the number of hours worked on each contract per week, accurate to each quarter-hour. If all of these criteria are met then my solution will be successful. Design Choice of Software A Spreadsheet is the best solution to the problem because I can use the software well already and I know how to solve the problem using this software. I have chosen to use Microsoft Excel because it is the most common piece of spreadsheet software in general use. I could use an equivalent spreadsheet package from a different company, but this may not be compatible with Mr. Salomon’s computer. Features of Excel that make it ideal for solving the problem: * Ability to create a blank template * Pivot tables to create sophisticated reports with graphs * Formatting to help make it clear to the user where to enter data * Macros to automate various functions * Macros which will execute automatically on opening and closing workbooks * Validation and Protection of cells to prevent tampering and errors Systems Overview My system will be based on one workbook, with three sheets (excluding reports). The Hours Entry sheet will be the main input form, where employees will enter the hours they have worked, on what days and on which contract. The Admin Options Sheet is where the Administrator changes Contract numbers and groups, he/she also sets the week beginning date. The database sheet is where reports and charts will be produced form. Detailed Design Follows on the next 6 pages†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Workbook and Sheet Discussion Hours Entry Sheet – This sheet is designed to let the employees enter their hours in a quick and simple way. It is important to keep it simple so that employees do not become disgruntled and frustrated with the system. This sheet has a simple colour scheme that distinguishes input cells from cells where input is not required. Combo boxes are used to keep certain aspects simple and to prevent mistakes. Buttons are used to execute macros that clear the sheet and transfer relevant data to the spreadsheet. As hours have to be recorded by the closest quarter-of-an-hour, I have used a ‘ceiling’ formula in the total cells to prevent mistakes being made when data is transferred to the database. Admin Options Sheet – This sheet contains any options the administrator may need to set concerning the system He/She can add/remove contracts and add/remove groups of workers. At the start of each working week He/She has to set the ‘Week Beginning date’ that is needed throughout the system, it is essential they enter this date correctly. The colour scheme for this sheet is simple, every cell is white, input cells have borders to distinguish them form non-input cells. This sheet contains two buttons that execute macros: – Protect Workbook – This macro opens up the protect workbook dialog, where the administrator can protect the whole workbook, with the exception with cells that are not ‘Locked’ (input cells). – Start New Year – This macro erases all the data in the workbook, and prepares the system for a new year. A warning box automatically pops up when this button is clicked to warn the user that they will be deleting all entered data from the previous year. This is to prevent all the data being removed accidentally. Database Sheet – This sheet contains all the data that has been transferred from the ‘Hours Entry Sheet’. It contains – Employee #, Hours Worked for each employee. – Job Code, Hours Worked for each contract. From this data, an employee report can be created, this is a report listing all the employees, and the number they have worked in a given week. From this data, a contract report can be created; this is a report listing all the contracts and the number of hours worked on them for a given week. From this data a contract graph can be created, this is a graph showing the number of hours worked for a given contract over the past month (4 weeks). These outputs will need to look professional and be suitable for their purpose. Data entry and Validation These are the fields in which data will be entered into my system: Last Name – The employee will type this in. I chose this method, as there is no reasonable alternative. Employee # – This will be typed in by the employee. I chose this method because there is no reasonable alternative. Employee number is a four-digit number. This cell will be validated so that numbers bigger than 9999 are not accepted; also text is prevented from being entered. I use this validation so that problems do not occur further on the process, when reports sorted by employee number are being produced. Group – The user will select this via a combo box this ensures no typographical errors are made when typing it in. I am choosing to use a drop down box as there are few options for the employee to choose from. Job-Code – This will be selected from a drop down box to prevent typographical errors being made. If it were a plain cell, with no validation or input aids, if an error was made it could cause unwanted consequences throughout the system. Monday – Employees enter their hours by typing the number in the correct cell. Any number they enter will later be rounded up to the nearest quarter hour, by the use of a ceiling formula. The validation on this cell will be that it has to be a number between 0 and 20. Tuesday – Employees enter their hours by typing the number in the correct cell. Any number they enter will later be rounded up to the nearest quarter hour, by the use of a ceiling formula. The validation on this cell will be that it has to be a number between 0 and 20. Wednesday – Employees enter their hours by typing the number in the correct cell. Any number they enter will later be rounded up to the nearest quarter hour, by the use of a ceiling formula. The validation on this cell will be that it has to be a number between 0 and 20. Thursday – Employees enter their hours by typing the number in the correct cell. Any number they enter will later be rounded up to the nearest quarter hour, by the use of a ceiling formula. The validation on this cell will be that it has to be a number between 0 and 20. Friday – Employees enter their hours by typing the number in the correct cell. Any number they enter will later be rounded up to the nearest quarter hour, by the use of a ceiling formula. The validation on this cell will be that it has to be a number between 0 and 20. Saturday – Employees enter their hours by typing the number in the correct cell. Any number they enter will later be rounded up to the nearest quarter hour, by the use of a ceiling formula. The validation on this cell will be that it has to be a number between 0 and 20. Sunday – Employees enter their hours by typing the number in the correct cell. Any number they enter will later be rounded up to the nearest quarter hour, by the use of a ceiling formula. The validation on this cell will be that it has to be a number between 0 and 20. User Aids to Operation User Aids to Operation that I have used are combo boxes, and buttons that execute useful macros. Combo boxes assist the user with entering data when there are only a few options to choose from. They also help prevent mistakes from being made when typing out something complicated. For example in my system, the user uses a combo-box to select a job code, if they had to type every job code in it is more than likely that every week several mistakes would be made. By using combo-boxes I have eliminated the probability of this occurring. By using buttons that execute macros I have enabled the employees to enter their hours in a simple entry form. If I did not use macros then each individual would have to type hours into the database, this could cause a huge number of problems for the company. Protection Sheet 1, Hours Entry Sheet The following cells on this sheet will NOT be protected: C6, Last Name C5, Employee # C10:C16, Monday’s Hour Entry Cells D10:D16, Tuesday’s Hour Entry Cells E10:E16, Wednesday’s Hour Entry Cells F10:F16, Thursday’s Hour Entry Cells G10:G16, Friday’s Hour Entry Cells H10:H16, Saturday’s Hour Entry Cells I10:I16, Sunday’s Hour Entry Cells These cells will not be protected because when I protect the sheet, I want them to be ‘editable’. Eg the employees need to enter data into them. Macros Transfer_Macro – This macro will be executed from a button on the ‘Hours Entry Sheet’. The macro transfers required data from this sheet into the database. After it has transferred the data it will return the user to the ‘Hours Entry Sheet’, where they can exit the spreadsheet when they are ready. If the transfer is completed successfully then a message box will popup saying ‘Transfer Successful’. Create_Employees_Report – This macro will create a report on the employees. It will copy selected data from the database, paste it into a new sheet and format it appropriately. The report will show the employee number, last name, hours worked for each week for each employee stored in the database. Create_Contracts_Graph – This macro will use selected data from the database to create a graph showing how many hours are spent on each job code over a period of weeks. The graph will show all of the job-codes and all of the data about each job code that is stored in the database. Auto_Open – This will execute automatically when the spreadsheet is opened, it shows the ‘Hours Entry Sheet’ and clear all of the white input cells. It will select the ‘Employee #’ input box ready for the user to begin. Clear – This macro clears all of the white input cells in the ‘Hours Entry Sheet’. If the employee enters a few mistakes or realises he has entered totally wrong data, instead of having to delete every piece of data separately he/she can simply click the button that executes this macro. Protect_Workbook – This macro will be executed via a button on the ‘Admin Options’ page, this will hide all menus and the taskbar and take the user to the ‘Hours Entry Sheet’. It will also run the ‘Clear’ macro so that the ‘Hours Entry Sheet’ is always blank when it shows up. Start_New_Year – This macro erases all data from the database ready for the system to begin a new year. The employees and job codes will stay on the admin options page as it would be unreasonable to assume that all the jobs were finished at the end of the last year. Data Flow Diagram Testing Test Strategy This is what my solution is required to do, as outlined in the Performance Indicators section of the Analysis: * Prevent all employees seeing other employees’ hours. * Be simple to use, and not waste employees’ time. * Prevent errors wherever possible by using validation and combo-boxes. * Allow Mr. Salomon to create reports (with graphs) from entered data. * Include a template for Mr. Salomon to reset the system at the start of the year. * Provide Mr. Salomon with a User Guide designed to assist novice users when they are using the solution. * Accurately calculate the total hours for each employee per week, accurate to each quarter hour. Accurately calculate the number of hours worked on each contract per week, accurate to each quarter-hour. Here is an outline of the tests I will have to carry out on my spreadsheet: * Does my system open correctly? * Ensure that the Database and Admin sections are hidden from the employees. * Ease of Use, as little complications as possible. * Tests of Validation (effects of incorrect/extreme data entry) * Tests of Protection * Accurate calculation of hours * Does my spreadsheet cause problems after closing? Test Plan The following tests will be performed: Basic Function Tests: 1. Open my spreadsheet. 2. Add data as outlined in test data set 1. 3. Test the ‘Submit Hours’ button. 4. Add data as outlined in test data set 2. 5. Test the ‘Clear Form’ Button. 6. Add data as outlined in test data set 3. 7. Test the ‘Submit Hours’ button. 8. Test the ‘Exit System’ button. 9. Reopen the spreadsheet. 10. Try entering data from test data set 4. 11. Try entering data in a locked cell (eg. The cell containing the word ‘Group’ and the cell containing the word ‘Totals’). Admin Function Tests: 12. Open my spreadsheet. 13. Test ‘Admin Options’ button, enter password from test data set 5. 14. Test ‘Admin Options’ button, enter password from test data set 6. 15. Test the ‘Enter New Employee’ button. Enter the data as outlined in test data set 7. 16. Select cell ‘F19’, Test the ‘Delete Job Code’ button. 17. Select cell ‘B11’, click the ‘Delete Job Code’ button. 18. Test the ‘Enter New Job-Code’ button, enter the data as outlined in test data set 8. 19. Test the ‘Enter New Job-Code’ button. 20. Test the ‘Create Contract-Chart’ button. 21. Test the ‘Employee Report’ button. 22. Test the ‘Change System Password’ button. Enter the password as outlined in test data set 9. 23. Test the ‘Protect System’ button. 24. Test the ‘Admin Options’ button. Enter the password as outlined in test data set 6. Error massage should appear. 25. Test the ‘Admin Options’ button. Enter the password as outlined in test data set 9. 26. Test the ‘Change System Password’ button; enter the original password again as outlined in test data set 6. 27. Test the ‘Start New Year’ button. 28. Click ‘File’ then ‘Exit’ please do not save any changes to the spreadsheet. Jonathan Stamp – ICT Excel Coursework Page 1 of 17 Jonathan Stamp – ICT Excel Coursework Page 1 of 17

It has to be a article on english language learners Essay

It has to be a article on english language learners - Essay Example The article pointed to some literature about semantic processing between monolinguals and bilinguals and the assumption that bilinguals are as adept as monolinguals when it comes to conceptual processing of tasks such as picture naming. The study conducted an experiment by recruiting 31 English-speaking monolinguals and 31 Spanish English bilinguals from the University of San Diego. One hundred eighty pictures were shown to the participants to determine which group performed better at naming pictures. The method for interpreting the data used ANOVA analysis. The authors proposed that bilinguals primarily differ from monolinguals when they name pictures in their dominant language due to the â€Å"degree of experience that they have had with picture names particular to that language† ( p.8). Nevertheless, the study is not that conclusive since repetition and attenuation must be thoroughly considered in further experiments. In conclusion, the author’s ideas may be considered by early education teachers of the English language to bilingual students . This study can be helpful in understanding the learning needs of bilingual students specially those who belong to marginalized groups. There is no need for a change in policy but a better orientation for English teachers. I highly suggest that this study be a required reading for English teachers so that curriculum would be attuned to the needs of the learners. The second article is titled Assessing the Advantages of Bilingualism for the Children of Immigrants1 by Tanya Golash-Bolza. The article was published in the journal Internal Migration Review in 2005. The purpose of the study is to : â€Å" examine whether or not children of immigrants in the United States benefit from being bilingual. These analyses reveal whether there are costs to resisting linguistic assimilation or if it makes no difference at all so long as students attain English proficiency. More specifically, this study addresses whether

Thomas Hobbes's and Machiavelli's political theories Essay

Thomas Hobbes's and Machiavelli's political theories - Essay Example This is contrary to the teaching of Machiavellian that denounced ruthlessness and manipulation as a way of gaining power to control the masses. Machiavelli insisted that one should earn power and not to inherit. However, in most parts of the world power has been inherited and revolved within a lineage. In his book the prince, Machiavelli unequivocally states how political power should be used for the benefit of the people and how that power can be maintained. He cites the examples from his personal experiences and those from the ancient texts. Whereas he did not talk about what qualities a leader should posses, Machiavelli was keen to indicate that any method engaged by the ruler should factor in the fact that the state of the mind is not altered. In this regard, he did set the limits within which he believed gaining controlled should be checked. It will thus be construed that the cliche-the end justifies the means has been used in the most simplified manner considering the context o f his philosophical statement. Pragmatism and realism were the pillars of his philosophy, he also understood that ideals were impossible partake on as ruler. The philosophical work of Machiavelli has immensely contributed and accounted for the political manipulation seen. ... The head of the body in this case being the government that is charged with the responsibility to govern the people. In this case, the head and the body are expected to have coordination in which whatever the head does, the body must be aware of it through the transmitted effect or what may be referred to the trickledown effect. The head and the body are expected to have communication and when the head is ailing, the body too has to ail. This analogy was taken to the political scenario in which, what the government is doing has direct consequences to the people whom it is charged with the responsibility of governing. The implication the term body politics is to express the opinion that the people the government and the people are considered as one just like the body and the head do forms one thing. In some cases, sections of people have tried to redefine the term by saying that the term means exclusively the government alone. The intention of the statement is that a healthy governmen t should have the capacity to make conscious focus just like a healthy body (Hobbes, and Martinich 108). The people are regarded as a stake in the context of the head and the body as proposed by Hobbes to the extent that they are construed to constitute what is critical in the society. Though this may not be seen as a naive way of looking at the matter, it should also be considered that at times the government do exist and operate whimsically on the wishes of the people. It is thus important to note that the people’s opinion about the government may have significant impact and that in the event that the peoples turn violent, the government will have to be disrupted in its daily operation. The cordial

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 72

Marketing - Essay Example With the sun extremely harsh in New Zealand, information on safety is imperative. The researcher can access this information from libraries and databases in universities, colleges, and technical institutions. As much as the secondary data will help the researcher to know much about the New Zealand environment, primary data is crucial in the study. The wristband is a newly invented product through the innovation of the people hence primary data will boost the research objectives. The researcher will be interested in getting firsthand information from the people hence surveys and self-administered interviews will be used widely. Through the surveys and interviews, the researcher will aim at understanding the attitude and feelings of the people towards the wristband. The researcher will also be interested in knowing the reasons that would prompt the people to shun the use of the wristband and why some people would not think of using the wristband in the first place. However, the researcher will be careful with the information in order to ensure it is reliable and valid. Rix (2010) argues that the researcher must work to limit error and possibility of a biased

Business english and communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Multinational firms are a force for progress‟. Discuss Essay - 1

Multinational firms are a force for progress‟. Discuss - Essay Example This report seeks to clarify this debate by evaluating the work of other researchers. Following the literature work of other researchers, relevant theories including Neo-Classic theory and Global reach has been discussed. Finally the analysis has been done to reach on a conclusion. Multinational companies have been a force for a century and one group of people believe that these companies have their root in the British East India Company of the 18th century; whereas, the other group believe that root of these companies is in 17th century Dutch (VOC) Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (Hijzen & Swaim, 2008). The point of Hijzen and Swaim highlights the point that multinational firms have been a force for a century now and their emergence is not a recent phenomenon. It is interesting to note that most of the researchers do agree that multinational firms are a force. A general argument is that inward investments made by multinational firm is a force for political, social and economic progress of the state for improving the rights of people however, this approach is limited because of various governments are very repressive (Kuhn). Multinational firms appear to exert powerful force in the developing country especially in the provision of health and safety and they are even more influential than governments and local cultures (Ladou, 1996, pg. 363-366). Multinational companies not only influence the host countries but they have a strong impact on both home and host states. Japan and United States are two major countries which are either the home countries or sources of FDI in the world, therefore, the role which MNEs are playing in both of these countries are directly influencing the decisions of policy makers and private sector leaders (National Academic Press, n.d., pg.16). The strong influence of multinational firms is insisting the governments to regulate the operations of these giants. Economic regulation of multinational world is a

Water Crisis in Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Water Crisis in Middle East - Essay Example Still, conflicts related to water management have not been avoided. Current paper presents the various aspects of water crisis in Middle East. Reference is made, as example, to the water management problems of Israel, Palestine, Syria and Jordan. The academic studies developed in this field reflect different perceptions for the criteria on which water management should be based. This phenomenon could be explained by the following fact: the high development of technology has affected ‘the perception of people on nature’ (Selby 2005, p.332). Therefore, the terms under which water available in a particular area is characterized as a ‘resource’ have been differentiated today, compared to the past (Selby 2005). In this context, the rights of a state on its water resources are difficult to be fully defined while the support provided by international organizations for such issues is often inadequate (Selby 2005). On the other hand, the water resources worldwide fac e a continuous shrinkage, mostly because of the pollution but also because of the increasing global population. In certain countries, such as those of Middle East, the problem is more intense. In fact, there are countries in the particular region that can be characterized as ‘water – poor countries, meaning that their water production, per capita, is below 1000 m3/yr’ (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). ... 2. Water crisis in Middle East 2.1 History The lack of adequate water resources is not a recent problem. In addition, there are certain regions where the specific problem is quite critical: Africa, South and East Asia and Middle East are the regions that are mostly characterized by water shortage; in certain areas of these regions water shortage can be extreme leading local populations to survival concerns (Kummu et al. 2010, p.4). The water crisis developed in the above regions is characterized by the following trend: water shortage in each of these regions has been developed in different rate. More specifically, up to 1900s water shortage was extreme in Africa while from 1960s and up today water shortage is expanded across South Asia and Middle East (Kummu et al. 2010, p.4). In other words, the appearance and the rate of development of water shortage cannot be foreseen in advance (Kummu et al. 2010). In countries of Middle East water shortage is a common problem. For example, in Jo rdan ‘the drying of streams has led to the lowering of water levels across the country’ (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). In the above country, water shortage first appeared about 1960s and has highly expanded since then (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). The two factors that have been considered as enhancing the country’s water shortage problem are the following: a) the extremely dry climate and b) the rapid economic development of the country supported the increase of population, which, in its turn, led to the increase of need for water (Hadadin et al. 2010, p.197). In a recent report, where the ability of countries to cover their needs for water through their own

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Paleolithic Paint Job - Essay Example He states that cave art archaeologists have used objective inquiry to understand the meaning of the paintings and have also used statistical analysis in testing their hypothesis of the art. He describes Lorblanchets approach as subjective and experimental who thinks that preliminary theory is not essential when experimenting. Lorblanchet does not know what he will by becoming a paleolithic painter but believes that there is something to learn from it. He states that Lorblanchet wants to understand how early artists did their paintings and his work fits a new trend of the cave art archaeology. He describes the paintings of both Lorblanchet and another French archaeologist as having little variations from each other. French prehistorian Abbà © Henri Breuil started the scholarly study of the Ice Age art in the 1920s. Abbà © Henri Breuil saw the Ice Age as a way of hunting magic and his conclusions were inspired by the Arunta aborigines in central Australia. The Arunta painted images k angaroos and other prey on rock faces as a symbol of plenty supply of prey. He states that archaeologists slowly began doubting the credibility of the hunting magic theory in explaining prehistoric cave art and the hypothesis was later thrown in the 1960s Andrà © Leroi-Gourhan who was a French prehistorian. Leroi-Gourhan saw that the distribution of the images showed a division of the world and separated males from females. The distribution of images included Stags appearing in doorways, ibex on the cave periphery and bison, horses, oxen, and mammoths appeared in the main chambers. Leroi-Gourhan saw the male-female duality as suffusing the myth of the upper Paleolithic people. Roger lewin states that archaeologists use diverse approaches and are paying attention to the context of the art. He quotes Margaret Conkey, an archaeologist from the University of California in Berkeley who argues that one has to understand the social context of art for them to understand its meaning.

Comparing Plans and Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparing Plans and Programs - Essay Example For benefits, one must be registered in their reporting system. It offers various health plan choices to convene beneficiary needs and offers two dental plans and other special programs. Both have similarities in their customer base. They use the same federal strategies and have similar rules.For Tricare eligibility one must be retired military and enrolled in DEERS. For CHAMPVA one cannot be retired military, and there is no DEERS enrollment (Moisoi 2010). TRICARE has no disability criteria for eligibility while CHAMPVA veterans must be fully disabled, or died while on duty. Tricare members do not receive medical services by veteran affairs doctors while CHAMPVA veterans and dependents can receive medical care through veteran affairs medical facilities. Managed care models provide quality medical services within a budget to an enrolled population. An example is the Staff Model, where physicians are salaried employees of a Health Maintenance Organization. Medical services are only open to HMO members.The physicians adopt the principles of managed care and the system tries to reinforce high quality and cost effective care with administrative supports. Procedures for implementing insurance plans include: Supervisor training that increases awareness of behavior problems and open channels of communication between staff and managers and Employee orientation that educates employees to understand their benefits and assists them in taking the first step toward benefit utilization. Utilization Review is the process of appraising the medical requirement and employment of resources for care. The principles enhance good ethical conduct, confidentiality of information and data. They ensure that members maintain a level of competency through continuing education. In the managed care referral process medical groups provide training for clinical area staff for new contracts or major changes in

Critical Movie Review About Yoga Essay Example for Free

Critical Movie Review About Yoga Essay Seldom do we have movies which tackle yoga as plot but it was a welcome window in the 2000 movie The Next Best Thing top billed by pop-icon turned actress Madonna. Director John Schlesinger and Screenwriter Tom Ropelewski and the rest of the cast and crew were able to present that Yoga, being a plot in a movie, does not lack that dramatic necessity of conflict. Just try to figure out and visualize the conflict or struggle between muscles when youre trying to lift your foot behind your head in the eka pada sirasan or leg-head pose. Is it not the stuff of cinema? The power and effectiveness of Yoga was clearly manifested in The Next Best Thing where Madonna played a yoga teacher who has a baby with her gay best friend played superbly by Rupert Everett. Driving instructor Abbie (Madonna) has no problems getting her students to bend over backwards and tie themselves into knots for her. But in life she cant seem to find anyone to tie the knot with her. Robert (Everett), her best friend and confidant, is having equally dismal luck finding his Mr. Right. When Abbies relationship ended , she turned to homosexual Robert for comfort and advice. Under alcohol spirit they resulted into an unexpected tryst which made Abbie pregnant and decided to have the child. The two then committed to being good parents and created an unconventional but loving home for their precocious son, Sam (Stumpf). Now comes the yoga skills which Abbie used to remain celibate but she finally relented when she met Ben (Bratt). Roberts father image was threatened with the romance between Abbie and Ben. This was followed by tensions specially when Abbie and Ben planned to marry each other. Thereafter the movie pictured the family exploding over a heart-wrenching custody battle for Sam. Everett sparkles and Madonna oozes her usual cool in this drama/comedy from the director Schlesinger. Madonna 2 Yoga Journal and USA Today have made much of the authenticity of the yoga scenes in the movie. Madonna, a student of ashtanga yoga, brought in her own teachers, Kimberly Flynn and Noah Williams, to be consultants on the film. They advised on decor, class instruction, and fashion. â€Å"This really is the first time yoga has been taken seriously on a film project,† Flynn told USA Today. (qtd in Yoga at the Movies by Sherry Roberts). Yoga students can relate to scenes in the movie such as that of Benjamin Bratt’s first yoga class (he eventually becomes Madonna’s fiance in the movie). Toned and muscular Bratt falls over, peeks during chanting, and quickly realizes yoga brings a whole new dimension to â€Å"being in shape. † Perhaps the most refreshing scenes in the movie are seeing children practicing yoga: Madonna’s 7-year-old son (Malcolm Stumpf) leads a pretend yoga class with his friends in the backyard and later pulls up a mat and moves into the asanas (poses) right along with the adults in yoga class. (Roberts) Aside from the entertainment derived from the movie, presenting Yoga as the plot made the viewers really benefit from the true insights of the calming exercise with its physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual effects. The public was able to cultivate their own garden with Yoga by discovering the tools that can bring each of us in touch with our true nature through. In addition to greater strength, flexibility, and a re-sculpted body, Yoga is one of the best stress busters one can utilize. The movie is not only about Yoga but also a story of love and family with all its fold, twist, and mutilation of those intertwining concepts. The characters find that inner peace is always susceptible to outside and traditional factors. What is good is that there is compromise. which is a big part of yoga. The movie may be more about yoga than it first appears but it is more important that in the end, the conflict was resolved in true yogic fashion, by moving on. Madonna 3 Works Cited Roberts, Sherry. â€Å"Yoga at the Movies. † 2001-2007. Yoga Bound for Yoga in the Movies. 5 December 2007 http://www. yogabound. com/yoga/art_at_the_movies. htm. Schlesinger, John and Ropelewski, Tom. â€Å"The Next Best Thing. † 2000. 5 December 2007http://movies. go. com/the-next-best-thing/c790385/drama.

The Plyometric Training In Badminton

The Plyometric Training In Badminton PHYSICAL TRAINING IN SPORTS Physical fitness is a very important factor affecting performance in sports. As in the preparatory phase of periodization plan for any training programme, the physical fitness is always the first to be developed before focusing into other training factors such as technical training, tactical training, and psychological training. Physical fitness contributes to sports performance. It serves as a foundation that leads to high performance level in sports (Bompa Haff, 2009). Many researchers have studied various types of physical fitness training, such as balance training (Myer, 2005; Myer et al., 2006), agility training (Miller et al., 2001; Young et al., 2001; Holmberg, 2009), sprinting training (Markovic et al., 2007), resistance training (Candow Burke, 2007; Sturgess Newton, 2008; Hamberg-van Reenen et al., 2009), circuit training (Chtara et al., 2008; Duncan et al., 2009), interval training, and plyometric training (Gehri et al., 1998; Swanik, 2002; Spurrs et al., 2003; Turner et al., 2003; Myer, 2005; Miller et al., 2006; Myer et al., 2006; Saunders et al., 2006; Salonikidis Zafeiridis, 2008; Vescovi et al., 2008; de Villarreal et al., 2008; Meylan Malatesta, 2009; Thomas et al., 2009; Ebben et al., 2010; King Cipriani, 2010; Rubley et al., 2011) and many studies found that physical training served the purpose of improving various physical attributes, such as flexibility, functional performance, muscular control, muscular power, distance runni ng performance, running economy, strength performance, explosive power, vertical jump, initial acceleration, speed, and agility (Gehri et al., 1998; Swanik, 2002; Spurrs et al., 2003; Turner et al., 2003; Kotzamanidis, 2006; Miller et al., 2006; Saunders et al., 2006; Markovic et al., 2007; Chtara et al., 2008; de Villarreal et al., 2008; Jullien et al., 2008; Salonikidis Zafeiridis, 2008; Vescovi et al., 2008; Meylan Malatesta, 2009; Thomas et al., 2009; Walklate et al., 2009; Sà ¡ez-Sà ¡ez de Villarreal et al., 2010). PHYSICAL TRAINING IN BADMINTON Badminton is a highly competitive dynamic sport. At elite level, it is suggested that badminton is characterized by repetitive efforts of alactic nature and great intensity which are continuously performed throughout the match (Cabello Manrique Gonzà ¡lez-Badillo, 2003; Lees, 2003; Faude et al., 2007; Sturgess Newton, 2008). Badminton players are required to be able to move in multiple directions while smashing and receiving a shuttlecock at high speed. The speed of a shuttlecock can be up to 421kph (Guinness World Record, 2009). Badminton players are often required to perform speed, agility, flexibility, endurance, and strength capabilities at their limit. It is proposed by Badminton Association of England (2002) that the off-court type of fitness training for badminton can include strength training, aerobic training, speed and agility training, flexibility training, core stability training, and circuit training. As an explosive sport, badminton performance can be enhanced from resistance training. Effective resistance training programme requires a systematic process of analysis, implementation and evaluation to ensure maximum adaptation and improvement. The prescription of resistance training methods can enhance badminton specific performance in jump smashes, lunges, and quick change of direction (Sturgess Newton, 2008). AGILITY IN SPORTS Agility is an essential element for many sports. It is an ability that involves a rapid whole body movement with changes of direction or velocity in response to a stimulus. In many competitive sports such as badminton, the players do not perform at their own pace and move, but are performing in response to the shuttlecock, the opponent, or the partners. As such, agility in badminton is not completely an independent factor (Young et al., 2002; Sheppard Young, 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Jullien et al., 2008). Little and William (2005) proposed that agility is a specific physical attribute that is fundamentally important to sports performance for three reasons. First, developing agility will provide a strong foundation for muscular control and motor skill function, thereby establishing overall performance in badminton. Second, good agility enable players to move fast in balanced and stabled manner, and this proper movement mechanics and this may reduce injury risk. Finally, as an athlete matures, a heightened ability to quickly change directions will enhance overall performance in both proactive offensive and reactive defensive circumstances. According to Young and Farrow (2006) and Vescovi (2008), agility is important as many sports such as badminton performed on a court require high-speed total body movements. Many of these movements are in response to the motion of the shuttlecock, opponents, or partner. As such, quick movements are very important. Deterministic Model Of Agility Performance The multifactorial nature of agility has been represented by a deterministic model in Figure 2.1 which indicating the various factors contributing to performance in sports included badminton (Young et al., 2002). The model (Figure 2.1) indicated the agility can be affected by perceptual and decision making factor, and change of direction speed. Perceptual and decision making is one of the main factors affecting agility. The factors affecting perceptual and decision making included visual scanning, anticipating, pattern recognition, and knowledge of the condition. Leg muscle qualities Change of directional speed Young and Farrow (2006) noted that agility is affected by the change of directional speed. Change of directional speed is influenced by the techniques, straight sprinting speed, and leg muscle quality. Techniques to change direction and change velocity quickly are expected to be influenced by the position of the body while running. A forward lean is required to accelerate, a backward lean to decelerate and stop, and a sideward lean to produce a lateral change of direction. These body positions are necessary in order to produce forces to the ground to evoke reaction forces in the desired direction. The technique of body lean enables badminton player to make quick adjustments of strides to accelerate and decelerate, to the running posture to execute a quick change of direction. Such quick adjustments of posture and positioning of limbs is clearly a skill that requires training. This can be developed by plyometric training (Meylan Malatesta, 2009). Leg muscles quality is exclusively responsible for change of directional movements. The available research provides little support that leg muscle strength, power, and reactive strength are major contributors to agility performance. However, a rationale was made to suggest that plyometric training program involving jumping exercises that contain single leg lateral takeoffs, such as bounding in a zigzag pattern could potentially be beneficial to change of directional speed development (Robinson Owens, 2004; Miller et al., 2006; Sheppard Young, 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Markovic et al., 2007; Thomas et al., 2009). Good quality of leg muscle in badminton helps to reduce time taken from ready position to move to receive a shot. AGILITY CONTRIBUTION IN BADMINTON Motion analysis of a typical badminton match reveals that there are many changes in direction and it requires the athlete to be very agile in all directions (Cabello Manrique Gonzà ¡lez-Badillo, 2003; Sturgess Newton, 2008). Notational analysis of European players during international tournaments indicated that badminton can be characterized by repetitive, short-duration, high-intensity efforts with high-frequency movement (Cabello Manrique Gonzà ¡lez-Badillo, 2003). Badminton is the fastest sport among the racket games with the speed of the shuttlecocks capable of travelling up to 421kph. This means in the court area of approximately 34m2 for badminton singles, the shuttlecock will take not more than 0.15 second to pass through the entire badminton court which is 13.4m in length (Olympics ABC, 2007). As a sport with such a high speed, agility plays a very important role to contribute to the performance. In an elite badminton match, the competition can be played up to more than 60 minutes, and the total running distance can be covered up to 6km. But the energy spent for both players were not the same. When a player is more agile and faster than opponent, he can get into favourable position to play the shot to move opponent around in the badminton court which will lead to greater radius of movement for the opponent. In another word, throughout the match, the player who have better agility are having advantage and spending less effort and energy compare to the less agile opponent. Olympic ABC (2007) also proposed that a player need approximately 0.32 to 0.36 second to move from a ready position towards the shuttle and approximately 0.486 seconds to react to the coming shot. This lead to an idea that a badminton player needs about 0.8 second to react to a shot and move to receive the shot. In this condition, agility is a critical factor affecting the performance. Time taken to react to the coming shot is affecting by the perceptual and decision making factor, while the time taken to move from a ready position towards the shuttle is affecting by the agility, which have the direct relationship with the change of direction speed. Good agility and fast action to move from ready position enable a badminton player to return the shot in a favourable position and have advantage over opponent. PLYOMETRIC TRAINING IN IMPROVING AGILITY Plyometrics are training techniques used by athletes in all types of sports to increase strength and explosiveness (Chu, 1998). Plyometric training programme involving jumping exercises that could potentially be beneficial to agility development (Robinson Owens, 2004; Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Thomas et al., 2009). Plyometric drills usually involve stopping, starting, and changing directions of movement in an explosive manner. These movements are components that can contribute to developing agility (Young et al., 2001; Miller et al., 2001). Previous studies found that plyometric training, when used in a periodized manner, can contribute to agility gains (Miller et al., 2006; Thomas et al., 2009). Agility is an explosive movement which can be referred to running speed and changes of direction ability. Fast running speed and quick change of direction contribute to good agility. Explosiveness is affecting the running speed and change of direction ability. Thus, improvement in explosiveness leads to agility development. Plyometrics have been proven to be an effective method to improve on explosiveness (Markovic et al., 2007; Chtara et al., 2008). By enhancing balance and control of body positions during movement, agility theoretically should improve (Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006). Plyometric activities have been used in sports such as football, tennis, soccer or other sports event (Yap Brown, 2000; Robinson Owens, 2004). These sports are intermediate sports which require rapid whole body movement with changes of direction or velocity in response to a stimulus, which is similar to badminton. CONCLUSION Physical fitness is a very critical factor affecting sports performance. It contributes to sports as the foundation that leads to high performance level in sports. Plyometric is one of the physical training which leads to the gain of various physical attributes which included speed, power, and agility (Miller et al., 2006). In badminton, a player requires high-speed total body movements. Many of these movements are in response to the motion of the shuttlecock, opponents, or partner. Agility permits badminton player to start quickly and efficiently, move in the correct direction, and to change direction or stop quickly to make a play in fast, smooth, efficient, and repeatable manner, in response to a stimulus. A competitive badminton match can be played up to more than 60 minutes, agility allow a player to be in the favourable position quickly to play the shot to move opponent around in the badminton court which will lead to greater radius of movement for the opponent. In another word, agility leads to the advantage of lesser effort and energy spent than the less agile player (Olympic ABC, 2007). Young and Farrow (2006) noted that agility is affected by change of directional speed. Quality of leg muscles is exclusively responsible for change of directional speed. Good quality of leg muscle and good agility in badminton helps to reduce time taken from ready position to move to receive a shot. This enables a badminton player to return the shot in a favourable position and have advantage over the opponent. Agility refers to running speed and changes of direction in an explosive manner. Fast running speed and quick change of direction is the key to good agility, which is affected by explosiveness. Thus, improvement in explosiveness should lead to agility development. Plyometrics has been proven to be effective and efficient in developing explosiveness (Robinson Owens, 2004; Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006; Markovic et al., 2007; Chtara et al., 2008; Thomas et al., 2009). Plyometric drills involve starting, stopping, and change of movement directions explosively. These movements contribute to agility development (Young et al., 2001; Miller et al., 2001). Previous studies showed that plyometric training, when used in a periodized manner, can contribute to agility gains (Miller et al., 2006; Thomas et al., 2009). In addition, plyometric training which enhances balance and body control during movement promotes improvement in agility (Miller et al., 2006; Young Farrow, 2006).

Setting Up A Subway Franchise Marketing Essay

Setting Up A Subway Franchise Marketing Essay My idea is to set up an established franchise. Thus a Subway Franchise. My decision was based on the idea that there is a gap in the market for this particular business especially in the South Norwood area. The only well known sandwich outlet is Subway and although it is already a well-established brand name, I believe that in the correct location my own store will have the potential to make a lot of profit and survive. My businesses unique selling point will be giving my customers the choice to choose which fillings or types of breads they wish to eat for their sub. There are nearly two million different sandwich combinations available on the SUBWAY menu. This flexibility will give the customer their needs and we will gain the loyalty. I believe that in the correct location my own Subway franchise will have the potential to make profit and survive. I will be answering the question: Is it feasible for Subway to expand by establishing a second sandwich outlet in Central Croydon. It is a well-known brand but in the UK not many customers are familiar with this established name. I will make sure these potential consumers know it. I plan to do this by identifying an opportunity in the market and if there is a gap. I plan to use forecasts to see whether my business will be successful such as cash flow and break-even. Using finance available it will help me to launch an excellent franchise opportunity. I have found out Subway is one of the best franchises to set up and a number one entrepreneurial opportunity. Despite this, as there is a highly competitive market that my business would have to enter, having a brand that consumers trust and identify will lead the sandwich bar gaining a stable market share, and loyal customers in a short space of time, and also some of the risk will be reduced.  Overall, buying into a franchise enables entrepreneurs like me to have an opportunity to provide a known product from an established brand with a proven operating system a lready in place. Projects Aims Objectives Aims are the long-term intentions of a business while the objectives are needed to fulfil these overall aims of a business. The main aim of this project is to conduct a sufficient feasibility study in order to evaluate whether or not my business will be successful or not. If my business is likely to fail I would like to assess what factors resulted in this failure and in turn what factors resulted in its success. If it is not feasible then at the end of my project I would like to draw some sort of conclusion about what could have been done to make my business much more successful especially in the case that my business fails. Despite being a franchise and a well-known brand in sight of my potential customers, this feasibility study could endeavour failure and from there I could see what actually could have been enhanced. If it does prove to strive to success, I will be able to identify the best place to set it up, what products to market consumers want/need and at what price. Moreover, I would like to assess what factors resulted in the failure of my business, and what factors contributed to the success of my business, and at the end of the project evaluate what could have been done to improve the business being a success. By doing this I will look into what makes a business strive into success, such as location, the competitors, products to be aimed at potential customers and whether there is actually a demand in the market for a well-known franchise as this. Information will be retrieved through primary and secondary sources and research. I intend to use primary research in order to identify, suitable locations, current prices of my local competitors, products that are needed and wanted by consumers in the market, the right promotional methods in order to attract potential consumers and to establish the target market. In addition I shall use secondary research to find out statistics on most products sold/brought, the period of time in which consumer spending is at its highest, and where and any information retrieved by competitors on consumer spending patterns within the market, or successful marketing strategies. All project results will be used to determine and evaluate my project and backup final decisions. I will need to remember that I will need long-term profit in order to survive. Business Aims Objectives Aims should be an expression of all parties of the business, i.e. employees, shareholders. The set aims should be long-term and everyone within the firm should work to achieve them. Aims can encourage commitment within a firm, i.e. giving employees a long-term job within the firm. Most firms do not spend quantities of time on trying to define their aims, particularly true of small firms where communication levels are quick and easy to transfer information such as my firm Subway. Aims are a basis in which I will set my objectives. These can be influenced by the business culture and the workforce culture. Delegation can take place, in order to allow different departments to focus on different aims. This allows analysis of the success of the objective easier. My aims are: Produce quality products at a competitive price. Bridge the gap between social classes by giving everyone high classed products. In co-operate consumers needs and wants in products. Increase consumers value of living. Turn luxury products into necessity products due to high quality and the purpose/function to the consumers. Produce a profit making business. Design a company whereby customers satisfaction is achieved and a friendly service is offered. Primary Objectives: Will the new Croydon store prove to be adequate in all areas, but most importantly will it be profitable, to a sufficient level of return? Secondary Objectives: Collect the previous years accounts and financial reports for Subway, and evaluate the present situation. Investigate whether there is land available to expand its property. To obtain marketing data. Find out the start-up costs and initial investment for the outlet for expansion. To diversify the business. Using the retrieved raw data, produce forecasted accounts and evaluate the firms financial position in the future. Decide whether a change in price is needed or adding or removing of items is needed to the existing menu. Assess the time scale of the expansion. Methodology Examine existing accounts of the business to whether the firm has enough capital for expansion. I am going to do this by finding out the profitability, liquidity and the efficiency of the firm using ratio analysis from the Trading Profit and Loss account and the Balance Sheet. I will find out using an appropriate website, where I want to open the outlet. This will highlight all the surrounding stores and vacant properties. I will use this as a basis to find a vacant suitable site for the new Subway Restaurant. Once an appropriate site is chosen, I will choose whether to lease or buy a free hold property. I am going to prepare a questionnaire for the customers visiting the restaurant and do a survey of the people in the area to find out their views about the recognised brand name Subway and whether the target market for the product is aimed confidently to the correct consumer market. Retrieve information from the Subway website on costs that will be needed to be incurred, such as the start-up costs and initial investment. Investigate the ways in which the business can diversify, for example introducing other types of catering services such as catering for special occasions. To forecast the firms Trading Profits and loss account. Balance sheet and cash flow forecast if the restaurant was to expand. By using Ratio analysis, I intend to analyse the firms financial position in the future. Upon my findings in my questionnaire I will decide whether extra items should be added to the present menu. Using Decision-Making Techniques such as decision trees and critical path analysis to help reach a decision and estimate the minimum time that could be taken to complete a possibly problematic process. Mission Statement The main objective of a mission statement aims to set and/or tell, stakeholders and shareholder of what the overall purpose of the business is. This involves stating what the business intends to achieve and sets the theme for setting objectives and strategic methods. It shows the businesses reason for existing; why it has been set-up in the first place its intentions. However, in the likeliness of setting a positive and achievable mission statement, a criterion has been set for business to follow. SMART (smart, measurable, agreed, realistic, time specific), allow businesses o analyse the mission statement and to see how success full it would be. As a general not the companies overall mission statement would be to become the biggest and best-value store in the market. Mission statements shows the businesses reason for existing, why it has been set-up in the first place (intentions). Existing Subway missionary statement: To provide the tools and knowledge to allow entrepreneurs to successfully compete in the Quick Service Restaurant industry worldwide, by consistently offering value to consumers through providing great tasting food that is good for them and made the way they like it. SWOT analysis This is a tool, which is used to review internal and external business environments. The benefit of doing this is to assess the businesses current activities and base decisions on them. It is an effective way of identifying my Strengths and Weaknesses, and of examining the potential Opportunities and Threats my business might face. By carrying out an SWOT analysis and using the SWOT framework it will help me to focus into areas where my business will show strengths and where the greatest opportunities lie. My strengths are any resources and capabilities that can be used as a basic for developing a competitive advantage over other sandwich outlets. Strengths: Being a small sole trader franchise means that I will have a closer relationship with the customers, thus receive ideas and build a personal relationship with them. Then begin to build a loyal customer base. Eventually I can promote and adapt my products to the needs of the consumers. I have a good location for my business that is easy to access and is viewable by consumers. Thus creating awareness for consumers to come in and purchase a product. Establish competitors, which have identified consumers spending habits. Makes it easier to establish a business whereby, their needs and wants are already aware. A market-led business that is dedicating to consumers means that you will be giving the consumers what they need, which would make them, happier-delighted. Ultimately, returning back for more purchases. An excellent worldwide reputation in place means a long trading period could be portrayed. Finding a trustworthy supplier is guaranteed, someone who is willing to take a chance on a new established franchise. My Weaknesses are anything, which cannot be included as strength, are things that the business would do badly, that it is ineffective at or that it has a poor reputation for. Weaknesses: Low start-up capital- without capital, the business will find it hard to start-up and get loans to fund its strategies. No credit from suppliers- without credit, it may be hard to pay back debts and have money left over for re-investment into the business. I will have a small amount of staff, as I will not be able to pay for more than I need, so when my staff are absent I will not have any form of backup for them. I have no experience in Marketing which means that I may not market Subways initial products effectively thus losing out on valuable profit, but also on customer loyalty if I market it imperfectly. My cash flow will be unreliable in the early stages of business, thus I will not have any chances to buy things if I see an opportunity for it. Opportunities are anything, which present an opportunity for profit and growth because of its strengths or because of the elimination of its weaknesses. Opportunities: New technology may cut down the time and improve the quality of my products. Company expansion, i.e. increasing capacity inside for eat in. To gain Market share by diversifying myself from other companies: innovation of products and new product range. Increase demand for quality general-purpose products. Competition may be engrossed with rivalry between each other that they dont take much notice in own growth. The introduction of speciality breads and more exotic fillings will extend the possibilities of the sandwich from a simple snack into a meal. Threats of a business arise from activities of competitors and from failing to take opportunities or to build on successes. Threats also come from complacency, a lack of rigour, and from falling profits, perhaps due to rising costs. Threats: Established, wealthy competitors. All fast food chains, including McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Pret A Manger, OBriens, and Benjys. Competitors enforcing new tactics to destroy new competition in which we couldnt battle against due to low capital. For example lowering of prices, advertisement campaigns etc. A possibility of competitors using destroyer pricing. In which we would not be able to operate if we lowered costs any more. If my competitor starts a Price war I will not be able to compete, thus risk of losing customers or falling into bankruptcy. Lack of trained, specialised employees. Shift in consumer tastes will mean that I will need to alter my product selling to fit there needs. There is always a chance of new competitors trying to take some market share. Furthermore, I realise that by having so many opportunities and no experience I can easily make the wrong choice, which could lead to huge opportunity costs. Moreover, most of the opportunities identified to me, are also identified to my competitors, and because they have more capital, and even greater customer loyalty, being able to take advantage of these opportunities will prove difficult. Lastly the weakness of not having any experience means that making decisions will be hard, and being able to react to competition actions would be difficult or even futile. As a result of my SWOT analysis I come to the conclusion that continuing with the business idea would be unpractical, but with a lot of hard work and luck, the firm may be successful, however not enough to compete with competition such as Pret A Manger or Burger King but surviving to some extent. PESTLE Analysis This examines the external environment and the global factors that may affect a business. It can provide a quick and visual representation of the external pressures facing a business, and their possible constraints on strategy. It is usually divided into five external influences on a business- political, economic, socio-cultural, technological and green. The analysis examines the impact of each of these factors and how they interplay with each other in the business. The results can then be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make emergency plans for threats. Political: It might include a consideration of legislation, such as consumer laws, regulation, such as control of certain companies, political pressures and the government view of certain activities. Factors that could affect are Government legislation such as taxes on products and interest rates. This will affect the business when determining the selling price of the products. In order to make a profit after taxation, the price will have to be increased; however the price must also be appealing to the customer and rival that of your competitor. Healthy and safety legislations will have to be taken into account especially since my business deals with food. Improving the health and safety rules according to the regulations set by the franchise would do this. Economical: This might involve the analysis of a variety of economic factors and their effects on business. They might include: consumer activity such as spending patterns, economic variables such as inflation, and government policy such as exchange rates. These areas are global, but it is also important to look at factors affecting my own industry. Economic issues are the focus of future potential of profit making. This can involve the level of demand and the price in which the product will be sold for. This needs to be compared with other organisations prices in order to lure consumers. Despite the fact that this is a franchise and costs are already set up, if however the cost of floor rises, then for my firm or other food retailers the price of floor is a crucial economic measure as without it we cannot make our product and sell them at a cheap price. The current employment rates have increased in the past few years due to economic factors. Not only does this suggest that I have a wider selection for recruitment, being able to choose the most multitasked workforce. I also have the negative effect that money consumers are without money and are unable to spend. This can be a decrease in sales of the whole market, and competition will become fierce in attempt to get loyalty from remaining consumers. In addition exchange rates can affect my business if deciding to import goods form abroad, or basing the factory in overseas. This can easily increase cost and promote a move back to the United Kingdom. Laws on competitive pricing, patterned ideas and quality standards can all affect the way in which my business is run. These laws can limit the companys expansion and take longer than expected. Social: Social factors I must examine are consumer attitudes to my product industry, environmental issues (e.g. organic food versus food made in a lab), attitudes to health, wealth and age (the elderly dont want to be treated different from others). Added complications when looking at social and cultural factors are differences in ethnic and social groups. Not all groups have the same attitudes and this impacts how they view products and services. E.g. Muslims eating pork. Also the fact that Muslims eat Halal would affect my business because meat that is sold at Subway is prepared normally and not using the traditional Halal method. Thus, I will lose sells on these major ethical and cultural groups. However, another factor to consider is that location is dependent on the amount of customers I lose, if there are many Muslims in the area then sells will decline, if not many I will benefit on other ethical groups buying my products. Therefore location can still play a part with profit, especi ally to my target audience. Technological: This might involve the analysis of a variety of economic factors and their effects on business. They might include: consumer activity such as spending patterns, economic variables such as inflation, and government policy such as exchange rates. Fixed and variable costs of the business and the effect of changes in product and labour markets. Other economic factors include income growth, debt saving levels (which impact available money) and consumer business confidence. Increased security methods may include real-time CCTV cameras and hidden cameras around the store to reduce pilferage; this can be mainly located by the cashier tills, as it is highly likely consumers could cause nuisance around these areas. Production methods may introduce, faster production, meaning products are out in the market much quicker and a cheaper price. In addition quality is not sacrificed. Production methods will make producing quicker and possible with a higher quality level. Giving way to the innovation of products. Although with this new advancement I will need staff that can use it e.g. EPOS till ware and also the capital to by and or train people to use it. Green issues involve the interest of the organisations and its interaction with the environment. We need to monitor how we treat the environment with production methods especially, in order to comply with the current laws. Target Audience The SUBWAY chains target market is adults between the ages of 18 and 49 who eat quick meals and are looking for good-tasting options. Also, the SUBWAY chain wants to increase its consideration set among frequent fast-food consumers who lead an active lifestyle and are seeking a balance of nutrition, taste, and value. The target audience is an important factor when setting up my business, as I will be relying on this to make my business a success. My business is a sandwich store that sells food, food is one of the five basic needs and this means that everyone needs food in order to survive. Although this is the case it doesnt mean everyone will eat the food that I will provide. For example young children will not come to my shop to eat large subs so therefore I will need to attract them by selling them a specially tailored kids meal containing simple food with everything inside. In this way I am maximizing my target range. Here is a plan about how I hope to attract other age groups: Young Children: I will be selling them the KidsPak consisting of simple food with a small sub sandwich with different choices of fillings called Deli-Style Sandwiches and a drink. Teens: I hope to encourage teens to my shop by selling a delicious variety of sub sandwich fillings of their choice, promoting certain menus such as 7 under 6 with less than 6 grams of fat. Also selling sweet desserts such as cookies. Adult: I plan on encouraging adults who are fast-food consumers, who lead an active lifestyle and are seeking a balance of nutrition, taste, and value. For example a great choice of salads for those who are watching their calories. Healthy, nutritious meals for those who are health conscious will be available rather then going to stores where fast-food is full of fat such as McDonalds. If they want to eat something during their break at work, a quick meal is available at Subway. Business Structure I choose to do a privately held franchise as all Subway ® outlets are franchised and there are no company-owned units. I feel my business will face less risk if I open a franchise. I can benefit from a Subway experience and enjoy it. I feel my enthusiasm will reflect upon my customers. Another reason why I have chosen to open a franchise into Subway is that in the US it has been voted franchiser of the year by Entrepreneur magazine in all categories, in the past 11 years out of 15 years. Despite that it is the fastest growing franchise in the world (see appendix) with an estimated 25,000 stores worldwide in 2005, bearing in mind that in year 2000 there was only 14,662 stores. Now Subway has beaten the number McDonalds outlets in the US, which is astonishing and the main headlines. With people like Jared who has made Subway even more successful by eating a diet only based on Subway, he has gained his desired weight and distributed what his diet consisted to the public, making Subway even more profitable. From this enormous approval, hundreds of children have decided to improve their quality of life by adopting healthy habits. I have chosen to become a sole trader, because I think it is the best option in my position. I feel I havent enough capital and experience to become a private limited company, and this option is not really open to me if I were go into a franchise. I like to run the business to my satisfaction, and this reflects my decision to open as a sole trader. Market Research: Primary Research Questionnaire as primary research is a lot cheaper, as I am only starting up a business and will not have a lot of capital. Hard to justify bank loan for primary research and can be a waste of money. I will not send any questionnaires out to people as may not receive them back. I will actually approach people in certain areas and ask them questions myself. Means I will get a straight answer rather than bias and have full concentration of interviewee. Analysis of Questionnaire: Question 1- What gender are you? It is essential to know the gender of the person to recognize which one visits the restaurant the most. It will allow me to establish the target market or audience. I can find out trends such as whether more males or females enjoy eating sandwiches. From this I can concentrate more on that particular target market determined. Question 2- In what age range are you? Age would be essential to see whether children would purchase a kids meal that is available at Subway. If I know this, I can effectively cater my advertising to them. From this it will give me a clearer picture of the answer instead of a biased or narrow one. Asking this question will allow me to find out what the target market is. From the established franchise Subway, it mentions how the target market is adults between the ages of 18 and 39- specifically students and families with young children. Question 3- Which borough do you live in? I need to know which borough the potential customer is living to find out if the Subway franchise would best be located in a borough where people know what a Subway Restaurant is. This will increase sales to those potential customers who are loyal to this well-known brand. This will enable me to find out how far they live from chosen location and if their answer will have valid information. There is no point locating my Subway in an area where most cannot reach or locating it where customers have never heard of a Subway brand. Question 4- Have you ever heard of a Subway Sandwich Restaurant? Obviously, in this question I will be able to find out if the customer actually knows what a Subway is and whether they really need to carry out the other questions relevant to the franchise. If they have ever heard of this franchise then they can refer to question 12 and to answer questions only on a basis of sandwiches and not to the franchise itself. Question 5- Have you ever visited one? This will ask whether they have visited a subway, as I need to know whether they are actually familiar with the franchises prices, meals available and food. This will give me an answer that is genuine and not made of assumptions and predictions. If the customer has visited a Subway then this question can be linked to answers requiring their knowledge of a Subway for example their favourite fillings that follows on from this question. Question 6- How often do you eat in sandwich bars? I would need to know how often the customer eats in sandwich bars to meet demand. This will also help me decide how many times I can change special offers available in store depending on how much they visit the store. This along with the question about your age will help me to find out what type of person is able to travel to sandwich bars or my franchise on a daily basis. These people will be my main focus, who I will be promoting to, as these are the people who will be going to my shop a lot. Question 7- What opening hours should a new sandwich bar have? I would like to see which hours are preferable for the potential customer so they can visit it at their chosen time. Question 8 How much would you spend on a meal in a sandwich bar? This will allow me to allocate a price for a typical average meal in Subway. I would also be able to see if consumers are willing to purchase high-priced goods. Or if they choose the option where they want to pay a low price. I will judge my prices based on this. Question 9 Which fillings do you prefer the most in your sub sandwich? Allow me to determine what is the most popular filling to the customers choice and for me to determine which filling will be most in demand. Therefore I can stock up on the most popular fillings ready for the huge demand. I can make sure there is enough supply, during the first few months. From my answers I can then use the fillings as a focal point when advertising to consumer. It will also help me find out which filling I will need to buy the most of. Question 10 Would you like it to be a takeaway or eat in Restaurant? I would like to see whether accommodation for sitting in store needs to be provided or not depending on the results from the survey. From then suitable costs will be established on refurbishment of accommodation sitting. Question 11 Where do you find out special deals about Subway? If the potential customer has many responses to this question, I will then be able to promote deals in the first few months to attract customers to my franchise. Those special deals will be promoted in different ways in the advertising sector e.g.- leaflet drop-ins and newspaper. This question is to help me find out the best way of advertising. By finding out which of the existing methods used by Subway is the most effective. By doing this I will be able to use this method when advertising my business. Question 12- When buying a sandwich what places do you prefer to visit? This will help me identify my local competitors. Those are stores that actually sell sandwich products e.g.- Greggs. I need to know the main reason why customers go to Subway to see whether they have actually heard of a Subway and have given a genuine reason not based on assumptions. By identifying the sandwich stores they visit, I can begin a list of my local competitors. Question 13- Why do you go to Subway, or any other sandwich store? I asked this question to give me a prediction of why people choose Subway over other competitors. Also whether the majority of my sales are based on impulse buying, something that businesses cannot rely on heavily to cover costs, or treats or groceries. Rather it will give me an angle to push my sale at e.g. if for impulse buying I will advertise snacks instead of heavy food. Question 14- Do you enjoy sandwiches as a healthy alternative from other junk foods? This will allow me to reckon whether they really find sandwiches a healthy alternative to junk foods and if they prefer eating this nutritious meal from burgers or pizzas. I would be able to see if sandwiches are a popular good to buy. Question 15- Are you vegetarian, or dont eat certain meats? My market is low fat in nature. If a lot of my customers are vegetarian, I can introduce no meat sandwiches. This goes the same for Halal meats. If I experience a low number of people eating meats, than instead of buying Halal meats, which are expensive, I can introduce more vegetarian meals to cater for there needs. 16. Are you conscience about the amount of calories or amount of fat you eat? Although all my products are low in fat, this answer can help me to gain awareness. My pronouncing that my products are all low in fat, people who have answered this question yes, will seek out my product, because of its low in fat nature. Recommendation: These external factors that affect my business can have a positive effect, however, I believe in the short-term will have a negative effect. For example, in light of technological improvements, my business will need to have money, to take a

The Black Soldiers :: essays research papers

The Black Soldiers by C.J. Blake All through our country’s history, African Americans have had to choose whether they were meant to live in the States or if they should go live somewhere else. Slavery without a doubt had a strong impact on their decisions. Despite the troubles African Americans have had, they made a great contribution and a very big impact on our military and armed forces since the Revolutionary War. The black man has fought against his country's wars, and he has also fought the war with their country to gain the right to fight and the right to freedom. America's first war was the war for independence from Great Britain was a major achievement. This accomplishment could not have been done if it was not for the African American soldiers in the armies. The first American to actually shed blood during the revolution that freed America from being under British rule was Crispus Attucks, a Black seaman. Attucks and four white men were killed in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. Attucks was still willing to fight against England along with other whites, althoug he was a fugitive slave running from his master. The colonists probably would have kept African Americans out of the military during the war if it was not for the proclamation by the Lord of Dunmore. He said "I do hereby... declare all... Negroes... free, that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining his Majesty's troops, as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing this colony to a proper dignity." This meant that if any black man was willing to fight for the British they would become legally free. Then, the Americans could not afford to not let black men from joining the army. After that General George Washington officially reversed his policy about letting "free Negroes to enlist." "Of the 300,000 men that served in the Continental American Army during the War of Independence, about five thousand were Black. In addition to several all-Black companies, there was also an all-Black regiment was from Rhode Island. Between 1775 to 1781 there were no battles without Black soldiers. African American soldiers defended for the colonies at Lexington, Ticonderoga, Concord, Benington, White Plains, Saratoga, Brandywine, Savannah, and Yorktown. There were two Blacks with George Washington on the day he crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Day in 1776. Unfortunately despite African Americans' help to the war effort and the large

Victor as a Father Figure in Frankenstein :: Frankenstein Essays

Like a mother, Victor brings new life into the world, technically making him the father of the creature. The fact that Victor describes the creature as, â€Å"Something Dante could not have conceived†, suggest that he’s had high-standard education, with Dante being an Italian poet. However, disgusted and scared, he runs away from his â€Å"son†, illustrating the event of when a mother aborts her child. This is when the idea of the creature being a doppelganger comes into the picture; when Victor and others neglect this â€Å"child†, the creature learns that while possessing such looks, no one will accept him. He alternates personalities by killing and threatening, all due to the emotional pain he endures from people’s disdain; he is regressing, just like his father. On the other hand, his father is overcome by joy and eagerness to be able to stop death, despite the fact that it is dangerous. This can be considered as the son inheriting the father personalities, they both have villainous character within them but they are both doing it for the good; for example, Victor wanting to protect his family f rom the creature and wanting to stop death, and the creature only wanting to have someone with the same appearance to stop all the resentment thrown at him. This chapter also enhance the regression of Victor at the time of Elizabeth’s reanimation. At first he describes the event to be a â€Å"catastrophe†, a â€Å"wretch†, but the time comes when his grief over Elizabeth’s death conceals the danger of his previous creation, forcing him to recreate her life. On that account, this makes it Romantic act, as this shows that his emotions are more powerful and more important than the analytical side of things. To add to that Romantic part of the novel, in chapter 5, Victor starts to reminisce over nature, as if using it to hide away from his †toils†. He claims to: â€Å"...remember the first time I became capable of observing outward objects...perceived that the fallen leaves had disappeared and the young buds shooting from trees...† As well as suggesting the Romanticism in childhood, Victor shows the power of the beauty of nature and how this heals his emotional troubles.

Karl Marxs Theory of Capitalism Essay -- Papers

Karl Marx's Theory of Capitalism Marxism like functionalism is concerned with the overall picture of society. Marxism is seen as a conflict theory, Mainly because they see the primary interests of society as a whole as being made up of conflicting groups with conflicting interests or beliefs. We are a very materialistic society. A society made up of those who have, and those who have not. Marxists sociologists say that there will never be true social harmony because there are too many inequalities within our cultural society. Marx gave names to the haves and have nots, they are known as the Bourgeoise and the Proletariats. One way of assessing the power of the upper class is through the study of elites (people who fill the top positions in each of the major institutions of society); most of the sociological debates have centered on economic elites and political elites. (Sociology in focus 5th Edition, 2000, page 53) The main question asked by Marxist sociologists is how we all can benefit equally and how can we get rid of the social inequalities present in our society. They differ form functionalists in the way that they see the difference. Marxist sociologists see them as being persistent and not just as a temporary state of affairs to be overcome. Their theories state that for the superstructure to be effective, the infrastructure must function effectively, therefore any changes no matter how small, within the infrastructure will reflect in the superstructure causing severe change and possible disturbances. If production costs rise [...] Intr... ...s, but it has been used to disguise the true set of relations that undergird capitalism. Criticisms Marx has faced a number of criticisms. Most importantly, actual existing communism failed to fulfill its promise. Though these experiments may have distorted Marx's thought, Marxist theory certainly did not reflect its practice. Second, history has shown that workers have rarely been in the vanguard of revolutionary movements, and indeed have resisted communism in some places. Third, Marx failed to adequately consider gender as factor in the reproduction of labor and commodity production. Fourth, some have accused Marx of focusing far too much on production, without giving enough attention to the act of consumption. Last, Marx's historical materialist approach uncritically accepts Western notions of progress.

Chemistry Lab 3 Properties of Gases

Dex Cimino 3/24/2013 CHE101, Tamburro Lab 3 – Properties of Gases Data Table: Experiment Results| Gas| Flamereaction| Glowingsplint| Limewaterreaction| Bromothymolblue reaction| Hydrogen| Popping| extinguish| brownish| green| Oxygen| Brighter| reignite| redish| blue| Hydrogen & oxygen| exothermic| extinguish| brownish| Blue-green| Carbon dioxide| extinguish| extinguish| Milky| yellow| Alka Seltzer| -| -| -| -| Breath| None| extinguish| none| blue| I did not have any alka seltzer =/ Questions A.Give two reasons why we fill the gas generator test tubes almost to the top with chemicals? The first reason is because we want to obtain pure gas and by minimizing the amount of air in the top this will maximize the gases purity. Also some gases may react differently with air. Minimizing contact with air assures a better outcome. B. What happens to the zinc in the hydrogen generation experiment? It dissolved and formed hydrogen and zinc chloride. C. What happens to the manganese in the oxygen generation experiment? The manganese seemed like a catalyst because it sped up the rate of the chemical reaction. Read this Practice Test Chem 105D. Write a balanced equation for the reaction between O2 and H2. 2H2 + O2 ==> 2H2O E. What is the function/purpose of the bromothymol blue in the CO2 experiment? The Bromothymol blue changed color from clue to green and then it turned yellow. After the CO2 was mixed with water, I think carbonic acid was formed. This can measure the amount of CO2 present, a lot of CO2 will show yellow and very little or no CO2, the bromothymol will remain blue. F. Bromothymol blue is blue in the presence of basic solutions, and yellow in the presence of acidic solutions.If your solution is a murky green, what might you assume about the solution? I would assume that the solution is neutral if it is a murky green. With acidic solution, the blue turns yellow. Flow Chart 1. Fill four test tubes with ? distilled water. 2. Add 2-3 drops of bromthymol blue to each test. Part 1: Oxygen 3. Add a small amount of manganese dioxide in an empty test tube. Then add a small amount of Hydrogen Peroxide. 4. Immediately stopper the test tube. 5. Take the stopper out. 6. Repeat these steps for Part 2: Hydrogen and Part 3: Carbon. 7. Record data and answer questions.