Freedom Today free essay sample

What exactly is freedom today and how does it affect us? The Oxford English Dictionary defines freedom as The state of being able to act without hindrance or restraint, liberty of action (524). More often than not, people do not take the time to realize all of the freedoms In existence around the world today. Parabolas Mammalians states that Freedom Is the most dynamic, essential, and general factor In the problems of to-Dave (22). Take a moment and realize the Importance of freedom based upon the many struggles today and in the past for this ideal.Many major campaigns, wars, and conflicts have been driven by the conquest for freedom. The definition of freedom can be explained best using the literary concepts of description, exemplification, and negation. Freedom is a very complicated word to define in any one way. Sometimes the ideal is thought of as the driving force of the cultural process. We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom Today or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It presents many challenges in our direction (22). The concept of freedom has been fought for by many groups of people including Americans and is an ideal that is very dear to many peoples hearts.The basic word freedom Is appealing to most cultures emotionally and Is used very often in political speech (23). It can be Interpreted various ways because there are so many freedoms that are available to discuss and consult. If people were not allowed basic freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the world would be a drastically different place to live In. Mammalians wrote, Freedom is a symbol which stands for a sublime and powerful ideal. The same symbol, however, may become a dangerous weapon in the hands of the enemies of freedom (24).Indeed, freedom is quite powerful and when the wrong person possesses the power, it can become very limiting upon societys basic freedoms. Bronchial Mammalians wrote, Freedom can be defined as the conditions necessary and sufficient for the formation of a purpose, its translation into effective action through organized cultural instrumentalities, and the full enjoyment of the results of such activity (25). It is true that many prerequisites must be met to get a freedom established. Freedom has never come easily and most likely never will for anyone or any place. Many people have to Join and fight to obtain the freedom required. In the past, freedom has been thought of as a fighting word. In todays society, it is considered more of an honorific word. People with great freedom in their lives are always proud and delighted at the achievement. Many countries have large demands for more freedom, but have not been capable of acquiring it. Whether we turn toucan or Ceylon, to West Germany, Latin America, or the new African states, we find discussion regimentations not confined to words]over the tauter, meaning, implications, limits, and Justifications of freedom (Hook 2).There are certain concepts that can be compared to freedom, but are not the same in true meaning. The relationship between freedom and wisdom could be compared quite easily (13). While wisdom Is related more to Intelligence, freedom is related to independence and sovereignty. Sidney Hook states that All choice of freedoms commits us ultimately to an ethical position (13). This Is stating that once a group of people has a certain freedom declared to them, they then have a standing position bout the issue. Across the world, many people desire to have all freedom possible.It impossible to have all freedoms (10). If all freedoms were granted worldwide, civilization would eventually turn into chaos. Freedom is based upon culture and daily expectations. People cannot live without any type of freedom at all. The reason freedom is sought after so often is that not being free can be a painful and unpleasant experience. Look back at the days of slavery in the United States. Although this is something that everyone would like to forget about, freedom was ought for among our own culture.

Becoming a Storm Chaser- Chris Caldwell Interview

Becoming a Storm Chaser- Chris Caldwell Interview How can I become a storm chaser? is one of the most frequent questions I get asked. Last year, I reported on the National Weather Festival and a new event called the Storm Chaser Car Show. This year, I had the opportunity to complete an interview with one of the participants in the show. His name is Chris Caldwell and he works for KOCO TV 5 in Oklahoma as a professional storm chaser. He is a member of the F.A.S.T. Team (First Alert Storm Team) and even runs is own website Ponca City Weather. Catch his video in the KOCO TV blog about building a chase car! Anyone can join in on the celebration on Saturday, October 20th, 2007. The events are part of the National Weather Festival which includes tours of the National Weather Center, vendors, amateur radio demonstrations, and fun weather-related kids activities. As for the cars of storm chasing, awards are given out in the following categories Most Hail DamageMost Working SensorsMost UniqueMost Cutting EdgeBest LookingMeatwagon Award If you have a car that meets any of the above requirements, you can register for the show for free! This year, there will be two separate categories for personal and sponsored vehicles. How Did You Get Started in Storm Chasing? When I started storm chasing there werent many people chasing at that time. I had done it as a hobby and anytime a storm would be within 25 miles I would go chase it! That was back in 1991. I got me interested in chasing when an F5 tornado passed right in front of me across highway 177 just south of Ponca City as I was on my way to Tulsa. At the time, I was driving a UPS truck. I was headed to the airport with next-day-air packages and as I got south of town I could see this massive mile wide tornado coming from the west. I was trying to hurry to beat it so I didnt have to wait for it to cross the road. I didnt quite make it and instead I sat and watched it hit a mobile home and it picked up a 24 foot stock trailer that was attached to a dual-wheel pickup loaded with cattle. I never did see where it landed. The mobile home itself just disintegrated. This storm actually had just hit the area that I had grown up in but I couldnt stay to make sure everyone was okay. I continued on to Tulsa and on the way I saw numerous funnels, at least 30, and as I approached the Hallet area I came across a 2nd tornado. By then it was dark. All the way over I had to slow down and stop since we were coming across power lines down all over the place. I was able to see the tornado near the Hallet exit only from the lightning illuminating it. I got out of the vehicle and a trooper was there getting everyone under the overpass bridge. But Overpasses are NOT Considered Safe You are right. Overpasses as tornado shelters are not considered safe. Little did we know back then that that was the wrong thing to do but we all managed to live even though the tornado went right over the top of us. I got away from there and headed into Tulsa. I kept seeing ambulance after ambulance heading west and then I saw why†¦There were people searching for survivors out in a field near a housing edition on the west side of the Tulsa Metro area. I made it to the airport some 2 hours late but they held the plane and I turned around and headed back home and saw even more rescue people heading west. I had heard there was several killed in that housing plan but never did hear a final count. It was this one night of tornadoes that got me even more interested in chasing. From then on, I started going to classes put on by the National Weather Service and I started reading all the books I could find on weather. What Kinds of Classes Were Available? There is no course you go and take to become a storm chaser. Most of it is learned by going out and chasing. I now chase for KOCO TV 5 in Oklahoma City and to chase for them you have to have some experience. They dont just throw people out that say ‘I want to chase.’ In fact all of their chasers have extensive chase time before they started chasing for them. My experience lasted from 1991 until 2002 before I started chasing for them. What is Your Favorite Part of Storm Chasing? Once a storm has shot up and it classified as severe, the chase is on. This is the part that I enjoy the most. Getting yourself in position can be hectic since we have roads to follow but the tornado itself has no highways or roads it has to stay on. I always try and get to the part of the storm that allows me the best photo opportunity as well as allows me to report back on what the storm is doing and where it is heading. I guess warning the public and letting people know its coming their way is the reason we are out there and indeed it is what I enjoy most. What is Your Least Favorite Part of Storm Chasing? My all means that would be night-time chasing. I have had...Continued on Page 2. What is Your Least Favorite Part of Storm Chasing? What is the Greatest Storm You Ever Chased? What About Close Calls? How Long Does it Take to Build a Chase Car? How About Storm Chase Vacations? What Do You Think of These? †chasecation† Anything Else You Would Like to Add? By the way, every year I attend several classes put on by the National Weather Service. One of these classes is done in an evening and then there are the more advanced ones that are 3 days long. This year I will also be attending the storm chaser convention since they have started doing seminars at it as well.

Self Evaluation of Personal and Academic Skills Essay

Self Evaluation of Personal and Academic Skills - Essay Example Through this I have been able to benefit from their contributions and I have also strengthened my weak academic areas. I am excellent at managing writing skills appropriately, through the use of internet and with the assistance of my lectures ,I effectively utilize my writing and reading skills to get all my assignments done .I am also highly determined an perseverance when faced with tight deadlines. I understand that my parent have made the sacrifice of taking my to college and that my future depends on my education. So I don’t give up easily but strive until I get what I want .I know how to utilize all the sources available at the school and at home, I mostly use the internet and the library whenever I am required to read more. I know that he best consultation is from my lecturers and so I approach them for clarification in case of any difficulty. Higher education learning requires a number of skills for a student to be successful, some of these skills are research and anal ysis skills, one needs to carry out several researchers both in the on the internet, in the library and in the field. This will assist the student to solve academic and even personal problems that arise during the session. A successful student needs to have good communication skills . good communication skills enables one to work with others and leads to problem solving because no man is an island on of himself. The ability to manage tasks leads to completion of assignments given at the right time and in the correct way .A higher education students also requires to have the ability to manage oneself, through discipline, proper time management, belief in oneself and good grooming and hard work , success is likely to be achieved. Further more, applying of design and creativity, working through agendas and decision making tools are needed in Higher education learning because without them , a student may find it very difficult to work in accordance with the set guidelines (Levine & Sun, 2010). From my evaluation, I realize that I am faced with a number of gaps that may pose a challenge to achieving my academic goals. One of them is poor decision making skills, I always find it difficult to arrive at a decision and stick on it for example I may decide to undertake a certain project but if convinced otherwise, I end up going for another. I also find it difficult in working out agendas; this may be due to poor time management and lack of decisiveness. Having difficulty in working out agendas is also contributed to by low levels of creativity design and layout and lack of adequate trust in myself. Section 2 Plan of Action for Improvement of Academic Skills Every individual has a set of weaknesses in regard to achieving academic success, personally I have weaknesses in decision making, working out agendas, have belief in myself and having high level of creativity I layout and design. However, I understand that I can still work towards overcoming the challenges I face. T o fill the gaps, I plan to undertake the following actions. Decision Making To improve my decision making skills ,I will carry out the following activities I will be weighing costs versus benefits Ensure that I am relaxed when making a decision Consult with my team members and always Consider alternatives before I make a decision Working out agenda To ensure that I work out all the set agendas in a timely and orderly manner,I will practice the following Improve on networking and public relations Have great

Annotated bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Annotated bibliography - Essay Example ProQuest. Web. Oct 19, 2012. This study points out some inconsistency in human resource management (HRM) perspectives from a business standpoint. As researchers at the University of Strathclyde, the authors propose formal systems, specifically designed to improve the effectiveness of HRM in order to achieve better business practices and then corporate expansion. This research is very relevant because it calls for the implementation of more effective human resource management models fundamental to the success of any business. Indeed, efficient HRM models are necessary to the required performance of businesses. This article will be used in my paper because it exposes the limitations in HRM and demonstrates the need to set up better models. Fisscher, Olaf, and Andre Nijhof. â€Å"Research and Concepts: Implications of Business Ethics for Quality Management.† The TQM Magazine 17.2 (2005): 150-61. ProQuest. Web. Oct 19, 2012. In this article, Olaf Fisscher and Andre Nijhof, both re searchers at the University of Twente, in the Netherland, explore the relationship between business ethics and quality management. The authors demonstrate that even though business ethics and quality management have different origins, they both deal with issues of responsibility. In addition, the article presents the link between them and what quality management can learn from business ethics. The argument presented in this study is very valid because quality management goes with business ethics in order to achieve good results. The presence of responsibility in both fields reveals the importance of moral values in business management. This study will bring a valuable contribution to my paper because it labels the lack of responsibility as a serious weakness in the business sector. Gronholdt, Lars, and Anne Martensen. â€Å"Management Practices Driving Sustained Business Success.† Measuring Business Excellence 13.1 (2009): 48-58. ProQuest. Web. Oct 19, 2012. Lars Gronholdt an d Anne Martensen analyze the way different managerial practices provide sustainable and profitable growth in Danish companies. The authors, researchers at the Copenhagen Business School, present a variety of managerial tools and techniques that companies need to implement in order to achieve high performance. They also invite companies to clearly distinguish the common managerial practices that guarantee a successful business. The authors make a meaningful point in calling for selecting the best managerial tools to ensure good performance. The ability for businesses to identify the best practices allows them to make profit and ensure growth. This article will be very helpful to my paper because not all managerial tools can bring success, and it belongs to managers to choose the best. Gulledge, Thomas R. Jr., and Rainer A. Sommer. â€Å"Business Process Management: Public Sector Management.† Business Process Management Journal 8.4 (2002): 364-77. ProQuest. Web. Oct 19, 2012. R esearchers at George Mason University, Thomas R. Gulledge Jr. and Rainer A. Sommer draw readers’ attention to the difficulties in the management of the public sector. For them, much of the research has been directed toward business process management whereas the public sector management has not received much attention. This study focuses on the need to

Preventing of Gouty Arthritis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Preventing of Gouty Arthritis - Essay Example This directed the need to study prophylaxis with colchicines for different durations. This article reviews the trial conducted to study different duration of colchicines for preventing recurrence of Gouty arthritis and critique the methodologies used and recommends areas of future research. Colchicine is used for prophylaxis treatment against recurrent attacks of gout. But the most suitable duration of its administration for gouty arthritis needs to be assessed. The researchers in this study have hypothesized three regimens of dosage that can be beneficial to the patients without causing any harm. All patients were treated with allopurinol to lower the level of uric acid stored in the joints and randomly divided into three groups, the dosage of drug was kept constant (1mg/day) in all the groups but the period of treatment differed in every group ranging from 3-6 months (group 1), 7-9 months (group 2),10-12 months (group 3). The study did not include a placebo group. All the groups under study belong to the same age group of people all were in their 50's also since statistics have confirmed for every 7-9 male affected there will be 1 female affected that accounts to be 3% of women, hence few women are included in the study just about 3 % in all groups. The normal upper limit of serum uric acid is 7mg/dl in men and 6 mg/dl in women. A change in uric acid level is one of the predisposing factors for recurrence of acute gouty arthritis hence all the patients selected for the study have a mean uric acid level of 8.5 (mg/dl). For detecting similarity between patients of each group they were divided to two subgroups; with recurrence of arthritis or without any episode of arthritis, and mean level of serum uric acid and age were compared using T-test the difference was insignificant. Thus the researchers have taken care of carefully dividing the groups and the groups are

Types of inflation and the rate of Bangladesh

Types of inflation and the rate of Bangladesh In 1990 the inflation rate was highest rate 10.522 which average 20.47% after that from 1991 to 1993 the rate was going down slowly like (-21.26, -56.26, -17.80) In 1995 the rate was going little high like but that rate was not recover before rates. In 1996 the rate was again straight going down. From the 1997 to 1998 the rate was going up. After 1999 to 2001 the rate was again going down, and than the rate was going up on 2007. And the last 2 years (2008-2009) the inflation rate of Bangladesh was going down. Task 02: A) Inflation: Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation is also erosion in the purchasing power of money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time. B) Explanation: This area of economics has probably given rise to one of the most significant macroeconomic debates in recent history. There are essentially two causes of inflation.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Cause of Demand Pull Inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Cause of Cost Push Inflation Cause of Demand Pull Inflation Demand is influenced almost entirely by the amount of money in the economy, namely the money supply. They argue that inflation is caused by the amount of money in the economy and hence the spending power of the population exceeding the capacity of the country to produce goods and services. Increased money supply will lead to increases in spending through transmission mechanisms and this will invariably create a situation where aggregate demand for goods and services exceeds the aggregate supply resulting in demand pull inflation. This is shown by the shift of the short-run aggregate demand curve in the diagram below. Cause of Cost Push Inflation When firms costs increase they will raise their prices in order to maintain the real value of their profits. This will result in the real incomes of the owners of the factors of production e.g. wages, falling. In an attempt to maintain their real income labour will demand higher money wages and this will in turn raise costs. This is often referred to as cost push inflation and may be caused by:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Increases in factor prices e.g. oil price increase.  ¿Ã‚ ½ An increase in wage settlements in excess of any increase in productivity.  ¿Ã‚ ½ A devaluation or depreciation of currency leading to an increase in import prices.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Interest rate increases will increase the cost of borrowing.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Indirect taxation or the removal of subsidies. As in the diagram below. The Keynesian Argument They argue that keeping a tight control over money supply so as to control spending is highly questionable. They argue that increases in money supply will lead to increases in spending and providing there are unemployed resources firms will increase output in response. Finally they argue that basing economic problems, how do you actually go about controlling the amount of money. In a world where there many ways in which people can borrow money, can monetary policy successfully control the amount available for spending? The Monetarist View of Inflation Monetarists put forward two possible explanations of inflation. Firstly they recognise that increases in aggregate demand may lead to demand pull inflation. Increases in spending in excess of the full employment level of output will create shortages (overheating) and firms will raise their prices. This can be shown by a shift of the aggregate demand curve to the right. Task 03: A) Under the bed, Not a safe place for your savings My money at home is a high risk strategy, as most household insurance policies will only cover a limited amount of cash. The total value of Bank of England banknotes in circulation continues to rise, but their use in transactions is falling gradually. Most of all, furthermore, keeping your savings in cash will also mean that you are slowly losing money. Holding physical cash gives no protection against inflation, which official consumer prices index figures put at 1.5%. This means that in order to maintain the purchasing power of your hard earned money it needs to be attracting an interest rate of at least inflation, preferably plus whatever tax you pay. B) This was a predictable Budget which did nothing to simplify the tax regime so businesses are in for another heavy Finance Bill. May be it can increase the rate of interest. Every month it should be multi more rather than main money. C) It was tough to pay the leant money. If you lent money through Prosper back then, when most of its loans were extended, there ¿Ã‚ ½s a very high chance that you ¿Ã‚ ½ve lost money  ¿Ã‚ ½ in some cases, a lot of money.  ¿Ã‚ ½Of investors with a portfolio of loans that are an average of at least two years old, ¿Ã‚ ½ notes Gimein,  ¿Ã‚ ½folks who have lost money outnumber those who ¿Ã‚ ½ve earned 6 percent annual return by more than six to one. ¿Ã‚ ½ One of the big problems that Prosper ran into  ¿Ã‚ ½ the massive credit crunch and the ensuing Great Recession  ¿Ã‚ ½ could reasonably be considered to be a one-off event with a low likelihood of happening again. But another is endemic to the model: Prosper borrowers with a given FICO score are inevitably going to be more likely to default on their debts than most other people with the same credit score. It wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t meant to be that way. Peer-to-peer lending was meant to create a personal connection between borrower and lender, and therefore make borrowers more likely to repay their debts than people faced with large obligations to hated, faceless banks. But it seems that adverse selection effects overwhelmed the site ¿Ã‚ ½s attempts to be warm and fuzzy. Task 04: A) Inflation is a sustained rise in the average prices of goods within an economy; it can also be seen as a change in the purchasing power of money. Inflation can normally be divided into two types ¿Ã‚ ½ cost-push and demand-pull. Cost-push happens when prices are pulled up by rising costs, demand-pull happens when demand outstrips supply and prices will therefore have to rise to accommodate this. Monetarists argue that inflation is caused increases in the money supply, the total amount of money circulating in the economy at one time. This is as the believe that any increase in the money supply which is not in line with the growth in output of the economy will lead to inflation. If the money supply was increased in the short-run then consumer spending. When you introduce money into circulation out of nowhere, it lessens the value of everyones money. It is in everybodys best interest, then, to keep inflation low. In Germany after WW1, they purposefully hyper-inflated their money. People were bringing money into stores in wheelbarrows just to buy daily groceries. They used money to fuel the fire and even used it as toilet paper, because it was virtually worthless. We want to tackle inflation because we dont want that to happen. B) Cost Push Inflation Cost-push inflation occurs when businesses respond to rising production costs, by raising prices in order to maintain their profit margins. There are many reasons why costs might rise: Rising imported raw materials costs perhaps caused by inflation in countries that are heavily dependent on exports of these commodities or alternatively by a fall in the value of the pound in the foreign exchange markets which increases the UK price of imported inputs. Higher indirect taxes imposed by the government  ¿Ã‚ ½ for example a rise in the rate of excise duty on alcohol and cigarettes, an increase in fuel duties or perhaps a rise in the standard rate of Value Added Tax or an extension to the range of products to which VAT is applied. Demand Pull Inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ A reduction in direct or indirect taxation. If direct taxes are reduced consumers have more real disposable income causing demand to rise. A reduction in indirect taxes will mean that a given amount of income will now buy a greater real volume of goods and services.  ¿Ã‚ ½ Rising consumer confidence and an increase in the rate of growth of house prices  ¿Ã‚ ½ both of which would lead to an increase in total household demand for goods and services  ¿Ã‚ ½ Faster economic growth in other countries  ¿Ã‚ ½ providing a boost to UK exports overseas. In the first diagram the SRAS curve is drawn as non-linear. In the second, the macroeconomic equilibrium following an outward shift of AD takes the economy beyond the equilibrium at potential GDP. This causes an inflationary gap to appear which then triggers higher wage and other factor costs. The effect of this is to cause an inward shift of SRAS taking real national output back towards a macroeconomic equilibrium at Yfc but with the general price level higher than it was before. Task 05: A) Supply-Side Economics: The term  ¿Ã‚ ½supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is used in two different but related ways. Some use the term to refer to the fact that production (supply) underlies consumption and living standards. In the long run, our income levels reflect our ability to produce goods and services that people value. Higher income levels and living standards cannot be achieved without expansion in output. Virtually all economists accept this proposition and therefore are  ¿Ã‚ ½supply siders. ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½Supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is also used to describe how changes in marginal tax rates influence economic activity. Supply-side economists believe that high marginal tax rates strongly discourage income, output, and the EFFICIENCY of resource use. B) Supply-Side Factors Bangladesh ¿Ã‚ ½s Factors: ? Rising world food prices The economy of Bangladesh is dependent on imports for most of the essential food items. Any increase in international prices is, therefore, expected to be passed on to domestic prices through the import channel. We notice a secular increase in the prices of four major food items (rice, wheat, soybean oil and sugar) in the international market during 2003-2007 (Table 3). Since Bangladesh is an import ¿Ã‚ ½dependent small economy, a positive relationship is expected to exist between world food prices and domestic inflation. As the weight of food items in the consumption is 58.84 percent at the national level, rising world food prices would influence overall inflation in Bangladesh. ? Changes in diesel prices Global oil prices have been rising steadily having macroeconomic impact on our economy. Recently, UNDP (2007) has rated Bangladesh as one of the high oil price vulnerable countries. However, two factors are pertinent to assess the impact of oil price change on inflation. Firstly, the current regime of administered pricing of petroleum products1 has involved significant lags in adjusting to world prices. Secondly, the existing construction of CPI excludes diesel, which constitutes more than 60 percent of total annual import of petroleum products. Consequently, its major impact is indirect through transport fares and irrigation costs. From Figure 5, we observe that generally every hike in diesel price is followed by a rising trend of point-to point inflation in one to three months lag. 1 The pass-through coefficient of diesel is 0.43 meaning that 43 percent of diesel price increase has been passed on to consumers (UNDP, 2007). ? Exchange rate fluctuations Among supply-side factors, exchange rate is found to be significant in explaining inflation in Bangladesh. A depreciation of exchange rate translates into a rise in the cost of imported commodities by making foreign goods more expensive, and thus induces an increase in the domestic price level. There is a close association between exchange rate fluctuations and inflation. Since the adoption of a floating exchange rate regime in May 2003, any depreciation of the exchange rate has been associated with a pickup in inflation by increasing the prices of imported goods. It is evident from Figure 6 that Bangladesh Taka shows a depreciating trend while Indian Rupee displays an appreciating trend during the period from FY98 to FY07. The depreciation of Taka makes imported commodities more expensive having bearing on the domestic price level. United Kingdom ¿Ã‚ ½s Factor: Supply side policies are govt measures to increase productivity in the economy and therefore shift LRAS to the right. Supply side policies usually involve reducing blockages to the free market or overcoming market failure. The key macroeconomic objectives of the govt include low inflation, low unemployment, increasing the sustainable rate of economic growth and minimising the balance of payments disequilibrium. Privatisation and deregulation were an important supply side policy of the 1980s; they involved selling state owned assets to the private sector and increasing competition within markets. Private companies have a profit incentive to cut costs and be more efficient. Greater competition also causes lower prices and more efficient methods of production, as firms compete for customers. This has enabled lower prices and greater productivity in some industries. However, this policy has been relatively unsuccessful in industries such as Rail and water because they are a natural monopoly and it is difficult to introduce competition into these industries Another example of supply side policies is education and training, if these policies are adopted then it enables higher labour productivity and improved economic performance. However, this policy may be subject to govt failure; for example, the govt may have poor information and set up inappropriate schemes which do not benefit workers Task 06: Economics The risk of inflation Contents:  ¿Ã‚ ½ Inflation rate of Bangladesh  ¿Ã‚ ½ Definition of inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Impacts of inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Controlling inflation  ¿Ã‚ ½ Supply side economics  ¿Ã‚ ½ Source of reference Inflation rate of Bangladesh since 1990 to 2009: In 1990 the inflation rate was highest rate 10.522 which average 20.47% after that from 1991 to 1993 the rate was going down slowly like (-21.26, -56.26, -17.80) In 1995 the rate was going little high like but that rate was not recover before rates. In 1996 the rate was again straight going down. From the 1997 to 1998 the rate was going up. After 1999 to 2001 the rate was again going down, and than the rate was going up on 2007. And the last 2 years (2008-2009) the inflation rate of Bangladesh was going down. Definition of inflation: Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. When the price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation is also erosion in the purchasing power of money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time. Impacts of inflation: Keeping your savings in cash will also mean that you are slowly losing money. Holding physical cash gives no protection against inflation, which official consumer prices index figures put at 1.5%. This means that in order to maintain the purchasing power of your hard earned money it needs to be attracting an interest rate of at least inflation, preferably plus whatever tax you pay. If you lent money through Prosper back then, when most of its loans were extended, there ¿Ã‚ ½s a very high chance that you ¿Ã‚ ½ve lost money  ¿Ã‚ ½ in some cases, a lot of money.  ¿Ã‚ ½Of investors with a portfolio of loans that are an average of at least two years old, ¿Ã‚ ½ notes Gimein,  ¿Ã‚ ½folks who have lost money outnumber those who ¿Ã‚ ½ve earned 6 percent annual return by more than six to one. ¿Ã‚ ½ One of the big problems that Prosper ran into  ¿Ã‚ ½ the massive credit crunch and the ensuing Great Recession  ¿Ã‚ ½ could reasonably be considered to be a one-off event with a low likelihood of happening again. But another is endemic to the model: Prosper borrowers with a given FICO score are inevitably going to be more likely to default on their debts than most other people with the same credit score. It wasn ¿Ã‚ ½t meant to be that way. Peer-to-peer lending was meant to create a personal connection between borrower and lender, and therefore make borrowers more likely to repay their debts than people faced with large obligations to hated, faceless banks. But it seems that adverse selection effects overwhelmed the site ¿Ã‚ ½s attempts to be warm and fuzzy. Controlling inflation: A) Inflation is a sustained rise in the average prices of goods within an economy; it can also be seen as a change in the purchasing power of money. Inflation can normally be divided into two types ¿Ã‚ ½ cost-push and demand-pull. Cost-push happens when prices are pulled up by rising costs, demand-pull happens when demand outstrips supply and prices will therefore have to rise to accommodate this. Monetarists argue that inflation is caused increases in the money supply, the total amount of money circulating in the economy at one time. This is as the believe that any increase in the money supply which is not in line with the growth in output of the economy will lead to inflation. If the money supply was increased in the short-run then consumer spending. When you introduce money into circulation out of nowhere, it lessens the value of everyones money. It is in everybodys best interest, then, to keep inflation low. Supply side economics: The term  ¿Ã‚ ½supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is used in two different but related ways. Some use the term to refer to the fact that production (supply) underlies consumption and living standards. In the long run, our income levels reflect our ability to produce goods and services that people value. Higher income levels and living standards cannot be achieved without expansion in output. Virtually all economists accept this proposition and therefore are  ¿Ã‚ ½supply siders. ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½Supply-side economics ¿Ã‚ ½ is also used to describe how changes in marginal tax rates influence economic activity. Supply-side economists believe that high marginal tax rates strongly discourage income, output, and the EFFICIENCY of resource use. Source of Reference: Task 01: ? http://www.indexmundi.com/bangladesh/inflation_rate_(consumer_prices).html Task 02: ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation ? http://www.bized.co.uk/virtual/dc/copper/theory/th17.htm Task 03: ? http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/savings-and-banking/ask-an-expert/article.html?in_article_id=495492in_page_id=111 ? By Self ? http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/01/19/the-problem-with-peer-to-peer-lending/ Task 04: ? http://blog.economics4development.com/how-to-tackle-inflation ? http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100611143716AAzABWG ? http://www.blurtit.com/q929238.html ? http://tutor2u.net/economics/gcse/revision_notes/big_picture_inflation_remedies.htm ? http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-macro-causes-of-inflation.html Task 05: ? http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/SupplySideEconomics.html ? http://bdeconassoc.org/userfiles/pdf/27%20Sources%20of%20Inflation%20in%20Bangladesh-%20Nasiruddin%20Ahmed.pdf ? http://www.economicshelp.org/macroeconomics/as-essays/supply-side-policies-improving-econ.html

Nixon: A Presidential Unraveling Essay -- Government

Corruption in politics has never been more notably observable by the American people than that of the Watergate Crisis. Though Nixon’s involvement of the actual break-in has never been proven, his cover-up of the event and his misuse of Presidential power were clearly established. Over the course of several years, America would bear witness to scandalous events, the first resignation of a President, conviction and imprisonment of twenty-five officials within the Nixon administration, and undoubtedly the most severe constitutional crisis in recent history. In November of 1968, Richard Nixon claims the presidency for the Republicans in one of the closest elections in U.S. history. His election to office was bolstered by the middle-class population who were fed up with the liberal politics practiced by the Democrats. Ironically, Nixon choice of appointments to the cabinet and White House staff were to ensure restoration of â€Å"conservative values and carry out his orders with blind obedience.† (Tindall 1364). Many of the members appointed would be the same brought up on charges during the Watergate hearings. There had been many questionable judgments made by President Nixon during his time in office. One had been on July 23, 1970 when he notified the FBI, CIA, National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency that he had approved a new plan for expanding domestic intelligence gathering that included breaking and entering, opening personal mail and interception of communications between U.S. residents and foreign locations. He claims to have later rescinded the order due to protests by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. There has been no clear indication that any of the illegal acts suggested by the president were ever carried ou... ...ity meant to bolster Nixon’s standing for reelection. It is also without question that Nixon knew of the activities and blatantly lied to both the Senate Watergate Committee in addition to the American people. His clear misuse of power prompted a cry for his impeachment as head of our country and an end to the constitutional crisis he incited. Works Cited Tindall, George Brown. "Watergate." America: A Narrative History. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 2010. 1375-1379. Print. "Watergate I: The Evidence To Date." Time 102.8 (1973): 18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. "The President Gambles On Going Public." Time 103.19 (1974): 22. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. Hufbauer, Benjamin. "â€Å"Watergate.† The Nixon Presidential Library And Museum." Journal Of American History 98.3 (2011): 790-796. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Apr. 2012.

Dbq: the Black Plague

AP European History August 31, 2012 DBQ: The Black Plague From the late medieval era to the enlightenment a series of plagues devastated European society, economy, and social/political structure. Reaction toward the calamity ranged from rational and proactive to irrational, egoistic, and even criminal. Over all, the human devastation revealed a growth over time in government role and the role of the educated class in serving society, while uncovering a persistent criticism of the upper classes and the common people. The plague illiated a growing rational and proactive response, by the state and educated class.In 1512 Erasmus, a Christian humanist who prepared a new edition of the Latin and Greek testament, he was also known for his techniques using humanism to write his texts, proposed a scientific explanation blaming uncleanliness for the plague (Doc 2). The plague was carried around by rats which contributed to the dispersion of the bacillus. The areas that were the most susceptibl e to the plague where those with the most famine. In 1571 Heinrich von Staden, count of the Palestine, observed some of the cardinal consequences of the plague such as roads being guarded so that infected people didn’t move from the infected area (Doc 5).The closing of roads led to a disruption in trade throughout Europe. This had a major impact on economy. Only upper class people were able to afford the expenses required if they got infected. In 1576 Motto of Giovan Filippo, physician who is believed to be the first person to have described chicken pox, concluded that diseased had to be in quarantine, citizens who violated health regulations had to be punished and all infected items had to be burned (Doc 6). Not everyone could afford to pay quarantine and the ones who could pay for it were those who didn’t need it.The people who were the most affected were the peasants and they couldn’t afford it. By the 15th and 16th centuries the educated class started findin g new techniques to treat the diseased. In 1630 Father Dragoni, priest, helped by assisting the needed and providing economic supplies (Doc 9). This auxiliary movement was useful to many and made of him an example to others. In 1647 H. de Rochas, French physician, believed that hanging toads around the patient necks would draw out the poison (Doc 10). Many physicists such as Rochas were trying to find a cure.The plague also brought irrational and egoistic responses by different levels of society. In 1484 a schoolmaster at Deventer, when asked how his school was doing he responded by saying that only 20 of his students were killed (Doc 1). During this period in time only upper class citizens were capable of affording private schools. The rich didn’t have the necessity to go out of their houses. For this reason students wouldn’t go to school anymore and that way less upper class people were getting infected.In 1523 Nicholas Versoris, author, pointed out how rich people c ould fly away of the infected area leaving behind the poor (Doc 3). This type of people didn’t care about the rest, they egoistically thought and worried only about themselves. The people left behind were the most susceptible ones to getting infected. During the 15th and 16th centuries the upper class society was still blinded acknowledging reality. In 1656 Sir John Reresby, traveler, decided to travel to Italy knowing about the plague and religiously trusting his god that he wouldn’t get infected (Doc 12).Many upper class people didn’t care or didn’t take serious the severity of the plague. Most would travel all over Europe without caring if the disease was being expanded by them. In 1624 Lisabetta Centenni, common housewife, proposed that supernatural forces had cures his husband (Doc 7). During this era there were many people that were blinded by the church making them believe in forces out of the human sight and understanding. This kind of reasoning l et to people avoiding medical treatment because of religion. Such reasoning was introduced to the population by the church and its over leading power.In 1635 Nehemiah Wallington, English puritan, gave sight to his egoistic reasoning by listing the way he thought the plaque would take his family and by leaving him at last (Doc 8). In 1720 M. Bertrand, physician at Marseilles, is proposing that the plague has been caused by an angry god rather than natural causes (Doc 16). During this era there were many pagan people left that believed that everything was caused by the gods. This way of reasoning that led many to die praying to a god instead of looking for real remedies. People had really strong beliefs towards pagan gods.To those people the gods were the ones that directed every single part of their life. If some natural disaster occurred this kind of people wouldn’t think irrationally and would say their gods were angry at them. Criminal and social collapse was another major cause of the plagues caused by common people and the educated class. In 1583 Johann Weyer, German physician who was one of the first to be against witch persecution , said that people were getting paid to spread the plague so that the heirs of the dead and diseased obtained their inheritances (Doc 4). Such criminal acts were common and many people died from it.In 1651 Miguel Parets, Barcelona tanner, published that nurses were abundant during the time of the plagues so they would kill their patients in order to get their payment (Doc 11). Criminal levels were rising and people didn’t know who to trust anymore. Most people from the low classes were growing corrupt or with the necessity of having to steal or kill for food. In 1665 Samuel Pepys, English bureaucrat, said that people weren’t buying wigs anymore because they were afraid to get infected (Doc 13). Economy was going down because of the plague. People were afraid to buy and many weren’t even aloud in the roads.In 1722 Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year, said that all trade stopped between them and other trading nations of Europe because they were all afraid of getting infected (Doc 14). Trade had officially collapsed for the infected area. No other nation wanted to risk their citizen’s health by buying goods from this area. In 1696 Emperor Leopold commissioned the â€Å"Plague Column† in gratitude for the end of the plague (Doc 15). The image shows a man knelt on the right side illustration praying and looking towards the sky were angels and saints are flying. On the left side of the image is a bible.

Difficulties Faced by Interracial Couples

Difficulties Faced by Interracial Couples Interracial relationships have taken place in America since colonial times, but couples in such romances continue to face problems and challenges. America’s first â€Å"mulatto† child was born in 1620. When slavery of blacks became institutionalized in the U.S., however, anti-miscegenation laws surfaced in various states that barred such unions, thereby stigmatizing them.  Miscegenation is defined by  sexual relations between people from different racial groups. The term  stems from the Latin words miscere and genus, which mean to mix and race, respectively.   Incredibly, anti-miscegenation  laws remained on the books until the latter half of the 20th century, making interracial relationships taboo and posing barriers to mixed-race couples. Interracial Relationships and Violence A major reason interracial relationships continue to carry stigma is their association with violence. Although in early America members of different races  openly procreated with one another, the introduction of institutionalized slavery changed the nature of such relationships entirely. The raping of African-American women by plantation owners and other powerful whites during this period have cast an ugly shadow on relationships between black women and white men. On the flip side, African American men who so much as looked at a white woman could be killed, and brutally so. Author Mildred D. Taylor describes the fear that interracial relationships invoked in the black community in the Depression era south in Let the Circle Be Unbroken, a historical novel based on her family’s real-life experiences. When protagonist Cassie Logan’s cousin visits from the North to announce that he’s taken a white wife, the entire Logan family is aghast. â€Å"Cousin Bud had separated himself from the rest of us†¦ for white people were part of another world, distant strangers who ruled our lives and were better left alone,† Cassie thinks. â€Å"When they entered our lives, they were to be treated courteously, but with aloofness, and sent away as quickly as possible. Besides, for a black man to even look at a white woman was dangerous.† This was no understatement, as the case of Emmett Till proves. While visiting Mississippi in 1955, the Chicago teen was murdered by a pair of white men for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Till’s murder sparked international outcry and motivated Americans of all races to join the civil rights movement. The Fight for Interracial Marriage Just three years after Emmett Till’s horrific murder, Mildred Jeter, an African American, married Richard Loving, a white man, in the District of Columbia. After returning to their home state of Virginia, the Lovings were arrested for breaking the state’s anti-miscegenation laws but were told the one-year prison sentence given to them would be dropped if they left Virginia and did not return as a couple for 25 years. The Lovings violated this condition, returning to Virginia as a couple to visit family. When authorities discovered them, they were again arrested. This time they appealed the charges against them until their case made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled in 1967 that anti-miscegenation laws violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. In addition to calling marriage a basic civil right, the Court stated, â€Å"Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.† During the height of the civil  rights movement, not only did laws change regarding interracial marriage but public views did as well. That the public was slowly embracing interracial unions is evidenced by the theatrical release of a 1967 film based entirely on an imminent interracial marriage, â€Å"Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?† To boot, by this time, the fight for civil rights had grown very integrated. Whites and blacks often fought for racial justice side-by-side, allowing interracial romance to bloom. In Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self, Rebecca Walker, daughter of African American novelist Alice Walker and Jewish lawyer Mel Leventhal, described the ethos that impelled her activist parents to marry. â€Å"When they meet†¦ my parents are idealists, they are social activists†¦ they believe in the power of organized people working for change,† Walker wrote. â€Å"In 1967, when my parents break all the rules and marry against laws that say they can’t, they say that an individual should not be bound to the wishes of their family, race, state, or country. They say that love is the tie that binds, and not blood.† Interracial Relationships and Rebellion When civil rights activists married, they not only challenged laws but sometimes their own families. Even someone who dates interracially today runs the risk of incurring the disapproval of friends and family. Such opposition to interracial relationships has been documented in American literature for centuries. Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel Ramona is a case in point. In it, a woman named Seà ±ora Moreno objects to her adoptive daughter Ramona’s impending marriage to a Temecula  man named Alessandro. â€Å"You marry an Indian?† Seà ±ora Moreno exclaims. â€Å"Never! Are you mad? I will never permit it.† What’s astonishing about Seà ±ora Moreno’s objection is that Ramona is half-Native American  herself. Still, Seà ±ora Moreno believes that Ramona is superior to a full-blooded Native American. Always an obedient girl, Ramona rebels for the first time when she chooses to marry Alessandro. She tells Seà ±ora Moreno that forbidding her to marry him is useless. â€Å"The whole world cannot keep me from marrying Alessandro. I love him†¦,† she declares. Are You Willing to Sacrifice? Standing up like Ramona did requires strength. While it’s certainly not wise to allow narrow-minded family members to dictate your love life, ask yourself if you’re willing to be disowned, disinherited or otherwise mistreated to pursue an interracial relationship. If not, it’s best to find a mate of whom your family approves. On the other hand, if you’re newly involved in such a relationship and only fear that your family may disapprove, consider having a sit-down conversation with your relatives about your interracial romance. Address any concerns they have about your new mate as calmly and clearly as possible. Of course, you may end up deciding to agree to disagree with your family about your relationship. Whatever you do, avoid springing your interracial romance on family members by unexpectedly inviting your  new love  to a family function. That could make things uncomfortable for both your family and your partner. Examine Your Motives When involved in an interracial relationship, it’s also important to examine your motives for entering such a union. Reconsider the relationship if rebellion is at the root of your decision to date across color lines. Relationship author Barbara DeAngelis states in her book  Are You the One for Me? that a person who consistently dates individuals with qualities diametrically opposed to those their family finds appropriate may be acting out against their parents. For example, DeAngelis describes a white Jewish woman named Brenda whose parents want her to find a white  Jewish, single and successful man. Instead, Brenda repeatedly chooses black Christian men who are married or commitment-phobic and only sometimes professionally successful. â€Å"The point here is not that relationships between people of different backgrounds don’t work. But if you have a pattern of choosing partners who not only don’t fulfill you but also upset your family, you are probably acting out of rebellion,† DeAngelis writes. In addition to dealing with family disapproval, those involved  in interracial relationships  sometimes deal with disapproval from their greater racial community. You may be viewed as a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"sellout†Ã‚  or a â€Å"race traitor† for dating interracially. Some racial groups may approve of men dating interracially but not women or vice versa. In  Sula, author  Toni Morrison  describes this double standard. They said that Sula slept with white men...All minds were closed to her when that word was passed around...The fact that their own skin color was proof that it had happened in their families was no deterrent to their bile. Nor was the willingness of black men to lie in the beds of white women a consideration that might lead them toward tolerance. Dealing with Racial Fetishes In today’s society, where interracial relationships are generally accepted, some people have developed what are known as racial fetishes. That is, they’re only interested in dating a particular racial group based on attributes they believe people from those groups embody. Chinese-American writer Kim Wong Keltner describes such fetishes in her novel  The Dim Sum of All Things, in which a young woman named Lindsey Owyang is the protagonist. â€Å"Although Lindsey was admittedly attracted to white boys, she†¦hated the idea of some pervert honing in on her because of her black hair, almond-shaped eyes, or any of the submissive, back-scrubbing fantasies her physical features might suggest to a large, clumsy mammal in tube socks.† While Lindsey Owyang rightfully shies away from white men drawn to Asian women based on stereotypes, it’s equally important that she examines why she exclusively dates white men (which is revealed later). As the book progresses, the reader learns that Lindsey harbors considerable shame about being Chinese-American. She finds the customs, food, and people largely repellent. But just as dating interracially based on stereotypes is objectionable, so is dating someone from another background because you suffer from  internalized racism. The individual you’re dating, not racial identity politics, should be your primary reason for entering an interracial relationship. If it’s your partner and not you who exclusively dates interracially, ask probing questions to find out why. Have a full-on discussion about it. If your partner finds members of her own racial group unattractive that reveals much about how she views herself and other groups as well. The Key to a Successful Relationship Interracial relationships, as all relationships do, pose their fair share of problems. But the tensions that arise from loving cross-racially can be overcome with good communication and by settling down with a partner who shares your principles. Common ethics and morals arguably prove more significant than common racial backgrounds in determining a couple’s success. While Barbara DeAngelis acknowledges  that interracial couples  face serious difficulties, she’s also found, â€Å"Couples who share similar values have a much greater chance of creating a happy, harmonious and lasting relationship.†

Why the Crusades occurred Essays - 2nd Millennium, Christianization

Why the Crusades occurred Essays - 2nd Millennium, Christianization Why the Crusades occurred By Adam Quinlan center351218500 center698500 Task 1: Primary sources- Pope Urban ll's speech (paper document): On November 27, 1095 in front of the Council of Clermont in Clermont, France Pope Urban ll pronounced a speech that saved the Christian religion "if you wish to be the friends of God, gladly do the things which you know will please him. You must especially let all matters that pertain to the church be controlled by the law of the church" and which almost destroyed the Muslim religion. The purpose of his speech was to announce he was calling a Crusade against the Muslims who were invading Jerusalem (the holy land). In his speech Pope Urban ll told his people that no matter what, if they went to fight the Muslims they would receive a great reward being either going to heaven after death or being drowned in riches if they lived. His proposal of rewards convinced many to join the Crusade and help fight with the Byzantine Empire. Although the purpose of the Crusade was to save Jerusalem, it is believed most people only joined the Crusade because of Pope Urban ll's rewarding offer. Without the Pope's speech would there have been less soldiers fighting against the Muslims and would that have then lead to the Christian Religion's corruption? Pope Urban ll's speech helps us understand the reasoning of the Crusade from the Council's point of view (to save Jerusalem) and from the Soldiers point of view. (Great rewards) An anonymous chronicler's record of the capturing of Jerusalem (letter): In this letter written by an un-known chronicler to his wife, the capturing of Jerusalem by the Crusaders sounds both triumphant and horrific "rejoicing and weeping from extreme joy, our men went to worship our saviour Jesus The Saracens who were still alive dragged the dead ones out in front of the gates, and made huge piles of them, as big as houses and the piles of Muslim bodies were even higher" The letter says that after they captured Jerusalem the crusaders killed many Saracens for fun' and piled their bodies in mountains higher than houses, after this the letter then says that the crusaders stole everything from the village such as silver, gold, horses and mules. This tells historians that the battle in Jerusalem was horrific with thousands of people dying and many badly injured, this also shows us that the crusaders had no respect for the Muslims as they killed them all off for fun' and piled up their bo dies. The letter also lets us know that the reason most of the crusaders joined the battle was partly so they could get rich from the things they found in Jerusalem. This letter is extremely helpful because it gives us a strong idea on what the battle was really like on the inside and it also tells us that maybe the crusaders weren't the good guys in the end, slaying innocent people and showing no respect to their own holy land at times. . These sources both show that the crusaders weren't just fighting to save Jerusalem but they were also going to become rich with gold and silver and many other riches they found during the battles. Essay: Task 2: Why did the Crusades occur? The crusades were cultural wars all conducted by either kings or persons of high rank in the Christian religion, in all there were 9 crusades although only seven of those were thought to be major and relevant. Reasoning for the crusades include things such as A holy place being taken over by foreign rulers following different religions (the first, second, third and also partly the reasoning for the fourth, fifth and sixth crusades) or any region of Christian dominance being threatened. Not all of the Crusades were a success, we know this thanks to letters from crusaders to their loved ones stressing about how they were being overpowered by enemy forces (fifth through to the last crusade). The first, second and third crusade were all successful in re-claiming the holy land (Jerusalem) according to letters written by crusaders from the first crusade their victory over the Turks came quite easily, in fact one chronicler from the first

Principles and Practice of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Principles and Practice of Marketing - Essay Example Feedback is also obtained from agents or dealers about toilet paper products offered by competitors, by studying the new products of the competitors. ii)Idea screening constituted undertaking studies of ideas carefully. Good ideas were selected while the fake ones are rejected. The basis of selection or rejection of the idea is informed by the necessity of the toilet paper. The possibility of current plant and machinery to proliferate the new product. The confidence that the existing marketing network sells the new product and easily breaks even. Positive answers mean that the idea of a new-product development is selected, to avoid product failure. iii)The Idea screening concept testing was carried out later to find out the possibility of consumers understanding the product idea. Demand and acceptance of the product were also investigated. A small group of consumers was selected and provided with full information on the tissue paper product. Their perceptions, feelings, and reactions to the product were obtained. Over 85% liked the product. iv)After establishing that a significant percentage preferred the product, commercial profitability was determined. It involved assessing the anticipated costs, demand, seasonality, competitors and expected level of projected sales. Also, investigated were profits, advertising, and sales promotion expenses. The product was found to be profitable, thus accepted. v)At this point, the company made a decision to introduce the tissue paper into the market.

Strat-Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strat-Management - Essay Example DP world is amongst the world’s largest port operating entities that has an established business base and considerable potential with the ventures expanded over different major ports of the world that are hub to the services, containers and shipping. Company specialization: It specializes in the ports and terminal operations. The company has enjoyed control over three major cargo terminals in this area and has recently decided to sell as high as 60 percent of its terminal stakes (portstrategy 2012). It facilities the functions of performing cargo terminal services across the major docks and primarily on the Belgian docks as in this particular case. This move of selling the shares comes as a result of agreement and settlement with a locally operated company in the name of Zuidnatie, which aims to overtake and purchase as many as 60 percent of the overall shares of the company that were owned by it previously. This decision has various repercussions ranging from business view po int, to economic and strategic since the brand name is already established and also the services delivery infrastructure has been in place as well. Therefore understanding its long term, short term impacts is vital along with the possible angles and dimensions under which this move may have been initiated. Core idea: The idea behind selling its break bulk terminal is trigged by the move and motive to focus on the core services which is that of deep water container facility. This move is accompanied by that of expansion of its services and facilities usage in the Delwaide Dock terminal, which again is a front line terminal and would enable better focus on the core stream. The overall sales are worth around 60 million dollars. Repercussions: Since the decision is of major significance, it has both internal impacts and external, each of these need to be evaluated in terms of the possible impacts on DP world, this will be looked into with reference to the internal variables, internal fa cilities, the workers response, and on external front, it would be gauged against the supply chain factor, the market competition, the rivals response, the possible loss of customers and clients by giving up the terminal that has long been associated with DP world and other factors. All these need to be critically evaluated and observed in order to assess the impacts and determine whether this decision would augur any positives for the company or possibly lead to the negative impacts on the overall organization. It is potentially amongst the top three largest stevedores in the Port of Antwerp and its decision to abandon and sell its services will have impacts both on DP world itself and the overall terminal’s environment since it is an established entity and has been around and has earned the clients trust for considerable time (Barnard 2012). Under the law and rules and regulation of the porting industry, 70 jobs have to be cut off in lieu of this decision which would includ e 40 white collar jobs, and 30 blue collar jobs (Nobx 2012). The trend: DP world has exhibited similar behavior in recent times, and this is not the only and unique function being performed, the selling of its 20 percent shares to the Russian giants was one similar example. Another similar event came to forth in form of DP world’