Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Education For Life Essay

The basic purpose of a liberal arts education is to liberate the human being to exercise his or her potential to the fullest. Liberal arts plays an important role in developing individuals and the world. When students attend liberal art colleges, they will understand the essence of humanity and will learn to shape and develop personal values. For a person to develop, he needs to understand the essence of humanity. When you attend college, your view on the meaning of life changes. You live for your minds and spirits and not just for the security of material wealth (Urbanek). You start to do things related to your work as this is your interest. This will make you care less about material wealth and you will focus more on the benefit of the world than the benefit of yourself. Liberal arts means arts of freedom. People learn about things that interest them. This makes the experience of learning better. Students will recognize the value of material things for what they are (Urbanek). They will start challenging tasks of design where they would learn how to translate ideas into actions. They will get to know the depth, flexibility and openness of their thinking and will also be able to recognize the importance of their thinking. Taking these ideas into consideration, I can say that liberal arts teaches people global responsibility, social awareness and self development, which is the essence of humanity. Thus, when the essence of humanity is known, then only a person will be able to acquire personal values. The value of liberal arts was appreciated by the students in older times but contemporary students do not share the same sentiment. In 1900, 70 percent of college students in US attended liberal arts colleges but today fewer that 5 percent do. The idea has taken hold by educators that todays youth are more materialistic, less idealistic and more self interested than their predecessors (Richard). In 1997, Yankelovitch survey focused on high school students and their parents, found that 85 percent of the high school students and 74 percent of their parents stated that the goal of college is to get a practical education and to secure a job. Furthermore, only 14 percent of the students and 27percent of their parents were even familiar with what a liberal art education is. Todays students tend to be career oriented, impatient and focused in material rewards (Kahn). People do not  know that liberal arts can offer a clearer understanding that work embodies the values of courage, honour and responsibility. Liberal art colleges expose you to a variety of academic disciplines and an excellent background for future work. The education gives you the ability to adapt to a changing environment, communicate effectively, think critically and solve complex problems, which can prove very useful in everyday lives. As you acquire personal values throughout your college years, it is important to learn how to shape these values. I believe that the central purpose of liberal arts education is to shape the values of people. The impact of liberal arts education on student value change is conclusive in determining whether higher education is effective in achieving this central purpose. According to a survey conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles, 8 out of 10 academics said they were spiritual, and 64 percent called themselves religious. More than half of the faculty members said that it was important to enhance undergraduates’ self-understanding and to develop their moral character and values. I think liberal arts is a great way to teach people their spiritual and moral responsibilities towards the community and world itself. Humanitarian values are defined by acceptance of value equivalency between ones own loyalties and those of all other individuals and groups, as well as respecting the rights of others to freely express similar claims and loyalties without infringement (Hollway). Values serve as guiding principles in the life of a person or other social entity and thus, it is important for people to learn how to shape these values. Values are described as serving the interests of some social entity, motivating action, giving direction, and having emotional intensity (Hollway). Therefore, these values are needed for the development of individuals. When individuals possess these values, they will be able to use them in their society. Employers around the world are looking for people who possess these values and have the ability to use them. Hence, liberal arts students will satisfy these employers. These students will also find opportunities to learn more as their primary goal is not material wealth. This will help countries to better their economy. These values will benefit the students themselves as well as the world. Once a person understands the essence of humanity and learns to shape and develop values, he will be able to make changes to the world. Liberal arts students have the skills to become valuable community members. They make decisions, solve problems and communicate the solutions to others. Liberal arts prepares these students to be successful throughout their life. WORKS CITED Urbanek, Jennifer. The EBSCOhost. 28 Oct. 2007 Kahn, Beverly. Co-opting The Market Place. Journal of Higher Education: p.19. EBSCOhost. 28 Oct. 2007 Richard, M. The Practical Path, Too, Can Be High-Minded. Chronicle of Higher Education: p.11. EBSCOhost. 28 Oct. 2007 Hollway, Michael. A Comparison of the Impact of 2 Liberal Arts. Journal of General Education: p.237. EBSCOhost. 28 Oct. 2007

Purpose of a Project Scope/Baseline

Defining project scope is the process of developing a detailed description of the project and product. The processes used to manage project scope, as well as the supporting tools and techniques, vary by application area and are usually defined as part of the project life cycle. The approved detailed project scope statement and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary are the scope baseline for the project. This baseline is then monitored, verified, and controlled throughout the lifecycle of the project. The purpose of project scope is to provide the project organization and the project manager with a road map of both the work to be completed, as well as the types of final deliverables sought. In some cases the scope document and the SOW are practically identical. For example, while the scope document may describe the end product or service to be produced and delivered by the project, it should not be treated as a document for technical specifications. Changes happen as a result of several reasons: As the result of initial planning errors- Because many projects involve significant technology risks and uncertainty, it is often impossible to accurately account for all potential problems or technological roadblocks. As a result, many projects require midcourse changes to specifications when they encounter unsolvable problems or unexpected difficulties. As a result of additional knowledge of project conditions- The project team or client may enter into a project, only to discover that specific project features or the development environment itself require midcourse changes to scope. Uncontrollable mandates- In some circumstances, events occur outside the control of the project manager or team that must be factored into the project as it moves forward. Client requests- As a project`s clients learn more about the project, they often ask for significant alternations to address new needs. Also, reasons for changing the project may be: poor communication; pressure/time constraints preventing effective definitive design; contracts signed when scope in not frozen; changes from initial design; poor initial planning; lack of project management tools and others. In simple terms, configuration management is the best understood as the Systematic Management and Control of Project Change. The specific tasks of the configuration management discipline are as follows: * Configuration identification – This process identifies all items uniquely within the configuration, which establishes a successful method for requesting a change and ensures that no change takes place without authority. In addition, every configuration item should be physically labeled so that the label identifies that physical item as the one recorded in the configuration register. In the case of large projects that involve numerous configuration items, it is important to establish a baseline configuration to provide some structure and avoid confusion. * Configuration control – This is a system through which changes may be made to configuration items. As change request begin to appear, the configuration control system ensures that no change is made without assessment of its impact, either by the people potentially affected by the change, or without approval by an appropriate authority. * Configuration status accounting- This process, which records and reports the current status and history of all changes to the configuration system, provides a complete record of what happened to the configuration system to date. * Configuration audit – These audits are performed to ensure conformity between the items in the configuration and their specifications. Audits ensure not only a match between what is delivered and what was required, but also consistency throughout all project documents. To avoid the cost and delays associated with uncontrolled changes, many organizations have set up formal procedures to control them- and have further extended those procedures â€Å"upstream† to anticipate changes well before occur. Establishing a configuration control system provides such a framework for anticipating what may not be obvious.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Family in sociology Essay

The family is a very important social institution in our society because it helps to socialize its members to be important people in the society.   The people in the family are linked by either marriage or blood. Families can be categorized in various ways such as extended families and nuclear families. Extended families are large families whose members can be of same generation and who can be distantly or closely related .Nuclear families on the other hand, consist of the husband, wife and the children. Families rely on each other for support on basic things such as security and economic. Main body Sociological analysis is very important because then people will get to know the importance of families .With the recent times, people do not hold families with importance and hence the high number of divorces in our society due to emotional imbalance. Many families are breaking up and the people who get to suffer most are the children, in such cases it is very hard to administer the rules and norms. One of the main lessons learnt from the above article is that families are supposed to guide some of the very important issues such as planning for the future of their children and themselves too and this is largely guided by financial matters (Sullivan,  Ã‚  Ã‚   2010). The article made me see that communication is what holds the family together and only does this when done in the right way and clearly states on issues relating to inheritance. It helps in cases of step parents and children. Every member in the family is entitled to an opinion in the family. The article does not address the various roles that should be played by each member in the family especially that of children and it does not discuss to length factors that cause families to be dysfunctional apart form financial issues.   Conclusion The modern society is undergoing some changes and hence how we handle our families today determine the future families of our children. WORKS CITED Sullivan, Paul. Blended Families Face a Thicket of Financial and Emotional Issues. Estate Planning. New York Times. 2010. Print. Viewed on June 7th, 2010 at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/your-money/estate-planning/05wealth.html

Money: Bank and Funds

â€Å"Money† is a fascinating object. The process of creating money and using money has always generated enthusiasm amongst mankind for over thousands of years. The main reasons for such enthusiasm are built around the dynamics of the above process. Even more fascinating is the fact, that this process is perhaps the only subject that is foxing both the pundits and the commoners alike. Such being the importance of money, any narration regarding the process shall always provide enough excitement. Keeping this in view, the role and importance of financial intermediaries is being featured for the benefit of readers. A glimpse of this coverage is provided in the following pages to lead them to a wider canvas. Financial Intermediaries Financial intermediaries play a vital role in building economies. World over, in different economies it is typical to find that the sources of funds and the uses of funds are not one and the same. This process is also so complexly structured that while individual contributions comprise the major source of funds to the market, the utilization of funds is done by different sectors in the economy. Capital formation comprising of Savings and Investment holds the key to this process. In this causal sequence, Savings play the role of the initiator. The ability of an economy to generate savings depends on the combined abilities of the general public and the government. It is here that the financial system comes into play by converting the savings into productive results. Significance of Financial Intermediation The savings process is facilitated by the financial Intermediaries. In simple terms, financial intermediaries perform the function of facilitating supply of funds to the user of funds, by obtaining the same from the depositors or savers of funds. The term ‘financial intermediaries’ includes different institutions like Banks, Insurance companies, Investment companies, Developmental Financial Institutions, Non-banking Finance Companies, Mutual funds, Pension funds etc. While the role of above institutions is singular with respect to financial intermediation, the functions that are performed by each one of them are different. In a nutshell, these types of intermediation revolve around liquidity position of funds, risks in loans, and pooling of risks to take advantage of economies of scale. To sum up, the function of financial intermediation has arisen out of the need on the part of savers to reach the investors and the inability of investors to find savers. Developed economic systems may not require the need of full-fledged financial intermediaries, unlike the developing systems. This is due to the fact that the gap between the saver and the investor is absolutely minimal. This is referred to as â€Å"financial disintermediation†. The process of financial disintermediation is best achieved by reducing the cost of funds thereby facilitating direct capital formation, which spurs economic growth. The greatest advantage in this process is the fact that it reduces the time gap between saving of money and utilization. The process of financial intermediation is always fraught with risks. Risks both for the givers of funds and the takers of funds, besides the risks for financial intermediaries themselves. The risk factor arises in the first place out of the need for the availability of information and in the second place the need for players to be aware of the available information. Consequently, the need for regulations and the role for a regulator are felt. Financial Intermediation in Indian context In India, without exception, a single type of intermediary does not perform the task of financial intermediation. Different types of financial intermediaries exist and their functions are discussed below. Banks: Banks comprise the oldest form of financial intermediaries in India. The Indian financial scene is dotted with a number of banking institutions. All these banks are segregated into various categories. This segregation has been done on the basis of their incorporation and the businesses performed by them. Consequently, we have various kinds of banking institutions. These are: i. Commercial banks, ii. Regional Rural Banks, iii. Local Area Banks, iv. Co-operative banks. The above classification suggests that banks have been divided under various types depending on the need to achieve the different economic objectives. While making the above classification, geographical factors, need for sectoral deployment of funds involving allocation of funds for Agriculture, Industry, and Service sector etc. have been taken into consideration. However, gradually, the needs of industrial sector have become so huge and complex that separate institutions have been set up for farming the industrial sector. Development Financial Institutions (DFIs): Deployment of funds in the Industrial sector is a major challenge. Industry’s requirements vary depending upon their short-term and long-term needs. The activities of short-term lending and long-term lending are separate and specialized functions. After understanding this finer aspect, the Government of India took initiative to set up specialized institutions for this purpose. For this reason, we find that most of the DFIs – such as the Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI), are statutorily formed. These institutions provide finances for most of the greenfield projects in the Indian economy and have made a significant contribution by way of financing long –term projects. It is significant to note here that DFIs have been influenced by the changes in the Indian banking scenario to such an extent that these institutions are conlemplating to become universal banks. Insurance Companies: The path of reformation in the Banking industry has also caught up with the other intermediaries as well. In this respect, Insurance industry is witnessing path-breaking changes. In fact, in many countries Insurance companies perform a leading role as financial intermediaries. In India, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) continues to play a very vital role in mobilizing savings and delivering Insurance, though the industry is experiencing the competition from players both Indian and Foreign. With the entry of banks into the arena of insurance business it is interesting to find the beneficial impact of convergence of banking and insurance business. Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFC): The process of Intermediation virtually begins at home, with the household sector. This sector is the basic source of funds for the intermediaries. Such being the important role of the households, NBFCs as independent institutions, have come into existence to meet their financial requirements. The services offered by the NBFCs cater to the whole gamut of needs of the household sector in particular and savers in general. * Emerging Disintermediation in India** With a rapid growth in the intermediation process, the need for financial disintermediation at some stage cannot be overlooked. Realizing fully well that developed systems find lesser need for financial intermediation, in the Indian context the policy reforms aimed at encouraging free market institutions have been moving the financial markets towards disintermediation. The onset of the process of economic liberalization in 1991 has brought about a sea change in the financial markets. The abolition of the office of Controller of Capital Issues (CCI) and the establishment of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 1992 was done essentially with a view to giving an impetus to the capital markets. The market happenings in 1992-94, did strike a hard blow to this mechanism. During the past three years the process of consolidation has begun. Though a reduction in the number of IPOs does suggest to a slackening of the Capital markets, there is also a brighter side of investors becoming more suave. Sources of Funds A discussion on financial intermediaries has to begin with the ‘raw material’ for this activity, i. e. funds. Financial intermediaries are required to raise funds in order to fulfill the needs of both fund-based and non fund-based activities. Considering the various sources and choices available, the financial intermediary considers the following variables in deciding about the ways and means of raising funds. These are: Maturity, Cost of funds, Tax implications, Regulatory framework and Market conditions. Maturity is vital since the intermediary has to plan for the repayment of debt. Since investors look for returns as against the intermediary looking for good spread and income, Cost of funds turns out to be crucial. Tax treatment on returns on some of the instruments could be different – with certain exemptions Thus, Tax implications are useful for tax planning for both the intermediary and the saver. The instruments have to fulfill a plethora of rules and regulations which require the knowledge of Regulatory framework. For designing a particular type of instrument knowledge of Market conditions is essential. Different Sources of Funds In addition to providing low-cost funds, the shareholder route is a popular and easy way for the common public to become ‘owners’ of companies. As the name suggests, the money belongs to the shareholders. Financial institutions have been innovating different methods for raising money from the prospective shareholders. ‘Reserves’ is another source of funds. Incidentally, it is to be known that some of the Reserves are created statutorily. Borrowing by a company is another source of funds for the company, which are repayable with interest. Unlike equity, the funds raised by way of loans are to be repaid. ** **Sources of Funds unique to a Bank The previous classification of sources of funds does not fully explain the avenues for Banks. By virtue of being one of the earliest financial intermediaries, and possibly the most prudent as well, banks have a privileged access to a few more instruments. Considering the fact that different types of financial intermediaries have accessibility to varied types of funds at different rates of interest, it has become necessary for the RBI to lay down norms in this regard. Financial Intermediaries look towards liquidity in the market for enhancing their scope of operations. However, liquidity is a double-edged knife. Excess liquidity or lack of liquidity affects the financial system resulting in either a reduction or an increase in the rate of interest. The cyclical effect is felt by the economy. For controlling liquidity levels in the economy, RBI exercises control through the mechanisms of CRR and SLR. CRR is the reserve to be maintained by banks with the RBI. SLR is the reserve that is maintained by banks for investment in cash, gold or unencumbered approved securities. Deposits The customers’ confidence level reflects the strength of a bank. There is no better way of reflecting the same by any other indicator than Deposits. In the wake of globalization, the avenues for banks for raising funds in the capital market have increased, both in the national and international markets. In terms of value to the Banking system, banks that have a greater deposit base have more value than the banks with a poor deposit base. Banks accept deposits in different ways. Such acceptance could be different in terms of the period, amount, rate of interest and the type of depositor. All the deposit accounts could be classified under Transaction accounts and Non-transaction accounts. The types of accounts that a customer – individually, jointly or corporate can have, are varied. Having said that Deposits are an important source of funds for the banks, a banker is wary about the types of deposits. A term deposit is a dependable source, but the cost is higher than Demand deposits that are low cost funds for the banks. Consequently, the composition of deposits has a direct impact on the profitability of the bank. Application of Funds The real challenge for the financial intermediaries begins at the very end of the first stage i. e. after mobilization of deposits. The meter virtually starts ticking from that time onwards since the deposits are to be repaid by the bank to the customer after a certain period with interest. In order to honor this commitment, financial intermediaries use their funds in different ways. Broadly, the purposes under which they are used can be classified under: i. loans and advances, ii. investments, iii. fixed assets. Loans â€Å"Loan† is a distinct activity wherein funds are taken from the saver and given to the investor. By nationalizing major banks in 1969 and 1980 Government of India sought to direct the utilization of bank funds for socially disired, objectives reflected in priority sector lending. Priority sector lending includes Agriculture and Small Scale Industry as focus areas that would promote equitable development of regions and promote employment avenues. Loans can be classified as secured loans and unsecured loans based on the availability of security or otherwise. Investments The best way to earn attractive return on money is by following an Investment strategy. Since banks have to service their borrowings and deposits at a reasonably good rate and put the funds into more profitable use, Investments in securities offer an option, though in many instances, this is a statutory requirement. There are three main reasons for the Banks to invest in government securities. These are: (i) in case need arises; government securities meet the liquidity requirements of a bank; (ii) it forms a second line of security, for emergency borrowing from RBI, and (iii) for meeting statutory SLR requirements, aimed at protecting the interests of depositor. Banks are also selectively restricted from investing in equity shares. Investments are made in equity shares either through primary issue or by secondary market. Investment initiatives in equity by banks are expected to boost a sagging capital market. Apart from the primary functions of deposit collection and lending, banks also perform treasury operations. The necessity arises out of liquidity compulsions in operations. Banks invest in bonds and debentures as a part of their regular treasury operations and also on behalf of customers. Fixed assets however, constitute a very small amount of investment by banks. The Management of Financial institutions revolves around two basic functions: i. the ability of the intermediary to raise funds, and ii. to deploy them. These two activities determine the sustenance as well as profitability of the intermediaries. Lending Function Apart from the fact that Lending constitutes the major source of income for the bank, the process of lending also depends on the bankers’ appraisal skills. The banks’ funds can be applied in two major areas i. e. investments in securities and credit accommodation. In the process, banks essentially look to balance the ‘spreads’. Apart from the necessity of complying with the regulatory prescriptions, requirement of profitability virtually forces banks to develop an organized credit deployment mechanism. The credit policy of banks is determined by the demand and supply of loanable funds of banks. Firstly, on the demand side of the economy there are the consumers of goods and services. Secondly, the need for credit comes from the corporate sector in the manufacturing, trading and services sectors. Credit management is a specialized area. This is due to the fact that there are different types of credit, and each type of credit is characterized by certain unique factors. Loan is a broad term used to explain the different types of credit facilities – short/medium term extended in the credit market. The selection of the type of loan by a borrower depends on three factors namely, need for credit, cost factor, and cash flow requirements. Since a loan has a demand side and supply side as well, loans can be classified accordingly. Demand side loans will be individual loans while Supply side loans can be classified as commercial loans. As in the case of a borrower, for the bank, providing the loans depends on three factors, namely the nature of credit, the type of security and the purpose of loan. Based on these parameters, further classification of the banks’ advances is done. Loans are also further classified under secured and unsecured loans. Banks have been providing advances to different sectors of the economy and at the same time providing loans to the needy sectors. The sectoral classification of bank loans is made as under: i. priority sector, ii. public sector, iii. banking sector, and iv. others. Loan Appraisal and Disbursal Preliminary appraisal involves an analysis of the market, technology, financial, and managerial skills of borrowing. Once the bank decides to finance, other critical issues are the decisions relating to the mode of financing. Finance is given for land, site development, building, plant and machinery and also for working capital. Banks arrive at the amount of Maximum Permissible Bank Finance (MPBF) through various appraisal methods. **Non-fund Based Services* Non-fund based Services Non-fund based advances in the form of: Letters of Credit and Guarantees offer a very attractive proposition to the banker. Since funds disbursement arises only on default or the happening or non-happening of an event, bank holds only contingent liability. Payments and clearing operations Clearing and remittences constitute important services under ancillary services. The major role of a bank involves mobilizing savings and channelizing them into investments. Complementing these activities are ancillary services of the banks which facilitate the entire payment and settlement system of financial transactions

Why analysis based on Pareto Chart Comp

Reasons Overslept Traffic Jam Why? Stay up until all night. Go to class at peak time Doing a lot of assignments Everyone use the same road to go for work or sending children to school Why? Doing the assignment at last minute The main road used by everyone and the only shortcut road used by Item's student Student prefer to gather all task and complete at the same time Student house Is far from the campus Student downplayed about assignment No choices for student to stay near the campus Solution for Overslept Why?Student downplayed about assignment Lecturer must not give the assignment too early than due date because student will postpone their work until the due date Is come. At the end, when the all the assignments should be submitted at the same date, student will anxious and stay all night to do the assignment. Lecturer should ask the student to meet them frequently to show their assignment's progress Lecturer give punishment for those student that o not show their assignment frequ ently before the due date such as warn them that It will affect their carry mark.Solution for Traffic Jam Why? No choices for student to stay near the campus Provides the student with the hostel so that they can arrive early to class and will not face with traffic Jam every day. Provide a lot of rental house around the campus that offer the lower rental so that, the student Is able to pay the rental fee. Class time Is changed to the other time such as for the class at 8. Am Is changed to 9. AAA. So those students that stay far can come on time and not faced the traffic Jam. Why analysis based on Parent Chart Com By Guardia-Island Student house is far from the campus postpone their work until the due date is come. At the end, when the all the that it will affect their carry mark. Solution for Traffic Jam offer the lower rental so that, the student is able to pay the rental fee. Class time is changed to the other time such as for the class at 8. Mama is changed to 9. AAA. M so

How do Hardy and Wordsworth explore The theme of Nature and Childhood? Essay

Nature is beautiful. This is views of people in the 18th century. Nature was loved and appreciated back in time, true life based poems were written about it, two of them were Thomas hardy & William Wordsworth. These two poets were in love with nature not only did they write about it they fell in deep love with nature that they expressed their feelings within their poetry to the world. There is a quote in Hardy’s poem â€Å"I could live on thus till end†, point is that he could live with/sacrifice all his life for nature, just like a man sacrifices his life to women when he takes a marriage vow quote is â€Å"until death do us part† this shows the personification from nature to a human being Whereas Wordsworth has a different way of expressing his feelings which is describing nature with obsession such as â€Å"Small circles glittering idly in the moon,† Hardy’s poem ‘Childhood among ferns’ shows six different sides to nature which are: Beauty (â€Å"ferns spread out luxuriantly†), power (â€Å"The rain gained strength†); it acts like a: parent (â€Å"tall ferns sheltered me†) and friend (â€Å"brought forth a sweet breath†), and also he is at one with nature. William and hardy use a wide range of punctuation and description for effect and also for description of their wonderful nature. This is a very strong quote showing the beautiful side of nature â€Å"The sun then burst, and brought forth a sweet breath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this quote is a personification of a human breathing and usually its friends that are sweet to you so it is also showing 2 faces to nature the other side is power â€Å"burst† this is a very strong word to use to explain the power of nature which gives a dramatic effect clearly shown to the reader as in Wordsworth poem he also shows the power of nature in his words â€Å"with voluntary power instinct† as if using a lot of its own power is sounds like a lot of power is being used by nature on its own. Childhood is also exposed by both poets but in individual ways such a Hardy wishes to go back to his childhood whereas William just has memories on his childhood â€Å"A schoolboy traveller at the holidays† and Hardy’s quote showing the point is â€Å"making pretence I was not rained upon†. This is showing Hardy’s childish acts for example when a child is having fun in the rain he does not want to go in the house just the same Thomas is pretending that there is no rain because he is refusing to take cover. In the prelude the childish act that the schoolboy does is he finds a boat on his way and immediately starts to own the boat and call it his possession. â€Å"A skiff that to a willow tree was tied within a rocky cave, its usual home†¦discovered thus by unexpected chance,† and soon after â€Å"my little boat mov’d on†. The personification used in ‘The Prelude’ is the boat which he says â€Å"surely I was led by her†, the her is the boat and it also shows the relationship of nature, well usually at one glance her could be a mother which usually would be first thoughts, because a boy is usually only led one women; his mother. After Thomas Hardy expresses his feelings at the end he also wants to stay in his childhood and live with nature for the rest of his living life â€Å"Why should I have to grow to man’s estate, And this afar-noises World perambulate?†. This quote shapes the writer telling us that he still hasn’t left his childhood he wants old memories back and he still has as much love for nature as he did as a child. Thomas also ha a view that he is at one with nature, the last side of nature where quoted â€Å"I sat on† which also compare William Wordsworth where he is also at one with nature when â€Å"went heaving through the water like a swan†. William calls himself a swan, the way he pushed his boat with difficulty through the water on his journey.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Strategy & Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategy & Leadership - Essay Example out sustained market researches and obtain appropriate information about the market key among the marketing features investigated in such researches includes the patterns of supply and demand. General Motors acquired Fisher Brothers in a strategic move that would not only increase the company’s market share but also reduce its cost of doing business as discussed in the essay below. Casadesus (1999) state that General motors formed a merger with Fisher Bodies in 1919 in order to increase coordination between two businesses. Through the merger, General Motors would obtain sufficient supply of auto bodies and innovative annual change of car models from Fisher Brothers a company that specialized in the manufacture of coach bodies. This would decrease the cost of manufacture by cutting the cost and time spent in manufacturing the bodies. In business context, a merger refers to a union between two companies that seek to mobile their resources and therefore share their profits depending on the agreement existing between the two parties. In 1919, General Motors bought 60% of Fisher Brothers implying that Fisher Brother controlled the remaining 40%. The vertical integration through the merger resulted in increased profitability owing to the production efficiency that resulted from the union of the two companies a feature that compiled General Motors to purchase the re maining 40% by 1925 thereby acquiring complete control of Fisher Brothers. The change that occurred at General Motors when the company merged with Fisher Brothers was vertical owing to the financial might that General Motors exhibited. Vertical integration implies that General Motors obtain a larger stake of Fisher Brothers at the beginning (Freeland, 2000). This way, the company retained major control of the operations at the company thus influencing production. Within the first four years the partnership, the cars manufactured by General Motors retained the emblem of Fisher Brother on their bodies.

PEPT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PEPT - Essay Example This economic indicator is very important for Able Corporation because it includes prefabricated and modular housing; mobile homes are also included, but are treated separately. Hotels, motels, nursing homes, dormitories, and conversions are excluded. For multiunit buildings (e.g., apartments and condominiums), construction on all units is considered to begin on the same day. The totals are adjusted to reflect the time lag between permit issuance and the actual start of construction and the number of projects that are canceled after permit issuance. The factors used to perform these scaling and adjustments are produced by surveys of sites, owners of sampled buildings, and local panels of persons knowledgeable about new construction (Rogers 1994). The main limitation of this forecast is that annual housing start statistics have varied from 2 million during a strong rebound to 850,000 during an economic downturn. As the American population increases, the average number of housing starts during a normal economic growth period also increases. Under current conditions an annual housing start rate of about 1.2 million indicates a modestly growing economy. Another economic indicator is expenditures for residential construction. ... It is closely tied to and responsive to interest rates. Residential construction is estimated by adjusting the data reported by the F. W. Dodge Division of the McGraw-Hill Information Systems Company for additional costs not covered by the Dodge estimates, projects not covered by the survey, and geographical areas not covered (Tainer 1993). Researchers admit that in some cases, statistical results can be incomplete or inaccurate which create problems for such industries as PEPT. There are several weaknesses in the monthly figure that limit its usefulness as both a general economic indicator and an indicator of consumer activity. Residential construction tends to be volatile due to weather, fashion, and other unpredictable factors. Expenditures for commercial construction are estimated from progress reports solicited from a sample of such projects. The monthly values derived are converted to constant dollars by applying different cost indexes that have been derived for each category of construction. These indices are used in short-term cyclical and long-term growth analyses, used to estimate the current volume of the economic activity in this segment of the U.S. economy, and have an important impact on employment in the construction and building-materials industries and on additions to capital stocks of structures in the private and public sectors. Still, critics admit that there are major changes occurring in the automobile industry that diminish the significance of these periodic reports as a forecasting tool. The forth tool is expenditures for home repairs and improvement. A sample of home repairs and improvement representing

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Womens Occupational Distribution in the U.S Essay

Womens Occupational Distribution in the U.S - Essay Example Most particularly, women have been able to take paid jobs. However, they encounter difficulties in balancing between their work and house lives. Under the pressure of the double day, women have put pressure on government and employers to recognize the value of child bearing roles.  Ã‚   Many women strive to attain skills that will help them acquire well paid jobs and better working conditions. Women have also become organized and created movements that break down discriminatory barriers that hinder them from accessing better jobs.   In addition, â€Å"increased participation of women in labor force has spurred women struggles to improve wages and working conditions, and attack head on multiple discrimination they face in the labor force,   from sexual harassment to racism† (Amott and Matthaei 309). This has enabled women to gain financial freedom and avoid dependence on men. A substantial number of women have entered the paid labor force. The work force has ceased from b eing a preservative of white males.   Amott and Matthaei noted â€Å"In 1900, white men made up 72 percent of all workers, but by 1990, their share had fallen to 43 percent† (317).In conclusion, it can be noted that the occupational distribution of women in the United States has a historical background. It has been affected by racial-ethnicity, gender and class statuses. Women in the United States have risen above these challenges and have taken well paid jobs in the labor market. However, the current occupational distribution has in part been influenced.

Germany Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Germany Project - Essay Example Stories like Binjamin Wilkomirski's Fragments are accepted with no proof. In fact, to question a survivor story is to risk the case of being called anti-Semitic. Finkelstein has pointed out that today's society wants to be victims. Whether a Jew, African American, Native American, homosexual, woman, or other minority groups, people want to belong to a victim group. While Finkelstein did intensive research, his use of imagery and outlandish words make this story a little less credible. If he would have stuck to just the facts, Finkelstein might have gotten his point across better. Finkelstein points out that real history is being ignored in favor of an exaggerated glorified account that exploits the true Jewish suffering in the 'Nazi holocaust'. When first approaching this book, many readers might think Finkelstein is being anti-Semitic. However Finkelstein raises some good points. His main point is the Nazi holocaust happened. It is a historical event. The Nazis committed crimes agai nst humanity. Finkelstein acknowledges that the Nazi holocaust was wrong, but he wants the world to sympathize will all suffers not just the Jews of the Nazi holocaust. His point is war and atrocities have happened since the beginning of man and still occur. All of these atrocities are horrible; the Nazi holocaust is not any less horrible, but not more horrible than any other atrocity. By using the Holocaust as beacon to rally people to the Jewish cause dishonors the victims and survivors. He explains: The claims of Holocaust uniqueness are intellectually barren and morally discreditable, yet they persist. The question is, Why? In the first place, unique suffering confers unique entitlement. The unique evil of the Holocaust, according to Jacob Neusner, not only sets Jews apart from others, but also gives Jews a "claim upon those others." (Finkelstein 25) All human suffering should be sympathized with, not just the suffering during the Nazi holocaust. This is not to lessen or dismiss the Nazi holocaust, only to put it in proper perspective. Finkelstein suggests after World War II no one in America, or around the world cared about the Nazi holocaust. Some historians theorize that Jews did not want to talk or share about their horrible experience. Finkelstein dismisses this theory. He believes that no one wanted to know or think about it, especially in America. Finkelstein explains: The standard explanation is that Jews were traumatized by the Nazi holocaust and therefore repressed the memory of it. In fact, there is no evidence to support this conclusion. No doubt some survivors did not then or, for that matter, in later years want to speak about what had happened. Many others, however, very much wanted to speak and, once the occasion availed itself, wouldn't stop speaking. The problem was that Americans didn't want to listen. (Finkelstein 9) Even American Jews did not want to listen. After the war everyone wanted to forget about the atrocities of World War II. The Allies had won. It was a time for victory, not time to remember how many Jews had died. The Holocaust Industry began after the United States started backing Israel as part of US Foreign Policy. When Israel fought the War of Independence America cautiously backed the Arabs due to the oil in the region. It did not look like Israel would survive. However after Israel not only won, but doubled their land size, the US started

Saturday, July 27, 2019

GBI Brunei Initiatives - Transformation and Sustainability Essay

GBI Brunei Initiatives - Transformation and Sustainability - Essay Example Green building initiatives are constrained by the challenging processes of transition to sustainable development, technological setback, limited population awareness, limited skilled labor and the high cost of the green building processes. Research and literature have revealed that GBI approach is feasible, and it is in line with Vision 2035 goals. However, the dream would be effectively realized if a focus is directed on tackling the inherent obstacles. In all the efforts, there are high expectations for the government to partake further initiatives in order to align the GBIs with vision 2035 goals. In the contemporary world, the need to embrace or strive towards the attainment of green economy is particularly emphasized. The emphasis is increasingly being laid upon every area of human social and economic activity, including the building processes. In Brunei, this scenario is well depicted by the existence of Green building initiative. Green building initiative refers to use of environmental friendly practices in the design, construction and operation of buildings. It is an effort by the present generations to preserve resources and the environment for future generations. This paper analyses the GBI in Brunei, the extent Brunei has adopted the practice, the problems it is facing and how these problems can be solved. The objective of this paper is to assess the extent to which the GBI goals are feasible, highlight the inherent impediments and propose possible measures. A survey questionnaire, which is directed to designers, builders and users of different buildings, is used. Thi s is informed by the fact that the employment of questionnaire interview would be pivotal in ascertaining the commitment, as well as the perception of different stakeholders towards the GB initiative. As the globe strives to achieve a green, sustainable economy, Brunei has not been left out. This is clearly

Hazardous waste management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Hazardous waste management - Essay Example This method focuses on asbestos management, and its use has become international right from Poland. The solution is based on reactor construction, which allows hazardous wastes to be utilized and subsequently managed. Essentially, this can be done in varying temperatures and notably extreme temperatures. The natural environment remains protected from unmanaged hazardous wastes. Alongside hazardous waste utilization, the MTT method of hazardous waste management allows valuable materials to be recovered (ATON-HT, 2013). This technological realization has enhanced the effectiveness and efficiency of waste management processes. Its primary focus on asbestos management covers a wide area of hazardous wastes. In the light of this and even more technological innovations relative to waste management, the underlying gap in handling of hazardous wastes seems to be shrinking. With MTT in place, polluted asbestos waste can still be utilized. Toxic substances that render asbestos waste hazardous can be contained through the MTT technology. ATON-HT. (2013). Hazardous waste management technology - MTT method (Microwave Thermal Treatment). Retrieved on March 17, 2013, from:

Friday, July 26, 2019

Nutrition to prevent weight loss in stroke patients Essay

Nutrition to prevent weight loss in stroke patients - Essay Example Some cases will allow for the simple determination of nutritional ingredients. Many others are not as easy to deal with. In this essay, an attempt to present corresponding solutions to meet nutritional requirements will be done given the most common scenarios of stroke patients facing the risk of losing weight. Aside from the simple case, the following other situations will be considered: (1) stroke patients with poor appetite due to a damaged ability to chew and swallow normally; (2) poor taste and smell; (3) emotional issues preventing normal food intake; (4) the need for lifestyle change; and (5) stroke patients with chronic conditions. The purpose of including all these is to provide a ready set of guidelines for use when any of these situations are encountered. This essay is taken from the viewpoint of Nurses, Caregivers, and Nutritionists. A Case of Recovery from Stroke Without Complications: Determine Nutritional Requirements. There should be a periodic attempt to determine the stroke patient’s energy requirements in order to achieve a desirable weight. Of course, this is aside from taking BP before and after meals, and whenever there is a need to do so. Knowing the energy requirements will reveal how much calories are needed. Freda Myco (1983, p. 94) noted that â€Å"the energy needs of stroke patients†¦should be assessed in relation to body weight, body build, age, sex, health status, and physical activity levels.† For those who are normal, energy requirements would be about 2000 kcals/24 hours for men and 1,800 kcals/24 hours for women.... Knowing the energy requirements will reveal how much calories are needed. Freda Myco (1983, p. 94) noted that â€Å"the energy needs of stroke patients†¦should be assessed in relation to body weight, body build, age, sex, health status, and physical activity levels.† For those who are normal, energy requirements would be about 2000 kcals/24 hours for men and 1,800 kcals/24 hours for women. A stroke patient should take the right amount of calories to maintain weight. The consequence of too much calories will be weight gain, while lack of calories will turn the patient into a malnourished person with lack of energy to exercise. Since the topic of this paper is about nutrition to prevent weight loss of stroke patients, it should be worth mentioning that Freda Myco (1983, p.95) also clarified that â€Å"Malnutrition is not caused by simply taking too few calories, rather it is the result of a deficiency in the correct mixture of food constituents, vitamins, and minerals.â₠¬  Basic Rules For A Lean, Healthy Body What stroke patients will need is a good eating habit of the right diet containing adequate calories without the unwanted cholesterol. At Body Art, Tanya Lee Sheehan recommends (2008, p. 11) that a person should eat just enough every 3 hours. And the recipe should be â€Å"more lean protein, veggies, fruit and nuts†. There is a reason for eating more often but with less quantity. It gives time for food to be digested first before a new set will need digestion. But her ideas are for people who can still exercise and burn the food they eat through exercises. In the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the UN, along with Ann Burgess, Peter Glasauer (2004, p.83), there is a guideline about â€Å"How to help sick

Homeless on Campus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Homeless on Campus - Essay Example The article has discussed the plight of a number of college students who have been rendered homeless. The first one is Aesha who happens to be in her last semester in college. Aesha became homeless after she walked out of the three bedroom apartment that she shared with her son, her son’s father, her mother’s boyfriend as well as her mother. Aesha and her son left the three bedroom apartment mainly because her son’s father became a violent. Physical abuse from a partner is quite devastating both for the victim as well as other close family members that witness. It is even a criminal offence for a person to engage in domestic violence. The physical abuse would not only have caused a direct harm to Aesha but also an indirect harm in her studies as she is a student. It is not possible for any student to juggle family work, school work and an abusive partner. I therefore agree in entirety with the decision that Aesha made of leaving her son’s father. This woul d save both her physical health as well as her emotional health. She will therefore at least be able to concentrate in hers studies despite the homelessness challenges that she might face. After leaving the three bedroom apartment, Aesha was forced to spend her nights in a temporary shelter for one month. This was quite dangerous for the life of her son as well as her. Safety is never guaranteed in temporary shelters in the cities. Her son was also exposed to dangerous conditions in that shelter house as he was likely to catch various diseases like a common cold. The next shelter that Aesha and her son landed in after spending their nights at the shelter house was the emergency assistance unit that was located in the city. The living conditions in this place were equally atrocious as the place was filled with a crowd of people. Sleep was not comfortable at all and benches were used as beds. This would only have aided in causing backaches for the users of those beds. From the article it is also

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Basketball Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Basketball Court - Essay Example Personnel Roles 8 Project Manager: Sultan Malki 8 Assistant Project Manager/Quality management: Hassan Hazime 9 Resource Management and communication: Majid Altaweraqi 9 Task Management and assistant resource manager: Khaled Alqahtani 9 Research and Information Management /Cost analysis: Mohammed Dashti 10 Project Team Manager/ Project change Manager: Tamer Turjuman 10 Project Cost Analysis and Duration 12 Work breakdown structure 13 Location 14 Plot Pictures 15 Back view 15 Front View 16 Aerial View 17 Appendix 18 Fundraising requirement 18 Conclusion 20 Reference 22 Benefactor contacts 23 Background The main purpose of the proposed basketball court project is to provide an alternative outdoor recreation facility to the surrounding community of NW 27th Terrace in the city of Miami specifically in Midtown. This area is not quite the typical, safe residential area where facilities are spread throughout the district. So, it is considered somewhat a poor community in Miami where many si milar struggling neighborhoods exist in this city. In addition to that, there are houses and a public school located within a walking distance from this empty property that has been assigned to be a basketball court. The facility usage will not be limited to a certain group in that area. All community members will have an equal chance to use the basketball court. An outdoor basketball court provides another venue for recreational sports to host intramural activities and a place of open recreation for all community members. In addition, being involved in sports and outdoor activates is a good way to relief stress and anger. Consuming energy at a basketball court is safer and more beneficial to community members rather than being active on the streets that can lead to injury or crime; according to the Australian Institute of Criminology, â€Å"sport and physical activity have crime prevention potential.† Project initiation Project selection To build an outdoor basketball court within 6 months with a starting budget of $5000, in order to reduce gang violence Vision and benefits Reduce gang violence Engage young members to be active in the community Benefit the community, economically, socially and educationally Project Planning Key Staff Project Manager (PM) 2 Assistant Project Managers (APM) Public Relator (PR) Sports Surface Construction Cooperation Project Charter In the United States, the U.S. department of justice authorizes the action to construct and build a basketball court. In order to construct a basketball court, certain specification is required by the outdoor sports construction companies and by the suppliers. Fundraising shall come from Miami Dade County ($10,000), Neighborhood Donations ($5,000), Nike ($300,000), Urban Development ($50,000), Miami Heat Charity Organization ($100,000),and Spalding corporation ($35,000) Scope Statement Project Objective The primary objective is to build an outdoor basketball court within 6 months located at 21 3 NW 27th Terrance, Miami FL. Deliverables I. A standard high school or outdoor court (actual coverage 51’0’’ X 84’0’’) II. Concrete Slab (51’2’’ X 84’2’’) III. Two Fixed-Height, In-Ground Hercules Basketball System Models IV. Fixed- Height surrounding Fence with Openings V. Simple freestanding aluminum bench for sports court VI. An 8000 watt lighting system

FCB Australia Agency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

FCB Australia Agency - Essay Example at run through a haze of corporate and organizational assumptions and goals have been invariably influenced by the relative importance of dynamic event-oriented outcomes including those related to the benchmarking organizational efforts (www.adage.com/datacenter/2008) . 1.1. Organizational Structure of Draft FCBThe organizational structure of Draft FCB Australia is said to be unique in that it's probably the only organization with a unified agency structure thus delivering its communications services through-the-lines capabilities to a diverse and complex group of clientele. The operational structure in regional agencies like that of Australia and New Zealand is democratically structured with a country head or director in charge. The company's optimal operational structure with the Integration Committee of 35 individuals is headed by a president and a world chief creative officer. Three major tiers can be identified in its managerial and operational hierarchy. The first tier at the top is occupied by the President, the Chief Executive Officer and the Global Chief Creative Officer. Immediately under the above triumvirate comes the layer of Integration Committee Members who assume both executive powers and accountability to the top management (Briggs & Stuart, 2006). Each Committee member is responsible for the design, planning and implementation of the company's integration policy in a few assigned countries. The third tier is occupied by those senior managers whose responsibilities include the planning and execution of strategy. Thus many responsibilities for day-to-day operational management of Draft FCB Australian Agency are assumed by this Integration Committee. Despite the fact that country operations are carried out on an individual unit... FCB Australia Agency Draft way back in 1978 was engaged in direct marketing as an agency and was then known as Kobs & Brady. In the year 1986 it was sold to Ted Bates Worldwide and Howard Draft who was an accounts executive in the company then was passed along to the new management. In 1988 Draft became its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chairman. As a result the Agency was named Kobs & Draft. Again in 1995 the ownership of the Agency was reverted to Draft and was called Draft Direct Worldwide. In 1996, the Interpublic Group of Companies acquired Draft Direct Worldwide. With the merger of the two companies in 2006, Draft FCB became the biggest advertising agency in Chicago. As at present the Agency in Chicago has approximately 11,000 employees and the world-wide offices including the Draft FCB Australia are headed by Howard Draft, as the Executive Chairman, Laurence Boschetto, as the CEO and president, Jonathan Harries, as the Vice Chairman and Global Chief Creative Officer and Neil Miller, CFO. Draft FCB Australia Agency has acquired a unique distinction of being one of the leading advert agencies in the whole country. This unique positron is attributed to its remarkable accounts growth with best of clients. Draft FCB Australia has been successfully orienting itself to meeting not only the challenges posed by its competitors, both small and big, but also been able to achieve an ever expanding growth trajectory in keeping with its global strategy of being creating value through-the-line.

Management Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Management Information Systems - Essay Example utes majority of trades on stock exchange, has experienced the rapid stock executions that are performed by the computers based on external input, such as related securitys price. The excessive number of executions led the system to the crash. Because of the crash in 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) crashed by five hundred and eight (508) points (approximately 22.61%). Whereas, The May 6, 2010 Flash Crash was a United States stock market crash in which the DJIA has fallen around thousand (1,000) points (approximately 9%). The Flash Crash of May 6, 2010, was not a mere technical hitch. Whereas, the Black Monday was the failure program trading, overvaluation, market psycology and illiquidity. The similarities between the two crashed are meaningful and significant. In both crashes, comparatively, there was s same response of deteriorating prices prompting more and more intense selling. However, the the system was up within minutes in the flash crash 2010, whereas, the Black Monday too much time to restore the system. But it can be stated that in the both crashes, the computer system was the main problem, however, both the crashes have their particular reasons as well. One of the main problems discussed in the case study is the poor performance of school system in America. In order to solve the problem, the data-driven information system was developed and deployed in the schools. However, it also opposed by the parents of the students by stating that the system is an unnecessary expenditure. Moreover, the parents and tutors also complained that the students spend more time on projects and creative tasks rather on course material. The teachers are enrolled in the system for their improvement, but this makes it difficult to dismiss the less effective teachers. Therefore, the system was also opposed by the teachers as they need to work hard (four hours weekly workload increased) to improve their results in the system. In general, it can be stated that any

Electric Power Usage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Electric Power Usage - Research Paper Example The table depicts the energy consumption in a week; this will eventually be translated into a year. Since energy is billed in Kwts per hour, the energy consumption of this household in the last one month, which is consistent with the billing policy that is sent every month, the total power consumption is 750-Kilo watts/hour in this household. Assuming that the trend is uniform and the average of the power consumption in the one month is used to reflect the annual consumption then this will be 9000-Kilo watts/hour in a year. This wattage expressed in duration per second will be; 9000Kwts * 3600 (second in 1 hour) =32400000 joules/ sec. (32.4 Mega joules per second). In relation to the information above it can be appreciated that the energy consumption per household is quite high and apart from electricity, it is hard to sustain the energy demand more so using other non-renewable energy sources like coal. It is therefore vivid that the amount of coal required to produce the stated energy can be calculated. It is known that the energy released by coal can be calculated in Kilowatts per hour for a defined mass of the coal compound (Stoyke, 2007). This is 6.67Kwts/hr/kg; this cannot be efficiently transferred to usable power since the thermodynamic efficiency of coal to transfer the energy is about 30%. This is about -2.0 Kwts/hr/Kg. thus the energy that is efficiently transferred is 4.7 Kwts/hr/Kg (Meier, 2006). To sustain an annual energy demand in a household, a total of about 1915 Kilograms of coal is required. In regard of the above table of power consumption, the top five energy consumers in a household comprise of cloth washers, microwave ovens, driers, refrigerator, and dishwashers. This is not the only energy consumption in a household, there are other energy consumptions that do not take place within the household though at

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Lap report Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lap - Lab Report Example Half value layer is often applied in radiography, this is because it is easier to remember or recall the values and simple calculation are readily performed. There are often a multiple factors the affect half value layer. These factors often brings the difference in value of HVL in different material. For the case of aluminum the following factors always affect HVL. Thickness of the aluminum attenuator, purity of the aluminum, detector material of dosimeter used. Fluctuation of x-ray output, detector location in x-ray field. Ultra high purity of aluminum always produce more accurate measures of half value layer (Edenman and Sidney). This is often different from the aluminum alloys since they have got a lot of impurity available. Although the half value of different materials was one of the important parameters for the Quality assurance and Quality control, a constant monitoring had not been performed because of measurement using the process of ionization chamber. The formulae for cal culating HVL was given by A = Ao e, Different material have got different half value layer. This brings the difference in capability in shielding of the same material. As can be seen from the table above wood have the highest half value than aluminum. The value of wood was 6.00mm while that of aluminum was 1.6mm. Half value layer was the most used factor for describing both the penetrating ability and the penetration through specific objects or material. Different shielding strength of different objects also differ when different material are used. This is evident from the first table, the Sr is different for both the aluminum and wood. There are often a multiple factors the affect half value layer. These factors often brings the difference in value of HVL in different material. For the case of aluminum the following factors always affect HVL. Thickness of the aluminum attenuator, purity of the aluminum. These factors are

Tort Law - Principles limiting actions in negligence against public Essay

Tort Law - Principles limiting actions in negligence against public bodies - Essay Example This essay also analyses how the exclusionary rule compares to other principles used by the court to limit claims in negligence against public bodies. The Rule in Hill v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire In Hill, the plaintiff’s son was the last victim of a serial killer known as the Yorkshire Ripper. The plaintiff claimed that had it not been for police negligence in detecting and apprehending the Yorkshire killer, her daughter would not have been murdered by him. The court ruled that the police do not owe the public a general duty of care in terms of apprehending criminals that are not known, unless failure to exercise care results in more risks. Moreover, police do not owe a general duty of care to individuals except in circumstances where there is proximity of relationship between the police and an identified victim.3 Lord Keith acknowledged that there may be a number of circumstances in which there may be a duty of care to the general public in the conduct of a number of activities that may require a higher standard of care. However, it is unreasonable to expect this kind of general duty to be applied to the activities that police conduct. Lord Keith went on to state: The general sense of public duty which motivates police forces is unlikely to be appreciably reinforced by the imposition of such liability so far as concerns their function in the investigation and suppression of crime. From time to time they make mistakes in the exercise of that function, but it is not to be doubted that they apply their best endeavours to the performance of it.4 It would therefore appear that in formulating and justifying the exclusionary rule, there is an assumption that in the investigation and suppression of crimes, police put forth their best efforts and any missteps are regarded as excusable errors. Such an assumption is unrealistic, but at the same time, police are accountable for intentional torts in terms of assault and battery. In such instances, proximity is clearly established. The court was very careful to emphasize that the exclusionary rule would apply only in some instances.5 Lord Keith clearly stated that it would be unreasonable to impose a duty of care I â€Å"some instances† as this â€Å"may lead to the exercise of a function being carried on in a detrimentally defensive frame of mind†.6 The court explained that the specific instances where it would be unreasonable to impose liability on police would be instances in which police were conducting investigations and suppressing crimes. Lord Keith specifically stated that the likelihood of the police conducting their duties with a â€Å"defensive frame of mind† when conducting investigations â€Å"cannot be excluded†.7 Thus liability could not be imposed when police were conducting investigations and this part of the ruling was prefaced by the presumption that police conduct their investigations putting forth their best efforts. The justification for the exclusionary rule may therefore be counterproductive. In safeguarding against the risk that police may become too distracted by the prospects of being found liable for negligence in the performance of

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Is the solution to having it allfor parents just to have one child Essay

Is the solution to having it allfor parents just to have one child - Essay Example One child theory has been favoured by women due to its rationality and measurable outcomes. According to her theory, problem of mismanagement starts occurring when women in significant positions (professionals) opt for more than one child and end up in losing their health, wealth, joy, sanity and financial stability due to distracted presence (at home and work). A decade ago, when â€Å"Stay-at-home-mom† revolution surged then Linda Hirshman (feminist writer) advised these women to not quit their career completely for upbringing of their children, but instead adapt one child policy to balance both. However, the revolution persuaded them to an extent that they left their jobs for family life. After a decade, â€Å"Stay-at-home-mom† revolution is completely out of picture and women, who left professional life for family life, were interviewed to share their experiences of success or loss. These women who sacrificed their lives for child rearing, nearly after a decade face pressing issues like divorce, single parenting, sole management, financial instability and low professional scores on their resume due to job gap. Kali Goff the author of the article â€Å"Is Having Only One Child The Key To Gender Equality?† also supports Lind Hirshman stance on one child theory as it secures the position of a woman, when she is faced with issues like separation, divorce, single parenting or child custody. Moreover, she suggests that with multiple children dependency of a woman increases on his spouse. And this dependence is negative development for woman, as they tend to comprise bad/abusive behaviour of their spouse for the sake of their children. Thus, financial stability of a woman is a significant matter in all times and to maintain this stability, women have to embrace a strategy, which enables them to be successful as a parent and professional as well. Juggling with high profile career and family

Public Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Public Law - Essay Example While the United Kingdom does not have a formal written and codified Constitution, there is an unwritten set of rules comprised of the Acts of Parliament, judicial decisions as well as political practices that form the basis of Constitutional practice within the U.K2. Parliament is sovereign, as articulated by Oxford Professor A.V. Dicey who stated that â€Å"in theory, Parliament has total power, it is sovereign† thereby it is the source of all valid authority.3 Therefore, there is no separation of powers in the U.K., Parliament has been deputed as the supreme authority to make the laws of the land, through the principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty. Further more the Human Rights Act of 1988 incorporated the goals of the European Convention of Human Rights3a within the framework of national law, by including a provision that Parliament legislation is to be interpreted and read in such a manner as to give effect to the goals of the Convention4, while the judiciary has also been given the power under the Act to declare Parliament legislation incompatible with Convention rights5.Wiithin the UK, the European Convention was not directly relevant to statutory interpretation6 until the introduction of the Human Rights Act of 1998.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Findings Analysis Essay Example for Free

Findings Analysis Essay I have found out my primary information about the idea of slim-line kitchen electrical appliances by doing a quota sampling, which meant dividing the population into various age groups and backgrounds and carrying out questionnaires. In my results in source 14, which is my questionnaire, the first question shows the gender of the amount of people that help fill in the questionnaire. Out of 150 people that I questioned only 36.6% were males and females a greater percentage of 63.6(%). This shows that on average most of the people I questioned were females. Source 2 also supports this idea as it states that the majority of people living in England are females at 51%. Also the details in source 6 show the gender of people that purchase brown and white goods, the larger percentage goes towards the women at 54%. Also an evidence of this statement that there are more women than men in GB is illustrated in source 2, it shows that in 2003 there were more women than men- and that I think has increased during recent years because source 2 shows that women are at 51% of the population in UK, then source 6 shows women are at 54 and source 14 [the questionnaire] shows they are at 63 percent (you can see that in the chart below that shows these results), and I predict this is going to escalate far more in a years or so time; which means if S and S plc was to choose their target group then in my opinion women should be targeted not only for their percentage as a whole but as for the person that makes decisions about where the kitchen appliances go and what should be bought. The second question in the questionnaire asks for the age groups of the person that is filling in the questionnaire; the most widely held answer is the 45-54 age group. On a percentage out of 150 people 48% of the people come in that particular age group. Although my source 2 says that the majority of the people living in Great Britain are either between the age group of 35-44 or above 65, however my source is over 3 years old, which could make big difference as related to new market, but maybe the area that I was doing the questionnaire in; the majority of the people were between 45 and 54. The rest of the questionnaire still supports the idea of what S and S plc is trying to introduce. This means they have now got an idea of what the populations wants and needs are. S and S plc need to confirm the target age group and then plan sale strategies. Question 4 asks the people what newspapers they read. Out of a variety of newspapers most of the people wrote their answer as The Daily Telegraph, 62% out of 150 people. This question is not completely pointless as it is a method of advertising for many companies including electrical stores such as Dixons, Comet and Currys. According to my source 12 quite a big percentage of the expenditure that a business is ready to pay for advertising belongs to the press area /newspapers. Out of 10 different electrical stores 76% of the money they spend on advertising is in the press column. Therefore it would be very beneficial for S and S plc to put their ads into the two top particular newspapers Daily Telegraph being the top. Another quite high percentage of the advertising goes into the radio, which is also another method for S and S plc to attain more awareness. The next question asks the people how many people live in their household, majority of the people answered 4 to the question. Out of 150 people 30% said 4. Source 4 of my secondary data illustrates that 13.2% of the people out of 25,220 people have 4 persons living in their household and the majority of the people answered 2 persons out of the same audience 34.9% to be exact, however we know that my secondary information is about 2 years old which only shows me old data that is not accurate but as we know now the majority of the people have 4 persons in their household, because as times go on people make more decisions. This means that there are more people living in a single household now as opposed to 2 years ago, therefore white goods will be necessary for them in their daily life unlike single people living alone dont need as much white goods because they wont use it a lot. So if S and S plc were to get targets then going for the more colonized houses because they will be a god i dea and these will be their ideal customers. Question six asks the people what circumstances will aid them to consider buying slim white goods to replace them with the old. The choices included from new models introduced, moving house, changing their kitchens and/or when their old goods break down. The majority of the people answered as when they move houses, 62.6% out of 150 people agreed to that. This gives S and S plc the opportunity to sell their products, if they know how many people are moving houses on average they can work out the amount of the kitchen electrical appliances that they need to produce, this will maintain the sale of the slim-line white goods as the results in source 5 show the statistics that, there are increasingly more people that either move or as a result separation move to another home alone. If S and S plc want to boost their sales they have to advertise it to the people that are moving houses [as white goods are very important in a household, it is almost a necessity]. Source 3 also shows that the majority of the people in 1 household are 2 persons. And as more people move into the same house there is an even greater need of white goods, and as some houses are quite cramped slim-line white goods is the best option so that sort of people should be target to the S and S plc. Question seven enquires the people how long ago was the last time that they purchased/changed their white good. The majority of the people answered this question as last 5 years which sums up to be 48% out of the total of 150 people. This shows that the majority of people will not spend frequently on white goods as they are only replaced when they are damaged or too much out of date, this is simply because that the people are already used to the way that that particular white good works. Also another reason for people not to change their white goods purchased in last 5 years is that the white goods technology hasnt changed much in the last 5 years so no reason to change their white goods, but as source 8 of my raw information shows that there is an increasing demand of new technology therefore sale for the slim-line white goods will produce profit to S and S plc as the savvy consumers is the prime driver of the market. The pie chart in the same source reveals that the second highest percentage of consumers spending on electricals belongs to the household appliances this is a 23% of the expenditure. Question eight asks the people where they purchase their kitchen appliances; the applicants were given four choices out of which 3 were specialist retailers and one non-specialist. However you would expect a specialist such as Curry or Dixons to rule this sort of market, but the majority of the peoples answer was other specialist retailer as these two retailers I mentioned are not experts and do not sell all brands that the people might be looking for. Some people have had good experiences with some brands that they wish to keep with. I predicted the majority of the shares should be owned by Dixons; this is also what my sources show namely source 11; it shows that the majority of the shares in the market belonged to these retailers in 2004. Source 9 of my raw information states that non-specialist such as ASDA and Tesco have a more constant product offering which is a step beyond WIGIG [when its gone its gone offer] that specialist retailers use as their sale strategies. These non-specialists sell varieties of brands and at a low cost too, thus increasing their sales. Source 9 also shows the statistics in the electrical retail market that this has caused. It has attracted customers from other markets such as PC and Audio-Visual markets because people would rather buy the same thing cheaper. This means that S and S plc should also increase and expand the variety of electrical goods the sell and do not necessarily have to be a specialist retailer for white/slim-line goods. This will increase their sales and give the m a higher reputation in the electrical retail market. The ninth question in the questionnaire enquires if changes in the circumstances were to occur; [including those mentioned in question six], would they consider buying i.e. replacing them with slim-line versions of the goods. The majority of the people out of 150 answered Yes, this concluded to 86% the rest 14% answered No. People dont find the urge to replace their existing electrical appliances as quick as any other item in the household, this is because these can be shared and it is only going to be a waste if you used it once and then dispose of it especially when it costs a lot. So as seen in question 6, most people will only replace their kitchen electrical goods when they move house. The idea of slim line appliances in kitchen is new so many people will not be too comfortable with using these, therefore sales for these will not increase soon after the promotion. According to the results I for this question it looks like quite a high percentage of people want to try it out and have a vision of what they will be when they buy them, because they know this will save space in their house no matter what the amount of people in the household. There are a number of reasons why people would want to purchase slim-line kitchen electrical goods. One that I think is different than any other is efficiency of the goods. If it saves the customers money, they will defiantly choose this item to last for a long time. Source 7 states The largest amounts of customer spending go on housing/electricity/gas other fuels, so slim-line kitchen electrical goods were to decrease the money spent they would be able to buy more goods as they get more disposable income SAY SOME STUFF ABOUT THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE !!. What S and S plc needs to do is to advertise their product so that it illustrates that it is efficient and takes less space they need to take this measurement in the plotting of the sale strategy, this could be S and S plcs unique selling point, something that distinguishes S and S plc from other retailers. In source 7 [i.e. fig.11] you can see the statistics as to how much people spend on the mentioned factors. From the graph above you can see that even though the expenditures are increasing slowly if not very swiftly. This you can see in the tale where in the %change column you can see that even though expenditures were increasing as a percentage in midyear intervals for many years, it is slowly levelling out/decreasing. Question 10 asks the people if they were given a choice to own a slim-line kitchen electrical good would the replace it with their existing ones. 59.3% of the people answered yes. As I said, for replacement of kitchen electrical goods slim-line kitchen electrical appliances are best suited as they as well as being efficient this will also be more modern and will take less space, so this offers the customers an opportunity to work more efficiently and in a better/ bigger space. HELP!!! Question eleven is entitled to find out what the motivation is that leads the sales of kitchen electrical appliances in the market. The question was What motivates you to buy a new kitchen electrical appliance? We provided them with four possible answers these included the price, its capacity, brand name or energy efficient. A high percentage of people were motivated by looking at the appliances capacity, which is vital because if it has to be shared it must be sufficiently big. This added up to 21.3% of the people out of 150 that help fill the questionnaire. The higher percentage [48%] of the people said they were motivated by the price, so if it was cheap and had a big capacity more customers would purchase the product. Not much of the credit went to the brand name, although I would have guessed this would be a bigger motivation to the people because when many people have had experience with one brand they stick to it and pass on their reviews, then again it isnt very often that p eople buy kitchen electrical appliances and its models changes from year to year. This means that when S and S plc rules the JnK plc companies in Asia, they wont have much difficulty with introducing new products into the market and sell as much as possible. However more credibility goes to energy efficiency, so some people are interested in saving money per annual rather than once, at the purchase time, this answer was chosen by 12% of the total. This question too links to source 7 as it shows that more people are decreasing the amount of money spent on electricity, gas, water etc. It shows that less people are ready to pay a lot of money for these appliances. The last question finishes off the questionnaire with asking the people if slim-line kitchen electrical appliances were in the market would the people buy them. The majority of the people chose to buy their goods only if their circumstances were to change. This means that even though slim-line kitchen electrical goods are a big success they will only be purchased when they need to replace them because people dont want to change their kitchen appliances too frequently, only when they move or if the old one is broken. 42.3% of people chose this for an answer. This means that people are not desperate to own one but they reckon it is a good idea to own one Well this questionnaire gave S and S plc a good guidance on what the market is like and if slim-line kitchen electrical appliances would sell in that market and to choose their target and unique selling point.

Impact of the Columbian Exchange Essay Example for Free

Impact of the Columbian Exchange Essay The Columbian exchange is the exchange of goods from the New world to the Old world and vice versa. The new world included Europe, Africa, Asia and the new world was known as The Americas. Things that were traded during this time were tomatoes, apples, potatoes, cacao, corn from the New world to Old world. Oranges, lemons, wheat, and rice were major things traded from the Old world to the new. Because of the Columbian exchange, it still affects our modern society. Like how we interact with other countries to get what we need. And trade off things that we have to benefit us. There were many things that occurred that were changed in the world due to the Columbian exchange. For example the spreading of diseases from the old world to the new world. The disease spread from one place to another during the trade was by the ships that shipped over the goods. People and animals would carry unknown diseases to The Americas to trade. Not knowing the people who were there would get exposed to the germs and get ill. Since theyve never encountered diseases from the new world before, they cant fight it off and this caused a major wipeout in The Americas to the people who had no immunity. Diseases like smallpox, measles, malaria, whooping cough were all diseases that the Native Americans living there have never encountered. Because of the rapid spreading of diseases they couldnt find out to escape in time and smallpox (killed most of the Natives population) got rid about 95% of their entire population. The remaining Native Americans would be angry by how not only did the Europeans have invaded their lands but also killed them with their deadly diseases. The Native Americans didnt have any diseases that the Europeans werent already immune to, so the spreading of new diseases wouldnt really have major concerns on the people of the Old World. This caused tension to arise between the two but to the Europeans, they had better things to worry about. Like coming up with ways to help make them more powerful through trade. They knew the Natives were no longer any threat to them. Theyve and have the technology to defeat the Natives at any given time and already have taken over the land. The Columbian exchange also played a role in resulting in the spreading of European culture. With all the trading going on more explorers from Spain come to settle on the New World to look new wealth and to spread Christianity. Eventually others from different countries from the Old World also migrated over to find job opportunities. The Europeans took this opportunity to spread their religion across the New World. They taught the people about the bible and Christianity and as more people learned about Christianity they converted. Which was the beginning of the spread of Christianity. This was a positive thing for the Europeans because they would be gaining more power over the people now that they are on their side, believing in their religion. For the native Americans this did not benefit them. Since the European culture rapidly spread throughout the new world, spread their culture was not able to be carried out to others and it slowly died down. They no longer could live the way they use to, believe in the things they did and carry on their traditions and customs. With the new shipping technology the Europeans over time advanced, let them travel and take over more lands and spread their customs and change the peoples current ways of living and convert into Christianity or they would be killed. Christianity soon traveled and spread all over the world and teachings of it changed peoples everyday life and beliefs. The way they viewed life and the things they needed to do to show their dedication to god. They now have to go to the place of worship the church. Every aspect of their lives was impacted by what they believe now. They changed the way they lived to be fit to what the bible tells them what they should do. For example the bible doesnt believe in planned parenthood and abortion so this caused a major population growth. The spreading of Christianity couldve raised competition between other religions of the expansion of each one. Slave trade also spread to the Americas from the Old World during this time. This impacted America in both a positive and negative way. The positive is that the people living in the Americas get free labor. They dont have to hire people to do field work or any manual labor work. And getting slaves for a good deal bargaining the things they already have. But because of this factor it was also the reason why the economy wasnt as high as it couldve been. Due to slavery, they were force to do many jobs so when people that were looking for jobs had limited choices to find one. There werent many job opportunities since the slaves were doing most of the work out there. The economy was effected also in negative and positive ways. The free labor the Europeans were getting from the slaves caused more food production to be made and faster to trade for more things from the Old World. Fast crops production would mean they wouldnt run out of supply and that will benefit them during trading. In the slaves perspectives, they were treated cruelly and unfairly. Forced out of the homes and family to work day and night unpaid for an unknown owner. They dont get any benefit out of this system except for the fact they are provided food and a shelter over their heads. This affected their lives in many ways. If they had children they needed to teach their children what their duties were and what they needed to do. This would change their perspectives in life and their beliefs. On why they were being placed in the Americas and question their faith in god. These questions they might have had could later influence and change the view of their religion later in their childrens lives.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The SWOT analysis

The SWOT analysis PG is a global manufacturer and marketer of consumer products. It operates in five distinct business segments: fabric and home care, beauty care, baby and family care, health care and snacks and beverages. It has some of the most well-known and established brands in its portfolio but faces intense competition from other global consumer giants as well as local companies. Strengths Large scale of operations PG has significant scale advantages. It is the global leader in all its four core categories fabric and home care, beauty care, baby and family care, health care. Its products are sold in over 160 countries worldwide with manufacturing capabilities in over 42 countries. The company manufactures and markets close to 300 products. It derives substantial economies from its scale of operations in finance, logistics, marketing, research, new product development, innovation, technology and other functions. The companys huge buying power (from commodities to media) is being progressively leveraged through global procurement and services. A large scale gives PG significant competitive advantage against the smaller, unorganized players in local markets. Strong branding PG is one of the worlds most successful brand creation and brand building companies. The company participates in more than 40 product categories with 300 brands in roughly 60 markets. Some of its very well-known brands include Tide, Pampers, Bounty, Charmin, Cover Girl, Pantene, and Clairol. Moreover, as of 2004, the company had 13 brands with sales exceeding one billion dollars. Together, these brands have sales of over $24 billion. PG continuous involvement in consumer research helps it understand, anticipate and respond to consumer needs and wants and hence create marketing and advertising innovations more effectively and efficiently than many other companies. PG brand leadership helps it implement brand building innovations with retail and media partners in ways that few companies can match. It has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Folgers, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Iams , Crest, Clairol Nice n Easy, Actonel, Dawn and Olay. These brands have leading market share in their respective categories, an offer the company a significant edge over its competitors. Product innovation PG creates more new brands and categories than any other consumer goods company. In 2003, three of the top 10 new non-food products introduced in the US were PG products. Over the past eight years, PG has introduced the number one or number two new non-food products in the US every year. PGs brand-creation and product development leadership is driven by the companys enormous research and development capacity. The company has nearly 7500 researchers working in 20 technical centres on four continents. It has more than 29,000 patented technologies for its products. Strong performance in core categories On a worldwide basis, fabric home care, beauty care, and baby family care products are Procter Gambles largest businesses, contributing a total of roughly 80% of sales. PGs fabric and home care is also its largest and oldest business and it continues to grow to record levels. The segments net sales grew 10% to $15.26 billion in 2005. The baby and family care and heath care divisions recorded an even higher growth in net sales. The net sales from the baby and family care division grew 11% to $11.9 billion while health care business recorded net sales growth of 11% to $7.8 billion in 2005. Strong performance by its core business groups is one of the prime reasons contributing to the companys above industry average revenue growth rates, and has significantly helped the company to grow to a stage where it is virtually hedged against threat from smaller new entrants. Developing markets infrastructure PGs developing markets infrastructure is a huge strategic advantage. The company has developed a best in class distribution infrastructure consisting of exclusive distributors in fast growing markets like China, Russia, Poland, the Philippines and India. Unlike most of its competitors, who use agnostic wholesalers that sell a variety of competing products, PGs network, while independently owned and operated, sell only PG HPC products (although often they carry various no competing food products). PGs scale allows these distributors to achieve higher dollar profit (not profit margin) while insuring that PGs products get all the distributors attention. Moreover, because of the large distribution pipe (unlike the multi-tributary wholesaler system), PG is able get the breadth of its products to market faster and more efficiently, even in the outer reaches of some of these developing markets, without multiple wholesaler markups that typically occur under the wholesaler system. The company s highly efficient markets infrastructure has helped the company in considerably increasing the speed at which its products reach the market and the companys overall market scalability vis-ÃÆ'Â  -vis its peers. Weaknesses Customer concentration The companys operations are heavily concentrated among its top customers. PGs largest customer, Wal-Mart, accounted for 18% (2003), 17% (2002) and 15% (2001) of sales. PGs top 10 customers account for 35% of its sales. A financial hardship experienced any of these customers; or a substantial decrease in sales to any one of the top customers could materially affect revenues and profitability of the company. Performance of the Clairol business Since the acquisition of Clairol in 2001, PG has been aggressive in using its distribution channels overseas to expand Clairol Herbal Essences shampoos and conditioners into new markets. In the US, however, the brands rapid growth before PG acquired Clairol has proven difficult to maintain and Herbal Essences has lost share in an environment of aggressive competitive promotional spending. With regard to the hair colorants side of Clairol, its 35% market share (approximately) in the US (number two position) has slipped further to market share leader LOreal. This in a scenario where global hair color is expected to grow at mid-to-high single digit rates in the next few years. The companys inability to grow its Clairol business could have a negative effect on the PG Beauty division. Overexposure to mature markets PG remains largely a mature-market company, with only 26% of sales and 22% of profits generated outside the US and Western Europe. Moreover the company is primarily exposed to mature categories in these markets, such as laundry detergents and paper. This indicates that the company focuses on leveraging its scale which often means growing where it already has a sizeable detergent and/or consumer paper business. The downside is that this strategy does not necessarily align its portfolio to tap growth, mainly in developing and emerging markets. As a result only 35% of PGs sales are in developing and emerging countries and its total market share in the FMCG segment is estimated to be below 20% as compared with 27% for Unilever. In contrast, its share in developed markets is estimated at 37% or twice Unilevers 18%. The companys overexposure to mature markets could act as a setback to future growth prospects. Opportunities Developing markets The consumer products business in developing markets is expected to be a significant opportunity for FMCG majors globally. This is primarily due to the fact that these markets are witnessing growth across three basic demographic factors: population growth, household formation and household income growth. These factors have driven developed market growth for decades and are now driving strong growth in many developing markets. China, for example, is now considered one of the most lucrative markets by FMCG companies, which could be further explored by the company. Due to growth across developing markets, PG can look towards achieving substantial growth by focusing on these higher-growth, structurally attractive markets. Gillette acquisition PG and Gillette are currently category captains at retailers in many of their respective product categories (given their leadership market share positions in their categories). Therefore the combination of these two dominant players will imply that they would to able to summon their competitive advantages across a wider variety of key categories, thereby increasing their competitive onslaught on smaller home and personal care (HPC competitors and private labels. Furthermore, the two companies also benefit from synergies in oral care, which could be a significant positive for PG. Other revenue upsides expected from the merger include Gillettes growth potential in emerging markets; cross-leveraging shaving and skin care brands and technologies; and, go-to-market efficiencies. The Gillette merger is expected to significantly add value to the company and help it further strengthen its already leading market position. New product pipeline PG has announced a full pipeline of new products to come in 2005. This is a clear evidence of PGs intense commitment and focus on its core business. Some of the most noted announcements include the launches of Hugo Boss Skin Care for men; Tamp ax Fresh tampons (the companys first scented flushable tampon, priced at a 10-15% premium to base Tampax); Iams Savory Sauces for dog and Iams MultiCat pet food; Charmin Basic toilet tissue (launched in February 2005 and Bounty Basic paper towels (launched in April 2005), both selling at a 15% discount to the brands base products; Bounty Glass and Surface Care towels; Charmin Mega Roll toilet tissue; and Tide Simple Pleasures. The launch of new products would significantly help the company in pushing forward its revenue generation across some of the otherwise matured product categories in the FMCG market. Threats Intense competition PG operates in a very competitive market, with rivals including consumer giants such as Johnson Johnson, Unilever and Kimberly-Clark. Each of these has revenues in excess of $10 billion. Private labels or store brands strive to match innovation quickly and try to present a compelling value alternative in many categories. This requires the company to continually strive to develop innovative products and price its goods competitively. For instance, sales in PGs beauty division could weaken sequentially as a result of an aggressive innovation drive from LOreal. Throughout 2005, LOreal is expected to launch a large number of new products globally. An increase in competitive onslaught by a majority of the companys competitors is expected to further challenge the companys growth. Increase in prices of raw materials The company is witnessing a significant increase in its raw material prices. Oil prices are up an average of nearly 40% year-to-date in calendar 2005 (after increasing 34% in 2004 and 19% in 2003), while resin prices are up an average of 14% (versus a 13% increase in 2004 and 21% increase in 2003) and pulp prices are up 8% (after rising 18% in 2004 and 14% in 2003). As a result of PG is facing higher commodities costs, which is expected to have a negative bearing over the companys earnings. ECs Gillette deal stipulations In 2005 EC announced that its only stipulation to the closing of the Gillette deal is PGs sale of its Crest Spinbrush business (brand which holds only a roughly 5% share of the power toothbrush market in Europe, representing nearly $200 million in sales to PG globally) as well as the licensing out of its oral care brand names associated with the Spinbrush, including Crest, Blend-a-Dent and Blend-a-Med. The licensing out of some of PGs oral care brand names has raised a concern over the companys ability to preserve the integrity of those brands given that those brands represent important future growth drivers for PGs toothpaste business. Furthermore this also raises a risk of the US Federal Trade Commission asking the company to further divest some of its other businesses. Uncertainty in pharmaceuticals business PGs Intrinsa, a prescription drug designed to counteract the loss of sexual desire in post-menopausal women, was rejected by the FDA in December 2004. The company is still waiting to hear from the FDA as to the extent of the required further testing of the product, to the extent its economical (the sample size is not too broad and the time frame of the test is not too long) span.. Concerns are also being raised over the FDA status of another drug soon to be launched by PG, Pexelizumab (a drug designed to reduce infarction and mortality post cardiac bypass surgery). This is primarily because the companys pharmaceuticals track record is marred by the withdrawal of both Vioxx and Celebrex from the market, in highly-publicized cases. The companys poor pharmaceuticals track record combined with an uncertain outlook for two of its major drug releases is expected to negatively impact the companys ability to grow in the highly lucrative over-the-counter pharmaceuticals market.