Analysis of Retail Market Essay

Larger businesses in retail are generally more profitable than smaller businesses with many of the largest businesses historically among the most profitable in the economy. The larger retailers in Australia would appear to have enjoyed better returns on capital than their overseas counterparts and have continued to do so since the global financial crisis. Growth in retail sales has been slow in recent years. While short term or cyclical factors have contributed to this slowdown, the growth of retail sales has experienced a long term slowdown due to changes in consumer buying habits. Consumers are choosing to spend a smaller share of their income on retail goods because over the recent past, they are saving more and they are spending greater shares of their expenditure on services such as finance, rent and education. Further, while there has been price deflation in some sub-categories of retail, overall, sales volumes have continued to grow. The level of productivity in the Australian retail industry is low compared to retail in other countries in Europe and North America. However, the growth rate of productivity in retail, over the past two decades, has been similar to the average rate for all industries in Australia. Retailers have achieved productivity growth by increasing the capital intensity of their operations, including through adopting information and communications technology. Furthermore, investments in big box retailing have also been a factor. These changes occurred earlier in the US, and since then, US retailers have continued to achieve productivity growth by improving management and operations to make more effective use of labour and capital. These opportunities appear yet to be fully realised by most Australian retailers. A snapshot of the retail industry Retailing makes a significant contribution to the economy The retail industry is one of Australia’s largest employers. Currently, there are almost 140 000 retail businesses employing about 1. 2 million people or 10. 7 per cent of the total working population. Together, retail workers earn about $32 billion in wages and salaries each year, or 6 per cent of the economy’s total. The retail industry also makes a significant contribution to economic output, contributing $55 billion or over 4 per cent of GDP each year. However, it is a relatively small contributor to investment (table 3. 1). Table 3. 1 The contribution of Australian retail trade 2009-10a Retail trade Gross value added ($m) Employment (‘000s) Wages and salaries ($m) Investment ($m) Capital stock ($m) Number of businesses (end 2008-09) a Includes motor vehicles & parts and fuel retailing. Source: ABS (Australian System of National Accounts: gross fixed capital formation and capital stock, Cat. no. 5204. 0; Labour Force, Australia, Cat. no. 6291. 0, Counts of Australian Businesses, Cat. no. 8165. 0).

Locked in the Cabinet

Written by the 22nd Labor Secretary of the United States Robert Reich, Locked in the Cabinet appears to be written with noble goals and intentions. That is, â€Å"to bridge the widening gap between the rich and the poor.† Robert Reich is a friend of former United States President Bill Clinton for 25 years and ended having extremely opposing views. He turned out to be a disillusioned member of Clinton’s cabinet. He pointed out the failure of Clinton’s administration to fulfill its intended aims and roles for the benefit of its constituents. The book was packaged like a journal with entries with their specific dates. The journal was dated on the four year span of the first term of Bill Clinton. The book displays a fragmentary-like form of a daily account with the specified time when the event occurred. In this book, he used a string of metaphors to present his points in a creative way, perhaps. In the book, Clinton was treated with hesitation. Reich did not deliberately stated â€Å"President Bill Clinton† in the book. He would refer to a certain â€Å"Bill† who, he said, his longtime friend. He was, perhaps, also considering their friendship while criticizing the leadership of his very own close friend. It is commendable that Reich aims for bridging the gap between the rich and poor. He stressed his being a liberal who has always been ready to fight for the rights of their constituents. For him, being liberal is giving an individual his rights. He stressed the importance of giving such because it is the main role and function of the government, anyway. As a liberal labor secretary, he advocated the rights of every worker especially their right for a wage increase. He even tried to convince company owners and manufacturers not  to use their powers against the striking workers. These workers are just airing their rights and sentiments, in the first place. Pertaining to the legitimate role and functions of the government in a private enterprise economy, he stressed out the role of the government on giving the outright benefits that a worker should have. He pushed for wage increase among the workers in the United States. He stressed the importance of some sort of â€Å"government intervention† in pushing for the rights of the workers. Even if Clinton is his longtime and close friend, it did not stop him in voicing out his criticisms towards Clinton’s unsatisfactory leadership through his book. He said that Clinton’s administration did not know what should be prioritized and seemed to forget what the purpose of his coming to Washington. He related that Clinton had the leadership but did not have the enough courage to take effect what is best for the people. But then, his disappointment over Clinton’s policies and administration has always been overshadowed by his affection towards his longtime friend. He views contemporary American policies as a â€Å"disaster† which does not actually respond to the actual needs of their constituents. He bluntly criticized everything he thinks not in the right place. I totally agree with his concept of liberalism. He cares for the â€Å"liberation† of every individual’s rights. He put forth the importance of giving everyone of what is due to him. As a statesman, it just right for him to have the heart for the oppressed and not for the oppressor. He has showed concern for the advantage of the people. It is just that he was â€Å"locked in the cabinet.† He implied that limitations of being a member of a cabinet. It might appear that cabinet members have all the power to take effect pro-people policies and actions, but then, they are subjected to the bureaucracy’s approval. He used many underlying themes in his book. This somewhat gave a twist on the sharp opinions that he wants to present. He admitted that he is indeed a frustrated secretary who wished that everyone would hear his and the society’s plight. Reich’s book is really informative. It is amazing how he is able to present such controversial revelations given that Clinton is his very close friend. He presented his point bravely leaving no missed point behind. I guess he just showed an objective setting of the situation of Clinton’s administration and the United States government system in general, particularly to the labor sector. With no doubt, he showed, through his book, his deep concern for people. On the other hand, the book, behind its impressing underlying themes, also received criticisms, perhaps from those who were behind the administration of Clinton. They claimed that Reich’s work was just like a fictional work and even claimed that it is a mere propaganda. They added that Reich’s claim were not realistic at all. Well, I guess, they just have to see the bigger picture. I believe that Reich has noble goals and aims as he presented his points in the book. Undeniably, Reich’s book deserves a commendation. He did his work well as the labor secretary fighting for the workers’ rights. People in the government should get a copy of his book immediately. Reference: Reich, R. (1997). Locked in the Cabinet (1st ed.). Norwalk, CT: Easton Press.                     

Mandatory Drug Testing

On September 15, 1986 President Reagan signed Executive Order 12564 as an attempt to establish a drug-free Federal workplace. The order constitutes the condition in which employment of all Federal employees to refrain from substance abuse even when off-duty. After the Executive Order, the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988 was created to intensify the intention to create a drug-free environment in the workplace. It is a general knowledge that over the years, there has been the increase of drug use and abuse evident in the society.Thus, this creates an alarming realization for companies to maintain a strict requirement of employees and future employees free of drug use. The need for the mandatory drug testing policy both has its advantages and disadvantage. But on a personal view, the advantages outweigh the disadvantage. This can be attributed to one of the major factors; the company should not take the risk. (LaFoyette, 2001)The company over the years had provided society with the best and quality equipments that aids patients during the crucial heart and lung transfers. Life is the main concern of the company more than gaining profit from the sales of the equipments. Thus, this entails that risks should not be taken at all cost. Life as the matter in which the company holds its integrity to protect must make it a point to ensure that vision with the confidence of having employees fit in the kind of demand the company requires. The mandatory drug testing policy addresses that.Why enforce the drug testing policy?The first point for employing the mandatory drug testing policy is due to it being a constitutional right. The United States Supreme Court has agreed that mandatory drug testing of employees is constitutional permissible and one- third of both private and public corporations have adopted this policy. It is of fact that companies deserve the right to accept or deny employment from a person for reasons that maybe undisclosed by the employers. This attributes the right of the company to seek the best among its employees.The second is the right of the employers to make it a point to hire the best and most qualified employees.Third, there is the concept of â€Å"employment at will†. This concept describes that an employee can either accept or protest his employers’ drug testing policy with the notion that he or she agrees to the terms and agreement between him and his employer. By law, this relates that if the employers wish to change the company’s policies, then the employee either complies or quit the job.Fourth, there is the concern in society to stop drug abuse and it has been clear that one of the greatest problems affecting the health and welfare of our population is the use of narcotics. Thus there is the need and the concern of the general public to stop one of the cancers in the society.Fifth, a reasonable employer will create a simple substance-abuse policy as he or she may deemed fit. This will begin by put ting a blanket of prohibition among the employees in the use, possession and distribution of drugs and alcohol in the workplace. It is also wrong for the employee to work under the influence of drugs. And there are disciplinary actions taken for violation of the policy.An employers may see the possibility of misidentifying an employee under the influence of drugs but this can be relieved if proper documentation happens of the discharge decision is advisable and there lies the importance of â€Å"reasonable- suspicion for the employer†. There is the employers’ right to state in the employees contacts the provisions and abnegations of the two in the matter of drug testing. With suspicionless drug testing of employees, there we maintain the quality of employees we have and seek.The company’s integrity and credibilityWe should always keep in mind the company’s reputation at being the leading manufacturers of health equipments responsible for other people live s. The legal grounds of the drug testing policy being permissible are valid for us to make the necessary and objective decision in having this policy taken into effective. I asked whether we should take the risk.I say we do not. It is the company’s policy to maintain its integrity and credibility, and we should do that by maintaining the quality and fitness of the employees. The company may sacrifice money and risk unlawful dismissal lawsuits, but it will be worth it if the company is made sure of its employees. The life of the company’s consumers is at stake, risks should never be taken in place of their lives.Reference:Anonymous. (2007). Drugs, Police and the LawDrug Testing.  Ã‚   Retrieved February 28, 2007, from http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-testing-policiesLaFoyette, H. (2001). Mandatory Drug Testing [Electronic Version], 17. Retrieved February 28 from http://www.usfsp.edu/home/.McKinney, J. R. (1999). The Effectiveness and Legality of Random Drug Testing Poli cies. 1(1),Niznik, J. S. (2001). Job Searching: Technical Supports Equal Opportunity Employment [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 2007 from https://www.thebalance.com/employment-law-advice-best-websites-2071543.

Literary analysis paper from a historical perspective Essay

Literary analysis paper from a historical perspective - Essay Example Words used in the literary pieces also give away the race and perhaps the gender of the author as will be seen in this paper on the analysis of two of Langston Hughes’ poems. As a Harlem Renaissance writer, Hughes had his own taste of the bitter pill of racial discrimination in the field he had chosen where black poets were given few if not no chance at all for their works to be published (Hutchinson, 1995). As his people were fighting for equal rights as their white counterparts, Hughes definitely experienced the difficulties of such a situation; not to mention the troubles he met in his personal life. Hughes’ parents separated after his birth and he lived in several cities as a result of his mother transferring from one city to another to find a job. After high school, he went to live with his father who became a successful cattle rancher in Mexico, escaping the racism in the north where the young writer went back home after one year (. His works are reminiscent of su ch facts, picturing his life and background. Dream Deferred depicts the hopelessness brought about by weariness when a dream is postponed. Being recognized among the great poets in his time, Hughes most probably did not just speak for his own dreams but the ideals of his people as well.

MHealth applications. Mobile Health PowerPoint Presentation

MHealth applications. Mobile Health - PowerPoint Presentation Example Patients should have absolute assurance that, during the medical process they are safe and cannot contact any communicable malady that would worsen their state. This is regardless of any incidences, which might lead to the loss of former medical records. In most cases, this might prompt the medical staff to guess for alternatives (PR, 2011). Primarily, this act as a relief to those ailing while waiting for meticulous check ups, which ought not to be medically especially among the chronic patients. Since, this may worsen their state and result to irredeemable stages that might require extra, expensive involvement. Additionally, the medical experts ought to ensure that, there is adequate agreement with a one’s responsible people prior administering any medication. This ensures there are no conflicting issues that would yield to lawsuits if an adverse result erupts or a patient unknowingly abuses the drugs (Bluestein, 2012). Medical staff prior anything ought to establish adequate and reliable consultations with family constellations to those individuals who seem to have no reliable very close relations especially the destitute. 2. The future of mHealth(Mobile Health) Presently, mHealth has made remarkable advances that has prompted numerous studies contend its continued immense progress in the future (PR, 2011). This is via the progressing trend of technology that has boosted its existence by easing communication and accessibility of the necessary diverse ailments’ information by the patients.... This is via the progressing trend of technology that has boosted its existence by easing communication and accessibility of the necessary diverse ailments’ information by the patients. Current studies argue that, by 2015, 500 million people globally would have access to mHealth applications. However, this comparison to the global population and its pace exemplifies slow motion, but all these noticeable changes are not only affecting healthcare, but also interrelated sectors (Bluestein, 2012). This encompasses making the healthcare both reachable and affordable to people especially in the upcoming states. Since comparing to instituting new facilities, it is pricey than implementing the new technology, for illustration, smart phone or tablet. This is because mHealth entail a reliable controlling center where the personnel would be convening to harmonize their ideas and act as informational central unit. Judging from the current healthcare situation, numerous people prefer the mH ealth; owing to its unique, interactive interface (Bluestein, 2012). Patients are able to access their private and tailored services according to their needs coupled with high convenience. Hence, an indication that, mHealth will have a heightened trend in the future due to its acceptance, which numerous practitioners are predicting currently (PR, 2011). The continued application of mHealth it will be more reliable especially to the chronic aged people who contrary to the current state they will not be in need of going to the care centers. Since, those who are not much advanced in years and able to use the mHealth applications would be adequately reporting their wellbeing (PR, 2011). Additionally, they will be able to access adequate information regarding their condition and

Virigina Henderson Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virigina Henderson - Research Paper Example To facilitate patient care, the paper employs Virginia Henderson’s nursing theory as a profession. The theory of Henderson is significant in nursing profession and it states that nursing is rooted from the needs of human beings (Sitzman and Eichelberger, 2010). This theory is relevant to the personal philosophy of nursing practices because it deals with the role of nursing practice of helping patients to restore or improve their health. The purpose of the research project is to draw one’s attention into the subject of nursing philosophy thoughtfully in order to create awareness of the significance of nursing education. Personal Philosophy The personal philosophy of nursing is to promote the well-being of patients and facilitating patient care; thus improving the quality of life of human beings. The professional values and characteristics that are reflected in the personal philosophy are personal values which should play significant roles in the professionalization of nu rsing with an aim of improving the quality of patients. Therefore, one of the qualities reflected in the personal philosophy is nursing philosophy of superior leadership, which guides one’s actions, behaviors and thoughts; thus, these philosophies are influenced by internal and external forces. One can change who he or she is by simply changing his or her philosophy of leadership with an aim of delivering the best quality of services within the nursing spectrum. The major meta-paradigm concept of nursing as it is incorporated in the personal philosophy involves person, environment, health and nursing practices. First, the concept of the personal philosophy describes a person as an individual and a community who receives health care; thus, their needs should be met. Secondly, it takes into considerations the surrounding environment and this is where the concept emphasizes the need to keep the environment clean and safe in order to improve the health status of human beings. Thi rdly, the concept also focuses the health issues and this is where it emphasizes on the need for maintaining a healthy living through educating the public on the importance of living a healthy life. Lastly, the concept focuses on nursing practices of facilitating a patient care and improving the well-being of patients through proper treatment; thus improving the quality of human beings. Nursing Theorist Nursing care takes varied forms and sometimes it is the function of the nurse to offer proper medication in order to enable the patient to feel physically well. It is also the ability to improve or maintain the health of an individual or perform varied activities that contributes to the health of an individual. For many decades, nurses have made significant efforts of defining nursing; thus from these efforts, varied nursing theories have been developed. One of the nursing theorists is that one which was developed by Virginia Henderson who was also named as Florence Nightingale, the first nursing theorists to note that nursing knowledge is separate and distinctive from therapeutic knowledge (George, 2011). Virginia Henderson’s Nursing theory focused on offering fresh air, proper nutrition, light, maintaining cleanliness in the surrounding environment. In this theory, the domain of nursing describes the subject of nursing profession, concepts, its values and beliefs, as well as, offers the means through which the nurses can promote the health of clients across the spectrum. The maj

Develop a Communications Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Develop a Communications Plan - Essay Example This details how specific information is developed and communicated to various groups and the expected actions. This plan also details how the overall results will be communicated, the time frames for communication and the appropriate groups to receive the information. Communicating results is an important issue for the project management scorecard. While it is important to communicate achieved targets to interested stakeholders once the project is complete it is also important to communicate throughout the project. This ensures that information is flowing so adjustments can be made so that all stakeholders are aware of the success and issues surrounding the project solution implementation. IRTC Manufacturing Enterprises has adopted seven components of the communication process to ensure that the project communication management solutions results are systematic, timely, and well planned. They are as follows: Audiences range from top management to past project team members, all of which have their own special communication needs. A well targeted communication may be necessary to win the approval of the specified group. They include the project team, the customer service and billing departments, the team manager, vendor and customer service agent. This involves developing written material to explain solution results. This can be a brief summary of the results to a detailed research report on the evaluation effort eg. Project report used for the different audiences. Whenever project results are communicated, the reaction of the target audience can be monitored by the project manager. This reaction may include non- verbal gestures, oral remarks, written comments or indirect actions that reveal how the communication was received. Presentations, project staff meetings and feedback questionnaire may be used for analyzing the reaction of the audience. The purpose of this is to make adjustment in the

Compare and Contrast Two of the Baptist Confessions Essay

Compare and Contrast Two of the Baptist Confessions - Essay Example Baptist confessions are within the grand framework of history and salvation. Hence the baptismal rule is not the rationale ‘after the fact’, but baptism’s innate basis (Garrett 2009: 64). It implies that the church practices baptism not on its own scheme and power, but in deference to its God. Nevertheless, the baptismal rule not merely establishes baptism but provides it its essence. Hence baptism on the authority of the Lord is not merely a procedure, similar to others for carrying out baptism; it is instead a confession of the internal content and theological and historical foundation of baptism (Garrett 2009). Furthermore it is the pledge and epiclesis of deliverance, not as sheer rite, and definitely not as a sacrament working supernaturally (Brackney 2004); but in the authority of this commanding pledge, baptism acquires its authority to bring about salvation. The baptismal sacrament was an essential foundation for the creation, and growth, of confession of the faith. Baptism was, similarly, connected to the ‘catechumenate’ as initiation into the life of the church and faith (Garrett 2009: 664). The churches emerging from the evangelist movement have relived this association; it has become meaningful for the European independent churches in distinct ways. Because of the separation of the culture from Western churches, the revival of the ‘catechumenate’ (Garrett 2009: 664) has presently turned out to be significant for the being and continued existence of the early churches. This paper discusses the similarities and differences between two Baptist confessions, namely, the First London Baptist Confession of 1644-1646 and the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689. Comparing and Contrasting the First and Second London Baptist Confession In the analysis of the 1646 Westminster Confession and the 1689 Second London Confession, it can be discerned that there is an emphasis given to God’s law concisely inter preted in the Mosaic Law of Moses as a principle of life for the follower. In contrast, the emphasis of the 1644 First London Confession is on the rules of the New Covenant, or Christ’s commandments (n.a. 1981). Basically, even though these two confessions have crucial similarities with regard to the steadfast nature of the perpetual moral command of God, there is a different New Covenant focus regarding biblical rules in the two versions of the First London Confession (Long 2003), specifically, noticeably absent in the Old Covenant stress of the Second London Confessions. The aforementioned difference between the First and Second London Confession has significant theological repercussions in interpreting both the function of biblical commandments as the moral principle of God or commandment for the life of the follower within the New Covenant, and for interpreting the connection of God’s commandment to Christ’s gospel (Brackney 2004); hence, the current explana tion for the revision of the First London Confession. The issue suddenly comes out: the historical explanation for the adoption of the Second London Confession instead of the First by the Particular Baptist churches. If the First and Second London Confession are basically the same, then what is the purpose for the creation of the latter? The explanation rests in the events surrounding the collapse

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 17

Marketing - Essay Example WD Electrical Appliances Co. Ltd. was built in 1999, locating in Cixi City, Zhejiang Province, which is called the hometown of small household appliances. It is a company of manufacturing small household appliances integrating R&D, production and marketing. The main products are electric kettles, coffee pots and electric steamers, with the annual output of 2 million units of small appliances. WD owns its self-operation export and import rights and the products passed GS/CE Authenticate of TUV and were exported to countries and districts such as Europe, Middle East and Australia. The company covers 8,500 square meters and over 170 employees, including 55 managers. It manufactures as per the order and mainly as the OEM. The annual production value and sales in 2002 was USD 3.47 million, about CNY 28.73 million. The entry barrier for the electric kettle is rather low because the universal production equipment (injection model) can be widely applied in producing kinds of household appliances with injection molding. It can be switched easily with low cost. The mold manufacturing is the main restriction. The cost of a set of mold of the kettle is about CNY 0.8 – 2 million, which is not too much for investors; the economical efficiency of scale is not obvious and can be operated on small scale; with low technique and fewer components, the technical difficulty is mainly achieving the appropriate temperature controller and connecting pieces design according to the aesthetic appeal; customers are particularly sensible to the style and quality, so if the manufacturer can design a popular style, it is not difficult for them to receive orders and marketing channels by means of product development and exhibition. Therefore, the channel is not the problem. As the competition enters a new stage, price competition is not the only

College graduates get low interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

College graduates get low interest - Essay Example ale, a research organization gathered statistics this year on graduates of over 900 colleges and universities, enquiring from them what they did at college and the amount they now make. PayScale then factored in the amount spent on the degree; after financial support .It is from this that the firm approximates the returns gotten from several kinds of degrees. It was found out that a degree course is a good bet wherever one studied it. This makes college graduates a safe bet as far as college low interest loans are concerned. The US. Department of Education develops and releases products that come with lowest student loans rates to assist college graduates. These include Direct Subsidized Loans that in 2013-2014 came with an interest rate of 3.86%, this is courtesy of US Department of Education. This rate is much lower than what is offered by private lenders. Apart from low rates of interest, students offered these loans aren’t responsible for the payment of interest during their schooling period. These costs are covered by governmental sources. Apart from federal low interest rates loans, there are also private lenders offering loan products that have low and attractive interest rates. Such products as these are tailored for students having outstanding credit scores as well as a cosigner having a good credit standing. Such like students are regarded as ideal borrowers since it’s very likely that they are going to honor their credit responsibilities. Most banks seem to reward such kind of b ehavior and battle for the business offered by

Cost and Decision-Making Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cost and Decision-Making Analysis - Assignment Example The formula for calculating the contribution margin is as follows: Contribution margin= Fixed cost per unit – Variable cost per unit. This provides sufficient information to facilitate the calculation of break-even point in total sales dollars. The formula for calculating the break-even point in total sales dollars is as follows: B/E point (in total sales dollars) = Fixed Cost ? P/V ratio In a multiproduct environment the assumption is that the sales mix remains constant (Globusz n.d; unf.edu n.d.). The sales mix is referred to as the relative proportion of each product sold to the total sales value. This can be expressed in the form of a ratio or in the form of a percentage. The contribution per unit for each product is calculated as follows: Contribution = selling price – variable cost Cv = SPv – VCv = $1.65 – $1.25 = $0.40 Cm = SPm – VCm = $1.50 - $0.70 = $0.80 Cn = SPn – VCn = $0.85 - $0.25 = $0.60 The subscripts v, m and n relates to Vel cro, Metal and Nylon respectively. Contribution based on the relative weight in the sales mix = Contribution per unit x quantity. Piedmont Fasteners normally produce as total of 700,000 units of clothing fasteners consisting of 100,000 units from Velcro, 200,000 units from Metal and 400,000 units of nylon. Therefore, in this case the ratio is 1:2:4 The Weighted contribution (WC) is calculated as follows: WCv = $0.40 x (1/7 x 700,000) = $0.40 x 100,000 = $40,000 WCm = $0.80 x (2/7 x 700,000) = $0.80 x 200,000 = $160,000 WCn = $0.60 x (4/7 x 700,000) = $0.60 x 400,000 = $240,000 The quantities represent 1/7th, 2/7th and 4/7th Sales = units sold (Q) x selling price per unit (SP) Sales = Qv x SPv + Qm x SPm + Qn x SPn Sales = (100,000 x $1.65) + (200,000 x $l.50) + 400,000 x $0.85) = $165,000 + $300,000 + $340,000 = $805,000 The weighted P/V ratio is calculated as follows: P/V = ($440,000 ? $805,000) x 100 = .55 = 55% B/E = $400,000 ? .55 = $727,273 The breakeven total sales in dollars is equal to $727,273 Of this 1/7th would relate to the sale of Velcro, 2/7th to the sale of metal and 4/7th to the sale of nylon. This would be $103,896 from the sale of Velcro; $207792 from the sale of metal; and $415,585 from the sale of nylon. The weighted average was used because each product has a different selling price and a different variable cost. Additionally, the quantities of these products that are normally sold are also different. Using weights allow for the relative proportions of each product sold to be taken into consideration. Solution to Question 2 Part (a) The break-even point in units for each product can be calculated taking into consideration that certain fixed costs relate to each of these products only while a certain portion relates administration, salaries and rent. Since we do not know the proportion of these we assume that they are equal. The following formula will be used to calculate the break even point in units for the three types of fasteners. B/E i n units = Fixed cost/contribution The fixed cost for each product = specific fixed cost + proportion of common fixed cost The fixed cost for Velcro fasteners = $20,000 + (1/3 x $240,000) = $100,000 The $20,000 relates to the cost that would be avoided if Velcro fasteners are not produced. The fixed cost for Metal fasteners = $80,000 + (1/3 x $240,000) = $160,000 The $80,000 relates to additional cost incurred when metal fasteners are produced The fixed cost for Nylon fasteners = $60,000 + (1/3 x $240,000) = $140,000 The break-even for each type of fastener is as follows: B/Ev =

Critical response - Of mice and men Essay Example for Free

Critical response Of mice and men Essay Within The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the reader is presented with a selection of sad, lonely individuals who have no families. As soon as the novel starts, the author creates a picture of the surroundings in the readers mind the river drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green this gives the reader a feeling of peace at mind. The reader is then presented with George, a small man with strong features, and Lennie, a gentle person who enjoys who enjoys the company of a pet. In the novel Lennie continuously gets the pair into all sorts of trouble and by the end of the novel George has no choice but to shoot Lennie, due to the fact that he murdered an innocent woman, who happened to be Curleys wife, the bosss son. It soon becomes apparent that the theme of loneliness is illustrated through characterization between the main characters. The first character we are introduced to is Lennie. Lennies character is illustrated by his mental immaturity. Blubberin like a baby? Jesus Christ a big guy like you! The reader first sees that Lennies loneliness and need for companionship during his journey to the ranch. What you want of a dead mouse? , to which Lennie responds maybe I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along. Lennie wants to carry a dead mouse round as a constant companion. This shows how desperate he is to feel loved and to have a friend. One of the characters that illustrates loneliness is a man named Crooks. Crooks is a colored man s been isolated from the rest of the ranch due to the fact that he is a nigger. The reader feels sympathy for crooks because he has his own shelter and has no friends. As soon as a white man enters his shelter, Crooks initial reaction is to tell them to get lost I dont want to know. This again shows the reader that Crooks is a lonely individual. Another character that emphasizes the theme of loneliness is Curleys wife. To the readers surprise, the author never gives Curleys wife a name. This reinforces the fact that Curleys wife is there to look after Curley and that she is not important to anybody else but himself. It also shows that the other ranchers are not used to talking to other woman. Curleys Wife is generally considered to be a tramp by the men at the ranch and shamelessly uses sex to intimidate the workers. She married Curley so she could leave home and be spoilt with gifts and do whatever she wanted. However it is obvious that this did not happen and she hates her husband. . She still holds some hope of a better life, by claiming that she had the chance to become a movie star in Hollywood. Another interesting character is Candy, an old man who only has a dog to keep him company. Candy is the oldest out of all the other ranchers, who has only one hand because he lost the other hand in an accident on the ranch. Candy is a frail person because he has had to work on the ranch for so long because he has no friends. There comes a sad point in the novel when candys dog is shot because he is giving off a bad odour. This shows the readers that the ranchers dont care for anyone else but themselves and that they have a short temper. This incident seems to put Candy down more because he now has no companion. In addition to this, Candy feared that he was going to be on the ranch until he died. This image is reinforced when he ws caught ease dropping on George and Lennie I didnt here nothin you guys was saying. I was just standing in the shade scratching my dog. Although the novel is filled with men trying to earn money so that they can fulfill their dreams, it is obvious that the main theme of the novel is loneliness. This is illustrated through the sad, traumatic, lonely characters that work on the ranch. The entire novel is devoted to reinforcing the main theme, loneliness, and therefore creating sympathy for the characters on the ranch.

Media Influences Our Beliefs and Attitudes

Media Influences Our Beliefs and Attitudes Time changed eras changed generation changed channels of communication changed but the way of receiving the information was same through out. Which is that one thing which has not changed? What is it, which we seek in television, radio, newspaper and now the Internet? The answer to all these questions is media and information. For information we only and only rely on media. We live in a mediated world we accept it or not but we are surrounded by media. Media has a kind of an image in the mind of an individual. This is because the communication is presented in a way that the mass audience likes it. Which can be explained by the hypodermic needle theory which media as a direct, immediate and a powerful effect on its audience. What are Media effects? Different researchers had a different viewpoint what they had to say about Media effects but there was no as such definition according to McQuil(1983) there are effects from the media ,though what precisely these effects are and the means by which they can be identified and measured has been the subject of extensive debate (p.175), (Lasswell 1948,emphasis in original ) Who Says What to whom in which channel and to what effect ? , Katz describe the history of communication theory which is swinging between active and passive audience between minimal and powerful effects(1980) Mc Guire noted several of the most commonly mentioned intended media effects which were listed as (a) the effect of advertising on purchasing (b) the effect of political campaigns on voting (b) the effect of public service announcements on personal behavior and social improvement (d) the effect of propaganda on ideology (e) the effects of media ritual on social control and the most commonly ones (f) the effect of media violence on aggressive behavior (g) the effect of erotic and sexual m aterial on attitudes and objectionable behavior(1986, cited in Elisabith M Perse ,p.1). Media impacts many facets of our daily lives and even contribute to our scene of personnel identity how we dress for work, sometimes the route we take for work, what we plan to do this weekend our general feeling of wellbeing or insecurity, the focus of the world beyond immediate experiences and our concerns about the issue of the day all are influenced by what we see in media news Maxwell McCobs and Sheldon Gilbert (1986). As it is not easy to accept in the same way it is not easy to argue as well that media has influence not only on an individual but also on the society, which we live in. What do mass communication actually do to us, both individually and collectively [society]? Lowery and DeFleur (1995 Quoted in Brian ONeil p.320) The study of media influence is important so that we can increase the understanding of the role media plays in shaping our lives, views and personal identity. It is because the media are central to our everyday lives that we must study them à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ as social and cultural as well and the political dimensions of the modern world Roger Silverstone (1999). The essay is going to include first the introduction, what are media effects? Secondly a brief history about media effects from the time of World War 1 till date, thirdly different ways in which media affects an individual with relevant effect theories, Scholarly research and examples of the same. Lastly to conclude with my viewpoint and the just of the scholars arguments. HISTORY Going back into the history there were three phases in which the effect tradition could be described how over the period of time medias relation with its audience changed with its changing effects. The first phase, called as powerful media started from World War 1 until the late 1930 was the time when media was known to have powerful effects on its audience it could change habits, opinions and viewpoints of the people. Which were mostly in the hands of the controllers Bauer and Bauer (1960 cited in Denis McQuail p.458). Then second phase which was called Testing media power now this phase was the time to put theoretical knowledge to test that was what people thought in phase one was that actually happening did media has its effect. A well stated example of this in the early 1930s research literature by the series of Payne fund studies in the United States Blumer,Blumer and Hauser,Petroson and Thurstone (1933). The main focus was children and young people how films as media influenced them? This era of media research last until the 1960s. The concentration was mainly on the films and the other types of media how they can be used for brainwashing and informing. Some of the examples of this are campaign, which was designed for the United Nations to improve on their public support Star and Hughes (1950 cited in Denis McQuail p.458). Investigating the capabilities of democratic election campaigns Lazarsfeld et al. (1944) and Berelson et al. (1954). As the time passed away the nature of research changed as there were new accepts which should be taken in account earlier the researchers saw the effects according to the social and psychological characters then later it went on to the intervening effects and lastly why people were listening to media, the purpose The end of this era was marked by the illusion which resulted in the this kind of media effect research (e.g. Berelson, 1959)(Denis McQuail). Klapper says that limited and minimum effects in the fear of brainwashing were seen to be over hyped and to form a opinion was a complex social process in which media played an integral part but not the complete role (1960). The third phase that was called Return of powerful media started in 1960 which started from the year 1960, which marks the return of the powerful media which is still there till today dealing with the effects and issue of media violence, functions of media in socialization diffusion and formation of ideology (McQuail 1983,p.178) Media had no effects or negligible effects this was the conclusion which was written in the text books which was challenged by researches who thought this was a made up story there were many evidences which could prove that media have social impact and could be used for exercising social and political power (for example, Lang and Lang, 1981;McGuire, 1973;McLeod et al., 1991) The evidence available by the end of 1950s,even when balanced against one of the negative findings, gives no justification for an overall verdict of media importance (1981:659)according to them the no effect imagination was not because of one factor but was a combination of different factors . The most highlighted one was short-term effect like the election tenor. One of the major reasons that contributed to unwillingness to accept minimal effects was the arrival of television in 1950s and 1960s as this was the new medium, which seems more powerful as it had visuals. The third phase was still looking for the potential effects according to the new concepts. The investigations that were done before relied on the model that the more exposure to media had more effects. Change in media power with change in time As we read in the history different phases of media power and how the power of media changes with the change in time. The main reason for the argument in the effects from the time of powerful -limited more powerful model is that the world was changing all this while Carey (1988 quoted in Denis Mc Quil , 2005,p.462). We cannot deny the fact that media are influential. There are many examples to explain this statement like impingement of communism in Europe or to international conflicts such as Gulf and Balkan wars of the 1990s and the Afghanistan and the Iraq wars that followed 9/11 (Denis McQuail 2005,p.463). It is only through media that people do know about such historic events as the time has changed probably people are more dependent on the media when information is concerned (Ball-Rokeach and DE Fleur, 1976;Ball-Rokeach, 1985; 1998,cited in Denis Mcquil 2005 p.463). When we look at television there is a huge difference in content and as a social experience from the 1950s to 19 80s (this was the time when first research took place) till now where the television experience has changed again. This clearly states that media is not constant it changes with time. The different models of media effects: (Perse, 2001:51) Direct: it is quite self-explanatory the effect is immediate, constant and observable its a short term effect which emphasis on change where media content is silent, awakening and truth. Conditional: It depends from person to person reinforcing of change in the thought process towards awareness and knowledge, emotional influence and behavioral it can be short term and long-term effect. Cumulative: it based one exposer to many thing not one in particular it is either cognitive or emotional in very few cases it is behavioral. It has a long lasting effect. The media content is accordant, re occurring and across channels. Cognitive transactional: the effect is immediate and short term it is based on a small exposure it s cognitive and effective; behavioral effects are possible. There are different theories, which explain and talk about the effects what sort of effects every theory looks into the media effects on its own prospective Short Term Effects: In the earlier times when we look into media research, the model, which strikes the mind, was simple stimulus response model that means media provided the agent and the response to it was change in opinion or something like this. This approach was not was not accepted. People dont react to anything immediately and if they do then media is not the only reason behind it , there are many other reason as well . Sometimes this approach was also know as the hypodermic needle /bullet effect this was basically as if some people were injected with some media information and they reply to it accordingly Graeme burton(2002). One of the famous example which is stated by the theorist for this theory is in the year 1939 the War Of The Worlds by H.G.Wells the broadcast of this science fiction created a panic amongst the people and this was purely the effect of the broadcast. On the contrary it is said that the circumstance in which the broadcast was herd this would not be sufficient to explain the affect of strong feeling or the judgment that was passed by an individual Brian ONeil (2011). The argument, which was given, was that psychological personality traits like self-conviction, religious beliefs and self-expectance these were the traits, which made an individual to believe what they were listening to Cantril(1940 ,cited in Brian ONeil,2011,p.324) . To add to this according to another theorist this incident was just being exaggerate Heyer(2005 cited in Brian ONeil,2011,p.324). On the contrary it is said that there is no such proof, which can Cleary demonstrate that media violence leads to violent behavior. If we look into the example of September 2000 where a 15-year-old boy from Florida was accused his abuse of his 8-year-old sister. He said he got this idea from seeing Jerry Springer Show when looked into the mater the statement made was false he was lying the show was totally blameless. Graeme Burton (2010) Two -step flow theory: The theory states that media influences us in two different phase. The first phase comprises individuals who pay lot of attention to media and it message and receive information from them the second phase comprises of opinion leaders, members of peer group family, friends people on whom we rely the most. We listen to what they want to say and not the media. If media influenced them then we would be influence indirectly Graeme Burton (2002). One of the important part of the work is to see how active or passive we are as receivers of the communication Elihu Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955). Unlike the hypodermic needle theory this theory lacked on media effects it emphasis more on human agencies lowery and DeFleur . Uses and gratification theory: What do people do to the media(katz2006, p.xviii) The uses and gratification theory says that the audience is active. The theory explains that the audience consumes media to gratify or satisfy their own needs for information, entertainment, knowledge, personal identity and social definition Graeme burton(2002). Media message cannot influence a person who does not have any use of those messages consumed Katz (1959). Example: There were several examples, which state that there are some, or the other needs of an individual which are fulfilled by consuming media. Radio quiz programs and its listeners Satisfaction of watching a soap opera which need or gratification was obtained? (Herzog1940, 1944 quoted in Chris Newbolt, 1995,p.121) and why does one read newspaper? Was it for information, entertainment or to while away the time which need was fulfilled? (Berelson, 1949). All these experiments were done to state consumption of different kinds of media gave what kind of satisfaction or which need of the audience. Effects can be of different kinds/types and vary from person to person. Few of them are listed below: Attitude change: Media has the power of changing peoples way of thinking or looking at the world. This means they change the attitude towards a person or issues Graeme Burton (2002). Media is highly effective in creating attitudes on newly arisen or newly evoked issues(Joseph Klapper) Moral/Panic: Media have the effect of anxiety, fear, and anger about issues. Issues can be anything. These reactions are joint actions experienced by a group Denis Mc Quail (2005). Personal Response/Emotional Response: These reactions are basically unplanned and depend from individual to individual, taking an example of an anti aging cream people ignore the fact that the product is not appropriate because the skin cannot generate cells at a certain point in age (Graeme burton2002; Denis Mc Quail 2005). Some of the major issues on which media effects/influence research has been done are stated below: Children and Media: When a child is concerned it automatically becomes a special case when we talk about influence as it is assumes to be vulnerable. The impact of television on children Can lead to Violence One of the major concerns what parents have is impact of television violence on their children. The concern is that television has portrayals of violence throughout and children are affected by these portrayals more easily because they are at growing age they dont have the understanding. As this is not only the case with kids but similar reasons are given for adult violence as well John P.Murray(1993). There were many researchs done which concluded that media violence can lead to short term changes like attitude and behavior changes (bandura, D.Ross, S.Ross, 1961;berkowitz, 1962). Example: Murder of James Burgler in 1993 this was the influence of violence video over 2 school boys David Buckingham (2001) Another great research bobo doll experiment which concluded that children exposed to violent model were more likely to act aggressively than those who were not exposed to such situation Albert Bandura (1961). According to Ferguson this research was not related to child aggression but this research was motivated to please the adults (2010) Contrary to this research it is said that some children to whom television effect will not be good in a certain condition and some children to whom in some other condition the television effect would be good or to other kids in the same condition television effect will be different (Schramm;Lyle and Parker 1961,p.13). There have been many researchers, which stated the positive influence Friedrich, and Stein that viewing Master Roger did not have any impact on their behavior where as it widen their knowledge. A very strange result was noticed the children who watched Minster roger seemed to be more helpful they were likely to play more cooperatively with their peers. (1975 cited in Jerome Johnston James S.Ettema p.144). Affect education What or rather I should say who is it we blame if the child is not getting good marks? There are only 2 people who we tend to blame for our childrens performance one the school in which he/she studies or the teachers. So the blame game is totally on the school. But wait lets think on it once again is it really the teachers to be blamed? Teachers are doing the same job which they use to do 10-12 years ago something is there, which is different? What is that something? The answer is Television. The current estimate states that a child spends twice the time in watching television than in the classroom studying. It is very surprising to see that it is 22,000 hours of television is consumed before a child passes his/her high school Don Oldenburg (1992). Heavy viewing of television by kids show lower information, lower knowledge, lower concentration lower reading ability it lead to aggressive behavior as compared to the kids watching less television (Jerome L. Singer, n.d). On the contrary it was said that studies found out that there was no as such evidence which proved that watching television had negative effects like lower concentration and less reading ability and things like that (Neumanns, 1991 cited David Gauntlett in 2005). The Recent statistics In the year 2008 there was survey done Dr. Tanya Byron where the question was about the effects. Result of the survey was that 83% of the parents thought that watching TV was entertaining followed by education 58% and relaxation 53% and only 4 % said it was dangerous. Parents also felt that there child had gained an expended imagination 63% and increase in vocabulary and over two fifth said that their child had developed 28% said that it was used as a kind of activity. So this shows the television effects were positive according to the parents. There was no kind of violence seen or a negative effect was observed (2008 p.8). There has been no perfect evidence which proves that media is the only cause of violence. But it can be said that media can lead to change in attitude and responses towards violence. This kind of a response could be because of 2 reason first media and the real life experiences. Media and the society As we know media plays an integral role in our lives. This media is the only medium of so many debates discussions like does television has any effects on our children? Does advertising influence us as consumers? Last but lot the least is violence because of media? A long list of question which because all this is a part of the society which we live in David Croteau and William Hoynes(2003). Thinking about the impact of media on the society is exhibited in the conventional history by the abound view of media being powerful and quite much effective on the powerless and passive audience which can be described by the Hypodermic Needle Model also called the Magic Bullet, it assumed that the media were so powerful that they could inject their messages as the name suggests hypodermic needle the needle is injected. The advertising messages were targeted as magic bullets. (Dennis and wartella1996, p.169) Katz and lazars Feld (1955) says, The image of the mass communication process entertained by the researchers had been one of the atomistic mass of millions of readers, listeners and movie goers prepared to receive the message; secondlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ every message was conceived of as a direct and powerful stimulus to action which will elicit immediate response Campaign and Advertising Campaign is basically used to affect the behavior of the public for their health of their safety. Campaign can be classified in two parts one is political campaign as the name suggests its agenda is politics (election, voting) and the other is public service campaign, which is in favor of public beneficial for them like (campaign on family planning, smoking and issues like aids). Campaigns reach to large amount of public there were a lot many researches done, which showed that there was a change in knowledge and attitude but no change was shown on the behavior David Gauntlett(2005). Political Campaign: These could always be traced back at the time of election as earlier said there were many research done to see weather political campaign has any effect on the voting patters of an individual. The two major studies which were done in this field first study was people choice 1940 elections of Ohio and the main reason behind these research was to find out that do people vote because of some influence? This research took place in 1932 just before the television came in as a medium of communication and radio was the medium at present. The result was that 8 % were actually converted 53% voted because of their own beliefs and understanding 14% were influenced to vote and lastly 25% had minimal effect, which was next to nothing. The findings of the research was that a) people are influence by peer group or opinion leaders people who they rely on trust like friends, family etc. b) There was not the same effect on every1 that is everyone responded to media in their own way c) it was not the campaign through which people got the information but through people Paul Lazerfield, Bernard Berelson Hazel Gandet(). The second one was called Unseeing eye 1972 elections between George MC Govern and Richard Nixon. The result was similar to the first one political campaigns had less effect on the people Thomas.E Pattreson Robert D.Mc.Clure() On the contrary Mc Combs and Shaw whose research was also into political communication and voting behavior and the research was done on US presidential election in 1968 where the research was on how newspaper, journalists and editors play a vital role in making the audience perceive political reality in their own way. The research ended with a conclusion, which was quite different from the earlier research that was the information which was given to the public didnt only make them aware about the issue of the political campaign but also made them think that this issue was important and will effect us only. So here the political campaign seemed to be quite effective (1972). Public service campaigns: these campaigns were basically for the wellbeing of an individuals who made the society. There were many research which were done on this criteria like did people reduced smoking or stopped smoking after seeing the PSA which talks about increased cancer risk due to smoking. One of the projects was called North krelia project a program whose main aim was to reduce heart diseases in Finland. There were 1.75 US billion dollars spent on this campaign and the result of this was that smoking declined amongst men by 34% and rate on women smoking went up slightly (Puska et al., 1985 cited in DAVID GAUNTLETT (2005). Another example is increasing population level the problems of developing countries social marketing approach was introduced, promotion of contraceptive pills and condoms Atkin Meichke(1989) .In Bangladesh the sales of condom graph saw a unbelievable rise in 1976 -10 million to 82 million in 1983 and India saw an increase of almost 400% and by 1984 these had almost doubled again to 200 million per year DAVID GAUNTLETT (2005).The research ended by saying that media is just an helper to influence where the messages are reinforced by verbal communication. We have seen that it created a positive sign in most of the experiments but still it cannot be correctly judged that campaign has any effect or not. Advertising Advertise which means to draw attention. Advertisement addresses us as shoppers or consumers rather than Citizens. The prime focus is that we are the potential buyers Lewis et al (2005).It is quite difficult to access the effect of advertising on an individual and society because advertising does not make an individual do something which one would not like to do , it just tries to change our behavior. Advertising can make product A look better than product B but if observed would be no difference as such and thus it influences our purchasing decision DAVID GAUNTLETT(2005). It is not just advertising which makes a person go and buy a product in the market gone are the days when people use to understand advertisements are ficious created by advertisers to sell their product now days consumers are exposed to advertisements day in day out the only factor which makes them but the product is top of mind recall that is by repetitiveness of the advertisement Rachel Eyre(2002). Another researcher says that advertisement is not only the factor for buying a product there is other factors like packaging and distribution which influences buying decision Schudson (1933). Where on the contrary leiss et al. (2005) says there could be many reasons why advertisements may not work. Example: 1980 coffee consumption feel at the time when expenditure on coffee advertisement was rising. 1985 coke fiasco when the audience did not accept the new taste Graeme Burton(2011). As said by all the researchers advertising does influence us but it is not the whole sole influencer behind our buying.

Southwest Airlines Corporations

Southwest Airlines Corporations In year of 2006, Southwest Airlines celebrated its 34th consecutive year of profitability. While other airlines paces of profitability appear to be stagnant; Southwest Airlines was announced as one of the most admired corporations by Fortune 500 Magazine (Southwest 2006). Southwests success is deeply related to the new strategies that other airlines dont even dare to consider. The corporate culture and strategic philosophy stands out, making Southwest the leader in the whole airline industry. Southwest Airlines strategy can be described as â€Å"short-haul, low-fare, high-frequency, and point-to-point carrier (Fortune Magazine 2006)†. A lot of people consider that the marketing strategy that Southwest Airlines currently using is the low cost provider strategy. Low cost provider strategy is a strategy which is committed to driving down the cost through its value chain system (Broydrick 1995)†. This strategy allows companies to compete aggressively on price earning high pr ofit margins than rivals. But the low cost provider strategy is not the cure-all prescription for all the problems. If the quality of a product or service is not guaranteed, the low cost provider strategy is not likely to work. From a macro perspective, it seems that Southwest Airlines is using the low cost provider strategy to stand out among all other airlines. Rather, it is using the best cost provider strategy because from a competitive positioning standpoint, best cost strategies are a â€Å"hybrid, balancing a strategic emphasis on low cost against a strategic emphasis on differentiation (supervalue) (Entrepreneur 1995).† In order to analyze the factors which contributed to the success of Southwest Airline Corporation more efficiently, we can use the McKinsey 7-S Model. In Peter and Watermans masterpiece â€Å"In Search of Excellence†, the book summarized that in order for a corporation to be successful; there are factors which it must acquire. The reason why that they are considering the success in this way was because that successful corporations they picked from the top list of the Fortune Magazine all possessed seven criterion. That is the famous McKinsey 7-S framework that Southwest Airline based its strategies on, which guarantees that â€Å"any intelligent approach to eventual success of organizing had to encompass (Peters and Waterman, 1982)†. The McKinsey framework includes eight attributes: 1) A Bias for Action. This attribute is based on the principle of â€Å"can do, let try.† This means that the principle favors experimentation. Southwest often goes out of its way to â€Å"amuse, surprise and entertain† its passengers (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† 2) Close to the Customer. This implies that the closeness to customers are expressed as an attitude concentrating on â€Å"valued clients† rather than valued employees of Southwest Airlines treat the customers as â€Å"valued clients† rather than â€Å"valued wallets.† They care about the customers not only just for one trip, but their futures as well. Moreover, the letters from customers are answered personally rather than using a standardized formula. Southwests CEO Kelleher actively supported that because he declared that there are three advantages which could be drawn from the service. First, it is the employee performance. Kelleher considers it the best way to value its employees. Second, the inputs from the letters which are authentically wrote indicates the real deficiencies that Southwest might encounter. Third, there is no worry about the letters because if cu stomers are willing to spend time on writing it, there is a great possibility that their concern shown on the letters are true and realistic. Southwest rarely uses survey questions to test its customers to test customer satisfaction. Because most surveys are made up of multiple choices from scales such as from 1 to 10, or from excellent to bad. It is hard from customers to think that the corporation belongs to which category. The difference between scales 5 and 7 might be real close which confuse the customers (Dauble 2005). As a result, some customers filled up the answers in guessing way that they dont even know what they are doing. They just want to get over with it. 3) Autonomy and Entrepreneurship. This indicates that in the whole corporation, every employee is a leader. They are respected just like any top managers. Everyone is welcome to submit new ideas or weakness of the corporation, and it has no hierarchy. Moreover, their will be competition within the corporation, but not suppression. Every competition is conducted in friendly manners. Unlike other corporations that the CEOs rarely allows themselves to meet the employees, the employees of Southwest can have lunch with Kelleher any day at any time (Marcial 2005). All the departments often shower free ice creams, pizza and other good stuffs to celebrate for each other when an assignment gets well done. Some employees from different departments in other corporations dont even know each other. All they do is doing their own work. Therefore, once there is a problem, it is extremely difficult for departments to work as a whole to solve the problem because they hardly know each other. This will wastes a lot of time, have the possibility of leading the corporation into the wrong direction, and intensifies the relationship of managers between departments in the situation that when they are unable to reach consensus (Lynch 2005). Furthermore, Southwest welcomes failures as well as successes because it firmly believes that failure is the mother of success. When a failure appears, it means that the success is coming down the road. 4) Productivity through People. This strategy implies that there is no existence of personality tests. Sense of humor and an outgoing attitude is a must. At Southwest, communications are frequent and concerns of old people and young people are treated by old employees and young employees with outgoing attitudes and personalities. In this way, the negative effects and misunderstandings due to generation ga ps can be avoided. 5) Hand-on, Value-Driven. At Southwest, there is a policy that in every quarter, the top managers and executives must spend one day experiencing the jobs of their employees. By working on positions such as ticket agents, baggage handlers, or janitors, people from the top level will have an authentic feel of whats going on and where are difficulties and deficiencies (Bunz 1998). 6) Stick to the Knitting. This theory indicates that corporations should never expand too fast just because their financial results in the short run show success. Southwest will not expand recently because it follows the strategy and every move it makes is conducted in an extremely careful way. Southwest understands that if â€Å"hot meat appears, your eating it fast strategy probably will burn your mouth (McNerney 1996)†. 7) Simple Form and Lean Staff. This strategy means that â€Å"keeping an organizational staff lean simplifies channels of communication in an organization (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† The reason of this is because that the more layers a hierarch has in a corporation, the longer it makes to make a decision which could result in wasting time and resources. At Southwest, it is not the janitors clean up the airlines. Rather, flight attendants and top managers are people who do the cleanings. In this way, Southwest can save both money and time. Moreover, Southwest is always loyal to its employees as they are to the Southwest. Southwest uses the â€Å"always hire and rarely fire† principle when dealing with human resources (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† It never fires its employees just because of external factors such as the stagnant of economy or internal factors such as financial loss. 8) Simultaneous loose-tight properties. This means that the corporation has both a centralized and decentralized system which de-emphasizes hierarchy. Southwest has a democratic style of corporation culture with autonomy and a tight control of finance by the CEO to make sure that money and resources are not wasted. Besides the above-mentioned eight crucial strategies that successful corporations must acquire, Southwest has two more strategies that other successful corporations do not possess. One is the University of People, and the other one is its CEO Kelleher (BusinessWeek 2005). University of People is a program established by Southwest for training new emplo yees. The trainees treat rookies just like the way they treat customers with great respect. Southwest firmly believes that the way it treats its employees will be an indicator of standards and positive motivation for employees to treat customers in same manners in the way which they are treated, or even better. As the CEO of Southwest, Kelleher is a successful executive with great responsibilities. He is also looked upon as a person with great sense of humor. An employee described that â€Å"wherever Mr. Kelleher goes, you will always hear sounds of laughs and feel an atmosphere of harmony (Gavinderajan 2002).† The successful corporation structure and philosophy of centralized and decentralized differentiation of the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy brings a change, as well as a revolution of corporate structure innovations from old styles to the new ones. The â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy is very successful currently. Southwest is successful not only because of the â€Å"Short-Hauls† strategy. Southwests corporate strategy in areas of human resources, financial control, employee motivation and promotion, frequent communications between different levels, and the hardness for other airlines to duplicate are also factors which go with the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy, differentiating Southwest from the rest of airlines, and therefore ensuring the success of such great achievement. However, huge problems are likely to take place in the long run. Just like Darwins Theory â€Å"survival of the fittest† indicates that every element is on its way of evolving, being unchanged will eventually be discarded by time and success in the long run. It is true that Kellehers â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy is extremely successful at present, but it will never guarantee that depending solely on this strategy will still be succes sful in the future. Looking into the history of the human kind, and look at ourselves now, how is it different from the past and the present? If all human beings have not evolved, if the science in every field has not changed, will we still have the same outlooks as what we are having now? I dont think so. Without the evolving of human kind and the improvements in scientific field, we will be no different compared with the primary humans in the early stages. Dont even mention about watching television, taking shower, surfing on the internet, flying in the airplane, or even having delicious meals. Without changes and improvements, we will still be in the primary forests where once we belonged, eating raw meat like barbarians and sharing room with animals. There is no government, business entity or element which is able to stay unchanged forever. During the medieval period, the Roman Empire was the most powerful nation in the entire world. But it collapsed. The British once said that â€Å"the sun will never set on Great Britain†! It also collapsed. China invented three of the four ancient miracles, the method of printing, compass and gunpowder more than 3,000 years ago. It was also the center of power and civilization during the Tang Dynasty which lasted for more than 800 years. China also paved the way for the first international business that never had happened between the east and the west. When Marco Polo traveled to China during the peak of its prosperity, he was shocked and thrilled to see that difference between the east and the west. When the European were sharing rooms with animals, China already had palaces made out of gold, even the miracle of Great Wall which is the only manmade mark that can be seen from space. The dynasty also collapsed. From all the examples that I mentioned above, you can clearly see t hat every nation has its ups and downs. Forever power never exists. This is exactly the same as business. I will be astonished if you can tell me a business entity which has lasted for 500 years. Many people believe that Wal-Mart is unstoppable, and unfortunately, they are absolutely wrong. Decades ago, Sears was the â€Å"Wal-Mart† at that time. Look at Sears now, how different it is between the past and present. Who can guarantee decades later, there will be no corporations replacing Wal-Mart? If Kelleher has the same concerns as I do, it is possible that he will be worried about Southwest in the future. What if the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy stopped working? What if an underdog suddenly comes out, making Southwest stand on the border of failure? The situation for Southwest in the future is not as optimistic as it seems. However, it does not mean that Southwest is meant to be a failure. All roads lead to Rome, and whenever there is a will, there is a way. Kelleher can still use the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy to succeed. But the strategy must be converted from a micro-perspective to a macro-perspective. In order for a company to be successful in the long run, it must expand. Kelleher said that Southwest has not made any decision to expand at present. But it does not mean that Southwest will never expand. As a business entity, corporations must expand globally to obtain more profits. Look at Wal-Mart, how many stores does it own worldwide? Need I say more? This also reminds me of an old saying which has it that â€Å"the largest fish in the river is never a big fish in the ocean†. If Southwest is satisfied just because of current profits and competitive advantages it has in the short run, it will not be Southwest anymore. I think that Southwest is on its way of planning its expansions, but with a very careful and conscientious attitude. It wants to make sure that the new strategy will work when the decision of expanding is made. There might be countless strategies for Kelleher to come up with. I know one strategy which I consider the best strategy because using this new strategy, Southwest can be very successful in the long run. It can also save time and resources. So what is this so-called strategy? I consider it the most successful not because of my arbitrary standing point of â€Å"pride and prejudice.† Rather, I recognized its importance and advantages because I have done a lot of research to make sure that this approach makes sense. The strategy I am using now is one strategy from the masterpiece called â€Å"The Art of War†, written by the greatest military strategist ever in history more than 3,000 years ago. The authors name is Sun Zi. What is so great and amazing about this book is that it has listed all the strategies which can be applied and used in all scientific fields, such as military, business, geometry and all other natural sciences. Japan is renowned for its management which almost cracked down the American automobile industry, and every top manager in Japan always makes sure they the book ‘The Art of War† lays on his desk. India is renowned for its financial system which also takes some strategies fr om â€Å"The Art of War†. United States Department of Defense and its military also adopted the strategies from the masterpiece of â€Å"The Art of War†, and manipulate them from a military science standing point (The Spread and popularity of the Art of War). In order to implement these strategies appropriately, one requirement must be met. The prerequisite is that the user must have a good understanding of military science built on the views that can be related and flexibly applied and manipulated from a perspective which solves problems based on methods of essence indirectly related from all other sciences. Knowledge is similar to a big family in that every element from every field mutually supports each other. For instance, when in process of establishing a military strategy, the person responsible for it must have good understandings of sciences such as geology, meteorology, physics, chemistry and even languages as well. In order for the strategy to operate well to the fullest extent of its capacity, the central strategist must have a good command of what geological area is the enemy in; what weapons has the enemy obtained; is it possible to use the scientific competitive advantage from a military perspective; what will the weather be like when the battle takes place; what mathematical calculation is needed for the army to defeat the enemy in a timely, resource-saving and casualty-reducing standpoint; after invading the area, what language and culture pattern that the enemy uses and has, etc. For geography, it is crucial for the strategist to decide which altitudes in the region would likely to be an advantage when fighting the battle. For weapons, the strategist must know whether the wea pons invented through the methods and formulas of physics and chemistry is a helping factor, and the basic laws and functions of the scientific principles in which the weapons are made based on knowledge of physics and chemistry. For meteorology, the strategist must have a good command of whats the weather would be like when the battle takes places because fighting on a sunny day and rainy day will have different results which could be the factors leading to either the victory or failure of the battle. For mathematics, the strategist must be pretty clear that why way is actually the nearest way offering competitive advantage for his troops. For linguistics, people who speak the enemys language and understand their cultural patterns will be a good indicator to lead the way. Ignorance of these necessary elements that eventually leads to failures is countless. In the Korean War, both sides have tried everything to keep control of the highest geographic positions; the first Russian space shuttle to the moon would provide Russia with a competitive technological advantage on weapons based on the same laws of sciences that were applied to the shuttle; the shuttle never comes back because the Russian scientists ignor ed one hundredth of a decimal point, and it resulted in deaths of all its excellent astronauts; the lost of the space shuttle which the government had supported financially, the time Russian scientists had devoted themselves to, and suspicions of scientific laws; all the hard work, the money and resources was wasted, and the laws of science were meant to be retested; the American troops in Iraq resulted in more casualties as expected because the strategist ignored the power of language, and hiring locals who hate Americans as translators who intentionally led Americans to opposite and wrong directions which resulted in lost of many lives which can possibly be saved if language and cultural pattern were considered. Finally, the reason that George Bush still could not find Bin Laden is because that he has no idea of the Iraqi landforms. If he knew that well, Bin Laden should already be caught and Saddam Hussein will not be the scapegoat. The strategy that Southwest Airlines should use in order to continue its success is also based on the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy. The difference is that the strategy must be inter-converted. Southwest can try its best to duplicate its â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy globally. For instance, it can do exactly the same business with the same strategy once again. But this time, Southwest has to do it in every part of the world. For instance, Southwest can expand its business in France, Germany, Australia, Russia, China, Japan, Poland, Greece, etc. All Southwest has to do is doing â€Å"Short-Haul† business in all the countries. Once the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy has spread to almost all the nations with economic prosperity, Southwest can start its â€Å"Long-Haul† strategy. Its global network will be linked like the solid structure of an atom, from Russia to Germany, Germany to France, France to Australia, Australia to China, and China to Switzerland, etc. By doing this, Southwest will have an extremely solid structure of global airline network that is likely to be very durable. The structure is similar to that of an atom. The structure of an atom can be described as one of the most solid structure among all other solid elements. This strategy adopted from â€Å"The Art of War† is based on the theory of strategic transformation, especially from a micro-perspective to a macro-perspective (Chapter IV, Art of War). By duplicating its successful strategy of â€Å"Short-Haul†, Southwest will have the capabilities of accumulating more strengths little by little. When Southwest considers it the right time to transform the â€Å"Short-Hauls† strategy to â€Å"Long-Hauls†, it can connect its business in every corner of the world. Each business in a certain place can be regard as a dot; there will an enormous amount of dots that Southwest has worked on. Therefore, connections of all the dots will change the network s imilar to that of an atom. Atom is said to have the toughest element structure on earth. One atom does not mean anything; two atoms only make a molecule. But through countless chemical reactions of nuclear fissions, millions and billions of atoms will have the energy as powerful as that of the atomic bomb. This strategy is also flexible. When Southwest considers itself too hard to manage all its subdivisions, it can back up its structures to original format, transforming from a macro-perspective to a micro-perspective. It can also change some parts to macro and other parts to micro. Whenever it is needed, Southwest is capable of interchanging its structure into different forms that best fits can be calculated according to different situations. The huge advantage of this strategic has three crucial characteristics: First, all Southwest has to do to force other airlines out of business just by doing a slight shift. Once the headquarter take the move, every connections of the network over the world can either do the same as a whole or a slightly different according to its own situation. The reason that Southwest is able to do this is because it possesses both a centralized and decentralized structure which can choose the best outfits. Second, once the network is complete, it will be very durable. It can last for a very last period until the strategies made by other airlines are superior. As I mentioned above, every element is on the way of changing so that there is no forever monopoly. But when Southwest has the ability to applied the â€Å"Long-Hauls† strategy, it will already have obtained the role as the leader in the industry. It will then be extremely difficult for other airlines to innovate new ideas expecting to replace the Southwest because under that situation, Southwest have the power to make sure that other airlines do not have chances. I dont mean that there is no possibility another innovation of internal structure of corporations. But the probability is not likely because at that time, Southwest will have the possibility with a confidence interval of at least 90%. Finally, I will be thrilled and stunned if other corporations are able to come up with better strategies under such a suppressed atmosphere. In order for other airlines to jump out from the â€Å"vicious cycle†, they must have the ability to obtain two important factors, which are financial resources and time. The network at least will take Southwest ten years to complete with financing of trillions of dollars. It is not likely for other airlines to come up with trillions of dollars at once, and even Wal-Mart does not know if it possesses the ability. Moreover, there is another requirement of more importance. That i s the time. The most valuable thing in the entire world is time. There is no opportunity cost for time because time is always moving on and it is eternal. It can never stop. As a result, do those airlines have time to do it? How long do they need in order to come up with a better strategy, replacing that of the Southwests? Therefore, the possibility is extremely slight. Southwest has this advantage. It is only a matter of time! Its about how long Southwest can last! Bibliographies â€Å"Americas Most Admired Companies 2006†, Wall Street Journal, available @ http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/snapshots/1253.html Dauble, Jennifer, â€Å"Top Fifty Companies to Watch, October 31, 2005†. Wall Street Journal, available @ http://www.dowjones.com/Pressroom/PressReleases/Other/US/2005.html._ Marcial, Gene, â€Å"Southwest Airlines Wings North†, November 7, 2005. BusinessWeek, available @ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958118.htm Lynch, Pat â€Å"Southwest Airlines†, Online Blogs From Google, April 5, 2005. Available @ http://finance.google.com/finance?q=luvhl=en â€Å"Southwest Fact Sheet†, March 28, 2006. Southwest Airlines Corporation, available @ http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/factsheet.html Bunz Ulla, â€Å"Learning Excellence, Southwest Airlines approach†, Volume 8, 1998. Available @ http://bunz.comm.fsu.edu/southwest.pdf Peter, TJ. And Waterman, R.H. (1982), In Search of Excellence: Lessons from Americas Best Run Companies, Harper Row, New York, NY. McNerney, D.J. (1996), â€Å"Employee motivation: creating a motivated workforce†, HR Focus, Vol.73 No.8, pp.1, 4-6. Gavinderajan Vijay, â€Å"Southwest Airline Corporation†, 2002, no. 20012. Trip Tracy, March 2006. â€Å"Best Practices Case Study: Best Perks, Southwest Airlines†, available @ http://vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3ch_id=402article_id=19258

Reversal of Paralysis :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Reversal of Paralysis This semester we learned about the paralysis of Christopher Reeves. In thinking about his condition, I began to wonder where researchers stood in their attempt to cure paralysis. Paralysis was often considered to be completely irreversible. However, I found that the last ten years have brought huge advances in our understanding of the nervous system and spinal cord injury. Even though paralysis due to spinal cord injury is still, for the most part, permanent, several drugs and techniques show promise in reversing the effects of paralysis. In order to understand the difficulties of curing paralysis, we must first understand the nature of spinal cord injury. When the spinal cord is injured due to trauma, there is localized death of the nerve cells. (1) The initial injury is only the beginning of the cell death. In the hours, days, and weeks following the injury, nerve cells continue to die above and below the original wound. When the area begins to heal, scar tissue, fluid-filled cysts, and cavities occupy an area where the tissue was once healthy. (4) Many of the nerve fibers at the injured area actually separate into two pieces. The part of the fiber that is torn from the soma dies within 48-72 hours. This part does not regenerate, and cell/cell communication is lost below this point. Some cells, on the other hand, remain intact, but lose their myelin. Myelin is a fatty substance that is necessary to conduct electrical signals along the axon. "[It] increases the speed of transmission of signals from one nerve cell to the next, and without myelin the signal may deteriorate so much that it does not reach its target at all." (2) It is entirely possible that the nerve cells and their axons may survive the trauma, but paralysis still occurs because of the destruction of the myelin sheath. In order to reverse the effects of the spinal cord injury, the patient must receive treatment depending on which damage category their injury falls into. Methylprednisolone is the first drug which was proven to control spinal cord damage in humans. It is unclear exactly how methylprednisolone works, but it is thought to reduce inflammation, the release of glutamate, and the accumulation of free radicals. Immediately after trauma to the spinal cord, tiny hemorrhages appear due to blood vessel damage. The resultant swelling inhibits the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the nerve cells, causing them to die.

Sex and Desire Essay -- Literary Analysis

Sex and desire. Few words evoke such complexity of meaning. For some, it is a sexual act. Whereas one might describe it as the sensual pleasure of two bodies fused into one being, another may define it as the fulfillment of animalistic desire, an unleashing of the beast, if you will. But, beyond an act charged with various meaning, it can also serve as an identity–heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or transsexual. Whether act or identity, societal dictates define the norm and the deviant. Because of this, the artist who departs from the "acceptable" and embraces the "aberrant," arouses the consciousness of self and society. In doing so, sex and desire become a vehicle, a means of communication between artist and audience, and an object that demands our attention. Whether it is the subtle and sensual language of Anaà ¯s Nin in The Diary of Anaà ¯s Nin (1966), the coarse and explicit vocabulary of Henry Miller in Tropic of Cancer (1934), or the poetic and surrealistic prose o f Djuna Barnes in Nightwood (1934), sex and desire, as a vehicle in the literature of these authors, exposes the chaos and confusion within their world and suggests the establishment of a new order for self and society. Written between 1931 and 1934, The Diary of Anaà ¯s Nin chronicles one artist’s psychological journey. Deserted by her father as a young girl, Anaà ¯s experiences an â€Å"initial shock† that leaves her â€Å"like a shattered mirror† (103). The shards of glass, each developing a life of their own, come to be the â€Å"several selves† of Anaà ¯s (103). Through the pages of The Diary, reflecting upon and dissecting these various selves, she concludes, â€Å"one does not need to remain in bondage to the first wax imprint made on childhood sensibilities. One need not be brande... ...thly father, a man she worshipped from her youth. This is further supported by a reference to the child as a â€Å"fragment of the past† (341). Finally, while giving birth she remarks, â€Å"These legs I opened to joy, this honey that flowed out in the joy–now these legs are twisted in pain and the honey flows with the blood† (344, emphasis added). All things considered, it seems reasonable to conclude the child was a result of incestuous union. Nevertheless, from the chaos and confusion, emerges the â€Å"birth† of the â€Å"real† Anaà ¯s and while she â€Å"may not become a saint† she is â€Å"very full and very rich† (360). Works Cited Barnes, Djuna. Nightwood. New York: New Directions Books, 2006. Print. Miller, Henry. Tropic of Cancer. New York: Grove Press, 1961. Print. Nin, Anaà ¯s. The Diary of Anaà ¯s Nin: Volume One 1931-1934. San Diego: Swallow Press and Harcourt, 1966. Print.

Self Evaluation for Decision Making

From: Kayayetta Dukes To: Lana Lincoln Subject: Self Evaluation January 17th 2012 Dear Mrs. Lincoln, Here is my yearly self-evaluation report about the managerial decisions I have made regarding the restaurant’s employee retention issues we face. As we have previously discussed at meetings our employee retention ratio to turnover is fairly poor for a restaurant. I think many establishments face this challenge of retaining good employees and there are several reasons that are to blame for the high ratio. I feel if we didn’t implement these criteria it would snowball and grow into bigger problems so it seemed a no brainer to waste no time in starting this makeover. I’ve come up with a game plan to drastically reduce our turnover rate so we can focus on other issues that warrant our attention in the process of making the restaurant number 1 in all aspects possible. Our major issue at the restaurant is that our employee retention rate is around 15% which leaves our turnover rate at an out of control 85%. With most of our employees being constantly replaced its hard for our staff to have a sense of cohesion, team pride, and stability. My criteria with this challenge was to create a sense of loyalty with the staff, make them feel like they are a part of a big family; show them that this job can be a long-term career and that we want to promote from within. Weighing these criteria helps me figure which are most important in reaching our overall goal of reducing our turnover rate. The numeric value of 5 will count as most vital in accomplishing our goal and 1 will represent the criteria that can be put on the back burner until the 5’s are implemented and in force. Communicate managements’ goal to promote from within 5 * Reward full-time and part-time employees for length of service 1 * Team-building exercises once a month 1 * Create an employee suggestion box 5 * Revamp scheduling to create more convenience 5 Although I feel strongly about my above solutions I’ve created a few alternatives that could possibly work just as well. My first alternative idea would be to mandate training classes for al l employees. This plan would include training on customer service skills, teamwork strategies, and personal growth. Another alternative would be to mandate employee events to reward good service and promote togetherness. My final solution would be to crack down on the team with serious consequences for being late, missing shifts, or receiving customer complaints. This method would consist of writing repeat offenders up and firing them after so many to show we want to employ and keep worthy employees and we will not tolerate less. To rate these alternatives I used a score of 10 for the best and a 5 for the ones that I have reservations about. * Mandated training classes for all employees. 10 Mandated after work employee events to promote team cohesion. 5 * Rid the restaurant of employees who aren’t doing a good job. 5 I carefully considered these alternatives before making the optimal decision of sticking with the original plan plus including the first alternative to have a fail proof way of getting a serious hold on our retention rate. I did encounter problems completing the challenge thoug h. This included resistance from employees who were reluctant with accepting change. Also we had issues with scheduling for additional trainings and after work events to work on team cohesion. I overcame these hurdles by making the trainings available more days to accomidate more employees without conflict, we created the suggestion box and also are now taking a majority vote for the monthly reward meeting in which we will have an open forum about issues that have risen in the previous month as well as to cover progress and future expectations. In conclusion, this project has been widely successful in just these few short months. Our team is working more cohesively and taking teamwork to a whole other level. The suggestion box has been filling up and we have been addressing concerns of our employees which have made them feel their opinion is not only important but wanted. This in return is creating more loyal enthusiastic and eager workers whom are giving great customer service to our guests. I hope you are as satisfied as I am in the team and see the overall difference and growth. Sincerely Floor Manager Kay Dukes Reference: Bazerman, M. H. , & Moore, D. A. (2010). Judgment in Managerial decision making (6th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Christianity and Poverty Essay

Christian Aid was founded in 1945. In 1945 the members of the British and Irish churches were very shocked to see how hard life was for European refugees who had lost everything in the Second World War. In response to this, they new that something had to done about it. By making this decision, they managed to raise one million pounds to help these people. This group became known as Christian Aid. Everywhere in the world there are people whose lifes are hardly worth living, people who are in a desperate struggle for the basic needs of life. This is why Christian Aid was founded, to help try and give people a better state of living. Christian Aid helps out in emergencies around the world whenever it can, when people are plunged into terrible situations, as families were in Afghanistan during the war in 2001. Christian Aid usually sends money to local organisations who can then buy food or provide shelter for other communities. Also Christian Aid works on issues from healthcare to human rights, from support to landless peasants in Brazil to ending child labour in India. A project which I think is important is the BBC project. This is a very important project because it enables young people like Bumeh to piece together their lives and start having fun again. Every year, the Burmese Border Consortium brings food and basic education to around 120,000 refugees in 14 different camps along the border and campaigns on their behalf. I find this project very important because it helps a lot of people have a better way of living. This also is a big help for the future generation because more people are being educated and in this way, more people will continue to be educated. Christian Aid does this work in order for Christians who want to put their faith and beliefs into action to do so. Christian Aid is the main relief and development agency in the UK and Ireland. Although it was inspired by the gospel, it is not the case that it is solely for Christians. Christian Aid works with partners and supporters of many different faiths. The most important thing is that Aid is distributed on the basis of need, and regardless of religion, race, faith, creed or nationality. Some of these quotes explain why Christian Aid came into being in the first place, James 2:14-26 â€Å"Christians believe that faith and beliefs should be demonstrated in practical ways to help people in need.† and John 3:23 â€Å"Christians believe that God loves everyone in the world and that they should show this love too. They believe that Jesus is the role model for living your faith.† In all, I think that Christian Aid is a very sucessful organisation which benefits a lot of people all over the world. Christian Aid gives many people the opportunity to live life in a much better way of living. It gives people a chance, who would otherwise have never got the chance to improve their life. Also it allows people like us to help raise money for Christian Aid and lets us feel good about ourselves because we have done something for a very good cause. Therefore, I think Christian Aid is for a very good cause because they believe that we all have the power to make changes and they help to make many peoples lives much happier. After all what may seem to us as not a lot of money, can come out with life changing results for some people in the world. http://www.freebietown.co.uk/ukfreebiessamples.html http://62.169.139.99/eucerin/index.asp# eucerin http://www.freebiesiteuk.co.uk/health.htm