TEXT ANALYZE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TEXT ANALYZE - Essay Example se of the logical argument they present, against Bastedo and Vedder’s argument that presents an ethical argument (ethos) on the weaknesses of the rating system. Thesis statement: The government should grade rate colleges because its bases are not clear. Bastedo’s argument is most effective among the four authors because it touches on quality of education against the rating policy. Joseph B. Moore advances his credibility by thrusting an ethically correct argument. According to Moore, higher learning institutes have different rates of graduation and graduation success. After pointing this fact out, Moore fails to question this difference. This question is crucial for an administration attempting to rate colleges and universities and connected them to federal aid (Moore 2014). Richard Vedder says the Obama administration does not deserve the people’s attention since graduation and performance outcomes of higher learning institutes are problems caused by Obamacare. However, this is an unethical approach to the problem since Vedder implies state governments should determine rating systems of colleges and universities. Vedder does not consider the fact that state authorities have no experience in handling rating systems for the education sector (Vedder 2014). Michael Bastedo argues for the exchange of student assessment for government assessment. One finds that the ethics of this approach are not new. The government tried this approach nearly a decade ago and the quality of education dropped. Afterwards, the government institutionalizes this deteriorated nature of education slowly because of the implementation of Bastedo’s argument (Bastedo 2014). Lastly, Jose L. Cruz points out the heterogeneous nature of higher learning and skills grasped by alumni in a given discipline. There is poor understanding by accrediting powers that led to higher learning institutes releasing immense numbers of students unqualified for high-grossing jobs (Cruz 2014). Cruz uses the

Covent Garden Essay Example for Free

Covent Garden Essay In this quadrangle the Abbey or Convent of St. Peter, Westminster, maintained a large kitchen garden throughout the Middle Ages to provide its daily food. Over the next three centuries, the monks old convent garden became a major source of fruit and vegetables in London and was managed by a succession of leaseholders by grant from the Abbot of Westminster. This type of lease eventually led to property disputes throughout the kingdom, which King Henry VIII solved in 1540 by the stroke of a pen when he dissolved the monasteries and appropriated their land. King Henry VIII granted part of the land to John Russell, Baron Russell, Lord High Admiral, and later Earl of Bedford. In fulfilment of his fathers dying wish, King Edward VI bestowed the remainder of the convent garden in 1547 to his maternal uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset who began building Somerset House on the south side of The Strand the next year. When Seymour was beheaded for treason in 1552, the land once again came into royal gift, and was awarded four months later to one of those who had contributed to Seymours downfall. Forty acres (160,000 m? ), known as le Covent Garden plus the long acre, were granted by royal patent in perpetuity to the Earl of Bedford. [edit] 1600s to 1800s The modern-day Covent Garden has its roots in the early seventeenth century when land (the Convents Garden) was redeveloped by Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford. The area was designed by Inigo Jones, the first and greatest of English Renaissance architects. He was inspired by late 15th Century and early 16th century planned market towns known as bastides (themselves modelled on Roman colonial towns by way of nearby monasteries, of which Convent Garden was one). The area rapidly became a base for market traders, and following the Great Fire of London of 1666 which destroyed rival markets towards the east of the city, the market became the most important in the country. Exotic items from around the world were carried on boats up the River Thames and sold on from Covent Garden. The first mention of a Punch and Judy show in Britain was recorded by diarist Samuel Pepys, who saw such a show in the square in May 1662. Today Covent Garden is the only part of London licensed for street entertainment. In 1830 a grand building reminiscent of the Roman baths such as those found in Bath was built to provide a more permanent trading centre. [edit] Modern day period By the end of the 1960s, traffic congestion in the surrounding area had reached such a level that the use of the square as a market, which required increasingly large lorries for deliveries and distribution, was becoming unsustainable. The whole area was threatened with complete redevelopment. Following a public outcry, in 1973 the Home Secretary, Robert Carr, gave dozens of buildings around the square listed building status, preventing redevelopment. The following year the market finally moved to a new site (called the New Covent Garden Market) about three miles south-west at Nine Elms. The square languished until its central building re-opened as a shopping centre and tourist attraction in 1980. Today the shops largely sell novelty items. More serious shoppers gravitate to Long Acre, which has a range of clothes shops and boutiques, and Neal Street, noted for its large number of shoe shops. Londons Transport Museum and the rear entrance to the Royal Opera House are also located on the Piazza. The marketplace and Royal Opera House were memorably brought together in the opening of George Bernard Shaws play, Pygmalion, where Professor Higgins is waiting for a cab to take him home from the opera when he comes across Eliza Doolittle selling flowers in the market. In the mid 1950s, before he directed such films as If and O Lucky Man, Lindsay Anderson directed a short film about the daily activities of the Covent Garden market called Every Day Except Christmas. It shows 12 hours in the life of the market and market people, now long gone from the area, but it also reflects three centuries of tradition in the operation of the daily fruit and vegetable market. Alfred Hitchcocks 1972 film, Frenzy, likewise takes place amongst the pubs and fruit markets of Covent Garden. The serial sex killer in Frenzy is a local fruit vendor, and the film features several blackly comic moments suggesting a metaphorical correlation between the consumption of food and the act of rape-murder. Hitchcock was the son of a Covent Garden merchant and grew up in the area; and so, the film was partly conceived (and marketed) as a semi-nostalgic return to the neighbourhood of the directors childhood. Supermodel Naomi Campbell was also discovered by a model scout at the age of 15 whilst walking through the streets of Covent Garden.

Kite Runner :: Literary Analysis, Khaled Hosseini

Silence is like pushing the off button on life (Hosseini 361). In the novel Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Amir is an exceptional model as to how ignoring life can later cause a unlike conclusion. The event of his friend, and later revealed half brother, being raped affected his life towards the end of the story. Throughout the novel, numerous differences come up like customs, everyday objects, and punishments that are not the same as the United States. This book gives a verbal view point as to how the two diverse locations (the United States and Afghanistan) are not even close to being similar at any point in their resident’s lives. Kite Runner gives the privileged citizens of the United States situations that some might not even consider acceptable living environments and conditions. Customs serve as a significant stand out as to why Afghanistan and America are not on the same page in many instances. For example, Afghanistan permits men the right to more than one wife because Baba’s second cousin, Homayoun, family consisted of two wives (82). America’s men are only supposed to be married to one women or else it is considered polygamy. If any American man was married to more than one woman at the time then it would be unacceptable and the punishment would most likely be jail. In the story Amir describes the traditional family dinner he has that consists of eating on the floor while sharing the meal on a common platter in groups (85).However, most Americans eat dinner with their family at a dinning room table and have their own individual plates of food. A life changing moment for Amir was when he asked his father to ask General Taheri for his daughter’s hand in marriage (161). Usually in America the fathers do not have to agree upon the marriage for it to even take place. In other words, Amir would have asked General Taheri himself or he would not have cared about the fathers opinion and just went straight to popping the question to Soraya, General Taheri’s daughter. Customs are what make everyone distinct from each other but it can also cause a discrepancy if they are to unrelated and insulting to one another. The fact that the two places think unconstructively of each other is made apparent in various snippets of the novel.

Native Americans vs. European Colonists Essay -- religious beliefs, e

The European colonists and the Native Americans of North America had very different views on nearly everything they encountered in their lives. Living in vastly different cultures lead both groups to have two extremely different outlooks on four main topics; religious beliefs, the environment, social relations, and slavery, differences which the colonists used to their advantage when conquering the peoples of the New World. The colonists, by saying that the Native Americans were primitive and savage because of their differing and seemingly illogical attitudes, were able to do things that they could never have done to people they believed to be equals. Whether this was a conscious or subconscious method on the part of the Europeans remains hotly debated, but the fact remains that by pointing out the differences of the two main cultures as a negative denoting European superiority, the colonists were able to take the Native American lands and goods without much remorse. When this country began, there were few European colonists with the modern perspective of tolerance towards different cultures. Hardly anyone sought to learn about the Indian culture, very few adopted it as their own, and the majorities were often fearful and anxious toward their new neighbors. These four main differences in religious beliefs, the environment, social relations, and slavery, were what sparked the ill treatment towards the Native Americans, an atrocious treatment that would continue for the next three hundred years in America. Religious beliefs were very important to the first European Colonists who came to America. In Europe during the 1600’s, religion was something that decided a lot of things in a person’s life; what part o... ...iogrosso "The Joy of Sects" and Books on Spirituality and World Religion, Religion Discussion Weblog, Editorial Consultation, Spiritual Direction. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. . Popick, Jacqui. "Native American Women, Past, Present and Future." Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal 1.1 (2006). Web. 3 Mar. 2011. . Pritzker, Barry. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print. Roe, Melissa A. "Indentured Servants." EH.Net | Economic History Services. Lafayette College. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. . Taylor, Alan. American Colonies: The Settling of North America. London: Penguin, 2002. Print. Wiesner, Merry E. An Age of Voyages, 1350-1600. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.

Transhuman Megalomania

Transmute Megalomania Transmutation Deflation: The belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond Its current physical and mental Limitations, especially by means of science and technology. Megalomania Definition: A psychopathology condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence; an obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions. Causes the afflicted to believe that they have great or unlimited power or importance. Definition: Not a new mental illness. Refers to victims of megalomania whose edified abilities Justify the subject's sense of Importance.Due to the ubiquitous nature of moods, cybernetic, nanotechnology, bioengineering, picnic, or transubstantiation, It Is Inevitable that certain megalomaniacs are also high-powered madders. Ascertaining whether the Illness Induced the subject's extensive modification or if nodding cements the illness has generally been dismissed as a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum. There is little to be don e for treatment of hyper- megalomaniacs, other than necessary acts of subdued and detainment. Treatment an begin after the subject is forcibly deprived of moods and demoted to a baseline megalomania status.Definition: The belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology. Wealth, power, or omnipotence: an obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or modified abilities Justify the subject's sense of importance. Due to the ubiquitous nature of moods, cybernetic, nanotechnology, bioengineering, picnic, or modification or If nodding cements the Illness has generally been dismissed as a reinvestigation, it is inevitable that certain megalomaniacs are also high-powered madders.Ascertaining whether the illness induced the subject's extensive Natural Computing Natural Computing is an interdisciplinary field of research that investigates human- designed computing inspired by nature as well as computation taking place in nature, I. E. , it investigates models, computational techniques, and computational technologies inspired by nature as well as it investigates phenomena/processes taking place in nature in terms of information processing. One of the research areas room the second strand of research is the computational nature of biochemical reactions.It is hoped that this line of research may contribute to a computational understanding of the functioning of the living cell, which is based on interactions between (a huge number of) individual reactions. These reactions are regulated, and the main regulation mechanisms are facilitation/acceleration and inhibition/ retardation. The interactions between individual reactions take place through their influence on each other, and this influence happens through these two mechanisms.

US Draft essays

US Draft essays The Vietnam War was the subject matter of many debates during the 1960's and the 1970's. War advocates and anti-war activists voiced their opinions all throughout the nation about our countrys involvement in Vietnam. People from all walks of life, from politicians to hippies, spoke out about the war. It was made clear throughout the country that everyone had their own view on the war. From New York to Los Angeles, demonstrations and rallies of either supporting or protesting against Americas involvement in the Vietnam War were held everywhere. One of the main issues of debate was the federal draft. Young Americans across the country were being forced to leave behind their future to fight in Vietnam. Anti-war activists felt that American involvement in Vietnam was inadequate in helping to end the war and that the United States was involved for the wrong reasons. Others considered it as a patriotic duty to serve. Regardless of ones attitude towards the war, many others agreed; therefore, those who strongly followed their beliefs were the ones to speak out and educate others about their perspectives. Among the most outspoken were these Americans: 1. Tim OBrien, a U.S. veteran who served in Vietnam 2. Spiro T. Agnew, the vice president to Richard Nixon 3. John F. Kerry, also a Vietnam veteran and the former lieutenant governor These men have attitudes toward the subject of the draft conscription and the ethics of complying or evading the draft. An analysis of their opinions will help Americans form their positions in the ongoing debate of conscription and the draft. Although each activist supported a different position on the subject, good arguments were made from each side. Tim OBrien was a Vietnam veteran and author who wrote about his experiences and tribulations during the war. In his book, On the Rainy Ri...

Photosynthesis Vocabulary Terms and Definitions

Photosynthesis Vocabulary Terms and Definitions Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and certain other organisms make glucose from carbon dioxide and water. In order to understand and remember how photosynthesis works, it helps to know the terminology.  Use this list of photosynthesis terms and definitions for review or to make flashcards to help you learn important photosynthesis concepts. ADP - ADP stands for adenosine diphosphate, a product of the Calvin cycle that is used in the light-dependent reactions. ATP  - ATP stands for adenosine triphosphate. ATP is a major energy molecule in cells. ATP and  NADPH are products of the light-dependent reactions in plants. ATP is used  in reduction and regeneration of RuBP. autotrophs - Autotrophs are photosynthetic organisms which  convert light energy into  the chemical energy they need to develop, grow, and reproduce. Calvin cycle - The Calvin cycle is the name given to the set of chemical reactions  of photosynthesis that does not necessarily  require light. The Calvin cycle takes place  in the  stroma of the chloroplast. It involves the fixing of carbon dioxide into  glucose using NADPH and ATP. carbon dioxide (CO2) - Carbon dioxide is a gas naturally found in the atmosphere that is  a reactant for the Calvin Cycle. carbon fixation -  ATP and NADPH are  used to fix CO2 into carbohydrates. Carbon fixation takes place in the chloroplast stroma.   chemical equation of photosynthesis -  6 CO2 6 H2O → C6H12O6 6 O2 chlorophyll - Chlorophyll is the primary pigment used in photosynthesis. Plants contain two main forms of chlorophyll:  a b. Chlorophyll has a  hydrocarbon tail that anchors it to an  integral protein in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast. Chlorophyll is the source of the green color of plants and certain other autotrophs. chloroplast - A chloroplast is the organelle in a plant cell where photosynthesis occurs. G3P -  G3P stands for glucose-3-phosphate. G3P is an isomer of PGA formed during the Calvin cycle glucose (C6H12O6) - Glucose is the sugar that is the product of photosynthesis. Glucose is formed from  2 PGALs. granum - A granum is a stack of thylakoids (plural: grana) light - Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation; the shorter the wavelength the  greater amount of energy. Light supplies the energy for the light reactions of photosynthesis. light harvesting complexes (photosystems complexes) -   A photosystem (PS) complex is a multi-protein unit in the thylakoid membrane that absorbed light to serve as energy for reactions light reactions (light dependent reactions)  - The light dependent reactions are chemical reactions requiring electromagnetic energy (light) that  occur in the thylakoid membrane of the  chloroplast to convert light  energy into chemical forms  ATP and NAPDH. lumen - The lumen is the region within the thylakoid membrane where water is split to obtain oxygen. The oxygen diffuses out of the cell, while the protons remain inside to build positive electrical charge inside the thylakoid.   mesophyll cell - A mesophyll cell is a type of plant  cell located between the upper and lower epidermis that is the  site for photosynthesis NADPH - NADPH is a high-energy electron carrier  used in reduction oxidation -  Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons oxygen (O2) - Oxygen is a gas that is a  product of the light-dependent reactions palisade mesophyll - The palisade meophyill is the area of the mesophyll cell without many air spaces PGAL -  PGAL is an isomer of PGA formed during the Calvin cycle. photosynthesis  - Photosynthesis is the process by which organisms convert light energy into chemical energy (glucose). photosystem - A photosystem (PS) is a cluster of chlorophyll and other molecules in a thylakoid that  harvest the energy of light for  photosynthesis pigment - A pigment is a colored molecule. A pigment  absorbs specific wavelengths of light.  Chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light and reflects green  light, so it appears green. reduction - Reduction refers to the gain of electrons. It often occurs in conjunction with oxidation. rubisco - Rubisco is an enzyme that bonds carbon dioxide with RuBP thylakoid - The thylakoid is a disc-shaped portion of chloroplast, found in stacks called grana.

The Hazards of Science essays

The Hazards of Science essays Have you ever heard of the term hubris? Hubris defines the actions people partake in that are reserved only for Gods. This means that at times people play the roles of Gods. Is this acceptable? It depends on the situation as to whether or not hubris is acceptable. There are distinct times when hubris is both allowable and unacceptable. When people make the comment, I am God, do they really mean it? Of course not. They are merely stating that they feel their status in life at that time is above those of their piers. It is a feeling of joy people get when they win a game or race. It is a truly safe feeling of hierarchy. This doesnt mean that God has been reincarnated as that person. This is a safe and often reassuring feeling. Another safe example of hubris is often shown in parenting. Parents often scold their children and sometimes reiterate that they are God. Again, this doesnt mean that God has been reincarnated as that person. It is merely a teaching method that establishes a chain of command. The parent is ensuring that the child knows who is in charge. This teaching method can be safe and affective if not blown out of proportion. An issue that many feel is skeptical is the United States role in World affairs. The United States often times looks as if it is guilty of hubris. The United States wants to know that it has some control and mediation of all the countries. In a way, this is unacceptable hubris. Countries have the right to govern themselves as they wish. They shouldnt be told what to do by an outside party. This affects the issue of their freedom. Just how much freedom do people really have when the United States plays God? Americans dont realize just how good they have it. There are no other countries that try to govern Americans and limit their freedom. The answer as to whether or not the United States takes part ...

Business Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Planning - Essay Example The plan on Brian’s book barn should include young people on its managerial team. The two managers have experience and relevant training but cannot understand the current market perfectly. For example, there is a proposal that the major market for their books and magazines will be children and parents. The plan should also include services from the book barn. The current ones will not appeal to the modern teenager who is interested in modern phenomena. There should be reductions of books and magazines that have less fascinating topics to the contemporary person. There could be improvements if the plan on the book barn had fewer objectives. Fewer objectives for any business plan make businesses more practical because it proves that management can handle the fulfillment of the same objectives. The plan on the salon business could be effective if it were comprehensive in its mention of the capital of the entire business. The management should make research that is more intensive than the one it made on basics of salon business. The research will facilitate better knowledge of salon trends that is necessary for the preparation of a perfect business plan. The plan should also ensure that there is the evident reflection of most of its funding. This will facilitate the easy realization of any aspects that would compromise on the success of the entire salon business. Business plans present relevant summaries of their respective businesses. If people wish to establish businesses, they must hire professional to help them.

A Time of Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Time of Reflection - Essay Example Military tension was culpable between the two world powers, and they even engaged in proxy wars as they tried to outdo each other. The tension created by the Cold war affected day to day lives of Americans. Between 1946 and 1964, it is estimated that some 20 million babies were born in the US. This is the generation that grew up during the tension filled years of the Cold War. It is also the generation that witnessed the Civil Movement. I am a proud member of this generation which is commonly referred to as the Baby Boomers. I grew up during a time when the politics of the United States seemed almost uncertain. There was the ever threatening return-to-war feeling among the general populace. The never-ending tug-of-war between the US and USSR created a fear among citizens. This generated into a phenomenon that came to be known as Duck and Cover as people were afraid that the enemy (that is, the USSR) would drop a nuclear bomb on any part of the country and we had to be ready to duck a nd find cover if and when that happened. This kind of tension was particularly unnerving for the young generation born after the war. I think the older generations were able to deal with the situation since they had experienced the Second World War and were used to such tension. In my understanding at that time, they were too afraid to speak out of the effects that war was having on the common citizens. But I was not. I felt that it was my right to speak out what I thought should be spoken out. If I thought that something was wrong and it needed to be corrected I was bold enough to say it. My outspokenness was a behavior I had picked up from my grandmother since when I was a child. The Civil Rights Movement In 1961 I joined college and like many other young people at the time, I had great expectations for my future. I knew I wanted a good life for myself and I understood that a college education would at least guarantee me a good job with good pay, of course. The 60s were tumultuous years, especially in regards to the Civil rights Movements and the conflicts that came with it. I had heard stories told of how Rosa Parks had defied the high and mighty to secure herself a seat in bus seat that was reserved for whites only. I grew up admiring her courage to face up to people whom she knew could do anything to her if they wanted to. The first time I heard her story, I went home and during dinner asked my mother why people hated parks so much that they did not want her to sit in a set that she had paid for in a bus. My mother tried to explain that people did not hate her, that it was just that people like her could only seat at a designated place in the bus. I was too young to understand the concept of discrimination, but something at the back of my head told me that the treatment Rosa Parks had received was not fare. I think that was the first time I really was able to develop an anti-status quo attitude which I would carry on later into my adulthood. We had an Afr ican housekeeper at home whose son, Jeremy was more or less the same age as me. We were quite good friends and even though we attended different schools (I was in an all-white school while he was in an all black one), we did our school work together. I found him to be brighter than some of the students at my own school. He practically taught me everything I needed to know in all my science subjects. After high school we both went to different colleges but we remained good friends until he

An Action Plan For Student Survival Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

An Action Plan For Student Survival - Essay Example When using these search engines, the information you get will be based on a keyword or phrase. It's vital to choose appropriate words and phrases that relate closely to your research. When doing research on how the expense of college deters student enrollment, the phrase "college costs" would return several appropriate articles. Searching library resources is very similar to an Internet search, but you have databases with a wide range of magazines, newspaper articles, and academic journals available. These sources are often higher quality and have greater academic credibility than typical websites. It's important to consider your source when searching to give your research the integrity that's needed. If a paper is being done on water pollution, information from a peer reviewed journal will be more reliable than information from an anonymous website called "I_hate_chemicals.com". Library resources are the most valuable tools that students have. In the world of Academics, there is nothing more important than honesty and integrity. It goes beyond the obvious incidents of cheating on a test with crib sheets, or writing a halfhearted report based on a condensed version of a book. Integrity requires regular attendance and timely completion of the assignments. It demands that you treat your courses with the level of respect that they deserve. Your college degree will be a voucher to people in the academic world that you have successfully completed the work, can be relied on to be informed, and that you have gained your GPA honestly. A major breach of honesty is plagiarism. Plagiarism is the copying someone else's words, research, or ideas and portraying them as your original work. It is one of the most serious infractions a student can make during their college experience, and can result in punishment that ranges from failing the course to possible expulsion (Plagiarism). Academic researching and reporting is a process of building new ideas on work that has previously been done by others. It depends on the information being accurate and not based on fake data. It is also built on the tradition of giving credit to the original creator of the ideas that we borrow. Almost all research and papers will be built on someone else's previous work and ideas, and it's vital that they receive adequate credit. While an Internet "cut and paste" paper may be the most glaring example of plagiarism, improper citations are the most numerous. Often, this is done because the student does not have the proper information on when and how to give credit. Whether we are using previously published statistics or paraphrasing a unique idea, it's necessary to give proper credit to the original author. This is done with conventional citation formats such as APA and MLA. These associations have manuals that outline not only how to write a proper citation, but also when to cite the original source. Spending time reading these guides and getting familiar with the requirements of academic writing will help insure that the school's policy of plagiarism is not violated and prevent what might otherwise be an innocent transgression of academic honesty. Developing Effective Study

M8A1 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

M8A1 - Term Paper Example ever, in the present, the need in developing this business plan is justified in that an individual must unmask all his true entrepreneurial aspirations. Planning and evaluations are take precedence in business decisions, such that during the planning process, issues such as employment should laid before hand and in a clear way on the table. Once such options are clear, the next step might involve evaluation of realistic goals given the available resources. Before a business plan is designed there is also the need to cement a business idea, such as the one proposed in this paper, and according to Hougaard (2005), a business idea must be innovative, fulfills the need of the customers, unique, has clear focus and provides a long term profitability. Â   Business models vary in as many as there are businesses all over the world, and different founders, hence different schools of thought towards business plans. A good business plan should be of a dynamic model addressing the following; market need, image, target group, and the mode of operations. The purpose of this paper is to prepare a business plan that involves the design of male official clothing wear here in the US, and then the manufacturing of the cloths in China, and then exporting them to a store in the United Kingdom using the finest materials and the finest minds in clothing design. The brand name for the company’s name for the product is a catchy phrase containing certain initials of the name of the author of this paper, MARASHI. The Business shall be registered as a limited company, and will enjoy all the trappings that accrue to limited liability companies. Ownership of the company shall initially be a private limited company with ownership drawn from family members and other select few friends. The proposed share capital for this venture shall consist of 100, 000 shares each valued at a nominal share price of $10. All the savings that have been accrued over the years by the author of this document

Islam in the Performing Arts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Islam in the Performing Arts - Research Paper Example As religion has always created a great deal of influence over people and developing their opinion about participation in different forms of performing arts, that is why permission to act or to participate in any forms of performing arts does differ to a great extent among them. What is a religion? According to Durkheim, â€Å"†¦a religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community†¦all those who adhere to them.† (Cipriani and Ferrarotti, 2000, p.2) Durkheim’s observation regarding the role of religion as a catalyst for social unity is relevant in this context as religious permissibility of acting can help to a great extent in spearing morality across society. Thus, acting in film or theatre has received a special focus from different religious disciplines and at the same time, this issue has also raised several debates and arguments concerning this argument. Apart from this factor, as every religion goes through a process of maturity (Roof and McKinney, 1987, p. 108), it gradually develops certain forms of prejudices that create pressure over followers of such religion. Keeping in mind the factor of general humane morality factor, every religion provides some kind of restrictions over people but in the general social context, those aspects are often misrepresented and finally those emerge as strict regulations for people in every society Thesis Statement: In this context, the important question arises if it is permissible under the laws of Islam to act in film or theater or if it violates the rules of morality as laid down in the philosophical approach of Islam.

M8A1 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

M8A1 - Term Paper Example ever, in the present, the need in developing this business plan is justified in that an individual must unmask all his true entrepreneurial aspirations. Planning and evaluations are take precedence in business decisions, such that during the planning process, issues such as employment should laid before hand and in a clear way on the table. Once such options are clear, the next step might involve evaluation of realistic goals given the available resources. Before a business plan is designed there is also the need to cement a business idea, such as the one proposed in this paper, and according to Hougaard (2005), a business idea must be innovative, fulfills the need of the customers, unique, has clear focus and provides a long term profitability. Â   Business models vary in as many as there are businesses all over the world, and different founders, hence different schools of thought towards business plans. A good business plan should be of a dynamic model addressing the following; market need, image, target group, and the mode of operations. The purpose of this paper is to prepare a business plan that involves the design of male official clothing wear here in the US, and then the manufacturing of the cloths in China, and then exporting them to a store in the United Kingdom using the finest materials and the finest minds in clothing design. The brand name for the company’s name for the product is a catchy phrase containing certain initials of the name of the author of this paper, MARASHI. The Business shall be registered as a limited company, and will enjoy all the trappings that accrue to limited liability companies. Ownership of the company shall initially be a private limited company with ownership drawn from family members and other select few friends. The proposed share capital for this venture shall consist of 100, 000 shares each valued at a nominal share price of $10. All the savings that have been accrued over the years by the author of this document

Business Employment Law (R. Williams Construction Co. v. OSHRC) Assignment

Business Employment Law (R. Williams Construction Co. v. OSHRC) - Assignment Example In September 2002, Jose Aguiniga, an employee of Williams was killed when an underground system he was cleaning caved-in at the Santa Ynez worksite. Subsequently the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) received the information and immediately embarked on the site assessment (Silverstein, 2008). As the consequence of that assessment, the Commission served citations on the construction company claiming violations of the Act. The respondent acted by filing with the Commission, their contest against the findings. In January 2004, the Commission heard the case in Santa Barbara, California. The legal issue in Williams was whether the respondent violated the safety standards under Section 651-678 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1970, which if proven, would be the cause in fact of the injury upon the employees (Walsh, 2012). The regulator alleged that Williams had violated the safety standards leading to the loss of life of one employee and serious injury upon the person of another. First, Williams breached the OSH Act 1970 by digging a narrow and poorly maintained trench measuring 12 feet deep at the construction site. Although the upper walls of the trench were slanting outwards, the deeper, lower part was not properly reinforced to avoid a possible cave-in. Second, Williams failed to remind its employees about the safety measures they should observe while working on the site. The employees who were injured had been regularly doing a clean-up of the submersible pump placed on the floor of trench without any significant protective gear or knowledge (Walsh, 2012). Williams was unsuccessful in its claims that every employee was supposed to observe their own safety in the workplace because its behavior was negligent. The company’s leadership failed to demonstrate the behavior of a reasonable person acting under similar circumstances. Williams was negligent in its deployment of employees in risky working conditions, with clear

Assessment for Learning Essay Example for Free

Assessment for Learning Essay The results of the personal survey of assessment literacy showed that general considerations scored 87/90, prior to test design scored 53/55, writing the test scored 28/30, during test administration scored 15/15, and after testing reflected 25/25. Our school is a small private school with small classroom sizes. As a result, most of our students receive specialized one on one attention and strong supervision for their academic success. Teachers believe every student can and will succeed. It is not an option to do otherwise. â€Å"Teachers must believe that all students can achieve a certain level of academic success, must bring all of their students to believe this of themselves, must accommodate the fact that students learn at different rates by making use of differentiated instruction, and must guide all students toward the attainment of standards† (Stiggins, 2005, pg. 326). How we test students need to take into consideration the impact of the learner (Stiggins, 2008). Stiggins (2008) informed teachers to utilize assessments for students by looking at the classroom level of use, the program level of use, and the institutional accountability and policy level of use. Looking at the school survey of assessment literacy will take into account these three types of assessment uses and their importance in generating an accountability system for our school to develop a system that fosters learning for all students. My greatest area of strength in regard to assessment literacy can be found in during test administration (15/15) and after testing (25/25). These were perfect scores and illustrated that student’s needs were met when considering the testing environment as conducive to maximize student performance and monitoring the students as they take ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING 3 the test. Directions are always clear and questions are rarely asked. Tests are accurately scored because they are reviewed twice. Assessment data is gathered for what questions students answered incorrectly and notes are made for improvement of material taught the following year. It is reviewed again after the results of the test are completed to ensure mastery before moving on to the next chapter. The main goal is always on student achievement and mastery of the material. The data adjusts instruction to improve student performance. Any students who do poorly are given the opportunity to retest for 92% of the grade for improvement and mastery. Parents are notified of any student receiving below an 86%. This is our school policy. Retests are given within a week of the original test. Tests are graded the same day and given back the next day. This enables students to observe what they got wrong and assess ways to improve for the retest or master the material. Assessments are not always tests. Projects, reports, computer uses, etc. are vital ways to assess student learning through a plethora of ways. Gardner (1999) believed that students learn through spatial, linguistic, naturalist, interpersonal, intrapersonal, bodily kinesthetic, logical/mathematical, musical, and existential. Educators should recognize that diversity needs an on-going presence, availability, and active participation in the classroom teaching process (Spasovski, 2010). â€Å"If society wants all students to meet standards, then all students must believe they can meet those standards; they all must be confident enough to be willing to take the risk of trying† (Stiggins, 2008, p. 8). My greatest limitation in regard to assessment literacy is working with colleagues to design common assessments. Since we are a small private school, teachers are left ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING 4 with the task of compiling their own assessments. Our principal will supply the assessments created by the publisher in book form or cd rom or teachers can compile their own. None of us work with colleagues to create assessments. We have team meetings that cross teach certain areas that are being studied to enhance learning across disciplines of teaching. However, assessments are each teacher’s responsibility. The Stanford test scores analyze our teaching productivity. Data is analyzed for the incorrect answer. The results address the weakest area of student learning. Teachers are to find solutions to fix them through data and research of proven strategies that work within successful classrooms. According to Creighton (2001), collecting data without purpose is meaningless. Data driven decision making and instructional leadership support one another. By analyzing the data that exist in our schools, student achievement and quality in teaching and learning can improve to assist students to become avid learners. Part 2: Analyzing the Survey Results The survey results of the criteria for the school survey of assessment literacy scored 84/90. Assessment, curriculum, and instruction are balanced in our school. Assessments are aligned to benchmarks, standards, and scaffolding of material over time to foster students’ learning. To promote student achievement, assessments are varied and reliable. Communication is accomplished with parents about performance through emails, assessments sent home requiring signatures, progress reports, report cards, and Stanford test scores. Since our students score in the 79-99% ranking of Stanford test scores as a class average, teachers seek solutions through data to ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING 5 improve class average test scores. If any student did poorly, teachers seek ways that will improve student learning. Principals and teachers can learn to maneuver through the statistical data to help create goals and strategies for change and improvement (Creighton, 2001). The school’s greatest area of strength in regard to assessment literacy was that data-based decisions about student mastery of standards are made collaboratively by administrators and teachers. By looking at our strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats, teachers can gain insightful information into how they may best serve their diverse students’ needs and administrators can find solutions to helping these students achieve an optimal learning experience at school. This creates an opportunity for teachers and administrators to work together to improve student achievement. By understanding our diverse students’ needs, teachers and administrators can see the big picture and find viable solutions to problems that arise at their school. This year we have added a resource room to help struggling students with special needs get help from an ESE teacher. Curriculums are modified to accommodate student’s needs based on any language or learning barriers. The dominant culture of the nation-state should incorporate aspects of their experiences, cultures, and languages, which will enrich the mainstream culture as well as help marginalized groups to experience civic equality and recognition (Gutmann, 2004). Teachers have professional development sessions and team meetings to assess proven methodologies and research to help students learn. â€Å"When teachers support students by treating them with respect and caring about their futures, and encourage students by helping them to succeed, students are more likely ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING 6 to respect and get along with one another; when taught how to be more tolerant of others, students exhibit greater tolerance† (Gollnick Chinn, 2006). Our school climate is multicultural and is reflected in every aspect of the education at our school. This is imperative if we want our students to compete in a global economy and to ensure learning and equity for all students. The school’s greatest limitation in regard to assessment literacy is that not all teachers recognize students’ emotional connection to assessment and its results. Also, the formative assessments are not used regularly to tell members precisely where to focus their improvement efforts and how to do it in a timely manner. My students complain that some teachers take a month to grade papers. Parents complain to me that other teachers do not understand their child’s special needs. For instance, I have a student with dysgraphia, dyslexia, and ADHD. For spelling tests, I have found it beneficial to call him up after tests and have him spell the word to me verbally that he got wrong in writing and he often gets it correct. He has transformed from a failing student to an â€Å"A† student. I grade his paper immediately after he turns it in and I ask him to spell the words he got wrong to me verbally. When students are failing, teachers need to find viable solutions to increase student learning. No single assessment is capable of answering all these questions to aid a student’s learning capabilities. A productive, multi-level assessment system is needed to ensure accuracy of all instructional decisions (Stiggins, 2008). Relying heavily on Stanford test scores impedes a student’s emotional connection to assessment and its results. Instead a wide arrangement of student work should become part of a portfolio to determine the overall ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING 7 success rate of a student. â€Å"If all students are to succeed, they must have continuous access to credible evidence of their own academic success at mastering prescribed achievement standards† (Stiggins, 2008, p. 8). Data shows teachers areas that need improvement in teaching, student’s weaknesses, and how to do better next time. This will enable students to build self-efficacy when teachers help students to see what success looks like through assessment analysis to improve test taking the next time (Stiggins, 2008). This is the reason our school offers a retest at 92% of the grade. This is what Stiggins refers to as replacing the intimidation of accountability as the primary motivator through tests with the promise of academic success for all learners. This type of assessment promotes hope for all students to become successful. We are reminded by Tashik (2010), that an effective performance assessment system requires the complete interplay of several components: 1. Teaching and learning must remain the constant focus of the school. 2. Teams of teachers collaborate on all aspects of instruction and assessment. 3. Staff, department, and grade meetings are regular features of the school week. 4. Scheduling includes blocks of time for teachers to mentor and supervise student progress on the performance assessment tasks. 5. Continual development of new courses and units of study to better engage students in their learning and meet their academic needs. When these key components are intertwined, effective assessments can benefit our students through diversity and it can take the shape of molding into our students’ needs. When we look at the classroom level of use, the program level of use, and the ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING 8 institutional accountability and policy level of use, assessments can work together to scaffold student learning for optimal success. In a perfect assessment system, the foundation would comprise of an array of assessments that enable students to learn more through scaffolding and take ownership of his or her learning success (Stiggins, 2004). ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING 9 References Creighton, T. (2001). Data analysis and the principalship. Principal Leadership, 1(9), 52. Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligence reframed: Multiple intelligences for the 21st century. New York: Basic Books. Gollnick, D. and Chinn, P. (2006) Multicultural education in a pluralistic society. New Jersey: Pearson Education. Gutmann, A. (2004). Unity and diversity in democratic multicultural education: Creative and destructive tensions. In J. A. Banks (Ed. ), Diversity and citizenship education: Global perspectives (pp. 77-96). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Spasovski, Ognen. (2010). Principles of the inclusive education and the role of teachers and in-school professional staff. The Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation,111(1-2), 67-86. Tashik, P. (2010). Changing the national conversation on assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(6), 55-59. Stiggins, R. (2004). Classroom assessment for student learning: Doing it right – Using it well. Portland, OR: Assessment Training Institute. Stiggins, R. (2005, Dec. ). From formative assessment to assessment FOR learning: A path to success in standards-based school. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(4), 324-328. Stiggins, R. (2008). Assessment manifesto: A call for the development of balanced assessment systems. Portland, OR: ETS Training Institute.

Effects of Wnt-3a and Wnt-5a on Proliferation of HEK293 Cell

Effects of Wnt-3a and Wnt-5a on Proliferation of HEK293 Cell Letong YUAN 1. Outline how you decided how many cells, how many wells and how much Wnt to use.   Please do not repeat anything in the protocols your answer should just explain concisely and clearly how and why you designed the experiment in the way that you did (250 words max). We were provided with three cell lines but we decided to investigate the effect of both Wnt on the proliferation of one cell line, HEK293 cells, limiting the number of variables in the experiment. Unlike MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 which are breast cancer cell lines, HEK293 is derived from human embryonic kidney cells in tissue culture and are non-pathological. As the average doubling time of HEK293 is 24hours, we decided to seed HEK293 suspension cells at 1X105 cells/ml (suggested by Thermofisher ©) in each well containing 500 µl medium. We used 16 wells in total on two 24-well-culture plates, i.e. 8 wells on each plate as illustrated in figure 1. We used two identical plates as cells are not viable after PFA fixation. After 24 hours, as the cultures are in log phase, an escalating amount of Wnt, namely, 0, 5, 20 and 50ng, was added for the investigation of HEK293 cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner. The amount of Wnt added was suggested by Reischmann et al, 2015 and limited by the amount of Wnt provided. 100 and 200ng could also be tested if enough Wnt were provided. Figure 1 Schematic diagram of amount of Wnt added in each well containing HEK293 cells. Two of these wells are used as cells on one plate was fixed after every 24 hours. 2. Describe your cultures non-quantitatively (i.e. qualitatively) (200 words max). At 0h, cells tend to be spherical or have elongated shapes and plump with a high density, then they were passaged. After 24h, cells attached to well surfaces as they settle down and then started to differentiate. Some cells have developed one or more antenna-like projections for better attachment and nutrition, while spherical ones are non-adherent. 2-9 cell clusters could be observed, whereas few dead cells were present. At 72h, cell clusters with more than 20 cells were normally seen. Being polar, HEK293 are fibroblastic cells. 3. Analyse one characteristic of your cultures quantitatively including a well-presented and informative graph and a photograph that illustrates the graphed result (think about what makes an informative graph). Have a look at some primary cell culture papers to see how data can be presented clearly and thoroughly. What should you always have on the graph of an experiment looking at the effects of a cell signal on cultured cells? The number of cells show an increasing trend with an increase amount of Wnt-5a added. The addition of 50ng results in almost twice as many cells as in 0ng. Wnt-5a triggers noncanonical signalling pathway. Anomalies in data are possibly because of a non-representative image taken. Its effect can be minimised by having replicates in this experiment. Another contributing factor is the inaccurate particle analysis by imageJ, whose effect can be minimised by taking the mean of numerous results. 4.Briefly suggest a possible mechanism behind your result or, if the ligand has no effect, suggest why this happened. Please note: no effect is not a failure there could well be solid ICB reasons why there was no effect recorded and you can still produce an excellent write-up (200 words max).   Ã‚   Wnt activates signalling cascade through canonical/ ÃŽ ²-catenin Wnt signalling pathway (e.g. Wnt-3a) or noncanonical/ ÃŽ ²-catenin independent Wnt signalling pathway (e.g. Wnt-5a).   In canonical pathway, Wnt binds to frizzled 7TM receptors. Then LRP 5 or LPR6 activates dishevelled (Dvl), triggering the inhibition of GSK3. ÃŽ ²-catenin accumulates in the cytoplasm because of the disassembly of the destruction complex containing APC, Axin and GSK3. In noncanonical pathway, ÃŽ ²-catenin is not involved. Daam1 activates small G-protein Rho, which activates ROCK. Figure 3 In the absence of Wnt, ÃŽ ²-catenin interacts with APC, axin, GSK3, and CK1 forming a degradation complex. The phosphorylation of ÃŽ ²-catenin triggers its degradation. Croucho kept Wnt-responsive genes inactive by binding to LEF1/TCF. The presence of Wnt clamps LRP and Frizzled protein together. The phosphorylation of cytosolic tail of LRP by members of degradation complex causes the disassembly of the destruction complex, which prevents the phosphorylation of ÃŽ ²-catenin and allow its accumulation. Excess ÃŽ ²-catenin can be translocated into the nucleus without degradation and it replaces Groucho and activates the transcription of target genes mediated by LEF1/TCF. These genes are essential to processes like cell attachment, cell proliferation and differentiation.   This explains the addition of Wnt promotes cell proliferation and differentiation. 5. Suggest a possible future experiment to investigate if/how this ligand has an effect on the cells you tested (200 words maximum). Be bold and creative here and try to push yourself beyond, try different concentrations. To see if and how the ligand influences the cells, one way is to assay Wnt-responsive gene product, e.g. ÃŽ ²-catenin, by Western blotting. After Bradford assay determining protein concentration in cell lysate, run a SDS-PAGE gel and transfer the gel onto a nitrocellulose membrane. Analyse the membrane with primary antibody against ÃŽ ²-catenin, then incubate with corresponding secondary antibody. It is possible to add an inhibitory component of the Wnt signalling pathway, for example Apc protein (Albert et al, 2015) that binds to ÃŽ ²-catenin and induces its degradation. Wnt-responsive genes should be kept silence by Croucho bound to transcription regulator LEF1/TCF.

I am The Universe Essay -- Character Analysis, Moby Dick, Ahab

Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Moreover, Fate is just a scapegoat if something goes wrong. Captain Ahab, a character in the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville, is a victim of his own negligent actions. As a result, he faces an unfortunate death from the fury of the white whale. Ahab places all of his hate on the whale, whom is later referred to as Moby Dick, because he lost a leg to him. He thinks that Moby Dick represents all of the hatred and evil in the world, and that he must go and destroy it. Yet, he is fully responsible for his own death due to the fact that he overlooked the warning signs that Nature and God provided for him, lacked communication between him and his shipmates, and preferred to be isolated from the crew in order to fuel his monomaniac conscience to put Moby Dick to his death. Because Ahab is the captain of the ship, he assumed that he ultimately had higher authority than God. God, in his mind, was in the wrong, by letting Moby Dick â€Å"dismember† (Melville 161) him; leading into Captain Ahab’s growing fixation with the beast. While being infatuated with Moby Dick, he is forced to ignore the obvious signs from Nature that were telling him to change his plans if he desired to live. However, Ahab chose to ignore the warning signs that were thrown at him throughout the novel. One omen that Ahab chose to pay no heed to was when the Pequod â€Å"was left to fight a Typhoon which had struck [it] directly ahead† (482). The result of that typhoon was that the ship changed directions, heading West rather than East. Ahab realized this when he â€Å"turned to eye the bright sun’s rays† and claimed that â€Å"[he’ll] be taken now for the sea-chariot of the sun† (495), meaning that the Pequod was pulling the sun along wi... ...e and child, too, are Starbuck’s† (521). Ahab refuses to turn the ship around since his â€Å"glance was averted; like a blighted fruit tree he shook, and cast his last, cindered apple to the soil† (521). Therefore, Ahab ultimately deserves his death since he has brought it upon himself. Ahab had been killed by hemp, referred to through Fedallah’s prophecy. The death was well deserved to the monomaniac captain whose heresy conquered the humanity in him through his own freewill. By bolstering about his immortality on land and on sea, Ahab had fueled the idea that he was a superb being. He had shielded his eyes from every sign that Nature and God bestowed upon his sight, failed to effectively communicate with his shipmates and crew, and continuously isolated himself in his quarters throughout the journey. Through Ahab’s poor actions, he was responsible for his demise.

Rate of reaction between Hydrochloric Acid and Calcium Carbonate Essay

Rate of reaction between Hydrochloric Acid and Calcium Carbonate Calcium carbonate reacts with hydrochloric acid to form carbon dioxide gas. One way of following the rate of reaction at which it reacts is to measure the volume of carbon dioxide produced at certain time intervals during the reaction. CaCO + 2HCl CaCl + H O + CO =========================== Calcium Carbonate + Hydrochloric Acid Calcium Chloride + Water + Carbon Dioxide Equipment --------- Delivery tube Conical flask Hydrochloric acid Calcium carbonate chips Burette Beaker Electric scales Measuring cylinder Tub Water Electric timer Goggles Retort stand The different factors that can affect my experiment are the temperature, the concentration of my reactants and the surface area, also adding a catalyst. We have decided to test different concentrations of hydrochloric acid for our experiment because it will give us sufficient results to make our evidence reliable. RATE OF REACTION BETWEEN HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND CALCIUM CARBONATE LOW CONCENTRATION HIGH CONCENTRATION I think that during our experiment, the higher the molarity of acid the quicker the rate of reaction will be, I think this because of the collision theory. If the solution is made more concentrated, there will be more particles in the solution. This makes collisions between important molecules more likely and will collide more often. At the beginning of the reaction, there are lots of reactants particles (and no products). This means a lot of productive collisions between reactants. As time goes on these reactants will become less and less (because reactants have been turned into products), therefore less collisions, so the rate of reaction will slow down. If the molarity of the acid concentratio... ...act same size we could use 2 chips in one experiment and get 1g then we could use 4 chips in another experiment and still get 1g. This meant that the surface area for the hydrochloric acid changed in each experiment for it to react and collide with. I could have stopped this by sieving so I would get chips that are of the same or close enough the same surface area. Overall my results are fairly reliable, yet could be subjective to change if better methods were available. If I was to do my experiment again I would make sure I would do it all on the same day and maybe change the limits of the products so that the results we got could be more accurate and we would have less anomalous results like the 2.5 molar experiment. However, if I did this experiment again I would expect the same results and patterns that I have got apart from the 2.5 molar and 3 molar experiments.

Along Came a Spider by James Patterson Compare and Contrast Book /Movie

The book â€Å"Along Came a Spider’ by James Patterson follows the chase of a homicide investigator, Alex Cross in pursuit of a culprit who had kidnapped two children belonging to wealthy families. The book belongs to the genre of mystery fiction, as the characters and plot of the story are created by the imagination of the author.The struggle of law to bring the criminals to justice is presented in the book. The author utilizes a narrative which maintains the suspense in the story till the end. The book addresses the problem of increasing incidence of crime in the modern society.The plot of the story centers on the kidnapping of two children of wealthy families. Alex Cross is the investigator of the case, and he strives relentlessly to get hold of the kidnapper, Gary Soneji. As the other culprits are revealed, the story takes an interesting turn and ends in a surprising climax.The main characters, Alex Cross and Gary Soneji come across as real people, for they behave in a ma nner which displays the various aspects of human nature. I like the character of Alex Cross, for he loves his job and carries his duty with sincerity.â€Å"I love my work, love Homicide,† I said with a sneer. † (Patterson 24). The book has changed my attitude about the factors that compel an individual to commit crime. Gary Soneji’s note on a mirror brings forth his intention for kidnapping the children, â€Å"I want to be somebody. † (Patterosn 145).Through the efforts of Alex Cross, the author has depicted the struggle of law to punish criminals and protect the people. The book has led to a change in my opinion regarding the motives for crime. Movie Review The movie â€Å"Along Came a Spider† is based on the novel by the same name.Directed by Lee Tamahori, the movie focuses on the efforts of Alex Cross, an investigator on trail of a serial kidnapper, in an urban setting. The movie is a suspense thriller and it depicts the thinking of a criminal wh o in quest of fame, engages in criminal activities.The movie presents the immoral ways adopted by human to fulfill their desires. Alex Cross, the investigator and Gary Soneji, the kidnapper are the central characters in the movie. Gary Soneji, a teacher kidnaps the daughter of a Senator, studying in his school.Alex Cross and Jezzie Flannigan, an agent responsible for the security of the children studying in the elite school, investigate the case. Alex Cross succeeds in finding the real culprits, as the movie ends in an unexpected climax. The characters in the movie are presented as human beings with failings, so they appear to be one amongst the common people. I like the characters in the movie, for they represent the contrasting worlds of justice and crime. The movie has made me realize the difficulties encountered by an investigator while pursuing a criminal.The complexities of human mind are depicted in the movie through the character of Gary Soneji. â€Å"I am living proof, tha t a mind is a terrible thing. † (Tamahori). The movie would have been more realistic if the director had not incorporated acts which appear to be improbable.The movie, with its depiction of a criminal whose intention for committing crime is achieving fame, is interesting and thrilling. The movie succeeds in conveying the message of the director, as it brings forth before the audiences, the difficulties encountered by an investigator in protecting the society.Comparison and Contrast The book â€Å"Along Came the Spider† by James Patterson and the movie with the same title, directed by Lee Tamahori are similar to each other as far as the storyline is considered. But there are numerous changes in the movie while depicting the characters from the book.The character of Alex Cross in the movie is older compared to the character in the book. In the book, Alex Cross is having a family but in the movie Alex Cross is presented as an individual without family. The third difference regarding the character of Alex Cross is his relation with the Jezzie Flannigan.The contrasts in the book and the movie are perceptible in the characterization of Alex Cross. The character of Alex Cross in the movie differs from the book, for Alex Cross is depicted in the book as a young man. He is thirty eight years old and is good-looking. â€Å"I was thirty eight at the time. † (Patterson 10).Being a black, he is aware of the racist attitude of the society while looking at him. It was this attitude of the society which made him to choose a police career rather than becoming a psychologist. In the movie, the character of Alex Cross is presented as an older man in comparison to the age of Cross in the book.Alex Cross in the movie comes across as a matured individual, owing to his age. The outlook of Alex Cross in the movie is different from that of Alex in the book, as being older the character of Alex in the movie is more experienced in his field, and is adept at his work. The other factor that differentiates the character of Alex Cross in the movie from that of Cross in the book is the family. The character of Alex Cross in the movie is shown as having a family. As his wife has died, Alex is the one who is looking after his two children.â€Å"On the bureau, by the bed, was a picture of Maria Cross. Three years before, my wife had been murdered in a drive-by shooting. † (Patterson 11). The other family member living with him is his grandmother. Alex Cross calls her as Nana Mama. It was because of Nana Mama that Alex was in the field of psychology.â€Å"It’s been like that for almost thirty years ever since Nana Mama first took me in and decided she could make something out of me. She made a homicide detective with a doctorate in psychology, who works and lives in the ghettos of Washington, D. C. † (Patterson 12).But in the movie, Alex Cross has no family. Although, his wife is seen in a scene comforting him when his partner dies, there is no mention about her in the later part of the movie. Alex Cross has no children, and so he is free from any responsibilities.With no family to look after, Alex Cross focuses all his attention on the case of the kidnapping. Although both the characters of Alex Cross in the book and movie are dedicated towards their work, the character of Alex Cross in the movie is fully engrossed in his duty, as he has no family to look after.The third point of difference between the book and the movie in regards to the character of Alex Cross is his relation with Jezzie Flannigan. In the book Alex Cross falls in love with his partner, Jezzie Flannigan and develops a relationship with her.The relation of Alex and Jezzie Flannigan provides an interesting turn to the plot of the story. The character of Alex Cross in the movie is not involved in a romantic relation with Jezzie Flannigan; they are depicted just as partners in the investigation of the kidnappings.Alex Cross interacts with Jezzie Flannigan as his partner who was there to aid him in solving the mystery of the kidnapping. The character of Alex Cross in the book is young and develops a passionate relation with his partner, Jezzie Flannigan whereas the character of Alex Cross in the movie is older and is presented has having only a platonic relationship with Jezzie Flannigan.Works CitedIMDb. Along Came a Spider. 9 April 2009. http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0164334/quotes Patterson , James. Along Came a Spider. Grand Central Publishing. 1993.

Is Voting for Young People?

Political Science 298 Book Review November 6th, 2012 Danny Fitzpatrick Is Voting For Young People? The main point according Martin P. Wattenberg in Is Voting For Young People is that young people today do not vote during elections as much compared to other voting groups. Young people today are politically unengaged. â€Å"These state patterns of voting participation can be confirmed on the national level by the Census Bureau’s 2010 survey data. Among U. S. citizens under the age of 30 in 2010, only 24 percent reported that they voted. (Page-188, IVYP) The low attendance of young people voting in Presidential elections indicates that young people do not care enough about politics to participate. According to Wattenberg, there is only one method to make young people care about voting. Wattenberg believes that Compulsory Voting is the only method to obtain votes from young people. Compulsory Voting requires all adult citizens to vote in an election or pay a fine. Compulsory Voti ng would be a useful method to obtain a larger voter turnout from young people.The low attendance of young voters is bad because those young voters will be in charge of the United States one day. All people in the United States unless under the required voting age should cast their vote in an election. By failing to vote, a person is missing their chance to fulfill their civic duty. â€Å"A generation who is relatively unlikely to see voting as an important civic responsibility is one who may well have many of its members lost as voters for the rest of its duration. † (Page- 128, IVYP) Wattenberg believes young voters need to participate or fall victim to being ignorant.Being ignorant to elections is bad because there are people in the United States that political policies will affect. By not voting and being ignorant to an election, a person misses the chance to vote for a candidate that could better their own situation. There are American citizens that really do need specif ic policies to be implemented that only one candidate can deliver. One idea that Wattenberg suggests that I disagree with is that young people do not receive enough information to be politically informed.Information concerning politics has never been more available in society then it is today. When a person watches television specifically a news network, they will become politically informed. â€Å"Without reading a daily newspaper, watching the TV news, or otherwise following current events, even the best-educated people will probably not pick up much knowledge about the political world. † (Page-69, IVYP) Media on television is constantly reporting what the President or other political figures are doing. Usually the media is criticizing politicians for statements or decisions they made.The problem with the media being critical to politicians all the time is that the negative news coverage is unappealing especially to a young voter like myself. Additionally to television, man y political figures including Barrack Obama use social networking as a way to reach American citizens. Social networking is practically a right of passage among youth today. Political influences are in all types of media. Any young person that uses social networking or watches television is choosing to not pay attention to politics. It would be reading too much into such responses to say that these two-thirds of young Americans didn’t value voting; they could well have seen voting as a fundamental right or a crucial choice. Nevertheless, without a strong sense that electoral participation is a responsibility and a duty for everyone, it seems reasonable to conclude that many of these young adults will not vote on a regular basis. † (Page-119-120, IVYP) Wattenberg succeeds in establishing that voting among young people is not popular. The title of the book suggests that voting for young people is not a priority.Young people who do not feel the urge to vote in an election have not experienced a political change that affects them personally. My overall opinion of Is Voting For Young People is that it was very informing. I was aware how low voter turnout is among young people in the United States but had no idea about the international world shared that issue. With the exception of Compulsory Voting nations, many nations share a similar voting situation to the United States. The fact that so many young people today do not participate in elections motivates me to help my generation to become more politically informed.

Fashion in France during Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fashion in France during Renaissance - Essay Example The essay "Fashion in France during Renaissance" talks about fashion in the period of renaissance. By the end of the 15th Century, men's Renaissance fashion imposed a short and ornamental mantle, a broad-brimmed hat covered with feathers, and trunk hose, the ample dimensions of which earned for them the name of trousses. Women wore the bodies of their dresses closely fitting to the figure, embroidered, trimmed with lace, and covered with gilt ornaments; the sleeves were very large and open, and for the most part they still adhered to the heavy and ungraceful head-dress of Queen Anne of Brittany.† Females’ dresses became chic and shorter than ever, they wore very colorful garments during the time of renaissance. The female garments were loose and looked chic on the contrary men’s dress was made to be tightly fit and there was a lot of difference in men’s and women’s wear during the time of renaissance. â€Å"During the 16th Century, ladies wore the s kirts of their dresses, which were tight at the waist and open in front, very wide, displaying the lower part of a very rich under petticoat, which reached to the ground, completely concealing the feet. This, like the sleeves with puffs, which fell in circles to the wrists, was altogether a typical Italian Renaissance fashion. Frequently the hair was turned over in rolls, and adorned with precious stones, and was surmounted by a small cap, coquettishly placed either on one side or on the top of the head, and ornamented with gold chains, jewels, and feathers.

Article Aalysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article Aalysis - Coursework Example In seeking to understand the article which was selected for this brief analysis, US fuel prices take a slight dip†, the reader sees very clear and inherent understandings of the way in which fuel prices within the United States, and elsewhere throughout the world for that matter, are not directly linked to the ability of the environment to produce this resource and/or the overall expectation of the diminished resource in general. Rather, the price of fuel/oil is ultimately tied to the expectation of stability in the world . Moreover, unity and stability within a particular region that is somewhat close or geographically important to a trade route can send oil prices skyrocketing. As such, it is easy to understand why the past several months have seen a market spiked with regards to the price of oil worldwide. ... Such a judgment is made with respect to the fact that without major alterations with regards the way in which the global economy interacts, individuals are not able to alter their consumption of oil without widespread and far-reaching repercussions being felt within their own personal life and within the broader economic sense of their respective regions. In seeking to fulfill a further requirement of this brief analysis, the instructions indicated that the student was responsible for describing what is occurred to the change in supply of the particular product. In short, nothing has changed. Rather, fear within the futures market has driven up price and caused investors to panic with regards to what may be the case within the next few months/years. Yet, it is unfair to say that changes in supply do not occur within the oil market. Hardly a week passes without an article being written, or a newsworthy item being referenced that considers the way in which the oil-producing nations of the world (OPEC) have either increased or reduced supply as a means of deriving up or driving down prices of oil (Piazza, 2013). Much as they have within the past, Saudi Arabia has been responsive to the increased price of oil throughout the world and has increase the output from their wells so that the price of the substance in question could be nominally reduced. However, all that being said, it is painfully obvious that the ultimate reason for why fuel prices have begun to drop does not have to do with the increased output of one single oil-producing nation; rather, it has to do with the fact that the United States, the Russian Federation, and Syria have all agreed on a tentative resolution through which a United States backed

Discuss why you chosen pharmacy as a profession Essay

Discuss why you chosen pharmacy as a profession - Essay Example My second reason for choosing Pharmacy as my life's work is that it suits my personality and technical skill perfectly. During my years in the army, I was exposed to numerous professional pursuits and had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of activities. During this time, I always returned to my interest in Pharmacy because it was such a good fit for me. When I left the Army, I was allowed to shadow a local pharmacist which only confirmed what I already knew; this profession was my life's calling. I have a natural empathy for people and want to make a positive contribution to their lives. I am studious by nature, and have the ability to concentrate and pay great attention to detail. These two aspects of my personality will find their greatest and best expression as a pharmacist because my caring heart and technical abilities will be able to be combined into a single life pursuit. Finally, I have chosen Pharmacy as my career because I understand the vital role that pharmacists play in both the healthcare system and improving the quality of life for individuals. Pharmacists are an important bridge between the patient and their doctor because they provide important information directly to the individual. People have so many questions about their health and the medicines they take. Often, the doctor does not have time to explain the details of the medications they prescribe, or the patients are too intimidated to ask a lot of questions. With a pharmacist, people are more willing to discuss their medications because the pharmacist seems more accessible. I know that I want to be a pharmacist because I want people to have the information they need regarding their treatment and how it might interact with their lifestyle or other medicines they are taking. This profession will give me the opportunity to give important advice while caring for the people who need it mo st. I will be a great pharmacist. I have seen the impact of healthcare on the lives of individuals. I have the personality and technical skill to learn the profession and apply it in assisting people every day. The important role of helping patients manage their treatment and emphasizing the precautions they must take to maintain their health is what I want to do for the rest of my life. My Priorities in Life As a mother and former member of the U.S. Army, I have had the opportunity to travel to many different places, experience much of what life has to offer and see the things that are important. I have three fundamental priorities set for my life; to finish school, to fulfill my chosen professional goals, and to help people. My first life priority is to finish my education. As I have indicated before, I am very aware of the benefits of a quality education. Being raised in Jamaica, I witnessed first hand what happens to people who are not allowed to develop to their full potential. After moving to America, I saw the other side of what education can provide to a person, and I want to reap those benefits for myself as well as my children. I know that in order to develop my full personal potential, I must attain success in my chosen career and that means successfully finishing school. In fact, I don't just want to be successful in my studies, I want to be outstanding. This first milestone must be achieved for the others to have a chance at being fulfilled. Accordingly,

Ten Ways to Create Shareholder Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ten Ways to Create Shareholder Value - Essay Example Throughout his work, Rappaport emphasizes the need to capitalize on long-term growth strategies at the expense of realizing short-term benchmarks. The writer asserts that those corporations involved in responding to short-term strategies will eventually fail because of dynamics within modern commercial environments. Managers running such companies are obscured about the future prospects of an organization. Inasmuch as they concentrate on maximizing the momentary strengths of a company, they fail to take a glance at emerging opportunities and imminent threats. Since consumer preferences are bound to change and competition intensifies, then short-sighted company executives will have limited choices when trouble arrives. In order to enhance the aspect of practicability, Rappaport postulated 10 principles suitable for creating shareholders value in any given investment. Upon thorough appraisal, all these ten principles are based on ways in which companies can be made to realize increased future cash flows. In order to ensure competence, CEO’s must be thoroughly conversant with aspects of stock markets and forces influencing the value of securities traded within those markets. Thorough conversance on such microeconomic aspects will enable managers to become value-conscious and develop value-maximizing behavior in their professional undertakings. In most of the principles proposed by Rappaport, the main theme remains that managers should be encouraged by stakeholders, especially shareholders, in implementing long-term growth strategies. Encouragement can be achieved through reward mechanisms for both top and middle-level managers who demonstrate the strong commitment towards maximizing the value of the company.

Poland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Poland - Essay Example ech Walesa and the ascendancy of Mikhail Gorbachev to the leadership of the USSR paved the way for the disintegration of the communistic hold on the country. Today, Poland has become a democratic, market-oriented country with membership in many international organizations. It is considered one of the success stories in the transition economies. In the 4th century, the Slav people who originally occupied the area between the Carpathian and the Middle Vistula in Eastern Europe, began drifting eastwards to Russia, southwards into the Balkans, and westwards towards the Order and Elbe Rivers. The pressures of a growing population resulted in the expansion of the areas originally inhabited by the Slavs. A written account of the country appeared only in the 14th century although a historical highlight of the country started when its ruler Mieszko I of the Piast Dynasty personally embraced Latin Christianity and imposed it on his people in 966. In the early medieval state, expeditions for plundering purposes were vital to the country’s existence but the reigns of Mieszko II (1025-34), Boleslaw II (1058-81), and Boleslaw III (1102-38) were marked by internal revolts and foreign invasions. It was believed that the country had no leader between the years of 1034 and 1039 when paganism and Bohemian invasion threatened to pull t he country apart. It was Casimir â€Å"The Restorer† (son of Mieszko) who restored the territorial integrity of the country and established Kraskow as its capital (Lukowski & Zawadzki p 7). Before 1157, not all of Poland accepted Christianity. However, the 12th century witnessed invasions, in the name of the religion, one after another. A deeper Christianity was established in the 12th and 13th centuries when more friars came and monasteries were established. The coming of the new bishops presented a new form of political authority in Poland, limiting the ruler’s monopoly to it. During these times, the rulers tried to attract settlers to augment

Effects of Media Globalisation Essay Example for Free

Effects of Media Globalisation Essay Summary of the Effects of Media Globalization by Mary Hickman The world, in many ways, has been benefited from media globalization. However, the lurking dark side of media globalization that threatens us, as audiences of the media, has to be acknowledged and cogitated. Undoubtedly, media globalization has transformed our lives in many ways. Friedman (2005) asserted that the seamless information sharing have brought nations closer in the facets of businesses, personal communications and medical industries. Unfortunately, media globalization has brought about many drawbacks to the world. Firstly, it is a question of the motivation behind media corporations. According to Chomsky (1996), profits are the primary motivation behind every multi-national media corporations. Overwhelming media businesses have swallowed the essence of journalism. As a result, media corporations have the ability to manipulate the media, creating their ideal audience of a certain kind. Due to the small pool of competing media corporations, the existing powerful media corporations have been dominating the media content. Through various underhand methods, the media corporations have effectively influenced and gained favor by the government. Friedman acknowledges that American media corporation, as leaders in the media globalization arena, are leading the media world into a dangerous position; posing a great challenge to media liberation. In addition, Siochru (2004) postulated that intervening American media has damaged cultures amongst countries. While the voices of the audiences are suppressed, proliferation of unhealthy media content such as cognitive content of greed has been appalling. Due to the minimum participation of media content from the audiences, we are vulnerable to any form of ideologies that are intentionally displayed by the media monopoly.

Starbucks External Environment

Starbucks External Environment This report is prepared for Starbucks Coffee Company Starbucks by a Specialist Marketing Consultant, to analyse the strategic position for Starbucks in the Specialty Coffee Industry. It provides a summary of all the major findings and, explores various strategic options and recommendations for Starbucks in order to increase and maintain its competitive advantage within the industry. Starbucks is a global leading brand, well known for its specialty coffee. The coffee house does not only sell high-quality coffees, but also Italian style beverages, cold beverages, complimentary food items, premium teas and coffee-related accessories. It has further retained its competitive advantage by selling packaged coffees and teas, ready-to-drink beverages, ice creams and many other products in other retail stores such as supermarkets through licensing relationships. Key Findings: Starbucks is facing various issues, some of which include; Maintaining the Starbucks Experience for customers and not being seen as just a money making machine Store Expansion Competition from fast-food chains and other specialty coffee retailers Generating more demand Lowering input costs Key Recommendations: Based on the strategic findings, the report outlined several recommended strategic options, the mains ones of which are: To improve the subliminal and express aura of Starbucks by supporting more good causes and paying its proper taxes. To increase revenue at lower costs, Starbucks must try and search for more licensing relationships and expose the brand further. Existing stores could attract more customers, particularly after the morning peak times by offering non-coffee beverage options or products for specific groups such as retired people. The recommended policies will help to enhance and strengthen Starbucks market share in the specialty coffee industry. Background Information on Starbucks Coffee Company (Starbucks) Starbucks was incorporated in the year 1971 by its founding directors Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker. The Company was set up to operate as a roaster and retailer of whole bean and ground coffee, tea and spices together with coffee making equipment in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington (Starbucks 2013b). In the year 1987, the original owners sold the Starbucks chain to former employee Howard Schultz, who is now the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Starbucks. Schultz re-branded his already existin II Giornale Coffee outlets as Starbucks and quickly began to expand (Grant 2010) as he believed that: From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection (Starbucks 2013a). Starbucks has truly developed a unique brand experience, one which is the most respected and recognized around the world (Starbucks Annual Report 2012). Today, it is known to be one of the largest and best established American global coffeehouse chains (Grant 2010). It has grown to have over 20,800 stores in over 60 countries, with the United States having the highest number of stores, followed by Canada. The UK has approximately 806 stores. However, countries like India, the second most populous country in the world, has only circa 8 stores (Loxcel Starbucks 2013). Critical Evaluation of the Porter Five Forces Concept All organisations need to understand the dynamics of their industries and markets in order to compete effectively and intensively in the market place. An American management writer Michael Porter came up with a framework called Porters Five Forces (Porter 2008). The framework analysis the attractiveness of an organisation and or/industry structure, determines the main external competitive threats, and assesses the extent to which the five forces are relevant to the organisation and/or industry (Hollensen 2003;Purcell 2013). The five fundamental competitive forces include (1) Rivalry, (2) Buyer Power, (3) Threat of Entry, (4) Supplier Power and (5) Threat of Substitutes (Porter 2008) (Figure1 Porters Five Forces Framework). These five forces, as explained above, aid an organisation to understand two strengths; The current competitive situation and, The strength of a position it would like to move into (Purcell 2013). Michael Porter simplified the micro-economic theory into the above five major influences. Each of these influences take into account demand and supply, corresponding products as well as substitutes, the relationship between volume and production and the cost of production, and the structure of the market such as oligopoly, monopoly etc. (Grundy 2006;Porter 2008). Apart from that, the value of information abstracted from the Framework analysis, assists to fuel three aspects of corporate planning; Statistical Analysis The attractiveness and profitability of an organisation/industry can be determined by using Porters Five Force Analysis, hence supporting decision making on whether to enter/exit from an industry or market segment (Porter 2008). Furthermore, the framework considers and takes into account the impact of competitive forces on the organization (RAPIDBI 2012) itself versus impacts on its competitors (Ketels 2006). Due to the availability of different resources and levels of competences, the competitors may have different reactions when there is a change in competitive forces, hence influencing the structure of the whole industry (Grundy 2006;Ketels 2006). Dynamical Analysis   A combination of both Porters Five Force Analysis and a PEST- Analysis (Political, Economical, Social, Technological), will disclose clues on how attractive the organisation/industry will be in the future (Porter 2008). This is because a change in Political, Economical, Socio-demographical and Technological aspects of organisations/industry can be influential on the five competitive forces and, hence will impact on the industry structure (Karagiannopoulos et al. 2005). Analysis of Options Improvement of an organisations own competitive position can be influenced by having some knowledge on both the degree of intensity and power of competitive forces (Recklies 2001). A new strategic direction can be derived from this such as new positioning in the market and differentiation for competitive products (Porter 2008). Accordingly, Porters Five Force Framework allows an organization to analyse the market structure and competitive situation in a more systematic and structured way (Recklies 2001). Once all relevant forces for that particular market are identified and analyzed, managers can find options that influence these forces, subject to the organizations interest (Grundy 2006;Ketels 2006;Recklies 2001). Recent research has shown that Porters Five Force Framework has got both strengths and weaknesses when used in todays dynamic environment, the main weakness highlighted has been the historic nature of its development (Grundy 2006). Cyclical growth in the 80s showed that the global economy had been fairly stable and predictable, compared to the current economy (Grundy 2006). Several limitations to the Porters Five Force Framework have been shown as; From the economic point of view, the framework is under the assumption that the market is perfect (Rivard et al. 2006). As a result, the framework will not be able to deliver meaningful insights on highly regulated industries (Grundy 2006)) . The applicability of the framework is more towards the analysis of simple market structures, rather than those which are in a much more complex industry (Grant 2010). As a result, the framework is limited to focusing on particular segments of such industries. This imposes an increased risk in omitting important elements (Grant 2010) . The framework assumption on having moderate static market structures makes it a non suitable framework for todays dynamic markets. Business models, entry barriers and relationships may change along the supply chain within a snapshot due to technological breakthroughs and dynamic market entrants (Karagiannopoulos et al. 2005). As a result, the framework could be a preferred model to be used at a later stage for analyzing new situations; however, it is limited to and perhaps not ideal to a certain extent to provide preventative actions (Rivard et al. 2006) . Porters Framework is based around the idea of competition, hence the name competitive forces. The assumption made by the framework is that a company will try to attain competitive advantage over the various players in the markets together with suppliers or customers (Aktouf et al. 2005). As a result of this, the framework only focuses on such aspect of strategy rather than taking into consideration the availability of strategic alliances, virtual enterprise- networks or others (Aktouf et al. 2005).    Overall, Porters Five Forces Framework has limitations because it does not take into consideration new business models and the dynamics of the market place (Recklies 2001). This report will now apply the Porters Five Force Framework to Starbucks Coffee Company (Starbucks) which is a large specialty coffee shop popular in most western countries such as the United States of America, United Kingdom and many others. Critical Analysis of Starbucks External Environment Within the rapidly changing global picture, companies and consumers are increasingly affected by global forces, represented as non-controllable. These forces are external environmental influences which must be monitored and responded to, on an ongoing basis by marketers, as they will lead to new opportunities and threats (Kotler 2007). An external environmental analysis, using the macro-economic PESTLE model was carried out for Starbucks and has been attached at Appendix 2 of this report. It can be seen from the analysis at Appendix 2 that there is currently a negative imbalance in Starbucks external influence matrix. This is because whilst the sociologic factors are favourable, whilst other factors such as Political, Economic and Legal show substantial threats. However, Starbucks has got some strengths that over-come some of these non-controllable influences from the external environment. It has built in flexibility to change, for example, agreeing to pay extra corporation tax in the UK, for the next two years (BBC News Business 2013), or relating to the closure of non-profit making stores, and lastly it has developed high powered management decision making process which ensures that is quick at exploiting opportunities (Patton 2012). Critical Analysis of Starbucks Business Environment Michael Porter (1985) posits that, in an attempt to find effective sources of competitive advantage, a thorough research should be conducted on the structure of the industry. In this case, an analysis of the speciality coffee industry can help to establish the strategic position Starbucks occupies and wishes to occupy. Porters Five Forces model is a useful tool in this regard. It shows how key elements have shaped the competition in the industry (Hill and Jones 2009). Buyer power In the specialty coffee industry today, consumers have wide access to different products at different prices with better quality services (Hunt et al. 2011). This practically means that individuals have the choice to easily switch from product to product, whichever is the preferred one. This is where Starbucks has an advantage; it decides on the prices of the drinks offered to its consumers, by taking into consideration the price-elasticity which is strongly influenced by loyalty to its brand and also current prices at rival stores (Grant 2010). Since Starbucks is known to be an up-market coffee shop with high quality, based on perception and offering vertically differentiated products it is very likely for it to be able to sell its products at high prices, hence leaving no room for price-negotiation with its customers (Grant 2010). Supplier power In 2008, Starbucks purchased its input goods from suppliers at a market price which was 23 per cent lower than it is now (Corporation, 2008) It also takes advantage of its size and benefits from economies of scale, however, this does not help Starbucks to increase its number of suppliers due to the circumstances within Starbucks own marketplace (Grant 2010). Prices are usually determined based on the demand and supply ratio, hence, with an increased level of competition (Kotler 2007), substitute suppliers are always available if Starbucks wishes to purchase at a different price point. Despite all the supplier conditions, Starbucks holds a better relationship status with its suppliers than most of its competitors (Starbucks, 2013). Threat of substitutes Product-for-product analysis together with an analysis of generic substitution is an important area to consider for Starbucks, since 14% of coffee drinkers have a favourable opinion for them (Rasmussen Reports 2011). The vast variety of the availability of different beverages such as soda, energy drinks, juices or water, in comparison to coffee, must be taken into consideration by Starbucks. However, this is not of a huge concern to Starbucks since it sells a large selection of these beverages within its stores, the biggest one being tea, a direct substitute to coffee. Starbucks has taken the initiative to sell this direct substitute product under its own Tazo ® Tea brand (Starbucks 2013). There is quite a concern when the threat of customers substituting away from Starbucks and going for direct competitors such as Cafà © Nero and Costa Coffee (for example in the UK) is considered. These direct competitors are hard to differentiate because they also truly pride themselves on customer services and on the quality of their speciality drinks. Large food chain competitors such as McDonalds are usually known as having a negative undertone of being cheap, often compromising on the quality of coffee. This has no effect on Starbucks targeted customer base (Grant 2010). Threat of entry The barriers to entry in the specialty coffee market, such as the one Starbucks operates in have increased. This has reduced the potential threat of new entrants (Patton 2012). The capital requirement for small coffee shops in this industry is relatively small as the shops require a small amount of floor space and not a high amount of technology is used, which is normally the biggest start-up cost. As a result the potential for more of these small coffee shops to enter the industry is still present (Articlesbase 2011). Industry Rivalry McDonalds and other fast food chains are key competitors which are diversifying their beverage menu. The direct competitors like Costa Coffee and Cafà © Nero compete on a much more of a parallel with Starbucks compared to the fast food chains, as they attract the same consumer base and offer similar products as in the way Starbucks does. Starbucks differentiates itself from other coffeehouses as it reaps higher margins from its specialty drinks. This is because it takes advantage of economies of scale and has a different cost structure in contrast with other competitors in the market. They pay less for the products bought in bulk, such as dairy goods, syrups, paper goods etc (Starbucks 10K 2010). Strategic Recommendation Whether Starbucks coffee has the actual quality to attract customers or whether there is just a perception of it being better than that of competitors has been the subject of much discussion on public media through many recent surveys and reviews. Irrespective of that, some possible strategies to be considered by Starbucks in order to maintain its market position are as follows: Strategy to renew the Starbucks brand name. To maintain a strong brand name, Starbucks will have to assure people that their coffee is better than all other beverages, be it McDonalds coffee or Costa Coffee; by introducing a more aggressive advertising campaign in order to educate and acquaint customers about the uniqueness that Starbucks quality offers as well as by diversifying advertising channels using internet, visual media etc instead of depending on employee-customer liaison (Starbucks, 2013) Product Differentiation Product differentiation is very vital in order to develop new flavour, blends and also roast fusions (Ross Gaddis, 2013) Starbucks should continue its coffee development program efforts through extensive research. This should continue to be done by providing free samples, at first, leading to launching the new product into all stores depending on what response it gets from the samples distributed (Porter, 2008) Due to the recession, consumers try to cut their spending and are less likely to buy a cup of coffee for  £2.50, and therefore, differentiation can be a useful tool to overcome economic downturns (Moon, 2010) Starbucks can promote new cost efficient products by selling them at lower prices, hence not affecting its luxury-premium status in the market. This strategy can help Starbucks retain its customers as well as intensify their brand name. Privilege Card and Rewards Program Starbucks Card program for consumers to reload credit online has been implemented in order to not only provide customers with rewards on online registering but also benefiting them with complementary beverages after a certain number of purchases, free refills as well as free syrup options (Starbucks, 2013). However, other competitors also have similar strategies for consumers and this leads Starbucks to offer distinct rewards in order to deliver incentives for coffee consumers as compared to its rivals. For instance, Starbucks could cooperate with airline companies and various large retail businesses so as to combine their rewards program with Starbucks (Hill Jones, 2010) Focus on the coffee Starbucks should also consider cost reduction as well as potential growth strategies especially at the time of economic downturn. For example, Starbucks has begun to invest in new businesses other than coffee, such as films, music and books (Starbucks, 2013) This has led Starbucks to incurring higher costs and lower profit margins but this can be prevented by focusing on different marketing techniques to reach a wider audience. In these recessionary times, involving itself in fewer businesses can help Starbucks cut down costs and more resources can be utilised to improve their core product, which is coffee (Moon, 2010) Efficient Store Expansion Decision The launch of more stores has had to be reduced or halted completely in order for Starbucks to survive at the time recession in the United States. In the year 2007, Starbucks opened about 1700 stores; today it has around 15000 stores and still aims to build the number of stores up to 40000 in the foreseeable future (Corporation, 2008) Taking into account its overall financial performance as well as the downfall in the economy, it is best if Starbucks focuses on renewing its brand and customer base rather than opening stores at present (Omer, 2008). The Starbucks Feel People enter a Starbucks store not just for a cup of coffee but also for the relaxed environment and the opportunity to de-stress for a while. The initiative to write customers names on their cups adds to this club atmosphere. This Starbucks feel needs to be further developed and sold to the customers. SECTION 6 References Aktouf, O., Chenoufi, M., Holford, W.D. 2005. The False Expectations of Michael Porters Strategic Management Framework. Problems Perspectives in Management (4) 181 available from: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/19299836/false-expectations-michael-porters-strategic-management-framework Articlesbase 2011. The Initial Capital Investment in Starting a Coffee Shop Business. Articlesbase available from: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/the-initial-capital-investment-in-starting-a-coffee-shop-business-5185126.html Accessed 18 April 2013. Business, N., 2011. www.bbc.co.uk. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20573208 [Accessed March 2013]. BBC News Business 2013. Starbucks rejects tax row threat after Cameron Speech. 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