Nutrition †Food Essay

Thesis Statement Most of the college students have unhealthy food preferences. Topic Outline I.Influence of Media A. Calorie-dense foods are extremely rewarding to consume. B.Causes greater snack food consumption. II.Income of an individual A.Eating healthy is expensive. B.Low income individual eat and buy cheaper foods. III.Convenience A.Fast and easy access 1.Delivery services 2.Ready to eat foods a. frozen foods 1.)TV dinners 2.)shelf-stable products 3.)prepared mixes B.Saves time Food, in order to serve its purpose, should first be consumed. Under normal circumstances, food is consumed only if it is palatable enough for the consumer. It therefore becomes a great responsibility of one who prepares and serves food to make the food palatable besides being nutritious and safe. Food habits do not develop in a vacuum. Like other forms of human behavior, they are the result of many personal, cultural, social, and psychological influences (Williams, 1974). Nowadays, teenagers choose food they like without considering about it contains. Because of busy life, they choose fast food, snack which is non-nutritive over nutritive-rich ones like rice, meat, and do not care if it shortens their life, damage their health or cause many diseases. There are numerous factors that affect the food habits of each person within a culture. Some of this is the societal factor and the lifestyle factor. In societal factor, the food production and distribution system are responsible for the availability of foods which differs from region to region and country to country. Food availability influenced by the socioeconomic and political systems. On the other hand, in lifestyle, both availability and control of food at the societal level affect the lifestyle factors of individuals. These factors includes income, occupation, place of residence, regional differences, religious beliefs, health beliefs, physiological characteristics, puberty, gender, person’s state of health and lastly, the household structure and composition (Kittler & Sucher, 2004).

British Management Theory and Practice the Impact of Fayol

Ian Smith, Trevor Boyns, (2005),†British management theory and practice: the impact of Fayol†, Management Decision, Vol. 43 Iss: 10 pp. 1317 – 1334 This paper re-examines the impact of Fayol’s work on theory and practice of management in Britain, first, in the interwar period and second, in the post-war period of 1945 to the late 1960s. Lyndall Urwick, a respected British management thinker and writer described Fayol as â€Å"the most distinguished figure which Europe contributed to the management movement up to the end of the first half of the present century†(Smith I, Boyns T, 2005) in Urwick’s publishes and translated speeches.Urwick supported Fayol’s general principles of management ensuring an influence on post-war British management theories known as the neoclassical school during the 1950s. Fayol’s principles took place among theories within scientific management bundle which offered an intelligent inputs coupled to a genui ne belief in industrial efficiency. Further research into British management practice during that era, Fayol’s influence proved problematic due to the emphasis of British management on pragmatism and narrow focus on control which allowed little, if any, accommodation for Fayol’s model.Twenty years or so after Second World War, Fayol’s impact, especially after Urwick’s intervention, was on management theory however not management practice. Since 1970, the focus of management thinking had turned away from the functions of management towards to understanding management and managing through an examination of what managers do. This article concludes whether Henri Fayol’s contribution is relevant today. This suggests that the history academics realized his work had significantly contributed to the study in management today, and Fayol’s ideas continued to be more influential in the realm of theory than practice in Britain.

Positve And Negative Emotions

The Broaden- and- build theory created by Barbara Fredrickson (2001) describes how positive emotions open up our thinking and actions to new possibilities, and how this expansion can help build physical, psychological, and social resources that promote well-being (Baumgardner, 2009). In correlation as suggested by Fredrickson (2001), positive emotions include joy, interest, contentment, pride and love. They all provide the ability to broaden one’s momentary thought-action repertoires and help build their personal resources (Baumgardner, 2009).The benefits of positive emotions are more general and long-term rather than the short-term effects possessed by negative emotions. Men and women have different ways of expressing the same emotion. Hence, when a woman is sad, they tend to show depression for their sadness, whereas men tend to show anger when dealing with sadness. They both feel the same way, but show it differently. When women are angry their feeling gets expressed throug h words and sadness. As opposed to men their sadness is shown with anger and resentfulness. Men and women do not feel differently with a negative emotion, but simply react differently to the emotion.Research shows that men tend to use the left side (reasoning) of their brain more than women. Women use both the left and the right (emotional) sides of their brain. This provides women the ability to understand people and express their emotions more effectively (Brenda, 2013). The research found is mixed regarding the emotional differences between the sexes. Strong evidence has been found that there are differences in the way men and women detect, process, and express emotion. Other studies show that men and women share more emotional similarities than differences (Thompson, 2013).

Arguemenitive and analytic style essay proving Aristotle's theory

Arguemenitive and analytic style proving Aristotle's theory regarding the body and soul - Essay Example From these studies I can well analyze that there are assumptions that these theorists have undertaken while determining the concept of the body and the soul. For example, the theorists who had earlier declared that the body and the soul are not dependent on each other might not have realized the inner connections between them while concluding their reflections. According to Aristotle, the soul is the basis for the structure of the human body. Thus any gap between the soul and the body was not accepted as part of his theory. Other views in regard to affecting the growth and development of the body without the soul were irreconcilable in their own respects. (Bos, 6-9). I second to Aristotle’s understandings as his studies clearly present an association of the body and the soul. Here it would be appropriate to mention that a body without its inner responses and features would not reflect any behavior or nature for its representation to the world. Thus its connection and dependency on the soul makes precise sense to the active presentation of its emotions and feelings which in turn is utilized by the soul as well. There are other views to the concerned topic as well. Theories as presented by Plato were based on dualism that ignored the existence of the soul and determined that the human body had no dependence on the soul. Thus according to Plato, the soul was immortal; a view that was completely against the view of Aristotle (Pelosi, 3-4). I can analyze at this point that theorists like Plato might have made assumptions based on the external features of a human body and did not consider the inner associations without which a body does not present life. This, to me, reflects the need for further research and analyze that has been successfully assessed and presented by Aristotle. Aristotle focused on fundamental facts of biology, and integrated his thoughts of philosophy, as well as analyzed his predecessors and concluded on

Finance memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Finance memo - Essay Example The objective of weekly loan facility was to promote liquidity in the treasury and security markets, which could result in advanced occupation of financial markets. The TALF was announced in the month of November 2008. The prime objective of this facility was to provide a funding facility to meet the needs of small and domestic businesses through the support of issuance of asset-backed securities. The TSLF is in contrast to the conventional monetary policy used by the Federal Reserve used to answer the disruptions of the credit market. TSLF creates support of liquidity for the primary dealers where they are operating. TSLF was used in contrast to the conventional interest rate policy where the Federal Reserve eyes to increase the rate of interest at which the interbank dealing takes place. The Federal Reserve had to carry out asset purchases of large scale in order to increase interest rates. (Advisers) TALF is considered as a monetary policy tool by the Federal Reserve as it was aimed at reopening of the securitization market in order to improve the access towards the credit instruments for the small and household businesses. (Brown) This has given a rise to the consumer and small business lending where the investors have gained a lot of confidence in the ability of the market to function without the support of the government. It was noticed that by March 2009, the percentage of purchase of the asset backed securities using TALF was around 60%.

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DIFFICULTIES OF PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER Essay

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE DIFFICULTIES OF PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE - Essay Example This essay will explicate customer service and its recent trends, its good and negative practices, the disadvantages of bad customer service, its difficulties and how to improve this as a profession. Customer Service: The Basic Customer service relates to marketing and sale of product to a customer from manufacturer to targeted end-user (La Londe and Zinser, 1976). In this service, there is so much need about worker’s availability, reliability, quality delivery of services, responsiveness, organizational ability, communication skill and flexibility. While valuing customer, the customer service representative (CSR) should integrate quality service to develop customer retention and to inculcate competitive advantage in the marketing arena. As such, this means that the CSR is able to contribute improve the profitability of the company. Positive Customer service It is perceived that positive customer service is characterized with sensitivity to buy and sell transactional relations , sufficient knowledge on the crossing-points in the supply chain viz-a-viz marketing orientation, organization in performing tasks and good cognizance of the factors relating to buying-and-sell situation. The customer must therefore be knowledgeable on standard product or service delivery system; immediately recognize critical service problems; develop customer communication system; and have ability to build relations with clients. Kano, Seraku, Takahasi,& Tsuji (1984) explained that positive service is obtain whenever customer satisfaction and marketing strategies are achieved through quality management. Kano et.al (1984). This refers to the ability of the customer representative to meet the six quality attributes. These factors are basic entry threshold toward customer fulfillment, excitement factor, and performance ability (Kano et.al, 1984). Other factors are the indifferent, questionable and reverse attributes. The latter are not much regarded by customers though (Kano et.al., 1984). It is essential however that the customer service representative is able to articulate to customer the basic features of the product or service sold and relate with flexibility, simplicity, adjustability and cost (Kano et.al,1984). As workers, they must be able to balance the financial, customer, business processes and learning perspectives while tending to clients. Financial factor refers to an attribute of being knowledgeable on company’s financial data, including automation of financial processing, to keep them abreast on market risks and to ascertain cost-benefit of investment (Kano et.al,1984). On customer sensitivity, performance management CSR must be able to meet reasonably the customers’ needs and satisfaction (Kano et.al,1984). On the business side, CSR should know how to contribute in strategic management because his task is ultimately linked with the overall goal of the company he or she represents (Kano et.al,1984). He is part of the support process es. Balancing views on these factors can help bolster the performance of the company. It assists in integrating quality and customer service programs for profit, reliability, influence, customer empathy and to ensure quality assurance (Kano et.al,1984).

The Case of the Performance Appraisal Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The of the Performance Appraisal - Case Study Example At the very beginning of the hiring process, discrimination maybe avoided through adequate training of individuals involved in the selection process on age discrimination laws and regulation, creation of a well-structured criterion that is not biased heavily towards younger applicants. Like all problems revolving around the workforce, age discrimination is also an issue that is best handled as early as it occurs. A strong commitment by the management and a proactive attitude towards the elimination of this problem is essential. This involves a careful review of job descriptions to analyze the scope of responsibilities at each position and ensuring the existence of a good compensation system. Additionally a clear and transparent performance appraisal system is necessary in communicating a just and fair management that bases its decisions for layoffs on performance indicators as opposed to controversial factors such as age.(Jenny Cromie, 2008). Experts propound that decisions that are based on â€Å"the position and not the person† are less likely to be received as discriminatory by the workforce (Jenny Cromie, 2008). In a study on age discrimination in stimulated employment settings it was found that older people are less likely to be rated favorably in the absence of job relevant information (Finkelstein, Burke & Raju 1995) In order to discourage discrimination by coworkers, managers must ensure the clear communication of company policy on age discrimination highlighting its commitment to providing equal opportunities and maintaining a fair approach towards the entire workforce. Section III An increasing number of employees are covered by the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA) which overs employees over 40 years of age. Such laws in addition to a relatively sluggish world economy has contributed to a large number of older workers preferring to stay in their jobs for longer than some employers may expect (Jenny Cromie, 2008). Under such conditio ns it is not uncommon that corporations are often drawn into lengthy lawsuits by laid off employees in addition to facing the lack of morale in the workers that remain. It is therefore useful to consider alternative options that allow organizations to retain their elderly workers without experiencing an increase in costs. A mutually beneficial arrangement in the form of ‘Job Sharing’ appears as a useful tool for employers who wish to retain older employees. This could effectively make it possible for the business to make part time work available and hence attract applicants while still retaining the full time coverage of a job. The combination of different perspectives and experiences on the same job can be fruitful in generating new and creative ideas and speedy problem solving techniques. Encouraging professional development of the work force in general and ensuring adequate training of older employees as newer systems are adopted can also help in reducing the gap bet ween

U.S. Involvement in the military coup against Hugo Chavez Essay

U.S. Involvement in the military coup against Hugo Chavez - Essay Example The coup was later given up by Hugo Chavez which had taken 16 lives and resulted in injuring of 60 individuals. Chavez spent his life in jail for 2 years before being pardoned. He later reorganized his movement turning from a military officer into a Politician. [3] The opposition has been striving to oust the president through legal legislation methodology since 2002 accusing him of imitating the communist Cuban State but in 2004 it managed to secure a referendum on his leadership which only helped in Mr. Chavez getting more strength, winning the referendum won by a large majority and went on to win the 2006 presidential elections. Hugo Chavez has also been the first world leader who has attacked the US president on the floor of the United States; Nikita Khrushchev of the former Soviet Union, threatened the West in 1960, but he did not personally attack President Eisenhower. He said, "The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said, referring to Mr. Bushs address on Tuesday and making the sign of the cross. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."[4] On 9th of April 2002, a two day strike was called by Carlos Ortega by CTV (Confederation of Workers of Venezuela) in which scored of hundred of thousands of strike suporters took to the street of the capital [5] and marched towards the headquarters of Vanezuela’s State owned oil Company Petrà ³leos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) on the 11th of April 2002. The mob was supporting the recently fired management of the oil company. A demonstration in support of the President Chavez was also being staged at the presidential palace and the organizers of the strike supporters decided to re-direct the mob to the presidential palace which resulted in severe violence eruption between the supporters of the two demonstrations. While the action was on, the head of the venezuelan army Lucas Rincon Romero announced the resignation of the Chavez from the

Double Jeopardy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Double Jeopardy - Essay Example One of her fellow inmates offers her a piece of legal advice concerning the 5th amendment of the US constitution called the double jeopardy clause (Rudstein 14). Due to the double jeopardy clause provided by the constitution, Elizabeth will not get convicted again for shooting and killing his husband in the film. The double jeopardy clause will provide that she does not become re-prosecuted for the same crime that she committed and got convicted of (Rudstein 14). Elizabeth had served a 6 year sentence for the wrongful conviction of killing her husband by the time she got paroled. When she gets out of prison and rightfully tracks down her husband for framing her, she is within her constitutional right to kill him. The constitutional amendment provided in the double jeopardy clause would ensure that Libby does not get convicted of the same crime of killing her husband twice. This means that she will avoid another stint in

Assassinations to Sustain Governments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assassinations to Sustain Governments - Essay Example So, Stalin was evidently using all the harassments against his rivals to sustain his government that otherwise would have lost the public support. 2. Sergei Kirov was one of Stalins closest supporters on the Politburo and was in 1934, the party boss of Leningrad. At the 1934 Party Congress, Kirov changed side and began criticizing Stalin and his cruel policies. Fearless ones agreed with Kirov while other less daring ones stayed silent. Stalins position in the Central Committee was under doubt as Kirov pocketed highest number of votes while Stalin got zero. So, Stalin decided to take action against Kirov, the emerging rival for leadership in the Party. On 1st December 1934, Stalin had Kirov assassinated. On the same day, Stalin passed a law that ordered anyone accused of terrorism and plots against the government was to be arrested and executed immediately after conviction (Furia 8 - 9). 3. Stalin feared if Sergei Kirov would grab power from him. So, he tried to persuade Kirov to be loyal to him. Stalin asked Kirov to leave Leningrad to join him in Moscow. Stalin wanted Kirov in a place where he could keep a close eye on him. When Kirov refused, Stalin decided to have him assassinated (Furia 8 - 9). 4. Kirov was a potential rival in the party against Stalin. He used to disagree with Stalin over the issue of democracy within the party. Stalin feared if Sergei Kirov would topple him down from power. So, he tried to persuade Kirov to be loyal to him. Stalin asked Kirov to leave Leningrad to join him in Moscow. Stalin wanted Kirov in a place where he could keep a close eye on him. When Kirov refused, Stalin decided to have him assassinated. He was shot dead on December 1st 1934 by a party member called Leonid Nikolayev (Furia 8 - 9). 5. The assassination of Kirov turned out as expected by Stalin. Whatever Stalins specific role in the assassination of his political rival Kirov, he used the murder as an alleged reason for eliminating

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

Corporate Financial Management - Essay Example Vodafone Group is a British international telecommunications corporation with the headquarters situated in London. The corporation also has its enlisted administrative centre in Newbury, Berkshire.In addition,Vodafone is the second largest mobile telecommunications corporation in the world,calculated by both 2011 earnings and subscribers,and as at December 2011,it had 439 million users.Also, Vodafone operates and owns networks in more than thirty nations and contains partner networks in more than forty extra nations. Its Vodafone Global Enterprise offers Information Technology and telecommunications services to corporate consumers in more than sixty five countries. Moreover, Vodafone has a 45% stake at Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless is the leading mobile telecommunications corporation in the United States of America calculated by users. Vodafone is also listed in the London Stock Exchange and is a part of the FTSE 100 index. As of July 2012, Vodacom had a market capitalization of almost 89.1 billion pounds. This was the third leading of any organization listed on the London Stock Exchange. Vodafone also contains a secondary listing on NASDAQ. Additionally, the name Vodafone is derived from voice data fone, selected by the corporation to illustrate the offering of voice and data services using mobile phones. Vodafone has a vision of being the leading mobile communication company in the world and a significant element of this is to make sure that consumers admire and trust the company. The company attains this by adapting a responsible model to the way it carries out its business activities. This augments its standing and develops customer loyalty. The company’s business strategy and corporate responsibility strategy are also interconnected. Vodafone holds the view that long-term commercial benefits emerge from doing business in a sustainable manner. Vodafone adopts a two-fold approach in doing business. One is to offer product extension. This entails introducing new services, dimensions, and features in saturated areas. These are regions like Europe and USA which contain complicated consumers who expect and want novel functions from their mobile phones. Establishing new ways of delivering services and products helps to preserve existing users and appeal to new ones. For instance, 3G technology has enhanced the quality and capacity of transferring voice and data. The second is looking for openings in emerging sectors (Vodafone Group 2012, p. 54). These include a number of the globe’s more remote regions, including some regions in Africa, where a large number of individuals cannot have access to a mobile phone. This paper will analyse the sources of finances, gearing of Vodafone during the last five years. The paper will realize this by providing a critical evaluation of the gearing and policies of the company with regard to its corporate objectives, relevant theories, and industrial sector practices. The foremost objective of Vodafone as a business unit is the maximization of profit. The organization also has a mission statement which makes sure that this foremost objective is attained in the most suitable manner possible. The mission statement is to be the leading communication company in a progressively more connected globe. Correspondingly, the mission statement is passed on to all shareholders of the organization, particularly to the company’s workers, largely because it is the workers who make the most significant contribution in accomplishing the objectives of the company. Vodafone is also dedicated to offering markets with less developed infrastructure the necessary technology to establish communication which will be of significance both socially and economically. Finally, it is committed to accomplishing its goals by providing superior and innovative services. Vodafone provides both basic telecommunication services, for example, text messaging and mobile phone calls, and

Prison Inmates Should Be Allowed To Take College Courses Essay Example for Free

Prison Inmates Should Be Allowed To Take College Courses Essay Prison Inmates Should Be Allowed To Take College Courses Prison inmates should be allowed to take college course because having an education helps reform the inmate into a useful member of society. Education is useful in helping the inmate acquire the life skills necessary to make a life change for the better. Studies have shown that inmates who participate in educational programs were less likely to recidivate once released back into to society than those who did ot participate. Allowing prisoners to take college courses restructures the way inmates think and benefits society as a whole by helping inmates adapt once released, providing Job skills necessary to find work, and aiding in inmate rehabilitation. Providing an education for inmates helps them acquire the necessary life skills to make better choices once released and makes it easier to adapt to life outside the prison walls. An educated person is better able to choose etween right and wrong and also make wiser decisions. By restructuring the way an inmate thinks, the inmate makes better choices and finds better role models to emulate. An inmate who has the ability to read and write is better able to find information for himself and is more likely to use that information to make informed decisions. It is therefore easy to deduce, an inmate who has received a prison education can think more clearly and will act more positively preventing most inmates from recidivism. Using the education gained in prison will facilitate an inmates adaption to society and provides the necessary Jobs skills to find work once released. Education for inmates helps build a foundation for future success and provides the Job skills necessary to help inmates find work once they are released. Teaching basic educational skills to inmates such as reading, writing, and math skills increases their chances of passing employment tests and greatly improves their..

Postmodernism in the media

Postmodernism in the media Introduction to postmodernism, the media and the real The increasingly mediatised culture we live in today has lead us to be dominated by and dependent upon the production and consumption of images. Notions of objectivity and empiricism in the photographic have long since disappeared, but can we still locate our sense of the real in images? This dissertation will use many theories and ideas that discuss the role of photography, postmodernism and the real within todays culture and media. It will start with a discussion of the reasoning for the initial shift back towards the real. This shift mainly stemmed from postmodernism and the media. Postmodernism dealt with the idea of never ending reference and the fear about post-modern culture was that this never ending reference meant that all grip on reality had disappeared. There was a wish to return to something more stable and basic: the real? Photographers started to try and return to the purely descriptive photography from the times before the mass referencing of postmodernism. Due to pos tmodernism, we are constantly searching for meaning and analysis in images. This constant analysis of images has exhausted our trust and interest in the photograph; there was a need to create images different from the ones we see every day in the media in order to re-find our trust in the image as truth and as art. Which will lead onto looking at how, due to advances in technology and developments in photography, the new fast changing everyday image led to our relationships and emotions becoming mediatised. We re-live events and experiences through images, which leads to a loss of the real. We remember the image rather than the event. The media have a huge influence on events, advertising even our emotions and relationships. I will look at how some photographers can play a part in the manipulation and influence from the media that seems so much to control us and shape our world. But some photographers began to step away from the media, and postmodernism, older, slower technologies b egan to re-emerge. The single image produced from these methods of working could bring back the processes of our memory that have been complicated due to the sheer amount of information we get from other technologies. This leads onto the main question posed in this dissertation: can we ever (re)find the real? How much is this notion of the real influenced and shaped by the media influence in our world? Some would say that even photos that appear to be descriptive cannot escape being subjected to analysis and placed within a context of viewing. Maybe they can never be void of reference and construction? Maybe images can never provide the clear, stable version of reality that we want from them? Will we continue to be consumed by images, or is there a future beyond the cycle of referencing left by postmodernism? Can we ever (re)find authenticity, originality and a true form of photography that can direct us to the real? How has this affected our media? And how has it influenced the media to change and shape our world? Chapter One What caused people to lose a sense of the real? Postmodernism emerged as an art form in the mid to late 1980s and seemed to grow from and relate to the modernist movement. Postmodernism simply rejected the idea of originality; the original, new element within a photograph was replaced with the concept of reference and quotation. Finding something authentic and original as an idea was discarded. Essentially, postmodernism is the end of the new as something new within Postmodernism is looked upon as the byproduct of re-combining one or more different elements from within an already existing culture. An image has to refer to, use or quote another image or text, which will have referred to another image, which will have referred to a further different image and so on; a never-ending reference has begun and we begin to lose a sense of the real. Postmodernist culture enjoyed this play with signs of never ending reference, where the more you played the less anyone seemed to know what reality it was touching (Bate 2004)(1) Some early Postmodernist photographers include Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Edward Weston and Cindy Sherman. Shermans untitled films stills refer to trashy Hollywood films. These early works of hers were cleverly named Untitled then Film Still no indicating that they can be given any meaning and could refer to an actual specific existing film. The viewer is given a reference which leads to yet another representation, not reality itself. In short: here is a picture from a film, but I am not going to tell you which one, a message complicated by the fact that the photographs were not actual films stills. (Bate2004)(2) The factor that was feared about postmodernism is that the never-ending reference meant that all grip on reality has disappeared and this lead to a wish to return to a simpler, more stable and basic way of working. We have lost a sense of what is real within art and culture due to reality being discarded in favour of mass inter-textual referencing. But the fear about post-modern culture was that there no longer an anchor to reality at all, that reality had disappeared into an endless chain of other representations. (Bate 2004)(3) There began to be a wish to return to the values of the straight and pure photograph of modernism and everything that post modernism had rejected. A wish to return to something stable and basic, a wish to take a purely descriptive photograph. Some photographers managed to create purely descriptive work, an example of this could be Justin Partykas work The East Anglians. This ongoing body of work about the rural and agricultural area of East Anglia is a purely descriptive study of the landscape and people, who live, work and own the land in it. But the title The East Anglians could refer to Robert Franks The Americans a post World War II look beneath the surface of American life. Is anybody of work free from this postmodernist trap every photographer seems to fall into. The rise in postmodernism lead to photography being used more as an art form, and began to become popular with both artists and the public. It was no longer a low form of art and became widely accepted. Photography was used more by everyone and so began to develop further, leading to major advances in technology. With the invention of mobile phone cameras and the internet and email, it is easy to take a photograph and send it anywhere in the world in seconds. These new technologies mediatised our relationships and emotions. Yet despite the idea that these mobile technologies bring us all closer to each other, we are caught up in a contradiction, since they increasingly mediatise our relationships to one another. To look at something it has to be kept at a distance. (Bate 2004)(4) With digital technology today, there is no longer a need to wait for photographs to be processed, no need to wait until the end of a holiday or event to see the photographs and an less limited amount of photographs can be taken on that one camera as opposed to the 24 or 36 with the most commonly used 35mm negative film. This means people are taking so many photographs of everything rather than considering what particularly they would like photographs of. An unlimited sense has been brought into photography. This has lead to a loss in the real, and a loss in the value of photography. Previously at an important event such as a holidays, birthdays or weddings, families would use probably just one camera and probably only one or 2 films per event, some families using just one film per year for every event, resulting in a few photographs being taken which would then be put in an album and often reviewed. Now with digital technologies, people tend to have many cameras per family and at eve ry event, small or large, hundreds of photographs can get taken, the difference being these would then be put on a computer and most would never be looked at. This is where we have lost the value of photography, before digital it was precious, every photograph was considered, thought about and enjoyed afterwards. This has also lead to us remembering the photograph of the event rather than the actual event. If we spend all day photographing what is going on around us, we will remember just those photographs and not what was actually happening; we remember the image rather than the real. Perhaps to properly look at something you have to take a step back, away from our fast pace society. The loss of the real in postmodernism and now in the digital era has left artist and photographs wishing to go back to simpler times. New art is often now made up of redundant processes which are older and slower which then sets this new art form apart from the images and photographs we see in everyday media culture. New technologies are being left in favour of older and slower ones which are apparently more real. More traditional and simple methods of photography seemed to be linked to the concept of the real, as they are different from the photographs we see every day on the news and in the media. Hal Foster in his book The Return of the Real says he feels that we have not left postmodernism completely, it has become what is normal to us; we have a postmodernism realism. The consequence of this that we change the way we want reality to be constructed. Foster feels that simply postmodernism has become dà ©modà ©. (Foster 1996)(5) Photography now draws on elements of film, advertisements, postcards etc. to create imagery that is inter-textual and referential to those other pictures, these new images create the realism of this visually mediated culture; post-modern realism is now the normal. Along with the development of photography, video and film also began to expand and change. Photography was the only way of stopping time, a photograph was a moment captured in time on film forever. Now a freeze frame like that can come from any number of sources. Photographs began to be pulled from existing moving images a video. This is achievable by anyone as DVDs or VHSs or even live television can be paused, creating a freeze frame a moment, captured in time. What was once the sole privilege and product of the photograph is now equally likely to be the result of a cinema or video freeze-frame (Bate 2004)(6) This has changed photography, as now instead of the image being of an actual event, they were now selected from the way the event had already been interpreted. Newspapers and news channels were no longer using photographers to capture the perfect picture; they were using video and selecting the image from the video. This is called second order realism. Selecting the decisive moment is still dependant on a person knowing when to push a button, but is now selecting a still from an already decided and produced moving image. A photograph is supposed to be a moment locked in time but now it is more often than not pulled out of an image bank full of video freeze-frames. Film and video has stolen what makes photography special the decisive moment. Therefore the specificity and specialness of photography has to find itself in some other attribute of photography. Chapter 2 How does the media shape our world and the concept of real? Mass media is a huge part of our lives today, and has to influence us in some way. Images have become our reality due to the media. A news story would not impact without an image, and as soon as an image is shown it is a reality and remembers as if the viewer was at the event themselves. Guy Debord in Comments on the Society of the Spectacle talks about how developments in photographs and mass media have contributed to what Debord describes as the society of the spectacle. In the spectacular world images and representations become our reality and everything exists as and for images. Real-life experiences become repressed and events take place in a mediated, pseudo-reality. Experience, events, and even our emotions, both on an individual and public scale are heavily mediated. Where images refer to one another endlessly the originality and authenticity of them are abolished. As a result of this, it is claimed we have lost any relation to the real. The spectacle has now spread itself to the point where it now permeates all reality (Debord 1988) (7) Victor Burgin studied people who believed that media events were their own memories in Possessive, Pensive and Possessed. Sociologists at the University of Provence found that people can become confused and merge their own personal memories with memories from scenes of films or other media productions. I saw at the cinema would simply become I saw. (Burgin 2006)(8) This is called a screen memory, where you remember something from a film instead of from real life. It is in place of and conceals a similar suppressed memory. In the past, big events did happen but people knew less about them as there was no type of media production to let them know. It rarely went beyond those involved. Now because of media we all know about every event, and add these events to our memories, even though we have not actually physically experienced them. We forget our real experiences and replace them with events from the media. For example, the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City will be remember by everyone worldwide, but only a small number of people actually experienced and saw the event, but everyone will remember the event and visualise it from the images they saw. When thinking of these terrorist attacks many people will think of this and many other images which were taken at the event. These images will be in their memory as if they were in New York City on that day, meaning they remember events from a media production which has now become their own memory which relates back to Burgins study into screen memories. Our reaction to big events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks is to experience and re-live the event through the images which are presented to us. Thomas De Zengotita talks of how there is a bubble of mediated representation which he calls the blob. In the world of the blob, momentous catastrophes such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks are almost poignant enough to burst the bubble, Something like that will feel as if it might be sharp enough, as if it might pierce the membrane and slice the pulp. (De Zengotita 2007)(9) With the developments in digital photography and manipulation we can find that we re-live and experience events that did not even happen. We look at a manipulated image, take it to be the truth and believe what is in there. The media can now influence us to believe something that is not true. Once we have seen the images, manipulated or not it is not surprising that our reaction is to experience and re-live the event through those images, adding them to our bank of mediated events in our memory. In other words, it all becomes part of the spectacle. Conclusion In this dissertation I have looked into postmodernism within photography and how this has changed what is the real and how the media influence the real and our emotions and shapes our world today. The rise in postmodernism meant a no-ending reference for every photograph, film etc. On photograph refers to another photograph which refers to a video, which in turn refers another photograph and so on. There was nothing new; post modernism was the end of the new. This results in a loss of the real, a loss of just purely descriptive photography. This loss of the real within photography is only enhanced by developments in photography making it accessible to everyone meaning the value of a photograph and photography is not as high. Which in turn is was not helped by the development in video and film, anyone being able to create a freeze-frame, a moment trapped in time by pausing their DVD, VHS or live TV player. Photography has lost what was special about it the decisive moment. Therefore, older more traditional photographic methods have begun to be used again, in a search for the real within photography. Furthermore, the media document every event and present their interpretation of this event to people in images. People experience and re-live that event through the images the media presented to us, and add those images into their own memories even though they did not actually experience the event themselves. This leads to losing what we know as reality. In my opinion, postmodernism and the no-ending reference meant that we are now always looking for analysis of a photograph and a reason and reference behind it. We cannot appreciate the beauty of a photograph if we are looking for something else within it, and that is where and why we end up losing a sense of the real. Developments in photography and film also have not helped with this, and a limit on the amount of photographs we take would mean the images can assist our memory not be our memory. This sense of the r eal is not lost, but could be forgotten within photography, and taking a step back just to look at a photograph as a whole would bring back the real into that photograph. References Postmodernist culture enjoyed this play with signs of never ending reference, where the more you played the less anyone seemed to know what reality it was touching (Bate 2004) In short: here is a picture from a film, but I am not going to tell you which one, a message complicated by the fact that the photographs were not actual films stills. (Bate2004) But the fear about post-modern culture was that there no longer an anchor to reality at all, that reality had disappeared into an endless chain of other representations. (Bate 2004) Yet despite the idea that these mobile technologies bring us all closer to each other, we are caught up in a contradiction, since they increasingly mediatise our relationships to one another. To look at something it has to be kept at a distance. (Bate 2004) Postmodernism has become dà ©modà ©. (Foster 1996) What was once the sole privilege and product of the photograph is now equally likely to be the result of a cinema or video freeze-frame (Bate 2004) The spectacle has now spread itself to the point where it now permeates all reality (Debord 1988) I saw at the cinema would simply become I saw. (Burgin 2006) Something like that will feel as if it might be sharp enough, as if it might pierce the membrane and slice the pulp. (De Zengotita 2007) Bibliography Books FOSTER H; The Return of The Real; The Avant-Garde at the End of The Century; 1996 DEBORD G; Comments on the Society of the Spectacle; 1988 DE ZENGOTITA T; Mediated: How The Media Shape Your World; 2007 Essays BATE D; After Thought, Source 40: 30-33; Belfast: Photo Works; 2004 BATE D; After Thought II, Source 41: 34-39; Belfast: Photo Works; 2004 BURGIN V; Possessive, Pensive and Possessed; The Cinematic, London, Whitechapel Ventures Ltd 2007 Websites http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN http://www.justinpartyka.com http://www.cindysherman.com/index.php http://www.lensculture.com/bate1.html

Microeconomic Analysis of Netflix

Microeconomic Analysis of Netflix Introduction This paper will assess the business operations of the Netflix Company from a microeconomics viewpoint examining and discussing how factors such as products supply and demand conditions, price elasticity of demand, cost of production, market entry barriers, market share, and market structure effect Netflix’s performance in their market. The paper will start with historical overview of the Netflix Company and conclude with recommendations based on the analysis suggesting how Netflix could run its future operations to stay competitive in the entertainment market and Industry. Company History Netflix began operation in 1997 as a DVD by mail rental service (About Netflix, 2017). After many years, it has morphed into the largest online television network, with over 100 million members worldwide which streams over 125 million hours of programming per day. Its members are able to watch on multiple different devices from just about anywhere, at any time. These entertainment choices include films, television, documentaries, and original programming (About Netflix, 2017). With an enterprise value of $71.47 billion, this internet giant has changed the way we consume modern media and entertainment (Netflix Enterprise Value, 2017). Netflix has frequently invested in original programming that is generated strongly based on the trends of the consumer. This company has market insight that Nielsen ratings can’t compare with. In addition to the number of people watching programming, Netflix can also tell when users watch, how long they typically watch for, what people want to see, and much more. This information is used to provide the highest quality experience for the consumer. With a large share of the online streaming market cornered, Netflix has openly said that their biggest current competitor is sleep (Netflixs View: Internet TV is replacing linear TV, 2017). Supply and Demand Conditions Supply and demand is the availability of an outcome for a certain product and the demand for that product has on cost. Meaning that if there is a low supply with a high demand the price increases or if the supply is greater with a demand that is lower than the price will likely drop. When it comes to Netflix and its supply and demand conditions, you can see that they are also vulnerable to the same supply and demand stress as other business organizations. Netflix is constantly expanding the streaming list of content providers along with their competitors such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO and other premium networks. The demand for growth in these streaming companies has driven prices upwards over the last few years. The cable industry, which is what Netflix is classified under, is continuously and quickly changing.   Advances in technology have driven the demand for cable television and companies like Netflix to have easily and quickly accessible content. In 1948, cable television originated in Arkansas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania to enhance poor reception of traditional broadcast television signals in remote areas. (History of Cable, n.d.) During the 50’s and 60’s, cable subscriptions grew from 14,000 subscribers to 850,000 subscribers. From the 1990’s into the present, cable has continued to rapidly grow due to the different services that it offered customers. As customers started demanding higher quality cable service, the demand for basic cable started to decline. Satellite television originally provided more channels to their customers which increased the demand for these more extensive systems over the traditional basic cable system. Due to this high demand, the costs for these products continues to grow. The latest movement in the cable television industry is media streaming. This has caused massive growth for Netflix and similar services. Netflix has positioned itself to be a frontrunner in the media streaming industry. As a streaming provider, Netflix gives its customers the ability to watch ad free content from a large array of devices, at any time. This makes for a high demand as it gives customers more freedom than traditional cable packages. One other factor is the low cost of Netflix compared to the cost of cable subscriptions. The average monthly cable bill is over $120, which is more than a $35 average increase from the cost in 2011, while the average monthly fee for streaming services is $8 per month.   With the demand for streaming services on the rise, it is understandable that Netflix subscriptions would increase. If Netflix continues to grow its internet television concept of providing TV shows and movies that customers demand, it will hold their spot as an industry leader in the marketplace.   With very strong reception from critics and customers alike, they will need to continue with the production of original content, such as original TV series and movies, which have not only increased the demand for services, but has also increased their profits. There are few supply issues facing Netflix. In the streaming market, there are few competing firms that may threaten the market share of Netflix. These firms offer alike services at a comparable price to Netflix This means that the amount of substitutes that can supply similar quality services as Netflix are few.   The largest supply issue Netflix faces is technological change.   However, keeping up relations with various electronic devices, remaining relevant should be fairly easy. Price Elasticity and Demand Price elasticity of demand the relationship between change in the demanded quantity of a product and a change in the products price. If the price of services increase, it could affect the quantity of services demanded. There are a handful of quality substitutes for Netflix. In the cable industry itself, AT&T, Comcast, and Time-Warner, are all providers of services that compete for the same customers as Netflix. In the streaming market, Netflix competitors are other content providers such as Amazon Prime and Hulu. The major factor in this competition is pricing and content availability.  Ã‚   In 2014, Netflix increased consumer cost by $1-2 each month. While the price increase was a risky choice, it was necessary because of the rising prices of acquiring more content. Before this change, subscription plans for streaming and DVD rentals rose to $8 a month for streaming and $10 a month for streaming and DVD rentals. In 2011, this was raised again. All subscribers would have to pay $16 a month for both streaming and DVD rentals which is nearly a 60% rise in cost for the consumer. There was a large backlash from consumers as they felt that the small streaming library was not enough to justify those costs. This price increase was a way for Netflix to upgrade and expand the library content they were offering for streaming. With this price increase, Netflix lost nearly 750,000 subscribers and its stock tumbled in the following months. However, with Netflix expanding the production of their original series, this decrease of subscriber growth was only temporary. Netflix doesn†™t appear to see price elasticity as risk for their organization, but more of a prospect. As seen on the graph above, the stock and earnings of Netflix have proven to be growing at a steady rate over the last few years. Netflix has reported that the amount of watching from the average subscriber has grown in every quarter after the fourth quarter since 2011. Netflix continues to grow. In Argentina, United Kingdom, Brazil, Irelands, Chile, and Mexico is expected to make up more than a third of TV in the average household by 2020. If Netflix raised prices again, it could cause customers to other platforms because of the lower cost. On the other hand, if Netflix would lower its price, then the demand for its service could potentially increase. Netflix is a service that could be considered a luxury and not a necessity. This would provide Netflix a higher elasticity of demand. This may not be the case in the future as many people are beginning to use Netflix as their primary entertainment source. This means that in the customer’s budget, Netflix has already started to become a monthly expense, replacing standard cable services. As time goes on, it is expected that consumers will change their spending habits to completely move away from cable and move directly to streaming services which would increase the elasticity of Netflix. Although the expense is monthly, it will only be a small percentage of the consumer budget making it an inelastic demand. Because the market for media streaming is broadly defined, the number of available substitutes is low therefore it is inelastic. Netflix has shown to be profitably consistent, which allows shareholders to expand its equity as earnings are built up over time making Netflix more valuable. Money is being spent by Netflix to expand into more international markets after seeing huge success in its international growth into countries like the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada. This has allowed Netflix to study the trends of consumers across the world to create content that is palatable in many nations. This expansion should assist in lowering overall costs and increase the company’s profitability. Costs of Production Currently, Netflix offers streaming services on movies and TV shows. They have three subscription levels: Basic, Standard, and Premium. Netflix is currently working to grow their offerings and continue with original programming. The main cost that Netflix incurs comes from the licensing and production of their streamable titles. The cost of maintaining their content library has been quickly rising over the last five years as they expand the choices that they are offering to consumers, which can be seen in the chart below. While the largest cost for Netflix is their content, they also have various SG&A expenses, otherwise known as selling, general and administrative expenses. These expenses have also grown as the demand for their rises. From 2012 to 2015, these SG&A expenses had more than doubled. These costs have been growing as the consumer’s demand for more varied content grows and as Netflix expands into the international marketplace. This demand by consumers that Netflix has met, has resulted in a continuous growth for the Netflix Company. In 2016, the COGS had a nearly 32% increase in from the year previous. These growing costs for the most part have not prevented company growth. As you can see below, by continuing to increase the content available, Netflix has also helped itself to create strong sales growth. In 2016, Netflix experienced sales growth of 30.26%. Market Share While Netflix is the largest paid for streaming service, it has a market share of only around 12.7% (Netflix Incs Competitiveness, 2017) . The reason for this is that Netflix’s marketplace competitors are well established cable corporations and video providers that have many other products and services that would result in a higher revenue than Netflix. These companies include Amazon, Comcast, Cablevison, and Time Warner Cable. Although Netflix has strong sales growth, their profitability is lower than market competitors, with a net margin of 2.36%. Competitors in this market have an average net margin of just under 11% (NFLXs Competition by Segment and its Market Share, 2017). Due to the large capital and resources required to enter this market, Netflix will need to be aware of the streaming services provided by established cable companies and original content providers. These pose the greatest risk due to their large access to streamable content and access to existing customers. The market structure that Netflix operates under is an oligopoly. In an oligopoly, there are a few companies that control the entire market. In the streaming market, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Are the main competitors. In this type of market, price wars have a chance of occurring.   This means if one of these companies decides to drop its prices, the others must also drop prices in order to stay competitive. Taking a look at the current state of the market, this is evident because all of the major providers have comparably priced packages for their product. With Netflix being the market leader, they have large influence over this market. If Netflix decides to reduce prices, then Hulu and Amazon must also reduce consumer cost or risk losing customers to Netflix.   Recommendations With streaming quickly becoming the industry standard in television viewing, Netflix is expected to continue to increase its hold on the industry and market. Their current COGS while increasing, has provided Netflix a strong advantage in terms of sales growth due to their original content and variety of offerings. This current strategy seems to be working well for them. While some of the most expensive options to produce are original programming, these expensive productions are key to attracting customers due to the lack of availability from other previously subscribed to services.   This will also be helpful in further securing themselves in the marketplace. As mentioned earlier it will also be important for Netflix to keep developing their technology and continue to partner with different companies to update and keep their technology modern and relevant. By persistently providing the services and integration that consumers desire, Netflix can continue to expand its service to more consumers than it currently does.   If Netflix can continue to understand the wants of the consumers, then they will remain leaders in their market. Citations About Netflix. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://media.netflix.com/en/about-netflix Caporaso, T. (n.d.). Netflixs pricing strategies are bound by the same laws of supply and demand that affect every other commercial entitys rates. Retrieved July 30, 2017, from http://www.sdcexec.com/article/11442396/netflixs-pricing-strategies-are-bound-by-the-same-laws-of-supply-and-demand-that-affect-every-other-commercial-entitys-rates History of Cable. (n.d.). Retrieved August 20, 2017, from https://www.calcable.org/learn/history-of-cable/ NFLXs Competition by Segment and its Market Share. (2017). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from https://csimarket.com/stocks/competitionSEG2.php?code=NFLX Netflix Enterprise Value. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://ycharts.com/companies/NFLX/enterprise_value Netflix Incs Competitiveness. (2017). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from https://csimarket.com/stocks/compet_glance.php?code=NFLX Netflix Inc Income Statement. (2017). Retrieved August 06, 2017, from http://quotes.wsj.com/NFLX/financials/annual/income-statement Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) Stock Chart. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2017, from http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/nflx/stock-chart Netflix: revenue in 2016. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/272545/annual-revenue-of-netflix/ Netflixs View: Internet TV is replacing linear TV. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from https://ir.netflix.com/long-term-view.cfm TV Ratings. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2017, from http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/solutions/measurement/television.html

Physics Prac - Mesuring Wavelengths Of Light :: essays research papers

Aim: To determine the approximate value of l for red light using a diffraction kit. Theory: Diffraction of light is one explanation of the wave theory of light. Francesco Grimaldi first observed this type of behvaiour from light. However, Thomas Young was the scientist that was able to derive a mathematical formula where l can be calculated. The original experiment involved sending white light into a screen with two small holes to serve as point sources. The light from these sources was then projected onto a screen and light and dark bands were observed. The mathematical formula could then be used after taking certain measurements. Equipment: Light source (Ray box), Red cellophane, Double-slit slide, and Measuring rod (can be already attached to Ray box. Method: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Set up the ray box and place red cellophane in clip so that it is over the bulb. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Switch on ray box and stand approximately two meters away from the ray box, hold the slide up to your eye and look through one of the double slit patterns into the light. Observe disturbance pattern. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While looking through the slide, have someone move the white marker along the slide rule until its edge is approximately halfway inside a dark or light band. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Take measurement down and then repeat step 3 and gain measurement for other dark or light bands. Results: The results gained from the experiment were conclusive and accurate when compared to the original value for l for red light. Below is a table of the measurements recorded and calculations to gain l. Calculation (con't): The value d was calculated by placing the slide in a projector and then on the whiteboard (acting as a screen), marks were made. The slide had a measurement of 1cm and from this the ratio 35:1 was established. Measurements were then made and the slides actual measurements were determined. For this particular experiment, the slide marking D was used. L was measured also using simple trigonometry. The person viewing through the slide sat at a table and then looked down at the ray box on an angle.

Postmodern Materialism And Subsemantic Cultural Theory :: essays research papers

Postmodern materialism and subsemantic cultural theory 1. Structuralist rationalism and the subcapitalist paradigm of reality In the works of Gibson, a predominant concept is the concept of patriarchialist truth. The primary theme of the works of Gibson is not narrative, but neonarrative. But the closing/opening distinction prevalent in Gibson's Neuromancer is also evident in Idoru, although in a more mythopoetical sense. Lyotard's model of subdialectic Marxism suggests that the significance of the poet is significant form. However, the characteristic theme of Porter's[1] critique of postmodern materialism is a textual reality. Foucault suggests the use of subsemantic cultural theory to analyse and read sexual identity. 2. Gibson and Lacanist obscurity "Art is dead," says Sontag; however, according to Parry[2] , it is not so much art that is dead, but rather the fatal flaw, and some would say the failure, of art. Therefore, Marx uses the term 'the subcapitalist paradigm of reality' to denote the role of the reader as participant. Any number of deappropriations concerning postmodern materialism may be discovered. In the works of Smith, a predominant concept is the distinction between creation and destruction. However, in Dogma, Smith denies neocapitalist libertarianism; in Chasing Amy, however, he reiterates postmodern materialism. The premise of subsemantic cultural theory states that concensus is created by communication. Thus, Werther[3] suggests that we have to choose between the subcapitalist paradigm of reality and the textual paradigm of narrative. If postmodern materialism holds, the works of Madonna are reminiscent of Joyce. In a sense, postsemiotic theory implies that class has intrinsic meaning, but only if the premise of postmodern materialism is valid; otherwise, Lyotard's model of the subcapitalist paradigm of reality is one of "cultural Marxism", and therefore part of the dialectic of sexuality. Marx promotes the use of subsemantic cultural theory to deconstruct hierarchy. However, Lacan's model of the subcapitalist paradigm of reality holds that consciousness is capable of intent. Von Junz[4] states that we have to choose between subsemantic cultural theory and Sontagist camp. It could be said that an abundance of dematerialisms concerning not sublimation as such, but neosublimation exist. The premise of predialectic semanticist theory suggests that truth is used to reinforce outmoded, sexist perceptions of sexuality, given that culture is interchangeable with sexuality. 3. Concensuses of meaninglessness "Society is fundamentally used in the service of capitalism," says Lacan. Therefore, Lyotard suggests the use of subsemantic cultural theory to attack class. The primary theme of the works of Madonna is a self-falsifying whole.

The Law of One Price in Financial Markets

The Law of One Price in Financial Markets Owen A. Lamont and Richard H. Thaler The Law of One Price is an economic way of rational perspective to explain the expectation of price uniformity of a particular commodity or say any economics goods across national boundaries. The law tries to explain what a market price condition of a given goods should be, all things being equal, across global boundaries. This law will hold where every variable that has a causality effect on price variation are held constant.That is where there is absence of transaction cost and no restriction or barrier to trades Lamont and Thaler (2003) try to use real word scenario to explain the functionality and effectiveness of the law of one price. Under the assumption that the law could be realistic in completive market with no transaction and barrier to trade cost. The point of interest is to see whether this law could be violated. Using the aspirin market as an example, Lamont and Thaler are able to justify that it is very easy to violate the law in a consumer goods market.There are many factors that shape the consumer buying decision and some of these factors can actually lead to the violation of the law of one price. Example of such factors may include consumer foreknowledge about a product, influence of friends and family, perception about substitute goods or similar goods with brand variation. Owing to the factors that influence consumers buying decision of a consumers goods, it is difficult for Arbitrageur to have any influence in consumer goods market thereby causing the violation of the law of one price .Lamont and Thaler says there exist no open way to sell short a consumer product and because of preconception about a consumer product by the consumer, it is very difficult to predict when consumer will see the error in their way. In most instances, consumers realize their mistakes during post purchase evaluation Thaler and Lamont try to find see if the Law of one price is actually b eing kept in the financial market where there is room for short selling and transaction cost are pretty low. Using several examples from the financial arket, it is obvious that this law is being violated more often. Closed end investment fund or mutual fund case sighted by Thaler and Lamont might seems to be in violation of the Law of one price, but obviously from the analysis, the closed end mutual fund security and the underlying asset are not identical. And the fee charge by a fund manager for his service is somewhat rational. On the other hand, the ADR example using the Infosys example reflects the violation of the law of one price as obviously there are large discrepancies between the two prices.In the case of Twin share of Ryal Dutch and Shell, it is surprising that Royal Dutch was selling at a higher value than Dell even though it is pretty much a share of the same company but after the announcement that the US is dropping all foreign share, the market quickly reacted to the information and the premium on Royal Dutch dropped from 6% to 1% within 24 hours. Obviously, it the incident is a clear indication of the violation of the law of one price considering the fact that there are room for short selling and an ample opportunity for arbitrager to even get involvedConsidering all the cases presented by Thaler and Lamont, it is submitted that economists do need to focus more on whether the market is sending the right signal to the to the market participants or not. It can be concluded from the case studies that the law of one price should hold only if the same asset is selling at different price in different market simultaneously, then the arbitrageurs could step in take advantages of price differences which will allow it to make some pretty money for him/her self before the market get to equilibrium.However, it is logical to say that no two securities are completely identical. Nonetheless, it may be reasonable to say that arbitrageurs could still make some decent living in the presence of imperfect information in the financial market Work Cited Lamont, Owen A. and Richard H. Thaler. Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 17, Number 4—Fall 2003—Pages 191–202

African American in 19th Century Essay

The Civil war after effects; set the scene for what would become a long road of discovery, hardship, violence, and freedom however, during this process of transition the American people went through emotional as well economical changes which added additional stress to an already stressed nation where many groups became fearful and were subjected to racism which crossed over the boundary of liberty and Justice for all. Equality had become an endangered liberty guaranteed by a country build upon democracy, regrettably the African American people were not the only ones to suffer many vast groups faced hard days in America at the turn of the century several violent attacks were specifically carried out on the African American men and women even though, the civil war brought a lot of changes it produced little or no results for African American men; however, it did bring harsher persecution all over the country, whereas mass numbers of black men were lynched in the lower southern states in a show of defiance. â€Å"The Emancipation Act† did nothing for the white man but still provided less for the African black man who were still unable to vote in addition to having descent jobs with adequate pay many were forced back to the farm as sharecropper’s despite the set backs they percervered through the racial remarks and slanders. Black men and women were segragated from the start and separate waiting rooms bathrooms and dinning facilities openly poject the sentiments of the American people of the era,within the State of Mississippi; In Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896), The Supreme Court reinforced that â€Å"Blacks and Whites should be separate, but equal. † The statement SEPERATE but EQUAL! thosewords only produced Segregation on a bias legal system of fairness and equality in which a country struggling already became the fuel on a fire already burning and would later divided the country in later years sparking new violence and refocused hatred. More over the Men and women of that time were forced to swear on separate bibles, they couldn’t vote in the election in the country in which they were guaranteed equal rights because they were under disfranchisement, and the racism was developing more and more is some southern locations, for an example many southern states legislated that if your grandfather had cast a ballot then you are allowed to vote and this law supported that nearly all southern white mean were permitted to vote and excluded all African Americans in most situations men whose grandparents had most likely been slaves never voted. Booker T. Washington’s submitted a lot for the African Americans in turn of the century, after his famous speech in Atlanta 1895 (Atlanta Compromise) in about one year the African Americans got more rights, they began to use separated but equal facilities, it was stupid to say the least but it provided a line of truths temporarily and unfourantely included racist ideas inside but it was better than it had been before. Booker T. Washington’s met the American president Theodore Roosevelt at the white house in 1901 and that was a good step towards get the African American and their rights another great pioneer of that time was Du Boise who supported the right for equality and the strive to have equal opportunities within society however Booker T. Washington’s did a lot more for the African American rights, Washington became the Founder of the Niagara movement in 1905. † In 1909 the Niagara movement efforts led to foundation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which now is the enforcing representation of the African American whereas Booker T. Washington’s inspiration became a door way to freedom and allowed the African American man to have a voice in society. Finally, if I was African American living at that time, I will say that Booker T. Washington’s and Du Bois were the best representatives of the African Americans all over the country, and Booker T. Washington’s started the movement of the African Americans civil rights, while Du Bois came later to continue and support his efforts, they were great team and deserve the respect.

Business and the Economic Environment Essay

Introduction In this assignment I will be talking about Marks and Spencer and how the economic environment could have an effect on them. The economic environment is basically all the economic factors brought together. By saying economic factors, I mean aspects such as; employment, inflation, interest rates, productivity and wealth. All of these elements mentioned above have an influence on the buying behaviour of consumers and organisations. P1 In terms of economic variations for marks and spencer, the best way to explain the effect it would have on them is by using the business cycle. The business cycle is basically the periodic but irregular up and down movement in economic activity, measures by fluctuations in real GDP and other macro- economic variables such as inflation, interest rates and unemployment to mention a few. In simple terms it is the ups and downs of a nation’s economy. The business cycle mainly has four cycles; recession, recovery, growth and slump which repeat themselves over time. Recession is a period of reduced economic activity (economic growth slowing down) in which levels of buying, selling, production and employment go down. This means that during recession, Marks and Spencer would be affected because there will be a change on the buying behaviour of consumers. This will then lead to a sales revenue and profit decline for them. Due to low profits, they will cut their spending essentially cut back on hiring new employees and cut jobs for other by making them redundant in an effort to keep their business on track. They will also cut back on productions costs because consumers will cut back on spending as well which means they will not be buying as much. Recovery is the turning point from depression to expansion. During the period of recovery, there are expansions and rise in economic activities. For Marks and spencer there will be a steady rise in output, income, employment, prices and profits. During recovery for Marks and spencer will mean higher demand for products and services. There will be more hiring, because Marks and spencer will resume investments due to an increase in profits because customers are willing to spend more. They will steadily start opening other stores nationwide due to consumer demand hence more people to recruit. As more people will return to work, spending will increase, which will the demand for more goods and services hence they will start making a profit. Slump/trough during the slump period output slows down due to a reduction in demand. A slump can lead to recession (two negative quarters of economic growth). This can put Marks and Spencer under pressure because they will be forced to reduce costs, which will lead to increased unemployment as they make people redundant The rate of high unemployment will then mean that people will have less money to spend thus contributing to a downturn in the economy. During a slump output and income will fall leading to fall in consumption so basically Marks and Spencer will see a fall in sales because customers will not be spending and they will cut down on production costs as well so that they can save money. Growth: When the economy is at boom or peak, it is an increase in the capacity of an economy to produce goods and services. This is the stage where by Marks and Spencer will hire more people and there will be low unemployment. Customers will also be willing to spend more money therefore boosting sales for Marks and Spencer. Demand for goods and services will be high which means that production will be high so Marks and Spencer will be having high imports to stock up their shelves for consumers. There will be high investment levels for them; they can therefore use that money to pay off their suppliers or debtors. Inflation is the measurement of the annual percentage rise in average price level. A reduction is purchasing power an increase in the cost of living. With the rise in price levels Marks and Spencer will buy fewer goods because consumers will not spend as much money. As a result the purchasing power of money will be reduced with inflation. High inflation will distort consumer behaviour for Marks and Spencer. Consumers will spend less or buy their requirements in advance as inflation may destabilize markets and create unnecessary shortages. Employees in Marks and Spencer may demand higher wages in time of high inflation. If the claims are accepted it may make the inflation get worse. During high inflation, wide variations in inflation rates may make it difficult for Marks and Spencer to predict the future and calculate their sales returns. This can therefore challenge their confidence to predict their financial reports In the future. Inflation is measured by RPI (Retail Price Index) this is when government inspectors go round the shops every month and take samples of what consumers buy and add up the prices and compare them with the previous month’s prices. RPI normally includes mortgages. In 2012 it was measured at 2.9% Also CPI (Consumer Price Index) this is a measure of price in consumer goods and services e.g. food, clothing, etc. The CPI does not include mortgages. It was measured at 2.5% in 2012. Unemployment Marks and Spencer will be affected in a variety of ways when there is high unemployment. They will observe low consumer spending. When more people are out of work they do not have money to spend hence Marks and Spencer will be affected because there will be fewer people buying from their stores. People will then target inferior goods basically Marks and Spencer branded goods that are cheaper than brands and also may be of less quality to satisfy their needs. Employees working for Marks and Spencer may work for long hours and Marks and Spencer may not be able to give them a pay rise due to the low demand of goods. Managers will be less motivated because their business will be going down due to low profits. However, Marks and Spencer will benefit in the sense that if they wanted to employ anyone they will have the advantage to pick and choose due to the high number of applicants for one job role. P2 Government spending is also known as public spending and in UK it takes up to 45%of GDP. Government spending is classified in three areas; Transfer payments; this are payments made available through social security system. They include JSA, child benefit, Housing benefit, Income support etc. its main aim is to provide a basic income for unemployed people or a minimum standard of living for people with low income. Current government spending; this is basically spending on goods provided by the government e.g. salaries paid to people working in NHS and resources for education and defence etc. Capital spending; this is spending for infrastructure e.g. motorways and roads, schools, hospitals etc. Government policies on the other hand, are a set of policies produced by the government that are used and developed to influence the UK economy. They are divided in to different areas that influence the way that a business operates. Economic Policy, economic policies are actions taken by the government to influence its economy. Economic growth will be essential for government and Marks and Spencer as well. This will mean that the living standards will increase so it means that people will have more money to spend in Marks and Spencer and other retail shops. There will also be high demand for Marks and Spencer therefore they will be making profit. However if the government decide to increase tax rates, Marks and Spencer will grieve because it means that they have to increase the prices of their goods and services which means customers will be reluctant to spend money. Industrial Policy this relates to the government increasing industrial activity in the UK. This mostly focuses more on jobs and skills. For example if Marks and Spencer opens new industries to manufacture goods, they will create more jobs and find skilled labour to satisfy their customers. This policy is mainly used to raise people’s income, new technologies and demographic changes. Competition Policy this is a government policy to prevent and reduce abuse of monopoly power. Abuse of monopoly power can lead to market failure and be against the public. Therefore that’s why government steps in to protect the interests of consumers. To ensure that competition takes place in UK Competition Act 1998 is used to stop forcing rivals out of business, selling goods and services at different prices for different customers and limiting supplies to make sure prices go up among others. Fiscal Policy this covers the spending and taxation decisions of the government. The main aim of fiscal policy is to influence aggregate demand (total demand in the economy) by increasing government spending or reducing taxes. The effect of fiscal policy on Marks and Spencer is that when the Bank of England increases tax, they will have less money for hiring and investing and this may affect consumers because prices may increase. However if they decreased tax rates, this will stimulate investment spending and more job opportunities. Environmental Policy this regards to the environment. Basically for Marks and Spencer they need to make sure that they are protecting the environment by recycling and reducing carbon foot print. The Climate Change Act states that climate change risk management must be completed every five years. Businesses like Marks and Spencer must show how they are reducing carbon foot print and how they are protecting the environment. Monetary Policy comprises of changes in the rate of interest to influence the growth of aggregate demand, money supply and inflation, this works by changing the rate of growth of demand for money. If the Bank of England sets high interest rates prices will start falling and Marks and Spencer will see the changes in spending from consumers. This is mainly used to control inflation. However if it was vice versa, low interest rates will lead to more spending hence Marks and Spencer receiving more sales therefore more to pay dividends to shareholders or invest. The diagram below shows the increase in interest rates which lowers demands so prices fall from P to P1 and demand falls from AD1 to AD. M1 The government produces set of policies that it uses and develops to influence the economy. Â  Fiscal Policy is the use if taxes and government expenditure to control the total demand of the economy. Increase in taxes will decrease the demand. Government expenditure on the other hand, encourages people to purchase by reducing the price. Taxes and expenditure both use law of demand in order to control aggregate demand. The advantages of using fiscal policy for Marks and Spencer will be that if the government increases demand e.g. by cutting income tax or indirect tax, it means that people would be willing to spend more because prices will go down hence they can get more with their money. Marks and Spencer will benefit because the demand will be high and hence they get more profit at hand. With this profit they will be able to invest more in to the business and also pay their corporation tax. The corporation tax will then be taken by the government again and this will help the society and people in need e.g. NHS and Education. A disadvantage of fiscal policy is that another problem can arise when solving the other. For instance stimulating demand in the economy to decrease unemployment may worsen inflation because a right shift in aggregated demand will cause a rise in price levels. Therefore when prices rise go up, as much as there is more demand, some people may be hit by inflation and may have to pay more for their goods in Marks and Spencer than normal. Below I have illustrated what I have just explained. On the contrary decreasing demand to control inflation will cause short demand therefore unemployment arises. In the diagram it shows that increase in government expenditure, will increase inflation basically prices will shift from P to P1. Also there will be more demand so it will shift from AD to AD1.This will benefit Marks and Spencer because the more the demand the more they pay corporation tax therefore helping the society i.e. education, NHS etc. In the diagram it shows that increase in government expenditure, will increase inflation basically prices will shift from P to P1. Also there will be more demand so it will shift from AD to AD1.This will benefit Marks and Spencer because the more the demand the more they pay corporation tax therefore helping the society i.e. education, NHS etc.

Porsche Swot Essay

Strengths One of the company’s strength is the simplicity of their product. Each year Porsche’s sports cars look similar to the previous year with slight modifications that separate them and make them better. With this car, the company’s image is of luxury, high quality, and style that do not change drastically from year to year so that costumers will always know what they are getting and never be disappointed. They only have 7 different types of cars, 2 SUVs, 4 sports car styles, and a luxury sedan. Another strength is how they are so close to Volkswagen. Volkswagen now owns them but this solidifies their existence because VW is such a big company that it will never let Porsche go belly up even through toughest of times. They also have been around for a very long time and have a very recognizable name across the world. Porsche also has a very strong influence and presence in the motor racing world. In fact, almost all cars that Porsche built are basically purpose-built ra cing machines. They have been victorious in almost all races they took part since the very beginning, especially in the Le Mans 24-hour races. Also the model called 911 is the only car that has been on sale for the past 4 decades and more. It may be a slow evolution of the model, but that is exactly what makes it a timeless machine, perfected in every minute detail with each generation. Porsche loyalists love and respect the brands purity in design, and unique character. This can be clearly seen with the slow and steady evolution of the 911 from the very beginning Overall Porsche’s strengths include strong brand image, high quality products for comparatively low prices, advanced technology, brands history and sports car recognition. Weaknesses The biggest weakness of Porsche is that it’s strictly a luxury car company. Since they are strictly a luxury car manufacturers they do not sell that many cars compared to companies like Ford, Toyota and Honda. This is still not that big of a weakness compared to other groups because of the fact that they have the highest profit per unit sold of any car company in the world. Overall though Porsche’s weaknesses include, premium only gas, price sensitivity, sensitive to the world economy (victim of financial crisis 2008), small compared to other car companies, and pollution-environmental issues.

Age discrimination Essay

Discrimination against older worker occurs so often that Congress made an act to protect older workers from discrimination; this helps prevent increased unemployment for those older than 40 years of age. In 1967, congress made the Age Discrimination in Employment Act for the purpose of promoting the employment of older workers based on their ability instead of their age. This act applies to employment by public and private employers and by the unions and employment agencies, as well as foreign companies that have more than 20 workers located here in the United States. In 1967 the act covered employees between the ages of 40 and 65, the upper limit was extended 70 in 1978 and then the limit was removed completely later on. Now there is no longer an upper age limit, a 79 year old may be just as qualified as a 30 year old and should have the opportunity to prove her or his qualifications and obtain employment base on them. Another issue with this act is mandatory retirement; for the most part this has become a thing of the past. It should also be mentioned that people are living longer lives today and this act will become more and more critical for the working employees in this country. Title VII and the Age Discrimination act are similar in several ways, and both are enforced by the EEOC. But these two acts are different in two important ways; The Age Discrimination In Employment Act is more lenient than Title VII regarding the latitude afforded employer’s reasons for adverse employment decisions (). The Age Discrimination In Employment act allows an employer to argue that a prima facie of age discrimination by identifying any factors other than age that has helped make the decision. The other difference is the Age Discrimination in Employment act only protects employees that are over 40 years of age from discrimination. So, a person under 40 cannot file a claim under this act based on the claim that he or she was too young. But there are some states that have laws that could be described as reverse discrimination in situations like this. In an Age discrimination case there are several different questions and points that must be answered. The following will help describe some of this key issues in a case like this.  · The employee feels that he or she has been discriminated against because of  the employee’s age. The employee may file an action against the employer under the ADEA and prove age discrimination. The employee must establish the following four elements to prove to the court that she or he has a claim for age discrimination.  · The employee must prove that he or she was demoted or fired because they were 40 years or older. They simply must prove that they are older than 40 years of age, therefore making themselves a member of a protected class.  · Adverse employment action taken against the employee, this is proof that the employer made an employment decision that adversely affected the employee in question. This could include a decision not to hire the applicant or even fire the employee.  · Another thing the employee must prove is that he or she is qualified for the position. The position requirements must be proven and not just devised for the purpose of terminating or refusing to hire older workers. The employee must show that he or she can perform their duties at a high level or they may face not being able to continue with their claim.  · Disclaimer Treatment, this requires an employer to explain there actions if they terminate of refuses to hire an older qualified employee, while at the same time hiring a younger person. This requirement has presented difficulty for the courts.  · Employers say in the matter, this is where the employer must prove that they did not hire or terminated an older employee because of other reasons. The burden of proof now shifts to the employer to present a legitimate and nondiscriminatory reason for their actions against the employee. They must prove that there are good reasons for their actions.  · The EEOC identifies what an employer must prove in an age discrimination case brought under the Age Discrimination in Employment act as; the age limit is reasonably necessary to the essence of the employer’s business. All or most all of the individuals over that age are unable to perform the job’s  requirement adequately or some of the people over that age posses a disqualifying trait that cannot be ascertained except by reference to the age of the employee. This element of proof allows an employer to exclude an older worker from a position that may be unsafe to some older workers. This information can be obtained by OSAH databases that have included worker age as being part of the reasoning for their actions.  · Disparate treatment and disparate impact. One court case that has helped define this act is the case of Steen v. Sun Oil Company. Paul Steen was discharged by Sun Oil Company after working for them for 19 years. Steen claimed that that he was fired because of his age, but Sun Oil rebuts by standing that Steen’s discharge was necessary action in the company’s overall reorganization process. Steen had statistics that proved that an average age of employees retained was 35 and the average of the employees that were let go was 48. Steen also had a letter from the company that stated a plan of the reorganization would be † a better age distribution of executive personnel†. This court case is similar to many that have used the Age and Discrimination in Employment act as grounds for suit in court cases. One recommendation that I would have for management to follow is not to have interest in the age of employees. If they can perform the job at a high level then they are good enough to remain a part of the company. I have seen in many cases in the job I have now of where many of the most valuable employees are often those over the age of 50. They are often the employees with the most experience and act as a teacher to the younger employees.

Reflections of a Student Nurse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflections of a Student Nurse - Essay Example Taking a Service User Out for an Activity Description: I was given the task to take a service user out to attend piano lessons. This individual had a Learning disability (LD). According to Rennie 2009, p.3, â€Å"in the U.K. the term ‘learning disability’ is used to mean mental retardation or intellectual disability.† Feelings I was nervous initially because I did not know the exact location of where the Piano lessons were held. I was relying heavily on the service user to direct me. In addition, I wondered whether the service user would be comfortable with me taking the service user out, as this would be the first time the service user would be out alone with me and may not have confidence in me, as I am a student. What was good and bad: In spite of all these feelings, it felt good to be given some responsibility by the staff. It was obvious that they trusted me and had confidence in my abilities to fulfil that carrying out of the task given to me. What wasn†™t so good was that although I know the service users better now, in comparison to when I first started, I did not know them in the same way as the staff did, and did not know their preferences, which could affect the way I support them (Bender, 2008). What sense can I make/conclusion Thinking about this later on, I do now realise that this may be because of me not having complete faith in the service user ability to guide me and I felt as though I was the responsible one, out of the two (Bender, 2008). It should be the support worker leading the service user, and not the other way around. Now that I have talked to my Mentor, I realise that historically people with learning disabilities (PWLD) were looked down on by society (Sudbury, 2010) and were devalued and seen to be incapable because of their disabilities (Sudbury, 2010). I now know that as Government policy on PWLD has developed (Department of Health, 2001) and societal understanding has increased about PWLD, attitudes towa rds PWLD have significantly changed for the better (Walmsley, 2008) and PWLD are recognised as individuals with their own skills and abilities (Thomas & Woods, 2003). Action plan In the event a service user was to lead me to an activity, I would not keep questioning them about where it is, unless they tell me that they are unsure and at that point I would be prepared with directions or a map to look at. Body Mass Index (BMI) Measurement Description I had to measure each service user’s weight in order to work out their BMI and document it in the care plan. I approached a service user whilst the service user was at on the dining table and asked if it was possible for the service user to stand on the weighing scales, making it clear that I would appreciate an honest answer. Feelings When I first told the service user to be honest, I did not feel much or give it much thought, considering it a routine action on my part, but after taking the weight and speaking with my mentor, I fe el different now. My mentor asked me to put myself in the shoes of the service user. This role reversal made me realize that I would feel disempowered and incapable of taking care of myself. Moreover, as a 20 year old student nurse,

Britan Industrial Relations Sytem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Britan Industrial Relations Sytem - Essay Example In the 19th century Britain was at the peak of its power it ruled over a huge territory. In fact the whole world. It is the leading industrial and naval power of the 19th century; it led the way in developing parliamentary democracy and in advance literature as well as science. The British industrial relations system has a long history and has gone through much change in recent years. Industrial relations are also known as employee relations. Employee relation is are partly concerned with groups of employees who are represented by trade unions (Ed 2004 p 4). There are three phases in the evolution of employee relations since the end of the World War II, the third one being the partnership approach. Until 1979 (date of the election of the Conservative Party), work relations were based on collective bargaining and collective agreement aiming to determine and regulate, in varying degrees, the terms on which individuals will be employed (Flanders 1968 p35), with a strong voluntarism encouraged massively and informally. The trade unions (basically, it is an association of wage earners, totally independent of employers pressure, who struggle to improve work conditions) had a lot of power and everything was negotiated through deals. A Trade Union, through collective bargaining can force employers to deal with labour as a collective identity, rather than isolated individuals and so, secure better the terms and condition of employment. Nevertheless, in 1979when the conservative party won the election, everything changed. The new government used a lot measures to restrict the role of trade unions. In addition, it introduced an enterprise culture in which individuals and organisations, rather than government, were to be held responsible for economic performance. Thus, as well as rejecting the maintenance of full employment as a major policy objective, they in effect abandoned the commitment of their