Addicted to Coffee Essay - 1370 Words

Addicted to Coffee? As a sophomore in college, I know how important it is to get that first cup of coffee in the morning. That first cup of coffee, second cup, and third cup seem vital to the well-being of Bryn Mawr students all over campus. They help us to stay awake through our classes, hours of study, and even time spent socializing. But is caffeine really addictive? Ask any Bryn Mawr student, and chances are that she will answer with an emphatic Yes! Ask any scientist or doctor the same question and the answer is likely to be just as emphatic, but what that answer will be is much less predictable. It is universally recognized that caffeine is a stimulant, a substance that causes the body to act differently from the ways that†¦show more content†¦It seems to me that all of these symptoms apply to people who have a regular intake of caffeine (e.g. coffee, tea, and cola drinkers) but to a much lesser extent than apply to people who are addicted to other substances such as prescription and illegal drugs. When a person who has been regularly consuming caffeine suddenly stops caffeine intake, that person is likely to experience symptoms such as irritability, inability to concentrate, constipation, and lethargy (1). A study in which people in a mental hospital were given either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee produced results which indicated that caffeine is in fact addictive when those who were given decaffeinated coffee increased their coffee intake to consume the same amount of caffeine as they had with fully caffeinated coffee (3). These results show people exhibitin g symptoms of substance dependency. As for whether there is an increase in caffeine tolerance, Georges Koob, Ph.D., reasons that caffeine intake does not stimulate a craving for more caffeine because the tolerance is so complete that the same results are felt after relatively large amounts of caffeine as are felt after relatively small amounts, and this discourages a chronic destructive pattern of abuse. This is also the case with the hallucinogen LSD (3). Some experts also say that even small doses of coffee can cause negative effects in the body, such as tiredness in the afternoon when the caffeine wears off (1),Show MoreRelatedAddiction Is The State Of Being Enslaved982 Words   |  4 Pagesor physically habit forming to such as an extent that it is cessation cause serve trauma†. Some people addicted to this and other people addicted to that, but it end up they cannot control and explain why and how did they were getting to addiction. When we think about addiction, the first things that pops up were drug, alc ohol, gamble and tobacco but nowadays addiction can be anything like, coffee, internet, shopping, Facebook or more. For me, the person cannot control their choice to do, to talk orRead MoreCoffee Essay1350 Words   |  6 PagesCoffee is the second most popular beverage that people drink after water. On average about 83% of the world’s adults drink coffee, and they consume approximately 1.6 billion cups of coffee daily. They are not fully aware of the effects coffee can have on our health. There are two main types of coffee that people drink: decaffeinated and caffeinated. Decaffeinated coffee does not have caffeine; therefore, it is not as effective as caffeinated coffee is. Caffeinated coffee contains a substance calledRead MoreSoft Addiction Essay965 Words   |  4 Pagesimagine person that is heavily addicted to drugs or alcohol. Not that many people hear about soft addictions which are usually harmless thing people do in their day to day lives like listening to music in the morning or checking your phone. Although these things might be harmless activates you do to relieve stress they can be sometimes very unhealthy for you as well. Though the person might get a feeling of pleasure from their soft addiction for instance like drinking coffee every time youre stressedRead MoreWhy Students Are Addicted To Starbucks?1256 Words   |  6 PagesBeginning the day with a cup of coffee has become a ritual for many college students. As a college freshmen, I found out that many students from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were addicted to Starbucks. Most of them consumed two to three cups of coffee per day and spend an average of $16 - $25 dollars per week in Starbucks. This was at stake because students can be drown into debt because of their overspending in Starbucks. Also, drinking too much coffee can lead to stomach problemsRead MoreCaffeine, is it Helping or Hurting America?1089 Words   |  5 Pagesprescription drugs, cigarettes, foods, etc. The most consumed sources of caffeine are coffee and tea, and it [caffeine] can be harmful on your health, as well as addictive. America should be aware of the causes and effects caffeine has on the human body, which can lead to addiction and bad side effects. Coffee and tea have been used by humans for many years. Those beverages are the primary source of human’s caffeine intake. Coffee and tea go back to the earliest human history. A Greek poet Homer, who livedRead More The Effects of Caffeine on the Human Body Essay1325 Words   |  6 Pagesincreased heart rate (Lane, J.D., 2002), depression (Goldstein, 2008), and addiction to this â€Å"drug.† You may be asking yourself, â€Å"What is caffeine?† Well, caffeine is actually a stimulant (Barone, Roberts, 2008) that is found in beverages such as tea, coffee, and soft drinks. In fact, caffeine is the highest grossing and most used stimulant in the United States (Barone, Roberts, 2008). It is estimated that 85% of adults living in the United States consume caffeine on a daily basis (Barone, Roberts, 2008)Read MoreBrain Gives Birth to Reality1168 Words   |  5 Pagesthe individual. For example, two coffee lovers with very distinct personalities can sense an existent cup of coffee by hearing, smelling, touching, feeling, and tasting the cup of coffee. It can be agreed that the people know a lot about the cup of coffee and they can justify its existence from their experience. However each person’s experience, if the coffee was good or bad may vary based off their perception. One person may say that it is the best cup of coffee they had while the other person saysRead MoreCompetition For The Coffee Industry855 Words   |  4 PagesBateman Date of Submission: October 16th, 2014 â€Æ' Competition Competition for the coffee industry is extremely high; companies have to fight for market share, as consumers are slowing down their spending. As the recession began more and more consumers started turning to companies who offer a decent cup of coffee, at affordable prices rather than high-end retailers. Today the three largest companies in the US coffee industry are Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s (â€Å"Spiderbook†). These three industryRead MoreEffects of Caffeine on The Human Boby1075 Words   |  5 PagesCaffeine today is most commonly found in beverages such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks, making it the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world. Anthropologists say caffeine dates back to the Stone Age. Though the exact origin being the Stone Age is still relatively unproven, there are traces of its discovery leading to Ethiopia. According to a legend, a goat herder named Kaldi observed that his goats have been eating coffee shrubs. Upon the consumption the goats experienced restlessnessRead MoreCoffee Is The Most Consumed Drink Of The World And Especially For College Students1284 Words   |  6 PagesCoffee is the most consumed drink in the world and especially for college students. We as college students drink coffee as water during the exam weeks for us to stay awake. On the other hand some people drink coffee not because they had to like college students but because they are addicted and like it. Most Americans typically drink about two cups of coffee per day and most europeans drink about four cups of coffee per day. But despite the facts, have you wonder why you can’t get through the day

The Effects Of Steroids And The Impact On Athletes

For my supporting article, I will be researching the drug abuse in sports. There are numerous aspects within this topic, some of which will be highlighted within my research. Firstly, I have chosen to write about steroids and the impact they have on athletes. I decided to choose this topic as I consider myself an athletic person and believe this is a perfect subject for me. I found a lot of my information on the topic from www.health.ny.gov/publications/1210 which has helped with my research. It is important to try and understand why athletes take steroids. Each individual will have a different reason on why they have decided to use the performance enhancing drugs. These can range from wanting to make the team itself, impressing†¦show more content†¦These specific steroids are man-made and are available legally under certain circumstances. They can be prescribed to an individual by a doctor to help treat conditions where the body produces a low amount of testosterone, body wasting in diseases such as AIDS which leads to a loss of lean muscle mass. In 2015, it was found that as many as 1,084,000 of Americans have used anabolic steroids and that 80% of them believed that the drugs could improve their athletic performance to enable them to reach their athletic goals (http://healthresearchfunding.org/20-incredible-statistics-steroid-use-professional-sports/). However, steroids cannot improve an individual’s athletic skills and agility, these are down to vari ous factors such as generics, body size, sex, age, diet and the training regime. Athletes abuse anabolic steroids as they believe it will enhance their performance and improve their physical appearance. These can be taken both orally and injected through the use of needles. Typically, steroids are taken in a method known as cycling, which means that they are taken in cycle of either weeks or months. This allows the individual to take doses of steroids over a period of time, stopping the process for a certain amount of time to again start back up. The number of players within the National Football League (NFL) that abuse steroids is unknown. However, there have been

Statements on Standards for Accounting

Question: Discuss about the Statements on Standards for Accounting. Answer: Introduction: IAS 33 as we all know is an accounting standard in EPS. The basic objective behind IAS 33 is to enable the users of the financial statements to compare the performance of the company vide EPS among different financial reporting periods and also allow different companies to compare the financial statements of the same reporting periods on the basis of EPS. (Accounting, 2017) All entities whose shares are listed and are traded publicly are required to report both basic as well as diluted EPS. Basic EPS is calculated by dividing the profit or loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period for which the same is getting reported. The profit or loss for computing the EPS is calculated after deducting all expenses, taxes dividends i.e. this is the amount which is left for carrying over to the balance sheet. For calculating the denominator i.e. the number of shares at the beginning of the reporting period must be reduced by shares bought back during the reporting period or if the shares are issued during the reporting period then the shares issued as adjusted with the time weighing factor should be added with the shares at the beginning of the reporting period. (AICPA., 2016) However in the case of calculating diluted EPS, the numerator is adjusted keeping in mind the after tax effect of the savings if the potential equity shares get converted into equity shares and in the case of denominator the number of shares are adjusted keeping in mind the diluted equity shares. For example in the case of convertible securities the denominator will be increased with the number of shares that will be issued on conversion and the numerator will be adjusted with the after tax effects of the interest as well the dividend. (Brown, n.d.) There are specific disclosure requirements in regards to the reporting of EPS. The breakup of the amount included in the numerator for the calculation of EPS needs to be disclosed separately showing a reconciliation of the same. If any share transactions take place after the balance sheet date but before the finalization of the accounts then these transactions should be reported stating the difference in the EPS assuming the transactions if would had taken place before the balance sheet date then the difference arising due to the same. The reporting of anti-dilutive potential shares also needs to be reported as they were not included in the calculation of diluted EPS. (Codification of statements on standards for accounting and review services, 2015) We have reviewed the financials and reporting of the EPS of 10 companies listed in Muscat Securities Market. The extent of compliance in terms of calculation, presentation and disclosure are as follows: Al Anwar Ceramic Tiles Company SAOG The company follows IAS 33. The company has reported EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of equity shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. (Earnings, 2012) Al Madina Insurance Company The company follows IAS 33. The company has reported EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of equity shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. The company has also mentioned that there are no shares of the company which can have a dilutive effect. (Earnings per share, 2013) Al Maha Ceramics SAOG The company has only reported the basic EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. (Ernst Young., 2016) The company has mentioned its weighted average number of equity shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. However the company has not mentioned diluted EPS and neither has it mentioned whether there are any such potential shares which could have an impact on the diluted EPS. Hence it could be seen that the company is not fully complying with the IAS 33. AL Jazeera Steel Products Company SAOG The company has only reported the EPS on the face of the consolidated and separate statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements for both Group Company and the parent company. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of equity shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. For the diluted EPS it has specifically mentioned that there is no dilutive potential share s so the basic EPS is same as that of dilutive EPS. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. (Fischer, Taylor and Cheng, 2008) Galfar Engineering Contracting SAOG Subsidiaries The company has only reported the loss per share on the face of the consolidated and separate statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements for both Group Company and the parent company. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of equity shares and the loss after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the loss per share. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the loss per share could easily be made. For the diluted earnings/loss per share it has not mentioned anything whether there is any dilutive potential share or not. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. (Flood, n.d.) Muscat Finance SAOG The company has only reported the basic EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of equity shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. However the company has mentioned diluted EPS there are no potential shares which could have an impact on the diluted EPS. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. It has also given a note showing how the company has treated the stock dividend of shares without consideration in calculating the weighted average number of equity shares. (Flood, n.d.) Muscat National Holding Company SAOG and its Subsidiaries The company has only reported the EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. However it has mentioned only for the group company and not for the parent company which is also required by IAS 33. However the same has been reported in the notes of accounts i.e. both for the group company and the parent company. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. However the company has mentioned diluted EPS there are no potential shares which could have an impact on the diluted EPS. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. (International accounting standards explained, 2009) Port Services Corporation SAOG The company has only reported the EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. It has also mentioned the EPS for the discontinued operations separately which is specifically required by the IAS 33. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. However the company has mentioned diluted EPS there are no potential shares which could have an impact on the diluted EPS. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. (Iqbal, Iqbal and Aslam, n.d.) Shell Oman Marketing Company SAOG The company has reported both the basic and diluted EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. However the company has mentioned diluted EPS there are no potential shares which could have an impact on the diluted EPS. Hence it could be seen that the company is fully complying with the IAS 33. (Melville, 2015) Takaful Oman Insurance SAOG The company has reported both the basic and diluted EPS on the face of the statement of comprehensive income and the detailed calculation of how the figure has been arrived has been provided at the notes to the financial statements. The company has mentioned its weighted average number of shares and the profit after tax of the company to arrive at the figure of the EPS. A comparative figure corresponding to the previous year has also been mentioned so that a quick review of the EPS could easily be made. However the company has not mentioned diluted EPS separately neither have it stated that whether there are any potential shares which could have an impact on the diluted EPS. Hence it could be seen that the company is not fully complying with the IAS 33. (Rayman, n.d.) Other Factors Affecting EPS There are various factors which affect the variance in the EPS of the company. Apparently it seems that increase in the profitability of the company would result in higher EPS of the company. However this is not always true as the increase in profitability would definitely increase the numerator for calculating the EPS however if there is an increase in the number of shares issued during the year then it would result in the fall of EPS despite there has been an increase in the profitability of the company as it would lead to increase in the denominator which would definitely decrease the EPS (Tierney and Tierney, 2007). On the contrary although there could be a fall in the profits of the company which should result in the fall of the EPS of the company but if there would had been buy back of the shares during the reporting period, it would automatically reduce the denominator i.e. decrease in the number of shares outstanding resulting in increase in the EPS of the company. So increas e in the profits of the company should not be considered as the only factor in the increase in the EPS of the company (Shen jie., 2013). The potential shares getting diluted in the reporting period, the increase in the profits of the company, the decrease in the profitability of the company, the buy back of the shares during the year in the company, fresh issue made during the year which also results in the increase of the shares during the year, bonus shares given during the year, etc are the various factors which affect the EPS of the company. IAS 33 very clearly specifies that reconciliation needs to be provided to show how the numerator and denominator has been arrived to compute the EPS of the company. Keeping in mind all the above factors one should clearly examine the reconciliation provided in the financials to find out the exact reason behind the increase and decrease in EPS of the company (Subramani, 2011). The interest rates prevailing in the market, government regulation s i.e. change in the tax rates in the company also have a significant effect in the calculation of diluted EPS. In the case of convertible securities it is required to take the after tax effect of the interest which is required to pay on the securities which would get converted into shares in the due course. In such cases the taxation rates has a significant impact on the calculation of the EPS. Higher would be the taxation rate, lower would be the diluted EPS as it would lead to lower savings of the company and the company will ultimately end up paying higher taxes of the company although it helps in saving the interest of the company. Hence all the above stated factors are responsible for increase or decrease in EPS of the company and no factor should be considered in isolation. Conclusion IAS 33 which is globally recognized standard which would help in better presentation of the earnings per share of the company. Since it is globally recognized hence will enable the users of the financial statements to compare on a standardized basis and the best part are that there will no intervention of the local bodies to manipulate the data (Wink and Corradino, 2011). Since the presentation will be on a same basis it would be helpful for the users of the financial statements to make an n easy comparison. It would also help the Omani corporate sector to line up with the global standards which would help them to compete on a global scale. Thus Omani corporate sector will soon be seen competing on a global scale with the international companies. (Tracy, 2013) To conclude, the above discussion on IAS 33- Earnings per share has laid down the basic ides of the whole of the standard. It has explained the practical implementation of the calculations, recognition and disclosure of the earnings per share by the companies as per IAS 33. It also has provides us with the details as to why high earnings per share is a good indicator of companys performance and that there are various factors which affect its value apart from profitability. (Wahlen, Jones and Pagach, 2013) References Accounting. (2017). 1st ed. South-Western Pub. AICPA., (2016).STATEMENTS ON STANDARDS FOR ACCOUNTING AND REVIEW SERVICES. 1st ed. [Place of publication not identified]: JOHN WILEY. Brown, P. (n.d.).Financial accounting and equity markets. 1st ed. Codification of statements on standards for accounting and review services. (2015). 1st ed. New York: Aicpa. Earnings per share. (2013). 1st ed. London [etc.]: International Accounting Standards Committee. Earnings. (2012). 1st ed. England: BLACKWELL Publishers (UK/US)-A I D C. Ernst Young., (2016).International gaap 2017 - generally accepted accounting principles under international ... financial reporting standards. 1st ed. [Place of publication not identified]: John Wiley Sons. Fischer, P., Taylor, W. and Cheng, R. (2008).Advanced accounting. 1st ed. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Thomson Learning. Flood, J. (n.d.).Wiley GAAP 2017. 1st ed. Flood, J. (n.d.).Wiley revenue recognition. 1st ed. International accounting standards explained. (2009). 1st ed. New York: Wiley. Iqbal, A., Iqbal, M. and Aslam, S. (n.d.).Does earning per share determines the market price of ordinary shares. 1st ed. Melville, A. (2015).International financial reporting. 1st ed. Harlow (England) [etc.]: Pearson Education. Rayman, R. (n.d.).Accounting standards. 1st ed. London: Routledge. Shen jie., (2013).Guo ji cai wu bao gao zhun ze shi wu zhi yin. 1st ed. Bei jing: Zhong guo cai zheng jing ji chu ban she. Subramani, R. (2011).Accounting for investments. 1st ed. Singapore: John Wiley Sons (Asia). Tierney, C. and Tierney, C. (2007).Federal accounting handbook. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Tracy, J. (2013).Accounting for dummies. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Wahlen, J., Jones, J. and Pagach, D. (2013).Intermediate accounting. 1st ed. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Wink, G. and Corradino, L. (2011).Intermediate accounting demystified. 1st ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Texting While Driving free essay sample

Better regulation is needed because drivers using cell phones are seriously impaired and because laws on texting while driving are not enforced as should be. No one can deny that cell phones have caused traffic deaths and injuries. Cell phones were involved in many fatal accidents in 2011 alone. Early in November, two-year-old Morgan Pena was killed by a driver distracted by his cell phone. Morgan’s mother, Patti Pena, reports that the driver â€Å"ran a stop sign at 45 mph, broadsided my vehicle and killed Morgan as she sat in her car seat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and that, â€Å"A week later, Officer Shannon Smith, who was guarding prisoners by the side of the road, was killed by a woman distracted by a phone call† (Besthoff). Expert testimonies, public opinions, and even cartoons suggest that driving while ‘phoning’ is dangerous. Lyndsey Layton, a reporter for the Washington Post and an expert on the relation between cell phones and accidents, estimates that between 450 and 1,000 crashes a year have some connection to cell phone use (C9). We will write a custom essay sample on Texting While Driving or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In a survey conducted by Farmers Insurance, 87% of drivers said that cell phones affect their ability to drive, and 40% reported having ‘close calls’ with other drivers distracted by phones (Farmers). Many people are lucky to cheat death while others, guilty and innocent, unfortunately die. Scientific research confirms the dangers of using phones while on the road. In 2012, a study appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. The authors, Donald Redelmeier and Robert Tibshirani, studied 699 volunteers who made their cell phone bills available in order to confirm the times when they were using their phone while driving. The participants agreed to report any nonfatal collisions in which they were involved in. By comparing the time of a collision with the phone records, the researchers evaluated the dangers of driving while ‘phoning’. The results were unsettling; â€Å"We found that using a cellular telephone was associated with a risk of having a motor vehicle collision that was about four times as high as that among the same drivers when they were not using their cellular telephones. This relative risk is similar to the hazard associated with driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit† (456). A 2010 study conducted by John M. Violanti, a scientist from Rochester Institute of Technology, focused on Oklahoma’s’ records of drivers who were in cell phone related accidents. He found an increase in the risk of fatality â€Å"†¦if a phone was being used and a doubled risk simply when a phone was present in a vehicle. † (522-23). Some groups have argued that state traffic laws regulating cell phone use unnecessary. Sadly, this is not true. Laws on traffic safety vary from state to state, and drivers distracted by cell phones can get off with light punishment even when they cause fatal accidents. The driver who killed Morgan Pena in Pennsylvania â€Å"†¦ [she] received two tickets and a $50 fine—and retained his driving privileges. † (Pena), and in Georgia, â€Å"The young woman distracted by her phone who ran down and killed a two-year-old was sentenced to ninety days in boot camp and five hundred hours of community service. † (Ippolito J1). The families of the victims are understandably upset by laws that lead to such light sentences. When certain kinds of driver behaviors are shown to be dangerous, we wisely produce special laws making them illegal and imposing specific punishments. Running red lights, failing to stop for a school bus, and drunk driving are obvious examples; talking on the phone and texting in a moving vehicle should be no exception. Unlike more general laws covering careless driving, specific laws leave little uncertainty for law officers and for judges and juries imposing punishments. Laws passed by counties and towns regarding distracted driving have had some effect, but it makes more sense to legislate it at the state level. Local laws are not likely to have the impact of state laws, and keeping track of a wide variety of local ordinances is confusing for drivers. Even a spokesperson for Verizon Wireless has said that â€Å"Statewide bans are preferable to a ‘crazy patchwork quilt of ordinances’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (qtd. In Haughney A8). These laws should be strictly enforced to the point where drivers are afraid to even touch their cell phones while driving. Despite the claims of some activists who say that some drivers will be on their phones while driving despite any law, if we impose tougher and stricter laws regulating phone use, we can make our roads safer. For example, in Japan, â€Å"†¦ [car] accidents linked to cell phones fell by 75% just a month after the country prohibited using a handheld phone while driving. † (Haughney A8). Research suggests and common sense tells us that it is not possible to drive an automobile at high speeds, dial numbers, and carry on conversations without significant risks. When such behavior is firmly regulated, obviously our roads will be safer. Works Cited Besthoff, Len. â€Å"Cell Phone Use Increases Risk of Accidents, but Users Willing to Take the Risk. † WRAL. com. Capitol Broadcasting, 9 Nov. 2011. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. Farmers Insurance. â€Å"New Survey Shows Drivers Have Had ‘Close Calls’ with Cell Phone Users. † Farmers. Farmers Insurance, 8 May 2011. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. Haughney, Christine. â€Å"Taking Phones out of Drivers’ Hands. † Washington Post 5 April. 2009: A8. Print. Ippolito, Milo. â€Å"Driver’s Sentence Not Justice, Mom Says. † Atlanta Journal-Constitution 21 Nov 2011: J1. Library Curriculum. Layton, Lyndsey. â€Å"Legislators Aiming to Disconnect Motorists. † Washington Post 10 Dec. 2010: C9. Print. Pena, Patricia N. â€Å"Patti Pena’s Letter to Car Talk. † Cartalk. com. Dewey, Cheetham, and Howe, n. d. Web. 02 Nov 2011. Redelmeier, Donald A. , and Robert J. Tibshirani. â€Å"Association between Cellular-Telephone Calls and Motor Vehicle Collisions. † New England Journal of Medicine 336. 7 (2012): 453-58. Print. Violanti, John M. â€Å"Cellular Phones and Fatal Traffic Collisions. † Accident Analysis and Prevention 30. 4 (2010): 519-524. Print. Texting while driving free essay sample Have you ever sent a text while driving? Texting while driving has been raising issues in today’s society as 46 percent of teens, and more than one in five drivers have admitted to texting while driving (source). This hazardous habit has lead to many studies to expose the dangers of texting while driving, and how it compares to drunk driving to all drivers. Texting while driving and drunk driving cause an increase in automobile accidents and health factors that are extremely dangerous. Reckless driving habits such as texting and drunk driving cause thousands of accidents each year, resulting in many injuries and deaths. In 2010, more than 1. 4 million arrests were made for drivers operating under the influence of alcohol and drugs (Impaired Driving 1). In total, 10,228 people were killed in alcohol related crashes in 2010, accounting for 31 percent of all crashes in the United States (Impaired Driving 1). In addition, over 50 percent of teens have admitted to texting behind the wheel (Texting While Driving 2). We will write a custom essay sample on Texting while driving or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although the legal consequences are nowhere as steep as drunk driving, the numbers are just as scary. First of all, lets all admit it. Every one of us has either sent a text message or been in a car with a driver sending texts. The scary truth is that in 2009, 5,474 deaths and nearly 450,000 injuries were sustained in car crashes. Of these, roughly 20 percent of deaths and 5 percent of injuries were caused by the use of a cell phone (Texting While Driving 1). Unfortunately, most people, including myself, were or still are completely unaware of how dangerous texting while driving is. Yet the scariest aspect of this all is that social media and smart phones are continuing to grow, providing more distractions to thousands of drivers. Who would ever think sending a text can be as dangerous as drunk driving? Not only do the number of deaths and accidents pose a serious threat, but the health factors they present are extremely dangerous. Drunk driving has many extremely dangerous health factors that often lead to crashes and deaths. The first of many risks it presents is the reaction time a driver has while intoxicated. In a study conducted, a sober driver takes . 54 seconds to hit the brakes. In comparison, it takes a legally drunk driver with a BAC of . 08 an extra four feet to hit the brakes (Texting And Driving Worse 1). Obviously, the more intoxicated a driver is, the more time it will take them to react to cars stopping ahead of them. In 2010, 112 million cases of drunk driving were reported (get source name.. ). This presents a serious threat not only to the drunk driver, but to many innocent drivers out on the road. On top of that, texting while driving also has many dangerous effects. In the same study found earlier, it was discovered that reading a text takes an additional 70 feet to hit the brakes compared to an unimpaired driver. The scariest part of this all may be that most people do not recognize that texting while driving is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than drunk driving. Whether you are a teen or an adult, I am sure you have seen, been with, or sent a text message yourself while driving. Personally, I have been in a car and have been the driver of a car in which the driver has sent a text. In addition, I see people reading and texting on their phones every day when I am driving around. The scariest part is that most people, including me in the past, are completely unaware of the dangers texting while driving presents. Also, the average teen sends more than 3,000 texts per month and 64 percent have admitted to texting while driving. It is necessary to promote the dangers of these activities to all drivers and help prevent more deaths on the road. In conclusion, distracted driving, especially texting while driving can be just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than drunk driving. From now on, wait to use your phone or pull aside the road before checking it. Doing so will help save roughly 6,000 or more lives per year. Next time you get a text while driving, might it cross your mind that it is as dangerous as drunk driving? From now on, pull over or wait to respond, it could save your life.

Slave Colonies of the Seventee essays

Slave Colonies of the Seventee essays In Barbados and Jamaica (the sugar islands) sugar was a major crop. The owners of these sugar plantations were badly in need of laborers to work for them year round, and because the natives died off so speedily, they needed to bring in someone to do the grueling tasks for them. They tried to use indentured servants, but this was extremely difficult because sugar is a year round, demanding sort of crop and nobody sought after work on those plantations. Any person who had any other kind of alternative would choose to go anywhere else. Eventually they started importing slaves because they were not only cheaper, but easier to replace when they died, as most people who came to these islands did. By 1650, there were approximately 20,000 black slaves in Barbados; and by 1700, nearly as many as 45,000 black slaves in Jamaica (the prevalent sugar producer at this point in time). It was in these West Indian Islands that slavery not only got started for the English, but grew the fastest. South Carolina began as a colony of Barbados. They came there to cultivate crops such as rice and indigo. These settlers brought their slavery practices with them. This idea of growing rice worked well due to the fact that the slaves had experience prior to this experience working with it, and they were just in a good area for growing such a crop. By 1770, black people were nearly eighty percent of the population in South Carolina and the colony of Georgia. Tobacco production in the Chesapeake was growing due to an enormous demand for the product in England. The demand for tobacco in England had grown during the eighteenth century over ten times what it had been originally. With so much expansion in the plantations is was necessary to acquire as many people to work them as possible. In the beginning, indentured servitude was still used. In fact, it was the most common way for settlers to gain passage to America. Working in the Chesapeake wasn &apos...

Definition and Examples of Echo Utterances in English

Definition and Examples of Echo Utterances in English An echo utterance is  speech that repeats, in whole or in part, what has just been said by another speaker. Sometimes called simply echo. An  echo utterance, says  Ãƒâ€œscar Garcà ­a Agustà ­n, isnt necessarily an utterance attributable to a specific person; it can refer to a group of people or even to popular wisdom (Sociology of Discourse, 2015).  A direct question that repeats part or all of something which someone else has just said is called an echo question. Examples and Observations Claire Dunphy: All right, everybody back to work!Gloria Delgado-Pritchett: Everybody back to work!Claire Dunphy: I just said that.Gloria Delgado-Pritchett: And I co-said it.(Julie Bowen and Sofà ­a Vergara, Dance Dance Revelation. Modern Family, 2010) Olivia: If the temperature is dropping, this mess could freeze up. We got to get outta here.Cassie: We got to get out of here.Olivia: I just said that. Where are you going?Cassie: If the temperature is dropping, this mess could freeze up.Olivia: I just said that.Cassie: We got to get out of here.Olivia: I just said that!(Marsha A. Jackson, Sisters. The National Black Drama Anthology, ed. by Woodie King. Applause Theater Books, 1995) Echo Utterances and Meanings We repeat one another. This is how we learn to talk. We repeat one another, and we repeat ourselves. An  echo utterance is a type of spoken language that repeats, in whole or in part, whats just been said by another speaker, often with contrasting, ironic, or contradictory meaning. How old are you, Bob asks.Nineteen, Gigi says.He says nothing, as this does not deserve the courtesy of response.Seventeen, she says.Seventeen?Well, not quite, she says. Sixteen until I get to my next birthday.Sixteen? Bob asks. SIX-teen?Well, maybe not exactly, she says. (Jane Vandenburgh,  Architecture of the Novel: A Writers Handbook. Counterpoint, 2010) Echo Utterances and Attitudes Wolfram Bublitz, Neal R. Norrick,  A phenomenon that is not extra communicative and still represents hardly an instance of metacommunication is the so-called  echo-utterance, where the speaker echoes the preceding speaker by repeating some linguistic material yet giving a specific turn to it . . ..  Echo statements such as in the following example  usually just convey attitudes toward the propositional state of affairs quoted/echoed. He: Its a lovely day for a picnic.[They go for a picnic and it rains.]She: (sarcastically) Its a lovely day for a picnic, indeed.(Sperber and Wilson, 1986: 239) (Axel Hà ¼bler, Metapragmatics. Foundations of Pragmatics, ed. by  Wolfram Bublitz et al. Walter de Gruyter, 2011) The Fifth Type of Sentence The traditional classification of major sentences recognizes statements, questions, commands . . . and exclamations. But there is a fifth type of sentence, used only in dialogue, whose function is to confirm, question, or clarify what the previous speaker has just said. This is the echo utterance.Echo utterance structure reflects that of the preceding sentence, which it repeats in whole or in part. All types of sentences can be echoes. StatementsA: John didnt like the filmB: He didnt what?Questions:A: Have you got my knife?B: Have I got your wife?!Directives:A: Sit down here.B: Down there?Exclamations:A: What a lovely day!B: What a lovely day, indeed! Usage Echoes sometimes sound impolite unless accompanied by an apologetic softening phrase, such as Im sorry or I beg your pardon. This is most noticeable with the question What did you say?  often shortened to What? Dont say what, say pardon is a common parental plea to children.(David Crystal, Rediscover Grammar. Pearson Longman, 2004) Read More Broken-Record ResponseConversation AnalysisRepetitionSpeech ActUtterance

Healthcare services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Healthcare services - Essay Example One manifestation of these policies is the appointment of Patient Information Strategy Project Manager (PISPM) at the North Devon Primary Care Trust (PCT). North Devon PCT developed a strategy to involve the public and provide multiple services to enhance the understanding of patient needs within the PCT. They also aim to improve the knowledge based from the patients and general publics' opinion. PISPM post's performances have strengths and weaknesses but they also play an important role in leading this strategy. By improving North Devon Information Strategy, value will be added in developing a greater public involvement in North Devon PCT. Patient & Public Involvement Definition Patient & Public involvement and other allied terms are used to covey a variety of meanings. Public involvement refers to the involvement of individual patients, together with health professionals, in making decisions about their own health care (Florin & Dixon 2004). According to the Department of Health, patient and public involvement is not just about structures, it is a cultural change. It is about empowering patients and the public to have a role in health care society. ... Through these practices, the way to address the needs of the growing number of people with chronic conditions will now be appropriate and effective. Hennessy (2002) pointed out that involving individual encourages and empowers them. The sense of ownership improves health outcomes and patient experiences. On the other hand, the Trusts will also benefit from this involvement. It will provide a more responsive service, which meets the local needs. Involvement in NHS activities encourages staff to consider alternative ways of meeting the care needs and look at providing services from a different perspective which is that of the patients' perspective. Florin & Dixon (2004) indicated that involving the public may help ensure health policy decisions better reflect the values of the community. It will make services more responsive to the individuals and communities who uses them and that more responsive services will lead to improved health. Patient & Public Involvement Policies Policies to encourage public involvement in the NHS are not new. Previous governments have used various policies in an attempt to encourage democratic and informal decisions in the NHS. A review of policies from 1948 to 1997 showed that public involvement in the NHS decreased over this period (Harrison, Milewa and Dowswell 2002). In contrast, Klein & New (1996) reviewed the period from 1990 and concluded that there had been a moderate increase in democracy in the NHS. Since the Labor government came to power in 1997, a new raft of policies has been introduced with the stated aim of increased public or patient involvement. The NHS Plan, published in July 2000, aimed to give the

Cultural Critique Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cultural Critique - Research Paper Example Given that women make up over a half of the human population and give their huge and increasing contributions to every sector of the development the trampling on their rights is not only a great shame, but an unfortunate indictment of the civilized society throughout the world. The subjugation of women’s rights begins right at home. Women are expected to take the lead in taking care of children at home. They are the ones who have to give up their career for at least a significant amount of time in order to ensure the well-being of their new-born babies. Women bear the brunt of child-bearing, an experience still fraught with significant health dangers, especially in the under-developed a countries where a large number of women lose their lives during the birth process. In the family upbringing is meant to be a shared duty for both parents, a lot of the times the woman is still expected to be the one to give up her time and career prospects in order to raise the children. In mar riages, women also bear the brunt of domestic violence; in over 90% of cases reported the women are the victims. In the UK, for instance, one in 4 women aged 16-59 have experienced domestic abuse and 50% of these have also been raped (Women's Health& Equality Consortium 3). In cases of single mothers, women end up playing the role of both mother and father despite the fact that the conception of the child is a shared process. In education too women are at a disadvantage, especially in the developing and underdeveloped world where cultural attitudes and poverty dictate that the education of the girl-child is given less of a priority than that of the boy child. The common perception is that educating the girl only ends up benefitting the family where she will end up getting married into.This means that when a family has to prioritize who gets a chance for education, the girl child is always disadvantaged. In the lower basic education levels, thus, even though the developed countries h ave managed to more or less equalize the schooling of girls and boys, this is not the case in the majority of the rest of the world. A large proportion of women in Africa, Asia, and even the Eastern European states are still greatly disadvantaged when it comes to educational opportunities. When the girls find their way to school, they are still discriminated against when it comes to certain courses of studies. In many countries there are still beliefs that women are somehow not as proficient as men in such fields as sciences, architecture, medicine, engineering, math, and other â€Å"brain taxing† studies which leads to stereotyping of the kinds of courses that women end up taking at school. At the high end of the education ladder too, women still find a glass ceiling when it comes to postgraduate and doctoral studies. In American Universities, for example, despite the fact that 53% of the students are women, 72% of the faculty are men, many of them in tenured positions while the women mostly have untenured or part time positions (Penn State University). The workplace is the one place where women are still very disadvantaged in both the developed and the underdeveloped world. Women face disadvantages and discrimination in getting senior and management jobs, they never get equal pay for equal work with

Stereotypes in Modern World Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes in Modern World Essay The stereotype that all is well at the time which exists in our society is one of the most stable. According to this stereotype, the average citizen of Kazakhstan should finish school no later than 18 years old, finish the university at least at the age of 30, to begin his own adult life and leave the parental care at somewhere about 22 years, to start a family and have children in the range of 25 to 35 years old, go to retirement at the age of 58 (women) and 63 (for men). According to this stereotype in Kazakhstan, the daughter should be married and go to live in the house of her husband at 25 years, and the eldest son must always live in his parents’ house even being married. The rest of children –daughters and sons – should also live their parents’ house and live separately. There is another old custom of giving the eldest child to parent for upbringing. But it is used less and less nowadays. Social clock is ticking all the time in collective unconscious in the subconscious of every person. Many women over 25 may have psychological complexes due to, for example, that they are still not married. Young people, not enrolled to study in high school, worry about that they will not have enough time to get higher education until they are 30. Maybe all this stereotypes have some biological reasons related with philosophy: the most optimal time for the first childbearing for women is the age before 30. After this age the childbearing can pass with some complications. Young parents have more chances to bring up their offspring and to see their grandchildren, and be involved in their education. And parents will not burden their adult children with the care of themselves (parents), when it’s a time for them (children) to make a career. In addition, they will be born healthier children. Scientists have shown that the older parents have more chances to have children born with Down syndrome. At last it is not very good to stay under the roof of paternal house, because it is fraught with possible conflicts of generations. But it also happens that people are pleased to break stereotypes. And then we find out in the news that the 80-year-old man became a student at the university; or that an elderly woman in retirement, because of her love to music, went to the music school to fulfill the dream of her lifetime –to learn to play the piano. Perhaps previously she had no time to do that, because she had to make a living and raise a family. More often modern Kazakh girls break stereotypes. They are not in hurry to get married and put it off to times up to 40 years, because they want to get married not for public opinion, but in case of real love. They know all the risks, but hope for the best, and often their expectations are met. If you want to know my opinion I would say that I’m strongly against any stereotypes imposed by social clock, and I think that everyone should tune this clock according to their own opinion and write the script of their lives themselves. Writer and philosopher Voltaire once said, â€Å"Best of all to do things, that in the opinion of others, you will never be able to do. And I absolutely agree with that!

The Life of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest: Then & Now Essa

The Life of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest: Then & Now It has been estimated that the population of Native Americans living on or very near reservations in the United States ranges from about 1.1 to 1.3 million, and is distributed across more than 330 Indian nations in America (16). American Indian nations display an incredibly wide variety of social and economic characteristics. Although â€Å"American Indian† is identified as a single race category on the US Census, each tribe boasts its own culture and values. Members of two separate tribes may be as different as the populations of China and Africa. Long ago, the Indians of the Pacific Northwest depended entirely on their environment to support them. They were successful, self-sufficient groups who relied on their own means to sustain life. However, since the domination of Indian lands by the United States, these indigenous peoples have not had the resources to maintain their way of living. Not only were their lands invaded, but their culture was compromised as well. In response to their discontent with the sub-par living conditions, the US government has introduced laws to allow these groups to uphold their ancient values, while giving them the rights necessary to maintain the ability to support themselves. This includes the sovereignty of reservation lands, which has lead to the construction of casinos as a major money-maker for the Native American people, and a great deal of controversy to go along with it. From the ancient times of to hunting and gathering, to the invasion of Americans on Indian lands, to the modern c ompromises between the US and Native American governing bodies, the evolution of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest is astoni... ...//www.indiangaming.org/info/pr/presskit/statistics.shtml>. 11. Native American Expressions. 15 May 2004. . 12. Native American Resource. 2002. 15 May 2004. . 13. Native American Shelters. 9 May 2004. . 14. Northwest Coast Canoe. 15 May 2004. . 15. Office of Hawaiian Affairs. May 27, 2004. . 16. Vogeler, Ingolf. Map of Indian Reservations. 1996. 15 May 2004. . 17. Your Tribe/Community’s History. May 14, 2004. .

Marketing Report Bokomo Foods Essay

1.0. A report presenting market data in order to inform a cereal company Bokomo Ltd. To consider whether to expand more in the United Kingdom market. 2.0 Executive summary. This is a short report, containing marketing data on both the cereal market and a specific business, Bokomo UK. The data was obtained from secondary marketing research. Bokomo ´s website was one of the main reference guide. With the findings and analysis, it was recommended that Bokomo should expand their own brand products more in the UK. The PEST analysis of the UK grocery industry included in this report was used to highlight the external factors that can affect Bokomo’s operation and interpret how these factors will influence Bokomo. Furthermore, through the market analysis it was found that Kellogg’s and Weetabix mainly lead the cereal industry, followed by Nestle and Jordans. These companies have a wide range of brands targeted at different consumers, and they have customer loyalty, which can make it harder for newer companies to enter this sector. As mentioned before, in the cereal market there are a large variety of targeted consumers like children, women, and families. The main key trends in the market are convenient snacks and consciousness towards health. Apart from that, own branded labels are also gaining popularity as they offer consumers the same product at a cheaper price. SWOT analysis allowed us to devise the company’s internal analysis. Strengths included their well-known reputation and customers such as large food retailers (Tesco ´s), to which they sell manufacture and packaging services. Weaknesses consist of the negative aspects the company faces, including their not household name, and general negative publicity they face in this complex sector. Opportunities were devised from the social factors from the PEST analysis as changes in consumer tastes and trends are opportunities were this company can benefit from by meeting those needs. These were also  an important part of the report as it affected the final recommendations for the company. Threats included the financial recession and increasing levels of immigration. Bokomo Foods is a major cereal producer in the United Kingdom, established around 80 years ago. Despite not being a household name, is a UK leading cereal maker and the company has achieved diversity by producing a range of own-label products. Furthermore, they manufacture branded products for large companies, as well as branded packaging services like Bag in Box, Pot or Pouch. All of these services are for leading retailers such as Tesco ´s, Sainsbury ´s and Morrison’s, among many others. 3.0 Introduction + Aim. This is a report whose aim is to present market data in order to inform Bokomo plc. a cereal company, whether further expansion in the UK market is beneficial at this time. The report will identify and analyse the current business situation, using SWOT analysis, and review the macroeconomic perspective of the general UK grocery industry using PEST analysis. The SWOT analysis will help us examine the specific company factors, as it is essential to understand these in order to relate them back to the PEST and market trends. Both internal and external factors affect how Bokomo will operate now and in the future. 4.0 The grocery market environment – PEST analysis 4.1 Political Political factors have a great influence on the analysis of external factors since they are determined by the degree of government intervention in the economy. The political situation in the UK is stable. Her Majesty’s Government, led by Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party, is mainly concerned about the financial crisis affecting economies all over the world and to strengthen the economic position of UK globally. Through employment legislations, the government encourages retailers to provide a mix of job opportunities from flexible, lower-paid and locally-based jobs to highly-skilled, higher-paid and centrally-located jobs (Balchin, 1994). Migration has a large impact on the grocery industry, as it provides new customers, as well as opportunities for supermarkets to cater to the different culinary cultures of immigrants. Migration also leads to a change in size of labour pool, which could have an effect on the availability of workers. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show some 503,000 people came to live in the UK in the year ending June 2013, compared with 517,000 people the previous year (ONS.gov, 2013). 4.2 Economic Economic factors are important to consider in regard to the UK grocery market, as they are highly influential to demand, costs, prices, and profit. One of the most influential factors on the economy is high unemployment level, which decreases the effective demand for many goods, adversely affecting the demand required to produce such goods. Unemployment in the UK is at 7.1% as of January 2014, according to BBC. Another highly relevant economic factor is the grocery market size and the market growth. IGD forecast that the UK grocery market value will be worth  £205.9bn in 2018, a 21.3% increase on 2013 (IGD.com, 2013). This is beneficial news to Bokomo, since any expansion would be possible in regard to the availability of area in the market to expand. Another market characteristic of importance is the amount of spending on groceries in regard to overall retail expenditure in the UK. The grocery market’s share accounts for 54.9p in every  £1 of UK retail spending (IGD.com, 2013). 4.3 Social According to Askew (2013) sales in the cereal industry have been under pressure in these past years, especially due to the changing social trends and habits of consumers. Even though sales in this market have been stable, growth has been slow. Traditional breakfast habits have changed and people consume fewer cereals because of a busier lifestyle. Also increasing number of consumers skip breakfast. An increase in female workers has also had an impact on this, which is why competition for convenient options is growing  more each time. An increasing number of people now look for easy and quick alternatives to sitting down and eating. However, they expect to receive the same nutrients and healthy benefits with these convenient options. A growing number of women now pay special attention to what they are eating, checking the labeling, nutritional information and ingredients of each product. Increasingly, women have a greater concern with their weight and healthy eating. Lately, the demand for children’s cereals has declined because of the sugar content it has. Cereal companies use marketing to their advantage and attract kids with unhealthy products. Their main source has been television adverts and most of the cereals for children have high sugar content with low nutritional value, a fact of which more parents are aware. Apart from consumer concerns about health, they are also becoming more aware of the environment. In this specific market, many cereal companies now control their water use, energy use, waste produced, etc. Most of them also pay close attention to the packaging of the product, like using recycled packaging. Another social factor that affects the grocery market in general is the diverse culture in UK. There are so many people with different cultures that do not choose cereals as their first choice for breakfast; instead they have their own eating habits. Therefore, it is important for the producers in the grocery market to understand the needs of the entire population and meet them. Furthermore, supermarket own-brand products have gained a lot of popularity because of the economic downturn. As consumers have limited spending power, they prefer spending on a cheaper product that allows them to get the same benefits. 4.4 Technological In the present technological age, everyone, from personal to professional  interaction, is highly reliant on technology. Therefore, technological advances are important for the development and maintenance of business culture. Advances in technology have allowed the grocery industry to grow. An excellent example is the demise of Blockbuster, who was reluctant to explore online options, and their consequent refusal to buy Netflix and to adapt to changing trends lead to their bankruptcy and final closure on January 14, 2014. Online grocery shopping holds 11% of the distribution channels of the UK grocery market and predictions suggest online sales in the US will grow by 15% in 2014 to  £189.3 billion, while in Europe, sales are expected to rise by 18% to  £131.2 billion. Online shopping has helped people spend their day more efficiently and reduced the effort of having to carry heavy grocery bags. Technological advances at the supermarket has contributed to more efficient customer service and stocking efforts. The adoption of Electronic Point of Sale (EPoS), Electronic Funds Transfer Systems (EFTPoS) and electronic scanners have greatly improved the efficiency of distribution and stocking activities, with needs being communicated almost in real time to the supplier (Finch, 2004). Devices such as the self-checkout machine and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) have permitted the grocery industry to grow and accommodate customers in an effective way. 5.0 Description of product specific market 5.1 Main competitors The leading cereal brands and the biggest competitors of Bokomo cereals in the UK are Kellogg’s and Weetabix, reported Companies&Markets (2013). Kellogg’s arrived in the UK in 1922 and since then has maintained its position in the market, by focusing on innovation and expansion of their products. In 2012, it had 32% of value share, leading in the UK cereal market offering a wide range of products. Over the years, Kellogg’s has expanded to over 180 countries in the world and has around 39 brands of cereals. Weetabix, on the other hand, was launched in 1932; it has been a  long-standing brand and has fought its competitors to stay in this position in the UK. Weetabix has also introduced many different brands and has been innovating to adapt to consumer preferences over the years. Also Jordans, a breakfast cereal company based in Bedfordshire, founded in 1855. Although, the company produced its first cereal in 1981 called Original Crunchy, it was in the years between 2000 and 2005 when it faced rapid growth and became one of the largest cereal brands in the UK. Its great focus over the years has been on the packaging, to make it stand out in grocery stores and it is also known to be included in the â€Å"healthy, natural cereal segment† Moreover, Nestle formed in 1990. It was launched as a joint venture between General Mills and Nestle S.A. and named Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW). They offer the traditional cereals, as well as a range of brands including the world-known Cheerios. 5.2 Targeted consumers Cereal companies target many different kinds of people, although the easiest group of people to target has been children. BMSG (2013) stated they do it through advertisements on television, and somehow try to grab their attention by creating colourful, animated images and providing gifts in the cereal box each time. Another group targeted in this sector are the women because of their increasing concern for health and weight loss. Along with the children, women also form a big part of the consumers of this market. Nowadays, there are so many brands that have launched low-fat cereals and cereal bars also. Some also provide some advice, tips and dietary plans, Nytimes article (2010). Generally, families in the UK are also targeted consumers because some families still sit and have their meals together and believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Apart from that, families are more concerned with what they are eating, especially making sure that the smaller ones eat healthy (Marketingmagazine(2010) Unlike maybe some students at university who would not pay so much attention to their breakfast, particularly not on a daily basis. 5.3 Key trends in the cereal market Marketingmagazine (2008) stated A rising key trend in the cereal industry is the quick and convenient ‘good to go’ snacks, like cereal bars. Cereal bars have gained a lot of popularity among a wide range of audience in recent years because people not having time for breakfast. Due to this reason, there has been a significant decline in the sales of the cereal market. Companies have been mostly focusing on this convenient aspect of the market so that people don’t just skip breakfast entirely and their business doesn’t face a loss. As health also plays a crucial role in this market and recently people are more conscious about what they are putting in their body, convenient snacks are the best option as they cover both points. Nowadays, ‘good to go’ snacks are not just used for breakfast but also during the entire day as an alternative to other unhealthy snacks. As a result of the sudden popularity of these snacks, now there are a great variety of them in different formats. On the other hand, the popularity of own branded labels is growing in the grocery market. It saves consumers a significant amount of money and they offer a similar or better quality product. It has resulted in a much higher level of competition in the market. 5.4 SWOT Analysis Bokomo website (2014) 5.4.1 Strengths Bokomo is UK’s leading cereal maker; this is a major strength as they have established a firm position in the British cereal market. They operate in various markets inside the cereal industry, providing food manufacture, retailing and catering. Bokomo can provide tasty, fresh cereal products any business is looking for, at a very competitive and cost-effective price†. British company (although owned by South Africa’s Pioneer Foods) with substantial manufacturing plants in Wellingborough and Peterborough. This means Bokomo has the resources and specialist expertise to offer unique flexible manufacturing and packaging services. Companies needing a brand-new  breakfast cereal raced through New Product Development (NPD) or an innovative production line set up in record time can contact Bokomo. This makes them have an advantage as nowadays there are many organisations looking for branded cereal products. Bokomo is a world-class player, and in order to maintain that s tatus they need world-class facilities. They have two factories in the UK, specifically in Wellingborough and Peterborough. These factories offer them a cutting-edge manufacturing plant, in other words, the latest, high quality, reliable and sustainable facilities. This leads to the production of high quality products. Food standards are also controlled and supported by SAP business information software, which makes customers feel more confident and secure with the products and services Bokomo delivers. Bokomo ´s experts in the management team and the company ´s aim of constantly innovating and removing old production facilities has helped them produce large quantities of high quality products very efficiently and to the shortest imaginable lead-times. Their customers know Bokomo as a business that main objectives is to offer high quality products. This has been maintained by using high quality ingredients and top experts in recipe formulation. They are one of only 2 manufactures that produce wheat biscuits in the Northern hemisphere enabled them to have the largest control and knowledge of this production process. Even if Bokomo UK is based in the United Kingdom, they have also diversified. Geographic market diversification has enabled them to sell in many countries around Europe, Scandinavia and even as far as the United States of America or the United Arab Emirates 5.4.2 Weaknesses Bokomo stated â€Å"you’ve possibly never heard of us† – this means that individual customers do not know them as their own – branded products is very niche, and they are more specialized in producing in a business to business way. This is a very common weakness for companies that operate Behind the Brand. Constant changing of consumer’s tastes (opting for cereal bars, instant porridge or other breakfast solutions) can be considered a weakness, as its difficult and expensive to innovate and keep up to meet their needs. Difficulties to compete with well known brands cereals  products such as Corn Flakes, Crunchy Nut, Special K. Have to create a delicious product that attracts customers quickly and expensive to implement the R&D and marketing. On the other hand it can also be considered and opportunity. Negative publicity to which ready-to-eat cereals have been subjected due to their high sugar content 5.4.3 Opportunities Social trends are important opportunities for Bokomo. Customers aiming towards healthy living or any other lifestyle changes means there is an opportunity towards which research and operate in. They have achieved and been keeping up to date with this as they have many products related to this trend. Great health benefits, such as products enabling the final consumer to control cholesterol levels. Multi-grain flake is another trend and potential opportunity for Bokomo. Consumers are changing their tastes towards healthier goods, and leaving behind old-fashioned sugary confections. Consumers are also increasingly purchasing Branflakes as they are considered to be great for supporting a healthy digestive system. Another trend â€Å"busier schedules†, people are increasingly feeling they have no time to spend on having breakfast and snacks. Bokomo muesli is available to cater for the increasing demand for â€Å"breakfast on the go†. They offer them in bags and boxes, which facilitates the final customer to transport to their work place. This is an example of an opportunity for Bokomo because if they keep-up to date with trends, they will become more efficient and desirable for large retailers to purchase their products, and everyone will benefit form the sales. UK retailers are also focusing on added-value products: Add value by introducing natural minerals and vitamins into whole grain wheat and making the final product more healthy and nutritional. Own-label share of the business mix for large supermarket retailers. It is a main direction for Bokomo to go towards to as they can increase considerably their business operations, as the focus is now towards manufacturing own-label and branded products. Bokomo has realized the immense potential for expansion as the large retailers keep increasing the sale of this type of good. ‘One-stop’ shopping, or shopping in large supermarkets were customers can find any type of product in the same building has been  beneficial for Bokomo as these businesses are their main clients. If they increase their sales, Bokomo will also benefit from this, as they will sell them more and so increase revenue will mean increase levels of profitability. 5.4.4 Threats The cereal industry offers products which are considered to be relatively expensive, which can be easily replaced with simpler breakfast choices such as bread. The financial recession has been a main factor for the decrease in expenditure, specially concerning families, as there are other much cheaper products to replace the cereals and cereal bars. High unemployment has made a substantial impact on the demand for such goods, adversely affecting the demand required to product those goods. Increasing levels of immigration specially in the UK, has meant that they do not have the same culinary cultures and so those breakfast products will not satisfy the needs and wants of everyone. 5.0 Recommendations With the above analysis it is better for the company to target smaller retailers where their own labeled products won’t be affected by competitive brands like Kellogg’s, and when they achieve this they should concentrate more on developing their own branded products around the UK. As mentioned above in the SWOT analysis, cereal products are considered to be expensive due to the added value implemented on them so it would be better to decrease these levels of adding value and start off with lower prices, in recession periods. 6.0 Limitations Bokomo website allowed us to obtain up-to-date and official information and statistics of the company. The information was limited because the company sold themselves and emphasized on its positive aspects because they have to promote their brand to the consumers. A part from this we also used other sources including, online articles about food industry, which helped us, get an un-biased view of the company and the cereal market as a whole. The  drawback of using other sources or secondary research was that the methods used were unknown so we examined the most official and valid sources. 7.0 References Askew, K. 2013. Breakfast cereal: Are cereal sales going soggy? [Online] Available at: http://www.just-food.com/analysis/are-cereal-sales-in-developed-markets-going-soggy_id123417.aspx Bainbridge, J. 2010. Sector insight: Breakfast cereals | Marketing Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/990662/sector-insight-breakfast-cereals Bainbridge, J. 2008. Sector Insight: Cereal bars | Marketing Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/817580/sector-insight-cereal-bars Balchin, A. (1994) Part-time Workers in the Multiple Retail Sector: Small Change from Employment Protection Legislation? Employee Relations, Vol. 16 Iss: 7, pp.43 – 57 BBC News. 2014. UK unemployment rate drops to 7.1%. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25841570 BERKELEY, C. 2013. Cereal companies leverage online marketing to target children with sugary products | Berkeley Media Studies Group. [Online] Available at: http://w ww.bmsg.org/newsroom/news-releases/cereal-companies-leverage-online-marketing-to-target-children-with-sugary-products Bodimeade, M. 2013. UK breakfast cereals market dominated by Kellogg’s and Weetabix. [Online] Available at: http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/News/Food-and-Drink/UK-breakfast-cereals-market-dominated-by-Kelloggs-and-Weetabix/NI6602 Bokomo.co.uk. n.d. About | Bokomo. [Online] Available at: http://bokomo.co.uk/about Business News Daily (November 22, 2013) PEST Analysis: Definition and Examples, Available at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5512-pest-analysis-definition-examples-templates.html Euromonitor.com. 2013. Breakfast Cereals in the United Kingdom. [Online] Available at: http://www.euromonitor.com/breakfast-cereals-in-the-united-kingdom/report Igd.com. 2013. UK Grocery Retailing. [Online] Available at: http://www.igd.com/our-expertise/Retail/retail-outlook/3371/UK-Grocery-Retailing/ Internetretailing.net (March 18, 2014) UK retailers expected to make

Global Logistics Management Essay

Suppose that a manufacturer of men’s shirts can produce a dress shirt in its Houston, Texas plant for $8 per shirt (including the cost of raw materials). Chicago is a major market for 100,000 shirts per year. The shirt is priced at $15 at the Houston plant. Transportation and storage charges from Houston to Chicago amount to $5 per hundredweight (cwt.). Each packaged shirt weighs 1 pound. As an alternative, the company can have the shirts produced in Taiwan for $4 per shirt (including the cost of raw materials). The raw materials, weighing about 1 pound per shirt, would be shipped from Houston to Taiwan at a cost of $2 per cwt. When the shirts are completed, they are to be shipped directly to Chicago at a transportation and storage cost of $6 per cwt. An import duty of $0.50 per shirt is assessed. a. From a logistics-production cost standpoint, should the shirts be produced in Taiwan? b. What additional considerations, other than economic ones, might be considered before making a final decision?

Free Essays on Feng Shuia

When you walk into Cathleen McCandless’ home, one word comes to mind- soothing. This instant, comfortable feeling is no accident- Cathleen is a certified Feng Shui consultant, and she uses the principles of Feng Shui to improve virtually every aspect of her life, from her career to her health. Many of you have heard of or even dabbled in Feng Shui. What is it exactly? Is it just another superstitious fad that promises to improve your life by hanging crystals? Authentic, compass Feng Shui, when used properly, can dramatically improve your life. Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) is the 3,000 year-old Chinese science of environmental placement. When the principles of Feng Shui are used properly, people report improved health, relationships, increased happiness, and greater prosperity. Cathleen reports that Feng Shui was originally â€Å"the domain of the aristocracy† and they used it to retain their power and keep the commoners at a low level. They kept Feng Shui a secret and disseminated misinformation to keep the commoners where they were. Cathleen also tells us that â€Å"unfortunately, some of the current Feng Shui schools are based on some of this misinformation, so this is a dichotomy in my profession right now, so what we want to do is get back to the pure Feng Shui.† The authentic Feng Shui is based on compass direction and is the â€Å"study of the environment and how it affects people.† Many people employ Feng Shui principles. The entire business district in Hong Kong is based on them. Donald Trump regularly uses a Feng Shui consultant to help him with his business dealings, and many of Cathleen’s business clients report that, after their consultations, the finances and success of their companies greatly improve. Employee morale and work productions also increase. With this in mind, how can you use your home to tap into the power of Feng Shui? Your home functions as a metaphor for what you want to achieve in yo... Free Essays on Feng Shuia Free Essays on Feng Shuia When you walk into Cathleen McCandless’ home, one word comes to mind- soothing. This instant, comfortable feeling is no accident- Cathleen is a certified Feng Shui consultant, and she uses the principles of Feng Shui to improve virtually every aspect of her life, from her career to her health. Many of you have heard of or even dabbled in Feng Shui. What is it exactly? Is it just another superstitious fad that promises to improve your life by hanging crystals? Authentic, compass Feng Shui, when used properly, can dramatically improve your life. Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) is the 3,000 year-old Chinese science of environmental placement. When the principles of Feng Shui are used properly, people report improved health, relationships, increased happiness, and greater prosperity. Cathleen reports that Feng Shui was originally â€Å"the domain of the aristocracy† and they used it to retain their power and keep the commoners at a low level. They kept Feng Shui a secret and disseminated misinformation to keep the commoners where they were. Cathleen also tells us that â€Å"unfortunately, some of the current Feng Shui schools are based on some of this misinformation, so this is a dichotomy in my profession right now, so what we want to do is get back to the pure Feng Shui.† The authentic Feng Shui is based on compass direction and is the â€Å"study of the environment and how it affects people.† Many people employ Feng Shui principles. The entire business district in Hong Kong is based on them. Donald Trump regularly uses a Feng Shui consultant to help him with his business dealings, and many of Cathleen’s business clients report that, after their consultations, the finances and success of their companies greatly improve. Employee morale and work productions also increase. With this in mind, how can you use your home to tap into the power of Feng Shui? Your home functions as a metaphor for what you want to achieve in yo...

10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

10 Tips About How to Write a Caption 10 Tips About How to Write a Caption 10 Tips About How to Write a Caption By Mark Nichol If you contribute to production of a print or online publication that includes photographs or illustrations, you’re likely, at some point, to write captions. Here’s some advice about how to write good ones. 1. Caption copy must match the tone of the running text (the general written content, as opposed to display type such as headlines and captions). Determine whether captions should be formal or informal, or serious or humorous, or whether the tone can vary depending on circumstances. 2. Caption format will depend on various factors. Portraits (often referred to as headshots), or images of places or products can simply be captioned with a name: â€Å"John Smith,† for example, or â€Å"Deluxe Dual-Purpose Widget,† without terminal punctuation. (If the product caption is a description rather than an official product name, capitalize only the first word and proper names.) Captions for photos or other images showing events or occurrences can consist of incomplete sentences (â€Å"Taking the Inchworm personal-transportation device for a test drive†), but it’s generally better to use one or more complete sentences. (â€Å"John Smith takes the Inchworm personal-transportation device for a test drive.†) Avoid eliding words, as in â€Å"John Smith takes Inchworm personal-transportation device for test drive†; write the caption as if you were speaking it aloud, not as if you were writing a headline or dictating a telegram. Some publications use a lead-in phrase to establish the caption; these are either straightforward or may be conceptual and might be humorous and/or alliterative as well. They are often formatted in boldface and followed by a colon, and they generally are capitalized like headlines. (â€Å"Wiggle Wagon: John Smith takes the Inchworm personal-transportation device for a test drive.†) 3. A brief article can be formatted as a caption; it’s best to distinguish such special features with a box around the photo and caption and/or a different font treatment. (A headline is optional.) The extent of the block of type shouldn’t be less than the space taken up by the photo, and the caption should be broken up into paragraphs if it’s more than a few lines long, and perhaps divided into columns if the image is more than one column wide. 4. Use context to determine how thoroughly to identify photographic subjects. Because a person, place, or thing shown in a photo is almost invariably identified in accompanying running text, titles, affiliations, and other additional information, for example, are rarely required in captions. Subsequent photos of the same subject can be simplified (as when a person’s full name is used only in the first of several captions for photos featuring that person). 5. Avoid replicating content from the running text in a caption. The caption should allude to the running text’s topic, but the specific wording should at most paraphrase the running text. 6. Captions should not use judgmental or facetious language or make assumptions about, for example, a subject’s state of mind. (Of course, a publication that features humorous or satirical content is an exception.) 7. If more than one person is featured in the photo, use directional or other targeting terms (for example, â€Å"left,† â€Å"standing,† or â€Å"holding aardvark†) only if the distinction between the photo’s subjects is not obvious. If you must use such wording, be consistent about style and format. Here are some alternatives (the first of which trusts readers to assume left-to-right orientation): â€Å"Security guards Winken, Blinken, and Nod stand watch.† â€Å"Security guards Winken (left), Blinken, and Nod stand watch.† â€Å"Security guards Winken, left, Blinken, and Nod stand watch.† â€Å"Security guards (from left) Winken, Blinken, and Nod stand watch.† â€Å"Security guards (left to right) Winken, Blinken, and Nod stand watch.† 8. Avoid tired terminology. If, in a photo accompanying an article about a cash donation, a person is pictured pointing at an oversized mockup of a check, don’t write, â€Å"Charity Goodheart gestures at a giant check as Greedco chairman Rich Moneybags looks on.† (And ask yourself why your company or organization is publishing such a tired visual clichà © in the first place.) Simply write, â€Å"Charity Goodheart acknowledges a donation from Greedco chairman Rich Moneybags.† 9. Fact-check all quantitative information such as spelling, names (of people, places, and things) and titles, and data, and double-check that you describe action or procedures accurately. 10. Don’t forget to include credits, and be consistent in style and format. Acknowledge the photographer or stock-photography source with the name alone; there’s no need to write â€Å"photo by† or the like. (However, if a photo is provided without charge by another source, credit, for example, â€Å"Courtesy Lookatthis.com.†) Distinguish the credit from the caption by using another font or point size and/or placing it vertically along the right-hand edge of the image. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†Driver License vs. Driver’s License150 Foreign Expressions to Inspire You

Using Groucho Marx, illustrate the progression from vaudeville, to Essay

Using Groucho Marx, illustrate the progression from vaudeville, to movies, to radio, to television in the history of popular culture. Be explicit about the time - Essay Example By studying the career of Groucho Marx in detail, much about the history of popular culture could be learned. Marx, having lived and performed in the first half of the twentieth century, bore witness to the advances in the way entertainment will be produced and delivered. Hence, Marx’s progress as a performer is interlinked with the revolutionary technological advancements of the day. (The Best of Groucho, 37) Vaudeville was a highly innovative form of entertainment that was very popular during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. It comprised a series of short but action-packed â€Å"acts† that could range from comedy skits to dance and music to mimicry. The acts were performed for a direct audience similar to the contemporary theatre and hence required the actors to possess qualities of spontaneity and talents for ad-libbing. Groucho Marx was a prominent exponent of this form of entertainment. The comedy team of the Marx Brothers is best remembered for how they induced convulsions of laughter in the audience. Groucho’s quick wit and funny insults during the Vaudeville days are still remembered fondly by his fans. (The Best of Groucho, 37) The Marx Brothers’ made a move into a more conventional form of performance art when they worked for the Broadway show â€Å"I’ll Say She Is†. The success of this show led to the more popular shows like The Cocoanuts (1925) and Animal Crackers (1928). This was about the time when silent movies were taking centre stage. It led to both Cocoanuts and Animal Crackers being made into â€Å"talkies†. Its success led to further silent movie offers from Paramount Studios – Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932) and Duck Soup (1933). Although these movies were regarded as classics by the critics, their box-office returns were uninspiring, leading to speculation that the Marx Brothers’ days in Hollywood were at an end. (Rosten 104). But

The Analysis of the Song Run Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Analysis of the Song Run - Essay Example The song is written in a way to highlight a strong or unique vocalist, as it becomes the primary responsibility of the vocalist to imbue the song with life. Similar styles have been witnessed with such vocalists as Nico from the Velvet Underground, or the underground alternative rock artist Cat Power. The music begins with the song’s lyrics start. A snare drum is heard playing slow and hushed-like. An electric guitar plays a minimalist melody. Two to three chords are played, currently, there is no bass being used. After a few minutes, the guitar and drum combo ends. The bass guitar and the drums continue as the vocals finally started. The first three lines state, â€Å"I go away to a place/ Way far out in space/ That is away from the things I know†. This line refers to the imaginative process that I go under when I play music or think in lyrical terms. Additionally, the reference to space refers to the aesthetic qualities of the universe as the great unknown of human experience. The lyrics here are relayed in a subdued tone in accordance with the minimalist melody that has already been established by the bass guitar and drums. Overrated/ But can’t think of/ What to do about it † Here the bass guitar and snare drums continue in a minimalist style along with the vocals. The lyrics are composed in a purposely meandering way. In this way, they do not follow the strict pattern of grammatically correct discourse, but instead, adopt a logic that is acceptable within the confines of music. The lyrics additionally reflect a general existential malaise that is recurrent throughout the track. One imagines the vocalist spending the day alone and lazily reaching over and grabbing a guitar. The music in terms of the vocals and the melody is then improvisational in an aesthetic sense. The bass guitar melody as does not need to be incredibly consistent. Instead, this could even be reinvented for each song.

Politics of Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Politics of Development - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that improvement comes in terms of services offered, facilities available in a country for public use and the kind or level of production in the industries of that country. Development of this kind could be termed as economic improvement or growth. Development, especially economic development associates itself with the kind of life people of a particular nation or state lead long and healthy lives. This is where access to the necessary resources that guarantee a civilized standard of living is possible and practical. On the other hand, development revolves around the empowerment where people of a particular nation control their live through finding solutions to their demands and problems. This reflects on the availability of necessities to the nationals of a given nation. In other terms, development is the upward movement of social systems, which include economic and non-economic factors. Development works in a way that creates social, econ omic and political frameworks that are able to stimulate growth in the said area of development. Development fosters easy access to resources, through transformation, or modification of the available facilities to suit the needs of individuals or the nation as a whole. Development of any kind has its own failures and successes associated with it. The various examples of political; development range from good governance that results to better lives through laid down frameworks that ensure provision of the basic necessities in a better and appropriate way. However, the success of economic development is when there is growth in economic sectors where more businesses flourish and production processes yield products with good quality and can be availed to the market at moderate or fare prices. On the other hand, the failures of economic development may result to high rates of inflation, unemployment and high living standards that a country may experience. Economic development has a direc t impact on the lives of people in a country and it affects almost all activities carried out in a country. This is because, the areas of there economy like the lending of money form banks would highly be affected by economic growth, where more people may be encouraged to borrow money or production processes may seem favored by the availability of raw materials at low prices. Improved living standards would be indicators of economic growth. Thus, economic development is more fundamental and appropriate bin understanding what it means by development as the whole world focuses on economic development in various ways. Many countries engage in economic development strategies to improve living standards of people within the countries. Every country has its own history on how it deals with economic matters (Shane 2005). Economic Development in America America was discovered in the year fourteen ninety-two by Christoph Kolumbus, where the first settlers came from Europe and precisely Engla nd. After the arrival of the English people, they began to build colonies that resulted into new cities. In early sixteen nineteen tobacco industry establishment meant that labor force was required and as a result, slaves from Netherlands had to work on the new established tobacco industry plantation and factory. The Americans started fighting and becoming rebellious to the British minority after the Britons formulated unfavorable economic regulations. In the late seventeen seventies, the Americans overpowered the British forces and as a result, the then British King honored a peace agreement signing that granted the Americans independence and George Washington became the first president. Due to his interest in economic affairs, slavery influenced the history of America during his time. Slavery ended with the civil war after Abraham Lincoln who was against became the next American president by

Rising interest on entrepreneurship

Rising interest on entrepreneurship 1.0 INTRODUCTION The rising interest on entrepreneurship has become a regular topics discussed among academician and politician and there are many evidence can be seen worldwide (Levenburg and Schwarz, 2008). In the U.S alone, for the past 10 years, on averaged 600,000 new businesses was incorporated each year (Kuratko, 2005). There is also a significant increase in endowment received by business schools in the U.S. for entrepreneurship activities. Since 1995 US$10 million had been contributed compared to an average US$500,000 to US$1 million in early 1990s (Katz, 2003). Studies on forty countries entrepreneurship activities by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) have seen the sharp increased from 2 per cent to 29 per had confirm this fact (Levenburg and Schwarz, 2008). There are many reasons for it and why it is becoming more important nowadays. Due to the advantages and attractiveness of entrepreneurship in the economy, Lambing and Kuehl (2007) noted a remarkable increase in new business in the U.S. for the past 10 15 years. The practice of downsizing by big firms also believed to contribute into the increasing number of people considering entrepreneurship as a career not only because of unemployment but also decreasing interest of people pursuing career in a big corporation. They feel that the organizations have no longer provided the job security and career opportunities that they once did. The use of technology in the working places had taking away many jobs in the organization and reduced the need for labor and manager in big firms. Due to these factors, many people deciding to become independent in pursuing their economic needs (Lambing and Kuehl, 2007). Entrepreneurial firms had a crucial contribution into the economy as they become a part of renewal process of declining economies with its innovation which lead to technological change and growth in productivity. Not only that, they also become the main employment provider which enable all walk of life to access the economic accomplishment (Kuratko, 2005). In Malaysia, the seriousness of the government in promoting entrepreneurship among Malaysian can be seen with various programs and incentives offered to the current and future entrepreneur. In 2007, Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato Seri Abdullah bin Hj. Ahmad Badawi had presented in the National budget a special agenda that cater to develop competitive Bumiputera entrepreneur. Several public and private agencies had also be formed such as the formation of Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB) in 1991 which has successfully developed Bumiputera entrepreneurs in strategic industries and trade sectors such as in oil and gas, electrical and electronics and ICT (2007 Budget Speech by Prime Minister). In order to support this effort financially, financial institutions such as Bank Simpanan Malaysia and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia will providing micro credit facilities to Bumiputera entrepreneur and become one of the proof to the government effort to promote entrepreneurial quest among its citizens. There is no doubt on the important of entrepreneurship for the nations economy as Ibrahim and Soufani (2002) found in their research. The small business sector in Canada plays a significant role in the economy. However, without proper training and guidance there is a likelihood that the entrepreneur will face the business failure as found out by Ibrahim and Soufani (2002). They had identified the major cause of the high failure rate in a new business venture is the entrepreneur lack of managerial skills and competencies and agreed that entrepreneurship training is a key strategy to reduce the high failure rate in the small business sector. This is supported by Sullivan (2000) who stated that entrepreneurial learning is of critical importance to the survival and growth of SMEs in most marketplaces. Henry et al (2005) suggested that in order for entrepreneurial development programs to be effective, learning must be based in real work situations so that a person can implement what they have learnt better. The use of Kolbs learning cycle that is involved in experiencing, reflecting, conceptualizing, and experimentation concept during the process of learning will help them to apply what they have learnt in the real organizational or business setting into their own venture. This is when the entrepreneurship education can play its role and becoming the instrument in creating more and more entrepreneur in the society. However it is crucial to understand who is entrepreneur and what are their traits so that the learning process can be programmed in such a way that benefit to the target audience and able to reach its objectives. 2.0 THE GENERAL CONCEPT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP To better understand the topic, this part will explain the theoretical concept of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship traits, and motivation factors of entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is a dynamic subject to discuss and there are many angles it can be viewed, critics, and studied and there is no one fixed definition for it (Zimmerer et al, 2008; Brooks, 2009; Barringer and Ireland, 2008). The definitions are different from one writer to another where most of it are derived from their readings or research they had conducted. Brooks (2009) viewed entrepreneurship from the classical economic model and defined entrepreneurship as a factor of production, or an input to production such as labor, physical capital, human capital, and land and entrepreneur is an individual who put the element of skills and risk that they add into the inputs. Joseph Schumpeter (an Austrian economist) describes entrepreneurship as an economic force that had droved capitalism in the western world which mainly characterize by the will to succeed, competitiveness and success in the economic activity (Brooks, 2009). Brooks (2009) adds that entrepreneurship success comes from the creativity and innovativeness of an individual or organization which gives enormous impact to the economy by creating of new jobs and employment opportunity. According to Wenneker and Thurik (1999) entrepreneur can be divided â€Å"into three intellectual traditions according to the German, neo-classical, and Austrian†which summarized the function of entrepreneur as a leader to market stability through entrepreneurial activities, profitability opportunist, and â€Å"creator of instability through its creative destruction†. Based on this study Hebert and Link (1989) defined the entrepreneur as â€Å"someone who specializes in taking responsibility for and making judgmental decisions that affect the location, form, and the use of goods, resources, or institutions†(Wenneker and Thurik, 1999). Entrepreneurship is made of entrepreneur that is an individual who creates new business in the face of risk and uncertainty for achieving profit and growth opportunities (Zimmerer et al, 2008). These individuals than assembles necessary resources to capitalize those opportunities in order to materialize its goals. There are different views on which entrepreneurship traits that really turn someone to become successful entrepreneur. Table 1 summarized some of the entrepreneurship traits in the view of different writers and researchers. Author Entrepreneurship Traits Zimmerer et al (2008) from David McClelland 1. Desire for responsibility 2. Preference for moderate risk (risk eliminators) 3. Confidence in their ability to succeed 4. Desire for immediate feedback 5. High level of energy 6. Future orientation (serial entrepreneurs) 7. Skill in organization 8. Value of achievement over money Zimmerer et al (2008) 1. High degree of commitment 2. Willingness to accept risk, work hard and take action 3. Flexibility Barringer and Ireland (2008) 1. Passion for the Business 2. Product/Customer Focus 3. Tenacity Despite Failure 4. Execution Intelligence David A. Kirby (2004) 1. Risk-taking capability 2. Need for achievement 3. Locus control 4. Desire for autonomy 5. Deviancy 6. Creativity and opportunism 7. Intuition Timmons et al from David A. Kirby (2004) 1. Total commitment, determination, and perseverance 2. Drive to achieve and grow 3. Orientation to goals and opportunities 4. Taking initiative and personal responsibility 5. Veridical awareness and a sense of humour 6. Seeking and using feedback 7. Internal locus control 8. Tolerance of ambiguity, stress and uncertainty 9. Calculated risk-taking and risk sharing 10. Low need for status and power 11. Integrity and reliability 12. Decisiveness, urgency and patience 13. Learning from failure 14. Team builder and hero maker Mario Rutten (2001) on Chinese entrepreneur 1. Strong emphasis on personal advancement 2. Hard work and self-sacrifice for the family honour, community, and ancestors. Alina M. Zapalska and Will Edwards (2001) on traditional authority and entrepreneurial culture for direction in life 1. Confucian culture to the family 2. A strong tendency to promote the collective or the group 3. A deep respect for age, hierarchy, and authority 4. Importance of reputation achieved through hard work and successful enterprise Colette Henry, Frances Hill, and Claire Leitch (2005) 1. Entrepreneur is someone who involved in the process of creating something different in the business. Donald F. Kuratko (2005) on entrepreneurship characteristics 1. Opportunities seekers 2. Beyond security risk taker 3. Tenacity to   push idea through reality Table 1: The summarize entrepreneurship traits What motivate individual to become an entrepreneur? What motivate a person to become an entrepreneur? There are many authors or researchers that had conducted on such matter had varies in views from the aspect of psychology, sociology and economic anthropology. From the view of psychology, this research try to look into the mental model of an entrepreneur whether their motivation or behavior is based on thought that they see from surrounding which relate one part to another that finally have the consequences to their actions. For example, research by Autere and Autio (2000) had found that from their qualitative study on the small software firms in Finland, mimicking behavior of success businesses plays a role in creating new entrepreneur and their behavior orientation can be acquired through imitation. The mental model of the management in the big firms also influenced the behavior of new and small firms, and therefore can be learned through experience and external influences. The growth-oriented of the external model perceived by the new entrepreneur also influence their behavior toward advancement of their business. By exposing the growth-oriented mental models into the management of the new business, this will induce greater growth orientation among their managers. They also found that if the exposure to growth-oriented mental models is introduce earlier in the business life, this will instill a growth-oriented culture in the firm and lead to faster growth in the future. There are also many questions on whether there are different motivating factors on individual from different culture. Many researchers try to explain this human economic behavior and this is what the economic anthropology comes into the picture. Economic anthropology is a description and analysis of economic life, using an anthropological perspective which approaches and locates aspects of peoples individual and collective lives (personal and society) and how its linking with one another (Carrier, 2005).   Durrenberger (2005) describe the economic anthropology as a system in which people produce, distribute, and consume goods in order to meet their material needs and this systems look into how   it was organized, operate, created, and connected to other systems. Dalton (1968) mentioned that the economic anthropology is concerned with the organization of economy and its connection between economic and social organization and the results of economic process which relates to productivity. Because of this reasons, the entrepreneur exist due to the needs of the society that need to be filled and this existence benefit the society with systematically organized economy where the exchange of needs can be met. What drive an entrepreneur can be said that human wants are no longer limited and LeClair Jr. (1962) mentioned that contemporary economist have long since adopted a broader view of human wants. A person has to deal with the fact that their aspirations always exceed their capabilities and they have to economize their capabilities with the significance of meeting their desires to the fullest extent possible (LeClair Jr., 1962). This can be filled with the association of economic process which described by LeClair Jr. (1962) as an event of producing goods or services for utilization or consumption of the produce goods or services for the satisfaction of human wants. One of the major paradigms in economic anthropology is culturalism. One of the focus in this study would be trying to determine whether culture play an important role in encouraging the entrepreneurship behavior among member of its society. It is crucial to understand what culture is all about before we know what role it plays in the entrepreneurship. Schein (2004) defined culture as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that group learned as it solved its problems through external adaptation with the internal integrations. When this has worked well enough to be considered valid, therefore it is taught to new members as it is a correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to the problems. Schein (2004) classified the level of culture from the surface to the deepest level based on the degree of visibility of the cultural phenomenon to the observer. Artifacts such as architecture, language, technology, products, etc. are at the surface of cultural level which is the visible organizational structures and processes that can be sees, hears, and feels (Schein 2004). A person interpretation on others will be predictably being the projections of his feelings and reactions from his experienced. Related to this, a person motivation to become an entrepreneur can be from his experienced by looking what the benefits and rewards that entrepreneurship can offer from his surrounding. If he saw it as a positive experienced, there is a positive tendency that he will also motivated to do the same and vice versa. The motivation to become an entrepreneur can also cause by the personality of different individual. Different culture does have different perception on how a person develops their personality. People from Asia are known as less focused on differentiating the individual from the group and put less emphasis on self-actualization compare to the westerners which have a strong concepts of the individualistic where being different from the group is not being seen as indifferent (Schein, 2004). Asian sees group opinion or values is more important than taking own actions and benefits to the group is more important than their own and always put their own interest last. For example, Asian Chinese entrepreneurs hold a strong belief in collective organization management and see challenges as a group endeavors rather than individual objectives (Zapalska and Edwards, 2001). This is why some successful entrepreneur is found to come from a group or families. Berger (1991) explains that family entrepreneurship is directly responsible for Hong Kongs extraordinary economic success. Paternalistic management style in the traditional Chinese family where the father in the family had the autocratic power is responsible for adding family wealth had become the reason of the family economic advancement. This creates competition among families and this style was brought into the business which finally creates vicious competition among firms. However because of this competition, researchers found that family based firm does not last long. Their estimation is between two and a half to three generations (Berger, 1991). The role of family as the most critical element in developing individual entrepreneurial character was also supported by Gupta (1991) from her interviews on Indian entrepreneurs. The rise of economic success of Chinese businessmen in recent years also being said to be contributed by the solidarity, closeness and strong ties between family and clan that they had portrayed. Unlike their counterpart on the West which emphasized more on individualistic spirit, collectivism is being the core values that they hold in doing business. Rutten (2001) believed that combining with personal loyalty to family and group welfare, social and family environment with strong traditional values and practices, has contributed to the development of entrepreneurship in Asia. However, a country advancement and progress do not take place in a single society as a whole but through the network of diversified collective of its social life. To flourish, small-scale entrepreneurs have to develop their technical and social skills. They have to build the external networks between suppliers, sellers, customers, entrepreneur and others and made them become part of the institutional structures that they had built (Berger, 1991). In order to success, network had become an element which play an important role in doing business (Gidsell, 1991). This institutional structure is not only in the form of family relations but also in the ethnic group they belong. It is believed that entrepreneur from the same ethnic had the advantages and benefited from belonging to the group because of they shared same ethics and cultural norms. Landa (1991) found that the shared ethics and cultural norms had functioned as social capital where they can reduce cost of business by receiving low interest or even interest free loan from fellow ethnic entrepreneur. Gidsell (1991) found that entrepreneur from the same ethnic groups not only providing initial capital and stock but also the running the day-to-day operation of business.   Social capital is not the only capital that this ethnic entrepreneur received. Godsell (1991) mentioned that network built in the ethnic groups did provide the entrepreneur with spiritual capital. This network becomes the way of their survival and as a result prospering the community. Tangible recognition in the form of honorary doctorates and other public awards (Godsell, 1991) and the structural factors such as religion, culture and socio-political conditions of community support (Gupta, 1991) would also help the entrepreneur to move forward. The cultural aspect had become the interest of many researchers that study entrepreneurship and had emerged as study of ethnic entrepreneurship (Light, 2004; Greene and Chaganti, 2004; Iyer, 2004). This study had ranged from the entrepreneurial behavior into the financial aspect of the business. Light (2004) seen ethnic entrepreneurship as an economic activity that had result from the actions of minority ethnic group to reduce their disadvantage and exclusion from the labor market. Self-employment or entrepreneurship had played a major role in this community and as a result, ethnic entrepreneur are always seen as an employment provider to fellow co-ethnic when the employment opportunities is limited for them.   3.0ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION Because of the challenges and uncertain future face by the people today, there will be a greater need for them to have entrepreneurial skills and abilities so they can deal it with. Factors such as reduction of trade barriers due to the globalization of economy, technology advancement, privatisation of public service has created complexity and uncertainty in the society which cause changes in organisational management and even individual perception towards employment (Henry et al, 2005). The changing landscapes of economic environment give important role for entrepreneurship education to play. The important of entrepreneurship education can be seen as it becomes the political agenda and the priority for both industrially developed and developing countries. It is agree that the entrepreneurship education can increase the quality and quantity of graduate entrepreneurs which enter into the country economy. Education they received in the higher education institutions had absolutely influence their attitude towards entrepreneurship and equips them with necessary knowledge and skills for entrepreneurial activities (Matlay, 2006). With the increasing demand for study of entrepreneurship, there have been seen the explosion of sudden increase in the number of entrepreneurship courses offered in the higher education institution where 2,200 courses had been offered at over 1,600 schools in the United States alone (Katz, 2003), and it also believed the same growth of interest had occurred in other countries as well such as in Europe and Asia. There are also a number of major academic institutions in the U.S which had developed programs in entrepreneurship research. With the research conducted combined with symposium and conference, it has become the means of acquiring for latest developments in entrepreneurship (Kuratko, 2005). Even though the gaining popularity and interest of entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions, this field is said to be at its early life phase which debates are still continuing on conceptual and methodological issues. Henry et al (2005) said that previous research from various disciplines had been conducted without developing its theoretical framework had cause many different analyses and outcomes from the research conducted on the subject. Until now, the different views prolonged because each of researchers or experts involved do not use each others work and the huge knowledge generated on entrepreneurship research had cause the discipline to be fragmented and never been cumulated (Henry et al, 2005). There are continuous debate (Henry et al, 2005) on entrepreneurship definition and interchangeable term use to describe entrepreneurship such as entrepreneur, enterprise and small business may not give advantage for the studies of entrepreneurship and as a result it is difficult to assess the current situation of entrepreneurship education. Matlay (2006) suggested the need for better review for such programmes because of the existence of content difference and its quality among business schools that had offered such courses and had continuously creating debates among academician related to its appropriateness and effectiveness. In addition of the difficulties of conceptualizing and contextualizing the field of entrepreneurship education, will lead to a puzzle and mislead policy maker which cause the credibility of academician involves affected and questions the need for further funding in this field. However, the effort to centralize the studies on entrepreneurship for its excellence can be seen with the establishment of consortium of research center across the U.S. (Kuratko, 2005). According Kurako (2005) among the sources of understanding on entrepreneurial activities are coming from academic research and publications, observation on entrepreneurs, speeches and presentations from conferences or seminars. Kuratko from literature reviewed had seen suggestion from various researchers regarding the entrepreneurship education pedagogy which among it is the important to deal with the ambiguous nature of business entry, developing skill-building courses such as negotiation, leadership, new product development, creative thinking, and exposure to technological innovation. Awareness programs such as entrepreneurship as employment choice, financial and legal aspects of business management, into out of the class approach such as field trips, consultation with practicing entrepreneurs and even competitions can also be seen as a good approach in educating future entrepreneurs. There are also suggestions on the important of considering who the target audience is in designing such programs. There will be different learning needs of entrepreneur at different stages of business development they currently have. It is necessary to have different pedagogic approach for different target audience so the educators and trainer or training provider can improve their approach in entrepreneurial learning. And it is important to match and characterized between what are perceived by entrepreneurial characteristics and how to educate it (Henry et al, 2005). As illustrated by the following table, the framework of entrepreneurship education can be divided into three level. Approach on Entrepreneurship Education Jamieson (1984) Garavan and OCinneide (1994) Cox (1996) McMullan and Boberg (1991) Level 1 Graduate or undergraduate students awareness creation specific objectives on various aspects of setting up and running a business theoretically perspective foster skills, attitude, and values to increase number of people who knowledgeable about small business and will consider it as a career in the future objectives : promoting self-efficacy with regard to new venture creation provides mastery experience to entrepreneurship experience or opportunities exposure to real-life entrepreneur Case method was effective in developing analytical skills and ability to synthesise information. Project method perceived to develop and enhance knowledge and understanding of subject area. Level 2 preparation of aspiring entrepreneur career of self-employment specific objective :   setting up a business and running the business practical skills for small business set-up and management preparation of business plan provide practical help to those who want to make transition from traditional employment to self-employment focus : raising finance, marketing problem, and legal issues. Level 3 management training for establish entrepreneurs focused on growth and future business development product development and marketing training will provides skills, knowledge and attitudes continuing small business education. Focused to enhance and update their skills. Table 2 : The framework of entrepreneurship education Role of academic entrepreneurship must orientated towards innovative and need to change rapidly in order to become the leader in creating entrepreneur effort (Kirby, 2004). He feels it is important for the business school to look into the process of developing entrepreneurial skills, attributes, and behaviours of its student in addition to their understanding on the business management by specifically designed the modules and courses and by changing the learning environment that can help to develop their awareness and strengthen their entrepreneurial characteristics and skills. He proposed that the traditional way of learning had to be shifted to more students oriented which gives â€Å"students ownership of their learning, more involvement in real word situation, encourages students to formulate decisions on incomplete data, immediate and dubious, and providing role models to them.† Education is not the only factors that had motivate graduates to become entrepreneur   as Matlay (2006) found that other reasons for such as the current socio-economy and educational conditions together with personal, family and peer influences often affect their desires, motivation, and prospect. 4.0RESEARCH QUESTIONS The question now is whether entrepreneurship education can be developed based on the entrepreneurship traits? And is it possible to teach entrepreneurship to others? Zimmerer (2008) argues that entrepreneurship can not be taught to others but the necessary skills of small business management are teachable and as Kirby (2004) noted that â€Å"entrepreneurship is about possessing or acquiring a particular set of attributes, skills and behaviors† and this can be possessed by learning. The following will be the sub-questions for this research; What is the motivation for an individual to become an entrepreneur based on cultural perspective? Are there any differences in motivation factors between ethnic in Malaysia? What are the required traits by the entrepreneur in the industry? Can entrepreneurship traits be transferred? Is the entrepreneurship program in the higher technical institutions address the requirements by the entrepreneur involve in the industries? If the required traits are addressed by the higher technical institutions, what is the right way to transfer it to the students? 5.0EMPIRICAL STUDIES The choice of research method depends on the nature of the research problems. It is proposed that the research will be using both qualitative and quantitative methods.   Based on the literature review and the theoretical c