Issues of Patient Confidentiality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issues of Patient Confidentiality - Essay Example Such information must be accessible only to the surgeon, and when necessary, to specific health care and insurance workers. Simply put, patient confidentiality denotes that personal and medical data granted to a health care provider should not be divulged to other people who do not have a need to know except if the patient has conferred explicit authorization for such release. Since the revelation of personal information could trigger professional or personal setbacks, patients depend on medical practitioners to uphold the privacy of their medical information. However, nowadays, it is common for medical records to be shared with several people for a number of reasons. The most common violation of confidentiality occurs when clinicians distribute medical data utilized in case studies. As per procedure, as soon as data is circulated in specialized periodicals, the character/personality of the patient is never disclosed and all information that could lead to the identification of the pa tient are also removed or altered, however, if this confidentiality is infringed in whatever way, patients have the right to take legal action (Fremgen, 2008; Rosenbaum, 2002, pp. 906-907; Landrum, 2003, pp. 222-223; Hubbard, Glover and Hartley, 2003; Carter, 2003). Implications In the case study, particular legislations and state regulations have been infringed. For one, there was a breach in confidentiality based on the Patient's Bill of Rights under the provision on Confidentiality of Health Information and the person most accountable for the said violation is Dr. Orbit's medical assistant, Sabrina. Likewise, aside from violating a patient's right to privacy, Sabrina's disclosure of Katrina's circumstance to her husband desecrated the provisions contained in the AAMA Code of Ethics, which explicitly stipulated that as medical assistants they are to "respect confidential information obtained through employment unless legally authorized or required by responsible performance of duty to divulge such information" (AAMA Code of Ethics, 1996). By divulging such information to Roger (who really does not have a need to know), Sabrina acted unethically. In like manner, there was also an encroachment of the Privacy and Security Rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Privacy Rule demands that covered entities, such as that health care provider operated by Dr. Orbit, take sensible measures to guarantee the secrecy of interactions and exchanges with individuals. In this case, Dr. Orbit appears not to be so keen on his patients' privacy as evidenced by his nurse' sloppy disclosure of their patients' situation, meaning, if they had been cautious and vigilant about their commitment to preserve patient confidentiality, such revelation should not have taken place. On the other hand, the Administrative Safeguards under HIPAA's Security Rule have also been disregarded. First, under such rule, healthcare entities must implement a set of privacy procedures on paper and assign a privacy officer who would be responsible for executing all necessary policies and procedures. Obviously, Dr. Orbit's

Brigade system Essay Example for Free

Brigade system Essay The next time a restaurant kitchen delivers a complex meal to the dining room, deftly timed and executed, consider the fact that this military precision is no accident. The traditional system of kitchen structure the brigade led by the chef has venerable roots in European military organizations. From the 14th century on, traveling armies had to be fed; cooks were selected from among the ranks. During peacetime, rulers set up tournaments to keep their warriors prepared for future battles; the military cooks followed knights to castles and ultimately became the cooks to kings and nobility, orchestrating huge and complicated meals and feasts for vast entourages. Trade guilds soon developed; these were carefully controlled monopolies for cooks that ensured the membership steady employment. Expensive and exclusive, these guilds adopted uniforms, rigid hierarchies, and systems of exhaustive apprenticeship. Until after the French Revolution and the subsequent rise of restaurants, this caste of cooks continued to work exclusively for the aristocracy. The classic double-breasted white jacket is vestigial it originated when chefs were servants of the king and presumably might be called upon to serve in battle as well as in noble households. By the 1820s, chefs were wearing uniforms purportedly based on those worn by soldiers in the Turkish army. White eventually became the standard to emphasize cleanliness and good sanitation. There are numerous unsubstantiated legends about the origins of the chefs tall white toque; one version attributes it to the tubular black hats worn by Greek Orthodox priests. Antonin Carà ªme, the 18th-century chef to Tallyrand and various Rothschilds, is also credited with bringing the toque into the kitchen. Supposedly inspired by a womans hat, he inserted a snappy cardboard tube into his cap, and the style caught on. Traditional stiff, pleated toques are about 8 inches tall, but executive chefs wear them up to 12 inches. The story told in my culinary school is that the extra-tall headgear enables subordinates in need of guidance to quickly spot the chef in a crowded kitchen. (Of course, the women students circulated an alternate theory.) Late in the 19th century, following a French army career, gifted chef Georges-Auguste Escoffier developed the modern brigade system in Londons Savoy Hotel. For maximum efficiency, he organized the kitchen into a strict hierarchy of authority, responsibility, and function. In the brigade, widely adopted by fine-dining establishments, the general is the executive chef, or chef de cuisine, assisted by asous chef. Subordinate are the chefs de partie, each in charge of a production station and assisted by demi-chefs and commis(apprentices). The number of station chefs can get exhaustive, including the saucier (sauces),poissionier (fish), grillardin (grilled items),fritteurier (fried items), rotissier (roasts), garde manger (cold food), patissier (pastries), andtournant (roundsman, station relief). Today, most restaurants use some simplified variation of Escoffiers kitchen brigade. Typically, the executive chef coordinates kitchen activities, sets standards, manages costs, and directs training and work efforts. The sous chef sees that the food is prepared, portioned, and presented according to the executive chefs standards. The line cooks run the stations and prepare menu items according to specifications, aided by assistants and apprentices.

Arthur Millers The Crucible Essay -- Arthur Miller Crucible Essays

Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" 'The Crucible' was written in 1952 by the twentieth century American playwright Arthur Miller (1915-.) Miller was born in New York and educated at the University of Michigan where he began to write plays. Most of Miller's plays are set in contemporary America and on the whole offer a realistic portrayal of life and society and the theme of self-realization is re-current e.g. John Proctor in 'The Crucible'. 'The Crucible' was the third play Miller wrote. It is a play about the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. It was used as a parable for McCarthyism in America in the 1950s. Miller's play 'The Crucible' has recently been made into a hugely successful film that stars Hollywood actress Winona Ryder showing its enduring themes. The play concentrates on key figures of the trials: Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Reverend Samuel Parris. These were all real people trapped in the devastation of the time. The disturbing storyline powerfully depicts people under pressure and certain issues involved, Senator Joseph McCarthy; an important figure in the USA in the 1950's is mentioned somewhat in 'The Crucible.' For instance; a certain similarity between the Salem Witchcraft Trials and McCarthyism was the fact that they both failed to make a plausible case against anyone, both their colourful and cleverly presented accusations drove people out of their jobs (and in 'The Crucible') and their towns and brought popular condemnation to others. The persecution of innocent souls is apparent in both Senator Joseph McCarthy's work and of 'The Crucible.' McCarthyism was when all left wing views were arraigned for un-American activiti... ...his essay. The witchcraft trials in Salem were remarkable, mainly for the numbers involved. Before the witchcraft hysteria was over the girls had pointed the finger at hundreds of supposed witches, not only in Salem but also in places far apart such as Andover and Charleston. They even accused people they did not know e.g. Abigail accused Hales wife whom she had never met. By October 1692 doubts had set in about the girl's testimony. In December 1692 Governor Phillips appointed a new session of the Superior Court of Judicature to clear the jails, and issued a general pardon to all persons still under suspicion. By this time, however, nineteen people had been hanged, one pressed to death under a pile of rocks (Giles Corey) for refusing to speak at his own trial, and at least two more people had died in prison, bringing the number of deaths to twenty-two.

James Joyces Araby and Eveline Essay -- Araby, Eveline Essays

James Joyce's "Araby" and "Eveline" In 'Araby' and 'Eveline' Joyce uses religious symbols to show the importance of the Catholic religion in both of the main characters' lives. Both of these stories take place in Dublin, Ireland, a place that is very strong in its belief in the Catholic religion. In 'Araby,' the imagery of the infamous 'Fall' is presented to the reader within the second paragraph to indicate its importance. The themes of religious masses can be found in 'Eveline.' The concept of the Catholic Ash Wednesday is presented throughout both 'Araby' and 'Eveline.'   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second paragraph of ?Araby? presents the idea of the Adam and Eve story known as ?The Fall.? ?The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple tree and a few straggling bushes under one of which I found the late tenant?s rusty bicycle pump.? (21/14-17). In the Catholic religion, the Adam and Eve story is thought to be the time when sin became present in the world. It is the time in Catholicism when the innocent life that Adam and Eve shared in the beautiful garden, violently changed into a life of responsibility, pain, heartbreak, suffering, and most important in the Catholic religion, separation from God. This transformation can not only be seen in the story of Adam and Eve, but in the change from the innocent life of a child to the turbulent life of an adult. The latter change is the one that the main character of ?Araby? is going through. Joyce is trying to show how important this theme was by repeating the word ?fall? throughout the entire story. Catholic religion plays an important role in the main character?s life, because the Catholic religion gives specific standards for believers to follow. This religion, along with its rules and regulations, is the one that the main character was raised by, and he feels obligated to follow them, even through the very tough time of adolescence. In the story, the boy becomes infatuated with a girl. This crush on Mangan?s sister is very tough on the main character for many reasons. The first being that she does not share the love he has for her, and secondly, his crush conflicts with his strict religion. He becomes obsessed with her, watching her every move. The girl has taken over his every thought, which is why the crush conflicts with the Catholic religion. Catholicism is the worship of a single, all-powerful God. When ... ...hooses to live the life of duty and responsibility, proving that her belief in the Catholic religion is indeed something she thinks is important; and also when she gives up her chance to escape to a carefree life, she gives up something else important to her, Frank.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The above examples come together to show that the Catholic religion plays a major role in the lives of Joyce?s main characters. He uses repeated words and religious symbols to show just how important Catholicism is to the lives of the population of Dublin, Ireland. Joyce intentionally uses religion as the main conflict in the situations in both of the stories. James Joyce believes Catholicism is important, and he uses the religion to affect the characters? lives. Without having the Catholic background both Eveline and the main character in ?Araby? have, their choices concerning their life would have been less difficult. Instead of having to decide between their religion and their desires, they would only have to consider their desires. Joyce believes that the Catholic religion affects the characters and their situations, which is the reason why he writes in religious symbols throughout ?Araby? and ?Eveline.? James Joyce's Araby and Eveline Essay -- Araby, Eveline Essays James Joyce's "Araby" and "Eveline" In 'Araby' and 'Eveline' Joyce uses religious symbols to show the importance of the Catholic religion in both of the main characters' lives. Both of these stories take place in Dublin, Ireland, a place that is very strong in its belief in the Catholic religion. In 'Araby,' the imagery of the infamous 'Fall' is presented to the reader within the second paragraph to indicate its importance. The themes of religious masses can be found in 'Eveline.' The concept of the Catholic Ash Wednesday is presented throughout both 'Araby' and 'Eveline.'   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second paragraph of ?Araby? presents the idea of the Adam and Eve story known as ?The Fall.? ?The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple tree and a few straggling bushes under one of which I found the late tenant?s rusty bicycle pump.? (21/14-17). In the Catholic religion, the Adam and Eve story is thought to be the time when sin became present in the world. It is the time in Catholicism when the innocent life that Adam and Eve shared in the beautiful garden, violently changed into a life of responsibility, pain, heartbreak, suffering, and most important in the Catholic religion, separation from God. This transformation can not only be seen in the story of Adam and Eve, but in the change from the innocent life of a child to the turbulent life of an adult. The latter change is the one that the main character of ?Araby? is going through. Joyce is trying to show how important this theme was by repeating the word ?fall? throughout the entire story. Catholic religion plays an important role in the main character?s life, because the Catholic religion gives specific standards for believers to follow. This religion, along with its rules and regulations, is the one that the main character was raised by, and he feels obligated to follow them, even through the very tough time of adolescence. In the story, the boy becomes infatuated with a girl. This crush on Mangan?s sister is very tough on the main character for many reasons. The first being that she does not share the love he has for her, and secondly, his crush conflicts with his strict religion. He becomes obsessed with her, watching her every move. The girl has taken over his every thought, which is why the crush conflicts with the Catholic religion. Catholicism is the worship of a single, all-powerful God. When ... ...hooses to live the life of duty and responsibility, proving that her belief in the Catholic religion is indeed something she thinks is important; and also when she gives up her chance to escape to a carefree life, she gives up something else important to her, Frank.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The above examples come together to show that the Catholic religion plays a major role in the lives of Joyce?s main characters. He uses repeated words and religious symbols to show just how important Catholicism is to the lives of the population of Dublin, Ireland. Joyce intentionally uses religion as the main conflict in the situations in both of the stories. James Joyce believes Catholicism is important, and he uses the religion to affect the characters? lives. Without having the Catholic background both Eveline and the main character in ?Araby? have, their choices concerning their life would have been less difficult. Instead of having to decide between their religion and their desires, they would only have to consider their desires. Joyce believes that the Catholic religion affects the characters and their situations, which is the reason why he writes in religious symbols throughout ?Araby? and ?Eveline.?

How to Lead a Long and Healthy Life Speech Essay

Good Health starts from the very infancy. It is here that protection and care is needed, so that each organ functions well, each organ develops naturally, and there are no deformities, disabilities and diseases but often the health of children remain neglected, with the result that they grow unhealthily and that affects their education as well. A healthy child develops into a healthy adult. In case the child does not grow properly, and he remains handicapped in some way, his ill-health spoils his adult life. He cannot join any active service; he cannot be a successful professional, nor can he live his life happily. Health is real wealth. A healthy person is an asset to himself, to his family and to his community. On the other hand an ailing person is a burden on all. He is a danger for coming generations because heredity plays an important part in this respect. Health is the pivot upon which a man’s whole personality and its well-being depend. An ailing and aching body saps the enthusiasm for pursuit. Unwholesome feelings and sensations retard the pace of functional activity, economic development and spiritual uplift. Health cannot be achieved merely by taking one or two pills everyday or by observing a few restrictions. It can be achieved only by understanding what health is, on what it depends and then applying this knowledge in every-day life. The care of the body regarding food, cleanliness, exercise, rest and protection against disease, are essential for the preservation of sound health. Life is for living. Without health, life is deprived of not only much of its usefulness but also its joys and pleasures. The stream of life will be rich and lasting in proportion to the sources which nourish it. These sources belong to every person. They are food, exercise, and proper posture, care of bodily functions, avoidance of alcohol and tobacco and wholesome mental and emotional attitudes.

Of Love and Shadows essays

Of Love and Shadows essays An amazing work of fiction set in Latin America written by this talented writer is Of Love And Shadows, which was also adapted into a motion picture. This book among others demonstrated a great talent of Isabel Allende and also won her Book of the year awards in many countries. As in House of the spirits she reveals an awesome power of story telling. Of love and Shadows unfolds an entrancing tale of tragedy and excitement, of bravery and sacrifice, of family loyalty and state betrayal that is both overpoweringly moving and inspiring. From the very first sentence, Allende transports readers to a Latin American country in the grip of a military dictatorship. Considerately spoken is lust and love through the different characters in the novel, thereby giving hope in all readers to learn from. Through this novel, the reader can not only discover a special and hidden aspect of themselves and their lives, but also discover a hidden truth that most often can never be discovered in other attempts. Through relating with the characters, discoveries are made of our own virtues and missions that we seldom investigate. Not only are the characters important, but also the experiences and fairytales in which they hold dear to their hearts. Every character adds to the experiences of joys and sorrows in a country where anything can happen. Set in an a atmosphere of saturating uncertainty and fear, in a country of random arrests, sudden disappearances and summary executions, Isabel Allendes second novel tells of the passionate affair of two people prepared to risk everything for the sake of justice and truth and their fight for their love in the middle of Pinochets government, and what they do to survive. The grim reality of overcrowded morgues and crowded graves is differed with the colorful landscape of South America. Here are daringly drawn characters, such as Irenes willfully rude, immoral mother, Be...

A Guide to Shanghainese

A Guide to Shanghainese Since Shanghai is in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the official language of the city is standard Mandarin Chinese, also known as  Putonghua. However, the traditional language of the Shanghai region is Shanghainese, which is a dialect of Wu Chinese which is not mutually intelligible with Mandarin Chinese. Shanghainese is spoken by about 14 million people. It has retained its cultural significance for the Shanghai region, despite the introduction of Mandarin Chinese as the official language in 1949. For many years, Shanghainese was banned from primary and secondary schools, with the result that many young residents of Shanghai do not speak the language. Recently, however, there has been a movement to protect the language and to reintroduce it into the education system. Shanghai Shanghai is the largest city in the PRC, with a population of more than 24 million people. It is a major cultural and financial center and an important port for container shipments. The Chinese characters for this city are ä ¸Å Ã¦ µ ·, which is pronounced ShnghÇŽi. The first character ä ¸Å  (shng) means on, and the second character æ µ · (hÇŽi) means ocean. The name ä ¸Å Ã¦ µ · (ShnghÇŽi) adequately describes the location of this city, since it is a port city on the mouth of the Yangtze River by the East China Sea. Mandarin vs Shanghainese Mandarin and Shanghainese are distinct languages which are mutually unintelligible. For example, there are 5 tones in Shanghainese versus only 4 tones in Mandarin. Voiced initials are used in Shanghainese, but not in Mandarin. Also, changing tones affects both words and phrases in Shanghainese, while it only affects words in Mandarin. Writing Chinese characters are used to write Shanghainese. The written language is one of the most important factors in unifying the various Chinese cultures, since it can be read by most Chinese, regardless of their spoken language or dialect. The primary exception to this is the split between traditional and simplified Chinese characters. Simplified Chinese characters were introduced by the PRC in the 1950s, and can differ greatly from the traditional Chinese characters still used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and many overseas Chinese communities. Shanghai, as part of the PRC, uses simplified characters. Sometimes Chinese characters are used for their Mandarin sounds to write Shanghainese. This type of Shanghainese writing is seen on Internet blog posts and chat rooms as well as in some Shanghainese textbooks. Decline of Shanghainese From the early 1990s, the PRC banned Shanghainese from the education system, with the result that many of the young residents of Shanghai no longer speak the language fluently. Because the younger generation of Shanghai residents has been educated in Mandarin Chinese, the Shanghainese they speak is often mixed with Mandarin words and expressions. This type of Shanghainese is quite different from the language that older generations speak, which has created fears that real Shanghainese is a dying language. Modern Shanghainese In recent years, a movement has started to try to preserve the Shanghai language by promoting its cultural roots. The Shanghai government is sponsoring educational programs, and there is a movement to reintroduce Shanghainese language learning from kindergarten through to university. Interest in preserving Shanghainese is strong, and many young people, even though they speak a mixture of Mandarin and Shanghainese, see Shanghainese as a badge of distinction. Shanghai, as one of the most important cities of the PRC, has important cultural and financial ties with the rest of the world. The city is using those ties to promote Shanghai culture and the Shanghainese language.

Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. Essays

Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. Essays Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. Paper Picards Pest and Porters Analysis. the Pontetial of a French Company Expanding Into the Uk. Paper CONTENTS PAGE 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 2. INTRODUCTION 2 2. 1 Picard overview 4 2. 2 Picard? s corporate strategy 5 2. 3 SWOT analysis 6 3. PEST ANALYSIS 6 4. PORTER? S FIVE FORCES Analysis of entering the UK Market 7 5. CONCLUSION 11 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 12 7. APPENDICES 13 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The aim of this report is to analyse Picard? s market performance as well as challenges in its operating market using the PEST analysis tool, in order to identify if the company has prospects of entering and succeeding in the UK based on Porter? s five forces model. Picard is a French frozen food retailer focusing exclusively on its own brand product lines. The company has grown to be France? s leading frozen food specialist capturing 20% market share with a network of over 800 stores, and it is also the largest specialised network of frozen food in Italy. Picard also offers a leading home delivery service from internet and telephone orders, including in other countries such as Spain, Luxemburg and Belgium. The retailer? s overall strategy is characterised as a premium proposition with a vision of convenience, quality and innovation, firmly positioning itself on the high end of the market. Picard currently aims to continue opening approximately 50 new stores per year given its successful and consistent performance, allowing the company to potentially expand further overseas. Using the PEST analysis tool it was identified that Picard? s major challenges in its operating market are the increased competition with other retailers in the convenience sector, the extent to which the products are adapted for each country, the frozen food quality perception and association to a premium offering, and the lack of a loyalty card scheme. It was identified in this research that the level of competition in the UK frozen food sector was intermediate given Picard? s differentiated premium frozen food advantage against competitors such as Iceland and Tesco, however there are several barriers to enter the market owing to powerful large supermarket chains, building a challenge to establish a brand name in the UK. In addition to this supermarkets are increasingly developing their own label range and investing further in the convenience format. On the other hand Picard? vertically integrated supply chain and close geographical location to the current distribution network is considered a significant advantage. Furthermore UK consumers are the one of the largest frozen food buyers globally and Picard has a leading home delivery channel already established in 6 countries from online and telephone orders. It is therefore concluded that the UK is an attractive proposition for Picard. 2. INTRODUCTION In these straitened economic ti mes, frozen food is a sector that is growing as consumers recognise two main factors. Firstly it offers value for money, and secondly it helps to reduce food waste. The UK frozen food market is worth around ? 5. 1 billion a year and accounts for 8% of the UK Grocery Industry (Kantar Worldpanel, 2010). Although in 2010 the market remained flat, it has shown 11. 3% value growth between 2007-2010, with indication that the market will continue to grow this year. [pic] Souce: Kantar Worldpanel, September 2010 Convenience is driving the frozen market sales globally as consumers are looking for healthy and less time-consuming meals (Seth and Randall, 2011). Private label is performing extremely well, consistently increasing its share creating a challenge for major brands in the current market. Additionally as recession kicked in the UK, the frozen food chain Iceland reported double-digit sales growth while another supermarket seeing incredible growth in the freezer aisles today is Waitrose, revealing two contrasting retailers market positioning. Chart 1: Manufacturer? s frozen market share [pic] Source: Kantar Worldpanel. Data to 12th June 2011 Chart 2: Retailer frozen market share [pic] Source: Kantar Worldpanel. Data to 12th June 2011 Combining the growth in the frozen food market, the over performance of private label and the trend towards convenience, this research will focus on this particular market sector and analyse Picard, a premium French frozen food retailer, and its potential to expand internationally into the UK. 1. Picard overview Picard is a limited company (SA) owned by Lion Capital, a private equity investment firm, and it is today the number one frozen food retailer in France, with a product range that covers over 1,100 SKUs across nine product categories, from starters to desserts and from raw ingredients to prepared meals. Picard has distinguished itself through a commitment to high quality and innovation with over 98% of its products developed in-house exclusively for the company, and sold under the Picard brand. Picard also has retail stores in Italy and offers a home delivery service from Internet shopping and telephone orders to other countries such as Luxemburg, Belgium and Spain. | | |Chart 3: Picard La part de marche de Picard de 2004 a 2009? market share in France from 2004| |to 2009 | |[pic] | |Source: www. Picard. fr | | | |Chart 4: Picard Total Store Number from 2000 to 2010 | [pic] Source: Syndigel, Kantar Consumer Panel 2. Picard? s corporate strategy Picard? focus on a single segment of the market has positioned the company as the market leader in frozen food in France, with the vision of convenience, innovation and quality at affordable prices to everyone. Following this defined marketing strategy Picard management developed their position from 12. 5% market share in 2002 to 20% in Fran ce today (Picard. fr, 2010), running approximately 800 stores and a plan to continue to expand, opening around 50 stores per year. Almost a million households buy frozen food from Picard with a wide audience ranging from large families to pensioners, students and foodies. In Italy, â€Å"Picard i Surgelati† is the largest specialised network of frozen food sales, with a portfolio of 700 SKUs tailored to its market needs, selling mostly frozen raw products, differently to the wide range of dishes in France. Picard? s main values here are proximity, quality and service, and the market is identified as growing with plans to continue opening new stores and expanding geographically (Picard. it, 2011). In 1999 the company bought the Italian subsidiary Gel 2000 to open its 28 stores in Italy, using a strategy of internationalization through acquisition. Picard overall price strategy is characterised as a premium proposition. The retailer is known to offer high quality and services to customers, firmly positioning itself on the high end of the market. Picards high-end range includes sashimi, foie gras and rooster with truffle shavings, alongside standard frozen fare like pizza and fries. The company promotes about seventy products as the selection of the month with up to 15% off with the aim to encourage customers to try new items and to reinforce the value brand image. 3. SWOT Analysis [pic] 3. PEST ANALYSIS In this section, it will be outlined the challenges Picard currently faces using the PEST analysis which is concerned with the key external environmental influences on the business, identifying and evaluating the Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors summarising the external environment in which the business operates, mostly focusing on its domestic market in France and other operating countries. Political The convenience sector in France has offered great opportunities to retailers following President Nicolas Sarkozys liberalisation of the retail sector in June 2008 (Hall, FT. om, 2008), aimed to break down barriers to entry and to remove price regulation, consequently allowing the German discounters in, such as Aldi and Lidl. This has led to increased price competition and Picard must highlight their differentiation message to all consumers to win in the convenience sector. The labour regulations are many in France, and the society emphasizes the well being of the workers. The French â€Å"work to live† and appreciate time to spend with their family. They have a legal system set forth by the French labour code (Code du Travail) that is built to protect the workforce rather than the enterprises (Global Politics, 2009). Nonetheless the company is affected by the civil unrest and sense of economic hopelessness by the population, and Picard is currently under pressure by the Union on wage level. Economic As noted at the latest IGD France country presentation (June 2011), France? s GDP growth is projected to pick up slowly towards an annualised pace of 2% by 2012, led by business investment and exports. The unemployment rate has peaked but is set to decline only slightly, while price pressures will remain subdued, with underlying inflation at about 1% per year. In Picard? s case the downturn time represented an opportunity and the challenge now is to keep the momentum going and through a potential economic recovery. Picard is present in countries member of the European Union which is both a free trade area and a customs union, which means trade is neither restricted nor subdued to customs duties. Its distribution network is therefore made easy to countries such as Italy, Luxemburg, Belgium and Spain where a home delivery service is available, however consumer confidence and inflation rates are contrastingly different and Picard does not adapt the price of products to reflect each country economic factors. Social The type of goods and services demanded by consumers is a function of their social conditioning and their consequent attitudes and beliefs. Consumers’ attitude towards food in Europe is constantly changing as they have become more health-conscious and concerned about sustainable production methods (Lancaster Reynolds, 2005). However it is still a barrier for Picard that only 38. 2% of adults consider frozen foods as being as good for you as fresh food, although this figure has increased from 28. 7% in 2005 (Mintel, September 2010). The demographic changes such as the aging population is discouraging for the food retailers as older people tend to eat less, have a tighter food shopping budget and are also less likely to visit shops on a regular basis. To overcome this, Picard supply products with suitable portion sizes to meet the consumer needs, in addition to providing a home delivery service not only from internet but also from telephone orders, representing a total of 2,5% of Picard’s sales from all operating countries (Picard. fr, 2011). Technological One of the key macro-environmental variables that have directly influenced the supply chain, operations and processes of grocery and food retailers is technology. The share of households with broadband internet access has doubled since 2006 (eGovernment Resource Centre, 2010). Picard currently has a website with its entire range available to be ordered and delivered within 48 hours, accounting for 20% of its total sales, however the website is only in French and Italian, limiting customers to use and understand the website to shop. Loyalty cards provide an important route through which to differentiate offers from those of the completion and this is a growing feature of the grocery retail market (IGD, 2011). In France most retailers have adopted this as a promotional strategy however Picard has not yet shown signs of a scheme. This is nowadays an important element in the wider promotional mix and is a competitive disadvantage for Picard. 4. PORTER? S FIVE FORCES – Analysis of entering the UK Market Porter’s Five Forces Model (1980) holds the purpose to analyse an industry in order to determine the level of intensity regarding the competition and attractiveness of the industry, in this case the UK. They consist of those forces close to Picard that affect its ability to serve its customers and make a profit. The nature of competitiveness of Picard in the UK industry can be viewed as a combination of the following five forces: [pic] Figure 1: Porter? s Five Forces Competitive Rivalry The intensity of competitive rivalry for Picard in the UK frozen food retail sector is medium. There is a constant battle between firms competing in the same industry in order to win customer share (IGD, 2011). There are many significant firms in the UK supermarket industry with the five most dominant in the frozen food sector being Tesco, Asda, Iceland, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s (see chart 2). This highly competitive market has fostered an accelerated level of development, resulting in a situation where Picard has to be innovative to build market share. Picard? strategy is focused on quality and innovation therefore its key competitor would be Waitrose, with an increasing number of convenience stores in the UK. According to Seth and Randall (2011), grocery trading margins in the UK have been markedly higher than in Europe currently, they are on average three times higher than in France, for example. UK consumers have been p repared to pay for the difference and the quality of the shopping experience in the best UK superstores. Thus Picard premium frozen food shows an advantage against potential strong competitors such as Iceland and Tesco where the focus is value and volume drivers. Threat of Potential New Entrants There are numerous barriers and challenges for Picard to enter the UK frozen retail industry, resulting in a high threat to enter and compete against existing players. Over the last 30 years, the grocery market has been transformed into the supermarket-dominated business, according to Ritz (2005). Most of the large chains have built their power due to operating efficiency, one-stop shopping and major marketing-mix expenditure. The industry now possesses a strong barrier for new entrants, being a significant disadvantage for Picard to establish a brand name in the UK. It makes it rather difficult for Picard to raise sufficient capital, especially being a private company, because of large fixed costs and marketing communications necessary to set up the brand? s success. Another likely disadvantage of entering the UK market is the cultural barrier. The nature of French cuisine is very different to that expected by the UK market, making it difficult for Picard to charge a premium for its frozen products, a channel that until now has sat firmly in the discount and value areas of the market. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes in the specific frozen retail market is low to medium. Given the current consumer trends of increased eating at home and a desire for reduced wastage and better value for money in the UK (BFFF, 2011), Picard? s broad range of more sophisticated products fits perfectly with the trend of dinner parties in addition to providing a long shelf-life, proving an alternative to restaurants. In the food retail market, the substitutes of Picard would be convenience stores, particularly in local towns and city centres, creating a hurdle for Picard to enter and succeed in the market. Picard? s innovative store format with high quality frozen products is a differentiated approach which stands a competitive advantage against all retailers in the UK. On the other hand existing supermarket chains are increasingly developing and promoting their premium own label product range with a noteworthy value message, though it still lacks the assortment of raw products and innovative dishes sold in Picard. Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is low. Picard? s strategy is a vertical integration supply chain as it is currently implemented. According to Scott (2011) this offers great bargaining power over suppliers, consistent quality and reduced risk of supply disruption. However, it can also reduce operational flexibility and limit access to the best suppliers. The company currently uses over 200 suppliers of which approximately 70% are French to manufacture its own label range which represents 98% of products sold in stores. The geographical location and continuing service of current suppliers is therefore a significant advantage for Picard? expansion in the UK. Suppliers are still expected to comply with strict quality standards and to meet increased demand as required, consequently meeting greater economies of scale and gaining greater margins, being able to offer more competitive prices to consumers. Bargaining Power of Customers The bargaining power of buyers is low to medium. Customer power also acts to force prices down (Porter, 1980). If chips are too expensive in Picard, buyers will exercise their power and m ove to Iceland. However Picard? premium range is unseen in any other retailers in the UK, so customers will not be able to find a frozen Japanese dinner party set of quality frozen food anywhere else for example. In customising its service with better and innovative choices, Picard has the advantage to control and retain a customer base. In the UK there is a growing tendency of shoppers to use a wider repertoire of formats to support their grocery shopping needs, with convenience outperforming the market (IGD, 2011). This is an advantage to Picard as their target is urban areas mostly city centres within walking reach. On the other hand Picard is unable to compete with larger format stores in the UK where shoppers can find a wide range of products from chilled to non-food items, possibly satisfying their shopping needs in one go. Online is another channel to meet different aspects of shopper demand for more convenient shopping solution. IGD forecast the online channel in the UK to grow by 14. 4% from 2010 to 2015, becoming 5. 2% of the total grocery market. Picard would appear to have an advantage over the UK market as online shopping already accounts for 20% of its total sales in current operating countries. pic] 5. CONCLUSION In the light of the above analysis, it can be concluded that Picard? s lean operations, successful business model and differentiated approach allows potential for the company to expand into the UK. The â€Å"hit-and-run† gastronomy concept would re-invigorated the UK frozen food market and become a strong competitor in the convenience sector, but to succeed Picard mus t spend heavily on opening stores focused in urban areas and on advertising to gain levels of brand awareness. 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. BFFF (2011, 20 April). British Frozen Food Federation. Retail Frozen Food Statistics Year on Year to 20 March 2011 2. eGovernment Resource Centre (2010, 21 December). Internet usage in 2010 Households and Individuals 3. Hall, B. (2008, 23 January). Sarkozy backs liberalisation plan. Financial Times, FT. com 4. IGD (2011); The Food and Grocery Industry. Unit 1 5. IGD (June 2011). France Country Presentation. IGD Retail Analysis 6. Kantar Worldpannel (2010, September). Retail Frozen Market till roll 7. Lancaster, G. Reynolds, P. (2005). Management of Marketing. Butterworth-Heinemann Publication. Oxford, UK. 8. Marian, P. (2010, 27 July). Analysis: Will Picards unique proposition translate abroad? Just-food. com 9. Mintel (2010). Chilled and Frozen ready meals UK- May 2010 10. Picard. it (2011) Available at: picard. fr/ [Accessed 4th – 10th July] 11. Picartd. fr (2011) Available at: picard. it/picard/index. php [Accessed 4th – 11th July] 12. Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. Free Press. New York 13. Ritz (2005) Store wars, Business Review, Vol. 11, April, pp. 22-23 14. Scott, C. , Lundgren, H. Thompson, P. (2011) Guide to Supply Chain Management. Springer 15. Seth, A. and Randall, G. (2011). The grocers: the rise and rise of the supermarket chains. 3rd edition. London, UK 7. APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 Picard: |Criteria |Characteristics | |Home Country |France | |Total Sales (â‚ ¬mn), and year-on-year growth (%) |â‚ ¬1,285m, 4. % | |Total operating profit (â‚ ¬mn), and year-on-year growth (%) |N/A* | |Number of countries in which present |5 | |Ho me market as a % of total sales |95% | |Price positioning (1-5, where 1=value and 5=premium) |3-4 | |Quality positioning (1-5, where 1=low and 5=high) |4-5 | |Main price/promotion strategy (EDLP, Hi-Lo, combination) |Premium | |Non-food as a % of total sales |0% | |Number of different store formats |1 | * Data not published APPENDIX 2 Photographs Picard? s product examples: [pic][pic][pic] [pic] [pic][pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Store: [pic]

Confucius Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Confucius - Essay Example Born in Qufu, an important city of Lu state of China, by 551 B.C. in a respectable family with military background, Confucius led a very humble, modest and pious life. (Yao, 2000) He always laid stress upon virtue, chastity, humility, benevolence and generosity, the admirable rules aptly attributed to the teachings of the Abrahamic faiths too. Confucianism vehemently maintains unflinching belief in the afterlife and the concepts of reward and punishment entirely based upon man’s activities and behavior during his life on the earth. It is therefore the religion strongly preaches the observing of the good social and moral behavior while interacting with the other members of society. Golden rule enjoys the status of pivotal point of Confucianism, as all the concepts and teachings of the faith revolve around the same. The rule emphasizes upon treating the other members of society in the same manner as one wishes to be treated by others. Moreover, one should not inflict the pain and agony to others, which he does not like for himself or cannot forbear and endure the same. The same is also applied in the exchange of presents, where an inferior or sub-standard article should not be given to the other by preserving a superior one for oneself. Similarly, Confucianism prohibits man from inflicting any type of unpleasantness upon others by applying ill intentions, as the universal laws of retaliation may reciprocate the same to the wrong-doer. Consequently, the rule lays stress upon observing of virtue, kindness, honesty and integrity towards the fellow beings, and strictly forbids adopting of the social evils like wickedness, fraud, cheating, lying, fornication, adulte ry and deceit etc at any cost, as such immoral and cruel actions not only invite difficulties and adversity in human life, but also man will have to be responsible for such misdeeds in the life Hereinafter. Confucianism concentrates upon the best and intimate relationships between the family

The Process of Protein Purification Literature review

The Process of Protein Purification - Literature review Example Vaccines, gene therapy and replacement (such as that in insulin-deficiency) all have helped in improving health conditions, and have been based on good elucidation of structures, research on structure-function relationships, and establishment of protein purification specific to the amino acid sequence present. With this in mind, this particular study designed a protocol to purify and characterize the a synthesis of cytochrome oxidase (SCO)-1-like protein 3966 in Streptomyces lividans. As will be seen later, better understanding of SCO proteins is still warranted, as many potential functions of these types of proteins are unclear. Moreover, SCO is a vital enzyme as the cytochrome oxidase c, and in essence the electron chain transport of the mitochondrial respiration mechanism, depends on it. Initial studies of homologues in bacteria have been the usual first step in protein characterization. Many proteins in the eukaryotic cells have been proven to have functional and structural counterparts in bacterial cells. Because of the relative ease of bacterial replication and protein purification, it is thus a method of choice in conducting in depth studies of proteins. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE I. Protein Purification There are factors to consider in doing protein purification. ... There are many kinds of column chromatography, ion-exchange, affinity, and size exclusion are just some of the more usual protein purification procedures that may be done. Affinity chromatography uses antibodies for a specific protein as part of the column through which the protein solution passes. Although it is highly specific, it is more expensive and much harder to prepare. Size exclusion, on the other hand, depends on the differences of molecular weights of the proteins that are present in the solution. In general, proteins with high molecular weight are eluted fastest as they are not able to get into the small spaces of the column, making their path down the column less impeded. On the other hand, low molecular weight proteins still pass through the tiny spaces within the column, thus slowing down their descent. Although much easier to prepare than an affinity column, a size exclusion chromatography column is less specific, as different proteins of similar weigh are eluted out at the same time, despite them having differences in characteristics, such as the isoelectric point (Burgess, 2008).. For ion exchange chromatography, these beads are charged, thus attracting the oppositely-charged proteins present in the solution to be passed through the column. Depending on the objective of the experiment, the eluent or the bound proteins are collected for further processing such as concentrating. To get the proteins bound on the beads, salt solutions of graded concentrations are passed onto the column. As the concentration of the salt increases, the beads will more likely bind to the salt than to the proteins. Thus, weak ionic proteins are bound weakly

PERSONAL MICROMESSAGING ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PERSONAL MICROMESSAGING ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example I asked him to describe at least one aspect of my communication style that stood out unique. My friend pointed out that many times my speech and behavior seemed quite incongruent with situation. As an example, he pointed out that I preferred to look away from the subject (my friend) while discussing some trivial issues. To learn more, I questioned my peer, a loan manager at another bank, to point out one positive aspect of my communication other than speech. This manager pointed out that I had the ability to draw anyone’s attention during business meetings because of the excitement in my tone; however, such excitement in tone was absent during one-to-one meetings with clients. I felt my team members could give me critical feedback related to my communication style because of my frequency of interaction with them. I asked the most experienced team member to point out what aspects of behavior were annoying and had sometime triggered gossips among the group. My team memberâ€℠¢s observation somewhat matches with my childhood friend’s observation. ... messages of being indifferent or least interested in what others want to say; another disadvantage of this behavior is that I indicate my disinterest in the words communicated by myself. My team member highlighted that this indifferent body language has caused argument within the team related to directions given by myself on specific task. Micromessages have the power to encourage and instill confidence in people when used in the right manner. The positive micromessages in my behavior correspond to my enthusiasm in tone and body language during critical business meetings, which inspires others to achieve what I want to achieve. I consider this aspect as microadvantage because it was observable and people perceived it in the right manner, meaning I do show much enthusiasm during team/business meetings in order to seek everyone’s attention. This behavior appropriates what Young (2007) states, â€Å"microadvantages act as catalysts that unleash potential and results† (p. 9 ). However, these messages also have the power to demoralize or challenge others confidence in me and their own decisions (Young, 2007). Considering my childhood friend’s observation, he probably felt upset or even offended at times, which was certainly not intended. This exercise has helped me to not only to identify the micromessages in my communication, but also how they impact the purpose of each conversation. I have realized the positive aspects of micromessages that I imbibe such as excitement in tone and body language during critical business meetings, and also the negative aspects such as looking away from the other person or not maintaining eye contact with others. With an awareness of these inequities in my communication styles, I have learnt how my behavior or actions hinder my work and

Encouraging Teachers to Use Rubrics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Encouraging Teachers to Use Rubrics - Assignment Example m setting teachers already know beforehand what will make a given task average or excellent, this places the learners at a disadvantage from the start. Rubrics enables the teacher to provide a guideline that the students follow and in so doing they are able to increase the quality of their work and the knowledge they acquire from any given assignment. The use of rubrics by teachers is beneficial to all the parties involved in the education process such as the teachers, students and parents. It makes the assessment process more accurate and fair since each student is graded individually and not based on a general overall task given to them. Teachers also get to give instructions on how a task ought to be handled and the delivery process and so the students can streamline their work so as to achieve the desired outcome. Such instructions can be used by the students for self assessment (Hafner&Hafner, 2004). According to research, when done by peers, this type of critism helps learners to improve. Use of rubrics also makes the students aware of the learning targets, this way they can work in a manner that increases their chances of hitting them and so getting better

Semiotics(symbolism) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Semiotics(symbolism) - Essay Example David stood up to the Philistine giant, Goliath, as Cuba stood up to the imperialist giant, America. The girl with the wooden doll is a symbol of proletariat simplicity and innocence (supporting the David metaphor), standing up to all that threatens and embracing the seed of the future. African dance and the Beatles were seen as potential distractions from revolutionary focus, just as they are seen by various religious groups today as sinful distractions from Christian focus. The absolute present of the material images that engulfed Edmundo, separating him from the hustle and bustle of New York City, might suggest the way a church acts as sanctuary and a place set apart, an embassy of God and spiritual presence. His reference to patriotic hymns and his repeated use of the term redemption also support this. To see the dream and the nightmare is to encounter Kali (creation and destruction), or the Father and the Son (wrathful vengeance and sacrificial love). Haydee and Celia, political leaders in the struggle against Batista, were not in the exhibit, solidifying this revolution as a patriarchal religion. ... I therefore see a patriarchal religious system unifying the various metaphors used. Edmundo: Photo Changes Photos are not static, if you know how to look at them. They change with time because images are like zucchini, taking on the flavor of what surrounds them. Photographs sustain relativity to socio-historical climate, culture, current events, observer perspective and attitude. As an example, consider a photograph by Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome, taken in Yosemite National Park, 1958. Until quite recently, anyone who looks at this photograph would see the majesty and timeless, natural beauty of Yosemite. The moon joins the powerful mountain to the heavens, emphasizing the verticality of Half Dome, The black and white medium, and juxtaposition of shadow and light, speaks of nature’s exquisite simplicity and honesty. That perspective of this photograph has probably been a typical one until this year, when this very mountain claimed the life of a hiker. The media described the horror of witnesses, who had to be airlifted out because they were too traumatized to hike back down themselves. The media has continued to report on more than a dozen deaths in Yosemite, this year. Now, when I look at this photo, I see malevolence, the interplay of life and death, the danger of nature, and the coldness of the moon. My childhood hiking memories are now threatened by a nagging suspicion of parental negligence. What was lovely and quietly evocative has become haunted and threatening, â€Å"Context of viewing is meaning (Desnoes).† Edmundo: Photograph as Metaphor A photograph may look, to some, like a static recording of a single fragment of life, bounded by subject, immediate context, background, and single mark upon linear time, In truth,

Encouraging Teachers to Use Rubrics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Encouraging Teachers to Use Rubrics - Assignment Example m setting teachers already know beforehand what will make a given task average or excellent, this places the learners at a disadvantage from the start. Rubrics enables the teacher to provide a guideline that the students follow and in so doing they are able to increase the quality of their work and the knowledge they acquire from any given assignment. The use of rubrics by teachers is beneficial to all the parties involved in the education process such as the teachers, students and parents. It makes the assessment process more accurate and fair since each student is graded individually and not based on a general overall task given to them. Teachers also get to give instructions on how a task ought to be handled and the delivery process and so the students can streamline their work so as to achieve the desired outcome. Such instructions can be used by the students for self assessment (Hafner&Hafner, 2004). According to research, when done by peers, this type of critism helps learners to improve. Use of rubrics also makes the students aware of the learning targets, this way they can work in a manner that increases their chances of hitting them and so getting better

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Political Science - Essay Example From this research, found out and made very remarkable conclusion. It is well beyond reasonable doubt that indeed there is a relationship that exists between the level of illiteracy of nations with positive environment for democracy to be effectively exercised and flourish. This statistical analysis certainly supported the hypothesis test under scrutiny in this research. Undoubtedly, we realize from the data analyzed that there is a negative relationship between the level of illiteracy and democracy I nations. This proves the hypothesis that countries with higher literacy rates are more democratic than those with lower literacy rates. This paper makes a conclusion that the obvious implication of this finding is that as nations strive to eradicate illiteracy, there is creation of awareness among the citizens regarding their freedoms, rights and obligations as citizens. Moreover, this research is instrumental in promoting democracy in developing worlds. This is because it digs deep to the root causes of tyranny and the rise of despotic and rebel movements in this states. While illiteracy alone does not stand to eradicate he democracy problem in these countries, it is a sure leap in ensuring that democracy is sustained and the long term even in countries where the voters are least concerned with the essence of the voting exercise. Eradicating illiteracy is a sure fire way of reawakening societies and letting the citizens understand the real issues of the society. Finally, this research is a proof that indeed literacy eradication is vital if developing nations wish to propel themselves in economic development.

War on Terror Facts Essay Example for Free

War on Terror Facts Essay Terrorists, by definition, fight an entirely different type of war. Acts of terrorism are not perpetrated by soldiers, they are carried out by individuals, or groups of individuals, who have no other recourse but to lash out at the nations that they perceive as their oppressors with whatever tools they have available. They strap bombs on their backs, walk into areas crowded with people, and strike a blow for the cause. Car bombs, snipers, hijacked airplanes, it makes no difference how the terrorist act is accomplished, as long as it has the desired effect. There are no rules of warfare, no governments to be held accountable, and no moral standards to be upheld. Now we find ourselves, as Americans, waging war against an army of individuals that have no common country, government, or ethical measure to which they can be held accountable. Their numbers increase exponentially as we drop smart bombs, and roll tanks over the very people that the terrorists fight to liberate from oppression, further fueling the fire of hatred that burns for us and what we stand for. Whether the U. S. s seen as a liberator, freeing the people from oppressive Fundamentalists, or the Fundamentalists are seen as Freedom Fighters liberating the people from an occupying force, the reason for the conflict is irrelevant. This article is meant only to bring about discussion as to how to end it. The fact is that we are currently fighting a war under terms in which we cannot possibly win, our enemies know it, and they are emboldened by it. Since the beginning of America’s War on Global Terrorism, the number of terrorists in has increased, as have the bombings and casualties, and not just in Iraq. The increase of terrorist activities has increased worldwide, and despite what our leaders tell us, there is no end in sight. If we continue on this course, we will lose this fight. You can win a war against an opposing country or government, but you can’t win a war against an enemy that has no boundaries, no limits, no leader to concede defeat, or an enemy army that gains 10 new recruits for every casualty inflicted. At least not by using conventional methods and abiding by any type of moral code or rules of warfare. The importance of this cliched expression cannot be underestimated. Victories on the battlefield or in the interrogation rooms are meaningless if terror networks can continue to recruit from a large wellspring of discontented youth. And that is exactly what is happening. The wave of horror and sympathy for the victims that spread across much of the Arab and Muslim world after 11 September has long ago changed to something else. America is seen as having capitalised on those attacks by trying to conquer Muslim countries Afghanistan and Iraq. The war on Saddam was seen by many as an unwarranted attack on a largely defenceless civilian population, already emaciated by 12 years of UN sanctions. Washingtons military and diplomatic support for Israel still the bete noire for most Arabs is undiminished. Unfairly, many young Arabs blame their unemployment and lack of a political voice on a US-Zionist conspiracy aimed at somehow suppressing Muslims. But there is also now a growing conviction that the Bush administration has acquired a taste for regime change and will not stop at Baghdad. Threats to Syria and Iran to change their policies only confirm that view. Against this backdrop it is hardly surprising that the US and its close ally Britain are losing the battle for Arab and Muslim hearts and minds

The Formation Of Multinational Enterprises

The Formation Of Multinational Enterprises Firms or particularly Multinational companies (MNC) as part of their functioning cannot remain static. They have to break boundaries both in the geographical sense as well as economical sense, to actualize the opportunities in the new markets and emerge successful. As the name indicates, MNCs are Multinational companies, which operate in multi-nations as part of the internationalizations strategy, and thus are being influenced by various factors. That is, with every firms wanting to expand their geographical reach and make an imprint in various markets, there will be enough opportunities for it, to initiate an entry into a foreign market. To initiate and actualize the entry, organisations become Multinational firms. Thus, firms which want to successfully tap the opportunities, brought on by various factors including globalisation, in foreign countries become Multinational companies. To tap those opportunities, firms have to initiate country specific strategies from the recruitment st age to the recruitment stage, thereby fully evolving and actualizing into MNCs. MNCs are organisations that have substantial direct investment in foreign countries and actively manage those operations and regard those operations as integral parts of the company both strategically and organizationally. (Barlett, Ghoshal Beamish 2008, p. 2) MNCs have to set targets and formulate various strategies according to the situation prevailing in those foreign markets. As every foreign market or country will have different political, social, economic conditions as well as different customers, competitors, prospective employees, etc, etc, there will be many opportunities as well as challenges, which will block the firms success. Thus, these factors could influence the practices of MNCs, thus enabling the firm to become a complete MNC. Initial factors that lead to the formation of multinational businesses Nations and its firms have been engaged in doing business with other nations and firms in order to get profits and cultivate their economies. Although this form of trade is going for centuries, certain countries in certain period of time have imposed restrictions on this international trade. That is, these nations due to one reason or other actualized a protectionist regime, thereby blocking foreign companies to enter and do business in their territory. However, with the advent of globalization and the liberalization of the WTO regimes, this protectionist regime gave away to the regime of free trade, thus leading to the formation and proliferation of MNCs. Many countries have opened up their economies as part of Free Trade with globalization acting as the catalyst. In literal meaning Globalization is defined as a collective alteration, an elevated association between various societies and their fundamentals because of the transculturation, the explosive advancement of communication and transportation technologies to assist an exchange of global economy and culture. The arrangement of a global community in such a way there is an immense contact linking various parts of the globe, with elevating potential of individual switch over, communal understanding and companionship among world citizens, thereby leading to economic cooperation. When one looks at the economic or financial part of globalization, it is clear that globalization has given liberty to the business to initiate an entry into various prospective markets, based on the Free Trade regimes of the entering countries, thus leading to the formation of MNCs. The main strength of Free Trade is that, it puts forward the notion that minimalistic state role or intervention resulted in better eco nomy and importantly better society. That is, with greater role for private sector and importantly entrepreneurial role for individuals, it will be a breeding ground for MNCs. Free trade proposes that human well-being can best be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterized by strong private property rights, free markets, and importantly free trade (Harvey, 2001, p.2). Globalisations role in MNC formation Among the many economic based movements, globalisation is the one which had and is still having major impact on the economic development of many countries and its people worldwide. The word globalisation marks a set of transitions in the global political economy since the 1970s, in which multinational forms of capitalist organisation began to be replaced by transnational (Appadurai, cited in Meyer and Geschiere 1999, p. 307). Economic part of globalisation is the key because with the whole world becoming a kind of global village, barriers between the countries are broken with integration happening mainly in the economic aspects. In this scenario, foreign organisations, using the globalisation plank, have entered and will also enter various sectors of the businesses leading to the establishment of many MNCs. Globalization is widely seen to be the dominant tendency of our time. It is a shorthand expression for a variety of processes encompassing worldwide integration of financial syste ms, trade liberalization, deregulation and market opening (Mathews 2006, p. 6) With these MNCs providing good employment and the resultant good development, people of those countries have became financially stable and are going in search of material comforts, causing impacts on social change. From earlier times, many Third World countries including Asian and African countries only indulged in agriculture for their livelihood. However, with the onset of globalization and the opening up their markets as Free Trade regimes, these countries and their governments started to focus on industrial development, by improving their own industries and importantly by facilitating entry of foreign companies. Thus, globalization and the resultant Free Trade turned out to be a great boon for the formation and the development of MNCs. These countries as part of their Free Trade regimes opened up their markets and enticed the foreign companies with a slew of beneficial financial and social schemes. The other reason why MNCs are further welcomed by the foreign countries leading to further evolution is the need for economic development, as there is still major portion of population living in abject poverty. Despite formidable strides in poverty reductionAccording to World Bank calculations, out of a total 2.3 billion people in China and India, roughly 1.5 billion earn less than US$2 a day. Only rapid economic growth can hit them out of abject poverty (Aslam). So, it is clear that the current economic growth will be sustained and even accelerated by these countries by welcoming MNCs in a more optimal manner. As a sizeable portion of good profits reached the local employees, thereby improving their economic standing and also optimizing countrys economy, MNCs can become a common phenomenon. Although, there are some opposition to MNCs on the grounds that it severely affects the indigenous firms, people has started to realise that MNCs are not the culprit. Loss of customers and market share, happens mainly due to the inability of the local businesses, however they wrongly fear that large multinationals would drive them into extinction and cripple domestic entrepreneurship. (Bhagwati 2004, p.181). So, this globalization and the resultant industrial and financial optimization are welcomed by majority of the people, with the government of these countries also taking maximum initiatives to support MNCs. Factors during Recruitment process that aids MNCs formation One of the main factors which play a key role in the formation of the MNCs is the workforce. That is, MNCs will normally put more focus during. Optimal recruitment function will only provide constant availability of effective employees. This recruitment function in a MNC will be quite different from the recruitment in a national firm, with regional factors being the strong criterion. National or indigenous firms will normally be established by recruiting the sons and the daughters, that is, citizens of a particular country, while MNCs will have a mix of employees from many countries taking into account both the national and regional factors. In MNCs, the employees will be recruited mainly from the local population, thus giving the firms a multinational outlook. Recruitment of these diverse local or regional workers under the concepts of IRHM will be a common feature in MNC. That is, MNC will be consisted of employees from three national or country categories, when they are recruited to fulfil the various needs of the MNC. The employees from the parent country where the firm is usually headquartered or based (or came from) are called Parent Country nationals (PCNs). The employees from the host country where a subsidiary or MNC may be located are called host country nationals (HCNs). Finally, there will be third or other countries which may be the source of labor, finance, research and development, and the employees from these countries are called third country nationals (TCNs) (Scullion Collings 2006). Among these three groups of workers, MNCs will be duty bound and also logically recruit the first two groups of workers and thus will become an MNC in actual sense of the word. This recruitment process, apart from complying with the unwritten rule of giving maximum employment to the local population, will also benefit the MNC in many ways. That is, apart from elevating the organisations image in the eyes of the local population, it will also provide them with sur plus and at times cheap labour. Thus, MNC by recruiting HCNs as part of regional factors can achieve two targets in one single action. Conclusion With globalisation making both positive and negative impacts, multinational businesses with sound business strategies should have surmount the challenges. Unison of humans into a team, with an urge to usher the organisation into a successful territory will actualize, only if the workers show optimum functionality. But, as a kind of cycle, only if apt, qualified, equipped workers are recruited, they could exhibit optimum functionality. For that, as discussed in this paper, the staffing process of the organisations has to be optimum. That is, when it comes to Multinational companies stationed or located in foreign lands, all the organisational processes have to be implemented in an effective manner based on the various influencing factors.

Macbeth was Sane Essay -- Macbeth essays

Macbeth was Sane      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Macbeth may have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, his suffering does not constitute insanity.   Macbeth was in a healthy mindset when he embarked on his murderous spree and treacherous rule of Scotland.   His actions and reactions prior to and throughout his tenure as King of Scotland were normal considering the circumstances.   The following evidence will prove that Macbeth was indeed sane.  Ã‚      The first thing I would like to point out is Macbeth's clear understanding of his motives and their consequences.   After he heard the prophecies of the weird sisters, his ambition got the best of him.   He immediately considered murdering Duncan and the morality of the murder.   Macbeth knew his thoughts were wrong and said to the stars, "hide your fears, let not see my black and deep desires (I.4.50-51)."   This acknowledgment of the sinfulness of his desires shows that Macbeth's mind was functioning properly.   Macbeth also acknowledges that there would be consequences if he murdered Duncan.   He thought to himself, " if the assassination could trammel up the consequence, and catch with his surcease, success (I.7.2-4)," the decision to murder Duncan would be easier.   These examples prove that Macbeth was not impulsive with his thoughts.   Instead, like anyone else, he realized the gravity of his desires.   If Macbeth was insane, he would not have tho ught twice about the murder and its consequences.    Macbeth also demonstrates guilty feelings when he considers murdering Duncan.   These guilty feelings came about when he analyzed the relationship between himself and Duncan.   Not only was he Duncan's subject and soldier, he was Duncan's host.   He realized that ... ... I firmly conclude that he was a sane man.   He acted the way any human being would if presented with the same situations.   I feel that his behaviors that seemed to be due to insanity were really the result of Macbeth's fears, anxieties, and stress.   Macbeth should be held fully accountable for his actions because he was not the victim of a mental illness.   He clearly understood what he was doing and the consequences of his actions.    Works Consulted: English 366: Studies in Shakespeare Introduction to Macbeth http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/eng366/index.htm Accessed June 2003       Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul  Ã‚   Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.        Shakespeare's Macbeth, a Play for our Time Found at   http://www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/mac/intro.html   Accessed June 2003

Hispanics in the Vietnam War :: Vietnam War Essays

Precise figures are not available for Hispanic participation in Vietnam. †¢ Prior to the full-scale escalation of the Vietnam War, Special Forces Advisor, Sergeant First Class Isaac Camacho's fire base was overrun by Viet Cong in November 1963. After an intense firefight, Camacho was taken prisoner. He is most likely the first Hispanic POW of the Vietnam era. Remarkably, Camacho escaped his captors after 20 months and made his way to freedom. He was awarded the Silver and Bronze Stars in September 1965 and later promoted to Captain, U.S. Army. †¢ Lieutenant Commander Everett Alvarez, Jr. (then Lieutenant JG) was the first American pilot taken as a prisoner of war and remained a prisoner longer than anyone else, eight and a half years. †¢ On April 30, 1975, Master Sergeant Juan J. Valdez climbed aboard the last U.S. helicopter to depart the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. The U.S. presence in Vietnam, which spanned 18 years, ended. Valdez' presence gave credence to the Hispanic theme of participation in America's wars: "First in...last to leave." The Post-Vietnam Era †¢ Approximately 80,000 Hispanics served in the Vietnam theater of operations and 13 won the Medal of Honor, 6 of them Marines. This is not unusual. Hispanics have received the highest honors to date in the U.S. Navy. As of 1990, six ships and three active submarines have been named for Hispanics, including the nuclear- powered 688 class fast attack submarine, USS San Juan, named after the capital city of Puerto Rico.

How Work Is a Duty Comparing Two Poems

â€Å"Work is a duty†: Compare and contrast two poems you have studied in the light of this statement. It’s safe to say that â€Å"Toads† and â€Å"Toads Revisited†, both by Philip Larkin, have two very different viewpoints to work. Although written by the same poet, I feel they discuss the statement about ‘duty’ interestingly; both relay their points in a number of clever ways. Looking at â€Å"Toads†, in the perspective of the poet, we start to see that there is certain imagery in the poem that tells us a lot about the poets’ view on work.The fact that the poet effectively sees work as a â€Å"sickening poison† tells the reader he feels work, in essence, make us ill. To a certain extent we realise that Larkin actually despises work: seeing it not as a duty but as a corruption. This imagery of â€Å"poison† gives a very dark and sinister atmosphere. In contrast, â€Å"Toads Revisited†, also by Larkin, has th e opposite atmosphere and imagery. From line one of the poem (â€Å"walking around in the park†) we see that the mood is light, and therefore guess that the poem is in favour of work being a ‘duty’: Larkin uses happy and joyful imagery. The lakes, the sunshine, grass to lie on†. The way Larkin uses that sentence – â€Å"grass to lie on† – puts the reader in that relaxed and tranquil state of mind, perhaps the grass represents life and how it â€Å"should† feel good to lie back and not work; but somehow all this relaxation â€Å"doesn’t suit† the persona of the poem. Relating this back to the statement of how â€Å"work is a duty†, Larkin is trying to say (with his imagery in â€Å"Toads revisited†) is that we cannot call work a â€Å"duty† as it is not so, according to him. Instead it is a choice. I will further expand this point later on.Larkin goes on to describe tramps: â€Å"palsied old ste p-takers†. A â€Å"duty† is a legal or moral obligation to carry out an action, and from what Larkin displays here is interesting: how can we be obliged if we have the choice not to? Duty or not, tramps and the homeless, the unemployed and the benefit-misusers still exist to this day. Also in â€Å"toads† we see the image of homeless people when Larkin talks about â€Å"squatting†. The imagery of these types of people makes us see that the duty to work and having the choice to work are two very different things.With â€Å"Toads† it is similar, as we see the perspective of, what looks like, a working class man, we are presented the images of folk â€Å"living on wit†. It still seems that the persona of the poem sees work as a choice. Instead of people are obliged to work, the persona (Larkin) gives the impression that people are obliged not to work: â€Å"why should I let the toad work†, but yet they do have a choice to this day. Forgiv e me, but a rather humorous piece of imagery I picked up on was that of someone in a â€Å"squat† (Toads).Squatting could mean both homeless people looking for somewhere to settle, or it could resemble someone excreting (to be frank). This links to the work â€Å"duty† as it is sometimes called the same thing: I thought this was interesting. To be able to fully understand the views of both poems we must carry out analysis is several different ways. Another way of looking at this poem is in terms of its rhyme and rhythm or tone; and how this may or may not give the impression that work is a duty. With â€Å"toads† we notice a rhyme scheme called ‘half rhymes’: when a word sort of rhymes but doesn’t.For example â€Å"work† and â€Å"fork†; â€Å"soils† and â€Å"bills†; â€Å"poison† and â€Å"proportion†. The fact that the words almost rhyme could mean Larkin wants us to take note how things just arenà ¢â‚¬â„¢t quite right. Duty and choice comes back into play here: and here is where I think Larkin contrasts the two rhyming words in very interesting ways. He wants us to see that there is only a slight but significant difference in the way one is made to work (duty) and the way one chooses to work (choice). In â€Å"Toads revisited† the same thing occurs: â€Å"Park† and â€Å"work†; â€Å"noises† and â€Å"nurses†.This further illustrates the point of how duty and choice are only slightly but significantly different. In terms of rhythm, â€Å"Toads† resembles some very interesting ideas using it. For example, how Larkin says â€Å"lecturers, lispers, losels, loblolly-men†¦Ã¢â‚¬  it is not only a mouthful of words to say, but the rhythm is different, in this little phrase, (on the alliteration of L) to the rest of the poem. This resembles two things: how in our lives there are difficulties, which come at spontaneous moments, which we just have to surpass. And also, the words are a mouthful to say resembles how work is difficult and takes effort.This is further illustrated by how you can’t have â€Å"the fame and the girl and the money all in one sitting†. The representations and underlying meanings of the way both poems are written in terms of syllables/rhythm/rhyme show how because work is so hard, people choose not to do it. It is disagreeing with the statement, that to work is an obligation. There are various ways in which we can interpret these two poems, and compare and contrast these interpretations to the statement. I firstly interpret that in â€Å"toads revisited†, Larkin wishes to convey why it is he is in favour of working, and how he does/doesn’t portray it as a duty.Firstly, Larkin explains how not working is â€Å"not a bad place to be†, enticing the reader and making us falsely interpret his view (we think that he is taking a day off and thinking about how not w orking would be better). The poet tries to influence us about work, to some extent he does make it seem as if we are obliged to it: â€Å"turning over their failures†. This not only is a play on words (turn over, a word linking to economics and how if you work you will earn money), it also shows what will happen if you do not work: you will fail.In essence Larkin is making us see that working is a more of a duty than a choice, but still it is ones choice to work. In â€Å"Toads† we see Larkin presenting different ideas. Taking a very defiant view on work, he makes work seem more of something one should be ashamed of. He belittles it: â€Å"just for paying a few bills†. This quote I find highly interesting: its apparent Larkin recognises the point of working, but the persona in the poem does not. To this we are confused by: is Larkin purposely outlining work’s purpose (of paying bills) and disagreeing with them, just so we see it?To explain further, could the persona be saying â€Å"just for paying bills† as if he is against work, but actually he is saying this so that the point of working is to make money is raised? For â€Å"toads revisited† the ideas and interpretations are different: for now it seems that these are expressions of Larkin’s own views and attitudes to work. He is in effect dreaming about people working in the poem: â€Å"watching the bread delivered†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Larkin does however recognise that it is hard to work, but he mentions how rewarding it is afterwards: â€Å"nowhere to go but indoor†. This is also a way in which the poet describes work not as a duty, but as a choice.But the balance is heavily pointed to being a duty, as an obligation to work is in essence the obligation to having a fun lifestyle simultaneously (â€Å"no friends†). Looking at the poems from a slightly different angle, the picture changes a fraction. Reading the poems in such a way to understand class s truggle at the time the poems were written, and to explore the conflict between the privileged and working class people, is called a Marxist view. The way the poet in â€Å"Toads† calls the working class â€Å"brutes†; and for the rest of the poem the working people go unnamed, as if they are not worthy of a name.This can tell us a lot about the social context, the fact that there was a lot of hate among the working and the privileged. It tells us how the persona from â€Å"toads† makes us see how the privileged looked down on the working class, as â€Å"toads† to some extent, as toads are small. If I have learnt anything during analysing, comparing, and contrasting â€Å"Toads† and â€Å"Toads revisited†, it’s that you can never be sure as to where exactly the poets views lie by just looking at the persona of the poem. We must break down the poem and transpose it to a more comprehendible structure before we even begin to.

Flexible Budgets Acc543

Flexible Budgets Team ACC/543 Professor Deborah Fitzgerald Thomas University of Phoenix 2010 Team B, You have done a great job on the assignment. I have noted some minor issues to help you on future assignments. Abstract The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the budget process. It analyzes flexible budgets, discusses the relationship between fixed and variable cost, explores the differences between static and flexible budgets, and how budgets assist in the cost-volume-profitability analysis. The Purpose of Flexible Budgets A budget is a tool used by businesses to plan for upcoming revenues and expenses.Businesses understand the difficulty of planning for the future. Circumstances inevitably arise that can change the outlook of a company’s financial picture overnight. Intelligent businesses look to increase flexibility. To do this, businesses explore the relationship between fixed and variable costs, incorporate techniques to transform static budgets, and use flex ible budgets to perform cost-volume-profit analysis. The relationship between fixed and variable costs used in a flexible budget A flexible budget is a statement of projected revenue and expenditure based on various levels of production.It shows how costs vary with different rates of output or at different levels of sales volume. The flexible budget responds to changes in activity and may provide a better tool for performance evaluation. It is driven by the expected cost behavior and cannot be prepared before the end of the period. A flexible budget adjusts the static budget for the actual level of output. It is more sophisticated and useful than a static budget. A flexible budget is compared to a company’s static budget to find variances between the levels of expected and actual spending. The following steps are used to prepare a flexible budget:   1.Determine the budgeted variable cost per unit of output. Also [Add comma here for clarity or to offset an afterthought from the rest of the sentence] determine the budgeted sales price per unit of output, if the entity to which the budget applies generates revenue. 2. Determine the budgeted level of fixed costs. 3. Determine the actual volume of output achieved (e. g. , units produced for a factory, units sold for a retailer, patient days for a hospital). 4. Build the flexible budget based on the budgeted cost information from steps 1 and 2, and the actual volume of output from step 3 (Caplan,  2009).Fixed  costs  are expenses that do not change as the activity of a business changes within the relevant period. For example, a  retailer  must pay rent and utility bills regardless of sales. Variable and fixed costs make up one of the two components of  total cost. Variable costs are expenses that do change as the activity of a business changes within the relevant period. The cost’s behavior determines whether it is fixed or variable. In a flexible budget, all costs are estimated. Variable costs are known as standard variable costs since they are the best estimate for production costs determined by management.Variable costs behave in a fixed manner when calculated on a per unit basis. Whether the number of estimate units sold increase or decrease the standard cost will remain the same. Total variable costs in relation to the number of units sold will behave in a variable manner because total variable costs increases or decreases based on the number of units sold. The differences between static and flexible budget A static budget is a budget that remains unchanged regardless of fluctuation in the volume of sales, expenses, or other relevant factors.Static budgets are produced for a given financial period and are compared to actual results. Consideration is not given to revenue changes effecting variable costs. The main budget of a company is generally a static budget, while the budgets associated with departments are more fluid (Byrne & Mather, 1997). Fluid budgets, a lso known as flexible budgets have the ability to adjust for changes in output levels or shifts in income. These budgets differ from static budgets in that they show projected expenses and revenue at a variety of levels (Edmonds, 2007).Like all budgets, the flexible budget establishes line items for expenses and revenue for a given period with a value assigned to each line. This budgeting approach allows for quick changes to line items in the event of unforeseen complications. A rigid, static budget that is based on a single set of projections, and doesn’t [Contractions are inappropriate in academic writing–write it out] readily permit adjustments could be seen as inefficient (Byrne & Mather, 1997). How a flexible budget lends itself to a cost-volume-profit analysis Flexible budgets are a very useful management tool.These types of tools can provide information needed for planning and performance evaluation. Flexible budgets are based on actual volume of activity [Add c omma here for clarity or to offset an afterthought from the rest of the sentence] which assists organizations with achieving desirable profit levels. â€Å"Managers may assess whether the company’s cash position is adequate by assuming different levels of volume. They may judge if the number of employees, amounts of materials, and equipment and storage facilities are appropriate for a variety of different potential levels of volume,† (Edmonds, 2007, p. 5).A flexible budget often compliments a cost volume profit (CVP) analysis. Both of these are tools that evaluate performance and benchmarking. It is helpful in understanding the relationships among cost, volume, and profit. Essentially CVP’s are an extension of the breakeven point. Using the CVP, a manager can calculate the breakeven point, which is a great indicator of a minimum production level. CVP goes further and shows how much to produce to earn a certain amount of profit. Also, CVP identifies the likely ch anges in profit whenever a key factor changes such as price, cost and quantity (Edmonds, 2007, p. ). Conclusion Budgets are useful and necessary tools used to plan for future saving and spending. Like everything in business, there is more than one way to achieve this. Knowledge of the relationships and techniques described in this paper are invaluable to a business. Once a business understands the process, it can increase flexibility. This allows a business to portray a more accurate financial picture and leads to more intelligent spending and a sustainable business plan.References Byrne, M. , & Mather, J. (1997). Managing the budget process. Club Management. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu Caplan, D. (2009). Flexible Budgeting. OSU. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cwe/citation_generator/web_01_01. asp on 11/26/2010 Edmonds, T. P. (2007). Fundamental financial & managerial accounting concepts. Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu Elmerra ji, J. (2010). How budgeting works for companies. Investopedia. Retrieved from http://www. investopedia. com/articles/07/budgetingforcompanies. asp

Hard Work or Talent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hard Work or Talent - Essay Example Looking into the history of the US trading market there are a number of individuals whose reputation has span over years while others have popped into the market lately and made it big within a short time span. Making it big in this respect is related to how much one has made or makes in trading deals and the factors that surround their continued successes in making the right choices, deals and bets for that matter. Two characters are to be discussed and offered as examples in supporting the view that talent is the one that matters not hard work. Ken Griffin is the first one to consider and he is the Managing Director/CEO of Citadel Investment Group (Traderslog 2008). Considering its large size, it is important to study a few trends of its CEO. He started trading stock options and funds in his college days. Later developed the fund mentioned above with 4.2 million dollars (Traderslog 2008). Today it stands to be the one of the largest in the world with current management portfolio of 13 billion dollars. John Arnold is the other trader whose mastery of his business is given credit by a cross-section of huge and reputed players (Demon 2009). Taking his background for instance in Enron as a trader it is clear that his fortunes in this line of business were destined for success after scooping over 750 million dollars for the company. He was handsomely rewarded with 8 million dollars bonus. He used the bonus to start his own hedge fund by the name Centaurus Advisors, LLC. Soon he was making billion dollar bets in energy related trading and to the surprise of many he trades few times a year in the most awkward moments of the market. Last year he made slightly less than a billion dollars. In the few times he has spoken he says that he buys things at the time when they are below fair value and sell when he believes they are way above it according to Demon (2009). This simple concept relies more on talent i.e. his innate understanding of concepts

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final - Essay Example The North/South conflict in The Octoroon elaborated on the consequence of the secession of southern states, particularly Louisiana, from the United States. It gave rise to the prohibition from marriage of Whites and Octoroons or those which bears 1/8 black heritage. The segregation between Whites and those with black heritage were presented so critical in the play. In Shenandoah, marriage or romantic relationship was not emphasized. The North/South conflict was introduced as it is. Conflict of interest due to the regional associations of the character which complicated issues relating to personal engagements. In the latter, the political facet of the North/South conflict was stressed. [Student’s Last Name] 2 2. From the late 19th century to early 20th century, there were significant changes in the entertainment as a business. What were those changes and how do they reflect what we see in the entertainment today? In the later part of the 19th century, the United States develope d home entertainment, theatrical shows and folk music and dances as observed and eventually copied from different countries like Ireland, Canada and Germany. The entertainment industry in the United States focused more on consolidating different types of culture into one state aiming for a centralized entertainment that would attract more audience around the globe. Immigration surged and many foreign artist were recruited for different theatrical and musical productions which contributed a lot to the entertainment industry of the US. In 1880, years after the Civil War and the widespread emancipation of Blacks, a great variety of performers and artists flocked into one. As we can see today, Blacks are given equal opportunity. Also, more and more foreign artists are immigrating to the US to pursue career in music. 3. How were the immigrant/ethnic acts in vaudeville different from the other entertainments we’ve studied that featured people who were different from the â€Å"norm al† citizen? In principle, foreign citizens or immigrants or both essentially had their individual upbringing. Since they have grown up with the kind of culture which is customary and prevalent in their mother nations, it would most likely be reflected on their entertainment style, whether it is in music, dance, comedy, magic or any other type of artistic skill. [Student’s Last Name] 3 In 1880, years after the American Civil War, the United States started to embrace variety in entertainment. There was a mixture in the entertainment industry with different races and colour transpired into the performances of many immigrant performers. The acts in vaudeville of immigrants differ from the normal citizen largely because of cultural variations and customary influence which until now is still apparent just like musicals which play in Broadway that depict some of the old English love stories and events. PART II 1. Compare the character of the American people as it is exhibited in The Octoroon with the character as seen through Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. What changed and what remained the same? How do they compare with our attitudes about similar issues today? More than just the recurring scenes featuring cowboys, shooting and horses, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West highlighted the kind of life there was in the west or the so-called