Scan virus for all domestic animal in Saudi Arabia Research Proposal

Scan virus for all domestic animal in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example Such illnesses spread to humans due to failure to understand the natural environment. Over the past decade, many people have lost their lives globally because of serious infections caused by animals. Examples of such illnesses are Ebola and AIDS. A few years ago, a virus spread by domestic birds affected many people in Eastern Asia. In Saudi Arabia, a virus that spread from domestic animals to humans is corona virus. This virus spread to humans through their interaction with camels. Reports indicate that about 800 people were infected with the virus in the Middle East (Merson, Black & Mills, 2012). The first case of infection was reported in Saudi Arabia in the year 2012. It causes serious respiratory illnesses. About 27 percent of people infected with the virus die. People with weaker immunes systems as such the elderly and those with other illnesses such as diabetes are more vulnerable to the viruses. The public health departments have been focusing on scanning only wild animals fo r virus. It is also crucial for them to start focusing more on scanning domestic animals. If action is not taken in time, more people will die of the infections caused by viruses spread to humans by domestic animals. Failure to scan domestic animals has contributed the deaths of many people in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world. This is because animals have viruses that cause deadly infections to humans (Merson, Black & Mills, 2012). Apart from corona virus, another virus that uses domestic animals as hosts is rabies. Rabies is among the most infectious illnesses. Studies show that it is responsible for thousands of deaths each year in the world. Rabies is transmitted to human when bitten by infected dogs and cats. Apart from dogs, poultry farmers are also at high risks of being infected by viruses such as H5N1. In the year 2007 April, Saudi Arabia reported a fist case of H5NI. Birds spread this virus when they

Edmee Ferrer Essay Example for Free

Edmee Ferrer Essay Professor Anderson Listening to the Women’s Rights was very moving and it really touched me and I learned a lot about what women had to go through and are still going through. I learned about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and what an amazing and powerful woman she was. Stanton was born in November. 12, 1815 and died in October. 26, 1902. She was an American Social Activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early Women’s Rights Movement. Besides focusing on Women’s Rights she also addressed issues pertaining to voting rights, women’s parental and custody rights, property rights, employment and income rights, divorce, the economic health of the family and birth control. She was also an outspoken supporter of the 19th century temperance movement. In 1920 women gained the right to vote, right of citizens of United States to vote shall not be denied by the United States or any state on account of sex. In the 1940’s and the 1950’s men had to go out to war so it left women to depend on themselves and started working to provide for their family. I also learned about the first-wave feminism and the second-wave feminism. The first-wave feminism focused more on suffrage and overturning legal obstacles to gender equality, voting rights, and property rights. The second-wave feminism broadened the debate to a wide range of issues like sexuality, family, the work place, reproductive rights, and official legal inequalities. The second-wave feminism also focused on domestic violence and marital rape issues, establishment of rape crisis and battered women’s shelter, also changes in custody and divorce law. I can say that I am very proud to be a woman, we have had to go through many challenges, having to be slaves of our life as wife’s and mother’s and home makers. Being sex slaves to our husbands, looked down at or feel less than a man. Not able to work or feel independent. We women are powerful and strong and capable of changing the world forever, capable of showing how we can be as amazing as any man can. Women now have as many rights as any man have. An example of these rights are: the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to fair wages or equal pay, to own property, to education, to serve in the military, ent er into legal contracts, and to have marital and parental rights.

Holes by Louis Sachar - People Can do Extraordinary Things When Put to

People Can Do Extraordinary Things When Put To The Test "He thought only about each step when it came, and not the impossible task that lay before him. Higher and higher he climbed. His strength came from deep inside himself and also seemed to come from the outside as well." People can do extraordinary things when put to the test. The author of the book ‘Holes’, Louis Sachar packed this book with many difficult tests for his characters. However when put to the test, they achieved extraordinary results. In this book, Hector Zeroni (nicknamed ‘Zero’), the friend of the protagonist, Stanley, is determined to overcome his hurdle of not knowing how to read, Stanley is forced to dig large holes everyday in the sun, and Miss Walker (A.K.A., the Warden), using unkind and untruthful means, is desperate to find an outlaw’s treasure to uphold her family’s reputation and satisfy her greed. All these people, doers of good and bad, are put to the test. With determination and effort, they do extraordinary things. Hector was abandoned as a child. He was not taught to read or write, but wanted to learn. He asked Stanley to help him to learn to read. Hector asking for help in itself was extraordinary because he had to overcome any shyness or embarrassment that he might’ve had. Hector didn’t expect to learn to read quickly, but as well as being a fast learner, he never gave up. What Hector learnt in a month or two with Stanley, most children would more comfortably learn in a year or more. He was quite smart for having been given any schooling, but he wasn’t given credit for anything. As he said, â€Å"I’m not stupid. I know everybody thinks I am. I just don’t like answering their questions.† Because of his determination he lea... ...ing and clever in achieving this. These people were all faced with difficulties. They were put to the test and achieved extraordinary results. Kate Barlow had told Miss Walker’s Grandparents, â€Å"You and your children, and their children can dig for a hundred years, and you’ll never find it [the treasure].† Miss Walker was her Grandparent’s children’s child, and as the outlaw had said, none of them had found the treasure, even though it was found in her lifetime. She had built the camp out of greed, and it was through it that Stanley and Zero found the treasure. Through this camp, the things which occurred in the past of The Warden, Stanley and Hector, were resolved. It doesn’t matter whether you are good or bad, or do things for good or bad reasons. If you are tested, you achieve extraordinary results whether you succeeded or not in what you planned to do.

Does Hong Kong Recovered from the Subprime Crisis

Background In 2007, the soaring mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures in the United States triggered the sub-prime crisis and soon spread over the world. In this report, major causes of the sub-prime crisis and its impacts on Hong Kong’s economy will be examined. Different measures made by regulators and financial institutions to tackle this crisis will be discussed also. Lastly, evidence about the recovery of Hong Kong will be provided. The sub-prime crisisIn 2007, the collapse of subprime mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) brought to a huge loss among mortgage lenders. Many large financial firms including New Centaury Financial Corporation and Lehman Brothers Holdings Incorporation declared bankruptcy, which resulted in a downturn in the global financial market and a series of chain reactions spreading over the world afterwards. Impact of the sub-prime crisis on the Hong Kong financial institutions After the outbreak of the subprime crisis, the Hong Kong financial market sh rank along with the global economic recession.The stock market in Hong Kong declined from recorded high of 31,000 in October 2007 to 20,700 in March 2008 (Diagram 1) as investors losses their confidence and withdrew money from the market. Moreover, many banks wrote down huge amount of money for numerous sub-prime related securities. For example, HSBC wrote off US$17. 284 billion for potential losses in MBS or MBS related investments (HSBC 2008). Bank of China (Hong Kong) also wrote down HK$550m subprime-linked assets (Liu 2008). Lastly, there was a credit crunch due to the uncertainty about the amount of MBS related assets held by banks and insurance companies.As a result, many financial institutions reduced loans to each other and increased the interest rate because of high credit risk. Many new companies and corporations were unable to obtain fund to further develop and improve liquidity. Measures undertaken by the regulators and financial institutions In order to strengthen the c onfidence of the citizens and stabilize the banking system, the Hong Kong Deposit Protection Board strengthened and amended the Deposit Protection Scheme Bill in 2011. The 100 % deposit protection scheme of HK $100,000 was first launched in 2008.The amount of protection was increased to HK$500,000 in 2011. Besides, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has made certain measures to deal with the problem. Firstly, HKMA announced a temporary policy which allowed licensed banks to access to liquidity assistance through the Discount Window with US dollar assets and extended the duration of liquidity assistance up to three months on 30th September 2008. These measures helped to improve liquidity within the banking system and further ease pressures in the interbank market (HKMA, 2008).The Hong Kong Interbank Overnight Offered Rates dropped from 3% to 0. 3% in a few weeks time after the announcement of these measures (HKMA, 2010). Secondly, the HKMA implemented a macro stress testing of the bank ing sector’s vulnerability to shocks such as the sub-prime crisis. Meanwhile, HKMA used the macroeconomic credit risk models to improve the stress testing of banks’ residential mortgage loans and other loan portfolios (Carse, 2008). The objective of this testing is to help HKMA monitor the banking sector and avoid problems similar to sub-prime crisis from happening in Hong Kong.Financial institutions wrote off large amount of money and tried to raise money in the market to improve their liquidity. In 2009, HSBC announced a USD$17. 7 billion rights issue. Shareholders were offered five new ordinary shares for every 12 existing shares at a price of HK$28 per new share (HSBC, 2009). This helped HSBC to restore its capital-debt ratio and allowed it to go over bad times without government assistance. Has Hong Kong economy fully recovered? According to the statistic in 2011, the real GDP growth rate was restored to 5% from -2. % in 2009. And the unemployment rate was dropped to pre-crisis level, it decreased from 5. 4% in January 2009 to 3% in December 2011 (Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department , 2012). The supply of money is in an increasing trend as well. Both M3 and domestic credit were having a 10% increase in 2010, compared with a decrease in 2008 and 2009. And the inter-bank offered rate dropped to a very low level of 0. 09% (Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department , 2012). These figures show that Hong Kong economy has restored gradually to pre-crisis level.However, there are certain hidden problems. Firstly, regulators worry about the inflation problem in Hong Kong after the injection of trillions of funds into the market from the Federal Reserve. Since HK dollar is linked with US dollar, the large increase in money supply in U. S dollar will in turn accelerate the inflation in Hong Kong. Secondly, the case of Lehman Brothers Mini Bond has shown that current regulations on financial products are not sufficient, small individual investor s can be misled easily.Further regulations and monitoring on financial products is necessary. Lastly, after the â€Å"lesson† of subprime crisis, many people lost their belief in financial investment which as a result restricted the development of financial market in Hong Kong. To conclude, the subprime does not only cause many adverse consequences to the global financial market including Hong Kong, but also brings some hidden problems. The cooperation between government and financial institutions is vital to help Hong Kong economy recover from the sub-prime crisis.

Tremaine Neverson

â€Å"Success can be a dangerous drug. It definitely changes people and it can take you to another world if you allow it to. † These are famous words form popular singer, songwriter and activist Tremaine Aldon Neverson. Born November 28, 1984, Tremaine is also known as Trey Songz. Searching for himself, he gained a love for music and began singing at the age 14. At the age of 15, he met a producer by the name of Troy Taylor, whom started his skyrocketing success as a singer. In 2003, he released his first album, and then began writing music for other artists.He has five different albums in which he considers to take his fans on five different journeys of his life. From BET to Grammy awards, Trey Songz is more than just an artist. He has used his gift of music as the launching pad to various philanthropic and entrepreneurial endeavors such as the â€Å"Angels with Heart Foundation† and the â€Å"Songz for Peace Foundation. † Through his â€Å"Angels with Heart Fo undation,† Trey encourages to give back and to have a positive impact in their community through community service with local charities and random acts of kindness. Through his â€Å"Songz for Peace Foundation† he aims to curb the violence in youth.I admire Trey’s dedication to music. It is something he loves and he always pleases his fans. He is also promoting positive messages through each of his foundations. As an artist, he’s only obligated to deliver music and videos to his fans, but he does so much more for us. I am all for community service and giving back to the community, so just for that I admire him. To find someone who satisfies your taste in music and your taste in activism means a lot to me as a fan and a young adult. In closing, I would like to dedicate this special tribute to Tremaine Neverson on this very special day, Happy Birthday Trey!

Wendys Case Study Essays

Wendys Case Study Essays Wendys Case Study Essay Wendys Case Study Essay Wendys International operates a chain of fast food restaurants, primarily operating under Wendys Old Fashioned Hamburgers, Tim Hortons and Baja Fresh brands. The company has about 9700 restaurants in 20 countries. Wendys has also been included in Fortune magazines list of top 500 US companies. It is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio and employs about 58,000 people. The company recorded revenues of $3635. 4 million during the fiscal year ended December 2004, an increase of 15. 4% over 2003. This increase is primarily attributable to higher volume sales. The operating profit of the company during fiscal 2004 was $226. million, a decrease of 45. 8% from fiscal 2003. The net profit was $52. 0 million during fiscal year 2004, a decrease of 78. 0% over 2003. Wendys guiding mission is to deliver superior quality products and services for their customers and communities through leadership, innovation and partnerships. Wendys vision is to be the quality leader in everything they do. Wendys did show a lot of new ideas as far as the remote environment was concerned, for instance it established stored abroad, in the national expansion the franchisee agreement was for the area, a region and not for a store. Here she made agreements for time, area, technical associations and royalty. There are different problems that she has faced like inflation, energy problems, increasing labor cost and increasing beef price. Even though the sites were remote there were site approval procedures for locations, on-site inspections and evaluation, counseling in buildings, training for franchisees at Wendys headquarters, advice on suppliers, staff representatives to help open each restaurant and ongoing support. Even currently Wendy is expanding into the European and Japanese markets. The US, Wendys largest geographical market, accounted for 68. 1% of the total revenues in the fiscal year 2004. Revenues from the US reached $2,475. 2 million in 2004, an increase of 12. 7% over fiscal 2003. Canada accounted for 31. 3% of the total revenues. Revenues from Canada reached $1138. 6 million in 2004, an increase of 21. 8% over fiscal 2003. Other international operations accounted for 0. 6% of the total revenues. Revenues from other international operations reached $21. 6 million in 2004, an increase of 27. % over fiscal 2003. The issue is that Wendys has reacted to the environment, granted but to what extent has she been successful? Currently exercising greater control over the current franchisees and also exercising greater control over the franchisees and expanding in foreign countries is an example of adapting to remote environment. Within the industry environment, Wendy came up with the idea of having a quarter pound patties, square patties and only burgers so that she could carve a niche for herself. She did not want to go head long into direct competition with McDonalds and Burger Kings. Wendys showed good adaptability by differentiated her menu from that of her competitors. In 1979, Wendy has started the salad bar and breakfast concept which has been accepted well. Then it began to increase the dinner and weekend business and prepared to open another 240 to 300 Wendys restaurants system wide. In short to every challenge and problem she had faced, Wendys has been able to come up with an adaptation. Wendys innovation pipeline produced several new products in 2004, including our Chicken Temptations sandwiches, Spinach Chicken Salad and Home-style Chicken Strips Salad. Wendys also introduced their new Kids Meals, which allow the substitution, at no extra charge, of Mandarin oranges for fries, and milk for a soft drink. Wendys saw many of their product and service innovations such as salads, premium sandwiches, chicken strips, healthy menu options and late-night hours being imitated by their competitors in 2004. Wendy also streamlined her building, pickup window and dioor. This contributed to her delivery system. Wendys turned out to be according to their own reporting, the fastest delivery system in the industry. In the 1980-89 Wendys brought about a change in the management reorganization which was responsible for major restructuring, a move which shows adaptability in the operating environment. Wendys operational focus will continue during 2005 with the rollout of the double-sided grill, which offers competitive advantages in improved product safety, enhanced product quality, faster cooking times and labor savings. Wendys expect the double-sided grill to be implemented system wide by 2007. Along with the double-sided grill rollout, Wendys is moving forward with the implementation of new technology in their Wendys restaurants. Electronic payment, which is now in nearly all of their stores, is a convenience for their customers and results in a higher average check. As part of their store automation program, Wendys have also implemented demand forecasting, labor scheduling and computer based training to improve their store-level efficiencies.

Company Financial Statements

Company Financial Statements Introduction The world is constantly changing in the socioeconomic, technological and cultural fronts. Major and minor effects of these rapid changes are frequently revealed through the various World businesses. Therefore all organizations should constantly develop effective marketing strategies for the purpose of enabling them adapt to the various changes capable of sustainable deliver y of goods and services of value to their customers.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Company Financial Statements specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Slow economic growth and international crises (as witnessed in the years 2000-2009) are some of the factors that force organizations to change. Adverting, which is one of the marketing tools has contributed tremendously towards company changes. Internet services does not only involve just selling products alone but also selling information about products. On the same note, The Internet can now be accessed almost anywhere by numerous means, especially through mobile Internet devices. Mobile phones, data cards, handheld game consoles and cellular routers allow users to connect to the Internet from anywhere there is a wireless network supporting that devices technology. Within the limitations imposed by small screens and other limited facilities of such pocket-sized devices, services of the Internet, including email and the web, may be available. Service providers may restrict the services offered and wireless data transmission charges may be significantly higher than other access methods (Kotler, 2007). Advancements in Information Communications Technology (ICT) has brought forth internet advertising. Most companies now advertise online using, for example: Google.com, Yahoo.com, Amazon.com, Alibaba.com, You tube.com and affiliate marketing, which consists of banner advertisements, pay per click, pay per view, and pay per call advertising. In addition to this, inter active advertising, blog or article-based advertising are also popular. For companies to keep up with the shifts in communication trends there is need to embrace ICT and make use of new media as much as possible. This will allow consumers to take part in market conversations in which products and services are reviewed, ranked and evaluated based on consumer experience (Kotler, 2007). Financial comparisons of key competitors Microsoft Corporation deals with variety of products and services ranging from manufacture of software and hardware computer products, licensing as well games solutions. The company was founded in the year 1975 by two young men Bill Gates and Paul Allen for the purposes of developing and selling devices referred to as BASIC interpreters (Microsoft Corporation, 2011).Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company partnered with IBM in the prel iminary stages making its brand known to the market in the sale of operating systems. The company sales other devices which include cable TV installed with internet access as well as home-based computer hardware. For along time, Microsoft has been identified to operate under monopolistic practices and at the same time most of their strategies have been declared anti-competitive. However within the current portfolio, Microsoft is known to be the most profitable company within the industry. Their turnover in the year 2009 was recorded to be USD 16.86 Billion cash flow which was considered higher than that of other competitors combined. The high revenue was attributed to the sale of Windows, MS office and strong brand positioning (Morillon, 2010). The comparison based on the gross profit margin reveals some great concern within Google’s profitability based on sales. Microsoft is considered as having a considerable gain of more profit on sales compared to other competitors. The s tatements provides some hint on Google’s ability within the management of the production costs since most of the company’s values revealed are considerably below industry average. The graph below gives the rate of cash flow within companies in the industry. Despite the low concentration of firms within the industry, the three major firms Google, Microsoft and Apple Inc accounts for bigger percentage of the global market share. The largest market share within the industry is under the command of Microsoft accounting for over fifty percent while Google and other controls less than 50% of the total global market share.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Company Financial Statements specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The level of competition amongst these firms is basically based on the basis of ‘value for a product’. The analysis considered the use of various key accounting policies for the company’s valuation purposes. The valuation on financial status include revenue recognition, income tax expense and ascertained accruals, quality of brand and valuation of goodwill as well as stock compensation expenses. For the purposes of maintaining high reputation for superior products, Google resorts to recognizing their revenue upon delivery of products and services to the market (Morillon, 2010). The process of evaluating the financial accounting policies of Google gives a clear picture on their accuracy, effectiveness and economic abilities in comparison to other competitors within the industry. The other competitors within the industry collect revenue upon delivery of valuable products to the consumers. At the same time some of them like Microsoft apply the use of free services to attract consumers. At the same time Google and Microsoft applies like strategies on the valuation of their brand images as well as goodwill. Microsoft, Google and Apple also apply the use o f fair value methods for the purposes of accounting for employee segments. Analysis of the Financial Statements Operations of Google outside United States have proved viable since they receive considerable income of more than 30% of the total net revenue. Twenty percent of this revenue is gained from potential hubs within the European countries while the remaining percentage they obtain from other regions of the world. Despite all these, the level of penetration of Google within the market are exposed several challenges ranging from economic downturn as well as political instability within some regions. However, the company has strategized on this through the use of forward contracts. Accounting Ratios for Google since the year 2007Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 2010 2009 2007 Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio 1.28 1.08 1.06 Quick Asset Ratio 1.0 0.75 0.72 Inventory turnover 9.76 8 7.84 Receivables Turnover 7.8 9.5 1.0 Profitability Ratios Gross profit margin 53.6% 53.56% 53.67% Net Profit Margin 14.4% 13.23% 13.19% Asset Turnover 1.05 1.06 1.07 Return on Asset 15.05% 14.09% 14.11% Return on Equity 31.24% 30.15% 35.81% Capital Structure Ratio Debt to Equity Ratio 1.07 1.14 1.53 Explanations on profitability ratios The analysis done on the accounting ratios from the financial statements of the two companies helped in revealing the level of liquidity of Google. The financial breakdown on the current as well as previous years gives clear position of the companies as well as the changes they might have experienced over the years. Overall valuation on ratios reveals Google to be relatively liquid. The current ratio reveals significant status, the increase from the value in 2007 to current 1.3 shows that the current assets have increased compared to current liabilities. Google’s level of liquidity is further revealed by quick ratio which determines its ability to meet current obligations on the basis of improved liquid assets. This is what most investors look for in companies since they are able to analyze through this the expected value for their investment. The improvement could be recognized from improvement from below zero to 1 in the current year, showing that current and future obligations of the company can now be solved faster than previously. However, receivable turnover have since decreased posing some threat to liquidity. Inventory turnover has experienced considerable increase indicating valuable productivity in the use of inventory, the increase from 7.9 in 2007 to current 9.76 clearly indicate this (Google Inc, 2010). The level of profitability for Google is considered moderate compared to that of Microsoft shown through the financial analysis (Google Inc, 2010). T he statement reveals that the company has experienced decrease in Gross Profit Margin, indicating an increase in the level of cost of goods sold and that on services rendered over the years. Such evaluation reveals that the company might be on the habit of spending more on manufacturing processes compared to the ultimate product and service output supplied to the market. The financial record shows a considerable increase of around 0.12% from previous years. Net profit Margin has since changed creating some positive impact; the notable increase has been around 4.4% since the year 2000. Asset Turnover has however decreased from 2007 indicating that Google has got challenges concerning conversion of the available assets to money. Comparison and contrast of each company’s business model Google is known to utilize its financial success for the purposes of promoting the value chain. The company has got the ability of providing accurate data for free to customers (Google Inc, 2010). The coverage of Google is estimated to be 60% of the total internet connection globally; this position has earned the company a considerable turnover within the last subsequent years especially in online advertising. However, the recent developments within the market made the company to focus on vertical integration involving handsets as well as OS giving Google an upper hand over the various competitors such as Microsoft (Morillon, 2010). Microsoft on the other hand has doubled their operating turnover to $ 58,437 billion within the last four years. Their financial base in the last few years was estimated to be equal to that of Apple and Google combined. Microsoft’s presence is felt in all value segments including provision of hardware as well as contents for consumer business (Microsoft Corporation, 2011). One of the challenges is the development of Google which gives Bing considerable challenge within the market since it only caters for less than 10% of the global market share. The high-end positioning of Apple within all the segments of Information Technology presents another challenge to Microsoft and at the same time development of e-stores and online applications for use in computers and handsets presents another big challenge. All the competitors within this industry have got specific values they do consider concerning hardware supplies and other services offered to consumers. Microsoft being the biggest company in terms of assets within the industry leads in the creation and development of innovations and at the same time adds value to the web. However the success of Google is largely dependent on their performance in their algorithms (Morillon, 2010). Google has for quite some time invested in programs such as search engine, customization of advertisement solutions, utilization of Double-click technology as well as providing customers with free information channels. However, in terms of internal efficiency, Google is considered the most effic ient compared to other companies. The last two years reveal that Google requires huge resource base for the purposes of maintaining its growth. They largely depend on corporate activities such as advertising in order to promote their new inventions such as chrome making their internal efficiency stagnant of the last two years. The company at the same time focuses on product design and marketing to penetrate global markets (Morillon, 2010). Conclusion Overall analysis indicates that Google experiences positive results on the capital structure though in a small margin. The ratios show that the company has got positive Debt to Equity ratio. This is an indication that Google has got potential of financing its businesses on a debt free basis. The units on liquidity ratios makes an impression that Microsoft still has got the capability of meeting short-time obligations better off than other competitors within the market. Google should utilize strong customer relationships as one of the cr itical values for progress. Utilization of long-term relationships built on the platform of customer value enables a company to gain wide market for its products. The focus on creativity may also be seen as a response to advertisers’ wish to realign consumer skepticism towards traditional advertising through a stronger focus on creative, innovative and entertaining advertising campaigns. One may thus say that the core product of such an industry is creativity. References Google Inc. (2010). Company Financial Statements. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/ Kotler P. (2007). Marketing Management-Analysis, Planning, Implementation   Control. London: Prentice Hall Microsoft Corporation. (2011). Annual Report. Retrieved from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us Morillon, S. (2010). Financial analysis on Google, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon.  Cybion Business Inteligence Journal, (1), 1-10

Sentence Length - Definition, Examples, Recommendations

Sentence Length s, Recommendations Definition In English grammar, sentence length refers to the number of words in a sentence. Most readability formulas use the number of words in a sentence to measure its difficulty. Yet in some cases, a short sentence can be harder to read than a long one. Comprehension can sometimes be facilitated by longer sentences, especially those that contain coordinate structures. Contemporary style guides generally recommend varying the length of sentences to avoid monotony and achieve appropriate emphasis.   See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: Sentence VarietyBasic Sentence Structures in EnglishE.B. Whites Exercise in Sentence Length and VarietyEuphonyParagraph LengthThe Rhythm of Prose, by Robert Ray LorantSentence Variety in Alice Walkers Am I Blue?Sentence Variety in Thurbers Life and Hard TimesStyleWhat Is a Sentence?What Is Sentence Combining and How Does It Work? Examples and Observations When the great orator William Jennings Bryan accepted the Democratic nomination for president in 1896, the average length of a sentence in his speech was 104 words. Today, the average length of a sentence in a political speech is less than 20 words. Were simply in an age of directness and making our point more quickly.  (Bob Elliot and Kevin Carroll, Make Your Point! AuthorHouse, 2005)Varying your sentence length is much more important than varying your sentence pattern if you want to produce clear, interesting, readable prose.  (Gary A. Olson et al., Style and Readability in Business Writing: A Sentence-Combining Approach. Random House, 1985) Examples of Varied Sentence Length: Updike, Bryson, and Wodehouse That laugh said a strange thing. It said, This is fun. Baseball is meant to be fun, and not all the solemn money men in fur-collared greatcoats, not all the scruffy media cameramen and sour-faced reporters that crowd around the dugouts can quite smother the exhilarating spaciousness and grace of this impudently relaxed sport, a game of innumerable potential redemptions and curious disappointments. This is fun.  (John Updike, The First Kiss. Hugging the Shore: Essays and Criticism. Knopf, 1983)One of the great myths of life is that childhood passes quickly. In fact, because time moves more slowly in Kid Worldfive times more slowly in a classroom on a hot afternoon, eight times more slowly on any car journey of more than five miles (rising to eighty-six times more slowly when driving across Nebraska or Pennsylvania lengthwise), and so slowly during the last week before birthdays, Christmases, and summer vacations as to be functionally immeasurableit goes on for decades when measured in adult terms. It is an adult life that is over in a twinkling. (Bill Bryson, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Broadway Books, 2006)The young mans judgment was one at which few people with an eye for beauty would have cavilled. When the great revolution against Londons ugliness really starts and yelling hordes of artists and architects, maddened beyond endurance, finally take the law into their own hands and rage through the city burning and destroying, Wallingford Street, West Kensington, will surely not escape the torch. Long since it must have been marked down for destruction. For, though it possesses certain merits of a low practical kind, being inexpensive in the matter of rents and handy for the buses and the Underground, it is a peculiarly beastly little street. Situated in the middle of one of those districts where London breaks out into a sort of eczema of red brick, it consists of two parallel rows of semi-detached villas all exactly alike, each guarded by a rag ged evergreen hedge, each with coloured glass of an extremely regrettable nature let into the panels of the front door; and sensitive young impressionists from the artists colony up Holland Park way may sometimes be seen stumbling through it with hands over their eyes, muttering between clenched teeth How long? How long?  (P.G. Wodehouse, Leave It to Psmith, 1923) Ursula Le Guin on Short and Long Sentences Teachers trying to get school kids to write clearly, and journalists with their weird rules of writing, have filled a lot of heads with the notion that the only good sentence is a short sentence.This is true for convicted criminals.Very short sentences, isolated or in a series, are terrifically effective in the right place. Prose consisting entirely of short, syntactically simple sentences is monotonous, choppy, a blunt instrument. If short-sentence prose goes on very long, whatever its content, the thump-thump beat gives it a false simplicity that soon just sounds dumb. See Spot. See Jane. See Spot bite Jane...As Strunk and White say, variety in sentence length is whats needed. All short will sound stupid. All long will sound stuffy.In revision, you can consciously check for variety, and if youve fallen into a thumping of all short sentences or a wambling of all long ones, change them to achieve a varied rhythm and pace.  (Ursula Le Guin, Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussi ons on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew. Eighth Mountain Press, 1998) Dont Just Write Words. Write Music. This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. Its like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbalssounds that say listen to this, it is important.So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the readers ear. Dont just write words. Write music.  (Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing. Mentor, 1985) Sentence Length in Technical Writing Sometimes sentence length affects the quality of the writing. In general, an average of 15 to 20 words is effective for most technical communication. A series of 10-word sentences would be choppy. A series of 35-word sentences would probably be too demanding. And a succession of sentences of approximately the same length would be monotonous.In revising a draft, use your software to compute the average sentence length of a representative passage. (Mike Markel, Technical Communication, 9th ed. Bedford/St Martins, 2010) Sentence Length in Legal Writing Keep your average sentence length to about 20 words. The length of your sentences will determine the readability of your writing as much as any other quality. Thats why readability formulas rely so heavily on sentence length.Not only do you want a short average; you also need variety. That is, you should have some 35-word sentences and some 3-word sentences, as well as many in between. But monitor your average, and work hard to keep it to about 20 words. (Bryan A. Garner, Legal Writing in Plain English. University of Chicago Press, 2001) Sentence Length and Polysyndeton To dwell in a city which, much as you grumble at it, is after all very fairly a modern city; with crowds and shops and theatres and cafes and balls and receptions and dinner parties, and all the modern confusion of social pleasures and pains; to have at your door the good and evil of it all; and yet to be able in half an hour to gallop away and leave it a hundred miles, a hundred years, behind, and to look at the tufted broom glowing on a lonely tower-top in the still blue air, and the pale pink asphodels trembling none the less for the stillness, and the shaggy-legged shepherds leaning on their sticks in motionless brotherhood with the heaps of ruin, and the scrambling goats and staggering little kids treading out wild desert smells from the top of hollow-sounding mounds; and then to come back through one of the great gates and a couple of hours later find yourself in the world, dressed, introduced, entertained, inquiring, talking about Middlemarch to a young English lady or listeni ng to Neapolitan songs from a gentleman in a very low-cut shirtall this is to lead in a manner a double life and to gather from the hurrying hours more impressions than a mind of modest capacity quite knows how to dispose of. (Henry James, Italian Hours, 1909) The Lighter Side of Sentence Length Writers who wish to impart to their productions power and pungency, who wish to keep the readers attention upon the tiptoe of activity, who desire to escape the imputation of pedantry and who seek to surcharge their sentiments with sparkle and spirit, will do well to bear in mind constantly that long, lingering sentences, unduly overburdened with an abundance of phrases, clauses, and parenthetical observations of a more or less digressive character, are apt to be tiresome to the reader, especially if the subject matter be at all profound or ponderous, to place an undue strain upon his powers of concentration and to leave him with a confused concept of the ideas which the writer apparently has been at great pains to concentrate, while short, snappy sentences, on the other hand, with the frequent recurrence of subject and predicate, thus recalling and emphasizing the idea to be expressed as the development of the thought proceeds, like numerous signposts upon an untraveled road, these frequent breaks having the effect of taking a new hold upon the readers attention, oases in the desert of words, as it were, will be found to be much more effective, much more conducive to clarity, and far better calculated to preserve the contact, the wireless connection, so to speak, between the writer and the reader, provided, however, and it is always very easy to err through a too strict and too literal application of a general rule, that the sentences are not so short as to give a jerky, choppy, and sketchy effect and to scatter the readers attention so often as to send him wool-gathering completely. (Ellis O. Jones, comic playwright, anti-war activist, and editor of the original Life magazine. Reprinted in The Writer, December 1913)

Cell phones and the dangers of them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cell phones and the dangers of them - Essay Example Cell phones should not be banned, but its' usage should be limited. Can you remember the last time you walked down the street, or sat in a caf, or engaged in any public activity and did not see a cellular phone In just about every public place a cell phone would be visible as would be ring tones of the latest sound track and in different languages. Cell phones have become so common that it is likely to see a group of friends hanging out together but each engaged in a conversation with someone else on their cell phone. The use of cell phones cannot be avoided, whether it's a business man calling to check on his appointments, or a mom calling to check on her kids, or just teenagers calling to talk with friends; whatever the reason might be, cell phones are being used by just about everyone. Who is using and why they are using cell phones are the obvious questions with simple answers. The main question to address then arises, is using a cell phone really dangerous and what can we do about it It is important to note that cellular phones are still considered a new invention and it is too soon to tell if serious health problems are really caused by using such devices. However, a lot of research has been conducted in the past few years and many of the researchers are having a controversial debate to the severity of the problems caused by cell phones. According to www.cancer.org, "some recent studies have suggested that long-term use of cell phones may increase the risk of acoustic neuroma, a rare tumor that develops in the nerves near the inner ears."1 Even though this study has not been hundred percent certified as of yet, it is still something serious to look into. Would you really like to continue using cell phones thinking there is a possible you might develop a "rare tumor" All of a sudden, the prospect of having long conversations about nothing in particular does not seem very appealing. There are many ways to deal with this problem though. Just because a suspicion tells us that there is a possibility of a health-risk does not necessarily mean we should all panic and throw out our phones. As indicated by the Food and Drug Administration Center for Devices and Radiological Health and the Federal Communications Commission, "If there is a risk from these products -- and at this point we do not know that there is -- it is probably very small." 1 For those users who are still not convinced and suspect that cell phone poses a great threat to their health, they are advised to limit their cell phone conversations. Another helpful way to prevent health issues is to wear a headset instead of putting the cellular to your ear, that way the cell phone itself has less direct contact to your head and cell tissues. 1 Yet, there are other sources that state the risk of health-related problems from cell phones is neither a suspicion nor a myth, but rather a fact. According to British physicist Dr. Gerald Hyland, "If mobile phones were a type of food, they simply would not be licensed."2 That is a very strong statement to make about an obvious safety question and concern. In another cancer related website, Dr. Gerald Hyland is quoted again and this website does not talk about mere suspicions but rather addresses the matter in a very serious manner. To focus on why cell phones are possibly considered unsafe, the website explains that the cell

Assess the concept of emotional intelligence and its role in human Essay - 2

Assess the concept of emotional intelligence and its role in human service organisations - Essay Example In contrast, psychologists claim that emption have four major progressive stages, like feeling, motivation, evaluation, and cognition. On the other hand, philosophers are largely interested in the concepts of rationality and emotion (Walton, 2012). This essay analyses the concept of emotional intelligence and its role in human service organisations, in social work practice particularly. The actual explanation of the reasons for emotion-arousals is still unknown till now. Nevertheless, numerous scholars believe that there is a direct connection between recognising major changes in a person’s circumstances and stimulation of emotions. They argue that human beings compare their present circumstances with past ones, and when the extent of present arousal goes beyond the degree they have felt long enough to become used to it, stimulation of emotion occurs (Matthews et al., 2004). Experimental studies report that stimulation of basic and usual emotions, like hatred, love, fear, happiness, sadness, and sexual urge substantiates such reports. It could also be mentioned that the norms of comparisons that human beings use rely on a person’s own source of judgment or belief, and thus is not immune from personal prejudice (Howe, 2008). It could be emphasised that the observed changes in circumstances, which bring about stimulation of emotions, do not have to be r eal at all times. In reality, human beings at times regard imagined scenarios facilitating production of emotions. It is a widely recognised fact that individuals at times are needlessly anxious and fearful of unfamiliar situations. Emotional intelligence (EI) is regarded as a newly developed academic discipline. In a philosophical sense, it means the â€Å"competence to identify and express emotions, understand emotions, assimilate emotions in thought and regulate emotions in the self and in others† (Matthews et

Education, Globalization, And Social Change Essay - 1

Education, Globalization, And Social Change - Essay Example Equity and excellence are coincident and should be part of one educational agenda rather than being considered to be of different pursuits (Assessment Reform Group, 2006). Another factor that shapes educational assessment is increased public demand for accountability, which should be observed every day in multiple forms especially, in the media, public and political discussions about the need to improve the educational system (Assessment Reform Group, 2006). The focus on the value-added approaches to the evaluation of programs, schools, and quality of teachers is inclusive in the assessment on the community as an obvious manifestation of demand for accountability. In essence, the use of value-added approach as a way to access how systems are doing and holding entities accountable has become subject to discussion among people, politicians and education professionals (Atkinson and Claxton 2000). This ensures that almost all states have compulsory achievement tests, which are placed at multiple grade levels in the post of the subjects and are required to have such tests under current legislation with regard to the state in, which the education system is b eing practiced (Barnes 2010). In the United Kingdom, for instance, the incidence of children with autism has significantly increased over the past decade and recent prevalence has estimated that approximately one percent of the population is affected, with various reports indicating the estimation of an increase of the autism in different parts of the United Kingdom(Atkinson and Claxton 2000). However, autism is no longer viewed as a rare disorder but has made bigger the needs of education to the children and young people in reference to their areas.

Human Resources NHS report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resources NHS report - Essay Example They are providing emergency and urgent care services to the UK patients. The study will be identifying the job role that will be requiring more training and development. Male nurses in the minor injuries units of NHS are requiring highest training and development for obtaining idea on treatment skills. Moreover, the study will be focussing on the north east of the UK area like Newcastle area. Mainly the A&E centres of this area are having quite inexperienced male nurses thus waiting time increases in care set up. Training and development of male nurses will be increasing the efficiency of the overall NHS set up in the Newcastle area (BBC News, 2015). According to Nick Triggle, NHS Winter report of Wales outlined most number of waits in the year 2009. NHS introduced new nurse recruitment rules for the A&E centres in order to increase safety among the patients. â€Å"It is observed that almost 92.4% of patients were treated in the trauma centres and A&E centres during the year 2009, where as, NHS targeted to treat at least 95% of the cart seekers (BBC News, 2015)†. â€Å"Major decline in the service provision started from the month of October of 2009. Such declining mode resulted into lowest levels of service traits during the year 2010 (BBC News, 2015)†. â€Å"During the time of January 2010, performance of the A&E centres reported as less than 87% of the capacity level. During the time, it was observed that only 29 among the 140 major hospitals under NHS reported that they were able to meet expectation of the care seekers (BBC News, 2015)†. Such care and trauma centres are providing the services like minor injury units and walk-in centres which increase the ability of health care services (BBC News, 2015). However, the statistics are showing that the target was set 95% of the patient’s capacity. â€Å"Actual scenario was outlining that only 88.5% patients are cared by the male nurses in Newcastle area (BBC News, 2015)†. In the NHS services

Nationhood and Nationalism in Henry V Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nationhood and Nationalism in Henry V - Essay Example The literary work is about a king with a common touch in a war situation in which the French greatly outnumbered the English. It depicts a king who is a great war time leader, who, during war, exhibits patriotism - Henry V. Nationalism comes to the fore during wartime, in which participants are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice - giving one's life to one's country. Henry V is all about English nationalism, its very own diversity of love for country and fighting for its glory. Henry V, told entirely from the English point of view, is an almost complete study of the war with France in 1400s, in which the first part looks at the causes of the war, the preparation for it, and the people on the English side. England, led by Henry V was fighting an aggressive war against France for certain territories it wanted to obtain on its side, and staging such war with such intention was the very essence of this English nationalism in this period. During the time of which Henry V lived and reigned, dominant countries like England staged and fought aggressive wars in order to further a certain purpose and sacrificed lives of men to this end. The play's theatrical elements convey a political act, while theatrical interventions are traced in its substantial introduction into conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to Vietnam and the Falklands.2 Henry V is an epic of English nationalism, considered a knowing and cynical piece of power politics to which its nationalism is primari ly based. One might argue that nationalism and power politics cannot go together, but the very essence of the literature on Henry V shows this distinct character of English nationalism in 1600s. The invasion of territory in order to herald a country as glorious and powerful is what characterised Henry V's nationalism. This nationalism was undertaken by Henry V as a king of the English throne, reaping victories for Her, and Her alone. Due to the emergence of international organizations and laws regarding warship, such the United Nations, today's purpose and conduct of fighting a war have long left the kinds that Henry V launched and fought. Hence, such war depicted in the epic seems to be confined only in movies nowadays, made into an entertainment or a historical saga. The Hollywood uses it as a film genre that expects to target a general patronage and show a historical drama and/or a documentary film, which learning institutions might use for visual aid in literature. Hollywood might be using it also as a heritage film, depicting the previous century in which England was often in a nostalgic approach, such as filming Shakespeare plays like this one and using splendid landscapes.3 They have been criticized for presenting 'heritage' in the background, such as presenting a stately home in the background and using this genre as both a marketable commodity and a romanticized portrayal of the past. 4 However, as pointed out a while ago, Henry V is not in any way an expose' of Hollywood fiction, but is rather a paean to English nationalism, amidst an almost power politics involved in the intent of staging the war. It is based on the life of King Henry V of England, focusing on the events following the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War. Shakespeare was able to convey truthfully the events that transpired in

Human Resources NHS report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resources NHS report - Essay Example They are providing emergency and urgent care services to the UK patients. The study will be identifying the job role that will be requiring more training and development. Male nurses in the minor injuries units of NHS are requiring highest training and development for obtaining idea on treatment skills. Moreover, the study will be focussing on the north east of the UK area like Newcastle area. Mainly the A&E centres of this area are having quite inexperienced male nurses thus waiting time increases in care set up. Training and development of male nurses will be increasing the efficiency of the overall NHS set up in the Newcastle area (BBC News, 2015). According to Nick Triggle, NHS Winter report of Wales outlined most number of waits in the year 2009. NHS introduced new nurse recruitment rules for the A&E centres in order to increase safety among the patients. â€Å"It is observed that almost 92.4% of patients were treated in the trauma centres and A&E centres during the year 2009, where as, NHS targeted to treat at least 95% of the cart seekers (BBC News, 2015)†. â€Å"Major decline in the service provision started from the month of October of 2009. Such declining mode resulted into lowest levels of service traits during the year 2010 (BBC News, 2015)†. â€Å"During the time of January 2010, performance of the A&E centres reported as less than 87% of the capacity level. During the time, it was observed that only 29 among the 140 major hospitals under NHS reported that they were able to meet expectation of the care seekers (BBC News, 2015)†. Such care and trauma centres are providing the services like minor injury units and walk-in centres which increase the ability of health care services (BBC News, 2015). However, the statistics are showing that the target was set 95% of the patient’s capacity. â€Å"Actual scenario was outlining that only 88.5% patients are cared by the male nurses in Newcastle area (BBC News, 2015)†. In the NHS services

The Formation of Florida as a New State Research Paper

The Formation of Florida as a New State - Research Paper Example Unification of Florida and the USA is a significant event in American history. It is reflected in the fact that formation of Florida as a new state proved its beneficial effect for safety and development of American lands, as well as harmonious life of their residents. Being the territory actively inhabited by the Seminole tribe of Indians, which caused serious troubles to the US Army, Florida received necessary assistance of American Government regarding the issue of the Seminoles’ outrage. In particular, such acute factors as safety matter and an issue of slavery appear to be the main aspects of Florida’s formation as a new state of America. Safety Matter as a Reason for Florida’s Becoming the US State The first condition, which caused unification of Florida and America, is a consequence of active migration of the Seminoles from north to Florida after weakening of Spanish positions on the peninsula. Actually, it was the beginning of long-lasting opposition between the Seminoles and American Army, as a result of Indians’ aggression towards Americans, resulted in three Seminole wars. Actually, Indians motivated their actions as a desire to protect their territory. Despite this fact, American government was aware of another one, that is, the Seminoles constantly made devastating raids on neighboring Georgia (Florida Becomes a Territory). All in all, the outrage of the Seminoles became a threat to peace of Americans and their harmonious development.

Political Theory Essay Example for Free

Political Theory Essay Introduction While approaching the writings of major philosophical figures in the 16th century and the 17th century there emerges several weaknesses in addition to their political thought in their time. In his work, The Foundations of Modern Political Thought, Quentin Skinner’s emphasises the ‘textualist’ approach by the ones writing within the genre of political theory and further claim that they â€Å"rarely supplies us with genuine histories†. 1 Skinner seems to engage in a ‘historical’ approach to the writings of political thought, which goes hand in hand with the social and political context of the period the major works were composed. Indeed, this proves fruitful for this analysis, and therefore it will be provided a narrow historical review of the period the works were written, in order to present the remarkable similarity between the causes of political thought. Accordingly, there will be implemented a comparison of the philosophers, Thomas Hobbes and Jean Bodin, focusing primarily of their concept of the state and the church and the differences between the two models of political thought. In terms of the state, the focus will lie on the citizens and the sovereign rule; in terms of the church, an analysis of its place within the governmental framework will be provided. The primary sources used as a basis for this analysis is the work of Jean Bodin Six Books of the Commonwealth, translated by M. J. Tooley, and Hobbes On the Citizen, edited by Richard Tuck Michael Silverthorne. In grasping the political works of Thomas Hobbes and Jean Bodin it is important to remember that their perception of the state was born in an age of crisis. As central themes of his political thought Hobbes was concerned with peace, security and order; however, religion was omnipresent throughout his experience of life and through his works. For Hobbes the only valid proposition of a natural religion was that something must have created the world, but who or what is not for certain. 2 Most important he also believed that religious division was a significant factor for the origins of war. The basics of Hobbes theory was to add the will to avoid religious conflict and restore peace into one or a group of biological people that was to further secure the will of the state. Like Hobbes, Bodin was concerned with preserving order and his relation to religion is said to be complex. Although he was less familiar with the New political from his religious thought. ’3 However, entering deeper into the religious life of Bodin it is palpable that he never adhered to one true theological standpoint throughout his lifetime. 4 Another factor of correlation between the two political thinkers is their personal historical background containing the experience of war, which largely contributed as one of their causes for writing. Most known for his work and best-seller, Leviathan, the Englishman Thomas Hobbes was to be acknowledged as an important contribution to the philosophical field in his lifetime and all the way to the 21th century. Hobbes was born in 1588 in Westport raised by his non-wealthy family, fortunately being paid for by his uncle to get an education when the time was right. 5 Entering the field of the enlightened, Hobbes at an age of 54 later produced his first claim to fame, De Cive (On the Citizen), published in Latin edition in 1642 which is characterised as one of the forerunners to his major work Leviathan. Here, it is important reconsider what is omnipresent throughout both, De Cive and Leviathan, namely fear: in order to understand his political thought. Some tend to regard Hobbes as a synonym to the concept of fear even though this impossibly cannot be so, however it does not reject King’s argument that Hobbes had experienced disorder in society and therefore feared political chaos. 6 England during the 17th century can in be referred to as a period of transformation both in terms of politics and religion. Historically, throughout Hobbes lifetime (1588 – 1679) the political circumstances in the years of 1642 to 1651 prove to stand out painted in the colour of red. The Reformation left deep traces and was not yet to relinquish as its religious struggles was to turn into a fight of power between the King and the Parliament. 7 The English Civil war provided an environment such as extreme disorder and civil insecurity to be explanatory for the horrors it brought the 6? 78? 9 # $? *: )? : ;0?. / 1 1? ! / 1? =? ? :?! ( 4 ?!! /? $ @ ( 5 JOURNAL OF PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES,? ? = ? 1? *9/? ;6-. A=? B ;- HTTP://WWW. JSTOR. ORG/STABLE/3745504 0 , $ *3 @ 3 9 )? +? 2 ;A1. / =0 A? 8? ? 9? C D7 @ % $E $ * F;0.? //? F B -1 G/? HH222I H! H 6;0-6 3 13 Political Theory country8. In a chaotic England, Hobbes had to face his own opponents after he had written the first outline of the philosophy of the state, Elements of Law, Natural and Politic, which created an unstable environment for him to live. Indeed, adversity was for Hobbes the reason he decided to flee and choose the life in exile crossing the national boarders to France. 9 When the Civil War was over, he returned home to the end of his life, still absorbed in scientific activity. A lesser-known philosopher yet one of the most ambitious and prolific French scholars, Jean Bodin, was born in 1529 or 30 in the French area of Angers. Although living in separate time periods Bodin is born three years after Machiavelli’s death (1469 – 1527) and died when Thomas Hobbes was eight years of age and therefore spans precisely between these two. 10 Throughout his lifetime he was, in resemblance to Hobbes, to experience war that provoked his political thinking which prospered into what was to be known as The Six Books of the Commonwealth (1955). Bodin was an admirable scholar and by the time he had to face his mortal destiny he made contributions to the area of science stretching from historiography to political economy. 11 Noticeable that he was among the more enlightened characters of his time, Bodin went to Paris in his youth for educational matters studying humanities. Further curious about the juridical nature of society he went to study civil law until the 1560s, and after he turned to a political career becoming a king’s advocate in Paris. A decade later he became a counsellor of the Duke of Alencon which secured him a seat at the table of the royal family, which ceased before 1576. He then further joined the Catholic League (sometimes referred to as the Holy League) which played a major part in the French Wars of Religion (1562–98) eradicating the Protestants also called the Huguenots. 12 Primarily, The Wars involved the Catholic crown attempting to impose religious uniformity upon the large F? What further divided the citizens in contemporary France was their support for various versions of the Christian faith that created a warfare of self-righteousness, which for Bodin, was an erroneous societal condition. What Bodin’s beliefs could be said to represent at the time is further dubiously, but as Summerfield argues, Bodin might have believed that â€Å"Catholicism was the best ‘civil religion’ for his countrymen†. 13 Further, Bodin supported religious diversity in that Catholics should have the opportunity to embrace their faith just the Huguenots without having intolerance towards each other. By offering a narrow description of the historical period relevant to both Hobbes and Bodin and further suggest a biographical outlook of both philosophers, the main focus have been on the facts of importance for further analysis. Main section As discussed to some extent in Bodin’s case, it is applicable to both philosophers that they were living in a time where religion was inseparable from their political thinking. Today it may seem strange that politics of much importance was molded around religious beliefs, because we live in a time where each person is free to decide what to believe and which religion to adhere to. During the period of discussion, the church and the state had too many common interests that a division between them seemed unthinkable. For Bodin, his thought behind his Republic was the hope to restore the splendour and serve the interest of the French Monarchy, which functioned as a cornerstone in his description of the commonwealth. 14 In accordance to Hobbes, much like in the case of Bodin, his impetus of his work De Cive lie primarily in providing a solution to the religious moral conflict prevailing in 16th, 17th century England. Bodin and the family In this section, the discussion will point to Jean Bodin’s concept of the state at a micro level. In Book I, chapter I of the Republic the first sentence acknowledge what Bodin understands to be the nature of the Commonwealth, namely its internal structure being organised around the ?6? ! F1 ?1? 7 @ #? @ ( 2 7 $? *3 @ @ @ (2 )? G : ;0A. / ## 5 13 Political Theory concept of the family (or household), ruled by a sovereign power. 15 The main premise behind. Bodin’s concept of the family has its origins from the alteration of legislation in contemporary France creating a decrease of the â€Å"paternal authority† resulting in a â€Å"decay of family discipline†. 16 For Bodin this was not the ideal familial situation. In Rebublic, the household is portrayed as the essential unit of political organisation within the state and possess the same bilateral structure that there is to find in his ordering of the Commonwealth. Principally, the family consist of a man, which have the centralised authority within the household, a wife and children with the possibility for additional members like freedmen and slaves. 17 To illustrate; the authority of the father extends to a decision of life and death over his children; however, it is not as clear to why he should have this right. For Bodin, the family is vital for preserving the organization within the Commonwealth, he even describe its function using terms as â€Å"true image† of the Commonwealth and â€Å"model of right order† when writing of the household in the Commonwealth. 18 According to Bodin, the father like the sovereign, hold the absolute power within their sphere of influence: the father over the family, the sovereign over the families within the state. He was also convinced that, â€Å"Il est impossible que la Republique vaille rien si les familles, qui sont les piliers d’icelle, sont mal fondees† (husk a kildefore sitater), which reveals Bodin’s obsession with order in that the commonwealth cannot be totally organized if it is not rightly constituted and thus not performing its proper function: this can also be related to the sovereign in that his guidance is useless if he cannot unite all of his members. 19 For Bodin the family is an irreducible unit of the state, for Hobbes the matter is of a different character. Hobbes and the individual The foregoing discussion support the underlying argument in favour of the plurality needed to form the family into a harmonious and organized entity which Bodin find crucial for the ?=? ! / ?0? 78? 9 # $? *: )? : ;0?.? / 1-; ?A? 7 @ #? @ ( 2 7 $? *3 @ @ @ (2 )? G : ;0A.? / A? ?F? 7 @ #? @ ( 2 7 $? *3 @ @ @ (2 )? G : ;0A. / 0 MA ?;? 78? 9 # $? *: )? : ;0?. / 1-; 6 13 Political Theory establishment of the state, according to Hobbes there is no compelling reason to argue that such is the case. In De Cive, the family is not given a pivotal place rather he pursue a more individualistic approach in accordance to Bodin’s idea of the family. However, Hobbes thoughts of the family depends much upon the entity being in an external or internal position relative to the commonwealth and if the family is being ruled by a foreign power or not. 20 As. King argues, Hobbes is in a lesser degree concerned with the family’s position within the Commonwealth, in any case it is the process that one is being born as individuals connected to others by force and fear, or for Bodin which emphasise individuals being born into families, that is the central feature. 21 In addition, they differ in that Bodin think of the ascendancy of the sovereign as originated solely coming from the families but for Hobbes it is originated from individuals as a whole. The literature gathered in this study suggests that both Hobbes and Bodin agrees that the state must exist in order to prevent war. The Hobbesian view of the state is founded in his definition of the natural state. The state of nature is for Hobbes a state of anarchy, where egocentric individuals fight for their right of self-preservation creating chaotic circumstances and where mutual fear is their leading motivation. Hobbes believed that the mankind maintain a will of doing harm to others, and that this derives from the need to defend their own property and liberty against others in a state of anarchistic rule. The moral dilemma that occur in the state of nature has for Hobbes only one escape route, and that is the presence of a sovereign power, either in singular or plural form chosen by the objective will of the people due to pull them out societal chaos and secure for them peace and order. Indeed, for Hobbes the sovereign is of crucial importance: â€Å"For if this power is abolished, the commonwealth is abolished with it, and universial confusion returns. †22 For Bodin the goal of peace and order is much in line with Hobbes’ but it does not involve a social contract as such but it thus involve a conception of fear. In Book 4, ch. 1 he describes ?- ?!! ! # $ ?!! % ? (? ) *+ , ! + $ . / -A? M 1 , $ *3 @ 3 9 )? +? 2 ;A1. / F1 ?!! ! # $ ?!! % ? (? ) *+ , ! + $ . / F? 7 13 Political Theory the rise and fall of the commonwealth where he acknowledges that â€Å"the commonwealth can be founded either in violence or in consent. †23 As much as this resembles Hobbes in that disorder is the catalyst for the development state, Allen provide us with a more applicable explanation. He argues that since the interdependent relationship between the sovereign and the state is present, the realization of the sovereign may be impelled by fear, which therefore result in a state being established by force. 24 On the other side, what seem to resemble the two is the necessity of a sovereign to guide the people. On these grounds, it is clear that Hobbes and Bodin follow a hierarchical structure in terms of the relationship between the superior and the inferior and that â€Å"command and obedience† is the central feature. On one side the similarity between them lie in their use of fear and consent as essential factors for the rising of the Commonwealth. Here, Professor Dunning offers an interesting claim placing emphasis on the contract idea that Hobbes present. He suggest that in contemporary France the social contract was for Bodin more a weapon of his opponents, which in its turn inclined him to focus on the state as a model evolving out of the inherent characteristics of the man and his surroundings. 25 On the other side the philosophers tend to differ in that Bodin support the idea that the sovereign should rule over the families and Hobbes believed in the individualistic characterisation of the social contract. Moreover, who are the ones (person or group) that should rule over the families featuring Bodin and the individual’s characteristic of Hobbes? The sovereign To portray the issue of the nature of sovereignty, Hobbes like Bodin believed, that in order to prevent war absolute power placed in single or plural entity was necessary. Within the sphere of political theory, The Republic could be said to contain the first fully developed theory of sovereignty, however one could argue that Marsiglio of Padua was the one close enough to find all the elements of the subject but where there occurred gaps, Bodin was to fulfil these perfectly. 26 In case of his descendant, it would be absurd to assert that Hobbes followed his forerunner slavishly. ?6? 7 @ #? @ ( 2 7 $? *3 @ @ @ (2 )? G : ;0A.? / -; ?1? 78? 9 # $? *: )? : ;0?.? / 1 ?=? 8? ? 9? C D7 @ % $E $ * F;0. //? F B -1 G/? HH222I H! H 6;0-6 8 13 Political Theory Bodin’s theory of a â€Å"commonwealth is normally taken as the starting point of modern times† and this because of its clear composed nature of the rights and power of the sovereign. 27 His definition of sovereignty in the Republic was written as an entity holding â€Å"absolute and perpetual power vested in a commonwealth†. 28 Here the power is not only absolute, but perpetual at the same time, nonetheless he is careful not to use this definition outside its theoretical field of use, he further states; â€Å"For if one confines to that which has no termination whatever, then sovereignty cannot subsist save in aristocracies and popular states, which never die. †29 The central point here is that Bodin agrees to an unlimited and despotic government but without taking the concept of perpetuity too far. His theory of sovereignty is based on the nature of absolutism and it is clear that he was a champion of monarchic absolutism and preferred that it should be invested in a single prince; whereas Hobbes share his concern but differ in that he was inclined to apply this to a collective group of people. For Hobbes the King and commonwealth is intertwined, in that one cannot talk about the one of them from the other. He comprehend the sovereign as withholding the will of the citizens consisting of absolute power; â€Å"the greatest power that men can confer, greater than any power than an individual power can have over himself. †30 In accordance to the legislation within the Commonwealth both Hobbes’ and Bodin’s sovereign is able to make his own laws, which also extended to the fact that he is not subject to it. For Hobbes the thought of the King to be subject to the Commonwealth and law would be irrational, the Sovereign is the embodiment of the Commonwealth. The sovereign is therefore not bound by obligations towards his citizens and if the sovereign is to act immoral, that is a matter between himself and God. As it has been important to discuss citizens role within the state and their relationship to the sovereign making it easier to fully understand the means of absolute power, it is also ?0? 7+:? 2 7 @ N O: $N POLI? CAL STUDIES 0 //? -0M ?A? 7? : ( $? ) $ *L? 2? P ( @ )? / $ ;.? / A ?F? 7 @ #? @ ( 2 7 $? *3 @ @ @ (2 )? G : ;0A.? / =? ?;? ! / 0 6- ?!! ! # $ ?!! % ? (? ) *+ , ! + $ .? / F? 9 13 Political Theory important to take this with us when we shall now discuss the church and how the state is related to it. The church An interesting question arise when one should determine, in a time where religion was almost too present, where the authority of the church lay within the spheres of the absolute rule. Religious upheaval in France and England in the 16th, 17th century had its origins from the breakup of the mediaeval church that destroyed the framework of older forms of political thinking. As long as there was a universally recognized Church the possibility to practice a unilateral faith was possible, but to place this authority under the prince may have been an impracticable demand. When there later came a time of religious uncertainty and the development of a new faith, people was faced with the opportunity to choose which in its turn lead to confusion. The hierarchy of the Catholic church and the Church of England and France had both claimed that their authority comes directly from God and that they was set out to practice the faith of the nation: as a rebuttal to this point, it might be argued that the political thought of both Bodin and Hobbes was not to find a fertile ground in this statement. Chapter XVII of De Cive constitutes the argument of the relationship between the sovereign and the Church stating that any authority given from God has its place within the sphere of sovereign power. For Hobbes absolute ecclesiastical power was vested in the sovereign, which included the right to interpret the Holy Scriptures. 31 One could argue that Hobbes needed an absolute sovereign as the solution to the problem of war: if the sovereign had the absolute authority of the Church and over the citizens, war would have been unproductive because no one can challenge the ruler, achieve results and further depose him. If the church would go against the sovereign it would go against the religious power of the state which would seem illogical, and in case of the citizens they do not have any authority to bring down the King because he is appointed upon a social contract representing the will of the people. On logical grounds there seem a compelling reason to argue that the law of God has a fundamental place within the political thought of Bodin. He does not tend enlarge upon the place of religion within the sphere of politics within the Republic in contrast to Hobbes who 6 ! / ;; 10 13 Political Theory has a whole section devoted to the concept of religion, however it is clear that he never meant that the state was forced to establish a form of religious and demand conformity to it. 32 Rather he meant that the state must create the soil from with religion could grow, therefore it is safe to say that the Church had a place within the state and that with this it followed religious duties. Hobbes had a different view on the ecclesiastical power of the state than Bodin; â€Å"the Commonwealth and the Church (are) of the same Christian men† and â€Å"exactly the same thing under two names. †33 Further Hobbes says that this synonymity rest upon the common feature between the two, the Christian people, and that the two instances is the only one to gather them. Personally, Hobbes was an erastian; he believed that the state should rule the Church. For Bodin. Religion created obedience that form the basis of his version of the commonwealth. The sovereign is the voice of the Church, but his determination of practicing the religious faith is relative and rest upon his will to make it flourish or not. Indeed, in the Rebublic the word of the sovereign â€Å"should be as sacred as a divine pronouncement. † 34 Conclusion Throughout this analysis the attempt to create a fertile discussion of the nature of the state and its place in relation to the church have been central, which have been built upon the effort to create a narrow historical review in the wide field of history. There have also been provided an discussion of the similarities and differences between Thomas Hobbes and Jean Bodin within the selected themes of this assignment. What is clear is that one cannot simply divide 6? 7 @ #? @ ( 2 7 $? *3 @ @ @ (2 )? G : ;0A.? / ## 66 ?!! ! # $ ?!! % ? (? ) *+ , ! + $ .? / 617 @ #? @ ( 2 7 $? *3 @ @ @ (2 )? G : ;0A.? / 6-? 11 13 Political Theory politics from religion in a time where they were inseparable, like one cannot divide Bodin’s idea of the family and Hobbes’ concept of the individual without removing the cornerstone of their theories. Both philosophers tried to provide the best solution to their contemporary struggles in France and England, and in case of their theory of absolute sovereignty it can be said their impetus was to lead the way out of the labyrinth of war with peace as their rewarding result. Both theories have portrayed a hierarchy of power, where God has the solemn authority and the earthly sovereign is positioned as subject to him but holds the right to interpreter of the faith of the state making him more or less the mouthpiece of God. Built upon this statement the Church has a duty within the state: it is just reliant on the degree of initiative practised by the sovereign in Bodin case and for Hobbes it is more a matter absolute affiliation to the religious role that the sovereign holds. To conclude, even though Bodin and Hobbes had different starting points, went by different routes they more or less reached the same goal placing the political and religious within the hands of the absolute sovereign List of references Allen, J. W. Political Thought of the Sixteenth Century. London: Methuen Co Ltd, 1961.Franklin, Julian, H. International Library of Essays in the History of Social and Political Thought: Jean Bodin. England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2006 12 13 Political Theory King, Preston. The ideology of order. Great Britain: George Allen Unwin, 1974 Laski, Harold J. The Foundation of Sovereignty and other writings. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1921 Lewis, J. U. , â€Å"Jean Bodin’s ‘Logic of Sovereignty’†, Political Studies 16 (1968): pp. 206 – 222 Lubienski. Z. â€Å"Hobbes Philosophy and Its Historical Background†, Journal of Philosophical Studies vol. 5, no. 4 (Apr.1930): 175 – 190, http://www. jstor. org/stable/3745504 Skinner, Quentin. The Foundations of Modern Political Thought: Volume 1, The Renaissance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002 Summerfield, Baldwin, Jean Bodin and the League, The Catholic Historical Review, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Jul. , 1937), pp. 160-184 Tooley, M. J, trans. Jean Bodin: Six Books of the Commonwealth. Great Britain: Basil Blackwell Mott, Ltd, 1967 Tuck, Richard Silverthorne, Michael, ed. Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought: Thomas Hobbes On the Citizen. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2000 ?

Effects of the Expansion of Starbucks

Effects of the Expansion of Starbucks 1. Background information Starbucks has expanded rapidly since 1995. Yet, as a result of the economic crisis causing a decline in sales, Starbucks was forced to take measures that enable it to cope with this economic crisis. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010) 2. Effect of Starbucks expanding 2.1 Effect on the PPF(Production Possibilities Frontier) curve Starbucks has expanded at a very fast rate, adding stores in the US at an annual rate of 27% from 1995 to 2005.( Jannarone, J. June 14 2010)This would cause the PPF(Production Possibilities Frontier) curve for the goods of Starbucks to shift outwards as shown in the diagram below due to the increase in the quantity of resources being put into the production of goods since stores are categorize under capital resources. (Assume that Starbucks produce only two goods, coffee and cake) 2.2 Effect on the market demand and supply curve The expansion also caused the supply curve of the goods of Starbucks to shift to the right due to the increase in the number of suppliers (shops). This has resulted in an increase in supply of the goods of Starbucks. The equilibrium market price would fall while the equilibrium quantity would increase as shown in the diagram below. The blue thin lines indicate the equilibrium price and quantity. Q-quantity, P-price, E-equilibrium point, S-supply 3. Market structure of Starbucks The market structure that Starbucks is operating in is oligopoly. The following are the reasons which lead to the conclusion. 3.1 Number of sellers in the market Starbucks is a large firm operating in a many different countries. It supplies most of the speciality coffee in the world. There are also very few competitors such as MacDonald and Coffee Bean which are competing with Starbucks for its customers whom are mainly well-off working professionals. 3.2 Substantial barriers to entry for new firms It is very difficult for a newcomer to set up a speciality coffee chain in the world as cost is very high. For example, advertising the new coffee product would take a huge amount of money. Researching and coming up with a new coffee product may take years and cost about a few million to a billion dollars. Moreover it is very hard for newcomers to compete for customers with established firms like Starbucks as these firms already have an established brand name. As such customers would rather drink the coffee at these firms instead of others as they trust the quality of the coffee there. 3.3 Mutual interdependence Some of the actions taken by Starbucks competitors depend on the actions taken by Starbucks. It means that firms in an oligopoly weigh the effects of its own behaviour on the other firms behaviour. For example as a result of Starbucks having espresso-based drinks, McDonald decided to launch espresso-based drinks too. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010) 3.4 Type of oligopoly Starbucks is a differentiated oligopolist due to the fact that evidence in the newspaper articles seems to suggest this. For example McDonald has launched espresso-based drinks but this has hardly affected Starbucks sales. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010). This is due to the fact that Starbucks espresso-based drinks may have different physical qualities such as a better taste compared to the ones offered by McDonald. Therefore Starbucks is likely to be less sensitive to any price changes of its competitors products as the products it offers are different compared to its competitors products. 4. Behaviour of Starbucks Starbucks practices non-price competition which means that it designs itself to increase its share of the market without changing the price of its products. This can be seen from the fact that when McDonald launched espresso-based drinks, Starbucks sales at stores swung positive in the past several months even though it did not decrease the price of its products. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010) Here are some of the possible ways Starbucks practice non-price competition through product differentiation. 4.1 Physical differences Starbucks products are of better quality compared to its competitors. An example could be that Starbucks espresso-based drinks have a better taste compared to McDonald coffee. This can be seen from the fact that even though McDonald launched espresso-based drinks in 2009, Starbucks sales at stores swung positive in the past several months. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010).This shows that generally Starbucks products are of better quality compared to its competitors products. 4.2 Location Starbucks outlets are normally located at areas where the competitors outlets are not located. This can be seen from the fact just 23% of US Starbucks locations have a McDonalds outlets within a quarter-mile radius. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010)This makes it difficult for their regular customers and even future customers to switch to other alternatives. 4.3 Product image Starbucks has also fostered in people mind that it provides coffee that is of the highest quality. This is done through advertising. 4.4 Reasons for Starbucks behaviour Starbucks is doing this as it does not want to have a price competition with its competitors. This is because if a price war occurs, Starbucks would be forced to lower the prices of its products, causing the price to be lower than the marginal cost of producing each of its products. This would cause it to lose a lot of revenues and the total revenue earned may be much lower compared to the total cost incurred. As such Starbucks would be operating at a loss and might even close down. 5. Effect of economic recession on Starbucks 5.1 Income elasticity of customers of Starbucks Starbucks customers demand for the goods of Starbucks is income elastic. This is because during the economic recession where many of Starbucks customers suffer a decrease in their incomes, sales of Starbucks goods began to weaken, resulting in a 9% decrease. (Cain Miller, C. January 28, 2009)It came to the point where Starbucks was forced to retrench. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010) As such in conclusion, the absolute value of the income elasticity of demand of customers of Starbucks for the goods of Starbucks is above 1.This shows that customers of Starbucks are very responsive to any change in their income in their demand for Starbucks goods. As a result, the demand curve for Starbucks goods would shift to the left by a lot. 5.2 Starbucks closing down stores Starbucks has closed down 300 stores, causing about 700 of its employees to lose their jobs in 2009. (Cain Miller, C. January 28, 2009)This is because in the short-run, at the point of output where the marginal revenue is equal to the marginal cost, the price per output of Starbucks is below the average variable cost. As such Starbucks is not able to cover part of its variable costs and its total fixed cost. Therefore Starbucks loss would be part of its variable costs that it is not able to cover and its total fixed cost if it decides to continue on production. However if Starbucks shut down its stores, its loss would be just the total fixed cost. Therefore to minimize loss, Starbucks has decided to close down some of its stores. Starbucks PPF(production possibilities frontier)curve would shift inward as the quantity of resources being put into the production of its goods is decreased since retrenching will reduce the amount of labour being employed and closing down stores would reduce the amount of capital being put into the production of Starbucks goods. This can be seen from the diagram. (Assume Starbucks produce only two goods, coffee and cake) 5.3 Effect of recession on demand for Starbucks goods In the first quarter of 2008, Starbucks revenue has decreased from $2.77 billion to about $2.6 billion and sales at Starbucks stores decreased by about 9% (Cain Miller. January 28, 2009). This is due to the fact of expectations of its customers. Starbucks customers expect their money income to decrease as a result of the economic recession. As a result, they would buy less of Starbucks goods as a result of their anticipation of a decrease to their money income. This would cause the demand curve for Starbucks goods to shift to the left, resulting in a decrease in the equilibrium price and quantity. 5.4 Starbucks cutting down on cost Starbucks also has tried to cut down on cost. This include cutting down on variable costs such as reducing the salaries of employees such as Mr.Schultz , cutting down on fixed costs by renegotiating prices with landlords and suppliers. (Cain Miller, C. January 28, 2009). This would cause the supply curve of Starbucks to shift to the right as a result of the decrease in resource price such as labour, as a result of this, market equilibrium price would decrease and the equilibrium quantity would increase due to decrease in the cost of production. Starbucks is doing this so as to reduce its total cost by about $400 million to $500 million. (Cain Miller, C. January 28, 2009). This also has enabled Starbucks to increase its operating profit margins from 0.6% to about 4.5 % (Cain Miller, C. January 28, 2009). Such measures has enabled Starbucks to increase its (total revenues-total cost) difference. As such gap between total revenues curve and total cost curve would be larger due to the decrease in cost. 6. Conclusion 6.1 Economic profits Starbucks is an oligopolist; it would in the long-run have an economic profit due to substantial barriers to entry such as a high start up costs and the presence of established brand names. As a result, lesser firms would enter the market that Starbucks is operating in. Lesser number of Starbucks customers would get snatched away, therefore demand for Starbucks goods would not reduced by a lot, as such Starbucks would still earn an economic profit 6.2 Allocative efficiency Starbucks cannot attain allocative efficiency as the price of its goods are larger compared to the marginal cost associated with producing that good. This show that consumers are paying an amount that is larger compared to the additional cost of producing a unit of Starbucks good. Therefore consumers would be better off if Starbucks produce more of its goods. 6.3 Challenges faced by Starbucks Starbucks faced a declining demand for its goods as consumers now prefer healthier drinks. However Starbucks emphasizes on milky, sugary drinks, hurting its image as an authentic coffee house. (January 28, 2009) This would result in Starbucks demand curve shifting to the left due to the taste and preferences of consumers, resulting in the decrease of equilibrium price and quantity. Starbucks has also expanded by a lot; this has resulted in it experiencing diseconomies of scale as more layers of management are needed to coordinate the Starbucks operations. This would result in a higher cost for Starbucks as a larger amount of resources is required to coordinate and manage resources such as labour. Starbucks may have also experienced the law of diminishing returns which is as more and more variable inputs are added into the fixed resource of Starbucks such as its stores, marginal product of the additional variable input would ultimately decline due to congestion and crowding. This is shown when the marginal physical product curve is decreasing from its maximum point. This would also result in it experiencing increasing marginal costs as shown in the diagram. This is shown by the marginal cost curve increasing from its minimum point. 6.4 Starbucks strategies Starbucks has shown that it is capable of adapting to situations. For example, during the economic recession, it cut down on cost. It also attempted to attract more customers and retain existing ones by giving special offers such as giving loyalty cards that provide discounts and coming up with breakfast combination meals. (Cain Miller, C. January 28, 2009). Starbucks has also attempted to widen its market reach by opening new stores in new markets such as China. Many of those stores have matured and operating profits could soon be earned from them. (Jannarone, J. June 14 2010) To cut down on cost as well as diseconomies of scale, it also has shut down 300 stores. (Cain Miller, C. January 28, 2009) 6.5 Future of Starbucks Starbucks has proven itself to be capable of adapting to situation while attempting to take the initiative in taking advantage of new opportunities. This shows that despite challenges such as declining demand for its products, Starbucks is still capable of remaining competitive.

T. Coraghessan Boyles The Love of My Life Passage Analysis Essay

That thing in the Dumpster--and he refused to call it human, let alone a baby--was nobody's business but his and China's. That's what he'd told his attorney, Mrs. Teagues, and his mother and her boyfriend,and he'd told them over and over again: I didn't do anything wrong. Even if it was alive, and it was, he knew in his heart that it was, even before the state prosecutor represented evidence of blunt-force trauma and death by asphyxiation and exposure, it didn't matter, or shouldn't have mattered. There was no baby. There was nothing but a mistake, a mistake clothed in blood and mucus. When he really thought about it, thought it through on its merits and dissected all his mother's pathetic arguments about where he'd be today if she'd felt as he did when she was pregnant herself, he hardened like a rock, like sand turning to stone under all the pressure the planet can bring to bear. Another unwanted child in an overpopulated world? They should have given him a medal. (623) In T. Coraghessan Boyle's "The Love of My Life", passage above, we begin to see that there is no regret for the choices made by the characters. Jeremy whose voice we hear in the passage can't even refer to his child as something human. Jeremy views his and china's creation as an IT and he can't seem to grasp the concept that he has done something immoral and wrong. Mistakes are made by many couples and they most likely will choose to deal with them without any outside help some problems need other. Problems begin when the people in the relationship forget to realize when to draw the line and focus on what is truly important, which unfortunately to them might not always be the other person relationship or the relationship itself. When a problem aris... ...serve it? He still couldn't understand. That thing in the Dumpster--and he refused to call it human, let alone a baby. (622-623)" Jeremy had formed the opinion in his psyche that he had done the right thing by getting rid of his child, he began to make justifications for his action in saying that it was just another unwanted child in an overpopulated world. These rationalizations seem to only give Jeremy and China more reasons to not see what they had done as wrong. Consequently at this same time Jeremy is also beginning to discover his relationship has had a severe change which he realizes when China calls him and ask--"I want to see it," she sobbed. "I want to see our daughter's grave."(623)" The mere utterance of this statement seemed to freeze interpretation. Boyle, T.Coraghessan. The Collected Stories of T.Coraghessan Boyle. London: Granta Books, 1998.