Continental Drift

The Earth is formed by plate tectonics continuously shifting causing a continental drift. This theory is more accepted than when it was originally published due to better technology providing better research and evidence. This paper discusses a little on both the plate tectonics and the continental drift as well as how the scientific method helped understand this process better. Eye words: Continental Drift, Scientific Theory, Plate tectonics In 191 5, a scientist by the name of Alfred Wagoner proposed the continental drift hurry. The idea that the continents are continuously moving either towards or away from each other. The continental drift is more widely accepted today than back when it was originally suggested by Wagoner. Wagoner had a hard time proving his theory to others because the lack of evidence he could provide. In the last part of the 20th century there has been a tremendous amount of evidence collected to support the theory of continental drift.Some of these include; F ossils from plants and animals that have been found on multiple continents, glaciers scars left in rocks in the most Zaire places, and you could also line up certain mountain chains together. That is a indication that they were once linked together. Also scientists have found that the magnetic fields in rocks indicate the original location is different than the present ones. The Earth's rotation and the centrifugal force towards the equator are considered the mechanism for the continental drift.Unlike back in Westerner's era, today we know more about how the earth works, like plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is the theory that helps to explain Earth's landscape features. There are two processes that plate tectonics go though; one pushes pieces f land together and the other spreads them apart. These are responsible for all the natural land forms on Earth's surface like mountains, valleys, and ridges in the ocean floor. The Himalayas are a prime example of plate tectonics colliding to gether to form a 2900 kilometer mountain range.Another example of that plate tectonics can create is the Ring of Fire; a 40,000 kilometer stretch of 452 volcanoes that is a horse shoe shape ranging along the cost from North America, South America, New Zealand, and Japan. To understand anything about continental drift, plate tectonics or science in mineral it helps to know how they come up with all this. This is the processes know at The Scientific Method, this method was not made up by any one person, but has Just been recognized as the natural method of obtaining reliable knowledge.This processes help us to understand the natural world. There are five steps to The Scientific Method and these are; identify the problem/idea, research the problem/ idea, formulate a hypothesis, conduct and experiment, and reach a conclusion. The two methods to go about this are experimental or descriptive, but both contain the same objective reasoning and process. For the research process you have qual itative and quantitative methods. Qualitative is more about observations and quantitative is more about measurements and data.Both play a important role and can be used together or you can use which ever suites the problem/idea better. After all this is done you finally have a theory that is a collective vision and has the potential to change society. Science can help us to answer questions about if we should be using nonrenewable energy resources by looking at the effects using these nonrenewable energy sources has on the Earths surface. First lets that a look at what these resources are; a nonrenewable energy source comes from something that will run out or not be replenished in many lifetimes.Most of these include fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Using or burning these throws off the carbon balance of the earth's atmosphere by releasing carbon dioxide. This causes our greenhouse effect to be higher thus raising our temperatures faster than most animals can adap t. One example of the disturbance to wild life and habitat that drilling for these nonrenewable resources like oil and gas has is on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This nineteen million acre Refuge is the largest land based unit of all the wildlife Refuge systems.This area remains mostly uninfluenced by humans, but is under attack by the oil industry's to open it up to drilling. By doing this it would disrupt the habitats of the animals living there, the fragile ecosystem is vulnerable to long-lasting disturbances because the harsh climate provides little time for recovery. Continental Drift Continental Drift, why True? Continental drift is the process of large mass of land and rocks unceasingly moving for a long period of time, which can be explained by what is called â€Å"Plate Tectonics†. Due to the fact that continental drift is a theory, there is evidence and other sets of statements to back it up. According to Wegener, a geologist stated that segments of the Earth has made continental drift true (possible) whilst other pieces of information supported that continental drift has happened and is happening. 1. Geological SimilarityThe geology in terms of rocks, plants and animals, ice-shapes, and the outline of the land matches. To begin with, the rocks in the eastern coastline of South America and the rocks in the western coastline of Africa has been found out that they both have the same broad belts of rocks. Not just South America and Africa, but the banks (coasts) where different continents meet have similar types. This leads to the second argument in the f ield of geological similarity of why continental drift is true: What makes you think that the continents have joined in the past?At least once in your life you looked at a global map whether a geography teacher told you to or you just wanted to. If you have examined close enough, a connection between continents could have been found. One may have realised how the shapes (outline) of the continents can be sorted to form a perfect jig-saw puzzle. As South America and Africa can be matched, other continents also have a connection between them. Furthermore, there is a relationship in terms of plants and animals between different continents.For instance, Alfred Wegener (geologist) found out that a similarity exists between plant/animal fossils in several continents. However, you may argue that it is a matter of coincidence. In this instance, though coincidence is impossible by the means of animals evolving and spreading. Due to the large Atlantic Ocean between South America and Africa, s cientists and geologists are capable of stating the such low possibility of how animals (plants) can cross the Ocean. In other words, they organisms have once evolved in one large mass of land (Pangaea).Lastly, the ice resembles in several continents. Everyone is aware that a continental ice sheet covered parts of South America, southern Africa, India, and southern Australia about 300 million years ago. If this is possible, the Atlantic Ocean must have not existed. Such movements of glaciers (glaciation) could not have occurred if an enormous ocean was through the routes of the movement. 2. How could such large mass of land move? Plate Tectonics comes to light when talking about how crusts can move.Crusts whether it being oceanic or continental, they are above the mantle. Due to the fact that the mantle consists of flowing magma (convection current), it can cause vertical and horizontal movements of the crust. The process is that as the core gets heated, the convection current flows and soon lead to the activity of land. This eventually allows land parts to move but slowly as our fingernails grow. 3. Position Difference Why do not we have evidence of covered ice sheets on northern continents like North America? Simple.Northern continents were near the equator about 300 million years ago. They were a part of the Pangaea and was located nowhere near compared to where it is. 4. Why care about this? As human beings, we adapt to our environment whether it is very poor or rich, satisfying or dissatisfying, or even clean or dirty. Continental drift as well will influence the environment we live in in the future. Continents are still flowing and may possibly allow a car to travel from North America to Asia. Let's all stick around to find out, shall we?

Death of a Salesman Tragic Hero

Willy as Tragic Hero in Death Of A Salesman Willy Loman is indeed a pathetic and tragic hero of Death of a Salesman. His problems stem from his own delusions, the American Dream turning sour, and misunderstanding his job and family. All of this tells the story of everyday people in American society. His environment is changing faster than his beliefs which is why he is in the dilemma that he is in now. His own delusions are a result of his failure to succeed in life. He still believes he is popular, respected and good looking. But at age 63, he is none of these. Nobody liked him that much since very few people came to his funeral.His delusion was that there would be people across the country coming to the funeral. However, in those moments that he begins to realize the truth, his wife Linda while understanding his situation, supports his delusion. She say to him that â€Å"you're the best looking man in the world†. But the truth is that being popular and good looking is not ho w you would succeed in the world now. It would be through hard work and perseverance. The American Dream has long turned sour for him. At the beginning of his life, he remembers traveling in a wagon going westward. His parents conquered the new frontier and succeeded.His brother Ben went â€Å"into the jungle at 17 and came out rich at age 21†. For a while, the American Dream was alive in Willy too. He helped stake out new territory by selling his goods, his son Biff was going to go to university with a scholarship and he had a home with no apartments closing on him. But now, he was forced to work on commission at an old age and was fired later by his godson. His favored son Biff had wandered about the country doing odd jobs for many years, his friend's son Charlie was successful and his home was now surrounded by apartment buildings which blocked out the sunlight.He was not a success in selling , he failed to raise his sons and his beliefs were just delusions. Only through h ard work and perseverance would he achieve his goal of success but he decided to go along the lazy route and failed. Willy Loman misunderstood his family and job with profound reprucssions. He totally misunderstood his occupation by trying to sell himself than the products. He could not hope to succeed because there was virtually nothing to advance on him. People could buy into him because there was nothing to sell in the first place. Because of t his, he eventually lost his job.His family was something he equally misunderstood. His wife and two children did not let him know that they knew the truth about him. They would tell him t hat his beliefs were wrong and that they knew he was trying to kill himself. They did n ot always support him. As Biff was leaving the restaurant, he told Happy to take care of his father. Happy rejected him and he told the 2 girls he had picked up that Willy was not his father but was â€Å"just a guy†. Willy left the restaurant very humiliated. H is son Biff no longer had the same ideals as Willy or respected him much after his affair with Miss Francis.He had instilled the idea along with Linda that they had the ability to save him but they didn't. He later dies to escape the repercussions of the problems he has caused himself. The pathetic and tragic hero of Death of Salesman is Willy Loman. He had a bright future but later got lost along the way. This is the story of the â€Å"Low Man†. Many believe in ideals like Willy's, many have had the American Dream fail and many did not see that their family lost their way because of them. It is a tragedy that a man with so much potential lost everything by believing in the wrong things and never realizes his situation.

Intro to Marketing Final Review

1. Explain the importance of the marketing mix. Product Price Promotion Place 2. Describe and analyze the marketing management functions. Developing marketing strategies and plans Capturing marketing insights Connecting with customers Building strong brands Shaping marketing offerings Delivering value Communicating value Creating long term growth 3. Explain the elements of a marketing plan. Executive Summary Situation Analysis Marketing Summary Target market Market Demographics Geographics DemographicsBehavior factors Market Needs Trends and Growth S. W. O. T. Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Competition Product Offering Keys to Success Critical Issues Marketing Strategy Mission Marketing Objectives Financial Objectives Target Markets Positioning Strategies Marketing Mix Distribution Price Advertising and Promotion Customer Service Marketing Research Financials Breakeven Analysis Sales Forecast Expense Forecast Controls Revenue Expenses Customer Satisfaction New Pr oduct Development ImplementationMarketing Organization Organization Chart Contingency Planning Difficulty and Risks Worst Case Scenario 4. Describe the stages of the product life cycle. Introduction Growth Maturity Decline 5. Explain and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of entering international markets. Advantages Economies of scale in production and distribution Lower marketing costs Power & Scope Consistency of Brand Image Ability to leverage good ideas, quality and efficiency Uniformity in marketing process DisadvantagesDifferences in Consumer needs, wants and use patterns for products Differences in response to marketing elements Differences in trends and products Differences in the legal environment Differences in marketing institutions Differences in administration procedures 6. Explain the impact of e-commerce on the marketing functions. Information more rapidly available Direct customer relationship easier to develop Economies of scale by leveraging advertising coll aterals 7. Describe the new product development process Idea generation ScreeningIdea evaluation Development Commercialization 8. The adoption curve Innovators Early adopters Early majority Late majority Laggards or nonadopters 9. The consultative selling process Develop an understanding of needs Provide general benefit statement Ask questions Listen carefully Agree on needs Discuss how to meet needs Close sale Sometimes called the need-satisfaction approach 10. One price and flexible price policies One price: Same price to all customers Flexible price: Offering the same product and quantities to different customers at different prices.

Developmental Issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Developmental Issues - Assignment Example From birth, children learn a lot from their surrounding. Their environmental factors also influence their lives. They do not adopt or construct any behavior biologically, but rather do so culturally. The culture makes a child label things as right or wrong, normal or abnormal. One of the most important lessons that young children learn is the gender roles and their qualities. These are taught through different mediums, intentionally or unintentionally. The mediums can be their parents, community, and culture or through the media to which they are exposed. The researchers have debated a lot on this matter and they have proven that a vital source for gender role stereotyping is television and it is the most powerful medium. Children learn very quickly from television and set great standards for children behavior, beliefs and policies (Witt, 2000).   Gender role stereotyping is the â€Å"socially and culturally define prescriptions and beliefs about the behavior and emotions of men a nd women (Signorielli, 1991)†. Actions are thought of as masculine or feminine and the actions that are associated with males are resistant to any change. â€Å"Researchers agree that children establish sex-roles very early in life and that television contribute a lot in creating gender-role expectations (Witt, 2000)†. ... The physical appearance and jobs assigned to the character are often based on the traditional stereotyping. Females are never seen as the heroes or the min character of the cartoon. They are mostly in the supporting roles. The females are shown as well dressed, pretty, and delicate and problem creators, while the males are shown as powerful, successful and problem solvers. There are many examples of gender stereotyping and violence in the cartoons for example, superman, Spiderman, Scooby doo, Flintstones, teenage mutant ninja turtles etc (Schmuckler,1998). I watched different cartoons and television shows that portray gender roles. It was evident in almost every television show, but the one that I feel had very clear examples for this was Rugrats. It has three boys and two girls. â€Å"Angelica† is portrayed as reluctant, creates clashes and acts as the boss to all. The boys are shown as the helpers, well wishers, fighting for everyone and handling the reluctant Angelica. And in the end of every episode, angelica is proved wrong and left out by all the other babies. In this cartoon, girls are shown as bossy, rude and over confident which is naturally not true. And the boys are shown as polite, friendly and loyal. This is not the only example; even Disney cartoons have gender role stereotyping be it Mickey Mouse, Donald duck, Cinderella or any other cartoon. Most of them have very few female characters. For example; there are very less episodes in which Donald duck’s wife made an appearance. In Cinderella, women are shown as delicate, beautiful, hard working and caring. The prince is portrayed as strong, confident and loving. The relation of opposite genders is more a fantasy than reality. This makes children start

Outline of research paper Impact of the Internet on a Small Business Assignment

Outline of research paper Impact of the Internet on a Small Business - Assignment Example Poon (1997) also discussed some research findings regarding competitive advantage and the extent to which the Internet helps in achieving that advantage. The Net Imperative (2009) and other Internet sources were also used as references in making their findings enhanced the contents of this paper. The rest of the paper includes the perspectives and interpretation of the researcher based on the sources used, both offline and online. Among the major findings of the research suggest that the positive impacts outweigh those of the negative. According to Poon (1997), the Internet affects small businesses especially inter-organizational and enterprise-to-consumer because IT costs are relatively low and efficient. Furthermore, the Internet also intensifies relations with trading partners by requesting quotes or perishable stocks of goods through online auction (The Net Imperative, 1999). In addition, the Internet is also a major help in locating and purchasing resources from distant market while it lessens the costs of marketing because it lessens the overseas taxes. In other cases, off-shoring is also a positive impact of the Internet because small companies with high operating cost in their home country can venture into overseas business in countries with lower operational costs. On the contrary, the research also reported the negative impact of Internet in terms of the company’s competitive advantage over b ig industries since both engage in Internet marketing and operations, as well. Lastly, Internet security is also a negative impact since information about the company, as well as its transactions and strategies, are also available via websites and blogs. The Internet has both positive and negative impacts to small businesses. The positive impacts outweigh the negative. Therefore, the Internet is a vital tool in today’s

Answering the question in skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Answering the question in skills - Essay Example What did you learn from your visit to the library? Which resources are you planning to use for your assignments this term? I learned from my visit to the library that there is a vast amount of reference materials available that can fully equip a student with all the knowledge, information, and data for any research work. I also learned that a student must familiarize himself how the materials in the library are Well-organized so one can efficiently conduct a research. It was very interesting for me to know that there are many databases that I can access in the library. These databases are provided by really good sources such as Cambridge, EBSCO, Harvard and other reputable academic organizations which provide an almost endless supply of journals. The Bridgeman Education is also helpful since it contains images that I can use for my projects. The journals coming from SAGE or EBSCO are even peer-reviewed which means that I get quality reference materials for any research I have to make. Also, it would be worth mentioning that the design of the library as well as the ambience is very conducive to reading. It was awesome to see such beautiful library containing 350,000 books and 8,000 journal articles. Indeed, the administration really made such an effort to giving the students the best possible support to their academic life. Aside from the books, I am planning to use the PCs since the electronic journals as well as databases can be accessed from there. The e-library provides convenience in reading materials even when you’re off-campus since I can access materials even at a net cafe. Yes I am confident in using the library resources and librarians are helpful in case you can’t find what you need. The only way to enhance research skills is by reading a lot of materials and organizing the reading list that you have. Having worked in groups today please reflect how successful you think it was? What do you think

Comparing Education System for Design in All Cultures Essay

Comparing Education System for Design in All Cultures - Essay Example The objectives of comparative education are: To describe educational systems, results or developments; To assist in the growth of educational practices and institutions; To highlight the associations linking society and education; To outline generalized reports concerning education significant in more than one nation. The letter Q represents the question while the letter R represents the response. Q What are the elements that contribute to an education system being suitable for all cultures? R There are five vital essentials that add to an educational system capability to become further culturally competent. The system should: Value diversity; Have the competence for cultural self-evaluation; Be aware of the dynamics inbuilt when the diverse cultures intermingle; Institutionalize cultural comprehension; Develop variations to educational practices depicting an understanding of the multiplicity connecting and within the diverse cultures. Moreover, manifestation these five fundamentals ought to be in each level of the educational practices and systems. The reflection of these fundamentals should be evident in policies, attitudes, structures and services. Q What are the new learning cultures that can be integrated into the educational systems? R The designing of improved education support systems for the prospect, requires conceptualization of both identity and cultural diversity, in minimal clear-cut terms and examine them entirely across multiple timescales. Educational support classifications for the most part, have overlooked the basic alterations to contemporary education cultures. School-based education severs off itself from the online communities, social networks, and peer and media foundation learning practices of learners. Non-school education might be far more successful in relation to students’ identities and consequently causative to long-term improvement. Community cultures and individual identities nowadays are dynamically receptive to interme diate opportunities. They are extremely adaptable collections of identification and affiliations, with threads of permanence that braid into exceptional life educational biographies. It is the personal and exceptional differences between participants, ensuing from their traversals across and involvement in other communities, which are subjects for the richness of education in whichever community. Q Describe the educational differences that may exist between different cultures, which may affect the learning of the students. R In most learning institutions, education is through comprehension of textbooks, asking questions and note taking. Teaching is consistent, and lecturing is universal. However, not all individuals are capable of learning through this technique. In some communities, learning is through spoken communication and course books might not be accessible. Furthermore, some cultural organizations do not emphasize the notion of the exact time. In other cultures, children lea rn by illustration, thus, may find it tough to study by rote memorization of hypothesis and facts. Consequently, some students whose cultural custom differs from a homogeneous educational system may be wrongly labeled, lose concentration and have difficulties learning. Q Highlight the factors that may impede the association of students from different cultures. R Biases that have

Same sex marriage (Argumentative essay) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Same sex marriage (Argumentative ) - Essay Example This understanding has led to the initiation of many controversies and debates. The issue of same sex marriage accounts for one such matter which has sparked many arguments with regard to its legality. The issue surfaced during the last half of the twentieth century when same sex couples demanded the recognition of their relationship. The same sex couples argue and insist on the legality and provision of permission for same sex marriage. On the other hand, this stand is opposed by many religious, social and ethical groups who argue that same sex marriages are against the law of nature and legality of these marriages will destruct the normal structure of the society. These disagreements and debates have led to the questioning with regard to the fact that whether same sex marriages should be allowed or should they be marked as being illegal. The number of homosexuals in the United States has been increasing and this was clearly concluded with the assistance of the statistics provided by surveys conducted by the William’s Institute. It was highlighted that the number of same sex couples increased from 594,391 to 776,943 from the year 2001 to 2005 (Romero et al 2007). Owing to these increases in the number of homosexuals in the country, there have been many legal fights which have been carried out by these groups. Following the year 1990, many uprisings and legal proceedings were initiated by gays for the provision of legality for their marriages. The first major case was held in the Supreme Court of Hawaii in 1993 which invalidated the decision of a lower court from permitting three homosexual couples from marrying. This legal hearing was followed by other proceedings in the State of Alaska in 1998 and Vermont in 1999. A definitive breakthrough for the same sex couples was achieved in the year 2000 when their marr iages were legally allowed in the state of Vermont. Therefore, Vermont became the first State in the

1. Whether the arrival of immigrants to Australia have been Research Proposal

1. Whether the arrival of immigrants to Australia have been detrimental or beneficial to Australian - Research Proposal Example The objective of the paper is to discuss the effect witnessed by Australia owing to its increasing immigration rate. Aimed to identify the virtues and the drawbacks of migration with strong affects on the economic stance of Australia, three methods are intended to be implemented in this discussion. The methods are discourse analysis, in depth interview and group discussion. Immigration refers to the act when a person from his/her birthplace i.e. home country attempts to settle in another country for the purpose of education or employment or any other similar reasons. With this regards, Rowthorn (2004) has stated that the study of immigration is a difficult process. However, through the article, the author was able to conclude that it is generally advantageous to welcome immigrants to the country so that the birth rate can be controlled along with encouraging equality in terms of wealth distribution. It is in this context that economic conditions of the host country can be witnessed as developing nature with the entrance of immigrants as they are charged with higher taxes than the locale population (Rowthorn, 2004). Considering the example of Gypsies as the migrating population connecting its roots to no particular nation having different languages and culture, Armillei (2011) had initiated to develop an understanding regarding the pros and the cons of migration. The authors revealed that Gypsies’ culture and different languages create a misunderstanding in the economic environment for the host country encouraging the distinct dimensions of culture as well as economic hierarchy. Even though, this raises the heritage of the socio-cultural significance of the country, it is quite likely that the social institutions of the economy will have to face major conflicts in developing innovative systems and controlling such vibrant dimensions

Quality Assurance & Control in the Procurement Chain (Oil & Gas Dissertation

Quality Assurance & Control in the Procurement Chain (Oil & Gas Industry) - Dissertation Example This concern can be stated as quite vital for the oil and gas companies as the products offered by the industry is termed to be inelastic providing minimum opportunity to the customers to switch to substitute products (Slocum, 2006). The research study proposed in this paper shall emphasise on this aspect of quality assurance and control measures as considered by the oil and gas companies. Further description of this paper will thereby focus on identifying the particulars of the research process intended to be executed. In other words, a comprehensive and detailed outline of the research planning shall be provided in this paper with due consideration to the research problem, research questions and the research methodology to be followed in the study. II. Literature Review Various measures had been considered in concern to the aspect of quality assurance and control in the oil and gas companies. These include environmental regulations and procurement rules imposed by the government wi th the intention to standardise the operations of the industry players. ... Companies should also intend maintaining a community standard in their operations as directed in the programme (Gao, 1998). In the current day context, gas and oil industry plays a significant role for an economy. The industry nearly contributed 24% to the total GDP earning of the UK in 2008. The industry also witnessed a significant rise in the investors’ interest. This in turn significantly enhanced the profitability of major industry players with inelastic consumer demand and increased financial strength (UK National Statistics, 2009). However, from an in-depth perspective it can be observed that the taxation charges were increased in the recent years. To be illustrated, the budget planned in 2011 stated a hike in revenue tax charges from 20% in the prior fiscal year, i.e. 2010-2011, to 32% in the current fiscal year, i.e. 2011-2012. It is worth mentioning that the UK oil and gas industry was recognised to be one of the most stable industries in comparison to the energy ind ustries of other economies. With strong barriers to the price hike in the industry, the UK government also focussed on relatively secure tax regimes that provided the investors in the industry with certainty assurance (Energy and Climate Change Committee Inquiry, 2011). On the similar context, it can be stated that with strict regulatory barriers the oil and gas industry in the UK is likely to face various challenges in maintaining its profit. According to the report forwarded by Energy and Climate Change Committee (2011), there are various challenges likely to be faced by the oil and gas industry in the economy due to the increase in tax charges. For instance, the industry is likely to witness decelerated investment operations that in turn shall

Politics of Health in America Essay Example for Free

Politics of Health in America Essay The healthcare system in America is one of the hot button issues in this and every election because things are only getting worse, while not coming close to getting better. Rising healthcare costs are bringing brought on by huge hospitals that can charge as much as they want for service. Compounding the problem is the fact that many Americans cannot afford healthcare insurance in order to foot the bill for their expensive care. As the Michael Moore film, Sicko, indicates, the healthcare crisis in America is far reaching and there does not seem to be a solution on the horizon. With more and more people missing out on insurance because of basic primal greed from hospitals and insurance companies, there exists a huge problem that is sure to hinder the development of American society. Facing the biggest problems in light of this healthcare crisis are women, who need a more advanced form of care than their male counterparts. Without access to healthcare insurance, millions of women are not able to acquire the medical care that is essential to their overall health.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The American healthcare system is one that is designed to rely primarily on health insurance. Without health insurance, a majority of both basic and advanced medical procedures would not be possible for any people. The primary problem with the system is that now, health insurance companies are not doing their job anymore. Instead of being an affordable option for common people who seek to protect themselves against medical emergency, these companies are now in the business of gouging patients and withholding insurance to those that are less fortunate. The American model is not the prevailing system that is used elsewhere in the world. In places like Canada and in most of Europe, nationalized healthcare is the order of the day. Those governments do not mess around with insurance companies and they make sure that healthcare is readily available to anyone that needs it. This is an expensive, but effective way to make sure that each person is cared for. Women are specifically targeted for care under European models. In England, the national healthcare system has seen some problems, but for the most part, the nationalized nature of the system makes sure that just about anyone that needs treatment can get that treatment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue at the heart of the healthcare debate is over the uninsured folks that have a hard time securing healthcare. In the United States, that number is steadily growing with each passing year. This is something that Michael Moore is quick to point out in his film and it is an essential part of the argument for a national healthcare system. According to a July article from the Associated Press, â€Å"Just this past week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there are about 43.6 million uninsured people in the country† (AP). Though that number does not represent a majority of the population, it is a significant portion of a civilized country that would have absolutely no way of getting healthcare in case of a medical emergency. Should cancer strike any of that contingent of Americans, they would have no way of coming up with the thousands of dollars for treatment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another important healthcare consideration that is taken into account in Michael Moore’s film is the disparity between the rich and the poor. This is what is really at the heart of the matter. Those with money can afford to purchase the insurance that will protect them, while those without money cannot afford insurance. Making it even worse is the fact that the jobs that give the benefit of included healthcare insurance are the jobs that actually pay people enough to afford insurance. Presidential candidate Barack Obama has taken a stance on the issue and he has clearly defined the need for more healthcare for the poor in the United States. A January Washington Post article sheds light on Obama’s opinion on the matter. In that article, Nedra Pickler writes, â€Å"He (Obama) said its wrong that 46 million in this country are uninsured when the country spends more than any one else on health care. He said Americans pay $15 billion in taxes to help care for the uninsured† (Pickler). Obama has put a specific focus on the medical plight of poor women, who are often the biggest victims in the entire ordeal. Without a national healthcare system, the rising cost of women’s care in America makes it impossible for a large chunk of the country’s ladies to keep up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For those that do not have a huge amount of understanding on women’s care and how involved it is, the situation is a difficult one to understand. While men can get away with not going to the doctor for a period of months or years, women have to have check-ups in order to stay healthy enough to have children. This must be a huge focus for American society, especially as fertility rates keep falling for women in the country. Doctors are becoming much more specialized in this day and age, so their services are costing more. Gynecologists are no different, so insurance companies are being asked to pay more for that service. Even more important than the standard checkup is the entire situation of pregnancy. Women need to see a doctor every two to three weeks during pregnancy to make sure that everything is alright in their body and for their baby. This need comes in addition to the standard medical procedures that women must undertake to make sure that they stay in good condition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Women are among the most neglected when it comes to insurance in the United States. This correlation between gender and income is an important statistic to consider when forming opinions about the plight of the national healthcare system. Though the current system was certainly not written in a way that it would intentionally preclude women, the reality of the situation has almost made it look that way. Median income levels are lower for women in American than they are for men. It is much more difficult for women, be they white, black, Hispanic or any other race, to get a high paying job or one that offers full healthcare benefits. Though insurance companies might be precluding women from involvement, pregnancy has not been nearly as kind. There is no discrimination when it comes to that, as a poor woman is just as likely to get pregnant as a rich woman. Still, adequate care must be provided through the process of pregnancy and such care cannot be provided without the proper healthcare protection. The Christiane Northup book, Women’s Body, Women’s Wisdom, breaks down pregnancy in the following terms. â€Å"Pregnancy is a miraculous process and should be a time when a woman makes every effort to tune in to her body and baby with the support of her surroundings. For centuries, midwives helped mothers through the pregnancy and birthing processes, standing by them with medical and emotional aid† (Northup). This quotation clearly shows the need for assistance in a number of different areas for women during pregnancy. It is something that cannot be ignored for many women, as they seek to have the best pregnancy possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another thing to consider in all of this is the plight of single mothers in America. Recent sociological trends are indicating that more and more women are having children out of wedlock. Without a man present to help foot the bill for pregnancy costs, women without healthcare have an even more difficult time coming up with the money to pay for their own care. This is a trend that does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so it is imperative that the overriding problems get fixed before things get worse. Moore attacks this in Sicko, as he feels that single mothers are some of the biggest victims of the current healthcare system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Moore, single mothers are not the only victims in this situation. Though the politically correct notion is not to speak about race in regards to healthcare, the reality of the situation is that minority women are being left out at an alarming rate. An Amanda Gardner report in HealthDay speaks to the overall lackluster support that women have from the current healthcare system. Gardner writes, â€Å"No state met the goal for access to health insurance. Nationwide, 18 percent of women aged 18 to 64 were uninsured. In 2007, five states decreased Medicaid eligibility levels for working parents, making it more difficult for low-income people to get insurance† (Gardner). This trend has had a profound impact on minority mothers, who statistics show are working hard to provide for their children and also take care of themselves medically.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his movie Sicko, Michael Moore does not shy away from the topic of women and how they are affected by the current healthcare system. In fact, Moore makes it a point to break down how they are often the most mistreated of any of the demographic areas. A Kyle Smith article in the New York Post makes a large effort to disparage the work of Michael Moore, but it does lend light on one example from Moore’s film where the focus is clearly placed upon mistreated women. In the article, Kyle Smith writes, â€Å"Perhaps the most absurd example is that of the woman who says that after she received benefits, the check was stopped because she had previously suffered an undisclosed yeast infection† (Smith). If the story from the woman in the film is true, then the problems within the system are so apparent and so flawed that securing healthcare is almost a hopeless venture for many women within the United States. Moore has harsh criticism for the current system in its exploitation of women financially. Because the current system is one that rewards doctors and insurance companies on the amount of work they can do, it directly impacts women. As mentioned previously, women have a greater reason to head to the doctor for a plethora of events. Under the current system, women are even discouraged from heading to the doctor in order to get the care that they so desperately need. Instead of going to the doctor to get care for themselves and their unborn children, women are being asked to limit their visits in an effort to save money. This is unfair and unsafe, according to Moore. His proposed implementation of a national healthcare system would take care of this issue, as it would shift the burden to all of the taxpayers and would insure that distribution of healthcare is on a need basis. That means that women would not feel pressured and they could head to the doctor’s office freely and without worry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Michael Moore is not shy about offering up solutions for a better system. In his film, he specifically refers to the national healthcare systems used by much of Europe and Canada. He proposes that if America were to go to a taxpayer funded national healthcare system, like the one proposed by Obama, things would get much easier for women specifically. They would not only have unlimited care at their immediate disposal, but women would also have top notch care that is necessary. With fertility levels dropping and that causing problems to other national systems like Social Security, it is essential that the federal government takes action to help women protect themselves and their ability to have children. According to Moore, a federal system in which socialized medicine is offered will be the best scenario for women in the United States.   Works Cited Smith, Kyle. 19 June 2007. New York Post. Botched Operation: Crazy Moore Offers Wrong Prescription. http://www.nypost.com/seven/06192007/entertainment/movies/botched_operation_movies_kyle_smith.htm?page=0 Gardner, Amanda. 17 October 2007. HealthDay. U.S. Women’s Health Care Still Falls Short: Report. http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=609217 Associated Press. 2 July 2007. Little Defense for U.S. Health Care of ‘Sicko’. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19552132/ Nedra, Pickler. The Associated Press. 25 January 2007. Obama Calls for Universal Health Care. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012500764.html

George and Lennie Essay Example for Free

George and Lennie Essay The title of the book comes from a poem by the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns. Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck. It is set in California in 1930s during the time of the depression. During this time of depression, people lived in poverty, finding it difficult to gain employment and often had to search ranch to ranch for employment. At this time people were inspired and motivated by the American dream a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer. This, however was nothing but a lost dream. They went on to search for a job, which would fullfill, their dreams. In Of Mice and Men we know that there are characters that have a dream. A dream that they are really working hard for and there are characters whose dreams are already taken away from them. I think John Steinbeck wrote this so he can provide the reader with a historical and social viewpoint and background of life in the 1930s. An outsider is someone who does not fit in to the mainstream of Society. In this essay I will write about Candy, the oldest person on the farm. Crooks, the crippled Negro and Cuerlys wife, the only women in the book, who did not even get a name. I have chosen them because they dont fit in with the other characters. In the 1930s Curleys Wife represents people who were ignored and suffered from loneliness. First of all John Steinbeck does not reveal the name of Curleys Wife as he thinks she is not important which makes me think that she has no other part to play other than being Curleys Wife. Curlys Wife is stuck on a farm when she thinks she should be in Hollywood.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Banking

Corporate Social Responsibility in Banking Abstract: In todays global economy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a core component of corporate strategy. As a result CSR emerge as a safeguard to protect financial scandals and diminish reputation of the banks. It also advocates and works to minimize the conflicts with stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) designed to respond to huge unmet needs of the society in the achievement of long term and persistent business value. Especially commercial banks play an important role in implementing various social and philanthropic programs to help disadvantaged people of the country. To reinforce, CSR activities, banks have focused the area of market place, work place, community and environmental policy. The analysis in the study was targeted to understand the overall corporate responsibility status in the banking sector of Bangladesh. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Commercial Banks, Bangladesh. Introduction: Now-a-days corporate strategy planner focuses their concentration on wealth maximization rather than profit maximization. The main cause is the intense market competition. So, they divert mentality from conventional business to social business. In addition, recent financial scandals eg, Enron, Parmalat, Worldcom etc have forced corporate executives, globally, to contemplate a broader strategy beyond the focused view of stockholders wealth maximization. The impact of business on the society has become a crucial issue. As a result, banks are emphasized on social, ethical and environmentally responsible approaches to business activity. Bank examine the environmental effect of projects in loan approval process and no projects are approved which are detrimental to the environment. Commercial banks are well aligned with Bangladesh Banks guidance on this aspect. They believe in the need to focus on poverty alleviation through education and health care, for long run benefit of the nation. Recent theories of CSR (Baron (2001), McWilliams and Siegel (2001), Bagnoli and Watts (2003)) assert that firms engage in profit-maximizing CSR. That is, companies are assumed to be socially responsible because they anticipate a benefit from these actions. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has given the following definition of CSR: CSR is the task of a business to contribute to sustainable economic development, working together with workers, their families, the local community and society in general to improve quality of life. Barnea and Rubin (2005) demonstrate that the decision to invest in CSR is negatively related to insider ownership, and interpret this finding in the light of an overinvestment hypothesis. CSR is good for shareholder value, up to a given level, but insiders may have an interest to overinvest in it to improve their reputation, and they are more likely to do so when their ownership share is lower. Literature Review: There is a growing trend for investors to direct their money towards explicitly socially responsible organizations. According to Peter A. Heslin and Jenna D. Ochoa (2008) The amount invested in green mutual funds in the U.S. rose 695% in the last six years. During the last three years, the amount of money invested in clean energy has reached U.S. $70.9 billion globally. The primary goal of any economy is to maximize the material wealth of nations (Adam Smith), production and distribution of wealth (John Stuart Mill), to maximize material wealth and material welfare (Alfred Marshall), satisfaction of the human needs with the scarce means (Lionel Robbins). But now a day, the objective of a firm is not only consistent with those scholars but also incorporates social, ethical and environmental concerns. Therefore the primary objective, the purpose or use for which, firms exist is to ensure the subsistence of mankind and sustenance of the Earth containing the mankind. Some authors have argued that the stakeholder perspective of CSR ought to extend to the concept of accountability. Drawing from the works of other academics (e.g. Gray et al. 1987; Williams 1987; Roberts and Scapens, 1985), Swift (2001:17) broadly describes accountability as the requirement or duty to provide an account or justification for oneÊÂ ¹s actions to whomever one is answerable and narrowly as being pertinent to contractual arrangements only, where accountability is not contractually bound there can be no act of accountability. According to Lantos (2001), ethical CSR is a firms mandatory fulfillment of economic, legal and ethical responsibilities. It is akin to the first three components of Carrolls typology. Altruistic CSR is the same as philanthropic responsibility of Carrolls typology but differed from it in the sense that Lantos argued that it would only be possible for private firms to be philanthropic and irresponsibility on the part of public corporations since they do not have the rights to use the funds of shareholders (who might also be involved in private philanthropy) for public philanthropy. As argued by Konz and Ryan (1999: 200): People are searching for meaning in work that transcends mere economic exchanges between isolated, autonomous individuals. (and) a way to connect their work lives with their spiritual lives, to work together in community, to be unified in a vision and purpose that goes far beyond making money. In modern era, business activities moving around the society visualizing sustainable development. It is not only a promotional activity but also an ethical dilemma. Some of the authors findings are given below: Author Findings Sethi (1975) corporate activities should be stable over time definitions of various categories should be applicable across firms, industries, or even social systems, making comparative analysis possible. Carroll (1991, 2004) CSR is made up of the following components in a bottom-up order: (1) economic responsibility be profitable (2) legal responsibility obey the law (3) ethical responsibility be ethical (4) philanthropic responsibility -be a good global corporate citizen Lantos (2001) Identified the following strands of CSR: (a) ethical CSR, (b) altruistic CSR and (c) strategic CSR CPD (December, 2002) Following issues have been identified under corporate responsibility framework:- Sustainable Development Business Ethics Human Rights Legal Compliance Corporate Governance Fair Employment Health Safety Labor Standards Community Relations Environmental Responsibilities Objectives of the Study: The objective of the study is to investigate a definite structure and concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the area of banking sector. It deals with early history of corporate social responsibility, banking mission, and the area of social welfare. Besides these, it has some special objectives. These are: To get an idea of banking role in sustainable development. Evaluate transparency and accountability of corporate as well as public entities. To learn business ethics, safety and ergonomic issues. To learn banks responsibility to community. To know standard conduct that includes employment fair policy and all core labor standards. Methodology of the study: The paper is constructed to synchronize theoretical and practical exposure of CSR in Banking perspective. As a result, the paper is descriptive in nature. Most of the information are generated by evaluating Secondary Sources like: Annual report of different commercial Banks Study related books and journals Web sites Collected data have then processed compiled with the aid of MS Word, Excel other related computer software. Necessary tables have been prepared on the basis of collected data and various statistical techniques have been applied to analyses on the basis of classified information. Evaluation and Findings: In Bangladesh, there are forty eight scheduled banks and out of them forty six had engagement in CSR practices in some form or other in 2009 (Review of CSR Initiative-2008-09). Due to intense competition in the banking sector, it is essential for a bank to behave in a responsible manner towards the society. This sense stimulates business activities in a long term and persistent social value. To attain this intrinsic quality banks should: Focus on vision based strategy (wealth maximization rather than profit maximization). Draw their attention to internal and external components of the CSR activities like; fair salary structure, employee benefit, corporate governance, labor standards etc. They need to trust their shareholder-customers, shareholders, employees and society. Behaving responsibility towards society and the environment strengthens this trust. Their commitment has always been to behave ethically and to contribute towards changing the quality of life of their people, the local community and generally the society. Corporate social responsibility focuses on: Figure 3.2: Area of Social Responsibility Work Place Environment Market Place Area of CSR Community Source: Annual Report of National Bank Ltd (2009) In 2004 and 2005, several banks adopted meticulous CSR policies to limit lending related to destructive projects. The intense pressure from environmental activists and shareholders, different banks agreed to not finance projects in endangered or high conservation value forests or where illegal logging is occurring. Environmental concerns have grown steady during the past several decades. Goldman Sachs was the first global investment bank to adopt a comprehensive environmental policy. The natural environment is the major worldwide issue facing the business and the public. World concern continues to mount about the depletion of the Earths ozone layer and the resulting green house effect, a dangerous warning of the Earth. In the year 2007, There is a greater concentration in the field of disaster relief, both in participation and expenditure wise, was observed mainly because of the cyclone Sidr. Whereas, in the year 2009, the Education and Health sectors were getting more attention and appeared to be the most popular area for CSR activities as huge investments are being made by several banks in these segments. These shifts point to the responsiveness of the banking community to the changing need of the society. Despite progress made by many companies, adoption of CSR policies and reporting are still in its early stages at most corporations. Our Corporate Social Responsibility Program engages companies to adopt strong social and environmental policies, and follows us to ensure that commitments are kept. Corporate social responsibilities may provide added advantages to the business like as Balanced Score Card. Because pushing incentives in the base level (Work Place, Market Place, Community and Environment) will increase bottom line figure (Profit) of the statement. The positive attitude towards the focused element (Table-03) is the way of getting added advantages from the society. Major Areas Focused Element Added Advantages Work Place Working Environment Enhance employee satisfaction, confidence, productivity and loyalty Employee Benefit Training Job Security Gender Discrimination Staff welfare Day-care Center for children of bank employee Market Place Customer Service Attain customer fidelity, and retention New Product Introduce new technology Community Education Secure public confidence, interaction, positive attitude and devotion Employment Sports Cultural Activities Health Care Disaster Relief Environment Forestation Allure public attention through ethical behavior Financing on eco-friendly firm (Financial Inclusion) Fig: Added Advantages received by practicing CSR The Financial sector in turn can contribute hugely by catalyzing CSR practices in their real sector corporate clients, promoting inclusive economic and social development. In terms of direct monetary expenditure, engagements of banks in CSR initiatives are increasing, particularly following issuance of BB guidance (DOS Circular No 01 Dated 1st June 2008): CSR expenditures of banks have thus far largely been in the form of passive grants and donations. Apart from one-off grants and giveaways, some banks have engagements in longer term continuing support commitments, in areas of education and healthcare. Besides the passive engagements by way of grants/donations (Table 1, Section B, page 2), banks are now getting actively engaged in socially responsible business operations, by way of increased lending to under-served economic sectors like agriculture and SMEs, towards fuller financial inclusion and faster poverty eradication. The June 2008 BB Guidance circular suggested that banks could begin reporting their CSR initiatives in a modest way as supplements to usual annual financial reports, eventually to develop into full blown comprehensive reports in GRI format. Banks are yet to adopt separate reporting of their CSR activities in comprehensive formats such as the GRI format. Recommendations: The ultimate conclusion is that corporate responsibility is a changing philosophy of business. The demands for social responsibility have provoked enthusiastic discussion and debate on what new roles, if any, business firms should play in the social system. Banks should not attempt to minimize the expectations of the society; rather they need to respond to them more efficiently. The corporate responsibility practices can play positive role in improving competitiveness in the corporate entities in Bangladesh as well as improve working and living environment for the workforce. Whether is for the government, the community, shareholders, directs, top management, employees or the general public, a corporate organization that intends to effect changes in the environment must always perform a number of socially responsible actions. Formulate uniform rules and regulations: Government or regulatory bodies should formulate uniform rules and regulation regarding CSR practices in banking sector. Tax Shield: All social contribution by the banks should be tax exempted. As a result, social contribution will increase gradually. Change corporate values: In most of the cases, social contribution treated as enhance reputation only. But, they have to change their values and try to think its their responsibility too. Improving Business and Social Productivity: A societys productivity depends on how efficiently it uses resources. If the naturally human and financial resources are combined and managed effectively by business forms then the productivity of both business and society can be high. Balancing Ethics and Economics:A serious social challenge to business is to integrate ethics and economics. How much more profit is desirable and what cost to the customers? What about product quality? Is the customer being cheated through poor measurement or abrasive advertisement? Ethical behavior and economics are the opposite sides of a bad coin. There should be a balance. References: Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34(4):39-48 Carroll, A. B. (1999). Corporate Social Responsibility: Evolution of a Definitional Construct. Business Society, 38(3):268-295 Carroll, A. B. (2004). Managing ethically with global stakeholders: A present and future challenge. Academy of Management Executive, 18(2):114-119 Lantos, G. P. (2001). The boundaries of strategic corporate social responsibility. Journal of Consumer Marketing 18(7): 595-630 Konz, G. N. P Ryan, F. X. (1999). Maintaining an organizational spirituality: no easy task. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 12(3):200-210. Peter A. Heslin and Jenna D. Ochoa , Understanding and developing strategic corporate social responsibility, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 125-144, 2008 www.sciencedirect.com

How do You Spell High School? †S-T-R-E-S-S :: Personal Narrative Writing

How do You Spell High School? – S-T-R-E-S-S When I ask people what their most memorable times are, most tell me that their most memorable times occurred in high school. I entered high school a year ago, and it has been fun, but very, very stressful. I try to organize and make time for everything that I am assigned to do, but still everything seems to bunch up and become overwhelming. Sometimes I just want to give up and stop trying so hard. I don’t just feel pressure from school, but from my family and society as well. Since I am Hispanic, I am expected to defy all those stereotypes that people might have of Hispanics. Some examples of these stereotypes are that Hispanics are not well educated, that they are always loud and that pregnancy occurs at a young age. I might be loud sometimes, but I am very educated and I am not considering having a baby any time soon. But still my parents expect me to exceed all expectations and be the very best, which is pretty hard. Since second grade I was in the Gifted and Talented Program, which is a program for students who are a bit more advanced than their grade level. I was in that program until fourth grade and then I entered the Delta Program at Booker T. Washington M.S. 54. The Delta Program is also for students that are a bit more advanced than their grade level, and in that course I found it very hard to be the best. For the four years that I was in that school, the most I could do was get in the Honor Roll, and for the last two years it wasn’t very easy. My parents always told me that I had to have good grades and get a scholarship to a good college and that was how it was going to be. Before, it didn’t bother me and I would just do everything I was told to do, but now, it is getting very stressful because the work is getting harder and I find myself with more responsibilities. Some studies show that many Hispanics either drop out of high school or don’t ever get to college. Because of this, I am expected to do very well in school and make it into a good college. I am not saying that it isn’t something I want, but this goal seems very difficult, because the stress I am experiencing is working against me and slowing me down instead of pepping me up and encouraging me to keep moving ahead.

The Fantasy World of The Fixer :: Bernard Malamud The Fixer

The Fantasy World of The Fixer In Bernard Malamud's The Fixer, almost all of Yakov Bok's time is spent in prison. The Fixer is an examination of freedom and its compliment, commitment (Helterman 67 ). Though Bok has no physical freedom, the longer that he is imprisoned, the more true freedom he obtains. Bok is able to attain this freedom through his dreams and hallucinations. These sequences are important because they prevent the story from becoming static, but more important, they illustrate that true freedom lies within one's self. Yakov Bok is tortured in the government's attempt to obtain his confession to the ritual murder of Zhenia Golov. He is poisoned, strip searched, chained, and nearly frozen to death: The fixer was chained to the wall all day,and at night he lay on the bedplank, his legs locked in the stocks...the leg holes were tight and chafed his flesh if he tried to turn a little...the straw mattress had been removed from his cell...now in chains, he thought the searches of his body might end but they increased to six a day, three in the morning and three in the afternoon.( 236 ) These tortures leave Bok with no conscious energy to focus against his captors. Thus, it is only through Bok's dreams and hallucinations that he can escape and deal with his imprisonment. One of the most important freedoms which Bok finds within himself is the freedom to accept his religion. In one of his dreams he dreams that his father-in-law, the only father that he has really known, has died. When he wakes, Bok says to himself, "Live Shmuel, live...let me die for you" (287 ). Bok experiences a kind of panic after awakening from this dream. He cannot fathom that he will not see this man again, even though he knows that their ever meeting again is nearly impossible. Bok realizes through this dream his true feelings towards the old man whom he called "father." Furthermore, Bok knows that through his death for a crime he did not commit, he can save many of his Jewish brothers from death in the riots which would ensue if he were released. Therefore, Bok's saying "let me die for you" is directed not just to his father-in-law, but to all those who, had they been in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was, could just as easily have been accused of this same crime.

Environmental conservation Essay -- essays research papers fc

An Environmental Conservationist, which is also known as a conservation scientist, is an excellent job for anyone who loves nature and wants to preserve all of earth’s natural wonders. As a conservationist you need to, â€Å"Find your own ways to make less trash, and help others to learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle.† (EPA). The job is a hands-on job which means â€Å"spending a major portion of the workday outdoors without regard to weather.† (Easton 35) Though this doesn’t seem like a scientific job to most people it is because it involves calculating the outcome of certain things on the environment. The purpose of this career is to protect the environment and the people and wildlife that live in it. The profession of environmental conservationist can be narrowed to certain fields. Some people specialize in land water or soil conservation. There are others who live for â€Å"addressing ‘environmental racism’, or the tendency to condone poorer environmental conditions (hazardous waste dumps, illegal/abandoned dumps) in areas populated mainly by people of color.† (Morkes 187) It is required that you at least have a bachelors degree to hold this job. Many people have Masters as well. Generally, your pay depends on which degree you hold. Those who held doctorates has an average pay of 52,162 dollars. Those who held their Berry 2 doctorate in research for this field had a higher salary which has a median of 61,451 dollars. â€Å"In 2000, the median pay was $47,140† (Easton 90) This is a career which is neither gender nor location specific. People with this career tend to travel to where the problem areas are, which is why it isn‘t location specific. The problem areas depend on which field someone specializes in. Both men and women hold this job. There isn’t a part of the job which requires either a male or a female to perform its task. This job involves a lot of â€Å"treating, teaching, listening, counseling, problem solving/creativity, designing, inventing, drawing/writing, and developing ideas or programs.† (Easton 35) It obviously requires a lot of hands on work as well as mental work, which is demonstrated in the â€Å"problem solving/creativity, designing, inventing† Easton 35) In addition to the required hands-on work, this is not a job for someone who cann... ...bout the environment and about preserving our natural recourses. I feel especially strong about Environmental Racism because I feel it is something I have been subjected to all of my life. This is a job for me because I enjoy using things that the earth provides, like water and snow and I want to protect it because "there is a need to ensure that the cleanliness and environmental safety †¦ are not compromised." (Manila Bulletin) Works Cited 1. Easton, Thomas. Careers in Science. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. 2004 2. â€Å"Environmental Conservationists†. Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guide. 2003 3. â€Å"Women and Work† Fact Monster.  © 2000–2004 Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster. 15 Dec. 2004 http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0906934.html. 4. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Solid Waste and Emergency response (5305W). Washington: September 2002. 5. DoT promotes environmental conservation in surfing tilt. Jaser A. Marasigan.Dec 15, 2004. http://www.mb.com.ph/TOUR2004121724655.html

Communication Problems Between Teenagers And Adults Essay

From the beginning of time teenagers and adults have always had conflicts with each other. These conflicts occur most of the time because of the lack of communication between the teenager and the adult. The generation gap between the teenager and the adult can play a role in the problems they have communicating. The superior adult has the instinct that whatever the inferior teenager does can lead to bad things, and lectures the teenager about it. Most of the time teenagers have many other sources of advice they can listen to, and it seems that the adult can become the last resort or not a resort at all. The generation gap, the feeling of being inferior and superior, and the other sources of advice can play a big part in the problems teenagers and adults have communicating. Both parties have an equal role in communicating with each other. But the choice comes down to the two willing to take that particular role. The generation gap between teenagers and adults plays a huge part in why they have problems communicating with each other. The adult who had a very different lifestyle and childhood then that of a teenager may have a different view on life. Things unheard of years ago to the adults can now have rational reasoning through the advance of technology. For a teenager to talk to an adult, on a subject that the adult has no idea on can almost become impossible. Still living in the last decade, adults may not correspond with the thinking of today’s youthful teenagers. The age difference between the teenager and the adult plays a huge role in the game of communicating between the two. The superior adult has always had the impulse to contradict the ideas of the inferior teenager, and lecture the teenager on the teenager’s wrongful ways. The more mature adult thinks that he or she has more knowledge than the younger teenager and sees that the teenager may benefit from the lecture. This gives a feeling of uneasiness in the teenager and makes them very irritable. Many verbal conflicts have aroused after the adult has given his or her point of view in the lecture. The adult often times makes the teenager feel inferior to him or her in the lectures. The teenager feeling inferior, who has a lot on his mind, may not express what he or she really  feels to the adult. This state of feeling inferior and superior between the teenager and adult does not help solve the problems they have communicating. Teenagers talk to so many friends about things they have in common with, it makes talking to an adult like taking to a person on the other side of the planet. Teenagers have so many other options on expressing what they think, that it seems very difficult talking to an adult. The teenager could always first go to a close friend of theirs if they had something on their mind. Teenagers going to adults for help can lead to more problems because the two may not agree on the same thing. This example goes the same way with an adult. If an adult has something on his or her mind and has to express it some way, he or she will go to another adult who would have the same ideas on it. The lack of respect they have for one another can explain the problems they have in communication. Problems and conflicts occur all the time among teenagers and adults. The hurdle of communication can sometimes become the hardest obstacle teenagers and adults have to overcome. The trouble of the two communicating can lead to a very tough relationship or lead to no relationship at all between the two. The two must try to have better communication with one another if they want to improve the relationship between them. The leading responsibility for this problem can have something to do with the generation gap of the two, the feeling of inferior and superior, and the abundant sources of advice. One person cannot fight the communication battle alone. With the help of both sides this war on communication can lead to a victory for both teenagers and adults.

Study Guide Marketing Management Mba

Study outline schema question in preparation for final Exam MBA 531 1. What is marketing? Discuss the components of marketing? Marketing is the managerial function responsible for identifying and anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. It is a multi-disciplinary subject. The best way to gauge its scope is to know the components of it. There are four components of Marketing: The offer The market, The system and The forces. The offer: An offer is the outcome of marketing activities of the firm.An offer includes product or service and allied conditions of offer precisely, it includes â€Å"what†, â€Å"who† and â€Å"why† and through â€Å"whom† of the purchase. The Market: Market is the aggregate of forces or conditions within which buyers and sellers make decisions that result in the transfer of goods and services. In other words, it is the aggregate demand of the potential buyers for a commodity or service. The System: Marketing is co ncerned with the flow of goods and services from the points of production to the points of consumption. There is a systematic arrangement of these unctions of marketing to move the goods and services to the needy persons. The forces: The final component of marketing is to do with environment in which marketing takes place. It is taken as the final component because, environmental forces influence the nature and character of the â€Å"offer†, â€Å"market† and the â€Å"system†. Environmental forces contribute to every aspect of change and adjustment in a marketing network. 2. What are the major Functions of Marketing? Explain Marketing functions: Marketing function is an act or operation or service by which original product and the final consumers are linked together.The functions of marketing are â€Å"eyes and ears† of the business. Marketing is responsible for keeping the business in close contact with its environment and informed of events that influe nce its operations. Marketing functions are performed by the manufacturer and all middlemen in the machinery of distribution. 1 Marketing functions have been classified by different marketing experts in different ways. But the most acceptable and meaningful classification is as follows: Functions of Exchange 1. Buying 2. Selling 3. Pricing 4. Advertising 5. Sales PromotionFunctions of physical Supply 1. Transportation 2. Storage Facilitating functions 1. Financing 2. Risk-Taking 3. Marketing information 4. Marketing Research 5. Standardization & grading 6. Packaging 7. Branding 3. Explain the salient features of modern marketing? The following are the major features of Modern Marketing: 1. Modern marketing is consumer-oriented: in Modern Marketing what is offered for sale today is determined not by the seller at all. On the contrary, the seller takes the lead from the buyer what product is to produce to meet the demands of consumers.Therefore, the manufacturer can no longer determin e what the product should be without a close study of the needs and demands of the customer or user. It is more profitable as well as more responsible socially to find out when, where and what the people need and then set out to serve them efficiently. Thus, the modern marketing is not production oriented but customer-oriented. 2. Modern marketing starts and ends with the customer: Marketing starts and ends with the consumer, with information flowing from the consumer to the producer, and goods flowing back to the consumer from the producer.Under consumer oriented marketing, it is highly essential to know that the consumer really wants. This is possible only when proper information is collected 2 from the consumers. Therefore, to say that modern marketing starts and ends with consumer is true in all respects. 3. Modern marketing precedes and succeeds production: All organizations accept that the marketing activities start far ahead of production. It is not enough if the activities a re begun after the product is ready. The firm appreciates and understands the consumer’s strategic osition as a determinant of the firm’s survival and growth. In firms operating under the marketing concept, entire marketing is designed to serve consumer needs. 4. List out the various marketing concepts and suggest the one suitable to Ethiopia? There five types of marketing concept orientations that can be followed by the business firms to market its good or service. These orientations are Production concept: consumers will favor products that are affordable and available. Therefore organizations should increase their production and distribution efficiency.Product concept: consumers favor those products which offer high quality, performance and innovative features. Therefore, marketing strategy should focus on continuous product improvement. Selling concept: consumers will not buy the products unless the firm undertakes large-scale selling and promotion effort. Therefor e, the aim is to sell what the company makes rather than what the market wants. Marketing concept: achieving organizational goals depends on knowing the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfaction better than the competitors.Under this concept, customer focus and value are the paths to sales and profits. Therefore this is a customer-centered concept. The job is not to find the right customers for your product but to find the right product for your customers. Social marketing concept: the marketing strategy should deliver value to customers in a way that maintains or improves both the customer’s and the society’s well-being. Therefore it’s similar to the Marketing concept but adds the focusing on society’s well-fare. So there are three considerations underlying the social marketing 3 oncept: Consumers Satisfaction, Company’s Profit and Society’s Welfare. Considering the different aspects of these marketing concep ts and the economic structure of Ethiopia, I suggest that the production concept works for countries like Ethiopia who have huge labor force and abundant natural resources. The Managers, under production-concept, focus on achieving high production efficiency, low costs, and mass distribution. Therefore, it makes sense in developing countries like Ethiopia where consumers are more interested in obtaining the product than in its features.Manufacturing firms take advantage of the country's huge inexpensive labor force to achieve market expansion through production efficiency, low cost, and be successful in today’s competitive market. 5. â€Å"Marketing begins with consumers and ends with consumers†. Discuss. Marketing starts and ends with the consumer, with information flowing from the consumer to the producer, and goods flowing back to the consumer from the producer. Under consumer oriented marketing, it is highly essential to know that the consumer really wants. This is possible only when proper information is collected from the consumers.Therefore, to say that modern marketing starts and ends with consumer is true in all respects. 6. What do you mean by â€Å"integrated marketing concept†? What are its outstanding attributes? The management functional areas are interdependent and not independent. The marketing functions influence production, finance, personnel, and in turn is influenced by these functions. The various departments in the company must recognize that the activities they take may have profound effect on the company’s ability to create and retain customers.When all the departments of the firm work together for customer interest, it is integrated marketing. The modern marketing concept or integrated marketing concept is the best concept because it is characterized by the following attributes of integrates: A. consumer orientation, B. consumers Satisfaction, C. integrated Managerial action and D. Realization organizational goals. 7. Distinguish between Marketing and Selling. 4 Marketing is social process by which groups and individuals obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and freely exchanging something of value with others.Whereas selling is the process of exchange of something of value to another which leads increasing the volume of sales of goods and services through different mechanism. In selling, the company make sale what is easily made by the company but not what consumer wants. But in marketing, the company sells what the consumer wants. Therefore, the difference between marketing and selling is the differences exist between in selling and marketing orientation concept. 8. What is â€Å"market† what are the differences between market and Marketing? A market is the set of actual and potential buyers of a product.These buyers share a particular need or want that can be satisfied through exchange. Thus, the size of a market depends on the number of people who exhibit the need, have resources to engage in Exchange, and are willing to offer these resources in exchange for what they want. Whereas; marketing is a set of activities under taken by the company to identify, anticipate and satisfy the consumer’s requirement and meet them profitably. 9. What is a â€Å"marketing-mix†? Discuss its elements or inputs Marketing mix is the set of marketing tools that the firm uses to pursue its marketing objectives in the target market.These tools Classified into four broad groups that are usually kwon four Ps of marketing mix: are product, price, place, and promotion. Product is something to be offered to the market with different varieties of forms, quality, and size and so on. Price is the return for the product or service offered to consumer Place is the availability of offers at convenient location for the consumer. Promotion is the process of an attempt to increase the sales by convincing and persuading consumers to buy the product. 10. D efine marketing micro-environment. Discuss the components of marketing micro-environment.Micro environment is the forces which are close to the firm. These factors affect the firm's ability to serve its customers and it surrounds both the firm and the marketing mix. The forces in micro environment directly influence marketing manager's decisions and actions through their influence on consumer's reactions toward the firm's marketing mix and mixes. The 5 company itself (including departments), Suppliers, Marketing channel firms (intermediaries), Customer markets, Competitors and Publics. 11. Explain the impact of the following on the marketing management of a firm: a. demographic environment . economic environment c. Social environment d. Cultural environment Macro environmental forces that shape opportunities and pose threats to the company. A. Demographic environment: Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupation, and ot her statistics. It is of major interest to marketers because it involves people and people make up markets. B. Economic Environment: Markets require purchasing power as well as people. The available purchasing power in an economy depends on current income, prices, savings, debt, and credit availability.Marketers must pay careful attention to trends affecting purchasing power because they can have a strong impact on business. Marketers must carefully monitor economic changes so they will be able to prosper with the trend, not suffer from it. C. Socio-Cultural Environment: The cultural environment is made up of institutions and other forces that affect society’s basic values, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors. Certain cultural characteristics can affect marketing decisionmaking. Some cultural values and beliefs are open to change, therefore, marketers want to spot them and be able to apitalize on the change potential. 12. Comment on the marketing environment in Ethiopia? Marketing decisions are strongly affected by developments in the political and legal environment. This environment is composed of laws, government agencies, and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals. Sometimes these laws also create new opportunities for business. 13. What do you mean by â€Å"environmental scanning†? What are the different stages in environmental scanning? Marketing Environmental scanning refers to possession and tilization of information about occasions, patterns, trends, and 6 relationships within an organization’s internal and external environment. It helps the managers to decide the future path of the organization. Scanning must identify the threats and opportunities existing in the environment and an organization must take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the threats. 14. Discuss the marketing strategies a. Offensive Marketing strategy Firms engage in offensive marketing strategies to improve th eir own competitive position by taking market share away from ivals. Offensive strategies include direct and indirect attacks or moving into new markets to avoid incumbent competitors. Offensive marketing strategies take many forms from flanking attacks or bypassing the competition to all-out frontal attacks intended to defeat the competition with all available means at the attacker’s disposal Offensive Strategies are Frontal attack, flanking attack, Guerrilla attack, encirclement strategy, predatory strategy, Seek undefended markets, underdog strategy, Judo strategy and pivot and the hammer strategy b. Defensive StrategyBecause of ongoing rivalry, established firms need to engage in defensive strategies to fend off the various challengers. The primary purpose of defensive strategy is to make a possible attack unattractive and discourage potential challengers from attacking another firm. Defensive strategies work better when they take place before the challenger makes an inve stment in the industry, or if they enter the industry before exit barriers are raised, making it difficult for the challenger to leave the industry. There are two types of defensive marketing strategies. Pre-entry strategies are actions taken by incumbents before they are ttacked by challengers. Defensive marketing strategies may also take the form of post-entry actions that are initiated after the challenger has entered the market Defensive Strategies are classified as Pre-entry strategies are Signaling, Fortify and defend, Cover all bases, Continuous improvement and Capacity expansion. Post-entry strategies are Defend position before entrant becomes established; Introduce fighting brands and Engage in cross-parry 7 c. Niche marketing strategy: A niche is a more narrowly defined customer group seeking a distinctive mix of benefits.Marketers usually identify niches by dividing a segment into sub segments. The customers in the niche have a distinct set of needs; they will pay a premi um to the firm that best satisfies their needs; the niche is not likely to attract other competitors; the nicher gains certain economies through specialization; and the niche has size, profit, and growth potential. 15. Evaluate the role, scope and importance of Marketing Information System. In order to produce superior value and satisfaction for customers, companies need information at almost every turn.Good products and marketing programs begin with a thorough understanding of consumer needs and wants. Companies also need abundant information on competitors, resellers, and other factors and forces in the market place. Increasingly marketers are viewing information not just as an input for making better decisions, but also as an important strategic asset and a marketing tool i. e As a competitive advantage Market information includes all facts, estimates, opinions and other information used in marketing decisions, which affects the marketing of products.Therefore, the success of a p roducer or a merchant depends upon the knowledge of the demands of his product or products in the market. 16. What are the various stages through which the marketing research is organized? Briefly describe them. Marketing research is the systematic method of gathering, recording, analyzing and reporting of data and finding a solution relevant to specific marketing situation facing the company. † Marketing research process is a set of six steps which defines the tasks to be accomplished in conducting a marketing research study. : Problem Definition: takes into account the purpose of the study, the relevant background information, what information is needed, and how it will be used in decision making. . 2: Development of an Approach to the Problem: includes formulating an objective or theoretical framework, analytical models, research questions, hypotheses, and identifying characteristics or factors that can influence the research design. . 3: Research Design Formulation is a fr amework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the required information. : Field Work or Data Collection involves a field force or staff that operates in the field to collect data. 8 5: Data Preparation and Analysis: This is a process of concerned with the conversion of row data into information. 6: Report Preparation and Presentation: The findings should be presented in a comprehensible format so that they can be readily used in the decision making process. 17. Distinguish clearly between marketing research and Market research? Market research deals specifically with the gathering of information about a market's size and trends.Market research is the research that may be done into a single market, focusing on the size and trends in that market. Marketing research covers a wider range of activities. While it may involve market research, marketing research is a more general systematic process that can be applied t o a variety of marketing problems. 18. What do you mean by â€Å"Market Segmentation†? Explain its objective and importance. Market segmentation is classification of large market in to smaller reachable target markets based on their similar wants, purchasing power, and geographical location, buying attitudes, or buying habits.The main objectives of segmentation of market is to prepare different programs and strategies for all segments so that maximum satisfaction may be provided to all the consumers’ of these segments, and the object of earning maximum profit may be achieved. 19. Clearly distinguish â€Å"Market Segmentation† and â€Å"Product differentiation† Product differentiation A marketing process that looks to make a product more attractive by contrasting its unique qualities with other competing products. Successful product differentiation creates a competitive advantage for the seller.Physical products may vary in their Form, Features, Performanc e, Conformance, Durability, Reliability, Repair ability, Style & Design. Whereas, Market segmentation is classification of large market in to smaller target markets based on their similar wants, purchasing power, and geographical location, buying attitudes, or buying habits. 20. Explain different market coverage strategies which can be adopted by marketers. 9 21. â€Å"There is close relationship between market segmentation and marketing mix† Discuss. 22. Define â€Å"Product† and explain its essential features and importance.Product is something that can be offered to the market to satisfy the customer’s need. A product can be tangible and intangible which would be good, service, an idea, information, experience, place and person that satisfy the needs of the consumer. Physical products may vary in their Form, Features, Performance, Conformance, Durability, Reliability, Repair ability, Style & Design. 23. Briefly discuss the various types of consumer goods and their characteristics. Consumer goods are goods that are bought from retail stores for personal, family, or household use. They are grouped into three subcategories on the basis of consumer buying habits:I. Convenience goods II. Shopping goods and III. Specialty goods. I. Convenience Goods are items that buyers want to buy with the least amount of effort, and most are nondurable goods of low value that are frequently purchased in small quantities. II. Shopping Goods are purchased only after the buyer compares the products of more than one store or looks at more than one assortment of goods before making a deliberate buying decision. These goods are usually of higher value than convenience goods, bought infrequently, and are durable. Price, quality, style, and color are typical factors in the buying decision.III. Specialty Goods are items that are unique or unusual—at least in the mind of the buyer. Buyers know exactly what they want and are willing to exert considerable effor t to obtain it. These goods are usually, but not necessarily, of high value, and they may or may not be durable goods 24. What is â€Å"Product life cycle†? Discuss different stages of the concept with implications. The stages through which individual products develop over time, begins with the introduction of the product, and then it moves on to the growth stage, the maturity stage, and ends with a decline in the product's sales.This process product’s life cycle -period usually consists of five major steps or phases: 1) Product Development begins when the company finds and develops the idea of a new product. In this stage, sales are zero and investments costs are high. 10 2) Introduction is a period of slow sales growth and no profits as the product is introduced in the market. 3) Growth is a period of rapid market acceptance and increasing profits. 4) Maturity is a period of slowdown in sales and profits decline. 5) Decline is a period when sales fall off and profits drop. 25.Explain the marketing strategies which may be adopted during the lifecycle of a product. Marketing strategies during the life-cycle of a product Marketing strategies during product life cycle Introduction stage Rapid Skimming strategy, slow skimming strategy, Rapid penetration strategy and slow penetration strategy, Distribution arrangements are introduced, Aggressive pricing Growth stage Product improvement, new models are developed, Enters new market segment, Enlarges distribution channels etc. , barriers are licenses and copyrights, price discount Maturity stageConvert nonusers, Enter new market segments, Win Competitor’s customers etc, Marketing mix modifications in Prices, Distribution, Advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, service, new brands are introduced, Promotion and advertising relocates from the scope of getting new customers, to the scope of product differentiation in terms of quality and reliability. 26. Explain the factors affecting the lif e-cycle of a product. Marketing and non-marketing factors contribute to new product failures. Researchers through several studies on new product success and failure described seven critical marketing factorswhich sometimes overlap. . Insignificant point of difference A distinctive point of difference is essential for a new product to defeat competitive ones-through having superior characteristics that deliver unique benefits to the user. 2. Incomplete market and product definition before product development starts A new product needs a precise statement before product development begins. Identifies a well-defined target market, specific customer’s needs, wants, and preferences; and what the product will be and do. Without this precision, huge amount money will be lost in research and development. 3. Too little market attractiveness 1 Market attractiveness refers to the ideal situation every new product manager looks for: a large target market with high growth and a real buyer need. 4. Poor execution of marketing mix 5. Poor product quality in critical factors One or two quality factors can kill the product, even though the general quality is high. 6. Bad/poor timing of the product The product is introduced too soon, too late, or at a time when consumer tastes are shifting dramatically. 7. Non economical access to buyers Many small manufacturers simply do not have the money to gain effective exposure for their products. 7. Explain the meaning and benefits of product diversification. What are the advantages and disadvantages of product diversification? Product diversification, Advantage, disadvantage Product diversification is a policy of management philosophy of operating a company so that its business and profits came from a number of sources, usually from diverse products that differ in market or production characteristics. Precisely, when a manufacturer or a distributor manufactures or distributes more than one product, it is known as â€Å"Product d iversification†.Advantages of product diversification Product diversification strategy brings in its wake some distinct advantages. They are: 1. Profit maximization: Product diversification increases the products and product types in the product port-folio of the concern. On account of increases in the number of products, it is possible to reduce the area of fringe market and the zone of indifference in the total market of a company and match larger number of consumer self-images. This product market integration brings in more profit caused by improved situation. 2.Growth with stability: New products in the company’s basket will enable it to exploit new markets and meeting the requirements of established markets in much better way than before. Increased market share is further sustained as the product-line is thoroughly overhauled to meet the changing requirements of the consumers. It 12 guarantees growth with stability because, it estimates seasonal and cyclical fluctu ation in demand and supply. 3. Long-term measure: Product diversification is not a shortterm measure which has far reaching and more durable influence on a company’s future.It requires adequate planning and due care and caution as it is likely to be misused. Disadvantage/ Weaknesses The most serious weaknesses or disadvantages are as follows: 1. Huge Investment: Any proposal for product diversification involves considerable investment of corporate resources in developing the necessary manufacturing and marketing activities. It is not easy to procure finances required for diversification purposes. 2. Risk-ridden: The risks involved in diversification strategy are in no way small.Though the diversification plan is undertaken to move up from the low level profits to high level, the dream remains dream because, consumer preferences change, competitors introduce close substitutes for the diversified products, and the government policies change. All these are sure to mar the profit potentialities of the diversification plan. 3. Trap of full-line competition: The trap of full-line competition is also a major drawback of the policy of diversification. Product diversification program involves addition of new products to the existing line to strengthen the competitive ability of the firm.With this effort to make the product portfolio full and complete, the firm is entering a trap which has no point of comeback. The competitors will not keep quite. They do add, hence, the firm adds again. It becomes a new war which is unmanageable and uneconomical at a point of time. The effect is sure collapse. 28. What is a â€Å"new product†? What are the stages involved in new product development? New Product Development Strategy The development of original products, product improvements, modifications through the firm’s own R efforts. Idea Generation: New product development starts with idea eneration. Idea generation is the systematic search for new 13 product ideas. According to one management consultant, companies â€Å"will run through 3000 ideas before they hit a winner†. Internal Idea Sources: Using internal idea sources, the company can find new ideas through formal research and development by picking the brains of its executives, scientists, engineers, staff and salespeople. External Idea Sources: New product ideas also come from watching and listening to customers. The company can analyze customer questions and complaints to find new products that better solve consumer problems.Idea Screening: Idea generation creates large number of ideas. Idea screening reduces that number – by spotting good ideas and dropping poor ones. Concept Development and Testing: A product idea is an idea for a possible product that the company can offer. A product concept is a detailed version of the idea stated in meaningful consumer terms. A product image is the way consumers perceive a product. Concept Testing: Concept testing calls for t esting new-product concepts with groups of target customers to find out if the concepts have strong consumer appeal. 29.What marketing strategies are employed while introducing a new product into the market? Marketing Strategy Development The next step is marketing strategy development. The marketing strategy statement consists of three parts: 1. The first part describes the target market, product positioning and sales, shares and profits goals. 2. The second part outlines the product’s planned price, distribution and marketing budget for the first year. 3. The third part describes long-run sales, profit goals and marketing mix strategy. 30. What is the â€Å"Consumer adoption process†? Describe the stages in the process of consumer adoption process.Consumer adoption process Deals with the question how do potential consumers learn about new products, try them, adapt to them or reject them? Adoption is an individual’s decision to become a regular user of a produc t. Stages in the consumer adoption process: Adopters of new products have been observed to move through five stages: 1. Awareness stage:-the consumer become aware of the innovation but lacks some information about it 2. Interest stage:-the consumer is stimulated to seek information about the innovation. 14 3. Evaluation stage:-the consumer considers whether to try the innovation. 4.Trial stage:-the consumer tries the innovation to improve his or her estimate of its value. 5. Adoption stage:-the consumer decides to make full and regular use of the innovation. 31. What is â€Å"pricing†? What are the major objectives of pricing? In the narrowest sense, price is the amount of money charged for a product or service. More broadly, price is the sum of all the values qthat customers give up in order to gain the benefit of having or using a product or service. A business firm can pursue any of the following major objectives through pricing: survival, maximum current profit, maximum m arket share or maximum market kimming. 32. Discuss briefly the procedure followed for determining the price of a product. Procedures followed in pricing Price denotes the value of product or service expressed in money. Price is a powerful marketing instrument. Price is one of the marketing-mix variables. Firms should be systematic in setting the prices. Certain logical steps are involved in the appropriate approach to pricing. The ultimate goal of price fixing process is to set a price that is compatible with the rest of the marketing mix. A systematic approach to pricing involves seven steps.These seven logical steps are: 1. Identifying the potential customer 2. Estimating the demand for the product 3. Anticipating competition 4. Determining expected share of market 5. Selecting suitable price strategy 6. Examination of firm’s marketing policies a. Product policy b. Channels of distribution c. Promotional policies 7. Selection of a specific price 33. Distinguish between skim ming price policy and penetration price. Marketing Skimming: Companies unveiling a new technology favour setting high prices to skim market revenue layer by layer.Market skimming makes sense under the following conditions: (1) A sufficient number of buyers have a high current demand; (2) the unit costs of producing a small volume are not so high that they cancel the advantage of charging what the traffic will bear; (3) the high 15 initial price does not attract more competitors to the market; (4) the high price communicates the image of a superior product. Whereas Market-penetration pricing is setting a low initial price in order to penetrate the market quickly and deeply- to attract a large number of buyers and win a large market share.The high sales volume results in falling costs, allowing the company to cut its price further. 34. Describe the chief pricing methods which are usually used to determine the price of a product. Methods of Product Pricing Companies select pricing meth ods that enable to reach a specific price for its product. The company usually considers customers’ demand, cost and the competitors’ cost, price and offer in selecting the pricing methods. The company might use the following pricesetting methods: Mark up Pricing: is setting price by adding a standard mark-up or profit margin to the product's cost.Targeting Pricing; the firm determines the price that would yield its target rate of return on investment (ROI). Perceived Value Pricing: is setting price for their product based on the customer's perceived value, not the seller’s cost as the key to price. They use non pricing variable in the marketing mix to build up perceived value in the buyers’ mind. Value Pricing: the company charges a fairly low price for a high quality offering. Value pricing says that the price should represent a high-value offer to consumers. Going –Rate Pricing: In going-rate pricing, the firm bases its price largely on competit ors' prices.Smaller firms â€Å"follow the leader,† changing their prices when the market leader's prices change rather than when their own demand or costs change. Auction-Type Pricing: Auction-type pricing is growing more popular; one major purpose of auctions is to dispose of excess inventories or used goods. In the auction type of pricing the auctioneer announces either minimum or the maximum price of a product and slowly increases or decreases until the bidder accepts the price. 35. What do you mean by â€Å"price discrimination†? What are its objectives?Price discrimination occurs when a company sells a product or service at two or more prices that do not reflect a proportional difference in costs. The basic objective of price discrimination is that, by setting different prices for the same product in different markets / segments, a business can increase its total sales revenues, increases market shares and use as defending marketing strategy. 16 36. What is break even point pricing? Break-even pricing is a strategy that yields zero profit on a transaction. At break-even pricing the sales revenue equals expenses and is calculated by totaling the fixed and variable costs.Break-even pricing may be used as an aggressive marketing tool for market expansion or penetration. Understanding break-even price points gives management the tools to work toward generating profits or whether or not to even enter a particular market. 37. What do you understand by â€Å"promotion†? Explain the objectives and importance of promotion. Meaning of promotion Promotion is the form of corporate communication that uses various methods to reach a targeted audience with a certain message in order to achieve specific organizational objectives. Objectives of promotion The possible objectives for marketing promotions may include the following.I. Build awareness New products and new companies are often unknown to market, which means initial promotional efforts must f ocus on establishing an identity. In this situation the marketer must focus promotion to: Effectively reach customers and tell the market who are they are and what they have to offer II. Create interest Moving customer from awareness of a product to making a purchase can present a significant challenge. The focus on creating messages that convenience customers that a need exist has been the hall mark of marketing for a long time with promotional appeals argeted at basic human characteristics such as emotion, fear, and humor. III. Provide information Some promotion is designed to assist customers in the search stage of the purchasing process. IV. Stimulate demand The right promotion can drive customers to make a purchase. In the case of products that a customer has not previously purchased or has not purchased in long time, the promotional efforts may be directed at getting customers to try to the product. V. Reinforce the brand Once a purchase is made, the marketer can use promotion to help build a strong relationship that lead to the purchaser becoming loyal customer.For instance many retail stores now ask e-mail address of customers in order to follow up and maintain their relationship. 17 38. Explain the different Kinds of promotion. There are two main types of promotion: I. Informative promotion: attempts to give lots of details about the product. This is often used by the Government, for example to inform people of new laws. Informative advertising enables firms to draw consumers' attention to a brand and educate them about distinctive features and benefits. This is especially important when a product is new or technologically complex.II. Persuasive promotion: attempts to persuade the consumer that he or she needs the product. Its role is to convince consumers that one product is better than another in meeting their needs and delivering specific benefits they seek. It can also be used to motivate a higher-volume or more immediate purchase than a buyer wou ld ordinarily make. 39. What is â€Å"Promotion-mix†? Explain the factors which affect the promotion-mix of a company. Promotional mix elements Promotion mix is a combination of the tools that are used to accomplish an organization communication objective. The romotion mix element include advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, publicity, direct marketing and internet marketing. Each promotional tool has its own unique characteristics and costs. a) Advertising: is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or service through an identified sponsor. It also includes any informative or persuasive message carried by a non-personal medium to achieve various marketing objectives. b) Personal selling: – is the form of person-to-person communication in which a seller attempts to assist/persuade prospective buyers to purchase the company product.Here there is a face-to-face communication with one /more prospective purchasers for the purpose of making presentations, answering questions and procuring orders. c) Sales promotion is consists of a diverse collection of incentive tools, mostly short term, designed to stimulate trial, or quicker or greater purchase, of particular products or services by consumers or the trade. d) Publicity/public relation: – is no-personal communication regarding on organization’s product, service or idea that is not directly for usually comes in the form of news story, editorial and an announcement about an organization and its product.Public relation has broader objective than publicity, as its purpose is to 18 establish and maintain a positive image of the company among its various publics. e) Direct marketing: -is use of mail telephone e-mail and other nonpersonal contact tools to communicate directly with or solicit a direct response from specific customer and prospects. Many forms: Telephone marketing, direct mail, online marketing, etc. ; Four distinctive characteristics: Nonpublic, Immediate, Customized, Interactive; Well-suited to highly-targeted marketing efforts. Factors in Setting the Marketing Communications MixCompanies must consider several factors in developing their promotion mix: Type of product market: Push-versus-pull strategy: A push strategy involves the manufacturer using sales force and trade promotion to induce intermediaries to carry, promote, and sell the product to end users. A pull strategy involves the manufacturer using advertising and consumer promotion to induce consumers to ask intermediaries for the product, thus inducing the intermediaries to order it. This is especially appropriate when there is high brand loyalty and high involvement in the category;Buyer-readiness stage: Promotional tools vary in cost effectiveness at different stages of buyer readiness (awareness, knowledge, liking convincing, preference, and purchase). Product-life cycle stage: Promotional tools also vary in cost effectiveness at different stages of the product life cycle. Company market rank: Market leaders derive more benefit from advertising than from Sales promotion. Conversely, smaller competitors gain more by using sales promotion in their marketing communications mix. 40. Define â€Å"sales promotion†. Describe the various methods of sales romotion. Sales promotion is consists of a diverse collection of incentive tools, mostly short term, designed to stimulate trial, or quicker or greater purchase, of particular products or services by consumers or the trade. Sales promotion includes those promotional activities other than personal selling, advertising and public relations that are intended to induce buyers purchase or to stimulate dealer effectiveness in a time. Tools and Techniques of sales promotion 19 Two categories of sales promotion the trade oriented and consumer oriented sales promotion.Consumer sales promotion techniques are Price deal, Loyal Reward Program, Cents-off deal, Price-pack deal, Coupons, Loss leader, Rebates, Trade sales promotion techniques are Trade allowances, Dealer loader, Trade, Point-of-purchase displays, Training programs and Push money. 41. What is â€Å"personal selling†? Enumerate relative merits and limitations of personal selling. Personal selling: – is the form of person-to-person communication in which a seller attempts to assist/persuade prospective buyers to purchase the company product. Here there is a face-to-face communication with one /more prospective purchasers for the urpose of making presentations, answering questions and procuring orders. Merits and demerits of personal selling Merits of Personal Selling 1. Flexibility and Adaptability: Sales persons should adapt to each selling situation. Salesperson is to be sensitive to what is happening and flexible enough to make those adaptations. 2. Minimum Wastage: The efforts put in buy the salesman are highly focused on a single customer or a small group of customers. As a result of oral , face-toface presentation, the message is likely to reach the customer or customers without distortion and diffusion. 3. It is a Feedback:The salesman is, in effect, a marketing researcher. Being in direct contact with customers, he has the specific advantage of collecting and transmitting the relevant marketing information affecting his company, products and services and himself. 4. It creates impinge and Lasting Impressions: The process of personal selling is so direct and penetrating those long dashing business relations can be developed between the selling house and the class of customers. 5. It generates Gainful Employment Opportunities: Developing countries have the situation where people run after jobs rather than jobs running after people.Hence, there is good scope for self-employment and ready jobs in this line of selling. 6. Salesmanship makes the Economic System more Stable: Demerits of Personal Selling: 1. It is Expensive: 20 Personal selling, as a method of promotion, is quite expensive. Getting the good salesman is one thing and retaining them for longer period is another. 2. Problem of Getting Gifted Salesman: it is really very difficult to get a suitable salesman from the company's point of view. 3. High Stake in Consumer Loyalty: customer loyalty depends on the presence of a successful salesman.That is, firm's fortunes are tied to the loyalty of the customers which, in turn, depends on the very presence of a particular salesman or salesmen. 4. More Administrative Problems: Personal selling involves more administrative problems than impersonal selling. firm has to meet the challenges in the areas of manpower planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, motivating and controlling. 5. It is not an easy Profession: Salesmanship is not an easy job. It is needs long hours of hard work, to be away from family facing all the odds both mental and physical. 6.As a Profession has Little Respect: Salesmanship as a profession commands very little respec t. Many go in for salesmanship as it has easy entry points. 7. Mark of Fraud: In salesmanship, there are good chances of fraud and deception. Malpractices that are followed by salesman not all are sufficient to damage the very image of salesmanship the great art and profession. 42. What are the essentials of effective selling? Essentials of effective selling Personal selling is an art and a profession. It is a creative work. Success in personal selling depends upon the salesman and the framework in which he words.Personal selling demands a command over certain requisitions making selling a thrilling success. There are seven requisites or essentials of effective selling. They are: 1. Knowledge of self 2. Knowledge of product 3. Knowledge of company 4. Knowledge of competition 5. Knowledge of selling process 6. Knowledge of customers 7. Knowledge of advertising Knowledge of self: One should know himself and his own abilities and personality before embarking upon to do a particular job . Knowledge of Product: Product knowledge is almost inevitable, as the very existence of salesman is dependent on the products. So a 21 alesman should know all about his product: Materials from which it is made, how it is used and how it is maintained, Product features, Customer benefits and Selling points of the product in relation to its rivals and son. Knowledge of the company or enterprise: Most products, especially costly and complicated products, are not judged on their own merits. They are judged by the name of the company that manufacturers them. Knowledge of Competition: A salesman should constantly study the products offered by his competitors and determine their strengths and weaknesses in comparison to his own product.Awareness of competition enables a salesman if necessary, to compare his product with that of rivals on those points in which the buyer seems most interested. Knowledge of customers: A salesman must have adequate knowledge about both the customer’s w ants and desires, and the products offered by the company to satisfy customers. Knowledge of selling process: the salesman should have in-depth knowledge of the selling process and each stage of it. Selling process is made up of at least six stages to convert prospect into a customer.The stages are: prospecting, pre-approach, approach, presentation and demonstration, overcoming objections and closing the deal. A salesman should be well-versed in the principles and techniques of salesmanship. Knowledge of advertising: Publicity work undertaken by the concern is a good source of information and a force that creates a staged for his effective performance. Advertising copies helps him in planning his sales talk. Though advertising is an indirect way of selling, it supports and reinforces the efforts of salesman. Hence, a salesman is to study and analyze the advertisements. 3. Discuss the methods of personal selling? 44. What do you mean by â€Å"Advertising† Discuss its objective s and functions. Advertising: – is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or service through an identified sponsor. It also include any informative or persuasive message carried by a 22 non-personal medium and paid for by a sponsor whose product is in some way identified in the message. Depending upon the marketing situation, companies use advertising to achieve various marketing objectives: 1. To do the entire selling job (as in mail-order marketing) 2.To introduce a new product (by building brand awareness among potential buyers) 3. To force middlemen to handle the product (pull strategy) 4. To build brand preference (by making it more difficult for middlemen to sell substitutes) 5. To remind users to buy the product (retentive strategy) 6. To publicize some change in marketing strategy (e. g. , a price change, a new model, or an improvement in the product) 7. To provide rationalizations for buying (i. e. , â€Å"socially acceptable† excuses) 8. To combat or neutralize competitors advertising efforts. 9. To improve the morale of dealers and/or salesmen. 0. To acquaint buyers and prospective buyers with new uses of the product. 45. â€Å"Selection of advertising media should be preceded by an analysis of all factors involved in the total marketing situation†. What factors should you consider in such an analysis and why? 46. State the differences between advertising and Publicity? 47. What is â€Å"Physical distribution†? Explain its role in modern marketing. 48. What is â€Å"distribution channel†? What factors influence the length as well as width of the channel? 49. â€Å"Middlemen are parasites. They should be eliminated† Do you agree? Explain.Of course, why because in a Marketing chain where distribution comes, if i put it in a rough count, out of the 100% which we pay as MRP , about 40 % is the manufacturing cost and the rest 60 % is going as middlemen expenditure. We, the end cu stomers are paying 60% above the unit cost for a product. There are intellectual Distribution channels which will avoid these middlemen. Good Companies like Amway does that and in this case they can ensure that the original products reach the end customers. 50. What is tele-marketing? Telemarketing is one of the ways of direct marketing which involves the use of the telephone for the marketing purpose.The salesperson involved uses the telephone to directly convince the customer over 23 the buying of some kind of product or service with the complete information and detailing session. The telemarketing is basically categorized into two different types which are the Business-to-consumer telemarketing and the business to-business telemarketing. The most importantly used subcategories of telemarketing today are the Outbound and the inbound telemarketing. Outbound is the proactive marketing in which the customers either who exist lready or the prospective ones are all contacted directly f or the purpose of the marketing The Inbound telemarketing includes the reaction and reception of the orders and also information coming in so as to explain the customer about the product and give detailed information on which they are interested. 51. What is â€Å"international marketing â€Å"? Why firms want to go international or global? International marketing: is the performance of business activities designed to plan, price, promote and direct the flow of a company’s goods and services to consumers or users in more than one nation for a profit.The only difference between the definitions of domestic marketing and international marketing is that in the latter case marketing activities take place in more than one country. The main reason for companies to go to international marketing is to exploit a better business opportunity in terms of increased sales and profits. Foreign markets may offer an opportunity for growth. The major reasons to go to international markets are : Market Saturation: When domestic markets are becoming saturated for faster than new markets are being found.Trade Deficit: To balance the trade deficit i. e. to balance import & export. Foreign Competition: Competition forced some companies to shift their products to foreign markets. Emergence of new Markets: The world is changing fast, resulting in the emergence of new markets. Eg. the growing Asian Markets. The Possibility of achieving economies of scale: In industrialized where economies of scale are feasible, a large market is essential, so it if the home market is not large enough, entering foreign markets may be an attractive alternative.Safety net during business downturns/to extend products life cycle/: Usually a recession starts in one country. Thus, firms that do business internationally can shift to foreign markets during recession. 24 To get cheap Labor costs: Since labor cost in developing countries is much lower than in the developed countries, it is economically att ractive for the companies to expand foreign operations. Tax Incentives: Some nations offer tax incentives to attract foreign business to their countries. To develop and /or test new products outside: This practice avoids exposure to competitors and to some extent, keeps new evelopment information secret until the product is ready for full introduction. E. g. Ford did much of its world car development in Germany. To find less competitive Markets: Some markets are less competitive than the home market of the company. 52. Explain the main tasks involved in international marketing? The International marketing Task is more complicated than that of the domestic marketing because the international marketing must deal with at least two levels of uncontrollable uncertainty instead of one.A foreign country where a company operates adds its own unique set of uncontrollable elements. With the growth of the number of foreign markets a company operates in, the variety of foreign environmental unc ontrollable become greater. A solution to a problem in a country might not be applicable to a problem in other country. To tackle these problems the following tasks should be considered. the market and 1. Distinguish between selling and marketing? Selling is the process of making the company’s sales volume increase 25 2.What is product positioning: Positioning is the act of designing the company's offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market? The goal is to locate the brand in the minds of consumers to maximize the potential benefit to the firm. 3. Direct and indirect channel distribution Direct distribution channel is marketing channel that has no intermediary levels; the company sells its product directly to consumers. Whereas indirect distribution channel is a channel containing one or more intermediary levels is called indirect marketing channel. 26