Cultural Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cultural - Research Paper Example We will try to develop an understanding of the impact of modes of subsistence on cultural behavior. Since cultural behavior is a vast field which is depicted in all strata’s of life which is beyond the scope of this paper so we will restrict ourselves to just three aspects. Basseri Basseri are the nomadic Muslim tribe of Iran who inhabit the province of Fars and migrate along the mountain near the town of Shiraz. The Basseri is a group defined by political rather than geographical or ethnic criteria. Their population estimated in late 1950’s was 16,000. More recent estimates were not published. In this paper we will focus on the traditional Basseri culture which still exists. (Khanam, 2005) The language spoken by Basseri is a dialect of Farsi. Although majority can only speak Basseri dialect but a few can also speak Turkish or Arabic. Most of the population settled in southern Iran claim ancestral link with Basseri. The other nomadic groups are Yazd-e-Khast, the Bugard- Basseri, and Basseri who inhabit the east of Iran, Semnan. All of them are believed to be connected with the traditional Basseri of Fars. In the mid- nineteenth century Khamseh confederacy was formed and the Basseri were part of it. As with the passage of time Basseri grew in importance within the confederacy it resulted in the diminishing power and importance of the confederacy as a political and social unit. The habitat of the Basseri is hot and acrid climate of the Persian Gulf. They traditionally inhabit a large ecological range of 18,000 to 21,000 square kilometers. In the southern section there is a desert of about 600-900 kilometers whereas north has high mountains. Mountain precipitation supports reasonable vegetation and even foresting. Primary Mode of Subsistence Different modes of subsistence are developed in the same way in all human societies. According to Miller the similarities of wants and the faculties through which these wants are supplied has actually made this pr ogression quite uniform throughout the world. Based on this notion and supported by the fact Scot developed stadial theories of progress and social change. Modes of subsistence are the primary concern of any society. It shapes social institution and human activity. (Smith, 2006)According to Smith based on the reaction to subsistence societies can be divided into four categories. Smith’s four stages are age of Hunters, age of Sheppard, age of Agriculture, age of Commerce. These four stages are viewed as a general schema of social development of all societies. Thus each stage depicts its own set of moral and social behaviors which are in consistency with the physical conditions and security of subsistence. Basic human relations are dependent on modes of subsistence. The concept of subordination, kinship, social, economic and political environment, position of women, parent-child relationship everything changes in the light of modes of subsistence. Each stage has a different dom inant mode of subsistence but each stage also absorbs the stage before. He argues that specifically for this reason in this age of commerce hunting, husbandry and agriculture also exists. Hence the relationship between primary modes of subsistence and its impact on social, political, economic environment, kinship etc is established.

Classic knitwear Essay Example for Free

Classic knitwear Essay INTRODUCTION Classic Knitwear was established in 1995 as a manufacturer and distributor of unbranded casual knit apparel it was operated by Brandon Miller- Chief Marketing Officer, Robert Ortiz-CEO and Sandra Chong-CFO. Classic operated in the category of non-fashion casual knitwear, all the revenues were earned on U.S. sales. Seventy five percent of classic revenues were by screen-print channels (customized t-shirts and other knitwear with logos of everything from rock bands to small businesses to tourist destinations), the other twenty five percent was sold through mass retail channel as a private-label merchandise. By late 2005, Millers marketing team began researching a number of proposed product innovations. In February 2006 they landed on an interesting prospect: knitwear treated chemically to repel insects. After this the team set out to analyze the viability of a new national brand of high-quality mens and boys insect-repellent shirts. The opportunity arose to negotiate a licensing partnership with Guardian, a manufacturer of insect repellents that offered odorless protection against mosquitoes, ticks, flies and no-see ums. The potential alliance would allow Classic to use the Guardian name on a line of insect repellent shirts. PRODUCT-COMPANY FIT Guardian Brand had a patented insect-repellant clothing technology. And the product was very innovative, this gives them a good market potential. The opportunity of the market potential combined with the production efficiency of the company, could make a sustainable competitive advantage They had a cost advantage over the other US producers because of the high-volume and low SKU (stock keeping unit) production runs. With the new Repellent knitwear the SKU will have 16 and they probably had to deal with inefficiency problems on the production. PRODUCT-MARKET FIT Classic operated in the category if non-fashion casual knitwear which represented $24.5 billion. From the total of the non-fashion casual knitwear marketing, T-shirts represented a fifty third percent. Due to its focus on the screen-print sector Classic invested more heavily in t-shirts than in the overall industry. The direct competitors of Classic were little-known firms like BB Activewear and The Big Tree. Also had competitors for private label business, JamesBrands was the leader, followed by FlowerKnit and Greenville Corporations TopTops Division, this three firms operated on gross margin of 30 40% RESPONSE OF THE TRADE AND CONSUMERS The retailers were provided with 50% margin on branded knitwear and 40% margin on private label knitwear with the new product will provide 45% margin. The company has a projection on sales for 10,000 displays in the next two years after the product is first offered to the market, they decided to put 50% in discount stores, 25% in general merchandise stores and 25% in sporting goods and apparel clothes. They need to invest a considerable  amount of money in resources to help them develop the channel, because they had no experience in those retail channels. They had made a research with an online survey they send one thousand e-mail invitations to the people from the website Consumer.com to answer the survey and they got one hundred and eighty five respondents. And based on the results 60% of the respondents who indicated they would definitely try the product, would do so within the two-year introduction period. Also the company predicted that at least 50% would buy an additional shirt the following year. MARKETING PROGRAM They decided not to include the name of Classic Knitwear on the product; it will be called Guardian Apparel. Also they havent done an extensive market research, they are just based on the survey, and probably the numbers wont be fully reliable for making big decisions. LICENSE AGREEMENT The agreement forced Classic Guardian to meet a series of steadily rising annual net sales target over the first four years, and the target fir year four must be met in each subsequent year. If they failed to meet the requirements the license would be cancelled. There are weaknesses in the branding of the product one of the most relevant is that only guardian logo is being used on the product, this might create problems for Classic if there is any conflict between the companies in the future. The determined marketing investment has been reduced to $3 million from the initial of $8-$10 million.

Race and the Zone System Controversy :: Free Essays Online

Race and the Zone System Controversy You get in the cab; you are white and well dressed showing your social status. The cab driver is friendly and takes you directly to your destination. The little map in the backseat of the cab tells you the cost of your trip; however since you, like most people, never even read it, the cabbie tells you the price, and you go ahead and pay without question. You are a resident of the District and have gone the same route many times and for some reason the price varies occasionally. You only traveled through one zone from your upper-middle class neighborhood of Foggy Bottom to Capital Hill where you go about your busy life. For you the zone system of taxicab fares is no big deal. You have the money to pay for each ride and a cab driver will always pick you up. A change to the metered system would only be a slight adjustment to your daily routine. However, other residents of the District would be greatly affected by a change to the metered system. Would a change in the zone syste m benefit the upper class, the tourists, the drivers or the lower income residents of DC? Is the city watching out for its lower income black residents? Will changing from a zone system to a metered payment system segregate Washington, DC even more than it is today? The zone system that is used today has been in effect since the Great Depression and has changed very little since then. With the zone system, passengers pay according to the number of zones they pass though with all of Downtown, the Mall and Capital Hill encompassing one zone. DC is the only major city that still utilizes this zone system; there are only a handful of areas that continue to use the system and all are smaller towns without the tourism that DC has. Hanbury president and CEO of the Washington Convention and Tourism Corporation stated that the, â€Å" hospitality industry, which employs more than 260,000 individuals in the Washington area pumps fourteen billion annually into our economy† (Hanbury). Having the second largest taxi industry in the country supports the substantial tourism in DC; the taxi fleet is second only to New York City, with a fleet of over 6000 cabs and 8000 drivers.

Why I Read :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

"Why did you read all four books?" a peer asked me after I revealed my summer reading list. "Well," I said, "I thought they would punish me if I didn't." Was this a total lie to get someone off my back, or was it the truth? While it was probably a combination of both, I decided I read for myself. I read to find out about the issues I had been struggling with, like time and humanity. To have feelings that I have never experienced and to escape. With these books I was no longer a scared middle-class white boy from Tennessee, and though it may be cheesy, I was anyone, anywhere. The issue of time has caught my attention since reading Siddhartha. I desperately want to understand time since it is the basis of society. We live in the present, but these words are in the past. Sure, you could read the words over again, but the first impression is the past. So the past is really all we can look at. But the past does not matter if it is temporary. In 1984 Orwell states, "he who controls the past controls the future." The verb "controls" is very important here. It is in a present tense, stating that he who can change the past owns the future. So why would the past matter if it is changeable? The year could not even be known. It could be the same day forever. Why does the past matter anyway... or even the present? On a large time scale everything we know is but a blip. Einstein's Dreams proposes a profound statement which indirectly points out that the supernatural controls time. We will not be able to slow down the last second, so it will last 'forever'. We can't to uch time; it's out of our reach. So therefore, life as we know it has an ending when God says so. Time will continue to pass until the end at its seemingly eternal rate. It's like a river, unstoppable and ever flowing. Trying to battle the current is futile. The pain just makes you feel time pass more slowly when in fact the river keeps running. While personal existence may seem unimportant, Celie from The Color Purple brings across an important statement, " I'm poor, I'm black, I may be ugly... But I am here." While the past, future, and present may seem incredibly small, it's all we have.

Cross Dressing

Cross dressing is considered one of society’s abnormal ideas because of stereotypical gender roles. Stereotypical gender roles are stated as, biological females are feminine and biological males are masculine. Cross dressing does not represent the gender specific roles; in which men and women are suppose to follow. The idea of men and women acting and dressing like their opposite sex is unacceptable to the reality that they face. The movie The Bird Cage supports the idea that society’s stereotypical views on cross dressing remains unchanged. Society is not understanding of what is considered different from the normal. The stereotype that men are masculine and women are feminine is not the reality of gender versus sex. In â€Å"Sexual Mythologies† by Brian Pronger, he states that â€Å"Sex is a physiological distinction that is drawn between male and female, whereas gender is a cultural distinction that divides power between men and women. † (226) This represents the misconception that men are masculine and women are feminine. In reality gender is developed by cultural influence, and sex is genetic. In the movie The Bird Cage, Albert is born a male, but chooses to become feminine, therefore suggesting that men do not have to be masculine just because genetics say so. Cross dressing is defined as men who dress feminine and women who dress masculine, although society reacts more to men dressing as women as opposed to women dressing as men. Women dressing as men can be considered a â€Å"tomboy† which is common in society, whereas men dressing as women would be considered â€Å"homosexual or transsexual. † Why is it that women can wear men’s clothing, but men cannot wear women’s clothing? Society sees dresses as a representation of femininity and men are suppose to be masculine, and therefore men cannot wear dresses. Although pants are originally worn only by men, but because of changes in time; pants are considered unisexual. For instance, a woman walking down the street in pants; people probably do not even notice that she is wearing pants. But if a man walks down the street in a dress, people’s eyes will turn and they will begin whispering. Why should a man be looked at any differently in comparison to any woman? In the movie The Bird Cage, the society of South Beach is not a stereotypical norm. There are many homosexual and cross dressers within the city, and it is not considered abnormal. Armand and Albert are proud owners of a club that presents a nightly drag show. Their son, Val, is engaged to Senator Keeley’s daughter, Barbara. Val wants both families to meet, but the Keeley family does not know that Val’s parents are homosexual and run a drag show. Senator Keeley is a conservative man, and morally does not support homosexuals. Senator Keeley represents the stereotypical views of society. Armand makes a good point about how society feels about homosexuals and cross dressers. â€Å"Albert, these people are right-wing conservatives. They don’t care if you’re a pig, they just care if you’re a fag! † This quote represents the views of society about homosexual people or cross dressers. Armand pretends to be a straight man by showing how masculine he is by saying â€Å"Al, you old son of a bitch! How ya doin’? How do you feel about that call today? I mean the Dolphins! Fourth-and-three play on their 30 yard line with only 34 seconds to go! †¦ This shows that stereotypically men are suppose to be masculine and a sport that represents masculinity is football. Society has remained unchanged in their views about cross dressing because they choose to see and believe only what they want to see and hear. Why is it that a woman can wear pants? Back in the 19th century women were not allowed anything else except a dress. Society can accept th is change because of the influence of time and the boldness of women. In The Bird Cage, Louise Keeley (the senator’s wife) makes a great example of how society only perceives what it wants to perceive. Why, it looks like young men playing leapfrog!†¦ Is it Greek? † In reality Louise Keeley is look at a piece of china with pornographic pictures of young men. Louise Keeley does not see what is really there because she blinds herself in order to shield herself from what is considered immoral and in a sense horrible. Society also tries to hide and shield themselves from situations that they do not like, such as homosexuals, homeless people, cross dressers, etc. Just because society wants to blind itself, does not mean that these people do not exist. Cross dressing is viewed as wrong in the eyes of a stereotypical society. Biological men and women are supposed to be masculine and feminine respectively. Cross dressing is not considered a norm in society. This idea is seen through the movie The Bird Cage. In reality sex does not determine gender, as represented by Brian Pronger in â€Å"Sexual Mythologies. † Therefore sex cannot determine gender, but society will always view what it wants to see. Unless society can learn to accept people for who they are and what they wear, then we will have a truly have a society where there are no stereotypes.

White Abyss essays

White Abyss essays In a world where the need for material goods and natural resources is skyrocketing people often times forget the impact a few years of human disturbance will have on the fragile ecosystem that is planet Earth. An ongoing debate about this matter occurs between environmentalists and big business men, Democrats and Republicans, people and the planet. What are the risks to the well being of this world and the beings that live upon it should humans decide to drill deep into the ground in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary searching for a limited resource? What is the Artic National Wildlife Refuge? The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a huge portion of land in the northeastern most reaches of Alaska, which may also be home to 11.4 billion barrels of oil buried deep beneath the reserve. The 8.9 million square acre reserve became a protected area in 1957 when Secretary of the Interior Fred Seaton set out to preserve the unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values of what was then known as the Arctic National Wildlife Range. The range was renamed Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), doubled in size to over 19 million square acres, and drilling for oil in this area was outlawed in 1980, when Congress passed a law stating that: Production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is prohibited and no leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the [refuge] shall be undertaken until authorized by an act of Congress. The ANWR has come to be known as the American Serengeti for its unmatched number of wildlife inhabitants and natural beauty. Among others polar bears, caribou, and over 160 species of migratory birds make their home in the ANWR. The refuge is in fact home to the greatest concentration and variation of wildlife north of the Arctic Circle (defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/arissue.html). The ANWR is not only home to the...

The Biography of Edwin Hubble

The Biography of Edwin Hubble The astronomer Edwin P. Hubble made one of the most profound discoveries about our universe. He found the cosmos is much larger than the  Milky Way Galaxy. In addition, he discovered that the universe is expanding. This work now helps astronomers measure the universe. For his contributions, Hubble was honored by having his name attached to the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope.   Hubbles Early Life and Education Edwin Powell Hubble was born November 29, 1889, in the small town of Marshfield, Missouri. He moved with his family to Chicago when he was nine years old, and remained there to attend the University of Chicago, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. He then left for Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. Due to the dying wishes of his father, he put his career in the sciences on hold, and instead studied law, literature, and Spanish. Hubble returned to America in 1913 after the death of his father and began teaching high school Spanish, physics, and mathematics at New Albany High School in New Albany, Indiana. However, his interest in astronomy led him to enroll as a graduate student at the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin. His work there led him back to the University of Chicago, where he received his Ph.D. in 1917. His thesis was titled Photographic Investigations of Faint Nebulae. It  laid the foundation for the discoveries he later made that changed the face of astronomy. Reaching for the Stars and Galaxies Hubble next enlisted in the Army to serve his country in World War I. He quickly rose to the rank of major and was injured in combat before being discharged in 1919. He went immediately to Mount Wilson Observatory, still in uniform, and began his career as an astronomer. He had access to both the 60-inch and the newly completed 100-inch Hooker reflectors. Hubble effectively spent the remainder of his career there, where he also helped design the 200-inch Hale telescope. Measuring the Size of the Universe Hubble, like other astronomers, was used to seeing strangely shaped fuzzy spiral objects in astronomical images. They all debated what these things were. In the early 1920s, the commonly held wisdom was that they were simply a type of gas cloud called a nebula. These spiral nebulae were popular observation targets, and a lot of effort was spent trying to explain how they could form given the current knowledge of interstellar clouds. The idea that they were whole other galaxies was not even a consideration. At the time it was thought that the entire universe was encapsulated by the Milky Way Galaxy - the extent of which had been precisely measured by Hubble’s rival, Harlow Shapley. To get a better idea of the structure of these objects, Hubble used the 100-inch Hooker reflector to take extremely detailed measurements of several spiral nebulae. As he was observing, he identified several Cepheid variables in these galaxies, including one in the so-called Andromeda Nebula. Cepheids are variable stars whose distances can be precisely determined by measuring their  luminosity and their periods of variability. These variables were first charted and analyzed by astronomer Henrietta Swan Leavitt. She derived the period-luminosity relationship that Hubble used to discover that nebulae he saw could not lie within the Milky Way. This discovery initially met great resistance in the scientific community, including from Harlow Shapley. Ironically, Shapley used Hubble’s methodology to determine the size of the Milky Way. However, the paradigm shift from the Milky Way to other galaxies that Hubble was a tough one for scientists to accept. However, as time passed, the undeniable integrity of Hubble’s work won the day, leading to our current understanding of the universe. The Redshift Problem Hubbles work led him on to a new area of study: the redshift problem. It had plagued astronomers for years. Here is the gist of the problem: spectroscopic measurements of the light emitted from spiral nebulae  showed that it was shifted toward the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum. How could this be?   The explanation turned out to be simple: the galaxies are receding from us at high velocity. The shift of their light toward the red end of the spectrum happens because they are traveling away from us so fast. This shift is called the Doppler shift. Hubble and his colleague Milton Humason used that information to come up with a relationship now known as Hubble’s Law. It states that the farther away a galaxy is from us, the more quickly it is moving away. And, by implication, it also taught that the universe is expanding.   The Nobel Prize Edwin P. Hubble was honored for his work but unfortunately was never considered a candidate for the Nobel Prize. This was not due to a lack of scientific achievement. At the time, astronomy was not recognized as a physics discipline, therefore astronomers were not eligible. Hubble advocated to change this, and at one point even hired a publicity agent to lobby on his behalf. In 1953, the year Hubble died, astronomy was formally declared to be a branch of physics. That paved the way for astronomers to be considered for the prize. Had he not died, it was widely felt that Hubble would have been named that year’s recipient. Since the prize is not awarded posthumously, he did not receive it. Today, of course, astronomy stands on its own as a branch of science that also includes planetary science and space science. Hubble Space Telescope Hubble’s legacy lives on as astronomers continually determine the expansion rate of the universe, and explore distant galaxies. His name adorns the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which regularly provides spectacular images from the deepest regions of the universe. Fast Facts about Edwin P. Hubble Born  November 29, 1889, Died: September 28, 1953.Married to Grace Burke.A well-known basketball player at the University of Chicago.Originally studied law, but studied astronomy in graduate school. Received Ph.D. in 1917.Measured the distance to the nearby Andromeda Galaxy using light from a variable star.Discovered that the universe is larger than the Milky Way Galaxy.Devised a system for classifying galaxies according to their appearance in images.  Honors: numerous awards for astronomy research, the asteroid 2068 Hubble and a crater on the Moon anmed for him, the Hubble Space Telescope named in his honor, U.S. Postal Service honored him with a stamp in 2008.   Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen

In the Last Throes

In the Last Throes In the Last Throes In the Last Throes By Maeve Maddox An amusing egg-corn that has just appeared on my radar is that of writing in the throes of as in the throws of. A protagonist in the throws of madness Plaster cast of a Pompeii resident in the throws of death Iraq is in the last throws of insurgency AMD in final death throws? in the throws of the epidemic Question: Why do cockroaches die on their backs? Answer: Because in the throws of death, they often tip or topple over Although both words may derive from the same Old English word, à ¾rawan to twist, turn writhe, theyve been used with distinctly different meanings long enough to make the mix-up amusing. (Throe may derive instead from O.E. à ¾rowian to suffer.) The OED offers these definitions: throe: A violent spasm or pang, such as convulses the body, limbs, or face. Also, a spasm of feeling; a paroxysm; agony of mind; anguish.  Ã‚  Ã‚      The pain and struggle of childbirth; pl. labour-pangs. The agony of death; the death-struggle, death-throe. A violent convulsion or struggle preceding or accompanying the ‘bringing forth’ of something. To confuse the issue, theres a blog called In the Throws of Resistance, and a song called In the Throws of a Moral Quandary. Theres also a villainous group (Marvel Comics) called the Death-Throws. Their name is a pun on death throes. Theyre jugglers. The things they throw cause death, hence, death throws. Take care next time you want to express the idea of intense suffering or passion. Throes in the sense of violent feeling is too good a word to throw away. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Grammar Mistakes You Should AvoidDeck the HallsDrama vs. Melodrama

Security Sector Reform and Weak States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Security Sector Reform and Weak States - Essay Example The term according to the definition refers to the most commonly used term to describe these transformations of the 'security system'. Consensus on the precise definition of the term has yet to be reached; it is employed to describe both single-issue reforms such as disarmament, and comprehensive processes based on broad principles such as good governance. (Security Sector Reform) Thus the expression above has given the concept of security sector reforms which include all the conditions governing the security sector, with the aims and objective of mounting the sector. The concept further more expresses in a wider range about how the security reforms should be carry out based on the modern perspective, which focuses on human security, as for given protection not only to individuals, but to a wide range of communities against any negative threat, violence and injustice, including protecting them from all forms of human violation. is commonly understood to include all the organizations that have the authority to use, or order the use of, force, or the threat of force, to protect individuals and the state Additionally, unofficial actors play an important role in the security sector, both through their involvement in... (Security Sector Reform) However, when there is no security reform, then the human life will be in turmoil, since there would be violence here and there, conflict will also become unavoidable, others include lack of good governance that will treat its people undemocratically, corruption and torture would have a place to reign, while harassment of civilian will be a top agenda. The security sector reform is said to have gained its mainstay from the beginning of the 1990s, when groups of peace initiators, indigenous groups, ethnic minorities, and other concern organization across the glob vowed to ensure that justice, fairness and all forms of positive treatments replaces intimidations against humanity from all walks of life. But at this juncture, before stepping to the next important discussion of the essay, we should exactly the process of the security reforms, meaning how it is carry out. To this end, a statement said the objective of the reforms, and the specific country or community context, certain stages are common to many SSR processes. The UK Department for International Development ((DFID) describes this process from the perspective of a donor in their guidelines on SSR, including key steps such as: informal or formal consultations; a general diagnosis including identifying and determining which entry-point/s to address; specific assessments or reviews; stakeholder meetings; implementation; monitoring; and evaluation. (Security Sector Reform) THE CONCEPT OF SECURITY SECTOR REFORM AND WEAK STATES Meaning of weak states: Failed states serve as a catalyst to non-state terrorist networks. They provide locations for critical face-to-face meetings/training that create the lifelong

How Poverty Affect Health Insurance among Poor in the USA Research Paper

How Poverty Affect Health Insurance among Poor in the USA - Research Paper Example From the economic point of view one can also consider the health insurance as an indicator of the financial standing of the people in the societies. In most of the cases, health insurance helps people to avail the costly healthy checkup in minimum cost and likewise after having the policy if one is not suffering from any kind of disease then he or she may considers this as a loss in his investment. The recent survey in the USA reveals the fact that the poor people are more vulnerable to be get affected by the chronic conditions, and are not in a financial condition to get proper treatment. In most of the cases survey also proves that thee poor family in the USA are not in a position to afford the health insurance for one and all in their family which directly affecting their treatment. L’Ecluse in her analysis mentioned the fact that â€Å"more than half of low-income Californians with chronic conditions put off getting prescriptions or care for those ailments due to cost.† (L’Ecluse) This condition is more common among the families having income of less than $ 50,000. In her review she also mentioned that people with low incomes often have to fight with more than one adverse condition. One among five low-income families in the USA have four or more adverse health conditions to fight in their families such as diabetes, cancer.

Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Change Management - Essay Example The consumer software products for the company include safari web browser, iTunes, iLife etc. This paper identifies three major areas that the company needs to improve on, in order to increase its market share, as well as profitability. The three major areas that the company needs to improve on, includes quality, cycle time and cost. It is important to denote that despite weaknesses in these areas, Apples is still one of the most successful companies in the world (Schuh, 2014). Cycle time refers to the period or time that a company takes before it completes the production of a particular product. Schuh (2014) explains that since the launch of mini iPad in 2012, Apples has not managed to introduce any new product into the market. This makes the organization to be competitively disadvantaged from its major competitors such as Samsung, which on a yearly basis, the company introduces new products. However, in a message that emanated from the company, the company is planning to introduce a new range of products by the end of 2014 (Schuh, 2014). The products under consideration have been under manufacture as from the year 2012, and they aim at improving the manner in which Apples is able to compete with its competitors. Looking at this time cycle, it takes Apples approximately 2 years before introducing a new object into the market. This is very dangerous in the competitive electronic markets, which is always characterized by new innovations on a yearly basis. I n fact one of the major factors that saw the decline of Nokia is the inability of the company to roll out new and innovative products into the market. This is an aspect the Apples need to change and this is by constantly investing in research and development. Furthermore, Apples has to liaise with other software techno logical firms such as Oracles, for purposes of coming up with new techno logical innovations for their

Airbus and its activities whithin the civil aircraft manufacturing Essay

Airbus and its activities whithin the civil aircraft manufacturing industry - Essay Example The paper examines the extent to which Airbus has recognized and succeeded in meeting the critical success factors defined by the industry as well as industry analysts prior to 2005. In addition, Porter’s generic strategies model will be used to assess the choices that the Airbus management team and Board made, and whether these choices succeeded in giving Airbus a competitive advantage. This analysis compares the performance of Airbus over the past five years to its major industry competitors, Boeing and Embraer. The paper concludes with a discussion of the feasibility and sustainability of the company’s strategic direction over the next five years. As early as the mid1990s, industry analysts such as R.W. Mann and Company identified several factors that were seen as critical for companies hoping to succeed in the aircraft manufacturing industry (www.rwmann.com). In their strategic planning documents and in annual reports to shareholders, the companies also recognized that rapidly changing market factors would require that they adapt their business strategies to address these emerging challenges. Birnbaum (2004) defines a critical success factor as a strategic area where successful performance must be achieved to accomplish the business goal. The phrase â€Å"must be achieved† is highlighted because as the analysis will show, Airbus either misread the critical success factors that were identified at the time, or they simply were unable to implement strategies to achieve their strategic goals. My review of the industry analysts’ predictions as well as my review of the company websites for Airbus, Boeing and Embraer, have identified the following five common critical success factors for the aircraft manufacturing industry back in 2005: 1. Companies must expand into international markets. The number of new airlines is projected to grow through 2010 to meet increased demand for passenger travel. This growth was projected to take place

Budjeting monitoring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Budjeting monitoring - Essay Example Goals and objective are imperative aspects in budget planning (Wildavsky, 1986). These assists the planners to know how much will be spend in completing the project and how much will be needed to meet these expenditures (Rhodes, 2010). Failure to identify the objectives can result to misallocation of funds. On the other hand, when a budget is set up founded on a preceding year’s numeral, it will result to misallocation of the funds (Shultz & Open Society Institute, 2005). Using a previous year’s figure will lead to allocation of an inappropriate figure that may result to over allocation or under allocation (Maddox, 1999). While budgeting for a project or program, it is essential to budget for savings too. Some funds need to be set aside to meet unanticipated expenditures. Since the Make a Way Foundation project costs more than what was budgeted, a rationing policy would have to be adopted to ensure that all expenditures fall into the available funds (Shultz & Open Society Institute, 2005). All the miscellaneous activities would be rationed to increase the available funds to fund to project. Secondly, the budget planners will need to prioritize the requests and activities of the project (Wildavsky, 1986). The less significant activities of the project can be eliminated thus reducing the project expenditure. Finally, since the planners had not considered the savings, they will have to seek for an external source of funds to finance the project till its completion (Rhodes,

Airbus and its activities whithin the civil aircraft manufacturing Essay

Airbus and its activities whithin the civil aircraft manufacturing industry - Essay Example The paper examines the extent to which Airbus has recognized and succeeded in meeting the critical success factors defined by the industry as well as industry analysts prior to 2005. In addition, Porter’s generic strategies model will be used to assess the choices that the Airbus management team and Board made, and whether these choices succeeded in giving Airbus a competitive advantage. This analysis compares the performance of Airbus over the past five years to its major industry competitors, Boeing and Embraer. The paper concludes with a discussion of the feasibility and sustainability of the company’s strategic direction over the next five years. As early as the mid1990s, industry analysts such as R.W. Mann and Company identified several factors that were seen as critical for companies hoping to succeed in the aircraft manufacturing industry (www.rwmann.com). In their strategic planning documents and in annual reports to shareholders, the companies also recognized that rapidly changing market factors would require that they adapt their business strategies to address these emerging challenges. Birnbaum (2004) defines a critical success factor as a strategic area where successful performance must be achieved to accomplish the business goal. The phrase â€Å"must be achieved† is highlighted because as the analysis will show, Airbus either misread the critical success factors that were identified at the time, or they simply were unable to implement strategies to achieve their strategic goals. My review of the industry analysts’ predictions as well as my review of the company websites for Airbus, Boeing and Embraer, have identified the following five common critical success factors for the aircraft manufacturing industry back in 2005: 1. Companies must expand into international markets. The number of new airlines is projected to grow through 2010 to meet increased demand for passenger travel. This growth was projected to take place

Essay of Analysis of No Logo Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Of Analysis of No Logo - Essay Example The documentary deals with the backlash, which many multinational corporations are receiving, because of their unfair dominance of the global markets. The fact that they make profits at the expense of others is one of the reasons that they have come to develop a very bad reputation. Most of the multinational companies are plagued with scandals from all over the world and all of these because of not only their branding strategies, but also because of the fact that those who produce their products work in appalling conditions. The documentary addresses the fact that some multinational companies have their products made cheaply in countries such as China and these are then branded and sold expensively in the western markets. Because of their activities, many companies have come to be immersed in scandals and the emergence of these scandals has worked against these corporation’s interests in the market since it created a situation where the public views their products with a lot o f suspicion. A further issue that is addressed in the documentary is the way through which multinationals are branding their products through falsely convincing the potential consumers of their worth. If it a fact that many of these corporations brand their products in such a way that they make the consumers feel inadequate without the said products. This makes the consumers want to by the said products at whatever price that they are asked, not caring for other priorities. Sales among these corporations have become paramount and this has gone against the tradition of making quality products for the market. Instead, multinationals have, over the past few decades, decided to go for the sale of the image of their products and not the products themselves (Klein, 2003). These corporations no longer sell their products according to their own merits, but sell the

Employee empowerment Essay Example for Free

Employee empowerment Essay With no particular list of practices and principles associated with t TQM, a culture, focuses on quality and what does quality constitute in an organizations functions and it considers customer reaction the best measure of quality which depicts the chances of competitive advantage and higher gross profits. Employees having ideas about the improvement of quality and how to do a good Job should be asked to contribute and monitor quality in TQM programs. These programs lay emphasis on the use of technologies that support and aid quality measurement, improvement, issue identification and its solution. In order to ensure substantial commitment to making better decisions and Increase effectiveness and fficiency individuals or teams should be given the power, information and knowledge concerning their autonomous performance and management. Employee involvement programs emphasize changing Job designs and using team structures at the organizations lowest level where as Employee involvement programs emphasize changing Job designs and using team structures at the organizations lowest level. This comparison shows that they do overlap substantially In their major points but that employee Involvement argues for some different forms of organization and places more stress on practices such as self managing work teams. Employee nvolvement seems to fit well In rather small organizational units which are created to produce entire products and serve a particular customer base. Total quality management processes tend to fit situations where large numbers of employees are required to service a customer or produce a product. Depending upon the organizations condition, strategic orientation, the kind of work It needs to do, and where It operates, the best management approach may be either one of these In Its pure form or an approach that modifies each to take advantage of certain elements In the other. Future research needs to focus on when and how specific practices ffect organizational performance. mployee empowerment By areebasaad27 substantial commitment to making better decisions and increase effectiveness and This comparison shows that they do overlap substantially in their major points but that employee involvement argues for some different forms of organization and involvement seems to fit well in rather small organizational units which are created organizations condition, strategic orientation, the kind of work it needs to do, and where it operates, t he best management approach may be either one of these in its in the other. Future research needs to focus on when and how specific practices

Survey on Spatial Database Systems

Survey on Spatial Database Systems à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ Ã‚  Abstract—In this survey, the term of â€Å"spatial database†, its data models, its data types with implementations, and its management techniques are described with providing at least spatial join methods. Also the storage and query processing algorithms for such databases are surveyed. (Abstract section will be updated with final report) 1.Introduction Various fields need various data types such as character, number, date, time, and image in data base management systems (DBMS). Some other fields need more specialized data types with geometric and geographical attributes. Those needs are satisfied by the spatial data. The Spatial Data is described as data related to time and space [12]. The most noticeable area for spatial data types is two dimensional abstraction of the earth surface [Figure 1]. Other examples are layouts of very large scale integration designs in electronics, 3D designs of biological issues like DNA, and the complicated models of the human brain systems. Figure 1: Spatial Data. (Source: http://www.cubrid.org/blog/dev-platform/20-minutes-to-understanding-spatial-database/ [11]) Spatial database systems can be grouped as followings [1]: Geographical Information Systems (GIS) deal with digitized maps displaying geographic or thematic information. Automated Mapping/Facilities Management (AM/FM) systems which automate the management and maintenance of networks such as power grids or telephone lines. Land Information Systems (LIS) manage information such as Image Processing systems which process remote sensing images acquired by aircraft and satellites. LIS also deal with the details of land parcel ownership. Although the relational DBMS’s have been tried to manage those types of data, they did not meet the requirements properly [12]. Spatial database systems provide advantages in areas such as decision support, administration, transportation scheduling, resource management, environmental monitoring, real-time navigational systems, data quality and integrity enforcement, and impact assessment. The remaining of this draft report is organized as follows: In Section 2, Modeling Spatial Database Systems is explained in detail. In Section 2.1, the characteristics of spatial data types are represented. The relations and related explanations are provided in Section 2.2. The querying and its techniques are represented in Section 2.3. At 2.4, indexing of spatial data is shown. Visualization of spatial data is explained in Section 2.5. Finally, concluding remarks are summarized in Section 3. 2. Modeling SPATIAL DATABASE SYSTEMS Spatial database systems are either the new DBMS or additional features on Relational DBMS’s. It is a DBMS with additional capabilities for handling spatial data and Offers spatial data types in its data model and query language. For modeling such a database system, data types, relations, querying, indexing and visualization steps can be considered different parts of it. 2.1.Data TYPES There are classical data types for all DBMS such as types of chars, types of numbers, date, and time. Spatial data shows the geometric and geographical variables such as point, line, region, polyline, and polygon. The presentation of those can be divided into two main groups [1]. 2.1.1. Objects in space It is a representation of spatial data types such as polygons, lines, polylines etc. Point: As pairs of coordinates in lat/long or some other reference system A point feature is a zero-dimensional cartographic object. It specifies the geometric location and no other meaningful measurement The size of the point may vary, but the area of those symbols is meaningless Four types of points exist: entity point, label point, area point and node Line: Ordered sequence of points connected by straight lines Line features are one dimensional features, despite occupying two-dimensional space. A line segment is the direct connection between two points A line feature is typically represented as a sequence of vectors An Arc is the location of points that are defined by a mathematical function to form a curve Link or edge is the connection between two nodes Areas: As ordered rings of points connected by straight lines to form polygons Area is a two dimensional, bounded and continuous object Interior area is an area not including its boundary Simple polygon consists of an interior area and an outer ring. The boundary does not intersect itself Typically refers to vector polygons, but also relates to pixels and grid cells. 2.1.2.Space It deals with Statement about every point in space such as partitions into states, counties, municipalities etc. (This section will be detailed in final report) 2.2.REALATIONS Spatial relationships are very important in the operations offered by spatial algebras. For instance, it is possible to ask for all objects in a given relationship with a query object, e.g. all objects within an object or intersection points. There are several classes [8, 3, 4]: †¢ Topological relationships †¢ Direction relationships †¢ Metric relationships (This section will be detailed in final report) 2.3.QUERYING Spatial data requires a graphical presentation of results. In addition, SDT values used in queries or graphical input of queries need graphical representations. (This section will be detailed in final report) 2.3.1.Languages Query languages for spatial databases can be used as candidates for the creation of a spatial language. Because of the extra semantic complexity added by spatial dimensions, it is desirable to have features in a spatial query language that go beyond those provided by currently available mainstream relational languages. (This section will be detailed in final report) 2.3.2.Operators There are several types of spatial operators [4] logical relationships, arithmetic, spatial metrics, position, orientation, area, volume, shape, extent, surface, disjunction, intersection, inclusion, neighborhood, and equality. (This section will be detailed in final report) 2.4.INDEXING For all DBMS, fast access to row data depends on the quality of indexing. Complex indexing methods can be used to rapidly locate single or multiple objects in the databases. (This section will be detailed in final report) 2.4.1.Indexing Methods For spatial databases, some indexing techniques such as quadtrees [6], R-Trees [2] are mostly used ones. (This section will be detailed in final report) 2.5.vÄ ±sualÄ ±zatÄ ±on The modern database management systems provide visualization tools to represent spatial data and queries about those data. Browsers, plotters and map displays can be considered as standard tools for spatial database systems. Although some researchers classify the spatial maps as maps showing qualitative, quantitative and composite change, and space-time ratios[9], some researchers made this classification like dance maps, chess maps and change maps to visualize time series data [7]. (This section will be detailed in final report) 3. ConclusÄ ±on (This section will be detailed in final report) 4. ReferenceS [1] Abel, D.J. Whats Special about Spatial?. Proc. of the 7th Australian Database Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 1996, 72-81. [2] Guttman, A. R-trees: A Dynamic Index Structure for Spatial Searching. Proceedings of the ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, 1984, 47-57. [3] Egenhofer, M., A Formal Definition of Binary Topological Relationships. Proc. 3rd Intl. Conf. on Foundations of Data Organization and Algorithms, Paris, 1989, 457-472. [4] Langran, G. Manipulation and Analysis of Temporal Geographic Information. Proc. of the Canadian Conference on GIS 93, Ottawa, Canada, 1993. [6] Samet, H. The Design and Analysis of Spatial Data Structures. Addison-Wesley, 1990. [7] Monmonier, M. Strategies for the Visualization of Geographic Time-Series Data, Cartographica, 1990, 30-45 [8] Pullar, D., and Egenhofer, M., Towards Formal Definitions of Topological Relations Among Spatial  Objects. Proc. 3rd Intl. Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Sydney, 1988, 225-242. [9] Muehrcke, P.C.. Map Use, JP Publications, 1978. [10] Worboys, M.F., A Generic Model for Planar Geographical Objects. Intl. Journal of Geographical Information Systems , 1992 , 353-372. [11] 20 Minutes to Understanding Spatial Database. Retrieved October 20, 2014, from http://www.cubrid.org/blog/dev-platform/20-minutes-to-understanding-spatial-database/ [12] An introduction to spatial database systems. (1994). The International Journal on Very Large Data Bases, 3(4), 357-399. (This section will be updated in final report)

Les Demoiselles d?Avignon Essay -- Essays Papers

Les Demoiselles d?Avignon As strolled through New York City?s Museum of Modern Art , one particular painting grabbed me , shook me , then through me to the ground to contemplate its awesome power. Like a whirlwind of art , Les Demoiselles d?Avignon , by Pablo Picasso , sent my emotions spinning. I felt extremely uncomfortable glancing at it , let alone staring at it closely for twenty minutes. The raw sexuality and tension that Les Demoiselles d?Avignon radiated was absolutely overwhelming yet very confusing. Other art lovers in the room also expressed discomfort as they glanced at the enormous 96x92 inch painting. Most people would only allow quick glances in between long stares at the more typical paintings on the other walls. I even heard one girl remark ?it?s so gross!!? in a nervous and uncertain voice. I had to know why Les Demoiselles d?Avignon was doing this to me and the others in the room. Les Demoiselles d?Avignon was the product of an irritated and restless Pablo Picasso. In 1906 , Picasso began to tire of painting in the fairly traditional manner that governed his paintings up to Les Demoiselles d?Avignon. His solution was to revolutionize painting.1 Why was Picasso unsatisfied with traditional painting? Essentially Picasso?s overall dissatisfaction for sticking with anything for a long period caused him to take up the difficult quest of revolutionizing painting. He was known to constantly change the styles and mediums through which he created his art. Andre Salmon, a poet and friend Picasso, was once quoted as accusing Picasso of ?trying to force his friends to speculate on the whole problem of art every time they took a brush in their hands.? 2 This quote is very telling of Picasso?s need to change and solve artistic problems. In 1906 he abandoned the painting traditions that stretched all the way back to the Renaissance , and began Les Demoiselles d?A vignon. Les Demoiselles d?Avignon was the product of intense study. The comments of Salmon , shed light on the intensity of the project; ?....He became uneasy , He turned his canvases to the wall and threw down his paintbrushes. For many long days and nights , he drew....Never was labor less rewarded with joy , and without his former youthful enthusiasm Picasso undertook a large canvas that was intended to be the fruit of his experiments.? 3 Every aspect o... ...ing is an enemy!.....the fetishes were weapons. To help people avoid coming under the influence of spirits again , to help them become independent.......I understood why I was a painter....Les Demoiselles d?Avignon must have come to me that very day , but not at all because of the forms ; because it was my first exorcism painting-yes absolutely!? 15 Picasso used Les Demoiselles d?Avignon to free himself from what the world had told him was absolute. Les Demoiselles d?Avignon mocks and teases the faith that people put into their ignorance of the unknown. Picasso?s Les Demoiselles d?Avignon continues to challenge a shake people to this day. Bibliography: John Richardson , A Life of Picasso volume 2 1907-1917 (New York : Random House Press 1996) 15. Arriana S. Huffington , Picasso:Creator and Destroyer . (New York : Simon and Schulster , 1988) 89. Marie-Laurie Berndac and Bouchet , Picasso: Master of the New Idea . (New York , Abrams , 19 Kirk Varnedoe , Response to Les Demoiselles d?Avignon. (http://www.moma.org/docs/collection/paintsculpt/c40.htm , 1997) George H. Hamilton , Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1800-1940 . (New Haven : Yale U. Press 1993) 46-47 Les Demoiselles d?Avignon Essay -- Essays Papers Les Demoiselles d?Avignon As strolled through New York City?s Museum of Modern Art , one particular painting grabbed me , shook me , then through me to the ground to contemplate its awesome power. Like a whirlwind of art , Les Demoiselles d?Avignon , by Pablo Picasso , sent my emotions spinning. I felt extremely uncomfortable glancing at it , let alone staring at it closely for twenty minutes. The raw sexuality and tension that Les Demoiselles d?Avignon radiated was absolutely overwhelming yet very confusing. Other art lovers in the room also expressed discomfort as they glanced at the enormous 96x92 inch painting. Most people would only allow quick glances in between long stares at the more typical paintings on the other walls. I even heard one girl remark ?it?s so gross!!? in a nervous and uncertain voice. I had to know why Les Demoiselles d?Avignon was doing this to me and the others in the room. Les Demoiselles d?Avignon was the product of an irritated and restless Pablo Picasso. In 1906 , Picasso began to tire of painting in the fairly traditional manner that governed his paintings up to Les Demoiselles d?Avignon. His solution was to revolutionize painting.1 Why was Picasso unsatisfied with traditional painting? Essentially Picasso?s overall dissatisfaction for sticking with anything for a long period caused him to take up the difficult quest of revolutionizing painting. He was known to constantly change the styles and mediums through which he created his art. Andre Salmon, a poet and friend Picasso, was once quoted as accusing Picasso of ?trying to force his friends to speculate on the whole problem of art every time they took a brush in their hands.? 2 This quote is very telling of Picasso?s need to change and solve artistic problems. In 1906 he abandoned the painting traditions that stretched all the way back to the Renaissance , and began Les Demoiselles d?A vignon. Les Demoiselles d?Avignon was the product of intense study. The comments of Salmon , shed light on the intensity of the project; ?....He became uneasy , He turned his canvases to the wall and threw down his paintbrushes. For many long days and nights , he drew....Never was labor less rewarded with joy , and without his former youthful enthusiasm Picasso undertook a large canvas that was intended to be the fruit of his experiments.? 3 Every aspect o... ...ing is an enemy!.....the fetishes were weapons. To help people avoid coming under the influence of spirits again , to help them become independent.......I understood why I was a painter....Les Demoiselles d?Avignon must have come to me that very day , but not at all because of the forms ; because it was my first exorcism painting-yes absolutely!? 15 Picasso used Les Demoiselles d?Avignon to free himself from what the world had told him was absolute. Les Demoiselles d?Avignon mocks and teases the faith that people put into their ignorance of the unknown. Picasso?s Les Demoiselles d?Avignon continues to challenge a shake people to this day. Bibliography: John Richardson , A Life of Picasso volume 2 1907-1917 (New York : Random House Press 1996) 15. Arriana S. Huffington , Picasso:Creator and Destroyer . (New York : Simon and Schulster , 1988) 89. Marie-Laurie Berndac and Bouchet , Picasso: Master of the New Idea . (New York , Abrams , 19 Kirk Varnedoe , Response to Les Demoiselles d?Avignon. (http://www.moma.org/docs/collection/paintsculpt/c40.htm , 1997) George H. Hamilton , Painting and Sculpture in Europe 1800-1940 . (New Haven : Yale U. Press 1993) 46-47

Visual Artists Transmit the Values and Beliefs of Society :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

Visual Artists Transmit the Values and Beliefs of Society European artists have transmitted the values and beliefs of the society in which they worked, through the art they produced. The values of the society at that time include the establishment and development of the colonies, the exploration of the country, as well as day-to-day living and hard work. The establishment and development of the colonies was important to the people at the time, as it was crucial for their survival and the advancement of the British Empire. Paintings made by artists were often sent back no England to attract and persuade people thinking of migrating to the new land. W.S Blake's painting, entitled 'A Direct North General View of Sydney Cove à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in 1792' shows the advancement of the colony and its apparent success. The exploration of the country was greatly documented by artists of the time. Augustus Earle's painting, 'A Bivouac of Travellers in Australia in a Cabbage Tree Forest, Day Break', depicts the scene of the explorers. A group of travellers, accompanied by their native guides, presents the life of the colonial frontiersman. The painting 'Overlanders" by ST Gill, also depicts the image of the frontiersman The explorers are on their donkeys and Australia's landscape of dead timber and stunted grass trees is shown, representing the harsh and cruel land. The paintings 'Australian Landscape with Cattle' and 'My Harvest My Home', by John Glover depict the Australian rural and working scene. 'Australian Landscape with Cattle' shows the rural landscape of Australia. 'My Harvest My Home' shows the bountiful harvest that has been reaped. This painting represents a 'pioneer's paradise' and the growing prosperity of the land. The hard work that was undertaken around the gold fields is also expressed through the painting 'Gold Diggings, Ararat' by E. Roper. Roper shows the life of the people at these diggings, communities of

Community Teaching Plan: Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal Essay

The RN to BSN program at Grand Canyon University meets the requirements for clinical competencies as defined by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), using nontraditional experiences for practicing nurses. These experiences come in the form of direct and indirect care experiences in which licensed nursing students engage in learning within the context of their hospital organization, specific care discipline, and local communities. Applying what you have learned thus far, develop a community teaching proposal designed to address the needs of your community. Select one of the following as the focus for the teaching plan: Primary Prevention/Health Promotion Secondary Prevention/Screenings for a Vulnerable Population Bioterrorism/Disaster Environmental Issues Complete the â€Å"Community Teaching Work Plan Proposal.† This will help you organize your plan and create an outline for the written assignment. After completing the teaching proposal, review the teaching plan with a community health and public health provider in your local community. Request feedback (strengths and opportunities for improvement) from the provider. Complete the â€Å"Community Teaching Experience† form. While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment. You are not required to submit this assignment to Turnitin, unless otherwise directed by your instructor. If so directed, refer to the Student Success Center for directions. Only Word documents can be submitted to Turnitin.

Jose Rizal: Reaction Paper Essay

Jose Protacio Mercado Alonzo y Realonda Rizal (June 19, 1861 – Dec 30, 1896) Is most venerated and acclaimed patriot in the Philippines recognized for his unselfish contribution in the historical and social transformation in the country, he is one of the National heroes of the Philippines together with Andres Bonifacio. He also writes El Filibusterismo and Noli me Tangere. Rizal as a child was a lover of a Literature arts and wrote a poem named â€Å"Ang aking mga kabata† . Rizal was born from wealthy Family in Calamba, Laguna and Seventh of eleven children of Francisco engracio Rizal and Teodora Alonzo Realonda de Quintos. Rizal had a Spanish and Japanese Ancestors. The grandfather and father of Teodora was a Half Spaniard engineer named Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo. His maternal great-great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua, a descendant of Japanese settlers. Before he enrolled in Ateneo Municipal de Manila, Paciano Rizal advice Rizal dropped the last three names to make up his full name as â€Å"Jose Protasio Rizal†. Rizal writes â€Å"My family never paid much attention [to our second surname Rizal], but now I had to use it, thus giving me the appearance of an illegitimate child† Rizal first study under Justiniano Aquino Cruz in Binan, Laguna. Before he sent in manila he take entrance examination in Colegio de San Juan de Letran and at age 11, He enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila (now Ateneo de Manila), earn a Bachelor of Arts diploma and studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, he continued his studies of medicine in Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, earning the degree of Licentiate in Medicine, make him eligible to practice medicine. He also attended the University of Paris and earned and second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg. The 25 year-old Rizal he finished eye specialization in 1887 under professor Otto Becker. By 1896 he was arrested en route to Cuba via Spain and imprisoned in Barcelona. He was sent back to manila to stand in trial and imprisoned in Fort Santiago by issued a manifesto. And sentence in death by court martial by Rebillion, sedition and conspiracy. At December 30, 1896 before his execution by the squad of Filipino soldier of Spanish, a backup force of regular Spanish army stood ready to shoot before he was shot he requested to be shot in looking at the  shooter and without a blindfold but they disagree but they agree on without a blindfold. Before be shot he shout his last word â€Å"consummatum est† (â€Å"it is finished) He was secretly buried in Paco cemetery in Manila with no identification on his grave but they mark the site with â€Å"RPJ† his initials in reve rse.. â€Å"He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish† -Jose Rizal – This quotes means if we use our own language to communicate with the same Filipino we will understand what we talk and to share. But we use other language to communicate to other countries to share ideas and talk to them.

The clusters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The clusters - Essay Example Agreeableness is a personality trait that is present in people who easily agree to what others have to say. They are not stubborn and are flexible in decision making. Lastly, conscientiousness is a personality trait grouping together people who do not take impulsive decisions, but give vast attention to what they do and how it might effect their reputation. They are the types who are deeply concerned about what others have to say about them. In my opinion, I fall under the category of neuroticism, as I happen to be a highly sensitive person. I tend to stay quiet in large meetings, and am often lost in thought. I take matters too personally, getting upset at the slightest of things. As much as I dislike this personality trait of mine, I find it difficult to rid these traits off. The second group in which I may be categorized is agreeableness. I do not like arguments, am I good listener and generally agree on what others have to say. I do not press much on statements I make and vary my opinion if someone else has a more convincing argument. Thus, I consider my self to be highly agreeable. Lastly, I am also a part of the group of people who fall under the title of conscientiousness. I am careful in choosing my words during a conversation, conscious that I do not end up offending the other person in any way.

Analysis of Financial Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Financial Article - Essay Example The author believes that in all cases, fractal structures and non-periodic cycles were found, which accordingly suggests and provides evidence that capital markets have a non-linear system, which thus makes the EMH doubtful. The author begins the article by asserting that logarithms will be applied to analyze data instead of percentages as logarithms can calculate cumulative returns and percentages cannot. Thus, the steps to analyzing R/S for capital markets include first converting prices into logarithms and then applying the suggested equations. Then each capital market instrument and data is analyzed turn by turn to gauge volatility, cycles, and price changes. The author uses Hurst statistics to analyze various capital market instruments and implies at the end of the article that prices are reflections of investors’ concept of ‘fair value†. While some may believe this to be a single value, this can actually be a range of values which is based on information such as the earnings from an investment, the management system, the new products offered, and the economic environment in that area. After fundamental analysis and technical analysis of what other investors believe their counterparts are willing to pay, the price is automatically adjusted to what is perceived as fair price and thus other investors become attracted to the investment and begin to purchase it. A Hurst statistic of more than 0.5 suggests that new information and previous events may affect the future prices of securities while one, which is lower than 0.5 implies the opposite. The author claims that the capital markets have a fractal nature and thus models such as the CAPM, APT, and Black-Scholes model fail. It is mainly due to their simple assumptions and their lack of acknowledging the importance of time when making vital decisions. Hence, the author believes that fractal analysis is a better measure of the reality of capital markets and the outcomes of human decision maki ng. Fractal analysis is a reflection of the reality of life and how messy and complicated results can be. Thus, while it makes mathematics more difficult, it also explains the qualitative aspects of decision making and capital markets. It also gives capital markets a number of air values, cycles, trends, and recognizes the fact that there are innumerous possibilities. Thus, in the author’s point of view, fractal analysis is a better measure of the capital markets rather than the simple models as it accounts for a number of things, which are not accounted for in simple analysis. Hence, even though it is more complicated, the author encourages its use. The important points in the article are as follows: Logarithm returns are a better measure than percentages when calculating changes in price The author suggests that enough data is collected when the natural period of the system is visible and several cycles are available for analysis The first regression analysis is applied to the S&P 500 from 1950 to July 1958 The high value of H suggests the fractal position of the market The stock market results are not in accordance with the efficient market hypothesis The author suggests that market returns are persistent and have a fractal probability distribution The system is non-periodic and reinforces trends According to CAPM, a higher beta stock value is riskier than a lower beta stock value This is due to higher volatility The author suggests that high H values pose less risk and low H values may pose more risk High H values have less noise in the data while lower H values have more noise High H values may change abruptly Portfolio diversification reduces risk Market efficiency can be determined by the level of noise in the

Favorite place (Dillard's) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Favorite place (Dillard's) - Essay Example While Dillard’s is considered to be an upscale department store, it offers an assortment of treasures for most budgets, including its low-priced clearance centers, making Dillard’s an economically-friendly company. As a department store, Dillard’s offers an array of merchandise useful for all aspects of one’s life and their home. Despite the enormous variety of high-end products found throughout Dillard’s many stores, this company’s claim to fame is its vast selection of clothing and shoes. Being upscale and at the forefront of procuring the best fashions, Dillard’s does not have a difficult time in staying up-to-date with the latest designs for men, women, and children. In the clothing department, available brands range from Antonio Melani, Armani Exchange, Calvin Klein, DKNY, and Ralph Lauren, in all desired styles: dresses, coats, pants, tops, pajamas and gorgeous gowns and handsome tuxedoes for any special occasion, including weddi ngs. The children’s department is just as abundant in its selection, with stunning formal wear for holidays and the character clothing that children adore for day-to-day wear. Dillard’s clothing department is only matched by its shoe department with thousands of different styles in countless brands, including their newest addition of the popular Ugg brand. There are shoes for every occasion and each season, from tennis shoes and sandals to strappy pumps and leather dress shoes. While the clothing and shoe selections define Dillard’s department stores, the perfume, make-up and accessories section, appropriately located at the center of each building, are the centerpiece. This area is easily recognizable from the sweet and strong fragrances of the dozens of bottles of perfume and cologne. Though there are many options for men in this area, it can be considered the paradise of women. Here they can find perfume and body spray in scents ranging from sweet and innocen t to strong and daring, all provided by some of the top brands, including Prada, Chanel, and Dior. The vast collection of make-up brands gives women what they need at their fingertips to enhance their own natural beauty or to design a completely new and stunning look. To add to the wonders of the make-up and perfume section are the helpful representatives willing to aid guests until they find the scent or look they are searching for. Often circling the perfume and make-up counters are racks upon racks of handbags, purses, scarves, belts, and beautiful jewelry. Men and women alike can find all that they need to complete the perfect outfit or to surprise a loved one with a dazzling gift. Once someone has finished spoiling themselves with the clothes and jewelry and glamorous extras found among the many shelves of Dillard’s, they can turn their attention on dressing up their homes. In the outer regions of the circle of Dillard’s, a guest can find all that they need for th eir bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, including little knickknacks and decorations to accentuate any room. For the bedroom, Dillard’s offers a wide selection of bedding sets and individual sheets and pillowcases, as well as pillows, canopies, and bed skirts. Unlike the selections found at many common department stores, the bedding found at Dillard’s exemplifies elegance, turning even a child’

Rejuvenating Jamaican tourism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Rejuvenating Jamaican tourism - Research Paper Example It has a monarchy system of government. It has an ideal climate for agriculture and tourism industries. In 1940s, the country discovered bauxite and the government shifted from banana and sugar export to mining. People in Jamaica share a combination of culture from Spanish and Taino. They use English as their official language thought many people use a local language called Patois. Section A: Internal and External Assessment of Tourism in Jamaica In the Greater Antilles, Jamaica leads in the tourism industry. The government depends most from the tourism industry. The industry provides about 50 % of the country’s foreign exchange. It provides about a fourth of the total jobs offered in Jamaica. Tourism industry helps in boosting the economy and creation of job opportunities to the youth. Tourism activities are carried in the northern coast island, which includes communities like Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Port Antonio. Other places with tourism activities include western tip is lands. The country has many airports and airlines, which help in transportation of tourist. According to Clarke (2009) the government also helps in development of the industry. Each finance year, the minister for tourism gets same funds to manage the industry. The government has worked to ensure success of the tourism industry because it contributes a lot in the government revenue. The fame gained through Olympic and music has made Jamaica attract more international visitors. Tourism Demand and Market in Jamaica Tourism has been on high demand in Jamaica. The famous musician, â€Å"Bob Marley† and the Olympic sprinter, â€Å"Usain Bolt† promoted the image of Jamaica world wide. Many people, tour in Jamaica to witness the Olympic champions and famous musicians. The level of visitors has been on the increase from 2000 to 2012. Tourism income increased to 53 % from 2000 to 2005. Tourism net earning doubled from 2000 to 2005 reaching $ 437 million. The rate increased from 2005 to 2010. Tourism industry will earn 1 billion in 2012. According to Black (2011) the demand for tourism does not decrease like other industries, which do not have a consistence growth. In 2000, the hotel occupation rose from 41 % to 65 %, and this has risen up to 90 % this year. Consecutively, the industry has grown for the last five years. In 2008, the industry had a total income of about 500 million, in 2009 it rose to 570, in 2010, it rose again to 700, 2011 it rose to 850 and in 2012 the income will reach 1 billion. The graph below represents Jamaica’s income from the tourism industry. The market of tourism has been promoted by many factors ranging from environmental, social and political. Tourism is promoted by people form other countries and the citizens of Jamaica. Citizens from different counties visit beaches and other places preserved by government for tourism purposes. People from other countries visit the cities in order to have a look of the geographical fea tures. They also visit in order to see the famous Jamaican sprinters who always win in the Olympic Games. According to Dove (2010) music industry has attracted many people who visit the areas. The international visitors contribute more to the income than the local tourist. It is estimated that about 70 % revenue from the industry is generated by international tourists from foreign countries. The remaining 30 % comes from the local tourist or the individual

Perspectives on Macroeconomics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perspectives on Macroeconomics - Assignment Example First, the Greece government is responsible for allowing a weak political system that resulted to the mismanagement of domestic economy thereby contributing to the additional government debt at an incredible rate (Georgios, 2010). Compared to other Eurozone economies, this debt rate was very high. Secondly, the financial market especially the credit rating agencies were myopic in their prediction of the US sub-prime mortgage loan crisis of 2007. Consequently, the attempts to unveil potential sovereign debt crisis led to an overreaction and the country’s large budget deficits made the economy a target. Lastly, there was a fair part of the blame on the delayed reaction of the European Central Bank by the Eurozone governments particularly Germany (Georgios, 2010). Based on history, financial crisis tends to result to sharp downturns economically, low revenues for the government, government deficits that keep widening, high debts levels, and the pushing of government into defaults (OECD, 2013). A recession also results to high unemployment levels, falling average incomes and increased inequality. In the course of a recession, there is a fall in GDP that results to increased unemployment. Unemployment is attributed to firms going bankrupt hence most workers losing their jobs, and firms failure to hire new employees in the aim of reducing costs. In addition to not hiring new employees and reducing the number of employees, recession forces organizations to reduce costs which then translate to low wages especially the temporary workers (OECD, 2013). Reduction of costs amongst firms is also as a result of high costs of living that see most workers have their real wages cut. Fall in tax revenue is also another result of recession since firms make le ss profit that translates to low corporate tax; employees receive low income that result to lowered income tax; and lower expenditure result to lower VAT payments. Lower VAT payments were experienced in Greece during 2011

What Does It Mean to Be Well Educated Essay Example for Free

What Does It Mean to Be Well Educated Essay What it is that constitutes a well-educated person is a much-debated topic. The answer to this question has got to be more than simply the amount of time that a person has spent gaining knowledge. What use is that knowledge is the person is not able to use and apply it to their everyday lives? By looking at and defining certain terms we can come to a conclusion that people who exemplify the title of being well educate are able to show some level of success in the area of their learned knowledge. There are people that have had little formal education that could be considered well-educated, while there are others who have had extensive formal education who wouldn’t be able to carry that title. A person who is considered well educated shouldn’t be able to hold that title just because they have attended a large amount of schooling. Education should be near to the heart of every person on the face of the planet. Without education of some level we’d still be hunting caribou with spears and beating two rocks together and hoping to get a spark for a fire. But the question, though, isn’t â€Å"is education important†, but rather â€Å"what constitutes a well-educated person? † This is a highly discussed topic. But I believe the answer to it is quite clear. A well-educated person is someone who can be successful in real life application of what he/she has been taught. The dictionary defines well educated as being highly educated or having extensive information or understanding. (thefreedictionary, 2012. ) It would be presumptuous to claim to be more intelligent than a dictionary, but I disagree with this definition. The key to accurately defining this term is correctly understanding one word, well. In going back to the dictionary we see that the word well is translated as meaning satisfactory. (thefreedictionary, 2012. ) We have to say that the appropriate question then is not what is well-educated person, but does this person have satisfactory education. So how do we know is a person has a satisfactory education? It has got to be more than just the amount of education or information that the given person has received. Just because a person has been in a higher education course for 10 years doesn’t mean that when a task comes up the person proves to be satisfactorily educated. Well-educated means a person has a quality education and not just a quantity of education. Two close friends of mine prove this point. Bobby is an incredible seventy-five year old man in who much is to be respected. At first glance you wouldn’t know it, but his â€Å"proper† education level only reaches the eighth grade. He was forced to drop out of school to help provide for his struggling family as a teenager. He is one of the most well respected and honored leaders in our community. Through a series of events he started a company that was very successful. His net worth is over five million dollars. Bobby’s wisdom and knowledge would take a college degree to even begin to dissect. On the other hand I have a friend named Anthony. Anthony is in his thirties and is really an incredible person. He has committed much of his life to furthering his education and now has two masters’ degrees. If Anthony were to write you a letter you wouldn’t even recognize half the words because he is such a bad speller. Also, he often seeks the guidance of others in his job because he lacks confidence to do it well in spite of his vast education. There, then, is a big difference in the definitions of the words well education and highly educated. If being well educated is more than just a great amount of knowledge given to a person, what are the signs of a well educated person? The first indicator that a person is well-educated is that they have learned how to learn. Anyone can be force feed an immense amount of information, but what really makes someone successful is being able to be a life long learner. Douglas Everett said, â€Å"A mark of a well educated person is not necessarily in knowing all of the answers, but knowing where to find them†. This describes a person who doesn’t just know stuff, but instead knows how to learn and the process it takes to do so. Another way to gauge if someone is well educated is by looking at their competency in the area of their education. It is different to be able pass a written exam on a subject and to truly understand how to apply what is that has been taught to the real world. The term well educated alludes to competency while highly educated refers to the amount of education given regardless of the retention or pplication of that knowledge. If you don’t understand what it takes to use what has been learned, then the time spent gaining the knowledge was to no avail. The last thing that for me that exemplifies a well-educated person is by looking at their level of success in their area of study. It doesn’t matter how much you know if what you know isn’t useful to make you successful. This brings the last point to a higher level. It says that you are not just competent in your understanding of a subject but you are successfully implementing that in your life. What’s the point of education if it doesn’t help us succeed in life and how can we be considered well educated if that knowledge isn’t breeding that success? If this definition of well education were adopted, would that have to change the way that students are being taught? Students need to be taught by first looking through the filter of this definition. Are these students learning the art of learning? Do these students really grasp what is being taught? Do students understand what it takes to make this principal successful in real life applications? When answering these questions, I believe it’s safe to say that most high school graduates aren’t well educated, but have rather had a lot of information given to them over a long span in a â€Å"career† of education. The key is finding the way to bring students from just â€Å"knowing facts† to being well education and successfully performing tasks that reflect that. For me, the best was to learn something well is by doing while learning. The term for this style of learning is experiential learning. But that’s just it, it takes looking at the individual student and teaching to his/her learning style and that’s not going to look the same every time. So what really is it to be well educated? In order to have a satisfactory education you must be able to perform successfully in the areas that you have been taught, if you cannot, then the time and effort put into learning was of no use. Even in stating that, I agree with Alfie Kohn in his article â€Å"What does it mean to be well educated† (2003) when he states that its really more important to figure out the qualities of a school that gives a good education instead of debating what it is to be well educated.

What Opportunities Made Cinemexs Success Possible Finance Essay

What Opportunities Made Cinemexs Success Possible Finance Essay Several factors made it possible for Cinemex to emerge as a highly successful exhibition movie theatre chain. First, the Mexican exhibition market was highly regulated for decades and these regulations established a fixed, low ticket price. This provided a disincentive for exhibition owners to invest in their properties since they were unable to raise ticket prices to compensate for their investments. The end-result was a growing collection of old and dilapidated theatres. When the regulations were lifted, Cinemex co-founders Matt Heyman, Adolfo Fastlich, and Miguel Angel Davila believed that an opportunity to provide a high-end movie watching experience by constructing state-of-the-art theatres existed. The team followed a strategy of differentiation through branding. Cinemex improved moviegoers experiences by installing larger screens, providing better sound, employing courteous staff, and making other improvements over what was considered the typical Mexican exhibition. Based on t he information available, this quality advantage seemed to last at least until Cinemex was acquired by Canadian buyout firm Onex. Next, Cinemex capitalized on the declining value of the peso in late 1994 and early 1995. This decline allowed Cinemex to purchase land at a cheaper price. Furthermore, it fortuitously (for Cinemex) discouraged potential competitors in the high-end field, such as AMC and Lowes, from entering the Mexican market. The value of the Mexican Peso continued to substantially decline. This made it continuously cheaper for Cinemex to use US Dollars to purchase new land to build Mexican movie theatres. Further, the improving Mexican economy, population growth in Mexico City, and continued emergence of middle class in Mexico all provided opportunities for Cinemex. Graph the time series of attendance and prices for each Wednesday in 2001. What factors account for the week-on-week differences in attendance for Cinemex and the city as a whole? What is the interpretation in terms of a demand curve? Several factors account for the week by week differences in attendance for Cinemex and Mexico City theatres. Factors such as the ticket price, time of the year, popularity of current films, local weather conditions, and timing of holidays all made attendance highly variable from week to week. In terms of the demand curve, it may move out or in depending on the combination of the above variables. In Spring 2001, Cinemexs main competitor introduced 2-for-1 pricing. Describe, in conceptual terms (and using a demand diagram), the effect this had on Cinemexs demand curve. In the same diagram show the effect of Cinemexs price response. Conceptually, when Cinemexs competition introduced 2-for-1 pricing, the demand curve for Cinemex moved in (or left). At a given ticket price, a certain percentage of moviegoers who would typically choose to see a film at Cinemex would instead choose to forego the additional quality of Cinemexs theatres and take advantage of Cinemexs competitions lower prices. In the chart below, D0 (blue line) is the demand at a given price for Wednesday showings at Cinemex before the 2-for-1 pricing was introduced by competitors. D1 (red line) represents the reduced demand for Cinemex after 2-for-1 pricing was introduced by competitors. Finally, the bullet point outlined in yellow on line D1 reflects Cinemexs new Wednesday 2-for-1 price. 0: Equilibrium before price changes 2: Cinemex lowers price on Wednesdays 1: Cinemex demand moves left after competitors introduce 2-for-1 pricingC:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeMEDIAOFFICE14BulletsBD21298_.gifC:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeMEDIAOFFICE14BulletsBD21434_.gifC:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeMEDIAOFFICE14BulletsBD21434_.gifC:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeMEDIAOFFICE14BulletsBD21434_.gifC:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeMEDIAOFFICE14BulletsBD21298_.gif Please note, D1 is shown to the left of D0 since we are speaking in conceptual terms. In actuality, other factors beneficially impacting Cinemex may place the true location of D1 to the right of D0. Further, the price change took place over a year after the initial placement of D0. Therefore, there is some time for beneficial factors to have a sum impact that is relatively more positive than the negative impact Cinemex competitors price drop would have. We explore these possibilities in later answers. How would you construct a counter-factual scenario for what would have happened had this 2-for-1 pricing by competitors not occurred? [Suggestion: one useful place to start might be to compare 2001 to 2000. Explain your answer in terms of the diagram you drew in the previous question. The 2-for-1 pricing by Cinemex competitors did not occur until after week 13 in 2001. Therefore, by comparing the weeks 2 through 13 in 2000 and 2001, we can estimate the increase in attendance from comparable periods in the remaining weeks. This growth factor, or ratio, can then be applied to the 2000 attendance figures in order to estimate what the attendance in 2001 would have been if Cinemexs competitors had not put forth the 2-for-1 deal. Applying the growth factor eliminates the effects of Cinemexs competitors 2-for-1 deal and creates counterfactual data that takes into account other socioeconomic factors driving increased attendance over time. These socioeconomic factors include low unemployment, low inflation, population and GDP growth, and the continued emergence of the middle class. Essentially, this methodology allows our team to reconstruct the original demand curve (D0) and account for growth in the overall market. Construct this counterfactual for attendance. Discuss how you isolate the effect of the competitors price change from the effect of all the other things pushing demand around (the stuff you discussed in part (b)). Be clear about the extent to which you are able to do this (remember no analysis of real data is ever perfect in this regard, but it is important to be able to spot the limitations of whatever methodology you do employ). The table below illustrates attendance at Cinemex on Wednesdays. Weeks 2 through 13 can be analyzed between 2000 and 2001 to determine a growth factor for Cinemex. This growth factor is determined by taking the ratio between the average attendance numbers of 2000 and 2001 for Block 1. In this case, the growth factor is equal to 1.09 (it is the same between 2001 and 2002). The predicted Cinemex attendance for 2001 (depicted in the table below) is determined by multiplying the 2000 attendance numbers, for Blocks 2 through 5, by 1.09. The result of this calculation gives the attendance numbers that Cinemex would have seen had its competitors not established the 2-for-1 deal. Wednesday Attendance Figures Cinemex 2000 2001 (without 2-for-1) 2001 (with 2-for-1) Block Weeks Actual (Avg) Predicted (Avg) Actual (Avg) 1 2 to 13 51602 56445 56445 2 14 to 22 60762 66231 57305 3 23 to 27 66626 72622 67124 4 28 to 34 97717 106511 105479 5 35 to 48 46195 50353 *60642 NOTE: The year was broken down into 5 blocks in order to better analyze the effect of seasonal demand. Week 1 and weeks 49 to 52 were omitted due to the volatility of the holiday seasons attendance. Also, predicted and actual numbers match for Block 1 due to this period being utilized for determination of the growth factor. *- Indicates that both Cinemex and its competitors are using 2-for-1 pricing. Using this counterfactual, quantify the impact of competitors 2-for-1 pricing in Cinemexs Wednesday attendance? Our team analyzed the difference in predicted and actual weekly attendance on Wednesdays at Cinemex during the time period when Cinemexs competitors utilized the 2-for-1 deal and Cinemex maintained its pricing (Blocks 2, 3 and 4). The data indicates that the competitors 2-for-1 deal adversely impacted Cinemexs actual attendance. We observe attendance figures that are lower than the predicted attendance figures. The below table quantifies the average weekly impact of the competitors 2-for-1 deal. To arrive at the estimated dollar impact, we multiplied the difference between predicted and actual attendance by the average ticket prices during each Block. For example, the average ticket price during Weeks 14 to 22 was $20.98. Therefore, $20.98 times 8962 equals $187,288.41. Weekly Impact on Cinemexs Wednesday Attendance 2001 2001 2001 Block Weeks Predicted minus Actual (Avg/week) % Dollar Value of lost Attendance (Avg/week) 1 2 to 13 0 0.00% $ 0.00 2 14 to 22 8926 -13.48% $ 187,288.41 3 23 to 27 5498 -7.57% $ 114,216.15 4 28 to 34 1032 -0.97% $ 21,552.93 Please note, Block 5 was not included in this impact analysis because it encompasses the time period during which Cinemex matched its competitors 2-for-1 deal. Cinemex was most adversely impacted during Weeks 14 to 22 and Weeks 23 to 27. Fortunately for Cinemex, the 2-for-1 deal offered by competitors had only a minimal impact on the summer months. This is likely due to the superior quality of socioeconomic conditions and movies offered during this time (i.e, summer blockbusters). It appears that individuals are willing to pay a higher price to watch superior movies in a superior environment. Overall, Cinemexs actual attendance during Weeks 14 to 34 was 1,589,718. Our team predicted that had the competitors not implemented a 2-for-1 pricing strategy, Cinemex would have had attendance numbers of 1,704,766. This represents an impact of 6.7%, or 115,048, on attendance over the 21 week period in which Cinemex did not offer a 2-for-1 deal and its competitors did. Taking the average ticket prices during Blocks 2, 3, and 4 ($20.98, $20.77, and $20.88 respectively) and multiplying it both actual and predicted revenues allows us to evaluate the dollar impact. Total actual revenue was $33,213,977 and predicted revenue was $35,621,524, a difference of $2,407,547 or 6.76%. Building on the strategy you developed, quantify the impact of Cinemexs own 2-for-1 deal on its Wednesday attendance? Discuss your methodology in terms of a demand diagram framework. Cinemex matched its competitors 2-for-1 deal in Block 5. Based on the data, it appears that this time period has reduced demand compared to the summer months. Demand appears to be similar to Block 2 (Weeks 14 to 22). Therefore, had Cinemex not matched the 2-for-1 deal and maintained their prices, we assume that their attendance numbers for Block 5 would have dropped by the same percentage as Block 2, or 13.48%. Wednesday Attendance Figures Cinemex 2001 No 2-for-1 Deals Both Use 2-for-1 Only Competitors Use 2-for-1 Block Weeks Predicted (Avg) Actual (Avg) Predicted (Avg) 5 35 to 48 50353 60642 43565 As illustrated in the table above, Cinemexs actual average weekly attendance during this period was 60,642. Cinemexs predicted average weekly attendance for Block 5, assuming no 2-for-1 deals, is estimated by using the aforementioned 1.09 growth factor. This provides an estimate of an average weekly attendance of 50,353. If Cinemex had not engaged in the 2-for-1 deal, and its competitors did engage in the 2-for-1 deal, then we predicted the average weekly attendance for Cinemex would decline the same as it did in Block 2, by 13.48% of the No 2-for-1 Deals figure, or a total weekly average of 43,565. This decrease is identical, in terms of percentage (13.48%), as the predicted impact of competitor pricing on Block 2. Blocks 2 and 5 represent the worst case scenario for Cinemex in terms of attendance totals and represent the point of highest demand elasticity. Overall, Cinemexs actual attendance during Weeks 35 to 48 was 848,988. Our team predicted that if Cinemex chose to not use the 2-for-1 promotion, attendance would have been 690,910. This is a difference of 239,078. The actual average ticket price for Block 5 was $15.20. Our team assumed that the average ticket price would have remained roughly the same in Block 5 as it had been in Blocks 2, 3, and 4 had Cinemex not chosen to do the 2-for-1 promotion. The average ticket price for Block 5, therefore, would have been the same as the average ticket price for Blocks 2, 3 and 4, or $20.88. This results in actual ticket revenue of $12,908,555 versus predicted revenue of $12,734,921. The 2-for-1 promotion improved ticket revenue by $173,634.h) Extending the analysis from the previous question, provide an estimate of Cinemexs demand elasticity (with respect to its own price) for Wednesdays. Extending the analysis from Part G, two points on the D1 demand curve have been established and the elasticity (within the 2-for-1 market) can now be estimated for Wednesdays. At the $15.20 ticket price, elasticity is -0.75. This represents a relatively inelastic demand and Cinemex should increase price. Demand Elasticity Estimate Cinemex Block 5 Attendance Block 5 Attendance Cinemex Not Using 2-for-1 Cinemex using 2-for-1 Attendance 43565 60642 Price $20.88 $15.20 Elasticity -0.75 The equation for the 2001 Cinemex Demand Curve is: , or, in other words, . Knowing that ; we can determine elasticity at any point of the curve. Taking the derivative of the Demand curve gives us: ; and so the elasticity equation becomes: ; for any point along the demand curve. Bottom line: Was Heyman right to match the 2-for-1 pricing? Discuss Our team believes that Cinemex should not introduce yearly 2-for-1 pricing. As illustrated in the chart below, our team developed a scoring system to determine which pricing strategy would be most effective. Cinemex Employs 2-for-1 Deal 2-for-1 customer Regular customer 20.43% 79.57% Revenue Ticket Price $15.20 $15.20 Concession Per Person $10.00 $13.96 Other Revenue Per Person $0.20 $0.24 Total Revenue $25.40 $29.40 Expenses Concession Expense Per Person $2.70 $3.77 Payroll Per Person $3.82 $3.82 Supplies Per Person $3.18 $3.18 Occupancy Expense Per Person $6.10 $6.10 Total Expenses $15.80 $16.87 Total Income Per Person $9.60 $12.53 Weighted Average $11.93 x20.43% Attendance Growth Final Score $14.37 The following assumptions were made: We took year 2000 actual attendance for Block 5, multiplied by the expected growth rate of 1.09, and arrived at 50,353. From here, we saw the actual attendance in 2001, when Cinemex did match prices, to be 60,642. This is an increase of 20.43%. Therefore, on average, we expect a 20.43% increase in attendance as a result of the 2-for-1 promotion. This increase in customers would be made up of a stingier group of individuals. These individuals, instead of paying $13.96 on average for concessions, would pay $10.00. Also, the other revenue would drop by roughly the same proportion to $0.20. We found the average income per moviegoer and arrived at the weighted average of $11.93. Then, seeing as attendance increased by 20.43%, we arrived at a final score for this solution of 14.37. Finally, we assumed screen advertising would stay the same since Cinemex is now playing to more full theatres rather than half-empty theatres. Argument can also be made that scale could reduce per-ticket costs, but we did not believe the attendance boost was substantial enough for that. In contrast, had Cinemex not implemented 2-for-1 pricing, the final score would be higher, 18.51. Cinemex Does Not Employ 2-for-1 Deal Regular customer Income Ticket Price $21.18 Concession Per Person $13.96 Other Revenue Per Person $0.24 Total Revenue $35.38 Expenses Concession Expense Per Person $3.77 Payroll Per Person $3.82 Supplies Per Person $3.18 Occupancy Expense Per Person $6.10 Total Expenses $16.87 Total Income Per Person / Final Score $18.51 The final score here is 18.51, higher than 14.37. This is because Cinemex cant discriminate against the type of customer. By reducing the ticket price for all customers, it negatively impacts its box office revenues. 80% of the customers would have attended had prices not been reduced. Furthermore, our assumption that the growth will be fueled by stingier customers reduces concession stands sales. These factors combine to make it a money-losing proposal to offer 2-for-1 deals. If Cinemex could somehow strategically target certain Wednesdays or certain customers, the 2-for-1 proposal may be more viable. Overall, as it stands now, Cinemex should not offer a 2-for-1 deal for all Wednesdays.