Saturday, August 31, 2019

Grandparents Essay Essay

The bond between grandparents and their grandchildren is one that can never be broken and will always be cherished forever. They basically set up a bond as a parent would. They take care of them while their parents are at work, provide financial support, and providing much needed emotional support to make sure the children get the best childhood without stressing out which is bad for the brain and development. The presence of a grandparent helps stable a child throughout childhood and infancy giving that child support while the parents are not there. Research believes that an integration of the evolutionary, sociological, and economic accounts will be necessary to fully explain the impact grandparents have in their grandchildren’s development. Once the children have been exposed to the love and caring of grandparents they begin to treat them with isolation to help control what is to come with dealing with attachment. They are beginning to conduct disciplines to determine what it is grandparents do to prompt the development of their grandchildren.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Product Life Cycle Essay

Life Cycle Hats are a product that have become deeply incorporated in the American culture and lifestyle. In the United States, hats are nearly always present in everyday life, from sports events (i. e. baseball games) to the streets of New York where one might see people wearing hats as a fashion accessory in their everyday life. Today, there are a plethora of different styles and varieties of hats. For example, one can buy university hats, sports teams hats and even superhero hats, thus causing the hat industry grow everyday. In this paper, I will analyze the hat industry life cycle, specifically focusing on the â€Å"New Era† company, one of the most popular hat companies in the United States and worldwide. The New Era Cap Co. Inc. was founded in 1920 and was first known as E. Koch Cap Co. Their headquarters is located in Buffalo, New York, and the CEO of the company is a member of the Koch family – Mr. Cristopher H. Koch. The New Era Cap Co. has expanded globally into Canada in North America, Brazil in South America, Korea and Japan in Asia, and more than 40 countries in Europe. Even though hats are New Era’s biggest product, they also sell other products such as jackets, tees, hoodies and many cleaning kits and accessories for hats. New Era provides products for men, women and kids of all ages, and among their most famous hat lines are the MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL and College lines. New Era offers different styles of hats such as the â€Å"fitteds,† which have different sizes to fit varying head sizes, and also the â€Å"snapbacks,† which you can adjust to the size of your head. Target Markets New Era targets its products towards a younger crowd, usually sports fans, ranging from kids as young as 15 years old to people around 35 years of age. The reason New Era targets a younger market is because the hats are accessories generally used by younger people, and it is hard to find peoNple older than 35 years of age wearing hats on a daily basis. In addition, there are many rappers today that wear New Era hats in their music videos and at concerts. Furthermore, various athletes can be seen representing their sports teams via New Era hats. As a result, this causes younger people who look up to these musicians and athletes to want to wear New Era hats. Overall, New Era does a great job at targeting their marketing towards younger people. Today, the United States is the country with the biggest market which New Era sells its product to. Followed by the U. S. market is the European market, which is so large that it consists of more than 40 countries. However, both locally and globally, New Era always try to target the same type of crowd. An example that supports this statement comes from Brazil. In Brazil, New Era is already beginning to produce hats representing popular Brazilian soccer teams, which is exactly what the Brazilian sports fans want. The 4 Ps While New Era’s main product is undoubtedly their headwear products, the company also manufactures apparel products such as tees, jackets, hoodies, belts and also cleaning kits for hats, which only adds value to their products. While most of their headwear products are made with sports teams logos on the front, their apparel products focuses more on the New Era Brand rather than sports teams. Many of their t-shirts present the New Era logo on the front instead of teams logos, which is similar with their hoodies and belts. The cleaning kits for hats is a superb deal for New Era because it causes customers to buy accessories that compliment their other products. The kit also keeps the customers happy because when hats get dirty, they definitely do not look nearly as attractive, so having a cleaning product at hand is very convenient. New Era’s prices range depends greatly on the hat style, as well as whether the product is a new arrival or whether it is a sales item. For new arrivals, the price generally ranges from U$25. 00 to U$50. 00. For the â€Å"snapback† styles (adjustable hats), the price can range from roughly U$20. 00 to U$40. 00. However, the fitted styles (ones that are made in different sizes) can range from U$10. 00 to U$50. 00. There is also a section of superhero hats that range from approximately U$20. 00 to U$50. 00. The hats labeled as â€Å"sales items† range from U$10. 00 to U$35. 00. In the United States, a great percentage of the New Era products are sold online on New Era’s website. The website is very easy and friendly to use, providing pictures of every single product available, making it extremely easy and convenient to purchase New Era products online. In the US, there are also specialized retail stores such as â€Å"LIDS† that strictly sell hats, with New Era being their most predominant brand. In countries like Brazil and countries in Europe, there is no specialized store like â€Å"LIDS,† but there are New Era hats being sold at stores specialized in sports. In these countries, New Era also runs their own retail stores where they have all of the same styles of hats than the ones available on the website, making them dream stores for hat lovers. Much of New Era’s promotion is done through sports events to target their main public. An example of that is the fact that New Era makes the hats of all Major League Baseball teams, while also holding over 200 licenses to make hats for other various sports teams. New Era also sponsors major events in the sports world, such as the 13th Annual Transworld Skateboarding Awards. Furthermore, in April of 2012, New Era became the official on-field hat provider for the National Football League (NFL). Ultimately, New Era focuses most of its marketing and promotion efforts towards sports events where they are most likely to reach all of their customers, as well as potential customers, at once. Product Life Cycle New Era Cap Co. Inc. has been around since the 1920s, and their product is in the maturity stage at the PLC. New Era already has an established brand worldwide and its sales and profits have reached a peak. Obviously, if New Era decides to open more global operations in South America or maybe Australia, they could make much more profits, but at the stage they are at right now, they reached maturity. The customers that purchase New Era hats today are the late majority, and even though New Era is always trying to come up with new designs and styles, the essence of the product remains the same. As it is normal in this stage, New Era spends a lot of its money and efforts towards marketing to try keeping the name of the brand growing and to attract more customers as well. As for competition, for a product that has reached its maturity as New Era hats have, there should be more competition than what they have today. New Era only faces serious competition from two companies today, as we are going to find out in the next section. Competition Although New Era is the leading hat company in the United States, there are other hat companies that compete against New Era for a bigger share in the market. The biggest competition New Era faces comes from the company Mitchell ; Ness Nostalgia Co. (known simply as Mitchell ; Ness) which is based in Philadelphia – PA. Mitchell ; Ness is actually older than New Era Cap Co. Inc. , as it was founded in 1904. However, differently than New Era, Mitchell ; Ness does not only focus its sales on hats, but also throwback jerseys, hats, tees, fleeces, and jackets. Mitchell ; Ness, however, competes head-to-head against New Era because it produces hats for NBA, NHL, NFL, and NCAA, essentially the same styles as New Era. The difference between the two is that New Era is more known for its fitted hats, while Mitchell ; Ness is more known for its snapback hats. New Era is also a much bigger company than Mitchell and Ness, with 1700 employees worldwide as compared to Mitchell ; Ness’ 200 employees in the US only. In terms of money, New Era’s revenue in 2007 was U$343. 7 million, while in 2012 Mitchell & Ness’s revenue was 30 million. The other strong competition New Era faces comes from a younger company called Zephyr Hats. Zephyr Hats was founded in 1993 and similarly to New Era, Zephyr hats only focuses on producing hats – nothing else. Zephyr, however is a much smaller company than both New Era or Mitchell ; Ness, and as of now they only produce hats for the NHL and NCAA schools. Also, Zephyr has a very strong commitment to its customers to deliver the best quality product they possibly can, and to serve the customers the best they can before anything else. It will still take a while for Zephyr Hats to expand as large as New Era or Mitchell ; Ness, but they are definitely on the right path towards achieving such a goal. New Era Cap Co. Inc. also faces competition against the black market. There are many fake New Era products being produced and sold around the world, proving to be a major challenge that the company has to face. With the ncreasing popularity of the brand, people try to take advantage of it by producing hats that bring the New Era logo, but that are not made by the real New Era Cap Co. Inc. Whereas some of these ‘fake’ hats may look very similar to the real ones, there are a couple of small defects on them that help to distinguish the fake hats from the real ones. Outside of the US, especially in developing countries like Brazil, th e black market problem is huge because people can buy â€Å"fake† hats for a lot cheaper than what they cost in the retail stores. Recommendations It is true that New Era Cap has made its name globally and seems to only be growing, despite its competition and other problems, such fake production of New Era Hats. However, there are many ways in which they can improve their brand name and keep the brand growing. New Era is very active in the sports scene (NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAA, Skateboarding, etc), and one way in which they could improve themselves as a brand would be to promote tournaments and competition that bring the New Era name. These events can include skateboarding competitions, street basketball tournaments, high school football tournaments, etc. This would help the name of the brand through supporting these sports and expanding their name to different groups of fans. New Era should also think about a solution to decrease the amount of fake New Era hats in the black market. One solution could be a promotion where every time someone purchases an authentic New Era Hat, they get a coupon with a number which they can enter on New Era’s website for the chance to win a prize (ex: 5 free New Era hats). Another promotion could be – â€Å"every 3 New Era Cap purchases, get 30% off the next purchase. This would give incentive to people to buy legitimate New Era Cap products, thus increasing their revenue, improving their name brand, and stopping the circulation of fake New Era in the black market. One other recommendation for New Era would be to pursue licences and contracts to start making hats for soccer clubs worldwide. Just like the hats they make for MLB and NFL, New Era could and should open their brand to the Premier League (England) and other European soccer leagues. Soccer leagues are known to have very devoted fans that would be more than willing to purchase merchandise, such as hats, if they were available in the market.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Jeep Grand Cherokee Essay

Jeep Grand Cherokee is an American car. This kind of cars is survivor’s favorite things in VALS types. Survivors live narrowly focused lives. They are accustomed to use their familiar things, can’t accept new things quickly. Therefore Jeep brand which has more than 70 years history and born for war can satisfy the sense of survivors’ security. At the same time, survivors are cautious customers. Just in time, the design philosophy of Jeep-safety, comfortable, power, meet their requirements. Jeep brand is their best choice. The price of brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee starts from 39,895 dollars, this price level is medium-high. It’s expensive, but the price is not higher than Mercedes-Benz SUVs and BMW X5. For this reason Jeep Grand Cherokee is not a rich status symbol. However Jeep Grand Cherokee absolutely present a kind of personal character, it’s a symbol of recalcitrant man. SUVs are trendy because of better vision, more capacious space. On this basis, Jeep Grand Cherokee obtain better fuel economy by using new V6 engine. Increased back space make it more suitable for family, through the change of interior atmosphere let Jeep Grand Cherokee has become home up. Still powerful cross-country performance and improve highway playability let it drive up full of fun. Grand Cherokee try to attract more people to choose as family car. Hence, if you want to have fun with family in weekend, you can’t miss this car.Jeep Grand Cherokee is not offbeat no matter on speed or safety, but it can find balance in both. Jeep Grand Cherokee is a domestic car. It’s more appropriate survivors who like familiar brand and proud of owning American car even products. 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee use headline for: You’ll need to find a different excuse for being late to work. This headline really attract office worker. This press Jeep Grand Cherokee is comfortable and has fun to drive. Comfortable is the other most important reason for choose American car. Grand Cherokee shows this characteristics of the incisively and vividly. The seat not only soft and comfortable, and let any shape people drive this big car can find the most suitable for their own driving posture. Jeep own a pure cross-country blood, this SUV retains its essence and enhance the characteristics of adapting road. This advertising didn’t use celebrity charm and use model. It’s just a  picture about Grand Cherokee run in snow. This picture foil masculine, at the same time correspond subtitle: When you enhance the legendary Jeep brand capability with a Selec-Terrain system, snow doesn’t stand a chance. This advertising posted on Reader magazines whose readers have own-opinion. Overall this advertising conveys adventure emotional approach and express it’s comfortable and has fun with driving. It’s impressive and attractive advertising.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Intellectual and Institutional Development of Globalization Research Paper

The Intellectual and Institutional Development of Globalization - Research Paper Example The states now share center stage with international entities like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization. Treaties among states create these international organizations. The WTO, World Bank, and the IMF have been main players in the formation and managing of the modern world economy. These financial institutions have become major targets of the anti-globalization bodies. They are resented and are seen as imposing Western capitalism on unstable states without monitoring the social impacts of their activities (Zweifel, 2006). There are concerns among many countries over their economic sovereignty. Sovereignty is defined as the complete and exclusive control of all people and property within a territory. Key aspects of power, be it political, ideological or economic must be focused within the nation-state. Globalization has challenged the pre-eminence of nation-state, the mounting presence, and increasing responsibilities of non-nation-state actors in overall governance. Economic power becomes decoupled from the nation-state and is, therefore, essential in the progress of 21st century universal control. Global organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank, and International Monetary Fund were developed to promote post-war reconstruction and economic development. Economically stable governments and corporations advocate for neoliberal policies and free-market solutions of international trade and debt-based finance. These are considered as the routes to poverty cutback support the functions of these organizations. Within the aggressive universal framework, third world nations are left with little choice other than to conform to the pre-set neoliberal program. Consequently, these states are often left with a weak economy and mounting debt. According to Peet (2003), the aim of International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to guard international fiscal stability, particularly by keeping a cap on inflation. This is achie ved through pressuring countries to limit public spending. Furthermore, it maintains fiscal stability by making disbursements to nations with balance of payment issues, stimulates growth and employment. Such countries are granted loans and credits to settle their debts and readjust the adopted economic policies so that they are not exposed to further financial crises in the future. Each year, the IMF sends economists to each of its member countries to assess individual nation’s economic condition. The economists examine macroeconomic conditions, exchange rate, monetary and fiscal policies, and other related policies, such as trade policy, labor policy, and social policy. The aim of this research is to give an external check on state’s fiscal decisions that might have an impact on the global economic system. WTO was formed in 1995 and acted as a forum for negotiating international trade agreements. Additionally, the organization aims to lower tariffs and non-tariffs bar riers in order to increase international trade. The World Bank original mandate is to provide long-term loans for reconstruction and fund multimillion-dollar infrastructure projects in developing countries. The loans are given in phases to make sure that the borrowing nations move forward with the development reforms. Loans are settled for long periods depending on the nature of the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Investing in Energy assignment 03 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Investing in Energy assignment 03 - Essay Example In a way I am an extension of my family’s ideals. My father built a stable life for us as best he could but things changed. I am now studying Finance with the help of my country’s support and trying to build a new kind of life where I am exposed to an entirely new set of ideals and beliefs every day. Where my family has been conservative and traditional, I believe that my generation is slightly more liberal minded and tries to think outside the box. I was born after great revolutions had already come and gone around the world. Growing up I saw the international media twist and turn; presidents were called to account for their offenses, countries were asked to shut down their nuclear programs, ties were strengthened with America and then protests broke out over those ties in the later years. I believe that the linear forces in my life i.e. the life style my parents tried to secure for me, my social status within society, education etc. helped me find my path. I could alw ays see money turning the world around which was what first attracted me to the field of finance. In terms of non-linear forces, I changed with the ever-changing world around me. I was introduced to new pop culture icons, politics and events taking place both within my country and globally. My peers brought about significant influences into my life.

Multimedia Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multimedia - Assignment Example The use of multimedia has become universal and has fully integrated in the field of education. An institution desires to modernize their induction tour with the latest technologies to enhance the experience for the newly inducted students and present a promising image of the college. Multimedia is also used in organizations for various purposes. Different types of technologies shall be discussed in the paper regarding their unique uses for organization. In the end, an effective solution will be proposed for the institution to incorporate technology in the induction tour. Task 1 2. Types of Multimedia used in Organizations 2.1 Promotion and Advertising Modern organizations have numerous platforms on which they can promote the image of their organizations. Most common use of multimedia is seen in the domain of promotion and advertising. The first step in this process is to define the audience that shall be aimed to be targeted with the promotional campaigns. Radio and television are am ong the conventional forms of multimedia used in the field of advertising. Radio tends to be cost effective as compared to TV and print ads. Internet technology has intervened in the lives of individuals to such a great extent that life cannot be perceived without it in the modern world. Organizations use the medium of internet to reach a larger set of audiences. According to Kawamoto; there are over 1 billion internet users worldwide. Advertisements and promotional campaigns are run on social networking sites, search engines and company owned websites. Another good approach to promote the name of the company is to make a profile for the company on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Current campaigns and latest promotions can be advertised through these profiles. 2.2 Digital Poster Digital posters are defined as the displays that are electronically updated with respect to the content provided by the organizations. They facilitate fast and convenient updates of information therefore more information can be communicated to the audience than flat posters. They are more eye-catching as they can be incorporated with sound and video to enable a more effective delivery of message to the recipient. 2.3 Virtual Tours A virtual tour is defined as the simulation of any place which is created by the accumulation of numerous videos and snapshots. Virtual tours allow the creator to communicate the floor plan and interiors of any location to a person who might be residing thousands of miles away from that place. This type of multimedia can help any business communicate their services to their customers; this experience gives an opportunity to the customers to evaluate the quality of the service. For example, hotels advertise their rooms, spa locations and dining areas with the aid of virtual tours. Hospitals might use the same medium to communicate their medical facilities to the audiences. Real estate agencies use this type of multimedia to show the interiors, neighbourhood and location of premises. Figure 1: Screenshot of a virtual tour of a hotel (Interactive virtual tours for estate agents, hotels, business, bars and restaurants) 2.4 Education and Training This concept of acquiring education and training by means of multimedia is known as ‘computer based learning’ or ‘computer based teaching’. Businesses have adapted multimedia technologies to provide

Monday, August 26, 2019

Phosgene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Phosgene - Essay Example At temperatures above 250oC, phosgene decomposes to mixtures of carbon monoxide (CO), chlorine gas (Cl2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Owing to its low boiling point of 7.56oC, it is very volatile and non persistent. "It may remain for long periods of time in trenches and other low lying areas" (Federation of American Scientists, 2007). Phosgene smells of newly mown hay, at room temperature. It is soluble in fatty oils and organic solvents. Its odor threshold is 0.12-5.7 ppm. And its Permissible Exposure Limit Threshold Limit value (by volume in air) is 0.1 ppm (American Chemistry Council, 2002). Physical properties of Phosgene are given below: Phosgene hydrolyses slowly in water and releases hydrochloric acid and carbon dioxide. Phosgene reacts easily with caustic solution and even more so with ammonia and ammonia water. Phosgene produces hazardous chemical reactions with certain substances. Powdered aluminum burns in the presence of the vapor of phosgene. Phosgene also reacts with alcohols. For example, with 2,4-Hexadiyne-1,6-diol, phosgene produces a shock sensitive compound 2,4-hexadiyne-1,6-bischloroformate. It also produces hazardous products on reaction with secondary amines. When phosgene is mixed with potassium and subjected to shock, it explodes (American Chemistry Council, 2002). Phosgene is a highly dangerous pulmonary toxicant. ... erg/mol cm Solubility Parameter Dipole Moment Van der Waals Volume Van der Waals Area 5.64E+04 1.16919 34.9 5.20E+09 (erg/cm3)A1/2 Debye (D) cm3/mol cm2/mol Refractive Index Flash Point Upper Flammability Limit Lower Flammability 1.35609 Unknown Unknown Unknown C vol% in air vol% in air Upper Flammability Temperature Lower Flammability Temperature Auto-Ignition Temperature Unknown Unknown Unknown C C C Density Vapor Density Vapor Pressure 1.38 (20oC) 3.4 365 (-10oC) 555 (0oC) 1173 (20oC) g/cm3 mmhg LC50 5 ppm/1h Phosgene hydrolyses slowly in water and releases hydrochloric acid and carbon dioxide. Phosgene reacts easily with caustic solution and even more so with ammonia and ammonia water. Phosgene produces hazardous chemical reactions with certain substances. Powdered aluminum burns in the presence of the vapor of phosgene. Phosgene also reacts with alcohols. For example, with 2,4-Hexadiyne-1,6-diol, phosgene produces a shock sensitive compound 2,4-hexadiyne-1,6-bischloroformate. It also produces hazardous products on reaction with secondary amines. When phosgene is mixed with potassium and subjected to shock, it explodes (American Chemistry Council, 2002). Mechanism of Injury Phosgene is a highly dangerous pulmonary toxicant. Its exposure may not produce any symptoms for a long time, and by the time symptoms are detected it usually results in fatalities. Its exposure produces massive pulmonary edema. The routes of exposure to phosgene are inhalation, and skin/eye contact. Inhalation: This is the major route of phosgene exposure. Since it is hard to detect the odor, there may be prolonged asymptomatic exposures. Phosgene also causes asphyxiation in poorly ventilated places, since it is heavier than air at temperatures above 8oC (American Chemistry

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Discussion LIGHTING DESIGN Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion LIGHTING DESIGN - Assignment Example ts, because in the movies, every actor gets a chance for retake and correct the mistakes during the retake, but in the plays actors do not get the chance for retake. Quality lighting can assist in hiding the mistakes of the character of the play and produce an optimistic impact among the audiences mind. I agree with this assertion that lighting design can change the atmosphere as well as mood of the audiences. The intensity of lights, color and movement of lights helps in creating a visual magic. To support my answer, I have presented some examples about the assertion. In this regard, play, can be regarded as best example wherein the views, comments and different kinds of interpretations are expressed in a brilliant manner with the help of lighting design. Lighting design highlights the change in the atmosphere from gloomy to interesting. Changing of lighting not only give focus light to the actor of the play, side by side give various lights according to storytelling to signify the importance of the play. In the play, â€Å"Oedipus the king† there are only two main characters. Each character has taken the play to another level with the support of various types of lighting design to create drama and emotions among the mind of audience. Therefore it can be asserted that, corr ect lighting and design can chance the moods as well as environment of the play to a considerable

Saturday, August 24, 2019

What is the reason behind the success of Open Source Essay

What is the reason behind the success of Open Source - Essay Example For software to become popular there is need to have a large pool of users. Many users ensure that the software penetrates communities at a higher momentum which in turn creates a snowball effect. Open source software needs also to be compatible with the end users’ needs. It is important to note that consumers of software products need to be protected to a certain degree by developers. However, this liability is not that tight in open source programs. An example is Linux which comes with no warranty or liability clauses and consumers are forced at times to stay with their problems. This reduced obligation by the corporate in respect to functionality or failures of the system makes many engage in open source development. Again in the corporate scenario there are time limits within which problems need to be fixed in case of failures. Open source developers usually save on cost in this respect by having another party make changes or offer support at a small fee. An example of thi s arrangement is Linux and Red Hut. Licensing of open source receives relaxed regulations for example from Free Software Foundation. These regulations make it possible to integrate technical support from a pool of experts. Therefore, for an open source to be adopted by many, programmers are supposed to integrate their resources in bridging the gap of consumer needs. Source Management There is a great deal of difference when an individual develops software and when a pool of programmers develops the same. One person is highly likely to overlook many aspects that are necessary in making the software compatible with the needs of the end user. It is however a challenge to have many developers scattered all over the world doing parallel jobs but it is even worse when there are many development streams involved. This is the case with Linux where the support team is required to deal with various end user preferences all at the same time. In software development and fixing of bugs one chang e can lead to changes in many other segments of the system. This problem has however been simplified in the last decade or so owing to the availability of high speed internet connectivity at low cost for example the AOL (Rehman & Carleton University, 2006). This makes testing of changes faster and efficient. In overall, the free or low cost connection coupled with high speeds provide for the execution of real time changes. This in turn promotes usage and access for many people; both end users and programmers from around the world. Development Environment In developing open source three things are necessary; network, software and the hardware. It is a fact that more people today are able to access internet at the comfort of their homes than it was the case a decade ago. It is however important to note that programmers mostly require high speeds to do their job efficiently. Cable internet in many countries and expanded bandwidth per user, especially at home have hugely increased the n umber of developers. These two factors act as motivators for programmers to take their time to develop software. The hardware on the other hand has changed over the years. Pentium III has been replaced by Pentium IV and now Duo Core machines are in the market. The hardware efficiency and capability to handle huge tasks are other factors to consider. Developers not only require high internet speeds but also high speed machines. There are pieces of software that are more complex than others therefore requiring high speed machines with big hard drive; all of which are possible nowadays. These current capabilities are in line with the increasing sophistication in integrating software development. However, Eclipse IDE is an example of a facilitator which enables programmers to use various operating systems (Rehman & Carleton University, 2006). Through this technology developers are able to scan libraries for materials with increased flexibility and ease. Such software

Friday, August 23, 2019

A policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get Annotated Bibliography

A policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get married should be introduced - Annotated Bibliography Example It underscores the fact that divorce is on the rise due to unpreparedness. This source is useful to the research topic because it shows that marriage may not work well without the necessary lessons on this institution. It also helps to show the challenges in life that make people opt for divorce. It is argued that people change every ten years in several aspects and this poses a challenge to their partners. This article therefore adds a lot significance to the research topic as it shows that indeed it important for people to be taken through marriage classes before getting married. This source reviews what it means to get into marriage. It outlines the challenges that marriage presents and what it means financially if a couple goes for a divorce. It also outlines the legal repercussions of perpetrators of domestic violence. It helps a reader to have a preview of what marriage is. Getting to know some of these facts may lead to a change in decision on who to marry or getting married to. It also adds much significance to the research topic because it exactly supports the topic. It advocates for marriage class sessions before getting married and attaches a financial incentive to those who attend these classes. The fact that this article gives the views of the Florida Supreme Court on the significance of marriage classes before marriage shows how important this topic is. This article contains details and a procedure to be following for those wishing to get married in the state of Florida. Among the requirements at the state of Florida before one gets married is that he or she has to read the Family Law Handbook. Applicants are also required to attend marriage classes and are given financial incentives for that. This article shows the significance with which marriage counseling is viewed in the state of Florida. In my paper, I

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Trader Joes Essay Example for Free

Trader Joes Essay After observing that consumers are more likely to try new things when they are on vacation, he turned his store into an â€Å"oases† with a marine theme and cheerful employees wearing Hawaiian shirts. Trader Joe’s is differentiated with their innovative, one-of-a-kind foods priced well below their competitors. Trader Joe’s has an obligation to their employees, customers, and the community. To start off, Trader Joe’s has an obligation to their employees, and employees have certain expectations about their job concerning the job itself, pay, benefits, promotion, co-workers, and supervision. Employees expect, or at least hope for, a pleasant work environment, reasonable compensation, benefits such as insurance, opportunities for advancement, friendly co-workers, and guidance when they need it and respect from their supervisors. Trader Joe’s seems to meet their employee expectations. They are surrounded by an exciting, friendly, fun, and happy environment every day. They earn significantly more than employees at other grocery chains with managers making at least around $120,000 per year. Their starting benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, company-paid retirement, paid vacation, and a 10% employee discount. There are opportunities for advancement as they hire managers only from within the company. They even have their own university, Trader Joe’s University, where their future leaders enroll in training programs to ensure they will be able to meet company and customer expectations. The university also teaches them to instill the Trader Joe’s attitude. Management spends their days on the floor with their crew and customers instead of in an office with the door closed. Trader Joe’s fulfills their obligations to their employees. Trader Jos’s also has an obligation to their customers, and customers also have certain expectations, such as, reasonable prices, availability of stock, correct information about products, a pleasant shopping environment and experience, and friendly and helpful employees. Customers definitely receive an enjoyable shopping experience from the theme to the employees. They have even come to expect a customer-focused attitude specifically from Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s highlights â€Å"soft skills† as much as the actual retail experience. The employees are friendly, are customer involved, and have high product knowledge. The employees taste and learn about the products, share their experiences, and take the time to locate and recommend products. Trader Joe’s also has a philosophy of â€Å"every penny we save is a penny you save. † They focus on natural ingredient, buy directly from suppliers whenever possible, buy in volume, contract early, do not give their suppliers a fee for putting items on the shelf, and drop items that don’t pull weight to keep costs down. Their CEO does not even have a secretary to cut every possible cost so they can offer lower prices. They limit their stock while selling twice as much as other supermarkets by selling high quality products at lower prices. Trader Joe’s says, â€Å"Giving people too much choice can result in paralysis†¦the more options you offer, the less likely people are to choose any. † Trader Joe’s then has an obligation to the community, and the community has certain expectations of Trader Joe’s. They have an obligation to the community to be responsible, abide by rules and regulations, proved accurate information, provide safe products, and respect environmental concerns. They seem to be fulfilling their obligations to the community, but in 2010, Trader Joe’s was found selling 15 out of 22 red-list seafoods, those that are overfished and need to be conserved for their survival. This raised high concerns. They were quick to respond with a promise to remove the red-listed seafood, to improve product labeling with more accurate information about seafood products, and to only offer sustainable seafood in all formats by the end of 2012. They started using the Seafood Watch list to focus their product development and other third-party, science-based information to help with their goals. They are responding to customer concerns and feedback to fit customer needs of food safety and taste and environmental concerns. Trader Joe’s did break obligations to the community, but they are confronting the situation and responding to concerns to fix the problem. If they keep their promise they can return to fulfilling all their obligations. Any obligation to the community is also an obligation to their customers. Aside from the seafood situation, Trader Joe’s fulfills their obligations to their customers. If they fix the seafood situation and keep their end of 2012 promise, their customers will probably forgive and trust them. However, they need to make sure they do not pass any of the cost of their obligation to see through on their promise because this could then damage their reputation.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Amish and their ways Essay Example for Free

The Amish and their ways Essay There are many cultures around and have different view as we do. People are all different and no one is alike. We all perform different beliefs and ideas. One of these cultures are the Amish. They live a different way of life than what we do or as myself. The Amish way of life has many interesting concepts that may make them different from different cultures. Some may see the Amish as bad people but they are not and their way of living distant and makes them look stronger in todays society. The primary mode of subsistence of the Amish is Horticulturalist. They are farmers. They plant different crops every year depending on the time of year. The women help them with the farming and with the farming they feed themselves and most don’t depend on anything else other than what they grow on their lands. tillers of the soil and people of the land. When a young Amish couple gets married they are given a parcel of land by one of the fathers. This land is given so that the couple can get a head start on taking care of themselves and earning a living. The Amish people today do not use many modern day agriculture implements depending on the old ways to farm and harvest crops. The Amish have a patrilineal descent pattern, although they do incorporate the mothers maiden name as a childs middle name. This only confirms the fact that the Amish believe Christ is the head of man and man is the head of women. Women’s descent lines are in no way ignored, they are just less emphasized. The (male) father is the individual who possesses the most authority within the Amish family. Inheritances are often passed down through the male side of the family. Sons are more likely to gain property than daughters, and it is typically the younger siblings who receive the inheritance. The Amish naming patterns are the most similar to the Iroquois and Inuit kinship systems naming patterns. They include the same names for nuclear family, although in the Amish culture the mothers sister is called Aunt and not mother as well.The Amish go through three stages of childhood. These can be classified as the little people, the scholars and the young people. The little people include children below school age, the scholars include people who are in school and the young people include those who are 15 years or older who are exploring themselves at social events like youth groups before marriage. With age comes social power and according to the Amish wisdom is based on age and experience rather than the level of education obtained or scientific knowledge. Most Amish people get married between the ages of 22 and 25 on a Tuesday or Thursday and divorce is rare. By the age of 45, the Amish woman has 7.1 children and this is largely based on the fact that the Amish do not view birth control as a permissible medication to use. Marriages and church services take place in the homes of the older Amish communities and the more liberal Amish people have church services in church buildings. Sometimes extended family will all live on the same farm and couples will retire so that their children can take over the farm. Men are seen as the head of the house hold and are often treated with more respect than the women. The main functions of the Amish families are procreation, nurture and socialization. Certain loyalties towards family members exist not only in childhood but throughout life. It is the mans duty to find another Amish woman to be his mate. His selection of possible wives is limited but can extend to other Amish communities other than his own. The Amish have limited contact with other communities because of the fact that they do not rely on technology such as the internet and telephone. Therefore most marriages occur within the same communities. Many mates meet at singings, where the boys sit on one side of the table and the girls on the other. Girlfriends and boyfriends do not often refer to each other by their first names and instead refer to them as he or she. Families are patriarchic and monogamous with the father being the head of the house hold. The wife is supposed to be obedient to her husband but first and for most she is supposed to be faithful to god and there are no grounds for a divorce. The wife has a purse that is controlled by her husband who gives her money for house hold items and clothing as needed. Arguments among couples often go unnoticed or with silence. Children are seen as sinless as they are believed not to know the difference between right and wrong and it is the parent’s responsibility to teach the children these things. In terms of laws and rights the Amish are essentially egalitarian. The lines between each social status are very blurred, and although women’s voices are less heard their votes still count equally to the votes of men. The Amish do not have an established government. Social power comes from the ministers and church officials. The Amish culture does not identify with a political structure. The church leaders have more of an influence over the people than any political power does. Laws used throughout the rest of the United States are also enforced in the Amish counties of the Northeastern United States. Punishment in the Amish culture is excommunication from the church and or banning from the community and from communicating with friends and family still in the community. Gender roles play a large part in Amish communities. From a young age, the Amish are taught the roles of males and females. The Amish take their beliefs from the bible. This is how the concept of gender roles came about in their society. Amish women are expected to cover their hair to show submission. They are expected to honor and support their husbands. In Amish communities, the males are the leaders and the ones who make the decisions for the entire community. The women are expected to take care of the family and maintain the house. Women generally do not have jobs outside of the home. However, young women are usually schoolteachers. Once there are small children in the home however, it is difficult for women to have outside jobs. The role of women and men differ in mainstream society. Today, their roles have moved to become more equal. Men will help with the housework and women often have full-time jobs helping to support their families. Because of their religious beliefs, the Amish still separate male and female roles. Although I may disagree about some of their ideas, I can understand why the Amish’s view of gender works in their communities. They have lived this way for a number of years and they seem to accept their roles well. Even though it appears that women are inferior to men, women are also free of some social pressures common in mainstream society. Amish women do not accentuate their physical appearances. They do not wear make-up or modify their appearances in any way. This is hardly the case in mainstream society. Despite these seemingly strict gender roles, the boundaries can be crossed. For example, if there is a lot of work to do, the women may help with the field work, and sometimes the men will help with the household chores. The Amish seem to be content with how their communities are run. The Amish people of modern day America are no different as this unique subculture strives to cure the sick and diseased within the realm of community accepted means. By taking a detailed look at the methods utilized by the Amish to cure sickness and disease, one will come to appreciate the role culture plays in establishing medical treatment as well as the importance of health matters in Amish society. One of the most common and historically based methods for curing the sick and diseased in Amish society is through the use of folk remedies. Folk or house remedies as it is often termed, have their roots in the Germanic ancestry of the Amish. Oral tradition has maintained a basic knowledge of various teas, powders, liniments, and foods used in Amish folk remedies for hundreds of years. Another application used to cure the sick and diseased also has its roots in the German ancestry of the Amish. Powwowing, also called sympathy curing, is often applied to cure the sick of the community in conjunction with various home remedies. The Amish seek help from the medical establishment in nearby villages, towns, and cities when it is needed. Although there is an absence of any type of restriction in the Amish lifestyle pertaining to the use of the medical establishment, many are reluctant to seek professional medical care unless it is absolutely necessary. This stems from several reasons, one of which is the avoidance of the world, a strong Amish belief previously mentioned. Another reason is the high cost of medical treatment as the Amish do not believe in carrying health insurance. Having health insurance would be seen as associating with the world and therefore detrimental to the Amish faith. The Amish history shows us that living the way they have, is not easy. They have been able to almost completely separate themselves from the rest of society. Although they may have had to give in to some of the progressive ways of America, they remain a small jewel inside of a large country. There are very few people who live such a slow-paced, simple life as do the Amish. Maybe our society should take a closer look at the Amish and learn a few life lessons from them. Reflecting on the Amish could help us understand many problems that our own society faces every day. References 2009 The Amish. Electronic document, http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/Christianity/subdivisions/Amish_1.shtml Stevick, Richard A. 2007. Growing Up Amish. The Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 72, No. 5 (Oct., 1970), The Journal of Economic History, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Jun., 1993), Hostetler, John A. Amish Society. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore and London, 1993. Kraybill, Donald B. The Riddle of Amish Culture. Rev. ed.: Baltimore, Md.; London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Sociology for social work

Sociology for social work Sociology offers some important social theories, which provide explanations and critiques of human behaviour, social actions and interactions as well as the institutions and the structures of society. The fact that social work is concerned with social change and problem solving is precisely why sociology is important to social work. Nowadays social workers are expected to write their reports in a coherent way, justifying it using theory and research. In this essay I am going to contrast two different sociological theories to the case study of Mrs. B. This will give me the chance to better understand the usefulness of the sociological theories to the Social work profession. For the purpose of this essay I have selected to apply Functionalism theory (macro) and Symbolic Interactionism (micro) approach the Labelling theory. In the first section of this essay I will discuss the Functionalist theory, its application to the case, the limits of this theory when looking at the case of Ms B a nd contrasting it to the other theory I will go on to the second part of this essay where I will be applying the Lebelling theory from the Symbolic Interactionism approach I will then go on and do the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Functionalism views society made up from numerous interconnected parts which together form a system. The basic part of this breakdown is the society, and its variety of parts can be understood in terms of their collective relationship. In the initial stages of this theory Functionalism drew comparisons between society and the human body. Mainly this comparison existed since they viewed society operating in theoretically the same way as the organisms in the human body. Therefore, for one to understand the function of an organ, such as the heart or lungs, it is essential to understand its relationship with the other organs in the human body and especially its contribution towards the maintaining of the organism. Thus, they argued that for one to understand the function of society, an examination and analysis is required in order to determine its relationship with the other parts of society, and most importantly, its contribution to the maintenance of society. For example, in Mrs B case a functionalist analysis to her situation would consider the behaviour of Mrs B as deviant, because it is preventing her from participating in society. She is seen as unable to fulfil her role as a mother and her social interactions are affected. Supposing that she has permit to work it would be unable to find or maintain a job due to her deviant behaviour. Functionalists would consider this as a â€Å"faulty socialisation†. Further more functionalism would view this situation as costing to society therefore not contributing to the maintenance of the society functioning. According to Emile Durkheim (1895), the founder of Functionalism, crime and deviance are normal and necessary. Since they are found in all societies functionalists argue that it is a form of social change, as through deviance the society would learn about the accepted behaviour. However, too much crime can bring on a state of Anomie Anomie, which is a state of normlessness in society. This arises when cultural goals and structural means of achieving those goals is unbalanced. The anomie state would result in conflicting the agreement of the functioning of society. Durkheim described the state of anomie as (Giddens) ‘a feeling of aimlessness or despairtraditional moral controls and standards are largely broken downthis leaves many individuals in society feeling lack of meaning in their daily lives. (2007, P14) Durkheim (1895) suggested that the theory of Merton gives an idea of the individuals who have high expectations and are unable to fulfill them through structural means then ‘strain occurs. Robert Mertons (1938) ‘Strain theory modified the Durkheims ‘Anomie to refer to the strain put on individuals when accepted norms conflict with reality. Linking these to the case of Mrs B, her asspiration to enter paid employment does not coincide with her immigration status. Therefore this disparity between desires and fulfilment will be felt in deviant motivation. Therefore this could be the point where Mrs B feels the strain and as a result deviates from the societis norms. Agnew (1992) in Levinson (2002) shows how the strain theory can lead to other deviant adoptions. Agnew criticises the earlier strain theory and ‘generalises the concept to include all negative relations with others, rather than just the negative relations that are the result of striving from uneatable, but culturally mandated goals. (2002, P:1579). â€Å" It is not so much the unique quality no any single event but the cumulation of several stressful events within a relatively short time span that is consequential† (P:62-63) as cited in Levinson (2002). Mrs B has Agnew placed great importance to the feeling of ‘anger as he argued that ‘anger is the key emotion because it increases the individuals level of felt injury, creates a desire for retaliation/revenge, energizes the individual for action, and lowers inhibitions, in part because individuals believe that others will feel their aggression is justified (P:60) as cited in Levinson (2002)

Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbecks Use of Interchapters -- free essay w

The Use of Interchapters in The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath, is a narrative about the travel of the Joad family from Oklahoma to California. However, between many of the narrative chapters, Steinbeck inserts interchapters, which interrupt the flow of the narrative to provide the author's commentary. This technique is very effective because the interchapters create an image of the economic and social history that impact the story. They provide a broad picture of what is happening to the mass of migrants traveling to California on Route 66. Without the interchapters, the reader would be given a limited view of how life was for the migrants, and Stienbeck would not have been able to provide very effective commentary. Steinbeck uses some of the interchapters to set the tone and mood of the novel and to depict the life of the migrants that had to travel down Route 66 in the 1930's. For example, Steinbeck writes chapter seven using a newsreel technique. By using small pieces of spoken conversation, and half-thoughts, Steinbeck is able to create a mood of confusion and chaos. He creates an image of how the migrants were taken advantage of and gives the reader an impression of the hard times many of the migrants had to face. In addition, chapter five creates a clear image of the devastation that the farmers faced and their hatred for the "monster" bank. This interchapter allows the reader to experience the passion that the farmers have toward the land and the choices they had to make concerning betrayal of their own people. It presents the reader with a broad prospective of what is happening to the tenant farmers before ... ...the same position and because they know that they can depend on one another they realize the need of family and unity to get through hard times. Without interchapters that give Steinbeck's own commentary on the subjects, the novel would lack the social background that gives the reader insight into the lives of those affected by the Dust Bowl and would not allow the reader to feel sorrow for the migrants. The interchapters are very effective because they provide the reader with a clear image of what is happening physically, mentally, and emotionally to the migrants as they travel to California. Without the interchapters, the reader would not be able to fully understand the hardships these people faced and Stienbeck would not have been able to give his insightful commentary. Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbeck's Use of Interchapters -- free essay w The Use of Interchapters in The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath, is a narrative about the travel of the Joad family from Oklahoma to California. However, between many of the narrative chapters, Steinbeck inserts interchapters, which interrupt the flow of the narrative to provide the author's commentary. This technique is very effective because the interchapters create an image of the economic and social history that impact the story. They provide a broad picture of what is happening to the mass of migrants traveling to California on Route 66. Without the interchapters, the reader would be given a limited view of how life was for the migrants, and Stienbeck would not have been able to provide very effective commentary. Steinbeck uses some of the interchapters to set the tone and mood of the novel and to depict the life of the migrants that had to travel down Route 66 in the 1930's. For example, Steinbeck writes chapter seven using a newsreel technique. By using small pieces of spoken conversation, and half-thoughts, Steinbeck is able to create a mood of confusion and chaos. He creates an image of how the migrants were taken advantage of and gives the reader an impression of the hard times many of the migrants had to face. In addition, chapter five creates a clear image of the devastation that the farmers faced and their hatred for the "monster" bank. This interchapter allows the reader to experience the passion that the farmers have toward the land and the choices they had to make concerning betrayal of their own people. It presents the reader with a broad prospective of what is happening to the tenant farmers before ... ...the same position and because they know that they can depend on one another they realize the need of family and unity to get through hard times. Without interchapters that give Steinbeck's own commentary on the subjects, the novel would lack the social background that gives the reader insight into the lives of those affected by the Dust Bowl and would not allow the reader to feel sorrow for the migrants. The interchapters are very effective because they provide the reader with a clear image of what is happening physically, mentally, and emotionally to the migrants as they travel to California. Without the interchapters, the reader would not be able to fully understand the hardships these people faced and Stienbeck would not have been able to give his insightful commentary.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Civil War camp life (talking points) Essay examples -- essays research

Civil War Army Rations According to army regulations for camp rations, a Union soldier was entitled to receive daily: 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. of fresh or salt beef; 1 lb. of soft bread or flour 1 lb. of hard bread, or 1 lb. of cornmeal. Per every 100 rations there was issued; 1 peck of beans or peas; 10 lb. of rice or hominy; 10 lb. of green coffee, 8 lb. of roasted and ground coffee, or 1 lb. 8 oz of tea; 15 lb. of sugar; 1 lb. 4 oz of candles, 4 lb. of soap; 1 qt of molasses. The marching ration consisted of 1 lb. of hard bread, 3/4 lb. of salt pork or 1 1/4 lb. of fresh meat, plus the sugar, coffee, and salt. Coffee was the main staple of the Civil War soldier, usually drinking 3-4 QUARTS a day. The ration lacked variety but in general the complaints about starvation by the older soldiers was largely exaggerated. Confederate rations were largely the same, although because of logistical problems they were forced to reduce them. What the Army didn't give you, you got from a Sutler. There usually was a Sutler attached to the armies, and from them you could buy things like tobacco, candy, tinned meats, shoelaces, patent medicines, fried pies, and newspapers, albiet at an inflated rate, and usually not the highest quality of goods. CAMP LIFE:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The typical Civil War army camp was a place where the day would usually (when they weren't in battle) began at 5am, and after sleeping in an overcrowded tent with 20 or so other...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Pessimism in Thomas Hardy’s The Darkling Thrush Essay -- Darkling Thru

Pessimism in Thomas Hardy’s The Darkling Thrush Thomas Hardy’s writings are often imbued with pessimism, and his poem â€Å"The Darkling Thrush† is not an exception. Through the bleakness of the landscape, the narrator’s musings on the century’s finale, and the narrator’s reaction to the songbird, â€Å"The Darkling Thrush† reveals Hardy’s preoccupation with time, change, and remorse. Written in four octaves, â€Å"A Darkling Thrush† opens with a view of a desolate winter landscape. With â€Å"spectre-grey† frost covering everything in sight (line 2), all joyful colours and sounds are smothered with an intangible film of bleakness. This gloominess is not to be dispersed, for the imagery of â€Å"Winter’s dregs† suggests that there exists a residue of the year’s melancholy (3). The burden of the word â€Å"dregs† creates a caesura, and the heaviness of the poem is reinforced with alternating lines of iambic tetrameters and iambic trimeters. The tangled bine-stems that scored the sky (5) and â€Å"the land’s sharp features† (9) move the miasmal pessimism to a more sharply defined pain that is intensified with the alliteration in â€Å"his crypt the cloudy canopy† (11). The â€Å"bleak twigs overhead† (18) cast a sharp image of bars stretching across the sky, embracing the gloominess in Hardy†™s world. Reflecting the narrator’s sense of perceptions, the dreary landscape mirrors the narrator’s depression and projects his emotions into solid images. An occasional poem, â€Å"A Darkling Thrush† depicts the setting of one century and the birth of another through the narrator’s eyes. Leaning perhaps wearily on the coppice gate, the narrator observes how even the people that haunt the land like soulless wanderers (7) return to their homes where brightly shine their fires, a ... ...llest cause for hope. The thrush’s exuberance seeps into the narrator’s life for a brief moment, revealing to him a life lived to the fullest, yet the narrator remains unconvinced and melancholy. Submerging â€Å"The Darkling Thrush† in a dreary landscape devoid of life and colour, Thomas Hardy is able to weave pessimism into his work, providing a core of bleak emotions for his narrator, who sees no hope for the empty society he lives in. Even when he catches a glimpse of cheerfulness from an old thrush, the narrator declares his personal plight excluded from the possible causes of joy. With all signs of hope criticized as being absurd, Thomas Hardy’s â€Å"The Darkling Thrush† conveys a purely pessimistic view. Work Cited Hardy, Thomas, â€Å"The Darkling Thrush.† 1900. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 2000. 2: 1935-1936.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Review of Own Leadership Behaviour Essay

B Braun Medical Ltd is one of the worlds leading healthcare suppliers. Our company’s success can be attributed to its employee’s belief in the overall goal of the company and the dedication to achieve them. I work within the Supply Chain Customer Care Department as a Leader of the Emerald Prescription Service, a home delivery business supplying long or short term patients delivery off stoma and incontinence products to there home address. We are a dedicated, compassionate team consisting of six personnel, we look after approximately 2,000 patients who use our service around the UK. We as a team pride ourselves on the fact we are all cross trained and have the ability to undergo anyone’s role if required. I as a leader believe it is important for everyone in the team including myself to be able to carry out any of our procedures with confidence and ease. Various roles within our team are carried out daily in order to supply a slick pro-active service to our patients, which include regular telephone contact with the patients, monthly ordering to ensure they always have supply, contacting GP’s on there behalf to obtain there prescription to dispense there products. Offering hospital specialist stoma and urology nurses a dedicated telephone line so we are able to supply urgent stock to there patients, regular contact with our field based sales staff to communicate wins and falls in achievement and how to improve if something does go wrong. We are a compassionate team pod and have to be when dealing with people. I naturally sit in a democratic leadership model and have strengths which sit in this style, I am a motivated, supportive, calm self confident leader. I listen and communicate well using positive banter and body language. I will encourage idea’s from my team and I give praise and recognition on a good job done. I can adapt well to change and will try new things. Sometimes faced with office culture (tickle tackle) I can face this head on and any problems within my team are ironed out as soon as they occur. I can read a persons personality and situation well and will deal with whatever happens in an appropriate way. To support my theory on my democratic leadership style I carried out a questionnaire with my team please see appendix 1 attached. Our team constantly bring new ideas to the table and our business is in growth and in order to meet this growth we hold monthly meetings. These meetings have advantages and are interactive. They are great for instant feedback, the same information is outlined at the same time making it fair and avoids Chinese whispers. You can get an instant verification of understanding with a clear action plan in place before leaving the meeting and as we are currently looking at improving our procedures to meet business demands the meeting is a priceless tool! Minutes are also issued to backup any member who needs clarification. I also carry out one on ones with my team members a company procedure with yearly objectives set please see examples off these objectives in appendix two. We discuss achievements of these objectives and I give praise, feedback and guidance if required. This helps me to build a strong, flexible and highly effective team with mutual trust for one another.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Respond to differences of opinion and conflict constructively Essay

As a teaching assistant I am part of the wider team of teaching staff in a school. Everyone has different roles and responsibilities and this can sometimes lead to conflicts. On one occasion I was working with an EMA class doing role plays in a hall. It was the last lesson of the day and we were using the interactive white board. The after school film club was due to use the room straight after us and the coordinator was very annoyed that she was unable to come in and set up ahead of her class. She insisted that the EMA class use another space. While I could understand her frustration at being delayed I could also see the benefits to the EMA class of using the hall. It provided the children with opportunities to do exercises that couldn’t be done in standard classroom. I could also tell that they really enjoyed working in the space. The discussion between the teachers became slightly heated and I could see that there was tension. In order to resolve the conflict I suggested we carry out the activities that require the white board early so that the coordinator could come in towards the end of our lesson and set up the film. This solution was accepted by all. I felt I dealt with the situation constructively. Seek advice and support from relevant people when needed. As a teaching assistant I always seek advice on issues I am unsure of. If had a difference of opinion with another member of staff I would ask the teacher I worked with or different member of staff for advice. If was having difficulty with any of my responsibilities I would ask another member of staff to help and support me to ensure I was doing things correctly.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Qualitative & Quantitative Essay

Qualitative research focuses on gathering of mainly verbal data rather than measurements. Gathered information is then analyzed in an interpretative manner, subjective, impressionistic or even diagnostic. Here’s a more detailed point-by-point comparison between the two types of research: 1. Goal or Aim of the Research The primary aim of a Qualitative Research is to provide a complete, detailed description of the research topic. It is usually more exploratory in nature. Quantitative Research on the other hand focuses more in counting and classifying features and constructing statistical models and figures to explain what is observed. Read also: Aims of Research QualitativeQuantitative HypothesisBroadNarrow DescriptionWhole pictureFocused Type of ResearchExploratoryConclusive 2. Usage Qualitative Research is ideal for earlier phases of research projects while for the latter part of the research project, Quantitative Research is highly recommended. Quantitative Research provides the researcher a clearer picture of what to expect in his research compared to Qualitative Research. QualitativeQuantitative PhaseEarlyLate 3. Data Gathering Instrument The researcher serves as the primary data gathering instrument in Qualitative Research. Here, the researcher employs various data-gathering strategies, depending upon the thrust or approach of his research. Examples of data-gathering strategies used in Qualitative Research are individual in-depth interviews, structured and non-structured interviews, focus groups, narratives, content or documentary analysis, participant observation and archival research. On the other hand, Quantitative Research makes use of tools such as questionnaires, surveys, measurements and other equipment to collect numerical or measurable data. 4. Type of Data The presentation of data in a Qualitative Research is in the form of words (from interviews) and images (videos) or objects (such as artifacts). If you are conducting a Qualitative Research what will most likely appear in your discussion are figures in the form of graphs. However, if you are conducting a Quantitative Research, what will most likely appear in your discussion are tables containing data in the form of numbers and statistics. 5. Approach Qualitative Research is primarily subjective in approach as it seeks to understand human behavior and reasons that govern such behavior. Researchers have the tendency to become subjectively immersed in the subject matter in this type of research method. In Quantitative Research, researchers tend to remain objectively separated from the subject matter. This is because Quantitative Research is objective in approach in the sense that it only seeks precise measurements and analysis of target concepts to answer his inquiry. Read also: Qualitative research, Quantitative research Determining Which Method Should Be Used Debates have been ongoing, tackling which method is better than the other. The reason why this remains unresolved until now is that, each has its own strengths and weaknesses which actually vary depending upon the topic the researcher wants to discuss. This then leads us to the question â€Å"Which method should be used?† If your study aims to find out the answer to an inquiry through numerical evidence, then you should make use of the Quantitative Research. However, if in your study you wish to explain further why this particular event happened, or why this particular phenomenon is the case, then you should make use of Qualitative Research. Some studies make use of both Quantitative and Qualitative Research, letting the two complement each other. If your study aims to find out, for example, what the dominant human behavior is towards a particular object or event and at the same time aims to examine why this is the case, it is then ideal to make use of both methods.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Background and Motivation Essay

The terms â€Å"corporate blog† or â€Å"business blog† have appeared very often in both of newspapers and academic journals. Increasing attention has been paid in understanding this new phenomenon. According to the Investor Business Daily, â€Å"there are 45% USA’s largest public companies have corporate blogs. † (where is your citation – is this also Klosek? ) Business Week has proposed the following: â€Å"Corporate blog is a blog used by the company to reach some goals. It helps businesses communicate internally more cheaply and effectively than workflow management software and e-mails. † A corporate blog can be one of the more successful popular communication tools after the E-mail, ICQ and MSN. In 2006, Business Week Online issued that â€Å"A Weblog (or blog) can be a powerful marketing tool, but it can also expose a business to a legal minefield. † As reported by Jacqueline Klosek, â€Å"Blogs can be used to market a company’s products and services, facilitate communications with clients, and even counter negative publicity† (Klosek, 2006). Several studies have pointed out the advantages of employing corporate blogging, citing that corporate blogging may be a tool for search engine marketing; a means of building good relationships with the customer; building of a company’s reputation; helping to put human voice to a company; serving as a way for employees and customers to communicate; and a tool for directly and immediately getting the customer’s feedback. There are still many threats that may hinder the adoption of the corporate blog, such as legal impediments with regards to violation of intellectual property rights and mismanagement leading to an eventual downfall of the organization; the disclosure of trade secrets can jeopardize the blogger’s career since this problem may cause his termination from the position, and also â€Å"Careless statements posted on a company-sanctioned blog can come back to haunt the company through litigation and other avenues† Klosek (2006) stresses. Since the study and research in corporate blogging phenomenon is still in its early days, scholars who have conducted empirical studies only focus on the benefits and risks when adopting the corporate blog, or the motivation behind creating corporate blog. It’s lack of analyzing the existing utilization and the effects of corporate blog from a systematic theoretical perspective. the DOI theory (Rogers, 1995, 2003) becomes mature, it can be applied in explaining how and why an innovation can be widely adopted and diffused. In order to find out the reasons indicate why corporate blog as a new innovation has been widely adopted and successful diffused, the DOI theory can be an effective framework for analyzing corporate blogging phenomenon. Thus, this paper aims to determine why the corporate blog as a new innovation is being widely adopted and used by the both the individual blogger and various IT organizations; the motivation in adopting blogging; the benefits of the corporate blog to organizations; and the reasons for its success. The research also tries to explain how and why the corporate blog is welcomed and has become a popular and successful new innovation, and the compatibility of its utilization with the existing values of its users. Thus, the author has conducted an empirical study in order to answer these problems from the Diffusion of Innovation theory (DOI) perspective. IT industry companies have been selected as samples for this study.

Cement Industry

UAE is one of the prospering economies of the world whose per capital income is in par with some of the most developed nations of Europe. This is attributable to the oil revenues and the booming real estate market. This boom created a base for competition in the country market from different sectors like industrial sector especially mentioned the â€Å"Cement Industry†. Cement industry is fast growing due to the growing real estate market in the country and especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. At present, there are nine cement factories in United Arab Emirates and they produce 8. 5 million tons of cement every year. The emirate of Ras Al Khamah is the largest cement producer in United Arab Emirates. In our report, we studied the cement industry in UAE and analyzed them financially for the years from 2008 to 2010. Assuming that three main cement producers in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah will represent the whole cement market as they are the biggest cement producers according to the economic publications and their level of productions. The analysis included Union Cement Company (UCC), Gulf Cement Company (GCC) and Ras Al Khaima Cement Company (RAKCC). The choice of the companies based on the similarity of their core business and productions activities beside the fact that they all listed in Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange market (ADX) giving us the opportunity for fair comparison. Financial analysis for the companies based on their published annual financial reports in ADX has been conducted to check their financial performance for the years from 2008 to 2010. The analysis take in consideration the corporate governance mechanism conducted in each company to check the effectiveness of the corporate governance on their financial performance in the market. Assuming the average of the three companies will represent the market, an overall ranking of the best company in the market is conducted based on financial analysis ratios and their corporate governance mechanism implemnted.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Literature review on Nurse Prescribing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Literature review on Nurse Prescribing - Essay Example he basic rationale given as to why the inclusion of nurses was limited to health visitors and district nurses was that they could be identified from the Unitd Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting (UKCC) registry if they have completed further education from the time of registration (Jones 10). As of 2002, nurse prescribers number to approximately 22000 in the UK, and of this number, 300 are in Scotland (Bates 63). The main goal of nurse prescribing is to give the utmost benefit to the patients. It aims to provide more efficient and faster access to health care. The duties of nurses in relation to prescribing after undergoing training include prescribing pharmacy and general sales list medicines which are prescribed by General Practitioners, and prescribing prescription-only medicines or POMs associated with certain medical conditions. The role of the nurses in making prescribing decisions has responsibility tagged with it along with accountability. The nurses are both professionally and legally accountable wherein they have to be thoroughly knowledgeable on the products or medicines they are prescribing, when these over-the-counter products should be recommended, and when certain products should not be prescribed or recommended. The nurse’s working knowledge should be based on the circumstances of the patients including the current medications, current health status, past health or medical history, ample information and understanding of the products’ dosage, therapeutic action, interaction, and side effects, data on the alternatives to prescribing, and the frequency of use depending on the conditions (Courtenay and Butler 5). While prescribing entails more responsibility, competence and more learning aptitude for the nurses, and exposes them to more possible liabilities and patient complaints, not all medical professionals are open to the perceived benefits of nurse prescribing to the patients, doctors and the nurses

Monday, August 12, 2019

Contemporary art and Gabriel Orozco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contemporary art and Gabriel Orozco - Essay Example The paper "Contemporary art and Gabriel Orozco" discovers the Gabriel Orozco in the context of contemporary art. Gabriel art includes sculpture, photography, paint and videos for his artwork. Gabriel’s animals, insects and human body are the crucial subjects in his work. Gabriel started exhibiting his work in art in 1983 where he had solo exhibition in various museums such as Museum of Modern Art among others. He also participated in a variety of art exhibitions including Venice Biennale in Italy, Whitney Biennial as well as Documenta x. Gabriel is famous for his work such as yoghurt caps, working tables, black kites among others that have attracted numerous honors including the blue Orange prize in 2006 and a DAAD artist-in-residence grant in Berlin 1995. Maya Lin is another world re-owned American designer born in 1959. Maya is a well-known artist identified for her art in sculpture and landscape work. Maya’s work encompasses environmental installation, studio artwork , architectural work and memorials connect. Maya tries to depict the world using technological methods to illustrate the natural environment. She uses sculpture and drawings to balance the beauty concept by describing the connection between nature and humans. Maya is famous for her architect of Vietnam Memorial in Washington, which is one crucial public art in the century. Mayas artwork such as Pin River – Yangtze, where the land meets the sea has dominated solo exhibitions in museums for years connect. Maya’s strong connection to the environment.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Quantitative Market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quantitative Market - Research Paper Example From an earlier interview with a small sample of customers, the same reasons were identified as possible causes for the decline in turnover (Kothari, 2008). Design Question, Aim and Objectives Due to the declining returns for Films 4 You the current study aims at finding the exact cause of the problem to provide the management with a platform from which they can address the problem. In the last 24 months, the company has witnessed a drastic decline in its return. This has resulted into a considerable concern among the stakeholders. The research design seeks to address the question of how to identify the actual cause of the decline from the two possible causes already identified. The objectives of the design are: a) To ascertain whether Films 4 you products do not match customer expectations b) to determine whether the decline in Films 4 You`s turnover arises from the fact that the competitors are attracting film 4 You customers. ... It will indicate the cause of the declining returns arising from the survey of the sample population. The design is likely to point to the failure in strategic management. a) Methodology Research Methods and Techniques Method is described as a systematic and sequentially organized approach, which is focused on data analysis in order to ensure that necessary information is generated from the data collected. The four main types of methods available to researchers include: Explicatory, Case-study, Survey, and Experimental Methods1. An experimental method is the main empirical method that would be considered in the course of this study. Research techniques are different though. They are â€Å"step-by-step procedures which you can follow in order to gather data, and analyze them for the information they contain†1. Such data may be gathered through qualitative or quantitative methods or from primary and secondary data depending on the research approach. This study will use quantitat ive research technique. Quantitative research methods were initially developed for use in natural sciences although they are now adopted and accepted for social sciences as well. They are research methods associated with number and any measurable thing, presenting the researcher with various numbers, which are presented in graphical forms, tabulations and statistics. Regression analysis will be used to analyze the relationship between the declines in Film 4 You returns against the two other variables that are: the quality of the products of the company measured in terms of meeting the customers` expectations and online rental DVD competitors winning away Film 4 You customers. Regression analysis is a statistical tool that can be employed to investigate the

Saturday, August 10, 2019

English - World Literature Oedipus Rex, Sophocles Essay

English - World Literature Oedipus Rex, Sophocles - Essay Example In the case of Oedipus Rex it will be that of â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear†, the classic components of tragedy as explicated in Aristotle’s Poetics. The task for the modern actor is to take an ancient story dealing with a society that has long since vanished and to make his character real to the audience. The tragedy of a man who unknowingly kills his own father, marries his mother and his children with her creates the kind of nightmarish situation that any audience member should be able to relate to. The task of the actor, and of the director who guides him, is to portray this tragic situation in a manner that makes it real to a modern audience. It is this type of guidance that will be explored in the imaginary letter immediately following. First of all John I would like to thank you for agreeing to take on one of the greatest, and also most challenging roles in all of drama. I am sure that the two of us, together with the rest of the cast and crew, will be able to bring this timeless story to our contemporary audience in a new and exciting manner. One of the challenges of this play, and of your role as Oedipus in particular, is that everyone knows the story in the audience. The audience all know that Oedipus has killed his father, not knowing what he has done, and everyone knows that he has subsequently married his own mother and had children with her. There is nothing â€Å"new† within this story. Our task will be to make the story new and as shocking as if the audience were seeing it for the first time without knowing what is about to occur. As an experienced actor you know that this â€Å"making new† is one of the central tasks in all of drama, especially in a play with as well-known a story as this one. I would like to take you few a few points in the play in which the â€Å"newness† of the situation is vital. The first point is at the very beginning of the play when you, as a young king, are faced with a dying city

Friday, August 9, 2019

The Veil in Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Veil in Islam - Research Paper Example Muslim women who strictly adhere to the requirement believe that it is an act of obedience to God and a stride towards freedom. In this regard, women’s freedom can be evaluated by their physical appearance rather than their intellect. The concept of veiling in Islam emanates from the need to maintain the association between the body and mind. It is often believed that covering the body is one way of shielding the heart from impurities. For that reason, men are admonished to avert their eyes from women, and subsequently, women are required to put on loose outer garments, and cover up their bosoms and heads (Hibri 8). Although the Holy Qur’an directs that women needs to veil themselves, the degree and style varies considerably depending on the situation. Veiling in Islam women is highly dependent on interpretation of various scriptures on the practice, culture, and personal preferences. According to chapter 33, verse 60 of the Qur’an, Allah says â€Å"O prophet! T ell your wives and your daughters, and women of the believers, that they should pull down upon them of their outer cloaks from their heads over their faces. That is more likely that they may thus be recognized and not molested†. There are two distinct interpretations of this scripture that has created two forms of veiling. In light of the instruction, some Muslim women choose to cover their heads while others choose to cover their faces. However, there are others who choose to adopt a compromised position of the two by covering their faces, only when they apply makeup (Ali 719). Majority of Muslim women veil themselves because of the need to uphold modesty, dignity, respect, and safeguard themselves from evils and harm. There are two fundamental parameters, which come from hadith or traditional reports, and Qur’an that guide the Islamic women dress code. The first parameter comes from Qur’an, and is indicated that a woman’s body should be covered in such a manner that only her feet, hands, and face are revealed, except under uncontrolled circumstances (Qur’an 24: 30-31). Additionally, women are required to put on loose clothing so that their body structure is not revealed. The second parameter come from hadith, and states that Muslim women should not put on clothing similar to that of men, or in a manner similar to those who do not believe God. This implies that their clothing should be simply modest, and not overly fancy or ragged. The traditional reports or hadiths presented a number of instances where women were admonished to cover up their nakedness. Scrutiny of the reports reveals that the definition of a woman’s nakedness is so wide and covers her entire body. Ibn Qudama in al-Mughni (1: 349) posited â€Å"all of the woman’s body is considered her nakedness† (Ali 412). In the Qur’an and the prophetic Sunna, there are some fundamental requirements that suggested the manner in which Muslim women are supposed to dress that includes; the extent of covering, thickness, looseness, color, appearance, and demeanor, variation from men’s clothing, variation from unbelievers clothing, and prohibition of ostentatious or vain dressing. Although modest dressing and hijab is mandated in the Qur’an, many Muslims dispute that it is not a strict condition, but simply a strong suggestion. Because of varied interpretations and cultural differences, many women in the Islamic world have adopted fashions of their country.

Health Systems and Healthcare Systems Coursework

Health Systems and Healthcare Systems - Coursework Example It left the rest of the underprivileged population either to pay for the healthcare services it sought or to go without health care (Newdick 1995, p. 42). Thereby, it became evident to the then Labor government that the people in the UK were being deprived of even the very basic health care because they simply could not afford to pay for it. Thereby, the guiding philosophy behind the envisagement of the National Health Service was to make healthcare more affordable and to assure that even the marginalized UK citizens got access to affordable healthcare. The thing that needs to be understood is that the coming into existence of the National Health Service in the UK was the outcome of a marked shift in the mindset of the policy-making individuals and institutions with regards to health care. For instance, the contrivance of NHS was guided by the emerging belief that health care happened to be a basic right and did not happen to be a luxury doled out as a matter of charity (Gormley 1999, P. 26). The ruling elites in the UK did come to the agreement that the existent health care system in the UK was in a state of abysmal mess and that a National Health Service was needed to replace this lackadaisical and biased system. The good thing was that the health care infrastructure created during the II World War did help a lot in the creation of a National Health Service in the UK (Gormley 1999). The emergency medical services and the healthcare infrastructure created during the II World War did help a lot in the creation of a pan UK National H ealth Service. The II World War had a cataclysmic impact on the governance in general and on the health care in particular. This planned upheaval did go a long way in the envisagement of a very democratic and egalitarian health care system in the UK.

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Citizen Kane ,the mise-en-scene and cinematography Essay

Citizen Kane ,the mise-en-scene and cinematography - Essay Example It is an anomaly though, that, though the film was nominated for 9 Oscar categories, it only won in one. (Jackson & Merlock, 2006) The only plausible rationale for this discrepancy between its legendary status and lack of formal recognition by the Academy is that the film was way ahead of its time. The film pioneered and engendered so many facets of the filmmaking process that it took several years for members of the Academy to warm up to its accomplishments. This essay will focus on the cinematography of the film and highlight how it contributes to and enhances the overall cinematic excellence. The opening sequence of the film shows the funeral of the iconic American media baron Charles Foster Kane in his isolated residence in the monumental Xanadu. What follows is a10 minute obituary in the form of a newsreel that encompasses all the key moments in the life of the great man. Beginning with his childhood in the rural American wilderness, the newsreel traces how much wealth and power Kane was able to acquire during his peak. This newsreel sequence is one of the most original and brilliant in the history of cinema. The serious yet authoritative voice of the newsreel narrator ebb and flow in-tune with the events of Charles Kane’s life. The intonation, irony and subtle humour of this voiceover is executed to perfection. Matching this aural perfection is the visuals, which are some of the best montages ever assembled. The pace of the montage arrangement is brisk and the shots are short and crisp. The sequencing of these shots adheres to a musical rhythm, which is again in tune with the rhythmic oration in the voiceover. What is striking about this montage is its visual display of power – either political or economic. The shots of elephants and horses airlifted to the private zoo in Xanadu are forever etched in the mind. It is difficult to lose the symbolism of power in air-lifting one of the biggest mammals in the planet. Likewise, the bird’s e ye view of the sprawling Xanadu is a visual illustration of Kane’s wealth. When the voiceover narrates how politically influential Kane was, his image is embedded into a standard German propaganda shot of Hitler waving to a crowd. This is one of the earlier implementation of morphing and overlapping two discrete visuals into one shot. In the context of the film, not only was it humorous but also serves to illustrate the kind of political influence that Charles Kane wielded in his pomp. One of the most referenced scenes in the movie, illustrating Welles' and cinematographer Gregg Toland's use of deep-focus photography is the one about the childhood of young Charles Foster Kane. So much has been its impact that, â€Å"After Citizen Kane Deep focus photography became widespread, especially in the so-called film noir films of the following decade. Welles' audaciously effective idea of combining miniatures with full scale settings in sweeping camera moves harkens back to 1930's T he Bat Whispers, photographed by Ray June, ASC for Roland West. The Kane visuals also have much in common with those of Mad Love (1935). It is evident that Toland originated some of the ideas that Welles utilized so perfectly, and that Walker and Dunn also influenced Welles. The collaboration of unit art director Perry Ferguson was even stronger than is usual between director, cinematographer and designer. Ferguson worked closely throughout with Welles in

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Dodge Ram Essay Example for Free

Dodge Ram Essay †¢ During an executive test drive just months before product launch, Daimler Chrysler officials declared a no-launch decision because of excessive vehicle vibration for the companys newly designed Dodge Ram Mega Cab 44 pickup. †¢ Cummins Inc. , manufacturer of the trucks diesel engine, immediately chartered a Six Sigma team and employed the DMAIC problem-solving process to diagnose and correct the factors leading to the high vibration levels. †¢ Through extensive testing, the Six Sigma team determined that by increasing the crankshaft counterweight radius, vibrations were significantly reduced. †¢ The Cummins team completed the DMAIC project in an extraordinary time frame — just over four months — resulting in a 16% reduction in vibration levels and a 100% increase in sales of the truck in the first year compared to sales projections. It was less than nine months before Daimler Chrysler launched its new 2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab 44 pickup when top company executives tested vehicle prototypes during a semi-annual executive ride-and-drive session. During the test drives, the automakers executives determined that excessive engine vibrations felt in the cab created a no-launch situation. The company then turned to Cummins Inc. , supplier of the vehicles 5. 9-liter turbo-diesel engine, looking to dramatically reduce the vibration levels—and quickly! Cummins, which already had a successful companywide Six Sigma program in place, immediately launched a Six Sigma project to tackle the vibration problem. Cummins Inc. deployed a Six Sigma team to reduce engine vibration just six months prior to the September 2005 launch of the new Dodge Ram Mega Cab 44 pickup. Recognizing consumer demand for better fuel economy and reduced emissions, both Toyota and Honda have introduced hybrid vehicles to the American market. Toyota introduced the Prius to the U. S. in 2000. Honda began selling the hybrid two-seater Insight in the U. S. in 1999. U. S. Sales in the hybrid vehicle industry have increased over 570 percent since model year 20001. Today, hybrid vehicles hold a 1% market share in the U. S. ,2 and there are three models of hybrid vehicles dominating the market: the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, and the Honda Civic Hybrid. The Toyota Prius Toyota’s initial marketing strategy for the Prius targeted innovators and early adopters of new technologies. * The 2000 â€Å"Prius/genius† campaign focused on highlighting Toyota’s commitment to creating environmentally responsible vehicles4 and on using online space to engage technophiles early on in the production process. Toyota enabled interested customers to visit a special website about Prius development as early as two years before the introduction of the product. Toyota used focus groups and clinics with target consumers to evaluate different aspects of the Prius. Toyota found that the consumers valued high technology, affordable price, clean operation, comfort, quality, convenient design, and safety. Toyota’s television and print ads underscored the evolutionary aspects of hybrid technology and freedom from dependence on oil. Toyota created online e-brochures with a 17-second video clip that were sent to the almost 44,000 people. 5 In addition, Toyota benefited from various celebrity endorsements that attracted attention to the new Prius.