Monday, September 30, 2019

Coca Cola Internal Analysis Essay

Executive Summary Coca-cola Company is leading manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of non alcoholic drinks in the United States of America and all over the world. It is a multinational Giant company that has market presence in almost all countries of the world. The company has also diversified from its initial soft drinks to manufacture fruit juices and other non-soda drinks. Its objective has been to maintain its global leadership in supply of beverages and other non-soda drinks through maintaining high quality production methods that ensure the name and products remain a household brand. Introduction Resource based view approach has been a method most managements have used to formulate their companies’ strategies (Barney, 1991). This is because Resource Based View regards a company’s internal environment rather than the external environment. The advantage of using internal environment as a source of strategy formulation is that the company is able to consider factors which are within its controls; which constitute its strengths and weaknesses (Connely, 2010). This paper presents an internal analysis of Coca cola Company with specific regard to the Economic value of the company, its resources and capabilities that make it distinct from other companies giving it competition through provision of similar soft drinks. Economic value Added In 2010, The Coca Cola Company posted an increase in revenues as compared to the previous year. The profits came to $6.48 billion. The cost of capital for Coca cola Company is estimated to be 8.7% and the capital totaled $72.929 billion. Ensuing is the EVA calculation for the company. Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT) – (capital * cost of capital) = 4.08 â₠¬â€œ (72.929*.087) billion. This comes to $0.2 billion. The company’s EVA comes to $0.2 billion. Coca cola Company Resources Being a global leader in production of beverages and soft drinks, Coca Cola Company has various resources that play a major role in every production stage to ensure that the production and delivery of its various product and subsequent client services are of high standards. The company has both tangible and intangible resources that help it in the various production stages and subsequent delivery of the products to the targeted consumers. Tangible resources The tangible resources include physical, human and Financial Resources. Coca Cola Company has many physical resources it possesses and manages. These physical resources include buildings and equipment. Coca cola has managed to construct buildings in almost all regions. The presence of self owned production plant means that the cost of production is maintained low. This enables the company to offer high quality products at low prices. The presence of self owned equipment ensures that the company does not lease or rent any equipment and thus managing to cost of production low. The company’s strong financial position ensures that it has stable financial resources to carry out the production process without major problems in terms of cash shortages. The positive cash flows usually ensure that a company has cash available for any activity that needs cash (Lawton, 2006). This position enables it to avoid unnecessary debt financing. The company also maintains a motivated work force. This has been a major force in driving its products into shelves and subsequently into the shopping lists of consumers. The company has highly invested in employee training and development as this is an important factor in ensuring that the workers involved in the production deliver a high quality work, and those that are concerned with marketing ensure that the products are bought by consumers. This has come through realization that the coca cola products do not fall under the necessity class but rather fall under impulse products. Intangible Resources The Company’s intangible resources include the technical resources, intellectual and goodwill. Coca cola company has for a long time enjoyed technical resources that have helped the company has technical expertise in production of some products that have been of great use fostering the company’s goals. The company has been able to come up with numerous flavors in their soft drinks such as such as , Orange flavor, Pineapple, black currant, lemon, Ginger and so on. These productions are a clear indication that the company has great expertise knowledge that it uses as an advantage of other companies offering similar products, the company also enjoys intellectual property of the brands that they provide. This is because once a company does research and development and comes up with a product, it has the option of p atenting that particular product thus maintaining the exclusive rights to supply that particular product (Edvinsson & Malone, 1997). The company has also enjoyed a goodwill and customer loyalty over a long period of time this has been an internal strength that it has used to its advantage since the coca Cola brand and its products have enjoyed an undying loyalty from consumers. The brand visibility of the company has also ensured that many people access the products really in time. Distinctive capabilities Coca Cola Company enjoys distinctive capabilities that enable it to carry out productions in a manner that is superior to other competitors. Distinctive capabilities that Coca Cola Company has are Innovation, reputation, and architecture. The company has been able to introduce new products into the market. This has been a major competitive edge over the competitors since they lack the innovation capability to come up varied new products. Its production methods and the ingredients mixture have remained a strong contributor to the unique and high quality products that have enabled the products enjoy a superior status over the competitors’. The company has also managed to command strong reputation in relation to its competitors. This reputation has earned it goodwill and ensured that it remains a favorite brand among the consumers. The company’s architecture plans ensure that the company daily running is congruent with the objectives. The company has instituted a structure system where it outsources product distribution from individual distributors and this has enabled it to manage its operations without dealing with many market dynamics. Conclusion An analysis of the Coca Cola Company’s internal analysis through considering the Resource based View provides insightful knowledge on the company’s management practices with regard to strategy formulation using the internal environment approach. The company should therefore keenly look into the areas of internal environment as this is where much strategy formulation ought to originate. The company will continue to be a global leader in supply of non-alcoholic beverages because it has successfully employed the use of its internal analysis to formulate successful strategy. It will however have to improve on its sluggish performance in northern America which is its major market. The internal resources and capabilities of Coca-cola Company will continue to provide a secure foundation for formulation of long term strategy and ensure it maintains a strong reputation. Rerences Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management , 99-120. Comeford, R., & Callaghan, d. (2011). Environmental, industry, and internal analysis. London: Prentice Hall. Connely, D. (2010). Strategy for Internal Environment. Power point presentation. Edvinsson, L., & Malone, S. (1997). Intellectual Capital:Realizing Your Company’s True Value by Finding its Hidden Brainpower. New York: Harper Business. Henry, A. (2007). The Internal Environment of an Organization. London: Oxford University Press. Lawton, K. (2006). Swot analysis: A management Strategic Success Tool. New York: Cambridge. Szulanski, G. (1996). Exploring Internal Stickiness:Impediments to the Transfer of Best Practices within the Firm. Strategic Management Journal , 27-44. Zahorsky, D. (2009). A business owner’s Secret Weapon: Swot analysis. New Jersey: Mc Graw Hill.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Comment on how Baz Luhrmann uses video Essay

â€Å"Romeo and Juliet,† is a play written by William Shakespeare in the late sixteenth century â€Å"in fair Verona. † This is an ultimate love story between the only children of two powerful enemies â€Å", both alike in dignity†¦ † These two households bear an â€Å"ancient grudge. † Within this hate â€Å"Romeo and Juliet’s† love cannot survive, and they are driven by this hate to death. From this 1595 classic play, Baz Luhrmann got the job of wielding it in to a twentieth centaury blockbuster. He did this by using many different techniques, and even though he keeps the original dialogue, he changes many classic features of the play to give this modern feel to it. Such as horses to cars, Swords to guns and villages to cities are several examples. As the film starts, the opening shot is of a modern day television. It is shown speaking as a newsreader, speaking as a chorus would on stage, giving background knowledge to the audience watching. This television reflects Luhrmann’s modern setting, showing how the film will be set, rather than the one in which the written play was set. The TV represents the media, as our main source of information. Just as the chorus would be, stood on stage, addressing the audience, giving them required information. The headline upon the TV reads â€Å", Star-crossed lovers,† and above a picture of a ring split in two, showing both the themes of love and hate. How the pair had love enough to marry, though within their families there was hate enough to drive the couple to take their lives. Their love was doomed to die, the ring shows how they could not be together as reflected in one of the chorus’ lines â€Å", death marked love. † One extremely short though effective camera shot, zooms down the middle of a main street, with many high raised buildings, until focusing upon a large statue of Christ. Showing that religion will play some part within the play/film. Here loud dramatic music kicks in. This music tells us that the play is going to be very powerful and dramatic. The chorus’s first line appears white upon black, â€Å"in fair Verona. † White and black are usually associated with good and bad. Showing two main features of the film. Again the image of Christ’s face appears, a close up camera shot, recoiling to show two large skyscrapers dominating the skyline. Each bearing separate names, Montague and Capulet, showing the large gap between them, they are different. The sheer size of the buildings tells us they are wealthy families, but separate. The statue of Christ is stood in the middle, showing again the religious society in which the film is set. Still with the dramatic music playing building up aura, images of police vehicles- cars and helicopters burn across the screen. Quick images. Images of conflict, linking the families with violence and ultimately the law. The music quietens, though still strong and menacing, as a voice over man speaks the same lines as already spoken by the ‘chorus. ‘ Now the images are shown slower, â€Å"two households both alike in dignity†¦ † showing the two families, again separated by Jesus, sour looks upon the head’s faces; hate and malcontent, though smiles upon the children’s; happy, contented faces, with no worries. Leading on to images of flames, representing hell, hatred and death. Headlines of newspapers flash upon the screen, linking again with the theme of the media and the modern setting. Showing there must be public interest in the growing feud between the two families, and again highlighting the conflict between the two families. Extremely short images are shown of police helping civilians escape the troubles caused by this abhorrence between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s. The music had died down up until the point of â€Å"take their life,† where it picks up again adding atmosphere and letting the audience know there is great tragedy within the film. Another modern technique is then used. Just as characters on television programs are introduced or how western wanted posters are displayed, some of the main characters are initiated. These images build great suspense though shows a building power within the play/film. Two important images from later on in the film flash upon the screen, though they are very insignificant at this point, just adding suspense and wonder at this early stage. The music reaches a peek as the now familiar words of the prologue flash upon the screen. The words white on black, suspense, power, the words showing love, lust, hatred and tragedy. Followed by random images shooting across the screen, fireworks, choir boys singing in a loud wild fashion. Guns, characters, light and dark images showing good and evil. Loud bangs of gunshots, police helicopters, blood, raging images demonstrating excitement and apprehension to the audience. Now with the music at a climax, the words in bold print of â€Å"Romeo + Juliet† linger upon the screen. The â€Å"+† in blood red symbolising bloodshed and conflict, it is also shaped like a cross, to continue the religious theme of the film. The words are white upon black, illustrating good and evil. Here the music changes and a bouncier, more funky, modern tune kicks in as â€Å"the boys† come on to the screen. These three wear brightly coloured shirts- reds and lime greens, indicating good and ‘to me’ fun. Though with the first line spoken you realise the Montague boys hate the Capulet’s. â€Å"The boys† are presented whizzing down a highway in an expensive looking yellow convertible, again suggesting warmth and fun. They are cool, with open shirts, brightly coloured hair, shades on heads and tattoos over their bodies. They are excitable, casual and looking at them they would not pose any threat. The car has a personalised number plate, â€Å"Mon-005, Verona beach† again showing wealth. The camera shot is at the front of the car as it comes in to the gas station, here there is a sound of screeching tyres, the piping of horns and basically excitable boyish behaviour. â€Å"Benvolio- Romeos cousin† does not come across as uncompromising, he tries to detach himself from the quarrel between the two families â€Å"masters. † Where as the other two â€Å"Montague boys† are very eager and want to be involved this is sown in their faces as a face close up is shown. Here Benvolio turns and another facial close up is shown, his face twisted almost looking in disgust as he turns and walks away. Here the camera turns moving across to another pump as an expensive looking blue car pulls calmly in to the station. Blue suggesting coldness and the slow speed suggests that the driver is not excitable like the Montague boys but serious. The music suddenly changes from hip to a western style tune as another personalised number plate is shown † Cap-005, Verona beach. † The camera is swung around with a whooping sound and rests upon a close up of the bottom of the car door opening and a pair of western style cowboy boots stepping from the car. Here the frame freezes on the boot touching the ground, Cooley and calmly and in this freeze frame he displays the words â€Å"The Capulet boys† with western style music playing to continue the western style theme. The boots walk away through a door the sound of spurs following, tension building as the camera shot moves again from the western boots to shoes and tights and the giggling of little girls over the western music. Leading back to more dark cowboy boots with spurs. The shoes belong to a Nun with a class of children and each side of their people carries resides a car of each of the two families. The two families torment the nun and her party in a very cocky sort of manor, exceptionally intimidating. So as the nun and her party speeds away to escape further torment, the two families are revealed to each other for the first time. The fun and idiocy of the Montague’s turns to fear, as â€Å"Abra-Capulet† is revealed. Here another facial close-up is shown. Abra wears dark menacing colours (oranges, blacks and reds- colours associated with hell. ) He has a goatee beard an earring and a silver chain with cross hanging around his neck. He has the look of a typical gunslinger, someone who could be extremely dangerous. The music is now changed, as a more electric tune plays more menacing and threatening than before, highlighting the danger of this man. Fear is shown in the Montague’s faces, shocked by the appearance of a known enemy. This man alarms them and with this abrupt entrance one of the boys makes a quick movement to reveal the butt of his pistol. A fast frightened movement, followed by the facial shot of a frightened face and the sound of a reluctant gasp, signifying the fear and tension between the two families. Here there is a shot of the face of Abra moving down his body and showing the slow movements of his hands to reveal the butt of his own pistol, engraved with the word Capulet, just as the Montague’s gun was engraved with the word Montague, reflecting wealth yet again. The movements are menacingly slow, so calm and cool. Then suddenly a loud hissing sound like a serpent as Abra snarls revealing the word sin engraved on a silver plaque on his teeth. The camera is at a straight close up angle. The shot is both threatening and frightening. Here all the sounds stop as the Montague’s sink back in to the car relieved that no harm has come to them. Though the Capulet’s are amused by the impression they have made upon the Montague’s and laugh profusely showing they do not feel threatened at all by their presence but take them more as a joke than any thing else. The Montague’s took this wind up a little too lightly and decide to make a second move. Here one of the Montague’s bites their thumb at the Capulet’s. This is shown as a close up with a silly sound coming from the mouth of the offending Montague. Now there is anger and hate starting to show as the montages reverse the car, with the noise of screeching tyres, and the sound of a quick furious sounding, loud blast of music showing anger. The caplets sling loud though slow angry words at the Montages who return fast frightened words trying to calm the situation. Though as the camera shot goes to the toilet door, the quick shocking music picks up again and Benvolio appears-an image of a peace maker leading to a close up of Benvolio’s gun with a change back to western music. Here with gun drawn, a close up of Benvolio’s apprehensive face fills the screen and silence falls. Here only the sound of an old creaky sign is heard blowing in the wind, un-nerving Benvolio further and continuing the western theme. The camera swizzles around to an image of a close up cigar being lit and a match being dropped to the ground by â€Å"Tybalt-the prince of cats. Juliet’s cousin† Landing close to his feet, though still burning. The music playing slowly and quietly, adding tension and atmosphere. Now there is a major close up of tybalts face. He has the look of the devil, slick black hair with tiny matching beard. He has pointed teeth that only a close up would enable us to see properly. He wears the colours of the devil, Reds and blacks showing hate, fire, torment and death. Also his face shows no fear, no feelings but pure untamed hate. He is just so slick and calm and as he speaks, there is a close up on his eyes. These ooze confidence and hold great hate and rage towards the Montague’s. The camera then focuses on Benvolio’s eyes, which are the complete opposite to Tybalt’s. His eyes show a great fear of the other man, apprehension. All adding tension to the opening scene. On a half of body shot, Benvolio is seen putting away his sword (which in this 1997 film s actually a gun,) and in an effort tries to avoid conflict by stating â€Å"I do only to keep the peace put up my sword. † His voice shaky in the eerie silence. Then another facial close up on Tybalt, as he says, â€Å"Peace, peace, I hate the word. As I hate hell. All Montague’s. And thee. † With no quivers only confidence and raw hate. The burning match is finally stamped out with the sound of the metal healed boots grinding at the concrete ground. This long gap between lighting the match and putting it out shows a great danger. This man means something; he alone stands for power and danger. Now a small boy, symbolising innocent bystanders at the market place, interrupts the silence. The boy just playing, shouting â€Å"bang, bang† triggering the attack. Tybalt draws, the music screeching. The shot looking up the barrel of tybalt’s gun as the word â€Å"bang† is said again. Showing he is willing to harm fellow citizens if need be. Now there is a range of many different camera shots, with electric music playing in the background. Tybalt does a lot of flamenco style movements, flowing, professional movements, as though he was fluent and skilled in the art. Very dramatic and serious movements, with no fear of being harmed. The Montague’s begin to try to fight back, though not really succeeding. They are frightened; you can see it in their eyes. Tybalt moves almost fashionably, where as the Montague’s don’t really know what to do. They shoot, showing no passion or drive. Unlike Tybalt who shows both. Tybalt is calling the shots, and in a swift movement he throws down his coat and fits an aiming device. Kissing his gun with a loving passion. People are running, frightened. The Montague’s flee, leaving Benvolio and Tybalt in the petrol station. Music still flaring giving added depth to the scene, petrol covering the ground. Tybalt zooms on to one of the fleeing Montague’s, taking the shot, and injuring him. The camera looking down the guns barrel as the shot is fired, pointing into Tybalts eyes. With a flickering smile he drops the cigar from his mouth, landing in a pool of petrol and igniting it immediately, which during the whole scene showed how contented he was with conflict. Here Benvolio flees with Tybalt in pursuit. The flames escalate, symbolising the devastation to come. The flames show hate and anger. Every body around is affected by the fighting as symbolised by the flames. Affecting people’s livelihoods, every body is effected by these civil brawls. There is very dramatic music playing now, escalating the feeling of hate and friction between the two families. A poster is shown burning, once stating â€Å"Montague’s and Capulet’s 2nd civil brawl. † This shows that it is over; hate has ended that, and born a third brawl, more powerful than the previous ones. A sign is also shown burning, â€Å"Add more fuel to your fire. † Showing that the public are affected, and that hate is the road to all evil’s, symbolising the devil and hell. The camera follows the flames upwards showing things will get worse, still with the music blasting. It moves up and through the smoke screen, the two houses can be seen dominating the skyline, with the image of Jesus between them. Still looking extravagant and wealthy after the brawl. Nothings really changed. The fire is burning as strong as their hate, causing public panic and confusion. Now short images are shown of police helicopters and vehicles flying between and around the towers and statue. The music still blearing. Shots are shown from alternate angles showing news reporters reporting the third civil brawl, again linking with the media. Ted Montague (the father-head of the house) rushes to the scene in his limo with registration plate being â€Å"Montague, Verona beach. † Again representing wealth and power. Once more fast flickering shots are shown of the fleeing public, panic stricken, confused. Police swarming to the scene in different kinds of vehicles now, and here with the music breaching a climax the shots slow down and return to facial close-ups. Tybalt and Benvolio are screaming at each other hate in their eyes, with no more fear left in Benvolio’s body only hate. Cars spread upon the road, utter havoc breached by the two feuding enemies. Guns are pointed at the couple from air and ground. They have no choice but to both walk forward and admit defeat, dropping their weapons to the ground. There is no music now just a loud ‘boom’ as the weapons fall. Adrenalin at an ultimate climax for anybody watching. The range of shots along with the series of different sounds and music create an unforgettable opening, showing many of the different themes and aspects of the play/film to anybody watching.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Why We Crave Horror Paper

Essay 5: Position Paper50 pts Description:4-5 pages, double-spaced, plus a separate MLA-format Works Cited page Skills:Everything! Due:First Draft:Friday, 10 December (in-class discussion) Final Draft:Monday, 13 December (Submit during Final Exam time: 2:45-4:45pm) Sources:Reading Critically, Writing Well (RC) pp. 517-534, 582-595; Stephen King, â€Å"Why We Crave Horror,† â€Å"Crouch End;† Fritz Leiber, â€Å"Smoke Ghost;† Algernon Blackwood, â€Å"The Empty House;† Noel Carroll, â€Å"The Nature of Horror† (optional)For your final paper, you will be required to make use of the above resources to explain, support, and defend your position against critique on the subject of horror in the absence of easily identifiable violence, gore, or monsters. You may argue with or against King and Carroll, or provide your own definition of horror and how it anticipates gore-less horror better than previous definitions. Since there are no right or wrong answers in this discussion, you will be judged on the strength of your argument for your position and how you present your analysis. Assignment: ) Present the issue. †¢ Summarize the King and Carroll definitions of horror and their successes/failings.†¢ Establish your credibility by generously discussing previous arguments on the function of horror. o Make sure to avoid emotional/personal opinions and instead stick to the texts. 2) Assert your position. †¢ Give examples from the readings that fit well/do not fit with the definition of horror as presented by King and Carroll. o Critique your own analysis using any of the Developing Your Argument skills (RC pp. 360-361), as well as Evaluating the Logic of an Argument (p. 24-640. 3) Argue directly for your position. †¢ Continue to establish your credibility with your audience by showing how your position alters/upholds the definition of horror as established. o Be willing to take a side in the argument, but avoid setting up straw-man arguments for the opposition. Carroll and/or King don’t have to be wrong for you to be right.4) Critique any relevant counter-arguments, objections, questions, or alternatives. †¢ Since no position will be perfect, try to accommodate any concerns or issues relating to your discussion of horror. Options (you may choose one or all): ? Accommodation: modify your position to suit relevant objections. ? Refutation: show the reader that any likely alternatives will not be as effective in describing the function of horror as you see it. ? Integration: demonstrate how your position can work together with other options to provide a more comprehensive take on the horror genre.Criteria for Evaluation: †¢ Analysis: 20 points o Has a strong, focused explanation of the sources using RC skills learned so far. o Supports the initial thesis with evidence (i. e. details from the source) and offers in-depth analysis of those details. †¢ Sources: 10 points o Productivel y uses both the RC and the sources. o Features effective paraphrasing and selective quotation. †¢ Organization: 10 points o Offers strong topic sentences that logically develop and extend the analysis (i. e. , no random accumulation of facts or bullet-point narrative). o Proceeds logically from one point to the next in a climactic sequence. o Clearly links claims and evidence. o Uses smooth transitions between points. †¢ Readability: 10 points o Uses correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and MLA citation.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Assignment 10 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

10 - Assignment Example (Picturing the Past) These words are brought to life from the picture in the advertisement. We see a ship that appears to have docked and is unloading cargo which is Pears’ soap, and another picture showing a black man crouching in front a white man with a bar of soap by their side. It is implied that the white man has brought in the soap to help the black man achieve cleanliness which is the mark of western civilization. This can also be seen from the picture of the white man who seems to have washed his hands in a very clean bathroom. He is meant to epitomize cleanliness that is the mark of the white man’s civilization. (Picturing the Past) Non Europeans are referred to as ‘dark corners’. The white man is said to use the soap to brighten the dark corners of the earth; which they consider their burden, as civilization advances. This refers to non Europeans who are supposed to be receiving civilization by being made clean. The picture of non Europeans that is presented in the advertisement is one who is inferior to the white man, crouching before him to receive the gift of civilization, Pears’ soap. (Picturing the Past) The phrase ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ can be related to this advertisement because both the phrase and the image portray the white man as superior and the helper to Non Europeans. This is because these are God-like traits that the white man is assuming in trying to ‘lighten their burden’, i.e. make everyone like them, which is also a God-like trait as he made everyone in his own image. (Picturing the Past) The white man’s burden is to bring cleanliness to the whole world by lightening up the dark corners of the earth, and the use of Pears’ soap will enable everyone who uses it to achieve cleanliness. By accepting to use the soap, Non Europeans will be accepting the white man’s ways and in the process lightening up the dark corners of the earth. (Picturing the Past) On analyzing the map of Africa

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Leases. Principles for Financial Reporting, ASB Essay

Leases. Principles for Financial Reporting, ASB - Essay Example Operating leases are known to be one of the off-balance sheet obligations; therefore, the placement of lease accounting continues to be one of the priorities for Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) and the International Accounting standards Board (IASB). During March 2009, these boards issued paper referred to as Leases: â€Å"preliminary view† which clearly outlined the proposal for new global lease accounting standards. The proposed standards would need the replacement of all operating leases with the capital leasing thus, triggering a shift of billions of dollars to the balance sheet across North America which was estimated that 70% of the total lease value would be capitalized if it involves commercial real estate. Then the end result of these change of the magnitude will be vast shift rippling through all financial reporting, the processes and merits across all us and global industries. Introduction: In the current UK accounting standard, it is important to underst and that for any accounting purpose leases are generally classified as being either financial or operating standards: First, the word lease simply means an agreement between two parties involving a hiring of asset. The lesser is a legal owner who lets out the asset to the lessee and then at the end of the lease, the asset is returned to the lesser; The only thing that the lessee will do, is to continually pay a lease rental to the lesser for using the assert. Under the SSAP 21, the term financial lease is defined as any lease contract that transfers substantially all the risk as well as the reward of ownership to the lessee, There is a reputable presumption that if, at the inception, the total percent value of a minimum lease payment amounts to at least 90% or even more of the value of the leased asset (Patterson, R., 2002). In order to rebut this presumption, the preparers of financial statement might consider looking for other indications about the risks as well the rewards, thoug h rebuttal is usually expected only to happen in exceptional circumstances. On the other than, operating lease, is that type of lease where risk and reward of ownership of the assets remain with the lesser concerns regarding off-balance sheet nature for operating lease, different treatment of similar transaction as well as the whole approach have lead to many standards-setting bodies to treat leases consistently. Accounting treatment for leases: Accounting treatment for operating lease: It is generally very easy and straight forward for both the lesser and the lessee. Under operating lease, the lessee is the one who incurs the operating expenses, thus, lease rental payable are written off in the profit and loss account (Alexander, D., Britton, A., & Jorissen, A., 2005). This must to be disclosed in the notes to the account showing the amount charged in the year as well as those of payment which the firm is committed at the end of each year. The leaser continues to earn revenue out o f renting out the asset and accordingly recognizes the amount of lease rental receivable as an income in the profit and loss account. Accounting treatment of financial lease by the lessee: When any lessee enters into a financial lease, then it gets access to the risk and rewards of the asset and therefore, the lessee reflects the substance by recognizing all assets leased in separate accounts which is also consistent with the ASB’s statement of principle which defines recognition criteria of assets. Then the lessee capitalizes the present value of all the minimum lease payments as fixed assets and the amount is recorded as a liability (Bircher, P, 2006). The PV of minimum lease pay

Atypical Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Atypical Development - Essay Example Those children suffering from ADD or ADHD are in most case disruptive in the classroom, while, at the same time displaying behavior problems, which are capable of making the school experience hard for everyone concerned (Turner, 2003). Nonetheless, there is a high possibility of effectively controlling and managing these disorders’ symptoms with appropriate treatment. On the other hand, Conduct Disorder varies from both ADD and ADHD since the patterns of behaviors observed happen to be more deviant, as well as antisocial in nature while having high degrees of aggression, as well as delinquent acts. The treatment for these disorders comprises of drug therapy, together with behavior modification therapies with drug therapy for ADD and ADHD including drugs such as Modafinil and Ritalin. Conversely, the best way of treating Conduct Disorder entails treating individual symptoms, as well as sub-disorders while finding proper disciplinary actions, which encourage prosocial behavior s o as to redirect negative behavior into prosocial behavior. The second category of problems is the internalized problems, which happen when the child concentrates their deviant behaviors onto their self. Issues connected to this problem genre comprise of eating disorders, adolescent suicide and depression. In this case, the child has depression which has an impact on the developing child through impacting their capability of performing their day to day tasks, by holding their energy level, as well as through their chronic sad mood. In treating depression, various forms of treatment is applicable; in some cases, it is helpful to apply light or color therapy and in other cases whereby the depression has a connection to seasonal mood swings (Halla-Poe, 2003). There are instances like in this scenario, whereby psychological counseling tends to be

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Annotation of one of the Prescribed Journal Articles Essay - 1

Annotation of one of the Prescribed Journal Articles - Essay Example Introducing the role of nurses in the special administrative region in Hong Kong, the author focuses on workforce, educational and practice issues, as well as on leadership in nursing. In a significant conclusion to the article, David R. Thompson suggests that there should be an effective strategic plan to determine sufficient numbers of properly educated nurses in Hong Kong. In this article analysis paper, the focus has been a reflective analysis of the arguments made by Thompson in his article determining the central arguments and assessing the validity of the essential points. In the introductory section of the article, Thompson focuses on the vital the role of nurses in the special administrative region (SAR) in Hong Kong and the author is emphatic about the importance of nursing to health and healthcare developments in the region. Thus, he explains the importance of nursing with regard to direct care, care coordination, health promotion, and health education. The nurses of the region deal with these essential functions in hospitals as well as community. â€Å"Nurses and nursing are central to health and healthcare developments taking place in Hong Kong, not the least because nurses comprise around 40% of the healthcare workforce. Nurses play a key role in the provision of direct care, care coordination, health promotion, and health education, both in hospitals and in the community. Quality and safety, driven by quality improvement programs and the promotion of evidence-based practice, have been two features that are central to nursing and healthcare.â €  (Thompson 2006, P 158). Therefore, according to the author, educational preparation and continuing professional development of nurses are of vital importance in Hong Kong. Resembling any other countries, nursing is experiencing several significant challenges in Hong Kong and the author broadly classifies those under four themes. These significant challenges confronting nursing in Hong Kong are

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Synthetic Financial Products Speech or Presentation

Synthetic Financial Products - Speech or Presentation Example Note that an increase from 1 to 2 is 100 per cent increase, from 1 to 3 a 200 percent increase, and so on. Therefore, a 300 per cent cap would be a rise from 1 to 4 (in case of an index, from 100 to 400.) Analysis: Where So is less than St is less than 400 [initial index value times performance cap 300%]. Here the initial index value has to be 1.333 in order for the performance cap to be 300, per problem statement, considering that ÃŽ · has to be 300, in order to yield 400.[300 x 1.33 = 400] Analysis: Based on the ELN theory, the Face value or principal of the investment -- here $1,000,000 – has to be reduced to its present value (PV), and the difference between the present value figure and the Face amount is the amount available for exposure in the equity index options market. The present value of the amount is held either in a zero coupon bond or another risk-free investment vehicle such as a savings account earnings a fixed return. At 5%, the amount of $216,301 is available to be invested in European call options, as required by the problem. . European options can be exercised only at the end of their contract life, unlike American options which can be exercised at any time prior to expiration date to take advantage of a profitable situation. While the problem statement states otherwise, ELN theory says that only long call options are used, as short positions - - the writing of call options -- is not consistent with the theory. It should also be noted that most index options are American options, and the restriction in favor of European options limits the investor’s decision choices. It is therefore suggested that the writing of options be dispensed with as unnecessary to the ELN concept. Information provided by an annual Dun and Bradstreet publication indicates that the index options market is a cheap way of obtaining an opportunity to profit from the movement of an index such as the OEX

Monday, September 23, 2019

Report of recent financial crisis and writing a report Essay

Report of recent financial crisis and writing a report - Essay Example The Big Short significantly explains the banking crisis of crisis of 2007–2008 by unfolding the events preceding the crisis, the actual crisis, and the characters involved (Lewis 1-5). Michael Lewis derives that a crazy, fabricated money machine, built on flawed mathematical models that most financial executives did not really understand the caused the crisis leading to loses of several trillion dollars through government bailouts. He establishes that in the late 1980s, Wall Street imagined that it could generate â€Å"bond-like† financial products from other debt-based income streams like home mortgages and credit cards. In this context, a bond represented an income stream based on borrowed money. As such, Wall Street designed mortgage bonds in form of stacked layers to enable everybody to access them. As a result, investors craving for higher returns on their money invested in the lower â€Å"tranches† while investors seeking lower returns invested in the highe r tranches. Indeed, we can trace the 2008 financial crisis from the development of the mortgage derivatives (Lewis 21-27). With the help of ratings agencies, Wall Street turned subprime mortgages into exotic, toxic financial products that attracted huge turnovers through laundering and reselling. The subprime mortgages had higher risks attached to them but equally paid much higher interest rates designed for borrowers with lower credit worthiness. As a result, the demand for the subprime mortgages from Wall Street increased leading to increased motivation on the lender for additional subprime mortgages. In addition, marketing for the subprime mortgages increased considerably and more people took up the loans. Indeed, Michael Lewis argues that these financial instruments became opaque and complex everyday overshadowing the fact that their foundation lay on suspect loans that kept rising (Lewis 112-117). With more people willing to buy the subprime mortgages, the quality of the mortga gees decreased, the risk for Wall Street’s mortgage bonds increased, and it became harder to sell the bonds to investors. Unfortunately, as the unstable foundation of subprime mortgages became weaker and posed a greeter danger to the world economy, the chief executives of America’s premier banks did not foresee it. Indeed, government regulators and treasury officials also failed to identify the eminent danger. Nevertheless, some investors saw it and used the opportunity to make huge financial benefits from the financial crisis. However, Michael Lewis notes that Wall Street firms had the ability to hide the risk by making the idea complex and using the rating agencies. Actually, the rating agencies that included Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s   helped in giving risky ratings that equaled the US treasuries thus opening the financial market to many of CDO buyers. At this period, Americans bought the mortgages in large numbers without knowing that the mortga ge demand emanated from their actions. Michael Lewis introduces one of the investors who sought to benefit from this financial crisis as Darwinian world of the bond market. He also introduces Michael Burry, who became obsessed with investing and started a fund with the family money. Lewis states that after studying the bond market in 2004, Dr. Burry became convinced

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The characters in Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

The characters in Of Mice and Men Essay Many of the characters in Of Mice and Men have dreams. What are their dreams and how near are any of them to achieving what they want? Many characters have dreams and aspirations in the story Of Mice and Men and try to achieve them in different ways. Many characters have dreams and I will be discussing the dreams of: Candy, Crooks, Curley and his wife. Candy, Crooks and Curley wife all have similar dreams, which is to have freedom and equality. All three characters are treated with very little respect and are seen as lower class due to race, gender, age or disability. Dreams are very important to the characters as they help them to escape from reality even if only for a short while. Their dreams are also significant as they are hope that things will get better and are vital to keep spirits high. However, many peoples dreams were affected by the economic downfall that America experienced. The story is set in the 1930s, which was when America experienced the Wall Street crash. This was when the stock market collapsed and many Americans lost thousands of dollars they had invested. This caused mass homelessness and led to the great depression. During this era there was lots of prejudice and discrimination against black people, women, the elderly and the disabled. This affected them the worst as any time when life was getting tough they were hit much worse and were the first to experience suffering. This tough lifestyle encouraged people to dream as many people believed in the American Dream which was that everyone deserved a piece of prosperity if they worked hard enough. So a dream helped people to get by as it encouraged people to work hard and remain optimistic that they can succeed and it also helped people by temporarily escaping from reality. One character in the story called Candy had a dream but it was crushed when he busted his hand and he gave up. Candy is the first person George and Lennie meet on the ranch and he was the swamper. Later on in the novel Candy overhears George and Lennie speaking of their dream and he becomes involved as when he busted his hand he received compensation and offers his money and says he would cook for them. For example Candy says: I aint much good, but I can cook and tend the chickens. This dream is very important for Candy as he is getting old and needs to retire soon so he becomes very enthusiastic and optimistic about the dream and starts to realise that he may be able to retire and live happily. This is shown when Candy interrupts George and the way that he is being inquisitive. Candy then talks of the dream to Crooks even though George said not to talk about it to anyone else. When Candys dog dies there is a sense of dramatic irony as it is almost foreseeing a bad event is about to occur. Later Candy goes into the barn to check on Lennie but instead discovers a shocking sight, Curleys wife laying dead in the middle of the barn and he sense it is the end of the dream for example he says: Oh Jesus Christ! this shows his show and despair as he knows its only the beginning of bad events. However, Candy doesnt want to let the dream go and shows he wants to carry on dreaming as he says: You and me can get that little place, cant we George? Candy feels very strongly about the dream as he starts yelling at Curleys dead wife that she ruined their dream. This is shown when he says: You God dam tramp and You done it didnt you. Although Candy does get quite close to his dream with George and Lennie I do not think he will achieve his dream as his hope has now gone as he faces reality that he can not work on his own and make his dream come true. Candys hope did inspire Crooks to dream and at one stage Crooks was thinking about joining their dream. Candy thinks that Crooks is a nice fella for a black man and that although he is black they get on well. Candy also says The boss gives him hell when he mad. This shows that if the boss is angry he will take it out on Crooks due to his minority ethnicity in the 1930s. Crooks has lots of possessions including law books. This is shown in the following quote: And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civic code for 1905. This shows us that he has an interest in law and his own rights. This gives us the impression that Crooks dreams of freedom as he keeps a law book on him so he knows what rights he does have even though there are very few. Crooks had a daydream about the past when he did not know of racism as a child and played with the white children unaware of the discrimination he was later to face. People treat Crooks with no respect yet he does not react but he doesnt have a choice as he is outnumbered and treated unfairly. Crooks does not mind Lennie and Candy visiting his room as they are similar to him as they are both treated with less respect due to mental or physical disabilities. When Crooks first hears about the dream he laughs at Lennie and says he is crazy. This is shown by the following quote: Youre as crazy as a wedge. What rabbits you talking about? This simile shows how crazy Crooks thinks Lennie is. . However, after Candy explains it all to him Crooks gets involved with it and says If you guys wanted a hand to work for nothing just for his keep, Id come and lend a hand. Then Curleys wife comes along and ruins the dream for Crooks by insulting the three of them. For example she calls them: A Nigger an a dum-dum and a lousy ol sheep Curleys wife then goes on to belittle Crooks even more by saying: Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny. This make Crooks go silent and he no longer wants to be in the dream. For example: Crooks seemed to grow smaller. This shows that Crooks has now been silenced and has to accept that he has no say once again. Crooks is nowhere near close to achieving his dream of freedom and equality, as there will be racism and intolerance for a long while. Crooks hope was shot down when Curleys wife came in and ruined his dream. Curleys wife is described as very purty but jail bait. This is because she is very pretty but she is very promiscuous so Curley gets suspicious when she talks to another guy and he would start a fight if he caught her. Lennie thinks that she is very attractive and this worries George as he has a history of going for attractive girls as he held a womans dress previously and caused trouble. I think Curleys wife is exactly how the men think of her, that she is a tart. This is because she goes around giving other men the eye and is always flirting with other men. However, she is only like this because Curley gives her very little attention and treats her with no respect so if she had a good husband she would act appropriately. Life is very tough for her on the ranch because all she wants is some love and attention what Curley does not give her and the other men do not either, as they are afraid of Curley. I think she turned nasty in Crooks room because they were reluctant to talk to her and she just flipped out of frustration. Curleys wife dreams of being in the movies and being a famous actor as she met a man who said she could be a star and ever since then she hoped for the best. This is shown when she says: An a guy told me he could of put me in pitchers. Curleys wife needed to have dreams as they kept her going and made her fell as though her life would one day get better and she could be a movie star. When Curleys wife was found dead it ruined everyones dream. George and Lennie could no longer get their own place as Lennie was about to be hunted down and Crooks and Candy could no longer get out of the ranch and live with them as the dream was fuelled entirely on Lennies enthusiasm. Curley was a terrible husband to his wife as he paid no attention to her whatsoever and maybe she was better off dead than living with him. For example Curleys Wife says: swell guy, aint he? this shows that she is being sarcastic and really telling them hes a bad husband. So far most of the character we met, apart from the boss and slim, have dreams; however, it is unlikely that anyone will fulfill these dreams as one small event could end on big dream. Contrasting dreams are important to different people and when the novel was set dreams were more significant due to the corrupt way of society back then. So dreams were hope, inspiration and optimism to those who were disliked by society and were at a disadvantage. The title of the novel Of Mice and Men was derived from the poem To A Mouse. John Steinbeck may have chosen this, as the meaning of to a mouse is that no plan is foolproof, which is what happens in the story as the dream was not definitely going to happen and it did not. He may have also done this as in To A Mouse Robert Burns says: The best laid schemes o mice an men Gang aft agley. This translates as the best-laid plans of mice and men often go astray. This is an overview of Of Mice and Men as the dream was well planned but it went wrong. No Matter how much you plan and how near you get nothing is set in stone.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Three Information Systems Development Methods Information Technology Essay

Three Information Systems Development Methods Information Technology Essay Information system in this present period is been used by organisations, institutions, businesses and many industries. Information system development method is a general technique and procedures that is been followed in stages by system developers in the process of building a system. However, there are different types of information system development method which will be stated later in the report. The main aim of this report is to briefly compare three types of information systems development methods (ISDM) out of the several types of ISDM that exist which will be stated later in the report. Although, this report is more interested in the common methods that are mostly used such as waterfall method, spiral method and systems development life cycle method. In addition to the compared method this report has also adopted six related topics that are connected and interrelated to the information system development method. These six topics include information systems development method, types of information system development methodologies, difference between software development methodology (SDM) and SDLC, difference between system analysis and system design and introduction to project management. The Waterfall Method The waterfall information system development method is one of the easiest and straight forward information systems development method that talks about series of activities in the others of requirement, design, implementation, verification, and maintenance which are done in stages were each stage of the activity stated have to be hundred percent accomplished before the following section can be done (Davidson, 2002). In addition, Cadle Yeates (2004, pp. 77-78) also explained that the end product of each section of the waterfall method is used as an inputs to the product of the following stage as a result it does not permit you to review the previous stage once it is crossed just like the way water flows sequentially. Consequently, Hurst (2007) also analyzed that the waterfall information systems development method has been argued by many to be a bad method because it is not possible for a project to get one stage fully completed and corrected before making ahead to the following stage . However, Hughes et al (2004) one of the biggest advantages the waterfall method has over spiral and system development life cycle is that its make good use of time in terms of management, very easy to manage and it is mostly used for smaller project were all requirements are known. Though, it also has some drawbacks which include high level of risk, been disciplined in completing each stage of the activities in the model. The series of activities in the waterfall method is shown in the diagram below. Fig 1: Waterfall model The Spiral Method This is another type of information systems development method just like the waterfall and the system development life cycle method that also has series of activities that have to be done one after the other but in a different approach. The spiral method combines the important features of both the waterfall method and the prototyping method and most concerned about risk analysis (Dawson, 2005). Although, the spiral method has four stages compared to the waterfall and system development life cycle method which is in the stated order, determine objective, identify and resolve risk, development and testing then finally plan the next execution. All these levels that are mentioned are constantly repeated over and over again section by section until all the difficulties of the waterfall method are rectify. However, some of it advantages is that it is not use for minor project, it takes a very long time to be completed and also it is very expensive to manage. Similarly, it also has some limitations which include, controlling high level of risk analysis in a system development and also used for project were all requirement are complex. Thus it could be concluded that the spiral information system development method is mostly used for larger and complicated system development where the entire requirements are very difficult to understand compared to the waterfall and system development life cycle method. A diagram showing how the spiral method works is shown below: Fig 2: Spiral model. System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Method This is also another type of information system development method similar to the waterfall and the spiral method with series of activities followed in a circular other in stages through which every developer, database designer and project manager pass through as to develop an information system (Radack, 2009). The system development life cycle method is the overall cognitive process that takes place in the development of information systems in a gradual manner until there is an achievement of the best quality in the development of a system. In addition, (Dawson, 2005) also stated that the system development life cycle is the general process of developing, implementing, and constructing information systems through a multistep process from Requirement, Design, Build, Test and maintenance. However, some its features includes dividing stages into sub stages for easy management and also gives a room for going back to stage when there is a problem unlike the waterfall information system development method. It also has some limitations which includes not meeting the users requirements, not been stable, having lack of control and also having problems with documenting. On this basis, it can be inferred that the SDLC is a procedure that every information system development must pass through even if each of them emphasizes on different part of the five stages of the SDLC method. Below is a diagram that shows how the stages in the SDLC take place in a circular form moving from one stage to the other. Fig 3: System development life cycle model Information systems development method. A brief introduction of information system development method has been given at the beginning of this report but it will be better to look as the definition its self. Information systems development method (ISDM) is defined as: A collection of procedures, techniques, tools and documentation aids which help the system developers in their efforts to implement a new information system. A methodology will consist of phases, themselves consisting of sub phases, which will guide the systems developers in their choice of the techniques that might be appropriate at each stage of project and also help them plan, manage, control and evaluate information systems project (Avison Fitzgerald, 2006, p. 24). It is clear therefore that the information systems development methods concentrate on the general process of development. Categories of Information System Development Methods. Different categories of information systems development methods are considered in the outgrowth of developing an application. Although, every information systems development method has its own special way of approaching each stage of the ISDM process. Thus, the information system development method that exist include: Agile, SSM, SSADM, RAD, PRINCE, Spiral, SDLC, Waterfall, Object oriented, XP etc (Banks Wood-Harper, 2005). However, this information systems development method follows the same procedure known as life cycle. Difference between Software development methodology SDM and SDLC. Britton Doake (2006) differentiated the different between a software development methodology and system development life cycle as, a software development life cycle is mainly concerned about the overall development model of a system with different level of constructing procedures in addition to the sections and protocols that has to be used in completing each sections whereas a system development life cycle is strictly a sequence of activities that are carried out by designers and analyst to produced and implement an information system. Difference between System Analysis and System Design. Shelly (2008, p. 22) explain that System Analysis is the process of collecting or gathering all useful and possible requirement regarding the information system to be developed from the users and also determining how it will be put into the development of the system whereas System design is the process whereby all the requirement that was collected and analyzed during the system analysis stage is put together in the design of the system. Introduction to Project Management According to Kerzner (2006, pp.55-58), Project management can be defined as every unit of activity put to consideration or executed in achieving a common goal or task and the measurement of project success based on time, cost, and quality performance or scope critical success factors. However, information system development or project must be well managed in other to be successful. This is where project management is involved. In addition, project management deals more with the management of a project emphasizing more on time, cost and scope which are the most important issues in a project. Therefore, the main reason for managing a project is to present a well documented work or system development within a specific time in a full flesh package and of the best quality. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has been able to make a good comparison of three types of information system development methods which were waterfall, spiral and system development life cycle methods. In addition, it has also been able to include and discussed six topics that were related to information system development method.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Risk Factors of Asthma

Risk Factors of Asthma Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction: Thesis/ Hypothesis: Motivation: Background information Terminology Arguments Argument 1 Gender and age Allergy and asthma Genetic and asthma Argument 2 Smoking and asthma Overweight and asthma Argument 3 Poverty and asthma Air pollution and asthma Climate and asthma Conclusion Limitations Works Cited Appendix Introduction: Asthma has been one of the common disease of today, there is about one in 15 people has asthma in the world. Asthma is a chronic condition whose symptoms are attacks of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. There is no cure for asthma, but most people can control the condition and lead normal, active lives. This report we will be investigating the factors of asthma and also will be reaching variety of data and graphs. Thesis/ Hypothesis: The probability of developing asthma is influenced by uncontrollable factors such as age, sex or having other respiratory diseases; however, living habits of patients as well as the environment around them are also important factors that affect the severity or the chance of having asthma. Motivation: The main reasons why we choose asthma as our topic is because asthma has been a common disease in our life. There are millions of asthma sufferers around the world and some of them are around us. We believe by exploring the risk factors and the ways that can cause asthma like: age and sex, personal habit and environment, we can know more about the disease and how to prevent it. Background information What causes asthma? Asthma symptoms develop when the airways become inflamed as a result of exposure to specific environmental triggers, such as dust, smoke or even exercise. However, not all individuals exposed to the same triggers develop asthma symptoms. The main reason for this is that some individuals are genetically more like Asthma becomes more and more common disease in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 13 people have asthma. Also, there are no ways to heal asthma but there are only some ways that can calm it down. Terminology Asthma: a disease of the airways or branches of the lung (bronchial tubes) that carry air in and out of the lungs. Asthma causes the airways to narrow, the lining of the airways to swell and the cells that line the airways to produce more mucus. These changes make breathing difficult and cause a feeling of not getting enough air into the lungs. Common symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and excess mucus production. Asthma rate/ asthma prevalence: the percentage or number of people that have asthma. Allergy: an exaggerated response to a substance or condition produced by the release of histamine or histamine-like substances by affected cells. Air pollution: The condition in which air is contaminated by foreign substances, or the substances themselves. BMI: BMI stands for body mass index; it is used to indicate a persons fatness. BMI is calculated using the persons height and weight. Chronic disease: a disease that can be controlled, but not cured. Arguments Argument #1: Age and sex (other allergies) Age, sex are uncontrollable factors that will have an effect a persons chance of suffering from asthma, while having other respiratory disease can even increase the patients chance of developing asthma. Asthma is a chronic disease that a large part of the population suffers from it. Like many other diseases, the chance of developing Asthma differs according to the age group the person belongs to. On the other hand, the risk of having asthma for male and female are also different. These are due to the conditions of each persons airway will change according to their age and sex. Moreover, because asthma develops from airway inflammation, any other disease that is related to the respiratory system will also greatly increase the risk of developing asthma. Argument #2: PERSONAL habits (smoking, obesity) Asthma can also be acquired non-genetically due to personal habits such as smoking or being overweight. Some of the asthma patients developed it from the blood relatives, but the chance of developing asthma and the severity of the disease can be controlled by a person. For instance, smoking can do damage to the entire respiratory system and greatly reduce lung function. It can narrow the airway which will increase the risk of asthma. Also good personal habit, such as and lifestyle can keep you body in good shape and keep the airway unobstructed therefore avoiding asthma. Argument #3: ENVIRONMENT Living in a poor environment that has poor air quality or constantly exposed to allergen and dusts can also cause Asthma and even make it deteriorates. Asthma is a long term disease of a persons airway and lungs; therefore, although the direct cause of asthma is still not completely clear, breathing in dust such as wood dust or chemicals for a long period of time will affect the health of your respiratory system and then increase the chance of asthma developing. Argument 1 Gender and age Asthma is a disease that affects people from all age groups. However the chance of having asthma differs depending on which age group one is in. Figure 1.1.1 Graph of asthma prevalence and average humidity From figure1.1.1 above we are able to see that asthma actually usually happens before 30 years old, which is mainly childhood and early adulthood. Adults in their middle age will be less vulnerable to asthma, then the percentage of asthma patient slightly increase as it reaches old age. Moreover based on the data from statistic Canada, there are more male asthma sufferers than female. The average difference between female and male are 2.16, which means male have 2.16% more chance of having asthma. It can be a huge difference while dealing with the population of the entire country. Figure 1.1.2 Figure 2 based on the data from CDC and it showed asthma prevalence of age group below 12 years old. In this graph we are able to see that although very little infant have asthma, 16 to 17% of the entire population around 5 to 24 years old suffers from asthma, that means there are 3 asthma patient in every 20 person. Similar with the data from statistic Canada, the graph showed that people in their early ages are more likely to be suffered from asthma. This might be due to the incomplete development of the lung and airway so the airway is more sensitive and vulnerable and easily infected so as during old age. Figure 1.1.3 Figure1.1.3 above displayed the asthma prevalence of male and female. Among male, the asthma rate is more than 5% higher than female. It might be due to males respiratory systems slower growth. While among female, the asthma rate is higher after puberty. This can be due to males airway become much stronger after puberty. To conclude, although uncontrollable, gender and age is a risk factor that we should know in order to prepare for and preventing asthma. Allergy and asthma Another uncontrollable risk factor of asthma would be allergies and other respiratory disease. Figure 1.2.1 Figure 1.2.1 above used data collected from Unionville High School. In the sample, there are 4 people who suffer from asthma among 31 people which is near 13%. It matches the data from statistic Canada. Among these 4 people one of them own pet and two of them both own pets and have other allergies. Over half of the asthma patients have other allergies and the majority of them own pet. It shows owning pet might be a risk factor of asthma and the reason behind it might be the fur that can cause inflammation in the airway. Moreover there is a relationship between asthma and other type of allergies Figure 1.2.2 The result from another research also supported this argument. Most people that suffer from other allergies or atopic disease are also asthma sufferers therefore people with allergies are more likely to suffer from asthma. Genetic and asthma A very common way of having asthma is inheriting the disease from the family. This might be due to the genes they inherited from their parents have similar characteristic therefore asthma can be inherited. Figure 1.3.1 Looking at Figure 1.3.1 based on a sample from Unionville High School, 3 asthma sufferers out of 4 have family members that suffer from asthma. It is clear that the amount of asthma sufferers with siblings or parents that also have asthma is much higher than ones without. We can conclude that having a family member with asthma can raise the chance of developing asthma. Argument 2 Other than those uncontrollable factors that are related to a persons age, sex and other disease, ones everyday habit and activities is can also affect the asthma rate. Two of these unhealthy habits that can increase ones chance of having asthma will be smoking, overeating or lack of exercising that can cause obesity. Smoking and asthma Asthma is a common respiratory disease in the world. There are few ways that will turn this disease bad, Smoking is one of the major bad habit that turn asthma bad. Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. According to the CDC, a research demonstrated that there is a higher rate to have asthma if you smoke. There are about 17% people in the US that smoke but there are about 21% people who smoke with asthma. Figure 2.1.1 The graph above demonstrated the people in different province in the United States and is split by with asthma who smokes and without asthma who smoke. The result shows that there are more people that smoke with asthma than without asthma. Overweight and asthma Although Asthma is a respiratory disease, ones body mass index (BMI) is also a factor of developing asthma and even an asthma attack.ÂÂ   BMI is calculated using ones height and weight; when a persons body mass index (BMI) is between 18.5 and 25, he will be considered normal, however when the persons BMI is between 25 to 30 he will be considered overweight and obese if the BMI is over 30. Graph 2.2.1 below shows the percentage of normal weight, overweight and obese adults suffering from asthma. Figure 2.2.1 The graph shows the relationship between ones BMI and asthma. For both men and women, the chance of suffering from asthma for an obese person is significantly higher than a normal weighted person. For the obese group, the asthma prevalence is almost 50% higher than the normal weight group. We can easily see that being overweight can greatly influence the prevalence of asthma, overweight people are more likely to suffer from asthma compared with others. This is because the extra weight on an overweight person will increase the pressure on his chest therefore it will be harder for the person to breath. On the other hand, inflammation, which obesity usually comes with, also contributes to increasing the risks of developing asthma. Inflammation around the wall of the airway will make it swollen and decrease the width of the airway, allowing lesser air to pass, and cause multiple asthma symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, and breathing difficulties. From the data, we are able to conclude the theory is true and being obese will greatly increase ones chance of developing asthma. Figure 2.2.2 https://nccd.cdc.gov/NPAO_DTM/IndicatorSummary.aspx?category=28indicator=30 From graph 2.2.3, we are able to see that according to CDC, more than 10% of the Americas population is obese, that means they will all be having a much higher risk of having asthma than the rest and they should be more careful about while doing strenuous exercise. Argument 3 While ones persona condition and habit changes his chance of developing asthma, like many other disease, the environment around the person can also influence the incidence of the disease. This is due to the environment can affect ones health condition slowly therefore a good environment can decrease ones chance of suffering from diseases and vice versa. Poverty and asthma One of the factors that can affect ones living environment is ones income. Typically, family that have more money will be able to afford living in cleaner area, more comfortable space and overall, a better environment; while the families with less income will not. Dust, small particles, molds, insects and many more types of allergens in these environment can trigger asthma and exposed to them will absolutely be a factor that causes asthma. Figure 3.1.2 Graph asthma prevalence by income in 2014 https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/nhis/2014/table2-1.htm The graph above shows the percent of people suffering from asthma versus their poverty level in America. Federal poverty threshold in the graph is a measure of income for every person. The standard income for an American is calculated each year and it is shown in the table below. PERSONS IN FAMILY/HOUSEHOLD POVERTY GUIDELINE 1 $11,670 2 15,730 3 19,790 4 23,850 5 27,910 6 31,970 7 36,030 8 40,090 For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,060 for each additional person. From graph 1 it is clear that there is a trend that shows less people suffer from asthma as their income increase. For instance for people with income lower than the poverty guideline, the prevalence of asthma reached up to 10%. Moreover, the area one lives in also matters Figure 3.1.3 Graph of amount of asthma patient versus poverty rate in 2014 http://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/tables/time-series/historical-poverty-people/hstpov9.xls Figure 3.1.3 above showed the poverty rate and asthma rate of the four regions in the United States. It also indicated that as the poverty rate of a certain region or area gets higher, so does the asthma rate. In general, families living in poverty lives in less developed areas, which means that they might know less about how to deal with asthma and asthma prevention. These data prove the relationship between poverty and asthma; therefore family that have less income is likely to have a higher risk of having asthma. Air pollution and asthma As mentioned, asthma is a type of long term respiratory disease and it mainly affects the airway and trachea, which is a part of the respiratory system. It is used as a tube to transfer air in and out of the lung while breathing; so, during this process, the wall of the airway frequently makes contact with the air outside that contains many pollutants. Therefore unlike skin that covers the human body, the unprotected wall can get infected and be stimulated very easily. Then the inflamed airway will cause coughing, wheezing and even asthma. Therefore if the environment isnt clean and the air quality isnt good, the chance of developing asthma increases. Figure 3.2.1 Graph of emission of sulfur oxide and asthma rate from 2010 to 2014 Figure 3.2.2 Graph of emission of nitrogen oxide and asthma rate from 2010 to 2014 http://www.ec.gc.ca/indicateurs-indicators/default.asp?lang=enn=E79F4C12-1 The two graphs above show the relationship between the emissions of several types of air pollutants as percentage of 1990 level and the percentage of people with asthma in canada from 2010 to 2014. We are able to see that there is a trend, as the emission of the two air pollutants decreases the percentage of people with asthma also decrease. For example, sulfur dioxide, a form of sulfur oxide found in lower atmosphere, is a harmful toxic chemical. The r of the trend line is about 0.703, which means there is a strong relationship between the emission the chemical and prevalence of asthma. In fact according to CDC, exposure to this type of chemical will affect ones lung health. Asthma suffers is more sensitive to even low concentration of sulfur dioxide. On the other hand, there is also correlation between emission of nitrogen oxide and asthma prevalence. The r in graph 3.2.2 is 0.9 therefore it shows that the relationship with asthma prevalence is even stronger for nitrogen oxide. A r esearch done by WHO indicates that respiratory disease is more common in area with higher nitrogen oxide concentration. Therefore, inhaling either of these chemicals in the air can do damage on ones respiratory system can is one of the factors of asthma. Figure 3.2.3 http://www.ec.gc.ca/indicateurs-indicators/default.asp?lang=enn=E79F4C12-1 Luckily, from the graph above, we can see that the emissions of these toxic chemicals are decreasing. Thus we can expect that as the average air quality get better in the future and the concentration of these chemicals decrease, the percentage of people with asthma should also slowly decrease. Climate and asthma Last but not least, the climate of each region also has an effect on the chance of developing asthma. In fact, one of the factors that can affect ones respiratory system would be humidity. Humidity is the amount of water in the air and higher humidity would mean there are more water around the atmosphere. When the humidity gets higher, it will be more difficult to breath in this kind of atmosphere, but if the atmosphere is too dry, the airway will be inflamed due to lack of water and will also be a factored that triggers asthma. Figure 3.3.1 Graph of asthma prevalence and average humidity https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_data_states.htm https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/US/humidity-by-state-in-summer.php From this graph, we are able to see a U shaped trend. Most states in the United States have similar average humidity and asthma rate. However as the average humidity increase, more people suffer from asthma; as the average humidity decrease lower than 40% the amount of asthma patient increases again. As a matter of fact, the world health organization claimed that 50% humidity will be best to reduce the chance of developing asthma or asthma attack. State such as New Jersey and Maryland, are located at the east coast, had higher average humidity, being around 70% has more asthma patient; while states near the west coast has a lower average humidity around 60% and has less people has asthma there. On the other hand, the states in the middle region have a low average humidity near 30% to 40%; as expected the amount of asthma patients goes up. Therefore the theory a stated above is proven to be true, humidity can affect ones chance of developing asthma or an asthma attack. Conclusion Limitations Bias There is sampling bias in the result of our survey; this is because we take our sample from Unionville High School. The population in the school is mainly Asian therefore although we narrowed our report to only about North America; it cant represent the situation in North America precisely.ÂÂ   Moreover, we used snowball sampling while sending out the survey, the amount of Asians and non-Asians in the result will be more unbalanced. Not enough information When we are doing our research we found out that there are not many raw data that we can use, many of them are directly made into graphs or figures without posting the raw data and some of the data isnt able to be found on the internet. Moreover there are countries that do not make their data public. Therefore we decided to narrow our range down to only North America. And we found out that Statistic Canada and CDC have a lot of open source that we can work with Works Cited https://aspe.hhs.gov/2014-poverty-guidelines#tresholds https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/12/24/asthma_widea7d6c21be70cdf982718f2e7bcb6f1f5d5b3cfdc.jpg?s=1400 Appendix Table 1 Asthma, by age group and sex (Percent) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 percent Total, 12 years and over 8.5 8.6 8.1 7.9 8.1 Males 7.1 7.4 6.8 6.9 7 Females 9.8 9.8 9.4 8.9 9.2 12 to 19 years 11.1 11.8 10.2 10.9 9 Males 11.4 11.1 10.6 11.1 8.3 Females 10.8 12.5 9.8 10.7 9.6 20 to 34 years 9.5 9.1 9.7 8 9.3 Males 8.5 7.9 8.7 7.4 8.2 Females 10.5 10.4 10.7 8.6 10.5 35 to 44 years 7.7 8 6.8 8 7.2 Males 6.3 7.2 5.7 7.3 5.5 Females 9.1 8.7 8 8.7 8.9 45 to 64 years 7.9 8.1 7.1 7.1 7.5 Males 5.5 6.6 4.7 5.6 6.4 Females 10.4 9.6 9.4 8.6 8.6 65 years and over 7 7.3 7.7 7.5 8 Males 6.2 5.6 6.4 5.8 7.1 Females 7.6 8.7 8.8 9 8.7 http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/health49b-eng.htm Table 2 https://www.dovepress.com/cr_data/article_fulltext/s91000/91654/img/COPD-91654-T01.png Table 3 https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/nhis/2014/table2-1.htm Table 4 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db239_table.pdf#1 Table 5 2014: Percent of adults aged 18 years and older who are overweight Location Value 95% CI Sample Size National 35.2 (34.9-35.5) 425,875 https://nccd.cdc.gov/NPAO_DTM/IndicatorSummary.aspx?category=28indicator=30 Table 6 Ratio of Family Income to Poverty Threshold All Ages Total Children Adults 18+ 0-0.99 15.8 15.6 15.9 1.00-2.49 12.9 13.2 12.9 2.50-4.49 12.4 12.8 12.3 4.50 and above 11.8 12.3 11.7 https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/nhis/2014/table2-1.htm Region: All ages Total Children Age Adults Age 18+ Northeast 7,060

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Conflict and Tradition in Things Fall Apart Essay -- Things Fall Apart

Conflict and Tradition in Things Fall Apart The book Things Fall Apart successfully expressed how Chinua Achebe had succeeded in writing a different story. It pointed out the conflict of oneself, the traditional beliefs, and the religious matters of the Africans. Throughout the novel, Chinua Achebe used simple but dignified words and unlike other books, he also included some flashbacks and folktales to make the novel more interesting and comprehensible. Things Fall Apart was about a man named Okonkwo, who was always struggling with his inner fear although he was known for being a strong, powerful, and fearless warior. He feared of weakness, and failure more than the fear of losing and dying and that forshadowing the consequenses he got at the end. Through this man that Chinua Achebe represented the deep and rich human characteristics and the beliefs of one religion to another. The agriculture of the Igbo society was different than other societies of today. Yams were the main nourishment through every meal and they called these yams "the king of crops." Furthermore, people used the yams for every traditional celebration and used kola nuts to offer their "chi" or personal god. These food, as Chinua Achebe had described, sometimes related to or involved with the religion or ancestrial spirits. Sometimes there were certain celebrations for each specific kind of food such as the New Yam Festival. Chinua Achebe used agriculture to express certain characteristics of each festival and celebration of the Igbo society. There was not o... ...hrough this book that Chinua Achebe cleverly described the complexity of each religion and how it affected the African community at that period of time. The death of Okonkwo at the end was unpredictable to the readers because throughout the novel, Chinua Achebe described him as a strong warrior who feared of nothing besides failure and weakness. When Okonkwo committed suicide, he also committed the only thing he feared, and that was weakness. Things Fall Apart was the book about power, strength, sentiment, religion and love; it also contained several dramatic ironies. Although Achebe had written many books and novels, Things Fall Apart was one of his finest work that got listed as the Classic Bestseller. His delicately African style furnished the uniqueness as well as the prominence to the book.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Henry V - Film :: essays research papers

The film uses various techniques to present a particular view of the war against France. What is that interpretation and how does the film convey it?Although the Branagh version of Shakespeare's Henry V remains very close to the text, with only a few lines left out of the film, the movie portrays a very clear and distinct message about war and Branagh's opinion on the matter. Henry V is fundamentally a play about war, and it would have been very easy for Branagh to make his version of the play into a film that glorified war. Instead, Branagh took the opportunity to make a statement about what he felt was the true essence of wars - both medieval and modern.It is clear through Henry V that Branagh thinks that wars are a waste of precious human life, and in the end are fruitless, causing more loss than gain. From the very first battle at Harfleur Branagh's low opinion of war is shown. When we first see the fighting, it is dusk and the sky is further darkened by smoke, instantly creating a morbid feeling. Combined with the muddy and wet terrain, the cheerless soldiers and the overbearing size of the castle which they hope to achieve, it is clear not only that the English army must fight against all the odds to win, but that even the conditions are detrimental to the English cause.The scene where Bardolph, Nym and Pistol are backing away from the battle to save themselves is an important inclusion to the film. Had Branagh intended the film to be a glorification of war, this small scene could have easily been removed. However, he chose to keep it in his film because it actually assists the message which he attempts to convey. This scene, although still clearly comical, as Shakespeare intended it to be, it implies that not all soldiers are valiant and brave and that war is so terrible that s oldiers are willing to desert their friends and fellow countrymen because of the hideous nature of war.After the battle of Harfluer is won by the English and they begin to make their way towards Agincourt, Branagh seizes the opportunity to show the viewer the 'victorious' army. Although he could have shown them to be joyful with their win, Branagh instead shows the war-weary, bloody, wet and muddy soldiers. It is raining and so the already miserable soldiers, wearing torn and ragged clothing are forced to bow their heads as they slowly make their way down the road in a way reminiscent of a death march, the sombre mood of the scene assisted by the music. Henry V - Film :: essays research papers The film uses various techniques to present a particular view of the war against France. What is that interpretation and how does the film convey it?Although the Branagh version of Shakespeare's Henry V remains very close to the text, with only a few lines left out of the film, the movie portrays a very clear and distinct message about war and Branagh's opinion on the matter. Henry V is fundamentally a play about war, and it would have been very easy for Branagh to make his version of the play into a film that glorified war. Instead, Branagh took the opportunity to make a statement about what he felt was the true essence of wars - both medieval and modern.It is clear through Henry V that Branagh thinks that wars are a waste of precious human life, and in the end are fruitless, causing more loss than gain. From the very first battle at Harfleur Branagh's low opinion of war is shown. When we first see the fighting, it is dusk and the sky is further darkened by smoke, instantly creating a morbid feeling. Combined with the muddy and wet terrain, the cheerless soldiers and the overbearing size of the castle which they hope to achieve, it is clear not only that the English army must fight against all the odds to win, but that even the conditions are detrimental to the English cause.The scene where Bardolph, Nym and Pistol are backing away from the battle to save themselves is an important inclusion to the film. Had Branagh intended the film to be a glorification of war, this small scene could have easily been removed. However, he chose to keep it in his film because it actually assists the message which he attempts to convey. This scene, although still clearly comical, as Shakespeare intended it to be, it implies that not all soldiers are valiant and brave and that war is so terrible that s oldiers are willing to desert their friends and fellow countrymen because of the hideous nature of war.After the battle of Harfluer is won by the English and they begin to make their way towards Agincourt, Branagh seizes the opportunity to show the viewer the 'victorious' army. Although he could have shown them to be joyful with their win, Branagh instead shows the war-weary, bloody, wet and muddy soldiers. It is raining and so the already miserable soldiers, wearing torn and ragged clothing are forced to bow their heads as they slowly make their way down the road in a way reminiscent of a death march, the sombre mood of the scene assisted by the music.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

What Is Demorphin and How Does It Work?

Dermorphin By Kimberly French They are about two to three inches long, bask in the sun by day and track down insects by night. They walk rather than hopping and are native to the dry prairie of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Known scientifically as phyllomedusa sauvagii, the waxy monkey leaf frog or painted belly leaf frog is often kept as a pet and although these frogs have a careful, calm demeanor, they produce a substance called dermorphin, which is a painkiller 40 times the strength of morphine, and has been responsible for a rash of recent positive drug tests in Quarter Horse and lower-level Thoroughbred races.The waxy monkey leaf frog and its secretion have enough notoriety to be mentioned in a Paul Simon song, Senorita With A Necklace of Tears. â€Å"A frog in South America whose venom is the cure for all the suffering mankind must endure,† he sang. â€Å"More powerful than morphine and soothing as the rain. A frog in South American has the antidote for pain . † As mentioned earlier, dermorphin is extremely potent but does not seem to be as addictive as morphine and is classified by Racing Commissioners International as a Class One drug. It has no therapeutic value whatsoever. Craig W.Stevens, a professor of pharmacology at Oklahoma State University who has studied dermorphin, told the New York Times on June 19 the substance makes animals â€Å"hyper. † â€Å"For a racehorse it would be beneficial,† he said. â€Å"The animal wouldn’t feel pain and it would have feelings of excitation and euphoria. † Located in Denver, Colorado, Industrial Laboratories was the first lab to definitively ascertain dermorphin in postrace testing after clients passed along information from racetrack workers that the frog secretion was being used and some materials confiscated on the backstretch were actually demorphin. We identified dermorphin,† Petra Hartmann, director of direct testing services for Industrial Laborat ories told the New York Times. â€Å"We knew it was out there. There is no resting in this business. You are always chasing something trying to determine what’s rumor, what’s real. † In Hartmann’s opinion dermorphin use is not all over the backside. â€Å"The vast majority of horsemen would never subject their horse to this kind of chemical experimentation,† she said. â€Å"This is a tough issue,† Ed Martin, president of Racing Commissioners International told the New York Times. It’s a cat and mouse game. As soon as you call out dermorphin, they will try something else. That is the daily battle that goes on. † To date more than 30 horses from three states, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Louisiana, have tested positive for the drug. On July 31, the Louisiana State Racing Commission will meet and discuss pending dermorphin cases against nine trainers. These include Quarter Horse trainers Alonzo Loya, Gonzalo Gonzales, Alvin Smith, Jr. , Darell Soileau, Steve Garrison and Thoroughbred trainers Keith Charles, Kyi Lormand and Anthony Agilar.Also on the list is prominent Quarter Horse trainer Heath Taylor, who won the 2008 All American Futurity with the sport’s leading money earner Stoli’s Winner. â€Å"This whole thing has really taken us by surprise,† Charles Gardiner III, executive director of the Louisiana Racing Commission told the New York Times. â€Å"It couldn’t have come at a worse time. We’re fighting back federal intervention. We’re under attack and losing our fan base. Fans believe that the sport is dirty, that there is cheating. And here we have an obvious attempt to cheat. I’m sure there are more positives across the country.It’s not unusual that something isn’t being detected. † â€Å"We hear about some pretty exotic stuff,† Dr. Steven Barker, who directs the testing laboratory at Louisiana State  University, told the New Yo rk Times. â€Å"Frog juice — this is exotic. † Barker also told the Times 15 horses had tested positive in Oklahoma. On May 25, eight of the 25 qualifying victors for the Grade I Ruidoso Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, tested positive for dermorphin, a third place trial finisher also tested positive for the same drug. Two of the winning horses also tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.The trainers in question include Carl Draper and Carlos Sedillo, who at this time are in the top 10 Quarter Horse trainers in the U. S. in money won, two-time All American Futurity winner John H. Bassett, and J. Heath Reed, whose family has figured prominently in the sport. Two of the horses conditioned by Draper are co-owned by Lola Willis, wife of the New Mexico Racing Commissioner Ray Willis. Willis has been a Quarter horse owner and breeder for nearly three decades and was a member of the New Mexico Racing Commission’s Medication Committee for four years .None of the cases have been prosecuted and no charges filed as the trainers all requested split sample testing and are waiting on the results. Kentucky joined the short list of states that have begun to test for dermorphin and no traces of the drug were found in the system of any of the participants in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Five of the Derby horses were tested and four Oaks fillies. The test was recently developed by Rick Sams, director of the HFL Sports Lab in Lexington and comes out shortly after the Bluegrass State became the first in the nation to ban the use of Lasix or Salix on raceday. We have not received any intelligence suggesting it has been or is being used in Kentucky,† Dr. Mary Scollay, the equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. â€Å"However, the detection of dermorphin in other racing jurisdictions post-race samples means that Kentucky needs to be testing for it. † On June 19 the Racing Medicatio n and Testing Consortium sent a notice to state racing regulators to be on the seeking out this drug which it called a â€Å"threat to racing integrity† and also explained dermorphin can be produced synthetically. There’s a lot out there and that would be an awful lot of frogs that would have to be squeezed,† Barker told the New York Times. â€Å"There are a lot of unemployed chemists out there. † To date, there have been no positives in Standardbred or higher end Thoroughbred races. â€Å"It’s kind of like the rules and regulations that apply to driving in different states,† Martin said. â€Å"People know they aren’t supposed to drive drunk or speed, but there are always people that don’t follow the rules. Racing is no different. The cheaters always find a way to cheat or come up with some new drug, but they almost always get caught in the end. † 2 3 4 5

Monday, September 16, 2019

Bargaining Power Is the Ability to Influence the Setting of Prices

Bargaining power is the ability to influence the setting of prices. Buyer power refers to the ability of customers of the industry to influence the price and terms of purchase. The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs. The ability of customers to put the firm under pressure, which also affects the customer's sensitivity to price changes. Bargaining power of buyers occurs when leverage is given to the buyer and demand for lower prices, increased quality and more services are made.The amount of power enjoyed by a buyer group maybe determined by the concentration of buyers or volume of purchase. Additional occasion for high levels of buyer’s power may occur when the purchase represents a large portion of the buyer’s overall expenditures, if differentiation and switching costs are low, if there is likelihood of backward integration and if the buyer is fully informed about demand, market prices and supplier cost. The power of buyers is the impact that customers have on a producing industry.In general, when buyer power is strong, the relationship to the producing industry is near to what an economist terms a monophony a market in which there are many suppliers and one buyer. Under such market conditions, the buyer sets the price. In reality few pure monopolies exist, but frequently there is some asymmetry between a producing industry and buyers. The following tables outline some factors that determine buyer power. Buyers are Powerful if: Buyers purchase a significant proportion of output distribution of purchases or if the product is standardized. or example-Circuit City and Sears' large retail market provides power over appliance manufacturers. Buyers are weak if: Buyers are fragmented, no buyer has any particular influence on product or price. For example in garments industry there are so many kinds of customers there in the market. Prices are set by supply and demand and the market reaches the Pareto-optimal point where the highest possible number of buyers are satisfied at a price that still allow for the supplier to be profitable. In garments industry some of them are facing powerful buyers and some are facing weak buyers. ike sub-dealer of boo tic stores have a limited set of potential clients, each commanding a large share of their market these industries are having strong buyers. When retailers face individual consumers with little or no power at all that means now the garments industry has a weak buyer. In the garments industry it is economically feasible for buyers to follow the practice of purchasing the input from several suppliers rather that one. The products are unimportant to the quality of the customer's product or service.The buyers pose a threat of integrating backward to make the garments industry's products. In the garments industry the supplying industry is comprised of large numbers of relatively small sellers. They are concentrated and buy in large volume. The bargaining power of customers is also described as the market of outputs. The ability of customers to put the industry under pressure, which also affects the customer's sensitivity to price changes. These factors change with time and firm's choice of buyers-groups should be regarded as an important element in strategic decision-making.