Income Disparities in Obesity Trends Among Califor Essays (856 words)

Income Disparities in Obesity Trends Among Califor Essays (856 words) Income Disparities in Obesity Trends Among California Adolescents Hiral Patel PSY 101-600 Professor Elizabeth Lavertu 2/20/11 Obesity is a common problem in our society. A few researchers decided to study this matter further and compare obesity rates among low-income families and high-income families. In "Income Disparities in Obesity Trends Among California Adolescents," four authors: Susan H. Babey, Theresa A. Hastert, Joelle Wolstein, and Allsion L. Diamant, describe the entire process of the study: The researchers wanted to prove that income levels affect obesity in adolescents. Adolescents who come from low-income families are more likely to be obese than adolescents who come from high-income families. This study also included gender to see if males or females were more apt to become obese as a factor of income. The variables that were involved with the experiment were: weight, income level, gender and race. The research looked at the income levels as well as the weight/Body Mass Index (BMI) of the participants. Among the participants in the study, weight and income level changed. Therefore, weight and income level are known as independent variables. The dependent variables were gender, race, and obesity. Obesity amongst females in the low-income groups was not different from the females of the high-income group. Obesity rates were based on the charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, poverty and family income levels were judged based on the federal poverty rate. Three samples were used throughout this research. The first part of the sample was finding the participants. The second part of the sample was finding the people that would be interviewed. The third and last part of the sample was stating the facts about the study. The study was done in five languages and took place over four years. There was one sample group that was made from a sample population. Since the study was random, researchers were able to get a sample fraction of the participants of the study. The methods employed in the study would be the steps on how the researchers selected the participants. Logistic regression was used in this study, and income level had changed. A survey is a method in which researchers ask participants questions. When they put the answers together, they can see the trends. In this case, the California Health Interview Survey asked numerous health questions of a certain number of people between specific ages. The researchers in charge of this project were able to find out how many teenagers or young adults were obese. They were also capable of seeing where the teenagers or young adults resided, as well as the income levels of the families of the teenagers or young adults. Some types of information were requested, whereas other types of information were reported. For instance, if the survey asked about the race of each participant, the researcher was able to tell if more African-American, white, or Hispanic teenagers were obese. On page 3 of the docume nt, it shows that the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) was a telephone survey of homes around the state. It was designed to represent all kinds of people. CHIS interviews were done in several languages. Teenagers were asked specific information that the reader is able to find in the documented article. That information was used to decide if the teenager was obese by standards set up by an institution. The study had numerous results. The demographic information stated who exactly was studied, including how long the survey took place, the average age of participants, gender and races. Also, there was a small increase in the obesity rates in California in the years during the study. For instance, the obesity rate for the low-income group between 2001 and 2007 almost doubled. Males were more likely to be obese than females. Asian adolescents were the least likely to be obese. The connection with males and lower-income levels was significant. In conclusion, the hypothesis was proven. The article proves that obesity is related to economic status. However, there could have been more correlations between gender and income levels. The research was done in California. Thus, to make the study more inclusive, the research could have been conducted in diverse places. The study could have been improved if the researchers had

Bird Characteristics - Animals and Wildlife - About.com

Bird Characteristics - Animals and Wildlife - About.com Birds are unmatched in their command of the skies. Albatrosses glide long distances over the open sea, hummingbirds hover motionless in mid-air, and eagles swoop down to capture prey with pinpoint accuracy. But not all birds are aerobatic experts. Some species such as kiwis and penguins, lost their ability to fly long ago in favor of lifestyles suited more for land or water. Birds are vertebrates, which means that they are among those animals that possess a backbone. They range in size from the minute Cuban Bee Hummingbird (Calypte helena) to the grand Ostrich (Struthio camelus). Birds are endothermic and on average, maintain body temperatures in the range of 40Â °C-44Â °C (104Â °F-111Â °F), though this varies among species and depends on the activity level of the individual bird. Birds are the only group of animals to possess feathers. Feathers are used in flight but also provide birds with other benefits such as temperature regulation and coloration (for display and camouflage purposes). Feathers are made of a protein called keratin, a protein that is also found in mammalian hair and reptilian scales. The digestive system in birds is simple but efficient (enabling them to pass food through their system quickly to minimize the extra weight of undigested food and the time it takes to extract energy from their food). Food travels through the parts of a birds digestive system in the following order before it is excreted: esophagus - narrow tube that carries food to the crop crop - a sack-like widening of the digestive tract where food can be stored temporarily proventriculus - the first chamber of a birds stomach where food is broken down by digestive enzymes gizzard - the second chamber of a birds stomach where food is ground up by muscular action and small stones or grit (ingested by the birds) intestines - tubes that continue to extract nutrients from food after it has passed through the gizzard Refs: Attenborough, David. 1998. The Life of Birds. London: BBC Books.Sibley, David Allen. 2001. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life Behavior. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.The University of California, Berkely. 2006 (Accessed Online). Museum of Paleontology.

Case study Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case study - Coursework Example Some of the products which fall into this category are computer servers, automobile products and aircraft. In the context of automotive products or car industry, Build to Order (BTO) is considered as an approach, where the production takes place when a confirmed and validated order is received from the end consumer. The end customer refers to the individual who places an order for the product to the company. However it must not take into account any orders by the national sales companies, point of sales or dealers, bulk orders, original equipment manufacturer, or any other middle man in the entire supply chain. It should be also noted that BTO does not take into consideration any kind of production or manufacturing of the orders which are in the pipeline. As the pipeline approach embraces further sophistication and is often termed as build to stock (BTS) system or build to forecast (BTF) strategy towards production. Traditionally, there were several manufacturing approaches. However the most common form was the lean production method. Lean manufacturing or production is considered to be one of the traditional approaches of production. ... tant aspects of this production strategy are as follows: - Just in time production (JIT) Kaizen (Continuous improvement) Cell production Zero defect production and Total Quality Management (TQM). Time based management Simultaneous engineering Quality Circles (Cutcher-Gershenfeld et al., 1998, p.75) There are many differences between the two approaches of car production. The differences come in the form of marketing, logistics, production, customer relationship, managing uncertainty, suppliers and also finished goods inventory. For example in the Build to Order approach the production system focuses on the supply chain flexibility and customer demand. On the other hand, the traditional approaches mainly focuses on stable and level schedules, and also concentrates on fixed order line-up. Some of the other differences between the traditional approaches and build to order approach are presented in a tabular form below. Table 1 – Differences between traditional approaches and build to order supply chains Factor Build to order approach Traditional approach Suppliers Responsive Lead times are long Logistics Non differentiated and mass approach Customized, reliable and fast approach Marketing Pull the customers Push the customers (Source: Deloitte, 2008) To what extent is the Product Life Cycle framework useful to explain the emergence of â€Å"build to order† manufacturing? Answer 2: - In the last few decades, there has been phenomenal growth and investment in the area of product life cycle management. Companies are exploring the opportunities to fully harness their assets and streamlining product lifecycle processes like never before. The theory of product life cycle was developed in the early 1950s. The primary rationale behind the development of this theory is to uncover

Individual Project and Presentation (3,000 words 50%) A student Essay

Individual Project and Presentation (3,000 words 50%) A student negotiated project and structure interview on a specialism of t - Essay Example It is the contemporary reality that ICTs or Information Communication Technologies have entered all spheres of our life. As a teacher of ICT, the practitioner finds himself using it more and more every day. In the context of formal education, ICT is recommended to be used by children from their earliest years. Siraj-Blatchford & Siraj-Blatchford (2000) position that since the early age children ought to be finding out as well as identifying the uses of ICT in everyday life. Computers along with programming toys are recommended for use to support learning. Use of play will provide a well-structured foundation for the later use of applications. In other words, the priority of modern education is to integrate ICT across the curriculum. The term ICT is used in modern education when one speaks about digital literacy. While the first associations with this term are the Internet, mobile phones, computers, Facebook, television, games, and Twitter, in education a few scholarly definitions are used. Specifically, Hague (2010), who says that ‘digital literacy’ is a confusing term, provides the following definition: digital literacy constitutes â€Å"critical and creative and cultural practices that allow one to understand and share the meaning and knowledge in different modes and formats through various forms of engagement with technology and media† (Hague 2010, 6). ... Indeed, Eshet-Alkalai (2002) says that the term’s indistinct use leads to ambiguity as well as misunderstanding, low-quality communication, and development of misconceptions. It is noted that a certain inconsistency exists between the supporters of the view that digital literacy is majorly about technical skills and those who support the view that digital literacy is about focus on both cognitive and socio-emotional aspects of functioning in an extensively digital environment. Hence, one of the research questions in this paper is â€Å"Is digital literacy more than just using a computer?† Two other questions are: â€Å"Is digital literacy covered in enough depth in the setting?† and â€Å"Should digital literacy lessons be taught earlier?† First of all, let us critically analyse views on the problem of the nature of digital literacy and its major components in available academic sources. The very concept of digital literacy, the term that is widely used to day, was introduced by Gilster (1997) back in 1997. Gilster (ibid) provided a generic explanation of digital literacy rather than a list of competencies and skills that defined digital literacy. In his view, digital literacy is simply an ability to comprehend and utilize information from a range of various sources, i.e. a sort of literacy typical for the digital age. Needless to say, the definition was quite broad, but it evidently opened the door to interpretations by different authors. While the term had been used before, it was Gilster (1997) and then Eshet (2002) that contemplated digital literacy as a broader concept. Specifically, Gilster (1997) explicitly observes that digital literacy is all about mastering ideas rather than

Literary Analysis of Bartleby the Scrivener Essay Example for Free

Literary Analysis of Bartleby the Scrivener Essay Bartleby the Scrivener could be described as a story about getting rid of its title character, about the narrators attempt to get rid of Bartleby, and Bartlebys tenacious capacity to be always there. It is the story of an unnamed lawyer and his employee, Bartleby, a copyist of law documents. Confronted not only with Bartlebys refusal to do work (first to read copies against the original, then to copy altogether), but also with the contagious nature of the particular words of his refusal (Bartlebys peculiar I would prefer not to), the narrator concludes that, before Bartleby turns the tongues any further of those with whom he comes into contact, he must get rid of Bartleby. At the same time Bartleby feels mobbed in his privacy (27) when the other office workers crowd him behind his screen, they in turn are invaded by his idiosyncrasy his private idiom prefer. Bartlebys presence breaks down the clear distinctions between public and private, professional and domestic, between privacy and the mob. By pinpointing Bartleby as the cause of infectious language (language turned bad), the narrator wants to stop the course of a process (the turning of tongues) already in progress. But getting rid of Bartleby is as tricky as getting rid of a chronic condition; the narrator emphasizes a phrase which appears textually in italics: he was always there (20). Bartleby is, as the narrator calls him, a nuisance (40), an intolerable incubus. As a character in the story with a body, he moves very little, but the few words he speaks break out at unexpected moments in the office. Every attempt the narrator makes to control the passive Bartleby and his infectious language fails hilariously (Schehr 97). The narrator experiences a curious tension between the impossible imperative (on the level of the story) to get rid of the subject, and the impossibility (on the level of the narration) to write his complete biography (Bartlebys history). Thus, Bartleby is also a fable about writing history or biography. In attempting to write what he thinks of as Bartlebys biography, the narrator merely misnames his writing project, or he emphasizes it from the wrong point of view. In search of Bartlebys origins, the narrator does not simply narrate (as he thinks) the history of Bartleby the Scrivener; he relates rather the story of his own anxiety vis-a-vis Bartleby. In particular, he relates his anxiety over the scriveners silence and modes of breaking that silence; for we could say that, rather than speaking very little or in particular ways, Bartleby has particular ways of occasionally breaking silence. It is this violence in speech, this unexpected eruption, which the narrator fears. The narrator, whose acquaintances describe him as an eminently safe man, who likes nothing better than the cool tranquility of a snug retreat (4), is thrown decidedly off kilter when faced with what he terms Bartlebys passive resistance (17). Bartlebys weapon is his total indifference to truth, whereas the narrator seeks a second opinion on truth from the other office mates. Bartleby could be seen as the one solid block around which the narrator writes his own story about truth rather than the truth about the Bartleby story. Bartlebys passive resistance actually generates the story confronted with it, the narrator creates theories (his doctrine of assumptions, for instance), carries on debates with himself, and seeks the counsel of others all with the opaque Bartleby as the core. In reconstructing Bartlebys story, the narrator follows an implicit logic which he never directly states. It is the logic of cause and effect. (He is not deliberately hiding this logic, but because he takes its validity for granted, he never comments on it critically. ) Believing in the possibility of finding a specific, locatable, and nameable cause to Bartlebys condition (as he is able to do with the other office workers, Nippers and Turkey, whose moods vary according to their diets and the time of day), the narrator thinks that by eradicating the cause of the problem, he can alter the effects, the effects of Bartlebys speaking condition in the office space. McCall follows the same logic as the narrator in seeking causes of Bartlebys behavior. He mentions remark that when the narrator asks Bartleby to run an errand for him at the post office, that is probably the last place, if the rumor is correct, that Bartleby would ever want to go. (McCall 129). The narrator never considers that his line of reasoning might be faulty — that Bartlebys condition may not be linked to a specific, locatable, nameable cause. We as readers may be placed in the same position as the narrator in that we never know either the origin of Bartlebys condition; we witness primarily its effects, or symptoms, in the story. These symptoms reside not only in Bartleby as individual character, but in the very way the narrator tells the story about that character. Rather than speaking about the cause of Bartlebys condition, one could more aptly speak about the ways in which its effects are spread to other characters within the text. When the narrator impatiently summons Bartleby to join and help the others in the scenario of group reading, Bartleby responds, I would prefer not to (14). Hearing this response the narrator turns into a pillar of salt (14). (Faced with Bartlebys responses and sheer presence, the narrator oftentimes evokes images of his losing, then waking to, consciousness. ) When he recovers his senses, he tries to reason with Bartleby, who in the meantime has retreated behind his screen. The narrator says: These are your own copies we are about to examine. It is labor saving to you, because one examination will answer for your four papers. It is common usage. Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy. Is it not so? Will you not speak? Answer! (15) The narrator is exasperated when Bartleby does not respond immediately to the logic behind his work ethic. These are your own copies we are about to examine. It is labor saving to you. Examining or reading copy is a money saving activity, from which every member of the office profits (four documents for the price of one reading! ). Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy. To the contract the lawyer emphatically demands from his employee, a bond based on an exchange of reading, Bartleby replies three times, gently, in a flutelike tone, I (would) prefer not to (15). By refusing to read copy, Bartleby refuses to consent to the economy of the office. It is perhaps only to another type of reading, one not based on a system of exchange and profit, which Bartleby consents. Although the narrator says he has never seen Bartleby reading — not even a newspaper (24) — he does often notice him staring outside the window of the office onto a brick wall. Staring at the dead brick wall (in what the narrator calls Bartlebys dead-wall reveries) may be Bartlebys only form of reading, taking the place of the economy-based reading demanded of him in the process of verifying copies. About halfway through the story, the lawyer/narrator visits his office on a Sunday morning and, discovering a blanket, soap and towel, a few crumbs of ginger nuts and a morsel of cheese, deduces that the scrivener never leaves the office. Realizing the full impact of Bartlebys condition, he states, What I saw that morning persuaded me that the scrivener was the victim of innate and incurable disorder. (25) The narrator clearly locates the disorder in Bartleby. Seeing himself in the role of diagnostician and healer, he himself is faced with the hopelessness of remedying excessive and organic ill (24). The narrators concern about an individual medical cure should more aptly be a concern about an obsessively private rhetorical debate or a dangerously idiomatic group contagion (Perry 409). Despite his assumption that Bartleby is incurable, or perhaps precisely because he can effect no cure, the narrator beleaguers himself throughout the story with questions or commands to do something about Bartleby (McCall 9). If the private mans disorder can be passed on to another (one) person, what happens when the condition is let loose out of close quarantine into the public space of the office? Bartleby walks a precarious tightrope between comedy and tragedy (Inge 25). The tragic dimension often resides in the narrators turning inward on himself (a sort of tragic compression), then putting himself on trial, an interior moment of accusation which eventually results in the collapse of the narrative in a single sigh or exclamation (Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity! 46). The comic effects are often related to the authoritarian attempt (and failure) to contain the spread of idiom as contagion (Perry 412). If Bartleby has been a figure for tragedy in the lone meditation of the narrator, he becomes a figure for comedy in his contact with his office mates Nippers and Turkey. The more the narrator tries to regulate the contact between the three, the more hilarious — and significantly out of control — is Bartlebys influence. The effort to contain or control tends actually to promote the epidemic proportions of the narrative. It is the narrator himself who uses a vocabulary of contagion in relation to Bartleby. He says he has had more than ordinary contact (3) with other scriveners he has known. Bartleby exceeds this already extraordinary contact he has been touched by handling dead letters (Schehr 99). Some critics reproduce the narrators language of contagion in talking about Bartleby. McCall, in his study on The Silence of Bartleby, describes our response, the collective readers response, to reading the tale: As we go through the story, we watch with a certain delight how Bartleby is catching. We root for the spread of the bug. (145) In a somewhat less delighted vein, Borges says, Bartlebys frank nihilism contaminates his companions and even the stolid man who tells Bartlebys story. (Borges 8) In the office scenes where the employees and boss come inevitably together, the bug word is Bartlebys prefer. Nippers uses it mockingly against the narrator as a transitive action verb when he overhears Bartlebys words of refusal to the narrators plea to be a little reasonable. Bartleby echoes, At present I would prefer not to be a little reasonable (26). If Nippers is suffering from his own peculiar and chronic condition of indigestion, he takes on the symptoms of Bartlebys condition when he exclaims to the narrator, Prefer not, eh? – Id prefer him, if I were you sir, Id prefer him; Id give him preferences, the stubborn mule! What is it, sir, pray, that he prefers not to do now? (26) Whereas later in the story the narrator totally loses his critical skill to catch himself in his speech, in this exchange he is still able to articulate the effect Bartlebys word is having on him. He notes anxiously, Somehow, of late, I had got into the way of involuntarily using the word prefer upon all sorts of not exactly suitable occasions. (27) It is this qualifier not exactly which is of particular interest. Bartlebys use of words is not exactly wrong. Prefer is so insidious because it is only slightly askew, dislocated, idiosyncratic. As McCall accurately notes about the power of Bartlebys I prefer not to, one must hear, in the little silence that follows it, how the line delivers two contradictory meanings, obstinacy and politeness. (152) The line calls just enough attention to itself so as to attract others to its profoundly mixed message (its perfect yes and no) in an imitative way (McCall 152). Prefer is as inobtrusive, as contagious, and as revolutionary as a sneeze. The narrator lets it out of his mouth involuntarily. When Turkey enters the scene and uses the bug word without realizing it (without Nippers italicized parody or the narrators critical comments), the narrator says to him, in a slightly excited tone, So you have got the word, too (27). In this pivotal sentence, the verb get implies to receive (as in to receive a word or message), but more strikingly for our discussion here, it implies the verb to catch one catches the word as one would catch a cold. The narrator attempts to monitor the contagion by naming the bug and pointing it out to the others. But the word mocks everyones will to control it prefer pops up six times in the next half a page — four times unconsciously in the speech of one of the employees, and twice consciously (modified by word) in the narration of the lawyer. Bartleby could be described as a story of the intimacy or anxiety a lawyer feels for the law-copyist he employs. The narrator arranges a screen in the corner of his office behind which Bartleby may work. Pleased with the arrangement of placing Bartleby behind the screen in near proximity to his own desk, the narrator states, Thus, in a manner, privacy and society were conjoined (12). The narrator idealizes the possibility of a perfect harmony between privacy and community in the work environment, but it is precisely the conflict between these two spatial conditions which generates the story, defining not only Bartlebys idiocy, but the narrators as well. The narrator most characteristically encounters Bartleby emerging from his retreat (13) or retiring into his hermitage (26). The screen isolates Bartleby from the view of the narrator, but not from his voice. Works Cited Borges, Jorge Luis. Prologue to Herman Melvilles Bartleby in Herman Melvilles Billy Budd, Benito Cereno, Bartleby the Scrivener, and Other Tales, ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987 Inge, Thomas M. , ed. Bartleby the Inscrutable. Hamden, CT: Archon Books, 1979. McCall, Dan. The Silence of Bartleby. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989. Melville, Herman. Billy Budd and Other Stories. New York: Penguin Books, 1986. Perry, Dennis R. Ah, Humanity: Compulsion Neuroses in Melvilles Bartleby. Studies in Short Fiction 23. 4 (fall 1987): 407-415. Schehr, Lawrence R. Dead Letters: Theories of Writing in Bartleby the Scrivener Enclitic vii. l (spring 1983): 96-103.

Female Genital Mutilation Essays -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I decided to do this paper in an effort to try and become less ethnocentric and find an appreciation of cultural practices which were not of my own.   I feel I have found a deeper appreciation for many African cultural practices, but my research of African culture has exposed me to many practices that seem inhumane and barbaric. One cultural practice that I just cannot bring myself to agree with is the treatment and oppression of African women by men. Through my studies on Female Genital Mutilation, I had hoped to find a valid explanation for this procedure that is so frequently being done to women and female children.   Instead, I found something deep within myself that wishes this mutilation would come to an end.   Allow me to provide you with the facts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Female Genital Mutilation, sometimes also referred to as femal circumcision, is a surgical modification of the female genitalia.   Ther are four forms of female genital mutilation.   The first is called Mild Sunna.   It is the removal of the prepuce of the clitoris.   It is comparable to male circumcision when the foreskin is removed from the penis.   Next there is the Modified Sunna which is the partial or total removal of the body of the clitoris.   Then you have the Clitoridectomy or Excision.   This is the removal of all or part of the clitoris as well as all or part of the labia minora.   Lastly, there is Infibulation or Pharaonic circumcision.   This consists of a clitoridectomy and the removal of the labia minora and also the inner layers of the labia majora.   The raw edges of the vulva are then sewn together with catgut or brought together by use of thorns.   A small sliver of wood or straw is often then inserted into the vagina to prevent complete occlusion and to ... ... Nearly one hundred fifty million females have undergone this procedure and it is estimated that each year 2 million individuals are still at risk.   I am hoping that this information will grab at the hearts of others and educate readers on the facts of Female Genital Mutilation.   With that, I devote this to my sisters in Africa in hopes that this violation will one day come to an end. Works Cited 1.   Do They Hear You When You Cry.   Fauziya Kassindja. 1998 2.   Female Genital Mutilation. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists Committee Opinion. Number 151. Jan. 2003 3.   Female Genital Mutilation.   Council of Scientific Affairs.   American Medical Association.   JAMA Dec. 2000. Vol.274. No. 21 4.   Infibulation in the Horn of Africa. Guy Pieters M.D. Albert B. Lowentels M.D.   New York State Journal of Medicine. April 2001. Vol. 77. Number 6. pgs.729-731

Critique Zara’s strategy based upon an evaluation of the external and internal environments facing Zara.

Introduction Using your evaluation of the external and internal environments facing Zara, you are asked to critique Zara’s stated strategy of expansion into (Eastern) Europe and Asia. Consider whether the strategy is feasible, suitable and acceptable. In your answer, consider both the likely benefits as well as challenges that Zara is going to face. How does the emphasis on online expansion fit into the company’s international strategy? Zara opened its first store in 1975 in La Coruna, located in northwest Spain. International expansion of the Zara brand began with the opening of a store in Oporto in 1988. By the end of January 2006, Zara was operating in 59 countries with 852 stores: 664 stores in Europe (including 259 in Spain), 100 in America, 45 in the Middle East and Africa and 31 in Asia. Foreign sales accounted for 69% of the company’s turnover in the year 2005, with Europe being the biggest market so far. This paper critiques Zara’s strategy of expansion into ( Eastern) Europe and Asia, based upon an evaluation of the external and internal environments facing Zara. The decision for global expansion is due to both push and pull factors. The push factors are those which encouraged the organization to search for international opportunities. The pull factors include attractive situations in the host market . Limited market growth opportunities at home were major influences in the decision to expand internationally. With the opening of their first store, Zara discovered that for some, the Spanish fashion and design market was on verge of saturation. Key pull factors included the entry of Spain into the European Union. The globalization of the world’s economies, the economy of scale to be made and the similarities of consumer spending patterns was an additional pull factor. Strategy is feasible, suitable and acceptable The internationalization of Zara seemed to follow the classic stage model by first entering the culturally or geographica lly closest market prior to taking chances in a more distant market. This method aided the company’s learning curve. These stages include: †¢ Reluctance as well as trial: Zara focused their expansion on the domestic market. The maturity of the Spanish market led Zara to search for international opportunities. Expansion into Portugal was seen as an attractive as well as familiar market because of their geographical and cultural proximity to Europe. †¢ Cautious expansions: During this stage Zara expanded into markets with geographical and psychological proximate as well as with minimum levels of socio-economic developments by adding one or two countries each year to their market portfolio. Zara then began operating in France’s fashion capital, with sights on the geographical contiguous EU and points for later expansions in Northern Europe, including Belgium and Sweden. Benefits as well as challenges that Zara is going to face Zara owns many stores in Europe and Asia; international expansion has been adopted by way of three separate entry modes: †¢ Subsidiaries: This direct investing strategy is a very expensive method of entering and it involves a high level of quality management control as well as business risk. Zara adopted such strategy for European as well as Asian countries, which had been perceived for having high growth potential along with low business risks. †¢ Joint venturing: This is a cooperative strategy where manufacturing facilities and a know-how of local companies have been combined with expertise in foreign companies in the same market, particularly in large, competitive markets where it is difficult to acquire property for setting up retail outlets and where there have been the other types of barriers which need cooperation with a local firm. †¢ Franchisee: This strategy has been chosen for high-risk countries that are culturally different and have little market opportunities along with a low sale forecas t. Franchisees of Zara follow a similar business pattern to their subsidiaries regarding product, store location, interior design, and logistics, as well as human resources. When an entry mode has been decided for a specific country, Zara has followed patterns of the expansion called in company as oil stain. Experience guides Zara in these stages of expansions in each country. Emphasis on online expansion fit into the company’s international strategy Experience gained in international environments made Zara intent on rapid global expansion, with regard to the cultural and geographic proximate. Zara consolidated its position in the European market as a method of gaining a foothold in the new countries. Due to the expansion of the European Union, at the start of the year 2006, Zara was operating in 59 countries with 800 stores, with plans to add many more in countries such as Italy, France, Germany and Great Britain, with Asia as the headquarters of international operations. References Alexander, N. (1995b). Internationalisation: interpreting the motives, in McGoldrick P. and Davies, P., International retailing: trends and strategies. London: Pitman Publishing. Johanson, J. a.-P. (1975). The internationalisation of the firm four Swedish case studies. Journal of Management Studies, 12 , 305-322. Martinez, J. (1997). Jose Maria Castellano. Economistas, 73 , 118-126.

Blinds to Go Case Essay

If Blinds To Go staffing stores still lack of staff for the expansion plan, it is difficult for the company to fill current store requirements for the additional 50 stores per year. Analysis The BTG have problems of a variation of the commission-based compensation plan, so they are difficult to keep high-level associates, assistants and managers, they face to high staff turnover each year and lack of the attraction to recruit new members. In order to analyze BTG’s problems, they must look at their compensation structure, recruiting methods, and the condition of staff turnover. Compensation structure In 1996, the Shillers decided to change the compensation system from full commission to salary, and her intention was to attract more recruits, make sales associates less entrepreneurial and more customer-service focused, but the best commission-based people did not like it and left. However, sales declined between 10% to 30% in both new and existing stores from 1996 to 1997. A variation of the commission-based compensation plan was back in 1998, and store sales improved. Next, a plan for store employees was implemented along with a sales award and recognition program, and all full-time sales associates were made partners and given shares in the company. In addition, there was another concern that a commission-based compensation structure would not work in the U.S., because the workers prefer a straight wage or salary. Finally, senior management believed that sales managers had to be properly motivated and provided them with a combination of store sales commission and opportunities f or rapid advancement in the growing organization. Recruiting methods In order to attract quality retail sales candidates, BTG had tried several recruiting methods to varying degrees of success, such as employee referral,  Internet sourcing, DSM compensation readjustment, BTG retail recruiters, newspaper advertising, and store generated leads. As a result, the most effective method of attracting quality candidates is employee referral, followed by Internet sourcing, and next is DSM recruitment. The total number of employee referral in two months in 2000 is 59, the highest percentage of all recruiting method. Referrals generally pursued employment with BTG, excited by the opportunity that a friend or family member who was a BTG employee had recounted. Moreover, recruiters were focused on non-store sources and store sources were handled by the DSM. Staff turnover By June 2000, Blinds To Go operated 120 corporated-owned stores across North America, and it was senior management’s belief that quality of staff is more important than store location. There are four staff roles in the store: the sales associate, the selling supervisor, the assistant store manager, and the store manager. Overall staff turnover increased to more than 40 percent from a pre-1995 figure of 15 percent. This problem was further exacerbated by the fact that rapid store expansion into several large cities had required the deployment of skilled store staff, thinning the ranks of existing stores. The 1998 shift back to commission-based compensation structure caused a huge turnover in BTG stores, it had still not fully recovered from the previous compensation change. Plan of Action In order for Blinds To Go to recruit and develop enough people for the expansion plan, the following steps need to be taken so the company will success to meet the growth objectives. The sales managers had to be properly motivated so BTG need to change the commission-based compensation structure to have a combination compensation structure with base salary and other compensation decisions. According to the base salary of $8/hour were attracting a lower caliber of people, and the best commission-based people did not prefer it, and the U.S. folks like a straight wage or salary. In addition to the small base salary  and sales commission plan, the company could use group incentives and organizational incentives to encourage teamwork and cooperation. BTG may add up a profit sharing plan for employees to receive a portion of the organization’s profits over and above their regular compensation. The employee stock ownership plans are also available to compensate employees by awarding them shares of the company stock. The company could continue the existing recruiting methods and add more details to the recruiting process more integrated. To provide a job analysis and job description are easy for employees to comprehend the important work-related aspects, the basic tasks, duties, and responsibilities required of a particular job. BTG may attach importance to external recruiting rather than internal recruiting, but internal recruiting is still functional for the company to figure out qualified employees inside the company. During external recruiting, keep the method of cold call, walk-ins, internet, employee referral, DSM hires and develop some other methods. For example, advertising on newspapers, magazines, direct mail, radio, and television are effective to recruit broadly. Moreover, develop employment services is also important, to establish state or private employment agencies, temporary help agencies, and professional search firms will attract more quality candidates. Furthermore, the special events such as career conferences or job fairs will also work. BTG may develop performance appraisal and use functional one-to-one communication to keep low and functional staff turnover. The performance appraisal is the process of assessing how well employees are doing their jobs. Objective performance measures are also measures of performance that are easily and directly counted and quantified. These measures are benefit for BTG to figure out the quality of the employees, and may use the hierarchical pay structures top decide the pay level of people with different abilities. However, training programs are also accessible to improve the quality of employees. In addition, use one-to-one communication could help the managers to figure out the problems of people’s performance  on the job. Especially for counseling, communicate with the person about non-job-related issues that may be interfering with the person’s performance could help employees to address their personal issues and improve their performance on the job. By following these steps, BTG can develop enough people for the expansion plan, and the company can meet the growth objectives successfully. Evaluation After developing the compensation structure, the employees have to be appropriately motivated, and the BTG selling process involved a very high level of interaction with the customer, which set a very high level of service expectation. The emphasis on customer satisfaction at the retail stores lead to a higher volume of orders relative to the retail competition. Store sales will improve across the board. To try several recruiting methods such as formal or informal programs that worked to entice qualified personnel to apply to BTG which increase the degree of success. To keep the turnover low and functional, the quality of the store’s staff will be high in a healthy competitive environment among sales associates. According to the percentage of staff voluntary turnover occurred in their first four months become low and the employees are stable in BTG, the company will have stable source of staff to proceed with its expansion plan and develop complements efficiently. The sales of the company will be high for each consecutive store opened, and no competitors could replicate the model of BTG.

Free Essays on Love Defined By Shakespeare

What is love? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the most recent definition of love is a â€Å"strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties† (Online). About four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare provided his readers with his very own definition of love through his wonderful comedy, Twelfth Night; Or What You Will. The unique relationships that the characters develop in this play rely heavily on â€Å"the conflict between reason and emotion in matters of love† (Cahn 675). Different styles of love illustrated in Twelfth Night; Or What You Will are built between the relationships of the characters involved in the love triangle: Orsino, Olivia, and Viola. In consideration of his love for Olivia, Orsino is not in love â€Å"so much with a woman [as he is] with his own idea of love† (Jenkins 77). This idea being his infatuation with himself paralleled with his attraction to Olivia’s exaggeration of mourning her brother’s death (Cahn 666). In Twelfth Night; Or What You Will, he imagines what will become of this love after receiving word from Valentine that Olivia will continue to lament her brother’s death for seven years. Orsino asks, â€Å"How will she love when the rich golden shaft Hath killed the flock of all affections else†¦and filled Her sweet perfections with one self king!† (I. i. 34-38). His anguished love for Olivia differs from his love for Viola, which grows while disguised as a man, Cesario. â€Å"Whether he is aware or not, Orsino is falling in love with the young man in front of him (Cahn 668). After the revelation of Sebastian’s marriage to Olivia, Orsino says: Cesario, come- For so you shall be while you are a man; But when in other habits you are seen, Orsino’s mistress, and his fancy’s queen. (V. i. 380-383). Now that he realizes that Cesario is really a woman, he can express his love for her freely. Orsino’s love for Olivia was obsessive and... Free Essays on Love Defined By Shakespeare Free Essays on Love Defined By Shakespeare What is love? According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the most recent definition of love is a â€Å"strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties† (Online). About four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare provided his readers with his very own definition of love through his wonderful comedy, Twelfth Night; Or What You Will. The unique relationships that the characters develop in this play rely heavily on â€Å"the conflict between reason and emotion in matters of love† (Cahn 675). Different styles of love illustrated in Twelfth Night; Or What You Will are built between the relationships of the characters involved in the love triangle: Orsino, Olivia, and Viola. In consideration of his love for Olivia, Orsino is not in love â€Å"so much with a woman [as he is] with his own idea of love† (Jenkins 77). This idea being his infatuation with himself paralleled with his attraction to Olivia’s exaggeration of mourning her brother’s death (Cahn 666). In Twelfth Night; Or What You Will, he imagines what will become of this love after receiving word from Valentine that Olivia will continue to lament her brother’s death for seven years. Orsino asks, â€Å"How will she love when the rich golden shaft Hath killed the flock of all affections else†¦and filled Her sweet perfections with one self king!† (I. i. 34-38). His anguished love for Olivia differs from his love for Viola, which grows while disguised as a man, Cesario. â€Å"Whether he is aware or not, Orsino is falling in love with the young man in front of him (Cahn 668). After the revelation of Sebastian’s marriage to Olivia, Orsino says: Cesario, come- For so you shall be while you are a man; But when in other habits you are seen, Orsino’s mistress, and his fancy’s queen. (V. i. 380-383). Now that he realizes that Cesario is really a woman, he can express his love for her freely. Orsino’s love for Olivia was obsessive and...

Autobiographical Essays

Autobiographical Essays Autobiographical Essays Autobiographical Essays Almost every student has to deal with writing autobiographical essays,when you need to write a personal essay describing your personality, hopes, life events, childhood, parents, etc. The best way is to show your personality, your background and your character are to organize your writing in a chronological order. Here are some pieces of advice to follow. In addition, you may find it helpful to review tips on writing personal essay, persuasive essay, and narrative essays online. Autobiographical Essays Pieces of Advice Think about the life experience which has influenced your character or remained in the mind as a powerful memory. Recollect the story, words, and other details which have made you stronger, wiser, kinder, etc. Try to make your autobiographical essaysinteresting. Recall an event which pushed you to certain actions or thoughts. For example, if you write about the trip to California as your key life events but fail to show why, your essay will not get a good grade. Thats for sure. But if there you participated in fighting the fire and saved the life of a little girl, it is a unique story worth being praised and written about. Impress your reader. Open your autobiographical essays with unexpected statement or tell the outcome of your story and then proceed backward showing how everything happened. Make each paragraph end with the exciting sentence the reader will be impatient to know what comes next. Organize your thoughts in a specific sequence. Logically, following to the structure of the essay, share how you felt and what you have now due to the past events, but sound positive and prepare the reader for the conclusion. In the conclusion of autobiographical essaysdemonstrate the powerfulness of the events, changes in your life, etc. Cover everything you showed in the main body in one big sentence which leads to the last one, the most important. You should not aim to influence the reader and raise some remembrances; make the audience think about their own mistakes and struggles. It is much better to remain optimistic and positive till the final word. Unless your purpose is to write autobiographical essaysabout difficult times of your life: Autobiographical Essays Help Autobiographical essays writing is not easy and many students find it challenging to choose the most important or the most interesting events of your life. Taking into account that increasing number of requests we receive from students, we introduced autobiographical essays writing service. Our prices are affordable while the academic quality of essays we deliver will satisfy the most demanding students. If you are looking for research paper editing or college essay writing or any other type of professional assistance, we are always ready to help you out! Read more: Dissertation Subjects Dissertation Paper Dissertation Expert American History Thesis Writers of Term Papers

Concealed carry Laws in Illinois vs other states like texas Term Paper

Concealed carry Laws in Illinois vs other states like texas - Term Paper Example Later, as the crime rate in public increased by the assailants, many states passed law for concealed carry to prevent individuals from such criminals. Many States in America have recognized the need of concealed carry and subsequent legislations were made. However, in the state of Illinois the bill of concealed carry was not passed in the Assembly even though there are strong demands from people to legalize concealed carry in the state of Illinois. In Illinois the state had taken ample measures for the control of gun. Jens Ludwig and Philip J. Cook in their work Evaluating gun Policy deal elaborately with Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card which the gun owners need to gain. It prevents the spread of gun among the civilians of the state. The owners can resell their guns to only those with valid FOID card holders. Moreover, they have implemented gun control in the state through radical measures. Thus, it can be seen that the Illinois system â€Å"provides gun owners with an inc entive to verify a buyer’s eligibility status and to resist requests to serve as straw purchaser for friends and family who are ineligible† (Ludwig & Cook, 2003, p. 10). This paper explores a study on the laws prevailing in the state of Illinois regarding the concealed carry, and further, an attempt is made to make a comparative study with other states in America as well. The laws connected with the carrying of firearms in public turned to be a matter of dispute among the states in America. Some states argue for concealed carry and they have made laws in favor of it, whereas the states like Illinois and Wisconsin have objected the notion. To many in Illinois concealed carry seem to a mere dream whereas people in most of the other states are privileged with this freedom. The state laws do not support concealed carry. Among the states 48 support concealed carry. The states that do not allow the citizens to carry a concealed hand gun are Illinois, Wisconsin and the Distric t of Columbia. Even though some relaxations are made in Wisconsin and in the District of Columbia, Illinois stands stubborn in the decision of not permitting the concealed carry. To quote governor of Illinois Pat Quinn’s words: â€Å"If you're going to the grocery store, you bump into somebody accidentally they take offense and they could pull out a loaded handgun to assuage their anger† (Governor to Veto Concealed Weapons? 2011). The growing demand to establish concealed carry from all walks of the people have made the government to think of the issue and grant permission for concealed carry. Some negotiations are on the move with regard to concealed carrying of guns in Illinois. Difference between Illinois and other states: In Illinois the carry of a fire weapon to a public place is prohibited, whereas many other states like Alaska, Arizona, Vermont, etc allow carry the fire arms concealed in public places. The state Arizona has even been exempted from the Federal Gu n Free School Zone Act of 1995.The act was made to prevent the use of gun at the premises of schools in America. As Hanks observes, â€Å"the Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a federal offense to knowingly possess a firearm in a school zone† (Hanks , 2004, p. 16). Some States like Georgia allow those persons who have the license to carry guns to schools. In Illinois it is considered as a serious crime. The case of Joan E. Bruner versus The People of the state of Illinois gets the conclusion that even if a person has been found in

Comparison of two Historical Buildings in the Greater Los Angeles Research Paper

Comparison of two Historical Buildings in the Greater Los Angeles - Research Paper Example It can be argued that the Forbidden City is the richest of the three classical buildings. It has vertical structural beams resting on raised stone pedestals that frequently rest on wooden piles.   The Thien Hau temple is raised as well though not as high as the Forbidden City. There are also large vertical structural beams as seen in both the Forbidden City and Thien Hau temple.   The vertical beams are made of wood and are set to rest vertically and as a result exert pressure on the ground to gain stability. The Chinese study center is also well founded as it has proven over time. Structural beams  Both the Thien Hau temple and the Forbidden City have large structural timbers which act as primary support of the roof.   Wooden timber is used as load-bearing columns and lateral beams for articulating and framing buildings to support the roofs. The Forbidden City is also outstanding as it is raised very high compared to the others.Structural connections  Ã‚  Timber frames are usually assembled with joinery and doweling alone, hardly ever using glue or nails. It is clear how the types of semi-rigid structural joints are put together when in the interior of the Thien Hau. The joints allow the timber structure to resist bending while under high compression. The long lasting buildings have proven to have structural stability which ensures longer duration. Amazingly, the weight of the timber structures doesn’t pull down the building. This further gives credit to the indigenous system of construction applied.