Compare and Contrast Research Methods Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Compare and Contrast Methods - Research Paper Example As there are various research methods for carrying out different types of research in all areas such as psychology, public affairs, marketing, business administration and etc., it is important to make wise decision among all available options so that the results can be used in a productive manner (Hopper et al., 2007; Lee, Benoit-Bryan & Johnson, 2010). Since questionnaire-based survey was discussed in detail in the last assignment, five other research methods will be compared with this method to understand their applicability in the real world. The following table is a brief snapshot of the similarities, differences and applications of questionnaire-based surveys after doing comparison with in-depth interviews, focus groups, projective techniques, experimental methods and observation: In-depth interviews and questionnaire-based surveys require the professionals to develop a questionnaire so that they can ask the questions to the respondents in a structured way and any queries regarding the questions can be clarified during the research (Brugger, 2010; Kotnik et al., 2010). As compared to the questionnaire-based surveys, in-depth interviews are time-consuming, interviewee might record the answer according to his/her perception and experts need to learn the skills of conducting the interviews (Milena, 2008; Yaoxiang, & Lihai, 2008). These interviews are ideal for gathering information about the perceptions, attitudes, preferences and behaviors of the consumers. In-depth interview method is frequently used in the fields of psychology, marketing and business administration (Harris & Brown, 2010). Focus groups comprise of eight to twelve respondents and it has a lot of similarity to the questionnaire-based survey such as a questionnaire is developed and tested before carrying out the research, respondents are provided leverage of answering

EU Subsisdies Order Essay Example for Free

EU Subsisdies Order Essay 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction The European Union introduced the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the 1950s, which was aimed at encouraging better productivity in the food chain to ensure that consumers had a stable supply of affordable food and that the EU had a viable agricultural sector. This was essential in post WW2 Western Europe, where societies had been damaged by years of war and the agricultural sector crippled. The CAP in the pre 1990s period offered subsidies and guaranteed prices to farmers by having the EU buy agricultural products whenever the prices fell below specified support levels, in order to provide a production incentive for food products. This policy was backed by tariffs which offset the difference between European and world agricultural prices in order to prevent the CAP from drawing in large quantities of imports. Furthermore, financial assistance for farming investment was provided to facilitate the restructuring of farming, ensuring that farms developed in size, management and technology, improving efficiency and productivity. (Leguen de Lacroix, 2004) Krugman writes that since the 1970s, the support prices set by the European Union was so high that Europe which would have been an importer of most agricultural products under free trade, was producing more agricultural products than consumers were willing to buy. This resulted in the EU being obligated to buy and store huge quantities of food, and at the 1985, European nations had stored 780,000 tons of beef, 1.2 million tons of butter and 12 million tons of wheat. This forced the EU to adopt a policy of subsidizing agricultural imports to dispose of this surplus stock and production, in order to avoid unlimited growth in stockpiles. (Krugman and Obstfeld, 2006) He further records the CAP as costing European taxpayers a staggering $50 billion in 2002, which does not include the indirect costs to food consumers as a result of higher prices. Government subsidies to European farmers were also equal to about 36 percent of the value of farm output, twice the U.S figure. The EU (European Trade) Commission announced that it would be phasing-out all export subsidies currently granted to exporters in the European Union in 18 December 2005. In this paper, the possible effects of this phasing out of export subsidies will be discussed and analyzed, together with the policy implications and appropriate policy changes that should be made along with the phasing out of export subsidies. A Theory of Export Subsidies Here a theory of export subsidies will be discussed within the field of international economics, in order to analyze the effects of export subsidies in theory on trade and economies, as well as to construct a framework from which the phasing out of the EU export subsidies can be discussed. The application of an export subsidy is just like any other subsidy – the exporters receive a higher price (by the amount of the subsidy) than what is actually paid by the foreign purchaser. Given this price obtainable for the exported good, producer of the export good in question will not sell in the domestic market at any lower price, so, assuming that consumers are prevented from buying from foreign suppliers at lower world prices, the domestic price facing both producers and consumers is driven up by the subsidy. This tells us that the prices faced by the consumer of agricultural products within the European Union are artificially inflated through the use of export subsidies. The application of export subsidies to large and small countries is different in theory. We consider the EU to be a â€Å"large country† with the power to influence world prices (of the export good). In this case, the increase brought about by the subsidy results in a fall in the world price of the export good – which results in a deterioration in the EU’s terms of trade. In the exporting country, consumers are hurt due to the raise in prices, producers gain, and the government loses because it must expend money on the subsidy. Hence an export subsidy must always reduce economic welfare, and will do so to a larger extent the larger is the country since this will result in a greater adverse terms of trade effect. Removal of the EU Export Subsidy One of the main criticisms of the EU CAP is the charge of â€Å"dumping†, or the exporting of goods at prices far below the cost of production, which Oxfarm claims depresses and destabilizes markets for non-subsiding exporters, especially those in the developing world. It suggests that the EU export subsidies should be removed so that such practices would not be so prevalent. However, the EU export subsidies cannot be eliminated without changing agricultural policies which encourage and boost production. Removal of export subsidies without agricultural policy reform would cause a build up of unmanageable stocks of beef, coarse grains and dairy products, which is costly to the Government. The Government would also incur huge losses if these stocks had to be disposed of on the domestic market. Therefore the removal of export subsidies would have to be accompanied by agricultural reform, which could take many forms. An example would be the implementation of production control through strict production quotas to eliminate surplus production due to the export subsidy, stricter than those that already exist through the CAP. Another policy option would be to reduce support prices. The effects of this would be to increase domestic consumption due to the reduced prices consumer have to pay in the domestic market, as well as a reduction in domestic agricultural production due to the lower price producers receive. Hence the need for export subsidies would diminish, as the potential for a build up of agricultural stock would be reduced. According to a study by Stout, Leetmaa and Normile, the elimination of EU support prices, with tariffs to protect agricultural products against import competition remaining in place, the largest impact within the EU would take place in the diary, coarse grain and beef markets. This is expected since these sectors are where the highest levels of price support are found, and for these agricultural products, as domestic prices fall, production and hence exports decline subsequently. This reduction in EU exports would have the effect of driving up world prices, increasing convergence between previously-distorted EU prices and world prices. The same study referenced above also studied the scenario in which the tariffs which protects the agricultural markets from import competition are eliminated. Such a policy initiative would allow the EU to import agricultural commodities at the world prices, in turn driving down the domestic EU prices of commodities, which are currently protected by heavy tariffs. The impact of tariff elimination would be felt the hardest in the markets where import tariffs are the highest, for example, the sugar, dairy, beef, corn and rice markets. According to another study by the OECD, the elimination of export subsidies has major consequences for much of the EU dairy and livestock product markets. As analyzed previously, the removal of export subsidies would lead to falling domestic prices, production and hence exports, as well as higher domestic consumption of these commodities. The study by OECD also documents that unsubsidized exports rise to replace the subsidized exports, as EU domestic price falls and the world price increases. The OECD writes that the consequence of export subsidy elimination for a commodity is an increase in the world price of the same commodity, as pointed out earlier. Here the OECD carries out a more exhaustive study into this effect, concluding that the magnitude of this effect on world prices depends on the importance of subsidized exports relative to the total volume of trade, and might be offset by cross-commodity effects. There effects are illustrated in the diagram below: The OECD also notes that EU meat exports are small relative to world totals and that not all of its export are subsidized. However the EU dairy product export market is a different story, compromising a much larger share of world markets, with most exports being subsidized. Hence the largest impacts would be felt in the diary markets, with world dairy prices increasing as subsidized exports are eliminated. Finally, the OECD recommends that the appropriate policy response together with an export subsidy elimination, which has the fewest market distorting consequences, is to completely abandon price supports, making use of export subsidy eliminations as an opportunity to accomplish such an aim. This is in agreement with the findings by Stout, Leetmaa and Normile. References Leguen de Lacroix, Eugene, ‘The Common Agricultural Policy Explained’, European Communities, October 2004 OECD, ‘A Forward-Looking Analysis of Export Subsidies in Agriculture’, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Oxfarm Briefing Paper, ‘Stop the Dumping : How EU agricultural subsidies are damaging livelihoods in the developing world.’, Oxfarm International Stout, Jim., Leetmaa, Susan. And Normile, Mary Anne. ‘Evaluating EU Agricultural Policy Reform Using the EU WTO Model’, Economic Research Service, USDA, Washington, DC

The Purpose of Copyright Essay -- Property Laws

In today’s ever-accelerating world, we constantly find ourselves in a whirlwind of vague and complicated legal issues. Several of these relate specifically to something we encounter every time we listen to a song, look at a photograph, or read a book⎠¯copyrights. It appears that all these new controversies over copyrights and copyright infringement may be exaggerated or irrelevant. However, these issues pertaining copyright are neither irrelevant nor exaggerated, although this excessive attention constantly being drawn to it is certainly worth noting. The fact that copyrights are creating such an upheaval should not be attributed to over exaggeration. Instead, we must see this as a sign that copyrights as they are currently being maintained are in need of inspection and perhaps revision. Our excessive emphasis on claiming something as our property has caused copyright to act counter to its initial purpose. In order to best understand what the initial intention of copyrights was, it is necessary to look to where it is first expressed in our society. As it turns out, copyrights have been in place in our society since the crafting of the Constitution. Although there were several views as go how to best implement it, ultimately it was Thomas Jefferson’s notion of copyright that was most clearly incorporated into the Constitution. In it, it â€Å"†¦gives Congress the authority to ‘promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries’† (Lethem 63). This inclusion of a copyright for authors and inventors had a clear purpose⎠¯to create an incentive for the mass of typically ordinary people to create and innovate. By securing a pa... ...ss. Carolan, Michael S. â€Å"Constructing the ‘pure’ inventor: individual, collective, and corporate authorship within patent law.† New Genetics and Society. 27.4: (301-310). Helprin, Mark â€Å"Digital Barbarism: A Writer’s Manifesto.† Harper: HarperCollins Publishers. Litman, Jessica â€Å"Creative Reading.† Khan, B. Zorina. â€Å"The Democratization of Invention: Patents and Copyrights in American Economic Development, 1790-1920.† Nber: Cambridge University Press. Lethem, Jonathan. â€Å"The Ecstasy of Influence: A plagiarism.† Harper’s Magazine. The Founders' Constitution, Volume 3, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8, Document 12 http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a1_8_8s12.html The University of Chicago PressThe Writings of Thomas Jefferson. Edited by Andrew A. Lipscomb and Albert Ellery Bergh. 20 vols. Washington: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1905.

Suicide: My Thoughts :: Free Essays

I have known many adolescents who have thought about suicide. People’s reasons for suicide just cannot be legit in most cases. Some reasons are: â€Å"my girlfriend broke up with me† or â€Å"people make fun of me† or how about â€Å"I don’t have any friends?† Whatever the reason for the thought of suicide, there isn’t a valid one, unless we are dealing in euthanasia. People usually think suicide is the best and only solution to an insignificant problem. They do not think about the consequences or the people they may hurt in the process. So what if you total your car, or if some people don’t like you and you aren’t the most beautiful and popular person there is. It all matters on what you think about yourself. One might think: well how would he know how these people feel? I know because I too thought about suicide at one point in my life. But after evaluating the situation and putting some thought into how I not only would be creating the biggest sin there is, but how I will hurt my family and the ones who love me. I came to grips with reality and realized there are much better things in life than to sit and sulk about stupid, insignificant problems that occurred in my day. So what? That’s life. Suicide is not a solution to any problem. It only makes things worse and more complicated. Depressed people are not the only ones to commit suicide. A person who could seem to be the happiest, most outgoing person you know could kill themselves and you would never be able to figure out why. People just sporadically think that suicide is the best alternative and that it is the end all be all solution to all their problems. But what they don’t think about is that they won’t have anymore problems because they will be dead.

Communication Barrier Essay

Introduction Effective communication is an important facet and skills are essential in all spheres oflife. Communication is effective when the stimulus as initiated and intended by the sender, or source, corresponds closely to the stimulus as it is perceived and responded to by the receiver† (Tubbs and Moss, 2006), state . In nursing, every day we have to face to face with patient, we communicate with different people and different patients, so we must endeavour to give effective communication and also an important to counsel them from the usage of words, speed delivery of words, pitch modulation and body language. Effective communication is an essential component for organisation success, whether it is the interpersonal intra group organisation or external levels. Effective communication wills an increases patients and health outcomes of authority (Barlett, Grayson et al. , 1984), Reduces the risk of complaint and litigation of authority (Beckmam, 1994). Communication barrier is when person sends and receives messages that are distorted by noise , ccur within context,have some effect,and providesome opportunity for feedback. (Joseph Devito (2009). Communication is a conversional process of sending message. Communication is important in our life,personal relationship and anywhere. Identifying the barrier to communication is the first step to improving effective communication. if it is unable to communicate his deep are certain obstacles, try to use body languages to convey an effective communication. Discuss in the appropriate place. There are many ways to makesure memorable communication. Communication barrier is what makes communication complexs,difficult,frustrated are the barriers we put in the way. When we talk, we tend to erect barriers that hinder our ability to communicate. There are five of these types of barriers to effective communication. Physical barriers are easy to spot – doors that are closed, walls that are erected, and distance between people all work against the goal of effective communication. Physical communication takes place such as in office, ward, hospital, cafeteria and a public place. Second communication barrier is emotional barrier can be tough to overcome. By believing in yourself and what you have to say, you will be able to communicate clearly without becoming overly involved in your emotions. In the third barriers are cultural, different cultures, whether they be a societal culture of a race and religions which can hinder developed communication if different cultures clash. In these are common cases, in work situations, identifying a problem and coming up with a highly efficient way to solve it can quickly topple any cultural or institutional barriers. Another barriers are Interpersonal barriers, which what ultimately keep us from reaching out to each other, and opening ourselves up, not just to be heard, but also to hear others, this can be the most difficult area to change. They are unable to form genuine connections with people because they have too many false perceptions blocking the way. Luckily, the cure for this is more communication. By engaging with others, we learn what our actual strengths and weaknesses are. This allows us to put forth our ideas in a clear, straightforward manner. And the last barriers are gender have become less of an issue in recent years, but there is still the possibility for a man to misconstrue the words of a woman. Different gender had tended to form thoughts differently and this must be taken into barrier of both genders when communicating. (Christopher Smith II, 2010). Way of Overcoming these barrier When you send a messages,you intend to communicate meaning,but the message itself doesn’t contain meaning. The meaning exists in your mind and in the mind of your receiver. To understand one another,you and your receiver must share similar meanings for words,gestures, tone of voice and other symbols.

Free Essays on Assisted Suicide

Assisted Suicide Thesis: We do not have the freedom of speech unless we have the freedom to refuse to speak. And we do not have the freedom of religion unless we have the freedom to not be religious. So then how do we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness unless we have the freedom to deny any of these? â€Å"Our Life Is Not Our Own If We Cannot Choose When To End It!† Euthanasia: the final analysis in America today many arguments are centered around the right to choose: the right for women to have and abortion, the right for gays to be allowed to raise children or to be legally married, and the right to physician assisted suicide. ( ) These arguments all have something to do with the individual having the right to make this choice, but what if they are unable to make this choice? Say for instance, a man was hit by an oncoming truck, and is being held alive by a machine, what will happen to him? Who will make the decision for him to live or to die? In most case’s it will be the physician. Well you may ask yourself why cant we choose, that is to die? If a person is terminally ill and has a quality of life so low that they do not have the will to go on, ( ) they are not given a choice. Why then are those people not allowed to seek out a painless alternative in their situation? ( ) Though it is illegal many seek out p hysician assisted suicide ( ) or assisted suicide. Most memorable are those involving Dr. Kevorkian. Known as â€Å"Dr. Death† as some headlines read, Dr. Kevorkian has become famous for his many assisted suicides and his suicide machine. ( ) This all may sound fine and dandy, but not everyone agrees with it. Many religions contend and advise against a person seeking suicide of any kind. ( ) In religious views, life is a gift from god and one not to be thrown away or wasted. ( ) It is viewed that by committing suicide of any kind we are di... Free Essays on Assisted Suicide Free Essays on Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide, also called euthanasia (originated from the Greek, eu, meaning â€Å"good, and thanatos, meaning â€Å"death†)( No Author, http:// www.religious tolerance.org), is the act of assisting a person who wants to die. That person may want to die for a multitude of reasons, be it because of a terminal illness, extreme pain and suffering, or because of an illness that will leave the person with some extremely diminished capacity. This topic has become one of great controversy as of late, with the prevalence of the HIV virus, the virus that causes AIDS, as well as the increase of debilitating diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. This paper will touch on many points of the issue of euthanasia, as well as a defender of it. At the end of this paper, it will be plain to see by any open-minded individual that euthanasia should be legal. There are several forms of euthanasia. First, there is voluntary (or active) euthanasia. This means that a competent person makes a voluntary request, without changing their mind, to be helped to die. A popular example of voluntary euthanasia was the assisted killing of a patient with ALS by Dr. Jack Kevorkian in 1998. Dr. Kevorkian’s patient was terrified of the advancing illness, and of dying a painful and horrible death in the near future. The patient had Dr. Kevorkian inject him with a series of controlled substances, which caused the patient’s death ( No Author, religioustolerance.org). There is also non-voluntary (or passive) euthanasia, in which case the patient is not able to express the wish, either by incompetence or the incapacity to do so. This is usually fairly simple, such as removing life support, stopping emergency medical procedures, not feeding the patient, causing death, or not delivering CPR when the patient has stopped breathing or the heart has stopped. The third type is involuntary euthanasia. This is when a competent patient is allowe... Free Essays on Assisted Suicide Physician assisted suicide presents one of the greatest dilemmas to the medical profession. Should someone who is mentally competent, but deemed terminally ill, be allowed to engage in physician-assisted suicide? According to the First Amendment of The Constitution of The United States, one has the freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The Fourteenth Amendment states, The State cannot deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. The group believes that a terminally ill patient has the Constitutional right to decide whether or not to end his or her life with the help of a licensed medical doctor. There have been many cases over the years where a terminally ill patient who is mentally competent has made the choice to either partake in physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide occurs when the physician provides the patient with the means and/or knowledge to commit suicide(Death and Dying,91). Euthanasia is when the physician administers the death causing drug or agent(Death and Dying,92). The most recent case is that of The State of Florida v. Charles Hall. Charles Hall is dying of AIDS and challenged the State of Florida to let him die by a self-administered lethal injection without fear of prosecution(rights.org/ deathnet/open.html). On January 31, 1997, a Judge ruled that Charles Hall could take his own life with the aid of a doctor. Senior Judge S. Joseph Davis, brought in from Seminole County, found that Florida’s strict privacy law and the equal protection clause in the U.S. Constitution entitled Hall, 35, and Dr. McIver to carry out an assisted death without fear of prosecution (Sun-Sentinel, 1A). On February 11, 1997, Charles Hall’s ruling was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court: he no longer has the rig ht to end his own life. He will have to wait unti... Free Essays on Assisted Suicide Assisted Suicide Thesis: We do not have the freedom of speech unless we have the freedom to refuse to speak. And we do not have the freedom of religion unless we have the freedom to not be religious. So then how do we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness unless we have the freedom to deny any of these? â€Å"Our Life Is Not Our Own If We Cannot Choose When To End It!† Euthanasia: the final analysis in America today many arguments are centered around the right to choose: the right for women to have and abortion, the right for gays to be allowed to raise children or to be legally married, and the right to physician assisted suicide. ( ) These arguments all have something to do with the individual having the right to make this choice, but what if they are unable to make this choice? Say for instance, a man was hit by an oncoming truck, and is being held alive by a machine, what will happen to him? Who will make the decision for him to live or to die? In most case’s it will be the physician. Well you may ask yourself why cant we choose, that is to die? If a person is terminally ill and has a quality of life so low that they do not have the will to go on, ( ) they are not given a choice. Why then are those people not allowed to seek out a painless alternative in their situation? ( ) Though it is illegal many seek out p hysician assisted suicide ( ) or assisted suicide. Most memorable are those involving Dr. Kevorkian. Known as â€Å"Dr. Death† as some headlines read, Dr. Kevorkian has become famous for his many assisted suicides and his suicide machine. ( ) This all may sound fine and dandy, but not everyone agrees with it. Many religions contend and advise against a person seeking suicide of any kind. ( ) In religious views, life is a gift from god and one not to be thrown away or wasted. ( ) It is viewed that by committing suicide of any kind we are di...

Symbiotic Ants and Aphids Have a Strong Relationship

Symbiotic Ants and Aphids Have a Strong Relationship Ants and aphids share a well-documented symbiotic relationship, which means they both benefit mutually from their working relationship. Aphids produce a sugary food for the ants, in exchange, ants care for and protect the aphids from predators and parasites. Aphids Produce a Sugary Meal Aphids are also known as plant lice, they are very small sap-sucking insects that collect the sugar-rich fluids from host plants. Aphids are also the bane of farmers the whole world over. Aphids are known crop destroyers. The aphids must consume large quantities of a plant to gain adequate nutrition. The aphids then excrete equally large quantities of waste, called honeydew, which in turn becomes a sugar-rich meal for ants. Ants Turn Into Dairy Farmers As most people know, where there is sugar, there is bound to be ants. Some ants are so hungry for the aphid honeydew, that they will milk the aphids to make them excrete the sugary substance. The ants stroke the aphids with their antennae, stimulating them to release the honeydew. Some aphid species have lost the ability to excrete waste  on their own and depend entirely on caretaker ants to milk them. Aphids in an Ants Care Aphid-herding ants make sure aphids stay well-fed and safe. When the host plant is depleted of nutrients, the ants carry their aphids to a new food source. If predatory insects or parasites attempt to harm the aphids, the ants will defend them aggressively. Some ants even go so far as to destroy the eggs of known aphid predators like ladybugs. Some species of ants continue to care for aphids during winter. The ants carry the aphid eggs to their nests for the winter months. They store the precious aphids where temperatures and humidity are optimal, and move them as needed when conditions in the nest change. In spring, when the aphids hatch, the ants carry them to a host plant to feed. A well-documented example of the extraordinary mutualistic relationship of a corn root aphid, from the species Aphis middletonii,  and their caretaker cornfield ants,  Lasius. Corn root aphids, as their name suggests, live and feed on the roots of corn plants. At the end of the growing season, the aphids deposit eggs in the soil where the corn plants have withered. The cornfield ants collect the aphid eggs and store them for the winter. Smartweed is a fast-growing weed that can grow in the spring in the cornfields. Cornfield ants carry the newly hatched aphids to the field and deposit them on the temporary host smartweed plants so they can begin feeding. Once the corn plants are growing, the ants move their honeydew-producing partners to the corn plants, their preferred host plant. Ants Enslave Aphids While it appears the ants are generous caretakers of aphids, ants are more concerned about maintaining their steady honeydew source than anything else. Aphids are almost always wingless, but certain environmental conditions will trigger them to develop wings. If the aphid population becomes too dense, or food sources decline, aphids can grow wings to fly to a new location. Ants, however, do not look favorably upon losing their food source. Ants can prevent aphids from dispersing. Ants have been observed tearing the wings from aphids before they can become airborne. Also, a recent study has shown that ants can use semiochemicals to stop the aphids from developing wings and to impede their ability to walk away. Resources and Further Reading Cranshaw, Whitney, and Richard Redak. Bugs Rule!: An Introduction to the World of Insects. Princeton University, 2013.

Megans Law essays

Megans Law essays Are so called Megan's laws a good idea? Most definitely; Megan's law is designed to help protect a community by providing information about convicted sex offenders. The commonly known New Jersey law, "Megan's law", originated when the parents of seven year old Megan Kanka of Hamilton Township were not aware of the twice convicted sex offender living across the street until that neighbor brutally raped and murdered their daughter. The crime occurred only months after a similar incident in my hometown, Manalapan Township. In March of 1994, nineteen year old Kevin Aquino had woken his six year old neighbor, Amanda Wengert up and kidnapped her because he "wanted sex." He had put his hand over her mouth and punched her in the head to knock her out. He then preceded to smash her head up against a tree which terminated her life. During that time I remember coming across information that Aquino used to "peep" on young girls in the grammar school bathroom that I use to attend. He was arre sted for voyeurism. As an end result, Aquino will not see a parole board before he is seventy-four years old. This law established a three-tier notification process to provide information about offenders to law enforcement agencies and when appropriate, to the public. The type of notification is based on an evaluation of the risk to the community from a particular offender. The offenses that require notification are aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual contact, endangering the welfare of a child by engaging in sexual conduct which would impair or debauch the morals of a child, luring or enticing and, if the victim were a minor and the offender not a parent, kidnapping, criminal restraint and false imprisonment. I believe that this law is an extremely effective punishment for the offender, at least psychologically. For example, if the offender decided to reestablish his/her life after jail, he/sh...

Blooms Taxonomy of Education and its use in Nursing Education Essay

Blooms Taxonomy of Education and its use in Nursing Education - Essay Example It is apparent that chronic illness is naturally incurable. The indications of these chronic disease factors are constant and unremitting; thus, as regards cognition, the emphasis of nursing should be on care, supportive, and preventative procedures when a patient undergoes unavoidable disease deterioration. The nurses and other health care providers have to learn how to manage chronic diseases in order for them to be able to help chronically ill patients attain independence. An appropriate self-management plan for chronic disease is one of the major cognitive challenges to nurses (Larkin & Burton, 2008). In order to successfully accomplish this, health care professionals should be able to recall information about the patient (knowledge), understand the issues confronted by the patient (comprehension), apply the knowledge gained from interacting with the patient and the other medical staffs (application), differentiate assumptions from facts (analysis), develop a comprehensive care plan (synthesis), and evaluate the value and quality of the care plan (evaluation). On the other hand, the ‘affective domain’ focuses on feelings, core intentions, and attitudes, and thus is strongly applicable to the caring profession of nurses (Emerson, 2007). It is vital that chronically ill patients are empowered and inspired to help themselves. Therefore, nurses should learn to listen attentively and sincerely to their patients (receiving), to show eagerness to respond (responding), to express commitment and develop individualized treatment plan (valuing), to embrace professional ethical codes as regards management of chronic illness (organization), and to work in a team (internalizing values). The third domain—the ‘psychomotor’—involves exercise of motor skills, coordination, and physical aspects (Quinn, 2000). Within this domain, the nurse should learn to observe and compare the behavior of a chronically ill patient to another patient (imitation). In this way,

Exchange Rate Regimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Exchange Rate Regimes - Essay Example The impact of the inherent volatility and unpredictability of exchange rates on macroeconomic conditions is central to the debate about fixed and flexible exchange rates. Real exchange rates are defined as nominal rates adjusted for price levels. Since prices for individual countries, when expressed in a common currency, are subject to the variability of exchange rates, bilateral real exchange rates based on individual-country price levels may be infected with measurement errors. The use of one reference country, such as the USA, gives rise to asymmetries. By definition, the exchange rate is a relative price of two assets and, like other asset prices, is determined in a forward-looking manner in which expectations concerning the future course of events play a key role. Consequently, exchange rates are very sensitive to the receipt of new information. The large and sustained changes in nominal and real exchange rates were among the most significant developments in the world economy in the 1980s. For example, in the first half of the decade, the US dollar appreciated by about 40 per cent against most other major currencies and then, in the second half of the decade, declined, reversing all the previous appreciation. These changes gave rise to international pressures associated with rapidly changing competitiveness of exports; intervention by central banks in foreign exchange markets; and intense debate regarding the extent to which these exchange rate changes interact with current account imbalances. Some economists feel that conventional measures of economic growth based on the output of goods and services (gross national product) do not satisfactorily reflect economic welfare, arguing that they ignore factors such as pollution and the negative externalities from congestion.

Strategic Human Resource Search Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Human Resource Search - Essay Example Most advisors have felt that the hotel should revise the contracts of some of these hotels in order to keep up the reputation of the larger chain. One of the greatest issues and challenges that faced the hotel chain was the sad reports that most of its chains were affected by bed-bugs (Brody 2011). Well, considering the nature of such reports and the impact it had on the organization, it can indeed be realized that the reputation of Marriot was indeed damaged by the reports which unfortunately were given much airplay and address by news agencies across the world. The reports which were mainly reported in 2010 and 2011 came through complaints on the internet where people reported being bitten by bedbugs after boarding in particular chains of the hotel. The issue became publicized to the extent that news agencies like CNN were able to address it in their casts. Sure enough, in the subject of food and hospitality, tidiness and proper care are simply indispensable (Enz 2010). In such a competitive environment where competitors can greatly gain from any tiny mistakes, the reputation of the organization holds everything. Marriot ind eed lost a lot of potential customers and other strategic partners who felt the hotel was not doing enough to address the very fundamental issues. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, the executives at Marriot have indeed tried to address the issues with a lot of concern by instituting several campaigns to build the seemingly shattered reputation of the organization. The challenge has been great but the Hotel has been forced to invest millions of dollars in the bid to improve its image. Much challenge was thrown to the human resources department in tackling the human resources aspect since most of the fault could be linked with lazy employees. On the same account, much research was conducted on the issue to find out

Raymond Kelly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Raymond Kelly - Essay Example If he wins the race, he should quit the NYPD. This is because if he wins, he should focus his attention on his new position instead of distributing his attention which would disturb his focus. It will create hindrances for him in giving equal time to both posts and may make him exhausted. Additionally, he may not be able to exhibit fairness and make an equitable distribution of time for both posts which depict great responsibility. If however, he does not get selected, then he may continue to work in the NYPD which is his actual job and source of fame and popularity. People have mixed opinions about his future in the New York Mayoral Race. However I believe that his actions to remain in the NYPD should depend upon the result of his elections. The posts of a Mayor as well as Police Commissioner are both important and put great responsibility on the candidates appointed. A Mayor has to sort important matters in a state and hence it is a very demanding job. In a similar manner, a Police Commissioner manages crime as well as maintains peace in a state. Considering the nature of these jobs, it is essential the candidates should provide for undivided attention. Thus, if appointed as a Mayor, Raymond Kelly should quit the post of NYC Police Commissioner. Lauinger, J. (2012, May). â€Å"Ray Kelly loses head-to-head matchup for mayor to Christine Quinn,  Bill Thompson and Bill de Blasio in new Quinnipiac poll.†New York Daily News. Retrieved from:

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

Response - Assignment Example This paper finds three of the statements of Brad interesting to look into further for an analysis. The highlight about the information and communication revolution brought about by the technology of Facebook, its ability to cut across social boundaries, and the growing concern about the ownership and usability of the content on Facebook are ideas that are worth scrutiny and analysis for their validity. It is, no doubt, true that Facebook has altered the way people communicate by providing a platform that surpasses the constraints of space and time. The article says â€Å"Facebook promises to change how we communicate even more fundamentally, in part by digitally mapping and linking peripatetic people across space and time, allowing them to publicly share myriad and often very personal elements of their lives† and it â€Å"reconnects regular folks with old friends and strengthens their bonds with new pals †¦help rebuild families† (Stone). This is very much true as the impact Facebook has had on the world internet users. Facebook claims on its website to have â€Å"more than 300 million active users† and it says â€Å"50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day† (Facebook). The extent of its influence is evident in its membership and usage. As the article says, the social networking is so powerful that it has been effectively used for activism as well. It is interesting to note that the article does not add any colour to the previous idea and the author keeps the voice low and account brief as seen in the second shortest paragraph. Secondly, the article says that Facebook has helped users build connections across socio-economic boundaries. To illustrate this, it cites the words of Mr. Zuckerberg who talks about a certain Claus Drachmann, a school teacher, who was successful in inviting Denmark’s Prime Minister for a talk in his school. This was made possible through Facebook, which otherwise would have

Raymond Kelly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Raymond Kelly - Essay Example If he wins the race, he should quit the NYPD. This is because if he wins, he should focus his attention on his new position instead of distributing his attention which would disturb his focus. It will create hindrances for him in giving equal time to both posts and may make him exhausted. Additionally, he may not be able to exhibit fairness and make an equitable distribution of time for both posts which depict great responsibility. If however, he does not get selected, then he may continue to work in the NYPD which is his actual job and source of fame and popularity. People have mixed opinions about his future in the New York Mayoral Race. However I believe that his actions to remain in the NYPD should depend upon the result of his elections. The posts of a Mayor as well as Police Commissioner are both important and put great responsibility on the candidates appointed. A Mayor has to sort important matters in a state and hence it is a very demanding job. In a similar manner, a Police Commissioner manages crime as well as maintains peace in a state. Considering the nature of these jobs, it is essential the candidates should provide for undivided attention. Thus, if appointed as a Mayor, Raymond Kelly should quit the post of NYC Police Commissioner. Lauinger, J. (2012, May). â€Å"Ray Kelly loses head-to-head matchup for mayor to Christine Quinn,  Bill Thompson and Bill de Blasio in new Quinnipiac poll.†New York Daily News. Retrieved from:

Land Law Assessed Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Land Law Assessed Coursework - Essay Example Firstly, he noticed Eve leading several goats into the garden of The Hollies. Simon told her that he was now the owner and that she had to remove the goats, but she produced a document described as a deed dated 1988 granting Eve the right to graze goats in the garden â€Å"for the rest of her life†. Secondly, he discovered that he couldn’t get into one of the outhouses. Simon had visited the property before buying and recalled glancing into the outhouse and seeing a man (Adam) working on a lathe. Simon asked him what he was doing there and Adam replied â€Å"give me a minute mate, this bit is very tricky†. Simon hung around for a minute or two, but then left to continue his inspection of The Hollies. However, now that Simon has purchased the property, he is aghast to see that Adam arrives in his van at 8:00 am every weekday morning to begin work in the outhouse claiming that he has a right to do so. Simon asked for evidence and was shown a document granting Adam exclusive possession of the outhouse for 5 years at  £50 per month. The document was dated 1st January 2008 and had been signed by both Adam and the previous owner, Luke. However, there was a gap on the document where their signatures should have been witnessed. Finally, Peter, Luke’s former partner arrived at The Hollies claiming that he has an interest in the property. It transpires that Peter and Luke separated several months ago and Peter has been on an extended holiday since the break-up. Apparently, Luke bought the property originally and put it in his sole name for ‘tax reasons’. Peter always understood that the reality was that they owned the property between them and as such, Peter ensured that he paid all of the bills enabling Luke to meet the mortgage repayments. Simon told Peter that he’d had a good look around the property before buying and didn’t recall seeing any evidence of

Filipino Accounting Education Essay Example for Free

Filipino Accounting Education Essay This Statement is issued by the Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC). The AECC was appointed in 1989 by the American Accounting Association and supported by the Sponsors Education Task Force, representing the largest public accounting firms in the United States. Its objective is to be a catalyst for improving the academic preparation of accountants so that entrants to the accounting profession possess the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for success in accounting career paths. The Commission encourages reproduction and distribution of its statements. The Commissions first Position Statement, on the objectives of education for accountants, emphasized the importance of teaching. The Statement cited the need for training in instructional methods, recognizing and rewarding contributions to teaching and curriculum design, and measurement and evaluation systems that encourage continuous improvement of instructional methods and materials.1 Without progress in these prerequisites to effective teaching, the objectives of that Statement cannot be realized. Moreover, progress is needed in mechanisms for sharing ideas and techniques and in the culture and organizational climate that establishes and maintains the scholarly status of teaching within the professoriate. All interested parties (e.g., university boards of trustees, regents, legislatures, governors, parents of students, and other sponsors of education) should help establish a priority on teaching and otherwise improve its effectiveness, but faculty and administrative leaders bear the greatest responsibility. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING The characteristics of effective teaching must be identified if their presence is to be measured and improvements envisioned. Understanding the characteristic of effective teaching is essential for faculty (so they know what is expected) and administrators (so they can assess performance). Five characteristics of effective teaching are listed below. Curriculum Design and Course Development. To effectively design curricula and develop courses the teacher must: set appropriate objectives; develop a useful framework for the conduct of courses and programs; conceptualize, organize, and properly sequence the subject matter; integrate courses with other related courses, disciplines, and current research; and be innovative and adaptive to change. Use of Well Conceived Course Materials. Effective course materials enhance presentation skills, fulfill course objectives, are consistent with current developments and new technology in the field, create a base upon which continued learning can be built, challenge students to think, and give them the tools to solve problems. Presentation Skills. Effective presentation skills stimulate students interests and their active participation in the learning process, respond to classroom developments as they occur, convey mastery of the subject matter, achieve clarity of exposition, instill professionalism, and engage students with different learning styles. Well Chosen Pedagogical Methods and Assessment Devices. Effective pedagogical methods (e.g., experiments, cases, small group activities) vary with circumstances (e.g., size of class, nature of the subject, ability or skill being developed). Assessment devices (e.g., examinations, projects, papers, presentations) should be geared both to course objectives and to the progress of the course and should have a pedagogical component (e.g., fixing in the students mind what is most important, learning by thinking through a problem, identifying weaknesses to be corrected, reinforcing acquired skills). Guidance and Advising. An effective teacher guides and advises students as appropriate to the level of study and research (e.g., a freshmans exploration of potential careers, a seniors job placement, or a doctoral students work on a dissertation). THE ADMINISTRATIVE TASK Administrators should ensure that the reward structure stimulates effective teaching. They should also give attention to the other administrative issues that can affect the quality of teaching. These include: The schools or departments infrastructure for learning. This infrastructure includes, for example, classrooms, EDP and projection equipment, library facilities, and study space. Deployment of discretionary resources (e.g., availability of secretarial assistance, printing and duplicating, travel funds for teaching conferences). Appropriate class sizes and teaching loads, given the educational mission and resources of the school. Administrators should consider how each of the factors above is influencing the quality of teaching at their institutions and whether improvements can be made. Finally, administrators should be satisfied with the quality of the procedures in place in their institutions to evaluate teaching and continuously improve it. REWARDING EFFECTIVE TEACHING Faculty and administrators have a joint responsibility to develop incentive systems that produce the best educational outcomes for students. No one reward system or set of reward criteria can serve all institutions, but all should create adequate incentive for effective teaching. The incentive systems should reward effective teaching in deed as well as in word. Effective teaching should be a primary consideration in the tenure, promotion, and merit evaluation process. Effectiveness and innovation are not free, and it would be a mistake to assume that in the long term simply faculty pride and altruism are sufficient to accomplish continual change and improvement in the instructional function. STRATEGIES FOR EVALUATING AND IMPROVING TEACHING There is a close relationship between evaluating and improving teaching. Information about performance provides feedback on where improvements might be made. Assessments of performance need not have a purely administrative function of determining salaries and promotions; they can be devoted to improving teaching. The techniques below illustrate the range of what is available. Regardless of the technique chosen, assessments of teaching should be systematic and consistent. Self-assessment. Every teacher should regularly assess his or her work in order to improve. Self-assessment requires an evaluation of what was effective, what was not, why some things were relatively more effective, and what changes are desirable. Self-assessments can include documentation of purposes and techniques provided to colleagues as part of formal evaluations and are a natural basis for informal discussions of teaching techniques. Observations by Colleagues. Faculty should be primarily responsible for evaluating the teaching performance of colleagues. The evaluation process should be systematic and should strive for objectivity. A structured approach lends consistency to observations, which can make subsequent observations less stressful. All observations by colleagues should have as a major purpose to make recommendations for improvement, even if the occasion for the observation is administrative. Experience should be considered in assigning faculty observers. Student Evaluations. Student evaluations provide direct evidence of student attitudes toward the classroom experience. Students can report reactions to course workload; to the course materials; to the teachers classroom enthusiasm, demeanor and control; and to their personal interaction with the teacher. They can also estimate their own academic growth in the course. Alumni Input. Graduates can report on the thoroughness of their preparation, the usefulness of specific educational experiences in their lives and careers, and recollections of effective courses and teachers. Aggregate data on alumni outcomes (e.g., employment data) can be combined with information on curriculum design and teaching effectiveness to evaluate how both an accounting program and teaching approaches might be improved. Instructional Consultants. Consultants can analyze teaching techniques and styles and provide recommendations for improvement. Sometimes it is useful to work with a consultant and a faculty colleague, with the colleague focusing on course content and the consultant on teaching techniques. Teaching Portfolios. A teaching portfolio is a factual description or collection of a professors teaching achievements (i.e., an extended teaching resume). The teaching portfolio is to a professors teaching what lists of publications, grants, and academic honors are to research. A portfolio might include documentation of ones teaching experience and philosophy, syllabi, evidence of student learning, student and faculty evaluations, videotapes, and documentation of work on curriculum design and course development. A teaching portfolio may be critical to providing the teaching vita with the portability and external review enjoyed for so long by the publishing vita. CONCLUSION Every party with a stake in improving accounting education has a stake in improving accounting professors teaching, but faculty and administrators can do the most to bring it about. They can work to ensure that teaching is appropriately rewarded and supported, that campus conditions are conducive to effective teaching, that effective teaching strategies are shared with others, that sound mechanisms for feedback on teaching effectiveness are in place and functioning, and that methods of evaluating teaching are refined and viewed as credible by those who play key roles in the evaluation and reward process. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (2nd Edition) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993 Boyer, Ernest L. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. Princeton, N.J.: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1990. Blackburn, Robert T. and Judith A. Pitney. Performance Appraisal for Faculty: Implications for Higher Education. Ann Arbor, MI: national Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Education, The University of Michigan, 1988. Braskamp, Larry A. and John C. Ory. Assessing Faculty Work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers (in preparation), 1993. Cashin, William E. Defining and Evaluating College Teaching, IDEA Paper No. 21. Kansas State University, Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, September 1989. Centra, John, Robert C. Froh, Peter J. Gray, Leo M. Lambert and Robert M. Diamond, eds. A Guide to Evaluating Teaching for Promotion and Tenure. Syracuse University, Center for Instructional Development, 1987. Diamond, Robert M. Designing and Improving Courses and Curricula in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1989. Edgerton, Russell, Patricia Hutchings and Kathleen Quinlan. The Teaching Portfolio: Capturing the Scholarship in Teaching. Washington, D.C.: American Association for Higher Education, 1991. Gabbin, Alexander L., Scott N. Cairns and Ralph L. Benke, Jr., eds. Faculty Performance Appraisal. Harrisonburg, VA: Center for Research in Accounting Education, 1990. Lambert, Leo M. and Stacey Lane Tice, eds. Preparing Graduate Students to Teach: A Guide to Programs that Improve Undergraduate Education and Develop Tomorrows Faculty. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Higher Education, 1993. McKeachie, Wilbert J. Teaching Tips: A Guide Book for the Beginning College Teacher. (8th Edition) Lexington, MA: Heath and Company, 1986. Mckeachie, Wilbert J., Paul R. Pintrich, Yi-Guang Lin and David Smith. Teaching and Learning in the College Classroom: A Review of the Research Literature. Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Education, The University of Michigan, 1986. Menges, Robert J, and B. Claude Matkis, eds. Key Resources on Teaching, Learning, Curriculum, and faculty Development. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1988. Seldin, Peter. The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion Tenure Decisions. Boston, MA: Anker Publishing, 1991. Seldin, Peter and others. How Administrators Can Improve Teaching: Moving from Talk to Action in Higher Education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1990. Stark, Joan S. and others. Planning Introductory College Courses: Influence on Faculty. Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Education, The University of Michigan, 1990. St. Pierre, E. Kent, Michael P. Riordan and Diane A. Riordan, eds. Research in Instructional Effectiveness. Harrisonburg, VA: Center for Research in Accounting Education, 1990. The Teaching Professor. A newsletter published by Magna Publications, Inc., Madison, WI: Maryellen G. Weimer, Editor, Pennsylvania State University. The AECC acknowledge the contributions to the Statement of the following task force members who are not Commission members: Ronald J. Patten and Arthur R. Wyatt. Other Statement issued by the Accounting Education Change Commission: Issues Statement No. 1: AECC Urges Priority for Teaching in Higher Education (August 1990). Position Statement No. One: Objectives of Education for Accountants (September 1990). Issues Statement No. 2: AECC Urges Decoupling of Academic Studies and Professional Accounting Examination Preparation (July 1991).

The Main Features Of An Oligopoly

The Main Features Of An Oligopoly This part of the coursework aims to identify and explain the main economic features of an Oligopoly and also the key economic theories which influence the price of a product or service. This part deals with the theoretical aspects of Oligopoly and the later part emphasizes on the practical applications of the theories and oligopoly features. According to Pass et al (2000), Oligopoly, a type of market structure is characterised by a few firms and many buyers, where the bulk of market supply is in the control of relatively few large firms who in turn sell to many small buyers. To describe the degree of oligopoly, concentration ratio is often utilized. Concentration ratio is the measure of the market share of the largest four firms in the industry expressed as a percentage. A low concentration ratio suggests a high level of competition and vice versa for. As there are few players dominating the industry, each player or an oligopolist is said or likely to be aware of others course of actions. The decision taken by one player seems to affect the decision taken by others and strategic planning by the firms needs to take into account the likely response of other participants (Wikipedia, 2010). For example, a proper game of chess depends on how well you read your opponents moves, similarly in oligopoly; strategies are devised ba sed on the moves of competing market firms. The reason for existence oligopoly as stated by Maunder et al (1991) is for the achievement of economies of scale. Firms tend to reduce their average cost of production by increasing their scale of operation and since the small firms have higher average costs, they tend to go out of business or be absorbed by the larger ones. The features of oligopoly are:- Number of Firms:-The very important feature of an oligopoly is the number of firms. Even though there are a large number of firms operating in a particular industry, only a handful of firms hold the major share between them. Interdependence: A very distinctive feature of an oligopoly is interdependence. When a very few large firms operate in a particular industry, their activities or strategy cannot be independent of each other. Unlike monopoly, where the monopolist need not worry about the reaction of its rivals as there are none, an oligopolist takes into consideration the possible reactions of all rival firms. For example, a company considering a price reduction of its products may wish to estimate the chances of price reduction by the rival company and hence starting a price war. Profit Maximization Condition: The firms in an oligopoly generally agree to co-operate and act as one monopolist as it generates high profits (Begg and Ward 2007). This kind of formal collusive agreement is called a cartel. An oligopoly maximises profits where the marginal revenue equals the marginal cost. This is also known as profit maximization condition. Price ELASTIC UNIT ELASTIC P MC, AC PROFIT MAXIMIZING OUTPUT O MR Quantity (Source: Begg and Ward 2007) Perfect Knowledge: Oligopolists are said to have a perfect knowledge about their cost and demand functions but a lesser information about other firms (Wikipedia, 2010). Entry Barrier: One of the main important features of oligopoly also is the entry barrier. There are high entry barriers that restrain a new firm from entering a market. For example, the barriers can be the economies of scale, access to expensive and complex technology, lower costs for an established firm, brand loyalty, patented production process and strategic action by incumbent firms etc. The table below gives the market concentration in different industries. tb_0901 tb_0903 As discussed earlier, the large few firms form a cartel and set a price. Once the members of the cartel agree on the price, they compete against each other using non price competition in order to gain the maximum revenue. There are other various ways in which the firms fix the price. One of them being tacit collusion, where the firms agree on a price set by an established leader. This is also known as dominant firm price leadership as the price setting firm is the dominant firm in the industry. The other way is the barometric firm price leadership, where the price leader is the one whose prices reflect the market conditions in the most stable form (Sloman et al, 2010). To fix prices, the producers must be able to control the market supply. The other forms of price fixing in tacit collusion is average cost pricing, where producers add a certain percentage of profit on top of average costs and price benchmarking, where firms raise the price only up to a benchmark already set. Price fixing is achieved by the competing firms coming together on a platform where they can agree on a common pricing and production strategy thus acting in a manner in which a monopoly operates. This kind of collusion is known as cartelisation. Cartels although banned in many countries, is difficult for the enforcement agencies to gather evidence and penalise the participants. The quantity for the cartel and the individual firm will not be the same as one firm individually will have the scope for further increase in productivity to achieve a situation where the marginal cost equals the marginal revenue. In such cases firms may decide to go ahead with excess supply which can le ad to a price war and inconsistent revenues to the industry. Even without overt collusion firms in an oligopoly are able to reach a point of profit maximisation when they behave in a manner reflected in Nash Equilibrium (Begg and Ward 2007). 2B) Direct to Home (DTH) television industry in India acting as an oligopoly. India has a total television population of about 135 million of which about 108 million have an access to cable and satellite television (Plugged in, 2010). The total DTH sub base at the end of first quarter in the year 2010 was 23 million (Dish TV India Ltd, 2010) which was about just 1 million in the year 2006. Indian DTH industry has seen a flurry of activities in the recent years after a monopolistic reign by Dish TV for a couple of years. It is currently in a state of Oligopoly with the top four operators controlling nearly 80% of the total market. The major players in the market are Dish TV by Zee group, TataSky- a joint venture by Tata and Star TV, Big TV by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Digital TV by Bharati Telemedia and SUN Direct from Sun TV. Since there are only 3 major players in the DTH market, Indian DTH industry is an oligopoly. (Indiadth, 2010) The product offering by the rival firms are more or less similar in nature with little or no product differentiation. Amongst all the players, Sun Direct has essentially remained a regional operator who made a late debut in the national scene. The content or the channels are same with all the operators barring few omissions and additions. The DTH industry market share is as follows. BRAND MARKET SHARE Dish TV 30% TataSky 22% Sun Direct 25% Big Tv 13% Airtel 8% D2H 2% (Source: http://www.pluggd.in/dth-industry-in-india-analysis-297/) From the data above we can see that Dish TV, TataSky and Sun Direct together hold the maximum market share with over 75%. (Source: http://www.slideshare.net/) To confirm the oligopoly, we can use the Herfindahl-Hirschman index or the HHI. It measures the size of the firms in relation to the industry and also indicates the amount of competition between them. Mathematically, download (1) (Adapted from Pass et al, 2000) Here Si = market share of firm i in the market and N is the number of firms. Hence H = 302 + 222 + 252 + 132 + 82 + 22 H = 2246. With this value of H we can conclude that this industry is an oligopoly. Although there is no indication of an overt collusion in the industry, a closer look at their price plan (fig 1.1) can lead us to a strategic or tacit understanding between the players. The market is abuzz with marketing drives to garner market share and the customer is currently loaded with freebies like free installation, free channels and the like. Going by the level of investment and infrastructure the operators need to garner as much subscriber base as possible to be in a profitable proposition. They are however aware of the competition and are refraining from a price war. Such behaviour of the operators is characteristic of a non-price competition in Oligopoly. This is due to the interdependency of firms in the oligopoly and the strategic behaviour can also be referred to the Nash Equilibrium (Begg and Ward 2007). (Source: Slideshare.net/researchonIndia) Brand Name PricePlan(inINR)/month Dish TV 135.00 TataSky 150.00 Sun Direct 115.00 Videocon 136.00 Fig: 1.1 (Source: Company websites, 2010) Now as in any oligopoly, it has to be supported by entry barriers, both endogenous and exogenous. The natural barrier of entry in this particular industry is primarily associated with government licensing and also the intensity of capital investment required. Given that all the DTH operators are already established players in related sectors such as telecom, media it gives them a strategic advantage in terms of distribution and content. For any new entrant it could pose as a strategic entry barrier. Indian DTH market has constantly been attracting different players over the years given the increasing number of television subscribers. Although there have been entry barriers, companies like Videocon along with its cutting edge technology entered into the market in the presence of established players. The cutting edge technology proved to be a barrier breaker. Videocon managed to build television sets with set top boxes which helped it develop its own customer base.

Diffusion Essay -- essays research papers

Lab Report #1: Diffusion Introduction: The human body undergoes a variety of processes throughout each and every day in order to sustain life. Tasks such as walking, breathing, and digesting what has been eaten are sometimes considered mundane, even taken for granted. One such process that is necessary to maintain life is diffusion. Diffusion is a key factor in moving ions, fuels, and other molecules into and out of the blood. It is one of the most important components in supplying oxygen to the alveoli and removing carbon dioxide. Without diffusion, substances would find it very difficult to pass through membranes and could cause detrimental effects to the human body. The paradox scientists have drawn is related to glucose molecules and the directions in which the molecules â€Å"know† to move. No single molecule should diffuse in any particular fashion, but should diffuse randomly. This report looks at four simulations attempting to solve the problem presented, how do the molecules know which way to diffuse? In order to understand the obtained research, it is necessary to present and identify the key components of Fick’s Law of Diffusion: F = -D * A*dC/dx F = the flow of material across a real or imaginary plane D = the diffusivity of the diffusing molecules (the ease in which the molecule diffuses in the surrounding medium)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A= area of the plane   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C= concentration of the molecules   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  X= distance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  dC/dx = the concentration gradient There will be four simulations conducted in order to apply Fick’s Law and determine if molecules do in fact know which way to diffuse. The first simulation will look at a single molecule in an open area, the second looks at the movement of several molecules, the third looks at molecules diffusing in a ... ...te the change in concentration with respect to the change in distance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Simulation 4 we have two chambers connected with a pipe. Like simulation 2, the concentration of molecules across the whole system at equilibrium is equally distributed. If the dimensions of the pipe were small and narrow, only a small percentage of the molecules will be contained in the pipe at equilibrium. The flow of molecules to the right chamber would decrease. The calculation of the rate of approach to equilibrium in simulation 2 cannot be applied here because we have a pipe of a different volume that alters the flow. As the figure above depicts, the rate of approach to equilibrium increase as the diameter of the pipe increases. However the rate of approach will not increase infinitely but will plateau as some point because the diameter of the pipe can only be so large to connect the boxes. Accordingly, increasing the length of the pipe will slower the rate of approach to equilibrium because the molecules will have to travel a greater distance. References â€Å"Diffusion- Simulation of randomly moving particles† WebCT. Drexel University. April 2005

Obadiah The Prophet :: essays research papers

Prophet - One who utters divinely inspired revelations That is how the word prophet is defined in Webster’s dictionary, but a prophet is much more. A prophet is someone who is chosen by God to convey his message to the people; a middleman between God and his people. A prophet is someone who God selects as the embodiment of himself. Someone that people will listen to. Someone with a presence. Now the prophets did not all lead perfect lives, but they all had a bond with the Lord that could not be matched. The Prophets were holy people but they were in no way God-like. They were humble people that gladly served their God. This summary of a prophet is what most people believe the prophet Obadiah was like. Obadiah, the shortest book in the Old Testament consisting of only one chapter, is the pronouncement of doom against an ancient and long-forgotten nation, the land of Edom. It was written in 587 B.C.E, after the destruction of Jerusalem. But there is more to this book than that. The Scriptures have that ability of appearing to be one thing on the surface, but on a deeper level, yielding rich and mighty treasures. This is definitely true for the short, but meaningful book of Obadiah. We know very little about Obadiah except that he was one of the minor prophets. There is a reference to a prophet Obadiah in the days of Elijah and Elisha and there is some thought that perhaps he is the same man. The name Obadiah was a very common name among the Hebrews though, and it is very likely this is not the same prophet, for in this book Obadiah mentions the day when Jerusalem was destroyed, captured by the alien armies, and that occurs long after the time of Elijah and Elisha. So most Bible commentators believe the author of this book was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, the last of the prophets before Israel went into captivity. The name Obadiah means "the servant of Jehovah;" He fulfills the position of a servant. He comes and does his work and fades into the background; he delivers his message and he is gone. That is about all we know about the man behind this book. The book of Obadiah tells the story of two nations, the nation of Israel and the nation of Edom, the country to the south of Israel that is now usually referred to as the Negeb.

Myntra.com Logo Essay

Myntra was established by Mukesh Bansal and Sankar Bora in February 2007. The other key members are Ashutosh Lawania, and Vineet Saxena. All of them are IIT/IIM alumni, and have worked for several start-ups. Myntra is headquartered in Bangalore and has been funded by Venture Capital funds like IndoUS, IDG & Accel Partners.[5] The company started off in the business of personalization of products, and soon expanded to set up regional offices in New Delhi,Mumbai and Chennai. It began its operations in the B2B (business to business) segment with the personalization of gifts, which included T-shirts, mugs and caps to name a few. However, in 2010, the company shifted its strategy to becoming a B2C (business to customer) oriented firm, expanding its catalogue to fashion and lifestyle products. From 2007 to December 2010, Myntra.com was in the business of online demand personalization. [6] The products ranged from T-shirts, mugs, greeting cards, calendars, key chains, diaries, wine glasses, coasters and many such products with photographs, one-liners and slogans. In three years, Myntra became one of the India’s largest on-demand personalization platform for products and gifts with over a 50% market share [7] Myntra [8] offered personalized jerseys of several cricket and football teams such as Team India, IPL teams, national football teams, and Premier League football teams. New business focus and products Myntra has tied up with top fashion and lifestyle brands in India, such  as Nike, Inc., Reebok, Puma, Adidas, Asics, Lee, Lotto, Decathlon, FILA, John Miller, Indigo Nation etc. to offer a wide range of current season merchandise from these brands [9] Myntra currently offers products from more than 350 Indian and international brands. [10] These include shoes for running, tennis, football, basketball and fitness, along with casual footwear from world-renowned industry leaders like Nike, Puma, Converse, Adidas, Decathlon, Reebok, Lee Cooper, Numero Uno, Skechers, Crocks, Asics, Fila, Lotto, ID and many more. There are also casual and dressy footwear for women from Catwalk, Carlton London and Red Tape to name a few. Myntra also stocks T-shirts for men and women from popular brands like Jealous 21, Forever New, Classic Polo, Inkfruit, Lee, Nike, Inc., Probase, Puma, Adidas, Reebok, Ed Hardy, Decathlon, Lotto, Ediots, Mr. Men, Tantra and Guerilla. The website has also launched Being Human and Fastrack watches. [11] [12] [13]In July 31, 2012 Bollywood actorKalki Koechlin launches Myntra’s ‘Star N Style’ feature.[14] ————————————————- Business model Myntra.com is an aggregator of many brands. Its business model is based on procuring current season merchandise from various brands and making them available on the portal at the same time as in respective retail brand outlets. All these products are offered to customers on MRP. [15] In October 2007, Myntra received a seed funding from Accel Partners (formerly Erasmic Venture Fund), Sasha Mirchandani from Mumbai Angels and another angel investor. In November 2008, Myntra raised with it’s A funding of $5 million from NEA-IndoUS Ventures, IDG Ventures and Accel Partners. [16] In the second round of funding led by Tiger Global and participated by existing investors IDG Ventures and Indo-US Venture Partners, Myntra raised $14 million. Towards the end of 2011, Myntra.com raised $20 million in its third round of funding led by Tiger Global.[17] Myntra launched a brand campaign with its first TVC in July 2011. The commercial ‘juxtaposes new-age fashion with old-world grit’ and positions Myntra as a ‘fashionable new age’ brand. [18] [19] [20] [21] Myntra’s second campaign, with the tagline â€Å"Ramp It Up†, was launched in October 2011 with a TVC. The new ad scored high on fashion quotient and the core message was to communicate the launch of the  Autumn Winter 2011 collection on Myntra.com. [22] In February 2012, Myntra also rolled out an OOH (out of home) campaign across Tier 2 cities, to to build brand awareness and promote online shopping. [23] In June 2012, Myntra launched its third campaign. Created by Taproot, the communication emphasises the benefits of buying online, and is titled ‘Real life mein aisa hota hai kya’.in which they offer free shipping,cash on delivery,30 day return & 24 hours dispatch [24] Myntra continued the ‘Real life mein aisa hota hai kya’ theme in its next campaign in October 2012 and extended it to showcase its wide catalog and hassle-free Returns Policy. [25] Revenue In the last round (Nov 2010), Myntra raised $14mn and in 2008, raised $5mn from NEA-IUV, IDG Ventures and Accel. Myntra started as a custom gifting service and later morphed into an online store fashion store selling lifestyle products. The latest round of $20mn funding (Series C) will be used to build its logistics service (they have already started their own logistic service) and expansion into new categories. Myntra.com targets Rs 500 crores revenue for the next fiscal Myntra.com, the largest online retailer of fashion and lifestyle products in India, is aiming revenues of Rs 500 crores in the financial year 2012- 2013. The company which entered the lifestyle and fashion retailing segment in December 2010 has registered a 10 fold growth in 2011 and is relatively, the fastest growing company in the e-commerce space in India. Mr. Mukesh Bansal (Founder & CEO) said, â€Å"Myntra has undergone phenomenal growth in the last 12 months and has emerged as the clear leader in Fashion/Lifestyle space. We have been consistently doubling every 4 months and have now reached a scale where we ship up to 10,000 products every day. We are planning to cross revenue of Rs 500 crores in FY 12-13 which will further strengthen Myntra’s leadership position in the lifestyle category. This is an exciting category with the total market size projected to be over $100 billion in 5 years with mid single digit portion being online, making this, possibly the largest online category in India.† He further added, â€Å"We have built the largest catalog in fashion & lifestyle category with over 200 brands, have very extensive supply-chain capabilities including world-class warehouse in multiple cities and our own logistics network in large cities. We will continue to invest  aggressively in our technology platform, supply-chain and the Myntra brand to rapidly scale the business.† history Myntra.com is ranked among the leading e-commerce companies in India and is the largest online retailer of lifestyle and fashion products. The company was started by a group of IIT/IIM graduates in 2007 and is headquartered in Bangalore. Funded by top tier Venture Capital Funds, Myntra is among the best funded e-commerce companies in the country today. Myntra, which started as an online destination for personalized products back in 2007, has expanded into broader lifestyle and fashion retailing. Today, Myntra is the largest online lifestyle retailer with over 200 national and international brands under its banner. Myntra has brought in a new level of professionalism and technology enablement to the e-commerce space in India. For consumers, this translates to superior experience, broader product selection and unmatched efficiency, thus adding to a better purchasing decision. The company’s unique offerings include the largest in-season product catalogue, 100% authentic products, cash on delivery, and 30 day return policy, making Myntra the preferred online shopping destination in the country. Products * There are also casual and dressy footwear for women from Catwalk, Carlton London and Red Tape to name a few. To offer a wide range of current season merchandise from these brands. Myntra currently offers products from more than 200 Indian and international brands. These include shoes for running, tennis, football, basketball and fitness, along with casual footwear from world-renowned industry leaders likeMyntra has tied up with top fashion and lifestyle brands in India, such as Nike, Reebok, Puma, Adidas, Asics, Lee, Lotto, Decathlon, FIFA, John Miller, Indigo Nation etc. * Inkfruit.com. dilsebol.com, Blue Bus Tees, Scopial.com, Myntra undoubtedly enjoyed the first mover advantage in the online retailing business. But Myntra’s success has been replicated by other companies that have now become competitors for Myntra. Some of them are Diff between tradional bssness n e bussness Traditional businesses and e-businesses both require you to have a business  license. Registering your business name with the state registrar, acquiring a federal tax ID number, researching local zoning and licensing regulations, purchasing insurance pertinent to your needs and establishing banking relationships are critical steps in setting up shop in either venue. While telecommunications equipment, office supplies and a marketing/advertising budget are necessary expenses in both traditional and electronic commerce, a traditional business model has the added overhead of a monthly lease, utilities, staff salaries and benefits, exterior/interior maintenance costs and security systems. An e-business run from a home office utilizes resources that already exist and which are then prorated as deduction Customer Convenience If the weather is bad, the parking is a challenge or the hour is late when inspiration strikes to buy something, an e-business that is open 24/7 often has more appeal to customers than a brick-and-mortar shop located across town and only open five days a week from 10 to 4. Shopping for goods electronically doesn’t just save customers time and energy; it can also save them from paying sales taxes, provide them with more outlets to comparison-shop and eliminate the feeling of being pressured or followed around by a salesperson. Many customers, however, prefer the ability to personally inspect the merchandise, ask for advice and assistance and be able to take their purchases home immediately rather than having to pay shipping costs and wait for delivery. A traditional business satisfies those needs in addition to fostering an environment of trust through personal conversation and face-time. ns for tax purposes.

Microeconomics Coursework †Minimum wage Essay

Negative externalities are the undesirable effects of the consumption or production of a good on ‘outsiders’ (individuals or firms) that are not accounted for in the private market (market for private firms and individuals) and are therefore called ‘spillover’ effects. For example in the case of tobacco, the negative externalities are health and are risks to the users and the people around them, pollution of the surrounding areas, addiction etc. It is a type of market failure. Market failure is when a market works badly or is absent completely. In this case, the market is overproducing tobacco therefore it is a market failure. This indicates that the social benefit is less than private benefit i.e. benefit to individuals. This can be shown in the market diagram for tobacco. Market for tobacco showing negative externalities Quantity of tobacco (hundreds of tonnes) MSB is the marginal social benefit (social demand). It is the demand curve showing social demand for tobacco. MPB is the marginal private benefit (individual demand). The vertical distance between the two demand curves is the negative externality, i.e. P3-P2. When MSB = MPB, there is no market failure as the good is not being overproduced anymore. Therefore to decrease the negative externality, it must be incorporated into the price, thus decreasing the quantity demanded to equal the MSB equilibrium quantity (Q1). Tobacco is thus a demerit good1. It is not only supplied in the form of cigarettes but also in the form of tobacco pouches that can be used in roll-up cigarettes. Consumers are switching from cigarettes to roll-ups because the tax on tobacco pouches is less than that on cigarettes. The UK government has levied an average tax of 75 – 90% on a packet of cigarettes whereas the tax on roll-up tobacco is ‘just below 70 percent’. One solution to reduce the consumption of tobacco is to increase the tax on tobacco as a whole instead of on cigarettes or tobacco pouches. The supply will therefore shift to the left. This is shown in the diagram below.

Oral health condition of the Maya community Essay

Oral health condition of the Maya community - Essay Example The results of the study showed that missing teeth correlated significantly with age. Gender, religion, income, and education levels were not related significantly related to missing teeth. The samples used had restored their teeth using amalgamated fillings, bridges, full dentures or crowns. Periodontal diseases occur in four stages; 1. Color change on gums, 2. Gums bleed, 3. Gums become sensitive, 4. Oral lesions appear. 45 % of the respondents showed two or more signs while 10% showed all the signs. 16% of the participants showed five symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Most of the respondents did not have access to preventive health. Instead, they used reactionary care that is the extraction of teeth either by themselves or by minimally educated participants. Interviewees had different reactions on tooth extraction. However, a larger percentage preferred tooth extraction since it eliminated acute pain. 54 respondents were aware that failing to brush their teeth was a cause of their teeth problems. The level of healthcare among the respondents was dependent on their income level. The respondents either visited an odontology or a dentist depending on how much money they had. The condition in the two differed in terms of qualification of the doctor, equipment, workspace and even aesthetic appearance of the facility. Some respondents found it expensive to purchase toothbrushes. Moreover, they could not afford dental care and thus waited until their teeth fell off.

Explain the differences between globalization and modernization Essay

Explain the differences between globalization and modernization. Explain why people are migrating all over the globe Is this migration based on economics, politics or social changes - Essay Example According to He, the modern societies are considered healthier and wealthy and people in the non-developed countries are willing to adapt western culture and lifestyles since it is considered modern (p 242). It is evident that societies that are considered modern have a higher quality of life due to efficient transport infrastructure, higher income levels, quality healthcare and better education systems (He 244). Globalization and modernization differ in many aspects since globalization is mainly spearheaded by global economic integration while modernization is spearheaded by social development of the society. Globalization influences the international division of labor, allocation of capital, and national power thus leading to inequalities among the nations. In this case, modernization is a global process while globalization is just one of the phenomenon of modernization, but the two have no direct connections (He 240). Globalization has been influenced by the deregulation of national economies, formation of international trade and finance organizations, and intensity of competition in domestic markets that has forced the firms to expand to foreign markets. On the other hand, modernization is driven by the desire to attain higher standards of living, social-cultural shifts towards information and technology and higher education levels (He 245). Globalization is a deliberate process that is undertaken by the national governments through trade agreements and political agreements while modernization is a transition process that takes place due to technologies discoveries that forces society to move from agricultural to industry society and finally to a risky society that is characterized by diversity and individualistic culture (He 247). The transition to a modern society will lead to changes in perceptions on family, religion, politics and economy since modern societies are regarded

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Case study - Essay Example The Town Council decided to create an Advisory Board to guide and promote the activities of SACC because of the huge gathering of public there. Two Town Councilors, the vice Chancellor of the local University, the CEO of the large electronics company, a representative of SACC’s Bank, 2 local media celebrities, the president of the local Chamber of Commerce and two representatives from the theatre were the council members. Along with growth, problems also started to creep in as the local residents started to complain about the activities that Bernard introduced as they suspected that Bernard had raised the profile of the town through new activities and the interests of the local community had been ignored. As an Employer, the centre had grown significantly and now it employs 60 full-time and 120 part-time employees as well using the university students as temporary employees when special events are held. Moreover, the centre struggled to find a replacement for the retiring Bernard. Former Director of a large Cultural and Performing Arts Centre in Chicago, Calvin Spacey became the Artistic and Managing Director of SACC later. This report explains the change management and leadership policies Calvin should adopt in order to steer SACC out of trouble. â€Å"Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with change, both from the perspective of an organization and on the individual level†(Change management, 2010). SACC is growing rapidly and a new leader has already taken charge. Under such circumstances, changes should be happened in SACC both from individual and organizational level. The essence of any Change Management Policy is ‘effective and efficient communication. Internal and external communication is necessary for an organization to send the messages to the employees and the community and also to receive messages from the community and

Carrie Chapman Catt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Carrie Chapman Catt - Essay Example After the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, she organized the League of Women Voters for the political education of women (Levin 2006). Carrie assisted in the arrangement of the International Women Suffrage Alliance at the Berlin Conference. She then committed and restricted herself to the peace movements in 1923.This she made work through lecturing, writing and also recruiting in the Suffrage movement. Her moves were mainly to free women and be allowed to vote and b heard as the. In a nutshell it was all about eradicating male chauvinism (Keller 2006). She was a hardworking lady who never lost hope an even after some members led by Alice Paul had left the union, she strategized and developed a future plan to keep the group alive. After her great achievement of the successful amendment of the constitution, she began a worldwide campaign and tour to help the women develop the right to vote (Levin

Pricing Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Pricing Decisions - Essay Example All the articles provide a framework through which managers and stakeholders within the marketing environment can understand pricing dynamics. In order to enhance objectivity of results obtained, these articles employ the use of scientific research processes in acquiring information. Therefore, findings at the end of each article reflects experimental results on pricing policies, efficiency of pricing models and the relationship between pricing decisions and productivity. Introduction In actual marketing context, product and service pricing plays a significant role in influencing attitude of current and potential consumers. In a competitive environment, consumers may avoid purchasing goods from a given manufacturer because of higher prices compared to other producers in the industry. On the contrary, Kunnumkal and Topaloglu (2010) say that setting product and service prices depend on the production cost as well as profitability objectives of an organization. In this case, any produce r has to reach a compromise between retaining consumers and pursuing its goals of profit maximization. According to Hoseason (2003), pricing models and policies contained within these articles proposes empirical mechanisms through which producers can achieve such an essential compromise. One article holds the opinion that pricing decisions should be in line with observed or expected customer behavior. In this case, all decisions regarding product price should take into consideration implications resulting from implementing adopted policies. Contrarily, other articles insist on the role of production cost in determining market price of products and services. Such a model seeks to establish an economic balance between production efficiency and pricing policies. Importance of the Study With respect to significance of information contained within the articles, one should acknowledge the fact that empirical pricing models are instrumental in responding to real world marketing problems. I n practical context, the economic forces of demand and supply may not prove realistic and responsive in explaining price elasticity. According to Mandy (2009), prices may be affected by other variables like distribution mechanisms, marketing channels and retail strategies. In this case, manufacturers need to appreciate resourcefulness of experimental approaches in making pricing decisions. Low price on products and services may induce customers’ propensity to make buy decisions. However, setting such low prices should be in synchronization with other determinant factors like cost of manufacturing and expected revenue of an organization. According to Leo, Chris and Verma (2012), certain market segments, especially those involved in tangible products are known to being more price sensitive compared to service delivery markets. In such cases, pricing decisions should be a function of price sensitivity variables and expected revenue. This explains why pricing policies are formula ted after thorough consideration to aspects of marginal costs and profits. Article 1 - Retailer Dynamic Pricing and Ordering Decisions: Category Management versus Brand-by-Brand Approaches, Kopalle et al, 2010. According to Kopalle, Hall and Krishna (2010), the aim of this article is to determine the effects of category management in influencing ordering decisions and sustaining profitability at a given pricing levels. It seeks to develop an empirical

Cases of Greece and Sweden Working Conditions Essay Example for Free

Cases of Greece and Sweden Working Conditions Essay Cases of Greece and Sweden Working Conditions Introduction            The essay has three major parts. The first part analyses Greece working conditions and how government officials respond to the issue. This is accompanied by a moral assessment of the issue presented in this section. The second part discusses Sweden working conditions, a country which is said to have one of the best working conditions around the world. This part analyses the policies passed by the Swedish government and all ethical issues arising from such policies. The third part is a personal assessment of the two issues presented parts one and two. This section employs virtues of ethics framework to come up with ethical implications of the issues presented. Working Condition in Greece            Greece working standards are relatively lower compared to those of other European countries. Different studies that support this argument have been conducted. From the data provided by the Social Insurance Foundation and Labor Inspectors in Greece, 35.8 percent of the participants in a survey conducted in 2011specified that there were no health and safety provisions in the firm they worked. 48.7% stated that, to their knowledge, there was no physician assigned to them. In the construction sector, 53.5% had a health and safety provision document while 58.9% in the manufacturing sector had the same. 66.1% of the respondents in the public sector said they lacked such a document (Alexopoulos 2012, p.115).            In its efforts to raise labor standards in Greece, the Greece government initiated several reforms. The reforms aimed at improving working conditions in the country and protecting people’s welfare. Greece is of the countries which experienced the wrath of European crisis. The aftermath of the crisis required tremendous changes in the labor markets. However, these reforms led to limited protection of workers in the labor market. This aspect violated business ethics and essential social rights. Law number 3863/2010 introduced fundamental changes in the labor market. Some of the unfavorable reforms were; shortening the period given as a notice to the termination of white-collar workers, reducing white-collar workers reduced by a half, keeping operational costs must between 5% and 10%, which led to layoffs. However, the minimum wage rates for workers under the age of 25 years reduced to 84% of the set minimum wage. For underage workers, the minimum wage rate set at 70% of the set minimum wage.            Apart from the labor market reforms, the government instituted in 2010, service cuts in pension and other important reforms in the social security regulations. The regulations include; zero increase in the current pension over the next 3 years. For the uninsured persons over the age of 65, their basic pension criteria underwent reforms. The amount of the pension is set at â‚ ¬360. The national budget will finance the pension from the year 2018. Salary cut for employees between 25 years was set between 22% and 32%. The employer can impose this cut without the consent of the employee (Matsaganis 2012, p.450). Analysis of Ethical Implications of Greece Work Policies            Greece policy makers seem to employ utilitarian principle, which states that one determines what is right by contrasting the outcome of all related agents of alternative policy for a particular condition (Bentham 2000, p.70). This principle does not take into account all the people in the society. Undesirable policy can be passed which does not benefit the society at large. Greece labor laws and polices does not seem to benefit the entire society. On the contrary, they benefit a section of the community.            According to (Daluka 2001, p.20) it is right to exercise what is good for the largest population of people. The study reveals that the greatest number of people in the work environment had the health and safety document. Companies in Greece seem to value policies that yield the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people. However, James Rachel, critic of the utilitarian rule, would have argued otherwise. In his criticisms, he points out that, everyone is equal and that everybody’s happiness is important. The group of people who lack the document in this case can claim that businesses in Greece did violate business ethics. This means that utilitarianism is not the best framework to formulate rules and regulations which affect the entire society. Labor markets affect the whole economy in several ways .This means that if there is a fault in formulation of labor laws, the economy will experience problems arising from shortage of labor, a crucial factor in the production process (Rachel 2007, p56). Greece labor reforms further show how the government violates ethics. A salary cut without the consent of employees is unethical, and violates ethics. However, according to utilitarianism, this might not be a big issue so long as it yields maximum benefits to the largest number of people. According to (Goodin 2007, p.245) utilitarianism as a principle should guide political leaders while making decisions that affect the society at large. He points out that leaders must take into account the impacts of the policies they pass on the entire society, other than focusing on a small group of people. Working Conditions in Sweden            Working conditions in Sweden are one of the best on the planet. This is the case because the government has introduced strict worker-safety and environmental regulations. Its manpower of 4.3 million is disciplined, instructed, and experienced in the most current technologies. About 87 percent of Swedish laborers have a place with a workers party, ostensibly the worlds most astounding rate. In addition, unions are active accomplices with organizations in actualizing more proficient projects. Swedish enactment accommodates work representation on the board of directors of large organizations and obliges administration to arrange with the unions prior to actualizing significant changes. Management-labor cooperation participation is customarily non-conferential, meaning labor strikes are rare in the country (Cox 1950, p.390). There is no fixed minimal wage, and all wages are determined through collective bargaining. Since 1991, the real wage increments have surpassed th ose of most EU nations. As the EMU civil argument picks up force, workers parties are calling for buffer funds, like those made in Finland, as a cushion for benefits funds and other laborer benefits throughout the shift period to the euro, in cases where there are huge currency fluctuations (Hammarstrà ¶m 2013, p.142).            Many business spectators, including those from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), have suggested some crucial labor market changes, including wage differentiation (to reduce labor costs for unskilled jobs). These reforms are an incentive to raise individual competence, reduction of income taxes, making labor unions bears the costs of unemployment in the insurance system, as well as liberalization of labor protection legislation. These measures are believed to increase efficiency and competitiveness. Labor representatives in Sweden complain that such measures would burden workers.            On the major Sweden’s labor- related issue is high levels of unemployment. Within a very short time in the early 1990s, the unemployment rate rose from a level which was considered the lowest in the industrialized world to the normal EU levels, where it stayed until the business cycle improved in 1998-99. By 2000, the unemployment rates were less than 5%. However, the rate was 8.7 percent for those workers included in training programs. Swedens government has a plan to reduce the unemployment rate to 4 percent and to guarantee that 80 percent of the working-age populace has a full-time work by 2015 (Drobnic 2012, p.205). Assessment of the issue and its ethical Implications            A careful examination of Sweden’s labor laws and policies shows that the policy makers employ social justice. This is clearly depicted the way polices have been formulated. According to (Betham 2000, p.80) social justice theory asserts that people should exercise fairness in their when dealing with one another. Rawl’s theory of social justice postulates that the society consists of free and equal persons who must be treated equally in political and socio-economic affairs (Blocker 2000, p.30). Swedish government seems to take into account social justice principles before passing labor regulations.            First, the government has come up with strict anti-discrimination laws, contained in Swedish Antidiscrimination Act of 2009. One of the rules of social justice theory is protection against any form of discrimination. By passing the Act, Swedish legislature took into account the rights and freedoms of workers. Therefore, their rules and decisions are in line with the social justice framework. The Act aims at eliminating discrimination in all places of work. It applies to all employees, employers, and job applications irrespective of whether or not the discrimination is intentional. This means that people expect to be treated with dignity, regardless of their appearance or beliefs. If an employer in Sweden is found discriminating his/her workers, he or she is required to pay damages. Failure to this, he/she may end up in prison, and this acts as a lesson to all others who practice discrimination.            On the other hand, Swedish government has made it mandatory for all workers to belong to a labor union (Blau and Khan 1999, p130). This is aimed at protecting the welfare of all workers in Sweden. This is another dimension of social justice. If a member of the union faces a problem, the union is supposed to take care of him/her. All members of the unions are treated equally. This ensures that all of them have equal representation. Rawl’s theory disallows unequal representation in political and social matter.            Swedish Work Environment Authority is governed by the Work Environment Act, which requires employees, employers and equipment suppliers to share responsibility in maintaining safe working conditions. According to this Act, these parties should restrict workplace hazards and prevent accidents. This clearly shows that the policy makers take into consideration the importance of social cooperation. Social justice principles require each person in the society to benefit others, and to prevent harm. This way, social justice is said to prevail in the society. Individual Moral Assessment of the Issue            To better understand moral implications of the cases presented above, a careful analysis using a different ethical framework is necessary. This section discusses how the issues presented above relate to the ethics of virtue framework.            According to Martha Nussbaum arguments, a just society must be characterized by conditions that promote fundamental entitlements for all people. The entitlements include; bodily health, normal life, bodily integrity, senses and imaginations, as well as practical reason, just to mention a few. Failure to recognize these entitlements constitutes unethical behavior (Nussbaum 1993, p 89) . Greece law makers seem to deviate from this moral framework. Some of the policies do not take into account virtues of ethics. For example, cutting an employee’s wage without his/her consent is morally wrong. It hurts one’s feeling and violates virtues of ethics such as kindness, prudence, integrity, and more importantly respect. Passing laws that lower people’s welfare is not consistent with the virtue ethics framework.            On the other hand, Sweden takes into consideration virtues of ethics framework. The laws and polices discussed above clearly show how that policy makers in the country are very much concerned with people’s welfare. Being mindful of others welfare is a crucial virtue. It ensures respect in the society and promotes justice. Moreover, Swedish government promotes fairness in worker’s representation. Again, this is a clear indication of the government’s commitment to promote virtues which promote people’s moral excellence and their well-being. Conclusion            From the analysis presented in this paper, it is clear that governments across the world employ different ethical frameworks when formulating their policies. The distinction between Greece and Sweden working condition reveals that different countries value different policies. However, the paper points out several unethical practices in Greece. On the other hand, Sweden government seems to follow ethics when drafting their laws and regulations. In addition to this, the paper reveals that people and companies’ ethical understanding across the world tend to be influenced by government’s actions. This means that Swedish citizens tend to practice ethics more than Greece citizens. References            Alexopoulos, E. (2012), ‘Sickness absence in the private sector of Greece: Comparing shipyard industry and national insurance data, International journal of environmental research and public health , Journal of Social Affairs, Vol. 34, pp, 1171-1181. Betham, J.(2000), ‘Principles of Morals and Legislation,’Principles of Morals and Legislation. Newyork: Botache Books, pp.78-85. Blau, F., and Khan, L. (1999), ‘Institutions and laws in the labor market’ Handbook of labor economics, vol.3, pp.130-140.Blocker, G. and Elizabeth S. (2000), ‘John Rawls theory of social justice’, Sages Journals ,pp. 24-34. Cox, A.,(1950), ‘Regulation of Collective Bargaining by the National Labor Relations Board’ Harvard Law Review, pp.389-432. Daluka, F. (2001), ‘Global Ethics and Business: A Philosophical Approach’, Global Ethics and Business: A Philosophical Approach, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 17-20. DrobniÄ , S.(2012), ‘Good job, good life? Working conditions and quality of life in Europe’, Social indicators research, pp.205. Gordin, S. (2007), ‘Utilitarianism as a public philosophy,’ Cambridge: Cambridge University Press., Hammarstrà ¶m, A. (2013), ‘Higher education and psychological distress: A 27-year prospective cohort study in Sweden’, Scandinavian journal of public health. Pp.140-145.Matsaganis, M..(2012), ‘Social policy in hard times: The case of Greece’, Critical Social Policy, pp.406-421. Nussbaum, M. (1993), ‘The quality of life’, NewYork: Oxford University Press. Rachel, J.(2007), ‘Utilitarianism; for and against’, Havard Journal Of Business Affairs, pp. 56 Source document