Appriseating Evidence Based Practise

This paper will explore four key pieces of evidence with regards to experiences of people with intellectual disabilities through appreciating evidence for practice. The research cuts across social exclusion in people with intellectual disabilities, substance misuse, personal independence and family involvement. It also looks at the definition for evidence based practice in nursing, evaluating qualitative and quantitative evidence as well as service audit and evaluation in support to Gary Mitchell’s case study.Evidence Based Practice Evidence based practice is an avenue that ensures best care is given to patients and service users, ensuring that the care that suits their needs is administered based on positive result and practice with regards to feedback from patients/ service users that would reflect in an effective nursing practice (Barker, 2013; Pape, 2003). This definition drives across three components which are research evidence, Clinical expertise as well as â€Å"patie nt involvement†.Barker, 2013 indicated that nurses should base their practice on evidence in order to improve patient’s safety and the quality of care and be able to make clear and reasonable link between theory and practice. Jolley (2009) article shows that evidence may be limited and may contradict each other and as a result, informed decision and judgment must be made. Quantitative research evidence is a method of inquiry that makes use of post positive claims towards acquiring knowledge for practice (Creswell, 2003).It is said to be objective as it is used to gain understanding into underlying thoughts, it is also used to quantify evidential problems by way of numerically generating data or data types that are transformed into useable statistics (Bruce, Pope and Stanistreet, 2008) Qualitative research evidence is said to be focused on the thoughts of people, thereby making it to be subjective (Seidman, 2006). It provides insights into the problem as they focus more on the problem.They often take the form of â€Å"what is what has† (Ploeg, 1999). The data collection methods varies as it makes use of unstructured or semi structural methods for data collection. 2. 1 Importance of Evidence Based Practice Evidence based practice in nursing has helped to minimise risk, it has also ensures that patient receive care based on adequate research, eradicating doubts and worries as the evidence would have been tested prior to its publication (Sackett, 2002).Due to the fact that new evidences and technologies keep emerging, there is need to collate old and current evidence together for effective clinical decision making (Gabby & le May, 2004). Department of Health (2004) indicated that evidence based practice in now part of job description and a gateway to advancement. 2. 2 Locating Evidences While locating materials and evidences for this paper, several methods and approaches were applied.Such approach was including wildcard characters (*) which wer e either placed before or after a catch word, like * intellectual disabilities *, *substance misuse *, family involvement and intellectual disabilities*, *social exclusion in people with intellectual disabilities *, *substance misuse & intellectual disabilities, * patient involvement & intellectual disabilities*. An online database such as CINAHL, British Nursing journal was used as it will help to gain access to more resent materials and a bench mark was set with the date so as to get access to most resent materials (Courtney and McCutcheon, 2009) except in cases where thereare no recent materials. Although in some aspect of the search, only limited materials were found that involved intellectual disabilities but disabilities in general. 3 Social Exclusion and People with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) A quantitative systematic report by L. Nicholson & S. A. Cooper, 2013 focused on social exclusion and people with intellectual disabilities, which was a rural – urban comparis on.They carried out their research using a quantitative methodology with their study aimed at comparing indicators of social exclusion of adults with ID living in rural areas compared with urban areas to test if there is a double disadvantage. Their research cut across several journals, research materials and books to support their work. Their participants were recruited from a range of settings, both in the urban and rural with people with ID, not considering a particular age, gender or level of disabilities and their consent was obtained, which is in line with NMC regulation (NMC, 2012).Both results were statically analysed using statistical package for the social sciences and outliners removed to ascertain their result. It was concluded that social exclusion was more in the urban area than the rural area. The research by L. Nicholson & S. A. Cooper is quite a resent evidence and it can be used to represent to settings, which are urban and rural settings and people with Intellectu al disabilities do reside in both type of settings and reaction for different settings on people does differ from one another.Kenyon et al, 2002 saw social exclusion as ‘The unique interplay of a number of factors, whose consequence is the denial of access, to an individual or group, to the opportunity to participate in the social and political life of the community, resulting not only in diminished material and non-material quality of life, but also in tempered life chances, choices and reduced citizenship’ (Kenyon et al, 2002). World Health Organisation defined intellectual disabilities as ‘a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn and apply new skills (impaired intelligence).This results in a reduced ability to cope independently (impaired social functioning), and begins before adulthood, with a lasting effect on development’ (WHO, 2012). Social exclusion was also noted in the aspect were employers attitude may also affect the likelihood of a person with intellectual disability to obtain and retain employment, it was also noted that people with disabilities are more likely to have restricted social networks, looser ties with their local community, experience bulling and being victim of crime (NCB, 2007, ILCDP, 2004).These definitions does emphasise on most major aspect of social exclusion on Intellectual disabilities as they have been excluded from some aspect of activities because people thought that they lack the ability to make informed decision. 3. 1 Substance Use and Misuse Research has shown that most people with Intellectual disabilities or disabilities, sometime result to substance use / misuse in the community by trying to engage in similar life style with other non-disable persons and that substances could also be used as a coping mechanism from stress encountered during their day to day living in the community (Sturmey et al., 2003, Stavrakaki, 2002). They could also use substa nces as a means to fit into the community, whereby socialising and making new friends in the community (Degenhardt, 2000). Research has shown that substance use does not equate to misuse but in some cases, it has lead to abuse / misuse of substances. Slayter (2010), quantitative review of Medicaid healthcare billing claims, it was concluded that 2. 6% of all people with ID had a diagnosable substance abuse disorder. Sturmey et al., (2003) also indicated that the use of illicit substances in people with ID can be associated to their local community, its availability and the individual themselves. 3. 2 Independence / Choice Most people with Intellectual disabilities complain of not being given the choice in decision making over some certain issues. In a research carried out on choices by Growing older with an intellectual disability in Ireland, (2011), it was indicated that three quarters 75. 4% reported having no choice in relation to where they lived and 85.5% regarding where they l ived and whom they lived with. Just as the position of Gary Mitchell in his case study where he indicated that he would have loved to live close to his sister if given the choice. The research by IDS-TILDA, 2011, only based their research on 240 participants. It did not base its research on gender which made it acceptable for generality of people with Intellectual disabilities. McClimens & Hyde, (2012), in the issue of choice noted that if choice does not give optimal result for non-intellectual disable people thenits sufficiency as a vehicle for optimising the rights of people with ID is highly questionable. In another development, it was noted that some people with Intellectual disabilities can not tae or make informed decision in the area of choice that would improve their quality of life (Schelly, 2008). 4 Family Involvement in Care Most people with ID find family support in their care very handy, in a research by IDS-TILDA (2011), it was noted that people with ID living with fa mily indicated that that they had fewer difficulties as family members helped to manage some area of their life that they had difficulty.Families also play fundamental roles in development and inclusion in the society (Council of Europe 2006). Another research indicated that all disable children should live with their own family, which is seen as the natural development for growth and wellbeing of a child (people with disability), unless there are circumstances that prevent it (Council of Europe 2006). Most people with ID would have loved to be quite close to or live with a family member that they felt happy together so as to get some support and assistance from them to make their life happy as was discussed in a case study by Gary Mitchell.AHRQ (2012) quantitative research indicated that family involvement and participation in patients care could lead to better patient experiences and outcomes as the best and appropriate care with improved safety and support would be given to the p atient. The research also noted that family involvement in patient’s care can improve communication and help to facilitate a better understanding between the patient and its care. 5 Conclusion It is obvious that without evidence based practice in nursing, quality care would not be provided to service users because of the lack of qualitative and quantitative research to make reference to.Several researches show that people with intellectual disabilities have been socially excluded in the community in one way or the other by people with no disabilities, community and government in some cases. According to Sturmey et al (2003) and Stavrakaki (2002), victims of ID tend to get involved in substance use / misuse due to their experiences and pressure from the community which eventually lead to substance addiction and or abuse in some cases. However, there is positive impact on ID victims when they interact with people with no disabilities as they cope easier and manage stress more e ffectively (Hartman, 2004).The research in this article has shown that everyone would like to have some choice and control over their lives and activities as it does help to add some quality over daily living. However, would everyone with ID be able to make informed decision for their day to day living? That is a question that should be addressed for autonomous power of choice to be handed out. The impact of family members is of great importance in the rehabilitation of ID victims and helps in reducing the risk of substance use / misuse (AHRQ, 2012) thereby creating room for quick recovery.It can be recommended to base our care on the most recent, up to date evidence based practice with the evaluation of evidences for its weaknesses and strengths. Research has also found that there could be some setback to evidence based practice due to a lack of understanding of the material, lack of adequate time to spend reviewing the materials and unable to effect a change and peoples attitude t owards accepting a change or skills (Glazious and Haynes, 2005).

RSO Marketing Proposal

Executive Director Marketing Professor Executive Summary The Rockford Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading cultural institutions n northern Illinois, performing over sixteen classical and pop concerts annually. The RSI was founded in 1934 and incorporated in 1943. The ROOK'S first MusiC Director and Manager, A Arthur Sack, led the orchestra for twenty's years. During this time, the Rockford Area Youth h Symphony Orchestra and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra Guild were established.The RSI continues its commitment to fulfilling its mission to lead in the creation of vibrant musical e experiences that the enlighten, educate, and entertain. (History, n. D. ) The RSI is celebrating its 80 anniversary and wants to reinforce the longevity of the organization by introducing their rich R oxford history into various music and performances for the 20142015 season and beyond. The RSI is also looking to create a closer tie to the Rockford community. The organizations' 80th anniversary needs t o be leveraged in order to increase ova rural ticket sales.The long and harsh winter of 20132014 was a major challenge the RSI faced making it difficult to reach their revenue goals. Ticket sales were 50% lower than their budgeted goal as a result. A brief evaluation of the Rook's strengths and weaknesses has served as a off notation the towards the strategic analysis and a marketing plan for this 80 anniversary celebration and the future of the organization. The plan is to focus on bringing more awareness t o the community, the creating various ways to promote the 80 anniversary this season and increase overall ticket sales.

Legal Defenses Essay

Introduction This paper will give brief description on three types of legal defenses and the elements of a crime, how the crime applies to the overall criminal procedure. It also will give a definition to what each element means. Legal Defenses and Their Definition A legal defense is one that satisfies all legal requirements of a court case. The three legal defenses I will be describing are insanity, self-defense, and mistake of fact. Insanity-his or her insanity at the time of a crime meant he or she could not rationally form mens rea to commit a criminal act. (Meyer & Grant, 2003) â€Å"Being insane at the time of one’s crime is a complete defense to crime. The idea is that the system should not punish people who do not possess mens rea. (Meyer & Grant, 2003) Different country uses the insanity tests. The most common one used is the M’Naqhten Rule, that a person is insane if he or she was doing, or literally did not know it was wrong. Self-defense-his or her actions were meant to protect him or herself from death or serious bodily harm. The victim of an actual or apparent deadly attack may kill another person if it is reasonably necessary to use such force to protect oneself from death or serious bodily harm. (Meyer & Grant, 2003) Self-defense is different from other defenses to crime in that the defendant who claims self-defense is actually asserting that she or he acted appropriately. Mistake of fact- the acts arose from an honest and reasonable mistake, such as accidentally picking up someone else’s umbrella instead of own. Mistake of fact is more akin to innocently switching briefcase at the airport because of being rushed. â€Å"Being in aware if or misunderstanding a law is a valid defense only under limited circumstances such as violations of confusing or complicated law like as the tax load. (Meyer & Grant, 2003) Crimes Elements â€Å"There are three elements that must be present in order for an act to be labeled a crime†. The three elements are actus reus, mens rea, and the concurrence. Actus Reus- â€Å"The Criminal Act† (the physical action of the crime) a person must act, or fail to act as required or expected, to meet the standard for actus reus (criminal act). Example, it is illegal to sell drugs or possess drugs but it is not illegal to be a drug addict. (Pearson CJI) Mens Rea â€Å"Guilty mind (intent or knowledge to commit a crime) this element is a key element in establishing that a crime has been committed. The following mental conditions may establish the presence of a guilty mind: 1. Purpose- when someone engages in a behavior or purpose. 2. Knowledge- when a person is practically certain of their actions will cause harm. 3. Recklessness- when a person engages in careless or risky behavior that increases the potential for harm; reckless behavior. 4. Negligence- when a person fails to do something that required, or they should have known better to act in a certain way, the behavior was negligent. (Pearson CJI) The Concurrence is the coexistence of acts reus and mens rea. â€Å"There must be a substantive relationship between the act and the mindset for a crime to have occurred.† A mean, hurtful, or malicious thought is not enough to establish a crime if no action The legal defense satisfies all legal requirements of a court case. Three elements have to have occurred in order for an act to be labeled as a crime. You can’t take a person to court on action that you believe to have happen it must be a physical action, intent or knowledge to commit a crime, or substantive relationship between the act and the mindset for a crime to have occurred. References CJI Interactive Meyer, J. F., & Grant, D. R. (2003). The courts in our criminal justice system. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

SAGE analysis in six major issues in youth sports Essay

SAGE analysis in six major issues in youth sports - Essay Example It will mainly discuss how these issues are generated and why it becomes a conflict for society. (Smith, Smoll and Ptacek)These areas include; In spite of the above mentioned problems, the youth sports program is focused and determined to do a great deal of good for families and children in the area. The first thing they have done in order to counter this issues is the mare fact of acknowledging that this issues do exist and everybody in the youth sport fraternity has to confront these problems. (Houlihan)The other strategy is to understand the important role the youth sports play in the society, and identify and understand the powerful psychological pressure these sports exert on families, children, and the community. Sport is a freely or a voluntarily chosen activity, that is governed by rules activities that involve competition and physical challenging in a mutual challenge to achieve a goal or excellence. Participants are required to abide by the rules of the sport, and produce excellent results at the end. (Richard Thorpe)Some rules may be manipulated and changed to fit new conditions of the game, or due to introduction of better ways of officiating the sport so as to keep the game challenging, and in a way keep and promote fair play within the bounds of decency as far as the game is concerned. This whole idea of physical challenge and excellence in terms of results leads to a number of issues. Ethics issues are defined as conflicts of rights and responsibilities, conflicts of preferred consequences or conflicts of values. (Houlihan)In sports, they are known as sports ethics issues which mostly arise from sports related moral conflicts. Generally, ethics is the study of values theories and principles that are invoked so as to justify one’s choice over another. Ethical theories display categories of moral relativism and moral absolutism beliefs in explaining the world. (Catherine Marshall)Management may be defined as the operation and

Product and Branding Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Product and Branding Strategies - Essay Example But overall the two main competitors of BMW are Mercedes and Lexus (Carscoop 2011) All these names are of the luxury car manufacturers. The reason that BMW automobiles are different from its competitors’ vehicles is that BMW offers a wide range of vehicles from luxury to sports cars. BMW vehicles are different on the basis of its design. BMW vehicles are designed keeping in mind the biasness towards sports, whereas Mercedes are designed keeping in mind the comfort and luxury attributes. Innovation rate at BMW is high as compared to the competitors. It has several series or categories of vehicles unlike other vehicle brands e.g. z-series, x-series etc. Brand personality of BMW is of a person who is mobile, wants recognition and freedom. The person wants to be considered important by others. He wants the people to look at him. He is a symbol of status. This refers to the recognition trait of the personality. The freedom trait refers to that the person is free and can go beyond t he boundaries anywhere it wants. He wants fun and looks for adventure (Freeman.David 2006) Consumers have a deep relationship with the brand of BMW. This relationship is significant because consumers do not buy this brand only because it performs well but also because it adds meaning to their lives (Fournier.Susan 1998) Consumers associate themselves with the BMW vehicles personally. IT can be explained simply by saying that a consumer can buy other automobile brands as well which performs well and is of high quality but they prefer BMW vehicles because it has more meaning attached to it. Consumers get more than just a better performing automobile. People relate to the brands they buy. The consumer relationship with the BMW vehicles will lie under the typology of â€Å"Best Friend† and â€Å"Kinship† (Fournier.Susan 1998) Some consumers consider BMW vehicles as an important part of their personal and professional lives and many others buy the brand just because some re lative have been using it. BMW have a huge customer loyalty. People who drive BMW vehicles hardly switch to other vehicle brands. A reason for this customer loyalty is that BMW is a luxury brand; not everyone can afford it. Anyone who will make this huge investment in the purchase of a BMW vehicle will somehow be loyal to the brand; otherwise he could have made a decision of purchasing some other luxury car brand. Another reason for this customer loyalty is that BMW vehicles give a lifetime value to its customers, though some of its competitors have greater customer loyalty. BMW’s target market include of those people who want to buy luxury cars, who have high incomes. BMW is basically targeting a niche market. It has differentiated its vehicles and targets them to the niche market of people who are status conscious and who can afford to buy luxury items. The target market comprises of the people who are sporty and look for adventure and BMW sports cars are the best means of fulfilling their desire of sports and adventure. The target market of the brand relates quite well to the brand personality. There is a fit between the target market and the brand personality of BMW. BMW is an already established brand which requires less marketing efforts. But still some marketing efforts need to be put in to market the upcoming products and to instate the recall of the current vehicles in the minds of the consumers. BMW has well defined brand personality and the target market, so it can make the best decision about

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 22

Business Ethics - Essay Example During lunch hour between 1 pm and 2 pm, I interacted with Stephanie my best friend. She asked me whether she looked fat in her dress. In response I lied to her that she doesn’t look fat in her dress because I didn’t want to tell her she is gaining a lot of weight and definitely looks heavy. During the weekend around 10am to 11am we visited the mall with my best friends Stephanie, Richard and Alex. I attempted to steal an item in the supermarket. Unfortunately, I was caught stealing the item. I refused to admit the shoplifting offense and instead said that I saw somebody else commit the offense. I did this to avoid the long arm of the law which would end me up to the jail. After the Christmas holiday my brother Mike, brought a gift to me that I did not like. I lied to him that the Christmas gift he gave to me was great because I know he put a lot of thought into picking up the gift for me. After classes around 4pm and 6pm, I visited my brother’s friend in Michigan who had just concluded constructing a house. The house was really small and cramped. For this reason I did not like the house. I lied to him that I liked the house because I did not want to dampen her excitement. During the evening classes my friend Stanley came to class with a new haircut. Many students noticed the haircut and admired it. To me the haircut was unpleasant and not appealing to the eyes. I did not want to hurt his feelings by telling him that I hated the haircut but instead told him that the cut was really good. During my interaction with the students and one of the members of the society within the 3 days, I realized that women told most of the lies more than men. According to the journal article ‘lying in everyday life’, research was made in colleges and the community and it was recorded that women told many lies compared to men. College students conveyed lying in roughly one out of every

Be clear like water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Be clear like water - Essay Example What they see is not the real woman. This is similar with the second story, â€Å"Swaddling Clothes† whose title can be literally translated to mean â€Å"waste newspapers† (Xi, 112). Although the title may not be completely perfect, yet it ironically captures a main tension of the tale. With such a story the warm white flannel which is suggested by the English term is conflated with a dirty newspaper that wraps the first newborn baby (Howe, Irving and Illana, 89). In both stories the title is ironical. The character in the story â€Å"A Woman like Me† is barred by her job and destiny and every person around her fears her as she is very close to the dead. She is described as â€Å"pale hands†, â€Å"white cloth† and â€Å"natural look† (Xi, 102), all of which represent death. Nevertheless, her boyfriend likes that. Finally, the man disappears from her life. It can be said from this, that the man likes her but fears her job. It is ironical that in spite of her being a good woman, she is judged and left because of her job. It is ironical how she is judged by her appearance. In the second story, â€Å"Swaddling Clothes† irony is also shown through something being judged by its appearance. The baby who is in the dramatic birthing is seen throughout the story in series of tensions whereas the baby who is in clean flannel is contrasted with the bloodied paper wrappings that declares him trash, a piece of meat and a throw away life. The character in â€Å"A woman like Me† who is now in a relationship of her own is prepared for a similar fate as her aunt, and tells herself that a woman like her should not fall in love. In a scene, as she is sited in a coffee shop, waiting to take her boyfriend to her place of work, she sees her boyfriend crossing the street with a bouquet of flowers and she thinks to herself, â€Å"He does not know in my profession flowers mean goodbye† (Xi, 112). It is ironic that the woman does not

Retrofitting of Existing Reinforced Concrete Members with Carbon Fibre Essay

Retrofitting of Existing Reinforced Concrete Members with Carbon Fibre - Essay Example The results from the experiment generally indicated that when beams are retrofitted in shear as well as flexure by the use of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates, they become structurally efficient. In addition, they are also restored to stiffness as well as strength values which are almost equal to or in some cases greater than those of the control beam. It was evident from the results that the efficiency of the strengthening technique by the carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) in flexure was varying with respect to the length of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) plate. Of the three failure modes identified in this experimental work, the main failure was plate debonding in the retrofitted beams. There exist many structures which, for some reasons, fall short of fulfilling the specified requirements. These reasons may include accidents (such as earthquakes), increased loading, upgrade of the design standards, lack of maintenance, construction errors as well as corrosion of the reinforcement bars. The possible remedies for such insufficiency of the structures may include either replacement or retrofitting. Either fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) or steel plates laminates can generally be used in retrofitting of bonded reinforcement to concrete structures. However, fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) is the most convenient for a number of reasons when compared to steel plates: In recent years, carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) has been widely used as an external reinforcement because it has been found to be important for the improvement of the structural performance of the reinforced concrete structures. Many research work conducted in the past on the strengthening of existing reinforced concrete (RC) beams has been mostly focused on the flexural strengthening (Obaidat et al. 2009), (Ashour et al. 2004), (Wang & Zhang 2008), (Esfahani et al. 2007) and (Wenwei & Guo 2006). On the other hand, the topic

Manipulative advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Manipulative advertising - Essay Example the objection on the core purpose of marketing gets validated because the latter strategy that would make buying environment optimal for purchase without logical cost-value analysis would render customers as worse in real economic terms. The very practice of manipulative advertising by various companies aims at optimizing the profits while entirely ignoring the consumer morale and satisfaction. This essay will elaborate the manipulative advertising and the way manipulative advertising impacts the working of laissez-faire economy. It will also discuss whether manipulative advertising should be resisted or not. Then it will discuss the different advertising regulations and institutions in charge to implement those regulations. This would also include a critical analysis of the effectiveness and implementation capacity by institutions for implementing the advertising related regulations. LAISSEZ FAIRE (FREEDOM OF MARKET) AND MANIPULATIVE ADVERTISING: Economists have been the major criti cs of manipulative advertising on grounds of its ability to restrict consumers to make their choices freely. Free choice of consumers in their buying process is something at the heart of capitalism. Laissez- Faire economy works on the basis of free flow of information to consumers in making optimal choices in their purchase decisions. In laissez-faire economy it is believed that more the consumers are informed about the product more rational and optimal choices they will make in their buying decisions. This will automatically clear unwanted goods from market and the expensive goods will become cheaper because of the firm’s goal to attract the consumers. Advertising, in its modest sense, is believed to transmit the useful information about product features to the consumers in market and... This "Manipulative advertising" essay outlines the consumer's behavior and society overall. Economists have been the major critics of manipulative advertising on grounds of its ability to restrict consumers to make their choices freely. Free choice of consumers in their buying process is something at the heart of capitalism. Laissez- Faire economy works on the basis of free flow of information to consumers in making optimal choices in their purchase decisions. In laissez-faire economy it is believed that more the consumers are informed about the product more rational and optimal choices they will make in their buying decisions. This will automatically clear unwanted goods from market and the expensive goods will become cheaper because of the firm’s goal to attract the consumers. Advertising is believed to transmit the useful information about product features to the consumers in market and thus it comes to the heart of market economy, ideal of flow of information to consumers to make optimal choices. But unfortunately advertising ideal of providing the information to the consumers for their optimal purchase decision is viewed skeptically by many of the critiques from different fields of study. Advertisement promises features in the product that do not really exist. Ad campaigns are designed in a way that lure the customers unduly and hamper their ability of applying persuasion knowledge i.e. the ability to understand and smell when they are being persuaded by advertisement and make their decisions accordingly using their rational cost-value analysis.

Southwest Airline Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Southwest Airline Case - Essay Example ch eventually was Southwest’s primary strength and one of the major contributor of their success), can further promote company loyalty among its employees which in return will definitely deliver not just great but rather, excellent customer service that will fully satisfy their customers. Southwest Airlines’ success story was definitely not an easy business venture to accomplish because, as a new entrant in the airline industry way back in the seventies, they had to battle out large and well-established airline companies such as Continental Air just to be able to gain shares in the market and also, they even have to unfortunately adhere on to (unfair) state policies, one of which was the so-called Wright Amendment, whose alleged intention was to slow down Southwest’s progress [â€Å"Southwest Airlines (A)† p.53]. But despite all the obstacles hindering their company growth, Southwest’s strategy in confronting this dilemma however, under the leadership of Herb Keller the company’s CEO, was to give more focus into improving its services more for their customers’ satisfaction and delight rather than be provoked and get depressed by the imposed threats of their competitors. Among the other winning strategies that Southwest have f ostered, which eventually spring-boarded their competitiveness, were to fly to airports that are underutilized and close to a metropolitan area (convenient for tourists and especially for business travelers), frequent on-time departures and arrivals, non-stop flying (from point-of-origin to destination), faster turnarounds (meaning, more time flying in the air than being on the ground), of course having low-cost fares which obviously is very attractive to customers, and best of all, their unsurpassed quality customer service [â€Å"Southwest Airlines (A)† p.55]. But to give emphasis on the major competitive advantage of Southwest against all of their competitors is their cost-saving structure because of their longer or non-stop

Banking and Finance Law Essay Example for Free

Banking and Finance Law Essay Joint account holders, case: Arden v Bank of New South Wales (1956) VLR 569 Combination of account, the bank’s right to combine accounts is dependant on the accounts being the same or closely similar. The right to combine accounts without express agreement: accounts must be held by customer in the same capacity, must not be an agreement or course of dealing with the customer which has negated the bank’s right to combine accounts, customer’s indebtedness must have been incurred to the bank as an banker and not in relation to other business carried on by the bank eg travel business. The main case of this rule is: Garnett v McKewan 1872. Knowing Receipt: Case: Thomson v Clydesdale Bank Ltd (1893) AC 282 APPLICATION Fantastic Landscapes is a customer of the Red Bank because it has accounts in this bank which are overdraft account with has a borrowing limit of $100000 accepted by Red Bank and another account has $20000 (Account No 2) Applying to the content of the contact, Fantastic Landscapes has signed an agreement form that is an express terms made between Red Bank and Fantastic Landscapes. The general terms and conditions included the following clause 12: upon receipt of each monthly overdraft account statement, the account holder shall read the statement and notify the bank of any errors contained in the statement within 15 days. Failure to notify the bank of any errors within that time will be treated as a breach of contract by the account holder entitling the bank to its remedies at law. Applying to the bank’s duty of confidentiality, the Red Bank recorded transactions between it and its customer (Fantastic Landscapes) and reported to its customer every 15 days as written in the general term. However, Red Bank did not complete its duty to question valid mandate because the cheques drawn by Minnie (one of the director of Fantastic Landscapes) within a period of 3 months are unusual drawn on Fantastic Landscapes’ overdraft account. When according to joint account holders, Ben actually is an innocent joint account holder, so he has a right to sue the Red Bank for the breach of contract. However, applying to the duty of customer in section duty to organize business, following cases: Lewes Sanitary Steam Laundry Co Ltd v Barclay Co Ltd (1906) 95 LT 444; and (6. 1) National Bank of New Zealand Ltd v Walpole and Patterson Ltd (1975) 2NZLR 7. The Red bank has an absolute advantage in this case because of the express term written in the contract Another director of Fantastic Landscapes, Ben has failed when sue Red Bank to recredit account which Minnie has stolen because he did not check overdraft account during 3 months, and in the contract with Red Bank has asked he to rea d and notify the bank of any errors contained in the statement within 15 days. Therefore, Ben or Fantastic Landscapes could not claim back $50000. When apply to combination of account, the Fantastic Landscapes has won in this lawsuit. The Red Bank has combined overdraft account and Account No 2 without any notice because they hear that this company has just lot a large landscaping contract and not working any more. Moreover, Red Bank has agreed Fantastic Landscapes to borrow maximum $100000, so they can not combine account without any notice to this company even though its overdraft account has reached to $100000. Therefore, Red Bank has to pay $10000 penalty fee for Fantastic Landscapes to the finance company. According to duty of the banker, the BLB (Big Lender Bank) does not have any duty to Fantastic Landscapes because in this case, its customer Minnie just is its client. Therefore, BLB do not have any duty to her company although she is a director in that company and she has committed fraud. Moreover, BLB do not care about how Minnie paid off her debt because Minnie did not withdraw money in the trust account. In addition, according to Thomson v Clydesdale Bank Ltd (1893) AC 282. BLB does not need to care about its customer detail particularly. Hence, the chances for Fantastic Landscapes win in this case in not to high than the case it won before when against Red Bank to reclaim $10000 penalty fee for finance company. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the Fantastic Landscapes has won in the case against Red Bank for compensation for $10000 penalty fee when they applied their case to combination of account. They won because Red Bank has committed the rule when combine two accounts without any notice to its customer. On the other hand, although the main fault belong to Minnie, the Fantastic Landscapes has failed in the case to recredit, its account when apply express term between it and the Red Bank. After all, the BLB do not have any duty to Fantastic Landscapes for compensation because when apply knowing receipt rule via Thomson case.

BCOM 275 Article Rebuttal Essay Example for Free

BCOM 275 Article Rebuttal Essay Smoking bans, specifically in public places, has been a topic of debate for several years now. This debate has been originated primarily from medical or health-related origins. Many have felt strongly against the ban of smoking in public places. Although, almost an equal amount of people support the smoking ban. This paper will acknowledge the pros to proceeding with the smoking ban to rebuttal the argument presented in the article titled, â€Å"The case against smoking bans† by Thomas A. Lambert and analyze the reliability, credibility, and validity of the data used to support his argument. According to Lambert (2012), â€Å"Government-imposed smoking bans are unwise†. â€Å"Risk based argument are insufficient because the slight risks associated with ETS cannot justify the substantial privacy intrusion occasioned by sweeping smoking bans† (p 34). The author’s support against the smoking ban is based on the fact that the statements regarding the need for the ban due to the increase of health care costs for the smoker and those effected by the second-hand smoke. Lambert supports his argument based on the findings of a comprehensive study in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997. The study states, â€Å"†¦smoking probably has the effect of reducing overall healthcare costs because smokers die earlier than nonsmokers. The study’s authors concluded that in a population in which no one smoked, health care costs would be 7 percent higher among men and 4 percent higher among women than the costs in the current mixed population of smokers and nonsmokers† (Government-imposed smoking bans are unwise, 2012, p 36). Although, this data is credible based on its source, this information cannot wholly be deemed valid based on no stated facts to compare healthcare costs of the nonsmokers. â€Å"Logical fallacie s are errors in reasoning† (Cheesebro, T.,  O’Connor, L., Rios, F., 2010). There are four types of common logical fallacies, which are: faulty causation, hasty generalization, either/or thinking, slippery slope and faulty comparison. The justification based on the other data is an example of a hasty generalization and faulty comparison. A hasty generalization occurs when â€Å"†¦a few examples are selected to represent the whole of the conclusion† (Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., Rios, F., 2010). By committing to these generalizations, your conclusions may be incorrect because you are only acknowledging the data that will solely support your argument. The author’s argument is also a faulty comparison because he treats the unique situations the same. He strongly believes that there is no significant difference in the costs of health care in comparison to those who do not smoke. But the author fails to mention the health effects of second hand smoke and why it should be banned in public places In contrast, smoking bans in public places should be implemented because there are many studies that reveal that there is a real problem regarding exposure to second hand smoke. According to the CDC (2012), â€Å"Since 1964, 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from exposure to secondhand smoke†. That statement alone, which is evidence based, is a valid argument why smoking in public places should be banned. Non-smokers should not have to be victims caused by careless smokers who are more interested in feeding their addiction and pleasures. It is intrusion of someone’s privacy if they do not want to be exposed to secondhand smoke. Public places refers to as restaurants, parks, multiunit housing and casinos etc. For children, secondhand smoke exposure can contribute to respiratory and ear infections and higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome. For adults, it can cause lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases. With that being said, if we choose not to smoke due to the health effects and increased risk of death, why should we forced to go down with the smokers? We have a choice and it should be respected. If these health conditions can be caused by secondhand smoke alone, consider what effects smoking has on a smoker’s body. As mentioned earlier, those who do smoke die earlier. So how can the statement regarding no difference in health care costs between a smoker and non-smoker be valid? In conclusion, due to the evidence-based bad health effects of secondhand smoke, smoking in public places should be banned. There is no justification for someone who chooses to live a healthy lifestyle in order to live longer,  to have a smoker determine how long they should live or what quality of life they should have. References Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lambert, T. A. (2007). The case against smoking bans. Regulation, 29(4), 34-40. Retrieved on March 7, 2014 from, http://search.proquest.com/docview/210517192?accountid=458 Smoking and Tobacco. (2012). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on March 6, 2014 from, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/healt h_effects/index.htm

China S Domestic Tourism And Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

China S Domestic Tourism And Hotel Industry Tourism Essay With the rapid development of Chinas national economy, the leisure choices of Chinese people also have undergone great changes. The Chinese peoples leisure presents distinctive regional characteristics and cultural identity. As the increase in income and living standards improved, Chinese people are more willing to travel for consume choice. Chinese tourism is at s rapid developing stage, forming the three kinds of tourism: inbound tourism, domestic tourism and outbound tourism market. For its further development, Chinas tourism should continue to focus much on domestic tourism market. Consumer demand for the spiritual life and growth making tourism become casual as a relaxed kind of entertainment. When people facing the highly technical and highly urbanized life, many people have the demand to enjoy nature and enjoy life, high quality tourism has become the pursuit of many modern urban people with consume consciousness. Due to that, the development of Chinas domestic tourism would b e even brighter. Chinas domestic tourism promoted local economic development, and it is also influenced by national policy and regional economic development levels. Meanwhile, the hotel industry is also driven by the development of domestic tourism and has been considerable prosperity and development. It could be said that the development of tourism and hotel industry promote each other, are both important parts of Chinese national leisure. This essay will firstly discuss the variety markets and the growth of Chinas domestic tourism. Following this, it will discuss the growth and diversified markets of Chinas hotel industry. Finally, it will provide some suggestions for todays Chinese leisure market. The variety markets and the growth of Chinas domestic tourism With the economic development, China in the last century after 1990s, as guided by national policies, the domestic tourism market has entered a rapid development period (Wu, Zhu, and Xu, 2000). Since 1999, the total consumption growth rate remained at around 10%-12%, indicating that Chinas domestic demand for tourism market has entered a stable stage of development. When the Chinese tourism industry in its infancy, the domestic tourism demand is not enough strong, showing small-scale, with single of the characteristics associated. Therefore, the first principle of Chinas domestic tourism is to meet the inbound tourism demand as the main target. However, after nearly 20 years of development, domestic tourism gradually has become to be market-oriented, and Chinese people would like to take domestic travel as leisure-based behavior (Huang, Xiao, 2000). The number of domestic tourists has grown, tourists levels also constantly improved, showing a large scale and covering wide demand cha racteristics. The formation of effective travel demand requires tourists must have a certain ability to pay, that should be available for discretionary income. With the opening up of Chinas sustained rapid economic development, domestic residents disposable income is also increasing at the same time (Wu, Zhu, and Xu, 2000). The disposable income of urban residents rose from 1700.6 RMB in 1991 to 7702.8 RMB in 2002. With the sustained, steady, and moderate economy growth, income levels would continue to improve, people want not only meet their daily lives demand, which means that China would face increasingly strong domestic tourism demand and Chinas domestic tourism market is still promising in the following years. Chinas domestic tourism meets the requirements and effective demands of different tourists who have the desires to travel and enjoy leisure time. When received the mobilization of Chinese governments leave policies, Chinas domestic tourism market made a rapid expansion (Wang, Qu, 2004). Since May 1995 China launched the weekly rest-day work system and brought an excellent opportunity for the development of domestic tourism. These polices then leaded a weekend travel fever caused by the increase travel rate of urban residents in 1995-1999. September 1999, the Chinese State Council issued a national New Year and Day holiday approaches, made the Labour Day and National Day positioning as the Spring Festival holiday time with the extended 3 days, plus weekends before and after the formation of three complete the concentration of a week holiday as the Golden Week. It could be considered that, with the future improvement of the system for holidays, and paid holidays became more common, pe ople are free to spend their time on domestic pinpoints. In these systems, the distribution of Chinese tourism is imbalance in some areas, and someone has become a cultural and fashion center, become a popular tourist site and entry, such as Hong Kong (Tam, Chan, Chu, et al., 2005). The formation of effective demand travel requirements related to tourism infrastructure is needed to be improved. The rapid development of Chinas national economy has been a strong guarantee for the domestic tourist attractions and supporting facilities construction. A tourist attraction is not enough only increase the attraction for tourists, and the domestic tourists travel demand also should to improve in order to achieve sustainable development of domestic tourism according to the local differences (Wang, Qu, 2004). This requires that tourism-related transportation, catering, accommodation and other related supporting infrastructure, industry, construction and tourism development to become much convenient. Currently Chinese enterprises and the tourism management departments have recognized this, and they realized that the construction of tourism infrastructure is referred to a considerable height, increased investment, continuous improvement and tourism-related facilities. This will help to promote the formation of effective demand, tourism, promote tourism market. The formation of effective demand travel requirements of tourists reflects the change of consumer awareness. Economic development and upgrading of living standards, attract many international tourists, has changed peoples consumption concept, which making people more willing to improve their spiritual life through tourism. The growth and diversified markets of Chinas hotel industry Chinas domestic tourism development also greatly pushed the domestic hotel industry development and prosperity. Chinas hotel industry is developing rapidly in 2004, accommodation and catering industry in China is total 1 trillion RMB of business, accounting for 7.3% of gross national product, is about to become very important Chinas national economy industry. With Chinas sustained rapid growth and the rising living standards, it would gradually speed up the internationalization process of Chinese hotel industry. With the host of Beijing Olympics and Shanghai World Expo and Guangzhou Asian Games and even the further success of large-scale activities held in China by 2020, China would become the largest tourist destination in the world, and further promoted Chinas hotel industrys development to a new stage. Currently Chinese hotel industry shows many characteristics. The most hotels continuously improve product functionality. After 20 years of development, Chinas hotels could be subdivided as the general business hotel, tourist hotels, resort hotels, conference hotels, theme hotels and the general hotels, etc., and these hotels could continue to meet the diverse demands of the travel market (Pine, Phillips, 2005). There are about more than 100 hotel groups, nearly 1,000 hotel chains. Hotel consolidation and reorganization progresses, and the international hotel group from the low-end market promote the tourist market, accelerate the pace of internationalization of the domestic market. Hotel Services become more prominent in the hotel industry. Electronic information technology has been used into China hotel industry, and the global information highway also provides customers new services, such as artificial intelligence on the technology of temperature, light, automatic adjustment, the rooms have broadband Internet access, room is able to receive satellite TV network signal, remote network scheduled. So that the hotel industry increasingly dependent on science and technology. Hotels would become the main body of the hotel industry market. In the hotel industry, hotels have the largest space for future development. Chinese hotels begins to follow international hotel industry trends, being consistent with the actual Chinese hotel market segments to meet the needs of domestic tourists, and on major events is not sensitive to economic factors. Star hotel industry in China would shift to the main economic development of a new era hotels. The level of the overall hotel market returns showed a strong momentum of development. Considering all five star hotels in Chinas management fees and fixed fees, its income increased by 42% over the same period, four-star and three star hotels grew by 52% and 24%,compared to 1990s. International management of the five-star and four-star hotel than other hotels with the level of management to achieve better earnings before charges and fixed costs, total revenues were 43% and 35%. Shanghais five-star hotels achieved the highest level of return, has 48% of total revenue, followed by Sanya (47%) and Beijing (40%) of the five-star hotel (Lam, Han, 2005). In addition, the five-star hotel, the rooms of the hotels are still the highest total revenue department. Hotel room revenue accounted for 55% of total revenue, while its total expenditure amounted to only 11%. In the main expenditure, catering is containing 35% of income in the total expenditure. Some suggestions for todays Chinese leisure industry The Chinese government should further adjust and improve the statutory holidays and leave regulations, in order to promote the prosperity and development of Chinas domestic tourism market. Tourism activities and national holidays and vacation is closely related to institutional arrangements, and the introduction of adjustment programs of national holidays and paid annual leave regulations, will have an important impact on space-time structure on domestic tourism flows and tourism development. The implementation of the new holiday system will break the monopoly of the past space and time factors of travel, promote tourist flows. The promotion of coordinated development of regional tourism would optimize the layout of space tourism industry and narrow the differences in regional tourism. On the one hand, the adjustment of the statutory holiday will significantly increase the proportion of short-range tourist flows, increase tourism sources, and promote the development of tourism markets. It could force local government and tourism enterprises to pay more attentions to the development of local tourism market, and take serious on the active development of local tourism market, tourism product, tourism activities to enrich the content of local tourism. By optimizing product structure and promote local tourism development, the local economy development is of great significant convert. When local government adjust the implementation of tourism polices, it will bring about more p otential tourism, especially to these state-owned hotel (Heunga, Zhang, Jiang, 2008). Once met the personal needs of tourists, many tourist areas, which are not popular in the past, would be the choice of different types of potential tourists, thus stimulating the remote tourist spots to recovery, promoting the coordinated development of regional tourism. Those measures could improve the overall economic benefits of tourism. Of course, in nowadays, green, environmental protection, energy saving, safety, and health development of the international hotel has become a new direction of hotel industry. Followed the trend, many activities are implemented to create green hotels, promoting Chinas hotel industry into the safety, health, environmental protection, and energy saving road in the future. At present, China mainly focus on hotel supplies: disposable daily necessities, intelligent products, hotel decorative items, sports goods, food supplies, cleaning supplies, uniforms, and severa l other aspects of the hotel. Among them, the hotel leadership management level also should be enhanced (Wong Chan, 2010). Along with the development and improvement of living standards, customers increasing the demand for the hotel, which requested hotels in system equipment, used the hotel intelligent systems. Therefore, hotel equipment, intelligent systems, would be the development of hotel equipment, as an important trend. The other tech-intensive hotels supplies will be smaller, light and miniaturized to the trend of development. Conclusion In conclusion, Chinas domestic tourism and hotel industry has been rapid development and prosperity, because of the rapid development of national economy and domestic policy, regulation leaves promotion. Brought by the increase of Chinese residents income, it improved the quality of many people life, and more people want to choose consumption and leisure, the tourism and accommodation outside. To some degree, Chinese peoples leisure has markedly changed. Of course, Chinas domestic tourism presented geographical imbalance, which asked tourism authorities to develop a positive awareness of domestic tourism consumption. For the western and rural areas, the consume awareness of many tourist areas is not strong. So that it could take various measures to encourage people to travel. In order to promote tourism and hotel industrys further development, it also should be constantly improving and standardizing Chinas leave system. Beside successful enterprises in the construction and restructur ing of hotel, it has many efforts to create Chinas own strong hotel group. When Chinese super-national hotel group become the famous hotel brand of the world, it could get the establishment of China in the international hotel industry on a due place.

Tom Sawyer :: English Literature Essays

Tom Sawyer Growing up in a small community can be hard, I won’t be the only on to tell you that, but living in one in the 1800’s was tougher. This is especially true when there’s a murdering robber who wants revenge lurking about. But it’s got its good qualities too, I mean, there’s the picnics and the adventures and everybody knows everybody so no ones threatening anybody with their strange presence. This is why The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain display such a realistic life; it portrays both the Good and Evil in a little society. There’s Evil in a small town? Isn’t that impossible? Amazingly enough, no, it’s not. A prime example of it comes straight from the book in the character Injun Joe. When we first meet Injun Joe, he’s taking part in the despicable crime of grave robbing. That’s bad enough, but he adds on to his sins with a more heinous act; murder. If you still don’t believe that’s Evil, then maybe his last two extensions are. He starts with a bout of robbery and tallies it all up with a threat to an old woman named Widow Douglas. So you see there is such a thing as iniquity in a place like Tom’s home town. But like I said, you also have some good no matter where you go, and this is especially true in the book, too. If you still want to find me at fault, just ask Huck Finn, he’d back me up anytime. See, poor Huck, though unwanted by the city adults, was worshipped by all the local boys and cherished by a few elders here and there. But there was no elder more loving towards him than Widow Douglas, especially after he saved her from Injun Joe’s wrath. She bestowed upon him the kindest, most generous gift she could think of, and that was the right to call her Mother. You can’t disagree with me now, if a drunkard’s son can become the child of a respected family, then there’s got to be some humanity in the town, too. That’s all just a story though, right? Nothing like that happens in real life, does it? I beg to differ, and after I support my claim, you probably will, too? It’s right here in the town I grew up in, all of it. Our community’s Evil struck when I was little, a mad drunk stormed through a bar and shot and killed three people.

Government Spending, Deficits, and Keynesian Economics Essay -- Econom

A growing government is opposite to America’s economic interests because the various methods of financing a government - taxes, borrowing, and printing money have harmful effects upon the economy. There are many reasons why there is a high deficit in the United States such as extensive spending. This is true because government spending is often economically destructive, regardless of how it is financed. There are many causes of the steady growth in U.S. trade deficits. There are many people are against the high deficits especially economists. â€Å"Economists define government intervention in the foreign exchange market as the buying or selling of foreign exchange for the purpose of manipulating the exchange rate. â€Å"(Case, pg. 398) Economists would agree that there are situations which lower levels of government spending would improve economic growth and other situations in which higher levels of government spending would be pleasing. Economists will generally agree that government spending becomes a burden. Economists feel as though by raising the deficit we are spending money the economy does not. If United States would raise taxes to help pay off the deficit that would not work since so many Americans are out of work. In addition, they believe that raising the GDP taken by the state sector has a negative effect on the growth of the private sector of the economy. Even though the economy could benefit from the budget deficit such as economic growth, the economists do not want to take a chance on that. Also, s ome economists are also concerned that higher borrowing by the government may also openly result in reduced utilization spending. They argue households recognize that higher current government borrowing results in highe... ...ful spending because it is taking a toll on our future, our children’s future, and our children’s children future. Works Cited 1. Case. Principles of Macroeconomics, 9th Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions 2. United States Economy - Monetary and Fiscal Policy." Country Studies. U.S. Department of State. Web. 15 Aug. 2011. . 3. Mitchell, Dr. Daniel. "The Impact of Government Spending on Economic Growth." Conservative Policy Research and Analysis. 15 Mar. 2005. Web. 16 Aug. 2011. . 4. Pettinger, Tejvan. "Monetary Policy vs Fiscal Policy | Economics Blog." Economics Help - Helping to Simplify Economics. Web. 09 Aug. 2011. .

The Alamo :: essays research papers

Originally named Misià ³n San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. Construction began on the present site in 1724. In 1793, Spanish officials sectioned off San Antonio's five missions and distributed their lands to the remaining Indian residents. These men and women continued to farm the fields — once the mission's but now their own — and participated in the growing community of San Antonio. In the early 1800s, the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit at the former mission. The soldiers referred to the old mission as the Alamo (the Spanish word for "cottonwood") in honor of their hometown Alamo de Parras, Coahuila. The post's commander established the first recorded hospital in Texas in the Long Barrack. The Alamo was home to both Revolutionaries and Royalists during Mexico's ten-year struggle for independence. The military — Spanish, Rebel, and then Mexican — continued to occupy the Alamo until the Texas Revolution. San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of house-to-house fighting, they forced General Marà ­n Perfecto de Cà ³s and his soldiers to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo — already fortified prior to the battle by Cà ³s' men — and strengthened its defenses. On February 23, 1836, the arrival of General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna's army outside San Antonio nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over — all except one did. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and fo rmer congressman from Tennessee.

Education for Sustainable Development Essay

INTRODUCTION This module provides examples of ways that learning outside the classroom can be used to facilitate Education for Sustainable Development. This includes short visits into the school grounds and local community, as well as visits to farms, factories, offices, neighbourhood science centres and natural settings such as a forest, a beach or a national park. Providing students with high quality learning activities in relevant situations beyond the walls of the classroom is vital for helping students appreciate their first hand experiences from a variety of different perspectives. Experiences outside the classroom also enhances learning by providing students with opportunities to practice skills of enquiry, values analysis and clarification and problem solving in everyday situations. However, taking students outside the classroom requires careful planning of the learning activities and attention to the health and safety risks that might be faced. This module provides guidance on these aspects of planning for learning outside the classroom. OBJECTIVES * To develop an awareness of the positive impact that experiences outside the classroom can have on Education for Sustainable Development; * To develop an understanding of the planning, organisation and risk management required for teaching and learning outside the classroom; and * To identify appropriate strategies for teaching and learning outside the classroom. ACTIVITIES 1. Learning in the local area 2. Approaches to learning outside the classroom 3. Planning for learning outside the classroom 4. Risk management 5. Reflection REFERENCES _____ (2000) Focus on Fieldwork: Special Issue, Teaching Geography, 25(2). Department for Education and Employment (1998) Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits, HMSO, London. Department for Education and Skills (2006) Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, Learning Outside the Classroom. Department for Education and Skills & Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2006) Laying the foundations: Using the built environment to teach. DeWitt, J. and Storksdieck, M. (2008) A short review of school field trips: key findings from the past and implications for the future, Visitor Studies, 11(2), pp. 181-197. Laws, K. (1989) Learning geography through fieldwork, in Fien, J., Gerber, R. and Wilson, P. (eds) The Geography Teacher’s Guide to the Classroom, 2nd edition, Macmillan, Melbourne. Rogers, A. (ed) (1995) Taking Action: An Environmental Guide For You and Your Community, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi. Smith, M. (2002) Exploring a changing world: A guide to fieldwork for youth expeditions, Young Explorers Trust. CREDITS This module was written for UNESCO by Bernard Cox, Margaret Calder, John Fien and Lisa Ryan using material written by Barry Law in Learning for a Sustainable Environment (UNESCO – ACEID).

Mccafe Analysis Essay

McCafe was introduced to the McDonalds business model at a time when the fast food industry, and dining out as a whole, was on a downslide. Consumers were trying to cut back and save money – dining out was an easy way to do that. McCafe is a full-service coffee bar, created as an extension of a current McDonalds counter, or as a stand-alone restaurant. The concept is positioned to consumers that fall in the working adult category, who enjoy coffee, and was said to be a direct competition to Starbucks. In terms of the comparison of McCafe to the overall McDonald’s vision and mission, the two fell in a parallel line. How would McCafe mirror the McDonalds vision? First, by delivering the end product to the customer in a timely manner – coffee machines were made to make espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos with the touch of a button, in around 22 seconds or less. McCafe coffee creation didn’t require a well-trained barista, just as a good Big Mac didn’t require a chef behind the grill. The McDonalds mission states that they want to â€Å"be our customers’ favorite place and way to eat.† Their global markets, regardless of whether they focus on burgers or coffee, is to center on five basics of an exceptional customer experience – people, products, place, price, and promotion – also known as the Plan to Win strategy. The McCafe model resonates the same way as the original McDonalds concept. In aligning the McCafe strategy with the Business Strategy Diamond, the following aspects of McCafe fulfill the strategy: Arenas: Where will McCafe be active? McCafe locations will be active as a full service coffee bar, either in a standalone facility, or as an extension of a current McDonalds restaurant. Vehicles: How will we get there? McCafe specialty coffees would ideally be introduced by current McDonalds franchisees interested in a way to diversify their product line and increase sales. However, new franchise owners with a desire to build standalone McCafes or new McDonalds restaurants with the McCafe feature could start new ventures. Differentiators: How will we win? McCafe’s offer not only specialty and brewed coffees, but cookies and pastries as well. Another benefit? By being a part of a current McDonalds restaurant, patrons could get not only specialty coffee, but their trusty yogurt parfaits or Egg McMuffins. Pricing would be set similar to or less than their competitors (ie. Starbucks). Staging and Pacing: What will be our speed and sequence of moves? McCafe counters could be added to existing McDonalds stores in as little as 4 days – the equipment took up minimal counter space and renovations would hardly disrupt their current operations. Economic Logic: How will we obtain our returns? McDonalds will turn a profit by banking on its history of success – the speed of its products, and its convenience, at a good price. They will be diversifying their product line and targeting a market that was dominated in the US by two prime retailers – Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. McCafe prices are in line with Dunkin Donuts, but with more options in the food area, while their prices come in below Starbucks, with similar quality. McCafe SWOT Analysis: StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats Strong global presence (through McDonalds Corp) Saturated industry (coffee/food)Multiple ownerships (other restaurants) = success in growth strategies Increasingly competitive amongst fast food markets Ease of introduction Increasing price competitionCountries available for retail pentration (Europe, Latin America)Links to obesity =negative press, high calorie coffees and snacks contributing factors Strong real estate locations Differentiation combining food with coffee cafe High visibility McCafe is a great new venture for McDonalds – a company with a wealth of history, but a need to differentiate itself from its competitors like Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendys, etc. McCafe will give McDonalds a great way to increase profits and move forward in the restaurant industry. Additional Sources: http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_faq/student_research.html?DC

MKTG 315 Pre-test Essay

1. President Obama’s health care plan requires all U.S. citizens to purchase a minimum amount of health insurance or be fined 2. Suppose that from January 2011 to January 2012, the inflation rate was 6 percent 3. Fill out the table according the demographic information for each group 4. Which of the following approaches to innovation is Google Inc. using when it allows researchers to devote 20 percent of their time to pursuing their own ideas and projects? Can be D. 5. Examine the advertisement below to determine who the target market is for the product. Then, select as many descriptors that fit the qualities of that target market. 6. The local Pro Hardware store has recently run a number of ads featuring women doing household repairs and holds monthly workshops for women on basic home repair techniques. It has evidently not been lost on Pro Hardware that: B. Personal traits tend to vary in the U.S by region 7. Today, many infants are exposed from birth to technology such as Smartphones, laptops, netbooks, and tablets. In fact, Fisher-Price and LeapFrog do research into how infants and young toddlers interact with screens and touchscreens. 8. Research that attempts to expand the frontiers of knowledge but is not aimed at a specific, pragmatic problem is called: Basic research 9. Which of the following is an example of demographic information? C. Single, 18-25 year olds 10. When a coal mining company lobbies Congress for changes in environmental laws and regulations that result in the construction of more coal-burning power plants, the company has engaged in: Post Test 1. Match the product with the ethnic group it most likely targets. African American A new urban clothing line directed at young adults, Hispanic American Clean and fruity scented room freshener in a colorful container Asian American Brand new electronic device charger that also acts as a keyboard for the nearest charging device, Any ethnicity A package of flank steak, 2. Sharon is 60 years old and expects to continue working through her sixties. She lost a significant portion of her retirement savings during the recession. Sharon is a: Baby boomer 3.Randy is a sales rep at Speedy Printing. When Danyka expresses an interest in purchasing a new, high-speed copy machine for her office, Randy tells her that Speedy Printing requires all users of its copy machines to purchase all their paper and toner from the company as well. Fortunately, Danyka is well-versed in business legislation and informs Randy that his company’s policy is in violation of the: Incorrect. Among other things, the Clayton Act prohibits tying contracts (which require the buyer of one product to also buy another item in the line). 4. Match the American value with the product that most addresses that value. Self-sufficiency A book on year round vegetable garden management., Upward mobility BMW offers an entry-level sedan for much less than its super-luxury models Work Ethic ., Debit card that rounds up to the nearest dollar and puts the rounded change into a savings account., Conformity . Walmart offers everyday low prices for everyone 5. Joseph has an idea for a startup that will offer a mobile device that will also function as a social media hub, music center, and digital wallet. His idea is to offer slick designs in brilliant colors that shoppers can either subscribe to monthly or pay as they go for data access. Select all of the target market factors Joseph needs to consider as he finalizes design and designs on promotion strategies. a. Ethnicity b. How social media use has changed the way people communicate c. Consumer Privacy d. Purchasing power e. Size of the population f. Age demographic g. State Laws h. Inflation Answer 1: Correct. Answer 2: Correct. Answer 3: Correct. Answer 4: Correct. Answer 5: Incorrect. Answer 6: Correct. Answer 7: Incorrect. Answer 8: Incorrect. 6. A local bank has developed a new line of credit with a lower interest rate and large lines of credit. Of the following, what considerations will the bank have to take into account before granting a line of credit to an applicant? a. Recession b. Consumer income c. Competition d. Inflation e. Ethnicity f. Purchasing Power Answer 1: Correct. Answer 2: Correct. Answer 3: Incorrect. Answer 4: Incorrect. Answer 5: Incorrect. Answer 6: Correct. 7. Why are Asian Americans sometimes called a â€Å"marketer’s dream†? 8. Component lifestyles: Incorrect. Component lifestyles encompass a much wider range of interests (and needs) than traditional lifestyles. Increased buying power has also contributed to the evolution of component lifestyles. d. have developed because consumers can choose from a growing number of goods and services. 9. From the following, choose all of the following are methods companies are using to stimulate innovation. a. Enlisting the web b. Increasing efficiency c. Talking to early adopters d. Using marketing research e. Building scenarios Answer 1: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 2: Incorrect. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 3: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 4: Correct. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepreneurs. Answer 5: Incorrect. The ways to stimulate innovation are: build scenarios, enlist the web, talk to early adopters, use marketing research, create an innovative environment, and cater to entrepren eurs. 10. After learning that many of its customers were shopping at a nearby health-food store for grass-fed beef and organic milk, REF:-Price Grocers began stocking more organic items. REF:-Price Grocers adjusted its marketing strategy based on: Environment management Chapter 5: Pre-Test The Pilcher Company manufactures tents and other canvas goods in its two factories, located in Kentucky and West Virginia. Seven years ago, Pilcher began exporting its goods to several countries in Latin America, and sales have been very good. At least 25% of Pilcher’s revenue comes from its foreign sales. The Pilcher Company can probably best be characterized as a _____ multinational corporation. a. first-stage b. second-stage c. third-stage d. fourth-stage e. fifth-stage Mari is in Brazil for a vacation and has stumbled upon the most beautiful Brazilian cedar chest inlaid with Brauna wood veneers. She desperately wants the trunk, but isn’t sure how much it actually costs. The shopkeeper is asking her for 2500 reals (the Brazilian currency). Mari’s husband knows that the exchange rate to the U.S. dollar is about 0.5 USD for 1 real. Calculate the cost of the trunk in U.S. dollars. $ Select all of the following that are true about globalization. a. Globalization has cost millions of Americans their jobs, particularly those in the manufacturing and tech industries. b. Globalization encourages political as well as economic freedom. c. Job outsourcing has decreased with globalization. d. Globalization raises the living standards of people in countries that embrace it. e. U.S. white-collar jobs are immune to being outsourced because they require a native speaker of English. 4. Select the table with the rest of the G-20 Member countries. Australia Japan Brazil Germany Turkey India Russia United Kingdom (or England) Saudi Arabia United States [or USA] 5, Select the methods of entering the Global Marketplace to the appropriate level of risk on the spectrum. Exporting Licensing and Franchising Contract Manufacturing Joint Venture Direct Investment 6. In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan â€Å"Come alive with the Pepsi Generation† came out as â€Å"Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.† The managers at Pepsi evidently overlooked the importance of _____ factors in global marketing. a. demographic b. political c. technological d. cultural e. economic Incorrect. Language is a central part of culture and has created problems for many companies entering foreign markets. 7. Pillsbury advertisements on Indian television depict the familiar Doughboy pressing his palms together and bowing in the traditional Indian greeting. Pillsbury obviously understands the rewards of _____ marketing. a. sales b. guerilla c. regional d. global e. green 8. A Vietnamese textile factory sells its goods in the United States at a price 40% less than that charged in Vietnam. The textile factory may be engaging in: a. boycotting. b. price gouging. c. dumping. d. bouncing. e. countertrading 9. Campbell’s watercress and duck gizzard soup (which is popular in China) and Frito-Lay’s shrimp-flavored potato chip (sold in Thailand), are examples of: a. product standardization. b. promotion adaptation. c. product adaptation. d. competitive pricing. e. product invention. Incorrect. In the context of global marketing, product invention can be taken to mean either creating a new product for a market or drastically changing an existing product. Mercosur is the largest Latin American trade agreement, created in 1991 to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, peoples, and currency in South America. Select all of the following countries that are part of Mercosur. a. Venezuela b. Mexico c. Brazil d. Costa Rica e. Peru f. Uruguay Chapter 5: Post-test 1. Dynamo Industries spent $10 million on equipment in its new South Korean facilities last year, but only $3 million on labor. It is safe to say that Dynamo’s operations in South Korea a. are capital intensive. b. greatly increase employment in South Korea. c. are underfinanced. d. are labor intensive. e. have probably cost many South Koreans their jobs. 2. Match the company description with the stage of global business development. WRONG 3. The Camay soap you buy at your local grocery store is virtually the same as the Camay soap offered for sale in Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and Taiwan. Procter & Gamble has moved toward _____ with this product. a. contract manufacturing b. global marketing standardization c. product adaptation d. competitive advantage e. product myopia After class one day, your friend Miguel says that he can foresee a time in the not too distant future when the European Union (EU) will essentially become â€Å"the United States of Europe.† Based on what you’ve read in your textbook, you: a. agree, because the EU has purchasing power almost equal to that of the United States. b. disagree, because the political instability in Europe will never allow that to happen. c. agree, because the EU is already the largest economy in the world. d. disagree, because Europe’s diverse languages and national cultures will make it almost impossible for marketers to develop single European products for generic European consumers. e. agree, because over the past few years labor productivity in the EU has equaled or exceeded that of the United States. Fill in the blanks of the paragraph using the drop down menu to select the choice that best fits each blank. Wilmari’s build your own homemade cupcake business is booming. She has received inquiries from all over the world about retailing her â€Å"Foolproof Bakery Style Cupcake Baker† toaster oven and her wide range of cupcake mixes, fillings, and frosting, which are Production adaptation for a global market. Wilmari knows that she has to make sure her electronics work in foreign outlets and she’s been researching retailers, distributors, and even flavors that other countries my enjoy. Wilmari’s E-commerce distribution is helping her make her first steps towards having a global business. For now, however, Wilmari directs all the international inquiries to her website, where her customers can use Currency exchange to order sets or mixes, as well as see the cost of international shipping. Wilmari also has a Money back guarantee that she offers only domestic customers, just in case there are regulations in other countries. For now, the web is her easiest road into the global market, but Wilmari’s research and diligence should enable her to be one of the few small promotion adaptations located in the United States! 6. Right Wedding dress designers change white to red for Chinese customers. Culture, P&G offers single use sizes of deodorant in India for much less than full size deodorants in the U.S. Economic Factors, Google is sued by a doctor in France for libel when search results for his name brought up an old malpractice suit that he had served time for. Legal and Political Factors, Up-and-coming diamond retailer Hearts of Fire fights with larger companies for limited diamonds from Africa. Natural Resources 7. Langdon Farms sends milk to Yinkers, a Canadian cheese maker; in payment, Yinkers sends Langdon Farms cheddar and Swiss cheese, which Langdon Farms in turn markets in the United States. Langdon Farms and Yinkers are engaging in: a. price fixing. b. dumping. c. countertrading. d. a quota system. e. bribery 8. Select all of the following that are product adaptation. a. Offering ketchup sized packets of Pantene 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner in Bolivia for 5 cents. b. Campbell’s offering duck gizzard soup in China. c. Dunkin Donuts selling green tea donuts in Korea. d. H&M offering fringed burquas in Dubai. 9. Martin just gave a business presentation where he emphasized benefits to the bottom line, that his company would provide strong service support, and the product’s guarantee. Where is Martin giving his presentation? a. Sweden b. Germany c. Japan d. Hungary e. Peru Incorrect. These are all characteristics listed for giving successful business presentations in Germany. 10.Plast-eet, a Vermont manufacturer of plastic eating utensils, sells its products to Misha, who has an office in New York City. Plast-eet takes its money from Misha and goes away happy. Misha, in turn, sells the products to buyers in several African countries and keeps the revenues. Misha is most likely a(n): a. buyer for export. b. export broker. c. buyer for import. d. venture capitalist. e. export agent

Evolution of Life as Dasavatharam

Evolution of life explained in dasavaratham Many people Including some scientist don't believe In god Just because they think It's superstitious or something that doesn't exist. Our ancestors are also scientists in some ways. The people in very olden days used to accurately measure the time without having watch, people used to accurately predict the occurrence of lunar and solar eclipse without the facility which nowadays we have. We really dont know what they implemented to find these. Only thing we can do is to respect them and believe hat we always have something superior to us.Now let us see In detail how Dasavatharam (ten Incarnations of lord Vishnu) Is related to the evolution of life. Ten incarnation of lord Vishnu and evolution of life 1 . Matsya avatharam (Incarnation in form of Fish ) : This is the first incarnation of lord Vishnu. Matsya means fish in Sanskrit. It is believed that the life first originated from ocean. As we know fish can live only in water. Similarly the f irst life came from water. 2. Kurma avatharam (Incarnation In the form of Tortoise): This Is the second ncarnation of lord Vishnu.Kurma means tortoise. It Is believed by science that after life originated from water, than life tries to enter land where it can live in both water and land. Similarly to this Tortoise can live in both water and land. 3. Varaha avatharam (Incarnation in the form of Pig): This is the third incarnation of lord Vishnu. Varaha is in the form of Pig. After life that can exist in both water and land than came life which can only exist in land In the form of animals. This is what this Incarnation Indicates; a Pig can live only In land not In oceans. . Naraslmha avatharam (Incarnation In the form of half man and animal l: In Sanskrit Nara means humans and Simha means animal ( Lion ). In this incarnation the lord appears with a Lion face and human body. Similarly this says that humans where evolved from animals. This is also science says. 5. Vamana avatharam (Inc arnation in the form of a short man): This avathara mainly points out that small men evolved from the animals. The shortness Just to Imply the Incompleteness In the growth of the humans. Parasurama avatharam (Incarnation in the form of uncivilized man): This Incarnation is to mainly point out that humans evolved had lot of animal characters in them. They used the things in the forest for their survival. This is what this incarnation tries to tell. 7. Rama avatharam (Incarnation in the form of civilized man): After that men turned into a civilized person and use some better weapons than used from the forests. But still the man had animal contact with them. This is what Incarnation of Rama tells. Rama also used Sugreeva and his troops for his war.These troops were In the form of monkeys. 8. Balarama avatharam: After that man started agriculture to produce food. He became independent from animals. This is what the incarnation of Balarama tries to tell. 9. Krishna avatharam: As we know that Krishna played an important role in the great Mahabharata. Humans started to learn things and became more intelligent. They learned to make tricks with people and fool them like what we do. This is what the incarnation of Krishna was about. 10. Kalkl avatharam takes this incarnation to destroy the whole world.According to me this incarnation tries to say that humans are going to be part in the destruction of the world. Also we are in the slow process of destruction of the world. So this is how the incarnation of lord Vishnu goes hand in hand with the evolution of humans. These are some of the proofs which tell that god really exists. So it our duty to preserve our ancestors works and respect them and god. However science may go in advancement but it can never match the supremacy of lord. Believe in Hinduism and appreciate the science in it.

ABC Ltd. companys valuation report Research Paper

ABC Ltd. companys valuation report - Research Paper Example Such industries include; business management, food, healthcare, as well as the entertainment industry. The shares of ABC Ltd. are held privately by various shareholders. The company operates worldwide and is also a major provider of digital telephony and data services. Even though it is a new player in the communications industry, the company is recording good progress in the communications industry. It enjoys a market presence in many countries globally. ABC extends capital markets, strategic direction as well as general management oversight to all its subsidiaries (Antill & Lee 2008). ABC Ltd. has a long term strategy of helping all its subsidiaries to change the of communications industry worldwide. As it keeps increasing its capacity and gaining more market share, it values creating mass and market reach (Antill & Lee 2008). It is also being considered a substitute provider of telecommunications that dominate the world today. ABC Ltd. is committed to enabling the development of a technical communications infrastructure which will be considered and appreciated globally as world-class. The company’s mission is precise and concise, â€Å"Enabling the future is our priority.† The valuation is based on a six years of critical analysis on the company’s performance. It focuses on ascertaining the company’s net sales, net revenue, gross profits, total operating expenses, total costs and net income annually (Antill & Lee 2008). The valuation is conducted from 2009 to 2014 financial years.

The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy - Essay Example This in turn would help promote psychotherapy. In 1995, it was determined that professionals should be trained exclusively in the use of Empirically Supported or Validated Therapies. This move was given a push when the American Psychologists Association (APA) published the first of its task force reports. Since then Empirically Validated Therapy (EVT), Empirically Supported Therapy (EST), and Evidence Based Practice (EBP), refers to therapeutic treatments which are deemed empirically sound and valid, by a particular research methodology. Thus these therapies or treatments can be officially used in the psychotherapy. This however implied that those therapies which do not make the list are not empirically valid and these alternative methods of treatment are therefore considered irrelevant. This stirred up a hornet's nest in the world of psychotherapy and was the beginning of a controversy which persists even today. The Empirically Validated Treatment movement brought about a split between psychotherapists, i.e. those who saw thems elves as scientists and those who saw themselves as practitioners. a science, it deals with human emotions which vary a great deal from person to person and hence a humanistic psychodynamic approach has to be used which is tailored to individual clients. If this is the case then most of their techniques would not validated by the strict research methodology put forward for Empirical validation. Today, the controversy continues as the psychotherapists challenge the traditional methods of research and expose unsubstantiated assumptions on which this research is based and therapies accepted as Empirically Validated/Supported Therapies. Arguments for the Empirically Validated/ Supported Treatment It is important to know why and how the Empirically Validated/Supported Treatment came into being. The American Psychiatrists Association developed the Empirically Validated Treatment (EVT). These were mostly medications and validation methods favoring biological treatment approaches. This is when the American Psychologists Association decided to develop their own EVT. The psychologists did not like the idea of research proving therapy or the claim that the success of a therapy could be proven. Since validated could mean proven, they changed the terminology to EST, i.e. Empirically Supported Treatment. The arguments for having EST in psychotherapy are extremely valid and relevant. 3 1. Psychotherapy is a Science: Psychotherapists have always been considered scientists and psychotherapy a science. However science demands empirical validation of theory. Thus it is maintained that only effective psychotherapy which is supported by empirical proof should be considered for treatment. It is inconceivable that physicians would conduct experimental treatments without the consent of patients or that FDA would approve medicines without proof of their efficacy and knowledge of side-effects. To the scientific committee it is therefore shocking that there is no way of determining what is and what is not effective psychotherapy. Hence for psychotherapy to remain in the realms of science it is necessary that ESTs be used in the clinics. 2. Protection of Patients: In the 1970's and 80's there were a multitude of psychotherapy

Business Strategy Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Strategy Analysis - Essay Example Grand Canyon University has a wide range of product offerings including bachelors, masters, and doctoral programs totaling over 100 in business, education, liberal arts, nursing and health, recreation and sports, among other areas of fast growing careers. Certifications and other credits are also offered at the university. Evening, fulltime, part-time, and online are some of the flexibilities allowed in the programs offered at GCU. GCU mission statement reads, â€Å"Grand Canyon University prepares learners to become global citizens, critical thinkers, effective communicators, and responsible leaders by providing an academically challenging, values-based curriculum from the context of our Christian heritage† (GCU, 2014). In 2013, GCU had net revenue of $598,335 and a net income of $ 88,711 with the earnings per common share $ 1.98 and $ 1.92 for basic and diluted shares showing a good financial performance for a higher education providing institution. Global operations are in form of the enrolment of students from beyond United States either physically in the Phoenix main campus and other campuses or through the online learning system at the University. A SWOT analysis of GCU shows that the strengths of GCU include offering a faith based product, the university has strong online presence that spans a large demographic, maintenance of regional accreditation, and a high profit margin that cushions the university at hard times as demonstrated by the 2008 recession (Grand Canyon University,  2014). However, GCU has some weaknesses including an inability to provide excellent customer service through all university levels especially on online classrooms. Other weaknesses include poor education at financial literacy by the staff leading to loss of grants by students. The opportunities available to the university include increasing

Basel Core Principles on Developing Countries Essay

Basel Core Principles on Developing Countries - Essay Example The Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices (Basel Committee) was established in 1974. The Committee was comprised of the central bank Governors of the Group of Ten countries. These countries in particular are Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The repercussions of the turmoil in markets and international currency created the need for this congregation. The Basel Committee was tasked to oversee and supervise financial institutions and to issue recommendations and standards on banking laws and regulations. It serves as the forum for cooperation on sound banking practices for member countries. In 1988, the Basel Committee gave birth to Basel Capital Accord, or the 1988 Accord. The 1988 Accord was to serve as the international standard to be followed by financial institutions. This has come to be known as a stabilising instrument in banking institutions that foster cooperation among participating countries. The aim of the 1988 Accord was to give a new framework that will strengthen the stability of the banking system and to make sure that the framework will be fair and consistent in application to various banks to reduce inequality among international banks. It provided a system for capital measurement and stated the minimum requirements for international banking business. The most significant aspect of the 1988 Accord is the provision imposing a regulatory capital requirement. It required the minimum capital-to-asset ratio of financial institutions to equal to at least eight percent (8%) of the risk-weighted assets. Thus, if all of the institutions assets are exposed to 1 00% risk, then its capital at hand must be valued at least 8% of its assets. The changes in the 1988 Accord were proposed in 1999. The proposal aims to formulate a capital framework that has evolved to the needs of the time. Thus, the International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standards: A Revised Framework or the Basel II Accord came upon in June 2004. Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision A remarkable benchmark was made through the Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervisions or the Basel Core Principles. The Basel Core Principles aim to respond to the weaknesses in the banking systems that can threaten countries, regions and even the international community. This document was issued on September 1997 after examinations and studies made by the Basle Committee, the Bank for International Settlements, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Compared to the 1988 Accord, many developing countries participated in the drafting of the Basel Core Principles, like Chile, Thailand, China, Argentina, Brazil and India among others. The Basel Core Principles are made of 25 basic Principles that are supposed to guide the regulatory or public authorities in the countries into implementing or maintaining an effective financial system. These 25 basic Principles are classified into seven sections. Principle 1 deals with the Preconditions for Effective Banking Supervision. Principles 2 to 5 discuss the Licensing and Structure. Principles 6 to 15 break down the Prudential Regulations and Requirements that are suppose