Thursday, October 31, 2019

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

Heritage - Essay Example The repairs, alterations and exterior modifications protected the heritage values of the hall. This concept paper seeks to show the historical significance of Petone Labour Hall and the continued importance and identity to the community heritage despite its conversion into mainly a cinema hall. Under the severance, it is identified by the Map Number B5 on location 52 Bay Street, formally refered to as Petone Labour Hall and the legal description is Lot 70 DP 51.The building was constructed using bricks and reinforced with concrete. It comprises a large hall, a stage and a smaller lecture room located at the back. The Light House that is run in partnership with Upper Hut’s luxury 40-seat art house cinema has two theatres where unlike other theatres popcorn is prohibited (Leach et al n.pg). The special features in the Light house include the proposed insulation controls sound effects. The Light House is designed to screen movies that appeal to a larger and wider audience than those in the big chain multiplexes. Alongside the two theatres there are licensed coffee shops. The building was used mainly for entertainment purposes and now that it is a cinema hall, it does not mean it serves a different purpose. However, this preserved the building’s heritage value an d also restored its role as a community entertainment center (Leach and Moulis n.pg). The new face of the building has different accessibility levels from the ground, as well as, the ticketing area and the coffee shops. There are five cinemas access levels from the ground and in every level there are seats set aside for people with disabilities. For example, there are hearing loop for sound transmits directly to the hearing aid for individuals with hearing impairments. It also has an infrared system that consists of listening receiver and a transmitter. This feeds sound into the transmitter then to the individual

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Of Mice and Men Characters Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Characters Essay In the novel, Candy and Curleys wife play a large part of the ideas that Steinbeck wants to convey through Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck shows this via the events and treatments that these two characters undergo. Their speech and actions also indicate major themes in the world they were in and how desperate the era was. Candy presents an element on the sadness in the novel; hes a unfortunate man whos passed his expiry date. Hes been involved in an accident and lost his arm and by this, he has been reduced to the swamper of the rank- a very low status job. Steinbeck may specifically choose this job for candy as a swamper (a cleaner) tends to be a job that woman generally work as and in this job, they often gossip a lot like Candy does. He does this as it is the only pleasure that he can experience in his sad rotting life. This paints the portrait of how sad Candys background may be and soon this is elaborated on even more in future events. In the middle section of the book, we see how Candy is bullied by Carlson into having his best friend- his dog put down. We know that Candy is very close to his dog as Steinbeck actually chooses to describe the dog very similarly to Candy. They are both old, physically impaired and get described generally as a liability. Steinbeck chooses to describe the dog as ancient which produces strong imagery of a dog being similar to an old antique. Although it may possess positive connotations, it is obvious due to Carlsons reaction that the dog is old, dirty and has no purpose anymore. Soon after as Carlson enforces the idea, Candy desperately tries to dismiss it. It states how he looked helplessly which shows how reluctant he is but knows there is no other possible outcome. Carlson even shows utter disrespect to his dog by pointing at it with his toe. By using his tower, he suggests that the dog is on par with the lowliest part of his body and doesnt require the effort to use his hands. Nevertheless, Candy shows no aggression to this outrageous act and concedes to Carlsons insensitive actions. Steinbeck may choose these chain of events to show how a cruel world the characters and people had to live in. It really puts forward survival of the fittest and shows how depressingly cheap life is since people can easily walk over you when youre unable to fight for yourself. Even after all the abuse he has received, Candy is still able to show kindness to others. At the point where Candy overhears Georges dream, he slowly asks whether he can join them. We know that he isnt greedy at this point since he repeatedly mentions how he would willingly try his best with jobs such as cook or hoe despite he aint much good. He also says how he is willing to give up all his money he received when he los' his hand and this just shows how he is desperately giving all he has to help them only for a little in return. Steinbeck emphasises how emotionally willing Candy is that he would trade in the compensation for something irreplaceable to him for the benefit of others. This makes the reader sympathize with Candy and understand how strong dreams are in life; how they give people hope, the strength to keep living and the strength to be a nice person again. Curleys wife on the other hand is the complete opposite. Her story plays a large part in the novel as it shows how dreams can crush peoples hope as easily and they give people hope. Throughout the novel, we have always seen Curleys wife as the problem. She is described as poison and jailbait by George which initially makes readers dislike her. We feel that she can cause the downfall of our newly made friends dreams so she is instantly given a hostility status by Steinbeck. However, he may deliberately do this to create a larger impact when we learn why she may possibly act the way she does. At earlier stages of the novel, we learn how Curleys wife loves and seeks attention. Steinbeck describes how she was standing at the doorway blocking off the sunshine in the doorway deliberately. This implies that she wants the men in the bunkhouse to look up due to the sudden change as she purposefully blocks the light off so that they would do so. It also describes how she was heavily made up that she was making a large effort to attract attention of the men. The word heavily also has connotations that she was trying to hard to an extent where it had negative effects on her. This may also symbolize her character through physical features- that her personality has been corrupted and turned ugly. In the final stages of the book, we learn what has driven Curleys wife to act in this aggressive way. Although she speaks to groups of men with hostility, when its one on one, it runs a lot more smoothly and she seems like she enjoys herself. This has a large contract since there is juxtaposition between section 4 and 5. We see her nasty side where she mock George, Lennie and Candys dream calling it baloney and scoffs at it yet even herself who has been crushed by her own dream may secretly believe. This shows that beneath this angry cover of hers, may be a vulnerable person who only feels the bitterness and jealousy of others happiness hinted by the phrase secretly believe. Steinbeck states this about the cowboy magazines to suggest what type of sad life people live in however, within dreams still lies hope but people are afraid to admit to the hope since they are scared of the criticism others show. This idea is developed implicitly mainly by the word secret. Through this attitude, people have become cynical and cold over the time which is what Steinbeck may want to show us. Curleys wife shares with Lennie her dream in section 5. The fact that she has never told anyone (which she states herself) shows how underneath all the bitterness she has experienced, the memory of the dream she once had (or partially may still have) changes her to be kind and share her deepest secrets with a stranger. On the other hand, Lennie may be an exception since he is nuts implying that he may be able to keep this secret. Furthermore, we learn how Curleys wife left home since she had a hunch that her mother stole her letters. The word stole in this context possesses quite negative connotations since Curleys wife directly accuses her own mother for betraying her. However, this was most likely an excuse and lie to herself since she couldnt bear the reality of having her dream crushed by the stranger who created it. This yet again emphasises how strong dreams were at this time which broke lives altogether. Compare how female speakers are presented in Havisham by Carol Ann Duffy and one poem from the Pre-1914 Poetry Bank. The two female speakers in Havisham and The laboratory both are presented as rather mentally unstable people. They both have experienced rejection from a man and feel belittled or embarrassed by this. However, their reactions and response to this rejection differ to a huge extent. The speaker in Havisham is shown to have rotted away being devoured by her bitterness whereas the speaker in Lab seemed to be slightly more insane driven by her jealous feelings of insecurity to try and kill someone. The bitterness from the character in Havisham is clear from the start. She describes the man who left her as a beloved sweetheart bastard. This use of oxymoron shows several possible connotations. By putting two very opposite words together- one stating strong affection and one stating utter most hate, the idea that beneath the hate she holds against him lies love for him. Elaborating on this may suggest how she may hate him as she cant have him or even because she actually still loves him deep inside. Above all, this suggests how she cant seem to let go of him and move on which presents her mental state to the readers. Likewise in Lab, we understand the feelings of the speaker through clever use of language. For instance, Robert Browning chooses to say devils smithy. Devil automatically conjures the sense of evil or corruptness whereas a smithy is somewhere where things are made such as weapons (blacksmith). These combined imply that a creation of evil with malicious intent is occurring in the poem. Soon after we discover that the protagonist has experienced similar rejection to that of Havisham. He is with her suggests that the man he wants is with another woman. By referring to them as he and her, it creates an enigmatic feeling or even that their names are insignificant and it is purely the concept that she has been left for a woman who is better than her which causes her rage. We know that she is also jealous when the speaker wishes for the other woman breast and her arms and her hands to drop dead. She specifically chooses these body parts implying that these are the parts which the other women best her at and this is why she hates them. In Havisham, the speakers reaction to this rejection was simply to rot with it burning them. She continues to feel this bitterness as suggested with the word Spinster. This word possesses a harsh consonance sound as if she spits it out with such disgust. It is also a one word sentence which emphasises it and also makes it out to be some what of an insult. The word stink and remember following afterwards reinforces this as if shes being driven crazy by the thought of people calling her a spinster. Thus all she does for the rest of her days is rot in her hate. We get the impression that shes been doing this for years since she describes how her dress yellowing- yellowing suggesting dirtying from the years its been on her. On the otherhand, the speaker is Lab is made out to be more malicious than having thoughts of hate. As she makes the poison, she describes the creation with very vivid verbal details. Grind away, moisten and mash up create strong imagery and each of the verbs hold strong care in creating something. By suggesting this care and importance that has gone into the poison, it seems that she really relishes the creation. And finally as she fantasises about how delicious the event would be, she thinks about how the dying face would be branded into the male characters mind. She wants to mentally scar him with the horrendous image possibly for punishment or to make him see how ugly the other woman is when she becomes shrivelled suggesting how her face would become contorted with agony. As she describes this with such detail and precision, the poet presents to us how malicious and bitter the speaker is. A thus through use of language and theme, the poets have successfully produces a very clear image of the bitter, hate filled speakers and how theyve become this way and even how they have dealt with this. The speaker in Havisham rotting and yellowing opposed to the minion in Lab who relishes in the thought of killing and branding someone with the scarring image of death.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Essence Of The Marketing Concept

The Essence Of The Marketing Concept Market segmentation can be defined as the process of breaking down the total market for a product or service into distinct sub-groups or segments where each segment may conceivably represent a separate target market to be reached with a distinctive marketing mix. Segmentation and the subsequent strategies of targeting and positioning start by recognizing that increasingly, within the total demand/market for a product, specific tastes, needs and demand may differ. It breaks down the total market for a product or service into individual clusters of customers, or segments. Here, customers who share similar demand preferences are grouped together within each segment. Effective segmentation is achieved when customers sharing similar patterns of demand are grouped together and where each group or segment differs in the pattern of demand from other segments in the market. In most markets, be they consumer or industrial, some kind of segmentation can be accomplished on this basis. 2 Targeted marketing efforts Most companies realise that they cannot effectively serve all the segments in a market, and must instead target their marketing efforts. For example, in developing a new car, the manufacturing firm will have to make a decision on many issues, such as should it be a two-, four-, or five-seater model, with a 1000, 2000 or 3000cc engine? Should it have leather, fabric or vinyl seats? The over-riding factor when deciding these issues is customer demand. Some customers (segments) may want a five-seater 2000cc model with leather upholstery, while others may prefer a four-seater with a 1000cc engine and fabric seats. A solution would be to compromise and produce a four-seater 1500cc model with leather seats and fabric trim. Clearly, such a model would go some way to meeting the requirements of both groups of buyers, but there is a danger that because the needs of neither market segment are precisely met, most potential customers would purchase from other suppliers who could cater for their specific requirements. Ironically, one of the biggest post-war car failures was the much heralded and much hyped American Ford Edsel car. This is a car that was produced following extensive marketing research, the results of which were aggregated, and the end product was a car that satisfied the true needs of very few buyers making it the most spectacular flop in modern motoring history. Target marketing is thus defined as the identification of the market segments that are identified as being the most likely purchasers of a companys products. Specifically, the advantages of target marketing are: Marketing opportunities and unfilled gaps in a market may be more accurately appraised and identified. Such gaps can be real (e.g. sweet, strong, harsh or mild) or they can be illusionary in terms of the way people want to view the product (e.g. happy, aloof, silly or moody). In the case of the former, product attributes can fulfil these criteria whereas for the latter these attributes might well have to be implanted in the minds of customers through an appropriate advertising message. Market and product appeals through manipulation of the marketing mix can be more delicately tuned to the needs of the potential customer. Marketing effort can be concentrated on the market segment(s) which offer the greatest potential for the company to achieve its goals be they goals to maximise profit potential or to secure the best long-term position for the product or any other appropriate goal. 3 Effective segmentation Theoretically, the base(s) used for segmentation should lead to segments that are: Measurable/identifiable Here, the base(s) used should preferably lead to ease of identification in terms of who is in each segment. It should also be capable of measurement in terms of the potential customers in each segment. Accessible Here, the base(s) used should ideally lead to the company being able to reach selected market targets with their individual marketing efforts. Meaningful The base(s) used must lead to segments which have different preferences or needs and show clear variations in market behaviour and response to individually designed marketing mixes. Substantial The base(s) used should lead to segments which are sufficiently large to be economically and practically worthwhile serving as discrete market targets with a distinctive marketing mix. The third criterion is particularly important for effective segmentation, as it is an essential prerequisite when attempting to identify and select market targets. In segmentation, targeting and positioning, a company must identify distinct subsets of customers in the total market for a product where any subset might eventually be selected as a market target, and for which a distinctive marketing mix will be developed. The following represents the sequential steps in conducting a segmentation, targeting and positioning exercise for any given product market. Select base(s) for segmentation and identify appropriate market segments. Evaluate and appraise the market segments resulting from the first step. Select an overall market targeting strategy. Select specific target segments. Develop a product positioning strategy for each target segment. 6. Develop an appropriate marketing mix for each chosen target segment in order to support the product positioning strategy. 4 Segmentation bases in consumer product markets Geographic segmentation consists of dividing a country into regions that normally represent an individual sales persons territory. In bigger companies, these larger regions are then broken down into areas with individual regional manager controlling salespeople in distinct areas. In international marketing, different countries may be deemed to constitute different market segments. Demographic segmentation consists of a wide variety of bases for subdividing markets, and each of these is now discussed: Age is a good segmentation variable for such items as clothes where the fashion-conscious young are more susceptible to regular changes in style and older segments are perhaps more concerned with such factors as quality and comfort. Sex is a strong segment in terms of goods that are specifically targeted towards males or females and again an obvious example is clothing. Here, fashion is a powerful element when purchasing, and a whole industry surrounds this criterion. Income as a segmentation base is more popular in certain countries like the USA than others who regard such matters very privately. Social class is possibly the single most used variable for research purposes. It is universally used. The National Readership Survey divides everybody into the following categories as shown in Figure 1: A Upper middle class (higher managerial, administrative or professional) which comprises about 3 per cent of the population B Middle class (intermediate managerial, administrative or professional) which comprises approximately 10 per cent of the population C1 Lower middle class (supervisory, clerical, junior administrative or professional) containing around 25 per cent of the population C2 Skilled working clsass (skilled manual workers) who comprise around 30 per cent of the population. D Working class (semi- and unskilled manual workers) or around 27 per cent of the population E Lowest levels of subsistence (state pensioners with no other income, widows, casual and lowest grade earners) who form the remaining 5 per cent, or thereabouts, of the population. Figure 1 Social class and grade structure Education is often related to social class, because, as a generalisation, the better educated tend to get the better jobs. It is generally acknowledged that a persons media habits are related to education. Accordingly, newspapers design to aim their news and newspaper content towards the upper or lower ends of the social spectrum, and encourage advertisers to target their advertising appropriately, depending upon whether an advertisers product has an up-market or down-market appeal. In fact they publicise their readership profile of the percentage of ABC1, etc groups that actually read their newspapers or magazines and this information is ascertained through independent auditors. This is done principally to alert advertising agencies who will place their clients advertising according to the social classes towards at whom their products are targeted. Nationality or ethnic background now constitutes a growing and distinctive segment for potential target marketing. Food products, clothing and hair care products are obvious examples of products that fit into this segmentation variable. Political is perhaps a less obvious segmentation base. An individuals political leanings might well influence the way he or she behaves in terms of purchases made. Such purchases are of course reflected in the types of newspaper and other media that is read, and this, in turn, contains advertising which is aimed at people who read such media, so political leanings might be more significant than it initially seems. Family size will have an effect on the amount or size of purchases, so this is certainly a meaningful segmentation variable. Family life cycle is a logical follow on to the above and this will tend to determine the purchase of many consumer durable products. This is based on the notion that consumers pass through a series of quite distinct phases in their lives, each phase giving rise to different purchasing patterns and needs. For example, an unmarried person living at home will probably have very different purchasing patterns from someone of the same age who has left home and is recently married. Wells and Gubar have put forward what is now an internationally recognised classification system in relation to life cycle and these stages are shown in Figure 2: Bachelor stage young single people not living with parents (which gave rise to the category of YUPPIES or young, upwardly-mobile persons) Newly marrieds no children (sometimes referred to as DINKIES meaning double income no kids) Full nest I with the youngest child being under six years of age (sometimes referred to as ORCHIDS meaning one recent child, heavily in debt) Full nest II is where the youngest child is six or over Full nest III is an older married couple with dependent children living at home Empty nest I with no children living at home, but the family head is in work (sometimes referred to as WOOPIES meaning well off older persons) Empty nest II where the family head is retired Solitary survivor in work Solitary survivor retired (unkindly referred to as COCOON meaning cheap old child-minder, operating on nothing) Figure 2 Family life cycle segmentation base SAGACITY is a refinement of the family life cycle grouping system. This is a system that believes that people have different behavioural patterns and aspirations as they proceed through life. Four main stages of life cycle are defined as: Dependent (mainly under 24 living at home) Pre-family (under 35s who have established their own household, but without children) Family (couples under 65 with one or more children in the household) Late (adults whose children have left home or who are over 35 and childless) Income groups are then defined as being in categories: better off and worse off Occupation groups are defined as white (collar) or the A, B and C1 social groups and blue (collar) or the C2, D and E social groups The system works as shown in Figure 3: Life cycle Dependent Pre-family Family Late Income Better off Worse off Better off Worse off Occupation White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue White Blue Approx % 7 7 5 5 11.5 10.5 2.5 7.5 10 7.5 9 18 adults UK (NB Because of rounding, total figure does not add to 100%) Source: Research Services Limited Figure 3 Sagacity Life Cycle Groupings Type of neighbourhood and dwelling (ACORN) is a relatively new segmentation base. Its underlying philosophy the fact that the type of dwelling and area a person lives in is a good predictor of likely purchasing behaviour including the types of products and brands which might be purchased. This classification analyses homes, rather than individuals, as a basis for segmentation. It is termed the ACORN system (A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods). The source of this is the 10-yearly population census that is undertaken during every year ending with one the next being due in 2001. The system was developed by Richard Webber for Consolidated Analysis Centres Incorporated (CACI). It breaks down the census of population into various categories of homes as shown in Figure 4. Acorn Type of dwelling Approx % UK population Group A Agricultural areas 3 B Modern family housing, higher incomes 18 C Older housing of intermediate status 17 D Poor quality older terraced housing 4 E Better-off council estates 13 F Less well-off council estates 9 G Poorest council estates 7 H Multi-racial areas 4 I High status non-family areas 4 J Affluent suburban housing 16 K Better-off retirement areas 4 U Unclassified 1 (Source CACI) Figure 4 ACORN Classification system These ACORN classifications are further sub-divided into yet smaller groupings. For instance, Group C which refers to Older housing of intermediate status, is broken down into: C8 Mixed owner-occupied and council estates C9 Small town centres and flats above shops C10 Villages with non-farm employment C11 Older private shousing skilled workers Mosaic system This system is an extension of the ACORN system except that this is based upon individual postal codes (or zip codes). Each postal code in the UK consists of up to seven letters and figures. An individual postal code represents approximately ten dwellings and each of these groups of dwellings is given an individual Mosaic categorisation, of which there are 58 categories. The idea of mosaic comes from the notion that if a different colour was ascribed to each category and superimposed on a map of the UK the resulting pattern would resemble a mosaic. The full Mosaic listing is not reproduced here, but by way of illustration some of these are described below: M1 High status retirement areas with many single pensioners 1.0% of population M15 Lower income older terraced housing 1.5% M25 Smart inner city plats, company lets, very few children 1.5% M33 Council estates, often Scottish flats, with worst overcrowding 1.3% M46 Post 1981 housing in areas of highest income and status 0.2% M50 Newly built private estates, factory workers, young families 3.3% M57 Hamlets and scattered farms 0.7% Taken together, the demographic bases described constitute the most popular bases for segmentation in consumer product markets, since they are often associated with differences in consumer demand. As such, they are meaningful to advertisers. For instance, occupation and social class are linked because of the way that occupation is used to define social class. It is, therefore, relatively easy to reach the different social classes through their different media and shopping habits, although boundaries between the purchasing power of different classes become blurred when, for example, skilled manual workers are able to earn higher incomes than their counterparts in lower or intermediate management. Direct or behavioural segmentation appeals to marketing people as it takes customer purchasing behaviour as the starting point for segmentation. Such bases include: Usage status when a distinction might be made between say light, medium and heavy users. Brand loyalty status where customers can be divided into a number of groups according to their loyalty, or their propensity to repurchase the brand again. Status categories are: Hard core loyals who purchase the same brand every time Soft core loyals who have divided loyalties between two or more brands and purchase any of these on a random basis Shifting loyals who are sometimes called brand switchers in that they buy one brand, and stay with it for a certain period, and then purchase another brand and stay with it for a certain period. They may then return to the original brand Switchers who show no particular preference or loyalty to one particular brand, so their purchasing pattern cannot be clearly determined. Benefits sought is a segmentation base that determines the principal expectation(s) that a purchaser is seeking from the product. For instance, in the case of an automobile oil, purchasers might be looking for cheapness, a well known brand, its viscosity or its engine protection reputation. Occasions for purchase also falls under this category. An example here relates to the purchase of holidays. Lifestyle or psychographic segmentation is based on the idea that individuals have characteristic patterns of living that may be reflected in the products and brands which they purchase. The advertising agency, Young Rubican, has come up with a classification system called Four Cs where C stands for consumers. These categories are: Mainstreamers or the largest group who do not want to stand out from the crowd. They are the biggest segment (over 40 per cent of the population) and tend to purchase branded products over supermarket brands. Reformers are people who tend to be creative and caring, many doing charitable work. They are largely responsible for the purchase of supermarket brands. Aspirers are usually younger people who are ambitious and keen to get on at all costs. Their purchases tend to reflect the latest models and designs. Succeeders are those who have made it and do not see the need for status symbols that aspirers seek. They like to be in control of what they are doing and this includes their purchases where they generally have very clear and firm ideas of what they see as a good product and what they see as being a less useful product. 5 Segmentation bases in industrial product markets Segmenting an industrial product market introduces a number of additional bases, uses similar bases and also precludes some of the ones more frequently used for consumer product markets. Such bases are: Type of application/end use e.g. adhesives for home, office and industrial use Geographical e.g. North, South, East and West regions or by country Benefits sought Closely related to the above, but in terms of what the product actually does for the buying company e.g. detergents for general cleaning or detergents that are actually used in the production process Type of customer e.g. banks or insurance companies or people who purchase for public authorities Product/technology e.g. fibres for the carpet industry or the clothing industry Customer size e.g. larger customers might receive different treatment to smaller customers and this is called key account selling whereby the sales manager deals directly with major accounts Usage rate e.g. light users or heavy users; regular or sporadic users Loyalty of customer e.g. regular purchasers of the companys products and sporadic purchasers. The treatment accorded to loyal customers might differ to that given to occasional customers Purchasing procedures e.g. centralized versus decentralized purchasing (which can affect the buyer/seller relationship); the extent to which purchasing is carried out by tightly defined, or more flexible, specifications which allows the seller more latitude in terms of making suggestions, the extent to which purchasing is by tender (i.e. by some kind of closed bidding system) or by open negotiation Situational factors considers the tactical role of the purchasing circumstances. In some purchasing situations it requires a more detailed knowledge of the customer whereas in others the buyer/seller relationship is kept strictly to commercial matters Personal characteristics relate to the people who make purchasing decisions As with consumer markets, industrial market segmentation may be on an indirect (associative) or a direct (behavioural) basis. A variety of bases may be also be used in conjunction with each other in order to obtain successively smaller sub-segments of the market. The essential criteria given earlier for bases of consumer market segmentation being identifiable, accessible, substantial and, most important, meaningful are equally applicable to bases for industrial market segmentation. A nested approach has been suggested on the basis of a hierarchy from the broad to the specific (See Figure 5). DEMOGRAPHICS OPERATING VARIABLES PURCHASING APPROACH SITUATIONAL PERSONAL CHARAC- TERISTICS Figure 5 A nested approach to segmentation in industrial markets At the centre we have people who actually make buying decisions and their personalities must be considered. Then come situational factors that look at the tactical role of the purchasing situation. This demands customer knowledge. Purchasing approaches examines customer purchasing practices (e.g. who actually makes buying decisions, or the decision making unit). Operating variables allow a more exact pinpointing of potential and existing customers within the final category that is demographic variables, or the broad description of the segments related to customer needs and patterns of usage. 6 Effective segmentation Once market segments have been identified, the marketers task is to assess these various market segments. This appraisal should be in relation to sales and profit potential, or in the case of a non-profit organization, their ability to add to organisational aims. This means that each segment should be viewed in terms of its overall size, projected rate of growth, actual and potential competition, nature of competitive strategies and customer needs. Companies that decide to follow a concentrated or a differentiated targeting strategy must decide which of the segments in the market they wish to serve. Such a decision to select specific target markets must be based on some of the factors outlined earlier, including resources, competition, segment potential and company objectives. There are four characteristics that make a market segment particularly attractive: It has sufficient current profit and sales potential to meet the organisations aims and objectives Competition in the segment is not too intense There is good potential for future growth The segment has some previously unidentified requirements that the company has recognised and is now in a position to serve especially well 7 Product positioning A company has to develop a positioning strategy for each segment it chooses to serve. This relates to the task of ensuring that a particular companys products occupy a planned for place in chosen target markets, pertinent to opposing competition in the marketplace. The notion of product/brand positioning is applicable to both industrial and consumer markets, and the key aspects of this approach are based upon the following suppositions. All products and brands have both objective attributes (e.g. sweet/sour; dark/light; fast/slow) and subjective attributes (e.g. modern/unfashionable; happy/sad; youthful/elderly). Potential purchasers might think about one or more of these attributes when deliberating which product and/or brand to purchase. That potential customers have their own thoughts about how the various competing products or brands rate for each of these particular attributes. In other words, the positioning of the brand along the parameters of these attributes (eg entertaining on the one hand to mundane at the other extreme) takes place in the mind of the customer. Once this is done, it is possible to establish important attributes in choosing between different brands or products, together with the customers perception of the position of competitors products in relation to these characteristics, and then establish the most advantageous position for the company within this particular segment of the market. The final step in the appraisal of segmentation, targeting and positioning is developing appropriate marketing mixes. This involves the design of marketing programmes that will support the chosen positional strategy in the selected target markets. The company must therefore determine the 4 Ps of its marketing mix, i.e. what price, product, distribution (place) and promotional strategies will be necessary to achieve the desired position in the market. There are four acknowledged strategic options for target marketing: Undifferentiated marketing where there is one single marketing mix for every potential customer in the market. Differentiated marketing where there are many marketing mixes for different segments of the market. Concentrated marketing which has a single marketing mix for a segment of the total market. Custom marketing which attempts to satisfy each individual customers requirements with a separate marketing mix. 8 Summary We can now appreciate how marketing begins to work. Having defined the purpose of segmentation we have looked at the obvious and the less obvious bases for segmentation in both consumer and industrial markets. We have also ascertained that used well, the techniques and concepts described in this chapter can contribute significantly to overall company marketing success. Market segmentation, targeting and positioning decisions are thus more strategic than they are tactical. Segmentation variables should be examined in detail, especially new segments. These should then be authenticated in terms of viability and potential profit. Targeting investigates specific segments in terms of how they should be approached. Positioning relates to how the product is perceived in the minds of consumers and a suitable marketing mix should then be designed.

Friday, October 25, 2019

English Views of the Native Americans :: essays papers

English Views of the Native Americans After reading chapter three of Unger's American Issues, I now have a better understanding of how English settlers looked upon the lifestyles of the Native Americans. Four key people that have led to this understanding are Hugh Jones, Hugh Henry Brackenridge, William Penn, and John Heckewelder. In their essay's they give accurate accounts of how the Native Americans lived, through their eyes. I also see how European beliefs reflected their views and how this set the stage for conflict among these groups. In Hugh Jones' essay titled, "Characteristics of the Indians," he basically gives a factual account of how the Indians live their daily life. Although his account is mostly factual, his European biases do play a major role in his interpretation of Indian ways. In one instance, in describing the Indians rejoicing and war dances, Jones says that they used, "the most antick [sic] gestures, in the most frightful dress, with a hideous noise" (Unger, p. 43). To Jones and other Englishmen their dress may seem frightful and the noise may sound hideous, but that is his opinion. To the Indians this is normal and a way of life. This just shows the white man's ignorance to the culture of the Native Americans. In a second instance Jones's describes the Indians in their "finest dress." He states that the Indians believe they are looking their best when they are ridiculously dressed. Once again he is giving his opinion of the definition of what is considered ridiculous to the English. Jones also pokes fun at many of the traditions of the Indians, for example, the way they wear their hair or the painting on their faces. He notes this as being comical and also uses sarcasm in portraying these traditions. Jones' essay provides many useful facts about the Indian way of life, but his European biases prevent him from disclosing the actual truth. Hugh Henry Brackenridge has a very opposing view towards the Indians. Jones never really gives his personal opinion on whether or not he liked the Indians, but Brackenridge make his view very clear. He makes this apparent in the title of his essay, "The Indians Have No Exclusive Claim to America." Brackenridge supports this notion with many references to the Bible. He states that "The whole of this earth was given to man, and all descendants of Adam have a right to share it equally" (Brackenridge, in Unger, p.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Mistakes and Misunderstandings

‘Mistakes and misunderstandings are painful when they occur. † nevertheless as life goes on, these occurrences turn into experience that add value to relationships and life. When asked to define what a mistake really is, one would say it is an act of misdoing or perhaps even an error of judgement. However, as the word itself suggests, such misdoings are unintentional and the doer cannot be fully blamed for his/ her inaccurate action. on the other hand, a misunderstanding maybe elucidated as an unfortunate situation where someone or something is failed to be understood correctly. Whatever said and done, it is evident that mistakes if not neutralised and misunderstandings, if not sorted out may lead to serious repercussions. A small blunder or minute misunderstanding stands a great chance of leading to immediate heartbreaks and absolute breakdown of other relationships. In the worst- case scenario, it could lead to someone's incarceration or demise. However, if neutralised or sorted out, mistakes and misunderstandings can give rise to many advantageous effects. A sorted out misunderstanding increases the bond between two people, further securing the relationship and thus adding value to it. Mistakes committed are an added experience in one's life. They further help show the right pathway to success which in the end is what really matters. Even though mistakes and misunderstandings can backfire drastically causing crucial consequences, in my opinion, they are important happenings as in the end they make a huge difference in one's life once neutralised or sorted out.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Descriptive Essy

Descriptive Essay Draft Throughout our lives we meet many people. We impact others by our own actions every day. Sometimes we impact them without even realizing it. And people will impact our lives and our hearts forever. You may Just have a simple conversation with a stranger on a bus, and before you know it, both individuals have a changed perspective on something. Or perhaps youVe known the person your whole life and they have impacted you Just as much or even more. These influential people come into and fall out of our lives so fast, it's often hard to keep track.But it's always good o remember your past, remember who you have met, remember who you know, and remember who is continuing to impact your life even today. These people are the ones that matter. They are who have helped make you who you are now. My dear friend Alex is someone who will always impact my life in so many ways. I have only officially known him for about 3 and half months. We met June 16th of this past summer. We were both working as camp counselors at a summer camp in Harrisonburg, Virginia. There was something about him that drew me in from the start.But for some reason, I was afraid, I thought he wouldn't be the kind of person I ould normally become friends with, so I did not talk to him very much that first week of staff training. Something about him intimidated me, and I could never quite put my finger on it. We finally had our first conversation while sitting by a pool. The day was very hot, but after a quick dunk in the water, the air temperature became cool and pleasant. He came over and asked if he could sit down next to me. I was very intimidated by him and I was never sure why, but of course I couldn't say no!So he sat down and we began talking about small things, until the conversation eventually turned to his tattoos and the meanings behind them. From that day on, we only continued to grow closer and closer. Alex is a very driven individual. He knows himself and he is very c omfortable in his own skin. When a decision comes up in his life that he must make, he always makes the smart choice and always makes the right choice, because he makes it with his heart. He has so many dreams and wishes and continuously strives for more.He always asks questions. And always wonders why or why not? He is an inspiring being, filled with positivity and love for life. He spreads his Joy with his most glorious smile and infectious laugh. And he is the perfect role model who keeps a cool head in any ituation and his responses are filled with high intellect. All of his passions show through every day of his life. He is fully himself at all times. And he has been that way his whole life. Alex is constantly true to himself. And that is something I truly look up to.I aspire to be more like him because of all the qualities he holds, but that by far, being himself at all times, is something I admire the most. It is surprising to think I nave only known him tor a snort while. Bu t even at this early stage of our friendship, he knows me so well. If I am upset from any situation, he can hit the nail on the head every time. He can guess what I'm feeling, tell me why I feel that way, and he can give advice like no one's business. In my life I have always had many passions myself. I have many beliefs and opinions on things too.But I have generally been overshadowed by some of my very outspoken friends while growing up, and also overshadowed by my two older brothers. I was taught to know it was okay to have an opinion even if it is different from others. But I was also taught that if you can't form your opinion into concise words, you will not be able to contribute to the conversation, and therefore your opinion really has no value. It sounds twisted, but that was Just what I knew. I know differently now, but I have never been challenged as much than when I am with Alex.He pushes me to do my best always. He pushes me to make decisions faster and with more strengt h and heart. He pushes me to dream bigger and reach for more. And most importantly, he pushes me to have an opinion on things. He reminds me that it is always valuable, even if it takes a little while to form the words to express it properly. Alex has made me feel comfortable talking about anything. He has made me feel like it is okay to be myself and let people know about it. He challenges me to be a better person every day.And he inspires me with his thirst for the all this world has to offer. He has made a huge impact on my life and on my heart. He is someone that I want to fill my life with. Even with the short time of knowing each other, he has found ways to reach and understand me like no one else has. He has taught me to grow, and to never stop growing. I know he is capable of so many great things. And I cannot wait for the day when his dreams match up with his countless talents and he shares even more of himself with even more hearts in the world.

Cryogenics essays

Cryogenics essays Development What is cryogenics: cryogenics is the study of low temperatures or production of the same.Liquified gases, like liquid hydrogen and liquid helium are often used for production of very low temperature. Leiden, Netherlands is sometimes called "The Coldest Place on Earth", because of the revolutions in cryogenics that happened there. Some of these were the discovery of superconductivity by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, the liquefaction of helium by Kamerlingh Onnes, and the solidification of helium by Kamerlingh Onnes' pupil, Willem Hendrik Keesom. The Myth: have you seen, the Stanley Kubrick/Arthur C. Clarke movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey"? In the movie, the Characters are frozen and attempt is made to bring them back to life There is a field devoted to freezing people, called cryonics It's currently used for freezing people who die of diseases that, they hope, will be curable by the time scientists learn how to revive people. At present, though, reviving people has been successful only in science fiction. And not even all the time there, if you remember what Both cryogenics and cryonics got their origin from Greek word kryo meaning to cool. But it will be naive to confuse between cryogenics and cryonics, because unlike cryonics, cryogenics is a well established science with several scientific and practical applications. Applications: There are three main areas Of application upon which this article would concentrate. They are: Racing cars that move faster, golf heads that last longer, drill machine heads having longer life cycle, are some of the achievements of cryogenics in the field of material science. To understand the effects of cryogenics on material properties, a brief idea regarding processes ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre Essays

Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre Essays Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre Paper Analyse the methods Charlotte Bronte uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre Paper this shows shes aware that shes further down in the family and she just shrugs it off. She just seems ignored and unwanted in the family, and she knows that theres nothing she can do so had learnt to live with it. John Reed looks for Jane Eyre, as she is hiding behind the curtain with her book. Jane Eyre and John Reed have totally opposite personalities, as Jane is the innocent type that would just shrug her shoulders and move on. Whereas John Reed is the type who thinks he is higher than everybody else and will bully any poor soul that would take it, for example Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre gives a long description about him; giving the reader an impression that he is fat, and not the nicest looking child, . Large and stout for his age, with a dingy and unwholesome skin; thick lineaments in a spacious visage, heavy limbs and large extremities. Jane Eyre and John Reed do not get on at all as he is horrible to her, as Jane tells us how terrified of him she is, for example every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh in my bones shrank when he came near. There were moments when I was bewildered by the terror he aspired. The servants knew how John Reed was to poor Jane Eyre, but did not dare say anything to their young master as Jane tells us; the servants did not like to offend their young master by taking my part against him, and Mrs reed was blind and death of the subject: Jane Eyre seems to be being sarcastic about her aunt being blind and death, maybe because she doesnt want to say anything as it shows that she would be sticking up for Jane Eyre, so ignores it and pretends shes not seen anything. For an example of how master John Reed talks to Jane Eyre, and for the look you had in your eyes two minutes since, you rat! this is not a very nice way to talk to someone, and the word rat is usually associated wi th the words disgusting, dirty, vermin, diseases and scavenger and for a child to say that to another is not a very nice thing to do. John Reed is a very demanding child as he was asking her questions like what were you doing behind the curtain? and Jane answers really honestly I was reading she just gave a simple answer as she is scared of him so wont dare be cheeky to him. Show the book he replies, making the reader feel empathy for her as he is being so demanding towards her but she just takes it and hands over the book. You ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemens children like us, and this shows the reader that Jane is unwanted in the family, especially by John Reed. It shows that shes really low down in the family and you cant get any lower han being a homeless beggar, thats how low John Reed thinks of her. Then he goes on to talk about the house going to be his, this shows that he hasnt a care in the world, even about his mum, as the house will be his when his mother dies. He says all the house belongs to me, or will do in a few years. So suspects his mum will be dead in a few years time. Charlotte Bronte uses several acts of violence to create suspense and mystery in the novel, as Jane Eyre gets a book thrown at her, as it says in the novel; I saw him lift and poise the book and stand in act to hurl it t hit me, and I fell, striking my head against the door and cutting it. The cut bled, the pain was sharp: my terror had passed its climax; other feelings succeeded. Here charlotte Bronte uses short snappy sentences to create a feeling of empathy. Jane Eyre got really angry, so was fighting back with John Reed; wicked and cruel boy she said. I felt him grasp my hair and my shoulder; he had closed with a desperate thing. I really saw in him a tyrant, a murderer. I felt a drop or two of blood trickling down my neck. this shows she has a reason for why she is fighting back, and again makes the reader feel empathy for her. Towards the end of chapter one Charlotte Bronte uses alliteration well for example fury to fly and picture of passion of which is also emotive language. She uses alliteration again in the beginning of chapter two, moments mutiny this is also an emotive and powerful phrase. Hold her arms, miss abbot, shes like a mad cat. This shows aggression towards Jane Eyre, and they are physically and emotionally suppressing her. When they talk about the word cat it again gives an impression to the reader that she is some sort of uncivilised wild animal and should be locked up. The reader may also think of a cat being fiery. Bessie (the servant) says if you dont sit still, you must be tied down they are treating her like a prisoner, yet she is only ten years of age. As incredulous of my sanity here Jane Eyre seems to have overstated the problem, making it sound worse than it actually is. Abbot described Jane Eyre as an underhand little thing. This isnt a very nice way to talk to a ten year old, and makes her sound evil. She also describes her as a thing. A thing may mean a human or an animal, as she has been described as an animal a few times in the novel, for example when Abbot calls her a mad cat and John Reed called her a rat. All these animal phrases give a negative affect to the novel. It is also a really strong use of emotive language, along with; painful and crushing, which is emotional and very negative, passionate and rude, and strike her dead these are good examples of how well Charlotte Bronte has used emotive language. Miss Abbot was saying about Jane Eyre, god will punish her: he might strike her dead in the midst of her tantrums. Jane Eyre is only a child, and thats something you dont say to a child, it may be suggesting she going to hell. Jane Eyre got locked in the red-room; this is a room where Mr. Reed had died in, so wasnt a very nice room for a child to be in, and was only visited occasionally, once a week by the housemaid to wipe the mirrors and the furniture a weeks quiet dust and Mrs Reed came in at far intervals to review the contents of a certain secret drawer in the wardrobe. The chairs were of dark polished old mahogany this shows the reader that the family must be wealthy, as mahogany is a very rare wood. The idea of mahogany adds to the whole idea of the red-room. Charlotte Bronte used the words red-room very well as its a good selective choice of wording, as its alliteration and its one that the reader will remember. The colour choice reflects on her life stage as she is just at the start of adolescence, where her periods will start and the colour also may be associated with anger and passion. It also tells us that the furniture is dark. It was silent as she was describing the room, it is like the room has almost taken her voice away, and gives a negative atmosphere. Being put in the red-room makes the reader feel sorry for Jane Eyre as she is only a child and is being treated unfairly. Describing the room again; also white and like a pale throne gives a deathly feel to the room, and is a ghostly colour giving the reader an impression that its used to create a negative feel to the novel. It sounds like Jane Eyre is starting to get hot and angry, and maybe a bit rebellious as she said my blood was still warm her mind also seems to becoming disturbed as she uses words like tyrannies, proud indifference and turned up in my disturbed mind Again these are all negative words, and again create empathy towards Jane Eyre. We know that Jane Eyre is understandably not happy about being in the red-room, so is slightly stubborn, being a typical child when they havent got what they want, she says she is going to let herself die; never eating or drinking more and letting myself die In the next paragraph of the novel the reader will feel empathy again towards Ja ne Eyre as she says I was termed naughty and tiresome, sullen and sneaking from. As we know she is not really naughty and is very innocent. Charlotte Bronte uses a persuasive technique by using a group of three words together, these were humiliation, self-doubt, forlorn depression. again this creates a really strong feeling of empathy by the reader. She then goes on to say I wiped my tears making the reader feel sorry for her as she isnt in the wrong and hasnt done anything wrong so shouldnt be punished. Jane Eyre seems slightly disturbed and obsessed with death as she is talking about dead men. Then Jane Eyre believes something is near, a light gleamed on the wall. Was it, I asked myself, a ray from the moon penetrating some aperture in the blind? No; moonlight was still, and this stirred; it was almost as if her mind was playing tricks on her and it was slightly superstitious. She may feel that somethings coming to get her, as shes alone and scared. Towards the end of chapter two Jane Eyre says to her Aunt Reed, O Aunt! Have pity! Forgive me! makes the reader feel sorry for her as she is only a ten year old child, begging her aunt to forgive her, its not often that a child of the 21st century would have the need to do that. Overall, I feel Charlotte Bronte has created empathy in the novel as I felt it towards her. The way Charlotte Bronte used a poor girl, with a rich family really worked well, as the rich family looked down upon Jane Eyre, (the poor girl) and thats what people did in the 19th century, and some still do it today, but not as much as then. Charlotte also used excellent use of emotive language, as it created empathy from the reader. The first two chapters of the novel has made me think more about the children with no parents, living with family or friends that dont really want them around! They must feel down and negative all the time.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

High Level ETL and Data Mining Requirements Research Paper

High Level ETL and Data Mining Requirements - Research Paper Example It is important to evaluate the project keenly. Many people go for the expensive products without considering whether using a low-end or hand coding tool would be easy, fast or cost-effective. When buying an ETL product, especially a more complex ETL, it will still be essential to train the project personnel. Training is more expensive than buying ETL for a project and should be considered when comparing the buying and development costs. Business requirements are the functional requirements needed. They describe the needed solution in business terms. Gathering of information includes requirement interviews, workshop and enterprise objectives. The future comes with questions as to how much is to be charged for products when combined with other suppliers products. During the initial load improvement steps, all foreign key constraints are removed before executing the ETL stored procedure. The ETL stored procedure is called with a procedure that is truncated. ETL can be used to convert the data into a layout suitable for use in the new software. The initial load occurs in the analysis phase of the project. The timing to replace the tactical design choices is dependent on time on hand and the  business requirements. Successful implementation starts with asking questions as to whether it is worth building the software, while it can be bought and used diversely in different applications. If there is evident justification, then it is now appropriate to by the software. The company should buy the tool because it is fast and the tool can be reused in other projects. The amount of ETL development time will be significantly reduced. The tools will be of a wide range and can be reused for future projects. It is the practice of analyzing information from different dimensions and simplifying it in meaningful information (Clifton, 2010). It allows its users to examine data from many different proportions gives a summary of the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Effects of earthquakes on people and properties Research Paper

Effects of earthquakes on people and properties - Research Paper Example The highest ever disaster caused by an earthquake occurred on January 24, 1556 taking a toll of 8, 30,000 lives in Shensi province of China. Affected people bear the risk of loosing their property, as the whole city gets changed into debris. There is double burden of evacuation besides the property damage, which is equally torturing as is the occurrence of an earthquake. After being evacuated people are compelled to live under the sky as the property is destroyed (Asimov 1998). Powerful earthquakes put people and property in danger by swaying buildings and creating cracks beneath resulting in landslides. Such powerful earthquakes have caused huge destruction of property including bridges, water tanks, sewer, and utility services the world over wherever they have occurred. Damage increases multifold where soil is soft due to water saturation, which enlarges the circumference of ground movements. On slanting slopes, soil starts falling during the occurrence of earthquakes, causing landslides. Tsunami is an indirect reaction of earthquake, causing more loss of life and property than the earthquake itself because of powerful sea waves (USGS 1997). The effect of earthquakes is measured through their intensity and magnitude. Intensity of the earthquake is measured by the violence of feeling its impact at different places of the affected area. The magnitude of the violence is decided by the effect on buildings, grounds, and the people. The intensity scale of determining the loss of people and property is different for different countries. In most of the America, the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale having 12 intensity levels is used. Earthquake of intensity I is hardly felt. Intensity II is noticed by people resting on the top floors of the building. Earthquake of intensity III is felt while remaining inside of the upper floor buildings. Effect of intensity IV can be

Sainsburys Supermarkets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sainsburys Supermarkets - Essay Example Using a combination of common management tools in a wide range of areas, from stocking its shelves full with items customers want to buy to executing on a complete revamp of its information technology and supply chain management systems, a new senior management team is revitalising the whole organisation from top to bottom. This brief history helps us analyse the period 2003 to 2006, during which Sainsbury's hit the dust with their first-ever revenues slump in history (in the year ended March 2005) and then as nimbly picked itself up and began staging a comeback. We can learn how they are doing by studying the company's annual reports which are the "official" snapshots of the whole corporation each year. Just like any other company at the mercy of its stakeholders (Freeman, 1984), Sainsbury's is expected to behave to satisfy everyone. Identify significant areas of the accounts for 2006 where judgment has been used in determining the appropriate accounting policy for the company (for example depreciation of fixed assets). Critically discuss how such judgments have materially affected the accounts in terms of valuation and profitability. There are several portions in Sainsbury's 2006 report indicating where judgment has been used to determine the appropriate accounting policies. ... From the long list of accounting policies, we note the following that in our opinion materially affected the accounts in terms of valuation and profitability: The 2006 reports are the Group's and Company's first financial statements prepared under IFRS and therefore, IFRS 1 'First-time Adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards' was applied. The last statements under UK Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("UK GAAP") were for the 52 weeks to 26 March 2005. An explanation of the transition to IFRS is provided in Note 42. A comparison of the GAAP-based 2005 and IFRS-based 2005 reports showed that whilst non-current assets declined by almost 3 billion, total equity declined by only 33 million thanks to adjustments in net current liabilities of over 2.9 billion. This shows how numbers can surprisingly appear and vanish like magic. Early adoption of the standard Amendment to IAS 19 'Employee Benefits' is effective for annual periods beginning 1 January 2006, i.e. beginning 26 March 2006. However, Sainsbury's elected to early adopt this amendment and has applied the requirements of the amendment to the financial statements for the 52 weeks to 25 March 2006. This led to gross actuarial gains of 128 million (Note 42, p. 95), cutting the pension deficit from 672 million to only 375 million due to a deferred income tax asset. This allowed Sainsbury's to conveniently finance the pension fund and contribute towards improving employee motivation. The treatment of Subsidiaries and Goodwill allowed Sainsbury's to manufacture current year profits growth from its sale of Shaw's in 2004 by recycling 123 million of the goodwill write down from its 2005 results (p. 96), adding net 86 million to profits (See note on p. 95). Goodwill is now not allowed under

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity Coursework

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity - Coursework Example 2: Losses to be incurred in Case B Fig. 3: Other Variances As can be observed with reference to the above illustrated calculations for both the cases A and B, the firm is projected to witness significant changes in terms of its losses incurred. Apparently, in both the cases, the firm will have to suffer huge losses. However, when comparing both the cases, i.e. when the TFC is $1,000,000 and when the TFC is increased to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer greater losses in Case B with the rise in its TFC. To be noted, with the TFC amounted to $1,000,000, the firm is projected to incur a loss of $400,000; whereas, with a TFC increment to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer a huge loss of $2,400,000. Considering the amount of calculated per unit and per work loss for the given cases, it can further be observed that the loss incurring risks will increase substantially if the firm decides to operate with a TFC of $3,000,000, which can further be deemed a unrecoverable without hu ge sums of additional investments. On the other hand, the losses incurred in case A can be deemed as recoverable for the firm, subjected to its strategic and managerial efficiencies (Schmitz Jr., 2005). Therefore, comparing and contrasting the changes in the cost variables which the firm might have to incur in both the cases A and B, it can be suggested that the firm should immediately shutdown when its TFC increases to $3,000,000, i.e. in case B. 2. For one of the cases, if the firm can operate at a loss in the short-run, how many employees need to be laid off in order for the company to break even? Break-even is commonly defined as the situation when the total revenue of a firm equals the total amount of costs incurred for a given quantity of output (Armstrong, 2006). In other words, when the firm will incur neither loss nor profit, it can be stated that the firm has reached its break-even. Considering the calculations in fig. 1 of the above section, it can be apparently observed that for case B, the firm will have to incur a huge loss of $2,400,000 and therefore should shutdown immediately. In contrast, when the TFC amounts to $1,000,000 in case A, the firm will have to incur a loss of $400,000. Hence, it can be affirmed that the company can operate at a loss in the short run when its TFC is $1,000,000 incurring lesser loss than that projected in case B. Furthermore, when the firm incurs $400,000 loss in case A, it shall have to lay off 5,000 employees, assuming all other variables to be fixed. To be specific, with the given daily wage rate of $80, the total wage for 45,000 workers (i.e. 50,000-5,000 workers) will amount to $400,000 which is again equivalent to the loss projected to be incurred by the firm with a TFC of $1,000,000. Therefore, by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm will be able to reduce it variable cost by $400,000 and consequently, will not have to incur any loss. In such circumstance, the total cost to be incurred by the firm will be, TF C ($1,000,000) + TVC ($4,400,000 - $400,000) = $5,000,000; equivalent to the total output of the firm. Hence, it can be concluded that by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm can reach its break-even when TFC equals to $1,000,000. 3. Given a Lower Number of Employees Now Working at The Company, What is the Change in Worker Productivity? In the above illustrated calculations, it was derived that

Thursday, October 17, 2019

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - Essay Example The essay "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" examines isolation theme in Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Stephen appears as a character, which we can see from inside as we are able to note his inner transactions and developments with the passage of time. Before A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, no other writer wrote like Joyce. It was for the first time that a character was seen in terms of his psychological development. Stephen is introduced first in the novel as three years old boy that proceeds towards his vocation of an artist by a continuous psychological development. Stephen starts his education at Clongowes Wood College, which is a Jesuit boarding school for boys but later on, he has to get admission in another educational institution, which is less prestigious as compared to Clongowes Wood College on the basis of financial problems faced by his father. At Clongowes Wood College, he is to suffer embarrassment on the basis of his distant thin king. He is unable to connect to his peers because of his isolated nature and search for his self-identity. His new boarding school is Belvedere College. Stephen is portrayed as a good student, an excellent essay writer, who wins awards and a good actor while being at Belvedere College. Stephen is a promising student but he is unable to feel attachment to his surroundings. He considers himself somewhat separated. Unlike other students of his class, Stephen is somewhat sceptic about the religion.

Audit Framework Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Audit Framework - Case Study Example To do an audit, there must be information in a verifiable form and some standards (criteria) by which the auditor can evaluate the information. Information can and does take many forms. Auditors routinely perform audits of quantifiable information, including companies’ financial statements and individuals’ federal income tax returns. Auditors also perform audits lf more subjective information, such as the effectiveness of computer systems and the efficiency of manufacturing operations.This is a case study for auditing Southern Rock, a high street UK Bank, registered in Southampton. Here audit partner in the firm is â€Å"APMC Auditors† has provided some questions to answer. Answers of the given questions are answered as bellow respectively:  Answer to the question no-1:Concept of Going Concern: The â€Å"going concern† perception is one of the regulatory foundation stone of the financial accounting arena.   The spirit of going concern express that the Balance Sheet of a company must be an echo the weight of that company as if it would stay in existence for and beyond the predictable future. In other words, the going concern concept also states that the company would be file for bankruptcy within one year from the date of Balance Sheet. This paper would go to analyse the going concern concept and its vital focus to a rational observation of Southern Rock Plc. a Banking company as far as possible.   There are two major parties in the assessment of a company as a going concern,   they are the company’s management and its auditors.... Information can and does take many forms. Auditors routinely perform audits of quantifiable information, including companies' financial statements and individuals' federal income tax returns. Auditors also perform audits lf more subjective information, such as the effectiveness of computer systems and the efficiency of manufacturing operations. This is a case study for auditing Southern Rock, a high street UK Bank, registered in Southampton. Here audit partner in the firm is "APMC Auditors" has provided some questions to answer. Answers of the given questions are answered as bellow respectively: Answer to the question no-1: Concept of Going Concern: The "going concern" perception is one of the regulatory foundation stone of the financial accounting arena. The spirit of going concern express that the Balance Sheet of a company must be an echo the weight of that company as if it would stay in existence for and beyond the predictable future. In other words, the going concern concept also states that the company would be file for bankruptcy within one year from the date of Balance Sheet. This paper would go to analyse the going concern concept and its vital focus to a rational observation of Southern Rock Plc. a Banking company as far as possible. It would discover the Impact of Going Concern on Financial statement and Audit procedure to establish Going Concern in Banking Sector as well as the liquidation value of a company and its asset. Going concern assessment: There are two major parties in the assessment of a company as a going concern, they are the company's management and its auditors. In addition, the following factors may lead to a going concern reconsideration. The list

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity Coursework

Production And Perfect Competition - Market Activity - Coursework Example 2: Losses to be incurred in Case B Fig. 3: Other Variances As can be observed with reference to the above illustrated calculations for both the cases A and B, the firm is projected to witness significant changes in terms of its losses incurred. Apparently, in both the cases, the firm will have to suffer huge losses. However, when comparing both the cases, i.e. when the TFC is $1,000,000 and when the TFC is increased to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer greater losses in Case B with the rise in its TFC. To be noted, with the TFC amounted to $1,000,000, the firm is projected to incur a loss of $400,000; whereas, with a TFC increment to $3,000,000, the firm will have to suffer a huge loss of $2,400,000. Considering the amount of calculated per unit and per work loss for the given cases, it can further be observed that the loss incurring risks will increase substantially if the firm decides to operate with a TFC of $3,000,000, which can further be deemed a unrecoverable without hu ge sums of additional investments. On the other hand, the losses incurred in case A can be deemed as recoverable for the firm, subjected to its strategic and managerial efficiencies (Schmitz Jr., 2005). Therefore, comparing and contrasting the changes in the cost variables which the firm might have to incur in both the cases A and B, it can be suggested that the firm should immediately shutdown when its TFC increases to $3,000,000, i.e. in case B. 2. For one of the cases, if the firm can operate at a loss in the short-run, how many employees need to be laid off in order for the company to break even? Break-even is commonly defined as the situation when the total revenue of a firm equals the total amount of costs incurred for a given quantity of output (Armstrong, 2006). In other words, when the firm will incur neither loss nor profit, it can be stated that the firm has reached its break-even. Considering the calculations in fig. 1 of the above section, it can be apparently observed that for case B, the firm will have to incur a huge loss of $2,400,000 and therefore should shutdown immediately. In contrast, when the TFC amounts to $1,000,000 in case A, the firm will have to incur a loss of $400,000. Hence, it can be affirmed that the company can operate at a loss in the short run when its TFC is $1,000,000 incurring lesser loss than that projected in case B. Furthermore, when the firm incurs $400,000 loss in case A, it shall have to lay off 5,000 employees, assuming all other variables to be fixed. To be specific, with the given daily wage rate of $80, the total wage for 45,000 workers (i.e. 50,000-5,000 workers) will amount to $400,000 which is again equivalent to the loss projected to be incurred by the firm with a TFC of $1,000,000. Therefore, by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm will be able to reduce it variable cost by $400,000 and consequently, will not have to incur any loss. In such circumstance, the total cost to be incurred by the firm will be, TF C ($1,000,000) + TVC ($4,400,000 - $400,000) = $5,000,000; equivalent to the total output of the firm. Hence, it can be concluded that by laying-off 5,000 employees, the firm can reach its break-even when TFC equals to $1,000,000. 3. Given a Lower Number of Employees Now Working at The Company, What is the Change in Worker Productivity? In the above illustrated calculations, it was derived that

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Audit Framework Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Audit Framework - Case Study Example To do an audit, there must be information in a verifiable form and some standards (criteria) by which the auditor can evaluate the information. Information can and does take many forms. Auditors routinely perform audits of quantifiable information, including companies’ financial statements and individuals’ federal income tax returns. Auditors also perform audits lf more subjective information, such as the effectiveness of computer systems and the efficiency of manufacturing operations.This is a case study for auditing Southern Rock, a high street UK Bank, registered in Southampton. Here audit partner in the firm is â€Å"APMC Auditors† has provided some questions to answer. Answers of the given questions are answered as bellow respectively:  Answer to the question no-1:Concept of Going Concern: The â€Å"going concern† perception is one of the regulatory foundation stone of the financial accounting arena.   The spirit of going concern express that the Balance Sheet of a company must be an echo the weight of that company as if it would stay in existence for and beyond the predictable future. In other words, the going concern concept also states that the company would be file for bankruptcy within one year from the date of Balance Sheet. This paper would go to analyse the going concern concept and its vital focus to a rational observation of Southern Rock Plc. a Banking company as far as possible.   There are two major parties in the assessment of a company as a going concern,   they are the company’s management and its auditors.... Information can and does take many forms. Auditors routinely perform audits of quantifiable information, including companies' financial statements and individuals' federal income tax returns. Auditors also perform audits lf more subjective information, such as the effectiveness of computer systems and the efficiency of manufacturing operations. This is a case study for auditing Southern Rock, a high street UK Bank, registered in Southampton. Here audit partner in the firm is "APMC Auditors" has provided some questions to answer. Answers of the given questions are answered as bellow respectively: Answer to the question no-1: Concept of Going Concern: The "going concern" perception is one of the regulatory foundation stone of the financial accounting arena. The spirit of going concern express that the Balance Sheet of a company must be an echo the weight of that company as if it would stay in existence for and beyond the predictable future. In other words, the going concern concept also states that the company would be file for bankruptcy within one year from the date of Balance Sheet. This paper would go to analyse the going concern concept and its vital focus to a rational observation of Southern Rock Plc. a Banking company as far as possible. It would discover the Impact of Going Concern on Financial statement and Audit procedure to establish Going Concern in Banking Sector as well as the liquidation value of a company and its asset. Going concern assessment: There are two major parties in the assessment of a company as a going concern, they are the company's management and its auditors. In addition, the following factors may lead to a going concern reconsideration. The list

Animals In Captivity Essay Example for Free

Animals In Captivity Essay In 2008 at the Singapore Zoo, three white Bengal tigers attacked and mauled a zoo cleaner, Nordin bin Mondongto, to death after the man walked through a moat surrounding their enclosure. Researchers asked themselves what would be the cause of these vicious behaviors being reported from many zoos across the globe, the answer being the harsh environment zoo animals are surrounded by. Many people are not aware of the harsh treatment the animals endure. Zoos, circuses, and famous attractions like SeaWorld do not offer the best of circumstances for their animals. These uncomfortable conditions may be the cause of the hundreds of violent behaviors being reported by zoos around the world. Of course, most families enjoy taking a trip to the zoo because they offer a unique experience of encountering exotic animals. However, people need to realize that animals are living creatures that should not be forced into show, or held behind glass walls to be gawked at. The first point that this essay will address is the simple fact that zoo owners have propaganda in mind, and not preservation. â€Å"Zoos help save endangered species, by saving hurt animals and rehabilitating them,† is an excuse many zoo officials use. Zoos claim to want to protect species from extinction, which sounds like a noble goal, but zoo officials usually favor exotic or popular animals, rather than threatened or endangered local wildlife. The Chinese government, for example, â€Å"rents† pandas to zoos worldwide for fees of more than $1 million per year. It is questi onable whether the profits are being directed toward panda-conservation efforts at all. Also, because tigers are the most favorable â€Å"crowd pleasers,† recent studies prove that there are more tigers in captivity than those that exist in the wild. There are thought to be between 5,000 and 10,000 tigers in U.S. cages and 90% of them are in miserable roadside zoos, backyard breeder facilities, circus wagons and pet homes. Before long, the few tigers left in the wild will wither off, and the animals in captivity will not be able to be relocated and thrive in their what-once-was natural environment. Next, the reader should know that the animals that are said to be â€Å"in their natural habitat,† are in confined areas that are less than a tenth of the area they would naturally be in, and are restricted by many factors. Birds’ wings may be clipped so that they cannot fly, aquatic animals often go without adequate water, and many animals who naturally live in large herds or family groups are kept isolated. Animals are closely confined, lack privacy, an d have  little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise. These abnormal conditions often result in abnormal and self-destructive behavior, known as â€Å"zoochosis.† An Oxford University study based on decades of observing animals in captivity and in the wild found that animals such as polar bears, lions, tigers, and cheetahs â€Å"show the most evidence of stress and/or psychological dysfunction in captivity† and concluded that â€Å"the keeping of naturally wide-ranging carnivores should be either fundamentally improved or phased out.† Last but not least, the reader should know that keeping animals in captivity is not the only danger posed at the zoo. Even when the animals are bred in captivity, generations later, exotic animals will retain all of their natural instincts. They cannot be considered â€Å"domesticated† or â€Å"tamed.† Every year, captive, exotic animals are involved in incidents in which humans are injured or even killed. In 2007, Tatiana, a Siberian tiger, escaped her substandard enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and was shot to death after she killed one person and injured two others. This was not the only fatal incident occurring because of the animals being held in captivity. On February 26, 2010, a 12,000 lb. Orca whale called Tilikum mauled and killed his trainer Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld during a performance. Also, in Colorado, on April 24, 2009, a volunteer was vigorously mauled by a tiger at â€Å"Big Cats of Serenity Springs.† The list of these aggressive outbreaks goes on and on. Researchers say that the awful conditions animals are unnatural and are the cause of animals expressing abnormal behaviors. Zoos may be fun for the family, but are definitely not fun for the animals. Taking animals out of their natural habitat, forcing them to live miserable lifestyles, and putting humans at risk is not worth a fun family trip to the zoo. Treating living creatures like they have no feelings is never okay and should be considered inhumane. Zoos need to be exposed as the pitiful prisons they are, and actions should be imposed to stop the animal abuse. Works Cited Captive Wildlife Crisis | WildAnimalSanctuary.org : Americas Premier Sanctuary For Large Carnivores. Captive Wildlife Crisis | WildAnimalSanctuary.org : Americas Premier Sanctuary For Large Carnivores. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. . Get The Facts:. Ten Fast Facts about Captive Exotic Animals. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. . News Facts. The Tiger Next Door. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2007. . Zoos: Pitiful Prisons. PETA. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. .

Monday, October 14, 2019

Purpose of the Wall Street Journal

Purpose of the Wall Street Journal Saiteja Naidu (MSIS)Â   The Wall Street Journal The Wall street journal main purpose is for the business groups and financial investors. It was initially started by Charles Dowand Edward Jones, owners of Dow, Jones and Company, started publishing the daily Wall street journal on 8 July 1889. Earlier newspaper was started in United states which was firstly concentrated on general news later it began to focus mainly on business news, fluctuation in prices of stocks, bonds and some classes of commodities (Wendt, p. 28).It was edited in newyork city for u.s.a and daily editions include parts of asia, europe. Bernard Kilgore got to be overseeing proofreader of the diary in 1945, seventeen years after the demise of Clarence Barron. Kilgore upgraded the paper, extending its scope to incorporate all parts of business, financial aspects, and shopper issues, including general news that affected business.The Wall Street Journal is possessed by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who bought the organization for $5 billion in 2007 through his organiz ation, News Corporation. The deal finished the 105-year-long responsibility for Wall Street Journal by the Bancroft family. Murdoch, one of the worlds most effective media mogul. The Wall Street Journal has since quite a while ago overwhelmed American business distributing and was the nations first national daily paper. The journal has its classic daily paper and in addition e-daily paper which is most prevalent now a days to exist its check in innovation world with live redesigns and its commonplace business share report is found in the consistently computerized news for financial specialists. It has a sort of obstructs that none can coordinate the measures of its factual report and fascinating political news with showing territorial release. Journal vision to create interest for business in the public and its preferences in newspaper: The Journal started a few indexes of value developments of stocks, including the Dow Jones Indexes. The upper left-hand segment secured general market and monetary developments. The second from left secured the points of interest of the days market developments. Whatever is left of the four-page paper was completely business situated, announcing general news with regards to its impact on the business sectors. At the point when the nation is creating in the meantime there is a quick increment in the speculation and development in the pay of a person which requested for the proposals and thoughts where to put, When to move into business and shares. The Journal Interests and objectives: Journal rose as the voice of political conservatism in American news coverage. Such an article point of view, when joined with wide national dispersion, gave solid course and promoting income development, achieving $2.3 billion in the year 2000 and benefits before exceptional things of $294.6 million. The Journal mainly focuses on the business with deep immense research and commonplace authors with their amazing words to draw in the readers. It shows eight Headers for e-newspaper comprises of Home, World, U.S,Ploitics,Economy,Business,Tech,Markets,Opinion,Arts,Life,Real Estate Again those blogs are subdivided into various blogs related to the stream. The most preferable thing about the journal is that an individual can subscribe for different versions of software. This journal had both print and digital with various prudent enrollment memberships. We can download in android and ios renditions to take after the business and general news in computerized path for brilliant utilize. There are corporate memberships for business speculators and business people particularly for business magazines. There is also student journal and professor journal to register and publish the paper. Even they can subscribe to the job activities and can enlarge their network for career wise advantages. At present the world blog comprise of brussels in real time, china in real time and India in real time. The opinion column is the most crucial aspect to respect the individual ideas in wall street. References Dealy, Francis X., Jr. The Power and the Money: Inside the Wall Street Journal. Secaucus, N.Y.: Carol Publishing Group, 1993. Rosenberg, Jerry M. Inside the Wall Street Journal: The History and the Power of Dow Jones and Company and Americas Most Influential Newspaper. New York: Macmillan, 1982. Wendt, Lloyd. The Wall Street Journal: The Story of Dow Jones and the Nations Business Newspaper.Chicago: Rand McNally, 1982. http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/111215/who-actually-owns-wall-street-journal.asp#ixzz4YydDnOQx. https://www.wsj.com/.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Recommendation Letter Essay examples -- Letter of Recommendation

As an upright Police officer and upholder of the law, I am of the opinion that above everything else, success demands hard work, grit and persistence to go into its making. It is this quality that I see uppermost in Ron Geis, a remarkable individual who has battled the odds to come as far as he has in life and I am of the conviction that he is marked for further success. From circumstances of adversity, Ron has single-handedly pursued his dreams. An excellent sportsman during his school years, I have been associated with him in taking forward his sporting career since then. However, it was not long before I realized that his interests did not lie in the field of sports and that he wished to pursue a mainstream academic career. Ron educated himself while simultaneously taking up em...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Passion of Mountain Bikes :: Mountain Bikes Transportation Essays

The Passion of Mountain Bikes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It has been a decade in the making, but the mountain bike has become a passion for many people. Along with this passion it has also become the most environmental way to get from point A to B. It has gone through a very intense evolution process over the past decade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It all started with some guys from California who took their bikes out for a ride on their day off, they modified their bikes and turned a hobby of theirs into a worldwide phenomenon. The mountain bike's rapid increase in popularity was influenced by social and economic situations, and by technological improvements that had the needs of bike riders in mind. The introduction of the mountain bike at a bike convention in Long Beach, California, early in the 1980's coincided with the need for a bike that combined technical superiority, ease of care, and multipurpose use.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technological advances came extremely fast after it's introduction into the world. The advances have made riding mountain bikes easier, which makes it possible for the rider to explore new terrain. I hope that this report will be able to provide some information on the subject of mountain bikes and the advances in technology that the bike has gone through, and what might be in the future of the mountain bike.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The road bike has taken more than a hundred years to evolve into the frame that it is being used on todays bicycle. Because of the increasingly popularity of the mountain bike the demand for advances to be made have come very rapidly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The evolution of the mountain bike has been a stormy one over the past decade. Within one decade the design has changed radically; this is due to three reasons. First , because geometry and design were copied from the first "Stone- Age bikes"; second, because off-road riding created different problems ; and third, because innovative frame design mirrored the "spirit of the times": young, new, dynamic, and strong. The off-road bike required extra stability. Frame   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is important to know the basic frame geometry and how to measure it. The combination of tube length and angle determines not only the maneuverability of the bike, but also determines the seating position and the transfer of power. Variances of 1 ° of the headset angle, or a 1' (2cm) difference in the distance between the rear-wheel axle and the center of the bottom bracket, can have very serious consequences. Frame Geometry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The basic elements of frame geometry are: A- Height of the seat tube; B- Length of the top tube; C- Seat-tube angle; D- Headset-tube angle; E- Trail, F-

Friday, October 11, 2019

Electronic Health Records

In this paper this student will discuss the national mandate of electronic health records (EHR), and how this mandate is being implemented at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Also discussed are how Cleveland Clinic is progressing to achieve EHR, and what challenges this brings to patient confidentiality and self-determination. Lastly this student will provide information on the benefits of EHR in healthcare. According to Gunter & Terry (2005), â€Å"The electronic health record (EHR) is an evolving concept defined as a longitudinal collection of electronic health information about individual patients and populations. Primarily, it will be a mechanism for integrating health care information currently collected in both paper and electronic medical records (EMR) for the purpose of improving quality of care†. (p. 1). Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), and the American Health Information Community (AHIC) were created to oversee the EHR mandate that was set in place by President George Bush in 2004 (Simborg, 2008, p. 127) This goal has now transitioned to our current President, Barack Obama, who also is setting the goal for the year 2014. Electronic health records are set to take place of traditional paper records with the help of this initiative. The ability to have every healthcare organization operating with electronic health records serves numerous benefits for not only patients but healthcare providers. Some of the benefits include, additional patient safety, ability to communicate and collaborate with other healthcare providers, and the longevity of electronic health records. Patient safety is at the utmost importance to healthcare providers, and EHR enables providers to have an in-depth history of their patients, leading to better care and treatment. Due to patients receiving care from many different health care providers, this can act as a barrier when trying to maintain a collaborative process. By adopting EHR this enables all providers to participate in the care of the patient. When discussing the longevity EHR serves in our society Tang, Ash, Bates, Overhage, & Sands (2006), states â€Å"The 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster exposed the fragility of America's health information infrastructure. When confronted by a hurricane, an avian flu pandemic, or a bioterrorism attack, the public needs to be able to depend on reliable access to their health information† (p. 27). If healthcare corporations adopt EHR, there will be no threat of patient medical records disappearing. After stating the goals of EHR, and the benefits it serves, this student will now discuss how EHR is being utilized at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. One could say that the Cleveland Clinic were innovators in EHR, being one of the first institutions to ado pt EHR more than eleven years ago. According to Cleveland Clinic (2012), EHR is â€Å"enabling physicians to actively collaborate and exchange information to ensure appropriate coordination of care throughout a patient’s life†. MyChart has also been a large milestone in development as part of Cleveland Clinics adoption of EHR. MyChart gives patients access to medical records, test results, and physician notes through a portal on the internet that can be accessed at home online. â€Å"MyChart, Cleveland Clinic’s secure, online patient-centered recording tool, connects patients to personalized health information at any time† (Cleveland Clinic, 2010). One benefit MyChart gives to patients is the ability for them to participate in decisions and their care. While analyzing Cleveland Clinics utilization and plans for EHR, this student was able to evaluate strengths and weaknesses. Some strengths of the Cleveland Clinics plans for EHR include their development and growth of the EHR system, the innovation developed into the current plan, and the ability to incorporate patients into their healthcare. Being that Cleveland Clinic was one of the first institutions to start the process of adopting EHR, they in return have the biggest ability to grow, and develop their system. Cleveland Clinic has shown such innovation in their process that other institutions have sought help from them for development of their own system. In an article by the Plain Dealer (Kleinerman, 2013) the chief information officer at Glens Falls Hospital, Joan McFaul stated â€Å"Our relationship with Cleveland Clinic will advance information technology best practices at GFH, and we will benefit by having access to a broad base of knowledge and the expertise of one of the country's premier health systems†. When Cleveland Clinic developed MyChart, this plays a role in the patient self-determination act, being that the patients constantly have the ability to be informed about their healthcare, and to take part in any decision making. A weakness of the EHR system in place at the Cleveland Clinic includes the risk of confidentiality. Even though the ability to access health records online has numerous benefits, the ability that such records could become hacked always poses a risk. The health records are protected by a username and password through the Cleveland Clinic website. With all of the technological advances it seems as though it is becoming easier and easier for unknown people to access personal information. This student believes that more precautions should be taken when a patient’s confidentiality is at risk. This student also believes more information should be needed to access health records online, instead of just a username and password that provides little security. After reviewing the EHR mandate, and the benefits it serves to healthcare institutions, this student believes that if more institutions adopted this system it would ultimately give better patient care. Also after further research into Cleveland Clinics development of EHR, this student feels the growth of this system in endless. While there are some flaws to this system, with time EHR at Cleveland Clinic could ultimately become one of the nation’s leaders that other institutions wish to learn from.