US Economy Expansion Essays - National Accounts, Consumer Behaviour

US Economy Expansion The million (or should we say 'billion' now) dollar question is whether or not the United States' economy will stay in it's record 107 month expansion (according to the index of leading indicators) or come out of the boom and take a downturn into a recession. Nobody, including the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan has a crystal ball to provide insight as to what will happen if interest rates are raised, lowered, or left alone. However, Economists have developed a set of indicators to aid in predicting when a recession is about to occur and when the economy is in one. Indicators should not be mistaken for predictors. They are simply forecasting tools, and like any forecast can be misleading. The index of leading indicators that is reported in the popular press shows our economy is still in an expansion. For the purposes of our evaluation of the economy, we chose the Principle Economic Indicators tracked by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau under the Economics and Statistics Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. There are thirteen Principle Economic Indicators, and they fall into five major categories: National Output and Income; Orders, Sectoral Production, and Inventories; Consumer Spending; Housing and Construction; and Foreign Trade. National Output and Income The first of the five major categories directly relates to measuring the growth of the U.S. economy. National Output and Income consists of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Personal Income, and Corporate Profits measurements. GDP is the primary measurement of growth and measures the total amount of goods and services produced by governments, businesses, people, and property located within the United States. Both real (adjusted for inflation) and nominal (current value in dollars) data is collected for computing the GDP. The base year for the real data is 1997. The GDP is normally reported as an annualized quarter-to-quarter change. The reason this measurement is vital to tracking the growth of the U.S. economy is self-explanatory. When the economy is growing, both total income and total output are increasing. Furthermore, a steady increase in the GDP is healthy for the economy. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. economic output has grown at an annual rate of 2.5 to 3.5 percent since 1890. The preliminary estimate of GDP in the fourth quarter of 1999 rose at a 6.9 percent annual rate, which is the strongest gain since a similar increase in mid-1996. This is an increase from the initial estimate of 5.8 percent and is consistent with the expectations of analysts. It is also a reflection of the widespread upward increases among the major spending components, including consumer spending, goods exported, and state and local government spending. In the third quarter of 1999, GDP rose 5.7% as a result of increases in Personal Consumption Expenditures, nonresidential fixed investment, and exports. Personal Income is a measurement of total pretax income earned by individuals, non-profit organizations, and private trust funds. It is expressed at an annual rate also. The more Personal Income increases the greater the potential for the American people to spend and save money, which directly influences the growth of the U.S. economy. Personal Income rose .7 percent in January, following an increase of .3 percent in December. The average monthly increases in 1999 were .5 percent. Some extenuating factors affected income in recent months, including cost of living increases in federal transfer payments, a federal pay raise, and agricultural subsidy payments in January. Real disposable income, income after taxes and adjusted for price changes, increased by .7 percent. There was no change in December. The individual personal saving rate rose from 1 percent in December, which was its low, to 1.4 percent in January. Savings rates generally go down in the months October through May due to Holiday spending (includes "paying off" credit cards). There are two methods in which Corporate Profits are reported by the government. "Tax-based" profits are derived from corporate tax returns, and "adjusted" profits reflect earnings from current production. Just as increases in Personal Income are vital to the growth of the U.S economy, increases in Corporate Profits are just as important on an even larger scale. The greater the profits, the more potential for growth. This in turn has a direct effect on employment rates, spending, etc. Profits reported from current production increased $3.7 billion in the third quarter of 1999. This is a dramatic improvement from a decrease of $6.5 billion in the second quarter. Profits would have been about $10 billion more than they were in the third quarter

Account for the decline in prestige and authority of the pap essays

Account for the decline in prestige and authority of the pap essays Account for the decline in prestige and authority of the papacy during the During the fourteenth century, the papacy suffered a huge decline in prestige and authority due to many factors. These include, the open conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and King Phillip IV of France, the advancement of some city-states of Italy with Rome being left behind, the removal of the Apostolic See from Rome to Avignon, the Great Schism and the papacies focus on administrative and juristic issues rather than spiritual purity. Since the investiture contest (1075-1122) there have been ongoing struggles between the secular and spiritual powers. Most notable is the open conflict between King Phillip IV of France and Pope Boniface VIII over the ability to tax the church and the ability to bring the clergy under the justice of the king. Secular taxing of the church was not what the papacy wanted as it gave them less money to tax for themselves. The papal bull Clericis Laicos forbade such taxes. King Phillip defied the bull and continued to tax the clergy. This is understandable as if he were to obey the bull; a vast amount of taxable land would be lost to him. The nature of Criminous clergy was also a big issue as the people saw preists mildly rebuked for serious crimes. This led to a general fealing that the church was coddling its own. Phillip claimed that anyone who breaks secular law should be tried in a secular court. Pope Boniface disagreed fealing that the Church could not be independandt if its persone l could be arrested at any time. Unam Sanctum was isued to assert the superiority of the Church over secular poweres. ...Behold, here are two swords... both are in the power of the Church, the spiritual sword and the material, but the latter is to be used for the church and the former by her... This illustrates the papal view of the world and effectivaly removes the secular ability to charge members...

The Types of Parallel Universes

The Types of Parallel Universes Physicists talk about parallel universes, but its not always clear what they mean. Do they mean alternate histories of our own universe, like those often shown in science fiction, or whole other universes with no real connection to ours? Physicists use the phrase parallel universes to discuss diverse concepts, and it can sometimes get a little confusing. For example, some physicists believe strongly in the idea of a multiverse for cosmological purposes, but dont actually believe in the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics. It is important to realize that parallel universes are not actually a theory within physics, but rather a conclusion that comes out of various theories within physics. There are a variety of reasons for believing in multiple universes as a physical reality, mostly having to do with the fact that we have absolutely no reason to suppose that our observable universe is all that there is.   There are two basic breakdowns of parallel universes that might be helpful to consider. The first was presented in 2003 by Max Tegmark and the second was presented by Brian Greene in his book The Hidden Reality. Tegmarks Classifications In 2003, MIT physicist Max Tegmark explored the idea of parallel universes in a paper published in a collection titled  Science and Ultimate Reality. In the paper,  Tegmark breaks the different types of parallel universes allowed by physics into four different levels: Level 1: Regions Beyond Cosmic Horizon: The universe is essentially infinitely big and contains matter at roughly the same distribution as we see it throughout the universe. Matter can combine in only so many different configurations. Given an infinite amount of space, it stands to reason there exists another portion of the universe in which an exact duplicate of our world exists.Level 2: Other Post-Inflation Bubbles: Separate universes spring up like bubbles of spacetime undergoing its own form of expansion, under the rules dictated by inflation theory. The laws of physics in these universes could be very different from our own.Level 3: The Many Worlds of Quantum Physics: According to this approach to quantum physics, events unfold in every single possible way, just in different universes. Science fiction alternate history stories utilize this sort of a parallel universe model, so its the most well-known outside of physics.Level 4: Other Mathematical Structures: This type of paralle l universes is sort of a catch-all for other mathematical structures which we can conceive of, but which we dont observe as physical realities in our universe. The Level 4 parallel universes are ones which are governed by different equations from those that govern our universe. Unlike Level 2 universes, its not just different manifestations of the same fundamental rules, but entirely different sets of rules. Greenes Classifications Brian Greenes system of classifications from his 2011 book, The Hidden Reality, is a more granular approach than Tegmarks. Below are Greenes classes of parallel universes, but weve also added the Tegmark Level that they fall under:   Quilted Multiverse (Level 1): Space is infinite, therefore somewhere there are regions of space that will exactly mimic our own region of space. There is another world out there somewhere in which everything is unfolding exactly as it unfolds on Earth.Inflationary Multiverse (Level 1 2): Inflationary theory in cosmology predicts an expansive universe filled with bubble universes, of which our universe is just one.Brane Multiverse (Level 2): String theory leaves open the possibility that our universe is on just one 3-dimensional brane, while other branes ​of any number of dimensions could have whole other universes on them.Cyclic Multiverse (Level 1): One possible result from string theory is that branes could collide with each other, resulting in universe-spawning big bangs that not only created our universe but possibly other ones.Landscape Multiverse (Level 1 4): String theory leaves open a lot of different fundamental properties of the universe which, combined with the in flationary multiverse, means there could be many bubble universes out there which have fundamentally different physical laws than the universe we inhabit. Quantum Multiverse (Level 3): This is essentially the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics; anything that can happen does... in some universe.Holographic Multiverse (Level 4): According to the holographic principle, there is a physically-equivalent parallel universe that would exist on a distant bounding surface (the edge of the universe), in which everything about our universe is precisely mirrored.Simulated Multiverse (Level 4): Technology will possibly advance to the point where computers could simulate each and every detail of the universe, thus creating a simulated multiverse whose reality is nearly as complex as our own.Ultimate Multiverse (Level 4): In the most extreme version of looking at parallel universes, every single theory which could possibly exist would have to exist in some form somewhere.

Unemployment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Unemployment - Research Paper Example Unemployment If the efficiency of the economy is to be maximized, then the all the individuals in the economy would be employed at a certain wage rate. An unemployed person is simultaneously unproductive as well as a huge drain on the resources of the society leading to a huge drop in the aggregate output production in the economy. Psychological impacts of unemployment are also adverse which leads to long run degradation of an economy. The obnoxious characteristics of unemployment is one of the foremost problems in every countries of the world be it a developed or developing and the government of those countries are facing every day challenges and formulating as well as implementing strategies in order to mitigate the problem of unemployment (Griffiths & Rotheim, 2007, p.2). The paper will seek to analyze the historical evolution of unemployment along with the current status of it with various problems faced by the people from time to time and the unemployment rates in different countries. Follow ing this, focus will be entailed on the endeavor adapted by different governments for neutralizing this grave problem. Finally the paper will inject some self assessed recommendations for solving the problem of unemployment. II. Definition of the problem Unemployment Unemployment is the macroeconomic problem which affects people most directly and in a severe manner. For majority of the people in the world (although there is voluntary unemployment and other forms of unemployment which is discussed later in this segment), a loss in job correlates directly with a reduced living standard and immense psychological distress. (Mankiw, 2005, p.155). It is one of the central themes of discussions for economists and the politicians round the globe in the identification of different causes of unemployment and simultaneously involves in the improvement of several public policies affecting the unemployed. In this respect, a famous statement by Thomas Carlyle can be mentioned which is as follows: â€Å"A man willing to work, and unable to find work, is perhaps the saddest sight that fortune’s inequality exhibits under the sun† (Huebner, 1932, p.49). Now a short insight on different types of unemployment can be provided in order to have a more brief idea of the unemployment arena. Frictional unemployment Within the sphere of unemployment, it has been found that a certain amount of time has been spent within the job tenure of the individuals and finding another employment. The labor market is dynamic market and at a particular point of time there will remain a certain number of unemployed persons and the crux of frictional unemployment leads to acknowledging the fact those adjustments in the employment takes some time which is indeed a harsh reality (Mankiw, 2005, p.603). Structural unemployment This type of unemployment generates when there is wide gap between the skills required by the employers of firms and skills provided by the employees or the labor and th is type of unemployment experiences long spells. It has been found in the industry of rocket science there can generate higher or lower unemployment in the submarket rather than the national market. In this industry if the trade agreements are such that it allows for the outsourcing in the other countries, then the labor market for the rocket scientist will perish in the domestic country (Schmitt, J & Warner, 2011, p.1). Voluntary Unemployment The notion of the voluntary

Coca olas Response to Changing Market Conditions Essay

Coca olas Response to Changing Market Conditions - Essay Example While Coca Cola was focusing too much on carbonated drinks, PepsiCo was responding to market changes in two important ways. To begin with, Pepsi chose diversification as its strategy to increase its customer base. By this time, they had already realised that they would be better access a bigger part of the market by offering complimenting products such as energy bars and other snack foods. Meeting emerging consumer concerns PepsiCo also realised one important thing about consumer needs. As people started to be more concerned about the health issues caused by cola drinks, PepsiCo was quick to launch healthy products such as diet code and other non-sugary products. This was a very good way to access the segment of the market which was tied in people who could not use the normal carbonated beverages. At the same time, the number of people with health issues such as diabetes was becoming very high and this made it possible to have a big market share for non-sugary beverages. Pepsis was q uick to respond to this rising marketing needs. Yet, at such a time when non carbonated drinks were becoming favourite for so many people who were either concerned about the health impacts of carbonated drinks or whose health issues could not allow them to use the same, Coca cola, under the leadership of Goizueta, continued to focus on its cola drinks. Roberto Goizueta believed that being able to efficiently produce carbonated drinks was the strategy that would help the firm to have a permanent grip on the market. This was both right and wrong. This is because although low production costs are a good strategy, they can only be helpful to a business if they are geared towards the right direction. In other words, Coca cola’s low cost strategies were good but were focused on the wrong product. This is a time when Coca cola should have been focusing on looking at how it could have been able to introduce new products which would fit the new and emerging consumer needs. This made C oca cola to remain behind PepsiCo and therefore giving PepsiCo the upper hand in the market. Coca cola not only failed to diversify like PepsiCo had done, but is also failed to consider new market needs. Q2 Coca Cola Coca Cola’s marketing orientation is geared towards affecting the way the buyer thinks about the product. A closer look at the way in which Coca Cola manages its marketing in the times of Goizueta indicates that Coca cola is not customer oriented. This is seen as the old-school marketing in which organisations did not look too much into what the customer wanted but rather only focused on developing a product and the presenting it to the consumer (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt 2010). In this regard, it means that Coca Cola only focused on producing the products which they thought best for customers and then delivering this product. In such an arrangement, marketing is done by massive branding campaigns which would be geared towards making the customer to believe tha t the product is best for them (Kenny 2009). This is what coca cola had used for a long time leading it to become the number one brand in the world. Coca Cola also seems to focus on specialising rather than diversification. In this regard, especially under the leadership of the charismatic leader Goizueta, Coca Cola focused too much on its main product which was its cash cow. In fact, Coca Cola’s diversification was only as a reaction to PepsiCo’s market success brought by PepsiCo’s diversification strategy. PepsiCo PepsiCo on the other hand had a different marketing orientation. Towards the end of the 20th century, PepsiCo seemed to have realised that aligning the business strategy to the needs of the customer was the next big thing. Unlike Coca Cola, PepsiCo started focusing on looki

William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar Essay Example for Free

William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar Essay William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. Records show that Shakespeare was baptized three days after he was born, on April 26, 1564. He grew up in a town called Stratford upon Avon. During his lifetime, Shakespeare had three jobs. He was a playwright, a businessman, and an actor. Shakespeare not only wrote plays, but also sonnets. His most famous sonnet would be â€Å"Sonnet 18†. Some of his greatest plays are The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare was known for stealing the ideas for his plays from other playwrights during his time. But, somehow he wrote magnificent plays and became the greatest playwright of all time. Shakespeare was also a businessman, just like his father. His father was a glove maker and a well respected man in the community. Although Shakespeare was not well respected, he was a successful businessman. He was a co-owner of The Globe Theatre, which was an amphitheatre located near the Themes River in England. Unfortunately, The Globe Theatre burnt down and was not able to be rebuilt by the time Shakespeare died. As an actor, Shakespeare did take part in some of his plays. Although he was never known to play the main roles. In some cases he would play a character that was important to the show.   Tragically, Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. This is the day believed to be his birthday. Shakespeare was a very busy man during his life. He was an actor, a co-owner of The Globe Theatre, and the greatest playwright in history. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Act I The major characters that start the play are Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Antony, and the soothsayer. Act I begins on February 15, when Caesar is celebrating his defeat over Pompey. The soothsayer warns Caesar, Beware the ides of March, but Caesar pays no attention to it. Cassius pulls Brutus aside to talk to him about Caesar and joining the conspiracy. Terrible weather is foreshadowing trouble. Act II The main characters in act II are Calpurnia, Caesar, Brutus, Portia, Cassius, and the other conspirators. Brutus joins the conspiracy and leads it. He tells Cassius and the other conspirators that there will be no oath, no Cicero, and no killing of Mark Antony. Calpurnia has a dream that Caesar is killed and convinces him not to go to the capitol. Decius reinterprets the dream and changes Caesars mind about going to the capitol. Portia begins to worry about Brutus because he hasnt been talking to her lately. Act III The main characters in this act are Caesar, Brutus, Antony, and the other conspirators. Caesar is again warned on his way to the capitol, but ignores it. The conspirators gather around Caesar in the capitol to discuss Metillus brother being released from banishment. Then they all stab and murder Caesar. Antony meets with the conspirators and pretends to be friends with them, but his real plan is to get revenge for Caesars death. Brutus allows Antony to speak at Caesars funeral. First Brutus speaks and wins over the crowd. Then Antony speaks and turns the crowd against Brutus and the conspirators by reading Caesars will. Act IV The main characters in this act are Octavius, Antony, Lepidus, Brutus, Cassius, and Caesars ghost. Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus are triumvirs, but Antony and Octavius are not sure whether or not Lepidus should rule with them. Brutus found out that Portia has died from swallowing fire. He is also arguing with Cassius a lot. Caesars ghost appears to Brutus and warns him that he will die at Philippi. Act V The main characters in act V are Octavius, Antony, Brutus, and Cassius. They all decide to meet in the field before the battle to talk. Cassius decides to run upon his own sword and kill himself. This is ironic because it is his birthday. Brutus finds out that Cassius is dead and decides to run upon his own sword too.

Forms of Assessment :: Teaching Education

Forms of Assessment If one was to draw a continuum on a piece of paper to plot out the different methods of language education the transactional method would be close to the center of the line, with the transmissional method and organic/Romantic method on the opposing ends. The transmissional method of instruction stresses direct instruction, usually with drill and practice type of exercises. The lessons are skills based with a stress on â€Å"part to whole† language. This refers to experiencing words as their individual graphophonemic parts. The transactional method of teaching stresses the facilitation of information from the teacher to the student. Learning for the transactional teacher is a social process with the learner. Knowledge is constructed by the learner and language is taught from â€Å"whole to part†. Whole to part refers to the context with which the learner sees text. Rather than learning words and graphemes individually, the learner sees them in full texts. These lang uage methods are often shaped by the particular paradigm that each teacher chooses. The search for truth forms the various paradigms that we have discussed in class. According to Realism, truth can be found only in the real world. The quest for knowledge ends with what we can see and feel and touch. Realism is very empirical and scientific therefore translates into a transmissional view of language. An example of a philosophy that comes from this paradigm is Essentialism. In contrast to Realism, Pragmatism holds that there is no truth. Truth is not found in the real world, but truth is relative. It is defined and constructed by the learner. The Pragmatist view translates into a transactional method of language instruction. The transaction between the teacher and the learner is a mutual quest for knowledge. The prime example of a philosophy of education that arises from Pragmatism is Constructivism. The third out of the three main paradigms that form educational thought is Idealism. Unlike Pragmatism, Idealism says that there is truth. Also, unlike Realism, Idea lism says that truth can be found in the metaphysical. So where does that leave Christians? Christians find knowledge in both the metaphysical (from God) and from the real world (His creation). That means that there must be a middle ground between Realism and Idealism. This middle ground is called Christian Theism. Christian Theism holds that there is truth and that it can be found, through God and His works.

Poetry Appreciation Essay

In this essay I am going to compare and contrast ‘When we two parted’ a poem of George Gordon, Lord Byron’s written in 1815 and Letitia Elizabeth Landon’s ‘Love’s last lesson’ written in c1838, both poets are British and of the romantic period. ‘When we two parted’ is an elegy of the loss of love, Byron is reflecting and analyzing a relationship that has already ended. His grief, anger and despair, intensifies his use of first person, which maintains a strong impact on the audience throughout. The poem is powerful, personal and unreserved, the emotion and passion is definitely felt through his writing. Byron’s message is ambiguous; so the reader is able to make their own assumption this is the beauty of the poem, it is subject to individual interpretation, making it inclusive and relatable to many different situations. The structure of the poem is separated into four stanzas each one being an octet. Punctuation suggests that every two lines can be read as one, the metre of the poem is iambic pentameter, each line having 5 iambs and 10 syllables when two lines are read as one. The rhyming pattern in stanza one, two and four is ababcdcd but stanza three is ababacac. The poem mainly has a regular rhyming scheme but the ‘flow’ is disrupted in stanzas one and four lines five and six, I am not sure if this was intentional. I believe the poem can be interpreted in many different ways; the overall impression is the separation of two lovers, throughout the poem there are numerous references suggesting bereavement, loss and infidelity. In the first Stanza the metaphor ‘Pale grew thy cheek and cold, colder thy kiss;’ uses pale and cold in contrast with the rosy warm imagery of life, this could very well be an indication of death but could simply be an exaggeration of how he felt after the break up. On Line four the statement ‘To sever for years’ is ambiguous as it suggests a lengthy separation but can also mean cut in two therefore could be related to line three ‘Half broken- hearted’, another interesting point is that the Byron used the word years rather than eternity or forever, maybe there was a hope of being reunited again in the future. ‘Sorrow’ symbolizes the grief and mourning he feels, not necessarily for somebody who has passed away simply just a loss. In stanza two ‘The dew of the morning, Sunk chill on my brow’ the dew is the cold wet, the image of rain could be an allegory of tears and signifying his misery. ‘Thy vows are all broken,’ implies his ‘lover’ was or is married or the promises she made to him were shattered, subsequently Byron speaks of feeling ashamed when he hears his/her name, possibly because their relationship was illicit . The following stanza uses a powerful expression ‘They name thee before me, A knell to mine ear; A shudder comes o’er me’ a knell is the sound of a depressing bell rung slowly at a funeral, his lover may have died or Byron could again be exaggerating his emotions, speaking as though his lover or ex lover has passed away. On line twenty Lord Byron asks ‘Why wert thou so dear?’ why were you so special? Or why did I love you so much?, he is questioning and resenting these feelings, the poem then goes on to assert that nobody was aware of the relationship not even those that knew them both well, ‘Long, long shall I rue thee, too deeply to tell,’ Byron is clearly saying that he bitterly regrets the situation, wishing it had never occurred maybe even feeling guilty if his lover was married. Finally the fourth stanza confirms an affair of some sort ‘In secret we met- In silence I grieve, That thy heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive’, if his lover had died or merely returned to his/her partner, then he would still grieve in silence as the relationship was private, Byron feels betrayed and bitter about the relationship, the use of the word ‘spirit’ again gives the impression of death. ‘If I should meet thee, after long years, how should I greet thee! With silence and tears’, the last line of the poem is a reverberation of the second line; giving an impression of irresolution, whilst the exclamation mark puts the echoed line in a different context, when they meet again it will be with silence and tears however the silence will have a different meaning and the tears will not be ones of sorrow. It is almost like each stanza represents the cycle of Byron’s emotions, stanza one is the initial breakup and the start of his grieving process, in stanza two Byron is still distressed and goes on to express his disappointment and embarrassment, by stanza three he is ashamed of himself, questioning the love and deeply regretting the situation finally in stanza four he is bitter and fantasising of how he would disregard her/him if they were to ever meet again. Love’s last lesson’ is a soliloquy representing Landon’s frustration. My impression is that the character has fallen for somebody who hasn’t returned her love or wasn’t taking the ‘relationship’ as seriously as she was. The structure of the poem is free verse; it has neither regular metre nor rhyme In lines one to eight Landon expresses her anger and frustration towards her ex love, who has obviously moved on and forgotten their relationship with ease, she cannot comprehend how it is her that’s been dismissed as she feels she was the perfect companion. Landon uses words from a semantic field of religion ‘I who have worshipp’d thee, my god on earth’ is a strong statement but the metaphor emphasizes her absolute adoration for him. ‘Your last command, forget me, ‘she speaks about him as though he has control over her and she must obey him. ‘Will it not sink deeply down within my inmost soul?’ questioning herself for comfort the poet doesn’t think it’s possible to move on, ‘Forget thee! – ay, forgetfulness will be a mercy to me’ she genuinely wishes she could evade her emotions, it would cease her heartache. The hurt has taken control of her life to the extent of avoiding sleep in fear; she relives the agony in her nightmares ‘a dream had made me live my woes again’. The dreams she has are in fact worse than reality, ‘Acting my wretchedness, without the hope my foolish heart still clings to,’ the only thing Landon can do now is ‘hope’ that there will be some progression even though she herself thinks it’s highly unlikely, her hope is the only positive thing she has left other than the heartache and sorrow, she uses the simile of hope being like a drug that calms her pain slightly until the realisation hits which makes it unbearable ‘double torture’. Landon is isolated and spending her days alone feelings nervous and uneasy, ‘when a breath sent the crimson to my cheek, like the red gushing of a sudden wound; by all the careless looks and the careless words which have to me been like the scorpions stinging’ crimson and red flushing to the cheek gives an imagery of shame, this gave me the impression of defamation, Landon may have a history that she isn’t proud of and that is what she actually wants to forget, the way she is being disregarded is what is hurting more than anything as she said it was like a ‘scorpion stinging’ which is a simile for unspeakable pain. In this stanza Landon makes some powerful statements; her happiness has been destroyed forever, she’s deemed with perpetual misery, her feelings have been wasted, her health destroyed, her hopes have been crushed and her heart stole,

Buy-Grid model Essay

Supplier Evaluation An important job of the purchasing agent is to evaluate potential suppliers and their offerings. The effects of purchasing on a firm’s competitive ability are great, so companies pay close attention to how they evaluate suppliers. Marketers must also understand the process, for them the ones being evaluated. Understand the process is like understand the rules of any games; if you don’t know how to score, you are unlikely to win. The buy-grid model is a version of a theory developed as a general model of rational organization decision making, explain how companies make decisions about, for example, where to locate a plant or make a purchase. The buy grid model has two parts: the buy-phase model and the buy class. The buy-phase model in a management class as the rational or extensive problem solving model or in consumer behavior as high-involvement model. Buy -phase model suggests that people go through a series of steps (or phrases) when making a decision, beginning with problem recognition. Then they search for alternatives, evaluate alternatives, and select a solution, which are them implemented and evaluated. For example, when an organization needs new office space, crowded conditions help force recognition of the need. The next step is to define the type of product needed: Does the organization want to build a new office building, add on to an existing building, or simply find a larger place to rent or buy? As the organization continues to examine its needs, detailed specifications such as the size and number of offices are created. If the decision in the second step was to build on, an architect would help create specifications drawing plans. Then suppliers would be contracted, included those recommended by architect. Step 5, acquisition and analysis of proposals, involves receiving and reviewing bids from each contractor. The architect and the executives would meet, evaluate the proposals, and select  a contractor (step 6). Step 7 involves the creations of a contract specifying when the building will be completed, what it will look like, and when the payment will be made. Evaluation begins as the project begins, but continues well after the organization moves in. As observers of buying behavior quickly realized, many organizational purchase decisions do not involve that much work or include each and every step every time. A second element, the buy-class, was added, resulting in the grid. Buy-class refers to the type of buying decision, based on the experience of the buyer with a purchase of a particular product or service. Organizational researchers realized that once a decision was made, products were bought automatically over and over; recognizing a problem simply mean recognizing that the company is low in an item and needs to order more. The complete process was used only for new buys, products or services never purchased before. Automatic purchasing described what happen with straight rebuys, and only two steps were required. These steps are need recognition and placing an order. At other times, however, a product or service would be bought again but not automatically. When a company was contemplating a rebuy but wanted to shop around, the process will be included most or perhaps all of the steps – hence the term modified re-buys. In this instance, the process may involve need recognition, an evaluation of suppliers, and a decision – a process that can be similar to a new buy. The difference is not in the number of steps but in the amount and type of information that must be collected before a purchase can be made. Modified rebuys can also be similar to straight re-buys or new buys, depending on the specific of the situation. In a new buy, the buyer has no experience with the product or service and must be educated about the product or service to make a purchase. In a modified re-buy, the buyer has purchased the product or service before. There, the buyer will not spend time on education about the product itself, but the various vendors and their offerings as the buyer shops around. The buy grid model, therefore describe how purchasing practices vary along a continuum depending on the buyer’s experience in buying that particular product or  service. Value analysis is one situation that can turn a straight rebuy into a modified rebuy. When a company is closely evaluating a particular part, one question that is asked is if the part is available elsewhere for less. As the answer is sought to this question, out-suppliers (those suppliers who products are not considered in a straight re rebuy) are given the opportunity to earn business. In-suppliers (those suppliers whose products are ordered automatically in a straight rebuy) must prove value or create new value by redesigning their offerings. Thus, the purchase moves from being a straight rebuy to a modified rebuy. Buy-Grid and Marketing Practice The theory suggests that more information is needed by the buyer to make a new buy than when making a modified rebuy, and almost no information is needed for a straight rebuy. To use this model, a company would look at the degree to which a market is buying a product for the first time. If most of the market is buying the product for the first time, method of communication such as personal selling may be used in order to provide the most information. Advertising would contain a lot of detailed copy that described the benefits and how the product worked. Over-time, as the market grows more familiar with the product, less educational methods of communicating may be used, such as catalogs. Another marketing implication is thatan in-supplier would like purchases of its products to be straight rebuys. Annual contracts are one method of creating straight rebuys. For example, Xerox offers its customers an annual supply contract. Each time a department is low in copier supplies, the purchasing department orders automatically from Xerox, perhaps using EDI. Out-suppliers would be locked out until the next time the contract comes up for review. Recently, research has found that marketers who get involved early in the decision process are more likely to be successful. In part, this higher  probability of success is due to greater understanding of the buyer’s needs, an opportunity to help shape those needs, and a better understanding of the process. The lower probability of success when starting later in the process is also due to the fact that buyers become committed to a course of action over the process of making the decision, and that course often leans towards alternatives presented early in the process. When buyers don’t have experience, marketing strategies can provide buyers with the information they need to make a decision. Marketers consider how buyers use that information to be very important.

Essay Sample on The Battle Royal Literature Analysis

Essay Sample on The Battle Royal Literature Analysis Free college essay on The Battle Royal: An archetypal initiation story involves a protagonist, of a specific culture, sorting through a personal battle of good versus evil. In order to combat unethical or immoral practices, the protagonist must find, within himself, a way to make the change. The Battle Royal by Ralph Waldo Ellison is an archetypal initiation story told by the protagonist, an African American male narrator. In his late teen age years, he must complete a speech, and then live up to his grandfather’s dying wish. Telling the story twenty years later, the narrator remembers the cultural journey he made to become the man he is today. Mordecai Marcus has said that an initiation story will â€Å"show it’s protagonist experiencing a significant change of knowledge†¦or a change of character†¦and this change must point or lead him toward an adult world.†(219). The â€Å"Battle Royal† taken from the book, â€Å"the Invisible Man†, is the most conclusive of any initiation stories, showing the protagonist â€Å"embarked toward maturity† (219). First, the narrator must attend an unexpected battle, fighting his fellow classmates, then suffering electrocution, in order to say a speech. Saying the speech is very important to him, and after making the speech, he receives a briefcase containing a scholarship. Knowing that his grandfather would be proud, after receipt of the scholarship, the narrator went to his grandfather’s photograph. He â€Å"stood beneath his photograph with [his] briefcase in hand and smiled triumphantly into his stolid black peasant’s face† (218). By completing the speech, the narrator has faced what most archetypal initiation stories consider rules of culture and heroics. Participation in the battle and the subsequent scholarship form a â€Å"most decisive† (219) protagonist. According to Marcus, this type of protagonist is the most important of any initiation story. In order to fit into the most important category of initiation stories, as described by Marcus, the narrator must be launched toward maturity. In his explanation of battle, 20 years later, the narrator has matured. He recalls a dream that he has after the speech, which haunts him â€Å"for many years after† (218). Immediately following the battle, he is unable to decipher the dream, or able to connect it to his grandfather, but he hears his grandfather laugh eerily in his subconscious, even after awakening. He is is aware that he must first begin college to eventually find the answer, which is inside him. He eventually does, but it takes twenty years. The narrator finds the answer, which is that he is invisible because he is black. He realizes what his grandfather expected of him. He must work to break the mold of the average African American, and not sit around waiting for the stereotypes to be changed by someone else. As an archetypal hero, the protagonist is a hero who must continue on towards a goal and, â€Å"not until the hero sorts out the corruption in his world and in himself can vitality and health be restored to his world† (1519). The narrator in â€Å"The Battle Royal† knows that his world will be turned upside down and he will lose everything that he has been working toward for his entire life, if he does not complete his speech and obtain his scholarship. To his surprise he â€Å"was stopped and told to go back† (216). The narrator is given a chance to complete his speech, and to decipher the dream that haunts him. The narrator now understands what his grandfather intended when on his deathbed saying to him: â€Å"Overcome ‘em with yeses† (209), meaning that the he must fit in with the white people, in order to start changing the rules, so that eventually blacks will have the equality they deserve. The narrator becomes an adult, and is able to understand his grandfather’s wishes: â€Å"I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer† (208). The questions are answered twenty years later. When the narrator admits that he does not feel ashamed for his grandparents being slaves, only â€Å"ashamed of [himself] for having at one time been ashamed† (209), he achieves realization of what he needed to do to fulfill own life For this reason â€Å"The Battle Royal† is an archetypal initiation stories, and categorized by Marcus as the most definitive of all types of initiation stories.

Meghalaya's Living Bridges Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Meghalaya's Living Bridges - Research Paper Example Normal bridges are not viable in this region, as they would be damaged easily by rain of such magnitude. The living bridge gain strength with time and survive for a number of years. These bridges are strong and sturdy and can support even more than 50 people at once (BBC Series Web). Living bridges are only found in Meghalaya region and can hardly been seen in any other part of the world. This is considered unique and attracts a many people from various parts of the world. Actually, the Meghalaya community has been advised to continue nurturing the living bridges since they are a strong tourist attraction. The purpose of the living bridge is for people to go across rivers and streams during the rainy season that is estimated to be 25 meters. In addition, this region has many rivers that are fast flowing .Small rivers and streams rise above their normal height and become impassable on rainy season. These living bridges act as a solution to crossing such streams and bridges (BBC Series Web). These living bridges are complex in nature but managed and maintained by skillful biological engineering of roots of rubber

Riding on the Waves of Online Retall Business Research Paper

Riding on the Waves of Online Retall Business - Research Paper Example Now, the internet has been proven to be an effective vehicle as well to boost a growing business’ economy. Private accounts in public sites such as Multiply and other blog sites can now be considered shopping spots for some specialized products or services, and young entrepreneurs resort to these sites to begin selling their wares first to their friends, and hope that the word spreads so more traffic is geared to their online business sites. Noninska (2003) identified three basic models that represent main electronic commerce systems. One is â€Å"Business-to-Business (B2B), another is â€Å"Business-to-Consumer† (B2C) and the last is â€Å"Consumer-to-Consumer† (C2C). This paper will focus on B2C. Cyprus (2011) explains that B2C refers to the online selling of products, known as e-tailing. B2C makes it possible that any product can be virtually e-tailed. However, the challenge for online retailers and manufacturers is to attract consumers to their website marke tplace. Originally, this needed assistance with search engines, as consumers often search for products or services they need by keying in the related words on a search engine search bar. Usually, consumers choose websites on the first few pages of the results that flash up the screen. Knowing this tendency of consumers, businesses fight for a slot in the first few pages of the results of a search. One way to do it is to purchase paid listings as well as employ search engine optimization techniques such as using popular consumer keywords in their web text. The purpose of attracting traffic towards their website is to receive views from consumers and potential clients (Cyprus, 2011). Two variations of the B2C model were identified by Robert (2007). Direct sale to the customer is the first variation. An example is SmugMug.com charging their consumers for photo sharing/hosting services. The customers’ photography skills range from inexperienced shutterbugs to professional photogr aphers. This site does not offer any feature for free unlike other sites like Flickr because they are confident that their consumers are aware that they offer a great product at the right price so there is much value in availing of their service over a competitor offering services for free. Actual products and goods are mostly sold by online retailers. The second approach is the advertising model where popular sites that generate huge amounts of traffic like YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, etc. come in. Free services are offered to consumers so visitors flock in who then become targets of advertising when they are logged in. Advertising can come in various forms such as â€Å"pay-per-click like Google ads to cost-per-impression to direct sale of a spot† (Robert, 2007). Just how do B2C outfits operate? Noninska (2003) compares B2C systems to real-world shopping experience. Transactions are done over an open network, so customers have unrestricted access. When a deal is closed, paym ent is made using credit cards. The B2C system verifies the validity of the card and the identity of the customer (Steinfield, n.d.). B2C sites should be user-friendly as well as offer benefits to customers such as low costs and data security. It should be able to deliver the required information within the shortest time possible so customers do not have to wait