Young Guns

In the 1988 movie Young Guns we will analyze William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid (Emilio Estevez) as the outlaw hero, and Patrick Floyd Garrett (Patrick Wayne) as the official hero. This movie was closely based on real life events of the Lincoln County war of 1877-1878, but because the real life events weren’t nearly as controversial and exciting, the movie was minimally changed in various ways to make it more appealing to audiences.The movie starts out with a group of wayward young men in Lincoln County New Mexico, supply shopping for their benefactor, London native John Tunstall (Terence Stamp). Tunstall owns and operates a cattle ranch and mercantile, and this puts him in direct competition with local rancher and mercantile/bank owner and all around bad guy, Lawrence Murphy (Jack Palance). After hearing a mysterious gunshot, we see a young Billy running through the storefronts, chased by several of Murphy’s men.He jumps into a cattle arena and hides amon g the livestock. Tunstall then comes to his rescue, pulling Billy from the cattle arena and whisking him off to the ranch. It becomes apparent very early on that the portrayal of a young, volatile, and sometimes ignorant Billy is a key trait: He laughs and giggles quite a bit and bumbles around foolishly, seemingly to show his youthful playfulness, while also seeming to seek the approval of elder men like John Tunstall and Pat Garrett.He obviously craves the attention of a father figure and that lends credence to the youthful exuberance that makes Billy â€Å"the Kid†. The characterization immediately begins following the model of the traditional outlaw hero-official hero dichotomy, according to Ray, when he wrote that one of the competing values associated with the outlaw hero-official hero opposition is aging: â€Å"the attractiveness of the outlaw hero’s childishness and propensity to whims, tantrums, and emotional decisions derived from America’s cult of ch ildhood. This much is shown in the very first few minutes of the movie. As young and childish as Billy and the other young wards appear, nearly every other adult male in this film is the opposite and therefore pegged as the official hero, aged and wise with a seriousness and sense of great responsibility. Just as Ray observed â€Å"While the outlaw heroes represented a flight from maturity, the official heroes embodied the best attributes of adulthood: sound reasoning and judgment, wisdom and sympathy based on experience. The politics and law aspects also fit Ray’s theory because he sees the outlaw as having a distrust of politics as a collective activity. The Murphy gang murders John Tunstall over the feuds about their competing businesses and the young men are left to their own devices, and of course they choose to break the law, they will exact revenge upon the Murphy crew. The orphaned young men collectively decide to brush off any worries of becoming wanted outlaws in t he name of revenge; it gave them the rationale of a good cause.Avenging death with death is not often how our society chooses to take care of the rule breakers, there is a judicial system that we must trust to take care of the revenge and justice aspect of murder into today’s society, and the average American today will not go out and become an outlaw to bring justice upon the bad guy himself. Citizens tend to leave that to the court system, although many would like to feel the self-righteous gratification of avenging their loved ones themselves.Even with Ray’s views of how the outlaw hero responds to women and society, in this movie there is nothing but agreement. The young outlaw men in this movie have very little interest in women and society as a whole. There is a scene where one of the men marries a Mexican woman while the group is on the run, but he ultimately leaves his new bride behind to rejoin his â€Å"regulators† on a self-destructive mission from wh ich he never returns. The women are in this movie almost as token pieces, there only because it is somehow silently required by some unspoken rule.The few women in this movie play no big part in helping make decisions and add absolutely nothing to the outcome of the men's lives. In the real life Lincoln County war, there was no â€Å"China Girl† mistress to Murphy, but she was added to Young Guns and pursued by Josiah â€Å"Doc† Scurlock, who in reality was married. Adding a submissive, abused female character is pure Hollywood and only confirms Ray’s observations about the â€Å"bad† woman stereotype (380). Choosing a movie from the same time frame as when he wrote â€Å"The Thematic Paradigm†.Leads me to believe that had I chosen a film from the last decade, the outcome would have been much different because today’s films seem to reflect our society’s new realities and the fact that social norms have been changing. There are no long er clear-cut roles in reality or film; the once defined edges are now blurred. There used to be a saying in my parent’s generation about thinking outside of the box but no one really says that anymore because honestly, the boxes are gone. Our society no longer has these outlaw, official hero roles that are as distinguishable from the rest of us, at least as they were in he 1980’s, because we are all striving to be a little bit of both, we are no longer always on one side or the other. Works Cited Ray, Robert B. , â€Å"The Thematic Paradigm. † Signs of Life in the USA. Sonia Maasik and Jack Soloman. Seventh. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2012. Print. Cain, Christopher, dir. Young Guns. Writ. John Fusco, Perf. Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lou Diamond Phillips. 1988. Film. 11 Nov 2012.

Why Do We Dream?

No one knows the true answer as to why we humans dream. Probably no one ever will truly know but there are many theories concerning this topic. One theory brought about by famed psychologist Sigmund Freud is that dreams are secret wish fulfillments of the dreamer. Another is the information-processing theory. A third theory is called the activation-synthesis theory. All three are valid theories that deserved to be looked at and discussed with a little more detail. Sigmund Freud was a psychologist in the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Much of his work is now considered to be dated and even a bit absurd but it is still studied to this day. Perhaps his most famous contribution to the world of psychology, along with being the father of psychoanalysis, was his work on the interpretation and meaning of dreams. He wrote, and in 1900 published, the book â€Å"The Interpretation of Dreams†. He himself found his book to be very important and said â€Å"[It] contains†¦ the most valuable of all the discoveries it has been my good fortune to make. Insight such as this falls to one's lot but once in a lifetime† (Cherry). His theory is that dreams are repressed, secret, often sexual, desires in the unconscious mind of the dreamer. While dreaming, these secret fears and desires make themselves known. After listening to some dreams from patients of his, Freud said â€Å"What is common in all these dreams is obvious. They completely satisfy wishes excited during the day which remain unrealized. They are simply and undisguisedly realizations of wishes† (Freud). Another theory about why humans dream is called the Information-Processing Theory. It is also known as the Off-Line Theory.

Compare and contrast the 3 basic biology position of the 3 Essay

Compare and contrast the 3 basic biology position of the 3 philosophers Darwin, Dembski and Behe - Essay Example He is an American analytic philosopher who wrote a number of books about intelligent design such as The Design Inference, Intelligent Design: The Bridge between Science and Theology, and the Design Revolution. This concept of intelligent designed promoted by Dembski involves an argument that an overarching intelligence is responsible for the complexity of life that can be detected empirically. His concept of intelligent design is seen by the scientific community as a modern form of creationism, drawn from a traditional Christian set of religious belief attempting to portray itself as a science. . Michael Behe is also an advocate of intelligent design. He is an American biochemist and best known for his argument for irreducible complexity. According to him, some biochemical structures are too complex to be sufficiently explained by known evolutionary mechanisms and thus more of a result of intelligent design. However, his claims about the irreducible complexity of essential cellular s tructures have been discarded by enormous majority of the scientific community. The Theories Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is called natural selection. The theory stated that different species began from shared ancestors. Adaptations to different environments caused the differences in the organisms. The environment will determine which of the species are best fit to live and the traits of these organisms are passed down to new generations. New species are created out these traits. Decades of studies and observations led to the development of this theory. Intelligent Design is the negative argument of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. According to this theory, the forces of nature or something else are not sufficient to result to aspects of life or species. There must be an existing intelligent designer. According to this theory, the intelligent designer brought life and the natural selection have nothing to do with the appearance of the organisms we find today. Acco rding to William Dembski (1998), intelligent design can be formulated as a scientific theory having empirical consequences and devoid of religious commitments. The intelligent design can be discharged as a theory of information. According to him, information is not reducible to natural causes but best sought in intelligent causes (Dembski, 1998). Thus, intelligent design becomes a theory for detecting and measuring information, explaining its origin and tracing its flow (Demski, 1998). Michael Behe on the other hand wrote in his book Darwin’s Black Box that many biological systems are â€Å"irreducibly complex.† According to him, in order for these biological systems to evolve, multiple systems would have to arise simultaneously (Robison, 1996). Behe claims that these systems exist in Biology and the existence of â€Å"irreducible complexity† argues for an intelligent designer. The basic premise of the book is that  "Biochemistry has pushed Darwin's theory to the limit.   It has done so by opening the ultimate black box, the cell, thereby making possible our understanding of how life works† (Ussery, 2010). As Behe claims, life is so complicated, that it must have been created by divine intelligence, or at any rate gradual evolution could not possibly have created such complex systems (Ussery, 2010). Evolution vs. Intelligent Design Creationism and evolution have frequently competed since Darwin first proposed his theories of evolution and natural selection in his book

Management Strategies and Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Strategies and Practices - Essay Example This paper explores methods available for today’s managers to assist in attracting, motivating, and retaining employees to make a more productive organization. Finding the right individual who can fit the culture of the organization, according to Greengard & Byham (2003), involves hiring based on attitude and the candidate’s perceived ability to relate to customers in a positive manner. The authors further suggest that using this behavioral approach to assessing potential employees can be time consuming, offering the need for multiple interviews in order to make the right assessment. This tends to suggest, despite the efforts required of the hiring manager, that the outcome of these extended efforts will produce the best employee for the job. In actual business practice, research suggests that many managers simply do not have the time to invest in lengthy, multiple interviews due to the demands of a competitive business environment (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2005). However, it might be a logical assessment that making the effort, despite the difficulties due to increasing business pressure, would far outweigh any minor interruptions to regular business operations when the outcome is a quality employee who may remain loyal to the firm for years. Of interest to the concept of motivating employees is recognizing a theory of management proposed by Douglas McGregor: Theory X and Theory Y. Offering a brief definition, Theory X basically proposes that people are lazy by design, thus without management intervention they would not accomplish their tasks (Gallas). Theory Y, in opposite accord, suggests that employees, if they are nurtured to succeed, will work diligently toward assisting the organization (Gallas). Companies which direct employee activities using the Theory Y approach, in most instances, will likely receive a better end

Coaching and Mentoring Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Coaching and Mentoring - Annotated Bibliography Example The main research question that guided the selection of journal articles is: What are the mentoring and coaching strategies and principles in nursing theory and practice? I used the EBSCO database to search for journal articles. I know that even if I only select â€Å"peer reviewed journals† as part of my search limitations, I will still get irrelevant results, so I made sure to read the abstracts in choosing my articles. I also added â€Å"nursing† as a filter for â€Å"titles,† which limited my search to nursing journals. This approach may have excluded other potential multidisciplinary articles that may still be crucial for my research. Nevertheless, I settled on nursing journals to ensure the relationship between the chosen articles and nursing theory and practice. Finally, I did not limit my search to recent articles, because I wanted to see if other previous articles already conducted a review of literature on coaching and mentoring practices and frameworks in nursing. The first article is â€Å"Building the Capacity for Evidence-based Clinical Nursing Leadership† by Alleyne and Jumaa (2007) from the Journal of Nursing Management. Authors aimed to help primary care nurses connect management and leadership theories and clinical practice, through group clinical supervision (GCS) sessions, so that participants can improve their decision-making skills. Participants included six district nurses and two professional doctoral candidates and authors used executive co-coaching as their coaching framework. Executive co-coaching refers to a practical and goal-based approach to teaching. Findings showed that management and leadership theories improved the quality of nursing services to patients and the confidence of participants in performing their daily tasks. Authors concluded that through executive co-coaching, participants were more capable of learning systematically from the past, using evidence-based clinical nursing leadership (EBCNL), and this c oaching approach also enhanced leadership development. They recommended for executive co-coaching to be used in enhancing patient services and practitioner skills. The credibility of the journal and writers is rated as 10, because the research design, process, analysis, data, and results were adequately explained and credibility and validity measures were also included in the study. This article is important to the overall review, because it used conventional management and leadership theories to enhance clinical practice. Furthermore, it demonstrated the value of EBCNL in enhancing service quality and professional development. The sampling is too small, because it involved eight participants only. The authors should also have added other data-collection methods to engage the triangulation of research methods and to expand their sampling. A larger sampling can have better generalizability. The findings are applicable to nursing education, because it showed promising results in apply ing leadership and management theories. The findings indicate that nursing literature and practice should also look into other fields in developing leadership and management skills and concepts. These fields can provide exciting new concepts and tools for enhancing nursing mentorship literature and practice. The second article is â€Å"Mentorship in Nursing: A Literature Review† by Andrews and Wallis (1999), from the Journal of Advanced Nursing. Authors studied mentoring literature in nursing

Topical case study report Who will stop Apple's dominance of the music Essay

Topical case study report Who will stop Apple's dominance of the music delivery business - Essay Example There are some elements of surprise with each of the Apple product. This element of surprise has been the primary strategy for Apple. Whenever Apple launches a new product, million dollars are generated in free internet publicity. This has been an important part of Apple’s carefully designed strategy in order to gain customer attention (OGrady, 2008). Today some of the major products of Apple include Macintosh computer, Apple TV, iPod, iPhone, iTunes etc. In April, 2003 Apple first launched its online music store, iTunes. The music store was launched with 200,000 tracks. There are exclusive tracks 20 special artists which include U2 and Bob Dylan (Borland, J. April 28, 2003). Apple, with the launching of this new online music store, has made its position stronger than it was ever before in the digital music world. Now, the question is that could this dominance of Apple be stopped. This paper includes an in depth strategic analysis of Apple as well as of iTunes. Strategic tools that are used are Porter’s five forces model, PESTLE analysis, and Porter’s generic model. The paper also includes a critical analysis of Apple’s competitor analysis, its current market share and position. Finally the paper ends with conclusion and some specific recommendation. iTunes Music Store was launched in United kingdom in mid of 2004. Almost 800,000 songs were sold in the first week only. With this huge figure Apple surpassed OD2 which is the main competitor of the company in the first few days. As far as features were concerned UK stores were almost identical to the stores in US. Competitiveness of online music stores market could be better analyzed with the help of Porter’s Five Forces model. Any industry’s structure could be analyzed by analyzing its competitive forces. According to Michael Porter there are five competitive forces that play an important role in shaping the structure of any

Causes and Effects of Tattoos Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes and Effects of Tattoos - Essay Example It is characterized to be Tahitian, tatau, meaning an indelible figure fixed upon the body especially by the insertion of pigment under the skin (Merriam Webster Dictionary 732). However, these signs which used to be mere adaptation and camouflaged have advanced into many different uses dependent upon the enthusiast or fanatic. Aficionados vary in attitude, age, lifestyle or standard of living and interest, much as are the designs, motifs, consequence and significance. Nonetheless, the acquisition of infectious diseases corollary to motivations and driving forces is blameworthy. Whether healthy or unhealthy, in fad or mainstream, an aesthetic or natural, religious or secular, figurative or literal tattoo has its doable side. It is a mechanism of driving in some colorant using sharp edge instrument down to the dermal layer of the body's first line of defence. The human skin as an organ protects the underlying parts from physical trauma, pathogen invasion, and water loss (Mader 730). Infringing through the homogeneous epidermal sub layers: 1-a) twenty to thirty tiers of keratinized squamous epithelial cells making up the cornified outermost level, the stratum corneum; and 1-b) basal cuboidal cells, highly mitotic cells producing replacement epidermal cells for sloughed keratinized portion; and the dermis, the inner stratum of : a) connective tissues consisting of collagen, reticular and elastic fibres, blood vessels, nerves, pigment cells, adipocytes and fibroblast; b) sebaceous and sweat glands; c) hair follicles; and d) the papillary layer (Ayque 42-43) wou ld naturally wind up to its malfunction. In the dermis too are small receptors for pressure, touch, temperature and pain (Mader 731). Immunity, the ability of the body to defend itself and as non-specific defences consist of barriers to entry, inflammatory reaction, natural killer cells and protective protein. Any minor injury resulting from broken skin would result to redness, swelling, and pain. This would mean destruction to the epidermis, the underlying connective tissues and mast cells (Mader 762). It is the creation of an avenue for microbial invasion. Although the human body has its natural flora of microorganisms called indigenous microflora (Burton and Paul Engelkirk 5), opportunistic pathogens may cause a dilemma. A case in point is the intrusion of Escherichia coli. It is a species of coliform bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae, normally present in the intestines and common in water, milk, and soil. E. coli is the most frequent cause of urinary tract infection and is serious gram-negative pathogen in wounds. E. coli septicemia may rapidly result in shock and death through the action of an endotoxin released from the bacteria (Mosby's Pocket Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health 458). It may gain access into the bloodstream passing through lesion causing septicemia (Burton and Paul Engelkirk 488). It is typified by fever, chill, hypotension, pain, headache, nausea, or diarrhea (Mosby's Pocket Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health 1155-1156). Other opportunistic pathogens as human indigenous microflora are Staphylococcus aureus and Enteroccocus spp (Burton and Engelkirk 260). Staphylococcal infection of the skin includes carbuncles, folliculitis, furuncles, and hindradenitis supurativa. Bacteremia, the presence of bacteria in the blood is common and may result in

Capital budget purchase Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Capital budget purchase - Term Paper Example This item was prioritized for the broader benefits that it will bring to my department. The item is specially designed for easy operation for hospital caregivers to help them keep and manage the patients’ health records. For our surgical department services to be more efficient in accessing the patient’s records remotely and attend to the patients’ need effectively, this equipment will highly be required. Therefore, my choice for this equipment is founded on the basis that much efficiency will be derived from its use in order to improve the department’s service delivery ability (Eric, Paul, Anita, David, Kathleen, & Elizabeth, 2011). The estimated cost for the equipment is about $5,100, but the resulting improvement in patient care of the department will be much higher than this. Managerial Goals Productivity: The decision to purchase this equipment will increase productivity and service delivery whereby care givers and surgeons in charge will be able to a ccess the patients’ charts remotely, they will be able to be alerted to attend to medical error and even be reminded to provide preventive care to their patients, hence high productivity is expected to result from the equipment purchase. Productivity will also result when the caregivers will not be expected to be around their patients throughout, and can only respond to their needs when alerted by the equipment, hence giving them time to attend to other duties. Quality: this equipment will enhance quality service delivery as most of the records will be automated and even in situations where the caregivers could have forgotten, they will be reminded by the device. Development: As a manager, by making this purchase, I will be ensuring that I bring new development to my staff and department as a whole. For the development to occur there must be a positive growth. And this technology is directed towards realizing this positive growth. Employee Support: this equipment, given its h igh efficiency level, will provide a lot of support to the employees as it is able to perform several things that could have been performed by the employees, effectively. Employees will therefore find their work much easier in providing care to their patients than when they use the manual records system. Economic Environment Enhancement There are various duties performed by this new electronic health record, which could otherwise be performed by the hospital employees. These include accessing the patients’ charts, attending to critical lab values, alert to potential medical error, provision of preventive care, identifying lab needed tests among others. The electronic health record system makes these duties easier to perform, as it automatically detects the required service and alert the person concerned to attend to the patient. This system when applied, will reduce cost of employing several employees since there will be no need to hire several caregivers when several of thei r duties can be performed by the electronic health record. As this cost is reduced, the department can divert this cost to other areas that really require much funding. Therefore, economically, this equipment can help my department save a lot of cost and enhance other areas with the same cost. Organizational Goals Patient Care: As it is in the goals of the organization to give the best care to the patients in an effort to

North Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

North Korea - Essay Example The conditions of the prisons are pitiable. The government does not pay any attention to the malnutrition, people of the state are facing. Executions are carried out in public. Many people escape to China for survival but have to face severe punishments if caught (Amnesty International USA, 2007). North Korea has been given the worst freedom house rating, a score of 7-7. It is known as the worst violator of human rights. A lot of people have died of malnutrition and the government focuses on its own needs only (Freedom House, n.d.). The corruption perception index ranks various countries based on the level of corruption in their public offices. Because of the absence of required sets of data, North Korea has never been included in the CPI's (Transparency International, 2007). Economy The currency of North Korea is the North Korean won. GDP of a country is an estimate of its economy. North Korea has a GDP of $1,900 per capita. GDP (real growth rate) is 1.6%. GDP (purchasing power parity) is $40 billion. GDP per sector is: Agriculture - 30% Industry - 34% Services - 36% An estimate of the labor force is 10 million with 36% into agriculture and 64% in industry and services. The major agricultural products are rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs and major industries are related to military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining, metallurgy; textiles, food processing. The country receives an external food aid of $81.11 million. The external debt is of $12 billion. Total export is of $1.437 billion and total import is of $3.181 billion (CIA,... The Democratic People's Republic of Korea came into existence in 1948. Since independence the communist Korean Worker’s Party has ruled the country. The government of the country, under the leadership of Kim Jong Il, exhibits true dictatorship. There is a scarcity of food. Any person showing disrespect to KWP has to face tortures or even death penalties. The conditions of the prisons are pitiable. North Korea is in critical economic and political situation. There is a need to introduce new economic reforms to stabilize the financial condition of the country. Laws must be crafted for the benefit of the society and for reducing the crime rate. New technologies need to be adopted for the development of the country and independence from the external financial aids. With the world’s least free economy figure of 3%, North Korea holds 157th place out of 157 countries. No international authority is allowed to collect country’s economic information. North Korea has corruption rooted in every individual’s job profile. Government uses unlawful means of earning money, burdened with heavy international debts. There is no freedom of business or trade outside or within the country.

Lawsuite against Target- court cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lawsuite against Target- court cases - Essay Example unds that the charges against it could be dismissed because it was only a nominal defendant, exerting no significant control over the design and manufacture of a defective product. However Tabish filed a motion to remand the case to the Hannepin County District Court. The decision in this case was in support of the Plaintiff. The Court held that Target’s argument that it was a non-manufacturer defendant and therefore entitled to dismissal of the charges against it, would not hold good because Tabish had also filed for damages against implied warranties of fitness and mercantibility. Dismissal is required only in cases where the suit is filed on the basis of only strict liability claims. As a result, the ruling of the Court effectively held that the charges against Target would not be dismissed and Target remained a viable defendant rather than a nominal party and Tabish was entitled to seek relief from Target. Kenneth Tabish, Plaintiff, v. Target Corporation, Huffy Corporation, Impact Resource Group, Inc., National Product Services Acquisition Corporation, and John Does I-X, Defendants.Civ. No. 07-2303 (RHK/JSM) CORE TERMS: bicycle, removal, nominal, amount in controversy, manufacturer, strict-liability, in-state, defective product, subject to dismissal, non-manufacturer, implied-warranty, contravened, diversity, removable, diversity jurisdiction, principal place of business, front For Impact Resource Group, Inc., an Ohio Corporation, National Product Services Acquisition Corporation, a Delaware Corporation, Defendants: Jessica R Wymore , LEAD ATTORNEY, Stich, Angell, Kreidler & Dodge, P.A., Mpls, MN US. Plaintiff Kenneth Tabish commenced this personal-injury action in Minnesota state court   [*2]  against (among others) Huffy Corporation ("Huffy") and Target Corporation ("Target"), the manufacturer and distributor, respectively, of an allegedly defective bicycle. Target removed the action to this Court on May 15, 2007, asserting diversity jurisdiction.

Exercises ; Problems Solutions Essay Example for Free

Exercises ; Problems Solutions Essay Her owner’s equity decreased by $14,000 for the operating expenses recorded on August 10th, by $400 for the interest expense recorded on August 24th, and by $10,000 for the cash dividend recorded on August 29th. In other words, her owner’s equity was increased by revenues, and it was decreased by expenses and dividends. Interest is an expense because it represents a necessary payment to others (i. e. , creditors) for the use of their money—thus, it is a â€Å"cost† of doing business. Dividends are a distribution of profits to the owners of the firm and represent a partial liquidation of the firm. A dividend is not an expense because it represents a profit distribution; it is not a â€Å"cost† of doing business. f. g. When money is borrowed from the bank, an asset (cash) is increased and a liability (notes payable) is also increased by an equal amount. Net income is increased only when revenue has been earned—and money borrowed from the bank represents a liability that must be repaid, not revenue that has been earned. Paying off accounts payable decreases an asset (cash) and decreases a liability (accounts payable) by an equal amount. Collecting an account receivable increases an asset (cash) and decreases another asset (accounts receivable) by equal amounts. In both cases, only balance sheet accounts are involved. Net income is increased by revenues and decreased by expenses. The expense associated with a cash payment of an account payable would have been recorded in an earlier transaction (when the expense was incurred and the account payable was established); by the same logic, the revenue associated with the collection of an account receivable would have been recorded in an earlier transaction (when the revenue was earned and the account receivable was established).Amounts shown in the balance sheet below reflect the following use of the data given: An asset should have a probable future economic benefit; therefore the accounts receivable are stated at the amount expected to be collected from customers. Assets are reported at original cost, not current worth. Depreciation in accounting reflects the spreading of the cost of an asset over its estimated useful life. Assets are reported at original cost, not at an assessed or appraised value. The amount of the note payable is calculated using the accounting equation, A = L + OE. Total assets can be determined based on items (a), (b), and (c); total owners equity is known after considering item (e); and the note payable is the difference between total liabilities and the accounts payable. The retained earnings account balance represents the difference between cumulative net income and cumulative dividends. The problem could be solved without calculating this number.

Sociology families and households

Sociology families and households Functionalism is a structuralist theory. This means it sees the individual as less important as the social structure of society. It is a top down theory. The family can be defined as an intimate domestic group composed of people related to each other by blood, sexual relations and legal ties. When assessing how useful functionalism is when looking at the family, other views/perspectives need to be taken into account before making an overall conclusion. Views from Talcott Parsons, George Murdock, Ann Oakley, Edmund Leach, R.D Laing, David Cooper and Friedrich Engels will be taken into account as well as perspectives from Marxism, feminism, family diversity and radical psychiatrists. This will help draw the final conclusion. Functionalist sociologists suggest that the nuclear family is the norm in modern day industrial societies. George Peter Murdock (1949) supports the idea of functionalism. After analysing 250 societies, Murdock argues that the family performs four basic functions; sexual, reproductive, economic and educational. These are the essentials for social life, since without sexual and reproductive functions there would be no members of society, without economic functions life would cease, and without education there would be no culture. Human society without culture could not function. Clearly, the family cannot perform these functions exclusively. However, it makes important contributions to them all and no other institution has yet been devised to match its efficiency in this respect. A weakness of Murdocks view is that some sociologists may find his description of the family almost too good to be true. Some of his views on harmony and integration are not shared be other researchers. He also does not examine alternatives to the family, not considering whether its functions could be carried out b y other social institutions. Murdock is criticised for being Euro-centric, as he is only concerned about the Western families. However, he is supported by anthropologists; Morris (1968) said the family was a result of biology and culture over generations (socio-biology). This could be a strength as it shows some researchers have the same view. Talcott Parsons bases his ideas on the family in modern American society. However, despite this his ideas have more general application since he claims the American family has two basic and irreducible functions which are common to the family in all societies, unlike Murdock who argued there were four. These were, the primary socialization of children, where culture is learned and accepted by children so they know the norms and values that allow society to exist. Secondly the stabilization of adult personalities, which is where a marriage relationship and emotional security a couple provide for each other keeps a personality stable, and acts as a counterweight to everyday stresses and strains that can make a personality unstable. This process is otherwise known as the warm bath theory, where the family provide a relaxing environment for the male worker to immerse himself in after a hard day at work. A criticism of Parsons view would be that he idealises the family, much like Murdock, with his view of well adjusted children and sympathetic spouses caring for each others every need, when in reality not all families are like this. Also Parsons fails to explore the differences between working/middle class families, as his ideas are generally based on the American middle class family. Parsons perspective supports that of functionalism, that the nuclear family is the norm in society. Ann Oakley has described the typical or conventional family. She says conventional families are nuclear families composed of legally married couples, voluntarily choosing the parenthood of one or more children. This shows support for functionalism. Leach (1967) has called this the cereal packet image of the family. This image of a happily married couple with two children is prominent in advertising and the family sized packets of cereal and other products are aimed at this group. The family is functional for both its members and society as a whole. Increasingly this picture of the family is coming under strong criticism. Some observers are suggesting that on balance, the family may well be dysfunctional both for society and its individual members. This criticism has mainly been directed at the family in Western industrial society. The Marxist view on the family opposes that of the functionalists. It is seen to challenge the idea that the family is universal or natural, but instead that it is human creation; a social invention that has served a specific economic purpose. The Marxist theory on the family emerged from the work of Friedrich Engels. It is argued by Marxists that the working-class extended family has been deliberately discouraged by the capitalist ruling class, because its emphasis on a mutual support system and collective action encourages its members to be aware of their social class position. It is believed that the nuclear family under capitalist law in an anti-social family. It labels all other forms of family life as inferior and abnormal. However, a weakness of the Marxist view is that there is a tendency to talk about the family in capitalist society without regard to possible variations in family life between social classes. Family diversity supports the fact that the conventional family no longer makes up the majority of households or families. For example, women no longer aspire exclusively to romantic love, marriage and children. There are now acceptable alternative life styles some people prefer, such as pre-marital sex, serial monogamy, cohabitation, single-sex relationships, childlessness etc. Mens roles too are no longer clear in a postmodern society, and the resulting crisis of masculinity has lead to man redefining both their sexuality and family commitments. Others disagree with this view. They argue that family diversity is exaggerated, and that the basic features of family life have remained largely unchanged for the majority of the population. Nuclear families are still very common but alternate types of family are steadily increasing. When looking at a critical view of the family, radical psychiatry mat be taken into account. Edmund Leach supported the idea in the family there is too much emotional pressure on each individual to live up to expectations. R.D Laing associated schizophrenia with the emotional pressure and anxiety of the nuclear family. David Cooper suggested the personality of the individual is controlled by the family, forcing them to conform to the rules of both the family, forcing them to conform to the rules of both the family and wider society. These three radical researchers all agree that the family is a dangerous place and mental illness could be the result of pressures laid down to the individual. From this angle it can be seen that the family has a negative, this view does not agree with the view of functionalism. Friedrich Engels acknowledges that the position of women within the family is an important aspect of what the Marxists see as its harmful effects. However, he emphasizes the relationship between family and capitalism, and is less concerned with its effects on women. Feminism has broken itself down into different perspectives, Marxist feminists, liberal feminists and radical feminists. Friedrich Engels speaks for the Marxist feminist view. Liberal feminists believe that both sexes contribute to domestic chores in an atmosphere of mutual support and hegemony, and there is an equal division of labour. Radical feminist beliefs are that the nuclear family is based upon male power and serves to support that. Male power is often expressed in the home as domestic violence. It is seen that patriarchy is transhistorical; it is ever present in all societies and cultures. A weakness is that feminists often do not take into account the possible differences in family life, for example, social clas ses, ethnic groups, heterosexual and gay families etc. They just seem to assume every family is a nuclear family, so may exaggerate the effect of families to women. They therefore ignore the possibility of women fighting back against exploitation and do not see the positive side to the family. Now that perspectives and ideas criticising and supporting functionalism have been illustrated. A conclusion can be made. If looking at Murdock and Parsons it can be seen that they both tend to only take into account Western societies, and tend to generalise. Apart from that they both have strong, similar ideas on what the family is. Oakley and Leach support their ideas on the nuclear family being the majority of society. However, although the argument supporting functionalism is sound, other views need to be taken into perspective. For example Marxism, questioning the idea of a universal/natural family. Family diversity offering different options to how people choose to live, feminists saying the family exploits women and radical psychiatry claiming the family is a dangerous place and causes mental illness

Food Culture in Malaysia and Japan

Food Culture in Malaysia and Japan The growing, rearing and processing of foodstuffs seems to have held a special fascination since the nineteenth century. Food and beverage industry has really growth and moving positively if compare to the preceding years, which is from the number of restaurant that opens day by day. There is a vast variety of restaurants with the different types of cuisine in Malaysia that representing different country and culture by offers an exciting array of food outlets, from fast food to fine dining and everything in between. Local food alone offers Malay, Cantonese, Szechuan, Indian and Nyonya cuisine while international food covers the gamut from Japanese to Middle-Eastern, Italian and American. Today, more people are excited to experiment and explore each restaurant that just opened. Moreover, due to the lifestyle and trends, more people are eating out rather than cook at home. For instance: Recently, more and more Japanese restaurants have been opened around Malaysia. Every restaurant trie s to bring up a new concept and originality to their brand. As the time goes by, people are more selective nowadays. They would like to choose a good quality food, with a good portion, with a good branding, and willing to pay with a reasonable price. There are some students are willing to pay high price for one meal because they want to try a new restaurant or a new cuisine with a good quality of the food. Thus, all restaurants have to try their best to meet the customers expectations. Besides that, they also have to recognize every aspect of their business has an impact on customer service because involve face to face customer contact and the supply in food has growing day by day. Each restaurant has to boost them self to improving customer service that involves making a commitment to learning what our customers needs and wants are, and developing action plans that implement customer friendly processes. The writer finds this issue interesting because nowadays people often ask the simple question like Where are we going to eat? I love Japanese foods especially sushi. Where can I get a delicious sushi with ideal price, good service and good place to hang out? When people decide to choose a Japanese restaurant, there are some factors that influence their decision making, such as customers emotion, satisfaction and brand loyalty. It is very important to know customers behavior in order to build a long term relationship. Therefore, the writer has chosen the title An assessment of Sushi Zanmai Malaysia popularity among university college students. There are three different concepts of Japanese restaurant that owe by SuperSushi Sdn Bhd Company which are: 1st Concept: Sushi Zanmai that began since in April, 1997, the genuine conveyer-sushi restaurant. There are several outlets of Sushi Zanmai which are in Sunway Pyramid, The Gardens, One Utama and Low-Yat. 2nd Concept: Sushi Zen that began since in September, 2007, a casual kiosk-style Japanese restaurant. 3rd Concept: Pasta Zanmai that began since in December, 2007, a Japanese Casual Pasta Restaurant. Within this short period, this company has developed the restaurant very fast, from one concept into another concept. The purpose of this research is: To identify factors that influence people selecting Sushi Zanmai as a sushi restaurant To identify current trends of Japanese food To recommend measures that could help to improve current condition PART 1: LITERATURE AND REVIEW 1.1 Food Culture in Malaysia Malaysia has a combined population of over 18 million people. Because of its central location, between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Malaysia has traditionally been a meeting point for traders and travelers from both the East and West, it also has produced a most diverse culinary melting pot. As a result, Malaysia has a multicultural and multiracial population consisting of three main group which are Malays, Chinese, Indians and numerous indigenous peoples. With such a varying ethnic composition, it is no surprise that a great diversity of religions is prevalent throughout Malaysia. In Malaysia, eating out is really a gastronomic adventure. A blend ofcultural and ethnic histories which make up Malaysias diverse population is reflected in the broad range of influences and flavours found in Malaysian cuisine. And each state in Malaysia has something to offer in terms of culinary delights. For instance: Penang, the famous in hawker stall haven, where all the most delicious food requires that only costs as little as RM 3.50 per dish, such as Penang Char Kway Teow, Fried Oyster, Laksa, etc. Mallaca is also home to Baba Nyonya food, which served in quaint cafes in historical shop houses. Or in Kuala Lumpur, the most diverse offering of foods from all over the world, such as Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Thailand cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine, European cuisine, Arabian cuisine, etc. With mixed origins, there are certain ingredients common to many dishes in Malaysia. Multiple varieties of rice and noodles, which are from local or imported from Thailand, Japan or India, are often used as a base. The Malays include a lot of seafood in their diet, like fish, squids, prawns and crabs that used to show up in Malay dishes. And most of Malaysian dishes use fish sauce or fish paste because fish live is around the shores of Malaysias islands. Fresh herbs and roots are commonly used to cook Malays food.ÂÂ   Indian and Thai curry spices with regional varieties are often used to create rich and spicy curry dishes. A dried spice is also form an important component of Malays cooking. Moreover, in a city of Malaysia which is Malacca was one of the great trading centers of the spice in the fifteen century. And Coconut is another favorite ingredient which is also common found in countless dishes. For instance: Santan(the coconut milk), to make creamy curries. It is to add sa vory sweetness of the dishes and to cool the fire of hotter spices. Today, rice is the staple for almost half the worlds population, particularly in parts of China, India, Indonesia, Japan and Southeast Asia. According to historians, they believe that is was first domesticated in the area covering the foothills of Eastern Himalayas (Northeastern India), and stretching through Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Southern China. From here, it spread in all directions and human cultivation created numerous varieties of rice. According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in Philippines, there are 120.000 varieties of rice worldwide. Over the centuries, there are three main types of rice developed in Asia, depends on the content of the grain which is: Amylase means an enzyme that breaks starch down into sugar Rice has divided into three (3) which are long grain, medium grain and short grained varieties. In this case, different populations, consumer different varieties of rice. Foods through the day in Malaysia are three meals a day and rice is almost always included, even at breakfast. For instance, Nasi Lemak. A typical meal consists of rice served with soup, curries, and a few vegetable stir-fries and also eaten fruit for dessert. A typical of Malay lunch and dinner was all dishes are placed in the center of the table to be shared by all the diners and usually the Malay food is often eaten with the hands. There are similar eating pattern within Japanese and Malaysia, which the main staple is rice and it is eaten with almost every meal. The meal features is quite same, such as the tastes of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and salty. Like Chinese style wheat noodles served in meat stock known as Ramen have become extremely popular over the last century and Malaysian like to consume noodles. Follow by seafood, as Japan is surrounded by sea as same as Malaysias islands. Therefore, When Japanese cuisine comes to Malaysia, the food itself easily accepted by Malaysian. 1.2 Background of Japanese Food Culture The rice-centered food culture of Japan evolution follows the introduction of wet rice cultivation from Asia more than 2000 years ago. The cultivation and consumption of rice has always played a central role in Japanese food culture. The tradition of Japanese is usually rice served with seasonal vegetables; fish and other marine products reached a highly sophisticated form in the Edo period (1600-1868) and remains the vibrant core of native Japanese cuisine. In the century and a half since Japan reopened to the West, Japan has developed an incredibly rich and varied food culture which includes not only native Japanese cuisine but also many foreign dishes. Some adapted to Japanese tastes and some imported more or less unchanged. In the 6th century, introduction of Buddhism to Japan became the official religion of the country and the eating of meat and fish were prohibited. The first recorded decision prohibiting the eating of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys and chicken was issued by Emperor Temmu in A.D.675. Laws and emperor eliminate the eating of almost all flesh of animals and fowl because based on Buddhism are prohibiting to killing. In the 15th century, many of the foods and food ingredients eaten by Japanese nowadays, for instance: miso, tofu or soy sauce. In the 16th century, the combination of Spanish and Portuguese frying technique with Chinese method for cooking vegetables in oil led to the development of tempura, the popular Japanese dish in which seafood and many types of vegetables with deep fried method. In the early 19th century, the development in Edo, the introduction of sushi has started. Todays, most of people are familiar with that dishes. It made from vinegar rice top or combined with raw fish and shellfish. And during that time, sushi was sold from stalls as a snack food, and that stalls were become the starter of todays sushi restaurants. In the mid 19th century, many of new cooking and eating customs were introduced where the most important being eating the meat. Consider of Japanese dish, Sukiyaki that consist of beef, vegetables, tofu and other ingredients cook at the table in a soup stock of soy sauce, sweet sake and sugar was first served in Western style restaurants. Another dish that popular during this period is Tonkatsu, means a deep fried bread pork cutlets. In the early 20th century, using Indian curry powder, Japanese curry rice (kareraisu) became very popular dish which consisted vegetables, meat or seafood with a thick curry sauce and served with rice. In generally at sushi restaurants, costumers will sit at the counter and call out their order item to a sushi chef. Or sit at Conyever belt where the customers can grab small plates in front of you, or call a special order if you do not see what you want on the belt. Or customers can sit on tatami mats. And as like Chinese, Japanese also ate with chopsticks to transfer the food. The rice bowl is not held as closely to the mouth. Soups are consumed directly from the bowl and the only dish eaten with a spoon is an unsweetened egg custard which known as chawanmushi. There are several ways to describes the differ of Japan cuisine from other cuisine, First, portion of the dish are small because it is to capture the diners attention with the freshness, natural flavor, the beauty of each dish, the atmosphere and the whole meal. Second, the food for a meal is served at once, so diners receive their own portions on individual plates and bowls instead of serving family style from large bowls in the middle of table. Third, Japanese use less oil which to emphasize the light and natural flavor of the food. And now, development of Japanese restaurant that opened more and more in Malaysia. It can be cause of the trends between among the Malaysia. There is similarity between Malaysia cuisine and Japanese cuisine that makes Malaysia is easier to accept. Other reason is Malaysian are quite open minded with those culture. 1.3 Food affecting consumers towards selection of food There are numerous factors that affect consumers towards selection of food, whether it is made by individuals or other parties. Food choices are influenced by many interacting factors which are income, culture, the concern about health, values, religion or even genetic. Many operational models have been developed to describe these influences that including The Lifestyle Model of dietary habits (Pelto, 1981), which attempts to explain how these factors interact to result in specific food behaviors. Societal Factors: Food Production and Distribution System is responsible for the availability of foods which differs from region to region and country to country. Food availability influences and in turn is influenced by the socio-economic and political systems. These serve to control the production and distribution of food in culture. Government policy may also be involved with the purchasing power of consumers through programs such as the oversight of food quality through safety standards, nutrition labeling requirements and other production programs (JoslingRitson, 1986) Lifestyle Factors: Income (limits what foods can be purchased) ÂÂ ® Occupation (influences food habits in several ways, for instance: the location of the job also influence meal patterns) ÂÂ ® Education (the status and self-realization phase of food use are usually, through not always dependent on higher levels of education) ÂÂ ® Nutrition Knowledge (may or may not translate into knowledge based behavior, and greater influence over what someone eats than what the person knows about nutrition) ÂÂ ® Ethnic identity (a distant heritage that has been modified or lost over the generations through acculturation) ÂÂ ® Rural-Urban (place of residence may affect which foods people eat) ÂÂ ® Religious Beliefs (depends on what religion, may have a great impact on food habits or may have no influence at all) ÂÂ ® Health (specific foods are often credited with health promoting qualities, such as ginseng in Asia) ÂÂ ® Physiological (age,gender,body image, and state of health)A ll of influence lifestyle factors are affects food habits. 1.4 Factors affecting popularity of Japanese food towards university college student The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools which often summarized as the four Ps that the firm uses to achieve its objectives in target markets (McCarthy, 2001). And most marketing professionals would say that the right marketing mix is the one that maximizes customers satisfaction and results in the highest sales or market share. Product It is defined as anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or a want. Step one; this product emerges will come from an analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threats. There are two classifications of product: Tangible product Goods Intangible product Services For a restaurant, the goods are food and beverage outlets offered and the service is the customer service. Consequently, it is logically to include services within the definition of the product. (David Jobber) Step two; is a detailed analysis of the target market to assess the nature of the opportunity, what is its size and potential? How strong is the competition and how is it likely to evolve in the future? Step three; is research into the needs of prospective customers, what is it that customers actually want? According to Hamel and Prahalad, 1991, today, this goes beyond merely asking customers, what are the customer looking for, but creatively seeking to discover needs that customers cannot articulate because the customers are unaware of the possibilities offered by new technologies and the changing environment. People will always seek a restaurant that offering excellent food, especially when the restaurant have a good service, value and ambiance. People satisfy their needs and wants with products. Thus, the product is the main thing for a company because without products there is nothing to market or sell. And when a customer decides to buy a product, the customer will look for certain characteristics. The customer will want to know how many different products that offered by restaurant, which one provides a more interesting savings and what is included in the product. Product must have the power to leave a good impression and interest so the customer will not hesitate to visit the restaurant for the second time. Price It is defined as what the product or service costs to the customer or the amount that customers are willing to pay for a product and service. In order hand, price is the only element in the marketing mix that produces revenue. And setting a price for a product is very important. Price has a very strong impact on sales volume and market share; empirical studies (reviewed in Tellis, 1988; and Sethuraman and Tellis, 1991) have shown that, for most products, price elasticity is substantially higher than advertising elasticity. The company will need to set a price that the customer can afford and willing to pay and at the same it will help the company to achieve a good level of profits. When a customer asks about the price of a product, the customer also interested in knowing is there any discounts or special promotions. Therefore, no matter how good the product, how creative the promotion or how efficient the place or distribution, unless price covers costs the company will make a loss. (David Jobber, 2004) For instance, if the price is expensive, regular students will not be able to afford it and will think to have their meals in other restaurant. Nowadays, customers are concern about the price of their food and tend to compare the price to another restaurant. The customer will evaluate whether the value of the product is worth the amount that the customer are paying, because customers are always strongly influenced by price. Price often fulfills two functions simultaneously: it reflects the sacrifice that the buyer must make in order to acquire the product or service involved and it also acts as a signal of the quality of the product (Monroe, 1990) Another consideration is where pricing have the relationship between price and perceived quality, because many people use price as an indicator of quality. According to David Jobber, the more value a product gives compared to that of the competition, the higher the price that can be charged. Price should accurately key to the value to the customer. The sacrifices that made by the customer is in order to experience the benefits of a product, thus from the restaurant itself have to give the best for the customer. Place It is defined as place or distribution as a set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product available for use or consumption by customers. Or the company activities that make the product available to target customers. The dimensions of place are channels, assortment, location, inventory and transport. (Borden, 1984) For instance: Location, where customer can obtain the product so distribution channels are the key to this area. And in fact, many restaurant companies believe that location has become the most important factor to success. Warnaby and Dominic, 2004 highlight the advantages of shopping in town centers. Thus, the company will need to find ways to bring the products to customers and make the product easy to access to the customers. For instance: Convenience that is also important issue in food outlet patronage which the time and speed service is required, in order to satisfied the customers need and want. Place or distribution considerations play a major role in influencing customer motives. In the marketing of consumer goods, the role is to ensure that the product is available to the consumer when and where it is needed and in sufficient variety and quantity. Promotion It is defined as the activities that communicate the merits of the products and persuade target customers to buy or use the products. Company need to plan promotional activities properly in order to create awareness of potential customers. It is where advertising and communications are used to encourage customers uptake of the product or service. Promotion has several types of tools which are: Advertising, Sales promotion (discounts, coupons), Publicity, Word of Mouth, Personal Selling, Merchandising, Sponsorship and etc. The main reason why promotion is so important is to communicate with individuals, groups or organizations. Through promotion, the message like information about products or services can be communicated to existing and potential customers. Promotions can strengthen brand positioning. A 1985 study by Frankel and Co. and Perception Research Services found that, following exposure to adverts featuring promotions for a brand, consumers opinion of the brand( issues like quality, value and caring about customers ) improved by over 8 percentage compared to those exposed to only brand sell adverts. In other words, it must have the right facilities and services (product) and make them easily accessible to guests (place) with the proper amount of promotion and the right price. (David Abbey, 2003) Japanese food-Korean food Japanese and Korean foods are popular and are made of similar ingredients. However, the foods have their own taste, recipe and way of eating. Even though Korean food and Japanese food seems to be similar, both of them have their specialties. Japanese food and Korean food seems to be similar because they use same ingredient. For example, both of them use onions, green onions, red peppers, raw fish, and rice. Koreans and Japanese enjoy eating raw sliced fish, which are sushi and sashimi. Sushis ingredients are boiled rice, and raw sliced fish and sashimis ingredient is just as raw sliced fish. In addition, Korean and Japanese rice is the same. However, Korean and Japanese food is not totally same. Koreans tend to make food spicier and saltier than Japanese food. The price of Japanese food is higher than that Korean food. When people eat a meal at a Japanese restaurant, they should pay lots of money for their meal. For example, the basic foods like rice, sashimi, and some sea food cost thirty-five dollars per person. However, Korean basic foods, rice, main stew, and lots of side dishes cost just ten dollars per person. Japanese fresh seafood has high valuable, so most people prefer going to a Japanese restaurant like Benihana. Nevertheless, it is expensive. Every person has his/her own appetite, someone want to eat Japanese food and the other want to eat Korean food. Both foods may seem to be similar, because they are made of almost same ingredients. However, each of them has their own recipe, taste, and style of eating. Even though Japanese food is expensive, people like to eat Japanese food.

Immigrants - Just Let Them In :: Immigrants Immigration Essays

Immigrants - Just Let Them In America is the land of the free, and a life full of opportunities for every American. The United States leads the world in its power and is seen by many as a way to escape the hardships of their countries. Would it be inhumane of a rich country to not help the other countries and people, who struggle in the world? But for an immigrant to enter the United States, he or she must have a one to two-year processing time, a three hundred and ten dollar fee, and a ten page form stating their reasons for entering the U.S. Most immigrants do not want or can find time to go through this process. Instead, they could come into the U.S. illegally and still receive a job without a problem. Immigrants help America prosper by increasing the purchasing of goods. This in turn makes the economy grow by demanding more jobs. Immigrants help America flourish and create a wide variety of people living the American dream as one nation. Most Americans relax in a state of comfort zone. They live their nice lives and forget about the world outside their eyes. Studying other countries gives a clear example of what horrible lives others live. Currently eighty-nine percent of Mexico lives in poverty. The average Mexican worker slaves all day for a pathetic forty pesos, (Mexico Child Link. http://www.mexico-child-link.org/mexico-factfile-statistics.htm). That is two dollars a day in America. If an American had a family with a wife and a couple kids, they could not support a family with such a lack of income. The American needs to put himself or herself in a position of an immigrant and asked the question what they would do. They would try to leave and go to a land where they hear of riches and luxuries. They would leave to a place where they could raise a happy family and obtain a steady job paying wages that they could support their family. The dream of any human being is not to suffer, but to live a joyful li fe. Many immigrants flee their countries because they seek asylum in the United States.

Alcohol and its Effects on Social Behavior Essay -- Drinking Alcohol B

Alcohol and its Effects on Social Behavior The characters in Ernest Hemingway’s novel, The Garden of Eden, exhibit an interesting social behavior throughout the story in their frequent consumption of various types of alcoholic beverages. The character David Bourne especially seems to have one or two drinks often before ordering food when out at the French cafà © near their hotel, regardless of the present time of day. The behavior of these characters, by modern society’s standards, places them in a class of heavy social drinkers, but this may not have been Hemingway’s intention at the time when the novel was written. It is most appropriate, therefore, to discuss the specific drinks mentioned in the text independently of the specific situation, but simply in the context of class and society in general. The established historian and literary critic Hippolyte Taine once made the valid observation, â€Å"Alcohol is the literature of the people† (Haine 100). She uses this idea to show the strong correlation between a simple commodity and its profound effects on the people and issues of a larger society. The emergence of frequent alcohol consumption is first seen in the upper classes and royalty because these people not only have the time to devote to this form of leisure, but they possess the money to finance these habits as well (Haine). This image of a luxurious aristocratic lifestyle appeals to all other members of society who, in turn, wish to emulate this behavior themselves. The idea of alcohol use as a fashion is the stimulus that causes its practice to spread throughout all levels of society. The upper class may be where the practice of regular alcohol consumption originates, but the working class is the group of peo... ...Reviews.com Inc. 16 Nov 2002 . This article is a post by someone who has tried the alternate (legal) versions of absinthe and it provides descriptions of the drink and some of its effects. Haine, W. Scott. The World of the Paris Cafà ©: Sociability among the French Working Class, 1789-1914. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. This book is extremely interesting and helpful because it provides insight into how drinking was different for members of each class and the trends in social behavior. Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Domesticating Drink: Women, Men, and Alcohol in America, 1870-1940. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. This book provided a resource on the traditional gender roles of alcohol consumption and the changes that were seen overtime in these positions.

The Prospects for a National Missile Defense :: Research Papers

The Prospects for a National Missile Defense Imagine this scenario: approximately fifteen intercontinental ballistic missiles are unintentionally launched from Russia. The missiles are equipped with several nuclear warheads, and their final target is the United States. The United States already possesses an early-warning system and thus detects the missiles more than twenty minutes before they land. However, even though they can detect the missiles, the United States has no means of defending itself from them. If even one of the warheads lands inside the United States, the consequences will be devastating. Hundreds of thousands will perish, millions more will suffer life-altering injuries and diseases, and the targeted city will lie in ruins. The prospect of a ballistic missile attack has been a fear in the United States since the 1950s, and that concern has been renewed with the end of the Cold War. Currently nations have limited means of protecting themselves. Both Russia and the United States have the bounded capability to d efend against short-range missiles, but neither can protect their territory from intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). As a result of a growing concern in the United States, Congress has pushed for a national missile defense system. The purpose of a national missile defense system is to destroy a ballistic missile launched on the US before it can ever reach it. If an operational national missile defense system were implemented, the United States would theoretically be able to thwart any ballistic missile attack on any of its fifty states. Two questions must be answered, however, before the United States begins the implementation of a national missile defense system. First, how feasible and reliable is the technology of the system? Second, assuming that the defense system would be operational and could protect the United States against a ballistic missile attack, what implications would such a system hold for international security? That is, would it serve as a stabilizing or destabilizing factor? This paper will serve to show that the technology for NMD is feasible when its technical components are looked at individually, and it is only a matter of years before a national missile defense system could be minimally operational. However, if countermeasures are taken against an NMD system, it will never be completely successful in a ballistic missile attack. Finally, regardless of its feasibility an NMD system would destabilize international security and could possibly even reinitiate another arms race, and for this reason, alternatives should be considered.

Mindy Lewis’

Adolescence is difficult and painful: rebellion, critical parental scrutiny, an overall feeling of not living up to expectations. For some of us it is a time of excess – drug use, arguments, lots of psychic pain. Mindy Lewis’ compelling memoir is about what happens when adolescent rebellion is not treated as routine. Her version of teenage acting out led to a more than two-year incarceration in the New York State Psychiatric Institute at Columbia–Presbyterian Medical Center (which she calls PI) when she was almost 16 years old. The book, Life Inside, explores Lewis’ life, telling a story of an upbringing quite different from most, and its effects. Always a creative soul, Lewis expressed her emotions in painting, rarely in writing. But an intense cyber-romance in the early ‘90s led her to begin to express her emotions in writing. She began to take workshops, writing essays and the occasional short story. Positive reinforcement in the workshops and small successes getting published made her take her writing a little more seriously. She actually wasn’t sure she could go through with her story, until she followed friends’ encouragement to write it, not just for herself but for the others who had been with her and for those who are in a similar situation now. Life inside chronicles a reasonably happy childhood in Manhattan, her father’s departure for California, and the dissolution of her parents’ marriage. The arrival of a stepfather did not provide any cushion as her relationship with her mother started to disintegrate when she began high school, smack in the middle of the ‘60s. Though her painting ability had secured her acceptance at the High School of Music and Art, she soon began to feel as though she didn’t fit in. She just didn’t feel hip enough for the other kids and heady atmosphere that pervaded the school. Lewis had discovered an escape in marijuana, LSD, and a collection of other drugs. Her parents sent her to a psychiatrist to try to find a way to reach her, and though he didn’t seem to think that she was â€Å"crazy†, he recommended institutionalizing her when she was suspended from Music and Art and made a perfunctory attempt at suicide. Several things strike the reader during the journey through the book: the remarkable level of detail about Lewis’ experiences at PI; the difficult adulthood that seemed as excruciating as it was inevitable following such a contorted adolescence; and the courage that it must have taken to commit all of it to paper. As Lewis says: â€Å"In [Life Inside] I hoped to give something—clues to parents of adolescents, or to adolescents themselves who are in pain. I wanted to let them know that there are kindred spirits—they’re not alone. There is a path out of the dark. If the worst situation in my life can become a positive, it’s like alchemy. It gives me faith that miracles can happen in life.† Her story is honest and open. As a reader, one could identify with her pain and her experience, even though it is quite different from one’s own. Many of the feelings she describes are universal, which leads us to question society and its definition of insanity. The book is really well-written and vivid, with great attention to physical and emotional detail. The story moves quickly (over 30 years in 350 pages), with its main focus how the 27-months in the institution affected Mindy's life. However, the book also details Mindy's journey to understand her life, the world around her, her family, and how to create meaning from experience, going beyond â€Å"life inside†. Readers who will particularly appreciate this book include lovers of well-wrought prose, and people who feel impaired by something in their past, and cautiously optimistic about their chances of getting over it and/or growing from it. Life inside received a starred Kirkus Review, and was named 2003 Book of the Year by the American Journal of Nursing. It is a vivid first-person account of the author's experiences as a rebellious 15-year-old remanded to a psychiatric ward in the late 1960s. No comments are needed for the following words: â€Å"While conversing with me it was quite obvious that she is more genuinely wrapped up within herself†¦ She is very self-conscious and is usually unable to face the interviewer†¦ Her walk is a sort of bedraggled shuffle which makes me think of someone being led off to their execution. The patient is fearful, extremely anxious and depressed. At times her anxiety rises to such heights that she begins to tremble.† â€Å"There must be something wrong with my reflexes. If they'd been working right, I would have pulled my foot away, or kicked him. I hope he's a better shrink than he is a doctor.† â€Å"The sleeves hang over my hands, which is fine with me — the more that's hidden, the better†¦ Once I was a nice little girl, but those days are over. Before I can stop it, that nice little girl's tears fill my eyes. I blink them away, hoping nobody saw†¦ I can't take another minute sitting out here in the hallway. Privacy is as important to me as air, and I'm suffocating.† â€Å"I sit here in my chains and the days go by and nothing ever happens. It is an empty joyless life, but I accept it without complaint. I await other times and they will surely come, for I am not destined to sit here for all eternity†¦.I muse on this in my dungeon and am of good cheer.† Today Lewis is by any account a healthy and creative adult with extraordinary insight. She is an artist by profession, a dancer by avocation and a writer by sheer force of will. At 50, Lewis has kept her youth with her. She is tall, trim, and strong; belly dancing is a passion and bike riding and swimming help, as well. Her manner is direct, tempered by a quietness that bespeaks a life path that has not always been clear or easy. Inviting the readers to take a close look at contemporary views of mental health through the lens of her own powerful and intimately rendered story, in Life Inside, Lewis has written an important memoir, as tough and candid as it is inspiring and compassionate. Bibliography: 1. Lewis, Mindy. Life inside: A Memoir. Atr

Cardiff Bay – A brief history

The maritime history of the port of Cardiff dates back to Viking Times. At this stage it was only a small port which had a fairly constant flow of imports and exports. In 1794 the construction of the Glamorgan ship canal which resulted from the development of the iron industry meant that the export of iron through Cardiff became huge (350,000 tonnes a year). During the second part of the nineteenth century the port continued to grow at a fast rate, this was Cardiff's heyday. During the First World War Cardiff saw a dramatic decline in exports and the port and city. During the Second World War Cardiff had somewhat of a renaissance due to its key geographical location. After being passed to and from the public and private sectors and with the continuing decline of the Wales coal fields Cardiff left large areas of Cardiff useless as it all depended on the coal flow. Cardiff then diversified into activities such as oil, grain, frozen products and steel. This meant that there was no longer a demand for some of Cardiff's older dock facilities. The Glamorgan ship canal, which prompted the growth and prosperity of Cardiff, was filled in, in 1955. Then in 1964 the Bute West Dock was closed and shortly afterwards the Bute East Dock in 1970. It is this bleak history which prompted the plans for the transformation of Cardiff Docks into Cardiff Bay. The Cardiff Bay Regeneration Project The CBDC (Cardiff Bay Development Corporation) was set up in April 1987 by the then Secretary of State for Wales Nicholas Edwards. It was formed as part of the government's urban development program aiming to regenerate deprived and run – down inner city areas of Britain. The CBDC was given the task of regenerating the old docklands area of the city. Because of the scaled of the problem (only two of the five docks remain operational) this means this is the second largest redevelopment scheme in Europe. Read also History Quizzes The CBDC gave this mission statement; â€Å"To put Cardiff on the international map as a superlative maritime city which will stand comparison with any such city in the world, thereby enhancing the image and economic well-being of Cardiff and Wales as a whole† This was a brave statement and was followed up by these main objectives: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To promote development and provide a superb environment in which people would want to live, work and play. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To re-unite the city of Cardiff with its waterfront. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To bring forward a mix of development which would create a wide range of job opportunities and reflect the hopes and aspirations of communities of the area. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To achieve the highest standards of design and quality in all types of investment. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To establish the area as a recognised centre of excellence and innovation in the Field of urban regeneration. These objectives were to be met by introducing businesses into the local area and building shops and amenities basically all achieved through huge amounts of government funding. Strategies (what has been done?) Some large companies have also decided to locate in Cardiff and are providing new jobs. One such company is NCM which is a Dutch insurance company, with large companies like this being based in Cardiff a sense of confidence will be built up and other businesses will also relocate. The transport system is now referred to as an â€Å"Ultasystem†. Basically there has been a huge improvement in public transport with regular busses taking you all round the city. The City is also connected via water fronts and you can travel by water around Cardiff if you want to. The traffic is also not as bad as in a lot of modern cities which leads to less pollution and a nicer atmosphere. There is a vast difference in the public and private residential areas. The public residential areas are rather ugly and drab, the surroundings are poorly kept and there is a lack of variety. However the newer private residential area is much nicer. Both in its appearance and its atmosphere rather than cramped it is spacious with well maintained surroundings. There are also many local amenities in the private areas. Full details can be seen in the table attached. The locals don't seem to like the newcomers that much but tolerate them all the same. It may be a long time before there is a sense of community spirit between the different fractions. But this said it is very hard to measure something like a sense of community and the relationship between neighbours because it is often the minority which is seen and heard whereas the majority don't have a problem with it. The job opportunities are quite good in the area. There are both low skilled jobs in which most people could get a job and also large employers such as NCM who offer a wide range of jobs and promotional opportunities. Having said that they is still quite a lot of unemployment around Cardiff but this is true in Wales as a whole and not a localised problem. But the employment situation locally has vastly improved since the CBDC have taken action. There has also been massive redevelopment. The Millennium waterfront provides entertainment which pubs and bars. From private investors there is also a sports village with many very good sporting facilities. There are also conservation areas. These all provide entertainment for the people living in Cardiff and also provide a nicer environment, keeping people happy. Cardiff Bays past can be seen all around, from older buildings with interesting architecture to disused warehouses. The main clue to Cardiff's historical past lies in museums and the design of buildings, indicating a rich and diverse past in which the port played a major role in the city. There is also a castle in Cardiff which somehow seems out of place in a port city. Most of the original buildings in the area now have different purposes. For example the Norwegian Church has now been converted into an art gallery and coffee shop, complete with a tourist shop. This is symbolic of how Cardiff has had to adapt, now replying on new business and tourism rather than on a single source (coal). I think the old buildings at first detract from the maritime environment until you realise that buildings like these were only built here because of all the different cultures coming in from the port. When you view them in that context you can plainly see that they stand as monuments to Cardiff's past as one of the major ports of the world. Evaluation There is strong evidence to suggest that this has not worked. One prime example is that of the emptiness in the shopping centre, most of the shops are up for rent and empty and the ones that are there are mostly coffee shops and aimed at tourists. This means that little has been done to the actual people of Cardiff apart from disguising the bay as a good place to visit for tourists. However I don't believe this is the case. The real question that has to be asked in any evaluation is, have the objectives been met? Well here are the objectives that were laid down by the CBDC: à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To promote development and provide a superb environment in which people would want to live, work and play. There are many local amenities which have been built including educational facilities such as â€Å"techniquest† which promote a better environment for children. People that were interviewed did like it where they were living, it was also evident that people were proud of their heritage, in my opinion this object has been met, perhaps not fully but at least a vast improvement. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To re-unite the city of Cardiff with its waterfront. This is perhaps a harder task because it replies more on the people of Cardiff rather than any government schemes. But there has been a start regular ferries go along the water front to different parts of Cardiff establishing an important link. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To bring forward a mix of development which would create a wide range of job opportunities and reflect the hopes and aspirations of communities of the area. There is not so much of a mix of jobs going as perhaps the CBDC wanted but there are certainly some good opportunities for jobs now. A good example are jobs large companies such as NCM provide. However the work is limited to a small amount of industrial work, tourism work and some small scale commercial work. So for people with skills outside those professions there is not so much of a scope for work. However this is still a great improvement and with growing confidence from other companies Cardiff's employment future is looking good. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To achieve the highest standards of design and quality in all types of investment. This can't really be argued with; all the new buildings are well designed and colourful. The quality is good and a lot of work goes into maintaining them. But although buildings look good, as always its what's on the inside that truly counts (which isn't a lot in the shopping centre!) But the objective has been met. à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½To establish the area as a recognised centre of excellence and innovation in the Field of urban regeneration. I think people can clearly see that there has been definite improvement. This is the second largest urban renewal in the whole of Europe so its going to take a little longer to achieve this objective fully, but the CBDC is well on its way. Conclusion To conclude I believe that the regeneration of Cardiff Docks into Cardiff Bay has been a success. But a limited success. This is because there is still a lot of work to be done. The CBDC now needs to look to the future and decide where it has made mistakes in the past, learn from them, and draw up some more defined objectives, as the last were not specific enough. Once it has obtained these objectives it should try to meet one at a time, not all at once which is what I feel they have done. With so much going on at once it would have been hard to manage and keep a clear view of the renewal situation as a whole, which lead to problems such as lack of interest in the shopping centre. They now have a strong foot hole and from this they can continue to improve Cardiff bay and eventually realise their dream-like statement. â€Å"To put Cardiff on the international map as a superlative maritime city which will stand comparison with any such city in the world, thereby enhancing the image and economic well-being of Cardiff and Wales as a whole†

Panera Bread Company Essay

Executive Summary This report focuses on what Panera Bread Company (PBC) needs to do in order to be profitable, provide healthy and quality foods to consumers and above all retain its leadership potentials in the restaurant and fast food business. The report also looks at what organization’s vision and mission statement means. It touches strategic objectives by dealing with strategy formulation, analysis and implementation. Corporate governance has to be used to reposition the operations of PBC, analysis of both the micro and macro environmental points of view of the organization – where demographic, socio-cultural, political/legal, technological and global considerations of the organization in question. It also dwells on strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats including studying trend analysis of the organization. Porter’s five forces model, concept of strategy groupings, resource based view, triple bottom line reporting, value chain analysis and financial analysis would have to be examined critically so as to make PBC have competitive advantage over its rivals. Based on the above concepts in this report, it is hereby recommended that PBC has to:†¢open new markets and establish branches in other countries by targeting major cities and towns using same standards, quality, menu, site selection and construction. †¢develop more healthy and quality foods, unique brands, always be ahead of competitors and try to use trend analysis to know the lifestyles of people, tastes, maintain its corporate social responsibility with stakeholders, look at marketing mix, develop its technological base and have a friendly atmosphere at their various cafes including motivating employeesIf these recommendations are implemented, it is believed that PBC will occupy more than 30% of the market share within the next few years. 1.Introduction1.1The aims of the report†¢how PBC can reposition its leadership edge by ensuring the management concepts remains special, opening up franchises, encourage transparencies in management practices and be  proactive in terms of change and innovations. †¢how PBC can sustain its rising profit and growth levels. 1.2Objective of the report†¢how PBC can ensure consistency in their vision, mission and strategic objectives by using major processes like strategy analysis, strategy formulation, implementation and corporate governance†¢Analyzing the micro and micro environments of PBC †¢Using Porter’s five forces model and concept of strategy groupings to make PBC have competitive advantage over their competitors. †¢Using resource base view and value-chain analysis to identify possible opportunities and threats for PBC. 2.Background of the CompanyPBC is a market leader in the restaurant industry business. Started business in 1981 with three bakery cafes and by 1997, their bakery cafes were 160 with branches in five countries and cafes in domestic airports and hotels. PBC’s concept is to sell only fresh dough and no preservatives. Their mission is ‘a loaf of bread in every arm’ with 18 different products. It intends to establish Wi-Fi access in 2003, and has many awards in its kitty. They have a good distribution network, franchise operations, management information system and supply chain management and highly professionalized staff. The 2004 first quarter performance showed an increase of 26% over same period in 2003 with a highly priced shares. 3.Case Study AnalysisStrategies are set of actions that firms use to achieve its goal. While strategic management focuses where an organization is at present and where it intends to be in the future. The task of analyzing a firm’s internal and external environment and selecting an appropriate strategy is known as strategy formulation. Strategy implementation involves  putting appropriate controls and organization mechanisms to keep the company’s chosen strategy into action. Vision statement is the long run aspirations of the organization while mission statement means what is expected of the organization by its stakeholders. This report focuses on micro-macro environment of PBC in order to retain their leadership role, increase market share and profitability. Resource Based View, Porters five forces model, strategic groupings, value chain, SWOT and financial analysis including triple bottom line reporting, and how these concepts would help the PBC to be a market leader would be analysed. 3.1Macro EnvironmentMacro economic factors are political, socio-cultural, environmental, economic, technological and legal. 3.1.1Political considerationPBC has to maintain its corporate governance issue by making sure that taxes are paid promptly and study government policies as it affects the business. At the moment political consideration is not really a big issue with PBC but if it intends to expand its operations, government polices of countries it wants to do business would have to be examined to see if it is business friendly or not. 3.1.2Demographic forcesAreas that are less profitable by the organizations should be closed down and move to areas that increases profitability (Hill et al 2004). Presently there is significant growth for young people and children who rarely cook at home and they patronize these fast casual restaurants. These youths are concerned about their health by eating healthy and quality foods which PBC should target for high profitability. 3.1.3Socio-cultural factorsIncreases in the population of women in workplaces are massive and higher levels of health consciousness have created a boom to many industries (Campbell et al 2006). PBC should study population demographics, income distribution and lifestyles changes within their areas of operation to their advantage. 3.1.4EnvironmentalOperating environments have to be friendly. This should  done in such a way that corporate social responsibility to communities in terms of pollution, waste disposal and environmental protection laws are adhered to (Johnson et al 2005). At the moment it runs ‘Operation Dough Nation’ where all monies received and all unsold inventories goes back to the community it operates. 3.1.5Economic factorsAlmost all the industries are prone to general economic conditions. High interest and exchange rates, and average disposal income can affect organizations to larger extent (Campbell et al 2006). At the moment business is booming for PBC, therefore it has to consider business cycles, product trends, interest rates, inflation and also disposable income of consumers in order to have a competitive edge. 3.1.6TechnologicalThis is now a global phenomenon in virtually every business. For a company to remain competitive it has to enhance its technological base to compete with rivals (Campbell et al 2006). PBC is expanding its technological base by introducing point of sale machines and credit cards network at each cafà ©. This helps in planning for marketing information, product mix, quicker accounting information and other variance analysis. 3.1.7LegalJohnson et al (2005) pointed out that organizations should be cautious of health and product safeties, employment laws and legislations. Taken into account its franchise operations with other organizations, it has to make sure that organizations’ it enters into agreements comply with its standards, quality, menu, site selection and construction of cafes. The training program organized by the organization prior to franchisee starting business is applauded. 3.1.8GlobalChanges in the environment such as political and economic have created a business boom to some countries, while some have witnessed economic recession as a result of this. Government policies and changing cultural patterns by consumers have had a positive impact in some industries while some are unhappy with these changes (Hill et al 2004). PBC should study these changes and know those ones that affect their business  especially intra-country trades where they have to convert currencies of their branch companies overseas. 3.2SWOT AnalysisThis shows the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization from the customers’ point of view as they relate to external opportunities and threats (Hannagan 2002). 3.2.1StrengthStrengths of organizations are the committed leadership zeal of managers, experience in the industry, clear and articulate line with external stakeholders, strong product design and commitment to consumers in the area of innovation (Lee et al 1999). The strengths or core competencies PBC has at the moment over its competitors include the product, distribution and franchising, operations, marketing mix, general managerial ability and low personnel turnover. 3.2.2WeaknessesThese can be in the form of no clear management styles, poor image, research and development issue, competitive disadvantage, poor track record, insider problems, financing problems and possible training problems by managers and supervisors (Dess et al 2007). PBC has to invest in research and development, improve its image with stakeholders and improve on its marketing strategies. 3.2.3OpportunitiesThe growing demand for healthy and quality foods is an opportunity that PBC has at the moment over its competitors and it has to be sustained to make them have continuous dominant role in this industry (Stead et al 2004). Managers of PBC should analyse competitive forces in the restaurant sector in order to identify the various opportunities in terms of product enhancement and new products, create new markets and prediction of trends. 3.2.4Threats:What makes an organization to be strong is to identify possible threats within its operational base. The threats could be in the form of government policies, research, competitive pressures, new entrants, changing customers tastes, adverse demographic changes, recession, growing bargaining power of suppliers and customers (Dess et al 2007). PBC has to lay  particular emphasis on new entrants, watch industry indicators, government adverse policies and changes in customers needs and tastes. 3.3Resource based viewThis considers the opportunities available to a company either to add value to its products and services or look at ways of reducing costs (Dess et al 2007). It may be possible to add value to the value chain of an organization in terms of procurement of raw materials and production processes. The present system that PBC is using where it has signed agreement with Dawn Food Products and also having economic of scale in terms of supplies makes the pricing of their product very competitive. 3.4Porter’s five force industry competitionPorter’s five force industry competition include the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers, the degree of rivalry among competitors in the same industry, the bargaining power of buyers and the threats of substitutes products. Porter argues that the stronger these forces are within an industrial setting the more limited companies raise prices and earn greater profits (Campbell 2006). As far as this is concerned a strong competitive force can be regarded as a threat because it would drastically reduce the profit of an organization (Williamson 2004). 3.4.1The threat of substitute productFirms within the same industrial setting are competing amongst themselves. Substitutes limits potential returns on an industry by placing a ceiling on the prices companies charge. This should be a lot of concern for PBC because there are lots of organizations offering same product in the market. 3.4.2The threat of new entrantsWhen new entrants enter the industry they tend to take extra effort in order to take full control of the industry. The extent to which new entrants can enter an industry exerts a significant influence on the degree to which companies may act to earn above average in terms of bottom line (Johnson et al 2005). At the moment PBC enjoys some element of economies of scale, brand recognition, access to distribution channels and experience in carrying out operational activities leading to lower cost of production. But it is good for new entrants to enter the  market because this brings about competition in the industry. 3.4.3The power of buyersBuyers are seen as competitive threats when they are in a position to demand lower prices or better service . Conversely when buyers are weak, a company can raise its prices and declare higher profits (Johnson and Scholes 2002). This has to be taken into account by PBC following volume of restaurants around. PBC should recalculate its costs since it intends to increase prices by 2% to see the justification prior to embarking on it. 3.4.4The power of suppliersSuppliers can be viewed as threats when they are able to force up the price for raw materials or reduce quality of materials. However, if suppliers are weak, companies can force down their prices and demand higher raw material quality. PBC believes it can have cost savings from switching to Dawn. 3.4.5Rivalry among established companiesIf rivalry is weak this will result to increase in prices of products at the detriment of consumers and ultimately increase profits and vise versa (Johnson 2005). PBC should regularly study competitors’ moves. 3.5.Value Chain Analysis (VCA)VCA helps managers to understand how effectively and efficiently the activities of their organizations are structured and coordinated. In other words, it seeks to provide an understanding of how much value an organization’s activities add to its products and services compared to the costs of the services used in their production. This helps management to identify core activities, know if there is breakdown or blockages to their detriment (Tsai et al 2006). The distribution network of PBC is good since it uses an independent contractor that delivers products to the bakery cafes and thus making the organization to concentrate in the retail operations. Their franchise operations should be sustained. 3.6Strategic groupsPotter (1980) defined strategic (SG) groups as group of firms in the same line of business having identical strategy following  through the strategic direction. Carroll et al (1992) as cited in Flavian and Polo (1999) organizations within the same SGs often compete for market share. PBC has a lot of organizations within the same SGs, and therefore should use this to their advantage by understudying their competitors strengths and weaknesses. 3.7Tripple bottom lineThis is the combination of social, environmental and financial reporting for an organization to its stakeholders (Dess et al 2006). PBC does not show its report in this format, although this is optional for organizations but to enable stakeholders understand PBC’s business better they should incorporate this into their report like the Operation Dough Nation and the unsold inventory proceeds. 4Recommendation†¢Encourage research for new products and branding. †¢Explore the possibility of new branches across borders. †¢Improve marketing drive to increase sales since its closing inventory in 2003 was $8066 million dollars as against $5191 million dollars in 2002. †¢Identify threats and weaknesses through strategic groupings†¢Pursue recovery of debts from debtors which shows $9646 million in 2003. Reduce its liabilities which gave $35,552 million dollars. †¢Plan for succession incase of possible changes in leadership hierarchy. 5.ConclusionIn conclusion, PBC should regularly scan the micro and macro environments for signals of environmental changes or general trends that are occurring. On observing a trend that may lead to a market changes, the company needs to monitor the change so it has a better understanding of the exact nature of the change and whether it applies to the organization. If the monitoring mechanism suggests the change is relevant, then the company needs to forecast how the change will affect its operations in future. It is then necessary to assess the forecast implications to determine whether the market change will require a change in the company’s strategy. Benchmarking,  reengineering and total quality management should not be left out. . References Dess, GG, Lumpkin, GT, Eisner, AB 2007, ‘Strategic management’ , 3rd edn, McGraw-Hill, New York. Campbell, D, Stonehouse, G, Houston, B 2006, ‘Business strategy’, 2nd edn, Elsevier Butterworth-Heeinemann, Oxford. Stead, EW, Stead, GJ, Starik, M 2004 ‘Sustainable strategic management’, M.E. SharpeInc., New York. Tsai, YC, Fan, CL, Liou, CN, Wu, CL 2006 ‘The application of parts control and standardization by exploration of the value chain in new product development and innovation’, The Business Review, vol. 6, no. 2, pp 213 (online Emerald). Hanaagan, T 2002 ‘Mastering strategic management’, Palgrave, New York. Hill, CWL, Jones, GR, Galvin, P 2004, ‘Strategic management: an integrated approach’, 5th edn., John Wiley, Milton. Johnson, G, Schooles, K, Whittington, R 2005, ‘Exploring corporate strategy’, 7th edn, Prentice Hall, Harlow. Williamson, D, Jenkin, W, Cooke, P, Moreton, KM 2004, ‘Strategic management and business analysis’, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Burlington. Johnson, G, Scholes, K 2002, ‘Exploring corporate strategy’, 6th edn., Prentice Hall, Harlow. Porter, ME 1980, ‘Competitive strategy’, The Free Press, New York