Saturday, August 31, 2019

Price and Value Agreement

Is the value of something equal to the price tag placed on it? Is the value and worth of something the same for every person? This is something that many struggle with understanding properly. To fully understand this concept then you must understand the true difference between the value, price, and worth of something. I intend to explain these and provide you with a better understanding by the end of this paper. Have you ever went grocery shopping and purchased multiple items just because there was a half off sale; or a buy one and get one free sale? Many of you probably have, I am one myself that is guilty of this. However, have you ever really thought about the value of that additional item? Since it was free does it mean that there was not value of it either? This is where the importance of knowing the difference in value and price. The value of something does not determine the price of it; the price is determined by the demand of something and how many are available, or otherwise known as the supply. If there is a high demand of something then there is going to be a lower supply of them available. When the supply is low and the demand is high; people are willing to pay more for that item when it is available. This is something that you see happening during the holiday season. For example, a few years ago when the Tickle Me Elmo’s were so popular, the stores increased the prices by almost double just because they knew that people would pay it. Are you one of those people that will pay the price for something you want, regardless on how much it is? There are many of people that do; but not me. I am one of those that will wait for the price to go down; or will do research online to look and see if I can find it cheaper. I am not one of those people that have to have the best of everything; although I do like to stay within the modern days. However, I am willing to pay more for fuel and true necessities. I know that there are smaller stores and gas stations that have these things but price them higher; however, I figure if I can get everything that I need at that time in one stop then why should I waste gas to drive around to find what I am looking for? I have also realized that the name brand items are more expensive that the generic items. This sometimes means that you get cheaper made products, depending on what you are looking at at that particular time. I will pay more for the more popular and name brand items when it comes to vehicles and electronics; but I am all for the generic in everything else. There are sometimes that I prefer name brand jeans; but that is just because they are stronger material for when I work. My uncle is from Mexico and sends money home often. He indicated that the last time he sent money the exchange rate was fourteen peso to the American dollar. So does this mean that if something costs fourteen thousand dollars here that it is only one thousand in Mexico? No, it does not. Something that would cost 32 peso in Mexico would convert to costing two dollars and twenty five cents in American dollars. However that same thing is going to cost roughly three dollars and sixty cents here. Mexico has a much lower income rate so therefore the cost of living is lower. This also applies for each state here in the United States. There are different states that have higher income levels, thus higher cost of living. This means that goods, services, homes, and many other things are going to be more expensive in that state than what you could get in another state. With this being said; is a three bedroom home is California worth more or better than the same three bedroom home in Montana? This does not make the house any better than the other; however, does make it worth more. This is because California is a much more desired state to live in and work because of the attractions and the income level being so high. Therefore, the real estate prices and value go up. The house in California is also going to have a different type of structure that the one in Montana and that is because of the different climate threats and weather conditions; therefore, that also raises the value of the property. However, the largest asset that is going to determine the value of the property is the location of it. I personally would pass up an opportunity to live in a large state and city any day just to stay in my little town. I may not live in the best house but I do live in the best neighborhood of my town. I don’t have to worry about the crime and violence where I am as much as others do. The one thing to remember about property value is that it is better to be the roughest house in the best neighborhood than what it is to be the best house in the roughest neighborhood. This is once again because of the location determine the value of the home. Not only have the value and prices of real estate in my area went down over the years with the economy; but the value of the American dollar has as well. This is caused the cost of living to increase and therefore, the minimum wage has also. When I first started working the minimum wage was only $5. 15 per hour. Here is Indiana it was actually that for many years up until here just a few years ago. Since the cost of living has gone up, the minimum wage has now gone up to $7. 25 per hour here. I try not to look at it as me only being worth that much; but my time for the company being worth that much. I know that my time is worth more to my family; however, I have to have a means of supporting them. I think it is really hard to determine the worth of people dependant on their career choice. I say this because when we take a rookie baseball player making five million dollars a year and a veteran teacher only makes sixty thousand dollars a year; it is really hard to believe that a baseball player does more good than a teacher. The baseball player makes more because they generate trillions of dollars in income annually for the team; thus why they are able to be paid so much. Although the teachers put in just as much time, if not more, they do not generate any income for the schools, so they could be considered an expense. The funding to pay the teachers come from the government and therefore, is much less than that of a baseball player. However, I do not think that the amount of income can determine one’s worth; especially in this situation. I think I would have to say that I am willing to do many jobs to support myself and my family; however, the one that I am not willing to do is fast food. This is because I can not take the heat of being in the kitchen and dealing with the rude customers. It is also a proven fact that those that work in fast food are more apt to be overweight and not healthy. I have enough problems with my weight the way it is; I don’t need the help of the fast food. Price, value, and worth are all related in one way or another. You make decisions on the worth of the item to you every time you decide to make a purchase or not be determining if the item is worth enough to you to pay the price. The higher the demand equals the lower the supply; therefore, the lower the supply equals the higher the price. The worth is determined by each individual because an item may be worth more to one person than it is to another.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Online Behavioral Targeting and Consumer Privacy Issues Essay

Sophocles’ prolific writing has rarely produced a woman of such stern strength of character as â€Å"Antigone†. Inversely the comedy of Aristophanes â€Å"Lysistrat† was among the first to introduce a strong willed female protagonist, who is not a goddess. The treatment of both great writers differs in the fact that the backdrops and the moods are distinctly different. While Sophocles zeroed in on the sombre tragedy, Aristophanes chose to inject feminist revolt against domination through zestful comedy. From a gender perspective it is important to study the motives behind the actions of the lead characters in both the plays. There have been suicides and suicides in Greek tragedies (which almost define Greek tragedies). Sophocles’ Antigone commits suicide in the dark dungeon left to starve to death. But unlike the suicide of their mother Jocasta who decides to end her life when she learns that her marital relationship with Oedipus was incestuous, Antigone’s death is a defiant protest against the tyranny of her uncle Creon and an emphasis of her strongly held belief, that her brother should be accorded a proper burial. There have been few examples of valour from Greek women who defied the norms of either their contemporary society or their king for a symbolic gesture rather than a cause. In the case of Antigone it was the burial rights to one of her two dead brothers which drives her to go against the will of the ruler, Creon. â€Å"Antigone† begins after both the warring brothers have apparently killed each other and since Polynices revolted against the state and led an Argive army to overthrow his brother Eteocles, he is deemed to be a sinner against the state. Thus Creone, brother of Jocasta, who becomes the ruler decrees his body to be deprived of proper burial rites to ensure that his soul rots beyond redemption. Antigone, in the beginning of the play expresses her wish to accord her brother proper burial. It is a symbolic depiction of Antigone’s moral strength that she decides to go ahead in her chosen course though she is unable to enlist the support of her more timid sister Ismene. This is a marked deviation from the depiction of women in Greek literature of the time where women were always looked upon as dependent on others for the strength of their convictions. Antigone succeeds in her stated mission and when this becomes known to Creone, an argument rages on the choice between the natural law and man-made laws. In another daring drift from established norm, the chorus in Sophocles’ play have the moral courage to call the path of their emperor as the more evil. Creone’s son and Antigone’s fiance Haemon comes to her defence and the ensuing debate on the justice of natural laws which should supersede man made laws is a dramatist’s delight. Creone, however, decides to leave Antigone to starve to death in a sealed cave as her prison. The blind prophet Tiresias also advocates against punishment to Antigone and says he will pay â€Å"corpse for corpse, and flesh for flesh†. The declaration of Tiresias that Creon is causing moral pollution causes a change of heart in Creone. His moral dilemma leads him to conclude that Polynices should be buried and Antigone should be pardoned. But by this time, Hameon reaches Antigone’s cave with the intention of saving her only to find that she has committed suicide by hanging herself, much like her mother Jocasta before her. When Creon reaches the cave he finds Hameon grieving over Antigone and he takes his life by stabbing himself as Creon approaches him. This leads Eurydice, Creon’s wife to give up her life in the grief of her son’s untimely death. Thus Creon loses all his loved ones due to his one fatal erring conviction to hold the laws of the state above the natural law. The tragic flaw, is thus justified in Sophocles’ â€Å"Antigone†. It is easy to categorize the play Lysistrata by Aristophanes as a lewd comedy designed to entertain the Greek literature and drama lovers with a lampooning of the results if women begin to take an interest in affairs of national importance. It is also very convenient to visualize male actors playing all the important roles of the play and the â€Å"male† male characters wearing erect phalluses to depict their masculinity might have led to uproarious laughter. However, with passing time and the aid of retrospection help us to begin to understand that Aristophanes might have devoted considerable time and emotional energy in trying to decipher what goes through the hearts and heads of women of his time who were modelled to be subservient and detached from the affairs of the state. Lysistrata leads a domestic and non violent non-cooperation movement (though the medium of non cooperation seldom ventures beyond the conventional sexual subjugation) to convince the men of the time to end the long standing war (apparently the Peloponnesian war) and bring back peace. The play is an apparent comedy that it depicts women as sex crazed and spine less characters for whom rising beyond their daily chores is a daunting task. Except fro Lysistrata, no other woman comes across as strong willed enough to contribute in any way to the cause of the play. One can imagine the gusty laughter the scene involving the swearing of oath by drinking wine from a shield as it was a portrayal of women as being incapable of self restraint (from all good things in life, including wine and sex). Though Lysistrata as a play has a lot of titillate the viewers, it has been seen in modern light as a commentary on the plight of women who have no say in the affairs of the state entirely decide by the men but have to silently suffer the consequences. This has remained unchanged even after the liberation ages of the 20th century. Aristophanes does manage to draw a caricature of Greek women as incapable of with holding sex or thinking beyond sex as the only weapon in her armour to control or change society. It is possible though to excuse this caricature as Aristophanes’ attempt not to ruffle the feathers of his contemporary society while at the same time recording for future history that women did harbour different opinions on the approaches of the state to war and peace. The widowhood and martyrdom of a mother who loses her children to the ravages of war are not mentioned, perhaps because they would have added the much relegated sobriety to this deemed comedy. Gender domination is a visible thread in Lysistrata, but whether Aristophanes designed this play as a comic fiction based on improbable scenarios of liberated women questioning state policies, or as an underhanded attempt to depict female angst of his contemporary Greek society is debatable. However Lysistrata has remained current and meaningful to this date due to its universal themes of Peace being preferred over War and has helped several social commentators put across their point during the several un necessary wars that dot world history to date be it the Vietnam war or the latest invasion of Iraq. Whatever be the motivation, both Sophocles and Aristophanes manage to leave behind a piece of Literature which continues to engage readers and historians in a healthy debate on the premium placed on female equality by writers from the Greek age to the present day. Works Cited or used as reference Henderson, Jeffrey (contributor) Lysistrata by Aristophanes, London : Oxford University Press, 1990 Translated by Gibbons, Reginald and Segal, Charles Antigone by Sophocles, NewYork : Oxford University Press US, 2003

Thursday, August 29, 2019

A report on the serious failures of winterbourne view Essay

Winterbourne View, and the company Castle Beck Care LTD, failed to protect the individuals in their care from various types of abuse. They were not protected adequately from harm, risk and the own unsafe practices of the staff employed there. Staff at Winterbourne View had failed in their legal duty to notify the Quality Care Commission of serious incidents, including injuries to patients and occasions when they had gone missing. see more:identify reports into serious failures to protect individuals from abuse Ten essential standards, which the law requires providers to meet and Winterbourne View did not include; The managers did not ensure that major incidents were reported to the CQC as required. Planning and delivery of care did not meet people’s individual needs. They did not have robust systems to assess and monitor the quality of services. They did not identify and manage risks relating to the health, welfare and safety of patients. They had not responded to or considered complaints and views of people about the service. Investigations into the conduct of staff were not robust and had not safeguarded people. They did not take reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent it before it occurred. They did not respond appropriately to allegations of abuse. They did not have arrangements in place to protect the people against unlawful or excessive use of restraint. They did not operate effective recruitment procedures or take appropriate steps in relation to per sons who were not fit to work in care settings. They failed in their responsibilities to provide appropriate training and supervision to staff. The CQC report concluded that there were systemic failures in protecting people or to investigate allegations of abuse. Footage used in prosecutions showed member of staff repeatedly assaulting and harshly restraining patients under chairs, giving patients cold punishment showers, with one patient being left out in near zero temperatures and another having mouthwash poured in their eyes. Members of staff also pulled hair, poked people in the eyes, force fed medication and mocked patients to the extent one actually tried to escape through a second floor window to escape the torment. These are all massive failings of the staff and the company to provide a safe and secure environment for its service users. The CQC was also guilty of failing to investigate claims thoroughly. The case of Winterbourne View and the coverage that Panorama aired on television shocked the nation. Undoubtedly making a lot of people question the capability of the CQC as well as their local homes / services, where family members or friends may visit or live. The CQC held an internal inquiry and as a result there were many changes to various organisations. Winterbourne view inevitably closed and eleven people plead guilty to criminal offences of neglect or abuse. Six of which were jailed.

BUSINESS STUDIES Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10250 words

BUSINESS STUDIES - Dissertation Example – CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 39 5.1 Conclusion 39 5.2 Recommendations 40 REFERENCE LIST 41 APPENDIX 46 Appendix I – Questionnaire 46 Appendix II – Focus Group Survey 46 CHAPTER I 1.1 Introduction The evolution of strategic thinking has brought genuine revolution in the way business is conducted. Strategy is also considered as a dominant framework through which companies try to determine what they are actually doing and what they intends to do so (Allio and Randall, 2010). Eminent scholars such as Aaby and McGann (1989) defined strategy as the plan or pattern that assimilates the major goals, actions and policies of the organization into a cohesive form. A well-crafted strategy assists organizations to marshal and dispense the resources into a viable and unique posture on the basis of its relative competencies, deficiencies, anticipated environmental changes and the conditional moves by the competitors. In the context of a business, strategy is often regarded as the activities or actions of the organization. This is the reason why the strategy of a company is regarded as the steps taken by organizations in order to stay ahead of the rivals and bring a new set of customers along with keeping the existing customer base (Coombs and Hull, 1998). A business consists of several resources in the form of skills of employees and managers, innovative capacity, as well as its brand image. There are different types of strategy that a company crafts and implements (Michael, Pride and Ferrell, 2007). Some of the notable ones are the business strategy, which is often regarded as the general strategies of a firm that includes the way operations will be carried out, the human resources planning, the service strategy and other business elements; corporate strategy which defines the business of the company as well as the market of the company in which it operates and also encompasses the mission and vision of the organization; competitive strategy, which d efines the strategy adopted by affirm to outplay the rivals and attain a strong position in the market place. Among the different forms of study mentioned above, this study will focus only on the corporate strategies and customer service strategy. A corporate strategy is the way by which organizations determine the best option of deploying the available resources of a firm. On the other hand the customer service strategy is the strategy pursued by firms to deliver services to the customers. This study intends to explore the impact of well-crafted corporate strategy and customer service strategy on the business of blue-chip companies in the high-tech sector. 1.2 Background of the Study

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

New product development process in the aerospace industry. the Essay

New product development process in the aerospace industry. the introduction of new process - Essay Example History presents several organisations that have ceased to exist simply because of their lack of innovativeness and new products. In the present global society where products become obsolete and services out of date very quickly, new products are the key to success for any business house, be it domestic or international (Lancaster, & Withey, 2007). On the other hand, it is also true that NPD involves huge costs. In fact it is one of the most risk-laden areas among all the operational activities. Moreover, new products are often found to be struggling to achieve the expected success in the market. Failure of new product is very likely to damage the company’s reputation. New product development process of any company is subjected to several barriers which vary from country to country. This literature review includes a discussion on the barriers to new product development process in the context of UK. However, prior to that it is very important to gain insight into the details of the fundamentals that govern a new product development process. The process of new product development involves several steps. The process starts from idea generation and ends with commercialisation. In between of these two, there are steps like screening, business analysis, development and test marketing. Success of a new product depends on the diligence with which a company has followed these steps. According to David L. Kurtz, MacKenzie and Kim Snow, â€Å"traditionally, most of the companies have developed new products through phased development, which follows the six step process in an orderly sequence† (Kurtz, MacKenzie & Snow, 2009). Responsibility regarding each phase moves first from product planners to engineers and designers. In the final phase it passes to the marketers. The phased development process is effective for those firms that dominate

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The short term endocrine responses to resistance training and Essay

The short term endocrine responses to resistance training and subsequent effects on neuromuscular performance - Essay Example To enable the readers to have a better understanding of the subject matter, the endocrine system and its major function will first be described. Eventually, the short-term endocrine responses to resistance training including its subsequent effects on neuromuscular performance will be tackled in details. In the process of going through the main discussion, a literature review on peer reviewed journals will be conducted as a way of determining the research findings of several authors with regards to this subject matter. It is given that endogenous production of testosterone in a human body can be suppressed with the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs. As part of addressing the research question, several research studies that has tried testing the importance of testosterone level in increasing the muscle mass and strength will be gathered, compared, and contrast. Eventually, a total of five physical fitness and/or sports trainers will be randomly selected for a personal interview. Based on the research findings of several past and current research studies and the research interview results, whether or not the levels of testosterone present in the male human body is responsible for the increase in neuromuscular performance among the athletes will be answered in details. Because of my personal interest in sports activities like soccer, I have personally selected the research topic to increase my knowledge on the importance of endocrine system and how it is expected to respond to resistant training. Since the neuromuscular performance of people who are active in sports activities are better than those who live a sedentary life, knowing the short-term endocrine responses to resistance training will enable me to fully understand the factors that makes the neuromuscular performance of active people better than those individuals who do not have so much physical

Monday, August 26, 2019

Revised proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Revised proposal - Essay Example For that reason, an ecosystem method that incorporates both processes of bivalve aquaculture and carbon dioxide recycling is desirable to give an accurate assessment of the functions of bivalve mariculture in the carbon dioxide. In relation to the most current estimations, the present worlds populace of approximately 7.5 billion is expected to reach 10 billion by the year 2055. Limitations on the accessibility of fresh water and flora and fauna to successfully give food to the approximated increase in population can be conquered by strengthening the involvement of the ocean to the manufacture of food. Successful involvement and contribution of the oceans can be achieved in a number of ways, key among them the rehabilitation of undomesticated fisheries and regulating the worlds fishing practices to maintainable levels. Additionally, successful oceanic involvement is achievable through cultivating the ocean at the same time preserving atmospheric health and continuance. The requirement for alternative feeds to develop cultivated species is one of the principal impediments to the growth and expansion of aquaculture. It is also a major impeding factor to the sustainability and improvement of aquaculture. Nevertheless, a third of the global cultivated seafood obtained from aqua animals in the year 2010 was obtained devoid of the utilization of feed, by use of animal production techniques from the second trophic echelons. There were over 14 million tons of bivalves, which represented a 23.5% of the global aquaculture production. Specifically, over 89% of the worlds marine bivalve production originated from aquaculture in the year 2012 (FAO, 2012, cited in Filguera et al., 2015). Consequently, the argument concerning the incorporation of cultured bivalve shells into the system of carbon trade should be contextualized within the ecosystem of goods and services framework. Individuals nurture

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Managing people Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing people - Article Example To determine a team's effectiveness, it is necessary to take a look at a variety of factors as well. These include the type of organization, type of employee (volunteer or compensated), the objectives of the stakeholders and the personalities that are involved at all levels. Evaluating the team's effectiveness at XYZ Newspapers, Inc., it is possible to identify several key management theories at work even as the team represents several positive and some negative aspects of effective team operation. XYZ Newspapers is a small newspaper chain specializing in small town, local news coverage. As a result, teams are primarily independent of each other, only finding it necessary to coordinate efforts on sporadic larger advertising campaigns or weekly print operations. Occasionally, it becomes necessary for one team member from one office to assist in another office when another team member is ill or on holiday or when several significant events are occurring in one town, such as a heavy sports weekend. Although most team members are compensated to some degree, some are compensated on a contributor basis while others are considered actual employees, paid at a part-time or full-time rate. Because of the unique service these newspapers provide, they are also often considered to be community service to some extent although they are for profit businesses. Frequently, because of budgeting concerns, members of the communities in which the papers operate are recruited to provide voluntary se rvices as well. Team Organization Each team is similar to the others in that they are comprised of typically two 'news' writers, one 'sports' writer, one photographer, two advertising sales representatives and one copy setter. In this particular team, one of the 'news' writers is also the newspaper's editor while the other serves as community representative. This enables the team to work along a loose universal management approach in that many of the job functions are decided based upon the individual's specific position within the team with a built in chain of command that flows from the copy setter at the bottom of the rank to the editor at the top. However, the hierarchy among the other workers becomes somewhat blurred as each works to complete their assignments for the week. Work is divided by job description within this team. For example, while the editor and the community representative are both classified as 'news' writers, the editor is primarily responsible for covering any business or civil news occurring in the town that week, such as city meetings or regional legislation. The community representative, on the other hand, is often most responsible for ensuring news involving various community groups, outstanding individuals or major community events is covered. The copy setter typically works primarily for these two writers as news releases, calendars and police and fire reports come across her desk first. The sports writer typically has no other responsibility than ensuring all sports events are covered, yet must also ensure adequate coverage is given to all sports and pages

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Study Nile River Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Study Nile River - Essay Example The basin is home to the estimated population of over 160 million people with overwhelming majority depending on it directly or indirectly for land, water, shelter, and energy sources (Rahman, 2013). The use of the water resources has over the years become a source of conflict for the ten countries that depend on it directly or indirectly. The population of the river is expected to double in the next twenty years thus pressuring the already strained water resources thus tampering with its ability to meet the world’s social, environmental, and economic challenges in the region (Rahman, 2011). The Nile river basin represents an area with a traditional history that is strongly linked to the river due to its importance in an environment that experiences water scarcity. The region lacks tangible water alternatives hence they purely rely on the river and its resources to provide them with the essentials of their daily lives. The water governance highly favours Egypt at the expense o f riparian states thus breeding a lot of instability concerning water use in this region. The African communities are the most affected by the water resource problems due to persistent drought, increasing food security and political instability. Water is truly a strategic and vital resource and should thus be properly and sensitively managed to avoid pollution and prevent any possible conflict. The Nile water resource is subject to lots of pressures ranging from demographic, economic, growth of agglomerations, and ecological factors that threaten the smooth existence in the region. There are several organizations working round the clock to study and closely monitor the activities that are taking place in the Nile basin. There are several uses of water in this basin spreading in all the riparian states hence all of them want a voice in controlling the water usage. The continuous use of this water resource is exposing this basin to environmental degradation that threatens their ecosys tems in the near future. In an attempt to control this rare resource, trans boundary issues are developing that threatens the political and economic stability in the region, hence resulting in signing of several pacts between the riparian states. Relevant uses and users of water throughout the Nile basin The Nile basin contains a wide range of unique and highly productive ecosystems that provide food resources, medicine, fuel, and construction materials despite providing water for irrigation, industry, hydropower, and household use (Allan, 2009). These ecosystems provide a number of important hydrological functions that include flood mitigation, flow regulation, and water quality in the whole region despite being aesthetic, cultural and heritage significance. The ecosystems provide an intrinsic value to over 160 million people who depend on the Nile basin to provide for a range of livelihoods that include agriculture, fisheries, and urban dwelling (Rahman, 2011). The ecosystems also provide direct services that include water shelter, medicine, fuel, fish, plants and animal feeds that they use throughout the year for their daily survival. According to Allan (2009), the river is of great importance since it provides up to 80% of the calorie intake provided by goods and services directly related to Nile ecosystems. According to Cascao (2009), most of the riparian stat

Friday, August 23, 2019

Analyse how the Holy Week is celebrated around the world. When, where, Essay

Analyse how the Holy Week is celebrated around the world. When, where, why, how is it celebrated (and much more). Give your personal opinion - Essay Example In most countries, they hold processions while carrying palm branches or crosses. Ash Wednesday is a day for cleaning the soul, and during the church service, a sign of a cross is marked with ashes on the foreheads. This symbolizes human mortality and repentance for sin. It originates from old biblical times when sinners covered their heads with ashes. Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday is in memory of the last supper when Judas betrayed Jesus. In some churches, the priest washes a few people’s feet in memory of the way Christ washed his disciples’ feet. Good Friday is a mourning day and involves meditation on Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. In some instances, the crucifixion may be enacted. Holy Saturday is the day most Christians hold vigil as they watch and wait for Christ to return at midnight. Easter Sunday marks the end of the holy week and commemorates the resurrection of Christ. It is a very happy and important day in the Christian calendar (St. Paul

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Islam and Europe Essay Example for Free

Islam and Europe Essay In modern day Europe, people fail to see the many impacts Islam has had on one of the most powerful continents in the western world. To see these impacts, we have to go back in history, from about 1000 C.E. to 1750 C.E. The impacts made by the Islamic world during this time have shaped Europe to the power house it is now. Most of the political impact Islam made on Europe happened during the Crusades. The Crusades began in 1095 when Pope Urban II called for the nations in Europe in unite for one cause. Before Pope Urban’s calling, Europe was divided into civil wars, but he had called for a union. The Crusades were directed towards Muslims, concentrating on the city of Jerusalem. The Crusades brought power and recognition to the pope but as the Crusades became less successful, the pope lost this power and popularity. The Crusades also brought more power to the kings. Prior to the Crusades, the kings had little power because most of the land was owned by rich aristocrats who owned small armies. During battle, these aristocrats were killed without picking an heir. Because of the lack of an heir these aristocrats had, the land was given to the king, thus giving the kings more power. Trade brought to the Christian world by the Islamic world boosted Europe’s economy greatly. Before the Crusades, trade in Europe was almost nonexistent, causing a negative impact on its economy. The Crusades, however, created a large influx of Muslim goods and luxuries. Want for these goods became very apparent with the rich giving the merchants the idea to create trade with the Islamic world. Preceding the 12th century, much of the Islamic and European trade was one sided, Islam exporting to Europe. However, during the 12th century, the major Islamic trading hub, Andalusia, helped Europe expand its exportation. Also, Muslims introduced and banking and credit system into Europe. The cultural effect Islam had on Europe was very substantial considering the technological advancements made by the Islamic world at the time. Before 1400, the only schooling facilities in Europe were monasteries. The development of universities came to Europe when European scholars discovered  Muslim translation of long-lost Greek and Roman scholarship. Not only did Islam help establish schooling in Europe but it also gave new technology to the Europeans. For example in mathematics. Prior to the Islamic influence, Europeans used cumbersome roman numerals. After 1150, the Hindu-Arabic numeral system was introduced to Europe. Arabic nummerals, with an additional character for zero, gradually became standard, aiding in the development of math. They also made advancements in medicine. The European way to treat infectious disease was based on superstition. After the 1300’s, medicinal knowledge developed on medical schools based on the Arabic medical encyclopedia. These advances paved the way for modern practices. These impacts made in Europe by Islam also had an effect globally. Without the development of kings gaining more power, our government today would be completely different, as well as our social classes. This medieval trade to Europe from the Islamic world comes to today with the oil trade. The mathematical advancements made by Arabic Empires gave us our modern understanding of all types of math; same with medicine. These effects did not only impact Europe but the entire world, modern and historical.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Accounting Analysis of Google Incorporated Essay Example for Free

Accounting Analysis of Google Incorporated Essay Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its various marketing programs embedded in its search engine. The largest portion of Google’s revenue comes from advertising and marketing. To be more specific, Google provides third party entities with the means to display ads targeted to specific users depending on factors such as search criteria, online viewing content, and residency. The company uses a system called the cost-per-click basis, requiring the creator of the ad to pay Google when a consumer clicks on an advertisement. Google not only provides services for the common user, but also designs specific products for corporate settings, such as non-profit organizations, government, businesses and schools. Most of its online products are free to use and are supported by text ads that are displayed within the interface. This begs the question of whether Google has a sustainable business model if in the future people begin to ignore internet-based advertisements. For my report, I used two different reports to financially analyze Google Incorporated, which were the 2012 10K form filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Annual report which is posted on it’s website and sent to it’s investors. The 10K report is a document that contains a more detailed explanation of business activity. The 10K is generated annually and has the same financial statements as the annual report, but it is much more detailed and business oriented. Therefore, most of my analysis came from the 10K report. The main purpose of the 10K is to provide detailed data regarding of the nature and success of the business for potential investors. This report offers more technical detail than the average business professional would understand. Without finance or accounting experience, potential stakeholders would have a difficult time deciphering the true benefit or costs of investing in Google. Through graphs of cumulative return, in depth financial statements, and current trends and developments, Google’s 10K filing demonstrates to financial and accounting professionals whether or not if it is a company that should be invested in. While both the 10K and the annual report are detailed summaries of Google’s business activity, they each have their separate purposes and uses. Both do a great job appealing to the report’s target audience. The annual report offers an overall view for anyone potential investors regardless of background or knowledge of the stock market. The 10K provides a detailed report for the finance and accounting professionals who feel the annual report is not sufficient. My first analysis of Google begins with the Balance Sheet. The balance sheet is sometimes referred to as a financial snapshot, because it represents the business only at specific time periods. Firstly, I think that it is essential to evaluate what the business is worth. This brings up what is known as the value problem, which involves the conflicting issue between the book value and the market value. The book value of the company is simply the shareholder’s equity, which is found on the balance sheet. This is because the accounting equation, A=L+OE refers to the assets minus the claims against the assets to equal the book value of the company. However, this does not represent Google’s actual value. The market value of the company more accurately reflects the true worth of the corporation. There are two reasons for the discrepancy. Firstly, financial statements are transaction based. The transaction figures are recorded when they occurred and entered into the balance sheet. The figures are never adjusted for the time value of money so there is very little relevance. Also, depreciation does not accurately reflect the true worth of assets. Secondly, investors buy the stock for expectations of future earnings, not for the underlying value of investors. This is an important distinction, especially in a technology company like Google’s where investors rely so heavily on intangible assets, which are very difficult to assign an intrinsic value to. The market value of Google was found to be $284. 4 Billion at the end of 2012 fiscal year. The market value is calculated by multiplying shares outstanding by the price per share. This is also referred to as market capitalization. To continue, I think it is also important to see how liquid the business is. Having short-term liquidity will aid the company to meet its short-term obligations when the business is in financial distress. We can use the current ratio, or the quick ratio to measure this. The current ratio includes all current assets divided by all current liabilities. The quick ratio, or acid test, is the more conservative approach because it excludes inventory due to its low resale value. However in this case, it turns out that the two ratios are the same because Google does not carry any inventory. By avoiding the use of inventory, Google is able to save substantial carrying costs, such as storage in warehouse and shipping. The quick ratio turns out to be 10. 0, which is extremely liquid. Generally a ratio above 2. 0 is considered positive. However, generally the ratio only has meaning when compared to others in its industry. In this case, Google would have to be compared with Microsoft and it’s most direct competitor, Yahoo Incorporated. Next, I analyzed how much working capital Google has. Working capital is used to measure both a company’s efficiency and its financial health. Potential suppliers and creditors may choose to examine Google’s ability to meet its current obligations in order to determine the risk associated with having business relations with the company. Working capital is calculated by subtracting current liabilities from current assets. Google’s working capital is found to be $49. 56 Billion. Although, by itself this figure is insignificant. We can conclude that the large working capital signifies that Google is not in danger of having trouble paying off current liabilities. For further meaning to the working capital figure, I compared it to previous years. This is because working capital provides insight into how efficient the operations are. If money is tied up in inventory or accounts receivable, the company lacks liquidity to pay off its obligations. However, I think that it also can indicate that a company is not operating efficiently. This suggests further analysis into the collection of the company’s current assets or accounts receivable. In fact, its accounts receivable don’t show a great picture with 35. 96 days worth of outstanding sales. This verifies my previous hypothesis that revenues are not being collected in an efficient manner. However, I think it should be noted that Google is a large firm and the processes and controls tat are in place for account receivables may take longer.

Nestle Is The Worlds Largest Food Processing Company Marketing Essay

Nestle Is The Worlds Largest Food Processing Company Marketing Essay 1.0 INTRODUCTION The strategic management process is based on the belief that organization should continuously monitor internal and external events and trends so that timely change can be made as needed. An organization must be capable of wisely identifying and adapting to change. In this report, I will choose Nestlà © S.A, one of the most successful food processing company in the world to discuss its strategy management process. 2.0 COMPANY PROFILE Nestlà © S.A. is the worlds largest food processing company and is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. The company was founded by Henri Nestlà © in 1866. Nestlà © Company had made several name changes from 1866 to 1947, and finally adopted Nestlà © S.A. in 1977 as the companys name. Nestle S.A. has factories or office in almost every region of the world and markets a wide range of brands. The company is often described as the most multinational of the multinationals. in the current food industry market. Henri Nestlà ©, also know as of the main originator of condensed milk. In 1867, he developed the first milk food for infants and a baby who could not be breast-fed was rescued. Nestlà ©s invention responded to the need for a nutritionally safe alternative to breast milk. Thus, Nestlà © S.A has targeted to build a business based on sound human values and thoughts. The key to success of the company is due to its huge Research and Development network within the food processing industry. With RD as the competitive advantage, Nestlà © has become the worlds leading nutrition, health, and wellness company. The company is devoted in continuing to improve the nutritional value of their products while enhancing the flavour. Nestlà © achieves this through its brands and with initiatives like the Nutritional Compass and 60/40+. Millions of people choose to consume Nestlà © products everyday because the company sustain the quality as the fundamental ingredient in all of its brands. Consumers choose to place their trust in Nestlà © due to the companys dedication to achieve distinction and turn to Nestlà © brands to preserve nutritional balance in todays fast paced world. Switzerland-based Nestlà © S.A. has the highest ranking as the largest player throughout the entire world in the competitive position within the food industry. The rating reflects the companys competitiveness and market attractiveness. With combined sales of 110 billion (Swiss Franc) in 2008, Nestlà © states a diversified business portfolio, being the market leader in numerous product categories worldwide including bottled water, instant coffee, milk and cheese products, nutrition and baby food, ice cream, frozen foods, culinary preparations, and coco products. Nestlà ©s broad geographic coverage includes North America and Europe as well as Asian markets. The vision of Nestlà © RD is long term, it helps shape the future of foods making consumer needs into research priorities and convert new technologies into consumer benefits, and services. 3.0 STRATEGY ANALYSIS 3.1 Environmental Scanning Environmental scanning has the management scan internal environment and external environment. The factor which are the predominant factor for an organization factor is SWOT standing for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. 3.1.1 SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method developed by Albert Humphrey using data from Fortune 500 companies in the 1960s and 1970s. 3.1.1.1 Internal Environment Strengths Strengths include anything a company does well and its resources and capabilities for developing a competitive advantage. The greatest strength of Nestlà © is culture that is team focused and an open door policy. Nestlà © focuses on collectivism and performance orientation attitude which encourages employees to work harder. Nestlà © achieves broader range of products by improving existing and innovating new products. Consumer demands are switched to changes of taste, colours and design that have been undertaken to products such as Nestlà ©s Smarties and Kit Kats.  The launch of Kit Kat Chunky has proven that creativity and innovation can extend the life cycle of a product. Weaknesses The lack of certain strengths and things a company does not do well are viewed as weaknesses. Nestlà © is poor in targeting some of its products. Nestlà © MilkPak is a premium product targeted to upper middle and high class consumers. Most consumers in Pakistan are from lower middle and poor class. They are not afford to purchase it due to the premium price. Nestlà © has a complex supply chain configuration too and traceability is a critical issue for Nestlà © India. High standards of hygiene, quality of edible inputs and workforce are required in the food industry. Fragmented nature of the Indian market will cause more problems. 3.1.1.2 External Environment Opportunities The external environmental analysis a firms new opportunities for profit and growth. Nestlà © in Pakistan has a great opportunity for expanding its milk products because Pakistan is the seventh major milk producer in the world with annual output more than 22 billion litres. Threats Adjustments in the external environment present threats to a firm. For an example, shifts in consumers preferences. The major threats to Nestlà ©s products is Unilevers Walls, a famous ice-cream brand. It is distributed nationwide and has total control within the local market. Besides, economic slowdown can reduce demand, and inflation is getting higher and higher causing the purchasing power of consumers is decreasing day by day. 3.1.1.3 General Environment PEST Analysis Pest Analysis is used to illustrate a structure for the analysis of macro-environmental factors. Political Political factors include a country or governments regulations and legal issues and rules which a firm must follow. For example, Nestlà ©s famous brand Milo. The product stay within the law in all countries including being aware of legislation health and safety, commercial standards, consumer protection and trade description. Economical Economic factors such like economic growth, exchange rate and inflation rate will influence potential customers purchasing power and the firms cash flow. During recession, customers have less disposable income, demand for Milo might drop in the market. Social Social factors comprise the cultural aspects and demographic of the external macro-environment. These factors influence customer needs and potential markets size. The society are more aware of health conscious nowadays, Nestlà © can build up Milo as a new fashionable drink like 100 plus in the fitness industry. Technological Technological factors can reduce barriers to entry, improve products quality and influence outsourcing decisions. Advance in science allows Nestlà © to improve its product such as Milo, the company can add energy and healthier formula to Milo. 3.2 Porters Five Forces Analysis Michael E. Porter developed Porters five forces in 1979. It is a framework that helps marketer to differentiate a competitive environment. Threat of substitute products An analysis of the threat of substitute products will identify the consumers of a company might switch their purchasing alternative. There is a tendency for food and beverages manufacturers to produce broad range of products. These products may compete with one another to gain market share and become substitute for each other. Nestlà © Koko Krunch Cereal can be the substitute for Nestlà © Nesvita cereal drink since both of them are intended for breakfast consumption. Nestlà © is not offering all kinds of food and beverages, those unoffered kinds may act as the substitutes for the Nestlà ©s products. For example, Nestlà © has coffee in its product lines which is Nescafà ©, the substitute for it can be the soft drinks which are not in the portfolio of Nestlà ©. In this case the substitutes are very broad. Bargaining power of suppliers An analysis of the bargaining power of suppliers  will identify the changing price, quality and service of suppliers without consequence. Supplier power can be different due to seasonal or economic cycles. Supplier power is increasing as many of the food processing companies are not producing their own raw materials. Nestlà © itself gets material in the form of raw or semi-processed directly from farmers and trade channels. By considering the number of suppliers in the industry and the switching cost, the dependency to a particular supplier can be reduced. Nestlà © has operations in many countries throughout the world, if one supplier unable to offer good price for Nestlà ©, it can switch to other suppliers. The bargaining power of supplier depends heavily on the strength of the companys brand. Big companies such as Nestlà © can take advantage in bargaining. Bargaining power of buyers Food processing industry is very broad and rivals can come out with numerous product selections. When the companies step into the maturity stage, they will have even more products provided to strengthen the companys brand. Nestlà © Milo has strong market share and remains a constant favourite amongst Malaysia consumers. In order to further strengthening the brands image, the company added Milo Gold to its product range to keep the consumers loyalty towards the product. Threats of new entrants An analysis of the threat of new entrants will identify entry barriers within an industry. Industries with high barriers to entry will face low risk from new competitors than an industries with low barriers to entry. The competition of ice cream business in Pakistan is very small. This could create chances for other international ice cream brand to penetrate their products to compete with Nestlà © in Pakistan. The major substitutes of Nestlà ©s ice cream would be Walls ice cream and Hico ice cream. Competitive rivalry within an industry Rivalry among competing firms is the utmost of the five competitive forces. Firms within the same industry are competing with one another to gain customer share to increase profitability. The competitors are of roughly equal size which can make the competition even stiffer. They will attempt to gain dominance over another. Nestlà © and General Mills have joint ventured for breakfast cereal market. By having such joint venture these two companies can achieve better success instead of competing with each other. 3.3 Value Chain Analysis Value chain analysis is a development for understanding the general factors and conditions under which a value chain and its firms can achieve higher levels of performance. Manufacturing and the environmental footprint Nestlà © has a great commitment to the environment. They put in great efforts to protect the access of water and ensure everyones responsibilities as water users. Nestlà © moves to different fuel types to produce their products to improve the environmental performance. One of the significant steps in the  value chain is transport. Nestlà © initiated an experiment with  Schenker, to  evaluate the effect  of  different types of  transport, distances  driven and fuel type used to create a better environment. Nestlà ©s employees The company determined by skilled and motivated workforce for continued success. Nestlà © includes many nationalities, religions, and ethnic groups working together in one single unifying corporate culture. Farmers and Agriculture Nestlà © always assist farmers to be successful suppliers. This great effort is helping the entire region to develop a positive long-term impact to boost economic performance. Nestlà © share good environmental and water management practices with farmers by carrying out agricultural programs. Nestlà © insist code of ethics to maintain good and long-term relationship with their suppliers. Products and consumers Nestlà © strengthens its brands and customers loyalty to respond to consumers changing preferences. Nestlà © preserves the nutritious in its products while enhancing the flavour and improve the quality of their products. According to Julio Frenk, former Secretary of Health Mexico, from his experience in Mexico, he believes that Nestlà © is delivering genuine shared value through its products in the society. 3.4 Benchmarking A company should has its benchmark to improve quality of its products. In June 4, 2009, Nestlà © started make use of ASSET4 to benchmark its environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance. ASSET4 is the top supplier of idea, comparable, and auditable extra-financial information. According to Nestlà ©s head of Investor Relations, Roddy Child-Villiers said that Nestlà © is committed to improve its ESG performance via Creating Shared Value, which build continuous business triumph and the establishment of shareholder value to the creation of value for society at large. 4.0 STRATEGY FORMULATION Strategy formulation is the second stage in the strategic management process. In the aspect of corporate strategy, the current objectives and strategies of Nestlà © will be discussed as well as suggestions given on how Nestlà © to be more successful in the food processing industry. For example, what amendments should be made to achieve the development objectives and strategies of Nestlà ©, the lines of business that Nestlà © is in now, and how these lines of business fit mutually. There are three main components fall under corporate strategy. These components include directional strategy, portfolio analysis and parenting strategy. 4.1 Directional strategy Directional strategy refers to a firms overall orientation towards growth, stability and retrenchment. 4.1.1 Growth strategy Growth strategy has two fundamental categories, concentration within existing industries and diversification into other lines of business or industries. In this report, I will choose to discuss the concentration strategy of Nestlà ©. Concentration strategy can be achieved via merger and acquisition (MA). MA have emerged and are widely used in many industries today. Nestlà © has been using these form of strategic alliances to link technology gaps and resources, to recruit expertise and obtain market positions. MA are essential and potentially useful for a company that wishes to enter a new industry and new markets. Merger Merger is defined as the combination of companies. In 1905, Nestlà © S.A was formed by the merger called the Nestlà © and Anglo-Swiss Milk Company. Nestlà © stepped outside the food industry for the first time and diversify its business in the cosmetic industry. In 1974, Nestlà © became a major shareholder in LOrà ©al, one of the worlds leading makers of cosmetics. Acquisition Acquisition is the act of purchase or takeover of a company that is completely absorbed by the subsidiary or division of the acquiring corporation. Since 1985, Nestlà © has made over 50 acquisitions. Nestlà ©s growth strategy began with acquisitions to diversify its product offering. In the early 1990s, it used acquisitions to expand geographically. More recently, Nestlà © has focused its acquisitions on growing a select number of very attractive businesses in markets where it can achieve leadership positions. For example, Nestlà © has acquired Frozen Food in 2010. The factors of the acquisition are due to Frozen Foods number one position in United Stated and Canada as well as strong growth profile in North America by proving fast recovery in times of economic downturn. Meanwhile, concentration strategy includes two strategies which are vertical growth and horizontal growth. I will choose horizontal growth of Nestlà ©s for further discussion. Horizontal growth refers to the expansion of operations into other geographic locations and enlarging the variety of products and services offered to current markets. Horizontal growth can be achieved via joint venture. As an example, in 2001, Coca-Cola Company and Nestlà © S.A. continue their existing joint venture business, Coca-Cola and Nestlà © Refreshments. This co-operation will be renamed Beverage Partners Worldwide (BPW) to emerge their beverage segments, especially ready-to-drink tea. 4.1.2 Portfolio Analysis Portfolio analysis is basically a product portfolio in which a company rank their products and where their products are stands in the market. There are two popular portfolio analysis techniques that will be used to analyse Nestlà ©s portfolio. There techniques include BCG Matrix (Boston Contingency Group) and GE Business Screen. For this report, BCG Matrix is selected to explain the current standing of Nestlà ©s brand in India. BCG Matrix In 1960, Bruce Henderson, president of the Boston Consulting Group design BCG Matrix to develop business strategy. There are four categories of product position which are stars, cash cows, dogs, and question marks. Stars When an industry is growing and the share of a firm is high as well, then the firm is the leader in business. Nestlà ©s Nescafà © is one of the leading coffee brands in the Indian market. It has the strong position in the market which is incomparable by other brand within the country. Nescafà © has high market share in the industry as well as the growth rate is significantly high. In addition, the name of Nescafà © has become generic with coffee. Cash Cows When the industry growth is low but the firm has high market share, then the firms products are considered Cash Cows. Nestlà ©s Maggie Noodles has more households of consumption in India and has become the first preference of Indian children in terms of instant food, yet it is still considered as Cash Cows, not a star. It has a significantly high market growth rate in the Noodles market in India, but the market growth rate of Noodle consumption is not very high. Question marks Question marks refer to products with the potential to penetrate into the market and succeed but will require a lot of cash for development. Maggie Pickles has limited variety especially in this taste crazy country, India. Maggie Pickles is doubted for two main reasons. The first reason price and packing of the product is high, which seems to target customer from upper class. The second reason is it lack of significant number of alternative, therefore it is a challenge to maintain itself in the market. Thus, it is suggested that Maggie Pickles to review its packaging and price so every citizen in India can afford to purchase the product. Dogs If the industry growth is low and a firms share is instability or low, then the products of the firm is considered dog. Nestlà ©s Dahi is considered Dog because people in India was unaware that Nestlà © offers a Dahi. The product is facing competition from Amuls Masti Dahi. The concept of Dahis packaging is not favourable by the consumer who prefer to play it safe with the local manufacturer. Nestlà © Dahi is placed in as a Dog due to lack of growing market. It is recommended that Nestlà © has to think on what it can do to make everyone in India recognize Nestlà © Dahi. 4.1.3 Corporate Parenting Strategy Corporate parenting strategy is developed to examine each business unit in terms of its strategic factors, areas in which performance can be improved, and analyze how well the parent company fits with the business unit. Horizontal strategy To expand a business to another geographic location, extra cost such as import duties, logistics and other packaging requirements will weigh down a products launch in the targeted region. Hence building an overseas plant or subcontract the manufacture of the product to a licensed local manufacturer. Nestlà ©s has many manufacturer in almost every country in the world to manufacture its products. This strategy has helped Nestlà © to cut down the extra costs as I have mentioned above. Multipoint competition Multipoint competition refers to a multinational organization compete against other multinational organizations in a number of markets. Nestlà © competes in a wide range of geographic areas in addition of broad range of product categories. Therefore it faces competition from multinational companies such as Unilever and Philip Morris with similar product lines that cross regional bounds. Since Nestlà © is facing this type of competition, it is suggested that Nestlà © must compete briskly across its worldwide customer base. 5.0 STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION Strategy implementation is the third stage in strategy management. In order to carry out the formulated strategies, Nestlà © needs to establish annual objectives, planning policies, motivation employees and allocate resources. This stage is also known as the action stage of strategic management and it is often considered to be the most complicated stage. It needs the collaboration from all the employees at all levels in Nestlà © in terms of personal discipline, commitment, and sacrifice. In this stage, I will discuss several issues that will affect to Nestlà © during the process of strategy is being implemented. 5.1 Management Issues Management changes are essentially more extensive when strategies to be implemented move a firm in a major new direction. I will select several factors from the management issue to discuss how are they going to affect Nestlà ©s organizational performance. Annual Objectives Annual objectives are especially important in strategy implementation, whereas long-term objectives are particularly important in strategy formulation. Annual objectives represent the basis for allocating resources. Resources Nestlà © need at least four types of resources in order to achieve desired objectives. Financial resources. One of the major strengths of Nestlà © is its RD which contribute a lot in supporting the companys strategy implementation. In 2006, Nestlà © invested CHF 1.73 billion in RD and over CHF 1.5 billion in Venture Capital. Thus, the company needs sufficient financial resources in order to continue its RD. Physical resources. Nestlà © has a committed sales force which is the major resource strength in terms of physical resources. It is very important as part of the companys success particularly after the strategy is implemented, and the employees able to develop markets and sell its products. Human resources. Human resources is one the significant concern while implementing strategy because it is the backbone of any organization. The fact that Nestlà © is more people and product than system oriented reflected in the way HR is functioning and is organized. Technological resources. RD at Nestlà © is an international group of science and technology centres of excellence. Its RD has a long tradition of building its own machines based on extensive in-house engineering experience. Proprietary technological claims in all products categories assist Nestlà © to maintain and improve its position as market leader. Rewards and Incentives The Real Rewards in Nestlà © USAs investment in you is a comprehensive package for waged employees. Compensation is a key part reward of Nestlà © USAs Real Rewards package to help to attract, motivate, and retain a workforce of top performance. There are three types of compensation of the Real Rewards package. Base Pay. Based Salaries are designed to be competitive which based on data specific to different position as measure in marketplace. High performance over time is recognized by base pay that is higher than the market. Short-Term Incentives. Short-Term Incentives Pay is designed to reward employees (typically yearly) for their accomplishments and contribution to Nestlà © USAs success. Long-Term Incentives. Nestlà © USAs Long-Term Incentives Plan are designed to motivate and reward those in eligible leadership position for the companys sustained success for a longer period, often three years or more. Human Resources Nestlà © Human Resources Policy encompasses those guidelines which represent a sound basis for effective and efficient HR management in the Nestlà © Group around the world. Learning is part of the company culture in Nestlà ©. Employees at all levels is conscious of the need to upgrade constantly his or her skills and knowledge to achieve personal and organizational goal. 5.2 Marketing Issues Marketing variables can determine the success and failure of strategy implementation. Market Segmentation Marketing segmentation is the process in marketing of grouping a market to identify different groups of customers with different needs or responses to marketing activity. Consumer can be segmented on the following characteristics. I will use Nestlà © Juices to discuss how Nestlà ©s marketing team is going to target the market segmentation. Geographic Segmentation, Region. People would prefer to drink juices during the hot weather or summer season. The marketing team can segment the market on the basis of high temperature zones. To boost the demand of its juices products, they can focus more in the region where the consumption remains almost the same all the year around. Demographic Segmentation, Gender. Women will be the best targeted customers as they usually shop for their family. When they are convinced that the juices will be good for the health for their family, they will eventually purchase. Psychographic Segmentation, Life style. People belonging to luxury life style tend to spend more on luxuries as compared to people in the lower class. In strategy implementation, market segmentation is an important variable. It allows Nestlà © to operate with limited resources due to unnecessary of mass production, mass advertising and mass distribution. The market segmentation decision directly affect the marketing mix variables. Marketing Mix Product strategy. Nestlà © juices main competitive advantage is its quality leadership. The company aim provide the original and best quality to their customers and fulfill their need. Place strategy. In Pakistan, Nestlà © established the distribution channels for its juices products in famous cities such as Karachi, Lahore and Gujranwala. Then they acquired maximum two to three suitable distributors in these cities to hinder from their own competition. Promotion strategy. The marketing team of Nestlà © use various sources to promote their target marketing. Sources used such like TV, Newspaper and Billboard to advertise their products. When Nestlà © launches new juice, the marketing team will use the promotion strategy that are mentioned to spread the awareness of their brand. Price Strategy. Nestlà © juices are available six flavored and two size. The packing of 200ml size is targeted for individual customer while 100ml packing is targeted for whole family. They charge price premium since they provided high quality and 100% clear juices other than competing low cost with their competitors. Nestlà © juices contain maximum profit margin compared to their rivals. Product Positioning After segmenting markets, Nestlà © can target particular customer groups, the next step is to find out what customers wants and needs. In 2009, Nestlà © launched two fortified juice drinks for children, Juicy Juice Brain Development and Juicy Juice Immunity. Customer wants. Children are targeted easily targeted for these two juice drinks because they can choose three flavours that are available including apple, berry and grape flavours in these two juice drinks. Customer needs. Parents are very concerned with their kids development. Therefore, these two juice drinks are specifically targeting brain and immune development in under five age group. 5.3 Research Development Issues RD is an investigative activities that a business choose to conduct with the purpose of discovering new products and to improve the existing products. Nestlà © is the global leader in the food processing industry with regard to RD. The RD expert team in Nestlà © have provided best practices and help in the companys implementation. For example, the RD structure offers the flexibility to use the huge sources of local ideas, bring them back and develop them for the global implementation. The major advantages of Nestlà © RD include: The company attract the best scientist and engineers from top-level universities who want to work and partner with them. To build plants, expand, grow, and market products and services more efficiently. 6.0 CONCLUSION In a nutshell, it is not easy to maintain the position as the world leader in food processing industry like Nestlà ©. A company must be able cope with any unexpected changes in order to survive and compete in the world of business. (Word Counts: 4435 words)

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Influences Of Tolkien In T Essay -- essays research papers

The Influences of Tolkien The influences of Tolkien are many and great, but of them all, three stand out most; his great love of nature that sprung from his experiences as a youth in the English Countryside, his acute sensitivity and desire to master language, and his involvement in trench warfare in the Great War. Tolkien himself vehemently denied that the war affected his story at all. 'The real war does not resemble the legendary war its process or conclusion. If I had been inspired or directed in the development of the legend, then certainly the ring would have been seized and used against Sauron.'; Tolkien's love of language persisted throughout his life from his child hood years till adulthood. When he was a boy he would study Welsh names that would rush by on railway coal cars, a...

Monday, August 19, 2019

Adam in Miltons Paradise Lost Essay -- John Milton

Adam in "Paradise Lost": Fate's Ruler - and Subject A central problem in John Milton's "Paradise Lost" in the theological issue of free will versus fate, a traditionally much-debated question. Free will is the condition of having control or direction over fate or destiny; the individual shapes his life and future through his actions. The opposing view, complete lack of free will (made famous by John Calvin), is predestination, which expresses the idea that our futures have been foreseen long before our existences, so our actions are preordained, and our paths chosen for us. Milton's presentation of the character Adam wrestles with these ideas around free will throughout Paradise Lost; while he does in fact eat the apple of his own accord, the episode is foreseen by God, in advance. In this epic poem, Milton asserts that man, through Adam's example, exercises free will; but in doing so, he exposes contradiction, makes some absorbing inquiries and asks some engrossing questions. A cursory history of both views would be beneficial here. John Calvin, the famed apologist of predestination, defines it in this way: In conformity, therefore, to the clear doctrine of the Scripture, we assert, that by an eternal and immutable counsel, God has once for all determined, both whom he would admit to salvation, and whom he would condemn to destruction. We affirm that this counsel, as far as concerns the elect, is founded on his gratuitous mercy, totally irrespective of human merit; but that to those whom he devotes to condemnation, the gate of life is closed by a just and irreprehensible, but incomprehensible, judgment. In the elect, we consider calling as an evidence of election, and justification as another token of it... ...eversed in a moment of free will; else there is a paradox here that is unreconcilable: how can people both have free will and not have it, simultaneously? In "Paradise Lost", John Milton attacks the theme of free will versus predestination through the actions of Adam, the first man. Adam's actions are unclear -- thus he has free will to act on his own -- but at the same time he is governed by an overriding God who can see past, present, and future. Adam is both the subject and ruler of his fate, in a unique contradiction cleverly set up and expressed by Milton. The writing surrounding Adam evidence Milton's essential believe in free will, but also display his thoughtful treatment of the situation. In the epic poem "Paradise Lost", John Milton carefully weighs the two ideas of predestination and free will against each other, with profound and fascinating results.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Oedipus the King :: Classics

Oedipus the King "Oedipus the King" Essay Oedipus Rex lived his life knowing the fate to which he was destined. He tried at all costs to avoid Apollo's prophecies; however, this only led him to a state of tragedy and despair. This outcome made it justifiable for the educated reader to label him as a "tragic hero." Oedipus' obvious identification made it all the more difficult to investigate the question as to whether there could be more than one "tragic hero" per novel. The supporting characters of Jocasta and Laius were possibilities, and in the following paragraphs, their likeness to a figure of tragedy will be expressed. The character of Laius had already died the moment the play began, however, because his presence played such a significant role in the novel, the reader was still able to determine a great deal about him. The biological father of Oedipus had been the reigning king and he lived in riches with his wife Jocasta in wealth and riches. This state of prosperity eventually was transformed into a pathetic end when he was killed in the street by his own son. This fulfills the first property of a tragic hero. Laius also experiences pain that had been partially self-inflicted. He sent his son, Oedipus, away to be killed at an early age, and in the end, it was this discarded son that killed him. Laius then must have realized that this "pain" was the result of allowing others to do his dirty work. If he had had the courage to kill the infant himself, then the misfortune of dying at the hand of his son would have been avoided. Not wanting to sway from the stereotypical traits of a king, Laius exhibited a pride that was largely displayed in the situation that had him killed. Instead of leaving the road for Oedipus to pass, he insisted on maintaining his stature and he "tried to push [Oedipus] off the road" (p.56). This is more specifically defined as "hubris", and is another essential characteristic of a tragic figure. Similar to the unyielding pride of a king, is the expression of one's mind at the expense of his own body. Again, the crossroads situation can be used, as can the general nature of a typical king, a personality from which Laius did not sway. The preceding two points illustrate the main flaw of Laius, King of Thebes. It has many times been proven that pride can be one's downfall, and the existence of this trait in Laius' personality, and the fact that it was this that killed him, prove that he experienced

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson was a politician, scholar, activist, and an idealist who believed that â€Å"there is no cause half so sacred as the cause of a people. There is no idea so uplifting as the idea of the service of humanity†. Yet he was also considered a racist. A. The Child Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born December 28, 1856 at Staunton, Virginia; one of four children to Joseph Ruggles Wilson and Janet Wilson who were of Scottish descent. His family moved to Augusta, Georgia a year after his birth and then in 1870 moving to Columbia and later moved to Wilmington in 1884. Woodrow later drop his first name, Thomas. B. The Student He got his early education from a few ex-Confederate soldiers who set up some schools after the Civil war and his father who taught him religion, literature and British history. At sixteen years of age, Wilson attended Davidson College, North Carolina for one year and later drop out of college due to his health. In 1875, he attended a College of New Jersey which is now known as Princeton University where he graduated in 1879. Later that year he studied law at the University of Virginia but left school again due to personal reasons. He continued his studying law on his own after returning home of Wilmington, North Carolina. He set up a legal practice with a friend from the University of Virginia in 1882 and passed the Georgia Bar Exam. Later, he left the practice of law and decided to continue his education at John Hopkins University, Baltimore. There he was enrolled as a graduate student in history and political science and earned his PH. D in 1886. With his research study, he made the dissertation known as Congressional Government: A Study in American Politics. In this dissertation, Wilson argued about the power the congressional government has over a weak postwar Presidency and for a constitutional change of separation of powers between Congress and the President to that of the British Parliament. In the final year of his graduate school, Wilson, at 28 years old, married Ellen Louise Axson, in Savannah, Georgia. They had three daughters in their life together, Margaret, Jessie, and Eleanor. Woodrow Wilson became an instructor at Bryn Mawr College from 1885 to 1888 teaching political economy and public law. He then accepted professorship at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, teaching history for two years. After 1890, he went back to Princeton University teaching political economy and law. From 1902 – 1910, Woodrow Wilson served as President of Princeton University. Wilson’s tenure helped shape Princeton into one of America’s great universities. C. The Governor Wilson ran for governor of New Jersey accepting the conservative Democrats’ proposal and won the democratic nomination. He shocked the politicians by declaring independence of the political bosses and later won the decisive victory over the Republican opponent and began his reforms against the political bosses. During two year period, Wilson had pushed legislation to allow voters to choose their candidates rather than having party bosses choose as well as secure reform for campaign finances. He also made passage for Workers Compensation for families whose working member is injured or killed on the job as well as improve the public utility commission to improve rates. During his time as Governor of New Jersey, many progressive leaders took interest in Wilson as a potential Presidential candidate, especially the Democrat William Jennings Bryan. D. The President Woodrow Wilson narrowly won the Democratic nomination in 1912 putting him against President Taft of the Republicans, Theodore Roosevelt of the Bull Moose Party, and Eugene Debs of the Socialist Party. Wilson on his platform presented a program called the â€Å"New Freedom† which busted up corporate monopolies to allow the chance for competition to prevent monopolies from controlling the Federal government. Wilson won the election with 41. 9% becoming the 28th President of the United States. Few reforms he first put out was the tariff reform, The Underwood Act; which had lowered rates from 40% to 27%, as well as creating the first federal income tax with the passage of the 16th Amendment. In 1914, Ellen Louise Axson, Wilson’s wife and First Lady, died from Bright’s disease. In 1915, Wilson married Edith Bolling Galt, who happens to be a widow at the time which made her the 2nd First Lady. With the Election of 1916 coming, the main focus came to light about the War in Europe, which Wilson being the Democratic candidate with Marshall as his running mate, bent on neutrality of keeping the United States out of the European War. His opponents were the reunited Republican Party with Charles Evan Hughes of New York as their candidate. Wilson called for military preparedness as well as a world association of peace for maintaining peace after the war in Europe ends, as well as women suffrage, and ending child labor. Democratic delegates also came up with the chant, â€Å"He kept us out of war† as the campaign slogan. Wilson had narrowly won the election in November with 49. 4% vote and 277 electoral vote compared to Hughes 46. 2% vote and 254 electoral vote. E. The Racist Wilson initiated his segregation efforts while president of Princeton University, he discouraged blacks from applying for admission. Wilson's History of the American People (1901) described the Ku Klux Klan of the late 1860s as a lawless reaction to a lawless period. Wilson wrote that the Klan â€Å"began to attempt by intimidation what they were not allowed to attempt by the ballot or by any ordered course of public action†. Wilson considered African American immigrants unfitting for American citizenship and unable to integrate in the American society. He made this very evident in his book, History of the American People. Wilson described slaves as â€Å"indolent† and compared them to â€Å"shiftless children† and thought that slave masters were patient with these lazy laborers. Woodrow Wilson disapproved of the idea of African American being free. He usual related them to animals and commonly referred to blacks as darkies. Wilson held the common neo-Confederate view that the South was demoralized by Northern advocates and Congressional hassle of black equality justified extreme measures to reassert white supremacist national and state governments. Though in 1912, â€Å"an extraordinary number of African Americans left the Republican Party to vote for Wilson (a Democrat), encouraged by his promises to support minorities, Wilson’s cabinet expanded racially segregationist policies. Under Woodrow Wilson administration, most federal government offices were segregated – in some departments for the first time since 1863. Many African American employees were demoted or fired. Some segregationist federal workplace policies introduced by the Wilson administration remained until the Truman Administration in the 1940s. In 1914, Wilson told The New York Times, â€Å"If the colored people made a mistake in voting for me, they ought to correct it†. F. The Public Administrator Wilson believed Public Administration was â€Å"government in action; it is the executive, the operative, the most visible side of government, and is of course as old as government itself†. He was fretful about the implementation of government so he studied public administration because he believed that it could increase governmental efficiency. He condemned political leader who modulated the importance of government administration and made it â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. harder to run the constitution than to frame it†. Woodrow Wilson thought that the United States required greater compromise because of the diversity of public opinion. He compared administration to a machine that functions independent of the changing mood of its leaders. Wilson put it, â€Å"public attention must be easily directed, in each case of good or bad administration, to just the man deserving of praise or blame. There is no danger in power, if only it be not irresponsible. If it be divided, dealt out in share to many, it is obscured†¦. † II. Conclusion In 1919, Wilson suffered a stroke while on a speaking tour in Pueblo, Colorado, making him unable to carry out his Presidential duties effectively. After leaving office, he retired in Washington DC where he spent the remaining three years of his life before passing away on February 3, 1924. He is the only President to be buried in the National Cathedral in Washington DC. He changed the Democratic Party to a â€Å"party of reform† as well as changing foreign policy to internationalism from isolationism. He also left behind the Federal Reserve, the tariff reduction, federal regulation of business, as well as support for the labor unions. He helped prepare the United States for its role in the world with creating the League of Nations only for the US to join its; predecessor the United Nations. Woodrow Wilson left behind an idea that would fuel for global peace.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Analyse The Woodpile and compare the language and themes to other Frosts poems

Frost writes a lot about the emotion of solitude and being isolated, either physically or mentally, and this poem is no different. The line, â€Å"I was just far from home†, is a good example to show how isolated and unhappy the narrator is feeling as home is a place of comfort. Pathetic fallacy is used, as the images in this poem set up a bleak icy day that reflects these emotions, for example, â€Å"frozen swamp one grey day†, the adjectives, â€Å"frozen† and â€Å"gray† emphasise this lonely feeling. Frost also gives the reader the impression of the horizon looking the same, emphasising how lost the narrator is feeling, â€Å"Too much alike to mark or name a place by†. There are other poems that resemble the idea of being alone; two examples are Home Burial and The Tuft Of Flowers. Home Burial is, for me, the loneliest poem in this selection, as it says that even though you may be surrounded by people it is possible to feel alone emotionally. In the beginning of the poem The Tuft Of Flowers the narrator is feeling alone physically. However this poem questions whether or not people can ever be truly alone, and, as a contrast to most of Frost's poems like Home Burial, decides you can't. Many parallels can be drawn between Tuft Of Flowers and The Wood Pile, another being nature, in a way, leading the narrator to an object that consequently leads the reader to the meaning of the poem. In The Wood Pile a bird flies down close to the narrator and whilst being distracted by the bird the narrator comes to the foot of a neatly measured woodpile. To show the reader that this concrete image is the most important in this poem, Frost describes it precisely, â€Å"and measured four by four by eight†. This Woodpile lets Frost make his point that people get tired of the things they do and consequently forget about them, the reader can see this from the image of the wood decaying, â€Å"slow smokeless burning of decay†. Frost also talks about the uselessness of the woodpile if it is left there â€Å"leave it there far from a useful fire place†. The words decay and useless mean the same thing as waste and wastefulness, showing that Frost's meaning is that of humans discard for the things they do. In Tuft Of Flowers, the narrator is in the process of turning some freshly cut grass, so it can be dried and made into hay, when they spot a butterfly, that whilst following it with their eyes sees a beautiful area of flowers that the mower had left for the enjoyment of others. The narrator then realise that even though they and the mower are working separately they are not just working for themselves but for other people, and thus decide that men can never truly be alone, † ‘Men work together' I told him from the heart ‘whether they work together or work apart'†. As these two concrete images lead the reader to the meaning of the poem we can see that Frost uses concrete lexis to portray abstract ideas. I believe The Woodpile is sending out the message that people are wasteful and forgetful as the wood chopper has made this stack of wood perfectly and then went off and forgot about it, however, it might be that Frost is trying to tell us that the work is more important than the reward. I think the message Frost is trying to send across is that of humans' forgetfulness as the woodpile is left there to rot, the quote, â€Å"and leave it there far from a useful fire place† shows this. As Frost ends this poem on the image, â€Å"Slow smokeless burning of decay†, which is a rather nasty image, I feel the underlying message can't be a nice one; further, as the last word in the poem is decay, that is another way of saying waste, I feel Frost is criticising people by calling them wasteful. However, Frost does say, â€Å"I thought only someone who lived in turning to fresh tasks could so forget his handiwork†. As Frost says that this person must have moved on to another job very quickly in order to forget his amazing work this poem could be read on a level that Frost believes everybody should live like this and not care for the reward but the pleasure of working. The idea that people get tried of the things they do too quickly is repeated in the poem After Apple Picking. In this poem the narrator admits that even though he was really looking forward to this harvest he is bored of it now, â€Å"I am overtired of the great harvest I myself desired†. In the end of The Wood Pile we can see one of Frost's major themes that nature is stronger and in the end more powerful than humans. We can see this in two ways. Firstly, that the snow has obliterated all evidence that humans have been here to make this woodpile, â€Å"No runner tracks in this year's snow looped near it†. Secondly, the reader can see that the man made objects-the stake and the prop that were originally put there to support the woodpile are falling over, and that nature is supporting the woodpile now, firstly from a plant wrapped around it and secondly from a tree that it is balancing on. This idea that nature is protecting it now is emphasised by the simile, â€Å"clematis had wound string around it like a bundle†, the words wrap and bundle make this quote sound like he is relating the clematis to a mother and the woodpile to a new born baby, and thus emphising the effect of nature protecting the woodpile. Two of Frost's earliest poems, Ghost House and Mending Wall, also shows his idea that nature is more powerful than humans. Ghost House is about a house that has been abandoned and is now so overgrown it is like nature is claiming it back, just as the woodpile has been claimed back by the clematis. â€Å"The footpath down to the well is healed† this line from The Ghost House symbolises that the grass has grown over the footpath and the word healed shows that it is better than it was before. Mending Wall is about two farmers relentlessly putting up a wall that has been knocked down by wind and ice. The line, â€Å"The gaps I mean, no one has seen them made or heard them made† symbolises that something beyond their control is knocking the wall down, and as this thing is nature we can see that nature is more powerful than humans. The Woodpile, like many of his later poems, is written in blank verse. This poem is also written in the form of an un-rhyming monologue that gives the impression of a person that doesn't really have anything to say and thus is rambling. The frequent enjambment used also makes this poem sound like a one sided conversation. Frost uses this conversational technique in plenty of other poems such as After Apple Picking. This technique of making his poem sound like a conversation is backed up by the trivial and unexciting moment of experience that starts of the deep hidden meaning of this poem. Therefore, I believe that The Woodpile is quintessential Frost as it uses many of his techniques, such as his un-rhyming monologue, nature being stronger than humans, abstract ideas represented by a concrete lexis, and the bleak emotion of solitude.

Clinical Interview Questions

Learning is usually a challenge for most, what learning technique and approach works the best for you? 2. There are many different roles in life, usually there is a more dominant position people fit best in. Your strongest strengths would get you farther if you were more of a soldier or a leader? 3. When life becomes stressful and negative events unfold, is there anything that usually helps the situation? Such as eating something, thinking of good thoughts, or talking to someone special? 4.For our daily life, are generally satisfied with how your life is today? 5. Is there a lack of people in your life? Is there anyone particular? 6. How would you describe your family and friend relationships with how you grew up and how you were raised? How would you describe them currently? 7. If you were to look at yourself and the life you have lived so far, would you say you are and have been at least 50% positive about life and the choices you have made? 8. Do you feel there is anyone who contr olled your life at any point in time? Do you blame anyone for any event?Do you have any regrets about the choices you have made? 9. Regardless of how much time people have been alive for, people still remember things about their life. What would you say is the best memory you have framed in your mind? What is the worst memory that you would like to forget? 10. Some people accept memories because the override the old with the new. Other people accept memories because they talk about them comfortably. 11. If you could change a characteristic, an ability, an achieved long-term goal, and a lifestyle feature about your life dealing with one of each what would they be?

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Breaking bad behaviour

Breaking-Bad Behavior Habits are things that people do good or bad repeatedly. People start their own habits, and they are very hard to break. Whether it is good or bad habits, it is something that the person has to choose to change. Breaking bad habits is one of the hardest thing to do. The reason behind the bad habits are we begin as enjoyable activities, which we want to repeat. This encourages us to do things again, and the activity becomes a habit.This habit can be any type of habit like cheating, smoking, and plagiarism. Now a days, you can find everywhere duplicate things all over the world. People steal the formula of the original product and made the same product by different name. This is one kind of cheating. This habit is not good. To stop all that thing we have to buy original and brand name thing which we know. This is the best way to stop this cheating, so this way we can make the company realize that they did wrong.To stop this thing company owner should not have to s how the formula of the product. This happen in college campus also. If some author wrote a book then the instructor of the other college add or remove some topic and published it as his own book. When we attend his/her class he/she told to prefer her own book. We have to look for other author's book and compare it with college edition so we can use the original book. Smoking is a bad habit. It causes a cancer. First the student started smoking as fun but after sometimes they are habituated with it.They cannot live without it. If you don't do smoke and if your friend does and when he offer a cigarette to you, you refuse to smoke, but he forced Misery 2 you to smoke then you defiantly do it and after a few days you will start smoking. So this thing commonly you can see in the schools and colleges. To get rid of these habit start eating chocolates, chewing gum etcetera. So you can divert your mind and after sometimes you will break your this habit. In the college instructor will give a project to the students.Student have to register their name to instructor which project they going to make. So during the class some decided what they have to make, but other cannot get the idea what they have to do. So during the talk they tried to know what other student is going to make. If they know what that other student is going to do then he meet to instructor and register his name with project name, which is actually that student's project. We are responsible for this that we don't know that person very well to whom we are talking and what he is thinking.It's he best way not to tell everything about work to other person, so we can keep our idea safe. Thus, to stop all these incidents of academic misconduct we have to look out for the original source and follow the laws in colleges and schools to keep students away from the bad habits. If you are habituated with bad habit and you want to overcome of it, first commit to stopping the behavior by creating a plan, and develop s elf-discipline, and self-awareness so that you can stay on track. Also choose the right approach to dealing with it and involves others in your efforts.