Vacant Chapter 14 Home

â€Å"Margie's been coming by every night to make sure I have food or whatever. We would talk for a little while.† Emily stops and looks toward the door. â€Å"I'm guessing she hasn't shown up tonight because she saw the car out front.† I yawn, but not because I'm bored. I could listen to Emily talk forever about the six days I missed out on. I'm exhausted though and the days I went without restful sleep are showing. â€Å"You are so tired, Ethan. We can do this tomorrow.† Her hand slides down my face as a warm smile takes over her features. I stand to head toward the bedroom, and she turns to make her bed on the couch. â€Å"Emily?† I question her. â€Å"I was hoping we could go to bed.† The, â€Å"well, duh,† look she gives me, and then returns to making her bed tells me she's not understanding my meaning. â€Å"No, ummm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why am I so nervous to say this? I roll my eyes at myself. â€Å"Like, together,† I say as I step to the doorway of the bedroom, â€Å"in here.† Her eyes get huge, owl huge, and I realize my mistake. â€Å"No! Not like that. I just†¦.† I have messed up so much; I want to get something right, so I pause and collect my thoughts. â€Å"No more sleeping on the couch, Emily. We're adults who love each other. I don't want to be apart anymore. Come to bed with me and sleep. Nothing else.† I want her to understand that I'm not pushing. I want her close, but I don't want her to be uncomfortable. This is a monumental step forward for us. â€Å"You, me, pajamas, and sleeping†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I decide that perhaps a little lighthearted humor won't hurt. â€Å"And maybe a little more of the kissing.† I will behave. I put on full length pajama pants – over my boxers – and t-shirt. I get under the sheet, lie flat on my back and cross my hands over my stomach. I wait. Patiently? No. Emily enters the bedroom from the bathroom, and I can tell she's nervous. I'm not sure if her anxiety is because of the prospect of sleeping with me or that she is wearing a tank and panty set I'm pretty sure was intended for a toddler and not a full grown woman. I can see her nipples. And her†¦I'm definitely in trouble. Do I tell her? I have no idea what the protocol is for divulging sexual history to a prospective mate. Mate? I roll my eyes at myself again as images of Emily and me wrapped in fur coverings shoot through my mind. I'm running around with a spear shouting, â€Å"Me man, you woman.† It's totally ridiculous that I've reverted to a prehistoric mindset. If I were a caveman, I'd have an easier time with the subject at hand. I'd just grab Emily and shove my penis in her vagina with nothing more than grunts. Being without conversational language skills has its advantages; there's no way to explain everything. My thoughts have veered off course, and I need to focus on the woman crawling up the bed like a cat hunting a mouse. Even though I haven't admitted it to myself, this is one of the reasons I'm so afraid of this thing with Emily. Sex and the topic of sex have always been off the table with her. We have never discussed previous experiences. I'd always assumed Emily was a virgin, but maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part since she came to me at a young age. I'm not naive enough to think that teenage girls aren't having sex. I just didn't want Emily to be one of them. Being nervous about Emily's sexual experience, or lack thereof, isn't my only reason for pause. I don't know whether or not I should divulge my history. Part of me thinks it plays a huge part in things, while the other part of me says it doesn't matter. I'm torn and don't know which is right. I know honesty is the best policy, but will it do more harm than good in this case? â€Å"Ethan?† I look up and see those expressive eyes. She needs my comfort and acceptance. Even though I made it clear we are only sleeping tonight, it seems like she is still trying to persuade me to do more. How else would you explain the tiny underwear and feline-like movements? If I don't stop this dead in its tracks now, I know I won't. Things will go too far too fast. I open my arms in invitation, hoping she gets the message without hurt feelings. â€Å"Just lay down with me.† Why is she giggling? The haze from sleep is slowly lifting, and the morning sun shines through the window. I want to recap the events of last night before I open my eyes and look at the most important person in my life. â€Å"Ethan?† Emily whispers. â€Å"Hmmm,† I answer to let her know I'm awake. Her hand is on my stomach, under my shirt, where she strokes the hair just above my belly button. â€Å"Can I touch it?† Emily breathes in a hushed tone. My eyebrows furrow with my eyes still closed. â€Å"Touch what?† Another giggle. Emily's hand slides down a little further, and a finger dips inside the waist of my pajamas. Whoa! I grab her wrist to still her movement, but she tugs away. â€Å"I want this, Ethan. I want this with you. Please don't make me beg you.† The last thing I want is for Emily to connect negative feelings to sex with me, but I never came to a resolution last night. I am not sure how much to tell her, but I don't think dwelling on it any longer will help me decide. I'm going to have to throw a bone and see her response. â€Å"We need to talk, Emily.† â€Å"Later.† It's a bold statement on her part, but I can't deny her as her hand moves under my waistband. I'm ashamed to say that I've denied her touch for too long, and I don't want to wait for another second. Her lips move to mine, my mouth automatically opening. I want nothing more than to swallow her whole but settle for the caress of her tongue on mine. Her fingers play under my pants, flirting with the idea of moving lower. My hands have been flat against the mattress until now, but I can't stop their journey to her arms, then back. Knowing she is touching me intimately gives me the courage to do the same. My hand floats to the crest of her ass, gliding across her flesh. She moans, giving me the courage to extend my caress to her bare flesh beneath her panties. My touch is tentative because I want to get this right. â€Å"Yes,† comes her strangled plea. We continue kissing with nips and tugs of lips and teeth; my hand moves to the top of her thigh, then down to the dip where her ass meets her legs. She pushes toward me, her pussy opening to meet my waiting hand. I don't have to search far before encountering slick skin, eager for my attention. Her breath stutters as my fingers begin to move, stroking her. Her hand moves to touch me, her thumb rubbing my head, spreading the pre-cum. Her touch feels so good that I move my mouth away from hers, fearful I'll bite her. Instead, my teeth graze her jaw then continue to move lower. My mouth waters at the thought of tasting more of her. I've imagined what her nipples look like – taste like. I want to know that my fantasies don't compare, even a small portion, to the reality. But this is not a fantasy. This is someone I care about, dream about, someone who matters and this has to be right. I pull her tank down, exposing her breasts. My mouth immediately latches on, suckling and lapping at the darkened peak. My fingers massage while my tongue caresses, and in only a few seconds, Emily is panting and writhing. Her head falls to my chest as she stiffens in my arms. I've never felt so satisfied, despite not having my own release. But it doesn't matter, because I know that this is only the beginning. This is the first of many gifts I hope to give her. After I make her get dressed completely, we sit at the kitchen table for a much needed discussion. â€Å"So, you've never†¦.?† I start. â€Å"No.† While I'm deliriously happy Emily is a virgin, I also know the pain associated with the first time for a woman, and I'm not looking forward to inflicting that. I want to give her pleasure, not pain. â€Å"What about you?† Emily asks followed by a big gush of air. â€Å"Never mind; that's a stupid question. Of course you have. I mean, look at you.† I open my mouth to answer her, but she doesn't let me. â€Å"No, tell me. I want to know. How many?† And there lies the crux of my problem. I'm afraid to tell her, because if she knows, will she still trust me with her most precious gift?

What Are the Problems That Wal-Mart Has Faced, and What Has the Company Done to Address Them

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , is an icon of American business. From small-town business to multinational, from hugely controversial to a leader in renewable energy, Wal-Mart has long been a lightning rod for news and criticism. With 2008 sales of over $405. 6 billion and more than two million employees worldwide, the world’s largest public corporation must carefully manage many different stakeholder relationships. It is a challenge that has sparked significant debate.Although Wal-Mart reportedly can save the average family $3,200 annually, the company has historically received plenty of criticism regarding its treatment of employees, suppliers, and economic impacts on communities. Feminists, activists, and labor union leaders have all voiced their beliefs that Wal-Mart has engaged in misconduct in order to provide low prices. However, Wal-Mart has been turning over a new leaf. New emphases on diversity, charitable giving, and sustainability have contributed to Wal-Mart’s revi talized image.The story of Wal-Mart and its low prices includes both positive and negative impacts on society. Positively, Wal-Mart reportedly saves consumers over $287 billion annually, equating to about $950 per person. On the flip side, research shows that communities can be negatively impacted by Wal-Mart’s arrival in their areas. This analysis attempts to show both sides of the controversy. It begins by briefly examining the growth of Wal-Mart, and then discusses Wal-Mart’s various relationships with its stakeholders, including competitors, suppliers, and employees.Some of the ethical issues concerning these stakeholders include accusations of discrimination, illegal immigration issues, and leadership misconduct as demonstrated by Wal-Mart former vice chair Thomas Coughlin. Yet, in an effort to show Wal-Mart’s attempts to position itself as a socially responsible company, this case also examines Wal-Mart’s sustainability plans, its ethical initiative s, and former CEO Lee Scott’s impressive leadership qualities. The analysis concludes by highlighting Wal-Mart’s strategy during the most recent recession and recovery.

Elements of Monster-in-Law Essay

I am a big fan of Romantic Comedy movies and to be honest it has been a while since I’ve had time to actually sit down, relax and enjoy of a great movie. When you have two young children and a husband that is not into these types of movies it make it that much difficult. The last time I was able to take time for myself and fully enjoy a movie I like was about 2 weeks ago and I chose to watch one of my favorite movies, Monster-in-Law, with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda. A lot of people can familiarize themselves with this movie, as I am sure that they have had a mother-in-law that has driven them up the wall. In this essay I will point out the elements of the movie and tell you how my personal life can some what relate to this movie as well. To me this movie is interesting as it represents how some girls get treated once they meet their future husbands mother. I know that there are a lot of women that have had an aaltercation or two with their mother-in-law and that is why this movie was one that many can relate to. The character of Charlie, played by Jennifer Lopez, was very good as it transmits the frustration of a women in love that has to deal with the attacks and malice of her future mother-in-law. To me this movie has credibility, as it expands external observable truths with in the film (Boggs and Petrie, 2008, pg. 42). Most of the events that happen in this movie can be seen in our everyday life. There are many mother-in-laws that do not approve of their child relationship and for that reason they do things that are not seen normal. This movie is really about how a mother needs to respect and accept their Childs’ decisions when it comes to whom they choose to marry. In this movie Viola who is afraid of loosing her son, Kevin Fields, determines to scare off her son’s new fiance, Charlie, by becoming the world’s worst mother-in-law. Little did she know that Charlie would fight back and not let Viola ruin the thought of her marrying the man she loves. The tricks they play on each other are what make the movie entertaining. Charlie knew that Viola was not a bad person in the inside, but her obsession with her son would not let Viola budge towards accepting their relationship. At the end it turns out that Viola seems to have her own monster-in-law, her deceased husbands mother, that treats Viola badly. Charlie sees the way Viola is being treated and realizes that’s how they will be years from now. Charlie decides that she will not have that happen and determines to call off the wedding, but Viola then comes to her senses and recognizes that she has become this person she hates and asks Charlie to proceed with the wedding as they come to an agreement that works out for both of them. The moral of the story is that in order to get respect one must give it. If you go against someone’s wishes you will end up pushing them farther away. In this case Viola did not want to loose her son but by her acting and doing the things she was doing was actually pushing her father away from him. To her Charlie was not enough for her son, but it turned out that Charlie was a wonderful girl in the inside who loved Kevin for who he was and not for the material things he had. One should not judge a book for it is cover and give the change to get to know the person before judging. I found this movie meaning to me personally because when I first started dating my now husband my mother-in-law was not a fond of me. Although she never played tricks on me, she would always make me feel uncomfortable and unwelcomed at his house. To her the perfect women for her son was his ex-girlfriend who she loved dearly and did not want to accept the fact that her son no longer wanted to be with her. I loved him so much that I did put up with her unkindness ways and did not give up on what we had at all. As Charlie, I knew that my mother-in-law had a tender heart but she was still holding on to a string in hopes of her son reconciling with his ex. As times passed by and she realized that was never going to happen she started softening up. One day I went over to his house and I had a long talk with her and ever since that talk she learned how to accept me for who I was. I think this is why I liked this movie so much it reminded me of how our relationship started. I do have to admit that some of the tricks Charlie played on Viola in the movie made me wish I had done to my mother-in-law when she was being spiteful. Just like the movie at the end everything worked out for us and I have now been married to my husband for 7 years and the relationship I have with her now is awesome. In conclusion, this movie had this movie might not have had great reviews but it was one of my favorites. I am sure that a lot of people can familiarize themselves with this movie, as many women out there just like me has a mother-in-law that has driven them up the wall at one point or another. The moral of the story shows the audience in order to get respect one must give it. This movie also signifies how a mother needs to respect and accept their Childs’ decisions when it comes to whom they choose to marry. As hard as it can be as parents we need to learn how to step back and let our children learn from their own mistakes, the person they’re with may or may not be the best candidate but we need to let them find out their own way. Overall, this movie was a good entertainment and in my case I was able to imagine for a moment that it was I living the life of Charlie. References Boggs, J. M. & Petrie D. W. (2008) The Art of Watching Films. New York. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

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Marketing - Case Study Example As a result, Dunkin Donut targets a mass market when compared to Starbucks. As already discussed above that the market has been revolutionized and there is more competition and larger consumer turnout. This increase will further encourage other firms to enter the market and in the next 3-5 market is going to mature by having the maximum number of competitors and consumers. Dunkin can try to use policies such informative advertising to discourage consumers from buying other brands. This would not only ensure that customers do not desert the company at the competitor’s expense but, it will also protect the Dunkin’s dominant position in the market. Dunkin’ Donuts may have been founded 50 years ago, but the philosophy it adopted could very well match any modern company. The company aims to produce high quality products at a very affordable price. They increase the value of their brand by selling only ‘fresh products’ to the consumers. For example, Dunkin’ Donuts has policy that they will throw away any coffee left in the kettle after 18 minutes and serve only fresh coffee to the consumers. This gives a great value to its products as people know that whatever they are buying from the place is not harmful from

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Expressions of Feminism - Essay Example The ideological roots of feminist movement are found in France since it was a French noble woman who in 1610 made the earliest attempt of engaging females in conversation with men and voice their thoughts. Initial feminist thought was framed as â€Å"querelle des femmes- question of women† and education, social mobility and marriage remained key issues. (LeGates, 2012) Social progress for feminists intensified in 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment and the Age of Reason. Improvement in intellectual current encouraged the realisation that all social and cultural institutions are a product of human efforts not divine and thus, asking for changes would not affront God. Concept of women’s freedom advanced after the 1774 Revolutionary War and 1789 French Revolution. Although these were male-focused but mobilized females too and laid the groundwork for feminist struggle. (LeGates, 2012) Modern feminism seminal â€Å"Vindication of the Rights of Women† by Mary Wollstonecraft formally started the struggle for female rights in 1792. Education and freedom were key areas of concern during this time. Gradually, feminism movement spread to Asia as well generating diverse expressions of feminism. (LeGates, 2012) For western feminists’ the regressive practices of patriarchal society and subjugation of females at all forums were issues of great concern. Feminist perspectives and demands shifted according to circumstances and are labelled as feminism’s first, second and third waves. Literature, movements and propaganda remained common forms of expressing discontent throughout the three waves. First wave was raised in late 19thcentury;gaining independence from domesticity cult and obtaining legal/political rights dominated this era because women had little independence in aspects like marriage, education, property, childbirth and work. Suffrage Movement

Underrepresentation of african americn women in higher education Dissertation

Underrepresentation of african americn women in higher education administrative positions - Dissertation Example Underrepresentation of african americn women in higher education administrative positions The main purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the poor representation of African American women in higher education administrative posts in public institutions of higher education. A Synopsis of African American women The end Civil War manifested an innovative period for education and occupation for African American women, while the passage of the Land Grant College Act and the accompanying Act of 1890, which entailed the allocation of black American education, marked an innovative commencement for civic higher learning . Previously, women and African Americans were basically not included in institutions of higher learning. African American women first obtained entry to institutions of higher learning in the United States when 1837 students where admitted at Oberlin College after Harvard College was developed for the teaching of young men. This was the starting point for women in official higher learning. Later on, African American women were enrolled to and gained degrees from Oberlin College. Among them was Lucy Session who graduated with a literary degree from Oberlin College. This made her the first black woman to obtain a degree in the United States, and Mary Jane Patterson who graduated with a B.A. degree from the same Oberlin College. She was the first black woman to obtain a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Apart from obtaining degrees, African American women were elected as administrators at higher learning institutions. Coppin was appointed the principal of the Institution for Colored Youth in 1869; this made her the first black woman to head a higher learning institution in the United States (Littlefield, 1997). At the department of Lincoln University, Silone Yates was made the professor and head of the Natural Sciences in 1889 (Littlefield, 1979). During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a change for African American women was developed. Nevertheless, African American women’s first entry into higher lear ning institution was not simple. Just the way as, Solomon (1985) illustrated, in the previous nineteenth and beginning of twentieth century, the black university woman was the exclusion of the exceptions in that both white and black required her. Regardless of the opposition, African American women pressed forward for highly developed learning. Thirty black women in 1890 in the United States had obtained degrees, as compared to three hundred Black men and two thousand five hundred white women. According to a research study conducted by Dubois, two hundred and twenty five Black women had gained degrees, sixty five from Oberlin College. From these figures the progress was protracted, although the amount of African American women gaining degrees at higher learning institutions was increasing. At the commencement of the twentieth century, African Americans’ women contribution in higher learning improved. This was a period of expansion for African Americans. The National Associati on for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) was developed after the migration of many African Americans (NAACP, 2002). African American women aimed at making social change within the society. They advocated for an increase societal literacy in the African American society and endorse â€Å"racial strength.† They kept on becoming the first African American and the first women in most areas of higher learning. During 1920’s, many institutions and association were developed mainly for African American women in higher learning. Bennett College, developed as a coeducational organization in 1873, turned to a university for women (Littlefield, 199

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What it feels like to skydive - Essay Example Then there is a downward acceleration, where someone falls with no expectation to land. This occurs at high speeds of about 150 miles per hour and surprisingly, it is hard to feel the speed (Mattern, 2010). At one moment, it feels like there is zero gravity where there is a floating sensation. After a while, an individual realizes that there is an upward push from the strength of the wind. The environment is contradictory because it is calm and so loud at the same time. After a successful adventure, it is time to pull the chute. This immediately changes the excitement and the mood of the experience. The chute goes down in a slow manner that someone can get dizzy and only the wind reminds someone of the heights. In a moment, the chute makes landing easy and enjoyable. At this point, a person feels dizzy and their ears could pop due to the changes in atmospheric pressure. Skydiving is indeed a worthy

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How has the rapid growth of Dubai's economy impacted its long term urban planning as well as its architectural value - Essay Example There used to be a popular belief that Dubai gains economic revenue on the basis of oil and petroleum. The aim of this paper is to critically assess the impact of economic growth of Dubai on its architecture and urban planning. Furthermore, the paper will create a timeline of milestones that took place in the architectural and urban development of Dubai in a timeline manner. Initially, the architecture of the Arab Emirates has been very simple as there was less need of space consumption. Noting that UAE and especially Dubai has made its way in almost every field of economy, it has been noted that it has largely affected the architecture and urban planning. Previously, the inhabitants of Dubai were basically involved in agricultural field as discovery of oil was not marked. The crop mainly dates and sheep herding was the main source of bread and butter for the people. It can be said that the small buildings and court yards that were the iconic architectural features of Dubai reflected the lifestyle of inhabitants. Traditionally, urban planning was done on the basis of weather control and safety. The materials that were used for architectural projects had capacity of responding to the environmental changes. In simple words, it can be added that the architecture of Dubai saved people from hot weather which was considerably the major reason of deaths in Dub ai1. However, with the passage of time, different source of businesses were found out in Dubai. For instance, the discovery of oil during the sixties brought profitable measures for Dubai. It was due to this reason that social values as well as traditions transformed widely in Dubai in the same era. As more and more business ventures were being noted in Dubai with foreign customers, it was necessary for inhabitants to adopt modern lifestyle. Also, the western model of business and society has always been attractive to UAE. Therefore, a thorough adoption of modern architecture and

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Diversification Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diversification Strategies - Research Paper Example The company is among the foremost producers in majority of the markets where it operates in. The products manufactured by 3M are delivered through several distribution channels including wholesalers, distributors, retailers and dealers among others. As of 2010, 3M had 80,057 employees, out of which 32,955 were engaged in the business operations located in the United States and the rest globally. For the year ending 2010, 3M generated net sales equivalent to $ 26.7 billion which was a 15.3% increment from the year 2009. The operating income of the company also increased by 22.9% in the year 2010 as compared to that of 2009 (3M, 2010). Sears, Roebuck & Co. is amongst the principal retailers in the United States, functioning in all the fifty states of US in addition to Puerto Rico. The company has very limited global presence and operates internationally only in Canada. The company merged with Kmart to form Sears Holding Corporation in 2004. The total revenue of the company in 2010 was $43,326 million while that in the year 2009 was $44,043 million. The revenue value of the company in 2008 was $46,440 and had been decreasing over the years. As of January, 2011, the company had 280,000 employees in the US and around 32,000 in Canada (Sears Holdings Corporation, 2010). Although Sears, Roebuck & Co was always primarily in retail business, in the early 1980s the company had diversified into real estate as well as brokerage services through its subsidiary Allstate. However, post the diversification though the performance of the finance segment of the company was reasonable, the retail group of the company suffered as it failed to respond to altering times (Monks & Minow, 2008). Diversification Outcomes of the Two Corporations and Reasons for the Different Outcomes The diversification of 3M into its six different segments had produced positive outcomes for the company. 3M is recognized for its aptitude to produce new products and generate new businesses. It can be subst antiated from the fact that 30 percent of its revenue comes from products developed during the preceding five years. The company had time and again extended its existing technological proficiency to generate a comparable yet innovative product. 3M’s success can be attributed to variety of factors, such as a corporate culture that promotes risk taking, a focus on resolving client problems, the utilization of extended and long-term goals, and independence of the employees to follow their own ideas. Furthermore, 3M consistently follows the system of sharing technologies and expertise amongst the different business segments. It also pursues a reward structure that recognizes innovators in the organization. Thus, 3M had succeeded in diversifying its business by leveraging its technological competence (3M, 2011). The Sears, Roebuck & Co had been struggling since the past couple of decades, trying first one approach and then another, looking for sustainable growth and momentum and a n improved image. As discussed earlier, Sears had diversified into financial services and specialty retailing during the 1980’s. However, after its diversification into real estate and other financial services, Sears could not maintain its performance in

Analysis of “High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home Essay Example for Free

Analysis of â€Å"High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home Essay The article â€Å"High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home,† by Linda Greenhouse was a New York Times article about a Supreme Court case. The legal issue that the Supreme Court examined was a case where the court overturned a 1997 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling. The Minnesota ruling protected the rights of men doing business in a private home from illegal searches and seizures. The Supreme Court however overturned the Minnesota ruling, stating that people who were doing business in a home did not have the right to invoke their 4th Amendment right. The Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 in the case, which led to majority, dissenting, and concurring opinions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justices Clarence Thomas, Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony M. Kennedy, and Antonin Scalia all formed the majority opinion, with Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas forming concurring opinions. Chief Justice Rehnquist’s majority opinion was used in the article, in which Rehnquist argued that since the men in the Minnesota case were conducting business in a private home their 4th amendment right against unreasonable searchers and privacy could not be invoked. Rehnquist’s opinion was a strict construction of the constitution because his opinion reflected the intention of the original framers. Philosophically Rehnquist stuck to the original framers’ intentions because he found no fault in the officer’s actions who witnessed the men committing a crime through venetian blinds. Rehnquist argued that the officer was within his rights to watch and subsequently arrest the men because they had no rights to privacy, which was the goal of the original framers of the constitution because they did not grant any protections to invited guests in a person’s home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Disagreeing with the majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Stephen G. Breyer both had dissenting opinions. Justice Ginsburg’s dissenting opinion was a loose construction of the constitution. Ginsburg’s philosophical view in the case was that the majority overlooked the rights of the invited guests because although they did not live in the home guests still had a right to privacy. However, the framers of the constitution gave no such protections. The 4th amendment states that it protects the right of the people to be secure in their person, houses, paper and effects, it made no mention of invited guest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Justice Breyer also had a dissenting opinion, but he also agreed with part of the majority’s reasoning. Breyer’s opinion was both a loose and strict construction of the constitution because on one hand he believed that the Minnesota men were protected by the 4th amendment’s privacy right. While on the other hand he agreed with the majority and argued that the officer’s actions did not violate any 4th amendment rights.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Kennedy all had concurring opinions. Kennedy’s views differed from Scalia and Thomas’s opinions and he took a loose construction of the constitution. Philosophically Kennedy believed that social guest have a right to expect privacy while visiting a person’s home, which is a loose construction of the constitution because the constitution’s framers make no mention of a guest’s right to privacy. On the other hand Scalia and Thomas took strict constructions of the constitution. Scalia and Thomas believed that the right of the people to be secure in their person, houses, paper and effects, as stated in the 4th amendment did not include the right’s of visitors in someone’s home, thus they stuck to the literal interpretation the constitution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the Justices came to different reasoning and judgments in this case, the court ultimately made the correct decision and the Justices all made logical arguments. Reference: Greenhouse, Linda. â€Å"High Court Curbs Claim on Privacy in a Home. New York Times Archives 2 December 1998.   http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A07E1DB143BF931A35751C1A96E958260

Good Will Hunting Biopsychological Approach Essay Example for Free

Good Will Hunting Biopsychological Approach Essay The biopshychological approach to Wills behavior would suggest that he is like he is because of his brain chemistry. The chemicals in his brain cause him to respond violently to pressure. The make up of his genetics cause him to be the way he is and he would be this way no matter how he was raised. This approach would also suggest that he could be changed by drugs to balance the chemicals in his brain. Behavioral Approach: The behavioral approach would imply that all of Wills behavior is learned and he is a product of his environment. He is violent because he was probably beaten as a child and as he grew up he learned to handle his problems through violence. He kept up this behavior because he was never punished severely enough to get him to stop. He learned that he could go to court and talk his way out of his situations which did not give him any reason to stop doing what he was doing. He also learned not to get to close to anybody or open up to them. This was learned because some of the people in his life who were supposed to love him had abandoned him. Psychoanalitic Approach: The psychoanalitic approach would indicate that Wills behavior was from his subconscious mind and were impulses from childhood experiences. For example, Will was beaten up in kindergarten by a bully, later on in his life he sees the bully and starts a fight with him. His decision to fight was made subconsciously from an impulse from a childhood experience. When he was a child he was also abused by his parents. Later in Wills life, he often resorts to violence subconsciously due to his childhood beatings. Humanistic Approach: The humanistic approach would state that Will makes his decisions based on free will and is basically a good person. Will is how he is because that is how he wants to be. Will does not realize until later in life that he has to much potential to waste his life. Will is an overall good person. This is shown in his in his actions throughout the movie, for example, when he decided to keep working construction instead of taking a job with mil itary intelligence because he would rather help people by making housing than get people killed. Cognitive Approach: The cognitive approach would suggest Will is how he is because that is how he sees himself. Will is a well educated man but for most of the movie Will sees himself as a nobody who will work for cheap and stay in the ghetto. Once his intelligence is noticed realizes that he has the opportunity to use his knowledge and make something of himself. Sociocultural Approach: The sociocultural approach would say that Will is how he is because of influences from society. Society usually views people from the ghetto as people who will never make something of themselves so he feels the same way about himself. Society expects people from the ghetto to resort to violence to solve their problems. This is why Will usually resorts to violence in tough situations. Society also does not allow for men to open up and share their feeling freely. This is the reason why it is so hard for will to open up and get emotional.

Elecdyne SWOT Analysis | Country SWOT For Labour

Elecdyne SWOT Analysis | Country SWOT For Labour Introduction Elecdyne is a Japanese small medium enterprise based in Tokyo, which started business in 1990 with a number of five workers. Over ten years, the growth of the company has increased successfully, staff strength has increased to 100 workers and with the use of technology licensed from a number of multinationals, the company now produces a wide range of electronic products which include televisions, CD players, DVD players, hi-fi equipments, Mp3 players etc. A brief history into the Japanese economy shows that during the 1980s, the Japanese economy was the envy of the world. GDP per capita had risen from $5,000 in 1960 to $15,000 in 1980, and by 1990 had eclipsed $22,000. Through the leadership of companies like Sony, Japan had become the clear leader in innovation of consumer electronics products and high volume sophisticated electronic assembly. The combination of growing indigenous demand, global consumer electronics product leadership, and many years of investment in manufacturing technology and capacity certainly benefited Japanese electronics producers the 1980s. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Japan expanded at an annual rate of 3.80 percent in the last quarter. Japan Gross Domestic Product is worth 4909 billion dollars or 7.92% of the world economy, according to the World Bank. Japans industrialized, free market economy is the second-largest in the world. Its economy is highly efficient and competitive in areas linked to international trade, but productivity is far lower in protected areas such as agriculture, distribution, and services. Japans reservoir of industrial leadership and technicians, well-educated and industrious work force, high savings and investment rates, and intensive promotion of industrial development and foreign trade produced a mature industrial economy. Japan has few natural resources, and trade helps it earn the foreign exchange needed to purchase raw materials for its economy Overview Japan has a history of struggling with deflation. The 1990s are often referred to as Japans lost decade because of its 10-year struggle with falling prices. As a result, a stagnant Japanese economy dampened internal consumer and business demand, as well as significant investment in domestic electronics production capacity. As a consequence, Japanese production has grown at only half the rate of the total industry over the last ten years, and local production share is on a trajectory to decline to1980 levels over the next five to ten years Over the past two years, Elecdyne has remained stagnant; the company had an initial success competing with price but is presently finding it increasingly difficult to compete given its need to pay for licenses, distribution of products is limited as supplies are within the Japanese market only, difficulty of hiring research graduates, and its high wage rates as relative to Eastern Europe and China, In order to detect the pros and cons the company is undergoing, a SWOT analysis will be carried out. The analysis looks at internal factors, the strengths and weaknesses of the business, and external factors, the opportunities and threats facing the business. The SWOT analysis will give a clearer picture into the status of the company and the business environment wherein it is operating in at the present time. STRENGTHS: 20 years experience in producing electronics 100 staff workforce Possession of equipments needed fro production Original Product variety WEAKNESS: Limited market(supplies only to Japanese market) Poor financial position Lack of resources No growth in the last two years Lack of innovation No branding loyalty 5% cut down on price Staff is less motivated Unable to recruit RD graduates Lack of international operations Low market share OPPORTUNITIES: Flexibility High chance for innovation Advances in technology and the ability to sell via the internet New market opportunities could be a way to push elecdyne Changes in technology could give elecdyne an opportunity to bolster future success. Structural changes in the industry open other doors and opportunities for elecdyne. THREATS: Aggressive competitors Increase in licence cost Increased competition from overseas is another threat to elecdyne as it could lead to lack of interest in their products/services. T he actions of a competitor could be a major threat against elecdyne, for instance, if they bring in new technology or increase their workforce to meet demand. A slow economy or financial slowdown could have a major impact on elecdynes business and profits. Lack of international operations. R apidly changing market Products become old very quickly. High cost of labour POTENTIAL STRATEGIES FOR ELECDYNE In order to compete in the electronics market, listed below are some strategies that can be useful to Elecdyne. Reduce product range to a few Introduce the company to E-Business Company can move to an area of lower cost Source cheaper suppliers to reduce cost Develop marketing activity to promote their products Re-branding of products in order to boost company name Offer work placements for students in order to boost RD RECCOMENDATION After proper and careful analysis of Elecdyne Electronics Company, inorder for the company to grow rapidly and remain in market, we the management hereby strongly recommend that the company be moved to another country preferably a country that is part of the TRIAD market, so as to gain access to more markets, deepening relations with the overseas economy. Significance of Globalization The World Bank defines globalization as the freedom and ability of individuals and firms to initiate voluntary economic transactions with residents of other countries. Milanovic (2002). In this definition, freedom means the lack of barriers in the cross-border movement of capital and labour force, among other things, and capacity means that there is the ability to provide commodities and services across borders or to conduct economic activities in other countries. Looking back at the past, it appears that globalization advanced as technology and information-carrying capacity for transport, communications, finance, insurance and other aspects developed and political barriers to the movement of trade, capital and other items were removed. These developments boosted income levels, which in turn further deepened economic ties. Hence globalization is a trend that brings about economic development. (Boyacigiller, 1990; Harzing, 2001). In order to enjoy the benefits of globalization, it wil l be necessary to promote technological innovation in companies without delay and promptly adapt economic and social systems to respond to technological innovation, eliminate barriers and foster human resources that are able to carry out these changes. Heizo (2004) Structural reform is important in Elecdynes relations with overseas economies Structural reform stimulates the domestic economy and is also important in the process of deriving benefits from globalization. In other words, the major objectives of structural reform are to ensure that the market mechanism fully functions, broadly enhance productivity and move labour and capital, among others, from low productivity areas to high productivity areas. This will also allow Elecdyne to reap benefits from closer economic ties with overseas economies. In business, the success of overseas operations has been attributed to several factors, such as good strategy, smart marketing, efficient production and excellent management. Among them, effective expatriate management has been well documented (Mendenhall and Oddou, 1986; Dowling et al., 1999). Despite the fact that the company has had no contact with overseas market, we the management of Elecdyne electronics have decided to deduce a strategy on going global focusing more on countries within the TRIAD market (which are Europe, North America and South East Asia). Hence we have come up with five possible countries that we could relocate to; taking into consideration two main issues- Access to technological expertise to avoid reliance on large multinationals, and cost minimisation. These countries have been chosen based on some of the following reasons: Advanced technology Wide expanse of land Favourable business environment Low cost of raw materials and production Highly skilled labour etc. Analysis of the five countries using SWOT COUNTRY 1:-GERMANY It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 63rd largest in the world. As Europes largest economy and second most populous nation (after Russia), Germany shares borders with more European countries than any other country on the continent. Its neighbours are Denmark in the north, Poland and the Czech Republic in the east, Austria and Switzerland in the south, France and Luxembourg in the south-west and Belgium and the Netherlands in the north-west. Therefore Germany would carefully be analysed using the SWOT analysis, Strengths Germany is the UKs number one European export market and number two world-wide among the worlds largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics Market- Germany hosts the largest concentration of OEM plants in Europe Personnel Germany‘s excellent highly-skilled labour force. 750,000 highly-trained and experienced people RD- Germany is home to 42 percent of all European OEM and tier 0.5 supplier automotive RD centers. Has some of the worlds best universities, these include: Technical University, Munich Germany University of Bonn, Germany etc Important research institutions in Germany are the Max Planck society, the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft and the Fraunhofer society. They are independently or externally connected to the university system and contribute to a considerable extent to the scientific output. Weaknesses The socialists are a strong force and there is labour union problem. The wages are high which increases the costs. Cultural differences Complex business culture Strict safety and packaging regulations Opprtunities A total of 15 billion euros made available by the Government for RD projects in cutting edge technologies. Easy access to other EU countries Highly developed E-commerce service High demand for electronic products Threats Threat from new emerging markets Protection of environment and climate Mounting pressure to reduce the CO2 emissions. adjustment time for adapting the high German standards Stiff competition from local and global competitors COUNTRY 2:- POLAND Poland is the 9th largest country in Europe; it has a population of over 38million people, which makes it the 34th most populous country in the world and one of the most populous Union. Its natural resources include coal, sulphur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, arable land. Poland would carefully be analysed using the SWOT analysis, Strengths relatively low cost of labour, favourable geographic location on transit routes, large internal Market (compared to other Central and Eastern Europe countries). availability of highly qualified labour force presence of universities, support of authorities, the largest market in central Europe, and possibly the lowest labour costs on the continent, Member of the EU Location between East and West Long industrial tradition Stable economy Stable political system Wide educational system Biggest country of the EU members in the CEE Diversified industry Still attractive employment costs Attractive tax system Multinational companies such as: ABB, Delphi, GlaxoSmithKline, Google, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Motorola, Siemens and Samsung have set up research and development centres in Poland. The Polish consumer electronics market  grew by 4.5% in 2005 to reach a value  of 938.5 million. Weaknesses EU Accession may drive cost of living higher Poor communication infrastructure Insufficient management culture Weak ability of domestic RD institutes to cooperate with industry and make commercial use of scientific search results Shortage of financial instruments for SMEs and innovation development and low ability of entrepreneurs for self-financing of development investment Very high levels of unemployment Poland imports much more in electronics goods  than it exports. The value of imports is more  than twice the value of electronics exports. In 2005 Poland imported electronics goods  worth EUR 6,911.3 million. The growth rate  (over 2004) was almost 22.0%. Opportunities The strong inflow of FDI  in this sector in LCD screens, mobile phones, domestic audio and video equipment,  appliances, automotive controls complemented by electronic contract manufacturers  (Flextronics, Jabil, Kimball) and telecom equipment manufacturers (Lucent, Alcatel,  Siemens) creates opportunities for sub-supply, electronic components, supply chain and testing services. Poland is becoming the manufacturing hub for TVs in Europe Threats Current policies are not bringing changes about fast enough to maintain implementation of information society Industries in Poland will face higher costs with accession into the EU There is an increase in competition as multinational companies are investing in the polish market. In Poland the leading manufacturers  of TV sets are the international companies  Jabil (commissioned by Philips), Daewoo,  LG Electronics and Thomson. COUNTRY 3:- INDIA The Republic of India is in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bordered by Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.Its natural resources include Coal, Iron ore, Manganese, Mica, Bauxite, Titanium ore, Chromites, Natural gas, Diamonds, Petroleum etc. India would carefully be analysed using the SWOT analysis, Strengths India is now the worlds twelfth largest economy by market exchange rates and the fourth largest in PPP terms (2003) after US, China Japan. inexpensive high-skilled labour needed for the  industry is available in abundance in India Indias low manufacturing costs in skilled labour and raw materials   Availability of engineering skills. And opportunity to meet demand in the populous Indian market, are driving its electronics market. The electronics market in India, at US$ 11.5 billion in 2004, will be the fastest-growing electronics market worldwide over the next several years Abundant low-wage skilled/semi-skilled labour; †¢ Indias strategic location offers a promising manufacturing/exporting base; †¢ Abundant supply of raw materials; †¢ Deregulation and liberalisation of industrial policy; †¢ Incentive packages for Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and Export Oriented Units (EOUs) are very attractive; †¢ India is changing rapidly and offers an attractive opportunity based on market size (200 million middle class by the year 2000) and growth; †¢ The non-resident Indians estimated to number over 15 million have major  impact on the Indian economy, industrial policies and foreign  collaborations; †¢ India is poised to be a major industrial power by the turn of the century. It is advantageous for American firms to position themselves as partners  in this fantastic growth. †¢ The business climate of India is improving (Naidu, 1984) India is one of the largest recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the world. In FY2004/05, India received $3.75 billion. Weaknesses Infrastructure that needs to be improved at the earliest possibility. Easing of foreign investment procedures Frequent power failures and shortages leading to disruptions Opportunities There is a strong 100 150 million middle class that  has considerable discretionary income making India an attractive market for  consumer goods. Threats A restructured government tariff that now makes domestically manufactured goods more expensive than imported goods with zero tariff Import licensing regulations for non-high tech items remain a major  barrier. UK companies are well positioned to take advantage of this growing export and investment market. Indian policy does not favour the use of limited foreign exchange  for non-essential products. COUNTRY 4:- TURKEY Turkey is an emerging market with a population of around 72 million, 50% of which is under the age of 28. Turkey has the worlds 13th largest urban population at about 50 million. Its the worlds 15th and Europes 6th largest economy. Turkey is also a springboard to the markets of Central Asia the Middle East. Turkey ispolitically stable,the government having been in office for nine years. Today, Turkey is investing significant sums in upgrading its infrastructure, including projects to build new dams, airports, roads and water and sewerage systems. Its recent, record economic growth, its talented, young workforce and its geographical location as a prime hub for regional market access makes Turkey a hugely attractive destination for trade and investment. Strengths National minimum (gross) wage, which is currently YTL 608 per month (approximately  £ 260 per month) Average basic salary: Japan 250,000 450,000 yen per month (UK  £1700  £3200 p.m.) Turkish made colour TVs have a good reputation amongst European consumers re: price quality Experienced local labour supply in abundance. As at 2009 approx. 2000 manufacturing companies in the field of electronics, approx. 30,000 employed in this sector Weaknesses Raw materials for the electronics sector have the highest import rate as these cannot easily be sourced locally Turkish is still the official language of commerce, although English and some German are increasingly spoken. A professional interpreter would be required for official meetings. In a year, total amount of overtime cannot exceed 270 hours Opportunities Financial incentives Strong export orientation Exports of Turkish-made consumer electronic products have increased since 1990 in 178 countries, mostly directed towards the European markets Access to European market. Opportunity to expand markets to countries which include: Romania, Germany, Portugal, Bulgaria, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Croatia The Turkish electronics industry is young but dynamic. It is committed to competing on an international scale by producing high quality, well-priced goods supported by a wide range of products. On-going RD activities, engineering quality efficient after-sales service Threats The consumer market is now moving towards demand for LCD Plasma TV creating a need for Turkish manufacturers to invest in new technologies Aggressive competition from national MNEs. Arcelik Beko (subsidiaries of KOC Holding): second-largest TV producer in Turkey. Has 15% approx. European market share. Beko has strong international reputation. Both have a wide product portfolio and their own technology products using plasma, LCD, MEMS technologies. Both companies have purchased international acquisitions such as Grundig AG (Germany) â€Å"Home Intermedia System Division† (2004). Arcelik has also established a partnership with Ubicom (Silicone Valley, USA) and plans to integrate the Ubicom microcontroller solution into its projects where new technologies unique in their field have been used (â€Å"Smart† Appliances will be launched soon to consumer market). COUNTRY 5:-CHINA Strengths Huge consumer base. All the time being lifted out of poverty Cheap production. Already 30,000 factories over there. There are several free trade zones, 53 new high tech zones In 2003 China supported 1,552 institutions of higher learning. If Hong Kong is included it has immense technical expertise and language skills as well. If Hong Kong is included then it has an outstanding harbor GNP increasing an average of 9% annually  (Benson, 1996) and ranked third in the  World (Jing, 1993). Export growth of 25% and imports up 15%  (Landy, 1996). Will continue to dominate light and  medium-tech industries because of the  large market in China and the pool of labour. Leads world in direct foreign investment $135Billion (Taninecz, 1996). Foreign  invested companies represented 31.5% of  all Chinas exports (or about $46.9 billion). This netted about $8.4 billion in taxes  (Taninecz, 1996 and China: The Numbers  Game, 1995. Worlds most lucrative market (Schafer,  1996) of which China represents one-sixth  of the worlds population  (Taninecz, 1996). Surplus labor in rural areas and  impoverished farm lands (Gao, 1994) and  growing 10 million per year. Estimated  to reach 250 million by 2000. Lower wages than Japan and Taiwan. Weaknesses Corruption is a problem. Government controls everything and joint ventures are encouraged. Intellectual property rights not developed. Average inflation is 15%, and surplus  labour has resulted in rising  unemployment and inequalities in income  distribution (Benson, 1996). Railways, roads, communications, and  power supply are below standard. Employees need customer service  training. Roads are jammed with thousands of  bicycles, buses, trucks, and taxis. Opportunities Opportunity for lower cost but high quality production. As technological advancements are made we can hire better RD staff. Good place to control operations due to proximity and infrastructure. Direct Investments or Joint Ventures Equity and contractual ventures provide  quicker access to the market. Partners in  China can help with the bureaucracy,  customer base, and distribution. Threats American recession can hit China Corruption can lead to loss of reputation Underdeveloped Intellectual property rights can mean technology can be stolen by suppliers Effectiveness of investments in China  will only be evident in the long-run and  policies make it hard for non-China  companies to make money. Lack of a legal structure similar to those Easily understood (Taninecz,  1996). Having investigated these five countries based on their strengths and weaknesses, we the management team of Elecdyne have decided to shortlist these countries down to three which are: 1. Germany 2. Poland 3. China.

Drugs, Athletes, and Sports - Androstenedione :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Androstenedione: Just Say No Imagine rounding the bases after hitting your 70th home run and setting a new major league record. Slapping your teammatesí hands, you hear cheers progress throughout the sold out stadium. As you acknowledge the crowd further, you hear booing also coming from the standing crowd. Why are they booing? You just set a record! Then you see a small boy pointing at you and yelling. You watch closely and see the word, â€Å"Andro† form on his lips. Androstenedione, known as "andro", is made of a naturally occurring hormone of the body, which is used naturally in tiny amounts to make the male hormone testosterone. It is found in humans, animals and the pollen of many plants. Andro is produced in the gonads and adrenal glands of all mammals. It is said to help speed up the recovery of injuries along with bodybuilding and weight training to increase muscle mass. The androgens are the male sex steroids. When andro is taken it can convert the female sex steroid, estrogen into testosterone. Testosterone increases body and facial hair, acne, deepens the voice, enhances prostate growth, and promotes muscular growth. Blood levels of testosterone start rising about 15 minutes and peak about an hour after oral consumption of androstenedione. When users take too much, androgen shuts off the bodyís own making of testosterone, which can damage normal testicular function (Quinn). When athletes take androstenedione, it gives them an unfair advantage over other athletes. No one will ever know if Mark McGwire or any other athletes could have done their achievements without taking andro. "The International Olympics Committee, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and in the Men and Women's Tennis Tours banned androstenedione due to the fact that it is unsafe and gives an unfair advantage" (Totheroh). It is still legal, though, in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. If it is going to be banned in some sports, it should be banned in all. Since there are many different opinions of the committees, it is obvious that athletes are confused and are pushing the limits of performance improvements. People think that if androstenedione is not illegal then anyone should be allowed to take it. Mark McGwire used androstenedione and he set a world record. So is it safe to use? Should a high school athlete use it? Drugs, Athletes, and Sports - Androstenedione :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics Androstenedione: Just Say No Imagine rounding the bases after hitting your 70th home run and setting a new major league record. Slapping your teammatesí hands, you hear cheers progress throughout the sold out stadium. As you acknowledge the crowd further, you hear booing also coming from the standing crowd. Why are they booing? You just set a record! Then you see a small boy pointing at you and yelling. You watch closely and see the word, â€Å"Andro† form on his lips. Androstenedione, known as "andro", is made of a naturally occurring hormone of the body, which is used naturally in tiny amounts to make the male hormone testosterone. It is found in humans, animals and the pollen of many plants. Andro is produced in the gonads and adrenal glands of all mammals. It is said to help speed up the recovery of injuries along with bodybuilding and weight training to increase muscle mass. The androgens are the male sex steroids. When andro is taken it can convert the female sex steroid, estrogen into testosterone. Testosterone increases body and facial hair, acne, deepens the voice, enhances prostate growth, and promotes muscular growth. Blood levels of testosterone start rising about 15 minutes and peak about an hour after oral consumption of androstenedione. When users take too much, androgen shuts off the bodyís own making of testosterone, which can damage normal testicular function (Quinn). When athletes take androstenedione, it gives them an unfair advantage over other athletes. No one will ever know if Mark McGwire or any other athletes could have done their achievements without taking andro. "The International Olympics Committee, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, and in the Men and Women's Tennis Tours banned androstenedione due to the fact that it is unsafe and gives an unfair advantage" (Totheroh). It is still legal, though, in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. If it is going to be banned in some sports, it should be banned in all. Since there are many different opinions of the committees, it is obvious that athletes are confused and are pushing the limits of performance improvements. People think that if androstenedione is not illegal then anyone should be allowed to take it. Mark McGwire used androstenedione and he set a world record. So is it safe to use? Should a high school athlete use it?

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Amniocentesis: Advantages vs. Disadvantages & Ethics Amniocentesis has become of the most controversial and fastest growing trends of expecting parents. The pros and cons of this contentious prenatal test have continually been increasing. Amniocentesis is a prenatal test that allows a doctor to gather information about a baby’s health and development from a sample of amniotic fluid. The test is most commonly done when the women is between 15 and 18 weeks pregnant. The test is used to determine whether the baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. Amniocentesis has recently caused a great deal of controversy in the news at doctor offices in the United States. After comparing the pros and cons it is eminent that amniocentesis is an important test that should be offered to those pregnant women who desire to have it. Amniocentesis offers many advantages to the expecting mother. This test determines whether the unborn baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. It identifies several hundred genetic disorders including some of the most common such as Down syndrome and Edward’s syndrome. It can also identify other genetic disorders such as Tay-Sachs disease, Huntington’s disease, Sickle cell disease, and cystic fibrosis. Other testing techniques such as ultrasounds pick up on these problems. Only amniocentesis is able to provide the information needed to diagnosis these problems in the womb. Amniocentesis can also indicate whether the baby is at risk for spina bifida and anencephaly. The test is more than 99 percent accurate in diagnosing these various conditions. It is the only test that can provide results which are accurate. Other important reasons to have the test include checking the well being of the baby. This is important if the mother has blood sensitization, such as Rh sensitization. Also the test can determine whether the baby’s lungs are mature enough for an early delivery if the mother appears to be in premature labor. As amniocentesis has become more popular more women opt for the test to ensure that their child is in perfect health. More than 95 percent of the high-risk women who have amniocentesis receive good news from their results. Only about 5 percent will be found to have a baby with a problem. This test is usually offered to those who are found to have a somewhat increased risk of having a baby with a chromosomal or genetic defect. :: Amniocentesis: Advantages vs. Disadvantages & Ethics Amniocentesis has become of the most controversial and fastest growing trends of expecting parents. The pros and cons of this contentious prenatal test have continually been increasing. Amniocentesis is a prenatal test that allows a doctor to gather information about a baby’s health and development from a sample of amniotic fluid. The test is most commonly done when the women is between 15 and 18 weeks pregnant. The test is used to determine whether the baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. Amniocentesis has recently caused a great deal of controversy in the news at doctor offices in the United States. After comparing the pros and cons it is eminent that amniocentesis is an important test that should be offered to those pregnant women who desire to have it. Amniocentesis offers many advantages to the expecting mother. This test determines whether the unborn baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. It identifies several hundred genetic disorders including some of the most common such as Down syndrome and Edward’s syndrome. It can also identify other genetic disorders such as Tay-Sachs disease, Huntington’s disease, Sickle cell disease, and cystic fibrosis. Other testing techniques such as ultrasounds pick up on these problems. Only amniocentesis is able to provide the information needed to diagnosis these problems in the womb. Amniocentesis can also indicate whether the baby is at risk for spina bifida and anencephaly. The test is more than 99 percent accurate in diagnosing these various conditions. It is the only test that can provide results which are accurate. Other important reasons to have the test include checking the well being of the baby. This is important if the mother has blood sensitization, such as Rh sensitization. Also the test can determine whether the baby’s lungs are mature enough for an early delivery if the mother appears to be in premature labor. As amniocentesis has become more popular more women opt for the test to ensure that their child is in perfect health. More than 95 percent of the high-risk women who have amniocentesis receive good news from their results. Only about 5 percent will be found to have a baby with a problem. This test is usually offered to those who are found to have a somewhat increased risk of having a baby with a chromosomal or genetic defect.

Report on Classification Of Business Essay -- Business and Management

Report on Classification Of Business Classification of Businesses according to their types of activity: Primary Sector Businesses: The gathering of raw materials, such as fish, oil, or coal from the land or sea or growing using the earth to grow things such as crops or trees Examples: Rio Tinto (Mining), JCI Gold (Mining), Anglo Amer (Mining), BP (Oil and Gas), and Soco International (Oil and Gas). Secondary Sector Businesses: The processing of raw materials into finished goods. Examples of this are food production, computer component manufacture, and car manufacture. Examples: Schweppes (Food and Drink), Unilever (Food and Drink), Intel (Computer Component Production) and Ati (Computer Component Production). Tertiary Sector Businesses: This sector contains organisations supplying services, and includes both commercial services providers (banking, finance and retail), as well as direct service providers (Health and education). Examples: Stagecoach (Transport), British Airways (Transport), CGNU (Insurance), BT (Telecommunications) and Natwest (Banking). Classification of Business According to their Broad Ownership: Public Sector: The part of an economy that consists of state owned institutions, including nationalised industries and services provided by local authorities. Examples: BBC (Television Broadcast), Post Office (Communications), and The National Grid (Electrical Distribution). Public Companies: Companies whose shares may be purchased by the public and traded freely on the open market and whose share capital is not less than a statutory minimum. Examples: Marconi (Communications and Defence), Sony (Electrical Equipment), Hitachi (Electrical Equipment). Classification of Business according to their Size: Number of Employees: Total Number of people employed by a company. Currently the top company in the UK using this method is; Unilever (Food Products) (261, 000 employees) Profit: Total amount of capital left after deducting all costs. Currently the top company in the UK using this method is; Royal Dutch/Shell Group (Oil and Gas) ($M12, 719) Market Capitalisation: The value of 1 share times the amount of shares. Currently the top company in the UK using this method is; Royal Dutch/Shell Group (Oil and Gas) ($M216, 361) Revenue: The gross income a business enterprise, usually... ...5, 724, and so far this year, its revenues come to  £M6, 942. Although the company is turning over a very large revenue, their profits in recent years have been in decline. Last years earnings per share were 18pence, and so far this year, the earnings per share are a loss of 10pence. Share Prices dropped dramatically over the summer of 2001, to an all time low of 52.9pence. Some investors thought that the shares could not possibly drop any further, and so invested in some shares. Unfortunately, share prices did drop even further to 28.4pence. There is currently a slow trickle of increase in profit, to their current price of 32.5pence, due to Marconi coming into profit again ( £5,000,000 in the second quarter, compared to an operating loss of  £222,000,000 in the first quarter). Marconi, like Marks and Spencer Plc have a strong brand name, but this is only as important in their industry as in that they have a long list of clients, built up over the years, many of who will do repeat transactions with the company. Web sites: - http://www.ft.com - http://www.forbes.com Newspapers: - The Financial Times Books: - Collins Concise English Dictionary

MedNet: Confronts Click-Through Competition Essay

It was just 9:30 a.m., and the day was off to a terrible start. Heather Yates, vice president for business development at MedNet, walked at a quick clip down the hall of the company’s modern Birmingham, Alabama, office space, her face clouded with concern. The company, a website delivering health information free to consumers, generated its income through advertising, mostly from pharmaceutical companies. Now, Windham Pharmaceuticals, MedNet’s biggest advertiser, had asked to change the rules by which it had done business for the past four years. Moreover, Mahria Baker, Windham’s CMO, had told Yates that this wasn’t just an exploratory conversation. Windham was seriously considering shifting its MedNet ad dollars to Marvel, a competing website with which Windham already did some business. Yates, who had been with MedNet since just after the company was founded in 2002, felt blindsided and, at the same time, resigned. â€Å"We have some legwork to do,† she thought to herself. â€Å"We can’t afford to say ‘No,’ and just walk away, and we can’t just ask them to stay with us because we’re good people. We have to convince them that our set-up is worth their ad dollars. And we have to move quickly. Our other advertisers won’t be far behind Windham.† She had asked Baker to fax over a copy of the results of Windham’s latest advertising campaign, and had promised to call her back the next day, as both companies needed to finalize their budgets. Then, immediately after they had hung up, Yates had called Bill Bishop, MedNet’s vice president of consumer marketing. â€Å"Can you clear some time for me right now?† she had asked him. â€Å"Windham is thinking of pulling their ad dollars from us and taking them to Marvel.† Now she was on her way up to Bishop’s office, two floors above, with the fax from Baker and notes from her conversation in hand. Industry Background and Company Origins This case, though based on real events, is fictionalized, and any resemblance to actual persons or entities is coincidental. There are occasional references to actual companies in the narration. Copyright  © 2007 by Harvard Business School Publishing. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School Publishing million in profits. (See Exhibit 1 for 2006 income statement.) The accessibly written, easy-tonavigate, and vividly presented content was developed by 24 trained journalists, doctors, designers, and administrators. Additional materials came from the faculty of a prominent medical school, news agencies, a photography service, and an active community of visitors that used social media tools such as blogs, community chat, and virtual reality to communicate medical information. (Visitorgenerated media was reviewed by medically trained journalists.) The award-winning site was considered the best health website for trusted, evidence-based, consumer health information. Advertisements on MedNet proposed specific and immediate solutions to health concerns. MedNet had 4.3 million monthly visitors, but new competitors had flattened its audience growth during the last quarter of 2006. Competitors Now, in the first quarter of 2007, MedNet faced competition both for visitors and advertisers. Nonprofit and governmental websites competed with MedNet for visitors by providing similar content on mainstream medicine. The websites of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and World Health Organization weren’t nearly as easy to navigate as MedNet, but they were comprehensive. In contrast to MedNet, these two websites provided information on alternative therapies as well as on scientifically based solutions, albeit with with carefully worded disclaimers. What’s more, employees of large corporations could increasingly turn to customized health websites on their own company intranets. The theory was that if internal health websites could help workers quickly identify health problems (prompting overdue doctor visits) and promote general good health, the employers could reduce their portion of employee health care costs. For-profit health websites posed different degrees of financial competition for MedNet’s advertising revenue and audience. Recently, so-called condition-specific sites that focused on particular problems, such as Cholesterol.com, had emerged. (Yates was confident that Cholesterol.com was already drawing pharmaceutical advertising dollars away from MedNet.) An indirect competitor, ClinicalTrials.com, marketed only experimental procedures. Its audience was smaller than MedNet’s and the material was difficult for the layperson to understand. ClinicalTrials.com received a fee for each time a visitor it referred enrolled in a clinical trial. Then there was Alternativehealth.com, a long-time, popular player in the â€Å"health space.† It provided information about scientifically â€Å"unproven† therapies and procedures such as herbal remedies, vitamin regimens, and massage. Its audience was larger than MedNet’s and its advertising sales more robust. Due to a recent lawsuit concerning its content, Alternativehealth.com had begun using disclaimers—with no apparent impact on its audience size. Due to the alternative health consumer’s distrust of pharmaceutical companies, the website did not compete with MedNet for advertising dollars. Still, MedNet had to keep Alternativehealth on its radar. Methods Used to Calculate Advertiser Payment Yates’s thoughts raced through the company’s competitive landscape as she waited for the elevator. In her short phone conversation with Bill, he had told her to take a little time to review MedNet’s original value proposition to its advertisers. What they needed to do was re-justify their approach, if it was possible to do so. But, he had cautioned, they were compelled to keep an open mind. â€Å"Think through the facts,† Bill had said. â€Å"Why don’t you come up here in about half an hour. I’ll start to mull over our options as well.† Yates thought back to MedNet’s roots. Back in 2002, MedNet’s founders had made some key choices regarding revenue generation. MedNet could, in theory, sell content to site visitors, like an online magazine, charging a few dollars per article or an annual subscription fee. On the other hand, if the site could draw advertisers, and if advertising revenues were strong enough, the company could provide content free of charge—which is what most web users expected. An advertising revenue model was made possible by sophisticated web analytics: technology that tracked the behavior of each site visitor—pages viewed, links clicked, and so on. This software made it easy for advertisers to calculate their return on advertising investment (ROI). The obvious candidates to buy onscreen advertising space from MedNet were pharmaceutical companies, which for over a decade had promoted their drugs aggressively to consumers. As it happened, MedNet was launched at a time when many other consumer health care websites were going out of business, leaving pharmaceutical firms looking for web promotion outlets. MedNet seized the opportunity to build relationships with these advertisers. In deciding how best to generate revenue from advertisers, MedNet chose traditional banner advertising, charging pharmaceutical advertisers such as Windham Pharmaceuticals on a cost-perthousand impressions (CPM) basis. (One advertising impression meant that one visitor requested from a Web server a page that had a specific advertisement on it.) Measuring impressions was the closest way to estimate the number of people who actually saw an online advertisement. By pursuing an impression business model, MedNet was fully â€Å"monetizing† its available inventory of â€Å"eyeballs† (site visitors). An independent auditor verified the company’s impression counts each month. Marvel’s Challenge Yates reached Bill Bishop’s office and pushed the door open. Bill was on the phone, but he waved her to a seat. â€Å"Two minutes,† he mouthed at her. She nodded, and sat back. She thought about what she knew about Marvel. Marvel was essentially a large search engine that had decided to follow the alternative advertising model: contextual, or pay-per-click, banner advertising. Under these terms, advertisers paid website owners only when visitors actually â€Å"clicked† on an advertisement to learn more about an advertised product. The key metric to measuring this kind of online advertising campaign was the click-through rate (CTR), measured as the number of clicks divided by the number of ad impressions delivered. Advertisers considered website click-throughs (and telephone calls to a call center generated by a newspaper advertisement) to be the equivalent of customers interested in potentially making a purchase. Yates thought back to 2002. No sooner had MedNet’s founders opted for a pay-per-impression model than advertisers began resisting that pricing structure—but mainly from general-interest websites, where the majority of impressions came from visitors uninterested in their products. Advertisers based this perception in part on the percentage of click-throughs that ads yielded; the click-through rate on a general-interest site tended to be half as high as on highly focused â€Å"destination† content sites like MedNet. In 2006, MedNet.com therefore could still command a $100 CPM ($100 for each 1,000 impressions) contract from its advertisers—10 to 20 times what general interest websites might charge. Similarly, Alternativehealth.com’s advertisers paid for impressions only, and not for click-throughs. But Marvel, a hugely successful search engine, turned the table on its competition in the fall of 2006 by declaring it would provide impressions for free and charge advertisers only for clickthroughs. Because Marvel had a vast audience (19 million visitors per month), charging for even a   small percentage of click-throughs would pay off handsomely. If the site sold advertisements in enough categories, including the pharmaceutical market, Marvel could bring in huge revenues. By late 2006, some advertisers began to ask other sites to charge only for click-through â€Å"sales leads† like Marvel did. One drawback to this popular revenue model: reports of increasing â€Å"click frau d.† Advertisers’ competitors were fraudulently clicking on advertisements to drive up advertising costs. Not only was Marvel offering MedNet’s long-standing advertisers like Windham different financial terms, but it also competed for visitors interested in healthcare. Visitors often came to MedNet by way of a search engine such as Marvel, although such search engines served as a starting point of inquiry, not a serious source of trusted medical information. Mahria Baker’s challenge stuck with Yates: â€Å"At Marvel we get all our impressions for free, and we pay $0.54 for each click-through. At MedNet we pay for every impression, and by my calculation we pay $3.33 for each click-through. Granted, we’re not averse to getting impressions—anytime that anyone sees your logo, your slogan, and your product’s name, you are theoretically doing your brand some good. But here at Windham, click-throughs are really what matter. They separate accidental observers of our ads from the serious prospects who proactively seek more product information and may buy our product. I can’t justify paying six times as much for a click-through from one of your visitors.† Baker had paused a moment, then added, â€Å"Heather, help me here. Is there another way of looking at this that I’m missing?† â€Å"Yes, there is,† Yates had replied, â€Å"and if you let me call you back tomorrow I believe I can show you what you are missing.† MedNet’s Audience and Visitor Behavior Bill Bishop hung up the phone and turned to Yates. She spread out a copy of the results of Windham’s latest advertising campaign, and the two of them pored over it. (See Exhibit 2 for Baker’s data.) Many search engines and general-interest websites had large audiences that returned to the sites regularly, in a predictable pattern. By contrast, most visitors to targeted health websites such as MedNet came only when â€Å"in crisis.† However, when they did come, they stayed long and explored avidly, clicking around to clarify symptoms or determine the best course of action for a pressing health problem. They often researched unrelated symptom areas as well, in order to help family members, or out of curiosity. These visitors then returned during the next crisis, although some did become repeat visitors. MedNet visitors clicked on more pages and advertisements than generalinterest web surfers did (see Exhibit 3). In addition, health website visitors tended to buy more products from advertisers when they did decide to purchase. (See Exhibit 4 for a study of results and frequently viewed web pages on MedNet.) If the product advertised was not available over-thecounter, then the visitors would urge their physicians to prescribe the medication that they’d discovered in the advertisements on MedNet. Windham produced Vesselia, a prescription medication that reduced cholesterol and plaque in a patient’s veins with fewer side effects than competitors’ offerings. High cholesterol was one cause of heart disease, and it was attributed to both genetic predisposition and lifestyle choices. Keeping cholesterol low could be a long-term issue for many patients, requiring months, possibly years, of daily medication. Each patient who began a series of treatments would use the medicine for an average of 12 months. To encourage customers to request a prescription for Vesselia from their doctors, Windham provided coupons on its website that customers could print out and redeem at a pharmacy. For instance, when a customer clicked on a Windham ad at MedNet’s website, he was taken to the Windham website. Windham’s computer system could identify that the customer came from MedNet and insert that information into the Windham coupon bar code within fractions of a second. A different coupon code was provided to those web visitors who came to Windham from Marvel Search. (Coupons with yet another barcode were sent by postal mail by the Windham telephone call center to respondents to newspaper advertisements.) When patients redeemed the coupons at a pharmacy, the pharmacy returned them to Windham. Windham could thus attribute drug sales to the relevant advertising venue. On average, patients took three months to redeem coupons for Vesselia after Windham had first placed the advertisements. The current campaign would be considered closed at the end of February 2007.

Essay on the Book Theif

â€Å"Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank†¦ Poised to become a classic. †- USA Today on The Book Thief. I think next years incoming freshmen should read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak because of the unique way the book was written, showing the power of words. Within this essay I will write about the symbolism in the book. I will write about the narrator. I will also write about my personal experience with one of the characters. The symbolism within the book gives a unique perspective. The book uses symbolism when the narrator says â€Å"That last time. That red sky†¦ found on page 19 in The Book Thief. The narrator explains that the sky was red. He explains the emotion or feeling that was going on through color. Zusak shows the power of words throughout the book, especially when the character Max writes The Word Shaker. Death was the narrator of The Book Thief which made the book much more intriguing to me as a reader. If the book were to be narrated by anyone else it wouldn't have been able to flow as well. It would have not been able to tell what exactly happened to Max, or Liesel, or any other character. How when Death realizes Rudy dies he says â€Å"the boy from the plane, I thought.The one with the teddy bear. Where was his comfort? Where was someone to alleviate this robbery of his life? Who was there to sooth him as life's rug was snatched from under his sleeping feet? No one. There was only me. † found on page 531 in The Book Thief. I think it is very touching to read that even Death is sad about Rudy's death. Also if the book wasn't narrated the way it was then it wouldn't had been as memorable. Max's book, The Word Shaker had a powerful effect on me as I read the book. The way Max says that Liesel's words are stronger than Hitler's. Max says that Liesel's words are like a tree.The tree grows strong and tall until one day she gets off of the tree and lets the people chop it down. Whe n it is chopped down the words kill all the bad trees and makes people realize how strong words can be. I think that next year's incoming freshmen should read The Book Thief because of the unique way the book was written, showing the power of words. The symbolism within the book gives a unique perspective. Death was the narrator of The Book Thief which made the book much more intriguing to me as a reader. Max's book, The Word Shaker had a powerful effect on me as I read the book.

Importance of Statistics in Educational Management Essay

To accomplish set goals in an organisation, the school manager or administrator must plan, implement such plans and evaluate success. To do so, the use of statistical data is crucial. In this paper the writer is going to discuss the importance of statistics in her area of study which is Educational Management. According to Kendrick (1997:1) statistics are, â€Å"numbers that help us find patterns in data, such as averages and medians.† Thus statistics looks at how to collect, organise, analyze and interpret numerical information from data. Aczel and Sounderpandian (2002:15) say, â€Å"results from a good statistical analysis are always concise, often precise and useful.† In that light the collection, analysis and storage of statistical data on the educational system become very important to the school manager for the following reasons. The school managers have a responsibility to plan ahead for the system and to do so it calls for him or her to be in the possession of some past and present data. For a manager to plan adequately for the future he or she needs the data on what the past was and what the present is like. Also, for the day to day decision making, the educational managers need data to guide their decisions. For instance, to make purchases for textbooks or furniture the school manager uses data on class sizes and the age of students so as to arrive at the quantities to be purchased. Moreover, data collection, analysis and storage are very important to the school managers in the assessment of the growth and progress of the educational system (Hardy and Bryman, 2009). Data on enrolment, class size and number of teachers will enable a school manager to establish if the school is growing or reducing in size. Also data on enrolment will enable a school manager to see the level of competition around his/her institution. Decrease in enrolment figures may signal stiff competition from a nearby school. Educational data are very vital tools for planning. Kendrick (2000:2) says, â€Å"the better we understand statistics, the better we will be at assessing what is going on in the world around us.† The data on yearly performance of students in the external examinations such as Grade Seven National Exams and Ordinary Level National Exams will show if the school is progressing or not academically. Further,  statistical data collection enables the school manager to identify areas of staff training and retraining needs. For example the data on student’s performance in Mathematics may point to a need to retrain the Mathematics teacher. If such teacher is an NCE holder it may be a pointer for a need to recommend him for in-service training for a degree in Mathematics. In addition, statistical data collection is important in the educational system because it aids accountability in the system (Kendrick, 2000). Periodically, inspectors from the Ministry of Education as well as auditors do visit the schools to monitor how the managers are utilizing the human and material resources. They call for data on these from the school head teacher. The head teacher may also be requested to give such account to Parents Teachers Association or Schools Board of Governors. Another importance of data collection, analysis and storage in the educational system is that it aids projection of resource requirement. This assertion is in line with Levin and Rubin (1998:8) when they say, â€Å"Data can assist decision makers in educated guesses †¦ in given situations.† For the school manager to project the amount of fund that would be needed for the next session there is a need to have data on quantities of stationery needed by both learners and teachers, the number of ancillary staff paid from the school coffers and (3)other running costs. The collection of statistics is important in educational management as highlighted above as it enables one as a school manager to perform duties with precision using calculated guesses. It also aids a school manager to work effectively and efficiently to meet set goals. REFERENCES Durosaro, D.O. (2004) Statistical needs for educational management, Ibadan, Regina sons Book Publishers Kendrick J.R. (1997) Social Statistics: An Introduction using SPSS for Windows, Boston, McGraw-Hill. Levin, R.I. and Rubin, D.S. (1998) Statistics for Management. USA, Prentice-Hall International. Lockhart, R.S. (1998) Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis for the Behavioural Sciences, New York, W H. Freeman & Company.