PRESENTATION REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

PRESENTATION REPORT - Essay Example History proves that the Gospel of John was written on the polite demand of the Bishops of Asia so that the history of Jesus remains alive in the eyes of Christian people. His writing also proves that it is solely for the Greek readers (Smith 1988, p. 433). John describes the whole story and shows the different viewpoint as compared to previous writers. The purpose of the writing of the Gospel of John was not to add materials in the previous Gospels. For that reason, he added authentic information in the fourth Gospel. His purpose of writing was also not to negate the Cerinthian heresy. In his writing, he just stated the truth in a different or unique way. He also not intended to resolve the problems of the harsh parties by giving them a lesson of unity, just like the Tubingen school did not disapprove Jewish opposition and criticism. This viewpoint is so much famous among scholars (Von Wahlde 1995, p. 381) The purpose of writing the fourth Gospel is to prove that Jesus is the Christ and he is the son of God and one should have a spiritual association with him. He also explains that he has a close relationship with his father. In this case, any other person who is spiritually close to Jesus is automatically close to God. In that time period, Cerinthian heresy was famous among Christians, but because of the Gospel of John, Christians were again attracted towards their own religion and followings. The author of the fourth Gospel was a Palestinian Jew. In his writing he shows that he is closely attached and follows the Jewish customs. He knew the Jews religious customs and followership entirely (De Jonge, 1993, p. 349). He also knew, it is entirely an illegal and non-religious thing to alter the pious book and he could face the bad circumstances. He knew there were strict thoughts and rules, that were followed in the Jewish world and it was unlawful to change the Sabbath, 5: 1 ff.; 9:14 ff. He knew the hopes of Jewish

Lobbying strategies used by financial services Essay Example for Free

Lobbying strategies used by financial services Essay General knowledge about patenting and the patent reform legislation. A patent can be said to be a se of exclusive rights given to an inventor or his assignee for a given period in exchange for the invention details. However in countries like us extras qualification utility patents is used to differentiate them from other types of patents, this should not be confused with utility models grants by other countries. (http://www.ipaustralia-gov.au/patents/what_index.sch.html)examples of these particular patents for invention includes biological patents, business method patents, chemical patents and software patents. In some other countries other types of intellectual property rights (IPR) are called patents while industrial design rights are referred to as design patents which protect the physical designs of objects which are not of great utility. As such therefore, patent should not be mistaken for a right to practice or use the inventor, it(patent) provides the authority to prevent other people from making, using, selling or offering for sale or importing the patented invention for as long as the term of the patent remains, which in most cases is usually 20years. In real sense a patent is a limited property right that the government leases to inventors in exchange of their (inventors) disclosure of the details leading to their invention. Patent therefore, like any other property rights can be leased, mortgaged, assigned, licensed, given away or even transfered.As briefly stated above the rights governing a patent varies from country to country. For instance in Australia, other people are allowed to build on top of already patented invention. This is possible by making use of exceptions from infringement procedures e.g. allowances for academic research (http. /paustralia- gov.au/patents/what_ index .sch.html). While on the other hand in US things are very different on patent rights governing research, whereby even developing of an existing invention amounts to infringement. The mystery of patents is exhibited when one wants to make an improvement of an already patented invention. This can only be done legally by seeking permission from the patent holder, assuming that the patent is still in force When the new improvement is made the owner of it can bar the original patent owner from using the improvement and hence denying him of the right to exploit the patent. However some countries require that the invention be exploited in the jurisdiction it covers. Again the penalties of not working an invention vary from country to country but the common penalties ranges from revocation of the patent rights to awarding of a license to any party in a position to exploit the invention. The patentee can seek legal redress and challenge the revocation or the issuance of the license. But there exists a big hurdle in offering of tangible evidence that, the requirement of the public have really been met by the working the invention. Generally patents can only be put in force through law suits (e.g. in US, patent infringements are handled in the US federal courts) in other countries like France and Australia criminal penalties for patent infringements are given. In case of an infringement the patent owner will demand to be compensated financially for past infringement and then also seek to bar the defendant (infringer)from engaging in any further acts of infringement. However it is not always easy for the patent owner to prove that infringement really took place. As such, he is required to establish that the accused practiced all that the patent was entitled to; again, the issue of independent jurisdictions patent rights tradition also arises. The above statements about the powers of a patent owner are enough evidence to show that there is a great limitation on the patent owner because the accused has a right to challenge the validity of a patent .It is common for civil courts hearing patent cases to declare patents invalid. The basis on which a patent can be declared invalid are stated on the patent agreement, and again this varies from one jurisdiction to another. However some countries like UK have laws discoursing infringers from challenging the validity of patents. In the UK this discouraged through the certificate of contested validity. Nevertheless not all patent rights disputes are settled through litigatation. Majority of these disputes are settled through private patent licensing agreements. These agreement are simply practical, effective contracts whereby the patent owner (also know as licensor) voluntarily decides not to sue an infringer in return of some payment .Research shows that this is common in companies which deals with complex products. These companies also issue patented licenses to other business rivals under what is known as cross licensing agreements. This in turn facilities the cross accessing of each other inventions (special problems in patent cases 66.FRD 529,197 by Howard T Markey) \ As seen above different jurisdictions have different traditions of approaching patenting, but it should be noted that in many nations both single entities (natural persons) and corporate entities can apply for a patent. On issuance of this patent then the entity (ies) becomes the owners of the patents. However, it is mandatory that the inventor (s) be named so that the public can get to know how the owner(s) of the patent acquired the rights. For example in US only the inventor(s) (natural person) can apply for a patent, in cases of multi inventors then each inventor is given a patent which s very independent from those given to other co- inventors . It is a normal practice also in US for inventors to assign their ownership rights to a corporate body, this is done in cases of multi-inventors so that only one single entity has the rights to grant a license. Another reason is to increase the liquidity of the patent as property, so that inventors can be in a position to sell them to a third party, who in turn owns the patent as though they were the real investors. From the above detailed information about the function ability of patents and patent rights it is evident that patents and patent rights need to be protected by relevant laws so that neither party i.e. patent owners, authorities, and infringers is vulnerable to mistreatment. Therefore nations and also internal communities have come up with laws that govern the enforcement of patents. Patents as such therefore, are governed by laws at a national level and at an international level through signing of treaties. It can be said that patents are therefore not national but territorial in nature. It is traditional that every nation forms a [patent office which carries out patenting responsibilities in regards of the laws of the country. However cases of infringements are left to be catered by national courts. On an international scale it is the work of the world Trade organization (WTO) to harmonize these patent laws. Agreement have been reached successfully in aligning these patent laws .Adherence to these agreements is a mandatory requirement for admission to the WTO, a factor leading to mass compliance by many nations .Even the developing countries are not left back although they have been known to enforce national laws protecting their local industries. A paramount international meting held in Paris relating to patent systems culminated in the signing of the above agreement. Although the agreement does not have a consequential legal effect in national jurisdictions its principles are largely inculcated in many current patent systems. For instance one such principle is the right to claim priority which allows an application filled in a member state of the Paris meeting to be valid for one year and also to be filled in any other member state and still receive its original filling date. This is a great achievement since patent ownership is entirely date oriented. Again the powers and dynamics of patents vary from sate to another. In US for example, the lands prime law (constitution), gives the congress the mandate to make laws, to promote, and uphold the progress of Science and useful Arts. These laws once passed, are then enshrined in Title 35 of the United States Code. The United States patent and trademark office (USPTO) was created under the above laws. (US patent activity, 1790 to present – http://www. Upstaged/web/ offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h-counts-html). In UR, patent laws are contained in the patents Act 1977 (amended). On international perspective, as mentioned above there exists international freely procedures e.g. procedures under European patent convention (EPC) which works under European patent organization (EPO) and patent cooperation Treaty (PCT) among many others. Similar treaties exist in African content countries. For a natural person or a corporate entity to be awarded a patent then an application requesting the same has to be filled at the relevant patent office. This application contains such information like how to make and put the invention into use and also the utility of the invention. Also contained in the application form is claims which explain more about the invention and the extend of patent rights in regards to applicants wishes. The above details together with a written description with drawings are part of the patent specification. In some nations like US, the applicant is also required to include the most effective way to make and practice the invention. The claim part acts as a disclosure to the public on the limits to which the patentee has over the invention. In other words a claim shows what the patent covers and what does not cover. It should be noted also that a single patent can have numerous claims, each regarded as an independent invention. Once the above requirements have been provided it is now the duty of the patent office to counter check whether the application is in order with the relevant legal provisions in relation to the particular specie of patents. Once it is approved the patent takes effect from the date issued and it is subject to yearly renewals so as to remain in force in relation to (Egbert vs. Lippmenn, 104 U.S. 333 (1881) â€Å"the corset case†) The US supreme court passed a decision that any inventor who has not applied for a patent for more than eleven years of using the invention, cannot be given one. Hence there is a need to seek for a patent once an invention has been made (http://www. Wolf Greenfield. Com/media/news. 9.pdf) In a summary of the above information about patent system four main aspects have clearly been discussed about, they include; i. Inventing: Through intensive research and consulting Scientists and artists are able to come up with inventions. The desire to dig more and come up with inventions is catalyzed by the existence of patent rights. Which comes with much money as a result of selling patent licenses ii. Disclosing the invention made: As per the meaning of patent, the disclosure of invention is for a common good. This is so because there are projections as to the rights of invention and hence inventors feel free to disclose their invention. This disclosure facilitates for exploitation of patent right when the current one expire or even improvements are made. iii. To invest in producing, experimenting, and marketing of the invention. This is done out the faith that infrequent cases are well protected against. iv. Designing and improving of earlier patents: This can only be possible is details of already existing patents are disclosed to the public. All the above stuff concerning modern patent system allows for infant inventors to gain exclusive rights and therefore becoming licensors. They therefore gain financially and in the long run promoting more innovations. Due to loopholes the legal systems governing patents cases of double awarding of patents have been common. (According to R.Buck minster Fuller 1938). Due to the increasing number of inventions the patent filling systems are becoming more complex day and day and hence there is a likehood of awarding a patent to an invention already patented before. However with the introduction of reliable computing system this has been kept at bay. According to Michael Heller, a law professor and Rebecca Sue Eisenberg in a 1998 in their 1998 science article, intellectual property Rights (IPR) have become so much fragmented that signing them will require an agreement with all the owners of fragments. Another big hurdle in patents is that they discourage innovations especially with corporate entities who may own many patents and enter into litigations incases of infringement although they are doing absolutely nothing to develop the invention. Other numerous problems also exist and as a result critisms have been common opposing the patents system and proposing for their abolition altogether. Lastly, it will be fair to put forth some historical information regarding the existence of patents. Reliable evidence suggests that the first stints of patents can be traced to ancient Greek cities whereby any one who came up with a new recipe was allowed to make the food for one year. On the other hand, modern patents can be traced to the republic of Venice whereby new inventions were publicly communicated to prevent undue infringement. Other countries followed suit e.g. U.K, US and therefore the idea of patents spread through other parts of the World. The above detailed account about patents gives a reader of this paper a sound basis to now tackle the issue of financial services industry, lobbying strategies in the addressing of the patent reform bill (legislation) before the 110th congress. As already explained above the patents system in united states are under the body known as United States patent and Trade mark organization (USPTO).This body is therefore incharge of issuance of patents to inventors. According to a 2004 report by National Agency of a sciences and another report of 2003 report by Federal Trade Commissioner a bill (patent Reform Act 2005) was proposed. The main aim of this bill was to try and bring a theme of modernity in the USA patent system. Although it was not until 2007 when this bill was introduced to the bicameral US parliament (Senate and House of representatives). This bill now known as â€Å"The patent Reform Act of 2007† was introduced as a proposal in the 110th US congress for discussion and eventual change of the United States Patent Laws. The bills main objective was to bring the American patent laws to the same level with other countries patent laws. (According to a patent system for the 21st century, by Stephen. A. Merrill Richard L. Levin and mark B. Myers, 2004- (http://www ton.nap.eds/catalog//76.html) The main changes brought by this legislation were I). Converting US from a first- to- invent system to a first- inventor- to -file system. This bill will bring US to conformity with other countries of world. This system will also reduce legal costs, simplify the patent process, improve fairness and also facilitate a movement towards harmonized international patent system. It is also agreed that this change will reduce the complexity associated with the current USPTO interference proceedings. This will therefore make inventors to focus more on inventing. Since this change would make US to be in harmony with other countries it will help US inventors to pursue their innovative dreams in more consisted manner. On the hand, critics have agreed that this system of first to file will encourage unnecessary USPTO with unharmonized disclosure information; therefore quality of patents is compromised. Again the small scale inventors will be at a disadvantage when competing with large co operations in the race to the pattern office. The next major change was apportionment of damages. The bill will seek to bring sanity in the award of damages due from infringements of patents. The bill allows a court of law to ensure that the damages are paid according to the prevailing economic conditions pertaining to the patented invention. This was seen a measure to cut excessive royalty payment infringed patented. Large technological companies and financial services industries supported this change because they lie on features which are in most cases in patented. Critics of this system argued that, the congress should not attempt to prioritize the factors that a court may apply when determining reasonable damage rights. This system may also undermine the existing licenses and therefore leads to the rise of litigation. Those critics included USPTO, the biotechnology among many others. Other charges embedded in the bill included; Allowing a third party assignee to file a patent application, Revising procedures for patent interference disputes; Allowing financial institutions to infringe patents on the check collection system, Allowing a person who is not the patent owner to file a petition with the board cancel a patent as invalid among many other changes. These changes sought to facilitate a general overhaul of the US patent system. Which according to the coalition for 21st century patent Return was in dire need for periodic examination and foundational changes (http://www.ipfrolmer.com/depts/artic.asp?id=14890deptid=4) This reform bill on patents was introduced to the House of Representatives by a democrat, MR. Howard Berman and in the senate by another Democrat, MR. Patrick Leahy. It was passed in the House of Representatives but put under more scrutiny pending voting in the senate following its introduction in the 110th United States Congress. The bill has been faced with positive and negative critisms from different organizations. Those organizations lobbying for its subsequent adoption argue that, the bill is necessary to bringing in the much needed changes and consequently reduce the number of soaring ills which are killing innovation. Some of these organizations include coalition for patent fairness, Business software alliance intellectual property owners association and lastly American institute of certified public accounts. Those according to them are weakening the rights of patent owners innovations included the following national small business organization, innovatiove alliance, Biotechnology industry organization among others (http://www.napp, org/resources/nap opp to 2007 senate Bill. pdf) According to the US department of commerce the only part which need some revision is section 4 which they argue may harm the nation’s intellectual property system. The bill also attracted critisms from international community with a Chinese expert calling the bill hypocritical; since it is weakening the rights of patent owners in US when US has been urging the Chinese government to strengthen the rights of their patent owners. An observation also comes from India pharmaceutical Alliance who argued the bills provision allows for the validity of a US patent to be challenged immediately after issuance. They also predict that the bill may favour Indian manufacturers since it reduces legal costs and risks. (Http.economictrimes.com/article show/mst 22256,pr+page – 1.cms1) The lobbying strategies The first question one should ask himself when tackling this debate is very simple, how is the proposed patent reform bill going to affect the performance of the financial institutions? Secondly has the current patent laws been in â€Å"favor† of the financial institutions? With these two questions in mind then it is very easy to the financial institutions stand in respect to these reforms. Consequently, therefore, the lobbying strategies they employ will be directly related to these effects. This issue of patent reforms may seem to a nonprofessional to be of no consequential impact and therefore does not deserve much thought but to the business community things are very different. The above detailed account of the pros and cons of the patent reform bill, it is very clear that there exists a tug-of war between some of the corporate US citizens. On one side of the war are much dreaded patent trolls or better known as patent sharks-small firms or individuals who wit fully trap large manufacturers in patent infringement suits in order to benefit from damage awards. On the other side of this war are financial institutions, which, includes banks and insurance firms who have joined hands with large tech-companies. It is understood that these two sectors have been faced with regular lawsuits coming from the much-dreaded patent sharks. At the center of the dispute is the current Americas patent system that is suffering from lack of a major policy overhaul for along period of time and struggling to stay in level with innovation in thev21st century. Therefore, financial institutions have always found themselves in a hot spot under the current patent laws. It is in this light that any reforms that seeks to address their plight is seen as a relieve to them. The first strategy therefore employed by these financial institutions was the formation of a bargaining platform in the form of â€Å"the coalition of patent fairness†. This group lobbied the senate to help curb the weak patents and bourgeois lawsuits from patent sharks. The group also lobbied against a ruling made by the federal appeals court that opened doors for patents on business methods, including different types of banking, investments and insurance techniques. It is through this lobbying that, the senate judiciary committee included a provision that grants banks immunity against lawsuits from patent holders like Texas Company Data Treasury, which holds patent on a method of digitally scanning, sending and storing checks. Another strategy used by financial firms is by applying for patents. These patents unlike those of other industries are not primarily for financial gains but for defensive purposes against the escalating number of patent infringement cases from the much-dreaded patent sharks. Financial institutions in US are also exploiting the fact that US is the only nation in the world to have been left back using the first-to-invent system of patenting to lobby the international organizations (WTO).this seems to have borne fruits because the USPTO seems to have yielded to the pressure and therefore agreed to bring some changes. This has worked through the harmonization of the US patenting system with the rest of the world. After the House of Representatives passed its version of the bill, many AUTM members frantically contacted their congressional members a move that enabled many parts of the bill to be amended. However the senate bill remained to be harmonized. Following great concern from the university community and other bodies, a number of changes were made. One lobbying strategy, which financial services institution used was voicing their concerns through the AUTM, an organization of many universities and other bodies that induces closeness to industries. It should be noted that the AUTM and the university community were not in anyway against the improvement of US patent system. Their main concern was to see that before the bill was finally voted for in the senate, the contentious parts should be first fine-tuned. As a show of great support to the improvement of the US patent system, the university group therefore put fourth the following suggestions (i) a one-year grace period for first inventor and strong inventor oath should be included. ii)Removal of the previous user rights expansion in favour of study of issue university patent can be in a risk of expanding prior user rights iii) Venue reform provision that exempt universities and technology transfer foundations that offer patent services to universities. The bill as it were had many provisions that were of great concern to US universities chiefly because it undermined the ability of the universities to transfer technology to local industries. This was due to the making of patents difficult to protect decreasing the amount of damages patent holder can get from an infringer and opening new avenues for infringers to put to task the validity of issued patents. This change of USPTO rules and the issue of Supreme Court in mind made it more burdensome, and expensive to get, maintain and even enforce patents. It also poses difficulties for Universities when starting companies, which attract venture funding. Other areas, which concerned Universities and financial institutions were, are as follows:- i. A compulsory search report and analyses, which reflect heavily on the financial aspects of Universities on technology, transfer offices. ii. Absence of meaningful inadequate contact reform iii. An open-ended, post-grant administrative review of patent quality. iv. Venue reform policy that forces patentee to file suits in the infringer home district court and v. Apportionment of damages in patent infringement suits. Another strategic lobbying device at the disposal of financial institutions and other concerned organizations was through approaching federal relations officer near them. These federal relations officers are discharged with the main duty of acting as the intermediaries between the people and senate (legislators). Due to the bill, having so many controversial sections, there was an urgent need for the stakeholders to harmonize their divergent views and come up with a consensus. This was achieved through the congressional research service (CRS) an arm of United State Congress that provides policy and legal advices to committees and members of both the house and the Senate regardless of party affiliations. The CRS committee collects views from the public and then they act accordingly. Again, this CRS also carries out civic education concerning the interpretation of bills and their effect to the lives of the common person. Holding of workshops and seminars with the other stakeholders was another worthwhile strategy used to help bring every concerned party on board so that when the legislation is adopted no one would feel shortchanged. Workshops are known to bring warring parties together on a mutual agreement. These workshops therefore lobbied the opposing bodies into ceding some of their unrealistic demands. Financial services institutions through their attorneys lobbied the senate judiciary committee into making provisions that gave them more power in the using of technologies made by other inventors. These technologies are necessary in the improvement of banking services offered to customers. The bill therefore needed to be lobbied and subsequently harmonized. Conclusion The AUTM through their technology transfer managers evaluated impact of the long legislation on its general operations and therefore come up with a strategy, educate the university management and also other interested and the work with the federal relations officer, who in turn contacts the lawmakers. This technology transfer managers advice the legislators on the need to go the dialogue way so that at end of it all no constituency feels as being shortchanged by the passing of the patent reform legislation. In general, the current state of the bill would weaken the entire American patent system by making patented under to protect. The damages entitled to a patent owner after an infringement has been reduced adding salt to the wound. New avenues for infringers to challenge an already issued patent have also been opened. Although the bill continues to be harmonized bit by bit, the university technology transfer system still view some areas as not fully catered for. The legislation also provides for a patent trial and appeal bond, which is charged with the responsibilities of reviewing decisions of examiners upon applications and reexamination proceedings. Financial services institution therefore can utilize this avenue in addressing and subsequent challenging of the patent reforms legislations. This board comes as an indicator on how this reform legislation has deliberately been drafted and therefore only needs to be harmonized on the small areas. However, it is fair to say that America need this bill to at least bring some uniformity with rest of the world because it has been the only country adopting the first-invent system of patenting. Two, according to Senator Leahy, America needs an efficient and streamlined patent system if it is to remain in the forefront of the world economy. This patent will bring quality and at the same time discourage counter productive litigations. Senator Berman on his side argued that, there should be no doubt, as to whether the US system of patenting produces high quality patents, and therefore changing the existing patenting practices through the congress is the only way out. The bill also, should not be viewed with suspicion since it was founded and introduced in the two houses on a bipartisan basis. It is also the bedrock of American innovation, and therefore there is great need to protect innovation and creativity, according to Senator Hatch. Financial services industry being one of the major economic players of the United State of America, needs also to standup on its own and voice out their grievances. In addition, financial services institutions like banks and insurance companies have a duty to challenge the patent reforms legislation because they have started to seek protection from infringement lawsuits from patent sharks. This was facilitated through the introduction of financial patents. References; More about patent reforms, available at, 1) http://www.ipfrolmer.com/depts/artic.asp?id=14890deptid=4, accessed on april30 2008 Effects of patent reforms, available at, 2)Http.economictrimes.com/article show/mst 22256,pr+page – 1.cms1) , accessed on april30 2008 Patent reforms for 21st cen. available at, 3) http://www ton.nap.eds/catalog//76.html) accessed on april30 2008 US patent and trademark office, available at, 4) http://www. Upstaged/web/ offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h-counts-html accessed on april30 2008 Regulations governing patent application, available at, 5) http://www. Wolf Greenfield. Com/media/news. 9.pdf) accessed on april30 2008 More about patenting, available at, 6)http://www.ipaustralia-gov.au/patents/what_index.sch.html) accessed on april30 2008 Patenting and innovations, available at, 7) Heller, M.A., Eisenberg, R.S. (1998). Can Patents Deter Innovation? The Ant commons in Biomedical Research. Science. Different organizations response towards the patent reform bill, available at; 8) http://dev.bsa.org/country/public%20policy/patents.aspx, accessed on april30 2008

Racial Theme in Faulkner’s Light in August Essay -- Faulkner Light in

Racial Theme in Faulkner’s Light in August One theme that I really noticed was stressed throughout Faulkner’s Light in August was the theme of race. Joe Christmas’ mixed race is a central issue all through the novel. The reader is continually brought back to the fact that he is half black, especially during his affair with Johanna Burden. Johanna (and Faulkner) always makes his racial status known while Johanna and Joe are making love by Johanna’s gasping â€Å"Negro! Negro! Negro!† (260). It is intriguing that while Johanna’s father believed that the white race was cursed by the ‘White Man’s Burden’, the duty to help lift the black race to a higher status, and that blacks would never be on the same level as whites, and yet she lost her virginity to a half-black man. Why would she wait her whole life, devoting herself to virginity to help the black people, and then suddenly give herself up to a man her father failed to believe was worthy? What was it about Joe Christmas t hat made Johanna want to give herself up to him? Was it because he was of mixed race that made him such an attract...

Art and Humanities Essay

The Music I associate with from my early childhood would be so many different songs from like the alphabet songs. When I grew up we were not allowed watching TV so much in the 70’s. But we watched some cartoons like the Surf’s on Saturday mornings; I still remember the song Fa-la-la-la. I grew up listing to reggae and oldies but goodies music on my parents little radio in the living room. When I hear these songs I have a smile on my face. It always reminded me when my children was listening to some of the same kind of music either on Television or radio or when they watched cartoons like Old MacDonald or Bitsy Spider with the same good old folk rhymes. As I got older I remember listening to bands like the S. O. S. , Dazz band. My mom always made me play her cassette deck with her oldies or reggae music while she cleaned the house top to bottom. She always danced around while she was cleaning and it made cleaning looked like so much fun. And to this day if I help my wife with house chores I listen to the same kind of music then my mother was listening to. My daughter is the exact same way; she plays music all the times. The Music I associate with my adolescence is R&B disco music from the 1980’s and 90’s. I loved mostly all of them and I would listen to any songs â€Å"I want to be your man† by Rogers or Keith Sweat â€Å"Make it last forever†, â€Å"Between the sheets† by The Isley Brothers, I could just go on and on. I went through many phases where I start listening to Madonna or country music and different artists like them, but I believe it had something do to with being a young boy growing up. Up to this day I could listen to all the same artists, bands or songs and think about the carefree days I had and being a high school boy being crazy with all my friends. But there was a time in my life where I was real crazy and just listening to rap music and started using the bad words and believe me that was not for long because my mother got rid of all my rap music quickly. And now if my children would listen to some rap music I tell them please not in my home. When it comes to comfort in music I always find myself going back and listen to oldies or reggae that was always  playing when my mother was cleaning the house. It was an everyday thing for my mom because it seemed that our home was never clean enough for her because we were six children coming in from football fields dirty or the backyard. But anytime I came into the house the same oldies or reggae music was playing, it was either Bob Marley† Buffalo Soldiers† or the oldies song† Let’s stay together† by Al Green When I have a bad day or just want to relax I find myself sitting down and turn on music and listen to the 70’s or 80’s songs, because that is what gets my head clear and then I can focus again. Happiness is a mood I would associate with songs or music that has a good rhythm and has a positive message. The song that makes me happy is â€Å"Buffalo Soldiers† by Bob Marley just like my mother, she would play that song over and over again. I would say that every genre and style of music has it songs that are happy, sad, comforting, depressing, fun and any other mood or feeling one could have. This is not because of how the song really sounds or the way it’s played, it’s the meaning from the lyrics. But the listener interprets the song in a way that only you can relate to. That is why music is so important to me because it can be a musical time line of our memories. I will always remember the music I grew up with and all the god times I had as a child and this is what I took into my Adulthood. In my life, music has been a constant, ever changing magical and amazing adventure. Music has always been a part of an everyday life for so many years and so many more years to come, because no matter if we understand the music that the one likes or not it does not matter to us. All we need to know is what we like and what impact music has on us. Music may make a person happy or sad because of the memories they re-live. No matter what it might be you must know that music is needed and wanted. References: Altschuler, R. J. (2009). The Art of Being Human: The Humanities as a Technique for Living. Retrieved from: www. youtube. com/watch? v=S5FCdx7Dn0o Retrieved from: www. youtube. com/watch? v=RCcg7ctrC4w.

Harmful Threats to the Human Body

Harmful Threats to the Human Body There are a lot of bacteria that are good for human bodies, but there are also a lot of bacteria that’s very harmful to the human body. Bad bacteria can affect people from swimming in lakes and ponds. â€Å"Many of the world's best-known disease outbreaks have been transmitted by water-borne bacterium. † Lakes and ponds are just un-treated drinking water. They have a lot of microorganisms in it that you cannot see. There are many ways to be contaminated by bacteria; you can swallow it, breathe it in, or they can get in an open wound.Being contaminated can cause skin infections, ear infections, eye infections, diarrhea, and respiratory infections. Langerhans cells and macrophages defend against microbes. Anyone can be infected by bacteria and there doesn’t have to be a lot of it in order to be infected. Vibrio cholera is a bacterium that causes cholera outbreaks around the world. Cholera isn’t common in the U. S. anymore bu t you should be careful when visiting out of state. Another bacterium found around the world is E. coli O157:H7. It produces a bloody diarrhea.It’s also a part of food contamination. It doesn’t take many organisms to get infected by this. Children and elderly are at high risk of severe illnesses. E. coli O157:H7 is even found in swimming pools. Leptospirosis is commonly transmitted by water contaminated by animal urine or soil that comes in contact with open wounds. It can either be barely noticeable or it can cause severe muscle pain. There are many different kinds of bacteria that can have a bad effect on the human body, especially in lake waters.A lot of people think that there is no way for your body to overheat, because of sweat. They think that sweating cools your body down so that it is impossible to overheat. That is wrong. If you get too hot too fast, your body cannot work fast enough to cool down. And if your body doesn’t eventually get cooler you can have a heat stroke or die. Lipid secretions also prevent dehydration. Symptoms of overheating are hard to breath, heart beats faster, you get dizzy, throwing up, and extreme dehydration.To keep from overheating you should drink lots of water and try to relax. When getting a sunburn your killing skin cells. After getting sunburn your skin tends to become red, sensitive to touch, and even warm. The outer layer of skin on your body is called the epidermis. Epidermis cells are the ones you can touch and see, they are also dead cells. The cells underneath that are living. They produce new dead cells to replenish your skin. The sun gives off ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is what kills the living cells.Nerve endings and receptors function to cause covering skin to prevent further sunburn. Sebum is lubrication of skin and hair. When your body senses dead cells your immune system starts working to heal your body. It increases blood flow in the affected areas, opening up capillary wall s so that white blood cells can come in and remove the damaged cells. The increased blood flow makes your skin warm and red. The nerve endings for pain begin sending signals to your brain. Damaged cells release chemicals that activate pain receptors. This is why sunburned skin is so sensitive.There are ways to prevent sunburn without having to stay inside. Use a sunscreen, which blocks ultraviolet light, or pace yourself so you get a tan first. When you get a tan, your body essentially creates its own sunscreen using special pigment cells in the epidermis. Deep cuts can become infected easily if it is not taken care of properly. Signs of infection are; redness or discoloration, swelling, warmth, pain, tenderness, scaling, itching, and pulse drainage. The skin may harden or tighten in the area and red streaks may radiate from the wound.Wound infections may also cause fevers, especially when they spread to the blood. While in the water and you happen to cut your foot; immediately lift up your foot to prevent a deeper cut. â€Å"Eccrine glands open by a duct directly onto the skin surface. When internal temperature rises, the eccrine glands secrete water to the skin surface, where heat is removed by evaporation. † There are many types of protective swim wear you can purchase to prevent organisms and chemicals from getting to your skin.

We Like it Fresh What Womens Magazine Editors Want

We Like it Fresh What Womens Magazine Editors Want Every month, without fail, I vow to give up writing for women’s magazines. It’s usually when an editor I’ve worked with (or worse, never worked with before) has asked for â€Å"fresh† ideas and I’ve racked my brain from here to eternity and come up empty. I hate the word â€Å"fresh.† Because the truth is, what my editors at women’s magazines want is not fresh. What they want is â€Å"evergreen† - another word I learned as a new writer that I’ve come to detest. How do you write a story that’s evergreen but fresh, and oh, has tips no one’s ever read before? Figure that out and the world of $2 per word markets suddenly opens up to you. Here’s how to make dull stories interesting, twist headlines to make cover lines that entice, and come up with ideas that make editors jump with joy. * Practice your copywriting skills: One of the best ways to take a stale, overdone idea and make it interesting is to think up a really clever headline. Copywriters know that they only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention, so they spend hours crafting the perfect headline. This is exactly what you should be doing, too. Take your time coming up with a headline that will grab an editor’s attention immediately. Make her want to read your pitch and you have a sale. * Throw different and distinct ideas together: I like to come up with absolutely random subjects that, on the surface, have nothing to do with each other and brainstorm story ideas that use both. For instance, take friendship and confidence, two topics women’s magazines love and put them together to create â€Å"Are Your Rich Friends Wreaking Havoc on Your Self Esteem?† * Be specific and use numbers when possible: Women’s magazines have known for decades what the online world is only just discovering: People love lists. The longer, the better. Come up with 101 ways to do something, be something, know something, and you have a winner. Remember to make the list clever. The 101 ways to be happier idea just makes them sad because it’s been done 101 times. Be specific, too. If you’re talking about saving money, don’t say â€Å"How to Save Money.† Say, â€Å"How I Saved $1,389 in a Month.† * Appeal to an emotion: Many of us, when we first start writing for women’s magazines think about solving problems. That’s usually what all the books and guides advise, too, so you’re certainly not alone if you’ve gone down this path. The difficulty with this approach, however, is that there isn’t a problem you can think of that a woman’s magazine hasn’t already solved for its readers. So unless you can come up with a unique problem (or a unique solution), my suggestion is to be counterintuitive, personalize your approach, and appeal to a reader’s emotions. â€Å"How Asking for a Divorce Strengthened My Marriage,† is a good example. * Test the tips: Another great way to find unique women’s magazine stories (and to have a lot of fun researching them) is to take several theories that have been advocated The great thing about women’s magazines (other than that they pay well) is that they’re always hungry for writers who can bring new twists to old ideas. Do that and you’ll have steady clients for years to come. **

Psychological Evaluation of Peter Griffin

Psychological Evaluation of Peter Griffin Free Online Research Papers Name: Peter Griffin Date of Birth: 12/25/1970 Sex: Male Date of Assessment: 6/29/2010 Age at testing: 39 Psychologist: Timothy Remmert Confidential Psychological Evaluation REASON FOR REFERRAL Mr. Griffin is a 39-year-old white male who works on an assembly line in a beer bottling plant. Mr. Griffin’s supervisor, Sydney Wick, referred Mr. Griffin for a psychological evaluation due to frequent alcohol abuse and erratic behavior that is disruptive to the workplace. Mr. Griffin reports that, while he drinks â€Å"regularly†, he does not believe his drinking affects his productivity at work, and feels he is being persecuted by his superiors. ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS AND EVALUATIVE PROCEDURES Clinical interview with Mr. Griffin on June 29, 2010 for approximate 1  ½ hours. MMPI -2: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 CPI: California Psychological Inventory BACKGROUND INFORMATION or RELEVANT HISTORY Mr. Griffin was born and raised in Quahog, Rhode Island. His father, Liam Griffin, worked as a welder in a playground equipment factory, and his mother, Mary Griffin was a housewife. Peter is an only child, and both parents are deceased. Mr. Griffin is married to Lois Griffin, age 37, with 3 children, Christopher, 16, Meg, 15, and Stewie, age 1  ½ yrs. Griffin attended James Woods High School in Quahog, R.I., but left after failing to complete his sophomore year at age 17. He held a number of menial jobs before a friend of his helped him find employment at the Pawtucket Patriot Brewery, where he has been employed for 5 years. BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS and MENTAL STATUS EXAM Mr. Griffin appeared oriented to person, place and time, but seemed confused as to the circumstances surrounding his referral and evaluation. Mr. Griffin seemed friendly and attentive until asked about his alcohol consumption. He vehemently denied any excess consumption and insisted that he drinks â€Å"just like everyone else I know.† Mr. Griffin became visibly upset when informed of the reason for his evaluation, and repeated claims of persecution by his superior(s) at work. When asked relatively common judgment questions, he appeared somewhat impaired. For example, when asked what he would do if he came home and the toilet was overflowing, he replied that he would go to the neighborhood bar and have a few beers until â€Å"Lois got home and fixed it.† His short term and long term memory appeared to be relatively intact, but his attention span is very limited. He would often play with objects on my desk, and when these were removed, he would be looking around the office and at the window while we were talking. Toward the end of the interview, Mr. Griffin seemed nervous, and made the comment, â€Å"I sure could use a beer. How about you, Doc?† When asked if he had ever considered â€Å"taking a break† from drinking alcohol, he replied, â€Å"Doc, I’m telling you, I got no problem. I drink. I get drunk. I fall down. No problem.† Mr. Griffin was administered the MMPI-2, and the CPI, the results of which showed significant levels of emotional upset which may interfere with memory, concentration, abstraction and judgment. Mr. Griffin does not appear to be very reflective or thoughtful, which can limit insight and judgment. Concentration difficulties were evidenced by Mr. Griffin’s distractibility and inattentiveness. Peter’s intellectual level is in the lowest range of normal, and borders on mild mental retardation. He likes clear-cut solutions and has trouble dealing with ambiguity, novelty, and change. He is cognitively very rigid and has fixed ideas from which he has trouble deviating. Mr. Griffin is severely cognitively impulsive in a way that may be pathologically indicative of alcoholism. A lack of cognitive mediation and evidence of impulsive behavior often result with Peter acting without proper consideration of the consequences. Peter’s clinical profile indicates the following characteristics and symptoms: Clinical Assessment Symptomology Impulsiveness, emotional volatility, agitation, poor judgment, excitability, confusion, disorganization, stress (work problems), possible delusions, occasionally tenuous grasp of reality, generalized anxiety, self-absorption, unrealistically demanding of others (particularly those in authority), prone to substance abuse. DSM-IV DIAGNOSTIC IMPRESSION Axis I Alcohol dependence Axis II Dependent personality disorder Axis IV Environmental and social support issues Axis V GAF : 40 CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS 1.Peter is being referred to a certified addiction professional for further evaluation and/or treatment. The dependent personality disorder and environmental and social support issues will be addressed in future therapy sessions with a trained psychologist concurrent with any recommended alcohol abuse treatment and/or therapy. Upon initiation of treatment(s), Peter will be cleared to return to work with the understanding that his continued employment will be contingent on his ongoing participation in treatment and his acceptable behavior in the workplace. Peter should be considered for further testing and evaluation at a future time to be determined by treating professional(s). REFERENCES Littlefield, A.K., Sher, K.J., Wood, P.K. (2010). Do changes in drinking motives mediate the relation between personality change and â€Å"maturing out† of problem drinking? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119(1), 93 – 105. McKillop, J., Miranda, R., et al. (2010). Alcohol demand, delayed reward discounting, and craving in relation to drinking and alcohol use disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 119, 106 – 114. Zikos, E., Gill, K.J., Charney, D.A. (2010). Personality disorders among alcoholic outpatients: Prevalence and course in treatment. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(2), 65-73 Simons, J.S., Carey, K.B., Wills, T.A. (2009). Alcohol abuse and dependence systems: A multidimensional model of common and specific etiology. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 23(3), 415 – 427. Keady, J., Clarke, C.L., et al. (2009).Alcohol-related brain damage: Narrative story lines and risk constructions. Health, Risk, Society, 11(4) 321 – 340 retrieved 6/30/2010 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucf.edu/ehost/resultsadvanced?vid=2hid=108sid=1461ef4e-f21e-4638-b58d-54b70e822a54%40sessionmgr104bquery=(alcoholism)bdata=JmRiPXBzeWgmZGI9cGRoJmRiPXB6aCZjbGkwPUZUJmNsdjA9WSZjbGkxPVJWJmNsdjE9WSZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl Van der Plas, Crone, E.A., et al. (2009). Executive control deficits in substance-dependent individuals. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 31(6), 706 – 719 Witkiewitz, K., Villarroel, N.A. (2009) Dynamic association between negative affect and alcohol lapses following alcohol treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(4), 633 – 644 Kramer, G.P., Bernstein, D.A., Phares, V. (2010). Introduction to Clinical Psychology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/Prentiice Hall. Research Papers on Psychological Evaluation of Peter GriffinThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesStandardized TestingPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThree Concepts of PsychodynamicRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanResearch Process Part OneBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenTrailblazing by Eric Anderson

Sir Walter Raleighs First Journey to El Dorado

Sir Walter Raleigh's First Journey to El Dorado El Dorado, the legendary lost city of gold rumored to be somewhere in the unexplored interior of South America, claimed many victims as thousands of Europeans braved flooded rivers, frosty highlands, endless plains and steamy jungles in the vain search for gold. The most well-known of the obsessed men who searched for it, however, must be Sir Walter Raleigh, the legendary Elizabethan courtier who made two trips to South America to search for it. The Myth of El Dorado There is a grain of truth in the El Dorado myth. The Muisca culture of Colombia had a tradition where their king would cover himself in gold dust and dive into Lake Guatavit: Spanish conquistadors heard the story and began searching for the Kingdom of El Dorado, â€Å"the Gilded One.† Lake Guatavita was dredged and some gold was found, but not very much, so the legend persisted. The supposed location of the lost city changed frequently as dozens of expeditions failed to find it. By 1580 or so the lost city of gold was thought to be in the mountains of present-day Guyana, a harsh and inaccessible place. The city of gold was referred to as El Dorado or Manoa, after a city told of by a Spaniard who had been captive of natives for ten years. Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh was a famous member of the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, whose favor he enjoyed. He was a true Renaissance man: he wrote history and poems, was a decorated sailor and dedicated explorer and settler. He fell out of favor with the Queen when he secretly married one of her maids in 1592: he was even imprisoned in the Tower of London for a time. He talked his way out of the Tower, however, and convinced the Queen to allow him to mount an expedition to the New World to conquer El Dorado before the Spanish found it. Never one to miss the chance to out-do the Spanish, the Queen agreed to send Raleigh on his quest. The Capture of Trinidad Raleigh and his brother Sir John Gilbert rounded up investors, soldiers, ships, and supplies: on February 6, 1595, they set out from England with five small ships. His expedition was an act of open hostility to Spain, which jealously guarded its New World possessions. They reached the Island of Trinidad, where they cautiously checked out the Spanish forces. The Englishmen attacked and captured the town of San Jose. They took an important prisoner on the raid: Antonio de Berrio, a high-ranking Spaniard who had spent years searching for El Dorado himself. Berrio told Raliegh what he knew about Manoa and El Dorado, trying to discourage the Englishman from continuing on his quest, but his warnings were in vain. The Search for Manoa Raleigh left his ships anchored at Trinidad and took only 100 men to the mainland to begin his search. His plan was to go up the Orinoco River to the Caroni River and then follow it until he reached a legendary lake where he would find the city of Manoa. Raleigh had caught wind of a massive Spanish expedition to the area, so he was in a hurry to get underway. He and his men headed up the Orinoco on a collection of rafts, ship’s boats and even a modified galley. Although they were aided by natives who knew the river, the going was very tough as they had to fight the current of the mighty Orinoco River. The men, a collection of desperate sailors and cut-throats from England, were unruly and difficult to manage. Topiawari Laboriously, Raleigh and his men made their way upriver. They found a friendly village, ruled by an aged chieftain named Topiawari. As he had been doing since arriving on the continent, Raleigh made friends by announcing that he was an enemy of the Spanish, who were widely detested by the natives. Topiawari told Raleigh of a rich culture living in the mountains. Raliegh easily convinced himself that the culture was an offshoot of the rich Inca culture of Peru and that it must be the fabled city of Manoa. The Spanish set out up the Caroni River, sending out scouts to look for gold and mines, all the while making friends with any natives they encountered. His scouts brought back rocks, hoping that further analysis would reveal gold ore. Return to the Coast Although Raleigh thought he was close, he decided to turn around. The rains were increasing, making the rivers even more treacherous, and he also feared being caught by the rumored Spanish expedition. He felt he had enough â€Å"evidence† with his rock samples to drum up much enthusiasm back in England for a return venture. He made an alliance with Topiawari, promising mutual aid when he returned. The English would help fight the Spanish, and the natives would help Raleigh find and conquer Manoa. As part of the deal, Raleigh left two men behind and took Topiawari’s son back go England. The return journey was much easier, as they were traveling downstream: the Englishmen were joyful at seeing their ships still anchored off of Trinidad. Return to England Raleigh paused on his way back to England for a bit of privateering, attacking the Island of Margarita and then the port of Cuman, where he dropped off Berrio, who had remained a prisoner on board Raleigh’s ships while he looked for Manoa. He returned to England in August of 1595 and was disappointed to learn that news of his expedition had preceded him and that it was already considered a failure. Queen Elizabeth had little interest in the rocks he had brought back. His enemies seized upon his journey as an opportunity to slander him, claiming that the rocks were either fake or worthless. Raleigh defended himself ably but was surprised to find very little enthusiasm for a return trip in his home country. The Legacy of Raleigh’s First Search for El Dorado Raleigh would get his return trip to Guyana, but not until 1617 - more than twenty years later. This second journey was a complete failure and directly led to Raleighs execution back in England. In between, Raleigh financed and supported other English expeditions to Guyana, which brought him more proof, but the search for El Dorado was becoming a hard sell. Raleighs greatest accomplishment may have been in creating good relations between the English and the natives of South America: although Topiawari passed away not long after Raleighs first voyage, the goodwill remained and future English explorers benefitted from it. Today, Sir Walter Raleigh is remembered for many things, including his writings and his participation in the 1596 attack on the Spanish port of Cadiz, but he will forever be associated with the vain quest for El Dorado. Source Silverberg, Robert. The Golden Dream: Seekers of El Dorado. Athens: the Ohio University Press, 1985.

Comparison of Barbara Ehrenreich"Bright-Sided" and " Essay

Comparison of Barbara Ehrenreich"Bright-Sided" and " Mariah Burton Nelson, " I Won. I'm sorry." - Essay Example It does this by looking at how these articles are in a dialogue about identified aspects of popular US culture discussed by these scholars. In I Won. Im sorry, Nelson presents a candid and insightful discussion on the gender stereotyping in athletics as one of the popular cultures in USA. As a former basketball player, Nelson alludes to her own experiences because she happened to have actively engaged in her favorite game at a time when US culture was quite skeptical ob the involvement of women in certain sporting activities. With her first-hand experiences, Nelson acknowledges that indeed, gender inequality is quite evident in athletics in the country. Due to the patriarchal nature of the society, men have been brought up to believe that there are certain games that should not only be reserved for them. To them, the womenfolk should only concentrate on skating, gymnastics and tennis. The other prominent feature that appears in Nelson’s discussion is the issue of feminism. Even if the society is slowly transforming and giving room to the women to be active in athletics, a lot of concern is raised about how their involvement in athletics can make them to behave. Unlike their male counterparts, women are supposed to be careful not to be viewed as masculine. She says ‘Women want to be tall enough to feel elegant and attractive, like models. They want to feel respected and looked up to. But they don’t want to be so tall that their height threatens men. They want to win — to achieve, to reach new heights — but without exceeding male heights’ (P 570). Meaning, they are still viewed as a weaker sex who should apologize for appearing masculine and at times have to feature in nude adverts so as to prove to the society that they are still elegant and have the beauty that qualified them as feminine creatures who must be dominated by the male

Export Management Task Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Export Management Task - Article Example For all of you who are involved in the industry and to those of you who have had the occasion to become involved on a personal level, You will no doubt agree with me when I say that it is an industry which is predicated on logistics, scheduling, and documents. Moreover, all of the logistics must be arranged far in advance, the scheduling must all come together into one unit at a specific time, and at a specific place, and all of the documentation must be accomplished accurately, and on time, in accordance with previously stipulated agreements. Having said that, I will now present the various components and aspects which comprise the Export Management Task. Export sales contracts can be formal or informal, depending on the foreign buyer. One should be cautioned that any contract which is made quickly and informally when some of the conditions are assumed or left to be clarified later, is a dangerous, ill advised, and not a good practice standard. Of course, most of us are aware of off ers to sell which are presented over the phone, which covers the product to be sold, the quantity, the price per unit, outlining delivery, the terms, and the medium of payment, which is often accepted by the foreign buyer. Also, we are familiar with a call from the buyer, with an offer to buy. offer to buy. 2This type of contract may be preceded by a series of offers and counter offers before the final offer and acceptance. This type of contract remains informal if it is not confirmed in writing. This type of contractural practice is most common and acceptable between branches of the same company, or between long standing trade partners, or between very reputable companies who trade in commodities which are prone to rapid changes in prices. It is my caution to you, that unless one of the three above-mentioned conditions are characteristic of your transaction, then this informal mode, should not be your practice. The most assured way to a void any and all misunderstandings, is to get the buyer to agree to the use of what is commonly referred to as General Standard Conditions. "These are standardized contract terms that permit the parties to refer to a pre- established set of rules that can be incorporated into the contract"(SIT). If you elect to choose this standardized proforma, then you must by all means, become keenly familiar with the contents, because once the generalized Standard Conditions have been adopted, they are legally binding whether or not both parties are aware of and understand every provision"(SIT) According to the Secrets in International Trade, an offer to sell may also be made via telex, courier, air mail, cable, facsimile and today even via e-mail. The exporter confirms the terms and stipulations of the sale via a proforma invoice: the proforma invoice will detail the entire order, The type of shipment ( i.e., f.o.b. Plymouth) quantity, type of item, unit cost, and total cost. As an addendum one might also include certain terms such as the name and address of the preferred bank, and the preferred shipping3 date. Upon receipt of the proforma invoice, the buyer will confirm his acceptance by

Safety Legislation Writing Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Safety Legislation Writing Project 2 - Essay Example Once I had ensured that not only was I fully versed in the rules and requirements as specified by OSHA’s laws and guidelines, I would then see if OSHA’s free on site consultation program, which â€Å"conducted 29,310 visits to small and medium-sized employers† (OSHA, 2013) in 2012, was available in my area, and if not, go through their outreach training program, a program that taught â€Å"689,779 students† (OSHA, 2013) in 2012; after having taken these steps, I would feel confident that my organization was fully in compliance with the rules and regulations as set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If there ever came a time when I was unsure on a particular point of safety and health regulations, I would be sure to check OSHA’s website and review their industry specific resources, which will also serve as a point of reference in order to keep up to date with all the latest tips, regulations, and notifications in the industry . In addition, the eTools section of OSHA’s site will provide me with stand-alone interactive web based training tools on a large variety of occupational safety and health topics. These modules are available as downloadable files for offline use and training as well, which will ensure that any employees that I have working with me, or for me, will be able to keep up to date on the same rules and regulations that I am. By having them complete the modules as well, I am ensuring that I have additional sets of eyes that are trained on the same aspects; this allows for a more thorough check of our environment and decreases the likelihood of things being missed as a result of oversight, tiredness, and so on. Question #2. Using the ASSE Career Guide to the Safety Profession how would you answer these questions? a) What is the Safety Profession? b) What Safety Professionals Do? c) Where Do Safety Professionals Work? d) What is the Employment Outlook for Safety Professionals? e) Shoul d I Become a Safety Professional? f) Read the Profiles of Safety Professionals starting on page 34 and explain which of the professionals you most identify with, or whose career path comes closest to what you want to achieve in your career. The Safety Profession allows for individuals to prevent â€Å"harm to people, property and the environment†¦(drawing) from such disciplines as engineering, education, psychology, physiology, enforcement, hygiene, health, physics, and management†¦(using) appropriate methods and techniques of loss prevention and loss control† (ASSE, 2007). They work to ensure that all personnel in a particular environment are in the safest environment possible, and are interacting appropriately with their work environment, whether that environment is found sitting in front of a computer screen, or standing on an assembly line. Safety professionals work to â€Å"prevent accidents, illnesses, fires, explosion

Stochastic Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stochastic Finance - Assignment Example (a). Using Yahoo finance I settled on three companies; AAC Holdings, Inc., 1347 Capital Corp. and Alexco Resource Corp traded at NYSE, NASQAD and AMEX respectively and obtained daily closing stock prices for each company for six consecutive weeks commencing 13th April 2015 to 22nd May 2015. (see excel calculations) (b). The table in the appendix 1 also shows the results of the calculation for the logarithmic daily changes in the closing stock price for each of the three companies for six consecutive weeks. The formula; The curve shown in the graph above clearly indicates the performance in the stock markets. The daily closing stock prices for AAC Holdings, Inc, a company in the NYSE markets tends to be stable by showing a regular trend in growth over the first few weeks. The growth rate however slows down in the last weeks. As compared to the scenario in AAC Holdings, Inc, the trend here is a steady upward growth till the end. This pattern in growth however cannot be reliably adopted to predict the future state of the stock price for 1347 Capital corp. Investors without proper analysis can easily be lured to invest in such stocks since they promise high level of returns in a short time but can also drop in value drastically. Alexco Resource Corp though in a different stock market (AMEX) has the lowest stock prices with an average of$ 0.41. At this price Investors are attracted to invest but only when the trend in growth is consistent. This case proves the same as the stock prices keep on going up for the entire six week period. Inflation weakens the value of the local currency against the foreign currency in other words foreign exchange (Ross, S. 2003). A general rise in prices for most of the products means that the input prices for production of various goods and services are rising. In this case market analysts and fund managers will always consider the net impact on the margin of the entity that they are tracking. Sometimes

Predictably Irrational Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Predictably Irrational - Research Paper Example As a philosophical example, one could agree that there are many religions. Most all of them profess faith in God or a god, and yet none of them can completely agree on a universal doctrine which clearly expresses shared values. If that is not an example of people being predictably irrational, there are certainly more examples to follow. However, that is just an idea to illustrate the point that there can be many different viewpoints, but only one truth viewed from multiple avenues. These truths certainly stem from pluralism, as, we live in a pluralistic society to be sure in the 21st century all around the globe. Also, the fact that Cartesian dualism plays a major role in making this cliche of â€Å"predictably irrational† a phrase which some people may regard with diffidence—one naturally distrusts conflicting ontological meanings, when they can coexist together as a phrase and make sense. II. Thesis (90 words) No doubt, it is difficult to accurately pinpoint this seem ingly cliche phrase describing someone who is predictably irrational. Although somewhat of an unusual phrase, one person can completely be irrational as well as predictably so. This extended definition, if you will, is going to be broken up into manageable sections t oread. Predictable irrationality will be proven by: giving an extended definition of predictability; what predictability is not; what irrationality is; what an extended definition of rationality is; and, finally, what is the definition of someone who is predictably irrational. III. The Nature of Predictability Part I (115 words) To introduce the idea of predictability, predictability is usually the assumption that a pattern is set. People count on predictability—the prediction that the stock market will rise, that the sun will rise in the east and set in the west, and that they will have three square meals per day. Predictability governs the land. Schedules, timetables, and clocks dictate where we are and what we do, most of the time. Predictability itself is cliche. â€Å"[W]e might adjust our definition and instead term cliche a predictable or unoriginal turn of phrase or action.†1 This is why predictability would fit in so well with the idea of irrationality—but more on that point later soon ahead. IV. The Nature of Predictability Part II (85 words) Another issue that concerns predictability is that something or someone predictable is never vague or indeterminate. â€Å"The existence of widespread predictability is a potential embarrassment to claims of radical indeterminacy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 2 Thus, the very nature of predictability is one’s ability to describe what is going to happen when. Predictability directly contradicts unpredictability precisely because of the fact that it leads to concrete evidence of forming types of patterns. When something is unpredictable, it has the tendency to be vague. This leads us to our next point. V. The Nature of Unpredictability (10 0 words) Unpredictability is, by its very nature, in contra of predictability. However, by studying what unpredictability is, we can find out more about predictability. Unpredictability is precluded by the inability to be predictable. Thus, surprises become commonplace. There are no patterns, everything is in flux, constantly. Now, if everything was that unpredictable in the world, think about how horrible

Stochastic Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stochastic Finance - Assignment Example (a). Using Yahoo finance I settled on three companies; AAC Holdings, Inc., 1347 Capital Corp. and Alexco Resource Corp traded at NYSE, NASQAD and AMEX respectively and obtained daily closing stock prices for each company for six consecutive weeks commencing 13th April 2015 to 22nd May 2015. (see excel calculations) (b). The table in the appendix 1 also shows the results of the calculation for the logarithmic daily changes in the closing stock price for each of the three companies for six consecutive weeks. The formula; The curve shown in the graph above clearly indicates the performance in the stock markets. The daily closing stock prices for AAC Holdings, Inc, a company in the NYSE markets tends to be stable by showing a regular trend in growth over the first few weeks. The growth rate however slows down in the last weeks. As compared to the scenario in AAC Holdings, Inc, the trend here is a steady upward growth till the end. This pattern in growth however cannot be reliably adopted to predict the future state of the stock price for 1347 Capital corp. Investors without proper analysis can easily be lured to invest in such stocks since they promise high level of returns in a short time but can also drop in value drastically. Alexco Resource Corp though in a different stock market (AMEX) has the lowest stock prices with an average of$ 0.41. At this price Investors are attracted to invest but only when the trend in growth is consistent. This case proves the same as the stock prices keep on going up for the entire six week period. Inflation weakens the value of the local currency against the foreign currency in other words foreign exchange (Ross, S. 2003). A general rise in prices for most of the products means that the input prices for production of various goods and services are rising. In this case market analysts and fund managers will always consider the net impact on the margin of the entity that they are tracking. Sometimes

Colin Powell Address the Nation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Colin Powell Address the Nation - Essay Example He had often fought with the hawks in the administration, who were allegedly planning an Iraq invasion even before the September 11 attacks-an insight supported by evidence by former terrorism czar Richard Clarke in front of the 9/11 Commission. The main concession Powell wanted before he would offer his full support for the Iraq War was the participation of the international community in the attack, unlike the one-sided approach some of the hawks were championing. He was also thriving in convincing Bush to take the case of Iraq to the United Nations, and in moderating other initiatives. Powell was placed at the vanguard of this diplomatic campaign. Powell's main role was to gather international support for a multi-national alliance to increase the invasion. To this end, Powell addressed a plenary session of the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003 to bicker in favor of military action. Quoting "numerous" nameless Iraqi defectors, Powell declared that "We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction, is determined to make more." (Cockburn, online) Powell also remarked that there was "no doubt in my mind" that Saddam was working to acquire key components to produce nuclear wea pons. There was a general rejection of the proof Powell offered that the regime of Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Ibn Battuta in China Essay Example for Free

Ibn Battuta in China Essay At a time when most men cover distance astride a traveling animal, 75,000 miles of travel in a span of 30 years is an amazing achievement. When asked to name this historical individual who covered such great distance during the medieval period, most will likely point a credit to Marco Polo who is the well-known traveler of his time in Hakooki. com. But somehow, another person who has traveled longer and earlier than Marco Polo has actually covered this distance and visited 44 countries throughout the world. Ibn Battuta’s travels have almost been delegated into the oblivion if the world continued seeing history through the western view. Marco Polo, being European is far known than Ibn Battuta. Even his visit to China is virtually unknown in comparison to similar books of travel written by Marco Polo despite the fact that even to this day there remains lingering, unresolved questions as to whether or not Marco Polo truly visited China. However, if the myth sounds interesting enough, it will eventually be reported as fact. In the case of Marco Polo, the man has become a mythical folk hero and when a person ascends to such lofty heights in the public’s eye, criticism, scrutiny and a healthy dose of reality will usually fall by the wayside. Marco Polo’s travels will still remain famous regardless of the controversy that surrounds his journeys and the equally lengthy debate among scholars. It will be the goal of this essay to shift scholarly and historical directions and seek to shed light on the subject by comparing Ibn Battuta to Marco Polo’s travel in China. It is not uncommon for influential people from history to be seemingly erased from the documented chronology. In the United States, history is chronicled from a western perspective with Western Europe being presented as the epicenter of the world. As such, individuals from other cultures and parts of the world are often viewed in a peripheral manner and not provided with the same depth of historical coverage. Marco Polo was a hero whose birth origins are in the Western World. Because of this, his feats are given great credibility of honor in text. In the case of Battuta, a Moroccan by descent, his achievements will not be glossed over despite spending 17 years in China in comparison to Marco Polo’s travel which could have distinguished itself in many areas such as extent of land and historicity. In order to understand the work of Ibn Battuta, one must examine his early biographical years to as to put his life’s work into a certain context. Muhammed ibn Abdullah ibn Battuta or Ibn Battuta was born in Tangier, Morocco in a Muslim family in 1304 and started his travels when he was 20 years old and lasted almost 30 years of his life according to Dunn (2004, 14). Battuta according to Francis in consequence belongs to the religious upper class of the Mohammedan community and received usual religious and scholastic education from theologians (1997:2). His travels started in 1325 when Ibn went on a pilgrimage to Mecca that continued on until he had covered 75,000 miles in Kegan (1929:1). He had stopped on most Muslim cities along his route and paid homage to holy sites in Damascus, Syria, Hebron, Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the face of many obstacles he met along the way as related in Monteil (1930:30).

Influence of the Chinese in International Relations

Influence of the Chinese in International Relations When one refers to country like China the first thing which comes into mind is country of old civilisation and hard work. The word China or Shina in Chinese means the middle country and is pronounced as Zhon Ghua. It is in a reference to the Chinese faith that their state was the geographical epicenter of the earth and the oldest true evolution of humankind. One of the most noteworthy growths after the cold war is perhaps the rapid progress in Chinas economic potential and the subsequent national power it has begun to exert. Since the initiation of economic reforms and trade liberalization 30 years ago, China has been the worlds fastest growing economies and emerged as a major economic trade power. The Chinese economy has been maintaining an average growth rate of about eight percent per annum for the last two decades. Today China has become the second largest economy in the world.  [1]  The concurrent modernisation of the Peoples Liberation Army would enable China to assert its perceived rightful place in near future, as the next super power after the United States of America. The late eighties in last century saw a lot of political and economic changes, Iran- Iraq war, unification of Germany and the rise of concept of European Union which itself was changing the world order. The most important of the event was disintegration of erstwhile Soviet Union in 1991 which resulted in disassembling of the bipolar formation. This resulted in emergence of a unipolar world which was totally dominated by the United States of America (USA). During the early nineties though the USA was sole super power in the world, China was seen as the potential to emerge as rising economic and military power who is going to bring bi/multi polarity in near future. Ever since its creation the Peoples Republic of China has sought to increase its power in relation to its regional neighbours and other international powers, especially the United States and the now defunct Soviet Union. It did not take long for the Chinese Communists to amply demonstrate their importance in regional and international stability with their intervention in the Korean War. As Chinas invasions of Tibet and Vietnam demonstrate its Communist regime will take military action when it considers it necessary. However to a large extent Chinas rise has been based upon avoiding military actions although it is not averse to causing regional and international instability. Whilst China has attempted successfully to become a major economic power it has not reduced its powerful armed forces, or stopped its support for rogue states and that does worry its neighbours, especially Taiwan. The realists who express concerns about the threat posed by Chinas rise claim it is potentially dange rous due to the decline of the United States and its own unpredictable foreign policy, not to mention its backing of countries that are also determined to undermine global stability.2 Chinas Growing Influence on International Relationship One of the greatest challenges the West now faces is how to get China, a habitual free rider, to pull its weight on international issues. Ever since the country reemerged as a great power in the last decade, the United States and Europe have courted it, hoping that if Chinas leaders felt they held a stake in the existing world order, they would work to sustain it. But things havent worked out that way. The recent Chinese hacker attack on Google, which underscored Beijings efforts to suppress information, was only the latest example of Chinas rejection of global norms. At the Copenhagen climate conference in December 2009, the countrys opposition to mandatory carbon cuts helped eviscerate an agreement. Economically, Chinas refusal to strengthen its currency is threatening the global recovery. On Iran, Beijing has repeatedly rebuffed the Wests call for tougher measures, putting its own interests (Tehran is one of its key energy suppliers) above nonproliferation. The more likely explana tion for the countrys obstreperousness is that despite its rise, China is no more comfortable with the Western-led international system now than it was 10 years ago. The Communist Party still openly rejects democracy and human rights, and U.S. leadership is viewed as a reality-but an illegitimate and unfortunate one. Yet the days when China can have it both ways-freeload on global public goods while enjoying international respect-are about to end. Disillusionment with its self-serving policies is setting in. As Google shows, even some multinational corporations are beginning to openly challenge Beijing, and many more are secretly applauding Googles defiance. Similarly, Western governments are cracking down, levying anti-dumping charges against Chinese exports and contemplating other retaliatory measures if Beijing keeps its current exchange-rate policy. Chinas image has also taken a beating because of its lack of cooperation on climate change. The Beijings response to any international problem has been, first we will help our self then we will help the world. The result is emerging tension between the international community and China. Become of the huge economic rise of China, she has become a truly global actor. Is Beijing ready for global leadership? Is a question which keeps haunting the international community. Chinas policy makers regularly point out that their foreign policy serves domestic goals of reform and development. The world wants China to do more while Beijing gingerly gropes its way forward with its newfound status, influence, responsibilities, expectations and constraints.4 China and South Asia: Implication on India Chinas increasing interest and engagement in South Asia, Including in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has been manifest in recent years. Indeed, the Chinese invariable asserts China is linked to South Asia by mountains and rivers. However, the Chinese occupation of Tibet and declaring certain parts of India and Bhutan as part of China raises suspicion over her influence in Asia. The twenty-first century has the potential to be known as the Asian Century. India and China are simultaneously gaining salience in the international relations. The unfriendly foreign approach of China especially, covert support of military and nuclear hardware to Pakistan, staple visas to Kashmir, growing military bases all around Indian border and unresolved border dispute has been seen as a threat to Indian peace and economic growth. How does India deal with growing influence of China in around its neighbouring countries? Is a big challenge for India. Statement of the Problem Post disintegration of erstwhile Soviet Union, the impressive rise of China as an economic and military power has resulted in changes to the unipolar world dominated by USA and lead to the formation of a bi/multi polar world. China has grown as great actor, in influencing international relationship. This paper seeks to analyse the effect of Chinas rise as an economic and military power and its role in the international relationship, including the impact on India. Justification of the Study The end of this century has seen sleeping dragon as phenomena, the rise of a major economic and military power of the world. She has already become the second largest economy in the world. The Chinas growth and its influence on economic powers of the world, its strategic collaboration with various countries have changed the new world order. China as an economic and military power has result in changes to the unipolar world dominated by USA and lead to the formation of a bi/multi polar world. Her status permanent member of the United Nation Security Council (UNSC), most power member of World Trade Organisation and Association of South East Asian Nation indicates her potential national power and influence on the international relationship. Considering the Chinas growing demand of Oil, food grains and natural resources, she is mainly dependent on Africa and littoral countries of Indian Ocean region. China understands the importance of geo-strategic position India in an Indian Ocean region and capability of India to choke the trade routes. Therefore China is influencing her relationship in South Asian region in a big way, by establishing military and economic bases in an around India. Hypothesis Post disintegration of erstwhile Soviet Union, the impressive rise of China as an economic and military power has resulted in a major impact on the growing influence of China on international relationship. The growing interest of China in Africa and South Asia, her perception of India as her potential competitor in new world order has great impact on her relationship with India. Scope The scope of the dissertation is intended to be limited as under: (a) Rising Red Dragon. In this section it is intended to analyse Chinas rising power as economic and military giant. (b) China and its influence on World. In this section, it is intended to study the various measures taken by China to influence international relationship, her positive or negative impact on world order, is she ready for global leadership? (c) Chinas impact in South Asia. In this section, it is intended to bring out the impact of Chinas rise as a super power in South Asia and her dependence of Indian Ocean region. (d) Sino-Indian Relationship. In this section, it is intended to analyse the impact of greater Chinese influence in South Asia on India, her strategy to keep the economic and military rise of India under her influence. Methods of Data Collection The information for this dissertation has been gathered through study of various books, periodicals and journals available at Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) library. Bibliography of the sources is appended at the end of the text. In addition the medium of INTERNET has also been exploited extensively to gather latest information on the subject. Organisation of the Dissertation It is proposed to study the subject under the following sections: (a) Introduction and Methodology. (b) Rise of Sleeping Dragon. (c) Chinas Growing impact on international relations in the new world order. (d) Chinese impact in South Asia. (e) Sino India relationship. (f) Conclusion.

Jack London Stories, The Red O :: essays research papers

The Red One Jack London was one of America’s greatest authors. His works were of tales from the unexplored savage lands of the Klondike to the cannibal infested Philippine Island chain of the vast Pacific, and even the far reaches of space and time. Jack London himself was a pioneer of the unexplored savage frontier. London wrote about this unknown frontier with a cunning sense of adventure and enthrallment. “He keeps the reader on tenterenters books by withholding facts in a way that makes him participate in the action'; (Charles Child Walcutt 16). He taunts the reader with unfulfilled information that subliminally encourages the reader to continue reading their selection. “The tortuously baroque style, it’s telling often proves an annoyance';(Gorman Beauchamp 297-303). London’s writing attributes are so deep in description and narration, the reader sometimes perceives the story-taking place with them included in the action. His ability to exclude just the very min iscule amount of information transforms his books into a semi-formal mystery. Mr. London’s tales deal with nature, the men and women who either neglected the fact that they are mere mortals, or they humbled themselves as being only a solitary one being on the earth. His stories satisfied the civilized American readers yearn for knowledge of what awaited them over the horizon, with either promise of prosperity or demise with a manifestation of dismay. Jack’s stories have to do with as much from the unknown as it does in dealing with personal experiences. At the young age of thirty-two, London set sail for Hawaii and then the South Pacific. Where he encountered cannibals and inspiration for the later to be, “The Red One';. Mr. London’s tale consisted of a foolhardy character named Bassett. Bassett is a collector of prized species who explores the cannibal-infested Island of current day Guadalcanal. Initially Bassett, against his instincts, follows a distant sound that emanates deep within the Island. After headhunters kill his assistant, Bassett himself, teetering on the edge of death, stumbles into a mountain field and falls unconscious, with only hopes of dieing. He is saved by a foraging native that brings him to the capital village London’s character Bassett, freely agreed to a death beheading instead of nervous meddling and contemplating the afterlife. “When I die I’ll let you have my head t o cure, if first, you take me to look upon the Red One';(Jack London 977).

Unbranding Starbucks

The coffee industry has been booming since the 1950’s mostly because of the explosion of the cafe style coffee houses in the 1990’s that have followed industry forerunners such as Starbucks (Sangeetha, 2010). Coffee is the second leading commodity worldwide, with a market share worth over $100 billion and over 500 billion cups consumed annually (Goldshein, 2011). Coffee is produced in over 50 countries worldwide providing a livelihood for over 25 million people, but 67% of the world’s coffee growth is conducted in the United States (Goldshein, 2011). In the 1990’s, with the coffee craze, came locally owned cafes and specialty stores that by 2005 made up 30% of the coffee retail market. These niche coffee shops have shown a 7% annual growth rate annually (Goldshein, 2011). For supermarkets and traditional (larger) retail outlets, who in 2005 held 60% of the market share, remained the primary channel to acquire both specialty and traditional coffee beverages (Sangeetha, 2010). For Starbucks, this market share helped to make them the third largest restaurant chain in the United States (Goldshein, 2011). In 2008, the economic downturn began and the corporate coffee chains were forced with closing stores due to overwhelming overhead with the increase to coffee prices as external factors (Sangeetha, 2010). This forced coffee companies to reinvent their promotional strategies for their specialty coffees in 2009 to send the message that these coffees would allow for â€Å"thrifty luxury† and comfort during stress (Sangeetha, 2010). This reinvention also sparked a socially responsible note with consumers that were demanding these responsibilities be adopted by the companies they purchase from. By expanding product lines and market offerings, many corporate coffee companies scrambled to find a solution to the changing market demands of consumers. As the market continues to shift, growth of coffee will focus on differentiating the brand and returning to the quality assurance that consumers have grown to expect (Colbert, 2013). By creating new products and innovations, companies will likely increase their market shares and profits (Colbert, 2013). Much of the growth of future demands for coffee will come from price sensitive developing markets due to the volatility that persists in the current market supply of coffee (Colbert, 2013). Though global brands have a large following, local brand will continue to flourish in coming years due to their ability to tailor their product offerings to consumers while corporate companies will continue to see these local coffee houses intrude on their consumer base (Colbert, 2013). In recent years, the coffee market has made a shift to more convenient ways for consumers to procure coffee. Starbucks made the move to more convenience for consumers by teaming up with Pepsi-Cola to offer bottled Frappuccino at supermarkets and convenience stores (Sangeetha, 2010). Starbucks also teamed up with Kraft Foods Inc. to supply stores with bagged whole bean and ground coffee for consumers to enjoy in the comfort of their own home (Sangeetha, 2010). With the trend of instant coffee, Starbucks responded to that as well and created a line of instant coffees to be sold in their Starbucks locations as well as supermarkets (Sangeetha, 2010). Other companies such as Nescafe and Folgers are also offering an instant coffee on the shelves of supermarkets and have been for decades now (BIC, 2013). Along with the instant coffee craze, single-serve systems have been a hot commodity to help coffee retailers maintain a market share. Green Mountain Coffee (GMC) began as a small coffee shop in Vermont and has grown to producing and selling 26. 8 million pounds of Arabica coffee annually (GMCR, 2013). Because GMC prides themselves on sustainable and responsible business practices, in 1998 they developed the Keurig single-serve system to cut on waste and produce better tasting, freshly brewed coffee in a minutes time (GMCR, 2013). At first, Keurig was only offering GMC and a few select brands, but as the single-serve trend picked up, companies such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks jumped on the band wagon (Staff, 2011; Chen, 2013). In 2011, Dunkin’ Donuts joined the Keurig family but were only offering their products at Dunkin’ Donut locations and not in supermarkets (Staff, 2011). Though offering the single-serve packs for your system at home was a good thought, Dunkin’ Donuts hurt themselves when it came to convenience because patrons still had to visit a store to purchase the single-serve packs for their home system (Staff, 2011). Earlier this year, Starbucks also signed on with GMC and Keurig to produce Starbucks and Tazo branded single-serve packs (Chen, 2013). This agreement is a five year contract and will triple the amount of Starbucks products on the Keurig machine by taking on additions such as Seattle’s Best and Teavana Teas to name a few (Chen, 2013). This strategy will increase the marketing position for Starbucks as well as GMC and Keurig because Starbucks has a loyal following that may see the single-serve system as an opportunity to save money and added convenience. In 1971, Starbucks opened as a small coffee shop in historic Pike’s Place Market in Seattle, Washington (Starbucks, 2012). By 1982, Starbucks was ready to grow as they hired on Howard Schultz as the director of retail operations and marketing (Starbucks, 2012). He realized that espresso was a trending beverage in Italy and saw a potential for a coffee bar culture that we now know as Starbucks Corporation (Starbucks, 2012). This was the first growth strategy that Schultz envisioned; creating an atmosphere for young and trendy coffee drinkers to sit and enjoy their cup of coffee. Schultz next strategy was to expand Starbucks beyond Seattle and Washington. With the help of local investors, Starbucks opened across the country and in just two years had 17 locations including Chicago and Canada (Starbucks, 2012). Starbucks was making a name for it and by 1988 had 33 locations and began providing health insurance for employees (Starbucks, 2012). Though Starbucks remained a privately owned company, in 1991 they offered a stock option programs for all employees unlike any other American company had before (Starbucks, 2012). This was a growth strategy for Starbucks because it showed a true interest in the well being and future of employees. Not only did the employees benefit from such incentives, but Starbucks received a brand name boost through media and word of mouth for their generosities (Starbucks, 2012). That same year, they opened their first airport coffee shop and maintained 116 stores in North America (Starbucks, 2012). By 1993, Starbucks has grown to such proportions that to keep up with production they opened their own coffee bean roasting plant in Washington State and more than doubled their store locations to 272 (Starbucks, 2012). 994 brought on a huge change for Starbucks with the drive thru window that now assimilated them to restaurant chains like McDonalds and began to weaken Starbucks profit margin (Starbucks, 2012). With this assimilation came even more expansion for Starbucks with a second roasting facility located in Pennsylvania, 677 locations nationwide, and introduction of new p roducts like the Frappuchino and premium ice cream in supermarkets (Starbucks, 2012). These growth strategies helped create a lifestyle and image association with the Starbucks logo as well as broadened their product variety which is a perceived value for consumers. In 1996, Starbucks opened their first location outside of American in Japan and later in Singapore (Starbucks, 2012). With the globalization that the company began to experience, this meant that their brand name and consumer loyalty was quickly catching on and not just in America. By 1997, Starbucks had 1,412 locations and also began the Starbucks Foundation to help strengthen communities in which they operate (Starbucks, 2012). This foundation is still active today and is used to fund literacy programs, develop young leaders, and participate in community service opportunities to give back with hands on approach (Starbucks, 2012). This is a perfect example of the social responsibility craze that began in 1999 and Starbucks teamed up with Conservation International to encourage and promote sustainable coffee practices and in 2000 became Fair trade certified with TransFair USA (Starbucks, 2012). Starbucks has continued to grow by establishing their own trading company, acquiring Seattle Coffee Company in 2003, and keeping up with the economical and sustainable practices of consumers offered the first paper cup made of recycled material in 2006 (Starbucks, 2012). This again reinforced Starbucks strategies to become industry leaders because in 2006, consumers were increasingly concerned about sustainability and it was forecasted that consumers will be willing to pay more for economically responsible products and services (Fletcher, 2006). From 2007 to current day, Starbucks has been rebranding and reworking their business practices trying to get back to their original design and a way to save money in the long run (Sangeetha, 2010; Starbucks, 2012). With a variety of new coffees on the menu and more food offerings, Starbucks has created a food giant that is now competing with McDonalds and other â€Å"quick service restaurants† and 17,651 stores globally as of July, 2012 (Starbucks, 2012). Unbranding for Starbucks is a major risk because it is competing with itself as well as the same competitor that the company is trying to outdo. With uick service restaurants serving specialty coffee on a bargain budget, Starbucks is risking losing a larger piece of the market pie with the unbranded store concept. Starbucks is known mostly for their name and logo in the global market. This is an attribute not a scar and as so Starbucks should be proud of their history and even more proud of the power house of coffee they have become. It was noted that the unbranded stores were expanding their horizons by offering beer, live music, and pottery classes as to attract a younger and more trendy consumer like that of competitors (Mitchell, 2009). These provide a clear message on what the average coffee consumer wants in today’s market; cheap, fast, and trendy. The age of the corporate coffee house is beginning to die off because consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about economic issues and boycotting corporate America (Prakash, 2013). This is mostly due to the interconnectivity that young America and youth of the world are experiencing with the internet, Facebook, and cell phones and create a learning curve for older generations (Prakash, 2013). Bottom line is that consumers enjoy the coffee that Starbucks sells, but subconsciously they are ultimately buying for the brand recognition, consistency, and pride they feel when drinking from a Starbucks logo cup that has their name written on the side of it. If McDonalds offered the exact same coffee as Starbucks but at their ridiculously cheap prices, there is no guarantee that consumers would completely jump ship from Starbucks simply because of the brand recognition and expectations that follow it. I believe that continuing to unbrand Starbucks is taking a step away from the heart of what Starbucks is known to be. The business model that Starbucks had in place before the unbranding begun was not broken completely, but simply had broken or misguided components. Face it, Starbucks grew too big, too fast and opened stores faster than they could keep track of. That is an aspect that corporate fails to realize; local coffee shops have one, maybe two locations to maintain and thus keeps the over head low. With the low overhead of locally owned shop, they are able to offer wider variety of products and services. They also often have backing from other local businesses through the chamber of commerce and because the owner is a member of the community has ties that help grow business through patronage. The unbranded store may work in Seattle, but only for a short time before consumers realize they are being taken for a fool by the big bad corporation. Starbucks needs to do what they do well, serve a hot cup of coffee with friendly banter in exchange and customer service that beats any other cafe and rid them of serving breakfast items. They are a coffee shop not a McDonalds. Starbucks is a strong brand name that is recognizable globally and the leading coffee conglomerate in the United States. I propose that Starbucks live up to the superior standards that they set forth in the beginning and continue to offer premium quality coffee under their branded logo. With the unbranding it has been made apparent that Starbucks employees staged sit-ins at local coffee shops in Seattle to â€Å"spy† on the competition (Mitchell, 2009). These sit-ins resulted in one of the unbranded stores looking identical to a bar next door in terms of color scheme and aesthetic design (Mitchell, 2009). Starbucks needs to stop trying to be the competition and regain their momentum as the pack leader by running with the global recognition that they hold benefit over local cafes. By co-branding more products and taking on sponsorship opportunities that feed positivity into the Starbuck brand and reinforce company values, consumers will pay tribute and return with loyalty. We have seen it done with McDonalds and Ronald McDonald House Charities. In 1974, the first Ronald McDonald House opened with the help of Shamrock Shake donations made by a Philadelphia store owner (McDonalds, 2012). If Starbucks would take their Starbucks Foundation and team up with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America to promote youth leadership and strengthening the community (Starbucks, 2012). The success that McDonalds experienced after helping to open the Ronald McDonald House, is the same experience that Starbucks could potentially take advantage of to improve the company image and consumer base. With the increasing interest in social responsibility and the extraordinary amount of devastating events and natural disasters happening, this is an issue that is in Starbucks’ backyard. The urban youth that need guidance and nurturing; their future consumer demographic all wrapped in a nice tiny package waiting to be tapped into.Work CitedBest Instant Coffee (BIC), 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.instantcoffeebrands.net/ Chen, K. Starbucks to Triple Products for GMCR’s Keurig. The Motley Fool, May 9, 2013. 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Retrieved from: http://www.rmhc.com Mitchell, S. Starbucks Goes Stealth with Unbranded, â€Å"Local† Cafes. Institute for Local Self Reliance, July 22, 2009. Retrieved from: http://www.ilsr.org/starbucks-goes-stealth-unbranded-local-cafes/ Prakash, P. State of the Urban Youth, India 2012. IRIS Knowledge Foundation,2013. Retrieved from: http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=professor_vibhutipatel&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar%3Fas_ylo%3D2013%26q%3Dyouth%2Band%2Bpolitics%26hl%3Den%26as_sdt%3D0%2C44%26as_vis%3D1#search=%22youth%20politics%22 Sangeetha, K. Starbucks Unbranded Stores: A Move to Regain Former Glory. Amity Research Centers HQ, 2010. Staff Writer. Green Mountain, Dunkin’ team up on single-serve joe. Boston.com, February 22, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2011/02/green_mountain_21.html Starbucks Company, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.starbucks.com/