College Athletes Essay

There are thousands of athletes playing for different colleges. They put their time and effort in it, yet they don’t get paid. When athletes play a sport, they have even more stuff to worry about than a regular student. They have to worry about their grades, staying fit to play, stay healthy, attend to practice every day there’s practice, and then after practice go home and do all their work even though they are tired. How much do they get paid for going through all that? Zero dollars. College athletes should get paid to play too. The average salary of a third division college coach is forty five thousand dollars a year. An average third division athlete makes nothing. Why are coaches being paid and not the athletes? Yes the coaches are giving up their time to coach the players, but the athletes are too, and they are also risking themselves of getting injured every time they step in to play or practice. If an average NBA player makes about ten million dollars a year then why doesn’t a college basketball player get paid? There is this new rule that when a college gives away a scholarship, it can be renewed. That means that if a player quits the team or gets injured to the point that they can’t play anymore, the college can renew the scholarship and take it away from the player and give it to another athlete or someone else. That is not fair because if a player gets a serious injury for playing, the college can just take away their scholarship, and their career gets ruined. One of examples involved Texas Christian University. Running back Kent Waldrep was paralyzed in a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide on October 26, 1974. TCU paid his medical bills for nine months, then cut him loose. They also took away Adam’s scholarship, too. College athletes are human just like every other student. By not giving them the ability to make money and not paying them, colleges and its members are expecting the athletes to live a sub-human existence, and putting them at a disadvantage to finish their college education. Athletes are big money makers for the colleges. College athletics are a big role in making money, and they attract students to their college. Colleges depend on their athletes to produce and maintain the popularity of their school’s name. Many people argue that student athletes should not be paid because they are getting a free education through a scholarship. These people feel that they have already done a lot for them by giving them a scholarship to their colleges. On the other side, people think that the college athletes make enough profit for their colleges , and they argue that the colleges should owe the athletes more than just a scholarship . Student athletes should be given at least small profit from their income. College athletes aren’t allowed to work. How are they going to pay for all the necessary expenses if they come from poor families? This also leads to players accepting illegal money, cars, and clothes. When athletes that have the opportunity to leave school and turn professional they go for it, because college athletes live in near poverty. College athletes live in near poverty because the money they receive isn’t enough to pay for all of their expenses and necessities. The few athletes that graduate from college, that could turn professional before their senior year, stay because their parents support them by sending money. If college athletes are eligible to be paid, there would be more athletes graduating. Paying athletes would be good for everyone and players would go for an education instead of only concentrating on sports.

Police Diversity Essay

Racial discrimination is an issue that so many professionals know about. Dealing with it may be the problem, but attempts to deal with it have been shown since the early times when it was noticed. According to Zeisel, there is evidence that the federal courts of appeal have been urged to take action on the administration of death sentences. Zeises notes that the death sentences in the federal courts, which he writes as a Florida experience, were administered discriminating against the black people (1981). In his writing, Zeisel states that two petitioners had provided evidence showing that the black offenders were being discriminated. The petitioners are, Maxwell V. Bishop who provided evidence to show that the black offenders were being discriminated against, and a petitioner in Spinkerllink v. Wainwright, who provided data showing that murderers of the white people were being discriminated against. This report by the petitioner from Spinkerllink indicated that there were high chances of murderers of the white to end up in death rows than murderers of the black people Zeisel, 1981). This though never received any action as the courts are noted to have refused to obtain evidence of racial discrimination. Zeisel notes that the data available in the criminal justice system of Florida, prove that there have been such kinds of discrimination (1981). This is a case that was identified in the 1980’s, but does it exist today? Has the system changed? Racial discrimination has been a major problem in most federal courts with most minorities, especially the black people, facing cruel judgments than the white people. Some reports indicate that more blacks are found behind bars than whites considering their number in the total American population. The people are few in number, yet if the number of people in prison is compared to the white people in prison, they are almost half the whites total. This is the aim of this paper. Analysis of data about arrests made in Florida will be done to determine if the minorities are arrested more and if still, there is racial discrimination. Data to be analyzed was obtained from the Florida department of Law enforcement, which was recorded in the year 2004 by UCR. Analysis Do minority commit more crimes? According to the statistics on arrests by age and race in Florida, there are several offenses for which the white, Indians and the black people were arrested. Whites constituted a bigger group of people arrested with a total of 672,987, this is followed by the black people who were a total of 351,871. The total Indians arrested were 1,496 (Department of Law Enforcement, 2005). There are some offenses that no Indian was arrested at all, for example bribery and embezzlement. Comparing this to the other groups, a total of 38 whites were arrested for bribery and 20 black people for the same offense. In the case of embezzlement, 363 blacks were arrested while 749 whites were arrested(Department of Law Enforcement, 2005. The offense categorized as miscellaneous had the highest number of offenders with 299, 442 white offenders, 159,378 black offenders and 1,034 Indian offenders. Drug arrest and simple assault also had high numbers of offenders. White people arrested for simple assault were 60, 018, while the black offenders in this case were 29,650, and the Indian offenders arrested for this case were 89. Drug arrests had these numbers; whites 84,829, black people 65,167 and Indians 112 (Department of Law Enforcement, 2005. These are examples from the data obtained about arrests made in the year 2004 under various offenses. Generally, the minority, which in this case is the black people, committed more crime. This is because the number of black people in Florida compared to the total population is small. Research reports show that in the year 2000, the percentage of non white people was 17. 8. The total population of Florida then was 15,982,824 (Schenker, 2008). From this data, it means that the non white people were only 2,844,943. This includes even the Indians. The population in the year 2007 is noted to be 18,680,367 indicating a growth of 16. 9%. This means that on average, each year, there was an approximate growth increase of 449,591 making an approximate of 177, 811,88 total population of Florida as at 2004. The rate of increase of the the non white population per year is approximated as 0. 31% (8,819) based on the fact that the total percentage increase of the total population by 2010 is 19. 8% (Schenker, 2008). This means that the total non white population based on the yearly increase was approximately 2,880,219 in 2004. If this population is compared with the approximated total population in 2004, then the number of non white people is small compared to white. This is proof that more blacks commit more crimes according to the data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. An example is in drug arrests. The number of white people arrested in this case is 84, 829. The total number of white people if approximated in the year 2004 was 14,900,969. From this the percentage of the white people arrested is 0. 569%. If this is compared to the number of black people arrested which is 65,167 on drug arrests, the percentage arrested to the nonwhite population is 2. 263%. This calculation is done using the total of non white people which includes Indians. If the number of Indians were excluded, then it means the total percentage would be higher. From this calculation, the number of black people arrested is higher by 1. 694%. How can this be judged? That these people commit more crimes? According to several sources, there have been so many cases of discrimination against black people living in America. This could just be a proof to it. It is though just an assumption since the number of people arrested cannot prove that the people are being discriminated against, though is a strong indication. Domnitiz and Knowles noted after research that black people were found to be guilty in police practices more than the white people. The economists note that â€Å"unbiased police practices as the police plans to do, can not prove that the guilt rates of motorists will be equalized among all races† This implies that however much the police try to show that they do not practice any racism in their policing, there is still knowledge by the public that there is racial discrimination in police practices. Domnitiz and Knowles indicated that motor vehicle search statistics show that the black motorists are singled out more that the white people (2006). The above case could therefore be considered as racial discrimination. Conclusion  From the above analysis, it is quite evident that there is racism. Just from the many sources that information is obtained, most of the cases are just indicating discrimination against the black people. In some sources though, black policemen were also found to be discriminative (Jaynes and Williams, 2007). This though is not indicated in the discussion but is an indication that even the black can discriminate against the other races. It may be therefore that, discrimination is due to the fact that the black are a minority. It is not easy to conclude this way though as there are other races in Florida too. What then can be the reason?

How effective is the ending to The Great Gatsby?

The conclusion of Nick's account of his experiences ends in chapter 9. The final section, on pages 148-9 is a very effective and evocative ending to the novel. It is rich with metaphorical representations which Fitzgerald deliberately implements in order to create emotion and an intricately intimate aura in order for the reader (back in the time of publication) to identify and understand the ‘big picture' behind the plot. The green light that has been mentioned further emphasises Gatsby's greatest attribute – his ability to dream and hope. It symbolises his obsessive limerence with his beloved Daisy, but Nick points out that Gatsby ‘did not know that it was already behind him†¦ ‘, in that his visions and aspirations (as well as the symbolism of the green light), go far beyond only Daisy. This possibly indicates the fact that Gatsby hasn't realised the extent of his progression to be as close to Daisy as possible (until she takes a tour of his house), which is referred to by Nick (â€Å"He had come a long way to this blue lawn†¦ †). Nick relates the green light, with all its connotations, to the first Dutch sailors who visited America for the first time. He pictured the ‘fresh, green breast of the New World' (and how it must have looked like to the Dutch sailors who stumbled upon it, without any industrial pollution or buildings (as it used to be called New Amsterdam before NYC)) as the green light, and muses that Gatsby – whose wealth and success so closely echoes the American Dream – failed to realise that the dream had already ended; that his goals had become hollow and empty. The Dutch envisioned it as a land of freedom and equality, where no one is judged and everyone can have a fresh new start; a place for dreamers such as Gatsby. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us†¦ ‘ conclude the novel and find Nick returning to the theme of the importance of the past to the dreams of the future (represented as the green light). He focuses on the struggle of humans to achieve their goals by both transcending and re-creating the past (as observed in Gatsby, â€Å"can't repeat the past?†¦ why of course you can! † and it is Gatsby's mindset which makes it one of the reasons Nick calls him The ‘Great' Gatsby). Just as Americans have given American meaning through their dreams for their own lives (i. e. the American Dream), Gatsby instills Daisy with a kind of idealised perfection (i. e. he built her up to be this perfect ‘goddess' over the years†¦ ) that she neither deserves nor possesses (†¦ which crumbles the climax as she isn't all he perceived). Gatsby's dream is ‘already behind him somewhere' as it is ruined by the unworthiness of its object (i. e. Daisy), against contrasted with the American dream and its mythical presence in the 1920s also ruined by the unworthiness of its objects (i. . money, pleasure, etc. ). In the final sentence of the novel, it is metaphorically conveyed that humans are not able to move beyond the past, as the ‘current' draws them backwards, making their efforts of rowing towards the metaphorical representations of the green light futile. The past I describe functions as the source of their ideas fuelling their future (epitomised by Gatsby's affair with Daisy pre-war) and they can't escape it as they continue to struggle to transform their dreams into reality. While they never lose their optimism (â€Å"tomorrow we will run faster†¦ ), their energy is expended in pursuit of a goal that moves ever farther away. This metaphor characterises both Gatsby's struggle and the American dream as well. Nick's words register neither blind approval nor cynical disillusionment but rather the respectful melancholy that he ultimately bring to his study of Gatsby's life. The umpteen frequency of Gatsby's party also relate to the connotations of the green light in some ways. Most of the guests that attended his parties weren't invited, as they came ‘for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission'. The taxi driver that passed Gatsby's domain may have had a story of his own to explain events. This is in fact the procedure that most of the characters in the novel are involved in (including Nick). They're spreading around rumours and stories around the objects and events in their world in order to make a sense of them, as he cultivated mystery, Gatsby provided a singularly rich focus for speculation, scrutiny and invention (he continues to do so after his death, too). His engagement with the past is vividly rendered in this passage through the strength of his imagination summoning up the parties, in both visual and auditory terms. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, evidenced in its overarching cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. The reckless jubilance that led to decadent parties and wild jazz music—epitomized in the novel by the opulent parties that Gatsby throws every Saturday night—resulted ultimately in the corruption of the American dream, as the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpassed more noble goals. Gatsby's motives for throwing the parties is not to be passed unnoticed however. He used to throw the parties in hope of Daisy, people who know Daisy might attend. It is a proven fact because after their ‘affair' ‘Gatsby had dismissed every servant in his house', afraid of news of their meetings spreading (as he is aware how much gossip is spread about him already). This is what makes Gatsby's parties relate to the green light. It conveys Gatsby's constant desire and hope that someday Daisy will visit, and he shall not cease trying until he achieves his paramount ambition. The fact that Nick dubs him the ‘Great' Gatsby is also because he resembles a magician, in that he thinks he can bring back the past (quotation mentioned earlier). The fact that Daisy never shows up to his parties (until after they're familiar with each other) is also a metaphorical representation of how most people are denied the American dream, no matter how hard they push themselves. Gatsby changed his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby (god's boy) and his his domain is built upon the basis of a facade as he wishes to please Daisy and give a good impression. But in the end he dies due to several factors, such as the fact of his failure to realise that ideals differ from reality and that the past is almost impossible to re-enact. The ‘party' is over in a literal and metaphorical sense, and Nick prepares to leave the East for the Midwest. The people visiting his parties are aptly described by Nick as being ‘moths' or parasites, in that they ‘feed off of' or live off of Gatsby and his wealth. An example of this is Klipspringer, the boarder who visited for a party and never left. The word ‘last' recurs in this passage, which has an air of finality throughout. Another example would be the ‘material car' which Nick saw ‘its lights stop at his front steps'. Mention of the ‘material car' picks up on the recurrent thematic distinction between ‘materialism' and ‘idealism' as being two distinct versions of reality. In finality, we notice how and why the conclusions in this passage are justified as being famous in the literary world. The theme of this book, the ‘American Dream', is proven rightly to be a mere government-implemented myth, spread by the mass media, in order for people to not lose hope in a time of corruption and social decay. Characters and intimate objects represent more than their physical bodies throughout the plot, and it is difficult to spot a reference without a vivid or meticulous connotation behind it. Gatsby's death could be blamed on a lot of people for example, and not only the obvious Wilson (e. g. Tom for telling falsely telling him that Gatsby killed his wife, or himself as he failed to realise the fabrication that is the American dream). It is highly effective an intriguing as it basically sums up the messages and meanings behind the references in the novel Fitzgerald wants the reader to apprehend; which he delivers in a tantalisingly ornate format.

Is Social Media Beneficial for Our Society or Not Essay

Is Social Media Beneficial for Our Society or Not - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to the community. Social media websites have captured our lives. It is not easy to imagine the times when there were no Facebook or Twitter. Almost fifteen years ago, people had to wait months just to hear from each other. However today, the scenario is totally different. Nowadays, people spend more time social networking than actually meeting them in person or doing any other activity at home. With the advent of social media integration in our lives, there is a growing concern regarding its impact on our society as a whole. Like everything else in the world, social media too have both positive and negative aspects to deal with. The biggest portion of its influence on our society is however counted more on the positive side. The world has shrunk and the possibilities to interact across boundaries have become widened. It was never so easy to communicate all around the globe within seconds. Social media has surely brought us closer to many different parts of the world, especially for those who have been doing global businesses. â€Å"By bringing together people who share interests, no matter their location or time zone, social media has the potential to transform the workplace into an environment where learning is as natural as it is powerful.†Ã‚  Among numerous social media websites available today, two names always strike our minds instantly when talking about social media interaction or integration in our society.... Proponents of websites like Facebook and Twitter, suggests that these platforms have promoted online communities to have an easy interaction with friends and family living apart. They also offer teachers, students and mentors create online assistance and distance learning which a huge benefit for our society is. It is also greatly popular in disseminating useful, important or urgent information instantly and accurately. Facebook and Twitter have also been widely used for social wellness and awareness programs. They are not only cost effective mediums of spreading the word and getting assistance, but also helped thousands and millions of people to work for the evasion from the evils of our society. Among the numerous business and marketing benefits, it has also helped tremendously in providing opportunities to empower business women (Small Business - Chron.com). Besides being highly beneficial for the business purposes, marketing, promotion, and spreading positivity to help reduce man y social stigmas, social media has definitely proven itself to be a great tool in enhancing and improving a person’s living standard and quality of lifestyle. It has enabled numerous individuals to maintain an easy, trouble free and more organized lifestyle than before. It has improved the satisfaction towards life through minimizing many threats of health issues. It has been observed on a large scale that due to the emergence and integration of social media websites into our lives, friends and family on social media now have the best way to utilize the trend impact, propagating and assisting with workout, diet controlling, and in achieving goals related to the termination of smoking or

Choose any prodect and put it as a topic of the paper Essay

Choose any prodect and put it as a topic of the paper - Essay Example We mainly use the social media for BambooHR’s brand marketing and validation. The company uses video marketing in the social media, which also offers a platform for customer education. Pronto Marketing Company has been the major marketer of BambooHR products. The company partners with cloud store. Currently, we have four client companies using BambooHR’s services. Time-off management involves overseeing of enhancement of all the policies surrounding off-duty time(BambooHR LLC, p. 7). Time management involves such as waiting periods, carryovers, and accrual levels. The program allows this to ensure maintenance of uniqueness between various companies. Despite the customized reports, the program provides for the generation of reports using standard reports. The standard reports are in the report library, include age profile, birthdays, additions and terminations, and benefit eligibility. This functionality involves control of information sharing by ensuring that only authorized individuals have access. BambooHR software enables customization of access depending on the role of employee. The program also allows for the control of the type of information obtained by various job description. The program also supports a notification system, software development kit and standard appraisal forms (Fetaji & Majlinda, p. 234). †¢ TribeHR program. This program allows human resource administrators to focus on aspects that are of more value addition to the business. The program has tools essential for recruiting and managing time, attendance and talent of employees. Fetaji, Bekim, and Majlinda,Fetaji. "Designing and Developing Performance Measurement Software Solution." International Journal of Computer Science and Electronics Engineering (IJCSEE) 1 (2013): 234-238. Web. 1 March 2015. BambooHR LLC. â€Å"Why and When to Get out of Spreadsheets and into HR Software: And what to look for when you’re

International media, comparison essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International media, comparison - Essay Example After all, what sells more than an unsolved mystery, an enigma, or a blatant lie? Do we watch, what we believe to be true in media, or what the media wants us to believe is true? But whatever the reason may be, we, as people tend to diligently follow the news that have the most deaths, the most warped up conspiracies with wronged parties; preferably an ambiguous wronged party. I chose an event that most of us are aware of because of the thorough coverage it has received in both countries: The Drone Attacks. The drones or unmanned aerial vehicles are aircrafts either controlled by pilots’ from the ground or increasingly, autonomously following a pre-programmed mission (Chris and Wright).The drones to Pakistan are controlled by the C.I.A - Central Intelligence Agency. The American intelligence works with the Pakistani intelligence, the I.S.I – Inter-Services Intelligence, to attack and defeat Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants that have taken refuge in Pakistan. This is all p art of America’s ‘War on Terrorism’ campaign of which Pakistan is an ally. Pakistan provides its own research on the habitation of these terrorists and US attacks them. The days and times, and the numbers of these missiles are unknown to Pakistan. This is so as to catch the terrorists unawares. There have been several successes and civilian casualties in this mission. A war against terrorism is obviously an important campaign. According to statistics, in 2011 alone, there were 6303 deaths from terrorist attacks in Pakistan, of which only 2800 were actual terrorists (South Asia Terrorism Portal), the rest just innocent victims. In the US, 30 deaths have been from terrorism since 9/11 2001 (Global Terrorism Database). The difference is magnificent; however, it is mainly the South Asian countries that suffer most from this epidemic. Yet loss of life anywhere is a situation that is to be rued. Therefore, as one of the superpowers of the world, US took upon itself to fight this growing epidemic. Pakistan allied herself with the US. Since the last two years, C.I.A has led its own covert operations giving them information to the refuge places of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan. However, there are many conspiracies surrounding these attacks, just as it is with any Intelligence mission. It is claimed that while Pakistan officials are working with C.I.A privately, they publicly condemn the loss of civilian lives. Then the lack of information to the Pakistani public is causing them to see these attacks in a suspicious light, necessitating it for the US diplomats to come to Pakistan repeatedly for briefings and meetings. The operation has to be covert as well, because if the situation is made public, then the terrorists will be informed. The two main problems here are that a) C.I.A is not including Pakistan enough in its operations, and Pakistani government not informing the general public of its involvement but in fact, antagonizing them further against America. These obvious conflicting stories in both countries need to be dealt with so that the masses can trust these operations, and the number of Drone attacks reduced as they have increased in a surprising number in the last two years causing several innocent people to die. I decided to choose the high circulated newspapers of both the countries to get a perspective into each newspaper’s representation of this ongoing event. From US, I chose the New York Times. Scmitt describes the censure arising

Rock Report Listening Log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rock Report Listening Log - Essay Example Although the nature of the individual artists, though similar is still definable through the way in which the beats are counted and the use of syncopation which is more prominent in the music of Ted Nugent. The two individual styles do not express a difference in musical style, but rather in the way in which musical choices in composing the work is accomplished. The most prominent differences is seen in the chorus lyric and the way in which the repetition is similar, but has a different texture in the way that it is composed. Both songs competently represent the style of a hard rock song, however I prefer the work from Nugent over that from KISS, although that may not have been the choice I would have made when they were released. The lyrics in Nugent area bit more clever and the type of music does not seem quite as dated, although it is definitely identifiable from the 1970s. KISS has always been a band that was about theater over music, thus the music is not complicated and does not really represent music of the hard rock genre, despite being squarely positioned in that genre. Therefore, Nugent more than likely better represents the hard rock style than does

Ethics case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethics case - Essay Example Tarek should also consider the fact that Hind has taken measures to improve the quality of pizza and that blind taste tests have rendered Holiday Inn made pizza to be at least of the same quality as the quality of pizzas made by two major pizza delivery competitors in Amman. Another fact that needs to be considered is that the strategy of installing a pizza oven in the kitchen in the past did bring modest improvement in the room service business, and the only step that could be taken after considering the departing guests’ responses was to improve the quality, which when tried did not improve the business. These facts strongly justify the establishment of a separate pizza-making facility with a separate identity. However, Hind’s proposal that this should be kept a secret is subject to critical analysis. The ethical issues in the case are hidden truth about the identity of Napoli Pizza. Clients are being made to believe that it is a separate pizza-making facility that apparently has no connection with Holiday Inn. This is evident from the fact that separate Napoli Pizza brochures and special Napoli Pizza boxes are being requested for each guest room in addition to Napoli Pizza hats and jackets for the room service personnel that would be assigned the task of delivering the pizzas to the clients. The fact that their prefix would be other than that of Holiday Inn speaks of Hind’s attempt to hide the pizza’s connection with Holiday Inn. For a restaurant to maintain its high reputation, brand image, and customer loyalty, it is imperative that it stays honest with the clients and does the business in a transparent way. A potential risk in the proposal is that Holiday Inn’s image might be jeopardized in the clients’ eyes if they find out the truth and there are possibilities for this; firstly, the phone calls made at the number mentioned on the Napoli Pizza brochures will be attended at

All forms of government welfare should be abolished Essay - 3

All forms of government welfare should be abolished - Essay Example Social services herein refer to healthcare, education, social welfare programs, care for elderly or aged, and, provision of necessary infrastructures to make government effective in their relation with people (Tanner, 2012). The abolition of this government welfare means relinquishing its role and allowing private entities to offer services that can respond to peoples needs. The recent trend and dominion of private enterprise and services in our society is an attempt to exculpate or exonerate government’s role in delivering quality services as its mandate to fully realize its functions in realizing the social contract with the people it ought to serve. The abolition of social services therefor means that the government, as a bureaucracy, will relinquish its functions to accord social services and welfare to its constituents. Why spend $14,848 for every poor man (Tanner, 2012)? But on the other hand, why pay for taxes if government intends to negate the foundation of its very existence? A famous social philosopher once said that a government is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Its object and subject of being are its constituents. It is for this reason that electorates during election wanted to nominate leaders who can uphold democracy to ensure peoples participation in decision-making and those who can reform the government structure to guarantee that delivery of services are given more importance than their selfish interests as bureaucrats. People wanted to see a government that is effectively translating its goal to have a peaceful, developed and prosperous nation. Both candidates and electorates wanted to pursue an agenda where children’s education are prioritized; quality health services are delivered in remote villages and in state-owned hospitals; people’s poverty are supplemented with social programs that can help eradicate poverty; and, social

Ernest Hemingway’s for Whom the Bell Tolls Essay Example for Free

Ernest Hemingway’s for Whom the Bell Tolls Essay Ernest Hemingway is one of the critically acclaimed fiction writers of his time, because of the novels that he wrote which both captivated the readers and at the same time triggered different responses from critics and literary analysts. His works were admired, and the writer given the respect due to him because of the impact he and his works have made in the field of literature. But like the experience of many other great writers, there are also those who do not regard Hemingway’s works with the same level of admiration and fervor. As Shuman wrote, â€Å"Although For whom the Bell Tolls was the unanimous choice of the panel for the Pulitzer Prize in letter in 1941, the chair overturned the recommendation on the grounds that it was too controversial. No Pulitzer Prize for fiction was awarded that year (Shuman 676).† But regardless of this fact, Hemingway’s works have the many different characteristics that made it more than a great read, and one of the most important characteristic of his works is how culture is reflected in his works and how his works are evidently influenced by the existing culture which contributed in the shaping of the story as it happened in the novel. One of Hemingway’s works that reflect this characteristic is his widely popular work For Whom the Bell Tolls. How this text influenced culture positively and/or negatively One of the most obvious impacts of the novel to the culture is the addition of a new masterpiece which literary analysts, critics and historians will reference and refer to for years to come. The novel attacked and complimented Spain and its culture during the time of the life of the characters present there, and because the novel is close to real life where there is a conscious effort to make the story closely akin to Spain, the Spanish lifestyle and other cultures found in the country during the particular time set, readers especially of Spanish decent may find it easy to relate to the novel. So do other people who can relate to the different challenges that is found in the novel that features cultural traits that is never dying and never fading struggle, victory, defeat, honesty, love, betrayal, patriotism, anger and sadness, all of which found in a novel that moves around in a very short yet scattered period of time which was long enough to deliver the message it intends to send to the readers. â€Å"The novel’s action covers only three days, but flashbacks and digression give it a broader scope. In fact, this novel might be called an epic of modern Spain, and it is surely Hemingways love song to the Spanish people (Shuman 676).† Another impact of the novel on the culture is that Hemingway managed to add to the many different tools by which the Spanish people can understand themselves by reviewing their past and the struggles that the people of the old Spain underwent. â€Å"Hemingway’s view of the Spanish, as of all the nationalities and ethnic groups he wrote about, was never blindly complimentary (Shuman 676).† Hemingway’s novel serves as a time machine for people who want to go back during the time of the Spanish Civil War and get a glimpse of the life that was there during that time without the literature of the likes of Hemingway and his novel, it maybe a tad difficult to do so. Through this literary work of Hemingway, Spain and the rest of the world now has frozen an imagination of a real past, and everyone who wishes the journey can return to Robert Jordan and Maria, return the bombs and atrocities of the Spanish Civil War, return to the personal dilemma that every character faced especially in the face of grave, serious and long lasting consequences. This novel can provide a stable leg from which literary and historical analysis can be made particularly with reference to the different levels and spheres of challenges found amongst the Spanish population at the height and extent of the Spanish Civil War. The contribution of Hemingway’s â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls† to the society and how the work affected the culture that absorbed it can also be seen in the manner by which the novel acted as an important linchpin in many different literary and historical discussions. Critics and analyst debate and expand different areas of argument involved in the complex subject of the Spanish Civil War, largely because of the contribution of the novel on its literary merit and how it puts color in a very important part of the Spanish history. Hemingway wrote something that will be considered important and significant both by his contemporaries and those who will come before him, and many intellectuals will wonder and argue about the characteristics of the author and the novel and how it ultimately impacted the Spanish culture and the literary world in general. As Kurzweil and Philips wrote, â€Å"Mr. Wilson describes Hemingway’s political consciousness as ‘not so highly developed’ as it is with a writer like Malraux (Kurzweil and Philips 140),† an opinion stemming from the analysis of political consciousness, partisan journalism and the differences in the ability of Hemingway and his contemporaries based on the review of a particular work, in Hemingway’s case For Whom the Bell Tolls. â€Å"Of course, posing the alternative in these terms, one must agree that For Whom the Bell Tolls is vastly preferable to the ‘partisan journalism’ of The Fifth Column. But there is another alternative, namely the treatment of revolutionary struggle as Malraux and Silone have treated it in their novels, on the level of political consciousness (Kurzweil, Philips 140).† The release of this particular work of Hemingway to the consciousness of the people and the inclusion of this material in the overall culture starting the time it was made available to the public affected culture in a way that it allowed students of different disciplines to have another perspective at looking things and to reference another person and another different approach based largely on the how Hemingway and his work is in itself something that stands out from the rest of the field because of its characteristics that is inherent to the author, his style and his outputs. Hemingway’s work provided a new dimension in the world of literary writing, something that other persons can learn from and develop. The effect of the text on the culture indeed was very noticeable, if not high impact. The effect generally rests on the emotive and intellectual spheres of individuals and ripples out through the actions that they take after they are affected by what they read. If the novel altered their behavior and their behavior altered culture, then it is safe to say that the novel indeed impacted culture as culture impacted the writing of the novel vice versa. There are realizations that the readers experience, realization that can perhaps lead to a change in behavior and trigger a change in a particular aspect of the culture. Take for example the realization that readers may experience according to Ferrer, Manuel and Derrick. Through the analysis of the character(s) in the novel, readers are moved towards a realistic realization that can be potent enough to trigger cultural change through newfound cultural enlightenment. Ferrer, Manuel and Derrick wrote, â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls suggest that the Spanish Civil War endangers Spain’s entire heritage, so Hemmingway refers to the ancient Phoenician and Greek civilizations that colonized Spain. At one point in the novel, Jordan thinks of the ‘old Iberians’ (Ferrer, Manuel and Derrick 287).† Hemingway makes the direct correlation between Robert Jordans last name the Jordan River â€Å"Just as the Jordan River separates the Hebrews from the Promised Land, Robert Jordan’s demolition of the bridge is designed to protect the ideological promised land of the Spanish Republic (Ferrer, Manuel and Derrick 262).† There were other effects to the culture, like how the work may alter the perception of the people outside Spain and outside that time frame of the particular culture being represented, not knowing which is true and which is inaccurate, since â€Å"criticisms of Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls for the last fifty years has been dominated by charges that the writer falsified fact and ignored truths (San Juan 91).†

HP computer systems organization

HP computer systems organization 1. Is this the time for HP-CSO to institute more changes? Based on the customer and sales audit it was identified that considerable opportunities existed in the area of Repurchase, replacement and expansion projects as well as the Innovation projects. But, there exist many challenges Customers were moving towards consolidating their supplier base increasing pricing pressure on HP 80% of the customer sales were initiated by the customer themselves Although HP was a preferred vendor, customers doubted its ability to deliver incase of Innovation projects With increasing demands on price and delivery terms, HP would find it difficult to meet customer needs due to the small sales force Sales force was spending significant amount of time doing things other than sales Sales force was having difficulty in converting sales opportunities in replacement and expansion projects Sales team was spending less time in the early stages of the sales cycle for Innovation projects Sales team lacked prioritization of opportunities Hence, it is critical for HP-CSO to make the right changes in the sales organization to capture opportunities in the high potential segments. How are selling instruments (HP traditional business) different from selling computer systems? Selling instruments can be viewed more like selling commodities. Selling instruments was engineering driven and marketing the product was on the basis of technological features. Selling computer systems involved marketing the product as solutions that could be highly customized to the customers needs to solve their issues. Why does HP treat its sales force as a cost center? What are the implications of such a structure? HP was grouped into three main divisions and each had its own sales force and others support departments and divisional business units. Divisional business units were measured as profit centers. HP allocated field personnel and capital expenditures among the divisions under the promise of additional profits. This type of mechanism ensured that sales force was kept as a cost center, responsible for revenues, field marketing and customer service. Such a structure resulted in two distinct cultures co-existing in HP. One centered in the product divisions focused on long-term profit objectives and the other in the field, on meeting short-term sales quotas. Sales force concentrated on achieving sales target without worrying about making profits and spending time in non-core activities. 3. Critically evaluate HP-CSOs approach to building relations with its Enterprise Customers HP reorganized its sales approach by providing greater autonomy to its divisions. CSO could draw on HPs resources while operating in a more entrepreneurial fashion. Freed from the constraint of a drawn-out approval process, CSO began to race to the market with new computers. By 1994, HPs business was growing at 40% annually against an industry growth of 5%. To capitalize on the new market position, sales force was re-organized and other dramatic changes were instituted in the manner in which CSO sold to customers. HP wanted to transform its salespeople from order takers into consultants. Advantages Sales reps were relieved of the unproductive tasks Centralized configuration support specialists enabled increase in the sales reps direct customer contact by 30-50% The domain specific approach enabled HP to focus and service large customers more effectively. Generate more sales through the specialized and competent sales force. Sales force was able to nurture the relationships developed over time with the enterprise customers. . Disadvantages Sales force was averse to change and didnt wanted to lose power over their regional fiefdoms Smaller customers resented being relegated to the channel partners or telephone reps. To transform salesperson from order takers to consultants required specifically designed training programs to de-emphasize on traditional focus on HP product capabilities and specification in favor of teaching salespeople how to evaluate customers circumstances and suggest ways that HP might improve them. Do you agree with the findings of two audits? Findings of the first audit are agreeable. However, the methodology adopted for the second audit is not convincing. The customer that was selected for the audit was the largest with whom HP had good relationship, HP was strong in the industry selected and the study chose only one region that HP was good in. This leads to an audit that encompasses a perfect customer, industry and region. The finding might not apply across all customers, industry and regions giving an obscure audit. What about the consultants recommendations? The recommendations provide deep insights into the strong and weak links in the sales strategy of HP-CSO The recommendations of the consultant seem very broad based and not properly structured The consultant hasnt provided an action roadmap based on his recommendations. How is this approach different from the current approach to managing enterprise customers? The approach of entering downstream and slowly making inroads upstream will face a lot barriers put up by competitors. The new approach would require re-training the sales force considerably. The effort and time involved in beating competition might be considerable. There is a high risk of failure and would require considerable time to bring in the change Comments on conclusions of audit The first audit conclusion is convincing, but the second audit conclusion is not detailed and devoid of an action plan. Recommendations Increase conversion rate in downstream and midstream segment Develop competence in midstream and upstream segment of the market to capture the high potential market share, instead of building the way through downstream Create a value proposition for the upstream market Eliminate the non productive tasks of sales reps and train them effectively

Causes And Minimization Of Soybean Flavour Via Enzymes

Causes And Minimization Of Soybean Flavour Via Enzymes Lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins and minerals are main food ingredients that are responsible for flavour in vegetables. These compounds may give rise to volatile and non volatile compounds that give vegetable its characteristic odour and taste (Sessa, 1979). Soybean is very popular and unique in its ability to be cholesterol free and lactose free, and also because it provides good source of nutrients at low-cost such as proteins, minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals (biological active components derived from plants) and also is a source of oil and therefore it is classified as an oilseed and has a reputation of being natural and good for health (Martin et al, 2010). Soybean originated from Asia, was first cultivated in china and is most common in Asian countries and is grown by farmers since centuries. Soybean is a good source for providing useful protein especially in countries where people are protein deficient, or lack of proteins from animal source, or for th ose people that are lactose tolerant and cannot consume cows milk for them soymilk is available, which is made from soybean and is healthy and rich in protein. Soybean is used to produce many food products such as soymilk powders, flour, oil, soybean curd, chocolate, ice-cream, etc (Martin et al, 2010; Stephan et al, 2000). Although in many western countries acceptance of soybean has not been much successful due to its strong grassy/beany flavour which is unpleasant in taste and is unfavourable according to most consumers. Therefore, much research has been done to improve soybean flavour. According to many studies done on soybean flavour, lipid oxidation (lipoxygenase) an iron containing enzyme which is common in plants and animals, which undergoes Fe2+ to Fe 3+ transitions during per oxidation of fat catalyses the peroxidation of unsaturated fats to hydroperoxides is said to be responsible for the off flavour which breaks down during hydration, which will be further discussed in th is review. Causes of beany Flavour During cultivating soybean, it is found that it is beneficial to environment in terms of nitrogen and other minerals that benefit the soil by increasing carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous contents in soil. Unpleasant flavour such as beany /grassy flavour of soybean are generated from the lipids through lipoxygenase during the process of roasting, fermentation and germination, the lipoxygenase breaks down the oil into a number of chemicals including hexanal, and methanethiol and these chemicals result in off-flavours which are described as beany and grassy primarily in soybeans ( Suratman et al,2004; Wszelaki et al, 2005). Lipoxygenase in soybean seeds is present in the form of three isozymes ( Lox-I, Lox-II and Lox-III) (Kumar, et al, 2003). Soybean is an iron containg enzymes which catalyzes the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids with cis,cis-1,4-pentadiene units to produce conjugated unsaturated fatty acid peroxides which are rensposible for the off flavour in soybeans as well as bitter taste (Li et al, 2008; Wang et al, 2008). It comprises of enzymes that are commonly found in soybean, can arise by either hydrolysis of fatty esters or oxidative fat corrosion. Naturally occurring enzymes such as lipid acyl-hydrolases, directly hydrolyze the fatty ester bonds of triglyceride s and phospholipids, producing free fatty acids. Lei and Boatright, 2005, revealed the importance of methanethiol to the characteristic odour of soybean which could give rise to a volatile sulphur compound; dimethul trisulfide is responsible for the off odour. Although the means for the effect of lipoxygenase on the formation of methanethiol is not well known, but is thought to be due to release of the free radicals formed during oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Methionine residues in soy protein products are aggregated by such free radicals, resulting in the formation of methionine sulfoxide which generates methanethiol as a final product as proposed by Lei et al 2005.Therefore, the data from current studies suggest that lipoxygenase not only catalyzes the oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, resulting in the formation of volatile aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols, but also promotes formation of methanethiol (Lozano et al, 2007). Flavours developed depend on the composition of the fat with short chain fatty acids to C 10 having particularly disagreeable odours flavours and those above C1O possessing waxy or, at alkaline pH, soapy flavours. Hydrolytic fat corrosion is not much important in terms of flavour formation when compared with flavours from oxidative deterioration of free fatty acids. Strong soybean-like flavours have been found in model systems consisting of hydroperoxides generated by the oxidative action of soy lipoxygenase on pure linoleic and linolenic acid. Volatile Compounds produced contribute to the grassy and beany flavours, while non volatile compounds cause bitter and astringency. In addition, scientists have found that lipid hydroperoxides produced by Oxidation readily form in soybean seeds when compared with other vegetables. Once formed, hydroperoxides undergo decomposition to both volatile and non volatile compounds. Many volatile Compounds generated either by the action of enzymes or by autoxidation of polyunsaturated lipid. A volatile synthetic compound, 2(l-pentenyl) furan also was found to contribute to the beany and grassy notes of soybean oil. It was hypothesized to arise from autoxidation of linolenic acid. According to Zhou et al, 2000, 2-pentyl pyridine (2-pp) has the largest flavour value of any other flavour volatiles found in soybean products. While volatile compound contribute to beany flavour, non-volatile oxygenated fatty acids impart a bitter taste to soybeans and dried peas. For example, trihydroxy fatty acids generated by the action of soy lipoxygenases on linoleic acid is responsible for the bitter tastes but due to its low concentration it is unlikely to be the main cause off odour (Stephan et al 2000) . According to many studies peroxides, lipoxygenase, and phospholipids are the main cause of off odour in soybean and many studies show that pH and temperature may also have influence on the flavour impact causing undesirable taste. According to Iassonova, removing lipoxygenase (LOX) isozymes can reduces the amounts of volatile off-flavor compounds in soybeans and soy products drastically, but are not completely eliminated. The present work presents evidence that lipoxygenase-null (LOX-null) soybeans contain a LOX-like enzyme that is responsible for the offflavors in LOX-null soybeans. Volatiles production in triple LOX-null soybeans was terminated by heat treatment, which suggests an enzymatic cause to the off-flavors. The source is LOX-like in that the volatile compounds produced are similar to LOX-generated products of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Oxygen was consumed when a LOX-null protein solution was incubated with crude soybean oil suggesting that the enzyme catalyzed oxygen con suming reactions. The generation of flavour compounds was inhibited by the typical LOX inhibitors propyl gallate and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). The enzyme appears to be more active with phosphatidylcholine than with other lipid substrates. The cause of the off-flavors in LOX-null beans appears to have enzyme-like characteristics (Iassonova et al, 2009). Strategies adapted to reduce beany flavour Although soy is rich in its nutritional value, it has not been much popular due to its beany unpleasant flavour; therefore many methods have been considered in order to get rid of this lipid derived beany off flavour in soybean which is due to lipoxygenase activity. Soybean proteins can be readily be modified by chemical, physical and enzymatic treatments changes the functional properties of the protein such as leading to flavour change. Methods such as heat treatment, pH adjustment, hydrolysis, enzyme treatment, ingredients addition, thermal modification, and breeding of soybean with low beany flavours have been used to eliminate/ reduce unpleasant beany flavour of soybean (Heywood et al, 2002; Suratman et al, 2004). According to Heywood et al, 2002, value enhanced soybeans (genetic modified/breed) have transformed fatty acid/ protein composition which means volatile compounds are removed that cause unpleasant beany flavour. According to Iassonova et al, 2009; removing lipoxygenase (LOX) isozymes can reduces the amounts of volatile off-flavor compounds in soybeans and soy products drastically, but are not completely eliminated. Temperature also has significant effect on soybean protein where significant decrease in unpleasant flavour compound was observed at lower temperature around 5.5 C (lower than room temperature). In many studies it was investigated that at higher temperatures the methanethiol increased and vice versa (Heywood et al, 2002). Also heating increases the digestibility of soy protein. Similar results were reported by Rehman et al, 2007, according to him soymilk prepared by heating soybean grains at least 15min at 100 C soaking in water at pH 8, (soybean water extract) improved the flavour and taste to some extent but did not completely eliminate the unfavourable flavour, it only had less beany flavour and more protein solubility and also improved colour consistency. Similarly Machado et al, 2008 reported that the anti-nutrients in soybean such as Kunitz (protease inhibitor that reduces the nutrient level of soybean) can be inactivated by heat treatments (wet) or biochemical treatments or ei ther by selecting soybean varieties (could be modified/ genetically grown) that lack these protease inhibitors along with heat treatment such as wet heat rather than dry heat. Soybean was heat treated for 15 minutes ( as excess heat could completely denature the protein i.e. decrease the solubility and nutrition value) and as a result the trypsin inhibitors (which was seen to be dependent on moisture level) were inactivated without affecting the quality of soy protein the in terms of nutrition value. Thermal treatment the most common old method used to modify soy bean flavour without affecting the nutritional value. This treatment is used to eliminate lipoxygenase activity in soybean which produces volatile compounds responsible for off odour. Enzyme modification are conducted to eliminate undesired flavours (beany) caused by hexanal. Alpha-tocopherol and isoflavones, both naturally occur in soybeans. Are antioxidants which inhibit enzymic oxidation of linoleate with lipoxygenases . Methods are developed to free naturally occurring antioxidants of enzyme inhibitors. Cysteins under aerobic conditions interacts with the catalytic site of lipoxygenase and induces irreversible inactivation of the enzyme. Cysteine reacting with linoleic acid prevents formation of volatile flavour compounds. In line with Li et al, 2008, and Wang et al, 2008, although the thermal treatment inactivates effectively soybean lipoxygenase (LOX), it denatures soybean proteins, results in amino acid degradatio n and other deteriorative reactions. Although there are concerns over the affects of flavours, texture, colours, vitamins and nutrients by thermal treatment, therefore, inactivation of soybean LOX by non-thermal treatment is aimed in order to avoid quality loss of soymilk by thermal processing and new techniques are introduced such as high pressure techniques for better quality and taste. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) a non-thermal food preservation method and become increasingly a promising option to thermal pasteurization. In comparison with traditional thermal pasteurization, PEF dramatically lead to inactivation of LOX activity and denature of enzymes in soymilk PEF not only can kill microorganisms and inactivate enzymes, but maintains taste, colour, texture, vitamins, and nutrients, of foods. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the content of methanethiol in soybean which occurred in every sample of soybean tested (Lei et al, 2005) which gives out unpleasant odour. It also was observed that if pH levels were increased the amount of methanehtiol also increased due to breakdown of methionine. Cyclodextrin, which masks beany flavour molecules by reducing or changes the food flavour overall have been used to eliminate the molecules responsible for the off flavours in soybean. Hexanal is reported to be the main sources of beany flavour have been used to inactivate soybean lipoxygenase activity but it is found that it lowers the protein solubility. Another method is soaking soybean in ethyl alcohol and PH adjustment. Off-flavour is only observed when the soybean cells are borkendown/ or during cooking where many chemicals (e.g. linoleic acid; ketones, aldehydes, and alcohol) are released which give off odour (Rehman et al, 2007). According to Stephan et a l, 2000 saturated free fatty acids (FFAs) did not produce any bitterness in the concentrations investigated, and were able to influence the bitter taste of emulsions essentially even if they are present in concentrations that are only slightly above their thresholds. Fig.1.Improved soybean products (Bay, 2006) Various methods have been employed to inhibit lipoxygenase. Enzyme inactivation by blanching whole soybeans before grinding of soaked soybeans prevents formation of oxidized flavour in the production of bland-flavoured soy milk. Heat inactivation of lipoxygenase by extrusion cooking yields full-fat flour with improved odour, flavour, and stability. Further low pH inhibits lipoxygenase in soybeans and other legumes. Thereby minimizing the formation of volatile compounds for example flavourless tasting slurries free of lipoxygenase- induced off-flavours and odours were produced by grinding and fractionating raw soybeans under pH 3.8 for enzyme inactivation with saturated monohydric alcohols. Flavour of soy flour should be improved with alcohol or heat treatments. Alteration of flavour causing aldehydes to alcohols by means of an enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase could reduce flavour because alcohols generally have higher flavour thresholds than corresponding aldehydes. .Alcohols produced by this reaction can act as enzyme inhibitors in the meals, or they can be more readily extracted from meals unlike aldehydes because alcohols do not bind to proteins .Present processes for preparing soyflour, concentrate, and isolates generally involve solvent extraction, aqueous extraction, drying, and toasting. Products with improved flavours through these procedures are commercially available. One current method is used to achieve soybean with acceptable flavour, better quality, and reducing any undesirable characteristics. (fig.1.).In this method soybean is mixed in an heated aqueous salt solution to form a mixture, heating leads to deactivation of enzymes that are responsible for beany flavour. This improved misture is further processed (drying, roasting, powdering, and flavouring) so can be used in a variety of food products. Conclusion Although soybean milk is recognized as a nutritious beverage, it contains much lower calcium than cows milk. To eradicate the off flavour, scientists throughout the world have been in an attempt to find soybeans that lacked lipoxygenase enzymes thought processes such as mutation, hybridization and selection they were able to find few that few of the enzymes. These soybeans are now being used in soymilk production and other food products and no longer have the off flavour (beany flavour). Therefore, according to Rehman et al, 2007 soybean in water at pH8 showed to have less beany flavour and more protein solubility, similarly according to Wang et al 2008 high pressure was found be effective in slightly reducing off flavour by deactivating lipoxygenase in soy products such as milk and gave improved taste and flavour , these results were also in line with the finding with Li et al, 2008 who studied the inactivation of soybean lipoxygenase due to thermal treatment but is shown to affect the quality of food and similarly results reported by Wang et al, 2008. Although there are concerns about reduction in protein content or health affect when soybean is modified in order to eliminate the unacceptable odour, since consumers concern has always been on quality, appearance, taste, smell, and texture. According to Lei and Boatright, 2005 little is known about factors that influence occurrence of methanethiol in soy products.

Differential Effects of American Destabilization Policy in Chile in the

Differential Effects of American Destabilization Policy in Chile in the 1970s and Cuba in the 1990s Just three years after taking office in 1970, Chile’s military removed the leftist President Salvador Allende from power. In Cuba, nearly forty years after his ascension to power in 1959, Fidel Castro continues to control a communist regime. In Chile in the early 1970s and in Cuba in the early 1990s, the United States exasperated severe economic crises. In addition, the United States attempted to foster political opposition to create ‘coup climates’ to overthrow both leaders. The similarities in these histories end there. Chile’s open, democratic political system allowed the U.S. to polarize the nation, paving the way for Pinochet’s U.S. backed military regime. In Cuba, however, thirty years of tight communist control negated the effectiveness of America’s effort to sow political dissent. This paper explores the impact of explicit American policy to overthrow both leaders, and proposes that divergent political, economic, and military st ructures contributed to vastly different outcomes. The Nixon administration sought to uphold a â€Å"cool but correct† diplomatic stance toward Chile. The fact that Allende was democratically elected forced the Nixon administration to be less explicitly aggressive about their role in Chile, causing them to turn to economics as a primary method for destabilizing the nation. The U.S. sought to â€Å"isolate, weaken and destabilize Chile until the country was ungovernable† in order to create a ‘coup climate.’ Essentially, the U.S. began a long term strategy to destabilize the Chilean government economically, politically, and militarily, looking to exploit all possible weaknesses. Chile wa... ...ly. vol114 no3 (Fall 1999): 387-408. Kornbluh, Peter. The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability. New York: The New Press, 2003. LeoGrande, William and Julie Thomas. â€Å"Cuba’s Quest for Economic Independence.† Journal of Latin American Studies. vol 34: 342-363. Oppenheim, Lois Hecht. Politics in Chile: Democracy, Authoritarianism, and the Search for Development. 2nd ed. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1999. Otero, Gerardo and Janice O’Bryan. â€Å"Cuba in Transition? The Civil Sphere’s Challenge to the Castro Regime.† Latin American Politics and Society. vol44 i4: 29-57. Pà ©rez-Stable, Marifeli. The Cuban Revolution: Origins, Course, and Legacy, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Valenzuela, Arturo. The Breakdown of Democratic Regimes: Chile. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978.

sathf Satire of The Grangerfords and Pap :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Satire of The Grangerfords and Pap In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the Grangerfords and Pap are two of the characters who are used by Twain to condemn civilized society. Twain employs satire to express his belief that â€Å"civilized† society is neither moral, ethical, nor civilized.   Exaggeration, stereotyping, and irony are used throughout the story to satirize and to expose the Grangerfords as the typical southern aristocrats and pap as the typical drunken â€Å"white trash.†      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After a ferryboat accident, Huck seems to lose his slave companion Jim after coming ashore. Huck then is introduced to Buck Grangerford (about the same age as Huck) and is allowed to stay in the Grangerford household. The Grangerford family consists of Buck, who is a young adventurous boy, Emmiline, a fourteen-year-old who was dead girl, Bob, Tom, Miss Charlotte, and Miss Sophia. The Grangerfords showed all the signs of being upper class by having an extremely nice house, acting properly, and each member of the family had their own servant. Eventually it becomes apparent to Huck that the Grangerfords are feuding with a neighboring household, the Sheperdsons; this seems to be the central angle Twain uses to satire.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The chapters dealing with the Grangerford and Sheperdson feud allow Twain to satire aspects of civilized culture. The main aspect he satirizes is the feud itself. The Grangerfords being the representatives of civilization, Twain reveals the senseless brutality and needless slaughter involved in their arbitrary concept of honor. For Twain, such a feud goes against his common sense and anything that violated his common sense was crazy. The feud has gone on so long hat the people don’t even know why they are fighting; yet, embedded in the feud are artificial concepts of civilized behavior. For Example, Mr. Grangerford tells Buck that he shouldn’t shoot from behind the bush but he should step out into the road to kill a Sheperdson. Also there is a sense of irony because why would such a civilized family be in a feud that they can’t remember the origin of. Another aspect of it is the Grangeford’s use of hypocrisy. The G rangerfords were â€Å"church goers† and in one sermon given by Mr. Grangerford he speaks of brotherly love, this while feuding with a family for a reason they don’t even remember.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pap, or Huck’s father, is an excellent example of Twain’s stereotyping, superior characterizations, and his irony. sathf Satire of The Grangerfords and Pap :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays Satire of The Grangerfords and Pap In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the Grangerfords and Pap are two of the characters who are used by Twain to condemn civilized society. Twain employs satire to express his belief that â€Å"civilized† society is neither moral, ethical, nor civilized.   Exaggeration, stereotyping, and irony are used throughout the story to satirize and to expose the Grangerfords as the typical southern aristocrats and pap as the typical drunken â€Å"white trash.†      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After a ferryboat accident, Huck seems to lose his slave companion Jim after coming ashore. Huck then is introduced to Buck Grangerford (about the same age as Huck) and is allowed to stay in the Grangerford household. The Grangerford family consists of Buck, who is a young adventurous boy, Emmiline, a fourteen-year-old who was dead girl, Bob, Tom, Miss Charlotte, and Miss Sophia. The Grangerfords showed all the signs of being upper class by having an extremely nice house, acting properly, and each member of the family had their own servant. Eventually it becomes apparent to Huck that the Grangerfords are feuding with a neighboring household, the Sheperdsons; this seems to be the central angle Twain uses to satire.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The chapters dealing with the Grangerford and Sheperdson feud allow Twain to satire aspects of civilized culture. The main aspect he satirizes is the feud itself. The Grangerfords being the representatives of civilization, Twain reveals the senseless brutality and needless slaughter involved in their arbitrary concept of honor. For Twain, such a feud goes against his common sense and anything that violated his common sense was crazy. The feud has gone on so long hat the people don’t even know why they are fighting; yet, embedded in the feud are artificial concepts of civilized behavior. For Example, Mr. Grangerford tells Buck that he shouldn’t shoot from behind the bush but he should step out into the road to kill a Sheperdson. Also there is a sense of irony because why would such a civilized family be in a feud that they can’t remember the origin of. Another aspect of it is the Grangeford’s use of hypocrisy. The G rangerfords were â€Å"church goers† and in one sermon given by Mr. Grangerford he speaks of brotherly love, this while feuding with a family for a reason they don’t even remember.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pap, or Huck’s father, is an excellent example of Twain’s stereotyping, superior characterizations, and his irony.

Explain the Importance of Resilience in Children and Young People Essay

Resilience is a mixture of nature and nurture. Attributes that some children are born with, such as good intellectual ability and a placid, cheerful temperament, are associated with resilience. Children who are born prematurely and/or with disabilities, who cry and cannot be comforted, who cannot sleep or who will not accept being held are more vulnerable to adversity and may be less likely to be resilient. There are, however, many other qualities associated with resilience which develop through children’s life experiences — the main ones can be summarised as follows: Good self esteem derives from being accepted by people whose relationship one values and from accomplishment in tasks one values. Praise, on its own, will not improve self-esteem; the child him or herself has also to ascribe value to the achievement. A belief in one’s own self-efficacy means having the qualities of optimism; ‘stickability’ and believing that one’s own efforts can make a difference. For children and young people who have had very damaging childhoods the creation of ‘survivor’s pride’, i. e. the ability to value how far they have overcome huge adversity in their lives, is helpful. Young people’s sense of self-efficacy is enhanced by taking responsibility and making decisions. Initiative is the ability and willingness to take action, including action to stop abuse occurring. Children and young people facing adversity are in a stronger position to deal with it if they are able to take the initiative in finding ‘creative’ responses. This sometimes combines with a strong sense of responsibility towards others such as siblings. Faith and morality can be described as ‘a belief in a broader value system which can help the child to persist in problem solving or in surviving a set of challenging life circumstances. A sense of coherence in their experiences gives the child a feeling of rootedness; the conviction that life has meaning and an optimistic focus’ (Daniel, Wassell and Gilligan 1999. Trust is believing in or relying on another person or thing. In order to trust others, you do not need to love them but you do need to experience them as reliable, feel respect for them, value them and not expect them to betray your confidences. Attachment is ‘an affectionate bond between two individuals that endures through space and time and serves to join them emotionally’ (Klaus & Kennell 1976, quoted in Fahlberg 1994). A secure attachment relationship creates a secure base from which a child feels safe to explore the world. Many looked fter children whose primary attachment figures have been unsupportive or unpredictable are able, fortunately, to find other attachment figures. In fact, one sign of resilience in children is the ability to ‘recruit’ caring adults who take a particular interest in them. This could be a neighbour, friend’s parent(s), teacher, child minder, relative, mentor or befriender, foster carer or, of course, residential worker. The concept of a secure base originally related to the security provided by a dependable attachment relationship. However, in the context of looked after children it has developed a wider meaning i. . the provision of a consistent and stable place to live and continuity of wider relationships which then allow the maintenance or development of attachment relationships. Where placement moves are absolutely unavoidable, strenuous efforts should be made to maintain continuity in other aspects of children’s lives. Meaningful roles: Such roles include proficiency at academic and non-academic activities at school, sporting prowess, part time work, volunteering, caring for siblings, and domestic responsibilities, provided they are not excessive. Such roles are likely to have a positive effect in several ways — they can be beneficial in providing a sense of positive identity and a source of self-esteem, they may act as a source of pleasure and hope or distract young people from the adversity they are experiencing in other areas of their lives. Autonomy means the ability to make decisions. Young people who are autonomous know that it is OK to make mistakes and that you can learn from mistakes. They take reasonably well calculated risks. Autonomous children and young people are good at self-regulation — they gain increasing control over their own emotions and behaviour. Identity: Young people in care have a deep need to know and understand who they are, where they belong and to whom they are important. They may need help to find these answers. Children and young people’s ethnicity, religion, culture and language form part of their identity. Preservation of their background and culture helps to create continuity and a secure base; it is also a legal right. Young people, who have good insight into their own difficulties, including a realistic assessment of their own contribution and the contribution of others to those difficulties, are more likely to be resilient. Young people who are able to recognise benefits, as well as negative effects, from severe adversity are likely to be resilient. Insight helps people to take appropriate actions and make appropriate choices. It is therefore linked to self-efficacy and to initiative. Humour is the final building block of resilience. It can help young people to distance themselves from, and therefore reduce, emotional pain and it can also help them make and sustain relationships — humorous people are usually popular people.

Brand Loyalty

Brand Loyalty One of the most desirable traits that marketers would like to see in the consumers they are positioning their product towards is loyalty to their brand. Brand loyalty can be defined as â€Å"the extent of the faithfulness of consumers to a particular brand, expressed through their repeat purchases, irrespective of the marketing pressure generated by the competing brands. (Business Dictionary, 2012) An expression of brand loyalty from consumers can help companies to experience significant growth not only through repeat purchases, but also word-of-mouth: brand-loyal consumers who talk among their peers about their purchasing behaviour may talk positively about the brand they like, which allows these consumers to try these recommended brands – which they might not have tried otherwise – thus expanding a business’ market and increasing its profits.Since brand loyalty can play a significant role in a business’ performance, it is important that ma rketers understand the different factors that lead to consumers showing brand loyalty. One of the main contributing factors to brand loyalty is satisfaction. According to Ha, Janda and Park’s (2009), satisfaction can be achieved through a â€Å"rich employee-related customer orientation†. In addition, the perceived quality of the product on offer was found to have a positive effect on South Korean consumers’ satisfaction and brand loyalty.The need for a high level of customer orientation is further discussed and confirmed by Lee, Knight and Kim (2008), who commented that a consumer-oriented approach was crucial in market strategies to appeal to Korean consumers. In addition, the authors gave the example of Wal-Mart’s entry into the Korean market to demonstrate the need for foreign companies to adapt their strategies in order to successfully appeal and cater to Korean consumers. Yoon and Kim (2000) provide two more contributing factors to building brand lo yalty among consumers.Going on the fact that repurchasing is a part of the definition of brand loyalty, the authors suggest that a firm needs to either improve the overall impression that its firm or brand gives its consumers; otherwise, the firm must provide an incentive for repurchasing (e. g. coupons or special offers and discounts) – both of these factors, when implemented together, will provide the best chances of increasing consumers’ loyalty towards the firm or brand.The authors go on to discuss one of the important findings of their research which shows why consumers choose not to be loyal to a brand and thus switch to another. They argue that firms need to minimise or remove the factors they found that lead to what is described as â€Å"negative expectation disconfirmation†, which are listed here: avoid raising consumers’ expectations beyond the level at which the firm can consistently deliver; focus on what the customer wants and expects rather than the firm’s production constraints; respect price sensitivity, as some people feel their loyalty is exploited as prices increase.If a firm were to implement these changes in order to seek an attitude of customer orientation and improve their corporate image, how would they go about it? One of the ways this is being done nowadays more than ever is through the use of social media. Kabani (2012), CEO of The Marketing Zen Group, posted an article with the following tips for making loyal customers through the creation of social media content: interact; be helpful; make your fans the stars; offer perks; be transparent.Taking the example of the whiskey brand, Johnnie Walker, it can be seen how these tips work for an established brand to retain customers and make them loyal to the brand. Johnnie Walker, a brand which boasts international success based on a long history of creating quality whiskey blends (John Walker & Sons, 2012), has set up Johnnie Walker Facebook pages for all the major markets it caters to. Looking at the Johnnie Walker Singapore Facebook page, it can be seen that all the tips recommended by Kabani are implemented in some way.The page administrators create posts every one or two days for people who have â€Å"liked† the page to look at, share with friends and comment on. These posts are not just about Johnnie Walker whiskey products, but also sporting events (Johnnie Walker is a sponsor of the McLaren-Mercedes team in the Formula 1) and interesting facts relating to distinguished people or events. Helpful posts, such as exclusive recipes for preparing seasonal cocktails with Johnnie Walker products, are shared on this page.Johnnie Walker makes its fans the stars through competitions to win a place at the Circuit Lounge, which is the party held during the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, where Johnnie Walker selects people from its list of people who have â€Å"liked† the page, to receive guest passes for the exclusive party. The names of the winners are then posted on the page. At other times, content shared by fans will be shared and re-posted by the page administrators. Besides the exclusive party invitations, Johnnie Walker posts sneak previews of new limited edition product releases or information on upcoming events related to the brand.Finally, whenever fans have questions about products or events and are awaiting responses, the page administrators promptly reply to inform them of the situation (e. g. why a letter has yet to be received). This method of interacting with consumers can be deemed successful for building brand loyalty as so many fans have posted comments about how much they love the brand and enjoy it for the special occasions in their lives (Johnnie Walker Singapore, 2012). Recommendations for Marketing ManagersIn relation to brand loyalty, a firm wishing to enter the South Korean market must keep in mind the necessity of creating a brand image that is consistent with how they wish t o be perceived, the level of service the firm can deliver consistently, and being truly customer-oriented. When South Korean consumers are satisfied with a product provided through customer-oriented service, then these consumers are more likely to show loyalty towards a brand, leading to repeat purchases, which benefits firms through increased market share and profits.Establishing brand loyalty among consumers is feasible through the creation of interesting, informative, helpful and customer-oriented social media content. A successful portrayal of the brand’s values through frequent interaction with consumers is essential to getting consumers not only to learn more about the brand, but sharing this knowledge with their peers, which leads to increased and repeated purchases. This also contributes to an increase in a firm’s market share and profits.The important thing to recognise is that building brand loyalty gives firms a competitive advantage: brand image is somethin g that is unique to each firm, and as such, it can prove to make the difference when a consumer needs to make a purchasing decision between two brands of a similar product. When the brand image of the firm entering the South Korean market shows a strong sense of customer-orientation and consistent delivery of expectations, its chances of succeeding in the market will be higher than those firms who fail to recognise how important customer-orientation is to South Korean consumers.Bibliography Business Dictionary, 2012. What is brand loyalty? Business Dictionary, published 2012, < http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/brand-loyalty. html> Ha, H. Y. , Janda, S. , Park, S. K. , 2009. Role of satisfaction in an integrative model of brand loyalty: Evidence from China and South Korea, International Marketing Review, Vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 198-220 John Walker & Sons, 2012. Our Labels. Johnnie Walker, published 2012, Johnnie Walker Singapore, 2012. Johnnie Walker Singapore, Facebook, up dated 11 October 2012,Kabani, S. , 2012. How to build brand loyalty through social media, The Business Journals, published 24 August 2012, Lee, M. Y. , Knight, D. , Kim, Y. K. , 2008. Brand analysis of a US global brand in comparison with domestic brands in Mexico, Korea, and Japan, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 163-174 Yoon, S. J. , Kim, J. H. , 2000. An empirical validation of a loyalty model based on expectation disconfirmation, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 120-136 Brand Loyalty Brand Loyalty One of the most desirable traits that marketers would like to see in the consumers they are positioning their product towards is loyalty to their brand. Brand loyalty can be defined as â€Å"the extent of the faithfulness of consumers to a particular brand, expressed through their repeat purchases, irrespective of the marketing pressure generated by the competing brands. (Business Dictionary, 2012) An expression of brand loyalty from consumers can help companies to experience significant growth not only through repeat purchases, but also word-of-mouth: brand-loyal consumers who talk among their peers about their purchasing behaviour may talk positively about the brand they like, which allows these consumers to try these recommended brands – which they might not have tried otherwise – thus expanding a business’ market and increasing its profits.Since brand loyalty can play a significant role in a business’ performance, it is important that ma rketers understand the different factors that lead to consumers showing brand loyalty. One of the main contributing factors to brand loyalty is satisfaction. According to Ha, Janda and Park’s (2009), satisfaction can be achieved through a â€Å"rich employee-related customer orientation†. In addition, the perceived quality of the product on offer was found to have a positive effect on South Korean consumers’ satisfaction and brand loyalty.The need for a high level of customer orientation is further discussed and confirmed by Lee, Knight and Kim (2008), who commented that a consumer-oriented approach was crucial in market strategies to appeal to Korean consumers. In addition, the authors gave the example of Wal-Mart’s entry into the Korean market to demonstrate the need for foreign companies to adapt their strategies in order to successfully appeal and cater to Korean consumers. Yoon and Kim (2000) provide two more contributing factors to building brand lo yalty among consumers.Going on the fact that repurchasing is a part of the definition of brand loyalty, the authors suggest that a firm needs to either improve the overall impression that its firm or brand gives its consumers; otherwise, the firm must provide an incentive for repurchasing (e. g. coupons or special offers and discounts) – both of these factors, when implemented together, will provide the best chances of increasing consumers’ loyalty towards the firm or brand.The authors go on to discuss one of the important findings of their research which shows why consumers choose not to be loyal to a brand and thus switch to another. They argue that firms need to minimise or remove the factors they found that lead to what is described as â€Å"negative expectation disconfirmation†, which are listed here: avoid raising consumers’ expectations beyond the level at which the firm can consistently deliver; focus on what the customer wants and expects rather than the firm’s production constraints; respect price sensitivity, as some people feel their loyalty is exploited as prices increase.If a firm were to implement these changes in order to seek an attitude of customer orientation and improve their corporate image, how would they go about it? One of the ways this is being done nowadays more than ever is through the use of social media. Kabani (2012), CEO of The Marketing Zen Group, posted an article with the following tips for making loyal customers through the creation of social media content: interact; be helpful; make your fans the stars; offer perks; be transparent.Taking the example of the whiskey brand, Johnnie Walker, it can be seen how these tips work for an established brand to retain customers and make them loyal to the brand. Johnnie Walker, a brand which boasts international success based on a long history of creating quality whiskey blends (John Walker & Sons, 2012), has set up Johnnie Walker Facebook pages for all the major markets it caters to. Looking at the Johnnie Walker Singapore Facebook page, it can be seen that all the tips recommended by Kabani are implemented in some way.The page administrators create posts every one or two days for people who have â€Å"liked† the page to look at, share with friends and comment on. These posts are not just about Johnnie Walker whiskey products, but also sporting events (Johnnie Walker is a sponsor of the McLaren-Mercedes team in the Formula 1) and interesting facts relating to distinguished people or events. Helpful posts, such as exclusive recipes for preparing seasonal cocktails with Johnnie Walker products, are shared on this page.Johnnie Walker makes its fans the stars through competitions to win a place at the Circuit Lounge, which is the party held during the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix, where Johnnie Walker selects people from its list of people who have â€Å"liked† the page, to receive guest passes for the exclusive party. The names of the winners are then posted on the page. At other times, content shared by fans will be shared and re-posted by the page administrators. Besides the exclusive party invitations, Johnnie Walker posts sneak previews of new limited edition product releases or information on upcoming events related to the brand.Finally, whenever fans have questions about products or events and are awaiting responses, the page administrators promptly reply to inform them of the situation (e. g. why a letter has yet to be received). This method of interacting with consumers can be deemed successful for building brand loyalty as so many fans have posted comments about how much they love the brand and enjoy it for the special occasions in their lives (Johnnie Walker Singapore, 2012). Recommendations for Marketing ManagersIn relation to brand loyalty, a firm wishing to enter the South Korean market must keep in mind the necessity of creating a brand image that is consistent with how they wish t o be perceived, the level of service the firm can deliver consistently, and being truly customer-oriented. When South Korean consumers are satisfied with a product provided through customer-oriented service, then these consumers are more likely to show loyalty towards a brand, leading to repeat purchases, which benefits firms through increased market share and profits.Establishing brand loyalty among consumers is feasible through the creation of interesting, informative, helpful and customer-oriented social media content. A successful portrayal of the brand’s values through frequent interaction with consumers is essential to getting consumers not only to learn more about the brand, but sharing this knowledge with their peers, which leads to increased and repeated purchases. This also contributes to an increase in a firm’s market share and profits.The important thing to recognise is that building brand loyalty gives firms a competitive advantage: brand image is somethin g that is unique to each firm, and as such, it can prove to make the difference when a consumer needs to make a purchasing decision between two brands of a similar product. When the brand image of the firm entering the South Korean market shows a strong sense of customer-orientation and consistent delivery of expectations, its chances of succeeding in the market will be higher than those firms who fail to recognise how important customer-orientation is to South Korean consumers.Bibliography Business Dictionary, 2012. What is brand loyalty? Business Dictionary, published 2012, < http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/brand-loyalty. html> Ha, H. Y. , Janda, S. , Park, S. K. , 2009. Role of satisfaction in an integrative model of brand loyalty: Evidence from China and South Korea, International Marketing Review, Vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 198-220 John Walker & Sons, 2012. Our Labels. Johnnie Walker, published 2012, Johnnie Walker Singapore, 2012. Johnnie Walker Singapore, Facebook, up dated 11 October 2012,Kabani, S. , 2012. How to build brand loyalty through social media, The Business Journals, published 24 August 2012, Lee, M. Y. , Knight, D. , Kim, Y. K. , 2008. Brand analysis of a US global brand in comparison with domestic brands in Mexico, Korea, and Japan, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 163-174 Yoon, S. J. , Kim, J. H. , 2000. An empirical validation of a loyalty model based on expectation disconfirmation, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 120-136

Cupcake Shop

International University Vietnam Bachelor of Commerce Program ASSIGNMENT COVER PAGE Your assessment will not be accepted unless all fields below are completed Subject Code:| BUSM4092| Subject Name: | Applied Entrepreneurship| Location where you study:| RMIT Vietnam – SGS| Title of Assignment:| Feasibility Analysis| Student name:| Kim Koan DongPham Anh HoaNguyen Phu HaiPham Phuong Nghi| Student Number:| s3324450s3298342s3255278S3269894| Learning Facilitator in charge:| Ms. Agatha Heng| Assignment due date:| 07/09/2012|Date of Submission: | 07/09/2012| Late Submission Approval| | Number of pages including this one: (Please number your pages like this: page 1 of 7, page 2 of 7, etc)| 27| Word Count:(Main Content)| 5,558| EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Having noticed the business opportunity in food, especially in dessert in the Vietnam market, Ucake’s business idea is developed. The purpose of presenting this idea is to help customers embodying their precious message into cake, the req uisite item in every celebration.This can be regarded our business idea as the current market has not provide it. Investigation revealed that choosing young people 15 to 30 living in Ho Chi Minh City as potential targets in terms of increase in population, GDP and positive behavioral change towards cake. Moreover, market research found that there are competitors with strong brand name and reputation. However Ucake can survive among the opponents with service differentiation focus strategy in which Ucake’s core differentiated service is ‘customer’s self decorated cake’.Ucake provides plain base cake, hygiene environment with fresh and diverse topping, and then customers simply come to shop and decorate their cakes easily and fast with meaningful memory supported by professional advice by Ucake’s chefs. Otherwise, customers can choose cake design from hundreds of models that suit their event. Among the analysis, first five years’ financial stat ements, showing estimated establishment cost, revenue and expense, are included to verify that Ucake is able to break-even within 3 years. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2 I. The Business Idea4 1. Opportunity description:4 . Product / service description:4 3. Description of the entrepreneur team:5 II. The Industry and Market6 1. Current Industry Analysis6 2. Market potential Analysis7 3. Competitors Analysis (referred to Appendix 3)8 4. Target market/customers9 5. Market penetration (referred to Appendix 5)10 6. Stakeholder Analysis11 III. Business Model Analysis (referred to Appendix 6)13 1. Revenue sources13 2. Cost drivers13 3. Resource requirements / mapping13 4. Investment size14 5. Critical success factors15 6. Risk analysis and management16 IV. Future Action Plan17 1. Sources of start – up capital17 . Further information needed17 3. Support needed18 REFERENCES19 APPENDICES21 I. The Business Idea 1. Opportunity description: Currently, Vietnamese people are accustome d to Western culture, so they consider cakes not only as desserts or presents for birthday, but also indispensable items in special events such as Christmas or anniversary party. This trend leads to the rapid growth in demands of cakes, especially in holiday period like Christmas (Bao Moi Newspaper, 2009). Not stopping there, people also want to make their cake becomes more momentous to suit the purpose of parties or events.However, there are still no bakeries allowing customers to decorate cakes by themselves. As entrepreneurs, this is a good occasion for Ucake to develop a business idea to create more values and options for customers through its differentiated services. 2. Product / service description: Ucake bakery that has differentiated services will be opened to make customer feel convenient and comfortable, bring more benefit, and satisfy their needs. Two main services will be developed. Firstly, dissimilar cake designs will be updated for customer to choose, and then Ucakeâ €™s bakers will make cakes exactly based on design’s offer.Moreover, customers also can prefer their own design for Ucake to implement. Although the design of cakes is sometimes not favored some customers, they still have to buy it as they have fewer choices. This problem can be solved when customers come to Ucake’s store where they have various choices and they can even ask Ucake to make the cake based on their own suggestion. Here at Ucake bakery, it sells not only cakes designed by its’ store, but also cakes customers want to have. Another service is self – decoration, which there are spaces provided for customers, and all necessary equipments are to support them decorating cakes on their own.When using this service type, customers will pay for a plain base cake, toppings, and cream to design the cake; and what is more, they are allowed to try the taste of the cream, toppings before purchasing. To help client’s better understanding of the se rvices, Ucake’s bakers are there and willing to give advice for cake decorates. The cakes can become so consequential for the receiver if people decorate it by themselves. For example, parents will be very surprised and happy if their children decorate a cake as a gift for their wedding anniversary.However, most of Vietnamese people do not have enough necessary equipments or places to decorate a cake. This issue has been recognized, and Ucake wants to generate services that give its buyers chances not only to garnish this kind of desserts but to enjoy the fun and relaxation as well when they come to Ucake. 3. Description of the entrepreneur team: A group four undergraduate students who are taking bachelor degrees in RMIT University are recently having their family businesses run profitably in the Vietnam industry.Having followed different majors with background s of serving business, marketing, design, and especially in the hospitality streams, the team has ambition of launch ing a bakery locally which is called Ucake. On that account, the team seeks for potential opportunities with creative production to help solving customers’ problem, giving them more benefits, and also generating profits remarkably for their business. In addition, each member has developed a wide spread of professional relationship that would sustain their project in positive aspect and scale through their family’s network and friends.By employing some of members’ real working experiences from their family business and other service firms, the team is expecting use their conditions and supports to start up Ucake bakery successfully. II. The Industry and Market 1. Current Industry Analysis To improve Ucake’s strategies and support the awareness towards different features affecting its business, Porter’s five forces model is applied for analyzing risks that helps Ucake to control in higher progress in the Vietnam industry. According to Rice (2010), th is model contains five typical aspects. 1. 1.Bargaining power of suppliers – Low Within the bakery industry, raw materials are vital factors that contribute to the success of a business leading to high value of products and prestige. Usually, prices of materials like flour, sugar, milk†¦ are depended on the level of quality customers want to aim at. In Vietnam, sources of suppliers for those ingredients are relatively diverse that can be derived from local grocery stores or larger suppliers. Hence, Ucake will have more options choosing dealer that are appropriate for its budget and demand. 1. 2. Bargaining power of buyers – HighNowadays, the Vietnamese people are influenced by Western cultures and tend to go to cake shops as their hobbies, especially on holidays and other events. With many bakeries throughout the country, customers are advantageous to experience excellence and different prices of various bakery shops. Besides, many youths are also interested in ma king cakes by themselves; as a result, clients have more knowledge of selecting the right cakes which are suitable for their commandment. 1. 3. Threat of new entrants – High Since the regulations and procedures of starting up a bakery in Vietnam are not so complex (Vatgia. om, 2011), which even people with small capitals can also invest on this kind of business, barriers to enter the industry here are not high. Therefore, as a new comer, Ucake faces the threat of self – decoration service imitation from other components, including existing and approaching cake shops. 1. 4. Threat of substitutes – High The level of threat of substitutes that Ucake faces is pretty high as there are many different types of food and dessert services developing in Vietnam (VietnamBriefing, 2008), such as ice – cream, yogurt, fast food, Vietnamese sweet soup, etc.Thus, clients have various options of switching to other food once their demand of consuming cakes decreases. 1. 5. Rivalry among existing firms – High At the moment, only in Ho Chi Minh City, there are over 100 bakery stores located widely, and the competition of bakeries are getting more and more intense as many large and small local bakery stores exist in the market (Phan Le, 2012). Furthermore, the local bakeries also have to compete under pressures of investments from some famous foreign bakeries, which might affect customers’ perceptions and operations of local bakeries as well as Ucake. . Market potential Analysis Regarding this area, PEST model is used to examine the environmental part for executive strategies. 2. 6. Political Due to To Loan (2008), food hygiene and safety are some of the biggest issues in Vietnam, and this issue is much cared by the government. Research Center of Business Administration claims that HACCP is the highest international license required by the Vietnamese for a firm which wants to operate in food industry. So, Ucake must have HACCP  (Hazard An alysis and Critical Control Points) to meet the Food Safety Law. 2. 7. EconomicUcake will have to take moderate rental costs, so the store’s location does not have to be positioned in the center of Ho Chi Minh City. Due to Diaoconline. com (2012), the cost for a two – floored shop in district 5 is approximately 1,000USD. Cost of facility and equipment for a new venture are paid highly in the first year in terms of the good quality facilities and equipment in order to make customer feel comfortable. However, since they are fixed costs, the venture does not need to pay anymore in next few years, and maintenance costs will be paid less instead.According to VietnamBranding (2008), Vietnamese people refer Western fast food than Vietnamese. 2. 8. Social Dan Tri Newspaper (2012) states that Vietnamese people care and obverse more Western tradition and events (Christmas, mother’s day, Halloween†¦) and considers that cakes are commonly used in many parties and speci al events. This leads to high demand of cake, and especially during Christmas. Besides, in this century, people do not only want a delicious cake but increasingly care more about nutrition and health issue (Viet Bao Newspaper, 2005).So, if Ucake has HACCP for ensuring the safety of the cakes and researching some of new healthy ingredients, more and more customers will be more attracted. 2. 9. Technology As a small business, high technology is not really fundamental for Ucake. However, Ucake need to have fresh, safe and high quality ingredients. Hence, safe and clean process of making and decorating cakes are highly presented, also the bakery can cooperate with its supplier to do research and development to adjust the amount of sugar and please customers, especially that are fastidious. . Competitors Analysis (referred to Appendix 3) 3. 10. Direct competitors Regarding the direct competitive environment, generally, most of Ucake’s components are other bakeries in Vietnam, whic h are large local bakeries, small ‘cakes and cafe’ shops, and foreign bakeries. Some of Ucake’s particular competitors consist of Vietnamese ones like Brodard, Givral and Jous Les Jours bakery from overseas. Firstly, Brodard and Givral bakeries are two of most long time businesses in the Vietnam bakery industry that selling cakes and other breads.Overall, both of them supply cake orders from clients like Ucake; conversely, as their service regards to only takeaway cakes, they do not have self – decorated cake services for buyers. For Tous Les Jours which is a popular chained bakery from Korea that mainly offers clients fresh breads, cakes and other desserts, the chain presently has more than 8 stores allocated in Ho Chi Minh City. Similar to Ucake, Tous Les Jours accommodates consumers with cafe spaces, and also makes cakes through customers’ idea suggestion.Nonetheless, the Korean chain does not have self – decoration cakes and hardly to cha nge to this kind of service while their concept is consistent, and because of their large number of branches. 3. 11. Indirect competitors In this field, as Vietnam’s integration has been widely opened, different investors of foodservice gradually find opportunities in the Vietnam market. As a consequence, Ucake’s indirect competitors are both domestic and foreign foodservice businesses surrounded by the nation.Among those components, Baskin Robbins (ice –cream chains), Yogen Fruz (Yogurt chains) and Lotteria (fast – food chains) are selected to weight against Ucake’s potential. In general, all of those 3 businesses are serving consumption services apart from Ucake, and their statuses are reasonably strong compared to Ucake as a new comer. In addition, none of them contains mutually two kinds of services that Ucake has. For this reason, even though Ucake is totally new and less popular, its operation is not affected much by indirect challengers in t erms of this new differentiated variety of service. . Target market/customers (referred to Appendix 4) 4. 12. Geographic According to World Bank (2012), the GDP per capita has been increased significantly since the year of 2000. Among the provinces, Ho Chi Minh City’s population claimed the highest with almost 6,000 people in 2010. Moreover, people’s average income in the northern area is also high, which especially in Ho Chi Minh City’s was estimated the greatest with approximately 3,000 USD per year (Hoa Le, 2012) determining higher consumption compared to other regions.Hence, Ho Chi Minh is an ideal location for Ucake to plan for starting up the investment and seek to achieve good profits. 4. 13. Demographic Ucake’s targeted customers are aimed at the ages from 15 to 29 who are mainly teenagers and youths going to work as there are numerous young ages of under 30 that reach more than 50% of the Vietnam population (Nielsen, 2010). 4. 14. Behavioral Thos e groups of audience above are targeted not only because of their excess in the country population. Typically, a majority of them tends to adapt new updates of trend due to the international integration prospect and influence from other countries’ cultures.Thus, that is one of the reasons why many young Vietnamese people have interests in Western fast food and desserts by the appearance of investments regarding these kinds of food in the Vietnam market. Viet Bao Newspaper (2005) states the progressive encouragement of the Vietnamese of considering hygienic products as their vital priority for consumption in recent decades. For those points, Ucake finds it quite potential with great opportunities to set goals for achieving success through this targeted market. 4. Market penetration (referred to Appendix 5)Since the cake market is already at the maturity stage of the product life cycle, in order to enter the industry; Differentiation Focus Strategy is applied to Ucake. QuickMBA (n. d) says that Differentiation Focus Strategy can help the firm to narrow down to a specific group of customers, and give consumers the best and different services compared to its competitors resulting in retaining customer loyalty. However, there are some limitations with this tactic that Ucake’s service can be imitated or its targeted segment changes consumer needs.Guerilla marketing: Ucake has to do marketing activities strongly in the first year as it is a new and small firm in the market, and guerilla marketing is an ideal tool for new business which has limited marketing budget like Ucake. Some experts (Levinson, Levinson, & Levinson 2007) indicate that guerilla marketing is an easy and inexpensive marketing method for small business. Guerilla marketing strategy focuses on low cost, unconventional marketing tactics, and puts more time and effort to achieve maximum result. One week before the opening of the shop, some of refrigerated cabinets made by glass can be placed on public places such as parks or supermarkets. Then Ucake’s big designed cakes are displayed inside to catch people’s attention and trigger their curiosity. The slogan â€Å"Your Cake† will be put on cabinets to introduce Ucake’s business idea to clients. * Additionally, few days before the launching day, the banner of announcing the decoration contest will be also situated near refrigerated cabinets to invite people to participate. The contest will be held during the opening day.Customers can join and buy their cakes with half prices Advertising: advertisements of Ucake’s establishment day will be posted on magazines for youths and teenagers such as Tiep Thi va Gia Dinh and Hoa Hoc Tro. A Facebook page of Ucake will be created as well in order to expand the brand community. Facebook is an ideal place for us to reach large number of potential customers. Ucake’s products and other activities will be informed which are easy for consume rs to view wherever they are. This social media tool can draw customers’ interests and Ucake can receive advantages from this marketing effect. 5. Stakeholder AnalysisBeside the owners, people that influence the performance and success of Ucake’s business can consist of the customers, supplier and employees. Those important stakeholders are categorized and emphasized in 4 particular aspects in the table below. Stakeholder| Role| Level of effect| Expectation| Supposed risks| Investors| Devoting for the establishment of the business| Moderate| Making decisions in right investing and capitalizing for beneficial profits of the company| Lack of financial sources or bankruptcy would threaten the operation of the business| Customers| Consuming goods and service of the bakery| High| More usage of roducts and services from customers helping the business to gain status and revenue to compete with others| Bad comments from customers affecting the reputation of the business whethe r quality of goods or services do not satisfy them| Supplier| Supplying raw materials to the client bakery (i. e. flour, sugar, butter, milk, etc. | Moderate| Providing required quality and quantity of materials not only to enhance relationship with customers but also help generating profitable products for customers | Bad quality of raw materials supplied or late delivery time will cause unqualified products or delay in the plan of the business| Employees| Supporting and controlling the operation of the bakery| High| Adding efficient value to the business by applying their trained skills to the service and attending to customers in order to improve the bakery’s performance| Low capability, misbehavior to customers leading to decrease in turnover of the business|III. Business Model Analysis (referred to Appendix 6) 1. Revenue sources The revenue is mainly generated from two items which are customer’s ordered cake and self decorated cakes. Customer’s ordered cake is produced based on the design that customers choose from Ucake’s menu. Therefore, the price of each cake is the revenue varying due to the size and design from 300,000VND to 400,000VND. Customer’s self decorated cake is made through this process, in which Ucake provides a plain base cake and customers decorate the cake by adding toppings and creams according to their preference.The fixed revenue will be sale price of the base cake (150,000VND), and additional revenue is earned by the amount of toppings they supplement which costs 15,000VND per package of one kind of topping. Minimum of 100,000VND of toppings is expected to be just enough for decorating a whole cake nicely. Furthermore, revenue from self – decorated cakes is anticipated to be greater than from ordered cakes. Research result shows that there are no competitors providing this service at the present time. Other revenue is earned by the sale of soft drinks sold for customers in the shop, and one c an of the drink costs 15,000VND.As the price is relatively cheaper, it will not be considered as crucial revenue to ensure maintenance of business. 2. Cost drivers Number of consumers or sales of cakes will increase the raw material expense. Ucake only sells cakes, and the expense to satisfy customers’ demand will have the greatest impact on cost structures. Ingredients to bake plain base cake, such as eggs, sugar, butter, milk, salt, flour and cream, must be kept fresh so JIT (Just In Time) strategy will be utilized to decrease inventory costs.Being located nearby Ucake, the supplier (referred to ‘Resources requirements’ part) will conduct prompt delivery at lower costs in daily basis. 3. Resource requirements / mapping In order to offer satisfactory services to customers, raw materials and human resources are decisive in our business. The raw materials mentioned in ‘Cost drivers’ part above will be purchased from Tan Nhat Huong, the only local firm supplying cream, operating in Tan Binh district, Ho Chi Minh City. The quality is as high as other foreign companies’ products.As Ucake and the supplier’s locations are geographically close to each other, Ucake can decrease significant logistic costs. Ucake needs four people to run this business. One professional chef will bake the plain base cake and ordered cake. Two more amateur chefs will work as supportive assistants to help the main chef and to advise customers decorating cake. One person will be hired as receptionist. For this job, as there is no complex calculation involved, a person with no background of accounting can also be recruited.People will be hired from the online labor market (timviecnhanh. com), and Ucake will upload specific requirements of employees and interview the favorite candidates. 4. Investment size The first financial investment must be at least 100,000USD in order to start and operate Ucake for first year. Below is the cost analysis for the first five years after opening Ucake. * Fixed cost Ucake will be opened on Nguyen Trai Street, District 5 by renting a two – floored shop . The rental fee will be 1,000USD per month which will be totally cost 12,000USD for the first year of contract.Also, other costs to operate the business like electricity, water are calculated to be 167USD per month (2,000USD / first year). * Variable cost As the cakes are baked after receiving orders from customers, ingredients are considered as variable costs. All costs related to baking process such as electricity, labor, ingredients are regarded as 100,000VND per cake. Assuming that Ucake produces 3,720 cakes per year, including two types of products based on the revenue analysis, the variable cost will be 20,000USD per year. * Semi variable cost Semi variable costs comprise two expenses: wage and marketing.The wage is for the four employees. The wage amounts for main chef, supportive chefs and receptionist are 200USD, 150USD and 10 0USD, respectively. In the initial year, monthly wage will be 600USD which adds up to 7,200USD of wage expense for the first year. Ucake will conduct marketing vigorously in the first year to present the differentiated services and gain customers’ awareness. The annual cost is estimated to be 5,000USD. * Non recurring cost Equipments like baking ovens, furniture, and shop renovation costs will be spent before launching Ucake shop. All the equipment costs are calculated approximately 50,000USD.Sum of the first year’s costs are 96,000USD. However, in case of not covering expenses by the revenue, 4,000USD is needed as a back-up fund when Ucake meets unexpected costs. Hence, the first investment cost should be 100,000USD to cover the whole first year and half of second year’s expense. The first investment fund of 100,000USD will be recovered at the end of third quarter in year 2. Even though the price of cake is cheaper than other consumer products like electronic d evices or automobiles, huge profit margin of cake will allow the business to step up from survival to growth level. 5. Critical success factorsDuring the investment process, there are two main critical success factors of sustaining Ucake’s operations. First of all, one of the most vital elements for a bakery to accomplish is the role of the head baker. A head baker needs to have long time experience in baking and decorating cakes. Yet, this is still not enough. Cakes are quite attractive to many people, but customers have begun fussier about this kind of desserts over time due to changes of their perceptions about nutrition and safety of goods (Viet Bao Newspaper, 2005); thus, the head baker has to update consumer's behaviors and apply ethods that are adequate with their demands. For instance, he can use fresh cream instead of butter cream to reduce the fat of the cake’s topping cream for making buyers more secure as regards their health. In addition, he is in charge o f planning and estimating the number of sellable cakes per day to verify profits for the bakery also encourages products sold within 24 hours upon baking and avoids surplus of stock. Another critical success factor of Ucake is the quality of customer services.As a bakery providing self – decorated cakes, in order to serve the customer’s needs, it is significant to hire a group of staffs that meet the working standard for this new type of service. Basically, the staffs need to have limited knowledge about cake’s basis and skills of decorating cakes for instruction whether their buyers cannot garnish themselves or need assistants. Besides, they are to support customers in providing them options of cake toppings shapes for their self – decorated cakes, directing them to park vehicles, and make the shop atmosphere hygienic and convenient for them.With those points, Ucake can expect to match the criterions of services and keep its customers satisfied. 6. Risk analysis and management Among the risks, some distinguishing points strongly affect Ucake’s enlargement that need to be aware and administrated in terms of its business conception. The first threat that Ucake might face is that the idea of customer self – decoration services can be imitated by others which is estimated with high chance.As being appeared at the maturity stage, products of Ucake are common in the industry, except that its services are developed to a different standard and have never been applied by other competitors. Nevertheless, although self – decoration is new and unique compared to others, this concept does not require so many sophisticated progressions to implement the services; in consequence, other bakeries, including existing and potential ones, can easily reproduce Ucake or create similar serving styles even if Ucake tries to protect its company via Intellectual Property Rights registration.Copying service is an unavoidable problem to Uc ake; still, Ucake would be the pioneer in applying self – decorated cakes for clients in the market, so it is an extremely cautious period for Ucake to deliberate its growth as well as gaining customer loyalty by performing satisfactory products and services once it is first publicized. Additionally, the moderate possibility of employees’ misbehaviors to customers throughout their serving mission might occur. During the business, employees have high responsibilities in making clients feel worthy with what they pay for the services and want to return to Ucake again.On the other hand, employees are sometimes negative effects of discouraging customers of using services due to their slow serving or bad attitudes, and this would be very dangerous for the bakery because customers have diverse options of bakeries to prefer. As a consequence, Ucake needs to spend a period of time training the employees carefully with some particular rules of the bakery before the store’ s launch to look forward to attaining effective services satisfying its consumers.What is more, employees should be praised with rewards or other incentives whether they do their job well in order to increase their productivity in addition to Ucake’s efficient services. IV. Future Action Plan 1. Sources of start – up capital Ucake is a relatively small size in aspects of budget, establishment cost and labor wage. The business model analysis shows that Ucake requires at least 100,000USD as set up cost. There are three possible financial sources to raise the fund. * Angel investment: Ucake will open a business plan presentation to potential angel investors to persuade them that it is a feasible business.Angel investors will receive corresponding amount of return related to their investment size. * Loan from bank: Banks allow the Vietnamese to receive loan if credibility is guaranteed. Ucake will summit five years of financial budget and business plan to convince that Uca ke is a trustable business. 50,000USD is the amount Ucake plans to receive from the bank as a loan. * Financial supports from acquaintance: four owners of the business are running their own family business and being successful. Ucake can be financially supported by their families. . Further information needed Ucake lacks legal knowledge about food market. As a result, the future operation of the bakery must be checked and advised by a law firm called TopicLaw. TopicLaw will support by providing standard of food and necessary licenses for Ucake to run the bakery such as sanitation of bakery, safety of equipments. Also, as Ucake’s business idea is very easy to be copied, it should contact with consulting firm to protect the Intellectual Property Rights. The consultation will be about patent registration.The Target market analysis shows that the targeted market is quite potential. However, Ucake must implement further surveys before opening to identify what kind of toppings and decoration style that the target market prefers. It is vital to run regular survey on customers’ feedback and preference after setting up Ucake in order to maintain competitive advantages in such dynamic food market. 3. Support needed Due to the fact that parents of the four Ucake’s owners are successfully running family business overcoming economic crisis, they can be consultants of Ucake.External environments cannot be consistent as Ucake assume. Therefore, their parents may recommend direction of future operation and performance of Ucake. Excluding law firm and consulting firm which was mentioned in ‘further information needed’ section above, Ucake is looking forward to surviving and growing in the target market without further outside supports. 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Appendix 2: Uca ke staffs’ job description Staff| Function| Head chef| The person who has long time knowledge and experience of working in the bakery industry.Typically, he holds good recipes of cakes and manages every baking step to ensure the cakes look stunning and tasty. | Supportive chefs| These chefs can be amateur and to assist the head chef in doing the baking process and help instructing customers towards self – decoration services. They also direct customers in decorating cakes whether customers suggest. | Receptionist| Has a responsibility of managing the quantity of toppings, charging bills of customers and reporting the revenue daily to owners. | Appendix 3: Direct and Indirect competitors analysis 3. 1. Direct competitors