Company Analysis: Hampton Machine Tool Company

The questions for the Hampton Machine Tool Company are given below. Please prepare for submission questions 1 and 2 only. That is, please submit your balance sheet for December 31, 1979 and income statement for the four month period, September through December 1979, requested in question 2 below (your income statement should not be monthly; it should cover the entire four months). Please also prepare, but do not submit, the remaining questions.1. Why can't a profitable company like Hampton repay its loan on time and why does it need more bank financing? What major developments between November 1978 and August 1979 have contributed to this situation?2. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected income statement for the four months Sept. 1979 through Dec. 1979 and a pro forma balance sheet as of December 31, 1979. (Your income statement should not be monthly. You should make one covering the entire four months.)3. Critically evaluate the assumptions on which your forecas ts are based. What developments could alter your results? Is Mr. Cowins correct in his belief that Hampton can repay the loan in December? 4. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected cash budget for the four months, September through December 1979. Do the cash budgets and pro forma financial statements yield the same results? Why, why not? Hint: they should.Another hint: Do not rely on the statement on page 6, ―†¦our engineering estimates indicate that we expect to earn a profit before taxes and interest of about 23% on sales on these shipmentsâ€â€". Instead using the accounting relation in Q#2 (footnote below) when constructing your income statement. 5. What action should Mr. Eckwood take on Mr. Cowins' loan request? What are the major risks associated with the proposed loan? What other alternatives does Mr. Eckwood have and what are the pros and cons? What would you do?6. Why did Hampton repurchase a substantial fraction of its outstanding common st ock? What is the impact of this repurchase on Hampton's financial performance? Critically assess Hampton's dividend policy. Do you agree with Mr. Cowins' proposal to pay a substantial dividend in December?With Cartwright, we had a relatively simplistic situation, particularly as it concerns inventory: only one class of inventory was represented, not the typical threesome of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. (Presumably Cartwright was not adding much value to the raw materials, just selling them through, although—on the contrary—the case seemed to indicate that the company manufactured some door frames, trim, etc.)For Hampton, you might find helpful a basic accounting relationship: beginning inventory + purchases + other outlays – cost of sales = ending inventory;  solving for cost of sales (and recognizing that end – begin inventory is change in inventory), Cost of sales = purchases + other outlays – change in inventory. (Note t hat there are a couple inventory types to include.)Additional sub-hint: the ―other outlaysâ€â€" amount to $400K/mo. There are other expenses that should also be kept in mind when generating the pro-forma income statement. Company Analysis: Hampton Machine Tool Company The questions for the Hampton Machine Tool Company are given below. Please prepare for submission questions 1 and 2 only. That is, please submit your balance sheet for December 31, 1979 and income statement for the four month period, September through December 1979, requested in question 2 below (your income statement should not be monthly; it should cover the entire four months). Please also prepare, but do not submit, the remaining questions.1. Why can't a profitable company like Hampton repay its loan on time and why does it need more bank financing? What major developments between November 1978 and August 1979 have contributed to this situation?2. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected income statement for the four months Sept. 1979 through Dec. 1979 and a pro forma balance sheet as of December 31, 1979. (Your income statement should not be monthly. You should make one covering the entire four months.)3. Critically evaluate the assumptions on which your forecas ts are based. What developments could alter your results? Is Mr. Cowins correct in his belief that Hampton can repay the loan in December?4. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected cash budget for the four months, September through December 1979. Do the cash budgets and pro forma financial statements yield the same results? Why, why not? Hint: they should.Another hint: Do not rely on the statement on page 6, ―†¦our engineering estimates indicate that we expect to earn a profit before taxes and interest of about 23% on sales on these shipmentsâ€â€". Instead using the accounting relation in Q#2 (footnote below) when constructing your income statement.5. What action should Mr. Eckwood take on Mr. Cowins' loan request? What are  the major risks associated with the proposed loan? What other alternatives does Mr. Eckwood have and what are the pros and cons? What would you do?6. Why did Hampton repurchase a substantial fraction of its outstanding common s tock? What is the impact of this repurchase on Hampton's financial performance? Critically assess Hampton's dividend policy. Do you agree with Mr. Cowins' proposal to pay a substantial dividend in December?With Cartwright, we had a relatively simplistic situation, particularly as it concerns inventory: only one class of inventory was represented, not the typical threesome of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. (Presumably Cartwright was not adding much value to the raw materials, just selling them through, although—on the contrary—the case seemed to indicate that the company manufactured some door frames, trim, etc.) For Hampton, you might find helpful a basic accounting relationship: beginning inventory + purchases + other outlays – cost of sales = ending inventory;Solving for cost of sales (and recognizing that end – begin inventory is change in inventory), Cost of sales = purchases + other outlays – change in inventory. (Note tha t there are a couple inventory types to include.)Additional sub-hint: the ―other outlaysâ€â€" amount to $400K/mo. There are other expenses that should also be kept in mind when generating the pro-forma income statement.

Immigrant Health in the United States

IntroductionThe understanding of the challenges facing immigrant health in the United States is vital to maximizing its trajectory towards transformation. As pointed out by Hall and Cuellar (2016), the negative impetus among the immigrant healthcare in the United States is greatly linked to the relationship between the immigration policies and immigration experiences. Even though the government has passed various legislations with an aim of providing affordable health care to its citizens, the socio-political environment, and its effects healthcare service provision remains a troubling affair. This study seeks to examine some of the pieces of evidence that lead to the limited access to quality health care in the United States of America, more so the immigrants. Some of the possible barriers include unfriendly immigration policies, bureaucracies in the health care system, and lack of capital to finance medical bills. Therefore, this study is significant in addressing the government and other stakeholders to come up with friendly measures that give immigrants easy access to health care services.Statement of the Study ProblemImmigrants in the United States are faced with substantial challenges in accessing healthcare, and this has a great toll on their general wellbeing. These challenges can be attributed to the healthcare system. For example, the insurance coverage varies from one state to another, which leads to an intricate insurance scheme in the country. As a result, the government faces a greater challenge to influence uniform reforms at the national level. Even in spite of the Congress passing the patient and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, the immigrant communities in the country are still not able to access good healthcare services. This implies that the political goodwill is necessary to promote the immigrants' rights in health care access. The country should implement sound and sustainable immigration policies access essential services in the country.Immigrant Health and Its ChallengesIt is obvious that the negative trajectory to healthcare accessibility by immigrant communities is propelled by the existing harsh policies. For instance, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) impedes many local, state, and federal health workers from supporting the undocumented immigrants (Hall ; Cuellar, 2016). Even though was sought as a tool to limit illegal immigration, such restrictions limit the immigrants to access publicly financed health services, and instead of serving the purpose of limiting illegal immigrants, (PRWORA) places deleterious effects on the immigrants' access to publicly funded health care service. Another matter of concern is how the implementation of ACA is possible when Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) conditions the immigrants to meet certain qualifications in order to access any form of federal assistance. Even if they have a chance to Medicaid benefits, their time to access such is restricted. According to Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996, federal benefits are only allowed for five years for the qualified immigrants and refugees. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the policies governing the health care place open restrictions to the immigrant communities. The organization, therefore, maintains that social workers and healthcare service providers should be on the lookout to consider these social and legal statutes to deal with the barriers that limit the community wellbeing in the country. Besides these limiting policies, the immigrant communities are also faced with discrimination and prejudice whenever they visit any health facility. In fact, the problem of racism still remains a disturbing matter in the United States. As a result, some health professionals have been reluctant to attend to patients from other ethnic communities. Also, most of the immigrant families have low income, which affects their ability to pay the hospital bills. Therefore, they face a serious problem when it comes to health care access. What Has Been DoneVarious individuals and organization have made incredible endeavors to address the immigrant health challenges in the United States. For instance, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has been active in calling their members and partners to deal with the policies that affect the immigrant communities (Haidar, 2018). On the same pedestal, the former president Barack Obama in 2014 made public his intention to allow the undocumented immigrants to live in the country without the constant threats of deportation. He similarly sought to allow them unrestricted access legal employment in different companies and organizations. Unfortunately, the Republicans in the Senate used their numerical strength to thwart the plan, and were later put on hold by one of the federal district judges in Texas. The argument was that when would be allowed in the country, the plan would place a strain on the health care system.In addition, lack of insurance coverage, poor political goodwill, lack of knowledge about health, screening, and prevention makes it difficult to influence changes in the health care to favor immigrants. This creates the likelihood of poor access to chronic infection management for the families that do not have health insurance coverage. According to the study done by Gushulak, Weekers and MacPherson (2009), positive health care outcome and health care-seeking behavior are greatly associated with the healthcare insurance. It is important to note that the government has tried to implement the Affordable Care Act, but still, the immigration policies need to be dealt with to attain the best results. The government and the policymakers must come up with better approaches that guarantee affordable health care for all people indiscriminately. Even though experts allude that the U.S. immigration integration policies are the best compared to other countries and is slightly favorable in regards to health policies, more efforts are needed to make this thought a conceivable reality. Since the election of Donald Trump as the president of the United States, various organizations concerned with the protection of the immigrants and refugees' rights have issued statements to fight the unfriendly policies. They seek to revoke the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and to pave ways for the immigrants' easy access to essential public services (Hall ; Cuellar, 2016). The government has also developed certain measures sought to defend the rights of the foreign-born individuals in the country. One of them is the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS), which is used as a blueprint guide in giving health care service to different populations. This means that immigrants and refugees in the country also commit the government to ensuring proper access to health care service. However, more needs to be done to allow immigrants easy access to health care services. Potential ChallengesThere is an effort to make reforms in the health care service so that all people in the United States can access them. However, it is evident that there are still potential challenges to deal with, such as poor political goodwill to fast-track such (Kullgren, 2003). When President Obama tried to come up with plans to support the immigrant communities, the plan was thwarted not on the basis of the arguments that were presented, but due to political stands. The members of the Republican Party used their number to defeat the plan in the Congress. However, experts say that the barriers to health service for immigrant communities are vaster and go beyond the policies. They range from financial incapacities, fear of deportation and discrimination among the health care service providers. For example, within the health care system are external resource constraints, discrimination, the costs of the health care services and many procedures within the system that one has to keep up with. In fact, the bureaucratic procedures within the health care system is not only disadvantageous to immigrants, but to other citizens as well. On the other hand, there are individual challenges that impede health care access. These may include communication barriers, fear of deportation, stigma, financial incapacities and lack of knowledge about health care services. At the policy level, immigrants meet difficulties in trying to access health care insurance. The requirement that individuals have to provide their documents to access such insurances is a greater challenge, more so to the undocumented immigrants. Therefore, despite the efforts, the challenges are seriously raging.RecommendationsThe recommendations to address these challenges range from advocacy for policy transformation, more training for the health care providers to better understand their professional roles, more and better insurance options, and extension of the security net. In other words, the government should increase access to all citizens irrespective of their background and status. Also, the government should allow access to state-funded health care or provide subsidized insurance opportunities to all people living in the united states. Essentially, there is a need for all the stakeholders involved in the matter to take these points with greater interests to guarantee access to affordable health care between both the documented and undocumented immigrants. If allowed to continue on the same pedestal, the United States would end up being a bad example that would be used as a case study for poor immigration health policies. ConclusionThis study identifies some of the barriers to health care access by the immigrant communities. Some of the identified areas to be addressed include immigrant policies, the bureaucracies within the health care system as well as the expansion of health insurance options. The United States is celebrated in the world for having friendly blueprints that guide its health care policies. However, it is also apparent that those policies are not friendly to immigrants living in the country. Even though various stakeholders have tried to generate mitigating measures, there is still need to promote political goodwill for those options to succeed. In spite of the Congress passing the patient and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law in 2010, the immigrant communities in the country are still not able to access good health care services due to poor political goodwill. It means that the government and policymakers must hasten their moves in coming up with proper measures to support immigrant health. Just as pointed out in this study, understanding the challenges that face immigrant health in the United States is vital to maximizing its path towards transformation.

Abstract Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Abstract - Research Paper Example The first defect is that much of the recent literature of trust is purely based on theoretical concepts. In addition to this the process through which trust strikes cooperative behavior has not been exhaustively tested through empirical observation. Second shortcoming is that much of the literature assumes that trust leads to the highest degree of cooperation. Despite what has been learned, there are three critical shortcomings to the current knowledge of trust and cooperation at the interpersonal level of analysis. First, much of the recent trust literature has been purely theoretical and the process through which trust Second, much of the literature assumes that trust must lead to a high degree of cooperation. For example, behavioral assessment theorists have operationalized trust as conjunctive conduct, thus rendering the same treatment to trust and cooperation and assuming it as one and the same (Arrow, 1974). The same thing has been said by several other authors as well. Nevertheless, there is a need for more research on this topic and some authors state that there should be greater insertion of social elements, particularly social standards, in the subject of

Managing people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing people - Essay Example Managers must establish an environment in which people can accomplish group goals with the least amount of time, money, materials, and personal dissatisfaction or in which they can achieve as much as possible of a desired goal with available resources (Lippitt, Peter, & Jack 1985). Increasingly important organizational changes occur whenever there is a need. For instance, when an organization revolutionizes its overall approach for success by inserting or removing important parts or needs to modify the core of its operations. It also takes place when an organization develops through different life cycles and for organizations to evolve, they frequently go through significant transformations at various stages in their development. There are numerous approaches in bringing change-some of the changes are planned, other can be structured and precise, while others may be more natural, unfolding and implied. Some perspectives work from the future to the present, others might start from the present to the future. Bringing change is one of the major issues faced by managers. In order to bring massive change, a manager has to renew his or her vast organization (Recardo 2000). Organization renewal frequently starts with an adjustment in the firm’s strategy, mission, and vision alongside strategic change. Strategic changes consistently sets off effects throughout the organization. Firstly, there can be cultural alterations in which the employees have to accept new corporate values-new philosophies of what employees’ vision as what they should or should not do. Moving quickly, accepting technology, and keeping lines of communication open are a few of the novel values the management needs employees to agree to. In case of expansion, the management has to start structural modification as well which is rearranging company’s departmental structure, harmonization, duration of control, reporting relationships, duties, and decision-making measures, as

EMBA 560 Executive position week 2 discussion 2 Essay

EMBA 560 Executive position week 2 discussion 2 - Essay Example He or she must be articulate, a good communicator particularly in face-to-face meetings with clients, a fundamental understanding of medical devices and equipment, and an affinity for the challenges of working in sales and marketing. Half of the job of being a good marketing professional is earning the trust and confidence of the client, so it is a vital requirement that the candidate for my position is honest and sincere, has a genuine affinity for people (that is, he or she should not have issues about not wanting to be among strangers), and could inspire a genuine trust in people. Things like these could not be faked. At the same time, my replacement should be forward looking and self-motivated, because marketing requires seeking out those who would benefit most from our products and bringing these products to them. It requires innovative thinking, because the obvious prospects are always already served. Creativity is needed to seek out potential customers, to approach them in a m anner that does not immediately alienate them even before you get to speak, and to find out what their needs are and match these needs with the product you sell, so that everyone comes out at an advantage. Finally, I will look for a sense of perseverance and fortitude. Marketing is both physically and mentally challenging work, so the successful candidate should be up to the task. 2.Consider the hypothetical situation in question #1.   What are the pros and cons of hiring someone exactly like you? While I was writing out the answer to the first question, I was wondering whether I fit the bill myself in the manner I set the attributes down. I realized that these are the qualifications that I would like to have, or that I would like to think I possess but do not actually. It is the best of what I want to be and what I think the position demanded. There are dangers to finding someone exactly like oneself, because there never is one. No two persons, not even twins, are exactly alike, and making oneself the role model for finding a replacement makes one almost doomed to fail. Then he would have to â€Å"settle† for someone a little bit less in his estimation (because nobody ever measures up to the ideal picture we have of ourselves), and this becomes a poor basis for beginning a working relationship, particularly between a supervisor and his subordinate. Another thing about finding someone like me to take over my place perpetuates the weaknesses that I had, at worse, and at best not have anything new to add to the position. There is a distinct advantage in hiring someone not like myself, in that they bring something new to the plate. New is always good, it is at least change, and after sometime the innovation would be adjusted to fit the job, enhancing its advantages while minimizing the disadvantages. Hiring someone for my old position who is exactly like me is a constraint on the new worker, if he knew that I hired him for that purpose. His tendency, as with all other subordinates, is to meet the expectations of his superior (myself), so he will try to do everything like me and think, what would my boss do if he were in my place? But this attitude does not foster growth, it does not free up the individual for the many initiative and ideas he may have for the job. Therefore, it were better that in choosing a replacement, I should not look for someone who was like me, for that reason.

Breast Cancer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Breast Cancer - Research Paper Example There are many studies and intensive research is underway in order to identify the most important factors that are the reason for the constant increase of the incidence of breast cancer in the last several decades. The results and information’s from this research should help us reduce the morbidity and mortality from breast cancer and increase the self-awareness of the general population about the risks for this disease. In this study we will conduct a systematic research on the risk and other factors that are the most important factors in the etiology of breast cancer and also we will discuss the challenges of effective screening and treatment of breast cancer. Introduction Breast cancer is malignant neoplasm that is originating from the tissues of the breast. It has significance as one of the most common cancers in the population that almost exclusively affects the female population, however in small percentages this malignancy is present in the male population also (less than 1% of all cases of breast cancer) (Florescu et al. 2011). Breast cancer is the most common type of invasive malignancy that affects women and contributes up to 23% of all invasive cancers that affect female population worldwide. It is registered that in year 2008 13.7% of cancer mortality in the female population in the world was caused by breast cancer or 6% of all cancer mortality worldwide (men and women) was caused by breast cancer (GLOBOCAN 2008). These numbers are alarming and show that breast cancer has severe impact on the global morbidity and mortality especially on the female population. It is also alarming that incidences of breast cancer are constantly increasing dur ing the last three decades and this tendency is maintained till the resent day (Louwman et al 2008). It is believed that this is caused by the modern way of life and the changes that appeared in the habits and diets of modern way of living, changes in the reproductive behavior of the female population and other factors (Dignam et al 2003). This fact can be elaborated more clearly if we understand that the incidence of breast cancer is higher in western, developed countries and in countries that accept western way of lifestyle. For example incidences of breast cancer in population of 100 000 in western Europe is 78, in North America is 90 and these rates are significantly higher when compared to eastern Asia with 18 cases per 100 000 population, in sub-Saharan Africa 22 etc. (Stewart and Kleihues 2003). United States has the highest incidence of breast cancer in the world with 128 new cases of breast cancer on 100 000 women and in United States breast cancer is the second most common cancer after the skin cancer and the second most common cause of cancer mortality after lung cancer (American Cancer Society 2007). As we can see from the above statistics breast cancer has significant effect on the mortality in the population worldwide but especially in the developed countries. 3. Risk factors for breast cancer 3.1. Unchangeable risk factors for breast cancer There are many factors that is believed are the risen for the increase of the incidence of breast cancer in developed countries. In order to understand these factors we will look at the risk factors that are found to be associated with increased incidence of brea

Project Management Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Project Management Techniques - Essay Example This case is a project aimed at upgrading the staff computers from Windows XP to Windows 7. It should be accomplished during the winter and spring 2011/2012, and shall be carried out by the six member in-house technical support unit of the organization. By the project’s end, all 400 computers located in the company’s 30 locations situated around England should be running on Windows 7. The computers presently are of varied types and specifications, and by project’s end should be running on Windows 7 without compromising or unduly interrupting the regular workload. The purpose of this report is to examine the project management tools that may be used to provide a systematic means of addressing the project’s planning and implementation. The project shall provide the context for discussion, but a full blown analysis is not attempted at this point. Prescribed Project Management Tools This section provides a cursory examination of the traditional project managem ent tools and comment on their applicable use in the context of this project. The traditional tools that will be discussed are the Gantt chart, the PERT method, the Logic Network, the Product Breakdown Structure, and the Work Breakdown Structure. ... In contemporary use, the importance of the Gantt chart as an industry standard is that the time and functional interdependencies of the various tasks are rendered immediately visible (Haughey, 2011). In the figure following, a Gantt chart is presented that may well serve as the initial conceptualization of the project plan. Here it is assumed that the group of six technicians will work in two teams, each team having one member that is familiar with end user requirements. Each of the teams will address half or the 30 locations, and each location can be addressed in two days (including travelling time). The initial schedule is thus laid out in the Gantt chart for one team. Author created The above chart is tentative and not executable for lack of additional data. If the tasks for each location could be broken down further (e.g. hardware modification, software installation, troubleshooting, etc.) and scheduled, e a more detailed and reliable chart results. Even in its tentative state, t hough, it already presents a useful rendition of the work intended and points out what other information are necessary to obtain. Logic Network The Logic Network depicts the series of activities that a project undergoes. The logical and sequential relationships of tasks are emphasized, and may provide information such as the critical path and the important milestones of the project. As with the Gantt chart, the dependencies are established between the timescale, the project elements, and the workflow ((Haughey, 2011). Author created For this case, the Logic Network shown above pertains to the activity of each team for each trip it takes to one of the 15 locations scheduled for it. In the team, a group of three

Violence on television influences viewers to become violent Essay

Violence on television influences viewers to become violent - Essay Example Various incidents have been reported on to the media where television viewers have actually learnt negative tactics from it and applied them in real life. One recent link can be connected to the Asian Subcontinent where a twenty five year old scientist shaved off his gardener’s head leaving him bald after the gardener failed to carry out his work properly one day. When the scientist was later questioned about this act, a striking revelation came forward; the previous day he had seen on the news how a robber caught by public was shaved off the hair on his head and stripped off his clothes and made to walk around the streets of the city naked – this was where the scientist had gotten the idea of what to do with his gardener. I have always been a believer of the fact that our unconscious mind gains a lot from its surroundings, despite the fact that whatever is happening around us is acceptable to us or not. Similarly, many a times various television programs are being aired which fail to attract our interest at all. For instance, a documentary on Rape in India might fail to divert out attention towards it but our subconscious mind does pick up a little from the bits we hear of hit (Hamilton). Its human nature to learn from their surroundings and the same stands true for young kids. At that age, their mind are highly vulnerable to what is happening around them, and seeing anything on media can instill the image in their minds that it is right. A similar case was once reported in Nigeria, where a ten year old boy forcefully took off the clothes of one of his class mates. The child was later sent to reformative classes, where he confessed that he carried out the act because he had seen something similar bei ng aired on the television and his parents watching it. Despite the fact that the television has helps us in gaining information about the world alongside keeping us entertained, it can certainly not be

Assignment Week Two Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment Week Two - Term Paper Example arch is being carried out in different parts of the world, thus no one can claim that he is not a learner or he knows everything on any specific topic. Yes, one who evolved any principle theory on any subject and the theory is recognized scientifically worldwide, he can only claim to be the owner of that particular idea until and unless his idea / theory is challenged , changed, rejected or improved. If this is done that once again that individuals becomes a learner on the topic. The next idea that I liked a lot is the idea of five disciplines discussed in the â€Å"Training Guide† because I had been involved in training people and had been imparting training on various topics frequently. Since, personal mastery involves a huge exposure on the topic therefore, it helps out the trainer to share his knowledge and experience, and also enables him to reply each and every question satisfactorily quoting examples from what he practically dealt with. While involving participants in two way talks, we ultimately share a lot of knowledge and personal experience of each other and thereby understand counter productivity. The shared vision certainly brings a lot of new ideas for every one especially for the leader and enables him to satisfy his topic of lecture more satisfactorily. I similarly do agree with the third discipline ‘Mental Model’. During all trainings, I myself frequently adapted this discipline and obtained a lot of new ideas to make the topic of lecture more satisfying and more useful. Every participant, who had some experience on the topic and could share his own mental model, was also making contribution that added to the knowledge base. This is important discipline and I always used it extensively. Team learning and system thinking are also deeply experienced in all training sessions. I always have taken opportunity of team learning by making two separate teams of equal participants and thereafter presenting ideas of each team to summaries the topic

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Assignment Research Paper

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Assignment - Research Paper Example Concrete and productive strategies are therefore necessary to compact the crime related complications. Crime Prevention Approaches To achieve the entire goal of crime prevention in any society, all stakeholders should be exclusively involved. Policy makers, community members, developers and law enforcers have to work collectively in the battle against criminal activities. Traditionally, crime prevention was the obligation of the police officers and the judicially. Community members and other community key players were not involved. With the modern technology and complexity of criminal activities in the society, the contribution of all informers in society is paramount. Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) has incorporated all stakeholders in addressing criminal activities in the society. According to Crime prevention through environmental design strategy, profound designs and inclusive use of the general environment reduces tremendously the level of criminal activiti es in the society. The strategy works directly and indirectly in fettering notorious criminal activities in a society. CPTED encourages business people, neighbors and community organizations to combine their effort in preventing crime. The guiding principle in crime prevention through environmental design is time to time community consultation (Crowe 209). The constituents of CPTED are divided into two generations, the first generation and the second generation. The first generation entails components of physical designs. In this case physical designs include territoriality, natural surveillance, access control and image. The second generation is composed of social variables of the neighborhoods. Thunder Bay is one of the biggest cities in northern Ontario Canada. The city is mostly occupied by miners. There are very many idlers in the city due to job scarcity (Zimmerman 200). The city accommodates one of the most attractive tourist sceneries in Canada. The city is known for its hig h level of criminal activities. Crime is very rampant in Thunder Bay city. The most apparent criminal activities in Thunder Bay city include, rape, and drug trafficking, murder, prostitution, and theft (Zimmerman 200). The security agencies have tried to reduce this criminal activities but their effort is futile. The criminal activities in the city have discouraged tourist in the area. The crimes activities have also developed fear among the city residents. With proper utilization of the crime prevention through environment design principles, criminal activities in the country can be a thing of the past (Zimmerman 200). There is dire need for intensive inclusion of the available resources in the fight against criminal activities. Proper integration of the crime prevention through environmental design principles by the city planners, community, home owners, and developers is the only apparent solution to criminal activities in Thunder Bay city. There most relevant CPTED principles in the city includes The Natural Surveillance Principle The principle is based on the notion that, criminals do not wish to be observed when doing their criminal activities (Jeffrey 140). The legitimate users of the city or any residential place are expected to be in touch with what is happening on the street. Through this principle suspicious visitors are easily identified .The basic aim of the natural surveillance is to eliminate all the obstacles in the streets, providing adequate lights in

Persuasive Essay Example for Free

Persuasive Essay Obama Immigration Policy Illegal immigration has been a major issue in the United States (US), for those who leave their home countries for the American dream. These people are deported when found; completely up-rooted from lives they built. This affects illegal immigrants from men and women, which migrate illegally, to their children often, brought to the United States for a better chance at life. Furthermore, this piece will illustrate the issues illegal immigrants face along with a new policy, which has the potential to change lives for illegal immigrants with productive intentions. In June 2012, President Barrack Obama announced a new policy, which could delay illegal immigrants from experiencing deportation. The new policy is aimed at those who illegally came to this country as children, and who have generally stayed out of trouble since they got here (Simon, 2012). Under the administrations new plan, these immigrants would get a temporary, two-year waiver from deportation, and would also be eligible for a work permit (Simon, 2012). Those eligible can seek what amounts to a two-year deferment of any prosecution for being in this country illegally, a deferment, which is infinitely renewable (Fischer, 2012). Scott Horsley from the National Public Radio News (NPR) Stated, â€Å" the policy is aimed at people who came to the U. S. when they were under the age of 16, and whove lived here for at least five years. Those who have gone to school, finished school, gotten their GED, or served in the military, and who are not yet 30 years old. These are, if you will, the most innocent of illegal immigrants, those of whom Mr. Obama said they are Americans in every way but on paper. † This move could affect 800,000 to 1. million illegal immigrants. A few of my own family members could be affected by this. I have cousins, which came to the US illegally with their parents and have excelled since being here in the United States, but the threat of deportation is a constant reality. Some have been victims of crimes, and didn’t contact the authorities, for fear of being torn out of the lives they built. The new policy could be beneficial to my family as well as many other families who fear f amily members not coming home at the end of the day. This could be a temporary solution for the working class immigrants. A few arguments are that some think this back-door amnesty. Gov Jan Brewer stated, What he has done today is he is going to give documentation to nearly a million people that have arrived in our country illegally and not by the rule of law. † Another argument is that the Obama administration has decided to stop following laws already passed by Congress and act as if its preferred policies are law. More particularly, the DREAM Act, which failed to pass Congress. President Obama has used executive power to bring back parts of the DREAM Act, and is going along with policy rather than law. What President Obama has done is legal, but could set a regrettable precedent, where presidents in the future could refuse to follow laws because of disagreement with certain elements of those laws. Illegal immigrants are can apply for the two year waiver from deportation, but it is clear this is not a path to citizenship. Non-citizens will not be able to vote. These immigrants will also have to complete the same application process as all others do for work permits. Federal work permits will be given to those, which are granted prosecutorial deferment. I believe this new policy is a morally right decision. I personally have served in the armed forces with some of these immigrants, and a few have even defended the US better than some US citizens, for a country that does not want them. For example, one of my brothers in arms is a Philippine National, and while serving a deployment in Iraq his wife and newborn son were deported , which led to a long strenuous application process. To be blunt, it is a smack in the face to deport or prosecute veterans for immigration laws because they have served the US government and supported and defended the Constitution were to approve the new policy, immigration courts would be able to shift their focus to the illegal immigrants, which have bad intentions, criminal records, no tax record, or more blatantly put the individuals who should be prosecuted and deported. Some did not even know they were not citizens until they applied for drivers licenses, or college scholarships, etc. I just do not think it is right to deport or prosecute people who are not doing anything to hurt the United States, and if they show promise. So to recapitulate, the immigration policy was announced in June 2012. It has the potential to help, those brought to the US not by their own doing. Specifically, it helps anyone who was under the age of 16 upon illegal entry, has been in the US for five years, not more than 30 years old, veterans, and those with no criminal records.

Differences Between Documentary and Fiction Film

Differences Between Documentary and Fiction Film Generally speaking there is a clear distinction between documentaries and fiction films and a viewer should be able to tell whether what he is watching is fiction or documentary. The clearest distinction between the two is their relationship with the reality; a fiction film presents a story that is not based on reality, or at least not in the form it is represented; a documentary, however, tells something about the reality of our world shows us the real world (Bakker, 2002). But what reality are we talking about? There are several cases where it is difficult to draw distinction between fact and fiction. Even the experts fail to make this distinction sometimes as can be seen by the case of The Sea that Thinks which won the Joris Ivens award at the International Documentary Film festival Amsterdam, and was within a year in the competition for fiction films of the Dutch Film Festival (Bakker, 2002). Conceptually there is a significant difference between documentaries and fiction films. Traditionally, documentaries are generally short films and are based on facts while fiction films are not (or are at least not claimed to be) based on facts. This traditionalist view of documentaries has changed slightly in recent years with directors such as Michael Moore providing documentaries which are heavily edited and hence not entirely based on facts. This paper reviews the key differences between documentaries and fiction films. These differences are then used to discuss the key differences in documentary making and fiction filmmaking. Beginning with defining the key terms, this paper explores the key differences between the documentary and fiction filmmaking form a traditional/conceptual point of view. Following this, it uses evidence from real life cases of documentary and fiction filmmakers to assess the functional difference between the two. It investigates distinction between the two by comparing structural attributes and viewers interpretations and concludes that it is the latter which determines whether a film is fiction or documentary. Documentaries vs. fiction filmmaking: There are many definitions of the term documentary, and in my opinion, no one that could certainly define the term documentary as a whole. We can say that it would be up to the documentary maker and how he would define his or her particular style of documentary. John Grierson one of the founding of documentary approaches confirmed that documentary was distinguished from other shapes of films with reality desire to bring the citizens eye in from the ends of the earth to the story, his own story, of what was happening under his nose From Nicholss perspectives is a representation we already occupy and stands for a particular view of the world, one we may never have encountered before even if the aspects that is represented are familiar to us(Nichols, 2001) All these definitions may provide a different definition of the term but all these definitions indicate that documentaries are based on facts. Thus, documentaries by definition must be non-fiction. Commentary and opinions are allowed, but misrepresentation is not (Layton, 2010). But in last couple of decades, with the success of filmmakers such as Michael Moore, there have been certain changes in the documentary making. Firstly, some documentary filmmakers now aim for commercial success when they create a film; and second, in a development related to the first issue, some documentary films are in fact fictionalized to some extent through misrepresentation and omission (Layton, 2010). Again Moore can be the best example of this change in documentary making. His movies such as Bowling for columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 have several clips which have been manipulated/edited in a manner to provide a meaning different form the actual meaning of the speaker. Moores work will still be categor ized as documentary because his clips are still from facts but the representation is manipulated to give a different meaning- sometimes completely out of context. Thus, Moores work is a mix of a fact and fiction but still categorized as documentary. A new debate a surfaced in the same context in recent years. While the puritans have described the making of docudramas as corruption of the documentary genre, there are several other experts who suggest that the act of recording the truth on film is fictionalizing in and of itself (Layton, 2010). According to the latter, when a documentary maker captures anything from a certain angle, he/she is actually using his/her own bias. When it comes to putting together the filmed content, the filmmaker faces a critical choice of what to keep and what to leave out. In such situations the filmmaker is likely to put together content so as to make something meaningful out of it. But the critics argue that because part of filmed content is left out which means that the documentary cannot be a complete representation of the truth and hence is fictions itself. But according to my view, this cannot termed a fiction. We must note the distinction between the filmmakers who filter out the content due t o constraints but still try to provide as accurate as possible view of the case and then there are filmmakers who deliberately edit the content so as to mislead the audience. While the former is a documentary in all respects, there can be a debate over whether the latter can be categorized as a documentary. Bakker (2002) provides an interesting analysis of the distinction between documentary and fiction filmmaking. He suggests three key points: First the clearness of the audio and visual information. Second one side of the relation between the information and reality. Third spectator play vital role by impose the pictures by them. From a structural perspectives the documentary is dawdling rapidity editing while, the fiction films are depend strongly on editing with fast rate editing. The shot in the documentary is a close up and extremely close up shots whereas; fiction films rely on wide shots. The numerous moving camera, sound formed in the studio and theatrical music in the fiction films but the contrary in documentary films like location sounds and infrequently roving cameras (Etizen, 1995; Huston and Wright, 1983) also, Nichols and Kochberg said that the documentary could distinguished by the voice-of-god commentary, interviews, scene sound recording and the absolute dependence on social actors(Kochberg, 2002) which is support the documentary tremendously in the documentary filmmaking process, one of the characteristics of this type of filmmaking. However, Renov argues that narration and musical complement could be included in the documentary films (Renov ,1993a). By another words a film is constructed of several attributes including sound, images, dialogues and written texts. Documentary and fiction film, both are audio visual media and contain all these attributes. The difference, however; lies in the manner in which these are communicated to the viewer. This is a unique language which can convey endless number meaning to the viewer. This language was termed as passe-partout by Hjelmslev (1968). The grammar of this language is related to viewers understanding and is not formalised. This means that a movie can be made in any manner possible without conflicting the established practices. However; the more distant a film is from the mainstream, the less it will correspond to the industrys dogmas and conventions of filmmaking. Another characteristic in the difference is the actors for the fiction films the actors do what they asked to do. The process of the filmmaking is defined by their performance in the acting by transmigrate the required role. The actors do their responsibilities on base of the contracted relationship, as a result the filmmaker has the validity to object on the performance of the actors and the actors will be praised on the good performance and his performance will determine the actors value. On the other hand, the documentary looks to the people as social actors, ordinary people they behave and carrying on their social daily life without any affectedness or artificiality they dont have a contract to behave in a certain manner, the people or the actors present their daily handling and their pure personality. Baddeley supported Nicholss words that people should be encouraged to perform naturally and do not integrate the artificiality in their behavior and they act autonomously, However he mentioned that in many occasions the professional actors must be involved to organize the naturally appearance of the people (Baddeley, 1981). Nichols (1991) has categorised the documentaries itself in four different categories with each one containing its own sub genre: Expository This style of documentary is basically a series of visual images complete with narration. It is a very traditional form of documentary with the narrator giving the viewer a series of facts and figures that accompany the visuals and is usually associated with wildlife or historical programmes for example. Observational This style of documentary is also known as cinema verità ¨ or fly on the wall. Its aim is to film events, on camera, as they happen. To film people and places and to represent the everyday life of the people, as if the camera wasnt there at all. The viewers are usually left to draw their own conclusions about what is happening. The filmmakers do not intervene in any way and it is meant to represent the facts and record people and events in real time. Interactive The interactive style of documentary covers the facts and figures but allows the presenter to interact with the people within the documentary. This particular style could contain a series of interviews or demonstrations and could also come across as being quite bias, in that certain parts of the documentary can be edited to influence the viewers reaction or thoughts on the matter in question. Reflective or Reflexive This style of documentary basically shows the viewer everything. The filmmakers themselves are usually seen on camera attempting to raise the consciousness of the audience themselves. It gives the impression that the people making the documentary are able to construct reality itself. Citizen Kane (1941), by Orson Welles is a commentary form of fiction film, while the Salesman, by the Maysles brothers is a form of Observational fiction film. Similarly, Cest arrivà ©e prà ¨s de chez vous (1992) by Remy Belvaux is an example of interactive fiction film. At the same time Bakker (2002) agrees that interactive mode is least commonly used in fiction films while observational mode is the most commonly used mode. However; the distinction becomes less apparent in the reflexive mode. According to Nichols (1991), in its most paradigmatic form the reflexive documentary prompts the viewer to a heightened consciousness of his or her relation to the text and of the texts problematic relationship to that which it represents. Similarly Metz (1991) states that the film speaks to us about itself or about cinema in general, or about the position of the spectator. And this is how this kind of doubling manifests itself in the text, which, in all theories, constitutes that without whi ch we cannot imagine the process of narrating. It is thus, in the reflexive mode that Metz (1991) domain of fictional films and Nicholss (1991) domain of documentaries overlap. Another aspect of the discourse on distinction between documentaries and fiction films is the contract between the viewer and the director. Bakker (2002) argues that since structural factors fails to clearly distinguish between documentaries and fiction films, there has to be some other form of distinction. This, according to him is the viewers interpretation which is often affected by the viewers pact with the filmmaker. The filmmaker thus influences the interpretation of the film as the documentary or fiction film and the ultimate judgment of interpretation rests with the viewer. Bakker (2002) refers to what Eco (1979) termed as the inferential walks. According to this, the viewer compares the film with his real life experiences and tries to prepare his story. This construction process is dynamic as the viewer continues to accommodate the developments in the story to reconstruct his own story as the film progresses. Thus, the viewer is a part of the film. The difference between documentaries and fiction films is that in the former, the viewers participation is explicit (through narration) while in fiction films it is not explicit. The filmmakers attempt is to make the viewer believe that what is shown in the film is a possibility (in case of fiction film) or a reality (in case of documentary). To do so he adopts several persuasive techniques/strategies. But the viewer has his own memory and interpretations on basis of which he/she accepts or rejects the possibility/reality of what is shown in the film. For creating specific effects of reality, the filmmaker uses cinematographic techniques and narrative strategies. Cinematographic techniques include techniques like camera movements, the use of color, the photographic grain of the film, the use of commentary, the gaze into the lens of the camera by the characters (Bakker, 2002). The competence of the director rests in whether he/she can make the viewer believe in what he/she is showing. There is, however; no guarantee that a viewer will accept his film as a possibility/reality. Conclusion To sum up, the notion of documentary truth might be best understood as that truth which is found in the way that we mentally organize our perceptions. Increasingly the theoretical understanding of documentary film is moving away from the notion of an inherent reality found within a film text and more towards an understanding of how texts are read. However, I believe that the idea of defining documentary as a receptive strategy should not negate a consideration of the filmic text as primary focus of consideration. At the heart of the matter lies the concept of truth. Throughout our discussion the paper emphasized that the documentary films more related to the reality for example the social facts in the society and the political issues in order to provide the public or viewers with good understanding with these issues, but the fiction films present unreality vision to some issues. From the implementation view the actors are different from the both sides, the documentary films depends o n the social people not really contacted actors. These differences illustrate the importance for both kinds and what they can provide the viewers with what they need from credibility to demonstrate the events or misleading views. Also, the interpretation of the viewer ultimately decides whether the film will be considered as a documentary or fiction. This is what distinguishes a documentary from fiction.

Demand and Supply Theory for Sugar

Demand and Supply Theory for Sugar Sugar is refined sugar from cane and beet molasses squeeze made. Sugar in the production, packaging, transportation, storage process, it is easy to contaminate the pathogenic microorganisms. Especially to store more than one year, the color yellow sugar, often contaminated meats. According to the experiment, from 500 grams of sugar, he even checked out 15,000 mites. If people eat sugar was contaminated mites, parasitic mites enters the digestive tract, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms, and some even cause allergic reactions. If the infant or elderly foods directly into the pollution raw sugar, probably due suffocation and other mites into the lungs and cause asthma or hemoptysis, complicated by bronchitis or pneumonia and easily. Sugar, divided into two categories, namely, sugar, white sugar and cotton. White sugar is sucrose crystals, generally more than 99.8% purity, from a chemical point of view, this is a very pure substance. White sugar has a pure sucrose sweetness, in addition to direct consumption, but also the main varieties of industrial sugar. Cotton, sugar, cane sugar is fine grains are wrapped in a layer of invert sugar syrup made of, its purity and white sugar considerably. Here invert sugar plays a soft, flavored, functions as a co sweet. This is because the invert sugar having a honey-like scent (the main component of honey is invert sugar) which is greater than the sweetness of sucrose (sweetness of sucrose is 1, the conversion of sugar sweetness 1.2), invert sugar than the ability to maintain a strong absorption of sugar pills soft, so soft sugar taste better than white sugar. Soft white sugar optimum direct human consumption, it is preferred to eat cold drinks cold, but not used to make adva nced pastries. Sugar is one of the main source of nutrition for the body, the bodys consumption of thermal energy produced should be maintained after glucose oxidation, the energy needed by the body activity by about 70% of the sugar supply. Sugar nutrients, but should be controlled within a certain number range. In the end how much sugar a person the right of foreign opinion more consistent day to eat are: daily per kilogram of body weight control in about 0.5 grams. That is, the weight of 20 kg per day for children less than 10 grams, 60-kg adult, about 30 grams per day. So, usually to grasp the amount of sugar in food, in order to avoid over-feeding. Depending on the process of sugar, cane sugar, white sugar and carbonation curing can be divided into sugar. Because sugar carbonation shelf life longer, better quality, the price is relatively high sugar cure. Sugar sulfide, sulfurous clarifying technology is a typical pure juice and syrup decolorization method in the production of industrial sugar, because the law has less equipment, process is relatively simple, easy to manage and so on. However, with carbonic clarifying technology comparison, due to the soft process of clarifying the main workers rely on calcium phosphate and calcium sulfate to adsorb impurities in the juice, syrup and sulfur bleaching effect are based on the principle of the reduction reaction, therefore, Asia sulfuric acid produced sugar white sugar quality is often poor, long after the home as well as yellowing phenomenon. In general, the sulfite method of sugar production of white sugar sucrose products are likely to meet the requirements of the physical and chemical indicators, only individual, non-sugar index can not meet the requirement, which is Sulfitation sugar white sugar causes of poor quality. Thus the color values of white sugar production up to about 150I U, even more than 200IU high. Obviously, to improve the quality of Sulfitation sugar, white sugar is bound to reduce the value of the product color. Carbonized sugar, sugar carbon method features: with lime and carbon dioxide as a clarifying agent to clarify the method is called carbonation juice with carbonated process production of sugar called carbonation sugar, also known as carbon (acid) method sugar. Carbonate produced using sugar, in addition to more than a non-glycoside Shakespeare sulfuric acid method, the obtained high purity refined sugar, lower color values, less sulfur, can be stored for a long time without discoloration. However, the carbonation process is more complex, required more machinery and equipment, consumes a lot of lime and carbon dioxide, and thus a higher cost of production. As agricultural products, national sugar production will inevitably be affected by floods and droughts and other natural disasters, weather, natural disasters in recent years, the impact on sugar production is particularly evident. Climate. Sugarcane in the growing season with a high temperature, light intensity, water demand, absorption of fat and more features, therefore, constitute the climatic resources of heat, light, water and other conditions have a special dependency. Droughts, floods, high winds, hail, frost and other weather have low impact on the growing disaster in sugarcane, and this effect is long-term, once formed. At the end of 1999 in the main producing areas of frost China cane occurred, allowing rotation germination rate decreased, resulting in the 1999/00 sugar production more than 200 million tons of sugar. With international oil prices rising, some countries to reduce dependence on oil joined the search for sugarcane ethanol and other bio-system alternative energy, sugar cane is no longer solely as an agricultural product, the sugar market has become increasingly look as an energy product, oil price changes affect not only the global economic situation, the impact of international shipping, but also the influence of alcohol production, thereby affecting the global sugar production. Therefore, the oil price changes will inevitably affect the trend of sugar prices. According to demand theory, demand is the number of goods bought at a particular place and time with the current price and time. If an item on the demand is affected by its own price (P), income level (Y), and the price of other commodities (X), and assuming a constant elasticity of demand, the demand can be exponentially mathematically expressed in terms of a demand function as Eq. When prices rise, demand reduction, there will be more suppliers, and lead to increased supply. This concept actually refers Supply Act. Supply Act refers to suppliers more willing to sell more products at a higher price, rather than at a lower price. It also said that these suppliers will try to increase production in that period, in order to increase their profits. For example, when the price of sugar is increasing, the quantity demanded will be decreasing while the quantity supplied will be increasing as well. There are indications that demand factors explain why sugar is inelastic. First, complementary products. Complementary products such as sugar are often flexible. For example, if the sugar prices, the demand for coffee will decrease. Coffee changing demand curve to the left. It is the price of sugar, because they need to demand a negative correlation between coffee each other at the same time. There are other factors that will affect the elasticity, such as the substitution of the closeness, the proportion of income spent on the good, the time elapsed since the price change. First, substitution of the approximation degree. Sugar is a necessity of goods, it has a weak alternative, therefore considered inelastic demand. Second, the proportion of income spent on good. We spend a very small proportion of sugar daily income. Thus, sugar is inelastic demand. Finally, the time, because the price changes through. Elasticity of demand depends on whether the value of the sugar can live a very long time. In this case, the sugar is inelastic, and therefore a greater elasticity of demand. Instead of sugar, for example, in a long time, consumers will find, because they have no choice but to set the price. When the high sugar prices, supply will be higher, and because providers can earn more profits, while demand will be lower. Therefore, it would result in a surplus of graphics. When there is a surplus of supply over demand, excess quantity quantity certain price. In surplus supply and demand curves represented by the above equilibrium price point. When the presence of excess product oversupply buyers to choose from, you may pay less for goods and services. For sellers, they are working with other suppliers to compete for customers and their prices will fall, but also their sales. Sugar prices, sugar subsidies due to the Malaysian government. Government subsidies are paid to producers by reducing the price paid by the buyer, the seller increases the price received. There are effects of subsidies, such as falling prices and increasing supply. Subsidies to reduce the price of sugar and increase the supply of sugar. In addition, the government paid to the supplier. Government subsidies to pay for each ton of sugar suppliers of sugar. For example, suppliers to increase their supply of 60 million tons of sugar a year receive $ 20 a ton of subsidies. Suppliers receive payments from the government. The government is using the concept of price ceiling to control the sugar market. According to the following chart, the price ceiling is below the equilibrium price set by the government price. Government price ceiling for the sugar market applications for several reasons. First, in order to prevent the black market. The illegal black market is a market equilibrium price exceeds the ceiling price. For example, some suppliers may sell their products and buyers above the government-set price. Most foods contain sugar, so sugar prices will directly affect the price of food and other indirect effects of rising prices. Because most of the time, businesses will be because some products from government control and the opportunity to adjust the price of the goods. Recently, Malaysia, rising prices, people attracted a lot of criticism, seafood, vegetables, gasoline, transportation, postal services, etc., are the price a lot. Because the level of inflation in Malaysia has reached a new high in six years. Consumer Price Index, referred to as the CPI rose 3.2%, mainly due to food and non-alcoholic beverages and transport prices. (Refference : http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=2267%3Aconsumer-price-index-malaysia-january-2014-updated-1922014catid=48%3Aconsumer-price-index-malaysia-lang=en) Consumers in Malaysia, there are a variety of menus for their daily diet, sugar is the most important asset, its a. Therefore, the sugar market is an important factor in the Malaysian economy.Sugar is needed in life, so the sugar industry is very important. In addition, the evolution of the food processing industry leads to the expansion of the sugar industry. Recently, the Malaysian government has decided to cancel or reduce sugar subsidies. Opening in 2010, the government began to reduce sugar subsidies, which will lead to an increase in sugar prices. There are two parties who damaged; consumers and food vendor. When the study has been completed, the results show that the food sellers had to increase the price of its products, but not directly because of the price of sugar. Price increase is due to rising prices of other products. The removal of subsidies to the sugar industry led to increased product prices by the government, as well as sugar. Reduce food sellers income. Shortage occurred because the industry tends to use sugar, sugar prices from wholesalers to buy cheaper than buying from the sugar industry itself. Consumers and sellers of food from the impact of the shortage. In addition, the increase in sugar may occur again in the next time, because the government wants to gradually reduce the price of sugar subsidies. Therefore, through this research, I can educate the community to prepare for the consequences they may face in the future. Sugar is an inevitable product does not replace sugar, so its elasticity of demand. However, the sugar market does not follow the law of demand. In order to explain the reasons for the increased demand for sugar, and even raised the price because of the situation in various parts of Malaysia. Consumers worried the government will once again raised the price of sugar. Thus, in the first case, demand is inelastic, however, increased again when the sugar, sugar market that it is slightly returned to normal, although it still does not follow the law of demand. The Government should be aware that could lead to food retailers and should recognize that consumers face problems affecting the country. Consumers should be aware of the burden faced by food retailers, do not blame them, when the price of their products increases. Perhaps consumers will reduce consumption and increase imports of good local good consumer, rather than helping the country. As a conclusion, sugar has a very broad topic to talk about, especially in Malaysia, where the sugar supply and demand, price ceilings and subsidies and price elasticity of sugar can be linked together in the economic field. Brought a lot of influence from the government-imposed policy to the sugar industry in Malaysia, such as the price ceiling. Until today, the price of sugar in Malaysia is still relatively low compared with other countries, because the price ceiling and sugar subsidy policy. However, the low price of sugar in both leaded and lead to high consumption of sugar diabetes. To create a healthy lifestyle, the Government proposes to cut subsidies and educate the people by consuming less sugar to create a healthy lifestyle. I think, the incremental price of sugar can positively and negatively affect consumers. This is a positive effect, because as prices rise, demand reduction of sugar consumption has done. Excessive intake of sugar harmful. In Malaysia, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has been on the rise, and even children were reported to be obese in the past few years. For example, the US government imposed restriction sugar American consumers. This allows the American people to buy sugar for a cheaper price, so that they consume a lot of this year a total of up to 150 pound average sugars. They not only suffer from the financial burden of health care, but also for the health care burden. In contrast, the negative effects of sugar increment that consumer spending will increase. This is because the consumers willingness to have to spend more money to buy sugar, and its complementary products, such as sweetened condensed milk and soft drinks. Incremental demand for sugar can cause by population, income and food consumption of consumer preferences. Changes in sugar prices are due to push prices higher, in order to satisfy the equilibrium price and quantity to meet the buyers and sellers of market forces. In addition, increasing the price of sugar can help people by reducing sugar intake to control their sugar consumption. However, the high price of sugar to the burden on consumers to increase their spending on food expenditure in terms. (2517 words) References: -(n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=2267:consumer-price-index-malaysia-january-2014-updated-1922014catid=48:consumer-price-index-malaysia-lang=en -High sugar prices hit MSM bottomline Business News | The Star Online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2013/03/05/High-sugar-prices-hit-MSM-bottomline/?style=biz -Retailers warn of sugar price hike if subsidy is removed Community | The Star Online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/10/12/Retailers-warn-of-sugar-price-hike-if-subsidy-is-removed/ -Sugar subsidy removal more bane than boon, say consumers Community | The Star Online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/10/28/A-nottoosweet-surprise-Sugar-subsidy-removal-more-bane-than-boon-say-consumers/ -Keep prices reasonable, associations advised Community | The Star Online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2013/10/29/Keep-prices-reasonable-associations-advised/ -Hope food outlets dont raise prices Letters | The Star Online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Letters/2013/10/30/Hope-food-outlets-dont-raise-prices/ -The recent price hike is affecting small traders of Chinese New Year snacks Community | The Star Online. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2014/01/23/Cookie-costs-increasing-The-recent-price-hike-is-affecting-small-traders-of-Chinese-New-Year-snacks/ -Shahrir calls for end to sugar monopolies The Rakyat Post. (2013, October 30). Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2013/10/30/shahrir-calls-for-end-to-sugar-monopolies/ -Sugar subsidy of 34 sen to be cut from tomorrow The Rakyat Post. (2013, October 25). Retrieved March 3, 2015, from http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2013/10/25/sugar-subsidy-of-34-sen-to-be-cut-from-tomorrow/

A Comparison of Macbeth and Oedipus the King Essay -- compare contrast

A Comparison of Macbeth and Oedipus Rex  Ã‚   The objective of this essay is to compare the Shakespearian tragedy "Macbeth" to the Greek tragedy, "Oedipus Rex". Although the plays share similarities, it will be seen that the fall of Macbeth is very different from that of Oedipus. Macbeth's downfall is due to his own personal decisions while the downfall of Oedipus is due to fate and the will of the gods. In Greek tragedy plot was always emphasized over character; everyone wore masks. These masks would seem to mask a person's character. This would make the character seem more universal. The mask-wearing protagonist lacks individual personality and character. This makes catharsis more relevant because the protagonist is not as individual but more universal; they could be anyone. Macbeth is an individual person; he has no mask. This makes catharsis seem more irrelevant because Macbeth is more of on individual than Greek protagonists and therefore the audience doesn't feel that Macbeth is a representation of humanity and themselves. Instead they would set him apart as an individual person and therefore catharsis wouldn't apply as much. Greek tragedies all feature some kind of religious aspect. The gods bring about the protagonist's downfall in "Oedipus Rex". Yet Shakespeare's production of "Macbeth" is not religious. Macbeth isn't portrayed as being religious in any way. However, Oedipus strongly believed in the Greek gods and they carved out his fate as proclaimed by the oracle. The Greeks had no understanding of the way that the world works compared to what we, or even Shakespeare, now know. Volcanos were blamed on the gods because the Greek's didn't know the cause. We now have scientific explanations for volcanoes... ...of the effect of catharsis. When I read Oedipus Rex I didn't feel purged of my fears of existence because I don't believe that our lives are controlled by the will of fate. Catharsis is more relevant to the Ancient Greeks than to us because of the different belief system; we have one good, caring, all-powerful God and they have many gods who don't really care about the humans that much. I think that Shakespeare hasn't tried to apply catharsis to his tragedy as much as the Ancient Greeks did to their tragedies because he doesn't make the characters as universal as the Greeks but he gives them individualism by removing the masks and giving each character a personality. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Macbeth.† The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longman, 1997. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1991.

The Importance of Being Earnest :: English Literature

The Importance of Being Earnest A protagonist is described as the main character in the story. The story line revolves around this one character and the events in his/ her life. In the Importance of Being Earnest, Jack Worthing is the protagonist of the play because it is his character that dominates the narrative. His pursuit to marry Gwendolen, and the conflicts and struggles he goes up against to reach his ultimate goal, are traits which develop his character into being the protagonist. For a character to take on the role of protagonist, there always needs to be conflict. Jack Worthing’s first conflict is getting the approval to marry Gwendolen from her mother, Lady Bracknell. In the beginning of the story when Jack, also referred to as Ernest, proposes to Gwendolen, but is denied the ability to marry Gwendolen until he has passed Lady Bracknell’s series of tests; what she sees as a suitable husband for her daughter. This is shown through her statement of: â€Å"I fell bound to tell you that you are not on my list of eligible young men†¦however, I am quite ready to enter your name should your answers be what a really affectionate mother acquires† (Wilde,1438). Earnest informs her that he does not know anything from his childhood, including who his parents are, and why he became an orphan; and now is thought to be unacceptable suitor to marry her daughter, Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell reinforces to Jack that â€Å"to be born, or at any rate bred in a handbag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French revolution†(Wilde, 1440), basically stating that having a hand bag for a parent is an unacceptable â€Å"notion about family life† (Parker), and needed to find out who his parents are before he can marry Gwendolen. It is this sort of conflict that must arise in order for the play to pursue any further. It is the role of the protagonist to ensure that he continues on his pursuit in order to get what one wants, that being the hand of Gwendolen. Jack lies and discoveries â€Å"of human freedom in protean identity† (Parker, 185) which he â€Å"adopt[ed] identities to suit the occasion† (parker, 185). All of these identities and secret lives eventually led to Gwendolen’s hand but also the truth of who Jack really was; the true importance of being Ernest, because being Ernest gets him what he wants. The title of the play â€Å"The Importance of being Earnest† shows significance because this creates conflict and comedy between the

Essays --

BUSINESS ECONOMICS ASSIGNMENT--3 Question: 1)(a)Analyse both the conventional and unconventional tools used by central banks. Monetary policy means the measures that are adopted by the Central bank of the different nations implement in the country to achieve certain goals like: Goals of Monetary Policy- ïÆ'Ëœ Controlling Inflation: The monetary policy helps in controlling the inflation by controlling to supply of money. ïÆ'Ëœ Economic Development: It performs exceptionally viable part in pushing economic development by giving sufficient credit to gainful sectors. ïÆ'Ëœ Expand in the Rate of Employment: It has an alternate destination is to attain full job yet without increase in the inflation rate. ïÆ'Ëœ Distribution of Credit: It should additionally guarantee that appropriation of credit ought to be fair and deliberate. The credit necessity ought to be provided for backward territories. 1. Conventional Tools: ïÆ'Ëœ Change the reserves requirements that are Cash Reserve Ratio and the Statutory Liquidity Ratio: Every bank has to have a certain amount of reserves with them from the total deposits that have come in the bank this called as the statutory Liquidity ratio. And the amount of reserve that the bank needs to maintain with the central bank is called the cash reserve ratio. The central bank decides on the percentage of those reserves that the banks hold. ïÆ'Ëœ Open Market Operations:In this conventional tool the Central bank buys and sells financial assets from banks to maintain the economic stability in the country. ïÆ'Ëœ Change of its official interest rate; Bank Rate:The third conventional method that the Central Bank uses to maintain economic stability is change of its official interest rate on the loans taken by the commercial ban... ...on which will in itself require less non-renewable energies like the petroleum merchandise. CITATION- Pigou’s.L(1935) Theory Of Unemployment, Journal of Economics, 286-335 Stanley.D.M. & Warell Thomas, A( 2005) Economics For Business, UK : Prentice hall, Financial Times Press Soloman, H & Hinderston .K (2007) Regression Analysis, Quantitative Survey, Journal Of Business Surveys,299-315 Romer. (1982) Advanced Macroeconomics, New York : McGraw Hilton Alesina, K & M.Toyle(1997) Business Economics, Journal Of Business Economics, 67-89 Kuznets, H(1948) National Income: A new Version, Advanced Macroeconomics, 89, 102 Chapman, Greg.K(1997) Economics: An interactive Study Guide, Longman University: Melbourne Barzun, L(1958) Advanced Macroeconomics, Journal of Economics, 123-48 Keynes, J.M(1936) The General Theory Of Unemployment, Interest, MacMillan: London

Bare Esentuals in Bangkok

Executive Summary Bare Escentuals, Inc. is an innovative cosmetic company in the United States and the leader in mineral-based cosmetics. They sell not only in the United States, but also internationally in four other countries: UK, Japan, France, Germany, and Canada. However, we are seeking to expand into the Southeast Asia region; specifically, Bangkok, Thailand. The country is considered to be an emerging economy in the take-off stage. The cosmetic market in Thailand is rapidly growing and new entrants are beginning to recognize the opportunity for a growing market share within the region. Within the city, there are a few brand name cosmetic leaders, but none with a mineral-based product. Bare Escentuals hopes to fill the gap in the market with a new type of lightweight mineral-based powder which is in high demand. Thai culture is driven by the all-natural, eco-friendly perspective and we believe our mineral-based cosmetics company will offer a highly-differentiated, healthy, and lightweight product. We feel that our line of powders will best suite this market. The Company utilizes a distinctive marketing strategy and multi-channel distribution model to develop, market, and sell cosmetics, skin care, and body care products under its bareMinerals, RareMinerals, and namesake Bare Escentuals brands. Introduction Since the introduction of Bare Escentuals in the public sector, sales have steadily grown reaching 556 million in 2008. With sales expected to sustain current growth, we have decided to enter a new foreign market in Southeast Asia, beginning in January of 2010 by introducing our product line during the peak of tourist season in Bangkok, Thailand. We have experienced much success in our other foreign markets, and we believe Bangkok is the best city for our product line to continue its strong growth. As this market grows, other investment opportunities could bring us to openings in other major Southeast Asian cities such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, and maybe Singapore. We offer a healthy and lightweight alternative to conventional cosmetics while providing light to maximum coverage for all skin types resulting in broad-based appeal to women of all ages. At Bare Escentuals, we believe that our multi-channel, integrated business strategy enables us to build brand awareness and increase consumer loyalty by providing the best makeup experience possible. Cultural Analysis Religion Bangkok’s primary religion is Buddhism, accounting for 96% of the population. Beautiful temples are all over the city, and it is not uncommon to see monks walking around downtown early in the morning. It is a part of their everyday life, and our company must understand the importance of their religious traditions. Thais believe that supporting the order of monks, or Sangha, brings one closer to Buddhist ideals, and increases the likelihood of better life beyond this one. They make regular offerings to local monasteries as acts of merit-making. Each of the temples in Bangkok is unique, having its own architecture, history, and spiritual importance. Most people visit the temples early in the morning. Insight into their religion allows the company to take certain character traits into consideration when advertising, marketing and promoting the Bare Escentuals product in Bangkok {draw:frame} Language Thai is the country’s national language. It is confusing to many tourists because it utilizes the Khmer script and is spoken tonally. Many westerners focus on speaking Thai, whereas taking the time to learn Thai script would be more beneficial to understanding the basic foundation of the language. The reason for the confusion is that various reference materials written about the language each use a different phonetic spelling with the western alphabet. It is sometimes difficult to see the connection between the letters with multiple sources of information. Foreigners are usually allowed more leeway, since the effort to speakingThai is widely appreciated. Family Life Cultural Values Thais place a strong emphasis on ensuring that everyone has good time, no matter where they are. This emphasis is also common in the workplace. Emotions play a very strong role in their society, which leads one to assume it plays an even stronger role in their decision making. Thais prefer to avoid stressful, personal confrontations or anything unpleasant. They usually make a conscious effort to ensure their feel-good emotions are reserved. The priority which Thais give to their emotional state is perhaps one of the main features of their society that has made the country a rather special place in the hearts of many foreigners over recent years. The Thai enthusiasm for sanuk, or having a good time, is infectious and is a cultural aspect often envied by visitors to Thailand, as it encourages people to listen more often to their feelings, rather than their hea ds. In contrast, most Western societies encourage and reward the use of rational values in the decision-making of their people. Consumer Habits We must know how our customers shop, socialize, entertain, and of course purchase products. Most of Bangkok’s residents prefer to shops in local malls, which house many floors with almost anything one could imagine. In order to reach our target market, we must understand the habits which influence buyer behavior in the region. â€Å"The youth market is critical not only to marketers marketing youth targeted products, but also all consumer products. Building brand awareness in youth is a mainstay for many large consumer products and services. Companies such as Bare Escentuals, who wish to build brand loyalty not only now but for the future, must look towards this market with enthusiasm. Building brand loyalty has the largest potential with the youth market. Certainly the youth market controls a still increasing proportion of disposable income throughout most developed and developing countries in Asia. Entry level salaries are increasing from very low levels in years past, and many middle to upper-class parents are extremely generous with allowances to their children. Thai youth attitudes are affected by the same Buddhist religious and national culture that pervades Thailand generally. In comparison to Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism, this culture encourages individualism, youthful idealism and tolerance and respect for divergent views. It also shares the respect for age and family. At the same time however, it is conservative- embracing change very slowly. Hospitality As a culture in general, Thais go out of their way to make others feel at home and comfortable. Their selflessness is evident in their friendships, too. For example, it is common for the wealthier friend to pay for the bill when having dinner or drinks. When conducting business in Bangkok, our representatives must know the ranks of all employees so as to address each one properly with the correct gestures. It is very important when conducting business with Thailand to show respect. Thais address each other by their given names, preceded by Khun, and reserve family names for formal occasions. In formal situations, foreigners may address Thais by using â€Å"Mr. ,† â€Å"Mrs. ,† or â€Å"Miss† with the given or family names. {draw:frame} The City Bangkok is not only the capital of Thailand but is both the region’s and the country’s major transportation hub. It has one of the most efficient airports in Asia, not the most modern, but very large. The city also has three bus terminals and a centrally located train station. An elevated rail line opened in 1999 to make all parts of the city accessible. Bangkok has a terrific infrastructure to support our business and the delivery of our product to the end consumer. Numerous multinational corporations base their regional headquarters in Bangkok, making it a regional force in finance and business. Its increasing influence on global politics, culture, fashion, and entertainment underlines its status as a global city. In 2009, it was the second most expensive city in South-East Asiabehind Singapore. † The city's wealth of cultural landmarks and attractions in addition to its notorious entertainment venues has made it synonymous with exoticism. The large percentage o f wealthy citizens within the city is due to its rapid modernization, which is often seen in the cityscape and the urban society. Bangkok draws in 11 million international visitors each year, trailing just Paris and London. Bangkok has a population of approximately 6,355,144 residents while the greater Bangkok area has a population of 11,971,000 (January 2008). The capital is part of the heavily urbanized triangle of central and eastern Thailand which stretches from along Bangkok to the heavily Industrialized Eastern Seaboard. Bangkok borders six other provinces: Nonthaburi, , , , and ; all five join to become the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Political System {draw:frame} Joint Ventures Government Social Programs and Health Care Thailand has an excellent medical care system, with most medical personnel speaking fluent English, as many were trained overseas. One of the larger hospitals with an English-speaking staff is Bumrungrat Medical Center and Hospital. It offers 24-hour emergency room care and ambulance service. Economic Description With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and generally pro-investment policies, Thailand was one of East Asia's best performers from 2002-04, averaging more than 6% annual real GDP growth. However, overall economic growth has fallen sharply- averaging 4. 9% from 2005 to 2007- as persistent political crisis stalled infrastructure mega-projects, eroded investor and consumer confidence, and damaged the country's international image. The growth rate fell to 2. 6% in 2008. Exports were the key economic driver as foreign investment and consumer demand stalled. Export growth from January 2005 to November 2008 averaged 17. 5% annually. Business uncertainty escalated, however, following the September 2006 coup when the military-installed government imposed capital controls and considered far-reaching changes to foreign investment rules and other business legislation. Although controversial capital controls have since been lifted and business rules largely remain unchanged, investor sentiment has not recovered. Moreover, the 2008 global financial crisis further darkened Thailand's economic horizon. Population The population of Thailand is 65,905,410. It is the 20th largest in the world. Exchange Rate The official currency used in Thailand is the baht. It is considered a stable currency whose rate is based on the US dollar. Exchange rates are best at banks and authorized money changers. The baht per US dollar is 33. 37 (2008 est. ), 34. 52 (2007), 37. 882 (2006), 40. 22 (2005), 40. 222 (2004). So over the past five years the baht has been gaining value over the US dollar. Inflation Rate The estimated inflation rate for Thailand in 2008 was 5. 5%. GDP per capita $8,400 (2008 est. ) {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Labor Force Transportation Modes The automobile is the most common form of transportation used by Thais; however, taxis are commonly used because of their great value. The starting fares are 35 baht or $1. 17 US dollars for the first three kilometers and 5 baht or $0. 16 US dollars for every additional kilometer. This is considered to be a great value and is great for not only Bangkok locals, but even for foreigners. Motorcycle taxis are also very common in Bangkok particularly because of common traffic jams. Because of their small size they are the fastest way to navigate through traffic jams. The drivers of the motorcycle taxis can be easily spotted by their bright-colored vests and helmets that are worn by both, the driver and the passenger. Because motorcycle taxis do not have meters, fares are agreed on before take-off. The metro is another mode of transportation that is commonly used in Bangkok, but is more commonly used to travel around the whole country. It is almost like an underground, tunnel enclosed railroad on which trains are able to travel through. The metro is most commonly used by those who have to travel long distances from one Thailand city to another. Fares are based upon distance traveled. Real Estate Foreign Investment Thailand’s government maintains an open, market-oriented economy and encourages foreign direct investment as a means of promoting economic development, employment and technology transfer. Foreign investment in Thailand significantly influenced the buoyant economic growth of the last 15 years, spurring Thailand’s transformation from an agriculture-based economy, to one balanced with industry and manufacturing. International Trade Statistics Thailand's exports were $174. 8 billion (2008 est. ), up from $150 billion (2007 est. ). Thailand's imports were $157. 3 billion (2008 est. ), up from $124. 5 billion (2007 est. ). Their highest-valued imported products were capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, and fuels. Trade Regulations Import duties are generally levied on any imported goods before releasing them from the custody of Customs; except for goods receiving specific privilege that qualifies according to the law. If they receive these privileges, then the duty will either be reduced or be taken off completely. An importer has only three types of duties to pay before the imported goods are released from the custody of Customs: Customs Import Duties with an ad valorem rate Excise Tax for Excise Department and Interior Tax Value Added Tax (VAT) for the Revenue Department There are six duty rates for imported goods, excluding vehicles which have special rates. These duty rates are as follows: Duty rate is 0% for goods that government policy provides not to collect duties Duty rate is 1% for raw materials Duty rate is 5% for primary products and capital goods Duty rate is 10% for intermediate products Duty rate is 20% for finished products Duty rate is 30% for government protected goods All duties shall be levied in accordance with the provisions of Thai Customs Law and the Law on Customs Tariff. Payment of duties shall be made to the Competent Officer at the time of passing the entry. Duties can be paid either by cash or check. Checks must be drawn on the Bank of Thailand but certified checks from other commercial banks will be accepted. Duties or acceptable guarantee must be paid to Customs prior to the examination of the goods. Our duty rate is 20% and will be paid on the profit which we make within Bangkok. If we request a clearance of goods subject to a dispute, such goods can be released either by: Paying the maximum rate of duty and reserving the right to settle the dispute at a later time or Paying the amount of duty declared together with an additional amount covering the maximum payable duty as a guarantee â€Å"In valuing any imported goods for duty assessment, Thai Customs uses the True Market Value principle for such purpose. True Market Value of the goods is defined as the wholesale cash price (exclusive of duty in the case of imports), for which goods of the like kind and quality would be sold without loss at the time and place of importation or exportation, as the case may be, without any deduction or abatement. † For the vast majority of imports, the CIF invoiced price is accepted. However, in some exceptional cases, the value is established by reference to the maximum prices of the goods of a like kind and quality brought into the country in a previous limited period, generally not more than three months for finished goods. Trade Regulations (cont’d) â€Å"As the GATT Customs Valuation Code is now being increasingly adopted by many trading nations for uniform and neutral valuation of goods as well as prohibiting arbitrary or fictitious Customs value,† Thai Customs realizes this necessity and is proceeding towards adoption of this Code. Importers or agents authorized by importers and approved by Customs must comply with the Customs laws and other customs related laws. Importers or agents must pay the full amount of duties and taxes or deposited cash security. Import entry has to be made quadruplicate, accompanied with supporting documents as follows: Invoice Packing list Bill of lading/airway bill Import license (if any) Foreign transaction Form 2 if an import value exceeds 500,000 Baht Other documents (if any) e. g. Form D The cosmetic industry, 446120, is definitely a mature industry, and many of its leaders have been producing quality cosmetics for almost a hundred years. Many of those who are leading the cosmetics industry are oil or cream- based foundations and powders. The Bare Escentualsproducts are mineral-based powders and are made from all natural products. Their powders reach a new market of women, those who are looking for alternative, more natural makeup products. By finding a niche in the market, our company believes in that expanding into the international market will lead to faster growth rates and greater profit margins. With every new market entry, we must realize that the cosmetic industry is different in other regions of the world, especially in Southeast Asia, where our company will open a new store in Bangkok, Thailand. SWOT Analysis Main Competitors Elizabeth Arden Estee Lauder L'Oreal cosmetics. They all have been in business for nearly 200 years combined. With many years of experience comes an elite, high end, and loyal clientele that has been accrued over the many years of operation. These are the biggest threats to the success of Bare Escentuals mainly because of a few points that provides them with a slight competitive advantage in certain geographical areas. These large cosmetic corporations are able to satisfy the desires of so many of their customers mainly because of the large scale of which they operate on. Their demand is driven by the economic conditions of each country they do business transactions in. Although confronted by three of the primetime players of the cosmetic industry, Bare Escentuals still holds their own by maintaining a competitive edge through an alternate way of conducting business. One thing that Bare Escentuals pride themselves on is how readily available their products are made, thanks primarily to the numerous ways in which their customers may accommodate their products. Another edge that Bare Escentuals maintain over the larger companies is how conveniently priced the majority of their products are. Not only can they place a comparable product of their own directly across from your top cosmetic producers such as Elizabeth Arden, but they definitely have the upper hand when it comes to the final price tag. By aggressively pricing their products, they force the entire industry to accommodate in order to maintain a clientele that could change at the drop of a hat in the economy that we find ourselves in today. Elizabeth Arden, Inc. Elizabeth Arden goods are sold in over 90 countries worldwide, with major markets in the United States and Europe and have been a world leader in the cosmetics industry since the 1920s. Strengths: Strong celebrity backing from celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Hilary Duff, and Britney Spears Wide variety of cosmetics Strong growth prospects Weaknesses: Poorly performing retail stores world-wide Steady narrowing customer base Declining market share and profits Opportunities: New business strategy acquisition New product line launches Revamping of customer orientation with hopes to regain market share Threats: More price conscious competitors in the global market Consumer preference Increased competition Counterfeit goods Declining global market Estee Lauder Bringing the best to everyone we touch. † â€Å"By â€Å"the best†, we mean the best products, the best people and the best ideas. These three pillars have been the hallmarks of our Company since it was founded by Mrs. Estee Lauder in 1946. They remain the foundation upon which we continue to build our success today. â€Å"- Estee Lauder’s Mission Statement. Strengths: High-end prestige cosme tics Innovation of new and ingenious products World class marketing strategies to prevent their household products from cannibalizing one another Wide international presence Strong research and development teams Efficient use of all resources Strong growth prospects Weaknesses: Reliance of few customers Diminishing market share Poor reaction to increased competition and global economic change Opportunities: Keeping current customers Reaching new customers (i. e. the teen market) Continuing to grow globally Threats: Increased size of market and level of competition Poor reaction to foreign laws during global business transactions U. S. economic slowdown is halting business around the world L'Oreal This company is a global powerhouse that markets over 500 brands and more than 2,000 products in various sectors of the beauty business. Such products included hair colors, permanents, styling aids, body and skincare, cleansers and fragrances. Indeed, the L’Oreal Group has reached the peak that all cosmetic brands are seeking after. Strengths: Percentage penetration of fragrances and some cosmetics High brand loyalty Customer base that is willing to try new and innovative products Large amounts of resources to spend as far as market analysis, development, and advertising Wearing these premium cosmetics give off an indulgent feel High prices also lead to high profit margins Wide availability of products Weaknesses: Peak sales tend to be very seasonal with severe drop-offs depending upon the time of year or special event in a specific country Decentralized organizational structure can make control very difficult for all employees Opportunities: Direct concentration on the fastest growing fields in the beauty industry (one of which just happens to be cosmetics) Benefiting from increasingly ageing and affluent population in more developed countries, including Bangkok Concentrating on emerging markets mainly because emerging markets is where a large percent of your global economic growth may occur Threats: Increased number of competitors in the industry with comparable products which may also be more price friendly Economic downturn that is quite evident in other countries Spending habits of consumer and the economic crunch that most countries are experiencing Bare Escentuals Since 1976, Bare Escentuals has focused on using only the finest ingredients in their products to insure a new level of customer satisfaction without having to break the seal of their clientele’s wallets. Bare Escentuals, Inc. s one of the fastest growing prestige cosmetic companies in the United States and a leader in mineral-based cosmetics. The Company utilizes a distinctive marketing strategy and multi-channel distribution model to develop, market, and sell cosmetics, skin care, and body care products under its bareMinerals, RareMinerals, and namesake Bare Escentuals brands, and professional skin care products through infomercials, home shopping television, specialty beauty retailers, company-owned bout iques, spas and salons, and online shopping. Strengths: Inexpensive when compared to competition Well formulated to provide the best results for all end users Makes use of all their resources Convenient location and distribution Award winning products for just about every sub-class in the cosmetic industry Weaknesses: Use of many resources trying to convert customers Smaller clientele base Reliance of certain channels of distribution Limited coverage area Opportunities: Newest entry into the Global market Rapid growth in new areas of Tourism Declining customer service from competitors may lead to increased customer base Capitalization of innovative technology that may provide a competitive edge Threats: Economic downturn and inability to adapt to consumer buying habits Instability within the country and the political environment Demand for product Greater competitive growth stream than your own Market Analysis The overall growth potential for the cosmetic market during the 2006-2008 is expected to grow between 15-20%. Superior quality, international branded cosmetic products are expected to do better due to good brand image, brand loyalty, and perception of good quality. Products from the US lead the import market. Meanwhile competition from France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany is getting stronger. Hair care and makeup products maintained single digit growth, while skin care and perfume showed better growth at 17 and 15 percent. The product lines of problem-solving cosmetic have good growth potential. These include products such as anti-wrinkle cream, anti-aging facial cream, whitening facial and body lotion. More cosmetic products especially designed for men are becoming popular. Thailand remains a strong manufacturer and exporter of shampoos and other hair care products, color cosmetic and skin care products. Health and Beauty Health and beauty are taken seriously by Thai women. Thai women are known for their beauty all over the world. Therefore, Thailand cosmetics manufacturers are in great demand. Thailand's cosmetics market has experienced a huge improvement over the years following an apparent change in women's behavior, with cosmetics now being seen as a luxury. {draw:frame} Political and Legal Forces There are many political and legal forces that companies must understand. Regulations in labor, pricing, supply chain and consumer protection all have a part in governing our industry. Political and legal forces influence the stability of the business environment. It is an external force that has impacts no one business can avoid, but only can adapt to it. When the government suddenly alters taxation policies, it creates an unfavorable effect of increased taxes and results in prices of goods and services increasing. When the prices of goods and services increase, the cost of production in the business will increase. Laws Make sure the company is aware of all licensing requirements and the requirements of applicable import and export control laws Make sure the company observes all privacy and data protection laws and regulations of other countries and authorities Paying bribes to government officials is not allowed, even if the bribes are common practice To enter into an agreement with an agent (or a department store, in our case) that relates to business outside the US, it has to be approved by Bare Escentuals. {draw:frame} Target Market We want to target two different populations which consist of middle-class women ranging from 15-64 years of age and also the Katheoy population in Bangkok. Thailand has a very high percentage female population with something over 70%. Kathoey or katoey generally refers to a male-to-female transgender person or an effeminate gay male in Thailand. Ladyboy is the term used in English conversations with Thais. Kathoeys are often identified at a young age, and are considered to be â€Å"born that way. † They spend a lot, both in terms of money and time, to appear as beautiful as possible. As a matter of fact, some of these ladyboys or the katoey are so beautiful that they are objects of envy for many women as well. Within that 70% of the Thai population being women, there are a high number of guys who, it might be said, are on the edge. They are male, but with a strong sense and feel of being and wanting to be female. Mission Statement The mission of this company is to make you look and feel your absolute best. Our objective is to provide you with a flawless look, giving your skin a healthy and improved condition and appearance. We help you discover your inner and outer beauty. We are committed to providing and supplying the most creative and innovative mineral-based cosmetics. We provide luxurious skin and body care products that perfectly indulges the complexion and enhances the quality of life for you. By focusing on only the finest natural ingredients and developing pampering formulas that soothe, nourish, and protect, this revolutionary line will take the concept of natural beauty to a whole new level. Marketing Plan Product Bare Escentuals, Inc. is one of the innovative cosmetic companies in the United States and the leader in mineral-based cosmetics. The first Bare Escentuals boutique opened its doors in 1976. Their all-natural and eco friendly approach with their minerals line, which was the first of its kind to launch in the industry, uses ground-up, earth-mined minerals and high percentages of botanical essences. This revolutionary makeup is the perfect mix of makeup and skincare. We will be starting out by putting our starter kit in a store, which consists of 4 powders and 4 brushes. This will give people a taste of the Bare Escentuals brand. This will be the starting point and we may further expand depending on the response of our Bangkok target market. BareMinerals Cosmetics: Is free of preservatives, talc, oil, fragrance and other potential skin irritants Is free of fillers and binders Is weightless Provides adjustable coverage-from light to full Will improve the condition of the skin over time All ages and skin types can benefit from bareMinerals, especially those concerned with skin sensitivities, allergies, scars, blemishes, rosacea, wrinkles and pigmentation. The foundation provides impeccable coverage for every skin type and skin tone, and also protects with a natural SPF 15 broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection. Makeup options are very limited for women in Bangkok, so bringing in not only a new makeup option but a revolutionary one at that should have a great response. Most woman want pale skin and need some sort of protection from sunlight in order to maintain a light skin complexion. Our product has SPF 15 built into the makeup itself which would prevent their skin from getting damaged and making their skin darker than they would want it. Also, the humid weather that is common in Bangkok makes normal makeup run off the face and requires one to completely redo their makeup. Our mineral makeup is soaked into the skin when applied and is made to withstand humid conditions and all day wear. Overall, our product provides women with not only a makeup, but a makeup that actually cares for their skin’s health. Pricing When pricing our product we are going to be using psychological pricing. Price has a psychological value. Buyers will buy a higher priced product because they believe that the high price is a good indicator of value. Their perception is not reality based, it is psychologically based, and therefore buyer behavior is affected by more than the product and price tangibles. Psychological pricing is based on factors such as signals of product quality, popular price points, and what the consumer perceives to be fair. Our product is a high end line of makeup and is considered to be a luxury good. It also is a new type of makeup for Bangkok and therefore they do not have a lot of other makeup to compare it to. For this reason, psychological pricing in combination with marketing and placement of our product, we create a certain worth for our product that gives our market an idea of the high quality and uniqueness of our cosmetics. The price of our product will be based on what our target market psychologically sees it as being worth through all of these things and in comparison with other prices of international cosmetics. We will be using a Revenue Maximization pricing strategy for our starter kit. We are seeking to maximize current revenue with less emphasis on profit margins. The underlying objective is to maximize long term profits by increasing market share and lowering costs. Thailand’s monetary unit is the Baht. 1 US dollar is equal to about 33. 37Baht. We are planning to sell our product for 59. 95 which is equal to about 1998. 3 Baht. The women of Thailand are willing to pay around 600 Baht for a tube of designer lipstick, which is around 20 US dollars. Also, usually a compact of makeup is approximately 1350 Baht which is around 45 US dollars. Our product includes 4 powders and 4 brushes, which more than accounts for the price we charge in comparison to other cosmetics. Also, our product is som ething that is new and very popular. International cosmetics are very popular in Thailand as they do not have a wide variety of makeup locally and they are not of very good quality. Breakdown of Pricing (per unit): Cost of Product : $15. 00 Logistics: $5. 00 Marketing: $10. 00 Total Cost: $30. 00 Retail Price of Product: $59. 95 Potential Profit: $29. 95 As you can see from our breakdown of pricing, we should be able to make a profit from the sale of this product. The cost of the actual product is relatively low and although marketing is a big cost for us it is well worth it and needed for the launch of this product in Bangkok because it is not currently sold there. Overall this should be a rather profitable operation. Promotion We plan on promoting and advertising our product through the use of magazines, billboards, tradeshows, and the internet. One of the main ways of advertisement in Bangkok is with magazines. We plan on placing ads in several of the major magazines like Elle Thailand and Narak, which is actually an online magazine in Bangkok. This will place our product in popular magazines so that people will be able to read a little about our product in order to get them curious enough to then come and try it out in stores. Also placement of our product’s advertisements in some of Bangkok’s most popular magazines will relate our products to what is â€Å"in† and in turn make people wonder what our products are all about. Also, we will advertise through the use of billboards in order to grab people’s attention and to draw them in to learn more about our brand. Mainly our product will shine when people are able to see our product in person where someone can show them how it actually works, but with the billboards we will get the bareMinerals name out there. Since this is most likely the first time many of these people have seen or heard about our product, our first step is just to get people to start asking questions and wanting to know more about us and our products. draw:frame} Though advertising through billboards and magazines will be part of promoting our product, one of the main ways we plan on getting our product out there is by having our product in one of the most well known cosmetic trade shows around Asia. In-Cosmetics has been at the forefront of the Asian cosmetics industry. Rotating between Malaysia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Korea, Thailand and Chine and attracting visitors from 59 different countries, the show has enabled many suppliers and buyers from across the continent to meet face to face. For this reason, In-cosmetics Asia is the perfect platform to help us launch and promote to a captive audience from throughout the region of Asia. There are many exhibitors that will be showing world known top quality brands of perfumes, cosmetics, hair care, skin care, toiletries, salon and spa products and equipment. In-Cosmetics Asia is the leading scientific, business and networking trade event for personal care ingredients in Asia. They rotate the region annually, and the show attracts finished product manufacturers keen to meet international ingredients exhibitors and features highly popular educational seminars. This tradeshow will get us in with some of the best cosmetics in Asia along with some very influential people and companies. This part of our promotion is what could give us that jump start along with a good outlet to possibly expand our business more later on in other parts of Asia. The tradeshow that In-cosmetics held in Singapore last year was attended by 2,202 qualified visitors. These are people who can get the bareMinerals name out there and have it be known by people in Asia, along with possibly wanting to put our product in a store near them. To further help us, this year’s In-cosmetics tradeshow will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. This will put us in the perfect position for us to be in because our product should be in The Emporium by then and the tradeshow will be in town for everyone to really learn about our product. It will be a big exposure event for us. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Placement {draw:frame} We are planning to be located in Bangkok, Thailand which is a key point on round-the-world air routes. It is the political, commercial, cultural, and transportation center of the country, with the only port that can accommodate oceangoing vessels. Specifically our product will be placed in The Emporium Department Store located in The Emporium of Bangkok. It is home to top local and international brands, local and visiting celebrities, and also Kateoy or â€Å"ladyboy† beauty consultants along with high society shoppers. The Emporium is like a polished magazine come to life. It has seven layers of shopper’s paradise, where the first three floors are dedicated solely to world-class, international designer fashions. The Emporium Department Store is a classic among malls of its kind, featuring deluxe fashion brands like Chanel. There is also a never ending Beauty Hall with porcelain faced experts who will consult and help customers like no other. The Beauty Hall is specifically where we will be located in the Department Store. In this space our product will have experts that will be able to show and tell customers what our mineral makeup is and how it works. This mall attracts our target market and will be the perfect outlet to sell our product from. The Emporium Department Store’s Beauty Hall draws in people who are looking for higher end international brands of makeup and are looking for that one-on-one help that this area offers. With this location we will be able to show people how to use and apply our makeup and show them the benefits while they are in the store. This location in itself will aide to the sales of our makeup especially because it is a new product, so many people may not know what it is or how exactly it works. By having a location that has personnel on hand just to help customers with the product we will be able to further spread the word of this new product to Bangkok’s women. Logistics Bare Escentuals, Inc. already has some global exposure in countries such as the US, UK, Japan, France, Germany, and Canada. They are able to deliver their cosmetic products through various distributors; however, wholesale distribution will be the only mean of distribution in Bangkok, Thailand. Due to Bare Escentuals’ company resources; it would be too costly to design a department within the company that would take care of making sure our products would arrive to their Bangkok retail destinations. Instead, a much more cost-effective and reliable option was chosen. Bare Escentuals will be outsourcing their full logistics strategy to APL Logistics, Ltd. APL Logistics offers a wide range of logistic services that include international logistic services. They also have a 250,000 sq. ft. facility located in Bangkok. From this facility, APL Logistics is able to warehouse and distribute products to retailers in the area. Almost half of APL Logistics’ operations come from transporting consumer products to retailers. It is evident that APL Logistics will provide Bare Escentuals with all of our logistic needs. APL Logistics will take our cosmetic products from the US, ship them overseas to Thailand, store them in their local Bangkok warehouse, and distribute our cosmetics products to local retailers of our choice. {draw:frame} Sales, net For our sales, net, we recognize total Bangkok’s population to be 11M with 70. 5% being between 15-64 years old, 35. 6% being women, and 54% considered to be middle-to-upper class. That gives us a total of 1,490,821 as our target market. However, not every single person in our target market will buy our product. We assume that about half of our target market (745,411) will buy our product. If our products cost each person $59. 95, our total sales would reach 44,687,389. However, returns are calculated in our sales, net. We assume that about 25% of our buyers will return our product. That leaves us with total sales, net of 33,515,542. We do not want to make more products than we expect to sell, but we also do not want to make fewer products than we expect to sell. Therefore, a median of 1,118,116 products will be made. Assuming that to make one product it costs us $15. Therefore, our cost of goods sold in Thailand is 16,771,740. Our gross profit is our sales, net minus our cost of goods sold. Selling, General, and Administrative Expense Our selling, general, and administrative costs include third-party fulfillment costs by APL Logistics, research and development costs, legal costs, and advertising costs. Budgets for all the following categories are as follows: 5,000,000, 500,000, 30,000, and 5,000,000 respectively. Depreciation and Amortization Bare Escentuals will not have to buy neither property nor equipment to operate in Thailand. Therefore, neither depreciation nor amortization related to Thailand’s operations will be recognized. Although our new operation in Thailand, may increase stock-based compensation in the US, no stock-based compensation in issued on the international level. No company restructuring will occur for our operation in Thailand to exist. Our operating income comes from our gross profit less all expenses incurred. Interest Expense All of our Thailand’s operations will be funded by Bare Escentuals. Therefore, no interest expenses will be incurred for our Thailand operations. No current debt has been recognized and no debt will be incurred to operate in Thailand. Other Income, net Other income, net decreases is attributable to foreign currency transaction losses resulting from fluctuations in the value of the US dollar as compared to certain foreign currencies. Income B*efore* Provision of Income Taxes Provision of Income Taxes Thailand has 20% duty tax for finished goods that are brought into Thailand that we need to expense for. The 20% tax is taken from income before provision of income taxes. Net Income Net income comes from income before provision of income taxes minus provision of income taxes. Action Plan Marketing Strategy Marketing Objectives Increase product awareness among our target market Inform target market about the benefits of our product and its competitive advantage Decrease or remove potential customers' resistance to buying our product by promoting awareness on how mineral-based cosmetics are better than oil-based cosmetics Goal In the first five years of operation in Bangkok, Bare Escentuals’ hopes to reach at least 25% of our target market. Strategy Implementation TV advertising Print advertising Promote and demonstrate our product at health and beauty tradeshows Because consumers are frequently hesitant about buying a product they know little about, gaining the consumer’s confidence is crucial. We will create a marketing campaign that emphasizes the quality and value of our product while showcasing the benefits of using an all-natural product. We plan to carry out this plan in the beginning of the year with an advertising budget of $5 million. Potential Results Worst case scenario: 0% of our target market or 447,246 people will buy our product at $59. 95 Our cost of goods sold and expenses would be $27,301,740 Even before reaching net income on the financial statement, we have a deficit balance that would prevent us from further business transactions Regular case scenario: If the return of the product remained at 25%, about 186,353 buyers would return our product We would have an operating income of $6,213,802 E ven after reaching net income on the financial statement, we would have a sufficient operating income to continue to operate Best Case Scenario: 0% of our target market or 894,493 people will buy our product at $59. 95 If the return of the product remained at 25%, about 223,623 buyers would return our product Our cost of goods sold and expenses will be $27,301,740 We would have an high operating income of $12,916,901 Even after reaching net income on the financial statement, we would have a superior operating income that would allow us to continue to operate and perhaps start looking at other possible international markets Contingency Plan Bare Escentuals, Inc. ill expand into other foreign markets if we successfully sustain the growth in Thailand as we have in the United States. With careful consideration, we will focus on emerging markets for expansion. We need to look at cost and timing of expansion, economic climate, culture issues, and cash flow of our company. Our company will do ongoing research and rely on solid market analysis in maintaining sales and growth in these markets. If we see that we are not generating revenue or meeting our full potential in Thailand, we will better position ourselves successfully in the market. We will cut advertising costs, conduct research surveys, and focus groups to better determine the needs of our current target market. If we fail to sustain sales and increase market share, then we will be forced to stop selling our product at the Emporium in Bangkok. Though we have suffered a loss, we could develop new marketing strategies and put our focus on other foreign markets. 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