Discuss Jane Austen’s presentation of the theme of marriage in Pride & Prejudice Essay

â€Å"It is the truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.† The opening sentence in Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice is so important given the social context and the notion of marriage at that time: it was the one fundamental purpose of most girls to marry. Moreover, the motives and the attitudes towards marriage were far more complex in the 19th century than nowadays since love marriages were rare and marrying for ‘advantages’ were the obvious. Jane Austen explores all the different outlooks on marriage through the characters and reveals her views towards marriage by the consequence of each type of marriage. The novel is quite clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ and follows the ‘love conquers all’ platitude, however- still manages to be quite enjoyable read due to all the drama and upheaval concerning marriage. The novel, which tells the story of a commonplace 19th century family whose 3 daughter came ‘of age’ and therefore were in search for a suitable husband. Furthermore, the sense of drama is heightened by the fact the aging alpha-male of the Bennet family was unfortunate to bear only daughters and could therefore not pass on his belongings- including the property he and his family lived in to either his wife or his children as the law stated woman were unable to inherit. Therefore, everything the Bennet family owned would be given to Mr. Collins- a cousin of Mr. Bennets’. Mrs. Bennet is well aware of this and therefore has made it the main business of her life to get her daughters married. She herself has married Mr. Bennet for advantages as she was born poor and managed to ensnare him with her good looks. Consequently, she believes it’s highly likely her daughters will have the same good fortune, and as Mr. Bennet was getting older, her determination to marry her daughters off to rich men became stronger. Along with Mrs. Bennet’s determination, the pressure increased for her daughters to â€Å"secure† a man sufficient enough to please Mrs. Bennets views. Jane austen presents the theme of marriage as a comprehensive one, since she presents each character with a different view of marriage. I will compare the different views towards marriage in the novel and discuss Jane Austen’s presentation of the theme of marriage in the novel Pride & Prejudice in this essay. Enhancing the amount of money, the class of social connections, security and social status seem to be the grounds on which the ill-fated marriage of Charlotte Lucas and Mr. Collins are established. Charlotte Lucas is introduced as an ‘intelligent, twenty-seven year old woman whom concerned her family as they were scared she would die â€Å"an old maid.† Even though Charlotte knows she will never love Mr. Collins, she would much rather marry him than be a cause of embarrassment to her family due to her life-long bachelorhood. She believes â€Å"love is not a necessity and financial ambitions should be the main priority for a woman†, as it increases not only the wealth of the woman in question- it also increases the importunacy of her voice- essentially making them more powerful and prone to change. Furthermore, there are several quotes to back up her argument including. Otherwise the other woman thought flirtatious behaviour and humongous booby muscles did the trick. Furthermore, there are several devious competitors whom love in repetition of all sorts off material find it hard to believe that there are several cases of weird and odd behaviour created by an environment of hard parents giving daughters evil looks in order to keep her in check. Also, they’ll stretch the time of their appearance downstairs in order to find that perfect balance of animism and scrim. Furthermore, they find themselves so perfect and deem their voice as an alpha voice with steps pounding with such verbosity it shakes even the soft padded couch imp sitting on! It is scary, it is wild, it is my father. He is not so nice and honest. However, I find it irrational he has to find his stay downstairs and pray downstairs because of all the trouble he has to go through going up the furthermore, there are several objects of admiration staying up at night merely to control a daughter is too cautious behaviour implying an untrustworthy presence of an ordering and a sophisticated alpha male in the presence of an untrustworthy.

Whole Foods Market Case Questions

1. What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing? Is Whole Foods' strategy well matched to market conditions in the food retailing industry? The chief element of the strategy that whole food is pursuing is providing the finest quality of products in the market that is free from preservative and other genetically engineered products that reduce the quality of being organic. They promote the vision of the whole food, whole people, and the whole planet. Whole food market is focus to extend their market to get dominant position in both the local and the international market through increase the amount of stores itself and acquisition. For high demand from customer and higher profit margin than normal food, Whole food's expansion and quality control market strategy was well matched to recent developments and conditions in natural and organic goods segment of food retailing industry. 2. Do Whole Foods Market's core values as presented in case Exhibit 3 really matter? Are they â€Å"real † or just cosmetic window dressing? Have Whole Foods' core values contributed to the company's success? Explain/support. The 7 core values are very important. It guides the company on how to achieve the company mission â€Å"bringing the highest quality products to satisfy the consumer†. The core values are also real. Through these 7 core values, the company link their own profit and growth to customer benefit, bind their suppliers with win-win partnerships and try to create an interests community involving all their stakeholders. For example, to implement the first core value â€Å"selling the highest quality natural and organic products available†, the company set â€Å"nutrition, freshness, appearance, and taste † quality standard and abundant principal categories to supply thousands of organic food and gourmet products in their store. All these value can directly deliver to customer, better satisfy their needs and lead to success in product quality and variety. 3. Based on the financial statement data in case Exhibits 9, 10, and 11, how well is Whole Foods Market performing? From E9 statement of operations, sales eventually increased 1 billion every year from 4.7 billion 2005 to 8.03 billion 2009. However, the net incomes were kept in the scale between 114 million to 203 million these years due to the increasing input of store contribution. This situation matches the expansion activities of their business operations. Then, combine with the data from E10 Return on stockholders' equity 9.02% 7.60% Working capital(in thousand) 371356 -43571 Long term debt-to-equity ratio 0.65 0.80 Long term debt-to-capital ratio 0.28 0.36 The long-term debt largely decreased from 08 to 09 which is the main difference between the 2 years. In E11, the cash provided by operation activities in 09 is more than 08 and 07. And outside the business Whole Food also have investment activities. The company was trying to earn extra profits from exchanging securities. In 07, it earned 198343 thousands; in 08 it didn't earn anything, then in 09 the company didn't have any investment activities on exchange securities. 4. How well is Whole Foods Market performing from a strategic perspective? Does Whole Foods enjoy a competitive advantage over its 3 chief rivals â€Å"Wild Oats, Fresh Market and Trader Joe's? Whole Foods Market is performing exceptionally well from strategic perspective. Whole Foods Market is performing well by increasing their locations and markets. The company has made strategies for its stores, their location, and Whole Food's product line, the design of the stores, the product quality, and marketing and for providing their customer most satisfactory service. It follows the strategy of team based management for store operations. It also offers compensation and rewards to its employees. It has also made strategies that are feasible for the purchasing and distribution of items. All these strategies are in accordance with the company's requirement and thus the company maintains a competitive advantage over its rivals due to its sustainable implementation of strategies for achieving its goals and managing the company. It acquired one of its biggest rivals Wild Oats in 2007. The company's strategy has helped it in gaining the d position in the market. 5. What recommendations would you make to John Mackey regarding the actions that Whole Foods' management needs to take to sustain the company's growth and financial performance? Whole Food was very successes on decreasing their long-term debt level while keeping their profitability and increasing sales. However, through it kept expansion through opening new stores and acquisition, the net income is not enough for big change like enter into a new area. So, I suggest Whole Food may extend their service, such as adding a fast food to go window or even a dining area in their store to better utilize their urban metropolitan store location and cooking ability. The costs of food service just need to develop the new recipe and change the store wouldn't too much but can attractive more customers.

Business economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Business economics - Essay Example In order for the law of demand and supply to hold, there is an assumption that everything else remains constant. This paper aims at studying the economic problem of scarcity, in reference to oil prices. It will further address the externalities arising from oil usage and the government intervention. In economics, scarcity is a fundamental issue and requires that economic units make a decision of how much and what to produce using the limited resources. According to Watkins’s (2006, pp. 508-514) study, the scarcity of oil and the eventual decision made by economists give rise to a constant opportunity cost. To address this problem of scarcity, economists have been increasing prices on the scarce resources with a view to discouraging demand and encouraging firms to develop alternatives. According to Asdorian’s (2011, p. 97) analysis, the scarcity of oil rises where its supply falls short of the demand level. Whenever the supply fails to meet some demand at a prevailing price, the economics make prices to skyrocket in order to encourage supply and ration the demand. To get the aspect of oil scarcity, market prices are considered. The market price of oil reflects the opportunity cost incurred in bringing an additional barrel to the market. The opportunity cost compensates the reserve owners for the extraction costs and the loss of a barrel of reserves that could otherwise be sold in the future. Asdorian’s (2011) research findings revealed that whenever the price of a commodity is higher relative to that of other commodities, there is an indication of scarcity, whereas a lower price indicates abundance. The presence of scarcity is also seen when prices change over long periods. From the commodity extraction models, it is deduced that the market prices are relied upon as a reliable guide to opportunity cost that includes the costs that are relative to the expected future scarcity. Asdorian’s (2011) study, however, explains

Strategic Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Supply Chain Management - Essay Example on the other hand, are looking for cheap labour oriented countries when they wanted to produce something and wealthy countries when they wanted to sell something. For example, many companies are currently selecting India and China as their manufacturing destinations and America and Europe as their selling destinations. Under such circumstances, strategic supply chain management is getting prominence in the business world at present. Even though industries and academia are giving huge importance to supply chain management (SCM), strategic supply chain management (SSCM) and its principles are taken lightly by the business world until recent times. The definition of SCM is quite familiar to the business world; however, same thing cannot be said about the definition of SSCM. According to Ming-Hon Hwang (2010), â€Å"SSCM refers to a situation in which its members always realize the whole direction and strategy when a  supply chain  carries out various functional activities to achieve a competitive advantage and long-term profit-making position among  supply  chains  in the same industry†(p.127). Automobile industry, especially car industry is currently facing heavy competition. In order to overcome the competition, car manufacturers have to make strategic long-term decisions regarding the location of their principal assembly plants. Such decisions have to account for many factors including, for example, markets, production sequencing, levels of investment and relationships with suppliers. This paper provides a critical assessment of the facility location decisions car manufacturers have to make regarding assembly plants and the level of importance attributed by the manufacturers to the location of their suppliers. â€Å"Supply chains are value-adding relations of partially discrete, yet inter-reliant, units that cooperatively transform raw materials into ï ¬ nished products through sequential, parallel, and/or network structures† (Hult et al., 2007, p.1035). When it

Webmonkey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Webmonkey - Essay Example The reason for the involvement of General Managers may be summarized as follows: Initiatives by IT managers become advantageous for the company when general managers show their participation for facilitating business processes, global expansion and initiation of new business ventures. The overall nature of business ventures has been changed with the advent of IT. â€Å"The IT and its costs are starting to make integral part of enterprise day by day.† (Balloni, 2010) Business environments have now become socio technical environments with the inclusion of IT in their domain. The usability of information is highly dependent upon how the information is managed. The collection, distribution and timely usage of information results in substantial usage and also enhances usability. Websites are often the key input arenas for businesses. Their usability is essential for businesses to enhance their customer retention. For a website to be managed properly it is essential that its architecture is structured properly. The structuring and management of a website is often referred to as information management. The structuring of information architecture cannot be completed unless essential correspondence is maintained by the business itself. Initiating with setting up of goals for the website and the scope and requirement of the organization, the audiences of the proposed web portal are assessed. It is extremely integral that the information required by audiences in incorporated within the

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

Dorothea Lange - Research Paper Example n, a face marked with wrinkles and a distant gaze seemingly full of worries; to the right and left are her children leaning against her shoulders while a baby sleeping on her lap, seemed to portray vulnerable people seeking protection amidst struggle and hopelessness. This highly concentrated, tightly composed image has been one of the most famous and most frequently published photograph of the FSA project and made Lange an eminent documentary photographer of her time (â€Å"Dorothea Lange†). Her work poignantly captured the depths of the Great Depression era by asserting the challenges of rural poverty through photographs and doing reports on the plights of poor farmers and migrant workers. Being a social realism photographer of the early 20th century, Lange once reflected â€Å"No country has ever closely scrutinized itself visually...I know what we could make of it if people only thought we could dare to look at ourselves† (qtd. in

Strategic analysis of Whole Food market Coursework

Strategic analysis of Whole Food market - Coursework Example The stores are located in 38,000 square foot in size which conform to the locality and community that they serve and which have observed 5% year on year growth. The company’s stock was boosted by nearly 38% which has seen 17% growth in EBITDA to $835 million and 20 year compounded annual growth rate of nearly 26% (ar, 2011). 1.1 Vision and mission Company’s vision is to become a global brand for best quality natural and organic food and best food retailer of organic food in every community that it serves. The mission statements of the company are designed to meet the food requirements of the people by providing them with healthy and nutritious food so that they can lead a healthier life and live longer. The core values of the company focus on sustainable business practice and ensure complete customer satisfaction through quality food that is organically produced. They also empower people with knowledge and information that promote their general well-being. The core valu es are aligned to their strategic vision and mission that fundamentally cater to the interests of all its stakeholders including workforce, customers and supply chain. 1.2 Current strategy The current strategy is designed to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyle through food that is organically produced. It ensures customer satisfaction by facilitating high quality of naturally and organically produced wide variety of food products. The Whole Food stores are strategically designed to meet the needs of its customers. They have cafeteria facility which ensured that customers could also taste and test the quality food that they would be buying. The brochures and information about food products and sustainable business practice empower customers with information which they use in their buying experience. 1.2.1 Goals and objectives The organizational culture greatly helps to achieve its broader goals and objectives of meeting the changing demands of its various stakeholders includi ng customer satisfaction. The company promotes more than 2600 SKU with its 365 Everyday Value, primary in-house brand (ar, 2011). The company’s goals are focused opening around 24 to 27 new stores and improving its sales growth to around 15%. Its major objective is to promote sustainable business practices. To achieve it, WEM emphasizes diversity in workplace and creates barrier free and encouraging environment to meet the needs of diverse community. The team leaders within the stores are empowered to make independent decisions that ensures improved performance outcome. The broader goals and objectives of WFM are achieved through measures like employees’ welfare schemes, environmental concerns, health and well-being and charitable works in the area of education, training and development of entrepreneurial skills etc. Its suppliers of food products from low waged countries were supported financially to ensure quality produce which also helped them to raise their living standard. It has introduced innovative processes to promote sustainable business practices within its in-house staff and business partners (ar, 2011). It has encouraged greater interaction with various focus groups and fostered alliances for proactive participation of the public and workforce in its drive for environmental conservations and community welfare. 1.2.2 Major strength The double digit growth rate, exemplary customer service and broad range of quality product lines are its major strengths. With approximately $11.7 billion revenue in 2011, the strong cash flow and stock position greatly favor the company in achieving its goals and objectives (yahoo, 2013). The growth plans of companies are primarily through opening

How to help Americans doing business in China Assignment

How to help Americans doing business in China - Assignment Example The strength and size of Chinese have grown as well as its domestic companies. Because of the improvements, businesses and entrepreneurs can launch ventures with ease. Despite the growth experienced in China, there are several challenges that foreign investors and firms while trading in the country (Banerjee, 2015). Chinese domestic or state-owned companies receive preferential treatments that render it difficult for foreign (including American) firms to match their competitiveness. Further, the Chinese government has instituted strict procurement laws that act as obstacles to the foreign companies. Such rules place emphasis on encouraging purchase of local goods and services at the expense of imports. Such domestic purchases get encouragement in both business-business levels and business-customer levels. The part of procurement law that causes more prohibition to American companies is that the law encourages that state-owned firms at any given time must exclusively purchase their products from Chinese companies. Further, China’s antimonopoly law seems to favor domestic firms while it remains stricter to foreign investments. Considering the aforementioned challenges, it is therefore in order that American businesspersons, entrepreneurs, and investors understand the Chinese business environment. Some of the measures would help in creating an enabling and favorable business environment to the American investors trading in China. Every American entrepreneur who hopes to set a successful business enterprise in China should recognize a local business partner. It is vital that the local partner be a member of an established China-based company (Michael, 2015). In addition, the partner can be a well-contracted businessperson in China whose reputation is remarkable. Consequently, the local business partner would enable the American businessperson to navigate legal processes despite the complicated regulations

Nikola Tesla Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nikola Tesla - Research Paper Example history. I will also focus on the question of why many people would say Tesla was a mad scientist later in his life. Nikola Tesla: Biography in Brief Nikola Tesla was born 10 July 1856 in a Serbian family. The place of his birth was the village of Smiljan situated near Gospic – a town in Croatia that was a part of Austria-Hungary at that time. Tesla’s father was known to be a clergyman, and his mother is described as â€Å"exceptionally bright and an inventor of household and farm implements† despite being illiterate (Klooster 302). Tesla might have got his knack for prolific inventing from his ingenious mother. Tesla, who is believed to be America’s most prominent electric engineer, studied engineering at the famous University of Graz (Austria) (Spencer 301). He is thought to have started his inventing career there. In 1882, Tesla came to Paris and was hired by Continental Edison Company. Two years later Tesla immigrated to the U.S. and got his citizenshi p in 1891 at the age of 35 (Klooster 302). Picture 1. Nikola Tesla at the age of 37. Photo taken in 1893. Author: Sarony of New York It was in 1882 that Tesla conceived of the famous induction motor that has a rotating magnetic field. From that time on, Tesla invented various devices that utilize the rotating magnetic field. In 1888, Tesla received patents for his inventions. Here it is worth mentioning that the outstanding engineer and physicist was able to completely visualize his next invention before he started working on it. All in all, Tesla is believed to have patented over 700 inventions during his lifetime (World of Invention, â€Å"Nikola Tesla†). Tesla’s Theoretical Work and Patents Tesla's numerous patents and his groundbreaking theoretical work are believed to have created the basis of modern AC systems, which includes the polyphase power distribution systems, as well as the AC motor. Let us explore Tesla’s contribution to modern electrical engineer ing in detail. It was not until Tesla could establish his own company named Tesla Electric Company (1887) that the outstanding inventor had been able to create what he actually wanted. Specifically, working for Tesla Electric Company he invented the first successful polyphase motor (Notable Scientists from 1900 to the Present,â€Å"Nikola Tesla†). Tesla achieved this by creating a motor that had a few wire-taped blocks surrounding the rotor. At the moment alternating current is being supplied to the incorporated wires, a rotating magnetic field is produced, and besides current to every block was a bit out of phase with the rest. The rotor’s movement is achieved as the revolving field is being followed (Klooster 305). Practically, the significance of Tesla’s invention was that it enabled transmitting strong electrical currents over long distances. Theoretically, Tesla’s work undermined the view of Edison that there was no practical benefit from alternating current. It proved to leave behind the invention by Edison – direct current – that was restricted by local use and needed lots of electrical relay stations in order to have the current distributed throughout a large area, a city for example (Notable Scientists from 1900 to the Present,â€Å"Nikola Tesla†). Reportedly, not long before his death Edison admitted to making the biggest mistake in his lifetime

Cross Cultural Beliefs About the Afterlife Essay Example for Free

Cross Cultural Beliefs About the Afterlife Essay Abstract A study of American undergraduates indicated that the beliefs about the nature of life after death were quite complicated. A 41-item questionnaire produced 12 independent groups of beliefs. Belief in an internal locus of control and that one’s life is owned by God were associated with a more positive view of the afterlife, as was being Roman Catholic rather than Protestant. The most common beliefs were that one is reunited with family and friends, that the afterlife is comforting, that there is Heaven and that the transition is peaceful, all believed by more than 90 percent of the students. The afterlife is an idea that the conscious or mind of a being continuous after physical death occurs. There are many different believes about how the afterlife will be and what effects that outcome. In many popular views, this continued existence often takes place in an immaterial or spiritual realm. Major views on the afterlife derive from religion. Deceased people are usually believed to go to a specific planet after death. Regardless of the lack of evidence that is typically believed to be determined by a God. This is based on their actions during physical life. In contrast, the term reincarnation refers to an afterlife in which only the â€Å"essence† of the being is preserved, and the â€Å"afterlife† is another life on Earth or possibly within the same universe. Lester, Aldrige, Aspenberg, Boyle, Radsniak, and Waldron (2001-2002) based their research proposal on what Flynn and Kunkel (1987) found. Flynn and Kunkel (1987) used data from about one thousand respondents in the 1983 from a General Social Survey to analyze beliefs that the people had for life after death. They found three groups of beliefs. One is Otherworldly: life of peace, tranquility, paradise of pleasure and delight, loving intellectual communication, union with god and reunion with loved ones. Worldly Rewards: life of intense action like it is here on earth but a paradise of pleasure and delight. The third group was No Rewards: life without many earthly joys, a pale, shadowy sort of life, spiritually involving mind and not the body. The researchers found that the type of belief held about life-after-death was related to social class, financial status, and a history of trauma. No recent studies were identified on this issue until Lester et al. (2001-2002). The designing of this study was made to explore and expand the beliefs that people held about life-after-death. They used a 21-item questionnaire of the concepts of the afterlife. In the first method the questionnaire was given to 50 students who were enrolled in social science undergraduate courses. The mean age was 23.8 years old and the participants were mainly white. In the first method nine factors ever extracted about beliefs about afterlife. There were three major findings from the research that was obtained. One was that 19.8 percent accounted for that the life is much like the life on earth. There is a good and an evil. Not everyone is equal and that there are material objects in the afterlife. 13.4 percent accounted for that the cause of death, rituals carried out for you, the physical and psychotically state at death has an effect on how the afterlife would be. Lastly 8.5 percent accounted for the belief that the afterlife is a specific place, there is a day of judgment, and there is eternal bliss and that that is the final destinations. The second method was designed to enlarge properties, increase sample size and explore other personality correlates of beliefs, specifically belief on external locus of control. The research study consisted of 152 male and180 female participants who were undergraduate students from the same state college as the participants in the first method. The second method was expanded into a 41-item questionnaire. The mean age in the second method was 22.5 years old and the participants were mainly white. In this method twelve factors were identified about beliefs about afterlife. Three of the major factors were that 12.1 percent believe in Heave and Hell. 7.9 percent believe in reincarnation and 6.6 percent believed that there ate material objects and sexual desire in the after life. The gender differences that were found are that men are not less likely to believe in afterlife but they were less likely to believe in Heaven, reuniting with loved ones, communication with the living and request for forgiveness before death. Men were more likely the women to believe that there are material objects, that spirits have human form, that there is pain, hunger, thirst and that rituals carried out after death are important. The religious differences they found were that Protestant students were less likely to believe in life-after-death then Roman Catholic students. On the other hand, Protestant students were more likely to believe that there is Hell and that forgiveness needs to be requested to get into Heaven.One of the strengths that this article has is that they provided a broad hypothesis. It was not specific and that gave them more room to play around with how they want to test the beliefs on life-after-death. They basically just wanted to explore from what was found in previous search on the afterlife and find more detailed data. Another strengths in this article were the specific questions that the participants were asked about their beliefs in the afterlife. The researchers made the questions into simple yes or no answer kinds. This made it easier for the participants to answer what they believe in about the afterlife and it also made it easier and clearer for the researchers to extract the exact data that they were looking for. Also the researchers conducted two methods. There were extra questions that were added also. This helped the researchers find other specific beliefs. Overall, having two methods gives a better view of what data is best to keep and present. The first weakness of this article is that the date was only consumed from one specific university. This has a major limit on how this data will be taken into account by others. When data is taken only from one part of he country it limits how credible the findings are and how they can be used in future research. Another weakness is that the researchers only conducted a questionnaire in their method to finding data on beliefs about the afterlife. Another weakness is that the sample size was small in the first method. It may be hard to compare data between method one and method two because they have significant difference in sample size. Lastly, a major weakness would be the data expenditure of only undergraduate students with mean ages of 23.8 and 22.5 within the two methods verses consuming data from many different age groups. Cross-cultural research on beliefs about the afterlife is one of the major directions that can be taken with this research topic just as it was done by: Ambwani, Warren, Gleaves, Benito and Fernandez (2007) in their research on fear of fatness across the world. The data they conducted showed differences in beliefs on what body shape is socially acceptable in the United Sates verses Spain. There are so many different religions, cultures and individual beliefs regarding how life should be lived and what will come out of that. Some religions do not believe in the afterlife at all and some believe that this life is just a test for what will be the ever-lasting life after death. These differences need to be taken into considerations and research on more to further our understanding about all the cultures in our environments. Another future directions that can be taken with beliefs about the afterlife can be of great importance to the medical fields in research. Patients that have experienced trauma in their lives may have very important data that can help understand why people may have the different thoughts and beliefs about how the afterlife will and what will be in it. Research Purpose Cross-cultural Research would be a key direction to take beliefs about afterlife on. This would assess the differences in beliefs about afterlife beyond America. Cross-cultural research is beneficial because it covers a much wider range of variations in cultural activities then other studies that are based on single societies. For this particular subject on afterlife a comparison between America and Croatia will be done. The cultural differences about what beliefs individuals hold will be taken. The purpose is to show how different cultures may have different dynamics in how they believe their life had effected the belief they hold on afterlife. Croatians compared to Americans on average will believe in afterlife more. Another proposal is to test participants that have experienced trauma verses participants that have not experienced trauma. This would show how experience of trauma can affect a person view on life and how they may feel about afterlife. For this particular research it would show the difference been the two countries and between experience with trauma and experience with no trauma. On average participants that have experienced trauma will have a greater belief in afterlife verses participants with no experience with trauma. Research Methods The budget for this research proposal is 12,000.00 dollars. There are 400 participants to which 20.00-dollar Starbucks gift card will be given. That is 40020, which equals 8,000.00 dollars. The money for the Starbucks gift cards will be transferred from here to Zagreb Croatia trough Bank of America free of charge. There are also four research assistants. Two native speaking Croatians that also speak English from the University of Zagreb and two Americans from Oakland University. Each of the assistants receive 1,000.00 dollars 41000, which equals to 4,000.00 for a total of 12,000.00-dollar research budget. The ideal characteristic for the participants in this research would be that they are college health college students that have a global point of view so that the date that will be collected from them is from a point of view that has seen more then just one way to live. The participants would also be ideal if they are completely honest about their answers since these are completely confidential items on the questionnaire. An equal amount of men and women would also be ideal. Although, that may be a difficult task it can be established by keeping track of how many men and women have come to take the online questionnaire. There will be 400 student participants will be chosen from America and Croatia. From America the participants will be gathered from Oakland University in Rochester Michigan and from Croatia the participants will be gathered from University of Zagreb in Zagreb. The participants will not be from a specific major study or group but randomly selected individuals. They will all be undergraduate students. There will be a total of 400 participants. Students will be split, 200 from Oakland University and 200 from University of Zagreb. The sampling methods will proceed in the fallowing order. The questionnaire will be taken online on a website make just for this research. The website that will be made by the Oakland Universities IT departments assistance free of charge. The online questionnaire will be taken individually in a room that will be provided for the research. This way the students do will feel more comfortable and less anxious about answering the questionnaire. There will be a research assistant present in that room during the time when participants take the online questionnaire to assist them of they have any questions about how to start the questionnaire and to assist them when they are done. After the participant completes the online questionnaire the research assistant will grant them with a twenty-dollar Starbucks gift card. The Measurements will be done with the questionnaire from method two of the original research study. The questionnaire will be back translated to Croatian. Items 1 to 41 will aid in determine if the participants believe in afterlife and what specific facts they believe about afterlife. How will the afterlife be? What will be in the afterlife? These items are very specific and will with no trouble help distinguish between participants that believe in afterlife verses those participants that do not in America and Croatia and it will help find the specifics that participants believe in about afterlife. Items that do not pertain to research purposes will be taken out and replaced with more appropriate items for the research. The participants will be asked to report their age. Also other items will be added to the questionnaire to fit the need for data consumption for the research of effect of trauma on participants and their beliefs (see appendix 1 for questionnaire items). Items 42 to 55 have been added to assist in finding the right data that is needed. These specific items in the questionnaire will help determine what kind of traumatic even the participant has experienced. Do they believe this has changed how they think and feel the afterlife will be like? Also a consent form and confidentiality agreement will be given to participants to sign. The data analytic plan will consist of Two-way ANOVA. A Two-way ANOVA of variance is an extension to the one-way analysis of variance. There are two independent variables. Some of the assumptions for Two-way ANOVA are that the population from which the samples are obtained must be somewhat normally distributed. The sample must be independent. The variance of population must be equal and the groups must have the same sample size. The two independent variables in Two-way ANOVA are called factors. The idea is that there are two variable, factors, that effect the dependent variable. Each factor will have two or more factors within it. For this research study the two independent variables (factors) are American students and Croatian students. Each of the factors has two other factors in it. In this case study the participants with trauma versus participants with no trauma are the factors within the independent variable. When using Two-way ANOVA the main effect, interaction effect and within variation are also establish. The main effect involves the independent variable one at a time. The interaction effect is the effect one factor has on the other factor. Lastly the within effect is the sum of squared within each treatment group. Two-way ANOVA will provide all the necessary dynamics need to aid in this research in finding and separating the data. The research procedure will consist of the fallowing method to assemble the participants and obtain the data needed. Back-translate the original questionnaire to Croatian. Invite participants to take part in the study via email and announcements by the staff member that are chosen as assistants in this study to their students in class. As participants walk in they will be guided to a computer in the designated room to take the online questionnair. Before participants take the online questionnaire they will be asked to sign a consent and confidentiality form. After taking the online questionnaire participants will receive their twenty-dollar Starbucks gift card. Then data will be collected and analyzed from America and Croatia. The significance of this research proposal is simply that it can be used in many ways for future research. This is simple because researching on culture always brings up interesting data apart from what the researches goal was to find in first place. However, to focus on the main significance of this research is health care. It is always the fasted growing field and the most advanced in technology but there is also always room for more improvement for people skills and knowledge about diversity. Being that America is the melting pot of the world, knowledge about cultural differences is always needed. This future direction can serve nurses and doctors and other medical professionals in understanding and communicating better with their patients. Since trauma is nothing new to the health care world it is a major fact that all health care professionals need to advance and keep getting educated about. Trauma has major effects on an individuals and it will have a major effect on what they believe after the traumatic experience. Some people may have come close to death in their traumatic experience. This might have taken them to the thought about what may be next? Is this it? These are just some of the questions people may wonder about. On the other hand people that have ever had major trauma may and may just have a broad belief about what they think the afterlife will be. Research on afterlife would benefit the medical fields in a great way. The nurses and other health care professionals would have a deeper understanding on what their patients that have chronic illnesses are feeling intrinsically. It would also give them a better chance of understanding different culture and know what the patient feels or does not feel comfortable with. This research can also benefit social worker and counselors and educators in connecting with their patients or students in a better way. Education about how traumatic experiences effect how people believe their afterlife will be can also be a factor of why they feel the way they do right now. This research will also open many more doors for future research on sub topics regarding afterlife and other interesting factors that may rise from this. Since there is not much research on afterlife this can be the icebreaker. References Ambwani, S., Warren, C., Gleaves, D., Benito, A., and Fernandez, M. (2008). Culture, Gender and Assesment of Fear of Fatness. European Journal of Psychological Assesment. 24, 81-87. Flynn, C. p., Kunkel, S. R. (1987). Deprivation, compensation, and conception of an afterlife. Sociological Analysis, 48, 58-72. Lester, D., Aldridge, M., Aspenberg, C., Boyle, K., Radsniak, P., and Waldron, C. (2002). What Is the Afterlife like? Undergraduates Believes about the Afterlife. Omega Center for the Study of Sluiced. 44, 113-126.

Sisterhood Method to Calculate Maternal Deaths

Sisterhood Method to Calculate Maternal Deaths

PETA Campaign Analysis Essay -- Animal Rights

PETA, an animal rights organization, constantly receives national attention and a certain shock value using powerful and distinct images to expose their messages of animal suffering. Starting in 1980, many of their campaigns have attempted to use powerful visuals with the use of celebrities to address the issue of animal cruelty and to persuade people to convert to an animal friendly lifestyle. Their campaign, I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur, is PETA’s most recognized yet controversial anti-fur campaign. This campaign is an individual behavior change campaign that tries to change and promote behaviors that lead to improved individual or social well-being. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur campaign’s ability to convey effective messages on animal rights to the public using powerful visuals and celebrity icons. Two theories that can be used to successfully analyze this campaign are the theory of planned behavior and the social cognitive theory. Literature Review There was a combination of different literature found that easily pertains to the issue addressed in this paper. This broadly classified literature includes the history and background of PETA’s organization, an analysis of the use of celebrity icons in the anti-fur campaign and the different perspectives and criticism depicted in their messages. Historical resources A large amount of information relating to animal rights disseminates from the many websites PETA is associated with. These websites are a key factor to attract supporters and publish information that will help advance its activism. These two PETA websites that were very useful for researching this paper are www.peta.org and www.furisdead.com. These websites ... ...social controversy over fur. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 80(3), 249-276. Pace, L. (2005). Image events and PETA’s Anti-fur campaign. Women & Language, 28(2), 33-41. Ruben, R. (2006). Speak softly or carry a big stick? Comparing the approaches of the Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Communication, Culture and Technology (GT-ETD), DOI: http://hdl.handle.net/1961/3731 Simonson, P. (2001). Social noise and segmented rhythms: News, entertainment, and celebrity in the crusade for animal rights. The Communication Review, 4, 399- 420. Specter, M. (April 14, 2003). The extremist: The woman behind the most successful radical group in America. The New Yorker, 14, 52-67. Vogelaar, A. (2007). The rhetoric of graphic display: PETA’s virtual reproduction of pain. Conference Papers - National Communication Association, 1-29.

Arapesh and Embedded vs. Disembedded economy :: Essays Papers

Arapesh and Embedded vs. Disembedded economy Polanyi says, regarding the economy, â€Å"the economic process†¦.is embedded in noneconomic institutions.† An embedded economy is an economy in which economic activities occur such as, production and distribution; however other activities, which are not economic also occur. Activities such as forming friendships or helping other people may be happening, but it might just seem like the normal economic process because it is an embedded economy. When Polanyi says that the economy is â€Å"embedded in noneconomic institutions† he means that while economic activity is occurring, it is occurring for noneconomic reasons. The economic activity may be occurring in order to continue a friendship or help someone. Activities in an embedded economy often seem like they are not economic activities. They seem like this because usually the reason the economic activity is occurring is for noneconomic reasons. For example, if two bakers both produce wheat bread, but do not eat their own, instead they exchange bread, because they want to have a reason to be friends. This situation does not seem like economic activity, it seems like two people sharing their food. It actually is economic activity, because the two bakers are both producing and distributing their bread. So, even though the bakers are only exchanging the bread because they want to maintain their friendship, what they are doing is an economic activity that would happen in an embedded economy. Today most economic activity is considered to be part of a disembedded economy. In a disembedded economy, economic activity occurs only for economic reasons, so it is the opposite of an embedded economy. Economic activity is completely independent from such institutions as family or friendship. An example, of activity in a disembedded economy is a person going to a grocery store and buying bread. There is no other institution involved in the economic process of production and distribution of the bread which is why this would occur in a disembedded economy. The producer of the bread is making the bread so that he can sell it and get money for it, the consumer is buying the bread so it will belong to him. Economic activities of production and distribution are perceived by the Arapesh to just be part of their society. Everything that the Arapesh use and take care of daily belongs to someone else, whether it is their trees or pigs. The Arapesh believe that they must share what they own with the other Arapesh to help them survive.

The Value of Bar Mitzvah Essay -- Bar Mitzvah Speech

This is a Torah portion that I feel represented my values as a whole. The portion is a part of the Parsha Ha-Shavuah which centers on the story of Sarah (Abrahams wife) having a baby at a very old age, and the details around that. Included in the part that I’m reading, theres emphasis that you should be generally hospitable towards others, and that families don’t always follow â€Å"Traditional† patterns. Now, let me explain my values and how they fit into that Parsha: Humor- Humor is important to me because it helps me keep a fresh, clear outlook on life and just generally brightens someone's day- or my day- in general. Also there's that old stereotype that â€Å"Jews have so much to joke about they can't stop.† So why not just keep making jokes about everything!? It certainly helped us get through some of the hardships that our ancestors had, and in my experience, humor can make any situation better. Family- To me, family is the same things as Community; another value that plays at least a small part in my life. Community is family and Family is Community. I think of the Duke Lemur Center as a community of people who all love doing the same thing, but at the same time I like to think of it as a family as well. There’s also the more traditional sense of family that we all know about. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and other extended family members. Loyalty- I chose loyalty for a few reasons, but mostly the first thing I thought when I saw this was: Wouldn't it be ironic to choose â€Å"Loyalty† as a value, but then not stay loyal to your values and choice of values? The whole thing about loyalty- to people and things – Is keeping the belief or whatever faith you had in that thing or person and sticking to ... ...ence, and the editorial work my Dad helped me do on this (and almost everything I write today), because boy do I need it! I’d also like to thank My Uncle for the hard work he’s put into leading the whole thing, and being a generally awesome uncle. Lastly, I’d like to fully thank Ira for all the hard work he put into helping me make this whole process manageable. Arranging the meetings, giving me guidance and nudges towards the right direction, and being the guy who I can ask questions of and get a straight answer from. So, Ira, thank you so much! Obviously I am very grateful, and I hope we can continue to get to know each other even when this is done. What this experience has meant to me/done for me...why it was worth all the effort I put into it. Works Cited Marx, Harpo. 1961. Harpo speaks! [New York]: B. Geis Associates; distributed by Random House.

The Importance of Teen Health

Did you know that a lack of physical activity causes one in ten premature deaths worldwide? The health of teens is decreasing every year. The physical activity of teens has declined 32% in a single generation. This is all because of the new technology and a change in eating habits. For the first time, this generation may die before their parents. If teens don’t pay attention to what they eat, the amount of exercise they get, and avoid drugs, the health issues with teens will keep increasing.Do teens ever go home and just spend hours watching TV or on the computer? About 50% of teens will come home and just watch TV or go on the computer, instead of getting exercise. Studies show that if teens don’t get a minimum of thirty minutes of exercise a day, they will gain weight and become obese. All because of the lack of exercise, 30% of teens become obese or overweight. Research shows that, â€Å"Our brains simply may not be built for an environment without physical activity .†How many people have ever thought about the weight they could gain every time they choose not to exercise and just sit and eat? Just eating right is not enough to maintain a healthy diet; teens need to exercise. Drugs are a big problem in a teen’s life. Drugs can cause teens to have a big issue in the future and can cause them to not be themselves. An easy way to avoid drugs is to stay away from people who are doing drugs. Studies show that, â€Å"Teen brains are only about 80% developed and don’t fully mature until their mid-20’s.†Have teens ever thought about the effects of drugs or the number of people who try an illegal drug for the first time? There are about 4,300 teens that try an illegal drug for the first time each day. If teens don’t avoid drugs, like marijuana, then when they get older, they will have depression, stress, motivation, and reward problems. Teens must avoid drugs in order to have a healthier life than the teens that use drugs. Most teens say that the meals served at schools are unhealthy and very fattening.But the real fact is that school meals are healthier than any fast food teens get. If a school meal is left outside for more than four hours, it is tossed. An article in the Argolog says, â€Å"Everything from the burritos to the cookies is made from scratch every morning. † This proves that the food is healthy and not left over from any other day. The district of Garden Grove serves about 41,455 healthy meals at schools per day. Teens will be healthier if they eat the food served at school rather than leaving school and getting fast food.The food served at school must be checked by the USDA and must meet the guidelines, or it can’t be served. The overall health of teens has slowly been decreasing throughout the years. The health of teens is causing experts to believe that teens may die before their parents. In order to maintain a healthy life, teens must exercise daily, avoid d rugs and alcohol, and eat healthy foods. Every teen needs to exercise about thirty to forty minutes a day, which might seem like a lot of time, but in reality, it will change teen’s life. ï » ¿The Importance of Teen Health Did you know that a lack of physical activity causes one in ten premature deaths worldwide? The health of teens is decreasing every year. The physical activity of teens has declined 32% in a single generation. This is all because of the new technology and a change in eating habits. For the first time, this generation may die before their parents. If teens don’t pay attention to what they eat, the amount of exercise they get, and avoid drugs, the health issues with teens will keep increasing.Do teens ever go home and just spend hours watching TV or on the computer? About 50% of teens will come home and just watch TV or go on the computer, instead of getting exercise. Studies show that if teens don’t get a minimum of thirty minutes of exercise a day, they will gain weight and become obese. All because of the lack of exercise, 30% of teens become obese or overweight. Research shows that, â€Å"Our brains simply may not be built for an environment without physical activity .†How many people have ever thought about the weight they could gain every time they choose not to exercise and just sit and eat? Just eating right is not enough to maintain a healthy diet; teens need to exercise. Drugs are a big problem in a teen’s life. Drugs can cause teens to have a big issue in the future and can cause them to not be themselves. An easy way to avoid drugs is to stay away from people who are doing drugs. Studies show that, â€Å"Teen brains are only about 80% developed and don’t fully mature until their mid-20’s.†Have teens ever thought about the effects of drugs or the number of people who try an illegal drug for the first time? There are about 4,300 teens that try an illegal drug for the first time each day. If teens don’t avoid drugs, like marijuana, then when they get older, they will have depression, stress, motivation, and reward problems. Teens must avoid drugs in order to have a healthier life than the teens that use drugs. Most teens say that the meals served at schools are unhealthy and very fattening.But the real fact is that school meals are healthier than any fast food teens get. If a school meal is left outside for more than four hours, it is tossed. An article in the Argolog says, â€Å"Everything from the burritos to the cookies is made from scratch every morning. † This proves that the food is healthy and not left over from any other day. The district of Garden Grove serves about 41,455 healthy meals at schools per day. Teens will be healthier if they eat the food served at school rather than leaving school and getting fast food.The food served at school must be checked by the USDA and must meet the guidelines, or it can’t be served. The overall health of teens has slowly been decreasing throughout the years. The health of teens is causing experts to believe that teens may die before their parents. In order to maintain a healthy life, teens must exercise daily, avoid d rugs and alcohol, and eat healthy foods. Every teen needs to exercise about thirty to forty minutes a day, which might seem like a lot of time, but in reality, it will change teen’s life.

Market Segments

CUSTOMER-DRIVEN MARKETING STRATEGY: CREATING VALUE FOR TARGET CUSTOMERS PREVIEWING THE CONCEPTS – CHAPTER OBJECTIVES define the four major steps in designing a customer-driven marketing strategy: market segmentation, market targeting, differentiation, and positioning list and discuss the major bases for segmenting consumer and business markets explain how companies identify attractive market segments and choose a market targeting strategy discuss how companies differentiate and position their products for maximum competitive advantageJUST THE BASICS This chapter looks further into key customer-driven marketing strategy decisions—how to divide up markets into meaningful customer groups (segmentation), choose which customer groups to serve (targeting), create market offerings that best serve targeted customers (differentiation), and positioning the offerings in the minds of consumers (positioning). Then, the chapters that follow explore the tactical marketing tools the Four Ps—by which marketers bring these strategies to life. INTRODUCTIONBest Buy: Embracing the Angels and Ditching the Demons. Best Buy set out to identify its best customers and win their loyalty by serving them better. At the same time, it identifies less attractive customers and began to send them packing. To better differentiate itself in a crowded marketplace, Best Buy needed to stake out is own turn – to identify its best customers and serve them in ways that no discount on online competitor could. Rather than trying to make all customers happy all of the time, Best Buy segmented its market and sharpened it’s positioning.This resulted in what they term â€Å"customer centricity. How has this worked for Best Buy? Very well. They have designed a customer-driven marketing strategy that builds the right relationships with the right customers. Market segmentation involves dividing a market into smaller groups of buyers with distinct needs, characteristics , or behaviors that might require separate marketing strategies or mixes. Market targeting (or targeting) consists of evaluating each market segment’s attractiveness and selecting one or more market segments to enter.Differentiation involves actually differentiating the firm’s market offering to create superior customer value. Positioning consists of arranging for a market offering to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target consumers. MARKET SEGMENTATION Through market segmentation, companies divide large, heterogeneous markets into smaller segments that can be reached more efficiently and effectively with products and services that match their unique needs. Segmenting Consumer Markets Geographic SegmentationGeographic segmentation calls for dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, regions, states, counties, cities, or even neighborhoods. Demographic Segmentation Demographic se gmentation divides the market into groups based on variables such as age, gender, family size, family life cycle, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, and nationality. Demographic factors are the most popular bases for segmenting customer groups. Age and LifeCycle Stage is offering different products or using different marketing approaches for different age and lifecycle groups.Gender segmentation has long been used in clothing, cosmetics, toiletries, and magazines. Income segmentation has long been used by the marketers of products and services such as automobiles, clothing, cosmetics, financial services, and travel. Psychographic Segmentation Psychographic segmentation divides buyers into different groups based on social class, lifestyle, or personality characteristics. Marketers use personality variables to segment markets. Behavioral Segmentation Behavioral segmentation divides buyers into groups based on their knowledge, attitudes, uses, or responses to a product.Occasion segmentation is grouping buyers according to occasions when they get the idea to buy, actually make their purchase, or use the purchased item. Benefit segmentation is grouping buyers according to the different benefits that they seek from the product. User Status is segmenting markets into nonusers, ex-users, potential users, first-time users, and regular users of a product. Usage Rate is grouping markets into light, medium, and heavy product users. Loyalty Status is dividing buyers into groups according to their degree of loyalty. Using Multiple Segmentation BasesMarketers rarely limit their segmentation analysis to only one or a few variables. PRIZM NE (one of the leading segmentation systems) classifies every American household based on a host of demographic factors. Segmenting Business Markets Consumer and business marketers use many of the same variables to segment their markets. Business marketers also use some additional variables, such as customer operating characteristics, purchasing approaches, situational factors, and personal characteristics. Many marketers believe that buying behavior and benefits provide the best basis for segmenting business markets.Segmenting International Markets Companies can segment international markets using one or a combination of several variables. * Geographic factors: Nations close to one another will have many common traits and behaviors. * Economic factors: Countries may be grouped by population income levels or by their overall level of economic development. * Political and legal factors: Type and stability of government, receptivity to foreign firms, monetary regulations, and the amount of bureaucracy. * Cultural factors: Grouping markets according to common languages, religions, values and attitudes, customs, and behavioral patterns.Intermarket segmentation is segmenting of consumers who have similar needs and buying behavior even though they are located in different countries. Requirements for Ef fective Segmentation To be useful, market segments must be: Measurable: The size, purchasing power, and profiles of the segments can be measured. Accessible: The market segments can be effectively reached and served. Substantial: The market segments are large or profitable enough to serve. Differentiable: The segments are conceptually distinguishable and respond differently to different marketing mix elements and programs.Actionable: Effective programs can be designed for attracting and serving the segments. MARKET TARGETING Evaluating Market Segments In evaluating different market segments, a firm must look at three factors: 1. Segment size and growth, 2. Segment structural attractiveness, and 3. Company objectives and resources. The largest, fastest-growing segments are not always the most attractive ones for every company. The company also needs to examine major structural factors that affect long-run segment attractiveness. * A segment is less attractive if it already contains m any strong and aggressive competitors. The existence of many actual or potential substitute products may limit prices and the profits. * The relative power of buyers also affects segment attractiveness. * A segment may be less attractive if it contains powerful suppliers who can control prices. Selecting Target Market Segments A target market consists of a set of buyers who share common needs or characteristics that the company decides to serve. Undifferentiated Marketing Using an undifferentiated marketing (or mass-marketing) strategy, a firm might decide to ignore market segment differences and target the whole market with one offer.This mass-marketing strategy focuses on what is common in the needs of consumers rather than on what is different. Differentiated Marketing Using a differentiated marketing (or segmented marketing) strategy, a firm decides to target several market segments and designs separate offers for each. Concentrated Marketing Using a concentrated marketing (or n iche marketing) strategy, instead of going after a small share of a large market, the firm goes after a large share of one or a few smaller segments or niches. It can market more effectively by fine-tuning its products, prices, and programs to the needs of carefully defined segments.It can market more efficiently, targeting its products or services, channels, and communications programs toward only consumers that it can serve best and most profitably. Micromarketing Micromarketing is the practice of tailoring products and marketing programs to suit the tastes of specific individuals and locations. Micromarketing includes local marketing and individual marketing. Local marketing involves tailoring brands and promotions to the needs and wants of local customer groups—cities, neighborhoods, and even specific stores. Local marketing has drawbacks. It can drive up manufacturing and marketing costs by reducing economies of scale. * It can create logistics problems. * The brand†™s overall image might be diluted if the product and message vary too much in different localities. Individual marketing is the tailoring of products and marketing programs to the needs and preferences of individual customers. Individual marketing has also been labeled one-to-one marketing, mass customization, and markets-of-one marketing. Choosing a Targeting Strategy Which strategy is best depends on: * Company resources. * Product variability. Product’s life-cycle stage. * Market variability. * Competitors’ marketing strategies. Socially Responsible Target Marketing Target marketing sometimes generates controversy and concern. Issues usually involve the targeting of vulnerable or disadvantaged consumers with controversial or potentially harmful products. Problems arise when marketing adult products to kids, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The growth of the Internet and other carefully targeted direct media has raised concerns about potential targeting ab uses. The issue is not so much who is targeted, but how and for what.Controversies arise when marketers attempt to profit when they unfairly target vulnerable segments or target them with questionable products or tactics. Socially responsible marketing calls for segmentation and targeting that serve not just the interests of the company, but also the interests of those targeted. DIFFERENTIATION AND POSITIONING Value proposition: How a company will create differentiated value for targeted segments and what positions it wants to occupy in those segments. A product’s position is the way the product is defined by consumers on important attributes. Positioning MapsPerceptual positioning map show consumer perceptions of their brands versus competing products on important buying dimensions. Choosing a Differentiation and Positioning Strategy The differentiation and positioning task consists of three steps: 1. Identifying a set of differentiating competitive advantages upon which to build a position, 2. Choosing the right competitive advantages, and 3. Selecting an overall positioning strategy. 1. Identifying Possible Value Differences and Competitive Advantages To the extent that a company can differentiate and position itself as providing superior customer value, it gains competitive advantage.It can differentiate along the lines of product, services, channels, people, or image. 2. Choosing the Right Competitive Advantages How Many Differences to Promote Ad man Rosser Reeves believes a company should develop a unique selling proposition (USP) for each brand and stick to it. Other marketers think that companies should position themselves on more than one differentiator. Which Differences to Promote A difference is worth establishing to the extent that it satisfies the following criteria: Important: The difference delivers a highly valued benefit to target buyers.Distinctive: Competitors do not offer the difference, or the company can offer it in a more distinc tive way. * Superior: The difference is superior to other ways that customers might obtain the same benefit. Communicable: The difference is communicable and visible to buyers. Preemptive: Competitors cannot easily copy the difference. Affordable: Buyers can afford to pay for the difference. Profitable: The company can introduce the difference profitably. 3. Selecting an Overall Positioning Strategy The full positioning of a brand is called the brand’s value proposition.More for More positioning involves providing the most upscale product or service and charging a higher price to cover the higher costs. More for the Same positioning involves introducing a brand offering comparable quality but at a lower price. The Same for Less positioning can be a powerful value proposition—everyone likes a good deal. Less for Much Less positioning is offering products that offer less and therefore cost less. â€Å"Less-for-much-less† positioning involves meeting consumers†™ lower performance or quality requirements at a much lower price. More for Less positioning is the winning value proposition.In the long run, companies will find it very difficult to sustain such best-of-both positioning. Developing a Positioning Statement Company and brand positioning should be summed up in a positioning statement. The statement should follow the form: To (target segment and need) our (brand) is (concept) that (point of difference). Communicating and Delivering the Chosen Position Once it has chosen a position, the company must take strong steps to deliver and communicate the desired position to target consumers. All the company’s marketing mix efforts must support the positioning strategy.Discussing the Issues 1. List and briefly describe the four major steps in designing a customer-driven marketing strategy. 2. Discuss the behavioral variables used to segment buyers and provide an example of each. 3. Explain how companies segment international markets. 4. Name and describe the characteristics of useful market segments. 5. In the context of marketing, what is a product’s â€Å"position†? How do marketers know what it is? Under the Hood: Marketing Technology When you think of hybrid or electric automobiles, you probably think don’t think â€Å"sports car. But the Fisker Karma is about to shatter that stereotype. It’s been called the hybrid with â€Å"sex appeal† and is often compared to a Mercedes-Benz roadster. During the haughty Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, it was seen cruising around Monterey, California with the likes of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. In the increasingly crowded field of new-generation electric vehicles, Fisker Automotive wants to carve out a niche as a high-performance eco-car with lots of style. The creator, Henrik Fisker, was formerly head of design at Aston Martin.The Fisker Karma goes from 0 to 60 in six seconds, can go 125 miles per hour, and can travel 50 miles on electric power and 300 miles on combined electric and gasoline power. All this performance and style does not come cheaply, however. Prices range from $87,900 to $106,000. The company already has orders from 1,400 buyers. If this is above your means, don’t worry—the company is promising a lower-priced, mass-market version for the rest of us in a few years. 1. On what basis is Fisker Automotive segmenting the automobile market? Is the company using a single segmentation approach or a combined approach?Explain. 2. What market targeting strategy is Fisker pursuing with this automobile? How is the company differentiating its automobile and which value proposition is it using? Staying on the Road: Marketing Ethics In 2009 Anheuser-Busch launched the Bud Light â€Å"Fan Can,† a promotion that included 27 different color combinations of its cans in college team colors. For example, students at Louisiana State University could purchase purple-and-gold cans of Bud Li ght. Anheuser-Busch timed the campaign, called â€Å"Team Pride,† to coincide with students returning to campus and with the kickoff of the football season.Several schools, such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa State, University of Colorado, and others, objected strenuously. As a result, Anheuser-Busch halted the program in those markets. The promotion also caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission. Both the FTC and college officials are concerned about the high rate of underage and binge drinking on college campuses. Some school officials also were concerned about trademark infringements, and about the appearance that they support Budweiser’s activities.As criticism brewed around the country, A-B released a statement claiming that it did not mean to encourage underage drinking—it just wanted to create more fun for sports fans. Although the company halted the promotion in areas where college officials objected, controversy surrounding the promotion appear ed in newspapers and on television nationwide. 1. What type of market targeting strategy is Anheuser-Busch using with the Team Pride promotion? 2. Was this a wise promotion? Explain. Rough Road Ahead: Marketing and the Economy Vanilla Bikes Portland-based Vanilla Bicycles sells hand-built bikes with price tags ranging from $4,000 to $12,000.Now, after only nine years in business, owner Sacha White has stopped taking orders – not because business had dried up but because he has a five-year waiting list. White and his crew of three make only 40 to 50 bikes a year. Frames are made from exotic metals, are welded with silver alloy, and weigh as little as 30 ounces. No two Vanilla bikes are the same. Each is custom fitted to the client and features intricate metal carvings and an artisan paint job. Amazingly, almost all of these high-end velocipedes are sold to middle-class customers. Still, orders have not ebbed with the economic downturn.In fact, Vanilla could ramp up production significantly and still sell everything it makes. However, White claims that would compromise the special nature of what customers consider to be works of art. Vanilla bikes are so special that when Portland bike couriers describe something as cool, they routinely say, â€Å"That’s soooo Vanilla. † 1. Based on the segmentation variables discussed in the chapter, construct a profile for Vanilla Bicycle’s probable target market. 2. Given that most luxury products suffer in an economic downturn, why has Vanilla still succeeded?

Ib Math Ia

MATME/PF/M12/N12/M13/N13 MATHEMATICS Standard Level The portfolio – tasks For use in 2012 and 2013 Â © International Baccalaureate Organization 2010 7 pages For final assessment in 2012 and 2013 2 MATME/PF/M12/N12/M13/N13 C O N T E N TS T y p e I t as k s Circles T y p e I I t as k s Fish Production Gold Medal Heights INTRODUC TI ON W h a t is t h e p u r p ose of t h is d oc u m e n t ? This document contains new tasks for the portfolio in mathematics SL. These tasks have been produced by the IB, for teachers to use in the examination sessions in 2012 and 2013.It should be noted that most tasks previously produced and published by the IB will no longer be valid for assessment after the November 2010 examination session. These include all the tasks in any teacher support material (TSM), and the tasks in the document tfolio tasks 2009 The tasks in the in the 2012 examinations but N O T in 2013. Copies of all TSM tasks published by the IB are available on the Online Curriculum Centre (OCC), under Internal Assessme not be used, even in slightly modified form. W h a t h a p p e n s i f t e a c h e r s u s e t h e s e o l d t a s k s?The inclusion of these old tasks in the portfolio will make the portfolio non -compliant, and such portfolios will therefore attract a 10-mark penalty. Teachers may continue to use the old tasks as practice tasks, but they should not be included in the portfolio for final assessment. W h a t o t h e r d oc u m e n t s s h o u l d I u se? All teachers should have copies of the mathematics SL subject guide (second edition, September 2006), including the teaching notes appendix, and the TSM (September 2005). Further information, ncluding additional notes on applying the criteria, is available on the Online Curriculum Centre (OCC). Important news items are also available on the OCC, as are the diploma programme coordinator notes, which contain updated information on a variety of issues. W h i c h t as k s c a n I u se i n 2012? The only tasks produced by the IB that may be submitted for assessment in 2012 are the ones contained in this document, and those in the document Portfolio tasks 2011 2012 . There is no requirement to use tasks produced by the IB, and there is no date restriction on tasks written by teachers.For final assessment in 2012 and 2013 3 MATME/PF/M12/N12/M13/N13 C a n I u se t h ese t as k s b e f o r e M a y 2012? These tasks should only be submitted for final assessment from May 2012 to November 2013. Students should not include them in portfolios before May 2012. If they are included, they will be subject to a 10-mark penalty. Please note that these dates refer to examination sessions, not when the work is completed. W h i c h t as k s c a n I u se i n 2013? The only tasks produced by the IB that may be submitted for assessment in 2013 are the ones contained in this document. T e c h n ologyThere is a wide range of technological tools available to support mathematical work. These include gr aphic display calculators, Excel spreadsheets, Geogebra, Autograph, Geometer sketch pad and Wolframalpha. Many are free downloads from the Internet. Students (and teachers) should be encouraged to explore which ones best support the tasks that are assigned. Teachers are reminded that good technology use should enhance the development of the task. E x t r a c ts f r o m d i p lom a p r og r a m coo r d i n a to r n ot es Important information is included in the DPCN, available on the OCC.Teachers should ensure they are familiar with these, and in particular with the ones noted below. Please note that the reference to the 2009/2010 document is outdated. C op i es of t as k s a n d m a r k i n g/sol u t ion k e ys Teachers are advised to write their own tasks to fit in with their own teaching plans, to select from the 2009/2010 document, or to use tasks written by other teachers. In each case, teachers should work the task themselves to make sure it is suitable, and provide a copy of t he task, and an answer, solution or marking key for any task submitted.This will help the moderators confirm the levels awarded by the teacher. It is particularly important if teachers modify an IB published task to include a copy of the modified task. While this is permitted, teachers should think carefully about making any changes, as the tasks have been written with all the criteria in mind, to allow students to achieve the higher levels. N on -co m p l i a n t po r t f ol ios f r om M a y 2012 Please note the following information on how to deal with portfolios that do not contain one task of each type. This will be applied in the May 2012 and subsequent examination sessions.If two pieces of work are submitted, but they do not represent a Type I and a Type II task (for example, they are both Type I or both Type II tasks), mark both tasks, one against each Type. For example, if a candidate has submitted two Type I tasks, mark one using the Type I c riteria, and the other using th e Type II Criteria. Do not apply any further penalty This means that the current system of marking both tasks against the same criteria and then applying a penalty of 10 marks will no longer be used. For final assessment in 2012 and 2013 4 MATME/PF/M12/N12/M13/N13 SL T YPE IA im : In this t ask you wi l l conside r a se t of numbe rs tha t a r e pr esent ed in a symme t r i c a l pa t t e rn. Consider the five rows of numbers shown below. Describe how to find the numerator of the sixth row. Using technology, plot the relation between the row number, n, and the numerator in each row. Describe what you notice from your plot and write a general statement to represent this. Find the sixth and seventh rows. Describe any patterns you used. Let E n ( r ) be the ( r 1) th element in the nth row, starting with r 15 Example: E5 (2) . 9 0. Find the general statement for E n ( r ) .Test the validity of the general statement by finding additional rows. Discuss the scope and/or limitations of the general statement. Explain how you arrived at your general statement. For final assessment in 2012 and 2013 5 MATME/PF/M12/N12/M13/N13 C IR C L ES SL T YPE I A im : The a im of this t ask is to invest i ga t e posi t ions of points in i nt e rse c t ing c i r c l es. The following diagram shows a circle C 1 with centre O and radius r, and any point P. r P O C1 The circle C 2 has centre P and radius OP. Let A be one of the points of intersection of C 1 and C 2 . Circle C 3 has centre A, and radius r.The point P is the intersection of C 3 with (OP). This is shown in the diagram below. C3 A O P' P C2 C1 Let r 1 . Use an analytic approach to find OP , when OP 2 , OP 3 and OP 4 . Describe what you notice and write a general statement to represent this. Let OP 2 . Find OP , when r 2 , r 3 and r 4 . Describe what you notice and write a general statement to represent this. Comment whether or not this statement is consistent with your earlier statement. Use technology to investigate other v alues of r and OP. Find the general statement for OP . Test the validity of your general statement by using different values of OP and r.Discuss the scope and/or limitations of the general statement. Explain how you arrived at the general statement. For final assessment in 2012 and 2013 6 MATME/PF/M12/N12/M13/N13 F IS H PR O D U C T I O N SL T YPE II A im: This t ask conside rs comme r c i a l f ishing in a pa r t i cul a r count ry in two di ff e r ent envi ronments the se a and f ish f a rms (aqua cul tur e). The da t a is t a k en f rom the U N St a t ist i cs D ivisi on C ommon D a t a b a se . The following table gives the total mass of fish caught in the sea, in thousands of tonnes (1 tonne = 1000 kilograms). Y ea rT ot a l M ass 1980 426. 8 1981 470. 2 1982 503. 4 1983 557. 3 1984 564. 7 1985 575. 4 1986 579. 8 1987 624. 7 1988 669. 9 Y ea r T ot a l M ass 1989 450. 5 1990 379. 0 1991 356. 9 1992 447. 5 1993 548. 8 1994 589. 8 1995 634. 0 1996 527. 8 1997 459. 1 Y ea r T ot a l M ass 1998 487. 2 1999 573. 8 2000 503. 3 2001 527. 7 2002 566. 7 2003 507. 8 2004 550. 5 2005 426. 5 2006 533. 0 Define suitable variables and discuss any parameters/constraints. Using technology, plot the data points from the table on a graph. Comment on any apparent trends in your graph and suggest suitable models.Analytically develop a model that fits the data points. (You may find it useful to consider a combination of functions. ) On a new set of axes, draw your model function and the original data points. Comment on any differences. Revise your model if necessary. The table below gives the total mass of fish, in thousands of tonnes, from fish farms. Y ea r T ot a l M ass 1980 1. 4 1981 1. 5 1982 1. 7 1983 2. 0 1984 2. 2 1985 2. 7 1986 3. 1 1987 3. 3 1988 4. 1 Y ea r T ot a l M ass 1989 4. 4 1990 5. 8 1991 7. 8 1992 9. 1 1993 12. 4 1994 16. 0 1995 21. 6 1996 33. 2 1997 5. 5 Y ea r T ot a l M ass 1998 56. 7 1999 63. 0 2000 79. 0 2001 67. 2 2002 61. 2 2003 79. 9 2004 94. 7 20 05 119. 8 2006 129. 0 Plot the data points from this table on a graph, and discuss whether your analytical model for the original data fits the new data. Use technology to find a suitable model for the new data. On a new set of axes, draw both models. Discuss how trends in the first model could be explained by trends in the second model. By considering both models, discuss possible future trends in both types of fishing. For final assessment in 2012 and 2013 7MATME/PF/M12/N12/M13/N13 G O L D M E D A L H E I G H TS SL T YPE II A i m : T he a i m of th i s t a sk i s to O lympi c G ames. high jump in the The table below gives the height (in centimeters) achieved by the gold medalists at various Olympic Games. 1932 Y ea r H e igh t (c m) 197 1936 203 1948 198 1952 204 1956 212 1960 216 1964 218 1968 224 1972 223 1976 225 1980 236 Note: The Olympic Games were not held in 1940 and 1944. Using technology, plot the data points on a graph. Define all variables used and state any parameters clearly. Discuss any possible constraints of the task.What type of function models the behaviour of the graph? Explain why you chose this function. Analytically create an equation to model the data in the above table. On a new set of axes, draw your model function and the original graph. Comment on any differences. Discuss the limitations of your model. Refine your model if necessary. Use technology to find another function that models the data. On a new set of axes, draw both your model functions. Comment on any differences. Had the Games been held in 1940 and 1944, estimate what the winning heights would have been and justify your answers.Use your model to predict the winning height in 1984 and in 2016. Comment on your answers. The following table gives the winning heights for all the other Olympic Games since 1896. 1896 1904 1908 1912 1920 1928 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 Y ea r H eigh t (c m) 190 180 191 193 193 194 235 238 234 239 235 236 236 How well does your model fit the additional data? Discuss the overall trend from 1896 to 2008, with specific references to significant fluctuations. What modifications, if any, need to be made to your model to fit the new data? For final assessment in 2012 and 2013

Human Impact on the Environment – Problems caused by population growth

In about 1830 the human population reached one billion, there are now somewhere around six billion people on the planet today and that figure is growing at a very high and very rapid rate. Past populations were controlled by disease, war and famine but now because of technology and modern medicine. The environment around us has been built to support these growing numbers but this development is having a huge effect on the world's ecosystems. Human population's clear other space and habitats of other species to make way for their own. This ignorance has killed many species to extinction and polluted the environment; this has endangered our survival and the survival of other species at risk. Read this Ch. 22 Respiratory System However, in natural ecosystems factors are limiting whereas human ecosystems are different as we have the technology to maximise resources and find new ones when existing ones run out. The planet obviously can only hold a certain number of people, most species never reach their maximum numbers but they have a peak, then the numbers start to decline. Activities that have changed the landscape Industrial and domestic waste has to be disposed of, and as the population is increasing the waste is becoming more and more difficult to get rid of. There are a lot of things that cause pollution in varying rates on a big scale oil spill to a normal deodorant can which uses cfc's. Here is a table that shows the pollutant and its effects on humans and the environment. Pollutant Effects on humans and the environment. Air Smoke Makes breathing difficult. Sulphur Dioxide Causes acid rain. Ozone Damages leaves. CFC's Damages ozone layer. Carbon Dioxide Increases the ‘Greenhouse Effect'. Water Sewage Eutrophication. Fertilisers Eutrophication. Acid Rain Makes soils, lakes and rivers acidic. Oil Spills Kill fish. Toxic Chemicals e.g. mercury Kill fish and other aquatic life. Land Solid waste disposal at landfill sites Methane causes explosions and increases the ‘Greenhouse Effect'. Mining waste e.g. Lead Water run-off poisons plants and animals. Heavy metals kill most plants and animals. The Pollution of the Water There are a number of different ways and processes of water pollution the main ones are ‘waste disposal', ‘organic pollution' and ‘eutrophication'. Waste disposal is the domestic and industrial waste which is treated in sewage plants to remove impurities. The problem is that some of this waste is being disposed in many rivers and canals and polluting them heavily. This has destroyed many freshwater ecosystems like the ‘Great Lakes of North America' and parts of the ‘Norfolk Broads'. Organic pollution is where domestic sewage is disposed in rivers and canals and the organic content in the sewage is a food source for bacteria and fungi. These organisms also take the dissolved oxygen in the water so that fish and other aquatic animals die out. Eutrophication is when the nitrate and phosphate levels are high this encourages the growth of algae. These algae can cause a lot of damage to the water ecosystem. * Algae grow rapidly and give an ‘algal bloom' over the surface of the water. * Many blue-green algae produce toxins which kill some plants and animals. * Small animals that feed on algae do not multiply fast enough to check the increase in the algae. * Algae block out the light for the rooted plants growing on beds of lakes and they die. This reduces the amount of oxygen. * The algal population crashed due to competition for resources. The algae are then decomposed by bacteria which use the oxygen in the water. * This lack of oxygen kills many invertebrates and fish. All this is the process of eutrophication. The pollution of the atmosphere Pollution is a term used to describe the presence of an unwanted substance. Although air contains lots of microscopic particles, like volcanic dust and tiny sand grains from deserts, this pollution is natural in origin. Man-made pollution of the atmosphere however, is now causing a lot of concern. Most of this air pollution comes from the burning of coal, oil and gas – the fossil fuels – in power stations, factories and homes, and petrol and diesel in cars and other road vehicles. We need energy and electricity to keep us warm and to cook our food, but unfortunately we do not make enough from other non-polluting sources. Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the air. This may be changing the climate and causing global warming. Other pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also given off. This can reduce the quality of air which we breathe, leading to health problems, and can cause acid rain. Global Warming Global air temperatures as measured by land-based weather stations show an increase of about 0.45 degrees Celsius over the past century. These may be mistakes in data or climatic variation. Satellite data indicate a slight cooling in the climate in the last 18 years. These satellites use advanced technology and are not subject to the â€Å"heat island† effect around major cities that alters ground-based thermometers. Projections of future climate changes are uncertain. Although some computer models predict warming in the next century, these models are very limited. The effects of cloud formations, precipitation, the role of the oceans, or the sun, are still not well known and often inadequately represented in the climate models although all play a major role in determining our climate. Scientists who work on these models are quick to point out that they are far from perfect representations of reality, and are probably not advanced enough for direct use in policy implementation. Interestingly, as the computer climate models have become more sophisticated in recent years, the predicted increase in temperature has been lowered. However, 98% of total global greenhouse gas emissions are natural (mostly water vapour) and only 2% are from man-made sources. Sustained Development Sustainable development is where a population can make developments and improvements to their area or their needs without causing harm to the environment. Sustainable development is all about a greener planet in both developed and developing countries by not polluting the environment and being more energy friendly. Sustainable development is * Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone * Effective protection of the environment * Prudent use of natural resources Sustained development can be achieved by using less fossil fuels and researching into environmentally friendly sources of energy like solar and geothermic sources. Be less wasteful so that we use fewer resources so that they are prolonged and regenerate, find more effective ways of disposing of waste and producing less waste in the first place.

Obesity and Physical Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Obesity and Physical Activity - Essay Example In fact, of a recent study done on city ranking, which ranks some of the largest metro areas against each-other, the Twin Cities ranked 46 out of 46 for levels of deaths associated with Heart Disease. The actual count comes down to 109 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to the number 1 city (which is Detroit) having 236.4 heart disease deaths per 100,000 people 2. There are multiple reasons why the levels are so low, but probably one of the largest reasons has to be the low levels of air pollution and the emphasis on physical activity within the Metro Area. Many schools across the metro have been cracking down on teaching students about physical activity, and often there is not much else to do in the winter time anyway. A lot of people love to take walks early in the morning to get used to the cold so that it doesn't bother them throughout the rest of the day. Not only that, but the community has become strongly involved in the spread of information about obesity and physical activity. In fact, there is a number you can call to hook up with Health Partners in the Twin Cities and speak about obesity as well as request several documents and fliers to hand out to people. Health Partners also offers educational training courses and public announcements as well through this hot-line.

Social Media for Small to Medium Enterprises Essay - 2

Social Media for Small to Medium Enterprises - Essay Example Small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs play a crucial role in any national economy. They are a major source of employment and foster socio-economic expansion (Taprial & Kanwar 2012). To foster the achievement of their objectives, a majority of these SMEs leverage on IT-based tools to increase information content and creativity (Belo, Castela & Fernandes 2013; Laudon & Traver 2010). With this regard, many SMEs have incorporated social media strategy in their operations so as to realise the benefits that IT offers in their businesses. Joosten (2012) generally describes social media as technological systems that enhance collaboration and connection by creating personal and corporate profiles, sharing of opinions, activities and information and content creation. Among the many social media networks, Schwartz (2010) documents Twitter and Facebook as the most popular. SMEs have established their presence in a majority of these platforms. Anoto Group AB is an example of an SME that has embraced the use of social media in its operations. This Swedish high-tech company provides solutions for transmitting handwritten text from hard copies to digital media, intelligent camera surveillance and scanning printed text (Anoto Group AB 2013). To reach out to its customers and all other stakeholders, the company has presence on Twitter, Flickr and YouTube social media sites. With only 103 employees spread across Sweden, UK, US and Japan, the company is an example of modern SMEs that have adopted new IT features as change drivers to enable them gain sustainable competitive advantage over their rivals. Indeed, just like Anoto AB, many other SMEs have embraced the strategy of using social media to achieve their objectives. Meske and Stieglitz (2013) observe that 24% of small enterprises structurally use social media with another 20% using it informally. For medium-sized organisations, the

Buddhism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Buddhism - Research Paper Example Buddhism Buddhism is a common religion that originated in northern India but is practiced throughout the world, making it the fourth largest religion. Though the exact date of its founding is unknown, many scholars believe that Buddhism was formed during the fifth century.Narrowing down the exact date is made difficult due to the fact that most people do not know when Buddhism officially began. Its beginning might have been when Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism who would later become known as Buddha, first began his journey to Enlightenment, or after he became enlightened and journeyed through India to share his teachings. Regardless of when Buddhism found its origin, it has become a way of life and a philosophy that has helped many people to grow in their spirituality. Considered less of a religion and more of a philosophy or spiritual path, Buddhism sets out to provide people with guidelines on how to live a happy, peaceful, and moralistic life. Even followers of other r eligious traditions can utilize the teachings of Buddhism to strengthen their primary beliefs and improve their lives. The main tenets of this tranquil tradition that are incorporated into daily life are found in two doctrines: the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths are the foundation of Buddhism and state that life is suffering; suffering is caused by desire; suffering can be brought to an end; and the Eightfold Path is the path to follow to bring about the end of suffering. The Eightfold Path, as previously stated, is followed with the intention of bringing an end to suffering, but these eight concepts can be followed in any life or religious practice to promote happiness. Right View requires the follower to learn to see reality as it is, without illusions or wishes of how they want their life to look. Right Intention means to act morally and ethically for the good of everyone. Right Speech involves not being deceitful, not speaking maliciously or with the intention of hurting someone, but to focus on speaking only words of kindness and compassion. Right Action and Right Livelihood promote abstaining from harming sentient beings, which also means to avoid becoming involved in activities that may cause harm to others, such as working in meat production or manufacturing weapons. Right Effort means to relinquish unwholesome qualities and habits, and to develop wholesome qualities. Right Mindfulness is to be in contemplation of the present moment, which can be aided by Right Concentration, or the practice of meditation. Since Buddhism promotes the importance of all life, from a human to a tree to an ant, a concept like euthanasia is one that is looked down upon. Even though euthanasia is a voluntary procedure done for the sake of a suffering individual, it requires taking a life. Willingly or not, Buddhism finds value in each life and considers it bad karma for the individual taking the life and the individual willingly live giving u p their life (Knott, 2000). On the other hand, something like an organ transplant would be considered in an opposite light. A person who has already died would be receiving good karma by allowing their organs to save the life of another. However, an organ transplant as a result of euthanasia would be a complex scenario, one that would be open to many interpretations from many seasoned Buddhist practitioners. Outside of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, the beliefs of Buddhism are minimal, though may increase depending on which branch of Buddhism is being observed. The only other two tenets that are adhered by all Buddhism branches concern life and death. Reincarnation is a primary belief in Buddhism, so life does not necessarily have a beginning or and end, but â€Å"is a continuum with do discernible starting point. Birth and death are like a revolving door through which an individual passes again and again (Keown, 2009).† A new life beings when another life dies ; when another life dies, in lieu of an afterlife, it becomes reborn as another life. This cycle