Little Evidence Of Health Benefits From Organic Foods Essay

In a September third, 2012 edition of The Stanford Medicine News Center in an article entitled â€Å"Little evidence of health benefits from organic foods, study finds† Michelle Brandt argues that certified organic fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and other certified organic food goods, may not be worth the higher prices. Brandt states that certified organic is around 50% more expensive at most retailers. Opposing views of certified organic goods have often claimed that the higher prices are worth the health benefits. Brandt states that there have been multiple studies done on the various types of organic and certified organic goods and that they have been somewhat inconclusive. Despite the fact that they have found a bit higher percentages of vitamins in organic goods, the higher rates are only shown in vitamins that are rare in which to have a dietary deficiency. Brandt also states that the lower rates of pesticides found in organic foods is not worth the cost, due to the fa ct that the levels found in traditionally grown items were within the limits set by the government as healthy to consume. Lastly Brandt leads the reader to believe that eating healthier foods in general, such as a diet high in fruits and vegetables, is the most important way to be a healthier individual. The higher price of organic goods could lead people away from buying any produce due to believing that they must buy organic goods in order to truly be healthy. Brandt first goes into a little bit of theShow MoreRelatedThe Organic Food Industry Has Gained A Great Deal Of Customers1141 Words   |  5 PagesThe organic food industry has gained a great deal of customers over the past few years. Consumers commonly follow popular word of mouth marketing and the organic food industry has established a name for itself. Claiming to be better for overall health and wellness, the industry has made more people want to incorporate a variety of organic foods into their diets. Though claims may hold valuable truth, do organic groceries truly benefit people more than the conventional foods that many have grown upRead MoreOrganic Food : Nutritional Powerhouse Or Expensive Myth?1380 Words   |  6 PagesOrganic Food; Nutritional Powerhouse or Expensive Myth? It is a common held belief that organic foods and products are significantly healthier than conventionally grown foods but the evidence does not support such claims. Organic foods only have a slight nutritional benefit and may cost the consumer more than just dollars. Organic foods are defined as products â€Å"generally grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and without the routine use of antibiotics or growth hormones† (Brandt). HealthRead MoreOrganic Farming: Organic Food Benefits Essay1039 Words   |  5 PagesOrganic Food Benefits With the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle being abundantly clear, healthy food choices are now in the spotlight. The demand for organic foods among U.S. consumers is on the rise due to the assumption that it is a healthier and safer food choice. As a consequence of staggering amounts of greenwashing thrust upon consumers today, labels and claims of health benefits have become overwhelming and confusing. Buyers must seek the facts for nutrition and safety informationRead MoreOrganic Food Is A $29-Billion-Dollar Industry And Is Growing.1582 Words   |  7 PagesOrganic food is a $29-billion-dollar industry and is growing. Organic food is food that are manufactured, processed and handled using only organic means that meets FDA guidelines. Natural food can be labeled freely with very little to no guidelines. While conventional food still has guidelines but not as strict and being able to use chemicals and be synthesized themselves. Organic foods also have varying types from, Organic food which is an item that is produced using organic means, with strict standardsRead MoreAdvantage Of Organic Food776 Words   |  4 Pagesconsuming organic food, far outweigh the important matters. Organic food precedes a healthful life, in the long term it works in favor of a persons health in general. It also creates more jobs by producing organic food. Animals are organically fed and live in a more acceptable habitat. In recent studies, researchers found that with the significance of living a healthy lifestyle being profusely clear, healthy food alternatives are actually within the public attention. The high demand for organic foodRead MoreNutritional Benefits Of Organic Foods1218 Words   |  5 Pagesalternatives, the organic food industry is quickly expanding. The U.S. organic foods market has rapidly grown from $3.5 billion in 1996 to $28.6 billion in 2010 according to the clinical report of Organic Foods: Health and Environmental Advantages and Disadvantages written by Joel Forman and Janet Silverstein. But should we purchase and consume more organically grown produce, meats, dairy products, and grains than conventionally grown foods? As the organic food section in local food supermarkets continueRead MoreHarmful Effects Of Eating Conventional Food1405 Words   |  6 Pages As everyone knows organic foods have increased in popularity with the idea that it’s healthier than conventional foods. But with the lack of proof many people have a hard time backing up this idea. The nonbelievers would argue the lack of proof is evidence enough to not question conventional methods of making food, yet there remains a large group of people that would argue in favor of organic foods anyway. These organic food supporters tend to base their opinions off of the harmful effects pesticidesRead MoreOrganic Foods : The Benefits Of Organic Food913 Words   |  4 Pagesyour food came from? Whether it be â€Å"organic† or non-organic, what are the things you take note of when purchasing either of the two? Firstly, what is considered organic must be considered. What classifies a product as organic relies solely on how the product was grown, if it was in a natural way with no growth hormones or harmful chemicals. People who tend to eat organic food as opposed to no n-organic do so for a variety of reasons. A few big reasons are the natural process in which organic foodRead MoreOrganic Vs Conventional Food Vs Organic Food Essay954 Words   |  4 PagesOrganic versus Conventional Food Are you concerned about the health of yourself and that of your family when walking through the grocery store? You should be. You might be surprised to learn about chemicals known to exist in the conventional foods we eat daily. Ever wonder why apples are so shiny? A coating of shellac is applied to apples to give them a shiny coating, prolonging their shelf life, and prevent bruising. You might reconsider the next time you reach for the shiniest red apple and rememberRead MoreOrganic Food And Organic Foods Essay1563 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough organic foods are found in nearly every grocery store, the average person is unable to differentiate between organic and non-organic food products. Many consumers purchase organic products in the hopes of gaining positive health benefits. (Chhabra, Kolli, et al â€Å"Organically Grown Food Provides†) â€Å"The current demand for organic foods outstrips the domestic supply, causing retailers in the United States to import $2 billion worth of organic foods annually.† (Crandall, Seideman, et al. †Organic

Comparison of Traditional and Contemporaryâ€the Music in China Free Essays

Traditional Chinese music, generally speaking, is Chinese folk music. China is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation and music plays a significant role in the revolution of Chinese culture. The traditional music, passing through thousands of years of development, still maintains it’s unique characters and brought about a series of massive effects on contemporary music as well. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Traditional and Contemporary—the Music in China or any similar topic only for you Order Now In this day and age, music in China, mixed various elements which including classical and modern, from western and traditional music that has enriched the contemporary music, making it more colourful and charming. Therefore, the comparison between traditional and contemporary music has always been a popular topic. This essay will demonstrate and compare the differences and similarities between them from a general point of view. Initially, both traditional and contemporary Chinese music share a common root which is originally form folk music. Apparently, the majority of contemporary Chinese style music is based on folk music which is the same as the tradition music and we can still find the shadow of the folk tunes in both of them. Music is cathartic and has been seen as a way in which to release human emotion, similarly whether from the past or present, the original idea of producing music all concentrates on expressing the emotions of individuals. Moreover, while playing a piece of music, both in contemporary or traditional ways, more than two different kinds of instruments are tended to be used , which often consists of orchestral instruments and percussion. Apart from these similarities mentioned above, there are a myriad of differences between traditional and contemporary music. One of the main ways in which they differ is in the expression of music. Traditional music uses traditional instruments, such as the erhu, the pipa, the Chinese zither and the sona. Conversely, contemporary Chinese music makes more use of the guitar, drums and keyboard, which belong to the typical western instruments, and it has been stated play an essential role in conveying popular music. Furthermore, the gamut, in ancient China, of music is quite limited, which merely has Do, Re, Mi, So, La, these five different tunes without Fa and Ti. In contrast, this is not a weakness of contemporary music which has a wide range of musical notes and there will be an increasing amount of music created by using and mixing this infinitive musical range. The other way in which traditional music contrast with contemporary music is the difference in connotation. Admittedly, traditional music expresses abundant emotions of individuals which is similar to contemporary music. Traditional Chinese music, notwithstanding, frequently focuses on displaying a sensibility of endearing eudemonia, take happy lives and sweet love for instance. Unlike contemporary music, which not only considers happiness, but reflects dissatisfaction with politics as well as complaining about some defective social phenomenons. Additionally, it is not hard to identify that the style of traditional music is always soft and elegant, a tranquil atmosphere was often formed by the beautiful tunes. Nowadays, whereas, Rock music, RB, Rap these kinds of stylish type of music has became the main trend in the music stage and been accepted and recognized by a growing number of people all over the nation. In summary, traditional and contemporary music both possess their own features, it’s hard to say which of them provides better entertainment and different people may give different answers. From my stance, Chinese contemporary music should include more ethnic characteristics, while traditional music could be more stylish, and vice versa. They should develop themselves by overcoming their own shortcomings through learning form others’ strong points. As a result, Chinese music, in that case, will ultimately bloom out a dazzling brilliance shining over the world stage. How to cite Comparison of Traditional and Contemporary—the Music in China, Papers

Compare and contrast the declaration of admiration by Lord Byron Essay Example For Students

Compare and contrast the declaration of admiration by Lord Byron Essay Compare and contrast the declaration of admiration by Lord Byron She Walks in Beauty and the declaration of love by John Clare First Love  Both poets lived in the romantic period. Byron was born in 1788 and died in 1824 and Clare was born in 1793 and died in 1864. Byron was an aristocrat and had a good education. Thats why he uses such sophisticated words in his poem. Instead Clare who received only basic schooling uses simple words. Byron was recognized for influencing second-class poets. Byron was married for a year and had a daughter. Clare was married and had several children. Clare spent his last 23 years in an asylum. His poetry is mostly about natural scenery and country life. He is the only poet who shows through his poetry how sensitive the English countryside is and the intimate experience of the English countryside. Byrons She Walks in Beauty was written about his cousins wife when he saw her in a black dress. He was fascinated by her so he wrote this poem for her. Byrons poem aims to show how he was amazed by the woman he describes. Clare wrote his poem about a woman who he fell in love at first sight. Byron focuses on the woman he saw while Clare tells more about his feelings and how he felt when he saw her and how he felt when she rejected him. Byron only says about the woman. He doesnt say anything about his feelings. Byron compares everything with darkness and light, She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies. Clare didnt do it like that. Clare says how his body was disabled when he saw her and how it changed him. My face turned pale as deadly pale, My legs refused to walk away, this verse says how his body changed when he saw her, his face turned pale and he couldnt move his legs. Byrons tone as also Clares is romantic. This is because they lived the romantic period. The first four lines of Clares poem are romantic, I neer was struck before that hour with love so sudden and so sweet. The next four lines have to do with desperation, My legs refused to walk away, and when she looked, what could I ail?. The second stanza shows his panic, And then my blood rushed to my face and took my eye sight quite away. The third stanza shows Clares depression, My heart has left its dwelling place and can return no more. Byrons poem cant be separated according to his feelings because he doesnt say anything about them. Both Byron and Clare use elements of nature to describe her. Byron uses lightness and darkness to emphasize her spiritual and physical appearance. Clare emphasizes his feelings and there is enjambment, which indicates movement and how quickly he is affected.  Clares poem consists of three stanzas and each stanza consists of eight verses. Byrons poem also consists of three stanzas but each stanza has six verses. Clares poem rhyming pattern is a,b,a,b,c,d,c,d. Byrons poem has rhyming pattern a,b,a,b,a,b.  Both poems are very good. I personally prefer Clares First Love because he used simpler words and I can understand it much easier.

Rumble Fish Essays - English-language Films, Films, Rumble Fish

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton Rumble Fish, by S.E. Hinton is the sequel to The Outsiders. The characters names are different, but it is still taken place in the same time period. In the story Rumble Fish, Rusty James is a greaser who has a lot of fights in and out of school. He meets up with the Motorcycle Boy and whenever Rusty is in a big situation or fight, the Motorcycle Boy always helps him out. Rusty isn't a great kid. He has a police record and has been suspended for possession of a knife. Bad things can happen to you if you don't have a knife in certain situations. For example, Rusty was in a fight and it was going to be fought with knives. Nobody in his group had one, so Rusty lost. Then he met the Motorcycle Boy and everything was back to normal until the big fight. Rusty got hit, stabbed, and knocked out. Usually the Motorcycle Boy would help him out, but instead he wasn't there, nowhere to be seen. Rusty was put in the hospital. The main conflict in the story is Rusty James, and his fighting all of the time. It isn't good for him or his reputation. Rusty usually wins and someone always is looking to beat him at his own game, which is fighting, Rusty's specialty! The conflict is resolved when Rusty James is in a fight against another greaser and the Motorcycle Boy isn't there to save Rusty. After all of this happens, everyone starts making fun of Rusty. The mysterious thing is that the Motorcycle Boy is never seen again. Now Rusty has no friend's what so ever! Read Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton, It's worth the read!

Philips TVs Popularity

Philips TVs Popularity Introduction Television sets are some of the most popular household gadgets in the US today. This article discusses TVs and in particular examines TV usage, brand preferences, and purchase trends.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philips TVs Popularity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Product Usage According to statistics, a third of the American households have four or more TV sets. Those who own at least one set are approximated to be 290 million. In every ten Americans, eight are reported to spend a good amount of time viewing television programs. Specifically, it has been shown that people spend averagely 35 hours watching using TV screens on a weekly basis. On a daily basis, averagely 5 hours are dedicated to TV programs. More than three fifths of those owning Philips Smart TVs spend some time everyday watching something on their screens (Price, 2012). The table below shows finer details on the amount of time spe nt daily watching TV programs by people of different races. Table 1 (Statistic Brain, 2012) Race Time Caucasian 5 hours daily Black 7 hours daily White 5 hours daily Hispanic 4 hours daily Asian 3 hours daily Brand Preferences It has been shown that most consumers prefer the 32-inch TV sets. These particular sets are said to be of the most appropriate size for most homes. Larger sets are said to fit inappropriately as they require bigger spaces. Among the top ten ranked 32-inch TVs is the Phillips 32PFL6007T. This set is gorgeous in appearance. Among its fascinating features are â€Å"a unique ambilight system, a passive 3D playback, two-player full screen gaming, multimedia playback via USB, and connection to both networked PCs and Phillips’s Smart TV service via LAN or built in Wi-Fi† (Rivington, 2012, p. 1).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn Mor e Purchase Intention Basically, consumers buy TVs for the purpose of being entertained. By being entertained, they also get educated through the programs that they watch. As already noted above, a number of US households have more than one TV set. The different sets serve different purposes. The main set and the most significant is the one that serves the general needs of the family members and is located in the living room. In most cases, this is usually the best set. Another set is likely to be in the main bedroom. This may be used for late night viewing by the couple of the house. Another set may be in the kids room for the purpose of playing video games and finally, another one may be placed in the guest room. In affluent homes, some TV sets may be placed by the swimming pool side for outside entertainment. Purchase Experience Consumers consider a number of factors in choosing which set to buy. The biggest of these factors is their budget. The amount of money one has wil l almost be the ultimate determinant of which TV set to buy. TVs’ costs are in the range of hundreds to thousands of dollars. Another factor mostly considered is whether a TV is a plasma or LCD. LCD and plasma have some advantages over each other. For instance, plasmas give the best quality of pictures but are not the best for brightly lit rooms. On the other hand, LCDs are more effective in brightly lit rooms. Plasmas are available in large screen sizes while LCDs are available in small screen sizes. The distance from the watching point to the where the TV screen is also determines the size of screen to be bought. To determine the correct screen size for use, this formula is used: Screen size = Distance * 0.535. Lastly, the screen resolution also matters as most consumers prefer 1080p so that they can get the best quality of images (Tech Radar, 2013). Among the best places to buy a TV set is Best Buy. Conclusion TVs are popular household items. Most households have more tha n one set of TV and most of the TVs bought are 32-inch sets. There are many factors considered when buying a TV but the most significant is the price of the TV. References Price, G. (2012). Statistics: Consumer Media Usage Across TV, Online, Mobile and Social. Info Docket. Web.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philips TVs Popularity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Rivington, J. (2012). 10 best 32-inch TVs in the world today. Tech Radar. Web. Statistic Brain. (2012). Television Watching Statistics. Statistic Brain. Web. Tech Radar. (2013). Best TV 2013: what TV should you buy this year?. Tech Radar. Web.

Emphasis partners up with MCA - Emphasis

Emphasis partners up with MCA Emphasis partners up with MCA Emphasis is delighted to announce a new business partnership with the Management Consultancies Association (MCA). The MCAs 60 member companies represent around 70 per cent of the UK consulting sector, and is increasingly active as the representative voice of this important and strategic industry. The MCA informs and influences public debate on topical issues, and provides authoritative data on the industry. It commissions research and policy analysis and represents the industry in discussions with Government and other stakeholders. The MCA also facilitates networking and the sharing of best practice within the industry through events, publications and initiatives such as the Young MCA. The partnership with Emphasis will allow the MCA to add to the services it offers its members. Emphasis is the UKs leading organisation dedicated solely to business-writing training and consultancy. The company is behind some of the best business-writing skills in the UK, working with a huge range of organisations including MCA member firms. Alan Leaman, MCA Chief Executive, said: We are delighted that Emphasis have joined with the MCA in this new partnership. We will be working together on a number of projects over the coming year. Rob Ashton, Emphasis Chief Executive, said: This is an exciting project, building on our work with numerous knowledge-based organisations. It provides a real opportunity to help member firms make the most of their intellectual capital. For more information on the MCA, go to www.mca.org.uk.

Frazer Group and Caribou Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Frazer Group and Caribou - Essay Example Its pronouncements have been applied in reporting of minority interests (Morgan et al 2009). What auditing standards are used by the external auditors? The independent auditors have applied guidelines forwarded by the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) which issues pronouncements on auditing practice (Dauber, 2009;Rittenberg et al 2011). Analyze and comment on the differences in the annual statements found on the companies' websites. Provide a few specific differences in content and format. The major differences in the two companies’ financial records are evident in the Balance Sheet and Consolidated cash flow statements. To start with the balance sheets, Frazer Group Items are represented under three main classes; Current assets, Current liabilities and Equity. This is different from Caribou’s Balance sheet which has clear entries for, Assets (both current and non-current), Liabilities, Equity, and Minority Interests (Whittington et al 2011). In regard to consolidated cash flow statement, Caribou’s has clear entries for, Cash Flow for Operating Activities, Cash Flow from Investing Activities, from Financing Activities, and Net increase/decrease in cash and cash equivalents. This is quite different from Frazer Group’s which clear entries for, operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities appearing less complex (Whittington et al 2012). Which one of the two companies is the most profitable? Financial records reported in "000,000" CARIBOU COFFEE FAZER GROUP 2010 2009 2008 2010 2009 2008 Tangible assets 101.725 93.727 89.572 378.1 389.6 369.4 Shareholders’ Equity 62.466 50.776 44.008 126.5 120.4 118.8 Stocks 25.931 13.278 10.724 57.2 51.5 46.8 Retained Earnings 12 7 0 310.5 300.9 275.4 Turnover 242.293 283.997 262.539 1513.6 1441.1 1159.7 Personnel costs 105.993 101.169 99.865 508.7 480.9 477.6 Operating profit 15.193 10.107 5.541 58.5 44.5 135 Profit before taxes 14.926 9.721 5.306 58.4 32.9 31.9 Net profit 9. 797 5.138 4.825 58.4 32.9 24.6 Operating profit before WC 7.517 15.594 10.264 148 112.3 102.7 Dividends received 1.1 1.2 1.1 Cash from operating activities 23.092 23.578 22.462 117.7 118 116.5 Fazer Group is by a large extent the most profitable company. Looking at the net profit generated in the three years, 2008-2010, Fazer Group had an increasing profit ranging between $24.6 million to $58.4. The financial year, 2009-2010, was the Group’s most profitable year (Fazer Group 2010). This is unlike Caribou Coffee which in the three years under examination recorded a net profit ranging, $4 million to $9.7 million (Caribou Coffee Financial Records 2005-2011). Financial year 2009-2010, was the company’s most profitable recording a net profit of $9.7 million. Looking at the figures recorded, based on net profit which is a reasonable pointer of a company’s profitability it is clear that there is a marginal difference in profitability in favor of Fazer Group (Weirich et al 2012). Compare growth of revenues versus income over time and between the two companies. In this case, the basis of the revenue growth is sales. Starting with a look at Fazer Group which is by far the bigger of the two entities we realize an irregular growth in revenue in the three years under observation. In 2008, the company’s sales were $369.4 million, in 2009, the sales increased to $389.6 million, later in 2010, the sales declined to $378.1 million. This represents a growth of 5.5% in sales for the year, 2009-2010, and a growth of -2.95% for the year

AIDS is a global enormity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

AIDS is a global enormity - Research Paper Example HIV is a virus that is not able to live exterior to human body, therefore for its transmission no vector comes under need, and it is necessary for humans to have intimate connection with each other. Transfer of human body fluid is the only potential mode for transmission of infection. This means that HIV can come under transmission through sexual intercourse. Through many research conducted by specialist, the fact have been revealed that a critical portion of the female population have contracted HIV infection after a heterosexual contact. If a person has more than one sexual partner, he or she is more likely to enter the risk of HIV infection through the exchange of semen and vaginal fluids. In addition, in the Western world, studies show that both male and female prostitutes are under high risk of suffering from HIV infection as most of them practice unprotected sexual intercourse. The chief cause for contraction of HIV infection is the heterosexual contact throughout the world and the cases are increasing at an unprecedented rate.Another mode of transmission of the AIDS-causing virus is through the usage of intravenous injection that already carries the germs of HIV on it. If the sharing occurs between a HIV positive person and an uninfected person, it can lead to the transfer of the HIV from the infected person to the uninfected one through the contaminated needle. When the same equipment(s) comes under usage for an uninfected person, it may enter into his blood stream through any opening in his skin... In order to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS it is necessary to take proper measures. It is of high importance to make a barrier between body fluids to curb down the chances of exchange of materials including HIV from them. Male and female condoms are considerable protections that can act as a hurdle between body fluids. Awareness programs and campaigns can work a great deal. People should understand the preventive measures of the spread of this infectious disease. In many countries, people do not discuss about sexual issues openly and consider it unethical. Their mindset can come under alteration through awareness about the nature of the disease. In order to encourage people for using precautions, government of poor nations should provide their citizens with free condoms.Another preventive measure on the part of the medical workers working in the laboratories where blood tests come under performing is that they should cover their bodies properly with lab coats, gloves, goggles, an d masks. This prevents the invasion of HIV into their bodies via any wound. Programs should focus on discouraging the drug users from taking drugs, but as it will take a long time to convince them, meanwhile a scheme should come under offer, which provides the drug users with sterilized needles in exchange of contaminated ones. When a donor donates blood, it should come under high profile testing to check for the presence of HIV so that the recipient can come under protection from getting the infection.Mode of transmission of the AIDS causing virus is through the usage of intravenous injection that already carries the germs of HIV on it. If the sharing occurs between a HIV positive person and an uninfected person, it can lead to the transfer of the HIV from the infected person to the uninfected one.

The Corn Laws in 1846 Essay Example for Free

The Corn Laws in 1846 Essay Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws in 1846 was arguably influenced by the mass campaigning and debate aroused by the Anti-Corn Law league, however, it must be considered that there were a number of other important factors that contributed to Peels choice. It can be argued that it was rather more down to Peels free trade and other economic principles that the Corn Laws were eventually repealed in 1846. The Anti-Corn Law league was certainly a major force in the years leading to repeal. It was the first National repeal movement, setting it apart from the numerous other Anti-Corn Law associations that had existed in the past. This national concept ensured that the movement had a very large following and was very well funded. Unlike the Chartist movement, the League was decidedly middle-class and in this gained a greater respectability; however, it still faced considerable suspicion from the Aristocracy. They were from the start suspected of wanting to destroy the Aristocracy, and this limited their political impact. Modern historians have suggested that despite outwards appearances of respectability, it was in fact an instrument of class war The league was very well funded; at just one meeting in October 1842, they raised over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½50,000 and this funding enabled a huge campaign of leafleting and supporting candidates who were sympathetic to their aims at election. Despite this, evidence of their success is limited; at their peak in 1843, they had only managed to get four MPs into commons. This suggests that their influence on Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws was not very great. However, there was an economic dimension to their campaign, and it is this intellectual argument that could be considered as influential in Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws. Many members of the Anti Corn Law League were strong supporters of the new economic principles like free trade, and had reasoned that the Corn Laws were responsible for their low profits. The Corn Laws meant that the price of bread was relatively high, as it taxed the staple ingredient, wheat. As bread was a key part of the diet of the time, the factory owners had to pay higher wages to cover workers food costs, which meant that they were unable to maximise their profitability. A further effect of the high food prices was the lack of disposable income; people had to spend such a high proportion of their wages on food that they could not afford much else, so there was very little demand for consumer goods. This coupled with the damage that protection did to Britains export market, meant that the economy was slow, and was not developing and expanding into new areas a worry for Peel, who placed the economy very high on his list of priorities. However, many historians are of the opinion that so compelling was this argument that even without the league, the Corn Laws were already threatened. However, Peel had other influences that could have played a part on his decision to repeal the Corn Laws. The potato famine in Ireland caused a problem for Peel. He already faced opposition from many religious groups over the immorality of keeping prices high; they cited the phrase [he] that witholdeth corn, the people shall curse him from the bible to illustrate their argument. For the government to be seen to be so openly keeping the price high whilst its people were starving was embarrassing for the government. Although the famine would not be affected by the repeal, so cannot be considered the cause, Evans suggests that it provided the occasion for it. There is also the argument that Peel was simply being pragmatic in his decision to repeal the Corn Laws. Although Boyd Hilton suggests that Peel had decided that the Corn Laws had to be repealed as early as 1828, there is no direct evidence to suggest that even before 1844 Peel had made the decision to repeal the Law. In the election of 1841, over half of Tory candidates put forward the maintenance of agricultural protection as the main issue in their manifestos, and, as Evans wrote, the 1841 election was properly a victory for Protectionist Toryism, not Peelite Conservatism. In 1842, Peels public position remained that he was improving the Corn Laws, and was not intending to repeal them. It was not until 1843 that Peel mentioned ideas of removing agricultural protection to close colleagues. Even then, it can be seen merely as a response to the extraordinary economic recovery of Britain following the success 1842 budget, which lead many to believe that complete free trade was the way forward. Following the 1845 budget in which even more tariffs were reduced and eliminated, the Corn Laws increasingly stood out as an anomaly that was unjustifiable. Therefore, we can consider that it was not Peels free trade principles that lead him to his decision. The evidence suggests that although the Anti-Corn Law league was a formidable force in terms of its vast resources and stirring up of argument, it did not in fact have much impact on Peels decision. Peel was more concerned with the economy, and whether it is argued that he was committed to free trade early on or decided that it was a good idea after the experimental 1842 budget we can conclude that it was this preoccupation with the economy that was the main spark for Peels decision to repeal the Corn Laws. However, the issue of Ireland must also be considered, and although repeal would not have an effect on the situation there, it provided an occasion for Peel to complete the development of Britain into a free trading nation.

Sympathy for a Murderer in Richard Wrights Native Son :: Native Son Essays

Sympathy for a Murderer in Richard Wright's Native Son In Native Son, Richard Wright introduces Bigger Thomas, a liar and a thief. Wright evokes sympathy for this man despite the fact that he commits two murders. Through the reactions of others to his actions and through his own reactions to what he has done, the author creates compassion in the reader towards Bigger to help convey the desperate state of Black Americans in the 1930’s. The simplest method Wright uses to produce sympathy is the portrayal of the hatred and intolerance shown toward Thomas as a black criminal. This first occurs when Bigger is immediately suspected as being involved in Mary Dalton’s disappearance. Mr. Britten suspects that Bigger is guilty and only ceases his attacks when Bigger casts enough suspicion on Jan to convince Mr. Dalton. Britten explains, "To me, a nigger’s a nigger" (Wright 154). Because of Bigger’s blackness, it is immediately assumed that he is responsible in some capacity. This assumption causes the reader to sympathize with Bigger. While only a kidnapping or possible murder are being investigated, once Bigger is fingered as the culprit, the newspapers say the incident is "possibly a sex crime" (228). Eleven pages later, Wright depicts bold black headlines proclaiming a "rapist" (239) on the loose. Wright evokes compassion for Bigger, knowing that he is this time unjustly accused. The reader is greatl y moved when Chicago’s citizens direct all their racial hatred directly at Bigger. The shouts "Kill him! Lynch him! That black sonofabitch! Kill that black ape!" (253) immediately after his capture encourage a concern for Bigger’s well-being. Wright intends for the reader to extend this fear for the safety of Bigger toward the entire black community. The reader’s sympathy is further encouraged when the reader remembers that all this hatred has been spurred by an accident. While Bigger Thomas does many evil things, the immorality of his role in Mary Dalton’s death is questionable. His hasty decision to put the pillow over Mary’s face is the climax of a night in which nothing has gone right for Bigger. We feel sympathy because Bigger has been forced into uncomfortable positions all night. With good intentions, Jan and Mary place Bigger in situations that make him feel "a cold, dumb, and inarticulate hate" (68) for them. Wright hopes the reader will share Bigger’s uneasiness. The reader struggles with Bigger’s task of getting Mary into her bed and is relieved when he has safely accomplished his mission. Sympathy for a Murderer in Richard Wright's Native Son :: Native Son Essays Sympathy for a Murderer in Richard Wright's Native Son In Native Son, Richard Wright introduces Bigger Thomas, a liar and a thief. Wright evokes sympathy for this man despite the fact that he commits two murders. Through the reactions of others to his actions and through his own reactions to what he has done, the author creates compassion in the reader towards Bigger to help convey the desperate state of Black Americans in the 1930’s. The simplest method Wright uses to produce sympathy is the portrayal of the hatred and intolerance shown toward Thomas as a black criminal. This first occurs when Bigger is immediately suspected as being involved in Mary Dalton’s disappearance. Mr. Britten suspects that Bigger is guilty and only ceases his attacks when Bigger casts enough suspicion on Jan to convince Mr. Dalton. Britten explains, "To me, a nigger’s a nigger" (Wright 154). Because of Bigger’s blackness, it is immediately assumed that he is responsible in some capacity. This assumption causes the reader to sympathize with Bigger. While only a kidnapping or possible murder are being investigated, once Bigger is fingered as the culprit, the newspapers say the incident is "possibly a sex crime" (228). Eleven pages later, Wright depicts bold black headlines proclaiming a "rapist" (239) on the loose. Wright evokes compassion for Bigger, knowing that he is this time unjustly accused. The reader is greatl y moved when Chicago’s citizens direct all their racial hatred directly at Bigger. The shouts "Kill him! Lynch him! That black sonofabitch! Kill that black ape!" (253) immediately after his capture encourage a concern for Bigger’s well-being. Wright intends for the reader to extend this fear for the safety of Bigger toward the entire black community. The reader’s sympathy is further encouraged when the reader remembers that all this hatred has been spurred by an accident. While Bigger Thomas does many evil things, the immorality of his role in Mary Dalton’s death is questionable. His hasty decision to put the pillow over Mary’s face is the climax of a night in which nothing has gone right for Bigger. We feel sympathy because Bigger has been forced into uncomfortable positions all night. With good intentions, Jan and Mary place Bigger in situations that make him feel "a cold, dumb, and inarticulate hate" (68) for them. Wright hopes the reader will share Bigger’s uneasiness. The reader struggles with Bigger’s task of getting Mary into her bed and is relieved when he has safely accomplished his mission.

Burger King Corporate Social Responsibility

Assignment Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers â€Å"the ethical principle that a person or an organization should be accountable for how Its acts might affect the physical environment and the general public† dobber, D. & Fahy, J. , 2009). Nowadays, CSR programme Is a global trend, which Is encouraged by the government. It also helps the company in partnership and investment opportunities. On the other hand, CSR programme can enhance the company's Image In the consumers' views. It would be very effective In a competitive market.And furthermore, CSR programme can Improve he productivity and reduce the producing cost for the company. For these reasons, all kinds of business have began to focus on their CSR programme as responding to the sociality concerns In various ways. Burger King corporation (BKC) Is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. 3K Is founded In 1954 by James McLamore and David Edgerton. In the end of 2012, It has a total of 12,700 outlets In 7 3 countnes. Recently, BKC has lust arnved to Vietnam. BKC Is located In Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City.However, BKC does not seem to provide a good marketing campaign here. BKC has installed several CSR programmes in other countries but not in Vietnam yet. To implement a CSR programme is a way ot marketing it to Vietnamese society. The problem in Vietnam market is Vietnamese people are not used to tast food due to culture differences. They also care a lot about their looks, their healthy, especially obesity problem. People in ages of 16-35 are the main customer target of BKC, However, the rate of obesity of people in these ages is increasing rapidly.

Internet as a Form of Communication and Its Misconception

One of the most talked, known and controversial issues today is the Internet. Internet is a large network made up of a number of smaller networks. Almost every computer in an educational facility and in home and small office use is connected to some type of a network. People spent a lot of time on the Internet, which may make them seem isolated. However, the Internet does not foster isolation, because it may be used for many different things like communication, education, problem solving and etc. The concept for the Internet was to make a link in to a new world, a world that has many different opportunities within its self. To gives the people options to go to China, Italy, and Egypt without spending a lot of money on the trip. To open new experiences and ideas that are just a click of a button away. The idea of going on to the internet for almost every thing may make the person seem isolated. Isolated from people, form culture, from education, from communication to other people, but in reality they are not isolated. The internet gives variety. It might not give physical opportunity to visit Japan or Russia, but it gives almost the same emotional and cultural experiences. A person does not have to read a newspaper on the train or go to an art gallery to be cultured and not seem isolated; a person just has to do what feels right at a certain time. The Internet also gives a misconception about communication. Internet is a different world that has the idea of communication in a different perspective. To communicate people don†t have to see one another, or hear one another they just have to be able to understand one another. The Internet provides just that. This may seem like isolation because no physical contact is present, and some or all of the things that are said might not be true. This is a misconception. People that are talking face to face with one another might be lying or might not be; the same is said for the Internet conversations. â€Å"People whose physical handicaps make it difficult to form new friendships find that virtual communities treat them as they always wanted to be treated† (Rheingold 206). Equality and understanding is the key, and the virtual community provides that and much more. Advice is also one of the keys for equality and understanding. As we all know advice in today†s world is not free, and most of the time you need to make an appointment to get that expansive help. The internet provides advice that is free and at the same time on the spot. In Urbana, Illinois, the Federal Department of Education has set up a network for parents, teachers, community workers, and etc. that have questions concerning children, financial assistance, educational assistance, and etc (Thomas). The Internet is not only for fun and games, but it is also for problem solving of all types. This is not the only site of this sort; Howard Reingold logged onto the Well, when he needed an answer in a matter of seconds. What amazed him when he logged on â€Å"wasn†t just the speed with which we obtained precisely the information we needed†¦it was also the immense inner sense of security that comes with discovering that real people†¦are available, around the clock, if you need them† (Rheingold 202). The idea of Internet advice may seem like isolation, but it is not. It helps people with real problems to get real advice. The ones giving advice once were getting some type of advice. The idea behind these help links are for real people to talk to real people not necessarily professionals, but with people who had real life experiences, and who see it on a more personal level. This gives emotional support to those who need it and trust that just comes along. Although the internet brings communication to different communities as well as different individuals, it also plays as an educational source. Many educational facilities are starting to conduct courses on the Internet. They are also using â€Å"Web pages to post class materials and other resources† (Mendels) for student on the Internet for faster and easier access by the students. Some educators are also requesting and requiring for their students to have an e-mail address. An e-mail address gives less paper work for the professor, and an easier access of the professor for questions and faster responses. Since the demand of computer knowledge has increased, this is a perfect way to start learning. The Internet also provides a wide variety of encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, etc, for educational reasons, and the more people will use the Internet the more they will learn. Education does not have to be the old fashion way, it has to provide and teach different experiences th at may not otherwise be available. The Internet is a world that is available to each and every person, but how that person uses it, is how the opinion of isolation forms. If each and every person would use the Interne for education, than there would be too many educated people. We are all very lucky that we have so much opportunity in our access, but a lot of us don†t know how to use it, and for what. That†s where education plays a big role, it does two things at once gives general and computer knowledge. The more we learn the more we know, and isolation is not one of the thing that the Internet provides.

Evolution of Kino essays

Evolution of Kino essays In John Steinbecks novel The Pearl, Kino, the main character, went through a series of complicated changes due to money. He was greatly affected by the hunger for wealth and overall his life is destroyed because of lust and greed. This destruction is symbolized through the many forms that Kino portrays. At first a simple rabbit-like persona takes shape. When the greed spreads through society he becomes what readers see as a small mouse being circled by fierce predators in the sky. The final form of Kino is that of a wild dog. He seems to go to any length to protect his territory from intruders. Readers can compare the introduction of Kino to a rabbit. Like Kino, a rabbit seems peaceful, simply hopping about on a spring-like day with no worries at all. A kind and gentle creature with respect towards all walks of life. At the beginning Kino is seen as a loving father and husband. He has a mental connection with his wife, that shows his love and devotion to her. Also a timid dog befriends him which justifies his caring and general kindness for all. The Song of the Family plays through his head while Kino happily looks at his life and can think this is safety, this is warmth, this is the Whole." In the beginning his existence seems tranquil and completely safe. Kino transformed into a threatened mouse-like figure once the safety of his picture-perfect life was disturbed. After Coyotito is stung by the scorpion, the security of life as it had been before is gone. The Song of the Family is interrupted. Steinbeck foreshadows the change in the main character when Kino smashes his fist on the doctor's gate, after the doctors refusal to treat Coyotito. This event shows that Kino turns to violence and anger when confronted with a problem, yet when he does so he hurts only himself. At first the purpose of his great pearl of the world i ...

Blockbuster History Films

The film also accurately depicts the reason why the American Revolution began in the beginning of the movie; this is a rebellion against British taxation without any American representatives. Fundamentally, the American Revolution appeared in 1763, as the British community on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean matures to their interests and goals different from the dominant ruling class. But this movie depicts Various inaccurate features such as African-American freedom who engaged in war for three years in several countries. This common fear of black people is deeply rooted in our history, Du says. Partial reason the birth of the country is a very harmful fact that it is actually the country's first heavyweight movie. Given this history, Hollywood certainly has special ability and responsibility to eradicate inequality and obstacle pockets. And fly to the forefront of a new story and change. She is also studying black horror aesthetics in literature.The first meeting set up a tone for collective viewing on the go , she is called the student The Comet I asked you to read the unknown Web Du Bois SF short story. This story, written several years after the announcement of the birth of the country in 1920, is about two survivors - black men and white women - that look like an apocalypse. Dubois represented this biggest taboo as a dramatic effect and expressed it alternately from the perspective of the two people. Now thought to be an important turning point in the history of Hollywood's big hits, the movie was announced globally on July 3, 1996, but due to the height of the film viewers July 2 I started broadcasting. I am looking forward to it. The box office revenue of this movie world exceeded 817.7 million dollars, becoming the best movie in 1996. In other words, since 1993, it was the world's second largest entertainment income. It is currently ranked 72nd in the most selling movie list, and it leads the revival of large-scale disaster movies and science fiction movies from the mid-1990s to the latter half. The movie won Oscar for best visual effect and was nominated for Oscar for the best mix. The sequel's Independence Day: Renaissance is released on June 24, 2016 in 20 years and constitutes the first part of the planned three movies. It is regarded as one of the best movies ever, the white shark is a typical summer big hit, its release is seen as a moment in the watershed in the history of the movie, received a number of awards for its music and editing It is. Until 1977 Star Wars was released, it became the most viewed movie ever. Both movies are the key to building a modern Hollywood business model that evolves around high-box office action returns and adventure photos, and a simple concept venue is screened at thousands of theaters during the summer and advertised It will be. Next is three sequels, not all Spielberg and Belgium, there are many imitation thrillers. In 2001, the Congressional Library elected to keep it in the National F ilm Register, which was considered culturally, historically, or aesthetically.

Poster for Class employment relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poster for Class employment relations - Essay Example The relations of employees formed when labor sold by a person to an organization or other person and in return; he works for that person or organization. This relationship remains same in all countries where employees are paid to work for each other (Budd & Bhave, 2006). The relations of employees cannot be determining because of transaction of market and it can never predict accurately. The employee relation is the set of present regulative and institutional settings in which the interaction of HRM and functional activities takes place (Abbott, 2006) The theory of Unitarist Employment Relationship states that employment relation should be pleasant and unitarist sees confliction as a break down in peace and harmony of organizations. The conflict is not normal for unitarists and they want to end conflict and regaining peace of organizations (Alan, 1974). It is the management task to adapt unbiased leadership style when directing the employees and employees should have clear objectives and task while performing the assigned work. The companies whose are willing to adapt this employee theory should reduce the work of the employees to the basic elements and employees skill to undertake any task should be kept minimum. The issues of the employees should be listened by the management collectively and impersonally (Wachter, 2005). In the case of Brisbane Airline, the Government is trying to remove panic from the employees and making them assure that Government will remove all their concerns and problems regarding the Airline. The Government assures the employees that if the company will not be able to pay their debts, than there are eligible for Redundancy Scheme and Employee Entitlements. Workers are given more importance rather than on the production because if the workers are not given authority or the work given to them is not suitable for them, then there is a chance that

TBM case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TBM - Case Study Example ence we are able to determine total production per unit as follows: Product (Valves) Explanation Cost Manufacturing overhead (4.39% X 4) 17.548 Materials    $16 Direct labor based on run labor (16% X 0.25) 4 Total standard cost    $38 Pumps       Manufacturing overhead (4.39% X 8) 35.096 Materials    $20 Direct labor based on run labor (16 X 0.50) 8 Total standard cost    $63 Flow Controllers       Direct labor based on run labor (16 X 0.40) 6.4 Materials    $22 Manufacturing overhead (4.39% X 6.4) 28.0768 Total standard cost    $56 2. No change Contribution margin = Sales - variable cost Since Mary Ford stipulated that, â€Å"In our situation, the only short-run variable cost is direct material" then the material cost can be considered to be the variable cost 3. This is using Mary Ford’s comments on a â€Å"more modern view† that uses material related overhead as well as additional overhead allocations. All products should have Per Unit Costs calcu lated and show all overhead computations Overhead cost = Materials handling + receiving cost MOC= $ (20,000+ 200,000) = $220000 Overhead rate based on materials cost= $ {220,000/458,000} Overhead rate based on materials cost= 0.480 (48%) Other overhead costs include Engineering = $100,000 Machine depreciation = $ 270,000 Main = $30,000 Packing and shipping = $60,000 Total overhead = $ 460,000 Overhead rate based on machine hours= ($460,000/ 10,800 hours) One machine =$ 42.59/hr Setup labor cost= [(Labor hour x Set-up Labor)/total units] = [ ($16 X8)/7500] = $0.02 Pumps = ($16 X 8)/12,500 = $0.01 Flow Controllers= ($16 X12)/4000 = $0.048 As a result, the product costs per unit is as shown in the table below: Product Explanation Cost Valves       Direct labor (16 X 0.25) 4 Setup labor    $0.02 Materials    $16 Other overhead ($42.59 X 0.5) 21.30 Materials overhead (0.480 X 16) $7.68 Total cost    49.00          Pumps       Setup labor    0.01 Materials overhead ( 0.480 X 20) 9.6 Other overhead ($42.59 X 0.5) 21.30 Direct labor (16X 0.50) 8 Materials    $20 Total cost    58.91 Flow Controllers       Direct labor (16 X 0.40) 6.4 Materials overhead (0.480 X 22) 10.56 Other overhead ($42.59 X 0.2) 8.52 Materials    $22 Setup labor (439% X 6.4) = 0.048 Total cost    $48 4. ABC method – show Per Unit and Total costs for all three products 5. No change 6. Prepare table that compares the results for the 3 products. You should show the Standard Cost, Gross Margin, and Gross Margin percentage-- Per Unit— for each product. Describe which system you favor and briefly explain your reasoning. You will be doing a more thorough analysis of your recommendations in Question 8 PUMPS Activity Rate Activity ABC Cost Materials 20 12,500 250,000 Labor 8 12,500 100,000 Overhead: Setup Labor 0.05 640 Receiving 0.3 3,800 Material Handling 3.04 38,000 Pack/Ship 1.11 13,800 Engineering "2.40" 30,000 Maintenance "1.39" 17,400 Machine Deprec "12 .5" 156,250 Total Overhead "20.79" 259,890 Total Cost "$48.79" $609,890.00 FLOW CONTROLLER FLOW CONTROLLER Activity Rate Act

Marks and spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marks and spencer - Essay Example One of foremost steps in creating a successful marketing strategy is that of Market Segmentation, which refers to the division of a whole market for a product into smaller segments based upon the characteristics or aspects that are shared by the groups. By conducting market segmentation, a business is able to understand and evaluate various aspects of each division, group or segment in order to target a group or several groups that are then catered to with different marketing mixes (Vieceli & Valos 1998). As buyers become more diversified and unique, market segmentation acts as a key tool in designing the marketing strategies of successful organizations who understand that the diverse characteristics of customer needs, wants and preferences make it a requirement for any business’ success that the nature of its customer’s needs and wants is precisely defined and then handled accordingly (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel 2011). Market Segmentation can be conducted on the basis of fo ur primary variables that are Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic and Behavioral and will be discussed individually based on their relevance and applicability to Marks and Spencer. Geographic Segmentation: World region or country: The primary market for the retailer is still the United Kingdom; moreover, it has also expanded into Asia, Africa and other European nations. City or metro size: The location of Marks and Spencer shops is primarily Major cities with population crossing 4 million and mainstream cities with population above 1 million. Density: Urban and suburban population. Demographic Segmentation: Age: Middle-aged. The average age of a customer can range from 35-55. Gender: The existence of product categories such as women’s clothing, lingerie, beauty, kids, home furniture, food and gifts seems to attract a largely female audience but that does not mean that men are not M&S buyers. Family life cycle: Customers are usually single, married, married couples with chi ldren, unmarried couples and older people who are family oriented. Income: ?30,000 and above per annum Psychographic Segmentation: Social Class: Usually middle class and upper middle class buyers looking for products that are of a decent quality but also economical and suitably priced at the same time. This suggests that customers of M&S seek good value for money. Personality: Customers are not generally perceived as trendy, fashionable or imaginative when it comes to choices related to clothing. Older customers are not considered to be ambitious or achievers who wish to shop at the retailer to project a sense of success and affluence (Business World). Behavioral Segmentation: Occasions: The M&S shopping experience is not limited to special occasions; buyers may shop at M&S for regular commodities and go to other high-end retailers for special occasion shopping such as Christmas. This was reflected in a drop in sales of M&S by 3.8% for general commodities during the holiday season o f 2012 (Ruddick 2013). Benefits Sought: Users seek economy and convenience when shopping at M&S as much of the commodities are affordable and not high-priced. Loyalty Status: Customer’s buying behavior for regular and basic commodities such as grocery and basic clothing is low involvement, habitual buying behavior. Therefore,

E-business Literature Review

E-business Literature Review Recent advances in the technology have created a surge in â€Å"technology-based self service† (Dabhokar et al. 2003). Such developments are changing the way that service firms and consumers interact and are raising a host of research and practice issues relating to the delivery of e-service. Further, Information technology (IT) made a tremendous impact on the business world. Business processes and operations that used to take days or weeks can now be done in a matter of seconds with the help of IT. This makes individuals and customers to be better served than in the past (Rodgers et al. 2002). Different people have different understanding for the purpose as in order to have a common uniform understanding author will like to define the terminology of e-business, e-service and e-commerce, the following section will discuss about definition, distinction and the differences between these three in order to have a better understanding. E-BUSINESS E-business probably began with electronic data interchange in the 1960s (Zwass, 1996; Wigang, 1997). However, it was only in the 1990s, primarily via the internet, that e-business has emerged as a core feature of many organisations (Melao, 2009). E-business has become an inescapable fact of life, nearly as essential to commerce as the telephone (Waters, 2000). With the technological advancement e-business has a huge impact on day to day operation of the businesses. Furthermore, e-business expands the connectivity of the organization to include its suppliers, employees, and the business partners. E-business is the next wave in the technological revolution created by the Internet (Biggs, 2000). E-business is defined as ‘The use of electronic networks for business (usually with web technology’ by Deloitte and Touchà © Consulting Group further IBM defined e-business as the transformation of key business through the use of Internet technologies (Chaffey and Smith, 2008). According to Turban et al. (2006), E-business refers to a broader definition of e-commerce, not just the buying and selling of goods and services, but also servicing customers, collaborating with business partners, and conducting electronic transactions within an organisation. E-business provides a global platform where individuals and organizations interact, communicate, collaborate and obtain information. Further, Currie and Parikh, (2006) stated that e-business web based systems increasingly represent a competitive advantage for companies and have undergone great organizational changes. Businesses online provide an information-rich environment by which competitors can identify, match and impro ve product innovation (singh, 2002)B2C E-business is growing at an explosive rate. As a means of growing existing market share, entering new markets, forging alliances with business partners and taking the all important customer relationship to a new and unprecedented level, e-business is an unparalleled tool (Deise et al.2000).E-business is revolutionizing the way business is conducted. Similarly it does more than e-commerce as it interconnects the whole and extended organization thus allowing for improved communication among suppliers, employees and customers. In addition to this e-business allows for the extended organization to be connected which means that all the employees, customers or clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders, regardless of the geographic region are interconnected ( Rodgers et al. 2002) . It involves attracting and retaining the right customers and business partners and it includes digital communication, e-commerce, online research and it is used by every business discipline (Strauss and Frost, 2 001, p: 6). E-business allows service providers to interact with their suppliers and customers as this improved relationship causes and potentially could lead to loyalty and then results in increased profits and competitive advantage for the firm (Follit, 2000). E-COMMERCE The immense popularity of the internet in recent years has been fuelled largely by the prospect of performing business online. With the rapid global growth in electronic commerce, businesses are attempting to gain a competitive advantage by using e-commerce to interact with customers (Lee and Lin, 2005). E-commerce refers primarily to the buying and selling activities over the Internet, which includes transactions such as placing orders, making payments, and tracking delivery of orders on the Internet (Rodgers, 2002). The e-commerce is defined as buying and selling of product service or information through computer networks mainly the internet (Wen et al., 2001) and people immediately think of consumer retail purchases from companies such as Amazon (Chaffey et al, 2006). However, e-commerce refers to both financial and informational electronically mediated transactions between an organization and any third party it deals with (Chaffey, 2006). Further, Singh (2001) supported the defin ition by referring e-commerce to an online service offered to customer to support their shopping experience over the internet. E-commerce is exponentially increasing the availability of information, giving customers access to more knowledge, of better quality and faster than before. Technological advancement led an explosive development in electronic commerce, the causes of that are the internet end the World Wide Web (WWW), which are making electronic commerce much more accessible. Internet e-commerce includes electronic trading of physical goods and of intangibles such as information. This encompasses all the trading steps such as online marketing, ordering, payment and support for delivery (Trimmers, 2000.p.4). E-commerce is used everywhere in everyday life. Now a days it is utilized for everything from credit card authorization, travel reservation over a network, wire fund transfers across the world, point of sale (POS) transactions in retailing, electronic banking. It helps in generate demand for the products and services and improves order management, payment and other support functions (Awad, 2004.p.2). Similarly, e-commerce decreases the cost of creating, processing, distributing and retrieving paper based information. Further facilitates the benefits which include improved image, improved customer service, simplified processes, compressed cycle and delivery time, eliminating paper work and increased flexibility (Turban et al, 1999, pp.15). Moreover, e-commerce is not just about buying and selling as it is also about electronically communicating, collaborating and discovering information (Turban et al, 2004). It can involve the Internet, groupware programs, public e-mail networks (Adms,1994), technologies such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and electronic funds transfer (EFT) and more recently , services associated with mobile telephones and digital television (Voss, 1999). E –commerce has become very popular because of the benefits and convenience it brings along as it is no longer an alternative, it is an imperative (Wen et al, 2001).E-commerce is generally based on monetary transaction and e-services are the part of electronic commerce. E-SERVICE E-services are important in B2C e-commerce for managing customer relations and enhancing sales. Rapidly advancement of technology such as wireless, broadband, smart cards, data warehousing, data mining and agent technologies, are contribute toward the effective accessibility and servicing of the correctly targeted customers for business while providing more choices, options and ultimately power to customers in their transactions with business (Rust and Kannan, 2003). Further e-service provides a new business paradigm for the organizations operating in the electronic environment. Below figure show a paradigm shift from traditional e-commerce to e-service. SOURCE: Rust, R, T and Kannan, P, k., 2003 There are three primary reasons for firms to develop e-services. Firstly, Shapiro and Varian (1999) argued that on margin, consumer acquisition and service costs are generally much lower in an online medium versus that in an offline medium. Secondly, e-service inexpensively and effectively delivers high-quality, timely and in-depth product information desired by consumers (Iqbal et al. 2003). E-services also provide consumers with benefits such as better price quality comparisons (Evans and Wurster, 1999) and customized search processes based on criteria of importance (Lynch and Ariely, 1999). Finally, the use of e-services enables firms to develop a deep understanding of consumer behaviour (Iqbal et al, 2003). The view of e-service is much broader than the concepts of IT services, web services or infrastructure service as it e-service includes all these services further it also encompasses the service product, service environment and service delivery that comprise any business model, whether it belongs to a goods manufacturer or a pure service provider ( Rust et al, 1996). The customer’s interaction or contact with the organization is through the information and communication technology (ICT) in e-service. This remote service encounter subsequently has developed into a self-service experience (Dabholkar, 2000; Sara, 2000). However, experience of self service and e-service are quite different. In self service operations, a customer has to go to the information and communication technology centre while, in e-service, a customer can conveniently receive the service through the internet at home or other places. In other words, self service is less flexible than e-service due to constrai nts of location (Surjadjaja et al., 2003). Similarly customer’s interaction or contact with the organization in the e-service is through the technology, such as web site. During an e-service encounter customer have to rely entirely on sight and sound while the traditional service experience can use all senses. In addition to this e-service unlike traditional service is not constrained by distance and opening hours, thus delivered delivers convenience. Linked with convenience is customer control. As customer can choose the channel through which they will acquire a product, the mode of delivery for the product, the extent of customization of the product and the extent to which they are involved in the design and delivery of the product (Rowley, 2006). Advancement of technology led the transformation of physical products to pure e-service components and has significant implications for building customer relationships. Below chart shows the e-commerce path to profitability as how the traditional path and e-service path flow increase profit of the firm. SOURCE: Rust, R, T and Kannan, P, k., 2003 Above chart shows traditional path services laid emphasis on automated service or self service operation, firms used to focus on increased efficiency and productivity of business and reduce the cost of the product or service in order to increase profit. On the other hand on e-service path firms are focus on enhanced service operations, provides greater conveniences and support services to customers. Further improved customer satisfaction and retention by providing best quality service for example grocery chains are looking to use loyalty cards and focus on one-to-one promotion and marketing efforts based on the information gathered using these cards allow the grocery chains to develop relationships with their customers. Moreover, they provide value to customers through focused information provision, reduced search time and increased convenience for the customers (Rust and Kannan, 2003). As in the electronic world the customer and the merchant do not meet face to face and the clients are more sensitive with increased options and solutions available to them online (Singh, 2002). Many companies are adopting Internet-based e-services for conducting business transactions and sharing business information with their customers and business partners (Torre and Moxon, 2001). E-service has been defined as web-based service or interactive service that is delivered on the internet (Reynolds, 2000). According to Rowley (2006) e-service is deeds, efforts or performances whose delivery is mediated by information technology that include the Web, information kiosks and mobile devices. Such e-service includes the service element of e-tailing, customer support and service and service delivery. Further, E-service is defined as the provision of service over electronic networks. This concept includes services provided by a typical service organization as well as the services provided by t he goods manufacturers where the quality of customer care plays an important role (Rust and Kannan, 2002). According to Ruyter et al. (2001, p. 186), â€Å" an e-service is an interactive, content-centred and Internet-based customer service, driven by the customer and integrated with related organizational customer support processes and technologies with the goal of strengthening the customer-service provider relationship†. Further (Sahai and Machiraju, 2001) defined e-service as it is a service available via the internet that provides information, completes tasks or conducts transactions. It can be any electrically provided services offered directly or indirectly to customers, including direct as well as after sales services (Van Riel et al.,2001; Lagrosen, 2005). In addition to this e-service can deliver high quality, timely and extensive product information to consumer inexpensively and effectively. They can provide better price and quality comparisons (Shapiro and Varian, 1999). Furthermore, a company that can respond to the needs of the customer accommodate their requests prom ptly and support their buying decisions creates value and wins customer patronage and loyalty (Singh et al.2001). E-service operation include all the customer centric activities starting from pre-transaction, transaction and post transaction interactions through the internet in delivering products or services within service level agreement ( Surjadjaja et al., 2003). Clearly, although the aforementioned author agree that providing personalized and accurate customer information with better tracking, delivery and payment details is an online service in B2C e-commerce generally appreciated by customers. Similarly e-service functions incorporated on e-commerce sites that can quickly provide online shoppers with decision-making support win e-customers and get them to make a purchase (Singh, 2002). Furthermore, e-service is becoming increasingly important not only in determining the success of failure of electronic commerce (Yang et al., 2001), but also in providing consumers with superior experience with respect to the interactive flow of information (Santos, 2003). E-service can be usefully conceptualised as an interactive information service. Such as information provided by or collected from and about the customers can be gathered and analysed by the e-service provider and used as the basis for the customization of the service that organization offe rs to the customers (Rowley, 2006). Examples of e-services are computer-related services such as personal, cultural, recreational, communication and financial services. E-service concept is not simply a combination of words electric and service. As in true e-service operation part or all the interaction between the service provider and the customer is conducted through the Internet. Thus an automatic teller machine (ATM) transaction is an example of a simple electronic plus service experience, while buying a ticket on the Net is an example of e-service experience (Surjadjaja et al., 2003). E-service may be considered to be relatively new channel of service provision as well as new way of conducting business; research on e-service is still developing (Hung and Wong, 2009). E-Service as self-service There is an important conceptual relationship is that between e-service and self-service. As most authors have described the e-service experience as a self service experience (Dabholkar, 2000; Meuter et al., 2000; Zhu et al., 2002) although Surjadaja et al, (2003) differentiate between e-service and self service. Further they argue that in self-service operation customer has to go to the technology such as ATM to receive a service, while in e-service customer can receive the service through the Internet at home or in other places. Self-service technologies are often used to enhance the overall service experience delivered to the customer by focussing human service agent intervention at the point at which intervention can make the most impact. As e-service firstly, reduce marginal consumer acquisition and service cost, due to the reduction in human intervention and ease of e-service scalability (Binter et al., 2002; Iqbal et al., 2003). Secondly, e-services deliver consumers high quality, anytime and in-depth product information, which reduce the consumer price sensitivity and finally e-services support the capture of information relating to the search, evaluation and purchasing activities of consumers (Iqbal et al., 2003). Having discussed the concept of e-business, e-commerce and e-services, it can be said that the above three has a significant influence in today’s any e-business activity. Further, in order to understand the relationship between these three terms; the following section will provide the brief discussion on relationship and similarities between each other. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN E-BUSINESS, E-CCOMMERCE and E-SERVICE E-business is a broad term used to express the conduct of business such as buying and selling, servicing customers and collaborating with partners through the internet ( whatis.com, cited in Chen, 2001), under which e-service and e-commerce can be established as its two underlying dimensions (Surjadjaja et al., 2003). The scope of e-business is much broader than that of e-commerce. Extensive e-business embraces physical products and the distribution of the goods as an integral part of the overall transaction process (Greenstein and Feinman, 2000). Similarly, e-commerce mainly focus on the buying and selling of physical goods or products that results in monetary exchange whereas e-service refers to delivery of services through the internet either paid or free (Voss, 1999), For example, in the case of free e-mail subscription s and free online newspapers.These examples are actually part of e-business called e-service (Amor, 2000). However, (Voss, 1999) made the distinction between e-co mmerce and e-service, as being two ends of a continuum, pure e-commerce is the basic buying and selling of products, where as , at the other end pure e-service is offering service either unconditionally or with a service contract. E-business and e-commerce are two separate concepts such as e-commerce uses the web to connect customers with firms whereas e-business includes the web as well as other means necessary to interconnect information systems and data streams, both internal and external further e-commerce requires human interaction for form filling during purchasing process however, e-business allows many processes to be fully automated thus improving the efficiency of business processes and removing the error of human interfaces (Chou et al, 2002). There are some similarities between the two. As e-business and e-commerce solutions include newly developed web technology into organizational and business processes. The use of web technology results in improved efficiency. Moreover, e-commerce is generally less complex than any e-business solution as firm must start with e-commerce initiatives before creating e-business tasks. Once a firm has successfully implemented its e-commerce functions, then it may beg in to work on e-business with the e-commerce infrastructure, with out e-commerce infrastructure first, it will be difficult for firms to integrate all the e-business functions. (Rodgers et al, 2002). Moreover if a firm decide to skip the e-commerce part and jump directly to e-business, the project or work would be much more costly and time consuming. Therefore, it is necessary for a firm to create an e-commerce capability before it pursues e-business solutions. E-SERVICE EXPERIENCE The previous section sought to explore the inherent or pervasive characteristics of e-business, e-commerce and e-service. The following section explores the aspect of e-service experience that defined the elements, scope and context of e-service experience. As the nature of the service experience is likely to vary depending upon the activities or task being finished through the e-service engagement. Further users may be expected to take on different roles and exhibit different competences. The extent of customer customization or co-production varies between applications; this variation could have a significant effect on how customers engage with and evaluate the service interaction (Barnes and Vidgen, 2000). In addition to this a related approach is to regard the service experience as consisting of a number of different partial performances or service components each of which can be evaluated separately by the web site visitors (Santos, 2003; Zeithaml et al; 2002). Using this approach, Bauer et al. (2005) identifies three service categories that are core services, additional services and problem solving services. Further, Chen and Chang (2003) identify three components in the online shopping experience that are interactivity (connection quality, web site design), transaction (value, convenience, assurance, entertainment and evaluation) and fulfilment (order processing, delivery, post sales service. The need to identify the scope and elements in the service experience is also acknowledged by Parasuraman et al. (2005) in their work in E-S-QUAL in which they distinguish between core service and recovery service. On the contrary a number of authors discuss the web service experience in terms of its elements, but different authors have different notions of web elements and some elements are important of factors identified elsewhere as dimensions in e-service quality models. For example, Constantinides (2004) finds that the web experience and specifically the significance of the web experience elements depend on the buying situation, type of the customer and client’s intentions in visiting a site. He identifies the following web experience elements that influence consumer behaviour such as functionally factors (usability, interactivity), psychological factors (trust) and content factors (aesthetics and marketing mix). Later Zhang and Prybutok (2005) develop an e-service model in which web site service quality is one variable; the others are individual differences, e-service convenience, risk, e-satisfaction and intention. On the basis of above statements it can be argued that the modelling and evaluation of e-service experience can undertaken at three different levels such as web site experience, online service experience and total multi-channel experience. As important contributing factor to the e-service experience is the ability of the organization to organize its supply and value chain to support the delivery of good quality goods and services (Rowley, 2006). Further, Voss (2003) reports on a study across retail banking, retailing, travel, utilities, content providers and computer hardware sectors that suggest that performance on responsiveness was substantially below customer expectation. Problem occurring in the e-service system can result in a failure of service (Zhang and Prybutok, 2005) and this may lead to the loss valuable opportunities to build loyalty (Watcher, 2002). In order to have a holistic e-service experience one has to examine specific areas of service marketing, service design and service delivery. In the following section author will discuss these specific areas. SERVICE MARKETING Services marketing deals with expected quality of services and involves matching market needs with a firm’s resources (Meredith, 1992). Since services cannot be produced without interaction with the customer, marketing activities need to manage the timing of demand rather than just build demand. As most services are experiences delivered by human performers, anything that a service organization does in relation to the customer becomes a marketing activity, for example bank teller’s smile, the waitperson’s courtesy or the physician’s bed side manner are all marketing activities (Fisk et al., 2000). Furthermore, marketing focuses on determining the marketing mix of product and service features such as price, brand image and accessibility of service (Palmer, 2001). Service marketing concepts and strategies have developed in response to the tremendous growth of services industries, resulting in their increased importance to the world economy (Wilson et al., 20 08). Service marketing evolves on the front-end operation while service design focus on the back- end support of service operation (Surjadjaja et al, 2004). SERVICE DESIGN Service design refers to the design of facilities, servers, equipment and other resources needed to produce services which includes a blue print of the service system, specifications, procedures and policies (Meredith, 1992). The design of services with a view to creating memorable and satisfying customer experiences is not new. However, the deliberate design and execution of service experiences as a distinctive management discipline with its own principles, tools, and techniques can be said to be a new approach. In easy terms service design considers services as product that need to be systematically developed with a clear focus on the customer value (Zehrer, 2009).Service design considers services as products that need to be systematically developed with a clear focus on customer value. In more precise terms Gummesson (1994) described service design as service design covers the hand-on activities to describe and detail a service, the service system and the service delivery process. Further, A major task of service design is to create, in line with service strategy, material evidence of a sensually perceivable service reality for the customer, which materializes the non-material message sent by the service provider (Zehrer, 2009). However inadequate service design will cause continuous problems with service delivery. As to avoid such inadequacy, service design must be consistent with the service orientation and overall strategic orientation of the organization (Johnston, 1999; Doyle and Broadbridge, 1999). Similarly, service-design should be consistent with transparent service strategies, however, Mager (2004) has noted that many firms lack of such a defined service strategy. If one element of the service design is inconsistent with the overall strategy and service orientation of the provider therefore it is unlikely to be successful in providing satisfaction to the customer (Zehrer, 2009). As Doyle and Broadbridge (1999) noted that the importance of design as a composite in the strategic mix is often undervalued or ignored, the holistic nature of design and its informed status can achieve a more coherent offer to the customer. In recent years, technology has plays an increasingly major role in service design to ensure memorable service experiences. Many service offerings have evolved to become multi-interface systems that create several opportunities for developing new offerings. However to take full advantage of these capabilities, the technology must be fully integrated into service design and management with an overarching customer orientation (Curran et al., 2003). As PatrÄ ±Ã‚ ´cio et al. (2008, p.319) observed that In designing modern service offerings firms have to define their service interface mix, the technologies that support front-stage customer interactions and backstage support processes, and the service clues necessary to enable a satisfying customer experience. SERVICE DELIVERY Service delivery is concerned with delivery of the core products and services to the customers (Slack et al, 2001), including digital products. In addition, for e-service experience the introduction of e-service delivery has been associated with an increase in the number of channels through which businesses interact with their customer. Further, in such a multi channel contexts it is important not only to understand how consumers experience and evaluate the e-service delivery, but also how the delivery contributes to the total service experience and its evaluation (Rowley, 2006). Moreover, Muller-Lankenau and Wehmeyer (2005) indicate that self-service and e-service is often part of a wider service delivery. There is growing number of traditional companies use the Internet to enhance, support or by-pass their traditional marketing and sales channels and adopting multi-channel strategies. Thus it will be important to consider e-service alongside other channels through which service can be delivered, which includes the ground that has attracted most attention, face- to- face but also extends to telephone, postal and other remote services (Rowley,2006). Having discussed the overview of service marketing, service design and service delivery in the following section author will look into specific factors that will influence each of them. These factors are discussed in more detail below. Trusted Service Trusted service can be defined as exact delivery of promised service. In e-business operations trusted service is considered to very important (Baker et al., 2006). Online trust concerns are especially challenging to the companies wanting to move to e-business (Luo, 2002). Lack of trust is one of the most often reasons for the consumers’ unwillingness to make online purchases as a result it hinders the formation of an online exchange relationship for many businesses and organization (Baker et al., 2006). Further, Gefen and Straub (2004) assert that trust is more important to e-commerce than traditional service since online environment offers limited opportunities to regulate rules and customs. For example, online transactions do not usually afford the same kind of tangible assurances that are present in traditional commerce. Since consumer are concerned about the level of security when surrendering personal or sensitive information online, Warrington and Caldwell (2000) sugges t that e-business find a way to offer customers cues to encourage trust in their company. As trusted service can be designed and implemented within the service delivery process. Service providers therefore seek to achieve exact delivery of promised service and thus achieve customer satisfaction. Responsiveness Responsiveness could refer to the speed of the company’s response to the customers (Zehrer, 2009). Sending timely response to e-mail requests or complaint and confirmations of orders has been recognized as an important factor when online customers evaluate a Web site (Long and McMellon, 2004; Zeithml, Parsuraman and Malhotra, 2002). To improve responsiveness a web based customer support interface requires special attention as to whether the interface is prompt, always available and provides information regarding the timeliness of service. Further many companies request customers to direct their queries to a particular person who has the best competence in answering that particular query. Electronic forms are designed to direct queries to the appropriate department.The responsiveness dimension can be defined as the willingness or readiness of customer support to provide timely service to the customer in a Web context (Park et al., 2007). Personalization Personalization involves individualized attention, personal thank you from online stores and the availability of a message area for customer questions or comments (yang, 2001). Further personalization is refer as customer perception of the degree to which an online store provides differentiated service to satisfy specific individual needs (Lee, 2005). Most companies are building personalized web pages. Such web pages provide all the products and service, along with the navigation buttons for ease of access t

Geoffrey of Monmouths Life of Merlin Essay -- Geoffrey Monmouth Life

Geoffrey of Monmouth's Life of Merlin Geoffrey of Monmouth’s â€Å"Life of Merlin† is a text that makes its readers struggle with finding criteria for madness. What does it even mean to be â€Å"mad?† Madness seems to define a person only when he or she does something to stray from the normality of any given group of people. Breaking societal norms often leaves people open to criticism and suspicion. In order to be sane and mentally healthy, one has to abide by all explicit and implicit rules of society. â€Å"Life of Merlin† is about a man that abandons feudal society, and all of its rules, in hopes of finding a better place to live. A better place to live, for him, is one that is purely good. Violent and deceitful people are ultimately the factors that drive him away, causing him to be termed as â€Å"mad.† I argue that Merlin is a character with extreme extra worldly perception. Many would think extra worldly perception to be a privilege, but this essay serves to contradict the positive effects that extra worldly perception can have. I will show why he is perceptive, rather than mad, as well as explain why this type of perception can be detrimental to one’s life. When a person has too much perception he can often live in a world of fear and discontent, one that is only curable by the restructuring of an entire society. To begin, Merlin’s reasons for leaving feudal society are too logical to call him â€Å"mad.† One place where logic can be heard is where Merlin says, â€Å"Surely a malignant fate cannot have been so vindictive as to take from me all these my companions, men such that many a king and many a distant kingdom have stood in fear of them till now† (55). What Merlin is addressing is the fact that someone is to blame fo... ...s left with after reading the text. While Merlin seems to have a good start towards creating a more peaceful society, it does not seem that it will prove to be completely peaceful. Of course anything is better to him than living in the city, and it only seems to get better when he is encountered with people much like himself. A text like â€Å"Life of Merlin† makes me question whether a peaceful society is within grasp. Even in current times, countries are at war and people lie to and cheat one another. Have we become more violent and deceptive with time? In order to create a peaceful environment, the idea of competition might have to be removed. Competition, one thing that is instinctive in all creatures, is a driving force of all human action. Merlin seems to strive towards the ideal, but it remains questionable as to whether or not his ideal is within grasp.

Various Views of Knowledge

Knowledge can be interpreted in many different ways. Some may see knowledge as learned education. Others may see education as intelligence. None of these perspectives of knowledge are right or wrong. Every person is entitled to their own definition, source, and use of knowledge in their lives. I view knowledge as the wisdom and insight that one may acquire over time, by personal experiences and influences in life. Most of the basic knowledge acquired by people starting at a young age is in school. As young children, we learn elementary facts such as our numbers and the alphabet. The older we become, the more facts we are taught, and the more complex these facts become. The knowledge one may learn in school is what I think of as worldly knowledge that will get people into the colleges and jobs that they may desire. The people that are abundant in educational knowledge are the people who dominate our economy and run our country. Certainly, this is one of the more important types of knowledge there are and definitely one that we could not do without, but it is not quite as important as some of the others. Education is vital in life, but mere facts cannot aid in the solution to all problems. Another source of knowledge is entertainment, such as in television, movies, books, or even music. Certain types of entertainment can even be education. For example, television shows such as â€Å"20/20† or â€Å"DateLine† are both very informative shows, but interesting enough to entertain the public. Entertainment can be tricky, though. The media can convince us, even brainwash us, to believe certain truths that may not be accurate. The television shows we watch and the music that we listen to are huge daily influences on our lives. They help shape the way we think, what we know, and what we feel. We follow the trends that television tells us are â€Å"in† and say the things that everyone says. We tend to try to model ourselves after the people on the big screen. The enormous impact that the media and entertainment industry has on the public grows daily with increasing technology. The internet is one of the newer sources of both education and entertainment. It is also fairly harmful. Many things that are banned from television and movies are easily accessible on the World Wide Web, to everyone, including children. The relationships that we have with people, whether it is co-workers, family, or friends, directly influence us with every interaction. In the workplace, the people that one may work with affect our work habits. If a person works in a busy, fast-paced office, he will be used to that type of lifestyle. But if that same person were to move to a slow-paced, lazy office, he would feel unproductive and lazy. At home, the people that we live with, our family, are our first teachers. Home is where we learn the morals and values that we, as adults, pass on to our children. Our manners and etiquette that are learned at home are what we bring into the outside world and portray to others. The knowledge and insight that we acquire from our family members are never forgotten and stay in our hearts and minds for a lifetime. I believe that the relationships one has with friends and lovers are important in shaping a person†s thoughts and actions. These are the people that we turn to in good times and bad, troubles and joys. They are the ones we turn to for advice and consolment. They are the ones that are with us in difficult situations. For example, if there is a group of friends and a few start smoking, it is high likely for all of them to begin smoking. Boy/Girlfriends, however, are a different, more intimate type of influence. Personally, every guy that I have ever dated has changed me in some way, whether it is significant or not. Through the different experiences and emotions one may feel through falling in and out of love, one learns some of the most important lessons of life. Just from falling in love once, one can learn so many things through mistakes and good choices. Love is knowing. My father is an extremely knowledgeable person. He may not be educated with diplomas and degrees, but he is educated with insight. His is a deeper knowledge that goes beyond the outside surface of people and into their hearts and souls. My father never passed high school education. The knowledge that he has acquired over the years has been purely from his own personal endeavors. I complemented him on his wisdom and he responded with this (in Korean): â€Å"I never thought I was smart. I hated school and always played tricks on fellow students and my teachers. I was a class clown. But as I grew older, I wished that I had paid more attention in my classes. It†s such a waste.† My father is a perfect example of wisdom without academic excellence. Don†t get me wrong. He is a very smart and clever man. His knowledge just was not learned by the books. â€Å"I†ve had a hard life. I think I have. There have been so many hard times. Things always go wrong. But when something goes wrong, at least you learn and can keep it from happening again. I†m smart. With old age comes wisdom, you know? With every little thing that happens in your life, you learn. As long as you keep learning, you†re okay.† I believe that knowledge is a gift. It is something that one can never have enough of. It is special and different in it†s own way in every individual. There is no bad or useless knowledge. Every type of knowledge has value, whether the knowledge is about math, cars, or even trash. Each piece of knowledge that we acquire make us into the people that we are. Knowledge is acquired not only through sights and sounds, but feelings and emotions. It is the key to life. As they say, â€Å"knowledge is power.†