Babe essays

Babe essays Imagine youre a little girl in the 30s and 40s. What do you play? Dolls, house, cook with Mom? Not Babe Didrikson. As a little girl she was playing basketball, softball, baseball, and other sports. In her life she played basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, track and field, bowling, diving and swimming, pool and volleyball. People looked at her as a tomboy and unladylike. She didnt care. She once quoted, Before I was even into my teens I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. My goal was to be the greatest athlete that ever lived. Born Mildred Ella, she was named Babe after hitting five home runs in one baseball game. A reporter once asked her, Is there anything you dont play? Yea, she replied, dolls. She was just a natural. She loved playing sports. She was, however, a very poor student. She only passed enough classes to play sports. She had short hair and wore clothes like boys. "As far as I can remember I played with boys rather than girls," she once told a reporter. She remembered the boys teasing her and testing her ability. Most girls liked her, but were sometimes afraid of her roughness. She played mainly basketball in her high school career. Her basketball team never lost when she played and she brought them to numerous state championships. After her junior year she dropped out and got a job in Dallas as a stenographer at the Employers Casualty Company which sponsored a basketball team named Dallas Golden Cyclones. She was selected all- American and led the Cyclones to a national title. In 1931 they won the national AAU championship. She scored 30 or more points in most games. After basketball season, she started track and field where she earned world, American, and Olympic records in five different events. She became a premier woman's track and field player in the nation! After her Golden Cyclone career she was in...

Business Algebra Discussion - Smart Custom Writing Samples

Business Algebra Discussion - Smart Custom Writing Industrial ecologyIntroduction Industrial ecology or what is currently referred to as green design seeks to address the waste management problem from within the processes of production that are responsible for generating hazardous waste rather than the character and location of the wastes and facilities as is the case in justice research and environmental equity.   This paper will look at the description of industrial ecology and argue about the concept’s strength in contributing to pollution prevention efforts and waste management as well as explore its political feasibility in the United States. INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY Industry ecology was convened as a colloquium in 1991 by the United States National Academy of Science. The aim of this colloquium was to exploit the new approaches emerging in industrial design of products and the processes involved and the implementation of manufacturing strategies that are sustainable.   This colloquium identified, the need for research as well as development to work in tandem with advances in technology in an effort to reduce the pollution perpetuated by industries’ production design which has also in the years been re-emphasized by engineering and scientific communities. This is in an effort to emulate the industrial ecology described in Type III. Both the government of America and that of Canada have in recent years been encouraging industries to engage in voluntary programs aimed at pollution preventing in an effort to reduce the hazardous waste as well as other contaminants that might harm the environment in the production stage rather than after the waste is generated consistent with industrial ecology. This is a management hierarchy that considers source reduction, alternative materials to phase out toxins, recycling and reuse as opposed to treatment and disposal. This view is also held by several other industry groups. The concept draws its structural analogy from the natural ecosystem in its effort to define the relationship between products by the industries, residue generation as well as the treatment of waste and disposal of the same. In this concept, internalization of pollution within the process of production is viewed as being a more effective method of production because of the environmental implications presented by uncontrolled emission as well as the economical inefficiencies presented by waste material disposal (Fletcher). The strength of Industry ecology in aspects of waste management is that it emphasizes on a more fundamental rethinking about the six elements of manufacturing. This includes the utilization of materials of desired properties during the formulation or extraction stages that are of the which contributing to overall industry environmental friendliness; adopting this concept also eliminates the need for storage and the long-term degradation of nonhazardous or hazardous feedstock materials by utilizing the philosophy of just-in-time raw materials; the process substitution employed also eliminates feedstock that may be toxic in nature; the engineering processes are controlled so as to assure a reliable and robust process: and also the considerations are made about the end-life of produced products to ensure their recyclability (Fletcher). The processing and manufacturing industries are always keen on improving their efficient use of economic resources. It therefore goes without saying that most industries are likely to adopt techniques and technologies that will enable it to conserve materials and also minimizes or avoid completely the need for waste management. Pollution control usually has many hidden costs associated with it. Prevention of pollution ultimately reduces or prevents these. Industry ecology identifies four incentives that would drive industries towards pollution prevention that the American and Canadian regulatory aspects apply. This includes the increase in the disposal costs; the prospect of incurring financial liabilities in implementing clean-up activities even in situations where the generator of waste might not be directly responsible for disposing waste improperly; waste disposal also presents liabilities by third-parties; there is also the risk of being adversely opposed by the public which is often unpredictable (Fletcher). Although measures of ensuring pollution preventions have always occupied center stage in politics especially around election periods, legislature passing to make some of the identified standards law, have often been missing. As it is, there has been a lack of regulation aimed in minimizing waste in the production process. The existing regulations allow most industries to rely on land-disposal as means of pollution control. This is attractive to industries as it presents a cheaper alternative of waste disposal. Unfortunately this method presents severe long-term environmental impacts than any other. In addition to this, production technologies that have been proven in the past are more likely to be adopted by industries as opposed to new alternatives aimed at reducing pollution. This problem is exacerbated as the adopted production processes mature, as many firms are less likely then to abandon them. Confidentiality presents an addition problem in that companies which develop ways of efficiently reducing waste are always reluctant to share this development with others. This is because such methods enable it to maintain a competitive advantage over its competitors. Confidentiality however still dogs the efforts of pollution prevention programs aimed at facilitating exchange of at least information on waste reduction at a generic level between corporate (Fletcher). Many groups including government environmental strategies as well as industry have in recent parts enthusiastically taken to pollution prevention debate.   The government of America In conjunction with the Canadian government has since 1972 showed their commitment to the virtual elimination of toxic substances that have persistently plagued the great lakes region. This bilateral agreement was amended in 1987 with the International Joint Commission (IJC) being mandates to support efforts to wipe out toxic substance use, manufacture and disposal.   Political will in pollution prevention policies in the United States can be traced to the â€Å"Pollution Prevention Act passed by Congress in 1990† (114). However, the Environmental Protection Agency is not empowered by the law to address the issue only providing legislative basis that provides for preferred environmental management hierarchy that is aimed at minimizing waste production as the priority and the disposal of product ion waste as a last result. A pollution prevention ethic is emphasized at the EPA especially when considering actions of enforcement.   However the federal government has not as yet initiated any program for waste exchange although a national private network, two programs that are state run as well as four private regional programs. Most industries still push for their companies to be recognized for conducting recycling off-site a trend referred to as green-washing by organizations such as Green Peace. On their part, environmentalists as well as relevant government officials are advocating adaption of industrial ecology concepts by companies by implementing recycling measures on-site in addition to source reduction of emissions as the key in prevention of pollution (Fletcher).   Conclusion Industrial ecology presents methods that are environmentally sound and contribute to waste management through the elimination or reduction of waste in the production process itself. This presents an economically and environmentally sensible method of pollution prevention. The government has been an advocate of this concept for a while now. However, it has lacked in regulation implementation to emphasis its views. As it is, the concept has not fully received the political backing it requires to be adopted on a holistic level relying instead on industry goodwill for its implementation in production processes. Works cited Fletcher, Thomas Hobbs. From Love Canal to environmental justice: the politics of hazardous waste on the Canada-U.S. border. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003.

National industrial policy in America Research Paper

National industrial policy in America - Research Paper Example U.S. government subsidies can also be found in such areas as defense, energy, transportation, and home construction.† (Reich, 1991). The National Industrial Policy in US have been one of the hot and happening topics in the recent time and is subjected to mixed reactions from different corner. This paper will discuss about the cons of the Industrial policies in America and is set to provide sources supporting it. Let us take the instance of Soviet Union. Industrial policies have been used elsewhere in the world and have proved unsuccessful. The fall of the former Soviet Republic stands proof to this. An industry definitely require motivation to build up which can be achieved only when there is a competition. Also, a competitive market can be measured well unlike other market. According to (Grahame 1989), â€Å"The competitiveness of an economy can be a rather elusive concept since there are a number of ways in which it can be defined and measured†. National industrial pol icy (NIP) has been defined in different ways by many scholars. For instance Johnson outlines that "Industrial policy means the initiation and coordination of governmental activities to leverage upward the productivity and competitiveness of the whole economy and of particular industries in it." (1984, p. 8) while others referring to it as the â€Å"†¦.relationship between business and government on a microeconomic level† (Wachter and Wachter 1981).

Reflection Paper 2 Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection 2 - Research Paper Example In my particular case, for the past ten years, I have worked as an Instructor and Instructor Trainer of Basic Life Support (BLS) among other courses for a company owned by Jose, RN-EMT, a Florida Region American Heart Association Community Training Center (CTC) Faculty Coordinator. Jose, RN-EMT continues to limit his communication process to utilizing email with Nurse Instructors. Indeed, this communication strategy is quite good but in order to promote effective communication, there is need for improvement of this system. For instance, verbal communication through telephones and video conferencing can also act as viable strategies that can improve the communication between the parties involved. As Nurse Instructors, I think there should be more open communication channels in order to operate effectively. This enables us to create mutual understanding with different people we will be dealing with in our operations. A critical analysis of Nancy Blake and Colleen Young (2013) article t itle â€Å"How to Be an Effective Charge Nurse: Excellent communication skills, flexibility, clinical competency, and ability to make quick decisions required† shows that there are various traits that an individual should possessed in order to be an effective charge nurse. Blake and Young (2013, p.1) affirms, â€Å"The role of a charge nurse is unpredictable. It requires a person with excellent communication skills who is flexible, clinically competent and able to make decisions quickly.† In most cases, charge nurses function as liaison between middle management, staff, physicians, patients and families among other groups. Charge nurses deal with different people in their tasks hence, the reason for them to possess effective communication and leadership skills. According to Blake and Young (2013, p.1), â€Å"An effective charge nurse needs to incorporate leadership and communication skills with conflict resolution, time management and organizational techniques, delega tion, mentorship, education, and role modelling to be successful.† These characteristics are very important in as far as the effectiveness of charge nurses in dispensing their duties is concerned. This notion is supported by Grossman and Valiga (2009), who state â€Å"Leadership and followership are two separate concepts that are complementary or reciprocal, not competitive†(p. 36).   This also goes hand in hand with the aspect of culture which shapes the behavior of the employees in each department. According to Hawkins & Kratsch (2004), each unit has a culture that shapes the behavior of the people working there.   It is therefore the role of the leader to foster this culture, thus positively influence the other members to improve their performance. Non verbal communication is also important in order Aspects such as body language, facial expressions as well as tone have an impact on the way communication is carried out. The article also states that charge nurses s hould be good in delegating certain tasks to their followers in order to achieve quality patient care. One important role played by the charge nurse is to solve conflicts among the followers. This is not a very simple task since it requires someone with good communication skills in order to create mutual understanding among the warring parties. Overall, Blake and Young

Understanding Three Psalms of the Old Testament Essay Example for Free

Understanding Three Psalms of the Old Testament Essay Psalm 78 and Psalm 89 are both referred to as â€Å"maskils. † According to Gordon Churchyard (2004), a maskil may be the name given to verses that teach their readers something of value. The Book of Psalms published by the International Bible Society in the United States, however, explains the word â€Å"maskil† as a literary or musical term (Psalm 78, 1984). The fact remains, though, that every psalm of the Old Testament is unique as a teaching tool of religion. Although neither Psalm 78 nor Psalm 89 have been written by David, and Bible commentators guess that Psalm 132 might have been written by Solomon, the regal heir of King David, all three psalms have an extraordinary message to convey to the believer who may be reminded of the duties of man toward God, and the latter’s promises made to man, through these psalms (Churchyard). Psalm 78 is said to have been written 720 years before the holy birth of Jesus Christ (Churchyard). This maskil of Asaph is a story about the Children of Israel from their experience of slavery under the mighty pharaoh of Egypt until their time under King David, the opposite of the pharaoh in God’s perspective. This psalm is a reminder to the Children of Israel that the God who saved them from the clutches of slavery is ever prepared to rescue them from all troubles, provided that their hearts are loyal to Him, and their spirits are faithful to Him. In the beginning of the psalm, Asaph relates that this reminder is most important for the future generations of Israel, who are expected to be more loyal and faithful to God than were their forefathers. As a matter of fact, their forefathers had proved to be quite disobedient to God. Despite the fact that He showed them miracle after miracle especially at the time of Moses, who was the chosen one of God to lead the Children of Israel out of the clutches of slavery, the Children of Israel expressed doubts in their beliefs about the faithful love of God. Whereas He continued to UNDERSTANDING THREE PSALMS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Page # 2 shower His blessings upon them, they refused to believe in Him with the absolute faithfulness that should have appeared to them as a necessity given the extraordinary miracles they were being made to witness (Psalm 78). The Children of Israel kept on doubting the love and faithfulness of God even though He had, among other things, punished their enemies by turning their water into blood, and had helped out the Children of Israel in the desert by letting springs flow out of a rock. â€Å"In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;† reads the psalm, â€Å"in spite of His wonders, they did not believe. † The psalm reminds the reader that the consequences of unbelief could be fatal: â€Å"So He ended their days in futility/ and their years in terror. † The Children of Israel had also turned to idol worship despite the physical evidence of God’s care for them. So, God took revenge because He is a jealous God (Psalm 78). Psalm 78 also reminds the reader of the mercy of God when it reads: â€Å"Time after time He restrained His anger/ and did not stir up His full wrath. / He remembered that they were but flesh/ a passing breeze that does not return. † Even though God could have eradicated everybody who showed unfaithfulness to Him, He decided not to do so, seeing as the Children of Israel were not a threat to Him. Moreover, it can be understood from the psalm that God wanted the future generations of Israel to benefit from the teachings and miracles of the earlier generations. Thus, He replaced the pharaoh’s leadership over Israel with David’s godly leadership, once again, as a mercy to Israel. Psalm 78, therefore, ends on a hopeful note: â€Å"And David shepherded them with integrity of heart/ with skillful hands he led them† (Psalm 78). UNDERSTANDING THREE PSALMS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Page # 3 Psalm 89 also brings King David to mind when the writer of the maskil reminds God of the covenant He had made with His servant, David. Bible commentators believe that this maskil was composed by three different people in three separate periods of time (Churchyard). All the same, the psalm serves as a teaching instrument of religion explaining that it is not God who breaks His promises, but man who refuses to keep His commands time after time (Psalm 89, 1984). God had promised David that He would take special care of His servant as well as his descendants who kept the law of the Lord. Thus, the psalm glorifies God for His covenant, and expresses that the only fortunate people are those that know how to glorify God. Besides, the heavens and everything on earth glorifies the Lord, and the angels too are busy praising Him. Everything is obedient to God. It is only man that has been given the right to oppose God’s law and commandments. Hence, one of the descendants of David, the â€Å"anointed one,† is being ridiculed by his enemies apparently because he has violated the decrees of God. Although the psalm does not provide any information about why the â€Å"anointed one† is being punished, it can be inferred that God is not quickly coming to his rescue because the man has disobeyed the Lord. After all, God had spoken about David: â€Å"If his sons forsake my law/ and do not follow my statutes,/ if they violate my decrees/ and fail to keep my commands,/ I will punish their sin with the rod,/ their iniquity with flogging†¦. (Psalm 89)† God remains faithful to His promise. He would not punish a descendent of David without a genuine reason. God is fair, which is the reason why the psalmist appeals to God toward the end of the maskil with a desperation that may only be reduced or eliminated by the loving mercy of UNDERSTANDING THREE PSALMS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Page # 4 the Lord. Before praising God and ending the psalm with His praise, the psalmist once again reminds God about the faithfulness He showed toward His servant, David. He also refers to God’s â€Å"great former love† for David. Still, it is expected that God would not go against His promise made to David, which included punishment for his descendants that disobeyed the Lord. The psalmist insists, however, on being forgiven once and for all because he finds that God’s punishments are truly unbearable: â€Å"How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? / How long will your wrath burn like fire? / Remember how fleeting is my life. / For what futility you have created all men! † The psalmist continues to remind God about his condition despite the fact that God is all-knowing at all times: â€Å"Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked,/ how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,/ the taunts with which your enemies have mocked, O Lord,/ with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one† (Psalm 89). Psalm 89 ends with praise of God, informing the reader that the â€Å"anointed one† with his complaints and desperate pleas nevertheless understands that God must be praised despite the pain that the â€Å"anointed one† is suffering from. In other words, God punishes for a wise reason, and even if man does not fully understand his flaws it is important for him to praise God before He answers the prayers of the suffering man. God cannot be blamed for suffering. Rather, man must learn to glorify Him despite the suffering, and thereby open the channel of communication with God who is expected to sooner or later deliver the believer from suffering (Psalm 89). This is, indeed, the most important teaching of this psalm. Psalm 132 also acts as a reminder of the covenant that God made with His servant, David: â€Å"One of your own descendants/ I will place on your throne / if your sons keep my covenant/ UNDERSTANDING THREE PSALMS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Page # 5 and the statutes I will teach them,/ then their sons will sit/ on your throne for ever and ever. † Another point of similarity between Psalm 89 and Psalm 132 is that both act as pleas for God’s mercy for the sake of David. Thus, Psalm 132 reads: â€Å"For the sake of David your servant,/ do not reject your anointed one. † Yet, this psalm does not offer any complaints or desperate pleas unto God. Rather, this is the â€Å"song of ascents† or the â€Å"song of climbing† that mostly serves to remind the reader of the special importance of Zion and of Israel as a whole in God’s plan (Psalm 132, 1984; Churchyard). The song of ascents discusses the temple of God that David had been planning to build, but which was only completed in Solomon’s time. More than four hundred years after Solomon, Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the temple of God, which is why Bible commentators believe that this psalm may have been written by Nehemiah or Ezra if not by Solomon (Churchyard). In any case, the psalm identifies Zion as the dwelling place of the God of Israel, a place of ultimate bliss on earth where abundance would replace poverty and the enemies of God would be crushed â€Å"with shame†. The psalmist agrees that the temple of God and Zion are the places where God must be sincerely worshipped. He invites God to His own dwelling place. Moreover, he prays for the sincere ones of God, His priests and His saints, who would all worship the Lord together in His dwelling place (Psalm 132). Although Psalm 132 does not make a complaint, the fact that it starts out with the remembrance of David, â€Å"O Lord, remember David/ and all the hardships he endured,† allows the reader to infer that David is acting as a spiritual intercessor of his people just as the Messiah is for the Christians. The song of ascents is essentially a song of worship, a reminder to God that UNDERSTANDING THREE PSALMS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Page # 6 His people remember how to praise and worship Him. Furthermore, His people would like Him to answer their needs with the mention of one of His favorite chosen ones, David (Psalm 132). Thus, all three psalms serve their unique purposes: Psalm 78 as a reminder about the importance of faithfulness and obedience to God; Psalm 89 as a desperate plea made to God with His praise; and Psalm 132 as a reminder to God that His people remember how to worship Him, and still seek His special mercy that was previously shown to David. References Churchyard, Gordon. (2004). â€Å"Free Bible Commentary on Psalm 78, Psalm 89, Psalm 132 in Simple English. † Easy English. Available at http://www. easyenglish. info/. (22 April 2007). 2. â€Å"Psalm 78. † (1984). The Book of Psalms. Colorado Springs, CO: International Bible Society, p. 70-73. 3. â€Å"Psalm 89. † (1984). The Book of Psalms. Colorado Springs, CO: International Bible Society, p. 81-83. 4. â€Å"Psalm 132. † (1984). The Book of Psalms. Colorado Springs, CO: International Bible Society, p. 123-124.

Mythology In and Around Sophocles Antigone Essay -- Antigone essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚   How extensive and deep are the mythological roots in the Greek Sophoclean tragedy Antigone? Research indicates that both within the drama and around it there are numerous mythological influences. The use of mythological elements in Greek tragedy is very compatible with the Greeks’ sense of history surrounding a drama. Martin Heidegger in â€Å"The Ode on Man in Sophocles’ Antigone† comments on the Greek audience’s sense of history and a drama: Polis means, rather, the place, the there, wherein and as which historical being-there is. The polis is the historical place, the there in which, out of which, and for which history happens. To this place and scene of history belong the gods, the temples, the priests, the festivals, the games, the poets, the thinkers, the ruler, the council of elders, the assembly of the people, the army and the fleet. All this does not first belong to the polis, does not become political by entering into a relation with a statesman and a general and the business of the state. No, it is political, vile. at the site of history. . . . (91).    C. M. Bowra in â€Å"Sophocles’ Use of Mythology† gives the rationale behind the Attic dramatists’ preference for myths in their plays:    Myth provided the framework of drama, which illustrated in a highly concrete and cogent way some important crisis or problem, and that is why Greek tragedy can be called symbolical. The old stories are indeed told again for their own sake, and there is no lack of dramatic tension and human interest, but they also exemplify some far-reaching problem, which is admirably presented in this individual shape (31).    Antigone, the drama, begins with the main woman character and protagonist, Antigone, inviting Ismen... ...l Themes.† In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.    Segal, Charles Paul. â€Å"Sophocles’ Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone.† In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. The Internet Classic Archive. no pag. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html    â€Å"Sophocles† In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.    Watling, E. F.. Introduction. In Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by E. F. Watling. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.    Woodard, Thomas. Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.   

Panera Bread Essay

In this paper I will be discussing the company Panera Bread, its history, and how they decided on the business strategy that the company uses. I will also give a description of Panera’s strategic vision and how its stakeholders enable the success of Panera. Panera was built by Ron Shaich and originally started out in 1980 with a little store that used to be called the Cookie Jar. After three decades, a merger, and an acquisition later, Shaich’s empire turned into what we now know and love as Panera Bread. (Kowitt, 2012). Shaich started this bread empire when he was attending Clark University and was kicked out of a convenience store that didn’t cater to college students. So Shaich, who was the treasurer of the student body, decided that the college should make their own store, and that is exactly what they did. After running this store for the college, Shaich loved it so much that he decided to open his own store called the Cookie Jar, and in an effort to expand his offerings he became a licensee of the French bakery company, Au Bon Pain, whom later on merged with his company. Kowitt, 2012). Later Shaich stated that â€Å"[he] was worried because the French baked goods we sold at our half-a-dozen stores were becoming pedestrianized. We decided to use the croissant and bread as a platform to sell soups, salads, and sandwiches† (Kowitt, 2012). This is where they started becoming the store we are familiar with, however they had one more change to go through before they evolved into their current format. In 1993 Shaich purchased a small lunchtime soup, salad, and sandwich chain called St. Louis Bread Co. Shaich soon realized that this is where the gem of his business was located, so he changed the name to Panera, changed the environment to encourage people to gather, and sold off the other portions of his company such as Au Bon Pain. (Kowitt, 2012). This was the turning point for the company where Shaich decided to make the full business strategy for Panera to be that of the bakery cafe set up. With a vision of providing good quality breads and foods, with excellent customer service, this is key for while other companies have cut back due to the economy. Panera has continued their game plan to ensure the greatest experience for their customers. If you walk into other companies restaurants you will see longer lines, waits, and dirty tables due to those companies cutting back, whereas Panera continues to invest in labor in their cafes and the quality of their workers, as well as in the quality of their food. (â€Å"How panera bread,† 2010). This is their long term strategy and what I believe is the key to their success and the most important part of their strategy. They put emphasis on the quality of their food and the dining experience; this has really won over the customers that want a fast, clean, and healthy dining experience. This business plan of taking care of the customer first is due to the fact that the stockholders, and Shaich, who is the largest stockholder, allow Panera to remember that they started the company to provide quality service to customers, not to make money. Realizing that the stock price is a byproduct of them ensuring the customers are happy, and not the whole point of the company. A lot of companies think only of profits and hitting the bottom line, whereas Panera views their role as delivering a valued service to their customers. (Shaich, 2011). Shaich states that â€Å"We have to spend less time figuring out how to extract economic value from our stakeholders and more time creating what is valuable to them. Doing so is what ultimately creates long-term value† (Shaich, 2011). Arguing the fact that if you make sure the service you are providing is great then the customers will come, and your stock value will rise. Just like the old adage â€Å"if you build it they will come† this is the same thing, if you build a clean friendly restaurant with quality food, then the customers will come and spend money, and this is exactly what Panera has done and why they are so successful. My recommendation to Panera is to continue doing what they are doing, ensuring that the food and service quality at their restaurants stays at the high level that they already are. Never forgetting that this is what brings them long term profits, and to always keep that goal in view, instead of stripping down their services to create vast short term profits, but hurting customer loyalty and future sells. In conclusion we can see that Panera was able to start from a small little cookie store and transform into the huge restaurant chain it is today by focusing on taking care of their customers and not just looking at the bottom line of a balance sheet.

Marketing and Nike Essay

We can evaluate Nike’s core marketing strategy as related them to the relevant marketing theories. First of them is distribution theory. Nike distributes its products on different level basis. The high quality products are given to a certain distributers while the low price to be sold at highly discounted price at the retail stores such as Wal-Mart. Nike has also become the leader in the e-commerce by being the first to the market whit its e-commerce website. This program represents the first time a company has offered mass footwear through the internet and provides competitive advantages to Nike. One of the other theories is advertising and promotion. Nike makes contracts with some celebrity athletes which can take attention to their products such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova, Ronaldo. This has created a relatively high level of Nike’s awareness. Nike also employed a large amounts of advertisements. Their aggressive advertising campaigns, celebrity endorsements and quality products all enhance their brand and image. The other theory is price. The price is not effective on their strategy because Nike’s target market is based on the consumers who care more about the utility and quality of the product . This strategy focuses on the consumers who like Nike and pushes the products value to a higher level. Once the consumer develop the product intimacy, they come to associate their person with the products and will pay whatever price quoted on the products. Nike use vertical integration price strategy and they also engaged in various channel level operations both to control costs and influence the price function. And when we look at the market segmentation theory, we see that most of the consumer of Nike’s products is mainly athletic. Their segmentation market typically targets athletes, both women and men, from the age 15 to 35. Nike focuses on creating premium consumer experiences on product innovation, brand leadership and elevated retail presence. But Nike focuses on athlete more than any group of individuals. This strategy is especially successful because of its ability to reach a large number of athletes. Although Nike’s core marketing strategy had brings lot of positive directions to the company, but it will bring negative directions to Nike too. The mainly negative theory is the cost theory. Nike had incurred high costs in producing and promoting its products. The costs are increasing among handling inventory, designing, advertising and production. The inflation had also rised the costs. So Nike has increased the products prices and reduces its marketing budget. Nike had also employed child labor in Cambodia to reduce its production and labor costs. This affected brand image negatively and many people stop buying products from Nike. Furthermore, Nike has been using child labor in the production of its soccer balls in Pakistan. One of the Nike’s core marketing strategies is depend on a group of athletes to promote its products. Nike prefers to have high profile athletes as its endorsers, like Runner Steve Prefontaine, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. The action and attitude of Nike’s chosen spokespersons could bring the impacts on its promotional strategies. For instance, it will attract the athlete’s idolater to purchase the products if Nike using a popular athlete as endorser. On the other hand, if the athlete were caught in drug addicted or any immoral attitude, it will affect the customers not to buy Nike’s products, thus will affect Nike’s sales, revenue and profit. There is intense competition faced by Nike. Their competitors are Adidas, Reebok, Puma, and so forth, whilst competition is tighter with the coming of Adidas. More, the product line is slightly different between Nike and Adidas. Nike faces many risks when they use their core marketing strategies to achieve their goals and these risks can come from both internally and externally environment. The risks will have a negative influence about Nike’s future development. Nike needs to stay on the top of changes in consumer taste and preferences as evidenced by changes in fashion. So Nike face the risk that fashion trends may change so fast that Nike fails to follow. If Nike cannot follow the fitness trends in the market they will face risks of losing market shares. To compete with this risks and problems, Nike should position it as a trendsetter and not a trend follower and be responsible to their customers. The global trends are to be fashion and personality. So Nike change its marketing strategies and products design to become more fashion and focus on the youth consumers. It brings risks to Nike because in the traditional mind of customers, they consider Nike only sell the athletic products. The fashion or the changing style products is unimaginative for customers to purchase. Not all the customers can follow the changing of Nike. Therefore, Nike should analyse the market and customers’ preference as well as customers’ buying behavior from time to time. One of Major Nike’s marketing strategies is to expand to overseas and become the leader in the world. It also will bring risks to Nike when they expand their business globally. Currency exchange rate fluctuations can disrupt the business of the independent manufacturers that produce Nike products by making their purchase of raw materials more expensive and more difficult to finance. Besides that, the global economic recession influence the overall business operation in the outsourcing countries. 2) If you were Adidas, how would you compete with Nike? One difficulty most likely to be faced by Adidas is in its marketing, compared to its competitor Nike, Nike spends more money on advertising and promoting their products reputation. Adidas will have a hard time trying to compete with Nike in terms of advertising and promotion, considering Nike’s utilization of low labor cost of production, Nike can afford to spend so much money in creating awareness for their products and gaining consumers loyalty by utilizing celebrities. If I were Adidas I would invest more money on advertising and create innovative means of advertising their product, having consumers in mind and following the trends of technologies, for example, Adidas can collaborate with IT companies such as Samsung to create innovative means of advertising their products. Also a merger could be good for the Adidas, if the right strategy has chosen. For example; Adidas and Reebok joining up together as a merger would be a good deal for leading over Nike but the two companies have a bad reputation due to financial problems which almost led them to bankruptcy and since they are to work together.

Our Friends the Frog Populations Essays

Our Friends the Frog Populations Essays Our Friends the Frog Populations Paper Our Friends the Frog Populations Paper Over the past few years there has been a decline in frog populations. Only now are people starting to care about what’s going on. You may be surprised, but there really are many reasons to save this special species. But before we can save them we need to understand more about them, and what the cause of their depletion at such an alarming rate is. Some people may ask â€Å"Who cares about frogs? † Well, one of the reasons is that they are an important part of our ecology. They prey on insects and other pests, keeping them from overpopulating and ruining various habitats. They are also an important source of food to other animals such as birds, snakes, and other mammals. If you take them out of the food chain you could cause serious imbalance in the ecosystem and therefore cause the decline in other populations of other organisms. This circle of life is precious and fragile, and must be preserved. It has been said that frogs are a measure of the environment’s health. Frogs are natural survivors. They lived through the last two extinction episodes including, the end of the dinosaur era. So something is terribly wrong for them to be dying off now. It is similar to the practice of keeping canaries in a mineshaft. If the shaft or world starts getting polluted then the canaries or frogs will start dying off, therefore sen! ding a warning signal. Like a shock wave it will ripple across the world leaving a disturbance throughout its path. Who’s to say that we might someday be next (Gibbons 1)? Another reason to care for frogs is for biomedical research. Just like lab rats, they are tested for the use of many chemicals, disease research, and plain anatomy and physiology lessons, not to mention to gain knowledge of their population decline. If they were to suddenly vanish, we would not be completely sure of the cause. Hopefully, we can find out the reasons why they’re dying. Maybe then we can correct the problem and save the frogs as well as the environment (*http:www. open. ac. uh/daptf/DAPTF. Matter. html*). One of the suspected causes of frog depletion is water contamination by toxic chemicals such as thallium, iron, and manganese. A Canadian survey of coal miners and coal generating stations showed that water samples contained very high concentrations of thallium and manganese. And from that study it was concluded that these chemicals are strong environmental pollutants. Many of the primary pollutant effects are wetland loss and degradation (National Water Research Institute). Between the mid-1970’s and the mid-1980’s, approximately 4. 4 million acres of inland freshwater wetlands and about 71,000 acres of coastal wetlands were destroyed. You can just imagine how many species of frogs were destroyed within a decade (Dahl and Johnson). Take for example Kentucky and Ohio. They have lost more than 80 percent of their original wetlands, and California has lost nearly 99 percent of its original wetlands. That is just tragic, that a state has nearly lost all of their wetlands.! And that is only one state. The problem could grow and go national, even worldwide. Now seriousness of this issue starts to hit home (USEPA 1995). Other causes that have been observed are that of non-native plants and animals. I remember seeing an animal introduced into a different habitat, to which that animal had no predators. An animal will thrive to become an overpopulated species and destroy the environment. It is possible. Take for example, the water hyacinth. This species is known for its ability to extract nutrients from water. It is possible for a water hyacinth to rapidly fill a wetland and become a threat to water quality (National Water Research Institute). Carp that were introduced into recreational fishing areas increased the turbidity of the water. This ran other species, such as frogs, out of the water (Mitsch and Bosselinh 1993). Viruses, another cause, are always killers when they become wide spread. In 1989, a researcher at Townsville James Coon University collected local frogs for general research. Within days, for no visible reason, they all started dying off. When they started their detective work, they found the killer to be a highly infectious virus. It was the Bahle Virus. Researchers could not find a source, because by the time they picked up a dead frog the virus had been long dead as well. They tested how long the virus took to kill, and found that from the day of injection, it took 7 days for them to die. They would then tend to become anemic and waste away (Mitchell, Campbell, and Jones). It seems that the biggest problem yet, is the overpopulation of human beings. We are slowly destroying many habitats, along with the animals that belong in those habitats. As we grow in size we tend to destroy environments to make room for more people. They could be classified as non-native predators. But unlike other predators, we pollute our own environment at the same time creating new disease (USEPA 1994). Maybe the frogs are an indication of our global health. It happens slowly at first, with only a little useless frog, but the little useless frog isn’t the issue here. It’s what we are going to do about the frog. Are we going to let him go no questions asked? Or are we going to further investigate this issue and see what can be learned from it. If we let things disappear this easily, we might as well start planning a different kind of lifestyle. One without the pleasures of being able to see first hand the creatures of this planet, and one with over population! to the point of extinction of all life (Mitchell, Campbell, and Jones).

Ain Ghazal - Pre-Pottery Neolithic Site in the Levant of Ain Ghazal

'Ain Ghazal - Pre-Pottery Neolithic Site in the Levant of 'Ain Ghazal The site of Ain Ghazal is an early Neolithic village site located along the banks of the Zarqa River near Amman, Jordan. The name means Spring of the Gazelles, and the site has major occupations during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) period, about 7200 and 6000 BC; the PPNC period (ca. 6000-5500 BC) and during the early pottery Neolithic, between ca 5500-5000 BC. Ain Ghazal covers some 30 acres, three times the size of the similarly dated levels at Jericho. The PPNB occupation has several multiroomed rectangular dwellings which were built and rebuilt at least five times. Nearly 100 burials have been recovered from this period. Living at Ain Ghazal Ritual behavior seen at Ain Ghazal include the presence of numerous human and animal figurines, some large human statues with distinctive eyes, and some plastered skulls. Five large lime plaster statues were recovered, of quasi-human forms made of reed bundles covered with plaster. The forms have square torsos and two or three heads. Recent excavations at Ain Ghazal have considerably augmented knowledge of several aspects of the Neolithic. Of particular interest has been the documentation of a continuous, or near continuous, occupation from early through late Neolithic components, and a concomitant dramatic economic shift. This shift was from a broad subsistence base relying on a variety of both wild and domestic plants and animals, to an economic strategy reflecting an apparent emphasis on pastoralism. Domesticated wheat, barley, peas and lentils have been identified at Ain Ghazal, as well as a wide variety of wild forms of these plants and animals such as gazelle, goats, cattle and pigs. No domesticated animals were identified in the PPNB levels, although by the PPNC period, domestic sheep, goats, pigs, and probably cattle were identified. Sources Ain Ghazal is a part of the About.com Guide to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, and part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Goren, Yuval, A. N. Goring-Morris, and Irena Segal 2001 The technology of skull modelling in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB): Regional variability, the relation of technology and iconography and their archaeological implications. Journal of Archaeological Science 28:671-690. Grissom, Carol A. 2000 Neolithic Statues from Ain Ghazal: Construction and Form. American Journal of Archaeology 104(1). Free download Schmandt-Besserat, Denise 1991 A stone metaphor of creation. Near Eastern Archaeology 61(2):109-117. Simmons, Alan H., et al. 1988 Ain Ghazal: A Major Neolithic Settlement in Central Jordan. Science 240:35-39. This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.

Political issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political issue - Essay Example The war has been the longest in the history of American history, yet till date it has not achieved its objectives clearly. Early in 2014, the pullout from Afghanistan was decided and agreed upon. In the wake of such circumstances, Afghanistan is a land locked country, and situation there in always impacts the peace and stability of region with its peace or otherwise state of existence. In the midst of the withdrawal of the ISAF forces, Afghanistan presents a new challenge. Afghanistan at present is at a challenge to itself, to the global peace, to the regional security, stability and overall dynamics of the international politics. Afghan government is frail and does not enjoy the resource or the infrastructure that will enable it defending itself against the rival groups and the outlaws. The very fact that the incumbent government’s influence is limited to the green belt is the reflection of the overall writ of state enjoyed by the American backed government. Afghanistan is an ethnic split country offers problems in multiple proportions. The challenge of ensuring and bringing about the Pukhtoon and the non- Pukhtoon on table and bringing them to terms with regard to the power sharing has been one of the challenges that needs to be looked into and addressed with regard to the overall future dynamics and future outlook of Afghanistan. The last decade or so since the invasion of United States of America has seen the isolation and total targeting of the Pukhtoon in the form of Taliban who were being targeted where ever spotted, based on this the country has seen severe ethnic divide within themselves leading to catastrophic outlook at present in the form of social divide and social disparity. The withdrawal of the allied forces will give the Taliban space and possible opportunity to get back into authority with regard to the offensives being undertaken and conducted against the Afghan government. The recent times have seen relatively increased trend in the

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - Research Paper Example Therefore, there must be the fulfillment of the obligation to create positive living within the individual. The balance should be maintained between their psychological and physiological health. One of the chief causes of an unhealthy societal living is witnessed in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kichin (2004) defines the condition as an invisible injury that causes a long-term effect on the affected individual. PTSD has been defined as an emotional condition, normally termed as an anxiety disorder resulting from a terrifying life experience that is considered damaging to the individual. The sufferers of the condition exhibit the avoidance state where they consider places, people or events unsecure for fear of reliving the condition. The patients are sensitive towards societal events and depict the condition termed as hypererousal (Drden-Edwards and Stoppler, 2012). The creation of the condition has been realized in lasting impressions that had threatened the healthy societal engagement in these individuals and affect their emotional condition. Such individuals had experienced either a physical abuse, sexual, severe loss or an increased natural calamity that had not been expected. These creations have the tendency of reoccurring and events that are closely linked to the fete are witnessed as life threatening. PTSD presents numerous symptoms, affecting individuals of a diverse demographic, but there have been countermeasures to limit the condition and create positive living. Causes and Effects The condition results after a negative life threatening condition that the patient observes as may reoccur and create mental insecurity. The experience may be described as having a prolonged physical scar or mark on the patient to remind them of the experience faced. In the U.S., the data is explained that an increasing number of 7-8% of the total population develops the condition with the leading causes being rape and combat veterans. The condition may be witnessed more in children who are subjected to the conditions due to their vulnerability. Moreover, girls more than boys experience the condition due to the lack of a security figure to protect them from adverse conditions (Schiraldi, 2000). The state of being subjected to trauma, or witnessing events that are life threatening that depicts both physical and emotional damages has been the chief cause of PTSD. Schiraldi (2000) suggest that the victims are diagnosed with effects from negative life experiences like mugging, civil disorder, mental and physical torture that may have the tendency to reoccur causing the sufferer to reminisce on the experience. However, some patients diagnosed with the condition may face a separate experience that may have been caused by an immediate occurrence of an event. These are in divorce or unemployment realized to create discomfort in their state of living. Trauma presents variable physical impacts to the individual to depict the characteristic throughout th eir lifestyle to identify the condition. Researchers have offered the link to reduced hippocampus, which is charged with the role of memory within the brain, for people who experience the stressful conditions within their lifetime. Shiromani, LeDoux & Keane (2009) articulate that persons who experience PTSD have smaller hippocampus and depict an increased tendency towards substance abuse as compared to healthy persons. The mostly abused drugs are cigarettes, marijuana and alcohol that the affected