How to Keep Your Body Healthy

Jennifer Ellin April 13, 2013 English 0950 How to keep your body healthy Picture yourself overweight and just absolutely miserable and a person wants a brand new makeover. There are several different ways to keep your body happy, healthy and to prevent all illnesses. One thing a person should plan is maintaining a healthy goal. In order to do that, a person should consume all the nutrition one can handle. A human body needs carbohydrates, plenty of protein and fats. A human should be burning more calories than consumed. Eliminate a lot of sweets and don’t ever avoid skipping meals.Doctors and nutritionists recommend eating up to 6 small meals instead of 3 large ones but have to watch out on portion sizes. Low energy foods are good like fruits and vegetables and also water and lots of fiber. Fiber will help digest and keep your body full longer. Drink a lot of water. Celery and chewing gum will help burn calories also just by chewing; Yogurt helps also. A person should be getti ng a lot of rest at night. Adults should get a maximum of 9 hours of sleep a night and kids should get about 10-11 hours of sleep. One of the most important ways of improving sleep is to do it in complete darkness.Small amounts of light can interfere with body rest. Another of the best ways to improve a nights rest is to exercise. Sleeping is also a great way to prevent overeating. There are more ways to exercise besides hitting the gym. A person can exercise where ever felt most comfortable like in the privacy at home. There’s one effective way to improve cardiovascular health and it’s to do interval training. Interval training is switching back and forth between high and low intensity activities. If someone decides to do the interval trainings, it will help improve heart health and endurance.There are lots of ways to improve a human’s psychological health. Developing meaningful relationships by being social with other people is a great way. Another way is lear ning to have a healthy relationship. Learn to understand your own emotions so you can know yourself better and also learn to cope better with emotional pain. Improving your sex life is a good one. There are benefits to a healthy sex life such as reducing depression. Keep your mind flexible. Reading more is the best way. You should also keep yourself mentally active. It’s very rewarding.It’s also known to decrease chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Make a few lifestyle changes. Doing many types of different outdoor activities. Limit computer time to a few hours a day. Walking more is great for the body. A stressful environment is a no go. So try to keep calm no matter what the circumstance is. If someone is in a situation that can’t be handled, step outside and get some fresh air. Outdoor air is great for the body. It is important that we pay attention to the body. Our body tells us what we need and don’t need. Take into consideration that when a body is ill, there is something wrong.

Early Childhood Education Programs Essay

Early childhood education or preschool education is education for children in the early stages of their childhood before they join school. Several researches that have been conducted by neuroscientists, pediatricians and other stakeholders shows that the biggest portion of the brain architecture takes place in the early childhood years. Research studies have also found out that intellectual and emotional development is critical during the first three years of life. Maria Montessori was one of many educationists who believe that the foundation of human development is laid during the child’s early years. She declared that: The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age of six, (Pandor, 2008 para. 3). Many other educationists assert that the quality of education is determined in the first years of a child in school. Early Childhood Education Programs Preschool education or early childhood education is a quality education and it is beneficial to children from all economic and social groups. Development of quality early childhood programs should be emphasized as it can be viewed as a social and economic strategy. Investing in these programs is therefore not only important to the child but also to the development of the state and the country at large. A research conducted by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) in five states of the United States found out that â€Å"quality public preschool programs produce broad gains in children’s learning and development,† (NIEER, 2005 para. 4). According to the same study, state funded programs were found to have significant gains regardless of the child’s ethnic or economic and social background. The effects of the preschool programs were estimated by testing the literacy skills, vocabulary and academic skills of the kindergarteners. A total of 5,071 children in 1, 320 classrooms were tested in either English or Spanish depending on the child’s strongest language. The impacts on mathematics, literacy and language were statistically significant compared to the children without the program. Vocabulary scores were 31 percent higher than gains of children without the program. On mathematical skills which included basic skills such as counting money, simple additions and subtractions, number concepts and telling time, the gains increased to 44 percent. In print awareness the gains were 85 percent greater for children enrolled in state sponsored preschool programs compared to the growth of children who are not enrolled (NIEER, 2005). According to the NIEER study, participants at the age of 20 years were more likely to have cleared high school if they enrolled for the preschool programs. They were less likely to have required remedial education and also less likely to have committed juvenile crimes which warrant arrests. With the unnecessary costs of remedial classes and expenditure for justice systems and in addition to the increased revenues, it was estimated that there was a return of $7 for every dollar that was invested. At 27 years of age, participants had gained a higher level of education and their earnings were higher than those who did not enroll for the early childhood school programs. The number of those who received the social services was significantly low and the numbers of arrests were fewer. These studies were carried out on children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The befits gained can be intertwined in the sense that once this child gains a higher level of education most likely the earnings will be high, consequently economic prospects will be high, improvement on financial decisions, improved health and housing (NIEER, 2008). An opportunity to live in a classroom community, interact and get along with people from various socioeconomic backgrounds can be considered as a social benefit for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Learning how to get along with others will result to improved social skills and emotional competence. These programs set a stage and give a child preparedness to enroll for the formal education. Apart from improving on their communication skills and getting higher scores in school tests, they have lesser behavioral issues once they enroll in the formal learning process. When a child goes through the pre kindergarten learning they succeed in school and become good citizens, earn more, commit less crimes and pay more taxes. â€Å"Every dollar invested in quality early care and education saves taxpayers up to $13. 00 in future costs,† (http://web. mit. edu/workplacecenter/docs/Full%20Report. pdf. n. d pp. 2). The success of the early child leaning relies heavily on the quality of the preschool programs. In an effort to improve the schools and the learning process, most states in United States have established public preschool programs to cater for less privileged and disadvantaged. Most of these programs are established on the principle that early intervention will help the child unleash his full potential. For example the mission for Head Start is â€Å"to ensure that no child in America is trapped in poverty’s grasp,† (United Way of America, 2005 pp. 1). These programs have been criticized and their effectiveness has been questionable. From the findings of NIEER (2005) studies, â€Å"vocabulary gains were three or four times greater than those in the Head Start study,† (para. 9). In spite of this big difference in performance, such aspects such as the class size and the length of day remained the same. This difference was attributed to high educational qualifications and good remuneration for teachers in state funded pre-kindergarten programs compared to Head Start. Almost all state funded programs studied in the five states required teachers to be licensed, have a certification in early childhood education and be a holder of a BA degree. In the case of Head Start the requirements half of the teachers were required to have a two-year Associate’s degree while the rest to have a Child Development Associate (requires only 120 hours of training to acquire CDA credential) or an equivalent (LIFESTYLENIEER, n. d). Abbot, another preschool program in New Jersey was established to serve the highest poverty districts within the state. Substantial resources have been invested in the school and NIEER annual report rated it as one those with highest quality standards nationwide. According to the Abbot preschool program longitudinal effects study by Frede et al (2007), â€Å"the results presented provides clear evidence that by participating in a high-quality program regardless of auspice, children are improving in literacy and math at least until the end of the kindergarten year,† (pp. 35). It therefore remains clear that high standard and accountability are key factors to the success of these programs. Recruitments of qualified and well educated teachers as has been observed in performing preschool programs are instrumental in guaranteeing good quality. These teachers must be adequately compensated to boost their morale and hence increasing productivity. The classes should be manageable. This can only be achieved by having a reasonable child to teacher ratio. Finally there should be strong supervision to ensure that standard and quality of learning is uncompromised. Conclusion All children are entitled to quality education. From the studies conducted a disadvantaged child is likely to gain more from preschool program. If these programs are expanded more disadvantaged children will enroll and they will develop positive peer effects when they enroll for the formal school learning. â€Å"Failing to invest sufficiently in quality early care and education shortchanges taxpayers because the return on investment is greater than many other economic development options,† (http://web. mit. edu/workplacecenter/docs/Full%20Report. pdf. n. d pp. 2). There should be universal large-scale and state wide programs to benefit the minority and the poor. Reference: Early Childhood Education for All, a Wise Investment, retrieved on 20th July 2008 from http://web. mit. edu/workplacecenter/docs/Full%20Report. pdf. Frede E, Jung K, Barnett W. S, Lamy, C. E & Figueras, A. (2007): The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (Apples). Retrieved on 20th July 2008 from: http://nieer. org/resources/research/APPLES. pdf LIFESTYLENIEER (n. d): Economic Benefits Of Quality Preschool Education for America’s 3- And 4-Year Olds. Retrieved on 20th July 2008 from: http://nieer. org/resources/facts/index. php? FastFactID=6 Martina, A (2008): Column: Early Connections Are Key For Infants To Thrive. Retrieved on 20th July 2008 From: http://detnews. com/apps/pbcs. dll/article? AID=/20080715/OPINION03/807150398/100 National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) (2005):New Study Shows High Quality State Pre-K Programs Improve Language and Math Abilities of Children of All Backgrounds: State Programs with Higher Teacher Qualifications Outperform Head Start , retrieved on 20th July 2008 from http://nieer. org/mediacenter/index. php? PressID=46 Pandor N (2008): A call to focus on firm foundations for learning, Journal of Education, Vol. 8. Issue No. 11, pp 21-27, Retrieved on 20th July 2008 from http://www. anc. org. za/ancdocs/anctoday/2008/text/at11. txt United Way of America (2005): Early Childhood Education, retrieved on 20th July 2008 from http://www. liveunited. org/_cs

Free Market vs Planned Economy

A market economy is an economic system where the factors of production, are privately owned, consumers and producers are motivated by self interest, the level of competition in the markets is very high and resources are allocated through the price mechanism. The definition is supported by Lipsey (1992) who also state that decisions about resources allocation are made without any central direction but instead as a result of innumerable independent decision taken by individual producers & consumers hence in the market economy the individuals or market makes the ultimate decision in allocation of resources. Whereas the planned economy is one in which the coordination of economic activity so essential to the viability and functioning of a complex social economy is undertaken through administrative means commands, directives, targets and regulations rather than by market mechanism. The dictionary. com defined this economic system as a socialist economic system in which production and distribution of goods and services are controlled by the government and industry is mostly publicly owned. Provision of public goods These are goods that are non rivalry in consumption and non excludability as alluded by Stanlake (2000) He also added the examples of public goods which includes national defences, the police service, flood control schemes, street lighting, pavements and public drainage hence they often have large external benefits relative to private benefits. In a market economy, production of public goods will not be provided or is limited because producers cannot withhold the goods for non –payment since there is no way of measuring how much a person consumes, there is no basis for establishing a market price. However in a planned economy there is provision of such goods because the government makes all decisions on what is produced. Hall (2010) mentioned that public goods cannot be provided privately because of their non diminishability and non –excludability that is consumers take a free ride since no one can be excluded from consuming them so it is almost impossible for a private firm to get anyone to pay for a public good. In a planned economy the state can finance the provision of public goods like defence and police service, by means of taxation and sometimes borrowing, local authorities provide street lighting and flood control can be provided by giving contracts to private sector firms. Production and consumption of merit and demerit goods According to Lipsey (1992), merit goods are those goods that the government compels or encourages people to consume, mainly because individuals are said to be unaware of the true benefits from consuming them. He also added that demerits goods are those goods which the state forbids people to consume mainly because individual are said to be unaware of the true harm they would suffer by consuming them. The best known examples of merit goods are health, education systems, insurance, inoculation and seat belts. The provision of merit goods in a free market economy tent to be under provided because spending on merit goods by the consumer would be determined by the private benefits derived from them. Like in United State of America where the free market is practised, the public health system compromised, people are advised to buy health insurance. The poor might not be able to afford this and some people might simply decide not to bother if they feel particularly health. In cases of seat belts consumers may fail to recognise their true private benefits hence less demand and less supply in a free economy. The demerit goods include cigarettes, alcohol and illegal drugs. These are over consumed in a market system because consumers may be unaware of the true cost of consuming them which includes negative externalities. As highlighted by Hall (2010) a planned economy there is an increase in the production and consumption of merit goods because the government considers them to be highly desirable for the welfare of the citizens. In this economic system the government has central authority to make decisions on the commodities to be produced hence emphasis will be placed on the production of merit goods and consumption of demerits will be reduced. The state can increase the production of merit goods by providing free state education and national health services. Contracts for services like refuse collection can be given to private sector firms. The government can also encourage the consumption of merit goods by providing information about the benefits of inoculation and passing legislation requiring vehicles to take and pass the vehicle inspection tests. In the command economy production and consumption of demerit goods is reduced with the purpose of reducing health problems for the economy. The government achieve this by taxing cigarettes and alcohol heavily and ban all dangerous drugs to prevent consumption. As well as roviding information about their harmful effects to the consumers. Consumer sovereignty Lipsey (1992:84) state that â€Å"market allocation are sometimes said to demonstrate consumer sovereignty that is to imply that the consumer is king and decides what shall be produced† This was supported by Stanlake (2000)who stipulates that the freedom of consumer choice is usually held to be the most important in the free econom y. It can be deduced that the consumer has the control, only the products that the consumer wants are produced. The more competitive the market structure, the more power the consumer will have. There is a higher level of consumer sovereignty in market economy than in planned economies. The government estimates the type of products it considers the individuals to want whilst in market economies producers are motivate by profit thus they have the incentives to respond quickly to change in consumer preferences. In a free market economy consumers benefit from lower cost goods and better services because business are forced to compete whilst in a planned economy there is no competition since the government is the only supplier. Equity in income distribution Equity is regarded as fairness. The market economy provides opportunities for people to earn income and acquire wealth but the opportunities for earning an income are no equally distribute. People do not have equal opportunities in education. Some are also limited in their capacity to learn or they may have acquired a skill only to find the demand for that skill is declining. If one starts a life with very little, and do not even get a good education, and then there will be very little protection from destitution. This discrimination in the free market economies distorts earnings and can result in people from minority groups and disabled earning less for the same work as able bodied. The market system does not guarantee that everyone will have the same opportunity to accumulate wealth and hence an inequality. It is argued that the planned economy can lead to more equal distribution of income and wealthy since the production factors are controlled by the state. A command economy mighty not have the efficiency and enterprise for the successful of many people but at least the government will try to make sure that nobody falls through the safety net. REFERENCES LIST Beardshaw,J. et. al (1998) Economics a student`s guide,5th Edition, Prentice Hall. Dictionary.com unabridged. Available at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/market economy (accessed 3July 2013) Hall, R. and Lebierman,M.(2010)Microeconomic principle and application,5th Edition,Cengage learning Lipsey, R. and Harbury, C.(1992)Principals of economics,2nd Edition, Oxford: Oxford university press. Lipsey, R. and Chrystal, A.(1995)An introduction to positive economics ,8TH edition, London: Oxford university press. Stanlake, G. and Grant, S.(2000)Introductory economics, 7th Edition,London:Longman.

New Hire Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New Hire Communication - Research Paper Example The safety of customers money is ensured since payment of transport fee is through the app. On placing a request for pick-up the drivers are notified on the official Uber mobile append they are provided information on where the client is, to accept the request the driver has 15 seconds to tap the mobile to confirm acceptance (Rusli, 2014). The company has had major accusation of its taxi driver being involved in sexual harassment of the customers. In a bid to cub the menace the company has developed something called the â€Å"God view.† This is instrument now allows the view of the taxi drivers at actions and direction at any time while on duty. Creation of awareness to the customers is our fundamental goal to ensure that our customers feel safe with riding on the Uber taxi services all over the world. It is even more prudent for our female clients to be able to feel safe while riding on Uber Taxies. The company is looking forward to employing 2,000,000 female taxi drivers by 2020. The company is in plans to join the google competition to provide cubs that will need no drivers. The new invention intends to use google applications to navigate along the paths to the desired destinations (Jackson,

Criminal Justice The Peanuts Gang Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminal Justice The Peanuts Gang - Essay Example This essay discusses that there are numerous incidences in jurisprudence that the importance accorded new but doubtful scientific techniques have proven prejudicial to the accused, which Van Pelt should have been aware of. The challenge should have been posed against the accuracy of the method. When deciding on the admissibility of evidence yielded by a particular scientific technique, the known or potential rate of error should be established in court, as well as the existence and maintenance of standards controlling the technique's operation. â€Å"Flawed forensic analyses played a significant role in many of these miscarriages of justice.† In this case, particularly, the testimony based on the controversial â€Å"fingerprint dating† technique and the credibility of the â€Å"expert witness† Snoopy were material in securing a conviction. Had they been debunked by Lucy, had she exerted the diligence ordinarily expected of counsel, then there is reasonable doubt that the circumstantial evidence of Schroeder would have been sufficient to secure the conviction of Charlie Brown.Charlie Brown is justified in claiming that he was deprived of effective assistance of counsel, as a direct consequence of which his rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment had been prejudiced.There is a reason to believe that if not for the incompetence of counsel in discharging her duties, the outcome of the trial would have been different. The Appellate Court should so rule in favor of this motion, and remand the case.... to 5 p.m. The office was close but unlocked, the officer knocked and announced herself but there was no response. She entered, saw Charlie Brown in the reception area sitting on the couch and reading a comic book. The officer arrested him, searched the office, and subsequently found a 0.357 caliber handgun which eventually was identified as the murder weapon in a previously unsolved murder. The motion on inadmissibility of the gun as evidence will turn on the manner in which it was procured, which the defense will contend was contrary to the law on search and seizures. The Fourth Amendment requires that a search warrant based on probable cause and issued by a magistrate be procured before a search or arrest is made.3 While Officer Peppermint Patty had a search warrant, it was specified for the residence of Charlie Brown, 2814 Mission Street, not for 2812 Mission Street, the office where the search was eventually made. The Officer therefore made a warrantless search. The prosecution i s likely to make the contention that the search, though warrantless, was still lawful because it was made on occasion of a lawful arrest. To this the defense may argue that the arrest was not lawful, because it was warrantless, and a warrantless arrest can only be made if the accused were in the act of committing a crime, or if the arresting officer had probable cause to believe that the accused had just committed a crime. In this case, there is an absence of probable cause since at the time he was arrested Charlie Brown was sitting on the couch reading a comic book. The actions of Charlie Brown could not be categorized as being in the act of committing a crime, nor could they have given Officer Patty

Sickle cell anemia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sickle cell anemia - Essay Example value to carrying a single sickle-cell gene in these areas because people with only two alleles of the gene are much less likely to fall victim to malaria (Kwiatkowski, 2005). The condition is characterized by the shape of the individual’s red blood cells, which tend to adopt a rigid, abnormal ‘sickle’ shape to them that decreases the cell’s flexibility and can create a number of complications throughout the body as a result. This occurs as a result of a mutation in the hemoglobin gene and it affects approximately 1 in 5,000 Americans, most of who are of African American descent. The life expectancy for people with sickle cell anemia is shorter than normal averaging 42 for men and 48 for women (Platt, Brambilla & Rosse, 1994). The purpose of the present research is to identify the genetic origins of this illness and the affects it can have upon the body. There are a number of different forms of the disease which are classified based upon the mutations present within the blood. Sickle cell anemia is the term used to specifically apply to those individuals who present homozygosity for the mutation (Green et al, 1993). In these individuals, long-chain polymers of HbS have the effect of changing the normally smooth, donut-like shape of the red blood cells to a more spiked and rigid shape that makes the cell more susceptible to breakage. People who are heterozygous for the illness are generally carriers, having only one sickle gene and one normal gene that generally makes up for the deficits of the sickle gene. However, when the ‘normal’ gene is also abnormal in some way, other forms of the illness can manifest, typically referred to as compound heterozygous (Green et al, 1993). The sickling effect is caused by a point mutation in which the glutamic acid, a type of amino acid, is replaced with valine, a hydrophobic amino aci d, at the sixth position. When in low oxygen conditions such as being at a high altitude, this causes an aggregation of

Diverse Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diverse Britain - Essay Example A list is long but important thing is that rule and laws gave them equal rights who settled in UK regardless of their ethnicity, race and culture. (Ethnic Diversity) Some of the demographic features of ethnic diversity in UK are worth enumerating. Ethnicity Population Proportion in total UK population Bangladeshi 283,063 0.5% Black (others) �,585 0.2% Black African �,277 0.8% Black Caribbean �,876 1.0% Chinese �,403 0.4% Indian �,053,411 1.8% Mixed race �,117 1.2% Other �,615 0.4% Other Asian (non-Chinese) �,644 0.4% Pakistani �,285 1.3% White �,153,898 92.1% Source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=273 It will be most interesting now to see how media people respond to the notions of ethnic diversity in UK. R eports from Print Media Murrells (2011) in The Guardian reports under the heading ‘Preston's Nathan Ellington claims he was racially abused at Millwall’. Nathan Ellington claimed he had a worst racial humiliation of his life at Millwall. "I've never seen a more racist and abusive crowd as I saw today at Millwall! Disgrace to the human race." Murrells (2011) further writes quoting Ellington, â€Å"I didn't bite or report it, it's just sad really that there are still people with so much anger at a football match." (Murrells, 2011) Ellington further said that he was inflicted with a remark of thief and targeted of monkey noises as reported in the paper. It is really surprising that such a celebrity player has to face such hostile remarks particularly, when Nathan is British born. It was simply not a club rivalry but something more than that. â€Å"Commercials represent only 5% of TV ads featuring ethnic minorities† (Sweney, 2011) With above title a report published in The Guardian in its issue of 21 April 2011. Subject of the report was that only 5% of the 35,000 ads were involved with the actors from black or other ethnic community. The report prepared by Clearcast mentioned that TV advertising is not proportionately representing blacks in view of the fact that Asian, Black and other ethnic minorities constitute about 13 percent of the UK population. Issue of ethnicity and belonging to black community still prevents one doing significant role in television commercials. Otherwise, how can one explain such a low level of participation in the ad business? It seems that it will take years before any racial discrimination is totally eliminated and participation of the other ethnic community sharply increases. The report further said that only 1130 ads were such that when any actor of ethnic minority group was given a main role. It means that commercials are not appropriately representing the diverse makeup of the UK. (Sweney, 2011) â€Å"Your tr ibe need to behave like proper English children: What BBC's Mishal Husain was told by shopper in supermarket.† (Jarvis, 2011) Above heading appeared in Daily Mail in its issue of 8th May, 2011. The children of BBC news reporter Mishal Husain were told to behave ‘like proper English children’ when she visited a mall in Waitrose for shopping along with her three children and husband. Ms Husain is the upcoming star of BBC News. She is born and brought up in UK though her parents belong to Pakistan. Even BBC1’

Compare and Contrast Two of the Baptist Confessions Essay

Compare and Contrast Two of the Baptist Confessions - Essay Example Baptist confessions are within the grand framework of history and salvation. Hence the baptismal rule is not the rationale ‘after the fact’, but baptism’s innate basis (Garrett 2009: 64). It implies that the church practices baptism not on its own scheme and power, but in deference to its God. Nevertheless, the baptismal rule not merely establishes baptism but provides it its essence. Hence baptism on the authority of the Lord is not merely a procedure, similar to others for carrying out baptism; it is instead a confession of the internal content and theological and historical foundation of baptism (Garrett 2009). Furthermore it is the pledge and epiclesis of deliverance, not as sheer rite, and definitely not as a sacrament working supernaturally (Brackney 2004); but in the authority of this commanding pledge, baptism acquires its authority to bring about salvation. The baptismal sacrament was an essential foundation for the creation, and growth, of confession of the faith. Baptism was, similarly, connected to the ‘catechumenate’ as initiation into the life of the church and faith (Garrett 2009: 664). The churches emerging from the evangelist movement have relived this association; it has become meaningful for the European independent churches in distinct ways. Because of the separation of the culture from Western churches, the revival of the ‘catechumenate’ (Garrett 2009: 664) has presently turned out to be significant for the being and continued existence of the early churches. This paper discusses the similarities and differences between two Baptist confessions, namely, the First London Baptist Confession of 1644-1646 and the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689. Comparing and Contrasting the First and Second London Baptist Confession In the analysis of the 1646 Westminster Confession and the 1689 Second London Confession, it can be discerned that there is an emphasis given to God’s law concisely inter preted in the Mosaic Law of Moses as a principle of life for the follower. In contrast, the emphasis of the 1644 First London Confession is on the rules of the New Covenant, or Christ’s commandments (n.a. 1981). Basically, even though these two confessions have crucial similarities with regard to the steadfast nature of the perpetual moral command of God, there is a different New Covenant focus regarding biblical rules in the two versions of the First London Confession (Long 2003), specifically, noticeably absent in the Old Covenant stress of the Second London Confessions. The aforementioned difference between the First and Second London Confession has significant theological repercussions in interpreting both the function of biblical commandments as the moral principle of God or commandment for the life of the follower within the New Covenant, and for interpreting the connection of God’s commandment to Christ’s gospel (Brackney 2004); hence, the current explana tion for the revision of the First London Confession. The issue suddenly comes out: the historical explanation for the adoption of the Second London Confession instead of the First by the Particular Baptist churches. If the First and Second London Confession are basically the same, then what is the purpose for the creation of the latter? The explanation rests in the events surrounding the collapse

Conciseness homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conciseness homework - Assignment Example The samples were then stored in coolers on site for transportation to the chemical analytical laboratory. c. Based on the geotechnical data obtained from the sub- surface exploration program, the results of the percolation testing, and the planned plumbing fixtures, the feasibility of installing a leachfield-type on-site sewage- disposal system was evaluated. Answer: The feasibility of installing a leachfield-type on-site sewage- disposal system was based on data obtained from several reports. The data considered include the sub- surface exploration program, the results of the percolation testing, and the planned plumbing fixtures. Revise the following sentences by applying all the guidelines mentioned in this chapter. When you change passive verbs to active, it may be necessary to make some assumptions about the agent of the action, because the sentences are taken out of context. a. Based on our review of the available records, conversations with the various agencies involved, including the Fire Department and the Police Department, and a thorough survey of the site where the spill occurred, it was determined that the site contained chemicals that were hazardous to human health. Based on review of reports and inputs from different agencies like the Fire Department and the Police Department, it was determined that the oil spill has left the site chemically contaminated and was hazardous to human health. b. After seven hours at the negotiation table, the union representatives and management decided that the issues they were discussing could not be resolved that evening, so they met the next day at the hotel complex, at which point they agreed on a new contract that would increase job security and

Sustainable Management Futures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 7

Sustainable Management Futures - Essay Example Hence, there was considerable opposition from developers of the resort as the scenic splendour The company can adopt the policy of maximum pollution, which can be evaded under the law of South Carolina, in order to maximise the company’s revenues as well as create adequate job opportunities in the concerned area. Then again, this policy will affect aesthetic quality of the environment and hamper business of the resorts in Hilton Head by way of attracting lesser visitors (Taylor, 2011). Long-term effects of pollution are very hard to determine and BASF’s past experiences in other countries, where they had polluted rivers, did not help them with a buoyant feeling. As a result, development of the factory had become more of a moral issue than a business one. In order to solve the moral issue, the researcher proposes that the BASF’s manager had three options. He can either build the factory with the least pollution control or maximise the pollution control or further still, he can choose to not build the factory at all. The first option will yield a tolerable amount of water pollution, huge company profits, satisfied shareholders and extremely antagonistic resort developers as well as greater employment opportunities. The second option, on the other hand, would yield low profits for the company, unsatisfied shareholders, minimal pollution, welcoming developers and high costs incurred so as to implement pollution control measures. The third option would have approval of the developers, yield no profits, incur costs so as to search for a new location and also disappoint the local residents who were in support of the industrialisation. The best course of action in such a case would be to weigh all the options, analyse the environment and organisational benefits and come up with the best possible or optimal solution that would benefit all. Both the manager and the company were confronted with a number of duties and obligations. The organisation management

Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Portfolio - Essay Example To say that this course helped me crystallize many of my thoughts and feelings would be an understatement. The paragraphs that follow would detail the ways in which I developed my thoughts and learnt to form them into coherent arguments reflecting some beliefs that are close to my heart. As is evident from the classroom discussions t as well as the online exchanges that I had with my peers, this course helped me reframe some of my core beliefs and attitudes towards Euthanasia and the right to die. This is one issue on which I have firm beliefs and as people who know me well would attest, I firmly believe that we as individuals have a right to die when â€Å"the time is up†. Towards this end, I practice what I preach as is evident from the fact that I have made my will and want to go without â€Å"no tube for eating† and â€Å"no support†. This is what I am and what I will be. The reason that I mentioned about making a will was that for many people, the controversy surrounding Euthanasia is primarily due to the fact that there might be malicious intentions in letting people decide on whether they want to live or not because their near and dear ones would be awaiting the gains from that person’s will. This would not be the case with me and I have already made arrangements in terms of drawing up the will as I have explained above. When a person carries out an act of euthanasia, he brings about the death of another person because he believes the latters present existence is so bad that she would be better off dead, or believes that unless he intervenes and ends her life, it will become so bad that she would be better off dead. The motive of the person who commits an act of euthanasia is to benefit the one whose death is brought about. (Though what was just said also holds for many instances of physician-assisted suicide, some wish to restrict the use of the latter term to forms of assistance which stop short of the physician ‘bringing about the death’

Deductive Argument Essay Example for Free

Deductive Argument Essay In this essay I will be arguing against Plato’s theory of knowledge given in the Republic’s divided line. I will distinguish the differences and similarities in the epistemological concepts of Plato and Aristotle intending to explain how one comes to have knowledge and the process through which it’s obtained. As support, I will explain Plato’s theory of forms and Aristotle’s theory of essence because they are a direct correlation to their view of knowledge through reality. Plato’s theory of Forms is a theory of knowledge and a theory of being. He describes, in the divided line, the division of existence. Plato believes the source of our knowledge is separate from this world. Participation connects us to this world. In the divided line he separates the visible and the intelligible or becoming and being. The top half is knowledge and the bottom half as opinion. The bottom half represent the lesser of reality, which includes perception and imagination, along with physical objects and shadows. The upper half includes metaphysics, higher forms, mathematical forms, epistemology, understanding and thinking. His theory of Forms involves images, sensible objects, concrete forms and abstract forms. Images are the lowest form of knowledge. Images only provide us with opinion and imagination. Sensible objects comes next which provides us with seeing something and having a belief about it by sensing it and perceiving it. Concrete forms allow us understanding, meaning we understand the parts of X by thinking. Finally, the highest form is the abstract form which is the most essential ‘pure thought’ of what X is. To Plato, this Essence is eternal and unchanging, making it necessary and true. According to Plato we know X, if and only if we have a direct grasp of X’s form or essence. Let’s break this argument down. So Imagination is a state of mind which takes sensible moral notions at face value just as it does sensible appearances or forms of the world at face value. For example, if you are viewing a palm tree you are using your imagination and Plato says is our opinion about what we are viewing, a palm tree. So imagination is perception and not knowledge. If A (Imagination is taking sensible notions and appearances or forms of the world at face value) then B (imagination is perception). A? B A ?B Using our common sense we have belief in the reality of the visible objects and concrete moral teachings (sufficient guide for action) without knowledge of the reason for such beliefs. Belief is faith and conviction, not knowledge. If C (Using our common sense we have belief in the reality of the visible objects and concrete moral teachings (sufficient guide for action) without knowledge of the reason for such beliefs) then D (belief is faith and conviction). C ? D C ?D If A (Imagination is taking sensible notions and appearances or forms of the world at face value), B (Imagination is perception), C (Using our common sense we have belief in the reality of the visible objects and concrete moral teachings (Sufficient guide for action) and D (Belief is faith and conviction), then E (Belief and imagination are opinion and not knowledge). A B C D ? E A B C D ?E Thinking is reasoning from premise to conclusion. This reasoning is the bridge from opinion to knowledge that is brought on by higher education, especially mathematics because pure mathematics and applied mathematics are tools used to understand X. Therefore, thinking is only understanding, not knowledge. So if F(thinking is reasoning from premise to conclusion and uses tools to gain understanding) then G(thinking is understanding). F? G F ?G From the â€Å"Good† or Episteme comes from intellect which consist of reason and dialect. This comes from philosophic conversation (dialect) by question and answer seeking (reasoning) an â€Å"account† of X. Therefore, knowledge or Episteme is the form of the ‘good’. So, If H (knowledge comes from philosophic conversation (dialect) by question and answer seeking (reasoning) an â€Å"account† of X) then I (we have knowledge or Episteme and the form of the ‘good’) H ? I H ?I If F (thinking is reasoning from premise to conclusion and uses tools to gain understanding), G (thinking is understanding), H (knowledge comes from philosophic conversation (dialect) by question and answer seeking (reasoning) an â€Å"account† of X) then I (we have knowledge or Episteme and the form of the ‘good’). F G H ? I FGH ?I Aristotle has similar concepts as Plato on knowledge that is best describes through his theory of Essence. He argues that scientific knowledge is the highest form of knowledge and is only concerned with this world and not a transcendent world like Plato. His forms include appearance, matter, concrete forms and abstract forms. He explains that we gain knowledge first through our senses and are able to view appearances. Using the senses activates our imagination that gives us opinion. After appearance is matter. When we engage in experience we come to know matter and by doing so we have belief. Similar to Plato, Aristotle claims concrete forms come next by knowing abstraction or the classification of X which provides us with understanding. And finally he agrees with Plato in that Abstract form is what makes X, X. By intellectually grasping the essence of X we have knowledge. Aristotle defines essence as the sense on matter and form. Matter is material and form is eternal. Appearances are imagination and imagination perceives only through the senses. Here Aristotle is in agreement with Plato in that if A (Imagination is a state of mind which takes sensible moral notions at face value just as it sensible appearances or forms of the world at face value) then B (imagination is perception). A? B A ?B Matter gives us belief because If C (Using our common sense we have belief in the reality of the visible objects and concrete moral teachings (sufficient guide for action) without knowledge of the reason for such beliefs) then D (belief is faith and conviction). C? D C ?D. The classification or abstraction of what distinguishes X over a different X is understanding. For example, to know what makes a palm tree, a palm tree and a coconut tree, a coconut tree. Therefore, thinking is understanding. So if F (thinking is reasoning from premise to conclusion and uses tools to gain understanding) then G (thinking is understanding). F ? G F ?G Plato argues knowledge comes from a ‘final good’ or â€Å"Goodness†, which is the level above scientific understanding to which the human mind is capable in rising. This rising to a higher level is called Episteme. He says that there is only one form (idea) of everything that only exists in the ‘thought universe’ or the ‘mind of the creator’. This intellectual truth is truer than physical truth. Aristotle on the other hand argues that knowledge come from the human essence tilos or rationality. So, knowledge is reaching rational activity excellently and scientific knowledge is the end of it. They both agree on essence being eternal and unchanging. They may separate from the matter, recycle and get involved with other matter but the forms are eternal and unchanging. I agree with Aristotle because Plato confuses the human ability of abstraction with independent existence. As humans we can generalize and find common features in separate objects such as red things but that does not mean that there exists somewhere something called redness. He is attempting to explain reality with the addition of a transcendent world. Aristotle is interested in explaining the world as a changing world; Plato’s forms do not change so they cannot help in explaining the phenomena of change in the empirical world. According to Aristotle, we do not acquire knowledge all in one moment but rather through a process. He says objects of real existence are the ones that we encounter through our sense perception, known as his theory of empiricism (which is too much to go further into) in this he argues again that all knowledge originates from experience. This contradicts Plato’s two world theory. I found it very hard to illustrate both views of knowledge because the extensive information they use to explain it so I broke it down in the way I understood it. In the end, I found myself becoming my own philosopher in researching the works of such great minds. I feel these arguments create the rationality that people forget to practice when it’s the one thing that separates us as humans. Works Cited Puanthanh Gangmei, Plato’s theory of knowledge and forms (www. blogcastor. com: October 16, 2011): http://blogcastor. com/plato%e2%80%99s-theory-of-knowledge-and-forms/, November 22 2011. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Epistemology http://faculty. washington. edu/smcohen/320/thforms. htm http://www. filthylucre. com/plato-versus-aristotle-theory-of-forms-and-causes http://www. iep. utm. edu/aristotl/ http://www. iep. utm. edu/aristotl/ http://www. iep. utm. edu/middlekn/

Fauji Fertilizer Company Ffc Background Management Essay

Fauji Fertilizer Company Ffc Background Management Essay In 2002, FFC acquired ex Pak Saudi Fertilizers Limited Urea Plant, situated at Mirpur Mathelo. This acquisition, worth PKR 8,151 million, is one of the largest industrial sector transactions in Pakistan to date. Today, FFC has three plants with a combined capacity of 5,770 MTPD of prilled urea. It is one of the thirty biggest companies of Pakistan, represented via the KSE-30.2 Along with being one of the largest urea producers in the country, FFC is involved in training manpower and providing turnaround services within Pakistan and in the Middle East. A timeline of the evolution of FFC ensues.3 1978: Incorporation of the Company. 1982: Commissioning of Plant I, Goth Machhi with annual capacity of 570 thousand tonnes. 1991: Listed with Karachi and Lahore Stock Exchanges. 1992: Through the De-Bottle Necking (DBN) programme, the production capacity of Plant I was increased to 695 thousand tonnes per year. 1992: Listed with Islamabad Stock Exchange. 1993: Commissioning of Plant II, Goth Machhi with annual capacity of 635 thousand tonnes of Urea. 1993: Initial investment in Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited, a DAP and Urea manufacturing concern; currently stands at Rs 4.75 billion representing 50.88% equity share. 1997: With achievement of Quality Management System certification in Goth Machhi, FFC became the first fertilizer plant in Pakistan to achieve this distinction. 2002: FFC acquired ex Pak Saudi Fertilizers Limited (PSFL) Urea Plant situated in Mirpur Mathelo (Plant III) with annual capacity of 574 thousand tonnes of urea, which was the largest industrial sector transaction in Pakistan at that time. 2003: FFC obtained certification of Occupational Health Safety Assessment Series, OHSAS-18001:1999. 2004: With investment in Pakistan Maroc Phosphore, Morocco S.A. of Rs 706 million, FFC has equity participation of 12.5% in PMP. 2008: Investment of Rs 1.5 billion in Fauji Cement Company Limited, currently representing 6.79% equity participation. 2008: DBN of Plant III was executed and commissioned successfully for enhancement of capacity to 718 thousand tonnes annually. 2010: Investment in FFC Energy Limited, Pakistans first wind power electricity generation project. 2011: SAP ERP implemented in the Company, improving business processes by reducing time lags and duplication of work. Vision Pakistan is a burgeoning market, not just in terms of head count, but also in advancement in the way agri-business is now carried out. Gone are the days of antiquated fertilizers, instead, only the best is now sought. FFC foresees this market to be extremely lucrative. It wants customers to benefit from its palette of product offerings, both domestic and outside the home country. It seeks to be thought of as not just the best there is, but also as a conscientious and caring company. FFC aims to be positioned as a very well-rounded organization in the minds of all its stakeholders, whether external or internal. Its value chain has quality at its core. It strives to be successful via total integration of streamlined processes, incomparable products, driven and motivated workforce, and extraordinary service, all the while staying ahead of the competition and continuously scanning the market. Corporate Strategy Our flexible and dynamic corporate strategy strives for enhancing customer satisfaction by adding value over the long run. We aim at creating value for the stakeholders by maintaining and improving our competitive position in the market. This is achieved by focusing on our sustainable competitive advantage that is derived by continuously assembling and exploiting an appropriate combination of resources and capabilities in response to the changing market conditions. Our organizational culture is one of our most fundamental competitive advantages. We have built and preserved an innovation-adept culture, a culture that promotes transparency and accountability through honesty, integrity and diligence in our dealing with employees, customers, financial market, government, regulatory authorities, and all the other stakeholders. Diversification in business line is also being considered. Our unique corporate strategy gets aligned with the resource allocation system and flows down to the oper ational levels, thus ensuring its implementation at all levels along with the achievement of the intended results.6 FFC focuses on value addition. This means that everyone at the company tries to make each subsequent year better than the previous one. This enhances the value creation process. For this, the corporate strategy is characterised by flexibility and innovation, which are also the core components of the culture of the organization. FFC prides itself on having been able to develop a culture which is innovative, transparent, and honest. Innovation allows FFC to be able to anticipate and prepare for change, by aligning its internal strengths with the external opportunities. Transparency enables FFC to satisfy every stakeholders requisites, since nothing is swept under the rug. This promotes diligent behaviour and accountability at all levels. Honesty is a trait which is valued from the very top to the very bottom of the hierarchy at FFC. It is this particular combination of all the above that the culture is both employee centric and customer centric. The human element, be it in the form of a worker/manager or a customer, is highly valued at FFC. Therefore, while the former is kept abreast of everything that goes on in the organization, the latter is assured of premium quality product and premium quality service every single time. Organization is all about teamwork. FFC is aware of this, which is why it demands uncompromising integrity and hard work from all individuals, so that the sum is greater than the parts. There is mutual understanding, trust, and interdependence. In return, FFC has a very worker friendly environment. Commitments within the company as well as with business partners, suppliers and customers are valued and kept. FFC is founded upon the principles7 of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Honesty in communication; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Excellence in products and services; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consistency and synchronisation in words and actions; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Compassion in relationships within the micro and mega environments of the organization; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fairness to all stakeholders through adherence to laws, regulations and policies. FFCs Financial Health Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) enjoys stable gas supply from Mari gas fields because they come under Fauji Foundations ownership. This translates into a huge competitive advantage over other fertilizer manufacturers, which are linked with the Sui-based networks. Financial highlights of FFC for the current year appear in the table below. These are for the period ended September 30, 2012.8 2012 (Rs 000) 2011 (Rs 000) Turnover 29,208,413 36,321,157 Cost of sales -22,778,306 -22,565,347 Gross Profit 6,430,107 13,755,810 Administrative Expenses -677,700 -550,247 Other Income 695,185 1,092,089 Taxation -991,876 -3,721,386 Profit after Tax 2,130,481 7,169,794 Earnings per share (Rs.) 2.28 7.68 Source: FFCs Annual Report for the Third Quarter, 2012 Revenue increased by 49% during the first half of 2012, due to high urea prices and sales of imported DAP. FFC urea sales exceeded 500,000 tons in June, which made up for declining sales in the first five months of 2012. In total, urea sales were up by 6% to 1.2 million tons in the period under review.9 Urea prices remained volatile from April to June 2012, as the GoP decided on a price slash for May, along with an announcement of reversal of Rs 50 per bag in June. This was much needed so as to be able to compete with cheaper imported fertilizer, due to government subsidy on it. FFCs urea plant underwent 30% gas curtailment last year, which was ten percent more than that decided for the plants operating on the Sui gas network. This resulted in an extended shutdown of 27 days of the urea plant, and a decline of 17% in urea production, on a YoY basis. The scenario on the DAP front was opposite to the one on the urea front. In spite of the gas curtailment, FFC managed to operate the DAP plant at a level which exceeded 2010s production level of 0.66 million tons. Due to the imposition of Gas Infrastructure and Development Surcharge (GIDS), gross profit margin was 47% during April to June 2012, a decline of 12.52 percentage points on a yearly basis. This was also exacerbated by the net reduction of Rs 100 per bag of urea during the same period. Other income was unable to support the bottom line as it declined by 15%, mainly due to lack of dividend earning from subsidiary Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited. Financial charges increased by 36% which can be explained by the increase in short-term borrowings. However, long-term borrowings have declined, and the Company was able to have a very healthy debt to equity ratio (19% in 2011 as compared to 49% in 2006). Debt increased due to the Companys decision to revamp its urea and DAP plants several years back. FFC has been able to repay its long-term obligations because of its sustainable revenue stream. 10 IT Vision The IT Strategy at FFC shall complement our Corporate Vision by business transformation through technology innovation, introducing best practices and connecting our processes for timely information and optimized performance to succeed in our endeavours.11 Information Systems SAP project: the implementation of SAP ERP is finally complete, with the transformation from Legacy to SAP system gone smoothly at all locations. BMS: a Building Management System (BMS) is a centralized computer based control system, linking equipment for ventilation, fire, security, power, etc. onto one platform, which enables timely and coordinated response to different facilities at the same time. Also, the integrated end-to-end system optimizes energy consumption. Electronic recruitment: FFC launched an online career portal in accordance with its HR department, and development of the portal by its IT division. All this has been done to make the recruiting process efficient, and to match individuals to jobs. SAP implementation support: IT at all locations provided support to SAP users in learning to use and adapt to SAP. This support comprised of trainings, onsite and offsite support, and troubleshooting. Technical support was also provided to help resolve outstanding issues, in alliance with functional teams at SAP Project Office. Information Security Penetration testing at branch sites: the information security department contributed hugely in that it secured its information network post SAP implementation. It assessed the potential threats which could pose a security risk towards the FFC network and/or the SAP system. Security awareness sessions at branch sites and the Head Office: the importance of information security was imparted to employees everywhere via awareness sessions. Some of the key points covered in these sessions were security risks, threat vectors, hacking trends, etc. More than 200 employees of FFC attended these sessions at their respective sites. Business Model Fauji Fertilizer Company has several important factors at the heart of its business. These have been summed up in a business model, with three components, at FFC. Growth Drivers FFCs growth is primarily driven by exponential expansion in sales revenue, powered by strong demand for our product and effective distribution network all over the country. Efficiency enhancement is our long term goal. We continuously seek opportunities to improve efficiency of our business processes to optimise costs, utilising less to produce more. Our sales are largely cash based, which gives us the margin to effectively utilise available cash resources to fulfil the Companys working capital requirements, and hence minimise external funding requirements resulting in reduced finance costs. 12 What fuels growth at FFC? The retained earnings, which are the result of ever increasing demand for fertilizer. The Company is cost effective, which allows it to reduce dependency on external funding. Our Key Assets Human capital is by far our most treasured asset, directly affecting performance of the Companys business processes, ensuring success every year. Among our most valuable assets is our brand name Sona, which is the soul behind our existence, growth and prosperity. We are continuously investing in our production facilities to enhance operational efficiency and fuel the key growth drivers. Our extensive distribution network extends to all provinces of the Country, ensuring maximum market presence.13 What makes FFC click? Its workforce. Its brand name, Sona, which helped in putting FFC on the map. Investment in production facilities to have lean operations. Strong distribution. How We Leverage Our Assets Our assets in turn are leveraged by our management excellence and our consumer centric approach. Our strategies are focused around consumer satisfaction and quality perfection. The pursuit of excellence in every sphere of operation is our aim which ensures continued success. Our farsighted management strategies are focused on development of our key assets which form the foundation for future growth.14 Success at FFC results from managerial excellence, focus on the customer, no compromise on quality, and a long term orientation. REVIEW OF TECHNOLOGY USED SAP ERP SAP AG (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) is a German multinational software corporation, which makes enterprise software to manage business operations, customer relations, operations, and record keeping. SAP ERP15 (Enterprise Resource Planning) is an integrated software solution that utilizes and consolidates information from all business functions and departments in an organization. It provides solutions for the following aspects of any business, with the modules in bullet points: SAP ERP Financials Accounts payable/Accounts receivable Financial reporting Risk management/Regulatory compliance Cash flow monitoring Travel management SAP ERP Human Capital Management HR and payroll Labour force analysis Placement/Recruitment and training/Talent management SAP ERP Operations Procurement and logistics Product development and manufacturing Sales and service Operations analytics Implementation On January 10th, 2011, one of the biggest feathers in FFCs cap was the implementation of the SAP, under its transition to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Abacus Consulting was its technical partner and consultant. Initially, SAP was used in tandem with FFCs old system, Legacy, but eventually, the latter was completely done away with. FFC holds the distinction of pioneering the introduction of an ERP system in Pakistan.16 FFCs management went ahead with the idea of SAP implementation believing that it would create value addition in departments of marketing, supply chain, finance, accounting, human resource, and procurement, amongst others. The SAP implementation at FFC was carried out in several phases. Despite the management being satisfied with the entire revamping program, the system is not without its drawbacks. The most crucial of these is that SAP cannot be operated optimally until the user has complete command over its functions. Therefore, consultants and/or specialists are required if SAP has to be fully utilized for its benefits at such an early stage of its installation. SAP ERP consists of several modules and sub-modules, an outline of which appears above. The software takes the information, data, statistics, etc. from all the modules, and combines them to facilitate the organizations decision making, process streamlining, human effort expended, through product design and development, production and inventory control, human resources, finance and accounting. This overall procedure is known as enterprise resource planning, and it is carried out on a companywide scale. If this procedure is carried out correctly, any organization can transcend from its old system to this fully integrated software. The magnitude of benefits to be reaped is huge, e.g. efficient business processes, inventory reduction, and lead time reduction, to name a few. Updates in SAP only need to be done once, and they automatically get implemented company-wide. It provides real time information, reducing the possibility of redundancy errors, shortages, and higher TATs. Areas like s upply chain, procurement, finance and accounting stand to benefit greatly. On the other end of the spectrum, there are the negative aspects. Firstly, the software is anything but cheap. Secondly, it is not just expensive; it is very technical, sophisticated, and intricate. Companies face problems while implementing SAP ERP software, for example, failing to be specific about operational objectives, no orientation towards change, flexibility, and futuristic perspective, and lack of a learning organization. The following sections detail some of the major advantages and disadvantages of using SAP.17, 18 Advantages of SAP Integration: SAP does not focus on or improve individual performance, so the goal of using SAP should be getting benefits from integration. This reduces erroneous data entry and overlapping entries. Flexibility: SAP allows organizations to create their own framework of operations within the SAP structure. This framework dictates issues like access levels of employees, signoffs required at which level, flagged and correct transactions, etc. For example, FFC has the authority to determine which employee can access what area in the SAP structure. Analytical software: apart from being able to keep track of various activities going on simultaneously, both short- and long-term, SAP has in-built analytical features. For example, it can monitor the value chain, and then evaluate when the next shipment or order is due, and time it accordingly. Monitoring, evaluation, decision making, and execution, are all enabled via the usage of SAP, all at once. Disadvantages of SAP Expensive: being able to utilize SAP optimally entails software, hardware, implementation, consulting, training, hiring specialists, programmers, repair and maintenance staff, etc. Employees have to be trained in those aspects of the software that they have access to. The story does not end here, because trainers might leave after training personnel, but the repair and maintenance experts need to be kept on retainer. Other ongoing costs include those incurred for software up gradation. If IT experts or consultants are outsourced, even that increases the labour costs of the organization overall. Hidden costs arise along the way of SAP systems integration projects. SAP projects are expensive enough to begin with. Add to that the burden of additional unanticipated costs, and the corporation can say goodbye to a high ROI. A common example of such a cost is those work items that were not part of the original project plan. These include custom modifications, applying more resources to areas of the implementation that were outside the project plan, etc. Detrimental to user accuracy: software does not have the ability to detect errors, and SAP is no exception. It also falls prey to the carried-forward error. The employees know that once a wrong entry has been made, it will be a part of the entire database of information. This makes employees/users more susceptible to make mistakes. Complexity: due to this feature of SAP, organizations spread out the implementation over a period of time, rather than all at once. The complete implementation might take several years, which also enhances employees skill set in pieces. The time taken for complete integration might become so exhaustive that the managements focus on post-integration planning be pushed into oblivion. The management might just settle for the system integration, and unconsciously avoid what is coming after the integration. Management: project managers, in some instances, have to deal with problems and provide solutions, instead of the users who logged in the original complaints into SAP. The software calls for scope management, which not every employee is capable of. ORACLE E-BUSINESS SUITE Oracle Corporation is an American multinational specializing in developing software for enterprises, with a focus on database management systems. It also has software for enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM), to name a few.19 The company offered software for the financial aspect of businesses in late 1980s. Now however, its product palette is not just limited to ERP, CRM, or SCM, instead it reaches into areas like warehouse management, human resource, procurement, product lifecycle management, etc. Expansion and growth of Oracles application software business has come about through acquisitions and in-house developments. Oracle resorted to product bundling when it came up with its Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12 (Oracle EBS R12). This version keeps Oracles core database management system technology intact, and the E-Business Suite branches out into several product lines.20 Oracle CRM Oracle Financials Oracle HRMS Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications Oracle Order Management Oracle Procurement Oracle Project Portfolio Management Oracle Quotes Oracle Transportation Management Oracle Warehouse Management Systems Oracle Inventory Oracle Enterprise Asset Management FERTILIZER INDUSTRY REVIEW For many developing countries, the focus is on economic recovery after the financial crisis of 2007-08. However, issues of increasing population and rising food prices have made food security a big concern for policy makers as well. The latter two issues are equally, if not more, important for the underdeveloped countries, and Pakistan is no exception. Pakistan is an agro-based economy. The agriculture sector has provided the impetus for economic growth. This can be observed by the fact that it provides employment to almost 45% of the total labour force, in one way or the other. It is a seasonal sector, so there are jobs all-year round. On the reverse side of this picture, income generated from this sector fuels demand for products made by other sectors (industrial and tertiary). This interdependence, so to speak, is indicative of the importance of this sector for Pakistan. Almost 21% of GDP is contributed by the agricultural sector.21 Some major crops and their contribution appear below: Crops Production (kt) 2009/10 Production CAGR 2000/01 2009/10 Yield (Kt/Acre) 2009/10 Gross Value Addition of Major Crops Wheat 23,864 2.60% 1.07 39% Cotton 2,159 1.90% 0.28 22% Rice 6,883 4.20% 0.97 18% Sugarcane 49,373 1.30% 21.2 10% Source: Economic Survey of Pakistan 2009/10 The agriculture sector of Pakistan was adversely affected due to the floods approximately two and a half years ago. They had damaged around 30% of the agricultural area, and resulted in crop losses worth USD 2.5 billion. This flood damage also affected the fertilizer sector. This is due to the evident strong inter linkages between the agriculture sector and the fertilizer industry.22 Crop-wise damage and the area affected are shown in the table below. Crops Affected Area (mn acres) Area Affected Cotton 1.3 17% Rice 1.4 23% Sugarcane 0.4 16% Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 The fertilizer industry in Pakistan is basically an oligopoly. This oligopoly is characterised by 4 major players in the market: Fauji Fertilizer Company, Fauji Fertilizer Bin Qasim Limited, Engro Fertilizer, and Dawood Hercules Fertilizer. A new and fast growing addition is Fatima Fertilizer, of the Fatima Group. If we look at the production of urea by the four companies respective contribution, FFC and FFBL dominate by producing 48% of the total, Engro produces 15%, and Dawood Hercules produces 6%. Almost 20% is imported and distributed through NFML. When we look at the production of phosphorus, a similar pattern emerges. FFC and FFBL stand at 47%, Engro at 28%, Agritech at 2%, RG at 1% and around 22% is imported. C:Documents and SettingsAdministratorDesktopUntitled.png Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 Fertilizer production is concentrated in nitrogenous fertilizers, which comprises 85% of all fertilizers produced in the country. Although other types of fertilizers are also produced in Pakistan, the main reason for this concentration on nitrogenous fertilizers is that its main raw material, i.e. natural gas, is cheaply available in the country. The raw material for other fertilizers such as potassium and phosphate has to be imported.23 Fertilizer is Pakistans most important and expensive input in agricultural production. The contribution that the use of balanced fertilizer makes towards increasing yield varies from around 30 to 60 percent in different crops production. Almost all of Pakistans soil is deficient in nitrogen (N), 80 to 90 percent is deficient in phosphorus (P), and 30 percent is lacking in potassium (K).24 Land used for just one type of crop is facing declining fertility, for the obvious reason that only certain nutrients are being used. When these land holdings are not used in crop rotation, the soil does not get replenished, and productivity for future crops declines. Nutrient Actual (Kg/Acre) Recommended (Kg/Acre) Nitrogen 41 41 Phosphorous 9 20.5 Potassium 0.4 10.3 Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 From July 2011 to March 2012, domestic production of fertilizer decreased by 1.4%. This was the result of the industry experiencing a curtailment in the supply of natural gas, which is the main raw material for producing urea, therefore some urea plants produced less than their production capacity. However, import of urea made up for this slack, increasing the supply of fertilizer by 16.3%. On the consumption side however, this increase in supply was met by a reduction of 4.9%. Screen Shot 2012-11-19 at 11.55.38.png Source: Fertilizers in Pakistan. Demand, Production and Imports. By Eqan Ali Khan, Business Head, Fert and Agri Commodities; Mar 30, 2011 Two major reasons for this reduced fertilizer consumption was the heavy and destructive rains in Sindh province, and the price hike faced by all fertilizers. The price of urea went up by 81.4% in July-March, 2011-12 (as compared to the same period of the last fiscal year). The prices of DAP, CAN and NP also increased by 38.8%, 75.5%, and 45.7%, respectively, over the same period last year.25 Fertilizer Pre-GST Co. to Dealer Transfer Prices (Rs/Ton) Taxation Impact Post GST Co. to Dealer Transfer Prices (Rs/Ton) Urea 20,400 13.20% 23,100 DAP 66,025 19.14% 78,660 MOP 48,200 17.05% 56,420 Source: Engro Analytics The actual price which the dealer faces is truly seen after the tax burden has been accounted for. The differential is huge, as the figures in the table above show. Pakistan is able to produce approximately 7 million tons of urea annually currently. Out of this total, capacity of 4 million tons is dependent upon gas from Mari gas fields, and the other 3 million tons on Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). During 2011, all these plants produced a little less than 5 million tons of urea.26 In the past, gas supply to fertilizer units linked to SNGPL was curtailed in winter. However, last year, units receiving gas from Mari faced 20% curtailment, and the ones getting gas from SGGPL and SSGC faced mandatory closure up to 60 days. In 2012, this mandatory closure is expected to exceed 90 days. The sorry state of affairs can be assessed by the fact that from January 1 till October 31, 2011, fertilizer plants on the SNGPL network received the equivalent of just 3.5 days of gas per week, relative to other sectors, which received 4 to 5 days of gas a week. For the fertilizer industry, gas is an input without which it cannot manufacture urea, whereas for other sectors, it is not an absolute necessity.27 If current levels of gas curtailment are adhered to, industry experts expect urea production to be around 4.8 million tons during 2012. However, this is an optimistic number. Realistically, units will probably have difficulty in achieving even this production level, mainly due to the widening gap between demand and supply of gas as projected by the government. It is pertinent to bear in mind that even if subsidy on gas were to be completely abolished by the Government, Fauji Foundation has under its ownership and control Mari gas fields. In a manner of speaking, backward vertical integration exists, so any adverse change in regulations regarding gas subsidy will not be detrimental to FFCs operations. With the demand for urea forecasted to be 6.3 million tons in 2012, the shortfall is expected to be around 1.5 million tons. This is a very bleak scenario for the economy, since internal capacity is well able to meet this demand. Externally, when imports will be resorted to, they will erode the countrys foreign exchange by USD 600 million, at the very least, based on current prices, and may be even more costly if international prices rise. It is expected that any hike in crude oil prices will automatically escalate urea prices in the international markets. Growing tension between the United States and Iran has already initiated a spiraling increase in global crude oil prices.28 Under consideration is the possibility that urea manufacturers should exercise the LNG import option to meet the shortfall in gas supply. There exist two schools of thought regarding this debate. One says that running plants on LNG is not feas

Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the Constitution Analysis

Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the Constitution Analysis Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the Constitution. By Richard Beeman (New York: Random House) 2009. xxviii + 514 pp. Hardcover, $30.00. ISBN 9781400065707. Richard Beemans book, Plain, Honest Men is a chronological narrative about the day-to-day interactions of the men who made up the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Beeman takes special care in developing the characteristics and personalities of the delegates and explores how their moods, their personal interests, and the hot weather helped to shape the lively debates over the creation of the Constitution. He explores the personal relationships, marriages, and the physical and intellectual idiosyncrasies of the Founding Fathers. Beeman depicts the Framers in a variety of ways. Some of the men were savvy, while others were inept. Some smart and others just mediocre. Some individuals were sophisticated while others were just plain vulgar. Many were quite generous, but others were intensely narcissistic. Beeman characterizes James Madison as being an indispensable but reticent thinker who was incapable of any great oratory or sustained relationships. The author focuses on the issues such as the presidency, slavery, and the necessary and proper clause. On the issue of slavery, Beeman states that for the delegates, it was not the central issue at stake in the making of the American Constitution.[1] The author depicts the angry arguments over representation and its connection to slavery, which Beeman refers to as Bernard DeVotos paradox at the nations core.[2] According to the author, many delegates expressed aversion to slavery, but it was beyond them to conclude a way to abolish slavery without catastrophic consequences to the delicate union. Beeman reconstructs the relationships between Washington and Madison and their intelligent and influential female friends such as Elizabeth Powell, who was the wife of Philadelphias mayor, and also had strong political opinions of her own. Beeman describes George Washington as towering above other men and being reserved in nature. Benjamin Franklin is characterized as being jovial and James Madison as being diminutive. The author portrays Madison as arriving from Virginia with a detailed plan of government that entailed completely scrapping the Articles of Confederation and starting from scratch. William Paterson of New Jersey was balding and of an angry disposition, and yet he spoke his way to distinction as the spokesman of the small states and was resolute to challenge his neighbors in the larger states like New York and Pennsylvania. Roger Sherman was a former shoemaker from Connecticut who overcame his bashful rural persona to become the voice of compromise which soon gained the respect of all convention attendees. Sherman was instrumental in creating the compromise that relinquished some states rights by apportioning the House of Representatives on the basis of population and allowing for equal representation among states in the Senate. Gouverneur Morris, formerly of New York but currently resided in Pennsylvania, had a peg leg and whose arrogance and often careless rhetoric often alienated the other delegates, was a hypnotic speaker. In creating these personalities, he is aware of the confines of his source material. The records of this period were kept by men who most assuredly had partisan agendas and male-controlled receptivity. The book begins with the final days of the Revolution. Congress is bankrupt, the army has turned mutinous because of lack of pay, and the thirteen states do not get along. Daniel Shays, a discontented former army captain, leads his own rebellion in western Massachusetts. Representatives from both the north and the south believe the Articles of Confederation are not working and need to undergo some revisions; therefore, they agree to meet in Philadelphia the summer of 1787. This book is written for general audiences as well as supplemental reading for classroom teachers. In an effort to ensure the reader does not fall into boredom while reading the narrative, Beeman has added peripheral information to keep the readers attention. For example, he adds such trivia as the fact that the State House yard privy had sixteen seats and was divided into four compartments[3], a Philadelphia prostitute charged two dollars[4], and the delegates had beer, bread, and butter for breakfast[5]. The author makes use of both primary and secondary sources. He uses Madisons notes and the papers kept by Hamilton, Madison, and George Washington. Beeman also includes information collected by the Independence National Historic Park to assemble an accurate and authoritative account of the participants of the Constitutional Convention. The books title comes from a remark made by delegate and financier Roger Morris, who viewed the results of the Constitutional Convention as the work of plain, honest men. His important message is that our Founding Fathers could be both realists and idealists. The debates over slavery were the results of the limitations of educated men, who possessed a vision of what effective governance might bear a resemblance to but could not imagine extending the same rights to slaves as citizens. In writing Plain, Honest Men, Beeman avoids controversial issues such as the economic motives of the Founding Fathers and provides readers with an understanding of the fra gility of the consensus emerging from Philadelphia. Richard Beeman is considered by scholars to be an authority on the United States Constitution. He played a leading role in the creation of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and has served as vice-chair of its Distinguished Scholars Panel. Beeman has a vast knowledge of the era and is a noted historian of the late 18th century. [1] Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the Constitution. By Richard Beeman, xii. [2] Ibid, xii. [3] Ibid, 63. [4] Ibid, 74. [5] Ibid, 78.

Birth Control :: Contraceptives, Birth Control Essays

What exactly is birth control? Birth control means things that can be done to ensure that pregnancy only happens if and when wanted. Nowadays there are a great variety of ways to assure birth control. However, there is only one way that can be considered 100 percent secure. The more it is known about birth control options, the better chances of avoiding an unwanted pregnancy and reducing the risks of getting a sexually transmitted disease, including AIDS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The only guaranteed option of birth control is abstinence. Abstaining from having sexual intercourse will ensure that pregnancy does not occur and also prevents sexually transmitted infections. People may find it difficult to abstain for long periods of time and tend to end their abstinence without being prepared to protect themselves against pregnancy or venereal diseases. Many choose outer course which is sex play without vaginal intercourse. For others, it is sex play with no penetration at all. It is a 100% effective against pregnancy unless pre-ejaculate or sperm gets onto the vulva or into the vagina. Outer course however, frequently leads to intercourse, therefore another form of birth control and protection from infection has to be used. The most commonly used methods of birth control are the condom and the pills. The pill is taken once a day and a pack should be completed every month. Combination pills contain estrogen and progestin. Others are progestin-only. Pills contain hormones that work in different ways. The condoms are a sheath made of thin latex or plastic to cover the penis before intercourse to keep sperm from joining egg. No matter how old one is , it is very important to use condoms with another method of birth. There are a large variety of birth control options in the market these days. These options include the patch, the ring, and the shot. The shot, of the hormone progestin, is applied in the arm or buttock every 12 weeks to, prevent release of egg or, prevent fertilized egg from implanting in uterus. The patch a thin plastic places on the skin of the buttocks, stomach, upper outer arm, or upper torso once a week for three weeks in a row. The ring is a small, flexible hoop inserted deep into the vagina for three weeks in a row and taken out the fourth week. The Ring protects against pregnancy by releasing estrogen and progestin.

Life of George Eliot aka Mary Ann Evans Essay -- essays research pape

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) lived from 1819 to 1880. She was raised in a very traditional family. Her father was a farmer who managed various estates, and he made certain that his daughter was given a very strict Methodist education. She attended a series of boarding schools where she learned that which was typical for a young lady in the early part of the nineteenth century -- subjects such as French, piano, and handwriting. While at these boarding schools, she frequently turned to fiction as a form of amusement, establishing at an early age the foundation upon which her later novels would be based. Despite this traditional upbringing, though, Mary Ann Evans lived an adult life that many considered to be utterly scandalous. In the mid-1840's she began to question seriously the Christian faith in which she was raised, and by the end of the 1840's she had abandoned the church altogether. This questioning of religion may have initiated her literary career, though, her translation of Das Leben Jesu, a controversial inquiry into the tenets of Christianity, gained her some notice in L...

Relating The Odyssey to our Lives :: Homer

Getting somewhere is not just the destination, but even more so the journey. The goals are our destination and obstacle and temptations litter the voyage. Like Odysseus, achieving these goals is not a cinch. Obstacles must be faced or avoided, and temptations should be resisted. Our entire lives we all try to accomplish our own personal goals. Like Odysseus, we all have long-term and short-term goals to realize. In life, we all want something we long for and will work relentlessly until we reach that objective, like Odysseus’ ambition to reach his wife and son in Ithaca. Of course we all have minor, transitory goals such as building a house or finishing an essay. Some instances of Odysseus’ secondary goals are him escaping the Cyclopes and keeping his men from eating the lotuses. Personal goals, however, will manage to be interrupted in one way or another. On our journeys we all must resist, or give into, temptations that may hinder our ascent to our goal. All people give into temptation at least once in their lives. One time that Odysseus gave into temptation was when he listened to the Sirens’ songs. We don’t always collapse into temptation, like when Odysseus wanted so badly to kill the suitors but forced himself to wait for the right time. Another time Odysseus defied temptation was when he refused to reveal himself to the people but ceased expose himself until he felt it was the right time. Temptation is not the only thing to obstruct our expedition. We all face obstacles in our life like Odysseus did. A common obstacle in life is a person that you clash and don’t get along with. A good analogy for this in Odysseus’ quest was when he had to evade the Cyclops. Also, people don’t always evade the people and problems that get in their way, but face them. One case of this is when Odysseus had to confront Antinous. Relating The Odyssey to our Lives :: Homer Getting somewhere is not just the destination, but even more so the journey. The goals are our destination and obstacle and temptations litter the voyage. Like Odysseus, achieving these goals is not a cinch. Obstacles must be faced or avoided, and temptations should be resisted. Our entire lives we all try to accomplish our own personal goals. Like Odysseus, we all have long-term and short-term goals to realize. In life, we all want something we long for and will work relentlessly until we reach that objective, like Odysseus’ ambition to reach his wife and son in Ithaca. Of course we all have minor, transitory goals such as building a house or finishing an essay. Some instances of Odysseus’ secondary goals are him escaping the Cyclopes and keeping his men from eating the lotuses. Personal goals, however, will manage to be interrupted in one way or another. On our journeys we all must resist, or give into, temptations that may hinder our ascent to our goal. All people give into temptation at least once in their lives. One time that Odysseus gave into temptation was when he listened to the Sirens’ songs. We don’t always collapse into temptation, like when Odysseus wanted so badly to kill the suitors but forced himself to wait for the right time. Another time Odysseus defied temptation was when he refused to reveal himself to the people but ceased expose himself until he felt it was the right time. Temptation is not the only thing to obstruct our expedition. We all face obstacles in our life like Odysseus did. A common obstacle in life is a person that you clash and don’t get along with. A good analogy for this in Odysseus’ quest was when he had to evade the Cyclops. Also, people don’t always evade the people and problems that get in their way, but face them. One case of this is when Odysseus had to confront Antinous.

Coke and Pepsi

Coke and Pepsi in the Twenty-First Century: Threat of Entry:low 1. Economies of scale – High production volume but merit not clear (1st paragraph on page 2) 2. Product differentiation – Brand identification (high advertising expense, Exhibit 2) 3. Capital requirements – CPs: little capital investment (1st paragraph on page 2) – Bottlers: capital intensive (2nd paragraph on page 3) 4. Cost disadvantages independent of size – No 5. Access to distribution channels – Food stores (35%): intense shelf space pressure (2nd paragraph on page 4) – Fountain (23%): CPs dominated first food chain (1st paragraph on page 5) 6.Government policy (N/A) Threat to entry is low because Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Cadbury Schweppes control 90. 1% of the market share; 44. 1%, 31. 4%, and 14. 7% respectively. Although the growth rate of CSD consumptions have been steady at 3% a year, the capital requirement to enter the market is too great of an obstacle. In order to service the entire US, a firm would need $25-50 million to build a plant for concentrate producers, $6 billion ($75 million * 80 plants) to establish bottlers, cost associated to provide and maintain incentives to retailers, and the greatest cost to advertisements.Therefore, firms are deterred from entering the CSD market due to economies of scale couple with brand image that the firm must face. In order provide product differentiation, the entering firm would have to invest heavily to develop a brand image for CSD aside from the three market leaders. Access to distribution channels is intense in CSD industry as bottlers are fighting for shelf spaces in grocery stores. In addition, PepsiCo is in the restaurant business of owning Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut by shutting down any opportunities for other CSD firms to sell fountain drinks in those restaurants.Other CSD firms like Coca-Cola has develop a relationship with remaining market leaders of restauran t for their fountain distribution (i. e. , McDonalds and Burger King). In addition, â€Å"Soft Drink Interbrand Competition Act† in 1980 preserves the rights of Concentrate Producers to grant exclusive territories. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that there are not many competitors in the market vying for a new territory since the existing Concentrate Producers would have driven off competition out of business through their rights of exclusive territories.Cost disadvantages independent of size is high as development brand image will require high investments in advertisement and to develop a new differentiating acquired taste for CSD consumers. Substitutes:low (Non-cola beverage? ) Substitutes of CSD’s include water, juice, milk, and different types of alcohol. However, leading CSD’s have branch out their products to water and juice to capture the market shares of CSD’s substitutes. Other leading substitutes to CSD’s are milk, coffee, and alco hol beverages. These substitutes are generally different complement beverages than the CSD’s.Coffee and alcohol beverages are geared towards adults only and milk is gear towards breakfast meal consumptions with cereal. Complements: Complements to CSD’s are food. CSD firms have made relationships with retailers of food (i. e. , grocery stores, gas stations). In addition, firms have made relationships with restaurants to complement their products with food. Since food is something that everyone consumes several times a day, CSD companies have a great opportunity to maximize their presence in different distribution methods. Buyers:low 1. large volume?Some buyers might buy in large volume but not found in the case 2. standard or undifferentiated? No 3. NA for this case 4. low profits? – Food stores: No, average (5th paragraph on page 4) – Fountains: extremely profitable, 80 cents out of one dollar (1st paragraph on page 5) 5. unimportant? No 6. does not save buyers’ money? (N/A) 7. credible threat? No Buyer groups are not powerful against CPs and bottlers. Therefore, there is no significant bargaining power from buyer side in CSD industry. This situation contributes to maintain high profit of CPs and bottlers. (Reasons) 1.Because there are various retail channels, CPs and bottlers do not face the single retailer with power which purchases in large volume. 2. In general, selling CSDs yields high profit for retailers. (15-20% gross margin for food store, 80 cents out of one dollar for fountain. ) That fact prevents buyers to be price sensitive. 3. In fountain business, CPs and bottlers kept fountain sales profitable and succeeded to avoid cutting price pressure from retailers by paying rebate and investing restaurant retailers. 4. In food store, CSD represented a large percentage of its business (accounting for 3%-4% of food store business).To draw customers to store, it should be necessary for food store to carry the most selling brand in CSD, Coke and Pepsi. This structure weakens food store’s bargaining power. 5. Vending machine is efficient retail channel for keeping price because bottlers can directly control. It also works in the country where Coke and Pepsi do not have distribution channel(ex. Japan). 6. Coke and Pepsi have already established strong brand identification. Some discount retailers have private label CSD but they can not take the place of Coke and Pepsi.Internal Rivalry: high 1. numerous? roughly equal? – numerous: No, oligopoly – roughly equal: Yes – price increase, oligopoly (4th paragraph on page 11) 2. Industry growth – plateau (Exhibit 3) 3. lacks differentiation? – try to differentiate by marketing (5th paragraph on page11) 4. High fixed costs? 5. Capacity augments? Capacity itself not clearly mentioned in the case but; early 1990s: Yes? incurred excess supply? (1st paragraph on page 11, Exhibit 1) late 1990s: 6. High exit barrier? – Yes? capital intensive? 7. rivals diverse in strategies? – No?Coca-Cola and Pepsi’s history of intense rivalry has resulted in the execution of a large number of strategies designed to gain market share and brand recognition. As the industry matures and Coca-Cola and Pepsi learn from past strategies, increased profitability heavily relies on their ability to cut costs, gain fountain contracts, globally expand product mix, and vertically integrate bottler distribution channels. Traditional strategic initiatives such as new product development, advertising, price reduction, and product differentiation will produce minimal results considering Coca-cola and Pepsi are similar in size and power.Coca Cola and Pepsi’s ability to quickly respond to competitor strategies generally lead to industry wars where neither firm is better off then when they started. While it is important to continually maintain brand awareness and pursue various market trends, large gains in prof itability will ensue from strategies that create a sustainable competitive advantage. It is more advantageous for Coca-Cola and Pepsi to invest in strategies that increase the industry demand versus short term profit. Such strategies include but are not limited to, entering developing countries, key acquisitions of growing businesses (i. Yahoo, Diageo, Arista Records, or Starbucks), and increased efforts to vertically integrate bottler distribution channels. Key acquisitions are important in that they can provide the means in which each company can redefine their brand name as more then a â€Å"cola†. Successful examples are Sony, Disney, and GE. Suppliers:low 1. dominated? Metal cans: excess supply (1st paragraph on page 6) 2. unique? not unique 3. obliged to contend? (N/A) 4. credible threats? No 5. important customer? Metal can: largest customer (1st paragraph on page 6) Coke and Pepsi COKE AND PEPSI LEARN TO COMPETE IN INDIABrief Overview:The case of Coke and Pepsi in India is a lesson that all marketers can observe, analyze and learn from, since it involves so many marketing aspects that are essential for all marketers to take into considerationPepsi entered into the Indian beverage market in July 1986 as a joint venture with two local partners, Voltas and Punjab Agro, forming â€Å"Pepsi Foods Ltd. † While Coca-Cola followed suit in 1990 with a joint venture with Britannia Industries India before creating a 100% owned company in 1993 and then ultimately aligning with Parle, the leader in the beverage industry.As both companies would soon discover, â€Å"competing in India requires special knowledge, skills, and local expertise what works here does not always work there. † (Cateora & Graham, 2008, p. 604). In this article, analyze the primary obstacle to Pepsi and Coca-Cola’s success, discuss their strategies to cope with the issue, and ultim ately propose my own suggestions to improvement. Question 1: The political environment in India has proven to be critical to company performance for both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India. What specific aspects of the political environment have played key roles? Could these effects have been anticipated prior to market entry? If not, could developments in the political arena have been handle better by each company?Indian government viewed as unfriendly to foreign investors. Outside investment had been allowed only in high-tech sectors and was almost entirely prohibited in consumer goods sectors. The â€Å"Principle of indigenous available† If an item could be obtained anywhere else within the country, imports of similar items were forbidden.This made Indian consumers had a little choice of products or brands and no guarantees of quality or reliability.Indian Laws, the government mandated that Pepsi’s products be promoted under the â€Å"Lehar Pepsi† name. For Coca-Cola, they attempted to enter into Indian market by joining with Parle and became â€Å"Coca-Cola India†Yes, it could anticipate the effect prior to market by using information fro m own company research, the business partner in that country, the expertise service, and own experience in near area. They could developments in political arena; Coke could agreed to start new bottling plants instead of buying out Parle, and thus wouldn’t agreed to sell 40% of their equityQuestion 2: Timing of entry into the Indian market brought different results for PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India. What benefits or disadvantages accrued as a result of earlier or later market entry? PepsiCo: Pros: (1) entered the market before Coca-Cola and getting an early entry was able to help Pepsi go so far with Indian market while it was still developing; (2) the fact that company gained 26%market share by 1993 Cons: (1) The government mandated that Pepsi’s product be promoted under the name â€Å"Lehar Pepsi†, because foreign collaboration rules in force at the time prohibited the use of foreign brand names on products intended for sale inside India; (2) Indian Govt limited their soft drink sale no exceed 25% of total sales for the new entrant; (3) Pepsi Foods struggled to fight off local competitions. Coca – Cola: Pros: (1) have ability to align themselves with the market leader. In fact, Parle offered to sell Coca – Cola its bottling plants in four key cities, and (2) Parle also offered to sell its leading brands. (3) Finally, Coca – Cola set up two new ventures with Frooti, Soda, and local product was called â€Å"Britco Foods† Cons: (1) was denied entry until 1993 because Pepsi was already there; (2) It was very difficult for Coca – Cola take market share away from Pepsi and local firms, due to the beverage market was itself growing consistently form year to year; (3) Coca –Cola was not allowed to buy back 40% of equity when the company chose to leave Indian market in 1977 Question 7: What lessons can each company draw from its Indian experience as it contemplates entry into other Big Emerging Markets? PepsiCo:Beneficial to keep with local tasteSignificant to follow market trendsSponsors and Celebrity appeals make more exceptional advertisingIt pays to keep up with emerging trends in the marketCoca – Cola:Pays specific attention to deals made with the governmentEstablish a good business relationship with the governmentInvestment in quality productsAdvertising is essentialBeneficial to follow market trends