Perceptual Map Marketing free essay sample

The purpose of this document is to illustrate the information contained within the Perceptual Map Marketing simulation and relate to its information as practical and important. Contained in the simulation were three phases, each of significant importance. We will include in this document the situation, the recommended solutions and the results.We will discuss the multiple marketing aspects that were revealed within the simulation and we will attempt to create satisfactory responses to the various questions which arise out of the relationships between differentiation and positioning of products or services and what the impact of the product life cycle on marketing is. It is the hope that after reading this document there will be a clear concept of what the results of this simulation were and how they are applicable to the papers mission. All good things have a story and Cruiser Thorr was no exception.We learned about the meaning behind the bike. We will write a custom essay sample on Perceptual Map Marketing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The simulation showed how to create and use a perceptual map using the bike as a primary example. When using the Perceptual Map it then became clearly more evident which direction the marketing goals should take to carry on its back the heart and soul of the Morotcycle brand. In selling thousands of motorcycles a year the Thorr Motocycle company has created a client base capable of supporting their imense variety of choice that is given to the consumer. Everything from the type of engine to how many people can ride the bike.They sell accessories such as protective gear, clothing and even little models for children. The services they offer to their customers are that you would expect from a first rate bike shop. Our task is to set up a positioning strategy, a perceptual map and create the parameters that will become vital to the product as it will be the customers only information before making a major purchase. For decades now the industry of motorized bikes have been on the ries. Even with this evident truth backed by consumer research the top selling item that Thorr Motorcycles is creating seems to be dwindeling. The logical conclusion that we are coming to to is that their target customers are in the decades of their 30s till almost 60s and through the proccess of life seem to have lost interests in what Thorr stands for. No longer are these men rebels or out to â€Å"be wild† as Steppenwolf would say. Any consumers who are younger are simply not capable of affording the high price tag associated with a Thorr bike which ranges in the high 20 to low 30 thousand dollar range. Younger riders are more apt to buy less expensive, quicker riding bikes that are the exact opposite of the image that Thorr stands for.We are going to solidify Cruiser thorrs postion in the market by creating its Perceptual map. There are four basic parameters that are relevant to the entire scheme of biking industry which reflect the highest chances for Cruiser Thorrs survival. These are the four parameters: lifestyle image, product design and styling, service offerings, and price. The selection of lifestyle image is almost a no brainer as it is the backbone of the Cruiser Thorrs previous success. The entire bikes thriving record is built upon a reputation that having their bike is a status symbol.The same reason that people buy Starbucks instead of simply brewing their own coffee at home. Unlike other industries, transportation specfically speaks to the identity of the person who has the item. They will spend much of their time utilizing their vehicle. In no vehicle type is this more relevant than in bikes where people will see the bike and there will be no windows, walls, or doors hiding the rider from the world. Everyone will see who the rder is and that is why Product Design nd Styling are so vital to its success. The bike and the rider are one.Man and machine moving along the pavement together. The service offerings are probably the most second important aspect to a vehicle other than the price. Maintanence and such can get very expensive very quickly. Assuring that you are taking care of you customers and looking out for their well being is primary in the grand scheme of all things. At the end of the thought of course is always the most important aspect. Cost and price. The price is affected by many, many things. Among these things is engineering, construction, materials, labor, transport of the bike itself.The whole purpose for this bikes creation is ot make money. To make money you must have a clear marketing plan. Due to this obvious fact we have restructured Cruiser Thorr and decided to not create a new bike. It is imperative to keep the Cruiser Thorr in production if Thorr is going to keep making motorcycles. It is the bike that has built their empire. It would be as if Levis stopped selling 501 Jeans. We instead create a financing option that gives the consumers with less money an opportunity to own a Cruiser Thorr.With increased service options will be able to make rational sense of the high price that we will be able to keep at the same price. For advertising it would probably be a good idea to put some endorsements in race tracks, hook up with a popular drink brand like MONSTER and maybe make a â€Å"Monster Bike† that can ride around. We can also take a page out of the GM book and put our bikes into movies and on television for product placement. The current straegy is based on price, product, location, current pomotions and services offered.With the goal of repositioning the product in an attempt to remove the competions hold on the market because we will move the parameters into concurrent thought forms and proccesses making us and our strategies the same as the competition. We know that there are four key factors that are represented by stages in a products life cycle that are important for the marketing officer to know and understand. The four stages: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Once a product reaches the stage of its full maturity it is time to revisit it with the hope of making improvements.If this is not done the product will very quickly enter the declining stages of its life cycle. This is the reason that Cruiser Thorr started to drop its sales figure. Their product had reached its maturity. Their current customers were old and any knew ones had no idea what Cruiser Thorr, the brand, stood for. For this reason we had to reinven and improve their bikes. It was necessary to compete. It is the hope that we have together reached and addressed the various key points necessary to form a graps of the information that was provided. We have described the three major phases in the simulation.The situation and the recommended solutions have been addressed along with what our results were. We have talked about the different marketing aspects and answered the different question sthat were arisen between the relationships of differentiation and positioning for each of the products and services and its impact. It was the desire of I to create a solid understanding of the purpose and use of Perceptual Maps in Marketing. References All information was taken from the Perceptual Map Marketing Simulation provided on the University of Phoenix website.

Slavery Fair Trade Coffee Essay

Slavery Fair Trade Coffee Essay Slavery: Fair Trade Coffee Essay Casey Trejo Professor Kanu Contemporary Slavery 1 March 2014 Coffee The trading system that the whole world navigates proves to be one that is very complex with rules and regulations set upon the process. Workers, management, and people need to follow policies so that their businesses and corporations do not get put under scrutiny and investigated. Fair trade is a movement that is aimed to support producers to make better trading conditions and financial support in developing countries. The fair Trade is needed because around the world there are countries whose workers are being pushed to their own limits just so the companies can get as much work out of them to make a dollar. The massive coffee industry proves to have its up and downs while trying to abide by the Fair Trade policies. Many people do not know what exactly fair trade is and it is important that the world starts to get a grasp on it. Fair trade is a trading partnership that is based on dialogue, transparency and respect which seeks fairness in the international trade. It works to wards making better working conditions, better source of pay, and for securing the rights of people who are working under these companies. There are multiple campaigns that are being held to raise the awareness for changes in the rules and practice for conventional international trade. Looking past the whole trading sense of it, fair trade is really looking for the greater justice in the world and more of a practice in conventional trade. This movement can be recognized by the WFTO logo. To be certified as Fairtrade farmers bring upon a wide range of costs in achieving Fair Trade. A farmer can only recover costs on the small part of their production that they can sell as fair trade certified. For example, since there is not enough demand to take all certified coffee produced, some has to be sold as uncertified. Also coffee farmers have to meet standards on production. There are limits on the use of child labor, pesticides, herbicides and GMO crops. Farmers have to start hiring labor instead of just using their own families and not paying any money at all. Fair Trade coffee is still a small portion of the market, but is the most popular fair trade commodity in the world. The following is an excerpt from the Organic Consumers Organization that defines the criteria for certification: â€Å"Producers FLO maintains a Coffee Producers Registry that is open to associations of small farmers as detailed above. FLO maintains field monitors in countries and regions of origin, and makes annual visits to ensure producer compliance with the Fair Trade criteria. The majority of cooperatives fulfill or surpass the requirements of FLO's criteria wholeheartedly. If producer cooperatives are found not in compliance, they can be put on probation for a period to allow for improvement, and in rare cases, dismissed from the list for serious violations. Importers and Roasters In the U.S., coffee importers and roasters must sign a licensing agreement with TransFair USA in order to sell Fair Trade Certified coffee using TransFair's trademarked seal on their products. TransFair's Monitoring Department handles the US side of the coffee trail by monitoring licensee paperwork, including sales receipts and tracking numbers. Roasters must pay a licensing fee of 10 cents per pound to TransFair to ensure the sustainability of the system, and to ensure that costs for certification are born in the North rather than by the farmers.† The coffee industry proves to be one of the biggest global industries that is running throughout the world today. â€Å"Coffee exporting alone is a $20 billion dollar industry, mostly consumed by industrialized nations while being produced by the world's underclass†(Goldschein). With just coming second to oil, coffee is worth 100 billion dollars worldwide and is ahead of things like natural gas, gold, oil and corn. These coffee farms that are seen throughout Asia,

A Review Of Recent Evidence

A Review Of Recent Evidence PROJECT MANAGEMENT EMERGED FROM DIFFERENT FIELDS OF APPLICATION INCLUDING CONSTRUCTION, ENGINEERING, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, AND DEFENSE AS A DISCIPLINE. THE 1950S MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE MODERN PROJECT MANAGEMENT ERA. BEFORE 1950S, PROJECTS WERE MANAGED ON AN AD-HOC BASIS USING GANTT CHARTS, OR INFORMAL TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS. PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS THE DISCIPLINE OF PLANNING, ORGANIZING, SECURING AND MANAGING RESOURCES (I.E. MANAGEMENT) TO BRING ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF SPECIFIC PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. B: DISCUSS PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ELEMENTS ONCE PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS PUT IN PLACE ORGANIZATIONS GET THE NECESSARY TOOLS AND INFORMATION THAT ARE NEEDED TO COLLABORATE AND MANAGE THEIR WORKLOAD AS A TEAM. FOLLOWING ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS FOR BETTER PROJECT MANAGEMENT: 1. CLASSIFY -DEFINE THE TYPE OF WORK: IT HELPS EVERYONE UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE E.G. NEW FEATURE, ACTION ITEM, DEFECT ETC. 2. TARGET -TARGET SETS YOUR PROJECT ¿Ã‚ ½S MILESTONES. MEASURING PROGR ESS IS EASY WITH METRICS WHEN REMAINING TASKS AND ISSUES CAN BE RELATED BACK TO THE PLAN, KEEPING TEAM MEMBERS FOCUSED AND WORKING TOWARD A COMMON GOAL. 3. PRIORITIZE – EACH TEAM MEMBER SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE PRIORITY SYSTEM. 4. COLLABORATE -RIGHT TASKS BE ASSIGNED TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE. MAKE SURE THAT OWNERSHIP BE CLEAR AND REASONABLE. WORKLOAD HAS TO BE BALANCED AND FAIR AND IT SHOULD BE EASY FOR PEOPLE TO GET HELP IF NEEDED FROM OTHER TEAM MEMBERS. 5. CHECK STATUS -TASK STATUS SHOULD BE REGULARLY TRACKED. IT SHOULD BE EASY TO SEE WHAT IS COMPLETED, WHAT REMAINS TO BE COMPLETED, AND WHAT ISSUES EXIST. 6. TRACK COMPLIANCE – KEEP A COMPLETE HISTORY FOR EVERY TASK. IT HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ISSUES REMAIN, HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PLANS, UNDERSTAND AND CORRECT PROCESS ISSUES, AND COMPLY WITH APPROPRIATE INDUSTRY STANDARDS LIKE ISO9000 CERTIFICATION ETC. C: DISCUSS EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS INFLUENCING PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAN BE AFFECTED BY THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FACTORS IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. THE EXTERNAL FORCES THAT AFFECT PROJECT MANAGEMENT INCLUDE SOCIOLOGICAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL. EXTERNAL FACTORS: 1. SOCIOLOGICAL: IT INCLUDES THE DEMOGRAPHIC STATUS, TRENDS, WORK ETHICS, PERSONAL VALUES, AND GENERAL CULTURES. THESE FACTORS INFLUENCE DIFFERENTLY ON HOW A PROJECT MANAGER ACCOMPLISHES ITS GOALS. THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT IN EACH COUNTRY IS UNIQUE AND AS THE BUSINESS BECOMES INTERNATIONAL, MANAGEMENT HAS TO UNDERSTAND THESE UNIQUE ENVIRONMENTS IN ORDER TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE AND DESIGN PRODUCTS FOR A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE. 2. ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL: IT INCLUDES THE ESSENTIAL FACTORS SUCH AS COMPETITORS, SUPPLIERS AND CUSTOMERS. PROJECT MANAGEMENT MUST STUDY THE ECONOMY AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT FOR A CONTINUAL AND DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP. BY STUDYING THE COMPANIES, SUPPLIERS, COMPETITORS, CUSTOMERS AND CURRENT POLITICAL FACTORS, THE MANAGEMENT IS CAPABLE OF MAKING EFFECTIVE MANAGERIAL DECISI ONS. THUS THE PRODUCTS DESIGNED UNDER THIS POSSES PLACE, FORM AND TIME UTILITY TO SUCCEED IN THE MARKET PLACE. 3. TECHNOLOGY: TECHNOLOGY HAS THE MOST DRAMATIC EFFECT ON PROJECT MANAGEMENT AS ANY CHANGE IN THIS EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT IS OFTEN QUICKLY FELT BY FIRM. AS THE MARKET CAN CHANGE OVERNIGHT THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE IN A POSITION TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT WILL PUT THE COMPANY IN A FLEXIBLE POSITION TO ADAPT WITH THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES.

Islam in New York City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islam in New York City - Essay Example Knowing these objectives in advance, I recognized the willingness of the Center to provide a comprehensive and immersive experience for the pursuit of truth for its own sake. Since the Center is devoted to enlightening the public, I knew they would be open to providing instruction and first-hand experience. In addition, I gained much from not only visiting the mosque itself, but also touring the other parts of the Center, which are an asset to Muslims living in Manhattan. These experiences represented an opportunity to apply what I have learned about the history, doctrine, and practices of Islam in the classroom. Before visiting the Center, I phoned the front desk to inform them that I would like to visit the Center, its mosque and other parts. They quickly agreed after realizing that my visit was for the purpose of education. I came on a Sunday, which is a day that the Center offers classes for children and adults. I did not know that these classes are open to non-Muslims as well. I was impressed by the inclusiveness of the mosque, especially in the fact that every student (regardless of their religious affiliation) learned Qur’anic Arabic, prayers, and general Islamic teachings touching upon different aspects of life. If I had more time and had planned to take one of these courses ahead of time, I would have. I learned that the Center is in the final stages of building a full-time Islamic school by seeing the final touch-up work on the building. Before coming to the mosque, I knew to respect the thought that a Muslim should wear clean, loose-fitting clothes that cover ankles and wrists. Respectful of this tradition, I approached the mosque in the morning. The doors leading up to the mosque were very large and constructed from a hard material. I noticed immediately that the mosque itself was very large and stood apart from the rest of the building. I understood why this might be because, throughout history and still today, mosques serve as both social a nd political centers for Muslims. The integration of religious and political life means that the same building serves two very essential functions, which was even more reason to be respectful when visiting the site. When I entered the mosque portion of the Center, I immediately noticed the shoe racks against the wall to my left and my right. I thought this was logical, given the need for worshippers to put away their shoes or slippers to pray. I am still unsure why specifically Muslims remove their shoes when they enter a mosque: whether it is because of hygienic reasons to protect the rugs in the prayer chamber or because it is holy ground and a sign of admiration for the surroundings Regardless, I removed my shoes and continued into the reception area of the mosque. I noticed also very classical vases and pottery that was symbolic of Islamic history. In some of these pots and vases were plants that seem to have come straight from the Middle East. I saw this as an acknowledgement o f Islam’s long and storied history in the arts, which I recognized as overall very important the Center as far as it is concerned with promoting knowledge and awareness of Islamic history. Also in the reception area was the Lillah box, which collects charity given voluntarily. The Lillah represents more giving than the Zakah, which is obligatory giving. The proceeds from the Lillah

Getting Started on Twitter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Getting Started on Twitter - Essay Example On your homepage, you will see posts of the people you have decided to follow, while the people who follow one will see his or her posts in their homepage. 1. Set up an account: In order to set-up an account one should visit http://twitter.com and fill out their full name, email and password on the box labelled â€Å"New to Twitter?† then click Sign up for Twitter. Considering that one will require people to recognize them to ensure that they can followed, it is then better to use a name that people commonly know one by (Fitton, Poston and Gruen 2009).. 2. Build your timeline: One will get to follow people so that they can get their tweets, thus, one can search for names of people that you would like to follow using the search box provided and also follow some of the people suggested by Twitter. One has a choice of skipping this step and searching for people to follow after you are done setting up and customizing their account. 3. Add character: In this step a peerson is required to build their profile by uploading a picture and giving more information about themselves specifically their education, career and personal information through which people can remember or differentiate one by. 4. Tweak Ones settings: In order to have the preferred setting on your account, on right side of the Twitter home page there is a drop down menu, click on settings to be able to make the changes that you want. One can change the time zone and language, additionally, one can choose â€Å"protect my tweets† implying that only those that one has approved will be able to view his or her posts. There is also a provision for selecting the country of residence, and on clicking â€Å"Request your archive†, one receives a link in the email address one provided containing information about them and their tweets, and always after customizing ones preferred settings Click â€Å"save changes† to ensure that they are saved (Fitton, Poston and Gruen 2009). When one enters their mobile

The Speckled Band Essay Example for Free

The Speckled Band Essay Our task involves doing an essay on the similarities and differences of three detective fiction stories: The Speckled Band, A Scandal In Bohemia and The Dancing Men all written by the magnificent Arthur Conan Doyle. The genre of these particular stories is all based on Crime/detective. All three stories have the same type of structure although the contents are different. Even though the contents are different, the way they are organised is similar because they are detective stories we should expect similarities between them. Despite the different characters the crime and action in all three is similar. In all three stories there is the same central character Sherlock Holmes-the detective and his great friend Dr John Watson-the first narrator. Helen Stoner approaches Sherlock Holmes about the murder of her sister the night before she was duo to get married. Holmes investigates the cause of death. A Scandal In Bohemia The king of Bohemia comes to see Holmes about a valuable photo, which he needs to get hold of before it ruins his life. The Dancing Men Hilton Cubitt approaches Holmes with a problem; him and his wife are being sent childish drawings of dancing men. Holmes investigates further. The exposition in all three stories has many similarities and differences. There are many similarities I notified in the exposition of these stories, one of which was the dates e. g. in The Speckled Band -Early April in the year 83 Scandal In Bohemia-one night-20th March, 1888. Although the dates are given in two of the stories, I have realised that in The Dancing Men no specific dates are given. This emphasizing a difference in the exposition. In all three stories Dr John Watson is the first (person) narrator and Holmes is always introduced by him. For example in The Speckled Band-In glancing over my notes over the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my dear friend Sherlock Holmes. The Dancing Men-Holmes had been seated for some hours in silence with his long, thin back curved over a chemical vessel in which he was brewing a particularly malodorous product. A Scandal In Bohemia To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman.

The Character of Falstaff in Henry IV :: Henry IV Henry V Essays

The Character of Falstaff in Henry IV      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The character Sir John Falstaff played a crucial part in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1.   Falstaff portrayed a side of life that was both brutal and harsh.   This was important because ,as Falstaff was, all the other main characters in the play were Nobles.   Unlike Falstaff, the other nobles in the play acted as nobles.   Falstaff, on the other hand acted more like the lower class people.   In doing this he portrayed the thoughts and feelings of the lower class people.   As he portrayed the lower class people, Falstaff brought the reader to think.   This was because Falstaff contrasted well with the nobles and brought out new aspects of the themes.   Some of these views brought out be Falstaff were quite harsh, in comparison to the accepted views of the time.   To help balance the harshness of his views, Falstaff was very good natured and invoked laughter in the reader.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Falstaff lived a harsh life and the severity of his life contributed to his views and ideas.   Although he was a noble, his views reflected those of the lower class people. Falstaff did not hold the same view of honor as any of the other main characters in the novel.   To Falstaff, honor was just a word and nothing worth dying over.   Some characters in the novel sought honor through battle.   Falstaff, on the plus side, felt that war was just a place where people had fun.   He showed this when he allowed himself to be paid off by the upperclassmen and took the prisoners and thieves to be killed in battle.   Falstaff knew that they would just be killed and that it was not worth it to have men with a future be killed.   He, rather, led the men with no life into battle, to be killed.   Falstaff also had a different view of loyalty than any of the other nobles.   The nobles felt that one should be loyal to all.   Falstaff felt that one should be loyal only to other thieves.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Falstaff was an excellent talker and also well versed.

I woke up with the worst headache ever – Creative Writing

I woke up with the worst headache ever. I could hardly move but I managed to sit up with difficulty. I was in forest. I looked around to see if I could recognise where I was, but I didn't. Then it hit me. Who I was and what I was doing there? How did I get there? Where am I from? What's my name? I didn't know. My heart was thumping and I started screaming but I realised no one could hear me. I saw that a few trees had been burnt, recently burnt. I touched something, something liquid but it was too thick to be water. I went closer to it wondering what it could be I discovered it was blood. There was blood around me but I wasn't bleeding. I didn't get it. As I was trying to get up my leg hit something too heavy to be pushed away. I was on my feet wondering what it was I'd hit. She had dark eyes, black hair, she was beautiful, stunning but had been stabbed in the stomach. It was her blood I had all over my hands, her blood that my clothes had been drenched in. I thought for a while. This couldn't have been what I thought it was. Was I that sort of a person? Well if I was, I knew I had changed. I bent down and closed her eyes but they re-opened and her hand moved. I was so happy, I might not have known her but I was still happy because death is a terrible thing. Then she grabbed my hand in a tight grip, tight enough to get me on my knees. Struggling she put he arms around my neck and whispered, â€Å"Help me please.† Then she fell into my arms. I started to panic. I had some keys in my pocket, and one of them looked like car keys. I kind of guessed I owned a car. I picked her up and started walking. I had no idea where I was going and after twenty minutes I realised I was lost. But I didn't lose hope, I kept on going for I didn't care how tired I was. All that mattered to me was for this girl to stay alive and not to die. About ten minutes later I came to a car park. I was relieved. I took a look at the keys to see what car I had to look for. Within a minute I found the car I as looking for. A jaguar convertible and I was surprised, I expected a ford or a normal non-expensive car. I opened the passenger seat and put her in. I looked at her closely and muttered to myself, † I couldn't have stabbed her.† I sat in the drivers' seat and found a wallet. I opened it and there was a picture of a guy in it. Next to it there was the name Tyler Epps and the address 4208 Link, Connecticut Lane, Maryland, Silverspring. I looked in the mirror and realised that I was the guy in the picture and also had blood on my face. I didn't know whether to drive up or down? East or West? I decided to look for the main road and there might be signs that may help me. When I got to the main road, there were signs and I looked at them and tried to see if I recognised any of the places. I didn't but to my luck I saw † Newn Hospital 1 mile † I was so glad. When I got there a lady at the desk saw me and screamed, † Got a doctor urgently we have a stabbed patient.† I saw nurses rushing. They took her from me and put her on one of those wheely beds. I watched them vanish at the end of the corridor. A lady came to me to go and get my face cleaned up. There was a massive cut around my temple. A very deep one too, so I had been after all. It was really starting to hurt now. I was so shocked and scared before that I couldn't feel the pain. She asked me who she was, but I told her I had no idea. Then all of a sudden there was blankness. I woke up and to no surprise I found myself on a hospital bed. â€Å"Well good morning Mr. Epps,† a lady's voice said to me. I turned to my left and there was a nurse standing beside me. She was injecting me with something. â€Å"This will make you feel better,† she said as she was writing down something on a piece of paper. I didn't bother asking what it was as I could feel it working already. I didn't feel as weak anymore. â€Å"How long have I been here?† expecting her to say at least three hours. â€Å"Since November the 15th sir.† She paused looking too deep at whatever she was writing. † And today is the 17th of November sir.† She then walked out. I couldn't believe it, I had been unconscious for two days. I wondered what had happened to me to cause this. â€Å"Hey Tyler.† I looked up and it was her. The girl from the forest, she was alive. â€Å"The doctors said I'm going to be out of here soon,† she said with excitement. I was puzzled, she was very confident talking to me. Her face rapidly changed to normal. â€Å"Oh, I forgot,† She said sadly â€Å"Forgot what?† For I had no idea what she was going on about â€Å"Well the doctors told me you had lost your memory in the accident,† she said quietly. â€Å"What accident?† â€Å"I guess I will have to start from the beginning.† â€Å"We were going through the forest on our way to the lakeside, when this guy came to us and asked for the direction to the car park. Then all of a sudden he pulled a knife and stabbed me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She then took a heavy breath. â€Å"You turned and the knife but just as you were about to pull it out he hit you on the head with something, but I didn't quite see what it was.† She had a tear in her eye. â€Å"So, who are you?† She could be my cousin, my best friend, I had to know. â€Å"I'm Kyla, your girlfriend,† she smiled. â€Å"Girlfriend, whoa I can handle that.† I didn't know what else to say, I had a girlfriend and I didn't even remember her. Then again I could see why she's my girlfriend. No doubt she was a beautiful girl and she seemed like a nice person. The nurse came back, † Mr Epps, I've got good news. Your condition seems to have healed rapidly, therefore you can go home in two days, but we will have to run a few tests before that, just to be sure.† â€Å"That's good news, we get to go home together,† she said getting all excited again. â€Å"Home? Together?† I was still confused. † Yeah, we live together.† â€Å"We†¦live together?† â€Å"Tyler I'm your girlfriend you know and the least you can do is sound to surprised.† She was angry. â€Å"Well I am sorry, it's just that I don't even know myself and everything is moving too quick,† I said slowly and calmly. † I am sorry too, it's just that I'm not used to seeing you like this.† † Doesn't it feel good to be home?† â€Å"I don't remember home, but it sure does feel better thin that hospital.† My house as massive, so I kind of figured out that I was rich. I owned a jaguar and a massive house. Living with Kyla was great. She took me to see all my friends and family and helped me with all the things I needed to know and do. I proposed to her and she said yes. After about a year, I was gaining my life back, getting re-adapted to the worlds and living with Kyla. I realised that my life was worth living. I had a great family and a wonderful fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½e. I really did love her. How couldn't I? She was just perfect for me. She was beautiful, intelligent and never did anything wrong or anything to hurt me. She was the reason I lived. During that year Kyla let out the secret, our secret that nobody could know. We are different from everybody else. Kyla had the ability to control the mind and objects, which was weird but really cool. But as for me I just love fire I am a pyromaniac. It was real cool how I could make fire by looking at things. She told me what happened that night. The night in the forest, a night I could never forget. She has a brother named Camen. His power was to actually get into the anyone's body including animals. He didn't † Erm excuse me, I'm Aaron.† â€Å"And†¦Ã¢â‚¬  † I'm Kyla's brother†

Hydro One – Essay

Hydro one helps it to analyze the risks and opportunities in an integrated manner to improve the allocation of resources. It also enables it to prepare for the changing corporate governance requirements, deregulation of markets and future risks Like OLL spill etc. The process of ERM at Hydro one involves the identification of 50-70 business risks which are then reduced to ten most significant risks through interviews and focus groups.Voting is accomplished using the Delphi Method to quickly identify and prioritize risks based on the ignited and probability in order to focus on major risks. Five point risk tolerance scale from Minor to worst case Is used to estimate the Impact of a risk on the corporate objectives and five point probability rating scale is used to estimate the probability of the risk materializing. Each investment program is evaluated in terms of the cost and severity of the risk It attempts to mitigate.Capital expenditures are allocated to the prioritize investment projects according to the greatest overall risk reduction per dollar spent (Bang for the buck index). Overall risk score is assigned to each combination of impact and probability assessment. It is a rational and better- coordinated process for allocating capital as: 1 . It improves the capital expenditure process and can help the firm select an optimal portfolio of projects. 2. It enables the firm to delegate the responsibility to manage the risk to the risk owner while making risk awareness an indispensable part of company culture. . The company credit rating given by S&P, Moody improved resulting in lower credit costs for the many as the company exhibited Improvements in efficiency. 4. The process takes Into account the benefits of risk reduction In a wide gamut of risk categories (regulatory, financial, reliability, safety, reputation) and assesses the qualitative impact of various risks also. 5. It helps the company achieve an optimum balance between business risks and returns.T hus, the ERM implementation process makes use of a variety of tools and techniques, including the â€Å"Delphi Method,† risk trends, risk maps, risk tolerances, risk refills, and risk rankings etc. It has succeeded In overcoming most of the issues as follows: * The use of Delphi method facilitates open discussions and causes managers to shed their rigid views and develop a common understanding of the risks. They are able to concur on the corporate plan for proportioning action and the resources to manage such risks. The attention of top management is secured by espousing that risk management Is everyone's responsibility, from the Board of Directors to individual employees. The classification of risks enables the managerial attention to be concentrated on high risk factors. * As risks are continuously evolving and the magnitude and probability of a certain risk is affected by the Internal controls (mitigation efforts In the past) as well as the external changes In the environm ent. Thus, monitoring and reporting are fundamental to effective management of business risks.Hydro one engaged in extensive reviews and 1 OFF Incorporated outside views In ten corporate rills prattle Walt ten Nell AT attaches room other sources like workshops, media scans along with structured interviews with the top 40 to 50 executives together. * Regulatory compliance is ensured through a separate classification of regulatory risks and potential loss of credibility. Thus, the risk based investment planning system has yielded many benefits for the firm, but as the risks faced by the firm are changing, the company continuously needs to incorporate those risks in its ERM system in order to succeed in achieving its strategy.

crusade essays

crusade essays The causes of the Crusades were many and complex, but prevailing religious beliefs were clearly of major importance. The Crusaders continued an older tradition of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which was often imposed as a penance; now, however, they assumed a dual role as pilgrims and warriors. Motives for crusading in addition to regaining the holy land was: to unite the catholic church, increase papal authority, reunite the western and eastern churches and put surplus knights to work. It is arguable that crusading diminished, rather than increased, the economic and cultural exchange between Western Europe and the Islamic world that might otherwise have taken place. For Byzantium, the impact of the crusading movement was disastrous. The crusades coincided with, and to some extent caused a decisive shift in the balance of economic and military power between western Europe and the Faltering Bzantine empire. Trade between Islam and the West continued despite periodic interruptions caused by crusader attacks on Syria, Eqypt and North Africa. Even though countless numbers of people died during the Christian Crusades, there were many positive effects for both the East and the West. After the Crusades halted, various trade routes opened up between Eastern and Western cities. Also, the Muslims developed new military strategies and techniques during the fights with the Europeans, and they united themselves against one cause, producing a stronger religious nation. These trade routes generated a beneficial contact between the cultures of East and West. From the Muslims these merchants bought spices, sugar, cloth and cotton. Other merchants from Sicily and Aragorn traded for Tunisian gold, and Algerian wool and animal skins. Popular goods traded from the Middle East were sugar, melons, cotton, ultramarine dye and damask cloth. Though most of the traded goods came from the Middle East, the combined efforts from both East and West brought ...

Corporate Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Corporate Culture - Essay Example The concept of corporate culture that became widespread in the 1980s was mentioned in the book of Tom Peters and Robert Waterman (1982), In Search of Excellence, in which it was also, mentioned the potential impacts the values and the mindsets of a company could have on its success. There are many factors which influence the shaping or developing of an organizational culture. Buchanan and Huczyenski (1991) came up with four main factors. They argued that for a corporate culture to develop, an organization is required to have a strong and sound set of values, which is usually set up by the organization's founder. Those values are expected to carry forward through the top managerial levels that strengthen the firm's standards and a social learning process is evolved as an outcome. Secondly, the environment of an organization, such as the mention of company's heroes, symbols and notices present will affect the style of how the organization is run and functions. The stories of past efficient employees of the business who contributed greatly to the performance and development of the organization that circulate around in an organization greatly affect the way the rest of the employees work and behave in the organization. ... The methods can be formal and informal, one-way or two-way and can be both. However, communication is a strong factor as it depicts the present culture of the organization and affects others. The training sessions and induction and orientation practices used for communication also develop the way things are handled in a business and thus the corporate culture gets affected. Moreover, what are interrelated with the communication factor are the cultural networks. This implies the set of common beliefs a group of people share within themselves. If a set of values and assumptions are shared by a large group of people that is bound to be the dominant corporate culture in the organization. However, if cultural networks are scattered in an organization, then the organizational culture tends to be weak as no one is following a fixed set of values. The leadership and management style also shapes up the culture around in a business as the managers are usually known as the culture carriers and convey it to the rest of people working in an organization. John Kotter and James Heskett (1992) came up with two types of organizational culture, adaptive culture and inert culture. Adaptive culture as the name implies, is a flexible way of doing things where external factors are taken into account and changers are made in the organization accordingly. Decision making is usually centralized as it facilities greater flexibility in decision making and risk taking. The inert culture is unresponsive to the external environment and has a set of rigid beliefs which it does not change. Decision making is often centralized and there is a

HOW FAST FOOD IN AMERICA EFFECTS THE GROWTH OF CHILD OBESITY Research Paper

HOW FAST FOOD IN AMERICA EFFECTS THE GROWTH OF CHILD OBESITY - Research Paper Example Such overweight and obese children are, often, the recipients of consistent harassment, cruel taunts, and likely, bullying. Unfortunately, the number of children falling into the category of obese, or well on their way to becoming obese, is growing and has been for some time. Why are children battling issues of obesity at younger and younger ages? There are multiple theories about the different aspects and elements of modern society that are contributory to the issue of childhood obesity. Many researchers favor the idea that it is the fast food industry that can, and should, be blamed for this unhealthy trend in childhood weight gain. Although, it is unlikely, that fast food alone can be held entirely responsible; however, it is most certainly a contributor. Background A child can be classified as overweight if their â€Å"body mass Index,† or BMI, is higher than the 85th percentile for their age and gender. Obesity is determined when a child’s BMI is at or above the 95 th percentile for their gender and age. The number of children that fall into these percentiles has, essentially, tripled over the last 3 decades. (Miller , Rosenbloom, and Silverstein 1) The dangers for children who are overweight or obese are at risk to contract or develop a number very serious diseases and conditions; cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and prediabetes, which can eventually evolve into actual diabetes. Children who are obese may, also, face unpleasant social isolation, which can lead to psychological and self esteem issues. Overweight and obese children are considerably more likely to grow up to me overweight and obese adults. At which point they, potentially, become even more at risk of developing the aforementioned conditions, but, also, joint problems and heightened risk of developing cancers of the prostate, cervix, breast, pancreas, bladder, and kidney to name a few. Given a bit more time, at this rate, obesity, or complications caused by it, will b ecome the number 1 cause of death in the United States.(Miller, Rosenbloom, and Silverstein 1) Because childhood obesity is a concern that does not seem to be slowing down or stopping, much research has been done to determine causes that have allowed childhood obesity to increase so much, preventions that can combat these modern causes, and treatments to improve the health and lives who are presently overweight or obese. There are a multitude of contributing factors, some genetic, others environmental, and some are related to the nature and quality of the food that they consume. ("Childhood Obesity") Fast food, like pizza, tacos, burgers and fries, and all the franchises open all times and hours, has earned a finger pointed their direction as the pan-ultimate cause of childhood obesity. Although not all researchers agree, but the fast food industry does absolutely play a significant part. Discussion The modern society we live in today is so very different from generations that came before us. The nature of jobs and entertainment have all become far more sedentary with all of the new technological advances; televisions, video games, and computers encourage longer and longer periods devoid of physical activity. The children are a product of that environment. It has, also, been determined that our modern world is far more dangerous than it once was, children’s parents are less comfortable with their children playing outside, parks and playgrounds are