The Famous American Criminal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

The Famous American Criminal - Essay Example He beheaded twelve of his victims and kept some heads at his apartment as a memento. Occasionally, he would break into people’s homes in the middle of the night and beat them to death. Bundy was initially charged in the year 1975 in the US state of Utah for kidnapping and attempted murder, which led to a long list of cases of murders in different states. Bundy managed to escape the prison twice from 1975 onwards during which, he committed more murders. He was ultimately captured in the year 1978 in Florida. In two distinct trials, Bundy was given three death sentences for the murders he had committed in Florida. Bundy expressed his views upon the art of crime in these words, â€Å"You learn what you need to kill and take care of the details. It's like changing a tire. The first time you're careful. By the thirtieth time, you can't remember where you left the lug wrench† (Bundy cited in â€Å"Ted Bundy Quotes†). Bundy attributed his madness and craziness to the st uff shown in the media. At one point, he said, â€Å"there lots of other kids playing in streets around this country today who are going to be dead tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day and month, because other young people are reading the kinds of things and seeing the kinds of things that are available in the media today† (Bundy cited in â€Å"The 14 Creepiest†). Although he confessed having killed 30 women, the true number was never revealed by him (Bell). Ted Bundy was executed on 24 January 1989. He was executed on an electric chair at Florida’s Raiford Prison.

Food Insecurity and Soup Kitchens Research Paper

Food Insecurity and Soup Kitchens - Research Paper Example Introduction Food security is the â€Å"consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life† according to Nord, Hooper & Hopwood (p.1). On the other hand, â€Å"very low food security† refers to a reduction of food intake and disruption of eating patterns in households due to a lack of money and other resources for food during particular times of the year (Nord, Andrews & Carlson 5). Adequate food is essential for good health and good nutrition. Economic policy and program regimes that support the fundamental factors related to food security are capable of reducing health inequalities. On comparing Canada and the United States on the impact of food insecurity, it was found that in Canada’s levels of food insecurity are lower than that of the U.S., indicating that Canada’s is more food secure as a result of various measures, and the success of governmental and private programs in alleviating hunger. Further, problems and solutions related to food i nsecurity conceptualized for Binghamton area of New York will be conceptualized on the basis of a survey conducted and census information. Food Insecurity in Canada and in the United States Canada and the United States significantly differ in the proportions of their populations that have consistent access to sufficient food for active, healthy living. ... households twice as likely to be food insecure in relation to Canadian households with children. The important parameters that impact food insecurity across the world include income adequacy, education, household structure, presence or absence of children, residence area, and other factors. Nord et al (p.16) state that these parameters should be considered in the context of the different social, economic, program and policy systems of Canada and the United States, to achieve a better understanding of the impact of these factors on household food security. Canada’s Action Plan for Food Security in response to the World Food Summit commitment to reduce food insecurity by 2015, builds on several existing international commitments which affect food security. These emerge from current domestic programs such as Canada’s own â€Å"Nutrition for Health: An Agenda for Action; Gathering Strength: Canada’s Aboriginal Action Plan; revisions to legislation including the Fish eries Act† (Agriculture and Agri-Food, Canada 5) and Canada’s evolving economic, social and environmental programs and policies. A Joint Consultative Group (JCG) composed of both government and civil society representatives have developed the Action Plan. In 2009 the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) â€Å"announced food security as a priority theme and pledged an additional $600 million over 3 years in support of this theme† (CFSPG 1). The government’s program has been successful to a certain extent. To augment the work of the government, there have been private organizers rallying forces under the banner of food security. Thus, local efforts in Canada include the setting up of food pantries, treatment of chronic diseases related to malnutrition,

Strategic and Financial Decision-making Assignment 2 - 2010 Coursework

Strategic and Financial Decision-making Assignment 2 - 2010 - Coursework Example The ‘beta’ is the most important statistics tool to measure the volatility and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a popular model to calculate the return on stock. In this report the beta values of two companies will be calculated using the share prices of the last 24 months. These two companies are British American Tobacco (BATS) and the Petrofac (PFC.L) and both of them are listed in the London Stock Exchange (LSE). British American Tobacco is one of the leading tobacco companies in UK. British American Tobacco produces cigarettes under different brands and has different price range. â€Å"Petrofac is an international provider of facilities solutions to the oil & gas production and processing industries† (Petrofac, 2010). The beta values of both the companies will be calculated using different methodologies that include covariance of the stock return with market returns and the variance of the market returns and the linear regression analysis. For calculating the betas, the monthly stock prices of both the companies were obtained and for market return the index FTSE 100 has been used. All these are the secondary source of data obtained through online sources. The historical stock prices of the both the companies are obtained through ‘Yahoo Finance’ and the historical data of FTSE 100 is also taken from the same online source (Yahoo Finance. 2010). The calculated beta values have been compared with the beta values from the published source. The published source for betas has been taken from the online source, MSN-Money (MSN-Money, U.K. 2010.). The published betas of British American Tobacco and Petrofac are 0.47 and 1.06 respectively. The two methodologies for beta calculation have been used. The first methodology will use the covariance of stock return with market return and the variance of the market return. The following model explains the beta (ÃŽ ²) under the same method. The calculation has

Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Anything - Essay Example As Hands notes, life has become difficult for millions of families. The median gross full-time weekly earnings have fallen, in inflation-adjusted terms, by 9% since 2008. Living standards for many households have been flat, at best, for much longer. During that same period, the value-added tax, which hits low-income workers hardest, has been raised to 20% (21). It is imperative to come up with means and ways to lift the incomes of those who are poorest paid. If the minimum wages are increased, this should correspond to changes in the tax code. If this were not put in consideration one-third of every pound in wage increase would be taken by the Treasury. What politicians who proclaim an increase in the minimum wage are less keen to share is that only 68% of every extra pound in increased wages actually reaches the pockets of low-wage earners. The rest is taken by the Treasury through a 20% income tax that applies to every pound of earnings above  £10,000 per year equivalent to aroun d 39 working weeks at 40 hours per week on the minimum wage and a 12% national insurance deduction on earnings above  £8,000. For the many who will also see their in-work benefits reduced, the effective marginal tax rate is more than 32% (Hands 21). This is why the claim of raising the minimum wage is a traditional method that is used by politicians. If the wages are increased the government gets credit but, on the other hand the tax revenues increased and worsen the situation. This shows that a better way to help the low-income earners is by a complete tax reform. The national insurance paid is nothing more other than tax by another name. While there has been considerable progress in raising the threshold for income tax, politicians are conspicuously quiet about doing the same for national insurance. The result is that someone working 40 hours at the minimum wage

Instructional iBook Project for UC Irvines Neurology Clerkship Thesis

Instructional iBook Project for UC Irvines Neurology Clerkship - Thesis Example all students in the clerkship are provided iPads, the iPads will also insure that students get 24 hour access to comprehensive learning tools and student support services. As a learning tool inside and outside of the classroom, the iBook will blend the theories of problem-based learning in interactive-simulated style to help these medical students practice their critical thinking while fostering intrinsic motivation to learn and collaborate with others. Not only will the iBook aid students with their own learning, but it will also give instructors a way to measure the progress of their students by gathering data about their student’s advancement through iBook simulations and iBook assessment exams. Overall, the project will help all medical students in the Neurology clerkship to better succeed in the program and become better critically thinking medical professionals in the process. The aim of this study is to develop and design an instructional iBook project for UC Irvine’s neurology clerkship. A review of the literature is conducted to establish the rationale for developing and designing an instructional iBook project for UC Irvine’s neurology clerkship. In this regard, the subjects covered include best practices for clinical instruction, instructor certification, student MD certification, and instructional technologies in clinical settings. Clinical instruction is ‘multifaceted and complex’ with the clinical instructor required to manage a number of duties and to ‘respond to competing demands (O’Conner, 2006, p. 27). The clinical instruction is required to have a ‘working knowledge of patients assigned to students’, and must also understand the ‘healthcare problems likely to be encountered and the treatments, procedures and policies that apply’ (O’Connor, 2006, p. 27). At the same time, although students have a common educational goal, they all have different ‘learning needs’ (O’Connor, 2006, p. 27). A common problem for

Pirates Of Silicon Valley Essay Example for Free

Pirates Of Silicon Valley Essay The movie â€Å"PIRATES OF SILICON VALLEY† is all about how Apple and Microsoft got started. This creation was made because of the two intelligent people: Steve Jobs for Apple and Bill Gates for Microsoft. It shows how the first Apple computer was made which is the Macintosh. The movie is also about how the two intelligent persons compete to each other in order to be a successful or famous. It also shows how a good leader handles his employees or team. Just like with Steve Jobs. He is so abusive to his workers. It just like he is only the good person. He always wants to follow his decisions and not giving chance to listen to the opinions or decisions of his teammates. That’s why he had also a problem when it comes to his family. It is quite opposite to Bill Gates. Because Bill is just a simple man and he used his intelligence in good way. That’s why he succeeds much compared to Steve Jobs and became a wealthiest man in the world. I learned from that negative attitude of Steve Jobs. It teaches me not to be high regard to yourself in whatever achievements you will have. It’s because we cannot conclude what the future will holds, sometimes those who are not considered now might be the one who will succeed more. In everything we do, we should be humble. We should also consider the opinions of others. Their points of view will sometimes help us succeed not only for our own interest but to the whole organization as a whole. Because in an organization, it’s not only a matter of one mind functioning but it’s a sharing of thoughts, information and ideas to make the organization successful. But if there’s a negative point out in the movie, there is also a positive value that I admired. First is the companionship of each main character. The companionship of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniac and with Bill Gates and Paul. Despite also of the negative attitude of Steve Jobs, I admired how he persists to be successful. After he was fired in the Apple for after five years, he started a company named NEXT and another company named Pixar. Despite of being a loser in Apple, he didn’t lose his hope to be successful again but still dreams that someday he  will be a successful one. That’s good. We should not think that rejections in our life will still be there. Let’s make it as our inspiration to achieve our goals. We should learn from our mistakes because failure is success. The more we fail, the more we will be a better one if we learned from it.

Analysis of Zaras Marketing Plan and Strategy

Analysis of Zaras Marketing Plan and Strategy Zara is a retailing chain with several stores situated worldwide. Its marketing strategy is based more on expansion rather than advertising or traditional methods of promotion. This report will provide a brief outline and a critical evaluation of Zaras marketing plan particularly in relation to its environment. The report will also identify and evaluate how technology and the new media could impact on Zaras future marketing plans. The sustainability of Zaras marketing strategy and how it will affect their reputation in the future will also be examined. Zara has already begun the implementation of the marketing strategy so a brief look at the current position and the results has also been included in this report. 2.0 Marketing Plan 2.1 Mission Statement Zara moves at the pace of society, fashion ideas, and trends that society itself has natured. Hence its success among people, cultures and generations that, in spite of their differences, share a special sensitivity for fashion. 2.2 SWOT Analysis Zaras main strengths are its early development in technology which has resulted in smoothly operated logistics, its ability to produce good designs and recent trends promptly and efficiently, its investment intensity and its participative culture (see appendix 1: Company background). Its main weakness is its customer service but it has opportunity for growth in new markets, new countries and on the internet. The firms main threat is the possible effect of the worldwide economic recession on the strength of the Euro which could increase the costs of Zaras outsourcing and ultimately remove the competitive advantage gained by its pricing strategy. 2.3 Marketing Objectives Increase customer equity Increase purchase frequency among plus size customers Continue to grow by extending the Zara fashion brand Increase brand awareness and favourable attitudes among consumers Zaras main corporate objectives are growth through store expansion in large highly populated cities and maintaining a competitive advantage through the constant release of a variety of new fashions regularly. The marketing objectives to increase brand awareness and extend the Zara fashion brand will contribute hugely towards achieving the overall objectives particularly the store expansion. 2.4 Marketing Strategy The target group consists mainly of women aged between 18 40 who are either working in big cities or pursuing higher education, have a mid-range income and are generally interested in fashion trends as well as conscious about their looks. The company has positioned itself as a store selling a variety of medium quality high fashion clothing at affordable prices and has stores in about 70 countries worldwide. The pricing strategy is to produce clothes that are typically inexpensive and affordable by those who cannot spend much on fashionable clothing but want to have appealing and comfortable outfits as well as wealthy consumers who like good quality and style. Zaras marketing strategy is to create a customer focused product that will differentiate Zara from its competitors by bringing a fresh look to the plus size segment, feeding on the existing Zara name and values associated with the brand and stealing the variety-seeking customer from the competitors. 2.5 Marketing Mix Product Price Promotion Place Physical Evidence People Process Quality Inexpensive Store display Logistics Customers Outsourcing Appearance Affordable Public relations Store atmosphere i.e. wide open spaces Suppliers In-house production Brand Inclusive (i.e not exclusive) Advertising in high Fashion magazines e.g Vogue, Harpers etc. Each line with its own section in the store Store managers Backward integration Appeal Internet Designers CSR initiative to create awareness e.g design competition for students According to McDonald M, (2007), all organizations have a mix of products or services that could be classified as either, a disaster, lowest cost, niche or outstanding success products based on M. Porters generic strategies matrix. But Zara has very few disasters, in fact it has a new product failure rate of just 1% in comparison to the industry average of 10% (Pearson, n.d.). Through backward and vertical integration, Zara keeps its costs low and therefore is able to maintain low prices whilst still retaining profitability. It does not particularly aim to produce niche products as most of the designs are either a copy from the catwalk or from other store designs. However most of the time it does have outstanding success with its products as a result of its excellent supply chain which enables it to produce new designs promptly. Zara can produce and distribute new designs within two weeks of a new style appearing on the catwalk, a feat which has given the firm a competitive advantage over competitors such as HM (Hennes Mauritz) and Gap. The firms clothes are advertised mainly through the store displays in their numerous stores located worldwide and through their attentive customer service. They also advertise on the internet and very rarely in other forms of media. The products are distributed through a complex technology based system which ensures that goods are delivered to all the stores simultaneously and on a regular basis. 3.0 The Marketing Plan and its Environment 3.1 Pestel Analysis Zara originated in Spain and with over 500 of its stores currently located there, the market has become rather saturated. Hence it has expanded to 63 countries and consequently faces various challenges usually presented by unfamiliar environments. Zara has a policy of establishing its stores only in the city centre of large cities and each store must have a minimum size of 1000 square metres. In certain countries obtaining this can be a challenge which resulted in Zara partnering with one of its main competitors, Benetton in an attempt to penetrate the Italian market. The joint venture failed after two years as they were unable to secure the required property size in an appropriate location. Furthermore Zara originally had a policy of owning all its stores which it has had to review following the entry into various countries with a restriction on total foreign ownership. Zara was forced to consider joint ventures and franchises to combat this problem and currently has several co-owned stores. The worldwide recession is also an economic factor that could create challenges for Zaras marketing plan. The credit crunch has left the populace with less disposable income and for many people, keeping up with the fashion may not necessarily be a priority in the face of rising prices and costs. In addition, inflation in the less developed countries that Zara operates in could create a risk as the profits may be less than expected. Part of Zaras corporate objectives, is to protect the environment as much as possible, which includes producing less waste, recycling where possible, the use of ecological fabrics, production of PVC footwear and use of biodiesel fuel. Ensuring that this objective is achieved is quite crucial as the companys image could be affected by the activities of pressure groups or stakeholders who might raise environmental issues in the countries that Zara operates in. There are also cultural considerations to Zaras international expansion strategy which forms the basis of its marketing plan. Despite overwhelming success in Europe over the past few years, Zara has been unable to penetrate the American apparel market successfully. It could be as a result of a difference in tastes and preferences added to the fact that the firm has not developed a strong supply chain strategy as they have in Europe. Nevertheless, cultural differences in tastes and styles could remain a challenge for a company focusing on diversification to foreign countries. In Moslem countries, Zara adds extra length to the hemlines of its dresses and in its corporate web page, it states that our international presence allows us to conclude that there are no frontiers that would impede a shared culture of fashion. Efforts will have to be made to ensure that sensitive cultural issues in foreign countries are not ignored. 3.2 Five Forces Analysis The relationship of Zaras marketing plan with its environment can be further analysed with the use of Porters five forces model. Zaras main competitors are Gap, Benetton and HM. Zara has maintained a competitive advantage over its competitors through its ability to control its supply chain. It does not share most of its suppliers as it has acquired some of them through its parent company, Inditex and unlike its competitors, most of its operations are executed in-house such as fabric manufacturing and part of the cutting and sewing processes. Indeed Zara competes with its rivals for customers but through its creation of a brand has secured customer loyalty. Its customers visit the stores on average 17 times a year compared to the industry average of 3 times and on most of those occasions purchases are made. Zara releases around 10,000 different designs every year and deliberately produces styles in small quantities to create an aura of scarcity. This ensures that customers visit regularly to see the latest designs and purchase immediately because there is no certainty that the style will be there the next day. There is always a threat of substitution, as competitors will all release the same design eventually but again, Zaras speed gives it an advantage and it would have sold out its top designs, long before the competitors who have a longer lead production time (usually five months compared to Zaras two weeks), can put the designs on the market. There are no real barriers to entry into the industry that Zara operates in other than the fact that Zara has differentiated its product. It is not a pure differentiation however since it does not charge a premium price for its products nor is it a cost leadership as it does not have the lowest possible price and does not really aim to be the lowest cost producer. What Zara has, is a combination of differentiation and cost leadership which translates to a very successful product that new entrants would have great difficulty competing with. 4.0 Zaras Marketing Plan and the Impact of New Media and Technology In the past few years social media has become increasingly popular as a mode of communication between consumers and companies or institutions. It provides a forum for conversations about a companys actions and also a means for companies to test the publics level of awareness about their activities as well as the peoples perception of them. Social media such as Twitter, Facebook and other blogs or discussion groups can also provide companies with a unique platform to raise awareness of their corporate responsibility activities. Many brands are cautious about online interaction because they are uncertain as to how they will be perceived and also the limited control they would have over dissenting views and negative reactions voiced publicly. Many CR managers are hesitant to highlight corporate responsibility issues and enable debates because they feel that they may be inviting unwanted attention. (WGSN, 2009). Yet online environments actually offer companies a broader space in which to connect with customers, NGOs and peers around sustainability issues. Social media can also be used for advertising purposes which most of the companies in the retailing industry seem to use it for including Zara and its competitors. Zara has an impressive movement on Facebook where latest designs are advertised and consumers comment on each post with an average of 400 700 comments and about 10,000 likes. However Zaras stance on corporate responsibility issues are not highlighted in the social media like their competitor HM who have detailed positions on corporate responsibility in every country they operate in. They also have a full sustainability report in relation to their activities and its impact on the environment with a section inviting the public to email them with feedback and questions. Interestingly they do not have a public forum for the publics responses and views to be aired but addressing the issues publicly is a first step in the right direction. Zara could use the social media to have a more positive impact on the public by opening up discussion boards to debate ethical and social responsibility issues in relation to their activities in all the countries they operate in. Sustainability has become a core issue for business operations and widespread stakeholder participation is critical. The social media is a relatively cheap method of communicating with a vast number of people worldwide and presents an opportunity that no company should overlook. Zara has a small blog which outlines a few sustainability and global issues or activities that the firm has engaged in such as global warming, climate change and more recently help given to the victims of the Japanese tsunami. However, this blog is not widely publicised and is more likely to be stumbled upon rather than sought out as a Facebook or Twitter page would. Zara has in the past found itself in the midst of a corporate responsibility storm such as a link to a supplier with a sweat shop factory in Bangladesh, (Procurement Leaders Forum, 2008) and another factory (also in Bangladesh) occasionally used for production which collapsed killing three people. In each incident, Zara responded swiftly and offered reparations which has earned it a high rating in terms of social responsibility. Zaras timely and effective response was further emphasised by the fact that competitor firms who also used the same factory, offered less and in some cases refused to accept responsibility altogether. Zara would however benefit immensely from having a social site where such issues could be discussed publicly and potential dangers could be highlighted to prevent such disasters from recurring. 5.0 Sustainability of Zaras marketing Strategy The sustainability of Zaras marketing strategy depends on two major factors that could have a crucial impact on Zaras activities in the long term. Unlike most of its competitors, Zara tends to avoid outsourcing to developing countries where labour is very cheap. The main reason for this is to have more control over its suppliers and to enable a rapid delivery process in addition to contributing to the employment market of its home country Spain. The result of this is that the labour costs are higher than those of its competitors but this is compensated by the speedy production of the latest styles with reasonably consistent quality. Zara does produce some generic lines in developing countries but 60% of its outsourcing is in Spain or Portugal. The current worldwide recession may however have a serious impact on this strategy. With rising labour costs and the effect of the recession on the Euro, Zara may be forced to increase the outsourcing to developing countries. This would make them lose the competitive advantage of speed and may affect their corporate image as a result of the stigma attached to the use of cheap labour in sweat shops. Pressure groups and international campaigns are constantly demanding an improvement to working conditions for employees in developing countries. Consequently even outsourcing to the Far East may cease to be a profitable option in the long term too. Another factor that could have an impact on the marketing strategy is the ever increasing focus on environmental issues. The major environmental impacts in the fabric sector arise from the use of energy and toxic chemicals which are utilised widely in many manufacturing stages such as pre-treatment, dyeing and printing. Zara currently executes most of these tasks in-house and could therefore face pressure from consumers making demands for environmentally sensitive production. This may mean that Zara would have to invest in research to find alternative materials or recycling options that could reduce the threat to the environment. Zaras marketing strategy could also face other challenges which might arise from the use of the new media. As discussed earlier, Facebook is used quite extensively for advertising and other forms of promotion. The question is how sustainable is the use of this new media for marketing purposes? Seth Godin, author of Meatball Sundae, in his presentation14 Trends No Marketer Should Ignore (XXXX), described the web as a world of new marketing which requires various trends for its successful implementation. He stressed the importance of communication between consumers and the manufacturers and also suggested that with the advent of the internet, everyone is now a critic that cannot be avoided or ignored. One picture on Youtube showing a serious lapse could undo millions of dollars of advertising. The underlying message is that the internet is a new world that companies could embrace for their marketing potential at low cost or ignore at their peril. If a company is not on any of the socia l media, they may be unaware if a campaign is carried out against them and consequently unable to execute a damage control program. Any sustainable marketing strategy should include a role for social sites. Zaras marketing strategy is mainly based on expansion which the internet could play a vital role in. Last year the company launched its first tranche of websites for some of its European markets including the UK and two weeks ago it also launched websites for Denmark, Sweden, Monaco and Switzerland. It plans to open further sites in two of the worlds largest e-commerce markets, US and Japan later this year which will increase its presence online. Seth Godin believes that we are in the middle of the next, possibly biggest industrial revolution and that the internet represents a tremendous opportunity for people who understand it. The reality is that any marketing strategy that does not include expansion online may not be sustainable in the long term. Robert Hellar (Internet Selling, ) stated that shopping has already begun to move in some force out of the high street and onto the Website. Traditional retailers will have to join this revolution that will cut costs, increase variety and make home deliveries. This development however exposes the investments in high streets to a new vulnerability and risk. As part of its expansion, Zara purchased several properties where stores are owned and these assets may in future become liabilities. The Amazon experience and the internet banking developments have shown that stores as we know them could become quite redundant and possibly mutate into nothing more than showrooms and warehouses. The sustainability of the high street stores cannot be determined; however the expansion of the websites is likely to be a sustainable strategy and a good fall back option in the event that shopping on the high street does eventually become unfashionable.