Mandating Writing Courses Essay

Writing is slowly becoming a lost art.   With modern technology, the writing process has become simpler; sometimes words are even completed and corrected by word processing programs for the writer.   Gone are the days of looking through dictionaries to find spellings and meanings of words. Writing is becoming shorter and more abbreviated, and many feel that since technology is cheapening our language, that college writing courses are not necessary.   They are mistaken.   College writing courses such as English 103 and 104 provide an opportunity to learn the skills that are taught through writing.   These very valuable, transferrable, and necessary skills for life and career are organization, research, and persuasion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organization is a skill that is reinforced through writing courses, specifically courses like English 103 and 104 that force the writer to think critically about the timing of his or her argument and placement of fact.   Organization is a valuable skill to grasp for both life and career.   Organization aids in the ability to provide directions or information to other people. It also is essential when speaking in front of people in order that they can follow what is being said. An organized speaker or writer can communicate more effectively, and communication is paramount in both life and career in order to be successful.   Writing classes force students to practice being prepared and to put time and effort into their work.   These are skills students cannot succeed in other classes without.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   English 103 and 104 offer also opportunities to learn to research correctly and effectively.   Research is a necessary skill for college as well as in life and career.   It enhances learning and teaches students where to look for information.   It also teaches students how to be responsible for their own learning, which will carry over into their careers as they become responsible for their own jobs. In life, researching skills allow people to take control of their own spending habits and have more consumer power through the ability to have product knowledge and healthy living information available to them.   Research also teaches time management skills and enhances reading exposure to different media.   Research is an essential tool not only in school, but in life and career.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perhaps the most valuable skill taught in writing classes such as English 103 and 104 is that of persuasion.   Once a student can organize and research effectively, he or she can present a credible and believable argument or persuasive talk or work not only in school, but in real life.   Persuasion is what is used to get a job initially and then to be promoted.   Even relationships require persuasion.   The art of the argument will never die; writing classes are essential in teaching this skill.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is sad that as time goes by the English language, a beautiful and complex set of rules and symbols, becomes less important to society.   Colleges and universities should keep the requirements of writing courses such as English 103 and 104 for every student.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Educated people should know how to read and write well as well as posses great organizational skills, researching strategies and effective argumentation abilities.   Writing courses teach these skills.

Colonialism and the Struggles of the Black Psyche Essay

The book â€Å"Black Skin, White Masks† by Frantz Fanon analyzes the psychological damage that colonialism wrought on the colonizer and the colonized. Fanon also bases his analyses on his own experiences, wherein he describes how black children develop neuroses that root from their antagonism of their own skin, because of the media and their daily circumstances: â€Å"The dominant colonial culture†¦identifies the black skin of the Negro with impurity; and the Antilleans accept this association and so come to despise themselves† (Appiah ix). The source of â€Å"Black Skin, White Masks† is the psychological injury from colonialism, racism, and gender inequality, an injury that will escape recovery, unless the black psyche conquers its inner white demons and alienate all that alienates him/her. Fanon writes from the experiences and psychiatric analyses of the black skin and the white masks that black people don. He describes a girl who is afraid of black people: â€Å"†¦it is at this age that the Negro as savage and cannibal makes his appearance. It is easy to make the connection† (Fanon 184). This fear for the black skin is also emphasized and criticized in the painting â€Å"How Do You Like Me Now† (1988) (fig. 1) by David Hammons. This fourteen-by-sixteen-foot painting shows political leader Jesse Jackson with blond, wavy hair, blue eyes, pink cheeks, and white skin. The title is also a song of a popular rapper Kool Moe Dee. This painting can be interpreted from different perspectives. Barnwell and Buick argue that white viewers can see the painting from their perspective, wherein they are challenged to see through their biases and consider voting for a black man, now that he is â€Å"whitened. At the same time, the painting â€Å"asks black viewers whether they would support Jackson if he were white,† say Barnwell and Buick. On the other hand, the interpretation of the paintings also changes with the race of the artist. Barnwell and Buick explore the changes in meanings of the artwork, if Hammons race is changed from black to white. This painting has bee n attacked ten black men, who thought that it was racist and insulting, and they used sledgehammers to assail it and take it away from its scaffolding. Barnwell and Buick wonder if the black group would have still destroyed the painting, if they knew that the painter was black and that he was merely satirizing the color lines that enslave people’s minds. Clearly, blackness and whiteness release the innermost values and emotions of the people. The reactions can reflect the anger and despondency of the subjugated black race. â€Å"How Do You Like Me Now† (1988), as seen by the violent response of some people, has clearly marred the colonized. Colonialism has injured the black psyche to the extent that violence has been etched into it too. Colonialism has stripped black people of the right to define their identities, by caricaturing their existence and purpose in life. Colonialism, like slavery, skews the black people’s right to humanity and power. Violence, however, can regain this loss of power and replace the sense of loss. Through violence, the gap between power and powerlessness can be filled again. â€Å"How Do You Like Me Now† (1988) also remarks on the damage of colonization and racism to the colonizer. From the racist white perspective, this blonde man is a person who has greater potential for being a president. If faced with a black person, with black eyes and curly hair, the racist white would be offended with the overarching blackness. It will feel, like Fanon’s little girl who is afraid of black people, that they are being assaulted. The size of the painting also asserts power. But since colonial and white America would not consider any immense power from the black people, it is important to wear the white mask. With the black person masked as white, he will be accepted and he will have power. This is the same critique of Fanon of colonizers. The colonizers have forgotten that the black people also have their own identities. The whites see no black individuality and power, but only their whiteness. This seeing of whiteness on blackness marks another neurosis from the side of the whites. What is it about their whiteness that they have loved themselves too deeply and too irrationally? Following the analysis of Fanon, having power and asking for too much of it dehumanized the white race of the colonial times. That power is white has been embedded in their mind, an embedding that has been too violently engraved that to remove it also means to aggressively remove a part of them. Thus, the colonized is psychologically damaged too. But as the black people who hammered away â€Å"How Do You Like Me Now† (1988) showed, it is not acceptable to be a non-human being. It is not acceptable to be colonized and still feel like a normal human being. There must be catharsis. There must be freedom from all alienations. The painting â€Å"Wives of Shango† (n. d. ) (fig. 2) by Jeff Donaldson captures the liberation from three fronts- liberation of race, liberation of gender, and liberation from one’s own struggles. In this painting, three black women are adorned with bullets and money. The two are not looking back at the viewers, but have superiority in the way their chins are turned up. The middle woman at the back dares to look back at the viewers. But the expression is fierce, and it makes viewers look away. This painting is an image of power. This image breaks away the â€Å"comparaison† that Fanon talks about. Fanon argues that blacks are in the state of â€Å"comparaison,† wherein: â€Å"†¦he is constantly preoccupied with self-assertion and the ego ideal† (185-186). This preoccupation is about blacks being â€Å"always dependent on the presence of ‘The Other’† (Fanon 186). â€Å"Wives of Shango† (n. d. ) is interpreted as the shedding away of this â€Å"comparaison. It does not have a drop of submission or weakness. The women symbolize the power of their gender and race. They are willing to pay and kill to exert power. They are willing to dominate their personal struggles too, by fixing it through money and blood. But the means of money and violence, on the other hand, can also be interpreted as the product of the white gaze. Is it possible that these women are also still being white, by using the same arsenals of the white race? The white race entered and conquered through violence and money. Are the black people going to fight back with the same kind of brutal force? In doing so, they are â€Å"being white† too. Fanon argues that to be black, black people should also accept their whiteness. Fanon says: â€Å"I am French† (179), which includes being part of the white French culture. Fanon argues that the black people could not annihilate the whiteness in them. In the same way, white people can also not demolish the blackness inside them. White and black have mixed already, and this merging of two races and cultures cannot be ignored. Though the white demon has seeded inferiority complex in the black psyche, Fanon suggests that the way to recovery from the white’s subjugation is accepting â€Å"that which is white† in them. The alienation that black people feel is another problem, as it has divided the black psyche into numerous conflicting dimensions. Fanon says: â€Å"That this self-division is a direct result of colonialist subjugation is beyond question† (17). The alienation renders unspeakable psychiatric damages as it injects â€Å"compound, ambiguous, and unsettling results, both internally and externally† (Brown-Guillory 35). Fanon recommends a white mask, but not all people can wear it. â€Å"Wives of Shango† (n. d. ) detaches itself from the white mask. It stresses the power of the black psyche that can be hung outside in full glory. This black psyche might be afraid though, even when it is confident. The women wear symbols of violence and fighting. They know that re-locating their positions in power centers can have drawbacks, and they are prepared with ammunition. Alienation has corrupted the mind completely that fear has been entrenched in the actions and beliefs of the black people. This is where Fanon makes sense. Fear that alienation has created can only be undone through accepting the whiteness. It is also about mending the anger with peace, not with violence. The white mask does not represent another form of oppression. It symbolizes the feeling of safety and trust with whiteness. It signifies the end of domination of the black, because anytime, that mask can be removed. And fundamentally, it is still a white mask. Fanon makes several strong points. Racism, colonialism, and sexism have maimed the psyche of the white and black people. They are divided within, because of these oppressive experiences. But the blacks can recover from this damage, as long as they can handle wearing the white mask. At the same time, they must remember that the white mask is only a mask. It is important for the black people to also find their black identities and revel in the dignity of wearing it inside and out.

Strategic Marketing Project ( Marketing plan for Emarates Airline) Essay

Strategic Marketing Project ( Marketing plan for Emarates Airline) - Essay Example nce in those countries which are not being served by other airlines as they have minimal connection to the global transportation network via airlines, Emirates provide services to those countries as well that lack local flag carrier. Although the aviation industry worldwide is shrinking because of strategic alliances among different airlines but Emirates continue to integrate into any kind of alliance as it still believes in serving as an independent carrier. The airline has boldly faced the allegations imposed by the alliance airlines and it is the key area of concern for the airline. It has seeked assistance from the political parties and concerned aviation policymakers to safeguard the independent carriers by making such policies that they are not deprived of serving the destinations which are dominated by the alliance airlines. Despite these allegations, Emirates has to address the issues of rising fuel prices and threat from new entrants i.e. Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways. Hence, Emirates Airline is still providing excellent service to its customers by not changing its pricing policy and still maintaining the low-cost competitive profile. Since the management of Emirates Airline is following everything strategically, the airline has more bright chances of future expansion which will enhance the quality level of the airline’s service. Emirates Airlines is one of the top-ranked and most successful airlines in the world. The largest airline started its operations from Middle East and since then it has played an inevitable role in enhancing the image of United Arab Emirates (UAE). UAE was always considered as the state which has rich supply of oil but now because of Emirates Airlines it has become the best hub for tourists. Minisri reported on Emirates Airlines that it is growing at an accelerating rate within the airline industry and is giving a tough competition to its competitors. According to Minisri, the competitors are concerned about the success of

Are the Challenges Facing Contemporary Africans the Product of Research Paper

Are the Challenges Facing Contemporary Africans the Product of Internal or External Historical Forces - Research Paper Example This despite a lot of efforts being channeled towards solving these problems, a lot of foreign aid is used to help these particular societies. Even though many non-stake organizations put of attention towards trying to solve these problems, still there are a lot of challenges. The main problem remains as the most potential strategies to salvage Africa from the problems; what or when will Africa much other continents social, political and particular economic strength? Many African scholars such as Ngugi wa Thiongo and Chinua Achebe1 have always associated the problem facing the African continent today as a result of the coming of Europeans to Africa. The introduction of western culture and civilization, which according to these writers brought the continent to its knees and began to creep into Africa when foreigners mainly Europeans started arriving into the continent. They criticize Europeans as having the quest to impose imperial ideologies and pilfering African resources, and it is this foundation that African scholars fill continued to infiltrate the continent even after independence. In the 21st century, the following are some of the principle challenges facing Africa as a continent. External Factors Economic constrains The economic effects laid down by colonialism continue to be felt by the five million inhabitants of Africa. Many African scholars such as Dr Ibrahim Farah do maintain a strong feeling that colonialism should be viewed as a progressive integration of Africa into the world capitalist system where it was given the role of producing raw materials for the western industrial products. This colonial economy also diverted Africa societies to divert Agriculture to production of primary goods and cash crop which have led to the continuous hunger situation in the continent. Africa elites blame the colonial economy for encouraging Africa to produce ''more of what was needed least rather than more of what was needed most'', this is what explains why Afr ica has continued to sink into the balance of payment deficit e because the income they fetch from their exports is far much less than the revenue they spend on imports2. Rodney goes further to echo the same sentiments when he argues that the systematic corrupt enterprises established by the colonies to expropriate African natural resources to Europe. This facilitated what is today seen as under-development of Africa while it engendered the development of Europe. It is how the colonial master led to the re organs action of African economy that has today altered the manner in which people produce, consume and create things within the continent-colonialism came with new-liberalism a phenomena that seeks to enforce the principle law of demand and supply that is forces of demand and supply should be left to make the leading role in the market structure distorted the African way of life, which was communal and appropriate for the African setting. In addition this system substituted it wi th liberalism which was foreign and in this case alien for the African societies. Socially, colonialism as an external factor responsible for the problems facing African continent today greatly affected the close knit family structure and fragmentation of social relation. Colonialism is also responsible for urbanization that led to rapid exodus of masses from rural areas to urban centers. This had two

Technical writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technical writing - Essay Example We are looking into the matter, and are fully aware of the staff members from whose email accounts the messages originated. We are in the process of confirming the identities of the culprits. But to ensure such practice does not occur again, the e-mail account owners will be fined. Furthermore, to prevent such practices from continuing, a new company policy regarding email policy has been constituted. With the new email policy coming in effect on 25 January, 2012, it is mandatory on the employees to save their emails in their systems to prevent future mishaps. Employees are requested to log out from their accounts when they are not present on their desks. This is to prevent abuse of the emails from another party. In case of such an occurrence, the account owner will be held responsible. I am hopeful that your experience in working with our company has been pleasurable. In order to ensure that the working environment stays so, and both the company and the employee benefit from this environment, a specific issue needs to be addressed. It has been brought to my notice that you have been failing to comply with the company’s attendance policy and have been taking leave from work a little too often without any prior notification. Also, that you have been lacking punctuality and have been occasionally found leaving office earlier than the official timings. Your previous and current efforts regarding punctuality and attendance are greatly appreciated. However for the future, it is advised that the issue be taken more seriously as it can result in termination from employment or heavy fine infliction. In view of your current performance, you need to exhibit strict punctuality with regard to office timings and other provisions of the ‘Employee Code of Conduct’. Certain exceptions are still allowed in case of emergency. Moreover, to assure that 100 percent attendance is maintained, it has officially been decided that

Be able to make financial decisions based on financial information Assignment

Be able to make financial decisions based on financial information - Assignment Example Competitors may have offered new products having more superior quality that attract more number of customers. Another reason may be that the company might have changed the product price that may, in turn, result in a variance in the unit sales volume. The direct material price variance (Â £7,500) is the variation between actual material cost (Â £22,500) and budgeted material cost (Â £ 15,000). Here, the material price variance shows an unfavorable trend, as the actual cost is higher than the material. The other reason for the price variance may be due to the non accessibility of cash discounts that are actually expected at the time of deciding the price standards and also may be due to changes in transportation costs, careless purchasing and changes in the material standard. The total direct labor variance is found by evaluating actual cost of direct labor to the budgeted direct labor cost. If the actual cost is in excess of the budgeted cost, the resultant variances become unfavorable. This may be due to the usage of more labor hours as there is shortage of adequate experienced labors in the concerned cutlery manufacturing. The other reasons are the higher payment of labor rate per hour. The sum of unfavorable direct labor variance (1,875) is the combination of adverse direct labor efficiency variance of (5,625) + adverse direct labor rate variance of 3,750. The adverse variance in the material usage amounting (Â £ 3,000) are due to the imperfect material, unnecessary waste of material, and stricter quality control. The labor rate variance has shown an adverse trend. This unfavorable variance is due to the increase in the wage rate of laborers. The labor efficiency rate is also showing an unfavorable trend of (Â £ 5,625). This is mainly due to the usage of poor quality material. The company lacks the supply of steel material of adequate quality. The other reason may be the lost of time over and above

Economics of Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics of Immigration - Essay Example However, the economic impact largely depends upon the skills of those immigrated (House of Lords, pp. 5). A question however arises. Why is there a large need for immigration? In many poor countries, the population grows at a faster pace than the creation of employment opportunities. The political instability, economic and social problems all propel certain people to immigrate, either legally or illegally, to developed countries. Mexico is one such country that has shown a large increase in immigration to countries such as the United Sates. Many of the Mexican workers in the United States have immigrated illegally, without any inspection or a Visa (Yoshida, pp. 2). The major relationship of migration occurs between the United States and Mexico. Around 9 million people, born in Mexico have now migrated to United States. This migration has largely created economic changes in Mexico and United States. Two major factors have resulted in the blooming of this relationship. The first is bec ause of increased economic growth. Secondly, because of high inequality in Mexico and between Mexico and United States, the immigration has increased (Bush, McLarty, Alden, pp. 39). Immigration is largely because of economic factors and it further has economic impacts. The paper shall attempt to discuss the economic reasons of immigration into the United States from Mexico, what economic effects it has had on the U.S and Mexican economy. It also covers America’s policy, regarding immigration. As mentioned above, economic factors play a major role in an increase in immigration in the United States from Mexico. After the Second World War, there was a baby boom in both the United States and Mexico, but eventually in 1960, it reduced in US but continued to grow in Mexico. The Mexican economy did not create as many jobs as it should have for the working population; therefore, it resulted in immigration into the United States. Economists have concluded that around one third of immi gration from US to Mexico in the past decades has occurred because of an increase in birth rates. (Bush, McLarty, Alden, pp.39). However, the baby boom does not remain the only economic factor, explaining immigration. The second largest reason for immigration into the United States is due to the weak Mexican economy. For the past decades, the Mexican economy has not created enough jobs; the minimum wage remains too low. Even though the Mexican economy grew in 1960s and 1970s, the 1982 debt crisis rocked the economy largely, resulting in emigration from Mexico in search for higher paid jobs. The trend towards higher immigration into the United States from Mexico has largely been followed by recessions or slumps in the Mexican economy (Bush, McLarty, Alden, pp.39). In fact, the economic factors play such an important role in the process of immigration in United States from Mexico that the major source of revenue in Mexico comes from remittances sent by Mexicans working in the United S tates (Drachman & Paulino, pp. 124). Although immigration to another country may occur because of political instability and religious reasons, in the case of Mexico, this immigration has largely occurred because of economic problems. Mexicans have gained economically because of this immigration into the United States. It increases the wage per hour of an average Mexican worker; therefore, increasing the standard of living. Moreover, the United States

Analysis of Women Victimization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Women Victimization - Assignment Example This dismal of women of color by white women stands as a roadblock to the connection between women. More so, such assumption about black women exposes all women to various degrees and forms of patriarchal oppression in society, some of which as women they share and some of which they do not. The issue of sexism among native women activists is of much concern. It is important that we eliminate the problem of sexism, as they tend to marginalize women in society. Feminism and activism contribute a lot to feminist politics since they question the legitimacy of the United States as an appropriate form of governance. For instance, many racial justice organizations in America rally against hate crimes resulting from the September 11 attack under the name â€Å"we are Africans too†. Issues such as sexism and feminism should unite all women because it forms the basis of their history. Ironically, this is not the case, as native women do not refer to themselves as feminists because they argue that the word feminism is a white concept that should be recognized with white women. Therefore, they assume that the claim of feminism as white then implies that native feminist politics is similar to the feminist politics of other communities. These perceptions have for a long time divided women thus, making it hard for them to work together and fight issues such as patriarchal oppression that affect them in society. Women such as Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, and Tahita Jenkins followed what they believed was true and were not coerced to interact with other women because of their race or color. According to Plato, women should not be discriminated or oppressed because all people are equal, whether female or male. For instance, Plato asserts that while women are caring and rearing children, men should take care of other duties.   

Anyone lived in a pretty how town by E.E. Cummings Essay

Anyone lived in a pretty how town by E.E. Cummings - Essay Example The poem addresses one of the most major concerns for individuals in any society: the fear of dying alone and without touching the heart of another person. The main character in the poem is a lively man: â€Å"he sang his didn’t he danced his did† (Cummings); however it is clear that the people around him did not notice or care about his existence: â€Å"Women and men (both little and small) cared for anybody not at all† (Ibid.). This basic premise of the poem is very simple however it reflects the plight of many people in society who try their best to live life to the fullest and simply cannot hold the attention of anyone else who wishes to share it with them. Anyone is not an outwardly timid man, nor is he particularly a social outcast, it is simply that he does not have a partner in life and the fact that â€Å"someones married their everyones† (Cummings) merely highlights the fact that Anyone was alone in a world where everyone else seemed to find happiness with other people. Anyone is aptly named because he can literally be anyone, anywhere, who struggles to be appreciated and loved by one other special person (Baum 162). Noone is an elusive character who it eventually becomes clear does not actually exist at all. She is presented as the admirer of Anyone, at first: â€Å"Noone loved him more by more†¦she laughed his joy she cried his grief† (Cummings). The children in the town comment about how Noone loved Anyone, and while this seems like it might allude to the fact that Anyone is loved by someone who he does not love in return, it becomes apparent that Noone is more of a dream that Anyone has (Deutsch 114). He thinks about the non-existent Noone who might share in his life; he carries this dream with him until his death when â€Å"Noone stooped to kiss his face† (Cummings). In this ending sentiment in the life of Anyone, the poet finally admits that Anyone’s lover did

Extended Marketing Mix Essay Example for Free

Extended Marketing Mix Essay Launched on 3rd of October 2009 by the McLaren’s Group which has been a name with great passion towards improvement of motor sports in Sri Lanka, Speed  Drome (Pvt) Ltd. is every Pro/Go-karters heaven on earth. Located amidst green pasture in close proximity to the parliament complex and Buddhadasa play ground in Battaramulla, Speedrome is a fully equipped and professionally fitted race track which includes 19 go-karts, computerized timing and scoring systems, professionally trained staff, designated spectator areas and air-conditioned VIP gallery, all for the sake of providing their customers with the best experience that they can offer. Go-karting may be Speed Dromes main product but they haven’t stopped there as far as the entertainment aspect is concerned, with a sports bar and a luxurious lounge. These two additional services are provided for customers to host parties or any corporate events. Speed Drome also has taken an initiative in providing a swimming pool to cater to discerning corporate executives and high profile lifestyles. As for the little kids, Speed Drome has taken the liberty of creating a kiddies race track as well. To put it simply, Speed Drome aims to be not only an attraction for Pro/Go-kart lovers everywhere but also to provide the entire family with leisure activities and entertainment. Speed Drome has gained much popularity ever since its launch, with an exhibition kart race in which the participation of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, Aravinda De Silva the former cricketer who is a keen fan of motor cars along with the lady racer S.A. Lakshika and Jackson Anthony were noted. Karting championships such as Speed Drome All Island Karting Championship Rounds 1-3 show off exactly what Speed Drome is all about as many professional formula one drivers take part in these competitions exhibiting the real skill involved in Go/Pro-karting, while attracting even more potential customers and leading to other karting championships. Finally the major plus point for Speed Drome is the fact that it is the one and only Go/Pro-Karting facility in Sri Lanka as yet and with its added assets Speed Dromes future seems very fruitful with all the necessary standards being maintained. The Extended Marketing mix 1. Product In a service organization, the product is referred to the service being delivered to the consumer which is intangible, inseparable, variable and perishable. The speed Drome (Pvt) Ltd. (Appendix 1) offers a variety of  services which can be explained in terms of entertainment, leisure and experience. Their main focus is on providing their customers with the experience of real Pro-Kart racing (Appendix 2) and in addition to that other entertainment and leisure services are also provided such as the Kiddies track, (Appendix 3) the sports bar (Appendix 4) and the swimming pool (Appendix 5) along with the Luxurious Lounge (Appendix 6). The nature of the service in terms of: Intangibility: True services are intangible. Therefore when you leave Speed Drome there is only one memory or the experience that remains, which is riding a pro-kart at the only available place in Sri Lanka. Some elements are tangible such as the karts used, the swim pool etc., but the core benefit of the purchase is not, and that is the sheer experience of riding a pro-kart and feeling its speed. Inseparability: The service provided by Speed Drome is inseparable as the physical presence of a customer is essential in this service. However, with the help of its physical resources the overall service takes place when only the consumer that is the person interested in riding a pro-kart meets the service provider. Perishability: Karting or any other service provided by the company must be consumed when offered. It cannot be produced now for consumption at a later stage / time nor can they be held or stocked because the value of this service exists at the point when it is required. Variability: This service is highly variable because Speed Drome is the only service provider for kart racing in Sri Lanka currently. It has its very own standardized quality which cannot be competed with another form of entertainment service, as it provides a unique and an incomparable experience. The above mentioned characteristics define the services they provide which attract youngsters and veteran drivers alike. 2. Price Pricing is one of the most important marketing mix decisions and it is the only marketing mix variable that generates revenues. Speed Drome (Pvt) Ltd. is a profit and cost oriented organization. Their main objectives are to: * Maximize their profits, * Achieve a target return on investment, * Recover investment costs over a particular time period And to, * Generate volume so as to drive down costs. Speed Drome doesn’t pursue the status quo or sales oriented objectives as it is the only organization specializes in this certain industry in Sri Lanka. Due to the same reason Speed Drome follows the price skimming strategy. Their prices for all the services are relatively high (even though they don’t have competitors in the same industry) compared to the other entertainment forms in the market. This is due to the service quality, image and to prevent competitors enter the market easily. The following are the current prices attached to the services being provided by Speed Drome: * Pro-Karting/ Go-Karting (10 minutes) Rs. 750 * Happy Hours Karting (every Tuesday 3pm-8pm) Rs. 500 * Swimming pool charges (unlimited) per person Rs. 450 * Membership Benefits: * Membership free Rs.15000 * Rs. 750 tickets for Rs.500 * Kart trainer amount Rs.1500 for Rs.1000 * Members can use pool free, additional guest with members charged only Rs. 250 each * 10% discount for corporate package with fully use of pool and entertainment area. Additionally the race fees, special event fees and training programme fees are charged. 3. Place The place part of the marketing mix is where the customer receives the service or where the service is located. Speed Drome is Located in close proximity to the Parliament Complex and Bhuddhadasa Play Ground, in Battaramulla. It has situated itself around major cities such as Colombo, Rajagiriya, Nugegoda and Pitakotte which are all highly residential areas have all been thought out very carefully by Speed Drome management prior to construction. This is to boost their target market which is basically the upper class of community because although the cost for riding a Go-Kart (which is something very rare to do in Sri Lanka) seems reasonable as far as the cost for maintaining the Karts and equipment needed go, Unfortunately  though for the majority of Sri Lankan’s the price to pay for such an experience is highly unreasonable. The area in which the Arena (or facility) has been built on is extremely large and compliments the Track very well and to add to this the lush scenery surrounding the Speed Drome gives this track a unique feel to it. Speed Dome’s location has one more major benefit which is that it’s just a drive away not only from the cities surrounding it but also from other major cities in the district like Colombo and Dehiwala etc. Over all the decision to build Speed Drome where it is an extremely well thought and strategic move which has shown and is yet to keep bringing in results. 4. Promotion Promotions have become a critical factor in the service marketing mix. Services are easy to be duplicated and hence it is generally the brand which sets a service apart from its counterpart. As mentioned under the topic ‘Place’ Speed Drome’s marketing mix carters to a selected segment, which is known as Niche marketing. Its service is all about providing entertainment for those who desire the ‘need for speed’. What better way to communicate about this sheer experience which can be gained at only one place in Sri Lanka other than promoting the service? The obvious competitive advantages Speed Drome possesses are: * Service Differentiation The only facility that provides karting experience in Sri Lanka. * Image Differentiation Karts which are only available at Speed Drome in Sri Lanka and the unique logo itself distinguish the service provided. How Speed Drome gets through to the customer The main objective of Speed Drome is to make the potential customers well aware about their new service. Hence the following methods are mainly used to promote their service- * Weekly offered special karting hours * ‘Happy Hours’ Every Tuesday from 3pm-8pm (Rs.750 tickets at Rs.500) (Appendix 7) * Karting competitions * Thank God its Race Day Competition (Appendix 8) * All Island Karting Championship (Appendix 9,10) * Exhibition kart races of celebrities (Appendix 11) * Publications * News Paper advertisements Ex: Daily Mirror, Sunday Times, Sunday Observer * Magazines Ex: Things to do in Colombo, Esteem, Hi etc. * Online Advertising * Social network groups Ex: The official Facebook Group with latest updates. Twitter etc.

The Painted Door Outline English Literature Essay

The Painted Door Outline English Literature Essay The beginning of the story is written as an omniscient narrative; the narrator has knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of both John and Ann. As the story progresses the point of view changes slightly and becomes limited omniscient/third person. The story is told as if the narrator can tell what Ann is thinking, feeling and saying, but not what Steven and John are feeling or thinking, except for what is perceived by Anns interpretations of their actions. The suspense of the story builds gradually through the duration of the rising action . John gets ready to brave the oncoming storm to go to his fathers house; Ann does not want him to go and leave her alone all day. Against Anns protests he leaves anyway, but not before telling her that he will stop by their neighbor Steves house and ask if he will come over to help Ann with chores and keep her company. Throughout the day Ann fights off loneliness and despair and tries to distract herself from dwelling on negative aspects of her life. After Ann has a terrifying experience with the snowstorm Steve arrives. For a short story to be effective, it must be able to produce high levels of intensity, emotion and drama. To do this, it must convey a great deal of information in a short space of time. As a result, the short story usually leaves a great deal of its content open to interpretation and examination by the reader. Also, the denouements of short stories frequently remain inconclusive and unfulfilled. Together, these attributes add to the action and intriguing character of this genre of literature. An essential element of the short story is to make the personal events experienced by the characters universally understood by the reader. The story must present themes which are relevant to the reader, in order for it to make an impression. For this reason, short stories tend to be based on some type of controversy or debatable issue. In Sinclair Ross highly metaphorical short story The Painted Door, the explicit theme is centered on adultery. However, there are other, more subtle, motifs in the story that play a very significant a role in its success. The themes essential in making the protagonists adultery understandable are the landscape, her isolation, and the feelings of betrayal and guilt that she experiences following the central act of the story. A great deal of this story is spent describing Anns environment, both inside and outside her house. The story takes place in the past, before automobiles or telephones. Ann and her husband are settlers in a largely uninhabited and desolate area of North America (perhaps Saskatchewan). The starkness of the land is described early in the story: Scattered across the face of so vast and bleak a wilderness it was difficult to conceive [the distant farmsteads] as a testimony of human hardihood and endurance. (246). Page Two The barrenness of the surroundings in which the characters live produces an impression of extreme, almost unbearable, isolation and loneliness. This theme, perhaps the most vividly expressed theme of the story, pervades throughout the entire duration of the narrative. At one level, it serves to explain how the circumstances of Anns adultery arise, but, on another level, the description of the terrain serves a metaphor for the spirit itself. In other words, the emptiness of her surroundings point to the feelings of emptiness and loneliness she experiences. In this way, we can empathise with Ann through the descriptive passages of her bleak surroundings. Her attempts to keep herself occupied during the absence of her husband by carrying on with the household chores further emphasises the sense of tedium in her life. The almost exaggerated meticulousness in the way she proceeds with her chores illustrates her attempts at detaching herself from the reality of her isolation (does the hou se really need to be painted in the middle of winter?). -The weather outside deteriorates as her concern for her husband increases. She ventures outside the safety and warmth of the house to feed the horses in the stables. The blizzard is so ferocious that by the time she returns to the house, she realises that if her husband had ventured home in the storm, he has little chance of surviving the journey. The storm thus serves as a metaphor both for Anns anxiety about her present life, and also for regrets about past decisions. The physical separation from her husband signifies the isolation Ann is experiencing in her marital relationship. Together, these emotions make it possible for Ann to engage in an act that under normal conditions, would be out of character for her. Page Three At this point, Steven, their neighbour, arrives. We learn that Ann considers Steven attractive, perhaps even more attractive than her husband. The sexual tension between them soon becomes apparent: Something was at hand that hitherto had always eluded her, even in the early days with John, something vital, beckoning, meaningful. She didnt understand, but she knew. The texture of the moment was satisfyingly dreamlike. . . (254). Eventually, she accedes to Stevens persuasions that John, her husband, will not be returning home, either because he is stranded at his fathers house (where he had gone that morning, before the blizzard), or he has lost his way and perished in the cold. She surrenders herself to her loneliness and temptation, and her relationship with Steven is consummated. The storm is thus a metaphor for passion, emotion, and crisis. After having sex, she visualises moving shadows and flickering light from the bed she is sharing with Steven. It is unclear whether she is awake or dreaming. The spectre of John then appears. At first, Ann attributes this to a dream, because she knows that the house is completely isolated. Then, she is profoundly struck by the act of betrayal she has just committed: She knew now. She had not let herself understand or acknowledge it as guilt before, but gradually through the wind-torn silence of the night his face compelled her. (259). The abatement of the storm signifies Anns return to rationality and moral conscience. This reality is reflected in Steven, whom Ann sees from a different perspective at this point. Page Four Instead of sharing her emotions of angst and shame, he remains calm and displays no feelings of guilt. As a result, he is now substantially less attractive to Ann than he had been the previous night. This adds to her sense of betrayal as she recalls the admirable q ualities of her husband: she understood that thus he was revealed in his entirety all there ever was or ever could be. John was the man. He was the future. (261). -The conclusion of The Painted Door is shocking and ironic, which is what makes the story so effective. The reader is left with a definite, yet somewhat inconclusive ending. It is the only instance in the story in which we are not a party to the protagonists emotions. The conclusion serves to produce almost as many questions as it answers, because we are not completely certain what the implications are for Ann. The sudden termination of the story fails to reveal both what Johns motivations were, and what Anns future holds. This Twilight-Zone-esque formula is what makes a short story like The Painted Door so effective. The open-ended and disturbing culmination, coupled with the abundant use of symbolism and metaphor, compel the reader to ruminate on the implications long after the reader has finished reading the story. Works Cited

Essay --

Q 1: Discuss how the SEC has influence (if any) over the audit of Smackey Dog Food, Inc Solution: SEC has a significant influence on the audit of Smackey Dog Food, Inc because it sets certain auditing standards that need to be adhered to while conducting and audit of any organization. One of the standards is ensuring a professional independence of auditors as they carry out their audit. Keller CPA would be more objective in their opinion by maintaining independence in all maters and be free from conflict of interest in performing their professional engagement. Thus, although SEC does not possess direct control over privately held companies like Smackey, it, however, sets up generally accounting principles and disclosure requirements for all auditors to follow in order to prevent fraud and misstatement and to ensure fairness to users of audited financial statements for investment purposes or decision making. Therefore, Keller CPA would be required to follow the six generally accepted auditing standards established by ASB of the AICPA with regards to field work and reporting which were established through the influence of SEC. (Arens, Alvin A., Elder, Randall J., and Beasley 2012 p. 31) Q2: Discuss the essential activities involved in the initial planning of an audit. How do these all specifically relate to Smackey Dog Food client? Solution: Keller CPA would first understand the clients’ industry operations and in particular how the clients’ business functions. This understanding will set the stage for assessing clients’ business risk, risk of significant and material misstatement of the client’s financial positions and the overall audit risk. The four major part of audit planning are: (i) Understanding internal control operatio... ...ble to third parties. Liability under SEC can also arise as well as violation of SAS 99 by not exercising professional skepticism. (Arens, Alvin A., Elder, Randall J., and Beasley. 2012. P. 115-116) REFERENCIES Arens, Alvin A., Elder, Randall J., and Beasley, Mark S. (2012). Auditing and Assurance Services: An integrated Approach. 14th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Hall PCAOB (Public Company Oversight Board), Auditing Standard number 9, audit planning, retrieved 1/22/14 http://pcaobus.org/Standards/Auditing/Pages/Auditing_Standard_9.aspx AICPA (American Institute of CPAs) Section 50, Principles of Professional Conduct, retrieved 1/17/14 http://www.aicpa.org/Research/Standards/CodeofConduct/Pages/et_52.aspx

Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird :: social issues

Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird Three students kicked out of a high school for threatening to bring a gun to school. Why would they? Because people were prejudice against them because other students thought they were â€Å"losers†. Moral: You shouldn’t not like a person because they aren’t like you. Prejudice was far much worse in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird. But, Prejudice is the reason for much social injustice. Three characters named Nathan Radley, Atticus Finch, and Aunt Alexandria show us this in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Back in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird, blacks were referred to as â€Å"niggers†, and blamed for most things, even when they were innocent. An example of this is when a character named Nathan Radley hears someone in his cabbage patches. He shot his gun in the air and when people asked what happen, he automatically told them it was a â€Å"nigger†. Even though he didn’t see the person. But, he knew the person was white by this quote someone said he said. â€Å"Shot in the air. Scared him though, says if anyone sees a white â€Å"nigger† running around here that’s him† (54). Meaning that he knows the person is white. Another thing is that some people even put animals above blacks, as told in the rest of the quote. â€Å"Got the other barrel waitin’ for the next hears in his patch, be it dog, â€Å"nigger†, or Jem Finch (a character) (54). Now he must have known it was Jem, or why would he have said his name? This shows that Mr. Radley didn’t have any respect for blacks. Not only were blacks referred to as â€Å"niggers† but, anyone associated with them, except for slave masters, were called, â€Å"nigger† lovers. An example of this is that a character named Atticus Finch is defending a black person named Tom Robinson in court. Because he is doing this, most people in town are calling him a â€Å"nigger† lover. Not only are the adults saying it, but their children are saying it too. Since Atticus is defending this man, he has also tried to been jumped many time also. But Atticus makes a very interesting point during the court case. â€Å"The witnesses for the state have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted. Confident that you gentlemen, would go along with them on one assumption, the evil assumption, that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that of one mind of their caliber.

Tour de France Drug Abuse Essay -- Substance Abuse Essays

The question of drug use among athletes in what was previously considered by the unknowing public to be a rather pristine sport, cycling, is important in that it will affect all future Tours and will place them and the athletes under scrutiny. To begin with, in Europe until the 1998 scandal occurred, despite a few exceptions, cycling was considered a drug free sport. The 1998 drug scandal tarnished the Tour de France and the reputation and image of other sports. The media response to the scandal took differing positions on what should be done next to clean up cycling. The scandal also affected advertisements, sales, and without question the 1999 Tour and Lance Armstrong. Since even the most naà ¯ve fan no longer trusts the cyclists, drug-testing procedures have been instituted. Also, the question now arises regarding medications used by seriously ill cyclists. Certainly, future Tours will be significantly affected. The Union Cycliste Internationale and other sports officials are left with several burning questions; do they seek a better testing system? Clearly, they must protect athletes and the image of sports even though it is costly. Do they perform uniform versus random drug tests? Both are necessary to keep athletes and trainers accountable. In fact, the 1999 Tour promoted both forms of testing (Fife 208). If they do random tests, how do they enforce them? On this point, committees and sports federations are still debating. For years cycling, a grueling, yet glamorous sport in Europe, has been fighting drug use and abuse. Despite a few exceptions, cycling had the reputation, in Europe and in France, of being a clean, pure sport, compared to others, until the 1998 scandal occurred. The question of drug use among athletes in what was previously considered by the unknowing public to be a rather pristine sport, cycling, is important in that it will affect all future Tours and will place them and the athletes under scrutiny. A Clean Reputation: The History of Drugs in the â€Å"Tour de France† In 1967, Tommy Simpson, a British cyclist, died during the Tour de France because of the amphetamines that he took. Succeeding years brought embarrassments: In 1978, the Belgian Michel Pollentier was suspended while leading the Tour de France after he was caught concealing a clean urine sample to trick testers. Furthermore, in 1988, the Spaniard Pedro Delgado won the T... ...cess Story: Tour de Lance; Armstrong’s miraculous comeback from cancer to a Tour victory is worthy of an exclamation point, not a question mark.† The Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles, Calif.; 26 Jul. 1999: 1. Lemonick, Michael D. â€Å"Le Tour des drugs.† Time; New York; Aug 10, 1998: 76. MacAuley, Domhnall. â€Å"Drugs in Sport.† BMJ: British Medical Journal, 313.7051, 7/27/96, 211. Online. EBSCOhost. 16 Nov. 1999. http://www.EBSCOhost.com. Neff, Craig. â€Å"Drug sweep.† Sports Illustrated; New York, 9 Aug. 1999: 71 Pelkey, Charles ed. â€Å"Etxebarria takes Pau; Armstrong answers drug charge.† Velo-News, 21 July 1999. Phillips, Ian. â€Å"Armstrong Extends Tour Lead U.S. Star Bristles at French Media’s Drug Innuendos.† Seattle Post- Intelligencer; Seattle, Wash.; 15 Jul. 1999: E2. Velo-News. The sensational 1998 Tour de France: Conquests and Crisis. Boulder, Colorado: VeloPress, December, 1998. â€Å"Virenque admits to seeking drugs.† Velo-News Interactive. Velo-News; 11 May 1999. â€Å"Virenque released after admission.† Velo-News Interactive. Velo-News, 11 May 1999. Wilson, Stephen. â€Å"Doping Incidents Shake Sports from Swimming to Track & Field.† Seattle Post- Intelligencer, Seattle, Wash.,.1 Aug. 1998: E6.

Film Techniques Essay

Shots wide shot- a wide shot is a shot that shows the setting as well as the character. This kind of shot is used so the audience can understand the characters physical experience with the setting. normal shot- a normal shot usually shows the characters waist and up. This is a standard shot that helps to focus attention on the action. close up- a close up shot is a shot in which the camera focuses on a characters face or a particular object this kind of shot is so it can grab attention. This is used to sometimes show emotion or tell that the object is significant or important to the storyline. Angles high angle- a high angle is positioned above the character or objects. This is usually used to make the character or the object appear smaller, scared or vulnerable. eye level- this angle gives a ‘real life’ effect, as the camera is positioned towards the character or object. This angle focuses attention and is mainly used in conversations. low angle- this angle is positioned with the camera looking up at the character. If a character/object is filmed with the low angle, it will appear that the character/object will be looking down at the audience to create an effect in which the character/object seems tall, scary and powerful. Camera movement Camera movement is when the charcter is moving the camera does the same. This shows a point of view. The purpose of the point of view is for the audience to get the impression that they are seeing exactly what the character can see. Framing Framing is what contains and what excludes certain objects. Unecessary objects in the film may be excluded but important objects may be included so the film can make more sense. Editing Editing is putting all the shots of the film together in chronological order. As well as peicing the shots together, the editor must match the music and sound effects with the correct scenes. Depending on the film’s genre, the editor must edit the scenes so the music, the lighting and sound effects all correspond with each other so the scenes are suited perfectly. Pace Pace is editing the sequence at different speeds. When scenes are being edited they pace cetrain shots, some shots are shorter others are longer. When a scene is shorter it is faster and is suited for an action genre. When a scene is longer it is slower and it creates tension which is iseal for a romance genre. Transitions Transitions are used to take one shot to another. There are three ways in doing so; wipes, dissolves and fades. These are sometimes uesd for a skip in time. All of the transitions are used to either skip time or take one shot to another. Lighting, Music and Sound Effects Lighting creates either a bright scene or a dark scence to create an ambience. Lighting does many things: tells whether if it is day or night, it creates an atmosphere and a mood. It can help focus attention towards a specific part of the scene. Music is very important in a film. Although many viewers do not realsie the music it helps to create a mood and an atmosphere. Sound effects are easy to recognise. They are the simple sounds that can do so much more than the audience thinks. If it is the noise of an animal it can make thescene more realistic. In general lighting, music and sound effects are uesd to create mood and atmosphere. View as multi-pages

A Qualitative Analysis on How Administrators Understand Learning Difficulties

Allington, Frazen and Schick (1997) in their qualitative analysis of â€Å"How administrators understand learning difficulties† tried to determine the different ways in which school administrators define learning difficulties and how they have respond to the needs of students with learning difficulties in their own schools.The researchers interviewed administrators and principals in six different school districts that had a record of increased retention and transitional grade placements as well as having at-risk students in learning disabilities classrooms. Previous literature on learning disabilities has showed that the trend of the identification of students as learning disabled had been increasing over the last 20 years and continues to do so at present. It has been found that the number of students identified as learning disabled have grown to alarming proportions.A number of researchers have proposed that the increase in the number of students identified as learning disab led have been due to the more valid and reliable assessment tools available to schools, the influence of special interest groups and the actual presence of students who do need special education services.Moreover, it has been observed that whenever funding for remedial programs decline, enrollment in special education classes increase indicating that some students identified as learning disabled may actually be placed in special education classes out of necessity. This study therefore attempted to provide evidence that school administrators and principals place at risk students to special classes for students with learning difficulties based on funding and tests scores.MethodThe researchers developed a system which enhanced the validity of the data gathered in this study considering that it is a qualitative design. The researchers conducted their data gathering procedure by prolonged and persistent fieldwork that included interim data analysis and collaboration to maintain the accur acy of research findings and participant reality by utilizing and analyzing a series of data sets generated as part of a larger study (Allington & McGill-Franzen, 1992a, 1992b, 1995; McGill-Franzen 1994; McGill-Franzen & Allington, 1993 found in Allington, Frazen & Schick, 1997).This was in response to the researcher’s observation that the internal validity of their data might be compromised since over the years principals and administrators have remained in their positions and the school system in general have remained unchanged while the social culture and economic status of their students have been transformed through the years.

Law of Xenia

Law of Xenia Xenia, the Greek term for the Laws of Hospitality, The custom in classical Greece and other ancient cultures that, if a traveler comes to a strange town, he can ask for food, shelter, and gifts to help him on his journey. In Greek tradition, the host was considered responsible for his guest's comfort and safety, and a breach of those laws of hospitality was thought to anger Zeus, God of the gods.In the Odyssey there are a few instances in which the law of Xenia is broken, quite a few of those belong in book nine of the Odyssey, in which Odysseus and his men are lured into a Cyclops’ cave in which the owner, Polypheus, is angered and doesn’t care about the law of Xenia. One example in which Polyphemus breaks Xenia is, when he fails in offering Odysseus a drink or some food instead he rudely frightens them and ask them impolitely who they are and what they were doing in his cave.Polyphemus violates the law again when he eats some of Odysseus men, Xenia prohib its the host to make their guest unhappy, much less eat them. Although sometimes hosts disliked their guests and even disliked Xenia, they only followed it in fear of Zeus, Polyphemus son of Poseidon, believed that his father would protect him of Zeus and his wrath, so he broke the law once more by keeping Odysseus and his men inside his cave. He then even proclaimed that he wasn’t afraid of Zeus punishment for breaking Xenia relying on his father, Poseidon.When Odysseus asks for his gift for being the guest at the Cyclops’ house the Cyclops reacts in anger, a common rule of Xenia is to present their guest with a precious gift but in this case he laughs and eats a few more men. At last, Odysseus manages to escape captivity by stabbing the large eye of Polyphemus. The Cyclops infuriated brings a curse upon him; for Odysseus to never reach his land, for the last time violating Xenia by casting a spell on his guests.

Decision Making in an Addicted Brain Essay

Decision making is a mental process of selecting a course of action. We exercise this right to free will on a very regular basis. We often think this right comes easily to us, however in individuals with neurological addictions decision making can be a difficult process. With individuals who are addicted to a substance or habit decision making is abnormal (Fecteau, 2010). When an addict partakes in the substance they are addicted to there is often a rush or feeling of relief. If an addict is attempting to quit using a substance, they often attempt to obtain a similar feeling of satisfaction. Typically recovering addicts turn to risky decision making due to the fact that when one makes a risky choice the two experiences share similar behavioral sensations (Fecteau, 2010). Understanding how addicts make decisions based on their addiction is crucial in planning treatment options in order to suppress drug cravings in substance abusing patients. Through certain testing, scientists have discovered that specific, noninvasive brain stimulation can aid in the suppressing of drug cravings in addicts. The inference was made that if we can stimulate a portion of the brain that controls decision making in the average human, we can aid in the suppression of cravings. This portion of the brain is called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Fecteau, 2010). It is located in the frontal cortex of the brain which controls other things such as mannerisms, social and sexual behavior, as well as decision making. With this technique of addiction suppression, there are many things to take into consideration. These things could be possible implications with the therapy, moral values as to whether testing this method on humans is humane, as well as whether or not there could be possible health risks in the future. This method of addiction suppression is an interesting one that could potentially make shaking an addiction much less difficult if the risks turn out to be minimal. References Fecteau, S., Fregni, F., Boggio, P. S., Camprodon, J. A., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2010). Neuromodulation of Decision-Making in the Addictive Brain. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(11), 1766-1786.

Word of Mouth Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Word of Mouth Marketing - Essay Example Techniques to promote a firm's product have been created and modified to come up with a superior marketing strategy with excellent results. Word of mouth marketing which is also regarded to as viral marketing nowadays emerged as one of the most efficient tools in marketing in product promotion, customer recruitment and retention. This paper will try to address the perceived advantages and disadvantages of word of mouth. This paper will give a closer look at word of mouth marketing and how it affects buyer behavior. To further examine the potency of word of mouth as an effective marketing tool, experiences of practitioners will be evaluated. Disadvantages and costs of word of mouth marketing, especially its inaccessibility will also be looked into. According to the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (2006), word of mouth marketing is the ability to harness the voice of the happy customer for the good brand while acknowledging that the voice of the unhappy customer is equally as powerful (and equally detrimental) to the brand. However, it should be noted that word of mouth is often not an intended marketing strategy for goods and services companies as they do not exert direct effort in the "creation" of word of mouth. Instead, word of mouth can be indirectly promoted by firms by ensuring the quality of the products that they offer to customers. No amount of marketing effort can encourage word of mouth but through the collective effort of the whole company in achieving the goals of marketing-creating products and services that gives customer value. Traditionally, word of mouth is done through the face to face social interactions of individual. However, a new trend has emerged in word of mouth marketing together with the revolutionary development in technology. The most important technological innovation which rapidly introduced change in word of mouth marketing is the internet technology. This revolution led to the establishment of viral marketing as a type of word of mouth marketing. Viral marketing refers to "marketing technique that exploits pre-existing social networks to produce exponential increases in brand awareness through viral processes similar to a spread of an epidemic (Viral Marketing 2006)." It should also be added that viral marketing is a word of mouth "enhanced" and "delivered" online as it takes advantage of the internet technology to reach a huge number of people rapidly. Viral marketing includes the use of blogs, amateur websites and other forms of astrosurfing that facilitates word of mouth. Word of Mouth and Buyer Behavior It should be noted that word of mouth marketing takes advantage of both power of human voice and social interaction among customers. A relationship between

Recent International Contribution on Climate change Essay

Recent International Contribution on Climate change - Essay Example Global warming has lead to significant climate change around the world due to the unchecked human activities and the consequences of the global warming can be observed in very many ways; there is glacial melting in the world highest known mountains. The glacial melting is caused by the rise in the global temperature to the extent that the bonds holding the water molecules in a solid state are weakened allowing the ice to flow down the slope. Sporadic weather and climatic have also characterized the global climatic change leading o varied agricultural yields as well as extinction of indigenous flora and fauna. Global warming thus is perceived by the environmental experts to worsen in the future if the necessary mitigation measures are not taken in the most opportune time possible. The effect of the global warming in climate change has attracted the attention of the international bodies and several conventions have been held to find a lasting solution in ending human activities that accelerates global warming. In the conventions, some of the factors that have been singled as the major contributors of the global warming include, industrial emissions in the industrialized countries coupled with wanton clearing of the natural forests in the developing countries. All these activities contribute to the accumulation of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, a recipe for global warming.

Segmentation and Introduction to Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Segmentation and Introduction to Product - Essay Example This is a category of the market that requires the color and the type of shapes that the product is associated with. It is star shaped and the unique shape is meant to attract children. Children respond better to such uniqueness that the product is known for. The cereal is manufactured from whole grain wheat and provides eight important vitamins and other essential minerals such as iron and calcium. These minerals help in growth which makes the product more suitable for children. The packaging of products determines the response they get from the market. In this case, the packaging has lots of cartoons which would draw attention from children. One other feature that makes this cereal favorable to women is the fact that it is chocolate flavored. The affinity women have for chocolate would draw their attention to notice this product when on a shopping spree. Consequently, as a product targeting women, Estreliats is bound to captivate the female

Socio-cultural Influences on Consumption Japan Speech or Presentation

Socio-cultural Influences on Consumption Japan - Speech or Presentation Example Shintoism and Buddhism are the major religions in Japan. Some people practice both, as the religions complement each other in many ways. Coming to the language, Japanese is official and widely used, even in case of business communication. Interpreters do the translation in case of language-handicap experienced with overseas business clientele. They expect their language to be valued, even while using it for business, promotional or packaging purposes. People are respected by age and the ancestors are worshipped in Japan. Extended families consisting of uncles, aunts and grandparents were of common occurrence until recent years, when the hike in real estate prices made nuclear families more feasible. However, all the relatives meet up during festivals. Thus, the consumption pattern of the consumers have changed based on the variations in the family structure. Food is an essential part of Japanese culture. The head or the eldest or the most important person is allowed to start the meal first. Soup is an accompaniment, rather than being a starter and slurping noodles even in formal meetings is usual. Japanese remain communicate less while eating, because mealtime is meant for enjoying food. Their food philosophy is of total well-being, termed as Shokuiku. Brief cereal breakfasts, packed or bought lunches and detailed dinners with family are common (International Markets Bureau, 2010). Japanese consumers hold certain taboos, which need consideration in understanding their behavior. Saying ‘no’ is not of common practice in Japan. Pointing anything with chopsticks; usage of number ‘4’; white shirt, black trousers and black suit; exchanging food with chopsticks, etc., remind them of death and funeral and thus, these gestures must be avoided (kwintessential, 2004). Harmony and cooperation are the values that are promot ed in Japan. Education, home and business settings revolve around working with others, being polite even in case of disagreement and learning to live in collaboration. Thus, the societal norms in Japan are community oriented. Diligence and empathy are part and parcel of their behavior, which places the thoughts and feelings of others, before one’s own (Kogler, 2006). People assist others who need their help, by putting aside their own job at hand and they feel embarrassed when they are not in a condition to do the needful. This again reflects the emphasis on consumer service orientation and apt response to command and authority of the employees in the nation (kwintessential, 2004). The code of conduct for businesses in Japan essentially emphasizes courtesy, compassion and consideration. Maintaining a business card in Japanese, exchanging it on important occasions and treasuring those extended by the others form a part of this protocol of reverence. While attending a business gathering, everyone is expected to look well-groomed, formal and be punctual (kwintessential, 2004). Establishing long-term business relations is preferred to immediate

Airport Planning and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Airport Planning and Development - Essay Example Factors such as job creation and increasing revenue to the government inform the decision to expand Heathrow airport (Holland-Kaye, 2014). The expansion of Gatwick airport, for instance, would raise 90 billion pounds of economic benefit at an afforded environmental cost because; it has never breached UK air quality guidelines since it is located in the rural, which is sparsely populated. However, the number of people affected by noise at Heathrow airport is high because it is located in a city that is densely populated and, therefore, hindering its expansion. London Heathrow airport has programs to enhance development that has small or no impact on the environment. Several factors influence the balance between the environment and the expansion of the airport in terms of its facilities and the revenue base. The pros of this issue entail factors that favor the development of an airport. For instance, to maintain the growth of tourism industry, there is need to include an additional runway, which will accommodate the high influx of tourists both domestic and foreign. Expansion of airport capacity promotes the business of a given country. A country can competitively conduct its businesses locally and internationally since there is adequate space for exports and imports. Travel growth is predicted to rise globally. Airport capacity expansion aims at meeting the rising demand for aviation services. Lack of employment is another favorable factor facilitating the expansion of an airport in terms its facilities. Expansion of the airport would create more jobs for pilots, airhostess among others. Both the public and the airport company will benefit, for instance, the public will get salary through employment while the airport company gain increased revenues through earnings. Heathrow employs over 110, 000 people including hotels

Proposal Letter to a Researcher Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposal Letter to a Researcher - Assignment Example As a result, I have kept an account of some of the weirdest sexual behaviors I have observed by various groups of women over time. Including me in your research team will be a great thing because I am a good team player, clear writer who pays much attention to detail, knowledgeable with basic computer programs like Word, Excel and other programs that can be used in research. My interest and additional knowledge on womens behavior can act as additional points in discovering the forces that drive women behave in the ways they do. I will always be indebted to you if you grant me the opportunity to work under you at the UCSB and in your research team. My passion on your topic of research will be of valuable asset to your team if I am offered the great opportunity. I would be very happy to communicate further with you on the available opportunities to work with you. I have attached my

Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Article Analysis - Essay Example rategic choice because it launches innovative health care products, and that the strategy is implemented through building synergies with existing systems and providing space for adapting new ones. In addition, the basic meaning of the article is that Apple is ready to lead in the production of innovative health care products that both prevent and manage diseases. The article, moreover, will help me succeed in class and my employment because it inspires me to also find new innovations where I can use my strengths as distinct advantages. First, the article has the elements of strategic analysis, strategic choice, and strategic implementation (Kew and Stredwick 205). Apple has a vision of being a leader of innovative products that can change industries for the better (Hull). The Apple Watch represents Apple’s vision as it enters an industry that it is new to it too. This is similar to Nintendo’s Wii that became a health care product when it promoted physical activity that has entertainment and social value. Apple Watch is an innovation that can help Apple become a more familiar brand in the health care sector. Moreover, Apple shows that its strategic choice is about innovation. It is not afraid of promoting change, as its watch combines prevention and disease management (Tozzi). Furthermore, the strategic implementation of Apple is to start with a product that is already based on linking existing systems. For instance, Tozzi says: â€Å"HealthKit will plug into electronic health records from Epic and o ther providers, enabling smoother communication between doctors and patients.† Apple Watch shows that the strategic choice is about improving how systems can work together, and how it can offer something new now and in the future. Apart from these elements of strategic management, the article has the basic meaning that Apple is ready to lead in the production of innovative health care products that both prevent and manage diseases. Apple Watch can help people

Two Handed Bowling and Sandbagging Essay Example for Free

Two Handed Bowling and Sandbagging Essay Sandbagging is a term used in many sports to define someone that is intentionally playing the sport bad in order to better themselves with handicap. There are people that completely agree with this and use the handicap as an advantage. On the other hand, you have the people that are for all intentional purposes trying to do their best every week and try to keep their average high. There are two sides to every story and finding out the cheating side is always the hardest. Bowling two handed has become a controversy because people technically aren’t switching hands, which is against the rules, instead they are switching styles and this usually causes them to have a lower average. Some people think that a new rule should be added to completely do away with the two handed style all together and others think that if people want to sandbag, then let them sandbag. Two handed bowling has been a controversy since Jason Belmonte started bowling at the age of just two years old. Before that, though, two handed had never been seen and everyone bowled with just one hand. It hasn’t been a problem against the rules, it has been a problem called ‘sandbagging.’ Sandbagging happens in leagues and gives that person an advantage. For example, if a one handed bowler with a 200 average starts out bowling two handed with a 160 average, he can get a higher handicap and finish out bowling one handed. The higher handicap will give his team more points. This goes into the idea of it being ethical. It’s technically cheating and if you are aware you are doing this to win, it isn’t right. If a bowler cheats and sandbags, should they have to finish out the season bowling the way they started? This isn’t just to win their league, it’s to also help them win tournaments that have handicap. â€Å"They seem to flock to handicap leagues and on occasion have a career year in a high money scratch league with team maximums.† (Rodriguez). Bowlers look down on the people that do this because it isn’t fair to the ones that keep their averages high and take the sport seriously. The argument with two handed bowling isn’t that it is against the rules, it’s that people abuse it. They sandbag with two hands, then bowl one handed in tournaments to win. People want a rule made to go along with the rule that says if a person starts out left/right handed, they must finish out the season left/right handed, to say that if a person starts out bowling one/two handed, they should finish one/two handed. â€Å"The emergence and growing popularity of what is known as the two-handed delivery in bowling has caused the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) to consider its impact on the rules and application of the sports specifications.† (Henry). This quote is explaining that USBC is looking into the rules and could possibly add a rule that is against switching between two styles. However, there are some exceptions and some people that think sandbagging is an ‘ok’ thing to do. Not only is this an argument against the rules, most people strongly disagree with the idea of sandbagging because it gives people an advantage in handicap tournaments. â€Å"†¦if I have the ability to be a consistent 200-average bowler, but I spend all season deliberately averaging 170 or so, my handicap will be that of a bowler much worse than me. So, when the important games start, I go back to bowling as I know I can, and I have an additional 20-30 pins of handicap as a cushion.† (Goodger). This is explaining how the handicap works and why people sandbag. Handicap tournaments are for people with averages usually under 220. The reason they have the rule that you can’t switch hands is because people will bowl with their ‘bad’ hand to set a low average, then in tournaments, they bowl with their right hand and dominate the competition. It’s the same thing by switching styles. People bowl two handed, which can be by their same hand, but actually bowl one handed. The only thing that people think should be allowed is picking up spares one handed. A two handed bowler, Osku Palermaa, bowls his first ball two handed but picks up spares one handed. Almost everyone that are against the switching of styles think this should be allowed. This is where stats come into play. If someone can average a 210 one handed and a 170 two handed, they should only bowl one handed on the first ball. On the same page, if a bowler averages 210 two handed, and just 180 one handed, then they should only bowl with two hands on the first ball. The switching of the two styles could be the equivalent of switching hands in golf. Maybe a shot is easier for someone left handed and they can make the shot, even though they golf right handed. That option is not allowed in bowling, and with the many styles that are offered today, there has to be some rule to balance the field. Tournaments in the youth and some adult tournaments are used with handicap. So handicap with bowling would be a good thing. You average 200 and shoot a 210 with a handicap of 100% of 220, and you technically shoot a 230. This is the same in golf, if a golfer has a high handicap, then that means his ‘average’ is higher than some other golfers with a low handicap. It’s almost backwards in golf, but works the same way to ensure that players can play each other and be equal, regardless of skill level. I think of true athletes like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter. â€Å"Can you imagine for one second any of them missing the winning putt, not making the game winning shot or striking out INTENTIONALLY? I didn’t think so.† (Doe) This quote is saying that a bowler averaging 170 is not going to make that game winning strike, and it’s very obvious when someone is sandbagging. In every sport there is always someone trying to bend the rules and take advantage of things such as handicap in order to win tournaments. In golf, someone can shoot horribly and have a high handicap, and then shoot great in a tournament and nobody can beat him at all. This is taking advantage of an idea that is supposed to even out the players based on their personal ability. So if you do better than your average with a 170, and someone else does a little worse than theirs but bowls a 210, then you should win, regardless of the scores. That is how handicap works in bowling, as well as golf. This is a moral thing and I don’t see how someone can win in terms of cheating. You can’t cheat in football or any other sport, so why be able to in bowling? The basic counter argument of this idea is that sandbagging and switching hands to do so is something that is ‘normal.’ Some people think that taking advantage of this idea is why it was put in place and they can abuse it if they want to. If they want to sandbag then there is no rule that is preventing them from it. From their point of view, it’s only cheating if you get caught, and most people report them to their league supervisor or coach. Some even sandbag in the first couple of weeks and then bring their average up gradually in order to stay hidden and ‘under the radar.’ Besides, it isn’t like everyone else can’t throw a few bad balls their first few games of a league. An article about why sandbagging is allowed in bowling alleys explains it. â€Å"The only real handicap we are dealing with in bowling is money. If the bowling alleys have to throw a blind eye to what is going on they will, this is the only way to keep them in business.† (â€Å"Bowling tips for beginners†)Money and keeping their league members is exactly why they don’t report the sandbaggers. They are almost always the ones that know how to bowl bad and make it look like an accident. Another thing they look at is that if people don’t like sandbagging, then they can go join a scratch league, in which there is no handicap so you have to bowl well. You may be able to bend the rules and some people may not care if they cheat, but sandbagging is wrong in all levels of sports. Even in a youth league where you have ages ranging from just 7 years old all the way to 19 or 20 years old. But even in these youth leagues you have the bratty teenager that knows his or her way around the rules. When bowling in these types of leagues, there is handicap, and hundreds of dollars worth of scholarship money is on the line. What a better way to make sure you get the top amount than cheat your way to the top. What a better way to win tournaments than to cheat. While that is going on you have the kids that try hard every single week to keep their average up and usually do a great job at it. So when those kids get in tournaments sometimes they do better than their average and they deserve that trophy or money. But three lanes down you have a guy that really averages 210, bowling with a 180 average and that isn’t fair to the ones that try and work hard to have the average they want. To show some statistics and numbers, I found an article that shows just how hard it would be for someone in golf to shoot two over par with about a fifteen handicap. This would be the equivalent of a bowler averaging 175 and bowling a 680 series (three games put together). â€Å"The guy, a member of the host club, claimed a midteens handicap, but in his practice round shot a couple of strokes over par. The odds against a true midteens handicapper shooting such a score are greater than 37,000 to 1.† (Golf Journal). All this is saying is that if you are going to sandbag to win, don’t make it so obvious. To prove that sandbagging is wrong and to show how handicap does work, I have put together a situation. In a tournament that was last week, two guys, we will call them Bill and John, were bowling against each other and both were doing extremely well. The handicap for this tournament is 100% of 220 pins, which means whatever their average is, for example a 200, their handicap would be 20. These two guys are bowling and they are bowling very well scratch (without handicap), but with handicap one of them was losing tremendously. John has been bowling since he was five and has never changed his style, except this year he decided to throw two handed at the beginning of the season and averaged just 180. His average went way down so he later decided to go back to his normal style in which he averages 210. So he goes into this tournament with a 190 average and actually has a 210 average. But Bill, a newbie that hasn’t even been bowling two years yet, has tried to keep his average at a 200 all year long and has succeeded. This was the championship game and Bill had worked his way up the ladder to bowl John who qualified first. Starting off, John already has a 10 pin advantage over Bill because his average is just 190, which gives him a 30 pin handicap compared to Bill’s 20. But remember, John’s real handicap is only 10 because he sandbagged earlier in the year to make his average lower. The two start bowling and John shoots a 268, But Bill only misses once and gets a bad break, but finishes out for a 275. Now, technically, Bill is the real winner here and he bowled a great game to finish with a 275. But with handicap, Bill’s score is a 295 and John’s is a 298. So John won because of the handicap. How is this fair? If John had actually worked hard to average 190 and managed to bowl a 268, I believe that he should win hands down. But, he didn’t, he cheated and he shouldn’t have won. I have personally bowled in many tournaments and leagues and I witness adults sandbagging on a monthly basis. I see bowlers that can throw a great ball, and throw it straight at the pins like a beginner. I find this extremely unfair and I do see it as cheating. â€Å"All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.† – Scott Alexander. (Brain Quotes). The quote explains itself. Cheating is the easy way to do things and you don’t get any satisfaction from beating someone by cheating. It’s like using steroids in baseball, or taking off a restrictor plate in racing, you will get caught and it’s not as fun. Why would someone ‘try out’ two handed bowling for a few weeks and then go back to their normal style? If they start out two handed then they finish that way and the same goes for a one handed bowler. Personally, my average two handed is 215, but one handed I couldn’t probably even average a 170. The facts are there and it isn’t fair that people sandbag in order to win. It’s wrong and hopefully one day the USBC bylaws will enforce this controversy.

“A Visit of Charity” by Eudora Welty Essay Example for Free

â€Å"A Visit of Charity† by Eudora Welty Essay Is Eudora Welty successful in showing how human beings can be more interested in their own personal gains than the needs of others? Marian didn’t really want to visit the home for the elderly but she is a Campfire Girl and by taking out the time to go, she will gain points for offering her time to charity work. A gift of flowers was something that Marian brought to the home in order to make her visit look more genuine, but the apple that she brought; she hid outside so that none would think it was also a gift. There was no special person that she wanted to visit, she only wanted to do the job that she came for, earn her point and leave. She wears her Campfire Girls cap to show who she is and she is very afraid to be around a bunch of older people that she has never met, before, but the added point means so much to her that she is willing to visit this strange home. She is more interested in what she can gain from this visit than what she can offer to others. Addie wasn’t thrilled by Marian’s visit. She was a cranky old lady who didn’t even like her roommate and couldn’t stand to hear her talk about a bunch of nothing, all the time. Marian had pretty, yellow hair which she wore a white cap over and she dressed in her red coat as she observed the two women in the nursing home. She had a job to perform and so much to do in her life as she watched the two ladies who had nothing but each other. (Welty, 1980) In â€Å"A Visit of Charity†, Eudora Welty uses Marian as a character who acts in ways that many of us do at certain times in our lives, in performing deeds that are solely for ourselves, and sometimes we forget about the feelings of others. Welty demonstrates in this story that we need to not only try to work toward our own goals but at the same time, we need to consider the thoughts and emotions of others who are less fortunate. Marian is the girl who Welty chose to show that people, especially young individuals, sometimes forget about more important things as we search for awards and points that make us look and feel better about ourselves. To truly feel better about ourselves, we must consider the feelings of others and then we gain the biggest reward of all; knowing that we made someone else’s day a little brighter and more fulfilling. Marian still had many lessons to learn, in life about human kindness, and as she takes a big bite out of the apple, she shows that she had been more interested in her own personal gain in this visit. The author made you think about others in her writing. Eudora Welty clearly showed the selfishness that one can see in Marian’s visit to the nursing home and how she had so much to learn about the true meaning of sharing and giving of yourself in helping others who are less fortunate. I believe that Eudora Welty clearly showed that human beings are sometimes very capable of seeking out their own personal gain in life and are highly capable of not considering the feelings of others, as we do. Reference Page Welty, Marian. (1980) â€Å"A Visit of Charity†. Library of America.

Yuan as a Dominant Currency

Yuan as a Dominant Currency This essay expresses my humble opinion on the idea of the displacement of the U.S. dollar by the Chinese currency, Yuan as the dominant currency in the global financial system, the possibilities of it occurring, reasons of why Yuan should displace the U.S dollar which include the benefits of internationalisation of Yuan to the Chinese onshore and offshore companies, foreign companies, global importers, investors, China, and of course to the rest of the world. Although it remains uncertain and questionable, I believe that China could displace the U.S. as the worlds strongest economy, and that the Yuan, Chinese currency may become the world’s global currency, or even replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency. It could even happen in our lifetimes. But, it will be a slow and long process that may result in a U.S. dollar decline, not a collapse. Also, I do believe that the Yuan should replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in the global financial system, as the internationalisation of Yuan can bring numerous benefits not only to individuals, but corporations and governments worldwide as well. In the aftermath of the GFC (global financial crisis), the status of the U.S. dollar as the worlds reserve currency has gradually come into question. Heady money printing practices by the Fed of the United States has weakened the value of the U.S. dollar as many countries have considered in diversifying their assets into other currencies in order to diversify their currency risk, causing the reliability of the U.S. dollar to be questionable. The question then remains in which other currency is strong enough to substitute the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in the global financial system. In spite of the crippling debt and undermine fundamentals in the United States, one of the main reasons why the U.S. dollar still continues to dominate is due to the fact that other countries have their own share of issues as well. And thus, the dollars strength is more relative. But recently, there have been â€Å"rumours† and talks that the Yuan/ Renminbi, the Chinese currency has the ability to supersede U.S. dollar as dominant currency in the global financial system and being the top reserve currency around the globe.   China is currently the world’s biggest manufacturer and exporter as well as its second largest economy according to ChinaDailyhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-03/02/content_17315230.htm. Yet its currency, Yuan, which is still cautiously managed by the Chinese government, only has a small percentage of market shares which is substantially behind the U.S. dollar, and is hardly being traded on foreign exchange markets. However, the trading volumes are gradually increasing. During the last quarter of year 2013, the Yuan overtook the euro and became the second most used currency in the global trade finance after the U.S. dollar, based on the Society of Worldwide Inter-bank Financial Telecommunication. Since then, it became the 9th most traded international currency around the globe, according to a financial report created by the Bank of International Settlements. Some economists and analysts forecast that the Chinese currency will continue to rise in the next few decades. Al l the signs mentioned above indicate that the Yuan is gaining greater stature to be a more stable and suitable dominant currency. One of the great reasons why the Yuan should replace U.S. dollar as the dominant currency is the stability of Yuan. The steady economy growth of China for the past few years has almost proven its currency, Yuan a steady and safe currency to invest in. People may argue that the euro, yen, British pound could serve as a strong currency that can be the dominant currency as well; however, most of these economies have not been doing great since 2008. This is especially clear in Europe, where a sovereign debt crisis is brewing, and Japan, where a robust recovery from the last two decades has been put on hold by a combination of several incidents like nuclear power disasters, the spill over from the weak European economies and the 2007 U.S. financial crisis. The internationalisation of Yuan will occur before Yuan becomes the dominant currency. Therefore, the benefits of globalised Yuan can be solid arguments in why should Yuan replace the U.S dollar as dominant currency. There are many benefits when Yuan is internationalized. China has started to loosen its control for its financial markets recently and slowly opening up access to the onshore markets. In the year of 2007, the Chinese government started to issue RMB-denominated bonds, notes, and funds, which are named as â€Å"dim-sum bonds† in Hong Kong. Since year 2009, companies located in Mainland China have been able to perform cross-border trade in Yuan. This enables any onshore companies in China to reduce their transaction costs, speed up payments, and ensure for a better management of foreign exchange risks. â€Å"In the longer term, this will and can obtain wider benefits.† says Professor Yeh, associate professor of the Department of Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. For instance, this will enable the companies to lower down the price of their products or services, and pass on the cost savings to the customers. On the other hand, the use of Yuan undoubtedly benefits foreign companies including the U.S. companies as well. Many U.S. companies such as McDonald’s, have taken advantage to issue RMB-denominated bonds in China and Hong Kong to save companies a fortune in terms of interest and transaction costs. Moreover, issuing RMB-denominated bonds is a great way to hedge currency risks as well. Given the slow economy growth in the western countries, holding a RMB-bond can diversify the currency risk imposed by the U.S dollar and euro. RMB- denominated bonds are a good financial instrument for companies to conduct business in China in protecting them from any fluctuations in currency values in the future. More advantage in using Yuan in conducting business with the Chinese is the discounts that Chinese business leaders may provide if a business transaction is deal in Yuan. According to the HSBC’s research, 56 per cent of Chinese business leaders would offer discounts to their trading partners for transactions performed in Yuan for up to three to five per cent. U.S. multinationals with business operations in China can also benefit when they perform transactions in Yuan, as it enables them to centralize their management of foreign exchange. Instead of managing their foreign exchange exposure in China, they could centrally manage it in a regional or global centre in New York, Singapore or even Hong Kong, for instance. Next, China is a top import and export market for many countries around the world including the U.S., according to ChinaDaily USA http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2014-05/08/content_17493372.htm. It was also the biggest recipient of foreign direct investment in the first six months of year 2012, based on HSBC research. According to http://www.cfr.org/china/uneasy-us-chinese-trade-relationship/p10482, the trade between China and the U.S. is healthy. As a matter of fact, 77 per cent of U.S. business leaders claimed that they do import from China and 49 per cent claimed that they have export partners in China, according to a survey performed by HSBC. Since the U.S. has the largest percentage of international trading activities with China, the U.S. could benefit from the use of Yuan in conducting their trading business with China. For the benefits of importers, performing trade activities with the Chinese trading partners in Yuan relates to pricing. When U.S. dollar is accepted as payment in trading transactions, the Chinese companies usually factor in the foreign exchange risk by adjusting their price. By completing the payment in Yuan, the importers stand a better chance to negotiate for a lower price or even obtaining better trade terms. Moreover, invoicing in Yuan helps to increase the supplier base in China importers too, as the Chinese companies appreciate this practice a lot. With a bigger supplier base from which to choose, the importers obtain a bigger bargaining power in negotiating price and terms. On the same hand, a globalised Yuan brings several advantages to international investors as well. International investors could diversify their investment and currency risk by investing into other currency like Yuan, rather than just the U.S. dollar or euro. The modern portfolio theory states that the more unrelated assets you have, the less impact of currency risk will be encountered through diversification (http://www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/assetallocation.htm). Just like any democracy, at least two parties are needed to achieve balance. The same goes to international currencies, with an extra option to invest in, investors could enjoy the diversification advantage. Today, U.S. dollar is the dominant currency; therefore, U.S. domestic fiscal and monetary policy has significant effect outside and inside the United States. If there is more international currency, then there would be more choices and investors will be less susceptible to U.S. policy decisions. While the impact caused by the 2007 global economic crisis did not affect a huge number of Chinese investors, but the fallout has been serious, as values of the savings around the world have plummeted. The 2007 financial crisis has a great impact on the mind-set of international investors, especially, about the safeness of the dollar. National banks, China’s included, have experienced the fall of the value of their foreign currency reserves significantly, as the dollar and euro weakened during the crisis period. Therefore, more choices of international reserve currencies can provide better checks and balances, which are very essential to monetary policy makers around the world, showing the benefits of Yuan being internationalised and as a dominant currency. Furthermore, if Yuan ever became the dominant currency, it would allow China, which holds substantial amount of money reserves, to be less dependent on foreign currency reserves, and therefore less affected by the currency fluctuations. Moreover, a globalised Yuan could bring direct financial benefits to China in the form of seigniorage as well. Seigniorage is the profit made by a government by issuing their currency with the difference between the fair value of the money and the cost of producing it, explained by (investopedia) http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/seigniorage.asp. So if the fair value of the money is greater than the cost of producing it, the money, then China will enjoy a financial gain. Some economists even estimate this could amount up to USD of 2.5 billion a year. Other than seigniorage, if Yuan became the dominant currency, China could also enjoys further benefits, including prestige, lower borrowing costs for the government, corporations, and households, and a much lower if not zero probability of a debt and financial crisis. The dominance of Yuan would bring obvious benefits to China, which includes a lower risk of capital loss triggered by a depreciation of the U.S. dollar or euro. What about the effects to the Europe, United States, and other countries? Firstly, since the Western economy is not performing well recently, if the benefits from the dominance of the Yuan helps to convince the Chinese to buy more of their debt, it could aid to hold down their borrowing cost, indirectly billing them out from the poor economy. Secondly, with a greater Yuan flexibility, China will worry less about the capital loss on its foreign exchange holdings. As such, China would be more willing to hold on to their fixed exchange rate regime. This could benefits not only to China, but to all the countries that perform trading activities with China as well. During the 2008 GFC, China decided to change back to a fixed exchange rate regime after implementing a semi-floated currency regime for a short couple of years http://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/08/pegged-vs-floating-currencies.asp. This decision aided the Chinese economy to emerge 2 years later relatively well. Since then, China has been trying to control its economy from growing too fast. If afloating exchange rate regime is used by China, American demand for Chinese goods would definitely force up the exchange rate and inflate the price of the Chinese goods, causing the Chinese goods less desirable eventually http://www.netplaces.com/economics/foreign-exch ange-and-the-balance-of-payments/to-fix-or-float-that-is-the-question.htm. This is undoubtedly important to the Western governments. Thus this should be considered worth facilitating. However, some might believe that the United States would never tolerate the humiliation with its government debt denominated in a foreign currency. But if the U.S. does, it certainly would not be the first country to do so. Most countries denominated their debt in foreign currency whenever they need to make borrowings from the international capital market. Furthermore, history reveals that the U.S. is very pragmatic. History also shows that the U.S. has denominated part of its government debt in foreign currency before, mostly the deutsche mark, a German currency before the adoption of euro, in the 1970s. In any case, everyone has to weigh the benefits and the costs for doing everything. In my opinion, the benefits outweigh the costs in this case. To a certain extent, an international role for the Yuan seems inevitable. How often and widely a currency is used and traded around the globe is generally a function of how significant and important its home country is to the world economy. In the 19th century, while the British Empire reigned supreme, the British currency, Pound was recognised as the top international currency. Ever since World War II, the role of Pound has been substituted by the U.S. dollar, as the U.S. is currently the worlds largest economy. Now that China is catching up rapidly with a stable economy growth that placed itself second after the U.S., the potential of its currency may progress to a point where it substitutes U.S. dollar as a global currency. If the growth continues at its current pace, it is possible that China’s economy could surpass the United States within the next two decades. Therefore, there is a strong reason to believe that Yuan could replace the U.S. dollar and dash into the big lea gue of international currencies. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-16/china-economy-passes-japan-s-in-second-quarter-capping-three-decade-rise.html However, the Yuan is still currently far from that league. As a matter of fact, it can hardly be found in the world currency markets. The chief reason is cause by the Chinese policy. The Chinese Government restrictions restrain the Yuan from being traded freely around the globe or being fully convertible into other currencies in almost all financial transactions. The Chinese currency value is pegged to a basket full of currencies which are most probably dominated by the U.S. dollar and is only permitted to adjust each day within an allowed and narrow band. With such limitations, the potential of Yuan cannot progress very far. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1911671,00.html Nevertheless, it is believed that the Yuan could be one of the world’s top currencies and may be able to fully convertible sometime in the future. Therefore, I believe that the Yuan could serve as a potential hedge against the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency to the world. In conclusion there are numerous advantages as for Yuan to be the dominant currency, including the stability of Yuan compared to the U.S. dollar, benefits of globalisation of Yuan to the Chinese companies, foreign companies, international importers, investors, China, Europe, United State and other country around the world. Thus, I do believe that the Yuan should replace the U.S. dollar as the dominant currency in the global financial system.