Thursday, October 31, 2019

Mark and his Attacking Janet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mark and his Attacking Janet - Essay Example For Mark, there are several laws that can be used to give advice to him. As by law, he can remain silent and not disclose his whereabouts during the night Janet was attacked. Silence is instructed by Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 and CJPOA 1994 s.34 and 37. The right to silence is given to Mark, through this law. The Right to Silence indicates that the accused does not have to answer questions during trial and hearing or before it in order to avoid self-incrimination.As by law, he can remain silent and not disclose his whereabouts during the night Janet was attacked. Silence is instructed by Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 and CJPOA 1994 s.34 and 37. The right to silence is given to Mark, through this law. The Right to Silence indicates that the accused does not have to answer questions during trial and hearing or before it in order to avoid self-incrimination. â€Å"[†¦] it is not the compulsion to answer questions which creates the breach of Art. 6, but the subsequent use of the evidence so obtained. In any event, for the most part, a suspect cannot be prosecuted for refusing to answer questions.† (KeyZone, Public Law). â€Å"(d) to examine or have examined witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him† (European Convention on Human Rights) This means that Mark has the right to cross-examine the witnesses that are testifying against him for the attack on Janet.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Whole Food in Texas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Whole Food in Texas - Essay Example His acquisition strategy regarding independent small food stores and groceries helped him to uplift the company to be the nation’s one of the largest health food stores. The company aimed not only at the product quality but also the betterment of the employees, customers, shareholders, and the environment. They largely focused on social service activities such as sponsorship of several charitable foundations, and low interest loan program for local farmers in addition with the economic development operations. In order to meet the customer satisfaction, the firm expanded its prepared food section and added a restaurant area; it influenced the customers to spend more. The company had given comparatively good salary and incentives to the employees considering them as team members rather than employees. That was the real secret behind the success of the company. The CEO received only $1 per year in salary whereas the company executives were earning 19 times the average annual sala ry of full time team members. It shows his higher concern toward the success of the company. Wild Oats Markets is a Colorado based food company founded by Gilliland Elizabeth Cook in 1987. The company’s main growth strategy was new store developments and acquisitions. By this concept, they could acquire ranges of business ventures such as natural food stores and farmers markets.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Effects Of Kyoto Protocol Economics Essay

Effects Of Kyoto Protocol Economics Essay the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the apex body, under whose supervision Kyoto protocol was developed. It is an agreement between many countries, which signed it and committed for reduction in green house gas. The process started with negotiations between many countries in the early December of 1997 in  Kyoto, Japan and with Russias ratification, it came in to force on the 16th February of 2005. The delay was because of Kyoto required at least 55 parties to ratify it and the total of those counties emissions to be at least 55% of global greenhouse gas emission. Some of the highlights of the Kyoto protocol are: A total of 191 states have signed and ratified  the protocol as on September 2011 The United States of America has signed the protocol but has not ratified it. Developed countries have binding target on emission reduction. Developing countries do not have binding target for emission targets. The protocol allows the member counties of emissions trading to meet their target. Economic Impacts of the  Protocol One of the key issues with the Protocol is its economic impact on member nations. Some critics emphasize that Developed nations are the one who will be affected negatively most. One of the major speculations is that developed nations who have ratified the treaty, will have to invest more in newer technologies and procedures to reduce their emissions. It is also more obvious that developed countries need to incur more cost in enforcing stricter emission norms. There is also possibility of an increase in the consumer price index because the companies will pass one the extra cost incurred in clean mechanism technology to consumer. As the base year for fixing target is 1990, the countries, which have developed most after 1990, will suffer most and the countries that have slump after 1990 are at advantage. This effect can be evident on the fact that US has not ratified the treaty as it has grown considerably after 1990 and if it ratifies the treaty then it has to cut almost 30% emission costing around $100 per ton The European union at large is at advantage because there was slump in western Europe and Russia after 1990. It is evident from the fact that it needs only $5 per ton for emission reduction target to be met. The provisions of emission trading provided the developing countries a way to cash in on their reduced emission credits. Kyoto Protocol in the context of India A Macroeconomic Overview The impact of kyoto protocol may be direct in case of developed countries but has it has indirect impact on developing countries The protocol does not make it binding on the developing countries to reduce their emission and it does not provide any reduction targets for them till. India coming under the scope of developing country has been affected by the indirect impact. The protocol has played a significant role in the reshaping overall Indian economy. The protocol has its effect on many macroeconomic parameters of India. If we take in to account the GDP of India, some of the major factors linked to kyoto protocol that have affected the GDP of India are Investment Impact Trade Impact Flexibility Mechanisms Impact Emissions Trading Joint Implementation Clean Development Mechanism Fig-1 (Factors affecting the GDP of India in the context of Kyoto Protocol) We will be limiting our discussion to the impact of 2 major factors arising out of kyoto protocol that is investment and trade on the Indian GDP. Investment Trade Impact on GDP Fig-2 (Investment Impact and GDP of India) The Investment impact can be summarised by the chart below. Kyoto protocol induces emission restrictions on the developed nations. The manufacturing industry especially the emission insensitive industries in the developed nations are the worst sufferers. Because of this restriction, these industries need to invest more capital in technology and other aspect to reduce the emission. This in turn increases the cost of production, which makes the ROI low. The low ROI (return on investment) in these developed nations makes the investment to shift to developing countries, which affects the GDP to rise. India as an important developing country has benefited from this effect. SL NO YEAR FDI-US$ (MILLION) EXPORTS IN CRORES GDP US$(BILLION) 1 2000-01 2,463 278126 492.4 2 2001-02 4,065 290757 522.8 3 2002-03 2,705 355556 617.6 4 2003-04 2,188 417425 721.6 5 2004-05 3,219 569051 834.2 6 2005-06 5,540 712087 949.1 7 2006-07 12,492 904872 1238.7 8 2007-08 24,575 1018907 1224.1 9 2008-09 31,396 1328765 1361.1 10 2009-10 25,834 1300034 1684.3 11 2010-11 19,427 1747500 1848.0 12 2011-12 26,192 Table: 1- (DIPPS Financial Year-Wise FDI Equity Inflows GDP date from World bank) With a close look at the Table -1 we can see that from the year 2005 onwards there was a sudden increase in the foreign direct investment. In the year 2005, it stood at $3129 million and from the year 2006 onwards, there was high growth in the foreign direct investment on an yoy basis. The FDI reached a peak in the year 2009 at $31396 million. The decrease in the FDI in 2011 was due to other economic factors. One of the major factors affecting the increase in FDI was kyoto protocol. As the FDI started to increase from the year 2005 onwards the GDP of india also saw a tremendous growth, it increased from $834.2 billion in the year 2005 to $1848 billion in the year 2011. Fig-3 (Trade Impact and GDP of India) As can be seen in the Fig-3 the other major impact was the trade impact, when the cost production has increased in developing countries, the import of goods from developing countries becomes less competitive. This in contrast increases the competitiveness of the exporter in the developing countries. When the export form developing countries increase, giving appositive push to the trade it creates a demand surge. Because of this, increases in demand of good, producers of goods increase the production. Moreover, increase in the production of goods increase the GDP. This can be also deduced from the Table-1, where it is evident that from 2005 onwards there was a stiff increase in the Indian export from 712087 crores to 1747500 crores in 2011. As the Export has increased this gave rise to an increase in the demand, which in turn made the supply to increase. With an increase in the supply, the GDP of India has rose from $834.2 billion in 2005 to $ 1848.0 billion in the year 2011. Conclusion Despite having no emission targets under the kyoto protocol India will benefit from the emission reduction compulsion of developed nations. The effect is because of trade and investment linkage with the Developed nations. India has immensely benefited from this due to a surge in its exports and increase in the FDI. The cumulative effect of these two factors has been positive on the GDP of india, which rose steeply from 2005 onwards. India played and major role in the extension of the kyoto after Jan 1 2013, before the new commitment period comes in to effect from 2020. Although the new extended kyoto does not impose any binding emission reduction targets on india, it has decided to reduce the emission intensity by 20 to 25% of the 2005 level within the year 2020.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Comparing A Cage of butterflies to Mission to mars Essays -- essays re

Science fiction produces a "what if" element that asks a question and prophesises the future. There are many texts, which presents the reader or viewer with a particular way of science fiction. The two texts, "A cage of butterflies" by Brain Caswell and "Mission to Mars" by Brian de Palmer, both of which conform to science fiction. The technology used in "A cage of butterflies" is of extremely high standard and produces a theme that prophesises about experimentation and mutations occurring on humans. The theme in "Mission to Mars" is about discovery, communication and reaching out to other life forms. In "A cage of butterflies", the research laboratory in NSW is covertly set, as what they are doing is illegal. The extremely tight security of the laboratory gives the reader a feeling that the research lab is like a prison or a zoo. This impression is also supported by the place where the babies are kept under tight surveillance and the way that they are being monitored through a glass window. The environment the think tanks occupy is more like a home than a lab, because they aren't aware of what is happening, so they refer to the place as the "Farm". The characters in "A cage of butterflies" are intelligent heroes. The "think tank" are a bunch of kids with an I.Q. well above 150. Mikki and Greg are the main characters, both born with natural leadership and who love each other. The babi...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

University Museum Case Analysis

Thomas Molteni MGMT 587 02/07/2013 University Art Museum Case Analysis I. Summary of Facts The Art museum is a classical building housing the art collection of a university. The building endowment was given to the university by an alumnus around 1912. (81) The wealthy son of the university's first president served as the museum's unpaid director until his death. During his service he brought a few additional collections to the museum. (81) While serving as unpaid director, none of the collections was ever shown to anybody except a few members of the university's art history faculty.After the founders death, the university handed off the position to amateur enthusiast Miss Kirkoff. Miss KIrkoff cataloged the collections and pursued new gifts. (82)The museum was remodeled to include an auditorium, library, and classrooms. September 1981 directorship is passed on. The New director attempts to make the museum a community resource, but it becomes too popular. (82) Classes and exhibitions lose interest with the students, and the Pd. D. is let go after three years of service. II. Statement of the Problem The university's problems spur from their lack of management and authority.The museum is not flourishing with the school as well as it has in the past, and the direction of the university is being questioned. III. Causes of the problem The museum gained notoriety during its use as an academic resource, but the later director wanted it to be a community resource. The building was designed by Miss Kirkoff to aid academia in their pursuit of knowledge; therefor, it failed to support the university and the public. The museum expects to hire a director and allow them to mold the museum in any way they see fit.The university needs to identify the direction they want the museum to head in and create guidelines for a director to fallow. IV. Possible Solutions Possible solutions for the museum include: forming a more cohesive board to decide the future direction of the museum, hire new manager who can get the job done, or allow the students to decide the future of the establishment. The current art history board is made up of staff who have built up a snobby and stubborn attitude, and without cohesion they will never agree.Hiring a new director is a possible solution but the university must form guidelines to aid the manager. The students having a voice in the situation is a great decision or a horrible decision depending on their involvement and understanding. V. Solution and Its Implementation To properly organize and manage the museum, an intelligent and modest group of enthusiast must decide direction of the establishment. The stubbornness built up by the current staff is disabling any productive movement.Once the group is formed they will brainstorm the future of the program and find balance between the public and exclusive. The decision and agreement will then trigger the search for possible management directors whom aligns with the university goal s. VI. Justification Implementing the board will work because it contains the same passion and elements which brought the museum to its present glory. Miss Kirkoff intended for the museum to be a resource but maintain its position as a part of the university. With the help of bright minds and focus, the museum should be able to realign with the goals of the past.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Overpopulation destroying the environment Essay

â€Å"The destruction of the natural world we see across the globe today is ‘fallout’ from the human population explosion that has occurred over the course of the last 50 years. The world is at a critical juncture. While birth rates have fallen in many countries and regions, demographic momentum means we are now adding a record number of people to the world’s population every year. At current birth rates the population of the world will double in the next 50 years. If that happens, countless creatures already pushed to the edge, may pass into extinction. † The new century is marked by alarming environmental threats such water shortages, soil exhaustion, loss of forests, air and water pollution in many parts of the world. The challenge to developed countries is to raise the people’s standard of living without sacrificing the environment. Most developed economies currently consume resources much faster than they can regenerate. This is caused by rapid population growth. The bigger the population is, the bigger the demand for food and water. It was also noted that the more populous the place is, the more waste is produced. The exponential growth in the earth’s population as well as the associated developments resulted in the overcrowding of vulnerable areas thus the occurrence of extreme natural disasters. In many countries the number of births is more than the number of deaths causing overpopulation. Environment is getting worse in the last decade over 12 million people each year were killed due to unclean water and nearly 3 million were killed due to air pollution. Heavy metals and other contaminants also cause widespread health problems. According to studies conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the food supplies produced are no longer enough to meet the need in 64 countries. Population pressures have degraded some 2 billion hectares of arable land — an area the size of Canada and the U. S. The supply of freshwater is finite, but demand is soaring as population grows. By 2025, when world population is projected to be 8 billion, 48 countries containing 3 billion people will face shortages. Currently, 434 million people face either water stress or scarcity. Depending on future rates of population growth, between 2. 6 billion and 3. billion people may be living in either water-scarce or water-stressed conditions by 2025. For tens of millions of people in the Middle East and in much of Africa today, the lack of available fresh water is a chronic concern that is growing more acute and more widespread. The problem is worse than it often appears on the ground, because much of the fresh water now used in water-scarce regions comes from deep aquifers that are not being refreshed by the natural water cycle. In most of the countries where water shortage is severe and worsening, high rates of population growth exacerbate the declining availability of renewable fresh water. While 25 countries currently experience either water stress or scarcity, between 36 and 40 countries are projected to face similar conditions by 2025 Ocean fisheries are being overexploited, and fish catches are down due to high population densities and urban development. Nearly half of the world’s original forest cover has been lost, and each year another 16 million hectares are cut, bulldozed, or burned. Forests provide over US$400 billion to the world economy annually and are vital to maintaining healthy ecosystems. Yet, current demand for forest products may exceed the limit of sustainable consumption by 25%. Human activities are pushing many thousands of plant and animal species into extinction. Two of every three species is estimated to be in decline. The earth’s surface is warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, largely from burning fossil fuels. If the global temperature rises as projected, sea levels would rise by several meters, causing widespread flooding as seen in the last few years in different parts of the world especially Asia. Global warming also could cause droughts and disrupt agriculture. How people preserve or abuse the environment could largely determine whether living standards improve or deteriorate. Growing human numbers, urban expansion, and resource exploitation do not bode well for the future. Without practicing sustainable development, humanity faces a deteriorating environment and may even invite ecological disaster. Many steps toward sustainability can be taken today. These include: using energy more efficiently, managing cities better, phasing out subsidies that encourage waste but the best way to sustainability is to stabilize the population. Environmentalists and economists increasingly agree that efforts to protect the environment and to achieve better living standards can be closely linked and are mutually reinforcing. Slowing the increase in population, especially in the face of rising per capita demand for natural resources, can take pressure off the environment and buy time to improve living standards on a sustainable basis. Changes in population size, age, and distribution affect issues ranging from food security to climate change. Population variables interact with consumption patterns, technologies, and political and economic structures to influence environmental change. This interaction helps explain why environmental conditions can deteriorate even as the growth of population slows. Despite slowing growth, world population still gains nearly 80 million people each year, parceling land, fresh water, and other finite resources among more people. A new Germany is added annually, a new Los Angeles monthly. How this increase in population size affects specific environmental problems is impossible to say precisely. Too many factors interact, and much depends on the time frame under consideration. Obviously, trends such as the loss of half of the planet’s forests, the depletion of most of its major fisheries, and the alteration of its atmosphere and climate are closely related to the fact that human population expanded from mere millions in prehistoric times to nearly 6 billion today. There is an urgent call today to stabilize population in order to make sure that the generation after us will have enough to sustain them. We need to do everything in our power to conserve energy and resources. Overpopulation has a tremendous environmental impact caused by high consumption levels, environmental destruction, and poverty.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Giordano Essays

Giordano Essays Giordano Paper Giordano Paper style, fabrics, etc. ) Excellence in service: continual commitment to providing excellent customer service and response. This is the result of integration of the corporate philosophy and leadership, service orientation of supporting functions like human resource policies (e. g. , selection, training and remuneration of frontline staff) and information systems, and performance monitoring (e. . , regular evaluations of service standards at store level and mystery shopping) Good site selection: Giordano’s location strategy provides a competitive advantage because of its direct impact on ability to generate high volume customer traffic while keeping low margins. Staff personnel: its sales staff is dedicated, ever-smiling, well-mannered and helpful Excellence in marketing and branding: strong positioning, brand equity for excellent service and ability to deliver â€Å"value-for-money†, consistent execution of advertising and promotion to strengthen brand image. Stylish: in order to meet the consumer’s desire for trendier fashion , Giordano has constantly work hard to come out with design that is stylish and fashionable in order to attract the consumer and meet the demand of the market A tightly controlled menu: It mainly focuses on a few items whose demand and desirability can be closely monitored. {text:bookmark-start} POPs-Points of Parity {text:bookmark-end} Giordano current positioning is value-for-money which sells its apparels and merchandise at low priced and affordable price, however this pricing strategies is just good enough only to attract customer there is not much of unique selling point as there a lot of competition from many other brands such as Baleno and Bossini, as well as ‘brand less’ clothes shops that operate in the retail market. These shops are able to provide similar kind of goods at relatively comparable prices and therefore, consumers may go to the other shops as well. Hence, Giordano may not be able to attract as much consumer as they wished. However, fashion trends are always changing, hence, it would still be sustainable for the company if Giordano has constantly make effort such as hiring great designer to come out with fashionable design that changes with different season so to cater to the consumer’s demand of trendier apparel. Giordano has not forgetting putting good communication channel between the company and its consumer such as constantly updates its consumer on the latest promotions and events that the company is going to held. In order to maintain the communicability between the parties. Giordano has made much effort on advertising and creating brand awareness through various media and channel. Giordano knows the power of Internet well as what normally companies do. Giordano also advertise its product on its corporate website so to make it easier for consumers to access its company information easily with just a click on the mouse, consumers are able to find out the information they looking for. This helps to bring the consumer closer and save the consumer time as could have found out what is the latest promotion or product the company is offering even before they make their trip to its outlets As mention above, Giordano offered a wide range of product for different of group of customer, it operates under the brands of â€Å"Giordano†, â€Å"Giordano Concepts†, â€Å"Giordano Junior† and â€Å"Giordano Ladies†. So to cater to different group. Giordano sell those common apparel for unisex at a affordable price, it show the feasibility of the company to sell those trendy casual apparel to attract lower class consumer yet make profit for the company. On the other hand, Giordano concepts sell more expensive apparels to those who afford to pay more, this mainly targeted at business group. Giordano kids will be targeting at small kid while the Giordano ladies is selling only the ladies wear. However, other company such as TOPSHOP and ZARA already have this similar business concept to target at different consumer group, it show that this kind concept is easily imitate by other company and therefore facing more competition. {text:bookmark-start} PODS-Points of Difference {text:bookmark-end} The primary source of differentiation comes from Giordano’s commitment to quality, in terms of the products it sells and the service it provides to customers. This can be illustrated by its dedication to training and motivating its front-line staff as well as its no-questions asked return policy. And to ensure that every store and individual employee provided excellent customer service, performance evaluations were conducted frequently at the store level, as well as for individual employees. The service standard of each store was evaluated twice every month, while individual employees were evaluated once every two months. Internal competitions were designed to motivate employees and store teams to do their best in serving customers. Every month, Giordano awarded the ‘Service Star’ to individual employees, based on nominations provided by shoppers. In addition, every Giordano store was evaluated every month by mystery shoppers. Based on the combined results of these evaluations, the ‘Best Service Shop’ award was given to the top shop. This motivates employee to give their best when serving customer Giordano has a unique model in retailing across the world, as it owns and operates most of its stores and only works on the franchising route if the potential partner matches the same passion as Giordano’s vision, mission, values, brand and culture. This helps it to inculcate our values upon all employees and directly to the customer,† continues Chugani. â€Å"It also helps it to maintain standards and consistency across the stores and operations. Most international brands have appointed different distributors and franchisees in each country and at times this has led to different modes of practice and inconsistencies in service, policies, price and merchandise. † Giordano assembles fully integrated pr ogrammes to create, communicate deliver values for the customers. Giordano sees itself as being more than just a retailer of casual apparel. It was able to successfully incorporate customer service as part of its product. Besides its brand name, logo, style and quality, excellent service has become part of the tangible products sold at Giordano stores. Customers have come to associate service excellence as an integral component of Giordano’s merchandise. Giordano is able to provide a high level of customer service through a concerted effort, which involved every employee of the company. Giordano set its outlet in very accessible which make it more convenience for the consumer to shop. and it position itself as value-for-money which sell it products at a affordable price which is good in quality yet trendy, there are occasionally sales promotion to attract more market share. The company emphasizes on â€Å"Simplicity and speed of operations†. Giordano maintains a flat organizational structure and this facilitates easy communication between people within the organization, helps to make speedy decision and to manage projects efficiently. For example, Giordano has around 17 core items and there are not more than 100 items in their shops. Focus makes Giordano’s shops more manageable that keeps the stores as simple as possible and better inventory management is possible. One of the Giordano’s key success factors is Excellence in design and service which comes from the integration of many activities in the value chain; it involves intangible elements such as organizational culture; and it does not reside in any particular individual. Thus, it is more difficult for competitors to â€Å"poach† this source of advantage and overtake Giordano, as compared to simply acquiring superior technology or poaching good managers. Moreover, even if competitors were to obtain this source of advantage, it might be difficult for them to implement it as successfully, because many factors such as the type of organizational culture and leadership would vary from company to company. {text:bookmark-start} Brand element {text:bookmark-end} Giordano Brand name: The store now sells clothes under the brands of â€Å"Giordano†, â€Å"Giordano Concepts† and etc. Concept Stores will feature exclusive designs and limited editions in their product offering. They will also have more dramatic window displays and in-store presentations with greater emphasis on mix-and-match to inspire customers â€Å"The new logo and store format allow us to establish a separate identity for Giordano Concepts and differentiate it from our regular stores,† remarked Peter Lau, Chairman and Chief Executive of Giordano International Limited. â€Å"With its prime location n high-traffic Mongkok and its impressive three-storey facade, the store enables Giordano Concepts to make a strong impact on consumers(refer to appendix) Giordano’s Url: as what other company does. Giordano has its own registered corporate website, for different regions and countries. It is a very meaning and representative to the consumer. As it facilitate the information of the company. Information such as company profile, investor relations and business opportunities etc and consume r even can shop online from where they are with just a click of mouse. Therefore, it is very useful and meaningful as it very convenient as ease to access. The url also is very easy to memorise. Giordano slogan WWS (world without stranger): it is a slogan chosen for its membership. in order to build long term relationship and public loyalty with its consumer, Giordano come up with the membership drive, the most recent one is the membership called WWS (world without stranger) which Customers must purchase $100 net in a single receipt and will be eligible to be a basic WWS member. From there the consumer are able to enjoy various benefits and privileges such as 10% off all regular priced items (not applicable at Giordano Ladies Giordano Concepts) 20% off all regular priced items throughout the month on members birthday (not applicable at Giordano Ladies Giordano Concepts). Gain 1 Bonus point for every $1 spent in any Giordano outlets. Every 20 bonus points can be converted to $1 cash rebate. Furthermore, it is a Lifetime membership and can be used in Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and etc Giordano’ Chinese logo {draw:frame} Giordano International is proud to unveil its new Chinese logo, created by the Chinese art master Huang Yongyu who is internationally acclaimed for his woodblock prints, ink paintings and literary works. This contemporary interpretation of the established Giordano name reinforces the brand’s undiminished vitality and continued relevance for consumers in the rapidly developing Chinese market. Refer to appendix) {text:bookmark-start} Brand Awareness Image {text:bookmark-end} As what as mentioned earlier in the POPs, Giordano has make use of the power of internet, it has its own corporate website in different language as one of the platform to advertise and create brand awareness by uploading it latest products and promotions with just a click of mouse however I feel that is was not good enough Giordano’s compe titors such as Gap and Bossini have more developed and innovative website as compared to Giordano as their website is more creative in the sense of designing of the webpage. They also provide more useful information on its company product and promotion sales going on, it benefits the competitor greatly as it is very accessible for the consumer. Giordano should upgrade its website to be as competitive as its competitor, it will help the company to advertise its product as with just a click on the mouse, consumer are able to find out the information they looking for. This helps to bring the consumer closer and save the consumer time as could have found out what is the latest promotion or product the company is offering even before they make their trip to its outlets. Giordano also advertises its products on newspapers and magazines such as â€Å"The Straits Times†, â€Å"Today†, â€Å"Stuffs†,†UW† and â€Å"8days† and etc†¦ By doing this advertising scheme, Giordano is then able to reach out to many consumers out there who might just catch a copy of one of those magazines and newspapers. Consumers would then be attracted to the attractive design and special sales it has to offer. With this advertising scheme, it is very advantageous towards Giordano as newspapers and magazines have very good local coverage, broad acceptance, and people usually believe the critics found in them. Lastly, Giordano focused not only creating revenues for its company, it also contribute to the society by taking part in the charity events. For example in conjunction with the Singapore 38thnational day parade, the sale of the National Day Parade collar pins and red â€Å"I Love Singapore† t-shirts was conducted island wide at 65 NTUC Fairprice outlets and 38 Giordano outlets respectively. And also during the period of Tsunami crisis, Giordano Ladies donated its New Years Day net profits from its stores in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Singapore to the Red Cross. I believe through all these charity programme and event, it will help to establish a good corporate image in consumer’s perception. For example when people heard about the company Giordano, they will retrieve from their memory that Giordano has do the charity event to helps the needy in disaster , this eventually give people a positive image of the company and so associate to the brand. {text:bookmark-start} Brand Opportunities {text:bookmark-end} One opportunity that Giordano can grab is the selling of sports apparel. As Singapore advances towards an ageing society, the old tend to get more health conscious. This is because they want to stay fit so that they can lead a longer and healthier life. In addition, the government has been emphasizing about the importance of doing exercises in recent years through campaigns such as Health Week. Hence, more people should be getting into the habit of doing exercise regularly. Giordano can grab this opportunity in selling sports apparels, maybe in bulks so that groups of people can exercise together in the same outfit. For example, usually in the morning, groups of old people would be doing their regular exercises in the parks or below their flats. Hence Giordano can target such groups of people by offering clothes that would appeal to their style of exercising. Next, the world is currently moving into a recession and Singapore has not been spared from it either. Singapore has faced technical recession for the last 2 consecutive quarters and the near future seems bleak. With an economic recession, the peoples’ income will fall. Hence they would be more careful with the way they spend their money. Giordano can grab this opportunity to earn money by focusing on offering lower end goods which would come in the form of lower prices, thus appealing to the thrifty customers in this period. On the other hand, they can also move into other markets where economic growth is still high in this period. Potential countries could include India and China which had been facing strong growth in the recent years. Hence, with rising income, these people would buy more goods and Giordano can be there to provide these goods. text:bookmark-start} Brand challenges {text:bookmark-end} There might be a switch of retailers from Giordano to other retailers such as Bossini and Hang Ten and etc though Giordano is positioning at value-for-money as Customers have little to no collective bargaining power. However, customers seeking value-for-money can easily switch from one retailer to another, compared to customers who seek specific appa rel brands. Next. Giordano current positioning is value-for-money, it might face difficulties in shifting to a higher end positioning or a branded brand from low-end value-for-money positioning. Giordano is having different position in different market hence Customers in these markets may become confused as to what Giordano stands for, and this inconsistency makes effective service strategy implementation difficult, particularly as consumers are becoming increasingly mobile and travel more frequently between Giordano’s core markets. In addition, economies of scale in apparel purchase, design and market communications may be diluted, if different strategies are followed across markets. If this trend persisted, Giordano may dilute its brand name and possibly might weaken its competitive advantage in other areas as well. I would recommend Giordano should gradually and slowly moved its positioning upwards to meet the rising affluence, and hence the resulting desire for high-end apparel, of its core target segment â€Å"Giordano’s success in the Middle East has prompted us to expand into other markets that are already familiar with the brand due to their proximity to the region. In most of our new markets, there already exist a strong awareness of the Giordano brand because of frequent travels to the Middle East and our presence in the Dubai and Qatar airport duty free stores. So our main challenge in these markets is to find partners who believe in the brand and are committed to delivering,† said Ishwar Chugani, Executive Director for Giordano Middle East. (Refer to appendix) {text:bookmark-start} Appendix {text:bookmark-end} {text:bookmark-end} apc. starcresto. com/giordano2. htm zawya. com/printstory. cfm? storyid=ZAWYA20060627072457l=000000060627 giordano. com. hk/web/HK/investors/news/MongkokConceptStore. html Concept store giordano. om. hk/web/HK/investors/news/GiordanoMiddleEast. html Giordano Middle East Enters New Markets http://mdshossain. wordpress. com/2008/02/26/giordano-making-a-value-for-money-high-volume-high-quality-service-strategy-work/ giordano. com. sg/ gap. com. sg http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Giordano_(clothing)) bossini. com giordano. com. hk/web/HK/investors/news/tsunami_HK. html * giordano. com. hk/web/hk/investors/news/NewChineseLogo. html* Chinese logo

Monday, October 21, 2019

How to Ride the Euphemistic Treadmill

How to Ride the Euphemistic Treadmill How to Ride the Euphemistic Treadmill How to Ride the Euphemistic Treadmill By Mark Nichol How do you refer to a person or people with characteristics outside the perceived norm? Why should you do so at all? Describing a person as belonging to a certain race or ethnic group or having a physical or mental disability, or commenting on a provocative or embarrassing topic, is a challenge on more than one level. Linguist and cognitive science Steven Pinker has called the first level of challenge â€Å"the euphemistic treadmill,† a form of pejoration (a shift of meaning to a negative connotation or a less sophisticated sense) or semantic change (an alteration of meaning). A word caught on the euphemistic treadmill is one that replaced an offensive or pejorative term but has itself become unfavorable. For example, the primary mode of reference to people in the United States of relatively recent African extraction (I employ modifiers here because all humans ultimately derive from Africa) has transformed repeatedly through recent history. Even now, no one term is universally preferred: â€Å"African American† and black (or Black) seem to be equally popular, and many publications use the terms interchangeably, but the otherwise obsolete (and offensive) term colored persists as well in the name of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and some black people use the otherwise inexcusable word nigger in a neutral manner but are insulted if someone of another race utters it. In terms of condition rather than color, handicapped supplanted crippled as a description supposedly more respectful of those described, but many people, both members of that class and others, consider handicapped itself insulting because it, like crippled, emphasizes that people so described do not have the capabilities other people possess. (Similarly, writers are urged to avoid connotations of victimization: Write â€Å"Jones uses a wheelchair,† for example, rather than â€Å"Jones is bound to a wheelchair.†) A more recent trend has been to employ a people-first perspective, in which someone is described as â€Å"a person with disabilities,† rather than â€Å"a disabled person,† though some groups and movements reject this approach as a misguided politically correct complication. Why do these subjects have to be so complicated? We’re all genetic mongrels anyway, so why even refer to one’s race or ethnic origin? And why is it considered appropriate to comment on a person’s physical or mental condition at all? Of course, such descriptions are not always necessary, and they should be omitted when they’re irrelevant. But, for better or worse, ethnic identity and physical or mental ability is often pertinent to a discussion. So, we’re back to where we started how should a writer describe an individual or a community or group when such a detail is warranted? If you’re writing for a specific publication or for an organization, investigate whether it has a pertinent style or policy. If the subject matter is dealt with in a style guide or a handbook (for example, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association), use that resource as a guide. Otherwise, if your subject is an individual, or the content describes an individual, ask that person. If that approach is not feasible, search the individual’s own documentation (such as a personal website or a blog on which the person describes himself or herself). In the case of a community or a group, seek guidance from a representative or, again, research original documentation for example, a print or online publication. Whatever you do, if it’s appropriate, integrate into your content as seamlessly as possible your rationale for using potentially controversial or less-than-universal terminology. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. Programme50 Idioms About Arms, Hands, and FingersOne Scissor?

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Using Mademoiselle and Miss in French

Using Mademoiselle and Miss in French The French courtesy title mademoiselle (pronounced mad-moi-zell) is a traditional way of  addressing young and unmarried women. But this form of address,  literally translated as my young lady, is also considered sexist by some people, and in recent years the French government has banned its use in official documents. Despite this sentiment, some still use  mademoiselle  in conversation, especially in formal situations or among older speakers. Usage There are three honorifics commonly used in French, and they function much the way Mr., Mrs., and Miss do in American English. Men of all ages, married or single, are addressed as monsieur. Married women are addressed as madame, as are older women. Young and unmarried women are addressed as  mademoiselle.  As in English, these titles are capitalized when used in conjunction with a persons name. They are also capitalized when functioning as proper pronouns in French and can be abbreviated: Monsieur M.Madame Mme.Mademoiselle Mlle Unlike English, where the honorific Ms. can be used to address women regardless of age or marital status, there is no equivalent in French. Today, youll still hear  mademoiselle  being used, though usually by older French speakers for whom the term is still traditional. It is also occasionally used in formal situations. Most younger French speakers do not use the term, particularly in large cities like Paris. Guidebooks sometimes advise visitors to avoid using the term as well. Instead, use  monsieur  and  madame  in all cases. Controversy In 2012  the French government officially banned the use of mademoiselle for  all government documents. Instead,  madame  would be used for women of any age and marital status. Likewise, the terms  nom de jeune fille  (maiden name) and  nom dà ©pouse  (married name) would be replaced by  nom de famille  and  nom dusage, respectively.   This move wasnt entirely unexpected. The French government had considered doing the same thing back in 1967 and again in 1974. In 1986 a law was passed allowing married women and men to use the legal name of their choice on official documents. And in 2008 the city of Rennes eliminated the use of  mademoiselle  on all official paperwork. Four years later, the campaign to make this change official on a national level had gained momentum. Two  feminist groups, Osez le fà ©minisme! (Dare to be feminist!) and Les Chiennes de Garde (The watchdogs), lobbied the government for months and are credited with persuading Prime Minister Franà §ois Fillon to support the cause. On Feb. 21, 2012, Fillon issued an official decree banning the word. Sources Darrieussecq, Marie. Madame, Mademoiselle: In  France These Are About Sex, not Respect. TheGuardian.com, 24 February 2012.Samuel, Henry. Mademoiselle Banned on Official French Forms. Telegraph.co.uk, 22 February 2012.Sayre, Scott. ‘Mademoiselle’ Exits Official France. NYTimes.com, 22 February 2012.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Three Forms Of Financial Market Efficiency Essay

Three Forms Of Financial Market Efficiency - Essay Example Operational Efficiency: One of the main preconditions for attaining allocational efficiency is the operational efficiency. An operationally efficient financial market is the one in which sellers and buyers are able to purchase the products and services at a price which is as low as possible considering the costs of providing the services (Hasenpusch, 2009). In such a market transaction costs as well as the administrative costs are minimized. Furthermore, lenders and borrowers are subjected to maximum convenience at the time of mobilizing the resources (Bhole, 2004). Â  Failure to attain operational efficiency means transaction costs are quite high and as a result number of financial transactions will be lowered. This, in turn, would make the companies delay their investment plans which may make the society worse off. The study on operational efficiency actually inspects whether the financial services that are offered by various organizations are provided without violating criteria r egarding industrial efficiency. In other words, any study on this concept examines the competition among various financial service providers as well as among various financial markets. Furthermore, it also examines the commission fees (Bailey, 2005).Informational Efficiency: ‘Information' has been one of the key aspects of the process of making financial markets efficient. Informational efficiency is referred to the degree to which prices of the assets reflect the information that is available to the investors.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Mandatory Recycling in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mandatory Recycling in the USA - Essay Example Air pollution that coming from the process of burning fossil fuels is one of the common factors that causes acid rain. (U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999) In other words, electric utility plants are among the major sources of emitted sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide that are present in the atmostphere. As explained by Science, global warming and the nitrogen oxide present in the acid rain could cause negative impact on the environment aside from declining the annual crop yields due to the presence of flood caused by typhoon and/or prolonged hot season that often leads to the growth of new pesticides and fungicides. (Hampton, 2008; Union of Concerned Scientists, 2006) For this reason, income from agricultural activities becomes lesser. On the other hand, the thinning of the ozone layer could cause human beings to suffer from skin cancer and other related health detriments. (The Daily Galaxy, 2007) Aside from causing serious damage on agricultural products, acid rain could also severely damage our natural sources of water such as lakes and streams. (U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1999) Given the fact that trees absorb water from the ground, there is a higher chance that trees and other plants would die caused by high amount of acid found in the ocean, lakes, streams, rivers, and water reservoir. For this reason, forest degradation is most likely to occur.

Global Geopolitics of the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Global Geopolitics of the Middle East - Essay Example Overall, the global economy continues to depend on the Middle East. This area also influenced America, as well as other world regions. On the other hand, the current international relations continue to be shaped by the factor of oil the Middle East. The key players in these relations, with regard to oil, are the US and UK. In the past, UK as an external player in the politics of the Middle East imposed its policies on the area, in relation to the state system formation in the past. Today, the aspect of diplomacy in the Middle East has been highly influenced by oil. Oil today has become a political tool, and not an objective. For instance, the USA put a ban on trade with Libya and Iran, while the UN banned Iraq. Unfortunately, these countries have hardened their access to oil in the region, because their priority is in politics. The current geopolitics in the Middle East has all along revolved around oil. More than half of the world’s energy supply comes from the Middle East, with the Persian Gulf holding vast oil wells. The reason behind the world bestowing much importance to the Middle East is the fact that, the global economy cannot survive without oil, which the Middle East produces in plenty. Different countries, especially the current and former super powers and imperialists such as the USA and UK, have developed great interest in the Middle East. The discovery of oil in the Middle East also enhanced its strategic positioning, as it lies in the center of three different continents. With this, it is in a position to control important links in the global system of transportation. The global significance of the Middle East emanates from the fact that the area is the world’s greatest producer of oil. Oil and other oil-related interests have in return influenced the political and social economy of the Middle East, both at the local and international level. Most people consider oil as a political product, since it is the main

Exam Questions (Exercise Science) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam Questions (Exercise Science) - Assignment Example Morris arrived at this decision only after analyzing the reasons for the heart attacks and he conducted a study and survey on the double-decker buses. This study helped him to come out with the decision that the drivers were more prone to attacks, where as the conductors who frequented both the levels in the buses, had little chances of getting a heart attack. (Morris, 1975). It was clearly evident that people who exercise on a regular basis were less likely to be affected by heart diseases. Morris proved that people who perform some sort of physical task on a regular basis were free from such problems. His contribution to the medical field was well appreciated and he received several awards for his contribution to this field. Physical activity and cardio vascular health was interrelated and people realized it only after Morris’s research and analysis on the problems related to heart attacks. Morris’s contribution was important as it paved the way to more serious thought about exercise. It was then, people started to take up the issue seriously and they started to act towards it. Similar to his findings, Ralph Paffenbarger also revealed the fact that physical fitness can certainly help people to reduce the risk of heart disease. Paffenbarger was an active professor who conducted researches on physical fitness and its benefits. He also showed that the rate of death can get decreased if people increased their level of physical fitness. (Paffenbergar & Blair, 2001). The possible positive aspects of physical fitness formed the main part of his studies and researches. He linked exercise with longevity and proved that physical exercise would give a longer life and people who were involved physical exercise were much active in their older days. They also had a longer life when compared to people who neglected any sort of a physical activity. His contribution to the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Concept of Status Consumption With Regard to How a Marketer Might Essay

The Concept of Status Consumption With Regard to How a Marketer Might be Able to Use Status to Market a Specific Brand or Product Type - Essay Example People with high degree of honour in society are simply referred to have status. Logically, people with high social status have much recognition than people with low social status. In this direction, there are people who believe that real success in life has to do with the attainment of status. Regrettably though, Waytz (2009) observes that the eagerness to acquire social status leads to aggressive and self-defeating behaviour. However, once achieved, becoming a person of status or class live its ‘benefactors’ with a conventional ways of life. One of these conventional ways of life has to do with what these people with social status consume: thus status consumption. As there become a pedigree of standard placed on the kind of purchases people with status consume, marketing as an industry also become a benefactor if well harnessed with status consumption (Haruna, 2003). What is Status consumption? Schertz et al (2007) argue that status consumption has to do with the †Å"intent of showing off wealth to others when the good is publicly consumed – ranging from applying an expensive lipstick in public to driving an expensive car† (p. 2). ... As Maiese (2004), notes in Harold (1983, 113), there could be several reasons accounting for why people would consume conspicuously but the most outstanding reason could be due to the fact that â€Å" most societies do have some form of social hierarchy with some people in stronger, more dominant positions, and other people in weaker, lower positions.† So in other for the one-time ‘ordinary’ person to be noticed and accorded necessary social respect, he or she would then resort to status consumption. Again, with the blame still going to society as the cause of status consumption, it would be in place to argue that society expects people occupying certain positions to live within a certain conventional class. To this effect society always want to see people such as politicians, music icons, movie stars and sports personalities own certain property, that are tagged as expensive or of class. These are the major reasons why status consumption continues to exist among both the one-time ‘ordinary’ person and the so-called people with status. There are people who presume that status consumption automatically leads to social status acquisition. This is of course another reason why people resort to status consumption. To such people, there is a level of benefit to them. Nobel Laureate economist, John Harsanyi, said that â€Å"apart from economic payoffs, social status seems to be the most important incentive and motivating force of social behavior† (Waytz, 2009). For this reason, people who succumb to status consumption with the hope of gaining social status get a level of psychological satisfaction of the presumed lens with which society sees them. Empirical Scenarios of Status Consumption One group of people

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Memo for the American corpration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memo for the American corpration - Essay Example Foremost, I would like to introduce what SafeHarbor is all about and why I handpicked it among the many in the market. SafeHarbor Technology Corporation, has been in the business of designing and rapidly deploying online support environments that transform and optimize customer support interactions for 10 years now. Based in Satsop, Washington, the company has implemented more than 100 customer support solutions. SafeHarbor caters to businesses of all sizes, and some of them are big companies like American Airlines, Cingular, Cox Communications, IBM, State of Washington, SunTrust Banks, T-Mobile, Vizrea and Washington Mutual. Apart from being the lead in the industry, SafeHarbor is peopled by professionals and experts who are not only knowledgeable in their field but also provide customized and prompt servicing to their clients. Our main concern about exporting live customer data from UK to the NY HQ can be solved by SafeHarbor’s Multi-Channel Customer Support which provides our customers the following multiple ways to get answers or help whenever they deem necessary, as this feature can be accessed 24/7: With this product, our customers are kept satisfied by prompt, readily available responses to their concerns in multiple ways from which they can choose. Also, for the company, our concern on live customer data exportation is answered in that everything will be secure through this product. Some of the advantages we can get from using this product and by engaging SafeHarbor’s services are: Finally, I can set an appointment with SafeHarbor’s Vice President of Marketing and Product Management, Harry Thomas for a more thorough discussion on this and also on the costs and obligations entailed for this

The Concept of Status Consumption With Regard to How a Marketer Might Essay

The Concept of Status Consumption With Regard to How a Marketer Might be Able to Use Status to Market a Specific Brand or Product Type - Essay Example People with high degree of honour in society are simply referred to have status. Logically, people with high social status have much recognition than people with low social status. In this direction, there are people who believe that real success in life has to do with the attainment of status. Regrettably though, Waytz (2009) observes that the eagerness to acquire social status leads to aggressive and self-defeating behaviour. However, once achieved, becoming a person of status or class live its ‘benefactors’ with a conventional ways of life. One of these conventional ways of life has to do with what these people with social status consume: thus status consumption. As there become a pedigree of standard placed on the kind of purchases people with status consume, marketing as an industry also become a benefactor if well harnessed with status consumption (Haruna, 2003). What is Status consumption? Schertz et al (2007) argue that status consumption has to do with the †Å"intent of showing off wealth to others when the good is publicly consumed – ranging from applying an expensive lipstick in public to driving an expensive car† (p. 2). ... As Maiese (2004), notes in Harold (1983, 113), there could be several reasons accounting for why people would consume conspicuously but the most outstanding reason could be due to the fact that â€Å" most societies do have some form of social hierarchy with some people in stronger, more dominant positions, and other people in weaker, lower positions.† So in other for the one-time ‘ordinary’ person to be noticed and accorded necessary social respect, he or she would then resort to status consumption. Again, with the blame still going to society as the cause of status consumption, it would be in place to argue that society expects people occupying certain positions to live within a certain conventional class. To this effect society always want to see people such as politicians, music icons, movie stars and sports personalities own certain property, that are tagged as expensive or of class. These are the major reasons why status consumption continues to exist among both the one-time ‘ordinary’ person and the so-called people with status. There are people who presume that status consumption automatically leads to social status acquisition. This is of course another reason why people resort to status consumption. To such people, there is a level of benefit to them. Nobel Laureate economist, John Harsanyi, said that â€Å"apart from economic payoffs, social status seems to be the most important incentive and motivating force of social behavior† (Waytz, 2009). For this reason, people who succumb to status consumption with the hope of gaining social status get a level of psychological satisfaction of the presumed lens with which society sees them. Empirical Scenarios of Status Consumption One group of people

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Referee Report for Economics Manuscript Essay Example for Free

Referee Report for Economics Manuscript Essay â€Å"Different Risk-Adjusted Fund Performance Measures: A Comparison† Summary This paper compares various risk-adjusted performance measures for a set of mutual funds. The authors argue that performance measures based on Value-at-Risk (VaR) or Extreme Value Theory (EVT) are more appropriate than other popular performance measures such as the Sharpe ratio (SR), the Treynor index (TI) or Jensen ´s Alpha (JA) . They propose a performance index similar to the SR and the TI based on losses calculated by means of VaR together with EVT. They find that EVT-VaR measures are more appropriate in the presence of non-normal data. Main Comments The topic of the paper is of relevance for financial practitioners as well as academics and it is certainly applicable to the current financial stability context. The paper is also generally wellwritten. However, I have some comments for its improvement. 1. The contribution of the paper is not clearly stated. In the 6th paragraph of the introduction, the authors suggest that their main contribution is the construction of a performance index based on EVT-VAR. However, it is not very clear why the new proposed measure should be better in relation to existing measures as it is now explained. It is true that VaR or EVT should be more reliable measures for extreme events but when looking at formula (13) it is not apparent why this measure should be more reliable than the traditional measures. The denominator has, in fact, an â€Å"extreme return† as opposed to the SR or TI which have strictly second moments, so it is not very straight forward to relate these measures. A better job should be done at explaining the implications of such VaR based measure, how it relates to other measures and why it should be better. 2. Why have the measures been compared only in a â€Å"static† way? It is widely known in the finance literature that asset return volatility is time-varying, and to some extent, also expected returns. It would be possible to go around the latter by arguing market efficiency (which is also questionable) but it is certainly much more difficult to argue against time-variability of the standard deviation in the VaR measures (or in the SA and TI ratios). This is very important as the â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad† applicability of a particular performance measure could be sample dependent and as it is now with unconditional measures, this is hard to uncover. For instance, while the authors account for nonnormality of returns in the modified-VaR measure by means of a Corner-Fisher quantile, they assume a constant standard deviation which means that in periods of high volatility they could still understate the VaR. So at the minimum, the performance comparisons should be done for the full sample and different sub-samples and it should be tested whether the measures obtained are significantly different over different samples. 3. The authors concentrate on top 10 and bottom 10 funds for their analysis and discarded the other funds â€Å"for the sake of simplicity†. However, by choosing only the â€Å"tail† funds, the authors are giving from the start an advantage to EVT or VaR measures. It would be more appropriate to also report results on (say) 10 â€Å"mid† funds. 4. It is not very clear why the top 10 funds â€Å"show more departures from normality† in relation to bottom funds. This finding should be expanded and the intuition behind it should be better explained. One could argue that â€Å"losers† could be more volatile than â€Å"winners† as the level of uncertainty with respect to the fund might increase which could lead to more extreme returns. In fact, in the 3rd paragraph of the empirical result section it says â€Å"the bottom 10 funds have, in general, higher VaR values than the top ones, which means that they are more susceptible to extreme events† which is somewhat contradictory with the finding that the top 10 funds exhibit more departures from normality. Moreover, one of the main findings of the study is that the VaR and EVT performance measures perform best in relation to other measures when there are more departures from normality in returns. A better attempt to reconcile the findings of nonnormality, the â€Å"winner vs. looser† funds and the results on the performance measures with some previous studies or satisfactory intuition should be done. Other comments 1. The contributions of the paper should be stated earlier in the paper and not almost at the end of the introduction as it is now. The contributions should be clearer (see also point 1 above) and should be better related to the existing relevant literature. 2. The conclusion is too long. The concluding remarks should be much shorter and should only summarize the main findings and reconcile them with the issues raised in the introduction as well as highlight possible extensions for future work. 3. The tables should also be improved. They should have a short description of the contents to facilitate reading. As it is now, the reader has to constantly come back to the main text to find out what the contents mean. 4. The figures are hardly visible, they should also be improved and a short explanation should be given.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Detente Was Caused By Political And Economic Motivations History Essay

Detente Was Caused By Political And Economic Motivations History Essay In the context of the Cold War, dà ©tente (the French word for relaxation) was an easing of tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. It lasted through the 1970s, starting with the Nixon administration and ending with the Carter administration. Dà ©tente was mainly caused by political and economic motivations. The Sino-Soviet Split strained relations between the Soviet Union and China, the two largest Communist countries at the time. As China began to form a more diplomatic relationship with the United States, evidenced by President Nixons visit to China in 1972, the USSR feared that an alliance between the two countries would undermine its power, prompting it to seek amicable relations with the United States as well. Economic motivations were also a factor. Before dà ©tente, both the US and the USSR stockpiled weapons to keep on par with the other it was believed that Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) could be averted only if both countries had the same nuclear capability. However, nuclear arms buildup was proving to be more and more unfeasible for both countries. In the United States, a combination of arms buildup and the Vietnam War strained the federal budget and stifled President Johnson and Nixons domestic policy of the expanding social welfare. Naturally, dà ©tente led to greater cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Probably the most significant act of cooperation between the two countries was the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (dubbed SALT I) of 1972, an agreement that limited nuclear arms production for both countries. During the same year, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty limited systems that defended against Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). The Apollo-Soyuz project in July 1975 was a space flight cooperative between the two countries, where American astronauts worked collaboratively alongside Russian cosmonauts on scientific experiments. The project eased Space Race tensions and provided a foundation for future space cooperatives such as the International Space Station. Cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union also extended economically, as the US shipped grain to the USSR after the failure of its collectivized agriculture program, where the state controlled large conglomerate farms. Unfortunately, however, dà ©tente was abandoned by the 1980s. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan forced President Jimmy Carter to abandon the SALT II talks that were in progress and to increase US military spending. President Reagan continued the increase of Cold War tensions throughout his presidency, until the collapse of the Soviet Union by the end of the 1980s. Diogenes -412 BCE to 323 BCE -Greek Philosopher, co-founder of Cynic philosophy -Life -Born in Sinope, a Greek colony -Worked with father as a banker, exiled for defacing currency -Traveled to Greece and made a personal goal of challenging the status quo -Became the pupil of the ascetic Antisthenes, who was a pupil of Socrates -Captured by pirates on his way to Aegina; sold to the Corinthian Xeniades; tutored Xeniades sons and lived in Corinth for the rest of his life -Divergent stories of his death: held his breath, infection from a dog bite, complications from eating a raw octopus; supposedly, he left instructions to be cast outside the wall of the city after he died so that animals could eat his carcass -Philosophy -None of his written works survive; anecdotes about his life provide the source for his philosophy -Protested against the artificial material comforts of society and called for a return to a simplistic life in harmony with nature -Obscene: urinated and defecated and masturbated in public -Called himself a citizen of the world, a cosmopolite, at an era where ones social standing was intimately tied with ones city-state. -Diogenes the Dog: -The word cynic is derived from the Greek word meaning dog -Living shamelessly -Extolled the dogs honest simple living and mocked the artifice and hypocrisy of civilized living -Anecdotes -Threw away his wooden bowl as a child so he could drink from his hands -Said to have lived in a tub -Walked with a lamp in broad daylight, as he was looking for humans -When Alexander asked him if there was a favor he wanted, he told Alexander to stand out of his sunlight Diogenes Diogenes was a Greek philosopher who lived from 412 BCE to 323 BCE. As a co-founder of the Cynic philosophy, he is famous for anecdotes of his asceticism and disregard for social conventions. Born in Sinope, a Greek colony, in his youth Diogenes worked with his father as a banker. He was exiled from the city after he was found complicit in a controversy surrounding the defacement of currency. After being exiled, he settled in Athens and made a personal commitment to challenge the status quo there. He subscribed to the ascetic philosophy of Antisthenes, who was a pupil of Socrates, and became his only pupil. At some point in time, he was captured by pirates on his way to visit the Greek city of Aegina. The pirates then sold him to a Corinthian man named Xeniades. Diogenes tutored Xeniades sons and lived in Corinth for the rest of his life. There are multiple accounts of his death: he either died by holding his breath, by an infection from a dog bite, or from complications after eating raw octopus. Supposedly, he left instructions to be cast outside the wall of the city after he died so that animals could eat his carcass. While it is believed that Diogenes had a respectable body of written work, none survive today; only anecdotes about his life provide the source for his philosophy. As a Cynic, he protested against the artificial material comforts of society and called for a return to a simplistic life in harmony with nature. In perhaps the most famous anecdote about Diogenes, Alexander the Great, awed by the great philosopher, asked him what favor could he do for him. Diogenes only asked Alexander to step away, for he was blocking the sunlight. During a time when success was measured in material gains, he lived in destitute poverty. It was said that, as a young boy, he cast away his wooden bowl so that he could drink from his hands. During a time when ones social standing was intimately tied with ones city-state, he called himself a citizen of the world a cosmopolite. As Diogenes lampooned the follies of man, he praised the virtues of the dog indeed, the word cynic is derived from the Greek word me aning dog. He himself was comparable to a dog, as he lived shamelessly he often defecated and urinated in public, much to the chagrin of the people around him. Because of his radical break from the traditions of his time, Diogenes is still well-remembered today. He is often seen as a symbol of truth and honesty an image of candid, if eccentric, simplicity against corrupt artificiality.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Essay --

CHILDREN WITH A DISABILITY Children with a disability are children first Around 320,000 Australian children 0-14 years have a disability Disabilities that affect children are intellectual, psychiatric, sensory/speech, acquired brain injury and physical. The prevalence of profound or severe disability in children is gradually increasing1 , particularly among children aged 5-14. The main area of increase is intellectually disabling conditions, most reported as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AHDH).2 Also reported is a dramatic increase in the rate of diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorders (atypical neurological functioning) over the past decade.3 The majority of children with a disability live with their families During much of the 20th Century, children with a disability were provided with ‘whole of life’ services, usually in large, segregated institutional settings. The process of ‘deinstitutionalisation’ that has occurred over recent decades is one of the leading policy and structural transformations in health and community services of the last century. Between 1981 and 1996, the number of people aged 0-14 accommodated in institutions almost halved.4 Children with disabilities belong with their families, not in institutions, but families often require extra financial assistance and services to care for a son or daughter with a disability. Without such support, the impact of disability can impose significant pressure on parents and siblings and can lead to family breakdown. Most children with a disability go to the local school In 2001, using a narrow definition of disability that excluded children with specific learning difficulties, State Education Departments identified 114,250 st... ...rge multi-service organisations, and are located in every State and Territory across Australia. NDS defines its purpose under two broad categories. Firstly, it works to increase the capacity of its members to operate efficiently and effectively through provision of information, networking opportunities, and corporate partnerships. Secondly, NDS exists to make the voices of people with disabilities and their service providers heard by governments at both state/territory and federal levels. By so doing, NDS influences public policy to deliver outcomes that are responsive to the needs of people with disabilities and their providers. NDS has a National Secretariat in Canberra and offices in every State and Territory. More information: Locked Bag 3002 DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600 Phone: 02 6283 3200 Fax: 02 6281 3488 Email: nds@nds.org.au Web: www.nds.org.au Essay -- CHILDREN WITH A DISABILITY Children with a disability are children first Around 320,000 Australian children 0-14 years have a disability Disabilities that affect children are intellectual, psychiatric, sensory/speech, acquired brain injury and physical. The prevalence of profound or severe disability in children is gradually increasing1 , particularly among children aged 5-14. The main area of increase is intellectually disabling conditions, most reported as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AHDH).2 Also reported is a dramatic increase in the rate of diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorders (atypical neurological functioning) over the past decade.3 The majority of children with a disability live with their families During much of the 20th Century, children with a disability were provided with ‘whole of life’ services, usually in large, segregated institutional settings. The process of ‘deinstitutionalisation’ that has occurred over recent decades is one of the leading policy and structural transformations in health and community services of the last century. Between 1981 and 1996, the number of people aged 0-14 accommodated in institutions almost halved.4 Children with disabilities belong with their families, not in institutions, but families often require extra financial assistance and services to care for a son or daughter with a disability. Without such support, the impact of disability can impose significant pressure on parents and siblings and can lead to family breakdown. Most children with a disability go to the local school In 2001, using a narrow definition of disability that excluded children with specific learning difficulties, State Education Departments identified 114,250 st... ...rge multi-service organisations, and are located in every State and Territory across Australia. NDS defines its purpose under two broad categories. Firstly, it works to increase the capacity of its members to operate efficiently and effectively through provision of information, networking opportunities, and corporate partnerships. Secondly, NDS exists to make the voices of people with disabilities and their service providers heard by governments at both state/territory and federal levels. By so doing, NDS influences public policy to deliver outcomes that are responsive to the needs of people with disabilities and their providers. NDS has a National Secretariat in Canberra and offices in every State and Territory. More information: Locked Bag 3002 DEAKIN WEST ACT 2600 Phone: 02 6283 3200 Fax: 02 6281 3488 Email: nds@nds.org.au Web: www.nds.org.au

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Introduction Culture is characterized by language, religion, food, music, arts and social norms (Zimmermann, 2012). Just from that definition, this characterizes diversity from a standpoint of cultural value, consumer behavior, and market environment. South Africa is the epitome of diversity. It is made up of a variety of other cultures that are all housed on one country. This country has 11 different ways to communicate, which is a great reason why South Africa is important in the global market. With many avenues of trade and a big sample size to trade with, this leads to unlimited resources and a booming global market. (Introduction: Describe research purpose and address the reasons why the selected country is important in global markets.) Cultural Variables South Africa is a unique country that has access to 11 different language uses (SA-Venues). In order from most used, they consist of Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Sepedi, Tswana, Southern Sotho, Tsonga, Swazi or SiSwati, Venda and Ndebele. Zulu and Xhosa being the 2 most commonly understood. Afrikaans derived from he Dutch and was used in its region as the 1st or 2nd language. The white inhabitants who have come to start a new life use English, Sepedi is grouped with the Northeastern part of South Africa. Tswana is the language of Botswana and are apart of Southeastern African language. The Vatsonga people, who are divided among their region, speak Tsonga. Swazi or SiSwati comes from this and create their own name in the country. Venda is a language common to the royal region of Limpopo. Their speakers are very popular and their speech influences others to adopt it. Then you have Ndebele, whose language is slowly fading because the other languages in Zimbabwe are more p... ...a and Gap (Contributor 2012). South Africa is the ideal place for brand development because they are so developed and styles are easily accepted. There is also the fact that their youth, like other countries, are heavily influenced by western cultures. This brand preference is all about an image and fitting in with social norms. As for consumer trends, South Africa’s society has a buy, but not save mentality (Clark, 2012). They would rather buy for the now, and not save for the future, which is both helping and hurting their economy. Retail and electronics are always going to be in demand and are always going to be top needs for consumers. When it comes time to pay the bills, people struggle to pay because they didn’t save. This keeping up with the Joneses trend is detrimental when it comes to things the people need, but perfect to keep up with societies standards.

Friday, October 11, 2019

What Role do Unconscious Factors Play in the Experience of Organisational Life, and how can Workers’ Appreciation of these Factors Lead to better Outcomes for Users?

1. Introduction The following essay considers the role that unconscious factors play in organisational life, and looks at the extent to which awareness of these factors amongst workers can improve outcomes for users. The idea is considered both in relation to appropriate literature and also in relation to my own experience of a social work organisation, the placement I experienced in a children’s home. The ways in which social work practice can be oppressive and anti-oppressive, and the impact of both of these for the user, are also explored. My interest in this area has been informed by my experience in a care home for children (Adeza) as a student social worker. I worked with a wide range of client groups including children (and their families) under stress, children (and their families with mental health problems, children at risk and children with physical and mental disabilities. I had a wide range of duties including administrative functions, advising clients and supporting children in a variety of ways. I became aware of the ways in which unconscious attitudes can impact upon the way clients and other staff are treated through a phenomenon I later learned was called projection, that is, the psychological mechanism whereby worries and fears about oneself are seen as present in other people, and demonised. For example, some clients had internalised a set of notions about being inadequate parents, which were then projected onto staff at the home, in a variety of ways. 2. The Notion of the Unconscious Understanding human needs, wants and motivations is a central part not only of organizational theory but also of human psychology generally. Various theories have been proposed to explain the variety of behaviours which characterise human beings, for example behaviourism, which reduces the role of the ‘mental’ and looks at human actions in terms of stimulus and response (Baran and Davis 2011), and Weber’s idea of work as salvation (Nelson and Quick 2010). However, the notion of the unconscious has been widely influential, and derives from work by Freud in the late 19th and early 20th Century.The idea is situated in the wider set of notions developed by Freud called psychoanalysis.Central to Freud’s idea is the notion that â€Å"powerful unconscious drives, mostly sexual and aggressive†¦ motivate human behaviour and put people in conflict with social reality† (Saiyadain 2003, p. 32).For Freud, the unconscious is that of which we are unaware, but which can manifest itself through thoughts and behaviours. He separated out three levels of consciousness: The conscious (everything one is aware of) The preconscious (things one is not aware of, but which could be brought to consciousness through effort of will) The unconscious (that of which one is unaware, and which one is normally powerless to bring to conscious awareness) The unconscious includes desires, buried memories, desires and needs. Individuals can be motivated by unconscious forces, which make themselves manifest through behaviour, thoughts, feelings and words. Freud believed therapeutic work could be done by uncovering these unconscious forces and making the individual aware of their deeper motivations through a process of psychoanalysis (McKenna 2000). Freud suggested a number of ways in which the contents of the unconscious work to influence human behaviour. These include regression, repression, sublimation and projection. Regression is the phenomenon whereby people return to earlier behaviour patterns (for example a stutter), repression means the ways in which unpleasant emotions are blocked from conscious awareness, sublimation denotes the way in which impulses (perhaps aggressive) which are unacceptable to the conscious mind are channelled into another activity, for example devotion to work or sport, while projection means the mechanism whereby thoughts or feelings which are not acceptable to the conscious mind are attributed to someone else (finding them lazy, for example) (Saiyadain 2003). Intuitively, and based on my experience in my placement, I feel that there is evidence for the existence of the unconscious. For example, I have seen adolescent children regress to an earlier stage, displaying bed wetting and thumb sucking for example, particularly at times of great stress. However, Freud’s ideas have been subject to an intense critique, particularly that there is a lack of empirical evidence for them (Hersen and Thomas 2006). Additionally, it has been pointed out that the idea of the unconscious lacks predictive power: although it can function as a good explanation of behaviour, it cannot indicate how people will behave in the future (Abbott 2001). I can see that these are valid criticisms: however, as the next sections show, I feel the concept of the unconscious and its mechanisms invaluable in understanding people better, which I feel is a necessary part of delivering the person-centred care that is a key part of social care in the 21st Century (Joseph Row ntree Foundation 2011). 3. The Unconscious and Organisational Life As well as being widely influential (though much debated) in psychology generally, the concept of the unconscious and its mechanisms has been incorporated into theories of organisational life. The key element to the idea of the unconscious is the notion that â€Å"much of the rational and taken-for-granted reality of everyday life expresses preoccupations and concerns that lie beneath the reality of conscious awareness† (Morgan 1998, p. 186). It follows that organisational theories need to take account of the hidden dynamics which influence the workplace. In addition, it has been suggested that theorists of organisational behaviour have been influenced by unconscious forces such as repression. Morgan 1998, for example, suggests that Taylor’s model of ‘scientific’ and rational management might have been rooted in his puritan background with strong routines and work ethic. Morgan also suggests that the predominant bureaucracy of modern work places might be a function of repression. Worker’s reactions to these types of workplace will depend upon their own mechanisms of regression. In other workplaces, organisational culture can often by dominated by self-centred attempts at wrestling control from others, or the playing out of â€Å"a phallic-narcissistic ethos† (Morgan 1998, p. 192) within the workplace. Often, the workplace might reproduce the traditional patriarchal family, with a dominant style associated with ‘male’ qualities of aggression, ambition and rigid rules. One unconscious mechanism which I was particularly aware of in my placement was projection.In this, workers deal with internal turmoil by attributing the key elements of what is bothering them to someone else rather than themselves. For example, in an organisation, poor results might be blamed by one group (managers) on ground-level staff, and vice-versa (Rashid 1983). Projection has been succinctly defined as the â€Å"attribution of one’s own attitudes and beliefs onto others† (Borkowski 2009, p. 56). In order to avoid feelings of guilt or excess anxiety, workers might see their co-workers as possessing the qualities they most dislike in themselves (Borkowski 2009). While it allows the person doing the projecting to protect their self-esteem, the mechanism whereby co-workers, for example, are blamed for putting a person in a bad mood, are damaging to organisational efficiency (Borkowski 2009). It can lead to stereotyping and, through this, to oppressive working metho ds. stereotyping is a way of organising experience by applying common traits to certain groups of people (the elderly, ethnic minorities, children). While it allows abstract thought to take place more easily, it can lead to the association of negative traits with particular groups. Projection seems to be at work in stereotyping, whereby a group is seen to possess negative characteristics not held by the person ascribing the characteristics. It has been shown that these mechanisms can lead to worse health and social care for certain groups seen as ‘the other’ (Borkowski 2009). One example is that people working with abused children can be marginalised and rendered invisible, as society as a whole does not want to admit that such abuse exists. Nurses are also often forced to bear the brunt of negative projections from service users and other professionals. In addition, social work in general often suffers, as its existence underlines the presence of vulnerable and needy p eople, mortality and other key issues. These all evoke deep and complex feelings in others, and workers in these professions often bear the weight of others negative expectations, â€Å"issues of dependency, aggression and sexuality† Yelloly and Henkel 1995, p. 195). Within social work, it has been acknowledged that certain forms of practice can be oppressive, particularly to service users but also to other workers. Anti-oppressive practice works to overturn ways of working which marginalise, scapegoat and downplay the people who they work for, both on a personal and micro- level, and at a wider social level. While anti-oppressive practice covers a wide range of activities, becoming aware of the extent to which people are marginalised through unconscious mechanisms such as projection is one key part (Balloch and Hill 2007). Becoming aware of the extent to which negative characteristics are projected onto others, either individuals or groups, is a central step in moving away from oppression. Today, immigrant groups can find themselves scapegoated for the wider problems of society, for example, both by individuals and by political groups (Shulman 2008). Anti oppressive practice offers a way for projection, stereotyping and discrimination to be co mbated in the workplace, through an attitude of criticality and reflection upon situations in the workplace. The process of uncovering oppression can be likened to that of becoming aware of unconscious processes, as well as uncovering motivations which derive from unexamined unconscious attitudes and mechanisms (Heenan 2011). 4. Understanding the Unconscious and Improved User Outcomes The ways in which the unconscious operates in the organisational context, the negative impact it can have, and the opportunities it presents for ultimately improving user outcomes is illustrated by my experience working in a children’s home.I have concentrated above on the phenomenon of projection, because this was the unconscious mechanism which most appeared to be in existence during my placement. One child with whom I worked, supporting to live independently after care, would frequently express the opinion that the women staff with whom she came into contact were ‘useless’, were over-emotional, and were not as effective as male staff. I used to find this frustrating, particularly as she was female herself, until I put her case into the context of her background. One of a family of girls, with whom her mother was unable to cope, she had internalised negative feelings about women, developed a androgenous, tomboy-ish appearance herself, and projected doubts and fe ars about herself onto female staff. There are also discusses two related unconscious mechanisms (first identified by Melanie Klein), splitting and projective identification, both of which I experienced during my placement.Splitting often occurs in groups, and refers to the process whereby a situation is polarised and seen as ‘black’ and ‘white’, that is, with ‘good’ and ‘bad’ elements. It happens when people are unable to tolerate ambiguity (Zachar 2000). I saw this in group discussions between staff, when one manager who took a fairly strict line to discipline and adherence to regulations was demonised by staff informally after meetings. I felt (perhaps because I was an outsider) that although she might have expressed her ideas better, there was a great deal of sound advice in what she said. However, others seemed unable to see this, preferring to make her a ‘scapegoat’ for everything they disliked about the experience of working in the care home. I also saw this situation improve when a higher manager called a meeting in which we discussed communication styles used within the home.I also saw projective identification, where people unconsciously identify with another person or group, with one staff member, who seemed to project feelings of her own vulnerability (she had just gone through a difficult divorce) onto the female white children in our care. Her attitude towards this gender / ethnic group was markedly different, she would spend extra time with them, and buy small presents. I was present when this was noted by another staff member, who carefully suggested her experience might be leading to her favouritism. She took this suggestion very well, and her behaviour, I noticed, became fairer afterwards. 5. Conclusion There are some problems with the notion of the unconscious, particularly its lack of predictive power and lack of empirical evidence. However, in terms of my placement in a children’s care home, I have found it a useful way of understanding why people – both staff and clients – behave in the way they do. It also seems to offer a useful tool for moving towards an anti-oppressive practice. In my experience, if people are made aware of the ways in which unconscious mechanisms operate, they are better able to see their oppressive actions, better able to understand why they are acting as they do, and as a consequence able to change the way they behave in a way which is beneficial to clients. 6. References Abbott, T (2001) Social and personality development Routledge, UK Balloch, S and Hill, M J (2007) Care, community and citizenship: research and practice in a changing policy context, The Policy Press, Bristol. Baran, S J and Davis, D K (2011) Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future (6th edn.), Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA Borkowski, N (2009) Organizational behavior, theory, and design in health care, Jones & Bartlett Learning, USA Foster, A and Roberts, V Z (1998) Managing mental health in the community: chaos and containment, Routledge, UK Heenan, D (2011) Social Work in Northern Ireland: Conflict and Change, The Policy Press, Bristol. Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2011) ‘Transforming social care: sustaining person-centred support’, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, UK McKenna, E F (2000) Business psychology and organisational behaviour (3rd edn.), Psychology Press, UK Morgan, G (1998) Images of organization, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, California CA. Nelson, D L and Campbell, J (2010) Organizational Behavior: Science, the Real World, and You (7th edn.), Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Rashid, S A (1983) Organizational Behaviour, Taylor & Francis, UK Saiyadain, M S (2003) Organisational Behaviour,m Tata McGraw-Hill Education, India. Shulman, L (2008) The Skills of Helping Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities (6th edn.), Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Thomas, J C (2006) Personality and everyday functioning, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Yelloly, M and Henkel, M (1995) Learning and teaching in social work: towards reflective practice (2nd edn.), Jessica Kingsley Publishers, UK Zachar, P (2000) Psychological Concepts and Biological Psychiatry: A Philosophical Analysis, John Benjamins Publishing Company, USA

Thursday, October 10, 2019

United States V. Dentsply International, Inc

Name: Lei Chen Course : ACCT 362W Prof: Kenneth Ryesky Esq. Date: 11/4/2010 Case Caption: United States v. Dentsply International, Inc. , Court: United States of Appeals, Third Circuit. Date: Argued September 21, 2004. February 24, 2005 Citation: 399 F. 3d 181 Facts: This is an antitrust case that the defendant- Dentsply international, Inc. , is one of a dozen manufactures of artificial teeth for dentures and other restorative device. Dentsply dominates the industry, his market share is greater than 75 percent and is about fifteen times larger than that of its next-closest competitor.The defendant use sells his teeth to dealers of dental products; then the dealers supply the teeth to dental laboratories, which fabricate dentures for sale to dentists. As the hundreds of dealer who compete with each other on the basis of price and service; some other manufactures sell their teeth directly to the laboratories basis of on the price and service; Dentsply prohibits its dealers from marketi ng competitor’s teeth unless they were selling the teeth before 1993. The plaintiff- the federal government files a suit in a federal district court against Dentsply, alleging, a violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.Issue: Was the defendant’s preventing its dealer from selling competitors’ products restraint of trade and harm the market? Was the defendant’s act violating of section 2 of the Sherman Act? Decision: Yes, the district court’s judgment was reversed and the case was remanded with directions to grant the government’s request for injunctive relief. Reason: The Section 2 of the Sherman Act – the relevant market in this case was the total sales of artificial teeth to laboratories and dealers combined.The defendant’s act preventing its dealer from selling other competitors’ product was designed to block competitive distribution points, and to prevent giving the customer a choice. It was a plan to maintain mono polistic power, which it is restraints on trade, harm the market. Opinion I agree with the court decision because Dentsply’s act was not allowing dealers to handle competitors’ teeth, and then there will be few choices in the market giving the customer to choice. Dentsply’s monopolistic power could set the teeth price what their want, which the harm the economy and the whole market.