Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Report - Essay Example This myth or common assumption in the field of marketing has largely contributed to low focus on the market segment of the over 50s in terms of personalized products, services, and marketing campaigns. By overlooking this particular market segment, it means that most companies are unable to diversify, increase their market share, and overall revenues because they are not tapping the opportunity presented by this market segment. This present paper is a briefing paper prepared from the standpoint of the Marketing Director of Nestle breakfast cereal division for the United Kingdom. This briefing paper will outline the key elements of a marketing strategy that is designed to target the market segment of the over 50s. The outline will entail the market opportunities, product strategy, and the next steps that should be undertaken before drawing up a formal marketing plan. Market opportunities To begin with, the report presented by Shaw (2008) on behalf RIAS insurance company, noted that st atistics from the Office for National Statistics reveal that the population for the over 50s is bound to increase in the coming in years and in particular they are bound to reach 27.2 million by the year 2031. According to the writings by Morgan and Levy (2002), this statistics reflect a market segment that will record increased demand over time and therefore, companies focusing on this particular segment will be able to record a continued growth in terms of revenue from the sales arising from this expanding market segment. Therefore, based on the estimated population growth for the over 50s, the Nestle breakfast cereal division for the UK will record continued increase in demand and subsequent revenue arising from the breakfast cereal that is specially prepared for the over 50s population. Another factor that demonstrates the true potential of the market segment for the over 50s is the fact that both Shaw’s (2008) report and the report by Kellogg’s indicated that the over 50’s are wealthier and have high disposable income or high spending power as compared to the other generations. Under the RIAS’ report, Shaw (2008) noted that the over 50s have substantial financial assets. In particular, their personal wealth has risen by 45.6% over the past 5 years to surpass the ?5 trillion mark, secondly, they account for 75% of UK’s total wealth and on average the persons above the age of 65 years has a life savings of ?11,660.85. The report by Kellogg’s noted that persons above the age of 65 years are wealthier and they make up 20% of cereal consumers. The findings from these two reports further validate the true potential of the over 50s market segment since it was noted that they have a high spending power which means that demand for Nestle’s breakfast cereals, which are specifically prepared for this market segment will experience high demand. According to Morgan and Levy (2002), a viable market segment that can gener ate high revenues for a business is usually made up of consumers with high spending power and therefore, by strategically focusing on creating breakfast cereals for the over 50s market segment, Nestle is bound to record increased revenue. In terms of food

Improving Job Quality in the UK Labour Market

Improving Job Quality in the UK Labour Market The prospects for improving job quality at the lower end of the labour market in the UK pay Introduction Frederick Engels once wrote that labour is the prime basic condition for all human existence, and this to such an extent that, in a sense, we have to say that labour created man himself (1934). A person’s job helps define who they are. The level of income, time spent working, and the quality of the job, highly influence a person’s life. As Sweet and Meiksins say: â€Å"work occupies most of our waking hours; it is a crucial part of identities and influences life chances.† (2008, p. 1) As it has always been, employers are mostly looking for hardworking, well-educated people with particular sets of skills. These days education has become the Alpha and Omega of employment as Daniel Bell puts it: â€Å"If capital and labour are the major structural features of industrial society, information and knowledge are those of post-industrial society.† (1973, p. 211) With the rise in the number of people with higher education, one would expect a rise in higher, well-paid jobs. But in the UK, the situation is quite different. Not only is there a lot of low skilled service sector jobs with low wages, which result in poverty, but there is also growing pay inequality. The worst off are those on the lower end of the labour market who receive a pay of the bottom 20-25% and hold low-skilled jobs which are routine and semi-routine, and require no qualification. The most common job among these is that of the sales assistant. The number of these kind of low-wage workers in the UK is a staggering 20.6% (OECD 2011). This kind of inequality brings health and social problems. Studies show that more unequal countries have worse health and social problems such as lower life expectancy, higher mental illness and obesity, more teenage births and infant mortality, more homicides, etc. (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009). This is quite a logical deduction to make, since a big part of an individual’s life is his/her job, and dissatisfaction with one’s job – which is directly linked to the dissatisfaction with one’s income – greatly influences the physical and psychological health of the said individual. Changes in the new economy In recent years, there has been a shift from the old economy to the new. These terms were thought up and are used by Sweet and Meiksins in their work – Changing countours of work. There they state that the old economy represents the various ways of assigning and structuring work that developed in the wake of the Industrial Revolution through to the mid-20th century. It included systems which were built around mass production, gendered divisions of labour, unionized labour, etc. The new economy brought about changes. For one, good jobs that require a limited education are disappearing, which forces a big group of people to take on menial, low-paid jobs with little prospects for future advancement. This system partially stems from Frederick Winslow Taylor who introduced his philosophy at the beginning of the 20th century. He argued for the separation of ‘thought’ from ‘execution’, which resulted in the creation of legions of deskilled jobs and the decli ne in the individual worker’s ability to control the conditions and rewards of work. (2008, p. 10). This fit perfectly into the abiding cultural belief that some should be owners and others workers. This popularized the idea that inequality in the workplace is actually desirable in a capitalistic system. (Sweet and Meiksins, 2008, p. 11) The belief that workers are indolent and cannot be trusted is directly responsible for the creation of the so-called McJobs – a.k.a. jobs on the very low end of the labour market. Wikipedia defines a McJob as a low-paying, low-prestige dead-end job that requires few skills and offers very little chance of intercompany advancement. The quality of these types of jobs is extremely low. The deliberations of the European Commission show that there is a propensity for the representatives of governments to assert that all parties would gain from job quality improvements. Francis Green states that wage rate is a key indication of a job’s quality, and claims that for the pay to be fair, it should be related to a worker’s contribution to the performance of the organization. (2006, p. 111) Green claims that there are no specifically economic reasons to look forward to long-term improvements or any other trend in the perceived fairness of material rewards. In the mid-20th century countries in transition would experience rising inequality, followed by a later equalizing trend. A lot of countries experienced declining income inequality for most of the 20th century, which started to rise again after the 1970s. (2006, pp. 119-20). This could be construed as a realistic standpoint, but it could also be called unnecessarily pessimistic. Although trends are not promising, this issue is one yet to be tackled. Concerns over wage inequality Public debates and policy discussions are brimming with concerns over inequality of wages. Despite the increased importance of tax credits as a source of household income growth over the past decade, pay still remains central to maintaining adequate living standards for most low to middle income households. (Pennycook and Whittaker; 2012, p. 4) It has widely been agreed that by far the best single measure of income inequality is the Gini coefficient of concentration. (Chen, Tsaur and Rhai; 1982, p. 473). With the Gini coefficient, 0 marks that everyone has the same income, and 1 that the richest person has all the income. In the UK this number is 4 which is well below what one would hope for. OECD shows that the gap between the rich and the poor has widened in the past decades. The incomes of top earners in the UK have risen much faster than for everyone else. The richest people have an income of about 10 times that of the poorest. Since the 1990s there has been a rise in people reporting high incomes, and also, high income taxes dropped. (2014) Groups that are most likely to hold low paid jobs are women, part-time or temporary workers, young workers, and workers in relatively low-skilled occupational groups such as Elementary Occupations (cleaners, security guards, catering assistants, leisure workers) and Sales Customer services (Pennycook and Whittaker; 2012, p. 5) What causes wage disparities? Over the past few decades, the UK, as well as other countries, has gone through significant changes. It underwent rapid technological progress and was more closely integrated into the global economy. When talking about the issue of income inequality, a lot of people tend to recognize globalization and technological advancement as the main culprits. They affected the job market by bringing high skilled workers greater rewards than the low-skilled ones, thus widening the gap between their respective earnings. Technological progress also penalized those who did not have the necessary skills to adapt and use technology effectively. (OECD; 2011, p. 28). This tended to have the worst effect on the people in low social positions which caused the gap between the well-off, who could afford the time and money to tackle the changing demands, and those who got stuck doing work that was becoming less and less appreciated. Alongside these changes, minimum wage also declined across many countries, as did the share of union members among workers. A lot of policies and institutions also made significant changes which contributed to higher employment, but also wage disparities. (OECD; 2011, p. 30). A lot of people found employment in factories, the service department and other low-skilled jobs which were in abundance, but had low wages and no prospects for the future. Some other things that encourage inequality are: privatization, subcontracting, deregulation, welfare to work policies, and neo-liberal policies. Possible solutions Britain’s reliance on an extensive pool of low-skilled, low-paid labour is not predetermined. The particular incidence and composition of low-paid work in any given country is the result of unique patterns of production and employment and these patterns are influenced, in part, by policy choices. Reducing the share of workers who are low paid is not a political objective that can be easily addressed by legislative levers. It is therefore not surprising that many policymakers have been justifiably reluctant to intervene in the market, preferring instead to correct market inequities through remedial redistribution (Pennycook and Whittaker; 2012, p. 39). But the redistribution systems in reality did little to reduce inequality. (OEDC; 2011, p. 92) Reforming tax and benefit policies would help soften the problem of inequality, by getting more people into the labour force, while making sure they stay in jobs paying good wages is essential. (OEDC; 2014). Government help and transfers also have an important role of making sure that low-level income households don’t fall further down into poverty. The reform of the tax policies for high-income individuals, whose job and income is generally more stable, would also help the redistribution of wealth and social mobility. However, these reforms would have to be thoroughly examined, and well thought up. The key would be ensuring that the poorly represented groups, such as young people, women and immigrants, have access to jobs with prospects for advancement. Another key point would be to allow low-paid individuals additional job-related education and skill-acquirement by incentivising companies to invest in their ‘human capital’. Due to the high demand for high-skilled individuals, especially in the newer fields of technology, marketing, and such, in the long haul, one of the possible solutions would be better government-supported education in these deficit fields for children of low-income families. This would create better social mobility, and at least a small boost in economy. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 introduced a wide range of reforms to the benefit and tax credit system (Universal Credit). Under the current system a working-age individual with low earnings and no disabilities may be entitled to receive payments from one or more of three main benefit groups; unemployment benefits and social assistance; the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and Tax Credits. Different benefits within each of these three groups are internally coordinated and roughly based on the same framework, while there is close to no coordination across the three benefit groups, leading to a rather erratic incentive structure. Under Universal Credit, the main means-tested benefits, except the Council Tax Benefit will be pooled into one single benefit with generous earnings disregards and one single rate of benefit withdrawal against income (taper rate). At the same time, support for childcare through the benefit system is made accessible for parents regardless of how many hours a week they work. Stated goals of the Universal Credit reform include giving people incentives to work, diminishing complexity, reducing relative poverty and containing the rising cost of welfare dependency (Andrà ©, C.et al. 2013). This act is important for this discussion because, what is hoped to be achieved in the long run is giving people incentives to work. Combined with some of the measures mentioned before, this would also allow people, who are now in a vicious circle of not having enough money for up-skilling, and not enough skills to make money, to break free and start climbing the proverbial social ladder – better jobs and better pays. Some say that the greatest priority is bound to be employment security. Macroeconomic and financial stability is the prime job quality policy at the moment. It is the job of government to try to ensure stable macroeconomic conditions, which, despite efforts, has not worked out recently. This recession has hit the lower end of the working class the hardest, but recessions have in the past always ended and, despite climate change we can expect a renewal of growth over the next few years, which will gradually reduce job insecurity again. Francis Green’s analysis of recent trends in Britain implies that the three urgent ongoing issues for policymakers to address are skills, autonomy and effort. (2009. pp. 28-29.) Conclusion Jobs are a very important part of who a person is. It is one of the ways we define ourselves. Job satisfaction is one of the principal issues in the overall life satisfaction of an individual. The quality of a job is directly linked to wages. In recent decades, due to various reasons which include globalisation and technological advancement, there has emerged a trend of rising disparity of wages in the UK. The incomes of top earners in the UK have risen much faster than for those receiving low wages. The demand for high-skilled workers is rising, but 20% of people still work in low-paid jobs with no intercompany prospects. This wage inequality is the object of much public and political debate. Although every part of the government asserts that solving this inequality and improving job quality would be better for everyone, this is not a political objective that can be easily tackled by legislature. This is why many policymakers have been justifiably reluctant to intervene in the marke t, preferring instead to correct market inequities through remedial redistribution. Some of the ways in which the inequality could be softened are the reformation of tax policies for high-income individuals and households, benefit policies for low-income households, better education and skill acquiring opportunities, ensuring employment security and stabilizing macroeconomics and finances. These changes will have to be made gradually and carefully, but nothing in the economic research suggests that this wage disparity is necessary and cannot be avoided. References Andrà ©, C.et al. 2013. Labour Market, Welfare Reform and Inequality in the United Kingdom. OECD Economics, Department Working Papers, No. 1034, OECD Publishing Bell, D. 1973. The Coming of Post-Industrial Society. New York: Basic Books. Chen, C.N., Tsaur, T.W. and Rhai, T.S. 1982. The Gini Coefficient and Negative Income; Oxford Economic Papers, New Series, (34/3) pp. 473-492. New York: Oxford University Press Engels, F. 1934. The Part played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man. Moscow: Progress Publishers. Green F. 2006. Demanding work: The Paradox of Job Quality and Affluent Economy. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Green, F. 2009. Job Quality in Britain. Praxis, issue 1, November, London: UK Commission for Employment and Skills. OECD, Jan. 2013, Income Distribution and Poverty at the OECD [Online] Available at: http://www.oecd.org/social/inequality.htm [Accessed: 18 January 2014] OECD. 2011. Divided we stand: Why inequality Keeps Rising, OECD Publishing. Pennycook M., Whittaker M. 2012. Low Pay Britain. London: Resolution Foundation. Sweet S. and Meiksins P. 2008. Changing countours of work. Newbury Park: Pine Forge Press. Wilkinson, R.G. and Pickett K. 2009. The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better. London: Allen Lane

Use of Alliteration, Assonance, and Cacophony :: Use of Alliteration, Assonance, and Cacophony

Use of the Rhetorical Strategies of Alliteration, Assonance, and Cacophony Candice Scheffing, a student a New Mexico Tech, not to long ago sent an email to the Clark112-list on the subject of gender. She had analyzed an essay by James Q. Wilson called "Gender" for his use of rhetorical strategies. Many rhetorical strategies can be seen in the email. The rhetorical strategies that can be found are alliteration, assonance, and cacophony. The major rhetorical strategy that Scheffing used was alliteration. The use of alliteration by Scheffing serves to be quite effective in email because it allows her to point out the use of rhetorical strategies by Wilson in his essay. An example of alliteration used by Scheffing is, "A number of examples are obvious through the first few paragraphs of the essay" (1). The alliteration can be seen in the words "first" and "few." Another sample of alliteration in Scheffing’s work can be seen in this sentence, "This reference to nature as having human characteristics is a personification" (1). The use of alliteration in this sentence can be seen in the beginning sounds of "having" and "human" that are in a series. A final example of alliteration in Scheffing’s email is, "This statement seems most disturbing to anyone who would read it because it either doesn’t make sense, or is believed to be completely wrong" (1). The alliteration can be noticed in the series of wor ds; "statement," "seems," "who," and "would." The use of alliteration by Scheffing serves as probably her most useful use of rhetorical strategies. Another rhetorical strategy used by Candice is assonance. Assonance does not serve as a major source of rhetorical strategies, but it still is present in her email. The use of assonance keeps the readers attention somewhat because the email begins to sound like a rhyme as it is read. The first example of assonance in Scheffing’s email is, "It becomes interesting that ‘nature’ can ‘play tricks’ on humankind" (1). The use of assonance can be seen in the same sounds of "nature," "play," "can," and "humankind." A second example of assonance in the email is, "Two contrasting words, ‘essential’ and ‘useless’ are in the same sentence referring to the same group of people: males" (Scheffing, 1). The assonance is evident in these sounds of "same" and "males." The third example of assonance I have seen in Scheffing’s email is, "These three forms of rhetoric, personification, antithesis and logos are each very important keys to the effectiveness of Wilson’s essay" (1).

Mask Poor Communication

Assignment One: Miscommunication April Sherrod COM 200 Interpersonal Communication Terrance Frazier May 21, 2012 I agree with the article provided â€Å"Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication† because I have had plenty of encounters with my loved ones where I was meaning one thing and they were interpreting what I said a completely different way and thinking I meant something totally different from what I actually meant. Have you ever had a miscommunication with someone close to you simply because you assumed that they understood you?What happened? When it comes to having miscommunication with someone, my fiance and I should receive an â€Å"A† all the time. The miscommunication we have can be as simple as me telling him to go to the store and get me a soda and be meaning for him to get a Dr. Pepper and he will come back with a coke. However we have had more serious altercations over miscommunication than a run to the store. The most recent altercation we have had over miscommunication was over whether or not to accept a car my parents were trying to give us as a gift.When telling him of this car, I had told him that there was still a little over $2000 owed on this car, I also told him that they said they would finish paying it off to help pay off a debt they had owed us. He completely misunderstood me and thought I was telling him we were going to make the payments ourselves, which he was completely fine with; however he isn’t fine with my parents making payments on something that we are going to be using.In the end before I had re-explained how things were going to take place, he disagreed with us getting the car because he thought that they were just simply going to make the payments and also pay us back what they owed us from a previous encounter when they had borrowed some money. I ended up re-explaining things to him and told him that what he thought wasn’t the case that they were only going to pay off the car, n ot pay off the car and pay off the debt.So now that he knows what exactly is going to happen, he has agreed with letting them pay off the car and giving it to us. How can you make sure that this kind of miscommunication does not happen in the future? Or when it does happen, what could you do to make your communication more clear? Miscommunication will always happen, however I could take actions to make sure my point is across and that everything I say is understood the exact way I say it and not the way my fiance interprets it would be by asking him what he thinks I meant before ending the conversation.References Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication, January 24, 2011 http://health. usnews. com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/01/24/close-relationships-sometimes-mask-poor-communication Sole, K. (2011). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content. ashford. edu/books /AUCOM200. 11. 1

Cowgirl Chocolates

Cowgirl Chocolates Case Study 1. What are some of the critical strengths and weaknesses of Cowgirl Chocolates that determine the success of this small business? Can the weaknesses be overcome by the strengths of the business? Some of the critical strengths of Cowgirl Chocolates that determine the success of this small business include product differentiation, quality, flexible return policy, and personalization. Cowgirl Chocolates is very modern creation since it meets the needs of a specific market of spicy and chocolate fans by combining both cayenne, a spice, and chocolate, a sweetener.The business also is known for using premium ingredients in all of the chocolates it offers. The business not only offers a flexible return policy, which gives customers a full refund guarantee if they end up disliking the spicy truffles but also facilitates trial purchases for customers interested in the spicy chocolates. The company also uses personal notes in the Web site orders in order to build customer satisfaction. Some of the critical weaknesses of Cowgirl Chocolates include having a high production cost, not having a tailored mission statement for this specific business, and lacking focus.Cowgirl Chocolates has to pay a lot of money for the packaging, ingredients, and travel expenses to make the hot caramel dessert sauce. The business also is unfocused because of weak distribution, there is no product definition or market research, and the target market is thus dispersed due to not having a properly defined consumer base. Yes, the weaknesses can be overcome by the strengths of the business if the business spends time focusing on the weaknesses listed in order to build a more successful small business. 2. Using the total product view, describe the â€Å"hot and spicy chocolate truffle† offered by Cowgirl Chocolates?Based on this product view do you think this product will be readily accepted by consumers? Why or why not? The â€Å"hot and spicy chocolate truffl e† offered by Cowgirl Chocolates were offered in several flavors such as plain chocolate, mint, orange, lime tequila, and espresso. The plain chocolate, mint, and orange truffles were wrapped in gold wrappers, the lime tequila truffles were wrapped in green wrappers, and the espresso truffles were wrapped in red wrappers in order for the customer to recognize that this truffle was extra spicy and hot.Personally, I believe the packaging of the truffles is not fully understandable because red does denote something hot, while the other flavors wrappers don’t fully translate to being hot and spicy. The truffles were also available in gift boxes, drawstring muslin bags, a collectible tin, and also in a plastic bag if the customer chose to purchase the truffles on the Cowgirl Chocolates website. Personally, I do not believe that consumers will readily accept this product because the general market of consumers will more than likely purchase sweet, milky chocolates over hot an d spicy chocolates.The purchase of Cowgirl Chocolates fully depends on whether the consumer likes the taste rather than attractive packaging and different experience. 3. What market do you think the â€Å"hot and spicy truffles† is competing in—the hot and spicy food market, the chocolate candy market, the gift niche market, or other? Personally, I believe the â€Å"hot and spicy truffles† are competing in the chocolate candy market because when one thinks of the name â€Å"Cowgirl Chocolates† the word â€Å"chocolate† comes to mind rather than hot and spicy. The hot and spicy food market is strongly associated with spices, sauces, Mexican foods, and Spanish influenced foods.Cowgirl Chocolates thus seems more likely to be successful in the chocolate candy market rather than the hot and spicy food market due to the unique packaging of the truffles, the brand name given to the product, and the premium ingredients and price. 4. What is your assessment of Marilyn’s promotional efforts? In order for Marilyn to increase the sale of her chocolates, should she use a push or pull communication strategy? Personally, I believe that Marilyn has been very effective with her promotional efforts in order to create customer demand. Through the use of her award-winning recognition for packaging at various art shows, dvertising in her local newspaper, the Soviet Awards recognition of her unique and tasty products, and presence and involvement with Seattle Chocolates have thus far helped bring some awareness for her product. In order for Marilyn to increase the sale of her chocolates, she should use a pull communication strategy because the more publicity she is able to gain for product and creative packaging, the greater awareness she will thus be able to gain for her business. 5. As you examine Exhibit 2, you will note that Cowgirl Chocolates offers several gift packages (1/4 pound, 1/2 pound, 1 lb. gift bucket, gift basket, nothing fa ncy) that range in suggested retail prices from $8. 95 to $59. 95. Given these price and packaging alternatives what type of product (convenience, shopping, or specialty) is Cowgirl Chocolates? Based on this classification would the buyer decision more likely to be a routine, limited or complex decision? Explain your reasoning. Given these price and packaging alternatives I believe Cowgirl Chocolates are specialty products because they are more expensive and thus for the most part exclusively distributed in either specialty stores or gift stores.By classifying Cowgirl Chocolates as specialty products, buyer decision would more likely be a limited decision because it requires putting though in the shopping process and therefore the decision whether to purchase or not purchase the product the product takes place in a store environment where the display of the products is thus very important to whether or not the customer will thus end up purchasing the product. 6. The suggested retail price and wholesale prices of Cowgirl Chocolates products are displayed in Exhibit 2 along with the product and packaging costs.Based on this information, discuss the relative merits of using a cost-based, demand-based, or competition based pricing method. The relative merits of using a cost-based, demand-based, or competition based pricing method include recognizing the that the retail prices are pretty much double the wholesale price. Thus, the combined packaging costs and the imported chocolate make these high-quality products very costly even before markups on the products are made at both the wholesale and retail level. Similarly, hen one compares the price of for example, the half pound tin, that seems very expensive when compared to a 24 pack of Lindor Chocolate Truffles which costs $12. 00 a bag. 7. Construct a table consisting of the generic marketing mix strategies. Based on what you know about Cowgirl Chocolates, what marketing mix plan would you recommend to Marilyn and why? Based on what I know about Cowgirl Chocolates, I would recommend gift purchases to Marilyn because gift purchases are strongly influenced by both situational and temporary conditions, which thus allow for numerous opportunities to purchase Cowgirl Chocolates.Furthermore, these chocolates are very appropriate to give to a male consumer because research shows that men like hot and spicy foods more so than women. Cowgirl Chocolates would also be a good small gift to someone hosting a party or a dinner since a lot of consumers look around for a small gift in order to say thank you to the hostess.? 8. For a small business like Cowgirl Chocolates, what benefits and/or potential problems does a website offer? For a small business like Cowgirl Chocolates, a website offers both benefits and potential problems.The benefits include providing Marilyn the opportunity to build an online customer database and a database with customers who are thus repeat customers. Another benefit includes t he business Cowgirl Chocolates to gain online awareness by being features on the appropriate online portals like chocolate candies and unique gift products. The potential problems include the possibility of sales increasing online and Marilyn thus must figure out a way to manage the increasing demand which might include having to pay additional costs in both packaging and shipping and additional labor costs in order to prepare the packages.

Technology is Changing the Way We Listen to Music essays

Technology is Changing the Way We Listen to Music essays Downloading MP3s from the Internet should be made legal. An MP3 is a near CD quality digital recording of a musical piece that is compressed so it can be distributed through the Internet (Simple Net). High prices, new technology, and availability are causing most music lovers to turn to the Internet to listen to their music. It's convenient to search a computer database for a song you've been wanting to hear by your favorite artist, download it, and copy it on to a CD. More and more people are doing this because with the help of search engines it's possible to find any song imaginable and download it for free. What most people don't realize is that the reproduction of a musical work, distribution of copies of a musical piece, and the public performance of the work without the copyright owner's consent are all violations of copyright laws (Anderman and Paez 5). However, they do know that getting caught for this crime is very unlikely. Catching those who violate copyright laws is very tricky because in most cases it's hard to tell who is at fault. Because of very detailed, complicated copyright laws even prosecuting a web site for promoting pirated music is almost too difficult to attempt. New digital audio compression technologies have made promoting, distributing, and selling music very easy (5). Sound files called MPEG 1 Layer 3 or MP3 for short allow users to download digital quality music for free over the Internet. These compressed audio files can be played on an individual's computer by using special software. With the help of CD-writers, a relatively new computer technology that allows people to create there own CDs, illegal copies of the copyrighted material can be made at near compact disc quality (Anderman and Paez 6). Portable MP3 players have now been developed that make pirating songs even easier. Instead of having to search for and buy expensive music, people are simply downloading the songs they want and de...

A Catapult Investigation Essay Example

A Catapult Investigation Essay Example A Catapult Investigation Essay A Catapult Investigation Essay The aim of this experiment is to investigate how far a piece of block would travel using a catapult with different weights on the block and different force applied to the catapult.FrictionI know from text books and from lessons that friction will affect how far certain object travels. Since Im not going to change the friction or not going to change where I will do my experiment I dont need to worry about this factor.HypothesisMy hypothesis for this experiment is the more force you apply to the rubber band the further the wood will travel but the more weight you put on the block of wood the less distance its going to cover.Apparatus* A stool* Rubber band* Newton meter* Weights* A metre stickMethodI will do tests of 5, 10, 15 and 20 newtons force each with and without weights. I will put up to 3 weights on the block. I will do 5 repeats for each test. Firstly we had to set up the stool then we had to find a place to do the experiment but we made sure that we did the experiment in the s ame place throughout. We recorded our results on a book and put it on to a table.Fair testThe variables we didnt change in order to make this as fair test were the equipment and the place we did the experiment. We did this by writing our name in the equipment we used.DiagramSafetyWhen we were doing the experiment we made sure no one stood in front of the wood which was going to be released. We wore goggles so our eyes wont get damages if the rubber band flies at us.Other PrecautionsDuring the investigation we must make sure that we dont make any human error such as recording the distance wrongly or plotting the results wrong.These are the results(in cm)5N5N+1Weight5N+2Weights5N+3Weights161251151062161373159531775410N10N+1Weight10N+2Weights10N+3Weights796555387762494176595842767153367863474515N15N+1Weight15N+2Weights15N+3Weights13011091601551169864121119100711201159559118114945720N20N+1Weight20N+2Weights20N+3Weights205169132115267210134104250121135105230208130110200191121102Observati onsStandard DeviationI did standard deviation to find out how spread the collected data is. Here are the results:5NX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2160.20.0415-0.80.64160.20.0415-0.80.64171.21.44792.8Mean15.8Standard Deviation0.755N+1WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2121.83.2410-0.20.04132.87.849-1.21.447-3.210.245122.8Mean10.2Standard Deviation2.145N+2WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^25-0.60.3660.40.1671.41.965-0.60.365-0.60.36283.2Mean5.6Standard Deviation0.805N+3WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^21-1.62.562-0.60.3630.40.1630.40.1641.41.96135.2Mean2.6Standard Deviation1.0210NX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2791.83.2477-0.20.0476-1.21.4476-1.21.44780.80.643866.8Mean77.2Standard Deviation1.1710N+1WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2651162-2459-5257174963-1132080Mean64Standard Deviation4.0010N+2WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2552.66.7649-3.411.56585.631.36530.60.3647-5.429.1626279.2Mean52.4Standard Deviation3.9810N+3WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^238-2.45.76410.60.36421.62.5636-4.419.36454.621.1620249.2Mean40.4Standard Deviation3.1415NX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^21301.21.4 415526.2686.44121-7.860.84120-8.877.44118-10.8116.64644942.8Mean128.8Standard Deviation13.7315N+1WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2110-4.823.041161.21.441194.217.641150.20.04114-0.80.6457442.8Mean114.8Standard Deviation2.9315N+2WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^291-4.621.16982.45.761004.419.3695-0.60.3694-1.62.5647849.2Mean95.6Standard Deviation3.1415N+3WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^260-2.24.84641.83.24718.877.4459-3.210.2457-5.227.04311122.8Mean62.2Standard Deviation4.9620NX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2205-25.4645.1626736.61339.5625019.6384.16230-0.40.16200-30.4924.1611523293.2Mean230.4Standard Deviation25.6620N+1WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^2169-29841210121442121419620810100191-7499901330Mean198Standard Deviation16.3120N+2WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^21321.62.561343.612.961354.621.16130-0.40.16121-9.488.36652125.2Mean130.4Standard Deviation5.0020N+3WeightX(X-Mean)(X-Mean)^21157.860.84104-3.210.24105-2.24.841102.87.84102-5.227.04536110.8Mean107.2Standard Deviation4.71AnalysisFrom these results its clear that my hypothesis were right. My hypothesis was the more force you apply to the rubber band the further the wood will travel but the more weight you put on the block of wood the less distance its going to cover. As Newton said When an object gains force it will accelerate or decelerate the acceleration or deceleration is proportional to the resultant force. This explains that when the block of wood was released at 20 Newtons the force it gained was much greater than the friction; this is why it could go for greater distance. But when the same block of wood was released at 5 Newtons the block of wood didnt go far enough this is because the friction was greater than the force released by the piece of wood.EvaluationI think that these results are not good because we didnt check the elasticity of the rubber band.Elasticity of the rubber bandI know from the Internet that elasticity of a normal rubber band will change when you keep on stretching but there is a limit when the rubber band will not stretch furthe r. I put 50g weight on a new rubber band and measured how much it stretched. I then took the weight and stretched the rubber band 20 times and put 50g weight and measured it. I did this until I got the same result 3 times. These are the results:155mm179mm200mm200mm200mmThese results show that the elasticity of the rubber band will change but there is a limit to it. If I had done this and used the same rubber band then I can be sure that the results are not wrong. I think I collected enough results.

How to Reduce Your Financial Stress in College

How to Reduce Your Financial Stress in College For many students, college is the first time they are in control of the majority of their finances. You might now suddenly be responsible for paying your own bills, working a job that you need to make ends meet, and/or making the scholarship money you get in August last through December. Unfortunately, these new financial responsibilities come within a context where money is often unusually tight. So how can you avoid being stressed about your financial situation while in college? Get a Job that Doesnt Stress You out If the responsibilities at your job are making you stressed out, its time to find another job. Make sure, of course, that your hourly wage is enough to help you meet your financial obligations. On that same note, however, your job shouldnt be providing a paycheck and causing you to seriously stress out. Look for a good on-campus job or one near campus that offer a relaxed work environment that is supportive and understanding of your life (and responsibilities) as a college student. Make a Budget The very idea of a budget often makes people think of having to sit down with a calculator, track every penny they spend, and go without the things they want the most. This, of course, is only true if thats what you want to make your budget look like. Set aside 30 minutes at the start of every semester to list what your expenses will be. Then figure out how much youll need each month to cover these expenses and what sources of income youll have (on-campus job, money from your parents, scholarship money, etc.). And then ... voila! You have a budget. Knowing what your expenses will be ahead of time can help you figure out how much money youll need and when. And knowing that kind of information will greatly reduce the financial stress in your life (not to mention having to bum off of your friends meal plans at the end of each semester when yours gets low). Stick to Your Budget Having an awesome budget doesnt mean anything if you dont stick with it. So check in with your financial self every week about how your spending looks. Do you have enough in your account to still meet the expenses youll have for the rest of the semester? Is your spending on track? If not, what do you need to cut down on, and where can you find some extra funds during your time in school? Understand the Difference Between Wants and Needs Do you need a winter jacket while in college? Of course. Do you need to have a brand-new, expensive winter jacket every year while in college? Definitely not. You may want to have a brand-new, expensive winter jacket each year, but you definitely dont need one. When it comes to looking at how you spend your money, make sure you differentiate between wants and needs. For example: Need coffee? Fair enough! Need coffee at $4 a cup at the coffee shop on campus? Nope! Consider brewing some at home and bringing it to campus in a travel mug that will keep it warm throughout your first class of the day. (Added bonus: Youll save your budget and the environment at the same time!) Cut out Costs Wherever Possible See how long you can go without spending any money, either with cash or through your debit and credit card(s). What were you able to live without? What kinds of things could be cut from your budget that you wouldnt miss too much but that would help you save money? What kinds of things could you easily do without? What kinds of things are expensive but not really worth what you have to pay for them? Saving money in college might be easier than you first think. Keep Track of Where Your Money Goes Your bank may offer something online or you can choose to use a website, like mint.com, that helps you see where your money goes each month. Even if you think you know where and how you spend your money, actually seeing it graphed out can be an eye-opening experience―and key for you to reduce your financial stress during your time in school. Avoid Using Your Credit Cards Sure, there can be times to use your credit card in college, but those times should be few and far between. If you think things are tight and stressful now, imagine what theyd be like if you racked up a lot of credit card debt, couldnt make your minimum payments, and had creditors calling to harass you all day long. While credit cards can be good in a pinch, they should definitely be a last resort. Talk to the Financial Aid Office If your financial situation in college is causing you significant stress, it may be because youre in a situation that is financial unsustainable. While most students experience tight budgets, they shouldnt be so tight that the stress they cause is overwhelming. Make an appointment to talk to a financial aid officer to discuss your financial aid package. Even if your school cant make any changes to your package, they might be able to suggest some external resources that can help you with your finances―and, consequently, with your stress levels. Know Where to Get Money in an Emergency Some of your financial stress may be coming from not having an answer to the What will I do if something major happens? question. For example, you might know you dont have the money to fly home if theres a family emergency, or you might not having the money to fix your car, which you need to get to school, if you were in an accident or needed a major repair. Spending a little time now to figure out where to get money in an emergency can help alleviate the stress that comes from feeling like youre walking on thin financial ice all of the time. Be Honest With Your Parents or Sources of Financial Support Your parents may think theyre sending you enough money or that your taking an on-campus job will distract you from your academics, but the reality can sometimes be a little different. If you need to change something in your financial situation, be honest with those who are contributing to (or depending on) your college finances. Asking for help might be intimidating but it might also be a great way to ease up on the factors causing you stress day in and day out. Make Time to Apply for More Scholarships Every year, its impossible to miss the news headlines that report on just how much money in scholarships goes unclaimed. No matter how tight your time is, you can always find a few minutes here and there to find and apply for more scholarships. Think about it: If that $10,000 scholarship only took you 4 hours to research and apply for, wasnt that a good way to spend your time? Thats like earning $2,500 an hour! Spending half an hour here and there to find scholarships can be one of the best ways to spend your time and reduce, over the long-term, the financial stress in college. After all, arent there more exciting things youd like to be focusing on?

Business case analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business analysis - Case Study Example The study revealed that the new e-commerce platform of Quill sells technologies and services required for establishing a new website independently. The major eight factors are ubiquity, universal standards, global reach, richness, information, density, interactivity, personalization and social technology. Considering the ethical aspects and other customer requirements it is strongly recommended that Quill.com should develop the platform in different language to cater to a mass segment. Staples Inc. is regarded as one of the largest office items providers, which owns about 2000 stores in more than 25 world countries (â€Å"About us†). It is engaged in selling machines, furniture and other supplies for offices. In 1998, the company acquired Quill Corporation for expanding business. Quill Corporation sells products including office machines and furniture, along with school items. In 2001, Staples decided to integrate its website with that of the subsidiaries, which is how Quill.com had come into existence (â€Å"About us†). Quill is a subsidiary of Staples Inc, which has already entered into e-commerce business in 2001 by way of providing office items to customers. However, Quill under the governance of Staples Inc has established a new online shop on 2nd May, 2014 (â€Å"Quill.com opens an e-commerce technology shop†). Being unsatisfied with the limited sells of office supplies, Quill.com serves all requirements of small sized businesses while operating e-commerce sites through the new online shop. The company has engaged its customers through digital marketing (â€Å"Quill.com opens an e-commerce technology shop†). Quill.com has an established e-commerce business, where it sells office requirements like, furniture, machines and essential items, which are required in schools and colleges (â€Å"Quill.com opens an e-commerce technology shop†). The company has recently introduced an online shopping experience for customers, where it

Orion Shield Project Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Orion Shield Project Analysis - Essay Example Due to his good work the company promoted him as the project manager for Orion Shield Project. However this appointment was the biggest error on the part of company. Lack of administrative knowledge and experience of Gary was the principal reason for the failure of the project. Apart from that lack of effective communication and truthfulness with the stakeholders of the project was also another rationale towards the failure. If Gary would have maintained honesty and open communication from the beginning of the project, it would have never failed. The poor decision making, unprofessional approach and unethical behavior also affected the stakeholders as well as the clients. Moreover it also affected the career of Gary Allison. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Case Analysis 5 References 9 Introduction Project management is an important and specialized task which requires a set of specific knowledge and expertise. Project management is the area which includes initiating, planning, system atizing, organizing, guiding and monitoring of the associated resources (Pmi, n.d.). Project management is mainly undertaken to meet the objectives of a particular project in a structured way and within the stipulated time frame. A project manager thus needs to have in-depth knowledge and proficiency in some specified area (Himss, n.d.). Some of those essential skills include preparation, financial management and planning, forecasting and also the most important task of assessing the risk associated with the project. Eminent scholars such as Schwalbe stated that the duty of a project manager is not only confined to meet the specified time, budget, scope, quality and requirements of the project, but also hold the liability to smoothen the progress of the entire process (Schwalbe, 2010, p.8). Apart from that project managers are also liable to satisfy the demands and other functional requirements of the people associated with the project. They should also counterbalance the challenges of a project (Heerkens, 2007, p.1). The activities of project may also impact or affect some of the communities, therefore the project manager also have the duty to look after such issues. In the context of the project of Orion shield do not falls in special category and required the same skills and expertise to accomplish the project successfully. The Orion shield project mainly failed due to poor handling and management. The project was mishandled from the beginning to the end of the project. Also as the project initiated, the program manager Gary Allison also did not approach the requirements of the stakeholders of the project. The project will now analyze whether Gary was the fittest person to carry out the task or it was a wrong selection. It will also emphasize whether the director of engineering, Henry Larson Selected the wrong person to be the program manager of the Orion Shield project. Lack of experience on the part of the project manager has mainly caused the problems in the project. The inexpertness of Gary Allison to handle such tasks has been also one of the reasons for creating this issue. Case Analysis Gary Alison was actually Ph. D in mechanical engineering. He was a talented project engineer in Scientific Engineering Corporation (SEC). However the good work has allowed the company to promote him as the program manager for the Orion Shield project. The Orion Shield project was valued more than $ 2 million. Initially Gary was in two minds but finally accepted the role the project manager of the as Project Manager of Orion Shield Project. Within the first 6 months of the job he stated that he was spending sleepless nights and was far more better when he was doing the engineering jobs. Therefore this clearly portrays that Gary was not at all comfortable

Three components of the transmission mechanism,through which the Essay

Three components of the transmission mechanism,through which the expansionary policy works - Essay Example An expansionary monetary policy works by increasing the supply of money available in the economy.The recessionary gap is handled by the corresponding increase in demand which tends to create employment in the shorter run. As soon as the economy is supplied with money, the aggregate demand level rises from its previous state as shown in Figure 1 below. The demand level tends to rise from the existing AD1 level to a new AD2 level. In turn this increase in demand triggers an increase in the price level which tends to rise from an existing level of P1 to P2 which can be seen as inflation (Mankiw, Kneebone and McKenzie 503). As a consequence of price hikes, the inflation rate tends to increase as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 below. The short term Phillips Curve shows a linear increase as the amount of inflation rises but the long term Phillips Curve shows a vertical increase as the aggregate demand rises. If money is supplied to the economy at a fast rate, the outcome would be a small c hange in the overall employment rate since inflationary pressure would curb the economic growth. In contrast, if money is supplied to the economy relatively slowly, there would be a smaller increase in overall inflation and hence the net employment gain would be greater. In order to control a recessionary gap, the government has to offer the economy greater liquidity by increasing the supply of money. However, it must be kept in mind that the rate of supply of money has to be relatively low so that long term inflationary pressures do not set in. ... Fiscal policy can be controlled by increasing or decreasing government spending as well as by manipulating the taxation levels of ordinary households. A contractionary fiscal policy reduces the supply of money to the economy. When the supply of money to the economy decreases, the aggregate demand reduces from its existing level to a lower level. This leads to a contraction of the aggregate demand which in turn reduces the overall output levels in the economy. Consequently, the contractionary fiscal policy moves the economy along the short run Phillips curve as shown in Figure 4 below. In the longer run, the economy shifts vertically along the Phillips curve which leads to a reduction in the overall inflation rate with a minimal effect on the overall employment levels (Mankiw, Kneebone and McKenzie 512). Figure 4 - Disinflationary monetary policy in the short run and long run When the amount of government spending tends to increase, it increases the overall money supply in the economy . As a result, the demand for money in the economy tends to rise from MD1 to MD2 as shown in Figure 5. Consequently, the interest rate tends to rise which leads to a net reduction in the investment levels and puts reduction pressure on aggregate demand. The aggregate demand level tends to rise though it fails to meet its expected level of increase. While the expected level of increase in the aggregate demand curve should be from AD1 to AD2 but it actually increases only to aggregate demand levels between actual level and expected level to AD3 as shown in Figure 6. The reduction of the aggregate demand as soon as a fiscal expansion takes place is better known as the crowding out effect (Mankiw, Kneebone and McKenzie 487). Figure 5 - The money market Figure 6 - Changes in

Effects of Identity Theft Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effects of Identity Theft - Research Paper Example â€Å"The 1998 U.S. Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (ITADA) has defined identity theft as the knowing transfer, possession, or usage of any name or number that identifies another person, with the intent of committing or aiding or abetting a crime† (Roberts & Shreft, 2009, pp.22-30) This theft has its effects varying from individual losses to insecurity pertaining to nationally relevant matters. The objective of the essay is to critically analyze the effect of these identity thefts generally to the economy and specifically to the industries and individuals dependent on identity based virtual facilities. CSU (2009, pp 7-8) has reported that the trend of identity theft had been on increase in 2008. The report had cited in the last six months of the year 2008, there had been an increase of 25 percent in the issues pertaining to identity theft. These identity thefts included illegal transaction of personal information through online chat rooms which becomes active market for trade of security information pertaining to internet banking passwords, credit card numbers and social security numbers CSU (2009, pp 7-8). This trend has been reiterated by the FTC as well which has confirmed that they had received almost 1200000 complaints pertaining to identity thefts. This statistics indicated an increase of 50 percent over the count in the previous year. As per this report the most common among the identity thefts were the credit card frauds. As per the reported crimes cited by Federal Trade Commission, the financial losses included in the theft counted up to 1.8 million dollars. In the Americ an context, the trend in identity theft has been found on an increase in the states of Arizona, California and Florida. The peculiarities of the present American economic situation following the economic recession have been stated by

Risk And Information Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Risk And Information - Assignment Example After critical analysis using the expected value criterion method, it was evident that project Y (8000) was best suited to increase the revenues as compared to project X (6000). The expected return of project Y is greater than that of project X. It was therefore decided that the club should invest the cash on starting a bookshop business because it tends to benefit the club more in terms of revenue increase. I am a risk lover, that’s why I’ll opt for option Y which has high risk (high probabilities) but high returns. Risk preference-the risk preference of an individual can cause the change in the probabilities. Risk averse individuals will always prefer low probabilities (low risk but low returns) when making decisions while risk loving individuals will go for high probabilities (high risk but high returns). Therefore, if an individual change his/her risk preferences the probabilities will change. Risk premium- this is the difference between the expected value of returns and the sure thing such that the decision maker is indifferent between the returns and the sure thing. The higher the variance of the returns the larger the risk premium hence the higher the

Advertising analysis (Nokia and Apple) Research Paper

Advertising analysis (Nokia and Apple) - Research Paper Example Nokia and Apple-two famous household names which have established their craft and credibility in manufacturing gadgets.However,these two brands have crossed their way as they compete for man's hunt for the most appealing mobile phone this generation can offer with the launch of Apple iPhone.As the competition for man's attention arises, advertisement of mobile phones has propagated rapidly. Hence, as a mobile phone user myself, my attention was drawn to two of the latest commercials of mobile phones, each from the above-mentioned mobile phone manufacturers.The Nokia N93 and Apple iPhone both launched their commercials on television. The Nokia N93 commercial whose sophistication has been branded by its plain black background, starts with the introduction of this Nokia model. As the commercial progresses, espoused by a background song from the classic band Moby, the features and its specifications are enumerated in print whilst the mobile phone shows off how these features are executed . The commercial closes with the logo of Nokia with their slogan "Connecting people".Apparently, Nokia has remained to patronize the bandwagon propaganda for this advertisement, which tries to convince consumers that since everyone else is doing it, they will be left out if they do not (Pollio, 1990). As majority of mobile phone users focus on the specifications of a mobile phone and indulge in knowing how to utilize this information, Nokia dwells on specifically identifying the details of the Nokia N93, such as the resolution, screen size and camera attributes. However, considering that Nokia has used the music of Moby to be the background music of this commercial, the commercial obviously appeals to all ages of mobile phone users who can afford to buy the phone. This is because the music supplied by Moby appeals to the older generation in which Moby has started as a band, and to the younger generation as well who nowadays settle to classic rock music. However, as the phone is a high-end model, it generally targets the upper society who can afford to purchase the Nokia N93. This is evident on the font of the features enumerated and the plain black background, which usually symbolizes wealth and refinement. Furthermore, the detailed enumeration of the features of the phone implies that the Nokia N93 is inclined to be marketed to the type of consumers who are feature-conscious. On the other hand, the commercial of the Apple iPhone begins with minimal background music, as a man's voice starts expressing how amazing things can fit in your pockets, thus referring to the Apple iPhone. Then, it proceeds with the voice naming the "amazing things" which can fit in this mobile phone. Contrary to the Nokia commercial, the features of iPhone are not detailed and specific. However, the delivery of the features of the phone is enough for its viewers to understand its attributes. As Apple has already established a brand marketed to the upper society-classy, sophisticated yet simple, which is being tried by Nokia to emulate, the black background and classic background music appeals to the elite. Additionally, the advertisement of Apple iPhone tends to appeal to the type of consumers who are design-oriented. Hence, this type of consumers is represented by those who care less about the functionality of the phone but dwell more on the design of the gadget. Nonetheless, the advertisement also tries to break the stereotype that the iPhone, being an Apple product, is less feature-enhanced. This is manifested as the narrator of the commercial tends to specify the "amazing things" packaged in iPhone. Furthermore, one of the most noticeable aspects of this commercial is Apple's attempts to use the "plain folks" propaganda on which Apple is trying to convince the public that the narrator's views reflect those of the common person (Berger, 1991). This is evident as the voice of the narrator tends to be casual, not too

Risk And Information Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Risk And Information - Assignment Example After critical analysis using the expected value criterion method, it was evident that project Y (8000) was best suited to increase the revenues as compared to project X (6000). The expected return of project Y is greater than that of project X. It was therefore decided that the club should invest the cash on starting a bookshop business because it tends to benefit the club more in terms of revenue increase. I am a risk lover, that’s why I’ll opt for option Y which has high risk (high probabilities) but high returns. Risk preference-the risk preference of an individual can cause the change in the probabilities. Risk averse individuals will always prefer low probabilities (low risk but low returns) when making decisions while risk loving individuals will go for high probabilities (high risk but high returns). Therefore, if an individual change his/her risk preferences the probabilities will change. Risk premium- this is the difference between the expected value of returns and the sure thing such that the decision maker is indifferent between the returns and the sure thing. The higher the variance of the returns the larger the risk premium hence the higher the

Experience with Market Place Live Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Experience with Market Place Live - Term Paper Example Advertising- The Company had a small advertising budget because it wanted to keep its costs low. Having a low advertising budget led to the rejection of the company’s adverts by the International advertising federation. Had the advertising succeeded, the company would have sold more and even increased its market share from the current 38 percent. Sales team- The selected sales team was too small as compared to the demanding market in which the company operates. If the company had a stronger sales team, it could have sold more units and would have sold all the units as compared to the current situation where it had inventory left. The company should, therefore, focus on building a strong sales team both for the web and the sales office. Un-fulfilled demand- Dues to the small size of the company’s sales team; a situation which left the company with inventory totaling 400 as shown below. The figures above show that the demand per salesperson for Space-Age Technology was mu ch higher as compared to other of its competitors. The sales team had to work three times harder than those of other companies. Cutting costs- The Company decided to cut costs by redesigning its brand of computers and invest more in areas that were thought would help the company grow. The company missed the opportunity to make money and increase its market share by using the competitors brand data in making its redesign decision. The redesign decisions that affected Space Age Technology are shown below.

Developing a Hypothesis

Developing a Hypothesis Definitions of hypothesis: The hypothesis is outlined as following: â€Å"Hypotheses square measure single tentative guesses, smart hunches –assumed to be used in fashioning theory or coming up with experiments supposed to tend an immediate experimental take a look at once possible†. (Eric Rogers, 1966) â€Å"A hypothesis may be a suppositious statement of the relation between 2 or additional variables†. (Kerlinger, 1956) â€Å"Hypothesis may be a formal statement that presents the expected relationship between AN freelance and variable quantity.†(Creswell, 1994) Hypothesis is that the main a part of analysis. its vital because it suggests new ways in which of doing the analysis. typically experiments square measure solely conduct to check a hypothesis. Decision-makers typically face things whereby theyre curious about testing hypotheses on the premise of accessible info so take choices on the premise of such testing. In scientific discipline, wherever direct information of population parameter(s) is rare, hypothesis testing is that the typically used strategy for deciding whether or not a sample information provide such support for a hypothesis that generalisation is created. so hypothesis testing permits U.S.A. to form chance statements concerning population parameter(s). The hypothesis might not be tried completely, however in follow its accepted if its withstood a essential testing. Before we have a tendency to make a case for however hypotheses square measure tested through totally different tests meant for the aim, itll be acceptable to elucidate clearly the that means of a hypothesis and also the connected ideas for higher world organisation derstanding of the hypothesis testing techniques. WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS? Ordinarily, once one talks concerning hypothesis, one merely suggests that a mere assumption or some supposition  to be tried or disproved. except for a research worker hypothesis may be a formal question that he intends to  resolve. so a hypothesis is also outlined as a proposition or a group of proposition set forth as AN  explanation for the prevalence of some such cluster of phenomena either declared simply as a  provisional conjecture to guide some investigation or accepted as extremely probable within the lightweight of  established facts. very often a research hypothesis may be a prophetical statement, capable of being tested  by scientific ways, that relates AN variable to some variable quantity. for instance,  consider statements just like the following ones: â€Å"Students WHO receive counseling can show a larger increase in creative thinking than students not  receiving counselling† Or  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the automobile A is performing arts furthermore as automobile B.† These square measure hypotheses capable of being objectively verified and tested. Thus, we have a tendency to could conclude that  a hypothesis states what we have a tendency to square measure searching for and its a proposition which may be place to a take a look at to  determine its validity. Characteristics of hypothesis: Hypothesis should possess the subsequent characteristics: (i) Hypothesis ought to be clear and precise. If the hypothesis isnt clear and precise, the  inferences drawn on its basis cant be taken as reliable. (ii) Hypothesis ought to be capable of being tested. during a swamp of untestable hypotheses, many  a time the analysis programmes have over-involved. Some previous study is also done by  researcher so as to form hypothesis a testable one. A hypothesis â€Å"is testable if alternative  deductions is made up of it that, in turn, is confirmed or disproved by observation.†1 (iii) Hypothesis ought to state relationship between variables, if it happens to be a relative  hypothesis. (iv) Hypothesis ought to be restricted in scope and should be specific. A research worker should keep in mind  that narrower hypotheses square measure typically additional testable and he ought to develop such hypotheses. (v) Hypothesis ought to be explicit as so much as doable in most straightforward terms in order that identical is  easily comprehensible by all involved. however one should keep in mind that simplicity of hypothesis  has nothing to try to to with its significance. (vi) Hypothesis ought to be in keeping with most illustrious facts i.e., it should be in keeping with a  substantial body of established facts. In alternative words, it ought to be one that judges settle for  as being the foremost possible. (vii) Hypothesis ought to be amenable to testing inside an affordable time. One shouldnt use  even a superb hypothesis, if identical cant be tested in affordable time for one  cannot pay a life-time aggregation information to check it. (viii) Hypothesis should make a case for the facts that gave rise to the necessity for rationalization. This means  that by exploitation the hypothesis and alternative illustrious and accepted generalizations, one ought to be  able to deduce the initial downside condition. so hypothesis should truly make a case for what  it claims to explain; it ought to have empirical reference. The null hypothesisrepresents a theory that has been hints, either as a result of its believed to be true or as a result of its to be used asa basis for argument, however has not been tried. Has serious outcome if incorrect call is made! The alternative hypothesisis an announcement of what a hypothesis take a look at is about up to ascertain. Opposite of Null Hypothesis. Only reached if H0is rejected. Frequently â€Å"alternative†is actual desired conclusion of the researcher! The method of hypothesis testing is summarized in four steps. we are going to describe every of those four steps in larger detail in Section eight.2. 1. To begin, we have a tendency to establish a hypothesis or claim that we have a tendency to feel ought to be tested. for instance, wed need to check the claim that the mean range of hours that kids within the us watch TV is three hours. 2. We have a tendency to choose a criterion upon that we have a tendency to decide that the claim being tested is true or not. for instance, the claim is that kids watch three hours of TV per week. Most samples we have a tendency to choose ought to have a mean near or up to  3 hours if the claim we have a tendency to square measure testing is true. therefore at what purpose can we decide that the discrepancy between the sample mean and three is therefore massive that the claim  we square measure testing is probably going not true? we have a tendency to answer this question during this step of hypothesis testing. 3. Choose a random sample from the population and live the sample mean. for instance, we have a tendency to might choose twenty kids and live the time unit (in hours) that they watch TV per week. 4. Compare what we have a tendency to observe within the sample to what we have a tendency to expect to watch if  the claim we have a tendency to square measure testing is true. we have a tendency to expect the sample mean to be around  3 hours. If the discrepancy between the sample mean and population mean is tiny, then {we will|well|we square measure going to} possible decide that the claim we have a tendency to are testing is so true. If the discrepancy is simply too giant, then we are going to possible conceive to reject the claim as being not true. The method of hypothesis testing is summarized in four steps. we are going to describe every of those four steps in larger detail in Section eight.2. 1. To begin, we have a tendency to establish a hypothesis or claim that we have a tendency to feel ought to be tested. for instance, wed need to check the claim that the mean range of hours that kids within the us watch TV is three hours. 2. we have a tendency to choose a criterion upon that we have a tendency to decide that the claim being tested is true or not. for instance, the claim is that kids watch three hours of TV per week. Most samples we have a tendency to choose ought to have a mean near or up to  3 hours if the claim we have a tendency to square measure testing is true. therefore at what purpose can we decide that the discrepancy between the sample mean and three is therefore massive that the claim  we square measure testing is probably going not true? we have a tendency to answer this question during this step of hypothesis testing. 3. choose a random sample from the population and live the sample mean. for instance, we have a tendency to might choose twenty kids and live the time unit (in hours) that they watch TV per week. 4. Compare what we have a tendency to observe within the sample to what we have a tendency to expect to watch if  the claim we have a tendency to square measure testing is true. we have a tendency to expect the sample mean to be around  3 hours. If the discrepancy between the sample mean and population mean is tiny, then {we will|well|we square measure going to} possible decide that the claim we have a tendency to are testing is so true. If the discrepancy is simply too giant, then we are going to possible conceive to reject the claim as being not true. Step 2: Set the standards for a choice. to line the standards for a choice, we have a tendency to state the extent of significance for a take a look at. this can be the same as the criterion that jurors use during a criminal trial. Jurors decide whether or not the proof bestowed shows guilt on the far side an affordable doubt (this is that the criterion). Likewise, in hypothesis testing, we have a tendency to collect information to point out that the null hypothesis isnt true, supported the probability of choosing a sample mean from a population (the likelihood is that the criterion). The probability or level of significance is often set at five-hitter in activity analysis studies. once the chance of getting a sample mean is a smaller amount than five-hitter if the null hypothesis were true, then we have a tendency to conclude that the sample we have a tendency to designated is simply too unlikely and then we have a tendency to reject the null hypothesis. Level of significance, or significance level, refers to a criterion of judgment upon that a choice is created relating to the worth explicit during a null hypothesis. The criterion relies on the chance of getting a data point measured during a sample if the worth explicit within the null hypothesis were true. In activity science, the criterion or level of significance is often set at five-hitter. once the chance of getting a sample mean is a smaller amount than five-hitter if the null hypothesis were true, then we have a tendency to reject the worth explicit within the null hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis establishes wherever to position the extent of significance. keep in mind that we all know that the sample mean can equal the population mean on the average if the null hypothesis is true. All alternative doable values of the sample mean square measure commonly distributed (central limit theorem). The empirical rule tells U.S.A. that a minimum of ninety fifth of all sample suggests that fall inside concerning two customary deviations (SD) of the population mean, that means that theres but a five-hitter chance of getting a  sample mean thats on the far side two South Dakota from the population mean. For the youngsters  watching TV example, we are able to seek for the chance of getting a sample mean  beyond two South Dakota within the higher tail (greater than 3), the lower tail (less than 3), or both  tails (not up to 3). Figure 8.2 shows that the choice hypothesis is employed to  determine that tail or tails to position the extent of significance for a hypothesis take a look at. Step 3: reckon the take a look at data point. Suppose we have a tendency to live a sample mean up to  4 hours per week that kids watch TV. to form a choice, wed like to judge  how possible this sample outcome is, if the population mean explicit by the null  hypothesis (3 hours per week) is true. we have a tendency to use a take a look at data point to work out this  likelihood. Specifically, a take a look at data point tells U.S.A. however so much, or what number customary  deviations, a sample mean is from the population mean. The larger the worth of the  test data point, the any the space, or range of normal deviations, a sample  mean is from the population mean explicit within the null hypothesis. the worth of the  test data point is employed to form a choice in Step four. The take a look at data point may be a mathematical formula that permits researchers to  determine the probability of getting sample outcomes if the null hypothesis  were true. the worth of the take a look at data point is employed to form a choice relating to  the null hypothesis. Step 4: build a choice. we have a tendency to use the worth of the take a look at data point to form a choice  about the null hypothesis. the choice relies on the chance of getting a  sample mean, only if the worth explicit within the null hypothesis is true. If the chance of getting a sample mean is a smaller amount than five-hitter once the null hypothesis is true, then the choice is to reject the null hypothesis. If the chance of getting a sample mean is bigger than five-hitter once the null hypothesis is true, then the choice is to retain the null hypothesis. In sum, there square measure 2 choices a research worker will make: 1. Reject the null hypothesis. The sample mean is related to an occasional chance of prevalence once the null hypothesis is true. 2. Retain the null hypothesis. The sample mean is related to a high chance of prevalence once the null hypothesis is true. The chance of getting a sample mean, only if the worth explicit within the null hypothesis is true, is explicit by the p worth. The p worth may be a probability: It varies between zero and one and may neer be negative. In Step 2, we have a tendency to explicit the criterion or chance of getting a sample mean at that purpose we are going to conceive to reject the worth explicit within the null hypothesis, that is often set at five-hitter in activity analysis. to form a choice, we have a tendency to compare the p worth to the criterion we have a tendency to set in Step two. A p worth is that the chance of getting a sample outcome, only if the worth explicit within the null hypothesis is true. The p worth for getting a sample outcome is compared to the extent of significance. Significance, or applied mathematics significance, describes a choice created regarding a worth explicit within the null hypothesis. once the null hypothesis is rejected, we have a tendency to reach significance. once the null hypothesis is preserved, we have a tendency to fail to achieve significance. When the p worth is a smaller amount than five-hitter (p < .05), we have a tendency to reject the null hypothesis. we are going to talk over with p < .05 because the criterion for deciding to reject the null hypothesis, though note that once p = .05, the choice is additionally to reject the null hypothesis. When the  p worth is bigger than five-hitter (p > .05), we have a tendency to retain the null hypothesis. the choice to reject or retain the null hypothesis is named significance.

media :: essays research papers

-Reaction Paper- Investigative Journalism Media funtions as a overseer when it use its power to expose wrong side of administrative associations. This media’s â€Å"watchdog† feature show itself with investigative journalism. Investigative Journalism has positive and negative effects above all state and private instituons. We have to look at these different aspects. Investigative journalism’s biggest positive effects is to push people work correctly and honestly who work in different instituons. Nobody wants to fall into a trap who composed by a investigative journalists and its hidden camera. Now this hidden cameras mostly using for exposing the misuse of authority or health scandals. Investigative journalism start to function as a survelliance in community in course of time. This type of journalism provides people to work right and prevents them to abuse community or the state. Investigative journalism ensure that justice is done. However there is a problem. Is investigative journalist in a right place to investigate? or does this journalists regards his self-benefits? This compose of the negative sides of the issue. When we look at media bosses in Turkey. There are portraits of people who has different kinds of corporations in industry and market. And we can’t expect that they expose their rotten sides of their corporations. Because this againsts to their self-benefits. They naturally don’t want to lose prestige and profit. So there can be a lot of wrong things which is concealed because of this media bosses self-interests. Another thing about investigative journalism is the hidden camera. This harms people’s personal rights and honours. Sometimes people who is suspicious pulled to trap by a journalist. And this is not suitable for the principles of journalism. Also hidden camera sometimes enters to private places such as houses of people. Exposing them without permission in their private place is not ethical for my opinion. In addition to this, investigative journalism generally exposes small companies which composed with small amount of money and worker. After exposing them, they can’t recover themselves and put an end their business life in the market.

Terry Tempest Williams Essay -- Author Authors Terry Tempest Williams

Terry Tempest Williams Born to a Mormon family and raised in Utah, Terry Tempest Williams’ being is rooted in her religion and the wild of the desert. These two elements compound to shape her identity, although their co-existence does not always reside in harmony. In 1983, the Great Salt Lake began to swallow Williams’ beloved bird sanctuary. Simultaneously, her mother learns that she has cancer. This juncture in time signals a major turning point in the course of her life. While, unable to stop the steady rise in the lake, Williams is unable to keep her mother on this Earth. After a round of chemotherapy and a bout of radiation, her mother decides to discontinue treatment and live out her final weeks in peace. Her mother’s attitude reflects Mormonism; this trust in religion gives her the strength to persevere, and Williams recognizes her mother’s incredible faith. Mormonism carries her mother and the family through the cancer, but its teachings fail to satisfy Williams’ personal needs. Her mother acted as her connection to Mormonism, and without her there, Williams looks to other places for solace. Her mother lives her death in conjunction with Mormon tradition, which she tries to share with her daughter. Mormonism values the family unit as the central source for love and support, in times of serenity and times of need. The family also depends on the greater community for help. They exist within one another, tangled in a web of support looking after all members of the Church (James). Incidentally, her mother’s cancer is felt by the entire family. They are all sick; they all fight; they all have to accept death. In the final days, Williams notes that â€Å"touch is more important than ever† (220). She consciously holds her moth... ... Mormonism belonged to her mother, acting as the glue of the family. Alone, Williams seeks out new sources of comfort and hope. She hasn’t abandoned her religion; rather, she’s augmenting her faith. Her mother has given her the core values of Mormonism, modeling herself as an example of a pious woman. Her faith did not die with her mother. Rather, Williams confirms its presence in her life by testing its veracity against her needs. The Day of the Dead provides a tangible means of engaging her grief, fulfilling Williams’ needs at that time. In the Mexican tradition, mourners form paths of petals in the streets, leading to an altar in their homes. These makeshift paths lead their loved ones to return to their families (Salvador 75-76). In the final sentences of the book, Williams scatters marigold petals on the water’s surface, inviting her mother to return to her. Terry Tempest Williams Essay -- Author Authors Terry Tempest Williams Terry Tempest Williams Born to a Mormon family and raised in Utah, Terry Tempest Williams’ being is rooted in her religion and the wild of the desert. These two elements compound to shape her identity, although their co-existence does not always reside in harmony. In 1983, the Great Salt Lake began to swallow Williams’ beloved bird sanctuary. Simultaneously, her mother learns that she has cancer. This juncture in time signals a major turning point in the course of her life. While, unable to stop the steady rise in the lake, Williams is unable to keep her mother on this Earth. After a round of chemotherapy and a bout of radiation, her mother decides to discontinue treatment and live out her final weeks in peace. Her mother’s attitude reflects Mormonism; this trust in religion gives her the strength to persevere, and Williams recognizes her mother’s incredible faith. Mormonism carries her mother and the family through the cancer, but its teachings fail to satisfy Williams’ personal needs. Her mother acted as her connection to Mormonism, and without her there, Williams looks to other places for solace. Her mother lives her death in conjunction with Mormon tradition, which she tries to share with her daughter. Mormonism values the family unit as the central source for love and support, in times of serenity and times of need. The family also depends on the greater community for help. They exist within one another, tangled in a web of support looking after all members of the Church (James). Incidentally, her mother’s cancer is felt by the entire family. They are all sick; they all fight; they all have to accept death. In the final days, Williams notes that â€Å"touch is more important than ever† (220). She consciously holds her moth... ... Mormonism belonged to her mother, acting as the glue of the family. Alone, Williams seeks out new sources of comfort and hope. She hasn’t abandoned her religion; rather, she’s augmenting her faith. Her mother has given her the core values of Mormonism, modeling herself as an example of a pious woman. Her faith did not die with her mother. Rather, Williams confirms its presence in her life by testing its veracity against her needs. The Day of the Dead provides a tangible means of engaging her grief, fulfilling Williams’ needs at that time. In the Mexican tradition, mourners form paths of petals in the streets, leading to an altar in their homes. These makeshift paths lead their loved ones to return to their families (Salvador 75-76). In the final sentences of the book, Williams scatters marigold petals on the water’s surface, inviting her mother to return to her.

Agricultural Land Conservation

Agricultural Land Conservation The issues of land distribution and land conservation in agriculture attract more and more attention, especially when the expansion of cropland is hitting a limit since much more land is conserved for environmental purposes. Soil erosion is devastating the topsoil of land as chemical fertilizers are used to increase output within a limited amount of land. At the same time, livestock production expands at an ever-growing speed, worsening the land use situation.Livestock production, nowadays, consumes a large portion of crop that could be distributed to serve for poor population. A taxation system in favor of production capacity and against environmental damages will encourage farmers to improve their production techniques. Proper regulations could not be emphasized more to make sure that a genuinely sustainable agriculture system will be built with animals to cycle nutrients. Cropland is the land that is suited to or used for crop production. Grazing lan d refers to a field covered with grass or herbage, and suitable for grazing by livestock.FAO is the abbreviation for The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a specialized organization that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. NCGA is the abbreviation for National Corn Growers Association, which represents America’s corn growers. The expansion of cropland has limited potential due to environmental conservation. At present, more than one point five billion hectares is used for crop production, accounting for twelve percent of the globe’s land surface. According to FAO, there is little scope for further expansion of cropland.Despite the presence of considerable amounts of land potentially suitable for agriculture, much of it is covered by forests, protected for environmental reasons, or employed for unban settlements. Compared with livestock production, crop production requires soil that contains more fertile materials, which makes it harder to find suitable cropland. Livestock production is expected to slow down the rate of soil erosion and improve the quality of soil in the long term. In â€Å"Eroding Future,† published July-August 2011 in the Futurist, author Lester R.Brown reviews that people are liquidating the Earth’s natural assets to fuel their consumption and states that, â€Å"soil erosion exceeds soil formation on one-third of the world’s cropland, draining the land of its fertility† (24). With the presence of animals, the situation could be changed. Soil absorbs nutrients from animal manure, allowing grass and other crops to grow without the addition of synthetic fertilizer, which is the primary cause of soil erosion. Animals play a crucial role in keeping balance of the ecosystem. Livestock production expands at a super speed and occupies more land, leading to deforestation.The livestock sector is by far the single largest anthropogenic user of land. According to Julia Whitty, au thor of â€Å"Livestock Revolution Examined,† published March 16, 2010 in the Mother Jones, more than one point seven billion animals are used in livestock production worldwide, and they, â€Å"occupy more than one-fourth of the Earth’s land† (http://www. motherjones. com/blue-marble/2010/03/livestock-revolution-examined). Expansion of grazing land for livestock production is a key factor in deforestation. About seventy percent of grazing land in dry areas is considered degraded due to overgrazing.The presence of animals in a sustainable agriculture system results in further land use in order to feed them. Most livestock that are employed to enrich land with nutrients are fed with imported crops. If a farmer is not growing his own feed, the nutrients going into the soil are generated by eroding other cropland, thereby undermining the benefits of livestock production. James E. McWilliams, the author of â€Å"The Myth of Sustainable Meat,† published April 1 3, 2012 in the New York Times, argues that, â€Å"This kind of rotational grazing works better in theory than in practice† (A31).According to NCGA’s figures from 2010, more than forty percent of crops go into the mouths of animals that people then consume, in the process squandering huge amounts of resources. The limited increase in cropland and deforestation due to rapid expansion of livestock production require more efficient production plans, one of which is an agriculture income taxation system based on unit output of land. Instead of relying on income sources, such as livestock, grains, or other products, farmers’ income tax should be placed on production capacity of per unit of land.This not only encourages crop producers to increase their unit output of land against the declining potential of expanding cropland, but also discourages unorganized blindly exploitation of forested land. This system levies high tax rates on production income generated on new l and. To protect cropland from eroding, proper policies should be enacted to regulate animals feed to prevent further damages on land resources. Instead of feeding animals on farms with imported crops, they should be fed with crops grown on the same farms.Farmers who employ this practice should receive subsidies so that they will not be put into a dilemma where they have to choose between economic benefits and environmental benefits. Environment protection puts a halt on expanding cropland. To increase gross output of food, fertile lands are overused and losing their general production capacity. Nowadays, livestock production is to blame being the largest land user and land destroyer since it accelerates the process of deforestation. Lots of crops that are supposed to feed people are used to feed livestock, which is a huge waste of land resources.Hence, some tax regulations are proposed to help distribute the world’s usable lands to enhance unit production and avoid blind expl oitation. Crop-livestock production is favorable as long as policy makers devote to regulating the process. Works Cited Brown, Lester R. â€Å"Eroding Futures. † Futurist. July-August, 2011: 23-30. McWilliams, James E. â€Å"The Myth of Sustainable Meat. † New York Times. 13 April, 2012: 31. Whitty, Julia. â€Å"Livestock Revolution Examined. † Mother Jones. 16 March, 2010: http://www. motherjones. com/blue-marble/2010/03/livestock-revolution-examined.

Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector

Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector Linda Howerton PHI 103 Informal Logic Instructor: Ms. Tanya Martin October 22, 2012 ? Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector Union membership is today at an all time low. It has been steadily declining since the 1980’s. Private sector union membership has been affected the most, while that of the public sector has remained relatively strong (Devinatz, 2011 Spring). Public worker unions, especially state and federal government unions, must be allowed to continue to bargain collectively to ensure the rights and job security of their members.Collective bargaining allows union members to have a voice regarding their wages, benefits, and working conditions. According to Raymond Hogler, in the â€Å"Labor Law Journal†, Fall 2012, â€Å"The erosion of institutions of collective bargaining will inevitably lead to a diminution of wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers† (Hogler, p. 163). Many public employees, esp ecially teachers who work for the state, receive much lower pay than other professionals. Collective bargaining allows public employees a much needed say about their jobs, wages, and benefits.Whereas teachers, for instance, have lower pay than many other professionals, collective bargaining has ensured that they have one of the best retirement systems. In addition, collective bargaining has protected teachers’ job tenure, thus preventing them from being fired without a due process hearing and other protections. The need for unions were a direct result of the unfair labor practices employed during the Industrial Revolution beginning in the late 18th century and continuing on into the early 20th century.Since there were no labor laws initially, especially regarding child labor, women and children were often employed for long hours at low wages. At one time, women and children made up 75% of the factory work force since they could be hired for lower wages. Children proved more m alleable and adapted more easily to the newer methods employed. Children as young as eight years old were sent to work in the factories or in the mines where their smaller bodies could fit into tight and often highly dangerous places (Bond, Gingerich, Archer-Antonson, Purcell, & Macklem, 2003).Children were also preferred at times to work in factories since their small hands could reach into tight places when moving parts became jammed. There were few safeguards in place to prevent the children’s hands and arms from becoming maimed if caught between moving parts on a machine. During the late 1700s in England, a man named Slater employed a Pauper system whereby he used children from poor families as workers in his mills. These children worked twelve to sixteen hours a day for six days a week.Instead of being paid wages, these children received room and board, thereby alleviating the burden of feeding them from their families. Families of the children were appalled at the tight discipline, lack of heat, and the working conditions in the mills. Many of the children chose to run away. When the employment of just children proved problematic, entire households were hired. The father negotiated the contract and stipulated the conditions for each family member (Tucker, 2005 May, p. 24). During the Industrial Revolution, government adopted a hands-off or laissez-faire attitude towards business.Therefore, business owners could treat their workers however they wished. Since children could be hired for less pay, they were hired in great numbers, working 12 to 14 hour days under horrible conditions. Many of these children became apprentices to the factory owners where they lived in miserable dormitories. They were frequently under-fed, ill-clothed, and beaten with fist and whip. There was a high death rate among child laborers (Hackett, 1992). Since all or most members of the family were working for upwards of eighteen hours daily, the family unit broke down.Childre n’s family contact usually amounted to the few hours spent at home sleeping. Since many families lived in shared housing with other families, family units withered even further. Children received little or no education, were malnourished and sickly, and experienced stunted growth. They grew up maladjusted since they had never been taught how to properly behave. The living conditions were appalling with little or no sanitation. As a result, infant mortality skyrocketed during the Industrial Revolution: over 50% of infants died before they eached two years of age (Bond, Gingerich, Archer-Antonson, Purcell, & Macklem, 2003). It is largely due to the unsafe conditions, abuse of laborers, especially women and children, and the workers’ lack of a voice over their employment that labor unions first came into existence. The earliest unions were established as â€Å"friendly societies† that charged dues to be used to assist workers during unemployment or sickness. It was n’t long before they grew into organizations seeking to win improvements for workers by the use of strikes and collective bargaining.Industrial workers increasingly became involved politically to encourage the passage of laws favorable to them. This drive by workers to increase their political power, as well as the right to vote, was largely responsible for the 19th century spread of democracy (Hackett, 1992). Today, labor unions seek to control the supply of labor. This control over the labor supply enables unions to secure collective bargaining agreements that have â€Å"brought millions of America’s workers into the middle class† (Gitlow, 2012 Summer, p. 124).The fear of being unionized exerts psychological pressure on employers which can often serve as a check on their otherwise abusive and exploitative inclinations (Gitlow, 2012 Summer). According to Givan and Hipp, in a 24 nations study of workers’ views about the efficacy of unions, entitled  "Public Perceptions of Union Efficacy: A Twenty-Four Country Study,† most laborers who belong to unions: feel most positive about the ability of unions to improve working conditions and job security. Women tend to hold a more positive view than men of the effects of unions on job security.Women are generally more susceptible to various forms of workplace discrimination, which creates a greater need for the kind of protection provided by unions (Givan and Hipp, 2012 March, p. 25). Thus we can easily see the importance of unions for the protections they offer workers regarding pay, working conditions, the right to strike if necessary, and most especially, the right to collectively bargain. Unions and the right to collectively bargain are increasingly endangered across the United States.At least 17 states have passed legislation or have bills pending that would severely curtail the right of employees to collectively bargain (Rigiero, 2011 April). According to Deb Rigiero, in â₠¬Å"You are now entering the United Corporations of America,† â€Å"We are rapidly becoming the workplace of the past†¦ the workplace without safety regulations; the workplace without workers’ rights; and the workplace without recognition of and appreciation for the worker† (Rigiero, 2011 April, p. 14). Right to work (RTW) laws have been steadily eroding workers’ rights for many years already.Over 22 states have passed RTW laws. The RTW laws aren’t there to guarantee workers the right to a job, but are instead aimed at the unions’ abilities to collect dues to aid in administering the unions. Under RTW laws, it is illegal to for unions to require workers to pay these dues. Without members’ dues to support them, unions’ power and strength of collective bargaining are severely undermined. Many unions may eventually find themselves endangered or extinct (Lafer, 2012 February 6).Then workers will find themselves without represent ation or even a voice regarding their rights. Those people against public employee unions and collective bargaining feel that public sector employees are receiving excessive pay and benefits at the expense of the American taxpayers (Schulz, 2012 January 10). Unions restrict the authority and management of company managers. In addition, unions may have a polarizing effect between management and the employees of a company. Unions also restrict the ability of managers to deal one-on-one with employees.When unions are involved, management is unable to make unilateral changes that may involve hours, wages, or other issues dealing with employment (University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2012). In â€Å"Why U. S. should cheer for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker,† Nick Schulz feels that â€Å"The collective bargaining privilege gives teacher unions political power that is used to block reform efforts and shield K-12 education from entrepreneurial disruptions that threaten established ways of doing things† (Schulz, 2012, Para. 11).Many Republicans espouse school vouchers as the answer to declining test scores across the United States. Vouchers are opposed by teacher unions and most educators who say that they would disrupt or damage our public education system in the U. S. If parents are allowed to use vouchers to choose which school their children attend, then those parents will be able to select the school that best fits their children’s needs and learning style. Whereas this might be great for the child involved, it could pose difficulties for already cash-strapped public schools that would lose some of their state funding.Public school employees who belong to teacher unions should be treated as professionals, yet they receive pay far below that of other professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Collective bargaining has allowed public union members to speak on their own behalf regarding their working conditions and job benefits. Publ ic sector unions are currently â€Å"under attack† by right-wing politicians supported by large corporations (McAlevey, 2011 March 7). If public union members are not allowed to use collective bargaining, then they will no longer have a voice in their wages, benefits, or working conditions.Wages could be cut at the whim of management. To finish their jobs for the day, many public employees might find themselves working â€Å"off the clock† since management can require more from them without recompense. According to an article by Raymond Hogler and Christine Henle, entitled â€Å"The Attack on Public Sector Unions in the United States: How Regional Culture Influences Legal Policy,† â€Å"Coincident with union declines, American workers experienced stagnant wages, a diminution of benefits, and overall degradation of working conditions† (Hogler and Henle, 2011 Fall, p. 37). 22 states have now passed right to work laws which â€Å"interfere with unionsâ€⠄¢ ability to maintain solidarity and acquire resources† (Hogler and Henle, 2011 Fall, p. 138). Those states with right to work laws have less union density, as well as â€Å"less equality for their citizens in terms of health care, education, and income† (Hogler and Henle, 2011 Fall, p. 143). Public union employees must be allowed to continue bargaining collectively to protect their right to have a voice in their working conditions, wages, and benefits.Collective bargaining ensures that public union members make a livable wage to support their families now, as well as having a secure retirement pension waiting for them when they retire. Many politicians indicate that teachers earn too much money. A teacher I know now makes below the national poverty level, yet he holds a Master’s Degree plus 30 hours. He is not an isolated case. Many teachers who belong to a teachers’ union still make salaries below the national poverty level. If their pay erodes even fur ther, then many teachers will be unable to afford to continue teaching.Teachers’ and other public employee unions are there to support and protect great teachers, not cover for any â€Å"bad† ones. Don’t we want to hold on to the dedicated teachers who have given of themselves to ensure that all children receive a free quality public education? ? References Bond, E. , Gingerich, S. , Archer-Antonson, O. , Purcell, L. , & Macklem, E. (2003). Impact of the Industrial Revolution. Retrieved Sunday, October 21, 2012, from http://industrialrevolution. sea. ca Devinatz, V. (2011, Spring). U. S. Trade Unionism Under Globalization: The Death of Voluntarism and the Turn to Politics?Labor Law Journal. 62(1). 16-29. Retrieved Saturday, September 29, 2012, from EBSCOhost AN: 59982464 Gitlow, A. (2012, Summer). Ebb and Flow in America’s Trade Unions: The Present Prospect. Labor Law Journal. 63(2). 123-136. Retrieved Saturday, October 13, 2012 from EBSCOhost AN: 7802312 6 Givan, R. & Hipp, L. Public Perceptions of Union Efficacy: A Twenty-Four Country Study. Labor Studies Journal. 37(1). 7-32. Retrieved Saturday, October 13, 2012, from EBSCOhost DOI: 10. 1177/0160449X11429264 Hackett, L. (1992). Industrial Revolution. History World International.Retrieved Sunday, October 21, 2012, from http://history-world. org/Industrial Intro. htm Hogler, R. (2012, Fall). Constitutionalizing Paycheck Protection: What Knox v. Service Employees International Union Means for American Labor. Labor Law Journal. 63(3). 153-164. Retrieved Saturday, September 29, 2012, from EBSCOhost AN:80170928 Hogler, R. and Henle, C. (2011, Fall). The Attack on Public Sector Unions in the United States: How Regional Culture Influences Legal Policy. Labor Law Journal. 62(3). 136-144. Retrieved Saturday, September 29, 2012, from EBSCOhost AN:66687318References Lafer, G. (2012, June 2). Right to Work – for Less. Nation. 294(6). 24-26. Retrieved Saturday, October 13, 2012, from EBS COhost AN: 70466585 McAlevey, J. (2011, March 7). Labor’s Last Stand. Nation. 292(10/11). 22-26. Retrieved Saturday, September 29, 2012, from EBSCOhost AN: 58504081 Rigiero, D. (2011, April). â€Å"You are now entering the United Corporations of America. † Please leave your union card at the border. Massachusetts Nurse Advocate. 82(3). 14. Retrieved Saturday, October 13, 2012, from EBSCOhost AN: 2011071259 Schulz, N. 2012, January 10). Why U. S. should cheer for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. USA Today. Retrieved Saturday, September 29, 2012, from EBSCOhost AN: JOE207214460212 Tucker, B. (2005, May). Liberty is Exploitation: The Force of Tradition in Early Manufacturing. OAH Magazine of History. 19(3). 21-24. Retrieved Sunday, October 21, 2012, from JSTOR http://www. jstor. org/stable/25161943 University of Maryland, Baltimore County. (2001, January 24). Pros and Cons of Collective Bargaining. Retrieved Monday, October 22, 2012, from www. umbc. edu/uwaaup/ collective. ht m