Learning Journal on Managing Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning Journal on Managing Conflict - Essay Example In the first step, the involved parties establish the main cause of the problem or conflict which could be among them or from outside. Putting into consideration the situations that people are in is essential since sometimes solving a conflict while in bad moods may lead to other unbearable problems (whetten & Cameron 55). Taking an example of employees in a processing company, like Klic juices Inc Processors where I work, there arise many conflicts resulting from one employee insulting a colleague. This kind of interpersonal conflict lowers productivity and may lead to job termination as experienced in klic Juices Inc. Eventually the involved parties quarrel and eventually creating attention of everyone within the building. Organizational conflicts management entails getting deep into the causative factors and making an effective and full intervention to get the solution to the interpersonal conflict at hand. The theory stresses that conflicts are functional to an organization and assist in discovering new management techniques as well as understanding the differences between individuals from varying cultures (Rahim 211). In managing interpersonal conflicts, a lot of issues arise especially when one is faced with the task. First an individual is confused between which parties to favor especially when there are close ties between the two parties. As a conflict manager, the first step involves getting the two parties together and having a dialogue without favoring any side. According to Whetten and Cameron, conflict management should take the shortest time possible since the longer the process takes, the more irritating the two parties become and this result into quarrels. It is very essential to separate people from their problems since each individual possesses unique desires, emotions and personal views. Some forms of conflicts exist only in individuals minds this makes it necessary for the two parties to fully

Buseness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Buseness - Essay Example A business plan can help in identifying the underlying assets or liabilities of the business and also would bring into light the chances of the future business success or loss. It can also provide Micky McDonald with a financial analysis of the business of the future. A comparative analysis can also be made between owning and dumping the business. Therefore, in true sense Micky McDonald can take the decision on facts and figures rather than deciding whimsically (Saint Vincent College, â€Å"Importance of a Business Plan†). A business plan generally consists of the executive summary of the related ideas, the methodologies, the finances and various other aspects. In relation to the topic, it is very important to prepare a business plan in a very cautious manner. As the firm has been running in losses, it is quite significant to analyze the reasons for the failure of the business. The business plan should be in line with the failures of the firm in the previous period and its chances in the future. Actually the business plan should be based on the learning of the early failures of the business. A SWOT analysis and development of the value chain is very important in the business plan as they would act as a barometer for the success if the plan is accepted. Major emphasis should also be given on the distribution as it is one of the major focuses of a marketing firm. It should also make clear the objectives and the values of the firm. The dimensions to the business plans are infinite but the major focus should be on turning the sick business into a profit making one (Hadzima, â€Å"The Business Plan†). It is very important to have a business plan irrespective of the nature of the business being dynamic or static. In present day scenario, each and every business is operating in a dynamic environment. The business plan actually gives the business the much needed direction. The demand for the apparels used while snowboarding would be fluctuating but the

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis I choose Gate Gourmet as an organisation for use as case study. It is headquartered at Zurich-Airport, Switzerland and is the worlds second largest airline catering company, providing catering services to many of the worlds major airlines, such as British Airways, Swissair, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific to name just a few. The scale and complexity of the Gate Gourmet operations is high and it operates in global environment in an industry that is highly competitive and cost sensitive. This gives an opportunity to evaluate the macro and micro environment in line with the strategic options that Gate Gourmet has. Task1 (B) There are several practices that are used for strategic planning in the industry today and the choice of these are driven by factors such as type of industry, market realities, competitive pressures, size of the business and of course the culture and ethical practices of the organisation. Planning horizons have now considerably shortened considering the dynamic nature of business of the 21st century. The horizons have now become 2-3 years. There are however several best practices that have emerged from what is observed across industries: Stretch goals are an imperative to make strategic thinking more out of the box Planning processes are now regarded as evolving and flexible and it is to the organisations credit how quickly it can course correct. With the understanding of importance of stakeholder buy in and support there is an emphasis on communication in the strategic plan. This is an integral part of the quality planning in the strategic planning. Detailed plans are now created to tie the objectives to activities and outcomes. An organisations competitiveness is now determined by a set interconnected core competencies and not by a single core competency. This has emerged from the understanding that there are various organisational aspects that go into building a competitive advantage. In addition to the best practices mentioned above, there are some theories and frameworks that support the strategic planning: SWOT analysis for environmental analysis Porters 5 forces theory for environmental analysis Strategy as an ecology to understand the competition Balanced Scorecard approach McKinseys 7-S model to understand how the organisational factors help drive its operation strategy Ansoffs matrix to define the service or product strategy BCG and McKinsey matrix to review the product portfolio Value chain analysis as to how the organisation is adding value and interacting with its ecosystem Core Competency approach for deciding differentiation approach Top down or bottom up approach for participation and communication Strategic narratives that help in framing and analysis of strategic options Task 1(C) For Gate Gourmet to formulate its strategy, we must look the following: Environmental analysis and the position of Gate Gourmet relative to its environment. I would recommend using Porters 5 forces and SWOT as it will help us understand both the macro and micro environment and link it with the Gate Gourmets position in the competitive landscape. Since the industry of inflight catering is defined largely by operational excellence, we can use the 4-V analysis to understand the areas of operational excellence that can be used to differentiate, not merely to drive operational efficiency, but also to achieve competitive advantage. The SWOT will also then help us understand the core competency of Gate Gourmet and if that fits with the differentiation strategy that will help it achieve competitive advantage. From the core competencies, the balanced scored card can be used to outline the business objectives that will help leverage the core competencies and achieve competitive advantage. These objectives will be defined across financial, customer, human resources and knowledge management aspects of the organisation. Task 1(D) Relevant theories for the marketing plan for Gate Gourmet are product Life cycle management using Ansoffs matrix and BCG matrix, service marketing strategy and innovation based marketing strategy. Looking at the product life cycle of the inflight catering business, we understand that the business is a mature business and therefore will require innovation and service differentiation focus to compete. Also, BCG matrix will help Gate Gourmet evaluate the services and geographies that can be dropped from its portfolios and the ones that need to be consolidated and invested in. Ansoffs matrix will help Gate Gourmet to decide the innovation strategy through new product launch. This will help improve its utilization of the supply chain resources and the investments and thus help reduce its per unit costs. Task 2(A) There are 2 general strategic options that are available to Gate Gourmet: Cost Leadership and Differentiation. Let us look at the relative advantages and disadvantages: Cost Leadership: Gate Gourmets business drives the need for it to be increasingly efficient as its airline customers face heightened cost pressures due to the changing business and economic scenario. It operates in a business which is low margin and increasingly coming under further squeeze. Hence Cost leadership is a requirement for business in this industry in the in flight catering business. It cannot be a source of competitive advantage. Differentiation: Given that efficiency focus is a requirement or a qualifying criterion in the industry of Gate Gourmet, what can lead to a competitive advantage is through a differentiation strategy. Quality and flexibility are areas that can help Gate Gourmet differentiate itself to its competition. However, focus on quality and flexibility will lead to overheads that can act against the cost leadership requirement. Therefore Gate Gourmet will also need to have a robust operational strategy to drive the quality and flexibility differentiation with cost leadership. Task 2(B) The following are Gate Gourmets key stakeholders: Employees and contractors: The strategy of flexibility and consolidation will impact the employees as Gate Gourmet will have to resort to lay offs for its permanent employees and look at flexible hiring model to suit its operations. Raw Material Suppliers: Gate Gourmet will have to look at creating a deeper alliance and information sharing to implement its strategy of flexibility and quality focus. This will happen though further integration of their systems and through real time information sharing. For cost leadership, Gate Gourmet will need to get into longer term contracts and choose strategic suppliers that can offer it better unit prices. Supply Chain/Logistics partners: Gate Gourmet will need to have more integration and alignment with its supply chain partners to put in place a quality and flexibility strategy. It will need to agree with them on standard quality practices to ensure consistent quality experience creating the competitive advantage that Gate Gourmet is looking at. Airlines: Flexibility and cost leadership will require Gate Gourmet to receive information from its airline customers in real time. Gate Gourmet will also need to have Task 2(C) The following are the key areas that need to be paid special attention to by the management team implementing the strategy: Communication The communication of the strategy, its objectives and the rationale behind that needs to be clearly articulated and communicated to the employees. This is required to create the appropriate buy in from them. The communication also needs to be planned to the customers of the organisation to share with them how the organisation is changing for the better and aligning to the market and competitive requirements The partners of the organisation also need to be informed and aligned with the changes so that they too can change their work practices to align with the organisational strategy. Organisation design The organisations structure needs to support the new strategy and ensure that the execution is supported by the new organisation This will also ensure resources are allocated efficiently and minimise the waste Training and development Training programs need to be implemented for the new and existing employees to close the information and skill gap required to execute the new strategy Investments into Systems and Integration For close integration with the partners and customers of the organisation systems need to be put in place to support this. The organisation will need to invest in infrastructure and work practices to put these systems in place Contractual Strategy Serviced Based and Strategic partners The contractual relationships with the partners may need to be revisited and consolidated in view with the new strategy Also existing partners may have to revisit the service levels and scope of the contractual relationships. Task 2(D ) Communication Organisation design Training and development Task 3 Develop vision, mission, objectives and measures of these Task 3(A) Vision statement articulates how the organisation sees itself in the future, in fact it is the long term goal for the organisation which it strives to achieve. Ideally this goal should be such that it can never be achieved by the organisation and it should serve as the drive for the organisation. A mission statement is more of a goal statement for a fixed tenure of time and is usually derived from the Vision statement. From the mission statement the organisational objectives year on year can be derived. Value of the organisation defines the principles and ethics that the organisation abides by and holds dear. These could be targeted at doing business in a specific way, or giving high consideration to employees and customers. These are principles that are considered to be above the business objectives and are the fundamentals on which the company envisions its future. There are many ways in which these can be measured. A representative way of doing this is evaluating how customers and employees believe the organisation is doing business keeping in mind the vision, mission and values. Also, employees can be interviewed to determine how their individual values are aligned to organisational values and if they hold the latter close and let it reflect in their working. The prevailing organisational culture also reflects how the vision, mission and values are absorbed by the different stakeholders of the organisation. Another way of measuring the effectiveness is to determine how the organisations performance management system is aligned to the mission and goals that have been set and how these are supported by the training, development, mentoring and coaching in the organisation. Task 3(B) Gate Gourmet abides a set of brand values and that drives its vision of its business. The Gate group was established as a master brand to reflect the growing diversity of the business. The shapes making up the outline of a star in the logo symbolize Gate groups individual companies and their vast range of capabilities. The points on the star represent the brand values with which we make every effort to serve our customers: QUALITY We deliver best-in-class products and services. INTEGRITY We pledge an ethical and trustworthy relationship. RELIABILITY On-time and with a clear focus on safety. VALUE Optimizing value for you throughout the supply chain. FLEXIBILITY One size does not fit all. We are attuned to your needs. PASSION We lead through innovation and inspiration. RESPECT We celebrate the diversity of cultures among our employees and customers. RESPONSIBILITY We strive to protect the environment and to be a good corporate citizen in our communities. The companys website gives the following information on its mission statement: Customers prefer us because passion shines through everything we do. We measure our success by the success our customers enjoy. (Refer: Source 2) Task 3(C) The organisations cultural and ethical environment provides a mean for realising its vision and mission. These are execution ingredients that it requires to attain the vision and mission that it has set for itself. The culture and ethical conditions are determined by how the employees and partners of the organisation have adopted and aligned with the vision, mission and strategy. It is important to note that without these supporting factors, even the most well crafted vision, mission and strategy cannot be implemented. The stakeholders need to align with these and the McKinseys 7-S model reflects how these factors interact with each other and determine how vision, mission and strategy get implemented. Task 3(D) Gate Gourmet operations can be described as extremely complex requiring optimized efficiencies and responsiveness at the same time, where it must be able to achieve very stringent operational objectives in an extremely competitive, dynamic business environment. Some of its operations objectives are listed and evaluated below along with relative importance of criteria selected for evaluation, conflicts with other objectives and how Gate Gourmet accommodates these changes Driving lower costs through economies and processes Due to the nature of the competition in the industry, and where customers are always looking drive costs lower to increase their profitability, the cost per meal that Gate Gourmet charges to its customers would directly impact the amount of business that it is able to generate from its existing and new customers. Flexibility, responsiveness to changing customer needs and ability to operate in an dynamic environment Though the company has to offer very competitive pricing, it is also very important that the company that it is very flexible to the constantly changing customer requirements and is able to deliver the product and service that are closely aligned with customer expectations. As can be seen from the case, the final requirement for a particular flight is not known till hours before the flight and even that could change due to last minute cancellations or new booking, due to which they have to operate in a just in time fashion, of being able to come up with delivery at the moment the customer requires it. Maintenance of highest quality standards As Gate Gourmets customers are airlines that are extremely conscious of offering the best to their passengers and also ensuring that they have good branding as a company offering the highest quality experience, they would want to ensure that the food that is served on their flights is of the highest standards and that various processes are followed for maintaining quality and consistency. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Reliability and service guarantee In addition to the above discussed factors, a very important operational objective for the company to achieve would be the ensure very high reliability in the services that it provides and also providing very high service levels that would ensure its customers business work as smoothly as possible. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Seamless communication and working with a vast array of partners in a global supply chain As discussed above, the operation of the company, due to the scale at which it operates is very complex where it has to coordinate multiple aspects and work with multiple partners and customers to deliver the required level of service, it is a very important operational objective that there is a very high amount of information sharing and close working together across the entire value chain that would allow for planned service delivery. This is again an important objective and is aligned with the other objectives that ensure that the company is able to deliver. Task 4 Explore the implications of changes in the general and marketing environment for organisations Task 4(A) Let us start by analysing the typology of Gate Gourmet which will then set the context for relevant objectives for Gate Gourmet. This is the key to understanding operations and any gaps in their performance: Volume: Clearly Gate Gourmet completes a high volume of daily transactions across its supply chain with 534 thousand meals a day worldwide, on average 195 million every year. It has 115 flight kitchens in 30 different countries, in locations as diverse as Hawaii, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, New York, Madrid, London, Bangkok, Sydney and Tokyo. Also, it emphasises working in unison with cleaning staff, baggage handlers and maintenance crews to ensure that the aircraft are prepared quickly for departure. Variety: Gourmet Gate faces variety across its airline customers and also within its customers due to the geographical spread of the airline operations, the customer needs differ. Creating a high variety situation for Gate Gourmet. To summarise we the following drivers for variety: Geo disperses airline organisation Geo dispersed end customers Customizations of the end product required based on airline/geo Variation in demand: Gate Gourmet faces mediocre variation in demand that typically emerges from the change in booking status of passengers which is the nature of the airline industry. While demand variation can be high during emergency situations as had been the case during the aftermath of September 2001. Visibility: The Gate Gourmet operations are not customer facing while they supply a product and service that impacts the end customer experience for their airline customers. Task 4(B) Give the 4 V analysis, we need to look at the implications for Gate Gourmet: High transaction volume would mean capital intensive operations for Gate Gourmet which will help it drive high repeatability and lower its unit costs as the volumes increases and economies of scope kick in. Gate Gourmet will also pay attention to introduce specialisation in its operations and allocated its resources as per the areas of specialisation these will be in terms of the geographic operation of the airlines and the airline itself. High variety in its business would mean Gate Gourmet operations to be flexible and aimed to meet the customer needs. The complexity that this introduces in the operations increases the unit costs. Variation in demand is though mediocre, but the Gate Gourmet needs to be in touch with demand and have the ability to anticipate the demand fluctuations and flexibility to cater to these demand variation. Capacity redundancy may not be crucial as there is no regular high variation in the demand. This factor also drives the unit costs upwards. Visibility of operations for Gate Gourmet is low for the end customer, therefore is a delay between the production and consumption of the product of Gate Gourmet. This allows for higher standardisation and staffing with resources with low contact skills. This allows high staff utilisation and centralisation of production therefore driving the unit costs down. The analysis and implications leads us to the objectives that will be key for meeting Gate Gourmets customers and end customer expectations: Dependency of delivery Order Qualifying criterion Speed of response Order Qualifying criterion Cost Order Qualifying criterion Quality Focus Order Winning criterion Flexibility- Order Winning criterion While the high volume and low visibility of the operations help Gate Gourmet standardise the operations and resourcing driving down the unit costs through economies of scope. They have also reduced the number flight kitchens by 10% from 115, when the case was published, to 97 currently and also their daily volumes have gone up by 10% hinting at strong economies of scope driving their unit costs lower. While the need for high variety and medium variation require its operations be flexible and integrate with the customer demand scenario. This drives the unit costs upwards and creates a challenge for gate Gourmet in this low margin and low cost business. Task 4(C),(D) Organisation Design: Gate Gourmet advocates the concept that the organisational structure should reflect the core processes undertaken by the business, with a manager given responsibility for each process. Under the traditional structure, if there is a problem with servicing a flight, no one manager would be responsible-the fault might lie with the purchasing manager for not ordering supplies, the equipment manager for not having the right equipment, the production manager, or the transportation manager. So, some caterers have now organised their production units based on core processes. Gate Gourmet in Geneva (Emad, 1997) identified these as Equipment Handling, Customer Management, and Goods Supply and Preparation Speed of Response: Gate Gourmet integrates tightly with its upstream and downstream supply chain partners through transparent and real time information sharing through the SCALA and e-gatematrix ensuring that the same information is available to all the partners at the same time; demonstrating backward and forward integration for creating competitive advantage. They have integrated the SC partners giving the last mile reliability to their end-customers, though they function as different organisations the information sharing couples then tightly and helping them reach rapidly to changes in their environment. It has created standardised menus in SCALA to ensure consistency and repeatability in its menus. Quality Focus: For quality Gate Gourmets global team of talented and accredited chefs is ready to serve your catering needs and deliver on your vision. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary) Gate Gourmet has instituted a total quality management initiative that is aimed at inculcating process quality than relying on inspection quality. This initiative is called Airline Catering On The Move Global Service Excellence and has been implemented internationally across its network of operations. This program was developed through the expert support of Dr. Donald Fisher, a globally-acknowledged expert in the quality management field. Dr. Fisher, of the Mid-South Quality Productivity Center (MSQPC). Dr. Fisher has been acting as an external consultant and has been instrumental in this initiative by bringing in his global experience and expertise. This alliance has been particularly valuable as Gate Gourmet operates in an international context as well. (Source: http://www.msqpc.com/Newsletters/Spring2003.pdf) (Source: Title: High flyer Author(s): Bettye Wells Miller Journal: Managing Service Quality) Flexibility Customer requirements of Gate Gourmet are such that it needs to assemble meals as per the specific guideline provided. Also, the packing and loading onto the service trolleys are as per specification. These service trolleys are loaded onto huge coolers and into loader trucks to send to the aircraft galleys just before the take off. Gate gourmet operates nearly 1700 of these vehicles and many of these are already equipped with cooling systems, cameras and state of the art engines to meet with the strict FDA regulations and also comply with the environmental guidelines. Cost Focus: Gate Gourmet also follows aggressive HR policies to manage its human resources and ramping down based on changes in its customer demand. It also got into union issues due to these practices in the UK in 2005. (Source: http://www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/gategourmet.cfm) Gate Gourmet is also looking at moving from permanent employee base to flexible staffing practices again in an attempt to be flexible and responsive. (Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4153366.stm) It is reported to making losses globally and trying to revamp its operations to stay profitable. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/15/business/worldbusiness/15iht-gate.html?_r=1) Gate Gourmet is consolidating its partnerships and acquiring logistics companies to allow it to backward integrate focussing on driving its unit operational costs lower. It is also looking at longer term contracts with it customers to assure a business volume over time. It is also innovating and getting into new lines of business to improve utilisation of its supply chain reduce its cost of operations and also drive top line growth. Gate Gourmet has entered into an alliance with ARINC Inc. (leader in onboard retail management). They are working together to promote on board sales programs for the worlds airlines and rail systems as well. This is helping Gate Gourmet improve utilization of its resources and reduce idle time. (Refer: http://www.arinc.com/news/2008/04-30-08.html) Gate Gourmet has also diversified into non-airline catering where it can use its existing supply chain to service on-land and train passengers as well e.g it has teamed up with Starbucks and railways in Portugal. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary/non-airline-catering) (Source: Title: Developing new products and services in flight catering Author(s): Peter Jones Journal: International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management) Task 5 Plan for the implementation of a general or marketing strategy. Task 5(A) The mission and goals will help determine the business objectives that the organisation needs to achieve. Also, timelines for achieving these objectives can be set based on the mission and macro environmental factors of the organisation. The objectives and the timeliness can then be broken down into lower level objectives and activities with shorter timelines. Each of these activities will be assigned to individuals with responsibilities and also resources required to complete these activities. Each of these activities will have outcomes outlined and linked to the key performance indicators. These can then be established as milestones and linked to the key performance indicators that can be used to review the milestones and activity status. Therefore the timetable will consist of the following key elements: High Level objectives Low Level Objectives Low Level Activities Estimated duration of completion Milestones Responsible individuals and departments Resources required to complete the activities Desired outcomes KPIs to be used to evaluate milestone status Task 5(B) Task 5(C) While crafting a strategy, key performance indicators can be determined at the time of planning. A balanced scorecard typically helps determine the required KPIs along the different areas of strategic importance. Also, targeted values for these KPIs can be established during the planning process and how these need to be re-visited with time. The data required for these KPIs can be collected regularly and published as per a pre-determined schedule. These KPIs can then be compared to the target and a root cause analysis be done for those KPIs that are off the targets. Corrective action can then planned based on the root causes determined. Task 5(D) Post the difficulties that the customer airlines of Gate Gourmet were facing, Gate Gourmet decided to go with an approach of flexibility and to be able to match its cost structure with the changing financial situation of its customers. It decided to model its workforce requirement to this strategy as well and laid off workers in UK and US. However, there was an immediate backlash of these lay off specially in the UK leading to major business disruptions in Heathrow airport leading to grounding and delay of several flights prominent airlines. This had not been factored in by gate Gourmet management and they had to go for significant damage control measures post this fiasco. This indicates why Gate Gourmet should have monitored proactively the effects of its flexible strategy. The decision of the Coca Cola company to expand its operations in India as ap art of its Asian strategy was faced with issues when its expansion in Southern India was faced with stiff resistance from the local population and community on the detrimental effects of the factories on the ground water table. This again demonstrated the need to the company to monitor and factor in the community aspects of a strategy.

Civilization Paper -- essays research papers

Civilization is a term used in many different ways. It can be defined as; people who eat the same kind of foods, People who live together, people who speak the same language, and so on. Yet each way that it is defined relates towards the same topic; Humans and their existence on the planet. Civilization is known greatly as a group of humans or animals that live generally together and practice the same habits. Civilization, according to some historians, first came into play in the year 3000 BCE. These historians look at civilization as people who have the same dietary needs and habits, who practice these habits regularly in order to survive. A couple of years before 3000 BCE, the world went through what historians call the Agricultural revolution. They feel that because of this revolution, groups of people started to come together to practice their farming ways. Because of all the new food supplies that came about through the agricultural revolution, the population started to grow into little villages, which eventually turned into city states. This caused people to look further beyond their little villages in search of more land to hold their growing populations. This caused groups of people to break off and form their own little towns or civilizations. After a while the people learned that by being in different places their farming encountered different weather and growing conditions. Forcing them to grow products that will grow more sufficiently in their new conditions. Thi...

Cost-Plus Pricing

Firms use different types of pricing strategies in determining the market price they will be assigning their products and services. Several factors are considered in making the price decisions. Some of the pricing strategies being used are premium pricing, competitive pricing, value pricing, and cost-plus pricing. It is important to choose the most appropriate pricing strategy for the products and services being offered. â€Å"Selecting a pricing strategy for [the] product is critical, because price is the most highly visible element of all marketing efforts.Consumers and competitors easily can access pricing information on goods sold at the retail level† (Giddens et al, 2005). This paper will focus on the most common pricing strategy being used which is cost-plus pricing. The said strategy will be described in detail with a scenario applying cost-plus pricing; the advantages and disadvantages will also be discussed. Cost-Plus Pricing All firms selling any type of products and /or services need to determine the right selling price in order to maximize profit.The most common and widely used pricing strategy is the so-called Cost-Plus Pricing. Most beginners in the industry use this type of pricing technique as it seems to be the easiest one to do. But before describing this specific pricing strategy, it would be best to define the terms involved in the discussion. The total amount to be spent on making the product is the cost of the product. This would include the overhead expenses as well such as employee salaries, utility bills, and other miscellaneous expenses relating to the making or manufacturing of the product.The amount the customer or the buyer pays for the product or service is the price. The price should, of course, be greater than the total cost of the product in order to earn profit. The difference of the price and cost determines the profit for that product. Value, on the other hand, is the worth of the product and/or service to the customer. Knowing these definitions and from the name â€Å"cost-plus pricing† itself, this pricing strategy can easily be described as a product pricing determined by adding an additional amount to the total cost of the product.That additional amount represents the desired profit for each product. This additional amount for the profit can be a percentage of the total cost or can just be set arbitrarily by the owner or maker of the product. There are also some considerations and things to be factored in when deciding for the final price of the product using this strategy. For one, the total cost of the product may not be a fixed amount all the time as prices of raw materials may also change every now and then.The common formula used to compute for the product price using cost-plus pricing is: Price = (Ave. Variable Cost + %Fixed Cost) * (1 + %Markup) (Wikipedia, n. d. ) Given that total product cost may change, the formula above takes that into consideration and adds a certain percent of fixed cost depending on the variability of the product cost. The percent markup is dependent on the desired markup of the product manufacturer or firm owner. The formula above is just one example of how cost-plus is done. There are actually different methods of doing cost-plus pricing.The above formula is the so-called standard markup pricing where â€Å"the selling price is the result of adding a fixed profit percentage, called markup, to the fixed cost of the product† (McCalley, 1996). The scenario below is a simple illustration of this cost-plus method: The materials used to manufacture a pen cost $10 while the labor and other overhead costs incurred per pen manufactured summed up to $5. Therefore, the total product cost is $15. The percent markup set by the manufacturing company for this pen is 50%.Therefore, the total price of the pen is calculated as: $15 * (1 + 50%) = $22. 50. The profit (markup) for the pen, therefore, is $7. 50. Another method of calculating cost -plus pricing is basing the profit margin from the selling price instead of adding to the cost. Using the same scenario above, this method is illustrated as follows: The total cost of the pen is $15 and the selling price is $50. This means that the profit margin decided upon was 33. 33% of the selling price. This percent is calculated as follows: ($22. 50 – $15) ? $22.50 = 0. 3333 or 33. 33%. The first method shown is a markup or additional amount to the total cost, while the second method is a profit margin against the actual selling price of the product. Coming up with the profit amount may be calculated differently but their concepts are essentially the same which is cost-plus pricing. Advantages One of the major advantages of cost-plus pricing strategy is the ease of calculation of the cost and price amount. There are no complex computations and formulas to be used in determining the product price.Another plus factor of this is that there is not much complex information i n order to determine the product price. Beginners or junior level managers can definitely adopt this kind of pricing strategy. If there would be an increase in the product costs, price increase would be rightfully justified with this type of pricing strategy. Moreover, if competitors would be adopting the same pricing strategy, product price differences would not be that big and could also reach a stable state (tutor2u, n.d. ). Disadvantages With advantages come disadvantages as well. Jensen (n. d. ) enumerated the following problems that may be encountered with the cost-plus pricing strategy: (1) â€Å"the price [established] may be so high that [the firm] will lose money through lost sales;† (2) â€Å"all cost-plus calculations require an estimate of sales to be accurate;† and (3) â€Å"cost-plus pricing can cause [the firm] to underprice [the] products or services – thus cheating [the] company of sales it could have earned.† Jensen (n. d. ) recommends that a better pricing strategy would be to consider the real value of the product and its worth to the customer. References Giddens, N. , Parcel, J. , & Brees, M. (2005). Selecting an Appropriate Pricing Strategy. Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www. extension. iastate. edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-17. html Jensen, M. (n. d. ). How To Avoid The Most Common Pricing Mistakes. Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www. 1000ventures.com/business_guide/marketing_pricing_psychology_p1_mistakes. html McCalley, R. W. (1996). Marketing Channel Management: People, Products, Programs, and Markets. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers tutor2u. (n. d. ). pricing – full cost plus pricing. Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://www. tutor2u. net/business/marketing/pricing_costplus. asp Wikipedia. (n. d. ). Cost-plus pricing. Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Cost-plus_pricing

Analysis of a Cityscape: Blade Runner

‘Analyse the design of a cityscape in one film or television episode. ’ Nightmare visions of futuristic societies, or dystopias, are a major theme of the sci-fi genre and most post-1970s Hollywood films portraying these worlds embody a ‘crisis in US ideology’ at that time. These sci-fi films usually illustrate issues regarding: ‘environmental pollution, over-population, violent crimes, bureaucratic administration and economic exploitation’. They also represent the unrepresentable, showing us things that we can only otherwise imagine.In this essay I will attempt to explore the labyrinthian landscape of Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi blockbuster Blade Runner, and consider the ways in which it mirrors the social, economic, and political context of the time in which it was made, as well as the socio-ecological consequences of contemporary problems such as war and pollution. I will also further explain how the film’s soundscape is essential to the meaning behind its narrative. The design of sci-fi frequently contains alien planets, foreign bodies, and space-age cityscapes, giving these spectacular fictional worlds an overall glossy, futuristic feel.Blade Runner is a scintillating world with a high-rise landscape, but closer examination reveals that structured within this milieu are metaphors of a dystopian society. Across the top of the skyscrapers are immense neon advertisements and television screens that project messages down for the people to see, showing that this is a world of complete industrialisation. These features provide primarily the main source of light throughout the city. The overall mise-en-scene is obscure and brooding, much like a late 40s and 50s film noir, and the contrast between light and dark here depicts repressed social fears of totalitarian control.The divide in society is evident when we look at the difference between the replicants and the humans. The replicants feel safer on the decayed s treets and adopt working-class lifestyles, for example, Leon works in a run-down hotel, while Zhora works as a stripper in Chinatown. Deckard, in contrast, lives high above the crowded streets, protected by high-tech security devices. Police crafts also hover above, beaming down their probing lights and surveilling the people below. The Cold War period consisted mostly of spying and tense international relations between the US and the Soviet Union.It is almost like Orson Welles’ Big Brother, where no one is free and everyone is constantly being watched by a ruling intellectual force. The theme of paranoia therefore comes into play here; the omnipresence of the police force is a visual motif of corporate power. The superstructures that we see dwarf the smaller, decrepit buildings and crumbling architecture; this binary opposition thus creates a high/low spatial allegory for the lower class- the workers who live below in the post-apocalyptic streets, depressed and dehumanized; and the elite- those who live in high-rise apartments above the rest of the city, benefiting from the labourers.Like in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), the difference between the elite and the masses is virtually dramatised by this spatial opposition and the concept of the upper class is literalised. The vertical architecture serves as metaphor for a hierarchy of evil power and is a symbol of economic inequality and corruption, intrinsic with a society that is out of kilter. Fears revolving around race, space, and social class are therefore structured within these thematic elements.Figure 1 (page 6) shows the pyramid of the capitalist system of the early 20th century. People of America believed that anyone could become wealthy and enjoy good lives by working hard – this was the American Dream. Sadly, capitalism reared its ugly head and citizens soon discovered that this economic system benefits only those at the top of that pyramid- ‘the winners gain at the expen se of the mass of losers’. It reflects the philosophy of Orthodox Marxism, where economic base determines cultural and political structure. Who then controls this vast city?As stated in Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony, a culturally diverse society can be dominated by one social class, by manipulating the social culture (beliefs, perceptions, values) so that its ruling-class worldview is imposed as the societal norm, which is then perceived as a universally valid ideology beneficial to all of society, but in fact benefits only the ruling class. The biggest and most dominating of structures within this cityscape are in fact two pyramids, home to none other than Eldon Tyrell, head of the Tyrell Corporation.Pyramids are archetypal Egyptian symbols of power and immortality. Rising high up within this city, they denote a future of affluence and progress, and technological triumph. Tyrell’s office is laden with rich items, golden statues and intricately c arved pillars. Yet it is the cinematography techniques here that are key to representing this majestic interior. The warm, golden hues are a stark contrast to the rest of the city that we have been exposed to. The fact that Tyrell’s office is located so high up is an indication that people who live in the highest, most prestigious places are clearly elites.They are at the top of the hierarchical â€Å"pyramids† of economic or political structures- they are the ruling force of society. Since the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945, science fiction has portrayed dystopias to show the massively destructive capacity of certain scientific developments. These nightmare visions are society’s fears over these developments. Science fiction explores a darker side of science, articulating real fears about advances in areas such as nuclear power or genetic modification.More recently, the Cold War had reached its peak in the 1980s, and the corporate evil seen in Blade Runner echoes a ‘growing weariness of the cold war and anti-communist attitudes that had been festering since the wars in Korea, Vietnam, and later’. The tone of this period of history was incredibly pessimistic, with the continuous danger of nuclear war looming over the world. This cynicism about the future of mankind and of the planet is clearly seen in Blade Runner. ‘The information age was a time where computers and electronics replaced the heavy industry of the modernist period, and political control was applied through mass media.Information became a commodity, and films that portray these spectacles show them as developments that pose challenges to society. They also correspond to contemporary crises developing in the US throughout the 1980s, for example, use of the media to portray political messages’. Anxiety over scientific and technological advancements is central to most science fiction films and is a very apparent theme when examining the cityscape o f Blade Runner; from vast television screens, to vertical strata, to the Voight-Kampff machine.They serve as a warning to society over the compulsion to force science and technology to create what is hoped to be a utopia for all, but in fact ends up dominating everything and everyone to the point where people are no longer free. The final aspect of the design in Blade Runner regards the soundscape of the film. Produced by Greek composer Vangelis, the film’s score owes a lot to the meaning behind its narrative. The film’s genre is part cyber-punk, part film noir, and through orchestral instruments and unique electronic sounds, he creates a sense of eeriness or alienation.Most of the music heard is quite ambient, but rather static with no real drive or pinnacle. However, within this ambient structure is a diverse range of musical styles, for example, Jazz is heard frequently- an old-fashioned film noir effect, stereotypically associated with subjugated urban settings, bu t also more commonly linked to intimate moments, such as the growing love between Deckard and Rachael. However, it is also somewhat melancholic at times and works as a sign of doom, insinuating that things will not end well.A recurring musical symbol is the sound of bells; church bells connote religion, and this is often heard on the top floor of the pyramidal Tyrell building, implying that Tyrell is a powerful, god-like figure. In terms of the film overall, there are very few moments when there is complete silence; even when there is music missing from a scene, sound effects emanating from the environment are usually present, for instance, it constantly rains throughout the film, so rain is heard repeatedly, indicative of the depressed and forlorn atmosphere.The reputable vertical intensity of Los Angeles’ landscape depicts the power relations intrinsic within the cityscape of Blade Runner. It provides us with a picture of decay and abandonment associated with a dystopian wo rld. It is more nightmare than vision, more anxiety than hope, expressing social fears of racial, political, and economic crisis, as well as the perils of advanced technology, whether it be through genetic engineering or a Voight-Kampff invasion of humanity. In the end, it is the verticality of the cityscape which ultimately defines the purpose of Ridley Scott’s arbitrary dystopia. Bibliography Bullock, A. , and Trombley, S. (eds), The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought (Third Edition), Harper Collins, Canada, 1999 Carper, S. , â€Å"Subverting the Disaffected City: Cityscape in Blade Runner† in Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Judith B. Kerman (ed) Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1991 David Desser, ‘Race, Space, and Class: The Politics of Cityscapes’, in Alien Zone II, p. 82 Heldreth, L. G. and Kerman, J. B. (ed), â₠¬ËœThe Cutting Edges of Blade Runner’ in Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Philip K.Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Bowling Green University Popular Press, Bowling Green, Ohio, 1991 40-52 Kellner, D. , Leibowitz, F. , and Ryan, M. , ‘Blade Runner: A diagnostic critique’, in Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, no. 29, February 1984 King, G. , and Krzywinska, T. ,Science Fiction Cinema, London: Wallflower Press, 2000 Prince, S. ,Visions of Empire: Political Imagery in Contemporary American Film, Greenwood Publishing Group, New York, 1992 Sammon, Paul M. â€Å"The Making of Blade Runner. † Cinefantastique 12 (1982): 20-47 Stiller, A. and Kerman, J. B. ed) â€Å"The Music in Blade Runner† in Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? University of Wisconsin Press, Wisconsin, 1997. Pages 196-200 Websites Kurt Bullock, Vertical Apocalypse: Altered Noir Cityscape within Blade Runner’s Dystopia: http://soma. sbcc. edu/users/DaVega/FILMST_101/FILMST_101_FILMS/Bladerunner/Vertical%20Apocalypse_Bullock. pdf Fig. 1 taken from http://www. aaronblake. co. uk/blog/2010/03/08/the-pyramid-of-the-capitalist-system/) ‘Paranoia and cynicism in Blade Runner’ in American Cinema: 1960-Present: http://amcinema1960present. ordpress. com/category/second-student-post/page/11/ (Fig. 1) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Douglas Kellner, Flo Leibowitz, and Michael Ryan, ‘Blade Runner: A diagnostic critique’ from Jump Cut, pp. 6-8 [ 2 ]. Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska, Science Fiction Cinema, p. 64 [ 3 ]. Ibid, p. 73 [ 4 ]. Sammon, Paul M. â€Å"The Making of Blade Runner†, Cinefantastique: 20-47 [ 5 ]. Kurt Bullock, Vertical Apocalypse: Altered Noir Cityscape within Blade Runner’s Dystopia, p. 1 [ 6 ]. ibid [ 7 ]. David Desser, ‘Race, Space, and Class: The Politics of Cityscapes’, in Alien Zone II, p. 82 [ 8 ].The Pyramid of the Capitalist System- http://www. aaronblake. co. uk/blog/2010/03/08/the-pyramid-of-the-capitalist-system [ 9 ]. Alan Bullock and Stephen Trombley (eds), The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought, pp. 387–88. [ 10 ]. Geoff King and Tanya Krzywinska, Science Fiction Cinema, p. 17 [ 11 ]. ‘Paranoia and cynicism in Blade Runner’ in American Cinema: 1960-Present-http://amcinema1960present. wordpress. com/category/second-student-post/page/11/ [ 12 ]. Stephen Prince, Visions of Empire: Political Imagery in Contemporary American Film, p. 167 [ 13 ]. Leonard Heldreth, ‘The Cutting Edges of Blade Runner’, pp. 40-52

Verbs Followed by Infinitive

Verbs Followed by Infinitive Many verbs are followed immediately by the infinitive form of the verb. Other verbs are followed by the gerund form of the verb. Finally, other verbs are followed by a noun, noun phrase or pronoun and then the infinitive. All of these verbs follow no specific rules and must be memorized. You can practice your knowledge once youve reviewed this sheet, as well as the other verb pattern reference lists by taking these quizzes: Verb Form - Gerund or Infinitive Quiz 1 Verb Form - Gerund or Infinitive Quiz 2 Gerund or Infinitive? An Interactive Reference Chart and Quiz The following list provides verbs that are immediately followed by the infinitive form of another verb (verb to do). Each verb followed by the infinitive is followed by two example sentences to provide context. affordI cant afford to go on vacation this summer.Can you afford to buy that sweater?agreeI agreed to help him with the problem.Do you think he would agree to take the test again?appearHe appears to think Im crazy!They appear to be available tomorrow.arrangeI arranged to spend the week in New York.Mary arranges to meet everyone each time.askShe asked to do the job.Franklin will ask to be promoted.begShelley begged to be released as soon as possible.The minister begged to donate as much as possible.careDo you care to spend some time with me?Tom doesnt care to ask any more questions.claimconsentWe consented to adopt the measure in the next year.Sherry will consent to marry you. Im sure!dareThose kids wont dare to break into that house.She often dares to break convention.decideIm going to decide to appoint the teacher next week.Mary and Jennifer decided to purchase an old house to fix up.demandThe protesters demanded to see the president about the economy.The client demanded to speak wi th his lawyer before making a statement. deserveI think Jane deserves to get the promotion.Our boss deserves to be fired!expectTom expects to finish the job soon.The students expect to receive their grades before the end of the day.failSusan never fails to mention that she knows the president personally.You shouldnt fail to mail in the form by the end of the week.forget - NOTE: This verb can also be followed by the gerund with a change in meaning.I think Peter forgot to lock the door before he left home.We seldom forget to do our homework, but last week was an exception.hesitateI hesitate to mention this, but dont you think ...Doug hesitated to tell us about his plan.hopeI hope to see you soon!He had hoped to have more success before he lost the election.learnHave you ever learned to speak another language?Our cousins are going to learn to mountain climb on vacation.manageTed managed to get his work done on time.Do you think well manage to persuade Susan to come with us?meanTim certainly meant to finish the job on time.They mean to do business here in town. needMy daughter needs to finish her homework before she can come out and play.They needed to fill out a number of forms in order to purchase the house.offerJason offered to give Tim a hand with his homework.She offers to help students whenever they have a question.planOur class plans to put on a play next semester.Im planning to visit you when Im in New York next month.prepareOur teachers are preparing to give us a test today.The politicians prepared to debate the issues on television.pretendI think he is pretending to be interested in the subject.She pretended to enjoy the meal, even though she didnt think it was good.promiseYes, I promise to marry you!Our coach promised to give us next Friday off if we win the game.refuseThe students refused to quiet down at the assembly.I think you should refuse to do that job.regret - NOTE: This verb can also be followed by the gerund with a change in meaning.I regret to tell you that it is not possible.The officer regretted to inform the citizen s of the horrific facts about the case. remember - NOTE: This verb can also be followed by the gerund with a change in meaning.Did you remember to lock the doors?I hope Frank remembered to telephone Peter about the appointment.seemIt seems to be a beautiful day outside!Did he seem to be nervous?struggleThe boys struggled to understand the concepts presented in the lesson.I sometimes struggle to stay concentrated when Im on the job.swearDo you swear, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?Alice swore to help in any way possible.threatenChris threatened to call the police.The owner will threaten to kick you out if you dont stop making noise.volunteerId like to volunteer to judge the competition.Sarah volunteered to take Jim to the piano lesson.waitIm waiting to hear from Tom.She waited to eat until he arrived.wantJack wants to help everyone with the new concepts.The principal wanted to put on a teacher workshop.wishI wish to see you soon.Franklin wished to come and visit last month. More Verb Pattern Reference Lists: Verbs followed by the gerund - Verb Ing Verbs followed by a (pro)noun plus the infinitive - Verb (Pro)Noun Infinitive Verbs followed by the infinitive - Verb Infinitive

Syphilis In Measure For Measure Essays - Syphilis, Free Essays

Syphilis In Measure For Measure Essays - Syphilis, Free Essays Syphilis In Measure For Measure Syphilis in Renaissance Europe and in Shakespeares Measure for Measure Bibliography to venereal disease appear as early in the second scene of Shakespeares Measure for Measure. Syphilis, the primary and most horrible of venereal diseases, ran rampant in Shakespeares time. By giving a brief history of the disease in Renaissance Europe one can gain a better understanding of the disease which will provide a greater insight into the play which would have gone unknown. This brief history will include, the severity of the disease in fifteenth and sixteenth century Europe, believed origins and symptoms of the time period, and methods of curing or combating the disease.. By reading and analyzing passages referring to syphilis in Measure for Measure it is clear that Shakespeare himself believed in most of the truths established by the poet and physician Fracastor. Fracastor was the primary source and influence regarding studies of syphilis in Renaissance Europe. The disease we now commonly identify as syphilis is believed to have arrived in Europe for the first time in the late fifteenth century. Though there are few statistics from that period available to prove such an argument, there is plenty of evidence that supports that the disease suddenly emerged in great abundance during this time period. It is also believed that syphilis was much more severe then, than it has ever been since. Zinsser writes in his book, Rats, Lice, and History that: There is little doubt that when syphilis first appeared in epidemic form, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, it was a far more virulent, acute, and factual condition than it is now (Rosebury 23). The first time syphilis, called evil pocks at the time, was mentioned in print occurred on August 7, 1495 in the Edict of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. In this document syphilis was believed to be a punishment sent from God for blasphemy and was described as something which had never occurred before nor been heard of within the memory of man (Rosebury 24). Between the years 1495 and 1498 there were a total of nine similar documents that emerged through out Western Europe. In 1530 Fracastor, a poet and physician, published the poem, Syphilis sive Morbus Gallicus, translated Syphilis or the French Disease. The main character was a shepherd in Hispaniola named Syphilis. Syphilis caught the disease for disrespecting the Gods. At the time Fracastor believed in the previous documents, but would provide his own original ideas concerning how the disease reached Europe. He also alluded to possible treatments, that Shakespeare will later use in his plays. Fracastor used the name syphilis for both the main character and the disease he contracted. However, the name of the disease continued to be known as the French disease. It was not until the 1850s, more than three centuries after Fracastors poem, that the disease was called syphilis. Fracastors poem grew widely popular in Western Europe, and was believed to be mostly factual at the time. It might seem odd that a fictional poem with fictional characters would be widely regarded as truth, but under the extreme circumstances of the sixteenth century syphilis epidemic it makes perfect sense. Syphilis had caused terror in the hearts of the people in the sixteenth century due to its rapid spread. Physicians seemed helpless to cure it. No one could do anything, but believe in what Fracastor wrote. In the poem Fracastor had answers concerning its origin, symptoms, and cure for this new disease. He went along with the common belief that it appeared in the French army before Naples around the year 1495. From France, and justly took from France his name, (Rosebury 31). This quote provides the evidence concerning syphilis former name, The French Disease. He also discussed how he believed that it originated in America, and was brought back with Columbus and his men. This was the popular view of the day, and many researchers still find truth in it. What Fracastor truly believed, at the time, was that the positions of the planets influenced the outbreak of the disease. He believed that they lined up in such a way that provided great conditions for the emergence of the disease. In the poem Fracastor also

A monopoly from start to finish Essay Example for Free

A monopoly from start to finish Essay ? During out studies this term we have learned a lot about a Monopolistic way a company is able to maneuver in the business market and I would like to refresh your mind by offering a clear definition. A Monopoly is a situation in which an entity, either an individual or an industry or organization, is the sole supplier of a particular good or service. As such, this supplier has no competition from other suppliers and is able to control the market value of the commodity. Some monopolies are government-enforced or controlled, while others form naturally or through company merger. According to our focus of this paper, we are asking about the long-run competitive equilibrium of the Wonks Company that was earning a normal rate of return and were competing in a monopolistically competitive market structure. One of the questions we must answer regarding this change in business structure is how the company’s shift to a monopoly will benefit the stakeholders involved. One of the stakeholders who may be involved is the government. Monopolies sanctioned by the government are called legal monopolies. These are considered coercive monopolies, meaning that other companies are forbidden by law to compete against them. Governments also maintain some control over monopolies through competition laws, which prevent monopolies from engaging in unscrupulous or anti-competitive practices (http://www. reference. com/motif/Society/advantages-disadvantages-of-monopolies). The second question is how a Monopoly will affect other businesses and after research it is quite obvious from the definition of a monopoly that other companies do not have to worry about competition from other companies in the same market. Consumers are affected by this change because they must either purchase the product or service from the monopoly or do without it. When a company transitions from a monopolistically competitive firm to a monopoly, there will be changes with regard to prices and output from both of these market structures. So, let’s take a closer look at how prices are affected when a firm becomes a monopoly. A common practice among some monopolies is price discrimination, in which the monopolist charges some segments of the population more than others for the same product or service, based on a higher need or a wealthier consumer base. This would usually be called price fixing which is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand. When the monopoly is able to prevent buyers from reselling their product, they may be able to price discriminate to accentuate the effects of monopoly power. In my opinion the most important group that is affected by a Monopoly are the consumers. Monopolies can impact consumer prices in two obviously different ways, they can cause prices to drop so low that it forces companies out of business or it an cause prices to skyrocket making it difficult for consumers to purchase a product, neither being a good option for the consumer. If one business is the only provider of a product or service, the consumer is forced to pay whatever the price they demand. This can also lead to the company providing a low quality product or service without fear of losing business (Home, 2009). Since monopolies are the only provider, they can set pretty much any price they choose, regardless of demand, because they know the consumer has no choice. Is this sort of thing fair to consumers? Of course not, but it is how big business is able to stay on top of the market. For example, most people find that Apple products have an outrageous price tag, but I have come to learn that the quality of their products is outstanding and I estimate that Apple will continue to rise in popularity for years to come. It has also come to my attention that because Monopolies try to monitor the price of products they may resort to price discrimination. Price discrimination is sometimes defined as the practice of a firm selling a homogeneous commodity at the same time to different purchasers at different prices . Of course, I believe it is important to understand what and how price discrimination occurs. â€Å"Price discrimination exists when two similar products which have the same marginal cost to produce are sold by a firm at different prices. This sort of practice is highly controversial in terms of its impact on both consumers and rivals† (Price Discrimination, 2006, p. 1). There are many ways to accomplish these sort of conditions because the transactions surely need not be simultaneous; indeed, there is temporal discrimination, such as between Sunday rates and week, day rates, matinee and evening prices, peak rates and off-peak rates, season and off-season prices. To sell different qualities or products with different marginal cost at the same price, or to buy different qualities or factors of different efficiency at the same price, is also discriminatory. Based on all of this useful information we must also answer the question regarding which market structure is more beneficial for Wonks to operate in and will this market structure benefit consumers? In my opinion it is based on the level of quality and service of the products and how much consumers are willing to pay for the products they want to purchase. In a monopolistic competitive market the consumer may choose to purchase a substitute product for a lower price, but only if the consumer values price over value. Of course with a monopoly there may be only a few companies offering a substitute product. If one company’s product becomes too high in price, the consumer will eventually look for another brand that offers similar use. According to economist, the monopolistic competitor’s demand curve is less elastic than a pure competitor and more elastic than a pure monopolist. Monopolistic competitors have excess capacity which means that fewer companies operating at capacity could supply the industry output. It is my opinion that Wonks might operate more beneficially as a Monopoly than at a Monopolistic Competitive firm because they will not have as much competition to deal with and they can corner the market with value and price. Resources: 1. McChesney, F. S. , Shughart II, W. F. , & Haddock, D. D. (2004). ON THE INTERNAL CONTRADICTIONS OF THE LAW OF ONE PRICE. Economic Inquiry, 42(4), 706-716. doi:10. 1093/ei/cbh091 2. Mainwaring, L. L. (1977). MONOPOLY POWER, INCOME DISTRIBUTION AND PRICE DETERMINATION. Kyklos, 30(4), 674. 3. https://www. fcsknowledgecenter. com/uploads/2011_Row_Crops_Industry_Perspective. pdf 4. http://academic. udayton. edu/lawrenceulrich/Stakeholder%20Theory. pdf 5. http://www. answers. com/topic/mergers-and-acquisitions 6. http://www. helium. com/items/1405663-what-is-a-monopoly-what-do-monopolies-do-how-is-the-economy-affected-by-monopolies 7. Case, K. E. , Fair, R. C. , and Oster, S. E. (2009) Principles of Microeconomics (9th ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. A monopoly from start to finish. (2017, Apr 30).

Elements, Mixtures and Compounds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Elements, Mixtures and Compounds - Essay Example For example, a mixture of iron and sulfur can be taken in any proportion while a compound such as iron (II) sulfide always has a ratio of 7 : 4 by mass of iron and sulfur (Leong & Aik, 2009). When a mixture is prepared by mixing two or more substances, there is no chemical exchange involved and there is absence of heat or light production. When a compound is prepared, it is usually accompanied with a chemical change in which some heat, light or both are liberated. For example, when a mixture is prepared by mixing iron filings and sulfur, no heat is liberated. However, when hot iron filings and sulfur are taken together in a test tube, a chemical reaction occurs resulting in the formation of iron sulfide (Fe + S ?FeS). The test tube glows red because of heat produced during the reaction (Leong & Aik, 2009). The properties of a mixture are characteristic of the individual substances mixed. On the contrary, the properties of a compound are very different from those of the original eleme nts. For example, in a mixture of iron filings and sulfur, properties such as magnetism, color, texture of the individual substances are retained. Iron sulfide, a compound, has very different properties from those of iron and sulfur. It lacks magnetic activity and also has different physical and chemical properties (Leong & Aik, 2009). ... 2) Supposed that you have a pure substance, how can you tell whether it is a compound or an element?   An element cannot be further broken down chemically, while a compound can be broken down into individual components or elements using chemical reactions specific for that compound. For example, heating mercuric oxide, which is a compound, over a Bunsen flame, will result in the decomposition and separation of mercuric oxide into mercury and oxygen. However, mercury and oxygen, which are elements, cannot be further broken down using any chemical means (Leong & Aik, 2009). Therefore, in order to tell whether a given pure compound is an element or a compound, it will be subjected to various separation procedures to determine if it can be broken down further. Its melting and boiling points and other physical and chemical properties will also be noted and compared with those of preexisting elements and compounds for ease of identification. 3) What is the difference between an ionic and a covalent bond? Chemical bonds such as ionic and covalent bonds determine the properties of a compound. The main differences between the two kinds of bonds are discussed as follows: Ionic bond is formed when electrons are transferred from one atom to another. The transfer of electrons results in the formation of a positive and a negative ion that are held together by strong electrostatic attraction. For example, salt (NaCl) is formed when an electron from sodium (Na) is transferred to chlorine (Cl) to form ions (Na+ and Cl- ) that are held together to form salt (NaCl). Covalent bond is formed when an electron pair from the outer shell is shared between two atoms. For instance, Hydrochloric acid

Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Culture - Essay Example In the early years, immigrants shared a common ethnic and religious profile: white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant (McDonald & Balgopal, 1998). The first wave of European immigrants ‘melted’ into the mainstream American culture easily due to this similarity of the ethnic background. Israel Zangwill’s concept of America as a ‘melting pot,’ in which immigrants of diverse ethnicities assimilated into one homogenous cultural identity, pertains to this age. Present, second wave of immigrants is largely from the developing nations of Asia and Latin America. They bring with them a diversity of languages, customs, distinct physical traits, religions and ethnicity, which does not submit to easy assimilation. Today, â€Å"there is more emphasis on preserving ones ethnic identity, of finding ways to highlight and defend ones cultural roots† (Booth, 1998). America is now a multicultural ‘Mosaic,’ in which various groups preserve their ethnic identities and yet remain a part of the larger American way of life. The Chinese exemplify this ‘mosaic’. This group retains its ethnic identity and also makes significant contributions to the American culture. Steven Chu, Samuel C. C. Ting, and others are Nobel Prize winners. (â€Å"Chinese American Culture†, 2010). Amy Tan is one of today’s most popular American writers. Chinese take-away is as much a part of American cuisine as apple pie. The teachings of Confucius are part of the curriculum of many American universities. The benefits of Chinese meditation, green tea, and acupuncture are a part of American life. Chinese calligraphy, character tattoos, and martial arts have permeated American culture. In this age of immense diversity, American culture is no longer a ‘melting pot’ which blends all its composite groups into a homogenous whole. There is no single American identity. â€Å"Ethnicity

Primary and secondary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Essay

Primary and secondary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis - Essay Example transformation from a less fatal disease to a fatal disease with less chance for survival. So, it is important to go through the histopathological changes taking place in the lung related to primary and secondary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Primary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis mainly affects human respiratory system (lungs). Besides, the main symptoms of this infection are similar to other common diseases and the real problem gets unnoticed. Anderson et al. (2014, p. 1713) state that ‘Since the symptoms and signs of childhood tuberculosis are seen in a range of other conditions, clinical diagnosis is unreliable’. As the initial infection or Primary TB is seen among children, the infection may affect their immunity and may lead to other diseases in general. One can see that vaccination is not effective for this infection because it spreads through air and direct contact with the infected person. So, the best possible treatment for primary infection is to diagnose the same and to provide proper medical treatment. Warner & Mizrahi (2014, p. 1642) state that ‘In the absence of a vaccine to provide long-term protection, control of drug-susceptible tuberculosis is largely dependent on a standa rd 6-month chemotherapy regimen that has been in use for more than three decades’. In addition, proper medical treatment can cure this infection because modern medicine proves to be effective while dealing with the same. From a different angle of view, treatment for primary infection can hinder the rapid spread of secondary infection because. Sterling et al. (2011, p.2156) state that ‘More than 2 billion persons are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and from this reservoir active tuberculosis will develop in millions of persons in coming decades.’ For instance, medical treatment can hinder the spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from person to person and can save millions of people. Nowadays, treatment for this disease is

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Carbon Dioxide Emissions - Essay Example The average World Carbon Dioxide Emissions were 4.53 metric tones/capita in 2005. United States of America ranked first then with average emissions of 19.54 metric tones/capita followed by Canada, Russia and UK. Developing countries like India and China lagged at the tail end then. The Fourth Assessment Report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded among other things that "warming of the climate system is unequivocal" and that "anthropogenic warming over the last three decades has likely had discernible influence at the global scale on observed changes in many physical and biological systems." The report also stated that human activities have significant impact on climate change. The Gross Domestic Product is one of the primary indicators calculated to assess the health of a country's economy. It representsthe total dollar value of all goods and services produced over a specific time period. According to the Environment Kuznets hypothesis, environmental pressure increases faster than the income in the early stages of development and slows down relative to GDP growth as higher income levels are reached. The EKC proposes that indicators of environmental degradation first rise, and then fall with increasing income per capita. There are views supporting and criticizing this theory. ... According to the Environment Kuznets hypothesis, environmental pressure increases faster than the income in the early stages of development and slows down relative to GDP growth as higher income levels are reached. The EKC proposes that indicators of environmental degradation first rise, and then fall with increasing income per capita. Environmental Kuznets Curve : Different Scenarios Source: Reference 1 There are views supporting and criticizing this theory. Those views supporting it emphasize that the curve exists though its becoming smaller in nature and shifting to the left(revised EKC) whereas those criticizing it argue that even if certain pollutants are reduced as income increases, industrial society continuously creates new, unregulated and potentially toxic pollutants. In their the curve will rise to a horizontal line at maximum existing pollution levels, as globalization promotes a "race to the bottom" in environmental standards, as shown in Figure In their view, the overall environmental risks from these new pollutants may continue to grow even if some sources of pollution are reduced, as shown by the "new toxics" line in the above figure. The relationship between economic growth and environmental quality has been a source of great controversy for a very long time. Multiple factors contribute to this. The complex nature of GDP calculation, data on environmental quality are patchy themselves and also that though the per capita capability to pay for clean technology increases, it does not necessarily imply a proportionate increase in the willingness to pay. This report makes an attempt to verify the Environmental Kuznets hypothesis while establishing a relation between additional variables like the energy

Sports Promotion and Sales Management Assignment

Sports Promotion and Sales Management - Assignment Example Conversely, one ding on separate sales and service departments is that there may be problems with satisfying customers, when sales and service messages are not in congruence. For instance, service staff may deny something that a salesperson may have already given as a promise to a potential customer. Such headaches can mean loss of business. Some management and business gurus even recommend that the integration of sales and service departments go to the extreme, by positing that the best practice is one where the sales person and the service person are one and the same individual. This guarantees maximum customer satisfaction and optimal sales. On the other hand, there are many benefits to separate sales and service departments as well. By focusing on one or the other, the two departments are able to satisfy the specific needs of the customer. The specialization between sales and service also guarantees that the staff are in the best position to field either sales concerns or service concerns. When a customer contacts customer service, the focus is on satisfying customer needs, rather than selling. Vice-versa, during the sales process, the sales department staff have the best skills to close the sale, and the focus is not on customer service per se. This yields the best results for different organizations.There are also arguments relating to the contrary aims of sales and service staff, where the former is intent on closing the sale, and the service staff is intent on making sure that the customer is satisfied.

Primary and secondary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis Essay

Primary and secondary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis - Essay Example transformation from a less fatal disease to a fatal disease with less chance for survival. So, it is important to go through the histopathological changes taking place in the lung related to primary and secondary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Primary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis mainly affects human respiratory system (lungs). Besides, the main symptoms of this infection are similar to other common diseases and the real problem gets unnoticed. Anderson et al. (2014, p. 1713) state that ‘Since the symptoms and signs of childhood tuberculosis are seen in a range of other conditions, clinical diagnosis is unreliable’. As the initial infection or Primary TB is seen among children, the infection may affect their immunity and may lead to other diseases in general. One can see that vaccination is not effective for this infection because it spreads through air and direct contact with the infected person. So, the best possible treatment for primary infection is to diagnose the same and to provide proper medical treatment. Warner & Mizrahi (2014, p. 1642) state that ‘In the absence of a vaccine to provide long-term protection, control of drug-susceptible tuberculosis is largely dependent on a standa rd 6-month chemotherapy regimen that has been in use for more than three decades’. In addition, proper medical treatment can cure this infection because modern medicine proves to be effective while dealing with the same. From a different angle of view, treatment for primary infection can hinder the rapid spread of secondary infection because. Sterling et al. (2011, p.2156) state that ‘More than 2 billion persons are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and from this reservoir active tuberculosis will develop in millions of persons in coming decades.’ For instance, medical treatment can hinder the spread of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from person to person and can save millions of people. Nowadays, treatment for this disease is

Sports Promotion and Sales Management Assignment

Sports Promotion and Sales Management - Assignment Example Conversely, one ding on separate sales and service departments is that there may be problems with satisfying customers, when sales and service messages are not in congruence. For instance, service staff may deny something that a salesperson may have already given as a promise to a potential customer. Such headaches can mean loss of business. Some management and business gurus even recommend that the integration of sales and service departments go to the extreme, by positing that the best practice is one where the sales person and the service person are one and the same individual. This guarantees maximum customer satisfaction and optimal sales. On the other hand, there are many benefits to separate sales and service departments as well. By focusing on one or the other, the two departments are able to satisfy the specific needs of the customer. The specialization between sales and service also guarantees that the staff are in the best position to field either sales concerns or service concerns. When a customer contacts customer service, the focus is on satisfying customer needs, rather than selling. Vice-versa, during the sales process, the sales department staff have the best skills to close the sale, and the focus is not on customer service per se. This yields the best results for different organizations.There are also arguments relating to the contrary aims of sales and service staff, where the former is intent on closing the sale, and the service staff is intent on making sure that the customer is satisfied.

Marijuana Persuasive Essay Example for Free

Marijuana Persuasive Essay Do you believe the negative effects of marijuana are more damaging than alcohol and tobacco? Personally, I really don’t think the effects are any worse, and seeing as though alcohol and tobacco are legal; so should marijuana. Presently, it is illegal to consume, grow, and/or sell any amount of marijuana in the United States of America for any reason; with the exception of fourteen states, which uses it strictly for medicinal purposes. Yes, I said medicinal purpose. Crazy how an herb that is capable of helping to cure you can be illegal while another that kills over 3 million a year can be legal (Charltan, 2004). Marijuana is a hallucinogen that has been around for many years, initially used for recreational purposes. In recent years, doctors have come to realize that it can actually help with diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis (MS), glaucoma, and more (â€Å"Drug Free America Foundation, Inc.†). The active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, has been proven to prevent the increase of rate â€Å"Alzheimer plaques† in patients (â€Å"Marijuana may help stave off Alzheimer’s†). It has been known to work more efficiently than any other commercial drug presently being marketed, but many people still have qualms about the idea. They believe marijuana is just a drug that has bad side effects, when in reality; tobacco and alcohol have worse effects. In contrast to marijuana; alcohol and tobacco are legal. Although there is an age limit to consume both, 21 and 18 respectively, the use is not prohibited. When it comes down to lasting effects on the body and organ damage; tobacco does way more damage than marijuana. Tobacco causes emphysema, cavities, gum disease, and it is responsible for 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths (â€Å"Cigarette Smoking, 2009†). People are warned of the negative effects of tobacco on a daily basis, but yet they smoke packs of cigarettes continuously, and you may wonder why this is so. I concluded that the reason why they smoke cigarettes is because they’re legal, point blank. If marijuana was legal I guarantee no one would ever smoke a cigarette again, and as a result, there would be less cases of lung cancer, emphysema, and oral cancer altogether. In the case of what drugs should and should not be legal, this argument is very astonishing. Just how tobacco; such a harmful herb, with barely any health benefits can be legal and available to everyone. The lasting effects are so harsh; I cannot understand how people do not see my point of view. While tobacco causes cancer, marijuana helps cure it. For one to say that legalizing marijuana is a ridiculous idea, it would be like saying using a band-aid on a cut is pointless. It should be legalized and officially recognized as a medicine. All states, not only fourteen, should sign off on this topic. Marijuana is treatment for many diseases and it is what a band-aid is to a cut. Many people need it and are afraid to obtain it because of possible repercussions. That should no longer be an issue in this country. Works Cited. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs United States, 19951999. 2002;51(14);300–303. MMWR Morb Mort Wkly Rep. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a2.htm on September 17, 2009. Charlton, Ann. (2004). Medicinal use of tobacco in history. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079499/ Marijuana may help stave off Alzheimer’s. (2006, October 10). Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15145917/#storyContinued

Social Problem In Jakarta

Social Problem In Jakarta Nowadays in Jakarta, there are many problems that trouble the civilians in Jakarta. Since Jakarta is the Central of Indonesia and have the biggest population, we must care and protect each other because we are living in the same city. Many factors which cause damages in all areas, these problems are high level of pollution which makes the environment dirty and spread out some dangerous diseases. The next problem that sometime causes death is poverty because the poor people who cannot afford to buy some food are forced to starve to death, or maybe they couldnt get medication for their sickness. These problems interest me to observe and study about these things. I would like to help make Jakarta, a better place for the citizens of Jakarta itself. There are a lot of problems are happening here in Jakarta, like flood, poverty, etc. These problems create a bad image in the world; moreover the problems are caused by us. We cant deny that all these problems are difficult to solve. Everyone should work together, and to realize the urgent need them. The government should issue strict rules and regulations, and to fully bind them, so that it wont be easy to broke Poverty The Poverty rate in Jakarta is very high. Poor people scattered in many places. The number of the population in Jakarta is way too high compared to job vacancy or job opportunities. This lack of job vacancy causes unemployment to rise beyond prediction. The unemployment causes difficulty for the people to raise their living. Some of them are lazy to work, but the rest of them still want to work. The people who want to work, some of them dont have the chance because the problem in their education level. Maybe their parents dont have enough money to send them to school. This lack of education could cause many troubles. Starts from crime, some of them are depressed because they cant have a job, they might steal from the other, and furthermore they would kill the person to get money if it is necessary. But not all thieves are poor people and lowly educated person, but some are lazy and want to make money faster in the wrong way. These thieves wouldnt be tolerated in the society because these law breakers risk other peoples lives. These thieves become thief not because of their own will, some of them HAVE to be thief to live their life, they cannot think of any other way to get money in the right ways. They are too depressed and cant even think about it. Next its about beggar, too many beggar in Jakarta, they are countless. In each traffic light you will see them, and maybe you will get shocked because most of them live in the traffic sidewalk, not one, but the whole family live in there, can you imagine that? The worst thing in there is that there are some ungrateful parents send their son or daughter to be beggars. And there are people which collect the children by renting them and make the children work for them, being a beggar in the street. And if they cannot make money, these people who rent these children will give punishments to them. These punishments are harsh ones, such as slapping, punching, kicking, and even break their leg or hand in order to attract the sympathy of the people, so that these people would give money to them. However, whatever type of begging is not good, because people could find work if they really desire it. And the last is about people who are dying, they cannot get money for themselves, maybe some of them have to search foods in garbage dump, which possibly contains various kinds of diseases. They cannot buy medicine to recover themselves, once they are contaminated by these diseases. And they just wait about the death time. Some people are suffering and they died because of it. We know the government have started to find the solution and they have started to move. They have to make regulations about these problems in Jakarta, about people whose caught do crime will be send to the jail and must pay some value of money, about the beggar and place them in one place to take care of them, and about the children who dont have parents, those poor people too. The government should take care about them. The poverty in Jakarta is very easily noticed, those beggar in the street. They appear in nearly each and every sections of Jakarta. The fact that we are rich, but we cant protect whats rightfully ours. Like those islands claimed by the other nation, not to mention our sea territories, if only the government works harder, we wont have lost those territories. Our country is not supposed to side with the businessman, our nation fund the companies which as an equity already. When this occurs, a huge amount of money is spent for nothing, and some of them simply go to corruptors pocket. Our country is supposed to facilitate the poor-middle economic class society, so that they can live up, and improve their living Facilitating the poor-middle economy class society is a key to our success, if we could send these people to start a new life in those island which stolen already, the other nation wouldnt have disturb our complete nation. This solution can hardly be treated as a project, this solution is not meant to isolate the poor, but to give them chance of a new life. If the economy of Indonesia is strong, there is no doubt that we are secured and no other countries would dare to disturb us or to steal anything from us Corruption In the dictionary there are six definitions of Corruption. There are: Lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain in a state of progressive putrefaction Decay of matter (as by rot or oxidation) Moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles Destroying someones (or some groups) honesty or loyalty; undermining moral integrity Inducement (as of a public official) by improper means (as bribery) to violate duty (as by committing a felony) The word corruption is fairly common here in Indonesia, particularly in the government of Indonesia. We can define Corruption as taking something from someone which doesnt belong to you. It is not exactly stealing; the difference is that Corruption is not always known or visible. The person who steals is called thief and who corrupts are called corruptor. The act of the thief like stole money from the bank, hijacking, etc. thats an open crime and we can see it. Its different from corruptor they not like thief. The acts are different. For example: their boss gives them $100 to deliver to the hospital. But they allocate or take some of them, for instance $10; maybe not all knows because they take the money hidden or invisible. Most of the person who are doing corruption that they have given the trust from their boss or the other so they can do things like that. In Jakarta the word Corruption is familiar to most of the people; they know that Corruptions happened everywhere, by everyone, in everything. For instance, you father give you 100.000 to buy one pair of shoes, and that shoes cost for 50.000. You must return 50.000 to your father but you just return 25.000 and you say that the cost of the shoes is 75.000 because you want spend the other 25.000 for the other things. That is the simple example of corruption which happened in here, for simple things, and for little amount of money. Those things happened in the government too. The differences are the size of the corruption with huge amount of money. Thats why KPK (Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi) is created. The KPK itself have their own problem. Sometimes they work very well, but sometimes not. I dont know why the people who do Corruption in the Government do Corruption. I thought they have good salary, but why they still do Corruption. Are their salaries not enough for them? I never see th e governmental people lack of money. Maybe this is because their nature. Human never satisfied of everything. They have got high salary, but they still want get money, in the wrong way. Why they dont think to invest their money to business, and whatever in the right way. The people in the government must concern about the society. The society chooses them to be government official. And they should work to help the society. But how if they still doing Corruption, that will make disadvantages for the society. They must change their own way of thinking. The connection between Corruption and the fifth Principle As we know, corrupt mean taking something which not belong to you and disadvantages the other people. The fifth principle (Social Justice in Indonesia) is against the corruption. Just say about the governmental corruptor. They take something that making disadvantages to the society. They took money which not belongs to them. They dont care about that. They just need money. That is against the fifth principle. There isnt justice in there. They can do that corruption because their job in the governmental, the missing their job. They have job in government so they got more chance to do corruption. It is not very good. They dont even thinking about the people who doesnt have anything. Cant afford food for them. I think the peoples who work in governmental is have education background and have studied about Pancasila, so they must know about that, about do corrupt is not good, but still they do corruption. How if they still like that? They not are being a good example for the society. They didnt want to improve the Indonesia. They dont care about that. Too selfish and just think about the ir own needs. Traffic Jam Next about Traffic Jam. Traffic jam happened in many places in Jakarta. Particularly in the morning, when the student and the worker go to their school and office. The traffic jam happened because too many private car in Jakarta. I think the government should take care about it, they must control it. They can look from the other countries. Making the tax of the Vehicle high. So less people will use private car. In our transportation system, the problem is not only too many cars, the problems are the maintenance of the traffic light, the government is very unconcerned about his problem, if one is broken, itll take more than a month for the government to deal with it. The traffic jam is not governments responsibility; its all of the civilians responsibility Pollution Next is about pollution, about air pollution. Many things that causes air pollution. Start from the factories, the waste disposal. The waste is smoke, black smoke. Next from the vehicle. Many cars in Jakarta are not use properly. I mean the Car is supposed to use just for 5 years but they use it more. And they car which not take care by the owners. They didnt change the oil, did not tune-up the car. That can cause air pollution. Those cars will produce black smokes The car producers dont concern about the environmental balance, they only concern income, interest, revenue, and anything connected with money, in short economic factor. We are not blaming the car producer; this case isnt problem for them. However the government should concern about this, by rising private car tax, so that the producer would reduce their productivity. There are two things we should do; the first thing is not to extent the licenses of old cars, because old cars used to make more pollution compared to the new ones. This method is going to be applied by the government. The second method which is to help the consumer to regenerate their cars is going to be done by the producer itself Dangerous Waste The household waste which is simply thrown to the river is a problem, however its not so dangerous compared to the factorys waste, if the factorys waste is thrown to the river, the river might be poisonous, same thing goes for the hospital waste. There are a lot of reports of these threatening waste, but the government remains immobile The waste from the hospital is most dangerous, because its from there the deadly viruses flow to the rivers, rivers in which poor people used for bath, drink, and to wash dishes and clothes. These waste supposed to be allocated in the right way, if this pollution keeps happening, it will kill more people. Disease Because pollution happened everywhere, there is a big chance that it will cause diseases, mainly breathing diseases, such as TBC, which is one of the most deadly diseases. This pollution also caused the pollution of the water, it can also infect the land, so that, the land will became dysfunctional. Global Warming Global Warming happens because of the dangerous smoke which is mainly produced by factory and vehicles, especially cars and motorcycles. These gases are more than capable to destruct the ozone layers. Moreover these gases can cause diseases, mostly breathing problem, like cough, or lung failure. The ozone layer is very important because it is protecting us from the ultraviolet ray produced by the sun. Which means the earth is getting warm each and every second. The warming of the earth affects the ices in both poles, they melt faster than predicted, which means the sea level will increase drastically, the whole world is going to drown. Less Planting This lack of green planting reduces the green areas in the city which is the heart of the city. Because plants inhale CO2, which is a polluted gas, in the afternoon, and exhales oxygen, which is the gas we are breathing with, in the night. These plants are also able to absorb water to prevent flood. Flood (No Respiration Area) Because we lack of plants and trees causes lack of respiration are, so when its raining, there is no respiration, if the rain is getting harder, it may causes flood, which inflict great damages and loss everywhere and in every sector Too Many Rubbish Rubbish is one of the biggest problems in Jakarta. There are not enough spaces for the overflowing rubbish. What is worse is that the citizen of Jakarta doesnt realize the importance to keep the environment clean. People simply throw their rubbish anywhere, anytime, which will mess everything up. We should educate our children not to litter everywhere they like, they should put the trash into the trash bin. Littering properly is a must, in order to prevent flood and unhealthy environment. Because the environment is dirty, diseases are likely to spread. We cant deny that the trash wasted by the citizen of Indonesia is too much, what makes it even messier is the insufficient space to gather the trash. In order to solve this space problem, we have two solutions; the first is to burn all the trash, or to recycle them. However several parties have wrongly used the term recycle to their own advantages. For example, they recycle safety rubber into a chopstick cover. This is of course an unh ealthy thing to do, the viruses and bacteria from the condom would spread. Government should help and supervise the process of recycling, so that no one would break the law, and corrupt the environment. Especially for those who unaware of the environment. Clean Water Clean Water citizen of DKI Jakarta, will continuing to need clean water, in order to fulfill the needs of drinking and cooking. The clean water which supplied by PAM Jaya is not enough because there are some problems; In the south of Jakarta still need clean water seller to supply to the citizen which lack of water to drink and to cook. In the rain times, my central city Jakarta and the other places seems to have much water. More if the flood came, the water seen in everywhere. The rivers full of water. But, there question about that: Can that water be consumed by the people; because, according to the experts, the water in the river or water from the flood had been contaminated many kinds of bacteria. Water of the river in the central city has been proved full of Koli bactery that came from feces. Millions people of Jakarta and near Jakarta daily have a bad behavior to throw the garbage or Pee and Poo in the rivers. There are thirteen rivers that come from the north of Jakarta bearing viruses, and many other dangerous substances. The river is wrongly used as a garbage dump. Conclusion The conclusion is we and all the people expect no one must make awareness for them to build and make a good behavior to not litter, etc. And be social and dont be too selfish to just care about yourselves. Because human is social creature that need the others to live and to fulfill the needs. Care about the others too. Care about yours environment. Care about your Country. Care about your City. Care about Jakarta.