BT CORN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BT CORN - Essay Example However, genetically modified foods are also produced from GMO crops. Genetically modified foods comprise of tortilla chips and corn syrup among others (Bessin, 2013). This paper intends to discuss on the transformation of corn plants with the assistance of Bacillus Thuringiensis gene along with the potential impacts of Bt corn particularly on the specific agricultural ecosystem and global ecosystem. Transformation of Corn Plants with Bacillus Thuringiensis Gene Bt- corn plants, as a donor organism emerges through soil bacterium known as Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt). It is fundamentally regarded as a gene that helps in the production of a protein named Delta Endotoxin. In relation to the transformation of corn plants with Bt gene, it has been apparently observed that the gene that is produced through certain genetic characteristics are to be recognized initially and then segregated from the remaining materials that are produced from donor organism (Bessin, 2013). The protein named BT Delta Endotoxin can be taken into concern while transforming corn plants as it very effective in managing as well as controlling Lepidoptera larvae or caterpillars. This protein can be evidently used in order to control the corn plants from the damages of insects and other flies existing in the environment. It has been viewed that with the advent of technology in the genetic engineering process, the transformation process of corn plants with the support of Bacillus Thuringiensis gene has been enhanced considerably (Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary, 2013). In order to determine the transformation of corn plants with Bt gene, it has been noted that Bt genes manufacture various proteins that help in safeguarding the corn plants from insects along with other animals present in the environment. The transformation of corn plants can also be possible with the use of biotechnological process by implementing Cry1Ab gene that would eventually facilitate in providing a significant solution for protecting the corn plants from the attack of corn borer. It has been identified that conventional treatment are not effective in protecting the corn plants from any sort of damage or environmental hazard. Notably, Bt-corn plants can be protected with the application of pesticides along with the proteins that are helpful in mitigating the damages that are perceived from the insects. It has been evidently viewed that Bt acts as a controller for the prevention of corn plants from the damages of insects as well as generating greater productivity along with quality grains for the environment (Syngenta, 2013). Potential Impact of Bt Corn On Individual Agricultural Ecosystem After acquiring a brief idea about the transformation of corn plants with Bt gene, it has been apparently observed that Bt-corn impose considerable impact upon individual agricultural ecosystem. In this modern context, the impact of Bt-corn on the agricultural ecosystem can be identified on the basis of the study tha t was propounded by the scientists of various nations regarding assessment of risks on the population of monarch butterfly. According to the researches, it has been viewed that assessment of risks might be exposed leading towards the toxic impact of Bt -corn on milkweed along with the population of monarch butterflies. This toxic impact ultimately benefits the farmers as well as the agricultural ecosystem by a considerable level. The other significant impact of Bt-corn on individual agri

Memorandum Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Memorandum Law - Research Paper Example In recent international legislation, parental rights have been reduced and restricted with the rights of children being upheld over and above parental rights. ANSWER Parents have various rights and responsibilities. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) discusses that states must apply the principle of best interests of the child2. This principle basically sets forth that all activities involving children calls for active safeguards to be implemented in order to protect the rights of children and to ensure their survival and well-being. Under the CRC, all countries must respect the rights and duties of parents to provide direction in the protecting children’s rights3. States under the CRC must also recognize the principle that both parents have common rights in the raising of the child; and that assistance must be given to these parents in child-rearing. Working parents also have the right to benefit from child care services and facilities. In effect, countries must also ensure that parents have the right to access data on payments and services for the benefit of their children4. Parents with disability also have the right to be protected and assisted in their guardianship and adoption of children5. The CEDAW also requires states to protect the equality of men and women. In effect, both parents have the same rights and responsibilities, regardless of their marital status, in terms of rearing their children, in terms of guardianship, and in relation to adoption. Parents also have the right to not be separated from their children especially against the latter’s will, except when deemed necessary by authorities6. Parents have the right to be given equal opportunity to participate in proceedings where the custody over their children would be determined. In instances when separation would result from the actions of a country against a parent, parents have the right to be given information on the whereabouts of family members, unless this woul d be against the best interests of the child7. The CRDPD also protects the right of parents to marry, their rights of reproduction, to retain their fertility, to rear their children, and their right to a united family on equal footing with the community8. Parents with disabilities also have the right to be respected in and supported in their role of parents. In instances where the disabled parent is unable to care for the child, alternative means of care must be found first within the family, and if no appropriate alternative is found, another caregiver would have to be found in the community where the family is located. The current direction of international laws on the rights of parents has been towards reducing their rights and giving more power and rights to their children. The Convention for the Rights of the Child declares that children would have the right to choose their own religion and their parents can only advice them on their choice9. Another major change in the interna tional rights of parents also involve the application of the ‘best interest of the child’ concept where a parent’s right can be negated in instances where a government worker would disagree with such a decision10. A parent’s right to make the decisions would also be subjugated in favor of the child’s right to be heard, where the child is allowed to seek a

Tescos Strategic Planning and Implementation

Tescos Strategic Planning and Implementation This report focuses on the UK grocery market with great emphasis on Tesco plc, the largest grocery supermarket in the UK. Highlighted in this report is Tescos connection with some strategic planning and implementation, its vision and mission. Further discussed in this report is Tescos diversified culture with some social factors, brand value, and its innovativeness with the current environmental circumstances. Also in this report are strategic models which illustrate Tescos business environment and other market situations in terms of the stability and core competence. The models used are SWOT analysis and the Porters Five Forces. Finally, in this report is the strategic development of Tesco with some recommendations including a suggested implementation plan to carry out the identified strategies with the monitoring and evaluation process. 1.1 BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF TESCO PLC Tesco plc is one of British largest retail grocery currently the first in terms of the top 10 retail grocery in the United Kingdom. It was the first UK business to make  £2 billion in profits when it announced the feat early in 2005, (Tesco Annual Review, 2005) and the third largest global retailer based on revenue. Over the years, retail grocery sector represents the largest industry in UK providing employment for millions of people in UK either in manufacturing or in retailing. In 2003 retail accounted for 9% of domestic product (Datamonitor, 2003). The name TESCO was derived from the combination of a tea suppliers name T.E.Stockwell and Jack Cohen the founder of Tesco plc. Tesco was founded by Jack Cohen when he began to sell surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London in 1919 and in 1924 Jack Cohen made a new label by combining the first three letters of the suppliers name (TES), and the first two letters of his surname (CO) to form TESCO. It was a typical of Cohens eye for a bargain of his unshakeable lifetime conviction that it was low prices and nothing else that moved business fastest. By the mid-1950s Tesco have 150 small and physically unimpressive stores, most of them on self-service formats. As the supermarket revolution arrived, Cohen opened his first Tesco supermarket in 1956. But in all conscience Cohen was singularly ill-equipped in either visionary or operating terms as a leader to handle this level of radical change (Seth Randall, 1999). In UK, Tesco plc operates under four banners namely Tesco Extra, Superstore, Metro and Express. The first Tesco store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, and Middlesex and in 1947; Tesco was floated on London Stock Exchange as Tesco Stores Holdings Limited. Fifty percent of sales in Tesco are gotten from Tescos own-label products which are in three levels, values, normal and finest. Tesco plc is also becoming one Britains largest independent petrol retailer because as well as convenience produce, many stores have gas stations and other retailing services rendered by Tesco also include Tesco personal finance. 2.0 EXTERNAL (ENVINRONMENTAL) ANALYSIS OF TESCO As noted by Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, (2008) The environment is what gives organisation their means of survival and there are five different layers of a business environment namely: the macro environment, industry or sector, competitors, the organisation and the market Business environment is a set of political, economic, social, technology, environmental and legal forces that can potentially have both positive and negative impact on the business. (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). 2.1 EXTERNAL OPERATING ENVINRONMENT The constant change in market demands has made the economy so complex. Therefore analysing TESCOs eternal operating environment, the following tools will be applied to ensuring that TESCO meets the changes in market demands: the PEST tools, the SWOT tools and porters 5 forces. these tools will be to examine TESCOs operating environment. The PEST framework provides a comprehensive list of influences on the possible success or failure of particular strategies (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, 2008). This framework categorises environmental influences into political, economic, social and technological. 2.1.0 POLITICAL FACTORS This factor highlights the role of government institutions. Take for stance in UK when the business environment was hit by credit crunch which lead to great unemployment. This trend actually helped TESCO because of their dominance in UK and as one of the fastest growing retailer they tried as much as possible to reduce the level of unemployment caused by these changes thereby creating employment. For employment legislation, the government encourages retailers to provide a mix of job opportunities from flexible, lower-paid and locally -based jobs to highly-skilled, higher-paid and centrally located jobs (Balchin, 1994). Also the strong government restriction against monopoly which is one of the threats TESCOs are faced with because within the customer law, it is very critical to note that protecting consumers and ensuring that entrepreneurs have the opportunity to compete in the market economy is very important. Also TESCO need to look critically in the aspect of government policies o n taxation because high taxation is one the major problems businesses face in the UK because it is never stable. The issues of government policies on trade restriction and implementation of new regulations could also affect in a way especially when there is free trade between the European Union which will be of TESCO benefit. 2.1.1 ECONOMIC FACTORS This is another environmental factor which can make a huge impact in TESCO. Take for stance the economic down turn faced in UK due to the unemployment which drastically reduced the demand of so many good more so affecting the demand required to produce such goods which is a major concern to TESCO since they are highly dependent on the UK market. In addition if TESCO had known the economy was heading for a recession, with the use of PEST framework analysis it would have helped plan ahead. It is good to note that this factor can influence demand, cost, price and profits. 2.1.2 SOCIAL/ CULTURAL FACTOR TESCO plc is one of the retail groceries in UK who has successfully address peoples social and cultural needs, and as it involves the reflection of the increasing immigrants and visitors from all over the world who have different food preference, and clothing variations with different beauty products choices, this have sort of encouraged customer to move towards bulk shopping. The demographic changes like life style that is, the customers belief and attitudes have made TESCO to concentrate on added-value products and services. Another factor is population which has forced TESCO to have more interest in customers increased demand for organic products and this has in many ways help TESCO to strategies ways to drive cost out of the market. Wilson and Gilligan (2005), states that a variety of other equally important and far-reaching changes in social, cultural and demographic environments are currently taking place. 2.1.3 TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS The use of technology in marketing is one of TESCOs expansion strategies. It has enabled customers to pay their bills electronically thereby reducing long queues. Online marketing has also influenced the development of many TESCO products and this benefits both the company and its customers. This personalised service makes shopping more convenient for the customers and has positively affects the growth of TESCO plc. 3.0 PORTERS FIVE FORCES Porter (1980) argues that the most significant influence in an organisations environment is represented by the nature of the industry in which the particular company operates in. 3.1 Threat of New Entrants The UK grocery market is so saturated with very few competitors dominating the market. There are five major key players in the UK grocery market namely Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, Iceland and Safeway, all sharing the highest market share. Threat of entry depends on the extent and height of barriers to entry (Scholes, et al, 2008). With Tesco on top coupled with its huge investment and aggressive operational tactics in product development, it is difficult in all ramifications for a new entrant in the market to pose a threat the business of Tesco. 3.2 Suppliers Bargaining Power Understanding that the suppliers bargaining power is very low, Tesco will not give room for a small chain to dictate prises in the market. The cost of raw materials and components can have a major bearing on a firms profitability. The higher is the bargaining power of suppliers; the higher the costs of the goods. (Svend Hollensen, 2003). The ability of Tesco as a huge grocery in UK to source for cheaper supplies abroad ,has enabled them to negotiate prices being brought forward by supplier which other small chains are not capable of meeting. For the fact that most of the major suppliers are scared of losing business to foreign supplier has influenced Tesco positively. 3.3 Bargaining Power of Consumers When Tesco introduced Loyalty card and branded Clubcard in 1995, it did not succumb to other grocery that it was Tescos strategy of customizing service to gain dominance when it comes to meeting customers needs. This strategy not only made much profit for Tesco but also enabled Tesco to get a comprehensive database of all its consumers. This initiative actually won lots of customers for Tesco and has become standardized. It is amazing to the customers that they can get two clubcard points for every  £1 they spend in Tesco which means the more you spend in Tesco, the more clubcard points you make and these points can also be converted to coupons which can be redeemed for cash. The more the products that become standardized or undifferentiated, the lower the switching cost, and hence, more power is yielded to buyers. As theorized by Porter M. (1980). 3.4 Threat of Substitute This threat can make great impact on Tesco plc when it comes to a product being substituted for another product which can make a customer switch to the alternative. This is mostly caused by the introduction of other small-scaled operations in the market. The demand of a particular product can be reduced if a customer sees an alternative in another market and for these reasons, Tesco are trying reduction of prices and modification of such products in the other banners they are operating on example Tesco Metro to avoid such threat. 3.5 Bargaining Power of Competitors There are wide range and variety of competitions in the grocery business either on the small and large scale. Tesco in the grocery business has long witnessed a significant growth in size since its establishment in 1924, though not the first to be establish in UK but currently the first of the top 10 grocery in operation in UK and the third largest global retailer based on revenue. Over the years, grocery business has remained so competitive that it triggered a high level of development by major competitors like Asda, Sainsbury, Iceland and Safeway which has made Tesco to be more innovative thereby making them the largest grocery business providing employment for millions of people in UK either in manufacturing or in retailing and since been known for their market dominance. 4.0 SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis is a tool which could be used to audit an organisation and its internal and external environment. Tesco is the first of the top 10 grocery in UK with an excellent record in product and format innovation. And with the introduction of online shopping, Tesco became the only food retailer to make online shopping profitable which puts them ahead of other competitors. 4.1 STRENGTHS Products with range of Prices: Tesco has several kinds of product in the market. These products range from food, non-food products, home appliances, medicines and so with different prices on all the products. In Tesco you can get whatever product you want at an affordable price. The prices vary anyway, the higher the quality, the higher the price and vice versa and this depend on the choice of the customer. Growing supermarket space: Tesco in the grocery business has long witnessed a significant growth in size since its establishment in 1924 and this is as a result of the growing population of consumers patronising the company and their increasing demand of several products. Strong brand image: Tesco is a household name in UK known for their market dominance in good quality and trustworthy product. It is because of Tesco strong brand image that most customers see great value in their services and this has earned the company lots of profits. Tesco Online: Online marketing has also influenced the development of many TESCO products and this benefits both the company and its customers. This personalised service makes shopping more convenient for the customers and currently being used by over one million customers in UK. The use Tesco Online in marketing is one of TESCOs expansion strategies. It has enabled customers to pay their bills electronically thereby reducing long queues thus bringing simplicity and value to the market. 4.2 WEAKNESS Prices: Their price of goods poses lots of problem for Tesco plc. Trying to satisfy their customers needs by cutting cost of their products even their services can lead to a reduced profit margin for their business. High reliance on UK market: Tescos reliance on UK market is also one major weakness because if at any time the economy faces any challenges, this will definitely affects the business of Tesco, so it very much advisable for Tesco to look beyond UK and increase its foreign outlets and selling other commercial items. 4.3 OPPORTUNITIES Internet: Tescos online successes is one great opportunities. Since the introduction of Tesco online, the use of technology in shopping has grown in quite a short space and moved into profitable status. Their website is so fully packaged totally different from all other grocery site and since there are no matches in terms of comparisons, it remains an advantage on the side of Tesco. Intervention in Asian market: Tescos intervention in the Asian market has serious positive implications in their growth internationally and this in no doubt will give Tesco an opportunity to develop its brand more so make Tesco much larger than they were due to Asias massive economies with huge growth forecast. Growth of non-food sales: Tesco known for their cut-cost structure can initiate same strategy to non-food retail and it is evident that Tesco capitalising on these opportunities are opening new store basically for the sales of non-food items which has given Tesco a tremendous result in increased market share in UK 4.4 THREATS Economic instability: The unstable, unpredictable nature of the economy and political changes in UK pose lots of threat to Tesco and one critical example of these changes is the credit crunch which strokes the UK. This impacted on the consumers a lot because going by their low income, they had to go for products with low prices thereby paying less attention to higher priced brands and this can force a switch in Tescos price structure. Competition: This has also been a persistent threat and this one major reason why Tesco will keep up with the price cuts so as not to lose their customers to major competitors like Asda and Sainsbury. High price of raw material: The upsurge in cost of raw materials from both food and non-food could trigger poor production and this can impact Tesco overall profit margin. 5.0 VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT FOR TESCO The study of mission statement stated in the early 1970 s, and Drucker (1971) referred to them as a precursor to clear and realistic business objectives. As stated by Harrison and Enz(2005), An organizations mission statement provides an important vehicle for communicating ideals and a sense of directions and purpose to internal and external stakeholders. It can inspire employees and managers. It can also help organizational managers in resource-allocation decisions. With these definitions, it can be further explained that mission is what the organization is and its reason for existing whereas a vision is a forward-looking view of what the organization wants to become. Drummond and Ensor (1999) defined the mission of an organization as the unique purpose that distinguishes it from other companies and defines the boundaries of its operations. 5.1 Vision Tescos vision is concentrated basically on their customers. They see themselves in many years to come as being the only grocery business in UK due their market development strategy. 5.2 Mission statement To ensure continued income streams to the business from our key customers in all segments by removing the impediments which prevents them from the optimal enjoyment of our product and services. With the above mission statement, it is assumed that Tescos mission is to permanently dominate the market giving no room for any competitors or competition. 6.0 CRITICAL SUCCCESS FACTORS Objectives: The objectives of an organization govern the potentials value of the organisation and it also shows the platform on which the organisation is built in terms of profitability. The following describes Tescos objective: Tesco aims to minimize the cost of products and at the same time aim to earn high. Profit maximization is one major reason why a business will stand and Tesco sees selling at low price will attracts more customers thereby giving customers better chances of making choice in the quality and quantity of products at a valued price. Tesco need to ensure 100% customers satisfaction by offering good customers services and excellent Value for their money which differentiates them from their competitors. Dedication to their employees as well as to customers, ensuring that all their wants and needs are met 7.0 KEY PERFORMANCES INDICATOR For Tesco to remain on top rather to maintain its position in the top 10, the following measures need to be critically evaluated: Tesco employees need have sound knowledge of their products so as to make shopping not too complex for their customers. This can also give customers ideas of some products they are not aware of more so forcing out a change of choice in their decision to buy more. Customers satisfaction is one vital key to business success. If a customer is not satisfied with either the product or the service then it will be difficult for such business to exceed. In other words, Tesco actually need to improve more in their customer service. Tesco at all time need to assure customers quality brands and also services by investing more in employee training. 8.0 CORPARATE AND BUSINESS STRATEGIES Tesco is an organization more voluminous in terms of revenue acquisition and customers than any other grocery market in UK and for it to maintain its current standard or create a wide margin in the market, a lot need to be done to achieve it objectives. Firstly, Tesco need to divert the attention of customer from non-food products to food products. To do this, they need not to concentrate their advertisement more on non-food products but also encourage their customers to eat more sea foods, fruits as well as vegetables. They should also emphasis more on sales promotion of their own-labelled products on advert thus re-directing the customers usual orientation of branded products. The management need to put the quality of staffs into consideration not only the quality and quantity of their products. Arranging training programs will be appropriate to evaluate their employees quality, such programs will enable them gather vast knowledge of their products more so keeping the goals of the organization alive in the employees. Theoretically Tescos strategic development can also be analysed using Ansoffs matrix and BCG matrix. For Tesco to achieve high sales level, they need to penetrate the market and this will surely maximize profit level. Penetrating the market could be in two ways from my point of view: Tesco due to its voluminous structure can choose to merge with another grocery in the UK to expand its market and increase its market share. Another method of development suggested for Tesco is to look into international alliances especially with the Asian market like china for this strategy can be used to exploit current recourses. Market development of Tesco can be achieved if they concentrate in developing new markets by creating more portfolios which is one major success secrets of an organization. More so, their alliance with this Asian market can introduce a new business in the area of high technology. Another development is their freight service. TESCO Freight services in every Tesco stores also boost the companys sales. The services include free pick-up and sealing of the box. Tesco has focused their attention now on non-food products and as such developed new products in the grocery market. It is also evident that the high demand for these new products is as a result of these changes in the market and has differentiated Tesco from other grocery market. Since Tesco non-food products are developed for existing markets, it has forced other grocery market to consider this product development strategy. Tescos ability to offer a value added services, cost advantage s and high value products than the competitors is said it be their diversification strategy The power of Tesco brand name generate a wealth of good consumer products and its market sales for clothing and grocery items are doing well which is the star product of the company. And this is because these products have competitive pricing which gives higher profits so, Tesco Obviously has to do more advertisement and produce more to meet up with the consumers demand. The electrical and electronic products like mp3 players, I-touch, I-pod, and other appliances are considered as the cash cow in the market since the market share is high and the industry sales is not because of its quality. Although Tesco is producing cheaper electrical supplies but when it comes to safety, the consumers go for value and quality. The dog products of Tescos are the CDs and DVDs, these products are expensive in any way. Although these are original copies, low income and budgeting consumers still opt to watch movies over the net or download music instead. Promote the buy-one take-one free for every CD or DVD a customer may buy. If sales for the dog products are still stagnant, the store may resort for CD DVD movie rentals. And the problem child of Tescos business is the own-labelled products and this caused by its inability to compete successfully with the competitiveness in the UK grocery market. 9.0 IMPLEMENTATION Strategic development is the identification and leverage of the resources and competences of the organisation which yield new opportunities or provide competitive advantage. (Johnson Scholes 1999, p.25.) There is need for new strategy development and new strategy implementation which is essential for a highly competitive business like Tesco with the current market situation. There is a need to consider the external and internal factors of Tesco to set the structure of the implementation and guidelines for its new strategy. For a huge market like Tesco, we need to evaluate the market opportunities for market development, product development and integration Another very important influential factor of Tesco new strategy development is their innovative and diversified culture which is responsible for the implementations in the market. Feasibility Analysis: To implement the proposed strategy, one need to do the feasibility studies of the subject. This study will look at how Tesco projects in terms of funds and will also help Tesco identify potential target areas for the products. Tesco funding requirements and profitability in the future can also be illustrated using Feasibility Analysis. Evaluation of opportunities: if a big grocery like Tesco wants to enter a new market within the country or other countries considering its dominance in UK grocery market, there will lots of opportunities and growth prospect thus the market attractiveness can be evaluated Resource allocation: product market penetration and Implementation of cost leadership strategy will involve lots of resources. It is essential for Tesco to allocate these resources appropriately. These resources will include financial, human resource, material and time resources. 9.1 Monitoring and evaluation Monitoring measures the effectiveness and efficiency of the desired outcome of the strategic plan of an organization and it is a regular, ongoing management activity which through reliable record-keeping provides information to managers. It is essential that Tesco monitor and evaluate the progress of the implementation process to enable them identify gaps and areas of improvement. The gap analysis is logical framework which Tesco can use to review progress and enable them identify the progress of the strategy according to the specific time duration. 9.2 RECOMMENDATIONS Tesco, as Britains largest grocery market should maintain its position on the top and to support this, I recommend the company must open additional 24/7 Tesco Express on high streets but with additional self-service facilities for this will increase market sales. To boost the companys sales profit and image more, recommended promotions should be done every season. Like raffle draws with corresponding prices. Tesco can also increase their sales by providing free health services like free medical check-up for the aged, nutritionist and medical practitioners to conduct blood-pressure monitoring and free eye test. The customers will benefit the free consultation and at the same time will gain points for their clubcards. Also for Tesco to improve its position, they will need to add new products more so improve on the quality of product they provide to their customers

Discussion of Abortion Essay -- Social Issues Abortion Teen Pregnancy

Discussion of Abortion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion is the surgical termination of a pregnancy. How odd that people are able to define something, that is such a controversial issue, so easily. There are hundreds, thousands, and even millions of things to say about abortion. When it comes to abortion, I find myself thinking like a symbolic interactionist. Abortion is a personal social issue and it needs to be seen on a micro level first. Although abortion can also be seen on a macro level, seeing abortion on a micro level lets people see the different symbols of abortion. No social condition creates the same symbol. If abortion is seen on a macro level, all the myths and stereotypes of abortion seem more realistic. For example, some of those myths and stereotypes being, most abortions are from minorities and most people who have abortions are teen girls. If abortion were seen on a micro level it would be evident that these myths and stereotypes are simply not true. Every abortion that occurs has a story beh ind it or a reason behind it. Many of us automatically assume that the person who had the abortion is immoral without even knowing the reason for why the abortion took place in the fist place. And this brings up a series of questions. When is an abortion considered moral or immoral? What should the legal status of abortion be? Should the father have a say if one should have an abortion or not? The answer to these questions are within a persons own mind and how they view this social condition. My answers to these questions are as follows.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe that when an abortion is considered moral or immoral all depends on the symbol. For instance, one of my family members had an abortion and I found her decision to have an abortion moral. The symbol behind my family members abortion is as follows. For the purpose of privacy I will refer to my family member as Kate and her first love as Sam. When Kate was fourteen years old, she met her first love. They both went to the same high school but Sam was two years older than Kate. Sam and Kate went out for the next two months and got closer with each passing date. Sam was one of the popular guys in school and could have any girl he wanted so Kate didn’t understand why he was setting his eyes on her. Kate was extremely flattered that Sam even considered going out with her. So as one of the popular guys in school and being... ... in our society for a long long time, maybe even forever. One to two percent of women who have had an abortion will have another one. Twenty percent of abortions are still back ally abortions and thirty nine percent of women that have back ally abortions become infernal. It is really hard for me to believe that there are one point five million abortions every year and that’s only counting the legal abortions. The number one thing that divides moral from immoral when it comes to abortion is the symbol. The symbol basically decides all opinions on abortion. If the symbol is of a woman with a life threatening pregnancy then people would consider this woman’s abortion moral. On the other hand, if the symbol is of a woman that just doesn’t feel like having a baby and wants to get an abortion then people would consider this woman’s abortion as immoral. Like I said before it all depends on the symbol. This is why, when it comes to abortion, I find myself thin king like a symbolic interactionist. There are just too many different symbols of abortion to think of it in a macro level. Symbolic interactionists are completely right when talking about abortion, well at least that’s my opinion.

Motorcycle Helmet Usage

The use of helmets in the United States is a highly controversial topic. The government has enacted and then repealed laws intended to uphold state helmet laws twice. Currently, regulation laws vary state to state. Twenty states have comprehensive helmet laws. Seven states require riders under the age of twenty to wear a helmet, while 19 states require riders under the age of eighteen to wear one. Only three states, Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa, have no helmet regulation whatsoever. Motorcyclists protest their personal freedom, while others complain about the tax burden and higher insurance rates.Motorcycles account for less than 2% of all registered vehicles in the United States and 0.4% of all vehicle miles traveled. Unfortunately, riders account for more than 9% of all traffic deaths. Over the past ten years motorcycle related deaths have increased by about 89%.The motorcycle is both the most fuel efficient and the most hazardous highway vehicle there is. More than 2,500 motorcycl e riders die in the United States each year, and over 60,000 are injured as a result of an accident. In general, riders and non riders seem to agree that it is obvious that a helmet can reduce the chance of brain injury and death.However, some believe helmets are more likely to cause an accident in the first place. Helmets limit hearing and peripheral vision capabilities which make it difficult for riders to be fully aware of what’s going on around them. The weight of the helmet, combined with hot weather can cause a sense of claustrophobia resulting in anxiety and dizziness. It is likely in these types of situations there is an increase in the chance of an accident. It is also possible to become paralyzed because of a helmet during a crash, under the right circumstances. This leaves some riders to believe there are similar risks whether they wear a helmet or not and they should be able to choose between to two.Some riders simply feel that helmets are uncomfortable and bulky, and it should be their own decision whether or not they want to wear one. And to others, they perceive the use of a helmet as â€Å"uncool†, which is enough justification for them.Contrary to some beliefs, a study by the National Public Services Research Institute concluded that the use of a motorcycle helmet does not interfere with the driver’s capability to hear or see what is going on around them.  Data collected by the National Highway Traffic Administration regarding motorcycle accidents in states where there is only a helmet law for minors indicates this type of helmet law is more difficult to enforce. The data showed that less that 40% of minors killed in crashes were wearing helmets, even though it was required by law.When a catastrophic accident has occurred, the financial burden is usually placed upon private insurers or the state. So in a state where there are multiple head injuries due to motorcycle accidents which require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation, tax payers and others who carry insurance are financially affected. As a result, a number of people do support enforcing the helmet regulation laws since they feel directly impacted.The Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) conducted an analysis of three states with the universal helmet laws and three states without. The inpatient charges for brain injury were double the cost in the states without the universal helmet laws. Numerous studies have concluded that motorcycle crash victims who were not wearing helmets are less likely to have insurance than crash victims who were wearing helmets.Others are less concerned with the financial burden, and more concerned with the psychological impact of witnessing a gruesome disaster, or having a friend or family member die in such a manner. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) head injury is the number one cause of death in motorcycle accidents. A survey conducted in 1998 concluded t hat 46% of fatally injured motorcyclists were not wearing helmets. The NHTSA estimates that helmets diminish the possibility of death by 29% in a crash. In 1989, six states enacted a law requiring the use of helmets. All six have seen a reduction in deaths from motorcycle accidents since then.In 1980, motorcycle rider fatalities reached a record high of 5,144. By 1990 the numbers had decreased to 3,244. For the year of 1997 there were only 2,116, an all time low.  Other research indicates that helmet laws significantly decreases fatality rates, saves taxpayer’s money, decreases money lost due to missed work, and reduces the severity of head injuries. A study carried out in California showed that during the first four years after the elimination of the federal sanctions, motorcycle deaths increased by 61% while motorcycle registration increased only by 15%.In Hawaii, research conducted by the Department of Transportation showed that motorcyclists are three times more probabl e to suffer a traumatic brain injury as a result of a motorcycle crash.  The accuracy of statistical information is questionable. It has shown to be difficult to retrieve financial and medical information due to privacy rights and a lack of data. More information has been successfully collected from surviving crash victims than ones who did not survive. There may also be other contributing factors to these accidents besides the fact they weren’t wearing helmets. Different weather and the length of the riding season can have a significant impact on the varying statistics.Other alternatives to reducing the number of fatalities have been suggested. Riders tend to be more supportive of raising safety awareness and mandating education before obtaining a license, since it is common for motorcyclists to learn to ride without any type of education.  In Japan, the new motorcycle riders may start off with the smallest sized motorcycle, and after a set amount of time they are allowe d to graduate to a larger motorcycle. If similar regulations were mandated in the United Sates, the number of fatalities could decrease without helmet laws.Some place the blame on inattentive automobile drivers. It is common to see automobile drivers talking on their cell phone, eating, drinking, etc. Distracted drivers are less likely to use blinkers and potentially more likely to hit a motorcyclist they did not notice previously. An emphasis on defensive driving because of these types of disasters in driver education could help promote safety and reduce motorcycle-related injuries.Small incentives could help promote the use of motorcycle helmets, rather than a mandatory law. For example, a reduction in the cost of motorcycle insurance for wearing a helmet might be beneficial. Some motorcycle stores have been known to give away free helmets, or offer to install free two-way communicators in them in hopes to encourage the use of helmets.While the majority of the public seems to supp ort a mandatory helmet law, the majority of actual motorcycle riders support freedom of choice. There are good arguments supporting both sides. This is a highly debatable topic similar to one’s right to risk dying of lung cancer because they choose to smoke. It is highly unlikely a compromise will be made that is deemed reasonable by both sides.Works CitedDepartment of Motor Vehicles. Helmets: A Matter of Choice? 5 December 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/motorcycle-chouces.phpSMS Research & Marketing Services, Inc. March 2004. Motorcycle Helmets   Ã‚   Integration Report. 5 December 2006.    http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/publicaffairs/safecommunities/reports/motorcyclehelm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ets/motorcycle-intergration.pdfSMS Research & Marketing Services, Inc. January 2004. Executive Highlights. 6   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   December 2006.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/publicaffair s/safecommunities/reports/motorcyclehelm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ets/motorcycle-focusgroups.pdf   

Chemical Reaction Essay

Chemical Reactions Lab Objectives: 1. To examine a variety of reactions including precipitation, acid-base, gas forming, and oxidation-reduction reactions. 2. To identify the products formed in these reactions and summarize the chemical changes in terms of balanced chemical equations and net ionic equations. 3. To identify the species being oxidized and reduced in oxidation-reduction reactions and determine which species is the oxidizing agent and the reducing agent. Chemical equations represent what occurs in a chemical reaction. For example, the equation HCl (aq) + NaOH (aq) → NaCl (aq) + H2O (l) describes an acid-base reaction, a type of exchange reaction in which the driving force is the formation of water. In an exchange reaction, the anion of one reactant changes places with the anion of the other reactant. Most exchange reactions take place in aqueous solutions. Other types of exchange reactions include precipitation and gas forming reactions. When a solution of lead (II) nitrate and sodium s ulfate are mixed, you observe that a precipitate is formed. What is the identity of the precipitate and what is the balanced molecular equation and net ionic equation describing this reaction? To determine the answers to these questions, you must first be able to write the CORRECT FORMULAS for the reactants and the products for this reaction. The following represents these formulas in an unbalanced chemical equation: Pb(NO3)2 (aq) + Na2SO4 (aq) → PbSO4 + NaNO3 Which product is the precipitate? One cannot know the answer to this question without using the solubility rules (Tro text, Table 4.1, p. 136). By using this table it can be determined that PbSO4 is an insoluble salt whereas NaNO3 is soluble. Consequently, one can write the subscripts for the products indicating which product is the precipitate. Pb(NO3)2 (aq) + Na2SO4 (aq) → PbSO4 (s) + NaNO3 (aq) Is this equation balanced? No. So, it now needs to be balanced. Pb(NO3)2 (aq) + Na2SO4 (aq) → PbSO4 (s) + 2 NaNO3 (aq) To write the net ionic equation, the above equation should be written as a complete ionic equation and then the spectator ions (the underlined ions) are cancelled. Pb2+ (aq) + 2 NO3- (aq) + 2 Na+ (aq) + SO42- (aq) → PbSO4 (s) + 2 Na+ (aq) + 2 NO3- (aq) So, the net ionic equation for this precipitation reaction is: Pb2+ (aq) + SO42- (aq) → PbSO4 (s) Oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions are another important class of chemical reactions. In redox reactions electrons are transferred from one substance to another. For example, if a copper wire is placed in a solution of silver nitrate a redox reaction occurs and silver metal is formed along with copper (II) nitrate. Oxidation numbers: (0) (+1) (+2) (0) Molecular equation: Cu (s) + 2 AgNO3 (aq) → Cu(NO3)2 (aq) + 2 Ag (s) (0) (+1) (+2) (0) Net ionic equation: Cu (s) + 2 Ag+ (aq) → Cu2+ (aq) + 2 Ag (s) The oxidation numbers for the metallic elements in this equation (See oxidation number rules, Tro text, p. 148) show us that copper metal is being oxidized while the silver ion is being reduced. Copper is therefore the reducing agent while silver nitrate is the oxidizing agent. PROCEDURE YOU NEED TO WEAR GOGGLES AT ALL TIMES WHILE PERFORMING THIS EXPERIMENT. Chemical waste can be disposed of in the waste beakers supplied in the hoods. Part I: Exchange Reactions: 1. Obtain 7 small, clean test tubes. For the purposes of this lab, the test tubes need only be clean, not totally dry. A hose connected to the air supply in the hood may be used to quickly remove most water from the test tubes. 2. Place 10 drops of 0.5 M CaCl2 into each of the 7 test tubes. 3. Next, add 10 drops of 0.5 M solutions of each of the following solutions to the indicated test tubes, and record your observations. Allow at least 5 minutes for reactions to occur before disposing your solutions. Test Tube 1 2 MgSO4 (NH4)2C2O4 3 KNO3 4 Na3PO4 5 KBr 6 NaOH 7 K2CO3 4. Dispose of the solutions and any precipitates in the waste beakers located in the hoods. Wash your test tubes with soap and water. Rinse with tap water, then deionized water. 5. Add an amount equivalent to the size of a small pea of baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate) to a clean test tube. Add 10-20 drops of vinegar. (Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid, HC2H3O2). Record your observations. 6. IN THE HOOD, add an amount equivalent to the size of a small pea of sodium sulfite, Na2SO3, to a test tube. Add 10-20 drops of 6 M HCl. Record your observations. 7. Put 10 drops of 0.5 M nitric acid and 10 drops of 0.5 M phosphoric acid into separate test tubes. Add 1 drop of phenolphthalein to each test tube. Add drops of dilute (0.5 M) sodium hydroxide solution into each of the test tubes until a permanent color change is observed. (NOTE: Phenolphthalein is an acid-base indicator that is colorless in acidic and neutral solutions, but pink in basic solutions). HINT: When writing your net ionic equations: nitric acid is a strong acid while phosphoric acid is a weak acid. Part II: REDOX REACTIONS: 8. Add a small piece of zinc to a test tube containing 30 drops of 6 M HCl and record what happens. 9. Add a 1 inch piece of copper wire to a test tube containing 30 drops of 6 M HCl and record what happens. (Is copper an active metal or inactive metal with HCl? Look up an activity series of metals online to check). 10. IN THE HOOD, take a 2 inch piece of magnesium ribbon and hold it with a pair of crucible tongs. Light the magnesium metal with a Bunsen burner and record your observations. DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE BURNING MAGNESIUM. LABORATORY REPORT Students will write an individual or group laboratory report at the discretion of the professor. Include the following information in your laboratory report, due at the beginning of the laboratory period next week. 1. Title. Title of the experiment, your name, your partner’s name and the date the laboratory was performed. 2. Introduction. This will be your opportunity to practice writing introductions. The introduction to the lab should be about chemical reactions in general (why they are important, examples of specific types of chemical reactions such as combustion, precipitation, redox, etc.), not about how to write and balance an equation. For complete guidelines, go to â€Å"Laboratory Reports† on the Chem 1061 website. 3. Experimental Details. A description of the procedure you followed to produce the experimental data and results. Alternatively, you may reference the procedure by citing the URL’s (web addresses). 4. Results. A table or tables of your experimental data, clearly labeled with the proper units. Remember to use subscripts and superscripts where appropriate (examples: cm3 or H2O). A neat table which includes your observations from the precipitation reactions (steps 2-3) should be included in a results section as well as any observations from the remainder of the reactions in parts I and II. 5. Discussion and Conclusion. For all the reactions observed (exchange reactions and redox), write the balanced molecular equation and net ionic equation for each reaction. For each reaction, place phase labels, [(s), (l), (g), or (aq)], after each reactant and product. In addition, for the redox reactions in part II, indicate which reactant is the oxidizing agent and which one is the reducing agent. There is no need to write equations for combinations that produced no reaction. For each reaction that you observed and for which you write equations, you may provide any additional insights that you have into the reaction (was it easy/hard to observe, interesting things to note, etc.). You will also want to correlate things learned or observed with what you discussed in the introduction about reactions in general. 6. References. Citations and references to any sources you may have used for the introduction or to perform, complete, or analyze the results of the lab. 7. Follow your instructor’s directions for submission of this lab report. If you submit by email, please attach a single file with a filename convention of Lastname Firstname Reactions and a subject line of â€Å"Chem 1061: Reactions Lab†.

Free Essays on My Dream

. My dad would often test me over them and correct me if I was wrong. I have always loved dancing, singing, and playing sports. However, if there was any opportunity to improve my language skills I would leave everything behind and work on the language. During my freshman year in high school, my parents decided to pay for private tutoring. I was a quick learner and my pronunciation was â€Å"just marvelous,† as my teacher used to say. I loved it so much; the only language that I would use with my family and friends was English. Although the school was expensive, I persuaded my father to let me go to an International-American school my sophomore year. I enjoyed every moment in that school. I was able to actually practice everything that I had learned for the past few years of my English studies. I was so happy, I did not think it could get any better. Closer to the end of the school year, my dad got a job teaching in Texas. That was another wonderful opportunity to continue my education in English. It has been almost two years from the day we arrived. I am blessed to graduate from San Marcos High School. The work is not easy and there are a lot of things that I still need to catch up on, but I am willing to get better in all aspects of my education. All it takes is practice and will.... Free Essays on My Dream Free Essays on My Dream From early childhood I had a dream to learn another language. Even though I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan and already knew Azeri and Russian, I loved the sound of English. I would walk around the house with a dictionary and try pronouncing different words. I would listen and sing British and American songs without understanding the actual meaning of them, all of my dolls had English names, and my mom taught me how to introduce myself politely and say basic things in English. Day by day I applied myself and started learning vocabulary and spelling of words. My dad would often test me over them and correct me if I was wrong. I have always loved dancing, singing, and playing sports. However, if there was any opportunity to improve my language skills I would leave everything behind and work on the language. During my freshman year in high school, my parents decided to pay for private tutoring. I was a quick learner and my pronunciation was â€Å"just marvelous,† as my teacher used to say. I loved it so much; the only language that I would use with my family and friends was English. Although the school was expensive, I persuaded my father to let me go to an International-American school my sophomore year. I enjoyed every moment in that school. I was able to actually practice everything that I had learned for the past few years of my English studies. I was so happy, I did not think it could get any better. Closer to the end of the school year, my dad g ot a job teaching in Texas. That was another wonderful opportunity to continue my education in English. It has been almost two years from the day we arrived. I am blessed to graduate from San Marcos High School. The work is not easy and there are a lot of things that I still need to catch up on, but I am willing to get better in all aspects of my education. All it takes is practice and will....

10 Definition Essay Topics on Environmental Science

10 Definition Essay Topics on Environmental Science Environmental science is squarely focused on studying the environment and providing solutions to problems affecting it adversely. If you’re looking for ideas to write a definition essay on environmental science, this guide is filled with interesting and highly informative facts that should trigger your train of thought. Although studies related to ecology do not strictly come under the discipline of environmental science, it’s still often studied in detail under the same umbrella. Ecologists study the interactions between various kinds of organisms and how it all affects the environment. Ecological training and research that generally focus on environmental issues directly impacting a certain organism they are studying. An environmental scientist has the option of including organism based research in their field, like some do while others don’t. The reason some don’t is because they like to focus on environmental problems of a physical nature. Like acid depositions which are produced by emissions and are a trait of the atmosphere around them; this observation is collected without considering the impact on organisms. The environment is a very complex field of study which comprises of different sub-fields such as natural, cultural and constructed environments. The study itself is an amalgamation of other various disciplines such as biology, chemistry, geology, political studies, religion, engineering, economics and law. This multidisciplinary study combines all the aforementioned disciplines to gather information about how people interact with the natural world. A student of Environmental Science combines knowledge of various disciplines and provides relevant and effective solutions to environmental problems. The issue of unequal consumption of natural resources is raised through the discipline of Environmental Science. Natural resources are consumed heavily in the developed world and resources often go to waste in developing countries. Although it should be the other way around, the usage of resources per individual in developed countries is 50 times greater compared to the average usage in developed countries. This is why developed countries are accountable for 75% of the world’s greenhouse gases and industrial waste. Deforestation is a heated subject of focus in Environmental Science studies. It’s done for several reasons such as the establishment of agricultural lands, commercial logging, raising crops, mining, accommodation of growing population, establishing industries, mineral extraction, dam constructions and infrastructure expansion. Although the importance of all the aforementioned reasons is significant, there are several environmental issues that are caused by deforestation like food shortages, ecological instability, increasing levels of CO2 and siltation, floods, significant changes in microclimate, decrease in biodiversity, desiccation of forest soil and global warming. According to United Nations, water is a basic human right and can’t be considered an ‘economic commodity’. However, Environmental Science has led us to believe that the consumption pattern of water is increasing exponentially. There is a water scarcity threat lurking around the corner that will relentlessly affect the global population. The consumption rate is twice the population growth rate while it’s a growing concern that over a billion people don’t have access to fresh water. It is estimated that around 2025, fresh water demand will have increased by more than 56%. Environmental Science has made it possible for us to study the decline in groundwater. Population levels have been increasing significantly while daily fresh water demand has increased by 3800 cubic kilometers. Several agriculturists have also been using excessive amounts of water to grow crops. Deforestation on hill slopes can cause the loss of forest cover, leading to loss of rainwater which is supposed to nourish the ground. Hydropower generation and the usage of large dams is also contributing to the loss of groundwater. According to research by various environmental scientists food production is inadequate in almost all developing countries. All the while, populations are growing exponentially. Contributory factors include subpar agricultural practices, degradation of agricultural lands, overexploitation of fertile soil, deforestation, negligence towards the land’s ecosystem by using genetically modified seeds, degrading sea resources, shortage of nutritious food and loss of genetic diversity in crops. Water scarcity, salinization and waterlogging have also affected agricultural lands all over the world. Energy resources can have a major impact on the environment as well. Over the past decade, energy consumption has increased by 14 times compared to population growth. There are several ways energy can be made such as wind power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, solar energy, biomass power, nuclear power, electro-chemical reaction, hydrogen fuel cells, geothermal power and the commonly used fossil fuels. Due to concerns of rising temperatures, the scientific community is working tirelessly to harbor green energy sources. Untapped energy sources include the earth’s magnetic field, temperature differences, energy within combustible deposits of methyl hydrates and even a human being generates 60 watts of heat. Air pollution is one of the biggest contemporary issues that Environmental scientists have been trying to overcome, which is unavoidable due to oceanic aerosols, biogenic sources and volcanic emissions etc. Artificial pollution is the result of burning fuel, construction, chemical manufacturing and other forms of industries. There are significant effects of air pollution on human health leading to hundreds of medical complications. It also affects food crops and other kinds of plantations. One of the biggest threats to the environment is radioactivity. Environmental scientists all over the world have been trying to curb issues caused by practices such as mining of radioactive ores, radioactive materials in power plants, radioactive isotopes used in medical facilities, nuclear waste from industrial reactors etc. The   effects of radioactivity can damage cell membranes, mitochondria and cell nuclei resulting in abnormality of cell function, division, growth and ultimately death. Radioactivity also causes genetic disorders that may lead to mutation or even blood and bone cancer. You are now you one step closer towards your ideal Environmental Science topic and have the foundation of good research. To learn more, head over to our next guide: 20 environmental essay topics for your college assignment followed by definition essay guide for these topics, which should provide further insights into writing a unique and impressive definition essay on any Environmental Science related topic. References: Wright, R. T., Boorse, D. (2011). Environmental Science: Toward A Sustainable Future. Boston: Benjamin Cummings. Miller, G. T., Spoolman, S. (n.d.). Environmental science. Withgott, J., Laposata, M. (2014). Environment The Science Behind The Stories. Boston, Mass.: Pearson. Cunningham, W. P., Cunningham, M. A. (2013). Principles of Environmental Science: Inquiry Applications. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Klein, N. (2015). This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. New York: Simon Schuster paperbacks. Enger, E. D., Smith, B. F. (n.d.). Environmental science: A study of interrelationships. Cunningham, W. P., Cunningham, M. A. (n.d.). Environmental science: A global concern.

History of the First Crossword Puzzles

History of the First Crossword Puzzles A crossword puzzle is a game of words where the player is given a hint and the number of letters. The player then fills in a grid of boxes by finding the right words. Liverpool journalist, Arthur Wynne invented the first crossword puzzle. Arthur Wynne Arthur Wynne was born on June 22, 1871, in Liverpool, England. He immigrated to the United States at the age of nineteen. He first lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and worked for the Pittsburgh Press newspaper. An interesting side-note was that Wynne also played violin in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Later, Arthur Wynne moved to Cedar Grove, New Jersey and started working for a New York City-based newspaper called the New York World. He wrote the first crossword puzzle for the New York World, published on Sunday, December 21, 1913. The editor had asked Wynne to invent a new game for the papers Sunday entertainment section. Word-Cross to Cross-Word to Crossword Arthur Wynnes first crossword puzzle was initially called word-cross and was diamond-shaped. The name later switched to cross-word, and then as a result of an accidental typo the hyphen was dropped and the name became crossword. Wynne based his crossword puzzle on a similar but much older game played in ancient Pompeii that translated from Latin to English was called Magic Squares. In Magic Squares, the player is given a group of words and has to arrange them on a grid so that the words read the same way across and down. A crossword puzzle is very similar, except instead of being given the words the player is given clues. Arthur Wynne added other innovations to the crossword puzzle. While the first puzzle was diamond-shaped, he later invented horizontal and vertical shaped puzzles; and Wynne invented the use of adding blank black squares to a crossword puzzle. The crossword puzzle in a British publication was published in Pearsons Magazine in February 1922. The first New York Times crossword was published on February 1, 1930. First Book of Crossword Puzzles According to the Guinness Book of Records, the first collection of crossword puzzles was published in the USA in 1924. Called The Cross Word Puzzle Book was the first publication by a new partnership formed by Dick Simon and Lincoln Schuster. The book, a compilation of crossword puzzles from the newspaper New York World, was an instant success and helped to establish publishing giant Simon Schuster, who continue to produce crossword books to this day. Crossword Weaver In 1997, Crossword Weaver was patented by Variety Games Inc. Crossword Weaver was the first computer software program that created crossword puzzles.

Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing Strategy - Essay Example Magners has a lot of strong competitors in the cider market. Most of these competitors have existed for decades now. During the early 1990s, Diamond White and Max were a major rage all over. This was before alcopops took over and nudged traditional drinks on a corner. During the 1960s and 1970s, pear cider gained a lot of popularity. This was a result of the marketing campaign by Baby champ. The industry continues to grow and has grown its set of competitors in the market over the years. The industry is of the view that the current renaissance will take the somewhere. Some major set of competitors include Scottish, Newcastle and Constellation Europe. They have spent a lot of moolah on promotional campaigns and advertisements to promote Cider. What remains to be seen is to what extend will each of these big wigs fare in the market. When Magner was launched initially, it was perceived as a drink for teenagers and park benchers. Since then it has gone through a makeover. They have come up with various ways to promote their brand. Most notably by lowering the alcoholic content in the bottle, serving it chilled and by launching a 30 million advertising campaign. Magner soon regained its position via this and grew by 33 %. Rivals did not rest low. They were quick to react as they saw potential in the cider market. Magner’s success thus paved way for a huge influx of other brands. Scottish and New Castle as mentioned earlier were quick to re-launch their Bulmer’s. They were all over the market and Bulmer’s had a massive marketing campaign wherein its packaging was identical to that of Magners.

Financial Accounting and Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial Accounting and Reporting - Essay Example 4. Customers Customers use financial information to assess the financial position of a company and its ability to supply goods or services stably for a long period. 5. Employees Employees need to know the profitability of their company, its ability to remunerate them in the long term and to ensure their job security (Elliott, 2008). LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ON ACCOUNTS PREPARATION The accounts must be submitted to the tax authorities, corporation tax should be on the basis of the company’s profits. This is done at the end of the financial year. The company’s accounts must be made public by filling them in the house of companies (Horngren, 2002). They must be submitted by the company within nine months after the financial year end. The accounts must be accurate and directors have a legal responsibility of ensuring that the accounts are accurate. The use of an accountant does not reduce the responsibility (Webster, 2004). The financial statements that must be prepared include; balance sheet, profit and loss account, notes to the accounts, director’s report and auditor’s report. The balance sheet must be signed by the director, and a printed name of the director must be included (Horngren, 2002). The accounts should be prepared in conformity of internationally accepted financial reporting standards. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTNERSHIP AND SOLE TRADER ACCOUNTS A sole trader’s earnings are subject to tax in the self-employment category while a partnership is subject to corporation tax (Elliott, 2008). The accounts of a sole trader seize to exist upon death of the trader while those of a partnership continue to exist since it is a legal person. A partnerships’ accounts contain capital comprised of shares of stock which are categorized into preference and ordinary shares (Webster, 2004). A sole trader’s account contains capital raised from other sources like from personal savings or soft loans. The partnership has to file its leg al accounts with the state while a sole trader’s account need not to be filed with the state (Horngren, 2004). A sole trader accounts mostly include incomplete financial records while a partnership must prepare financial statements in conformity with the statutory requirements. The accounts of a sole trader are usually voluntarily prepared while those of a partnership are a statutory requirement. ?'000' Stock ?'000' Balance b/d 4000          Cash balance 250 Balance c/f 4250       4250    4250    Bank Balance b/d 3310 Stock 250          Balance c/f 3060       3310    3310    Telephone Balance b/d 580          Accruals 82 Balance c/f 662       662    662    Advertising Balance b/d 3300 Prepaid 337       Balance c/f 2963    3300    3300             Wages Balance b/d 6650       Accrual 123 Balance c/f 6773    6773    6773             Motor Expenses Balance b/d 1460 Prepaid 42       Balance c/f 1418    1460    1460             Accountancy Fee Balance b/d 326 balance c/f 326    326    326             Debtors    Balance b/d 4500 depreciation 225       Balance c/f 4275    4500    4500             Doubtful Debts Balance b/d 120       Debtors 225 Balance c/f 345    345    345             Fixed Assets Balance b/d 24000 Depreciation 7700       Charge 4075       Balance c/d 12225    24000    24000             Depreciation Balance b/d 7700       Charge 4075 Balance c/d 11775    11775    11775 sherwood Trial balance As at 31.1.2013 Dr ?'000' Cr ?'000' Stock 4250 Sales 43000 Sales returns 980

PA Design Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PA Design Report - Assignment Example In an effort to increase the level of insulating sound in the arena, the material that was used for construction is reinforced concrete. It is among the few European arenas which is featured with a seating of 360 degrees. The arena is one of the busiest in the globe. It has millions of visitors streaming in every year to attend live music, comedy, tours, musicals and sporting events. A public address system is a system of electronics which comprises of a loudspeaker, an amplifier and a microphone and I geared towards amplifying the voice or sound of the speaker or recorded audio so as to permit effective communication with a large group of people. Public address systems play a very key role in the society. They are used in several places where their use is almost virtually indispensable. These include noisy places such as railway terminus, market places, churches, airports, harbors and the like. They are used to facilitate numerous functions which include campaigning in political ral lies; reaching to large multitudes; advertising and making sales in crowded places; making open air prayers among Muslim societies and the like. The Manchester Evening News Arena mostly uses or requires a public address system for functions such as announcing the performer in the next music or sport event; announcing the scores in a sports activity; transmitting the address of guests in attendance to the occupants of the arena; making announcements regarding procedures of departure or refreshment among several others. Concert The concert for which this design I slated is Rock band concert which shall be graced by the popular Aerosmith band. They shall be entertaining an expected huge crowd of people who shall come out to party given the reputation of the band. It is expected to be an all entertaining show piece which shall be in the form of a live music performance by the band. The Arena is very big and with the huge crowd that shall throng it, the Public address system that is nece ssary for the concert has got to be top notch. Major Design consideration The major factor of consideration in the design of a public address system is the space and pathway for the wiring lines and the public address system equipment. The design should create clear cut path ways where the cables shall pass so as to avoid human interference with the system. In the event that the cables are laid in the paths where there is constant traffic, there is a high chance that the traffic might stumble upon the wires and accidentally cut one, a number of or all of them. In this case, the public address system shall miserably fail (BARNETT, WOODGATE, JONES, & INGLIS 1991). What is worse is the fact that it might take a very long time to identify where the problem is before fixing it. This shall cause a delay in the schedule and a total mayhem in the arena. The best design of public address system for the arena is thus one which has all the cables buried in pipes underground and in concrete wal ls or pillars. The speakers and equipment should also be connected in parallel and not in series. Equipment connected in series have the tendency of all failing in the event where one of them fails. On the contrary, equipment connected in parallel keep working even after one of them or a number of them have failed. Sound on stage The stage is where a bulk of the activities shall be taking place as it shall be focus of attention. All eyes shall be on the stage and of course so shall be all

Unfair Employment Practices Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Unfair Employment Practices - Assignment Example Unfair Employment Practices This will allow for the application fair practices as regards to individuals wage, hours of work. It also helps to provide an opportunity for employers and employees to talk and solve issues arising within the organization. The law has the powers and the right to protect employees by allowing them to join organizations. 1. According to Morris, (2004), the national labor relations act employers are prohibited from interfering with any affairs of the trade union. Therefore, the human resource manager should summon the truck drivers’ representatives and advise them on their union rights. S/he should advice them on how to file complaints in the court and the various processes involved for them to become non-union members. Employers who feel their rights and those of other employers are being violated should report to the national labor relations board (Mikva, 1986). This should take place within six months after the unlawful act has been committed. The employees should inquire abo ut the violations with the human resource manager outside the scheduled hours for work or may consult any other person who has the knowledge regarding labor issues. The employee or employees may then go ahead and file a case regarding the unlawful acts (Warm, 1938-1939). Since human resource manager has knowledge on employee’s dissatisfaction with the union, s/he should continue the negotiations in good faith. He/she should also put efforts to ensure the negotiations are successful so that they can reach a written and binding agreement regarding the terms and conditions of employment. 2. Employees have a right to form unions at their own consent. The national labor relation act prohibits the employer to question the employee regarding their labor union support in a manner that is likely to discourage the individual from engaging into the union activities. The employer should also not apply any discrimination when hiring employees for a given job because of their interest into getting into a union (Warm, 1938-1939). Therefore, the employee should not be discriminated but should be given the job. The employee has a right to encourage fellow employees to get into a union. These employees should not be discriminated against due to their efforts. 3. To reduce the high rates of strikes in the organization employers and trade unions enter into negotiations to reach a binding written agreement. When negotiating parties fail to agree, the employees have a right to go on strike. It is the right of employees to organize with one or more workers any activities that are geared towards improving the working standards of other employees in the organization. Employees can achieve this by raising issues with the employers or government bodies concerned with labor activities. If these issues are not solved, employees have a right to go on strike to air their grievances. The national labor relations board handles all negotiations that have reached a dead end. Therefore, t he company and the union representatives should report their grievances to the national labor relations board (Warm, 1938-1939). During a strike, employer can seek employee replacements. The employees can also be permanently replaced but cannot be terminated from the organization. The organization has the duty to reinstate all the striking employees at the end of the strike to their former positions as long as the employees have

How do old design techniques differs from the new technological ones Essay

How do old design techniques differs from the new technological ones - Essay Example Are these new methods better in quality as compared to the preceding old methods? This paper will aim at trying to answer the question concerning the quality of the old methods in design as compared to the current design methods, which have a computer-precise technological aspect. Although new technology such as CAD can deliver highly precise designs and measurements, older design methods and practices which could not depend on computer technology had some meaningful value worth preserving. One of the earliest design practices in general is a period of apprenticeship. This form of on-the-job training can be referred to as a system steeped in antiquity. For instance, the practice is mentioned in Hammurabi’s code of ancient Babylon written around 4,000 years ago: ‘A craftsman often adopted a son to learn the craft. He profited by the sons labour. If he failed to teach his son the craft, that son could prosecute him and get the contract annulled. This was a form of apprenticeship, and it is not clear that the apprentice had any filial relation’ (Horne, 1915) at this time in history. The greatest asset for a designer was the technical knowledge the apprentice could learn from his master. This method can be said of great quality as compared to the new technological design methods because the knowledge obtained in such methods of design were practical and provided contextual knowledge which is hard to get in a classroom. Compared to the ancient methods of apprenticeship instruction for great works such as the pyramids or ancient temples, design instruction practices moved away from this tradition and became largely theoretical, employing the practical element very limitedly. For instance, during the medieval period of the fifth to the fifteenth centuries AD, great cathedrals were designed throughout Western Europe by inexact measurements, probably the correlation between sets of dividers, one small, the other large. At this point in

Change management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Change management - Essay Example Change management has received increasing attention especially in the nursing practice. A notable area to change is the handover system in order to improved efficiency and save both time and resources.Change is difficult for stakeholders and it takes a dedicated leadership to ensure that it happens successfully. The best model of change for this case is the Three Step Lewin’s Model. Change goes through three basic steps namely: freezing, moving and unfreezing. For change to successfully occur, the leadership should be visionary and motivate its employees towards the required direction. Principles in the practice are based on the stipulations of the NHS and other governing bodies. This paper aims to discuss change management using the Lewin’s model, improvement of the handover system in the given case as well as different types of leadership and policies affecting the practice in the UK. Transforming the bedside handover system has emerged as a means of improving neonata l care in hospitals as explained by Marshall and Coughlin (2010). The current bedside system in the hospital is bedside handover but some modifications can be made to improve efficiency. The new changes are to be based on safety of the infants, patient centred care, value added processes and team vitality. These aspects are the foundation of the change process to be used in the hospital by using the Three Step Lewin’s Model. ... Mullins (2002): Higgs and Rowland (2000) assert that leadership varies according to situations and organizations. Burdett Trust for Nursing (2006) stresses on the importance on leadership in nursing, it should be done in accordance to the set rules and regulations in the field. Royal Nursing College (2008); RCN (2003); Department of Health (2011) and Department of Health (2009) state the policies that have been made over the years to introduce change in nursing. Studies done on the bedside handover system One of the studies concerning bedside handover was conducted in Queensland hospital in 2009. This study was done on only ten patients to find out their perspective on bedside handover. The study observed the patients’ approach to the bedside handover system (Murray et al. 2011). The participants were questioned on the advantages and disadvantages. Their current role in the system and the role played by family members and other members of the medical team. The issues arising f rom this study were: most patients supported the inclusive handover system, others appreciated passive engagement and others viewed it as an opportunity to correct the information being passed. From this study, we can conclude that effective bedside handover provides patients to participate in their care. Another study was conducted in Ipswich hospital where the practice had been in place for over two years. The study was conducted in three wards in a total of thirty days, thirty four nurses were interviewed. The bedside handover had worked efficiently in the hospital. The staff members interviewed had positive feelings about the system since it was introduced. This study demonstrates on the efficiency of bedside handover and

How do old design techniques differs from the new technological ones Essay

How do old design techniques differs from the new technological ones - Essay Example Are these new methods better in quality as compared to the preceding old methods? This paper will aim at trying to answer the question concerning the quality of the old methods in design as compared to the current design methods, which have a computer-precise technological aspect. Although new technology such as CAD can deliver highly precise designs and measurements, older design methods and practices which could not depend on computer technology had some meaningful value worth preserving. One of the earliest design practices in general is a period of apprenticeship. This form of on-the-job training can be referred to as a system steeped in antiquity. For instance, the practice is mentioned in Hammurabi’s code of ancient Babylon written around 4,000 years ago: ‘A craftsman often adopted a son to learn the craft. He profited by the sons labour. If he failed to teach his son the craft, that son could prosecute him and get the contract annulled. This was a form of apprenticeship, and it is not clear that the apprentice had any filial relation’ (Horne, 1915) at this time in history. The greatest asset for a designer was the technical knowledge the apprentice could learn from his master. This method can be said of great quality as compared to the new technological design methods because the knowledge obtained in such methods of design were practical and provided contextual knowledge which is hard to get in a classroom. Compared to the ancient methods of apprenticeship instruction for great works such as the pyramids or ancient temples, design instruction practices moved away from this tradition and became largely theoretical, employing the practical element very limitedly. For instance, during the medieval period of the fifth to the fifteenth centuries AD, great cathedrals were designed throughout Western Europe by inexact measurements, probably the correlation between sets of dividers, one small, the other large. At this point in

People, Organizations and Society Essay Example for Free

People, Organizations and Society Essay Most people are individually different from one another it varies from behavior, character, attitude, lifestyles and importantly the social status. We sometimes ask ourselves why are there many people who have bad traits and good traits and sometimes having diverse mood swings and frame of mind. Different theories coming from different psychiatrist and psychologist are the concrete foundation of behavioral factors. In order for us to understand the behavior of every human being, it is better to describe the two types of conditioning which involves learning process and behavior, the classical conditioning and operant conditioning. We will discuss the similarities and dissimilarities of these two types of conditioning and further relates these two to many dimensional examples of an individual’s behavior and also that of an animal pattern of behavior. Defining Classical and Operant Conditioning In order to explore the clarity of classical and operant conditioning, it is healthier to examine and define the subject from which they are strongly associated and originated which is learning. Classical and operant conditioning has several similarities on learning such as the process of extinction, unprompted recovery, stimulus conclusion, biasness and superior directive condition or secondary reinforcement. Also, it is similar because they both generate basic occurrence and phenomena which is acquisition which result in the inheritance of a behavior (SocialPC). Classical and operant conditioning are similar in some ways but they do varies in a few ways and are equally dependable method to explain and educate a person or an animal in a specific situation. Learning is any comparatively lasting transformation in behavior and manners generated by an experience (MegaEssays, 2007). These two conditioning are the two types of several theories on learning. Classical conditioning is an important type of learning which was uncovered by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist who emphasized this observable fact through his experiments on the digestive patterns in dogs (Heffner, 2004). It is a connection of one occurrence or happening with another that results in a pattern of behavior (MegaEssays, 2007). A classic example of this phenomenon is the research done by Pavlov on his dog in which he discovered a dog’s drive to produce saliva while responding to a certain stimuli, in which a reaction or spontaneous effect that was unconscious and unintentional. When he rang a bell and was offered a food to the dog, the dog recognized it and associated the food with the bell. In this case, the bell is the conditioned stimulus while food was an unconditioned stimulus. In addition, classical conditioning often linked with muscles and reflexes and instincts. It is a very important component of a training program in which we can comprehend and figure out conditioned and unconditioned stimulus or reinforcement, species exact behaviors, inducing dislike stimuli, and feelings (2007). It is significant in understanding in dealing with problems relating to fear. Another finding confirmed the thought that we build up reactions to certain stimuli that are not naturally occurring, for example when we touch a hot stove, our response is to remove our hands back from the hot stove but now some people who already experienced after getting burned tend to pull their hands back even when the stove is turned off. This lead to Pavlov’s conclusion that people tend to relate or connect one particular experience which caused a person to simplify their reaction to one stimuli into an impartial stimuli in which it is matched with. In short, a stove burner is often associated with an expression in pain like ouch and then stove is equal to burner hence, a stove is also equal to an expression like ouch (Heffner, 2004). A lot of people’s behavior these days is formed by the combination of stimuli according to Heffner. Some observations and experience like the smell of a perfume or a particular scent, a certain song and things has been paired with a specific person or group like families, friends, ex-lover, loved ones, or a particular event or happening. These connections controls and influence us to a certain extent and in fact we have been conditioned classically (Heffner, 2004). On the other hand, operant conditioning is a type of learning experience which involves on how an organism functions or operates in a particular environment, learning here takes place as a consequence of behavior. This was termed used by Skinner in explaining the results of the consequences of a particular behavior on the future incidents or happenings of that behavior (MaricopaCenter, 1999). There are four types of operant conditioning: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction. In order to explain it further, an example could better explore its meaning; a cat was placed inside a box which has a single exit and entrance. The box has only one button to be pressed to open the door, the cat strived to get out from the box since freedom here is reinforced. In its effort to escape, the area of the box was set off and the door opens which leads the cat to be released from the enclosed box. But this does not end the story, the experience of the cat once placed again in the box, the cat will immediately escape since the cat will immediately recall the experience last time and will once locate again the button to push. Learning from experience is the concept from the example, the cat learned from the experience through natural results and how to achieve or acquire the reinforcing freedom (Heffner, 2004). Let’s pick a broader and relevant experience in the past, several times the Philippines were colonized by different conquerors and explorers and this colonization was strongly connected with harassment, violence, sexual abuse of women, forced labor, poverty and many more. The initial reaction is to obey and follow because freedom here is not welcome. Food and water is scarce and people would rely on the given ration, in order to get that food, one must steal more food to accumulate one’s hunger. Once again, freedom is reinforced here. The people of this nation once weakened but tried to learn from their experience not to be placed in a box where freedom is impartial. They have to press a button like the cat to open the door for freedom and find the answer from that experience. It’s like every individual who naturally encountered past mistakes presumably that individual will recall that mistake when things similar to that situation happens again. Same situation for positive outcome is true where effects from that outcome you did last time will likely do that same again. Four types of operant conditioning (Heffner, 2004): Positive reinforcement: this happening is often associated to anything stimulus which strengthens the probability of a specific response which are expressed in praise or rewards. A good example is when a parent appreciated a child’s good work after they have done something positive like cleaning their own room. This will increase the possibility that the same reaction will be repeated. Negative reinforcement: this constitute on the elimination of a particular negative stimulus which is reinforcing in order to increase a response. An example of this is a nagging mother who always scolded her daughter or son to clean their house every week. After telling and complaining to their friends about the distressing words it counters and lastly performs the chore and eventually stopped the nagging. Punishment: this refers to adding together something induced dislike in order to lessen a behavior. Disciplining by way of spanking is the most common example of a specific misconduct. Punishment is disliked and will surely avoid it by behaving in a good manner. Extinction: When something is removed so as to lessen a behavior is called extinction. Example is when a child owns and addicted to a teddy bear which irritates a child’s asthma will likely to react initially but for the parents it is positive that the teddy bear be removed to decrease levels of negative outcome like grasping for air when sniffed a fabric or cotton from the teddy bear. Relevance and application to business sector: In the business sector these two types of learning method has a significant advantage and guarantee positive outcome in the future. Less emphasis on classical conditioning, the operant conditioning is more likely to apply in designing a training course or let’s say changing an employee from a specific behavior in the workplace. Since operant conditioning involves on how it operates in a certain environment and learning takes place as a result of the behavior, we will be more focused on the positive reinforcement which is a very good tool for improving an employee on its negative behavior in the workplace. However, there are times that positive reinforcement would not work so other method can be used such as negative reinforcement, punishment and extinction. Let’s take a common example of a negative manner seen in an employee like tardiness, sleeping, delayed reports, absenteeism, abuse of policies and many other unnecessary manners. In order to alleviate and ease the tension in the way it is practiced, the management can formulate a positive reinforcement like giving importance to the people who always come on time and are constantly prompt in coming to the office. This can be done through rewards and additional compensation and acknowledgement. While those employees who are intensively late all the time despite of warnings from the management should be more reprimanded and disciplined by giving them penalty. The concept of punishment is generated here to reduce tardiness and eventually employees will dislike the penalty or punishment and surely avoid the misconduct by coming on time and perform their duties in a timely manner. Negative reinforcement may or may not work as a method to prevent misconduct in a workplace since it dismays or disappoints an employee because it’s sometimes involves verbal reinforcement to decrease negative stimulus, this is more applicable to a parent-child relationship but for employees, it’s not lasting and holistic and possibly produce a unprincipled outcome.

ASDA Business Strategy

ASDA Business Strategy ASDA is the UKs second largest supermarket chain, holding a 17.2% market share in the UK over 2013/2014 (Kantar Worldpanel, 2014). It was purchased in 1999 and became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the US Public Limited Company, Walmart. In order to analyse the business environment, this essay will first consider the ASDA Groups internal environment, including their objectives, policies, organisational structure and reputation. The second focus will be the external environment; first the range of competitors in the market, followed by a PESTLE (Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Legal, Environmental/Ethical) analysis, to develop a holistic summary of the external environment. Where appropriate, several sections of the PESTLE analysis have been merged to create a more accurate summary of the external environment. Internal Objectives and Policies ASDAs primary operations consist of retail of food, apparel, general merchandise and other services (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). Their strategic objectives are to provide high quality products, exceed consumer desires and reduce costs (ASDA Group Ltd, 2010; ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). They have an additional series of sustainability objectives designed to reduce environmental impact and reduce operating costs simultaneously. Walmart, ASDAs ultimate parent company, are focused on the opportunities provided by the e-commerce market (Walmart, 2014). To that end, ASDA provides both online shopping and delivery services and a Click and Collect programme, allowing customers to order products online for collection from a local ASDA branch (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). ASDA have developed a growth strategy, combining expanding reach online and physically, with reduced operating costs overall. They have also identified the need for innovation and expansion into new product ranges, expanding their brand identity. As part of the Walmart group, they benefit from the research and development of other Walmart subsidiaries (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013; Walmart, 2014). In 2013, in the midst of the recession, ASDA continued to open 15 new stores and has opened more in 2014 (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). Structure Walmart purchased ASDA in 1999, demonstrating a strategy of growth by acquisition. Following this, ASDA has used its core competencies of providing low-cost, good-quality products to gain market share and has become the second largest supermarket brand in the UK. As a subsidiary of Walmart, ASDA is provided with certain benefits. ASDA particularly benefits from the IT expertise from its parent company, in addition to benefitting from the research and development of other Walmart group members (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). Walmart also benefits by adopting best practices developed by ASDA from their online grocery shopping service (Walmart, 2014). Members of the Walmart group are also able to take advantage of intercompany loans to provide internal financing opportunities. ASDA has over 500 locations in the UK, ranging from supercentres down to supermarkets. This range of shopping facilities is designed to meet customer needs at different levels (ASDA Group Ltd, 2010; Euromonitor International, 2014). They have implemented a price guarantee, ensuring prices remain consistent across ASDA stores, regardless of their size; this is intended to challenge other brands with higher prices in smaller, local supermarket branches (ASDA Group Ltd, 2010). Reputation ASDA have also been able to leverage the reputation of their US parent company and were the first major UK retailer to introduce a Black Friday shopping event in 2013. This was repeated in 2014 by many retailers and drew many customers to take advantage of the low-cost goods. ASDAs reputation for low-cost, high-quality goods can also be leveraged in their growth strategy. Their efforts to reduce operating costs and subsequent price reductions for consumers is intended to be appealing to price-conscious consumers (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). As detailed below, this is a growing attitude among the UK supermarket customer-base and provides a possible avenue for growth. External Competitors ASDA faces direct from ALDI and LIDL, two supermarket chains who share similar core competencies to ALDI, in that they offer low-cost, high-quality goods. Unlike ASDA, however, ALDI and LIDL offer a range of limited availability products, alongside their food retail. ASDA, by contrast, offers a wider range of general products, available via their online services and in their larger hypermarkets. ASDA is second of the UKs four largest supermarkets. Tesco holds the largest UK market share with 28.7%, and Sainsburys and Morrisons are next with 16.4% and 11.1% respectively (Kantar Worldpanel, 2014). ALDI and LIDL have grown significantly in recent years (Ruddick, 2014), it has been predicted that the profit margins of larger supermarkets, including ASDA, will have smaller profit margins in the short term (Beardsworth, 2014). Political, Legal, Environmental Ethical The House of Lords released a report in early 2014 challenging food waste in the EU and particularly in the UK (Harriet, 2014; House of Lords European Union Committee, 2014). In their report they argued that retailers, including supermarkets such as ASDA, bear significant responsibility for preventing food waste. Specifically, retailers have a responsibility to ensure that customers are aware of how to store food, ensure date labelling is appropriate, avoid cancellation of grown food orders after it has been produced (Harriet, 2014; House of Lords European Union Committee, 2014). Additionally, it explicitly stated: It is clear that retailers must assume a far greater responsibility for the prevention of food waste in the home. Retailers must ensure that incentives and promotions offered to consumers do not transfer waste from the store to the household. (House of Lords European Union Committee, 2014, p. 26). The House of Commons Business Select Committee also considered investigating reports of supermarket aggression when dealing with suppliers, using their market power to demand prices that suppliers cannot sustain (Armitage, 2014). This was motivated by reports of behaviour from Tesco, a competitor of ASDA. ASDA submitted evidence to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee summarising their dedication to sustainability and positive mutually beneficial relations with suppliers in 2011 (House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, 2012). Additionally, they have instituted a policy of minimising food waste by sending no food waste to landfill sites. Instead, food is either given to charities or converted into alternative products. Another source of difficulty is the Food Standards Agencys year-long survey on campylobacter contamination in supermarket chickens. This bacteria is the most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, however it can be killed via normal cooking processes as long as food is properly cooked. The interim findings of this survey showed ASDA to have the highest rate of contamination of raw chicken products across UK supermarkets, above the industry average (Food Standards Agency, 2014) ASDA has agreed to install a new steam sterilisation technology to test the efficacy in reducing contamination. The press have publicised these contamination rates in a pejorative manner, with headlines such as Asda exposed as supermarket with dirtiest chicken (Hyde, 2014) and Supermarket chickens: 70% affected by food bug (BBC News, 2014). This, combined with the condemnation of consumer groups, including Which? (Which?, 2014), poses a significant threat to ASDAs reputation. This political environment could provide new difficulties for ASDA, with the need to introduce new decontamination facilities in their factories and the associated costs this entails. Additionally, the pejorative press response could have a severe impact on ASDAs reputation. The House of Lords Committees criticism of supermarket promotions and incentives could also impact ASDAs retail activities. If such promotions are legislated against, ASDA would be deprived of a major means of drawing price-conscious consumers. Economic Socio-Cultural In 2011 Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, announced that the global financial crisis had significantly impacted standards of living and would continue to do so for the foreseeable future (Bank of England, 2011). 2014 was the first time in 5 years that average pay increased more than inflation, suggesting a possible upturn in the economy (Peston, 2014). This has led to a reduction in consumers disposable income and this in turn has impacted their spending habits in stores. ASDA has been aware of this and has taken efforts to reduce operating costs to offset inflationary pressures on prices (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). Traditionally, supermarkets had a close link to cultural identity among UK shoppers, based on the British class system (Wallop, 2013). Supermarkets such as Waitrose and Marks Spencer were traditionally associated with upper-middle and upper class customers, while ASDA was traditionally seen as a working class supermarket (Jeffries, 2004). In recent years however, this sense of identity has been disrupted by a combination of the global recession, and the rise of the budget supermarkets ALDI and LIDL. Both brands have been widely accepted by the British middle class, and a wider cultural attitude of thrift and pride in finding savings and low-cost products has developed. In the 2014 Christmas season, Aldi and Lidl, the discount supermarket chains drew a significant portion of the market from other supermarket brands (Butler, 2014) indicating that consumer buying decisions are motivated by price over other socio-economic factors. This could explain ASDAs recent rise to the second largest market shareholder in Britain, due to its core competency in providing low-cost, good-quality products to customers. Where previously, consumers may have had a negative association with ASDAs emphasis on low-cost products, in the recession era, consumers are more concerned with product prices. Technological Walmart, ASDAs ultimate parent company, have noted the rising significance of e-commerce and have begun developing this across Walmart and its subsidiaries (Walmart, 2014). In the UK, there has been a particular focus on ASDAs Click Collect service (Walmart, 2014), through which customers order products online and can collect them from a local ASDA store, widening the range of products they can access. The strategy consultants, OCC, identified Click and Collect as the probable largest source of growth in e-commerce in 2015 (Felsted, 2014). ASDAs competitor, Tesco, offer a similar service, available in over 350 collection points (Felsted, 2014; Tesco, 2014). ASDA is well-suited for this focus on Click Collect and other e-commerce services; as a subsidiary of Walmart, they are provided with IT services from their parent company, giving them access to the resources of a larger firm, with a wide range of experience in e-commerce (ASDA Group Ltd, 2013). Summary Overall, ASDAs external environment is relatively troubled; UK standards of living were significantly reduced by the global economic crisis and only recently have signs indicated that this could improve. This has reduced the disposable income of ASDAs target markets. However, because of ASDAs focus on low-cost products, this could have actually benefitted ASDA, allowing them to become the second largest supermarket brand. The economic crisis has altered the UKs socio-cultural trends, encouraging a savings-focussed attitude, with customers altering their buying habits to pursue better deals. ASDA has also faced difficulties in its public reputation, particularly due to the Food Standards Agencys survey into campylobacter contamination in chicken. ASDAs chicken stocks and suppliers were found to have the worst contamination rates among supermarkets, above the industry average. This finding was well publicised in the press in late November and its full impact may not have been identified yet. ASDA have identified the difficult external environment of UK retail and have oriented their policies to suit the situation. They have endeavoured to gain price leadership, charging the same as or less than their competitors for many household products, in order to draw price-conscious customers. Additionally, they have taken efforts to minimise their own operating costs, using these savings to offset inflationary pressures and passing the savings on to consumers. ASDA have chosen to diversify their focus beyond store-based services. They have invested significantly into technological development, particularly with their Click and Collect service. External strategy consultants OCC have identified these services as having high growth potential in coming years. ASDA have chosen to capitalise on the troubled economic environment by reinforcing their core competency, providing customers with low-cost, good-quality goods, leveraging their reputation as a low-cost supermarket to take advantage of the low disposable income. They have also used this period to advance their technological development, with technical support from their parent company. References Armitage, J. (2014, September 25). 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Retrieved from Bloomberg:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-17/aldi-and-lidl-to-capture-10-percent-of-u-k-grocery-market.html Butler, S. (2014, December 16). Merry Lidl Christmas for German discount supermarkets. Retrieved from The Guardian:  http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/dec/16/lidl-christmas-supermarkets-aldi-asda-tesco-morrisons-sainsburys Euromonitor International. (2014). Passport: ASDA Stores Ltd in Retailing (United Kingdom). Euromonitor International. Felsted, A. (2014, April 21). Click and collect poised to overtake home delivery. Retrieved from The Financial Times:  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ac9e120-c653-11e3-ba0e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3NNAjRRvL Food Standards Agency. (2014, November 27). Retail survey on levels of campylobacter in chicken published. Retrieved from The Food Standards Agency:  http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2014/13251/campylobacter-survey Harriet, D. (2014, April 6). MPs accuse supermarkets of morally repugnant food waste. 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