Saturday, December 28, 2019

Support Group field experience Essay - 795 Words

Compulsive gamblers groups were of high interest to me, because my father was an obsessive gambler. The group was spearheaded by a lady who is a LPC. In Gam-Anon the member will experience relief from anxiety by accepting the fact of powerlessness over the problem in the family. The heavy load of responsibility for the gambling problem is lifted and the agonizing guilt in regard to failures is gradually alleviated. The energy wasted in attempts to stop loved ones from gambling can be channeled into more useful methods of problem solving. The group meets every Thursday. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop gambling. There are no dues or fees for Gamblers Anonymous membership; we are self-supporting through our own†¦show more content†¦I believe that some of the group members will leave differently than before they arrived because of this particular program and group, The theoretical framework was somewhat dictatorship on today; I learned that the tone that the facilitator sets for the majority of the session is how the session runs. This is actually how I figured the sessions would be run, but to be aware that always expect the unexpected at any time. You must also be ready to adjust to whatever it is happening at that particular moment. This particular session appears to be more somber with quite a bit of silence and skepticism. Why this climate I asked myself? I really don’t know. I would suggest to the facilitator to have some kind of activity that she uses as an icebreaker. This would help get the communication going between the members. A specific skill that I have that would hinder me as an effective group leader is my ability to shut down once I got ticked off. This skill is useful in other settings to cool down situations. My last observation session began with the group leader introducing all members present. She also announced to the group that this was my last time attending. This stage of the sessio ns was supposed to be more intense because this was a 6 week program. The group leader was going to be more of a facilitator during this process allowing theShow MoreRelatedSmall Group Observation : Purpose, And Dynamics Of The Group1491 Words   |  6 PagesSmall Group Observation Paper Type, Purpose, and Dynamics of the Group The Small Group Observation assignment provided the opportunity to experience a self-help group and better understand the intentions, purpose, and functions of support groups. The particular group that I observed was provided through my field agency, Richland 2 School District, for all interns serving as school social workers. The small group is considered a task group that is centered around giving an additional layer of supportRead MoreA Research On Field Trips1622 Words   |  7 PagesRecent research has been conducted investigating the effectiveness of field trips and what it takes to plan and execute a successful educational trip. Field trips have been shown to engage students and increase student knowledge. The informal learning environment provided by field trips allows students to be more relaxed and encourages social interaction (Behrendt Franklin, 2014). According to Behrendt and Franklin (2014), field trips generate positive student attitudes and increase student inte restRead MoreA Research Career As An Experimental Physical Chemist823 Words   |  4 Pagesphysical chemist. I am grateful that I have found my passion that I found early in life and have been supported by my family and society. My educational experiences in Korea and the U.S. have demonstrated to me that the social support and infrastructure are immensely important for individuals to live out their passion, especially in the STEM field. As a female physical chemist who pursues an academic research, I will strive to contribute to making an inclusive and supportive scientific community.Read MoreEssay On Classroom Observation1225 Words   |  5 PagesEach classroom observation I have completed has led to a more productive learning experience, and I have been able to view teaching theories and strategy first hand. Through my classroom field experience I have had several opportunities to help with different classroom activities such as work with small groups of students, clarifying co ncepts for individual students, and aiding students with technology. I observed three different classrooms a 3rd and 4th grade class at a private school, a 6th gradeRead MoreThe Field Of Social Work911 Words   |  4 PagesThe field of social work has experienced an increased awareness of the need to advanced in both educational and professional development. I realize that preparation for this career actually includes a great deal of required coursework and hours of field experience. My fieldwork is central to my learning and serves as an integrative experience in which I use what was previously learned in class and apply it to my practice experience. I am currently in a very rewarding field study at the Osborne AssociationRead MoreBecoming A Licensed Clinical Social Worker1243 Words   |  5 PagesMy aspiration is to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the field of behavioral/mental health. How I ve acted toward this goal is by attending and graduating from Gateway Community College, so that I could transfer into Arizona State University (ASU) to pursue my Bachelor Degree in Social Work. My intentions in applying for the Advanced Standing Program in Direct Practice is to collaborate with future classmates and ASU faculty staff to demonstrate best practices in training and researchRead MoreA Research Study On Forensic Psychology871 Words   |  4 PagesThrough the submission of my statement I am willing to share my personal abilities, declare my academic competence and provide motives and causes which led me to pursue a Postgraduate degree in the field of Forensic Psychology. Obtaining a PsyD in Forensic Psycholog y will not only provide me with more specific knowledge and research opportunities at the graduate level, but it will serve as a foundation for a career in Psychology. The reason which led me to apply for a DForPsy degree in NottinghamRead MoreMy Values And Ethical Behaviors845 Words   |  4 Pagesin the field of Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology the weight of ethical responsibility has heightened. According to Lefkowitz (2005), ethics are moral principles that govern a person s or group s behavior. Hence, after reviewing the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2010) and the role ethics play in the field of I/O Psychology I this assignment presents a synopsis of the evolution and my influential experiences role ofRead MoreThe Social Decay Of Our Society1285 Words   |  6 Pagesnecessary to alleviate those ails and improve overall quality of life. A social worker advocates, facilitates, educates, manages. They are especially concerned with vulnerable individuals and groups providing a voice for those whom may be unable to speak for themselves. As a facilitator a social w orker links people, groups, and resources together. They initiate teams and assign leaders. They frequently teach others how to develop specific tools to help achieve their goals. They identify and locate servicesRead MoreThe Importance Of Knowledge Management And Information969 Words   |  4 Pages sharing, and effectively using organizational knowledge.It refers to a multi-disciplinary approach to achieving organizational objectives by making the best use of knowledge. It includes the fields of business administration, information systems, management, library, and information sciences. Other fields may contribute to research, including information and media, computer science, public health, and public policy. Many large companies, public institutions, and non-profit organizations have resources

Friday, December 20, 2019

Christopher Columbus s The New World - 1881 Words

When Christopher Columbus first arrived in America 1492 on board the Santa Maria a new time line of settlements began. However, he was not the first one who discovered ‘the new world’ but he was the first one who was able to establish a permanent connection and relation with the new discovered land that was going to have great effects on the future. At first there were only a few hundred colonists from England, but later on in the early 1600s thousands of people were emigrating from Europe to North America. Either with the aim to live a new life of comfort and wealth or just with the purpose to adventure something new they began to settle in the new world. A group of settlers, called ‘the Puritans’, â€Å"arrived 1630 on board of the Arabella and several other ships under the guidance of John Winthrop† (Paul 138). Escaping from the religious pressure of the Catholic as well as the Anglican church they wanted to build up a new community with their own rules and religious ideals. Just in this society the plot of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter takes place: Hester Prynne, a young woman whose husband is believed to be dead, has an affair with another man, gives birth to a misbegotten child and is therefore sentenced in public to wear an ‘A’ on her cloths for all of her life and is barred out of the community. From now on she is living with her daughter Pearl not only on the outskirts of the village but also on the margins of society. Due to the fact that Pearls father isShow MoreRelatedChristopher Columbus s The New World1619 Words   |  7 PagesThe Federal holiday of ‘Christopher Columbus Day’ is celebrated on the second Monday of October because of Columbus’s ‘discoveries’ of the Americas in the New World. What most people do not know is that Christopher Columbus’s intentions were only for the betterment of himself. Columbus was a devout Catholic and could ha ve been looking to spread the word of God to the ‘Indies’, his main goal was to find a water route from Europe to the West Indies. How did Christopher Columbus’s motives impact theRead MoreChristopher Columbus s The New World1194 Words   |  5 PagesAs Christopher Columbus takes the Atlantic Ocean by sail, many scholars take him as to be the â€Å"First† European traveler to have set both feet on the ground of the Americas. As Columbus reaches land on October 12,1492, he first sets foot in the Bahamas, on an island he claims â€Å"San Salvador†. While on the island, Columbus successfully takes control of the land and its â€Å"habitant† people, with the support of the Spanish. When Columbus writes the letter to Luis de Santangel, the minister of finance forRead MoreReview Of Christopher Columbus s The New World 1605 Words   |  7 Pages3. Achievements of Christopher Columbus. 3.1. Finding and Colonising of the New World. King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I, the Catholic Monarchs of Aragon, Castile, and Leon in Spain sponsored Columbus’ first journey. The funding was used to give Columbus crewmembers, and the money to afford three ships called the Nià ±a, Pinta, and Santa Marà ­a. Columbus and his crew then sailed west in hopes to find an alternate route to the lucrative Chinese trade markets or a new Silk Road. After two monthsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Christopher Columbus 1126 Words   |  5 PagesBailey Gilmore Mr. Boone World History Period 7 2015 November 4 Christopher Columbus Explorer. Navigator. Colonizer. History concerning him is not and never will be complete. There are a lot of controversial stories concerning about and his history. Even through all of those stories Christopher Columbus is credited with sparking European exploration of the Americas. He was the start of something bigger than himself and the end of another thing. Throughout his family, first adventures at sea,Read MoreHow Do Americans View George Washington and Christopher Columbus Today?772 Words   |  4 PagesWashington had an impact on America during the late 1700’s, and Columbus had an impact on what he hoped was the West Indies in the late 1400’s and early 1500’s. George Washington and Christopher Columbus are viewed in two complete different ways. Columbus found America and brought the early English settlements over. Washington helped found our country. However even though both men affected our country both are viewed differently than today. George Washington set a legacy that we are still followingRead MoreChristopher Columbus : The United States And Charles C. Mann s 14911449 Words   |  6 Pagestoday, Christopher Columbus is known by the majority of students as the man who so called â€Å"discovered† the Americas accidentally on his voyage to India. Students learn about the â€Å"Indians† that Columbus stumbled across and the cultivations that Columbus and his crew were able to accomplish on the new lands. Books tell of new resources, materials, and goods that made it all the way across the sea from Genoa, but students have not been introduced to the carryover of disease(s) that Columbus and hisRead MoreChristopher Columbus And The Columbus1365 Words   |  6 PagesChristopher Columbus Most people think of Christopher Columbus as the person who discovered the Americas. However, Leif Ericson, a Viking, was the first European to see the Americas. â€Å"Christopher Columbus - born Cristoforo Colombo but was called in Spain Cristobal Colon†(Heat-Moon 4) was born to Domenico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa sometime between August 25 and October 31, 1451 in Italy near Genoa (Heat-Moon 4). â€Å"Christopher Columbus had four other siblings; Bartholomew Columbus, BianchinettaRead MoreThe Overdue Abolishment Of Columbus Day1559 Words   |  7 Pagesna Manley November 8th, 2015 Writing 121 The overdue abolishment of Columbus Day Christopher Columbus may have first left his mark on the Americas in the 15th century, but the United States didn’t establish a federal holiday in his honor until 1937 (Dan Fitcher). Commissioned by Spanish king Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to explore Asia, Columbus instead sailed to the new world in 1492 (Dan Fitcher). He first come ashore in the Bahamas later making his way to Cuba and the island of Hispaniola (nowRead MoreChristopher Columbus And The Era Of The Americas1349 Words   |  6 Pagespeople think of Christopher Columbus as the person who discovered the Americas. However, Leif Ericson, a Norseman or Viking, was the first European to see the Americas. Columbus was born to Domenico Colombo and Susanna Fontanarossa sometime between August 25 and October 31, 1451 in Italy near Genoa (Heat-Moon 4). â€Å"Columbus had four other siblings† (Phillips 64). Columbus’ childhood was a tough one, even though he had a great parental guidance. â€Å"Columbus g rew up in a medieval world exhausted by warRead MoreThe Pioneering Exploration Of The Caribbean Islands By Christopher Columbus1027 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction The pioneering exploration of the Caribbean Islands by Christopher Columbus led to the first European contact of Taino Indians in that region. This encounter resulted in the Taino Indians being traded, yet opened the South Atlantic and Caribbean for future exploration and eventual colonization. The First Voyage of Christopher Columbus’ kicked off his legacy. Find the Funds Columbus had a different idea: Why not sail west across the Atlantic instead of around the massive African continent

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Plot Persuasive Essay Example For Students

Plot Persuasive Essay ?The Secret Life of Walter Mitty? is a humorous short story that reveals the many fantasies of heroism Mr. Walter Mitty engages himself in to help him escape the daily pressures of life. The story begins with Mr. Mitty as the commander on a military plane ordering the crew to proceed through a dangerous storm, and reassuring the scared passengers that everything will be ok. Reality soon intrudes, though, and the heroic image is replaced by a description of Mitty driving his wife to her regular visit with the hairdresser (DLB 102 326). The story quickly continues with Mr. Mitty driving away from the hairdresser. While he is trying to enter the parking garage through the exit he is engulfed in another fictitious fantasy, this time around he is imagining himself as a brilliant doctor called upon to perform an operation on a prominent banker. However, his fantasy is quickly dissolved by the parking lot attendant who is capable of maneuvering Mitttys car better than he himself can. The story is concluded as Mr. Mitty stands alone smoking a cigarette. He falls into another fantasy, this time he is in front of a firing squad. He tosses the cigarette away and faces the guns courageously-?Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last. ? (Wilson 185). Throughout the story Mitty lives in a reverie of consisting of situations in which he is a hero: commander of a navy airplane, surgeon, trial witness, bomber pilot, and condemned martyr (Magill 864). Characters?The Secret Life of Walter Mitty? is about a man whose ordinary life leads him to an array of heroic fantasies. It all started with Mrs. Mittys dominating personality. She nagged him to guy galoshes, to put on his gloves, and to drive more slowly (Wilson 185). But another example of her domination happens near the end of the story just after Mrs. Mitty sees Walter sitting in the hotel lobby. At this time it is no surprise that Walter is engulfed in another one of his fantasies, this time he is seeing himself as a heroic bomber pilot about to go on a dangerous mission. His wife seeing that he is slightly out of it slaps his shoulder and begins to ask what he was thinking about. Walter then goes on to explain what he was thinking and gives his classic quotation: ?I was thinking,?does it ever occur to you that I am sometimes thinking On the other hand Walter Mitty is a daydreamer who imagines himself the hero of his fantasies as a navy pilot, and noble victim of a firing squad (Magill 864). The dream is clearly an escape from the external life which humiliatingly interrupts it: his wifes mothering, the arrogant competence of a parking attendant and policeman, the humiliating errands of removing tire chains, buying overshoes and asking for puppy biscuit (Magill 865). In his dreams he is Lord Jim, the misunderstood hero, ?inscrutable to the last?; in his daily life he is a middle-aged husband enmeshed in a web of humdrum (Wilson 184).

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Major Aspects of Nutrition Labeling Regulations Essay Sample free essay sample

Food labeling has come a long manner. It’s surprising but it wasn’t until 1990 that the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act required all packaged nutrients to include nutritionary information. Required classs of nutritionary labeling ordinances include the ingredients list. functioning size. nutrition facts. and day-to-day value criterions of foods. Additionally. if the merchandise wishes to do claims about foods and healthfulness. they must confirm them in some manner. Nutritional information for non-packaged nutrient like green goods or fresh meats is frequently found on a nearby mark or in a booklet. ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www. Food and Drug Administration. gov/aboutfda/whatwedo/history/milestones/ucm128305. htm. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. Food and Drug Administration. gov/ICECI/Inspections/InspectionGuides/ucm074948. htm. A ; p. 53 ) All ingredients must be listed in falling order by weight but the per centum of those ingredients are non required. For illustration. a merchandise that lists three ingredients contains more of the first ingredient than the 2nd and more of the first and 2nd than the 3rd but there’s no manner to state how much of each is contained within. We will write a custom essay sample on Major Aspects of Nutrition Labeling Regulations Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Additives must besides be listed. ( p. 53 ) Within the functioning size subdivision. the FDA-established helping size. in both metric and imperial graduated tables for that peculiar nutrient. must be included every bit good as the figure of helpings in the bundle. This allows for merchandise comparing since you can compare nutritionary information across different trade names. merchandises. and expressions. Queerly. the functioning sizes on nutrient labels is non ever consistent with USDA Food Guide functioning sizes. ( p. 54 ) The Nutrition Facts subdivision includes. in gms and per centums of Daily Value. the information about Calories. Calories from fat. entire fat. saturated and trans fats. cholesterin. Na. entire saccharides ( which includes starches. sugar. and fibre ) . dislocation of dietetic fibre and sugars. and protein. in that order. Additionally. this subdivision needs to include the per centum of Daily Value of Vitamins A and C. Fe. and Ca. ( p. 55 ) A separate subdivision besides needs to expose a reminder of the Daily Values of entire far. saturated fat. cholesterin. Na. entire saccharides. and fiber for a day-to-day consumption of 2000-kCalories. the figure suggested for sedentary immature adult females. active older adult females. and sedentary older work forces. Some labels besides include the information for a 2500-kCalorie diet. which is the day-to-day consumption recommended for many work forces. teenage male childs. and active immature adult females. Some labels include a reminder of how many Calories fat. saccharides. and protein contain per gm. The per centum Daily Value listed in the Nutrition Facts merely applies to the 2000-kCalorie diet. ( pp. 55-56 ) A trade name may do Food Claims and include some verbalism as â€Å"rich in calcium† or â€Å"low sodium† if it meets the FDA definition of those claims. ( p. 57 ) If a trade name wishes to advance the inclusion of ( or deficiency of ) certain foods. vitamins. etc. in the merchandise. they may utilize unqualified Grade A phrases in which there is important scientific understanding ( Internet Explorer. â€Å"diets adequate in vitamin Bc may cut down a woman’s hazard of holding a kid with nervous tubings defect† ) or qualified Grade B. C. or D statements that reference the supportive. limited or really little sum of grounds back uping it. ( pp. 57-58 ) The unfortunate loophole to wellness claims are structure-function claims which can be the most confusing to consumers as it’s difficult to distinguish. Structure-function claims describe a relationship between the being of a peculiar food in the merchandise and benefit such as â€Å"builds strong bones† without holding to demo proof – every bit long as it doesn’t reference a disease. ( p. 58 )

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Adventures Of Huck Finn And Racism Essays - English-language Films

Adventures Of Huck Finn And Racism There is a current debate that the description of Jim in the novel "Huckleberry Finn" is racist leading to some schools banning it from their libraries. Jim's character is described as an uneducated and simple sounding; illiterate slave and some people have looked upon this characterization as racist. Jim is depicted as a slave in the south during a period when slavery was common place and widely accepted as the way of life. Slaves of this time period were not provided any formal education; never allowed any independent thought and were constantly mistreated and abused. The author in my opinion is merely describing how a slave spoke in those days and was trying to give you the true feeling behind his thought, while writing this tale. Despite a few instances in which Jim's description might be misconstrued as being racist, such as the use of the word "nigger", the reader should be able to understand that this is a fictional portrayal of two boys, one white and one black, during a time when slavery was common place. There is an obvious contrast of the mind set depicted in Twain's novel compared to then and now. The use of the word "nigger" is most certainly a very slanderous slang term that is not socially acceptable in present times. The dialect in which Jim is speaking indicates how Jim spoke do to his lack of education and refinement that white people refused to provide to slaves. This provision was not permitted as white slave owners viewed blacks as property and as being unable to learn proper grammar and structure of the English language. Some historians have stated that this was also so because it allowed the white's to maintain control over their slaves in order to "keep the upper hand", so to speak. We as a modern society should maintain an open mind when dealing with literary works such as Huckleberry Finn and bare in mind that novels such as these are written during socially diverse and sometimes opposite ways of thinking. We should not ban a literary work such as Huckleberry Finn simply because it is not accepted by modern day standards. As we look further into the character's( Jim's) dialogue we find that Twain has written as accurately as possible the way that he would sound and also to make you stop and think and picture in your mind him speaking that way. Though difficult to interpret at times, it gives you an authentic feel of this character's persona. For those that are die-hard readers, that "lose themselves" in what they are reading, this approach is ideal.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Impact of External Environment on Businesses Essays

Impact of External Environment on Businesses Essays Impact of External Environment on Businesses Paper Impact of External Environment on Businesses Paper These are the external factors which consist of: Opponents or competitors The changing economic structure Impact of the society Financial arrangement Legal or political system The impact of the environment Opponents procedures influence the capability of work in earning profits, as the basic aim of the opponent is to get advantage over the other which is obtained by either diversifying the existing products and services or by finding means to offer better options for the same worth of money. There are three stages of opposition existing in the present world organizations which can be either having a straight competition when the associations are challenging for the similar customers with the analogous products for example grocery or bakery items. Or when there is a rivalry existing between goods that can be replaced with one another for example butter for margarine. Similarly when consumers purchasing power is the main attraction for the producers it results in competition between organizations for example the entertainment sector. The allocation of the scarce resources is handled by the organization comprising the economic system. Economy is part of a nation which is expected to under go phases Of progress by leaps and bounds. When the economy is in a flourishing stage lifting the standards of living resulting in the growth of the business. On the there hand the society is a foundation of inspirations, outlook and activities which are a part of the human affairs. However the business is subjective to change by the actions of customer because of their approach and activities which alter depending on various factors such as maturity level, populace, type of vocation, and spare time activities. Alternatively fiscal classification smoothes the progress of trade alternates. Activities dealing with money basically move around producing, having a loan, expenses and banking. For the lubrication of the wheels of commerce, capital is considered to be the main oil. Monetary doings engross production in a network of contacts linking fiscal bodies which consists of banks, people or companies who grant loans or to whom money is given as advance, clients and contractors. A main factor affecting the business is the interest rate because it is directly proportional with the cost of the company. The elevated the rate, more will be the expenditure to act as a stop on payments in the economy. The rules and regulations created by the legal system provide the framework on which the organization runs. Administration policy of any nation shores up by rooming activities like ventures while puts off others which result in polluting the natural environment. In contrast the environment is made up of all the natures gifts bestowed upon us ranging from land to water and to air which has any sort of life in it. Progressively more productions have turned out to be alert of the affiliation between their cost-effective movements that is composing produces and providing assistance for earnings making sure the environment is not at stake at any cost. If there is anything that is stead fast and unchanging it is change itself. Change is inevitable, and those organizations who do not keep up with change will become unstable, with long-term survivability in question. There are things, events, or situations that occur that affect the way a business operates, either in a positive or negative way. These things, situations, or events that occur that affect a business in either a positive or negative way are called driving forces or environmental factors. There are two kinds Of driving forces; Internal driving forces, and external driving forces. Internal driving forces are those kinds of things, situations, or vents that occur inside the business, and are generally under the control of the company. Examples might be as follows ; organization of machinery and equipment, ; technological capacity, ; organizational culture, ; management systems, ; financial management ; employee morale. External driving forces are those kinds of things, situation, or events that occur outside of the company and are by and large beyond the control of the company. Examples of external driving forces might be, the industry itself, the economy, demographics, competition, political interference, etc. Whether they are internal or external driving forces, one thing is certain for both. Change will occur! A company must be cognizant of these changes, flexible, and willing to respond to them in an appropriate way. External driving forces can bury a business if not appropriately dealt with. The question is, how does a business know what changes are occurring so that they can deal with them in a positive way. K, thats the next issue. In order for a business to succeed and gain the competitive edge, the business must know what changes are indeed occurring, and what changes might be coming up in the future. Uses you might call this forecasting. Thus, critical to the business is what we callinformational resources. It is the collection and analyzing of data. Some examples of critical information might include the following: Competition (what are they doing? Customer behavior (needs, wants, and desires) Industry out look (local, national, global) Demographics (the change populations, there density, etc. ) Economy (are we peaking, or moving negatively) Political movements and/or interference Social environment Technological changes General environmental changes The above are just some issues organizations must be on top of. Well its never easy, but businesses that are successful include all of the above (and more), to develop the appropriate tactics, strategies, and best practices, to ensure successful out comes. External environment factors PESTLE analysis stands for Political, Economic, Social, and Technological, Environmental and Legal analysis. It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing market research and gives a certain overview of the different nongovernmental factors that the company has o take into consideration. Political factors, or how and to what degree a government intervenes in the economy. Specifically, political factors include areas such as tax policy, labor law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or be provided (merit goods) and those that the government does not want to be provided (demerit goods or merit bad). Furthermore, governments have great influence on the health, education, and infrastructure of a nation. Economic factors include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. For example, interest rates affect a firms cost of capital and therefore to what extent a business grows and expands. Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods in an economy Social factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a companys products and how that company operates. For example, an ageing population may imply a smaller and less-willing workforce (thus increasing the cost of labor). Furthermore, companies may change various management strategies to adapt to these social trends (such as recruiting older workers). Technological factors include ecological and environmental aspects, such as activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. They can determine barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence outsourcing decisions. Furthermore, genealogical shifts can affect costs, quality, and lead to innovation. Environmental factors include weather, climate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore, growing awareness to climate change is affecting how companies operate and the products they offerit is both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. Legal factors include discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Knowledge Management and High Performance Organizations Essay

Knowledge Management and High Performance Organizations - Essay Example As the essay stresses human knowledge may be an organization’s most valuable asset, much of this knowledge is never shared. Harnessing critical knowledge and using it to create a common vision and objectives can move a company closer to making an HPO. KM supports the notion of HPO through â€Å"†¦organizational values, culture, processes and tools that stimulate and support the organization's employees, partners and customers to create, capture, organize, access, and properly use the organization’s knowledge that enables people to personally and collectively become more productive, collaborative and innovative†. According to the paper findings the trend toward serious management changes made by large companies on the way toward making high-performance organizations is stressed in numerous theoretical and empirical studies. These changes revolve around one of the four commonly recognized approaches to organizational performance, namely employee involvement, total quality management, re-engineering, and knowledge management. Although neither of these categories can be addressed as simple knowledge management is â€Å"...the least well-defined and articulated of the four organizational improvement concepts†. Knowledge Management (KM) is a very broad discipline that integrates a number of organisational endeavours and practices used by different organisations in a variety of ways in order to identify, create, represent, and distribute knowledge and thus ensure competitive advantage of the company. KM represents one of the most recent developments in the long line of organisational tools a nd techniques such as 'the scientific management', X and Y' theory', 'T-groups', 'total quality management', 'organizational learning' 'systems thinking', 'benchmarking', 'business process re-engineering' and other methods meant to create economic value and competitive advantage. After becoming an independent established discipline in the middle of 1990s, KM is perceived as an essential aspect of HRM and information technology in modern organisations (Davenport & Prusak, 1998). The integrative and rather broad nature of KM contributes to the difficulties associated with defining this paradigm. Generally, KM is viewed as a new form of management which facilitates organizational adaptation, survival and competence in face of increasingly dynamic environmental changes. This broader perspective incorporates the processes of knowledge use, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer and knowledge renewal with each of these concepts being defined independently (Malhotra 2000). Therefore, Skyrme (2002) suggests defining KM as "the explicit and systematic management of vital knowledge and its associated processes of creating, gathering, organizing, diffusion, use and exploitation, in pursuit of organizational objectives" (p. 4). However, this definition of KM is far from being unanimous: the views vary substantially by representatives of different theories and approaches. Traditionally, two major views have been presented in the scholarly literature on KM, namely: the informational resources management (or management of explicit knowledge) and management, which creates the environment in which people could easily develop and share the knowledge while the increasingly serious

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

A Joint Venture Company. What Is The Difference Between This Type Of Essay

A Joint Venture Company. What Is The Difference Between This Type Of Companies And Joint Stock Companies - Essay Example Since a joint venture partnership company is only formed for the short term, it terminates when the purpose of the joint venture partnership company is fulfilled. Similarly, each party also contributes in the assets to start up this joint venture. Most often, companies use joint ventures as a means of infiltrating foreign markets where they see potential and seek to do business in. for instance, if a foreign company is interested in doing business in China, they will form a joint venture company with a domestic Chinese firm which will help them gain access to the Chinese market due to the experience of the domestic company which already knew the ropes of how to function in the local Chinese market. Furthermore, when foreign companies enter into joint venture partnership companies with domestic firms of the market that they want to enter and operate in, they are not the only ones who benefit from the arrangement. Domestic firms are at an advantage in this arrangement too, they benefit from the new technological and business practices that the foreign firms bring to their market which serve as a learning experience for the domestic firms, consequently expanding their horizons. The foreign companies benefit from the value provided to them by the domestic company’s pre-existing relationship with the key players in the domestic government and industry. In more technical terms, a joint venture is treated like a regular partnership business for taxation purposes. However, joint ventures that transcend the boundaries of one country and go global are subject to international trade laws as well as the internal laws of the government of the economy they plan to penetrate. (Joint Venture, 2010). According to Folta (2012), who writes about foreign joint ventures in China, talks about how joint ventures a way for foreign firms to get past the barriers of the local Chinese market and reap the benefits of business operations in the local market. While talking about the advantages of joint venture partnership companies, the author mentions several factors that come into play. Other advantages of joint venture partnership companies include the fact thet they alleviate rich, grant access to domestic markets, are easier to manage and offer benefits in terms of tax advantages. â€Å"Partnerships, Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances† talks about the effective connection among the three entities in business. As the authors point out, joint ventures have one of the highest crash rates in the world. (Glover and Wasserman, 2003). Yet, still joint ventures are becoming a growing trend in the modern globalized world. (Gutterman, 1997). As can be deduced, this paradigm shift has been due to the vast avenue of opportunities that globalization has opened up for businesses all over the world. They have now become interested in foreign economies as lucrative sources of investment and income for their business operations and joint venture companies provid e them an ideal platform to increase their reach into the market of a foreign economy they are interested in. Visconti (2003) in his book â€Å"Joint Venture† also talks about the topic along similar lines. Joint stock companies on the other hand are companies set up for business activity with the profit motive with profit divided among the owners who are the share holders in proportion to the amount of stock they own in the company. When owners invest in a joint stock company they receive shares in return for that investment. The business operatio

Monday, November 18, 2019

Bermuda Triangle Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Bermuda Triangle - Research Paper Example In this essay, we shall explain the mystery by examining the theories that have been postulated then give a conclusion. The Bermuda Triangle, also popularly referred to as the Devil’s Triangle, is an area in the Atlantic Ocean where it is believed several airplanes, ships, and other vessels have vanished without probable cause or explanation. Therefore, the disappearances are believed to be mysterious. The Bermuda Triangle’s specific location is the North western part of the vast Atlantic Ocean (Gibbs, 3). The area covering the triangle is a large area which is between the Puerto Rico, Florida, and Bermuda. It is one of the busiest sea routes frequently used by fishing vessels, cruise ships and other freight vessels destined to sea ports in Europe, North America, South America and the Caribbean Islands. Besides being a busy shipping lane, the triangle is also a busy route for both private and commercial airplanes. In a study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature whose main objective was to identify areas at sea that were most dangerous for shipping crew, the Bermuda Triangle was n ot included in the top ten list (McKinnon and Scott-Ireton, 193). The United States Coast Guard also has also distanced itself from the claims and theories offered to explain its mystery. It is prudent that to examine the theories that have been advanced to explain the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle. There are several theories that have been suggested. However, there exist three major ones. The first theory is that the area in the Bermuda Triangle has magnetic properties which deviate from the norm and are thus unusual. This theory claims that compasses in ships plying the shipping lane across the Bermuda fail to indicate the true north and actually go off while within the triangle. This causes the ships to lose direction and disappear. However, the US Coast Guard, while indicating that it is

Friday, November 15, 2019

The ancient Greek olympics

The ancient Greek olympics Many people know a lot about the Olympic Games. Ancient games were a lot smaller than the Olympic Games today with only 300 contestants from 11 different countries. All of America has heard the devastating news that occurred this year at the 2010 Olympics. Nodar Kumaritashvili died after crashing into a metal pole during a luge race. He was only 21 years old competing at the Vancouver Olympics and it took his life. Many people do not realize how violent and dangerous certain Olympic events are. To fully understand the importance of the Olympics you need to know about the Ancient Olympic Games (Papantoniou). According to Findling, Heracles, Zeuss son, founded the ancient Olympics. Yet the first Olympic Games were held in 776 BCE. At this Olympic Games, a runner named Coroebus, won the running event. Coroebus became the very first Olympic champion. The ancient Olympic Games became bigger and more popular so they continued to be played every four years for nearly 1,200 years (Findling). At the beginning, the Olympic Games were played as part of a religious practice. People put their passion for religion into sport and competition. This hereby became a religious ritual for the Greeks (Papantoniou). The Olympic Games were the most famous of all other games by far and they were held in Olympia. According to Papantoniou, the idea of rebirth soon came along and when it did many cults were formed. The idea of rebirth came from the idea of creation. We are created from the coming together of a male and female, which was obvious. During this process of birth, the Earth has been said to give us life. The Earth, with the help of Mother Nature, contains everything that people need to live. The divine force of Mother Nature created the idea of rebirth. Soon the religious cults were formed and competition became an important ritual (Papantoniou). The purpose of the Olympic events was to demonstrate bodily strength and vigor (Papantoniou). According to Findling, once the first full moon came out the games were able to begin. At the beginning, the games only lasted a day but soon the games became so popular new sports were added. Soon, the games lasted a full five days. The first day of the festival was meant for sacrifices for the Gods. Some athletes liked to pray alone and make sacrifices themselves. Most Greek athletics were for one person to compete with another as opposed to playing on teams. The athletes took part in running, wrestling, disc-throwing, boxing, javelin-hurling and many other sports. The second day of the games was the day of the foot-race. There was not merely one type of race that the athletes took part in. There were four different kinds. The first and oldest was stadion, where runners sprinted for 1 stade, which was the length of the stadium. The other races were a 2-stade and long-distance races. The fourth type of race involved runners wearing full armor. This race was good for preparing men for the military. It increased strength and stability for the men competing to get them ready for war. The other events besides the races were held after the second day of the Games. Pancratium, which was a mix of wrestling and boxing, got kind of intense. To succeed in wrestling the player was to heave the other wrestler on the ground three times. It was not that simple, however. The opponent couldnt just land any such way. They were to land on their hip, back or shoulder. To avoid any serious injury, ancient Greece had specific rules that were to be followed. Biting your opponent and grabbing their genitals was frowned upon during wrestling or the pancratium. When the games had first begun, boxing was not very violent. Although boxing was not too intense, protection was very important. The Greeks were always looking for ways to avoid injury in games like this. In this case, the boxers put leather on their fingers, much like a modern day boxing glove. These leather straps helped with the pain of being hit. However, as time went on, the players came up with more and more violent strategies to make their way to the top. After this more protection was necessary and new finger straps were created. The intensity of boxing was nothing compared to that of the pancratium. It was so brutal that it was not declared over until one of the players accepted defeat. The people who had enough money to own horses were able to train their horses to compete in races. There were races where the horse wore a saddle to make riding easier but in other races the horse had to be bareback. Bareback riding is riding without a saddle which was very difficult because the riders had nothing to hold onto. Much like when a man wins a competition he receives an olive branch, so does the winning horse. The person who trained and rode the horse to victory receives no credit. In the Olympics there were also Chariot races. These races included small chariots led by 2 horses and larger ones led by 4 horses. The pentathlon came after the day of the horse races. The pentathlon included five sports for the athletes to take part in. The events were all very different from one another. Sprinting and wrestling were two of the five events. It was tough since all of the events were so different. If an athlete succeeded at one event he might fail at another. Many of the athletes had to throw javelins and discuses as part of their competition. The final event in the pentathlon was the long jump. Not only was strength important but also stamina and precision (Findling). In order to succeed at jumping the farthest many men would use weights to make them jump further. Many people from out of the area would come to Olympia for their religious festivals. These popular festivals brought many more athletes to the area looking to play in the Games. Gymnasiums were built in Greece for people to practice and play less serious games. The gymnasiums were not only a place to practice but also a place to get protection from the sun. Each gymnasium contained a bath for men to not only clean but also to oil themselves. Athletes often covered themselves in oil before competing in the hot sun for protection (Findling). These competitive games were taken very seriously and they symbolized many things. According to Papantoniou, if you won a game, instead of getting a medal or a trophy, you were crowned with a wild olive branch. The olive branch symbolizes God so if you are crowned, the olive branch promises godliness and that you will live forever. According to Findling, after winning a competition, the winners would return home only to be escorted to their own town. According to Papantoniou, if you won a competition you would therefore have a divine presence and just the thought of you would bring up the word fertility. After these competitions were made-up, fertility of nature became associated with these human activities. A triumph in any one of these games was seen as a direct effect of divine will. The winners were looked upon as heroes or even gods to everyone. These physical activities both influenced the ritual process and were influenced by it in turn (Papantoniou). According to Fling, rewar ds were given to the winners of certain events such as wrestling and boxing from the pain that one must endure. According to Findling, Greek literature and art all included athletics in some way shape or form. Physical ability was extremely important to the Greeks. Not only physical strength was important but also strength of the mind. According to Papantoniou, some people believed that the Olympic Games were a creative way to select their king. When the King competed in the games, if he was not the winner, everyone would know that he was not a worthy leader. He cannot continue to be King if his power and vigor begin to decline. For this reason the Olympics was to be held so that the Kings strength could be put to the test. In the mythical era, everyone believed that if the King won it was because he was chosen by God. If the King lost, God has chosen someone else to take over. Cronus, Zeus, Apollo, Hermes and Ares were the first to participate in the games, followed by Idaean Heracles, Pelops, Oenomaeus, Heracles, the Dioscouri and a whole host of kings and rulers (Papantoniou). According to Papantoniou, the Olympic Games were mostly for men to watch. Unmarried women were allowed to attend to find a husband. However, married women were not allowed to watch on pain of death (Papantoniou). According to Fling, although unmarried women were allowed to attend the Olympic Games, there were only certain days on which they were able to. If any woman was to be caught at the Olympic Games on a day that they were not supposed to be, they were to be pushed down Mount Typaeum. Mount Typaeum was a tall mountain that expanded from Scillus to Olympia and it would be torture for anyone who fell down it. The only woman who has ever been caught at the Games when she wasnt supposed to be was Callipateria. Her son was to compete in the Olympics so she disguised herself as a trainer. Her son, Peisirodus was victorious. Soon Callipaterias identity had become known. She was scared for her life. Her father, brother and son all competed in the Olympic Games and all were victorious. B ecause of this, there was an exception to the rule and she was left unpunished. Because of her mistakes there has been a new law put in place for trainers to show themselves before coming into the area with the players (Fling). According to Durrant, The real question here is not who can attend the Olympics but who can compete. Of course not all people who want to participate can participate. Like many things in life there were restrictions for the Olympic Games. Only free-born Greek citizens were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games (Durrant). Boys competed with boys. Men competed with men of the same age. Only at Sparta, did girls take part in the contest. To be eligible for participation in the Olympic Games, a competitor must observe the traditional Olympic spirit and ethic and have always participated in sport as an avocado without having received any remuneration for his participation (Durrant). According to Durrant, Amateurs are frowned upon during the Olympics. An amateur is anyone who decides to participate in the games merely for their own benefits. These benefits may include social benefits, physical or mental benefits. Its better to see a man take on a task just to test himself. There is n ot a problem as long as the competition is constrained to a distinct population. There will be a problem when a competitor moves to a different population that has more rigid rules and standards. Professionalism began in the sixth century B.C. when Solon decided that anyone who won in the Olympic Games would be given 500 drachmae. Soon after the invention of professionalism, athletic games became a full time job for some. Plato said that the athlete who ends by becoming a hater of philosophy, uncivilized, never using weapons of persuasion,à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬he is like a wild beast, all violence and fierceness, and knows no other way of dealing; and he lives in all ignorance and evil conditions, and has no sense of propriety and grace (Durrant). You may be wondering what the proper attire for the Olympic Games were in ancient times. According to Fling, The Lacedaemonians were the first players who decided that being naked during the games were easier. They also are the ones who discovered the protection that oil gave their bodies. Before nudity, the competitors wore nothing but loin cloths (Fling). According to Fling, the ancient Olympic Games ended 393 AC. The modern Olympics began at the end of the XIX century. Baron Pierre de Coubertin brough back the Olympics with his impressive proposal. Everyone was so excited about the return of the Olympics that the first Modern Olympic Games were to take place in Athens in 1896. Before Baron, other people had tried to bring the Olympics back but no one was successful. So as we can see much about the Olympics has changed. Although the Olympics were invented in ancient times, they still live on today. Works Cited Durrant, Sue M. And Who May Compete?. Quest (00336297) 22.(1974): 104-110. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 4 Feb. 2010. Findling, J. E., Pelle, K. D. (1996). Historical Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement. Westport: Greenwood Press. Fling, Fred Morrow. A Source Book of Greek History. 1907. 04 February 2010 . Papantoniou, G. Religiosity as a main element in the ancient Olympic Games. Sport in Society 11.1 (2008): 32-43. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 2 Feb. 2010.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Ultimate Sin Exposed in Geothes Faust Essay -- Geothe Faust

Geothe's Faust is similar in many ways to both Dante's Inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost. The obvious similarity is how each work relates to evil or Hell. Other similarities include how the villains of two of these epics are the most likable characters, and the use of classical and Christian mythology in each poem. Faust deals with evil when he makes a deal with Mephistopheles, or Satan. This deal is that Mephistopheles will give Faust whatever he wants in return for his (Faust's) soul. Inferno is a journey through Hell. Dante is being lead by his guide, Virgil, through the icy parts of Hell, to the center of the earth, while he climbs up Satan's legs into Heaven. Paradise Lost is about how Satan is newly cast out of Heaven and just getting used to his surroundings, which is a more traditional furnace-like Hell unlike the one in Inferno.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mephistopheles, who is supposedly Satan, in Faust, and the Satan portrayed in Paradise Lost are the most likable characters in these plays. Faust seems like more of a villain than Mephistopheles, which is very ironic. Satan is made out to be an evil, manipulating demon, but Mephistopheles is not really like that. He does manipulate Faust in some ways, like with the contract of Faust selling his soul, but Mephistopheles has little more power than a regular person. Also, in the beginning of the play, when he talks to The Lord, he doesn't act serious at all. He actually tells The Lord that he likes Sunday's because of the "peace and quiet". In Paradise Lost, Satan makes God look more evil than (Satan) himself. Satan implies that God is some kind of slave driver, and that it would be "better to reign in Hell then serve in Heaven". They are considered the more likable characters becau... ...your willingness to ask for forgiveness) and deeds you have done. He also uses symbolism through characters in the work to express the nature of man. He implies that man has the power to know the difference and choose between good and evil but because man is imperfect he is bound to makes mistakes. He implies that since the ultimate sin is placing yourself on a level equal to God, pious persons who judge other people, thinking that they are higher than them are placing themselves dangerously close to being equal with God in their assumption they have the power to judge people. This shows hypocrisy because these people believe that they are following God exactly but in effect they are taking it too far and committing one of the worst sins you can commit. Geothe seems to imply all of these things and more based on your personal interpretation of the work.   

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Coffee Cafe Business Plan Essay

Cafà © Vancouver is a new coffee shop at Granville and Robson Street in Vancouver Downtown. The hustle and bustle of downtown need a quiet, fast-paced life make people feel tired, we want our customers to relax while enjoying a coffee. Cafà © Vancouver’s team will make the best effort to create a unique place where customers can get together with each other in a comfortable and relaxing environment while enjoying the best-brewed coffee or espresso and breakfast style treats in town. We will be in the business of helping our customers to relieve their daily stresses by providing peace of mind through great ambience, convenient place, friendly customer service, and products of consistently high quality. We welcome guests of all ages; we can guarantee each guest to enjoy high-quality coffee. Vancouver Downtown has many companies, offices and shopping centers, with a strong customer base and revenue opportunities. Meanwhile, 365 days a year we will have no holiday leave, to make sure that we have opportunity to serve guests at any time. We also have a pragmatic management team. Head is the General Manager; he has a degree in Economics from the Russian Far Eastern University, and has more than six years of experience in business operations. He is the general manager, and a cafe investor. Team1 supervisor is Supervisor1 with four years of broad experience working at coffee shops and restaurant industry. Team2 supervisor is Supervisor2; he has 2 years of experience in the restaurant industry. We provide training for up to three months, including company culture, coffee brewing, food safety, and so on. All employees of our company will be well-trained and enthusiastic moderator. The financial position of the company is essential to develop the company’s financial data, including investment, net profit and so on. After the financial position and profitability assessment, in three years of operation, we expect to have profit of about 818,700 dollars (net profit after tax), with average annual net profit of 272,900 dollars will give adequate funding for our company. Compared with other coffee brands in the industry, we expect to grow faster. In the long-term, we will consider opening new cafes in different locations throughout Canada. The Company and Industry Business goals Coffee is more than a beverage; however, it is a memory, anticipation, and a lifetime of consoling moments of modest pleasure woven into our lives. Coffee’s success as a beverage undoubtedly owes both to the caffeine it harbors and to its sensory pleasure. Coffee lovers come to associate the energizing lift of the caffeine with the richness and aroma of the beverage that delivers it. Our Business goal is â€Å"to make our customers return to the simple concept of coffee, quietly enjoying every cup of coffee.† We are planning to open two stores in the Vancouver area within three years. The company Mission statement â€Å"We want our customers to return to the simple concept of coffee, quietly enjoying every cup of coffee.† Vision Statement â€Å"To grow the business and protect the rapid development of the enterprise.† The Industry Although Canada does not have the proper climate for growing coffee, Canadian-based firms do import raw materials for processing and resale into domestic and export markets. Coffee manufactured for retail and Food service markets has been an important part of food and beverage processing in the country for many years. Coffee is the most popular hot beverage in Canada with a total of 14 billion cups consumed annually. An estimated 64% of Canadians drink coffee each day, which is equal to 6.8 kilograms of green coffee or 12.7 pounds of roasted coffee per head, with 86% of adult coffee drinkers consuming the beverage in the morning or for breakfast. In-home continues to be the dominant place for consumption with just over half of Canadian consumers (51%) drinking coffee at home. Among adult coffee drinkers, the share of cups (80%) of traditional coffee made at home is eight times higher than the share of cups purchased from the market (11%).  57% of coffee purchased at coffee shops. The coffee is also the top beverage in the Canadian Foodservice category. Canada has a highly developed away-from-home coffee market and is second only to Italy in highest percentage of total cups of coffee consumed outside the home. Other consumer demands include information on the origin/source, and locally grown, fair-trade, organic, and green coffee products. The coffee industry has been quick to respond to this lucrative market, worth about $650 million a year in Canada. Products and Services The Cafà © Vancouver will proudly offer its customers the best tasting coffee and tea beverages with breakfast style treats in the area. Our highly trained staff with a passion and talent combined will provide the best customer service in competition. The friendly and polite staff will also provide a cozy environment for customers to make them feel home, and every staff member will be required to give million dollar smile to our customers. In future, we will be looking forward to train our employees in further customer and coffee-making services. The products we offer will taste better than anything in the competition. This will be achieved with the high quality ingredients and products, by strictly believing in providing quality. The menu will cover coffee, steeped specialty teas, espresso latte and beverages, classic hot beverages, cold beverages, espresso on ice, sweet baked goods, yogurt, and grilled sandwiches and wraps. The Cafà © will be offering free books; magazine, daily newspaper and WI-FI for eating in clients to make them feel entertained and relaxed. By keeping in mind the importance of internet, we will provide speed WI-FI for our customers. There will also be four televisions at display in the cafà ©, which will be playing channels on popular demand. During the normal working hours of our cafà © there will always be entertaining music playing for our customers. In future, we will be updating our product and services with the popular demand. With the business plan there is a menu given below which will provide further details about the products we will offer. MARKET ANALYSIS Coffee business in recent years has been a bright spot for those who want to start-up their own business. While there are a number of other businesses out there many categories facing poor sales, negative balance sheets but coffee cafes are continuing to show strong growth. It’s very clear that Canadians love coffee continues throughout the year. Target market The place for our Cafà © Vancouver business is located at the intersection of Robson Street and Granville Street, which is in the downtown and one of the best locations for our coffee-house for opening up our cafe. Downtown is the main part of Vancouver and remains busy all throughout the year. According to our research we found that there is year round tourist activity all across Vancouver plus there are lots of businesses nearby our place. Robson Street is famous for its shopping stores all over Canada. In target market, we will target people from young to senior citizens. At the intersection, there are excellent auto and pedestrian traffic by the place which will give some customers each day. There are busiest areas and Sky train stations near to our place so we can attract local people or travelers passing through Downtown. Market size and trends: According to the census 2009 The Robson Street is regarded as a 3rd BIA (business improvement area) in Vancouver. The retail and service business is really higher on Robson street because of its popularity and there are 29% eating and drinking places on the Robson street. The retail business is 69% on Robson and 24% in the rest of Great Vancouver. It is one of the biggest shopping destinations in Vancouver. As the target market for our product and service is mainly tourists, local residents, business people, and students. There are 79,140 residents and 145,000 daytime employee bases; population density is triple than Vancouver average. The growth for the market had increased from last year because of the innovation; lots of people emigrated there because of business opportunities. According to the census there are 39 commercial properties and 222 businesses on the Robson Street. By targeting all market segments, Cafà © Vancouver will not focus on one segment  of market like for ma ny other coffee shops. Cafà © Vancouver will avoid these barriers in business with a customer mix of all segments and in coming years we expect to increase our market share in coffee business. Competition Cafà © Vancouver will uniquely place itself in the most competitive area of Vancouver downtown. The place chosen for a cafe has competitors such as Blenz coffee, Starbucks, cafe crepe, Tim Horton’s, Waves coffee, 7 eleven and David’s tea. It will be challenging to compete with well-established business, but cafe will give most delicious products at very reasonable prices. Our prime competitors (see Appendix # 1): Blenz coffee (www.blenz.com): Blenz opened their first coffee shop in February 1992 on Robson and Bute Street. They are famous for handmade coffee. They have 61 stores in British Columbia. They also are doing business internationally like in Japan and Philippines. Their store cost range from $225,000 to $400,000. Tim Horton’s (www.timhortons.com): The Tim Horton’s chain was found in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario. The chain’s focus on top quality, always fresh product, value, great service and community leadership have allowed it to grow into the largest quick service restaurant chain in Canada specializing in always fresh coffee, baked goods and home-style lunches. Wave’s coffee (www.wavescoffee.com): The Waves Coffee House franchise was founded in 2005 at Hastings and Richards Street in downtown Vancouver British Columbia. In 2008, Waves coffee was recognized by the Brand Coaches as the â€Å"Hottest Brand in Canada†. They have also been recognized as the â€Å"Best of Brands† by over 1,500 coffee retailers. Today there are 31 Waves across British Columbia and Alberta – with more to come. Starbucks (www.starbucks.ca): Starbucks is one of our prime competitors located near intersection of Robson and Granville. Starbucks is one of biggest coffee companies in North America with headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks has 20891 stores in 62 countries and 1324 of them are in Canada with generating revenue around $13+billion. Cafà © crepe (www.cafecrepe.com): Established in 1999; cafe crepe imports tradition of the classic European cafà © to North America, Cafà © Crà ªpe specializes in Parisian sweet & savory crà ªpes, French baguette sandwiches, and grilled Italian Panini. As an  international cafà ©, Cafà © Crà ªpe also offers world classics like a half pound certified Angus burgers, pommes frites (French fries), thin crust pizza, and a full traditional breakfast menu that includes Eggs Benedict and an exciting variety of omelets, among other specialties. In addition to serving exceptional Italian roasted Lavazza coffee, Cafà © Crà ªpe is fully licensed, offering a vast choice of alcoholic beverages and cocktails, along with select beers and wines. 7-eleven (www.7-eleven.com): Since 1927, 7 Eleven has grown and evolved into the world’s largest operator, franchisers and licensor of convenience stores. The company operates franchises and licenses more than 8,600 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Of the more than 7,800 stores the company operates and franchises in the United States, more than 6,200 are franchises. Estimated sales and market share: With the targeting mix that we are focusing on, we expect the average of 400 to 600 persons per day during the first year. We have estimated our customer expenditure about $3.5 due to premium pricing on some of the items. We presume that the total cost of sales would be about 14%. We expect the growing of our sales to 700+ customers per day for the second year of operations. And when the business will be stable and well-known we can reach the level of 800+ customers per day. The Marketing Plan Pricing There are various aims of pricing that we will focus on Survival Profit maximization Market share goals. Pricing Depends on various factors: Internal Factors- Marketing mix strategy Costs External Factors- Nature of the market Competition Competition Based Pricing- We will also be using this strategy at some stage when we get a stable number of customers in the market and then we can look at a prices level among our direct competitors, so we can adjust our prices according to that. Marketing Penetration strategy- We can charge slightly less what our direct competitors are charging for the same product. The Penetration strategy is usually used for quickly achieving a high volume of sales and to attract customers. Under this strategy product is widely promoted and price is kept comparatively low. As we will be new in the market, we will definitely go for a penetrating, this way we can have a bond with regular customers and can attract new customers. We created a detailed list of prices which we are going to start-up the cafà © with (see Appendix # 2). Advertising and Promotions Newspaper and Magazines- This will also be a good way of advertising of our product to market. We can promote our latest product in daily or weekly newspaper to give our customers as an offer for the first day of new product. We will be giving ads in local newspaper 45 days before the opening of our Cafà ©. The newspaper charges about $6 per column inch, so an ad that is two columns wide and two inches tall would be $24 for each day. Putting up Signs in Neighborhood- This is also a unique way to attract customers. The signature of our coffee shop will be placed in different locations, so people can see the ad of new coffee shops and they might come to try something new. For 100 boards it will cost around $900. Hand out values cheque- We will attract customers by giving value cheque worth $10 to first 100 customers. They will be eligible to redeem the money at any giving point of time. When we open the store, it will create a big attraction to customers. Hand out flyer discount offer - We will distribute flyers by dropping it to mail boxes, attaching any discount offer on their first coffee, sandwich or any snack. We will make our flyers on Closest to DL (95mm x 210mm) so it will be inexpensive to make 50 flyers will cost $9.74+ tax. So 1000 flyers will cost $194.80+tax. Social Media- We will also  promote our cafà © through social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. We will tweet the promotional offer on twitter, so customers can have an access to discount coupons online. Website- We will create our website and advertise all our products there, so people can know about our products. There will be some discount coupons on the website, the customer could print it and redeem at any point in the store. It will cost us for a basic website $2500 to $3000 and to manage the website and to develop it $75 to $100 per hour. So this will be less expensive than social media and own company website can give people better option to have a look at our menu and daily or weekly promotions. Development plan: Development status: Our business plan is on developing stage. We have a very good plan to start our business, having the past experience of some partners will help us managing the coffee-house. We are going to lease the place in Vancouver Downtown on the intersection of Robson and Granville. We are planning to start the construction work first, after that we will give priority to the interior work. Next, we will arrange and fit the machines and dishwashers according to our layout. Along with the customer service we are providing customers with free WI-FI hotspot, cable TV and comfortable chairs and couches. So our customers can enjoy their coffee while sitting and watching TV or surfing the Internet. Proprietary issues: This is the trademark for our cafà ©. It is going to distinguish our service from those who are doing the same business in the market place. The registration of trademark is not mandatory but we are going to register it before the opening, because it gives us obvious proof of ownership. Furthermore, we are going to test our products like coffee and other eatable items through the CISPR EMC testing laboratory under the Canadian standard association plus we will test our cafà © under UL testing laboratories for safety. After getting the approval, we will give some free samples to potential customers for promotion and feedback. Operations plan Location The coffee shop will be at Granville and Robson Street in Vancouver Downtown (see Appendix # 3). It would be an excellent place with constant shoppers during the week plus business people and people who work in Downtown during weekdays. The coffee shop will be conveniently in the heart of the most popular shopping area in Vancouver and close to the Vancouver City Centre Sky Train station, which would allow attracting more transit people. Due to the enormous market size, the growth at this area rate would be considerable. The Vancouver Cafà © will give highly comfortable seats for 24 customers with hours of operation from 6AM to 8PM. Facilities The total space available for the cafà © of 600 sq. feet will offer the space for a lounge seating area, fireplace, bookshelf, back room, handicap-accessible washroom, and kitchen (See Appendix # 4). The premises are available for lease at an asking rate of $30 per square foot, net. The total annual rent would be equal to $180,000, which equates to $15,000 per month, as the listing agent informed us that the lessor is willing to reduce the monthly payment from $18,000 to $15,000. We will be eligible for the discount in case of a lease contract for at least three years term. The lessee will be expected to give a personal guarantee together with a security deposit of $10,000. Equipment To start-up our business, a variety of equipment are required. As mentioned in the â€Å"Development† section, we will need to buy a list of equipment costing in total of $ 28,344 (see Appendix # 5). All the equipment will be brand new and prices listed include delivery and setting in place. All the items will be purchased from Stealth Coffee Systems Inc. As we already negotiated, we would be eligible for an additional discount of 5%, if the amount will be paid within 90 days after the purchase. So, the estimated amount with discount will be paid for the equipment equals to $26,927. The installation of the equipment will cost us additional $ 25,000. Lead time for the delivery of the equipment is three to four weeks. The equipment will be amortized by using the straight-line method with an estimated useful life of 15 years. Supply Chain Pacific Coffee Roasters has been chosen to be the primary supplier for the best specialty coffee. The company is conveniently located in Downtown, close to our coffee shop. Pacific Coffee Roasters is a broad line coffee distributor which will satisfy all our supply needs. The inventory will be checked twice a week to make sure that we have enough in back stock. The entire inventory will be placed by dates of receiving to follow the â€Å"first in first out† system. We are expecting to place orders and receive new inventory on a weekly basis. Human Resources To operate the coffee shop we will need to hire six cashiers to split them up in two teams (see Appendix # 6). The previous restaurant experience will be required, but exceptions can be made. All the hired employees will receive an extensive training. Later, for new employees we will use on-the-job training technique to increase their performance and decrease the time of the training. A starting wage for a cashier will be $10.25 per hour; also we will use a bonus system based on the employee’s performance. Management team Is the Manager of the Vancouver Cafà © and will be responsible for overall operation of the business. Head received a degree in Economics from the Russian Far Eastern University in 2006. In addition, he is currently pursuing a Business Management Diploma at Douglas College and he will graduate from the program in December 2014. Head has an extensive experience in strategic planning, as he had been working for a production company in Russia from 2006 to 2012 as a Planning Manager. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. is the Vancouver Cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Supervisor of Team 1 and will be in charge of running day-to-day operations. During peak hours, he will be helping to his staff. Supervisor1 currently studies at Douglas College on Business Management program and will graduate  in December 2014. He has 4 years’ experience in the restaurant industry, as he worked at coffee shops in Vancouver. His experience varies from a cashier to a supervisor of the coffee shop. Through the work experience he recei ved a sufficient amount of expertise to run the cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s operations. He will be responsible for the hiring and training all the cafà © employees. At this position, Supervisor1 will report to the Cafe Manager. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. is the Vancouver Cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Supervisor of Team 2 and will be in charge of running day-to-day operations. Supervisor2 currently studies at Douglas College on Business Administration program and will graduate in August 2014. He has 2 years’ experience in the restaurant industry. He will be supervising his staff and helping out during peak hours. He will be responsible for the purchase of supplies and management of the supply base. At this position, Supervisor2 will report to the Cafe Manager. SWOT Analysis Opening a coffee cafà © is not about knowing the difference between mocha, latte, and cappuccino but much more than this little part. Creating a SWOT analysis — identifying the good, bad and potential ugly, our customers, overcoming the competing coffee shops and strengthening our marketing plan — for our business is essential before moving forward. Strengths Easy to get financing. Easy to start up business. New talents from partners. Extensive beverage menu. Cost leadership. Value based customer service. Location. Weaknesses Lack of experience. Unknown company history and background. Divided authority. Number of competitors in the market. Too many products to start with. Opportunities Continuously expanding. Bring in different types of drinks from different parts of world. Expand into franchisee based business. Joint venture with different business organizations (e.g.: Gas stations, grocery stores, cinemas and many more that can allow our coffee shop in their business ). Involve keen investors into the business to expand. International markets. Online market. Threats High risk of failure. Conflicts might occur between partners in the future. Status as an independent coffee shop. Change in coffee trends. Recession. Rises in the price of raw materials. Shortage of specific coffee beans from suppliers as demanded by the market. Change in technology in operating coffee making equipment’s. Change in government policies. Implementation schedule An implementation schedule ensures the accomplishment of each stage of the business plan. The development plan was divided into four phases: the initial phase, commencement phase, semi completion, and final phase. The team was successful in creating a business plan after a month’s collective effort. The commencement phase will begin after the initial stage. During this phase the business will be registered and thus the company becomes eligible to take financial help from a financial organization. Semi completion stage will begin after two weeks. During this phase, the process of staff recruitment, menu preparation, marketing and advertising strategies will be carried out under the guidance of experts. This phase takes a month and a half. The final phase will begin immediately after the semi completion phase. This phase consists of deciding the interior theme, furniture, appliances and other facilities to be provided at the cafà ©. Financial plan Funding Requested In order to start our business, the capital cost would be covered under the fixtures and equipment, installation of the fixtures and equipment and decorating which are 26,927, 25,000, and 10,000, respectively, for a total of 61,927. Basically, we are doing our financing from debt and equity investment which The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) has agreed to finance a large portion of this expenditure. Our 90 % of the Capital cost is covered by CIBC by using the government-granted Canada Small Business Financing Act (CSBFA) program. Interest rate would be prime plus 4.25 per cent, which includes a 1.25 per cent administration fee paid to the federal government. We will do monthly payment up to seven years in order to pay all the debt. CIBC has agreed to a loan for $ 178,090 which covers renovation expenses, personal guarantee from the owner for 25 % of the loan amount. The owner is planning that the balance of the funding will come via a $ 19,787 remaining balance, allowing him a 100 % of the common shares in the corporation. Financial Projection Cafà © Vancouver is expected to make a profit of $ 168,200 in its first year of operations, which is a good indication for the company. The $657,000 is estimated for the first year sales figures falls way above the breakeven point by $186,787(where as B-even is $470,213). Not only this, as indicated  in the cash flow projection, the initial CIBC loan and $19,787 equity investment give the operation more than adequate cash flow. This gives an opportunity to our business to repay the loan faster. Risk Factors In order to start a new business venture, there are many risks that must be taking into consideration. Below are the some of the risks associated with cafà © business: 1. Fire Safety: Cafà © Vancouver will limit the impact of a fire by ensuring the business has compensation, insurance protection, including adequate business premises insurance as well as business interruption insurance. 2. Inadequate Capital: Despite of a solid business plan many Cafe fails because they lack adequate funding and planning. So to decrease these risk Cafe Vancouver is planning to have several months of funding to cover the costs of salaries, food and bills. 3. Food Safety Concerns: If any customer becomes injured on the premises or where an illness is attributed to product the $ 1,000,000 compressive general liability insurance coverage will insure the business has adequate liability. 4. Shortage of supply: This risk is considered as not important because there are wide variety of suppliers in downtown might be chosen in case of shortages with supply. Divestiture/Harvest Strategy In case of any quarrel, any partner wants to exit the business or if sales cannot be made then the assets of the business will be sold off individually. Firstly, company will try to sell this commercial coffee making equipment locally but if the quenched arranged cannot be made locally then the equipment will be sold over the internet. The money from selling this equipment will be used to pay off the debt obligation of the business and remaining money will be paid to the owner. However, this is not supposed to happen because the concept has significant upside latent, builds good market share. If everything goes according to the plan, it is expected to attract the attention of large national. The owner would sell the business only and only if a healthy profit is given by a buyer.   

Friday, November 8, 2019

Proper Handeling of Exotic Birds essays

Proper Handeling of Exotic Birds essays Imagine being in an environment where you live in constant fear that your captor, who is 100 times your size may, at any moment, kill you. How stressful is that? Many pet birds seem mean because they live in fear of their owners. Often, people buy a bird who is sweet and affectionate with the caretaker at the store, and when they bring him home, they expect the bird to behave exactly the same with them. It is important to take the time, however, to establish a trust and a bond with the pet bird, because without it, the bird is only going to react in fear. Birds are one of the most rewarding pets a person can own. They are highly intelligent and they crave human attention. They love to please people and they crave affection. So much so, that most parrots become jealous if they see you giving too much of your affection to someone other than them. When I began working at a pet store as a bird specialist, I enjoyed a first-hand opportunity to work directly with a variety of birds, and I quickly learned many new things. Sometimes we would get an older bird in the store who had been mistreated and who was afraid of people. Those birds ta ught me the importance of establishing trust and dominance, as well as the value of rewarding good behavior often. With a simple understanding of the birds perspective and knowledge of proper handling, a strong bond can develop between people and their pet birds. In the wild, a bird must be on the defense at all times because they are small enough to be prey to almost any creature. To a bird, we are potential predators. Until we have proven to the bird that we are not going to kill them and that we are not a threat, the bird will continue to be frightened of us and defend itself. So how do you get the bird to trust you? Well, you have to start by catching the bird. Depending on whether the bird was handfed as a baby or not, and how the bird has b ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

8 Great Essay Writing Tips for Students

8 Great Essay Writing Tips for Students 8 Great Essay Writing Tips for Students 8 Great Essay Writing Tips for Students By Ali Hale Whether you enjoy writing or not, there’s probably a fair amount of it that you have to do as a student. I don’t think essays are anyone’s favourite thing to write (and I say that as a former English Literature student!) but by honing your writing process, you can get them over and done with quickly and – hopefully – well. I was an undergraduate student in the back in 2003-06 and back then, the most sophisticated tool I had to help with my writing was Microsoft Word 2003’s spellchecker! Today, there are loads of useful tools you can use – and I covered some of those in my post 10 Online Tools to Help You Write the Perfect Essay. No tool can offer to write your essay for you, though (and if it does, I’d be very dubious about using it). So in this post, we’ll be looking at some key tips for getting your essays written as smoothly and painlessly as possible. Tip #1: Don’t Start Writing Without a Plan I know it can be tempting to just dive into an essay, especially if you’re short on time. With anything you write, though, you’ll find it much easier if you plan ahead – and I think this is especially true for essays, which generally need a strong structure that supports you in making a particular argument. Depending on the length of your essay and how much you like to plan ahead, your plan might be a short list of bullet points and some ideas about key sources to reference – or it might be a detailed paragraph by paragraph outline. But you should definitely have some sort of plan in mind, or you risk going off on a huge tangent that doesn’t really relate to your essay question. Tip #2: Don’t Leave Your Writing Until the Last Minute Okay, I know it’s sometimes unavoidable – but very few people do their best work while staying up all night frantically trying to finish an essay that’s due imminently (or worse, overdue). It’s much better for your writing – and your health – to work consistently on an essay well ahead of the deadline. One great way to do this is to break down your essay writing process into different stages (which will probably correspond to these stages of the writing process). For instance, if you have a short essay due Friday, you might come up with ideas and useful references for your essay question on a Monday, write a detailed plan on a Tuesday, and start drafting on a Wednesday instead of leaving everything to the end of the week. Tip #3: Know Your Best Time of Day to Write All of us have times of day when we find it easy to focus – and times when we really struggle. I’ve known since my schooldays that I’m a morning person: I’m at my best between about 7am and 12 noon, and my focus dips dramatically around 4pm. You might be totally different – perhaps you can concentrate really well between, say, 7pm and midnight – but what matters here is knowing yourself. Figure out your best hours for writing and try to use them where possible. Tip #4: Ask for Sample Essays or Projects to Look At Whatever you’re studying, if you have to produce essays or projects that are assessed, there will almost certainly be (a) a mark scheme and (b) examples of previous students’ work. Ask your professors about these. Take a really close look at past work, and at the mark it got: see if you can figure out why – and what you could do to improve your own work. If you’ve got connections to students who’ve taken your course in the past, you might also ask them if they’d be willing to share any of their old essays. (Be really careful here that you don’t end up accidentally using any of their ideas or phrasings as your own – that’s plagiarism and it’s a serious academic offence. So if you take notes based on their essays, label those very clearly so you don’t later think that they’re part of your own work.) Tip #5: Know How to Present Your Work Correctly The rules about formatting essays – particularly things like footnotes and bibliographies – can seem rather arcane and confusing. But it’s important to get these little details right. If you’re unsure, again, ask for examples or take a look at whatever style guide your university uses. One area where students sometimes struggle is in the presentation of quotes from sources. Depending on length, these can either be presented as â€Å"blockquotes† – in their own paragraph, indented from the main text – or as â€Å"inline† quotes that are incorporated into a paragraph. Again, ask for examples or consult the appropriate style guide for your institution. Tip #6: Look Up a List of Commonly Misused Words Some words are very easily confused with one another, or used incorrectly. It’s worth checking through the words and phrases that people commonly get wrong just to be sure you’re not making any mistakes. We have a category dedicated to such mistakes. Tip #7: Edit Your Essays On Paper Where Possible Hopefully, you’re already editing your essays before handing them in – if not, definitely make that into a habit. Don’t just look out for typos and spelling mistakes: think about areas where you haven’t made your thinking clear, or where you haven’t backed up a statement with a reference or fact. While there are lots of tools you can use to make editing on the screen easier, I don’t think anything can replace a careful read-through on paper – especially if you’re handing in something that’s going to make up a large part of your final mark. #8: Share Your Essay-in-Progress With Fellow Students Can you get together with one or two other people on your course and swap your draft essays? Often, someone else’s feedback can really help you to clarify your own thinking – and they may spot potential problems that you’d have missed, or areas where you could go further. Even if you don’t want to give one another substantial feedback, you could still swap essays for light editing / proofreading purposes: it’s surprising how someone else’s mistakes can leap out at you, whereas your own tend not to be obvious (because you know what you think you wrote) Whether writing’s something you enjoy, or a necessary evil, I hope these tips help you to write great essays without spending a huge amount of time on them. If you have an essay-writing tip of your own to share, feel free to leave it below in the comments. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?Running Amok or Running Amuck?Grammatical Case in English

Monday, November 4, 2019

Concept of Strategy in Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept of Strategy in Public Relations - Essay Example According to ( Rembrandt 2011) â€Å"A sustainable public relations strategy is a long-term endeavor. It can take months to capture the attention of targeted media venues†. Public relation strategy is an active part of the marketing strategy of an organization. A strategy is a process or means by which an organization achieves its goals or objectives. Public relation strategy is directly connected to the concept of integrated communication. A public relation strategy has to integrate the communication throughout the organization by keeping in base the audience and stake holders of an organization. A good strategy must balance internal and external factors of an organization to achieve the corporate mission. As per (Caywood 1997 ,87)â€Å"When a strategy has been developed and the public relation plan is implemented, research plays an important role in monitoring its effectiveness and making adjustments†. Strategy formulating is an important aspect of public relation and its rest with the corporate heads of a firm. Public relation strategy is about the action that an organization can take to accomplish its goals and objectives. On the strategic side, four public relation dimensions reflect organizational approaches to problem solving or organizational world views about the management of relationships with stakeholders. These dimensions may be considered strategic in the sense that they lay foundation for the manners in which an organization might try to achieve a public relation objective. The strategy in public relation enables the corporate heads to judge the effectiveness of their media relation ahead of the implementation of marketing strategy. Strategy is essentially a longer term planning while bottom line sales tactics demand short term results. In her book(Olive 2010, 14) writes that â€Å"Strategic public relation is concerned with managing the relationships between an organization and much

Friday, November 1, 2019

Market failure and what government can do Essay

Market failure and what government can do - Essay Example Market failure is the failure of the market to yield efficient outcomes. Elaborating further, Stiglitz said that there are six situations in which markets are not efficient and these are referred to as market failures that provide a rationale for government activity.The six conditions in which markets fail to lead to efficient outcomes are those in which competition fails, situation in which public goods are involved, market situations in which there are externalities, situations in which markets are incomplete, situations in which information is imperfect, and situations in which there are macroeconomic disturbances (Stiglitz 2000, p. 77-85). For markets to lead to efficiency, markets must be perfectly competitive (Stiglitz 2000, p. 77). This means that there are no constraints for competition to prevail in the market. Examples of situations in which competition does not prevail are those involving monopolies and oligopolies. Monopolies are market situations in which there is only o ne seller while oligopolies are market situations in which there are only few sellers. Both monopolies and oligopolies can charge consumers prices that are higher than those which can prevail in perfectly competitive market settings.1 Public goods are those whose consumption is non-rival and non-excludable as opposed to private goods whose consumption are rival and excludable. Non-rival means consuming the good will not deprive others of the good. Road services or city lighting services, for example, are goods or services that are not deprived to others when an individual consume or use the good or service. They are also non-excludable in consumption because it is costly, feasible, or impractical to exclude others from consuming or using the good or service. In the literature of economics, economists usually use the term pure private goods and pure public goods to refer to pure cases but they recognize that there are goods in-between or public goods that have private goods character istics as well as private goods that have public goods characteristics. Sometimes, these goods are also referred to as mixed goods.2 Externalities refer to effects on third parties other than the consumer or producer of the product. For example, consumer may use gasoline but parties other than the producer or consumer of the product receive the pollution. Externalities can be positive or something good such as the benefits to the environments of a certain car that does not use fossil fuel or it can be negative like that in car that pollutes the environment. Economic literature holds that when markets are competitive, prices almost equals costs and goods are produced at costs. However, because of externalities, markets can lead to situations in which goods may be overproduced or under-produced, depending on their effects to society.3 Incomplete markets refer to situations in which although the cost of providing the good is less than what consumers are willing to pay, the good is not produced just the same (Stiglitz 2000, p. 81). The situation of incomplete markets implies that there are things missing in the market because otherwise the good or service would have been produced if there is nothing that is missing in the market (Stiglitz 2000, p. 81). Incomplete markets can emerge when complementary services are lacking, transaction costs are too high, and the like (Stiglitz 2000, p. 81-82). It is possible that incomplete markets are one of the least studied market situation in the academic literature. The literature on the topic does not seem many. Information asymmetry or imperfection in information is also another cause for market failure to happen. For example, borrowers can know their risks as borrowers but lenders may not know the risks of lending to the borrowers. In another scenario, investors want to invest but they do not know the potential returns and possible risks in investments and, thus, they are constrained from investing. Finally, many scholars i nterpret