Change over time Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Change over time - Research Paper Example Moreover, the bus transportation has an official site, http://www.metrobus.df.gob.mx/ that offers tourist site for the City. Price are affordable and can be accessed online via http://www.metrobus.df.gob.mx/tarifa_pago.html. The transportation for Rooms and Accommodation can be done in the airport even before landing to Mexico City. Moreover, there are Green Taxis, Plane and Yellow Taxis that offer lucrative experience within the City. The buses and trains also offer best transportation experience around the City. There is also bus service from Airport to downtown, bike rental in city and On Foot. The Aztec population consisted of well-treated slaves, nobles and the commons. The most updated population estimate of the City of Mexico is about 8,864,000. Mexico City is the Capital of Mexico and rated the largest in Mexico. Mexico City has the highest number of the Spanish-speaking population entire world. The population density of the City is about 15,000 people per square mile. 19 percent of the population is considered indigenous communities in search of better economic situations. Also, many migrants found expatriates and immigrants dwell in the City. The primary language in Mexico is Spanish but due to the presence of indigenous communities in the city, Nahuatl, Mazahua, Zapoteco, Otomi and Mixteco languages are additionally spoken. The people that never migrated in or out the City of Mexico have about 70 percent of that population being under 15 years old. The remaining 30 percent is under the age of 15 years. Interestingly, only about 17 percent of the population over the age of 15 years has received higher education. About 41 percent of the non-migrant population is marked economically active, that is to say, a person was looking for a job or has one already. Further, about 25 percent of the emigrants is under the age of

Week Two Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Week Two Paper - Essay Example Federal courts are generally said to have "federal question" jurisdiction, which means that federal courts will hear cases that involve issues touching on the Constitution or other federal laws. The source of "federal question" jurisdiction can be found in the Constitution. Article III states that the "judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority." The federal court has jurisdiction over the case of Mr. Jones and the owner of the adjacent lot, because the Federal law also authorizes federal courts to hear cases where the opposing parties are citizens of different states. This is known as "diversity jurisdiction", because the plaintiff and the defendant have different, or diverse, state citizenships. "Diversity jurisdiction" enables a federal court to hear cases where there is not a federal question. In diversity cases, the federal court provides a fair forum where citizens of different states can have their cases heard. A "supplemental jurisdiction", a federal court can hear a claim that would normally come under the jurisdiction of a state court if it is related to a claim already before that court. Supplementary jurisdiction -- sometimes called "ancillary jurisdiction" or "pendent jurisdiction" -- is a common-law, device that allows a court to resolve all claims between opposing parties in one forum. Unlike other forms of jurisdiction, supplementary jurisdiction is discretionary -- a court can choose whether or not to exercise it in a given case. Disagreements are common in our daily lives. Usually these disagreements can be settled outside the legal system. Sometimes they are so serious, however, that one of the parties sees no alternative but to file a lawsuit.

Learning Is A Continuous Process Education Essay

Learning Is A Continuous Process Education Essay It is said that Ignorance is Bliss. If that be the case, one may wonder why people seek knowledge. This is because Knowledge is Power. That is why everyone is in pursuit of knowledge. Acquiring / up gradation of knowledge is known as learning. Learning is a continuous cyclic process. It starts from what one knows. It goes towards what one wants to know. The cycle is as shown below [1] In the process of learning, one picks up from what others know and some times one learns from ones own experience. Many times the success in life comes through learning new skills, knowledge, capabilities and attitudes. If we narrow our concern to the success of learning process in educational institutions, the success cannot be measured as a simple parameter. The success may be seen immediately or it may be felt at a later date. Success may be felt by an individual or it may be felt by the society. In many societies, education is seen as cost center and not as profit center. Governments in the world spend huge sums of money to educate their population. Generally these investments are made currently with an eye on future generations of the society. All along lifetime of mankind, education and continuous up- gradation of knowledge have been contributing to development of society. In a broad sense the following parameters can form the basis of measuring the success of learning: Knowledge gained Skills up-gradation Decision making capability Attitudinal change Ability to shoulder responsibility Problem solving capability Judgmental capability II LEARNING PROCESS Many principles are used to accelerate learning process [2]. Learning style depends on students preferences, students information processing capability, personality, social interaction tendencies, cultural diversity in the learning place and instructional methods. It may be difficult to model learning process precisely. There is a lot of disagreement between the educators and psychologists in the understanding of learning process. However, they agree that learning can be explained by the combination of two approaches namely, behaviorism and cognitive theory. Some of the principles that affect learning are readiness, exercise, effect, primacy, intensity, recency and perception. The factors that affect perception are physical organism, basic need, goals and values, self concept, time and opportunity and element of threat. There are four levels of learning namely, Rote learning, understanding, application and correlation. Higher levels of learning take place in cognitive domain, affecti ve domain and psychomotor domain. However, any knowledge / skill learnt are liable to be forgotten if not used regularly. There are methods for retention of what is learnt. The methods are praise, recall by association, favorable attitudes, meaningful repetition and leaning with all senses. Learning or acquiring of knowledge, skill etc are aimed at enhancing a persons decision making capability, problem solving ability, judgmental capabilities, ability to shoulder responsibilities and above all confidence of that person. Since learning is an important aspect of students lives, it becomes all the more important for us (teachers) to concentrate on different learning processes and various teaching methods that can bring about the required change in the students for maximum benefits. From the understanding of learning process, we understand that teaching involves transfer of knowledge, belief, skill, understanding, experience, values and preferences from the teacher to the taught. While undertaking any teaching assignment, the teacher is interested in knowing he sure methods of success in achieving the required goal of transfer of knowledge etc. There is no specific fool-proof method for available for the same. The success depends on the subject taught and methods employed. If one method has failed, the teacher must find another that can facilitate transfer of maximum information. In short, teaching is not considered to be a science and it is recognized as an Art. III PEDAGOGIES Different pedagogies are used for teaching different subjects. The well known, time tested standard and traditional pedagogies are chalk and talk, demonstration, tutorials, experiments and questions. But it has been found that these pedagogies fall short of expectations. So, there have been efforts to identify more effective novel strategies for teaching. We shall discuss some of the novel pedagogies and some of e-learning methods. Recent pedagogies include Role play, learn while you play, Learn through games, promoting Lateral thinking, Discovery learning, Cooperative learning, Case studies and Peer teaching. More recent methods are e-learning and m-learning pedagogies. We shall discuss each of these in detail. 3.1 Role Play Role play as a pedagogy has been in use for some time now [3]. It has been recognized as an effective learning tool especially for development of attitudinal skills. It exposes the participants to different views / perspectives for the same situation. All the participants may have gone through the theory of situations and how to react to such situations. However, in practice, one may find himself / herself wanting. Role play lets the participants go through the experience and to understand what different people may think / do at the same situation. In a role play a scenario is explained through a brief given to set of players. Each player may have been given different responsibilities and with different goals / objectives. There may be roles with conflicting interests as in the real life scenario. As the players play out the scenario, the possible obstacles in any ones plan are unfolded. Each one learns about the others ideas and each player gains more insight in to real life situati on. The result is the rich experience gained by all. 3.2 Learn while you play This pedagogy is use in use since kindergarten scheme of education is in vogue. This pedagogy is used mainly to help children get out of their homesickness in to a system of education. The system is use from 19 Century [4]. The pedagogy is useful in making even the reluctant child to join his / her friends in learning the basics of language / numbers. It has been found to be very effective across large societies. One of the reasons for this pedagogy to be successful is that it makes learning an interesting activity. It can possibly be beneficial if the same pedagogy is extended o higher learning also, specifically for learning skills. 3.3 Learn through games This pedagogy is very much useful for learning management skills. This is practiced in many International Schools of management [5,6]. It was started in 1958. It seeks to initiate reactions (management decisions) from students in a simulated environment. The game(s) can be played by a group of students across the table or it can be played over the Internet. Assisted learning is possible with the teacher providing necessary inputs so the student makes correct decisions. A good example is TOC V6 that can be played over the Internet [7]. The game lets the students to create a company, operate railway lines, plan routes and tariffs, plan advertisement and management strategies based on simulated results. In this game, the player is expected to make management decisions in the spheres of personnel, business planning, marketing and financial management. 3.4 Lateral Thinking The term Lateral Thinking was invented in the year 1967 by Edward De Bono [8]. It lets the students to think out of the box. The practice has been found to be useful in many situations. The website by the author is very useful in understanding the full capabilities of the practice of lateral thinking. In any situation, one can find the way out by simply thinking differently. As an approach, it is beneficial for all students to be encouraged in the art of lateral thinking as they are likely to face different problems than the ones for which they are prepared now. Good example of lateral thinking is the game of crossword. It tries to find an answer to a seemingly difficult statement. 3.5 Discovery Learning It is a good tool to let the students learn new concepts simply by discovering them. It is originally proposed by Jerome Bruner [9]. Discovery Learning is a method of inquiry-based instruction, discovery learning believes that it is best for learners to discover facts and relationships for themselves. This pedagogy allows knowledge to be constructed by the students themselves. In this method, the learner discovers the facts from their past experience and existing knowledge [10]. David Kolb has suggested an experimental learning model in 1984 [11] as shown below. Seymour Papert, a Professor from MIT has said You cant teach people everything they need to know. The best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it [12]. Learning orientations are found to happen in four different domains, namely, Behavior, cognitive, humanist and social domains. Out of these, cognition and recognition are mental processes that get sharpened by learning. Cognition is a complicated process that extends beyond what one sees or hears or smells. It provides understanding and association. For example, when we hear background music, we are able to identify the song and also any event / memory associated with it. 3.6 Case studies In this pedagogy, a single person or a group of persons study a situation or case in the real world. That is, they study a real time problem. It is expected that the person or group is involved in extensive research about the problem. Case studies are very helpful in the fields of Business or medicine. Case studies are useful in bringing out the correlations between events. Many times, case studies are also useful in suggesting suitable ways out of any situation. It helps the participants to weigh the pros and cons of different approaches towards the solution to any problem on hand. The benefits of this pedagogy and the approaches are many [13]. Free samples of case studies are also available [14, 15, 16, 17, and 18]. 3.7 Peer Teaching This has been found to be very effective in teaching students with mixed capabilities. This strategy exploits the advent of ICT (Information Communication Technology) in the field of education. In an UNESCO study conducted at Malaysia, it has been found that this pedagogy is very helpful for students in learning [19]. This strategy has been identified as hands On, Heads On, Hearts On strategy. There are many benefits of this strategy as this makes it possible for the learning to continue beyond the classroom and the examinations. It encourages collaboration among the students. But it must be borne in mind that a good student may not always be a good teacher. Main reason for this strategy to be effective is that we tend to remember [20]: 10% of what we hear 15% of what we see 20% of what we hear and see 60% of what we do 80% of what is done actively with reflection; 90% of what we teach others IV RECENT TRENDS Recent pedagogies are e-learning and m-learning using more of ICT. These strategies are more suited for teaching knowledge or concepts. However, for teaching skills, ones personal experience is the best teacher. For example, one cannot learn to swim from any amount of conceptual teaching from any one. One can learn swimming simply by jumping in to a water body and picking up the nuances of swimming. An analysis of e-learning initiatives of Colleges of Technology shows that majority of the staff members here use prepared study material and starting and maintaining discussion forum in websites. Some of the staff also uses power point presentations for transferring knowledge. However, there are some more e-learning pedagogies that can be made use of. We shall discuss them in detail. 4.1 Animation Animation uses the language of pictures. It is easy to convey a concept through an image than through verbose statements. Image captures the attention of viewers better than the ability of a lecturer to capture the attention of the listener. There are many 2D or 3D animation pictures available for teaching different subjects. It is possible to make the students understand certain time-related concepts better with animation than by regular classroom lecture. Many organizations are involved in development of animation pictures for teaching different subjects. 4.2 Simulation Software Many times, especially in design, it may not be possible to build a particular product and then test it. It may be costly and there may be other problems. So, it becomes advantageous if we can simulate a design and test the same in simulation. More over, a product / design that may give certain results under certain conditions, may give varied results under different conditions. While it may be possible to calculate / extrapolate the current situation, simulation helps the person to find the result without having to create the conditions physically. There are soft wares available for simulating various parameters and finding the results. The student can test his / her design under different conditions. Many simulation packages are available for teaching different subjects. 4.3 Video Lectures This is another method where the student is made to listen to the lectures by an eminent person in a field. The lectures by a reputed person are recorded and are available as video lectures. There are many such lectures available in the Internet [21]. The well known lecture series from Professors of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are available for free down load on any technical subject. These lectures are expected to offer to the student the much needed variety of view on the subject. It must be understood such lectures, though available, are not suited for developing practical skills. 4.4 Audio- visual (AV) lectures These are slightly different from the video lectures. These are useful with additional voice-over. That is, there are practical demonstrations with supporting voice -over instructions. The additional instructions are very helpful in enhancing the understanding of the subject. There are many available, mainly for learning different languages. However, there are a series of AV volumes available for Physical Exercises by Jane Fonda. 4.5 Screen casting and POD casting Some times screencasting helps easy understanding of some subjects [22]. A screen cast is the capture of the computer screen along with accompanying audio (of the teacher) and distributed. It can be viewed through the LAN in screen cast or it can be distributed through mobile network in POD cast. It can be considered to be representation of computer screen over a period of time. It captures changes in the screen for each action. The student, even if he / she has not been attentive in the class to appreciate all the minute points can learn them leisurely at home at a later time. 4.6 Virtual Learning Virtual Reality is the latest technique. It allows the user to experience a simulated Virtual environment in the computer. It calls for use of many gadgets associated with imaginary environments. It helps the student to gain the experience of any situation without having to go through the rigmarole of creating the environment. This is driven by stringent computing power requirements. V CONCLUSION We have considered many pedagogies that can be used in your classroom. After studying all these options, one may wonder if the pedagogy used by that person is the best one. However, it must be borne in mind that a particular pedagogy may be well suited for teaching a particular subject. The same pedagogy may not suit well for teaching other subject. The suitability of the pedagogy is dependent on the following parameters: The subject taught Students capability to understand Students interest to learn Nuances involved in learning that subject The learning environment Compulsion / incentives in learning that subject Language proficiency of teacher and taught We have considered different pedagogies and their relative merits. Only after practice of each of them one can come to a conclusion if it is well suited for any subject. VI References http://www.in-corporate.eu/images/diagrams/learning-process.gif http://www.dynamicflight.com/ Blanter A Blanter , Allee (1997) Applications in Education In the Art of play : Helping Adults reclaim imagination and spontaneity Philadelphia: Bruner/Mazel Taylor Francis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten sbaweb.wayne.edu/~absel/bkl/vol17/17ck.pdf http://www.cmu.edu/corporate/news/2007/features/mgmt%20game.shtml Carnegie Mellon University http://tocgame.sr1.fi/ www.edwdebono.com/debono/lateral.htm Bruner, J.S. (1967). On knowing: Essays for the left hand. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learning-bruner.html Kolb DA 1984. Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice-Hall. http://www.papert.org/ http://www.studygs.net/casestudy.htm www.Caseplace.org www.intel.com/business/casestudies/all/index.html http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/company_list.php http://www.schroeder-inc.com/casestudy.html http://ucs.ist.psu.edu/default.asp Tan Tee Hwa, Student Peer Teaching Strategy, Malaysia, UNESCO, Bangkok (2009) ISBN 978-92-9223-251-1 (Print version), ISBN 978-92-9223-252-8 (Electronic version) http://ceupromed.ucol.mx/sptss/introduction.htm www.youtube.com www.educause.edu/eli

Rudolf Diesel :: Essays Papers

Rudolf Diesel Rudolf Diesel is the man I chose for my hi-fi because I like cars and car engines. Rudolf diesel invented the diesel engine. I also chose Rudolf Diesel because when I went to look for a person for my hi-fi he was a man who I thought that no one else would chose. I thought that Rudolf diesel would also be a man who would be interesting. I like mechanical things and not people who discovered some place or some boring invention. I want to be a mechanical engineer so Rudolf Diesel fits right in with what I want to be. That is why I chose Rudolf Diesel for my hi-fi. Some of the things that I would like to learn about Rudolf Diesel is how he came up with the idea of making a diesel engine. I would also like to know where he was from and how old he was when he first thought up the design of the engine. I would like to know about his life like if he was married or not. I would also like to know what his life was like, if he was rich or if he was poor. If he had children, how many and if they were also inventors. I would also like to know how many improvements people have made on his original design and if they still use his basic design in modern times. I don’t know much about him at all but that he invented the diesel engine and his name. I also know that he was born in 1858 and died in 1913, he was German, a mechanical engineer, and that he patented the Diesel engine. That is what I think that I know and want to know about Rudolf Diesel. Some of the things that I would like to find out would be what kind of training he had, did he invent any other things, and what school did he go to in Europe. I would also like to know who he worked with on the engine or did he do it by himself. I would also like to know why he invented the diesel engine when they already had the gasoline engine. I would also like to know what the first diesel engine looked like and how big was it.

Assignment 1 Essay

Professor Identify the pros and cons of the partnership as a form of ownership. Discuss funding options for small businesses. Determine and discuss how managerial accounting can help managers with product costing, incremental analysis and budgeting. Discuss the basic components of the marketing process using a product or service of your choice as an example. Discuss the roles of social responsibility and technology in the marketing function. A partnership as a form of ownership is formed quite simply. When two or more people get together and come to an agreement on what type of business to take part in, then all parties share investment, profit, and of course loss. Let’s discuss the pros and cons ofa partnership. Pros, one of the many things all investors would like to see out weight the cons in anything they are engaged in mentally, physically, and of course financially. First of all, one pro would be how easy it is to create a partnership. You simply get with at least one other person come to an agreement over all the business details, and â€Å"BAM† you have a partnership. Some people are comfortable in erbal agreements but I personally would suggest you get all your partnership details on a written legal document Just in case. Funding is another advantage toa partnership. When two or more people come together to form a business partnership money is invested from all parties involved in turn the business has a stronger financial backing to support it. Not only will the business have a strong financial backing all partners invested may have access to outside money to support the business even further along. One of the best advantages in being in a business partnership is shared responsibility. Shared responsibility is crucial in a successful business and of course partnership. When the business starts to get a bit heavy you can hand it to your partner or partners to carry the work load for a while. You can also look to your partners for moral support when you may think things aren’t going as stated in your business plan. So far we have heard the pros ofa business partnership but like every bandage that fixes that painful spot you eventually have to pull it off. Cons, the opposite of Pro, the many things that all business investors need to know before investing but never want to hear. You may be thinking since it was a breeze to create this business partnership the rest will come as a breeze. You could your mind; everyone who is a partner is liable for all debts. You and your partners are all Jointly or individually liable for all debts accumulated by the business. For example, let’s say your partner or partners are taking the profits the business is making and gambling with it. Your partners blow away all the profits on poker games and skip town what then, that’s right you are still liable for any debt accumulated by the business. Another obvious con is your business partners will want to share the rofits made by the business. You can’t assume when the business makes profit everyone will agree on saving it. Your partner or partners may want to buy cars, houses, or maybe boats. You don’t have total control of the business. Business decisions are made Jointly not on your own. You may run into disagreements that in turn create the other partner to leave the business, or even lead to buying out the other partner. Pros and cons are a great way to see if you’re the, â€Å"partner type†, if so make sure you pick the right partner or partners for your business. There are many ther factors in owning and running a business. For example, in order to get your business off the ground you have to find the money to do so. Debt financing is one way you can start up your business. Debt financing is simply going to a bank that knows you have good credit, a good standing history with them, and apply for a small business loan. In the current economy most banks can be very hesitant to offer you the loan so another way is equity. Selling a share of your business meaning you aren’t solely in charge or will now be sharing the profits may be scary, but it can help you start up your business. After starting up your business you now have to manage the business or appoint someone for the Job. Managing the accounting is a great way to stay on top of product cost, and budgeting. Managerial accounting is detailed data used for inside members of a company. Managerial accounting includes things like cost of the product, cost of shipping, cost of employee benefits, cost of turnover, basically every number available to you and your partners. You can determine if you have the budget to raise wages for your employees to boost employee morale. Each business owner can use the data to do their Job better. You can go to your losses data and determine if your employees are stealing from you. Then determine how much more security you will need in order to prevent product loss. If you or your manager for your business needs to determine if their product was set at the right price they could view the sales data to see if the supply met the demand. If you see that one of your items hasn’t been selling very well you can set it at a lower price or you can Just order less of such product. If you see you sold a lot of a particular product you can raise the price as you see fit. You now know if you are the partner ype, you know a couple ways to possibly fund your business, and you know how to manage your data and budget. How are you going to get costumers through your door or buying your product? How will you market yourself? Let’s use my dream business as an example. I would like to open up a caf © lounge that serves fair trade coffee, craft beer, and fine wines. In order for me to make any kind of better profit for my business I have to market my business. You have to give the people what they want in my case I would produce amazing cups of coffee. My business would offer a coffee with better taste, and appeal. My coffee would be made with love and not thrown at you in the pickup line simultaneously saying, â€Å"NEXT†. My caf © lounge would major downtown street. Location is important for my caf © lounge so doing a little research of the area by visiting throughout all times of the day to see the amount of traffic the area receives is crucial. Then maybe you can ask around the nearby stores to see if customers purchase a lot of coffee. You can even go to the nearest coffee shop and see what coffee and vibe they offer and simply ask the locals what kind of coffee they like or would like to drink in what kind of atmosphere. After finding your target market, a great location, building your business, affordable product pricing, and setting your hours of operation it is time to promote your business. You can put ads in the local newspaper, ads in local magazines, and maybe even do a commercial broadcast in the tri county area. You will have to set your product apart from all the other competitors. For me coffee is all about personality, process, and taste. In order to retain customers your employees have to be personable, professional, and building customer relationships. Then there’s process, customers will see you make heir drink every step of the way making it an enjoyable experience. Lastly is taste, my employees being highly trained baristas will make you a drink to your satisfaction in a timely fashion all the while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere for my caf © lounge. Having the best tasting coffee and vibe may do Justice but for long term business it may not be enough this is when you bring in the events. Doing special events with your business such as charities, open mic nights, acoustic Jam sessions, and book clubs is a great way to attract more customers and maintain current ones. Internet is your best friend. Creating a website for your business is an amazing marketing play. It allows your customers to have 2417 access to information, and product choices. You can post updates on new product arrivals, special events, and specific information for each product you offer. The best part about having a website is they can look you up anywhere in the world that offers internet. Another great marketing strategy is purchasing ad space on other websites like a grocery franchise or sports sites. Green marketing is another great way to market your business. Customers love knowing your business is eco friendly by recycling, or using recycled aterial. By simply pushing customers to buy coffee to drink in house rather than take away conserves paper cups in turn less garbage. If customers choose to take to go anyways inform the customers all your paper products are recycled and recyclable. Offering organic treats to eat along with their coffee can promote a green business as well. In the end knowing everything there is to build, manage, and market your business your goal is to have long term profitability. You want to exceed customer satisfaction, you want to blow away the competition, and be prepared for even harder competition in the future.

Louis XIV and the Greatness of France by Maurice Ashley

For all of his foibles and eccentricities, King Louis XIV of France stands in history as an important and effective leader in 17th century France.   His impact on the course of French history is undeniable, and the story of his life and rise to power is fascinating to study.   One of the pivotal works on Louis XIV in the last several decades is â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† by Maurice Ashley.   In this book review, Ashley’s work will be discussed within the historical context of 17th century France in an effort to better understand Louis XIV and the writing of Ashley himself. Overview of the Work Maurice Ashley, in writing â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† created a work that is rich in historical details about the life and rule of the man who would come to be known throughout history as The Sun King (Ashley, 1965), combined with literary techniques and contemporary viewpoints, which will be presented in subsequent portions of this review. The work takes a biographical format, beginning literally with the conception of Louis XIV and following the course of his life and monarchy to its conclusion, and ultimately, discussing how France continued forward after the end of his life and reign.   In retrospect, Ashley’s book has come to be known as one of the pivotal modern writings about The Sun King as well as a highly regarded historical record. The Use of Descriptive Language in the Work Interestingly, Ashley uses vivid descriptive language to bring Louis XIV to life for the reader by describing his physical, emotional and monarchical presence, written in the third person.   In doing this, the reader is able to relate to Louis XIV as a character in the drama of French history, rather than just as a statistic or footnote to history.   Because of this, one gains additional insight into the psyche of the king, and can better evaluate his decisions and rule. A perfect example of personal information about Louis XIV comes in the form of a direct quote form deMotterville, one of Louis XIV’s contemporaries, when he observes: â€Å"I often noticed with astonishment that in his games and amusements, the king never laughed† (Ashley, 1965, p. 11).   The text is full of such quotes, which make the book more understandable and enjoyable. Central Theme of the Work If a central theme were to be assigned to Ashley’s book, it would be absolute power, or as historians would describe it, Absolutism, which is to say that Louis XIV sought to hold control of all of the government of France, which went against the parliamentary systems that other nations were adopting during this time (Ashley, 1965).   The author makes an excellent point when he implies that Louis XIV’s rule, which ran contrary to the popular opinion of the world at that time, did not continue despite France’s greatness, but because of it.   Not even an autocrat like Louis XIV could destroy the French empire. Use of Contemporary Viewpoints Ashley wisely utilized commentary from his contemporaries to add depth to â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France†.   By including modern leaders such as Winston Churchill as part of the book, Ashley cleverly brought hundreds of years of history into the modern arena of thought, again helping the reader to better understand Louis XIV in a present-day context. Summary In closing, what should be noted about Maurice Ashley’s â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† is that the author wove literary technique and solid facts to create and informative and entertaining work that has withstood decades of scrutiny to become one of the pivotal works about this formative period in the history of France. References (Ashley, 1965) (Ashley Maurice 1965 Louis XIV and the Greatness of France)Ashley, Maurice (1965). Louis XIV and the Greatness of France. New York: Free Press.      

Free Essays on Should Top Executives Make The Money They Do

It is a well-known fact that many people holding high positions in companies make an exorbitant amount of money. Some, however, say that they do not deserve the amount that they are paid. They feel that for the amount of work that is done by these executives, their paycheck is simply too high. Also, they believe that these high paid workers often do a mediocre job, while still managing to reap the benefits of being an executive. While these are viable arguments against this issue, the other side of the spectrum shows that this is not so. There is an equal amount of evidence, if not more, that suggests that executives earn every penny of their paychecks. The CEOs of companies are under an extraordinary amount of pressure. They face the task of making sure that a company pulls in a profit, or possibly losing their job. There are few, if any other positions that put an employee in this situation. Important decisions are made by them everyday, many of which decide whether a company will prosper, or go under. Many of these men had to work their way to the top. They usually have extensive business backgrounds, and know their field well. There are very few people qualified, or knowledgeable enough to perform well in executive positions. That makes the ones that are, a hot commodity. Thus allowing them to demand the high pay that they earn. High Pay Seems Small When Compared To Company Profits When the public sees a salary that they consider to be too big, they are usually looking at only half of the picture. It is impossible to look at just the salary, without taking any other factors into consideration. One must look at the amount of earnings, compared to the profits of the company. For instance, Robert Allen, who runs ATT was recently pointed out by 60 Minutes as being an overpaid executive. Their major problem was that he had been responsible for laying off 40,000 employees, while still managing to give himself a large pay increase. At firs... Free Essays on Should Top Executives Make The Money They Do Free Essays on Should Top Executives Make The Money They Do It is a well-known fact that many people holding high positions in companies make an exorbitant amount of money. Some, however, say that they do not deserve the amount that they are paid. They feel that for the amount of work that is done by these executives, their paycheck is simply too high. Also, they believe that these high paid workers often do a mediocre job, while still managing to reap the benefits of being an executive. While these are viable arguments against this issue, the other side of the spectrum shows that this is not so. There is an equal amount of evidence, if not more, that suggests that executives earn every penny of their paychecks. The CEOs of companies are under an extraordinary amount of pressure. They face the task of making sure that a company pulls in a profit, or possibly losing their job. There are few, if any other positions that put an employee in this situation. Important decisions are made by them everyday, many of which decide whether a company will prosper, or go under. Many of these men had to work their way to the top. They usually have extensive business backgrounds, and know their field well. There are very few people qualified, or knowledgeable enough to perform well in executive positions. That makes the ones that are, a hot commodity. Thus allowing them to demand the high pay that they earn. High Pay Seems Small When Compared To Company Profits When the public sees a salary that they consider to be too big, they are usually looking at only half of the picture. It is impossible to look at just the salary, without taking any other factors into consideration. One must look at the amount of earnings, compared to the profits of the company. For instance, Robert Allen, who runs ATT was recently pointed out by 60 Minutes as being an overpaid executive. Their major problem was that he had been responsible for laying off 40,000 employees, while still managing to give himself a large pay increase. At firs...

Free Essays on Lead

Lead is a poisonous element that can harm humans if they aren’t careful. The most common hazardous problem is lead poisoning. Lead is poisoning can have some severe affects but with being aware of this hazard there are ways to avid being poisoned. A very common place where children can be infected by lead poisoning is on public playground equipment. This is possible if the equipment has chipping or peeling lead paint, which is potential lead poisoning hazard primarily for children six years old and younger. They ingest the lead by getting paint chips or dust on their hands and then putting their hands into their mouth. To solve this problem, it is recommended that you keep the lead at or below the 0.5 percent level. The other big cause for lead poisoning is lead in your drinking water that comes out of the faucet. The best way to prevent this is b simply just being aware of your waters lead levels. You should always flush your pipes before drinking. Anytime the water in a particular faucet has not been used for six hours or longer you need to flush your cold water pipes by running the water until it becomes as cold as it will get. The more time water has been sitting it becomes as cold as it will get. The more time water has been in your house pipes, the more lead it may contain. Only use cold water tap for drinking, cooking, and especially for making baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead. Lead poisoning can be caused by lead fishing sinkers too. So it is encouraged not to use lead sinkers or any other items containing lead while fishing.... Free Essays on Lead Free Essays on Lead Lead is a poisonous element that can harm humans if they aren’t careful. The most common hazardous problem is lead poisoning. Lead is poisoning can have some severe affects but with being aware of this hazard there are ways to avid being poisoned. A very common place where children can be infected by lead poisoning is on public playground equipment. This is possible if the equipment has chipping or peeling lead paint, which is potential lead poisoning hazard primarily for children six years old and younger. They ingest the lead by getting paint chips or dust on their hands and then putting their hands into their mouth. To solve this problem, it is recommended that you keep the lead at or below the 0.5 percent level. The other big cause for lead poisoning is lead in your drinking water that comes out of the faucet. The best way to prevent this is b simply just being aware of your waters lead levels. You should always flush your pipes before drinking. Anytime the water in a particular faucet has not been used for six hours or longer you need to flush your cold water pipes by running the water until it becomes as cold as it will get. The more time water has been sitting it becomes as cold as it will get. The more time water has been in your house pipes, the more lead it may contain. Only use cold water tap for drinking, cooking, and especially for making baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead. Lead poisoning can be caused by lead fishing sinkers too. So it is encouraged not to use lead sinkers or any other items containing lead while fishing....

When to Consider Planting a Flowering Dogwood Tree

When to Consider Planting a Flowering Dogwood Tree Flowering dogwood is the state tree of Virginia and Missouri and the state flower of North Carolina. It is an extremely popular flowering tree in American landscapes, is beautiful in every season and  a sturdy tree  that can be grown in most yards. Flowering dogwood opens white flowers in April, usually before the leaf display, and will show off and enhance any spring  landscape. If planted on a hospitable site and under a canopy of larger trees, the tree grows fast, sleek and slim but it  will be  less sleek and more husky when grown in open sun. Unfortunately, the tree is  too often planted on dry, sunny and alkaline soils and the grower misses its full potential. Habit and Planting Dogwood grows readily from seed but is not easy to transplant. You  will do best by buying a potted  tree at your garden center or bare-root tree at  a nursery.  You can buy bulk bare-root stock at very reasonable prices from the Arbor Day Foundation if you are a member. Always move dogwood with a complete root ball in the early spring and place the transplant a little high in the planting hole. Understory dogwood is a medium tree of about 40 feet with wispy stems. The dogwood occupies a large eastern north-south range in North America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The tree is not very hardy if planted beyond its genetic home region so pick a local variety. Strong Cultivars There are white, red and blended versions of flowering dogwood.  Some of the most popular  dogwood cultivars are Cherokee Chief, Cherokee Princess, First Lady, Rubra, New Hampshire, and  Appalachian Spring. Many of these can only be found in local nurseries in the region  where the cultivar does best. Flowering dogwood is hardy through zone 5.

Business Decision Analysis Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Business Decision Analysis Project - Essay Example This analysis report will help decide whether James starting a new business will generate enough income to cater for the income that James will forgo so as to run the new business. Also, the report will give him sound financial advice for his decision-making process. We shall also use US Code 1031- tax free exchange in the report. The rule states that a company can defer capital gain taxes if he sells property to reinvest in another one. Mr James Wiesman faces the major challenge of deciding whether or not he should buy/lease the equipment needed to manufacture the products or buy them from another company. Currently, Mr James owns a construction patent of a process that reduces the cost of production tremendously. The patent is highly lucrative, which has led to Mr James to sign contracts with the U.S. government to supply the products to the navy and army for Barrack constructions. The facts of this problem are that the cost of producing the products himself will attribute for 60% of his total costs (Glen& Howard, 91). In addition, the cost of production of the materials will be a third of buying it from another company. It is evident that the cost of buying the product from another company will be much higher than the former. Based on the mentioned facts, it is advisable that Mr James Wiesman buys/leases the equipment needed for production. Buying or leasing equipment will require Mr James to open his own firm. The initial costs of production include the purchase of land, building costs and the working capital that sum up to over2,120,000 $. Mr James has to decide the sources for his financing to make this decision. He has two options to choose. Firstly, Mr John Money Bag is willing to give him 2,000,000$ for controlling interest of the company as well as semi-active management participation. Secondly, Mr James can sell off some of his assets to raise the funds necessary for production. Mr James is

Strategic Company Analysis on The Body Shop Research Paper - 2

Strategic Company Analysis on The Body Shop - Research Paper Example The Body Shop works in a clean environment where they have managed to keep their competitive edge. They work is a diverse environment and they also aim to encourage a healthy environment in the world by working against torture of any kind to humans and animals.  Marketing activities are influenced by several factors inside and outside the business firm. These factors or forces influencing marketing decision-making are collectively called the marketing environment. It comprises all these factors, which have an impact on the market and marketing efforts of the Body Shop.  Macro environment refers to those factors, which are external forces in the company’s activities and do not concern the immediate environment. The macro environment is uncontrollable factors, which indirectly affect the concerns ability to operate in the market effectively.  Forces in an organization’s general environment have profound effects on its task environment. In fact, managers must constan tly analyze forces in the general environment because these affect long term decision-making.  PEST analysis for the general environment are including economic forces; social, cultural, demographic and environmental forces; political, government, and legal forces; technological forces; competitive forces; and Global forces.  Michael Porter created the Five Forces Model to help managers identify forces in the environment that are potential threats. According to Porter, the nature of competitiveness in a given industry can be viewed as a composite of five forces.

Children's Rights and Participation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Children's Rights and Participation - Essay Example The rights which are based on this include a question of how many rights children should have and whether this is applicable within society. While there are questions of children’s rights, others are also questioning the social structure of given areas which currently protects children who don’t have the rights. The dichotomy of children’s rights then becomes the main question between those who are looking at the place of children in society and the flexibility which should be included with the rights of children. This paper will explore the association between children’s rights within society as well as how this is related to the amount of children’s rights that should be distributed. The focus of protection and security, as well as the association with the development of children both has to be considered in regards to the needs of children in school, society and in the household. While equal participation can provide children with a stronger voic e for security, there is also the need to change this according to the specific levels of development among children. Sociology of Childhood The sociology of children is one which is known as a unique phenomena in society. Children are divided into a sub – group within society, specifically because of biological differences and age. ... From this perspective, the sociological components are based only on the understanding and definitions of society, as opposed to the capabilities and rights which children should have as citizens within society (Archard, 2004: 25). This creates the main difference between children and their rights, which shows a level of injustice over children and the abilities that they don’t have in terms of acting as responsible citizens within society because of social labels. The concept of childhood is one which has altered through sociological associations throughout time. Historical records note that the ideal of childhood has changed in different cultures and in various time frames. The idea of childhood is then implied throughout time and distinguishes rights based on the social needs of a given time frame. When a child is developed in a specific way, such as through education or work, then it becomes a reflection on what is needed within society as well as how this relates to the s pecific conditions of a given region. The idea of childhood then becomes related to a social construction which is based on age, gender, biological differences and the amount of knowledge which an individual has about the world. The social makeup of a child and the demographic differences then remain the only division in society, some which changes the roles which children play within society (Archard, 2004: 25). The differences associated with children and the social role which is taken is further implied with the expected participation in which children have within society. It is known that there are multidimensional participation processes that construct the role of a child in society and the expectations that are associated with this. The

Legalization of Marijuana Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Legalization of Marijuana - Term Paper Example Although marijuana is not legal in the Netherlands as is widely believed, it is openly tolerated as evidenced by the fact that it can be both purchased and consumed in one of several Amsterdam ‘coffee houses.’ The city is thus an example of the kind of ‘anarchy’ opponents of legalization measures have warned would occur if the United States took a more lenient approach. What the evidence suggests is that legalizing marijuana can introduce a great benefit to society. This evidence is well-known throughout the scientific, political and public arena including economics and social issues but it has yet to be acted upon. According to a report in The Economist (Case for Legalization, 2001), concerns that a growing drug-using and dependent population would emerge if marijuana was made more available are false. Although the magazine acknowledges that the price of the drug is artificially high, it attributes this to the difficulties involved in circumventing the law. The authors of this report indicate that it is only because of the high cost and the difficulty to obtain it that more individuals have not experimented with it. Instead, they become addicted, either physically or psychologically, to other, often more harmful yet legal substances such as prescription medications or alcohol. To support their argument in favor of legalization even should the numbers of suspected users rise, the Economist article (Case for Legalization, 2001) draws on the theories of John Stuart Mill. Mill’s ideas were founded on the concept that adult citizens should have the right to make their own choices regarding w hether or not to participate in activity as long as it does no harm to others. This is a founding theory that has been mostly ignored in decisions made regarding alcohol and tobacco, both of which have proven to directly cause significant harm to innocent others,

Stag Hunt Game Models Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stag Hunt Game Models - Coursework Example The coursework "Stag Hunt Game Models" presents the comparison of the evolutionary game theory and the standard game theory and how they can be applied to a stag hunt game. In this kind of game, two players may choose to hunt a hare and a stag individually. Each player is however usually required to make their choices without letting it known to the other party. The two individuals must, however, seek the cooperation of each other in order to succeed in their game. For example, an individual can successfully hunt down and get a hare by hunting alone but a hare is considered to be worth significantly less than a stag. Consequently derived from stag hunt game is often used as one of the important analogies for social cooperation. There are also a number of other games that can also be effectively used to depict social cooperation. Some of these games include the prisoner’s dilemma and analysts believe it better than stage hunt with regard to its explanation of Social Corporation. The primary difference between stag hunt game and the Prisoners dilemma is that the game usually involves two Nash equilibria in the event that both the two players cooperate or defect at the same time. Prisoners dilemma as a game generally involves a Pareto efficient cooperation between two players but as opposed to stag hunt, Nash equilibrium is only present in the event that both the two players decide to defect. In a stag hunt game, there is usually one side considered to be risk dominant while the other side is regarded as payoff dominant.

Geoengineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geoengineering - Essay Example Geoengineering technologies that aim to address this issue can be classified into three broad areas (ETC Group, 19-21): 1. Solar radiation management (SRM) technologies: These technologies aim to reduce the effects of greenhouse gases by increasing the radiation of sunlight back into space. Researchers and advocates have suggested various techniques like covering deserts with reflective sheets to deflect sunlight or blocking the sunlight with ‘space shades’. This technology is predicted to divert about 10% of sunlight away from the planet. Researchers have also suggested covering glaciers in the Arctic region with insulating material to reflect sunlight and prevent the melting of ice. Other techniques include painting roofs and road surfaces white so as to reflect the sunlight, using superfine reflective mesh of aluminum between the Earth and sun as ‘space mirrors’ and engineer large-scale changes in water movements in order to provoke cloud formation to ref lect sunlight. These SRM technologies can however cause significant environmental damage, including releasing additional greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. ... 2. Carbon dioxide removal and sequestration: This technology aims to remove CO2 from the atmosphere after it has been released. It involves techniques like adding iron or nitrogen to ocean water to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton in an attempt to promote carbon sequestration in deep sea and developing carbon sucking machines to extract CO2 from the air in solid form so that it can be buried. Other techniques involve controlling the levels of atmospheric CO2 by spreading magnesium iron silicate on farmland or forestland and genetically engineering communities of synthetic microbes and algae to create new forms of carbon ‘sinks’. Implementation of these technologies that intervene in complex ecosystems can however cause unpredictable side effects. Again, the duration and safety of sequestration in land or sea are mostly unknown. Many of these techniques also require land/ocean use changes that can negatively affect the poor and marginalized people. 3. Weather modific ation: This technology does not address the causes or the mechanism of climate change, but aims only to alter its outcomes. This approach involves techniques like cloud seeding by using chemicals like silver iodide to precipitate rain or snow. This technique is already practiced on a large scale in the U.S. and China despite the skepticism about its effectiveness. Another technique attempts to prevent the formation of storms by redirecting or suppressing hurricanes. Since predicting the weather and proving the effectiveness of these interventions are difficult, these technologies may result in some unwelcome and unpredictable side effects. Attempts to produce rainfall in one location can be regarded as rainfall ‘theft’ by residents of another location, especially

Stag Hunt Game Models Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stag Hunt Game Models - Coursework Example The coursework "Stag Hunt Game Models" presents the comparison of the evolutionary game theory and the standard game theory and how they can be applied to a stag hunt game. In this kind of game, two players may choose to hunt a hare and a stag individually. Each player is however usually required to make their choices without letting it known to the other party. The two individuals must, however, seek the cooperation of each other in order to succeed in their game. For example, an individual can successfully hunt down and get a hare by hunting alone but a hare is considered to be worth significantly less than a stag. Consequently derived from stag hunt game is often used as one of the important analogies for social cooperation. There are also a number of other games that can also be effectively used to depict social cooperation. Some of these games include the prisoner’s dilemma and analysts believe it better than stage hunt with regard to its explanation of Social Corporation. The primary difference between stag hunt game and the Prisoners dilemma is that the game usually involves two Nash equilibria in the event that both the two players cooperate or defect at the same time. Prisoners dilemma as a game generally involves a Pareto efficient cooperation between two players but as opposed to stag hunt, Nash equilibrium is only present in the event that both the two players decide to defect. In a stag hunt game, there is usually one side considered to be risk dominant while the other side is regarded as payoff dominant.

Army Profession of Arms Essay Example for Free

Army Profession of Arms Essay The Profession of Arms Campaign is mandated by John M. McHugh, secretary of the Army, and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Army chief of staff, to assess the state of the Army and take a critical look at how the past decade of war has impacted the military and civilian workforce. â€Å"The overall objective of the campaign is for Soldiers and leaders to refine their understanding of what it means to be professionals expert members of the Profession of Arms after over nine years of war and to recommit to a culture of service and the responsibilities and behaviors of our profession as articulated in the Army ethic,† Dempsey said. Another Army leader talked about what the campaign means for all those serving in the Army, whether Soldier or civilian, and how it is designed to help transition from the past decade of continuous conflict into a still-uncertain future. â€Å"The Army has decided to introduce the campaign for the Profession of Arms to develop leaders of character and competence required to meet the dynamic challenges of the 21st century,† said Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., commanding general. â€Å"This campaign is designed to define and reinvigorate what it means to be a professional in the Profession of Arms. As we embark on this mission, we must reflect on the values and traits that define and distinguish us as a unique profession.† Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command commanding general, has initiated a command-wide review of what it means to be in the Profession of Arms. This review is part of a broader Army wide effort and leaders across the command are getting involved in this open collaborative process to solicit and capture feedback from its Soldiers and civilians. This campaign will also be a teaching opportunity to help better understand what it means to be in this profession and what it means to be in public service that distinguishes a profession from a career. For the workforce at USASMDC/ARSTRAT, the Profession of Arms Campaign is a chance to give input to the Army on how the past decade has influenced, both good and bad, those serving their nation in wartime. â€Å"For the Army as a whole, this is a chance to assess a lot of what impact the last 10 years of being at war has had on our workforce. It is a chance to take note of what we need to do right now, what we need to do in the future and what direction we need to go in, and I think this could have a great effect on SMDC as a whole,† said Lisa Ratley, Concepts Division, Future Warfare Center-Battle Lab. â€Å"We will conduct some roundtable groups and town hall-type meetings with civilians, officers and noncommissioned officers that will take input from everyone. â€Å"This is a great opportunity for SMDC to gather input and have something to say to the Army as a whole,† she added. In the Profession of Arms Campaign, there are five ‘cohorts’ that the Army is looking at. They are officers, noncommissioned officers, warrant officers, junior enlisted Soldiers and civilians. The campaign focuses on three questions: What does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms? What does it mean to be a professional Soldier? After nine years of war, how are we, as individual professionals and as a profession, meeting these aspirations? â€Å"The Army chief of staff and secretary of the Army are concerned about what effect the last 10 years of war is having on the Army,† said Donald Long, FWC-BL. â€Å"They want to assess the impact of it and to keep ahead of what has actually changed, and how do we implement fixes to any problems or issues that may come up so we can continue to be a professional Army. â€Å"The Profession of Arms Campaign was officially going to end in December but the commanding general of SMDC wants to extend it to include the next 18 to 24 months of professional development for the civilians, Soldiers and officers in the command to provide professional development on what it means to be a professional in this Profession of Arms,† Long added. The Army has also sent out 20,000 surveys to civilians across the Army to get an input from the workforce. â€Å"To me, working for the Army is not just a job, it is an understanding that we are here to serve the American people,† said Ginny Partan, FWC-BL. â€Å"I think the Profession of Arms Campaign is going to help us bridge the gap between 10 years at war and where we need to head in the future. It is going to help us take a hard look at ourselves, across the spectrum from Soldiers to civilians, to see what we are doing right and where we can improve so that we are better in the future.†

Prospects and growth of the fast food industry

Prospects and growth of the fast food industry Tackling the blow of recession has not been easy for any industry. Its Attack was so strong that no industry has been able to save itself from its effects. If the hospitality industry is a measure of the wealthy and the rich peoples pockets then the news is very bad indeed. Many restaurants have went to the wall in the final quarter of 2008.The restaurants have been fighting with the reduction of corporate entertaining and the disposable income squeeze of consumers as well. Not only the restaurants and the hotels, but the pub industry has also been stroked by a number of factors over the past one decade and recession has put pressure on an already difficult trading environment. In the words of a renowned chef Dawn Sweeny, Creativity has always been a hallmark of professional chefs So to survive the blow of recession and to manage this situation a Lot of established chefs are getting in to street vending of their creations more efficiently to people who could only dream in their mortar and brick buildings. Low overheads, low labour costs and mostly cash based business is win- win situation for many. These mobile kitchen vans are saving these brand names from dying. The big brand names are selling their franchises to the people who want to earn a good amount of money by investing at one time. These vans have everything you need in the kitchen including all kinds of appliances and raw material. This food is comparatively cheaper as the mobile kitchen cuts down on the over heads and the labour costs. Street food is becoming a way to indulge pre-recession tastes on post-recession budgets At the same time recession in the US food industry has creating the new opportunity for the food sector in the US. In the recently released research report by RNCOS on US Fast food market outlook 2010even though there is gloomy economic condition in US, the fast food industry in US is growing rapidly because of inexpensive fast food and increasing number of working population. According to the report fast food market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years and will cross the US$170 billion by the end of 2010. Because of economic downturn people has reduced their expenses of going for dinner in the restaurant and fast food for the launch. Instead of going in the restaurant they have started buying the food from street food vans which cost them less as compared to the restaurant food and they can save that much money in this recession time. This trend is becoming more common in the urban areas where the demand of pre-packed food and readymade food has increased because of the f ast life of their people. This has become now new trend there because American people wants want to have food which can provide instant energy without wasting more time and they can also afford that. The new trend of franchising the existing brands to the mobile carts is look refreshing and a new concept in the States. Through the research will able to judge that will this trend will continue even after the period of recession? Street food is becoming very famous in the United States and till the date only small-scale outlets are driving the trend, but now large food maker have also started to enter the market to get on board with this new trend. The market research organizations Culinary Trend Mapping Report from the Centre for Culinary Development (CCD) examined the booming street food trend, which has seen Americans reaching for a variety of convenient, portable and affordable foods, often with globally inspired flavours and eco-friendly preparation (foodnavigator-usa.com). In the recent time street food has become very popular due to a confluence of larger social trends, mainly because of the economic downturn and the corresponding need for more affordable foods, growing snacking habits, greater interest in ethnic flavours and in local, sustainable foods. 1.2 Purpose This research attempts to contribute to the study of the current prospects and growth of the fast food industry on the wheel. The Food trucks in the NYC and other mobile food carts started by famous restaurants have been introduced. This research aims to find out what was the effect of recession on the food industry and how has it affected the consumer behaviour in this regard. The eating habits and the change in the actual income have affected the behaviour of the consumers and hence their frequency of dining out and their expenditure on food has been affected. So this research will throw light on this change as well. With the intention of exploring the possibility of the Food trucks endorsed by the restaurants that have seen a reduction in the number of customers due to recession, we will also study how these trucks are working and how do they cater to the needs of the people in the current situation. Whether the management and the way they are operating is different and how simila r their ways of operations are. In addition this research will study the advantages of the mobile food carts and if they can be a competition to the conventional style of dining and eating out. Or if these food trucks can add to the brand name of the existing restaurants and chains that have otherwise seen a decline in their business. 1.3 Development and structure of the research This research paper was developed in five steps 1. Define research aim topic Discussion with supervisor and explore possible interests within designated discipline. 2. Gather relevant literatures Begin investigation in existing literature to discover possible gap between academic research and reality. 3. Develop research structure Construct content of study and plan accordingly. 4. Collect the data and Data analysis Collect all required data from different secondary sources. Clear presentation of data in logical sequential arrangement and examine Validity of collected information 5. Develop conclusion from finding Present conclusion of this research and provide recommendation for further research CHAPTER- 2 Literature Review 2.1 Overview The chapter first begin by introduction of Food market in the USA and effects of recession on food market of USA then followed by the restaurant and fast food business in USA. Next consumers behaviour is discussed with respect to spending on the food. In the last section of this chapter significance of the mobile food van and its impact on the competition is discussed with respect to USA. 2.2 Restaurant and Fats food business in USA- Restaurant companies generally work to identify them self as customers retailers and not as a manufacturing meals. Restaurants are primarily retailers of two consumers product time and customers experience (Muller, 1999). People went to the restaurants and fast food providers to save their time from making the food and to get satisfaction of their needs. Restaurant is vast business in USA where consumers are less concerned about the where meal is prepared, they only concerned about the how the food is delivered and how they feel after meal is completed. While the fast food service is totally different they always concerned about building consumer loyalty and market awareness. There is vast difference between restaurant business and fast food service providers. Stalk and Hout (1990) described future economic competition as being based on a companys responsiveness to the time needs of its customer base. Currently, the restaurant industry accounts for four percent of the U.S. gross dome stic product and is the nations second largest employer next to the Federal government (Dumagan and Hackett, 1995). In USA restaurant holders are paying more attention to the growing trend in the eating habits of the people. According to the report of the NRI 2001 they have noticed seventy five percent increases in the restaurant customers as compared to 2001 in 2003. Even the rise of the convenience food in last 10 years can be seen by the growth of the fast food chain in the United States. The main reason behind the increase demand of fast food is these meals are ready to eat on the go and ability to hold these food in hands and to eat according to the consumers freedom. The main reason behind increased the growth of restaurant and fast food business is decreased in the food prices in the USA. Lakdawalla and Philipson (2002) attribute about 40% of the recent growth in weight to agricultural innovation that has lowered food prices Mainly technological change has made huge contribution in decreased price of the food price which eventually provides opportunity to the restaurant and fast food service provider to offer the food at cheaper rate and increased their business growth. The analysis draws on data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) between 1971 and 1974, the BLS food price in real terms increased from 1.012 to 1.134, an increase of 12.04%, followed by a decrease of 11.02% between the years of 1974 and 1986, when it reached a low of 1.009. This is reflective of the behaviour of food prices in that period of time (Food prices, 2007). Due to decreased in the food prices percentage of people has decreased and expenditure on the food away from the home increased and increased in working class people is also another reason for growth of the restaurant and fast food business. According to the survey data of the county business pattern number of restaurant provides full services increased to 213550 in 200 6 from 193024 in 1998 and restaurant which not provide service like cafeteria and bar increased to 204311 in 2006 from 172695 in 1998. Data from the Census of Retail Trade highlight the steady increase in the number of full service and fast-food restaurants since the early 1970s; between 1972 and 1997, the number of restaurants per 10,000 population increased 61% from 884 to 1427 (Chou et al., 2004; Rashad et al., 2006). In the rapid development of the restaurant and fast food business taking fist mover advantage through franchise has played very important role. The main of using franchise is to assemble resources making long chain and to get first mover advantage (Micheal, 2003). By giving franchise restaurant and fast food business try to create a premium on rapid expansion of geographic areas. In USA strategy adopted by restaurant and fast food business owner to expanding units rapidly through franchising has created superior outlet share which eventually lead them to have high market share and profitability. Therefore, franchising is one method of securing first mover advantage (Micheal, 2003). Franchising overcomes the moral hazard problem associated with the operation of a chain of dispersed units (Caves and Murphy, 1976; Rubin, 1978; Brickley and Dark, 1987). McDonalds, a famous fast food supplier, opened its first franchised restaurant in the US in 1955. Now it has become a phenomenally succe ssful enterprise in terms of financial growth, brand-name recognition, and worldwide expansion by using franchise concept aggressively. Currently fast food franchise in the United States generates income of more than $125 billion per year. According to latest numbers there are over 2000 fast food franchise in USA and more than 5,00,000 franchisor operated outlets in USA. McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and Subway are among the more popular fast food franchises worldwide that rake in millions of dollars per year in profits. During the last four decade fast food industry has grown very speedily in American society. An industry that starts in south California has spread in every corner of the USA. Fast food is served not only at restaurants but also at stadium, airplanes, school and college in every part of the USA and it has brought the rapid change in the USA economy (Schlosser, 1998). Fast food business has overcome the restaurant business in last few years in USA and it has benefited from the demographic change, supplying the food at cheaper price and hiring people at lower rate of wage. One of the ironies of Americas fast-food industry is that a business so dedicated to conformity was founded by iconoclasts and self-made men, by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion (Schlosser, 1998). Now fast food has become the operating system of the todays service industry in USA and it has created millions of job opportunity for the people in the country   when the other businesses have been firing the workers. 2.3 Food Industry and the Recession The Recession hits all parts of the food system, from the producer to the processor; from the grocer to the diner! (Mary Turck) Recent sales of the U. S. eating and drinking place industry have been lacklustre. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for this sluggishness, but the recent U. S. recession as well as 1986 modifications to U. S. tax law has to be considered factors (Stephen J.Hiemstra). This study aimed at finding out the factors related to the decline in the demand for the food service lately and to bring out the extent to which the eating and drinking place industry sales were declining due to this lack of demand. As it was difficult to pinpoint any single factor. Findings indicated that the decline in demand could be majorly explained by changes in prices, decrease in the income, and the drop in deductibility of restaurant food as a business expense. The economic recession has hit the food industry as much as any other industry in the international market. Food being the prime necessity cannot be avoided and hence is a bigger pain for the consumer whose income has decreased due to the economic downturn. The rising petroleum prices have affected the cost of transportation for the seeds and the grains and have hence added to the cost of production making the food expensive for the ultimate consumer. The food prices have gone up with the increasing dairy and grain prices entering in to the year 2007.By the end of 2009 the economists announced the rising unemployment. As a result Restaurants were also hit as hard as any other industry as the consumer stopped dining out and spending on food as compared to earlier. Hence the cost of living was cut on the cost of eating and dining out. Nearly two third of the restaurant operators reported a decline in their business in the end of 2008 as compared to the sales in the year 2007 (National Restaurant Association). Golden Gate Restaurant Associations (GGRA) presented a study of the economics of the San Francisco Restaurant industry looking at the conditions of the food industry in the recession in the year 2002 and 2003.According to the reports the hotel occupancy in San Francisco was dropped by 20% and the average daily room rates came down by 16%.The city lost 80,000 jobs nearly 14% of the total city employment (Kent Sims). However with time, the economy of San Francisco has improved with respect to the conditions in 2002-03. But there are areas where it remains well below the level where it was in 2000. Over all the economy is smaller than what it was before recession. Hotel occupancy in 2004 was 4% above its low point in 2002, but still 20% lower than in 2000. In 2005, the city driven US restaurants recovering from the recession in 2004 confronted the fact their customers were back again and their sales were back, but the profits did not come back. As the operating costs have raised at a greater pace than the gross margin on sales, despite the higher menu prices. According to a confidential survey conducted by GGRA (2006) the results mainly pointed out that half of the people considered San Francisco and other cities in the USA as the major culinary centre and half of the population also said that the stature of such cities as culinary centre is either diminishing or marking time. Business at traditional business-lunch spots, including the Capital Grille, Mortons, and McCormick Schmicks, is down dramatically this was reported by Chicago tribune in 2008. These researches have shown that Recession is a hard time for food industry as well as more and more people are finding it tough to stay in one job and they want to change their job and add to their income. But even in Recession the people cant avoid food so they started looking for cheaper options and the food industry tackled this by cutting out the middle man. This gave rise to the trend of fast food and the US fast food market started to rise. As people has started looking for less expensive. The Consumer expenditure on fast food rose sharply in these years, accounting for around 30% of total restaurant industry sales in 2008. With the busy life style, cost advantage and increasing demand of convenience food, the total fast food industry in the US is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 5% till 2010.(US fast food market outlook 2010, PR log press release). From the past few recent years McDonalds, Burger King, and other fast food restaurants have been scooping up the customers. B oth of the big burger chains are taking market share from competitors with higher price points, building on reputations for low prices and revamped dollar menus (Mary Turck). The Recession has brought about a trend in the menu cycle of the food industry as well.( Stages of the Industry Life Cycle (1919-1988) H.G Parsal). The preferences have changed from the formal full course dinners to quick food which is better known as the fast food. There has been a growth in the fast food business in after the recession (Industry research journal). In the phase of recession, fast food sales in US have increased. This is due to the fact that fast food in the country is comparatively inexpensive than the traditional food and thus, more and more people are shifting to fast food in this economic crisis. Also, hamburger and the Rools are one of the most preferred food items in the country. This represents the growth of around 5% in 2009 over 2008, and the same trend is expected to be seen in the coming years also. 2.4 Consumer Behaviour in USA food industry- Consumer behaviour is very important to know in any business to make it successful. Its very important to take proper care of the issue like consumers like dislike their health issue and consumer satisfaction. Consumer behaviour potentially deals with all of the ways people may act in their role as consumers (Schiffman and Kanuk, 1991) and it also include to focus on behaviour related to searching, buying and using product and service in the market. Generally restaurant and fast food business providers divide consumers in the groups based on the geographic characteristics, common attitudes, and behaviour so that they can provide better services to them. Food industry is closely concerned with food choice and quality, but at the same time has long been considered to offer a rich meal experience to which many other factors contribute (Campbell-Smith, 1967). Every customer has different perspective to rate the service of the restaurant and fast food service. Customers rate the service o n the basis of the food quality, service quality, ambience of the place, price of the food and facility provided by the restaurant and fast food providers like free home delivery. Becker-Suttle et al. (1994) and Williams et al. (1997), respectively, identify the dining preferences of older customers, and the factors that inhibit this group from using full service restaurants. Consumers behaviour is more important in service industry as if customers are not happy with the happy than it will become very difficult to sustain in the competition. In the development of the restaurant and fast food business globalisation has played very major role with respect to food supplies, food habits, and population health and food consumption behaviour. In this fast developing world consumers have adopted to save time and get job done in time. Changes in working and social life of the people have played very important part in the very high growth of the food industry in USA. In social context, gradually the numbers of families where both parents are working are increasing worldwide (Stamoulis, Kostas G. et al., 2004). Due to busy schedule of the people they are getting less time to make food and eat at home so they are diverted to the restaurant and fast food more in the recent years. In recent years the living standard of the people of USA has also changed before few years they used to take dinner together with the family on the dining table now most of the family likes to sit against the TV and watching programme. Number of gathering p rogrammes like birthday parties, anniversary parties has increased in last few years and people tend to arranged these parties in restaurants instead of at home which has also increased the demand of restaurant food in USA. This new trend has provide opportunities to the restaurant and fast food service business to offer varieties of the services to the people and which attracts more people to come to their place for the dinner and launch. Increase in earning of the people has also contributed to the rapid development of the restaurant and fast food industry in USA. According to the research data Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food in 1970, they spent more than $110 billion in 2000. Americans now spend more money on fast food and restaurant instead on higher education and new cars. National restaurant association has reported that Americans are buying 5.8 times average per week form a restaurant and per person spending on restaurant food is $1078. Now a days consumers are giving more importance to the quality of the food with respect to the health safety. Henson and Traill define food safety as the inverse of food risk-the probability of not suffering some hazard from consuming a specific food (Henson Traill, 1993). Consumers attitude towards food safety and practice related to it is more important for the restaurant and fast food service providers to take into consideration. Even government of USA has also formed very strict regulation and food policy which is necessary for the restaurant and fast food providers to follow. In May 1997, US President Clinton launched a National Food Safety initiative to enhance surveillance, improve risk assessment, inspection and compliance, educate the consumer and conduct important new research (Tent, 1999). Food quality awareness has made more responsible to the restaurant and fast food business towards peoples health issue and which has benefited them as they are offering low calorie food to the people. Mc Donald has already implemented its strategy for the consumer preference since last many years. McDonalds has pursued two strategies since 2003. To keep up with rapidly changing consumer preferences, demographics, and spending patterns, McDonalds has introduced new items Premium Chicken sandwiches and the Angus Beef Burger and also doing campaigns to create more healthy foods like Premium Salads in USA. The strategy reflects the philosophy that novelty, as opposed to loyalty to traditional products, is the key determinant of sales in the fast food industry . In the recent years consumers have started to give more importance to the nutrition food and salads due to awareness of their health and increasing obesity. The growing epidemic of childhood overweight and obesity is a major public health concern. Currently 15% of US youth are overweight, a prevalence nearly twice as high in children and three times as high in adolescents compared to 1980 prevalence rates (Rockville, 2001).In U SA size of the family has also played major role in development of the restaurant and fast food service and specially Hispanic American families. Hispanic purchasing power has influenced the marketplace. Hispanic shoppers spend more on food purchases because their families are usually larger. So consumer behaviour and consumer preference has played very vital role in the rapid growth of the fast food and restaurant business in the USA and they also got support from the economic development of the USA also. Mobile food service: Dabbawalas in India to Food trucks in NYC The origin of the Dabbawalas lunch delivery service dates back to the 1890s during the British Empire in India. Various people migrated from different parts of the India for work. Due to lack of canteens, the working class used to stay without eating lunch if they forgot to get it from their houses.. Invariably, lunch would not be ready when they left home for work. The taste of different communities was different; this could only be satisfied by a home cooked food. Recognizing the need, Mahadeo Havaji Bacche (Mahadeo), a migrant from North Maharashtra, 10 started the lunch delivery service. (Paul S Goodman ,2003) This service started with around 100 dabbawalas (workers) and cost the client INR 2 per month. There are around 5,000 dabbawalas in Mumbai today delivering around 200,000 Tiffin-boxes amounting to 400,000 transactions every day first delivering the Tiffin boxes and then delivering the empty boxes back home. (The Economic times 2008)Here nobody is an employer and none are employees. Each dabbawala considers himself a shareholder and entrepreneur .The entire system depends on teamwork and meticulous timing. Tiffin boxes are collected from homes between 7.00 am and 9.00 am, Various tiffin services also provide the service of cooked food and not just the transportation of the boxes. After the collection, these boxes are taken to the nearest railway station. various intermediary stations, they are hauled onto platforms and sorted out for area-wise distribution, so that a single Tiffin could change hands three to four times in the course of its daily journey..( Pradeep Thakkar,2005). Even in the economic crisis, Dabbawalas have been serving and are providing a necessary and recession-proof service as even in the tough economic times, people will always need lunch the dabbawalas are a cooperative that can boast a business record of reliability that would have any operation salivating with envy.(Dean Irvine,nov 2008)In the year 2008, Forbes gave the six sigma efficiency title to these dabbawalas. This six sigma rating the dabbawalas that was received by Forbes magazine precipitated a rush of interest from management supply companies and the various business schools searching for the secrets of its success. The rating means that these dabbawalas have a 99.9 percent efficiency rate.(Dean Irvine,2008)The concept of providing the food to their workplaces, without any need of going to the restaurants and wasting the time that can be otherwise saved for working is very suitable for the working class people of today. This is why these dabbawalas are serving well in the time of recession and people find it much better to get their food from them than going out and eating. The concept of mobile food service is not new to the countries outside India now. The Food trucks in the USA are the biggest example .The restaurant concept in the Country is going mobile! With the changing trends in the food and catering industry, the concept of moving food vans can be seen in the places like New York in the US.(Katherine Marginally., Dec 2009) Whether its because of the economy, cultural exchange, or plain demand, street food is making its culinary mark (International Chefs congress) A young chef Josh Ozersky calls these food trucks as one of the most definitive moments of this generation. Its not a fad like pet rocks or hundred dollar burgers. Its a great way for young chefs to get into the business without having a wealthy backer. Recently the savvy entrepreneurs and the chefs are getting to the streets with their culinary training and experience. This is partially fuelled by recession and a changing trend which is more inclined towards casual dining. The chefs have found more adventure and satisfaction in Global Street food in respect to the factors, cuisine as well as the concept. The new wave of mobile food vans are proving that you dont need a brick and mortar place for producing and providing high quality and high concept food for people. Lunch trucks also called as food trucks are mobile food courts which sell food items at different locations. They reap more benefits than the restaurants which are stationary as they have very limited number of customer base which provides limited amount of revenue. They can also be called as restaurant on wheels. There are different lunch trucks available in the markets which are specifically targeted to cater to the needs of different varieties of food items. From the daily breakfast to the dinner, desserts to juices you have wide variety to choose from.(Yew Chin) These trucks have more variety than any other stationary cafe or restaurant. From coffee to puddings, waffles to rolls and Indian curries to Arabic Falafel. They have it all. There are Coffee trucks, Snacks trucks, Dessert Trucks, Chinese food trucks and proper restaurant trucks that have a kitchen inside and have the same menu as in any other restaurant be in Indian or Italian. The cost of operating an established restaurant often handcuffs ones ability to go outside the box due to dà ©cor and tabletop package expense, high-end equipment in the kitchen that must be paid down and, in my case, our reputation as a classic historic inn which has a presumed menu style that pays the bills. The guerrilla trucks can much more easily think out of the box, since they are often serving out of a cardboard box.(Patrick Byrne,2009) Known for their profits, when compared with the stationary restaurants, these trucks have shown greater profit and a very good customer base. They provide the custome rs with good quality of food that they can afford. In return they get a loyal customer following in different locations that they plan to go around. As they move from one place to other, they have this opportunity to serve more people and with different menu options. There are plenty of hurdles that are faced by these food trucks owner along with the profits.The Initial investment consists of the vehicle followed by the Kitchen and the appliances and accessories used there in. These vans also require a Mobile food service license from the government before they can start their business. There are issues of permissions which vary from city to city and mostly in cities like New York and Manhattan allowing these food vans is not difficult.(Emilly Bell ,Dec 2009)However these rest on wheels should pay attention to providing the food on proper health standards and conditions.(Patrick Byrne,2009) The pedestrian snackers on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn are accustomed to mobile eateries, but these new gourmet food trucks take the street-food game to a higher level. Unlike dirty-water dog stands, which often stick to the same corner, these meals on wheels have the freedom of mobility, websites tracking their whereabouts, PR representation and specialized offerings such as restaurant-quality desserts, tacos and waffles. So just like the previously mentioned Dabbawalas of India Food trucks in the USA are popular among the people who want to save on their time and money. Because the obvious reason for the preference of these trucks by the consumers over the stationary restaurants is the low cost food that has the same quality and the ease of getting the food on the go. Also according to George Ebinger, (International House of pancakes), It is unfair to its grossly unfair to allow trucks in close proximity to established businesses trying to make it in this economy. You can t compete with a truck when it comes to pricing and service And for the Owners The obvious appeal of bringing your food into a truck or cart is the low overhead-theres no rent, no getting a restaurant up to code, no large staff to pay. With the economic downturn, restaurateurs have struggled to find funding to open full-scale restaurants, said Tom Forte, an analyst at Telsey Advisory Group in New York City.(Laura Isenzee ,2009) Jerome Chang of New Yorks Dessert Truck says that financially we

Teenage Mothers :: Teen Pregnancy

Becoming a parent permanently and profoundly alters a teenager's life. Most of the girls forget about their dreams of happy marriage, college is almost always out of the question, graduating High School becomes a goal most teenage moms don't achieve. Young girls having babies isn't new, as a matter of fact, teenage parenthood was higher in the 1950 then it is today, but things were different. Most of the girls were eighteen or nineteen and many of them already married. Only a few of single mothers actually kept their babies. Today many mothers are fifteen or sixteen years old. Some are even as young as twelve. Fathers contribute little or nothing to the care of the baby, therefore it's even harder for the mother. All of a sudden the girl is thrown into the world of responsibilities and duties, where the baby's needs come before her own. She is expected to balance her school or a job with the full time task of raising a baby. Her world is changed from her world of dates, parties, sleepovers and waiting for a Saturday so you can sleep late, to the world of doctor appointments, diapers, baby formulas, bills, and day care. Experts say that girls have babies from lack of self-esteem. "Too often, adolescent pregnancy is what happens to poor kids," says psychologist Judith Musick. "It can be a symptom of having no better options." They need someone to love and someone to love them back. What's cuddlier and cuter than a baby is? A baby gives them something to look forward to and something that gives meaning to their life. Studies show that a lot of teenage mothers come from poverty and some of them don't know any better. There's definitely a lack of education but it doesn't have a direct relationship to race or ethnic background. A lot of teenage moms don't think that they have anything to lose by having a baby. Communities and Governments have tried to help out teenage mothers but sometimes what they do just isn't enough. There is After-School Care for young adolescents and there are community learning centers. In 1984 about 8.7 million girls were living with a baby and without the father. Only 58% of those girls have been awarded child support. Of those who were supposed to get child support in 1983, only half received the amount due.