Art Exhibition - What Lies Beyond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art Exhibition - What Lies Beyond - Essay Example The annual art exhibition allows children to experience the beauty that lies beyond our world. By participating in this exhibition, learners will be able to broaden their scope of thinking and be more attentive to the daily occurrences in the world. In addition to this, they are able to integrate what they experience from their friend s who may be from different ethnic groups. It is also a way of inculcating an imaginative nature into their developing minds. It is important as a teacher to encourage originality and creativity. Most of these children have wide imagination, most of which is derived from watching cartoons every day. With this kind of perceptions the learners are able to draw various cultural examples in terms of religion, ethnicity, art, political and economic backgrounds into realizing what lies beyond. Therefore children such as those of K-3 can use the themes they see every day on television and come up with cultural findings. Due to their age, the teacher can inspire their imagination by encouraging personal right ups and diagrammatic representations that represents what lies

THe Role of Women in the World Essay Example for Free

THe Role of Women in the World Essay The development of a country is very dependent on the roles and freedom that women receive. The gender role do vary geographically between More Developed countries (MDCs) and less developed countries(LDC’s). In less developed countries women take on lower roles, and lower stand in the social class. But geographically, in MDCs women have power and can have higher jobs. This gap is the piece that need to be studied to fully comprehend the changing of the role between the men and the women. One way the role of women is changing through the world is the women are gaining empowerment. Because of this, they are starting to hold high respectable jobs. This empowerment is a huge change because instead of women doing minuscule jobs as done before, the women are in office and leading countries. This is change because originally the men held these jobs. Because countries are developing and as countries developed thee status of women increases, the change can over all be described as countries becoming more developed. Over all in the world, the trend is found when countries allow the women rights, there country develops. Another way how the role of women is changing is women are now starting to become more educated. Read more:Â  Women Role in Modern Society This is a big role change because women have always had very few people of their gender in school. This is primarily because of their role has been to work at home and take care of all the minuscule jobs around the house. As their country develops, the role has changed and now they can obtain an education and have more freedom. One example of a less developed countries stats of men to women in school is In Arab states, they have 73 males but only 51 females. This shows that as countries develop they will have more equality between men and women in schools. There role of women has changed dramatically. The world trend for the development of a country is characterized by how women are treated and their roles in society. Gender related Development index is another tool used to explain that the roles are changing. This index compiles of economic indications of gender differences, social indications of gender difference, and demography indication of genetic differences, This index shows how the role has changed because this directly corresponds to woman empowerment. This empowerment allows women to get educated rather than do mine minuscular jobs, and to take office or to undertake the jobs that men once only had.

Hyperinflation in Germany during the Early 1920s Essay -- Argumentati

Hyperinflation in Germany during the Early 1920's Imagine that after a lifelong of hard work and saving, you find that your lifesavings will not buy more than one cup of coffee. For a majority of the middle class living in Germany during the early 1920’s this was precisely their experience. Of course, not all suffered during this period of hyperinflation. Those who owed money encouraged their government’s expansionary monetary policies, knowing the resulting inflation would effectively cancel their debt. In fact, it was the Reich itself who had the most to gain from inflation, for it was the biggest debtor of them all. In this paper I will show that the German Government did have other options to finance its expenditures aside from simply printing money, but instead decided to implement inflation-causing policies to finance its own debt. I am not saying that the German Government is entirely responsible for the large extent of the inflation, but it certainly did start the ball rolling. Generally, once inflation starts, it is very hard to stop. It is like a domino effect that continues at faster and faster rates. The German Government should have thought of the future consequences and reversed its inflationary policies immediately after the war ended, as the other belligerent countries did. It is true that none of the other countries fared well during this interwar period, but at least citizens of other countries didn’t find their lifesavings to be utterly worthless. The inflation problem actually began at the beginning of World War I. It was then that the German Government started to accumulate debt and to increase the money supply. Because they thought they would win the war and intended to force the... ...e birth of the Euro), a main priority for the German Central Bank had been to keep inflation to a minimum. Works Cited: 1) Bartlet, Bruce. â€Å"The Great German Inflation.† Liberty Haven. 1975. http://www.libertyhaven.com/countriesandregions/germany/greatgermaninf.html (3 Dec 2002). 2) Goodman, George. â€Å"The German Hyperinflation, 1923.† Commanding Heights. 1981. http://www.newshour.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitext/ess_germanhyp erinflation.html (3 Dec 2002). 3) Hardach, Karl. The Political Economy of Germany in the Twentieth Century. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1980. (16-29) 4) Sommariva, Andrea. German Macroeconomic History, 1880-1979. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1987. (121-135) 5) Stolper, Gustav. The German Economy: 1870 to the Present. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World Inc., 1967. (74-93)

A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare Essay -- Papers

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare In the second scene that completes Act I, we are introduced to an extraordinary group of familiar but outlandish comical characters that have been enlightened with the possibility of performing a stage interlude as part of the entertainment at the quick approaching marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. ====================================================================== The Mechanicals are not only thought of as the 'rude mechanicals', they are also thought of as sweet and gentle folk who have had no promoting purpose in their lives until now. ================================================================== Peter Quince play as one of the mechanicals as the Playwright for the amateurs. We are able to tell that he is more experienced in writing as Shakespeare makes him present his prologue which is a masterpiece of writing deliberately ruined to give the play a comical beginning. Shakespeare does this by making Quince seem like a very smart man, the smartest out of the mechanicals and we know this because he is directing the play and not actually featuring it. This shows us the audience that he has a shy character although he seems very excited and open towards the beginning of the play when actually he seems to have Stage fright. ====================================================================== Nick Bottom the Weaver seems however to be very enthusiastic and wants to play all the roles, furthermore he always tends to overact which annoys Peter Quince but ends up acting the part of Pyramus in the Act 5 Scene 1. ==========================================... ...; my soul is in the sky: Tongue, lose thy light! Moon, take thy flight! Now die, die, die, die, die. At the end of the play both Bottom and Flute get up from where they are lying, supposedly dead, and offer to perform an epilogue or a bergamask (a type of dance). Theseus quickly intervenes and tells them they need no epilogue, but rather should only perform the dance, which they do and Puck ends the play. Overall the play within a play is an exciting look into the life of the mechanicals and has a definite dramatic effect on both audience's because of its charm and amusing effects, which too me would have made the audience applause, thus making it a good way to finish the play. This is because it helps break the illusion of the theatre and helps to bring us back down to earth, to the day of the wedding.

Comparison Between International Law and National Law

Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of national and international law. To what extent can they be said to be similar or different? Introduction The world has witnessed the development of law since times immemorial in response to growing interaction among the individuals resulting in a need for a framework to regulate their interactions in the territories they live in. Similarly, ever since the interaction between the states has increased, the evolution of International Law has evolved accordingly side by side the National Law regulating the relations among the states.The growing role of both National Law and International Law in their respective spheres and in intersecting spheres has given rise to a debate over their relation to each other. International Law: International Law is the law that governs the relations among states and other international legal persons, and regulates relations between states. The sources of International Law are customs grown up among state s and lawmaking treaties concluded by them.There is no â€Å"black or white† answer, the most agreed upon common ground for the description of sources is found, although not exhaustively, in article 38 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice. Stating that treaties are the main source, then come customs, after those general principles of law recognized by civilized countries, and finally judicial decisions and teachings of the most highly qualifies publicist of the various nations. National law: National law is the law of a state, which governs the domestic affairs of the state.The sources of Municipal Law are customs grown up within the boundaries of the state concerned and statutes enacted by the law giving authority. Municipal Law regulates relations between the individuals under the sway of a state and the relations between the state and the individual. Strengths and Weaknesses of International Law and National Law: 1. National law is conditioned by the fundam ental principle or rule that state legislation has to be obeyed, while International Law is conditioned by the principle â€Å"pacta sunt servanda† i. . agreements between states are to be respected—which leaves International Law helpless as to the implementation of its rules and regulations over the states in the absence of any enforcing body vis-a-vis National Law which has the state apparatus at its disposal for its implementation in the form of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Moreover, each nation can opt out of international treaties if it deems that it is not in line with its national interest, which exposes the major weakness of International Law. 2.International Law is slow to adapt to the changes that are taking place in the world and even slower to absorb changes and encompass them into its existing framework. To add to its problems, the states act individually in accepting any changes in its framework and have the option of not complying with the law if they do not agree to do so. Whereas the national law keeps on improving in response to the changing requirement of the society thus it is in sync with the cultural, economic, and political developments of the states. 3.The technological advancement and globalization have spawned new problems beyond the capacity of National Law to be solved such as the regulation of outer space, the division of the deep sea ground, the protection of human rights, anti-terrorist actions, the control of international finance system, the prevention of global warming etc. These issues have increased the relevance and importance of International Law in the contemporary world due to its wide range of jurisdiction as compared to the limited jurisdiction of National Law. 4.Question of priority: Scholars belonging to Dualist point of view assert that the two laws are not to supersede, but to coordinate with each other; therefore, there is no conflict between the two. If a case in which conflict arises betw een International Law and municipal law before an International Tribunal, the practice is to prefer the International Law over the municipal law. Where conflict arises in a case before a municipal Court (except where the state has adopted the International Law to supersede, by constitution or law), the national law is preferred. 5. Where does primacy reside: in International Law or in national law.If International Law has drawn its validity only from state constitution, it would necessarily cease its validity when authority rested upon disappears. But valid operation of International Law does not invalidate its importance and regard. For example, after Belgium became independent state, treaties had not lost their force despite internal constitutional changes. The International Law also asserts its supremacy when new states enter in international society and International Law binds them without their consents. Every state is duty bound to bring not only its laws but also its constitu tion in accordance with International Law. . In states, the practice as to apply International Law by municipal courts is different from each other. Some states have interpreted in their constitution to apply International Law and therefore, their courts are bound to apply International Law such as Germany, Korea, USA, etc. But in most states, the courts apply International Law conditioned upon the precedence and the practices of the state. Similarities Scholars belonging to the Monist view consider both the laws as a single unity composed of binding legal rules whether those rules are obligatory on states, on individuals, and on entities other than states.If it is generally accepted that International Law is a true law then there is no doubt to deny that the two systems constitute part of that unity. In the view of Kelson and other monist writers, there cannot be any escape from the position that the two systems, because they are both systems of legal rules, are interrelated parts of one legal structure. It is the duty of state to enforce the International Law as the state law in its jurisdiction. Just as National Law aims at building and maintaining an orderly society within a state, International Law aims at maintaining a peaceful stability of the global community.Differences There are two basic differences between the two systems: 1. Subject of law: In national law subjects are individuals whereas states are solely and exclusively subjects of International Law. 2. Juridical origin: In state, source of law is will of the individuals for which they are concerned while in international law source of law is common will of the states concerned. Thus this provides a base to the Positivist scholars to claim that the two systems are entirely different.National law mainly is based on judge made law and the statutes passed by legislature whereas International Law is comprised of the customary rules and treaties among the states. Malcolm Shaw delineates this differen ce by describing the legal apparatus of law as having a legal order enunciating that laws are created by a recognized legislating body, there is a hierarchical system of courts which sees to their enforcement, and there is an overarching executive governing entity above all citizens.This makes national law inherently hierarchical, and the organization of authority vertical. As for international law, it does not operate within the same legal order. It is not always created by a unique legislative body (although the UN General Assembly may create nonbinding multilateral agreements), nor tried in a unified judicial body with the power to apply legally binding sentences (even if there is the International Court of Justice and many other international courts), neither applied by an overarching international executive body.Additionally, it has no unified system of sanctions, other than the existence of certain circumstances in which the use of force is regarded as justified and legal (cha pter VII of the UN Charter). Reinforcing this point, Article 2 of the UN Charter states: The Organization is based on the principle of sovereign equality of all its Members, which means that there is no overarching authority recognized over them. The fact that all states are theoretically equal, makes the international system horizontal, as opposed to the vertical one of the national level.In this sense, if there is no overarching international authority to impose international law. Every state must give its consent in order to be bound by it. By doing so, a consenting state lets the international community know that it will follow the principles and directives of that law. Contrary to this, citizens are automatically bound by domestic law. No citizen needs to let other citizens know he will follow the rules. Conclusion: Each and every system is supreme in its own field and neither has dominance over the other. Arguments offered just provide a background to the complex relations bet ween the two systems.Three factors operate on the subject matter: Firstly, to what extent state organs are willing to apply rules of International Law internally and externally. Secondly, the difficulty of proving the existence of particular rules of International Law. In case of difficulty municipal courts may rely on advice from the executive or existing internal precedents, and the result may not be in accordance with an object appreciation of the law. Thirdly, courts, both municipal and international, will often be concerned with the more technical question as to which is the appropriate system to apply to particular issues arising.

Free Essays on Compare And Contrast

Comparing and Contrasting In Brother Grimm’s â€Å"Godfather Death,† and John Updike’s â€Å"A&P,† we see many similarities and many differences. Both authors know how to intrigue the mind of the reader by introducing different plots, setting, characters, theme, and points of views throughout the story. First I shall start off talking about the plots, characters, and setting of each story. There are multiple plots that take place in both stories. In â€Å"Godfather Death,† one of many plots that took place was when a poor man could not afford to raise his thirteenth child and therefore he looks for a godfather to take the responsibilities and finally selects Death because Death promises the poor man to make the child rich and famous. He chose death because, the poor man had to work day and night just to give them bread (Grimm’s 8). It was basically because of poverty that he had made the decision. He also chose Death because death treats everyone equally. He takes from the rich and the poor (Grimm’s 9). The next plot takes place when the child grows up, and Death shows him the secret of the herb. The godson indeed uses the herb to become a rich and famous doctor, but Death only allows the godson to use the herb with his permission. Death fulfilled his promi se to the poor man because he had already made the young man into a famous doctor. The next plot was when the king became ill. When Death gave his godson the herb, he quoted, â€Å" when you are called to a patient, I will always appear to you. If I stand next to the sick person’s head, you may speak boldly that you will make him healthy again... But beware of using the herb against my will, or it will turn out badly for you† (Grimm’s 9). Now when the king became ill, Death appeared at the sick man’s feet, which meant he had to die. The doctor thought to himself that since he is my godfather he would forgive me. The doctor therefore, turned the bed so that De... Free Essays on Compare And Contrast Free Essays on Compare And Contrast Comparing and Contrasting In Brother Grimm’s â€Å"Godfather Death,† and John Updike’s â€Å"A&P,† we see many similarities and many differences. Both authors know how to intrigue the mind of the reader by introducing different plots, setting, characters, theme, and points of views throughout the story. First I shall start off talking about the plots, characters, and setting of each story. There are multiple plots that take place in both stories. In â€Å"Godfather Death,† one of many plots that took place was when a poor man could not afford to raise his thirteenth child and therefore he looks for a godfather to take the responsibilities and finally selects Death because Death promises the poor man to make the child rich and famous. He chose death because, the poor man had to work day and night just to give them bread (Grimm’s 8). It was basically because of poverty that he had made the decision. He also chose Death because death treats everyone equally. He takes from the rich and the poor (Grimm’s 9). The next plot takes place when the child grows up, and Death shows him the secret of the herb. The godson indeed uses the herb to become a rich and famous doctor, but Death only allows the godson to use the herb with his permission. Death fulfilled his promi se to the poor man because he had already made the young man into a famous doctor. The next plot was when the king became ill. When Death gave his godson the herb, he quoted, â€Å" when you are called to a patient, I will always appear to you. If I stand next to the sick person’s head, you may speak boldly that you will make him healthy again... But beware of using the herb against my will, or it will turn out badly for you† (Grimm’s 9). Now when the king became ill, Death appeared at the sick man’s feet, which meant he had to die. The doctor thought to himself that since he is my godfather he would forgive me. The doctor therefore, turned the bed so that De...

Panera Bread Business

Panera Bread Business Company Background Founded in 1981 by Ron Shaich and Louis Kane, the famous Panera Bread Company started operating under the brand name Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. It first grew along the United States’ east coast before it was internationalized between early 1980’s to 1990’s. This immense growth had the implication of making the company a dominant business operator in the category of bakery-cafe. In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. bought St.Louis Bread Company. At the time of this acquiring, St.Louis Bread Company had 20 bakery cafes. In 1993 to 1997, the company recorded an increment of 75 percent in its mean unit volumes. This prompted the alteration of the brand name from Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. to Panera Bread Company. In 1997, the Panera Bread Company recognized its capacity for growth to become a leading bread maker in the United States. However, to achieve this noble potential, heavy investment of monetary resources was required.Advertising We will write a custo m case study sample on Panera Bread Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Indeed, in 1999, the company completed a transaction involving a sale of the business units of Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. only remaining with those of the Panera Bread Company. With regard to Panera Bread, after the completion of this transaction, â€Å"the companys stock has grown thirteen-fold, and over $1 billion shareholder value has been created† (Para. 5). The company acquired the title of the best performer under the category of restaurants with 1, 5, and 10-year shareholders’ returns. Later, in 2007, Panera Bread Company also purchased paradise bakery and cafe. As Panera Bread points out, â€Å"in March 2012, the company announced that Bill Moreton and Ron Shaich would both assume the roles of chief executive officers† (Para. 2). Currently, Shaich acts as the co-CEO and the chairperson of the board of directors. On the other hand, Bill Moret on is the co-CEO and the president of Panera Bread Company. As at September 2012, the company had established business presence in 44 states where it operated 1,625 bakeries. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis involves strategic planning approaches engineered to evaluate strengths, limitations, and opportunities without negating threats that businesses face in their operation environment. Strengths are the traits that make it possible for an organization to have an advantage in comparison to other organizations. For the case of Panera Bread Company, the strengths include appealing and attractive food menus that comprise a variety of products from which customers can choose. According to Panera Bread Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, these products include â€Å"fresh baked goods, made-to-order sandwiches on freshly baked breads, soups, salads, custom roasted coffees, and other complementary products† (10). Due to the company’s strong financial position, it has managed to invest in cozy cafes, which create a smoothing environment for the customers. This has the impact of making the company build a strong customers’ experience.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The strength is implied in the company’s statement of goals, missions, and aims in which it stipulates that the central goal is to ensure that Panera Bread Company is the first choice of all customers who crave for sandwiches, soup, and salads. In addition to these strengths, the company has an enormous distribution ability covering a large geographic area (44 states as of Septembers 2012). It has products having relatively better quality while compared to its competitors. It has differentiated its services with the rival companies besides accumulating customers’ beliefs that the company stocks fresh breads. Besides, it has developed a powerful and win ning business strategy. Amid the above-cited strengths, Panera Bread Company encounters some weaknesses. These include the traits of Panera Bread Company that place it at a disadvantage in comparison with rival companies operating in the same industry. One of the weaknesses is the heavy investments in bread centric line of business, which means that Panera Bread Company has a narrow product line. Other weaknesses are higher prices at the company-owned stores in comparison to the franchises, declining customer service, and customer preferences. In particular, alterations of preferences and customer tastes may make them consider opting for buying more nutritious food items in other restaurants. Contextualization of this weakness introduces some chances that the company may consider as existing external chances, which, while utilized, may make it improve its performance. They include international expansions and opening of new outlets to tap the growth potential within the suburban mar kets. The fact that the company has a weakness of narrow product line introduces an opportunity for introduction of new items in the product line. On the other hand, Panera Bread Company encounters external chances that impair its performance. These are threats to the operation of the company. They include lawsuits, government regulations, and competition from rival companies such as Sturbucks and Mc Donald among other local and international restaurants offering fast foods. In the context of lawsuits and drawing from Panera Bread Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the company admits that it is â€Å"subjected to other routine legal proceedings, claims, and litigations in the ordinary course of its business† (10).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Panera Bread Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This requires heavy commitment of financial resources and management attention. Saturation of the mark et creates another incredible threat. The company would encounter challenges in getting strategic places for opening new outlets consistent with its strategic plan of enhancing profitability through rapid expansion. Strategies to attack major problems faced by Panera Bread Panera Bread Company encounters several problems in the derivation of its strategic plans to enhance a continuous growth in an environment that is saturated by a variety of companies offering similar or substitute products. One of the problems of the company is that it offers products in its company-owned stores at prices that are higher than the franchises. A significant reason for these differences is the need to gain higher profit margins to cater for the costs of running the business-associated issues that are extrinsic from the control of the company such as the cost of settlement of lawsuits filed against the company by past employees. For instance, in 2009, Nick Sotoudeh filed a case costing the company 5 m illion dollars in its settlement (Panera Bread Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q 2 4). In 2010, Corey Weiner, Caroll Ruiz, and Denarius Lewis filed another case against the company costing 1.5 million dollars in its resolution (Panera Bread Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q 2 4). To meet this cost to ensure that Panera Bread Company is able to offer bread at its own stores at competitive prices, it is crucial that the company results to intensive growth. On the positive side, growth is vital since it will provide the necessary economies of scale. This means that the company will remain profitable amid making small profit margins for every product sold. The negative side of this strategic move qualifies as a technique of enhancing growth such as forming joint ventures with other big competitors such as McDonald who will deprive the company of its executive control power. Panera Bread Company is likely to experience the problem of reduced profitability due to narrow product li nes. To resolve this problem, it is crucial that it focuses on widening its product lines. This strategic move will, on the positive side, help in drawing more customers to its stores. Hence, the revenue will also hike. On the other hand, the strategic move will increase the logistical costs and other costs associated with service delivery at the stores. Therefore, under certain circumstances, increment in revenues would be outweighed by the resulting additional costs.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Somewhat different from the above two strategic moves, to address the challenge of how to increase revenues, the company can resolve to recruit more franchises besides opening more stores that are company-owned. On the positive end, this would increase revenues. On the other hand, increasing the number of company-owned stores would truncate into recruiting more staff, a case that increases the risk of experiencing more employees’ filed lawsuits. Another strategy that has not perhaps been considered by the company is focusing on extending its services away from America and Canada to other continents of the world. On the positive side, this would increase the sales of the company since being global implies meeting new fresh markets in which the company can develop products consistent with the demand requirements. Unfortunately, the option would expose the company to different political, legal, and cultural environments. Consequently, Panera Bread Company would have to change so me of its practices to match the new demand. For instance, there might be a conflict between the accounting standards. The company deploys the U.S’ GAAP, which might contradict the national generally accepted accounting principles of the new nations in the global space. Strategy that works With the current financial and business environment of the Panera Bread, the best option for dealing with the challenge of the need to increase profitability of the company is via recruitment of more franchises besides opening company- owned stores within Canada and America. Hence, I would open 300 new company-owned stores and franchises at the first phase of expansion of Panera Bread Company. The rationale for this strategy is based on the argument that, as evidenced by the estimations of good will in its balance sheet, the company has an immense market value. Additionally, in comparison to potential competing companies, Panera Bread Company has an incredible market position by virtue of i ts strengths. However, as argued before, the market is highly saturated with restaurants. Hence, there is a dominant challenge of acquiring buildings in strategic places within many cities where the company may consider as having the requisite market segment it targets. Additionally, at the entry level, many of these competing restaurants have the will and ability to pose competitive challenges to the company at the new franchises and or company-owned stores since they will have secured their market share. However, given the brand image and the quality of products and services offered by Panera Bread, the company has probabilities of getting some of this market share to build the clientele level at the new stores and franchises. The claim holds especially when it invests to improve its service delivery experience to levels above those of the existing restaurants in the new markets. Utilizing the strategy of growth through recruitment of more franchises and company-owned stores is pa rticularly significant in enhancing Panera Bread Company’s competitive position since it will make it develop the capacity to take a full advantage of the economies of scale. At the current size of Panera Bread Company, attempts to exploit the markets of all continents of the world are found unworthy due to many standards and legal compliance issues, which go into adding the cost of running the company. Implementation of the strategy In the implementation of the strategy of recruiting more franchises and opening of new company-operated stores, several considerations are vital before the implementation process kicks off. In the first place, this strategy needs financing. It is thus vital to consider whether the financial position of the company and the anticipated incomes can support the strategy. If not, it is critical to consider whether there are alternative sources of finance. Fortunately, with regard to Panera Bread Annual Report on Form 10-K, the company charges a  "franchise fee of $35,000 per bakery-cafe (of which it generally receives $5,000 at the signing of the ADA and $30,000 at or before the bakery-cafe opening)† (4). By noting that Panera Bread Company does not support the construction of the franchises, the money raised through the fees is utilizable in opening of the additional company-owned stores. According to Panera Bread Annual Report on Form 10-K, the company also has accessibility to a loan facility of 250 million dollars as an additional source of capital (3). Similar to the old food dealers like Mc Donald, the implementation of the strategy proposed above means the focus would entail opening a store or franchise and then waiting for the customer to do the purchasing. Based on the experience he or she gains with the product, he or she becomes loyal and hence a regular customer. Therefore, the strategy is customer-centric. For the success of such a strategy, it is crucial that an organization possesses the capability to p enetrate new markets. It should develop services and products, which create an immense appeal to the customers besides possessing the capacity to offer outstanding customer services (Wheelen and Hunger 851). Fortunately, these are some of the strengths of Panera Bread Company. With these strengths, the challenges in the implementation process rests in the development of customer-centric growth strategies in the new company-owned stores and franchises. I would accomplish the implementation of the strategy from three customer-centric paradigms. These are identification of core business, creation of propositions that have high value and impacts, and focusing on businesses that are highly linked to the core business of the company. Determination of the core business of the new stores starts with the identification of the core business that will be conducted in the stores and the franchises. In other words, expansion through the opening of new stores and franchises is not done blindly bu t rather with considerations of geographic areas and channels that would help to generate the highest amount of revenues. Therefore, before the company’s financial resources are committed to opening and subsequent running of the stores, profitability benchmarking and evaluation of the reputation of the company within the new geographical areas are necessary. In this approach, the stakeholders of the company are fully involved in the implementation process. Some of the stakeholders that I would include are non-loyal and loyal customers of the existing stores. The views of the loyal customers on why they embrace the products of the company are critical success factors of the strategy implementation. They would help in incorporating the attributes of the company that attract them in the new stores and franchises. On the other hand, the views of the disloyal customers create opportunities of establishing new stores that have improved customer service experience. This would help t o avoid replication of the past mistakes in the new franchises and stores. Arguably, this step of implementation of the project involves planning and analysis stage. It would take six months and an estimated cost of $ 210, 000. The second implementation step is the creation of propositions that have high values and impacts on the sub-segments of the potential customers. Based on the results of the first step discussed above, sub-segmentation of the customers’ groups in the new franchises and stores based on the found needs and anticipated buying patterns coupled with the profit contributions of the forecasted sales are vital in setting of a mechanism of reaping most from the new markets. This mechanism encompasses creation and innovation of value propositions targeting the sub-segments that are likely to be most attractive. This step is followed by conducting a field test of the impacts of the propositions. Based on the results of the field tests, scaling up is done. This ste p of the implementation process of the strategy is the analysis phase of the project. It is anticipated to take about 3-31/2 months. Its budget is $1 million. Most of this money caters for the wage expenses of analysts and data collection staff. Lastly, there is a need to focus on businesses that are highly linked to the core business of the company. The need implies that, after conducting a number of field tests and analyzing the potential of the success of the growth strategy, the next course of action will be to channel the resources of the company to open stores and accept franchise requests in areas that are likely to have large clientele. The point here is that there is no need of investing in an area where no substantive sales can be made to make the stores break even in the shortest time possible. Thus, the idea is to open stores selectively depending on the competitiveness of the market segments and sub-segments. Conclusion/Evaluation of Strategy’s success Upon imple mentation of the growth strategy, it is crucial to evaluate its success capacity. In the context of the proposed strategy for solving the problems of the Panera Bread Company, success refers to the accomplishment of the predicted outcomes when the strategy is implemented. The desired outcome is the increment of the revenue levels of the new stores and franchises such that the stores would be able to break even in the shortest time possible. On the other hand, it is desired that the new franchises end up being profitable so that Panera Bread Company can get substantive royalties. Measuring success calls for the evaluation of the strategy on its capacity to realize the core objective of the company. Measuring success in the context of the strategy for growth of the Panera Bread Company takes six approaches. In the first place, the strategy is implemented within fixed timelines. Therefore, one of the measurable success factors is whether the various time schedules for the strategy impl ementation were accomplished within the set timeframes. The other success factor is the degree to which the scope of the growth strategy has been released. The original plan is to open 300 stores and franchises. Thus, success is measured in terms of the number of the new company-owned stores and franchises opened. Thirdly, the implementation of the strategy must be consistent with the set budget. Consequently, the degree of success of the strategy is measurable from the context of the degree to which the implemented strategy complies with the budget constraints. Fourthly, it was argued in the implementation section that the overall goal of the strategy is to focus on opening stores in regions that will attract large clientele only who would get loyalty based on the company’s products. Thus, success may be measured from the dimension of the degree of customers’ loyalty, which is measurable through customers’ satisfaction levels. Unfortunately, satisfaction is onl y measurable qualitatively (either happy or unhappy). A subtle strategy of organizational growth needs to reduce the weakness and threats of an organization within the new operational centers. For this purpose, SWOT analysis is vital in determining whether the threats and weaknesses of the old stores and franchises have been replicated in the new geographical locations of the Panera Bread company-owned stores and franchises. Lastly, the success of the strategy may be measured in terms of the improvements of service quality in the new company-owned stores and franchises. Therefore, the growth sort for Panera Bread Company is not only in terms of numbers of stores and franchises but also in terms of increased quality service delivery in every new company-owned store or franchise that opens. Measuring success this way is inspired by the argument that learning organizations stand better chances of success than those, which do not learn. Panera Bread Annual Report on Form 10-K. Annual R eport Pursuant To Section 13 Or 15(D) Of The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934 For The Fiscal Year Ended December 27, 2011. Web. Panera Bread Company Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Quarterly Report Pursuant To Section 13 Or 15(D) of the Securities Exchange Act Of 1934 For the quarterly period ended September 25, 2012. Web. Panera Bread. Company Overview. Web. Wheelen, Thomas, and David Hunger. Strategic Management and business policy. New Jersey, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.

How To Create Effective Visual Content With Ashton Hauff from CoSchedule [AMP 032] - CoSchedule Blog

How To Create Effective Visual Content With Ashton Hauff from [AMP 032] Blog Have you ever said, â€Å"make it pop,† to your graphic designer? While you know what you mean, it’s likely that your graphic designer does not have the same mental image you do. Today’s episode is going to be about collaborating with your designer to make an amazing image that pops the way you want it to. It’s all about communication! How Ashton got into design and why she loves it. Why digital design is such an important part of the marketing process, as well as why some types of design just add visual clutter and are ineffective. How Ashton makes sure that her designs are intentional and relevant to the blog posts or projects she’s working on. She also talks about how she goes about storytelling through her designs. Tips on finding a theme and settling on colors for a particular project. Why communication is an integral part of the design process. Some of the problems that designers can encounter when they’re working with marketing teams. Why it’s so important that a marketing team trust the designer’s expertise. How marketers can work with designers when there’s something they don’t like in the image. Why simplicity matters for high-quality designs, as well as why simple designs can be challenging to create. Why agility is important, as well as how much Ashton creates over the course of a week. Examples of times when things just went wrong with Ashton’s design process, including what ended up being the problem and lessons she learned. Ashton’s vision of the future of design in marketing, as well as her advice for people just getting started in design. Links: Ashton’s archive on Latent Semantic Indexing blog post .com Lynda.com Canva.com If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Ashton: â€Å"Design is such a huge part of marketing because we’re such a visually led society.† â€Å"You have to know what story you’re telling before you jump into design.† â€Å"You have to trust that your designer knows what they’re doing. There are a lot of elements to design that the everyday person doesn’t notice. We see all of the different layers that make that piece what it is.† â€Å"Over-communicate early on. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.†

Reflecting on critique Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflecting on critique - Assignment Example We try to freeze the moment with the help of photography, capture the history that is why photography is something that shows us what happened and will never repeat again. That is why the art of photography as a genre is complicated in terms of time, authenticity, and artistic value. Photographic image is completely different from all the other types of images as it possesses great power and potency. It is capable of telling a story, serving as the evidence of the event or a person and at the same time retrieved from the context it can become a pure visual form. Traditionally photography served as a means of documentation of social and family life, and as soon as it appeared it became a privilege of certain classes. For a long time any portrait photography remained a luxury, an exclusive thing, a product that emphasized social status first of all and was affordable only to higher classes of society. Miniature or big family portraits adorned bedrooms of those who could afford going to salons to take a picture (Tagg, 1988, 53). In a broader sense documentary photography aimed to depict such events and circumstances that were inaccessible or not easily accessible. Documentary photography flourished during historically important events initially, such as American Civil War for instance, when whole photography archives were created. That type of photography was based on the principle of objectivity and trustfulness, and photography was and still remains a means of information transfer for a long time. With media empowering photojournalism became a separate type of documentation based on the capacity to demonstrate the information that is unknown or hidden (Stapp, 2007, 691). Later photography became a pure visual art in which depiction of reality and its documentation has lost its primary significance. Fashion, travelling magazines made artistic photography goods for selling. Photography has turned into a product as people learned how to evoke the

Plurilingualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Plurilingualism - Essay Example As per the council records, German Language is the most widely spoken mother tongue while English, French, and Italian follow in this order. English is the most spoken foreign language with French and German following it. About 56% of european union citizens can hold a conversation in one language apart from their mother tongue. (Eurobarometer 243) Since the setting up of EU, there has been more close relationships between member countries in all the spheres such a economic, trade, education etc. The different cultures and languages in different countries is causing problems in day-to-day routine functioning as people are unable to freely disuss issues. This has necessitated the need for people who are able to understand more than one language. Plurilingualism, therefore can also be defined as the wide range of attempts to stabilize multilingual societies by fostering high levels of individual plurilingual competence. This approach places focus on Language teaching and learning, This also encompasses all categories of linguistic rights, legislation, policies, that affect the relationships between different communities. In this context, the Council of Europe, which closely monitors the linguistic and cultural environment in the continent, is now focusing on the language teaching and learning process. It has decided to encourage the concept of plurilingualism such that people of European union are able to freely mingle with each other. This basically is not only the need to converse in more than one language but the need to understand and appreciate cultures or ideas different from one's own. It now becomes a much broader concept dealing with the understanding of different cultures and languages. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, drawn up by Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe is a document that sets out to popularize plurilingualism. (Council of Europe, 1996) The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, or CEFR, was put together by the Council of Europe as the main part of the project "Language Learning for European Citizenship" between 1989 and 1996. It is aimed to provide a method of assessing and teaching which applies to all languages in Europe. Thus because of plurilingualism, an individual person's experience of language in its cultural contexts expands and he builds up a communicative skill to which all knowledge and experience of language contributes. Thus a person can easily achieve effective communication with different people understanding different languages. This language policy fosters the capacity to coexist. The pluricultural education enables th e citizens to accept differences between different cultures, establish constructive relations with others, solve conflicts by nonviolent means, take on responsibilities, participate in decision-making and use mechanisms to protect people's rights. Since language is the most important social and cultural mark of identity, the education for plurilingualism and pluriculturalism promotes tolerance of other's viewpoint and remove the obstacles that hinder people's active participation in an increasingly globalized world. The knowledge and use of other languages other than one's mother tongue can be our safeguard in the fight

Prove the The Great Flood in the Holy Bible is the truth using science Research Paper

Prove the The Great Flood in the Holy Bible is the truth using science - Research Paper Example According to the Bible, Noah and his three sons survived the flood in a wooden ark, along with hundreds of animals representing every species on earth. All other living beings perished, and the ones surviving today are all descendants of the survivors of the Great flood. Described in great detail in the Book of Genesis (6-9), this event has witnessed ample speculation from all quarters of the world, and scientists and explorers have set out to unveil its mysteries. Through this paper, I intend to prove in light of sound scientific evidence, that the Great flood cited in the Bible is a real event that occurred thousands of years ago, and that Noah and his ark really existed. Keywords: Great flood, Noah's Ark, fossil graveyards, coal beds, Polystrate Fossils, Coconino Sandstones , Genetic pool, Mt Ararat The "Great Flood"- In Light of Scientific Evidence The Holy Bible states that God wished to wipe out all sin from the surface of the earth and that all humans were subjected to Godâ₠¬â„¢s wrath except a few who were righteous. A great flood destroyed every living being on earth, while Noah and his family survived in a huge wooden ark, which he built with God's guidance. A pair of every animal, male and female, was taken to safety in the Ark, while rain lashed on earth for a period of forty days and forty nights. â€Å"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights† (Gen. 7:11-12, New International Version). Noah's three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth, along with a few others, survived the flood, and mankind was repopulated from them. The Bible further cites that Noah's ark rested on Mount Ararat after the flood waters subsided. In view of this revelation, innumerable scientific expeditions have explored the Ararat mountain range in Asia Minor, in s earch of Noah's Ark. An object resembling a ship's bow has already been found, jutting out of mud and lava atop the mountains. The Turkish Air Force was the first to notice this object. Porcher Taylor, a professor at the University of Richmond confirmed its presence, after a long period of study through satellite imagery. Surprisingly, the dimensions of this object perfectly correlate to the dimensions of Noah's Ark described in the Bible. Following this discovery, many other expeditions have investigated the area, unearthing wood, anchors made from stone, and other remains of what might have been an ark. No matter how spell bounding such a discovery may seem, it is imperative to decipher the events of the great deluge in light of scientific evidence and data from recent expeditions. In order to prove that the great flood was an actual reality and not just a mythological event inscribed in ancient literature, I wish to put forth the following conditions, which if true, refute all po ssible arguments against the possibility of the great flood: 1. Fossil evidence suggesting fossilization under rapid conditions 2. Geological evidence of a global flood 3. Evidence of abundant water, enough to cover the surface of the Earth 4. Genetic dead-end due to lack of genetic

FedEx Strategy at the Business, Corporate, and Network Levels Term Paper

FedEx Strategy at the Business, Corporate, and Network Levels - Term Paper Example Federal Express' clients ranged from large scale business to individual customers that required a wide range of services. As such, Federal Express needed to find a way to meet the needs of the various groups of customers that it provided services to. By streamlining its operations and by integrating its various systems, the company was able to develop a customer logistics management segment of its business to cater especially to its large-scale business clients that required such service (Conley et al, 2000). This included providing warehousing and distribution services that cut the costs for its business customers. Such strategy demonstrates the company's way of dealing with the paradox of market adaptation and resource leveraging. Having identified the needs of its clientele, FedEx used the extensive resource base it had in order to meet these needs. Since the company had established a logistics infrastructure, it merely put to good use the resources it already had. Federal Express understood the value of information for all its clients. As such, it continuously searched for various ways to improve the transfer of information between itself and its customers. Even before the FedEx website was launched in 1994, the company had already developed a number of computer programs and systems that allowed customers to acquire the information they needed regarding shipments including ordering and tracking. This is another demonstration of the company's ability to use its resources in order to adapt to the demands in the market. Since the demand was for better information sources, FedEx used its IT expertise in order to come up with a system that meets such needs.The acquisition became the strategy to better meet the needs of Federal Express Customers. After officially acquiring Parts Bank in 1988, FedEx, later on, acquired Caliber Systems in 1998. This enabled FedEx to create a corporation which had the ability to meet most, if not all, of the logistics and transportation needs of companies. Furthermore, FedEx underwent a process of reorganization wherein certain subsidiaries were combined.

Studying in U.K V.s studying in U.S Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Studying in U.K V.s studying in U.S - Essay Example Both countries are extremely large, though American obviously larger, which means they have a variety of schools that serve a variety of different purposes. In terms of top-range schools, America has world-renowned schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, University of California Los Angeles and so on, while the United Kingdom has such renowned schools as the Oxford, Yale, and the London School of Economics. At lower tiers each country as a variety of schools as well, meaning that anyone will be able to get whatever educational quality they wand and can manage from either country, as the educational qualities of schools are largely similar. Similarly, both countries have schools that are well known world-wide, and American and UK educations tend to be well regarded internationally. While America and The United Kingdom are very similar in terms of educational quality, the two countries and their universities can be extremely different in terms of culture. One must remember that wherever one studies one will be doing much more than simply going to school, so the people in the culture where you attend university will be extremely important. America is a much more conservative country, and in some ways more isolated from the rest of the world, whereas the UK as a more liberal, though also more strongly hierarchical, society. The cultures of America and the UK are very different, and one must take that in to account when deciding which schools would be better to attend. Finally, one must always consider cost when determining where to study. While the educational quality may be very similar in America and the United Kingdom, one has to look at education as an investment – what you get at what cost you can get it. In America, most of the best schools are private institutions that receive little or no government funding, while in the UK they are almost entirely public and thus very affordable for people from that

FedEx Strategy at the Business, Corporate, and Network Levels Term Paper

FedEx Strategy at the Business, Corporate, and Network Levels - Term Paper Example Federal Express' clients ranged from large scale business to individual customers that required a wide range of services. As such, Federal Express needed to find a way to meet the needs of the various groups of customers that it provided services to. By streamlining its operations and by integrating its various systems, the company was able to develop a customer logistics management segment of its business to cater especially to its large-scale business clients that required such service (Conley et al, 2000). This included providing warehousing and distribution services that cut the costs for its business customers. Such strategy demonstrates the company's way of dealing with the paradox of market adaptation and resource leveraging. Having identified the needs of its clientele, FedEx used the extensive resource base it had in order to meet these needs. Since the company had established a logistics infrastructure, it merely put to good use the resources it already had. Federal Express understood the value of information for all its clients. As such, it continuously searched for various ways to improve the transfer of information between itself and its customers. Even before the FedEx website was launched in 1994, the company had already developed a number of computer programs and systems that allowed customers to acquire the information they needed regarding shipments including ordering and tracking. This is another demonstration of the company's ability to use its resources in order to adapt to the demands in the market. Since the demand was for better information sources, FedEx used its IT expertise in order to come up with a system that meets such needs.The acquisition became the strategy to better meet the needs of Federal Express Customers. After officially acquiring Parts Bank in 1988, FedEx, later on, acquired Caliber Systems in 1998. This enabled FedEx to create a corporation which had the ability to meet most, if not all, of the logistics and transportation needs of companies. Furthermore, FedEx underwent a process of reorganization wherein certain subsidiaries were combined.

Educational Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational Goals - Essay Example Through the education, I got exposure to relevant criminal justice literature and materials, which I applied throughout my work-life. Through the education, I developed vital capabilities like critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication, collaborative working and information utilization. I want to continue my education at University of Phoenix, so as to develop the knowledge and the skills that will increase my career success as a justice and security officer. Through the Master’s degree program, I will increase my capacity for career development and delivering innovative change proposals, which can revolutionize the field of justice and security. The Masters program will enable me to attain recertification, endorsement and higher credit as a justice professional. Through the additional Master’s degree, I will acquiring knowledge and the skills required to face new challenges. That will form learning experiences in support of educational and professional growth. Through the program, I expect to gain more real-world experiences of state-of-the-art justice issues, which will distinguish my performance. My degree has helped me become one of the best employees in the department: through the Master’s program, I will be recognized by the LAPD as a highly knowledgeable employee, which will help me gain a promotion to a managerial position: the police department awards promotions on the basis of competency and educational levels. Achievements University of Phoenix candidates lead by example, which I have demonstrated through the development of exceptional leadership capacity in my personal life, work and school environments. During my work at the LAPD, I am viewed as a role model for the skills and the values that make differences at my work place as well as in my community. For instance, in my role as a polygraph examination officer, I am viewed as the number one critical thinker, especially when dealing with complicated cases. As a Phoenix graduate, I am revered as a life-long learner, which has enabled me to gain more useful information in my field, which enables me to share valuable insights in any critical case. Therefore, at the workplace, I am viewed as the best polygraph examiner, which is confessed by superiors and junior co-workers. At school, I was viewed as a leader, a role model in life-learning, and an informed student who helped others when they had trouble with courses. Upon the completion of the degree course, I graduated with honors, and a GPA of 3.85 which distinguished me as among the best candidates. The exceptional performance and the values I was identified with are among the leadership characteristics that I continue to be revered about. At the family level, I was the first to attain four-year degree education; therefore, I am viewed as a knowledgeable person who leads the family in all critical decision-making. At the larger community, I am viewed as an exceptional person who gained ed ucation against all odds, and one that has remained successful in all areas, therefore, I am viewed as a leader who can empower community members. During the Master’s program, I also plan to become a leader in values, skills-development and leadership, which makes a positive impact on other people. Personal Reflection During my work as a polygraph examiner with the Los Angeles Police Department, I have developed a mastery of uncovering the tricks of criminals. However, this exceptional perfo

Coca Cola and Pepsi Profitability Analysis Essay Example for Free

Coca Cola and Pepsi Profitability Analysis Essay Gross profit margin(2013) = 100 Ãâ€" 28,433/46,854 = 60.68% Gross profit margin(2012) = 100 x 28,964/ 48,017=60.32% Gross profit margin(2011) = 100 x 28,326 = 60.86% Source: PepsiCo Inc. Annual Reports Gross profit margin (2013) = 100 x 35,172/66,415 = 52.96% Gross profit margin (2012) = 100 x 34,201/65,492 = 52.22% Gross profit margin (2011) = 100 x 34,911/66,504 = 52.49% Gross profit margin is a resource for paying extra expenses and future cutbacks. Coca-Cola Co. gross profit margin declined from 2011 to 2012 but then inclined from 2012 to 2013. However, it did not reach the level of 2011. PepsiCo Inc.s gross profit margin, on the other hand, decreased from 2011 to 2012 however it improved from 2012 to 2013 go over 2011’s level. Comparing the two companies, Coca-Cola Co. has a higher gross profit margin which shows superior fraction of revenue existing to coat operating and other costs. Net Profit Margin (USD $ in Millions) Coca-Cola Co. 2013 2012 2011 Net Income Before Minority Share of Earnings, Equity Income, and Nonrecurring items 8,584 9,019 8,572 Net Sales 46,854 48,017 46,542 Net Profit Margin 18.32 % 18.78 % 18.42 % Source: Coca-Cola Co. Annual Reports Net Profit Margin (2013) = 100 x 8,584/ 46,854 = 18.32% Net Profit Margin (2012) = 100 x 9,019/48,017 = 18.78% Net Profit Margin (2011) = 100 x 8,572/46,542 = 18.42% PepsiCo 2013 2012 2011 Net Income Before Minority Share of Earnings, Equity Income, and Nonrecurring Items 6,740 6,178 6,443 Net Sales 66,415 65,492 66,504 Net profit margin 10.15 % 9.43 % 9.69 % Source: PepsiCo Inc. Annual Reports Net Profit Margin(2013) = 100 x 6,740/66,415 = 10.15% Net Profit Margin(2012) = 100 x 6,178/65,492 = 9.43% Net Profit Margin(2011) = 100 x 6,443/66,504 = 9.690% Net profit margin is an indicator of profitability, computed as net income divided by revenue. It measures how much out of every dollar of sales a company actually keeps in earnings.(Wintner Tardif, 2006, p349)Coca-Cola Co. net profit margin improved as of 2011 to 2012 although decreased drastically starting 2012 to 2013.PepsiCo Inc. net profit margin go down beginning of year 2011 to year 2012 but after that recovered from 2012 to 2013 going beyond the level of 2011. The figures above indicate that Coca-Cola Co. has a elevated profit margin compare to PepsiCo Inc., which indicates more cost-effective corporation which better control its costs compared to Coca-Cola Inc. Total Asset Turnover (USD $ in Millions) Source: Coca-Cola Co. Annual Reports Total assets turnover(2013) = 46854/90055 = 0.52 Total assets turnover(2012) = 48017/86174 = 0.56 Total assets turnover(2011) = 46542/79974 = 0.58 PepsiCo Inc. 2013 2012 Net revenue 66415 65492 Total assets 77478 74638 Total assets turnover 0.85 0.87 Source: PepsiCo Inc. Annual Reports Total assets turnover (2013) = 66415/77478 = 0.85 Total assets turnover (2012) = 65492/74638 = 0.87 Coca-Cola Co.s net profit margin enhanced from 2011 to 2012 nevertheless go  down considerably as of 2012 toward 2013. PepsiCo Inc.s net profit margin, on the other hand, worsens since 2011 to year 2012 but raised the following year exceeding the level of 2011. The figures above indicate that PepsiCo Inc. has a higher Total Assets Turnover comparing to Coca-Cola Co. which shows that PepsiCo turns its assets faster into sales. Asset Turnover is connected to Return on Assets (ROA) through Du Pont formula. DuPont Return on Assets (ROA) (USD $ in Millions) Coca-Cola Co. 2013 2012 2011 Net Profit Margin 18.32% 18.78% 18.42% Asset Turnover 0.52 0.56 0.58 Return on Assets(ROA) 9.52 10.51 10.68 Source: Coca-Cola Co. Annual Reports ROA(2013) = 18.32% x 0.52 = 9.52 ROA(2012) = 18.78% x 0.55 = 10.51 ROA(2011) = 18.42% x 0.58 = 10.68 PepsiCo Inc. 2013 2012 Net Profit Margin 10.15% 9.43% Asset Turnover 0.85 0.87 Return on Assets (ROA) 8.62 8.20 Source: PepsiCo Inc. Annual Reports ROA(2013) = 10.15% x 0.85 = 8.62 ROA(2012) = 9.43% x 0.87 = 8.20 The ROA numbers provides investors with an overview of how efficiently the business is converting the investment into net income. (Gibson, 2009) Coca-Cola Co. ROA decreased starting of 2011 to 2012 as well as as of 2012 towards 2013. PepsiCo Inc. ROA, on the other hand, declined from year 2011 to 2012’s level however later inclined since 2012 towards 2013, however it did not reach the level of 201l. Nevertheless, Coca-Cola has a higher the ROA numbers compare to PepsiCo. which shows that the business earns more capital on a smaller amount of investment. DuPont Return on Equity(ROE) (USD $ in Millions) Coca-Cola Co. 2013 2012 2011 Net Income 8,584 9,019 8,584 Total Shareholder Equity 33,173 32,790 31,635 Return on Equity (ROE) 25.87% 27.50% 27.13% Source: Coca-Cola Co. Annual Reports ROE(2013) =100 x 8,584/33,173 = 25.87% ROE(2012) = 100 x 9,019/32,790 = 27.50% ROE(2011) = 100 x 8,584/31,635 = 27.13% PepsiCo Inc. 2013 2012 2011 Net Income 6,740 6,178 6,443 Total Shareholder Equity 24,279 22,294 20,588 Return on Equity(ROE) 27.76 % 27.71 % 31.29 % Source: PepsiCo Inc. Annual Reports ROE (2013) = 100 x 6,740/24,279 = 27.76% ROE(2012) = 100x 6,178/ 22,294 = 27.71% ROE(2011) = 100 x 6,443/20,588 = 31.29% Return on Equity (ROE) determines how sound a company makes use of reinvested earnings to make more earnings. ROE is utilized as a common hint of the business effectiveness. In other words, what amount of revenue the business is capable to generate with the resources provided by its stockholders. (Gibson,2009) Coca-Cola Co.s ROE increased as of 2011 towards 2012 except that later declined considerably from 2012 to 2013.PepsiCo Inc.s ROE, on the other hand, decreased starting year 2011 to 2012 but then slightly rise  up from 2012 to 2013. Based on the numbers above, we can conclude that PepsiCo Inc. has a competitive advantage over Coca-Cola Co. because it has a higher ROE, which means that is growing profits without pouring new capitals into business. References Wintner, S., Tardif, M. (2006)Financial Management for Design Professionals: The Path to Profitability. MA: Kaplan AEC Education. Retrived from: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/abercrombie-fitch-no-profits-just-225850116.html?session-id=7b3af266ae1a387aaf0cfe6dca24ba10 Gibson, C. (2009)Financial Reporting Analysis. Using Financial Accounting Information (11the Ed) MA: South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason,OH

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Online Business Information Technology Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Online Business Information Technology Essay Several decades ago nobody could have imagined that development of technologies would lead to radical changes in business management. Moreover, we did not even suppose that a usual process of buying and selling which was implemented through real communication between buyer and trader would become so convenient and accessible. Till some particular moment communication was the only way of holding negotiations we got accustomed to, which now is being gradually replaced by this new possibility to do business by using the Internet technologies. From year to year online business method that was intended only for privileged is becoming more and more demanded and available for everyone in the cyberspace. Electronic business has a significant impact on company performance and new ways of growth and improvement are opened for its subsequent prosperity. This improvement is achieved by changing the concept of operations and establishing closer relationship with customers. The economic basis of e lectronic business is radically expanding the audience, increasing marketing effectiveness, accelerating the process of buying and selling of all kinds of goods and services (Shelly Vermaat, 2009, p.737). We used to refer the phrase electronic shop (Shelly Vermaat, 2009, p.738) to a specialized website where web visitor is able to purchase any goods directly online and acquaints preliminarily with their descriptions. Customers process of buying in an electronic shop differs from the traditional form of purchasing items in usual shops. This trend of modern trade continues to grow and this is the reason why most companies are now actively converting conventional business models and are focused on multi-marketing strategy. Today, investment in electronic business is a priority for many of them. However, its solution is necessary for clear understanding of the key factors which determine the success. Although electronic business definitely has valuable advantages over other types of business, it has disadvantages which should not be overlooked. It cannot be denied that the main benefits of online business are its low start up cost and fast development in comparison with the common one. There is no need in renting a physical space as the cyberspace is infinite area to some extent and the seller can suggest a wide range of products. Therefore the clients have more extensive choice. The more things the customer has to choose the more satisfied he/she is. For the generation of online shops it does not require a lot of efforts and time to set it up. At the beginning of the business a websites developer should register the project and promote it through various advertising companies. All these costs do not require a lot of money expenditures while in conventional business it does. Thus, any business process, in which you can use the electronic interaction between people, has the potential for reducing expenditures, which, in turn, entails lower prices for customers (Fields, 2007). Another important advantage of online business is its capability to attract not only local customers but also a worldwide audience with minimal effort. Of course, it is possible to reach international public through other forms of advertising like traditional ones: television, radio and print media. But all together they are not as effective in reaching potential clients around the world as electronic marketing is. Basically, any product or service that is registered on the World Wide Web has a limitless market that transcends age, culture, geography and time zone (Campbell, 2007). No matter of wherever and whenever the clients are, it is not a problem now to get the things they want within the shortest period. At the same time, it unites people of all ages, races and occupations into one whole community of online buyers in some meaning. Having a discussion with each other on the forums, the clients from different countries exchange their knowledge about some kind of products and get both useful information and also an international experience of communication. Online business gives traders a possibility to earn money even if they sleep as their shops work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The important feature of the Internet is that it has automatic operating mode of websites and therefore the probability of missing clients is minimized in this situation because they can purchase goods at any time they want and what is of high importance is that sellers save a lot of their time. Thousands of people can surf website simultaneously without making a crowd while it is rarely happens in offline business. In addition, traders can spend enough time doing the things they like and working at the time they prefer. It is very convenient for them to manage daytime in this way as they can put the work aside whenever they like and get some rest or vice versa (Smith, 2005). A very strong side of starting online business is the fact that in the situation of business failure the businessperson does not lose his/her life savings. Usually the activity of electronic business has to be stopped because of the deficiency of profit and thereby the businessperson has to end his/her activity. The only thing the owner can lose is his/her money that were spent for the development and promotion of business. The risk of such failure can be much bigger if business was granted franchise. It means that all the efforts the seller put into activation of business, the list of his/her patrons and customers in common, a respectful position in the business sector, communication with persons of consequence, all these life benefits disappear in a moment. Electronic business has transformed its customer service into the convenient and effective one. Auspicious conditions were created for maintenance of confidential relationships between clients and traders. The customer can contact a commercial agent in an interactive mode to get more information about the product or service. Furthermore, the clients can read recommendations and reviews of different people within website who already have opinions about items that they want to buy or already purchased and used them. If some product the customer wants to buy is not available for the current time then it is possible to send a request to inform him/her about its appearance via e-mail. What is more convenient is that payments can be implemented online and the items can be delivered to the customers without their participation (Iyer, n.d.). Remember the situation in the shop when people have to go through different departments to find the items they need. It takes a lot of time and power and as a consequence the amenities of shopping disappear. Fortunately, online shops have a very smart option the possibility to search products in catalogues just by entering the keywords into search form. After several seconds the integrated search engine would find all the possible offers of goods. It is a very attractive option for people who do not like to waste a lot of time on selecting the products (Shelly Vermaat, 2009, p.745). The last advantage I want to pay attention is a lack of necessity in hiring personnel like software engineer to run online business. The basic thing to activate online store is to create and upload it to the Internet. Even if hire a professional programmer, it would be a kind of a temporary work which does not require permanent control. One way around this is to outsource as many of your business functions as possible (Kaarakainen, 2010). If later the shop owner could fulfill such things like monitoring of the website, observation of clients requests and some other stuff by himself/herself then there is no need in outsourcing anymore, maybe except the situations like technical problems when it is almost impossible to hold down a job without specialists help. Having considered the main benefits of online business it is important to pay attention to the drawbacks as they put obstacles in the way of taking the leading position of online business running. A use of electronic communications is becoming one of the key conditions for the survival of companies in a huge competitive environment however competition is also one of the most alarming problems. Because competition comes in all forms and shapes, your sales pitch would have to be truly attention-calling (Campbell, 2007). One of the necessities in the competitive activity is occasional price reduction when only the most stable business could survive. The customers often become victims of a warm work of competitive organizations and sometimes can find it difficult to make the right decision in choosing the right goods for themselves. So the only possible constructive tool in clients attraction could be the proper marketing strategy in the cruel wars of the business rivals. As online shops became accessible for all the visitors so the tendency of copying ideas which were put there is of high possibility. People tend to do these things following the main motivation of gaining as much profit as possible. In view of the fact that if ones online business is not officially registered as the trade mark then stealing the project of website construction is not taken as a copyright offence. So that means that everyone who would take the same concept of already existing website could live with no worry. It is a very grievous aspect of open business activity when all your marketing strategies are visible and clear (Kaarakainen, 2010). Another disadvantage that also should be observed is a security threat of supposed electronic transaction which customer usually accomplishes during the purchase. People are still worrying about security of electronic commerce in spite of the wide spread of modern software that helps to protect their personal information. Through the growing number of fraudulent schemes people in most cases are afraid of giving details of their account until they are sure about the reliability of the payment system. And such behavior is fully justified as no one would like to lose his/her money (Campbell, 2007). As all the talks of customer and trader are implemented via the Internet it is really hard to build a good and trusting relationships (Burton, 2008) between them because of their isolation from each other. Most of people find it almost impossible to negotiate in this way as they do not have any idea of who they are contacting with. Therefore, the seller should endeavor a lot to satisfy all the needs of the clients and try to keep positive and friendly relationships in order to attract as many new customers as possible for the further possible collaboration. In conclusion I would like to stress that all the mentioned advantages of online business are very strong and have conclusive proofs that maintaining business with the help of modern high technologies is optimized as much as possible and continues to develop day after day. For those who have never tried it, electronic business could be perceived as not serious occupation but this system really works. Just look at the real examples of such successful online companies like Amazon or eBay as they are the parts of the list of online giants with overwhelming profit made since their creation. Unfortunately, we should admit the fact that deficiencies hamper subsequent progress of online business techniques and traders have to cope with them. In the near future it seems to be the full dominance of high technologies in the commerce sector and its improvements would be interpreted as a fertile soil for the effectiveness of peoples saving time (Shelly Vermaat, 2009, p.751).

My Math Teacher, Mrs. Ladd Essay -- Personal Narratives Mathematics Es

My Math Teacher, Mrs. Ladd When thinking back and remembering all of the teachers that I have had in the past, there is one in particular that comes to mind. Her name was Mrs. Ladd. She taught math at the junior high school. Mrs. Ladd was not the most popular, funniest, hardest, easiest, nicest, nor the meanest teacher. I remember her for some other reasons. When I think of Mrs. Ladd, I think about how hard she made me work. But I also think about how she made me challenge myself. Most of all, I remember how she influenced me. To begin with, Mrs. Ladd gave us homework every night. Even if there was a holiday or a weekend, homework was assigned and due the following school day. She would collect it and grade it. If a student had forgotten it at home or in their locker, that meant a homework grade of zero. She was tough. She always told us, "If you do your homework, then you can ask questions. When you ask questions and participate in class, you will learn more." Normal Normal Default Paragraph Font Default Paragraph Font Line Number Line Number LeGrand 2C:WINDOWSTEMPAutoRecovery save of Document1.asd LeGrand 2C:WINDOWSTEMPAutoRecovery save of Document1.asd When thinking back and remembering all of the teachers that I have had in the past, there is one in particular that comes to mind. Her name was Mrs. Ladd. She taught math at the junior high school. Mrs. Ladd was not the most popular, funniest, hardest, easiest, nicest, nor the meanest teacher. I remember her for some other reasons. When I think of Mrs. Ladd, I think about how hard she made me work. But I also think about how she made me challenge myself. Most of all, I remember how she influenced me. To begin with, Mrs. Ladd gave us homework every night. Even if there was a holiday or a weekend, homework was assigned and due the following school day. She would collect it and grade it. If a student had forgotten it at home or in their locker, that meant a homework grade of zero. She was tough. She always told us, "If you do your homework, then you can ask questions. When you ask questions and participate in class, you will learn more." Normal Normal Default Paragraph Font Default Paragraph Font Line Number Line Number LeGrand 2C:WINDOWSTEMPAutoRecovery save of Document1.asd LeGrand 2C:WINDOWSTEMPAutoRecovery save of Document1.asd When thinking back and remembering all of the... ...tp://www.prigsbee.com/Musiacls/shows/lesmis.htm http://www.prigsbee.com/Musiacls/shows/lesmis.htm Normal Normal Heading 1 Heading 1 Heading 2 Heading 2 Default Paragraph Font Default Paragraph Font Line Number Line Number Hyperlink Hyperlink LeGrand 2C:WINDOWSTEMPAutoRecovery save of Document1.asd LeGrand 2C:WINDOWSTEMPAutoRecovery save of Document1.asd LeGrand "C:My DocumentsLes Miserables.docà ¿䀃老à ­ Times New Roman Times New Roman Symbol Symbol Debra LeGrand Debra LeGrand LeGrand LeGrand LeGrand LeGrand Debra LeGrand LeGrand Normal LeGrand Microsoft Word 8.0 Debra LeGrand _PID_GUID _PID_HLINKS {4EF525CA-CC4B-11D5-8CE0-CD426C5AD85F} {4EF525CA-CC4B-11D5-8CE0-CD426C5AD85F} http://www.prigsbee.com/Musiacls/shows/lesmis.htm http://www.prigsbee.com/Musiacls/shows/lesmis.htm http://www.stageagent.com/cb/info.pl/ti/les_miserables http://www.stageagent.com/cb/info.pl/ti/les_miserables Root Entry 1Table 1Table WordDocument WordDocument SummaryInformation SummaryInformation DocumentSummaryInformation DocumentSummaryInformation CompObj CompObj ObjectPool ObjectPool Microsoft Word Document MSWordDoc Word.Document.8

Deception Point Page 14

â€Å"Delta-One,† he said, speaking into the transmitter. The two words were instantly identified by the voice recognition software inside the device. Each word was then assigned a reference number, which was encrypted and sent via satellite to the caller. On the caller's end, at a similar device, the numbers were decrypted, translated back into words using a predetermined, self-randomizing dictionary. Then the words were spoken aloud by a synthetic voice. Total delay, eighty milliseconds. â€Å"Controller, here,† said the person overseeing the operation. The robotic tone of the CrypTalk was eerie-inorganic and androgynous. â€Å"What is your op status?† â€Å"Everything proceeding as planned,† Delta-One replied. â€Å"Excellent. I have an update on the time frame. The information goes public tonight at eight P.M. Eastern.† Delta-One checked his chronograph. Only eight more hours. His job here would be finished soon. That was encouraging. â€Å"There is another development,† the controller said. â€Å"A new player has entered the arena.† â€Å"What new player?† Delta-One listened. An interesting gamble. Someone out there was playing for keeps. â€Å"Do you think she can be trusted?† â€Å"She needs to be watched very closely.† â€Å"And if there is trouble?† There was no hesitation on the line. â€Å"Your orders stand.† 16 Rachel Sexton had been flying due north for over an hour. Other than a fleeting glimpse of Newfoundland, she had seen nothing but water beneath the F-14 for the entire journey. Why did it have to be water? she thought, grimacing. Rachel had plunged through the ice on a frozen pond while ice-skating when she was seven. Trapped beneath the surface, she was certain she would die. It had been her mother's powerful grasp that finally yanked Rachel's waterlogged body to safety. Ever since that harrowing ordeal, Rachel had battled a persistent case of hydrophobia-a distinct wariness of open water, especially cold water. Today, with nothing but the North Atlantic as far as Rachel could see, her old fears had come creeping back. Not until the pilot checked his bearings with Thule airbase in northern Greenland did Rachel realize how far they had traveled. I'm above the Arctic Circle? The revelation intensified her uneasiness. Where are they taking me? What has NASA found? Soon the blue-gray expanse below her became speckled with thousands of stark white dots. Icebergs. Rachel had seen icebergs only once before in her life, six years ago when her mother persuaded Rachel to join her on an Alaskan mother-daughter cruise. Rachel had suggested a number of alternative land-based vacations, but her mother was insistent. â€Å"Rachel, honey,† her mother had said, â€Å"two thirds of this planet is covered with water, and sooner or later, you've got to learn to deal with it.† Mrs. Sexton was a resilient New Englander intent on raising a strong daughter. The cruise had been the last trip Rachel and her mother ever took. Katherine Wentworth Sexton. Rachel felt a distant pang of loneliness. Like the howling wind outside the plane, the memories came tearing back, pulling at her the way they always did. Their final conversation had been by phone. Thanksgiving morning. â€Å"I'm so sorry, Mom,† Rachel said, phoning home from a snowbound O'Hare airport. â€Å"I know our family has never spent Thanksgiving Day apart. It looks like today will be our first.† Rachel's mom sounded crushed. â€Å"I was so looking forward to seeing you.† â€Å"Me too, Mom. Think of me eating airport food while you and Dad feast on turkey.† There was a pause on the line. â€Å"Rachel, I wasn't going to tell you until you got here, but your father says he has too much work to make it home this year. He'll be staying at his D.C. suite for the long weekend.† â€Å"What!† Rachel's surprise gave way immediately to anger. â€Å"But, it's Thanksgiving. The Senate isn't in session! He's less than two hours away. He should be with you!† â€Å"I know. He says he's exhausted-far too tired to drive. He's decided he needs to spend this weekend curled up with his backlog of work.† Work? Rachel was skeptical. A more likely guess was that Senator Sexton would be curled up with another woman. His infidelities, though discreet, had been going on for years. Mrs. Sexton was no fool, but her husband's affairs were always accompanied by persuasive alibis and pained indignity at the mere suggestion he could be unfaithful. Finally, Mrs. Sexton saw no alternative but to bury her pain by turning a blind eye. Although Rachel had urged her mother to consider divorce, Katherine Wentworth Sexton was a woman of her word. Till death do us part, she told Rachel. Your father blessed me with you-a beautiful daughter-and for that I thank him. He will have to answer for his actions to a higher power someday. Now, standing in the airport, Rachel's anger was simmering. â€Å"But, this means you'll be alone for Thanksgiving!† She felt sick to her stomach. The senator deserting his family on Thanksgiving Day was a new low, even for him. â€Å"Well†¦,† Mrs. Sexton said, her voice disappointed but decisive. â€Å"I obviously can't let all this food go to waste. I'll drive it up to Aunt Ann's. She's always invited us up for Thanksgiving. I'll give her a call right now.† Rachel felt only marginally less guilty. â€Å"Okay. I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you, Mom.† â€Å"Safe flight, sweetheart.† It was 10:30 that night when Rachel's taxi finally pulled up the winding driveway of the Sextons' luxurious estate. Rachel immediately knew something was wrong. Three police cars sat in the driveway. Several news vans too. All the house lights were on. Rachel dashed in, her heart racing. A Virginia State policeman met her at the doorway. His face was grim. He didn't have to say a word. Rachel knew. There had been an accident. â€Å"Route Twenty-five was slick with freezing rain,† the officer said. â€Å"Your mother went off the road into a wooded ravine. I'm sorry. She died on impact.† Rachel's body went numb. Her father, having returned immediately when he got the news, was now in the living room holding a small press conference, stoically announcing to the world that his wife had passed away in a crash on her way back from Thanksgiving dinner with family. Rachel stood in the wings, sobbing through the entire event. â€Å"I only wish,† her father told the media, his eyes tearful, â€Å"that I had been home for her this weekend. This never would have happened.† You should have thought of that years ago, Rachel cried, her loathing for her father deepening with every passing instant. From that moment on, Rachel divorced herself from her father in the way Mrs. Sexton never had. The senator barely seemed to notice. He suddenly had gotten very busy using his late wife's fortunes to begin courting his party's nomination for president. The sympathy vote didn't hurt either. Cruelly now, three years later, even at a distance the senator was making Rachel's life lonely. Her father's run for the White House had put Rachel's dreams of meeting a man and starting a family on indefinite hold. For Rachel it had become far easier to take herself completely out of the social game than to deal with the endless stream of power-hungry Washingtonian suitors hoping to snag a grieving, potential â€Å"first daughter† while she was still in their league. Outside the F-14, the daylight had started to fade. It was late winter in the Arctic-a time of perpetual darkness. Rachel realized she was flying into a land of permanent night. As the minutes passed, the sun faded entirely, dropping below the horizon. They continued north, and a brilliant three-quarter moon appeared, hanging white in the crystalline glacial air. Far below, the ocean waves shimmered, the icebergs looking like diamonds sewn into a dark sequin mesh.

Discuss How the Concepts of ‘Race’ and ‘Ethnicity’ Essay

Australia is known for its multicultural society, but race and ethnicity are a huge factor of persistent racism and inequality in this country. The driving force behind this is the strong belief that some of the population still hold against people who appear different to themselves. To gain a clear understanding of this sensitive topic one must look at the origins, forms and effects of racism. This essay will look at how the concepts of ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ perpetuate inequality in our society, a brief history of Australia in relation to racism and how people experience these inequalities today in a society that we call multicultural. Modern Australia was established as a ‘region of recent settlement’ in 1788 which was a small part of a larger process of European colonisation (Bessant & Watts, 2002, p. 219). They had a set of ideas, values and beliefs and assumed that aborigines had no system of land ownership, agriculture, animal husbandry. Indigenous people have been in Australia for more than 100,000 years (Bessant & Watts, 2002, p. 222). The White Australia Policy in the 20th century encouraged immigration only from Britain, but didn’t allow ‘Asians’ and ‘Non-whites (Economou N, 1998, p.363). By 1950’s people from all countries were allowed to migrate into Australia to help post war reconstruction. The colonial immigration saw a mass migration of European people mostly from Britain to Australia. It is said that between 1788 and 1852 approximately 170,000 people moved to Australia, and the gold rush era after 1851 made it a highly desirable country for migrating (Bessant & Watts, 2002, p. 231). By end of World War two, as war forced Australia to get closer to other countries, which resulted in the first significant weakening of the policy in 1951. Later in the 1950s and 1960s other parts of the White Australia Policy were gradually dismantled. By the 1970s the federal government had removed all racial restrictions from its immigration law (Bessant & Watts, 2002). Various writers have contradictory approaches and ways of looking at racism, making it a complex topic. It takes many different forms, ranging from physical violence to derogatory language. A person or group’s belief that their race is superior or inferior, or their moral and social traits are predetermined, based on biological differences can be termed ’racism’. A group of people sharing the same skin colour, same values, coming from the similar backgrounds may constitute as ’race’. One of the most common forms of racism found today is Institutional Racism, which stems from established corporations, and other powerful forces in society, thus making it hard to question and faces less public condemnation. Examples include housing, employment, businesses, education, religion and media (Healey, 2002). Typically, the basis of this type of discrimination is from irrational fear of people at the receiving end who belong to a different culture or ‘race’. Although, there have been ongoing debates about racism all around us for centuries, it is an assault on human rights as it methodically refuses people of different caste, colour, race, sex or their country of origin basic values underlined by Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which states that human rights are everyone’s birthright and apply to all without difference (Healey, 2002). Common perception of shared origins, culture, lifestyle and traditions amongst a group of people or society is the universal definition of ethnicity (Bessant & Watts, 2002). People can share the same nationality but have different ethnicities. A few writers have put forward fascinating explanations of ethnicity. Edward Shils in his ‘primordial approach’ argues that he believes everyone has a primordial attachment to their motherland, people and religion which brings out strong emotional ties by socialising, which further gives rise to the need to have a separate identity and belonging. Then the ‘Mobilisationist Approach’ suggests that nothing is predictable or normal about ethnicity. Rather, ethnic identities come into sight and are toughened in political contexts where groups struggle to get access to inadequate and valued resources (Van Krieken et al, 2000, p. 519). The basis of ethnocentrism is a conscious or unconscious belief that one’s ethnic group, culture, religion, custom or behaviour is superior to another ethnic group. Politicians boast that Australia is a multicultural, open and classless society. Despite the well known image of Australia’s everyone have â€Å"a fair go†, the country is still full of both institutional and popular racism. Education has always been very important when it comes to moving up in class and has been very liberating in Australian society. However, indigenous and ethnic groups have been somewhat disadvantaged in opportunities to acquire education. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics only five Indigenous Australians per 1,000 obtain tertiary qualification, compared to 70-80 per 1,000 for Anglo Australians. In the 1990s welfare, health care and education support for Aborigines accounted only to 2% of total budget outlay (ABS 2000:21). In order to receive an education a person requires an income, but to get an income one needs a job, and a job is challenging to find without an appropriate level of education. Therefore an individual’s chance of education is influenced by the socio-economic status of one’s parents which is a cyclic social inequality hard to break. Migrants and their children often find it challenging to adjust to the Australian school system as they often come from countries that have a poor education system, and even if they have tertiary qualifications they mostly are not recognised, resulting in them taking lower paid and lower status jobs. Working class children often attend schools in working class suburbs where pupils are directed into working-class jobs. A high number of students leave school early and the expectation that they will attend university is low. In comparison, upper-class children attend private schools, and the expectation that they will attend university is high. Migrants and ethnic groups are often at a lower end of the socioeconomic scale (Aspin, 1996, p. 87) Migrants arrive with little money and few skills. Already at a disadvantage with language barriers, migrants and ethnic groups are also faced with racism and discrimination in their search for employment. In 1996, One Nation political party leader Pauline Hanson made a speech that claimed that Australia was being overwhelmed by ‘Asians’ and feared that Asians were taking over jobs. The fact is that Asians at the time only accounted for 5% of total population and ‘there is little evidence to support the claim that high rates of immigration ‘cause’ unemployment or ‘cause’ Australians to lose their jobs’ (Bessant, 2002, p. 219). Indigenous people had a 24. 3% unemployment rate according to 1996 census (ABS 2000:23). Indigenous people are usually poorer than most non-indigenous Australians and receive a lower income on average than the total population. The household income for Aborigines in 1994 was $158 compared to $310 for white Australians (ABS 2000C:23) This also reflects the fact the there is a higher reliance by the Aboriginal population on social security payments (ABS 1996b: 122-4) Socioeconomic status is a major determinant of inequality as it influences access an individual has to the economic resources of a society. L. J. Aspin (1996) explains that white Australian-born males have a better chance of obtaining access to the resources of society. Inequality is also reflected in the differential access to housing and health services. For people who are paying rent and on a low income, it is almost impossible to save for a deposit on a house at the same time. Aborigines and migrants suffer discrimination in rental accommodation, where landlords preferring a two-parent, white, Anglo-Saxon families. Only 10% of Aborigines own housing compared to 70% of white Australia population (Aspin, 1996, p. 87). Most Aborigines live in rural and provincial Australia (Bessant, 2002, p. 226) far from big cities where there are more jobs, higher paid jobs, better education, better housing, good water and sanitation services, hospital medical services and other community amenities. Some ethnic backgrounds are still not accepted in our society and are treated differently and unequally. We see and hear about them on a day to day basis. In recent months the Indian community in Australia, especially students have become a vulnerable target for attacks, whether racist or not. On 31 May 2009 in Melbourne, about 5000 students marched through the streets of Melbourne protesting against these attacks on Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi students. 25-year-old Sravan Kumar Theerthala was in a serious condition in intensive care after being stabbed in the head with a screwdriver one week earlier (Bolton & Peterson, 2009). In an article in The Age newspaper on February 19 Victorian police claimed that these attacks are not racially motivated, but opportunistic where Indian students are â€Å"over representing themselves as victims† and can be looked upon as soft targets. The police also advised them â€Å"not to speak in their native language loudly† or display signs of wealth. Attacks on Indians aren’t the only allegation Australia has faced over the years. It seems that anyone in power, including police, politicians or the media has had the tendency to somehow flare these attacks. In the Herald Sun on 11 June 2009, 3AW’s Neil Mitchell said: â€Å"Australians are also bashed and die in India, which does not provoke parades of chanting ocker backpackers in the streets of Mumbai†. In 2007, the then immigration minister Kevin Andrews referred to the Sudanese community when he said â€Å"Some groups don’t seem to be settling and adjusting into the Australian way of life as quickly as we would hope. † A spate of violent attacks were then unleashed against Sudanese migrants, and one was bashed to death by a group of white men (Bolton & Peterson, 2009). As Australia continues to argue that it is a just, tolerant, open and classless society, there is still evidence of race and inequality among us and affecting the many lives of migrants and Indigenous people. It is interesting to note that the very determinants of class – power, money, education, family background, occupation, health and general way of life are also the same factors where others experience inequalities. Race and ethnicity perpetuate inequality, and in any country including Australia, one would find that there are always some people with very strong values of racism, and media outlets which help in manipulating the views of general public. There still needs to be a massive drive by communities and governments on racism and inequality and it will be long before we will be a â€Å"happy multicultural Australia†. Bibliography Aspin, L J 1996, ‘Social stratification and inequality’, Focus on Australian society, 2nd edn, Longman, Melbourne. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2009, Australian Bureau of Statistics, viewed 28 November 2009, < http://www. abs. gov. au/ >. Bessant, J & Watts, R 2002, ‘Neighbours and nations: ethnic identity and multiculturalism’, Sociology Australia, 2nd edn, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW. Bolton, S & Peterson, C 2009, Indian students speak: Stop the racist attacks! , viewed 28 November 2009, < http://www.greenleft. org. au/2009/798/41083>. Economou, N 1998, ‘The Politics of Citizenship: identity, ethnicity and race’, in Alan Fenna, Introduction to Australian Public Policy, Vol 1, Addison Wesley Longman, Melbourne. Healey, J 2002, ‘Racism: Beyond Tolerance, A Fair Go’, Racism in Australia, Vol 180, The Spinney Press, Rozelle, NSW. Van Krieken, R, Smith, P, Hobbis, D & McDonald, K 2000, ‘Migration, ethnicity and Australian Aboriginality’, Sociology: themes and perspectives, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW.