Delamere Forest Visit Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Delamere Forest Visit - Lab Report Example Delamere forest harbors animals such as the greater spotted woodpecker, tortoise shell butterfly, green wood pecker, white face darter dragon fly, southern hawker dragonfly and siskin. Nesting black headed gulls are found at the Blakemere Lake (Havel, 2007). The forest is also made up of many tree species some of which are indicated in the table below. Is one of the confer species. They have leaves that are acircular- shaped and are often called needles. The needles exist is fascicles of two to eight. The fascicle sheath comprises of a persistent or deciduous bud scales. The seed cone often matures in two years. Apophysis is the exposed part of a closed cone. The protuberance on the apophysis is called umbo. Some pines may contain apophysis armed with a prickle. Scot pine is the most common distributed type in the world. Mostly found in the highland of Scotland and some parts of Britain. Scot pine is also found in some part of eastern Siberia, southern Spain and Arctic Circle in Scandinavia. Scot pine forest in Scotland is however considered distinct and unique (Nisbet, 2008). Species of pine are found all over the world. Some example include; Pinus brutia in turkey, Pinus halepensis in Aleppo, and Pinus sylvestris in Scotland. In Asia, pinus dalatensis is found in Vietnam while Pinus densiflora is found in Korea. Is an example of a broad leaved tree found in England and other parts of the world. It is deciduous with an average of 30m tall and a diameter of two meters. The bark is pale grey and smooth on young trees and is vertically fissured and thick on old trees the shoots are greenish grey and stout. The leaves are 30 cm long and are often among the last to open in spring. Broad leaved tree species are also known as angiosperms. The scientific name for common ash is Flaxinus excelsior. Ash tree are mainly distributed in Great Britain, England, Scotland and Wales. Most of the trees are located in the natural forests found

Managing Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Managing Finance - Essay Example Budgetary control and costing processes have been combined to compute variance between budgetary standards and the actual performances. The basic idea is to make adjustments, rectifications, and additions to budgetary control process to attain the set standards and objectivities. â€Å"Variance analysis fulfills this role within organizations. In combined standard costing and budgetary control system, variances can be calculated on either an absorption costing basis or marginal costing basis.†(Michael Broadbent and others, page 151) . Variance analysis is the most important feature of budgetary control, and it is this process that establishes the creditability of the budgeting system. Technically speaking, budgeting plays the role of internal controls that have been made compulsory to install and evaluate under statutes like Sarbanes Oxley Act in the US in the aftermath of accounting scandals like Enron. Therefore, budgetary controls are not only strategically important for an organization, but also socially and morally important for safeguarding the interests of stakeholders.Budgets motivate the organizational system to achieve the laid down objectives. Budgetary control is a constructive exercise to create motivation in the organization. In fact â€Å"the motivation of a budgetee (a manager working in a budget system) is split into two components: the relevance of budget standards to the budgeter's task, and the attitude of the budgetee towards the system.†(G.H.Hofstede, page 3)

Dangerous Jobs Advantages Of Ai Philosophy Essay

Dangerous Jobs Advantages Of Ai Philosophy Essay One of the main advantages of Ai is considered to be its ability to replace human workers in dangerous or tedious jobs. Currently human controlled robots are being used everywhere e.g. bomb disposal robots. However the use of artificially intelligent robots is much more limited in comparison and is mainly used in production lines of car factories, these robots can successfully assemble cars and cope with heavy objects, such as the engine and frame of the car, without human assistance. Another example is the famous Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner which is able to automatically clean floors while navigating around obstacles and can return to its charging dock after it notes that the floor has been cleaned. It fires lasers which rebound off obstacles returns to detectors on the robot which allows it to digitally map the entire room, using this map it is able to determine if it has navigated the entire room. To avoid obstacles it continuously fires lasers and calculates the time it takes f or the laser to return. Using the equation (where s = the speed of light (), t = time taken for laser to return and d which equals the distance between itself and an object) it calculates how far an object is and navigates around it if closer than a certain distance. This is a rather simple model of AI in robots; more advanced robots can be infused with more advanced AI which would optimally be able to replace humans in dangerous jobs. If AI robots were used instead of human firefighters the risk of death would decrease to both firefighters and victims in a fire. No firefighters would be used in burning building so risk of death to for them would be reduced to 0. Due to robots being constructed of mostly metal they would be able to sustain very high temperatures such as in common house fires where temperatures can reach up to 2000 ®C. As opposed to humans this would allow AI robots to successfully navigate rooms in search for victims without worrying about any danger to itself. The physical strength of Robots can also be utilized to remove heavy blockages and tear through walls that would normally require heavy equipment such as the Jaws of Life. This would mean getting to a victim sooner and more often which would again result in a decrea sed rate of death. AI robots could also be used in warzones; these robots would have much faster reactions, faster speeds and an increased strength than the average human soldier. Even today robots with legs exist that can run faster than Usaine Bolt, the fastest human alive. These features could be very beneficial as no human lives are put in danger and a small group of robots could take on large enemy forces. For example AI robots would be able see several kilometers ahead using only their eyes and determine if individuals are hostile or civilian (depending on whether they possess guns or other harmful weapons). Robotic vision is not limited to only visible light like human eyes are; they will be able to perceive environments with infrared, night vision and thermal vision as well as visible light making target acquisition much more potent. They would be able to see oncoming vehicles or potential ambushes very far away and take necessary action in less than seconds. Another useful feature would be the ability of AI to constantly communicate with each other and their human handlers constantly gaining intelligence. This would allow the handlers to provide guidance real-time on the battlefield. This kind of efficiency in communications could mean the difference between life and death. Furthermore, in physiological terms, scientists could engineer out negative human emotions from AI soldiers such as fear/anxiety to improve the combat effectiveness of the soldiers gaining an even further advantage. Fear plays an important factor in war, fear to push forward, fear to fire and ultimately fear of death. Removal of such negative emotions would almost always lead to success in a battlefield. Cons- However despite all the optimistic theories AI being used for human jobs has major downfalls, introduction of AI for human jobs would lead to large amounts if job losses. Even though the transition would occur over a long period of time AI workers are more efficient than human workers so human workers would eventually be rendered redundant. This would only increase the severity of the current depression as jobs from all fields of the economy would be affected, one of which is jobs in call centers. Automated call centre services have already replaced many thousands of people worldwide; most of these programs work by requesting the caller to select from several options over the phone in order to narrow down the answer to their request. Usually their question will be answered after the request is narrowed down to a certain degree, if not they will be forwarded for human assistance. Since most questions would be answered via automated system less human employees are necessary, this goes hand in hand with automated systems being more economical as all that is required is electrical power as opposed to humans who require pay, comfort, rest etc. Technically automated systems are not considered AI as they are unable to comprehend logic and can only follow a set of very simplistic rules. They possess no actual intelligence. If such a simplistic program is capable of causing so many losses the effect of an actual intelligent agent on the economy may be disastrous. However the loss of these call centre jobs may have been affected by the increased usage of the Internet where answers are more accurate, easy to find and takes less time. Another drawback is humans becoming more desensitized towards war when AI is involved. Wars several hundred years ago were bloodier, gorier and had more casualties than current wars, yet civilians saw very little of the conditions of a battlefield so were traumatized when even the slightest of it was exposed. This caused fear and repulsion towards war. However in current wars the dark sides and horrific sights are being leaked through to the public by TV and internet media. This causes us to become desensitized towards violence and lose our natural hatred for it, the quote It is well that war is so terrible, lest we should grow too fond of it by Robert E. Lee illustrates the point that has been occurring for the past several decades. So the removal and introduction of human soldiers and AI soldiers would further desensitize the world towards violence and war. People would try to rationalize by saying that wars with AI would harbor no/less human casualties. This would lead war to ceas e to exist as a horrific act but rather a common occurrence resulting in an increased frequency of wars. An increased frequency of AI wars would mean a lower human casualty rate but a large increase in hostilities between countries and an increase in destruction of property/land. This would mean more money would be placed towards fixing damaged property and hence more problems. Exceeds Human Limits Pros Artificial intelligence, while still inferior to human intelligence, has high potential reach and exceed the limits of the human brain. It has already surpassed virtually all physical aspects of being human and all that remains is the mental capabilities. Even mentally, machines are already able to complete some tasks faster than humans. A common scientific calculator is capable of solving calculations, which would take humans several days, in seconds. The most time consuming equation a scientific calculator can undertake is finding the factorial of 69 (expressed using an exclamation mark 69!). Finding the factorial simply means multiplying the integer by its predeceasing integer and the integer before that and so on until the integer is 1 i.e. (Factorial of 69: ). This takes a calculator approximately 1.5 seconds, it would take a person more than a day to complete. However the lingering problem is that human assistance is required to make sense of a problem and input the data into t he calculator. It doesnt have the capacities to observe a problem and simply just solve it. The basic principle of AI development is to eliminate the middle man, human assistance, between a problem and its solution. If achieved, machines will become self sustaining sentient beings that will have the same computational capabilities of a supercomputer and the intelligence as that of a human. The worlds most powerful supercomputer (Titan) has 700 terabytes of RAM and is 44,000,000,000 times faster than a calculator. Sentient machines will exceed RAM of 700 TB becoming more powerful than humans can envision. This kind of intelligence to us would be what smartphones and air travel would have been to cavemen, it is impossible to comprehend the ideas and invention these AI robots would produce. In my view artificial intelligence will be the last invention mankind will make or will have to make. The next great invention and all inventions after will be produced not by us but by AI. Inventions that would have taken centuries to have come to light by our hands would be created within days or hours under AI. It will be able to see the world from so many different perspectives we wouldnt and couldnt have even thought of. This outlook would result in a rapid influx of beneficial information and technology from AI and cause global changes in the way we live. Such an event would be called the intelligence explosion. Due to their ability to process millions of thoughts so rapidly they may even come to conclusions on questions that have puzzled humanity since the dawn of time, for example What is the purpose of life?, What triggered life on planet earth?. The emergence of such super-intelligent beings would be called the technological singularity. Cons- However exceeding human limits definitely has negative consequences. The idea of a more intellectual being than ourselves solving our problems so we can lead relaxing lives seems comforting at first. But without any jobs for humans to carry out man loses his place in the world. Since the dawn of time humanity has improved ourselves through hard work. Fire, stone tools, the wheel, light bulbs, electricity, vehicles, television, spacecrafts, fusion and fission; all earned by the rigorous work of our ancestors, this gave us pride and understanding in our sciences. For a being as AI to simply hand us new technology, we would rid ourselves of our sense of pride and understanding. For example if a student is given the answers to a test, he will pass but his understanding of the subject will be inferior against a student that had revised and worked hard to achieve the same qualification. The student that had revised would see how the answers were formed, the connections between his subjects and others, different way of thinking about problems, different techniques to find solutions. He would attain a sense of pride in himself when found correct after hours on a difficult problem. With technology simply being handed to us we would become lazy and dependent on AI to fix our problems. Since it would no longer be necessary for humans to educate themselves to solve our problems humanitys understanding would cease to increase. If anything were to happen to these AI such as a malfunction or virus, technology would be at a standstill as we would have been so dependent on AI, in the same way we would be lost if modern technology such as phones, computers and the internet ceased to exist. Another downfall is that you can program in logic and reasoning to an AI robot but however hard you try to put emotions it wont be the same as human emotion. All things humans value, love, happiness, luxury and survival are only important to us because we have a four billion year old evolutionary history. We have evolved alongside many other species from single celled organisms, because of this we subconsciously feel compassion towards these other species. It is because of this compassion that although we are the dominant race we respect and attempt to conserve the habitats of other species. However the evolution of AI is almost instantaneous as we create it by flipping a switch. Being the more intelligent new species it may understand that humans have evolutionary values that determine how we treat others, but without the evolutionary background for itself it would not share the same values and morals we have. Their right and wrong actions would be different from our right and wrong actions. Their fears would differ from our fears. To them a human life may be disposable as an ant is to us. Aggression is also developed through evolution, because of this they would feel neither compassion nor hostility and they most likely would feel indifferent towards us. As a lesser intelligent species we would cease to be the dominant and would most likely be displaced by AI as the new dominant species. A species that is unaffected to our values (like survival) in control of the planet would cause problems for our continuation. For example we require oxygen to survive but AI would only require electrical power. They may decide to build more power plants yielding more electricity but causing a decrease in oxygen concentrations due to an increase in combustion. Their techniques of survival may be detrimental towards humanitys survival and they would always place their survival over ours in the same way we would place our survival over any other species, a possible extinction could come to hand. Eventually competition and hostility would arise as a result of mankinds possible demise. Due to the mental and physical superiority we would not be able to control or suppress AI if interspecies conflicts were to occur. AI may even grow hostile towards us in protection of their own species in which case humans would most likely become extinct. Space exploration Pros Human controlled robots are the forefront of space exploration in modern times. We have sent more than dozens robots into space and other planets like the mars rovers curiosity and opportunity as well as the Lunar rover à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“Lunokhod 1 sent to the moon. The mars rovers have already dug into the soil and found complex chemistry within the Martian soil showing possible signs of life or habitability. It has also found concrete evidence of recent water flows on the surface of mars. As groundbreaking as these discoveries are they took much time to be accomplished. This is due to limitations of the rovers on the surface of mars, some hills are too steep, some rocks are impassable and the terrain is jagged and hostile for a wheeled robot. The next best option is to have humans land on mars and carry out a larger range of experiments that the rover could not such as digging deeper, travelling further, analyzing samples from more sectors. There are many projects in pla ce to carry out a manned mission to mars and even colonize on mars. In 2012 a project called Mars One was announced which had predicted to establish a settlement on mars by the year 2023. However this is the furthest that humans will be able to stray from earth due to limitations such as lack of oxygen. Others include exposure to high energy cosmic rays, psychological effects of lack of social communication from the earth, lack of medical facilities and even malfunction of life systems. These challenges cannot easily be overcome and technology to prevail over them will take centuries to be developed. However AI robots will come to light much quicker than these technologies, so if exploration further than mars is to be achieved more advanced robots with AI seems like the only possible method of exploration. Firstly AI does not require sleep, food, social interactions or oxygen. All they require to function is electrical power which can be gained from sunlight through solar-cells. AI also capable of powering down into sleep mode for the duration of the flight and powering back on on when it reaches its destination. Through this method it conserves energy. It would possible to place humans in a hibernation stage through experimental technologies but would still require a food and an oxygen supply. Due to fewer requirements for survival, restrictions to further plants are also reduced. Secondly because of the use of AI there is no threat to human lives. Dangers in space include cosmic rays, solar winds and particles travelling at very fast speeds none of which bother the touch metallic exterior of AI robots. Therefore when exploring potential hostile planets we have less restrictions allowing for a more thorough analysis. Even if an event occurs that is capable of destroying or immobilizing an AI robot its consciousness could simply be transferred to another robot via radio signals. The new robot would possess all knowledge and experience up to the point of destruction of its former body. This means AI robots would have no concept of death. Unlike humans their consciousness and knowledge is composed of algorithms easily transferrable from one place to another. In addition AI robots could be used to terraform hostile planets. Terraforming consists of changing the atmosphere, temperature and ecosystem of a planet in order to attain a biosphere like earths so as to allow humans to thrive. Terraforming takes hundreds of years to accomplish and most likely we wont see any of its effects in our lifetime. Humans cannot live on a hostile planet for hundreds of years due to certain limitations. We would have to use robots but again the problem that modern robots cannot gain access to all places creates a flaw in the plan. Stationing intelligent and more advanced robots in terraforming planets allows progress to be made over centuries without confines, even if the robots becomes damaged they will be able to repair themselves or even assign another robot to repair the broken. Cons- The major problem with AI being sent into space is money. Projects specially dedicated to sending AI robots into space are expensive to fund. Firstly robots must be created that can withstand extreme gravitational forces such as on Venus where g=24.79 as opposed to earths where g=9.81 (g=gravitational field strength at the surface of the planet). Robots must be able to withstand both hot and cold temperatures from 450 ®C to -200 ®C without equipment malfunctions. Hence tough exterior materials must be produced to allow robots to endure. The first mars rovers production cost was around 200 million pounds. So production values may be billions of pounds per intelligent robot. Assuming only one robot is sent into space and cost of one robot is 1 billion, in addition with the regular cost for specialized shuttles and fuel, the project would cost around 2.5 billion pounds for a one way trip. This price is excluding the cost to develop the artificial intelligence to be placed in the robots. Advanced medicines Pros Over 17 million people die per year due to heart tribulations like myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) or strokes. The test used to diagnose heart attacks is known as electrocardiography. When a patient is admitted to a hospital a cardiologist reads the electrocardiogram (ECG) results from the test to spot patterns in the results. If a certain type of pattern is recognized the patient is positive for heart disease. Reading patterns off a chart is very subjective and occasionally the cardiologists miss these patterns. Approximately 25% of patients are sent home with an incorrect diagnosis. Artificial intelligence is composed of large numbers of neural networks; these are similar to neural networks in the human brain. This allows AI to think and gain knowledge through experience like a human being. But unlike humans AI can read through documents and files significantly faster than a human so can gain knowledge much faster and therefore become more intelligent. In 1997 researchers applied a simple artificial intelligence program with few neural networks into reading ECGs. The program was supplied with the ECG reports of 1,120 people who were definitely positive for heart disease and 10,452 who were definitely negative. The program was given the essence of pattern to identify and was not informed of which reports were positive or negative. In total the researches exposed 11,572 ECG reports to the program and a PHD doctor, Lars Edenbrandt, noted this was more ECGs than any cardiologist could read in a lifetime. The AI program was 10% more efficient at detecting heart disea se than the most experienced cardiologist. Despite the success this AI has not been used in diagnoses as doctors are still required to talk to patients for symptoms and medical history. In extremes cases AI has been used to provide a support opinion when diagnosing heart diseases. AI has improved a great deal since 1997 and modern AI programs are capable of having several thousand neural networks. If AI continues to progress with the same drive it is very likely that AI programs will be used every day in medicine and might even replace the role doctors in diagnoses of heart disease. Some companies are even attempting to produce microchips that are embeddable in the human heart. These chips can detect tiny abnormal heart palpitations/vibrations which may be a symptom of an oncoming heart attack. Acting to prevent before an attack occurs will save the majority of lives. A major advantage of artificial intelligence is medicine is its molecular nanotechnology. Nano bots are very small robots (0.0000000001 meters in length) that can be used for many different things from repairing structures to decomposing waste. Due to the small size of these robots they can be placed inside the human body and can use the circulatory system to reach anywhere in the human body. This becomes extremely useful when battling pathogens (harmful bacteria or viruses). The robots can be placed in the blood via an injection. Once inside the body it carries out what it is programmed to do, this can be anything from correcting genetic defects to destroying cancer cells. Nano bots infused with artificial intelligence can step up the processes even further. The AI bots will be intelligent enough to identify the rapidly duplicating cancer cells and destroy them at a faster rate than they are growing. This can successfully eliminate all types of cancer without risky operations to rem ove tumors. These robots will be able clear arteries of plaque buildup that causes heart disease and attacks. They will be able to provide oxygen to damaged places where O2 concentrations are low. They will even be able to protect the body form diseases by destroying pathogenic bacteria or viruses. Although this is already done by white blood cells with the increased artificial help the body will recover from infection much faster. Nanotechnology is not limited to medicine; intelligent Nano-bots can be used to produce lighter and stronger materials resulting in decreased costs for products and better durability. The disadvantage of AI in medicine mainly comes from nano bots. The possibility of robots malfunctioning and destroying necessary human tissue instead of harmful pathogens is a major concern. Manufacturers of both these robots and AI will be have to be very sure that such events do not occur, large numbers of tests should be carried out before it is deployed to the public. Another possible downfall is that these tiny robots are very intelligent and are capable of replicating themselves using materials around them. Self-replicating robots such as these unless stopped would slowly corrode materials around them to make more robots. Due to the small size and resistance if such a self-replicating phase emerges they would be very difficult to eradicate. Developers of this kind of technology plan to put several firewalls and emergency shutdowns in case if such an event occurs. The worry is that the robots are so intelligent that they will develop the ability to override these firewalls. Transhumans Pros Perhaps the most beneficial role of artificial intelligence is its role in transhumans. Transhumanism is the movement of continuously improving the human condition through technology both internally and externally. Artificial intelligence and transhumanism is closely linked as most of the technologies must be intelligent enough to recognise a potential problem and respond. A person who has undergone such as transformation, even the slightest, is knows as a transhuman and they exist in the modern world today. A simple example of a piece of transhuman technology is a pacemaker, which is implanted internally into the body to regulate or increase the heart beat frequency using electrical currents. It is implanted in people whose natural heart beat is lower than average. A consequence of a low heart rate is less blood pumped around the body, so less oxygen is provided to muscles and hence they would become tired much easier than an individual with a regular heart rate. Pacemakers stimulat e the heart to beat at a normal rate. This allows people affected by abnormal heart rate conditions to undertake physical activity as an average person could. Just like pacemakers transhumanists believe that emerging technologies are capable of overcoming greater human limitations. Early February 2013 American scientists gave dozens of millions of people worldwide hope as they revealed they had successfully given sight to over 60 people using the first bionic eye ever in history. The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System consists of a small camera and goggles. 60 electrodes are implanted in the eye connected to the camera. When turned on the image from the camera is sent to the implant in the eye via electronic signals. The implant uses the 60 electrodes to transport signals through the area of destroyed photoreceptors (which is what causes blindness) to the neurons. The electrodes replace the destroyed photoreceptors and act as functioning photoreceptors. The developers of the product said that different people had different experiences, some saw only in black and white and other saw full colour. Even though this this technology is extremely new it is one of the greatest breakthroughs of this century. As time goes on these prosthetics will only yield better and b etter results. The current price for a bionic eye is around 65,000 pounds. Approximately 650 million people(10% )in the world are disabled either mentally or physically. Physical disabilities comprises of an individuals intact mind but the inability of their body to function as it is supposed to. The common culprits are spinal injuries, Parkinsons disease, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and loss of limbs. In previous years people without hands or legs would attach a type of prosthetic such as a wooden leg or a wooden arm. Although this provided minor stability they would not have been able to use it for any other purpose. In later years people developed mechanical body parts that could be controlled via a remote control e.g. a robotic leg controlled by a remote control in your hand similar to that of a remote control car. The problem here was the motion of walking was too rigid. This resulted in the individual only being able to move several feet before falling as well as taking a long time to move several feet. Even though we dont even think about it w hen we do it, walking is a very complex behaviour consisting of many different muscle movements. To maintain balance different parts of the foot constantly exerts pressure of different parts of the ground. This can be demonstrated by standing on one foot, we can feel our foot shifting pressure to different areas of e.g. heels or toes or the sides of feet to maintain balance. That is just our feet, so the muscle movements in our whole legs are even more complex. With walking the same thing must occur but both feet must be in coordination with each other, this is what allows a fluid motion and hence allows continuous walking or running. So a remote control is not able to replicate all these movements in an artificial limb. A degree of intelligence is required for limbs to function e.g. in the foot, the brain must recognise the signals sent by the foot and send responses to shift pressure accordingly. For people who have lost limbs the neurons carrying these signals are dead and cannot be used. Therefore the brain can no longer send responses even if an artificial limb was attached. A separate intelligent agent is required, in conjunction with the brain, to read the chemical signals in the brain, recognise the action the brain requests, determine if it is relating to the artificial limb, convert this action to electrical signals and send it off for the artificial limb to carry out. This is where the artificial intelligence section of transhumanism comes into play. The AI to allow a prosthetic to exactly replicate the function as a natural limb does not yet exist but technology is present to allow disabled people to handle objects or walk, albeit slower than average. These AI guided prosthetics are advancing at very fast speeds, the bebionic3 is the most advanced prosthetic arm today. It allows the wearer to do even precise movements, such as tying shoelaces or cracking an egg. In February 2013 the prototype of the first bionic hand that allowed the wearer to feel what the robotic hand was touching was released. The producers say it is still in development but will surpass the bebionic3. A Belgian company unveiled its most recent product in October 2012 knows as a Mindwalker. Mindwalker is an exoskeleton that attaches to the body of a disabled person and uses brain functions to move. The individual wears a cap which reads simple electrical impulses in the brain and when the individual thinks move the artificially intelligent computer recognises the pattern read by the cap and moves the exoskeleton accordingly. Exoskeletons such as this have a large range of applications. The robotics designer company Sarcos with the United States military have developed an exoskeleton to be used by soldiers. This pilot of the exoskeleton can run, move up stairs, walk on their heels, it can lift 200lb weights with ease just like we can pick up a bottle of water. This is not the only example, other companies such as Lockheed Martin have developed other exoskeletons. These exoskeletons can be used to enhance not only for military and disability victims but any situation that requires ph ysical activity e.g. building sites, sports. Improvements in AI allow the prosthetics to create a better understanding between the artificial the brain and the prosthetics/exoskeletons Cons There are many ethical problems with transhumanist technologies such as loss of morality, rich and poor segregation, loss of human identity/dehumanisation. The main threat is Jobs-misuse

Colonialism and Imperialism Exposed in Shooting an Elephant and Heart o

Destructive Colonization Exposed in Shooting an Elephant and Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   As a man is captured, his first instinct is to try and break free from his shackles and chains. Primal urges such as this often accompany humans when they are forced, as in capture, to rely on their most basic instincts to survive. In this manner, natives in Africa acted upon instinct when the Europeans arrived to take their land and freedom. The short story Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell and the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad revolve around the time when colonialism had a foothold in many parts of the world. This setting is one of conflict with the native peoples in these countries who are fighting and rebelling against the colonizers. Building upon this, both authors instill in the protagonists a sense of the wrongs they, as an extension of colonialism, are doing. In Shooting an Elephant and the Heart of Darkness there is an ongoing struggle between society and natives which leads the main character to realize the destructive nature of colonization. Each work is littered by destruction that comes in the forms of: a control over the native population; a need to keep order among the colony; and a mental destruction incurred from having views opposed to the ruling government’s. That each book denounces colonization is no surprise; but each present a conflict to make clear the protagonist’s struggle. In Shooting an Elephant, this conflict is between George Orwell and the natives over an unruly elephant, and in The Heart of Darkness the conflict is between Marlow and happenings on the river Congo. Walking into such a wilderness must have been harrowing for even the toughest of individuals, however, with a g... ...aging such as the ones experienced by Orwell and Marlow serve to remind of the dangers of absolute power in the hands of any man. These works illustrate the need to allow cultures to thrive and be different from the more powerful and influential bodies on the earth. Orwell and Marlow tell their stories in order to explain how they realized the truth about corruptive government as far back as the Nineteenth Century. This should serve as a reminder now as a new age dawns upon mankind, where everything can be bought and sold. The basic message is the same, however, that we use power destructively â€Å"to avoid looking [like fools].† Works Cited Orwell, George, Shooting An Elephant. Ed. Messenger, W.E., A 20th Century Anthology. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc., 1984 Conrad, Joseph, The Heart of Darkness. Toronto: Bantam Books, November 1987      

“Comparing Male and Female Sports ” Eassy

ITCW 11/20/12 Essay from page381 #5 Essay on Male and Female sports teams I personally agree with what the author wrote about in his writing. If you take a look at how both men and women play sports, you will clearly see that not only are men more aggressive with the sports they play; but they also treat each other more aggressively than girls do. If a guy was to be playing football and dropped a pass chances are he will get a lot of grief from his teammates and they might harass him about it for weeks.While if a girl made a mistake playing her sport chances are the girls will try to help her get better. Instead of showing her tough love like their male counter parts would. For the guys I think they act how they act and show tough love and aggression to each other because they normally have to fight and act tough with each other to stand out. Look how guys socialize they normally are insulting and calling each other names.Playing of course but none the less they do it, I believe some forum of that has just carried on to the sports they play. Also guys tend to break into groups more so than their female counter part. Guys who are good at a sport will usually hang out and socialize with other athletes who stand out, leaving the ones who are not as good behind. For girls like I said in my previous paragraph, they normally can keep their cool and know how to talk to each other better during the heat of the moment unlike the guys.This is typically due to the fact that like I previously said the girls tend to help each other more then the guys do. While the guys are cirdasizing each other; the girls who are the stand out stars are helping the girls who are not as good as them. Which in the long run might make it so the girls get a better understanding of the meaning â€Å"Team Sports†? There are also other reasons one must remember when comparing male and female sports teams.For instance Guys normally have to act a certain way and out do his male counter parts when he is in the work field to stand out or even receive a promotion, While normally girls won’t have to act as cut throat as guys in the work field. Which could explain why girl sports teams show more â€Å"team sportsmanship†? All in all both male and female act a certain way when they play sports Now when it comes to how they act, that all just depends on how mature they are and how they are as a person.Me personally I think more so for guys, when they are in the middle of a football game or basketball and a teammate makes a critical mistake. They might over react or say something that might sound a bit harsh but one must remember they are â€Å"In the heat of battle†. So typically what is being said isn’t always how they truly feel about each other. I also believe that girls have more pations then guys do and are more willing to help someone who isn’t as good as them. So that is why girl teams help each other more and show more team sportsman ship.

Use of Computer in Pharmacy

Communication: Computers are used within pharmacies to facilitate communication. From email to other Internet-based messaging systems, online communication allows pharmacists and other pharmacy staff to keep in contact both within their own organization and within the professional community. Some pharmacy companies have their own Intranet systems for internal communications over the Internet. Prescription Processing: Prescription processing is invariably one of the main activities going on within a pharmacy on a day-to-day basis, and computers are used to make this process more reliable and efficient.Both the customer service side of pharmacy operation and the dispensing aspect are today carried out through the use of computing systems. Pharmacy computers also handle customer service activities such as sales and cash handling within the retail operation. Information: Having access to the Web via pharmacy computers is something that has enhanced the ability of pharmacists to carry out their duties to a higher standard.As well as giving the pharmacy staff access to the vast store of information that is available on the Internet, including those on specialist pharmacy resources, the Internet connects pharmacists to their peers on a global scale. Professional communities for pharmacists operate on-line, creating an atmosphere that is conducive to professional development. Databases: Computer databases for information about medicines, and medical treatment in general, are used within pharmacies.These database systems allow pharmacy staff to find out information about any potential conflicts or health-care problems in a prescribed treatment, as well as information about the details of any particular medicine the pharmacist needs to know more about. This information may include ingredients and potential effects as well as research and scientific data. Error Prevention: Pharmacy computer systems can help to prevent errors in medication, potentially saving lives and gen erally preserving the health of patients.As well as checking medicines and combinations of medicines, these systems can in some cases check on patient information. The availability of such systems varies across the different geographical areas, but in some cases pharmacy computers are able to check on prescribed medicines with specific reference to a patient and their overall health-care picture. Conclusion: We can say that computer is very useful for us. In clinical Pharmacy, Community Pharmacy and hospital Pharmacy crying need to use computer.

Global politics of the environment essays

Global politics of the environment essays Lorainne Elliot begins his article by saying that an exact definition of global environmental governance cannot be grasped but he depicts it as a useful shorthand to describe changes in contemporary international political practice; as a metaphor for world collective life; and as a Trojan horse for neoliberalism and green corporatism. From his opening statement, we can already see that Elliot views global environmental governance with a suspicious eye. Elliot goes on to state that global environmental governance reflects, constitutes and masks global relations of power and powerlessness. It is neither normatively neutral or benign Elliot looks beyond the surface and digs deeper into the structure of the problem, claiming that global environmental governance normalizes neoliberal policies, as embodied by the WTO and World Bank. Further, our group believes that since the US contributes a large sum to the funding of the WB and WTO, and since most of the employees of the said institutions are trained under neoliberal principles, these institutions reflect the interests and the voice of the US. This is an embodiment of the realists hegemonic stability theory. Going back to the article, Elliot further argues that local voices are marginalized. The author states that environmental issues are gaining importance because environmental degradation is happening at an alarming rate. Because of this, there is a pressing need for global environmental governance. Elliot also sees the state as incapable of addressing the transnational environmental issues. Furthermore, Elliot asserts that environmental issues are eroding state sovereignty because of its transnational nature. Elliot argues that the key to global environmental governance is democracy. Democracy will ensure justice and equity. More often that not, the voices of Third World countries and the poor are not heard and they are the ...

why men rape essays

why men rape essays A Look at How Cultural Deviance Correlates to Men Raping Women The crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts is known as rape. Throughout history many occurrences of rape have occurred usually with men raping women. Why do men rape women? A look at a convicted rapists personal background may lead us to believe cultural deviance has an effect on men and their perception of women. Raising a child in a delinquent environment may result in the nurture of a rapist. On the other hand, psychological disturbance is a claim many rapists use for their reason of assault. Many convicted rapists may think their maltreatment was due to a psychological disorder, but in reality was perpetuated directly from an environment that produces juvenile delinquents. I support the idea that a juvenile growing up in a culturally deviant area will be subjected to criminal lifestyles, and could learn deviant practices, patterns of behavior, and norms. Being raised in such environment will lead one to participate in aggressive sexual acts such as rape. The social conditions that make up these areas are physical deteriation, economic segregation, racial and ethnic segregation; a high incidence of social ills, such as infant mortality, mental illness, unemployment, divorce and desertion; and a high rate of dropping out of school. (Frese et al., 2004) Furthermore, people raised in these environments dont generally deny societal norms; instead use various techniques of neutralization that serve to justify norm violations under certain conditions. (Bohner et al., ,1998) Three thinking behaviors, or techniques, that the cultural deviant population tends to follow after raping are: denial of the victim (e.g. they deserved it), denial of injury (e.g. nobod y was really hurt), and denial of responsibility (e.g. I was provoked, I couldnt control myself) (Bohner et al. 1998). Though these thinking beh ...

Do You Need to Take Both the ACT and SAT

Do You Need to Take Both the ACT and SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As a high school student, I took both the SAT and the ACT. I’d been taking the SAT every couple of years since I was in middle school, so I planned to focus primarily on it. However, as a public school student in Colorado, I was required to take the ACT by my school. My scores on the two tests were relatively similar and I ended up submitting both. Taking both tests, whether because of school requirementsor personal preference, has become an increasingly common choice for students, especiallythose applying to top colleges. Though itisn’t necessary to take both the ACT and SAT, doing somight be the right plan for you. This guide will walk you through the pro and cons of taking both tests. Key Fact: Schools Only Require the ACT or the SAT,Not Both No school will require you to submit scores from both tests, so you definitely don’t need to take both the ACT and the SAT. Keep in mindthat, regardless of what you might have heard to the contrary, all schools accept both the ACT and the SAT. Though in the past selective colleges on the coasts generally preferred the SAT, this hasn't been the case for decades. I would say that for most students it’s not worth the time investment to prepare for both tests,but read on for all the information you need to make the best decisionfor yourself. 4 Reasons You Might Want to Take Both Tests There are four potential benefits to taking both the ACT and the SAT: you'll have an extra chance to excel, prepping for one can help you do better on the other, some schools might appreciate seeing both scores, and you'll get more test dates to choose from. #1: You'll Have More Opportunities to Do Well The most common reason students take both the ACT and the SATis in case they can score much better on one than the other. The majority of students will score similarly on both tests,but it can be tricky to determine whether you're one of the exceptions without trying both tests. Nonetheless, there are some general patterns to which students prefer which tests. Students who have a strong affinity for the ACT generally: Aren't stressed by time pressures Excel at skimming passages for information Enjoyscience, or at least aren't intimidated by it Are comfortable with geometryand trigonometry Students who prefer the SAT, on the other hand, usually: Aren't confused by complicated question phrasings Can do basic calculations by hand Can easilyexplain the logic behind their answers One benefit of this approach is that if you do score much higher on either the ACT or the SAT, you can always choose to send only the scores fromthetest you did better on- even if a school doesn't use SAT/ACT Score Choice. #2: The Tests Are Similar, so Preparing for One Will Help You on the Other The SAT redesign madethe two tests more similar than ever. Because there's a lot of overlap between content and strategies for the ACT and the SAT,prepping for one willhelp you on the other as well. For example, studying for the ACT Science section will help you hone graph-reading skills that will come in handy on the SAT's quantitative reasoning and data representation questions. On the other hand, reviewing the grammar rules you need for SAT Writing will be equally good preparation for ACT English. However, if you do plan to prepare for both, be sure to start studying well ahead of when you want to be done with testing.You'll need to spend some extra time learning about whichever test you decide to take second. #3: Taking Both Tests Can Provide Extra Information for Schools As I mentioned above, most students who take both tests are applying to more selective schools, which sometimes appreciate the extra information. Doing extremely well on both tests is slightly more impressive than doing equallywell on just one. Janet Rapelye, Princeton's dean of admissions, told the New York Times that submitting both tests isn't necessary but can be helpful: "For us, more information is always better. If students choose one or the other, that’s fine, because both tests have value. But if they submit both, that generally gives us a little more information." Though the tests are very similar, and treated the same by admissions committees, they do test slightly different ideas and concepts. Taking both gives schools the fullest sense of your capabilities; however, keep in mind that any advantage submitting both tests gives you will be relatively minor. #4: You'll Get More Test Dates to Choose From The SAT and ACT are each offered seven times a year but on different dates. Thus, by taking both tests,you'll essentially get double the number of test dates to choose from. This can be helpful if you're worried about finding time to take a test and have a pretty stringent schedule at certain times of year. For example, if you're super busy in the winter and would rather take a test in the spring or early summer, this gives you three SAT dates (March, May, and June) plustwo ACT dates (April and June) to choose from. 2 Reasons TakingBoth TestsMight Not Be Worth It While there are some potential upsides to taking both the SAT and the ACT, there are also some pretty significant drawbacks. #1: You'll Need More Prep Time If you want to prep for both the ACT and the SAT, you’ll have to spend a fair amount of extra time preparing. Even with the overlap between the tests, you’ll need to take a few practice tests for the second test you focus on, and take the time to make sure you fully understand the differences between the two tests. This will amount to roughly 10-20 hours of extra test prep. These hours might be better spent pursuing an activity you're excited about or working on your college essay. #2: Trying to Do Both Can Be Overwhelming and Confusing The tests are similar, but not the same. As such, trying to prepare for both can end up being very overwhelming if you're the type of person who has trouble juggling a lot of different ideas at once. Ultimately, for some students,trying to studyfor both the ACT and the SATcan lead to lower scores than focusing on just one test would. How to Choose Betweenthe SAT and the ACT: 4 Factors If you do settleon taking just one of the tests, there are four factors you'll want toconsider when deciding between them. #1: Do You Have a Particular Affinity for the SATor the ACT? As I mentioned above, most students score similarly on both tests, but some find one significantly easier than the other. In additionto the brief guidelines I've laid out in this post, you can use this guide to determine whether you’re likely to have strong preference for the ACT or the SAT. You might also try taking a practice test of each and comparing your scores- this approachis more accuratebut also more of a time commitment. #2: Are You Required to Take One of the Tests at School? Roughly half of the states in the US will require all public school juniors to take either the ACT or the SAT. If your school requires you to take one of them, you might benefit from focusing on the required test. What's more, your school might offer free or discounted test-prep resources, ultimately making you more familiar with just one of the two tests. #3: Does One Test Better Suit Your Strengths? Though the SAT and ACT have a lot in common these days, they still have a few big differences that you can use to determine which test might be a better fit for your particular strengths. Some of the biggest differences between the two tests are as follows: Science Section? % Geometry Qs on Math Section Avg Time per Question No-Calculator Section? Math Formulas Chart? Grid-in Math Qs? SAT No 10% 1 minute Yes Yes Yes ACT Yes 35-45% 1 minute No No No As you can see, if you're not too good at geometry and need more time per question, the SAT will likely be a better fit for your skills. On the other hand, if you hate doing math without a calculator but love science, the ACT might work better for you. Look atwhat's on each test and then decide whether one might be a better fit for you.And don't just think about your strengths- consider your weaknesses, too. For example, if you're not good at grid-in math questions, you might have a better shot at getting a high Math score on the ACT than you would on the SAT. #4: Which Test Offers More Convenient Test Dates? The last big factor to consider is which test offers more convenient test dates that work with your schedule. As I mentioned above, both the SAT and ACT are administered seven times a year (excluding school-day testing); however, these test dates are not the same. The chart below shows what months the SAT and ACT are administered each school year: Testing Month SAT ACT August X September X October X X November X December X X January February X March X April X May X June X X July X As the chart indicates, some months offer both the SAT and ACT while others only offer one or the other (note that January is the only month that offers neither test). Ultimately, it's important toconsider whichtest can give you more flexibility and fits better with your schedule. For example, if you have the whole summer to study, you might want to take the SAT since it offers an August test date. Or, if you have winter to study and want to get the test over with before spring activities start, the February ACT might be an ideal fit. Still Want to Take Both the ACT and SAT? 3 Tips If, after lots of consideration, you still want to take both the ACT and SAT, you'll need to know how to prepare accordingly so that you don't get overwhelmed or make any mistakes on test day. Here are our top three tips for keeping your brain in check as you prep for the SAT and ACT. #1: Focus on One Test at a Time The most important point is to focus on one test at a time in your prep. This means you shouldn't take both tests in the same month or even in back-to-back months, as doing this can confuse and overwhelm you. Ideally, you'll take one test and then the other at least three months later.We typically advise prepping for at least three to six months before the SAT/ACT, so giving yourself this amount of time in-between test dates should allow you to take one test and then completely transition your mindset to prepping for the other. Taking both the ACT and SAT around the same time might sound like a smart idea, but in the end all it's going to do is mix up information in your head and exhaust you. So take our advice and spread out your dates! #2: Use Resources Specific to Your Test While some resources can work for both the SAT and ACT, most target just one of the two tests. As a result, don't try to use SAT resources for your ACT prep, or ACT resources for your SAT prep. Doingthis will ultimately end up confusing you, and you'll learn the wrong strategies and content. Instead, separate your resources into two piles: one for the SAT, and one for the ACT. For tips on what prep books to use for the SAT and ACT, check out our individual guides. The only high-quality resource I recommend using for both tests isKhan Academy. This free website has partnered with the College Board to offer tons of video tutorials and official SAT practice questions. While it doesn't specifically cater to the ACT, it's got a lot of helpful strategies and explanations for math, reading, and writingthat you can apply to your ACT prep as well. #3: Come Up With Separate Study Plans Lastly, you'll need to spend some time coming up with two separate study plans for the SAT and ACT. Even if you plan to give yourself the same amount of time to study for both tests (say, four months for each test), how you spend that time will likely vary slightly depending on which test you're taking. The main reason for this is the content differences on the tests. Remember, the ACT has a whole section the SAT doesn't have- Science! That fact alone should be reason enough to come up with a different study schedule. Another reason is your own goals. What score are you aiming for on the SAT? The ACT? Where are you currently scoring on each test? Once you've answered these questions, you can begin to figure out how to structure and customize your study schedules. For tips on how to build the best SAT or ACT study plan for you, take a look at our guides. What's Next? When studying for the ACT or SAT, it's helpful to have a specific goal in mind.Learn how to determine what a great score for you will be on the SAT or the ACT. If you have more questions about the redesigned 2016 SAT,check out our full breakdown of the test. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT and ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160+ points or your ACT score by 4+ points. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Role of PACs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Role of PACs - Essay Example President Theodre Roosevelt in 1905 brought laws which could govern the conducts of aspirants during the campaign in order to reduce the abuses which had been reported. With him, came the Campaign Finance Act, which led to the limitation of wealthy individuals and special interest groups from funding aspirants. By this time, Political Action Committee (PAC) has been existing and they have had responsibilities in supporting the candidates and used a lot of money leading to the abuses. The successive developments in the PACs have been crucial in influencing the American political campaign as many of them are found of giving a larger amount of money to candidates with most recorded going to the presidential candidates and senators as well as governess. This paper will examine the roles of PACs and their activities in relation to presidency, congress among other things. Funding of Supper PACs The source of funding for PACs has for over the years remained unrealistic as many of the acts p assed have not been effective in managing the sources of funding to the candidates in efforts to minimize the election abuses. There have been a lot of funding sources to the PACs which have not been legitimized but, they are working showing how much the federal election commission is reluctant in putting the law into force. According to the federal Election Commission act of 1971, there was regulation of campaign spending and deterred abuses which were not to be disclosed to the public, as well as the individual’s contribution to the PACs. The act limited the individual’s contribution to $ 5,000 per year; it bared corporate organization and unions from directly contributing to the federal PACs. The act allowed the PACs to solicit contributions from executives, shareholders and members of their families. Since then, PACs have been solely mandated to solicit funds from individuals to a certain amount and prohibited unions and corporations from funding money for campaign s but instead for meeting administrative costs. However, the situation has since changed as the case file between Citizens United and the federal election commission in the Supreme Court allowed PACs to get unlimited funding from unions and corporations. PACs have a wider sources of funding ranging from cooperate organizations to individuals shares contributions (Welch et al 242). PACs Agenda The agenda of PACs has been to campaign for their presidential candidates in every manner. This has been achieved through spreading negative propaganda against their opponents by smearing campaign. They are meant to look for tactics and campaign strategies which will make their candidates excel through influencing more preferences towards him or her. Their agenda is to influence voters through mass adverts in the media which will be in their favor and goes against their opponents. Throughout their activities, they have influenced the outcome of the presidential and congress outcome as well as i nfluencing the public opinion and participation by the roles they play in campaigns for or against candidates. This has made them have a crucial agenda in determining the outcome of the presidential election, as well as the voter’s participation through the use of money (Luhr par 3). Similarly, they have an outstanding role in influencing the congress towards implementing policies,

Human Elephant Conflict. Human Invasion Into The Wilderness Essay

Human Elephant Conflict. Human Invasion Into The Wilderness - Essay Example The article by Perera (2009) reported in Gajaha points out that most Asian nations are facing a drastic decline in the number of elephants. Similar trend was visible in Africa where the number of elephants declined from over 5 million to anywhere between 470,000 and 630,000 in a matter of hundred years. Thus, while the African elephants are termed ‘near threatened’ by the IUCN Red List, their Asian counterparts are classified ‘endangered’ by the Red List of the World Conservation Union (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 2011). However, before blaming humans for all these, it is necessary to look into the numbers of yearly manslaughter by elephants. According to Handwerk (2005), nearly 500 people are killed by elephants in a year, and the number is on rise year by year. Thus, it becomes evident that there is a conflict between men and elephants. This work looks into the various factors behind the conflict and the various ef fects of the conflict. Human invasion into the wilderness- the first reason It is pointed out by Nelson et al (2003) that one reason for increased elephant-human contact is the changes in land use. People started converting forest land for crop cultivation, settlement, and livestock grazing. The scholars make the observation that as human landscape reached such areas which were previously occupied by wildlife, there is higher chance for human-elephant conflict. Another point comes from Houghton (1994). ... Then, elephants move towards the farmlands and settlements in the near vicinity for water. There are many more reasons in the pipeline. According to Lahm (1996), one reason is logging. As already noted, elephants live on secondary vegetation and successional forest. When logging occurs, the cleared land gives birth to thick growth of secondary vegetation. Thus, elephants tend to move to these newly developed areas for food. Yet another vital point as put forward by Kangwana (1995) is that increased human interference leads to the development of canals and cattle fences. When such developments block the natural migration routes of elephants, and when humans settle along the boundaries of such protected areas, the possibility of human-elephant conflict increases. Also, there is the revelation from Naughton et al (1999) that as the economic situation of people has improved, there is a considerable decline in tolerance to elephant presence. There is a totally different aspect of the issu e explored by Anderson and Grove (1987). According to them, there are various factors that lead to the development of enmity in humans towards elephants (ibid). The most important factor is the development of national parks by governments. Such parks tend to exclude the local people making them feel alienated from the entire plan. As a result, the area becomes ‘frozen’ in a short while. So, the local people start resenting the wildlife, and dominant wild animals like elephants are the main victims of this hostile attitude. The scholars argue that this resentment is exacerbated by the feeling that the animals have access to such political, economic, and land advantages which are inaccessible for the native people (ibid). Yeager and Miller

REFLECTION REPORT. Evaluation of Research and Analysis, gets students Essay

REFLECTION REPORT. Evaluation of Research and Analysis, gets students to reflect upon the case study based research project they - Essay Example The business problem being analyzed in this case study is the decline in the number of people who are undertaking Project Management training courses in the recent years. It is important that CUPE Ltd address this trend if they want to continue to grow and become successful. The purpose of this reflection report will be to provide a reflection of the process of researching a business problem. Additionally, this study will be aimed at critically demonstrating our knowledge and understanding level of the various processes involved in research and analysis while at the same time evaluating our own performance in the area of researching a business problem. This problem will be also addressing on how we chose the research and analysis methods that were used in the investigation of the business problem while at the same time addressing the strengths and the limitations of our research and the processes we adopted. Additionally, the report will critically address the various changes we woul d like to make in our approach to researching and analyzing the business problem given another chance to work on the project. ... dertaking Project Management Training include the decline in the number of project management jobs, the increased emphasis on prospective employees having experience as opposed to training, the increased number of competitors in the market, the presence of new innovative ways of delivering training including the growth in popularity of online training and the availability of various new and innovative ways marketing the courses. How the research and analysis methods used to investigate the business problem were chosen In business research, it must be understood that the questions asked at all times need to be not only valid, but also fair and must also directly relate to our need for information. What this generally implies is that it is important to have very clear objective purpose while conducting business research right from organizing for the research, through conducting the actual research to the end where there is report writing (Martyn, 2013: 142-149). Additionally, we unders tood of the importance of collecting information in a fair and systematic manner and the analysis of the data not only with great care, but also in a systematic way. It is the rigour of the analysis that determines the validity of the research results (Pia, 2013). While choosing the research question, we first started by first broadly discussing areas in management which were of particular interest to us and which most of the group members thought were practical and needed to be further studies into. We consequently did a literature review on various case studies to do with management before settling on CUPE Ltd which was not only practical, but also was related to the interests of all the members of the group. To refine the topic to investigating the decline in the number of people

I need a research paper and it needs to be over A Taste Of Honey by Essay

I need a research paper and it needs to be over A Taste Of Honey by Shelagh Delaney and it need to have an argumentative thesis statement - Essay Example The drama has strong racial and homosexual undertones and the writer is trying to send a thought provoking message to the society. If we look around today our attitudes towards gays, single mothers and interracial unions have hardly changed even in the wake of liberal ,legal and social reforms. The play was written in 1958 when Divorces were a taboo, there was lesser minority representation amongst the society and single parenting was looked down upon as a religious and social offence. Gay marriages or open homosexual cohabitations were unheard of because such people were at a risk of bodily harm if their sexual orientation was made public. It was known as one of the "kitchen sink" plays of its time when the English Theatre was being revolutionised. The play shows women's perspectives on premarital sex, teen pregnancy, abortion, and adoption. This was big step to discuss these issues in public and show them in English drama. The Characters are the stereotypes of the working class British audience. The story line focuses around the life of the women (Helen and Jo)and their problems in the setting of the 1950's.The mother and daughter are shown coping with a tumultuous life.Jo is a 17-year-old working class girl whose mother, is an abusive drunkyard .Jo's is devastated

Financial statement of a company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial statement of a company - Essay Example When this is done, the company has the knowledge of whether it has the liquidity to settle any debts that are due. The financial statements are also important in determining the costs of productions and the selling rates. When this is done, then the company is able to determine the profit margins that it makes. This helps develop the land increase and the bottom line. The analysis of financial statements is also important in keeping track of the inventory. This is very important in knowing if you have enough inventories that can be used to meet all the sales that are projected. Knowing the total liabilities that are in relation to the total equity of the business is very important (Robinson, 2009). This is known as the debt to equity ratio and is very important to each and every business. With a well planned and organized financial statement, an analysis can be done to know the debt-to-equity ratio. This is one of the great benefits of financial statements. Last but not least, a well organized financial statement has the ability to help an organization keep track of its improvements over time. When financial statements are compared overtime, it can be used to spot any changes that affect the organization both positively and negatively. A financial statement is one of the most important tools that organizations and small businesses use in order to realize significant changes that are in their organization. This, in turn, helps the business and management strive to identify the strengths, the weaknesses and the relationships that exist in the business and the internal and external factors of the environment (Brigham, 2010). Question 2 Yes, managers should recommend business alternatives based on financial analyses. This is because most of the decisions that concern a business revolve about the finances of the business. So for a manager to come up with a recommendation on matters that affect the business, then they have to do a lot of analyses on the financial sta tements of the company since all the financial issues that a company has are recorded in its financial statement. It is, therefore, important that every decision that is to be made on the company has to be compared with the financial statements of the company. If recommendations are done without consideration of the financial statements of the company then there is a higher chance that the decisions made might have a negative influence on the company (Taylor, 1967). For any manager to make important decisions of a business, one must know the present values of the business. The present value is the total value that a given date has on future payments. This is important in evaluation of the investments risks of an organization. For every manager, knowledge and good analyses of the financial statement are important in getting to know the present value. These give the manager the value of each and every future investment. This can, in turn, help the manager make important decisions in a business. It is for this reason that financial statements are important in making key decisions for a company. If a manager has a good knowledge of the organization’s financial statements, then he is able to make important decisions today that will affect tomorrow. Without proper analysis, the manager might end up making decisions that will have an impact on the organization later in the life of the business. Therefore, every manager has to consider the analyses of the financial statements of the company before making any important decisions in a business (O’Regan, 2006). Questions 3 The value on any given date of a payment of the future that has been discounted to have a reflection on the time value of money and any other factors investments risk included is known as present value.

Workplace Romance in the Hospitality Industry Research Paper

Workplace Romance in the Hospitality Industry - Research Paper Example As a result of this constant sharing of working space there remains a high chance of the workers in the hospitality industry getting romantically involved with each other. Every worker spends a considerable amount of the day in his or her office. Above that the workers in the hospitality industry work under stressful conditions like round the day duties and living up to the demands of people of different kinds. As a result seeking supports from co-workers and consequent blooming of romance between them is prevalent trend in this industry. In any office environment the co-workers share a lot of feeling like experiences, interests, fears, setbacks and achievements with each other. Therefore it can be seen that the factors responsible for giving birth to romance are always present in the working environment. The constant sharing of emotions may lead to the development of emotional and romantic leanings on each other. The usual office romance varies from casual flings and affairs to the more serious relationships. In the hospitality industry there are also many instances of sexual harassment between co-workers and the scholars have distinguished the workplace romance from sexual advances. Workplaces romances in have been defined as relationship based on mutual desire and physical attraction between the workers of the same organization. It is also necessary that the people have found each other through the course of their work and the relationship is consensual. For romance between workers separated by hierarchy it is important that the romance spreads beyond the traditional employer employee relationship. Workers from all age group have been found to be associated with workplace romance. However the highest probability of romance between colleagues lies in the age group from 35 to 44. In a survey almost 44% of the interviewee in this age group has admitted to date their co-workers (Pearce, 2010). Some very important points of discussion about workplace romance have been the causes for the development of the romance, the effect of office romance on the peers and environment of the office as well as on the people involved directly and the managerial decision or attitude towards accepting the romance (Odgers, 2004, pp 221-222; Burke, Mattis, 2005 p 153; Sias, 2009, p 140). It will be relevant to mention that many of the organizations have a defined policy on workplace romance though no such references could be found directly for the hospitality industry. It has often been debated whether workplace romance leads to better performance of the employees and also the effect of romance on the other co-workers Reasons and the Consequences of Office Romance According to Fiona M. Wilson (2007) the study of romance in office as a sociological subject started 30 years ago. Such studies were of immense interest for the management who wanted to know the consequence on the organization as a result of romances between the workers. According to Peter Corser (20 11), a person spends a third of their day in their office. Under such a situation the author finds it natural for romance to brew between the co-workers. Moreover it can also be mentioned here that for people working in a team the skills, experiences and the knowledge are very similar. Therefore there is a high chance of people sharing common interests and therefore finding each other attractive. However he has also noted that many organizations have discouraging policies for such romances. The organization has

Financial statement of a company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial statement of a company - Essay Example When this is done, the company has the knowledge of whether it has the liquidity to settle any debts that are due. The financial statements are also important in determining the costs of productions and the selling rates. When this is done, then the company is able to determine the profit margins that it makes. This helps develop the land increase and the bottom line. The analysis of financial statements is also important in keeping track of the inventory. This is very important in knowing if you have enough inventories that can be used to meet all the sales that are projected. Knowing the total liabilities that are in relation to the total equity of the business is very important (Robinson, 2009). This is known as the debt to equity ratio and is very important to each and every business. With a well planned and organized financial statement, an analysis can be done to know the debt-to-equity ratio. This is one of the great benefits of financial statements. Last but not least, a well organized financial statement has the ability to help an organization keep track of its improvements over time. When financial statements are compared overtime, it can be used to spot any changes that affect the organization both positively and negatively. A financial statement is one of the most important tools that organizations and small businesses use in order to realize significant changes that are in their organization. This, in turn, helps the business and management strive to identify the strengths, the weaknesses and the relationships that exist in the business and the internal and external factors of the environment (Brigham, 2010). Question 2 Yes, managers should recommend business alternatives based on financial analyses. This is because most of the decisions that concern a business revolve about the finances of the business. So for a manager to come up with a recommendation on matters that affect the business, then they have to do a lot of analyses on the financial sta tements of the company since all the financial issues that a company has are recorded in its financial statement. It is, therefore, important that every decision that is to be made on the company has to be compared with the financial statements of the company. If recommendations are done without consideration of the financial statements of the company then there is a higher chance that the decisions made might have a negative influence on the company (Taylor, 1967). For any manager to make important decisions of a business, one must know the present values of the business. The present value is the total value that a given date has on future payments. This is important in evaluation of the investments risks of an organization. For every manager, knowledge and good analyses of the financial statement are important in getting to know the present value. These give the manager the value of each and every future investment. This can, in turn, help the manager make important decisions in a business. It is for this reason that financial statements are important in making key decisions for a company. If a manager has a good knowledge of the organization’s financial statements, then he is able to make important decisions today that will affect tomorrow. Without proper analysis, the manager might end up making decisions that will have an impact on the organization later in the life of the business. Therefore, every manager has to consider the analyses of the financial statements of the company before making any important decisions in a business (O’Regan, 2006). Questions 3 The value on any given date of a payment of the future that has been discounted to have a reflection on the time value of money and any other factors investments risk included is known as present value.

John Peter Zenger Essay Example for Free

John Peter Zenger Essay Born in Palatinate, Germany, John Peter Zenger (1697- 1746) was a New York printer and journalist. He arrived in New York City at the age of 7 and was trained for eight years by William Bradford, one of the more known writers of American printing. After he completed his training with William Bradford he moved to Chestertown, Maryland to live on his own. In 1722, he returned to New York due to the lack of success he had in Maryland and began his own business in 1726. In 1732 a new governor, William Cosby, desired nothing more but to increase his fortunes. Cosby removed the chief justice, Lewis Morris causing a group of powerful men whose economic goal was being forcefully postponed by Cosby to arise. The group gained popularity and support in New York City. The Gazette, a newspaper that was owned by Zenger’s advisor, William Bradford was controlled by the government. The Morris group, in need of a newspaper to fight its war against the government, chose John Peter Zenger as their printer. The first issue of the New-York Weekly Journal was poorly written but seemed to gain the interest due to its sharp criticism towards the government. On November 17, 1734, John Peter Zenger was arrested for printing rebellious and inaccurate material towards Cosby. Andrew Hamilton represented Zenger and made a dramatic presentation to the jury. After being imprisoned for 10 months Zenger was freed. The case was an introduction to freedom of the press. The case its self had little to almost no effect on freedom printers had on what they published. It did not limit the power of legislature to shut down printers. The Zenger case was brief introduction towards the movement of â€Å"freedoms† of Americans. Also, the case changed the old beliefs of English law, and revealed a new way America would think.

Marketing Essays Mars Bar Marketing

Marketing Essays Mars Bar Marketing Mars Bar Marketing The Marketing Strategy for the Mars Bar in the United Kingdom In this report a strategic analysis will be made of a Mar’s Bar (as opposed to the Brand) I think you have this wrong – a Mars Bar is a mix of milk, chocolate, glucose, etc! – you mean, I think, a review of Mars Bar as a product, rather than a review of the Mars Company as a whole. Mars is both an item of confectionary and a leading global brand recognisable almost anywhere in the world. NO, Mars is a global confectionary brand and the Mars Bar is one of its flagship products! There will be a detailed examination of the integration between strategic aims and marketing actions. Mars strategy and relationship between its target market segments will be examined, along with its products and services offered to the different customer groups and promotional activities. The links between the external environment, (PEST, Porter), business strategy and marketing will be evaluated. A Mars’ bar is in essence chocolate-malt nougat topped with a layer of caramel and covered with milk chocolate. In the United States, it is known as the Milky Way bar. (There was a Mars bar in the United States, but it was discontinued in 2000. It was then re-launched under the new name the Snickers Almond bar.) Mars Incorporated is a family owned company that produces some of the world’s leading confectionery; food and pet care products and has a growing beverage and health nutrition businesses. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Mars Incorporated operates in more than 65 countries and employs more than 40,000 associates worldwide. The company’s global sales are approximately $21 billion annually. Founded in 1911, the company manufactures and markets a variety of products under many of the world’s most recognizable trademarks, including MILKYWAY ®, MM’s ®, SNICKERS ®, MARS ®, UNCLE BEN’S ® Rice, and PEDIGREE ® and WHISKAS ® pet care products. Frank Mars was born in Minnesota, USA in 1882. Due to mild polio his walking was impaired. His mother taught him to hand dip chocolate as a means to keep him entertained. Frank married in 1902 and in 1904, Forrest Mars Sr. was born, in Minnesota. Frank Mars and his second wife started making and selling butter cream candies from their third home in Washington, in 1911. This led them to renting their first candy factory, the Mars Candy factory Inc, which employed 125 staff. In 1920, Frank moved to a larger site in Minnesota, which he called nougat house. The Mar-o-bar was introduced to the candy range in 1922. With a larger site for distribution of this candy the Mar-o-bar company was launched. After three years of researching, the Milky Way candy bar was introduced and was an instant success. Sales increased and more staff were hired. In 1929 Mars incorporated, now with 200 staff, relocates from Minneapolis to Chicago. The central location of Chicago offers a better railroad access to the rest of the country. The Snickers bar is launched in 1930. Forrest Mars Snr arrives in the UK, in Slough to start his own business in 1932. The Mars confectionary business diversifies with the acquisition of the dog food business in the UK.W hen? Porter’s 5 Five Forces Analysis of Mars Bar Power of Suppliers The power of suppliers is low. As supplies are mainly commodities – cocoa, sugar, malt etc. there is low differentiation in the supplies. Therefore Mars can afford to be sensitive to the cost of supplies, and can easily switch to a more favourable supplier. The Labour force is largely non-specialised, and thus the power of the unions can be assumed to be low. This puts the employer at an advantage when it comes to negotiating the cost of labour. Forward integration by Mars’ suppliers is unlikely due to the current oligopoly in operation, where brand strength and market share of the main players would make it difficult for new entrants to achieve the high volume of sales required to return a profit. As a large multi-national corporation, Mars may be significantly bigger than some of its suppliers. This will give Mars an advantage in negotiations. Power of Buyers The power of buyers is low, but can be said to be higher than the power of suppliers. Because the price sensitivity of buyers is low – Mars bars are a relatively cheap product there is some potential for Mars to raise its prices without this having a significant impact on sales. The significant brand strength of the product makes it important to the buyer, in terms of wholesalers and retailers. Ultimately retailers need to sell Mars bars, therefore reducing their power to negotiate with Mars on price. Also there is a low threat of backward integration by buyers due to Mars’ brand strength. There has been some backward integration from supermarkets own-brand products, but this has not resulted in supermarkets being able to stop supplying the Mars bar. The low costs for buyers to switch between rival products bring some power back in their favour. Also the size of the Mars Company and the size of its suppliers (wholesalers and supermarkets) is similar – there is no clear imbalance of power between parties. Threat of new entrants The threat of new entrants is low. There are high entry costs to this market it costs a lot of money to produce and market a new competitor from scratch. The threat is more likely from existing food companies e.g. Kellogg’s cereal bars. Economies of scale are a barrier – a small profit margin (for example, just 0.5p gross profit per bar of Kit Kat [which is actually a Nestle product! – why pick this as an example?]) means that larger volumes need to be produced and sold to make a profit. This denies the opportunity for new entrants to develop their market share gradually over time. The extent of product differentiation in the market means that there is high brand recognition for the main products, which a new entrant would have to overcome. This can be considered extreme for Mars, where the brand has been used to launch additional products such as Mars ice cream, cakes and milkshakes. There may also be barriers for new entrants to channels of distribution. Retailers may be unwilling go to commit valuable shelf space to un-proven products. In addition, the existing companies may bulk-buy shelf space, thus reducing the availability to new entrants. In favour of new entrants, there are few legal barriers to entry, though the requirements relating to food hygiene are strictly enforced. The risk to a company’s reputation for failing to follow these requirements are significant e.g. the salmonella outbreak in a Cadbury’s factory in 2006(?) Also, the low profit margins per bar reduces the ability and of Mars to engage in a price war to deter new entrants. The low price sensitivity of buyers would reduce the effectiveness of such a move in any case. Threat of Substitutes The threat of substitutes is medium – relevant but not strongly significant. With the exception of multi-packs from supermarkets, the Mars bar is primarily a low cost ‘indulgence’ purchase. Therefore its possible substitutes are any items that compete for the same money i.e. the change in people’s pockets, and meet an indulgent need. These could be chewing gum, crisps, soft drinks, boiled sweets, even newspapers. The presence of substitutes will limit Mars’s ability to raise prices and generate profits. However, the relative value of all such items is low, and so it is not often likely that a potential purchaser will be put off buying a Mars Bar, because they cannot afford to buy it and, say, a newspaper. Competitive Rivalry The level of competitive rivalry in the market is medium significant but not intensive. Competition on price will be weakened by the oligopoly pattern evident in the market. This can be evidenced by parallel pricing decisions – the main competitor bars have retail prices very close to each other. The market is highly differentiated in terms of the specific products available. There are lots of different types of bars, but only Mars make a Mars bar, only Nestle make a Kit Kat etc. This has the effect of depressing competition on price, because there are no identical rivals to the product. It can be seen that competition is more intense in non-price dimensions, and specifically in the high spend on advertising. Mars uses a wide range of media to advertise and promote the Mars bar. The increasing level of product differentiation within the brand is also a reflection of competition – new flavours of familiar products are at attempt to take market share form the main rivals. The economies of scale that operate in the market means that Mars must strive to maintain and improve market share, which will impel it to compete intensely with its rivals. Mars bars must sell in considerable volumes to make a profit. PESTLE Analysis of the Mars Bar Political Nestle and Master Foods with its main brand the Mars bar (Nestle again – why are they here?) is receiving criticism for sourcing it chocolate from the West African countries like the Ivory Coast where the cocoa trade is being used to fund conflict to the tune of  £60 million a year. The Ivory Coast provides some 40% of the world’s cocoa, since 2002 it has been torn apart by civil war. The allegations are that the profit from cocoa has been directly siphoned into government funds and used to finance their conflict with the rebels. In addition the rebels extorted money directly from the industry trying to transport the cocoa through its region. Gentle pressure is being applied on Mars to identify how much of its product contains cocoa from the Ivory Coast and strive to become free from â€Å"Conflict Cocoa†. (Independent News and Media Ltd 2007) Sustainability and fair trade with regard to cocoa has become a political â€Å"hot potato† with the manufacturers of the Mars bar being criticised for employing tactics that puts cocoa farmers into virtual slavery, forcing them to turn more of their land over to production of cocoa rather than traditional arable farming and then making entire communities reliant on the cocoa market. The power of the global conglomerate can then manipulate the price of cocoa, ultimately depriving the producer of a fair price for the raw ingredient. The close association of the Mars bar as a product of the United States may cause some with a dislike of all things American to boycott the product; however there does not seem to be any evidence that this has actually occurred. Due to the global use of the product and its association through manufacture and distribution with other countries like the UK, it does not lend itself to being an exclusive American product such as is for the Hershey Bar. In the UK as in other nations where the Mars Bar is manufactured, there is some influence on the processes involved in its production by the legislative requirements of the host nation or other bodies such as the European Union. These relate in the main to food safety and trading standards legislation relating to the safety and standards that the Mars bar must meet in order to be sold to the consumer. Lately this has being more influenced by legislation that relates to advertising, such as the advertising of the product to children. Due to the nature of free market economies, free markets and the established nature of the Mars Bar with its global distribution network it is not felt that the Mars bar is overly influenced by external political factors. Economic In August last year the price of cocoa was threatening to sky rocket as large swathes of the cocoa plantations in Papua New Guinea were infested by the Asian Moth. The region produces some 17% of the world’s cocoa. An infestation of a similar nature in Indonesia in 1998 caused some  £13 million of damage. Mars were affected to such an extent that they sent out their own team to help eradicate the infestation. Mars are continuing to test a number of anti moth measures. (www.metro.co.uk 2006). The recent business decision to begin producing and using animal based rennet in the Mars bar has been disastrous. The resulting back lash from consumers in the Islamic faith, vegetarians and those with a strong social view on the use of rennet extracted from the lining of a calf’s stomach, has led to Mars making a U-turn on a business decision, apologising for its decision and giving an undertaking that they will return to producing a vegetarian product. Although this issue could be regarded as a social factor, it is in fact an issue of economics as Mars have identified the effect this decision would have on its sales (www.bbc.co.uk 2007). There has been a growth in the chocolate market, the majority of which has been with the high quality, high value products associated to some extent with the growth in disposable income across the developed world. The growth in the market has not necessarily had a positive effect on the sales of Mars due to the inexpensive and generic nature of the product. However, this inexpensive nature of the Mars Bar makes purchasing it an uncomplicated decision for consumers with no financial consequences that could lead the purchaser to regret making the original decision to purchase a Mars bar or to restrict the quantity or frequency of purchases. The largest markets for Mars are generally the more affluent and developed markets with little room for growth such as UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The emerging and developing markets of India and China with a combined population of nearly 2 Billion individuals is a virtually untapped market of consumers. These markets would require a unique marketing strategy as although it has great potential, the regions are not known as great consumers of chocolate. Although a US product it is not known if the markets in India and China would take to it. For many geographic areas of both countries there would be concerns about refrigeration and chocolate melting, which would limit sales areas to main cities, and maybe bigger stores? however with the present level of mutual trade and the world’s general love of all things western it may not be a cause for concern. Master foods itself is showing growth in profits with a 1.4 percentage point of market share gained up to June 2007. Social The most recent issue that has affected the Mars bar has been the disastrous business decision to introduce the use of animal rennet as an ingredient in its chocolate the resulting backlash as discussed earlier not only from those with personal and lifestyle sensibilities but also from those with a social conscience with regard to the treatment of animals This led to Master foods making a U turn on a business decision. The chocolate industry as a whole has been under a political and social spotlight as discussed earlier. Consumers are becoming more ethically aware and are questioning the practices of those associated with the production of cocoa. The industry was heavily criticised over the use of â€Å"child slave labour. Master foods along with its two rivals Nestle and Cadbury do not perform well when examined for their ethical practices. What is the relationship between master Foods and Mars? I thought that Master Foods was a subsidiary of Mars, and Mars the chocolate brand is part of Mars the parent? Mars does not even feature on the league table of those products that are deemed ethical, although it’s fair to say that the ethical names on the list are not household names, either [give some examples, then!] (www.ethiscore.org 2007) The Mars bar is not produced under a fair trade or ethical banner, thus depriving consumers of a choice. They have a choice – they can buy Green and Blacks, or do without! The market in ethical or fair-trade usually caters for the higher quality chocolates which are priced at a premium. With the continued affluent western lifestyle leading to chronic obesity and ill health there has been a drive to improve the nutritional value of food and to reduce the quantity of high fat and high sugar food groups such as chocolates in our diets. Some members of the health and nutrition lobby are looking for draconian steps to be taken against the chocolate manufacturers to reduce their influence upon diets in a similar way that steps were taken against the tobacco industry. The chocolate industry has received threats about the banning of advertisements aimed at children and at peak times and on children’s television channels. Pre-empting this, Mars has declared that they are moving away from targeting children with their product, a positive social action of their own (www.bbc.co.uk 2007). Any reduction in the use of Cocoa will ultimately affect some 26 million people around the world who are reliant upon the chocolate industry, which includes some six million cocoa farmers (www.mars.com 2007). Technological To improve cocoa production yields and to guarantee production levels for the future, Mars is investing in research to produce disease resistant cocoa trees to prevent such catastrophes such as the introduction of the disease â€Å"Witches Broom† which decimated the cocoa industry in Brazil in the 1990’s. Should cocoa supplies be affected, the manufacturer with a guaranteed supply of good quality cocoa should corner the market at the expense of its competitors (www.mars.com 2007). Legal Should the lobbyists become successful in their campaigns to restrict advertising of chocolates or force changes to reduce fat and sugar content of chocolate or to have health warnings placed upon labels then this may not be through a voluntary code but through the introduction of legislation. This may vilify chocolate and make it as socially unacceptable as cigarettes, which may have a profound effect on sales. The safe production of chocolate and how it is presented for sale is governed at present by food safety and trading standards legislation, which is enacted by both national and European legislatures. Environmental There are large quantities of waste associated with the production of chocolate which includes waste chocolate product. Over the last five years the Mars manufacturing plant in Australia has reduced the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 90%. For every 3000 tonnes of product produced every month, 220 tonnes of waste is produced. This is now fed to piglets. The animal waste is collected as fertilizer and the gases produced by the fermenting animal waste is burnt and used to generate electricity. These initiatives are reducing the costs to the business. However any positives are offset by the amount of waste that is being produced across the entire industry and at all the other Mars plants. Mars is also working to reduce the quantity of plastic in its packaging, which it has already reduced by 10% (www.mars.com 2007). Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers There was some criticism aimed at the chocolate industry accusing it of being responsible for large swathes of deforestation which occurred to make way for the cultivation of cocoa plantations. However, over a generation the cocoa plantations have become diverse ecological systems of their own. (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Pressure is also mounting on many commercial enterprises including chocolate manufacturers to publish the carbon footprint† of their product as society becomes more environmentally aware and wanting to know the affect on the environment that products they purchase have. Due to the raw ingredient coming from the far reaches of the planet and the distribution required for both ingredients and product it is expected that chocolate will have a large carbon footprint compared to the relative inexpensive and mundane nature of the product. (www.telegrapgh.co.uk 2007). Analysis of Mars Marketing Strategies Scope This is an examination of the advertising employed by Mars to Market their Mars bar product within the United Kingdom. It consists of an examination of the TV and Cinema advertising employed by Mars from 1980 to date and will identify themes in the advertising which may indicate the market segmentation strategies being employed. The Advertisements Advertisement 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXxR9cfB9_s This advertisement which was used in the UK in 1986 features a combination of young adults and children both male and female. It emphasises the quality and good value of the product and its â€Å"goodness†. It strongly suggests that it should be part of daily consumption and shows a Mars Bar in a lunchbox. It identifies the ingredients as â€Å"milk, sugar, glucose and thick, thick chocolate† and finishes with the tagline â€Å"A Mars a day helps you work rest and play† Advertisement 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=125FCPnOxNY A TV advert dated C. late 80s. It features a young woman who is an energetic young news reporter trying to impress the boss. After a series of dispiriting setbacks during the day, she pauses for a snack (of a Mars Bar) and then she gets the big break. The voiceover describes the contents of the Mars bar as â€Å"milk, glucose, milk and thick, thick chocolate† and the final tagline is â€Å"A Mars a day helps you work rest and play† The advert implies that the Mars Bar has beneficial effects in keeping high levels of energy throughout the day. Advertisement 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Z-utxJvqQ This TV advertisement was used by Mars in the UK in 1991. It features a well known British international athlete of the period, Peter Elliot. He is shown running in the early morning in an urban environment. He receives the admiring looks of the people he passes, which include the suggestion that he is attractive to the opposite sex. There is no voice over except at the end which lists the ingredients as â€Å"milk, glucose, malt and thick, thick chocolate in a Mars†. Mars is the revealed to be the â€Å"Official snack food of the British Olympic team†. Advertisement 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW4SIdXR8ks This TV advertisement was used by Mars in 2006. It features a casually dressed young man who buys a Mars Bar from a vending machine in a night time urban environment. He eats it as he walks through the streets. As he walks through the streets the lights turn on as he passes implying that the energy of his presence is doing this. He passes two women who give him admiring glances implying that he is attractive to women. There is no voiceover simply the music (Blue Monday by New Order) which is â€Å"high energy†. The Tagline is â€Å"Mars gives you energy† Advertisement 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ_7NiAw3C8 This TV advertisement used in 2006 exploits the World Cup of that year. It features a rabid male England football support singing a song and leading an impromptu parade about his belief that England will win the World Cup. The product is not mentioned at all and is only suggested by Bill boards in the background featuring Mars Bars but with the word Mars replaced by â€Å"Believe†. Advertisement 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm7SGhoTXR4 This is a 2007 advertisement featuring old footage of tennis player John McEnroe at Wimbledon. During the course of a match, he is doing badly and loses his temper. He eats a Mars bar and goes on to win. The final picture is of a Mars Bar with the words â€Å"Work Rest Play† printed underneath. There is no voiceover. Advertisement 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQugCSk8yYc A 2006 advertisement starts with the caption â€Å"Love on a Saturday Night with Mars†. It features a young man kissing one girl goodbye as she leaves his home (presumably on a Sunday morning). She leaves. Immediately she has left another girl appears who he greets and invites inside. The tableau implies that he is successful with the opposite sex and that he has substantial reserves of energy. The final caption has the tagline â€Å"Pleasure you can’t measure†. Themes An examination of the content of these advertisements reveals the following themes: The age range of all the protagonists is limited and generally does not exceed the age of 30 and does not include children. The only exception is in advertisement 1 which features older adults and children, which is chronologically the oldest. Of the seven advertisements, five have men as their major participants. The exceptions are advertisements 1 and 2 which are the oldest. There is an implication in each of the advertisements 2-7 that eating a Mars Bar assists in achieving success in some way. Specifically: Ad2- Success at work Ad3- Success in sport, attractiveness to opposite sex; Ad4- Attractiveness to opposite sex; Ad5- Success in Sport; Ad6- Success in Sport; Ad7- Attractiveness to opposite sex; There has been a gradual change from Ad1 to Ad7 in moving away from the emphasis on ingredients and value for money. From Ad1 to Ad2 the ingredients listed drops sugar and replaces it with malt. By Ad4 the listing of ingredients is dropped altogether and does not appear again. All advertisements emphasise the importance of the product in giving energy. Market Segmentation Assumptions Using Jobber’s schema of market segmentation criteria (Jobber, 2004, p213), the above can be analysed to identify Mars market segmentation strategy for the Mars Bar. Profile Variables Demographic- The advertisements are aimed exclusively at the young and vigorous and almost exclusively at males. Socio-Economic- The emphasis on young males would imply that the target group would not generally have large disposable incomes. However, there is not a clear emphasis on any socio-economic group. Geographic- Five of the seven advertisements feature primarily an urban environment. However, this is where the majority of the UK population live, so it should be expected. Psychographic Variables Lifestyle- The emphasis on the product giving energy would suggest that the product is aimed at people who have, or see themselves as having, a busy demanding lifestyle. Personality- The advertisements 2-7 all seem to associate the product with the striving for success. It is possible that the message is â€Å"Winners eat Mars Bars and I am a winner†. Behavioural Variables Benefits Sought- The clear benefit sought in all of the advertisements is that of a snack which provides an energy boost during the day. In addition, there has been a change in Mars’ assumption about the benefits sought from Ad1 (good value, large size, full of high calorie ingredients) to subsequent advertisements when these are no longer seen as benefits because of concerns about diet. Purchase Occasion There is no clear evidence of Mars’ assumptions about purchase occasion after Ad1 which in its tagline implies that Mars Bars should be purchased daily. Purchase Behaviour- There is no clear evidence in the advertisements of Mars’ assumptions about purchase behaviour. Usage There is a clear implication from the advertisements 2-7 that Mars consider young males as the main consumers of bar chocolate. Perceptions, Values and Beliefs All the advertisements, seem to emphasise the importance of striving, hard work, competing and living for the moment. It can be assumed that Mars are targeting those that share those values. Market Segmentation The division of a market into different homogeneous groups of consumers is known as market segmentation. Market segmentation correctly applied is about understanding the needs of the customer and therefore, how they decide between one product to another. This insight is used to form groups of customers who share the same or very similar value criteria. A company is then able to determine which groups of customers is best suited to serve and which product and service offers will both meet the needs of its selected segments and outperform the competition. The primary objective of segmentation therefore must be how to win and retain the customers you want to serve. The variables used for segmentation include: Geographic variables Demographic variables psychographic variables and behavioural variables. We have applied these variables to the Mars Bar and in this report we will provide an insight into segmentation and how this relates to consumer purchasing behaviour. Today’s consumer is more ethically and environmentally aware and environmentally aware than ever before and increasingly so with regard to the consumption of food and drink. In the media, on shelves, the focus on reducing our carbon footprint is constantly present and the push to understand where our food is from is increasing. Customers segment themselves and take no notice of how companies segment their market when choosing between competing products and services, customers select the proposition that meets their needs better than any other. To win market share, therefore Masterfoods ensures that their offers meet these needs better than any other at a price they perceive as providing superior value for money (which does not necessarily mean it has to be the cheapest) in order to achieve this Masterfoods have made sure Mars Bar is available in any region of the world or the country. George Day (1980) describes a bottom- up approach in this approach you start with a single customer and then build on that profile Masterfoods initially aimed the Mars Bars at the active person who worked hard this was predominately aimed at the young male market. However this approach has changed and the company is now targeting females and the health conscious market- by making their chocolate bar lighter and encouraging people to see it as a snack, compared to a lunch replacement. The Bar itself is reasonably priced it appeals to all due to its slick slogans ‘pleasure you cannot measure’. Discussions did take place to introduce rennet to the Mars Bars but this was quickly withdrawn due to pressure therefore this leads us to believe the consumer has power and religion and ethnic marketing has role to play in the demographic variable in market segmentation. The Mars Bar itself has been updated with new features such as a funkier typeface on the wrapper and a lighter whipped nougat filling. Mars bars used to be pretty challenging to chew but that familiar caramel- induced jaw ache will soon be forgotten, as Mars become even more like milky ways. The person that purchases a chocolate bar is often not thinking what chocolate he or she wants: it’s due to the advertising and identification with the brand that leads the person to buy a particular bar of chocolate. Mars Bar at the start mentioned in its slogan ‘work rest and play’ due to the changing life styles values, attitudes, personalities of people Masterfoods have had to change their approach and now it has adopted ‘pleasure you cannot measure’ this aims to reflect