The Statue of David by Michelangelo-A Masterpiece

The Renaissance was a European phenomenon in the world of art and letters, which was found operative at the beginning of the 16th century all over Europe. It was a sort of the revival of learning-a New Learning-and a renewed interest in art and letters. It had a venerable attachment to the golden literary and artistic past of classical antiquity and an enthusiastic fondness for creative, imaginative and emotive freshness. It had a tremendous impact on the European mind and quickened its liberation from medieval dogmatism and feudal tyranny.The Renaissance brought bout the liberation of human thoughts and feelings and opened a wide vista of emotional freedom, imaginative flights and philosophical speculations in the sphere of art and literature. The statue of David, made by Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504, is a masterpiece of the Renaissance art. It is a seventeen feet tall sculpture of the biblical hero David, which was a favored subject in the art of Florence. In 1501, Florence h ad Just become independent from the Medici rule.This statue was commissioned by the Florentine council to be a gigantic model of heroic youth which could seem to protect Florence from the aggressors. The statue of David was one of the first structures of the male nude. The statue of David was built out of a block of smooth marble purchased from the famous quarries in Cascara. It was initially commissioned to Stagnation did Disco in 1466. He did not manage to work too much on it, and the contract was later terminated.Ten years after this, Antonio Reselling started working on it, but the contract was terminated again as no real progress was being made. The block thus lay exposed to the elements for twenty years before Michelangelo started working on it. Although he was not very happy at having to work on a block of second-hand marble, the contract with the Guild of Wool Merchants of Florence mentioned that the block intended was â€Å"badly roughened out†, stating that the bloc k was too valuable a commodity to waste. The statue was intended to be placed on the top of the Florence Cathedral.However, when it was finished, the beauty of the sculpture and its weight ruled out placing it at the top of the cathedral. It was too heavy to be lifted, and it was considered that people should have closer access to such a marvelous work of art. It was finally placed in the Piazza Della Signora outside the Palazzo Vehicle. Unlike the earlier sculptures of David by Overreach and Denotable, which showed David standing triumphant over the head of Goliath, the giant he had Just slain, Michelangelo portrays David with a slingshot and stone.He appears tense more in a mental than a physical sense, but not alarmed, and seems prepared for battle. His sling is small and not too emphasized, showing that the victory was not so much due to physical prowess as due to faith in oneself and desire to do the right thing. Michelangelo has depicted David at the moment when he showed the most courage-when he took up the challenge to fight Goliath. This decision was a crucial one, and reflected much more of his character than the moment when he finally killed Goliath.Michelangelo shows David not as the victor, but at the point in time when he prefigured victory-the moment between conscious choice and conscious action, when he made the choice to fight Goliath to protect his people, even though he had no armor and got ready with Just a slingshot and five smooth stones. For the people of Florence, for whom freedom had been newly found ND was under threat, the statue seemed to reflect the courage and determination of the brave who are determined to keep their city safe. The figure is menacing, but this is not fuelled by aggression. There is no tension in the arms or legs.The statue is of a young but mature man with the knotted muscles of an athlete, a huge rib cage and a confident stance. It seems to be keeping watch over the city. A million visitors gather till today to see this awe-inspiring piece of work, but it was originally built with the political message of David ready to take on Goliath, symbolizing that the people of Florence were ready to face any challenge to keep their freedom. The statue's warning eyes were turned towards Rome, hoping to keep invaders at bay. The statue provides almost life-like details of the human body even though human anatomy was forbidden during this time.Michelangelo was constrained by the second-hand marble he was using, but managed to carve a slim youth with a muscular built. Hush knowledge of the human form has recorded perfectly the shepherd lad with the strap of the slingshot across his back. However, on viewing the statue closely, it appears that the upper body is larger in proportion to the lower body. However, as Lois Fischer-Rather says in her book Understanding Art, â€Å"No longer does the figure remain still in a Classical contractors stance, but rather extends into the surrounding space away from a vertical axis.This movement outward from a central core forces the viewer to take into account both the form and the space between and surrounding the forms?in order to appreciate the complete composition. † The hands also appear to be large in proportion to the body. The disproportion could probably have been due to the fact that Michelangelo had carved the statue keeping in mind hat it was to be kept on the top of a cathedral. It could also be that the hands were purposely made too large to depict that man is naturally a violent and greedy creature.When one walks around the statue of David, he would find the appearance changing dramatically. The right hand side of the statue appears calm and composed, but the left hand side is dramatically different. It is dynamic and active, as is evident from the posture of the stretched leg all the way to the disheveled hair. It could be that Michelangelo made the body parts disproportionate to achieve this effect. The eyes too vary grea tly. From any given position, only one of his eyes are visible at one time.When one approaches the statue from the left, the left eye appears to be staring at a point behind and above the viewer, as if focusing on Goliath. From this position, the right eye appears to be hidden behind the sling and is hence not visible. On approaching from the right side, the right eye is visible while the left eye disappears. David would have thrown the stone towards his left, hence the left eye moves in the direction of the body intended move. The right eye, when embodied with the rest of the body, reflects power, cunning and intelligence.The statue of David was moved from Piazza Della Signora to Galleria dialectical in 1873 to protect it from decay and keep it safe. A replica of the original was placed in Piazza Della Signora. The Renaissance was the rebirth of man's life on earth, when he was free from the shackles of authority and free to understand the universe. Michelangelo David is the best e xpression of this sense of life. David appeals to us so much as it is Michelangelo projection of man at his very best-vigorous, healthy, dutiful, rational and competent form.It expresses a heroic view of man and a universal appeal to his success. Today, when man is again viewed by intellectuals as an ugly, corrupt being, trapped in an incomprehensible universe and lacking control over his own destiny, man is no longer viewed as a serious subject for art. But this magnificent sculpture of the bygone years instills in us a sense of faith, hope and glory, and above all leads us to believe again that one man can indeed make a difference, and man can control not only his destiny, but also that of his clan.

Revenue and Production

BERGERAC CASE STUDY Summary The purpose of this report is to analyze the opportunity to produce plastic components for cartridge production and choose the best alternative. It is predicted that the annual demand growth is a triangular distribution with a minimum of 5%, most likely of 17% and a maximum of 25%. Due to the continuous growth in the demand, the alternatives cannot be compared using just the data for 2010. An analysis is carried out for the time period 2011 to 2015 and the present worth of the net income is considered as the criteria to select the alternative.The analysis basically can be divided into 5 steps: * Forecasting demand for next five years, * Estimating capacity required, * Developing production strategy, * Calculate the operating expenses for the alternatives, * Select the alternative based on the present worth of net income. From the estimated installed base of 7500 OmniVue instruments at the end of year 2010, the demand for the OmniVue instruments and cartrid ges are forecasted. There is a new product OmniVue mobile, ready to be launched in year 2013.It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile can be accounted for 30% of the demand for Instruments in year 2013, 50% in year 2014 and 60% in year 2015. The growth in demand for the OmniVue instrument is assumed to decrease after the release of OmniVue mobile. It is estimated that the production capacity of Bergerac to produce OmniVue instruments is approximately 2000 units per year with a production of 5 days per week. It is inferred that using level strategy, the probability that the demand is not met in the next five years is 5. 74%.There is no need to increase the capacity of the production line apart from changes required when the OmniVue mobile is released. There are various strategies which are compared in build option. For each production strategy, the optimum solution for the capacities in each year is found out. After finding the optimum solutions, the production strategies are compared w ith each other to find out the best solution for the build option. The production strategies that are analyzed are: * Level production strategy and Chase production strategy * Overtime is allowed / not allowedThe base values assumed to calculate the production costs for cartridges are included in Appendix F. Based on the production plan, the expenses incurred are calculated for both options. The expenses are calculated for the years 2011 to 2015. The expenses and revenue for cartridges and instruments are shown in Appendix H and Appendix I respectively. The income statement is prepared from the expenses calculated and the revenue (refer to Appendix J). The income tax rate for the company is estimated to be 39% from the income statements for years 2007 to 2009.The revenues and other expenses from operations other than OmniVue is estimated and added to the income statement. The net income is calculated. The cash flows for years 2011 to 2015 is also calculated. The net present worth is calculated for the net income and the cash flows. The objective used to optimize the solution is to maximize the mean of net present worth of the net income and cash flows. The four production strategies for the build option are optimized and the maximum net present worth for the options is forecasted. The best solution from the four strategies is chosen and compared to the net present worth of the buy option.Based on the analysis, build is a better option than buy option. The present worth of the net income is highest for level production, overtime allowed. But level production, overtime not allowed is very close to it and it does not affect the employee relationship. It is recommended to use level production strategy, no overtime (net present worth for net income is $59. 8 million). The current objective is to produce the plastic components for Bergerac with the lowest expenses, which can be achieved by building a unit for plastic component production in the plant itself.It is al so recommended to buy 5 machines instead of 4 machines in year 2010 based on the analysis. Dilemma for Ian Wyckoff Since 2008, Bergerac had been exploring the opportunity to begin its own production of cartridge components. Plastic suppliers like GenieTech and Elsinore faced difficulties in responding to demand spikes, leading to production delays. Such supplier unreliability made it challenging for Bergerac to optimize its cartridge production. Thus, the company had to carry more inventory of parts and finished goods than Wyckoff could have liked.The obvious appeal to fully control the supply of plastic lead to a strategy, the company has to decide whether to buy or build this capability. GenieTech owner was interested in retirement and was willing to sell the company for a purchase price of $5. 75 million. GenieTech has 8 molding presses each could produce 5 cartridges per cycle with a total capacity of 10,782,720 cartridges per year with 5 days production in a week. The other alt ernative is to build a unit with 4 molding presses which are more efficient than the presses at GenieTech.The total capacity of the unit will be 6,097,371cartridges per year with 5 days production in a week. It is required to predict the best long term decision among the buy and build options. Mr. McCarthy’s Analysis of Buy vs Build The analysis by Mr. McCarthy is a good basic analysis for comparing the alternatives, Buy vs Build. The main factor which Mr. McCarthy has not considered is the growing demand of the cartridges. The demand for cartridges is growing steadily and the Mr. McCarthy’s build option with 4 molding presses will not be able to satisfy the demand in the upcoming years (refer table 1). Additionally, Mr.McCarthy has not considered the possible revenue from the existing operations of GenieTech with other customers. The possible merger could also serve as a possibility for development in a new product line which would favor the growth of the company. So, Mr. McCarthy has not considered all the factors when comparing the two alternatives which means it is not ideal to accept this analysis. Financial analysis to choose between alternatives – Buy Vs Build using a 2011 to 2015 study period The analysis can be basically divided into 5 steps: First, the demand for the years 2011 to 2015 has to be forecasted.Second step is to estimate the capacity required to meet the demand in both buy and build options. The next step is to plan the production accordingly to meet the demand forecasted previously. The employee strike which is predicted to happen in the start of year 2013 should be accounted for when planning the production. The costs of operation and the revenues are then calculated which is used in the income statement. Final step is to compare the cash flows to determine the optimal solution that can be executed in the years 2011 to 2015.Estimated demand for OmniVue cartridges and the testing instruments for years 2011 – 2 015 The expected annual growth rate of demand is a triangular distribution with a minimum of 5%, a most likely of 17% and a maximum of 25%. From the estimated installed base of 7500 OmniVue instruments at the end of year 2010, the demand for the OmniVue instruments and cartridges are forecasted. There is a new product OmniVue mobile, ready to be launched in year 2013. It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile can be accounted for 30% of the demand for Instruments in year 2013, 50% in year 2014 and 60% in year 2015.The growth in demand for the OmniVue instrument is assumed to decrease after the release of OmniVue mobile. Table 1 – Demand for OmniVue Instruments and Cartridges forecasted for years 2011 – 2015 Capacity planning OmniVue instruments: It is predicted that the installed base at the end of year 2010 is 7500. Bergerac has manufactured 7500 units in the period mid-2006 to 2010. Hence, it is estimated that the production capacity of Bergerac to produce OmniVue instru ments is approximately 2000 units per year with a production of 5 days per week.Using the assumption for increase in demand for the instruments, the number of units to be produced using level production for years 2011 to 2015 is forecasted and it is seen that the probability that the demand is not met is 5. 74%. The maximum number of units to be produced is 2,588. It can be met if the production is increased to 7 days per week whenever required. Hence, it is assumed that there is no need to increase the capacity of the production line apart from changes required when the OmniVue mobile is released.Figure 1 – Level production – capacity required for years 2011 to 2015 OmniVue Cartridges: Build option: Figure X shows the demand for years 2011 to 2015 based on the estimated installed base of 7500 at the end of 2010 and the assumed growth rate. The minimum and maximum growth rates are 5% and 25% respectively. Figure 2 – Demand for cartridge The demand for the assume d growth rates is plotted. The 4 molding presses proposed by Mr. McCarthy will be sufficient to meet the demand if the growth rate is 5% every year, but will not be able to meet requirements if the demand grows by 25%.The capacity of the proposed 4 machines with 5 days/week and 7 days/week are plotted. The number of units to be produced with level production is plotted; the proposed 4 machines will be able to meet the demand with overtime (excess of 5 days/week). It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile is given preference in case of shortage of capacity. Optquest is used to estimate the right number of machines to be purchased and the expansion strategy in the future years so that the company profit is maximum. Buy option: The cartridge components are the only difference between the buy and build options.There is no increase in the capacity required because the current capacity of 8 machines will be able to satisfy the demand for the next 5 years. Figure 3 – Cartridge demand fo r year 2015 – peak demand Other product lines: It is assumed that the new product OmniVue mobile can be manufactured in the same production line with some modifications in the equipment. Overtime: It is assumed that overtime can be used for manufacturing when the 5 days/week is not enough to meet the demands. The overtime wages for the labor are twice the normal.The overtime wages are calculated from the utilization factor of the machines which is 5 days/week normal production (100% utilization). The overtime cannot exceed 40% because there are only 2 more days left in a week. It should be noted that there is only 3% change in the operational expenses for overtime (refer to Appendix E). Employee strike in 2013: It is predicted to be 50% probability that the employees will do strike for a period of 0. 5 to 3 months. So, it is assumed that the annual capacity is reduced to 75% if the strike duration is 3 months (refer Appendix D).Strategies can be formulated to tackle the strik e situation by producing more units in the previous year so that the demand can be met in the first 3 months of 2013. The maximum demand during the strike period is estimated to be a maximum of 1. 6 million cartridges and 277 instruments. It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile will be released after the strike is over. Production planning Cartridges: Buy option (GenieTech): The same number of units is produced every year which will be equal to the production capacity.The plastic components requirement for Bergerac is first satisfied and the remaining capacity is used for the other contracts of GenieTech. After the launch of OmniVue mobile, the production for OmniVue mobile is given preference. Overtime is used for production if the demand exceeds capacity which is unlikely to happen in the next 5 years. Since the production capacity of GenieTech has been always above the demand, the other strategies are not analyzed. Build option: There are various strategies which are compared in bu ild option.For each production strategy, the optimum solution for the capacities in each year is found out. After finding the optimum solutions, the production strategies are compared with each other to find out the best solution for the build option. There criteria used to find the optimum solution is the present worth. The production strategies that are analyzed are: * Level production strategy and Chase production strategy * Overtime is allowed / not allowed For level production strategy, the inventory holding cost is assumed to be $0. 2/unit for OmniVue and $0. /unit for OmniVue mobile. The alternatives are compared using net present worth forecast graphs. The level production plan and chase production plan are included in Appendix B and Appendix C respectively (Note: production plan for both the cartridges and the instrument are available in the same table). Instruments: The instruments are produced using level production strategy. The production is scheduled based on the deman d forecast for the years 2011 to 2015. OmniVue mobile is given more preference like the production strategy for cartridges.It is assumed that 2 foremen and 6 other labors are required for the production line. It is also assumed that OmniVue mobile instrument also can be manufactured in the same production line with some modification in the equipment. The production of instruments does not impact the analysis because the same cost is incurred in both options. Other products: The operations for other products are directly included in the income statement and it is not analyzed. Operational expenses and Income statement The base values assumed to calculate the production costs for cartridges are included in Appendix F.Based on the production plan, the expenses incurred are calculated for both options. The expenses are calculated for the years 2011 to 2015. The expenses and revenue for cartridges and instruments are shown in Appendix H and Appendix I respectively. The income statement i s prepared from the expenses calculated and the revenue (refer to Appendix J). In level production strategy, the expenses are incurred during a period different from the period in which the product is sold. But, it is expended only when the product is sold.For that purpose, the cost per unit is calculated and is used to calculate the cost of goods sold. For example, if in a year, 3000 goods are sold and 1000 are from previous year inventory, then the cost is calculated using previous year cost per unit for 1000 units and current year cost per unit for the remaining units. The income tax rate for the company is estimated to be 39% from the income statements for years 2007 to 2009. The revenues and other expenses from operations other than OmniVue is estimated and added to the income statement.The net income is calculated. Cash flows (refer Appendix K) Similar to the Income statement, the revenues, expenses and capital investment for each year is calculated from the data and the cash flows for the alternatives are calculated. In cash flow statement, the expenses are expended in the same year when it was spent. The income statement which was prepared previously has used accrual accounting. Depreciation is included in income statement. In cash flow, the capital investments are included instead of depreciation. Present worth analysisThe net present worth is calculated for the net income and the cash flows. The objective used to optimize the solution is to maximize the mean of net present worth of the net income and cash flows. The four production strategies for the build option are optimized and the maximum net present worth for the options is forecasted. The best solution from the four strategies is chosen and compared to the net present worth of the buy option. The overtime not allowed scenario is performed in Optquest by adding a constraint that the utilization in all years is less than or equal to 100%.Build option (refer Appendix M): Present worth of Net incom e: For chase production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $58. 770 million. 31002 For chase production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $58. 486 million. 40101 For level production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $60. 786 million. 40000 For level production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $59. 789 million. 50100 Present worth of Cash flow:For chase production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $53. 474 million. 31000 For chase production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $52. 220 million. 40101 For level production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $50. 086 million30010. For level production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $47. 742 million. 50100 Buy option (refer Appendix N): Present worth of Net income: $54. 204 millionPresent worth of Cash flow: $47. 647 million Based on the analysis, build is a better option than buy option. The present worth of the net income is highest for level production, overtime allowed. But level production, overtime not allowed is very close to the highest and it does not affect the employee relationship. It is recommended to use level production strategy, no overtime. There is an issue with inventory building in level production strategy. Also, by not choosing the buy option, Bergerac loses a chance to enter a new product line.But, the current objective is to produce the plastic components for Bergerac with the lowest expenses, which can be achieved by building a unit for plastic component production in the plant itself. It is also recommended to buy 5 machines instead of 4 machines in year 2010 based on the analysis. Appendices List of assumptions * The growth of demand is a triangular distribution with 5%, 17% and 25%. * The OmniVue mobile demand accounts for 30%, 50% and 60% in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. * It is predicted that there is a 50% chance of strike in 2013 for a time period of 0. to 3 months. * The OmniVue instruments and cartridges can be manufactured in the same production line with some changes in equipment. A $200,000 cost is added in year 2013 for these changes. * The base values considered for calculating production cost for cartridges and the instruments are available in the Appendix F and G respectively. The labor cost for instruments is assumed to be the same as that of cartridges. There will be no impact for assumptions related to instruments because the same cost is assumed in both options. * The labor growth of GenieTech is 2 to 5%.The material cost increases by 3 to 8%. * For overtime, the salary is 2 times the salary in normal production hours. The overtime salary is calculated from the utilization. * OmniVue mobile cartridge will be sold at $8 per unit. * Transportation cost of plastic components from GenieTech is $0. 1/unit. * The inventory holding cost for cartridges is $0. 2 for OmniVue and $0. 1 for OmniVue mobile. * The plastic components are sold to other customers from GenieTech at $1. 66/unit. * The labor and overhead for instrument production are assumed values. The revenue from other products is assumed to be $35 million. Gross margin for other products is 60%. * The R & D costs increase 7% every year. The R & D cost for GenieTech is 5% of Bergerac’s. * Sales and marketing cost is 25% of revenue. Profit sharing is 0. 1% of gross profit. * The General and administrative cost for HemaVue is $6 million and it increase 10% every year. * Interests are 5% of Income from operations. * In capital investments, installation and building cost has a $125,000 fixed cost and $75,000 variable cost per machine.

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The world rate of diabetes keeps increasing mainly because of physical activities, high rate of stress, and high rate of obesity - Research Paper Example The deficit indicates an increase of 250 million people in a span of 24 years (McClaughlyn 1). The data shows a consistent increase in diabetes because of physical activities, high rate of stress and an elevated rate of obesity. Lack of insulin resulting from destruction of insulting secreting beta cells in the pancreas causes diabetes. An individual’s white blood cells attacks and destroys the beta cells rendering it unproductive in the protection against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. The condition frequently attacks children and young adults. Heredity plays a fundamental role in determining the manifestation of the disease. The parents pass the instructional genes making proteins essential body cell functions to their children. The genes determine the body’s susceptibility to and defense against type 1 diabetes. The corrective mechanism for this condition involves daily injections of insulin to make the victim survive. Lack of physical activities poses an influence in the rate of diabetes manifestation. Without sufficient involvement in physical activities, one develops conditions of overweight and obesity, which ultimately leads to the acquisition of Type 2 Diabetes. Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance occurring between caloric intake and burn out physical activities. The conditions cause insulin resistance that yields Type 2 Obesity (Alberti,et al.56). When a person has excess abdominal fats, he or she is at a major risk for insulin resistance and remains vulnerable to attack by other illnesses including heart diseases and blood pressure. High rate of stress enhances the prevalence of diabetes. Stress induces mental stress leading to the general unhappiness of the victims. The unhappiness and unstable mental condition lowers the productivity of individuals influencing the state’s economy negatively. Elevated levels of stress and mental upset indirectly affect an individual’s blood sugar levels making the affected to forget

Allied Health Scholarship Fund Contest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Allied Health Scholarship Fund Contest - Essay Example I have performed volunteer at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital in the Child Development Center and King Drew Medical Center in the psychiatric ward. I am currently an Emergency Medical Technician, certificate #B1980906. As well I have been a children’s camp counselor for both disabled as well as healthy children, and have been a mentor and basketball coach at the Y.M.C.A. and the U.C. Recreational Center. As you can see, I am committed to achievement and excellence, yet understanding and helping others is where my heart beats. I have faithfully served my calling here at UCLA since 2006. I have been accepted to the Firefighting Academy for the Fall of 2011. This will mean a hardship for my family and I because my wife is still in nursing school; paying for her tuition and the academy just isn’t possible on the part time wages I would receive after entering the academy. I want to be able to continue my dream of helping others as a professional member of this communit y; for this I need your help. This scholarship will provide me with the tools and information to serve my community with excellence and dedication; as well as provide me with an outlet to continue mentoring others along the way. I respectfully ask you to give me this opportunity to make a difference in our local community.

Strengths-Based Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Strengths-Based Leadership - Term Paper Example Additionally, this paper explicates strategies for applying my leadership strengths in a health care organization to improve quality and safety. My top five strengths include restorative, responsibility, empathy, relator, and belief. The healthcare profession is today faced with many problems that hinder the provision of quality and safe care. In laymans terms, restorative strength is the ability to solve problems. This strength enables me to decipher challenges that affect provision of safe and quality care and therefore formulate new strategies to address them. Laureate Education (2013) asserts that health care professionals are provide care for patients from different age groups, different educational levels, and different levels of understanding. In this regard, my responsibility strength enables me to handle patients presenting with divergent needs with the highest of quality. Being responsible means that I value my responsibilities in relation to provision of quality and safe care. Empathy as a strength also helps me in provision of quality and safe care to patients. In explication, empathy is compassion or kindness. B eing kind means being sensitive of the needs of the patients and therefore, this strength helps me align care with the safety and quality needs of the patients. Being a relator denotes my ability to create and foster good and healthy relationship with my colleagues. Good relationships enhances teamwork and collaboration and as a result leads to improved job satisfaction. This also contributes to the provision of quality and safe care as all stakeholders work as a team. In relation to my strength of belief, I consider my job of more importance than the financial benefits I get from it. This means that I focus much of my attention on the welfare of the patients and in so doing, I achieve the highest possible performance in terms of provision of

South Parks Satire Essay Example for Free

South Parks Satire Essay South Park, a widely popular animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, debuted August 13, 1997 on Comedy Central. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that covers a wide range of topics. This type of comedy is widely successful across a variety of shows, due in part to societies conformation to social archetypes, which prohibits unacceptable behavior. These shows display characters who have freedom to act however they desire with no consequences from doing so. Simply, people are entertained most seeing portrayed in television what they themselves cannot, or are not permitted, to do in everyday life. Diversity and Discrimination South Park, by nature, exploits the taboo by using it as a means to draw in the attention of its viewers. Captivated, they watch as their beliefs, social tendencies, and media are senselessly torn apart and twisted into an unrecognizable form. However, instead of acting in revolt, or criticizing the remarks made, they find it amusing. Naturally, this crude humor has been called out for crossing the line, but the negative publicity the show receives only serves to draw in more viewers. The viewers, in turn are convinced to sit and watch as they are stereotyped and bashed by a show meant to entertain them. An fairly well known quote, of unknown origins, goes something like, â€Å"If you cant laugh at yourself, then how can you laugh at anybody else?† This is fitting, as many of South Parks viewers are prompted to do just that. If anything, this self-criticism is beneficial as it raises awareness to diversity in our culture and in the show, as silly as it sounds, everyone is disc riminated against equally. Unrestrained Entertainment So, the answer as to how people can watch a show, such as South Park, whos every line is laced with crude and satirical humor is actually quite simple. As viewers laugh at each other, they in turn laugh at themselves. Equality isnt necessarily an overwhelming factor to entertaining the masses, but instead opens the door for South Park, and other shows alike, to make fun of any subject, or topic, the creators so desire. This goes back to societies tendency to be entertained by character portrayals that are unrestrained by everyday rules or normalizations. The simplistic cartoon is in fact a cunning play on basic instinct, and because of this deceit, is widely popular amongst many who enjoy the shallow humor that delivers a quick, yet gratifying, laugh. Influential Entertainment Many are quick to blame the dark humor for directly changing views of proper conduct in adolescent individuals. They believe the show itself poses a negative influence upon those who are unable to comprehend that it is purely meant for humor, and that it does not demonstrate socially acceptable behavior. They firmly declare that the unrestrained nature of the show itself leads to the aforementioned pliable individuals acting in ways they otherwise would not. They insist that the network airing such shows are solely to blame, with little to no responsibility falling on their own shoulders. Such a stance is ridiculous at best. Those making the claims are too naive as to what truly influences society, and a comedic cartoon, while on the list, is not going to be near the top. This is due in part to the restrictions placed on programs via TV rating systems, which classifies South Park as MA, for mature audiences only, and the parental enforcement against those who should not be watching i t in the first place. Discussion The critical argument against consumption of any kind, whether its media or otherwise, is the unhealthy or negative side effects it may impose. South Park, while crude, surreal and satirical, provides a view into unrestrained consequence free life which surprisingly offers an alternative yet informative view on unfiltered criticism of the diversity of American culture. This fact alone stands to counteract the previous argument and displays that the basis of the show is to provide entertainment to mature audiences who will understand the dark humor and will respond with decency knowing that in the end, it is simply just a cartoon.

Evolution of Human Sexuality Essay Example for Free

Evolution of Human Sexuality Essay What is the difference between sex and sexuality? Over the years human sexuality has been a debate that has never been won. Each and every day there are person who expresses their sexuality differently and others considered them to be taboo. Perfect by nature that’s what we ought to be but because of self indulgence with choice we have developed sexuality. According to Gainor sex is refer to as the person’s biological status and it is typically categorized as male, female or intersex. Then what is sexuality? Has sexuality given us our gender identity and sexual orientation? Thus I will expound on the history of sexuality and how it has evolved. As early as the populations of the Hebrews sex was vital to their lively hood. The Hebrews considered the act of sex the bond to a monogamy relationship; one man, one wife according to Rabbi Tulushkin; but if a woman was childless or developed an abnormality such as a boil would lead to the grounds of divorce which rarely happened. They also thought that sex was the ‘divine injunction’ of procreation thus homosexuality was strongly disapproved of. They believed that marital bonds would be strengthened the heterosexual relationships and create a strong bond for the family. Although they had clear preference for monogamy relationship, polygamy was permissible. On the other hand many cultures such as the ancient Greeks normalized or promoted homosexuality among the adult males who were soldiers and older males with male youths; usually teenagers, entering into pedagogic friendships or love affairs that also had an erotic dimension. If sexual, the relationship lasted until the youth was ready for adulthood and marriage therefore, it was not suppose to threaten the institution of the family. Women had no status or rights than slaves in their society only giving them a job as concubines or house wives; they were treated like chattels. Beastality and Sadism were practiced of the world of ancient Rome. These sexual acts were only found among men of hierarchy. Although bestiality and sadism were accepted in their era, homosexuality was considered to be a threat to the family. After the crucifixion of Christ, Christians thought that masturbation and prostitution were sinful. Sexual pleasure even within the marriage was considered to be a sinful act from the days of Eve and Adam. According to Saint Augustine sexual lust ,shame and sexual intercourse during marriage were passed down from Adam and Eve were considered to be inherently evil therefore the only way they could have salvation was through celibacy. Hence, Christians recognize sex for procreation and not for self satisfaction. The Bible is considered to be the oldest book made by man and inspired by god but within the Indian culture the Kama Sutra was held has the bible of sexual pleasure. It gave a descriptions of ways in which a man or a female can seduced their partner and get them sexually aroused. They considered sex a spiritual gift that god gave them to expressed themselves. The Chinese also saw the act to be spiritual and was anything but sinful. The man is suppose to absorb more of his wife natural essence ‘yin’ and to bring his wife to orgasm which is used as a channel for the flow of energy and enhance his own masculine essence ‘yang’. As the world got revolutionized the conception of sex and sexuality changed drastically. During this time women got the opportunity to be liberated to vote and attend academic studies. Most religious practices became oblivious. Many Christians have adopted the view that there is no sin whatsoever in the uninhibited enjoyment of marital relationships One factor in the change of values pertaining to sexual activities was the improvement of the technologies. Technology became the mastermind of our social and emotional behaviors in our everyday life . Instances, masturbation has been seen as the norm in our society especially with pornography being so rampant. This affects the enjoyment of sex as the actual act being replaced by virtual reality. In most developing countries, fear of epidemic has drastically changed many aspects of twentieth century human sexuality. Fear of contracting AIDS and other sexual transmitted diseases has driven a revolution in educating person about sex which now centers far more the use of protection and abstinence. Bestiality remains illegal in most countries and condoned in none. Thus anyone carrying out this kind of practice will be subjected to punishment. This good gift of sex has been perverted and corrupted in our secular world, which is why it is such a struggle for most persons. The idea of including the perfection of one’s self in the realm of moral behavior is appealing. Indeed, I believe this to be the core purpose of human existence. Although, there are medieval practices still been carried out today most customs that were seen then are considered to be taboo and non-religious. Human behavior has changed in many ways than one but the understanding of human identity is still being questioned.

E-grocery Industry in the US

E-grocery Industry in the US 1.1 Introduction and Background An old Chinese saying goes like this: Food to the people is like people to a king. It means that just like a king has to rely on the support of his people to remain on the throne, ordinary people have to rely on food for survival. The importance of food is universal, and the retail food industry is a vital part of the economic activity of every country. The food on Americas table is mainly supplied by supermarkets, hypermarkets and discounters. Americans are used to going to these traditional stores in person to buy groceries. With an increasing number of grocers now offer online ordering and home delivery of groceries, Americans are gradually changing the way they shop for groceries. Online grocery retailing is becoming more and more common. New start-up online grocery retailers such as Peapod and FreshDirect are in the market to compete with traditional supermarkets. Some of these new online grocers have support from traditional supermarket chains. Some are â€Å"pure-play† or stand-alone grocers that operate their own supply chains and facilities. Traditional supermarkets are also offering online ordering and home delivery to customers as a new distribution channel in a struggle to keep the market shares from being taken away by the new ventures. Online grocers utilize different operating strategies and business models. History has seen both successes and failures in this industry. Various aspects of online grocery shopping have been studied, but few studies have compared the successful and less successful companies in this industry to identify the characteristics that contribute to these outcomes. By identifying these key variables, this study intends to look for business models that have a better chance of success. Once considered a symbol of the dot-com crash, the online grocery industry struggles to come back to life. Applying a sound business model and effective operational strategies is essential for the existing players in order to stay competitive and successful. New ventures that intend to join this business also need to come up with a promising plan. This study attempts to add to the body of knowledge and provide insights that might be helpful to these companies. 1.2 History of Home Grocery Delivery Neighborhood grocery stores have, in fact, offered delivery services since the 19th century. At that time, urban citizens, who did not own horses like the residents of rural areas, had groceries delivered to their home free of charge. Most of them did not own a car until the beginning of mass production of automobiles in 1914. Fifty years ago, Americans were used to having milkmen deliver fresh milk to their doorstep each morning. In more recent decades, grocers have allowed customers to order and receive their food at home. In the 1960s, third-party companies offered phone-in delivery services for groceries. However, these services were usually short lived. Todays shoppers are sensual shoppers who prefer to use their five senses in choosing their purchases. Groceries, especially food, are the kind of merchandise that shoppers would want to see, feel, smell, touch, and possibly taste in person before they make the purchase (Underhill, 1999). The convenience of driving their own family cars and being able to really touch and feel the food in big supermarkets made many customers unwilling to take advantage of phone-in services. Lack of profitability has been the biggest problem for these grocery delivery services for vendors. By the mid-1980s, some local grocery delivery services allowed customers to browse product listings and place orders by computer. Marketing strategies used during this time, such as the foc us on suburban families and the use of price promotions to attract new customers, would later surface again among the online companies of the late-1990s (â€Å"E-Commerce: Online,† 2004). In 1989, Peapod, an online grocery business, emerged in suburban Chicago. In the days before the World Wide Web, Peapods customers used proprietary software and a modem to dial into their systems in Chicago and San Francisco (â€Å"Background on Peapod,† n.d.). Peapod partnered with Jewel in Chicago and with Safeway in San Francisco to put together the orders to be delivered to customers (â€Å"Peapod company history,† n.d.). Afraid they were missing out on the market share occupied by Peapod, many grocery stores jumped on the bandwagon of home-based ordering and delivery in the 1990si. Safeway considered expanding their partnership with Peapod to cover a larger part of the Southwestern United States. Other chains linked their catalogues to online content services like Prodigy and used their own employees to fulfill orders. However, by the mid-1990s, it was clear many of the early expectations for the industry would not be met. Grocery chains and stores discovered that online ordering and delivery were not profitable. Peapod relied only on computer-based ordering and experienced growing demand. Sales doubled every year (Funding Universe, n.d.); however, costs also rose, causing Peapod to suffer continuing losses and growing debt. Peapod saw the rise of new competitors like Streamline Inc. in suburban Boston in 1993. Unlike Peapods partnerships with existing grocers, Streamline developed its own warehouses, as well as relationships with wholesalers and distributors. Streamline delivered to their own boxes located in the garages of their customers (Borrego, 2001). By 1996, companies like Peapod, Streamline, and HomeRuns had created their own websites. The World Wide Web had created a common platform in which these companies could build their ordering systems. During the height of the Internet boom, investors poured money into these dot-com ventures. Taking advantage of this trend, HomeGrocer and Webvan joined the field of competitors. Webvan was started in 1999, offering over 18,000 perishable and nonperishable items. It built highly automated warehouses to process its orders. Webvan allowed customers to schedule a 30-minute window for next-day grocery delivery (Feather, 2001). Webvan had attracted $1 billion of venture capital and had planned to aggressively expand into 26 cities. Founded in 1999, SimonDelivers was another online grocer. It serves the Minneapolis-St.Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin (â€Å"SimonDelivers,† 2008). Expansion did not go smoothly for these new grocers, however. Peapod was suffering cash-flow problems by 1999. It wasnt until Royal Ahold, a Dutch-based international supermarket operator, came to the rescue with $73 million in 2000 that Peapod was saved from collapse (Lerner, 2002). By 2002, nearly all the leading online grocers (HomeGrocer, HomeRuns, Kozmo, Shoplink, Streamline, Urbanfetch, and Webvan) were gone. The only survivors were Peapod and SimonDelivers. The online grocery industry was crushed. Webvan was the most spectacular failure, having burned through $1 billion of venture capital in just two years despite having what was once considered to be the model most likely to succeed (Porres, 2003). Webvans subsequent failure caused many to lose faith in the idea of online grocery shopping altogether. In the early years, overenthusiastic projections of the online grocery industry predicted it would cover as much as 20 percent of all grocery sales by the mid-1990s or 2000. Late r, estimates by Forrester Research in 1998 toned down their forecasts, dropping their projections of 2004s expected online sales to less than five percent of US grocery retail sales (â€Å"E-Commerce: Online,† 2004). Rising from the ashes of the online grocery failures were more cautious ventures in the online world. A scaled-down Peapod, with backing from Royal Ahold, was joined by brick-and-mortar grocers now testing the online waters. Although experiencing some financial difficulty, SimonDelivers weathered the dot-com boom and bust by securing $15 million in funding and focusing on its local market instead of expanding nationwide (Tellijohn, 2000). 1.3 Factors Driving the Popularity of Online Grocery Shopping In todays busy world, the time available for grocery shopping is scarce. Americans now work more and thus have less free time. According to a 2008 ranking by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Americans are among the hardest working people in the world with 1,797 work hours on average each year (Olson, 2008). For families with children, having to take the kids to the market adds to the stress of the chore. Due to competing demands on their time from work and home, people are more likely to shop for groceries online. Many disabled people rely on online grocery services to fill their refrigerators and because of the quickly aging US population, more elderly people are also likely to be interested in e-grocery shopping. With Peapod operating in the Midwest and East Coast, FreshDirect in New York City, Albertsons and Safeway in the West, Simon Delivers in Minnesotas Twin Cities area and Shnucks in St. Louis, Central Illinois and parts of Southern Indiana ( Fishman, 2005), this revived e-grocery industry has both new and old players that are now attempting to stake out their shares of the online grocery market and working hard to achieve what their predecessors could not. (See Appendix A for a complete list of current US online grocers.) Scott and Scott (2008) report the following figures regarding the current market size and potential of selling groceries online. The estimated online grocery revenue was $235 million in 1998, $2.4 billion in 2002 and $6.2 billion in 2006; Jupiter research estimates that the percentage of US online grocery sales will rise to 1% by 2009. Manor (2006) stated that industry analysts estimated US online grocery sales would reach $4.2 billion in 2006, up 27 percent from 2005. Despite still being less than one percent of all grocery purchases, online grocery sales are expected to double by the end of the decade. 1.4 Problem Statement Many consumers welcome the option to shop for groceries online, but they are not yet ready to abandon the traditional in-store method of shopping. Many still consider online grocery shopping too expensive, mostly due to the high delivery charges. Since customers are not able to pick out produce themselves, grocers must be able to convince customers that they are choosing only items of the desired quality. The logistics of going from the customer making an order to delivery at an agreed upon time requires a great deal of effort. Many new companies, as well as traditional grocers, have attempted to provide electronic grocery shopping to consumers. Various different approaches to establishing infrastructure, fulfilling orders, and making deliveries have been tried. Margins are very thin; surviving in this industry is tough. Many failed companies litter the history of the industry. Grocers are desperately searching for the best formula for success. 1.5 Purpose of This Study Although grocery delivery is not a new idea, the electronic grocery shopping business is underdeveloped and still in a nascent stage. This is a very challenging business, yet it offers extraordinary opportunities. Despite the efforts made by the egrocers to implement various service concepts and the interest of consumers in online grocery, not much research has been done in this area. The purpose of this study is to identify successful operating strategies that can be employed by online grocers and less successful strategies that should be avoided. 1.6 Major Research Questions of the Study This study will attempt to understand the factors contributing to online grocery success by finding answers to the following research questions: †¢ How should an online grocers management function to ensure its success? †¢ How should an e-grocer expand its business and decide its target market? †¢ How should an e-grocer put together orders? Should it use central warehouses or the shelves of physical stores? †¢ How should an e-grocer deliver orders to customers and achieve operational efficiency? †¢ How should an online grocers website function, and how is customer relations management handled? 1.7 Significance and Limitations The importance of the online segment in the overall retail food industry will be determined in the years to come. Although it presently only accounts for one to two percent of food sales in the US, market share of online grocery shopping may increase due to social and demographic drivers and technological and operational improvements. It has the potential to account for a major percentage of retail food sales if business strategies are chosen wisely in the right environments. Alternately, it may be relegated to the fringes of the grocery industry if the right business choices are not made. There have been many casualties in the history of the e-grocery industry. Todays survivors and newcomers are all hoping to find the strategies for success. By performing case studies on the successes and failures of a group of selected online grocers, this study hopes to find answers to the major research questions stated above and put together a big picture view of the industry. Some of these comp anies are still operating, while others have failed. Various aspects of their business strategies will be compared, and an effort will be made to distill the characteristics of these businesses that led to their success or downfall. This study intends to help the online grocery business learn from the mistakes of the past so that they can increase market share in the future. The study will be limited to e-grocers that offer online ordering and home delivery/pick-up service with product selections similar to a traditional supermarket— specialty food grocers and companies with restricted selections (such as dry food only) will not be examined. 1.8 Structure of the Thesis This thesis is made up of five chapters. The first chapter is the introduction/thesis proposal. It gives a historical overview of the e-grocery industry, presents the problem and states the importance of the study. Major research questions are also identified in this chapter. The second chapter is the literature review which describes the target market of online grocers. The customer base will be reviewed based on demographic, geographic and psychographic characteristics. The literature review also provides information about the state of the market following a chronological and geographical order. The operational aspects of how different e-grocery businesses complete a typical transaction will be described as well. The third chapter presents the methods used. This study will primarily be an inductive qualitative analysis of the e-grocery industry. This research consists of casestudies of successful and not-so-successful e-grocers. A meta-analysis will be performed to compare various aspects of the e-grocers strategies in an attempt to identify patterns and variables that contribute to their varied success levels. The fourth chapter analyzes data. The fifth chapter confers research findings and draws conclusions. It also offers possible directions of future research. 19 Keywords: e-grocery, online grocery business, supermarket, business model, target market, store-pick, online order, warehouse-pick, delivery, customer demand, customer density, cost, investment, knowledge, experience, expansion, Peapod, Tesco, Safeway, FreshDirect, Webvan, Streamline Chapter Two The goal of this chapter is to lay out the operational and strategic groundwork for the analysis. E-grocers employ different business models. To make their business models work, online grocers use various strategies and target different markets. Each operational model varies along several dimensions, such as how orders are placed, assembled and delivered. The first part of this chapter presents statistics and descriptions of the electronic grocery industry in chronological and geographical order. The second part of this chapter presents a review of the online grocery industrys customer base and target market. The third section describes the process of completing an online grocery transaction and how each business model functions differently to fulfill orders. The fourth part of this chapter offers opinions from previous studies regarding the factors contributing to the varied outcomes in the e-grocery industry. 2.1 Industry Overview Americans are familiar with grocery home-delivery services. This concept has been around in one form or another for decades. In the early days, when not many people had a fridge at home, milk needed to be delivered to customers daily. Milk delivery often occurred in the morning while people were still asleep. Glass bottles or cartons were left at the doorstep. Milkmen even delivered other dairy and farm products, such as eggs, cream, yogurt and butter (â€Å"Milkman,† 2008). Although demand for the service decreased significantly during the past 50 years, some people still prefer the old-fashioned way of getting their milk as they think milk tastes better in glass bottles. The milk delivery business is actually regaining some of its lost ground. The United States Department of Agriculture saw three-to-five percent of milk sold in the US delivered to homes in 1995, compared with only one percent in 1993 (Shih, 1995). In the 1950s, groceries could be ordered over the phone and d elivered to a customers kitchen within an hour or so, free of charge (Underhill, 1999). American grocery stores used to carry only dry grocery items, such as flour, baking soda, dry beans and canned foods. People bought fresh produce and meat from specialty food retailers like butchers and greengrocers. These stores were often located near one another for shoppers convenience. Starting in the 1920s, chain grocers experimented with consolidating smaller stores into larger ones with meats and produce along with the dry grocery items. As a result of this consolidating process, by the 1950s, there were much fewer neighborhood stores but more larger supermarkets and shopping centers that people had to drive some distance to go to (â€Å"A quick history,† n.d.). Fewer grocers offered home delivery after this period, as Americans enjoyed driving their family cars to shop in large, well-decorated supermarkets and spending some leisure time at the urban and suburban shopping centers. Even before the World Wide Web ever existed, getting groceries online was made possible by dialing into grocers servers with special modems provided to customers. Independent online ordering and home-delivery grocery companies like Peapod began to emerge in the US retail food industry. Food retailers like these were referred to as pure-play e-grocers because they only sold groceries online and had no storefronts. The development of the web provided a whole new platform for online ordering of groceries. More pure-play e-grocers jumped into the market. Among these companies were Streamline, HomeRuns, HomeGrocer, Kozmo, Shoplink, Urbanfetch, Webvan and SimonDelivers. Fearing of missing out on the market share occupied by pure-play e-grocers, traditional supermarkets also began to offer grocery delivery service. For example, Sandoval (2002) described Safeways reentry into home-delivery, with experienced UK major e-grocer Tesco by its side. (In 1990, Safeway had started a delivery service , but discontinued it after just two years.) From the emerging of Peapod in 1989 to Webvan s grand entry in 1999, the online grocery retailing industry seemed to be very promising. Industry expectation for the e-grocery sector was optimistic at the time. According to LeClaire (2002), Forrester predicted that 14 million households would eventually buy at least some of their groceries online. Jupiter predicted that sales would reach $11 billion in a few years. Datamonitor reported that the online retail food and beverage market in the United States was worth $2.1 billion in 2001 after growing 43.5% that year (â€Å"United States Online,† 2002). The growth rate slowed from a high in 1999, when the market had grown by 131.6%. Datamonitor predicted the value of the market to increase to $49.9 billion by 2007 (â€Å"United States Food,† 2003). At the time, Webvan accounted for 30.9% of the market volume, followed by Peapod with 28.3% and GroceryWorks with 12.7%. However, problems with customer retention and revenue generation in the pureplay businesses led to a big shakeout in the US online grocery industry. Most of the independent online grocers shut down their websites permanently by 2002. Only Peapod and SimonDelivers weathered the dot com crash and survived. Brick-andmortar stores continued to offer online grocery service and soon took the lead. Later came some new players into the market. FreshDirect (founded in New York City in 2002) was one of them. 2.2 Customer Base/Target Market 2.2.1 Demographic Characteristics According to Buy4Now, an internet shopping service, 80% of online grocery shoppers were 29 to 50 years old in 2002. Seventy-four percent (74%) of the respondents were female shoppers (â€Å"Typical Customer Profile,† 2008). According to eGroceryUSA.com (â€Å"Typical Customer Profile,† 2008), three categories of people are the major users of online grocery services: affluent shoppers pressed for time, families with young children, and people who cant easily get to the store. The first category is people who have higher incomes and less time. These shoppers are usually technology-savvy, heavy internet users who are single or have a dual-income family with no kids. These big spenders prefer to pay someone else to do grocery shopping for them. The second group consists of families with young children. They comprise the largest number of online grocery shoppers. A typical e-grocery shopper in this category is 29-to-50 years old with one or more children and at least one chi ld under the age of five. They normally would cook family dinners, and, therefore, are regular grocery shoppers with above average spending. People in this category expect to save time and avoid the hassle of dragging kids along for grocery shopping (â€Å"Typical Customer Profile,† 2008). The third group is relatively small compared to the first two. They are older or disabled people and those who find going to a grocery store difficult. People are living longer than ever. In 1960, life expectancy of the US population was only 69.7. The number increased to 73.7 in 1980 and 77 in 2000. The projected life expectancies for the years 2010 and 2015 are 78.5 and 79.2 respectively (U. S. Census Bureau, n.d.). Older people may need some form of help with grocery shopping when it becomes difficult for them to drive to supermarkets and carry heavy items home. Online grocery shopping can be a good alternative to hiring personal helpers. For disabled people and others who are physically challenged (temporarily injured, bed-resting, etc.), online ordering and home delivery of groceries would also be of great help. 2.2.2 Geographic Characteristics Sandoval (2002) quoted analyst Robert Rubin saying that average American cities are less densely populated compared to ones in the UK, which means high fuel costs will hurt even more when it comes to grocery delivery. Rubin believed Americans are more likely to drive to the grocer because of the more entrenched car culture. The UK (248 per sq. km) had 8 times the population density of the US (31 per sq. km) in 2004 (â€Å"World Population Prospects,† n.d.). Tesco has been having a relatively successful online grocery operation in the UK. This led to the idea that US online grocers should aim their target at large urban areas with higher population density for more potential customers. In these urban centers, people reside closer together. Less people own family cars in large cities. The dependence on public transportation, more crowded shopping environments, busier lifestyle and higher income make many urban residents favor online grocers over personally going to traditional grocery stores. According to Mclaughlin (2005), Richard Braddock, who was appointed chairman of FreshDirect.com in 2005, mentioned that FreshDirect would look for cities that are similar to New York to expand its business. Those are cities with a high percentage of internet usage, a high number of residents per square mile, and residents with a good deal of disposable income. He suggested that FreshDirect would not expand to the whole surrounding area of New York. Instead it would expand from one urban population center to another to make sure its delivery trucks could make as many deliveries as possible every time they stopped. 2.2.3 Psychographic Characteristics Fox and Kempiak (2006) pointed out that out of MyWebGrocers five critical elements that decide whether a consumer shops for groceries online (price, ambiance, convenience, service and product variety), e-grocers have advantages in ambiance, convenience, and service. Fox and Kempiak stated that changing family structures and increased work hours have made consumers busier, more time-starved, richer and more impatient with time-consuming tasks like grocery shopping. Because of these social and attitudinal changes, many people are more likely to be attracted to convenient, dependable alternatives for the recurring chore of grocery shopping. This makes the e-grocery service more appealing for consumers that fit this profile. Consumers with certain disabilities that make in-store grocery shopping hard are another major market for e-grocers. The ease of shopping from home and the time saved are two of the reasons some prefer buying online. Gennifer Calise, a working Manhattan mom, admitted that she would not want to lug her ten-month old son to the grocery store and lug him back.Instead, she can stay home and play with him on the floor and be clicking online at the same time. With both a child and a full-time job, she said she did not want to do anything that wasnt easy (Koeppen, 2006). Similarly, Sietsema (2007) stated that those who worked long hours at the office and had little time for everyday life were delighted to be able to not have to go to a grocery store. Anckar et al. (2002) stated that the ability to shop from any place, at any time, was an undeniable convenience offered by e-commerce. The status of grocery shopping as an undesirable chore for many people makes it ripe for online efforts that can offer both speed and convenience. Time and convenience have been cited as the principal reasons for purchasing groceries electronically in a study by Morganosky and Cude. With the technology available online, general purpose grocers can easily become specialty grocers tailored to the individual needs of customers with allergies that require a special diet or people with different food preferences, like organic, ethnic, religious, or gourmet items. Scott and Scott (2008) state that by changing and reusing previous shopping lists online, consumers save time. Customers become familiar with the e-grocers website fairly quickly. The average ordering time is only 20 minutes versus 60 minutes when a customer shops online for the first time. The benefits of buying groceries online include the ability to establish, save and modify shopping lists online over time, emailing shopping lists to other family members, getting personalized coupons, sorting items according to nutritional information provided and automatically ordering all the ingredients for a certain recipe. Bates and Lauder (2008) pointed out that customers are often not loyal to just one particular retailer. They can be loyal to several retailers at the same time. These retailers share the spending of each customer. Therefore, the goal of competition becomes maximizing the wallet share a retailer could possibly get from each customer. Offering online grocery shopping to customers as a new distribution channel has the potential to gain a greater wallet share for a grocer. Bates and Lauder (2008) also believed that the market adoption rate is another influencing factor that decides how many customers an online grocer can attract. Customers adopt online grocery services at different rates and at different times. Due to Webvans failure and the dot com meltdown in 2000, the natural evolution and adoption process were set back for years, both for potential customers and for grocers. Bates and Lauder used the figure in Appendix B to show the adoption process being extended. Fox and Kempiak (2006) brought up some major concerns that prevent some consumers from choosing to buy groceries online. These concerns included delivery time and methods, quality of produce, a limited variety of goods, and the security and privacy of online shopping. Anckar et al. (2002) considered the fear of receiving lowquality goods to be a potentially important obstacle to purchasing food online. Some customers fear that store employees may not pick the freshest produce in an attem pt to minimize storage losses or maximize picking speed. While some people consider grocery shopping a burden, there are still a lot of food lovers who enjoy their trips to traditional grocery stores to actually touch and handpick everything they are buying. Online grocery shopping is just not the right experience for them, and, therefore, does not satisfy their needs. When Scott and Scott (2008) described the resistance to online grocery shopping, they mentioned that customers may not be willing to pay the delivery fee. It is also hard to change the established shopping habits of consumers. Customers might not like the long lines at the registers of traditional grocers, but that does not necessarily mean they are ready to give up standing in them right now. The cost involved in the acquisition and retention of customers tends to be high, because once consumers have a negative online grocery shopping experience, they may not buy groceries online again and tell their acquaintances not to try the experience. 2.2.4 Technological Characteristics The internet makes online grocery shopping viable. According to Fox and Kempiak (2006), the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) indicated that 86% of US consumers go online or use their computers every day. Seventy percent (70%) of them shop online frequently. While in the UK, broadband use is ranked number two in Europe and number five in the world. This has been a boon for online businesses in the UK 15.9% of the respondents of this research bought groceries online at least once a year. 3.2% used e-grocers at least once a week. 2.7% used them two or three times a month. 4.5%, the largest group, used an e-grocer once or twice a year (â€Å"E-commerce: The Internet,† 2007). The increasing rate of internet usage likely contributes to the rising number of consumers who purchase groceries online. According to Foley et al. (2003), online shoppers actually had habits different from their unwired counterparts. Online grocery shoppers made fewer shopping trips per month (for all goods) and spent more per trip than those who did not shop online. Online orders tended to be larger than in-store purchases. At Tesco, for example, instore purchases averaged  £21 (about $33), while online orders averaged  £85 (about $136). Online shopping households averaged nearly $10,000 more in annual income over offline ones at a little over $70,000 per year. 2.3 e-Grocery Shopping Process and Various Business Models The process of buying grocery online consists of several major steps. They are ordering and payment, order-picking/ assembly and order delivery/ pickup. (Appendix C shows the process of e-grocery shopping in a figure.) Although all e-grocery transactions have these basic activities, e-grocers vary in how they carry them out. 2.3.1 Online Ordering A consumer who intends to buy groceries on the web would first go to an egrocers website to enter the zip code of the intended delivery address. The e-grocers website would tell the consumer whether home delivery or in-store pick-up i

Native Dye Plants of the United States :: Botany

Native Dye Plants of the United States The first to use native dye plants in the United States were the Native Americans. Their culture was totally dependent on what the land produced. This is reflected in the wealth of information Native Americans possessed about useful plants, from medicinal to ceremonial and dye plants. This is reflected in the types of houses they built and the names of places (often after the plants that grew there). Early European colonists foolishly ignored the wisdom of the Native Americans and modern Americans are not much wiser. Americans need to learn about the plants and animals in our own country and how they can be useful to mankind. Instead of bringing non-adapted species of Europe to North America we need to learn what native adapted species can fulfill our needs and wants (Gilmore 1977). For example, we spend thousands of dollars feeding, sheltering, and caring for European cattle when we have native bovines, bison which are naturally adapted to the climate and environment. Melvin Randolp h Gilmore sums this idea up well in the following quote: "The country can not be wholly made over and adjusted to a people of foreign habits and tastes. There are large tracts of land in America whose bounty is wasted because the plants which can be grown on them are not acceptable to our people."(Gilmore 1977). Native Americans learned about the plants in their environment through general trial and error and through communication with other tribes (Gilmore 1977). Some of the dyes used by Native Americans of the Missouri River region are discussed below. Far more plants were used for medicines, shelter, and tools than dyes. Various green dyes came from pond scum probably Protococcus, Ulothrix, Chaetophora, and Spirogyra. Another green dye that was used for bows and arrows came from lamb's quarter, Chenopodium album. Yellow dyes came from a variety of places including smooth sumac, Rhus glabra, roots, the lichens Parmelia borreri and Usnea barbata, and young cottonwood (Populus sargentii) leaf buds collected in early spring; this particular yellow dye was used for coloring arrow feathers and quills. An orange dye also used as a feather dye was boiled out of the vines of dodder (Cuscuta paradoxa). Red dyes came from pokeberry (Phytolacca americana) and were used to paint horses and people. The familiar bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) was also used as a skin dye or to dye articles that were boiled with the roots.

The Controversial Subject of God Essay -- God Religion Theology Essays

The Controversial Subject of God The topic of god is a very controversial subject that has been argued about ever since the beginning of mankind. Because God is so controversial, many battles have been fought to preserve one’s own beliefs. I myself, have my own beliefs on what I think god is and how god was created. Many theologians have different beliefs of who god is and why he exists. But the most common answer you will receive is, â€Å"God exists because he has to exist.† They would argue that without God, nothing would exist, no us, no earth, no galaxy, no universe, nothing. Because how could anything besides God create such a perfect world. How could anything but a perfect being itself create something so perfect. And it can’t be just mere chance that this perfect world just happened to exist. So theologians would give reasons somewhat like this to prove that god exists because â€Å"God has to exists†. But there are also many pieces of evidence that work against the theory that God does exists. The first and most obvious fact that proves that religion does not exist is all of the religions that contradict each other. So if God wanted to make it obvious that he did exist then why would he show different ideas to different people, which in turn causes many wars resulting in many deaths. Which brings me to another argument, which many people stand by, which is if God is perfect and all knowing then why would he let humans kill each other, better yet why would he even let humans die? So if God already knows everybody’s path and what they will do in their life then why would God let humans commit such horrible acts. Why could God not create a world where humans freely choose make good decisions more often t... ...e discover god while going through hard times in their life. These are the key reasons why many people believe in God. I myself do believe in a God, but not any particular God, this is because I do not think it necessary to single out one and only God that is right to believe in. I believe that there is some type of higher power out there, because as I said before there must have been something that created this perfect world. But I believe that God would want me to act and live my life exactly how I’m living it right now. I do not believe that you will not go to heaven simply because you don’t worship God your whole life and you don’t repent your sins. A being so perfect that could create all this must certainly know what we are going to do in our lifetime, so how can he punish us for not doing what he wants us to, if he already knew what was going to happen.

Pauls Case by Willa Cather - Socrates’ Perspective of the Courageous

Paul's Case by Willa Cather - Socrates’ Perspective of the Courageous Paul In "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather, Paul becomes aware of the fact that his life is not exactly what could be called "liveable." His physical home leaves something to be desired, his teachers clearly dislike him, and his father is not the "model" father. Paul feels that these things are unjust and detrimental to his life. Due to the unjust things in his life, he decides to rid himself of them by running away. Later on when he decides to kill himself, he showcases his possession of the cardinal virtues. Paul's decision to kill himself is just, and therefore moderate, wise, and courageous. Paul is just in killing himself because he possesses moderation. Socrates says moderation is agreement between the classes of society (432b). For an individual, moderation is agreement between the parts of the soul. Paul has moderation due to the fact that he does kill himself. The parts of the soul were apparently in agreement. Evidence that his soul was in agreement is that he would not have killed himself if it were divided. The parts of his soul had to come to the same conclusion. For Paul that conclusion was suicide; the reasoning part decided that the only way to escape his dreadful life at home was to kill himself, the spirited part actually caused Paul to jump in front of the train, and the appetitive part caused Paul to want to jump in front of the train. To explain what all of this means, Gary Colwell presents this argument, "Harmony in the soul, that is, in the individual, results from reason controlling and guiding the individual's life, with the passions and appe tites serving in subordinate positions below" (400). Ac... ...introduced to his previous unjust life. To preserve Paul's "inner harmony" (443e), he has to kill himself. Suicide was the only thing left o make Paul happy. Gregory Vlastos, in his review of Terence Irwin's article, "Plato's Moral Theory," argues that "when we have been brought to see what our soul would be like if it were Platonically just (intellect, emotion, and appetite rationally harmonized in friendly, nonrepressive, order) . . . we shall have gained a new vision of happiness, which only that kind of soul . . . could realize" (127). Paul is happy because he escapes the pressures of life. Paul's decision to kill himself takes into account all of the cardinal virtues and is therefore just. Works Cited: Cather, Willa. "Paul's Case." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson. New York: Heinle and Heinle, 2002.

Compulsory Education Essay

There are many forms of research for compulsory education. When I started to dig for Information, I was quite amazed in how far back it actually goes. It may have been a little different then, but the concept behind it were and still are the same. With that, you will see multiple questions that need to be answered. What function does compulsory education serve in the United States, what are the advantages and disadvantages to compulsory education, and how can we make school better for today’s young learners? Compulsory education is the attendance required by all students. In reading, michaeladuffy’s research, I understand what he is trying to say in more clarity. How does it affect our children? He states, â€Å"As I continue to ask questions about why we have CE in the United States the answer most often I receive is that it increases literacy. † He brings us back by saying, â€Å"I am often told of the condition of the youth in the eighteenth century where children ran rampant in the streets and committed all sorts of crimes and vandalism. † Is it at this time we started to think about the youth’s education? During those times of hardship they still managed to keep a literacy rate of ninety percent. Through hard work and learning, at the same time, they managed to raise the rate to ninety-eight percent by 1852. By upping the literacy rate, in the United States, we see a great improvement in our children. â€Å"In fact the high literacy rate one hundred years before compulsory education was primarily due to the focus of Bible reading that spread throughout Europe and the new world. Perhaps it was a Biblical interest that accounted for black literacy in the south which was around eighty percent before CE came into effect† (Zhang 29). Michaeladuffy also points out that there are troubling times in our schools to the extent of dropouts and absenteeism. By reading his one paragraph on, â€Å"why children would miss class† (par 4) he lists five reasons they would. It ranges from being an obese child all the way to having poor eyes sight and not wanting to ask question for the fear of being teased. I can see why this is. Children these days will drop out if they are not treated correct. When kids are picked on their insecurity level falls at an all time low. The only option they have left is to not go to school and live with themselves. During my research the answer was never there. It is ones interpretation of the compulsory education and how it serves in the United States. In the early years of a child they continue to have more of independence for learning to develop each of their demands. Decades ago children opted not go to school, but instead work with their families and that is how they survived on such a low income. Compulsory education levels that bar for the unfortunate families who cannot afford it. With compulsory education more people have access to education, now whether they choose to use it is up to them. The one main disadvantage, I think every one might agree with me, is that the government dictates the age for the grade and what the kids are suppose to be doing. In other words they are forced into it. Are children ready for the grade they are in or going to be in? No, they’re probably not. Not one child is the same in learning. In order for our children to be ready for society interaction, activities are needed. How can we make school better for today’s young learners? Children’s intellectual growth, in their early years, are constantly growing. Learning new things everyday whether in school or in the social environment. They are more aware of the world they live in through the use of technology. Technology, for children these days, is one of the most important learning tools we have. The child’s learning ability is acquired through countless ways. Some examples may include, but not limited to are; questioning techniques, investigating and interaction with one another. Children are creative and have an eagerness to learn. Emphasizing on their curiosity, their creativeness shows by the use of technology. Providing them with opportunities to use their creative nature we can see a vast improvement in problem solving and thinking of solutions to problems based on their age. Having that teacher to student interaction will vastly help them in the social skills they need to better acquaint themselves with the world they will soon be leaving to. Not one child is alike. By finding what works, the child can receive the proper curriculum. Paul Goodman proposes two countermeasures in this situation. They are good ones at that, but with that said one particular really stuck out amongst the other. By abolishing grading and strictly going on the fact of the teachers knowledge and know how, I believe we can see a great improvement in students’ knowledge. It’s because of the grading criteria, we struggle in some subjects. If we drop the grading and base it on experience of life and work, there will be more students eager to learn and striving for that education. Just picture yourself taking a test, you studied day and night for it, but yet you still failed it. Now picture yourself taking the same test with life experience and work experience, it comes to you a little easier. Knowing that the grade you were going to get is not there lingering on your mind. Who do think is going to feel better about themselves after the test is done? Because of the grading system our fear of failing has kicked in. It shows that in life experience over a degree can be beneficial in some areas of expertise. With that being said, I do agree with the two year of maturing before entering school. You never know what experience you will receive in the world. In concluding my research of what functions does compulsory education have in the United States, we see that it is a tricky question. It does have a purpose but its purpose is still unclear to some, including me. We see the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of compulsory education. There are many things we can do to help our young ones to enjoy schooling. From the time of the eighteenth century, we have been striving to educate the younger children and make learning enjoyable. Hartman 5 References: * michaeladuffy. wordpress. com/2012/07/02 Date of access Aug 20 2012 * bestvolunteer. org †º More News †º Other News Date of access Aug 20 2012 * https://www. det. nsw. edu. au/†¦ /Our_young_learners Date of access Aug 20 2012 * http://voices. yahoo. com/our-fundamental-future-eliminating-compulsory-education-5570. html Date of access 22 Aug 2012 8:47pm * Does School Time Matter? –On the Impact of Compulsory Education Age on School Dropout Cabus, Sofie J. ; De Witte, Kristof Economics of Education Review, v30 n6 p1384-1398 Dec 2011. 15 pp. ISSN: 0272-7757 Date of access 22 Aug 2012.