The Atkinson 1984 Flexible Model - 1478 Words

The Atkinson 1984 ‘flexible model’ explain about labour market flexibility and employment restructuring in the 1980s. According to Suzette Dyer Atkinson’s ‘flexible firm’ model provides a framework based on breaking internal hierarchical labour market by creating workforce. The ‘flexible firm’ is a micro-level dual labour market mode, with an inner ‘core’ of stable, skilled employees with access to ‘primary labour market’ conditions of secure employment and career prospects(Warwick Paper in Industrial Relations, 1987). The ‘core’ workforce is said to be made up of highly skilled workers who are able to participate in decision making and are directly employed by an organisation. Such workers are provided with job security and high salaries that reflect skill level and their importance to the organisation. The ‘peripheral’ workforce by contrast are less central (i.e. they are important, bu t not part of the ‘core business’), making them more easily recruitable from the open labour market, and therefore less protected from its competitive pressure(Warwick Paper in Industrial Relations, 1987). The ‘peripheral’ workforce are characterised by low wages, low job security and having little or no autonomy in their work. Atkinson model of ‘Flexible firm’ identifies five types of flexibility that companies seek: functional flexibility, numerical flexibility, location flexibility, financial flexibility, temporal flexibility. Functional flexibility is that employees can be redeployedShow MoreRelatedBenefits And Benefits Of Working Flexibility981 Words   |  4 PagesWorking flexibility is about how flexible work is organized in the workplace so that the organizations and employees benefits. Workplace flexibility can be regarded as ‘the capacity of employees to make decisions influencing when, where and for how long they engage in work’ (Jeffrey, 2008). Flexible working is a kind of working arrangement which gives a level of flexibility on how long, when, where as well as at what times employees work. Employees access flexible working through HR arrangements,Read MoreIs The 40 Hour Work Week Working?1198 Words   |  5 Pagesset your own schedule each week? Well, the time has come where many companies human resources departments have changed their ways of thinking about the 40 hour work week. Many human resource departments have now began giving their employees a more flexible work schedule as long as their work is being completed. According to the Business Dictionary, â€Å"A workplace management and organizational technique optimizes human resources through flexibility based on segmenting the employees into peripheralRead MoreWhy Flexible Working Practices Are An Important Features Of Uk Business Organizations1716 Words   |  7 Pagesorganizational examples and academic theory explain why Flexible Working Practices are an important feature of UK business organizations? This essay will discuss and analyse why flexible working practices are an important feature of UK business organisations, by providing specific organisational examples and justification through academic theory. Flexible working is a form of employment that suits an employee’s needs such as, having flexible start and finishing times, or working from home opportunitiesRead MoreFordism1526 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican variety, the industry of Henry Ford’ Before Fordism is introduced in industry, the craftsman built the Vulcan cars, and it usually took several weeks to make Vulcan cars which were sold to upper class. In 1908, Henry Ford produced the first Model T car, and brought Fordism into industry. The workers who worked for Ford benefited from Fordism: the working time from 9 hours to 8 hours; the salary from $2.5 to $5ï ¼Ë†at leastï ¼â€°. The productivity increased sharply. From that time, Fordism was acceptedRead MoreExecutive Summary : Human Resource Managemen t3525 Words   |  15 PagesExecutive summary Human resource management is the process of managing human as resources for some organization. It is an important concept for most of the business organization. The model given by the Guest is based on the notion that human resource management is somehow different from other personnel management, so it is most popular among the business organizations. A strategic approach is important for most of the organizations as it works as the legal framework of that organization .It definesRead MoreThe Labour Market And Its Internal And External Dimensions1915 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction It is often asserted that recent globalization has engendered flexibility. Production needs to be responsive to changes in global demand so the workforce must be flexible. However it is also argued that flexibility is not new and has long been a part of the structure of the labour market (Hakim as cited in Pollert, 1988). Perhaps flexibility is just seen as more relevant because it is promoted by the contemporary neo-liberal agenda. According to Meager, there may be a shift in ‘theRead MoreHow Flexibility Is An Essential Thing1356 Words   |  6 PagesFrom Atkinson’s research in 1984 we can understand that flexibility is an essential thing is this competitive business world. So in order to cope up with the situation, companies need to explicitly imply all three types of flexibilities and treat flexibility as an essential thing rather than an additional option. In the flexible firm model denoted by Atkinson, there are two peripheries (core and secondary). `Therefore, it can be presumed that the inner core-periphery of highly skilled employeesRead MoreThe Organizational Culture of Quinlans3389 Words   |  14 Pagescultures There is a link between organisation culture, strategy and external environment. Based on this association, four types of culture can be defined (Daft, Management, 2003, p92) a) Adaptability – organisations that need to be flexible and make high risk decisions are suitable candidates for this culture. Signs from external environment are rapidly detected, interpreted and translated into responses. Employees are given the autonomy to make their own decisions andRead MoreManaging Human Resources4517 Words   |  19 PagesContents Introduction 1 Task 1 1 1.1 The Guest’s model of Human Resource Management 1 1.2 The differences between Story’s definitions of HRM, personnel and Industrial Relations (IR) practices: 3 1.3 The implications of developing a strategic approach to HRM for line managers and employees in organizations 5 Task2 6 2.1 A model of flexibility is applied in my organization 6 2.2 The types of flexibility developed in my organization 7 2.3 The use of flexible working practices from both the employee andRead MoreAnalysis of the Success of Omega Supermarket2213 Words   |  9 Pagesin the labour market are essential for understanding the issues which the managers may face. The Atkinson model for a flexible firm describes the necessity of the functional and the operational flexibility required within the organisation. All these factors are associated to the importance of the recruitment process and the need for outsourcing which is being adopted by the organisation (Atkinson, 1984). Moreover, there are certain psychological contracts which are required to be made with the employees

Human Suffering, By The Marxian Analysis Of Capitalism And...

Introduction In this essay, I will examine the concept of human suffering, namely inequality, alienation, oppression and violence as presented in the Marxian analysis of capitalism and class struggles. In examining these concepts I argue that the hierarchy of difference created by the binary model of inferior and superior class positions naturalises this human suffering. In many ways, human suffering is the negation of the other in order to determine oneself. In order to explore the key concepts that effectuate to human suffering, I will first talk about the concepts of inequality, alienation, oppression and violence in the context of case studies drawn from a Marxian analysis against capitalism. After examining the terms, I will critique how power was concentrated in a top-down hierarchy within Marxist ideology. Human Suffering The struggle to live against deterministic ideologies constitutes many forms of human suffering. Human suffering could be largely due to the practice of negation of all others who do not belong to a dominant or all-powerful group. Human suffering can take many forms, but in the context of capitalism and class struggles, Marx’s conceptualisation of human suffering is in the form of inequality between classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, or the capitalist and the working class. Because of the inequality between these two groups, capitalists would usually hold the power over the proletariat, the workers and the labourers who engage inShow MoreRelatedKarl Marx And Max Weber1332 Words   |  6 PagesKarl Marx Karl Marx is one of the most persuasive thinkers; he states that religion as an opiate. He is the first sociologist of religion as he comments that humans make religion, religion does not make humans. He didn’t bring out any specific writing on religion subject but his influence on the sociology of religion is remarkable. The Marxian thesis describes that Marx’s perspective on religion can only be understood, it is very important to study his thesis about the workings of society. His thesisRead MoreTheoretical Approaches to Domestic Violence7490 Words   |  30 Pageswomen, sometimes support the class analysis perspective and sometimes the liberal perspective. Thus, classification of the literature about male violence to females and the definition of the researchers are difficult for the reader. 2.1. Definition of violence Violence is a popular subject for the last few years. There are different types, causes, definitions, and forms that occur at the interpersonal, collective, and global levels. It is a problem for all human relations. Therefore it should

Pepsi co. & Coca Cola Financial Analysis & Profitability Ratios

Question: Discuss about the Report for Financial Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi Co.? Answer: Financial Analysis of Coca Cola and Pepsi Co. The report is based on the study of the fiscal competence and presentation of the corporation based on the financial stability. However, the report will structure itself through the brief introduction of each company's detailed view of company's financial health depending upon the annual reports of the companies of 2012, 2013 and 2014. The analysis outlines the basic of company's performance in long-term to yield maximum results. The company's annual report briefs about the company's position in the market as well as with its competitors. The study will not only highlight the dependency on financial ratios but a little more insight into the brief cola war between the two companies. Coca Cola Coca Cola was a company initially started with the cure for headache and experimenting as an energizer. Nevertheless, today this pharmacist-invented company is touching skies when it comes to selling brands. On an overview, the recognized brand sells a unit close to 3200 servings. However, coca cola soon transferred its interest of dominant leadership in various brilliant minds to progress further. Today, Coca Cola not only accounts for superior brand value but also emphasizes the nature of huge net worth (Pendergrast 2013). PepsiCo Pepsi Co., just like, Coca Cola has a long history, and it started from 1898. The pharmacist oriented brands also started with herbs and spices for developing a new taste to get the patent trademark. However, the business got developed by the Patent Office in US in 1903. Moreover, marketing campaigns not only help Pepsi achieve an important stand but also achieved brand name world over (Hafiz 2015). Comparison of Brands: Coca Cola and Pepsi Co. Over the decade, both the companies have developed a strong brand name. Nevertheless, Coca Cola has been growing since the beginning, but the struggle was augmented to the bankruptcy suffered by Pepsi Co during the earlier period of WWII. Both the companies adopted advertising and marketing campaigns to establish the companies whereas PepsiCo merged with Frito-Lay to get better hands in revenue (Pommer 2013). The financial analysis of both the companies gives an better idea apart from their comparison in the history. The investor point of view is to maximize their dividend level in long-run and to attain highest dividend yield (Lehner and Brandstetter 2014). Financial Analysis The financial statement analysis can be best done with the financial ratios to reflect the accounting principles. However, this is to examine, as the assets are not reported at their present value rather they are analyzed depending on the brand name and unique product lines followed by the company. However, financial analysis is one of the talked terms in the business. Ratio analysis tops the analysis model to assist the functionality of the company (Ung and Luk 2016). Ratio Analysis Ratio analysis is one of the most broadly utilized tools to define the financial strength of the financial statements. The financial statements include the balance sheet, income statement and profit and loss account. These ratios provide the in detail consideration of the business to enhance the usability of the financial statements (Healey and Palepu 2012). Ratio analysis can be divided into its following types depending on the investment done in long-term. Liquidity Ratios Liquidity is defined to be the soul of any business organization that will highlight the structure of the business organization. However, the ratios calculated will study the bankruptcy position because of lack of liquidity. In the case of investment, the two ratios that are well suited to the structure are the "current ratio" and "quick ratio" also known by the name acid-test ratio (Goodhart 2013). Capital Structure Ratios Leverage ratio or capital structure is to analyze the debt and repaying capacity of the company. However, it mainly revolves around the arrears of the organization. Moreover, there are briefly two sorts of scrutiny that can be examined on this fundamental. They are the bankruptcy condition to judge servicing capability of compensation by matching up to the future liability requirements with resources used for reverencing them. The ratios used in this care would be "debt-equity ratio" or "debt-asset ratio." On the other hand, the analysis can be briefly in the study adopted by the coverage ratios that can be scrutinized on the coverage that they pay yearly to lower the debts. The ratios that can be used in this context would be "fixed charge coverage ratios" and "debt service coverage ratios" (Bodie 2013). Efficiency/Turnover Ratios The asset supervision is covered in these ratios. Assets are considered to employ so that sales for a firm are generated and these ratios decide the asset that is operated competently to transfer an asset into sales or to engender sales. The ratios underlined this heading are "asset turnover ratio,"receivables turnover ratio," total assets turnover ratio" and "fixed assets turnover ratio" (Mc Neil et al. 2015). Profitability Ratios Profitability ratios are the key to the analysis of any investment in the company whether it is to examine how well the company is working to achieve its goal or is to analyze its present condition or added net worth value to it. Profit margin ratios briefly include "return on equity", "return on assets" or "return on capital employed" (Banks 2015). Growth Ratios The growth ratios compute the growth of the firm. The responsible ratios mentioned in this section could be profit margin or fixed asset or retention rate. Growth ratios can be evaluated on the internal and external parameters of sustainability. Therefore, the higher growth can be evidently done by the use of financing that is done externally (Das 2015). Valuation Ratios Valuation ratios are the mainly operated ratios for the evaluation of the company's growth and sustaining power for investigating the value of supply in share market or to attain the valuation of the business as complete. Valuation ratios chiefly consist of price to earnings ratio, market value to book value, dividend yield, price to sales ratio, price to book ratio, etc. (Mc Neil et al. 2015). Financial Ratio Analysis based on both the companies The financial ratio is done by analyzing annual reports of Coca Cola and PepsiCo on the brief ratios analyzed using the Excel tool. Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Current Ratio 1.142107 1.244633 1.095442 1.018904 1.125598 1.090112 Current Ratio = Current assets / Current Liabilities. The current ratio analyzed on the liquidity position is to evaluate the current working capital situation by obtaining the fraction of current assets to current liabilities. The company's short-term assets should be readily accessible to reimburse off the current liabilities. However, the ratio termed to be better if it is 2:1 (Heikal et al. 2014). However, as analyzed in the case of the recent positioning of Coca Cola and PepsiCo, Coca Cola and PepsiCo show more or less the same results but less than the asserted level of the proportion of current ratio. However, as seen as in 2014, Coca Cola is performing better in meeting its short-term requirements which are 1.14:1 as compared to PepsiCo, which is 1.01:1. Quick Ratios Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Quick Ratio 0.828443 0.903995 0.87283 0.8499337 0.932339 0.799345 Quick Ratio = Current Assets Inventory Prepaid Expenses / Current Liabilities. The quick ratio filters the current ratio by measuring the quantity of the fluid assets that are easily converted into cash to cover the current liabilities easily and promptly. However, the nature of quick ratio is more conventional than the current ratio as excludes not only inventory but also prepaid expenses that are unnecessary expenses to the company. As more the quick ratio, the better the short-term positioning would be (Loth 2015). In this case, Coca Cola and PepsiCo has the quick ratio position varying between 0.8:1 0.9:1. However, if mentioned by the slightest change, then PepsiCo is performing better than Coca Cola. Capital Structure Ratios Debt-to-Equity Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Debt-to-Equity Ratio 2.011125 1.693032 1.598107 3.0180647 2.17676 2.332202 Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities / Shareholders Equity. Debt to equity ratio is to calculate the solvency position for the long term investment such that it highlights that whether the company can mean its long-term obligations or not. As defined, the debt-equity ratio should be 1:1 to define the nature of good solvency position to the firm. As shown in the table, the debt to equity ratio is quite high in both the companies (Said 2013). If compared, between the two, Coca Cola is still performing better in meeting its long-term obligations. However, in 2014 the ratio came out to be 2.01:1 against 1.59:1 in 2012, which is high in Coca Cola but better than PepsiCo, which came out to be 3.01:1 in 2014 against 2.33:1 in 2012. Interest Coverage Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Interest Coverage Ratio 19.30642 24.78834 29.74559 7.2145215 7.450055 6.912125 Interest Coverage Ratio = Net Income before Interest and Tax / Interest Expenses. The interest coverage ratio major objective is to examine whether the company can meet its interest payments. The interest coverage ratio is an evaluation that defines the amount of time a corporation could make the interest payments with its EBIT on the debt accumulated. It establishes how effortlessly a business can pay interest expenses on debt that stand to be outstanding. However if an interest coverage ratio is less than 1or 1.5, then the company is questionable as it is not producing enough capital to hand out its interest obligations (Duchin and Sosyura 2014). However, in this case, Coca Cola is the company with a maximum value that means that it is not only meeting its interest obligations but also is too safe to be doubted. Nonetheless, PepsiCo is even meeting its interest obligations but not as efficiently as Coca Cola. Efficiency/Turnover Ratios Asset Turnover Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Asset Turnover Ratio 0.505256 0.53174 1.11442 0.9012008 0.873215 1.754924 Asset Turnover Ratio = Sales / Average Total Assets. The ratio is generated to examine the strength of the company's sales that has been deploying to meet the value of its assets. However, higher the ratio, higher would be the organization's generation of revenue to assemble per dollar assets (Grant 2015). However, as seen in the companies of Coca Cola and PepsiCo, it has been stated that PepsiCo is generating more revenue than Coca Cola as the assets of the organization are not generated to meet the assets. However, in 2014, the asset turnover ratio recorded for Pepsico is 0.9 which is higher than Coca Cola, which was 0.5. Inventory Turnover Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Inventory Turnover Ratio 5.610475 5.632472 5.99528 9.4273504 8.939342 8.447894 Inventory Turnover Ratio = Costs of Goods Sold / Average Inventory. Inventory Turnover ratio is to meet the inventory into sales. On the other hand, as projected according to both companies more inventory turnover ratios across the years which are not good for the business. However, Coca Cola is better when viewed from investment point of view. This means that the company neither has excessive inventory nor low liquidity. Nonetheless, PepsiCo has higher stock levels which are usually harmful because they symbolize an speculation with a rate of return of zero' (Hoskin et al. 2014). Profitability ratios All profitability ratios are generated in percentage. Return on Assets Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Return on Assets (%) 10.2429 13.0251 27.4073 8.86294 8.9235 0.16.651 Return on Assets = (Net Income / Total Assets) * 100 ROA gives a thought as to the efficient supervision of using its property to generate income. Therefore, ROA is often submitted as ROI (Return on Investment) (Davis 2013). The higher the ROI more will be the net income generated from the investment. In this case, the income generated is more from Coca Cola over the years as in contrast to PepsiCo. The percentage on ROA in 2014 for Coca Cola is 1.24% as compared to PepsiCo. which is 8.86%. Although the ROA is decreasing over years but still, it remains to be higher than PepsiCo. Return on Equity Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Return on Equity (%) 29.1402 34.4613 71.2072 31.27548 29.0117 55.4846 Return on Equity = (Net Income / Stockholders Equity) * 100 Return on Equity is the better tool be analyzed from the company's view as to the amount generated from the profitability revealed to the generation of investment made by the shareholders. Shareholder's Equity is for the full fiscal year but does not include preferred shares (Havert 2014). As evaluated by both the companies, the income generated from equity is highest from Coca Cola, though it did not perform well in 2014 has showed a good trend. Nonetheless, over the years, PepsiCo has shown a decreasing trend, but when compared to Coca Cola it surpassed it by 2%, which can be considered for their investment is Coca Cola. Gross Profit Margin Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Gross Profit Margin (%) 20.27262 24.49524 24.59337 9.8345905 10.21908 9.488182 Gross Profit Margin Percentage = (Net Income / Sales) * 100 Gross Profit Margin does not estimate the exact strategy using by the company for its pricing. It deals with operating and other expenses that are defined to pay. However, a good profit margin percentage should not fluctuate much and should remain consistent for a longer period (Steiner 2016). The depicted percentages in the table show consistent gross profit margin in both the organizations. However, if to investigate the position of better gross margin, it would be Coca Cola as the percentage is higher over the years than the PepsiCo Company. Evaluation Ratios Price-to-Earnings Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Price-to-Earnings Ratio 26.3875 18.54124 16.75 9.8345905 10.21908 9.488182 Price-to-Earnings ratio = Price per share / Earnings per Share. Price-to-Earnings Ratio is calculated according to the reserves reasonable market value by not only forecasting the future earnings per share but also considering the future earnings that are expected to issue higher dividends. The P/E ratio of Coca Cola organization is better for all years as compared to PepsiCo. The investor is keen to pay 26 times dollars for every dollar amounting of earnings for Coca Cola in 2014 whereas in the case of PepsiCo, the investor is planning to pay only 9 times dollars for every dollar of income, which is considerable, low (Chua et al. 2015). PEG Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 PEG Ratio -1.67115 -5.22288 2.470501 -16.44932 1.558308 -6.04858 PEG Ratio = P/E Ratio / Projected Annual Growth in Earnings per Share. The PEG ratio that points toward an over or underpriced hoard varies by industry and by company. The PEG ratio is used to conclude a stock's value while considering growth and is measured to present an absolute picture than the P/E ratio. As compared to the above analysis, though the PEG for both the companies is negative as compared Coca Cola's PEG is much more efficient because the stock horded by the company looks good to buy for the investor. However, the same cannot be said for PepsiCo (Tolmalcoff et al. 2013). Price-to-Book Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Price-to-Book Ratio 1.22094 0.86238 0.8724 7.035073 4.42702 4.50344 Price-to-Book Ratio = Price per Share /Book Valueper Share The Price-to-Book ratio point toward whether a company's asset value is equivalent to the stock's market value or not. It is calculated for valuing the companies, which have more liquid assets. However, the long-term assets that are written on the balance sheet are mentioned at the original cost to evaluate the effectiveness of the market value (Sun 2012). However, in the case of evaluation, the PepsiCo holds much more market value than the Coca Cola, which might attract the attention of the investors in their long-term investment. Dividend Yield Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Dividend Yield 0.028896 2.8% 0.031137 3.1% 0.030448 3.04% 0.0307879 3.07% 0.032249 3.2% 0.032536 3.2% Dividend Yield = Dividend / Price per Share. Dividend Yield is generated to calculate the investment's productivity which is considerably higher is the case of Coca Cola as the dividend it gives to its investors are not overvalued and yield the maximum results. However, in the case of PepsiCo, the yield is at par with Coca Cola. However, the investor will certainly invest in PepsiCo to get greater returns that are consistent throughout (Bodie 2013). Dividend Payout Ratio Coca Cola Pepsi Co Years 2014 2013 2012 2014 2013 2012 Dividend Payout Ratio 0.573727 0.432953 0.419511 0.568771 0.505967 0.531864 Dividend Payout Ratio = Dividend / Net Income Dividend payout ratio deals the proportion of distribution given to shareholders from the net income in the type of dividends through the year. As seen in the dividend payout ratio, the investor will invest in PepsiCo as the dividend payout is more and consistent whereas in the case of Coca Cola the dividend payout was surpassing PepsiCo in 2014. However, if studied across the year, PepsiCo would be a good investment whereas if estimated on the recent data, Coca Cola would be a good investment (Li et al. 2014). Conclusion As accounted for different financial ratios for the both the companies Coca Cola and PepsiCo; Coca Cola had better performance though Pepsi Co has surpassed in dividend perspective and has outperformed its Rival steady incremental margins have tightened the gap with Coca Cola howsoever. Nevertheless, PepsiCo still has a long way to go to make its company stable, but Coca Cola would be a better investment and safer in future as the investors need to be concerned with the pay policies (Boyd, 2016). References Banks, E., 2015.Finance: the basics. Routledge. Bodie, Z., 2013.Investments. McGraw-Hill. Boyd, M. 2016.Coca-Cola Vs. Pepsi: Which Is The Better Choice For Investors?. Seekingalpha.com. Available at: https://seekingalpha.com/article/3786626-coca-cola-vs-pepsi-better-choice-investors [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016]. Chua, A., DeLisle, R.J., Feng, S.S. and Lee, B.S., 2015. Price to Earnings Ratios and Option Prices.Journal of Futures Markets,35(8), pp.738-752. Das, A., 2015.An Introduction to Operations Management: The Joy of Operations. Routledge. Davis, J.A., 2013. Return on Assets. Duchin, R. and Sosyura, D., 2014. Safer ratios, riskier portfolios: Banks response to government aid.Journal of Financial Economics,113(1), pp.1-28. Goodhart, C., 2013. Ratio controls need reconsideration.Journal of Financial Stability,9(3), pp.445-450. Grant, R.M., 2015.Contemporary Strategy Analysis 9e Text Only. John Wiley Sons. Hafiz, R., 2015. Rethinking Brand Identity to Become an Iconic Brand-A Study on Pepsi.Asian Business Review,5(3), pp.97-102. Healy, P. and Palepu, K., 2012.Business Analysis Valuation: Using Financial Statements. Cengage Learning. Heikal, M., Khaddafi, M. and Ummah, A., 2014. Influence Analysis of Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), Net Profit Margin (NPM), Debt To Equity Ratio (DER), and current ratio (CR), Against Corporate Profit Growth In Automotive In Indonesia Stock Exchange.International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,4(12), p.101. Hevert, S.R.B., 2014. Return on Equity. Hoskin, R.E., Fizzell, M.R. and Cherry, D.C., 2014.Financial accounting: a user perspective. Wiley Global Education. Lehner, O.M. and Brandstetter, L., 2014. Impact Investment Portfolios: Including Social Risks and Returns. Li, S., Zhuang, A. and Shapiro, D., 2014.Dividend Payout Policy and Institutional Investors Ownership: Theory and Empirical Evidence. Working Paper. Loth, R. 2015.Liquidity Measurement Ratios: Quick Ratio | Investopedia. Investopedia. Available at: https://www.investopedia.com/university/ratios/liquidity-measurement/ratio2.asp [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016]. McNeil, A.J., Frey, R. and Embrechts, P., 2015.Quantitative risk management: Concepts, techniques and tools. Princeton university press. Pendergrast, M., 2013.For God, country, and Coca-Cola: The definitive history of the great American soft drink and the company that makes it. Basic Books. Pommer, B., 2014. Market definition and analysis of Pepsi-Cola. Said, H.B., 2013. Impact of ownership structure on debt equity ratio: A static and a dynamic analytical framework.International Business Research,6(6), p.162. Steiner, S., 2016. The gross profit margin formula and how to use it. Sun, L., 2012. Information content of P/E ratio, price to book ratio and firm size in predicting equity returns. InInternational Conference on Innovation and Information Management(Vol. 36, pp. 262-267). Tolmachoff, S., Adjei, A., Brady, E., Hamre, S. and Hankins, B., 2013. Kona Grill, Inc.: A Financial Analysis. Ung, D. and Luk, P., 2016. What's in Your Smart Beta Portfolio? A Fundamental and Macroeconomic Analysis.A Fundamental and Macroeconomic Analysis (January 8, 2016).

Memories Essays - Chicken, Poultry, Sheep, , Term Papers

Memories Rising at the crack of dawn I raced down the stairs into the kitchen to find my grandmother cooking donuts! That remains one of my fondest memories of the many summers spent at grandmother's. The smell of the freshly cooked sugar or glazed donuts was enough to drive anyone out of their deep sleep. The recently made eggs and bacon, along with fresh squeezed orange juice, gave us the needed energy to go out and start our daily routine of chores. As I remained the youngest of the many of my cousins at the farm that summer, my tasks included feeding the cats, helping with dishes, and pretty much trying to stay out of as much trouble as I possibly could. My grandmother taught me many valuable lessons those summers about life, including humanity, laughter, strength, and most importantly the importance of family. Looking back at the all too short of a time I got to spend with my grandmother, she taught me some of the most valuable morals that I carry with me still today. One of the toughest lessons that I had to deal with was the death of some of my most loved animals. When lambing season came around, there were some very difficult decisions that had to be made. Sometimes, throughout the process of lambing, things go wrong. I remember losing my favorite ewe Breeze to a breach birth during lambing season. Through her death we did come out with two beautiful lambs; which we named after her in her memory. Decisions were tough but they had to be made in order to save the life of either the ewe or the lamb. At the time they were not decisions that I believed were acceptable. Now looking back, they are decisions I would never want to make. Don't get me wrong, I cope with death fine when it comes to animals that are raised for meat, such as cattle or chicken. In fact, one of my favorite meals is chicken. My grandma raised chickens and butchered them herself whenever a dish called for the delectable birds. I remember specifically her walking to the chicken coop and grabbing one of the unlucky chickens by the feet. She then walked over to the worn beat up shed were she would sit down on a dirty old stool next to a huge stump of what used to be a tree. Quietly and swiftly, she'd place the helpless chicken across the stump placing the neck outstretched. Then, with one quick movement of a hatchet, the head of the chicken would roll to the ground. She would stand up and set the body of the chicken on the ground and watch, as we kids would scramble to catch a headless chicken. The chicken would run every which way, providing us with a brief moment of chaos as we scrambled to catch it. My grandmother would laugh for hours recalling all the different techniques that we tried to catch this headless chicken. It was one moment in the summer that really brought every one together. My grandmother wasn't all laughs; she'd had her set backs, too. She lost her husband, my grandpa, when my dad was a senior in college. My grandpa died of a heart attack on Christmas Day, which ironically is my dad's birthday. My dad and mom, who were engaged at the time, rushed him to the Madison emergency room. The distance ended up being too great, as my grandpa died in the car. My grandmother went on running the farm by herself another ten years before her death. It took every inch of her soul to keep going after the death of her husband, but during that time she helped raise all thirty-two of her grandchildren by keeping us on the farm whenever we weren't in school. Her example, back in my earlier years, remains the source of most of my strength that I have today. Her strength was not the most important thing to my grandmother. The most valuable possession that she had was her family. She loved her family more than anything and spent every waking moment with them. She'd send for her grandchildren whenever there was a moment's break from our educations. Raising us was a breeze, she'd always say, compared to raising her own eight children. Playing with us was another of her favorite things; whether it be, bottle-feeding orphaned lambs or picking apples for fresh pies that night, she never passed up an opportunity to play with

Critical Analysis in a Literature Review - Proofeds Writin Tips

Critical Analysis in a Literature Review - Proofeds Writin Tips Critical Analysis in a Literature Review A literature review is vital to any in-depth research, providing a foundation your work will build upon. Familiarizing yourself with the existing literature allows you to identify current debates in the field, ensuring that your work is up-to-date and addresses significant questions. But a good literature review will require reading critically. This means deciding whether you agree or disagree with certain viewpoints, arguments and theories, rather than simply describing them. It also requires being able to spot the flaws and strengths of particular studies, which can in turn help when developing your own ideas. To make sure you do this effectively, its worth looking for the following things. 1. Overgeneralizations One common issue in research is the scope of its application, especially when dealing with limited sample sizes or when a study is generalized too broadly. The conclusions of a psychological study conducted with all male participants, for instance, may not be applicable in the same way to female subjects. 2. Methodological Limitations When writing a literature review, ask yourself whether the methods used for particular studies were appropriate. For example, whether the study used a quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods research design can make a big difference to the conclusions reached. 3. How Well Explained is the Research? When reading for a critical literature review, it is important to consider how well written the studies you examine are. Does the author explain their methods? Is enough detail provided for any experiments to be replicated? Are sampling, data collection and analysis techniques clearly identified? Does the conclusion follow from the results? Asking these and similar questions will help you discern between good and bad research. 4. Identify Biases Another important factor is to consider whether implicit biases might have influenced the research. The term â€Å"confirmation bias,† for example, refers to the tendency to focus on evidence which supports one’s existing beliefs, which can lead to overlooking alternative hypotheses. 5. Challenge Your Own Assumptions If you come across a study which seems to oppose your hypothesis, consider whether it presents good counterarguments to your own position. If it does, ask yourself whether this affects how you conduct the rest of your research. The final point here is important because conducting a literature review serves two purposes. The finished literature review will help your reader to understand the background of your research, so critical analysis helps to clarify what your work contributes to the debate. But comparing different studies and theories for a literature review will also help you to develop a research approach. The better your critical analysis, then, the better prepared you’ll be.

Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need

Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need There are tons of marketing tools and platforms out there. Not to mention other free resources. And guides. So many guides. Oh, and let’s not forget books, courses, and other knowledge and skill-building resources. What can we say? It’s a complex and fast-moving business. Keeping organized while covering skill gaps and staying on top of the latest trends isn’t easy. But, nor should it be. If it were easy, everyone would be crushing it. So, how can you give yourself the edge? Start by narrowing down your tools and learning resources to the essentials. The things you absolutely need that will help you succeed. In this post, we’ve brought together everything you need in one place. Consider this your catalog for a better future. Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need There are tons of marketing tools and platforms out there. Not to mention other free resources. And guides. So many guides. Oh, and let’s not forget books, courses, and other knowledge and skill-building resources. What can we say? It’s a complex and fast-moving business. Keeping organized while covering skill gaps and staying on top of the latest trends isn’t easy. But, nor should it be. If it were easy, everyone would be crushing it. So, how can you give yourself the edge? Start by narrowing down your tools and learning resources to the essentials. The things you absolutely need that will help you succeed. In this post, we’ve brought together everything you need in one place. Consider this your catalog for a better future. Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need There are tons of marketing tools and platforms out there. Not to mention other free resources. And guides. So many guides. Oh, and let’s not forget books, courses, and other knowledge and skill-building resources. What can we say? It’s a complex and fast-moving business. Keeping organized while covering skill gaps and staying on top of the latest trends isn’t easy. But, nor should it be. If it were easy, everyone would be crushing it. So, how can you give yourself the edge? Start by narrowing down your tools and learning resources to the essentials. The things you absolutely need that will help you succeed. In this post, we’ve brought together everything you need in one place. Consider this your catalog for a better future.

Global Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Global Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Mollenkopf, et al. (2010) has discussed on the concept of the sustainable supply chain management system. The synchronization process of green, lean and global supply chain management processes have been discussed in the article. All the other journals have provided the different approaches of the supply chain management process. However, Mollenkopf, et al. has depicted a new concept that can maintain the ecological balances. The author has mentioned that, by reducing the carbon emissions and utilizing the natural gasses, the companies can progress towards the sustainable business practices. The author has also added that in order to deal with the competition of the global market, the companies are required to manage the supply chain processes effectively. The report highlights on the major issues of the supply chain management system. The issues such as inventory management, better networking, outsourcing etc. have been identified as the major challenges of the supply chain managers of the global firms. The report also concluded that sustainable business practices are the major concern for most of the global firms at present time. The discussions of the articles have also found that most of the companies have been focusing on collaborating the stages of the supply chain management system. Moreover, the authors have also stressed on TQM as a process of ensuring the quality parameter. Managing sustainable supply chain practices and the operational cost can be considered difficult tasks for the global managers.

The Deep Context of Melancholy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Deep Context of Melancholy - Essay Example Melancholia is differentiated with other feelings that somehow relates to its state and divulged with its causations and effects. Three remarkable works that relates the state of melancholia, sharing similar frameworks are Sigmund Freud’s â€Å"Mourning and Melancholia†, Julia Kristeva’s â€Å"On the Melancholic Imaginary† and Dorothea Lansky’s â€Å"When it is a Black life†. Sigmund Freud, in his article â€Å"Mourning and Melancholia†, throws some light on the nature of melancholia by comparing it with mourning. His work is a psychological approach into apprehending the deeper context of the two interrelated human phenomenon. Mourning and melancholia are both human emotions that exhibit similar outward symptoms. However, the causation and the long term effects of these human tendencies differ in the deeper level. While the human experience of mourning and melancholia portrays similar outward symptoms, they are different with diverse directions of consequences. He points out that the fruits, features and the underlying causes of the two conditions are more or less the same. Some common features include painful dejection, cessation of interest in the outside world, loss of the ability to love, and inability to perform activities. However, while the lowering of the self-regarding feelings is a feature of melancholia, it is not present in mourning (F reud 243). Furthermore, while the condition of mourning includes the patient’s consciousness of losing someone, the state of melancholia is withdrawn from the object-loss concept (Freud 244). Therefore, in melancholia, it is difficult to understand what is absorbing the patient while the reason is apparent in mourning.

Summary of the Skoda Case Study Essay Example for Free

Summary of the Skoda Case Study Essay The purpose of this summary is learns about what is SWOT analysis, how to use it to analysis a company and the way to guide goals and business behavior. Next, the object is understands how a particular company-in this case is Skoda Company-used a SWOT analysis to analysis itself. Skoda Company was established in 1925 and then had become a strong competitive power company in car market. However, it only have a 1.7% share-a very few part-in car market in recent years. Skoda UK management wanted to define its brand positioning, that means they need a brand which owned by themselves. This was a solution to reply too much competition in market now. The case study used a SWOT analysis tool (including SMART and SLEPT) to analysis situation of Skoda Company which from four different aspects: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The first step was strengths. Skoda wanted to know how customer feels to them so collects feedback from buyer. Use this way Skoda wined its own satisfied customers. Secondly, find weaknesses. In the past Skoda was produced bicycle and then turned to car producing, so some people consider that quality was not so ideal, so neutral public perspective is their weakness. The third was about opportunities. Skoda have their own satisfied customers, this is their opportunity. The final one was threats. In prefect competition market Skoda lost its market shares. They need to produce better products to keep their customers, and they also need a strong industry chain and an accurate market segment. The outcome of thought using a SWOT analysis was that Skoda was struggling to change it original image, and they already achieve some. The challenge was increasing marketing shares, so they needed to search a new strategy to improve their brand.

Grendel the Existentialist Monster :: Grendel Essays

Grendel the Existentialist Monster The monster Grendel is the ironic eye through which the action is viewed and from this perspective he provides the reader with never-ending examples of buffoonery and self-parody. Often his claims reveal the Sartrean component in his makeup: "I create the whole universe, blink by blink"(Gardner 22). Gardner,of course,wants to make a point here about solipsism. There is more to the objective world than Grendel's ego. Naturally the universe still exists when Grendel closes his eyes. Likewise, when Grendel says "I observe myself observing what I observe", (Gardner 29) ,he reminds us of Sartre's view of the self-reflective nature of consciousness. As he said in his interview, Gardner planned to parody Sartre's ideas in Being and Nothingess in these sections of the novel. When Grendel says "then I am not that which observes! I am lack. Alack. "(Gardner 29) he plays on the French verb manquer(to lack) that Sartre uses in his description of the lacking quality of consciousness. This ability to observe his observing is a clue to the philosophical underpinnings of the early chapters. Gardner's irony should be crystal clear--Grendel is amusing himself with Sartre's phenomenology. Now what is the reader to make of all this? A brief summary of Sartre's description of consciousness may help. According toSartre man exists on the level of being-in-itself(as a body in a world of objects) and on the level of being-for-itself(consciousness ). The key to understanding Grendel's view of the world is this distinction between the in-itself and the for-itself.Since, for Sartre, being-in-itself is uncreated(he can find no evidence of a creating God) and superfluous("de trop"), it reveals itself as a sort of absurd, meaningless outer reality. But being-for-itself, on the other hand, is the awareness that consciousness is not the being of the in-itself. Its being is revealed in a more paradoxical way-- as an emptiness in the center of being. How can it be aware of itself as an object?Impossible says Sartre. Simply put, the for-itself is the absence or the lack(thus Grendel's "lack") of the objectness of the in-itself . It reveals itself as the nothingness that remains when y ou realize that your consciousness is not an awareness of an object(such as your body), but rather an awareness of the lack of an object; or,to put it another way, it is an awareness of a nihilated presence.Grendel is proof that only an

Employee Relations HND 2013 Assignment 1 Essay

Unitarism is considered to be as a family-type system where the association is alleged to be an incorporated and pleasant atmosphere like a happy family. A principal theory of the unitary approach is all employees and the employers as well in the entire organization share the same goals, interests and dedications therefore working hand-in-hand and towards their mutual objectives. Somewhat like an Ant Colony, all of the ants work together for the same goals, and for the colony. Which brings me to another point where in Unitarism has a sort of a paternalistic approach where loyalty of all members is a must, just like ants where the queen is considered the father figure. Trade Unions are not referred to as much and are deemed unnecessary and conflict is alleged to be disorderly. From an Employee’s point of view, The Unitary approach should encompass; Waged work ought to be flexible; Individuals ought to be oriented, multi-talented, effective and efficient in business procedural improvement. If any Trade Union is recognized its purpose is that to improve communications between the employees and the employer. Good relationship is stressed on and the terms and conditions of employment are complete and comprehensive. Employee brainstorming sessions are encouraged therefore bringing out the best solutions to any problems. Also helping employees bring out their innovation, creativity, qualities and it leaves room for improvement. Workers should have a sense of belonging and security at the workplace through the skills and expertise of the managers who are informed regarding their endeavors, therefore allowing them to maximize their efficiency at the workplace. From an Employers point of view, The Unitary Approach should incorporate; The company policies must maximize the unification of employee efforts, inspiration and motivation. The company’s extensive goals must be communicated in an organized and proper manner to all staff. Systems should be established to ensure employee loyalty and commitment such as reward-systems. Line Managers should ensure ownership responsibilities of their team/staff. Staff-management conflicts – from the perspective of the unitary framework – are seen as arising from lack of information, inadequate presentation of management’s policies. Personal objectives of each employee in the entire organization must be discussed with them and then incorporated with the organizations requirements. Pluralist Perspective; Pluralism consists of powerful, divergent sub-groups, managements and trade unions within an organization. This approach responds to conflicts of interest and misunderstandings between managers and workers in regard to distribution of profits as a normal and inescapable problem. In regard to this, Managements would opt less towards administrating and monitoring, and opt more towards convincing and synchronization. Trade Unions are supported a lot here and considered to be legitimate legislatures of employees. Conflict is solved by cooperative negotiations and is regarded not necessarily as a negative entity and if accomplished can in fact be channeled into development and positive energy. Realistic managers cannot deny the fact that conflict occurs and have no choice other than to accept it. There is greater susceptibility for conflict than harmony. They must have procedures in advance for settling any disputes that may arise which may include; Industrial Relations and Personnel Specialists who guide managers and offer specialist services in respect of staffing and matters relating to union consultation and negotiation. Autonomous external negotiators should be incorporated to help in regard to settlement of disputes. Union recognition should be encouraged and union representatives given scope to carry out their representative duties All-Inclusive mutual agreements must be negotiated with unions. The Differences between Unitarism and Pluralism; Unitarism and pluralism are concepts that differ vastly in their definition as well as their procedures. These terms are mainly heard of in employee relations. Unitarism believes that the management or employees of the organization have to be interconnected and work hand in hand with each other to achieve their goals and for the welfare of the company. While Pluralism on the other hand believes that various groups of employees have different needs and necessities therefore making it sort a selected procedure and acknowledging this fact can help the company achieve its goals. Something one must know is that unitarism believes that the employees and company shares the same agenda, the experts call it a â€Å"Unitary Outlook† Pluralism does not believe in the control implemented by the management. . This is one of the main differences between pluralism and Unitarism. Pluralists encourage that a particular system be followed in the interest of the organization. It opines that power is nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. Pluralism gives ample opportunity for employees to voice out their opinions. On the other hand, unitarism believes in the perception of the entire organization as one big family. The management and the staff share common objectives, interests and purposes according to unitarists. It has a paternalistic approach, and it expects the loyalty of the employees. Pluralism on the other hand, is not paternalistic in its approach and hence, it does not expect the loyalty of the employees. These are the important differences between unitarism and pluralism in the arena of human resources development. Question 2: The past 25-30 years have seen massive overall changes in the regard to employee relations in the United Kingdom’s Organizational sector. The main factors that influenced this change are political, economic, social and technological factors, The influence of the Conservative government played a major role in the political aspect of employee relation change which was performed during 1979-1997. –The Wilderness Years- These years had drastic changes and were very unstable for the Conservative government, they included declines in trade unions, new laws and acts sorted out and the importance of the Labour government from 1997 to the present day which has also brought different changes to employee relations. In regard to legal perspectives the Conservative government has played a significant role in labour law which involved changing the relationship between the employer and employee, the employer and the union and the membership therefore establishing effective communication and understanding. The other changes inaccordance to legal reference were; Removing constitutional supports for collective bargaining. Advertising and Promoting Non-Unionism. Abolition of the obligatory union membership. Restraining industrial action and increasing fines for unlawful action. Regulation of internal Union government. Flagging labour law and social security measures which delivered a level to wages. Removing protection afforded by individual employment rights. Technological Impacts; All organisations function within specific technological limitations which have an impact on its size and structure, whereas the size and structure have an influence on the culture of an organization. As culture affects the relationship between people it can be seen that technology and technological development play an important role in employee relations. It is important for employee relations professionals to understand the meaning of the word ‘technology’ If it simply suggests some form of process or engineering, then does it have any role outside of manufacturing? It is more than an engineering process, in the perspective of an organization it is the application of skills and knowledge. New technology can be viewed in three ways in regard to employee relations; 1.) Its impact on traditional skills acts as a de-skilling agent as well as a creator of un employment. 2.) In a more positive way it creates a chance for old employees to learn new skills. 3.) This perspective views technology as a way to remove previously unpleasant or repetitive tasks from the equation. Question 3: Workers (Employees); The role of the employee is classified over the things he should yearn for in an organization. A good employee will try to develop oneself and seek a variety of assignments, tackle tough problems and ask for feedback. Coaching is also a very helpful activity it can be both ways as one looking for others to coach and another looking for a coach to learn from. Asking for feedback can be very helpful especially when working with different varieties of people in different situations. One should look for developmental relationships that can help provide a lot of learning and understanding. They should identify goals for new skills and abilities and organize how to achieve those goals. Attending classes and workshops would be a great source of filling in conceptual needs. The responsibility of an employee given to him/her by the organization should be recognized by the employee, Things that the employee must ensure and study when starting work towards development; Precise Goals; identifying goals for new abilities and organizing methods to reach those goals. Vigor to make his/her development successful. Diversity of work assignments. Requesting for feedback. Chances to coach other employees and finding good coaches for oneself. Developmental relationships that give a chance for an assortment of learning Managers; Managers are the head of Employee relations and are responsible for creating a rational, respectful, varied and high performance culture allowing employees to give their best effort. The post holder will improve, provide and uphold a business engrossed employee relation strategy that is to the point and ensures that the E.R team achieve their goals and work plan. The main responsibilities of a manager are; Head of discussions with any official union and staff relations with a purpose to successfully achieve positive outcome and comprehensive understandings to proposals which meet organisation objectives. Lead on the employee relations phases of projected variations to organization structure, employment levels and agreements to support the delivery of business goals. Donate to the considered development of the Human Resource function by introducing a progressive, business focused employee relations strategy that validates the current and future needs of an organization. Contribute to the sustained enhancement of the health of the organization by observing performance indicators, like sick leave, levels of grievances and disciplinaries , work/life balance, increasing initiatives and solutions to establish positive trends. Recognize and implement positive employee relations programmes, in discussion with the applicable stakeholder groups, that will increase effeciencey and motivation in the workforce. Deliver approachable and high quality support, training and advice to all parts of the business including senior managers to guarantee the to ensure appropriate management of all employee relations issues, including poor performance, grievances and disciplinary action. Manage and organize the people aspects of any streamlines within the organization, including redeployment and redundancy that must be completed within timescales and using the budgets. Ensure that the appropriate Human Resource support mechanisms are in place for staff. Give advice and direction regarding all the employee relations aspect of pay and reward projects, deviations to pay, terms and conditions of employment, pay reviews and their application. Improve and implement discussing mechanisms with trade unions which support the yearly pay and benefits with any organizational changes. Effectively manage all legal proceedings and Employment tribunal cases for the organization and act as the ‘Intelligent Client’ for retained lawyers, protecting the reputation and finances of the organization. Preserve relationships with internal diversity networks to enable the organizations targets to be met and contribute to the development and implementation of diversity action plans that fulfill the overall goals of employee relations. Lead a team and use good people management practices. Particularly with regard to performance management and career development. Organizations; One of the main functions of an organization in employee relations is to act as the employer’s spokesperson in pursuit to influence the broad policy environment in a manner conducive to their constituents’ interests (in this respect, it might be noted that the IR function was originally, and in many cases has remained, the cornerstone of the operations of many employers’ organizations). This representation role will remain significant. But â€Å"the ultimate credibility of employers’ organizations will depend on the provision of quality services to enterprises and their capacity and skill in negotiating on behalf of employers† (de Silva 1996:3). In this regard, considerable emphasis is now being given within the region to developing employers’ organizations as strong professional organizations. Priority is being given to strategic planning; developing direct services to members across a range of issues (eg, labour law, IR/HRM, labour market information, human resource development, etc); and providing the necessary internal capacities to deliver these services (which requires knowledgeable, well-trained technical staff, supported by sophisticated research and information bases). References: http://books.google.ae/books?id=FuUmIixUldwC&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=technological+changes+to+employee+relations+in+uk+from+1979&source=bl&ots=Ha2NfkrfnW&sig=DS13XkOYCpc8RFROwW1O2t_2kXY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-0HlUdDjC4KJrQf4ooCgDw&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=technological%20changes%20to%20employee%20relations%20in%20uk%20from%201979&f=false http://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/pluralistic-perspective.html http://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/unitary-perspective.html http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-unitarism-and-vs-pluralism/ http://www.earlhamsociologypages.co.uk/conthatnewright.html

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 10

Elder blossoms can be used for exorcism, protection, or prosperity, Bonnie read, lying flopped down on her bed, chin propped on her hands. Mix with comfrey and coltsfoot and bind in red silk during a waxing moon to make a charm bag for attracting wealth. Distill in a bath with lavender, feverfew, and motherwort for personal protection. Burn with hyssop, white sage, and devil's shoestring to create a smoke that can be used in exorcising bad spirits. Devil's shoestring? Was that real y an herb? Unlike most of the others, it didn't sound like something she'd find in her mother's garden. She sighed noisily and skipped ahead a little. The best herbs for aiding meditation are agrimony, chamomile, damiana, eyebright, and ginseng. They may be tossed together and burned to create smoke or, when picked at dawn, dried and sprinkled around the subject in a circle. Bonnie eyed the thick book baleful y. Pages and pages and pages of herbs and what their properties were in different circumstances, and when to gather them, and how to use them. Al written as dryly and dul y as her high school geometry textbook. She had always hated studying. The best thing about the summer between high school and col ege was that no one could expect her to spend any time tucked up with a heavy book, trying to memorize excessively boring facts. Yet here she was, doing just that, and she'd total y brought it on herself. But when she had asked Mrs. Flowers to teach her magic, she had expected something, wel , cooler than being handed a heavy book on herbs. Secretly, she had been hoping for one-on-one sessions that involved casting spel s, or flying, or summoning fantastical servants to do her bidding. Less reading quietly to herself, anyway. Shouldn't there be some way that magical knowledge could just implant itself in her brain? Like, wel , magical y? She flipped forward a few more pages. Ooh, this looked a bit more interesting. An amulet filled with cinnamon, cowslip, and dandelion leaves will help in attracting love and fulfilling secret desires. Gather the herbs in a gentle rain and, after drying, bind them with red velvet and gold thread. Bonnie giggled and kicked her feet against the mattress, thinking that she could probably come up with some secret desires to fulfil . Did she need to pick the cinnamon, or would it be okay to just get it out of the spice cupboard? She turned a few more pages. Herbs for clarity of sight, herbs for cleansing, herbs that had to be gathered under the ful moon or on a sunny day in June. She sighed once more and closed the book. It was past midnight. She listened, but the house was quiet. Her parents were sleeping. Now that her sister Mary, who'd been the last of Bonnie's three older sisters to leave home, had moved in with her boyfriend, Bonnie missed having her right down the hal . But there were also advantages to not having her nosy, bossy big sister so close. She climbed out of bed as quietly and cautiously as she could. Her parents weren't as sharp-eared as Mary, but they would come and check on her if they heard her getting up in the middle of the night. Careful y, Bonnie pried up a floorboard under her bed. She had used it as her hiding place ever since she was a little girl. At first she had kept a dol she'd borrowed from Mary without permission; a secret candy stash bought with her al owance; her favorite red silk ribbon. Later, she'd hidden notes from her first boyfriend, or tests she'd failed. Nothing as sinister as what was hidden there now, though. She lifted out another book just as thick as the volume on herbs Mrs. Flowers had lent her. But this one was olderlooking, with a dark leather cover wrinkled and softened by time. This book was from Mrs. Flowers's library, too, but Mrs. Flowers hadn't given it to her. Bonnie had snuck it off the shelf while Mrs. Flowers's back was turned, sliding it into her backpack and projecting her most innocent face when Mrs. Flowers's sharp eyes lingered on her afterward. Bonnie felt a bit guilty tricking Mrs. Flowers like that, especial y after the old woman agreed to mentor her. But, honestly, no one else would have had to sneak the book out in the first place. Any reason Meredith or Elena gave for wanting it would have immediately been accepted by everybody as right and true. They wouldn't even have to give a reason, just say that they needed the book. It was only Bonnie who would be sighed at and patted on the head – sweet, silly Bonnie – and stopped from doing what she wanted . Bonnie stubbornly set her chin and traced the letters on the book's cover. Traversing the Boundaries Between the Quick and the Dead, they read. Her heart was pounding as she opened the book to the page she'd marked earlier. But her hands were quite steady as she removed four candles, two white and two black, from beneath the floorboard. She struck a match, lit one of the black candles, and tilted it to drip wax on the floor beside her bed. When there was a little pool of melted wax, Bonnie pressed the bottom of the candle into it, so that it stood upright on the floor. â€Å"Fire in the North, protect me,† she intoned. She reached for a white candle. Plugged into its charger on the bedside table, her phone rang. Bonnie dropped the candle and swore. Leaning over, she picked up the phone to see who was cal ing. Elena. Of course. Elena never realized how late it was when she wanted to talk to somebody. Bonnie was tempted to press â€Å"ignore,† but thought better of it. Maybe this was a sign that she shouldn't perform the ritual after al , at least not tonight. Maybe she should do some more research first to make sure she was doing it right. Bonnie blew out the black candle and pushed the button to answer her phone. â€Å"Hey, Elena,† she said, hoping her friend didn't sense her irritation as she placed the book gently back under the floorboard. â€Å"What's up?† The ash was unbearably heavy. He strained against it, pushing at the blanket of gray holding him down. He clawed frantical y, a panicked part of him wondering whether he was even going upward at al , whether he might not instead be digging himself farther under the surface. One of his hands was clutched tightly around something – something fine and fibrous, like thin petals. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he shouldn't let go of it, and despite the fact that it hampered his struggle, he did not question this need to hold on. It seemed as if he were clawing at the thick ash forever, but final y his other hand broke through the crumbling layers and relief flooded his body. He'd been going the right way; he wasn't going to be buried forever. He reached out blindly, searching for something he could use to lever himself out. Ash and mud slid under his fingers, giving him nothing firm, and he floundered until he found what felt like a piece of wood in his grasp. The edges of the wood bit into his fingers as he clung to it as though it were a lifeline in a stormy ocean. He gradual y maneuvered his way up, slipping and sliding in the slick mud. With one last great effort, he wrenched his body out of the ash and mud, which gave a thick sucking noise as his shoulders emerged. He climbed to his knees, his muscles screaming in agony, then to his feet. He shuddered and shook, nauseated but euphoric, and wrapped his arms around his torso. But he couldn't see anything. He panicked until he realized something was holding his eyes shut. He scrubbed at his face until he detached sticky clumps of ashy mud from his eyelashes. After a moment, he was final y able to open his eyes. A desolate wasteland surrounded him. Blackened mud, puddles of water choked with ash. â€Å"Something terrible happened here,† he said hoarsely, the sound startling him. It was so profoundly quiet. It was freezing, and he realized he was naked, covered with only the same muddy ash that was everywhere. He hunched over and then, cursing himself for his momentary weakness, painful y straightened himself up. He had to†¦ He†¦ He couldn't remember. A drop of liquid ran down his face, and he wondered vaguely whether he was crying. Or was it the thick, shimmering fluid that was everywhere here, mixing with the ash and mud? Who was he? He didn't know that, either, and that blankness triggered a trembling in him that was quite separate from the shivering caused by the cold. His hand was stil clenched protectively around the unknown object, and he raised his fist and stared at it. After a moment, he slowly uncurled his fingers. Black fibers. Then a drop of the opalescent fluid ran across his palm, over the middle of the fibers. Where it touched, they transformed. It was hair. Silky blond and copper hair. Quite beautiful. He closed his fist again and held them against his chest, a new determination building inside him. He had to go. Through the haze, a clear picture of his destination sprang into his mind. He shuffled forward through the ash and mud, toward the castlelike gatehouse with high spires and heavy black doors that he somehow knew would be there.

Operating Philosophy Example

Operating Philosophy Example Operating Philosophy – Coursework Example How to Always Smile At Problems There are many different philosophies that people believe in to get through life. My biggest philosophy in life is this: â€Å"always smile at problems†. I have three values that guide this philosophy.Value 1: smiling at problems helps you look at a problem from a brighter angle. Like the famous saying a blessing in disguise or seeing the glass half full and not half empty. Life is full of stresses and it is too short to keep on brooding over our daily problems, that is why you need to smile at your problems and move on.Value 2: smiling at problems relieves stress by uplifting our moods. Holding on to our problems can sometimes drag us into depression. But if we could just smile and remind ourselves that there is no gain without pain, then we can be relieved from our problems very easily. This is because we would try to forget we have problems since other solve even bigger problems and they are not crying everywhere.Value 3: smiling at our probl ems makes us beautiful. Stress and depression can often be seen by other people by our skin, facial expression and our grooming. A stressed out person is badly groomed since their problems overshadows every aspect of their lives. It is consoling to remember that smiling reduces aging. If only we can smile knowing that our problems keeps us alive since only dead people have no drama in their lives.Smile at your problems and remember that without problems you would never know your true friends. Moreover, problems give you stories to tell not to mention the experience we gain from those problems.Finally smiling leads to laughter which is the cure for all diseases and uplifts spirits. You sleep soundly when you smile and it makes you fresh and bright in the morning.

The History and Invention of Peanut Butter

The History and Invention of Peanut Butter It’s one of the country’s favorite things to spread over bread. We dip celery sticks in it. It’s often baked into cookies and countless deserts. I’m talking about peanut butter and as a whole Americans consume tons of the pulverized pea about a billion pounds worth each year. That’s roughly $800 spent annually and  a booming increase from the roughly two million  pounds produced at the turn of the 20th century. Peanuts were first cultivated as food in South America and natives in the region began turning them into grounded up paste roughly 3,000 years ago. The kind of peanut butter that the Incas and Aztecs made was of course much different from the manufactured stuff sold in grocery stores today. The more modern story of peanut butter actually began towards the end of the 19th century, not too long after farmers began mass commercializing the crop that was suddenly in demand after the civil war. A Nutty Controversy So who invented peanut butter? Its hard to say. In fact, there appears to be some disagreement among food historians over who deserves the honor. One historian, Eleanor Rosakranse, says a woman from New York named Rose Davis started making peanut butter as early as the 1840’s after her son reported seeing women in Cuba grinding peanuts into a pulp and smearing it onto bread.      Ã‚   Then there are some who think the credit should go to Marcellus Gilmore Edson, a Canadian chemist who in 1884 filed and was granted the first patent in the United States for what he called â€Å"peanut-candy.† Conceived as a kind of flavoring paste, the process described running roasted peanuts through a heated mill to produce a fluid or semi-fluid byproduct that cools into a consistency like that of butter, lard, or ointment. However, there wasn’t any indication that Edson made or sold peanut butter as a commercial product. A case can also be made for a St. Louis businessman named George A. Bayle, who began packaging and selling peanut butter through his food manufacturing company. It’s believed that the idea was born out of a collaboration with a doctor who had been seeking a way for his patients who were unable to chew meat to ingest protein. Bayle also ran advertisements in the early 1920’s proclaiming his company to be the â€Å"Original Manufacturers of Peanut Butter.† Cans of Bayle’s Peanut Butter came with labels touting this claim as well. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg It isn’t difficult to find those who dispute this claim as many have argued that the honor should go to none other than the influential Seventh-day Adventist Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Indeed, the National Peanut Board states that Kellogg received a patent in 1896 for a technique he developed for making peanut butter. There’s also an 1897 advertisement for Kellogg’s Sanitas company Nut Butters that pre-dates all other competitors. More importantly, though, Kellogg was a tireless promoter of peanut butter. He travelled extensively throughout the country giving lectures on its benefits of to health. Kellogg even served peanut butter to his patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, a health resort with treatment programs supported by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The one big knock on Kellogg’s claim as the father of modern day peanut butter is that his disastrous decision to switch from roasted nuts to steamed nuts resulted in a product that barely resembled the ubiquitous jarred goodness found on store shelves today. Kellogg also  in an indirect way played a part in the production of peanut butter reaching a mass scale. John Lambert, an employee of Kellogg’s who was involved in the nut butter business, eventually left in 1896 and founded a company to develop and manufacture industrial strength peanut-grinding machines. He would soon have competition as another machine manufacturer, Ambrose Straub, was granted a patent for one of the earliest peanut butter machines in 1903. The machines made the process easier as making peanut butter had been quite tedious. Peanuts were first grounded using a mortar and pestle before being put through a meat grinder. Even then, it was hard to achieve the desired consistency.    Peanut Butter Goes Global In 1904, peanut butter was introduced to the wider public at the World’s Fair in St. Louis. According to the book â€Å"Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food,† a concessionaire named C.H. Sumner was the only vendor to sell peanut butter. Using one of Ambrose Straub’s peanut butter machines, Sumner sold $705.11 worth of peanut butter. That same year, the Beech-Nut Packing Company became the first nationwide brand to market peanut butter and continued to distribute the product until 1956. Other notable early brands to follow suit were the Heinz company, which entered the market in 1909 and the Krema Nut Company, an Ohio-based operation that survives to this day as the world’s oldest peanut butter company. Soon more and more companies would start selling peanut butter as a disastrous mass invasion of boll weevils ravaged the south, destroying much of cotton crop yields that had long been a staple of the region’s farmers. Thus the food industry’s growing interest in peanut was fueled in part by many farmers turning to peanuts as a replacement. Even as demand for peanut butter grew, it was primarily being sold as a regional product. In fact, Krema founder Benton Black once proudly boasted â€Å"I refuse to sell outside Ohio.† While it may sound today like a bad way of doing business, it made sense at the time as grounded peanut butter was unstable and best distributed locally. The problem was that, as the oil separated from the peanut butter solids, it would rise to the top and quickly spoil with exposure to light and oxygen.                All that changed in the 1920’s when a businessman named Joseph Rosefield patented a process called â€Å"Peanut butter and process of manufacturing the same,† which describes how hydrogenation of peanut oil can be used to keep the peanut butter from coming apart. Rosefield began licensing the patent to food  companies  before he decided to go off on his own and launch his own brand. Rosefields Skippy peanut butter, along with Peter Pan and Jif, would go on to become the most successful and recognizable names in the business.

Company Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Company Strategy - Essay Example 9) There are several opportunities. Beer, being a luxury product, depends on the economy to stimulate demand. With the economic development of the developing nations, the demand for higher quality beverages, and hence beer is set to grow (Asia Pacific Breweries, n.d., p. 1; Diageo, n.d., p. 13; Krones AG, n.d., online). Alcohol consumption in Eastern Europe, Asia, Indochina (Vietnam and Cambodia), and America is rising (Asia Pacific Breweries Limited, n.d., p. 1; Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 8). Even in mature market such as Europe, opportunities exist as they have the highest per capita alcohol consumption in the world (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 12). Opportunities exist for localised products as the market is fragmented due to differences in taste around the world, as well as national barriers to trade that stipulate the allowable ingredients, alcoholic content level, and size of containers of beer (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 5). For example, the Chinese prefers lighter tasting beer (Asia Pacific B reweries Limited, n.d., p. 4). Moreover, in certain countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, legislation is not so strict. Marketing and advertising are still self-regulated by the industry (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 15). In the beer industry, the critical success factors for brewing fine beer are the brewer's marketing image and the recipe (Moen, 1997, online). Lastly, moderate amount of drinking is beneficial for health (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 22). It is even considered as food in most of Europe (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 25). The threats facing Guinness are strict legislation and decreasing demand. Increased focus on public health by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and some national governments lead them to urge for... The critical success factor of marketing image implies that a differentiation strategy is appropriate. In spite of the growing markets in other regions such as Asia, Eastern Europe, and Indochina, as well as the mature Europe market, Guinness has a low market share in the former. Moreover, these growing markets typically have less stringent legislation in contrast to the increasingly stricter legislation in Europe. A managerial implication is that Guinness should consider expanding its market beyond Europe. Lastly, the managerial implication of fragmented markets is the adoption of localization strategy. The beer industry sees a consolidation in recent years that mitigates competition. The intensity of competition is low, with only a few key competitors in each market. This includes Heineken in Ireland, both Heineken and SABMiller in Africa, and Carlsberg in Malaysia. In the beer industry, the customers are retail shops and wholesalers. Hence, the bargaining power of buyers is low, because they are fragmented, compared to a few large beer breweries. Suppliers of ingredients of beer such as tequila, neutral spirits, molasses, rum, cereals, sugar, and a number of flavors are located around the globe. Hence, the bargaining power of suppliers is low. Moreover, sourcing for suppliers globally reduces their bargaining power. This is because the raw materials of beer are mostly agricultural products which price depends on the weather conditions and governmental control. Hence, buying from the global market diversifies risk.

Marketing Plan Report - Introducing Five Guys Burger to Kuwait Assignment

Marketing Plan Report - Introducing Five Guys Burger to Kuwait - Assignment Example Using promotion aligned with psychographic traits related to the consumer behaviour, Five Guys can gain brand recognition and, ultimately, brand preference with its focus on integrated marketing communications and positioning on quality. Five Guys Burger Restaurants is a casual, fast food restaurant headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia in the United States. The company maintains a menu that is focused on hamburgers, kosher hot dogs and a variety of different sandwiches. Between 2010 and 2011, the company experienced revenue growth of over 32 percent (York 2012). In the United States, Five Guys Burger is positioned as being a better burger, with a high level of emphasis on quality ingredients to differentiate the business from domestic American competition. However, the U.S. marketplace, in terms of fast food restaurants, is highly saturated and it is difficult to achieve growth in a rapidly maturing market. As a result, Five Guys Burger Restaurants is seeking new market opportunities in foreign markets where there is less competitive saturation and where consumer characteristics are favourable for achieving market growth and building a positive brand reputation. This report identifies potential market opportunities in Kuwait, a developing nation, for Five Guys Burger to establish a potent competitive identity. The report provides justification for market entry in this country, an analysis of competitors in the region, the cultural profile for viable consumer segments in Kuwait, and an appropriate targeting strategy and positioning strategy to achieve the objectives of growth for the company. Additionally, the report provides appropriate recommendations, based on market conditions, for ensuring success in this new foreign investment. Five Guys differs from its other American competitors, offering only fresh beef and promoting that the company does not maintain any freezers in its

Bonds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bonds - Essay Example On yield, even though TGT bonds have a lower yield rate that would result in higher price volatility, the difference of 1% is not significant enough to overshadow the other factors. WTM bonds therefore have higher price volatility. The duration based estimate of return is different from the actual return calculated based on expected price changes because of the following reasons. First, the duration-based approach views the entire duration of the bond from a given point in time. Given that the bonds earn interest at different rates, the durations for the bonds are also different and are less than their terms respectively. Also, when durations are considered, bond prices are affected hence resulting in different interest rates of return. Changes in prices, which are imminent in this case, are also not taken into consideration in the former case contributing to the difference. I think the interest rate for WMT bonds are going to fall over the next year. This is because of lower interest rates and longer duration that would result into lesser demand for the bonds hence a reduction in prices. However, I expect the TGT bond prices to rise because of higher interest rates and shorter durations. I would therefore recommend the WMT bonds since over the next year their prices will rise and you can sell them for a greater price than you will buy them and at the same time get higher interest over the

The Meaning of Life -Opinion Essay Example for Free

The Meaning of Life -Opinion Essay My beliefs on the meaning of life in religion and interpretation of such things. In approaching the question of the meaning of life we have to examine the nature of meaning itself. Meaning, is by definition the point, or the intended goal. Consider the point of humans and the universe as seen from monotheistic religion. If life and the universe is some sort of toy or form of entertainment for some greater being, his point, his own entertainment, would then be the meaning of humans and the universe. Consider the goals of the deities of various cultures. Some strive for a balance between the forces of good and evil. This balance seems to simply be a choice of the deity, the way he thinks it ought to be. The concept of a greater being as a source of the meaning of life is flawed, because in talking about an actual point to absolutely everything, we are simply considering the goals of a being more powerful than ourselves who has chosen one of many possible goals that humans can conceive. This is to say that, if a god like this exists, his goal for life and the universe is not necessarily valid as a meaning of life, the universe, and himself. For instance, the Bible claims that the Christian deity created the universe and placed humans in it that they might be in awe of his power. If this is so, why is worship the correct response? The meaning of the universe as created by God is the entertainment of God, but what is the meaning of the larger system containing God and his creations? We could conceive of an even greater being, but that simply takes us all the way back into the wall of infinite regression. When I first read the Bible, it struck me as neutral on the idea of worship. The Bible flat out tells you that God created humans so that they would be in awe of him, which amounts to saying God created us to inflate his ego. We are to God as our pets are to ourselves, sources of unconditional love. In the book of Job, God essentially makes a gentlemans bet with Satan that Jobs worship is genuine and not inspired by Gods kindness. In other words, you throw a rock at my dog and Ill swing my arm so it looks I threw it, and well see if he still comes when I call him. In the end, Job is not simply the dog, because he questions Gods throwing of the rock. Gods response is consistent with his goal of inspiring awe. Even though the idea of a bet with Satan is well within Jobs grasp, God claims that his purpose was inconceivable to Job. God is simply fortifying the concept that is critical to the continuance of human worship: that with inconceivable power comes incredible intelligence and unknowable purpose. The narrator of the Bible, which is supposedly God himself, speaking through humans, never directly says that he should be worshipped. This is merely the interpretation of humans, who may be created in Gods image with one crucial difference, the need to worship. Perhaps then, God is after the meaning of life. Imagine a being so powerful as to be able to create and mold the universe, who, like Roman and Greek gods, is only marginally more intelligent than his creations. Perhaps God, in all his ridiculous power, cannot change himself. In order to find the meaning of his own existence he creates the human race so that we might evolve to an intelligence greater than his own, in much the same way that a computer programmer wishes to create true AI, an intelligence greater than human, which might evolve within a computer. We are given the title of pet and the instinct of worship while the creator waits for a companion in the search for meaning. Of course this is wrong, or I would have been struck by a lightning bolt during that last sentence and brought to Gods side. Or perhaps God is not aware of his own success yet, or perhaps I am not the first to uncover Gods purpose, and my predecessor is debating meaning with God as we speak. Or perhaps I am intended to continue to search from the perspective that has proved so useful. In any case, this may amount to Christianity being a giant misunderstanding. At the very least, it means I can walk up to a Christian, tell him I believe in God and everything in the Bible, and ask him what the candles and the cathedrals are for. Back again to the one and only point: if a meaning exists it is not necessarily the purpose of our creation or existence. It has a larger scope, and can refer to the meaning of the existence of the being or force creating us, if such a force exists. This whole essay may seem simply a chance to bash Christianity and give intelligence even more of a right to inspire ego. Yet is it not the egotistical nature that is present in celebrating the most God-like trait in man, his intelligence, more forgivable and less blinding than the egotististical nature of comparing the meaning of ourselves to the meaning of the universe?

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Essay -- Muscle Disorder Psuedohypertrophi

Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, also known as psuedohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, is a typical sex-linked disorder in which the muscles degenerate throughout a person's life. It literally means "faulty nutrition of the muscles." Muscular Dystrophy has no cures, and this particular type of muscular dystrophy affects only males. One in 3,500 baby boys are born with this disorder and survival is rare beyond the early 30s, death is usually caused by a respiratory disease. (ygyh.org) Duchenne's muscular dystrophy is named after the French neurologist, Guillaume B. A. Duchenne, who lived from 1806 to 1875. In 1861 he became the first person to describe the disorder. In 1951 Elizabeth Shull Russell, an American geneticist, accidentally observed Duchenne's muscular dystrophy in a colony of mice with which she was working. Over a number of years she discovered that muscular dystrophy was a sex linked trait contained on the x-chromosome. (Narins, 798.) Sex-linked disorders only affect males and are passed down through female carriers. A boy inherits the disorder when he receives an X chromosome with a mutated dystrophin gene (the genetic cause) from his mother. The dystrophin gene is the largest gene found in nature and was identified through a positional cloning approach. It's a highly complex gene, a large rod-like cytoskeletal protein which is found at the inner surface of muscle fibers. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Three different tests are used to determine if a male has Duchenne's muscular dystrophy. A CPK (also known as a CK) assay will detect muscle damage, but not the source. CPK is an abbreviation for Creatine Kinase Assay, which is essentially a blood test. Muscle biopsies are also common, a needle is inserted... ...nerated and replaced by fat. Recently, specific compounds in the oil have been identified, they produce regeneration that is even more amazing than that produced by the oil itself. (Gerras, 1056) This form of MD is normally appears in males, but there are a few extremely rare cases where it has appeared in females. Most of the statistics found only dealt with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the U.S., so it is assumed that the disorder is more prominent in the United States. Also, there was no evidence that it affected any race more than another. (www.ygyh.org) Concluding, Duchenne?s muscular dystrophy is an excellent example of a sex-linked disease. Unfortunately, there is no cure but research is being used to find more effective treatments. Most deaths caused by the disorder aren?t directly due to the muscles, but due to a respiratory disease or disorder.

The History of the Boston Massacre

I was interested in the Boston Massacre and found many testimonies and other primary resources there. However, as I read through I was intrigued by a comment in my readings about Captain Thomas Preston’s â€Å"London Letter†. In Preston’s letter to London, he intended only Londoners to read it and when the article was later published in the Boston Gazette it added annoyance to the already frustrated public in Boston. I was now, intrigued and determined to find Captain Preston’s newspaper article. I, then, asked for help from the research and technology desk.They guided me through the library database to find a website called American Historical Newspapers. They had many articles from 1700-1850 and I was able to find the actual article, with Captain Preston’s recollection of the â€Å"unhappy affair† (Preston’s quote), posted in the Boston Gazette from June 25th 1770, as well as, the original letter to London first published, in April 2 8th, in the London newspaper the Essex Gazette. Originally this article was a letter sent by Captain Thomas Preston, to London intended for â€Å"His Majesty† the king. The letter was delivered to the Essex Gazette, a London newspaper, and printed in April 28th 1770.Captain Preston produced this account of what came to be known as the Boston Massacre, after being jailed and accused of ordering his men to â€Å"fire on a crowd of angry townspeople†. Two months later, (the amount of time it takes to get to America from London by ship) the Boston Gazette published Captain Preston’s article under the headline, â€Å"A Narrative of the Late Transactions at Boston. † During the trial of Captain Preston and his soldiers, copies of â€Å"A Narrative of the Late Transactions at Boston† began to circulate around Boston and surrounding areas.Captain Preston’s descriptions of the events were biased and unsympathetic to the townspeople, painting a pictur e of the soldiers trying to do their job and the townspeople not abiding and being â€Å"unruly† and â€Å"abusive†. Captain Preston declares that leading up to the incident the townspeople had increasingly â€Å"provoked and abused the soldiers†. Furthermore, Preston explains that an informant had warned him that there was a â€Å"mob† of angry townspeople that were planning to storm his soldier’s barracks â€Å"carry off a soldier and murder him†.Preston goes so far as to pin the guilt of giving the order to shoot by yelling â€Å"fire, fire† on members of the â€Å"unruly mob† and assures the reader that he was yelling â€Å"don’t fire†. Captain Preston never deviates from the staunch defense of his innocence and the threat to himself and his soldier’s lives throughout his entire narrative. Preston’s article being published in the Essex Gazette reveals that he is attempting to rally support for hi s innocence, from not only the king but all of London too. When the Boston Gazette printed the article they did not change the words of Captain Preston’s letter to London.They instead must have realized their audience, the Boston public, would receive Captain Preston’s description of the events much differently than the king or the people of London did. However, the Boston Gazette editor does put a negative introduction of the article at the top of Captain Preston’s letter to London, stating â€Å"how greatly the conduct of the town has been misrepresented. † This quote reveals the stark contrast of interpretation of the letter between the king of England and the Boston public.Both newspapers print the same article but have two completely different audiences with two completely different opinions of the need for British troops in Boston. The American Promise text, uses a more comprehensive approach when explaining the events of the Boston Massacre. The te xt gives more information about the transactions between the Bostonians and the soldiers leading up to the bloodshed on March 5th, 1770. For example, the soldiers are explained as â€Å"grating on the nerves of the Bostonians† by conducting drills on the town Common and â€Å"playing loud music on the Sabbath†, a day of rest and contemplation for the townspeople.Furthermore, during this time, colonists were beginning to assert their independence from England by boycotting trade with the Nonconsumption Agreements in 1768 and the Virginia Resolves in 1765. This period of time in the colonies is glutted with conflict between the uncompromising rule of the monarchy of England and the desire for representation and independence of the colonies. These two aforementioned Captain Preston’s recollection of the events were, like all peoples point of view, biased and sympathetic to oneself. The Bostonians had a contrasting interpretation of the events.And the textbook seems to collect all of these opinions and present them the best that it can. By reading Captain Preston’s primary document about the Boston Massacre, one can get a deeper understanding of what his emotional response was to the events. Reading someone’s opinion of an event draws the reader into the author’s point of view for a few moments and allows one to begin to understand what it must have felt like for the author. Primary documents have are a great way to step back in time and look at the world through someone else’s eyes. Someone who has grown up in a different place with different rules and standards.