Literature Comparison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Literature Comparison - Essay Example The charismatic leader must base his or her aura and exceptional 'gifts' on the emotional appeal of their followers. The charismatic leader can see a clear vision and stimulates the follower to follow it and become just as elevated as the leader. Negative aspects of the charismatic leader may include streaks of narcissism, self-aggrandizement, and a forced or contrived distance from followers, all in the efforts of maintaining hero status. Miller contrasts the charismatic leader with the transformational, or transforming leader as expounded by Burns, but importantly expanded with Boulding's theory of love. Burns theory defines the transformational leader as one who basically seeks to convert followers into leaders and into moral agents. Boulding’s identifies love as a type of power. There is no power outside of human valuation. Power integrates human valuation within organizations, and 'the most fundamental form of integrative power is the power of love' (p, 184) There is no c ompetitive, opposing, or abusive force in Boulding's concept of power. Merged into Burn’s view, love becomes the integrator and the enabling force allowing the transforming leader to empower the follower by letting them have and pursue their own vision, and to enable a dimension of mutual interaction where both leader and follower are being transformed. The leader is able to see that the followers’ visions can align with that of the organization in a cooperative and sharing way. Leaders in this way learn from followers just as followers learn from leaders. Whereas the charismatic leader must seek agreement and commitment from followers as to a certain vision he or she is credited with having, the transforming leader offers a context for sharing and participation in the process of vision making. Weiner’s shapes a picture of the transformational leader as one who is more combative and confrontational. Importantly it is based on the theories of educator Paulo Freir e. Freire pursued his theories from a personal knowledge of poverty and hunger and essentially sought to make structural changes in the way education was being delivered to the poor. Weiner portrays the leader as doing â€Å"oppositional work† but working within the cultural hegemony as theorized by Antonio Gramsci. Gramsi refined Marxism to recognize that there was a civil society that was accepted by most people. This society had values and beliefs that formed a hegemony. Gramsi believed that this cultural hegemony could be changed from the inside, gradually, without a violent overthrow. This was basically Friere’s belief, that he could educate the poor and that they themselves could bring structural change upon society. Weiner writes as if teachers are continuously battling neoliberal and right wing ideology. But he accepts Freire’s message as one of social justice and democracy. Freire dedicated his life to serving the poor. Through his example Weiner is abl e to define the transformational leader as an activist one who is dedicated to change but who, importantly, works within the â€Å"dominant structures of power and authority† to serve the poor (p. 91). Today we can ask ourselves what kinds of leaders are appropriate in a world that has just experienced a great economic recession and the wants and needs of the poor and have-nots have become more sharp and bare? Miller noted the charismatic corporation heads who seem to continuously highlight themselves today,

Zaras Supply Chain Managment Essay Example for Free

Zaras Supply Chain Managment Essay Abstract This case essay provides a business analysis on Zarathe most profitable and well-known fast fashion brand under the world’s largest fashion distributor Inditex Group. The analysis will evaluate Zara by using Porter Models, looking at its Supply Chain Management and defining its current IT challenges. Then, the essay will discuss the costs and benefits of upgrading to the new OS systems. The essay will give recommendations on whether Zara should upgrade its POS terminals after considering all above factors. Case Summary Founded by Amancio Ortega, the richest man in Spain and its biggest shareholder, Zara is a clothing and accessories retailer that opened its first store in La Coruna, Spain in 1975. Zara has been operated under Inditex Group, the world’s largest fashion distributor, since 1985. Zara was originated on a simple business idea explained by the CEO of the company Jose Maria Castellano Rois who joined Inditex in 1997 that: Link customer demand to manufacturing, and link manufacturing to distribution. (McAfee, Dessain, Sjoman, 2007) As a flagship chain store of the company, Zara plays a very important role in the Inditex Group. By 2003, Inditex has 1558 stores in 45 countries which nearly one third of them were part of the Zara Chain. For the fiscal year of 2002, Inditex’s net income was posted as â‚ ¬438 million on â‚ ¬3,974 million revenue, which Zara alone generated nearly three quarters of sales. Women clothing accounts for 60% of Zara’s sales, and Menâ€℠¢s and Children’s segment each accounts for about 20%. (McAfee, Dessain, Sjoman, 2007) Zara’s operation system is very critical. Compare to other companies that it takes them about six months to develop a product and deliver it to the store, Zara only needs three weeks to complete the whole procedure. And Zara launches about 11,000 garment items on average each year. (Business Week, 2006) Only the fast speed of Supply Chain Management (SCM) can assure Zara to respond very quickly to the demand of target customers who are young, fashion-conscious city dwellers. And to reach its goal to quickly respond to customer demand, Zara developed three cyclical processes from ordering to fulfillment to design and manufacturing. Zara’s Information Technology has matches its preferences for speed and decentralized decision-making. There’s no CIO within Zara, but instead, Salgado and Castellano are on board of the technology committee who makes decisions around IT. Due to Zara’s business uniqueness, most of its IT applications are established internally by its IS department rather than buying commercially available software or outsourcing. At August 2003, Salgado and Sanchez must make a decision on whether Zara should upgrade its operating system or not. In every Zara store, there are basically two technological systems that are used—PDAs (short for Personal Digital Assistant) and POS (Point of Sales) terminals. PDAs are handhelds that were used primarily for ordering and were upgraded constantly. POS terminals are cashier computer systems with Zara’s own application installed and had remained unchanged for over a decade. Zara, at 2003, was using the DOS operating system that was no longer supported by Microsoft. The POS application that was ran on top of the DOS system worked very fine and efficient for Zara so Sanchez insists on not changing it. Salgado, on the other hand, thinks that there are potential problems with the outdated system and there are rooms for improvement if they upgrade it with a new system. As far as the debate could go, the two men need to agree on a decision and come up with a solution for this challenge. Business Analysis To help Mr. Salgado and Mr. Sanchez to solve this tough problem, we need to firstly understand Zara’s business model. I will use Michael Porter’s Generic Strategies, Five Forces and Value Chain to analyze Zara Company. Generic Strategy Among the three generic business strategies Dr. Porter identified, which are (1) broad cost leadership, (2) broad differentiation, and (3) focused strategy, I think Zara inherited both cost leadership strategy the differentiation strategy. Zara differentiates itself from the rest of the clothing industry not only by offering unique products but also by having full control of its operation processes. As Daniel Piette, LVMH’s fashion director, described as â€Å"Possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world†, Zara truly has its unique business philosophy. (CNN Business, 2001) Zara meets its customers’ expectation by delivering the latest fashion lines at affordable prices the soonest it can. This concept itself is unique enough. Unlike high-end designer brands that offer limited exclusive lines at big prices, or like some other clothing retailers that offer trendy styles at low costs but poor qualities, Zara is able to bring the newest fashion into mass production and deliver them to people with a normal quality for very good prices. While most of the clothing or textile companies rely on outsourcing and cheap labors from China, Zara established a vertically integrated operation system. (Osterwalder, 2005) Customer demands are Zara’s heavenly goal, and Zara collects them from its stores throughout the world. Zara has its own â€Å"commercials† that make decisions on what to design and produce. Zara owns a group of factories around La Coruna and near Spain to finish manufacture and production quickly. Zara is able to use this network to move a new design from concept through production and into the Distribution Center in as little as three weeks. And deliveries to the store usually take only one to two days via various transportation methods. Jeffrey Ballinger, a Harvard researcher and director of pressure group Press of Change, said that. â€Å"Zara has turned control over garment factories into a competitive advantage.† (CNN Business, 2001) Zara’s differentiation strategy results in a low cost strategy. Zara uses a low cost structure than its competitors to cut cost. Unlike fashion brands that creates or used well-known designers or design groups that cost millions of dollars, and produce with exotic, rare to find fabrics. Zara takes its designs from its â€Å"commercials† and use easy to find textile to not only react to changes quickly but also cut the majority of the cost, therefore, Zara can always offers a lower price. Zara’s generic strategies—both differentiation strategy and low cost strategy are due to Zara’s closeness to its customers. Zara’s designs are generated from preferences collected in the store, and Zara is able to satisfy its customer by taking full control of the operation process and therefore, fulfilling customers’ demand quickly. The ability to transform this close relationship into a value proposition gives Zara complete advantage over its competitors. (Osterwalder, 2005) Five Forces Michael Porter’s Five Forces can be used to identify Zara’s competitive forces within the environment to assess the potential profitability in the clothing retail industry. According to Paige Baltzan, Five Forces’ purpose is to â€Å"combat these competitive forces by identifying opportunities, competitive advantages, and competitive intelligence. If the forces are strong, they can increase competition.† (Baltzan, 2010) Below, I will discuss Zara’s competitiveness from the five forces. 1, Buyer Power—is the ability of buyers to affect the price they must pay for an item. (Baltzan, 2010) Buyer power is not very strong in Zara’s case. Customers who buy from Zara know exactly what kind of merchandises they are purchasing from this brand—trendy fashionable items with a normal quality for a good price. Since Zara has 531 stores over the world, it has a large number of customers. Since Zara’s garments have â€Å"fairly short life spans† (McAfee, Dessain, Sjoman, 2007), it creates a sense of urgency for customers. Customers know that if they don’t buy the item this time because they are hesitating on the price, they may not even be able to find it next time they visit the store. This gives Zara power to name its own price, but of course, within a reasonable â€Å"Zara price range†. Although there are brands like Gap, HM, Benetton and so on to compete with Zara, the unique fashionable items that are offered at Zara, which c hange constantly, makes the switching costs high for Zara. There are definitely loyalties in Zara’s customers who check out the store frequently hunting for new items as soon as they are available. 2, Supplier Power—consists of all parties involved, directly or indirectly, in obtaining raw materials or a products. (Baltzan, 2010) Zara’s operation structure gives it a comparably lower supplier power. Clothing retail industries rely on their manufactories to produce their garments, so usually their suppliers have high bargaining power. If the price of cotton goes up, the whole industry is likely to be influenced and therefore, their cost will go up, their merchant price will rise as well. However, since Zara owns its factories, Zara is its own supplier. Supplier power is comparably lower than its competitors. 3, Threat of Substitute Products or Service—is high when there are many alternatives to a product or service. (Baltzan, 2010) The thread of substitutes is low for Zara. Even the fashion industry is very unpredictable and Zara has a lot of competitors wanting to make the next big fashion trend, Zara is still distinctive because it is known for constant innovations and designs for the latest fashion. No competitors of Zara could catch up its speed on producing so many items a year and deliver that fast. 4, Threat of New Entrants—is high when it is easy for new competitors to enter a market. (Baltzan, 2010) The enter barrier to create a company that is similar to Zara is high so the threat of new entrant to Zara is low. Profitability always attracts investment to enter the industry, and in fact, there are new entrants all the time. However, Zara’s business model is quite unique and difficult to copy. Zara has already built its reputation, and is the leading company in the industry. It will be hard to achieve what Zara has. It also takes time and capital to establish a successful company like Zara. It is hard to gather all the resources including talented people like what Zara has to create an industry giant. There are going to be some threats of new entrants but not that big of the influence to Zara. 5, Rivalry among Existing Competitors—is high when competition is fierce in a market. (Baltzan, 2010) Since there is not many similar fast fashion stores in the market, Zara’s rivalry is low among existing competitors. Zara’s existing competitions come from sharing the same clothing retail industry, but not so much from what Zara is specialized in—fast fashion. So again, Zara distinguishes from other competitors for its products and speed, and so far competition for Zara is not that fierce within the market. Value Chain Analysis Support Value Activities Value Added Michael Porter created value chain analysis to identify competitive advantages by viewing a firm as a series of business processes that each adds value to the product or service. (Baltzan, 2010) By identifying Zara’s value chain, we can determine the ways in which Zara can implement IT or add value to its products and services. Primary Value Activities As it was described in the case, Zara’s primary value activities are Ordering, Fulfillment, Design and Manufacturing, Distribution and Store Operations. Store managers at Zara place an order to La Coruna twice a week encompassing both replenishment of existing items and initial requests for newly available garments. Commercials at La Coruna then fulfill and ship clothes to stores to satisfy their orders. Zara has its own team of design who amazingly produce approximately 11,000 new items a year. Zara also has a vertically integrated manufacturing operation system that moves its design to production quickly. Zara’s distribution center then transport and distribute Zara products to stores. Zara stores are responsible for selling items and collecting customer preference for fashion trends. These primary activities consist all basic business activities happen within the company everyday. Zara’s Support Value Activities, like many other companies, are Administration, Information Technology, Human Resources and Procurement. Zara’s approach to IT is consistent with its preference for speed and decentralized decision making. (McAfee, Dessain, Sjoman, 2007) IT team, who creates most of the applications that Zara uses internally, supports Zara to function the best way it can and supports well. Zara’s IT is used in store operations, logistics, administrations and so on. It has reduced the overhead cost in many areas, and therefore, has helped Zara to achieve a cost advantage. Implementations of Porter Models Zara differentiates itself from the rest of the industry for its concept of fast fashion at an affordable price. And this is done and supported by not only Zara’s talented employees such as powerful store managers and commercials but also by the IT Zara employs. Information plays an important role through Zara’s supply chain management. Information of customer preference was collected from the store and transferred to commercials so that they can generate the right products quickly. Information of SKUs (stock-keeping-units) was communicated so that the Distribution Center knows what to replenish to stores twice a week. IT adds value to Zara in almost every primary and supportive activity in the value chain. Zara used IT in terms of functional processes and decision level. Even Mr. Sanchez states that the current system is stable, effective and easy to use, there are still many potential risks and problems and there is a big room for Zara’s IT to improve so that the operation could perform even better. Zara POS terminals are run on DOS operating system that is not supported by Microsoft any more. Zara also uses the PDAs to make orders and handle returns. (McAfee, Dessain, Sjoman, 2007) As important as sales information is, Zara’s POS terminals were not connected to one another via any in-store network, so employees have to transport all the information on a disk and to the one modem-equipped terminal to accomplish transaction. This process is inefficient and has many potential risks of losing the information. PDAs also use the same terminal’s modem to receive the offer and transmit the order. Within a store, POS terminals and PDAs could not share information. That being said, one the terminal modem is dead or has some kind of flaws, the whole store operation will be delayed or stopped. Then, Zara will lose its competitive advantages from its five forces in the market and less value will be added to the value chain. As a result, its generic strategy won’t work as well. Solution Evaluation The question is: should Zara choose to upgrade its POS system? Nicholas G. Carr explained in his article It Doesn’t Matter that IT has lost its ability to create a sustainable competitive advantage and suggested companies not to try new technologies but follow the ones that have been tested to reduce risks. (Carr, 2003) But from the study of all publically traded companies in the article Investing in the IT we learned that there is an industry concentration that large share of the market is concentrated from a small number of companies. (AcAfee Brynjolfsson, 2008) As where Zara stands in the clothing company, it definitely doesn’t want to lose its competitiveness as one of the small group of companies who hold a large piece of pie from the market. The case problem is a semi-structured one since we only know some of the valuables and it is hard to measure the future value of the result. Peter Drucker said that â€Å"If you can’t measure it, don’t do it.† Within Zara company, Salgado and Castellano were only involved early in discussion of initiative that might include computerization. They only determine what new system there is department should purchase or who should work on them without further conductions for cost/benefit analyses. However, I will give a financial forecast using the numbers given in the case to show whether upgrading the system would add value to Zara or not. Cost analysis From Exhibit 13 of the case, we can collect some data and ideas of how much it will cost Zara if it decides to upgrade the system. The company can try the new system in a few stores first to test the efficiency. However, my calculation is based on installing the Windows Operating System throughout all 531 Zara stores average five terminals per store within a year. (Despite new store openings) Total cost to purchase and maintain the Windows OS system per terminal is â‚ ¬170. Hardware required to install in the store including POS terminals, wireless router and wireless Ethernet card cost â‚ ¬5,430. High-speed Internet connection will cost â‚ ¬240 per store annually. Time required per store to install new POS terminals with new POS application, establish wireless network and train staff is 32 hours, which convert to four days of work. Cost per day will be â‚ ¬2,000 times four days, and that gives â‚ ¬8,000 expenditure per store. So, total cost per store to completely install the new OS system with new POS application ready to perform daily tasks is â‚ ¬14,520. Total programming time required to port existing POS application to new OS and expand POS application to include some new features is 20,000 hours. Assuming that computer programs can be run on the machines 24 hours a day, each day cost â‚ ¬450, total cost will be â‚ ¬375,000. As a result, 531 Zara stores will cost â‚ ¬7,710,120 to install the program, plus â‚ ¬375,000 expenses from the IS department, total cost to upgrade the POS system will be â‚ ¬8,085,120. (See Exhibit 1) Since Zara generated 73.3% of the Inditex Group’s sales, Zara’s Net Operating Revenues can be estimated at â‚ ¬2,913 million in 2002. And assume all companies under Inditex Group operate in the same way and share expenses equally as sales, Zara will make â‚ ¬313.8 million Net Income. (See Exhibit 2) The â‚ ¬8 million upgrading expenses will count for a 3% investment for Zara. Benefit Analysis A â‚ ¬8 million IT upgrade is not a small investment, we need to look at potential benefits that can be made out of the system to measure if it makes a profit for Zara. In another word, we need to forecast future returns to see if the new system will add value to Zara or not. I will use some Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and some Critical Success Factors (CSF) to analyze the outcome. Financial Forecast There are some tangible KPIs we can measure to see if Zara benefit from the new system. I will use Revenue, number of garment, percentage of time saved using the new system as my KPIs. Every business is about making money. If the new system cannot bring Zara extra revenue, why invest? Let’s suppose that the system runs smoothly and well once it is installed. Hopefully it will link up the POS terminals and PDAs that are used in each store to headquarter automatically using the wireless Internet. Added new features are supposed to enable staff to check theoretical inventories from the store as well as all other Zara stores near it. The system will minimize faulty transactions from human errors. Staff in the store does not have to record sales numbers and transport it from one terminal to another. More information from customers and store managers can be collected and sent back to commercial teams quicker and more accurately. Distribution Center will be able to see store inventories from the system simultaneously so replenishment can be made without making an order. Shipment can arrive more frequently to the stores. Let’s say the system accelerate the whole operation process by 10% of the total time, and the design group is able to make 10% more garment items a year due to the time they saved. That will make a total of 12,100 items a year compared to 11,000 before. Revenue can be increased to â‚ ¬3,204.23 million from â‚ ¬2,912.94 million. Although the number may be too positive, it gives us an idea that multi-million of revenues can be made due to the increased efficiency of the system. Another important fact is that the new system installed will last for a period of time, not just one year. The current DOS system has been used for over a decade, and I believe the new system can be run for about the same period. The IT investment expenses can be distributed over the next few years and Zara will continuously benefit from the uses of the system. Other benefits There are also some intangible values that can be added from the new system. Some Critical Success Factors include market competitions, Supply Chain Management, Customer Relationship Management and Material Resource Planning II. The new OS system will help Zara to be competitive in the industry. As an innovative company, Zara has its unique and simple business model that has a proven success. The IS department of Zara that create program application for Zara to use is a valuable Proprietary Technology benefit that Zara owns. It is beneficial because no other competitors have access to the technology. Infrastructural Technology such as this DOS or new OS system has better value when more users are taking advantage of it. (AcAfee Brynjolfsson, 2008) Zara should take the advantage by also applying the new OS system as many other competitors in the industry have already used it. Thus, Zara will have both benefits from both proprietary and infrastructural technologies and stay competitive in the market. New OS system will link Zara’s supply chain better and faster. Zara’s business model decides that the company wants to exchange information and it wants the information to be exchanged fast. Zara’s supply chain links from Supplier to Manufacture to Distributor to Stores and to Customers are tighter than many other companies because its products turn over more frequently. Zara needs a good system to perform operation than any other companies. Having an upgraded system will help Zara to achieve its business goal. New system will bring more customer satisfaction to Zara. A lot of Zara’s customers have some degrees of loyalty to the company and their satisfaction is important to Zara. Despite chatting with customers for their fashion sense when they are in the store, Zara doesn’t make much networking effort with customers. Product says it all. Zara simply keeps its customers coming by offering their favorite items. These fashion-forward, young city dwellers come to Zara enthusiastically want to buy what they like. So, being able to check inventories in nearby stores when a customer’s size runs out is very important. The new system will let Zara do that. Material Resource Planning and Labor will also be better off with the new system. Zara’s vendors have promised to follow Zara’s IT system so it was not really problem. Yet, Zara shouldn’t be standing on the passive side to wait until when it has to switch to a more up-to-date system. By taking the lead, Zara gains more flexibility and comfort to utilize resources it needs. The new system will also fix and install some new features that Zara’s employees have being requesting for. Keeping the labor force happy is essential since talents (people) are the key factor that makes it hard for other companies to copy and apply the same IT and business model Zara has successfully. (AcAfee Brynjolfsson, 2008) Auditing Some main reasons that Sanchez pointed out to support his idea of not upgrading and some other factors that need to be considered are discussed below.   Mr. Sanchez worries that switching to the new system will turbulent the stable usage of the current system and cause troubles. We have to admit that what he said could happen. That’s why we take close consideration of it to prevent it from happening rather than not to do it. The current system is effective, stable and rolls out easy to use for employees because it has been tested and run for more than ten years. Staff is familiar with the system, and IS department knows how to fix it when there’s a problem. However, this shouldn’t stop Zara from innovations. Zara can plan on installing the new system and test it with a small number of stores first and slowly transformed the rest of the company to use the new system. Zara may also face the difficulties to train employees to use the new system, or the system doesn’t work perfectly for Zara at the beginning phase, and therefore, causing systematic troubles that affect the business negatively. Yet, generally speaking, these software interfaces for businesses are easy to use. Not to mention that Zara has a strong IS department that can support its technology uses. In the process of new system development, Operation/Maintenance consists 80% of the time and cost while User Acceptance only contains 20%. That being said, maintaining the system and Auditing the system after it has been installed is crucial. Zara’s IS department should pay more attention to them. Overall, there are more benefits and predictable profits than shortcomings to upgrade the outdated DOS system for Zara. Conclusion and Recommendations Taking into considerations of all possible factors, I believe that this case analysis is in favor for Zara to consider upgrading its outdated DOS system to OS system. As a successful fast fashion clothing retailer, Zara’s business idea, which links customer demand to manufacturing, and links manufacturing to distribution, works very well and keeps Zara a flagship chain store for Inditex Group. Zara’s generic strategy is to differentiate and save cost. Since Zara has a strong demand for speed in the operation process and tight links in Supply Chain Management, its requirement for IT is high. The evaluation of the solution shows us that there are more predictable advantages than disadvantages for Zara to upgrade its system. With thoughtful considerations and backup remediation plans, Mr. Bruno Sanchez shouldn’t be so conservative and against the idea to upgrade the system. I am confident that upgrading the system will meet Zara’s business goal to be the most innovative and profitable fast fashion retailer in the industry. References AcAfeeAndrew, BrynjolfssonErik. (June-August, 2008). Investing in the IT. Harvard Business Review. BaltzanPaige. (2010). Business Driven Information Systems (3rd Edition). New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Business Week. (Arip 4th, 2006). Zara-Taking the Lead in Fast Fashion. CarrNicholas G. (May 2003). IT Doesnt Matter. Harvard Business Review. Castellano RiosMariaJose. (1975). Business idea for Zara. Spain. CNN Business. (June 15th, 2001). Zara, a Spanish sucess story. McAfeeAndrew, DessainVincent, SjomanAnders. (2007). Zara: IT for Fast Fashion. USA: Harvard Business School. OsterwalderAlexander. (June 23rd, 2005). Business Model Alchemist. http://www.businessmodelalchemist.com/2005/06/zaras-business-model.html

Tanning and its Risks :: Skin Cancer Health Beauty Essays

Tanning and its Risks Liza Schenkel, a 2002 graduate of Ball State University, visited her dermatologist for a routine checkup, and asked her doctor to take a look at some spots on her body that looked abnormal. She said: "I had noticed a spot on my chest that didn't look right. This spot changed colors during the summer months, was raised from the skin, and had a peculiar shape." These were all warning signs of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Schenkel’s doctor immediately removed the spot and sent the skin cells to a lab to be tested. The cells proved to be cancerous and Schenkel was diagnosed with melanoma at 22. She is representative of the growing problem of skin cancer among college-age persons. The increase in cancer among young adults is a result of a growing obsession with tanning. Unlike some of her friends, Schenkel does not believe that she was obsessed with lying out in the summer months and visiting the tanning bed. She did not visit the tanning bed until her junior year in high school and that was at the most, once a week, with exceptions for special occasions. At her lake home, she would generally tan on the weekend by boating and swimming. She never thought that these habits would lead to skin cancer at such an early age. "Compared to my friends who went to the tanning bed every other day, I thought I was responsible. I had my moments of irresponsibility but I never thought it would happen to me." Schenkel represents the growing trend of younger people tanning for the sake of vanity despite possible health risks. The Los Angeles Times reported a study in May 2002 that said from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, melanoma rates rose 60.5 percent among women age 25-29 and 26.7 percent in the same category for men. The age group of those developing cancer is emerging from high school and college, where tanning has become a fashionable trend. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that skin cancers are the most common forms of cancer in the United States. Skin cancers are also the most preventable and curable cancer.

Government Welfare

Obviously not, Welfare, at the government level, is mainly monies given to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need. This would include survivor benefits given to the widow/widowers of service-members. I don’t feel all areas of welfare should be abolished for instance the WIC program which provides vouchers to low income mothers to assist in buying formula and healthy foods in which would not be possible without the program.The price of baby formula can be very expensive in which millions of children would suffer from hunger, unhealthy diets and other health problems in regards to nutritional factors. Sometimes, it's just a matter of helping someone who's down on their luck for a short time, and then there are cases where you've got an elderly person who is all alone and needs some assistance. However, corporate welfare should be abolished, and regular welfare should be better managed. Anyone who is on welfare should be required to work or go to sch ool 40 hours a week to get their check; welfare should be a hand up, not a hand out.I think some people definitely need help. Sometimes, it's just a matter of helping someone who's down on their luck for a short time, and then there's cases where you've got an elderly person who is all alone and needs some assistance. However, corporate welfare should be abolished, and regular welfare should be better managed. Anyone who is on welfare should be required to work or go to school 40 hours a week to get their check; welfare should be a hand up, not a hand out.The system is so bloated and unmanageable that it allows many people to abuse it. Abolishing welfare would truly be one of the most unthinkable things to do to our fellow men and women not to mention the children involved who weren’t quite as â€Å"Lucky† as many of us have been in life. The Family Support Act, America's most recent effort at welfare reform, begins to take effect this year. The new law seeks to get si ngle mothers off welfare through a combination of job training, work requirements, child care subsidies, and child support enforcement.Cutting the welfare rolls is, in turn, supposed to save the taxpayer money while enhancing the self-respect of single mothers and their children. ( http://prospect. org/article/real-welfare-problem) Some Democrats believe the 1996 welfare reform is better than the recommendations of the Obama Administration. â€Å"The House voted Thursday (September 20, 2012) to block the Obama Administration's unilateral weakening of welfare's work requirements, and political reporters are writing it off as a partisan primal scream if they notice at all.† (Unknown, 2012)All Republicans and nineteen Democrats showed their dislike of the current administrations path down the welfare reform road with an astounding 250-164 rout over welfare reform recommendations. That’s one-tenth of the Democratic caucus joining with the Republicans to say our people need welfare in its current state during these hard economic times. The Reform Act was started during the Clinton Administration in August of 1996. However, welfare has been a controversial issue since the 1960’s.It was not until the late 1980’s, when the citizens were concerned and asking for some kind of reform to the welfare system. I do think that over the years there have been many changes to welfare programs. Many of these changes have been good, although some have been bad. The current welfare program will not see any beneficial changes until someone offers a more beneficial way of doing things. Unfortunately there have been very few ideas to change the welfare system. Hopefully in the future this changes.

Macro environment and business operations Essay

The macro-environment consists of larger societal forces that affect entire micro-environment. The six forces making up the company’s macro-environment include demographic, economic, natural, technological, political/legal, and social-cultural forces. Companies must constantly watch and adapt to the marketing environment in order to seek opportunities and ward off threats. â€Å"The marketing environment comprises all the actors and forces influencing the company’s ability to transact business effectively with its target market† (Armstrong and Kotler 2003, p.149). In this report, use PEST to analyze macro-environment forces how to impact on PepsiCo in China. As we know, the PepsiCo was the first U.S. company to distribute its products in China after China implement reform and opening up policy in 1979. Through many years business operation in China, the company fully understands their development worldwide must adapt China’s macro-environmental various for ces and must put into practice their localization strategy â€Å"Think local, Act local†. In this report, by serious study and literature review, with refer to relevant books, journals, search information from internet. First, the company’s background is being showed. Followed by macro-environment impact on marketing activities of PepsiCo in China and macro-environment forces on PepsiCo’s marketing activities, finally, one conclusion is presented. Our conclusion that the best products and technology may fail to meet with acceptance in markets around the world because of lack of local macro-environmental awareness. In economic globalization, all companies must identify, analyze, and monitor external environmental forces and assess their current and potential impact on their business activities. Jobber (2001) stated clearly that macro-environment consist of a number of broader forces that affect not only the company but also other actors in the microenvironment. These can be grouped under demographic, economic, social-cultural, political-legal, natural and technological forces. According to Kotler and Keller (2005), in the demographic environment, marketers must be aware of worldwide population growth, changing mixes of age, ethnic composition, educational levels and the move to micromarketing and away from mass marketing. In the economic arena, marketers need to focus on income distribution and levels of savings, debt, and credit availability. In the social-cultural arena, marketers must understand people’s views of themselves, organizations, society, nature and the universe. They must market products that correspond to society’s core and secondary values, and address the needs of different subcultures within a society. In the natural environment, marketers need to be aware of raw materials shortages, increased energy costs and pollution levels, and the changing role of governments in environmental protection. In the technological arena,  marketers should take account of the accelerating pace of technological change for innovation, varying R&D budgets, and the increased governmental regulation brought about by technological change. Finally, in the political-legal environment, marketers must work within the many laws regulating business practices and with various special-interest groups. In this report, use PEST to analyze macro-environment forces how to impact on PepsiCo in China will be presented. Through many years business operation in China, the company understands their development worldwide must adapt Chinese macro-environmental various forces and must put into practice their localization strategy â€Å"Think local, Act local†. 2.0 COMPANY PROFILE â€Å"PepsiCo was founded in 1965 through the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. Tropicana was acquired in 1998 and PepsiCo merged with The Quaker Oats Company, including Gatorade, in 2001. PepsiCo is a world leader in convenient foods and beverages, with 2006 revenues of more than $35 billion and 168,000 employees. PepsiCo presence in China dates back to the earlier days of the nation’s reforms. In 1981, Pepsi-Cola became one of the first American investors in China by signing an agreement with the Chinese government to build a bottling plant in Shenzhen. To date, PepsiCo has established more than 40 joint or wholly owned ventures in China with a total investment over US$1 billion, directly employing 10,000 staff† (Official website of PepsiCo). MACRO-ENVIRONMENT IMPACT ON MARKETING ACTIVITIES OF PEPSICO In analyzing the macro-environment, it is important to identify the factors that might in turn affect a number of vital variables that are likely to influence the organization’s supply and demand levels and its costs. A PEST analysis is one of them that is merely a framework that categorizes environmental influences as political/legal, economic, social/cultural and technological forces. Such external factors usually are beyond the firm’s  control and sometimes present themselves as threats. Use PEST tool to analysis macro-environment influence on PepsiCo in China is necessary.  ·The political-legal environment Before you play the game, learn the rules. Some businesspeople exhibit a remarkable lack of knowledge about marketing’s political-legal environment. Ignorance of or noncompliance with laws, ordinances, and regulations can lead to fines, embarrassing negative publicity, and possibly expensive civil damage suits. As a foreign company, PepsiCo intend to invest in China’s beverage industry which is tightly controlled and subject to government approval. According to Chinese government’s regulation, a new bottling plant currently requires about three-year wait for government approval, and concentrate production volume must be re-authorized annually. In addition, PepsiCo has a global strategy of TV advertising, PepsiCo has included everything from Chinese zodiac animals to Spring Festival couplets in its television commercials. This approach, combined with relatively long advertising history in the country has made Pepsi Cola the most recognized soft-drink brand in China. However, government’s policy and regulation can also impact on the company’s market strategy. Being a communist country, in China, although people now are very much free of expression in ordinary life, there is still no free media. The media is still very controlled by the government and there is always the risk of having more regulations especially to foreigners.  ·The economic environment The health of the economy influences how much consumers spend and what they buy. Consumer buying plays an important role in the economy’s health-indeed, consumer outlays make up some two-thirds of overall economic activity. According to Boone and Kurtz (n.d.), economic environment consists of those factors that influence consumer buying power and marketing strategies. They include the stage of business cycle, inflation, unemployment, resource availability, and income. As we know, China’s economy grew at an average  rate of 10% per year during the period 1990-2006, the highest growth rate in the world. However, Chinese inflation ran at 5.3% for the second consecutive month in August in 2006, according to official figures. PepsiCo has already met great challenge because inflation is a general rise in price resulting in decreased purchasing power. Inflation will increase the company’s costs like expense to purchase materials for production, and may lead to declini ng sales. Marketers of PepsiCo understood clearly that inflation will cause consumers to react in two ways: 1). Decrease their brand loyalty. In a recent research, most Chinese consumers are willing to use cheaper brand, and honesty, because it works just as well. 2). Stockup. â€Å"Many consumers take advantage of coupons and sales to stock up† (Hair et al. 1992, p.52). In addition, income is another important factor in marketing’s economic environment because it influences consumer buying power. The price of the product has to be affordable however there should be a premium that consumers are willing to pay for the health benefit as well as for the modern and â€Å"higher status† image it will offer. The risk here is to fail in selling the value of the product and to set the premium to be higher than consumers are willing to pay.  ·The social-cultural environment Component of the marketing environment consisting of the relationship between the marketer, society, and its culture. Doing business in China successfully requires an understanding of China as a nation and of the culture of the Chinese people. â€Å"A society’s culture determines how it members communicate and interact with each other† (Griffin & Pustay 2003, p.85). A nation’s culture can impact on foreign country’s products and service. In China, many people are very interested in soft drinks. A result of this has been growing  rates of obesity both Chinese adults and children. Due to Chinese culture, it is necessary that what they drink offers some benefits to their health. Nowadays, more and more Chinese people have already pay attention to â€Å"obesity† problem. If soft drinks can not consider healthy, although increasing their market share, this is the risk the PepsiCo have to face. In addition, â€Å"an understanding of the cultural practices in both the business and social environments is essential for being successful when doing business with Chinese companies† (Patworks LLC. 2003). Initially when PepsiCo entered into Chinese market, the company has already lost some business opportunities in China because they expected the Chinese people â€Å"do it my way†. The Chinese culture is long established and does not adapt quickly. For example, doing any business in China will require negotiation of contracts, prices, and terms, etc. The negotiation process in China, compared to Western standards, will be very slow and deliberate. One difficulty in negotiation with Chinese companies is knowing what means â€Å"no†. Culturally, saying â€Å"no† directly is seen as rude and unacceptable. Many times when the company hears â€Å"we will consider it†, it really means â€Å"no†.  ·The technological environment The technological environment represents the application to marketing of knowledge based on discoveries in science, inventions, and innovations. Major developments in technology can have enormous marketing implications because they can drastically alter industries. Despite the technological promise of this new product, the development stage of such innovations is lengthy and complex. Company must often gamble on technology to attain success, and many companies have gambled and lost. PepsiCo had spent millions of dollars working on growing salad vegetables market to fast food chain in China. Technically the venture was sound-the infrastructure was set and the product was of high quality. The company had even arranged a machine to process and packages the fresh vegetables to give them a shelf life of two weeks, therefore opening up the Chinese market. However, the quality of the company’s marketing did not match that of the  technological planning stages. The fast food chain chosen not to buy the stock and the company had nowhere to off-land its vast quantity of ripe vegetables- it had lost its markets. 4.0 MACRO-ENVIRONMENT FORCES ON PEPSICO’S MARKETING ACTIVITIES As mentioned above, in business arena, one of the difficulties facing marketing managers is that environmental forces are generally beyond their control. Marketing organizations must try to adapt changing environmental conditions. â€Å"Not only can environmental opportunity become threat; environmental threat can also become opportunity† (1989, p.55). Marketers must overcome various macro-environmental clash and barriers between Chinese macro-environment and international business.  ·The political-legal environment Laws and regulations affect all aspect of marketing operation and decision making-designing, labeling, distributing, advertising, and promoting goods and services. The management of PepsiCo realized that major regulation has already impact on their marketing activities. To cope with the vast, complex, and changing nature of the political-legal environment, many larger companies maintain in-house legal department like PepsiCo. In addition, as a foreign company, marketers must comply with China’s laws and regulations, however, noncompliance can scar a company’s reputation and hurt profits. Marketers should take steps to control forces in political-legal environment. PepsiCo has invested heavily into adapting its operations and business strategies to the local culture and practice. It currently has 24 bottling joint-ventures indirectly through two Hong Kong-based companies that it partly owns and maintains a strong market presence through partnerships with the Chinese government and domestic companies. PepsiCo has established its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Shanghai running its operations for many countries.  ·The economic environment Companies must scan, monitor, forecast, and assess the health of economies outside their host nation because nations are interconnected as a result of the global economy. Inflation rate is currently reaching to 5% in China, inflation pressures consumers to make more economical purchases. PepsiCo should realize that despite what happens to the sell’s cost, the buyer is not going to pay more for a product than the value he or she places on it. When the economy is characterized by high inflation, a series of special pricing tactics are often necessary. Marketing managers should develop an effective cost-forecasting system and use anticipatory pricing. According to Hair et al. (1992), these tactics can be subdivided into cost-oriented and demand-oriented. Cost-orientated tactics consist of delayed-quotation pricing and escalator pricing. Delay-quotation pricing is a very popular pricing tactic that price is not set on the product until item is either finished or delivered. Demand-orientated pricing methods include price shady and increasing demand through increasing selected demand, unique offering, and system selling. As we know, the Chinese people are still to well-off life and their income are not very high. The pricing strategy is a very important part of the marketing mix, because it can affect both supply and demand for a company such as PepsiCo. Therefore the company’s pricing strategy must adapt economic environment. One of the most important price factors of PepsiCo is customer’s affordability. If the price is too high, consumers will spend their money on other goods. As a multinational company, it always must appeal to Chinese consumers, especially in the era of globalization. The company have had adapt to the local economic environment in order to success. Most Chinese can afford an occasional soft drinkï ¼ a can of Coke cost RMB1.90($0.24) in Shanghai today. Due to rationality of Coke’s price, their products currently reach about 60% of China’s population.  ·The social-cultural environment The social-cultural environment is made up of institutions and other forces that affect a society’s basic value, perceptions, preferences, and behaviors. Product decisions are also affected by cultural variables. As mentioned onwards, increasingly Chinese people have already focused on â€Å"obesity† problem. If soft drinks can not consider healthy, this is the risk the PepsiCo have to face. So, PepsiCo decided to carry out a feasible solution that reduce calorie intake from soft drinks. At the same time, PepsiCo’s decision-making for product and service should also consider local customer’s purchase habits. It will also reflect a nation’s culture. For instant, the Chinese like hot, noncarbonated soft drinks with nature ingredients or herbs that they believe are good to human health, in particular, they like hot teas. Tea is so popular in China that people call it â€Å"Tea Culture†. PepsiCo realized Chinese people’s drinking habits, then they introduced Lipton Tea quickly, a line of noncarbonated drinks through cooperate with local partner. PepsiCo’s long-term strategies of localizing production promote their market share. In order to avoid lost opportunities and bring about misunderstandings, businesspeople have to realize another’s cultural background. Understanding manners and customs is especially important in negotiations. If the company expected the Chinese people â€Å"do it my way†, they will lose more chances. China has a unique culture that dates back to thousands of year, combined with the factor of about 60 years ruling of communist one-party totalitarianism. Foreign business people and companies should try to adapt quickly. Consequently, you need learn â€Å"do it their way†.  ·The technological environment â€Å"Technological trends are critically important in identifying marketing opportunities. These trends include new directions in research and development (R&D) that might lead to new products or even to new industries† (Assael 1990, p.72). For the experience of failure in new product development the company remains undaunted, they plan to return to the fast food market with salad vegetables. This time, the company promises it will  not forget the importance of inventory. PepsiCo fully understand that in the low-margin soft-drink business, one of the key competitive advantages lies on the efficiencies in every aspect of business process, from procurement of raw and semi-finished material to inventory management, from production planning to material requirements planning, from distribution to service, etc. As the leader in this industry, PepsiCo knows how critical role information technology plays in its success. In fact, it has a long history of employing advanced information technology to support its direct-store-delivery business model and management. In China, PepsiCo China use Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implemented by UFIDA. Moreover, PepsiCo’s ultimate weapon in maintaining its market leadership is Research and Development. Since product formulations are kept as trade secrets most of the patents are related to technology that supports beverage industry. PepsiCo will use its patents to increase its market share in each and every market it serves R &D delivers true value to coke consumers worldwide. The key areas of technologies where most of the patents filed are Packaging, Vending Equipment, Fountain Equipment, Water Treatment and alternative refrigeration technologies. In China technologies related to water treatment and vending equipment will come handy in gaining market share. The company will also be forced to develop new technologies for China’s country specific use. Several new technologies will be used in designing and packing new products. Research and Development will also try to add local herbal products to add more energy to the drink and give a local flavor to the product. Research and Development will use a small-scale bottling system to test bottling runs of new product. It will make sure that the new drink can be produced and bottled in a massive scale. PepsiCo will also take its testing of new product on road and test it in various regions of China to make sure that it will be acceptable in all regions of China. 5.0 CONCLUSION â€Å"Most films face external environment that are highly turbulent, complex, and global-conditions that make interpreting them increasingly difficult† (Ireland and Hitt 1999, p.43). In today’s complex and rapidly changing environment, marketing managers need use PEST analysis to make effective and timely decisions. Understanding one nation’s macro-environment diversity that could positively impact your business relationship is the key to success in this country. The PepsiCo is a good example in this report. The PepsiCo entirely understands China’s various external environments, consumer’s behaviors and practices that localization is their long-term market strategy. As Porter (1985) stated the importance of analysis the macro-environment: every industry has an underlying structure or set of fundamental economic and technical characteristics. The strategist must learn what makes the environment tick. It can be concluded that the best products and technology may fail to meet with acceptance in markets around the world because of lack of local macro-environmental awareness. LIST OF REFERENCE Jobber D. 2001, _Principles and Practice of Marketing_, 3rd edn., McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller 2006, _Marketing Management_, 12nd edn., Pearson Prentice Hall Company PepsiCo 2006, viewed 26 July 2007, . Louise E. Boone and David L. Kurtz n.d. _Contemporary Marketing: plus_, 8th edn., The Dryden Press. Joseph F. Hair, Jr. and Charles W. Lamb, Jr. and Carl McDaniel 1992, _Principles of Marketing,_ South-Western Publishing Company, p.52. Ricky W. Griffin and Michael W. Pustay 2003, _International Business: A managerial Perspective_, 3rd edn., Pearson Education Inc., p.85. Patworks 2003, ‘Doing Business in China’, viewed 27 July 2007, . ‘Eight Ways to Avoid Marketing Shock’, _Sales & Marketing Management,_ April 1989, p.55. Henry Assael 1990, _Marketing: Principles & Strategy_, The Dryden Press, p.72. R. D. Ireland and M. A. Hitt 1999, ‘Achieving and Maintaining Strategic Competitiveness in the 21st Century: the Role of Strategic Leadership’, _Academy of Management Executive,_ p.43. Michael E. Porter 1985, _Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior_ _Performance_, Free Press. Gary Armstrong and Philip Kotler 2003, _Marketing: An Introduction_, 6th edn., Prentice-Hall Publishing Company, p.149.

The Stark effects of being absurd in society The Outsider Essays

The Stark effects of being absurd in society The Outsider Essays The Stark effects of being absurd in society The Outsider Essay The Stark effects of being absurd in society The Outsider Essay Essay Topic: Literature A long time ago, I summed up The Outsider in a sentence which I realise is extremely paradoxical: In our society any man who doesnt cry at his mothers funeral is liable to be condemned to death. Albert Camus 8th January 1955 The novel The Outsider establishes a being that is a Nomad or existential in a sense of the society he lives in and the wandering on the cliff beside the sea of introversion and poignancy. Meursault is commonly misunderstood and is regarded as a reject. Furthermore he refuses to lie. A lie is a statement made by someone, in the expectation that the hearers may believe it. In the case of the human heart saying more than one feels, Meursault conforms to the existential presuppositions; this is regarding reality as the state of being, the truth, often unheard of in politics and society. Consequently society feels threatened, by Meursaults refusal to satisfy the feelings of others by showing little remorse for his mothers death. His indifference leads him to be condemned by a trial. In the early stages of the book Meursault is seen as an adverse individual towards society, one who speaks his consciousness. Camus creates a paradoxical character against the normality of society, which brings out stark differences through the use of Meursaults ability to state facts. This narrative effect can be seen from the opening passage, Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday; I dont know. I had a telegram from home: Mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Yours sincerely. That doesnt mean anything. It may have been yesterday. We see Meursaults inability to conform to humanity in the event of his mothers death, and the use of the short sentence stating quality. He merely retells the dubious facts of her death as mundane as the telegram had stated it. I even had the impression that this dead body in lying there among them, didnt mean anything to them. Referring to his mother to a dead body shows little emotion. Throughout the ordeal of attending the funeral, Meursault treats it with the same destitution of emotion. Conversations are referred to in a chronological order from the catching of the bus to the moment he crawls into bed. Meursault is an anomaly that does not relate directly to others or human experiences, like emotion, affection or love. She asked me again if I love her. I replied much before, that her question meant nothing or next to nothing, but I supposed I didnt. Curious she then asks Suppose another girl had asked you to marry her- mean a girl you liked in the same way as you like me- would you of said yes to her too? He replies with honesty Naturally Meursault enjoys the physical side of his relationship, he likes to drink smoke swim and have sex. When Marie leaves, he lies in bed and tries to get the salty smell of her hair from the pillow. All these things can be pertained. All the secondary characters, contrast to Meursault. Raymond shows anger, Marie shows passion and Salamano shows possessiveness, all these characteristics show that Meursault is detached from society. Albert Camus chose the constituent of heat and sunlight as a metaphor of Meursaults uncorroborated deiscomfort with society. Both of these elements affect Meursault, I could feel my forehead swelling up under the sun. The heat was pushing full against me I set me teeth, closed my fists in my trouser pockets and tensed my whole body in defiance of the sun and of the drunken haze it was pouring into me. These are al connotations of how society affects Meursault drastically. The bright morning sunshine hit me like a slap in the face. This could mean a deliberate rejection from society. Meursault earlier on laments of the effects the sun has on him. I was so tired that I could hardly see or think straight anymore. This quote encompasses the interpretation of the effects and processes of society on Meursault. He finds his mental process is altered, this comment on society shows how it can screen or change the vision of an individual. Again Meursaults estrangement in society is depicted to the reader. The murder of the Arab conforms Meursaults inability to conform to society. The death of the Arab is not the determination of Meursaults fate, around this time Algiers were easily dispensed of because they were considered to be an inferior underclass that had to be tightly controlled. Meursault cannot see any right or wrong with killing the Arab, the action itself was one that is revealed to be caused by the sun in the trial. Meursault is brought to trial; he is not tried for murder, but tried for his virtue. The court system of a Europe institution in North Africa is satirised. The prejudice under French colonial rule would let a man off with a light sentence, however in Meursaults case the jury sees him as a monster for failing to cry at his mothers funeral and commiting unspeakable atrocities while in mourning, swimming, drinking coffee and smoking. The jury fails to recognise personal freedom and choice, which is the fundamental nature of an individuals existence. Society tries to enforce its ideals on Meursault by putting him in jail. Meursault is confused when he realises he is being deprived of his freedom; he tries to understand what is happening to him and therefore tries to understand society. Meursault acts honestly and with no remorse, he feels annoyance towards the magistrate. The frustration Meursault feels leads to more estrangement, which fuels his dislike for society more. In the final chapter, Meursault accepts his fate, which gives him the courage to face his death straight on, and it allows him to come to terms with his position in society. I heard something that I hadnt heard for months. It was the sound of a voice; my own voice, there was no mistaking it. And I recognised it as the voice that for many a day of late had been buzzing in my ears. His voice he hears is the sound of his inner consciousness. This epiphany enables Meurasult to accept his death. He does not wish for his death but in the end invites it its common knowledge that life isnt worth living anyhow. In the last moments of Meursaults doom the prison chaplain tries to convert him. Meursault develops an unsaid philosophy of reality. It gave new meaning to the word life and its true identities. It did not matter to Meursault when or whom committed him to death, he just knew it ended the same. Rejected from society Meursault becomes a martyr in death. When failure seemed imminent Meursaults newly found conscious carries him into a world of discovery. The Outsider is appropriate today as it was when it was first written. Higher powers govern our destiny and if our existence is to mean anything we must find explanation for it ourselves. Camus cardinal rule from a readers interpretation is that society constricts a beings consciousness and indifference, in to the ideals that have been taught since the beginning of time.

Jump-Starts and Start-Ups

Jump-Starts and Start-Ups Jump-Starts and Start-Ups Jump-Starts and Start-Ups By Mark Nichol A reference to the name of a law called the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act pointed out to me how easily confusion is created in writers’ minds by varying treatment of hyphenated terms. The verb phrase jump-start, which originated in the 1970s as a slang term referring to the action of reenergizing the dead battery in a vehicle with a working battery in another by using cables to connect the two and create an electrical circuit, is hyphenated to distinguish it from the noun phrase â€Å"jump start†; this treatment is used in other verb phrases such as double-check, drip-dry, and hard-boil. However, many people treat both the verb phrase and the noun phrase as a closed compound: jumpstart- an understandable error, considering that style guides and writing manuals are curiously unhelpful about the topic. Dictionaries have an entry for the verb phrase, but few people, including those responsible for naming this law, bother to check. As a result, it is perhaps inevitable that jumpstart (and doublecheck, dripdry, and hardboil) will become the standard treatment. The name of the law also commits an error in its treatment of start-up. Again, such an error isn’t surprising. Yes, startup looks more likely to be pronounced â€Å"star tup† than â€Å"start up,† so the hyphen is helpful, but why, then, do we spell breakup (â€Å"brea kup†?) and makeup (â€Å"ma keup†?) without hyphens, yet shake-up is hyphenated? In the long run, such questions are moot: Before long, as with the clamped-together verbs mentioned in the previous paragraph, start-up and shake-up will likely, like breakup and makeup before them, lose their hyphens. Is that a bad thing? Such evolution is common in English: Many originally hyphenated compound nouns, such as to-day and black-bird, and nouns with prefixes, such as anti-matter, lost their hyphens along the way. Writers are increasingly omitting the hyphen from mind-set and closing it, as well as omitting the hyphen from light-year and leaving it open or closing it. What’s a careful writer to do in the midst of such evolution? Don’t contribute to the confusion: Always consult a reputable source such as a dictionary or a style guide, and use the standard treatment. But, you may protest, do I have to look up every word before I write it? No, but as I used to half-jokingly tell my students when I taught editing, if you’re not absolutely sure you’ve treated (or used) a word correctly, pretend that to err is a capital offense, and act accordingly. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryExpanded and ExtendedAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

How to Compare High Schools Using Average ACT Scores

How to Compare High Schools Using Average ACT Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’ve found this guide, you're probably looking for a good high school, or you want to see how your high school measures up compared to others. When comparing high schools, a helpful metric is average ACT Score. In this guide, I’ll tell you what average ACT score represents, why you should care about a school’s average ACT score, and where you can find information on average ACT scores by high school. What Does a High School’s Average ACT Score Represent? When thinking about what a high school’s average ACT score represents, you need to think about what the ACT measures in individual test-takers. While you may think that an ACT score simply measures the test-taker’s academic ability, the ACT, in fact, measures not only academic ability but also perseverance. What I mean by perseverance is a student’s desire to work hard in school and in pursuit of higher education. While a genius might be able to get 36 on the ACT with no prep, a test-taker with just slightly above-average intelligence can also get 36 with enough studying. Therefore, an ACT score reveals both a student’s academic ability and work ethic. A high school’s average ACT score represents these same qualities: academic ability and desire to work hard. However, in terms of an entire high school, its â€Å"academic ability† depends on the quality of education, and its â€Å"desire to work hard† depends on the quality of students. Do the students at that school care about their education? Do they care about attending a 4-year university? Why Should You Care About a High School’s Average ACT Score? The reason you should care about a high school’s average ACT score is because higher ACT scores can indicate a better quality of education and a better quality of student at that school. As I said before, the ACT measures your academic ability (to some degree). Your education is responsible for your academic ability, so the better the quality of education you receive, the better you’ll perform on the ACT. However, as I also mentioned, your ACT score is also affected by how much you prepare for the ACT. If a high school’s average ACT score is high, the students at that school most likely care more about their education and getting into a 4-year university than students at high schools with lower average ACT scores. Sending your kid to a high school with a higher average ACT score can help guarantee they’ll be surrounded by like-minded, hard working students and receive a higher quality of education. On the Other Hand, Why Shouldn’t You Rely Too Heavily On Average ACT Scores? While a school’s average ACT score can suggest the quality of its education and students, it may not give you the complete picture. Some public schools have magnet (or gifted) programs that are separated from the â€Å"regular† track at that high school. These programs often have a superior quality of students and teachers than the rest of the school. I attended a public high school with an International Baccalaureate magnet program. The admissions requirements for this program were tough, but there were no requirements for students on the â€Å"regular† high school track. Also, the IB program had better teachers who only taught IB classes. I’d venture a guess that the average ACT score for IB students was higher than the average ACT score for students on the â€Å"regular† track. However, the average ACT score for my high school does not separate IB and non-IB students. The average ACT score factors in the scores of all students at the school. As a result, you can’t figure out what the quality of education and students will be within a specific magnet program versus the quality of the â€Å"regular† track. Also, as I said before, your ACT score is also affected by your study effort. Therefore, if you attend a high school with a low average ACT score, that does not necessarily mean that you will have a low ACT score. On the other hand, attending a school with a high average ACT score doesn't mean you'll automatically get a high ACT score either. No matter where you attend high school, you can practice, learn the test format and strategies, and receive a high score on the ACT. However, you should still try to attend the high school with the best quality of students and teachers so that you’ll receive the best education you can, be challenged, and be well prepared for the ACT and college. How to Find Average ACT Scores by School There are four methods for finding a high school’s average ACT score: Search the Department of Education website (NOTE: This only works for PUBLIC high schools.) Search the school’s website (NOTE: not all schools publish this information on their websites) Email a school administrator Google Search â€Å"[High School Name] Average ACT Score† (NOTE: this can be unreliable) The best method is to use the Department of Education’s website for your state. NOTE: this will only work for some states. For a full explanation of how to find a district’s or specific public high school’s average ACT score using this method (and for a list of states that don't provide the data), read our article on ACT Scores by High School and District. Using this method will ensure you’re getting up-to-date, correct, unbiased information. For private high schools (or as another search option for public high schools), you can use the Google search method, look on the high school’s website, or send an email to an administrator at that high school. However, the websites and Google search can often have outdated information (i.e. ACT score averages from five years ago) or not post this information publicly. Administrators may also give you outdated information if they haven’t seen the most recent statistics. Also, it may take them a while to respond to your request with their busy schedules or if they’re on a school holiday. What Should You Look for in ACT Data? In the ACT data, you should be looking at the average composite ACT score. The higher this number is, the better. You can also look at the individual section scores (though some states may not publish this information). The Math section score may give you a sense of how strong or weak the school's math program is. The closer to 36 (the highest possible section score) the better. A high score most likely means a higher quality Math program. The Reading and Writing sections will give you a sense of the quality of English education at that school. Again, same as math, the closer to 36 (the highest possible section score) the better. A high score here most likely means a higher quality of English classes at that school. I would not read too much into the Science section score as the Science section does not rely on scientific knowledge but rather on reading graphs and charts. In the spreadsheet, you can also determine the fraction of students who took the ACT at that high school. NOTE: some states only list the total number of ACT test-takers and don't include the overall school enrollment, and you will not be able to figure out the fraction of students who took the ACT if they don't provide both numbers. If your state does provide you with total enrollment and the number of ACT test-takers such as California does, you can determine the fraction of students who took the ACT. For instance, here is a screenshot of the ACT data from the California Department of Education’s website: To figure out the fraction of students who took the ACT at a specific high school, take the number of test takers (listed under the NumTstTakr column) and divide it by the number of enrolled students (under Enroll912). If I was looking at Alameda Science and Technology Institute (the highlighted school), the fraction of students who took the ACT would be: 20 / 169 or about 12% WARNING: don't read too much into the fraction or percent of students who took the ACT because these numbers don't give you the full picture. The enrollment counts the TOTAL number of students, and you wouldn’t expect freshmen or sophomores to have taken the ACT yet. While 12% seems small, you need to factor in that: Alameda Science and Technology Institute has about 50 students per grade level. Typically, only juniors and seniors will take the ACT in a given year, and there are about 100 juniors and seniors at Alameda. Some students may opt to take the SAT instead (which in fact about 60 did). When accounting for all that, it appears that close to 100% of Alameda Science and Technology Institute students will take either SAT or ACT. Summary A high school's average ACT score can show the quality of education and caliber of students at that school, but average ACT score may not give you a full picture of certain schools. At high schools with magnet programs, magnet students' ACT scores are combined with the "regular" students' ACT scores to create the school's average ACT score. Although magnet students likely have a higher average ACT score (since they're likely receiving a higher quality education and are likely more studious), you wouldn't be able to see that from the overall average ACT score of that school. There are different methods for locating a high school's average ACT score. Not all methods will work in all states or for all high schools. Check out our other guide on ACT Scores by High School and District to find the best method for you. When you find the average ACT score data for the school you're interested in, you should look for the composite ACT score. The higher the score, the better that school likely is. What’s Next? Learn more about the ACT and the college application process: What is a good ACT score? A bad ACT score? An excellent ACT score? How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, by a Harvard Alum Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Respiration and Diffusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Respiration and Diffusion - Essay Example The word equation is as follows: glucose   Ã‚   >   Ã‚   lactic acid (+ energy) A smaller amount of energy is liberated by anaerobic respiration compared to aerobic respiration. NB: Energy is indicated in brackets in each equation since it is not a chemical substance. Diffusion on the other hand is the movement of molecules of a particular substance from a region of reasonably high concentration to that of lesser concentration(wiki.answers.com ) The aspects that control the speed of diffusion consist of surface area, concentration gradient, and diffusion distance. Animals have developed to increase the diffusion speed across respiratory membranes by increase of the respiratory surface area, concentration gradient, or reducing the distance of diffusion. They are illustrated by Fick’s Law as follows: Fick’s Law of Diffusion: It states that: The speed of transmission of a gas through an area of tissue is proportional to the tissue area and the variation in gas partial pressure between the 2 sides and inversely proportional to the tissue thickness.(source) Volume of gas (per unit time)=Area/Thickness x Diffusion constant x (Partial Pressure 1 - Partial Pressure 2) dV/dt = A/T * D * (P1 - P2) Fick's Law of Diffusion looks at the rate of transfer of gases through tissues. For instance in respiration, the law governs the rate of transfer of Oxygen that comes from alveoli to the blood through the thin blood gas obstacle, and Carbon Dioxide in the reverse direction. (Karp, 2010). The outcome of this correlation is that the Carbon Dioxide will diffuse about 20 times more quickly compared to Oxygen through the tissue areas. This variation is as a result of the solubility of Carbon Dioxide being elevated and therefore raising the diffusion constant. The diffusion constant is relative to the solubility divided by the molecular weight square root. The Fick’s law equation can be practical to different localities and elements of a tissue. Diffusion of gas across thicker parts of tissue will reduce gas diffusion time contrasting to thinner tissue. In addition, bigger area influences the speed of diffusion, by presenting a raise in the volume of gas diffused (Sherwood, 2007). Respiratory system organs Respiration is attained through one’s mouth, nose, trachea, lungs and diaphragm. Oxygen gets into the respiratory system through the mouth and the nose. The oxygen then goes to the larynx and the trachea. In the chest opening, the trachea divides into two lesser tubes known as the bronchi. Every then splits again to form the bronchial tubes which go to the lungs where they split into several lesser tubes which attach to alveoli. The oxygen that is taken in pass through the alveoli then diffuses through the capillaries into the blood in the artery. Temporarily, the polluted blood from the veins liberates its carbon dioxide into the alveoli. Carbon dioxide takes the same course out of the lungs when one breathes out. A diaphragm assists in pumping carbon dioxide outside the lungs and draws oxygen into the lungs. As it relaxes and contracts, respiration occurs. It is by this means that one breathes in and out. Circulatory system The system includes the heart and the blood vessels and circulates blood all through the body. An individual’s body has approximately 5 liters of blood constantly circulating through the circulatory system.

Editorial essay Argument vs Description Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Editorial Argument vs Description - Essay Example Another argument is the chemical company’s (BASF) purchasing petroleum products allegedly stolen from Pemex by a Mexican cartel but the source was never acknowledged to be known. This is also an argument because the facts are not verifiable and the chemical company is arguing that their claim that they do not know the source of the petroleum is questionable given the amount of sale ($2 million) involved. The description in the editorial provides objective information as indicated in the portion where it was stipulated that â€Å"legalization would deliver a significant short-term hit to the cartels — if drug trafficking were the only activity they were engaged in. But cartels derive a growing slice of their income from other illegal activities† (Longmire par. 5). The details of succeeding illegal activities are likewise description of the kind and types (of illegal activities) that cartels are delving into to fuel their economic endeavors. Longmire actually argues that legalization of marijuana would not kill the cartels and actually aver that â€Å"legalization would move that trade into the open market, driving down the price and undermining the cartels’ power and influence† (Longmire par. 1). I agree to her contention that legalization of marijuana would not significantly impact or lessen the source of income for cartels as she described other illegal activities that the cartels have actually pursued. However, her supporting statements to validate the initial argument were weak in terms of focusing on other illegal activities as the source of other income for the cartels without expounding on the implications of how legalization of marijuana would not kill the cartels. The writer is commended for initially determining the percentage of cartels’ profits being generated from the sale of marijuana, revealed at

Canadian Politics. Position of women in the work place and Essay

Canadian Politics. Position of women in the work place and globalization - Essay Example However, when the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) practically assessed the ground reality of the severity and employment challenges faced by women, the Commission concludes that the â€Å"position of women employees in the Government of Canada deserves close examination, not only because the Government employs a large number of women in a different variety of occupations, but also because the Government’s employment practices should demonstrate its principles†( RCSW, p.108). Since then, Canadian women have started experiencing some forward movement toward equality in the workplace and simultaneously, the public opinion tends to percept that women’s employment issues are by and large â€Å"solved† internationally as well ( UN, 2004,p.25). However, much is still required to be changed as such notions are perhaps overstated. The findings of the International Angus Reid poll surveyed that the employment markets in the developed nations such as A ustralia, Canada, United States and Great Britain found that less than a quarter of total respondents did not disagree that the gender equality in the developed nations have considerably achieved its required level; however, a majority of women in these four countries provided their consent that the governments in their respective nations ought to do more to gain the point of actual gender equality (Angus Reid, 2010). Additionally, in the same findings, Angus Reid (2010) accounts for the Canada’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Report, which is annually published by the World Economic Forum. Canada’s current position, 31st in 2008, at number 20 is considerably lower than its previous rankings of 7 in 2005, 14 in 2006 and 18 in 2007. Prior to these facts, the Employment Equity Act was enacted into the legislature with its intent to achieve workplace equality so that no person shall be denied employment opportunities or employment benefits for reasons other than ability and, in appropriate achievement of goal, and to correct the situations and conditions of disadvantage in employment faced and experienced by aboriginal persons, women and people with disabilities and members of visible minorities by providing effect to the principle that employment equity means more than treating persons in the same way but also needs special measures and accommodation of differences (Employment Equity Act). Consequently, the original Employment Equity Act was passed in 1986 by the Progressive Conservative Government in response to the findings and recommendations of the Abella Commission. It came into force in 1987 requiring both federally regulated companies and Crown corporations having 100 or more employees are required to determine and develop equity programs and plans to eliminate workplace barriers to the participation of the above mentioned groups. The progress on the equity programs seems to be limited in scope and domain. The most improvement in employmen t tends to be for non-disabled, white women (Agocs, 2002; Leck & Saunders, 1992). In addition, while taking into account women having dual status as women with a disability or women of color, the findings have hinted that the employment equity programs seem to be affiliated with more representative hiring of women with dual status into employment in the clerical positions (Leck & Saunders,1992, p.216). Furthermore, the 2009 Senate Committee on Human Rights highlight the fact that the little data is provided to indicate whether or not recruitment rates, retention rates, representation rates or executive advancement rates offer difference for women and men within these designated groups: Aboriginal, visible minorities, and

Shinto Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shinto Reflection - Essay Example Shinto Shrine is one of the most common sacred spaces among religious groups. It is a sacred space designed for worship purpose of the Shinto groups of Japan. Shinto is an indigenous religious group professed by the people of Japan and it involves action-based religious beliefs and practices (Breen and Teeuwen 2000). Ritual practices are practiced by this religious group diligently to connect between modern Japan and the ancient Japan. It is a traditional religion of Japan as opposed to modern Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Shinto involves the worship of Kami, which refers to divinity, spirits or sacred essence. These sacred essences and divinities include animals, rivers, trees, rocks and places. Shinto people believe that people and Kami are inseparable (Hardacre 1986). Therefore, Shinto use the Shinto shrines to meet and worship the Kami as a way of demonstrating their sacred life and beliefs. The design of Shinto Shrines also shows the architectural style of Japanese history, which reveals values, beliefs and practices of the Shinto. At the front there is a Japanese gate consisting of two upright bars and two crossbars that show the separation between common space and sacred space (Hardacre 1986). These gates are known as torii, and they exist in twenty styles that match the buildings and the enshrined Kami and lineage. Therefore, the Shinto shrine reflects the sacred worship of Kami by the Shinto from the gate. The Shinto shrine also reflects the beliefs of the Shinto people who worship there through various symbolic and real barriers between the normal world and the shrine space.

Volunteering in community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Volunteering in community - Essay Example I could meet the challenges of this volunteer activitiy and learn a great deal about myself, my calling in the medical field, patient care, and how Hamad General has evolved to become the leading medical institution in Qatar. Stepping into the halls of Hamad General on that first day gripped me with a sense of awe and wonder at the state of the art facility. At par, if not far advanced, of its western counterparts, I knew that the challenging world I had chosen to become a part of was not just going to challenge me as a person, but help me to become a better version of myself. I knew that this was the place I had to be. I was in the right place, at the right time. Hamad General Hospital is one of the health care facilities that resulted from the Emiri decree issued in 1979. The 603 bed facility has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings are a general hospital. These days, the facility has evolved into offering both general and complex medical assistance covering the areas of trauma, emergency medicine, pediatrics, critical care, specialized surgery, specialized medicine, laboratory medicine, and radiology services. The hospital is certainly expanding its services and access to the most modern health diagnostic tools in response to the ever growing population of the city. Most notable of its objectives at the moment is the development of a Diabetes Center in order to address the large diabetic population of Qatar. I spent my time as a volunteer at the hospital acclimatizing and familiarizing myself with the various trauma departments and patients. I have a certain specific interest in this field of medical science and my exposure to that area of the hospital was quite beneficial towards increasing my knowledge in trauma care. It was in this department where I learned that being a volunteer is not as simple as it sounds. With the main purpose of the trauma department being to help patients become productive members of society again, I found that

The Research Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Research Project - Assignment Example Predicated on front hypothetical discourse in regards to picture, an observational examination was directed to test the relationship proposed here. Numerous thing designators from front studies were utilized. Outcomes designate that there is a relationship between data sources and end picture. Following how clients procure data is fundamental for showcasing administration choices. This is particularly correct for lodging, peregrinate and tourism items. Research has exhibited that vacationer data is a profitable notion in comprehension goal picture and the terminus winnow methodology of travellers. Data sources have been incorporated in numerous look into acts as weighty calculates for the dissection of traveller mien. For example, to begin with, the greater part of the travellers comportment demonstrates joined the pursuit of outside data as a fundamental segment. Second, a few studies have analyzed the impact of data sources on voyagers' inclinations and aims. Different studies have fixated on the relationship between data sources, objective winnow and peregrinate choices. ... On the other hand, travelers figure pictures of elective objectives, so picture withal develops as a discriminating element in the objective select process (Goodman, 2004 p 34) . This is steady with the idea that data sources and the characteristics of the diverse ends structure the substratum for distinctive picture and experience prospects. In incorporation, the data wellsprings of traveller exercises have transmuted enormously in the course of recent years, due firstly to the effect of nascent innovations; besides, to the change in vacationer purchaser deportment, thirdly to the expand in the amount of traveler ends of the line, and determinately to the developing rivalry around distinctive goals. As a result, data sources may as well meet one principle objective so as to be recognized as solid actualizes for objective advancement. Advancement is apperceived by numerous as a discriminating component in tourism advertising. Around the cluster of limited time strategies accessible, the peregrinate leaflet is a standout amongst the most central and broadly used For quite some time, peregrinate pamphlets have been used by national, state and common place administrations, gathering and guests' bureaux and cement ends of the line as reasonable and diverse correspondence executes. Thus, the fundamental point of this study is to distinguish those objective characteristics which help assemble a positive objective picture, and to investigate the part of data sources in the structuring of the positive terminus picture. All the more unequivocally, this study focuses on the investigation of pamphlets as an advancement betokens for visitor objectives and as impelled picture engenderers. Adventitiously, it attempts to make a relationship between the bona fide end of the

Volunteering in community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Volunteering in community - Essay Example I could meet the challenges of this volunteer activitiy and learn a great deal about myself, my calling in the medical field, patient care, and how Hamad General has evolved to become the leading medical institution in Qatar. Stepping into the halls of Hamad General on that first day gripped me with a sense of awe and wonder at the state of the art facility. At par, if not far advanced, of its western counterparts, I knew that the challenging world I had chosen to become a part of was not just going to challenge me as a person, but help me to become a better version of myself. I knew that this was the place I had to be. I was in the right place, at the right time. Hamad General Hospital is one of the health care facilities that resulted from the Emiri decree issued in 1979. The 603 bed facility has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings are a general hospital. These days, the facility has evolved into offering both general and complex medical assistance covering the areas of trauma, emergency medicine, pediatrics, critical care, specialized surgery, specialized medicine, laboratory medicine, and radiology services. The hospital is certainly expanding its services and access to the most modern health diagnostic tools in response to the ever growing population of the city. Most notable of its objectives at the moment is the development of a Diabetes Center in order to address the large diabetic population of Qatar. I spent my time as a volunteer at the hospital acclimatizing and familiarizing myself with the various trauma departments and patients. I have a certain specific interest in this field of medical science and my exposure to that area of the hospital was quite beneficial towards increasing my knowledge in trauma care. It was in this department where I learned that being a volunteer is not as simple as it sounds. With the main purpose of the trauma department being to help patients become productive members of society again, I found that

Entrepreneurial Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Entrepreneurial Behaviour - Essay Example However, it has been provided so that the individual analyst can interpret what an entrepreneur is necessarily espouses in the broadest sense. Harkening back to the question at hand, whether or not an entrepreneur is born or made, the analyst should consider the fact that the ultimate answer to this question is both, neither, and some mixture in between. Far from being a clever manipulation of words, it will be the express intent of this particular analysis to define how the entrepreneur requires skills that are inherent to some individuals, how other individuals can learn these, and how a synergy between the two types of individuals is ultimately possible. Through such an identification is the hope of the student that the reader will come away with a more informed interpretation of what the entrepreneur espouses and how individuals without a certain level of entrepreneurial spirit or â€Å"gift† can effectively navigate within this particular paradigm. Firstly, it should be noted that as with any skill set that one learns in life, there are inherently individuals that are born to a natural level of talent in terms of being an entrepreneur. Some individuals have necessarily understood this to mean that the entrepreneur is with someone that is somehow genetically predisposed to be an effective entrepreneur and to gain a degree of notoriety and success in its accomplishment. However, flipping this argument on its head, the reader should note the fact that certain individuals are born with a certain proclivity to playing music, others with a certain proclivity to art, and still others with a certain proclivity to memorization etc. etc. However, this does not mean that educators, or the parents, should despair that their child will never be a musician, artist, etc., instead, it merely means that the educational process will need to be engaged at a further level of length and perhaps a further level of rigor in order for the