The Juvenile Justice System And Public Schools - 2522 Words

In the last thirty years, the approaches and tools used in the modern adult criminal-justice system have begun to influence our school practices. This has created a system that removes the most vulnerable children from mainstream educational environments and puts them on a direct path toward prison. The overrepresentation of juveniles with disabilities within this system has been repeatedly demonstrated in research. National reports suggest that almost one third of students in juvenile detention and confinement facilities were receiving special education services.1 Based on the review of literature, I will discuss some of the issues within our juvenile justice system and public schools. I will address the following questions: 1. Why†¦show more content†¦In fact, according to a report by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Up until the late 18th century, children below the age of reason (traditionally age 7) were presumed to be incapable of criminal intent and were, therefore, exempt from prosecution and punishment. Children as young as 7, however, could stand trial in criminal court for offenses committed and, if found guilty, could be sentenced to prison or even death.3 The juvenile court system thrived in the United States for the first half of the 20th century. There was a focus on offenders and not offenses. Rehabilitation was emphasized rather than punishment. In the 1980s, there was a policy shift toward laws that were tougher on crime. The public perceived that violent and serious juvenile crime was rising and that the system in place was not effective. Mostly, this was due to a misunderstanding regarding the increase of juvenile crime. Regardless of that, many states passed laws that mandated tougher punishments.4 This shift in public and political perception created a phenomenon that has continued to develop since the early nineties– zero-tolerance policies. The adoption of these policies in school discipline practices has considerably increased the number of children and adolescents suspended, expelled, and arrested for minor offenses in school.5 In recent years, we have seen public schools

Turkish Attitudes Concerning Christians - 1019 Words

Kendra Olds HY 348 February 15, 2004 Aware that he would not single-handedly change the field of Ottoman studies with this thesis, Roderic Davison does, however, succeed in influencing the trends of research and scholarship in the field. His article, â€Å"Turkish Attitudes Concerning Christian-Muslim Equality in the Nineteenth Century,† attempts to add new research to help resolve several main controversies. Disputing previous beliefs of the field, he gives evidence to try to answer the â€Å"three questions† he extends towards his audience. Primarily Davison seeks to discover what made the Ottoman Tanzimat period of reform fail. This study necessitates an examination of the attitudes of the Turkish reformers, the†¦show more content†¦As we can see that the millets had much to do with ruining their chances for equality within the empire, for example, we could help other societies today achieve equality successfully. Davison appeals to his readers’ sense of reason to overcome their pre vious prejudices. By using statements from the statesmen and representatives of communities, the audience is able to see undeniable evidence that supports his view of the attitudes of the people. Perhaps the major assumption that is missing from the argument is the power of the connection between attitudes and historical events. Confidently, Davison counts on the integrity of scholars to care about a correct interpretation of history. Assuming that he shares values with his audience, he relies on them to want to accurately represent the attitudes of historical figures, even if it reflects negatively on their fellow countrymen, or changes an entire field of current understanding. Shaping his arguments to best serve his purpose, Davison patterns this piece by stating traditional arguments of Ottoman scholars, and then gives evidence to refute them. 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Financial Ratios and Hershey Free Essays

A. TWO KEY LESSONS LEARNT FROM THIS CASE Hershey Company is famous known for being the biggest manufacturer of chocolates and confectionery products in North America and grocery products in over 60 countries worldwide. In 2009, Hershey sales up to 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Financial Ratios and Hershey or any similar topic only for you Order Now 23 percent. Advertising expenses increased by 46 percent as the company continued to promote iconic brands such as the Hershey Kiss and Reese’s products. Due to lower commodity prices, the company plans to discontinue their Cacao Reserve brand as well as their Starbucks chocolate partnership. The company also plans to close their online gift business. The company expanded its global presence via joint ventures in china and India. From this case, we found two key lessons as following: (a) The first lesson is about the important of expanding to global market (b) The second lesson is about the importance for the firm to keep developing customer preferences. It is important for company to focus on how to formulate global product strategy to penetrate growing international markets. Therefore, Hershey should come up with new strategies in finance, marketing and production department to complete globally and to increase the customer satisfaction and market share. B. Vision Statement Since we could not find a vision statement of Hershey company then we suggest a vision as below: â€Å"Achieving consumers needs which making chocolate more healthy, delicious and delightful for life† From our opinion, this vision is clear in term of to help the company to see where the company is going on in the future which the company more concern about customer need and offer the product of natural and organic chocolate for health. According to researchers led by Natalie Rose, MD, of the University of California at San Diego. The result suggests several possible relationships between eating chocolate and wellness, it helps to increase the level of specific neurotransmitters in our brain that in turn promotes feeling of happiness and help to raise the good hormone that act as an ati-depressant. Therefore, It captures the importance not only for healthy but also the happiness of eating chocolate. C. Mission Statement The current mission of the Hershey company is â€Å"Bringing sweet moments of Hershey happiness to the world everyday† To our stakeholders, this means: Consumer: Delivering quality consumer driven confectionery experiences for all occasions. * Employees: Winning with an aligned and empowered organization while having fun. * Business Partner: Building collaborative relationships for profitable growth with our customers, suppliers, and partners. * Shareholder: Creating sustainable value. * Communities: Honoring our heritage through continued commitment to making a positive difference. The current mission consists of the following characteristics: 1. Customer 2. Concern for survival, profitability, growth 3. Philosophy 4. Self-concept 5. Concern for public image 6. Concern for employees Mission statement is often the most visible and public part of the strategic management process. The current mission is sufficient to remind the company on their attitude and outlook. However, it is important to include the nine characteristic, as mission statement would be more effective. From our analysis, the current mission lacks of another three characteristics, which are products, market, and technology. These four characteristics are important for the company in the long-term development. Thus, we think that the current mission can be improved as follows: Bringing sweet moments of chocolate Hershey happiness to the world every day† To stakeholders, this means: Consumer: Delivering quality consumer with the lastest technology to drive experiences for all occasions. Employee: Winning with an aligned and empowered organization while having fun. Business Partners: Building collaborative relationships for profitable growth wit h our customers, suppliers, and partners in the international market. Shareholders: Creating sustainable value. Communities: Honoring our heritage through continued commitment to making a positive difference. D. External Audit Opportunities 1. Organic foods products are one of the fastest growing sectors in the United States with a projected value of $26. 3 billion by 2011. 2. Seasonal sales such as Halloween and Valentine’s Day account for 10 percent of the annual sales in the industry. 3. Nestle’s image, however, has suffered within the global community due to allegations about sourcing of cocoa from farms that employed children in Africa, as well as its marketing tactics used to promote its infant milk substitutes in developing nations. 4. Consumers are increasingly aware of the nutritional value of various product ingredients with purchase decisions reflecting a preference for organic and nonadulterated products. 5. Confectionery products include chocolate, gum, cereal bars, and sugar confectionery products with a projected global market value of $107. 4 billion by 2010. 6. Chocolate currently accounts for 55. 8 percent of the market’s overall global value. Threats 1. Mergers and acquisitions in the past few years have influenced both the market share and product portfolio of global firms in the confectionery industry. 2. Nestle, one of the global leaders in the industry, expanded its nutritional product with the acquisition of Jenny Craig, a company with an established brand of nutritional weight-management products. 3. Nestle recently entered the organic products segment with projected sales of $24 billion by 2010. 4. Due to increased consumer concerns about artificial ingredients, the company [Cadbury] also manufactures a line of products with no artificial colors or artificial flavorings under the Natural Confectionery Company. 5. Cadbury has a 71 percent market share in India, and enjoys a 53 percent market share in the chocolate category in Australia. . Due to increased consumer preference for low fat and organic products, Mars Nutrition and Health Well Being has also developed a line of low-fat products and healthy snacks. 7. Some research analysts expect that international wholesale sugar prices may reach 40 cents a pound. 8. Cocoa future contract prices in 2008 ranged from $0. 86 to $1. 50 pe r pound, which represented a significant increase from 2007 prices. CPM – Competitive Profile Matrix * Estimates for Hershey focused on similar product lines with Nestle, Cadbury and Mars The Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) Critical success factors| Weight| Hershey| Nestle| Cadbury| Mars| | | Rating| Score| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| Rating| Score| Global Expansion| 0. 2| 4| 0. 8| 4| 0. 8| 3| 0. 6| 3| 0. 6| Financial Position| 0. 10| 2| 0. 2| 4| 0. 4| 3| 0. 3| 2| 0. 2| Advertising ;amp;Marketing| 0. 15| 4| 0. 6| 2| 0. 3| 3| 0. 45| 3| 0. 45| Customer Loyalty| 0. 1| 2| 0. 2| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| 3| 0. 3| Market share| 0. 15| 3| 0. 45| 4| 0. 6| 4| 0. 6| 2| 0. 3| Product Quality| 0. 12| 4| 0. 36| 2| 0. 24| 3| 0. 36| 3| 0. 36| Price Competitiveness| 0. 10| 3| 0. 30| 3| 0. 30| 4| 0. 40| 3| 0. 0| Management| 0. 08| 2| 0. 16| 4| 0. 32| 2| 0. 16| 3| 0. 24| Total| 1. 0| 3. 07| 3. 26| 3. 17| 2. 75| The Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) show that weighted score of Hershey, Nestle, Cadbury and Mars. Nestle has got total weighted scores is 3. 26 which is highest score and Hershey is the third scores, less than Nestle and Cadbury. The CPM indicates that Hershey is the strongest in terms of Product Quality and Advertisi ng ;amp;Marketing. This means if Hershey is to be competitive, it has to focus on global expansion and market share. The External Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix KEY INTERNAL FACTOR| WEIGHT| RATING| WEIGHTED SCORE| OPPORTUNITIES| | Organic foods products are one of the fastest growing sectors in the United States| 0. 1| 4| 0. 4| Seasonal sales account for 10 percent of the annual sales in the industry| 0. 05| 3| 0. 15| Nestle’s image has suffered from farms that employed children in Africa| 0. 04| 4| 0. 16| Consumers are increasingly aware of the nutritional value of various product| 0. 07| 3| 0. 21| Confectionery products projected global market value of $107. 4 billion by 2010| 0. 09| 4| 0. 36| Chocolate currently accounts for 55. percent of the market’s overall global value| 0. 08| 4| 0. 32| Sub-total for Opportunities| 1. 00| | 1. 60| THREAT| WEIGHT| RATING| WEIGHTED SCORE| Mergers and acquisitions have influenced both the both the market share and product portfolio of global firms| 0. 01| 3| 0. 3| Nestle expanded nutritional product| 0. 08| 2| 0. 16| Nestle entered the organic products segment| 0. 08| 2| 0. 16| Cadbury manu factures a line of products with no artificial colors or artificial flavorings| 0. 07| 3| 0. 21| Cadbury has a 71 percent market share in India, and enjoys a 53 percent market share in chocolate category in Australia| 0. 06| 2| 0. 12| Mars Nutrition and Health Well Being has developed a line of low-fat products and healthy snacks| 0. 07| 4| 0. 28| International wholesale sugar prices may reach 40 cents a pound| 0. 06| 4| 0. 24| Cocoa future contract prices in 2008 ranged from $0. 86 to $1. 50 per pound| 0. 05| 4| 0. 20| Sub-total for Threats| 1. 00| | 1. 67| Total| 1. 00| | 3. 27| The EFE matrix reveals that score for Opportunities versus score for Threats. Hershey’s total weighted scores is more than average which is at 3. 27. This indicates that Hershey is responding strongly above average to the existing opportunities and threats. In other words, the company’s current strategies are able to gain advantage of the existing opportunities and minimize the potential effects of external threats. E. Internal Audit Strengths 1. The Hershey and Godrej venture will distribute Hershey products via Godrej’s distribution network to over 1. 6 million outlets in India. 2. Advertising expenses for the quarter increased by 46 percent as the company continued to promote iconic brands such as the Hershey Kiss and Reese’s products. 3. The company relies on special promotions to increase holiday sales, and it also uses advertising programs to supplement seasonal sales. 4. During the past several years, the company has expanded its global presence through a variety of acquisitions and joint ventures with established firms in the international market. 5. Hershey also has special editions products that are themed with events, such as their Dark Knight Collection (milk chocolate peanut butter bats) created for the release of the movie Dark Knight. The company also encourages customers to personalize messages and gifts via its interactive home page. . Due to increased consumer preferences for healthy and organic products, the company portfolio of healthy snacks has expanded to include Payday Pro energy bars and sugar-free products such as Twizzlers. 7. Hershey, as well as other competitors in the industry, is acquiring nonchocolate products as well as nutritional products to complement its existing products. 8. Hershey products are sold to more than 2 million retail outlets, including wholesale distributors, chain grocery stores, convenience stores, and wholesale clubs as well as natural food stores. 9. Direct research on consumer preferences as well as process innovations are supported via the Hershey Center of Health and Nutrition developed in 2007. 10. Operating Profit Margin: 14%(2008) 15%(2009) Weaknesses 1. The company also plans to close their online gift business, which featured seasonal products and gifts that could be personalized by the consumer. 2. Due to global supply initiatives, the company projects a reduction of 1,500 positions over the next three-year period. 3. The company plans to discontinue their Cacao Reserve brand as well as their Starbucks chocolate partnership. 4. Hershey’s iconic brands such as Hershey Bar, Hershey Kisses, and Reese’s are instantly recognized within the domestic market. 5. The company’s long-term debt increased from $1,279,965 in20O7 to 1,505,954 in 2008. The Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix KEY INTERNAL FACTOR| WEIGHT| RATING| WEIGHTED SCORE| STRENGTHS| | The company will distribute Hershey products via Godrej’s distribution network in India| 0. 06| 3| 0. 18| Advertising expenses for promote iconic brands| 0. 09| 4| 0. 36| The company relies on special promotions| 0. 07| 3| 0. 21| The company has expanded its global presence| 0. 8| 3| 0. 24| Hershey has special editions products that are themed with events| 0. 06| 2| 0. 12| The company portfolio of healthy snacks has expanded to include Payday Pro energy bars and sugar-free products| 0. 08| 4| 0. 32| Acquiring nonchocolate and nutritional products| 0. 09| 4| 0. 36| Hershey products are sold to more than 2 million retail outlets| 0. 07| 3| 0 . 21| Direct research on consumer preferences and process innovations are supported by the Hershey Center of Health and Nutrition developed| 0. 06| 3| 0. 18| Operating Profit Margin: 14% (2008) 15% (2009)| 0. 6| 3| 0. 18| Sub-total for strengths| 1. 00| | 2. 36| WEAKNESSES| WEIGHT| RATING| WEIGHTED SCORE| The company plans to close their online gift business| 0. 06| 2| 0. 12| The company projects a reduction of 1,500 positions over the next three years| 0. 05| 2| 0. 12| The company plans to discontinue Cacao Reserve brand Starbucks chocolate partnership| 0. 06| 3| 0. 18| Hershey’s iconic brands are instantly recognized within the domestic market. | 0. 06| 3| 0. 18| The company’s long-term debt increased| 0. 05| 2| 0. 10| Sub-total for weaknesses| 1. 00| | 0. 68| Total| 1. 00| | 3. 4| Based on the IFE evaluation shows that score for Strengths versus score for Weaknesses. Total weighted scores for Hershey is 3. 04 considered as above average which is indicates that the c ompany’s internal position is strong. Financial Ratio Analysis (2008) Growth Rates % (5-Year Annual Avg. )| ABC Company| Sales | 16. 22%| Net Income (5-Year Annual Avg. )| 45. 81%| Dividends (5-Year Annual Avg. )| 41. 27%| Profit Margins| | Gross Margin| 34%| Pre-Tax Margin| 11%| Net Profit Margin| 6%| 5Yr Net Profit Margin (5-Year Avg. )| 8. 97%| Financial Condition| | Debt/Equity Ratio| 10. 42| Current Ratio| 1. 06| Quick Ratio| 0. 59| Investment Returns %| | Return On Equity| 98%| Return On Assets| 9%| Return On Equity (5-Year Avg. )| 62. 95%| Return On Assets (5-Year Avg. )| 10. 72%| Management Efficiency| | Income/Employee| 24. 33| Revenue/Employee| 400. 99| Inventory Turnover| 8. 66| Asset Turnover| 1. 41| NET WORTH ANALYSIS OF AVP (2008 IN MILLION)| | | | | | | | | | Growth ratios:| Growth rate = [(current year – base year) / base year] * 100| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Percentage| | | 2009 Growth rate in sales| | 3. 23| | | 2008| | | | | 3. 76| | | 2007| | | | | 0. 5| | | 2008 Growth rate in net income| | | 45. 41| | Stockholders’ Equity + Goodwill  | $ 872,876| Net Income * 5|   |   |   | $ 1,557,025| Share price * Net Income| 34. 74 * 311,405 = 10,818,210| Number of Shares Outstanding * Share Price| 227,035 * 34. 74 = 7,887,196| Method Average|   |   |   | 5,283,826. 70| FINANCIAL ANALYSIS The financial analysis for Hershey will be pro vided giving by liquidity ratios, leverage ratios, activity ratios, and profitability ratios as following. PROFITABILITY RATIOS From an accounting standpoint, profitability is defined as business gain in an activity. The measures used in this section detail how profitable the firm’s operations are and how well the firm generates a return on capital. The ratios for profitability analysis are return on assets, sales margin, return on equity, and the dividend payout ratio. Return on Assets: Return on assets (ROA) measures a company’s efficiency in generating profits from its available assets. This is calculated by dividing net income by total assets. An increasing ratio indicates higher efficiency. Hershey’s ROA improved from 5% in 2007 to 9% in 2008 indicating that Hershey became more efficient over the 2008 fiscal year. Return on Equity: The return on equity (ROE) is a measure of how well a company is able to return a profit using the shareholder’s investment. It is calculated by dividing net income by the shareholder’s equity. A higher number indicates a better return from shareholder’s investments. Hershey’s return on equity improved from 36% in 2007 to 98% in 2008, indicating a higher efficiency and better return from shareholder’s investment. Improvements were noted between 2007 and 2008 for Hershey’s ROA, ROE, Gross Profit Margin, Operating Profit Margin, Net Profit Margin and Earning Per Share were increased proportionally. LIQUIDITY RATIOS A company’s liquidity can be described by how easily a company can pay off short-term debts, in specific those due in the fiscal year. Current Ratio: The current ratio gives a strong measure of a company’s liquidity. It compares the cash and cash equivalents plus any current assets that will be turned into cash within a year to current liabilities that must be paid within the year. This ratio indicates how well a company can pay its current debts. It is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. Hershey’s current ratio improved from 0. 8 in 2007 to 1. 06 in 2008. Although this is an improvement, a ratio of 1 or better is desired in order to show the ability to pay of all current debts with current assets. Quick Ratio: The quick ratio is similar to the current ratio. Instead of using all current assets, the quick ratio only uses cash, market securities, and accounts receivables to compare against current liabilities. This is don e to further narrow the assets to those that can more quickly be turn into cash. Hershey’s quick ratio improved from 0. 51 to 0. 59. Although an improvement can be seen, a more desirable ratio would be closer to 1 so that debts could be paid with current cash and cash equivalents. All measures of liquidity showed improvements for Hershey between 2007 and 2008. This is largely due to Hershey’s ability to generate a greater amount of operational cash flows between the two years. The improvement in current ratio and quick ratio shows an improved ability to pay off short term debts with current assets, which is also indicative that future payments of the long term debt will be possible. ACTIVITY RATIOS Activity in a firm is typically categorized as creation of product and moving product out the door for sales. Activity measures focus on these actions and evaluate how a firm uses its assets to generate revenues. If a company is able to utilize its assets efficiently, fewer funds from financing are needed. The ratios analyzed in this section are inventory turnover and asset turnover. Asset Turnover: Asset turnover takes an overall focus on how the company uses all of its assets to generate revenues. A higher number is desired because it indicates that each dollar of asset is producing a greater amount of revenue. It is calculated by dividing the company’s revenue by the total amount of assets for the current year. Hershey’s asset turnover ratio improved from 1. 16 in 2007 to 1. 41 in 2008. This shows that Hershey’s was more efficient in using its assets between evaluation periods. Inventory Turnover: Inventory turnover is a measure of how often within a year that inventory is sold and replaced. It is calculated by dividing cost of goods sold by inventory. A high ratio indicates efficiency and a high rate of sales. Hershey’s inventory turnover slightly improved from 8. 24 in 2007 to 8. 6 in 2008. Improvements were seen in inventory and asset turnover ratios. Hershey’s assets decreased in value while revenues increased, resulting in a more efficient use of assets. LEVERAGE RATIOS A company’s leverage defines how a company handles its debt. Companies that have a high leverage can have difficulty paying back debts, securing new debts from creditors, and a re usually higher risk. But, these companies can also attain tax advantages and gain large returns from investing. The ratios analyzed in this section include the debt ratio, debt to equity ratio and imes interest earned ratio. Debt Ratio: The debt ratio indicates how much debt a company has relative to its assets. This ratio is calculated by dividing total liabilities by total assets. This ratio is one of the components typically used by investors to determine the risk level of a company. A lower number is favored because it shows the company has a larger percentage of assets when compared to liabilities. Hershey’s debt ratio increased and deteriorated from 0. 762 in 2005 to 0. 836 in 2006. This is due to a decrease in company assets while liabilities increased. The increase in liabilities can be noted most in the long-term liabilities. This adds risk to Hershey’s from an investment standpoint. Debt to Equity Ratio: The debt to equity ratio is a measure of what proportions of debt and equity are used in its financing. It is also a measure of a company’s financial leverage. The ratio is calculated by dividing total liabilities by stockholder’s equity. A lower number is favored because it indicates a higher amount of shareholder’s equity when compared to liabilities. Hershey’s debt to equity ratio increased and deteriorated from 6. 16 in 2007 to 10. 2 in 2008. This is largely a result in Hershey’s large decrease in shareholder’s equity. Times Interest Earned Ratio: The times interest earned ratio gives shows how well a company is able to pay its interest expenses with earnings before taxes. The number represents how many times over the interest expense can be paid with the earnings before intere st. A higher number is favored. The ratio is calculated by dividing earning before interest and taxes (EBIT) by net interest expense. The times interest earned ratio for Hershey’s increase from 3. 87 in 2007 to 6. 03 in 2008. Hershey achieved many improvements in their financial ratios. Between 2005 and 2006, Hershey showed improvements in many areas. Their overall profitability improved. Liquidity also improved in all areas. This can be attributed to their ability to generate a greater amount of operational cash flows. Because of their increased liquidity, Hershey shows that they are in a better position to pay off their debts and is able to distribute their earnings to stockholders more readily. G. SPACE Matrix 2. 44, -1. 06 2. 44, -1. 06 6 5 4 3 2 1 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 Competitive IS ES CA FS Conservative Aggressive Defensive X 6 5 4 3 2 1 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 Competitive IS ES CA FS Conservative Aggressive Defensive X Financial Position (FP) Return on Investment ROE, ROA+4 Leverage+2 Earning Per Share+5 Inventory+3 Liquidity+4 Subtotal (FP) +18 Industry Position (IP) Growth potential+6 Extent leverage+5 Profit potent+5 Productivity+4 Subtotal (IP) +20 Competitive Position (CP) Market share -5 Product quality -1 Control over suppliers and distributers-2 Subtotal (CP) -8 Stability Position (SP) Barriers to entry into market-4 Demand variability-6 Competitive pressure-6 Subtotal (SP) -14 x-axis = -2. 66 + 5= 2. 44 y-axis = -4. 66+ 3. 6= -1. 06 Based on this formula, it shows that The Hershey company x-axis is 2. 44 and y-axis is -1. 06. Therefore firm’s directional vector is located in the lower-right or competitive quadrant of the SPACE Matrix. In other word, The company has competitive advantages in a growing industry, The Hershey should pursue competitive strategies which include; backward, forward and horizontal integration; market penetration; market development and product evelopment. H. Grand Strategy Matrix Quadrant IV business have a strong competitive position but are in a slow-growth industry. Hershey has the strength to launch diversified into more promising growth area such as India and China. The company also has characteristically high cash-flow levels and limited internal growth need as the result of 86% market share in America. I. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix BCG is a privat e management consulting firm base in Boston. The purpose of BCG Matrix is graphically shows the company’s position in terms of relative market share and industry growth. Hershey is in the Star quadrant because Hershey is leading in terms of market share in America and the growth rate sale is higher than zero for several years. As the result, the Star quadrant indicates that Hershey has good long-run opportunities for growth and profitability. To maintain this position Hershey need a substantial investment especially in global market and to strengthen its dominant position. Strategies that is best for Hershey includes market penetration, market development, product development, and forward, backward and horizontal integration. J. The Internal-External (IE) Matrix | | | The IFE Total Weighted Score| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Strong| Average| Weak| | | | | | 3. 0 to 4. 0| 2. 0 to 2. 99| 1. 0 to 1. 99| | | | | High| IFE = 3. 04 IFE = 3. 04 I| II| III| | | | | EFE = 3. 27 EFE = 3. 27 3. 0 to 3. 99| | | | | | | | Medium| IV| V| VI| | | The EFE Total Weighted Score| 2. 0 to 2. 99| | | | | | | | Low| VII| VIII| IX| | | | | 1. 0 to 1. 99| | | | | | Key: | Grow and build| | Hold and maintain| | Harvest or diverstiture| The Internal – External (IE) Matrix The IE matrix is based on two key dimensions such as the IFE total weighted score and the EFE total weighted score. The total weighted scores allow construction of the corporate-level IE Matrix. The result from IE Matrix states that Hershey Company is appropriate for division 1 or can be described as grow and build. The most appropriate strategies for this division can be intensive market penetration, market development, and product development or company can also consider intensive backward integration, forward integration and horizontal integration. Based on the interpretation, suggest two best alternatives that the company could pursuit, then perform QSPM matrix. K. QSPM Strategic Alternatives| Key Internal Factors Weight| Alternative 1: Global Expansion| Alternative 2: Develop Organic Products| Strengths| AS | TAS| AS| TAS| 1. Distribute Hershey products via Godrej’s distribution network in India| 0. 06| 4| 0. 24| 2| 0. 18| 2. Advertising expenses for promote iconic brands. | 0. 09| 4| 0. 36| 3| 0. 27| 3. Relies on special promotions| 0. 07| 3| 0. 21| 2| 0. 14| 4. The company has expanded its global presence. | 0. 08| 4| 0. 32| 2| 0. 12| 5. Hershey has special editions product that are themed with events. | 0. 06| -| -| -| -| 6. The company portfolio of healthy snacks has expanded| 0. 08| 2| 0. 16| 4| 0. 32| 7. Acquiring non-chocolate and nutritional products| 0. 09| 2| 0. 18| 4| 0. 36| 8. Products are sold to more than 2 million retail outlets. | 0. 07| -| -| -| -| 9. Hershey Centre of Health supported research on consumer preferences and process innovations. | 0. 06| 2| 0. 12| 3| 0. 18| 10. Operating profit Margin: 14% (2008) 15% (2009)| 0. 6| -| -| -| -| Weaknesses| 1. Plans to close online gift business. | 0. 06| 3| 0. 18| 1| 0. 06| 2. The company projects a reduction of 1,500 positions. | 0. 05| 2| 0. 10| 1| 0. 05| 3. Plans to discontinue Cocao Reserve brand Starbucks chocolate partnership. | 0. 06| 3| 0. 18| 1| 0. 06| 4. Hershey’s iconic brands are instantly recognized within the domestic market| 0. 06| -| -| -| -| 5. The companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s long-term debt increased| 0. 05| -| -| -| -| SUBTOTAL| 1. 00| | 2. 05| | 1. 74| | Global Expansion| Develop Organic Products| Opportunities| AS| TAS| AS| TAS| 1. Organic foods products are the fastest growing sectors. | 0. 10| 1| 0. 10| 4| 0. 40| 2. Seasonal sales account for 10%| 0. 05| -| -| -| -| 3. Nestle’s image has suffered. | 0. 04| 3| 0. 12| 2| 0. 08| 4. Consumers are increasingly aware of the nutritional value. | 0. 07| 3| 0. 21| 4| 0. 28| 5. Confectionery products projected global market value of $107. 4 billion by 2010| 0. 09| 3 | 0. 27| 2| 0. 18| 6. Chocolate currently accounts for 55. 8% of the market’s overall global value. | 0. 08| -| -| -| -| Threats| 1. Mergers and acquisitions have influenced both the market share. 0. 01| 4| 0. 04| 2| 0. 02| 2. Nestle expanded nutritional product. | 0. 08| 3| 0. 24| 4| 0. 32| 3. Nestle entered the organic product segment. | 0. 08| 3| 0. 24| 4| 0. 32| 4. Cadbury manufactures a line of products with no artificial colors or flavorings| 0. 07| 1| 0. 07| 2| 0. 14| 5. Cadbury has a 71% market share in India, and 53% Australia. | 0. 06| 3| 0. 18| 2| 0. 12| 6. Mars Nutrition and Health Well being has developed low-fat and healthy snacks| 0. 07| 2| 0. 14| 3| 0. 21| 7. International wholesale sugar prices may reach 40 cent a pound| 0. 06| -| -| -| -| 8. Cocoa future contract prices in 2008 ranged from $ 0. 86 to $1. 50 per pound| 0. 05| -| -| -| -| SUBTOTAL| | | 1. 57| | 2. 07| SUM TOTAL ATTRACTIVENESS SCORE| | | 3. 66| | 3. 81| As the result of QSPM, we consider two alternative strategies As following:a) Global expansion b) Develop organic products The sum total attractive scores are 3. 66 and 3. 87. The analysis indicates that Hershey should develop organic products. L. Recommendations From the evaluations of the company’s conditions, performance, and the analysis provided from SWOT matrix, IFE-EFE matrix, and Grand strategy matrix. We recommend three specific strategies as following: 1) Expand to global market Hershey has recently market share 86% in America and it is well known in America as the chocolate maker since 1906. On the other hand, In the global market, Hershey is the third rang next to Nestle and Cadbery. Hershey needs to continue to focus on the global market. Hershey currently has a limited presence in many areas of the world. However, compare to the actual plan strategies of the company, they have begun to expand into new areas such as China and India. We are suggesting the new organization structure to Hershey Food Corporation. In this structure, we have suggested continental president, which will help to complete globally or to increase the market share globally because they will have the experience of the particular continents and they will work according to market conditions. The Hershey Company needs to go international advertisement to promote the product as well as they have to find out the new channels of distribution and adopt the new channels to increase the sales. For the cost of expand to global market, the company must spend more in terms of marketing that amount is indicated in the projected income statement. ) Continue chocolate partnership with coffee store, and online gift business Hershey should continue to provide new chocolate flavored coffee product in supermarkets and coffee stores. This allows Hershey to market to new segment, more consumers , and participate in new trends. Besides, Hershey should continue online gift business to get the new channel to increase the sales as well as to provide the seasonal products and the gifts that could be personalized by the consumer. 3) Develop organic product People have become much more aware of the various factors that negatively affect their health. Chocolate and other candy are viewed as an unhealthy snack. Organic food products are one of the fastest growing sectors. Therefore, Hershey needs to continue to expand the market healthy products in order to gain a greater market share. If Hershey continues to market the products they already have in categories and continues to develop new products that address the healthy to the public, then their revenues will increase throughout the years as the projected income statement as following. Projected financial statements Projected The Hershey company Statements of Income| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In thousands of dollars except| For the year ended December 31| 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| | | | | | | | | | Net Sales| 5,132,768| 5,298,668| 5,671,009| 6,238,110| Costs and Expenses 😠 | | | | | | | | | | | | Cost of sales| | 3,375,050| 3,245,531| 3,255,801| 3,402,798| | | | | | | | Selling, marketing and administrative| 1,073,019| 1,208,672| 1,426,477| 1,511,119| | | | | | | | | Business realignment and | | 94,801| 82,875| 83,433| 90,080| | impairment charges, net| | | | | | | | | | Total costs and expenses| 4,542,870| 4,537,078| 4,765,711| 5,003,997| | | | | | | | | | Income before Interest and Income Taxes| 589,898| 761,590| 905,298| 1,234,113| | Interest expenses, net| | 97,876| 90,459| 96,434| 111,070| | | | | | | | | | Income before Income Taxes| | 492,022| 671,131| 808,864| 1,123,043| | Provision for income taxes| | 180,617| 235,137| 299,065| 393,065| | | | | | | | | | Net Income| 311,405| 435, 994| 509,799| 729,978| Projected The Hershey Company’s Balance Sheet| | | | | | | | | | all numbers in thousands)| | Period Ending| 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| | | | | | | | | | | Total Asset| | | 3,634,719| 3,675,031| 4,272,732| 4,913,642| Short term debt| | | 501,504| 39,313| 285,480| 157,014| Long term debt| | | 1,505,945| 1,502,730| 1,541,825| 1,418,479| Stockholders’ Equity| | | 318,199| 760,339| 937,601| 1,021,985| M. Evaluation of the recommendations based on Islamic perspective Islamic perspective As we know, Hershey produces good quality of chocolate and Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark chocolate. These benefits are from flavonoids , which act as antioxidants. Moreover, the other benefit that we are able to gain from chocolate such as Lower Blood Pressure, Lower Cholesterol, endorphin production and so on. Allah orders us to consume good thing and try to avoid the meal that it will damage our bodies. As Allah said: Messengers! eat of the good things and do good; surely i know what you do Chapter: 23 , Verse: 51 eat of the lawful and good things with which allah has provided you and be thankful for the favors of allah if it is he you worship Chapter: 16 , Verse: 114 Moreover, Hershey produce halal product to consumer. The ingredients that are utilized to produce chocolate are not the ingredient that Allah forbidden as said in Quran. He has only forbidden you what dies of itself and blood and flesh of swine and that over which any other name than that of Allah has been invoked, but whoever is driven to necessity, not desiring nor exceeding the limit, then surely Allah is forgiving, merciful Chapter: 16 , Verse: 115 Hershey also has policy to maintain and concern about environment. It was one of the companies who are in World cocoa Foundation which support environmental project. This project includes non-chemical pest management practice and encourage sustainable farming practice to support ecosystem in the region. Allah does not love people who harm environment as said in Quran ? â€Å"Seek not mischief in the land, for Allah loves not those who do mischief. † (Quran 28:77) According to scientists and philosophers, man is considered as the major factor in disturbing the natural balance of the universe. Man interferes intentionally or unintentionally in the earth’s ecosystems by impairing its perfect order and precise sequence. However, it seems that man has cut off his nose to spite his face and he now is the victim. Grave dangers are anifested in pollution of the air, water, soil, outer space and others, as well as the irrational exploitation of the environment’s resources, and inconsistent distribution of human settlements. All these factors have lead to different problems, all of which are marked by a disturbance to the earth’s natural balance. If companies or industries exploit or use up natural materials and environment, all damage will revert back to them. As promised Quran. Mischief has appeared on the land and sea, because of (the need) that the hands of man have earned, that (Allah) may give them a taste of some of their deeds: in order that they may turn back (from evil). †Ã‚  (Quran 30:41) REFFERENCES About Hershey. Retrieved on 02/02/12. From: http://www. thehersheycompany. com/about-hershey. aspx â€Å"Chocolate is good for you. † Chocolate Trading Co. July 13th, 2005 November 1st, 2007. Financial Report. Retrieved on 02/02/12. From: http://www. thehersheycompany. com/ investors/financial-reports. aspx. Fred R. David, â€Å"Strategic Management: Concept and Cases, Hershey Company—2009† 13th Edn. Page 111-119. Pearson Education, 2011 Halal and Haram Foods according to Quran. Retrieved on 02/02/12. From: http://www. parsquran. com/eng/subject/halal. htm Karem S. Ghoneim (Prof. ), Quran Recitations : The Quran and the Environment . Retrieved on 02/02/12. From: http://www. whyquran. com/877/content/blogsection/0/98/9/18/ Mark Stibich, Health Benefits of  Chocolate. Retrieved on 02/02/12. From: http://longevity. about. com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate. htm Organization’s key Competitors. Retrieved on 02/02/12. From: www. foodproductiondaily-usa. com | How to cite Financial Ratios and Hershey, Papers

How People Learn free essay sample

They come to proper education with a range of prior knowledge, skills, theories, and ideas that knowingly influence what they notice about the surroundings and how they establish and understand it. This affects their capabilities to recall, solve complications, and obtain new knowledge. (National Academy of Sciences, 2004) New expansions in the science of learning also highlight the significance of aiding people who take control of their personal learning. Subsequently understanding is observed as significant, people commitment to learn when they realize and when they require more data. What plans may they practice to measure that they understand someone else’s meaning? What kinds of proof do they need in order to believe particular rights? How can they build their own theories of occurrences and test them effectively? Several significant actions that support energetic learning studied under the studies of metacognition. Metacognition. refers. to people’s ability to predict their performances on various tasks how well they will be able to recall various motivations and to see their current levels of. expertise and understanding. The new science of learning is started to deliver knowledge to improve meaningfully people’s aptitudes to develop active learners who pursue to understand difficult subject matter and are better ready to transmit what they have learned to new problems and settings. Creation this happen is a main contest but it is not difficult. The emerging science of learning underscores the importance of reconsidering what is taught, how it is taught, and how knowledge is measured. The scientific basis of learning accomplishment includes a occupied understanding of: (1) etention and the building of knowledge; (2) problem solving and cognitive; (3) the early basics of learning; (4) controlling processes that direct learning, including metacognition; and (5) how emblematic thinking arises from the values and community of the learner. People learn in dissimilar methods. Some individuals learn by performing certain jobs, some people learn by reading out stuffs others learn by listening to otherà ¢â‚¬â„¢s conversation about things. People learn throughout from childhood to the grown-up and their entire lives. Some people like to read several journals, thesis, books and other stuff and gain knowledge from them. Others wish to study from their own, perception observations. Some people like to learn from others people by pay attention to their guidance and questioning their faults. Certainly, learning by doing and practicing things is the finest technique to acquire information. First of all, one can gain his own knowledge and skill, which is invaluable and respected. Lots of things are difficult to learn without practicing like a worker cannot be expert in operating certain machine until and unless he practice on that machine. Various things in our natural life need rehearsal and own knowledge. Though, some things are unbearable to be knowledgeable by doing them. (Lorian, 2008) Motivation makes learning more effective. If the learner is focused towards the learning needs and approaches than it can be easier for facilitator to provide best knowledge and information to their learners effectively in required time. Motivation can be enhanced through involving learners in the learning process and by taking their feedback about the expectations from specific leaning. (CIPD, 2006) Emotions play an extremely influential role in learning, both in inspiring importance and in diverting students from learning. Bain, 2012) Learning Preferences: people learn by using one or more multiple preferences usually they are logical and verbal but in actual there are eight preferences. Learning through words or verbal activities includes explanation of ideas, theories and information through language, to gain knowledge of the subject matter issue, learning and understanding through communication and meeting. Normally people like Television and radio presenters, editors, language teachers, trainers and writers use these activities to learn. Learning through numbers and logic: this form of learning includes understanding of relationship among the root causes, consequences and the final outcomes. Learner uses process of graphs, calculations and symbols to learn. People like bankers, computer experts, accountants are the examples of these learners. Learning through activities using music and sound: includes certain musical theme or instrument or any piece of music or melody through which person can be able to gain some fruitful knowledge, data or information. DJs, music directors are the examples these learners. Learning through activity which includes physical movement, physical experiences: learner uses dancing, sports or physical activates to enhance their knowledge. Drives, fire fighters, chefs, athletes are the examples of people who uses these activities to learn and enhance their knowledge. Learning through flowcharts, 3D images, pictures, shapes: people learn through visual images, create understanding between visuals and its meanings. Painter, designer are the examples of these learners. Learning through interacting with other people: learn through other people’s behavior, feeling, counseling or communication Like Human Resource personnel, mentors, leaders. Learning through self-reflection procedure of improves, change and update relation, thoughts, and beliefs. It includes meta cognitive techniques and effective thinking. References National academy of sciences. (2004). Burns. D. (1995). Cipd. (2006). Identify learning needs for organization. Gardner, H. (1975). The shattered Mind. K, B. (2012). Best teachers summer institute. Lorian. (2008). People learn in different ways.

Renaissance Food Essays - Breads, Baking, Bread, World Cuisine

Renaissance Food You are the owner of a large ship. You sail around the world and trade goods with other countries. A French investor has agreed to pay for your next trip if you can bring back a profit and, hopefully, goods that he can sell to local merchants. If for any reason you do not return with a profit, he has the right to back out of the deal, and you'll be stuck paying for everything. Before you sail from your homeport in Lisbon, Portugal, you will need to make several important decisions about how to prepare for your journey and what route to take. If you succeed, you will be extremely wealthy and will cement your reputation as a spice trader, ensuring that more rich investors come your way. But if you fail, you may go bankrupt and lose your ship, not to mention ruin your reputation. Food and spices of the Renaissance were the fruit of explorers' labor. Through exploration and trade, bizarre and exotic foods native to newly found territories became commonly traded goods. In addition new ways were found to use already common staples, and the number of spices went from a few to a few hundred. The Renaissance was a time of great discovery, and new foods were one of them. During the Renaissance, different regions of Europe had foods that were more common to them and less common to other areas. Around the coast fish was the food of choice. Herring and cod were prevalent in the north, and in the south sardines, anchovies, and tuna were among the more commonly consumed fish1. On the other hand cattle and other domestic animals were more common around inland regions. Cows, sheep, and goats were among the most commonly raised domestic animals. As meat most of these animals were eaten when they were young as veal, lamb, and kid2. Of the all the foods that were common throughout all of Europe bread and grain were by far the most common. Peasants and aristocrats alike consumed bread. The rich ate white bread made of refined wheat flour3. Where as the poor ate darker breads and flat bread because they were much cheaper4. In England biscuits became very popular. Grains, such as polenta and oats were also a universally consumed staple. Of all the many foods during the Renaissance foods of the bread group were among the most common. They were not only very cheap but were very healthy. The making of bread was highly regulated during the renaissance5. At first, rules were imposed upon bakers from the higher authorities. Grouping the bakers together was simply a more efficient way of ensuring that they followed the rules. As local economies developed, however, these organizations began to go off on their own. Groups began to formulate their own regulations to better profit from their status in the public diet. Some forms of public health regulations have undoubtedly been around since the start of urbanization. For bakers, the easiest rules to impose were those regarding bread weights and prices. Requirements on bread prices, quality, weight, and freshness have been documented to well before even the renaissance6. Generally, however, regulations were enforced at the local level. Standards varied from town to town according to grain availability and tastes. For example, the Winchester Assize of 1203 stated that "white bread made in our city of Winchester shall weigh thirty shillings, but black bread sixty-five shillings7." The most widespread regulation was the "Assize of Bread". This English law made in 1266 attempted to standardize the various local policies8. The Assize directed bakers to make a common weight of bread known as a penny loaf. However, the loaf could vary in weight, and thus price, according to the type of flour used. the white loaf was made from the finest white flour available. The "wheaten" loaf was coarser, and weighed half as much. "household" loaves were approximately double the weight of white loaves, made from unbolted flour9. Although the assize of bread made a good attempt, bread weights were inconsistently based on the going local rate of grain, and weights differed throughout the country. The Judgment of the Pillary was a law spelling out procedures to investigate and punish offenders10. In times of famine or grain shortages, authorities had the power to "take over" bakers and force them to operate at below-market rates11. Bakers in this situation were not allowed to raise prices even though their ingredients were more expensive. Sometimes bread was simply taken from them to feed the town. For example,

Free Essays on Z For Zachariah

were, â€Å"I am hopeful.† This shows us that Ann has a positive attitude in life and still looks forward to the future, even although the odds are against her. Her farm upbringing has equipped her with a great deal of common sense, practicality and resourcefulness. Ann can shoot, cook and drive a tractor, as well as fish and do agricultural work. Thus helping her to make life on her own a lot less of a struggle and showing us that she has good survival skills. This shows us that she is independent and well organised. A stranger arrives one day in a plastic suit and Ann watches him explore the valley from the cave that she is observing him from. Ann has mixed feelings: â€Å"I am both exited and afraid.† She longs for companionship but she’s also ... Free Essays on Z For Zachariah Free Essays on Z For Zachariah â€Å"Z for Zachariah† The sci-fi novel entitled â€Å"Z for Zachariah† which was written by Robert O Brien is what I have been studying in class. It was first published in 1973 and was written during the â€Å"Cold War.† The plot of the novel is basically about isolation and the struggle to survive the after effects of a nuclear war. The main character in the novel is Ann Burden, from Burden Valley, in the United States of America. A nuclear war has left Ann all alone, as her parents, brother and cousin have been killed by the disaster: â€Å"When I look beyond I see that all the trees are dead, and there is never a sign of anything moving. I don’t go out there.† The valley however has been untouched by the devastation. Ann is entrapped, as everything beyond the circumference of Burden is unproductive of life. She leads a simple life-style. Cleverly using nature to survive. She shuts herself off from the past, and looks forward to the future: â€Å"I am hoping to be an English teacher.† I believe that Ann is a very optimistic person who never gives up on hope, as she is continually persistent on â€Å"her† idea of hope. In the very last paragraph of the novel, her final words were, â€Å"I am hopeful.† This shows us that Ann has a positive attitude in life and still looks f orward to the future, even although the odds are against her. Her farm upbringing has equipped her with a great deal of common sense, practicality and resourcefulness. Ann can shoot, cook and drive a tractor, as well as fish and do agricultural work. Thus helping her to make life on her own a lot less of a struggle and showing us that she has good survival skills. This shows us that she is independent and well organised. A stranger arrives one day in a plastic suit and Ann watches him explore the valley from the cave that she is observing him from. Ann has mixed feelings: â€Å"I am both exited and afraid.† She longs for companionship but she’s also ...

Power, Authority and Decision Making Research Paper

Power, Authority and Decision Making - Research Paper Example This paper tells that power may consist of anything that builds and maintains control of man over a fellow man. It tends to be defined as a force despite the fact that one with the power is the initiator or a responder. Thus, power is understood as a relational phenomenon in that persons exert power over others, and that power of an individual to do something constitutes a social relationship that is comparable to another person (Etzioni-Halevy, 1979). In light of this, power has been a crucial aspect of human civilization since time immemorial. In essence, power is physical, political or social. Additionally, in terms of business, power dynamics have the tendency to influence decisions and transactions of people heavily. Consequently, the definition of power could be challenging as it is understood and interpreted in various ways. Hence, power emanates from position or authority, which is capable of influencing people both positively and negatively. For this reason, the concept of p ower is placed in various categories for emphasis for simplicity and understanding (Wrong, 2002). Coercive Power Coercive power is the ability to use the threat to make people do what one desires. In essence, it forces people to submit to one’s demand for fear of losing something. According to Wrong 2002, power in terms of coercion can take many forms. For instance, in the political arena modern state imprison those people who do not act in accordance with the legal mandates (Fairholm, 2009). In regard to history, a majority of nations of the world joined in the boycott of Iraqi Oil in the hope of forcing the Iraqi government to honor the peace agreement that had been put forward in order to end the Gulf War of 1991. In the social arena, coercive power entails pushing someone into a behavior one would not engage in. It is worth noting that most of the coercive power is associated with physical violence. Coercive power is most efficient, when the threat of violence or punishme nt associated with it, is sufficient enough to make the responder consent to the demand. Coercive power is advantageous in situations of impending danger, assuring internal cohesion, over and above, disputes that are of great value to the initiator. For instance, the European countries used extreme and often brutal, coercive power to launch their rule over Africa, and other regions such as Asia. Conversely, even though the power may be impressive in specific situations, it might be useless in some situations especially when the responders to the power choose not to agree to the given threat (Wey 2009). Legitimate Power Legitimate power is derived from the authority of a person’s rate and position in a commanding chain. It is used in day to day life and it increases according to the responsibilities that are entitled to somebody. Never the less, legitimate power can be decreased in case the person who has the responsibility fails to fully meet them. The duration of this type o f power is short-lived as the person can only use it as he, or she holds a particular position.  

Sula Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sula - Essay Example It begins in the year 1919 and proceeds with chapters titled 1920, 1922.1927,1937 and so on to the year 1965. Each chapter represents a particular event around which resolves the past ,present and future significance. The narrative unfolds like a firmly interwoven oral folktale. In this novel the past present and future collapse into a kind of synchronic action. The setting in Sula is an isolated neighborhood called â€Å"The Bottom†, but it is a neighborhood of recent historical past and therefore â€Å"The Bottom and its inhabitants assume, like a narrative itself, a mythological quality. They and their environment are drawn from the rich tradition of black folktale and legend. However the inhabitants of â€Å"the Bottom are not often prey to the extreme seduction of dominant culture. Patrick Bryce Bjorn in the â€Å" The Novels of Tonni Morrison: The search for self and Place within the community says that , instead they are presented as having a world of their own , and thus the delimiting of an external gaze and the valorization of black values and traditions further emphasize Morrison’s singular concern for black life†. Morrison. in all her novels likes to examine the community and its characters. It has become a familiar motif in all her novels. In Sula this motif is played conspicuously in the dialectal tension between communities as monolithic status. The novel has the family of self sustaining black female characters Matriarch, Eva Peace , her daughter Hanna and her granddaughter ,the protagonist of the novel Sula Peace, who combine to provide the oppositional energy to redefine both selfhood and black womanhood. The novel begins with the end to â€Å"The Bottom â€Å"a neighborhood once isolated from and eventually destroyed by white progress in Medallion City, Ohio . A master gave this â€Å"the Bottom to slave and it was considered as a gift given to his master to his former slave. He made them believe that the land is wor thwhile because it is closer to heaven .thus there grows a particular community. But there is a threat from the white that they decided t builds golf course there. The first living being introduced to the reader is Shadreack who returns to the Bottom. He in order to overcome fears of death invents National Suicide Day. He is a representative of who dislike war. Sula the protagonist is friendly with Nel. They are from different family set ups. Nel is from a conventional family. The theme of friendship is treated effectively in this novel. The converging point in the novel is the death of a boy Chicken Little while playing with Sula and Nel. They hide this fact. But guilt conscious arise in the mind is Sula. She considers herself as responsible for the death of the boy, She is suffering from acute feeling that she is an evil character. At the sane time Nel develops a positive attitude to life and she slowly began to move away from Sula. Soon we find that Sula’s mother dies of b urning. When Sula takes a different path of fierce independence and total disregard for social conventions Nel takes the path of a peaceful married life. Sula leaves the bottom for ten more years. During that time she makes affairs with especially white man. When she returns to â€Å"The Bottom† the people considers her as a figure of evil, particularly because of her interracial relations. She even develops relation with Nel’s husband Jude. Jude abandons Nel for that. Later when Sula dies Nel herself blames herself admits her

Switzerland Country Analysis pt 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Switzerland Country Analysis pt 4 - Assignment Example Swaziland is situated adjacent to major cities and is being considered as a centre for international trade and business due to its strategic location (Oberson & Hull, 2011). Despite being a land lock country, the country has a competitive edge over other countries in the surrounding. According to a Global Competitive Report, 2012 Switzerland is among the most competitive countries in international trade. The country is made up of a strong federal political systems, infrastructure and judiciary system that makes more competitive that its counter parts. Additionally, the country consists of cities like Geneva and Zurich where, the headquarters for various international banks and financial institutions are situated (Global Competitive Report, 2012). In above connection, Switzerland participates in international trade in various ways. For instance, Switzerland contains approximate 2/3 of its international investments in Europe and the rest in the united state, Germany, Italy and France (Federal Department of Environment Transport, Energy & Communication, 2012). Switzerland has been undergoing via a tremendous economic growth. However, Switzerland international business has been affected by political and economic activities (Ghauri, 2003). However, various firms in Switzerland come together to form collaborations such as; strategic alliances in order to overcome this challenges. Strategic alliances help towards ensuring effective participation in the international business (Ghauri, 2003). Additionally, strategic partnership and alliances ensures efficient flow of imports and exports (Ghauri, 2003).Additionally, Switzerland has well established international labor organization that is based in ‘Geneva.... The country has well defined strategies that help towards value creation as well as poverty reduction (Ghauri, 2003). The federal government of Switzerland has well established Information Communication technology that enhances efficiency in communication process (Federal Department of Environment Transport, Energy & Communication, 2012). Additionally, Switzerland has formulated poverty reduction strategy. Those strategies aim at ensuring alleviation of poverty through harmonization of development activities across the country (Federal Department of Environment Transport, Energy & Communication, 2012). Initially, Switzerland was a centralized state made up of small independent states united by treaties (Kalin, 2000). The country was made up of twenty six cantons as well as communes who had an approximate figure of three hundreds before they decided to become decentralized under one federal government (Kalin, 2000). The country become decentralized in 1884 with an aim of establishing a common market that could allow free flow of goods and services between different state.Additionally, the old system of government was unable to solve disputes and relied heavily on Cantons (Kalin, 2000). Therefore, there was a great need to formulate a decentralized federal system of government that could help local governments at grass root levels in solving their problems (Kalin, 2000). Majority of the firms in Switzerland have functional and divisional structures as well as matrix organizational structures (Hoag & Cooper, 2006). Functional structures tend to allot task based on expertise that each department can perform better. On the contrary, divisional structures

Wet Mix and Dry Mix Concrete: Cost and Quality

Wet Mix and Dry Mix Concrete: Cost and Quality This is a conceptual proposal in which the main objective is to determine the cost and quality effectiveness on the application of modular wet mix and dry mix concrete batching plant. Based on the data collected over the pass years, a detail study was being conducted to determine the various cost factors arising from the setting up of concrete batching plant, production operations, quality control, inventory and delivery of the products to the customers. As this study covers the entire overall operations of a commercial concrete batching plant, the complexity of the various processes and functionalities has to be identified to provide a full understanding on the limitations on the speed, cost, quality, flexibility and dependability. This proposal is also inline with the company long term strategy of increasing the marketing share by twenty percent annual growth. Therefore, to achieve this goal, various steps have to be taken into consideration such as the speed, cost, quality, flexibility and dependability. Existing Dry Mix Concrete Batch Plant Plant Component The basic components of dry mix concrete batch plant and its related facilities are as tabulated below:- Item Descriptions Remarks 1 Ground Hopper For feeding of raw material, coarse and fine aggregates 2 Movable Inclined Conveyor To convey the coarse and fine aggregate to the designated storage compartment 3 Aggregate Storage Bin For storage on top of the aggregate weighing bin 4 Aggregate Weighing Bin For weighing of the coarse and fine aggregates 5 Shooting Conveyor To convey the coarse and fine aggregates at high speed which shoot directly into the mixer drum of the mixer truck 6 Cement Storage Silos For storage of cement OPC, PFA and Slag Cement 7 Cement Weighing Bin For weighing of various cement 8 Water Weighing Bin For weighing of water 9 Admixtures Weighing Bin For weighing of admixtures 10 Control Room To provide staff on the control of the production 11 Water Storage Tank For water storage 12 Aggregate Stockpile For storage of coarse and fine aggregates 13 Slump Check Platform For concrete slump check 14 Wheel Loader For material handling from aggregate stockpiles to ground hopper 15 Mixer Truck For mixing of concrete and delivery of finished products to customers 16 QC Laboratory For quality control and testing 17 Power Supply To provide power supply to the plants and other facilities either by TNB or generator set 18 Waste Material Storage To collect all waste material and disposed to designated area Figure 1 in the Appendix shows a typical dry mix concrete batch plant layout. The ideal size for setting up is plant is 2,950m2, this set up will include a laboratory for quality control, a site office for staff and other facilities such as workshop and weighbridge on material control. Process Flow of Dry Mix Plant The process flow of the entire dry mix plant operation per 8 m3 load is as illustrated below:- Cycle Time per Load = Batching + Mixing Slump Check + Delivery + Discharging + Return + Queuing = 5 min + 15 min + 30 min + 45 min + 30 min + 10 min = 135 min From the process flow mapping, it is clearly shown that the complete process cycle time for 8 m3 load is 135 minutes. As the plant capacity is 80m3/hour, if the efficiency of the plant is 80%, therefore the plant is capable of producing 8 loads of 8m3-load but all the rest of the processes are done by the mixer trucks from mixing to discharging at site. In order to have a smooth operation flow, the number of mixer truck required by this dry mix plant is calculated as below: Number of Mixer Truck = 135/60X8 = 18 From the calculation above, 18 units of mixer truck is required for the smooth operation. Quality of the Product In dry mix plant, all the pre-determined materials are charged into the mixer drum of the mixer truck, then the mixing and quality check are carried out by the individual mixer truck operator accordingly. The product quality is not consistent as this is done by the 18 mixer truck operators and therefore, quality is becoming a major issue in this type of plant as the requirement of the quality is increasing with the advancement in construction technology. This quality will also hinder the further penetration of market share and jeopardise in achieving the long term strategic goal. Cost This operating cost is only covering all the facilities except the raw material cost as this remains consistent either dry mix or wet mix plant. But there are other costs that everyone is aware of such as the maintenance cost of the mixer truck. In this case, the operating cost of the plant is cheap but the mixer truck is much higher as there are 18 units of mixer drums which are having high wear and tear parts as they are used for mixing the concrete. These costs will be tabulated in the comparison and the overall operating cost will be identified. Flexibility In term of flexibility, this dry mix plant will have a limitation in producing high grade concrete as the mixing is done by mixer truck. The mixer truck will not be able to mix consistently and thoroughly inside the mixer drum of the mixer truck as the mixing is only dependent on the ploughing and dropping action of the mixer blade on the side wall of the mixer drum. Other than this, it is the same as in other type of plants. Dependability The availability, reliability and maintainability of this plant is actually quite similar to the other types of plant available in the market but duration for each maintenance will be a little bit shorter than wet mix plant because the components is less and the mixing is transferred to the mixer truck, therefore the availability is better. The reason for this is, there are 18 units of mixer instead of 1 unit of mixer. Proposed Modular Wet Mix Plant Basic Plant Components The basic components of dry mix concrete batch plant and its related facilities are as tabulated below:- Item Descriptions Remarks 1 Ground Hopper For feeding of raw material, coarse and fine aggregates 2 Aggregate Weighing Bin For weighing of various types of aggregates 3 Horizontal Conveyor To convey the weighed coarse and fine aggregates to Inclined Conveyor 4 Inclined Conveyor To convey the weighed coarse and fine aggregates to the aggregate transfer bin 5 Aggregate Transfer Bin For storage on top of the Mixer 6 Mixer For mixing of concrete 7 Concrete Holding Hopper For holding of finished product before discharging into mixer truck 8 Cement Storage Silos For storage of cement OPC, PFA and Slag Cement 9 Cement Weighing Bin For weighing of various cement 10 Water Weighing Bin For weighing of water 11 Admixtures Weighing Bin For weighing of admixtures 12 Control Room To provide staff on the control of the production 13 Water Storage Tank For water storage 14 Aggregate Stockpile For storage of coarse and fine aggregates 15 Wheel Loader For material handling from aggregate stockpiles to ground hopper 16 Mixer Truck For mixing of concrete and delivery of finished products to customers 17 QC Laboratory For quality control and testing 18 Power Supply To provide power supply to the plants and other facilities either by TNB or generator set 19 Waste Material Storage To collect all waste material and disposed to designated area Figure 2 in the Appendix shows a typical modular wet mix concrete batch plant layout. The ideal size for setting up is also plant is 2,950m2, this set up will include a laboratory for quality control, a site office for staff and other facilities such as workshop and weighbridge on material control. Process Flow of Modular Wet Mix Plant The process flow of the entire modular wet mix plant operation per 8 m3 load is as illustrated below:- Cycle Time per 8 m3Load = Batching + Delivery + Discharging + Return + Queuing = 5 min + 30 min + 45 min + 30 min + 10 min = 120 min From the process flow mapping, it is clearly shown that the complete process cycle time for 8 m3 load is 120 minutes. As the plant capacity is 80m3/hour, if the efficiency of the plant is 80%, therefore the plant is capable of producing 8 loads of 8m3-load in just 5 minutes as the process of mixing is done by the mixer and mixer truck is only used for delivery and discharging at site. In order to have a smooth operation flow, the number of mixer truck required by this dry mix plant is calculated as below: Number of Mixer Truck = 120/60X8 = 16 From the calculation above, 16 units of mixer truck is required for the smooth operation. Comparison of Process Flow Item Descriptions Dry Mix Plant Wet Mix Plant 1 Batching 5 minutes 5 minutes (Mixing by Mixer) 2 Mixing 15 minutes (By Mixer Truck) 3 Delivery to Site 30 minutes 30 minutes 4 Discharging at Site 45 minutes 45 minutes 5 Return to Plant 30 minutes 30 minutes 6 Queuing at Plant 10 minutes 10 minutes 7 Total Cycle Time per Load 135 minutes 120 minutes 8 Mixer Truck Required 18 16 By looking at the table above, it is clearly shown that the cycle time per load is reduced by 15 minutes or 11%. The number of mixer truck required to complete the work in progress is also reduced by 2 units, there will be a significant improvement in the whole process flow and this will be reflected in the investment cost and operating cost later. Quality of the Product In wet mix plant, all the weighed materials are charged into the mixer of the mixer for mixing and quality check are controlled by the batching operator accordingly of which the product quality is consistent therefore, quality issues can be minimized in this type of plant as the requirement of the quality can be assured to fulfil the modern construction technology. This quality assurance will also help increase the image and market recognition thus, to further penetrate into the untapped market share and also in achieving the long term strategic goal. Cost This operating cost is only covering all the facilities except the raw material cost as this remains consistent either dry mix or wet mix plant. Tabulated on the next page is the comparison of the overall operating cost of the whole process flow. It can be shown that the overall operating cost is reduced by RM1.26/m3 or 7.2% and it is very significant and substantial as the annual production is huge. For example, an annual production of 1 million cubic meters will mean a saving of RM1.26 million and so on and so forth, thus increasing the profitability of the sales and competency in the market place. Comparison on Wet and Dry Mix Plant Operational Cost excluding Raw Material Flexibility In term of flexibility, the wet mix plant will have less limitation in producing high grade concrete as the mixing is done by mixer. The mixer will be able to mix consistently and thoroughly inside the mixer as the mixer is specially design for this specific purpose. It can also produce different types of design mix as required by customers. Another advantage is that the supply radius can be increased by 5 km, thus the coverage area. Dependability The availability, reliability and maintainability of this plant is actually quite similar to the other types of plant available in the market and the duration for each maintenance will be a little bit longer than dry mix plant because the components is more, therefore the availability is slightly less but this can be eliminated by pre-planned preventive maintenance. Conclusion With the study and experience that had been merged and input, it is strongly advisable to convert all the dry mix plant into the modular wet mix plant for the following reasons:- Cheaper operating cost as justified on the operating cost Better flexibility for high grade concrete Less mixer truck requirement Quality consistency and assurance All the above implementations will be justifiable to achieve the company long term strategy to provide the highest quality, service at the lowest cost and to increase the market share in the next 10 year.

Bluest Eye :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye reveals the trauma of an eleven-year-old African-American girl named Pecola Breedlove. This story takes place in the town of Lorain, Ohio during the 1940’s. It is told from the perspective of a young girl named Claudia MacTeer. She and her sister, Frieda, become witness to the terrible path that Pecola is forced to endure because she is not considered beautiful by society. Pecola chooses to hide from life behind her clouded dream of having the bluest of eyes so that those around her will view her as beautiful as the light skinned, blond haired, blue eyed girls that got so much favoritism. The Breedlove’s constant bickering and ever growing poverty contributes to the emotional downfall of this little girl. Pecola’s misery and insecurity is caused by her father’s hand and the community’s struggle with racial separation, anger, and ignorance. â€Å"Characters in the black community accept thei r status as the Other, which has been imposed upon them by the white community. In turn, blacks assign the status of Other to individuals like Pecola within the black community (Toni Morrison).† Her innocence is harshly ripped from her grasp as her father rapes her. The community’s anger with it’s own insecurities is taken out on this poor, ugly, black, non-ideal young girl. She shields herself from this sorrow behind her obsessive plea for blue eyes. Her eyes do not replace the pain of carrying her fleeing father’s baby, nor do they protect her from the sideways glances of her neighbors. Though this book discuses negative and disturbing situations, it teaches a very positive lesson about the importance of self respect and positive thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Bluest Eye explores how outside influences affect one’s own sense of beauty and how it is harmful to consider yourself ugly. This theme seems to follow the conclusion of Brown v. Board of Education, that when a society presents the idea of beauty in certain way, those who do not fit into that image are â€Å"susceptible to low self esteem, hatred of their own racial lineage, and preferences towards whites (Tushnet).† Toni Morrison shows this through each of her characters in this novel. For example, when Claudia, Frieda, Pecola, and Maureen Peal, a white snob, are walking home from school the girls begin to bicker. Their conversation ends with Maureen stomping away and establishing the fact that she is indeed â€Å"cute,† implying that they most definitely are not.

Lisa Benton Case Essay

This case was interesting because it provided a few examples of the conflicts that are stated in organization behavior theories and models. The main issues that we see in this particular case are those dealing with perception, personality, and motivation. There seem to be both internal and external factors that are causing the issues. In specific, the internal issues derive from the personality of select individuals, which influence their behavior; but there are external factors that derive from the management and organization itself that are attributing to the individual’s negative behavior. In the following paragraphs, we will explore these issues further by identifying specific incidents that affected Lisa Benton’s performance. In evaluating the job choices that Lisa Benton, one can assume that she was a â€Å"Type A† achiever. We can see this because of the particular strengths and weaknesses that she evaluated per company to make her final job selection. Using McClelland’s theory, we can label Lisa Benton as having a Type A personality because the position she was seeking would require her to have personal responsibility, feedback, and moderate risks. Both job opportunities offered personal responsibly and feedback, however, the position at Right-Away was too visible, therefore, the risks of failing would have been more noticeable to the company’s upper management because it was a smaller organization. Thus, the risks were more than moderate and at that time Lisa Benton did not have sufficient self-efficacy to think she could qualify for the Right Away management position. Furthermore, we can have an idea about what motivates Lisa Benton and in examining the case, Lisa finds the intrinsic rewards more important than the extrinsic rewards. For example, the case states that even though the position at Right Away offered a better salary and upper management position, the learning and training opportunities, the recognition, and career development at Houseworld were more valuable. Linton makes it clear that she does not like or is impressed with Harvard MBAs, therefore, she is explicitly stating her personal bias against individuals with Lisa’s particular educational/ professional background. The specific perceptual process bias is the â€Å"stereotyping/ implicit personality theories and contrast error. Linton only familiarizes herself with Linton by reviewing her resume, but immediately generalizes Lisa with other MBA graduates that may have exhibited certain personality traits that Linton did not find favorable. Consequently, Linton is stereotyping Lisa before she has an opportunity to show her skill sets, to see that Lisa has a very approachable personality, and does whatever tasks are needed regardless of her role. Linton does not have an MBA and the case states that she was in Lisa’s previous position, so Linton’s approach to career development may be different from Lisa. This contrast error also contributes to their poor working relationship because Linton considers Lisa different from her, so perhaps an individual that she could identify with would have made her feel more comfortable. This may be the reason that Linton and Scoville, who both have similar backgrounds, work together effectively and share the same bias towards Lisa Benton. In respect to Scoville, he is also a personality Type A, however, unlike Lisa Benton his Type A behavior is more extreme. He displays a higher level of competiveness, time urgency, and anger. Interestingly, Lisa Benton and Scoville are both Type A personalities, however, Lisa Benton possess a higher sense of self-monitoring. Scoville also has high self-efficacy, but on the extreme side of the spectrum because his self-efficacy over rides his ability to work effectively in a team and does not seem to care on how he impacts the morale of his peers, in which ultimately impact their performance and perception on the organization. Lisa Benton has a Type A personality, but has an external locus of control. She feels that her performance and the drawbacks she is experiencing are solely caused by this particular management team. She is not considering that her direct lack of action (internal locus of control) is also contributing to the negative behavior from her management team. This can be seen in Scoville as well, when at the end of the case he expresses to Lisa how his behavior is due to his frustration with the organization and the lack of promotion opportunities; however, Scoville is failing to realize that perhaps his inability to self-monitor his negative behavior and inability to effectively interact with others are the reasons that the organization does not consider him for a promotion. One particular effect that we see happening in the case is the way that Scoville influences Lisa Benton’s performance. His constant reminder that she is on a â€Å"learning curve† and her performance is expected to stay at a minimal level, including her participation in projects, until she eventually receives sufficient training to perform at a higher level. This Pygmalion Effect that takes place does indeed impact Lisa’s performance as she hesitates to take initiatives on certain project tasks or provide more opinions and feedback during presentations. Scoville’s expectations of her limited performance, despite that she did have the ability to be a high performer, were believed and accepted by Lisa Benton. Additionally, another theory that we can see in this case is Kelly’s theory of casual attribution. Lisa Benton complains to other peers about her working relationship with Scoville and eventually her boss’s lack of managerial skills. This theory is relevant because it shows that Lisa’s statements about her current management team and their negative behavior is shared by other employees (consensus), her management team often exhibits negative behavior (consistency), and even in informal settings such as the lunch meetings she’s had with Scoville and Linton (distinctiveness). The negative performance review was also an issue with this case. The specific issues with the negative performance review can be seen in how it lacked the proper performance review cycle. During the beginning of the case, Lisa Benton’s boss failed to provide her with specific tasks, goals, and did not establish standards. Therefore, when Lisa requested her 3 month evaluation, Linton was not able to properly review her performance record. As a matter of fact, she was so focused on the negative aspects of what she perceived as being Lisa’s weaknesses, that she did not mention any of the strengths that contributed to the team’s performance. One of the few things that Lisa should have considered after the negative performance review is to schedule a follow up review immediately in a formal setting in order to properly document her strengths, weaknesses, and goals. The performance review would have also allowed Lisa to document the external factors that were contributing to her mediocre performance and force Linton to properly address them. If Linton would have refused to provide her with a formal performance review, then she should have approached the group product manager and address this issue with him. The negative aspect of this action is that it may have further alienated her from the current management team, since Linton may have felt that Lisa disregarded the chain of command by expressing her concerns with upper management versus addressing it directly with her. The pros of this approach may have been that the negative behavior of her current management team would have been brought to the attention of upper management or human resources and finally addressed to avoid future incidents. My recommendations for alternative solutions to the problems identified may have been to continue pursuing a formal performance review, and establish reoccurring one on one meeting with her boss in order to improve their working relationship. Perhaps by interacting with her boss more often (even if forced), her boss may have overcome her bias of Lisa due to her educational background. The weakness in this recommendation may be that it can alienate Scoville and contribute to his negative behavior. He may feel that Lisa is attempting to overshadow his role in the team. Further, I would have expressed my concerns about the negative behavior and its impact on my performance to the group product manager, so he would be aware of these issues. It is important that upper management is informed of this kind of behavior in order to quickly address them before valuable employees leave the company.

Writing Assignment #3 “Luck” Essays

Reading/Writing Assignment #3 â€Å"Luck† Essays Reading/Writing Assignment #3 â€Å"Luck† Essay Reading/Writing Assignment #3 â€Å"Luck† Essay Reading/Writing Assignment #3 â€Å"Luck† 1. In Greek Mythology, King Midas was a Phrygian king. He was given the ability to turn everything he touched into gold by Dionysus. The Midas touch can be interpreted as the ability to make money or the ability to make success. Mark Twain applies this in the story â€Å"Luck† by comparing Scoresby with King Midas. Because every blunder Scoresby made turned into something worth praising about, it seemed like he had the Midas touch. 2. A close reading is a detailed analyzing of a specific passage or poem. It is like using a magnifying glass to zoom in to see the details. It is used to explain characters, situations, ideas, word selections and etc. 3. By analyzing the two paragraphs in depth, the reader gets a better understanding of the style of Twain’s writing. In the essay, the vocabulary is examined in detail and the choice of words is compared to the situations and the settings. Based on these examinations, the essay explains how they are directly relevant to Twain’s comical sense. When reading the whole story, the reader does not get the comedy in his writing. However, when in depth, it comes out. 4. According to Dictionary. com, a sketch is a brief usually descriptive and informal essay or other literary composition. A sketch may have very little or no plot at all. Twain’s â€Å"Luck† is more of a sketch than a short story because it didn’t have that much of a plot. It focused mainly on the impression and thought of the reverend on Scoresby. 5. I have never experienced a situation similar to the one in â€Å"Luck†. I might have, but I just do not remember. However, I can relate to the reverend’s situation if I put myself into the story. For example, if I happened to be working at a mid-level office job and one of my co-workers had gotten promoted because of a blunder, I would be furious. I would feel even worse if I had helped him out. He would not know what to do in the upper-level job and he might make even more mistakes and ruin everything! Hopefully I never have to experience this in real life.

An Overview to Chaos Theory in Sociology

An Overview to Chaos Theory in Sociology Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics; however, it has applications in several disciplines, including sociology and other social sciences. In the social sciences, chaos theory is the study of complex non-linear systems of social complexity. It is not about disorder but rather about very complicated systems of order. Nature, including some instances of social behavior and social systems, is highly complex, and the only prediction you can make is that it is unpredictable. Chaos theory looks at this unpredictability of nature and tries to make sense of it. Chaos theory aims to find the general order of social systems, and particularly social systems that are similar to each other. The assumption here is that the unpredictability in a system can be represented as overall behavior, which gives some amount of predictability, even when the system is unstable. Chaotic systems are not random systems. Chaotic systems have some kind of order, with an equation that determines overall behavior. The first chaos theorists discovered that complex systems often go through a kind of cycle, even though specific situations are rarely duplicated or repeated. For example, say there is a city of 10,000 people. In order to accommodate these people, a supermarket is built, two swimming pools are installed, a library is erected, and three churches go up. In this case, these accommodations please everybody and equilibrium is achieved. Then a company decides to open a factory on the outskirts of town, opening jobs for 10,000 more people. The town then expands to accommodate 20,000 people instead of 10,000. Another supermarket is added, as are two more swimming pools, another library, and three more churches. The equilibrium is thus maintained. Chaos theorists study this equilibrium, the factors that affect this type of cycle, and what happens (what the outcomes are) when the equilibrium is broken. Qualities of a Chaotic System A chaotic system has three simple defining features: Chaotic systems are deterministic. That is, they have some determining equation ruling their behavior.Chaotic systems are sensitive to initial conditions. Even a very slight change in the starting point can lead to significant different outcomes.Chaotic systems are not random, nor disorderly. Truly random systems are not chaotic. Rather, chaos has a send of order and pattern. Concepts There are several key terms and concepts used in chaos theory: Butterfly effect (also called sensitivity to initial conditions): The idea that even the slightest change in the starting point can lead to greatly different results or outcomes.Attractor: Equilibrium within the system. It represents a state to which a system finally settles.Strange attractor: A dynamic kind of equilibrium which represents some kind of trajectory upon which a system runs from situation to situation without ever settling down. Applications in Real-Life Chaos theory, which emerged in the 1970s, has impacted several aspects of real-life in its short life thus far and continues to impact all sciences. For instance, it has helped answer previously unsolvable problems in quantum mechanics and cosmology. It has also revolutionized the understanding of heart arrhythmias and brain function. Toys and games have also developed from chaos research, such as the Sim line of computer games (SimLife, SimCity, SimAnt, etc.).