Effect of Information Technology on the Operations

EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 The Effect of Information Technology on the Growth of the Banking Industry in Nigeria P. A. Idowu Dept of Computer Science and Engineering Obafemi Awolowo University Ife-Ife Nigeria A. O. Alu Dept of Management and Accounting Obafemi Awolowo University Ife-Ife Nigeria E. R. Adagunodo Dept of Computer Science and Engineering Obafemi Awolowo University Ife-Ife Nigeria ABSTRACT The advent of Information Technology (IT) is rapidly changing the banking industry. In this study, the impact of IT on the banking industry in Nigeria is described.A questionnaire was employed to collect data from customers at five major banks in Nigeria on the extent to which customers believe that IT exerts an impact on banking services. The results of the study clearly indicate that IT has contributed immensely to the growth of the banking industry in Nigeria. Keywords: Information Technology, Banking, Nigeria. 1. INTRODUCTION A powerful force drives the world towards a converging comm onality, and that force is technology (Levitt, 1992). From the beginning of the human era, technology has been one of the most essential and most important factors for the development of mankind (Coombs et al. , 1987).During the last two hundred years, technological changes have often been related to economic growth in the form of new types of goods and services. Smith (1776) first wrote about technical changes in the form of new machines as one of the three important causes of increasing incomes more than 200 years ago. Information Technology (IT) can be defined as the modern handling of information by electronic means, which involves its access, storage, processing, transportation or transfer and delivery (Ige 1995). Research shows that IT affects financial institutions by easing enquiry, saving time, and improving service delivery (Alu, 2002).IT also provides solutions to the needs of modern societies in health care delivery, library services, education, and communication network s within organizations, etc. Some available telecommunication and information technologies which are presently being used in the banking industry in Nigeria are telephone, facsimile, wireless radiophone, very small aperture terminal satellite (VSAT), telegraphy, and computer systems (Ugwu, 1999). According to Alu (2002), some banks in Nigeria have LANs (Local Area Network) in most of their branches but none of the banks have deployed home banking applications. . BANKING IN NIGERIA As a result of the increased demand for customer deposits, Nigerian banks, especially the new generation banks, have realized the imperative of good and prompt customer service. Also, due to the fact that some customers lost their deposits in the erstwhile technically-insolvent or distressed banks, customers have now become wiser, more discerning, alert and sophisticated with regards to The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. ejisdc. org EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 2 hoosing where it is safe to put their money, and where they would be served promptly, preferably in a pleasant, courteous and friendly environment. Thus, they have started looking at the level of service and professionalism of the banks before depositing their funds. Proximity to the bank is no longer the issue: safety and the level of service, with regard to quality, speed and efficiency has become the major imperative. On the part of the banks, they have realized that one way in which they can provide quality service is through the use of technology.Hence, there is a growing rate of adopting new technologies in Nigerian banking operations. Moreover, there is growing evidence that customers have started associating quality of service in a bank with the bank’s possession of an online, real-time system. In fact, possession of such a system is now judged to be the sine qua non of a high quality banking service in Nigeria. So, for a bank to be perceived as providing high qualit y service, that bank has to have an IT system, which it uses to deliver services to customers in a more timely, friendly and considerate manner, at no extra cost to the customers.Despite the fact that many of the new generation banks base their marketing strategy on the possession of supposedly on line, real-time systems, they find that their systems’ links are down for about 50 percent of the time. Many customers feel cheated by this reality and complain about the incessant ‘downtimes’. They were promised an online, real-time system, only to find out that the banks’ systems are down at least half the time, and that the national carrier, NITEL (Nigeria Telecommunication), is to blame.Whilst the responsibility of NITEL cannot be denied, many customers still feel that it is the responsibility of the affected banks to take care of these problems, and that they should be given the nationwide, online, real-time banking service they were promised. Faced with thi s dilemma, many banks in the country are resorting to alternative personal solutions by using the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite systems, for long distance electronic communication. For short distances, the MDS (Metropolitan Digital Services) system is often used.The problem here is that all the banks are trying to procure appropriate VSATs independent of one another. In other words, there is no collaboration between the banks in sourcing this very expensive technology and thereby providing a cost-effective solution to the problem. It would also be fair to say that Nigerian banks are generally imbued with an overly competitive mind -set, which tends to foreclose the benefits of synergy or collaboration in solving most of their common problems. 3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGYIn order to assess the perceptions of banking customers in Nigeria with respect to the quality of banking services, a questionnaire survey was conducted. A ‘grab sampling’ technique was used t o select the customers from the banks. Five commercial banks in Nigeria – Wema Bank Plc, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Omega Bank Plc, Cooperative Bank Plc, and Access Bank Plc. – were selected for this sampling on the basis that they have branches in almost all the states in Nigeria and they make use of computers in almost all their branches.The researchers visited the banks during working hours and the questionnaires were given to the customers as they visited the banks. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed in this way. 260 questionnaires were returned to the researchers, a response rate of 52%. The survey instrument can be found in the Appendix. In addition, the researchers conducted personal interviews with five bank managers and fifteen IT staff in order to gain an appreciation of what types of IT systems and electronic application services The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. jisdc. org EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 3 were available in the selected banks. The responses were measured with a fivepoint Likert-type rating scale, where Strongly Agree (SA) = 4; Agree (A) = 3; Strongly Disagree (SD) = 2; Disagree (D) = 1; and Neutral (N) = 0, while the scores f r o negative items were reversed. 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Table 1 shows the IT systems that are being used in the selected banks. Telephone, Facsimile, Local Area Network, computer system, MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition), were used in all the banks.Also Wema, Omega and Access banks used Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT), Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), and wireless radiophone. The researchers were able to identify IT devices available in the selected banks from personal interview conducted with the 5 branch managers and 15 IT staff in the banks. Table 1: IT systems and electronic application service in the selected banks Types of IT systems Wema Omega Union Co-op Access Telephone X X X X X Wireless radiophone X X X Facsimile X X X X X Computer X X X X X Electronic Mail VSAT X X XLocal Area Network X X X X X MICR X X X X X EFT X X X 4. 1 Effect of IT on Banking Services The effect of IT on an enquiry on a customer’s state of account, and services enjoyed by the customers from the banks as perceived by the banks’ customers, are shown in Table 2. Out of the 260 respondents, 86. 2% agreed that IT was really helping the bank they patronized, while 90. 8% agreed that IT made the enquiry about the state of their accounts faster. Also, 83. 1% agreed that IT had a great positive impact on the services rendered by the banks.The means of 3. 12, 3. 29 and 3. 07 respectively for the selected banks' respondents confirmed that IT has a positive effect on the enquiry of customers’ state of account and services enjoyed by the customers from the selected banks. Generally, the effects of IT on the enquiry of the customer’s state of account and services enjoyed by the customers from the banks have an appreciable influence on any bank. The use of a LAN and computer systems have ensured quick and improved services delivery to customers by the banks.But it may be important to state that the use and application of these electronic devices are hampered by the inadequacy of infrastructural facilities like power supply. 4. 2 Effects of IT on Customer Services Table 3 shows the response of customers from the banks with respect to the effect of IT on customer services provision. About 66. 5% disagreed that IT had no effect on services rendered by the banks. Also 82. 7% agreed that there is a need to improve on the services rendered by these banks. The means of 2. 77 and 2. 4 respectively confirmed that IT has effects on services rendered by these banks to their customers and about 83% of the respondents agreed that the banks need to improve on the The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. ejisdc. org EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 4 services rendered to the customers. This shows that the services the banks are offering now are not the best they can offer to their customers and that the banks should improve on these services to their customers. Table 2: Effects of IT on Banking Services Question SD IT/computer is really helping this 2. bank IT makes enquiry about the state 2. 3 of my account faster IT/computer has a great positive 2. 3 impact on the services rendered by this bank D 4. 6 N 6. 9 A 43. 9 SA 42. 3 Mean 3. 12 0 6. 9 36. 6 54. 2 3. 29 4. 6 10 37. 3 45. 8 3. 07 N 9. 7 A 18. 8 SA 5. 0 Mean 2. 77 10. 4 50. 4 32. 3 2. 94 Table 3: Effects of IT on Customer Services Question SD D I don’t think IT has any effect on 34. 6 31. 9 services rendered There is a need to improve the 0 6. 9 services rendered by this bank Table 4: Promptness and efficiency of services as perceived by the customers Question SD DN A SA Mean I enjoy prompt and efficient service 0 16. 2 9. 2 37. 7 36. 9 2. 93 delivery I was once delayed in the bank 16. 5 31. 5 6. 9 32. 7 12. 4 2. 38 because the computer was down IT does not increase prompt and 43. 1 42. 7 4. 6 7. 3 2. 3 3. 17 efficient service delivery 4. 3 Promptness and efficiency of services as perceived by the customers From Table 4, about 75% of the respondents agreed that they enjoyed prompt and efficient service delivery from the banks. The mean of 2. 93 shows that IT enables the banks to provide prompt and efficient services to their customers.Questions 3 and 7 (see Appendix) are similar, but the reaction of the respondents confirmed the conclusion above because about 85% of the respondents agreed that IT has increased prompt and efficient service delivery by the banks. Also, on the issue of delay due to computer down times, only 44. 9% of the respondents agreed that they were once delayed in the bank because the computer was down, though this might be due to the epileptic power supply and inefficient telecommunication infrastructure in Nigeria. The mean of 2. 93 conf irmed that most of the time, customers go to the bank when computers are not down. 4. Influence of IT on patronage as perceived by the customers Table 5 gives responses on the influence of IT on patronage as perceived by the customers. 70% of respondents agreed that based on the efficiency and effectiveness of services rendered, they could encourage their colleagues to patronize the banks they used. Also, 65. 8% of the customers agreed that the banks' use of IT encouraged them to patronize the banks they use. The means of 2. 47 and 2. 52 respectively show that IT encourages customers to patronize the banks. The The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. jisdc. org EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 5 use of computers, telephone, VSAT, and EFT has contributed immensely to the growth of banking industry. In Nigeria presently, some banks are not making use of IT and those banks are being patronized by few customers, the majority of whom are illiterate and poor. This makes the turnover of these banks low. Table 5: Influence of IT on patronage as perceived by the customers Question SD D N A SA I can encourage my colleagues to 4. 6 5. 0 20. 4 47. 3 22. 7 patronize this bank IT/Computer encourages 2. 3 9. 6 22. 3 32. 7 33. 1 customers to patronize this bankMean 2. 47 2. 52 Table 6: Perception of customers on the ease of conducting banking transactions Question SD D N A SA Mean Saving or withdrawing money is 21. 9 36. 9 7. 3 31. 2 2. 7 2. 63 time consuming IT eases banking transactions 2. 3 2. 3 9. 6 50. 0 35. 8 3. 10 4. 5 Perception of customers on the ease of banking transactions Table 6 above shows that 58. 8% of customers disagreed that saving and withdrawal of money is time consuming. Also, 85. 5% agreed that IT eases banking transactions. The means for questions 6 and 13 (see Appendix) are 2. 63 and 3. 00 respectively. The mean of 2. 3 for question 6 (see Appendix) shows that some respondents agreed that saving and withdrawal of mon ey is time consuming despite the use of IT in those banks. Table 7: Effects of IT on the interaction between cashiers and customers Question SD D N A SA IT has reduced the interaction 15. 0 30. 4 17. 7 27. 3 9. 6 between cashiers and customers Mean 2. 15 4. 6 Effects of IT on the interaction between cashiers and customers Table 7 shows that 36. 9% agreed with the view that IT has reduced the interaction between customers and cashiers, 17. 7% are indifferent to the question and 45. 4% disagreed with the view with a mean of 2. 15. 4. 7Effects of IT on cashiers’ work The rates at which cashiers in the banks attend to their customers depend on the equipment available for the cashiers to work with. From Table 8, 83. 1% agreed that computer speeds up cashiers' work, while 10% disagree and 6. 9% are indifferent. The mean of 3. 12 confirmed that IT/Computer really affect the rates at which cashiers’ attend to their customers. Generally, the use of electronic devices like compu ter telephone, facsimile, etc. will go a long way to increase the speed of the cashiers’ work. Table 8: Effects of IT on cashiers’ work Question SD Computers really speed up 2. 7 cashiers’ work D 7. N 6. 9 A 37. 3 SA 45. 8 The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. ejisdc. org Mean 3. 12 EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 6 4. 8 IT and bank’s productivity From Table 9, 81. 5% agreed that the use of IT increases bank productivity in that with the use of IT, the bank can attend to a lot of customers since IT speeds up cashiers' work. The mean of 2. 98 shows that IT has a positive effect on the growth and productivity of the banks. There is no bank that can make use of one or combination of two or more of the IT systems listed in Table 1, which will not have effects on the productivity of the bank.Table 9: IT and the productivity of the bank Question SD D IT increases the bank’s productivity 0 4. 6 5. N 13. 8 A 37. 3 SA 4 4. 2 Mean 2. 98 CONCLUSION The study has dealt with the effects of IT as perceived by customers on selected commercial banks in Nigeria, which make use of IT in their operation. The study revealed that IT has appreciable positive effects on the bank productivity, cashiers’ work, banking transaction, bank patronage, bank services delivery, customers services, and bank services.These affect the growth of the banking industry in Nigeria positively because customers can now collect money from any branches of their bank. Also customers do not need to move about with large sums of money, and customers are being attended to within a short period of time. The study also revealed that telephones, computer systems, LANs, and Facsimile services are available in nearly all the banks making using of IT in Nigeria while WANs (Wide Area Network), Electronic File Transfer, and wireless phones are available in some of the banks. This finding confirms Alu’s (2002) claims on the IT devic es available in Nigerian banks.Research has shown also that IT is really helping these banks, so other banks in Nigeria that are not making use of the IT are encouraged to do so. From the study, the major hindrance to the use of IT in the banking industry in Nigeria is inadequate electric power supply. Electricity supply is not regular because of the limitation of the machine that is supplying electricity to Nigeria. Furthermore, the Nigerian government is finding it difficult to equip the NEPA (National Electric Power Authority) while the demand for electricity is increasing daily.Therefore, the situation will continue to worsen until the Nigerian government funds NEPA appropriately. So, for this nation to be effective in the use of IT in the banking industry and to make the banking industry grow in an appropriate way, there is a need for the Nigerian government to find a solution to the epileptic supply of electricity throughout the country, since NEPA is owned by Nigerian governm ent and there is no private company in Nigeria that provides electricity. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. ejisdc. org EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 6. 7 REFERENCES Alu, A.O. (2000) Effects of Information Technology on Customer Services in the Banking Industry in Nigeria, M. B. A. Thesis in Management and Accounting, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. Coombs, R. , Saviotti, P. and Walsh, V. (1987) Economics and Technological Change, Macmillan: London. Ige, O. (1995) Information Technology in a De-regulated Telecommunications Environment, Keynote address, INFOTECH 95. First International Conference on Information Technology Management, Lagos, November 16-17. Levitt, T. (1992) The Globalization of Markets, in: Transnational Management: Text, Cases and Readings in Cross-Border Management.Richard D. Irwin. Smith, Adam (1776): The Wealth of Nations Ugwu, L. O. (1999): Assessment of Impacts of Information Technology on Selected Service Indust ries in South Western Nigeria, MSc. Thesis in technology Management, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. APPENDIX Dear Respondent, This questionnaire is designed for a research work from the department of Management & Accounting, OAU, Ife. Please, FILL IN correct information, all the information will be treated confidentially and the information will be used for this research work only. Thanks. Please tick [ ] or fill where appropriate.SECTION A 1. Sex : A. MALE [ ] B. FEMALE [ ] 2. Age: A. 18-25 ( ) B. 26-35 ( ) C. 36- 45 ( ) D. 46 & above ( ) 3. Educational qualification: A. WASCE( ) B. OND/NCE( ) C. Bsc/BA( ) D. Msc/PhD( ) E. Others Specify †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4. For how long have you been using this bank? A. 0- 2yrs ( ) B. 3-5yrs ( ) C. 6- 8 ( ) D. 9 & above( ) 5. What type of account do you operate? A. Current( ) B. Savings( ) C. Others specify †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6. My Account here is mainly for A. Business( ) B. Salary( ) C . Others specify †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7. For how many hours do you spend on queue ? A.Less than1 ( ) B. 1-2 ( ) C. 3-4 ( ) D. 5 & above( ). The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. ejisdc. org EJISDC (2002) 10, 2, 1-8 8 SECTION B Strongly Disagree 1. 13. Agree IT increases bank productivity 15. Neutral IT/Computer is really helping this bank I don’t think IT has effect on the bank’s operation I enjoy prompt and efficient service delivery I will encourage my colleagues to patronize this bank IT does not increase prompt and efficient service delivery To save or withdraw money is time consuming I was once delayed in the bank ecause the computer was down IT makes enquiry about the state of my account faster IT/computer has a great positive impact on the growth of this bank IT/Computer has reduced the interaction of the Cashiers with customers IT/Computer encourages customers to patronize this bank Computer really speed up cashiers’ work IT improves transactions 14. Disagree There is a need to improve the services rendered by this bank 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, http://www. ejisdc. org Strongly Agree

Social Class and Redneck Neighbor

Marketing 542 January 23, 2010 Clash of the Classes: Middle vs. High Proles What was once categorized by the rich and the poor, it is undoubted that society today cannot be so easily defined. In the words of Jennifer Steinhauer, â€Å"One thing modernity brought with it was all kinds of identities, the ability for people to choose who you want to be, how you want to decorate yourself, what kind of lifestyle you want. † With this vast amount of â€Å"identities† comes the need for a more structured class designation as well as a process for de-blurring the lines between them. While Paul Fussell has recognized nine classes in this country, the focus of this analysis will rely on two of them: Middle and High Proletarian, or High Proles. The researched differences between these groups will be examined and then related to the real-world example of Redneck Neighbor. Marketing practices and how they can be applied to this situation will also be referenced. As noted, Fussel recognizes nine classes and has them separated into three segments: high brow, middle brow, and low brow. At the top of the high brow segment lays Middle class and then High Proles just below it. While the two classes may be adjacent to one another, the fact that Middle is just one class away from the high brows says enough for them to have a completely different set of distinguishable attributes. It is this â€Å"so close, but not close enough† mentality of the Middle class that explains their desires and state of mind. According to Fussel, the Middle class is the most insecure class and practically obsessed with doing the right thing. Not only do they try to keep up with the high brows in what they consume, but also by how they consume it. Thorstein Veblen says it best with â€Å"Closely related to the requirement that the gentleman must consume freely and of the right kind of goods, there is the requirement that he must know how to consume them in a seemly manner. † The Middle class is constantly worried about their own style and associate themselves (sometimes imaginably so) with money, power and taste. Conversely, High Proles are â€Å"†¦not consumed with worry about choosing the correct status emblems, these people can be remarkably relaxed and unself-conscious. They can do, say, wear, and look like pretty much anything they want without undue feelings of shame, which belong to their betters, the middle class†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Fussell, pg. 46). It appears as though the Middle class works very hard to hide the fact that they aren’t in the high brow segment while High Proles are proud to be who they are and don’t care what others think. The middle class is petrified of falling down in ranking and the High Proles aren’t really striving to get ahead. It is this clear contrast between the classes that makes the Redneck Neighbor story so relevant and support the findings of various researchers. Based on the above information, it is clear that the author of the website is a member of the Middle class while the neighbor, or John Doe #8 (JD8), is a High Prole. Coinciding with their obsession to look the part and not â€Å"fall down† in class, it makes sense that the author is terrified of being associated with his lower classed neighbor. He makes complaints to the police on numerous occasions, tells his friends every single detail of his neighbor’s existence to the point where he feels the need to start his own website documenting it for the whole world to see. This is his attempt to save face and let everyone know that he disagrees with the â€Å"manner of consumption† by his neighbor. This supports Veblen’s quote â€Å"Since the consumption of these more excellent goods is an evidence of wealth, it becomes honorific; and conversely, the failure to consume in due quantity and quality becomes a mark of inferiority and demerit. † While talking to the builder, the author quotes â€Å"†¦ the builder starts referring to the neighbor in a less-than-amicable fashion – someone else on my side! Perhaps he feels a bit guilty for his privacy invading actions but is able to justify himself by hearing someone with the same demeanor. One of the biggest mistakes the author makes is associating JD8’s social class with money and the car he drives. As Fussel points out, â€Å"It’s not riches alone that defines these classes† (pg. 27). And we know from Steinhauer’s example of entry level luxury ca rs that in these days, the kind of car you drive cannot be directly related to your worth or class. Additionally, Veblen’s idea of consumption in the city versus country comes into play. Since the residents are in the suburbs (or country), it is pretty much known throughout the town the value of each home/family. This fear is expressed by the author when he says, â€Å"I can see the property value falling faster than his mailbox post. † Even with all of the accused faux pas, it does not appear that JD8 is intentionally trying to provoke others. Contrary to the previous statement of High Proles not trying to get ahead, it does appear that the neighbor is making an attempt to update his property with the common items found in the neighborhood: mailbox post, fish pond, herb garden and flagpole. But going back to the research findings of Fussell and Veblen, it is not the fact that he is trying to install these items but that he is doing them in the â€Å"wrong† way. And coinciding with the attributes of a High Prole, JD8 is not ashamed and obviously doesn’t care what others think. An interesting aspect of the Redneck Neighbor case was the small hints that the author was a bit of a redneck himself. Calling the basketball hoop a â€Å"basketball goal†, telling the police officer â€Å"the next time we have a problem some damn body is going to jail†, and feeling the need to clarify what livestock is, gave the impression he was not as high class as he hoped to portray himself. What does all of this mean for marketers? It means that it is getting harder to categorize customer segments in which to market. As you can see from Redneck Neighbor, today’s consumers have unpredictable buying patterns. JD8 spends money on a luxury brand car, but not on household items. This somewhat new phenomenon is not unique to JD8. Many people splurge on higher end items like Godiva, BMW, and Whole Foods yet still go to Costco for their day-to-day needs. According to Steinhauer, â€Å"Where once they pitched advertisements primarily to a core group of customers, now they are increasingly fine-tuning their efforts, trying to identify potential customers by interests and tastes as well as income level. † Author Douglas Holt believes that the best way to capture consumers is to create stories that affect how they think about themselves in the world. This technique could be very beneficial for Middle class customers since marketers could play up on the idea of high brow society. With High Proles, marketers could take advantage of their independent mindset and pride in their advertising campaigns. Hardly anyone can argue that the classification of consumers has become more difficult over the years and the population as a whole is harder to reach. Marketers constantly need to think of new ways to get their message across and have it register within consumer minds. It is unclear what the future holds for marketers, but it is an exciting challenge to move away from the old teachings and tailor them to the constantly clashing classes of our time. Word Count: 1,277

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Viability of doing business in Brazil Assignment

Viability of doing business in Brazil - Assignment Example Global business competitive has taken a new twist where it has moved from inter-organisational competition to inter-country competition, and this is the observation of Accenture (2007). Clearly, there is so much justification in this observation with empirical records of economic growth of some major emerging markets, particularly those classified in the BRIC, namely Brazil, Russia, India and China. For example, Brazil’s trade investment is said to have jumped as up high as 50% in recent times. This report therefore looks into important factors that make Brazil viable for market expansion into that country. Any inconvenient factors shall also be outlined for further recommendations. Demographic Data of Brazil Brazil is a highly populated country with a population growth that continues to grow by the years. As of 2008, the PNAD had pegged the population of Brazil at 190 million people with a male to female ratio that is quite close, which is 0.95:1 (Kanter, 2008). Brazil benefi ts from a higher urban population which accommodates 83.75% of the total population of the country. Characteristically, business and economic development in that country is centred in the urban areas. Because of the higher urban population, this obviously means that there is a very active trade and business activity in the country that makes labour cheaper than compared to other developed countries (Colquitt, Lepine & Wesson, 2013). Quite unusually, there is less population concentration in the two most extensive regions of the country, which are the Centre-West and the North regions which have only 29.1 million inhabitants even though they encompass 64.12% of the country’s territory (Chen, 2008). Economic Variables Statistics from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund gives Brazil some of the most favourable economic ratings in the world and among their peers in the BRIC. For instance Brazil is ranked as the world’s 7th largest economy at market exchange rate s and representing Latin America’s largest economy with the world’s 7th largest purchasing power parity (PPP) (Hryckiewicz & Kowalewski, 2010). Brazil’s GDP given in 2012 by the International Monetary Fund was $11,875 which is contributed by a mixed economy. The mixed economic nature of Brazil’s economy is a major boost for all investors and entrepreneurs around the world who want to expand to that country, giving the assurance that there exist multi-variant areas in the economy where they can do business in. There is however exchange rate disparity with some of the world’s major currencies compared to the Brazilian Real, which gives exchange rate risk to most companies (Colquitt, Lepine & Wesson, 2013). Socio-cultural environment of Brazil Socio-culturally, Brazil operates a very open ended environment where the people are very open to socio-cultural changes and adjustments. Even though there are generally the high class and low class divisions, t he middle class seem to dominate the socio-cultural environment, helping to foster evenness between the rich and the poor. Popular culture has its roots in the socio-cultural make up of Brazil with so much dominance of this focused on sports following (Accenture, 2007). There are several social activities and programmes that bring people together such as naming ceremony, marriage, funeral, and parties. The reason for these socio-cultural characteristics could best be linked to the abundance of tourism in the country, which is patronised by both natives and foreigners. For the company, this will come as an advantage because it makes the people more spending focused and thus willing to do business without really thinking of spending as a waste (Pelle, 2007). Political-legal factors As part of a national consented effort to make Brazil an attractive global destination for doing business, there are several government interventions and programs that are aimed at making the country

Position Arguments on Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Position Arguments on Immigration - Essay Example According to Johnson (138), however, another portion of these analysts resist the free trade point of view affirming that it is subdued by agencies and regulated by international alliances which include the International Monetary Fund in conjunction with North America Free Trade Agreement and hence resulting in greater deal of imbalance and interference in the Latin American nations economy. They assert that this economic depression results after enormous agribusiness bodies own large tracts of Mexican farming lands and hence force the destitute to relocate. The displaced individuals then end up seeking asylum in the developed nations such as United States of America. Analysts too have scrutinized the significant contributions played by emigrants’ remittances dispensed back to their own developing nations and hence take part in elevating their homeland Gross Domestic Product. However, a portion of these analysts content with this affirming that the most considerate option is to enlighten the developing nations to boost their economy through reinforcing education and generating more employment opportunities (138). Johnson (139) affirms that, analysts have evaluated the range in which the vast emigrants in the host countries should be granted the liberty to alter the authentic culture amongst the natives in the host countries. Nations such as the European Nations has emphasised on the need of adopting multicultural systems which stipulate segregation among the emigrants and natives in the host countries. Other persons including President Nicolas Sarkozy affirm that emigrants should master and absorb the prevailing heritage and customs thriving in their host nations. However, a portion of the analysts’ content with this perspective affirming that it portrays racism and intolerance. These group of analysts urge the natives to consider incorporating unity amongst the

Racial Identity Development Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Racial Identity Development Models - Essay Example It is during this stage that individuals ascertain themselves with the majority crowd. They have a habit of downplaying and having negative feelings towards their own ethnic society with little salience in their individuality (Sue et al., 1982). Dissonance is evident in experiences or encounters that are not consistent with a culture’s attitudes, values in addition to beliefs from the initial stage i.e. conformity. Take the case of an individual from a minority group who is not proud of their cultural heritage encountering another person from a different ethnicity that is proud of their ethnic background. During this stage, denial commences and there is a lot of doubt of one’s attitudes and beliefs once held in the first stage. The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. brought about the rapid movement from passive conformity to dissonance stage by a large group of African Americans. As for the immersion and defiance juncture, a minority in society probably has feeling of anger, shame and guilt due to the oppression or racism that they previously had to withstand or tolerate. Ratification of the thoughts of the minority plus the rejection of society’s domineering values marks this stage (Sue et al., 1982). Individuals tend to focus more vivacity towards having a better understanding of them as minorities and the deeper meaning of this in the introspection phase. As opposed to the intense reaction against prevailing cultures in the previous point, the introspection leg appears to be more pro-active in the definition and discovery of the sense of self. The last period that is the integrative awareness stage is a time of development of the knack to be grateful for both the constructive aspects of the influential culture and theirs. It also involves the adeptness to feel secure. At this point, individuals tend to have already

Program Design and Narrative Essay Example for Free

Program Design and Narrative Essay To achieve the objectives for our Healthy Pomona Kids Partnership program, the city of Pomona will utilize the methods outlined below. These methods have been proven effective by the Healthy RC Kids Partnership for the city of Rancho Cucamonga, where their client population is Latino. Representatives from this organization assisted in the development of this project and we have also provided an in depth timeline to this proposal. Objective One See more: how to start a personal narrative essay examples Ensure that children from low income families have access to fresh and nutritious foods in before and after school programs. †¢Healthy Pomona Kids Partnership will hire a program supervisor and two fulltime bilingual program assistants to establish a community outreach committee. †¢Appoint four community outreach committee leaders that are culturally competent, with two of the leaders needing to be bilingual. †¢Staff will develop a plan for local farmers markets and community gardens. Objective Two Educate families on the importance of good eating habits and the dangers or risks pertaining to childhood obesity; to promote healthy eating and reduce childhood obesity. †¢Staff will coordinate weekly health classes to educate and promote healthy living. †¢Staff will develop a formal feedback system so voices and concerns can be heard. †¢Staff will track participant’s progress on a weekly basis. Objective Three Engage community leaders and local police to help residence feel safer in their community to encourage exercise. †¢Staff will develop group walks within the community to meet three times a week. †¢Encourage local leaders to build walking trails.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Meet with local schools to educate students about the benefits of exercise.

Issue of Cyberbullying Today

Issue of Cyberbullying Today Cyberbullying Twenty percent of kids cyberbullied think about suicide, and one in ten attempt it. Four thousand five hundred kids commit suicide each year (Laird). Cyberbullying is turning out to be a enormous problem effecting many people. There should be a higher offense for a person who cyberbullies someone. Cyberbullying should be a felony, because it has pushed many people into self harm and committing suicide. Bullying is already a major problem in our society today, when it reaches to the internet then it becomes cyberbullying and it ends up affecting more people.When cyberbullying reaches the internet numerous amounts of people are able to read it. Cyberbullying can occur at anytime and it allows people to harass each other which could even end up in people harming themselves.Also you have to include the other emotions people feel when they get cyberbullied such as feeling depressed and empty because of the harassment they receive. They also feel hopeless as if there is no one they can talk to or feeling of hopelessness because you lost the feelings of friendship. A felony is an extreme punishment because if you get a felony you will , lose the right to bear arms, certain employment opportunities, public social benefits and housing, parental benefits, and even the ability to vote. no laws specifically addressed cyberbullying. But legislators have not been blind to the increasing number o f high-publicity incidents, including tragic results in certain cases (suicides and school shootings, for instance) (cyberbullying). 70% percent of students report seeing frequent bullying online (was your visit to nobullying.com helpful?).cyberbullying gets seen by not just the people that it is directed to but cyber bullying can be seen by anyone on the internet. The world is becoming a cruel place to live because everyone is attacking each other instead of building each other up, and now that we have internet it spreads the problem instead of stopping it.This should not be the way we live instead there should be a more serious consequence then just a slap on the wrist. Cyber bullying should be a felony because a felony is a harsher punishment and when people see they cannot take it any further and will hopefully stop.68% percent of teenagers agree that bullying online is a serious problem (was your visit to nobullying.comhelpful?). Most teens agree that cyber bullying is a major issue that needs to be solve and that some actions should be taken into to stop the increase of cyberbullying because cyber bullying h as become too common to not be doing anything about it. 43% of children have experienced bullying online, and 1 and 4 has had it happen more then once(was your visit to nobullying.com helpful?). That on its own tells you that cyber bullying is a huge problem especially since social media has not been out that long this also shows the progression of it has been extremely rapid. People are intentionally bullying people online because they are either cruel and heart less or they are to scared to do it in person but either way it is unacceptable. You shouldnt have to be rude to people all the time or show them hatred over the internet.This is the reason there should be a higher punishment like a felony for this abuse over the internet that possibly everyone in the world can see. Also 80% of teenagers use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyberbullying(was your visit to nobullying.com helpful). Most teens now a days have a smart phone and most likely have some sort of social media that they can get on this does not make it any easier to stop cyberbullying from happening. 97.5% have been online in the previous 30 days, 63% have a cell phone, 42% regularly use Instagram, 33% regularly use Facebook, 15% have been the target of cyberbullying in the previous 30 days (boys: 11.8%; girls: 18.5%), 6.3% have cyberbullied others in the previous 30 days (boys: 6.1%; girls: 6.5%)(cyberbullying facts). this shows that most kids are on social media and using internet in some way and 15% of kids were targeted in the past 30 days this is not a good thing thats why there needs to be punishment to those who are doing this. Know that its not your fault. What people call bullying is sometimes an argument between two people. But if someone is repeatedly cruel to you, thats bullying and you mustnt blame yourself. No one deserves to be treated cruelly. (tips to help stop cyber bullying) Cyberbullying is only the bullys fault because they are the ones who keep perusing to be rude and inconsiderate to someone and it is not a laughing matter anymore. They have to be rude and cruel to make one person feel bad about them selves hurt them selves or even bully them to attempt or even commit suicide. It is best to be able to reach out to some one and be able to talk to someone like a counselor, principal, mother figure, father figure just someone that you can tell how you truly feel. Also if someone is being cyberbullied do not just watch the argument unravel take action and tell a teacher parent about what is happening and to the person who was cyber bullied and see if in anyway shape or form you could help them s o they do not have to go through this struggle alone. If cyber bullying happens to either you or someone you know take action to help and stop cyber bullying immediately so it does not progress any further. At the end of the day cyber bullying is not something to joke about of even think is cute and funny this is really serious and needs to stop immediately thats why the law for cyberbullying should be a felony so after people saw what the punishment is they might double think before they are rude to a person so much that they would want to hurt themselves or even commit suicide. Works Cited Cyberbullying. Findlaw, Findlaw, 2016, criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/cyber-bullying.html. Cyberbullying Facts. Cyberbullying Research Center, Cyberbullying Research Center, cyberbullying.org/facts. Tips to Help Stop Cyberbullying. ConnectSafely, ConnectSafely, 4 June 2015, www.connectsafely.org/tips-to-help-stop-cyberbullying/?doing_wp_cron=1485738274.0622389316558837890625. Was Your Visit to NoBullying.com Helpful? NoBullying Bullying CyberBullying Resources, NoBullying Bullying CyberBullying Resources, nobullying.com/cyber-bullying-facts/.

Outline for Bicycle Safety :: essays research papers fc

Outline for Bicycle Safety  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To explain to listeners how they can operate a bicycle safety. Central Idea: You can keep yourself safe on a bicycle if you follow a few safety rules: wear protective clothing, obey the rules of the road, and be aware of your surroundings. Introduction I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teaching anyone to ride a bike is a most memorable experience, but having them obey the rules and regulations when riding is one of peoples first exposures to obeying the law. Cycling is a great way to exercise as well as a convenient mode of transportation. But before you start riding you should take a few minutes to consider some important safety precautions. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, bicycle related crashes kill about 900 people a year and injure over half a million. Most bicycle deaths or accidents occur between 3-9 pm, and most often occur during the summer months. We can prevent these numbers by: wearing protective equipment, obeying the rules of the road, and being aware of your surroundings. (Transition: Let’s talk about the first rule) Body I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear protective equipment. A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear a helmet 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Studies have shown that wearing a helmet can reduce your chances of head injury by 85% 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Select a helmet that fits comfortably. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear a helmet to set examples to others if necessary. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helmets are required in many places so you should check with the police in your area. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear visible clothes 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear bright colors such as white and yellow. Never wear black. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you have the means get reflective straps or hats. Don’t wear loose articles of clothing. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Never carry anything in your hands. D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you can get reflectors to put on the back , front, and side of your bike so cars can better see you at night (Transition: You have on the right protective gear. Now What?) II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obeying the rules of the road. A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Riding a bike is much the same as driving a car 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obey traffic signals 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obey road markings B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Look in all directions 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Seven out of ten accidents occur at intersections and driveways 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walk your bike across busy intersections and at crosswalks. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When making turns use had signals to alert motorists. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Form an L with the left arm upwards to signal a right turn. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Form an L with the left arm downwards to signal stop. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Extend the left arm outwards to signal a left turn. (Transition: You know the rules of the road so what next?) III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Be aware of your surroundings A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ride only in safe places 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parks 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  School grounds 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bike trails 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sidewalks 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Any other bicycle designated areas B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make sure your bike is adjusted for riding conditions Outline for Bicycle Safety :: essays research papers fc Outline for Bicycle Safety  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To explain to listeners how they can operate a bicycle safety. Central Idea: You can keep yourself safe on a bicycle if you follow a few safety rules: wear protective clothing, obey the rules of the road, and be aware of your surroundings. Introduction I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teaching anyone to ride a bike is a most memorable experience, but having them obey the rules and regulations when riding is one of peoples first exposures to obeying the law. Cycling is a great way to exercise as well as a convenient mode of transportation. But before you start riding you should take a few minutes to consider some important safety precautions. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, bicycle related crashes kill about 900 people a year and injure over half a million. Most bicycle deaths or accidents occur between 3-9 pm, and most often occur during the summer months. We can prevent these numbers by: wearing protective equipment, obeying the rules of the road, and being aware of your surroundings. (Transition: Let’s talk about the first rule) Body I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear protective equipment. A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear a helmet 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Studies have shown that wearing a helmet can reduce your chances of head injury by 85% 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Select a helmet that fits comfortably. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear a helmet to set examples to others if necessary. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helmets are required in many places so you should check with the police in your area. B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear visible clothes 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wear bright colors such as white and yellow. Never wear black. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you have the means get reflective straps or hats. Don’t wear loose articles of clothing. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Never carry anything in your hands. D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you can get reflectors to put on the back , front, and side of your bike so cars can better see you at night (Transition: You have on the right protective gear. Now What?) II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obeying the rules of the road. A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Riding a bike is much the same as driving a car 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obey traffic signals 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obey road markings B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Look in all directions 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Seven out of ten accidents occur at intersections and driveways 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walk your bike across busy intersections and at crosswalks. C.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When making turns use had signals to alert motorists. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Form an L with the left arm upwards to signal a right turn. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Form an L with the left arm downwards to signal stop. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Extend the left arm outwards to signal a left turn. (Transition: You know the rules of the road so what next?) III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Be aware of your surroundings A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ride only in safe places 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parks 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  School grounds 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bike trails 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sidewalks 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Any other bicycle designated areas B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make sure your bike is adjusted for riding conditions

Mr Dolphus Raymond tells Scout, Your pa’s not a run of the mill man. :: Free Essay Writer

Mr Dolphus Raymond tells Scout, Your pa’s not a run of the mill man. How far do you agree with this description of Atticus Finch? The novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is set during the 1930s in the Deep South of America, during a time when there was a large racial segregation. The book is about Tom Robinson, a black man accused of the rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson’s lawyer is Atticus Finch. Atticus is a white, single father of two children, Scout and Jem. The family live in the town of Maycomb County, Alabama. It is a very close knit community and Atticus is family, friends or a neighbour to nearly all the people of Maycomb. He is frowned upon by nearly all the white citizens of Maycomb because he is defending a black man. Atticus believes Tom Robinson is innocent and so defends him, with or without the support of Maycomb’s citizens. Atticus Finch is ‘Maycomb County born and bred’ and is ‘related by blood or marriage to nearly every family in Maycomb’. Atticus has lived in Maycomb all his life and at the start of the book, before the trial, is highly regarded as a good citizen of Maycomb. Atticus is a fair and honest man. Atticus is one of the only men in Maycomb who does not share the prejudices of the other citizens. He is also very well educated unlike many others in the town, whether this is due to lack of money or simply the fact people cannot be bothered to go to school, like the Ewell family. On Scout’s first day of school we find out that every member of the Ewell family ‘come first day every year and then leave’. He treats black and white people the same and he gains a lot of respect from the black community of Maycomb. A few of the white citizens of Maycomb support Atticus during the trial but Mrs. Dubose is not one of them. Mrs. Dubose tells the children ‘Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!’ I feel that Mrs. Dubose deep down likes Atticus but she has been brought up in a world or racism and prejudice and more than likely was taught not to like black people. One person who supports Atticus throughout the book is Miss Maudie. Miss Maudie is a neighbour of the Finch family. Miss Maudie is the only person who never loses faith in Atticus. During a conversation with Scout she tells her ‘there are some men in this world that are

Biography of Robert Frost Essay -- American Poets Robert Frost Biograp

â€Å"Rightly or wrongly, Robert Frost has achieved a reputation as a poet of nature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gerber 155). Yes, Frost does use imagery of nature in his poems, but to say he is a â€Å"nature poet† is distorting his poetry by overlooking the poem’s darker complexions (Gerber 155). An aspect of his poems that is frequently overlooked is the main character’s internal conflict. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening† characters are faced with an inner conflict metaphorically described by nature. In these two poems Frost uses nature to hide the reality of how self-conscious the main character actually is. Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California on March 26, 1874. When his father died in 1885 he moved to Massachusetts with his mom and sister (Sweeny and Lindroth 5). He spent his whole life in the Massachusetts area. â€Å"Frost attended high school in that state, and then Dartmouth College, but remained less than one semester† (Michalowski). At the age of thirty-eight Frost decided to move him and his family to England. While in England his first book, A Boy’s Will, was published in 1913. A few years later he returned to America where his second book, North of Boston, was published (Michalowski). Although he spent three years of his life in England, â€Å"†¦little of his verse reflects any specific English imagery† (Sweeny and Lindroth 11). Massachusetts and other New England areas were the setting for the majority of Frost’s poetry. The nature in the New England area played a big role in his life and influenced his poetry a lot (Sweeny and Lindroth 7). â€Å"Nine generations of New Englanders had produced Robert Frost, and he in turn produced in his poetry a distillation of all that is New Engla... ...chusetts. 1982 Michalowski, Jay. â€Å"Biography of Robert Frost†. The Robert Frost Web Page. 3 May 2015 http://www.robertfrost.org/indexgood.html Richardson, Mark â€Å"Robert Frost† Modern American Poetry. 5 April 2015. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/frost/frost.htm Sweeny, John David and Lindroth, James. The Poetry of Robert Frost. New York: Monarch Press, 1965 Van Doren, Mark. â€Å"Robert Frost’s America: June 1951† The Atlantic Online. 5 April 2015. The Atlantic Monthly http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/poetry/frost/vand.html Wakefield, Richard. â€Å"Thomas Eakins and Robert Frost: â€Å"To be a natural man in a man-made world.† Proquest Online. 5 April 2015. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?TS=1049560053&RQT=309&TS=1049559567&Did=000000056482194&Fmt=3&Deli=1&Mtd=1&Idx =20&Sid=3&Button.x=0&Button.y=0&TS=1049559631&Button.x=0&Button.y=0&TS=1049560082

‘Poetry’ by Marianne Moore Analysis Essay

In the poem, Moore dissects the meaning and understanding of poetry. She tries to make a point of the importance and usefulness of poetry to a person. There is the mention that most people do not take the time to appreciate something of they do not understand it. From research on this poet I have discovered that she has a unique writing style that she is referencing in the poem. There are a few images in her poem like when she writes, â€Å"Hands that can grasp, eyes that can dilate, hair that can rise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Another example of imagery is, â€Å"elephants pushing, a wild horse taking a roll, a tireless wolf under a tree†¦Ã¢â‚¬  There are also other poetic elements in this poem as well as images. This poem really contains the main theme of the nature of people. She describes a stereotypical view that people do not take the time to appreciate and understand things. The poem honestly causes me a lot of confusion, which is why I picked it. I do not know how to get a full understanding of anything in this poem, especially things such as themes and allusions so I do not really have anything to say about either of those things so I am going to move on. There is one piece of irony I found in this poem. Her first line, â€Å"I too dislike it; there are things that are important beyond all this fiddle,† is an example of irony in her poem. For she is a poet sharing her negative opinion of poetry, I am assuming. The tone of this poem seems to be slightly melancholy for most of it.

Jonathan Kozol has been around for quite some time writing

Jonathan Kozol has been around for quite some time writing hard-hitting journalism about flaws in this country. His book Savage Inequities is more of the same with the focus on education. Kozol's strength as a writer is being able to put a face on his topic, anywhere from education to homelessness, etc. He makes the issue real and attaches human faces and real people that the reader can relate to.  In order to write this book, Kozol spent a lot of time traveling around visiting schools. To name a few, he visited schools in New York City, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington D.C. and many others. During his visits, he spent time observing in the classroom as well as interviewing teachers, students, parents, and administrators. What Kozol found out was that schools today are as separate and unequal as they were before the landmark decision of Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954. he determines that the reason for these inequities lies in the way that American schools are funded. America funds its schools with property taxes. The problem with this is that rich suburban areas pay much more property taxes, which makes their schools unrivaled. While in inner city schools, the property tax base is much lower. Therefore, mostly minority kids attend schools without much money. Kozol takes the reader into these schools to make his point. In Chicago, there is a school with no library. They are overcrowded, understaffed, and lack even the basics of resources and equipments. He takes us to a high school in the Bronx where the rain pours in. For example, Kozol states, â€Å"The science labs at East St. Louis High are 30 to 50 years outdated†¦The six lab stations in the room have empty holes where pipes were once attached. ‘It would be great if we had water,' says a physics teacher (Kozol 27). He later hits the reader hard questioning why our country allows this to happen.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Almost anyone who visits in the schools of East St. Louis†¦comes away profoundly shaken. These are innocent children, after all†¦One searches   fro some way to understand why a society as rich and, frequently, as      generous as ours would leave these children in their penury and squalor   for so long-and with so little public indignation. Is this just a strange    mistake of history?†¦why is it that we can't at least pour vast amounts of      money, ingenuity, and talent into public education for these children? (140).  He literally bombards the reader with real horror stories of his visits and travels in order to put a face on the poor state of education.   It isn’t just about education and schools and teachers; there are real kids involved here who are not getting what they need. Of Patterson, New Jersey, he states, â€Å"The city is so short of space that four elementary schools now occupy   abandoned factories. Children at one wood-frame elementary school,   which has no cafeteria or indoor space for recreation, eat lunch in a section of the boiler room. A bathroom houses reading classes (Kozol 106).  He compares these schools to suburban ones where conditions are much better. Teachers are paid much more, libraries are stocked, and technology abounds. He does a fantastic job at showing the contrasts between the wealthy schools and the poor schools. With the pictures he paints for the reader, the reader cannot argue with him. He also makes a plea for America to value equality and fix its schools. â€Å"And yet we stop to tell ourselves: These are Americans. Why do we       reduce them to this beggary – and why, particularly, in public education?      Why not spend on children here at least what we would be investing in   their education if they lived within a wealthy district like Winnetka, Illinois, or Cherry Hill, New Jersey, or Manhasset, Rye, or Great Neck in   New York? Wouldn't this be natural behavior in an affluent society that      seems to value fairness in so many other areas of life? Is fairness less    important to Americans today than in some earlier times? Is it viewed as    slightly tiresome and incompatible with hardnosed values? What do   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Americans believe about equality? (Kozol 41) Kozol ends the book with a vivid picture of an elementary school in a neighborhood of Cincinnati. He tells the reader that atmosphere was polluted with factories, prostitutes were near, and â€Å"Bleakness was the order of the day.† Kozol said he â€Å"rarely saw a child with a good big smile (Kozol 230-31). He leaves the reader with a bad taste in his/her mouth at the state of schools. This he does in hopes of spurring his readers to action. His research methods would be described as informal because his analysis comes from observations and interviews. There is no standard form that he uses, but he gets the material nonetheless. He devotes a chapter to teach area he discusses and gives the reader a description of the city as to understand why the schools are the way they are.  His findings are extremely significant to America as he clearly delineates the problems of American schools. With the images he creates, no one can argue with him. The pictures of these inner city schools are bleak. A criticism for Kozol is that he does not concentrate on any other problems in education besides inequality. Not that the inequality of schools is not a huge problem, but there are other problems that lead to poor achievement as well. No Child Left Behind plays a role. If those kids don't do well on the tests, more funding can be cut. Inner city schools do not tend to keep their teachers, With high teacher turnover, it is even harder for students to learn, and there may be large gaps in curriculum. There are also many forces at play outside the school, such as the home lives and parental involvement of these students. Probably the biggest criticism of Kozol is that he offers no solutions; he only identifies problems. He would probably say that solutions aren't his job, and he would leave that to the educational theorists. But after reading his condemnations, it would be nice to hear some of his ideas for solutions. Kozol doesn't tell the reader this, but The relationship between funding and academic achievement is unclear. However, it does not take a genius to figure this out. Will more money alone solve the problems in schools? Of course, it won't. However, more money will help. Money will help schools fix dilapidated buildings, buy equipment and resources, hire more teachers and aides to promote lower class sizes, attract better teachers who are more qualified, and a myriad of other things. But throwing money at the problem is only a start. These schools need help. They need more community and parental involvement. They need after school programs and tutoring programs and teachers with the knowledge and compassion to continue in the profession. Kozol doesn't mention other solutions except to give the schools more money, but there are many other things needed. Even money will not solve the problems of segregation. Inner city schools are made up mostly of minority students. How is that problem solved? Yes, more whites who fled to the suburbs are finding their way back to the inner city, but this is not always a good thing either. They are uprooting established communities in the process of gentrification and displacing people who may have nowhere else to go. This is why Kozol focuses on the money, because as difficult as it will be to change the way we fund schools, it will be harder to desegregate communities. Kozol makes good sense when he speaks of getting rid of the property tax funding for schools and finding a new way to fund them. If education is supposed to be democratic, and it is, America cannot continue to fund schools this way. The system America has virtually guarantees that parents who can afford to buy big houses in the suburbs will send their children to better schools. For school administrators and all personnel in schools, there are many things to be learned from this book. the most important one is that as educators, we should be fighting for democratic schools. Administrators should be out there fighting the property tax system and leading the charge to find other, more equitable ways to fund schools. Administrators also ought to be required to take a look around at the world. They should be required to visit inner city schools to truly understand what other educators go through on a daily basis. Administrators should value quality teachers all the more after reading this book, and go out of their way to keep their quality teachers. Truly, everyone even thinking about becoming an educator should read a book like this, and visit these schools.   Most of us do not even know what a crisis we are in, right now in America.   And hopefully, future educators will be the ones to fix this crisis. Work Cited Kozol, Jonathan, Savage Inequities, Harper Perennial, 1992.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Banksy is the pseudonym of a British graffiti artist and painter. Although the street's artist are usually anonymous, Banksy may be one of the most mysterious street's artists. Banksy, who has been acting for over ten years But recently his name has been known and because of his type of activity and protest is popular in media and public. Banksy's first film was showed in the Sundance Film Festival 2010 for the first time. The film was released in the England in March 2010 And in January 2011 was nominated for the Academy Award for the Best Documentary film. The film is composed of two parts. One part is an interview with Banksy and the other part is the films that Thierry Guetta has recorded with his camera. Terry is a Frenchman who lived in Los Angeles and has spent his life with fashion's fans. Terry has a unique feature, he doesn't go anywhere without his camera As he describes it as an addiction. Finally on a trip to France in 1999 a new event occurs. Terry was fortunate to being in a right place. He met street's artist and was started filming. Street's artist liked it too because in this way they were able to develope their art. After ten months of filming street's artists finally, an idea comes to Terry's mind, Documentation. The only thing that Terry was needed in his film was Banksy's presence. Banky is working and Terry videos. Banksy seggested Terry to make a documentry with these videos. After 6 months Terry come back with a film but Banksy did not like the film that Terry was made. â€Å"Exit through the gift shop† is a sotry of a character that Banksy made it. The interplay of the devices used to record and that which is being recorded include:  ·Form Use of natural properties of the medium  ·Cinematography In this documentry film Terry's Camera acts as a recording device and does not comment upon the action.  ·Screenplay Terry did not plan for the dialogues, they are natural and unscripted.  ·Mise-en-Scene There is no specific costumes, make-up and actrors in this film. Every thing is natural.  ·Edditing Aids in comprehension through cutting out all unnecessary action. Exit Through the Gift Shop Creativity has always pushed the limits in the media and societal culture. In modern society, street art is considered as vandalism, in comparison to the artist(s) and works shown in the film â€Å"Exit Through the Gift Shop†, street art is a life-style. It helps the artist convey thoughts and opinions, while abusing the right of staying anonymous. Exit Through the Gift Shop removes that anonymity for every artist, aside from one, Banksy, the filmmaker. Banksy is a notorious street artist that prefers to push the limits of reality and creativity.He has created and released this film to provide a message about the Main Character, Thierry Guetta, and for others, like him, who believe street art can be created easily. Exit Through the Gift Shop follows a man, Thierry Guetta, who initially lives his life through his camera. After observing street art, he discovers a few artists and begins to obsessively follow them around, recording the ‘making-of' and the final piece. Along the way, he interviews them about their creations, and what these artists are trying to display.Throughout this process, Guetta is behind the scope of the lens, as a hidden character should, out of sight and out of mind. With the artist in the spotlight, the audience is provided the images first-hand, along with the artists' definition. Since Guetta never had plans to use the footage, no one would ever see these images, or creations, other than him. This was a harmless concept, for he would lend a hand when needed, and stayed humble overall.While observing the street art, Guetta learned different styles, different creations and the actual creative process behind the works of Fairey, Space Invader and Banksy, to then try and apply art of his own. While Guetta works with Banksy, he earns Banksy’s trust, to the point where secrets are shared. From the beginning of the film, Banksy claims that Guetta has no intention to use the film, after weeks of footage being recorded; Banksy puts Guetta’s focus into question and tells him to make a film out of all the acquired footage. From the making of Guetta’s Film, the idea of Mr.Brainwash was created. At this point, the audience is led to believe that Guetta is trying to get a point across with his creation, although he lacked experience in the creation of film. However, Banksy believes that Guetta still does not have a consistent message that would apply to street art that he wants to share with the world. With Guetta’s opinion, the world is supposed to believe that unique art can be different, as long as it is different in any aspect. Whereas Banksy’s argument is that successful street art is different from any other, while mixing societal culture and propaganda.Banksy explains to the audience that street art is about the lack of monetary gain, and not for the sake of fame, but for fame of a creative aspect. Mr. Brainwash, does not take on Banksy’s way of display. He simply doe s the opposite. Every artist shown in the film has a style of creativity that is consistent with his or her character. Away from Banksy and other artists, he combines the styles and trends, the creative aspect from almost every artist he met over throughout the film, Guetta starts making his own art.After displaying many of his works of art around town, even as the audience could tell, the art was stylized after other artist’s works, even Banksy’s, Guetta holds a show to sell his art for thousands of dollars to those in the media and modern culture who treat these works as art. â€Å"He calls himself Mr. Brainwash, and fills an abandoned television studio with sub-Warholian dreck of his own devising. †(Lane, 2010) Anthony Lane, along with other reviewers believe that the character Guetta, is merely a character, and that someone this, un-talented, would not treat this as real art.This raises important details in the plot, was Guetta a real character? Is this movi e a tale of fiction, or a realistic documentary. Guetta’s art is simplistic in nature, simple to the point in which modern media can understand the symbolism behind each and every detail. Guetta’s art is also detailing older artists work and features that relate specifically to them. As it relates to Banksy’s message, the visitors of the Art show are interviewed about the work they are purchasing and they look at it as new and innovative, they believe that it is different.Banksy’s use of Guetta’s interview footage is paced well, it shows the difference in the rise of his passionate career, to the money-hungry man he has become. This film is about authenticity and whether certain aspects are real or not, and it is quite metaphorical that the film, overall, might be a mock-umentary, while still retaining certain messages. â€Å"about what it means to be a superstar in a subculture built on shunning the mainstream; about how sensibly that culture jud ges, and monetizes, talent. (Ryzik 2010) Guetta’s lack of comprehending the importance of having a message makes for art that offers only appreciation and a name behind the feature. Opposed to inspiration, Guetta is abusing the influence that artists apply to their works to be different, while only slightly changing theirs, he has attained all that he can from the public, money and appreciation. With this kind of art, the attention is not only drawn to himself, but to the original artist as well. Banksy offers the opinion that art was not meant to be viewed this way, which shows that he completely despises the art industry.Evidence was shown earlier in the introduction of Banksy placing his own art in a gallery as a mockery towards the actual pieces that were displayed. After listening to Banksy’s perspective, and Guetta’s, the audience is left in a point between both parties. Everyone that has seen this film raises the question on whether the entire production was merely to push the same message that Banksy explains throughout the film, that art should be shared and exchanged without profit.However, with the lack of a director, or a writer, â€Å"Exit Through the Gift Shop† is exactly the opposite. Banksy’s title is plastered on it, this shows that not only is he approving the fact that this film should be released, it also proves that he didn’t care about all the works done by other artists of the film, while showing them off, unless most of them got a couple bucks to show some art. What Banksy is trying to prove with this idea, and what he is shown trying to teach to Guetta, is basically not to be a sell-out.The artistic work that you do passionately, which you share with society, should be free. It should be to provide the world or the media with insight. A look from a different perspective, or showing the bigger picture. I agree that Banksy does this with his art, and with the film, together this unifies his style . He pushes the limits, and even as we question the authenticity of the film, we are re-viewing, and discussing parts, sharing and making notes, it has become exactly what he wanted, if better.As far as Guetta’s character goes, he is merely just a reflection of our society, he records video for the sake of recording, he ditches his family life to do something he claims is passionate to him, and in the end, ends up selling works of art for thousands of dollars, reflecting nothing that the other artists taught him in the film. References: Lane, A. (2010, Apr 26). Street justice. Retrieved from http://www. newyorker. com/arts/critics/cinema/2010/04/26/100426crci_cinema_lane RYZIK, M. (2010, April 13). Ny times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. om/2010/04/14/movies/14banksy. html Cushing, H. , D’Cruz, J and Gay-Rees, J. (2010)Banksy(Director) â€Å"Exit Through the Gift Shop† (Motion Picture). United Kingdom. Acknowledgements: Lab Class – I’d like t o thank everyone that I was grouped with in lab for help with finding a few sources, and an overall discussion about the topics of the paper. Peer Editor – I’d like to thank you for reviewing and editing my work ahead of time, offering me changes and correcting small errors.

Bill Proposal

This bill will require all police stations to make sure all of thee r officers take a est. every year over information learned at police academy, including civil right TTS, state and local laws, incident reporting, crime investigation, constitutional law, and criminal p psychology. This bill will also require that if an officer makes below a 75% on the test, they will have to take classes in order to pass the test before they can resume work. This bill will be implemented by the chief police officers of each station in the state.Also, there will be test ad ministration who create the test with the appropriate information listed above from the police academy. Police chiefs will require and make sure that all of their officers take the test and pas s, if they do not test the officers, the station will be fined $5,000 dollars. This bill will need funding for the test administrators. The funds will come from the money made from certain traffic c violations. It will be enforced by the hea d of each police station, they will require for their office errs to take the test and be rectified.The agencies involved in this bill include all of the police SST actions, police academies of the state, and the test administrators. The police stations will be responsible for giving the tests for recertification, and the test administrators will have to word k with the police academies in order to create the yearly tests. The reasoning behind this bill is to reinforce the important information police officers learn during training, so that they are ABA el to perform their job in an accurate manner. This bill will make the actions of police officers MO re trustworthy and reliable due to the fact that their knowledge is up to date and enforced.

Discuss the arguments for and against the use of toluidine blue Essay

Discuss the arguments for and against the use of toluidine blue staining as a screening method for oral cancer in dental practic - Essay Example This paper elucidates on the arguments for and against the use of toluidine in screening for oral cancer. The use of toluidine blue in uterine and oral cancer screening was pioneered by Richart in 1962. A 1% aqueous solution of toluidine blue is painted over the target area for ten seconds followed by a rinse of 1% solution of acetic acid. The toluidine blue binds to the DNA on surface cells, causing the surface to take on a bluish hue. The amount of DNA material present may be used as an indication of suspected dysplasia or neoplasia (Richart 1962). 2.0. Arguments for toluidine screening Jones and Rankin (2008) consider toluidine blue staining as a diagnostic aid for the dental professional in the evaluation of the possible malignancy of oral lesions. The potency of staining with toluidine blue has been likened to that of brush biopsy in terms of early detection, speeding up of biopsy and subsequent diagnosis of oral cancer. Application of aqueous toluidine blue to a lesion followed by a rinsing of 1% acetic acid results in selective binding with dysplastic and malignant cells accurately. The blue stain also marks a good site to extract for biopsy. Extreme care should, however, be practiced to ensure that the dye is neither mutagenic nor carcinogenic for best results. Patton, Epstein and Kerr (2008) performed a systematic review of literature related to several adjunctive techniques used in the early detection of oral premalignant and malignant lesions or OPML, such as toluidine blue. A total of 23 articles were reviewed wherein the majority focused on the use of toluidine blue. Results of the review revealed the effectiveness of toluidine blue in diagnosing oral premalignant and malignant lesions in high-risk populations and suspected mucosal lesions. However, clinicians are advised not rely much on diagnostic adjuncts alone. A complete oral mucosal examination is recommended together with specialty referrals or tissue biopsy to correctly diagnose OPML. Epste in, Silverman, Epstein, Lonky and Bride (2008) evaluated the effects of ViziLite, a chemiluminiscent light source in conjunction with toluidine blue in the process of verifying lesions identified by oral soft tissue examinations. Lesion assessment by chemiluminiscense combined with toluidine blue staining was compared with conventional visual examination. Subsequently, the suspected lesions were subjected to biopsy and diagnosed through conventional histopathological methods. Moreover, toluidine staining was performed on lesions related to severe dysplasia, carcinoma in situ, and squamous cell carcinoma. Results of the assessment show an improvement in the brightness and sharpness of margin in 60 out of 97 identified lesions that underwent the chemiluminiscent exam. Meanwhile, toluidine staining exhibited a false positive rate of 55.26% while maintaining a 100% negative predictive value (Epstein, Silverman, Epstein, Lonky and Bride 2008). Fedele (2009) described toluidine blue as an indispensable tool in identifying the area damaged by a malignant lesion due to its ability to stain nucleic acids. This effect makes it easier to remove malignant lesions since toluidin blue clearly marks the boundaries of the lesion, thus allowing precise excision. Recent studies on the use of toluidine blue were rather limited due to the dearth of research efforts in relation to randomized controlled trials, histological diagnosis

Food Translation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Food Translation - Essay Example This essay discusses the translation of recipe and menus, that usually begins with discussing why translation is both a science and art, and the principal issues of subjectivity in translation and interpretation, foreignisation-domestication and visibility-invisibility. The researcher of this essay focuses on the main objective of translating menus and recipes, that is to provide information about the content or ingredients of the food to be cooked and the manner of preparation, as in recipe instructions, in such a manner as to be appetising, moving the reader to try it. One important and crucial application of translation that was discussed in the essay, is in the understanding of recipes and menus because of the nature that food acquires in the mind of the person, be it an American sitting at a restaurant in Cairo or an Egyptian at a restaurant in Glasgow. For both, the menu informs whether the food would agree with the body and, in the case of the Egyptian, also with the soul. The unique nature of every language system poses a paradoxical situation between the use of the common translation principles and translator strategies that were used, especially in the matter of menu and recipe translation. Part of the complex nature of translation work is due to the complexity of the social and cultural meanings of food that are unique to peoples and their geographies. It is also concluded by the researcher that a good translator must know well the translation principles and strategies to do a good and effective job. ... When different cultures interact, each culture develops and changes. Language development gives translation its important role: by allowing one culture to communicate with another, translation improves the way cultures understand and influence each other. That, at least, is the theory. The practice is complex and challenging because in translating from one language to another, it is not easy to capture precisely different cultural identities and make these easier for the other to understand. This is why translation is both a science and an art. Translation is a science because it follows objective rules and methods. It is also an art because it entails the re-production and re-creation of an original work (source text or ST) in a source language (SL) into a target language (TL) in a new work (target text or TT). The translation from ST to TT requires a complex set of knowledge and skills to re-produce the content, spirit, and context of the ST as faithfully as possible to enhance understanding and produce the intended effect. This is not easy because a faithful understanding of a culture is difficult for one not native to it. Translations must reflect the thought, feeling, and style of the SL as faithfully, flexibly, and satisfactorily in the TL, which means the TT must be close to the ST in form and substance, i.e., from the literary and linguistic points of view. Following the simplest rule of communication, the translator confronted with a ST must determine the original author's message, the meaning the author puts into that message, the author's intention, and how the author communicates that message (Venuti, 1995, 1-2). Throughout the whole translation process, the translator has to remember

Weather Forecasting for Weather Derivatives Research Proposal

Weather Forecasting for Weather Derivatives - Research Proposal Example The goal is to determine which method leads to the smallest forecasting error. The forecast is performed only for the one time step ahead and is not required to provide long lasting forecast. Since their inception in 1996, weather derivatives have grown in large quantities. Today, weather derivatives are being used for hedging purposes by companies and industries, whose profits can be adversely affected by unseasonal weather or, for speculative purposes by hedge funds and others interested in capitalizing on those volatile markets. A weather derivative is a financial instrument that has a payoff derived from variables such as temperature, snowfall, humidity and rainfall. However, it is estimated that 98-99% of the weather derivatives now traded are based on temperature. Temperature contracts have as an underlying variable, temperature indices such as Heating Degree Days (HDD) or Cooling Degree Days (CDD) defined on average daily temperatures. The list of traded contracts is extensive and constantly evolving. In the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) there are traded weather contracts based on an index of Cumulative Average Temperature (CAT) for European cities for May to September (Zapranis). Many weather derivatives are traded long before the start of the contract and long before there are any useful forecasts which can indicate the likely weather during the contract period. For instance, contracts for the winter period may be traded in the preceding spring and early summer. In this case, only historical observational data are required for derivative valuation. It is also common for weather derivatives to be priced just before and during the period of the contract. There are two main reasons for this. The ï ¬ rst is that weather derivatives are traded at these times. This can be for economic hedging reasons, or purely for speculation. The second is that companies that have traded a weather derivative often need to track the value of the

Individual BUISINESS REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual BUISINESS REPORT - Essay Example However, the success of food enterprise in the UK is not guaranteed following the bloated number of operators, ranging from manufacturers, to wholesalers, to retailers. Nature Foods plays the role of a retailer in the UK market. The company engages in the manufacture and packaging of imported raw food before distributing their products across the UK. The General Market Environment and Market Findings in the U.K Processed foods have increasingly become popular across the globe. Variant food products are manufactured to meet different consumer needs, tastes, and preferences. The food market environment is generally competitive, characterized by myriad players and operators. The creativity and innovativeness of an enterprise is the primary basis of survival in the food industry, especially in relation to capturing a significant market share (Brennan & Grandison, 2012, p.426). Firms undertake continuous strategic planning in order to design ways and means of luring customers to buy. The core objective of a food enterprise is creating a reliable customer base by providing products that meet their expectations in terms of price, quality, and utility. The UK food market has been found to prefer to go local due to a number of factors. Firstly, following environmental concerns, consumers prefer locally grown, produced, or manufactured food products. This finding substantially affects food imports in whatever state; raw or processed. On the same note, food distribution over long distance has also been put at stake. Secondly, the manufacturing and packaging processes are becoming increasingly important to assess for costs. This aspect centrally affects the operational spending of an enterprise, and subsequently influences revenue generation and profitability. Finally, consumers of food products are going natural, meaning that food products containing artificial ingredients are consistently losing their position in the food industry (Jack, 2009, p.279). This implies that t he tastes and preferences of customers are shifting from artificial food ingredients to natural ingredients. Impacts of the Findings on the Economic Future of Nature Foods Ltd The environmental concerns by consumers have resulted in prioritizing local food products over imported raw and/or processed foods. Nature Foods Ltd imports raw food from different countries before it undertakes manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of the final food products across the UK. When consumers prefer locally grown, produced, or manufactured food products while the company imports raw food for further processing threatens the overall operations and business aspects of the company (Sinha, 2007, p.798). In other words, if necessary steps, actions, strategies, and plans are not taken, the company is likely to run out of business. It is important to note that consumers are rational when it comes to spending. This implies that consumers seek to maximize their utility at the minimum cost possible (Hu tter, 2011, p.111). In so doing, they factor in their needs, tastes, and preferences. The pricing policies that Nature Foods has adopted and the quality of its products can take the company a long way in terms of operational success. However, the opposite is true if the company fails to adjust to consumer needs. In other words the economic future of the company is in jeopardy if the company fails to make adjustments and meet consumer needs as they change. Low