“The Evacuation of Children in World War Two Was a Great Success”

How far do the sources you have used support this interpretation of evacuation in World War Two? (25 marks) Before the War in September 1939, the government understood the risk of air raids and the danger they bring upon major cities in England. Plans for evacuation started as early as 15 years before in 1924; the Air Raid Precaution Committee (ARPC) identified London as the main target, with children as the biggest concern.The government identified, after the ARPC produced a report on the potential disasters of air raid attacks in 1925, that maintaining civilian morale was a priority, and that the fear of bombing would bring it down. So, to prevent low morale (and also to ensure safety for what would be the future generation and social regeneration of Britain), the technique of evacuation was introduced. ‘Success’, in this case, is somewhat difficult to measure as it is a broad term when it comes to asking if it can be seen as a success in terms of numbers: ‘did the government send out as many people as they hoped to? or as a question of the success in the ‘well being of the evacuees’, and questioned as the overall safety of the evacuees: if death and casualty had been avoided/prevented. These sources help to show whether or not evacuation in World War Two was a ‘success’. Evacuation can be seen as a success if the evacuees, specifically children were ‘happy’. This is important as being considered ‘successful’ as whether or not they were treated well and were happy would influence the public morale of the citizens remaining in the city.For example, source one shows a group of children with their accompanying teacher in a Berkshire village, 1939. They appear to be ‘happy’ and well looked after; they seem well dressed and smiling in a peaceful, unthreatening looking setting, safely away from the danger of bombs/air raids. Also, as a teacher is shown to be with them, success id further proven in that the government managed to continue educational services throughout the operation (this point is additionally shown in sources three and four).This suggests evacuation was a success. Though, as the photo shows evacuation in a positive light, it could suggest a propaganda element. However, though possible, it seems unlikely that the photo is staged making it reliable to determine evacuation as a success through child ‘well-being’ and happiness. Furthermore, a view of it being successful in this way is source three, a newspaper extract from Kent, September 1939. The overall impression given is that evacuation was very much a successful operation.According to the source for the majority, it was a ‘happy adventure and homesickness quickly fled’. Again, this suggests success in the well being of the evacuees, though the source goes on to show this further saying that children were ‘eating high teas beyond their dreams and went up to bedrooms larger than thought possible’. From this we can infer that evacuation was a success in the way that children were living better out in the countryside not only for safety, but for lifestyle as well.However, this source is much less reliable that source one as it appears to be in fact very biased as a newspaper trying to imply the best out of evacuation to keep morale high, so it is harder to derive a conclusion of success from the source. Another way in which success is shown through the sources is that evacuation did the job that it was set out to do: to protect the children, and those who are at most risk, from the danger of war, specifically bombing in the city. Source five is a picture showing a bombed school playground in London.From this, we can infer that this is an example of what the government was trying to move children/evacuees away from. It also shows how, being a school playground, children were indeed at risk, thus, by sending the children away, they were, as far as we know, doing a good job of keeping them safe. Overall, this source shows that evacuation was successful as we can infer that children would clearly be safer out of the city, thus justifying evacuation itself. To further justify evacuation and therefore show its success in keeping evacuees safe, source six shows casualties in Liverpool.It shows that the death rate was generally over 100 and even in May 1941, at 1453. Again, this justifies the need to evacuate and the safety achieved through evacuation. Finally, sources three shows the success in evacuation as the sources show effectiveness and good organisation as a success of evacuation. This encompasses overall efficiency and pre-evacuation planning. To be able to transport the huge amount of 1million (intended 4million) to the countryside required this efficiency and overall, sources three and source two mention the efficiency and order of the transport (trains) and organisation in the countryside.In source three, a newspaper article from Kent, says that the departures were efficient, reflecting that it was seen to that ‘each child got milk and food’, and followed up with ‘no confusion’. Even source two, though showing evacuation in a negative way, also comments that the trains ‘ran to time’ and that evacuation came ‘complete with teachers’. Having teachers is shown in sources one, three and four as well. In source one, it is shown as a teacher with a group of children, in three there are mentioned ‘teachers in charge’ and in four, the graph shows about 103,000 teachers were evacuated.The fact that they were able to organise having teachers for the children, as well as having sufficient transport for a million people, shows great planning and effectiveness of the evacuation programme as a success in World War Two. On the other hand, evacuation can be seen as unsuccessful through the sources. One point is that of numbers; according to source four, ‘4 million had been planned for but only 1. 5million went’.Source four is most probably reliable as it is a textbook extract, with the main aim of ‘to inform’, and thus the historian writing this has no reason to twist the truth. Even though this shows efficiency, it shows how evacuation was not successful, as it didn’t go according to government’s plans. It also could suggest that the public didn’t see quite the same urgency to evacuate as the government. This interpretation is further shown as one of the sources is a propaganda poster discouraging mothers to bring their children back to the city.This shows this unsuccessful side to evacuation as it shows that mothers needed this encouragement though posters. This shows how evacuation was unsuccessful in encouraging the public. Source seven suggests that social barriers were broken with the ‘effect of showing one side of the nation to the other’, however two sources suggest different: source 2, a source showing a mainly negative view on evacuation, implies that the social responsibility was not evenly spread and that ‘the poor housed the poor and the wealthy evaded their responsibilities’. This is an alternate view that people weren’t treating the evacuees correctly that goes against mainly source one and three. Source one and three are both from the start of the war (1939 specifically) and therefore could be seen as too specific to generalise a positive experience for the duration on the war and that perhaps source two, a negative view, is a better outlook, despite being a secondary source, on the success of the war as it shows a view over time. Considering all the elements that determine whether ‘The evacuation of children in World War Two was a great success’, I believe that evacuation was in fact a success in most ways of measuring ‘success’: the overall operation fulfilled it’s aims of protecting children from bombs to safer quieter areas of the country (like source one depicts) and that the government did so in an orderly, effective fashion. However, I would not call the evacuation programme a ‘completely’ a success nor a ‘great success’ thorough considering that fewer went than planned and that it is difficult to derive a positive experience from the evacuees themselves. A ‘great success’ suggests complete fulfilment of original plans and a large majority happy and well treated in the operation. Not all sources agree with this, thus, overall, I conclude my agreement that evacuation in World War Two was successful, though not a ‘great’ success.

Electronic Commerce and Mary Kay Essay

Founded in 1962, Mary Kay (marykay. com) has about 1. 8 million consultants selling its cosmetics and fragrances in 34 countries. In 2008, the company had about $2. 4 billion in wholesale sales. As a company that has based its reputation on personal contacts through door-to-door visits and home gatherings, one might think that Mary Kay would not benefit from EC. Actually, the opposite is true. Currently, more than 95 percent of Mary Kay’s independent salespeople place orders via the Internet. The Problem The cosmetics market is very competitive, but it is growing rapidly, especially in developing countries. Mary Kay is trying to capitalize on this trend. The Mary Kay business model enables rapid growth into new markets. By the early 2000s, consultants found that more and more customers wanted to shop online. With a long and global supply chain and the need to manage almost 2 million consultants, it was clear that automation was needed, but Mary Kay’s existing computer system was old and lacked Web or e-commerce applications. Therefore, a major overhaul of the information systems was needed. Finally, it became clear that the emergence of social computing might provide a golden opportunity for Internet marketing by the company. The Solution Mary Kay’s IT department is now split into three divisions: e-commerce, supply chain, and back-office support. Because of pressure from the consultants, the restructuring focused on e-commerce. The company’s goals and objectives were set based on industry best practices. Goals and objectives determine what, how, and when the company is operated, and these also apply to EC initiatives. Mary Kay’s EC solution included the creation of an electronic service desk that supports consultants in 30 countries in a standardized way. Mary Kay also introduced a global electronic ordering system, called Atlas, that allows the consultants to communicate with company warehouses. An intelligent data repository that dynamically maintains a logical model of the EC environment can be accessed by Mary Kay IT staff. Mary Kay and its consultants are also making extensive use of social computing. The following are some representative examples of how Mary Kay uses social computing: The company posts job opening announcements on several sites, including MySpace Jobs ( classifieds. myspace. com/job). Movies and videotapes are available on YouTube (youtube. com) and on movies. go. com. Several blogs are available, both for and against the company (e. g. , marykayandrews. com/blog). Auctions and fixed-price items are available for sale on eBay. Mary Kay provides a consultant locator on the Internet. All of these developments are supported by an extensive hardware and software infrastructure, including a wireless remote management system at the 760,000 square-foot corporate headquarters, an extensive wide area network (WAN, see Chapter 8), and a large data center. Some of the EC systems are used enterprise wide (e. g. , service desk, ticketing system for consultants attending events, and service requests made by consultants). Others are functional (e. g. , accounting, finance, marketing, and inventory control). The company uses an intranet for internal communications as well as dozens of other EC applications. In addition to providing better support to consultants, the EC initiatives produced other benefits, such as greater efficiency, reduced costs and downtime, and improved service. In terms of human resources, it enabled the company to handle its rapid growth without a substantial increase in staffing. The changes also have allowed EC personnel to focus on strategic tasks. Mary Kay found that its engineers and technical people now have time to spend on new innovations. References: Bowman, Mary Kay, et al. â€Å"Intelligent and firm currency conversion.† U.S. Patent No. 7,747,475. 29 Jun. 2010. Meuter, Matthew L., et al. â€Å"The influence of technology anxiety on consumer use and experiences with self-service technologies.† Journal of Business Research 56.11 (2003): 899-906. Dholakia, Ruby Roy, and Nikhilesh Dholakia. â€Å"Mobility and markets: emerging outlines of m-commerce.† Journal of Business research 57.12 (2004): 1391-1396. Kay, Jeffrey, et al. â€Å"Information objects system, method, and computer program organization.† U.S. Patent No. 6,473,893. 29 Oct. 2002. Finn, Mary Kay, Karen Lahey, and David Redle. â€Å"Policies Underlying Congressional Approval of Criminal and Civil Immunity for Interactive Computer Service Providers Under Provisions of the Communications Decency Act of 1996-Should E-Buyers Beware.† U. Tol. L. Rev. 31 (1999): 347.

The Effects of Neuromarketing in Consumer Behavior

Neuromarketing helps many companies and academics to understand how the neurons in our brains behave in such a way that stimulates and influences our desire to consume products from a particular brand. The purpose of my research was to find out what influences my buying decisions referencing the book Buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom, which talks a about a Neuromarketing study that used 2,000 volunteers from around the world and related to the concepts learned in Consumer Behavior class. A personal consumption Journal is an excellent source of information that describes in detail my personal consumption experiences helping me to be more attentive of my consumer habits when marketers try to influence my judgment towards a product. The journal of Stephen J Gould states that â€Å"introspection involves the provision of verbal data about one’s own experiences that are consciously available only to oneself†. The data I collected with my journal was important and useful because it gave me the opportunity to compare the findings of Lindstrom with my personal experiences as an active consumer of a capitalist society. The journal was a challenging task for me because it took me a long time to be adapted to maintain up to date the log, eventually it became a routine. My consumer journal revealed that I was constantly seduced by companies to buy more products of their brand using my sensory receptors to attract my attention. An example was Victoria secret, my favorite lingerie and beauty store that seduce me to enter the store with an appealing smell and a mannequin wearing beautiful lingerie. Once you walk into the store there is a feeling of privacy and comfort. A quote from my Journal says â€Å"the lovely smell and texture of the Victoria secret cream increase my desire to come back and buy more products†. I immediately related my experience with the concept learned in class about sensation which is the instant reaction of the sensory organs to a stimulus. Companies try to create unique scents for their products in order to remain in the mind of the shoppers. One example is the Johnson and Johnson’s baby cream that just by a quick smell of the product; you will be immediately transported to your childhood memories. Lindstrom states that these kinds of associations are why companies use the mell of vanilla which is found in breast milk. An experiment carried out by a clothing store revealed that when the vanilla scents were sprayed across the women’s department, sales of the female merchandising increase in high numbers. Today companies are more frequently adopting the Sensory branding because if the consumer perceives a enjoyable scent with an attractive and seductive product, we are more likely to remember the product making it easy to the company to stay in your subconscious. Many companies around the world are using Neuromarketing to meet success in launching their new product. One example is Christian Dior, which scanned its new perfume J’adore to a series of FMRI studies to determine its ad placements in the market. As a result, they gathered a great success in selling their perfume J’adore and coincidentally having me as one of their loyal consumer. Neuroscience is so powerful that can even determine by brain scans how much a consumer is willing to pay for a good or service. Lindstrom conducted a series of studies on how a consumer perceives prices and if it had an influence on the decision of buying the product. He says â€Å"When subjects view luxury products such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci being sold at full price, both the nucleus accumbens and the anterior cingulated light up, showing the pleasure of anticipatory reward mixed with the conflict about buying such an expensive doodad. But when consumers are shown the same products at a significant discount, the â€Å"conflict† signal decreases as the reward activation simultaneously goes up† (Lindstrom, 2008, 197). In my log, I wrote my experience when buying a dress for a special dinner I had in October. I went to the Guess store to try to find the perfect outfit for my special occasion, all the merchandise I liked was at retail price so I decided to go to Macys and look in the guess section for my surprise the dress I wanted in guess was priced at 25% off at Macys. In my mind the price of the dress persuade me to buy the item thinking that I was getting a good deal. The study of Lindstrom and my personal experience was a clearly example of reference prices which is the price a consumer utilize as a source for comparison in judging another price. Lindstrom recalls an interesting study in his book performed by researches from Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology in which they asked twenty volunteers to position their pleasure and delight of different priced wines under an FMRI. The trap was that two of the wines were presented twice, one with a high price and the other with a low price. The findings of the researches state â€Å"When the expensive wine was presented, there was a flurry of activity in subjects’ medial orbitofrontal cortices, where they perceive pleasantness-indicating that the higher price of a product enhances our enjoyment of it†. In my opinion, the use an expensive product makes us feel pleased because in our minds we relate quality with expensive prices which is not always true. In Colombia the prices of low quality clothing are very high compared with the income of the population. Every time I go back home I complain about the market and their prices, entrepreneurs tend to take advantage of the people by buying merchandise at a low price in the U. S and china and selling in Colombia for five times the wholesale price. I understand that is a business and profit need to be made but an extremely high price in products limits the consumer capacity to consume. The book Buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom explains how his recent research in Neuroscience reveals revolutionary concepts about how people are influence by various advertisements strategies. Lindstrom through a detail study of the brain evaluates the effectiveness of the subconscious ads and is able to determine that they are actually more effective than the traditional advertisement logos. In his book he explains the effectiveness of subliminal advertisement campaigns and depicts real life scenarios of the marketing world. Lindstrom in his three year study, with a cost of seven million, engaged some of the top Neuroscientists – Dr Gemma Calvert current chair in applied Neuroimaging at the University of Warwick, England and founder of Neurosense in Oxford was in charge of overseeing the research team for this study. One of the conducted case studies was to discover if subliminal messages would produce cravings similar to the ones generated by the traditional logos. They picked the tobacco industry for this experiment since it is one of the industries which have been forced to adopt new marketing strategies due to the global tobacco advertisement ban effort. Tobacco companies such as Marlboro and Camel have implemented subliminal messages in response to this ban which have now, after this research, proven to be more effective. Lindstrom writes â€Å" More fascinating still, when Dr Calvert compared the brains’ responses to the two different types of images, she found even more activity in the reward and craving centers when ubjects viewed the subliminal images than when they viewed the overt images. In other words, the logo-free images associated with cigarettes, like Ferrari and the sunset, triggered more cravings among smokers than the logos or images of the cigarette pack themselves† ( Lindstrom, 2008,84). Formula one being one of the top most watched sports in the world created an association between the competing teams and tob acco brands. Prior to the tobacco bans Formula one teams’ were sponsored primarily by cigarette companies such as Marlboro, Camel, Lucky Brand, etc and their logos were decaled all over the cars. For all those who were acquainted with the sport, this long-lasting relationship between teams and tobacco brands created an association in people’s perceptions that still exist today even when the tobacco logos have been removed form the cars. A clear example of this is Ferrari with Marlboro, their cars, drivers and mechanics jumpsuits are red just like the Marlboro original brand logo, but more interesting that this long lasting partnership with Phillip Morris was the barcode logo that they had been using up until the beginning of this year, which according to the experts, resembles the bottom of a Marlboro cigarette pack. John Britton, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and director of its tobacco advisory group, states, â€Å"according to the Times: â€Å"The bar code looks like the bottom half of a packet of Marlboro cigarettes. I was stunned when I saw it. This is pushing at the limits. If you look at how the bar code has evolved over the last four years, it looks like creeping branding. † (Pitpass. com). As being a Formula One fan myself, I experienced similar results to those conducted by Lindstrom. In my Journal, I noticed that my friends and I were always purchasing Marlboro cigarettes after watching a race. Unconsciously, I was having a desire to smoke without having being exposed to a Marlboro logo but instead having watched a red Ferrari car race around a circuit for two hours. This indicates that Marlboro has used subliminal message campaigns effectively through their partners creating a greater desire in consumers to purchase their product. This notion contradicts some of the findings of the effectiveness of subliminal persuasion in the book Consumer behavior (chapter 6). The book consumer behavior says â€Å"There is no evidence that subliminal advertising persuades people to buy goods and services. A comprehensive review of the literature indicates that subliminal perception has no effects on attitudes toward products and consumption behavior and that most of its effects were discovered in highly artificial situations†. In my research, I learned a lot about the mirror neurons which are accountable for why we imitate other individual’s behavior. The mirror neurons are responsible for when we try to lower our voices when someone is whispering. In terms of consumer behavior we can relate this concept to when we go to the mall and see a mannequin with an amazing dress with the matching shoes and purse that make her look elegant and slim. The consumer immediately buys the dress thinking that we as consumers are going to look the same if we acquiring the style and image that the store wants to sell us. In my journal, I found many scenarios where the mirror neurons influenced my rational thinking and caused me to unconsciously purchase what the store was displaying. In my visit to Hollister, one of the top 10 US clothing brands, I saw a female model at the entrance of the store wearing ultra casual red sweeter that immediately caught my attention because the color was perfect for the Christmas season, which then lead me to go inside the store to purchase the sweeter. The mirror neurons triggered my desire to buy the cool-looking sweeter I saw at Hollister. In conclusion, I was overwhelmed by the responsibility that our neurons and subconscious plays in our consumer behavior and how we attach to certain brands. In my opinion, Neuromarketing will soon be an essential source of information for marketers in terms of predicting the future of a new product in the market. The book Buy-ology explains the latest findings involving brains scans and successfully related to sales and purchases. Overall, Buy-ology gave me the opportunity to compare the statements of the book consumer behavior with the findings of Lindstrom and Dr. Calvert. After the consumer behavior class, I have come to acknowledge my consumer habits and be aware of the marketing strategies that influence my decision-making process.

Reply to a letter + rationale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reply to a letter + rationale - Essay Example As you may know, this could easily be done if you check the expiry dates of the products you buy while you are in the store itself, if the instances of what you accuse are so rampant. Since you have failed to do either of these or to get the testimony of someone whose identity is trustworthy for the public, you are doing nothing misleading the people and gossiping about an institution of good repute for some ulterior motive. I would like to point out some inconsistencies in your argument that Jawad is poisoning its customers in order to make a profit. If you were as much concerned about the health of the people in your locality, you would have tried to do something about the issue as soon as you found out that the puff pastry you bought during Ramadan had expired a day before. However, taking into account the fact that you could have thought of this as a rare incident, one could comprehend your possible excuses for not responding. But it remains the fact that it would have been an id eal time to reveal the store’s hidden motives (if they existed) since you could easily have gone back to the store (because of the store’s â€Å"proximity to your house†) and demanded to check the remaining twin puff pastry with the â€Å"special offer† for Ramadan. Well, the second time a similar incident took place could have been sufficient enough to infuriate you. You should have taken back the nose spray, along with its bill, to the pharmacy as soon as you found out that it had expired two months ago. Instead, you just â€Å"tossed it in the trash†. Your confession that this is another instance of â€Å"more carelessness† is indeed a convincing one. Otherwise, you could have checked the expiry date at the pharmacy store itself, which customers usually do. And your â€Å"strike three† incident sounds all the more curious, since you do not even mention when you found out that the snack bar you bought expired in October. I find that your

Product Launch Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Product Launch - Research Paper Example In addition the product launch plan contains the following elements; product description and positioning, market target and needs, market potential and growth, a SWOT analysis on both countries, domestic and international competition, marketing objectives and strategies, pricing, marketing communications, distribution strategies, financial reports, and the marketing research on the plan. Kudler is offering catering to its service line. The company will offer catering at all locations in Canada and in Italy. Catering will be available to businesses and private households for events of all kinds and sizes. The catering will include fresh products from the bakery, deli, meat market, and produce department as well as shelf items within the store. The catering items are made to customer order and the customer will work closely with the catering department to create innovative ideas for parties and events. Kudler is offering catering, which is classified as a service. Kudler will provide the best service in the catering industry. Catering services face tough challenges because they provide food and servers to many different types of events. These events include birthday parties, weddings, and many other types of events. Also, the size of these events presents a challenge because the larger the event the more pressure on Kudler to provide great service and food. Kudler believes offering catering will create more marketability of its specialty products to new consumers. A consumer or business that purchases catering products from Kudler helps promote the products to other potential consumers. This word-of-mouth helps Kudler gain new potential customers by increasing the awareness of the specialty products offered. This consumer channel will help link in new customers by letting them taste the specialty products available. People can taste the products at such events without

Immigration Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Immigration Reform - Essay Example That is why the current government has come up with proposals to enhance legal migration along the borders. This paper outlines the issues regarding illegal migration across the border of US, alternative plans to account for the undocumented immigrants and proposals on the importance of immigrants. It also proposes the impact of legal migration to the economy of US and betterment of the future. Immigration reform in the US is a proposal that is aimed at increasing the number legal immigrations into the country. For example, the guest worker reform that was supported by President George Bush aimed at ensuring the number of guests who come to work in the US are registered in the country. However, the issue of illegal immigration is a controversial one since the government is unable to handle all the cases of illegal immigrations in the country. The people who support immigration reform stipulate that illegal immigrants into the country cost the US taxpayers approximately $338.3 billion. This issue has been associated with weaken law enforcement in the country thus putting safety of government officials and the citizens of the US in jeopardy. For instance, in 2001, President George W. Bush and the former president of Mexico Vicente Fox wanted to pass an immigration policy whose aim was to benefit the Mexican emigrants in the US (United States Congress b 32). The immigration r eform and Control Act of 1986 stipulates that it is illegal for employers to hire illegal immigrants in the country. However, there was a non-immigrant visa system which allowed the lesser-skilled employees to work in the US. However, since the year 2006 amnesty, the US was said to have approximately 12 million immigrants who were not documented. The number of undocumented immigrants was estimated to make up to 5 percent of the workforce in the US. Moreover, it was also revealed that about 70 percent of the undocumented immigrants had

Case study for the value chain analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

For the value chain analysis - Case Study Example It has helped reducing transport costs, which has made it the process cost less than before. CMG operations are superior to Taco Bell and Qdoba. It is more organized and authentic. All CMG restaurants belong to the mother company. They are found at the end of retail lines, in line with other retail shops and free standing places. These locations attract a high number of people who can visit CMG. Taco Bell and Qdoba restaurants use the same methods to locate their restaurants. CMG has focused on opening its restaurants without the use of franchise. It is a move that has given CMG an edge over Taco Bell, which is the most influential competitor. However, the emphasis to open its restaurants has limited the ability of CMG to reach many people. Taco Bell that has embraced franchising has over 5,000 restaurants spread all over the United States. Consumers have a chance to serve food on their own like in a dinner party. The method makes CMG superior to its competitors. Taco Bell has used t he same concept in Cantina Bell. The use of in-house advertising strategies helped CMG to cut its marketing costs, which means an increase in the revenue earned. The company emerged superior to its competitors who were using traditional promotion methods like TV commercials. The methods used by CMG appealed to many consumers who viewed as being unique and cool. The company gained popularity using relatively new strategies. CMG is superior in offering services because employees have perfected the art of customer service. In addition, they provide quality service at all times. It is better compared to Taco Bell, which seem to have run out of ideas on quality service. CMG’s push for sustainable sourcing is the foundation of its Food with Integrity strategy. Chipotle Mexican Grill is focused on getting the best ingredients without compromising the quality of the environment, animals and the respecting the farmers. CMG recognizes the importance of

Pathology of Ageing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pathology of Ageing - Essay Example A quality of life of elderly patients depends more on ageing-related disease than solely on chronological characteristics. ‘Natural’ transformations in the status of the organism during the process of ageing, such as the changes in the immune, cardiovascular and endocrine systems (Martin, & Sheaff 2007), occur simultaneously with abnormal pathological processes associated with variety of age-related diseases, such as wear and tear of skin, muscles, and skeleton (Freemon, & Hoyland 2007), cardiovascular system (Greenwald 2007), etc. These two types of changes interact closely in various types of age-related diseases such as hearing loss, noise damage, skin damage, hypertension, increased body mass index, etc. The process of aging is associated with changes in the human brain at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. Although the recent studies have found that loss of neurons in aging persons is more modest than many past studies suggested and is limited to only some neuron populations, the reduction in the size of remaining neurons has been revealed as well as a reduced size of dendritic and axonal arborizations (Esiri 2007). Electrical activities of the brain change notably as the personal growth older. The changes are observed primarily in a rhythm of the brain and they do not depend on the absence or presence of any physical disorders or diseases. Serious cognitive changes are associated with aging. Various cognitive abilities demonstrate different patterns of change over the process of normal aging. (Schaie, 1994). The most common changes occur to reaction time, the overall speed of information processing, and reduction in visuospatial and motor control abilities, memory, and attention, particularly the ability to divide one's attention, to shift focus rapidly, and to deal with complex situations (APA, 2003). Cognitive functions that are better preserved with age include learning, language and vocabulary skills, reasoning, and other skills that rely primarily on

Crime Trends in Chicago, IL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Crime Trends in Chicago, IL - Essay Example reported at the time when the total population of the city stood at less than three million; this resulted in a rate of murder of about thirty four percent per one hundred thousand. However, the city started experiencing considerable decrease in the cases of murder from the year 1992, whereby the total murder cases fell to six hundred and forty one in the year 1999. The city has fewer number of cases of murder in the year 2002 even though the rate was still quite higher that some other cities. Chicago crime statistics show a general downward pattern in criminal issues based on the data from eleven years, whereby violent there has been a significant decrease in violent and property crime. On the basis of this trend, we find that the rate of crime in Chicago for the year 2011 has seen a significant fall as compared to 2009. Chicago’s city violent crime in the year 2009 was higher as compared to national rate of violent crime averaged by one hundred and sixty two percent and the rate of city property crime was higher as compared to the rate of national property crime by forty percent (Zhang 129). In the year 2009, the rate of city violent crime in Chicago was higher as compared to the rate of violent crime in Illinois by one hundred and twenty six percent and the rate of city property crime in Chicago was higher compared to the rate of property crime in Illinois by fifty five percent. The rate of crime in Chicago continued its free fall in April, 2011, which marked th e twenty eighth consecutive months that a decline in the violent crime had been reported by the Chicago Police department (Zhang 130). The rate of homicide during the last year was the lowest to be experienced in the city since the year 1965 (Federal Bureau of Investigation 12). However, according to the crime numbers that were reported by the Chicago Police department this year, it appears that the freefall in the rate of homicide is going to continue. There have been about seventeen less homicides

Introduction to the microbial world history of microbiology Essay Example for Free

Introduction to the microbial world history of microbiology Essay Part A. This letter is in response to your story which was published in your website and broadcasted in your stations regarding Edward Jenner as the most prolific microbiologist that ever lived and have contributed much to the improvement of microbiology and public health. I would like to make a point that several other scientists have contributed much to that of the works of Jenner on eradicating small pox virus by vaccination. He may have started the use of vaccines which led to its eradication years later; however, it should not be mistaken to be the most significant microbiological contribution. Take an example the work of Joseph Lister on 1867 regarding antiseptics (Prescott et al., 2005). Like any other scientist during his time, works on antisepsis was not an overnight job; he worked carefully and tested his theories over and over again, until such time that he perfected it (Roediger, 1990). By thoughtfully thinking of what may cause pus formation in surgical wounds, he experimented with rags and phenol and used it as wound dressings. Sure enough, his patients did not develop gangrene after being dressed with carbolic acid or phenol treated rags. Later on, he improved on excluding bacteria from his operating suite by incorporation of clean environment as a prerequisite in aseptic surgery (Lister, 1909). See more: how to write an academic introduction In modern days, Lister’s work on antiseptic surgery had decreased much of the deaths caused by hospital-acquired infections brought about by practicing of good science (Pasteur and Lister, 1996). By applying his notion of the germ theory via his promotion of environmental cleanliness and sanitation, he inculcated the modern medical practitioners with standards of disease prevention that ultimately lead to reduction of major infections like tuberculosis (Osborn, 1986). Most notably, in his honor, Listerine ® was named after him. In recognition of his efforts, the British Medical Journal recently stated that â€Å"he saved more lives by the introduction of this system than all the wars of the 19th century together had sacrificed† (Nester et al., 2007). To conclude that Lister was more prolific than Jenner, the Jenner Institute of Preventive Medicine in Britain was changed to its current name, the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine (The Lister Institute). Another notable scientist is in the persona of Dr. John Snow. John Snow, in 1849 published his works entitled, â€Å"On the mode of communication of cholera.† In his research, Snow began to hypothesize that cholera was indeed transmitted by a common source, and sure enough he pin pointed it to a contaminated water pump in Broad Street (Thrusfield, 22007). Though highly criticized and much of his researches were dismissed, he never did falter in seeking out the truth. Despite of these obstacles, he never faltered to show the good qualities of an epidemiologist: good record keeper, determined, dedicated and highly skilled (Stanwell-Smith, 2002). A good record keeper, he was a very keen observer and he never did forgot to take into accounts this minute details that allowed him to solve the mystery of the cholera epidemic in London. Moreover, determined and dedicated to his work even though criticisms were all around him and yet a highly skilled scientist never did show attitudes that will hinder him from succeeding (Prescott et al., 2005). His works have led people to dub him as â€Å"the father of epidemiology.† Sure enough, epidemiology and public health cannot have gone a million step without the initiative of the medical doctor who was once criticized for hypothesizing something at that time which cannot be proven until later years where, the bacteria responsible for the disease was isolated. It may be another story of another scientist, but without Snow, nothing not even the prevention and determination of the occurrence of diseases can progress (Stanwell-Smith, 2002). Sure enough, Jenner may have helped in improving disease prevention by first creating the vaccine and subsequent studies leading to its development, it cannot be disclosed that Lister and Snow, did more achievements in the field of microbiology and public health per se. It may be fitting to say that Jenner may be a great microbiologist, it is only proper to also uphold and acknowledge other note taking efforts of these other microbiologists. Part B. In the summer of 1999, the first human case of West Nile Encephalitis in the western hemisphere was documented. By the end 0f 2002, the WNV epidemic have resulted to at least a total 4,156 human cases (with 2,943 meningoencephalitis case and 284 deaths), 16,741 dead birds, 6,604 infected mosquitoes and 14,571 equine cases. This epidemic was the largest recognized arboviral meningoencephalitis epidemic in the Western Hemisphere (CDC, 2003). The Virus Western equine encephalitis is a member of the Genus Flavivirus under the Family Flaviviridae (Tortora et al., 2007). The virions are spherical and around 50 nm in diameter. It is widely distributed throughout the Americas, especially after the onset of the epidemics in 2002. It is maintained in an endemic cycle involving domestic and passerine birds and Culex sp. serving as the vector host (Murphy et al., 1999 ).   WNV infection in humans produces either asymptomatic infection or mild febrile disease, sometimes accompanied by rash, which should be differentiated from dengue hemorrhagic fever. The human case-fatality rate in the U.S. has  been 7% overall with 10% of patients having neuroinvasive WNV disease (CDC, 2003). The Outbreak Although unknown how or when WNV was introduced into North America, international travel of infected people, importation of infected birds or mosquitoes or migration of infected birds are all possibilities and cannot be ruled out. Overwintering mosquitoes during the winter of 1999 to 2000 have been the mode wherein the virus has propagated throughout New York. It has then undergone several cycles of overwintering and by the end of 2002 has affected 44 states, including the District of Columbia. It has now been proven that the mosquito carry the virus and have traveled initially from New York to nearby states infecting other animals, most notably humans. (CDC, 2003). Control and Prevention Prevention and control of WNV encephalitis was accomplished effectively through a series of comprehensive efforts and programs including integrated pest management. It should be taken into consideration that the priority prevention for this type of disease is destruction of mosquito habitats which serve as the main vector. Likewise, sanitation and water management greatly reduced the total number of cases from that of 2002 to a tolerable one. (CDC, 2003)

Our Definition And Personality Theology Religion Essay

Our Definition And Personality Theology Religion Essay Earth is a mere planet in our thought to be an ever expanding universe. Many scientists have been able to identify some of the codes that build our universe and give it an identity based on laws of physics, chemistry and biology. Moreover, we humans are part of that space and time, and each one of us can resemble his own universe and act according to his own laws. Nevertheless, what factors govern the way we act or who we are? In addition to that, what are the factors that we build our character and personality on? A persons personality can be defined as his/her identity that is comprehended by the way we act, speak, think and believe. Ones identity is a result of numerous factors that can be categorized under sexual decisions, personal experiences, impact of travelling, participation in society and religion, and connection to origins. The factors of identity are many, but sexual beliefs have almost the most powerful effect on a persons identity. As we saw in The Diaries of Adam and Eve, ones gender reflects much on the character and personality of oneself (Twain 363-78). Since the beginning of the human race, the first aspect that determined each persons identity was his/her sex. Sex is a broad topic and has maintained much attention since Eve came into Adams world. The way we perceive life truly depends on our gender. Girls tend to view life in a loving and soft manner in contrast to males that believe in being tough and masculine. Our gender plays an important role also because of the way society looks at each gender. A female is required to act in certain ways as Mai Ghoussoub describes in her text Missed Opportunities: Me and My Gender: you play with boys, you enter their classrooms, obtain better grades than many of them and then you are asked to obey them or accept the inequality that places them above you ( 396-401). Moreover, today possibly the most talked about subject in the Arab world is sex before and after marriage. Starting with males, sex before marriage is encouraged and counts as a plus on a mans CV for marriage. Since it is impossible to know if a man has had sex before marriage, he has been granted that privilege and is free to do what he wants. However, a woman having sex becomes marked. Before marriage, she becomes a social outcast and viewed as a shame to society, but after marriage she is honored to be giving her husband that special gift called virginity. These gender discriminations most definitely affect ones identity since we are all free to do what we feel is right. Ones decision about choosing to confer to the inequality of genders or rebel against it or having sex before or after marriage is highly anticipated in the society we live in, and as soon as we decide what to do, we would add one more building block to our character or more importantly to our identity. We grow up in different environments and are introduced to different things at different times and conditions. Our story is similar to that of Eves as described in The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain (363-78). We are all born in to this world clear of thoughts and ambitions, but as we grow up we get acquainted with our surroundings and discover the world around us. Being newly introduced to this world, we tend to question everything and formulate our own understanding of the nature we are brought into. According to the empiricism theory, our entire knowledge depends on the experiences we undergo, but there is a question on the table today; do our genes determine our personality and identity? Berkeley, a British empiricist, believes that The mind operates upon the ideas given to it, comparing or contrasting them; it does not merely record what is there (Hamlyn). Hence, we can observe that ones identity is strongly related to the experiences he/she witnesses in life. In addition to that, a person is influenced by other people as well. Furthermore, ones actions are in a relation to the surrounding environment and depend on the conditions found in it (Hamlyn). The people we encounter in life influence our thoughts and the experiments that we base our hypothesis on. As we saw before, personal experiences have a major effect on a persons identity and travelling is one of the most impacting experiences one can witness. Travelling around the world introduces the individual to all the different cultures and traditions that define others identities. This creates a wider range of knowledge on which we construct part of our identity. People who travel often try to go back to their origins in a later time in their life; the farther they are from their homeland the more they feel the need to connect to it. In House of Stone, Introduction: Bayt we witness how the author developed a deep connection with his grandfathers old house although he has travelled far away. He still appreciates the presence of the house and shows passion and regret to how he left his town and his roots. To him, the house is his identity, and had he not travelled, he would not have realized its great importance (Shadid 95-99). In Shadids text we see how travelling can make one reali ze his own identity, but there is a downside to everything. In Downtown Beirut- A City of Ghosts? the Lebanese people are invaded by new ideas and cultures to the extent that their land has lost its identity. Beirut became a place for everyone except the Lebanese people (Mohsen 117-22). From what the article states, identity is related to the land where a being expresses his self in, by creating memories in it and a place to call home. Religion can be counted as the highest rank in personal experiences and due its major impact it can be considered a category of its own in defining identity. The true meaning of identity is rendered useless in a vacuum world. The answer to Fearons question what is your identity? may vary according to the situation and the surrounding factors. An example of multiple identities is the duality of light characteristics which is considered wave or a particle depending on its current situation in nature. Therefore identity is the definition of the characteristics of an object associated with its surrounding (Fearon). By comparing light to humans we can clearly see that each persons identity is defined by his relation to other people. What we do in society is the true meaning of our identity. Society has many situations that affect us, and religion has been around for more than a century. It is a path that everyone has to take at some point in his life and it imposes its own identity on the person by managing to take control of his decisions and actions. Since we already saw how personal experiences and our decisions affect our identity, it is obvious that religion is a major factor that plays a role in each part of the identity equation. Ones participation in society is the key to developing his identity relative to it and to the world; however, religion imposes restrictions that guides the person to a certain position in society and gives him a predefined identity. Our identity is not only related to the present time we live in, but also to the past that lead to our being. What our elders left for us or what is called our heritage is yet another factor of identity because it marks the objects that we begin to build our thoughts on and narrows down the possible paths we take in life. An example of heritage identity is observed in Anthony Shadids text House of Stone: Bayt where the house of Isber samara becomes the symbol of Shadids original identity and his homeland (95-99). Traditions also count as a subset of ones origins where they interfere with an individuals experiences and thoughts by guiding them along the track of their elders identities. Identity is a word used to describe an object whether it was a living human being or bloodless hard rock. It is a very general word with a very specific meaning and effect on the universe. Nothing is created to just fill space in this galaxy, and everything has a certain job it has promised to fulfill. We have categorized some factors of identity to be able to understand the concept more clearly, but after this analysis we can conclude that our identity is what we want it to be. In the end, identity is basically who we are and its factors build up in a chain reaction that we can control most of the times. We can choose to have sex, to travel, to experience what we want, to follow religious paths or not and whether or not to maintain a connection with our familys and societys past.

Analysing The God Of Small Things English Literature Essay

Analysing The God Of Small Things English Literature Essay May in Ayemenem is a hot, brooding month. The days are long and humid. This luscious and mysterious description of India sounds unmistakably like a tourist novel yet this example of post colonial exoticism is used to lure in readers to the novel The God of Small Things. Whilst being better known for its celebrity stakes of the Booker Prize, the author Arundhati Roy is ethnic, a strong activist and her cultural authenticity passively provides an authentic Indian voice through her idealised western way of talking and thinking about the east. Roy plays into a colonial style known for its dominating, restructuring and authoritative power over India using references from politics and history to keep the story real and dangerously intoxicating for her western readers. It serves the dual purpose of being able to write back to the empire whilst becoming a product of global capitalism, hybridity of the west and the east, using eastern examples of western ideals through examples of critiqued p ower relations and subverted ideas of the exotic. The society of Ayamenem strongly follows westerns ideas adopted from its colonial background by living with a caste system in which there are two classes, the inferior touchables who are of a higher class than the untouchables. This idea is borrowed from the class system of the British so the inequality between both is familiar to its readers but is also exotic in the way that it controls society and influences everyday life. The extremity of having the untouchables so grateful to the touchable class that a man is willing to kill his own son when he discovers that he has broken the most important caste rule, that there is no interclass relations. These rules of society are unknown to that of the reader; it provides them with the mystery and danger of the exotic. Also having no interclass relations means that there is a lot of tension in the relationships between characters in the novel. The untouchables have internalized class segregation and are aware of the limits of their place in society. Relationships with these people are strongly discouraged but the members of this family find reason to cross and defy these rules. This is unusual behaviour and the idea of resistance against the adopted colonial system is exciting to its western audience who believe that the underdog can win although Roys account provides enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing the consequences of the characters defiance. The novel also exoticises Indias inequality, making it light hearted and approachable for its western audience. The style of writing suggests that Roy has written the story from an outsiders perspective, looking, observing and commenting on daily life, strange insects appeared like ideas in the evening, questioning her authenticity through her strategic use of words and in this example she tells the reader of strange insects in the afternoon yet these insects should be familiar to the teller of the story. This westernisation becomes more apparent through Indian society who seem like they are trying to appeal to the wider western audience. While choosing a name for the family pickle company the relevance of the name was an important factor, At first he wanted to call it Zeus Pickles and Preserves, but that idea was vetoed because everybody said that Zeus was too obscure and had no local relevance, whereas Paradise did. (Comrade Pillais suggestion -Parashuram Pickles was vetoed for the opposite reason: too much local relevance). Instead of marketing to their local community, the name Paradise seemed more suitable which shows how self aware their society has become knowing that the pickling company could be seen on a global scale promoting its exotic feeling to produce global product. Roy promotes this kind of thinking throughout her novel and in a sense she is able to sell her culture through her strategic storytelling. She tells of hotels that have truncated traditional kathakali performances from six hour classics to twenty minutes cameos for the small attention spans of the tourists. It shows how Indian society has given into its colonialisation, allowing their cultural values and actions to be altered so that it can be marketed on a global scale. The strategic use of how India will be seen from a tourist point of view appeals greatly to those who have never seen India and in these terms Roy provides the idealistic tourist guide that they have been seeking wi th bite sized portions of a culturally authentic experience such as her use of traditional Malayalam words throughout the text. Not only has Roy tried to westernise India in her novel, she has also borrowed ideas and put them into and Indian context. The notion of love is not widely or publicly spoken about in India (although glamorised through film), it is something that is private and varies with the type of belief system one has. The God of Small Things is unique in this way; it could almost be seen as a tragic Indian love story showing the different interpretations of the dimensions of love. The idea of romantic love barely exists in Indian society as it collective society who make decisions together while romantic love is independently chosen and a modern way of finding a partner. Roy explores this through the relationship between characters such Chacko and Margaret. Chacko is Indian and he falls in love with a European woman and their relationship is the least stable as they find that it does not work and although it is demanding to say the least, Chacko decides to devote himself to her even after they have split so he can always be there for her. This type of relationship can be identified with easily as it seems to be more common throughout the west and it shows how multicultural relationships work within society. Baby Kochamma also tries to find meaning in her life through unrequited love for a Irish priest. The idea of unrequited love is discouraged in Indian society as it is embarrassing for the family as it is publicly unsuccessful. Familial love is then the most important and scared of all types of relationships. The parents in the novel have a very strong and deep love for their children that readers can relate to, Chacko loves his daughter Sophie so much (even though he barely knew her) that when she dies he is distraught and has to move away. Ammu also has a very strong love for her children and she shares that with Velutha (her love interest) who also shows an unselfish love for her children as a reflection of his love for Ammu. The twins also love each other very much and their love is so strong that they can easily know what each other is thinking and feeling although this is where Roy introduces a twist to the plot by having these types of love become forbidden and incestuous. She crosses the line that most Indian authors would we unwilling to as such things are unspoken of and yet at the same time this excites the western readers who can handle reading about such a taboo experience. She shows that love is a powerful and uncontrollable force that cannot be contained by conventional social codes because a traditional Indian society (in the case of Ammu and Velutha) seeks to destroy romantic love as it believes that love should only be an emotion that is explained through two peoples cultural background and political identities. Roy speaks of love laws that have to be abided and such rules seem ridiculous and even intriguing to see how people live by them and the fascination of what happens if one might break these rules and how desperation and desire fight the overbearing force of being punished for loving the wrong person. The themes used by Roy are universal and provide a comfortable introduction to India. She is aware of how to sell her culture to the global market and is successful in promoting this novel as an authentic experience to the western world. It is not threatening but yet hybridity of cultures, strategically using exoticism to her advantage almost tricking her western audience into their curiosity to know more through her ability to be able to tell a great story which has no secrets and is exposed for all to take with them.

The Value Of A Jury System Essay -- essays research papers

The Value of a Jury System The Founders of our nation understood that no idea was more central to our Bill of Rights -- indeed, to government of the people, by the people, and for the people -- than the citizen jury. It was cherished not only as a bulwark against tyranny but also as an essential means of educating Americans in the habits and duties of citizenship. By enacting the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendments to the Constitution, the Framers sought to install the right to trial by jury as a cornerstone of a free society. The Framers of the Constitution felt that juries -- because they were composed of ordinary citizens and because they owed no financial allegiance to the government -- were indispensable to thwarting the excesses of powerful and overzealous government officials. The jury trial was the only right explicitly included in each of the state constitutions devised between 1776 and 1789 . And the criminal jury was one of few rights explicitly mentioned in the original federal constitution proposed by the Philadelphia Convention. Anti-federalists complained that the proposed constitution did not go far enough in protecting juries, and federalists eventually responded by enacting three constitutional amendments guaranteeing grand, petit, and civil juries. The need for juries was especially acute in criminal cases: A grand jury could block any prosecution it deemed unfounded or malicious, and a petit jury could likewise interpose itself on behalf of a defendant charged unfairly. The famous Zenge r case in the 1730s dramatized the libertarian advantages of juries . When New York's royal government sought to stifle its newspaper critics through criminal prosecution, New York grand juries refused to indict, and a petit jury famously refused to convict . But the Founders' vision of the jury went far beyond merely protecting defendants. The jury's democratic role was intertwined with other ideas enshrined in the Bill of Rights, including free speech and citizen militias. The jury was an essential democratic institution because it was a means by which citizens could engage in self-government. Nowhere else -- not even in the voting booth -- must Americans come together in person to deliberate over fundamental matters of justice . Jurors face a solemn obligation to overlook personal differences and prejudices to fairl... ... jury service. If the jury system is to remain a central institution of democracy and citizenship, it must be refined. Jury trials must attract engaged and thoughtful citizens; the rules of the courts must treat jurors as sovereign, self-governing citizens rather than as children. To this end, we suggest a number of reforms. In many instances, these changes would require no new laws, but merely a willingness on the part of the courts to unleash the common sense of the ordinary citizen. References Alschuler, Albert, "Our faltering jury.," Public Interest, Jan 1996, pp. 28. Culp, Douglass, "Do criminal juries let too many defendants loose?," Vol. 12, Birmingham Business Journal, 18 Dec 1995, pp. 15. Curriden, Mark, "Jury reform.," Vol. 81, ABA Journal, Nov 1995, pp. 72. McElhaney, James, "Jury instructions.," Vol. 81, ABA Journal, Nov 1995, pp. 91. Savage, David., "A jury of your peers.," Vol. 81, ABA Journal, Oct 1995, pp. 40. Zobel, Hiller, "The jury on trial.," Current, Nov 1995, pp. 8.

The Mafia As A Corporation Essay -- essays papers

The Mafia As A Corporation Violence, blackmail and corruption as business terms, one would doubtfully consider them commonplace, but in the Mafia, nothing is. Looking at the history surrounding the Mafia, and the motivations apparent for its unconventional practices will lead one to realize that it is much more a union aimed at entrepreneurial success than the more common notion that it is simply a malicious group of amoral villains, anxious to wreak havoc. For decades the Italian-American Mafia has employed violent to achieve success in a capitalistic sense. â€Å"The Mafia has changed a great deal since the days of the peasant uprisings in sun-baked Sicily. It has found a place within its ranks for business-school graduates, and it has adopted modern banking methods and invested in legitimate corporate ventures.† The Mafia, also known as La Cosa Nostra, is generally composed of Italians or Italian-Americans that work together as entrepreneurial criminals. La Cosa Nostra literally means â€Å"T he thing ours† but is loosely translated as â€Å"our thing.† The Mafia traces its roots back to Sicily, Italy in the 9th century AD when its purpose was to guard the feudal estates of wealthy landlords. When members of the Sicilian Mafia immigrated to the United States they initially excelled in extortion, but soon adopted gambling and prostitution as business ventures. In order to understand the role the Mafia has played in the United States, it is first necessary to study the formation and role of the Mafia in Italy. The Sicilian Mafia is said to have formed around the ninth century when Arabic tribes invaded Sicily. Native Italians were forced into hiding, taking to the hills and mountains in order to stay safe. The Sicilian Mafia formed to protect Italians from the invaders, and eventually rid the region of its unwelcome foreign foes. At this point, Mafiosi (individual members of the Mafia) essentially became middlemen for business transactions in their particular city or town. In his book The Sicilian Mafia, Diego Gambetta describes the process â€Å"When the butcher comes to me to buy an animal, he knows that I want to cheat him. But I know that he wants to cheat me. Thus we need, say, Peppe [that is, a third party] to make us agree. And we both pay Peppe a percentage of the deal.† This method has many implications. â€Å"Peppe† is trusted by both the con... ...expertise into other fields. With this expansion came the fame and fortune that has made the American Mafia famous in the United States. In time, the Mafia honed their skills, and aligned them with common legitimate businesses practices, which has separated them from common criminals, and allowed themselves to excel. Bibliography 1.)Firoentin, Gianluca and Peltzman, Sam. 1995. The Economics of Organised Crime. The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge 2.)Gage, Nicholas. 1971. The Mafia is not an Equal Opportunity Employer. Nicholas Gage 3.)Gambetta, Diego. 1993. The Sicilian Mafia. The president and Fellows of Harvard College. 4.)Mangione, Jerre and Morreale, Ben. 1992. â€Å"Who’s afraid of La Mano Nera, ‘The Black Hand?’† New York, Harper Collins. http://organizedcrime.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mindspring.com%2F%7Ehistoric-ny%2Fblackhand.htm 5.)Nelli, Humbert S. 1976. The Business of Crime: Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States. Oxford University Press, Inc. 6.)Pitkin, Thomas M. and Cordasco, Francesco. 1977. The Black Hand: A Chapter in Ethnic Crime. Littlefield, Adams & Co. The Mafia As A Corporation Essay -- essays papers The Mafia As A Corporation Violence, blackmail and corruption as business terms, one would doubtfully consider them commonplace, but in the Mafia, nothing is. Looking at the history surrounding the Mafia, and the motivations apparent for its unconventional practices will lead one to realize that it is much more a union aimed at entrepreneurial success than the more common notion that it is simply a malicious group of amoral villains, anxious to wreak havoc. For decades the Italian-American Mafia has employed violent to achieve success in a capitalistic sense. â€Å"The Mafia has changed a great deal since the days of the peasant uprisings in sun-baked Sicily. It has found a place within its ranks for business-school graduates, and it has adopted modern banking methods and invested in legitimate corporate ventures.† The Mafia, also known as La Cosa Nostra, is generally composed of Italians or Italian-Americans that work together as entrepreneurial criminals. La Cosa Nostra literally means â€Å"T he thing ours† but is loosely translated as â€Å"our thing.† The Mafia traces its roots back to Sicily, Italy in the 9th century AD when its purpose was to guard the feudal estates of wealthy landlords. When members of the Sicilian Mafia immigrated to the United States they initially excelled in extortion, but soon adopted gambling and prostitution as business ventures. In order to understand the role the Mafia has played in the United States, it is first necessary to study the formation and role of the Mafia in Italy. The Sicilian Mafia is said to have formed around the ninth century when Arabic tribes invaded Sicily. Native Italians were forced into hiding, taking to the hills and mountains in order to stay safe. The Sicilian Mafia formed to protect Italians from the invaders, and eventually rid the region of its unwelcome foreign foes. At this point, Mafiosi (individual members of the Mafia) essentially became middlemen for business transactions in their particular city or town. In his book The Sicilian Mafia, Diego Gambetta describes the process â€Å"When the butcher comes to me to buy an animal, he knows that I want to cheat him. But I know that he wants to cheat me. Thus we need, say, Peppe [that is, a third party] to make us agree. And we both pay Peppe a percentage of the deal.† This method has many implications. â€Å"Peppe† is trusted by both the con... ...expertise into other fields. With this expansion came the fame and fortune that has made the American Mafia famous in the United States. In time, the Mafia honed their skills, and aligned them with common legitimate businesses practices, which has separated them from common criminals, and allowed themselves to excel. Bibliography 1.)Firoentin, Gianluca and Peltzman, Sam. 1995. The Economics of Organised Crime. The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge 2.)Gage, Nicholas. 1971. The Mafia is not an Equal Opportunity Employer. Nicholas Gage 3.)Gambetta, Diego. 1993. The Sicilian Mafia. The president and Fellows of Harvard College. 4.)Mangione, Jerre and Morreale, Ben. 1992. â€Å"Who’s afraid of La Mano Nera, ‘The Black Hand?’† New York, Harper Collins. http://organizedcrime.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mindspring.com%2F%7Ehistoric-ny%2Fblackhand.htm 5.)Nelli, Humbert S. 1976. The Business of Crime: Italians and Syndicate Crime in the United States. Oxford University Press, Inc. 6.)Pitkin, Thomas M. and Cordasco, Francesco. 1977. The Black Hand: A Chapter in Ethnic Crime. Littlefield, Adams & Co.

How does an organization create customer value Essay

Marketing experts Don Peppers and Martha Rogers said: â€Å"Without customers, you don’t have a business.† It is such a simple, nevertheless, a scary thought. We live in a world of consumerism, in which the customer’s wants and desires greatly exceed their basic needs. Even though many see this concept as a threat to modern world society, it has created the extremely competitive marketplace for businesses. The companies are competing everyday to win over as many customers as possible by offering products that create irreplaceable value and benefit to those customers. Many companies will succeed in getting the customers to buy into their value and benefit however, the true success of a business is not linked only to getting new customers. It is considerably linked with keeping those customers around and winning over the customers from their competition. Companies work hard to develop creative marketing schemes for their products so that the company is recognized a nd perceived as valuable and beneficial to the customer. However, I believe that all strong companies start from the same point: listening to the customer. The extraordinary merits of information technology, such as the internet, cell phones, social media, television, radio, etc. have made the world we live in a global village. Thanks to the information technology, distance has never been less of an obstacle to communication amongst people. Technology has made information essentially accessible to everyone, everywhere, at any time making consumers, â€Å"more educated and informed than ever. They have the tools to verify companies’ claims and seek out superior alternatives† (Kotler & Keller, 2009, p.121). Consumerism and technology have made it possible for the customer to be heard. They can share interests, as well as positive and negative reviews for others to see. Companies follow and act upon those interests and reviews. They analyze all the information and seek to create a product that will satisfy the consumer’s interests and minimize the negative reviews. The creation of a quality product or a service that satisfies a great number of the customer’s needs and wants will create competitive advantage in the marketplace for the company and will make the product or service valuable to the customer. Ultimately, it will create an valuable experience. Positive experiences create loyalty towards that product and, â€Å"deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service in the future despite  situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior† ( Kotler & Keller, 2009, p.123). Negative experiences on the other hand can cause dissatisfaction with the product and cause a customer to defect and go to the competitor. When defection happens companies seek other ways to retain current customers, gain new ones, or even stop dissatisfied customers from defecting. Som e of the other ways companies make themselves valuable to the customer are: speed of service, discounts and rebates, warranties, loyalty programs, gifts, etc. Sale!Sale!Sale! 20-70% off entire store! 2 for 1! All these marketing schemes, discounts, and rebates are used to promote value in the eyes of the customer. Customers like to use phrases like: †I want more for my money†, or, â€Å"getting more for less†. One of the best ways that companies show they are valuable to customers is lowering the price of their products. The value created for the customer is satisfaction and a feeling of success. Meeting customer needs with a product is great, but the real measure of success cannot be measured by the product made, but by the feeling that the customer gets after purchasing it. That feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction after purchasing the product will affect the customer retention base, customer loyalty, company’s image, and ultimately the bottom line. Many companies today compete on price and try to create value for the customer by giving them more for less. No matter how good the product or service is, mistakes will happen and the customers will complain. Many people don’t like to hear complaints, but when there is money involved there will be complaining. The first step in making the company valuable to the customer is by making complaints easier and more accessible. By doing this the company makes it personable, consequently creating the value of importance for the customer instead of making them just a number. Benjamin Franklin said, â€Å"Well done is better than well said†. Companies might say they will make it personal and resolve the issue, but then you are put on hold for thirty minutes when you call in for a complaint, or your car might have to stay in the shop two days longer than anticipated. When inconveniencing the customer in moments like these, any effort to help the customer resolve the issue thereafter may be futile. That may very well be the last time the company will deal with that particular customer. The second step in creating value for the customer is the speed at which the issue will be resolved. It  might sound clichà ©, but time is money, and an attorney that has to be on hold for thirty minutes might have lost the opportunity to earn two hundred dollars. He might take it personal and go to your competitor. Acc ording to Kotler & Keller (2009), â€Å"Of the customers who register a complaint, between 54% and 70% will do business with the organization again if their complaint is resolved. The figure goes up to a staggering 95% if the customer feels the complaint was resolved quickly† (p.129). Therefore, it is not just resolving the issue that makes the customer value your company, it is the speed at which that issue or complaint is resolved. The desire of each marketing person and each company, per se, is building a strong and loyal customer base. Quality products and services create satisfied customers, and that satisfaction creates a relationship between the customer and a brand. If the customer is repeatedly content with the benefits from the particular product or service, it starts building loyalty. Once loyalty is established companies continue creating value for the customer thru development of loyalty programs that provide customers with extra rewards and benefits, making them feel more valuable since they are not getting those benefits anywhere else. The company has created ultimate value for both customer and themselves when their customers become their clients. According to Kotler & Keller (2009), â€Å"Customers may be nameless to the institution; clients cann ot be nameless. Customers are served as part of the mass or as part of the large segments; clients are served on an individual basis. Customers are served by anyone who happens to be available; clients are served by the professional assigned to them† (p.140). Companies create competitive advantage in the market by putting the customer’s wants and needs ahead of everything, understanding that without their customers they would not exist. In today’s world of consumerism and information, every company is capable of creating a valuable experience for their customers. However, the difference between the leaders in the market and others is that the leaders are constantly making their customer’s feel valued. Leading companies listen to their customers, they resolve their customer’s complaints and concerns in a fast and effective manner. They make customers feel valuable by building personal relationships thru numerous loyalty programs, and ultimately deepe n that relationship by making their customers into clients.

Division of Labor According to Manuel Ayau Essay

According to Ayau, trade and cooperation is beneficial to all parties despite differences among them in terms of capacity and talent. He states that everyone is made wealthier through cooperation, and how it is that the market economy leads to the benefit of everyone. In our world today, people base their decisions on the comparison of alternative opportunity costs at the margin, so naturally, they choose the least costly option. However, a person can only get rich by enriching others torpedoes claims to the moral high ground of those who propose that government redistribution of wealth is a means to alleviate poverty (Ayau 32). Ayau explains the workings of the free enterprise system, based on the benefits from mutual gains from trade arising from the creative productivity of a market-based and profit-guided system of division of labor. In addition, he explains that the division of labor through comparative advantage, satisfying society’s needs, trading with and by enriching others is the way someone gain wealth. He says people intuitively do what goes by the name of cost/benefit analysis, for they are quite conscious of what they are quite conscious of what they must forgo to acquire whatever they get in exchange. In his example, he explains it through simple diagrams and illustrations, with the same expenditure of time and without increasing individual productivity, the productivity of the combined effort increases the wealth of the group, creating the opportunity for exchange with mutual gain (Ayau 37-41). In the end, Manuel showed how when two participants have different opportunity costs, when trading; this is the key to understanding his attribute of increase in total wealth even when there is no increase in skill, resources, new technology, and etc. In the eyes of Ayau, people subjectively valve what t hey receive more than what they give and that wealth is made through comparative advantage. Works Cited Ayau, F., M., Not a zero-sum game. The Paradox of Exchange. 2007. Part 1, pp.23-50.

Book Report on Dear America Series- Diary of Hattie Campbell Essay

This book, written by Kristiana Gregory, is about a thirteen year old girl from Pennsylvania, Hattie Campbell. On her birthday, she was given a diary by her mother and her Aunt June. In the first entry, she mentions her Uncle Milton’s death three days ago while fixing her family’s barn and his funeral the eve of her birthday. At the funeral, the coffin fell out of their cart and was washed into the nearby river. Her father tried to save it but was almost sucked into the paddles of a riverboat. As a sign of apology, the riverboat captain agreed to give Mr Campbell and his family free tickets on his riverboat to go anywhere they wanted. That night, he announced that the family would be heading to the untamed West, at that time occupied by the Indians who were known to be violent. Mrs Campbell was very angry and initiated a â€Å"cold war† with her husband. Two days later, she relents and agrees to head out West. On the way out West, the family met a young adult named Tall Joe, who eventually becomes the captain of their group. Throughout the long trip, they lost many partners as their oxen died or they were shot by Indians. One day, Hattie and her friend, Pepper, are out playing and happened to stumble across what they thought were wild carrots and parsnips. They took some back as it was their turn to cook for the group. Back at camp, they got around their chores and started cooking. A little girl, Cassia, looked longingly at the â€Å"carrots and parsnips† and takes two bites before running off to play. Later, as they were rolling out pastry, they heard screams. They went in the direction of the screams and were horrified to find Pepper’s twin brother, Wade, and some of his friends lying on the ground, jaws clenched so tightly that nobody could pour charcoal and water into their systems to absorb the poison. In the end all of them except Wade died. The women were able to pour charcoal into his mouth. Hattie’s father then went to the tent where the kitchen was. When he saw the â€Å"carrots and parsnips†, he asked Hattie to cut some for him. He put it on the edge of his tongue and spat it out immediately. He said that it was actually water hemlock, a poisonous plant which could kill a horse if it just ate one. A man would die from a bite. They immediately remembered Cassia. They found her limp body and buried her together with the boys. The priest prayed over their graves. The next day, they called all the children and drew on the dirt to show them the difference between water hemlock and wild carrots and parsnips. Eventually, after twenty six months on the road, they reach their destination, Oregon. Along the way the accompanying Aunt June gave birth to a daughter, River Ann Valentine. The family, Aunt June and her husband settled in Oregon and became one of the first pioneers to make it to their destinations.

Essay on Anthropocentrism

Environmental Ethics I believe that the most critical ecological issue today is population growth and the anthropocentric self-interest centered life-style that human beings engage in. The combination of these two human qualities is detrimental to the environment. The first reason I think this is because when we uphold anthropocentric ideals, we toss the environment to the curve, and as a result all of creation suffers. Second, I believe that when we live for exclusively our own self-interest, we only speed up the process of ecological destruction.If we shared our â€Å"stuff† and food with each other and the rest of the world, we could significantly reduce our impact. Third, I believe that even if we are ethical and environmentally conscious as individuals, it will not be enough. If one is sold on ecological salvation but still clings to individual self-interest, then they won’t have the ability to create serious and measurable change. The example of one farmer out of several deciding not to dump waste in a close by water reserve rings true to this idea.Community interaction and a removal of our attachment to our own private benefits is essential in working towards a better cleaner earth. As a result of anthropocentric justification dominating our society, exclusive selfishness and self-interest driven life styles, and our inability to truly make a positive impact as individuals, I believe that population growth seamed with selfish anthropocentric living are truly the most critical ecological issues we face today.

Intellectual Property Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intellectual Property Rights - Essay Example More specifically, since this case involves a symbol which would denote a product, it is considered as a copyrighted symbol. To the original creator, the law permits him to decide the terms and conditions of the sale of the property in order to earn financial benefits. He advertises the work and sells nonexclusive rights of his logo to six different entities at 29 dollars a piece. The non-exclusivity of the sale shows that he still owns the logos; he holds the original rights to the logos. B would, therefore, be compelled to agree to the terms fronted by A in order to gain ownbership of the same. In this case, B seeks to do away with the logo created by A, this would still compel the former to agree to the same terms. B creates a logo one year later and sells it to C. However, the logo is has striking semblances to that created by A yet B alludes that it is an independent creation. B sells the logo innocently ignorant of the fact that his logo resembles that created by A one year ear lier. However, the assumption is that A was the original creator of the logo. A legal solution to the issue comes in the form of B seeking to purchase A’s logo. The case presented herein requires clear legal outlines to guide the process of purchase of A’s logos. By extension, it should not be forgotten that B’s logo only showed similarity to A’s creation and that it was not necessarily an act of infringement on a copyright. Besides, there are no legal stipulations which determine similarities of copyright symbols. It is out of B’s own will that he seeks to sort out an apparent similarity in the two logos by buying A’s. ANALYZES 1. Trying to buy the rights from A is the most objective move since B cannot register the same logo which A created a year earlier. This is despite the two logos being not the same. B needs to buy all the exclusive rights from A. This would save B the possible embarrassment from the similarity in the two logos. Howev er, the sale is complex because A had sold some nonexclusive rights to six other clients whom he met on the internet. The other clients might pose a legal challenge. However, if they have not started using the logo, we should look for ways to cancel the licensing agreement with the other six people. Therefore we kindly ask for the licencing agreement so that we can find clasues that could be in favour of B. Also, C will require the exclusive rights of his client, B. 2. C may sue B and they would be justified to take such a move. However, such a move would not be advisable. This is because in spite of the similarity in the two logos, B’s work could be genuinely out of creativity and not from copying A’s work. The alternative would be for C to go with the buy out as B seeks to do. In addition, proving what infringement has occurred when the two logos are compared bears no ground. The only legal proof would be a patent which must have been legally documented. In the absen ce of such, there is no legal test which is admissible in a legal proceeding. B should, therefore, try to prevent a court case. The idea of buying out the logo from A would be the best decision. This might also go well with A who has earned little money from the creation. It is documented that A put up the logo for thirty dollars for a single and an exclusive use. Consequently, B’s offer of one thousand Euros would be a better deal given the previous pays that A had hoped for. 3. D might raise a complaint against C in case it uses the logo without sorting out the issue of similarity.

Rises of Interest Rate is Affecting the Housing Affordability Essay

Rises of Interest Rate is Affecting the Housing Affordability - Essay Example As the interest rates rise, the mortgage payments amounts also escalate. This poses as an unfavourable situation for the homebuyers, and causes a decline in the housing affordability. Empirical evidence suggests that this has been the case in the years whenever the interest rates rose. When such is the situation, the homebuyers can be offered such financial products by the banking sector that they can conveniently make the home buying decision, thus supporting the housing affordability. The huge majority of Australians desire to own a home and housing assets form the leading fraction of wealth for a good number of Australians. Australian house prices have been mounting discordantly in recent times. This price growth has been well in surplus of average weekly earnings growth over the same period, and as such the ratio of house prices to average earnings is now soaring. The Australian property market is basically comprised of many markets of separate sectors and geographical locations. This is the fact that must be considered as many various forces may contribute in shifting prices in separate markets, and the overall Australian property market's price gains or falls may disguise the actual micro market price shifts. Residential housing is determined by two markedly separate sources of demand; owner-occupiers and owner-investors. Both sources of demand are determined by diverse (but connected) aspects and the payback that accrues to the owner can take a collection of shapes depending on their standing. Payback can be the accredited rent that owner-occupiers get hold of by living in a house, or it can be the takings resulting from renting out an investment property or it can be (in both cases) the capital gain that is realised upon selling of the hothirty percent of income. The level of nominal interest rates and their rate of change are major determinants of the demand for home finance, along with levels of consumer confidence. (http://www.dhw.wa.gov.au/housingstrategywa/hswa_finance.pdf) Affordability of access and servicing of payments becomes an increasing issue as interest rates rise. Any rise in interest rates is probable to upset borrowers with diminutive equity and make it further difficult for would-be first homebuyers. Simply speaking, housing finance is the system of money and credit that works to offer housing affordability. In that sense, it is quite similar to finance for any other shape of investment. The established level of interest rate also affects the demand for and supply of home finance. The customary economic conditions very much affect the interest rates, over which the housing sector has very little control. Research Questions Aims and Purpose This research paper will aim to provide an insight to the effect of a rise in interest rates on the housing affordability of Australia. The close link of these two aspects, that is the interest rate levels and the housing affordability will be proved and the various other driving forces will be identified. The historical data and figures will be used to establish the empirical trend. In addition, why such a link exists and what are the reasons that the housing affordability is connected to the prevailing levels of interest rates will be illustrated in this paper. Objectives This

One Legal Stop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

One Legal Stop - Essay Example Subsequent questioning reveals that the subjects are offering conflicting statements regarding their presence in the area, and the officers arrest the suspects for loitering and prowling. A search of the vehicle reveals that it contains stolen property from the robbery. Reasonable Suspicion. While police officers have no right to harass or detain citizens without probable cause, they do have broad latitude in deciding if individuals at a particular scene may be questioned when circumstances warrant a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed. There are two things that contribute to a justifiable cause for reasonable suspicion; the actions taken by individuals when they see police officers and the areas in which they are located when they encounter law enforcement. When a person runs from the police while in a dangerous area, the officers have a duty to investigate. The United States Supreme Court has specifically stated that "mere flight is not enough to create 'reasonable suspicion,' but...when the flight is 'unprovoked' and can be shown to have taken place in a 'high crime area,'" an officer is justified in stopping and frisking the individual (Williams, 2000, p. 381). In fact, the Chief Justice wrote that "[h]eadlong flight-wherever i t occurs-is the consummate act of evasion: it is not necessarily indicative of wrongdoing, but it is certainly suggestive of such" (Williams, 2000, p. 381). In this case, the officers were patrolling a high-crime area after news of a robbery. When the four subjects saw the officers, they immediately got into their car and drove away. This act of evasion, combined with the location of the activity, gave the officers completely reasonable suspicion of the need to investigate further. Their pursuit of the individuals was proper and legal. Reasonable Officer Conduct. Police officers are vested with significant authority over citizens. With that power comes the responsibility to act lawfully and reasonably. When police officers act reasonably and in good faith, they have latitude in the evidence they discover. The law says that any evidence uncovered by an illegal search is not admissible in a court of law. The reason for this rule is to "deter unconstitutional police conduct" (Feinman, 2000, p. 315). It must be noted, however, that even if the police do conduct an unreasonable or unlawful search, the evidence they uncover is still useable in the prosecution of the suspect if the police believed they were acting lawfully. Feinman goes on to point out that when police officers find evidence "in a good faith belief that their acts are constitutionally permissible, the criminal process should not be denied the benefits of using the evidence" (2000, p. 315). Here, the police officers acted reasonably and appropriately. Havi ng encountered the suspects loitering in a high-crime area, then seeing them attempt to evade, the officers made a legal stop. During the course of speaking with the subjects, the officers attempted to discover the truth of why the suspects were in the area. As discussed below, the search of the suspect's

Global economic environment &marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Global economic environment &marketing - Essay Example Secondly, the fact that there was emphasis on the achievement of fairness rather than focusing of liberalization of trade also resulted in disagreement among member states. The fact that certain nations had bargaining power over others and this power was being shifted to other member countries caused a rift between members. Some of these issues reflect on the case study. For instance, one of the guidelines of the organisation was fairness. However, countries usually want to maintain the bargaining power over others irrespective of the fact that globalization has resulted in change and new markets where countries which were not major players in the past are currently significant players in the market. 4.2 In the international market, free trade cannot be fair. This is as a result of the fact that each country wants to protect its indigenous business establishment thus governments end up providing an added advantage over other business organisations in the international market (Salvato re, 2012. For instance, countries such as the United States of America are known to offer subsidies to farmers in order to give them an upper hand in the import and export sector. Question Five 5.1 Various a factors contributed to the economic crisis in Thailand to spread to other south East Asia countries making it a contagion. One of the major factors that contributed to this is that most of the respective governments in the region did not deal with the increasing balance of benefits in turkey, overheating pressures the stock market and property bubbles early enough. The fact that pegged / fixed exchange rates went on for too long was also a major contributor since it resulted in a false sense of stability that encouraged firms in the region to lend huge sums of money to those in Thailand. Finally, the fact that financial markets in the region were not regulated and supervised at the time was also major contributor 5.2 Countries in the region would have been able to prevent such a crisis if they implemented certain policies. Firstly, more supervision and regulation would have helped in ensuring that balance deficits that were present would not have risen to that level (Jackson, 1999). Secondly, countries in the region should have come up with measures that would ensure that stock market and property bubbles could be withstood since they would have been forecasted. Finally, the region would have adopted exchange rates that were not fixed. They would allow the exchange rate of currencies in the region to be determined by the forces of demand and supply. This would have helped greatly since a fall in the Thai baht would indicate something was wrong. Report Introduction There are various indicators that are used to determine the economic position in which a country or a region is in. Such indicators are instrumental in policy and decision making especially for business establishments that operate internationally. Such companies are able to determine if their bus iness ventures will be successful by evaluating indicators such as GDP. This part of the paper will focus on how different indicators have affected particular regions and how they are interpreted by an organisation Gross domestic product (GDP) is an indicator in macroeconomics that is used to measure the economic state of a country. It is the value of all goods and services recognised officially produced within a specific country in a stipulated period. In general, it is used to determine