Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Sweatshop labor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sweatshop labor - Essay Example The facts are evidenced in how 7 percent of trade around the globe today is with counterfeit goods. (Thomas, p 2). This type of manufacture of goods is involved with such tragedies as child labor, abusive conditions, along with ties to terrorism and organized crime. Law mentions how counterfeiting results in more than just low wages, but in manipulation and funneling of monies into illegal activities that pose as significant threats to society as a whole (Thomas, p. 2) Conditions that children workers are made to endure are horrific by any reasonable person’s standard. In fact, it should shock the conscience of U.S. consumers and businesspeople alike. One example that Dana Thomas found in Thailand was a plant that had young children who were being forced to make counterfeit handbags for sale to the more developed lands such as the United States. The children had their legs intentionally broken by sweatshop owners and placed in such a manner that no healing of the broken limbs would occur. The owners did this to force the children to work against their will in the production of counterfeit goods (Thomas, p.1). Advanced nations like America are contributing to the problem of sweatshop labor and seeking low cost goods at the expense of human health and decency issues. This is a major society problem as Jim Hightower points to in his article â€Å"The Price of Cheap Goods†. One issue that Hightower points out is that America has such a demand for low-cost labor that critical safeguards for workers are being ignored or bypassed simply due to economic demand and pressure for ever more cheaper labor costs and higher profits for the American based companies (Hightower, p.1) One example that Hightower mentions is that research at one Hong Kong area factory discovered that the workers at the plant will break or

Monday, October 28, 2019

Coffee Ulbs Essay Example for Free

Coffee Ulbs Essay Coffee is a brewed beverage with a distinct aroma and flavor from the roasted seeds of the coffea plant. Coffee comes in many types of colour such as dark brown,white,beige,black,light brown,and more. Coffee was first discovered in the northeast region of Ethopia. Cofee cultivation first took place in southern Arabia,appears in the middle of the 15th century in the Sufi shrines of Yemen. According to the ancient chronicle,Omar who was known for his ability to cure sick through prayer was once exiled from Mocha,Yemen to a desert cave near Ousab. Starving,Omar chewed berries from nearby shrubbery but found them to the bitter. He tried roasting the seeds to improve the flavor,but they become hard. He then tried boiling them to soften the seeds,which resulted in a fragrant brown liquid. Upon drinking the liquid,Omar was revitalized and sustained for days. As stories of this ‘miracle drug’ reached Mocha,Omar was asked to return and was made a saint. In production of coffee,it consist of many steps such as processing,roasting,grading the roasting seeds,decaffeination,stored,brewing and finally be served. When processing the coffee,the berries of coffee have been traditionally and selectively picked by hand,only the berries at the peak of ripeness would be selected. After that,green coffee is process by one of two methods. Whether by dry process method or wet process method. Then,it will be sorted by ripeness and colour. After that,the seeds are fermented to remove the slimy layer of mucilage still present on the seeds. When the fermentation is finished,the seeds are washed to remove the fermentation residue. Then,the seeds are dried. Finally,the coffee is sorted again and been labeled. The roasting process influences the taste of the beverage by changing the coffee seed both physically and chemically. During roasting,caramelization occurs as intense heat that breaks down starches,changing them to simple sugars that begin to brown,which alters the colour of seeds. Then the seeds will be grading depends on the colour of roasting seeds. It will be labeled as light,medium light,medium,medium dark,dark or very dark. The degree of roast has an effect upon coffee flavor and body. Many methods can remove the caffeine from coffee,but all involve either soaking the green seeds in hot water or steaming them and using a solvent to dissolve caffeine that containing oils. Once roasted,coffee seeds must be stored properly to preserve the fresh taste of the seeds. Coffee seeds must be ground and brewed to create a beverage. Almost all methods of preparing coffee require the seeds to be ground and mixed with hot water long enough to extract the flavor,but without overextraction that draws out bitter compounds. The roasted coffee may be ground at a roaster,in a grocery store or in the home. Then,the coffee may be brewed by several methods such as boiled,steeped,or pressurized. Once brewed,coffee may be served in a variety of ways. As an example,the white coffee was made into dairy product such as milk or cream or dairy substitute or as a black coffee with no such addition. It may be sweetened with sugar or artificial sweetener.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Effectiveness of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Essay example

The Effectiveness of A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift "A Modest Proposal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the public" - Jonathan Swift 1729. In reading this you will discover the answer to the above question in three parts;  · How effective is it as an argument  · How effective is it as a piece of information  · How effective is it as satire "A Modest Proposal" first appeared in public in 1729, Swift wrote this article after all of his previous suggestions had been rejected by the Irish authorities. Swift felt the English government had psychologically exiled him and this greatly added to the rage he felt over the way the Irish People were treated or rather mistreated by the English. Although Swift's highest and most prominent concerns were for his own class, the Anglo-Irish, he in the end spoke for the nation as a whole. Swift defined satire as; 'A sort of glass wherein the holders do generally discover everybody's face but their own, which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it." Swift presents his "Proposal" as an entirely reasonable suggestion to aid the Irish, he enumerates the many benefits, counters the objections many may have, uses rhetoric reasoning and proves his humanitarianism views. Swift has written in considerable detail over the degree of poverty in Ireland, he draws attention to the causes of it obliquely and proves in great detail that his "Proposal" will work and in which ways it does work. Ireland was a colony of England; it was economically, politically and militarily dependent on ... ...tire Swift has successfully drawn attention to the extremely dire economic state of Ireland and the incompetence of the British government to solve or even begin to contemplate, in Swift's mind, these problems. This "Proposal" should be viewed as a fictional work, designed to entertain the upper-class whilst enlightening them upon the conditions of poverty in their own country. This "Proposal" could be viewed as an attempt to change the ways in which both England and Ireland viewed the state of Ireland, which was in a lethargic state. It is masterful in its own nature, the way in which Swift has challenged the prospect of changing lives and living conditions, while entertaining the audience at the same time. The true irony in "A Modest Proposal" lies not in analysing the minute details, but rather in the context of the "Proposal" as it is written.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Attitude Persuasion

Introduction: The word attitude  is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person, place, thing, or event. Prominent psychologist  Gordon Allport  (1935) once described attitude â€Å"the most distinctive and indispensable concept in contemporary  psychology†. The words  attitude  and  persuasion  are often found together, as in the phrase  persuasion and attitude change. Persuasion is an attempt to change people's attitudes. For example, advertisers try to persuade potential customers to buy a product. To do this, they try to create a positive attitude toward the product.Social psychologists have emphasized that an attitude is  preparation for behavior. Otherwise, nobody would care about attitudes. An advertiser would not try to make you feel more â€Å"positive† or â€Å"liking† toward a product unless this was assumed to affect your likelihood of buying the product. Attitude as an inward feeling expressed by outward behavior. People al ways project on the outside what they feel on the inside. But some people try to mask their attitude. You have developed attitudes about such issues, and these attitudes influence your beliefs as well as your behavior.Attitudes are an important topic of study within the field of  social psychology. What exactly is an attitude? How does it develop? Studies show that how psychologists define this concept, how attitudes influence our behavior and things we can do to change attitudes. Definitions i. A settled way of thinking or feeling typically reflected in a person's behavior. A position of the body proper to or implying an action or mental state: â€Å"the boy was standing in an attitude of despair†. ii.Attitude is â€Å"a relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols† (Hogg & Vaughan 2005, p. 150) iii. â€Å"A psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a pa rticular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor† (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993, p. 1) Explanation An attitude is a cognition (form of thought) that is formed through experience and influences our behavior. The fact that attitudes are  formed through experience  means that we can, potentially, change them. When a ersuader gives a message to an audience member, that message becomes part of the listener’s experience, and it can affect his or her attitudes. The fact that attitudes  influence our behavior  means that we can use persuasion as a means to achieve our goals — when the behavior, or actions, or others can help attain those goals. Attitudes have two basic components: beliefs and values. Beliefs are, roughly, statements of facts. Beliefs are potentially verifiable. We say a belief is true or correct when it seems to reflect the world and false or incorrect when it seems contradicted by the world.Values are judgments of worth, like good or bad, useful o r useless, expensive or cheap, efficient or inefficient. Together, these cognitions (thoughts), beliefs and values, form attitudes. (M. Clubertson, 1968)Attitudes are learned from experience and also influence our behavior. A person’s attitude is a composite of all the relevant belief/value pairs, with the more important ones influencing the attitude more. You can change a person’s attitude by changing either the belief or the value (but not both), or by creating new belief/value pairs (or by changing the relative importance of belief/value pairs).Persuasion is, quite simply, the use of messages to influence an audience. The messages that make up persuasive discourse are  instrumental, or means to ends or goals of the persuader. Companies use persuasion in the form of advertising to convince consumers to buy their products or services. Students use persuasion to convince their parents to increase their allowance, or let them go to see a particular movie, or to let th em use the car. Parents can use persuasion to get their children to study or to clean up their rooms.People use persuasion to get their friends to go to see a certain movie, or a band, or to hang out at the mall. Persuasion can convince another person to go out on a date. It can convince a teacher to accept a paper after the due date. Of course, people can also use  threats  to get what they want, but that is not persuasion. In persuasion, we try to convince the audience that they should want to do what we want them to do–not that they should do it â€Å"or else. † One of the most powerful influences on attitude change is the motivation of people.Cognitive dissonance Cognitive dissonance  is a phenomenon in which a person experiences psychological distress due to conflicting thoughts or beliefs. In order to reduce this tension, people may change their attitudes to reflect their other beliefs or actual behaviors. What all the definitions of attitude have in common is  evaluation. An attitude is not just a neutral stance; it is a value judgment, favorable or unfavorable, or likely to affect persuasion: characteristics of the  communicator, the  communication, and the  situation.People can be inoculated against attempts at persuasion and propaganda by exposing them to weak attacks and teaching them how to respond. (D. Crano, 2005) Cognitive dissonance theory emerged in the 1950s and had a large impact on social psychology. It is based on the assumption that people seek consistency between their behavior and their attitudes. If forced to do something that contradicts their value judgments or opinions, people feel  dissonance  and are motivated to change either attitudes or behavior, to bring them into consonance (agreement) with one another.That makes the theory especially interesting and useful. A central question for Dissonance researcher has been the motivational bases for dissonance and the causes of the aversive state of disson ance arousal. In Aronson’s(1992) self concept analysis, dissonance arises from the inconsistent cognitions that threaten consistency, stability, predictability, competence and moral goodness of self concept. In Steele’s(1988) self affirmation Theory, dissonance arises from general self integrity.Stone and cooper(Peety and Wegener 1998) Proposed that dissonance arise when people fail to behave in a manner consistent with some valued self-standard. the specific motivation behind the dissonance supposedly depend on the type of self standard involved. Cognitive dissonance theory (Festinger, 1957) Festinger’s version of balance theory, called cognitive dissonance theory, suggests that when people have in mind two or more inconsistent thoughts or beliefs, they experience a state of  dissonance.This ‘negative drive state’ is unpleasant, so they are motivated to try to reduce it by altering one or more of the cognitions in order to re-establish a state of   consonance. Cognitive dissonance  is a term used in modern  psychology  to describe the feeling of discomfort when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting  cognitions: ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions. In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel â€Å"disequilibrium†: frustration, hunger, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc. Cognitive dissonance is one of the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology.The theory of cognitive dissonance in  social psychology  proposes that people have a  motivational drive  to reduce dissonance by altering existing cognitions, adding new ones to create a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements. It is the distressing mental state that people feel when they â€Å"find themselves doing things that don’t fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions the y hold. †Ã‚  A key assumption is that people want their expectations to meet reality, creating a sense of equilibrium.Likewise, another assumption is that a person will avoid situations or information sources that give rise to feelings of uneasiness, or dissonance. Bogardus Social Distance scale For Bogardus â€Å"an attitude is a tendency to act toward or against something in the environment which becomes thereby a positive or negative value. â€Å"Conducted a monumental study on â€Å"social distance â€Å"still used the world over to examine cultural and ethnic attitudes. The Bogardus Social Distance scale measures attitudes about how close or distant people feel towards other people.Early in twentieth century E. S bogardus invented bogardus social distance scale is a technique for scaling attitude to measure social-psychology distance between various ethnic and racial groups Social Distance Scale  (Bogardus, 1925) is where attitudes are inferred from the actions of t he participant. The participant indicates the degree of intimacy which would be acceptable towards an individual or group, e. g. , ‘Would you live next door to one? ’ Each question has a value assigned it, and the sum of these will indicate the strength of attitudeConclusion Hence we conclude that an attitude can be a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects, event, activities, ideas, or just about anything in your environment, but there is debate about precise definitions. Persuasion is a powerful force in daily life and has a major influence on society as a whole. For example Politics, legal decisions, mass media, news and advertising are all influenced by the power of persuasion, and influence us in turn. What all the definitions of attitude have in common is  evaluation.An attitude is not just a neutral stance; it is a value judgment, favorable or unfavorable, for or ikely to affect persuasion: characteristics of the  communicator, the  communication , and the  situation. People can be inoculated against attempts at persuasion and propaganda by exposing them to weak attacks and teaching them how to respond. REFERENCES Crano, W. (2005). Attitude and Persuasion. California: Claremont Graduate University. Clubertson, H. (1968). Attitudes. Journal of Cooperative Extension, 79. Murchinson,C. (1985). Handbook of Social Psychology. Clark University Press .

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A fear of democracy runs throughout liberalism Essay

The relationship between Liberalism and democracy can summed up by Winston Churchill’s famous remark, â€Å"†¦democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A fear of democracy does runs throughout 19th centrury liberals due to many reasons, one of them being their fear of collective power. On the other hand by the 20th century Democracy became more accepted in liberalism and the fear of democracy no longer remained. Plato and Aristotle viewed democracy as a â€Å"chaotic rule of masses at the expense of wisdom and property†. Nineteenth century liberals agreed with this idea as they saw democracy as dangerous and feared it. They were concerned that democracy could threaten individual liberty. Democracy is necessarily collectivist, in that it places political authority in the hands of the people who are not a single entity but are turned into a collection of individuals or groups. This contradicts the liberal principle of individuality and atomistic society. Therefore this might lead in the interests of individual citizens being ignored. In society people have different opinions and opposing interests often resulting to political instability and conflict. The democratic solution to this conflict is the application of the majority rule; the principle that the will of the majority should prevail over that of the minority. Mill feared the unintended consequences of the rule of masses. Therefore nineteenth century liberals feared the negative repercussions of democracy such as the tyranny of the majority as the principle of the majority rule can result into the suppression of individual freedom and minority rights. Majoritarianism can not only ignore the interests of the minority but it can also create a culture of dull conformism, where people according to Mill become â€Å"transformed into mere industrious sheep as they defer to the judgments of the majority based on the unfounded assumption that the majority is always right.† Therefore Mill is trying to say that democracy supresses originality and individuality. However nineteenth century liberals have expressed reservations about democracy not just because of the danger of majority rule but also because of the composition of the majority in modern industrial societies. The liberal theory of utilitarianism and equality led to an abundance for the  few but subsistence for the many and while in theory it is happiness that is maximised, in practice it is wealth. Therefore if society is deeply divided, majoritarianism would expose the rich to a tyranny of the poor. J.S Mill believed that political wisdom is unequally distributed and largely related to education. The uneducated poor are more likely to act according to narrow class interests so for them to have the majority would be disastrous. Mill argued that the educated can use their wisdom and experience for the good of others. Therefore he believed elected politicians should speak for themselves rather than reflect the views of their electors and suggested a system of plural voting that would deprive the illiterate from power . This argument shows a view against representative government which is a key feature of democracy. Fears of tyranny of majority by the uneducated poor as a result of the arrival of mass democracy which result into the destruction of a civilized society and moral order are also expressed by Gasset. As well as this liberals feared excessive democracy because democratic systems that widen access to political influence tend to be characterized by growth in interventionism and the problem of over-government. Such intervention may weaken the efficiency of market capitalism and therefore contradict early liberals belief that the market should be free from government interference. As a result excessive democracy may disadvantage the mass of citizens in the long run. By the twentieth century, however, many liberals had come to see democracy as a virtue. Democracy broadens and deepens popular participation. According to Mill the most important advantage of democracy is that it promotes the highest and most harmonious development of human capacities. It is true to say that democracy stimulates civil participation in the political decision-making process creating a better-informed and politically sophisticated citizenry. Consequently Rousseau and Mill claimed that in the absence of democracy ignorance and brutality will prevail. Modern liberals have come to understand that democracy has educational benefits as citizens enhance their understanding and achieve a higher level of personal development. Democracy therefore takes a developmental form in the twentieth century. In addition democracy defends freedom by allowing citizens to protect themselves against tyrannical governments and unpopular policies. In the seventeenth century classical liberals such as Locke argued that voting rights should be extended to the propertied who could then defend their natural rights against government. Jeremy Bentham and James Mill , nineteenth century liberals developed the notion of democracy as a form of protection for the individual into a case of universal suffrage. This meant that individuals would vote to defend their interests and that is the only way of promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number. However as time went by Locke’s theory of protective democracy has been transformed into a developmental view of democracy. For example a greater sympathy for universal suffrage is shown by James’s Mill son John who argues for the empowerment of women and against the plight of workers, showing he had moved from a protective to a developmental view of democracy. Since the twentieth century liberal theories about democracy have tended to focus less on consent and participation and more on the need for consensus in society. Pluralist theorists have argued that organized groups not individuals play the most important role in the politics of increasing complex modern societies which are characterized by competition amongst rival interests. Therefore democracy has the benefit that, in giving a political voice to all competing groups and interests in society it binds them to the political system and tends to promote consensus thereby maintaining balance and political stability within modern societies. Therefore in conclusion nineteenth century liberals mostly feared democracy but as time went by liberals of the twentieth century came to recognize its benefits .Even though there are conflicting ideas within liberalism and democracy, the liberal acceptance of universal suffrage, the key feature of democracy, has led to an acceptance to all the elements of democracy including majority rule and representative government. This is because liberals were able to create solutions to prevent the extremes of democracy .This can be seen with the example of majoritarianism when the liberal element of checks and balances prevents the tyranny of the majority.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Jamie Thomas essays

Jamie Thomas essays Jamie Thomas was born in 1974, Dothan, Alabama. Jamie Thomas was the fourth child and a very independent one. He did everything to fit in as a kid. He was the fourth child. Every child in his family was a little rebellious. So when they had him they decided that they have had enough ( Brunett, Pgs 60-61). As a kid Jamie raised himself in a sense. His mom taught him a lot of things but most of the things he had to learn on his own. He Probably had to learn a lot more things on his own than the average child. When Jamie was growing up he was probably the best skater in his town, since there wasnt a lot of skaters in Alabama. Jamie lived in Alabama for a long time. Jamie got a lot of attention as a kid because he was a skateboard kid ( Brunett, Pgs 62-63). When Jamie was young he did all the basics to fit in: the Mohawk, the shaved head, the bleached hair and whatever else was necessary. When Jamie was growing up the kids that were older were always better at skating than him. A lot of the kids over there either quit skating or got hurt. Jamies parents were always there for him. And they were there when he was in trouble to tell him right from wrong. But usually it took him getting in trouble first ( Online 2 ). While Jamie was growing up his mom was always supportive of everything he did. And his dad was just supportive of school. Jamie was always in a little bit of trouble. He wanted to make the most of school so he always had some fun. Since Jamie wasnt eighteen when he quit he couldnt formally quit on his own. So Jamies mom signed him out for him ( Brunett, Pgs 64-65). Jamie got suspended for five or eight days. Jamie turned seventeen two weeks before he quit school. If he didnt quit he would have failed anyway. Before Jamie came to California he had to work double shifts to save for a car. After Jamie dropped out he was looking forward to come to Calif...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Planning an Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign

Planning an Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign Situation Analysis Athletic footwear industry is very much concentrated (Eric 2006). The industry consists of a large number of smaller and segmented players. One of the key characteristics which define the industry is the purpose and price of the shoes. However, there is a given degree of overlap amongst the various shoe categories especially with regard to casual wear and performance shoes.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Planning an Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, a considerable proportion of individuals wear athletic shoes in non-athletic settings. This is an indication that there is a potential for an increment in the size of the market for athletic shoes. Currently, large firms dominate the athletic shoe industry account for 95% of the entire market while small firms account for only 5%. Some of the key competitor s in the industry includes Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Puma, Skechers, Van, K-Swiss, Asics, Saucony and New Balance (Eric 2006). Nike Incorporation is the leading firm within the athletic footwear industry. The firm deals with designing and marketing various a variety of athletic footwear. Nike Air Max is one of the leading athletic footwear produced by the company. The product is effectively designed to appeal the consumer. Nike Air Max has an air cushioning and an innovative foam cushioning. This makes it to be effective with regard to impact absorbing. A thin plate is sandwiched between the cushioning systems to ensure effective support of the feet (Loscher 2006). The price of a pair of Nike Air Max shoes varies from $ 99 to $149 for men while ladies shoes range from $99 to $ 119 (Loscher 2006). A significant proportion of consumers consider Nike Air Max to be of high quality and stylish. In 2004, Nike had a market share of 42% as illustrated in the pie chart below. The lucrative nature of the industry in relation to p rofitability has led to a large number of investors venturing the industry. The resultant effect has been an increment in the degree of rivalry. The high degree of rivalry has had a negative effect on the firm as it is evident in the reduction in its market share. In order to attain a high competitive advantage, firms in the athletic footwear industry are adopting various market positioning strategies. One of these strategies relate to formation of mergers and acquisition. For example, in 2003, Nike Incorporation acquired Converse Company.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was followed by the Reebok and Adidas merge in 2005 (Fried, Shapiro Deschriver 2007). Currently, Nike Incorporation has a market share of 33% of the entire global footwear industry (Cuizon 2009). Company Market share (%) Nike 42 Adidas 27 Puma 6 Reebok 12 New Balance 5 Asi cs 1 K-Swiss 2 Saucony 1 Vans 1 Sketchers 3 The success of a firm in the global market is dependent on a number of macroeconomic factors. These relate to both internal and externla environment. The key external enviroments relate to political, economic, social and technological environment. Political analysis The United States government has developed and implemented effective policies which have played a significant role in the success of Nike athletic brands (Eric 2006). Some of these policies relate to low interest rates, economic stability such as taxation policies and ensuring stability in the currency. This has enabled Nike’s athletic footwear products to be competitive internationally. Economic analyis The athletic footwear industry was adversely affected by the global economic recession. The table below gives an illustration of the change in sales during the period ranging from 2007 to 2009 in the United States. Percentage change on the basis of dollar volume sales Percentage change 2007-2008 Percentage change 2008-2009 Total athletic footwear -3.2 -1.4 Girl’s -5.9 0.6 Boy’s -4.6 1 Men’s 0.4 3.0 Women’s 6.4 0.6 Infant -13.3 -4.8 From the table, it is evident that there was a significant reduction in sales in 2008 compared to 2009. The total sales reduced by 3.2% in 2008 and by 1.4% in 2009 (Boyle 2010). As a result of the 2007 global economic recession, the firm experienced a reduction in its sales which persisted to 2009 as a result of reduction in consumer purchases. The firm’s cost of operation was further driven up by the economic crisis in Asia considering the fact that the firm manufacures its products in Asia.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Planning an Integrated Marketing Communications Campaign specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Social analysis Currently, there is a shift in the consumption behavi or amongst the consumers. One of the major trends relate to increased health consciousness. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the number of individuals joining fitness clubs (Eric 2006). The change in consumption behavior has led into an upward shift in demand for various fitness products such as shoes and apparels. This presents a feasible business opportunity for Nike Incorporation to exploit through marketing of Nike Air Max. This arises from the fact that Nike Air Max is specially designed to ensure comfort and flexibility of the consumer. Technology analysis In the 21st century, there has been an increment in the rate of technological innovation. This has led into transformation of businesses in various economic sectors (Eric 2006). In an effort to attain a high competitive advantage, Nike Incorporation has integrated information technology in its operation. Some of the areas in which this has been applied relate to production, marketing and distribution. Wi th regard to marketing, this has been achieved through incorporation of Marketing Information Systems. This has enabled the firm to attain a high competitive edge compared to its competitors. Internal Analysis SWOT analysis Strengths High competitiveness through effective sponsoring of sports especially athletics. Effective operation via adoption of a lean organization strategy. Nike Incorporation own buildings or manufacturing workers. This enables the firm to be flexible in its production processes. The firm has a strong research and development team which enables the firm to be innovative. The firm has attained publicity globally thus enabling it to market its products effectively on a global scale. Weaknesses Despite the fact that the firm has diversified its products, athletic footwear products are the major source of income. This means that the firm’s strength is vulnerable if its market share of footwear products is eroded. The firm has been greatly criticized o ver incidences of underpayment, child labor and overworking its employees. Opportunities There is a high probability of Nike improving its market share through new product development. The firm can increase its profitability by venturing into new market segments such as selling Jewelry and sunglasses. High probability of developing its business internationally by venturing into markets in emerging economies such as China. Threats Considering the fact that the company operates on an international scale, the firm is exposed to numerous risks such as exchange rate fluctuations and economic recession which may lead into loss. Athletic footwear industry is very competitive. Competitors are increasingly developing products aimed at capturing a proportion of Nike’s market share. Consumers have become very price sensitive. Objectives Communication objectives Varey (2002) posits that the success of every firm is dependent on the effectiveness with which the firm has estab lished a relationship with the consumers. Currently, there has been an increment in the degree of similarity amongst various product categories with regard to performance, design and price which are the core benefits sought by the consumers. As a result, it has become vital for firm’s to draw consumer’s attention. One of the ways through which this can be achieved is by marketing communication (Egan 2007). According to Masterman and Wood (2006), setting communication objective is vital in the marketing communication process. This arises from the fact that objectives act as keystone upon which the firm sets the direction and limits of the strategic decisions.Advertising Looking for coursework on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Considering the competitive nature of the industry, Nike Incorporation intends to increases awareness of its Nike Air Max with a margin of 25% within a period of one year. Awareness of Nike Air Max will be made across consumers of varying demographics. In order to attain this, the firm intends to create intense awareness of its Nike Air Max shoe. Some of the key consideration in the communication process is to create global awareness amongst potential consumers on the characteristics of the Nike Air Max. Through effective communication, it will be possible for the firm to influence consumers in their decision making process. This arises from the fact that the communication will not only be informative but also persuasive. Market share Through communication, the firm intends to increase the size of its overall market share from its current level of 33% to 50% within a period of one year. According to the latest report released in August 2010, Nike had a market share of 62% amongst th e athletics footwear products (Nike Sneaker 2010). Through its Nike Air Max market communication campaign, the firm intends to increase its market share with a margin of 20%. This will be achieved by selling the product to new customer categories and by venturing into new markets. The firm also intends to increase the volume of its Nike Air Max athletic shoes with a margin of 15% within two months. Effect on Competition It is the firm’s objective to attain a high competitive edge with regard to creating product awareness. The firm intends to be ranked as the most effective with regard to brand promotion. As a result of brand promotion, the firm will be able to communicate to the consumers on the benefits associated with consuming the product. In addition, it will be possible for the firm to influence consumers’ attitude towards Nike Air Max. Marketing communication will ensure that consumers associate the product with high value which will play a significant role in re ducing the intensity of competition that Nike Air Max is currently facing from other athletics footwear products. According to O’Guinn, Allen and Semenik (2008), effective brand promotion through market communication campaign can result into consumers developing confidence that they are receiving value for their money. Target The success of a market communication process is dependent on the effectiveness with which the right audience have been identified (Shah 2009). The target audience refers to whom the firm intends to communicate to (Jobber 2007). In marketing communication planning, various audiences are identified depending on the target markets. Identifying the target audience is vital in market communication process. This arises from the fact that the proper identification of the target audience has a direct impact on the effectiveness of the marketing communication. Considering the fact that marketing communication planning is aimed at stimulating sales of a particula r product, selecting the target audience is paramount in influencing the consumers’ decision making process (Kodish Pettegrew 2008). For example, in a family setting, the father has an upper hand in making decision regarding the purchase of electronic products. This means that firms marketing electronic products would consider the father as the core target audience (Shah 2009). To be effective in targeting the audience, various descriptive variables should be put into consideration. Some of the variables relate to demographics, lifestyle, geographics and psychographics. In addition, benefit sought and usage as the core behavioral variables should also be put into consideration (Koekemoer Bird 2004). In marketing Nike Air Max, Nike Incorporation uses both genders (male and female) in identifying its target audience. This has enabled the firm to design and develop Nike Air Max footwear which meets the demand of the customers of varying ages. Apart from using demographic varia bles in targeting its audience for Nike Air Max, Nike Incorporation also targets consumers who are style conscious. In the process of targeting, developing and marketing Nike Air Max, the firm’s marketing department also puts greater emphasis on consumers who consider enhancing their image. The change in consumer behavior presents a feasible market opportunity considering the fact that the change is not only amongst the non athletics consumers but also athletic consumers. Nike Incorporation has also incorporated institutional consumers such as athletic clubs as a part of its target audience. Developing the strategy In order for Nike Incorporation to be effective in marketing Nike Air Max, the firm’s management team has incorporated the concept of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) (Pickton Broderick 2005). Decision to incorporate IMC arose from the fact that the firm intends to create awareness of Nike Air Max to diverse customer categories. In its IMC strategy, Nike Incorporation has integrated both traditional and emerging market communication strategies. Some of the traditional market communication strategies that the firm’s management team has considered incorporating include advertising, public relations, sales promotion and direct marketing. According to O’Guin, Allen and Semenik (2008) advertising creates value in a product by instilling a positive perception amongst the consumers. In its advertising strategy, the firm has makes use of various mediums such as television, radio and use of print media such as magazines and newspapers. Outdoor advertising is also used through incorporation of billboards which are strategically located. The firm uses the simple and catchy ‘Just do it’ slogan and the Nike Swoosh in all its advertisements. Use of the logo and the slogan has contributed towards the consumers developing a positive attitude towards Nike Air Max. According to Cashmore (2009), the swoosh logo has ove r the years been associated with victory. Considering the fact that the firm targets institutional consumers as part of its core customers, the firm’s management team has integrated direct marketing so as to be effective in marketing Nike Air Max amongst these consumers. Through direct marketing, Nike Incorporation marketing department is able to identify and develop a relationship with the institution’s decision making unit thus influencing its decision making process. In an effort to develop a positive public image, Nike Incorporation has integrated public relations. This is achieved through sponsoring various sports. In marketing Nike Air Max brand, Nike Incorporation has integrated the concept of sports sponsorship. According Arnis and Cornwell (2005), Nike Incorporation has been able to venture into new markets through sports sponsorship. For example, in an effort to venture the Australian market, Nike sponsored Shane Warne who is a national cricketer. This enable d the firm to develop an affiliation with the Austrian culture hence creating an edge in marketing its products in Australia. Sales promotion in form of price and quantity discounts is also integrated in marketing Nike Air Max. In order to create product awareness to a large number of customers, Nike Incorporation has integrated emerging market communication technologies (Doren, Fechner Green 2000). Some of these tools include use of the internet marketing through inclusion of Nike Air Max in the firm’s website. In addition, the firm has also incorporated social communication networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and You Tube. The firm will also enter into a contract with search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Through the contract, the firm will be able to post Nike Air Max in the search engine. Use of search engines and social communication networks will enable a wide number of consumers to be informed about Nike Air Max. Budget To ensure the success of the marketin g communication campaign, the firm’s management team has set a substantial amount of money in its marketing budget. The table below gives an illustration of the estimated cost. Cost item Amount in $ Advertising -Print media (Newspaper, Magazines, Bill boards) Athletics sponsorship 500,000 Internet marketing (use of Google and Yahoo) 450,000 Social networks (YouTube,Facebook,Twitter,MySpace) 1,000,000 Estimated cost 1,950,000 Evaluation Over the past three years, Nike Incorporation has experienced an increment in its net income. The firm’s financial year ends on 31st May every year. During the 2008-2009 financial years, the firm witnessed a reduction in its net income as a result of its financial year. However, this trend was negated during its 2009-201 financial year. The table below gives an illustration of the firm’s financial performance over the past four years. All figures are in million dollars. Item 2010 2009 2008 2007 Total a sales r evenue $ 19,014. 0 19,176.1 18,627.0 16,325.9 Total cost of revenue 10,213.6 , 10,571.7 10,239.6 9,165.4 Gross profit 8,800.4 8,604.4 8,387.4 7,160.5 Operating Income 2,516.9 1,956.5 2,502.9 2,199.9 Net Profit before profit 2,516.9 1,956.5 2,502.9 2,199.9 Income tax 610.2 469.8 619.5 708.4 Net Profit after tax 1,906.7 1,486.7 1,883.4 1,491.5 Upon implementing the market communication campaign, the firm’s management team will conduct continuous evaluation on its effectiveness. Considering the fact that it is challenging to measure communication, the firm’s marketing department will evaluate the changes in its sales revenue. This will aid in the determination of whether the campaign is successful with regard to sales enhancement. Reference List Arnis, J. Cornwell, B., 2005. Global sports sponsorship. London: Berg Publishers. Boyle, B., 2010. NPD reports on athletic footwear and sports apparel market. ( Online). Available at: npd.com/press/releases/press_1 00310.html . Cashmore, E., 2010. Making sense of sports. New York: Taylor and Francis. Cuizon, G., 2009. Marketing audit of Nike’s strategies. PEST analysis of Nike. Web. Available at: suite101.com/content/marketing-audit-of-nikes-strategies-a94402 . Doren, D., Fechner, D. Green, K. 2000. Promotional strategies on the World Wide Web.  Journal of Marketing Communications. Vol. 6, issue 1 pp. 21-35. Egan, John, 2007. Marketing Communications. London: Thomson Learning Eric, C., 2006. Athletic footwear: industry analysis. Massachusetts: Tufts University. Fried, G., Shapiro, S. Deschriver, T., 2007. Sports finance. London: Human Kinetics. Jobber, D., 2007. Principles and practice of marketing. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education. Koekemoer, L. Bird, S. 2004. Marketing communications. New York: Juta and Company Limited. Kodish, S. Pettegrew, L., 2008.Enlightened communication is the key to building relationships. Journal of Relationship Marketing. Vol. 7, issue 2. New York: The Haworth Press. Loscher, A., 2006. Athletic footwear and running injuries. ( Online). Available at: http://andrewloscher.com/ArticlesBlog/tabid/197/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9/ATHLETIC-FOOTWEAR-AND-RUNNING-INJURIES.aspx . Masterman, G. Wood, E., 2006. Innovative marketing communications: strategies for the  events industry. New York: Butterworth. O’Guinn, T., Allen, C. Semenik, R., 2008. Advertising and integrated brand promotion. New Jersey: Cengage Learning. Nike Sneaker. 2010. Sales report of footwear industry August 2010. Web. Available at: nsneakers.com/2010/09/08/sales-report-of-footwear-industry-august-2010/ . Pickton, D. Broderick, A., 2005. Integrated marketing communications. New York: FT Prentice Hall. Shah, N., 2009. Advertising and promotion. Ottawa: Tata McGraw-Hill. Varey, R., 2002. Marketing communication: principles and practices. New York: Rout ledge.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

An Explanation of Dependency Theory in Sociology

An Explanation of Dependency Theory in Sociology Dependency theory, sometimes called foreign dependency, is used to explain the failure of non-industrialized countries to develop economically despite investments made into them from industrialized nations. The central argument of this theory is that the world economic system is highly unequal in its distribution of power and resources due to factors like colonialism and neocolonialism. This places many nations in a dependent position. The dependency theory states that its not a given that developing countries will eventually become industrialized if outside forces and natures suppress them, effectively enforcing dependency on them for even the most basic fundamentals of life. Colonialism and Neocolonialism Colonialism describes the ability and power of industrialized and advanced nations to effectively rob their own colonies of valuable resources like labor or natural elements and minerals. Neocolonialism refers to the overall domination of more advanced countries over those that are less developed, including their own colonies, through economic pressure, and through oppressive political regimes. Colonialism effectively ceased to exist after World War II, but this didnt abolish dependency. Rather, neocolonialism took over, suppressing developing nations through capitalism and finance. Many developing nations became so indebted to developed nations they had no reasonable chance of escaping that debt and moving forward. An Exampleof Dependency Theory Africa received many billions of dollars in the form of loans from wealthy nations between the early 1970s and 2002. Those loans compounded interest. Although Africa has effectively paid off the initial investments into its land, it still owes billions of dollars in interest. Africa, therefore, has little or no resources to invest in itself, in its own economy or human development. Its unlikely that Africa will ever prosper unless that interest is forgiven by the more powerful nations that lent the initial money, erasing the debt. The Decline of Dependency Theory The concept of the dependency theory rose in popularity and acceptance in the mid to late 20th century as global marketing surged. Then, despite Africas troubles, other countries thrived despite the influence of foreign dependency. India and Thailand are two examples of nations that should have remained depressed under the concept of the dependency theory, but, in fact, they gained strength. Yet other countries have been depressed for centuries. Many Latin American nations have been dominated by developed nations since the 16th century with no real indication that that is about to change. The Solution A remedy for dependency theory or foreign dependency would likely require global coordination and agreement. Assuming such a prohibition could be achieved, poor, undeveloped nations would have to be banned from engaging in any sort of incoming economic exchanges with more powerful nations. In other words, they could sell their resources to developed nations because this would, in theory, bolster their economies. However, they would not be able to purchase goods from wealthier countries. As the global economy grows, the issue becomes more pressing.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Quality Management and Accountability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Quality Management and Accountability - Essay Example Experts posit that while distinct individual expertise is significant in the creation of team, however, they must not be able to overlook the need to openly communicate to each other to completely manage changes in the hospital. 2. The article you read indicated that there needs to be an agreement and understanding between employees and managers for successful quality programs. Discuss this aspect of the case study (e.g. did this occur, what understanding do you think each group had, etc). In the case at hand, while the team were able to attend training on quality improvement training and created its team for the hospital to strategize the changes for competitive leverage but there is apparent lack of communication and coordination to all departments about how the improvements will be undertaken with everyone’s participation. The case further showed that the human resources are demotivated. They were non-collaborative as demonstrated by their poor attendance in meetings; the c orrective action teams were dysfunctional but has instead focused on problem-solving with blame; poor reporting and documentation; and few were convinced that genuine total quality changes can be fully effected. It is appreciable that there are those who are interested to introduce changes in the administrative and operational aspects of the hospital, like Joe, but the drive for changes isn’t just enough. Joe was only able to send a team to undertake training on quality improvement team (QIT) and partially communicated his plan to few staff. The goal of attaining quality services was not shared by everyone. Managing changes within an organization require that the administration and its teams should sit down together and conduct an evaluation of hospital operation and organisational functions (Weeks, Helms, & Ettkin, 1995). There should also performance evaluation among employees. Such evaluation will assess how the human resources work viz-a-viz its goals and how the manageme nt function to complete its program effectively (Weeks, Helms, & Ettkin, 1995). The evaluation will outline the annual outputs of the hospital and determine the outcome of these programs. This will also cover an evaluation of company policies, human resource management and customer or patient supervision. When this evaluations are done, only then that the quality improvement teams (QIT) could formulate recommendations and program of actions that will serve as framework in instituting changes for the organization (Ciampa,1992). The recommendations will address all the problems and concerns raised in the evaluation holistically so that the team will be able to comprehensively respond to problems. As such, they will be able to see the correlation of reports from all departments, the evaluation process and the procedure of managing total quality improvements (Whetten, & Cameron, 1991). 3. What steps did the manager take to implement the improvement process? What steps did he do correctl y? Which ones did not work? As discussed earlier, the manager was only able to send the staff for training on quality improvement but in the absence of shared goal within the organization, the collaboration and cooperation became nil and nixed. Joe plans and sets target but these are not openly agreed and coordinated with all department heads, thus, the direction in in creating changes are not achieved and the outcome was

Web Server Application Attacks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Web Server Application Attacks - Research Paper Example A command injection attack refers to an attack aimed at compromising the sensitive information featured in the back end database that supports the interactive aspects of a web application. Included under this category are issues like cross-site scripting (XSS) and Structured Query Language (SQL) injection. To curb this attack, organizations need to plan and address the security matters that pertain to their web solutions during web development or planning stages. Examples of such approaches would be to hire web application developers with proper knowledge on use of more sophisticated database capabilities like stored procedures to reside in the back end database system or the concept of data objects when writing APIs to access the database system that supports the web utilities. Equally, XSS issues can be handled by employing Model Viewer Controller (MVC) frameworks like Codeignitor while developing web applications. Such frameworks have in-built capabilities to suppress the efforts of clients who try to launch XSS attacks. A precaution taken during the development or planning of a web application is worthwhile for the reason that security issues are harder to handle once a system is deployed or implemented. The third type of attack that targets web servers is interception of unencrypted information that is channeled in communication sessions that take place between the client browsers and the servers. One way to combat this problem is to use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) in web-centered communication. SSL helps in creating an encrypted link between client-server communications. In particular, the concept uses SSL certificates (typically methods like symmetric and asymmetric encryption) to transfer sensitive information like social security numbers and credit card numbers. In the diagram, the server first sends a copy that bears its asymmetric

Friday, October 18, 2019

Values and Ethics in the workplace Research Paper

Values and Ethics in the workplace - Research Paper Example As such, this paper seeks to explore the significance of values and ethics in the workplace. The paper starts by explaining the meaning of these two interrelated concepts. The main body of the paper will attempt to illustrate how these concepts influence group behaviour as well as performance in an organization. Basically, values represent convictions that â€Å"a specific mode of conduct or end state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end state of existence,† (Robbins, 1993, p.171). They contain a judgemental element in that they carry an individual’s ideas as to what is right, good or desirable. On the other hand, values are described as the â€Å"essential and enduring tenets† that help define the company and are â€Å"not to be compromised for financial gain or short term expediency,† (DesJardins, 2006, p. 5). In simple terms, values are treated as beliefs that often incline businesses to act in certain ways in order to distinguish themselves from other organizations. It should be noted that values range from financial, religious as well as political factors among others. These shape the operations of business towards the attainment of its set goals. However, the concept of values goes hand in hand with the concept of ethics which is particularly concerned with serving the ends of human well being. It is generally believed that the concept of ethics mainly derive from the value system that exists among members of a certain group of people. This value system helps to distinguish one group from the other. This also helps to shape the policies of companies in different places. Ethics refers to values, principles and standards that operate within a certain business and these attempt to make a distinction between something that is morally good from bad (Rossouw, 2004). The concept of ethics is developed from the value system obtaining from a business set up. Therefore, it ca n be seen that these two concepts are somehow interrelated since they play a significant role in shaping the behaviour of the workers in their respective workplaces. Though they are not synonymous, they play a pivotal role in moulding the behaviour of the employees in a certain organization. Thus, in a bid to create a high performing culture in the workplace, values and ethics in the organization ought to be given special consideration since they are very important in shaping the behaviour of members belonging to that company. Carrel (1995) posits to the effect that values are a representation of a particular type of conduct that is preferred by the people belonging to a certain organization. This shapes the behaviour of people and it also helps them to make a distinction between something that is good from bad. Values also shape the perceptions possessed by employees in a given organization about different aspects that affect their lives. Since values are shared by all people withi n a given organization, it can be noted that they play a very important role in promoting group cohesion given that people belonging to that group will share a common understanding towards the goals and objectives of the organization. Emphasis in the organization will be based on the notion of collective identity where members of a particular group are identified as similar rather than focusing on individual interests. Therefore, it can be noted that these shared values in an organization influence the employees to pull their efforts towards the same direction and this can help the

Technological and Environmental Pest Analysis of Las Vegas Research Paper

Technological and Environmental Pest Analysis of Las Vegas - Research Paper Example Today there are many large hotels operating in the valley of Las Vegas (Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide-a, 2011). These growing hotels assisted the city to improve its infrastructure condition. Tourism and conventional industries are the main source of income. There are some high tech companies operating in Las Vegas. Considering the infrastructure of the city, it can be considered as the ‘mirage capital’ of America (CSN, 2011). The city has a well developed transportation were more than 965 cabs services and approximately 325 limousines are available. Citizens Area Transit (CAT), a well known public transportation company offers service over 31 routes throughout the city of Las Vegas (Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide-b, 2011). In 2008, Director of Department of Public Works explained that the infrastructure future outlook of Las Vegas is quite bright as more than $900 million has been invested for improvement of the streets. This division has also planned for i ntroducing clean water coalition system, control of water pollution and installation of traffic system. The government is also taking the responsibility of developing parks for the public use (City of Las Vegas Department of Public Works, 2008). ... Demand for motor oxygenated gasoline increases mainly in the winter months (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2011). As compared to the other parts of US, the rate of electricity consumption is quite high in Las Vegas. On an average each resident in the city consumes approximately 20,000kWh of electricity per year. Such high rate of electricity consumption results in production of 160,000,000 tonnes of CO2. On the other hand, an average American consumes almost 10,660 kWh in a year (The Fun Times Guide to Living Green, 2011). As per the information published by Forbs, the casino in Las Vegas consumes more that 20 percent of the total energy demand by Nevada. The power consumption by the casinos is equivalent to 5 Giga-Watt. In 2007, the energy demand by the city in a summer day was as high as 5,600 megawatts and it was projected that by 2015 the demand will reach to 8,000 megawatts per day. In spite of all the development in improving energy production, it will be difficult to minimise prevailing energy deficiency (Helman, 2007). University Research: University of Nevada is quite active in capturing, preserving and sharing the intellectual research conducted by the faculty, staff, students and other collaborated stakeholders. The university library possesses a huge collection of articles, audio presentation, video presentation and monographs, research work as well as technical paper, reports, theses, data sets and publicity funded research (UNLV, 2011). This research based university receives huge funds for development and extension. Innovation: The city is more focused to represent itself as an innovative and creative destination. The desire for innovation and creativity is visible in the building structure and the creative lights used to make the city look

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Software engineering paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Software engineering paper - Essay Example expressed portable because the original c compilers lacked the ability to represent the relative sizes of floating-point data and integers in a machine-independent way. The structure of a mobile c compiler design was in such a way that it could be adaptable to other different machines and not only UNIX machines. The architectural structure of the portable compiler was one that could be easily modified. The compiler contained approximately 8000 lines of code that less than 20 percent of it was a machine dependent. The maintenance work of the c compiler code is easy because the structure has a large portion of similar code in many systems like the IBM System/370. In addition Honeywell 6000, Inter-data 8/32, SEL86 or even in eclipse and DEC VAX-11/780. Its structure also consists of an intermediate file found in the interface between the passes of portable c. This file contains representations of expression trees and character illustrations of stereotyped code for epilogues and subroutine prologues. The structural architecture of a portable UNIX was created from the realization that operating systems of many machines had hardware architectures that were a significant problem to the implementation of the UNIX system. The structure was to have a c compiler that could be altered without many problems and create new code for various machines. The c language was to be extended in order to allow many c programs become portable to a larger range of devices and be able to identify constructions that are non-portable. It illustrates the structure of re-coding a language in this case the c language as this would allow detection of machine dependencies and isolate them. It would also enable demonstration of portability by using it in other machines. The portable c compiler had to compromise its optimality with heuristic algorithms so that it could be able to get efficient and acceptable code to be generated in quite reasonable time. The creation of the portable c compiler

Define the roles and application of management functions used by Research Paper

Define the roles and application of management functions used by today's healthcare managers - Research Paper Example Additionally, management organizes available resources that are essential in the provision of better health care (McConnell, 2006). Alternatively, there is the aspect of leading in making major decisions that affect both the staff and the patients in the health care sector. In other words, the management also pays a fundamental role of manipulating the behavior of the people. There are numerous ways in which the aforementioned functions apply to managing others. For example, planning helps the staff in setting priorities within a given time frame. These priorities help in meeting the set goals and objectives for the benefit of both the patients and staff. Additionally, in terms of organization, the functions enable the workers to work in teams for the benefit of completing several tasks at once (Seth, 2010). On other hand, in leading in decisions, the function is critical to motivate workers who are less productive in the company. Furthermore, it helps in the supervision of the workers during work to attain the expected goals. Similarly, it is imperative to observe that there are different roles of a health care manager and leader in the diversified health care industry. However, the most important function involves the organization of activities. This suggests that there is an organization of the planning and scheduling of goals in order to achieve desirable goals and objectives (McConnell, 2006). Organization also enables the manager to evaluate the performance of the both the workers and the progress of the home patients. This is through consultations and discussions that incorporate feedback and rapid response from the management. On that account, the most significant aspect related to health care management that I would gain by taking this class is the roles of organization and planning (Liebler & McConnell, 2011). This is because both roles work in harmony toward

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Software engineering paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Software engineering paper - Essay Example expressed portable because the original c compilers lacked the ability to represent the relative sizes of floating-point data and integers in a machine-independent way. The structure of a mobile c compiler design was in such a way that it could be adaptable to other different machines and not only UNIX machines. The architectural structure of the portable compiler was one that could be easily modified. The compiler contained approximately 8000 lines of code that less than 20 percent of it was a machine dependent. The maintenance work of the c compiler code is easy because the structure has a large portion of similar code in many systems like the IBM System/370. In addition Honeywell 6000, Inter-data 8/32, SEL86 or even in eclipse and DEC VAX-11/780. Its structure also consists of an intermediate file found in the interface between the passes of portable c. This file contains representations of expression trees and character illustrations of stereotyped code for epilogues and subroutine prologues. The structural architecture of a portable UNIX was created from the realization that operating systems of many machines had hardware architectures that were a significant problem to the implementation of the UNIX system. The structure was to have a c compiler that could be altered without many problems and create new code for various machines. The c language was to be extended in order to allow many c programs become portable to a larger range of devices and be able to identify constructions that are non-portable. It illustrates the structure of re-coding a language in this case the c language as this would allow detection of machine dependencies and isolate them. It would also enable demonstration of portability by using it in other machines. The portable c compiler had to compromise its optimality with heuristic algorithms so that it could be able to get efficient and acceptable code to be generated in quite reasonable time. The creation of the portable c compiler

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Business in emerging markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business in emerging markets - Essay Example A conclusion is drawn based on the data presented why India has remained in its number one post despite emergence of competitors. Many large companies now practice outsourcing of jobs for reasons that they save on costs when they hire other companies to do the work for them. Many companies find this a better alternative as the work is done for them at a considerable less cost of money, and they have fewer overhead expenses to worry about. The need for outsourcing of jobs opened the opportunity for offshore outsource services that is offered by many countries in Southeast Asia and in the Middle East. Among these countries, the study of A.T. Keanney on offshore locations shows India occupying the top position as an offshore outsources services while that of the Central/Eastern Europe services fall. This study looks at the reasons why India has become number one in outsourcing services considering that there also other countries doing the same thing. Implication of the study will show the strength and weaknesses of competing countries that will be useful for decisions of countries using their services. To determine competitive advantage of India, Porter’s Five and PEST framework of Analysis are done to know the strong points and limitations of each country in the area of business process outsourcing. a. Supplier power. Under Porters framework, the role of quality and service play an important function in choosing a probable supplier. In this context, India has established its competitive edge with other countries because it boasts of 250 million English speaking workers possessing technical and scientific skills, 24 hours service and zero downtime. Foreign company tends to have 30 to 35% offshore cost savings because of low salary scale of workers in India. Starting salaries for IT engineers in India is from $5,000 to $10,000 which is comparatively lower in US standards. This salary however is already considered attractive in India whose annual per

Monday, October 14, 2019

Texting and Writing Essay Example for Free

Texting and Writing Essay Throughout these years, many have argued that texting affects writing in different ways. The argument of texting and writing is either a positive or negative influence on the writer. Although some think texting has a negative influence, it is a sufficient way for writers to express ideas frequently, language skills, and increase the amount of time spent writing. Considering the amount of people that use text messaging, it is easy to agree that writing will lack intelligence. Many say texting has a negative influence on writing. They say it does not stress the importance of punctuation in writing. Admittedly, texting expresses lack of emotion. Opposing views claim that it reinforces simplistic writing. However these problems only apply when the writer leans only to texting. According to research done by Michaela Cullington in â€Å"Does Texting affect writing? † texting does not affect writing. She surveyed seven different students and two high school teachers about their opinions on writing. From her research she concluded that people recognize the differences between texting friends and writing formally and know what is appropriate in each situation. Although some teachers disagree with this, Cullington can confidently state that texting has no effect on students writing in general. (Cullington, 87-95) Over the years, texting has become extremely popular. It is used every day, all day. With this method ideas are expressed through writing daily. The ability to text a friend teaches the expression of emotion in writing. Normally the only formal writing being done is when it is assigned. Texting makes it available to practice writing daily. Texting has little effect on language skills. Many argue that with text speak it will affect formal writing. Abbreviating has been in use for decades, and thus is not a new language. Before people can text, they must first know how to spell. Texting can therefore not be a cause of bad spelling. Since texting provides people with the opportunity of engaging with the language through reading and writing, it improves people’s literacy. There may always be a divide in opinion, but the evidence is there. As long as it is made clear that text language is not to be used in formal contexts, and is simply an addition to our language, there will not be a problem. Perhaps texting has become an easy target to blame for the decline in literacy. If we look closely, texting and computer-mediated-communication provide additional practice in reading and writing and help children to learn the relationship between spelling and sounds. Although texting has taken off, it will never take over. As far as I can see our language is safe.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Dismantling the Wall Essay -- Literary Analysis, Robert Frost

The storyline in most high school English classes is the analyzing or overanalyzing of poetry. Often this train of thought winds into a one-track argument between teacher and students. The pupils object about readers manufacturing meaning where none exists; the instructor insists that the poem merits deep examination. Granted, some poets write simple poems for the primary sake of entertainment (i.e. Jack Prelutsky). However, some poets manage to compound a dense significance into a concise poem, and these poems warrant the analysis of their deep meaning. Robert Frost is one poet capable of creating these masterpieces of poetry, such as tackling a subject as grand as the Apocalypse and commenting on it in terms of fire and ice (â€Å"Fire and Ice†). Frost succeeds in the task again in his poem â€Å"Mending Wall,† which literally tells the story of two men who, following every winter, repair the stone wall that separates their fields. In this poem, Frost implements a specific physical structure along with poetic devices including, dialogue and metaphors to derive a deeper social commentary from a common occurrence- building a wall. The physical construction of the poem â€Å"Mending Wall† reflects the literal wall and the metaphorical barrier being erected between the two men. Instead of dividing his poem into stanzas, Frost â€Å"presents an unbroken sequence of lines† (Andrews 1). First, the poem is left justified over its entirety and lacks any stanza breaks. These two characteristics cause the poem to appear on the page as resembling a jagged, serrated wall. The effect can be truly revealed by tilting the poem sideways, placing the flat (left justified) side on the bottom and the jagged edge on top. The poem physically appears as a stone wall... ...a common border. Through double meanings and an effective story and title, Frost is able to entertain with strong poetry while conveying his subliminal commentary. To summarize, Frost’s â€Å"Mending Wall† is a work of respectable value not only for its poetic ingredients but also for its multi-faceted secondary meanings. Beneath the first layer of context lays a deep social commentary that is apparent through engaged analysis. Whether in support or dissent of the excessive examination of poetry, â€Å"Mending Wall† by Robert Frost possesses the poetic devices of traditional works and a deeper social commentary that is expected from Robert Frost. The meeting of rational thinking and primitive instinct occurs in society regularly. Human beings share this duality within themselves, and this poem depicts the struggle between the two points of view, the two sides of the wall.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Crime And Punishment Essay -- essays research papers

Sonya’s affect on Raskolnikov Sonya, throughout the story had a great affect on Raskolnikov’s changes. In the novel, Crime and Punishment by Fyoder Dostoevsky, this can be seen from all the things Sonya had done for Raskolnikov and what affect the cold person turned loving. Sonya is the daughter of Rodia’s friend that was forced into prostitution to provide for the family, but all is done willingly out of love. In Sonya, one can see a great sinner as Raskalnikov at peace with her and with God. Sonya’s knowledge that God alone gives one worth allows Sonya to love others unconditionally, including Raskalnikov. Sonya also helps Raskolnikov to get rid of suffering from guilt. Sonya, being extremely religious, believes that everyone deserves a second chance. Sonya then shows Raskolnikov how to be forgiven in God’s eyes. Then convinces Rodia to confess to everyone the murders of the old money lender so that in God’s eyes will be forgiven. Against Sonya’s meekness and love, Raskalnikov begins to break. At first, Rodia is argumentative, mocking Sonya’s childlike faith. "‘She’s a holy fool!" Raskalnikov thinks to, but yet Rodia is still drawn to Sonya’s strength. At last, Raskalnikov begins to realize that he is not alone, and it is because of this realization that the great sinner began to confess to Sonya. It can be said that, in this confession, Raskalnikov’s strength returns. However, Raskalnikov’s confession to Sonya is not enough, and S...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Playground Payback

In the far hills of North Carolina, there was a school called Blue Creek Elementary. It was half a century old, and you could definitely tell. The yellow stained walls of the classrooms had marks from play dough and crayon. The chalk board was cloudy with dust from a thousand words before. The smell of each room was basically the same, chalk clappers and weak tea, and the colour of autumn leaves was present throughout the year. It was January 2002. The climbing frame in the playground was rust incrusted, and the paint was crumbling off, but still was in use as if it was new everyday. No one child was dissatisfied with their school life, they could see nothing wrong with the way they were ruled, the rota they followed or the order they had come to be in for so many years. They were treated equally as each other, by the council they had elected. Every new school year in September there would be an election. Any volunteers would under go a number of campaigns to become the new king of the playground. For the last three years no one had been a match for King Rob. In the last year no one was even prepared to challenge Rob Jenkins, but it wasn't because they were scared, no, quite the opposite. There was nothing wrong with the way he ruled them. He took care of them; he was their agony aunt to their problems, a King Solomon in his own day. He brought them new games, fought for new rights and changed the word recess itself. But all this was about to change, something, or someone was just around the corner. PJ, Felicity, Pikes, Jennie and Russ were playing kickball, a game Jennie ruled without a doubt. It was known to everyone that they were an untouched gang. They had been for years, what seemed like friends forever. PJ was like the leader, although he claimed he didn't know it. His round pot belly and backwards baseball cap were historic trademarks in the playground's history, almost hereditary, as his father was also seen wearing them in his time at Blue Creek. Felicity was thought of as â€Å"the brains†, and she liked it like this. She was studying at a 10th grade level, four years ahead of the rest of her class, but resisted being moved up away from her friends. She had long brown and unruly hair, which she only ever wore up when in P.E, the only school subject she detested. Unlike Felicity, P.E was the only subject Jennie didn't hate. She was an unlimited fan of wrestling, and never once considered herself a girl, apart from when in the presence of her parents. It was the first week back from Christmas break, and there was already a new kid. His name was Prince Dartmoor. He had black, short and curly hair. His face was coloured, and he wore a red white and blue Globetrotters uniform. He had white sneakers, and was bouncing an orange basketball signed by Michael Jordan. It didn't take long for a disorderly crowd to form around him. They were watching something. The gang stared in amazement. Prince was standing in the middle of the playground, at least twenty five yards away from the basketball hoop. â€Å"Ya don't think he's gonna try for do ya?† questioned Russ. He looked at PJ with a sense of honour. He felt that PJ was all knowing all seeing; he would have the answers to anything and everything. â€Å"Nah! Look at him! His stance is all wrong and his arms are flying everywhere, there's no way he'd even come close to-â€Å", PJ halted. Just at that moment, Prince threw the ball with all his might. It climbed the air like a mountaineer, and flew down gracefully, landing through the hoop. For what seemed like a lifetime, no one made a sound, and then out of the blue, the crowd burst into a thunderous applause. The gang was in awe. Even PJ was stunned. Prince looked at PJ with familiarity. PJ didn't know how, but Prince knew who he was, and it definitely seemed that he was planning something. Meanwhile the crowd was dying down, though kept up their pleasure with Prince. He was stepping up onto an overturned box, and someone handed him a loudspeaker. â€Å"Ch-â€Å", he began, but was automatically put off with the alien effect sound that was coming out of the loudspeaker. He switched a button, and restarted, â€Å"Children of Blue Creek playground,† his voice was loud and unyielding. No one made a sound. Everyone's eyes were on him. â€Å"I have down a lot of research before transferring here. I had to find a school where my services are needed, and I have found no other group kept so much in the dark as this one; I am here to put a stop to the treacherous behaviour your ruler has been withstanding. He has made you his servants, while calling you equal. He has held you back from rights you so truly deserve and said you have everything. Listen up, I have someone here to tell you something† Prince finished with a look of confidence. A small, shaking figure was brought through the crowd. His face was irregularly pale, and his black hair was on end. â€Å"My name is Kyle. I go to Belle Fork Elementary, King Rob's cousin used to go there. He ruled the playground there too, up until 6th grade in his fourth year as king, he turned on everyone. No one had seen it coming, but we found out he'd been doing it slowly, making us think it was for our own good.† He halted. â€Å"What he do?† shouted someone from the crowd. â€Å"He changed the rules; slowly as I said, but changed em. First we couldn't have cookies anymore, he'd confiscate em, then we couldn't have snacks altogether, and then†¦ he took away the kick balls. Even if they was our own from home! He'd taken all our games, until there was nothing left. Recess was just kids sittin' around the place. No one was even allowed to speak! And if someone broke a rule, they'd get taken away, no one ever saw Timmy Reynolds again!† Kyle looked in despair at the crowd. They just stared at him, too scared to speak. â€Å"I think everyone here will agree with me that something has to be done before King Rob follows in his cousin's footsteps. My research has told me that his father and uncle did the same thing when they were in their fourth year, and their father before them! I propose we revolt, stopping this cycle dead in its tracks! Now who's with me?† he shouted more confident than ever. And then what followed was a colossal roar of approval, and that was that. The reign of King Rob had definitely come to an end. The crowd followed Prince, half stirred up in the confusion, half hungry for revenge. They came to the Jungle Jim Palace. Prince shouted up to King Rob, â€Å"Rob, your people are in total agreement. You are being exiled! I am a civil kid, so I'll give you 'til next recess to get outta our playground!† the crowd screamed with excitement. PJ, Felicity, Jennie, Pikes and Russ looked at each other for reassurance. They knew, even if they were the only ones who did, that th is was not a good idea. The gang walked away from the mob and came to their territorial kick ball field. PJ turned to the others, â€Å"We gotta something.† â€Å"But what can we do, you saw em out there! There's no way we're ever gonna change their minds!† laughed Jennie. She was stubborn, more so than PJ, so he couldn't argue with her usually. â€Å"It's like our pretty rainbow of life is being painted with black ink, and we're choking helplessly† Pikes recited. His love for poetry never stood down, even in the face of destruction. â€Å"What are we gonna do when it all goes wrong?† Russ panted. He took a deep breath from his asthma inhaler and looked at it panicking. â€Å"I could loose my inhaler! I could end up in hospital! The sky could fall down and we'd all be crushed and go under ground forever and ever and ever and ever an-â€Å", Russ was hit over the head by a scowling PJ. â€Å"Sorry!† Russ twitched. â€Å"I may have a suggestion to our current predicament.† Felicity joisted her words together and flew them out perfectly as ever. â€Å"Now as Jennie said, there is no possible way to overthrow the minds of the children. They are under an exciting grasp, and though deep down they may know it is wrong, they can't consciously tear away from it. But there are definitely some exceptions to this hypnotic phenomenon, us being one, and of course another being, as much as I hate to say it†¦ the Jaimes.† She gave a pause to invite any protesters. â€Å"Oh no! Don't even think I'll ask for their help again! Never! Not in a million years!† Jennie was convinced that the Jaimes were total hypocrites. All they did was wear make up and talk about boys. They were totally against everything she believed in, especially her tom boy criteria. â€Å"I'm sorry Jennie, but it's the only way. They have an almost never ending access to a boys mind, and if we've got to get rid of this Prince, we need all the help we can get.† Felicity stood with authority. Jennie finally, yet dejectedly agreed, as did the rest of the group. The Jaimes Clubhouse was in a large underground shelter they had paid the digger twins to build two years before. Though the outside was plain and misleading, the inside was an interior designer's heaven. There was a lilac carpet, and a purple fur rug. The walls were bright pink, and drapes were icing blue. There was a dark blue sofa, and a mahogany coffee table. The Jaimes were sitting on the sofa when the gang walked in. â€Å"What are you doing here?† said Jaime 1. She had long blonde hair and green surly eyes. She wore a pale blue suit and black soft heels. Although the Jaimes considered themselves equal, they had to distinct each other somehow, and so they were numbered in age order. PJ looked at them with slight pity and disgust. â€Å"We, and don't laugh when I say this†¦need your help† the Jaimes ignored his request and laughed in his face. â€Å"Why would you need our help?† questioned Jaime 3. Number 3 had dark curly hair and was coloured with brown eyes, but had a nicer smile than number 1. She was wearing a yellow suit, only differing number 1's in colour. PJ noticed that they always wore the same thing but in different colours years ago, so he wasn't taken back. Felicity took the role of explaining their problem to the girls, while the rest of the group hoped for a good response. The Jaimes sat and listened carefully, even number 1 didn't speak until Felicity had finished. The Jaimes had been inside while Prince's debut had taken place, so everything was news to them. At the end, their faces looked shocked. Number 1 spoke first. â€Å"So what do you want us to about it? I mean, we are obviously concerned, but how are we supposed to help?† it seemed that they were genuinely trying to help, for the first time ever in PJ's knowledge. â€Å"That's the genius of it! Everyone knows that you guys are at least two years ahead of your age; you act like you're already in high school. Well it seems to me that this Prince guy is at the same level as you, so it wouldn't be a misconception if we thought it was possible†¦for you to, how can I put it, distract him!† Felicity explained with appropriate verbal skill. â€Å"You want us to flirt!† Number 4 caught on. She was wearing the green variety of the suit. â€Å"That's one way of putting it, yes!† Felicity looked at her, expecting disapproval. â€Å"Now you're talking! A way we can put all our uses together! Flirting and lying!† Number two was obviously happy with the proposal. â€Å"Great1 and while you create a few weeks distraction, we can look into Prince, not literally of course! We'll investigate his past, and come up with some proof to convict him of†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Felicity thought, â€Å"Something we don't know yet!† The weeks went on, and as far as the gang could tell, Prince was enjoying the act of the Jaimes. Prince had come to be the leader of the playground. He resented anyone proclaiming him to be a king. He said they were all equal, even him. He had produced a short list of laws, which he thought were important if they were to sustain equality, they were: never to downsize another playground associate, always to put others first and never to be selfish. The children of the playground had started up a little chant, and when he heard this, he decided to make it into a regular native song. Whenever there was a meeting, which there frequently was, it would begin with verses of this song, which Prince called Blue Creekers of America. It was sung to the tune of If Your Happy and Your Know it, and went like this†¦ From the Ball field to the swing set we are free, All the way across the playground we are free, When they try to tell us different, We just turn around from infants, If you're a blue creeker than shout out we are free. Don't ever think you'll ever be alone, Think of the playground as your very happy home, If you ever need a hand, Then Prince will understand, If you're a blue creeker than shout out we are free. If you're a blue creeker than shout out we are free! The gang wasn't having much luck looking for evidence (except they knew that kids toys and candy were going missing, even someone's portable television), so PJ, Russ and Pikes decided to take it into their own hands one Saturday night. They snuck out and met at City Hall. Pikes' dad worked there, so it was easy to get the keys. They were all wearing black, navy blue or any other dark colours, though none of the burglar clothing, it would be extremely suspicious if they were seen. They crept into the hall, and saw a door labelled â€Å"Staff only†. This was it. Pikes pulled out a set of keys, and tried three before finding the right one. They opened the door, looking out for any night watchers. They slowly and cautiously walked in the room. There were rows of filing cabinets with letter in alphabetical order above each one. They found row D. â€Å"Dakota, Daniels, Darter, Dartmoor! Got him! Prince Dartmoor. He used to go to Belle Fork. But there's no record of him before 1999† whispered PJ. He couldn't help but feel familiar with this school. â€Å"Belle Fork? That's where King Rob's- Rob's cousin went† noted Russ. He was confused, as were the others. If they went to the same school, why would he need Kyle to tell the story, unless, he was just a pawn in Prince's game play, and that would mean the story wasn't true. They decided to investigate further. They found J for Jenkins, and soon found Rob's dad's and Mum's files. They looked under siblings, and this is where it got interesting. They didn't have any. Rob didn't have a cousin, and the gang had found the evidence they needed. Suddenly, the boys heard a noise from outside the room. It was a guard. They looked hard for a way out, and came to a window. They looked at Pikes. His round chubby body wouldn't fit through that window if a shark was chasing him. â€Å"Go! Take the files! It's the only way!† Pikes forced them. â€Å"But what about you?† Cowered Russ, already hoisting himself up to the window. â€Å"I'll face the consequences alone! Everything comes at a price and this is ours. I'll be grounded for sure, but that's something I'll allow for the sake of the playground, now go!† Pikes courageously whispered. PJ nodded, and within thirty seconds of hearing the guard, PJ and Russ were outside. As they ran with the files tucked in the backpacks, they heard someone shouting, and knew Pikes had been found. On Monday at school was buzzing. The girls had been told to meet PJ, Pikes and Russ in the Jaimes clubhouse, with the Jaimes present naturally. The boys came in a few minutes late, but with plenty of time to spare before the first lesson began. They should them the files, and explained thoroughly what had on the Saturday night. The girls were immediately excited, and were mentally prepared for the removal of Prince. â€Å"Pikes, what did your parents say?† asked Jennie. â€Å"Oh I'm just grounded until I'm fifty. My dad says I could have got him fired, but I think he's just trying to scare me.† Pikes didn't sound his usual self. He seemed down, but was still anxious to get this thing going. The gang and the Jaimes racked their brains to form a plan but finally agreed that one was solid just as the bell went. The playground emptied, and the gang left separately from the Jaimes so as not to cause suspicion. The rest of the morning was spent making preparations. Jaimes 1 and 2 ‘distracted' Prince and the rest snuck around, and secretly spoke to kids they thought were suitable for certain†¦jobs. Pikes and Russ had a very important thing to do. It was morning recess. They went to a wooden gate and heard screams of terror and playful games. They walked through the gate, and entered Kindergarten Territory. They trekked passed the mass of wresting toddlers and painted tribal faces until they got to the Kindergarten King. His name was Lyle, but was called Tootoodyna in a mark of respect. Tootoo was short and fat, with red long hair. He, as the others, had clannish markings on his face, a beaded necklace and wore a grass skirt. â€Å"Morning your highness.† Greeted Pikes. He was well-known to Tootoo, and had been named his big kid friend. â€Å"Tootoo happy to see you big kid friend. Do you want favour?† Tootoo's language was primal, but understandable. â€Å"Yes. The big kids need your help.† Pikes began to explain the plan to the Kindergarten King, and Russ helped fill in things to. After a while, King Tootoo agreed to the plan with ease, and settled terms with the boys. The rest of the morning ran smoothly. The gang and the Jaimes acted normal, not doing much work with the exception of Felicity obviously. They were apprehensive, yet wanted it all the same. They wanted it over. They wanted things to go back to normal. Most of them were wondering what PJ had done. He had told them he had to do something at morning recess, and snuck out of school to do so, but when they asked what it was, he just smiled and said, â€Å"You'll find out.† Lunch came. The cafeteria was almost silent. Most because they could sense something was up, but some because they knew what was up. The gang left the cafeteria ten minutes after entering, and waited for the rest to follow. The gang knew that Prince would be sitting on the Jungle Jim Palace. He had forbidden anyone to touch it, including himself. He said it was a historic figure, one to remind them of the reign of King Rob. Two bodyguards were surveying the entrance. â€Å"We got it!† said Jaime 4 with pleasure. PJ nodded and smiled. The gang hid behind a bush, and watched the Jaimes bring the guards into the clubhouse. It was clear. The playground was starting to fill up by now. It was the perfect time, and there was no going back. PJ lead them to the palace. A few kids saw him and gathered round. What they'd been sensing, this was it. As the gang climbed up, more people gathered round, though no one was saying anything yet. When the last was in the palace, Jaime 3 came out. She spoke to the crowd in a quiet and calm yet commanding voice, â€Å"you have to make sure that Prince doesn't know you're here. Don't make a sound. You'll find out something you deserve to know, just as long as he doesn't think you're here, understand?† â€Å"Why should we listen to you? Prince has done nothing wrong† said one weasel like child. â€Å"Then it won't matter if you hear what he has been doing, if there's nothing wrong with it, like you said. Now go round to the back. We rigged a cup and string phone so you'll hear everything, but when you get there someone will be waiting. When you see them don't make a sound, they're important in all this, and you'll probably change your mind about them soon enough.† Jaime 3 instructed. They did as they were told, and as she said there was someone waiting. King Rob. A few of the crowd opened their mouths, but then remembered Jaime's words and didn't make a peep. They listened through the phone, and recognized the gangs and Prince's voices. â€Å"What are you doing here?† Prince asked angrily. â€Å"Could ask you the same question† replied PJ. His confidence astounded even him and especially Prince. â€Å"We know what you're up to. We know you made up that story and we know what's in this box right here† PJ stepped forward pointing to a large oak toy box, and opened it. There were all of the missing toys and candy. Prince stood there, stunned. He'd been found out, but wasn't going down without a fight. â€Å"Oh yeah, well who cares, you found me out, but as far as those idiots know, I'll tell em you took their stuff, and they'll believe me too, gullible and stupid. They follow my every move and guess what? There's nothing you can do about it!† Prince grew an evil smile. â€Å"Wanna bet?† King Rob entered the room and snatched the evil smile right of Prince's face. â€Å"You know as well as I do that I don't have a cousin, and yet you paid off some kid to lie about it. How much did you pay him? Ten, twenty bucks?† â€Å"Fifteen, but that's not the point. The point is, no one's gonna believe an outlaw and a gang of self righteous twits?† Prince felt safe again. There was no way they'd stop him now, was there? PJ picked up the box, took it to the balcony, and tipped out the contents, but holding the television. Prince was curious. He walked out onto the balcony, and saw the children of the playground listening to every word he'd been saying. â€Å"Fine. So you know. I applaud you all. Good job. But guess what Rob, you may have got out of this one, but I'll be waiting. Every move you make, every step you take I'll be ready to-â€Å"Prince was stopped dead in his tracks. The bodyguards walked up to him and dragged him towards the principle's office. â€Å"But why'd he do it PJ?† shouted someone from the crowd. â€Å"Rob, o you remember the name Jack Hollows?† PJ asked. â€Å"Yeah, he was my best friend up until 3rd grade, when he-â€Å", Rob paused, â€Å"he swore he'd get me back after I pulled down his jeans in the school play.† Rob had had a break through. He knew what was going on. â€Å"Pikes, Russ and I snuck into City Hall on Saturday night. We found out that Prince had lied about that story. Rob hasn't even got a cousin. Then we found out about Prince. There was no record of him before 1999. Then this morning I went home and searched his picture on City Hall records internet. They only give you their name of course, but that's all I needed. It came up with two records. Prince Dartmoor 1999 to present, and Jack Hollows 1991 to 1999. He changed his name right after the play incident, so he could get his revenge without a trace.† PJ gave the crowd a few seconds to mull over the information they had just been given, and then spoke once more, â€Å"So I ask you, are you regretful? Are you sorry? But most of all, do you want King Rob back?† the crowd gave no pause, just a dramatic, deafening â€Å"YES!† Prince (or Jack) was expelled from Blue Creek Elementary for stealing. He and his family moved to Alabama. King Rob was restored to his throne. The Jaimes were given luxuries to go in their clubhouse. The gang were labelled playground heroes, and Pikes was given an honorary stationary kit because of his bravery in City Hall. As for PJ, he was given the job of Royal Assistant. He monitored Jack's movement in Alabama, and checked out any new kids. Blue Creek Elementary was back to where it started, but with more trust, guidance and hope for the future- High School.