America Online and Time Warner essays

America Online and Time Warner essays * This case study was prepared based on the material contained in AOL Time Warner by Arthur A. Thompson and John E. Gamble, which was published in Strategic Management:Concepts and Cases/ Arthur A. Thompson, Jr., A.J. Strickland, III. 12th ed. America Online is the worlds most popular online service. Why do more than 12 million people subscribe to AOL? The many reasons include availability, simplicity, and content. It provides subscribers a variety of interactive features electronic mail, Internet access, entertainment, news, sports, weather, financial information, electronic shopping, and more. It greatly increased competition for market share, because almost everything AOL has to offer can be found in some form on the Internet. The increased demand yields opportunities for dramatic growth, but it also causes many difficult, technical, financial, and managerial challenges. The pace of change in fiscal year 1997 had AOL scrambling. AOLs primary market is the home computer user, and that market is still growing. Their new fundamental purpose and passion has been to create a new medium that is easy to use and as accessible as the telephone and television and just as central to the lives of millions of people around the globe. They strive to remain the leader in that medium, improving customers lives by offering value, ease-of-use. With this will cause the merger with Time Warner. What the new decade is looking for. Everyday millions of people go online. Merge: With this will entitle new-economy. Additional new software to keep ahead of the competition. Focus toward the new generation of children. High-speed growth with TV and telephones. Forming new partnerships with electronics. Since the use of the Internet and online services is growing at dramatic rates a...

The Darkness Out There and What is The Darkness Essays

The Darkness Out There and What is The Darkness Essays The Darkness Out There and What is The Darkness Essay The Darkness Out There and What is The Darkness Essay Essay Topic: Heart Of Darkness Literature Both authors use their titles as a way of drawing in the reader by making them ask questions right from the start. Lively chose the title The Darkness Out There and this poses the question, What is The Darkness? The word darkness foreshadows that the story is about the unexpected and evil. In the same way, Thomas Hardys title Old Mrs Chundle, immediately begs the question Who is Old Mrs Chundle? Already the reader is picturing an old lady in their mind and wants to find out more about her. Like Lively, Hardy engages the reader by posing questions through the title. Titles are a very effective way of engaging the reader right from the outset. Also, both authors use stereotypes to engage the reader. Lively stereotyped the three main characters, Sandra, Kerry and Old Mrs Rutter. Sandra has been stereotyped as a girly girl who likes a good giggle. Kerry is depicted as one of the lads, he has explosive acne and black slicked down hair. Finally Mrs Rutter is also stereotyped as a dear old thing. The effect of Lively stereotyping her characters engages the reader even further. The reader is able to easily identify with the characters and in this way quickly becomes involved with them. As well as stereotyping the characters Lively chooses to stereotype the surroundings. She walked through the flowers, the girl, ox- eye daises and vetch cow parsley. This helps to build up the scene of a warm summers day with a girl skipping innocently through the fields. What this does is build up the stereotyping ready for when she reverses them at the end. I will go into this in further detail later on in the essay. Hardy also stereotyped his characters. Old Mrs Chundle was a stereotypical old lady, living on her own, cooking meals for passers by. However the Curate, in complete contrast, is a typically respectable old chap of a higher class. We can tell this when old Mrs Chundle says I dont want to eat with my betters and the language he uses such as Why my good woman. Also the way he insisted on paying Mrs Chundle for his meal I should feel much happier if you would. Once again, this helps the reader to picture the characters more clearly in their mind. As in The Darkness Out There, Hardy moves away from the stereotype of the Curates character curate slowly throughout the story. Firstly the Curate is described as The Kind Hearted Curate who invites Old Mrs Chundle to his parish for service And youll come, if I put it up at my own expense? Later he turns the character round from a caring, friendly Curate to somebody who less than charitably complains about her cabbage breath. I shall tell her not to come. Finally at the end of the story, when Mrs Chundle dies, Hardy uses the line brushed the knees of his trousers, and walked on. The brushing of the trousers symbolises the brushing away of any remorse or guilt for betraying his duties as one of Gods People. Another technique used by Lively throughout the story is to allow the reader to witness Sandra growing up and experiencing puberty. This is shown this by the use of the structural device Packers End. At the beginning of the story Sandra fears Packers End. When she was younger she feared the area because of witches, wolves and tigers But then we have an idea of her stage of puberty when her attention turns to rape. Another reason we know Sandra is growing up and entering adolescence is because when they are in Mrs Rutters house, Mrs Rutter complimented her on her appearance The girl blushed. She touched secretly, the soft skin of her thigh; she felt her breast poke up and out at the thin stuff of her top This adds to the reader alignment of Sandra. We also experience her emotions when on line 173 she shows her first sign of compassion by saying Thats Terrible! This technique allows the reader to identify with Sandra and become involved with her. Both authors use morals to enhance the meaning of their story. Lively uses many different morals. Her first one is that things arent always what they seem. She shows this by reversing all the stereotypes at the end of the story. She does this by reversing the characters of Kerry and Mrs Rutter. Mrs Rutter was a stereotypical old lady, which was reversed when we learnt that she left a German Fighter Pilot to die. Kerrys character grew in maturity throughout the story. When we first met him he jumped out to scare Sandra, he rose from the plough beyond the hedge and through Sandras thought process we were give the line you only have to look at people to know they are not up to much. to when he took it upon himself to leave Mrs Rutters house in disgust. Dunno `bout you, but Im going. By doing this she also shows that peoples perceptions solely based on appearance are likely to be wrong. Penelope Lively also tells her reader to fear the unknown. She does this by using Packers End. Lively doesnt let the reader gain much knowledge about Packers End, which will create fear within the reader. Lively also refers to light and dark a lot throughout the story. They are both metaphors. Light representing good, and dark evil. The dark reach of the spinney. Which creates the feeling that there is something sinister lurking in the woods. Polleny summer grass that glinted in the sun this shows to me that she evokes the feeling of an innocent fresh summers day. This builds up the fear of the darkness in the mind of the reader. Thus poses the question to the reader, what is the darkness out there? This is another way of engaging the reader used by Lively. In the last paragraph we see Sandra coming to the realisation of the darkness out there. This is shown by the quotation birds singing and next you glimpse darkness. The word glimpse suggests that the darkness is always there but its lurking, in hiding. Also the last two lines are extremely effective for revealing the true meaning of the story. She walked behind him, through a world grown unreliable, in which flowers sparkle and birds sing but everything is not as it seems, oh no. The phrase not as it seems sums up that Lively is suggesting that you could be facing the darkness everyday of your life but you may not realise it until its too late. By describing the world as unreliable, Lively shows that in Sandras eyes the world has lost its innocence, in comparison to the stereotypical setting seen through the eyes of Sandra in the opening. Hardy uses a similar moral to Lively. His moral is that perceptions of people based on appearance may be misleading. This is shown when the Curate betrays Old Mrs Chundle, even though she looked up to him and thought of him as one of Gods people. Line 297 shows this by saying The curate went out, like Peter at the cock- crow. This is comparing the Curate betraying Old Mrs Chundle to when Peter betrayed Jesus. Hardy also used the narration of the story to engage the reader and enhance meaning. Throughout the story, right until Old Mrs Chundles death the readers sympathies lie with the Curate. The narrator uses lines such as The Kind Hearted Curate and Zealous young man to build up the empathy. I think Hardy used this method, as he wanted to exploit the misconducts of the church. By building sympathy up with the Curate and then reversing it when we found out he betrayed Old Mrs Chundle Hardy adds extra impact to the remorse the reader has for the loss of Old Mrs Chundle. In The Darkness Out There by Lively, Lively use a third person narrator. She walked through the flowers She does this to create distance with the reader. Thus the reader feels they are observing the story unfold from a distance. However, after line 83, the narration switches from third person, to witnessing the story through the eyes and thought processes of Sandra. Some people you only have to look at to know theyre not up to much Using this method aligns the reader with Sandra and enables them to witness her growing up. This engages the reader further by making them want to find out what happens to Sandra. Hardy used pre-twentieth century language, as this was spoken at the time he wrote the short story. Curate hither and howsomever, helps the reader to establish the period in which the story is set. This pulls the reader in, as they can now easily picture a time and a setting in their mind. Local Dialect or Non- Standard English is used in both stories as a way of engaging the reader. In Old Mrs Chundle, Hardy uses local dialect for the character of Old Mrs Chundle. This helps us to learn more about her. For example Tis taters and cabbage, boiled with a scantling o bacon. Would ye like it? gives us a much clearer idea about the character than, It is potatoes and cabbage, boiled with a little bacon. Would you like some? This is also however a complete contrast to the language used by the curate. Yes, my good woman. This tells the reader that he is of a higher class. This also enables us to understand that there was a social divide at the time the book was written. Lively uses slang in the same way as Hardy does Non- Standard English. Both Kerry and Sandra use slang. Stupid so- and- so and whatd you like us to do are just a few examples. This enables the reader to learn more about the age of their characters and also know that they have been brought up in a more urban area. This enables the reader to align and relate to the characters. Building a relationship between themselves and the characters is a method of drawing in the reader even further. In conclusion both Hardy and Lively use a variety of techniques to engage the reader into their short stories. I found both very good and thoroughly enjoyed them. The first time I read them both, I preferred The Darkness Out There. However, after reading them more thoroughly, I preferred Old Mrs Chundle. I loved the way Hardy threw in little words and sentences that didnt seem like much but really had great impact on the story. For example brushed the knees of his trousers, and walked off. Both authors are very effective in engaging the reader.

Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussions - Essay Example Newsweek translates Obama’s intention as: "I will go only if we can win; I dont want to be photographed losing." Copenhagen was to have been the most important international conference after Kyoto, because it was expected to produce a treaty updating the targets set during that earlier conference. It will be recalled that the Kyoto Protocol is an international environmental treaty adopted in December of 1997 and which entered into force in February of 2005. The Protocol called for industrialized countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% from their 1990 levels. Today, 187 countries have signed and ratified the protocol. Significantly, the only industrialized nation in the world who adamantly refuses to sign the treaty is that country responsible for 36.1% of world emissions – the United States of America. What is one to make of this, except America’s apparent disinterest in the future of the world environment? Certainly, its importance is not lost on the new US President, inasmuch as he made climate change a cornerstone of his campaign platform. From the new President’s actuations and flimsy reasons, it appears this was all lip service, and that in this great country, the welfare of future generations has already lost to political agenda, selfish economic interests, and the desire to avoid being â€Å"photographed losing.† The Presidency of the United States used to stand as a symbol of principled governance in the face of global threats, as the USA used to be a beacon of all that is right and good in a dark, oppressive world. When Obama gets photographed receiving his Nobel prize for nothing in particular, he should remember that recently another American democrat received his Nobel for fighting against global warming. He should also realize that, image-enhancing or not, it is his duty not only as his nation’s

Islamic Finance Law Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Islamic Finance Law - Dissertation Example The paper would therefore be analysing the role of Islamic finance in the fast transforming environment of global economy with the view that it has brought in more radical but ethical paradigms within financial system of contemporary times. Historical background The Ottoman Empire in the pre WWI era has perhaps been the most prominent exponent of using tenets of Islamic finance in their trade and business transactions. The close trade relationship with their European counterparts, Islamic finance was closely aligned with that of European financial system. The system worked on the basis of sharing of profit and loss (Chachi, 2005). But post WWI and WWII brought into focus the divergent ideologies of two financial system into sharp focus. While the western economy and financial system was based on interest bearing instruments, Islamic finance was rigidly guided by the religious tenets of Islam which forbids transactions based on interests or gains made through unethical means (Ahmad, 1 972)). In the contemporary times, Islamic finance has seen unprecedented growth primarily because of its fundamental principles based on Shariah guidelines (Anwar, 2008; Sundararajan & Errico, 2002). Principles of Islamic law and financial transactions under it Islamic finance is based on Islamic law that conforms to the Shariah guidelines of ethical practices in personal and business arena. Thus, Shariah can broadly be referred as Islamic law that defines the duties of man and the way they should be carried out (Vogel & Hayes, 1998; Hasanuzzaman, 1997). Shariah is part of Quran, the religious scripture of Muslims and is written in Arabic language. The interpretation of Shariah scholars therefore, may differ but the fundamental principle of ethics remains same. But Hadith, qiyas, idjma and fatwas are also key sources which inspire the ethical and moral considerations within the business transactions in Islamic finance (El-Gamal, 2006; Shahrukh, 1997; Pryor, 1985). Shariah principles are based on equity and prohibit financial transactions and activities that incorporate gharar (uncertainty), maiser (gambling) and riba (interest income) (Thomas, 2005; Nienhaus, 1986; Hasanuzzaman, 1994). The shariah compliance is vital element of Islamic finance products. Interestingly in the current times of highly sensitive global market, Islamic finance offers huge incentives in terms of ethically delivered financial instruments in myriad areas of finance (Venardos, 2005; Cooper, 1997; Ariff, 1988). It has made forays into banking, market risks and credit, insurance, liquidity management etc. and is fast emerging as credible alternative investment forum. Main Sharia compliant transaction structure and how they are used in practice All Islamic financial institutions are distinct in their constitution of board that comprises of financial experts and shariah scholars who evaluate the validity of financial instruments as per shariah principles. It uses various financial structure s that conform to shariah but at the same time, adequately meet the needs of people in the contemporary times (Hasanuzzaman, 1971; Saeed, 1995). Some of those financial methodologies can be defined as under: Zakah: It is vital instrument that promotes social justice by ensuring that people who own more than nisab (basic need) must make donation of 2.5% of their yearly assets. The social funds are used to meet the needs of the poor. Murabaha:

Asian American and Asian communities in U.S Essay

Asian American and Asian communities in U.S - Essay Example One of the very important reasons is that of something called as â€Å"Asian parents Syndrome† (Online Education Articles, n.p). It has been an observation that Asian parents generally have higher expectations of their children. It is because of these expectations that many college students feel the need to achieve greater success. Asian parents cannot simply compromise that their children are not the best among everyone, and therefore, this drives the children to work harder (Online Education Articles, n.p). Asian culture and its expectations therefore enable the Asian students to work harder. Another factor, which plays a very important role, is that of maternal expectations of children. The study conducted by Stevenson group was based on Japanese and American students and mothers. When children did not perform well in school, almost 42 percent of American mothers were satisfied with their child’s performance. Contrary to that, only five percent of Japanese mothers ra ted the performance to be satisfactory. American mothers were also willing to accept a child’s low performance. Therefore, the study concluded that such American attitudes provided an excuse for the children for not working very hard. Such attitudes continue throughout life, therefore, American students might not perform better in colleges. Asian students are very adaptable to levels of hard work (Wray, pp. 57). Historically, Asian students have been driven to work harder. Educational achievements had become very important, especially in the case of Japanese and Chinese students. A study done by Suzuki in 1977 (Nakanishi & Nishida, pp.140) showed that Asian Americans came to pursue education because they were considered a ‘minority’ group. This led them to strive harder. During the 1940s, Asians were discriminated by the trade unions. They were refused membership. After the Second World War, there was a need for white-collar employees because of technological adv ancements. Thus, education became the prime goal for Asian individuals in order to achieve success. In addition, Connor in 1975 gave the explanation that Asian students had been denied in social and extra curricular activities before the First World War. This had emphasized educational values. Therefore, studies have proved that historically, Asian students have had the motive to pursue education with full zeal (Nakanishi & Nishida, pp.140). A study conducted on Japanese students and teachers showed that teachers expected a greater level from their students. They are taught that education is difficult, not always exciting, and it also requires a great amount of hard work. Responsibility and perseverance is also taught. Hence, Japanese students have been socialized to achieve success through education. Therefore, this attitude remains with them throughout life, and therefore when they go to study in colleges in US, they will tend to perform better. Therefore, values of culture also p lay a significant role (Wray, pp. 54). Generally, Asian immigrants also have spent more amount of time in school. On average, Asian students in their countries spent an average of 240 days in school per year, while the American students spent around 178 days in school every year. Therefore, this increases the performance of the Asian students (Santrock, pp. 626). Some other cultural reasons, which might also form part of religious values, attempt to explain why Asians generally do better in colleges. There are certain cultural values, which are common

Prospects and growth of the fast food industry

Prospects and growth of the fast food industry Tackling the blow of recession has not been easy for any industry. Its Attack was so strong that no industry has been able to save itself from its effects. If the hospitality industry is a measure of the wealthy and the rich peoples pockets then the news is very bad indeed. Many restaurants have went to the wall in the final quarter of 2008.The restaurants have been fighting with the reduction of corporate entertaining and the disposable income squeeze of consumers as well. Not only the restaurants and the hotels, but the pub industry has also been stroked by a number of factors over the past one decade and recession has put pressure on an already difficult trading environment. In the words of a renowned chef Dawn Sweeny, Creativity has always been a hallmark of professional chefs So to survive the blow of recession and to manage this situation a Lot of established chefs are getting in to street vending of their creations more efficiently to people who could only dream in their mortar and brick buildings. Low overheads, low labour costs and mostly cash based business is win- win situation for many. These mobile kitchen vans are saving these brand names from dying. The big brand names are selling their franchises to the people who want to earn a good amount of money by investing at one time. These vans have everything you need in the kitchen including all kinds of appliances and raw material. This food is comparatively cheaper as the mobile kitchen cuts down on the over heads and the labour costs. Street food is becoming a way to indulge pre-recession tastes on post-recession budgets At the same time recession in the US food industry has creating the new opportunity for the food sector in the US. In the recently released research report by RNCOS on US Fast food market outlook 2010even though there is gloomy economic condition in US, the fast food industry in US is growing rapidly because of inexpensive fast food and increasing number of working population. According to the report fast food market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years and will cross the US$170 billion by the end of 2010. Because of economic downturn people has reduced their expenses of going for dinner in the restaurant and fast food for the launch. Instead of going in the restaurant they have started buying the food from street food vans which cost them less as compared to the restaurant food and they can save that much money in this recession time. This trend is becoming more common in the urban areas where the demand of pre-packed food and readymade food has increased because of the f ast life of their people. This has become now new trend there because American people wants want to have food which can provide instant energy without wasting more time and they can also afford that. The new trend of franchising the existing brands to the mobile carts is look refreshing and a new concept in the States. Through the research will able to judge that will this trend will continue even after the period of recession? Street food is becoming very famous in the United States and till the date only small-scale outlets are driving the trend, but now large food maker have also started to enter the market to get on board with this new trend. The market research organizations Culinary Trend Mapping Report from the Centre for Culinary Development (CCD) examined the booming street food trend, which has seen Americans reaching for a variety of convenient, portable and affordable foods, often with globally inspired flavours and eco-friendly preparation (foodnavigator-usa.com). In the recent time street food has become very popular due to a confluence of larger social trends, mainly because of the economic downturn and the corresponding need for more affordable foods, growing snacking habits, greater interest in ethnic flavours and in local, sustainable foods. 1.2 Purpose This research attempts to contribute to the study of the current prospects and growth of the fast food industry on the wheel. The Food trucks in the NYC and other mobile food carts started by famous restaurants have been introduced. This research aims to find out what was the effect of recession on the food industry and how has it affected the consumer behaviour in this regard. The eating habits and the change in the actual income have affected the behaviour of the consumers and hence their frequency of dining out and their expenditure on food has been affected. So this research will throw light on this change as well. With the intention of exploring the possibility of the Food trucks endorsed by the restaurants that have seen a reduction in the number of customers due to recession, we will also study how these trucks are working and how do they cater to the needs of the people in the current situation. Whether the management and the way they are operating is different and how simila r their ways of operations are. In addition this research will study the advantages of the mobile food carts and if they can be a competition to the conventional style of dining and eating out. Or if these food trucks can add to the brand name of the existing restaurants and chains that have otherwise seen a decline in their business. 1.3 Development and structure of the research This research paper was developed in five steps 1. Define research aim topic Discussion with supervisor and explore possible interests within designated discipline. 2. Gather relevant literatures Begin investigation in existing literature to discover possible gap between academic research and reality. 3. Develop research structure Construct content of study and plan accordingly. 4. Collect the data and Data analysis Collect all required data from different secondary sources. Clear presentation of data in logical sequential arrangement and examine Validity of collected information 5. Develop conclusion from finding Present conclusion of this research and provide recommendation for further research CHAPTER- 2 Literature Review 2.1 Overview The chapter first begin by introduction of Food market in the USA and effects of recession on food market of USA then followed by the restaurant and fast food business in USA. Next consumers behaviour is discussed with respect to spending on the food. In the last section of this chapter significance of the mobile food van and its impact on the competition is discussed with respect to USA. 2.2 Restaurant and Fats food business in USA- Restaurant companies generally work to identify them self as customers retailers and not as a manufacturing meals. Restaurants are primarily retailers of two consumers product time and customers experience (Muller, 1999). People went to the restaurants and fast food providers to save their time from making the food and to get satisfaction of their needs. Restaurant is vast business in USA where consumers are less concerned about the where meal is prepared, they only concerned about the how the food is delivered and how they feel after meal is completed. While the fast food service is totally different they always concerned about building consumer loyalty and market awareness. There is vast difference between restaurant business and fast food service providers. Stalk and Hout (1990) described future economic competition as being based on a companys responsiveness to the time needs of its customer base. Currently, the restaurant industry accounts for four percent of the U.S. gross dome stic product and is the nations second largest employer next to the Federal government (Dumagan and Hackett, 1995). In USA restaurant holders are paying more attention to the growing trend in the eating habits of the people. According to the report of the NRI 2001 they have noticed seventy five percent increases in the restaurant customers as compared to 2001 in 2003. Even the rise of the convenience food in last 10 years can be seen by the growth of the fast food chain in the United States. The main reason behind the increase demand of fast food is these meals are ready to eat on the go and ability to hold these food in hands and to eat according to the consumers freedom. The main reason behind increased the growth of restaurant and fast food business is decreased in the food prices in the USA. Lakdawalla and Philipson (2002) attribute about 40% of the recent growth in weight to agricultural innovation that has lowered food prices Mainly technological change has made huge contribution in decreased price of the food price which eventually provides opportunity to the restaurant and fast food service provider to offer the food at cheaper rate and increased their business growth. The analysis draws on data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) between 1971 and 1974, the BLS food price in real terms increased from 1.012 to 1.134, an increase of 12.04%, followed by a decrease of 11.02% between the years of 1974 and 1986, when it reached a low of 1.009. This is reflective of the behaviour of food prices in that period of time (Food prices, 2007). Due to decreased in the food prices percentage of people has decreased and expenditure on the food away from the home increased and increased in working class people is also another reason for growth of the restaurant and fast food business. According to the survey data of the county business pattern number of restaurant provides full services increased to 213550 in 200 6 from 193024 in 1998 and restaurant which not provide service like cafeteria and bar increased to 204311 in 2006 from 172695 in 1998. Data from the Census of Retail Trade highlight the steady increase in the number of full service and fast-food restaurants since the early 1970s; between 1972 and 1997, the number of restaurants per 10,000 population increased 61% from 884 to 1427 (Chou et al., 2004; Rashad et al., 2006). In the rapid development of the restaurant and fast food business taking fist mover advantage through franchise has played very important role. The main of using franchise is to assemble resources making long chain and to get first mover advantage (Micheal, 2003). By giving franchise restaurant and fast food business try to create a premium on rapid expansion of geographic areas. In USA strategy adopted by restaurant and fast food business owner to expanding units rapidly through franchising has created superior outlet share which eventually lead them to have high market share and profitability. Therefore, franchising is one method of securing first mover advantage (Micheal, 2003). Franchising overcomes the moral hazard problem associated with the operation of a chain of dispersed units (Caves and Murphy, 1976; Rubin, 1978; Brickley and Dark, 1987). McDonalds, a famous fast food supplier, opened its first franchised restaurant in the US in 1955. Now it has become a phenomenally succe ssful enterprise in terms of financial growth, brand-name recognition, and worldwide expansion by using franchise concept aggressively. Currently fast food franchise in the United States generates income of more than $125 billion per year. According to latest numbers there are over 2000 fast food franchise in USA and more than 5,00,000 franchisor operated outlets in USA. McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and Subway are among the more popular fast food franchises worldwide that rake in millions of dollars per year in profits. During the last four decade fast food industry has grown very speedily in American society. An industry that starts in south California has spread in every corner of the USA. Fast food is served not only at restaurants but also at stadium, airplanes, school and college in every part of the USA and it has brought the rapid change in the USA economy (Schlosser, 1998). Fast food business has overcome the restaurant business in last few years in USA and it has benefited from the demographic change, supplying the food at cheaper price and hiring people at lower rate of wage. One of the ironies of Americas fast-food industry is that a business so dedicated to conformity was founded by iconoclasts and self-made men, by entrepreneurs willing to defy conventional opinion (Schlosser, 1998). Now fast food has become the operating system of the todays service industry in USA and it has created millions of job opportunity for the people in the country   when the other businesses have been firing the workers. 2.3 Food Industry and the Recession The Recession hits all parts of the food system, from the producer to the processor; from the grocer to the diner! (Mary Turck) Recent sales of the U. S. eating and drinking place industry have been lacklustre. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons for this sluggishness, but the recent U. S. recession as well as 1986 modifications to U. S. tax law has to be considered factors (Stephen J.Hiemstra). This study aimed at finding out the factors related to the decline in the demand for the food service lately and to bring out the extent to which the eating and drinking place industry sales were declining due to this lack of demand. As it was difficult to pinpoint any single factor. Findings indicated that the decline in demand could be majorly explained by changes in prices, decrease in the income, and the drop in deductibility of restaurant food as a business expense. The economic recession has hit the food industry as much as any other industry in the international market. Food being the prime necessity cannot be avoided and hence is a bigger pain for the consumer whose income has decreased due to the economic downturn. The rising petroleum prices have affected the cost of transportation for the seeds and the grains and have hence added to the cost of production making the food expensive for the ultimate consumer. The food prices have gone up with the increasing dairy and grain prices entering in to the year 2007.By the end of 2009 the economists announced the rising unemployment. As a result Restaurants were also hit as hard as any other industry as the consumer stopped dining out and spending on food as compared to earlier. Hence the cost of living was cut on the cost of eating and dining out. Nearly two third of the restaurant operators reported a decline in their business in the end of 2008 as compared to the sales in the year 2007 (National Restaurant Association). Golden Gate Restaurant Associations (GGRA) presented a study of the economics of the San Francisco Restaurant industry looking at the conditions of the food industry in the recession in the year 2002 and 2003.According to the reports the hotel occupancy in San Francisco was dropped by 20% and the average daily room rates came down by 16%.The city lost 80,000 jobs nearly 14% of the total city employment (Kent Sims). However with time, the economy of San Francisco has improved with respect to the conditions in 2002-03. But there are areas where it remains well below the level where it was in 2000. Over all the economy is smaller than what it was before recession. Hotel occupancy in 2004 was 4% above its low point in 2002, but still 20% lower than in 2000. In 2005, the city driven US restaurants recovering from the recession in 2004 confronted the fact their customers were back again and their sales were back, but the profits did not come back. As the operating costs have raised at a greater pace than the gross margin on sales, despite the higher menu prices. According to a confidential survey conducted by GGRA (2006) the results mainly pointed out that half of the people considered San Francisco and other cities in the USA as the major culinary centre and half of the population also said that the stature of such cities as culinary centre is either diminishing or marking time. Business at traditional business-lunch spots, including the Capital Grille, Mortons, and McCormick Schmicks, is down dramatically this was reported by Chicago tribune in 2008. These researches have shown that Recession is a hard time for food industry as well as more and more people are finding it tough to stay in one job and they want to change their job and add to their income. But even in Recession the people cant avoid food so they started looking for cheaper options and the food industry tackled this by cutting out the middle man. This gave rise to the trend of fast food and the US fast food market started to rise. As people has started looking for less expensive. The Consumer expenditure on fast food rose sharply in these years, accounting for around 30% of total restaurant industry sales in 2008. With the busy life style, cost advantage and increasing demand of convenience food, the total fast food industry in the US is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 5% till 2010.(US fast food market outlook 2010, PR log press release). From the past few recent years McDonalds, Burger King, and other fast food restaurants have been scooping up the customers. B oth of the big burger chains are taking market share from competitors with higher price points, building on reputations for low prices and revamped dollar menus (Mary Turck). The Recession has brought about a trend in the menu cycle of the food industry as well.( Stages of the Industry Life Cycle (1919-1988) H.G Parsal). The preferences have changed from the formal full course dinners to quick food which is better known as the fast food. There has been a growth in the fast food business in after the recession (Industry research journal). In the phase of recession, fast food sales in US have increased. This is due to the fact that fast food in the country is comparatively inexpensive than the traditional food and thus, more and more people are shifting to fast food in this economic crisis. Also, hamburger and the Rools are one of the most preferred food items in the country. This represents the growth of around 5% in 2009 over 2008, and the same trend is expected to be seen in the coming years also. 2.4 Consumer Behaviour in USA food industry- Consumer behaviour is very important to know in any business to make it successful. Its very important to take proper care of the issue like consumers like dislike their health issue and consumer satisfaction. Consumer behaviour potentially deals with all of the ways people may act in their role as consumers (Schiffman and Kanuk, 1991) and it also include to focus on behaviour related to searching, buying and using product and service in the market. Generally restaurant and fast food business providers divide consumers in the groups based on the geographic characteristics, common attitudes, and behaviour so that they can provide better services to them. Food industry is closely concerned with food choice and quality, but at the same time has long been considered to offer a rich meal experience to which many other factors contribute (Campbell-Smith, 1967). Every customer has different perspective to rate the service of the restaurant and fast food service. Customers rate the service o n the basis of the food quality, service quality, ambience of the place, price of the food and facility provided by the restaurant and fast food providers like free home delivery. Becker-Suttle et al. (1994) and Williams et al. (1997), respectively, identify the dining preferences of older customers, and the factors that inhibit this group from using full service restaurants. Consumers behaviour is more important in service industry as if customers are not happy with the happy than it will become very difficult to sustain in the competition. In the development of the restaurant and fast food business globalisation has played very major role with respect to food supplies, food habits, and population health and food consumption behaviour. In this fast developing world consumers have adopted to save time and get job done in time. Changes in working and social life of the people have played very important part in the very high growth of the food industry in USA. In social context, gradually the numbers of families where both parents are working are increasing worldwide (Stamoulis, Kostas G. et al., 2004). Due to busy schedule of the people they are getting less time to make food and eat at home so they are diverted to the restaurant and fast food more in the recent years. In recent years the living standard of the people of USA has also changed before few years they used to take dinner together with the family on the dining table now most of the family likes to sit against the TV and watching programme. Number of gathering p rogrammes like birthday parties, anniversary parties has increased in last few years and people tend to arranged these parties in restaurants instead of at home which has also increased the demand of restaurant food in USA. This new trend has provide opportunities to the restaurant and fast food service business to offer varieties of the services to the people and which attracts more people to come to their place for the dinner and launch. Increase in earning of the people has also contributed to the rapid development of the restaurant and fast food industry in USA. According to the research data Americans spent about $6 billion on fast food in 1970, they spent more than $110 billion in 2000. Americans now spend more money on fast food and restaurant instead on higher education and new cars. National restaurant association has reported that Americans are buying 5.8 times average per week form a restaurant and per person spending on restaurant food is $1078. Now a days consumers are giving more importance to the quality of the food with respect to the health safety. Henson and Traill define food safety as the inverse of food risk-the probability of not suffering some hazard from consuming a specific food (Henson Traill, 1993). Consumers attitude towards food safety and practice related to it is more important for the restaurant and fast food service providers to take into consideration. Even government of USA has also formed very strict regulation and food policy which is necessary for the restaurant and fast food providers to follow. In May 1997, US President Clinton launched a National Food Safety initiative to enhance surveillance, improve risk assessment, inspection and compliance, educate the consumer and conduct important new research (Tent, 1999). Food quality awareness has made more responsible to the restaurant and fast food business towards peoples health issue and which has benefited them as they are offering low calorie food to the people. Mc Donald has already implemented its strategy for the consumer preference since last many years. McDonalds has pursued two strategies since 2003. To keep up with rapidly changing consumer preferences, demographics, and spending patterns, McDonalds has introduced new items Premium Chicken sandwiches and the Angus Beef Burger and also doing campaigns to create more healthy foods like Premium Salads in USA. The strategy reflects the philosophy that novelty, as opposed to loyalty to traditional products, is the key determinant of sales in the fast food industry . In the recent years consumers have started to give more importance to the nutrition food and salads due to awareness of their health and increasing obesity. The growing epidemic of childhood overweight and obesity is a major public health concern. Currently 15% of US youth are overweight, a prevalence nearly twice as high in children and three times as high in adolescents compared to 1980 prevalence rates (Rockville, 2001).In U SA size of the family has also played major role in development of the restaurant and fast food service and specially Hispanic American families. Hispanic purchasing power has influenced the marketplace. Hispanic shoppers spend more on food purchases because their families are usually larger. So consumer behaviour and consumer preference has played very vital role in the rapid growth of the fast food and restaurant business in the USA and they also got support from the economic development of the USA also. Mobile food service: Dabbawalas in India to Food trucks in NYC The origin of the Dabbawalas lunch delivery service dates back to the 1890s during the British Empire in India. Various people migrated from different parts of the India for work. Due to lack of canteens, the working class used to stay without eating lunch if they forgot to get it from their houses.. Invariably, lunch would not be ready when they left home for work. The taste of different communities was different; this could only be satisfied by a home cooked food. Recognizing the need, Mahadeo Havaji Bacche (Mahadeo), a migrant from North Maharashtra, 10 started the lunch delivery service. (Paul S Goodman ,2003) This service started with around 100 dabbawalas (workers) and cost the client INR 2 per month. There are around 5,000 dabbawalas in Mumbai today delivering around 200,000 Tiffin-boxes amounting to 400,000 transactions every day first delivering the Tiffin boxes and then delivering the empty boxes back home. (The Economic times 2008)Here nobody is an employer and none are employees. Each dabbawala considers himself a shareholder and entrepreneur .The entire system depends on teamwork and meticulous timing. Tiffin boxes are collected from homes between 7.00 am and 9.00 am, Various tiffin services also provide the service of cooked food and not just the transportation of the boxes. After the collection, these boxes are taken to the nearest railway station. various intermediary stations, they are hauled onto platforms and sorted out for area-wise distribution, so that a single Tiffin could change hands three to four times in the course of its daily journey..( Pradeep Thakkar,2005). Even in the economic crisis, Dabbawalas have been serving and are providing a necessary and recession-proof service as even in the tough economic times, people will always need lunch the dabbawalas are a cooperative that can boast a business record of reliability that would have any operation salivating with envy.(Dean Irvine,nov 2008)In the year 2008, Forbes gave the six sigma efficiency title to these dabbawalas. This six sigma rating the dabbawalas that was received by Forbes magazine precipitated a rush of interest from management supply companies and the various business schools searching for the secrets of its success. The rating means that these dabbawalas have a 99.9 percent efficiency rate.(Dean Irvine,2008)The concept of providing the food to their workplaces, without any need of going to the restaurants and wasting the time that can be otherwise saved for working is very suitable for the working class people of today. This is why these dabbawalas are serving well in the time of recession and people find it much better to get their food from them than going out and eating. The concept of mobile food service is not new to the countries outside India now. The Food trucks in the USA are the biggest example .The restaurant concept in the Country is going mobile! With the changing trends in the food and catering industry, the concept of moving food vans can be seen in the places like New York in the US.(Katherine Marginally., Dec 2009) Whether its because of the economy, cultural exchange, or plain demand, street food is making its culinary mark (International Chefs congress) A young chef Josh Ozersky calls these food trucks as one of the most definitive moments of this generation. Its not a fad like pet rocks or hundred dollar burgers. Its a great way for young chefs to get into the business without having a wealthy backer. Recently the savvy entrepreneurs and the chefs are getting to the streets with their culinary training and experience. This is partially fuelled by recession and a changing trend which is more inclined towards casual dining. The chefs have found more adventure and satisfaction in Global Street food in respect to the factors, cuisine as well as the concept. The new wave of mobile food vans are proving that you dont need a brick and mortar place for producing and providing high quality and high concept food for people. Lunch trucks also called as food trucks are mobile food courts which sell food items at different locations. They reap more benefits than the restaurants which are stationary as they have very limited number of customer base which provides limited amount of revenue. They can also be called as restaurant on wheels. There are different lunch trucks available in the markets which are specifically targeted to cater to the needs of different varieties of food items. From the daily breakfast to the dinner, desserts to juices you have wide variety to choose from.(Yew Chin) These trucks have more variety than any other stationary cafe or restaurant. From coffee to puddings, waffles to rolls and Indian curries to Arabic Falafel. They have it all. There are Coffee trucks, Snacks trucks, Dessert Trucks, Chinese food trucks and proper restaurant trucks that have a kitchen inside and have the same menu as in any other restaurant be in Indian or Italian. The cost of operating an established restaurant often handcuffs ones ability to go outside the box due to dà ©cor and tabletop package expense, high-end equipment in the kitchen that must be paid down and, in my case, our reputation as a classic historic inn which has a presumed menu style that pays the bills. The guerrilla trucks can much more easily think out of the box, since they are often serving out of a cardboard box.(Patrick Byrne,2009) Known for their profits, when compared with the stationary restaurants, these trucks have shown greater profit and a very good customer base. They provide the custome rs with good quality of food that they can afford. In return they get a loyal customer following in different locations that they plan to go around. As they move from one place to other, they have this opportunity to serve more people and with different menu options. There are plenty of hurdles that are faced by these food trucks owner along with the profits.The Initial investment consists of the vehicle followed by the Kitchen and the appliances and accessories used there in. These vans also require a Mobile food service license from the government before they can start their business. There are issues of permissions which vary from city to city and mostly in cities like New York and Manhattan allowing these food vans is not difficult.(Emilly Bell ,Dec 2009)However these rest on wheels should pay attention to providing the food on proper health standards and conditions.(Patrick Byrne,2009) The pedestrian snackers on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn are accustomed to mobile eateries, but these new gourmet food trucks take the street-food game to a higher level. Unlike dirty-water dog stands, which often stick to the same corner, these meals on wheels have the freedom of mobility, websites tracking their whereabouts, PR representation and specialized offerings such as restaurant-quality desserts, tacos and waffles. So just like the previously mentioned Dabbawalas of India Food trucks in the USA are popular among the people who want to save on their time and money. Because the obvious reason for the preference of these trucks by the consumers over the stationary restaurants is the low cost food that has the same quality and the ease of getting the food on the go. Also according to George Ebinger, (International House of pancakes), It is unfair to its grossly unfair to allow trucks in close proximity to established businesses trying to make it in this economy. You can t compete with a truck when it comes to pricing and service And for the Owners The obvious appeal of bringing your food into a truck or cart is the low overhead-theres no rent, no getting a restaurant up to code, no large staff to pay. With the economic downturn, restaurateurs have struggled to find funding to open full-scale restaurants, said Tom Forte, an analyst at Telsey Advisory Group in New York City.(Laura Isenzee ,2009) Jerome Chang of New Yorks Dessert Truck says that financially we

Lord of the Flies :: essays papers

Lord of the Flies In William Golding's Lord of the Flies the one good soul was found in Piggy. He wasn't violent and he was one of the only boys who tried to keep all of the other children civil by mimicking adults. Although Piggy had physical limitations that some say "prevented" Piggy from joining the other boys in savagery; he never possessed and evil spirit like Jack, Roger, and Ralph. "Shove a palm trunk under that and if an enemy came - look!" Jack noticed these things such as places to build forts, and weapons that can be made. While Piggy's main interests were in building shelters to be protected, and a sundial to know what time it was. There are may other things that Piggy did to attempt to bring order to the island just like a grown-up. When Jack was busy hunting pigs and dancing about in the blood that engulfed him, Piggy just wanted people to listen to him. He yearned for someone to listen to his ideas without asking questions: when he suggested moving the fire to the beach, he just wanted a ship passing by to see them. Piggy mimicked adults, he did not run about in a savage nature, he was good. Being the only boy that wasn't violent shows how diverse Piggy was from the other boys on the island. "I got the conch I tell you" Piggy screamed in attempt to gain the boys' lost attention, "I tell you I got the conch." Good finally prevailed and Piggy gained the boys' attention. Never once did Piggy resort to violence, even when his glasses were stolen, he proved he was above violence. Unlike Jack, Piggy never killed. Piggy never hunted or killed a pig, let alone hurt another human being, he used his mind not his size to get attention. Being the biggest boy on the island, he had the upper hand in any fight that would have gone his way. Piggy talked out his conflict; in his opinion violence was not an option. "I just take the conch to say this. I can't see no more and I got to get my glasses back. Awful things have been done on this island. I voted for you (Ralph) for chief. He is the only one who ever got things done.

Faith Integration Essay

A main reason for the existence of the Christian college or university is to provide an educational environment that includes both academic subject matter and Christian knowledge. At Azusa Pacific University, the school emphasizes their motto â€Å"God First† in and out of the classroom. According to APU’s Mission Statement, APU is a â€Å"Christian community of disciples and scholars who seek to advance the work of God in the world through academic excellence in liberal arts and professional programs of higher education that encourage students to develop a Christian perspective of truth and life.† Christian Worldview A worldview is a set of beliefs, values, and attitudes that enable us to process new information and maintain a consistent view of reality. Through our worldview we apply the standards that allow us to make connections between what we know, what we experience, and what new knowledge claims we encounter. Our worldview supplies the interpretive framework for understanding our experiences and the events of the world, and it provides the values that form the basis for decision making. Because faith-learning integration is closely linked with judgments about what is or is not knowledge, our worldview is therefore clearly crucial to the proper functioning of faith and learning integration. Indeed, our worldview is the philosophical engine that drives the integrative process. A challenge facing Christian educators is that a Biblical worldview foundation has been taken for granted. Successful faith-learning integration is impossible for students who lack a clear and well defined Biblical worldview. The unity of truth—including academic and Biblical or theological truth—is at the heart of integration. The construction of a Biblical worldview must be an ongoing process. It must be built and added in to every course. Christian Worldview forms the basis for decision making. Decisions are based on criteria, which are themselves based on values, which are part of one’s worldview. The Christian worldview provides the necessary basis for science. A worldview is the particular bias  in our presuppositions that influences how you look at the world and what we see or expect to see. A person’s worldview influences what they expect to see and how they explain things. For instance, two people can observe the identical event and explain it differently based on the bias of their worldview. A Christian worldview can be defined as a single worldview that all Christians share and can be deemed as core theology or the theology that most all Christians agree upon, which is a short list. Wesleyan Quadrilateral The Wesleyan Quadrilateral is a four-source system of theological reflection that forms the core beliefs of the Methodist Church and is attributed to the works of its 18th century founder and leader John Wesley. Wesleyan Quadrilateral is referred to in the Methodist Church as our theological guidelines. The four-score system includes: scripture, reason, tradition, and experience. Wesley stated that Scripture alone should determine Christian teaching. The authority of Scripture can logically be divided into two functions, authority as source of truth and as norm for truth. Wesley sees the Bible as both. Reason may be part of a practical theology, provided it is carefully defined. Interpretation of scripture and experience may be evaluated in terms of its reasonableness. Reason can have a role in practical theology. The third belief that John Wesley put in place is tradition. Tradition has sometimes proven to be wrong, and   inconsistent with the truths of scripture as confirmed by human experience. Nobody is perfect and errors of those in religion can become tradition and thus infecting the truth, even if it is unintentional. More importantly than these concerns is the need to acknowledge the importance and strength of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is active in the lives of believers and the Holy Spirit should be given great weight as religious authority only second to scripture but more significant than ancient tradition. With scripture, tradition, and reason in place, humans are prepared to experience the reality of God’s love. That is the fourth attribute in the four-source system that John Wesley adopted. Faith Integration in the classroom Every student in an educational environment comes from a different spiritual  background. Some may have more firm beliefs than others, but it is important that all are treated with equal amounts of respect. Integrating faith in the classroom can be difficult for new teachers because of the vast amount of religious differences each student has. Religion is just another belief and has been a part of the society since the world was first created. It was one of the first thoughts that man had. It is a teacher’s responsibility to integrate some sort of religious discussion in the classroom because it gets the students to think about different cultures and religions that other people in their class follow. It expands their minds to the various different religions and cultures throughout the world. A teacher should design instruction appropriate for all students that reflects an understanding of relevant content and is based on continuous and appropriate assessment. Also a classroom environment that is centered around respect and a  positive learning environment will lead to a positive education experience for all students. I will also promote student learning by providing responsive instruction that makes use of effective communication techniques, instructional strategies that actively engage students in the learning process, and timely, high-quality feedback. A good teacher is one who has the ability to learn as much from the students as they learn from him or her. In an effort to match instruction to the needs of students, I will spend much time evaluating the implications of my teaching decisions in the classroom.

An Emphatic Essay About Appositive Epithets

An Emphatic Essay About Appositive Epithets An Emphatic Essay About Appositive Epithets An Emphatic Essay About Appositive Epithets By Mark Nichol An interesting problem often presents itself when one employs an anarthrous nominal premodifier. A what who which? â€Å"Anarthrous nominal premodifier† is usage-ese for â€Å"false title,† one of a handful of other more user-friendly ways to describe a job title that is not a job title. A description of this concept that is, I think, better still is epithet (a versatile word meaning, in this case, â€Å"characterization†), and that’s the one I use here and elsewhere on this site. An epithet in which, for purposes of clarification or edification, a person’s name is preceded by a concise description of that person is often derided as a coarse conceit of journalistic writing, but it appears quite often in books and other forms of publication as well, and it serves a useful purpose, eliminating the need to follow a person’s name with a more distracting (and often more extensive) parenthetical description. Unfortunately, too many people form the epithet-name construction incorrectly, as in this sentence: â€Å"The essay was written by humanities professor, Paul A. Robinson.† This is one of the most egregious mechanical errors a writer can make; few other such infelicities distinguish the amateur from the professional, and it is one of life’s mysteries how such an obvious error has come to be so persistent as well as pervasive. (The correct form, of course, is â€Å"The essay was written by humanities professor Paul A. Robinson.†) The mistake probably stems from confusion with the nearly identical form in the more traditional sentences â€Å"The essay was written by a humanities professor, Paul A. Robinson† and â€Å"The essay was written by Paul A. Robinson, a humanities professor.† (These forms are preferable to those who find epithets antithetical to good writing.) The distinction here is that in the corrected sentence, the phrase â€Å"humanities professor† is a restrictive appositive. (An appositive is a noun phrase that defines or modifies another noun phrase, and a restrictive appositive is one that applies to only one other noun phrase.) In this sentence, the only humanities professor the phrase can refer to is Paul A. Robinson. The presence of the indefinite article in the other variations is the crucial indicator that they each include a nonrestrictive appositive, one that refers to any example of the appositive’s description; Paul A. Robinson is just one member of the class â€Å"humanities professor,† and the punctuation signals that fact. The restrictive/nonrestrictive distinction in appositives should be observed when referring to inanimate objects as well. A common error is to insert punctuation between the appositives in â€Å"Have you read the book, The Bestseller?† If a generic reference to the book has already been made, this sentence is correct; the title is an elaboration. However, when used on first reference, this construction presumes that the sole example of the concept â€Å"book† is The Bestseller. Because The Bestseller is, in fact, only one example among countless others, the comma is omitted to indicate that â€Å"the book† and â€Å"The Bestseller† are identical. The same principle applies to any form of composition (film, television program, and so on) or any other thing: â€Å"I went to the amusement park Funland.† (â€Å"I went to the amusement park, Funland,† in the absence of a previous reference, implies that only one amusement park exists. â€Å"I went to the world’s largest amusement park, Funland,† by contrast, is correct, because only one amusement park can be the world’s largest one.) If you oppose appositive epithets, this post isn’t for you. But for the many writers who accept the construction as proper usage, I recommend that you use the proper usage properly. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .Quiet or Quite?

Word Choice Made vs. Maid

Word Choice Made vs. Maid Word Choice: Made vs. Maid The title of the 2002 Jennifer Lopez romcom Maid in Manhattan is a pun. Not a very funny pun, but then it wasn’t a very funny movie either. So at least it’s consistent on that level. And â€Å"made† and â€Å"maid† do indeed sound the same while having different meanings, so it is, undeniably, a pun. JLo is pictured here trying to think of a better title.(Poster/Film: Columbia Pictures) However, if you’ve not seen the movie and   don’t get the joke – or if you’re simply worried about mixing up the words â€Å"made† and â€Å"maid† in your writing – check out our guide to how these terms work below. Made (Past Tense of Make) The word â€Å"made† is the simple past tense and past participle form of the verb â€Å"make.† As such, we use it when something has been â€Å"produced,† â€Å"constructed,† â€Å"achieved,† or â€Å"carried out.† For example: The horn made an unpleasant sound when he blew it. They made the tower from glass and steel. We have made great progress in the last week. I made the phone call first thing this morning. We also see this term used adjectivally sometimes. Usually, this will refer to how something was made, such as in the terms â€Å"handmade† (i.e., made by hand) or â€Å"self-made† (i.e., made without help). Even in these cases, though, â€Å"made† refers to the idea of being produced or constructed. Maid (A Female Domestic Servant) The noun â€Å"maid† is a name for a female domestic servant, typically in a house or hotel. For instance, you might hear someone say: The maid comes in once a day to clean the room. You’ll see it used alone and combined with various other terms, depending on the work done by the woman or girl in question Common examples include â€Å"chambermaid,† â€Å"milkmaid,† and â€Å"handmaid.† This is because, in the past, people used â€Å"maid† as a general term for an unmarried or virginal woman, so it had a wide application. However, this is not true in modern English, so you are unlikely to see it used so widely now. Summary: Made or Maid? These words have very different meanings, so you won’t want to mix them up in your writing. Remember the following distinction: Made is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb â€Å"make.† Typically, then, it means something like â€Å"produced† or â€Å"carried out.† Maid is a noun meaning â€Å"a woman or girl who works as a domestic servant.† If you struggle to tell these words apart, keep in mind that â€Å"made† is only one letter away from â€Å"make.† So if you can remember â€Å"make,† you should be able to remember what â€Å"made† means, too. And if you need any more help with the spelling in a document, we’re always here to help.

Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Banking - Essay Example Not only the internal rating, but also the governance and the quality of risk management will be a major factor in being able to use internal ratings as a basis for calculating regulatory capital requirements. National supervisors will authorise firms to use one of the internal-ratings based approaches on a case by case basis. Basel II also introduces capital requirements for operational risk, a risk category that was not explicitly addressed under the Basel I rules. To a large extent, the proposed Basel II was in response to widespread criticism of Basel I. But it also reflected additional thought and analysis of the role of bank capital regulation. In particular, Basel II added two new "pillars" - supervisory review (pillar 2) and market discipline (pillar 3) - to the single pillar of minimum capital requirement of Basel I. In response to public comments, the Committee revised its proposal twice and issued a third consultative paper (CP3) in early 2003. If approved, the proposed standards are scheduled for implementation in most countries at the beginning of 2007. In preparation, in August 2003, U.S. regulators circulated an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for the application of Basel II to U.S. banks for public comment by the end of the year, and the major features have been incorporated by the European Union in a proposed revision of its Capital Adequacy Directive (CAD) for financial institutions, for approval by the European Pa rliament and the member national parliaments before adoption A key feature of the New Accord, as noted above, is that it is structured on the basis of three pillars: (1) Pillar 1. Minimum capital requirements for market credit and operational risk (2) Pillar 2. Supervisory review process and (3) Pillar 3. Market discipline These pillars are interlocking and mutually reinforcing. For example, the use of the more sophisticated approaches to credit or operational risk will bring additional disclosure requirements under Pillar 3, and will affect the nature of the supervisory review conducted under Pillar 2.Pillar 1 - Minimum capital requirements Under Basel II, the definition of regulatory capital as well as the minimum required ratio of 8% of risk-weighted assets remains substantially unchanged from the Basel I Accord2. The treatment of position risk arising from trading activities as set out in the 1996 Amendment of Basel I Accord also remains substantially un-changed, although significant changes are proposed to the treatment of counterparty credit risk that have been discussed in a joint working group established by the Basel Committee and the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). The principal modifications relate to the methodology for calculating risk-weighted assets categories, credit and operational risk. The minimum capital requirements and methods used to measure the risks faced by banks, as defined under Pillar 1 of the Basel II Ac-cord, are given in the paragraphs below. Credit Risk: Pillar 1 Three methods for calculating credit risk capital are offered. In order of increasing sophistication and risk

OPERATIONS STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

OPERATIONS STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT - Essay Example McDonalds has a huge supply chain network spread globally and the company puts lots of concentration over its supply chain as it is in the food division so maintenance of the quality of the food items and protecting them from getting damaged. The diagram showing the complete supply chain network of the company is been given below (Bass, 2010, pp. 89-96). The flow of information and also the flow of the materials give a clear indication in as to how important the supply chain is for the company. The company uses various transport medium like for transporting the materials which are perishable are been transported using cold vans which has freezer facilities which helps the company to maintain the quality of the item (Manos and Vincent, 2012, pp. 65-68). Company has looked to get local suppliers for supply of vegetables which can be availed in the fresh way. It has distributors in the supply chain in every city where all the raw materials come from the various suppliers of vegetables, breads, meats, milk items etc. From these distributors the materials are been supplied to the various outlets and restaurants using cold vans and trucks. The time limit for every supply of raw materials is 3 days, that is after every 3 days new stock of raw materials are been supplied to the stores and the maximum stock been maintained in the stores are only for 3 days which helps the company to keep the freshness of the product as a result of which the quality of the food item is been maintained in a good way (Wireman, 2004, pp. 113-115). McDonalds looks to maintain a good relation with the suppliers by providing them good facilities and good knowledge regarding good maintenance of the animals and also gives information to the vegetable suppliers regarding the various methods used for maintaining the quality and freshness of the vegetables. The company ma intains a simple policy of one material-one supplier to give the suppliers under control and