The Key Point Of Business Management - 1535 Words

I. Introduction In current, key point of business management is adaptation. â€Å"Being able to adapt quickly to new ideas, industries and technologies is something every business owner needs to learn to do to help their business thrive.† (Why You Must Adapt or Watch Your Business Die.) All organizations have to adapt to society, and the organizations have to have high performance on competition. However, the business world is quick changing every day. One key that help the organizations avoid risk successfully is the ability to understand the complexities of the organization’s targets, for example, customers, prospects and partners. Consequently, executives of the organizations have to create policy that can make vantage on competition, and†¦show more content†¦Business information systems, one of many information technologies, are designed for supporting business management on both policy and operation. Consequently, it can help executives have good decision on each sector of business management and it can connect working each the sector on sharing information during business the sector both operation systems and management systems. The important sectors of business management consist marketing management, financial management, human resource management, strategic management, production management, operations management, service management, and information technology management. (8 Branches of Business Management) From value chain of Rayport and Sviokla, the each functions of an organization can be clearly classified under four major functions are marketing management, financial management, human resource management, and operations management. (Marketing UC Journal.) Every the functions have a crucial role to lead organizations to successful. In this paper focus on 3 in 4 of businesses function from the value chain. In a world that change quickly, organizations should use information technology to support business because it can support marketing management, financial management, and human resource management. II. Marketing management Marketing management is crucial business function. The management function usurp the market share from competitor and

A Worn Path Analysis - 944 Words

The short story A Worn Path, is around an old African American woman named Phoenix Jackson who makes an arduous trip into town needing prescription for her sick grandson. Amid her outing she talks resoundingly to herself in an urging way to bear the troublesome trek. She has made this trek commonly some time recently, yet this one appears to be essentially harder to oversee. After her daring endeavors and love for her lone grandson, she is effective at recovering the solution. Shockingly, the creator persuades it might have been her final excursion on the way into town. Creator Eudora Welty utilizes imagery, symbolism, and theme in A Warn Path to delineate the principle characters hindrances and difficulties to accomplish her†¦show more content†¦Phoenix might be accustomed to being debilitated and in that capacity, never again fears these dangers. The way that Phoenix lives so distant from town may likewise be huge as it is removing Phoenix from others (and the individuals who live around the local area) that Welty might feature the racial confinement that existed at the time. In A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, Phoenix Jackson has many powerful, and noteworthy allusions. Phoenix Jackson fills in as a suggestion to a flying creature, the Phoenix. This fanciful animal ascents from his own cinders after death. Upon its resurrection, the Phoenix turns out to be significantly more grounded than it was in its past life. Like this flying creature, Phoenix Jackson faces numerous hardships in her trip for her grandsons drug, however picks up quality in defeating obstructions. Although Phoenix is halted by a white man who tries to prevent her from entering town, she kept still with a furious and different radiation. Phoenix, subsequent to being criticized and offended, finds internal certainty and assurance to press forward. Much the same as the legendary animal, Phoenix Jackson transcends her difficulties in life and abandons her hardships previously. Eudora Welty makes this implication to delineate the ostensibly old and hallucinating Phoenix as a character of qualit y. In addition, Phoenix’s excursion is an allusion to Odysseus’s. The adventure isnt precisely an Odysseus voyage, but instead aShow MoreRelatedA Worn Path Analysis1058 Words   |  5 PagesConfrontations and Perseverance: â€Å"A Worn Path† Analysis â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty, published in the Atlantic Monthly during February 1941, portrays an elderly, southern, African American woman’s endurance through a lengthy journey from her home to Natchez, Mississippi to obtain medicine for her ill grandson, who has lye poisoning. Throughout the journey, the protagonist, Phoenix Jackson, confronts several conflicts testing her. The tale describes the encounters of Phoenix Jackson during her travelsRead MoreA Worn Path Analysis999 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty, published in the Atlantic Monthly during February 1941, portrays an elderly, southern, African American woman’s endurance through a lengthy journey from her home to Natchez, Mississippi to obtain medicine for her ill grandson, who has lye poisoning. Throughout the journey, the protagonist, Phoenix Jackson, confronts several conflicts testing her. The tale describes the encounters of Phoenix Jackson during her travels us ing literary devices such as symbolism, conflictRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of A Worn Path1221 Words   |  5 PagesOvercoming Obstacles: A Literary Analysis of â€Å"A Worn Path† Thesis: â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty is one of the best short stories to incorporate different symbolic representations of determination and the will to live. I. Introduction II. Phoenix A. Definition B. Characteristics III. Natural symbolism A. Steep hill B. Thorns of bush IV. Perceived Racism A. Imagined cake B. White hunter V. Arrival in Natchez A. Nurses’ comments BRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of A Worn Path710 Words   |  3 PagesLiterary Analysis of A Worn Path, by Eudora Welty The famous short-story, A Worn Path, has enlightened many readers since it was published in 1941. This story tells the tale of an old woman and her long adventure to town. She experiences many obstacles her journey and people who make her consider giving up, but she keeps her head high and continues on. Welty’s inspiration struck when an elderly woman walked past in the distance on her way through the countryside. â€Å"A Worn Path† is an uplifting taleRead MoreAnalysis of A Worn Path Essay648 Words   |  3 Pageslived a lifetime of hardship. Her role in society is an old black woman in a white world, though she is not ashamed of her inferior position. She has walked a path periodically to get medicine for her chronically ill grandson who drank lye. On a cold December day, she shares one of her journeys to the hospital in Eudora Weltys A Worn Path. This specific journey is examined closely of an old woman full of dedication, dignity and high morale. Before the journey even begins, we come to an understandingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book A Worn Path 1314 Words   |  6 PagesCaleb Clifford Dr. Vogel American Experience, period 6 1 Nov 2014 Racial Prejudice in America: Alive and Well In â€Å"A Worn Path† an old black woman is seen walking through the forest to get medicine for her grandson. Eudora Welty puts the hunter, the doctor’s office, and aspects of the journey itself in Phoenix’s path to symbolize the ongoing struggle of the African American community to gain freedom in post-slavery American society. At the end of her journey, Phoenix obtains medicine that admittedlyRead MoreCharacter Analysis : A Worn Path952 Words   |  4 Pages The main character in â€Å"A Worn Path† is an old woman named Phoenix. She is a very determined and strong woman. The other main character is The Protagonist from â€Å"The Lone Ranger and Tonto†. He is the contrary of Phoenix, he is lost and depressed. Although, both of them are socially isolated or have isolated themselves from society. Both of them come from different -worlds-, the protagonist had a â€Å"good† life full of opportunities. Phoenix had a poor life, from a racist world and little, or no, opportunitiesRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of A Worn Path By Eudora Welty )945 Words   |  4 PagesJourney of Thanks (Literary analysis of A Worn Path by Eudora Welty) How far should one travel to another if they know the will not be thanked for their actions? Eudora Welty, a lady that wrote in a male dominated world, wrote the story A Worn Path, which is consider one of the greatest works of the twentieth century. A Worn Path is about Phoenix Jackson an older woman that goes on a journey through the forest to get to a hospital in another town becauseRead MoreEssay on Character Analysis-a Worn Path918 Words   |  4 Pagesalong with many other things. The word determination is defined as, â€Å"the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose.† Will-power is, â€Å"the strength or will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.† In the short story A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, the main character Phoenix carried out the meaning of these two words throughout the whole story. She had experienced many road blocks during her journey, but she did not let them stop her from reaching the goal she had at the timeRead More An Analysis of Eudora Weltys A Worn Path Essay865 Words   |  4 PagesA Worn Path – An Analysis       The short story A Worn Path by Eudora Welty, is a descriptive story of a grandmothers difficult journey, for a grandson she loves. Her devotion to her grandson and wanting to provide him with a better lifestyle, was her motivation to overcome these trials. On this trip, Phoenix Jackson, the grandmother, struggles against old age, nature, and reality.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phoenix Jackson was certainly a dedicated old lady. She refused to give up, despite the odds

Bloodthirsty America Essay Research Paper Bloodthirsty America free essay sample

Bloodthirsty America Essay, Research Paper Bloodthirsty America On June 7, 1998, James Byrd was decapitated when he was chained behind a pick-up and dragged down a state route, three work forces are being held without bond on charges of capital slaying. James Byrd was a black adult male, and the three work forces accused of his decease are white ; therefore, the slaying is believed to be a hatred offense. These three work forces, for no other ground than the colour of his tegument, took the life of this adult male ; who was person # 8217 ; s boy, person # 8217 ; s hubby, and person # 8217 ; s daddy. Now, I propose a inquiry. Should at that place be such a thing as the decease punishment? Before replying, let me to inquire another inquiry. Make you believe it is incorrect to kill an guiltless homo being despite the individual # 8217 ; s race, credo, sex, or colour? I am presuming that the bulk would reply # 8220 ; yes # 8221 ; to both of these inquiries ; nevertheless, this is impossible. If you answered # 8220 ; yes # 8221 ; to the first inquiry, so you must reply # 8220 ; no # 8221 ; to the latter. Since 1900, three hundred and 50 captives have been found non guilty while on decease row expecting executing ; unluckily, since so at least 23 captives have been executed but were subsequently found to be wholly guiltless, nine of which have taken topographic point since1977. What if you or somebody you know is the following guiltless victim of capital penalty? Possibly you are believing that that is non likely ; nevertheless, that is likely what the old victims thought. For illustration, in the tribunal instance of Herrera V. Collins, Herrera was convicted of slaying in the first grade, set on decease row, and so executed. However, after Herrera # 8217 ; s executing, new grounds non merely proved his artlessness, but showed that his sister was the individual guilty of the offense. Herrera # 8217 ; s sister is now on decease row in Texas expecting executing. Make you still think that there should be a decease punishment? Surveies have shown that, throughout history, America is highly colored and prejudiced. In fact, collected information shows that a black adult male who kills a white adult female is 19 times more likely to have the decease punishment than a white adult male who kills a black adult male. The gender nor the colour should hold anything to make with the determination of put to deathing person. In both instances a human being # 8217 ; s life was taken ; non a black adult male # 8217 ; s life and non a white adult female # 8217 ; s life, but a human being # 8217 ; s life. If the authorities uses the decease punishment as a signifier of penalty, should it non so be used with utmost consistency, and non be race or gender-biased. Take into consideration the cost of capital penalty and that we the taxpayers fund these executings, which are non inexpensive. In fact, an executing cost someplace in the circa of three million dollars per executing ; hence, being three to six times more expensive than bear downing a condemnable with 2nd grade mur der and giving the individual life in prison without word. The United States has spent one billion dollars on capital penalty since 1976 entirely. This is money that could be used to rise jurisprudence enforcement, better the instruction system, assistance in medical research, or assist the needy ; alternatively, it is being used to stop lives. If there is traveling to be capital penalty should non it be done in a cost efficient mode? What of all time happened to the closure by compartment, firing squad, draw and quartering, and the gallows? A tarp could be lain down and the captive could be pushed off a tall edifice. I would state that would be no more than 30 dollars. In all earnestness, would there non be an ample sum of enduring in cognizing that you will neer put pes in the free universe once more and will decease behind the bars of a prison cell? It seems that the bulk of the people in America do non believe so, otherwise there would be more than merely twelve provinces which do non pattern the decease punishment. Since the 1900 # 8217 ; s, the United States of America has executed about 13 thousand persons. Is it truly necessary? Many people believe that, because of the decease punishment, felons will be deterred from perpetrating a homicide. However, most homicides are non thought out carefully, but are offenses of passion or choler ; hence, the individual is non believing about the effects during the clip in which the offense is being committed. In actuality, provinces that have the decease punishment besides have a higher rate of homicides than provinces which do non, which is known as the # 8220 ; brutalisation theory # 8221 ; . For il lustration, Canada # 8217 ; s homicide rate has dropped 27 per centum since they did off with the decease punishment. The lone downside for provinces that do non pattern the decease punishment is that constabulary are more disposed to open fire on a suspect. Cooper # 8217 ; s Law: No state can anticipate its citizens to obey its authorization when it punishes those who commit slaying by transporting out the really act its Torahs are meant to forestall: slaying. This has been and will go on to be one of the strongest statements for the abolishment of the decease punishment every bit long as capital penalty is used in the justness system of the United States. State executing will non convey back the victims of our liquidators ; nevertheless, even through the position of an emancipationist, it is difficult to warrant mildness in such instances as with convicted mass liquidators and consecutive slayers. But maintaining the decease punishment, if for nil less than a few extreme instanc es, is unlogical. Think of some small boy # 8217 ; s or girl # 8217 ; s mother holding to state them that their male parent was executed even though he was guiltless of any offense. Think of your female parent holding to state you that. Equally long as there is such a thing as the decease punishment there is the opportunity that this could go on to you.

Sociology summary Essay Example

Sociology summary Essay Sociology summary Name: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology summary specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sociology summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Sociology summary Sociology refers to study of the human, social life. Sociology is important because it changes the perspective of people on the world. Sociology uses systematic methods of critical analysis, and empirical investigation to evaluate a body of knowledge on human, social activity with the goal of using the information to search for government guidelines planned to profit the general social welfare. The scope of sociology includes culture and deviance, social relations, social interaction and social stratification. The scope has also managed to reach into other distant subjects such as economics, health and scientific development. A key factor in sociology is that society changes with time. Sociology is rooted in societal changes such as the industrial revolution and the scientific revolution that changes the attitudes, behavior and actions. Early sociologists such as Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber were concerned with the social processes that drove the change, for example, the attainment of social objectives, the creation of social classes and the pursuit for solidarity. Other founders such as C. Wright Mills proposed that individuals required a quality of mind that will assist them apply information to achieve logical presumptions of what is going on in the world. The social imagination enables its owner to appreciate the larger historical outlook in terms of its meaning for the inner life. Sociology developed around the 19th century in an answer to the problems arising from modernity. Technological changes and increased mobility contributed to the increased exposure of people to societies and cultures, different from their own. The impact was varied, but for some people, the different cultures warranted an inner understanding of how the world works. Sociology was first introduced by Auguste Comte in 1978 and developed into quantitative and qualitative sociological approaches. Currently, sociology has evolved to investigate human, social life. Introduction to Sociology/Society The basic definition of a society is a cluster of people sharing a definite area and a culture. Social structure refers to the patterns of relationships and behavior within a society. A society is therefore, not only a group of people and culture but also the institutions and relationships between all the entities. Sociology has a distinction between culture and society in that culture refers to the beliefs, values, norms, behaviors and meanings given to symbols in a society. All societies possess cultures and all cultures have societies. Social development is also discussed in the article. Social development is based on the works of Gerhard Lenski who outlined the organizational structures within societies. Social development began with the hunter-gatherer way of life. This way of life was based on exploiting animals and plants. These societies are quite mobile and have flowing boundaries and structures. In these societies, the men hunt larger animals while the women and children collect nuts, roots and fruits. These societies are also nomadic in nature as they travel over vast distances. They also have smaller populations because of their subsistence nature. Prior to 13,000BCE, historical evidence points toward all human societies being hunter-gatherers. Currently, some societies are still embracing the same way of life. Pastoralism is another way of life that is centralized on domesticated livestock. Pastoralists are similarly nomadic as they move seasonally in search of pastures and water for their livestock. Pastoralists often have a larger population than hunter-gatherers, and there is a development of both social divisions and hierarchies in labor due to a food surplus. Presently, some pastoralist societies still exist in parts of Australia where there are sheep stations, in Africa and parts of the Middle East. Horticulturalist societies depend on crop cultivation as the main form of activity. Theories of culture and sociology The easiest way of understanding culture is through viewing the difference between nature and nurture. Culture refers to the abstract, social aspects of human life that are learnt by human beings. Cultures are more than objects or behaviors; they are values, expressive symbols, beliefs and norms. While norms are the way people conduct themselves within the society, values refer to what they hold most important in their lives. High culture refers to the understanding that some cultures are more civilized than others are. Theorists such as Matthew Arnold assumed that culture is created by the best that has been understood by the world. Other objects or aspects that do not fit this category were labeled chaotic. Culture has a constantly changing face toward it. During the Romantic Era, most scholars developed a worldview perspective of culture. This approach distinguished between civilized and uncivilized cultures in the world. Later, the perspective evolved to include a wider variety of societies. This new perspective removed the discriminatory aspect of the worldview and proposed distinctions rather than ranking the cultures into superior and inferior cultures. The origins of culture could be explained using the argument that people living in different locations of the world develop different cultures. Subcultures refer to cultures shared and embraced by a group of people within a larger culture. Subcultures often contain smaller parts of the same culture in which they exist although they may develop substantially to a point that they acquire their own names, for example, biking. Conversely, countercultures are subcultures that have the addition of values, norms or beliefs, for example, the hippie culture or the green movement. The Misguided Advocates of Open Borders Australia has abandoned most of its traditional aspects located in its cultures mainly through immigration. The proposal of opening the borders and remove the restrictions on immigration was bound to have other problems, security excluded. There has been an argument that unrestricted immigration from poor to rich countries could serve as the best way to eradicate Third World poverty. Professor Bagaric from the Deakin University argued that national security, material prosperity and cultural traditions of Australians could be changed by opening up borders to immigrants. Opening the border for immigration across Australia’s borders could have the effect of harming the national interests through a dysfunction of diversity. This includes the increasing imbalance in ethnic stratification that might result in one ethnic group dominating against another within Australia. Ethnic diversity is also closely related to slow economic growth, reduced democracy, increased corruption and organized crime and a higher risk of civil unrest. Unlimited immigration would therefore, be detrimental to first world countries specifically Australia. There have been philosophical issues that have emerged because of the open immigration policy adopted by Australia. First, developed countries were not specifically keen at helping poor countries alleviate their problems by allowing them to mingle with develop cultures. Humanity also looses out by the overpopulation that would be created by the influx of immigrants into developed countries. Secondly, all societies prefer their own people as compared to people from other cultures. Historically, all human societies such as hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists have made certain areas their territories and severely defended them. This shows a reluctance to adopt mass immigration among early societies. Gender There exists a distinction between gender and sex. Gender refers to the perceived component of human sexuality while sex refers to the biological aspect of a human being. Gender refers to a social construction that lacks in defining sex. In gaining a deeper understanding of sex, it can be dichotomized into two main areas: male and female. The female sex is defined by the one producing the reproductive cells that bear offspring. The male is responsible for producing the lesser gamete for fertilization to occur. In most mammals, sex is determined by the X and Y-chromosomes. Gender is a more abstract feeling that an individual is either male or female. Social presentation best shows gender among people in a society. Gender roles are typically expressed through behavioral expectations and norms. People learn the expectations and norms that are required of them in the society and consequently adopt the behaviors that project the gender that they wish to portray. Gender roles are far more flexible than sexes in that they are easily malleable. However, gender involves parents, society, cultures and peers. An example of the difference between gender and sex is in the way a boy and a girl are physically having different features but may share similar gender roles such as dedication, humility or aggression. Apart from the conventional gender roles, there are individuals experiencing gender discordance. These people do not conform to either male or female gender roles. These people may also have biological differences where males may possess female external genitals. The reverse is also true. The study of gender discordance is significant in understanding the emergence of gays and lesbians in the society. There are also differences in the biological and social behaviors among men and women who can be attributed to the roles played by the climatic conditions, as well as other factors. Why Women Make Less than Men The discussion over why women were being paid less in salaries and other forms of reimbursements compared to their male counterparts, mentioned cultural and administrative factors as the reason behind the phenomenon. Women are increasingly viewing a highly paid career as beneficial to them to a point that most of them were ousting men from the positions. The gender hours has been cited as one of the measures that can be used to analyze the contribution by either gender in the workplace. It is common to hear that women earn $30 less than their male counterparts do for every hour that both genders work. It was however, proven that women workers had a tendency of finishing their working hours earlier and logged out of the office leaving behind the male workers. Male workers were also the majority in the lists for extra hours worked. Children have been cited as the main reason as to why women left the workplace earlier than men did. To prove this, studies were done which revealed that childless female employees were more productive than their male counterparts were. The number of women who dropped out of their jobs and had wealthy husbands were also found to be on the increase over the last twenty years. Gender activists provided two main solutions. One, that fathers should play an increased role in the lives of their children. This meant spending more time feeding, sharing and playing with them. This is because while men increase their hours at the workplace, women also contributed significantly to domestic activities. The next solution to closing the hour gap involves childcare policies and longer family leaves. Iceland and Sweden have been cited as the best models for these two programs that have ensured that families have ample time to spend with their members. Despite these measures, mother still tend to spend more time with their children, which reinforces the fact that they will usually produce less hours than men do. Sex differences in humans Sex differences refer to the biological, psychological and mental differences that exist between men and women. Direct sex differences are mainly physical in nature. The differences in the X and Y-chromosomes determine whether an individual will end up a man or a woman. Indirect sex differences occur in the psychological distinctions that exist between men and women. The most glaring differences between the two include the reproductive roles, the internal and external genitals, difference in muscle, height and breasts. Sex determination and differentiation consists of identifying the number of human chromosomes that are X or Y. A set of 23 chromosomes is contributed by the female while the other half originates from the male. The females contain two X chromosomes while the males carry one X and one Y-chromosome. Female eggs also contain one set of 23 chromosomes while the sperm has one set of 23 chromosomes, as well. When an egg fuses having a Y chromosome, the result is a male child while if the sperm contains an X chromosome, the result will be a female child. The whole process of gene selection in chromosomes is referred to as lyonisation. Apart from these two expected results, a phenomenon called sexual dimorphism may occur. In such situations, the resulting child does not exhibit male or female features but may show a mixture of the two physically or psychologically. The subject of human sexual dimorphism has been very controversial in that, many doctors argue that such children cannot possess full function of the mental and physical abilities as either male or female. An example of dimorphism is in the human voice pitch where in the past, men had deep voices while women had high-pitched voices. Some males have been discovered to have high-pitched voices, as well. The physical differences are also significant, for example, the weight, size and shape of the body that differs according to the gender.

buy custom My Consumption and Me essay

buy custom My Consumption and Me essay Introduction Every day we consume or us things that have impacts either to us or to the environment that we live in. All that we care about is the utility that we get from the things that we consume but there are no a single time that we have asked ourselves how the things we consume are processed? How they reach us? Whether they are sustainable or not? Do they have any economic, environmental and cultural effects to us and other people? These questions are based on our lifestyles and how it affects our surroundings and other people (Cororaton 46). Every person is supposed to conduct a research in his or her consumption in order to determine whether they lifestyles are sustainable and environmental friendly or not Research topic The research My consumption and me gives a clear indication that the study is about my own consumption and or my lifestyle in general. From the study it is clear that my lifestyle, just like some of you, is not sustainable and changes are necessary in order to promote ecological balance (Woolman, 280). As the topic states, my fact sheet is about my consumption and how it affect the environment. The research involves a factual study of my wardrobe and even clothes that I no longer wear. It involves the analysis of the type of the clothes that I wear, how they are manufactured, who manufacture them, how they are shipped to my destination and the availability of the resources that make them. On the other hand, clothes that I no longer wear are also evaluated in order to determine their impacts to the environment after disposal. The intention is to determine whether they decompose or remain for long time to the environment. What are their impacts to the environment? Are they friendly or not? The fact that I smoke cigarettes and take alcohol on weekends also has some impacts in my lifestyle that I cant ignore in my fact sheet. Generally, as the research topic states, the fact sheet is about my personal consumption with more attention given to the clothes that I wear and their impacts to ecological balance. Methodology The research involves qualitative research methods whereby I have to analyze all the clothes that I wear by through observation in order to determine my lifestyle. I have also included pictures of my clothes in order to make the fact sheet more illustrative and easy to understand. I have also conducted a literature review concerning the type of the clothes that I wear in order to determine their sustainability in terms of production, and disposal after use. This includes accessing the information available in the manufacturers website, fashion magazines and other articles and books about cloths, lifestyle and environment. After the study, there is a critical analysis on the findings in order to determine the impact of my lifestyle to myself and the environment in general (Woolman, 280). What I normally buy It should be noted that I am a 22 years old man and I normally work in an office during week days. Therefore most of my clothes are official ones which include suits, slacks, ties, and nice shirts. On the weekends I normally wear casual clothes especially when at parties or in the local bar taking some beer. These include fitting jeans, t-shirts and sweaters if the weather is chilly. Due to my lifestyle, especially my drinking and smoking habits, most of my clothes are not bright to avoid stains and dark spots in case a spark from the cigarette accidentally falls on my clothes. On the weekends, I normally drink little unless in times when there is an occasion with my friends. On the other hand smoking is like an addiction to me because on average I smoke a packet of 24 sticks every day. Generally most of my clothing is cotton and buy them from Bank clothiers and HM stores in New York US. This means that I have to drive to these stores any time I need to change my wardrobe. However I do not do shopping frequently and I replace my clothing once they are worn out. Since most of the stores that I go shopping are situated in New York and I do not live in town, I have to drive there which means that my lifestyle involves consumption of petroleum to run my cars engine too. Consequently, there is smoke, though little that is emitted which causes pollution to the environment and irritation to other people. However the impact is minimal since most of my clothes are long lasting and I am not a frequent shopper. However, I mus admit that the amount of clothes that I buy anytime visit the stores have increased tremendously due to changes in my lifestyle such going to work which has increased my need for more and pretty clothes. This has also shortened the duration that I take in order to replace my clothes. My shopping routine Generally my shopping routine revolves from smart official clothes to casual clothes that I wear on the weekends and other days that I am not at work. My shopping list includes fine material trousers and shirts that are mostly made cotton or a mixture of cotton and some polyester. I also buy plenty of fine long sleeved shirts together with their matching ties. I also have few suits that I wear on special occasions. I have buy jeans trousers and t- shirts to substitute my official clothing whenever I am not at work or during parties and weekends. When it comes to shopping, I normally buy what I necessarily require but, like any other young person, sometimes I find myself buying other things that are new in market as long as I they are pleasing to me and I have money. Generally I normally shop for new clothes twice in a year unless there are few replacements making it at most three times in a year. I normally shop for my official clothes from Bank clothiers stores since they are known for making excellent office attire for men (Jos A. Bank Company). When it comes to casual clothes, I prefer HM stores since their jeans and t-shirts are long lasting and affordable (HM clothes company). Most of my clothing last for one to two years since I wear them frequently and any time they are worn out I normally throw them away together with garbage or burn them. This is due to the fact that there are no places to donate or recycle clothes in the place where I live and keeping them is not only unnecessary but also makes my wardrobe to look congested and untidy. Fabrics that constitute my wardrobe Most of my clothes are cotton expect few nylon shirts, polyester shirts and woolen sweaters. For instance, almost all of my official shirts are cotton made or a mixture of cotton and polyester threads. All these clothes I normally buy then from the manufacturers outlets across the city which are Bank Clothiers and HM. These companies normally manufacture they clothes from the raw materials and then distribute the readymade clothes to their stores for sale. Manufacture and effects to the environment Generally, cotton clothes are made from cotton which is harvested from cotton plants that grown in many parts of the world where temperatures are moderately high. When cotton is harvested, it is normally taken to the ginneries where it is prepared into threads that are used to make fabrics that then are sewed together into various clothings. Most of the jeans that I wear are 100% cotton although there are few blends of polyester. The synthetic indigo dye is used in dyeing in order to achieve the favorite color. The belt loops, waistband, back panel, pockets, and leggings of a pair of blue jeans are all made of indigo-dyed denim. Other features include the zipper, buttons, rivets, and label. Rivets are made of copper, but the zippers, snaps and buttons are usually steel. Some have designers' labels that are made out of cloth, leather, or plastic, while others are embroidered on with cotton thread. On the other hand, most of my t- shirts, shirts and materials trousers are made of cotto n too unless few which are made of polyester and or the mixer. I also have jersey T-shirts which are made from knit fabrics. Woolen sweater are made from wool that come from animals such merino sheep and other hairy animals (Woolman, 280). During the manufacturing process, the fabric is normally treated with several chemicals in order to achieve the required color, durability and comfort. However, in every process of finishing cotton fabric, by products which are mostly biodegradable are released. For instance, by products of Denim manufacture includes pollutants such as starch and dye which are harmful to the environment. However, these by products are normally treated through biological methods other than dumping them into streams or lakes where they end up polluting the environment and taking life from these waters due to their high requirement of oxygen for decomposing. The manufactures use biological process to break these by products into compounds that are less or not harmful to the environment. Polyester comes from petroleum which is a non renewaable resource that mining and processing cause immense pollution to the environment. Countries of origin that show in my wardrobe Though most of the clothes that I wear are made here in the US, the raw materials come from different parts of the world. There is high probability that most of the cotton that is used in manufacturing most of my clothes comes from either US, Australia or Egypt. This is due to the fact that the amount of cotton produced in the US and Europe is not adequate to meet all the local requirements. Although Bank Clothier is situated in America, there is high likelihood that most of the cotton that it uses to manufacture cloths comes from other parts of the world thousands of kilometers away. On the other hand, HM Company is a Sweden based cloth making company that has several factories all over Europe and Asia. Since HM is not situated in America, a lot of cost is also incurred during importation of cotton for making clothes and in shipping of clothes to the companys stores in the US where I buy them. Petroleum that is used in the manufacturing of polyester comes from Asian countries whereb y it is shipped to the countries where clothes I wear are made or these companies import read made polyester fabrics for making clothes (Roberts, 65). Effects of shipping and manufacturing to human populations All these processes involved in making of clothes that I wear have both positive and negative impacts to the human population at large. First of all, manufacturing and shipping processes create income earning opportunities to many people resulting to economic growth. Manufacturers and ship owners get income out of their businesses while those who work in these industries are paid some money too. Local governments in the countries where these activities take place get revenue too in for of tax and other levies such a trading license fees. In other words, growth in transport systems and manufacturing industries result to growth in global markets which in term enable individual to access goods and services that are not produced or locally available in the countries (Roberts, 211- 212). Considering my personal scenario, shipping and manufacturing of cloths and clothing making raw materials have enabled me to have clothes that match with my taste any time I want them. However according to environmental theory, we only change one thing and then it leads to other things. Consequently, manufacturing and shipping activities involved have contributed to negative effects to human population too. The processes have resulted to pollution that arises from the byproducts of these industries and shipping trucks, trains and ships. Pollution on the other hand has ruined peoples healthy due to increase of diseases that are caused by exposure to contaminated environments. Alternatives and their differences Considering the effect that use of non biodegradable and other non sustainable raw materials have to the environment, it is the high time that companies involved in manufacturing of clothes should go green. This means that these companies should reduce use of raw materials or manufacturing processes that are harmful the environment. Manufacturing companies should consider making cotton and woolen cloths which are friendlier to the environment. Though cotton is not completely green, it is more environment friendly than other fabrics used to make clothes (Woolman, 280). Bearing in mind sustainable means not affect the ecological balance, it is evident that my clothing and lifestyle are not completely sustainable. For my clothing to be more sustainable, I need to completely change my wardrobe to cotton made clothes that are locally available. I also need to strictly buy clothes that I am in need and not because I have money or certain clothes are pleasing to my eyes. When it comes to disposing of my old clothes, I need to stop disposing them through burning since this is a loss because these clothes can be recycled or donated to those in need. On the other hand, smoke produced when burning these clothes is toxic to human beings and results to environmental pollution (Gow, 112). My life style too especially smoking and drinking of alcohol are no necessities and its the high time to d away with them since they are harmful to my health and expensive to maintain. Smoking causes irritation to other people and results to environment pollution too. By doing so, I will able to have a sustainable lifestyle. Buy custom My Consumption and Me essay

Concession and Refutation

Concession and Refutation Conceding and refuting are important language functions in English. Here are a few short definitions: Concede: Admit that another person is right about something. Refute: Prove that someone else is wrong about something. Often, speakers of English will concede a point, only to refute a larger issue:   Its true that working can be tedious. However, without a job, you wont be able to pay the bills.While you might say that the weather has been really bad this winter, its important to remember that we needed lots of snow in the mountains.I agree with you that we need to improve our sales figures. On the other hand, I dont feel we should change our overall strategy at this time.   Its common to concede and refute at work when discussing strategy or brainstorming. Conceding and refuting are also very common in all types of debates  including political and social issues. When trying to make your point, its a good idea to first frame the argument. Next, concede a point if applicable. Finally, refute a larger issue.   Framingthe Issue Begin by introducing a general belief that you would like to refute. You can use general statements, or speak about specific people that you would like to refute. Here are some formulas to help you frame the issue: Person or institution to be refuted   feel / think / believe / insist / that opinion to be refuted Some people feel that there is not enough charity in the world.Peter insists that we haven’t invested enough in research and development.ï » ¿The board of directors believes that students should take more standardized tests. Making the Concession: Use the concession to show that you have understood the gist of your opponent’s argument. Using this form, you will show that while a specific point is true, the overall understanding is incorrect. You can begin with an independent clause using subordinators that show opposition: While it’s true / sensible / evident / likely that specific benefit of argument, While it’s evident that our competition has outspent us on, ...While it’s sensible to measure students’ aptitudes, ... Although / Even though / Though  its true that opinion,   Although its true that our strategy hasnt worked to date, ...Even though it’s true that the country is currently struggling economically, ... An alternate form is to first concede by stating that you agree or can see the advantage of something in a single sentence. Use  concession verbs  such as: I concede that / I agree that / I admit that   Refuting the Point Now it’s time to make your point. If youve used a subordinator (while, although, etc.), use your best argument to finish the sentence: it’s also true / sensible / evident that refutationit’s more important / essential / vital that refutationthe bigger issue / point is that refutationwe must remember / take into consideration / conclude that refutation †¦ it’s also evident that financial resources will always be limited.†¦ the bigger point is that we do not have the resources to spend.†¦ we must remember that standardized testing such as the TOEFL leads to rote learning.   If youve made a concession in a single sentence, use a linking word or phrase  such as  however, nevertheless, on the contrary, or  above all  to state your refutation: However, we currently do not have that capability.Nevertheless, weve succeeded in attracting more customers to our stores.Above all, the peoples will needs to be respected. Making Your Point Once you’ve refuted a point, continue to provide evidence to  further back up your point of view.   It is clear / essential / of utmost importance that (opinion)I feel / believe / think that (opinion) I believe that charity can lead to dependence.I think that we need to focus more on our successful products rather than develop new, untested merchandise.It is clear that students are not expanding their minds through rote learning for tests.   Complete Refutations Let’s take a look a few concessions and refutations  in their completed form: Students feel that homework is an unnecessary strain on their  limited time. While its true that some teachers assign too much homework, we must remember the wisdom in the saying  practice makes perfect. It is essential that information we learn is repeated to fully become useful knowledge.   Some people insist that profit is the only viable motivation for a corporation. I concede that a  company must profit to stay in business. However, the larger issue is that employee satisfaction leads to improved interactions with clients. It is clear that employees who feel they are compensated fairly will consistently give their best.   More English Functions Conceding and refuting are known as language functions. In other words, language which is used to achieve a specific purpose. You can learn more about a wide variety of language functions and how to use them in everyday English.

Comparative Economic Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comparative Economic - Research Paper Example The impact of change in oil prices is directly linked to all countries in the world and since the selected countries are major players in the market, their economic conditions dictate oil prices in international markets, hence have an indirect impact on the entire world. The purpose of this research is to study the general economic and environmental conditions of various countries in a specific region having similar geographical boundaries, in order to identify and compare the effects of similar economic factors on these countries. 'The Sultanate of Oman is situated on the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula and is located between Latitudes 16 40' and 26 20' North and Longitudes 51 50' and 59 40' East' (Oman Ministry of Tourism, n.d.). Oman controls a small area on Musandam Peninsula which is linked to Strait of Hormuz. Due to its position at the mouth of Guld, the country has a significant strategic importance (ArabNet, n.d.). Oman's coastline is almost 1,300 miles long. Total area is 212,460 km2. The climate is hot and dry with average temperature from 64 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit. Increase in soil salinity and lack of fresh water are the worrying factors for government. Saudi Arabia is the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula having borders with Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, UAE and Yemen. It has Persian Gulf to its northeast and Red Sea to its west. The total area of Saudi Arabia is 2,149,690 km2, which is almost 10 times greater than Oman. Most of the area is desert, hence extreme temperatures are observed. Desertification, depletion of water resources, and coastal pollution from oil spills are major concerns for the country. Desalination plants have been installed to take care of water shortage issue (CIA World Fact Book, 2007). UAE is situated in the southeast of Arabian Peninsula and has a total area of 83,600 km2, least of the three countries. Like Saudi Arabia, most part of the country is desert, hence extreme temperatures are witnessed. Lack of natural fresh water resources, desertification, and beach pollution from oil spills are some of the major issues that the country faces, similar to Saudi Arabia. 4. People As per July 2006 estimates, the total population of Oman is 3,102,229 with almost 577,000 expatriates working as non-nationals. In contrast to this, the combined population of the seven states of UAE is 2,602,713, as per 2006 estimates. This shows that UAE is more densely populated as compared to Oman, due to relatively higher population living in lesser total area. Saudi Arabia is the most heavily populated of the three with total population of 27,019,273 as per 2006 estimates (CIA Fact Book, 2007). The population growth rate is highest for Oman, and is 3.28%. UAE has the least growth rate of the group with only 1.52% increase in population per year. Population growth rate for Saudi Arabia is 2.18%. In Oman, 75% of the population in Ibadhi Muslims, and the rest of 25% include Sunni Muslims, Shi'a Muslims and Hindus. Similarly, UAE has 96% Muslim residents (including 16% Shi'a Muslims), others include Hindus and Christians. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that has 100% Muslim population. The official language of Oman is Arabic, but Eglish, Baluchi, Urdu and Hindi is also spoken. The national language of UAE is also Arabic but since a large portion of population is non-Arabic, hence English, Persian, Urdu and Hindi

Inter-annual Climatic Variability in Libya Essay

Inter-annual Climatic Variability in Libya - Essay Example Moreover, as suggested by Moron and Ward, the climate of the Mediterranean arena is exposed to the South Asian Monsoon, the Siberian High Pressure System along with the Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation, which give rise to a recent confirmation about the tele-connection of ENSO to have extended its reach into segments of the Mediterranean in current times (Moron et al, 1998). The chief physical as well as physio-geographical constraints that regulate the spatial dissemination of the climatic conditions over the Mediterranean, especially, the North African countries are the atmospheric circulation, latitude, altitude and, most importantly, the orography. Moreover, the land-sea interactions and surface temperature distribution are other forces which control the spatial dissemination of the climatic variability (Luterbacher and Xoplaki, 2003). ... The North African area is quite a climate-sensitive region which is climatically emphasized by restrained water reserves and acme of heat attributes, which help in creating or giving rise to the existent socio-political strain. Chiefly, high-frequency as well as the low-frequency variability of precipitation plays a critical part in the management of the regional ecosystem and socio-economics. Previous analyses on African climatic variability have concluded that the African continent, chiefly, the northern segment, is meticulously susceptible to the influences of climatic variations for the reason that it has some factors such as extensive poverty, persistent droughts, unbalanced land dissemination, and overdependence on the rain-fed agriculture (Hulme, 1996). Occasional response activities have been believed to be transcending the economic source of many countries. Worsening in terms of trade, improper policies, high populace growth rates, as well as lack of noticeable investment, all encompassed with a highly variable climate have made it hard for various countries of Africa to develop frames of livelihood which would deter pressure on the natural reserve base. Various reports fell short of assigning pertinent significance to these so many constraints in Africa's capability to adjust with the climate variability, and it is still not possible as it gives rise to new chall enges for analyses hereafter. The Mediterranean region, chiefly, the northern African

Purpose Of The Academic Community Essay Example for Free

Purpose Of The Academic Community Essay The continuous and dynamic research in the academic community provides an avenue for development and growth not only for the institution but also for the students and instructors as well. Due to the rapid changes happening in the world and the increasing effects of globalization, the academic community must also make a firm stand in addressing these changes to create continuity and stability. The main importance of doing research in the academe is creating new literature that paves the way for new knowledge. Through the years, there are emerging new issues that need to be addressed. Doing research can be vital in contributing to the study or field. Research is vitally important especially in the academic community due to the fields overall tendencies to continually change and evolve. Having appropriate foundation in conducting research can help academic institutions cope with the standards of education that will foster a better modes and mechanisms for teaching students. A fully research equipped academic institution can have many benefits that can spill to (1) students, (2) instructors and (3) the community. With the evolution of research, it can foster an environment for better facilitators and instructors. â€Å"Increased ability to attract highly qualified and motivated members of staff (both nationally and internationally)† (Aceto, 2005, p.2) In addition, increased research can also create a positive domino effect first with the school/university, instructors, the students and the community. In the end, conducting research in the academic community produces positive effects with the actors involved. Thus, there is a need to â€Å"strengthen the commitment to research-based teaching and post graduate education.† (Aceto, 2005, p.7) The challenge for educators and the academic community is maintaining sustainable measures and funding that will ensure the continuous development of such endeavor. This is an important determinant for success. References Aceto, L. (2005) The Importance of Research for a Modern University. [on-line] Retrieved November 8, 2007 from http://www.cs.aau.dk/~luca/SLIDES/importance-of-research.pdf

The War on Drugs is Failing Essay -- George Bushs War on Drugs

The War on Drugs is Failing â€Å"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance†¦ for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and make a crime out of things that are not a crime. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principle upon which our government was founded† Abraham Lincoln On January 16, 1920 the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified by thirty-six states and became part of the Constitution. The intention of this new amendment was to lower alcohol consumption by Americans. At the time each American consumed on average thirty gallons of alcohol a year.[1] This new amendment took away the license to do business from the brewers, distillers, and the wholesale and retail sellers of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol consumption did taper off somewhat at the beginning of prohibition only to slowly rise back to pre-prohibition levels shortly before the end of the movement which took place on December 5,1933. Not only was the goal of prohibition never achieved, but it raised organized crime to levels of power unimaginable before and seriously disrupted both the legitimacy and revenue of the government. Just as Prohibition incited many unsavory activities, so has the War on Drugs. The easiest way to show the connection between these to movements is an excerpt from an article pertaining to Prohibition in America during the 1920’s: Bootleggers ran wild. Professional robberies began as soon as Prohibition did. Territories were divided by groups of organized crime that became the scum known as the Mafia. The territories were decided by violence and death, both against each other, as well as those in the public who may/may not have been innoce... ...equipped with state of the art learning tools. Teachers will receive pay raises. Students will be in an environment conducive to learning. Not to mention violence in schools will diminish drastically. Public schools across America would phase out drug addicts by teaching drug awareness, tolerance and moderation. It is quite clear that the War on Drugs is failing. A drug free country would be ideal. So would an alcohol-free country, a pollution-free country, and most likely a fast food-free country. None of these things will happen, so we have to make the best out of the situation as it is presented. The only practical method of dealing with this problem is the legalization of drugs. The government should take advantage of the money drug revenues will generate to supply the youth of America with the knowledge to make the right choice.

Solution of Cross Cultural Project Management

Successful Strategies for Global Projects By Alicia Trelles-Duckett on August 23, 2012 7  2  0 No doubt installations in other geographies come with their own inherent set of challenges. Currency fluctuations; centralized versus local procurement; languages; time zones. And those are even before considering difficulties due to the particular technology being deployed, or the source of spare parts, or infrastructure in the country. This discussion aims to introduce a technique which can help you increase the acceptance of your initiative in other geographies, as well as resolve any disagreements quickly and with much improved team spirit.No, it is not the traditional Project Management methodology: I will not start extolling here the virtues of the â€Å"Project Charter†. The magic ingredient in international projects, as I have discovered throughout 18 years of successfully deploying such, is treating our colleagues from other countries in a manner which puts them at ease. Notice that this recommendation goes well past the tired old adage: â€Å"Treat those from other countries with sensitivity†. That much is obvious, and we would certainly try to conduct ourselves thus.The recommendation is to approach colleagues from another geography with a demeanor they would find in their own country. In other words, if you are dealing with Brazilians, try to ‘act Brazilian’ as you collaborate with them; if you are working with a Finn, try to ‘act Finnish’. So how do we develop a good picture of what ‘acting Australian’ or ‘acting Japanese’ might entail? Fortunately, there’s excellent research on intercultural cooperation we can consult. Fons Trompenaars’ Riding the Waves of Culture, or Nancy Adler’s International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior are some of the best books on the intercultural topic.My personal favourite in the â€Å"intercultural† arena, as relevant toda y as when its first edition was published in the UK in 1991, is Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind by Dr. Geert Hofstede. The ground-breaking contribution of Dr. Hofstede’s research is that, through thousands of surveys of IBM professionals in dozens of countries, he is able to arrive at a numerical value for certain elements or â€Å"dimensions† which make up Culture. So for example, we learn that Malaysia, on average, has the highest score (104) for â€Å"Power Distance†, meaning that as a group they are uite comfortable accepting power inequalities in society. At the other extreme, Great Britain and Canada have low scores (35 and 39 respectively), which translate into a â€Å"limited dependence of subordinates on their bosses†. In other words, British and Canadian employees (as a group) are not afraid to approach their bosses or disagree with them. Another useful discussion centers around the topic of â€Å"collectivistic† cultures (where the interest of the group prevails over the interest of the individual) compared to â€Å"individualistic† cultures (in which the interests of the individual prevail).It comes as no surprise that the country with the highest individualism score is the USA (91), closely followed by Australia (90). At the other extreme, the countries with the lowest individualism scores are Ecuador (8) and Guatemala (6). Personally, I have leveraged his findings to arrive at the following communication paradigms, in order to make my counterparts in other geographies more at ease as we negotiate and coordinate project milestones. It has proven a huge advantage, as the largest difficulties in technology projects are not about the technology. They are about people.With colleagues from Latin America (Venezuela, Panama, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia) and certain Asian countries (Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia) with large acceptance of power, †¢ Stress clear definitions: what constit utes in-scope vs. out-of-scope †¢ Stress the benefit to the whole project/company †¢ Stress checkpoints for scope verification †¢ Lively exchange, having fun, yet sticking to the rules With collegaues from Northern/Western Europe/Australia/New Zealand, which exhibit large individualism, †¢ Have all the facts, be decisive †¢ Recognize the contribution of these colleagues †¢ Relaxed approach, not stressing hierarchy Sell/negotiate work deliverables †¢ Stress value of the project to their particular unit How would you know a country’s â€Å"Individualism (IDV)† or â€Å"Power Distance† (PDI) scores? The best source would be Dr. Hofstede’s book. Alternatively, ITIM International has kindly published the scores in the website http://www. geert-hofstede. com/ I hope you find these recommendations useful and that they make you successful in your next international project. —————— Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€ For more resources, see the Library topic Projec http://managementhelp. org/blogs/project-management/2012/08/23/successful-strategies-for-global-projects/

International Marketing Strategy Essay

For most manufacturers, success or failure is determined by how effectively and efficiently their products are sold through their marketing channel members (e. g. , agents, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers). Given this situation, considerable marketing channel research has focused on organizational responsibility for managing channel how interrelationships among a firm and its channel members can be managed better (Achrol and Stern 1988; Anderson et al 1997). Globalization of markets is a phenomenon that has received much attention and been extensively debated both at general societal/institutional/cultural levels and at market and business levels. In any globalization process, distribution of goods and services between and within local industrial and consumer markets is of great importance. A marketing channel is a set of interdependent organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for consumption. Globalization of markets and reorganization of distribution are mutually dependent processes that involve changes in market structures. Mattsson & Wallenberg, 2003) As national markets expand and as new opportunities arise for satisfying consumer demand, greater specialization in distribution is evident both in the level of distribution and in goods and services handled (Mallen, 1996). Moreover, as the global marketplace expands, many multinational firms have been influenced by mounting pressures to develop a worldwide communication, distribution and information network that facilitates the free flow of information and goods across national boundaries (Min & Eom, 1994). Distribution channels excellence has become a powerful source of competitive differentiation. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, companies began to view distribution channels as more than simply a source of cost savings and recognize it as a source of enhancing product or serve offerings as part of the broader supply chain process to create competitive advantage. (Mentzer et al, 2004). International distribution channels In international marketing the manufacturer doesn’t sell products directly, it goes through several parties-before reaching the consumer. It involves various channels and variety of intermediaries. In order to sustain the growth of the international marketplace and the integration of the world’s economic activities it is vital to conduct efficient and cost-effective distribution according to Ross (1996). The challenge to global distribution management is to structure a supply chain that is responsive and flexible enough to cope with differences in customers’ requirements and yet enable the benefits of focused manufacturing to be achieved. According to Black et al (2002) the past decade has seen some of the most rapid and substantive changes in channels of distribution for goods and services in developed economies. What companies must remember is that the choice of distribution channel is quite complicated in the home market of a company but even more complicated when going international and starting to export. It is vital for companies who are about to establish abroad that they realize that the choice of distribution channel is crucial for future success and growth. There are many alternative distribution channels to choose from and the conditions may vary from different companies and markets. Furthermore, the choice of distribution channel is often complex and expensive if changing it subsequently. Therefore, it is central that the decision is given the attention and acknowledgement, which is called for due to the fact that it has such a long-term outcome of the export investment’s success. (Anderson et al, 1997). Distribution builds stable competitive advantages, since marketing channels have a long-run character and to build them it is necessary to have a consistent structure; and due also to the fact that they are focused on people and relationships. With channels of distribution changing rapidly studies of consumers will need to focus not just on understanding product choice but also on understanding the reasons for channel choice. Distribution channel intensity Another channel strategy according to Jobber (2001) is the intensity of the distribution channel. According to Kotler (2000) and Fein and Anderson (1997) companies have to decide on the number of intermediaries to use at each channel level. Three approaches are available: intensive distribution, selective distribution and exclusive distribution. Mallen (1996) states that intensive distribution is at one end of the scale where the policy is to distribute to as many outlets as possible, and that exclusive distribution is at the other end of the scale, where the policy is to distribute only to one intermediary at a given level in a given geographic area. The broad middle ground is normally referred to as selective distribution. Intensive distribution consists of the manufacturer placing the goods or services in as many outlets as possible. This approach is generally used for everyday goods such as milk, bread, tobacco products and soap, products for which the consumer requires a great deal of location convenience. Manufacturers are constantly tempted to move from exclusive or selective distribution to more intensive distribution to increase coverage and sales. Intensive distribution may help in the short term but often hurts long-term performance. (Kotler, 2000) According to Mallen (1996) intensive distribution tends to maximize sales for the simple reason that more outlets increase the possibilities of consumer contact. Yet, this approach means a more elaborate marketing operation at the manufacturer level. Selective distribution involves the use of more than a few but less than all of the intermediaries who are willing to carry a particular product. It is used by established companies and by new companies seeking distributors. The company does not have to dissipate its efforts over too many outlets; it enables the producer to gain adequate market coverage with more control and less cost than intensive distribution. Kotler, 2000) Selective distribution is generally applied on rarely bought goods such as DVDs, computers and cameras according to Fein and Anderson (1997). Exclusive distribution means severely limiting the number of intermediaries. It is used when the producer wants to maintain control over the service level and service outputs offered by the resellers. (Kotler, 2000) While minimizing costs, exclusive distribution tends to maximize channel goodwill and channel control. It is easier for the manufacturer to have completely satisfactory relationships with a few intermediaries than with many in a given area according to Mallen (1996). Often it involves exclusive dealing arrangements, in which the resellers agree not to carry competing brands. By granting exclusive distribution, the producer hopes to obtain more dedicated and knowledgeable selling. (Kotler, 2000) Exclusive distribution is often used on capital goods such as cars according. Importance of distribution Distribution is a key component of any international marketing strategy. To successfully deliver products and services to customers spread across different geographies, you’ll have to develop an international marketing strategy with special emphasis on supply chain, which includes distribution. If your business has entered various markets, it may not be possible for you to single-handedly manage the overseas operations. You’ll have to develop an effective distribution channel. This channel will consist of channel intermediaries, who will make sure that the product reaches the end user. Distribution is critical to your overseas operations because: 1. It has a direct effect on sales. If you don’t have a good distribution network, your products may stack up in a warehouse and won’t reach your target customers. 2. It affects your profits as well. As distribution costs can make up to 50 percent of the final selling price of some products, an efficient distribution network can increase your profit margins. 3. It has an influence on customer satisfaction. As the long-term success of your overseas operations depends on satisfying your customers, choose your dealers and retailers carefully as they will be responsible, to a large extent, what your customers think about your product and if they will recommend your product to others. 1. 4 Types of distribution channels To gain competitive advantage in the market, you need to identify the right distribution channel that is familiar with your target consumer and segment. Also make sure that the distribution channel that you choose shares similar policies and strategies as your company and has a proven track record in the market. You can choose from among several channels of distribution. Your chosen distribution channel will directly affect all your other marketing decisions. Here are some options: Direct marketing: In this method, the company interacts with its customers directly without any intermediaries. Mail orders, the Internet and phone calls are some of the ways your potential customers can learn about your products and make purchases. Agents: Agents operate on a commission basis. You’ll have to pay these agents on the volume of sales they generate. Agents do not accept any legal ownership of the product. This kind of channel is usually expensive, as an agent is expensive to train and the physical distance makes his progress difficult to track. Distributors: Distributors buy the goods directly from you and will then sell it to retailers. Since they take title to the goods, they are free to determine the prices of the goods themselves and develop their own marketing strategies. They usually have storage facilities. Retailers: Retailers sell to the end customers and are, therefore, able to develop a better bond with them. The retailer takes on the responsibility of promoting the products and often decides the price of the product. Manufacturing-owned intermediaries: This is a capital-intensive option, as your business will directly set up sales and service units in the markets that it has a presence. 2. 0 Channel Management Strategies Channel Management is yet another sales and marketing phrase that is thrown around like everyone knows what it means. But so few companies really comprehend channel management in a way that really helps them. Sales channels being the conduits by which we distribute our products to the end-user come in many shapes from direct, to the web, to the traditional retail environment. Channel Management Strategies (CMS) provides the latest research, benchmarking data, analytic models, and thought leadership necessary to align and enhance your existing channel management initiatives. Channel Management Strategies delivers objective data and intelligence to compare and contrast your efforts with peer organizations, and provides thought-provoking research on industry trends, best-practice models and tactics, budget and resource allocation and measurement strategies. Channel management is a process by which a company creates formalized programs for selling and servicing customers within a specific channel. it can impact businesses in a positive way. First segment channels by like characteristics (their needs, buying patterns, success factors, etc. and then customize a channel management program that includes: 1. Goals: Define the specific goals you have for each channel segment. Consider your goals for the channel as a whole as well as individual account. And, remember to consider goals for both acquisition and retention. 2. Policies: Construct well defined polices for administering the accounts within this channel. Be sure to keep the unique characteristics of each segment in mind when defining policies for account set up, order management, product fulfillment, etc. 3.  Products: Identify which products in your offering are most suited for each segment and create appropriate messaging. Also, determine where to upsell opportunities lie. 4. Sales/Marketing Programs: Design support programs for your channel that meet their needs, not what your idea of their needs are. To do this, you should start by asking your customers within this segment, â€Å"how can we best support you in the selling and marketing of our products? † That being said, the standard considerations are product tra ining, co-op advertising, seasonal promotions, and merchandising. Again, this is not a one-size fit all, so be diligent about addressing this segment’s specific needs in these areas. Defining a channel management strategy for each segment allows the organization to be more effective within each segment, while gaining efficiency at the same time. Still, maintaining brand consistency across all channel segments is critical to your long-term success. So it has to find a good balance between customization and brand consistency for a successful channel management.

Substrate Definition in Chemistry and Other Sciences

Substrate Definition in Chemistry and Other Sciences The definition of substrate depends on the context in which the word is used, particularly in the sciences. Definitions of Substrate Substrate (chemistry): A substrate is the medium in which a chemical reaction takes place or the reagent in a reaction that provides a surface for absorption. For example, in the fermentation of yeast, the substrate the yeast acts upon is sugar to produce carbon dioxide. In biochemistry, an enzyme substrate is the substance the enzyme acts upon. Sometimes the word substrate is also used as a synonym for the reactant, which is the molecule consumed in a chemical reaction. Substrate (biology): In biology, the substrate may be the surface on which an organism grows or is attached. For example, a microbiological medium may be considered a substrate. The substrate may also be the material at the bottom of a habitat, such as gravel at the base of an aquarium. Substrate may also refer to the surface on which an organism moves. Substrate (materials science): In this context, a substrate is a base on which a process occurs. For example, if gold is electroplated over silver, the silver is the substrate. Substrate (geology): In geology, substrate is underlying stratum.

History and Background on the Yakuza in Japan

History and Background on the Yakuza in Japan They are famous figures in Japanese movies and comic books - the yakuza, sinister gangsters with elaborate tattoos and severed little fingers. What is the historical reality behind the manga icon, though? Early Roots The yakuza originated during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 - 1868) with two separate groups of outcasts. The first of those groups were the tekiya, wandering peddlers who traveled from village to village, selling low-quality goods at festivals and markets. Many tekiya belonged to the burakumin social class, a group of outcasts or non-humans, which was actually below the four-tiered Japanese feudal social structure.   In the early 1700s, the tekiya began to organize themselves into tight-knit groups under the leadership of bosses and underbosses. Reinforced by fugitives from the higher classes, the tekiya started to participate in typical organized crime activities such as turf wars and protection rackets. In a tradition that continues to this day, tekiya often served as security during Shinto festivals, and also allocated stalls in the associated fairs in return for protection money. Between 1735 and 1749, the shoguns government sought to calm gang wars between different groups of tekiya and reduce the amount of fraud they practiced by appointing oyabun, or officially sanctioned bosses. The oyabun was allowed to use a surname and to carry a sword, an honor previously allowed only to samurai. Oyabun literally means foster parent, signifying the bosses positions as the heads of their tekiya families. The second group that gave rise to the yakuza was the bakuto, or gamblers. Gambling was strictly forbidden during Tokugawa times and remains illegal in Japan to this day. The bakuto took to the highways, fleecing unsuspecting marks with dice games or with hanafuda card games. They often sported colorful tattoos all over their bodies, which led to the custom of full-body tattooing for modern-day yakuza. From their core business as gamblers, the bakuto branched out naturally into loan sharking and other illegal activities. Even today, specific yakuza gangs may identify themselves as tekiya or bakuto, depending on how they make the majority of their money. They also retain rituals used by the earlier groups as part of their initiation ceremonies. Modern Yakuza Since the end of World War II, yakuza gangs have rebounded in popularity after a lull during the war. The Japanese government estimated in 2007 that there were more than 102,000 yakuza members working in Japan and abroad, in 2,500 different families.  Despite the official end of discrimination against burakumin in 1861, more than 150 years later, many gang members are descendants of that outcast class. Others are ethnic Koreans, who also face considerable discrimination in Japanese society. Traces of the gangs origins can be seen in the signature aspects of yakuza culture today. For example, many yakuza sport full-body tattoos which are made with traditional bamboo or steel needles, rather than modern tattooing guns. The tattooed area may even include the genitals, an incredibly painful tradition. The yakuza members usually remove their shirts while playing cards with each other and display their body art, a nod to the bakuto traditions, although they generally cover up with long sleeves in public. Another feature of yakuza culture is the tradition of yubitsume or severing the joint of the little finger.  Yubitsume is performed as an apology when a yakuza member defies or otherwise displeases his boss.  The guilty party cuts off the top joint of his left pinkie finger and presents it to the boss; additional transgressions lead to the loss of additional finger joints.   This custom originated in Tokugawa times; the loss of finger joints makes the gangsters sword grip weaker, theoretically leading him to depend more on the rest of the group for protection. Today, many yakuza members wear prosthetic fingertips to avoid being conspicuous. The largest yakuza syndicates operating today are the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, which includes about half of all active yakuza in Japan; the Sumiyoshi-kai, which originated in Osaka and boasts about 20,000 members; and the Inagawa-kai, out of Tokyo and Yokohama, with 15,000 members. The gangs engage in criminal activities such as international drug-smuggling, human trafficking, and arms smuggling. However, they also hold significant amounts of stock in large, legitimate corporations, and some have close ties with the Japanese business world, the banking sector, and the real estate market. Yakuza and Society Interestingly, after the devastating Kobe earthquake of January 17, 1995, it was the Yamaguchi-gumi who first came to the aid of victims in the gangs home city. Likewise, after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, different yakuza groups sent truck-loads of supplies to the affected area. Another counter-intuitive benefit from the yakuza is the suppression of petty criminals. Kobe and Osaka, with their powerful yakuza syndicates, are among the safest towns in a generally safe nation because small-fry crooks do not trespass on yakuza territory. Despite these surprising social benefits of the yakuza, the Japanese government has cracked down on the gangs in recent decades. In March of 1995, it passed tough new anti-racketeering legislation called the Act for Prevention of Unlawful Activities by Criminal Gang Members. In 2008, the Osaka Securities Exchange purged all of its listed companies that had ties to the yakuza. Since 2009, police across the country have been arresting yakuza bosses and shutting down businesses that cooperate with the gangs. Although the police are making serious efforts to suppress yakuza activity in Japan these days, it seems unlikely that the syndicates will disappear entirely. They have survived for more than 300 years, after all, and they are closely entwined with many aspects of Japanese society and culture.

Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Assignment - Coursework Example In this regards, some of the companies that form the above corporation are; Coca Cola company, Honda, Toshiba, Nike, BMW and Wal-Mart just to mention but a few. Notably, research made by Willy keen states that, this company’s allegations stand out that they improve on the economy of countries that are not well-off mainly the third world countries, with the reason of improving on their economy and marketing themselves (Organization, 2005). However, these companies are at big risk of translation exposures because of different political and economical challenges in different nations. Translation exposure is the difference between the exposed rates and liabilities; this may give the rise to currency or fall. Furthermore, this has in turn created a huge challenge in centralization management of the companies involved in this system. Nevertheless, economically these companies are at risk of losing some cash because of huge geographical area of management. Additionally, transaction from this companies experience delays in some areas because of centralized management, hence more risk of losing customers and other great deals. This companies have been rated to have borrowed different amount in the past five years to cater for the economical imbalances. Coca Cola Company $ 12 billion in the year 2003, Toshiba $ 22 million in the year2011 and BMW $ 17 billion in the year 2012. This has been a big challenge in determining and examining the growth of these companies because of the debts they incur yearly (Publishing,

Citrus industry in Florida Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Citrus industry in Florida - Research Paper Example In 1834, citrus groves were being cultivated by farmers, which were interrupted by the occurrence of a freeze in February of 1835 (Florida’s Citrus Production 2013). The freeze, which happened on February of 1835, killed all the fruit trees in St. Augustine as temperature dropped to seven degrees above zero, thus, robbing people of their income (Dobson 2009). The farmers’ recovered production for the succeeding fifty-one years as the state only experienced warm winters; during this time, northeast Florida, as well as St. John’s County, became the hub of citrus supply (Dobson 2009). In the 1890’s, citrus production increased to five million boxes per year due to the demand for the said fruit in the northeast and the existence of rail lines, which promoted long distance shipping of the citrus fruits (About Citrus 2012). In fact, in the year 1894, the shipment of crates of citrus to the north amounted up to 5,000,000 (Dobson 2009). On December of 1894, anothe r freeze happened, killing all of Florida’s orange crops in its wake. On the eighth of February the following year, another freeze came about, bringing about the same disastrous effects; such was its impact that on 1896, Florida was only able to ship a little above 100,000 crates of oranges (Dobson 2009). The freeze caused the abandonment of citrus groves in the North of Florida and the production of melons and potatoes in its place (Dobson 2009). This was the most severe in the history of freezes that Florida had undergone (Timeline of Major Florida Freezes 2013). In 1901, there were little above 1,000,000 crates produced (Dobson 2009). In 1917 and 1934, still the state was plagued with the same natural calamity; the freeze of 1934 resulted in the formation of the Federal Frost Warning Service -- a replacement of the train whistles, which warned people of imminent frosts in the previous years (Dobson 2009). The occurrence of continuous freezes in December of 1934, as well as on February of 1935, yielded a negative impact as it reduce production from a million boxes to just below 150,000 boxes of citrus (About Citrus 2013). Again, the farmers planted their citrus crops, yet another freeze took its toll in

Diversification Strategies Southwest Airlines Assignment

Diversification Strategies Southwest Airlines - Assignment Example Corporate Culture The case study clearly indicates that Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture greatly differs from that of other airlines. As Bermont (2004, p. 101) points out, when other airlines focus on profit maximization, the Southwest Airlines specifically tries to provide its customers with funny flight experiences at affordable rates. Since the company prioritizes customer satisfaction, it provides passengers with several financial benefits that other competing airlines hesitate to offer. To illustrate, when other airlines began to charge for customers’ checked baggage, Southwest Airlines stood firmly against those kinds of additional charges. Instead of charging customers’ baggage, the firm integrated taglines saying ‘We Love Your Bags’ into its advertising campaigns (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 237). These operational policies of the organization greatly impressed customers and, therefore, contributed to customer loyalty. The most distinguishin g feature of Southwest Airlines’ corporate culture is that it attaches specific importance to humor and energy from the time of its founder Herb Kelleher. The company management holds the view that if it can keep its employees happy, they, in turn, will ensure high quality services to their customers. According to the president Colleen Barrett, â€Å"Southwest likes to think of itself as a customer service organization that happens to fly airplanes†; and as per the company’s corporate culture, â€Å"servant’s heart† must be a necessary characteristic that every employee must possess (as cited in Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 237). The company management conducts group interviews to evaluate how their employees would interact with a customer. In contrast to other airlines, Southwest Airlines provides its employees with a common platform so as to express their opinions, attain education and training, and ultimately improve their performance. Thus the organ ization greatly fosters employee creativity. The Southwest management encourages its employees to be proactive and take decisions from the heart. As Southwest’s middle level managers, supervisors, and frontline employees are allowed to take decisions, passengers would not face any difficulty in obtaining timely and quality services. According to employees and passengers, a key factor that distinguishes Southwest’s corporate culture from others is that the organization holds a ‘heart’ (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 238). How the Southwest’s Culture has benefited its Growth? While analyzing the company’s extensive corporate history, it is clear that the firm’s unique culture has benefited the airlines and its employees. High level customer loyalty, low cost, and employee empowerment are the major three ways that aided the organization and its employees. Firstly, strong customer loyalty helped the company to survive market difficulties includin g global financial recession of 2008. The case study clearly reflects that the company offers only reasonable fares to its customers and refuses to charge for additional services such as baggage. As Lovelock, Wirtz, and Chatterjee (2004) point out, Southwest’s convenient flight schedules are really helpful for passengers, because most of other airlines do not provide such flexible time schedules. Furthermore, the organization always strives to maintain cheerful services and a genuine interest in its passengers. Such positive

Ignition Timing Advance Of The Petrol Engine Engineering Essay

Ignition Timing Advance Of The Petrol Engine Engineering Essay Ignition Timing: as applied to the spark ignition engines (petrol engines) is a process of setting the time at which the spark plug should fire in the combustion chamber during the compression with respect to the piston position and the crankshaft angular velocity. The spark plug should fire before TDC and the flame should terminate after TDC. Setting the appropriate ignition timing is very crucial as it decides the time available for combustion of the air-fuel mixture. Hence, the ignition timing affects many variables including fuel economy and engine power output. Earlier engines that use mechanical spark distributors rely on the inertia of rotating weights and springs and manifold vacuum in order to set the ignition timing throughout the RPM range of the engine; whereas the latest engines consists of an ECU (engine control unit) which uses a computer to control the ignition timing throughout the engines RPM range. Factors influencing ignition timing: Type of ignition system used. Engine speed. Load of the engine: with more load (larger throttle opening) requiring less advance (as the mixture burns faster). Components used in the ignition system. Settings of the ignition system components. Temperature of the engine; lower temperature allows for more advance. The ignition timing to some extent also depends on the octane number of the fuel, and the air-fuel ratio as this determines the speed with which the fuel burns. Usually, any major engine changes or upgrades will require a change to the ignition timing settings of the engine. Timing Advance: refers to the number of degrees before top dead centre (bTDC) that the spark will ignite the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber during the compression stroke. In contrast to that, timing retard refers to the changing in ignition timing, so that the fuel ignition takes place later than the manufacturers specified time. As an example, if the set ignition time was 12Â ° bTDC, then when the fuel ignition starts later than 12Â ° bTDC, it is known as ignition retard; similarly when the air-fuel mixture is ignited at an angle greater than 12Â ° bTDC, it would be known as ignition advance. Timing advance is necessary because it takes time for the combustion of the air-fuel mixture to complete. Igniting the mixture before the piston ends its compression stroke would maximize the limit to which the mixture burns completely, and hence help to build up maximum pressure soon after the piston reaches the TDC. This would ensure maximum power output by maximizing the force with which the piston is pushed down, by maximizing the pressure as soon as the piston starts going down when the power stroke is initiated. Ideally, the mixture should be completely burnt by 20Â ° aTDC (after TDC). If the ignition occurs at a position that is too advanced relative to the piston position, the rapidly expanding air-fuel mixture can actually push against the piston still moving up, causing detonation and lost power; whereas if the ignition is too retarded relative to the piston position, the maximum cylinder pressure will occur after the piston has already travelled too far down the cylinder. This would result in lost power accompanied by high emissions and unburnt fuel. Why is Ignition timing advance required? The ignition timing needs to be increasingly advanced (relative to the TDC) as the engine speed increases, so that the air-fuel mixture has the correct amount of time to burn completely. As the engine speed increases, the time available to burn the mixture decreases while the burning itself proceeds at the same speed; this requires the burning to start earlier to complete in time. The correct timing advance for a given engine speed will allow for maximum cylinder pressure to be achieved at the correct crankshaft angular position. Combustion in SI Engines: The combustion process in SI engines consists of three major parts: Ignition and flame development, Flame propagation, and Flame termination. Consumption of the first 5-10% of the air-fuel mixture is generally considered as the flame development. During the flame development period, the spark plug fires and the combustion process starts, but very little pressure rise is observed (graph-1). Almost all the useful work is produced in an engine cycle during the flame propagation period of the combustion process. During this period 80-90% of the air-fuel mass is burnt; the cylinder pressure is greatly increased which provides the force to produce work in the expansion stroke. The final 5-10% of the air-fuel mass which burns is classified as flame termination. During this time, pressure drops and combustion is finally terminated. The combustion process ideally consists of an exothermic sub-sonic flame progression through a premixes almost homogenous air-fuel mixture. The spread of the flame front is greatly enhanced by the induced turbulence and swirl within the cylinder. Ignition and Flame Development: The process of combustion is initiated by an electric discharge across the electrodes of a spark plug anywhere between 10Â ° to 30Â ° bTDC, depending on the geometry of the combustion chamber. The high-temperature plasma discharge between the electrodes ignites the air-fuel mixture in the immediate vicinity, and the flame spreads outwards from here. Graph . The increase in pressure rise is very slow after ignition during the flame development period. This results in a slow pressure force increase on the piston and a smooth engine cycle. Maximum pressure occurs 5Â ° to 10Â ° aTDC. The combustion starts very slowly due to the high heat losses to the relatively cold spark plug and the gas mixture. The flame can generally be detected at about 6Â ° of crank rotation after the spark plug firing. The applied potential across the spark plug is usually 25,000-40,000 V. overall spark discharge lasts about 0.001 second with an average temperature of about 6000 K. The discharge of the spark plug delivers about 30 to 50 mJ of energy, most of which is lost by heat transfer. Ignition Systems: The few commonly used methods used to produce the high voltage potential, which is required to cause the electrical discharge across the spark plug electrodes, are: Battery-coil combination: Most automobiles use a 12-volt electrical system, including a 12-volt battery. This voltage is multiplied many times by the coil that supplies the very high potential delivered to the spark plug. Capacitor Discharge: Some systems use a capacitor to discharge across the spark plug electrodes at the proper time. Magneto system: Most small engines and some larger ones use a magneto driven off the engine crankshaft to generate the needed spark plug voltage. Some engines have a separate high-voltage generation system for each spark plug, while the others have a single system with a distributor that shifts from one cylinder to the next. The Spark Plug: The gap between the electrodes on a modern spark plug is about 0.7 to 1.7 mm. smaller gaps are acceptable if there is a rich air-fuel mixture or if the pressure is high (i.e. high inlet pressure by turbocharging or a high compression ratio). Normal temperature of spark plug electrodes between firings should be about 650Â ° to 700Â ° C. A temperature above 950Â °C risks the possibility of surface ignition, and a temperature below 350Â °C tends to promote surface fouling over extended time. For older engines with worn piston rings that burn an excess of oil, hotter plugs are recommended to avoid fouling. Hotter plugs have a greater heat conduction resistance than colder plugs. Modern spark plugs have a greater life span than the old ones. Some of the high quality spark plugs with platinum-tipped electrodes are made to last 160,000 km or more. Harley Davidson uses gold-tipped spark plugs. One reason this is desirable is the difficulty in replacing spark plugs in some modern engines due to the complexity and compactness of engine and increased amount of engine equipment. Figure . An NGK spark plug Spark plug firing: When a spark plug fires, the plasma discharge ignites the air-fuel mixture between and near the electrodes. This creates a spherical flame front that propagates outward into the combustion chamber. At first, the flame front moves very slowly because of its original size; it does not generate enough energy to quickly heat the surrounding gases and thus propagates very slowly. As a result of this, the cylinder pressure is not raised quickly and very little compression heating is experienced. Once the first 5-10% of the air-fuel mass is burnt, the flame velocity reaches higher values with corresponding rise in pressure, the flame propagation region. It is desirable to have a rich air-fuel mixture around the electrodes of the spark plug at ignition, as it ignited easily and more readily, has a faster flame speed and initiates the combustion process well. Spark plugs are generally located near the intake valves to assure a richer mixture, especially when starting a cold engine. Latest developments in spark plug/ignition system technology: The efforts to develop better ignition system continue. Spark plugs with several electrodes and two or more simultaneous sparks are now available. They give a more consistent ignition and quicker flame development. One of the modern systems still under development gives a continuing arc after the initial discharge; this additional spark will speed up combustion and give a more complete combustion as the air-fuel mixture swirls through the combustion chamber. Development work has been done to create a spark plug with variable electrode gap size. This would allow flexibility in ignition for different operating conditions. At least one automobile manufacturer is experimenting with engines that use a point on top of the piston as one of the spark electrodes. Using this system, spark ignition can be initiated across the gaps of 1.5 to 8 mm with a reported lowering of fuel consumption and emissions. Flame Propagation: Induced turbulence and swirl causes the flame propagation speed to increase by 10 times than if there were a laminar flame front moving through a stationary gas mixture. These motions also cause the flame front to expand spherically from the spark plug in stationary air and is greatly distorted and spread. As the gas mixture burns, the temperature and pressure rise to high values. Figure . A typical flame propagation pattern. The burnt gases behind the flame front are hotter than the unburnt gases before the flame front, with all the gases at about the same pressure. This decreases the density of the burnt gases and expands them to occupy a greater percentage of the total combustion chamber volume. Compression of the unburnt gases raises their temperature by compressive heating. In addition, radiation heating emitted from the flame reaction zone, which is at a temperature on the order of 3000 K, further heats the gases in the combustion chamber, unburnt and burnt, raising the pressure further. Heat transfer by conduction and convection are minor as compared to radiation, due to very short real time involved in each cycle. The environment inside the combustion chamber is such that the progressive increase in temperature and pressure in taking place, causing the reaction time to decrease and flame front speed to increase. The temperature of the burnt gases is not uniform. It is higher near the spark plug where the combustion had initiated. Ideally, the air-fuel mixture should be around two-thirds burnt at TDC and almost completely burnt at about 15Â ° aTDC. This causes the maximum pressure and temperature of the cycle to occur somewhere between 5Â ° and 10Â ° aTDC. A lesser pressure rise rate gives lower thermal efficiency and danger of knock. The combustion process is therefore a compromise between the highest thermal efficiency possible and a smooth engine cycle with some loss of efficiency. Burn angle, Ignition and Ignition advance: The typical burn angle, the angle through which the crankshaft turns during combustion, is about 25Â ° for most engines. If combustion is to be completed at 15Â ° aTDC then ignition should occur at about 20Â ° bTDC. If ignition is too early, the cylinder pressure will increase to undesirable levels before TDC, and useful work would be wasted in compression stroke. If ignition is late, peak pressure will not occur early enough, and work will be lost at the start of power stroke due to lower pressure. Graph . Average flame speed in the combustion chamber. Lean air-fuel mixtures have slower flame speeds, with maximum speed occurring when slightly rich mixture at an equivalence ratio near 1.2 Actual ignition timing is typically anywhere from 10Â ° to 30Â ° bTDC, depending on the fuel used, engine geometry, and engine speed. For any given engine, the combustion occurs faster at higher engine speed. Real time for combustion is therefore less, but real time for engine cycle is also less, and the burn angle is only slightly changed. This slight change is corrected by advancing the spark as the engine speed in increased. This initiates combustion slightly earlier in the cycle, peak temperature and pressure remaining at about 5Â ° to 10Â ° aTDC. At part throttle, ignition timing is advanced to compensate for the resulting slower flame speed. Graph . Burn angle as a function of engine speed. Timing adjustment in Modern engines: Modern engines automatically adjust ignition timing with electronic controls. These not only use engine speed to set the timing but also sense and make fine adjustment for knock and incorrect exhaust emissions. Earlier engines used a mechanical timing adjustment that consisted of a spring-loaded ignition distributor that changed with engine speed due to centrifugal forces. Ignition timing on many small engines is set at an average position with no adjustment possible. Graph . Average combustion chamber flame speed as a function of engine speed for a typical SI engine. Flame Termination: 90 95% of the air-fuel mass has been combusted by 15Â ° to 20Â ° aTDC and the flame front has reached the extreme corners of the combustion chamber. The last 5 10% of the mass has been compressed into a few percent of the combustion chamber volume by the expanding burning gases behind the flame front. Although at this point the piston has already moved away from TDC, the combustion chamber volume has only increased on the order of 10 20% from the very small clearance volume. This means that the last mass of air and fuel will react in a very small volume in the corner of the combustion chamber and along the chamber walls, at a reduced rate. Near the walls, turbulence and mass motion of the gas mixture have dampened out and there is a stagnant boundary layer. The large mass of metal cylinder walls also act as a heat sink and conduct away much of the energy being released in the reaction flame. Both these mechanisms reduce the rate of reaction and flame speed, and the flame is finally terminated as it slowly dies out. Although very little additional work is delivered by the piston during the flame termination, it still is a desirable occurrence. Because the rise in cylinder pressure tapers off slowly towards zero during this flame termination, the forces transmitted to the piston also taper off slowly resulting in smooth engine operation. Self Ignition: During the flame termination period, self-ignition will sometimes occur in the end gas and engine knock will occur. The temperature of the unburnt gases in front of the flame front continues to rise during the combustion process, reaching a maximum in the last end gas. The maximum temperature is often above self-ignition temperature. Because the flame front moves slowly at this time, the gases are often not consumed during ignition delay time, and self-ignition occurs. The resulting knock is usually not objectionable or even noticeable. This is because there is so little unburnt air-fuel left at this time that self-ignition can only cause very slight pressure pulses. Maximum power is obtained from an engine when it operates with very slight self-ignition and knock at the end of the combustion process. This occurs when maximum pressure and temperature exist in the combustion chamber and knock gives a small pressure boost at the end of combustion. Abnormal Combustion: Abnormal combustion is referred to a combustion process in which a flame front may be started by hot combustion chamber surfaces either prior to or after spark ignition, or a process in which some part or all of the charge may be consumed at extremely high rates. Figure . Phenomenon of abnormal combustion The two important abnormal combustion phenomena of major concern are: Knock, and Surface Ignition They are of major concern, because: When severe, they can cause major engine damage; and Even if not severe, they are regarded as an objectionable source of noise by the engine or vehicle operator. Knock: is the name given to the noise which is transmitted through the engine structure when essentially spontaneous ignition of a portion of the end gas. This is when the fuel, air, residual gas, mixture ahead of the propagating flame occurs. When this process takes place, there is an extremely rapid release of much of the chemical energy in the end gas, causing very high local pressures and the propagation of pressure waves of substantial amplitude across the combustion chamber. Surface Ignition: is ignition of the fuel-air mixture by a hot spot on the combustion chamber walls such as an overheated valve or spark plug, or glowing combustion chamber deposit: i.e. by any other means other than the normal spark discharge. It can occur before the occurrence of the spark (pre-ignition) or after (post-ignition). Following the surface ignition, a turbulent flame develops at each surface-ignition location and starts to propagate across the chamber in an analogous manner to what occurs with normal spark ignition. Types of Abnormal Combustion in SI Engines: Spark Knock: A knock which is recurrent and repeatable in terms of audibility. It is controllable by the spark advance; advancing the spark increases the knock intensity and retarding the spark reduces the intensity. Surface Ignition: hot spots combustion chamber deposits: Surface ignition is ignition of the fuel-air mixture charge by any hot surface other than the spark discharge prior to the arrival of the normal flame front. It may occur before the spark ignites the charge (pre-ignition) or after normal ignition (post-ignition). Surface ignition can be of two types: Knocking surface ignition: Knock which has been preceded by surface ignition. It is not controllable by spark advance. Non-Knocking surface ignition: Surface ignition which does not result in knock. Run-on: It is the continuation of engine firing after the electrical ignition is shut off. Runaway surface ignition: Surface ignition which occurs earlier and earlier in the cycle. It can lead to serious overheating and structural damage to the engine. Wild Ping: Knocking surface ignition characterized by one or more erratic sharp cracks. It is probably the result of early surface ignition from deposit particles. Rumble: A low-pitched thudding noise accompanied by engine roughness. It is probably caused by high rates of pressure rise associated with early ignition or multiple surface ignitions. Knock primarily occurs under wide-open-throttle operating condition. It is thus a direct constraint on engine performance. It also constraints engine efficiency, since by effectively limiting the temperature and pressure of the end-gas, it limits the engine compression ratio. The occurrence and severity of the knock depend on the knock resistance of the fuel and on the anti-knock characteristics of the engine. Measures to avoid knocking: The ability of the fuel to resist knock is measures by its octane number; higher octane numbers indicate greater resistance to knock. Gasoline octane ratings can be improved by refining processes, such as catalytic cracking and reforming, which convert low-octane hydrocarbons to high-octane hydrocarbons. Also, antiknock additives such as alcohols, lead alkyls, or an organomanganese compound can be used. The octane number requirement of an engine depends on how its design and conditions under which it is operated affect the temperature and pressure of the end-gas ahead of the flame and the time required to burn the cylinder charge. An engines tendency to knock, as defined by its octane number is increased by factors that produce higher temperatures and pressures or lengthen the burning time. Octane Requirement: can be defined as the octane rating of the fuel required to avoid knock. Thus knock is a constraint that depends on both the quality of the available fuels and on the ability of the engine designer to achieve the desired normal combustion behavior while holding the engines tendency to knock at a minimum. Some major steps: The use of a fuel with higher octane number. The addition of octane-increasing additives in the fuel Ignition Timing Retardation . Use of a spark plug of colder heat range, in cases, where the spark plug insulator has become a source of pre-ignition leading to knock. Reduction of charge temperature e.g. through fuel evaporation inside the cylinder (GDI) Anti knock combustion chamber design. Consequences of engine knock: The engine can be damaged by knock in different ways: -piston ring sticking breakage of the piston rings failure of the cylinder head gasket -cylinder head erosion piston crown and top erosion -piston melting and holing Examples of component damage due to pre ignition and knock are shown below: Stroboscope: A stroboscope in an instrument used to make cyclically moving object appear to be moving slow or stationary. The principle is used for the study of rotating, reciprocating, oscillating or vibrating objects. Machine parts and vibrating strings are common examples. In its simplest form, a rotating disc with evenly-spaced holes is placed in the line of sight between the observer and the moving object. The rotational speed of the disc is adjusted so that it becomes synchronised with the movement of the observed system, which seems to slow and stop. The illusion is caused by temporal aliasing, commonly known as the stroboscopic effect. In electronic versions, the perforated disc is replaced by a lamp capable of emitting brief and rapid flashes of light. The frequency of the flash is adjusted so that it is an equal to, or a unit fraction below or above the objects cyclic speed, at which point the object is seen to be either stationary or moving backward or forward, depending on the flash frequency. Observations: Engine Speed Throttle Position Degree Advance 475 5% 10Â ° 580 8% 17Â ° 657 22% 22Â °