Making Profits with a Twist †Auntie Anne’s Pretzels

This is a good attitude to have when beginning a business, because it promotes solid values that the business will be based on, even after it succeeds.   It also remembers the people in the community, the customers.   A company will survive and thrive if customers feel cared about and welcomed to the business.   Customers are the livelihood of the business, and it’s important to care about them in the store, and outside it. However, conflicts may arise.   A business may not have enough money to keep itself going, much less give to the community.   A business that suddenly does not give to the community could cause criticism.   It can be difficult to make any profit when a decent chunk of money is going to the community.   A company may take on more than it can really handle when it promises this.   Depending on the size of the community, people may feel they are more involved in the business than they are, resulting in the business not being taken seriously, and possibly failing. 4. How do the advantages and disadvantages of franchise compare to other forms of business? A franchise is a great business for someone who wants to go into business for his/herself, does not have the drive to build a business from scratch (as a franchise company already has a reputation and doesn’t need to build one), and wants the financial backing and security that comes with being a part of an already established business.   The franchisee has corporate support, materials and recipes (in the case of a restaurant) provided.   The only thing the franchisee needs to do is the day-to-day managing, and making some decisions about what products to carry, pricing, etc. However, this also leads to a lack of freedom.   In a traditional start-up business, a person does not have any backing besides his or her own money and possibly reputation as a person in the community.   The company is far more likely to fail (franchises usually don’t fail).   But, the person has the freedom to make any business decision he or she chooses.   He or she can take the business in a new direction, offer or stop offering any products or services, and do anything at all.   There is absolute freedom for a sole proprietorship.   A partnership shares the financial risk, and has some limit on freedom (decisions made equally between all partners), but the business doesn’t arrive â€Å"ready made† like a franchise does. It ultimately depends on what experience a person wants to have – security in business, or freedom to do as she/he pleases. Works Cited McHugh, McHugh, and Nickels.   Understanding Business. Seventh edition.   New York: McGraw-Hill Company, 2004.

African American Characteristics Paper Essay

African American culture in the United States refers to the cultural contributions of Americans of African descent to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture. The distinct identity of African American culture is rooted in the historical experience of the African American people. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential to American culture as a whole. African-American culture is rooted in Africa. It is a blend of chiefly sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures. Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Americans of African descent to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values, and beliefs survived and over time have modified or blended with European American culture. There are some facets of African American culture that were accentuated by the slavery period. The result is a unique and dynamic culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture, as well as the culture of the broader world† (Rydell, 2010). Learning Team B has chosen African Americans as the culturally diverse group we will focus on. The subjects in this paper will be African American history, family characteristics, parenting practices, language, and religion. Also, the primary characteristics of African Americans and how those characteristics impact their experience as a subculture in American Society will be a topic. The last topic will be the implications of the characteristics for psychological theories and practices. History African Americans are the descendants of Africans brought to America during the slavery era. Many were owned as property and forced to work as day laborers in the fields or as servants in their owner’s homes. Others were allowed to work off their debts by being bough and sold on â€Å"the block†. An article titled â€Å"The Slave Auction of 1859 gives a brief account of what it was to be sold on â€Å"the block†: â€Å"The buyers, who were present to the number of about two hundred, clustered around the platform; while the Negroes, who were not likely to be immediately wanted, gathered into sad groups in the background to watch the progress of the selling in which they were so sorrowfully interested. The wind howled outside, and through the open side of the building the driving rain came pouring in; the bar down stairs ceased for a short time its brisk trade; the buyers lit fresh cigars, got ready their catalogues and pencils, and the first lot of human chattels are led upon the stand, not by a white man, but by a sleek mulatto, himself a slave, and who seems to regard the selling of his brethren, in which he so glibly assists, as a capital joke. It had been announced that the Negroes would be sold in â€Å"families,† that is to say; a man would not be parted from his wife, or a mother from a very young child. There is perhaps as much policy as humanity in this arrangement, for thereby many aged and unserviceable people are disposed of, who otherwise would not find a ready sale†¦ â€Å"(New York Daily Tribune, 1928). President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of civil war. The proclamation declared â€Å"that all persons held as slaves† within the rebellious states â€Å"are, and henceforward shall be free. † Despite this expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory. History pages often claim President Lincoln as â€Å"The Great Emancipator† which most educated adults come to learn is an over exaggeration. The general consensus is that Lincoln never freed a single slave, and only used the proclamation as a means to get what he wanted from the states. Once freed most African Americans still experienced racial violence and lived in fear for many years. In 1870 the fifteenth amendment was added to the constitution giving blacks the right to vote. Although blacks were free they were still segregated from the white people, made to go to different schools, stores, and even ride at the back of the bus. In 1954 the supreme courts declared segregation in school unconstitutional due to the Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. The civil right movement was at its peak during 1955-1965. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, ensuring basic civil rights for all Americans, regardless of race, after nearly a decade of nonviolent protests and marches, ranging from the 1955-1956 Montgomery bus boycotts to the student-led sit-ins of the 1960s to the huge March on Washington in 1963. In 1968 President Johnson signed the Civil Right act prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. Some of the most famous leader of the civil right movement includes Martin Luther King Jr. , Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks and many others. Although civil rights were established many African American still struggled to be treated fairly in America. Affirmative Action was established in 1978 by a ruling of the Supreme Court to ensure that minorities are given an opportunity that they may have missed because of their race. In 2008 Barack Obama was the first African American to be nominated for a major party nominee for president. He was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009. Family and Parenting Characteristics As with most cultures, African Americans place a high value on their families. In the United States African American family’s make-up 12. 9 percent of the population according to the 2003 US Census. The US census also shows that for African Americans over the age of 15 there are 34 percent married, five percent separated, eleven percent divorced, seven percent widowed, and 43 percent were never married. According to the First Things First website, â€Å"African Americans are the most un-partnered group in America† (Medium, 2011, para. 4). One major goal of African American families is communalism, which is very important for effective functioning (Hall, 2010). Hall (2010) describes African American families as having three family types. The first type is the cohesive-authoritative that is explained to be a family with high cohesion along with being supportive, nurturing, and involved with their children (Hall, 2010). The second type of family is the conflictive-authoritarian that is defined as families with conflict and the parents are controlling, critical, and express unhappiness with children (Hall, 2010). The last type of family Hall (2010) explains is the defensive- neglectful, that did not like other racial groups and also did not teach their children to be proud of being an African American. One significant trend that has been determined about the African American family structure is that the more interconnected the family is, the lower the rate of depression in African Americans (Hall, 2010). Based on these findings, a program called Strong African American Families has been created in order to strengthen the relationships between parents and children. According to Hall (2010), â€Å"The Strong African American Families program also has been found to reduce preadolescent risky sexual behaviors, preadolescent alcohol use, and parental depression among African American families† (p.95). This kind of program has been very effective in keeping families cohesive and helping to improve the goal of communalism. Language â€Å"Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidginsimplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages can use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Louisiana, and Gullah, common to the Sea Islandsoff the coast of South Carolina and Georgia† (Rydell, 2010). It is sad to think that slave owners intentionally put Africans with people who did not speak their language to discourage communication, but is have been researched and proven to be true. Slavery is not the only element to African American culture, and it often seems that when discussing African American culture slavery is the main topic. However, when discussing language the centuries of slavery that they endured have everything to do with the evolution of African-American language. Now that we have covered the origin of African American language we can discuss the American perspective of where modern day African American language stands, and how this effects the culture. â€Å"African American Vernacular English (AAVE)—also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE)—is an African Americanvariety(dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of American English. Non-linguists sometimes call it Ebonics(a term that also has other meanings or strong connotations) or jive or jive-talk. Its pronunciation is, in some respects, common to Southern American English, which is spoken by many African Americans and many non-African Americans in the United States. There is little regional variation among speakers of AAVE. Several creolists, including William Stewart, John Dillard, and John Rickford, argue that AAVE shares so many characteristics with Creole dialects spoken by black people in much of the world that AAVE itself is a Creole dialect; while others maintain that there are no significant parallels. As with all linguistic forms, its usage is influenced by age, status, topic and setting. There are many literary uses of this variety of English, particularly in African-American literature† (Rydell, 2010). Of course this information does not imply that all African Americans speak a version of AAVE, only that it is very common and prevalent throughout the modern day African American culture. Religion In the African American community religion plays an extremely significant role. â€Å"The story of African-American religion is a tale of variety and creative fusion. Enslaved Africans transported to the New World beginning in the fifteenth century brought with them a wide range of local religious beliefs and practices. This diversity reflected the many cultures and linguistic groups from which they had come. The majority came from the West Coast of Africa, but even within this area religious traditions varied greatly. Islam had also exerted a powerful presence in Africa for several centuries before the start of the slave trade: an estimated twenty percent of enslaved people were practicing Muslims, and some retained elements of their practices and beliefs well into the nineteenth century. Preserving African religions in North America proved to be very difficult. The harsh circumstances under which most slaves lived—high death rates, the separation of families and tribal groups, and the concerted effort of white owners to eradicate â€Å"heathen† (or non-Christian) customs—rendered the preservation of religious traditions difficult and often unsuccessful. Isolated songs, rhythms, movements, and beliefs in the curative powers of roots and the efficacy of a world of spirits and ancestors did survive well into the nineteenth century. Historically during their most difficult times the African American relied on their religious beliefs to endure. During the civil rights movement black churches were often the target of racial violence because that was a place that African Americans spent most of their time. This was a place where they often held meetings to discuss their civil rights efforts. African Americans practice a number of religions, but Protestant Christianity is by far the most prevalent. Some African and African American also follow the Muslim and Judaism. According to Fife, Kilgour, Canter and Adegoke (2010), â€Å"African spiritual traditions have historically held a central place in African American communalism (Mbiti, 1990) and were vital to survival during the time of slavery. In African and African American culture the concept of spirituality is inseparable from all other aspects of human experience. The spiritual and the physical are indistinguishable (Mbiti, 1990). A deep connection exists between humans, God, family, and group (Barrett, 1974). Spirituality is not compartmentalized into systematized beliefs and practices but woven into everyday experience (Boyd Franklin, 1989). The Black church is the primary means through which many African Americans express their religious and spiritual beliefs and values (Richardson & June, 1997). This institution is a central force in African American childhood and adolescent identity and helps to shape ideas about what comprises community. † Many African American children have christen ceremonies for they can even walk or talk. African American families generally spend a substantial amount of time within their places of worship. Conclusion For review, the big questions the above research addressed were: †¢What are the primary cultural characteristics of this selected group? †¢How do the characteristics of this group impact its experience as a subculture in American society? †¢How might the cultural aspects of this group be applied to traditional psychological theory? †¢What are the implications of these characteristics for psychological theory and practice? We have found that the primary cultural characteristics of the African America culture are their history of slavery in America, distinct family and parenting practices, slavery based evolution of their language, and their dedicated religious beliefs. The characteristics of this group impact its experience as a subculture in American society by enticing others in to the culture and sparking curiosity around the world. African Americans make up a small percentage of the minority in America. However African American culture dominates the world of music, fashion, and professional sports. The cultural aspects of the African American group can be applied to traditional psychological theory when considering family dynamics, cultural perspectives, and how these aspects influence mental health. The implications of these characteristics for psychological theory and practice would focus on how the African American history of slavery in America influences their world view, how family and parenting practices mold their ideals of what a family should be, how religion influences their beliefs and actions, and how language distinguishes them from others and what psychological impact this has on them as a whole. For many years African-American culture developed separately from mainstream American culture, both because of slavery and the persistence of racial discrimination in America, as well as African-American slave descendants’ desire to create and maintain their own traditions. Today, African-American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct cultural body. References Fife, J. , McCreary, M. , Kilgour, J. , Canter, D. , & Adegoke, A. (2010). Self Identification Among African American and Caucasian College Students. College Student Journal, 44(4), 994. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Hall, G. C. N. (2010). Multicultural psychology (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Medium. (2011). First Things First. Retrieved from http://firstthings. org/page/research/african-american-family-facts New York Daily Tribune, March 9, 1859 reprinted in Hart, Albert B. , American History Told by Contemporaries v. 4 (1928). Retrieved from http://eyewitnesstohistory. com Rydell, R. J. , Hamilton, D. L. , & Devos, T. (2010). NOW THEY ARE AMERICAN, NOW THEY ARE NOT: VALENCE AS A DETERMINANT OF THE INCLUSION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE AMERICAN IDENTITY. Social Cognition, 28(2), 161-179. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Philosophy Life and Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy Life and Death - Essay Example However, when people can be given chances to become immortal, then they will immediately accept the chances to live forever, but the fact is that nobody can resist death. Secondly, nobody easily accepts death, and people usually do what they can, to survive difficult situations. This is the reason as to why many people readily pay for expensive medical covers, to safeguard their lives, and even drink chemical concoctions to conquer death. Gilgamesh finally concludes that death is unavoidable, and he too will someday die (McCaughrean G, Parkins 87). As a young man, Montaigne had an excessive fear for death, and this almost made enjoying life difficult for him. As a philosopher, he spent most of his time teaching people on how to encounter the fear of death. He based his teachings on the ideas presented, by some early philosophers, which stated the best way to treat your own mortality is to think about it constantly (Montaigne 243). Additionally, this theory further stated â€Å"dwell on your death every day, and you will become so used to it as an idea that cannot scare you when it arrives in reality† (Montaigne 243). Montaigne argues that death holds little to worry about; therefore, we should not bother our heads about it. According to his theory, the acceptance of death is something more than just a therapeutic tool (Montaigne 251). Therefore, when people expect too much out of themselves and try to control every aspect of their experiences, they will actually undermine that control. This also applies to death too; wh en we expect it, then we will not bother us. Lao-tzu’s â€Å"Tao Te Ching†, is an extremely difficult piece to interpret and understand due to the repletion used, and use of highly difficult-to-interpret symbolism. According to my understanding â€Å"tao† apparently means road or way. In other words, it is a way of doing things.

Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis Paper - Essay Example Whereas one can easily recognize their neighbor as someone that fits invariably into their everyday life, the individual by means of stereotyping/judgment can equally judge an â€Å"unknown† individual/stranger as a type of individual that they have categorized as a certain type to be avoided. Ahmed notes in her opening paragraph concerning the initial thoughts that go through the mind of the perceiver when faced with a stranger: â€Å"I know you but I don’t want to know you quote† (Ahmed, 21). â€Å"The stranger then is not simply the one we have not encountered – but the one we have encountered and who we have already faced (Ahmed, 21) Thus the term stranger begins to lose a great deal of its conventional meaning and begins to have a second life as a definition of a way in which humans work to compartmentalize their lives. As such, Ahmed further relates that â€Å"strangers† are those individuals that do not fit into the compartmentalized realiti es that we construct around us; thus, since they do not fit, we shun and avoid them and provide them with an â€Å"alien† name to denote the fact that they do not belong to our given construct. For purposes of this analysis, this author has selected the area in and around the first apartment I resided while a university student. Due to the fact that the apartment building was primarily housing for college students, the understanding of what was â€Å"other† and what was a â€Å"stranger† as defined by Ahmed was quite the simple task. In this way, a type of ageism was applied to those that did not fit in and around the area. Oftentimes, what we would deem â€Å"unsavory† people would frequent the area in and around the apartment buildings in an attempt to panhandle the youths due to the fact that they invariably found their naivety an easy target to generate money. Understandably, the student-friendly housing offered student-friendly pricing and was theref ore located directly in between what could be considered a nice part of town and a very economically depressed part of town. In much the same way, Ahmed notes: â€Å"To recognize means to know again, to acknowledge and to admit. How do we know the stranger again? The recognisability of strangers is determinate in the social demarcation of spaces of belonging: the stranger is ‘known again’ as something that has already contaminated such spaces as a threat to both property and person† (Ahmed, 22). It is difficult to say if this human classification of â€Å"other† is a net good or a net evil due to the fact that in many ways it works as a self defense mechanism to keep us safe from â€Å"perceived† harm; however, at the same time, it puts our ingrained biases with relation to age, gender, spatialism, and racism to the forefront of our judgment. This is an interesting dichotomy not only because it forces young students to face the realities of those le ss fortunate and develop their own defense mechanisms with respect to how they chose to interact with this foreign and unfamiliar subculture; but in that all of this was taking place during the formative college years. This dichotomy is of extreme interest due to the fact that these formative years are supposed to be very years in which young people are supposed to be the most open minded and suppliant to differing lifestyles as well as

An In-depth Analysis on the Influence of Open Source System Essay - 1

An In-depth Analysis on the Influence of Open Source System Penetration Tools on Cyber-crime - Essay Example These attacks could pinpoint the vulnerable areas, and could also aid in mitigating them. Organisations from various sectors are incorporating solutions these tools to develop foolproof protection system. Many reputable industry standards are also prescribing penetration testing as one of the key security exercise. Still, there is scepticism regarding genuineness of this process, as there are chances of agencies or individual testers turning negative and compromising organisations’ critical assets. To prevent such eventualities, there are adequate legal provisions; in addition organisations and security consultants need to come up with protocols or steps, which ensure secure and safe testing. Any organisation, irrespective of the ‘domains’ they are placed in, will be vulnerable to cyber attacks, especially the ones which are maximally dependent on Information technology. These organisations will be threatened by individuals with apt technical knowledge and other inside information. Their intentions may vary from wrecking the organisation to stealing critical assets. When this type of cyber crime occurs, the organisation could suffer heavy financial losses and more than that could have doubtful future, as its key assets will be compromised aiding its competitors. Disgruntled employees or employees with ‘spying role’ could wreck the organisation by altering or breaking down the IT infrastructure, and also by bringing in IT tools from outside to disable it. Apart from those employees, external ‘elements’ in the form of hackers, cyber thieves, competitors’ aids, etc, could intrude or cyber attack the organisation. To actualize a foolproof protection system, organisations has to find out the loopholes or the vulnerable areas in its IT infrastructure. Because, once the weak points are identified, organisations will become

Online advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Online advertising - Essay Example Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video. According to the report, in total, 138 million Americans - approximately three in four U.S Internet users - viewed online video in November. Top U.S. Online Video Properties* by Unique Video Viewers November 2007 Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Video Metrix Property Unique Viewers (000) Percent of all U.S. Internet Users Total Internet 138,383 75.9% Google Sites 76,187 41.8% Fox Interactive Media 46,349 25.4% Yahoo! Sites 37,300 20.5% Time Warner Network 31,212 17.1% Microsoft Sites 28,470 15.6% Viacom Digital 23,522 12.9% Disney Online 10,361 5.7% ESPN 10,128 5.6% ABC.com 9,969 5.5% CBS Corporation 8,336 4.6% *Rankings based on video content sites; excludes video server networks. Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video. Online advertising "opens up new communication possibilities for personalized messages to be delivered to targeted individuals (Davis 2000, 113). It can help us "create a customized, common information technology platform for all your company's activities-resulting in unique, integrated systems that reinforce the strategic fit among your firm's many functions. Even better, competitors can't easily imitate these systems" (Michael E. Porter 2). That online media as an effective source of advertising can be gauged from the fact that the second generation of Internet ("Web 2.0") companies such as MySpace, Facebook, Linked/In and YouTube that set shop three years ago, today have more users than the entire U.S. population. This trend adequately highlights the fact that we can target the online community for creating customer loyalty, promoting sales and services and building and strengthening our brand... This essay "Online advertising" outlines the advantages and effectiveness of online ad and how it can help the company to increase the sales rate. Unlike forced advertising methods which can have a negative impact on sales if the consumers are not interested in our products, we can provide information to those who actually look forward to receive it. The benefit of this is that our email advertising campaign will have a better chance of sales conversion than any other form of advertising. There are many websites that have dedicated communities of members interested in a particular subject. In our case, there are communities for each our textbooks: AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Catia, and Solid Edge. WE can reach our potential customers by providing press releases in websites dedicated to these communities. Here, I can give you the example of a website www.tenlinks.com that has a large registered audience of software users as its members. While most websites allow us to place our press release s for free, there are others that do charge a nominal cost. The advantage is that at very low rates, we can target a global audience and create a bigger market for our textbooks. I rest my case by saying, "Internet technology makes both giving and collecting feedback very easy, which further encourages two-way communication" (Y Liu, LJ Shrum 7) between the business entity and the consumers providing opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships, better sales and promotion of goods and services.

Evaluating Cost Variances Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating Cost Variances - Essay Example an ideal plan difference for incomes will be examined to figure out if it was the aftereffect of higher than arranged offering costs, more noteworthy amounts, or an excellent blend of things sold. In addition, a good plan fluctuation for costs will be dissected to distinguish the reason for the lower costs. An unfavorable fluctuation is experienced when an association is contrasting its genuine results with a financial plan or standard. The difference can apply to either incomes or costs, and is characterized as adverse income fluctuation. At the point when the measure of actual income is short of what the standard or planned sum. In this manner, genuine incomes of $400,000 versus a funding of $450,000 equivalents an unfavorable income change of $50,000. Unfavorable cost fluctuation. At the point when the measure of genuine cost is more prominent than the standard or planned sum. In this manner, actual costs of $250,000 versus a funding of $200,000 equivalents an unfavorable cost change of $50,000. Overall, the plan of an unfavorable difference is to highlight a potential problem, which is then remedied. Honestly, the idea does not work that well. The issue is that there is just an adverse fluctuation in connection to a standard or planned amount and that benchmark sum may be unthinkable or in any event exceptionally hard to achieve. On the off chance that an unfavorable difference surpasses the base, then it is accounted for to supervisors, who then make a move to rectify whatever the underlying issue may be. At the point when the real cost is brought about is more than the standard expense, there is fluctuation is known adverse or antagonistic change. Unfavorable fluctuation alludes to deviation to the loss of

Planet Venus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Planet Venus - Essay Example Venus is the closest planet to earth both in distance and radius and this proximity has meant that we know more about it than any other planet. As shown below a lost has been discovered regarding the planets formation, composition, and visibility. Picture of Venus Venus was formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago together with the rest of the solar system when our sun was formed in a cloud nebula referred to as the solar nebula (Cain). The cloud nebula must have been destabilized by a strong external force such as a nearby supernova as it began to deteriorate and with its crumbling down many stars were formed including our sun which due to its gravity attracted residue from the nebula that rotated in the form of hot rocks. The rocks would join together to form the planets of our solar system and one of them was Venus. It is believed that Venus must have collided with another huge object that affected its rotation as it the only planet to rotate in a clockwise manner. Proof of this is also seen in the fact that Venus has the longest day in the solar system the equivalent of 243 which is longer than the time it takes to revolve around the sun. In spite of this collision, Venus would still remain the biggest region within its location and it is believed it might have even absorbed the object that collided with it. While Venus is similar to earth in size being 95 % the size of our planet and given their close proximity it is likely that they formed during the same time. Venus does however have some stark differences that have made it be nicknamed earth’s evil twin by scientists. Comparative photo of Venus and Earth by NASA The lower atmosphere of Venus is filled with Carbon Dioxide and nitrogen while the upper atmosphere has a strong presence of sulphur dioxide which makes the temperatures of Venus extremely high due to a Greenhouse effect. With recordings of over 460? Centigrade the temperature on Venus are the hottest recorded on any planet even surpass ing Mercury which is the closest to the sun and the sulfur fumes make the environment acidic as it rains sulfuric acid in the upper atmosphere. These factors make Venus a lifeless planet as the places are highly inhospitable for terrestrial life as we know. The surface of Venus unlike other planets does not have craters due to meteorites and two theories have arisen to explain this: either the gases are so thick that any object that enters the atmosphere will burn up due to the air pressure with the exception of the largest of meteorites, or the planets volcanoes have been erupting frequently and so cover any asteroid collisions that have occurred (Redd). The planet does not have any water on the surface due to the high temperatures but it does have two huge continents that have mainly volcanic plains. Venus also lacks a magnetic field like that of the earth and it is thought that the main cause of this is that the core has cooled down significantly thus lacks many ionized particles . Several projects have been initiated to send probes to Venus so as to explore the planet a significant number of which were done by the USSR during the cold war era where it was competing with USA in the space race. The first successful landing was done in 1970 by the Venera -7 space probes however, several fly by missions had been done before it. The Venera successfully transmitted date from the planet’s surface regarding its composition and in 1975 the Venera – 9 sent the first images from the planet. From then other probes have been sent as well as fly by missions conducted with the European Union sending its own orbiters to study the planet (Anatoly). Photo of surface of Venus from Nasa 2005 Venus is a highly inhospitab

COMM480 QUIZ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

COMM480 QUIZ - Essay Example She is also responsible for assisting the International Students Association in its activities by coordinating transportation and booking venues. She is prepared to deal with anything that comes her way, as many international students require her expertise in applying for driver’s licenses, medical insurance, and travel documents. Although Nikki does much nitty-gritty work of taking care of everyone, she enjoys the rewarding experience. As the secretary of ISO, international students gravitate to the office and often share their stories with her. She feels that one of the most rewarding aspects of the job is having the chance to learn about all these different countries and cultures. â€Å"There was an Irish student a couple of years ago. Perhaps it is the fact that he came from a remote part of Ireland, but his hometown only eats food that are readily available. When he came to Albright, he was astonished by how common ice cream is and explained that ice cream was more of an occasional luxury.† Nikki recalls, â€Å"I was really surprised since I never expected ice cream to be so special.† Nikki said that her job allows her to connect with students on a more personal level since she helps with international students affairs. As a secretary, she can simply be a friend who is willing to listen and share your problems. She believes that international students can thrive in the close-knit community of Albright. Although many international students feel uncomfortable in the new environment and try to stay within their ethnic circles, Nikki encourages students to open up to ne culture and be confident in their English. â€Å"As long as you can take the initiative to try to interact with local students, you will enjoy your four years of college at Albright. After all, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, as some of you might not come back to the United States afterwards and none of you will go to

The airing of V for Vendetta on Chinese state television- its positive Essay

The airing of V for Vendetta on Chinese state television- its positive and negative effects on the Chinese people, media and cen - Essay Example Now with the media event in China, the movie has become bone of contention among the common Chinese people and Beijing elite groups alike, and it is likely to cause notable impacts on the Chinese media and population as a whole. The Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman starred film is set in a fictional English community, and exposes a daring, charming freedom fighter known as ‘V’ (Vigilante), who initiates a revolution against a futuristic authoritarian regime. The James McTeigue directed movie is based on the 1982 comic book V for Vendetta written by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. It depicts a futuristic situation in Britain where V has to use radical tactics to fight the oppressive fascist state to regain the state’s freedom. Another main character of the story is Evey, a young woman who is rescued by V from a crucial life-and death condition. As the story progresses, she also identifies her role in the mission carried out by V and voluntarily joins him. V wears the m ask of Guy Fawkes and invites all the people to join him to blow up the parliament and thereby regain freedom and justice. Although V’s activities are genuine and reasonable, the corrupt Chancellor deems them as acts of terrorism. The movie begins reminding the event when Guy Fawkes plotted to destroy the parliament and the king in order to regain catholic sovereignty in England. The movie really intends to criticise the traditional tactics (fear and the voice of God) used by the government to create a feeling that the wrath of God will soon avenge who went against the regime. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter). In this context, the airing of the movie V for Vendetta raises numerous questions with regard to the Chinese censorship laws and entertainment policies. The Chinese government has been very much concerned about preserving its political authority and hence maintained a tight rein on traditional and new media so as to prevent any potential threats from their part. The gov ernment has very often entailed strict media controls which involved but not limited to using monitoring systems, shutting down publications or websites, jailing etc. As Bennet (2013) points out, China's censorship of its media has been getting attention recently when  Southern Weekly, a liberal-leaning paper based in Guangzhou, staged an extensive confrontation with the government. Google's battle with the Chinese government over Internet censorship in China is another example. However, as many thinkers believe, the airing of the controversial film indicates China’s attempt to balance its media controlling power with the growing need for information. In other words, it seems that China is badly in need of press freedom while at the same time worried about the impacts the liberalisation would bring upon the economy. The airing of the V for Vendetta would be counted as a remarkable event in the history of Chinese media. The event got wide media coverage and multiple response s around the globe. As The Guardian reported dated 20th December 2012, ‘after the telecast, China's internet crackled with quotes of a famous catchline from the movie: â€Å"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people"’. The reports indicate that people at the helm of affairs were not very much

Marketing a New Product Internationally Essay Example for Free

Marketing a New Product Internationally Essay Marketing is the field which deals with market. By defining the meaning, market is a place where people gathered and contact with one another, build relationship between two, in broad terms after the globalization world become a village and in this global business era marketing is the system of globalized promotional activities of a business which take place to achieve the organizational and financial goals The circle of marketing revolved around the market demands, product development, and reasonable proportion which can learned to instigate a market research that clarify the needs and demands of customer. Although focal process for a product promotion is market research, relying on that a producer can easily plan and develop his product well crafted, innovated, according to the socioeconomic factors, reflect the social and cultural ethics and will meet the consumer demands. Target Market and Product Information: Defining marketing on macro-level; the macro-level marketing is extremely challenging for an organization to market their product â€Å"Unique TV† internationally even branded by Philips, especially in Indian market which is a multi-cultural society have many social and religious boundaries, but economically emergent country and have great potential and competition in electronic media which create a huge space for television industry as well as competition. Marketing of a television product that is extraordinary and modern with built-in fingerprint scanner, and an innovative crafts of modern technology, the exceptional fingerprint technology allow users to customize the individuals settings, for instance when a person turns the TV on via their fingerprint the individual can set his own customized profile which contains his favourite channels, recordings etc. It is also ideal for parental control, parents can set the TV to only display the channels they choose for their Childs individual fingerprint as well as the time they allow their child to watch TV. But the perceived quality, emotional constructs, and a particular justification of the purchase can only impact the customer’s decision to purchase a brand. Target Market, Society and Culture: Before the satellite and cable network Indian had only one state owned channel broadcast, but after the influx of satellite and cable network a huge expansion in the electronic media industry has been witnessed, as well as great competition established in the television products. By determining broadly the rapid growth of Indian television industry since inception to expansion the social practices, including politics and democracy, sport and identity formation, cinema and popular culture has influenced on the daily lives of Indians. Today the electronic media cater immense involvement in the social and cultural lives of Indians, as well as India become a very potential market for the innovative and modern television products. Local Economic Development: India has traditional economy largely based on village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, modern industries, and a massive amount of services. The emerging sector of Indian economy is service sector which has expended remarkably in last decade. But a large force of human resource has attached with the agricultural economic activities, this sector retains the backbone of the Indian economy. Foreign direct investment is increasing especially in the telecommunication and information technology sector, but the privatization of government owned industries and entities is still debateable in the government avenues. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1997, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India achieved 8. 5% GDP growth in 2006, and again in 2007, significantly expanding production of manufactures. Software industry is the emergent sector of Indian economy; government is capitalizing on the human resource especially English literacy for a competent force to raise the exports of software products and services to western world. This economic growth facilitates India to reduce the fiscal deficit, but the boom in speculative real state business and increased interest rates have influenced the inflation in 2006 to 2007. But a huge problem facing by India is growing population. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008) Regional Economic Development: Asian economy comprises on the 4 billion people living in 46 different states (60% of the world population). Asia is largest continent of the world and six fourth stats of the world lie in Asia with world’s second largest economy China. The wealth and economic activities of Asia are distributed in different states of Asia as others; which is because of its large size and multiple state’s differing cultures, environments, historical ties and government systems. In term of nominal GDP the large economies in Asia are Japan, China, India, and South Korea. By measuring the economically Asia pertains China, the second larges economy in the world by nominal GDP, to Cambodia one of the poorest. The GDP of china in term of purchasing power parity to be the largest economy in Asia and the second largest economy in the world, followed by Japan and India as the worlds third and fourth largest economies respectively. Market Competition: As Indian retains the third largest economy of the world, and massive social and cultural influence on the television industry generates enormous competition in the television industry. India now producing diversity of television products locally, as well as international products is also there. With these competitive forces it is very hard for a new product to attract the audience, but not as much hard for a product with some extra ordinary and exceptional features, to mesmerize and accomplish the needs of the users. As compare with the other products the new and innovative product â€Å"Unique TV† can make a difference, because of its fingerprint scanner which can help the user to control and customize the profile of every individual. After the creation and deep study of international and regional scenario the producer and marketer follows second challenge to market the product with new scientific methodologies, which can effectively get the quick and excellent response of the customer. Brand Marketing: There are enumerated factors that affect the buying intentions of customers as quality of services, equity, perceived value, satisfaction, past loyalty, perceived cost of changing supplier and brand perception. Most of them variables are inter-related and they impinge upon customer purchase behaviour cumulatively. High quality products can be created without input from marketing. However, in practice, it has been established that products that make market success received market or customer research support. There are several determinants that contribute to the success of a brand. The ideas of brand marketing lead to the recognition of the research as being based on consumer perception. This leads to the question if different ethnic backgrounds impact the consumer perception of the brand strategies. Marketing Methodologies: Questionnaire Survey:- The survey questionnaire was chosen for its cost effectiveness. The telephone questionnaire allows for a sample population to be easily reached with responses documented and easily dissected using data entry and statistical analyzing methods. Because of their widespread use, questionnaires are non-confrontational to the sample population and do not force opinions or options, allowing for accurate and viable responses to be gathered with little bias or influence from the researchers or complicated research equipment. The questionnaire development will take into consideration possible defects in the question distribution and has made all attempts to use common language and word organisation that is not technical or industry based with the hopes to remove the larger concerns in relation to comprehension and cognition. However, it is important to note that in any research methodology that is dealing with human responses to qualitative or quantitative questions remains the possibility of language bias. Advertisement:- Advertising is any paid form of no personal presentation of ideas, products, or services by an identified sponsor. Most advertising media are mass media: e. g. newspapers, magazines, television, radio, billboards, etc. Thus rather than transmitting messages to one buyer, most ads communicate to thousands or even millions of buyers: this makes each contact for less expensive than personal sales presentation. Sales Promotion:- Like personal selling and advertising, sales promotion stimulates consumer buying and middlemen’s effectiveness, but with a wide variety of means. Sales promotion tactics are expected to supplement salespeople and advertising to make them more effective. Retail store window displays, product sampling, premium offers, and coupons are all examples of sales promotion. In contrast personal selling and advertising, many sales promotions are non-continuing, such as exhibits at fairs or contests. Manufacturers and retailers have substantial control over their sales promotions. Publicity:- In contrast to â€Å"Advertisement†, â€Å"Publicity† may be defined as any â€Å"Unpaid† form of non-personal presentation of ideas, goods or services. Personal selling advertising and sales promotional are all direct forms of promotion, whereas publicity is indirect: a firm cannot just go out and buy it. Publicity has been defined as non-personal stimulation of demand for a product, service, or business firm by planting commercially significant news about it in communications media. Some publicity about companies and brands is of course not solicited by sellers: indeed, it may even be negative. Conclusion: In brief we have reached on the conclusion that the most important activity in the business and to promote a brand is marketing. From above literature, it can be stated that marketing in general is based on the consumer’s perception of the brand, regional and local economical factor, social and cultural manners and the methodologies applied to market the product. The perceived quality, emotional constructs, and justification of the purchase impact the customer’s decision to purchase a brand. This research demonstrates that market research cater foci point of marketing strategy, then identifying the organizational and product’s potentials for the effective product understanding, the marketing consultant and organization should analyze the product strengths and weaknesses to cover it with appropriation. To determine the supply and demand identify the main competitors, and craft a good and competitive piece of product which can compete according to the economical and technological factors prevailed in the market. Then the identification of distribution options is to be the major decision to market the product, a great establishment of distribution channels will pertains a great proportion in successful marketing of a product. Marketing and advertisement campaigns play pivotal role in the success of any product. However, a significant amount of money, time and resources have to place behind marketing to the ethnic (or minority) â€Å"masses† and that was many years on the making when an organization advocated for that initiative, that too was looked upon as radical. Coming off the heels of that accomplishment, painting the picture of a viable affluent ethnic consumer might be easier. Ultimately, relevant, comprehensive and actionable insight will lead to informed business decisions and the implementation of marketing best practices. If the world has changed so must a brands attitude and actions towards marketing to new target audiences.

Importance of Discrete Mathematics in Computer Science

Importance of Discrete Mathematics in Computer Science Computer science is the study of problems, problem solving and the solutions that come out of the problem solving process, B. Miller and D. Ranum (2013). A computer scientist goal is to develop an algorithm, a step by step list of instructions in solving a problem. Algorithms are finite processes that if followed will solve the problem Discrete mathematics is concerned with structures which take on a discrete value often infinite in nature. Just as the real-number system plays a crucial role in continuous mathematics, integers are the cornerstone in discrete mathematics. Discrete mathematics provides excellent modelling tools for analysing real-world phenomena that varies in one state or another and is a vital tool used in a wide range of applications, from computers to telephone call routing and from personnel assignments to genetics, E.R. Scheinerman (2000) cited in W. J. Rapaport 2013). The difference between discrete mathematics and other disciplines is the basic foundation on proof as its modus operandi for determining truth, whereas science for example, relies on carefully analysed experience. According to J. Barwise and J. Etchemendy, (2000), a proof is any reasoned argument accepted as such by other mathematicians. Discrete mathematics is the background behind many computer operations (A. Purkiss 2014, slide 2) and is therefore essential in computer science. According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000), discrete mathematics is an essential part of the educational curriculum (Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, p. 31). K. H Rosen (2012) cites several important reasons for studying discrete mathematics including the ability to comprehend mathematical arguments. In addition he argues discrete mathematics is the gateway to advanced courses in mathematical sciences. This essay will discuss the importance of discrete mathematics in computer science. Furthermore, it will attempt to provide an understanding of important related mathematical concepts and demonstrate with evidence based research why these concepts are essential in computer science. The essay will be divided into sections. Section one will define and discuss the importance of discrete mathematics. The second section will focus on and discuss discrete structures and relationships with objects. The set theory would be used as an example and will give a brief understanding of the concept. The third section will highlight the importance of mathematical reasoning. Finally, the essay will conclude with an overview of why discrete mathematics is essential in computer science. Discrete Mathematics According to K. H. Rosen, (2012) discrete mathematics has more than one purpose but more importantly it equips computer science students with logical and mathematical skills. Discrete mathematics is the study of mathematics that underpins computer science, with a focus on discrete structures, for example, graphs, trees and networks, K H Rosen (2012). It is a contemporary field of mathematics widely used in business and industry. Often referred to as the mathematics of computers, or the mathematics used to optimize finite systems (Core-Plus Mathematics Project 2014). It is an important part of the high school mathematics curriculum. Discreet mathematics is a branch of mathematics dealing with objects that can assume only distinct separated values (mathworld wolfram.com). Discrete mathematics is used in contrast with continuous mathematics, a branch of mathematics dealing with objects that can vary smoothly including calculus (mathworld wolfram.com). Discrete mathematics includes graph theory, theory of computation, congruences and recurrence relations to name but a few of its associated topics (mathworld wolfram.com). Discrete mathematics deals with discrete objects which are separated from each other. Examples of discrete objects include integers, and rational numbers. A discrete object has known and definable boundaries which allows the beginning and the end to be easily identified. Other examples of discrete objects include buildings, lakes, cars and people. For many objects, their boundaries can be represented and modelled as either continuous or discrete, (Discrete and Continuous Data, 2008). A major reason discrete mathematics is essential for the computer scientist, is, it allows handling of infinity or large quantity and indefiniteness and the results from formal approaches are reusable. Discrete Structures To understand discrete mathematics a student must have a firm understanding of how to work with discrete structures. These discrete structures are abstract mathematical structures used to represent discrete objects and relationships between these objects. The discrete objects include sets, relations, permutations and graphs. Many important discrete structures are built using sets which are collections of objects K H Rosen (2012). Sets As stated by Cantor (1895: 282) cited in J. L. Bell (1998) a set is a collection of definite, well- differentiated objects. K. H Rosen (2012) states discrete structures are built using sets, which are collections of objects used extensively in counting problems; relations, sets of ordered pairs that represent relationships between objects, graphs, sets of vertices and edges that connect vertices and edges that connect vertices; and finite state machines, used to model computing machines. Sets are used to group objects together and often have similar properties. For example, all employees working for the same organisation make up a set. Furthermore those employees who work in the accounts department form a set that can be obtained by taking the elements common to the first two collections. A set is an unordered collection of objects, called elements or members of the set. A set is said to contain its elements. To denote that a is an element of the set A, we write a â‚ ¬ A. For example the set O of odd positive integers less than 10 can be expressed by O = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9}. Another example is, {x |1 ≠¤ x ≠¤ 2 and x is a real number.} represents the set of real numbers between 1 and 2 and {x | x is the square of an integer and x ≠¤ 100} represents the set {0. 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, 100}, (www.cs.odu.edu). Mathematical Reasoning Logic is the science for reasoning, Copi, (1971) and a collection of rules used in carrying out logical reasoning. The foundation for logic was laid down by the British mathematician George Boole. Logic is the basis of all mathematical reasoning and of all automated reasoning. It has practical applications to the design of computing machines, to the specification of systems, to artificial intelligence, to computer programming, to programming languages and to other areas of computer science, K H Rosen, (2012 page 1). Mathematical logic, starts with developing an abstract model of the process of reasoning in mathematics, D. W. Kucker page 1. Following the development of an abstract model a study of the model to determine some of its properties is necessary. The aim of logic in computer science is to develop languages to model the situations we encounter as computer science professionals, in such a way that we can reason about them formally. Reasoning about situations means constructing arguments about them; we want to do this formally, so that the arguments are valid and can be defended rigorously, or executed on a machine. In understanding mathematics we must understand what makes a correct mathematical argument, that is, a proof. As stated by C. Rota (1997) a proof is a sequence of steps which leads to the desired conclusion Proofs are used to verify that computer programs produce the correct result, to establish the security of a system and to create artificial intelligence. Logic is interested in true or false statements and how the truth or falsehood of a statement can be determined from other statements (www.cs.odu.edu). Logic is represented by symbols to represent arbitrary statements. For example the following statements are propositions â€Å"grass is green† and â€Å"2 + 2 = 5†. The first proposition has a truth value of â€Å"true† and the second â€Å"false†. According to S. Waner and S. R Constenoble (1996) a proposition is any declarative sentence which is either true or false. Many in the computing community have expressed the view that logic is an essential topic in the field of computer science (e.g., Galton, 1992; Gibbs Tucker, 1986; Sperschneider Antoniou, 1991). There has also been concern that the introduction of logic to computer science students has been and is being neglected (e.g., Dijkstra, 1989; Gries, 1990). In their article â€Å"A review of several programs for the teaching of logic†, Goldson, Reeves and Bornat (1993) stated: There has been an explosion of interest in the use of logic in computer science in recent years. This is in part due to theoretical developments within academic computer science and in part due to the recent popularity of Formal Methods amongst software engineers. There is now a widespread and growing recognition that formal techniques are central to the subject and that a good grasp of them is essential for a practising computer scientist. (p. 373). In his paper â€Å"The central role of mathematical logic in computer science†, Myers (1990) provided an extensive list of topics that demonstrate the importance of logic to many core areas in computer science and despite the fact that many of the topics in Myers list are more advanced than would be covered in a typical undergraduate program, the full list of topics covers much of the breadth and depth of the curriculum guidelines for computer science, Tucker (1990). The model program report (IEEE, 1983) described discrete mathematics as a subject area of mathematics that is crucial to computer science and engineering. The discrete mathematics course was to be a pre or co requisite of all 13 core subject areas except Fundamentals of Computing which had no pre requisites. However in Shaw’s (1985) opinion the IEEE program was strong mathematically but disappointing due to a heavy bias toward hardware and its failure to expose basic connections between hardware and software. In more recent years a task force had been set up to deve lop computer science curricula with the creation of a document known as the Denning Report, (Denning, 1989). The report became instrumental in developing computer science curriculum. In a discussion of the vital role of mathematics in the computing curriculum, the committee stated, mathematical maturity, as commonly attained through logically rigorous mathematics courses is essential to successful mastery of several fundamental topics in computing, (Tucker, 1990, p.27). It is generally agreed that students in undergraduate computer science programs should have a strong basis in mathematics and attempts to recommend which mathematics courses should be required, the number of mathematics courses and when the courses should be taken have been the source of much controversy (Berztiss, 1987; Dijkstra, 1989; Gries, 1990; Ralston and Shaw, 1980; Saiedian 1992). A central theme in the controversy within the computer science community has been the course discrete mathematics. In 1989, the Mathematical Association of America published a report about discrete mathematics at the undergraduate level (Ralston, 1989). The report made some recommendations including offering discrete mathematics courses with greater emphasis on problem solving and symbolic reasoning (Ralston, 1989; Myers, 1990). Conclusion The paper discussed the importance of discrete mathematics in computer science and its significance as a skill for the aspiring computer scientist. In addition some examples of this were highlighted including its usefulness in modelling tools to analyse real world events. This includes its wide range of applications such as computers, telephones, and other scientific phenomena. The next section looked at discrete structures as a concept of abstract mathematical structures and the development of set theory a sub topic within discrete mathematics. The essay concluded with a literature review of evidence based research in mathematical reasoning where various views and opinions of researchers, academics and other stakeholders were discussed and explored. The review makes clear of the overwhelming significance and evidence stacked in favour for students of computer science courses embarking on discrete mathematics. Overall, it is generally clear that pursuit of a computer science course w ould most definitely need the associated attributes in logical thinking skills, problem solving skills and a thorough understanding of the concepts. In addition the review included views of an increased interest in the use of logic in computer science in recent years. Furthermore formal techniques have been acknowledged and attributed as central to the subject of discrete mathematics in recent years. References A. Purkiss 2014, Lecture 1: Course Introduction and Numerical Representation, Birkbeck University. B. Miller and D. Ranum 2013. Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures: accessed on [18.01.15] Berztiss, A. (1987). A mathematically focused curriculum for computer science. Communications of the ACM, 30 (5), 356–365. Copi, I. M. (1979). Symbolic Logic (5th ed.). New York: Macmillan Core-Plus Mathematics Project 2014: Discrete Mathematics available at http://www.wmich.edu/cpmp/parentresource/discrete.html [accessed on 25.01.14] 6. D W Kucker Notes on Mathematical Logic; University of Maryland, College Park. Available at http://www.math.umd.edu/~dkueker/712.pdf Accessed on [24.01.15] Denning, P. J. (chair). (1989). Computing as a discipline. Communications of the ACM, 32 (1), 9–23. Dijkstra, E. W. (1989). On the cruelty of really teaching computing science. Communications of the ACM, 32 (12), 1398–1404. Discrete and Continuous Data, (2008). Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. Available at http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.2/index.cfm?TopicName=Discrete%20and%20continuous%20data [accessed on 18.01.15]. Discrete Structures (2010) available at http://www.cs.odu.edu/~toida/nerzic/content/schedule/schedule.html#day3 [accessed on 25.01.15] Edward R. Scheinerman (2000), Mathematics, A Discrete Introduction (Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, CA, 2000): xvii–xviii. Cited in W. J. Rapaport (2013). Discrete Structures. What is Discrete Maths? available from http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/191/whatisdiscmath.html-20130629 accessed on [25.01.2015] Galton, A. (1992). Logic as a Formal Method. The Computer Journal 35 (5), 431–440 Gibbs, N. E., Tucker, A. B. (1986). A model curriculum for a liberal arts degree in computer science. Communications of the ACM 29 (3), 202–210 Goldson, D., Reeves, S., Bornat, R. (1993). A review of several programs for the teaching of logic. The Computer Journal, 36 (4), 373–386. Gries, D. (1990). Calculation and discrimination: A more effective curriculum. Communications of the ACM. 34 (3). 44–55. 16. http://www.cs.odu.edu/~toida/nerzic/content/intro2discrete/intro2discrete.html : Introduction to Discrete Structures What’s and Whys IEEE Model Program Committee. (1983). The 1983 IEEE Computer Society Model Program in Computer Science and Engineering. IEEE Computer Society. Educational Activities Board J. Barwise and J. Etchemendy, Language, Proof and Logic, Seven Bridges Press, New York, 2000, ISBN 1-889119-08-3. J. L. Bell Oppositions and Paradoxes in Mathematics and Philosophy available at http://publish.uwo.ca/~jbell/Oppositions%20and%20Paradoxes%20in%20Mathematics2.pdf accessed on [25.01.2015] 20. K. H Rosen 2012 Discrete Mathematics and its Applications, 7edn, Monmouth University. Myers, Jr. J. P. (1990). The Central role of mathematical logic in computer science. SIGCSE Bulletin, 22 (1), 22–26. Ralston, A. (Ed.) (1989). Discrete Mathematics in the First Two Years. MAA Notes No. 15. The Mathematical Association of America. Ralston, A., Shaw, M. (1980). Curriculum 78 Is computer science really that unmathematical? Communications of the ACM, 23 (2), 67–70. Rota, G.-C. (1997). The phenomenology of mathematical proof. Syntheses, 111:183-196. S. Waner S. R. Costenoble (1996) Introduction to Logic. Saiedian, H. (1992). Mathematics of computing. Computer Science Education, 3 (3), 203-221. Shaw, M. (Ed.) (1985). The Carnegie-Mellon Curriculum for Undergraduate Computer Science. New York: Springer-Verlag Sperschneider, V., Antoniou, G. (1991). Logic: A foundation for computer science International Computer Science Series. Reading, MA: Addison- Wesley The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000). Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Tucker, A. B. (Ed.) (1990). Computing Curricula 1991: Report of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Curriculum Task Force Final Draft, December 17. ACM Order Number 201910. IEEE Computer Society Press Order Number 2220

Business plan for new clothing company

Business plan for new clothing company The product we are going to distribute is trendy clothing. Clothing must be fashionable so that it can influence on people and it is one of the most important things for people. Particularly, there are two types of clothing: formal and informal. However, the clothing were going to develop is formal clothing. Nowadays, there are a lot of brands, like as ELLE, DAPPER, ARROW and other brands, and they have already got their own customers and they are holding some part of our Myanmar market. We assure that our product is certainly produced with high quality and fashionably designed. Customers will not need to be doubtful and unfulfilled after they bought our product. The target market for our product is concentrated on gender. Besides, we will distribute the other special accessories, such as, sunglasses, purses and wallets, and fancy. Product We have investigated the cloth quality and fashionable design in our factory in Singapore. We will use cotton, which can be adjustable with Myanmar weather, in our clothing. Furthermore, we build the factory and some warehouses in china and the products are separated into many categories _ tops, pants, jackets and coats and others. First, we focused on ladies apparel and accessories such as shoes, bags, belts, scarves and hats. Then, we decided to expand into men wears. We are now starting to introduce our products to market in Myanmar. New trends are always available at our organization for the people who are really into fashion. Benefits We know that all the people want the excellent brand hallmark and the best standard with the best possible price. We have usually coordinated in price and quality effectively that can bring satisfaction to the customers. You can see our new collection for summer, rainy, and winter seasons. We have planned to retail and open stores in some urban areas so that consumers can easily get our goods from their surrounding shopping mall and markets. We are offering diverse categories for both male and female, so both of these customers can obtain their needs from one place our brand. And a lot of people will be delighted with our products. People who pay for our brand will get the feeling of confident, stylish, and smart. Target market We orientate the customers who want to be fabulous and gorgeous. We segment and classify the markets into demographics, geographic, psychographic and behavior. We aim at the adults and youths market _ Generation Y, Generation X and late teens. And they are our core markets. Every religion and ethnic backgrounds can wear our clothing. Our brand will suit with people who are interested in newly fashion designed clothing because we made our products beautifully. And, we have option for clothing expenditures that how much money the customers will spend on the branding product, on average. If you would choose this brand, youll never feel unsatisfied and insecure. You can have a delightful lifestyle. Everyone wont look down upon you when youre wearing them. You will feel like very secure. They can bring pleasure to you. In addition, we have been chosen the most suitable clothing style for Myanmar culture which are simple, but interesting and attracted to people. The chosen collections will be right with Myanmar customs tastes. To consider about the geographic, we do research some inner-urban areas and higher socio-economics regions. Then, we point out not only the cities of Yangon and Mandalay but also the range of some well-known supermarkets and shopping mall. We also make a certain decision for the weather conditions of Myanmar and our selective areas. Generally, we are sure that Myanmar has the finest weather and the climate is not very cold compared with other countries. Thats why we negotiate and make a decision that well share the most convenient and attractive clothes with our Myanmar customers. Head Office location Address : Mortin shopping mall Contact no. : +951501509 Contact mail : [emailprotected], [emailprotected] Customer buying behavior Customers can look around many brands. Theyll have many choices, however when they compare with our brand, they will be persuaded and motivated to buy our products. Although the consumers are passion about it, they will see the quality, color, design and prices. And, it is also crucial that we get the right place. All the people might believe that the items at the shopping malls have security so that they are more willing to buy it. Therefore, we sell our products in better supermarket to attract customer behavior. Consumers make a decision at the shopping centre but it will take some efforts and time to decide carefully. Customer might use and look into the Yellow pages, internet, journals or magazines. So, the data and information put into these papers, but not in details. They can also have a look through our own web page. www.precious.com.sg Our staff will be always on line and we update the data all the times, so you dont have to worry about the fashion is not up-to-date. Product Strategies Product classification Our product can be accepted as shopping goods because people usually compare price, quality and style when they buy the clothes. Distribution channels and promotional strategies shaped on our products and on the customers. We appointed with retailers to sale large quantities. Product life cycle stage The PCL stage is also influenced on our products. We are going to think about the profits and we always need to aware that our price is affordable or not, and we are trying to get knowledge about our competitors fashion trend and the situation of the other markets. Product mix or Product line We have some kinds of sizes for male and female individually. They are small, medium and large for female and S, M, L, XL, and XXL for male. There are several colors for both male and female. Many sorts of types can be obtained. We are giving services, like online shopping and delivery. These are all the items for female: Tops- fashion tops, shirts and tees Jackets and coats- jackets and coats, vests Skirts Pants Shorts Dresses Shoes-flats and scandal, heals and wedges, boots Other accessories The following items are for male customers: Shirts Jackets and coats Suits Pants Shorts Shoes- shoes and socks Brand The name PRECIOUS indicates to our product. This logo will represent our brand. We give the slogan as if you want to be stylish, wear PRECIOUS. Branding strategy We define the producers own brands as branding strategy owing to our products field, the financial background, and the management. Our product field is large, we are well financed, and well managed for our product lines. Packaging We dont have special packaging styles or methods. We just package well to look good and perfect. Distribution Strategies Channel Choice We will use both Direct and Indirect Distribution Channels. In direct distribution channel, we will distribute our product directly to ultimate consumers. We just use our own sales or perhaps telemarketing or online selling directly to consumers. We will perform as manufacturers. In indirect distribution channel, we will distribute our products through retailers such as supermarkets and stores to consumers. And we also use middlemen. Middlemen are important because it is usually not practical for a producer to deal directly with ultimate consumers. We need intermediaries mainly for acting as transport and merchandise agent when we export our products to other places such as Nay Pyee Daw, Mandalay and on. Pricing Strategies Pricing Objectives As we are starting our business, we prefer to have Sales Oriented Goals. We might not look to maximize profit but rather to set a price aimed at increasing sale volume. Price Elasticity As clothing is not only shopping good but also psychogenic need, consumers will usually compare price, quality and style and also buying habits affect distribution and promotion, But the price will be elastic. The price will be change when increasing demand. Market Entry Strategies We will enter the market with by using Market Skimming Pricing Strategy. Because our product is setting a relatively high initial price as our target market is for elite customers. By using this strategy it can help to establish a high-quality image for our new product and provides the firm with pricing flexibility. Another point of view why our product is suitable for that strategy the reasons for that are our product is in the early stages of life cycle and our new product is distinctive. Product cost When we setting up the price. There are two types of cost, variable and fixed. Wages and salaries, tax and insurance, machinery costs and vehicles and equipments are fixed costs. Raw material cost, electricity, delivery and advertising are variable costs. Price Setting Methods We will use Cost-plus pricing method. (Total cost +desire profit) is also call mark up pricing. Evaluation of cost-plus pricing (Budgeted) Planned=10 Cost, Selling price, Profit Budgeted Labour and material costs per cloth $20 Overhead (fixed cost) $25 Total cost per unit = $45 According to the calculation budgeted selling price per unit = $45+$4.5 = $49.5 per unit Break-even analysis It is important to meet break-even point for our company otherwise we cant make profit and also cant imagine for the good will of our company. We wish to find out how many units must be sold to cover all cost. So we used Break-even analysis. The equations for Break-even point is Break-even point, in units= Total fixed cost Selling price per unit average variable cost per unit ($) Promotion strategies We will always inform and remind about our ultimate goods to our usual customers and the other new customers. Well apply the advertising method and sale promotion method to publicize. Well use 10% of annual profit for our products promotion. Advertising Well not use the broadcasting through TV channels. At first, well print in the famous magazines and journals to recognize by the public easily. Then, well emphasize on the outdoors advertisements _ billboards and bus sides so that a lot of people will notice our product now and then. Sale promotion We have prepared some contests to become familiar with some business people and consumers. Well put more stress on trade shows and in-store displays. We have hired the ball room in Traders hotel (Yangon) and Sedona hotel (Mandalay) to make our first trade show in Myanmar. And, we have well organized to start our trade show. After that, we are going to display our latest fashion designed clothes in some big department stores. We also get ready to allow for the member cards if you become our loyalty customer. We have gold, silver and platinum cards for our customers. You will see amazing rewards when you come to our . You can do members at our web page. If you got a profile in our websites, you can see and shop our recent items on line. We make the offering 10% off. Youll see our astonished plus offers and rewards. SWOT Analysis Strengths Well design, best quality and we also use tight quality control strategies. Therefore, our products have better quality than any other competitors. Legally import from china. Well packing to avoid damage by transportations. Only sell qualified products there is no damage items. Weakness Selling price may b a bit problem for ordinary class customers because of our products target market is for elite customers. Distribution direct from manufacturers to the retailer so we arent sure the retailers do their work perfect or not. Our company is newly established. As we are in introduction stage, the awareness of people about our brand may be smaller even though our product is nice. We need lots of promotional strategies than other existing competitors to penetrate the market. Opportunities We allow some opportunities for our customers and also authorized agent too. If a customer buys goods for 200,000ks within a month we give him/her 5%discount card up to two years. For authorized agent if their revenues touch the focus target we allow them to get feedback 5% of their revenues as bonuses for them and also free trips to China. Threats One biggest threat for our product is that there are lots of famous competitors. Delay transportation, for example, when we import out products from China by ship if the weather is terrible our stocks will be delay. We have to sell our products according to the weather if our stocks are delayed we cant sell these delay product on that time. If we are going to sell those products in coming season it is sure that our products are not up to date. Another one is inflation because of that the value of Myanmar Kyat became low so when exchanging money fluctuation is threat for us. Action Plan We will provide our customers with the best quality products. By giving opportunities helps our firm to increase the volume of sales. Make our product well-know and satisfying consumer wants by developing goods and special service. We fight our main competitor by making priority of consumer wants on the other hand their weakness is they only focus on making money by selling men wears whereas we make satisfy our consumers by selling both genders and also accessories for both of them and also discount systems. We will build trust with our consumers and let them know that our product is reliable and qualified in these ways we hope to build strengths and to overcome our weakness. .

The Perspective of Plato and Aristotle on the Value of Art Essays

The Perspective of Plato and Aristotle on the Value of Art    As literary critics, Plato and Aristotle disagree profoundly about the value of art in human society. Plato attempts to strip artists of the power and prominence they enjoy in his society, while Aristotle tries to develop a method of inquiry to determine the merits of an individual work of art. It is interesting to note that these two disparate notions of art are based upon the same fundamental assumption: that art is a form of mimesis, imitation. Both philosophers are concerned with the artist's ability to have significant impact on others. It is the imitative function of art which promotes disdain in Plato and curiosity in Aristotle. Examining the reality that art professes to imitate, the process of imitation, and the inherent strengths and weaknesses of imitation as a form of artistic expression may lead to understanding how these conflicting views of art could develop from a seemingly similar premise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both philosophers hold radically different notions of reality. The assumptions each man makes about truth, knowledge, and goodness directly affect their specific ideas about art. For Plato, art imitates a world that is already far removed from authentic reality, Truth. Truth exists only in intellectual abstraction, that is, paradoxically, more real than concrete objects. The universal essence, the Idea, the Form of a thing, is more real and thus more important than its physical substance. The physical world, the world of appearances experienced through the senses, does not harbor reality. This tangible world is an imperfect reflection of the universal world of Forms. Human observations based on these reflections are, therefore, highly suspect. At b... ... the definition derived by each philosopher is profoundly different. In order to construct a coherent, wide-ranging philosophy, art and its impact on society must be reckoned with, whether as an imitation of a system far removed or a system in our midst. The process of imitation is used in both cases to promote the particular version of reality espoused by each man. While such a study is beneficial in tracing the philosophical conflict regarding the usage and importance of imitation in art, what is most apparent, perhaps, is the discovery that language itself is an imperfect imitation of meaning, capable of fostering such conflicts. Works Cited: Aristotle. "Poetics" The Critical Tradition. Ed., David H. Richter, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989. Plato. "Republic, Book X" The Critical Tradition. Ed., David H. Richter, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989.

Essay --

The Clash of Races Africa has always been the centre of colonization for many European countries. With its colonization came stereotypes of African’s being inhumane, primitive and savage in comparison to the humanity of the civilized Europeans. The tradition model simplifies the stereotypes into Africans are bad and Europeans are good. Fortunately, it is not as clear cut as this. In Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, both the Igbo of the Umuofia and the British of Europe have good sides and dark sides of their respective races revealing that traditional perceptions of these races are not entirely accurate. Through their systems of government, court systems and religion both parties have the positive and negative effects on each other. As the traditional model states, the Europeans did have a positive effect on the Africans of Umuofia. Firstly, the British missionaries built a hospital for the people of the village. The villagers state that the â€Å"White man’s medicine was quick and worked well† (181). They shared the European knowledge of medicine with the villagers and this vastly improved their health and overall well-being. In addition, the Europeans built a school for the people of the Umuofia leading to them acquiring jobs. In particular, â€Å"A few months in were enough to make one a court messenger or even a court clerk (181).† The schools also taught advanced and knowledge based positions to the villagers too. For example, â€Å"[T]hose who stayed longer became teachers† (181-182). This passing of knowledge assisted the African society to become more educated and helped them get an occupation in the future. Contrary to the traditional model, the Africans of the Umuofia village are civil and humane. The Umofia village has communa... ...e way it was forced on them was inhumane Therefore, it is definite that the Europeans had a dark side too. In summary, if there is one obvious fact, it is that the issue is not as clear cut as the traditional model makes it seem. The inhabitants of Umuofia do have a dark side however, it is also evident that they have a civilized and humane side too. Similarly, the Europeans in general also demonstrate both humanity and inhumanity through the massacring of an entire tribe and in imprisoning many Africans who do not conform. They also attempt to enlighten the Africans by providing jobs and medicine. To conclude, one cannot simply say the Europeans are superior and Africans are inferior. In today’s society, many stereotypical people are in existence and will forever exist but are those people not supposed to be progressing forward not reverting back to segregation?

Plagues And Epidemics :: essays research papers

Plagues and Epidemics Humans are remarkably good at finding a religious scapegoat for their problems. There has always been someone to blame for the difficulties we face in life, such as war, famine, and more relevant, disease. Hitler blames the Jews for economical woes in a corrupt Germany long after the Romans held the Christians responsible for everything wrong in a crumbling, has-been empire. In the fourteenth century, when Plague struck Europe, it was blamed on "†¦ unfavorable astrological combinations or malignant atmospheres†¦" (handout p2), and even "†¦deliberate combination by witches, Moslems (an idea proposed by Christians), Christians (proposed by Moslems) and Jews (proposed by both groups)." (H p2) The point is, someone was to blame even when the obvious reasons, flea ridden rats, were laying dead on the streets. As time progressed to the twentieth century, there have been few if any exceptions made to this phenomena. In the case of Oran, the people raced to find a culprit for the sudden invasion of their town, which became the unrepentant man. This is one of Camus’ major themes; The way a society deals with an epidemic is to blame it one someone else. Twenty years ago, when AIDS emerged in the US, homosexual men became the target of harsh and flagrant discrimination, and even today are still held accountable by some beliefs. While we may no longer lynch in the nineties, we do accuse innocent groups, like the gay male population, for the birth and explosion of AIDS in our society. Given, there are some differences between each respective situation, but there are striking similarities that cannot be ignored. As the Plague invaded the town of Oran, the people quarantined within its walls began to look to their leaders for answers. Most likely these people had trouble believing that such an awful thing was happening to them, and needed someone to point the finger at. In the meantime, Father Paneloux was preparing a speech to answer the questions and fears that surrounded him, and probably vexed him as well. The truth is, his speech was as much therapeutic as it was didactic, and in winning the opinion of the public he could calm his own fears. " If today the plague is in your midst, that is because the hour has struck for taking thought. The just man need have no fear, but the evildoer has good cause to tremble." (p95) Paneloux is passing the blame, but in a very intriguing way. "You believed some brief formalities, some bendings of the knee, would recompense Him well enough for you criminal indifference.

Computing and Connectivity Essay

Nonmanagement employees perform the day-to-day operations. The employees in this role can work in a warehouse, in a call center, or even teachers. Employees are serving one main purpose here, and that is to serve the customer. Nonmanagement employees report to a manager or supervisor that falls under the operation management role. Publix has thousands of nonmanagement employees. When someone goes to the grocery store, he or she can see cashiers, deli counter associates, floor associates, bakers, butchers, and others. These roles all are there to serve the customer. They work latterly with the company’s warehouses, call centers, and technicians. While the warehouses, call centers, and technicians are not serving an external customer, the actual supermarket is an internal customer. Based on the author’s job functions, she would fall under the nonmanagement employee role. The author is a supply chain development lead which is a fancy way of saying programmer analyst. She oversees all software coding that arrives from the supplier, tests the coding, and works with the business areas that will be using the software. While her position is salary, and the business areas being supported or reviewed by her are not salary, Jessica’s role is providing a service to a customer. Her customer is also providing service to other customers, whether a store or a vendor. This author has participated in a GPS tracking initiative for the technician’s vans. With this hardware and software install, the application located on the web server is able to go out and determine the geographical location of any technician. The software will then use this to optimize the calls for that location and assign the call to the technician who is closest, thereby saving travel time, communication to the call center, and lost labor time. Optimization such as this is an example of how Publix is working with distributed computing and connectivity. More Opportunities to Revolutionize Publix has numerous competitors such as Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Winn-Dixie, Albertsons, and even some small grocery chains. The main advantage is that when shopping at Publix, the customers can expect to have a good experience and have quality groceries. The quality does not stop with the groceries either. Currently all the 915 stores are upgrading software and hardware to keep up with the changing technology. The point-of-sale cash registers are being updated to be touch screen and to have a large display for the customer to be able to review all items as they are scanned. Another project is the upgrade of the wireless networks. Before the upgrade, the stores were on a slow wired network, which caused issues if the technicians needed to review all the details or to update his or her calls. The new network will allow the technicians to use their handheld devices and communicate using the store’s fire walled wireless intranet to update their service calls. Recently, Publix jumped into selling liquor in some of their stores. Some were worried this would tarnish the image of the wholesome store. Publix approached the topic very carefully and opened liquor stores adjacent to the supermarket. The profits soared after all these new projects start implementing. Recently, to stay a head of the competition, Publix started a generator project. This project will install a large generator in every store by the beginning of next hurricane season. About 269 stores already have these generators in them. These large generators will run the refrigerated cases for several days after a natural disaster. This project started after millions of dollars in food was lost after the past two hurricane seasons. Publix has reserve fuel supplies at the ports and tanker trucks on reserve ready to roll out to fill any generators needed. These generators are monitored remotely in the corporate offices by an in-house software package that alerts the key personnel to any issues that may arise. When a situation does arise, the store manager is called to check to see if the situation is a false alarm or not, and to help rectify the situation until further help can be contacted and dispatched to the location. Other advantages are allowing customers to refill their existing prescriptions online with their Publix pharmacy. Customers can select a pickup time for the prescription, but if none is selected, the time defaults to the following afternoon. While the pharmacy is always convenient to visit and have prescriptions refilled while shopping, this service allows someone to refill his or her script and run in to pick up if shopping is not intended. These types of technological benefits help Publix revolutionize the grocery industry. Conclusion This author has shown several examples of how her role and others in the organization have been influenced by distributed connectivity to communities surrounding the organization. This author recognizes the potential for growth and revolution for her company and how all jobs must report not only laterally, but downward, upward and even externally. Proactive measures such as the generator program show that Publix is preparing for the future so service can still be provided to areas that are hit by natural disasters. Ability for customers to refill their prescriptions online shows how Publix is keeping connected through distributed computing. While many levels in an organization exist, this author realizes that all roles play an important part in the success of any company and that success can be maximized through distributed connectivity.

How to Stop Worrying

General Outline Specific Purpose: To inform my audience on how to stop worrying and start living. Central Idea: We can stop worrying and start living by live in the moment, stop recycling the past, and stop trying to save the world. Main point 1: We can stop worrying and start living by live in the moment. Main point 2: We can stop worrying and start living by stop recycling the past. Main point 3: We can stop worrying and start living by stop trying to save the world.Introduction It is very easy to expend all of your energy worrying. I have learned that everyone worries to some extent it could be about something little like what you think you got on a test, or something big, like one of your family member is dying. One way to get out of the worry habit is to heighten your awareness of the present. Things are happening all around us every minute of the day. Why not focus on what is happening now by live in the moment.Outline of the Main Point Main point 1: We can stop worrying and st art living by live in the moment. 1. What is live in the moment? A. Live in the moment is all about living like there’s no tomorrow. 2. Several ways to live in the moment that can make us stop worrying and start living : A. Commit random, spontaneous acts of kindness – donate RM1 to a beggar, picking up a litter or complimenting someone. B.Minimize activities that dull your awareness of the moment – less use of phones and computer, instead go gardening, hiking and hanging out with friends. C. Smile when you wake up. References http://www. huffingtonpost. co. uk/2012/07/31/smiling-lowers-stress-health-benefits-laughing_n_1724400. html http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/articles/248433. php http://www. wikihow. com/Stop-Worrying-and-Start-Living www. positivelypresent. com/†¦ /15-ways-to-live-in-the-moment. html

Culture of American Indians Essay

In Against the Grain, environmental journalist Richard Manning (2004) argues that notions of class and property are a direct result of the emergence of agricultural civilizations beginning 10,000 years ago. This is because of the social necessities demanded by distribution and storage of surplus. Conversely, he points out the contrastingly egalitarian nature of the hunter-gatherer lifestyles and the deeper social ties which result from cooperative food acquisition. Consider for example, the Plains Indians of North America prior to the arrival of European settlers, who would utilize their knowledge of buffalo movement patterns to haze and herd them, towards a cliff. By diverting the stampede of a large number of animals to their sudden vertical death, they would obtain a caloric pay-off through minimal effort, but â€Å"required social organization and sharing, both of the labor and of the proceeds.† (Manning, 2004; South Dakota State Historical Society Education Kit, 2008) Yet despite this element of uncertainty in hunting and gathering, Richard Steckel notes that towards the end of the 19th century, the Plains Indians were among the tallest people in the world and argues despite the numerous technological and agricultural advances they did not have, they were surprisingly well-nourished compared to whites, indicating that agriculture should not be taken for granted as the sign of social advancement it is purported be, Manning notes that, in the absence of storage means and preservation technologies, it was impossible for the Plains Indians to hoard bison meat. Therefore wealth accumulation was impossible. As such, â€Å"communal feasting became the payoff for social organization,† argues Manning Agriculture on the hand, created social stratification in the form of governance, hierarchy and other institutions necessary for the management of food surplus. Although there is certain room for question to be made about the true egalitarianism of the hunter gatherer cultures of the Plains Indians, they certainly lacked some of the rigidly defined political structures which characterized those belonging to the cultures of Europeans at the point of first contact. Comanche leadership was rather informal, usually identifiable by consensus rather than by any formal nomination to the position and the longevity of a war chiefs authority lasted only as long as they were at war. (Bial, 2000) The Blackfoot people maintained a flexible social structure, a band, which was in constant flux. As such, social relationships were not determined solely by kinship but by residence. In modern times, the case for the difference between hunter-gatherer Native Americans such as the Plains Indians of pre-modern times and the agricultural Native Americans can be observed in the difference between the Inuit peoples, who live a predominantly hunter-gatherer lifestyle out in the Arctic regions (Snow, 1996) and the peoples of the Cherokee and Lakota. The Inuit are noted for their strong sense of community and flexible division of labor among gender lines. The Cherokee and the Lakota, however, have now long been agricultural societies characterized by their class and gender divisions, as well as their contentious disposition towards identity and blood quantum laws. REFERENCES Bial, R. (2000) Lifeways: The Comanche. New York: Benchmark Books. Manning, R. (2004) Against the Grain: How Agriculture Has Hijacked Civilization. New York: North Point Press. â€Å"Buffalo and the Plains Indians.† (2008, April 4) South Dakota State Historical Society Education Kit. Retrieved July 3, 2008 from: http://www.sdhistory.org/mus/ed/Buffalo%20Kit%20Activiteis/Teacher%20Resource.pdf Snow, D. R.. (1996) â€Å"The first Americans and the differentiation of hunter-gatherer cultures.† North America. Eds. Bruce G. Trigger and Wilcomb E. Washburn. Cambridge University Press, 1996.