Developing an English Language Curriculum Essay

The problem at hand involves developing a curriculum for English language that is suited for all people, coming from all over the country; even those without the basic knowledge of the language. The problem entails finding out the basis of developing such a curriculum, analyzing the content and coverage of such a curriculum, testing the suitability of it to the users, outlining a sample curriculum and finding out the possible outcome of such a curriculum. The problem will also discuss the likelihood of making compromises, possible compromises, the groups affected and how to counteract the effects of such compromises. Theoretical Background and Analysis Curriculum development for languages has for a good length of time been based on; developing language responsiveness, developing confidence and competence in the use of English language, trying to instil into the learners the cognitive capability, training learners to develop language imaginative and emotional skills via oral, reading and writing skills. In trying to develop any teaching curriculum, one can focus on the above as guideline. Traditionally, the curriculum activities have been determined by use of a particular set of goals needed to be achieved. Hence one would sit down and analyze the particular things he wanted to achieve then go ahead and develop a systematic way to end up with the desired results. Failure to achieve these results would be followed by corrective measures to the curriculum. However, further developments to this has led to another way of developing a curriculum based on the path or route used to achieving desired results other than the one based on developing a curriculum on goal basis. A curriculum can be developed on the basis of tasks (Nunan, 1998). One approach focuses on analyzing the psycholinguistics involved in the acquisition of a second language and activation of such in a classroom. The other approach basically focuses on the purpose the learners need the language for. Nunan and Lockwood (1991) have come up with a model to implement the latter approach. This involves allowing learners develop the skills of the language, offer a chance to analyze and listen on how sample tasks are solved, giving a grammatically instructed guidance for performance of various tasks, and stimulating them to develop skills that are emerging in them via rehearsal. We must however put into consideration the problem at hand; that the students will be expected to learn a second language, in this case English. Much as they will try to be given the above guidelines we can also be guided by a model suited for them. Two models can be focused as a basis for this: (a) The rehearsal rationale path which focuses on what they will be intending to do with the language they are learning. (b) Psycholinguistic model which answers the question on the required mechanisms to acquire a second language. I do therefore propose that such a curriculum would entail courses that will make the learners be assimilated into a culture of having a positive response to using the English language as pertaining communication on a daily basis, training them how to communicate, write, think critically and solve problems using the language. Basically, since the language entails being able to read, write (which would demand knowledge on the grammar, use the language mechanics, penmanship and spelling), to listen and speak all these would be part and passel of the curriculum. Arising Effects and Addressing the Problem It is hard to develop a compromise curriculum for everyone. While some would view such changes as only a waste of time and derailing their time in school since they know the basics, the learners would find an opportunity to assimilate what is necessary to give them an easier time in school. A compromise must however reduce the likelihood of going into what the newcomers can found out for themselves. Since they already have come to study various courses in the institution, it can be assumed as well that most of them will be aware of the challenges involved. Instead of say establishing a separate academic year to go through the curriculum, the curriculum can be made to fit into their program as they go through other courses of their study. One can therefore fit in two courses of studying English in their first year of study. The first course, for example can contain courses for the students to learn communication, writing and reading skills, while in the subsequent term, the second course can entail courses challenging students to thinking critically, analytical skills, interpretation skills, and using the language to formulate ideas. It must be considered that students will have to be exposed to acquiring a second language by presenting one which is a bit more complex that which they have and they will gain maximally. This was a belief in input hypothesis by Krashen (1981, 1982) which has acted on for many researches. The next step would entail finding out what majority of the learners will be, their background languages and how the curriculum can be suited to favour them. A research will need to be conducted to establish what the current situation is on the ground, necessity of having such a curriculum, its implications to the students already in the institution and how they think they can be helped. It would be of little need to establish a curriculum that only duplicates work and overloads the students. In deed, this can be solved by carrying out an extensive research on the need for it, even before it is designed. Once there is enough evidence that such a curriculum is of necessity, one can go ahead and design it. It would be better to incorporate the views of the intended beneficiaries to this project. The curriculum should be geared towards making sure that the students also benefit in usage of the language in other disciplines other than English itself. Therefore, a good connectivity between English language skills should be ensured by the curriculum being implemented. Implementation and Review Once the program has been implemented, there is need to keep on acquiring the feed back from the beneficiaries pertaining various courses, their benefits and what they think can be done to improve on the arising difficulties, analyzing the elements of the feed back and carrying out the corrective measures as pertaining course improvement. Conclusion In the above analysis, I have provided a basis model which can be used in developing an English language curriculum, and sort to solve problems related to its introduction in any learning environment. The implementation and review section seeks to give an outline how one can put into action such a curriculum and review it. Remember that a good curriculum is the one that accomplishes its intended purpose satisfactorily. It does not mean that it is free from difficulties, but these must be dealt with. Reference NCCA (2008): Curriculum Online. Retrieved from, http://82. 195. 132. 34/index. asp?locID=399&docID=-1, on September 10, 2008 Krashen, S. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford: Pergamon Press. Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon Press. Nunan D. (1998). Communicative Tasks and the Language Curriculum. Macquarie University Urbana-Champaign University of Illinois. Retrieved from http://www. iei. uiuc. edu/TESOLOnline/texts/nunan/index. html on September 10, 2008. Nunan, D. , & Lockwood, J. (1991). The Australian English course: Task based English for post-beginners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Aida Play Analysis Essay

The musical Aida was written by Auguste Mariette based on Giuseppe Verdi’s Italian-language opera. 2nd Flight Productions using the stage at Chantilly High School performed the musical. The musical was based on the legend of Aida, the Nubian princess who was captured as a slave to Radames, the captain of Egypt. The performance is divided into two acts and it started with Radames fianci , Amneris, as a statue during the present times in a museum. The museum displayed a tomb with the carvings of a man and a woman buried together. Amneris’s statue begins to sing and tells the tale behind the tomb. The set for the museum was sufficiently constructed for the story. The tomb was realistic and the background sets of Egyptian writing were appropriate to the feeling and style. However, at first it was difficult to grasp who Amneris was when she sang because she was position center right and maybe a little down right of the stage. There were no other props that clearly indicated that she was part of the museum and that she was a statue. There was a back narrow parallel platform that elevated her separate from the ground. The ensemble members were the museum tourists observing the artifacts. However they were on the ground level and there were no indications of them acknowledging her as a fellow artifact of the museum. Throughout the play, Aida is a strong character who deeply cares about her people. In the plot she hides her identity as the Nubian Princess to save her people. The actress did an amazing job portraying those characteristics. Her voice was powerful and so phenomenal that each song she sung moved me. Every emotion she evoked moved the audience through her acting and her singing. There was moment where the actress belted out a song that described the struggles of being a princess of Nubia. Her body language was like a building wearing away and her facial expressions revealed pain and sorrow. Another moment that was very effective was when she finally accepted her love for Radames. Her body language was playful, her voice was light and her facial expression was soft and more youthful. She was the best and most excellent actress in the play. The lighting had its good effects and bad effects. During serious moments, the lighting was used well and isolated the light towards the main characters. However, when the music became lively, the lighting was in all different colors, similar to a disco lighting, which I found unnecessary and sloppy for a historical musical. The costuming was decent as well but I expected more from a community theatre company. The costumes would be acceptable for a high school production but not a community one. The slave clothes were fine and tattered; however, the fabric was new and it appeared new from stage. Since the setting is in historical times, the fabric must invoke that. The costume for Aida throughout the play was in a shiny fabric that was glittery. This was an anachronism since the setting, again, is in historical times. The ensemble was probably the poorest aspect of the play. In every act they were in, they were never in synch with each other. No one seemed to listen or hear each other. The ensembles made careless mistakes with their hands fidgeting, their eyes not focused and the acting did not seem like acting. In acting, the actor must have a purpose or goal to evoke good acting; however the ensemble did not do that. They moved around with unmotivated movement. Their dance, however, was stronger than their acting. At times they were no in synch but they did decent on their dances. I wished that the ensemble danced with more diverse movements. The dances seemed a little parallel and conformed to the same movements at times. The ensemble men were Radames soldiers in the beginning and did a dance routine that had the characteristics of a march. The performance of the ensemble however, was poor. Their entire routine was not in synch and it was sloppy. In order to portray as soldiers, they should have had more cut and dry movements that were sharp and strict. However, they performed as if they were relaxed and bored. It was more of a casual walk than a march. Towards the end the soldiers did an impressive break dance when the song lifted from its austere melody, however I found it unnecessary. Overall the musical was satisfactory as a community musical. The background music was appropriate, the main actors were excellent in portraying their characters and the songs were sung on key. Although there were many errors in setting, and ensemble members, the director succeeded in telling and portraying the story of Aida in a reasonable fashion.

Primate Society and Human Society Essay

The present paper is intended to discuss the similarities between the social behaviors of baboons and humans according to the book â€Å"Almost Human† by Shirley Strum. The first manifestation of social behavior Shirley Strum noticed is threat signals the animals convey when a newcomer appears (Strum, 1987, p. 24). Furthermore, as the newcomer approaches, juveniles and adult females circle around him and carefully examine him. The animals introduce themselves in an interesting way: â€Å"A female â€Å"presents† to a male when she approaches and turns her bottom toward his face; then the male will generally sniff her to see if she is sexually receptive. Two males can also present to each other with no sexual intention at all, and the same greeting is frequently exchanged by females, juveniles and even babies when they can manage it. † (Strum, 1987, p. 25). In several days upon the arrival of the newcomer, he remains an outcast, yet the other tribe members keep their eyes on each movement he makes. When a female comes closely to a male, the latter narrows his eyes, shakes head and smacks his lips – this physical manifestation is quite common among baboons. However, if the male is not considered â€Å"popular† in the group of animals, the female might simply flee without introducing herself, – then male continues grimacing as described above and accompanies the grim with soft grunting. The couple play this game for quite a long time – the female approaches and then quickly distracts and escapes, whereas the male continues to exhibit his â€Å"infatuation†. Such social â€Å"games† are played between men and women in our society. For instance, when a woman presents herself to a man, she smiles and shakes hands with him. They also verbally exchange their introductory information – name, occupation, hobbies. At the same time, the man, who considers marriage or searches for a sex partner, processes the information about the woman’s appearance and . If he is attracted to the woman, he begins to make slight hints and social gestures – e. g. , he might distinguish her amongst his friends and become more sincere, invite her to a theatre, cinema or dinner, give her gifts and flowers and so forth. However, if the woman notices the man has low social position or does not meet her social requirements, she is likely to lose interest in his â€Å"candidacy†. However, if the man persists and manages to present his interest as genuine and stable, the intimate relationship might begin. Human and baboon behaviors in cross-gender relationships are quite similar. Primarily, baboons present themselves to one another in order to learn more about a stranger; similarly, humans introduce themselves both verbally and through smiling, shaking hands. This introductory stage allows gathering the basic information and determining the primary sources of threat in the â€Å"interlocutor† (e. g. , contagious disease, among humans – armor etc). Among humans, smile acts as a sign of the person’s peaceful intentions, as humans are less proficient in the use and understanding of body language. Further, as a female baboon approaches the male and gives him an opportunity to inhale her odor, she shows to him that she is sexually mature and can have intimate contact. Moreover, such close introduction allows the male to examine her appearance, or â€Å"beauty† – this factor is extremely important, given that â€Å"beauty† in primate groups is associated with physical health and fitness. The healthier the female is the stronger progeny she can bear and the fewer problems with bearing and birth she will experience. Similarly, human males assess the female during the first seconds of encounter, – in particular, they pay attention to such criteria as age, physical beauty and erudition, as they half-consciously select (not always intentionally) a potential sexual partner or spouse and subconsciously believe younger (to reasonable degree, but generally younger in comparison to the male), smarter and more gorgeous women are fitter and better prepared for life in this society. Female baboons show their bottoms when they seek to lure a male, perhaps because appropriate building of this body part serves as a proof of the female’s sexual maturity and health. Human females, who wish to look â€Å"attractive†, also demonstrate their bodies, not necessarily naked, but always underlined by stylish clothes, make-up and accessories. After evaluating the female and determining whether she fits his criteria of physical development and appearance, the male baboon himself seeks to attract the female by displaying his interest and showing his own fitness and strength. Similarly to the primate society, among humans, there is also a behavioral pattern which consists in male’s responsibility for making the first step towards a stable relationship (e. g. inviting the woman he is infatuated with to a dinner, entertaining her, paying a lot of attention to her personality). If the female baboon realizes that male is outcast, she will continue ignoring him for some time, as the fittest males, whose inheritance will be most favorable to the future progeny in terms of survival, are normally popular in the tribe and have a high degree of authority. Furthermore, popular member of the tribe is more capable of providing for his female when she is consumed by â€Å"childcare†. Like female baboons, women become quite suspicious when meeting social outcasts or men of lower social status, who are potentially less likely to meet the needs of the family after the baby appears. However, in both societies, if the male manages to prove his dependability and keeps attending to the female for a long time, the latter might change her mind and find him eligible. As one can assume, human social behavior in cross-gender relationships is driven largely by instincts exhibited by primates. The factors humans and primates consider when selecting a sexual partner are in many cases the same, as males of both groups first and foremost evaluate physical fitness, whereas females in both baboon and human societies make a more complex analysis and also look at the male’s social position envisioning the necessity of taking care of defenseless and dependent progeny (or children). Both humans and animals are greatly concerned about the physical characteristics of the next generation, which partially backs Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest and the inborn striving for the survival of the species.

The Nervous Tissue Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Nervous Tissue - Coursework Example The connective tissue generally serves to support and connect the body tissues. It also functions in protecting organs and storage of nutrients. The elements of this tissue are fibres, ground substance, and cells. The loose connective tissues (areolar, adipose and reticular) and dense connective tissue (dense regular and dense irregular) are the two kinds of the mentioned tissue. The bone, cartilage, and blood are specialized connective tissues. Categorized into compact and spongy is the bone tissue. The types of cartilage are hyaline cartilage, fibrocartilage, and elastic cartilage and the blood tissue consists of erythrocytes, thrombocytes, and leucocytes. There are three types of muscle tissues, namely the smooth, skeletal and cardiac muscles. The cells that constitute the smooth muscle are spindle-shaped, lying on the walls of organs and blood vessels. The smooth is an involuntary muscle. Striated and packed in bundles, the skeletal muscle aids in movement because it attaches to bones while the cardiac muscle tissue is located in the heart. It is vital for effective blood-flow, which accounts for the heartbeat. The muscular tissue allows for movement of structures and that of the entire body. It also moves food, waste, and blood through organs and accounts for mechanical digestion.The epithelial tissue is classified into tow, namely the cell shape and layer arrangement. Squamous (flat), cuboidal, columnar and transitional are shapes of the tissue in discussion. Based on cell arrangement, the tissue consists of simple, stratified and pseudostratified columnar epithelium. Simple epithelium consists of a single layer of cells for filtration and absorption while stratified aids in protection from abrasion on the skin. Tissues of the endocrine and exocrine glands form the glandular epithelial tissue. The epithelium functions to cover the surface of the body and lining body cavities. It plays roles in filtering and secretion as well.

Philosophy and everyday life are fundamentally incompatible Essay

Philosophy and everyday life are fundamentally incompatible - Essay Example Sometimes, philosophy and everyday life becomes incompatible while at other times, the two become compatible; it is a matter of fortune. Philosophy and everyday life cannot be considered as fundamentally incompatible always. Philosophy takes birth from the past experiences of life. People reflect on their past experiences in order to realize their mistakes and identify ways in which they can be avoided in the future. The principles thus learned make the philosophy of life. It is said that wise people are those who learn from others’ mistakes. This education works fundamentally because the golden principles apply to all kinds of situations. â€Å"It is quite often said that, 'Philosophy and Education are two sides of the same coin'. 'Education is the dynamic side of philosophy'† (Sharma, 2012). Sometimes philosophy and everyday life becomes fundamentally incompatible because of the unpredictability of life. ... Another way in which the philosophy and life are not only fundamentally compatible but also integrally related to each other is the religious beliefs and their impact on life. â€Å"There seems to be some confusion at times over just whether and how religion and philosophy should be distinguished from each other — this confusion is not unjustified because there are some very strong similarities between the two† (Cline, 2012). The philosophy is ingrained in the religious beliefs. Every religion provides a certain set of rules and principles that its followers are obliged to follow. These rules require the individual to deal with the challenges of life with the philosophy proposed by the religion. For example, Muslims have the philosophy that whatever happens in life happens with due willingness and approval of God Almighty. â€Å"[T]he business of philosophy is nothing other than to look into creation and to ponder over it in order to be guided to the Creator -- in othe r words, to look into the meaning of existence† (Halsall, 1998). This principle extends to include every experience of life irrespective of its level of complexity and nature. Application of this philosophy helps Muslims avoid the negative influences of the challenges of life. For example, a man whose newborn baby dies does not mourn the loss to the extent that he might lose his senses because the belief that the loss occurred because of God’s willingness lends the man the patience he requires to come over the grief. Likewise, when a Muslim wins a race, he believes that he won it fundamentally because God willed it, and thus does not show off to others. These principles guide human behavior in a way that one finds a way to deal with the challenges of

(Economics major) The factors that influences our current gasoline Essay

(Economics major) The factors that influences our current gasoline price. ( crude oil, tax, etc..) - Essay Example To further explain, the following component and circumstance are explained on how they affect the price of petrol. Factors That Influences our Current Gasoline Price 1. Crude Oil Of all the factors that influenced the cost of gasoline, the cost of crude oil is the single most significant factor that influences our current gasoline price. It accounts up to 55 % of the total gasoline price. The cost of crude changes over time and varies among different regions of the country and the world. Crude oil cost, just like any commodity in the market is also determined by the law of supply and demand. As the law states, when supply cannot keep up with the demand, the price will naturally go up. This is also the case of crude oil where demand is perpetual while supply can be precarious due to a lot of factors. The price of gasoline is influenced by both the demand and the supply side. On the demand side, it is us consumers who determines it according to our consumption of energy and also genera lly the world’s economic growth or downturn. This happens when there is an economic growth where demand for energy increases and that means that the requirement for fuel will also naturally increases and that will translate for higher prices in crude. ... OPEC exerts a significant influence on the price of crude because its member countries constitute 43 % of the world’s crude supply in 2010. That is more than half of the world’s requirement for crude coming from a single entity or organization that it can literally dictate the price of crude my contracting production or by overproduction. When the nations that comprise OPEC choose to raise the price of crude oil, all it has to do is to reduce production and that will immediately in the price of crude. Because when there is scarcity of supply or a fear of future oil shortage, price of crude will inevitably go up. Classic example of this would be the incident in April 2001 when OPEC reduced its oil output by one million barrels per day which jacked up the prices of gasoline in the following month. The Role of OPEC While it is OPEC that accounts 43 % of the world’s supply of crude that it can dictate the amount of crude by merely contracting its supply, it cannot ho wever do so in a whim. It has to maintain a certain price to subsidize its future exploratory cost for oil and also to shield itself from the depreciation of the dollar of which oil contracts are denominated. OPEC doesn't want oil prices too high, or alternative fuel sources start to look good. OPEC has said its target price for oil is between $70-$80 a barrel. (See  High Oil Prices Caused by Wall Street, Not OPEC)(Article updated April 15, 2011) 2. Refining Cost Crude is the raw material of gasoline. But before crude can be made into gasoline that can be sold in gasoline stations, it has to be processed and refined first. The characteristic or type of gasoline that is made available is highly dependent on how it will be processed at the refinery where it is being produced. This

Integrated system design for cloud enterprise network and a secure Essay

Integrated system design for cloud enterprise network and a secure BYOD - Essay Example A cloud enterprise network is a network that leverages cloud services for an organization to enable organizations to store and transfer information through a closed network. Cloud enterprise networks only require the organization to have an internet connection and either wired or wireless private physical infrastructure (such as computers and mobile devices). A cloud enterprise network allows employees to access files, applications and printers from any location and on any device. BYOD is a phrase that has gained wide adoption in reference to employees who bring their personal devices to work in order to use them for connectivity and use on the company’s secure corporate network. Employees use their own smartphones, PDAs, laptops and tablets for use at the workplace. Surveys indicate that allowing employees to use their personal devices to access the organization’s private information and applications contributes to an increase in convenience and productivity of employees (Hayes & Kotwica, 2013, 26). An integrated computing system is a system involving an organization combining component subsystems with software applications both functionally and physically to function in coordination. Organizations use the integrated computing system together with their cloud network in BYOD to store information as well as transfer files in a secure way. Unauthorized persons are restricted from accessing organizations’ integrated computing systems through different measures. Security of the organization’s network is an important factor to consider in the implementation of BYOD (Hayes & Kotwica, 2013, 28). Despite the fact that using personal devices for BYOD causing security concerns, many organizations that have adopted BYOD implement a security policy for their networks to assist their respective Information Technology teams to quell such concerns. Organizations have implemented several measures to boost their BYOD security. Such

Digital marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Digital marketing - Essay Example The paper "Digital marketing" study illustrates the use of digital marketing in the â€Å"adidas Group† strategy for gaining competitive market position. Companies increasingly invent new business models–or strategies–for selling as the markets globalize, competition intensifies, and both consumers and investors become more demanding. The new business challenges of the Internet era largely stems from the globalization. Digital methods such as the real time marketing tools have become an essential part of the global business giants today. Researchers have reported three distinct waves in the direct and interactive marketing during the past 30 years namely; mainstreaming, database marketing and the Internet stage. The new horizon in the Internet stage brings fascinating opportunities for the marketers, enabling them to actually realize the goals of one-to one marketing while also encouraging them to learn, deploy, and adopt information technologies strategically. I n other words online technology and marketing have joined during the above third wave. Any business that chooses to ignore these new changes will most likely die out from the market eventually because the intensifying global competition has made it almost impossible to do any effective marketing without in some way using the technology of the Internet (Wiedemann, 2001). For example, the â€Å"adidas Group† stated its brands needed to make more relevant to the online audiences in order to propel demand. Hence the company is now engaged.

Solitary Effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Solitary Effects - Essay Example The Male Dominance Effect Introduction In Chapter 12 of The Second Sex entitled ‘The Woman in Love’, the author gives a description of how women love inside and outside marriage or, in essence, how they want to be loved by their partners. As argued by Cecile Sauvage: â€Å"When the woman loves, she must forget her own personality. This is a law of nature. A woman does not exist without a master. Without a master, she is a scattered bouquet† (De Beauvoir 683). This statement suggests that women in intimate relationships want to be dominated or, in essence, they are attracted to dominant men. This research paper will examine this prevailing idea that women are attracted to dominant men. More particularly, this paper will try to answer the following questions: (1) Do women prefer dominant men as husbands? (2) Do women prefer to be dominated by their male partners? In order to answer the abovementioned questions secondary literature will be reviewed, particularly empi rical studies related to the topic. Essentially, the objective of this paper is to determine whether women themselves prefer to be dominated by their male partner or that they simply do not have a choice. De Beauvoir (2012) herself investigates how women strengthen their own subordination to male dominance. According to her, mystics, women in love, and narcissists accept their existence by inundating their self with an outside object, such as God or a spouse. De Beauvoir cites examples of women being blameworthy for their inferior position relative to men, especially in relation to marriage. The complexity of cutting loose from ‘femininity’, or from giving up comfort and security for an unpromising concept of equality, encourages numerous women to embrace the traditional, unrewarding domestic tasks of motherhood and wifehood. From the start of her analysis, de Beauvoir outlines the economic forces of women inferiority, as well as the economic causes of female emancipati on. Women can gain independence only through work. If they can be self-sufficient, provide independently for their own needs, they can also attain a kind of liberation. In the final sections of his book, de Beauvoir talks about the structural barriers women confronts in trying to achieve this objective. Male Dominance: What it really means for women? Numerous social scientists have made a prediction that women’s inclination to prefer dominant men as partners will vanish once they gain higher social standing and economic autonomy; specifically, once self-sufficient women no longer have to get resources and status through their male partners, such female tendencies will become less widespread. However, this is not taking place (Townsend 150). Women with greater resources have a tendency to improve their socioeconomic status for partners. The more determined, single-minded, expressive, and education woman is, the more she wants to be respected by her male partner. For instance, when asked what they want for a male partner, most of the women interviewed admitted they prefer a man who is dominant, someone they could respect and look up to. When asked why they need such protection from a male partner, they were uncertain and stated it was simply an irrational want. These women said they knew they would have enough resources, and they do not hope a man would safeguard them from any actual threat. However, they admitted that having a male partner they really respected would give

Senators and Representatives Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Senators and Representatives - Research Paper Example The voters have tended to choose presidential candidates from the said party for three elections already. Apparently, this only gives the impression that the district may well be considered as a bulwark of the Republican Party. The presidential elections since the year 2000 provide figures that proved this conclusion. In 2000, when George W. Bush ran for president, he got 37 percent of the votes. As he continued to banner the war on terror, and riding on the bandwagon effect of the American response to 9/11, President Bush managed to be reelected. The 7th District of Virginia produced 38 percent of its registered voters in favor of the incumbent chief executive. While John McCain was very unpopular in other states, in the district, he and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin were able to obtain a majority of 53.16 percent of the votes (Virginia State Board of Elections, n.d.). This obviously made the tandem win in the district. All these figures only prove how the district’ s population has the tendency to favor one party over the other. The voters in the district also favor congressional candidates who belong to the Republican Party. From January 1971 until the present, the district has always had a Republican congressman. This means that the GOP has been dominant in the counties composing for about four decades already. However, this is not the case when it comes to the voters’ choice of senator. In the 2008 senatorial elections, Sen. Mark Warner, a Democrat, won over Republican James Gilmore III with a huge margin of 88,461 votes. Sen. Warner took 62.25 percent of the total votes (Virginia State Board of Elections, n.d.). In the 2000 elections, however, a Republican, Sen. G.F. Allen won with a great majority also. As the presidential elections would show, it is clear that the 7th district of Virginia leans to the Republicans when it comes to choosing the country’s chief executive. This is the same tendency that is displayed in congress ional elections, particularly when it comes to selecting a representative in the lower house. Its choice for senator, however, has changed only in the last senatorial elections. It remains to be seen whether this signifies a start of a new trend. Rep. Eric Cantor is the district’s congressman. He has been considered as the Republican Party’s fast-rising leaders. Aside from being a lawyer, Rep. Cantor is also a businessman. Prior to being elected a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, he was a member of the state of Virginia’s legislative body. He was first noticed on Virginia’s political scene when he became part of the House of Delegates from 1992 until 2000 (Project Vote Smart, n.d.). In 2000, he was elected as congressman. It did not take long before he immediately became prominent in the halls of Congress. He first became popular among fellow Republicans in Congress which resulted in him being named as chief deputy majority whip for the party in 2002-2006. He later held the position of chief deputy minority whip in 2006-2008. As he became more accepted as a party leader, Rep. Cantor became minority whip for about two years in 2008. This year, his influence became even broader when he became the majority leader of the House of Representatives. Considering his growing influence in the Republican Party, it is only expected that Rep. Cantor’

Ethnic Groups and Discrimination Essay Example for Free

Ethnic Groups and Discrimination Essay As a Caucasian American, I did not miss wondering how I became the person who I am or how I even got here. Of course, there is history to tell us the whole tale of battles and cries. But only a few can truly admit that tracing their past became their passion. Today, history is retold and reshaped, depending on the many historic discoveries. One of the many concerns evolved in these escapades is finding the root of discrimination when man is still man despite his many colors. With that, I read along articles and observed many things to find where my white skin came from, and why this seemingly superior color gets to be discriminated against as well. History declares white people to be colonizers from Europe. In search for their spices, land, and money, they came to rest on American soil that was truly promising. There were red-skinned natives at that time when the foreigners began building their forts. They imposed their culture and nature to the simple lives of the natives. From their point of view, they were superior and the Indians were savages. On the other hand, from the perspective of the natives, these foreigners should not act as if they own the world. Simply saying, they also had thoughts against the migrants. They were simply bending to the changes, as long as they were fair. It seems that the white people were not forced to be segregated from the natives, but they were still treated differently, as they were. There was also racism. Little did the natives know how the white people think, and simply based this on their actions. One could say that the entire dilemma rooted from little misunderstanding that went out of hand. A lot of people then were closed minded against everything else that was not like their own. As a white individual in this multinational environment, I could say and believe that people of my color likewise experience a combination of all three forms of discrimination despite all arguments. Caucasian people have also experienced Affirmative Action, Reverse Discrimination and Double Jeopardy. Affirmative Action is, according to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2005), a set of positive procedures in assisting minorities in fields of education, employment, and business. One might wonder how we, as Caucasians, can be inflicted upon by this positive reinforcement. The answer is rather simple. Since the minorities, which includes women and other ethnic groups, are given priority in the different fields, there are white people who are not given the just treatment that is due them. For example, in schools, minorities and ethnic groups are given priorities as given to them by law. However, categorizes as such does not mean they are more qualified. They are just given more attention. This may inevitably end by having qualified white individuals denied of education. Such is also the case in the workplace. Since minorities will be given priority by law, despite their qualifications they will have more chances of employment. With that, one could say that there is imminent Reverse Discrimination. An online dictionary defined the case as the exclusion of an individual who belongs to a majority class in compensation for the idea of traditional discrimination. Although early history might paint the white man to be violent and inhumane, it does not mean that the time today declares to have tables turned. White people today should not be punished for what their ancestors have done and failed to understand. In this age of knowledge, technology, and globalization people are expected to be more understanding. Unfortunately, there are people who took advantage of these changing times into their accounts and tried to rise above the other people, including the whites. It is sad that there are still individuals who fail to realize that it is better to rise with other people. There is also the form of Double Jeopardy. According to Lectric Law Library, this simply states being tried more than once for the same offense. In line to discrimination, this offense means being a white individual in the community. Being a white individual does not only call being approached differently, but likewise have the same treatment again and again. It is not a person’s fault on having that color of skin. However, they are still seen color first before the inner being. White Man is construed with different stereotypes. There are also other cases in line to Double Jeopardy. Jennifer Berdhal and Celia Moore (2006) mentioned that Double Jeopardy also exists in the work place. On behalf of the women in the workplace, they are being tried for being women, and for being women of minority groups. Simultaneously, white men are being discriminated against because they are white men. Likewise, they are being discriminated against because they are white men in the work place. They are assumed to have a common personality and perspective across their people. This hinders other people from realizing that in every race, there will also be a bad apple. In conclusion, Caucasian people might be considered as a majority ethnic group in the United States, but in their very own country, they are also being discriminated against. Seemingly superior, there are also cases wherein they are victims of Affirmative Action, Reverse Discrimination and Double Jeopardy. Despite these times of positive change and reinforcement of globalization, it is often still a sad reality that there are more things that change too slowly. Although literature, politics, and other events in the lives of human race, the battle cry to have all men equal and strong is still a whisper. It is not heard, much less practiced, regardless of what a lot of people have long been campaigning. There will always be a striking difference across different races. But the question relies on where the similarities would overpower their differences and finally live harmoniously. References Fullinwider, R. (2005 March 4). Affirmative action.Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/affirmative-action/. (2008). Reverse discrimination. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. yourdictionary. com/reverse-discrimination. (n. d. ). Double jeopardy. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. lectlaw. com/def/d075. htm. Berdahl, J. Moore, C. (2006). Workplace harassment: Double jeopardy for minority women. Retrieved January 15, 2009 from http://www. rotman. utoronto. ca/facBios/file/Berdahl%20%20Moore%202006. pdf.

The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship of the consumer perceptions about the branding of organizations that invest in social responsibility and the consumer behaviour regarding loyalty and willingness in paying a premium price. Reviewing the literature about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Social Performance and Corporate Financial Performance, some questions arise: do consumers understand the efforts made by businesses regarding their social and ethical campaigns? And if so, are consumers willing to pay a higher price for the products and services resulting from these social and ethical campaigns? Are consumers loyal to these businesses? In order to analyse the links between CSR and consumer behaviour, the authors use a structural equations model and a Focus Group. The â€Å"Nespresso† Case is analysed and included in the survey questions, since it is a very well known brand amongst Portuguese consumers. The main conclusions of the paper are that although some of the indicators do not present excellent results, the hypotheses tested, in the structural equation model, were verified. As such, we can conclude that social responsibility policies are important in building a strong brand image and in turn lead to consumer loyalty and consequent availability to pay a higher price for the products or services provided. Within the focus group some interesting findings arise regarding the links between CSR, brand image, loyalty and willingness in paying a premium price. There are indicators that although, CSR is considered important for building loyalty, the links regarding the willingness in paying a premium price are thin. Another finding is that communication policies don’t address the consumer concerns regarding CSR. Keywords:Corporate Social Responsibility, Brand Image, Brand Loyalty, Premium Price Introduction For some decades now research on the role and responsibilities of business in society has been searching for the business case for corporate social responsibility (CSR). The proliferation of studies on the relationship  between corporate social performance and economic bottom line is the result of different shifts in the academic debate. On the one side, in terms of the level of analysis, research has gradually moved from a focus on the macro-social effects of CSR to organizational-level analysis of CSR effects on firm behaviour and performance. On the other, in terms of theoretical orientation, researchers have moved from explicitly normative and ethics-oriented studies to implicitly normative and performance-oriented analysis. (Castaldo et al, 2009) Looking backward at the empirical research undertaken in the last few years, the business case for social responsibility and the related link between Corporate Social Performance (CSP) and Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) remain the most controversial areas in the business-in-society field (Barnett, 2007). Though different in their approaches to CSP definition and measurement, existing studies tend to share an often unstated assumption: the stronger the firm’s involvement in CSR programs and activities, the higher the economic and financial value firms will be able to obtain. However, a substantial inconsistency in the results obtained emerges, in terms of both existence and direction of the correlation between the constructs (Margolis Walsh, 2003; Orlitzky et al, 2003; Salzmann, Ionescu-Somers, Steger, 2005). Brand Image, Brand Loyalty and Premium Price Businesses use the brand to create and communicate their identity and building their image in the consumers’ perspective. The brand image of a successful brand is a valuable business asset because consumers identify more easily, products and services through the respective brands, than otherwise. Another important aspect of branding is that, they provide the basis to positioning and differentiation strategies. There are different points of view and different definitions of brand image. These differences reside at the abstract level in which the image is created in the consumer mind. Furthermore, there are also different theories for the construction of the brand image. Some of these theories include associations with the product (Keller, 1998), while others take in consideration associations related to the business (Biel, 1993), or the country of origin, or the user image (Aaker, 1996). Initially it was Levy (1959) who conceptualised the  concept of brand image. He suggests that products have social and psychological attributes and, as such, consumers develop emotional connections with the brands. For Plummer (1985), the image process formation initiates through the gathering of intrinsic and extrinsic attributes, benefits and consequences that are associated with the brand. According to Faircloth et al (2001), the brand image is a holistic perspective built by all the associations made with the brand. Following this perspective, Ballantyne et al (2006), define brand image as the consumers’ perception about the brand. As such, it will guide a future development of a possible bound between consumers and organisations that have its highest expression through consumer loyalty, and the willingness of the consumer in paying a premium price. The most complete definition of consumer loyalty is given by Jacoby e Chestnut (1978) that sustain that brand loyalty represents the non random repetition of the buying behaviour of the same brand or group of brands, from an individual with buying decision. Price premium has been studied by several authors, namely, Holbrook (1992), Kamakura and Russell (1993), Park and Srinivasan (1994), Netemeyer et al (2004). One may consider that the availability of a consumer to pay a price premium is defined by the amount that he is willing to pay for his favourite brand when compared with a brandless similar product. For Aaker (1996), premium price is a strong indicator of brand loyalty. For Louro (2000), price premium is a basic criterion of brand loyalty and indicates how much the buyer is willing to pay for the brand, when compared with other similar brands. The Nespresso Case Study â€Å"We believe that the true test of a business is whether it creates value for society over the long term† (Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman and CEO, Nestlà ©) Nespresso is a very well known brand in Portugal. Nespresso’s products are positioned on the high-end of the coffee market, with a patented coffee-capsule technology, associated machinery and coffee capsules. Ecolaborationâ„ ¢, launched in June 2009, is the Nespresso platform for sustainable innovation, and represents their effort for creating value throughout the value chain. Through Ecolaborationâ„ ¢, Nespresso has consolidated all its sustainability efforts in coffee sourcing, capsule recycling and energy-efficient machines into one concerted programme, and  committed itself to meet three targets by 2013: * To source 80% of its coffee from its AAA Sustainable Qualityâ„ ¢ Program and Rainforest Alliance Certifiedâ„ ¢ farms; * To put systems in place to triple its capacity to recycle used capsules to 75%; * To reduce the carbon footprint required to produce a cup of Nespresso by 20%. With an average annual growth rate of 30% since 2000 Nespresso is the fastest-growing â€Å"billionaire brand† of the Nestlà © Group. It also has an established track record of sustainability, establishing the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Qualityâ„ ¢ Program in 2003 with Rainforest Alliance, through which only the highest-quality beans are sourced and where farmers are paid a premium. In 2009, almost 50% of the total green coffee beans Nespresso purchased came from its AAA Sustainable Qualityâ„ ¢ Program, and Nespresso has committed to increase this to 80% by 2013. Model Hypotheses The structural equations model proposed establishes the relationship between Social Responsibility practices with the constructs of brand image, loyalty and consumer willingness to pay a higher price for a product or service from a social responsible organisation. The organisation selected for this study was Nespresso. Therefore, the authors raise three research hypotheses: H1: The social responsibility policies have a positive direct impact on the brand image of Nespresso (ÃŽ ³11 0). H2: A good brand image from Nespresso helps to increase consumer loyalty (ÃŽ ²11 0). H3: A good brand image from Nespresso will increase the consumer willingness to pay a price premium (ÃŽ ²21 0) Data collection for the model estimation was done through a consumer survey using the scales of social responsibility of Roberts (1996), scales of loyalty from Yoo and Donthu (2001), scales of price premium from Chauduri and Halbrook (2001) and scales of brand image from Netemeyer, et al (2004). Sample Characterization 242 valid surveys were collected. The sample comprised 46% women and 54% men, ages varied between 19 and 72 years old, the majority of people that answered the survey were single (88%), with a net income between 1001 and 2000 Euros monthly per family (47%). The number of people per family was in the majority (86%) between 2 to 5 people. Model Estimation The model was estimated using the covariance matrix. The statistical software program used was the STATISTICA 6.1. which allowed to calculate the variance and covariance (data) matrices and the estimation of the structural model. The estimation is undertaken by the method of maximum likelihood, since the objective is to develop and test the theory of brand image of social responsible organisations and behaviours of loyalty and willingness to pay a higher price. The analysis of scales reliability allowed to obtain good indicators for the Cronbach Alpha coefficient. Thus, for Social Responsibility (8 items) we obtained an alpha equal to 0,919, for brand image (5 items) we obtained an alpha of 0,864, for brand loyalty (3 itens) we obtained an alpha of 0,637 and finally for premium price (3 items) we obtained an alpha of 0,812. The chosen indicators to analyse the goodness of the adjustment are the ones suggested by Hair et al (2006) as the absolute indicators, Chi-square standardized, RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) e GFI (Goodness-of-Fit). The Chi-square standardized presents acceptable values when these are comprised between 1 and 3 (Hair, et al, 2006). We use RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) instead of RMSSR (Root Mean Square Residual) because the estimated models are based on the covariance data matrix. This indicator must be comprised between values from 0,05 (good fitness) and 0,08 (acceptable fitness). The GFI (Goodness-of-Fit) is an index of goodness of the adjustment that represents the total fitness levels, without correction in relation to degrees of freedom. High values of this indicator show good fitness, although there are not established minimum acceptable levels. Although some of the indicators do not present excellent results, the hypotheses tested were verified. As such, we can conclude that social responsibility policies are important in building a strong brand image and in turn lead to consumer loyalty and consequent availability to pay a higher price for the products or services provided. Focus Group Methodology Focus Groups are a research technique that allows for data collection through the interaction of a group of people. This technique consists in an interview conducted to a small group of people conducted by a moderator in a non structured way. The moderator role is to motivate the group discussion regarding the research hypotheses that are subject of the study under analysis (Carson et al 2001, Malhotra, 2004, Vaughn et al 1996). Group discussion is a methodology particularly suitable when the prior knowledge of the situations is small, the issues are sensitive and complex and if you want to take full advantage of the opportunity to explore and induce hypotheses, find out the views and attitudes of individuals and details of the issues that are being explored (Krueger, 1994, Harker, 2004). For Morgan (1988) this is an excellent method to establish the why behind the what from the perspectives of the participants. For the purpose of this research the authors conducted a Focus Group of 8 people selected randomly. The objective was that the group selected was a reflection of the participants of the survey used for the structural equations model. When the surveys were distributed a question as placed in order to find out the availability of the respondents to participate in the focus group. From the answers obtained the selection was made in order to be representative of the universe. The selection is presented in the following table. In the focus group the moderator organized the discussion according to the 3 research hypotheses, namely: H1: The social responsibility policies have a positive direct impact on the brand image of Nespresso| Most of the participants on the focus group considered that social responsibility policies have a positive impact on the brand image of any organization. Nevertheless, it was considered a finding of the group that not always consumers understand that an organization does CSR.There was also a discussion on what is CSR, and if organisations actually do it. Or if is only the result of marketing efforts.The main conclusion is that if consumers perceive an organization as a social responsible one, then, that fact will have a positive direct impact on its brand image.Regarding Nespresso, there was not a consensus regarding this aspect. | H2: A good brand image from Nespresso helps to increase consumer loyalty.| Regarding brand image there was a consensus of the group that helps to increase consumer loyalty, and that this is clearly the case of Nespresso. Again, most of the participants did not agree if Nespresso has an image of having social responsible practices.| H3: A good brand image from Nespresso will increase the consumer willingness to pay a price premium.| This was the issue that raised the most discussion. Does a good reputation translated in the brand image regarding social responsibility practices is sufficient for increasing the consumer willingness in paying a premium price?Some of the participants argued that depending on the economic situation that could be true, but when enduring difficult economic periods most of the consumers refrain their shopping attitudes and are more price sensitive.It was also mentioned again that it is crucial that the message comes across to consumers, and that they understand very well what are the policies followed by the organizations. | Conclusions The main conclusions of the paper are that although some of the indicators do not present excellent results, the hypotheses tested, in the structural equation model, were verified. These results were then validated using a focus group methodology. Within the focus group some interesting findings arose regarding the links between CSR, brand image, loyalty and willingness in paying a premium price. There are indicators that although, CSR is considered important for building loyalty, the links regarding the willingness in paying a premium price are thin. Another finding is that communication policies don’t address the consumer concerns regarding CSR, since within the group there was no consensus regarding the organisation under analysis. As such, we can conclude that social responsibility policies are important in building a strong brand image and in turn lead to consumer loyalty and consequent availability to pay a higher price for the products or services provided, but it is crucial for organizations to have communication strategies that address these CSR policies in a way that promotes consumers’ identification. The authors found that further research should be conducted addressing the effectiveness of communication strategies of organizations that promote CSR. References Aaker, David A. (1996), Building Strong Brands, Free Press, New York. Ballantyne, Ronnie, Anne Warren e Karinna Nobbs (2006), â€Å"The Evolution of Brand Choice†. The Journal of Brand Management, Vol. 13, N º 4, pp. 339-352. Barnett, M. L. (2007), â€Å"Stakeholder Influence Capacity and the Variability of Financial Returns to Corporate Social Responsibility†, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 32, N º 3, pp. 794-816. Biel, A. L. (1993), â€Å"Converting Image into Equity†, in D. A. Aaker e A. Biel (Eds.), Brand equity and advertising: advertising’s role in building strong brands, Lawrence Erlbaum, Associates, Inc., Hilsdale, New Jersey, pp. 67-82. Carson, D., Gilmore, A., Perry, C. and Gronhaug, K., (2001), Qualitative Marketing Research, Sage Publications, London Castaldo, S. and F. Perrini (2004), â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility, Trust Management and Value Creation†, presented at EGOS 2004 â€Å"Trust in Hybrids†, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Castaldo, Sandro, Francesco Perrini, Nicola Misani and Antonio Tencati (2009), â€Å"The Missing Link Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Trust: The Case of Fair Trade Products†, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 84, pp. 1-15. Chaudhuri, A. e M. B. Holbrook (2001), â€Å"The Chain of Effects from Brand trust and Brand Affect to Brand Performance: The Role of Brand Loyalty†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 65, pp. 81-93. Faircloth, James B., Louis M. Capella e Bruce L. Alford (2001), â€Å"The Effect of Brand Attitude and Brand Image on Brand Equity†, Journal of Marketing, Theory and Practice, Vol. 9, N º 3, pp. 61- 75. Hair, J. F., R. E. Anderson, R. L. Tatham e W. C. Black (2006), Multivariate Data Analysis, 6th Ed., Pearson, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N. J.. Harker, Michael John (2004) Lenses and mirrors: the customer perspective on part –time marketers. Marketing Intelligence and Planning. Vol. 22, No. 6, 663-672. Holbrook, Morris B. (1992), â€Å"Product Quality, Attributes and Brand Names a s Determinants of Price: the case of consumer electronics†, Marketing Letters, Vol. 3, N º 1. pp. 71-83. Jacoby, J. e R. W. Chestnut (1978), Brand Loyalty: Measurement and Management, New York: John Wiley. Kamakura, W. A. e G. J. Russell (1993), â€Å"Measuring Brand Value with Scanner Data†, International Journal Research Marketing, Vol. 10, March, pp. 9-21. Keller, Kevin Lane (1998), Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity, Upper Saddler River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Krueger, R. A. (1994). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Levy, Sidney J. (1959), â€Å"Symbols for Sales†, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 37, N º 4, pp. 117-124. Louro, Maria Joà £o Sousa (2000), â€Å"Modelos de Avaliaà §Ãƒ £o da Marca†, Revista de Administraà §Ãƒ £o de Empresas, Vol. 40, N º 2, pp. 26-37. Malhotra, N. K. (2004). Marketing Research. New Jersey. Prentice Hall. Margolis, J. D. and J. P. Walsh. (2003), Misery loves companies: Rethinking social initiatives by business, Administrative Science Quarterly, 48: 268-305. Morgan, D. L. (1988). Focus groups as qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Netemeyer, et. al., (2004), â€Å"Developing and Validating Measures of facets of customer-based brand equity†, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 57, N º 2, pp. 209-224. Orlitzky, M., Schmidt, F. L., Rynes, S. L. (2003), Corporate Social and Financial Performance: A Meta-analysis, Organization Studies, Vol. 24, N º 3,pp. 403–441. Park, Chan Su e V. Srinivasan (1994), â€Å"A Survey-Based Method for Measuring and Understanding Brand Equity and Its Extendibility†, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 31, N º 2, pp. 271-288. Plummer, Joseph T. (1985), â€Å"Brand Personality: A Strategic Concept for Multinational Advertising†, in Marketing Educators’ Conference, New York: Young and Rubicam, pp. 1-31. Roberts, J. A. (1996), â€Å"Will the Real Socially Responsible Consumer Please Step Forward?†, Business Horizon, Vol. 39, pp. 79-83. Salzmann, O., Ionescu-Somers, A., Steger, U. (2005) Quantifying Effects of Corporate Sustainability Management. Working paper. Lausanne: CSM/IMD. Vaughn, S., Schumm, J. S., Sinagub, J. (1996). Focus group interviews in education and psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Yoo, B. and N. Donthu (2001), â€Å"Developing and Validating a Multidimensional Consumer-Based Brand Equity Scale†, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 52, pp. 1-14.

Amazons Distribution Strategy

Amazons Distribution Strategy Introduction While taking a decision on the design of supply chain, companies should focus on its strategy, decision on operations and most importantly, proper planning. In a company, based on the needs of the customer and design of the systems, flow of supply chain management varies. While designing, reviewing constantly at different stages also helps companies differentiate various processes in their supply chain. Amazon.com is an e-commerce company with its presence worldwide and headquartered in Seattle, United States. Amazon.com, in its early days dealt only with Books but later on it diversified into a lot of other product lines like Video Games, Electronics, Toys, Jewellery, Furniture, MP#s, DVDs among other products. Today they are a huge $75 billion organization with a very diverse product portfolio and successful operations round the globe. The new Kindle Fire Tablet computer is one of their latest notable product and their Cloud Computing business is one of the industry leaders. Going by the revenue, growth and market capitalization, Amazon is the 4th most successful start-up of all times. Jeff Bezos started this amazing company in 1994 with the intention of â€Å"Get Big Fast†. This strategy was a brilliant one for the company in US as they were able to function with a competitive lead time for delivery after the orders were placed. Now this strategy was also put in place for the expansion in Europe. Not only were the European markets culturally different from US but also the market conditions and the consumer behaviour expectations different from a consumer in US. The challenges here were very dissimilar to the operational challenges in US in terms of transportation, stocking and distribution. The report will look into the challenges that Amazon faced in Europe and the operational/supply chain decisions they had make to overcome those challenges, also, â€Å"How has globalization made strategic fit even more important to company’s success†. The recommendations/ analysis are based on the concept of centralization of the distribution across a full continent and the concepts taught in the class. AMAZON US â€Å"Earth’s Biggest Bookstore† Amazon used the Internet to change the business of buying books into a very fast, easy and enjoyable shopping experience. Amazon has more than 2.5 million different book titles in its kitty and is very rightly called the â€Å"Earth’s Biggest Bookstore†. From the very beginning, Amazon always kept the wholesalers and the publishers on their side which thereby allowed them to keep a very truncated inventory and low inventory holding costs. These tie-ups with wholesalers and publishing houses not only allowed Amazon to reduce costs on warehousing but also get huge bulk discounts, for example From a publishing house Amazon used to get a discount of approximately 48% and around 41% from the wholesalers) Amazon had a general lead time for delivery of 4 to 7 business days across the whole country of United States. Amazon developed its infrastructure hugely in the late 90’s and eventually launched their Music and Video businesses also. The idea was to â€Å"Get Big Fast† through diversification and geographic expansion by having more distribution centres in their business geography. Some would say that the expansion of Amazon was the fastest expansion experienced by any company for its distribution capacity. Expanding and making distribution was the first step, next step was to figure out which distribution centre will carry which all products, given the fact that Amazon not only expanded in distribution capacity across geographies but also in terms of the product lines in its product portfolio. The 3 aspects of deciding the products to be carried by a distribution centre are: Amazon employed a lot of systems to enhance their operation efficiency. The ones which were the most impressive and successful are: Pick-To-Light System Radio Frequency Technology Voice Technology Pick Profiles Amazon Standard Identifying Number (ASIN) Performance measuring key metrics As Jeff Wilke, the Vice President of Operations at Amazon said about what Amazon had, Amazon quickly adapted to the Six Sigma DMAIC reviews as a tool to reduce variations and defects in its distribution centres. Jeff Wilke’s team followed 5 strategies to improve inventory management Better forecasting of customer demand by improving the ability of the software by refining it to the tune of better anticipation of the demands, both seasonal and regional. This made sure that risk of buying either too much or too less was reduced. Better relations with the wholesalers and direct vendors to cater to any sudden surge in demand for any particular bestselling book title. This was also used to get some needed momentum for the slow velocity titles. Available-to-Promise Functionality: Amazon integrated the supply chain management systems of its suppliers with its own thereby getting a synergy in the process. Now amazon was able to tell its customers the exact time frame in which it could deliver the products to them. For example, if a product is available with the Amazon distribution centre themselves, then the lead time for the delivery of the product was within 24 hours. But if the product was not available with the Amazon DC then the lead time for delivery increased to 2 – 3 business days. This allowed Amazon to have the information about the inventory of the suppliers at all times at the very item level. Cascading Buying Rules: These rules by Amazon determined which supplier was the best fit for which product in terms of the price and the options for delivery such that if the item is not available with the supplier giving the best price then the next supplier in cascade will be selected for the delivery. Drop Ship Orders: Amazon took some time to adopt this strategy which they should have adopted in the very beginning. According to Drop Ship strategy, whenever the customer orders an item and the distribution centre of Amazon does not have the product then Amazon places the order on its supplier. Then instead of the supplier shipping the item to Amazon DC and then the Amazon DC shipping the item to the customer, the supplier directly ships the item to the customer, thereby drastically decreasing the lead time for delivery by removing the unnecessary steps of the supply chain products. In addition to the above mentioned processes and strategies, Amazon also used method called â€Å"Postal Injection† or â€Å"Zone Skipping†. In this method, the fully loaded truck from the distribution centre directly goes to the major cities, easily bypassing the postal service’s sorting hubs where the delivery packets are sorted according to the respective cities and states. AMAZON EUROPE The initial targets for Amazon were UK and Germany, primarily because both these countries were the prime markets for book selling and online purchasing in the continent of Europe. Germany had an excess of 2000 publishing houses and UK had an excess of 3000 publishing houses. Amazon made an acquisition in Europe by acquiring Bookpages and TeleBuch in UK and Germany respectively. Again, in line with the idea followed in US, Amazon Europe wanted to â€Å"Get Big Fast†. Both the UK Amazon.co.uk and German Amazon.de increased their product portfolios by integrating the music and video businesses along with the books business at the very offset of the culmination of the respective expansions in the two countries. Even though the competition from the online bookstores of the respective countries was fierce, Amazon was successful in becoming the market leader in both the countries. The combined sales of the 2 countries crossed the 10% of the total Amazon revenue mark, signifying the epic success of the geographic expansion. The next venture was in France. When Amazon entered UK and Germany they did it through acquisitions, however when they entered France they did not acquire any established company, instead they got the business up and running from the scratch. The formula was simple here too, â€Å"Get Big Fast†, which is why the business started with the complete portfolio of books, music, video, toys, et al. Growth in International sales for Amazon grew by 74%, which in turn helped the European business to cross the 13.4% of the total Amazon revenue mark. Challenges in replicating amazon’s US model in EUROPE Although Amazon was doing well in Europe but the ambition was high as they had the intention to repeat the success of Amazon US in Europe too. However they were confronted with some heavy challenges from the European markets. These challenges could be tackled but to do that they required some radical change in the strategies that Amazon applied and adopted in US. The 4 main challenges were: Selling regulations in Germany France The prices of the books being sold in Germany France were fixed. No discounts could be offered on those prices. The selling model for Amazon in US was to offer discounts on the prices of the books, which they got from the wholesalers and publishing houses. Over here they could not provide those discounts that they got on the bulk purchases from the wholesalers and publishing houses. Payment options In Europe, more than 62% of the customers used cheques to make the purchases. The core competency of Amazon was online retail which meant online purchasing via credit cards. This came as a major challenge to Amazon as they did not have any brick or mortar store where the concept of payment through cheques can happen. Different supply market factors In US, Amazon relied heavily on the suppliers for the books. However in Europe they suffered a setback because of the dearth of wholesalers and big suppliers. In UK although they were able to manage the supply with a handful of suppliers, but in France there were none. This forced Amazon to have tie ups with umpteen number of publishers for the supply of books. Low penetration of EDI in European countries Amazon used EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to have a communication with the supply chain management of the suppliers in US. This increased the efficiency of their own supply chain tremendously. In case a supplier was having a stock out of a particular item in his inventory, he could respond back in real time to Amazon with a rejection to take the order from customer. This enabled Amazon to immediately send the information back to the customer about the unavailability of the item. This, however, was not much in use in Europe as they still used the concept of emailing and Fax but not any sort of real time data sharing. In addition to the challenges mentioned above there were other challenges too. Amazon relied comprehensively on the national postal services in the respective countries of Europe where they were operating. But they were competitive only in their own countries and not in other countries. This created a challenge for Amazon because they had a lot of shipments which were cross country shipments. Problems Identified Recommendations With the challenges in mind there were a certain number of options for Amazon, which could solve these challenges for Amazon as they go forward and expand more and more into the European market. These recommendations require radical change in the strategy from the one which was followed in United States. Should Amazon Europe build an EDN? Europe as whole is treated as a single entity by amazon. Although they have separate units for separate countries, the parent company, Amazon, thinks of it as a single market. Therefore they intend to have a EDN (European Distribution Network). As per this concept, the entire Europe will have a single distribution network not separate distribution networks of individual countries. This is a massive step because Europe as a market is huge in size and very fragmented. But we suggest that a single EDN will be much more beneficial and the reason for that are mentioned in the bullet points below: Operating independent units is much more expensive than a single unit EDN implementation ensures uniform product offerings in each country which in turn will help in the consolidation of the business across the entire continent EDN implementation ensures procurement department centralizes purchases, and avails higher volume discounts as this is the prime strategy on which Amazon grows and thrives In case of system failures, EDN implementation reduces risk of relying on single DCs, making sure that the plan B for every failure is in place Hence implementation of EDN is a logical choice. Should Amazon use a single centralized DC or keep the existing 3 DCs and let them share orders? Another major problem for Amazon is to figure out whether or not to have multiple individual DCs or have just a single unified Distribution Centre at a strategic location. This problem is in line with the strategy for the implementation of EDN in Europe. We suggest that they should integrate Amazon’s European operations as a whole and accept it as a single market. With that in mind they should follow the following steps to achieve this target, How to sustain customer satisfaction after implementation of EDN? A major drawback for EDN is that this will cause a serious impact on the customer satisfaction levels. This is primarily because the customers who are used to getting their items delivered free of cost in very less time due to the distribution centre being in that country itself will have to either pay to get the item delivered in less time or get the item delivered in a longer time. All in all the lead time for delivery will increase and only additional cost for the customer can decrease that. To improve customer service Amazon must follow the following steps, Should the French Distribution Centre be left operational? This problem is a slightly tricky one as this requires Amazon to decide on whether or not to cut off an important limb from their body. Since the operational usage of French Distribution Centre will be redundant, is it viable to keep it running or remove it from the unified distribution network of Europe? This question can have multiple answers and no answer is possibly entirely correct. However we suggest that Amazon should not immediately close the French DC but gradually phase it out of the distribution network. During the expansion phase of Amazon into the rest of the Europe this DC can act as a support for the newer countries where Amazon wishes to venture in the European Distribution Network. Immediate disposition of this DC is not a viable option as this will cause a lot of complexities for the entire EDN. Since this DC will have some competencies and must be having some items which are solely kept in the inventory at this DC itself, this Dc will serve its purpose for some more time. The best option is to decommission the French DC in a phased manner over a period of time. How to detect demand trends, especially for fast moving items, if European level buying is consolidated? The only way to make sure that the inventory levels in a distribution centre is at an optimum level is through better forecasting. Making sure that the replenishment in a warehouse is done at proper interval in adequate quantities is by having an accurate information about the demand in future. Demand estimation is the backbone for any supply chain management system. Proper implementation and information processing through ERP is the method used by the most successful companies in the world. ERP helps improve the planning for the supply chain, both inbound and outbound aspect of it. Besides that money saved through the cost cutting initiatives should be invested to develop the supply chain, logistics and distribution characteristics of the EDN. In addition to that, it is very important to capture the easy wins first and get a hold of the market. It is very critical for Amazon to have standardization and build synergies across the divisions in Europe. To do that it is important that Amazon defines and implements comparable metrics (for example vendor lead time) across the European countries to develop enhanced understandings of their operational activities References Childerhouse, P, Towill, D 2011, Arcs of supply chain integration, International Journal Of Production Research, 49, 24, pp. 7441-7468 Forbes.com 2011. Why Amazon Is The Best Strategic Player In Tech. Retrieved February 27, 2014 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/venkateshrao/2011/12/14/the-amazon-playbook/2/ Joseph Bonney 2012. Amazons Supply Chain: Delivering Clicks and Bricks. Journal of Commerce. Retrieved February 28, 2014 from https://www.joc.com/economy-watch/amazons-supply-chain-delivering-clicks-and-bricks_20120130.html?qt-webcasts_podcasts_whitepapers=0 Knowledge @ Wharton 2009, November. Fit for the Holidays: Amazon Is Shaping Up and Shipping Out. Retrieved February 27, 2014 from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/fit-for-the-holidays-amazon-is-shaping-up-and-shipping-out/ Lichocik, G, Sadowski, A 2013, EFFICIENCY OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT. STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL APPROACH, Logforum, 9, 2, pp. 119-125 Mark Brohan. InternetRetailer.com 2010. Amazon’s secret European weapon: Square footage. Retrieved February 28, 2014 from http://www.internetretailer.com/2010/08/31/amazons-secret-european-weapon-square-footage Modern Materials Handling 2012, December 14. Supply chain: Amazon is changing the rules of the game. Retrieved February 27, 2014 from http://www.mmh.com/article/supply_chain_amazon_is_changing_the_rules_of_the_game MWPL. Amazon Global Fulfilment Center Network. Retrieved February 28, 2014 from http://www.mwpvl.com/html/amazon_com.html Roh, J, Hong, P, Min, H 2014, Implementation of a responsive supply chain strategy in global complexity: The case of manufacturing firms, International Journal Of Production Economics, 147, Part B, pp. 198-210 Viswanadham, N, Samvedi, A 2013, Supplier selection based on supply chain ecosystem, performance and risk criteria, International Journal Of Production Research, 51, 21, pp. 6484-6498

Gene Therapy and Its Effect on Cancer Essay -- Science Genetics Techno

Gene Therapy and Its Effect on Cancer The era of scientific advancement in the twentieth century has encouraged several scientific fields to merge into a new, futuristic science called Biotechnology. One idea behind Biotechnical science is taking advantage of molecular biology. At the forefront of this advancement is gene therapy which " attempts to treat disease at its origin on the molecular level"(Kreeger,1996). "Essentially, this therapy deliberately introduces genes into the human cells to compensate for aberrant genes that cause genetic disease" (Beese, 1996). This therapy can be administered in two ways. One is germ-line therapy which not only treats the cells of that individual but these treated cells could be passed onto the individual's offspring. This type is the focus of much of the opposition of gene therapy itself because trials take many years and few results have proved conclusively safe for those treated and their children. The other type of therapy less opposed is the somatic cell approach that only aff ects the cells of the individual being treated. Cancer has recently been the target for several different types of somatic cell therapy and along with them come a set of controversial aspects that question its role in society. Cancer is an ever- increasing disease that affects all ages, sex and race. It has no preference for where it resides as it can be found in several organs and on several different tissues. However, one special similarity appears whether the cancer is found on the breast or in the colon; it is an over growth of cells in the area infected. The cancer seem to arise from abnormalities in genes involved in growth and differentiation of cells. Certainly, environmental factors can indeed c... ....jp/~macer/Papers/PLSUBG.html March of Dimes. Genetic Testing and Gene Therapy. Obtained from WWW 9/9/96: http://noah.cuny.edu/pregnancy/march_of_dimes/genetics/genetest.html National Cancer Institute. Immunotherapy and Gene Therapy. Obtained from WWW 9/9/96: gopher://gopher.nih.gov:70/00/clin/cancernet/facts/therapy/Immunotherapy%20and%20Gene%20Therapy%20of%20Cancer National Medical Center. Gene Therapy. Obtained from WWW 10/4/96: http://www.cityofhope.org/frames/genetr.htm Scientist,the. Pioneer James Wilson Reflects. Obtained from WWW 9/9/96: http://www.the-scientist.library.upenn.edu/yr1996/jan/gene_960122.html Singer, M. The RAS Gene and Cancer. Obatained from WWW 10/14/96: http://www.gene.com/ae/AB/IWT/Ras_Gene_and_Cancer.html Wanke, I. Gene Therapy for Diabetes. Obtained from WWW 9/9/96: http://www.worldweb.com/ahfmr/may/diabetes.html

Stephen Cranes The Monster as the Most Important work of short fiction

â€Å"At once a children’s tale, a grim social satire, an ambitious study of ethical responsibility, a painful examination of race in America, a devastating account of the village virus†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"The Monster† by Stephen Crane, has been interpreted as the most significant work of short fiction written before 1900. It is a compilation of different issues used to highlight the racist attitudes and xenophobia evident in the USA after slavery was abolished in 1863. Despite the fictional plot, the views of the white population of Whilomville are based on fact, as the racist feelings were still palpable evinced by derogatory terms such as â€Å"Negro†. Along with the race struggle, social satire is apparent, as evidently the story is classified as Southern Gothic. With a Gothic overtone Crane is able to explore the satirical society in which the story is set, to delve into concerns of social satire, ethical responsibility, race struggles and the â€Å"village virus†. Throughout â€Å"The Monster†, Crane exemplifies the social hypocrisy and identifies this as an issue in contemporary society. Before Henry became â€Å"frightfully seared†, he was high in social status. This is portrayed through descriptions of the towns-people of Whilomville, which is place loosely based on Crane’s childhood hometown of Port Jervis, New Jersey. He was a â€Å"well-bred gentleman†, who was constantly given â€Å"quiet admonitions and compliments†. Miss Bella Farragut exclaimed that â€Å"Misteh Johnsing† was simply â€Å"divine†, as they were soon to be engaged. Their opinions though, were greatly reversed after the fire incident, when â€Å"his face had simply been burned away†. When Alek, his â€Å"ol’ frien’†, first saw Henry after the accident, he â€Å"gasped for a second, and then â€Å"yelled the yell of... ...o mock and ridicule Henry, by chasing him, â€Å"firing rocks†. Similarly, hierarchy is central to society. There is a reversal in the social ladder, as Henry was a dominant figure, but after the incident this was overturned due to his appearance. However, it is ironic as Henry’s deed is the indisputable act, as he does not criticise others, and he performs the act of ultimate kindness – jeopardising his own life to rescue Jimmie from the fire. â€Å"The Monster† is depicted as the most significant work of short fiction written before 1900, primarily because Crane has used the Southern Gothic subgenre, in order to accumulate an abundance of issues such as racism and the â€Å"village virus†. Crane exploited small-town experiences to illustrate the flaws in the community, to present a microcosm and a warning for the readers, to deter them from becoming the ostensible monsters.

Teenagers Need Safe Sex Education Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Es

Three million teenagers will contract a sexually transmitted disease and one in three women will become pregnant before they are twenty years old. Teens are contracting sexually transmitted diseases and getting pregnant at an alarming rate causing the government, schools, and parents to scratch their heads. America is the country with the highest teen pregnancy rate in the world. Many are wondering what can be done to stop this. A debate has been going on about whether abstinence only education is doing any good for high school students in America. Abstinence only education teaches teenagers to abstain from all sexual acts until they are married. It does not teach about pregnancy or the different types of contraceptives that are available to prevent pregnancy. On the other hand, there is safe sex education. Safe sex education teaches teenagers facts about intercourse they need to know, acknowledges the potential consequences or risks of sexual behavior, and helps them make better decisions to protect themselves and their bodies. Background There are a few major differences between safe sex education and abstinence only. Abstinence only education is all about, â€Å"just saying no.† They teach to abstain from all sexual acts until marriage. Safe sex education takes a very different approach. It teaches all about sex, the consequences of sex, contraceptives, different STDs, ways to protect yourself from STDs, pregnancy, and other issues regarding teen bodies. There is a debate against these different sex education programs because some think abstinence only education does not have any effect on teenagers while some believe that safe sex education encourages teenagers to engage in sexual behavior. Over 750,000 girls became pregn... ...ted Diseases - STDs. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. . "Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health." Guttmacher Institute: Home Page. 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. . "The History of Federal Abstinence-Only Funding." Advocates for Youth. July 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. . Michaels, Samantha. "Clarification: Abstinence-only Programs Might Work—for Some." Medill Reports. 3 Feb. 2010. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. . Roleff, Tamara L. Sex. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2002. Print. "SADD Statistics." Welcome to SADD. Jan. 2014. Web. 8 Mar. 2015. . Watkins, Christine. Teen Sex. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2005. Print.

How to Make a German Chocolate Cake

How to Make a German Chocolate Cake So what is the history of the German Chocolate Cake? The truth is that the cake itself did not come from Germany it is actually originated from America. The name â€Å"German† refers to the type of chocolate used in the cakes. And the chocolate itself is named after a Walter Baker& Company employee, Samuel German, who developed the chocolate in 1852. The chocolate was named German’s Sweet Chocolate and eventually became known as German Sweet Chocolate.It is a semi sweet baking chocolate that has a mild flavor and is much sweeter that other semi sweet chocolates most people but at the local grocery store. A German Chocolate Cake is an impressive looking cake. It is a regular chocolate cake with a sweet and gooey coconut and pecan frosting. A traditional German Chocolate Cake is not a typical layer cake that is covered entirely in frosting. This specific cake leaves its sides bare so you can see both the frosting inside and the three la yers of cake.One could argue that the best German Chocolate Cakes are made from scratch instead of store bought, box cakes, or just plain old messed up. Although there are many different variations of German Chocolate Cake recipes the one mentioned in this essay has been passed down from generation to generation. This particular recipe takes between one and a half to two hours to make. This recipe makes ten to twelve servings of cake depending on one’s reason behind making this cake. The ingredients used in this specific recipe are quite simple and very accessible.Many people already have most of these items already at hand. The ingredients for the cake itself are as followed: †¢Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate †¢Water †¢Cake Flour †¢Baking Soda †¢Salt †¢Softened Butter †¢Sugar †¢Separated Eggs †¢Vanilla †¢Buttermilk When making the cake batter with a mixer or without a mixer it will end up being light and fluffy. Along w ith the cake ingredients, there are also items needed for the coconut pecan icing for decorating the cake. Making the icing for the cake requires these items: †¢Egg Yolks †¢Evaporated Milk †¢Vanilla †¢Sugar Butter †¢Bakers’ Angel Flake Coconut †¢Chopped Pecans The cake making process is very detailed in every step. The first step is to preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees. While the oven is preheating, take a bowl filled with half a cup of water and add a whole package or bar of Baker’s German Sweet Chocolate. Once the chocolate is in the water place it in the microwave on high for one and a half or two minutes or until the chocolate is almost melted. Once the chocolate is completely melted set it aside until later on when it is needed.In another bowl mix all of the dry ingredients together, those ingredients include two cups of cake flour, one teaspoon of baking soda, and one fourth of a teaspoon of salt. Once mixed set asi de until it is needed. Next take an even bigger bowl and a stand or hand mixer, and add one cup or two sticks or softened butter and two cups of sugar. Once these ingredients are added in; mix on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Next add the four egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. After this step is successfully complete, take the melted chocolate and blend it into the big bowl.Once blended in add one and a half teaspoons of vanilla. The next step would be to add the dry ingredients that were mixed together earlier and mix in one cup of buttermilk back to back. So add a little flour mix then add a little buttermilk until all of the items are in the bowl. After mixing the batter should be nice and fluffy now. The next step is adding in the egg yolks, one at a time, again beating well after each addition. All of the previous steps are to be mixed on a medium speed. In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites, which were separated previously, on h igh speed until soft peaks form.Using a spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the cake mixture. Once doing this the texture of the batter will be similar to that of a chocolate mousse. The last two steps of this cake making process include one preparing three eight or nine inch cake pans by greasing the sides of the pans and pouring the batter evenly. The second includes baking the cake at three hundred and fifty degrees for thirty minutes or until completely done. While the cake is inside the oven cooking, it is time now to make the coconut pecan frosting.Remember to check on the cake while making the frosting and take it out for it to cool down. The frosting process, like the cake process, is very detailed. But the only difference in the two processes would be that the frosting takes much less time to make unlike the cake. So the steps for making the frosting are as followed: †¢In a medium saucepan, heat off, add in four egg yolks, a can of evaporated milk, one and a half te aspoon of vanilla, and wisk it together until it is well blended †¢Add one and a half cups of sugar and three fourths of a cup or one and a half sticks of butter and put it over medium heat.Make sure to stir the mixture constantly for about twelve minutes or until the mix has thickened †¢While stirring the mix playing a couple of songs can make the time fly by much faster †¢After the previous step add one package of Baker’s Angel Flake Coconut and one and a half cups of chopped pecans. †¢Now that everything is mixed in you can turn everything off and let it cool down. To conclude this how to make a German Chocolate Cake essay, it is finally times to put the cake together. After everything has cooled down, it is now time to put the whole cake together.Once all of the cakes have cooled down, run a spatula around the edges to make sure that it will come out easily. Place the bottom layer cake on the cake stand and take the frosting and frost only the top of t he cake. The next steps are just like the previous step, add a layer, then frost the top, then add the last layer and frost the top. Only frosting the tops of the individual cakes gives the cake that signature â€Å"German Chocolate Cake† look. Now that all of that is done it is time to enjoy this moist, light, and fluffy cake. To make the whole cake experience even more exciting would be to have a cup of milk of coffee to go along with it.

Food Intake

| 3 Day Food Intake| Nutrition| | Moneka Goff| 3/4/2013| Jessica Marshal SCI/220 | Food IntakeA well balanced diet plays a major role in attaining a long healthy life the major nutrients for the body are protein, carbohydrate, and fats these nutrients provide the body with energy for various functions such as heart, health, and activity of the brain , and muscle health one must choose foods from each foods groups to achieve a balanced diet everyday eating the right amount of fruits and vegetables will ensure that the right amount of nutrients all healthy diets should have a few things in common such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber and protein intake.Over the past 3 days I recorded my intake of protein, carbohydrates, and lipids. I think I ate a balanced diet for these 3 days. Most of the foods I ate provided protein each day such as the black eyed peas, shrimp gumbo, fried chicken, beef steak, and eggs. I received carbohydrate from rice, grits, potatoes, and bread. I received lipids from black eyed peas, shrimp gumbo, Reese peanut butter cups, and ham steaks. Most of the food I ate these 3 days contained the recommended amounts of protein. My daily recommended daily intake was below the recommended range for two of the 3 days I recorded my meals for these days.For example, on day 2 I achieved the recommended protein but on Friday and Sunday I didn’t achieve what I needed. That is because I either did not finish the meal or it took me longer than usual to eat the meal. My recommended protein intake should be between 62-218 gram, achieved 73 grams on each day. I did not receive the recommended daily intake of carbohydrate for these 3 days. My recommended carbohydrate intake should be 281-405 grams but I received 242grams on each day. My lipid in take varied from day to day. Some days I did not finish the whole meal.I was surprised to find out that I was getting the recommended amount of nutrients for these days because I normally eat once a day. Are the t hree main nutrients that one’s body need to strive. Macro nutrient is important for the growth and development of the body. Macro nutrient needs to be consumed at each meal. My macro nutrient intake was within normal recommended range for these 3 days. Macronutrients included carbohydrate, dietary fats, and protein. One must consume the right amount of all the nutrients. It is harmful, to consume too little for these nutrients.Protein is important to have in any diet because it helps to maintain energy levels. Proteins assist in the production of antibodies, enzymes, and hormones. Eating too little protein can lead to dehydration, increased fat storage, and kidney stories. Carbohydrate is important for my energy level. Carbohydrates are important for its glucose properties. Glucose is important to help build muscles in the body. Without carbohydrates the body will have muscle tissue depletion because the body cannot regain glucose that is used for energy. Lipids or dietary fa ts are also important for the body.According to the US government guidelines, fats should constitute 30% of a person’s daily calorie intake. Lipids are important for energy levels, metabolism, and glycemic system. Fiber is important to the digestive system and can help an individual to fell full longer or curb one’s appetite. Fiber can also be associated with lowering the risk of certain cancers such as colorectal cancer and other gastrointestinal cancers. My fiber in take did not meet the recommended range that I need daily. According to WebMD, women need 25 grams of fiber daily, my intake varied day to day but it was still below recommended range.On Friday, I only received 7 grams of fiber for the whole day. It is recommended that since I have not received the recommended daily fiber in take t should gradually increase my fiber intake to avoid diarrhea. My food intake did not meet the minimum number of servings of food that contain fiber. According to the CDC, fruits and vegetables are on excellent source of fiber. Fruits and vegetables are critical to good health and should be consumed at each meal. Most of the food I for these 3 days provided me with some type of fiber. My diet is not the best diet for losing weight or maintaining a healthy lifestyle.Some days I tend to miss meals or not eat anything at all. When I finally do eat I omit certain foods because I am always on the go. I understand that I need to consume all five food groups daily but I may only consume two of the recommended food groups a day. I need to change my diet to include every food group and meet my recommended daily calorie intake. Most days I only consume less than 1300 calories for a day. I will try to eat more leafy greens vegetables and fresh fruits to boost my fiber intake. My meals do not include beans or peas daily but I do try to eat them at least twice a week.If I switch from fruit juice to fresh fruit I will intake a better quality of vitamins and minerals. Fru it juice contains more sugars than fresh fruit. By consuming insufficient or excessive amounts of proteins, carbohydrate, fats, or fiber can limit the body’s immunity and body’s ability to rebuild itself. It can cause one to have bowel problems, infections, and decreases one’s ability to think and remember things. References: Nutrition for Everyone retrieved from https//:www. cdc. gov/nutrition Why Count Your Macronutrient retrieved from http//:www. ezinearticles. com