Prejudice in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee Essay

Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, many different prejudices are revealed. The most prominent being the racial prejudice between the white people and black people in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. However, there are many more subtle and discreet prejudices against other people in Maycomb, also. One of the first prejudices to become known is against the Cunninghams. The Cunninghams are a very poor farming family who were hit hard by the Great Depression. â€Å"†¦The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back – no church baskets and no scrimp stamps. They never took anything off anybody, they get along on what they have. They don’t have much, but they get along on it.† Scout explains to Miss Caroline, their first grade teacher, on page 20. The Cunninghams were hit hardest by the Depression and because of their level of poverty the Cunninghams are discriminated against. â€Å"The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem.† Aunt Alexandra explains to Scout on page 224. Aunt Alexandra does not want Scout associating with Walter Cunningham simply because of his class. Aunt Alexandra is discriminating against the Cunninghams because they are below the Finches on the social strata. Probably the most prominent prejudice in the novel is the racial prejudice. Tom Robinson was a black man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white girl. When Tom was put in jail awaiting trial, Atticus, his lawyer, went down one night and sat outside the jailhouse. A mob showed up that night with the intent to beat Tom Robinson but with Atticus there, the mob was stalled and eventually left. This mob was consumed with racial prejudice against the black people. Even Calpurnia, the black housekeeper for the Finches, is discriminated against. Although Calpurnia is treated fairly, it is obvious Calpurnia is considered to be on a lower social level than the Finches. Calpurnia calls Scout ma’am and Jem sir, although these are titles usually reserved for elders. An example of this is on page 207. Calpurnia addresses Jem after they have been missing at the trial all day with â€Å"Hush your mouth, sir! When you oughta be hangin’ your head in shame you go along laughin’. If Mr. Finch don’t wear you out, I will – get in that house, sir!† Though it seems that the blacks are the ones who are prejudiced against, when Jem and Scout are taken to Calpurnia’s church, (their black house-keeper) the black people show hostility towards Jem and Scout. Lula, a black woman at the church confronts Calpurnia on page 119. â€Å"You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here—they got their church, we got our’n.† Because the whites shun the blacks the blacks are prejudiced in return. Another prejudice that comes to light is the prejudice against Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus is a wealthy white man but is a victim of isolation because of his relationship with a woman who is black. When Scout meets Mr. Dolphus Raymond during the trial Scout becomes aware that Dolphus is a victim of prejudice and has become an outcast. Dolphus pretended to be a drunk so he didn’t have to explain the fact that he was simply in love with a black woman. The alcohol, Dolphus said, gave the people an excuse to say that Dolphus didn’t know what he was doing. On page 200, Dolphus says to Dill and Scout â€Å"When I come to this town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whisky—that’s why he won’t change his ways. He can’t help himself, that’s why he lives like he does.† The people of Maycomb are intolerant of the way Dolphus chooses to live. Dolphus is discriminated against because he lives his life with a black woman. This is thought to be wrong in society in Maycomb. Yet another prejudice in Maycomb was that against Arthur Radley. Arthur Radley could see the segregation of the people of Maycomb and the prejudice. Therefore Arthur isolated himself; Arthur didn’t want to be a part of Maycomb’s intolerance. By doing this Arthur became one of the outsiders and was still a victim of the prejudice, as Arthur was different. There were wild rumors circulating the town and the children made up stories and games about Arthur. Because he was virtually unknown, Arthur Radley was discriminated against. The theme of prejudice is explored many ways throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The different kinds of prejudice explore how deep people’s  hatred of each other can go. It gives the reader good insight as to what makes people intolerant and why people shouldn’t be prejudiced just because others are different. From discriminating against the poor to racial prejudice to silly rumors fueling intolerance, very few realize that everyone is different but also equal.

Community Nursing Essay

Community as partner model To gain access to the community, the community must: -Perceive that a need exist -Believe that the CHN can help address this need -Perceive that its information and contributions are valued -Be assured of confidentiality for non-public information -Be involved from the beginning in this partnership Compare Neuman System Model & Community as Partner Model -the inner circle represents the community -the dotted circles represents resistance -spiritual, psyschosocial, physiological -the other circles represents line of defence Look up Appendix 11 Community as a partner looks at the 8 sub groups, and if one of them is distorted; everything will also be impacted. Determinants of health and community The determinants of health relevant to the community -chn need to consider the determinants of health that might exists in their community, such as crime, social and physical environments, education level, socio economic status, poverty. WHY? -Every community that you go to has individuals strengths and crisis, as the chn investigate a community Assessing acommunity -Structure -Population -Social system Structure (locale) ï‚ §Name of community/ neighbourhood ï‚ §Geopraphuc boundaries ï‚ §Environment ï‚ §Water and sanitation ï‚ §Housing ï‚ §Economy Population (people) ï‚ §Age distribution ï‚ §Sex distribution ï‚ §Growth trends ï‚ §Density ï‚ §Education level ï‚ §Predominant cultural and religious groups Social System ï‚ §Education system ï‚ §Government ï‚ §Communication system ï‚ §Transportation system ï‚ §Welfare system ï‚ §Volunteer programs ï‚ §Health system Assessing the community: -What are some common health needs of communities -Vulnerable populations -Poor and homeless clients -Risk takers -Client with chronic illness -Woman and girls -Youth -Elderly Community assessment -A logical, systematic approach to -Identifying community -Strengths, resources, assets, capabilities, and opportunities -Clarifying/ validating concerns – community leaders -Identifying the constraints: the economic, political, and social factors, and the determinants of health Why collect data? -Goal is to acquire usable info. About the community; its concerns, strengths and problem Assessing the community -Gathering data: the process of obtaining existing, readily available data, such as age and gender of residents oHow do we collect data ï‚ §Information interviews ï‚ §Focus groups ï‚ §Participants observation ï‚ §Windshield surveys ï‚ §Secondary analyses of existing data ï‚ §Surveys Windshield survery (pg. 257) -Core elements oHistory oDemographics oEthnicity oValues and beliefs -Subsystems oPhysical environment oHealth and social services oEconomic theory oTransportation oPolitics and govt oCommunication oEducation oRecreation Assessment issues/ barrier (pg. 258) -A chn from outside the community- gaining entry or acceptance is a major hurdle to assessment oStrategies or overcome? -As a CHN â€Å"member of the community† what barriers might be present. How would you deal with this? Identifying community health concerns -Each health concern uncovered by data collection and analyst must Planning Phase -The chn seeks to clarify the nature of the concern, the points at which intervention might be undertaken, and the parties that have an interest in the health concern and its solutions. -Perception oWhat is the nature of the concern oWhat factors contribution to the health concern? oWhat is the possible outcome of the concern? oWhat are the relationships between or affect of other health concerns? ï‚ §Teenage pregnancy: infant malnutrition: hooking them up with education Setting health concern priorities: -6 helpful ranking criteria are: oCommunity awareness of the concern oCommunity motivation to resolve or better manage the concern oCHN’s ability to influence the solution.- you need to be realistic oAvailability of expertise to provide a solution oSeverity of the outcomes if the concern is not resolved oHow quickly the health concern can be solved Establishing goals and objectives -Goals are broad Implementation -Work and activities aimed at achieving the goal oChange agents oDuring this phase ask: for each situation who will implement? CHN, community group involved, individual oHow should the CHN use her knowledge, skills, and position? Many roles=role model, analyst, expert, advisor, educator, advocate. oWhat is the ultimate CHN goal? To change the community for the better, empowerment, education, moving them to solve their own problems The nurse’s role depends on: -The nature of the health problem, -The community’s decision making ability -And professional and personal choices -The social change process and how receptive the community is to CHANGE. -SNOW BALL EFFECT: influence the pro change in the community and the rest will follow. Evaluation = the appraisal of the effect Evalution phase: outcomes measures answer questions about the results of the intervention -Has the health conc3ern has resovled? -Has the health risk been reduced? -(for example compare -SAFETY be aware of your surrounding, watch your own back; develop trusted partners in the community -population -Data generation: the process of developing -Database analysis

Biopsychosocial Perspective Essay

Psychologists past, present, and future desire the answer to one basic question; â€Å"what factors influence a person’s physical and mental health are they related if a relationship exists†; thus Health Psychology emerged. In pursuit of the answer several models or perspectives came about. Over time psychologist realized that focusing on one causal factor results in partial information for analysis of health and illness. Thus, the biopsychosocial model became the primary perspective used and is the focus of this paper. â€Å"This perspective recognizes that biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces act together to determine an individual’s health and vulnerability to disease; that is, health and disease must be explained in terms of multiple contexts† (Straub, 2012, p. 16). Achieving an understanding of biopsychosocial perspective requires a description of the systems and three contexts of this theory, examination of the influence of this theory on the biomedical viewpoint, and examination of how the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors influence a person’s health. Through a hypothetical scenario an illustration of the ways in which all three factors interacts and influences an individual’s health and well-being will emerge to reaffirm understanding. Three systems and contexts The biopsychosocial model consists of systems and three contexts: immune system, endocrine system, nervous system, and cardiovascular system, as well as biological context, psychological context, and social context. As most humans know the immune system is how people fight off disease and illness. If the immune system is weak then the disease or illness will take over and weaken its host. The endocrine system is the glands within the body and the hormones produced by the glands. The nervous system controls the glands  through stimulation. The hormones released from the glands interact throughout the body to maintain homeostasis. The nervous system comprises the brain, the sensory organs, the spinal cord, and all the nerves connecting these organs with the rest of the body. The primary job of the nervous system is controlling the body and communication within its parts. The cardiovascular system is the blood, blood vessels, and the heart. The primary job of the cardiovascular system is to carry oxygen, nutrient, cellular waste products, and hormones within the body. All these systems work together to keep the body functioning and healthy. If any system is weak for any reason the body is vulnerable to disease and illness. The systems work together within the human body, but they also interact with the biological context, psychological context, and social context to influence health and well-being (Albery & Munafo, 2008). The biological context examines how genetics influence health. The psychological context examines how psychological influences (coping strategies) affect health and illness. The social context examines how social influences (culture, family, society†¦.) affect health and illness. These systems and contexts work together like the gears of a clock to influence an individual’s health and well-being. If a gear gets nicked the clock starts to slowly lose time, but repair the gear and the clock is good as new. This is true of the biopsychosocial model of health and well-being also. The biopsychosocial model was not the first model psychologist used to explain health and well-being it was the biom edical model. Influence on Biomedical Model The biomedical model considers the absence of disease is physical wellness. This model is good practice but it has limitations. The biomedical model focuses on health and well-being as biological issues with biomedical solutions (Sutton, Baum, & Johnston, 2005). On the other hand, the biopsychosocial model takes into account the whole person leading to extensive research in many aspects of wellness. It addresses more than physical well-being as many people now are ill but they have no presence of disease. Socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity and generational differences all play important roles in this model of wellness (Marks, Murray, Evans, & Estacio, 2011). The biopsychosocial model is an expansion of the biomedical model. This new model agrees that biological issues influences health and  well-being, but also believes that psychological and social issues influence health and well-being as well. Three factors influence on health and well-being A 30 year old mother of four children under 10 goes to her physician complaining of extreme fatigue and a loss of energy. Many people would say â€Å"of course you are tired. You have four young children†. She has high blood pressure, but her medication controls it so that is ruled out as the cause of her fatigue. Her doctor runs blood work, sends her for a sleep study, and asks questions about social and psychological issues that could be bothering her. When all the results are in there is no answer for her fatigue so the doctor diagnosis her with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which means that no one knows why you are tired. Over the next several years she is in and out of her doctor’s office. The fatigue has such a toll on the woman that she gets sick easily and more often. Until she turned 30 this woman only had seasonal allergies and never got the flu or a cold. Now she seems to be sick more than not. Using the biopsychosocial model to examine this woman’s health and well-being will show how the biological, psychological, and social contexts as well as the systems are interacting to influence her health. When the doctor was questioning the woman about her psychological and social well-being he was ruling out depression as the cause. The woman is not fatigued because she is a busy mom rather the cause is a deficiency of a chemical in the brain. Through the numerous visits to her doctor she learns of a vitamin D deficiency, an underactive thyroid, and finally the root cause of her fatigue; Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder which affects an individual’s waking hours as a result of insufficient sleep. This disorder leaves the woman needing to take medication to sleep and medication to stay awake, but still feeling fatigued about half the time. The systems involved in this individual’s health issues are the nervous, endocrine, and cardiovascular. Looking back at the clock analogy, three of the gears of her clock have nicks. Since three of her systems are weak this woman is vulnerable to disease and illness. The biological context of her health is the deficiency of t he chemical within the brain. The psychological context of her health is how she copes and over comes the issues surrounding her disorder. The social context of her health is how her family, friends, and  community react to her disorder. On a daily basis she struggles to function adequately. She is now 37 years old and works as a substitute teacher, working on her masters, wife, and mother. Every day she wakes up feeling as though she could go back to sleep and did for the first two years. She could sleep eight to nine hours at night get her kids off to school then sleep all day till her kids get home. With the medication she takes now the day time sleepiness is not as severe, but can still be overwhelming some days. Imagine the social issues that can arise as a substitute teacher if her medication is not working and she falls asleep while with students. Trying to function with narcolepsy when life previous to the disorder consists of outdoor activities, energy, and multi-tasking can cause psychological issues. Having a strong social support system, following medical advice, and a strong will to succeed keep the woman psychologically strong. The woman does struggle in her academic life, but refuses to give up. So tir ed and rundown daily she fights thru any issues that arise from the disorder that now runs her biological, psychological, and social life. Although, her clock may lose time as a result of the nicked gears, she duck-tapes the nicks and reset her clock daily. Narcolepsy is a life altering, mysterious neurological disorder that can pose serious problems for the ones affected by it.   Although, there is no cure for narcolepsy research shows that with medication, education on the disorder, counseling, support from family members and friends, that there can be some relief from the symptoms. Conclusion Over time psychologist realized that focusing on one causal factor results in partial information for analysis of health and illness. Thus, the biopsychosocial model became the primary perspective used and was the focus of this paper. An understanding of the biopsychosocial perspective attained through a description of the systems and three contexts of this theory, examination of the influence of this theory on the biomedical viewpoint, and examination of how the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors influence a person’s health. The hypothetical scenario looked at a woman with narcolepsy and the issues she faces daily from a biopsychosocial perspective. References: Albery, I. P., & Munafo, M. (2008). Key Concepts in Health Psychology. Thousand Oaks, Ca: SAGE Publications. Marks, D. F., Murray, M., Evans, B., & Estacio, E. V. (2011). Health Psychology: Theory, Research, and Practice 3rd Edition. Thousand Oaks, Ca: SAGE Publications. Straub, R. O. (2012). Health Psychology: A Biopsychosocial Approach 3rd Edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Sutton, S., Baum, A., & Johnston, M. (2005). The SAGE Handbook of Health Psychology. Thousand Oaks, Ca: SAGE Publications.

Coca-Cola Bottling Consolidated (CCBCC) Coursework

Coca-Cola Bottling Consolidated (CCBCC) - Coursework Example The Coca Cola Bottlers Consolidated is a market leader as it is the biggest and largest soft drink distribution company in the region, covering a wider area and preferred by most consumer. The products from this organization are preferred to products from other companies since it uses a stronger brand name of the Coca Cola Company. These products are considered as price setters in the region for other soft drinks from other different companies.Products and Services of the CCBCThe Coca Cola Bottlers Consolidated specializes in sparkling beverages as well as still beverages. Among the sparkling beverages include bottled water, tea, ready to drink coffee, enhanced water, juices and sports drink. On the other hand, the still beverages include products like POWERade, vitamin water, and Minute Maid Juices To Go as well as Dasani water products. Additionally, the CCBC holds agreement to produce, distribute and market Dr. Pepper. The Company also has an agreement to market other products lik e the Monster energy drink and Sundrop. It also produces its own products such as Country Breeze tea and Fuel in a bottle power shots and Tum-E Yummies which is a vitamin C enhanced energy drink. On top of these, it produces other beverages for other Coca Cola bottlers. It also provides restaurants and other immediate consumption outlets with fountain products to its clients (Coca-colacompany, 2013).Problems of CCBCThe severe problems that the Coca Cola Bottlers Consolidated faces as an organization are the problems related to competition.

Public Administration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Administration - Assignment Example Wilson’s theory of public administration was put forward by Woodrow Wilson who is considered as one of the pioneers of public administration. In his 1887 article titled â€Å"The Study of Administration,† Wilson formally recognized public administration and the role it plays in the society. In the article, he argued that undertaking a course in public administration is essential in discovering what a government can successfully and properly do and how it can do things efficiently and with minimal cost and energy. The main theme of Wilson’s theory of public administration was that public administration should be founded on a science of management and separation of administration from traditional politics. Also, he advocated that public administration should involve a comparative analysis of private and political organizations. Besides, he advocated the need to enhance the effectiveness of public service through training of civil servants, as well as through assess ment that is merit-based. In addition, he advocated the improvement of efficiency of public administration by the adoption of business-like attitudes and practices in daily operations. Like other theories, Wilson’s theory of public administration has had key points of contention. The main point of contention of this theory has been on the view that politics and administration should be separated. On the one hand, there are those who argue that effective and efficient public administration can only be achieved through a distinction of politics and administration. On the other hand, there are those who argue that politics and administration are inextricably linked and, therefore, cannot be separated.  

Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis Research Paper

Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis - Research Paper Example The research paper "Starbucks Market and Customer Analysis" presents the strengths and weaknesses of Starbucks’s products and services as it ventures into the new target market. One of Starbuck’s key strengths is seen to pertain to the company’s strong market position and global brand recognition. Starbucks enjoys a significant geographical presence across the world in addition to its maintaining an estimated 36.7% of the market share within the United States. The company will be able to leverage is rich brand equity by merchandising a wide range of products as well as licensing its brand logo to outlets across its new venture market of Xiamen, China. The company produces products of the highest quality. Starbucks gives the highest importance to the quality of their products as well as avoids the standardization of quality even in the face of higher production output levels. This attribute is expected to aid the company in the quick capture of a significantly large share of the Xiamen market. As a result of its numerous social responsibility initiatives, Starbucks benefits from enjoying the goodwill of all its customers across the world. Starbucks stores are designed to be community friendly and focused on the recycling and reduction of waste products. This attribute is expected to help the company attract more customers as it expands into the new market. And one of Starbucks’ key weaknesses is the fact that most of its products are generally perceived to be quite expensive.

The Fairer Sex Video Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Fairer Sex Video - Assignment Example On the contrary, when Chris came for the same car, he was told it cost 9200 hundred dollars. Surprisingly, when he asked for the road test, the car dealer did not hesitate but gave him the car to drive by himself. The final price for the car had depreciated to 8900 hundred dollars. It is evident that gender bias has taken central position in certain businesses, and women are the ones mostly falling victims. At the golf club, Julie was denied a chance to book for a convenient time to play golf. She was being persuaded to book during odd hours; whereas, Chris was able to get two bookings reservation at convenient hours even after coming late. Income inequity is also influenced by gender bias. This is evident based on the research whereby ladies are offered low position jobs and charged highly for services. For instance, when Julie went for the job interview, she was intimidated with questions about her boyfriend instead of keeping the conversation professional. In addition, she was offered a secretary job, instead of the managerial work she had applied. The second instance is when Julie went to buy a motor vehicle. The shop attendant named a hefty price just because the customer was a lady. When Chris went for the same car, he was offered a much lower price. This evidently shows how women are charged highly for certain services. Discrimination can be eliminated through enactment of laws that majorly aim at protecting victims. This can be seconded by encouraging/educating people not to tolerate or entertain gender bias. It will be worthwhile for the managers to make gender biasness a business issue. The qualified women should be considered over men with less qualification. The hiring systems should also be changed. Qualifications come with ambition and dedication to the work. Most women are often ambitious because they have what it

What good in TV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What good in TV - Essay Example Firstly, watching TVs makes people smart and improves on their memory, especially the fictional movies which encourage imagination among viewers (Frings, Mader and HÃ ¼ll 2010). This is because viewing TV series such as fringe or prison break does call for a great deal of thinking and concentration in order to understand what is going on. Moreover, TV are good source of fun, for instance, watching TV shows like Just for Laughs: Gags, sports and shows such as American Idol, ensures that somebody is entertained making TVs a source of happiness. TVs have also helped us to learn about different cultures and places, considering that due to reasons of time and money most people are not in a position to travel to various places to appreciate different cultures and practices (Steuer and Hustedt, 2002). However, TV opens up the world and through watching documentaries we are able to learn about different cultures. In addition, TV encourages social interactions since it can often give people with little in common topics especially relating to programs aired and News to talk about. In recent times, TV has started to air How-To programs through which one can actually learn how to do many things like cooking nutritious meals. TVs also enlighten people when they watch the National Geographic and the History Channels, and at times, this can be as informative as going to a learning institute (Steuer and Hustedt, 2002). TV is now being used more in learning institutions since it has been confirmed that pupils recall and understand better than from regular lessons. Finally, televisions make family links stronger for families that watch Television programs together often find something to talk about, and this helps to strengthen family ties and eases tension that could be there between family members. In conclusion, watching TV has many benefits to the modern society since apart from the educational and moral

Violence in the Nursing Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Violence in the Nursing Workplace - Essay Example corporations; and numerous unions, communities, doctors and hospitals have joined (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2007). In providing the high quality health care the challenges are significant, particularly in the highly decentralized health care system in the United States. The cost and quality of care in the United States are frequently the two major issues of discussion. According to statistics, the United States is below the average for developed countries in health measures such as infant mortality (CDC, 2007), maternal death (Hilts, 1995), and life expectancy (WHO, 2000). On the other hand access to advanced medical treatments and technologies is greater than in most other developed nations. One of the major challenges faced by the health care sector is the shortage of nursing staff. Recent national statistics show the average age of nurses rising while the rate of those entering the profession has slowed over the past few years. The reason for the nursing shortage includes the average age of nurses is 45 years, the image of the profession, work environment issues especially the high stress situations and the faculty shortage. Health care organizations increasingly depend on staff nurses to meet patient and organizational outcomes. In most of the cases, to achieve these outcomes, staff nurses must be willing to assume additional roles while providing exceptional job performance. In other words, it is not the case with other jobs where work is just restricted to the individuals' interest to grow and perform. Besides organizational commitment has been connected to a variety of desired organizational outcomes and work behavior including decreased turn-over, patient satisfaction, and exceptional job performance. Today with the increasing pressure on the nursing staff, it is estimated that first-year retention rates for new graduate nurses is only between 40% and 65%. In terms of numbers as many as 6 out of 10 new nursing grads leave nursing practice within one year of graduation (Rosebrough, 2005). One of the main reasons for them to leave the profession is the workplace violence they experience particularly in the initial years of their practice. Workplace violence is one of the most complex and dangerous occupational hazards facing nurses. It is a common that nurses experiences violence from both patients as well as co-workers. The dangers arise from the exposure to violent individuals together with the absence of strong violence prevention programs and protective regulations. These factors combined with organizational realities such as staff shortages and increased work pressure creates substantial barriers to eliminating violence. Statistics point out that more than 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives because of violence every year (World Health Organization, 2002) and as many as 72 per cent of nurses do not feel safe from assault at work (International Council of Nurses [ICN], 2004). Health-care professionals are at the highest risk for being attacked at work, when compared to other professions such as prison guards, police officers, bank personnel or transport workers (Kingma, 2001). Workplace violence is a concept with ambiguous boundaries. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S. Centers for

Bsa 375 Week 2 Individual Paper Essay Example for Free

Bsa 375 Week 2 Individual Paper Essay IT Solutions: Proposal for New HR System By University of Phoenix BSA/375 09/02/2013 Proposal for New Human Resource System In our quest to ever better ourselves the IT department, of Riordan Manufacturing, is submitting this Request for Proposal to integrate a more sophisticated, state-of-the art, information systems technology in our Human Resources department. Riordan Manufacturing has always strived to better ourselves by keeping up with technology in all of our operating systems and our manufacturing systems. Our goal is to remain at the forefront of the manufacturing community as we keep leading the way in all of our business systems and, at the same time, keeping the feel of a customer friendly company. We want to make sure that our customers can feel safe in the knowledge that we will do what is necessary to fulfill their business needs. As of now, our Human Resource, (HR), Operating System, (OS), has fallen short of this goal. Please understand that the system that is in place, while it has the ability to complete the task at hand is not sufficient enough for our growing organization. Right now, we are running many separate applications to process all of the HR system requirements. This process is not only time consuming, but is not a cost efficient solution that this company is looking for. If we want to accomplish our goal we need to combine all the old HR systems into a single integrated application. The IT department is looking to complete this project in approximately six (6) months, so the new system can be utilized in the second quarter of next year. We want to have a prototype system available for testing in approximately two (2) months before final system deployment, for training and technical support purposes. Our goal is to have all training and any problems fixed one (1) month before start up. This way we will have time to apply any necessary changes to the system. The new HR system will have many applications that can be used across most of our other business systems from Marketing and Sales to Inventory and  Warehousing. We are hoping for companywide training to be completed within four (4) months of startup, making the new system available for all departments before the end of the third (3rd) quarter. Below are some requirements that will need to be accomplished so that the process of integrating the new HR system will go smoothly. Access the Stakeholders Involved in System Startup The first step in setting up the new Human Resource Application, (HRA), is to gather information about the system requirements and user needs from everyone that will be involved in the startup and rollout of the new system. The process of gathering information from involved stakeholders can be a tedious process if the wrong techniques are used. So, to expedite this in an orderly and timely manner we will be passing out questioners to all members of the Human Resource Department and to all Department heads. Using Questioners will help the IT department get an idea of what requirements are expected from the new system. It is not cost efficient to talk to each employee so, it would be very beneficial for all that every questioner is filled out in a timely manner. We will be emailed to each employee on Monday September 9th, 2013 and would like a response no later than Thursday September 12th, 2013, (for processing purposes). Questioners will also be available on the Employee Web Site under HR applications. Another technique of gathering the needed information will be to conduct group meetings with the HR department executives and managers. The IT department will be holding Joint Application Development, (JAD), sessions starting Monday September 16th, 2013. These sessions are managed processes that the IT department uses to gather information in an efficient, cohesive manner. We want to use team involvement so that we can gain a firm understanding of what you, the client, will want out of the new HR system. The JAD session will help all of us jointly develop the new system. Ensuring Successful Gathering of Project Information We, in the IT department, want to make sure that every system requirement that maybe be asked for will be deployed at the time of the system prototype introduction. To insure that this goal is accomplished we must gather correct, concise and relevant information from each of you, the stakeholders  involved in the system development. Gathering good information will help us develop the system molded to what you want. We understand that the information gathering process can be a daunting task, but with your help we can make this as painless as possible. Remember, without your input on this project the IT department cannot rollout a system that will be an effective tool for Human Resources and the rest of Riordan Manufacturing. The ability to gather good information is the most important process in all parts of every System Development Life Cycle, (SDLC), and with everyone’s support in this process the system rollout will go smoothly. Developing the Project Scope and Project Fea sibility Riordan Manufacturing wants all projects that go into development to be successful. If we want the new Human Resource system to be successful we will need to institute a project scope system. Even with the feedback and involvement of each stakeholder and the success of other projects delivered from the IT department there is a chance that this new system can still fail. At any given time there will be necessary changes to the project. These changes can have a negative effect, but our goal is to remain focused on the system requirements. We want to delivers the new system on time and under budget with the required functions that are expected. Our plan is to set up a system to manage key aspects of the new systems development: * Project Size – Understand how large this project will be * Project Goals – Make sure goals are set and achievable * Project Requirements – All system requirements are carried out To deliver a finished project that meets the goals above our Project Scope will need to follow a these five (5) steps: * Project Initiation – evaluate the need of the new system and deliver appropriate solutions. * Scope Planning – Create a feasible Work Breakdown Structure, (WBS) that charts all the work that will be done on this project. * Scope Definition – Working with you, the end user, expand in detail the work breakdown the will be needed. * Scope Verification – Timely scheduled work assessment and acceptability checks by the end user and the IT department during the SDLC of the new application. * Scope Change Control – Put a formal system in place to control any system changes that will take place. This will  limit Scope Creep, (Unauthorized access to changes to the system). As you can see, applying proper scope management will be crucial in the development of the new Human Resource system. Conclusion To stay as one of the leaders in manufacturing we must keep trying to evolve. While we at Riordan Manufacturing have strived to be the best in the industry there are occasions when we must look into ourselves and see what changes are needed so that we can remain an innovator in manufacturing techniques while still being a customer friendly organization. The current Human Resource system has fallen behind and is keeping us from maintaining all that we have set out to accomplish. Integrating a more sophisticated, state-of-the art, information system in our Human Resource department will accomplish more than just the above goal. It will streamline our business applications into an easy to use easily accessible system that will be cost efficient with little maintenance. This is what we have always strived to accomplish and this new system will keep us on track. With proper planning, creating a good project scope, gathering good, reliable and relevant information and with your constant in volvement throughout the SDLC of the new HR system we will be guaranteed of a successful project completion and rollout. Thank You. IT System Manager 09/01/2013 References Wich, Darren. 2009. â€Å"Project Scope Management† IS 6840. Online http://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/6840_f09_papers/Wich/scopemanagement.html Heldman, Kim. PMP, April 14th, 2009. â€Å"The Importance of the Project Scope Statement†. Lakewood, Colorado. Online. http://pm.97things.oreilly.com/wiki/index.php/The_Importance_of_the_Project_Scope_Statement Blankenburg, Joanne. September 9th, 2012 â€Å"Use Joint Application Design (JAD)

Import Substitution Policy Versus Export Led Growth Strategy

Import Substitution Policy Versus Export Led Growth Strategy The Countries conduct two different strategies for industrialization; import substitution and export promotion for their international trade. Whether to adopt import substitution or export promotion trade strategy is controversial issue throughout the years for the countries. This issue forms a debate between Trade Optimists who support outward looking development policy, which envisages the free trade and free movement of goods and the Trade Pessimists who believe that the company must write its own destiny, and do not cooperate with other countries [Tadora, (2006) p621]. In 1950s and 1960s import substitutors are outweigh this debate by becoming popular in most of the developing countries but after the late 1970s export promoters become more powerful. The both policies have advantages and disadvantages. In this report, I will firstly give some information with respect to these two policies and then critically analyze advantages and disadvantages of these two policies. Import Substitution Low-income countries must industrialize to become more developed; but as they could not compete with already industrialized markets, firstly they have to protect themselves from the imports, which came from already industrialized and highly productive economies and concentrate on their production in order to achieve this goal. [Bruton, (1997) p904]. They have to reach a level, which make them compete with foreign industries in all over the world. Import substitution policy could be defined as putting various barriers to the importation of foreign goods to reduce the countries foreign dependency and providing these goods by producing them domestically [Ray, (1998) p657]. The import substitution policy could be varied among the goods. The capital good and consumers goods are treated differently. Consumer goods had been imported more strictly with the reason the consumer goods could be produced with less cost and the production of the capital good requires more intense capital and more complex technology. [Bruton, (1997) p908]. So mostly developing countries put bans on importation of consumer goods but not capital goods. As stated above, in order to provide import substitution, a protection is required. This protection could be supplied by government intervention. There are several ways to restrict the importation. Firstly, it could be provided by tariffs and quatos. Tariff is the percentage that is applied to the value of and imported item with the resulting sum of money going to the government. In the presence of tariff, the potentials import has been substituted by domestic production [Ray, (1998) p657]. Whereas the quato gives the maximum quantity on a particular good. Above that limit, no more of that good can be imported into the country. The other instrument, which restricts import, is the exchange rate. If the domestic currency will be overvalued, the price of the imported will be high and domestic good will be low [Bruton, (1997) p912]. When the exchange rate is higher, it will be more expensive to purchase foreign product imports. If for example, the government wants to overvalue its currency to make the foreign imports more expensive in domestic market, it may keep the currency from circulation. For example, if we assume that there is a demand of 1 million US Dollar but only the 500 thousand US Dollar has been issued to economy by government. This directly increases the price of US Dollar. It is believed that the import substitution encourages the learning of new techniques of production (as they are afforded with this protection) and the labors skills are improved with the experience, which provides increase in productivity of the firm [Ray, (1998) p669]. Besides this, import substitution strategy in a single industry can also be beneficial in other industry by creating additional demand that shall increase the employment and income. In conformity with these advantages, as per the data obtained by Maddisson (1995), there is an overall positive development (in terms of GDP growth rate, investment rate) in the countries that conduct import substitution policies. However starting from 1960, the negative consequences of import substitution starts to show itself and today it is mostly accepted that import-substituting strategy becomes unsuccessful in most of the countries. In the light of the information gathered from Bruton [(1997) p917]. and Tadora [ (2006) p631], the negative effects of import substitution could be summarized as follows: First of all, the import-oriented industries remain inefficient and costly to operate, as they are not competing with international industries and they do not need to make any research and development. So it is not incorrect to argue that industrialization has been inhibited with this strategy. Since there is inefficiency, the unemployment will automatically will increase within this respect. Secondly, although some industries were conducted with import substitution policy, most of them acquired by foreign companies and they transfer their profits abroad rather than investing them in the domestic industries. Thirdly, the newly established domestic industries specialized for production of consumer goods created a demand for importation of intermediate goods, but the danger is that there appears the need for import of intermediate goods in order to produce final goods inside the country and significant part of the profit transferred to the foreign countries. In addition to this, as the local currency is overvalued, -which increase exports price and decrease the imports- the local farmers become less competitive in the international market. Besides this, since it does not have any interactions with other countries, the country will be less affected in case of global economic crisis. Also, import substitution strategy has a negative effect on exporters. As the exchange rate increases, domestic goods, which are produced in internal industries, become expensive which will detrimentally affect the export. Both the decreasing exports and increasing dependence on foreign intermediate goods makes the trade balance worse. This cycle leads countries to borrow money to overcome their trade deficit. Import substitution strategies were conducted most nations in Latin America from the 1930s until the late 1980s. Over the period, 1949-1964, the total demand in manufacturing was growth significantly [Ray, (1998) p675]. however when the world economy went into recession in the 1970s and 1980s, Latin America went into worst economic crisis because of its foreign debt and it also changed its policy towards export orientation. Export Promotion As the distortions and failure of the import substitution policy is recognized, the export strategy gains importance for the countries. The case of Taiwan and South Korea is significant in this respect [Bruton(1997) p920]. They started to export the goods in 1960s and they remarkably increase their growth from that period. Import substitution is sharply contrasted with outward (export) oriented approach. In the export promotion, primary attention is given to the foreign trade and exports. [Bruton(1997) p904]. Basic goal is to maintain domestic economy to open the foreign capital. Export oriented approach has become popular in last 15 years and many countries has changed their policy from import to export oriented. [Bruton(1997) p905]. Generally rather than the exporting primary products, manufactured products are encouraged by governments of developing countries to be exported. The most of the developing countries have a comparative advantage in such primary products and they do not want to be dependent to other countries [Ray, (1998) p678]. Unlike import substitution, the tariffs and quotas on imports are reduced for exporters in order to encourage exportation. In addition to this, the banks are providing more easy and flexible terms to exporters. Governments can also make some payments to specific products to encourage the export of goods cheaper to foreign consumers and give some exemptions and incentives for those who want to export. According to Bruton [(1997) p924-925], the export-oriented strategy helps Taiwan and South Korea to overcome their balance of payment problems, increase their employment, and improve the knowledge of technology and quality of the product. One obvious benefit of the export promotion is that it provides more visible gains [Ray, (1998) p677]. Because as there is competition in the international market, the goods are provided more cheaply. The allocation of resources could be done more efficiently and the cost of the production will be much more less (Salvatore, Hatcher, 1992). It also increases economic growth and it generates required foreign exchange that can be used to import goods [Tadora (2006) p640]. As the exporters are in the competitive market, they have to improve their quality and they have to conduct research and development studies within this respect. It is argued that although import substitution has more immediate positive effects on economy on the short term, the export promotion has more long run positive effects. [Tadora (2006) p640]. Outward oriented strategy helps country to use its capital for progress by not facing any barriers in relation to payment of debt. As it is stated in above, inward oriented policy is a significant reason why Latin America have faced with debt issue. (Dollar 1992) Although there are significant numbers of empirical result, which proves that there is a correlation between outward oriented strategy and growth rate, as it is more dependent to external factors and foreign countries economies, it can create unexpected results. The success of the export-oriented policy is dependent to foreign demand. In order to form a successful export oriented policy, it is crucial to envisage future demand of such market, the ability of any government to forecast is not totally possible as the information with regards to supply and demand can be vary easily in relation to external factors. In the light of the above information, it is correct to argue that both of the strategies are totally not perfect. The success of the strategy depends fluctuations in the world economy. When the world economy is growing significantly in the period 1960 to 1973, the countries who applied export promotion have more advantages but when the world economy slowed down between the period 1973 to 1977, the countries having import oriented strategy get less effected. It is widely accepted that export oriented economies are more effective when the external demand is high. Besides, the success of the export strategy is changing from country to country. While China benefited from this strategy, Thailand, Indonesia faced a lot of difficulties. In addition to this, it is stated by Todora (2006) that even the most successful East Asian export promoters have pursued import substitution strategy in some of its industries. In other words, export promotion or import substitution policies could not be i mplemented entirely to all industries.

Lev Vygotsky Theories Analysis

Lev Vygotsky Theories Analysis Lev Vygotsky was a developmental psychologist born in Russia in 1896 in Byelorussia and passed away in 1934 due to Tuberculosis. Throughout his lifetime Vygotsky went from Medical school to law school, from law school to literature, and from literature to psychology. Although he was in the five percent of Jews allowed to attend a university he wasnt allowed to study to be the teacher that he desired to be. After finding an interest in psychology he began to explore child development and child psychology. He graduated from the University of Moscow with a degree in literature. According to Vygotsky the overall goal of education is to generate and lead development which is the result social learning through internalization of culture and social relationships. (The Educational Theory of Lev Vygotsky: an analysis) Lev Vygotsky was intrigued by the relationship between learning and human development. In addition to his theories he wrote over a hundred books and articles that were all stored in a secret library and were not published until after his death. His two major recognized pieces are The Psychology of Art and The crisis in Psychology. Two of his main concepts were inner speech and the zone of proximal development. Vygotsky believed that inner speech is what guides a childs planning and other thought processes. He also believed that learning leads development and the immaturity of students conscious awareness and mastery of their thinking at a school age and sets the stage for his concept of the zone of proximal development (Education Encyclopedia: Lev Vygotsky). Vygotskys theory is called sociocultural because it focuses on how values, beliefs, skills, and traditions are transmitted to the next generation. He considered the child as a whole, and believed in a connection between culture a nd development. He believed that childrens skills and interactions varied by culture and that a child learns through family not through stages. Vygotsky thought that a large amount of learning was through play because language and development are built upon each other. When a mentor thinks that a student is ready for a new challenge and can conquer the challenge almost independently, a zone of proximal development is drawn. It is a range of learning that would be what a child can learn on its own but better with the help of someone else. Scaffolding involves encouragement and assistance in the form of advice and suggestions to aid a child in mastering a new concept (Davison). Through what Vygotsky called dialogues, we socially interact and communicate with others to learn the cultural values of our society. The sociocultural theory suggests that learning is active and constructive. Vygotsky claimed that interaction and direct teaching were critical aspects of a childs cognitive deve lopment and that a childs level of thinking could be advanced by such interaction. Language is socially based and childrens speech during age three to seven is tied to what children think. The development of language is considered to be a major principle of Vygotskys sociocultural theory. The language of a certain group of people indicates their cultural beliefs and value system. He thinks that children gradually grow intellectually and begin to function on their own because of assistance. He also says that a childs cognitive abilities increase through exposure to information that is new, interesting, and easy to understand. When children play and cooperate with others they learn what is important in their society and advance cognitively in their understanding of the world. The sociocultural theory suggests that development is a reciprocal transaction between the people in a childs environment and the child. According to Vygotsky, people and settings influence a child and in return influences the people and settings. He also suggested that children with and without disabilities be taught together, he thought isolation would hinder social Development. As a constructivist, Vygotsky believed that learning is affected by the context in which an idea is taught as well as by students beliefs and attitudes. Vygotsky felt that learning happens before development can occur and that children learn because of history and symbolism. Lev Vygotsky is considered a seminal thinker in psychology, and much of his work is still being discovered and explored today. While he was like Skinner, Pavlov, Freud and Piaget, his work never attained their level of acknowledgement during his lifetime. Part of this was because his work was often criticized by the Communist Party in Russia, and so his writings were largely inaccessible to the Western world, his early death at age 38 also contributed. Vygotsky was one of the first people to recognize and acknowledge the importance of culture and as today becomes more multicultural the sociocultural theory is helping us understand the influences on development. In conclusion, cognitive development plays a key role in learning and thinking methods of children. Vygotsky offers some incredible insight into the possible ways children learn and by using these theories it is possible to create a more conducive learning environment for each child. I believe that principles such as scaffoldi ng, co-constructed knowledge, dialogue, and cultural tools are all important components of a students knowledge acquisition. By helping students within their zone of proximal development, we offer them useful learning strategies which they internalize and utilize later. Works Cited Browne, Gordon. Beginnings and Beyond. Thomson Delmar Learning , n.d. -. Beginnings and Beyond. Thompson, n.d. Davison, Brandi. Piaget Vs. Vygotsky. Ac Associated Content 08 December 2006. Feldmen, Robert. Child Development 5th edition. Prentice Hall, n.d. Gredler, Margaret E. Education Encyclopedia: Lev Vygotsky. 10 23 2009. . K. Geonnotti, D. Passalacqua. The Educational Theory of Lev Vygotsky: an analysis. 2007. .

The Impact of a Mother’s Death on the Family Essay -- Faulkner’s As I

The Impact of a Mother’s Death on the Family Death ultimately brings individuals together and the Bundren family is no exception. Each member of this chaotic family dealt with their mother Addie’s death quite differently. Throughout the novel, Cash is the silent, hard-working type who says next to nothing about his family’s crazy nature and how he exactly feels about their current situations. I believe that Cash making his mother’s coffin outside the window was not cruel or disrespectful; it shows his loyalty and commitment to his mother. Of all the Bundren children, Cash dealt with his mother’s death through physical emotion. He worked diligently on constructing the coffin and making sure it would not slant or move during the journey to Jefferson, however, readers know that everything did not go as planned. Darl, the most rational of the group, â€Å"goes off the deep end†, so to speak because of his mother’s death. While Darl and Jewel are away getting Tull’s horses, Addie dies and Darl can see what is going on back at home. His omniscent nature makes him a wonderful narrator becau...

Odysseus and Aeneas Similar with Important Differences :: Essays Papers

Odysseus and Aeneas Similar with Important Differences Half of the room had their faces painted orange and brown. Half of the room had their faces painted black and yellow. I sat and looked at the other side of the room with total disgust. How could they call themselves Clevelanders as they sat and cheered on the enemy? Then it hit me. They didn’t — none of them called themselves Clevelanders. As I looked around the lounge of Twin Towers, I realized that most of these fans were here to cheer on their home team in the first Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers game in three long years. The fans varied in hometown. This ethnocentrism can be traced back all through history — even back to the times of Homer and Virgil. Odysseus and Aeneas were both â€Å"hometown heroes,† and both were also despised by their opposing countries. Odysseus and Aeneas, both epic heroes, were very similar but there are some differences. The differences between Odysseus and Aeneas are representative of their Greek and Roman cultures respectively. Odysseus and Aeneas both have an extremely different view of what the meaning of â€Å"home† is. They also have a contrasting value of importance on home. This is a parallel that follows them throughout their lives. Odysseus left home to fight in the Trojan War. He left to serve his country. After hard work he was victorious. He was forced to go to Hell and back when he was to go home. Of course he did take a long break in paradise to experience the good life. Odysseus landed on the island of Calypso. She is immortal and fell in love with Odysseus. They spent the days having passionate sex and he had the opportunity to stay there forever drinking nectar and eating ambrosia. So why’d he leave? He wanted to go home. Home is extremely important to Odysseus just as home is important for most Greeks. Greece is not a huge country. At no point in history did Greece become a large empire taking over great amounts of land. Greece is a specific place and the Greek traditions are found only within the borders. Aeneas also went to fight in the Trojan War. He also was a national hero. He was a great warrior. Both Odysseus and Aeneas were trying to head home.

Effect of supply and demand and gas in our lifetime Essay

Oil has been an integral socio-economic vehicle which within the corporate scene remains a highly competitive socio-economic driver. Due to vast uses and demand, oil has become controversial and elastic in socio-politics. Here we see it causing socio constraints in oil producing countries and collapsing political institutions. Socially oil has a significant contribution in our general lifestyle. It has a comparative role within the context of mobility and industrial function where it is used in factories as well as in institutions which use combustive machinery. It is a determinant of economic prowess of a country. It plays a major role in research and advancement of power generation and use of bio fuels to ease environmental pollution. Gas is valuable in our lives based on the fact that it eases the burden of power use in cooking and within many socio institutions especially within our families. Gas also has been highly competitive and still remains so with many countries seeking to sustain demand. Recently European countries grappled with Russian company Gazprom over supply of gas when the company threatened to cut supplies. This paper reflects on the major effects of oil and gas on our lives in various aspects of socio-economics and its profundity. This profundity establishes the oil and gas use and contribution to socio-economics and politics. This analytical review covers environmental, political and research contributions, so as to keep sustenance of the same at per with developments in the technological trends within our lives which drain energy resources and adversely effect socio-economic stability. Contribution to socio economics Economic growth is dependent on energy resources. Energy supply within the development perspectives of a nation deplete economic recession and create more apertures for industrial progression in the nation. The distribution of resources within this economic perspective contributes to social –economic growth due to the dissemination of the resources made and gained from the industrial progression. Socio-economic progress is what supports the constituents of the society, namely the family. Most families own vehicles, machinery and combustive equipment that require oil to run them. They own various oil consuming devices like generators which they use to get power and run their daily activities. This perspective of integrating resources based on oil based contribution and importance is indicative of the pivotal role oil plays in the economic progression of a nation and a community. On the negative aspect, oil has very diverse negative effects on social economic gains and has led to the disintegration of economic stability within the units of the society. Increase in oil prices leads to stifling of social economics due to constrained spending so as to meet the higher cost of fuel. This constraint forces individuals to over spend and increased prices of goods and services. The effect spreads within the society to the most unfortunate and stirs unrest due to the high prices. On the same aspect oil has been a very competitive socially owned natural resources which in as many countries has caused political divisions and social disintegration. Communities in developing nations have been embroiled in long civil wars like in Nigeria. Nations with superior industrial needs have sought after taking advantage of lesser nations to establish forced oil drilling concessions so as to have a monopoly in the production of oil and directly befit their economic needs while hurting that of the producing country. The performance of the portfolio might be measured by the effects of changes in energy costs and availability of energy on the economy. Another portfolio measure might be the effects of the mix of energy sources on the diversity and vulnerability of the supply. Generating Electric Power in the Pacific Northwest: Implications of Alternative Technologies Christopher G. Pernin, Mark A. Bernstein, Andrea Mejia, Howard Shih, Fred Rueter, Wilbur Steger 2002. p 15 Effect on Resources Drilling oil has led to dilapidation of natural resources like forested land, marine resources and agricultural land. The effect on these natural resources is basically destruction of their existence so as to create sufficient exploration and drilling acreage. To excavate gas or oil, exploration and seismic survey has to be conducted on very significant area of acreage which completely reduces this area to a wasteful land for many years. The long term effect is that, the existing resources and land itself becomes wasted and polluted due to activities involved to get the gas or oil out. However there are positive attributes that come along with oil and gas production. There creation of jobs on these areas benefits local and professionals who have relevant experience and knowledge on the activities related to drilling and producing oil and gas. Creation of infrastructure and connection to electricity grids become the positive effects on the resources which can be utilized within the region the drilling or production is on going. The resources, like agricultural activities directly benefit from these changes and developments. Existing coffee factories get a boost to revert from using diesel engines to electricity. Communities are connected to the electric grid and can access electricity. Industries come up and processing of natural resources become easier. Proved reserves are both drilled and un-drilled. The proved drilled reserves, in any pool, include oil estimated to be recoverable by the production systems now in operation, whether with or without fluid injection, and from the area actually drilled up on the spacing pattern in effect in that pool. The proved un-drilled reserves, in any pool, include reserves under un-drilled spacing units which are so close, and so related, to the drilled units that there is every reasonable probability that they will produce when drilled. Bruce C.  Netschert The Future Supply of Oil and Gas: A Study of the Availability of Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids in the United States in the Period through 1975: 1958. p 7 Development of alternative fuels Oil and gas have led to positive research on energy needs globally. Companies and researchers have been seeking best solutions to the waning supplies and deposits of gas and oil to curb the eminent collapse of the supply and demand. Discovery of coal mines, use of electric car and trains development of alternative oil are diverse developments all based on the oil and gas supply and demand agenda. According to arguments based on the global perspective on demand and supply of gas and oil, it is questionable and much worrisome ‘Are resources likely to be available during the next fifty years in the quantities necessary to satisfy projected demands without substantial increases in prices? If not, what price in- creases are likely to be necessary to close the gap between supply and demand, and what are the effects of those increases likely to be? Ronald G. Ridker & William D. Watson: To Choose a Future: Resource and Environmental Consequences of Alternative Growth Paths. 980. p 96. Negative effects of the demand and supply is mainly seen within the oil curtails and supply context. International oil curtails have a stranglehold on the oil and gas prices and the effect of alternative oils becomes less dynamic and progressive stifling efforts to stipulate best policies to use to achieve the required progress in alternatives is slow. Implementation of development of alternative oils and energy resources has been ongoing. Creation of biodegradable oils has resolved much of the fears that demand would become elastic. Environmental effects Global warming and environmental degradation consequences on the flora are as a result of a lot of oil and gas exploration activities. Secondly the use of oil and gas in industries and within the concepts of combustion has led to degradation of the environmental. Industrial effluent related to oil has destroyed the flora while gaseous emission like carbon emissions from vehicles and industrial machinery has destroyed the ozone layer resulting to global warming. There are literally no positive implications on the environment by oil and gas. However on the profound aspect of research advancing of technology to improve on the air and to maintain a level of complacency within the ozone layer has led to discovery and global use of green houses and introduction of policies which reflect on addressing how to stop global warming. Governmental and geo-political effects A lot of the current crisis within the global fronts is based on escalation of demand of oil and gas by major world like the United States. The demand for energy, especially based on oil supplies has become un-foreseeable, as such the need to have vast reserves of oil within proximity as insulation to the critical point of demand and elasticity of demand is important. Non-Marxist social science, needless to say, had to contend with the reality, where incidents of collective violence were taking place all around. Facing this contradiction between their theory and reality, a compromise was reached by which it was hypothesized that anti-systemic conflict was only a temporary situation. This situation, they argued, would be symptomatic of the Third World nations going through a structural change. Structural change caused by the introduction of â€Å"economic development† and a new production relationship calls for the end to the traditional social and economic relationship. Dipak K. Gupta: The Economics of Political Violence: The Effect of Political Instability on Economic Growth. 1990 p 31 The issue here is that political prowess has influenced a lot of political inclinations in various nations within the world. On the same context, government policies to curb oil prices and to have reserves for future use have become null and wavering. The community within these jurisdictions suffer fluctuating oil prices and there is no consistency in the pricing hence the problem of constantly adjusting to the new prices due to lack of legislation. Political problems have emanated from this point with extremist policies on invasion of natural resources and barrel prices becoming tools of stifling economic progress in the communities.

English Crucible Coursework Essay

In the established society of a small, Puritan town in the late 17th century, a lie by a minister’s niece sparks utter hysteria throughout the town of Salem. This quite minor fabrication causes a wildfire of deceit to burn throughout the town destroying homes, families and friendships. In the centre of this saga the marriage of John and Elizabeth Proctor has been diminished to a marriage of awkward silences and great mistrust by John Proctor adulterous relationship with Abigail Williams. As the town is in havoc, the Proctor’s marriage is also tested. The play portrays heir struggle to prevail I a world of treachery. In this essay of ‘The Crucible’, I am going to be examining the Proctor’s marriage in relevance to the theme of witchcraft and study why Miler put the marriage at the centre of the play.  When we first see the Proctor’s in Act Two, a conventional view of home life at that period time is portrayed the husband has been working hard on the land, while his wife cared for the children and tended to her family’s needs, but this scene also shows many things. I t shows the need for gratitude from each over, as if they need to please one another vastly. This is depicted many times when John begins to eat. Early on in the scene as Proctor comments on his wife’s food saying ‘It is well seasoned’ which we are aware is false as previously in entering the house he sampled the food and added more seasoning to it, the way this sentence is implied suggests that he is just trying to keep the peace between them. She is content with his praise and eve thrives on his delight in her and feels if she carries on pleasing him he will not go elsewhere for this gratitude, as to his previous mistress Abigail This is not one-sided as John states to Elizabeth after consulting her if she would like a cow he says, ‘I mean to please you’ with her reply being, ‘John I know’. This shows he is attempting to redeem his infidelity and prove to her al he wants is to make her happy and she is aware of his numerous efforts but cannot allow herself to forget the past months.  Elizabeth is still very apprehensive of John and questions him as soon as she is aware of his presence she begins to enquire into his delay home asking him, ‘what keeps you so late?’. Elizabeth shows great suspicion towards John; this is depicted through her eagerness to know what is keeping her husband. He justifies himself by declaring in his defence he was out farming. The premature view of the scene in Act Two reveals great suspicion in this marriage, as Elizabeth is fearful that he has been visiting Elizabeth. This parallels to the witchcraft trials of Salem and the scepticism of the inhabitants as to if someone may blindly accuse them next for minor things such as an argument in the past or over land restrictions. The weariness by the community is shown later in the Act when Reverend Hale is told of the arrest of Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse to this he declares, ‘†¦ Then nothing left to stop the whole green world from burning’. This statement refers to the suspicion in the town as when one lie has started it is difficult to stop it from causing more lies to arise, this declaration can also be interpreted as the ‘whole green world’ being the forest and when a forest fire is started it is almost impossible to stop the fire in comparison to the wildfire of lies spreading through the region. This leads to the lack of trust in the district of Salem and in the Proctor’s marriage .As we return to the early stages of Act Two we see the Proctor’s involved in a minor dispute as he tells Elizabeth of his moment alone with Abigail, this is where the mistrust in their marriage is exposed and laid bare Elizabeth in disbelief of what she was just confronted with, questions him and asks â€Å"you were alone with her†, and he discards her and tells her, ‘only for a moment, she reads into this as a lie and suspects their liaison has been reunited and is upset he has not informed her of this ‘moment’.  Elizabeth still detects that John is concealing something from her and because of her suspicions continuously questions him as we saw at the beginning of Act Two, her frustrations at him is shown when she says, ‘John you are not open with me’ which explains her distrust in John this is because she feels he is disguising a  Fabricat ion from her.

Magic Springs

Khiana Carr Professor Ansbro ENGL 1010 16 November 2012 Magic Springs Many family and friends love to visit and enjoy the many attractions and fun from amusements parks. Every state and city has at least one good loveable memory about it. The hot and enjoyable attraction in Hot Springs, Arkansas is the awesome water and amusement park Magic Springs and Crystal Falls. There are many activities to do in Hot Springs like the following: shopping area, cite seeing in the mountains, the spa, and more. Most people go to enjoy the exciting attractions of Magic Springs, a place the entire family could enjoy.Magic Springs and Crystal Falls, Magic Springs for short, is a combination of an amusement park and water park all in one. Magic springs have everything for the family entertainment, including an Amphitheater for a variety of musical events and more. The park is open weekends from April through October and daily late-May through mid-August. The owner has really put in a lot of work to make the park what it is today. One can learn the history of Magic Springs, the many rides and thrilling descriptions there are, and many reviews from satisfied visitors.For those who love Six Flags and Disney World would also love Magic Springs. Magic Springs opened around 1978 in July in Hot Springs, Arkansas. In the beginning the park was going through a quite bit of financial problems. The park was sold in the mid 1980 to a businessman by the name of Melvin Bell. Soon after the inventors had landed into a huge pile debt, then Bell was forced to close down the park in 1995. The park was up for sale in an auction and reopened in 2000 as Magic Springs and Crystal Falls.The new management by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operation by Amusement Management Partners, LLC turned the park into an ongoing attraction for many. Ever since, Magic Springs has gotten innumerous visits from people all the country. Magic Springs is an amusement park offering a lot of attractions for the whole family, from fearless daredevil to the gentlest cat. There is a total of 20 rides throughout the park including the water rides. For the thrill seekers there are a good select few one would love to take for a ride. The top three amazing thrilling rides are the Gauntlet, the Hawk, and the Arkansas Twister.The Gauntlet is a â€Å"eight-story drop into a whirling dervish of inverted loops and mind-blowing bends† (Magic Springs), it is a 2,2000 feet 50 mph ride that will for sure take anyone on the ride of their lives. The Hawk is a 70feet 13 rpm speed exciting twirling machine that will take a person to new heights. The ride has many loops and turns and even rotates360 degrees clockwise and counter-clockwise throughout the ride it might even stop, while you hanging upside down! The Arkansas Twister is a wild 50 mph 3,300 feet heart pounding thrill.It is a 90 feel drop rollercoaster with all the heart racing effects, â€Å"to experience Magic Springs, one must experience the Arkansas T wister† (Magic Springs). With accommodating all the thrill seekers of the world Magic Springs have rides for little children as well. The two most enjoyable kiddie rides are the Li’l Leapin’ Lizard and Looney Ballooney. The Li’l Leapin’ Lizard zooms into the air and gently returns to the ground, just enough excitement for the little ones. A ride that reaches the sky and beyond is what all the kids want to go on, all the kids love being in the spinning hot air balloon Looney Ballooney.The park has many separate rides that ignite the fun in every member of the family, but there are a couple family rides everyone can enjoy together. The number one family favorite is the Old No. 2 Logging Company Log Flume. The ride takes off as it twists and turns into a water maze that ends with a splash of cooling water. Last but not least, the many water rides and pools. All the rides are loveable for every family member, which is what keeps the satisfied visitors c oming back for more. The park has had many reviews and has been rated A+ by the BBB business review and more.The happy visitors left wonderful reviews of Magic Springs. On satisfied customer said, â€Å"Me and my family enjoyed the water and the gospel concert held at the park that day. I plan to get the season family passes next year we had so much fun† (Trip advisor). â€Å"I live not too far from Hot Springs and have heard how cool it is to go, but finally made my way there with other friends and family. It was an awesome experience. There are plenty of areas for small children and plenty of rides adults are able to enjoy. My personal favorite was the Gaunlet, so much so I rode it twice. † (Trip advisor).The Gaunlet is the number one favorite of all rides at Magic Springs. â€Å"The park was VERY clean, the workers we encountered were friendly overall, and there were NO lines. We rode every ride that we wanted to at least once and many of them twice with no waiting . Every ride was up and running. We went to Crystal Falls after that to cool off and stayed until it closed at 6 pm. It was wonderful as well. Not crowded at all and a great variety of play/pool areas for all ages† (Trip advisor). â€Å"Love the rides, the music, the water and the water rides! Lots to do here. You can spends days and never get bored! (Trip advisor), it is very self-explanatory that the Magic Springs is a very enjoyable place for fun in the sun. In conclusion, Magic Springs and Crystal Falls have been recognized for family entertainment they have attracted people all over the country. Hot Springs have plenty of activities for any family member. Magic Springs have gotten a lot of good reviews and awards from the public. The water park is extraordinary the rides are full thrilling fun; the park is really a lot of fun in the sun. Including the Amphitheater, the amusement park has a lot of famous concert performances.The new owners of Magic Springs and Crystal Fal ls have really turned out the new park for the best. All the heart racing roller coaster to the gentle carousel does well accommodating to the entire family. The many reviews and increasing number of visitors show that the Magic Springs will not be losing any business any time soon. Works Cited â€Å"Magic Springs and Crystal Falls – Hot Springs, Arkansas – combination family amusementpark and water park. † www. city-data. com. 2012. 06 Nov. 2012. www. citydata. com/articles/Magic-Springs-and-Crystal-Falls-Hot. html â€Å"Magic Springs & Crystal Falls. Magic Springs & Crystal Falls. Web. Np. Nd. 06 Nov. 2012http://www. magicsprings. com â€Å"Magic Springs Water and Theme Park. † – Hot Springs. Web. Np. Nd. 06 Nov. 2012http://www. arkansas. com/attractions/detail. aspx? id=23423. Magic Springs & Crystal Falls, Hot Springs. † Magic Springs & Crystal Falls. N. p, n. d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. http://www. tripadvisor. com/Attraction_Review-g60856-d2 74499Reviews-Magic_Spr ings_Crystal_Falls-Hot_Springs_Arkansas. html Going up up away Ready to ride. People in front ready for the Arkansas Twister to take off! my sister ready to swim. On the way tooooMagic Springs!!

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 7

â€Å"Who's Celia?† Bonnie said indignantly, as soon as they'd wiped off the blood. She'd put the rose down careful y in the middle of the front seat, between her and Matt, and they were al very consciously not touching it. Pretty as it was, it looked more sinister than beautiful now, Stefan thought grimly. â€Å"Celia Connor,† Meredith said sharply. â€Å"Dr. Celia Connor. You saw her in a vision once, Bonnie. The forensic anthropologist.† â€Å"The one who's working with Alaric?† Bonnie said. â€Å"But why would her name show up in blood on my arm? In blood.† â€Å"That's what I'd like to know,† Meredith said, frowning. â€Å"It could be some kind of warning,† Elena proposed. â€Å"We don't know enough yet. We'l go to the station, we'l meet Alaric and Celia, and then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Then?† prompted Meredith, meeting Elena's cool blue eyes. â€Å"Then we'l do whatever we have to do,† Elena said. â€Å"As usual.† Bonnie was stil complaining when they got to the train station. Patience, Stefan reminded himself. Usual y he enjoyed Bonnie's company, but right now, his body craving the human blood he'd become accustomed to, he felt†¦ off. He rubbed his aching jaw. â€Å"I'd real y hoped we'd get at least a couple days of everything being normal,† Bonnie moaned for what seemed like the thousandth time. â€Å"Life's not fair, Bonnie,† Matt said gloomily. Stefan glanced at him in surprise – Matt was usual y the first to leap in and try to cheer up the girls – but the tal blond was leaning against the closed ticket booth, his shoulders drooping, his hands tucked into his pockets. Matt met Stefan's gaze. â€Å"It's al starting up again, isn't it?† Stefan shook his head and glanced around the station. â€Å"I don't know what's going on,† he said. â€Å"But we al need to be vigilant until we can figure it out.† â€Å"Oh, that's comforting,† Meredith muttered, her gray eyes alertly scanning the platform. Stefan folded his arms across his chest and shifted closer to Elena and Bonnie. Al his senses, normal and paranormal, were on ful alert. He reached out with his Power, trying to sense any supernatural consciousnesses near them, but felt nothing new or alarming, just the calm background buzz of ordinary humans going about their everyday business. It was impossible to stop worrying, though. Stefan had seen many things in his five hundred years of existence: vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, angels, witches, al sorts of beings who preyed on or influenced humans in ways most people could never even imagine. And, as a vampire, he knew a lot about blood. More than he had cared to admit. He'd seen Meredith's eyes flick toward him with suspicion when Bonnie began to bleed. She was right to be wary of him: How could they trust him when his basic nature was to kil them? Blood was the essence of life; it was what kept a vampire going centuries after his natural life span should have ended. Blood was the central ingredient in many spel s both benevolent and wicked. Blood had Powers of its own, Powers that were difficult and dangerous to harness. But Stefan had never seen blood behave in the way it had on Bonnie's arm today. A thought struck him. â€Å"Elena,† he said, turning to face her. â€Å"Hmmm?† she answered distractedly, shading her eyes as she peered down the track. â€Å"You said the rose was just lying there waiting for you on the porch when you opened the door this morning?† Elena brushed her hair out of her eyes. â€Å"Actual y, no. Caleb Smal wood found it there and handed it to me when I opened the door to let him in.† â€Å"Caleb Smal wood?† Stefan narrowed his eyes. Elena had mentioned earlier that her aunt had hired the Smal wood boy to do some work around the house, but she should have told him of Caleb's connection to the rose before. â€Å"Tyler Smal wood's cousin? The guy who just showed up out of nowhere to hang around your house? The one who's probably a werewolf, like the rest of his family?† â€Å"You didn't meet him. He was perfectly fine. Apparently he's been around town al summer without anything weird happening. We just don't remember him.† Her tone was breezy, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Stefan reached out automatical y to speak to her with his mind, to have a private conversation about what she was real y feeling. But he couldn't. He was so used to depending on the connection between them that he kept forgetting it was gone now; he could sense Elena's emotions, could feel her aura, but they could no longer communicate telepathical y. He and Elena were separate again. Stefan hunched his shoulders miserably against the breeze. Bonnie frowned, the summer wind whipping her strawberry ringlets around her face. â€Å"Is Tyler even a werewolf now? Because if Sue's alive, he didn't kil her to become a werewolf, right?† Elena held her palms to the sky. â€Å"I don't know. He's gone, anyway, and I'm not sorry. Even before he was a werewolf, he was a real jerk. Remember what a bul y he was at school? And how he was always drinking out of that hip flask and hitting on us? But I'm pretty sure Caleb's just a regular guy. I'd have known if there was something wrong with him.† Stefan looked at her. â€Å"You've got wonderful instincts about people,† he said careful y. â€Å"But are you sure you're not relying on senses you don't have anymore to tel you what Caleb is?† He thought of how the Guardians had painful y clipped Elena's Wings and destroyed her Powers, the Powers she and her friends only half-understood. Elena looked taken aback and was opening her mouth to reply when the train chugged into the station, preventing further discussion. Only a few people were disembarking at the Fel ‘s Church station, and Stefan soon spotted Alaric's familiar form. After stepping down to the platform, Alaric reached back to steady a slender African-American woman as she exited behind him. Dr. Celia Connor was certainly lovely – Stefan would give her that. She was tiny, as smal as Bonnie, with dark skin and close-cropped hair. The smile she gave Alaric as she took his arm was charming and slightly puckish. She had large brown eyes and a long, elegant neck. Stylish but practical in designer clothing, she wore soft leather boots, skinny jeans, and a sapphire-toned silk shirt. A long, diaphanous scarf was wrapped around her neck, adding to her sophisticated demeanor. When Alaric, al tousled sandy hair and boyish grin, whispered familiarly in her ear, Stefan felt Meredith tense. She looked like she'd like nothing better than to try out a few of her martial arts moves on a certain gorgeous forensic anthropologist. But then Alaric spotted Meredith, dashed over, and took her in his arms, pul ing her off her feet as he swung her into a hug, and she visibly relaxed. In a few moments, they were both laughing and talking, and they didn't seem to be able to stop touching each other, as if they needed to reassure themselves that they were actual y together again at last. Clearly, Stefan thought, any worries Meredith had had about Alaric and Dr. Connor had been groundless, at least as far as Alaric was concerned. Stefan turned his attention to Celia Connor again. His first wary tendrils of Power discovered a slight simmering resentment emanating from the anthropologist. Understandable: She was human, she was quite young despite her poise and her many professional achievements, and she had spent a great deal of time working closely with the very attractive Alaric. It wouldn't be surprising if she felt a bit proprietary toward him, and here he was being pul ed away from her and into the orbit of a teenage girl. But more important, his Power found no supernatural shadow hanging about her and no answering Power in her. Whatever the meaning of the name Celia written in blood, it seemed Dr. Celia Connor hadn't caused it. â€Å"Somebody take pictures!† Bonnie cal ed, laughing. â€Å"We haven't seen Alaric for months. We have to document his return!† Matt got out his phone and took a couple of pictures of Alaric and Meredith, their arms around each other. â€Å"Al of us!† Bonnie insisted. â€Å"You too, Dr. Connor. Let's stand in front of the train – it's a terrific backdrop. You take this one, Matt, and then I'l take some with you in them.† They shuffled into various positions: bumping, excusing, introducing themselves to Celia Connor, throwing their arms around one another in a casual y exuberant style. Stefan found himself pushed to the edge, Elena's arm through his, and he discreetly inhaled the clean, sweet scent of her hair. â€Å"Al aboard!† the conductor cal ed, and the train doors closed. Matt, Stefan realized, had stopped taking pictures and was staring at them, his blue eyes widening in what looked like terror. â€Å"Stop the train!† he shouted. â€Å"Stop the train!† â€Å"Matt? What on earth?† Elena said. And then Meredith looked behind them, toward the train, with an expression of dawning comprehension. â€Å"Celia,† she said urgently, reaching out toward the other woman. Stefan watched in confusion as Celia jerked away from them abruptly, almost as if an unseen hand had grabbed her. As the train began to move, Celia walked, then ran beside it with stiff, frantic motions, her hands pul ing rapidly at her throat. Suddenly Stefan's perspective shifted and he understood what was happening. Celia's diaphanous scarf had somehow been firmly caught by the closing door of the train, and now the train was pul ing her along by the neck. She was running to keep from being strangled, the scarf like a leash yanking her along. And the train was beginning to pick up speed. Her hands pul ed at the scarf, but both ends were caught in the door, and her tugging only seemed to tighten it around her neck. Celia was approaching the end of the platform and the train was chugging faster. It was a flat drop from the platform to the scrub ground beyond. In a few moments, she would fal , her neck would be broken, and the train would drag her along for miles. Stefan took al this in within the space of a single breath and sprang into action. He felt his canines lengthen as a surge of Power went through him. And then he took off, faster than any human, faster than the train, and sped toward her. With one quick motion, he took her in his arms, relieving the pressure around her throat, and tore the scarf in half. He stopped and put Celia down as the train sped up and left the station. The remnants of the scarf slipped from around her neck and fluttered onto the platform by her feet. She and Stefan stared at each other, breathing hard. Behind them, he could hear the others shouting, their feet pounding on the platform as they ran toward them. Celia's dark brown eyes were wide and fil ed with tears of pain. She licked her lips nervously and took several short, gasping breaths, pressing her hands against her chest. He could hear her heart pounding, her blood rushing through her system, and he concentrated on pul ing his canines back and resuming his human face. She staggered suddenly, and Stefan slipped his arm around her. â€Å"It's okay,† he said. â€Å"You're al right now.† Celia gave a short, slightly hysterical laugh and wiped at her eyes. Then she stood upright, straightening her shoulders, and inhaled deeply. Stefan could see her deliberately calming herself, although her heartbeat was reeling, and he admired her self-control. â€Å"So,† she said, holding out her hand, â€Å"you must be the vampire Alaric's told me about.† The others were coming up to them now, and Stefan glanced at Alaric in alarm. â€Å"That's something I'd rather you kept private,† Stefan told her, feeling a prick of irritation at Alaric for divulging his secret. But his words were almost drowned out by a gasp from Meredith. Her gray eyes, usual y so serene, were dark with horror. â€Å"Look,† she said, pointing. â€Å"Look at what it says.† Stefan turned his attention to the pieces of sheer fabric around their feet. Bonnie gave a little whimper and Matt's eyebrows furrowed. Elena's beautiful face was blank with shock, and Alaric and Celia both appeared entirely confused. For a moment, Stefan saw nothing. Then, like a picture coming into focus, his vision adjusted and he saw what everyone was looking at. The torn scarf had fal en into an elaborately twisted heap, and the supposedly random folds of fabric quite clearly formed letters that spel ed: meredith

Product Innovation on Firm Performance Research Paper

Product Innovation on Firm Performance - Research Paper Example The intention of this study is product innovation as the introduction of a new product in the market that uses different technology and has a higher utility for the consumer than the existing products. In the contemporary competitive environment, a business requires to maintain leverage in relation to its competitors through ensuring that consumer loyalty is maintained and hence a greater market share. Precautions should be observed during product innovations since the process may have a positive or negative impact on the existing product categories. They may result in a greater market share, cannibalism and destabilization of products. Nevertheless, the significance of product innovation can not be ignored. This study explores the positive relationship between product innovation and firm performance. Aboulnasr et al. established that innovation originates from the application of creative ideas to develop marketable products from the existing ones. This process begins through inventi on whereby the new ideas are generated in relation to the performance targets of business. Products usually have a life cycle that decreases over time and requires enhancement through constant innovations to maintain competitiveness in the market. Kim & Huang noted that innovations can be accomplished through development of fresh knowledge or new products in the market that increases a firm’s leverage through increased profits and consumer satisfaction. Customer preferences change with time and therefore continuous assessment of the market is needed. Innovations targeted at consumer satisfaction depend on research that helps managers to determine market dynamics in terms of consumer preferences. Studies indicate that innovativeness leads to improved quality of products and services (Lee 2010). Any invention in business is focused on the improvement of the current product in the market. Innovations emerge from understanding of the need to change the prevailing product quality to match market demand. Radical changes need to enhance product quality and to strengthen its competitiveness in the market. Firms engage in research and development to identify the gaps that hamper profitability. It also assists them to identify the strategic responses to competition. Strategic response is a continuous process that involves decision making and analyzing a firm’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats. In many situations, a firm capitalizes on its strengths and takes opportunity of the competitor’s weaknesses. With this regard, innovation is necessary to keep an organization abreast with the prevailing market circumstances hence a greater capacity to cope with competition (Kim & Huang 2011). Innovations allow product differentiation giving consumers an array of products to choose from. An organization is able to serve a