dad essays

dad essays Eudora Weltys A Worn Path is a story that emphasizes the natural symbolism of the surroundings. As the story begins, we are introduced to our main character, Phoenix Jackson; she is described as a small, old Negro woman. I believe that the name Eudora Welty gives our main character is very symbolic. The legend of the Phoenix is about a fabled sacred bird of ancient Egyptians. The bird is said to come out of Arabia every 500 years to Heliopolis, where it burned itself on the altar and rose again from its ashes, young and beautiful. Phoenix, the women in the story, represents the myth of the bird because she is described as being elderly and near the end of her life. Phoenix can hardly walk and uses a cane made of an old umbrella to aid her. Her skin is described as old and wrinkly, but yet with a golden color running beneath it Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles and as though a whole little tree stood in the middle of her forehead, but a golden color r an underneath(55). Her skin tone represents the golden feathers of the Phoenix and her grandson represents the next Phoenix that will be given life when she dies. The trip to the city to get the medicine represents the mythological trip that the Phoenix takes to the sun to die. Most likely this journey along a worn path through the woods, will be one of her last. We are told of Phoenixs journey into the woods on a cold December morning. Although we are know that she is traveling through woodland, the author refrains from telling us the reason for this journey. In the midst of Phoenixs travels, Eudora Welty describes the scene: Deep, deep the road went down between the high green-colored banks. Overhead the live-oaks met, and it was as dark as a cave (Welty 55). The gloomy darkness that the author has created to surround Phoenix in this scene is quite a contrast to the small Negro womans positive ou...

Love Actually Quotes

Love Actually Quotes The 2003 movie Love Actually emphasizes the funny side of love through an interesting series of plots and subplots. The movie follows eight couples- each telling a tale of love and adding a fresh perspective. Their tales are loosely interconnected, and all are set during a month before Christmas in London. If you are in love  or have been in love, you will empathize with the characters in Love Actually. Hugh Grant, Billy Bob Thornton, Laura Linney, and others put in terrific performances. Check out the quotes to reminisce about the movie. Judy All I want for Christmas is you. Aurelia  [in Portuguese] I will miss you. And your very slow typing... and your very bad driving.Thank you. That will be nice. Yes is being my answer. Easy question. Juliet All I want is just one shot of me in a wedding dress that isnt bright turquoise. Sam But you know the thing about romance is people only get together right at the very end.Lets go get the shit kicked out of us by love. Karen True love lasts a lifetime.Weve never got friendly. I just wanted to say I hope that can change. Im nice, I really am, apart from my terrible taste in pie. And it would be great if we could be friends.Get a grip; people hate sissies. No ones ever going to shag you if you cry all the time.The trouble with being the Prime Ministers sister is it does put your life into a rather harsh perspective. What did my brother do today? He stood up and fought for his country. And what did I do? I made a paper-mache lobster head. Karl Life is full of interruptions and complications. Mia Ill just be hanging around the mistletoe, hoping to be kissed. Billy Mack When I was young and successful, I was greedy and foolish, and now Im left with no one ... wrinkled and alone. Jamie [in Portuguese] Beautiful Aurelia, Ive come here with a view of asking you to marriage me. I know I  seems  an insane person- because I hardly  knows  you- but sometimes things are so transparency, they dont need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England.Christmas is a time for people with someone they love in their lives. Daniel Youve seen the films, kiddo. It aint over til its over.Jo and I had, uh, a lot of time to prepare for this moment. Some of her, uh, requests- for instance, that I should bring Claudia Schiffer as my date to the funeral- I was confident she expected me to ignore.Tell her that you love her. Youve got nothing to lose, and youll always regret it if you dont. Colin American girls would seriously dig me with my cute British accent.I am Colin. God of sex. Im just on the wrong continent, thats all.Im on Shag Highway heading west. Sarah Hello, darling. No, no, Im not busy. No ... fire away. Prime Minister I had an uncle called Terence once. Hated him. I think he was a pervert. But I very much like the look of you.Who do you have to screw around here to get a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit?

Love Actually Quotes

Love Actually Quotes The 2003 movie Love Actually emphasizes the funny side of love through an interesting series of plots and subplots. The movie follows eight couples- each telling a tale of love and adding a fresh perspective. Their tales are loosely interconnected, and all are set during a month before Christmas in London. If you are in love  or have been in love, you will empathize with the characters in Love Actually. Hugh Grant, Billy Bob Thornton, Laura Linney, and others put in terrific performances. Check out the quotes to reminisce about the movie. Judy All I want for Christmas is you. Aurelia  [in Portuguese] I will miss you. And your very slow typing... and your very bad driving.Thank you. That will be nice. Yes is being my answer. Easy question. Juliet All I want is just one shot of me in a wedding dress that isnt bright turquoise. Sam But you know the thing about romance is people only get together right at the very end.Lets go get the shit kicked out of us by love. Karen True love lasts a lifetime.Weve never got friendly. I just wanted to say I hope that can change. Im nice, I really am, apart from my terrible taste in pie. And it would be great if we could be friends.Get a grip; people hate sissies. No ones ever going to shag you if you cry all the time.The trouble with being the Prime Ministers sister is it does put your life into a rather harsh perspective. What did my brother do today? He stood up and fought for his country. And what did I do? I made a paper-mache lobster head. Karl Life is full of interruptions and complications. Mia Ill just be hanging around the mistletoe, hoping to be kissed. Billy Mack When I was young and successful, I was greedy and foolish, and now Im left with no one ... wrinkled and alone. Jamie [in Portuguese] Beautiful Aurelia, Ive come here with a view of asking you to marriage me. I know I  seems  an insane person- because I hardly  knows  you- but sometimes things are so transparency, they dont need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England.Christmas is a time for people with someone they love in their lives. Daniel Youve seen the films, kiddo. It aint over til its over.Jo and I had, uh, a lot of time to prepare for this moment. Some of her, uh, requests- for instance, that I should bring Claudia Schiffer as my date to the funeral- I was confident she expected me to ignore.Tell her that you love her. Youve got nothing to lose, and youll always regret it if you dont. Colin American girls would seriously dig me with my cute British accent.I am Colin. God of sex. Im just on the wrong continent, thats all.Im on Shag Highway heading west. Sarah Hello, darling. No, no, Im not busy. No ... fire away. Prime Minister I had an uncle called Terence once. Hated him. I think he was a pervert. But I very much like the look of you.Who do you have to screw around here to get a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit?

The Attitude and Action of York University Students with Regard to Research Paper

The Attitude and Action of York University Students with Regard to Medical Transplant and Organ Donation - Research Paper Example This research was driven by five objectives namely: to establish how students in York University (YU) perceive organ transplants (OT); to investigate the incidence of OT in the United States of America; to establish the attitude of students in YU towards medical transplants and organ donations; to identify the action of YU towards OT; and to identify countermeasures that can be put in place so that students in YU embrace and perceive OT positively. Chapter one of the study included the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, study objectives, research questions, significance of the study, limitations of the study, scope of the study, assumption of study and definition of terms. Chapter two of the study offers an outline of medical transplants and organ donations. These ideas are going to introduce key concepts and understandings that link to the purpose and field of research. Chapter three describes the research design that provides information regard ing the population of the study, sample size and sampling procedure, instrumentation, data collection and data analysis techniques. Chapter four deals with data presentation and analysis; after data collection, the data was recorded. This data was interpreted and analyzed in order to draw varied conclusions from it, and gather meaningful information. Chapter five illustrates the summary of findings based on the analysis and interpretation of the data gathered. Keywords: organ transplant, organ donation CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of The Study Organ transplantation refers to the surgical removal of one or many organs from one person (the donor) to place it into the body of another person (the recipient) commonly for medical reasons. In most cases, the donated organs are derived from dead people, but in some times, these organs can be removed from living beings (Ballard, 2009). Commonly transplanted organs are the liver, kidney, pancreas, intestines, heart, liver an d lungs. Commonly transplanted tissues include the middle ear, skin, bone, heart valves, tendons, ligaments, stem cells, blood, platelets, cartilage and the cornea. The need for organ transplantation in the US and in the world as a whole has continued to rise in the recent past. Numbers of those needing OT in the USA, and in the world in general have continued to rise, even exceeding the available donors for this procedure. The shortage is so massive such that, approximately 20 OT patients die daily due to the afore-mentioned shortage. Statistics have revealed that over 4000 people register to undergo the procedure every month. Furthermore, about 80 people receive new organs every day in the US alone (Durrette, 2009). 1.2 Statement of the Problem For all its benefits and success, OT has received various criticisms and ethical concerns, which has reduced the number of people who are willing to donate organs. Various attitudes exist concerning the practice, and this is impacting negat ively on the success rate of the procedure (Finn, 2010). Unless these are addressed, the bridge between organ donors and recipients will keep increasing. 1.3 Purpose of Study The purpose of the study is to determine the attitude and action of York University students with regard to medical

Personal Statement for the University Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

For the University - Personal Statement Example Studying an undergraduate degree on Accounting and Finance in University of Exeter gave me greater insights into how the subject and the function of accounting within business help to define the process. During my first year compulsory modules, Business Law for Accountants, I understood and demonstrated knowledge of the legal systems in the UK and the principle features of business law. The Hong Kong legal systems are based on the UK system and so although this module was UK-based.Knowledge of the law can help me in dealing with unexpected difficulties. During my holiday in 2011, I have travelled to a new villa in the Maldives for vacation with my friends. During this 1 week holiday, my friends and I were promised by a travel agency that there was a bar and English speakers on premise. However, when we arrived, they spoke very poor English and the bar only opened once during the week. As such, we are very disappointed with the journey. When I came back to Hong Kong, I filed suit agai nst the travel contract by applying the case "Jarvis v Swan Tours (1973)" which I had learned in my business law module. Finally, I held to be entitled to damages for my disappointment. As a result, I received 1/3 of the cost of my holiday as well as receiving â€Å"disappointment damages† for the holiday. Due to the fact that I was able to apply the case law I was familiar with in order to positively affect my own life as well as the life of my friends, I have become greatly more interested in better understanding the nuances of the law.

Reimbursement and Pay for Service Essay Example for Free

Reimbursement and Pay for Service Essay Introduction In this paper we will discuss what pay for performance is and explain what the reimbursement affect is. In this paper it will show how the system figures out cost reduction and the impact of the quality care patients receive. How does reimbursement and pay for performance affect the physicians? Does this affect us now and will it in the future? Health care has been changing dramatically because of history, political and social along with economical reasons. Reimbursement and pay for performance can and may even change the quality of care. Pay-for-performance because our current payment system we are using is not emphasizing preventive care for patients or consumers. Pay-for-Performance is payment used in the health care it is and has been based off of clinical information. The idea is to help tie the payment to what and how well providers help the cost of health care drop. The intent is for preventive care medicine to helping decrease and help with the management of chronic illness. (Pay-for-Performance Incentive Programs in Health Care ( N.D.) With in several months studies have shown that the studies show that the pay for performance works and others that say it does not work. Effect of Pay-for-Performance on Reimbursement Here are some examples of pay for performance is Bridges of Excellent, which is a nonprofit health care plan. Its major factor is patients with diabetes. They feel like over 60% of patients with diabetes don’t get the proper treatment and care. The American Diabetes Association has standards and the Bridges to excellent plan gives annual bonuses to physicians in specific areas such as Boston, Louisville and Cincinnati these cities could and have meet the requirements of this health care plan. On this plan Diabetic care calls for the patient being compliant with care and medications. In this plan the blood sugar test and kidney function and retinal exams would have  to be done on a consistent bases. In this plan compensation is up to and over $100.00 per patient for the providers that stick to the rules. Another plan is Anthem Indianapolis this plan started in 1999 that employed over 25 OBGYN providers in Ohio. This is the oldest plan within the US. This plan is done on and by patient satisfaction. Providers push generic drugs instead of name brand ones. Pay For Performance Pay for performance is a movement in health care field. Providers under this arrangement are rewarded for meeting pre-established target dates for specific health care services or procedures. This is also known as P4P or â€Å"value-based purchasing,† this rewards physicians, clinics, and rehabilitation centers, Surgical clinics, hospitals, medical groups, and other healthcare providers. They are rewarded for meeting certain performance measures, as well as quality and efficiency. (Wachter, Bob; (2012) Pay for performance does things such as eliminating payments for negative consequences of care. Which can be medical errors from all health care providers. Errors have increased costs. With increase of seasoned senior citizens and disability patients the high rising cost of health care has brought the P4P to the front of the line. Brought P4P to the forefront of health policy discussions. There have been some studies done by several large healthcare systems. With this it has shown improvements with specific outcomes. A little efficie ncy has taken effect, but at no cost savings. How much are they really saving because the cost of administrative services is still required. Explains how reimbursement is affected by the pay-for- performance approach. Within the last decade or years the economy has had many people becoming unemployed and finding jobs at a lower pay rate as to where they cannot afford insurance because they are to high. With being done more people are applying for Medicaid and with all the seasoned senior citizens retiring and receiving Medicare these two insurances are already participating in this service. Majority of health care systems are participating. Many believe  that for- profit and non-for-profit health care facilities believe in lower cost for providers that meet the standards of quality care. Care field. There is a perception that cost is driving up health care treatment. Cost reductions lowers cost of visits, emergence room visits, and urgent care visits. It also helps providers to promote preventive care to their patients. Making sure that all hospitals and providers are on the same scale of service. Preventive care helps prevent insurance premiums from rising at cost to the company and consumer. Effect of Pay-for-Performance health care Providers and their Patients This plan has the support of providers, hospitals and even patients. With this pay for providers must have and use good judgment for treatment and medication and test that maybe ran. The health care cannot be rated by race, ethnic background, or the patient’s social status. This plan should not judge by a patient’s location. This plan is and should be a relationship between patient and provider. The provider needs to understand the patients beliefs and it may help them to treat them and respond to certain myths and recommendations that the provider may suggest. Hospitala and providers and helat care workers are being encouraged to buy into the P4P by different agencies and tahe government. Individual health plans area chiming in also. It has pros and cons such as weakness that may or may not improve health care. It is suppose to help lower or slow down ER visits and physicians visits. Now if the providers give quality and efficent care they would and could get financial rewards if patient care improves. P4P measures performance and policy set up for putting this service in action. Discusses the effects pay-for-performance will have on the future of health care The P4P effects that will be seen in the future of health care is that the health care field will see it expand. Pay-for-Performance-defined a reimbursement service that will have links to payments for quality care, which will be an incentive to help improve health care quality of patients by physicians, and hospitals. In improving health care it is suppose to reduce the cost of It was expected that hospitals and providers would respond to P4P incentives. For future health care will based on quality health care and it will become a contract for reimbursement. Patients should feel like they have gotten the  value of their money. One effect of future health care is those physicians and hospitals that don’t participate will be at less to receive patients. Patients that have this health care plan will be more apt to seek physicians that participate. (Goldberg, L; (2006) Conclusion People in the health care field are getting interested in the pay for performance because the health care guidelines and regulations are changing in Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance. More hospitals and clinics and specialty facilities and rehab centers are loving receiving incentives for their participation and in the process they are saving cost to patients and insurance companies. P4P is working with insurance companies and providers for the quality of care for patients to be improved. Now managed care is now looking at pay for performance. Reimbursement being linked to pay for performance is like being paid to shop for the best bargain or the most person to fit your needs.

Hijacking the Web :: Browser Hijacking Internet Technology Essays

Hijacking the Web There are certain things we take for granted. The sun will rise in the morning. I will go to class from 8 to 9:30 in the morning. My cat will greet me at the door when I get home. I will start up Internet Explorer, and Yahoo.com will appear as my homepage. All of those events happened last Tuesday except for one. As a frequent user of the Internet, I like specific settings for the programs I use. I have personal preferences set for AOL Instant Messenger, Outlook Express, and especially for Microsoft Internet Explorer. As sad as it may be, I have a routine when I get home from class. The first thing I do is check my email. Then I browse the news on Yahoo.com. I like to know what is going on in the world, and Yahoo News provides that information. However, last Tuesday when I started up Internet Explorer, Yahoo.com did not appear as my homepage. Instead, I was taken to an alternate search engine, one I had never heard of. Since I am so particular in my Internet settings, I knew for a fa ct that it was not I who had changed my start up page. Author Mike Healan and many others describe this practice as hijacking. â€Å"There is a despicable trend that is becoming more and more common where the browser settings of web surfers are being forcibly hijacked by malicious web sites and software that. . . modifies your default start and search pages† (Healan). Naturally, I went to the options menu and changed the home page back to Yahoo.com. Thinking far too highly of my computer savvy skills, I thought I had fixed the problem. Wednesday afternoon rolled around, and I proceeded with the usual routine: sun, class, cat, Internet, etc. At my computer, I started up Internet Explorer expecting to see the all-to-familiar Yahoo website on my screen. To my shock and horror, the anomalous search engine popped up in Yahoo’s place. I will spare the reader from repeating the long string of colorful metaphors that I used in reaction to seeing this. Nevertheless, I knew that I would have to resort to more drastic actions. In my Writing for the Web course, the topic of spyware was discussed at length. One student recommended a piece of freeware that prevented malicious programs from changing settings and sending unwanted information to various shady businessmen.

Lord Of The Flies- How Does Jack Become Leader? Essay

From the beginning of the novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, it is immediately obvious that Jack does not like the idea of Ralph being the chief of the boys.By the end of the book he successfully acquires the position he works towards. The idea of Jack being a leader is first portrayed by Jack ordering his choir in â€Å"army† type maneuvers to the first meeting . Jack bellows at his choir , â€Å"Choir!’ stand still!† his choir wearily responds obediently. Jacks first priority to secure his position as chief is to shut down Piggy , who is the man with the ideas in Ralph’s democratic rule. From the beginning Jack cunningly uses the fact that piggy is the â€Å"scapegoat† to constantly break down Piggy’s ideas with the view that once Piggy’s gone, then Ralph has little intelligence to support his views. He is helped greatly in this field as most of the tribe use piggy to make fun of but not in the same extremity as that of Jack. Psychologically is the way that Jack begins his torment towards piggy and as the book progresses so did his level of control. His demeaning words turn towards violence and his violence eventually leads to Piggy’s death. Jack understands that in order to persuade the children to side with him he would need some sort of a bait. Due to the condition on the island the most appropriate inducement is the lure of hunting. However any other form of pleasure could have been used so long as it appeared to be free from tyranny (Ralph’s orders to be rescued). The hunting starts off for enjoyment and food then quickly grows to be a tribal ritual of bloodlust , dancing and violence. Jack knows in order to become chief he not only can rely on the lure of hunting.He uses cunning and manipulative strategies to illustrate a false image of himself praying on the innocence of the â€Å"littluns’. Perhaps the greatest instance in which this occurs is when jack gives a manipulative apology after not following orders to keep the fire lit resulting in not being rescued by a passing ship.†All right, all right!’ he looked at Piggy , at the hunters, at Ralph. â€Å"I’m sorry. About the fire, I  mean. There. I-† He drew himself up. â€Å"-I apologize.† Once again his sinister apology targeted at the innocence of the younger members, concluded in the naà ¯ve â€Å"littluns† believing that Ralph was somehow in the wrong and not jack. â€Å"Clearly they were of the opinion that jack had done the decent thing, had put himself in the right by his generous apology and Ralph, obscurely in the wrong.† Possibly the most powerful campaign Jack used to become chief, was to use force and fear together to drive the intimidated children to side with him. Most of the time Jack displays his force on Piggy which in turn puts fear into the minds of the others. As the break up of rules and regulations in the society grow larger so to does the force and fear eventually leading to the death of children. By this stage in the novel it seems inedible that anyone not with jack would be either forced to join his tribe of savages or face death. Reflecting on the novel it is clear to see how Jack becomes a leader and sure enough the power hungry dictator-leader of the choir we are introduced to at the start, only grows more violent and more manipulative to become the Chief of the island.

Frederick Douglass How I Learned to Read and Write Essay

During the 1800’s, the institution of slavery was still ongoing in the few slave states left in America. Slavery was still proving to be unjust and unfair, not allowing for African Americans to be considered equals. However, some slaves were able to overcome the many restrictions and boundaries that slavery forced upon them. In Frederick Douglass’ essay â€Å"Learning to Read and Write,† Douglass portrays himself as an intelligent and dignified slave who’s able to overcome the racial boundaries placed upon him. Frederick Douglass saw that his only pathway to freedom was through literacy, so his goal was to learn how to read and write no matter the circumstances. Douglass realized becoming a literate slave was considered as having too much power because it made him aware of unjust circumstances of slavery. For a slave to become literate wasn’t tolerated. If a slaves knew how to read and write, it would make them unfit for being slaves. At the age of twelve, Frederick Douglass manipulates his circumstances caused by slavery and uses various stratagems to learn how to read and write. Eager to learn, Douglass manipulated his circumstances under slavery to become literate. At first, Master Hugh’s wife had started tutoring Douglass, teaching him the alphabet. These lessons continued until she was further instructed by her husband not to do so. He believed that if slaves could read and write they would no longer obey him without question or thought. Due to this belief, tutoring ended abruptly. Masters Hugh’s wife carried out her husband’s commands, but she also tried to prevent Douglass from becoming educated by anyone else either. However, Douglass was able to obtain newspapers and or various books to further his education. The mistress and her husband demonstrated with their actions and beliefs during this time, that slavery and education were incompatible. However, Douglass had already taken the first step in his eager pursuit to literacy. Douglass’ quest for literacy led him to use various stratagems in order to learn how to read. Douglass had already gained command of the alphabet, so he devised a plan to become friends with poor white children whom he met on errands and to use them as teachers. He paid for his reading lessons with pieces of bread. By meeting at various times and places, he had finally succeeded in learning to read. With the little money he had earned doing errands, he bought a copy of The Columbian Orator (The common text for schools in New England at the time). Douglass was particularly interested in a dialogue in The Columbian Orator, one pertaining to a slave being emancipated after trying to escape for the third time. The dialogue consisted of a conversation between the master and the slave. The slave had proven he was intelligent with the smart and impressive replies to the master in the dialogue, thus leading to the emancipation of the slave on behalf of the master. Douglass learned the morality of the power of truth over conscience in the dialogue, which made him envious. The more Frederick Douglass learned, the more slavery became a burden. Douglass had become more aware of the unjustness of slavery and the social forces placed upon his people because of it. Knowingly, Douglass was determined to overcome these social forces and become a freed slave. Becoming more aware of his situation in society, Douglass felt wretched by his condition and sought to learn to write in order to better it. After he realized the strongholds and stipulations held upon him, Douglass sought to hear anything he can about slavery. Douglass became fascinated with the word abolition, and not knowing what it meant bothered him. Douglass, eager to find the meaning of the word, picked up a newspaper containing an account of petitions for the abolition of slavery and slave trade. It was not long before Frederick realized what the word now meant. Young Douglass was enlightened with new ideas that both tormented and inspired him. He soon began to detest slavery, and he knew that writing was the final step to fulfill his plight to become literate. So Douglass traveled to Mr. Water’s Wharf where he met two Irishmen who felt sorry for him being a slave and advised him to run away. However, Douglass believed that if he learned to write he could possible write his own ticket out of slavery. With this new found idea, he traveled to Durgin and Bailey’s ship-yard where he learned to write by using abbreviations. Different abbreviations stood for various areas on the ship where the timber was to be placed. He soon learned the names of the abbreviated letters and challenged the boys who had taught him to read, in writing contests. This method, along with his rigorous copying of words from various copy-books and Webster’s Spelling Book, allowed Douglass to finally become a literate black male in America. Frederick Douglass was able to overcome the social boundaries and conflicts that slavery forced upon him in his quest for literacy. Although his journey was hard and against all odds, Douglass knew that his only escape from the narrow-minded world of slavery was to be able to become educated. With his literacy came power and his ability to write his own ticket. Frederick Douglass’ aspiration for a becoming an equal citizen in America was astounding. He overcame the stipulations and restrictions that slavery forced upon him. When he wanted to give up all hope, his search for freedom and wellbeing was his motivation.

Strategic Audit

Strategic Audit Executive Summary The global sportswear industry is becoming one of the most competitive industries in the world. One of the main companies that operate in the industry is the Adidas Group. The purpose of this paper is to carry out a strategic audit of the Adidas Group.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Audit Adidas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The paper has taken a diversified approach of analysis; internal analysis and external analysis. Various models of analyses have been applied in the paper, and they include PEST and the Porter’s analysis. The analysis was aimed at capturing the strategies of the company and how they help it to adapt to the competitive forces in the industry. The findings from the analysis point out that Adidas is still competitive in the industry. The competitiveness has been enhanced through focus on the global approach of management. Introduction According to Slack (2004 ), the global sports industry is growing at a quick pace due to commercialization of sports. The number of sporting events has been rising each day, thus attracting more people directly and indirectly into the sporting industry. In the contemporary times, the sports industry has a wide number of stakeholders. The most critical question to ask is what the growth of the sporting industry implies for the business world. The growth of the global sporting industry has attracted many business players in the sporting industry by presenting the opportunity to supply the sporting infrastructure and equipment. There are a substantial number of companies that deal in the global sporting industry (Andreff Szymanski 2005). Adidas is one of the companies that have operated in the global sporting industry for an extended period of time. The Adidas company is a Germany based multinational company that deals in the manufacturing and designing of sporting ware and equipment, which include balls, spo rting uniforms and clothes, shoes, sports bags, footwear, watches, and eyewear among others.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company was founded in the year 1920. However, the main operations of the company can be traced from the year 1948, though there had been a lot of developments years back prior to the decision to open the company. The global headquarters of Adidas are in Herzogenaurach. Adidas acts as the main holding company for the Adidas group, which is comprised of Rockport, Reebok sportswear company and the Taylor-made Adidas golf company. The company is considered as the most dominant sportswear company in Germany and the entire Europe, while globally, Adidas is ranked as the second most competitive sportswear company. The company sells its products in over 200 countries across the globe. Though faced with competition from other companies in the wo rld, Adidas has remained to be outstanding through the continued display of creativity in design and production of its products (Bajak 2010). External Analysis As mentioned earlier, there is a growth in the global sporting industry, which has attracted many players in the global sportswear industry in which Adidas operates. As competition keeps mounting a company should keep investing in its strengths and limit its weaknesses by capitalizing on the opportunities that prevail in the business environment. As the global sporting industry keeps expanding, sportswear companies keep coming up so as to meet the demands and capitalize on the business opportunities in the industry (Slack 2004). Strengths The strength of a company within the industry lies in a wide variety of developments. One of the key business initiatives that give company strength and competitiveness in production and the market is the brand of the company. Through the over 64 years of operation in the global sportswear i ndustry, Adidas has established a very strong brand in the industry.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Strategic Audit Adidas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The logo of the company, the three stripes and the originality of the products of the company, has given the company a resounding name in the industry. The company has established a portfolio of strong brands in the global market, which makes it have a stronger market position over most of its competitors (Motion, Leitch Brodie 2003). Through the strong brand portfolio, the company’s ability to develop a strong retail footprint in diverse markets is enhanced (Joseph 2013). The brands of the Adidas Group include: Adidas, Rockport, Reebok, TaylorMade and Ashworth. Just like Nike, its biggest competitor in the market, the logo and quality of products by Adidas gives the company a competitive edge over Nike and other companies in the industry. Through its brand, the company has managed to attain customer loyalty across a wider section of the global sporting industry. Adidas is considered by many people as a global brand through its increased investment in design and the subsequent production of high quality and diverse products (Braun 2008). Customer loyalty is a key contributing factor to the development and expansion of the company in the market. Having managed to dominate Europe, which is one of the world’s largest sporting regions, the company has managed to retain the second position in terms of the global market share. As at the end of the year 2010, Adidas had a global market share of 21%, coming second from Nike which had an average market share of 30%. This is considered to be strength since the company has not slipped from this position for a long time, and the percentage of market share keeps rising (Bajak 2010). Besides being a manufacturer of sportswear products, Adidas also venture into the development of sports technology. This makes the company come out strong in the market. Through the venture in sports technology, the company is able to come up with sporting tools and equipment that meet the modern standards of sporting (Bajak 2010).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As one of the market leaders in the sportswear industry, Adidas benefits from the economies of scale. The company produces large quantities of products, which makes it easy to avail its goods to a wide market. Through this, the company puts itself in a better position to beat other smaller companies in the market. The company was the main supplier of footwear during the 2010 world cup (Bajak 2010). Opportunities Andreff and Andreff (2009) observed that the developing markets in the world have been coming up at a quick pace, which denotes the presence of a new market for the company. These markets are found in Asia, Latin America and Asia, where the sporting industry is being molded in order to match the sporting industry in the United States and Europe. Adidas has been monitoring the growth in the sports industry in these regions. These regions form the newer markets for the company. In the modern times, different companies make attempts to use all the probable means to expand their market base. The continued focus on the merging markets of the company has been crucial in increasing the revenue of the company (Bajak 2010). The continued growth in information and communication technology presents a lot of marketing opportunities for the company. As part of the market strategy initiative, the company is embracing internet marketing. Internet marketing is one of the platforms of marketing that has proven to be quite efficient for marketing enhancement in a substantial number of companies in the world today (Yaveroglu Donthu 2008). As the new markets develop information and communication technologies, the company is quickly matching this pace by enhancing online retailing, besides the normal retailing in these markets. Information technology, social; media, blogs and websites, offers the company an opportunity to communicate with its customers, thereby maintaining a sound relationship with them (Shimp 2010). Threats As has been known for a long time, the quality of the Adidas products is accompanied by the corresponding relatively high prices. However, there is a lot of rationalization in both the sports market due to the entry of numerous small players. One notable thing is that the new players produce similar products, but at a low price. Therefore, there is a high threat from the presence of the increased entry of substitute products in the market. The current slump down of the global economy also poses economic threats to the company. This problem is compounded by the entry of new companies in the industry, which are capitalizing on the economic situation and the desire of customers to get products at attractive prices (Newbery 2009). In the recent times, a lot of concerns about counterfeit products have been raised by a substantial number of companies in the world. The sportswear industry is listed among the industries that are most affected by counterfeit products (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1998). Being o ne of the leading companies in the industry, Adidas is not an exception. The question of counterfeit and duplication of Adidas products was raised quite long ago. As the contemporary business era is marked by volatile business activities, the company is bound to lose billions of dollars in the coming years due to the increasing availability of counterfeit products in the market. Already, the company has lost a substantial amount of money due to duplication of its products and the marketing of such products using its brands. The efforts to counter production of fake goods have not borne positive results yet as there are cartels of businessmen in the sports industry who coordinate the business. There are still a lot of challenges in the implementation of laws that are meant for eliminating counterfeit products from the market (Massow 2013; Jack 2008). Internal analysis The internal environment of any company plays a great role in increasing the efficiency of production, thereby increa sing the competitiveness of the company. The virtue of long existence in the market has aided Adidas in learning from the business environment, thereby developing strategies that have enabled it to enhance a better internal environment. The company operates within the global sportswear industry, which is considered to be very competitive (Bajak 2010). Internal strengths One of the main internal strengths of the company is its investment in innovation. The management of the company has realized the essence of maintaining the company in the market through the embrace of creativity. Research and development is the key to innovative technologies in the products of the company. Research and development is the key to product innovation in any given company. RD often puts the company in a better position to come up with newer and more exciting brands, which attract a new ray of customers. The company embraces technology in the improvement of its products in the market. Adidas was the first company to produce the first smart sporting shoe that had a microchip and a wireless mp3 player. The aim of research and development in the company is to go beyond the fulfillment of their customer needs. Each year, the company strives to come up with at least one revolutionary technology in the market. This presents a great opportunity for the company as it can enable Adidas to position itself in the market as a technology leader in the industry. The company embraces sustainability of the environment in its new technology by utilizing production systems that are friendly to the environment (Addidas Group 2012). Figure 1.0 below shows the amount of money, in million Euros, that has been spent in research and development by the company for the last five years. In the graph, it is evident that expenditure in research and development has been increasing each year, which justifies the current innovative ability in the products of the company. Figure 1.0 Research and Development expens es (million Euros). Source: Adidas Group 2011. As a multinational company, Adidas has firms that are spread in different parts of the world. In order to tackle the business challenges in each part of the world, the company management implements different strategies depending on the area in which each particular subsidiary is located. This makes the company more flexible in terms of the management of employees and functions in diverse global cultures. This is a factor that boosts the ability of the company to deal with the challenges of management in different parts of the world (Solomon Schell 2009). The management of Adidas has a global business mindset, a feature that is desired in managing multinational companies. According to Puris (1999), the management through acquisition has helped the Adidas Group to boost the market position of the company as it increases the number of brands of the company. The acquisition of Reebok, it is argued, has helped the company to gain a 20 perce nt share in the US market for which it did not have access due to the dominance of the market by competitor companies like nike and Puma (Arends Preuschat 2007). There is a high sense of corporate social responsibility in the company. Corporate social activities in the company are implemented in a twofold way; focus on clean technologies in the company’s products and the sponsorship of events. This has made the company to be ranked among the top 100 sustainable companies in the world. The company has a sustainability website, where it engages audiences on matters of sustainability in production. This is one way through which the company attains a high level of publicity for their products to the wider market (Addidas Group 2008). In the year 2012, Adidas announced massive sponsorships. The company brokered agreements with the Japan Football Association in which it will sponsor a Japan’s football team in the 2014 World Cup event. The other sponsorship deal was made bet ween Adidas and the Olympic committee of Australia, in which the company will sponsor the Olympic team of Australia in the upcoming Olympics event. The company has also signed a sponsorship partnership with the NBA (Addidas Group 2012). Weakness The main weakness of the company is that the acquisition, especially Reebok has not worked well for the company due to the low performance of Reebok, especially outside the United States. Therefore, the company has not been able to get the anticipated return on investment from Reebok. This corporate move has not counted well with Adidas and still poses a challenge to the financial outcomes of the company (Gaughan 2011). The company operates under a high cost structure. This limits the ability of Adidas to maximize its profits in the market. The product line of the company is also limited, which makes it hard for the company to expand business opportunities in the market. The prevailing inflationary pressure in the market is another undoing o f the company since it exerts pressure on the prices of raw materials that are used by the company (Bajak 2010). Summary SWOT Strengths A high sense of corporate social responsibility and the embrace of sustainability in managing production. Widespread operations across the globe. The cultivation of strong brands in the global sportswear industry. Global strategy of management Strong performance arising from the successful participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. An intense level of adoption of integrated marketing communication practices. Stable financial position amidst the global economic backdrop. The embrace of sports technology. Weakness Managing under a high cost structure. Poor performance of Reebok. Weak performance in a number of major sportswear markets. Manufacturing via third party. Changing patterns in the global consumption demands. Opportunities The growth and development of the emerging markets. Sponsorship agreements as a benefit of corporate social responsib ility. Growth in information and communication technology usage in the market. Change in consumer lifestyle, which is accompanied by the growth of the footwear market across the globe. The revival of Reebok. Threats The growth in the production and availing of counterfeit products in the market. The increase in the number of substitute products from competitor companies. The rising cost of production materials. Price fluctuations in the international market. Strategy Evaluation As noted in the analysis of the company, it can be said that the global sportswear industry is quite competitive, which requires companies that operate in the industry to master the competitive environment (Spillan 2010). Adidas is one of the companies that have operated in the sportswear industry for an extended period of time. While this is an advantage for the company, it does not exempt it from the competitive pressures emanating from the industry. There is a wide range of companies in the industry, so me of which have operated in the industry for quite long. Adidas can be termed as a brilliant company due to the strategies that are applied by the company. The value of a company’s strategy is often measured by the level at which they help the company capitalize on the opportunities and the elimination of the threats. Most of the strengths of Adidas resonate from the fact that the company has been able to capitalize on the opportunities that are present in the market. These include the ability to enter the emerging markets, the use of technology in production and marketing and the embrace of corporate social activities. These strategies have been critical in countering the likely impacts of the threats that are facing the company. Problems/ Challenges and recommendation As observed, a number of threats remain to press down the company. These include the problem of counterfeit products. The company is yet to come up with a workable strategy for eliminating counterfeit product s. However, the problem affects all the major companies in the industry and collective efforts are being made to address the threat. The continued adoption and application of global approaches of management helps the company to attain competitive strength in the global market. The problem of performance of Reebok, which has been an impediment to the performance of the company, can be sorted through restructuring of the Reebok Brand. Currently, the Adidas brand is seen as a Euro-sport brand. There is need to restructure the brand into both a USA-sport and the Euro-sport brand. This will enable the company to penetrate the US market. Conclusion As has been observed in the paper, it can be concluded that the global sport wear industry is competitive. The industry is marked by both opportunities and challenges. In spite of the challenges in the industry, Adidas remains to be a competitive player in the industry. The competitive strengths of Adidas are drawn from the managerial quality o f the company. The global inclination of management forms he main managerial strength for Addidas. Other areas of strength in the company include the embrace of technology in products and the focus on the emerging markets of the globe. The main threats to the performance of Adidas are the increase in substitutes and the amount of counterfeiting in the global market. Reference List Addidas Group 2008, Corporate responsibility report 2007, adidas-group.com/us/SER2007/pdf/adidas_SER2007_online.pdf Addidas Group 2012, Annual Report 2011, http://adidas-group.corporate-publications.com/2011/gb/en/group-management-report-our-group/research-and-development.html Andreff, M Andreff, W 2009, ‘Global trade in sports goods: International specialization of major trading countries’, European Sport Management Quarterly, vol. 9 no. 3, pp. 259-294. Andreff, W Szymanski, S 2005, Handbook on the economics of sport, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. Arends, H Preuschat, A 2007, Adidas isnt getti ng traction in north america from reebok. Wall Street Journal, http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/399062991?accountid=13631 Bajak, D 2010, Adidas strategic analysis: 2011 † 2016, davidbajak.com/docs/strategy/David%20Bajak%20-%20Adidas%20Group%20Strategic%20Analysis%20FINAL.pdf Braun, J 2008, Strategic sports marketing the impact of sport advertising upon consumers: Adidas a case study, Grin-Verl, München. Gaughan, PA 2011, Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructurings, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Jack, L 2008, Analysis: Two stripes and the competition is out?, Marketing Week, 8-8, http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/228205004?accountid=13631 Joseph, S 2013, Adidas unveils new global brand strategy. Marketing Week (Online), http://ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1285536013?accountid=13631 Motion, J, Leitch, S Brodie, RJ 2003, Equity in corporate co-branding: T he case of adidas and the all blacks, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 37 no. 7, pp. 1080-1094. Newbery, M 2009, Global market review of active sportswear and athletic footwear forecasts to 2016: 2009 edition: Chapter 5 the active sportswear and athletic footwear market, 2007-2009. Bromsgrove, United Kingdom. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 1998, The Economic Impact of Counterfeiting, oecd.org/sti/industryandglobalisation/2090589.pdf Puris, M 1999, Bringing back adidas’, Advertising Age, vol. 70 no. 10, pp. 18-20. Shimp, TA 2010, Advertising, promotion, and other aspects of integrated marketing communications, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH. Slack, T 2004, The Commercialisation of Sport, Routledge, New York, NY. Solomon, C Schell, M 2009, Managing across cultures, The British Journal of Administrative Management, vol. 79 no. 7, pp. 67-67. Spillan, J E 2010, ‘A review of global marketing management: Changes, New challenges and strat egies’, Journal of Global Marketing, vol. 23 no. 1, pp. 95-96. von Massow, M 2013, Do counterfeit products affect international trade?, http://counterfeitstory.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/do-counterfeit-products-affect-international-trade-2/ Yaveroglu, I Donthu, N 2008, Advertising repetition and placement issues in on-line environments, Journal of Advertising, vol. 37 no. 2, pp. 31-43.

Plumber and Related Words

Plumber and Related Words Plumber and Related Words Plumber and Related Words By Maeve Maddox This post was triggered by the misspelling of the word plumber in the following passage: Your plummer can be as creative or more than your favorite rock star or painter†¦ What happens in his head when he needs to find a way to solve your unique sink problem is the same process that takes place in a musicians head†¦ The b in plumber derives from the fact that, until fairly recently, water pipes were manufactured of lead. The symbol for lead in the Periodic Table of Elements is Pb. The symbol derives from the Latin word for lead: plumbum. Around 1100, a plumber was a worker in any sort of lead. In the 19th century the word acquired the meaning workman who installs pipes and fittings. The Nixon administration, concerned about information leaks, created a special investigative unit called the Plumbers. A plumb line (also called a plumb-bob or a plummet) is a piece of lead hung on a string. Builders use plumb lines to gauge a vertical line. As a verb, plumb has various meanings. To plumb the depths is to measure the depth of water by dropping a weighted line of a known length. Figuratively it means to experience something deeply. The writer plumbed the depths of despair. To plumb a chimney or other object under construction means to adjust or test it to be sure its straight. Three other words that derive from the Latin word for lead are plummet, plunge, and aplomb. Besides being a synonym for a plumb line, plummet can be used as a verb. One sense is to fathom, to take soundings. Its more common use is with the meaning to fall rapidly. Plummet is a good word to describe a precipitate and heavy fall. Florida tomato prices plummet, consumers win Daily stress and worry plummet after age 50 A fireman and a policeman held the ends of a horse blanket to try to catch the next falling girl, but the blanket split in half as the body plummeted right through and hit the pavement. The verb plunge comes from Vulgar Latin plumbicare, to heave the lead. Like plummet, the word suggests a heavy weight falling in a straight direction or forceful movement into something or in a downward direction, often into water. The expression to take the plunge means to commit oneself. The fashion term plunging neckline is documented from 1949. So saying, Nigel, with the light, of adventure gleaming in his joyous eyes, drew his sword and plunged swiftly into the forest. In one of the most dizzying half-hours in stock market history, the Dow plunged nearly 1,000 points Dome plunged deep into sea to cap U.S. oil leak The noun aplomb means confidence. The connection to the lead/plumb line idea is that a confident, assured person stands up straight. By September 10, 2001, Rudolph Giuliani seemed to have worn out his welcome as Mayor of New York, but the sorrier aspects of his two terms of office were all but wiped from collective memory by his aplomb amidst the chaos of 9/11. He [Ellis R. Dungan] transcended barriers with aplomb Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?Capitalization Rules for the Names of GamesThe "Pied" in The Pied Piper

Ford Motor Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ford Motor Company - Research Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that  Ford Motors offers values for all its stakeholders. Ford Motors focuses on ‘one team’ consisting of all stakeholders such as customers, employees, suppliers, dealers and investors among others. Vision statement shows the future perspective of the company.  This paper stresses that organizations set up several strategies to operate business efficiently in international market. Ford Motor Company witnessed lots of strategic challenges during recession in the US. In the recent past, Ford Motors has redesigned a coherent business strategy. Ford emphasizes on ‘One Ford’ philosophy.  Ford Motor Company focuses on meeting the customers’ requirements by providing them quality products. It enhances the efficiency of its plants and processes by adopting advanced technologies. Their strategies are chiefly based on ‘One Ford’ approach. Ford offers high-quality vehicles with global appeal such as ‘fuel -efficient cars’, competent utility vehicles, and ‘fun-to-drive’. They ensure continuous improvement driven by their strong product line. Ford Motors highlights on overall profitability. Ford Motors’ loyalties to excellent fuel economy, stunning style as well as customer-focused technology are demonstrated throughout its product line.  Lincoln, one of the associated brands, is under focus to be established as a luxury brand to attain opportunities in the developing markets.   Excellent quality, laser-sharp spotlight on client safety and fuel efficiency continue to make Ford Motors a market leader with the US consumers.