Saturday, August 31, 2019

Costa Coffee Essay

The remote environment comprises factors that originate beyond and usually irrespective and out of Costa Coffee’s control. Economic factors Since Costa Coffee is a multinational business, top-level managers must consider the economic situations on both the National (Egypt) and International levels. Currencies exchange rate (Forex) affects Costa Coffee’s final products’ prices as well as operation costs. Costa Coffee imports high quality coffee beans from rainforest farms where it pays for in local currency, and sells as coffee in another country with its local country. Hence, when the Egyptian Pound depreciates, the cost of beans relatively increases; therefore, causing a fall in profit margin and vice versa. If depreciation is too much, then Costa might increase its selling prices. Moreover, interest rate is vital for a business considering expansion as Costa Coffee. As interest rates increase, Costa Coffee’s ability and willingness to expand or open new branches decreases; due to the high cost of capital. Furthermore, the stock market plays a significant role in encouraging investors to invest in Costa Coffee due to the increasing profits and the good reputation. Finally, high economic growth rate of a country leads people to increase their consumption of Costa Coffee’s products; since they have more income. Social Factors Egyptians’ culture and lifestyle has dramatically changed in the last 10 years. People are more willing to go to cafes for lunch, dinner or simply a snack. Considering the Egyptian demographics of lifestyle and age groups, most of the Egyptian population falls in the youth age group. Hence, Costa Coffee plays music and offers an atmosphere that is convenient for all ages with special attention to youth. Costa Coffee respects the religion of each nation in which it operates. To clarify, Costa Coffee neither sells alcoholic drinks nor pork-containing food. In addition, Costa Coffee’s menu is written in both English and Arabic languages. English is the most widely spoken language, and Egypt is known as a touristic attraction. Plus, Egyptians like to come across a menu written in their own language for simplicity and showing cultural respect. Also, many people nowadays are concerned with their health; Costa Coffee is providing low-calorie food, a variety of fresh salads, sandwiches, and fresh fruit juice. Political Factors Governmental rules and regulations could affect the firm’s suppliers and the price of the raw materials. Imposed taxes or tariffs on the imported coffee beans add to raw materials cost. Rules regarding social insurance add to labor costs. Political instability and strikes do affect labor and consumers of Costa Coffee. Technological Factors Advanced machines affect the firm’s performance and efficiency through producing tasty coffee as quick as possible. High quality and speed of service affects customer satisfaction and loyalty. Costa Coffee uses highly advanced brewers and coffee makers for the best coffee cup. Besides, the use of the Internet to facilitate transactions between Costa and its suppliers lowers transaction costs and decreases lead time. As a result, stakeholders are more satisfied with increased profits and lower costs. Ecological Factors Costa Coffee uses recyclable paper bags and paper cups. And, it tries to reduce its energy consumption as steps towards a greener environment. It also ensures adherence to responsible farming practices, so that natural habitats are protected thereby reducing deforestation and carbon emissions. Furthermore, Costa is working to deliver green (LEED) certification for new stores beginning later this year and is working closely with its suppliers to develop more environmentally friendly packaging. Industry Environment Operating Environment A firm’s operating environment is related to environmental factors that directly affect the firm and its success in obtaining necessary resources. Yet, they are still factors beyond its area of control. 1. Competitors Costa coffee in Egypt faces high direct competition where around almost every corner in the cities, a coffee shop exists. Therefore, product differentiation is a must, and persistent high-quality is the way to keeping customers. Whichever Costa Coffee shop you enter, you are greeted the same, indulge in the same taste and pay what you see in the menu. Menu prices are tax inclusive which is different than most of other coffee shops. Competitors include, but are not limited to, Starbucks Coffee, Cilantro and Beano’s cafe. Creditors Costa’s past payment records and working capital position are the main attributes affecting creditors decisions. Considering the Egyptian markets, banks are not rare to find. Costa might be dealing with several banks, and may be granted loans from several areas. Hence, creditors have little leverage; since interest rates are controlled by central bank of Egypt as well. Customers Costa coffee is a service firm. Therefore, its utmost goal is customer satisfaction and loyalty to yield profits. Constantly monitoring Egypt’s demographics is essential in keeping a convenient atmosphere. For instance, Costa must always recognise what the youth are listening to these days to be able to play the optimum collection of songs in its branches while abiding by the brand’s image. Accessibility of location and parking spaces are of the main issues regarded by people when deciding on their hang-outs. And, the customer buyer behaviour of whether they prefer more salads and sandwiches rather than desserts; affects how much of each should be available at Costa’s branches. Labor Costa’s reputation and image is kept through its workers. Costa has to respect labor rights especially now that people are more aware of the rights than ever before. Also, Costa has to be selective in its waiters and baristas to keep the brand’s image and reputation. As a result of Costa’s reputation, highly-qualified workers apply for jobs at Costa Coffee. Suppliers Supplier relationships are as important as customer relationships. A good supplier relationships decreases yield time and enhances firm’s productivity. In Costa’s case, supplier power is not high as Costa has multiple suppliers, with low switching costs. However, supplier relationships are well-attended to at Costa Coffee; as part of its social responsibility towards coffee-growing countries.

Friday, August 30, 2019

The Twilight Saga 5: Midnight Sun 18. Stories

I was worried that if I were to divulge the information that she would request that she would decide to never grace me with her presence again. I decided this was the best time to release some of our stories. She hadn't run away yet. I knew I would feel relieved once she knew the truth. â€Å"Carlisle was born in London, in the sixteen-forties, he believes. Time wasn't marked as accurately then, for the common people anyway. It was just before Cromwell's rule, though.† I began. I watched her face carefully for any sign of distress. She showed no emotion. I continued, â€Å"He was the only son of an Anglican pastor. His mother died giving birth to him. His father was an intolerant man. As the Protestants came into power, he was enthusiastic in his persecution of Roman Catholics and other religions. He also believed very strongly in the reality of evil. He led hunts for witches, werewolves†¦and vampires.† Her pulse began picking up at the last word; I continued without pausing, â€Å"When the pastor grew old, he placed his obedient son in charge of his raids. At first Carlisle was a disappointment; he was not quick to accuse, to see demons where they did not exist. But he was persistent, and more clever than his father. He actually discovered a coven of true vampires that lived hidden in the sewers of a city, only coming out by night to hunt. In those days, when monsters were not just myths and legends, that was the way many lived. â€Å"The people gathered their pitchforks and torches, of course,† I laughed in a non humorous way at the thought of a human bringing harm to a vampire. I continued, â€Å"and waited where Carlisle had seen the monsters exit into the street. Eventually one emerged.† I knew I had arrived at the part of the story where I wasn't sure how to proceed. I went on, but kept my voice low, â€Å"He must have been ancient, and weak with hunger. Carlisle heard him call out in Latin to the others when he caught the scent of the mob. He ran through the streets, and Carlisle ?C he was twenty-three and very fast ?C was in the lead of the pursuit. The creature would have easily outrun them, but Carlisle thinks he was too hungry, so he turned and attacked. He fell on Carlisle first, but the others were close behind, and he turned to defend himself. He killed two men, and made off with a third, leaving Carlisle bleeding in the street.† I paused. The images that were in my mind were of the agony that he felt. The pain of the venom breaking through his veins and causing him to burn for days was forefront in my mind. I met Bella's eyes and she was eager for me to continue. â€Å"Carlisle knew what his father would do. The bodies would be burned ?C anything infected by the monster must be destroyed. Carlisle acted instinctively to save his own life. He crawled away from the alley while the mob followed the fiend and his victim. He hid in a cellar, buried himself with rotting potatoes for three days. It's a miracle he was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered. It was over then, and he realized what he had become.† My eyes had never left Bella's. Most of the color had drained from her face during my story. She didn't know much of the transformation process and I am sure that she was learning some things that she hadn't known before. She was silent and I was worried I had gone too far, â€Å"How are you feeling?† I asked. â€Å"I'm fine,† she said automatically. She hadn't convinced me though. In a nervous gesture, she began biting at her lower lip. She looked like she wanted to say something; she was hesitating. Curiosity was burning in her eyes. She was regaining her color and I was becoming frustrated once again at the silence of her knowing mind. â€Å"I expect you have a few more questions for me.† I guessed. â€Å"A few.† Of course she did, she was always curious; always interested in things she shouldn't be interested in. â€Å"Come on, then,† I smiled, â€Å"I'll show you.† We turned around and I brought her back to Carlisle's office. I'm guessing you want to show her the pictures, Carlisle wondered, â€Å"Come in,† he invited. I slowly pushed the door open. Carlisle was sitting behind his desk in his leather chair. Perfect timing, Carlisle thought, â€Å"What can I do for you?† he asked. Carlisle rose from his seat. He was already aware of what I was up to, but I didn't want Bella to think we were having our normal silent conversations. â€Å"I wanted to show Bella some of our history. Well, your history, actually,† I explained to him. â€Å"We didn't mean to disturb you,† Bella apologized. Silly Bella, I thought. She sure is polite, isn't she? Carlisle smiled, â€Å"Not at all,† he looked at me, â€Å"Where are you going to start?† he asked. I had many stories in mind and I decided I would start out as simple as Carlisle's story could ever be, â€Å"The Waggoner.† I placed my hand on Bella's shoulder. An electric shock rose up my arm and through my body. I knew she felt it too because her heart starting pounding, her pulse racing. Does that always happen? To deny yourself what you crave most when her pulse rises is truly significant in your relationship. You two are truly meant to be together. Carlisle's thoughts continued more to himself. I turned Bella to face an oil painting that was on the wall behind her, ignoring Carlisle. I could tell that she was interested again. â€Å"London in the sixteen-fifties,† I explained. I knew questions must have been racing through her mind. Carlisle walked up behind Bella. His continuous flow of thoughts had stopped, â€Å"The London of my youth,† he added. Bella must not have realized he was behind her because she recoiled at the sound of his voice. I squeezed her hand. â€Å"Will you tell the story?† I wondered. I didn't want to get anything wrong, or put my foot in my mouth. I'm sorry. You will have to explain it to her because I must leave for work. Don't worry, you'll do fine. Carlisle thought. â€Å"I would,† he turned to Bella, â€Å"But I'm actually running a bit late. The hospital called this morning ?C Dr. Snow is taking a sick day. Besides,† his eyes met mine, â€Å"you know the stories as well as I do.† Carlisle had a wide smile across his face. Carlisle gave Bella a warm smile and ducked out of the room. I looked at Bella, nervous about this conversation. I was still waiting for the wailing and screaming. A sickening jolt surged through my stomach at the thought of her leaving. Her eyes were fixed on the painting. â€Å"What happened then?† she asked eagerly while removing her eyes from the painting and meeting my gaze, â€Å"When he realized what had happened to him?† My eyes moved from her face to another painting. She followed my gaze. â€Å"When he knew what he had become,† I said in a low voice, â€Å"he rebelled against it. He tried to destroy himself. But that's not easily done.† â€Å"How?† Bella asked with shock present on her face. I contained a sigh, â€Å"He jumped from great heights,† my voice stoic, â€Å"He tried to drown himself in the ocean†¦but he was young to the new life, and very strong. It is amazing that he was able to resist†¦feeding†¦while he was still so new. The instinct is more powerful then, it takes over everything. But he was so repelled by himself that he had the strength to try to kill himself with starvation,† I explained. I knew at any moment she would comprehend my words and descend the stairs and quickly exit the house. â€Å"Is that possible?† she asked darkly. â€Å"No, there are very few ways we can be killed.† I saw her open her mouth and I rushed to get the words about before she could ask me another question, â€Å"So he grew very hungry, and eventually weak. He strayed as far as he could from the human populace, recognizing that his willpower was weakening, too. For months he wandered by night, seeking the loneliest places, loathing himself â€Å"One night, a herd of deer passed his hiding place. He was so wild with thirst that he attacked without a thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. Had he not eaten venison in his former life? Over the next months his new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again. â€Å"He began to make better use of his time. He'd always been intelligent, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time before him. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and ?C† â€Å"He swam to France?† Bella shrieked incredulously. I had to compose my face because I was trying desperately not to laugh at her reaction, â€Å"People swim the Channel all the time, Bella,† I reminded her. She blinked foolishly, â€Å"That's true, I guess,† shock was evident in her eyes still, â€Å"It just sounded funny in that context. Go on.† â€Å"Swimming is easy for us ?C† â€Å"Everything is easy for you,† she interrupted, a little perturbed. I paused, waiting for her to ask another question. The look on her face was very comical. Her mouth hung open a little and her eyes were wide with surprise. She was quick to perceive my obvious reason for hesitating before I continued, â€Å"I won't interrupt again, I promise,† she said with a small smile. I laughed because I knew that she would interrupt again when she hears what I have to say next, â€Å"Because, technically, we don't need to breathe,† I began until Bella burst out, â€Å"You ?C â€Å" â€Å"No, no, you promised,† I laughed because I knew that when she heard this bit of information that her reaction would be exactly what it was now. Her face was screwed up in longing to finish her questioning. I brought my finger to her lip to silence her, â€Å"Do you want to hear the story or not?† She spoke with my finger pressed lightly against her warm lips, â€Å"You can't spring something like that on me, and then expect me not to say anything.† Her voice was mumbled, trying to speak past my silencing finger. I traced my finger down her jaw and stopped at her neck. My stomach did summer-salts when her pulse speed by my touch. I had momentarily forgotten about the story or where we were. It was just Bella and I, together. â€Å"You don't have to breathe?† her eyes were still wide with interested; her question bringing me to the present. â€Å"No,† I answered, instantly nervous that this proclamation would be the thing that scares her away, â€Å"it's not necessary. Just a habit.† I shrugged, showing her how little it really mattered. She dropped her voice, almost conspiratorially, â€Å"How long can you go†¦without breathing?† â€Å"Indefinitely, I suppose; I don't know. It gets a bit uncomfortable ?C being without a sense of smell.† I tried to explain very nonchalantly. â€Å"A bit uncomfortable,† she mirrored. I continued to look at her face. Each expression fluttered across with little time to settle. Her eyebrows pulled together and I wanted to take my thumb and smooth out the complexity lines. Trying to understand her thoughts was like trying to read sign language unknown to humans. A new speculation loomed in my mind. I removed my hand from her, letting the cold return. Something was eating at me from the inside. I was bringing her into this mythical world. Each new revelation bringing her closer to the doom I was prepared to fight. Bella's face grew very grave. She was watching my expressions now, â€Å"What is it?† she asked gently. She brought her hand to my face, trying to comfort me. I felt each pump of her blood. Her hand warmed my cheek to several degrees than my normal temperature. I sighed because I knew that I was inviting her to tempt fate and that I would allow it. â€Å"I keep waiting for it to happen.† I said quietly. â€Å"For what to happen?† she asked urgently. â€Å"I know that at some point, something I tell you or something you see is going to be too much. And then you'll run away from me, screaming as you go,† I pasted a smile across my face, trying to ease the tension building inside me, â€Å"I won't stop you. I want this to happen, because I want you to be safe. And yet, I want to be with you. The two desires are impossible to reconcile†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I kept my eyes fixed on her, waiting for her to agree with me and just leave. There was a long and painful silence before either of us spoke again. â€Å"I'm not running anywhere,† Bella promised with obvious triumph in her voice, like she was looking fate in the eye and taunting it. I remembered the story, and thought that if I continued maybe, just maybe, she would hear something that would scare her away, â€Å"We'll see,† I smiled. Her lips turned down at the corners, a frown forming on her face, â€Å"So, go on ?C Carlisle was swimming to France.† I caught my breath, delighting in the ever present yearning in my stomach. I moved my gaze from her face to another painting deciding to continue, â€Å"Carlisle swam to France,† I repeated, â€Å"and continued on through Europe, to the universities there. By night he studied music, science, medicine ?C and found his calling, his penance, in that, in saving human lives. I can't adequately describe the struggle; it took Carlisle two centuries of torturous effort to prefect his self-control. Now he is all but immune to the scent of human blood, and he is able to do the work he loves without agony. He finds a great deal of peace there, at the hospital†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, my thoughts moving in a different direction. I willed myself to be like Carlisle. I wished to have his self control, to never have to second guess my senses. I inhaled; something I used to do to calm myself, but now it brought red hot flames ripping down my throat. I mentally shut out the yearning I had now. I remembered what my purpose was for this conversation. I brought my hand to the painting in front of us, tapping lightly on it. â€Å"He was studying in Italy when he discovered the others there. They were much more civilized and educated than the wraiths of the London sewers.† I said while lightly tracing the figures in the picture; the Volturi. I was so deep in thought, remembering things that Carlisle had seen when a startled laugh burst out of Bella's lips. I turned to see what the matter was; thinking that maybe she finally had lost it. Dawn crossed my face as I realized what she was looking at. It was Carlisle's face in the painting with the Volturi. â€Å"Solimena was greatly inspired by Carlisle's friends. He often painted them as gods,† I laughed at the impossibility that any vampire could ever be a god, â€Å"Aro, Marcus, Caius,† I explained as I pointed each one out to her, â€Å"Nighttime patrons of the arts.† Her eyes darted from the painting to me face, â€Å"What happened to them?† she questioned. Her hand reached up to touch the figures in the painting but her finger never touched. â€Å"They're still there,† I shrugged, â€Å"As they have been for who knows how many millennia. Carlisle stayed with them only for a short time, just a few decades. He greatly admired their civility, their refinement, but they persisted in trying to cure his aversion to ‘his natural food source,' as they called it. They tried to persuade him, and he tried to persuade them, to no avail. At that point, Carlisle decided to try the New World. He dreamed of finding others like himself. He was very lonely, you see. â€Å"He didn't find anyone for a long time. But, as monsters became the stuff of fairy tales, he found he could interact with unsuspecting humans as if he were one of them. He began practicing medicine. But the companionship he craved evaded him; he couldn't risk familiarity. â€Å"When the influenza epidemic hit, he was working nights in a hospital in Chicago. He'd been turning over an idea in his mind for several years, and he had almost decided to act ?C since he couldn't find a companion, he would create one. He wasn't absolutely sure how his own transformation had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he was loath to steal anyone's life the way his had been stolen. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope for me; I was left in a ward with the dying. He had nursed my parents, and knew I was alone. He decided to try†¦Ã¢â‚¬  During my story telling, I had visualized everything that Carlisle and I had both witnessed during the few days before and after my transformation. The painful memory was something I rarely thought of these days. I looked out the window, banishing the unpopular imagines from my mind. My chest was swelling at the relief I felt for finally releasing the information that could doom me from ever seeing this delightful creature again. The feeling of happiness that was surging through my body at this moment in time was completely indescribable. I hadn't realized that I would feel like this, too; that knowing she wasn't running, that she was one hundred percent accepting. I returned my gaze to Bella. She looked humble and my lips turned up; an automatic response to her beauty. â€Å"And so we've come full circle,† I finished. â€Å"Have you always stayed with Carlisle, then?† she asked. She was constantly asking all the questions that gave everything away about me and nothing about her, â€Å"Almost always,† I replied. I slowly reached out and placed my hand on her waist, exaggerating the movement. I delicately moved her along with me, always remembering how fragile she was. â€Å"Almost?† Bella asked while we were walking down the hall. Crap, I thought. Why was this the one question, of all the questions, to ask? I knew I would give her the answer. The internal argument of her safety still loomed in my mind. She should stay away from me but I loved her and the thought of her leaving caused me physical pain. Pain was something I hadn't felt since before the transformation. Bella brought out all the human aspects of me, including the weakness of pain. I sighed, â€Å"Well, I had a typical bout of rebellious adolescence ?C about ten years after I was†¦born†¦created, whatever you want to call it. I wasn't sold on his life of abstinence, and I resented him for curbing my appetite. So I went off on my own for a time.† I explained. Now, this would be it, the thing that makes her scream in terror. I waited, but, instead of terror she was intrigued. â€Å"Really?† she asked her eyes wide with curiosity. She wasn't frightened? I admitted to killing humans and she was†¦curious. She is so peculiar. That was an understatement. She had lost her mind. We ascended the next set of stairs. I was leading her to my room. I turned and looked at her, â€Å"That doesn't repulse you?† I asked curtly. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I guess†¦it sounds reasonable,† she said firmly. A laugh escaped my lips as I thought of the absurdity of her answer. Horrified delight sliced through my veins. â€Å"From the time of my new birth,† I replied quietly, â€Å"I had the advantage of knowing what everyone around me was thinking, both human and non-human alike. That's why it took me ten years to defy Carlisle ?C I could read his perfect sincerity, understand exactly why he lived the way he did. â€Å"It took me only a few years to return to Carlisle and recommit to his vision. I thought I would be exempt from the†¦depression†¦that accompanies a conscience. Because I knew the thoughts of my prey, I could pass over the innocent and pursue only the evil. If I followed a murdered down a dark alley where he stalked a young girl ?C if I saved her, then surely I wasn't so terrible.† I watched as she shivered. I continued in my quest to be nothing but honest with her, â€Å"But as time went on, I began to see the monster in my eyes. I couldn't escape the debt of so much human life taken, no matter how justified. And I went back to Carlisle and Esme. They welcomed me back like the prodigal. It was more than I deserved.† I stopped in front of my bedroom door, â€Å"My room,† I told her while opening the door and leading her inside. I watched her as she took in everything. Her eyes flowed rapidly from one side of the room to the other. Her stare lingered on my CD's. â€Å"Good acoustics?† she asked. My good mood was vibrant now. The pain from not knowing today's outcome had subsided. I was radiant with glee. I chuckled and nodded at her question. I decided I would give her an example and turned the stereo on from a remote. When the jazz music began to play she whirled spectacularly in a circle, delight in her eyes at the sound. She stopped and moved over to my collection of music. Her eyes read through several labels, â€Å"How do you have these organized?† she asked in astonishment. I was barely paying attention to her words because I was in complete merriment of how the events unfolded today, â€Å"Ummm, by year, and then by personal preference within that frame,† I answered automatically. She turned around to face me. The whirl wind of her warm aroma hit me like a wrecking ball. I continued to breathe evenly, reveling in the pain. I couldn't shake my new found happiness that was ever present in my being. She wanted me; all of me. Her eyes met mine and she read my face, â€Å"What?† she asked. â€Å"I was prepared to feel†¦relieved. Having you know about everything, not needing to keep secrets from you. But I didn't expect to feel more than that. I like it. It makes me†¦happy.† I shrugged my shoulders, but the jubilance radiated out of me and a smile crept up my face. â€Å"I'm glad,† she replied with a smile. I continued to gaze at her. I tried to read her expressions but they were so swiftly changing since she entered this house. I willed myself once more to read her mind. I tried probing it with mine over and over to no avail. My forehead creased in concentration. â€Å"You are still waiting for the running and the screaming, aren't you?† she wondered. My lips turned up lightly and I nodded. â€Å"I hate to burst your bubble, but you're really not as scary as you think you are. I don't find you scary at all, actually,† she lied silkily. Disbelief was strong in my mind. I raised an eyebrow at this news. A sinister thought raced through my head and before I acted a wide smile spread across my face, â€Å"You really shouldn't have said that,† I laughed. I growled very un-menacingly, brought my lips above my teeth to show them off, and hunkered down. Her eyes grew wide with terror. â€Å"You wouldn't† she shrieked. I let my body recoil as I sprung.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

God, money, and poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

God, money, and poverty - Essay Example Only few people are becoming wealthy and successful while logically, a large number is becoming even poorer. The irony behind this is that God has blessed humanity with abundant resources to allow every soul on the planet to access a comfortable and descent life. The role of Christians is a critical issue in this context. Though poverty is a crucial occurrence, it is a multidimensional matter, surrounding not only the material subject of human life, but also its physical, social, spiritual, and social dimension. It is therefore essential to understand the concept of wealth and poverty in both the Biblical-Christian and economic perspective. A system cannot be viewed as efficient if it only improves the lot of simply a portion of the entire society. On the other hand, market efficiency cannot be the basic concern of the Christians. Keister (26) stated that there are vices of efficiency. Murder, theft, war, and slavery can all be reasons enough to the ruthless occurrences, regardless o f the fact that there is an ethical code where such efficiency can be achieved. No matter what people tend to believe, God has a place to fit in the equation of money and poverty. God loves each one of us but most probably, he hates some of our lifestyles, especially those that lead Christians astray. The whole idea behind wisdom of money and poverty is to offer a balanced perspective of how God wants people to view and handle money in their daily living. In a Godly perspective, human beings are portrayed symbolically as creatures whose convictions and attitudes are expressed in their body language. The relationship comes in with the sense that money and poverty are often conceived as figurative extensions of the human body on earth. What people do with money and how they cope with poverty discloses and also shapes the uniqueness of their human identity. In addition to this, the passion of acquiring money or wealth is traced back to their inner desires. Gilder (38) argues that what a man desires whole heartedly and with his entire soul and might is for God himself. Christians may confess faith in God using the Church Creeds, but their personality in relation to God is revealed through what they love most as well as what they worship. Rationally, money and the value that human beings attribute to it show their passionate and ultimate attachments either to the world or to God. It can also be argued that it is through money or charities to the poor that God intervenes in a person’s life. For instance, the Book of Proverbs provides that whoever is kind to the needy lends to God, and the Lord will repay him for his actions. God gives the best to those who share their wealth to the poor and this is what gives the best security for ever, for it is an act of worship. The pastoral nature of the Christians’ faith does not allow the issue of poverty in circumstances like sickness, famine, and homelessness to be just a matter of theological speculation. Our forefathers urged the faithful to be compassionate, to use their money as a manifestation of their faith in the Lord. Secular institutions in a worldly society label religion and treat it as irrelevant or peripheral to huge areas of life. They charge that religion, in this context; Christianity and economic production are not intrinsically related. Some critics argue that â€Å"religion cannot generate Grain,† implying that stewards of Christianity should not assume issues of economic productio

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Globalization and Its Effect on the World Essay

Globalization and Its Effect on the World - Essay Example It shows that the East Asia Pacific has grown from a GDP of 15.8 in 1980 to 36.3 in the year of 1997. This has also been seen in the region of Europe and Latin America. The lowered accessibility of finance in the 1980s resulted in suppressed growth which led to many problems. It was after this that the new funds designated to states included the aspect of foreign direct investment. This type of investment is encouraged in the developing countries because they can help in increasing the capital of a state through which the state can further develop economically. Globalization is an aspect which not only helps the countries directly but also helps the countries to improve indirectly. It helps in the improvisation of the living and working standards of a country. Foreign Direct Investment is a type of process through which globalization has given a direct advantage to the countries whereas an indirect advantage can be witnessed in the accessibility of these types of investments to diffe rent states. The concept of globalization has increased the interest of developed organizations to expand their business in countries where it was previously unknown. As the organizations are expanding it can be seen that their products are widely distributed all over the world. Moreover the distribution channel of the new product helps the countries to increase their understanding about the technological advancements of the world. Foreign investors not only help the country economically but they also help to introduce technologies which were previously not known in the country. The country can benefit from these technologies by using them in an effective manner such that their... Globalization and Its Effect on the World This essay analyses the factor of globalization, its impact on different aspects of the world and considers the question of the globalization real existence. Though it is still seen that some of the concepts relating to globalization have remained unexplored, a debate is going on between the proponents and opponents of globalization. Globalization has been defined by Goldstein as â€Å"the worldwide spread of industrial production and new technologies that are promoted by the unrestricted mobility of capital and unfettered freedom of trade†. This clearly shows that globalization affects the issue of investment and economy in this world. Furthermore, James Rosenau described the globalization as â€Å"a label that is presently in vogue to account for peoples, activities, norms, ideas, goods, services, and currencies that are decreasingly confined to a particular geographic space and its local and established practices". Globalization not only affects the microenvironment but also affects the macro environment from an economic perspective. Microenvironment here refers to the advancement in technology along with its effect on the organizations and macro environment is the whole situation in which the markets are operating. Therefore, the question here arises as to if globalization only has a significant effect on the economics. Studies have been carried out to find out the relationship of globalization and labor market trends and it has been analyzed that both of these have a relationship.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

The Transcontinental Railroad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Transcontinental Railroad - Essay Example As an initial matter, it is necessary to understand the technological context of the time frame within which the railroad evolved as an integral part of the American infrastructure. There were, to be sure, important scientific breakthroughs which made such a continental project feasible. These breakthroughs came in both the United States of America and in Europe. Without these breakthroughs it would be very fair to argue that America might not have developed as quickly and as powerfully as it has in the past two hundred years. In 1769, James Watt, a mechanical engineer from Scotland successfully patented a steam engine which had practical applications. To be sure, this technological breakthrough was not specifically designed for railroads, quite the contrary, it was most commonly associated with prototypes of steamboats in Great Britain. Nonetheless, the steam engine provided the world with a new source of power; prior to this scientific development, "for centuries, people had relied on wind, water, animal, and human power to drive the machines of industry, agriculture, and transportation."1 This new power source would stir the imaginations of leaders in governments and commerce alike. Although the steam engine would revolutionize many fields, it became an essential step in the evolution of the steam locomotive. In 1825, a steam-driven locomotive pulled coal on a nine mile track in England. This experiment demonstrated that railroads and steam locomotives were indeed within the realm of possibility. If coal could be moved nine miles by rail then it could, in theory be moved nine hundred miles. It didn't take long for the concepts and the engineering prowess to take root in America; indeed, in 1830, a mere five years after the successful experiments in England, an American engineer, Peter Cooper, completed the construction of America's first steam locomotive. This steam locomotive was named the Tom Thumb and it carried both commercial goods and passengers along a thirteen mile stretch of railroad track from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.2 From a technological point of view, the stage was set for the construction of grander and more far-reaching rail systems. 1.2 The Demographic and Intellectual Origins Calls for expanded rail service were frequent and fervent. The origins of the fundamental idea, a transcontinental railroad connecting the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast, "first surfaced in 1832 in an anonymous letter in the weekly newspaper- The Emigrant published in Ann Arbor Michigan. The idea did not die from that moment on."3 Significantly, this proposal for a transcontinental railroad proceeded even before the United States had settled treaty negotiations regarding the Oregon territory. 4 The speed with which the idea took root was staggering. Barely were the engineering feats accomplished, and with portions of the western territories unsettled or disputed by various powers, and plans were being made to connect the coasts by railroad. These pressures to move westward, and to connect the Atlantic to the Pacific, were in many ways driven by demographic pressures. The demographic origins of the transcontinental railroad can be traced to the westward movement of settlers across the Northern Plains.5 This trail would become an important route for emigration, and would be later denoted more formally as the Oregon Trail. People

Monday, August 26, 2019

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

Hypothesis - Essay Example The recent trend in awareness about weight gain and loss due to growing concerns about health have given rise to the importance of the calculation of these calories due to a number of reasons. Consuming more than the daily requirement of calories makes a person prone to more diseases. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the American Heart Association have verified the importance of the number of calories consumed by a person in one day, which comes to around two thousand calories per day. These restrictions are made so as to prevent obesity and the resulting risk of cardiovascular diseases due to high content of cholesterol (Lichtenstein et al., 2006). The increasingly sedentary lifestyle, contributing to greater calorie consumption is primarily the reason why almost all the food packaging comes with labels of ‘Nutrition Facts’ behind them. These labels describe the total calorie count of the food or beverage product along with descriptions of nutrients in them (Stanfield &Hui, 2010). The figure below displays the result of increased calorie consumption. The figure above shows that none of the states show a prevalence of obesity that is below twenty percent. This crucial information depicts the rising levels of a sedentary lifestyle and increasing consumptions of calorie-rich foods. It is important to note here that the numbers of states which have the highest prevalence of obesity are located in the southern region of the United States of America. These were followed by the Midwestern states and Northeastern states. Around twenty three states show a prevalence of twenty five to thirty percent of obesity. It is the prevalent rate of obesity due to excess calorie consumption that leads to not only increasing risks of cardiovascular diseases but also certain other health problems. It is therefore true that with the usage of calories than daily requirement will lead a person to be prone to more diseases. Due to the increased

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Construction industry development Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

Construction industry development - Dissertation Example Underground constructions occur in a wide array of sectors and areas. These include highway construction, sewerage system, metro / subway systems, electricity cables and transmissions systems, nuclear power facilities, water systems, flood management systems, natural disaster and war underground hiding bunkers, and hydropower plant systems (Beer 2009). With the recognition of the benefits for the countries that come along with underground construction, such as reducing congestion, lowering environmental degradation, reducing pressure put on land and efficient utilization of strategic resources, many countries have increasingly invested towards this form of construction (Brown 2001; Beer 2009). The high business opportunities in the emerging countries within the construction industry have attracted a plethora of construction entrepreneurs into these markets. Russia in specific has attracted a lot of attention not only due to its growing economy, but specifically also due to the upcomi ng events: 1) The high profile Winter World Olympic Games to be held in Sochi, Russia in 2014, and the 2) 2018 Fifa World Cup, which has seen the development of a number of high scale underground systems (Kral 2009; Deloitte, 2012). However, it is imperative that the current business climate for underground construction in Russia be understood clearly to enable effective decision making for the wide array of potential investors (Datamonitor 2011; Deloitte 2012). The business environment may present a number of challenges to various investors, both local and foreign, who seek to do business in underground construction. The industry conditions and entry barriers in terms of economic, political and financial factors that impact a business need be taken into consideration when opening or expanding a business (World Bank Report 2009). In essence therefore, this research study seeks to investigate the current business conditions within the tunnelling and underground construction in Russia , and specifically look at entry barriers that impact the businesses and the ability of various potential entrepreneurs investing in this industry. 1.1 Background and Context Growth in underground construction has increased in the current era due to the realization of its several advantages. While talking about the benefits of going underground Paul (2004) stated that going underground has several benefits. Author stated that with regards to accommodating growing urban population, underground space provides several facilities such as environmentally safe and modest urban transit systems, shopping facilities and car parks etc. With regards to isolation, underground space is a natural shelter for severe weather; it provides safeguard against climate, earthquakes, noise etc which could be possible threats in case of severe human activities like explosion and/or natural disasters like hurricane. Author continued that with regards to environmental preservation and topography, effective u se of underground space leaves more space above ground and hence allows preserve air and natural vegetation thus

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Vodafone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vodafone - Essay Example Vodafone is a mobile system operator whose headquarter is in Newbury, England. It has been credited for being the biggest telecommunications network company all over the world with a market worth of close to hundred billion pounds. Currently, this company has equity benefit in twenty-five countries and associate network in forty-one countries. Vodafone’s current strategy in business is to develop through geographic extension, maintenance of present customers, attainment of fresh customers, and increase usage through technological innovation (McLoughlin and Aaker, 2010: 111). Vodafone’s results presented by the CEO on 19th May 2009 left everyone unimpressed. Before this report, it had been expected that the group would see free cash flow, increases in revenue, and adjusted profits (McLoughlin and Aaker, 2010: 111). Colao had been appointed as the CEO in July 2008with the intention that the company’s performance would boost significantly. Colao is currently employing strategies to improve Vodafone’s performance in the future. He intends to reduce costs by 1 billion dollars by the end of 2011. One of the current strategic issues is a revenue-boosting factor. This shall be guided by a push indented to convince more customers to purchase mobiles competent of linking to the internet (McLoughlin and Aaker, 2010: 111). A further strategy by the CEO is to trade telecoms services to other companies. There is a further strategy involving expansion of services to other countries. A resource based analysis of Vodafone involves an investigation of the capabilities and resources that results to its strengths and weaknesses. For a careful analysis of Vodafone’s current strategy, some essential issues affecting the company both externally and internally need to be examined. Some of these issues include political factors, infrastructure, economic factors, social-cultural factors,

Special2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Special2 - Essay Example Q1: The type of partnership that the plaintiff and defendant have established is a Term partnership because it envisages a 2 year term plan, and they have jointly pooled their resources for the operation of partnership business. It is for a profit venture that they have jointly set stakes in the firm and they would have shares profits upon mutual consent. The Uniform Partnership Act states a partnership as "an association of 2 or more persons . . . to carry on as co-owners a business for profit. . . No one factor is alone determinative of the existence of a partnership." In this case, one of the partners claimed that Maslbenden’s participation was just that of a financier and not a partner. However, the Court held that Maslbendens involvement in the business supported the claim that he was a partner. (Lupien v. Malsbenden: Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1984). Q5: Yes, the capital contribution by each partner is a significant factor in dividing the assets. The Court would like to know the amounts invested by each partner in order to assess the mode of splitting the firm’s assets. This is because partners may not have brought capital into the business in equal proportions, and therefore, it would not be in legal consistency to divide the assets equally. Verdict: I agree with the Judge’s ruling. This is because, in the absence of written contract, the conduct of the parties would bind the partners. In this case, Jeannie Smithers, the defendant wishes to quit the partnership and have it dissolved. In the event there was a written covenant, it could bind the parties. Even a verbal contract is a contract, but the terms and conditions would be as determined by the parties, which may change from time to time. Moreover, only a written partnership agreement could bind the partners in their relationships with other partners and

Friday, August 23, 2019

Intelligence Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intelligence Community - Essay Example It can be affirmed in this similar concern that various rules and constraints may decrease the potentiality to adopt and execute sudden decisions (American Military University, n.d.).While determining the causes of the Intelligence failure of 9/11, it was noted that problems within the Agency were growing, as there laid huge figure of priorities, low budget and the persistence of bureaucratic rivalry among others. These factors did not allowed the US Intelligence Agency to address and mitigate the threat concerning national security, which raised due to the occurrence of 9/11 incident (The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2004). Notably, the lack of military option can be duly regarded as one of the prime causes of the Intelligence failure of 9/11 incident. This can be justified with reference to the fact that the military personnel had to follow certain limited   policies based on which they could not make effective decisions for resolving the adver se situation of 9/11 incidence. This particular reason or cause ultimately led towards frustration within the military base, as they could not take the decisions according to the prevailing situation, which imposed negative impact on the nation and its people. Specially mentioning, the nation i.e. the US faced a major threat regarding not interpreting the language of Arabic, which was used by the terrorists involved in 9/11 attack. Thus, the misinterpretation of the same by both the Central Intelligence.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Tonnage of the world Essay Example for Free

Tonnage of the world Essay A View From The Bridge is about a family, who live in Red Hook, the gullet of New York, which swallows the tonnage of the world. This family of three, comprising of an Uncle, Aunty and niece, are ordinary working class citizens who try to deal with some common, and uncommon problems in their lives. These problems include growing up and learning to let go, and conflicts with other relatives. From the first few lines of dialogue, I thought that Eddie and Catherine had a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship because when Catherine says Hi, Eddie! the stage directions tell us that Eddie is pleased and therefore shy about it To me, it seems that one would not be shy when ones niece said Hi, and also Eddie was pleased about it which led me to believe that the nature of their relationship was of that sort. Catherine buys a new skirt, which Eddie thinks is too short. Catherine tells Eddie that its the style now and that it isnt too short when she stands up. Eddie retaliates by saying that shes gotta sit down sometimes. Catherine carries on by saying if you see me walkin down the street to which Eddie quickly reacts by saying that shes walkin wavy. Catherine is adamant that shes not walking wavy, but then Eddie says that he dont like the looks theyre givin her in the candy store. This conflict is caused at the beginning of the play by Catherine growing up, and attracting the attention of male admirers, something that Eddie doesnt seem to like. Beatrice thinks that Eddie treats Catherine like a baby, as when she has the opportunity to become a stenographer, Eddie comes out with a feeble excuse to persuade her to not to take the job; I know that neighbourhood, B. I dont like it. Beatrice then says to Eddie that if nothin happened to her in this neighbourhood it aint gonna happen no place else, and makes a personal attack on him by saying shes seventeen years old, you gonna keep her in the house all her life? Beatrice doesnt understand Eddie as she thinks that he wants Catherine to have a good job, earning good money, but then he treats her like a child, so I think that Beatrice views Eddies relationship with Catherine as a father-daughter relationship; Eddie acting overprotective, and trying to make Catherines decisions for her. Rodolfo and Marco arrive in America, which has a dramatic impact on Eddies and Catherines relationship. As soon as Rodolfo arrives, we see that Catherine is attracted to him. She is enthralled by his singing and wondrously in love with his hair. When Catherine and Rodolfo go to the Brooklyn Paramount, Eddie tries to have a private conversation with Catherine, hinting at Rodolfo to go away. Catherine sticks up for Rodolfo saying, why dont you talk to him Eddie? He blesses you, and you dont talk to him hardly. This gives Eddie the chance to be ironic by saying, I bless you and you dont talk to me. Eddie feels that Catherine is running away from him, hence making their relationship together drift further and further apart. There is strong evidence that Eddie doesnt like Catherine going out with Rodolfo when they go to see a film at the Brooklyn Paramount. Eddie tells Beatrice that Rodolfo gives him the heebie-jeebies, and that he sings on the ships. Beatrice asks Eddie why he doesnt want Catherine Rodolfo to get married, as hes a nice fella, hard workin, and that hes good lookin. Also, Eddie seems to have a problem with Rodolfos wacky hair and that he just hopes thats his regular hair. Eddie is trying to insinuate that Rodolfo is gay or homosexual. Beatrice thinks Eddies crazy or sumpm, and tries to ignore his ridiculous remarks. Eddie also is very paranoid as he waits for Rodolfo and Catherine outside the house, treating them as little children; Its after eight. In the boxing scene, Eddie shows Rodolfo couple a passes, whilst everyone else watches them. Rodolfo dont know how to, but Eddie insists that he does. Beatrice asks Eddie whats he got to learn that for? and Eddies response is that somebodys liable to step on his foot or sumpm. Beatrice then tells Rodolfo to go ahead, as Eddies a good boxer and that he could learn from him. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Catherine is making coffee, unaware what is going on in the other room. When Catherine does come in the room, she asks Beatrice what are they doin? with alarm. Beatrice replies by telling her that hes teachin him, and that hes very good! in a calm and relaxed way, as she only senses the comradeship, until Eddie mildly staggers Rodolfo, causing Marco to rise and Catherine to panic, shouting Eddie! After this incident, Rodolfo asks Catherine to dance, to the song, Paper Doll, which he sang when he arrived in the flat. This shows us that Rodolfo is standing up to Eddie, as when he first sang the song, Eddie told him to stop, in case he got picked up. Instead, he decided to dance to it, which is a safer option and may make Eddie a little bit angry. Meanwhile, Eddie sits down in his chair, when Marco places a chair in front of him. He asks Eddie Can you lift this chair? to which Eddie replies, What do you mean? Marco shows Eddie to lift it from the back, using only one arm. Eddie tries twice, but fails. By now, everyone is watching as Marco lifts the chair higher and higher, until the chair is raised over his head. Marco then smiles, triumphantly, leaving Eddie to absorb his look, and making him look weak and inferior; perhaps a warning telling him not to overstep the mark. In the boxing scene, each character feels differently towards Eddie, whether it is they feel threatened by Eddie, by him causing them direct anger, or by him causing anger, indirectly and vice versa. An example of direct anger being when Rodolfo was hit by Eddie, causing him anger as a result of Eddies action towards him. An example of indirect anger was when Rodolfo was hit by Eddie, causing Catherine anger, but not directly from Eddie towards her.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Business law definitions

Business law definitions Business Law Assignment Common law and stare decisis Common law is all that law that is made by judges. It is initiated by citizens when they file cases in courts. Stare decisis is a term used in the common law to mean that decisions made in court cases should be based on previous decisions. It simply means that the decision should stand. It therefore means that in business, this is a principle that can assure a business person of the ruling of a case that is similar to the previous. Rulings in business cases are hence made predictable. Bailment It is where a person delivers his personals to someone else for safety keeping. Bailor is the one delivering property while the one receiving is the bailee. It involves delivery of goods to somebody else in trust creating a contract either express or implied. The bailee must be willing to possess the property physically but is not entitled to use it. In business transactions, the bailee has both the duty of care and responsibility to re-deliver the property. Statute of frauds This is a requirement that certain contracts like sale of goods that exceeds a certain value, land sale or a guarantee of debt be made in writing and then signed to prevent perjury and fraud. Two sophisticated business corporations may enter into a joint venture say of about 10 years. There are different negotiations that they engage in and one party promises that it will join the negotiations in time. In case the party fails to honor the negotiations, the second party (business partner in the venture) can use statute of frauds in a court case as an affirmative defense in breach of an agreed contract. Civil law versus criminal law Civil law deals with disputes between organizations, individuals and between these two where compensation is given to the victim. Criminal law/penal law is a body of common and statutory law and generally deals with crime and punishment of criminal offenses. Civil law is mainly applied in business when there are property disputes like real estates and landlord/tenant disputes. Criminal law in business mainly affects those who engage in alcohol intoxication and trafficking in controlled substances. A civil liability arises out of the relations that a business has with the individuals it deals with. Federal and state courts Federal courts are the courts established under U.S. constitution to deal with disputes arising out of constitution and laws that are initiated by congress. On the other hand state courts are established by states and normally have a broader jurisdiction. State courts are entitled to grant corporations a merit of limited liability. Since the time of Sherman Act, federal courts have been increasingly regulating the businesses. 1970s saw creation of three bodies by the federal government. These include Consumer Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction and venue Personal jurisdiction refers to the requirement for a court to hear a case over the right parties involved in that case. Subject matter of the case is what has made rise to the case and this is what the court should deal with. On top of this, a roper venue should be selected to hear the case. Federal courts have limited SMJ. A business in dispute with another can only file a case and state the specific party in it and the main reason as to why they are filing the case is a requirement from the courts. In such a case, the case can only be heard in the appropriate federal district. Garnishment and execution Garnishment is a legal process through which property or money owed to a debtor or held by garnishee for the debtor is taken in order to pay the judgment. The most garnished properties are banks and wages accounts. Execution of judgment is enforcing a judgment legally through sale and seizing of debtors property. Just in case the garnishee is a bank, loan, savings or credit union, the creditor is supposed to produce a blank notice of right to claim exemptions. A business that wants to garnish wages for its employees must first obtain a judgment for the debts. This is because only a certain percentage of wages can be garnished. Garnishment of wages and execution of the same judgment is possible if the debtor in question is above poverty line. Mediation, arbitration and accord and satisfaction Assisted communications in any agreement is mediation. Arbitration is the legal process of resolving disputes outside the courts where the parties involved have agreed on it. It is mostly used in international commercial transactions where business disputes have risen. The third party chosen by the two parties is a neutral one. Accord and satisfaction refers to any purchase to be released from a debt obligation. Payment in such a case will normally be less than owed amount. Satisfaction is the consideration. An example is if a contractor is supposed to construct a building worth $6,000. The owner of the house after construction claims that inferior work lead to a building that did not match the pay to the constructor. A mutual settlement agreement of $4,000 is paid as full payment. This is a new contract created through offer, acceptance and consideration. Consideration is $2,000. Intentional torts, negligence and strict liability in tort A tort is a civil wrong. An intentional tort is a wrong that a defendant should have known or even knew that it would occur through their inactions and actions. Negligence torts will occur where the actions of a defendant are termed reasonable unsafe. Strict liability torts occur when an action causes damage, like in cases where a proprietor manufactures and sells a defective product. State law provides for the employer to compensate an employee injured in the job (strict liability). Intentional torts have damages that are broader than those in negligent torts. In business transactions, a difference arises between the intentional and negligent tort because the plaintiff must prove that defendant acted with intent. Requirements for an enforceable contract For a contract to be valid in a court of law whether its verbal or in writing, it has several requirements. An enforceable contract must have an offer, consideration and acceptance. Other requirements for an enforceable contract may also include consent, competence and legality. In any business contract, there must be a proposed deal which may remain open until the day the other party rejects, accepts or retracts it. A contract is voidable if it has got no acknowledgement and a bargained benefit. There are many business agreements but all those that bear no consideration or any of the requirements as outlined in business law are not contracts. The purpose of the uniform commercial code and its application to contract law The uniform commercial code is a body of legislation enacted so that the sale of goods and interstate commercial transactions can be facilitated in U.S. its essential elements normally address commercial transactions. This is usually in a single uniform code. Different states may apply UCC differently. It does apply to contracts in the sale of goods in different manners. In any commercial setting, any sale of movable goods requires the application of UCC. Sale of goods that require application of UCC usually involves a merchant. Click-Wrap Agreements and the electronic signatures in global and national commerce act Click-Wrap agreement is a common form of agreement that allows any user to go through the terms of agreements before acceptance. An electronic signature is any electronic sound, process or symbol associated and attached to a contract or record and is generally accepted and executed by those with intentions to sign the given record. In most bank transactions, PIN and passwords have been used to access an ATM or when one is purchasing merchandise on-line. E-sign is commonly used to permit parties in a contract take advantage of efficiencies in the digital world. Sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation and Limited Liability Company Sole proprietorship is a form of business owned and operated by one person called a sole proprietor. He has unlimited liability for all the business debts. He incurs all the losses alone and enjoys all the profits. A partnership is a form of business formed by a minimum of two and a maximum of 20 persons. It may be either general or limited. In a limited partnership, all general partners have unlimited liabilities but limited partners have limited liability for the debts while in a general partnership, all partners have unlimited liabilities (myownbusiness.org, 2003). A corporation is normally a form of business unit started and operated by the government. All investors in a corporation have limited liability. Limited liability companies are normally state run entities where all the members have limited liability. For income tax purposes, its taken as a partnership. Fee simple and life estate Fee simple estate is the absolute property ownership that entitles the owner to all the rights of that property. This applies to all property restricted by the private and law restrictions like covenants and zone ordinances. In this case, death of the owner results in the ownership transfer to the heirs (thismatter.com, 2005). Life estate, a freehold estate is where ownership of the estate is limited only to duration of a persons lifetime. This may be the life tenant or another designated individual. The owner of this estate has most of the benefits since he enjoys most of the ownership rights by possessing it, leasing it but this will automatically end whenever the life estate ends. Contrary to fee simple, a life tenant cannot pass the rights of ownership to the heirs. Warranty Deed and Quitclaim deed A warranty deed is a deed which states that the seller owns the given property and no liens in the property may be transferred over in case its old. It sets the record straight that the property is owned legally. Its a deed that ensures the buyer that he is dealing with the rightful owner of the property and thus no post purchase surprises. Its normally used in majority of property sales. In cases where another person claims the same property, the new buyer is entitled to compensation by the original owner. A quit claim deed is presented to the buyer by the person who holds responsibility of the property but not the owner. Such cases occur when death occurs and this property is passed on as inheritance. A buyer of the property is not given much protection by obtaining this deed like when he is provided with the warranty deed (fsboamerica.org, 2009). Adverse possession This is principle in real estate law which states that a person who may possess the land of another person in a given extended duration of time may be in a position to claim the title of that land. Where a business has been in possession of a given piece of land, they can prove adverse possession by showing that the possession was actual, hostile, exclusive, notorious, hostile, open, and continuous for the statutory period and under cover of claim. It is now commonly governed by statute and law. Its however stated that lands owned by the government are exempted from this principle. Where the land owner granted permission to the claimant in use of property the adverse possession claim is not deemed hostile and will thus fail. Employment at will versus TitleVII of the civil rights act of 1964 Title VII of the civil rights act of 1964 is an act that was passed so that it can protect people from being employment discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, color and national origin. This is a law that has been protecting job applicants and company employees. It applies to all companies that have 15 or more employees. Promotion s in companies cannot be decided on basis of race, color sex national origin or sex. All business are required to pay their employees in the same job group a uniform pay despite their different origins nationally, race, sex, religion or color. Employment at will means that the employer does not need a good cause to fire an employee. An employee employed at-will can be fired any time. Such an employee has limited legal rights to fight that termination. Most states except Montana have adopted have adopted policies that enable them to employ at will. The purpose of the securities act of 1993 and the purpose of the securities and exchange act of 1934 Securities act of 1933 was a federal legislation regarding sale of securities. Securities act of 1933 was enacted in order to provide more information about and within securities markets. Its a legislation that addressed for better disclosure where companies are expected to register with Securities and Exchange Commission. Its main purpose is thus to make sure that investors are receiving significant and material information about securities in public sale and prohibiting deceit fraud and other misrepresentations in sale of securities to public. Securities exchange act of 1934 created the SEC and it outlaws abusive and manipulative practices in securities issuance, required registration of brokers, stock exchanges listed securities and dealers and disclosure of certain financial information. Sarbanes-Oxley act This is a legislation that was enacted in 2002 in response to Enron and WorldCom financial scandals. Its manly used to protect the general public and shareholders from fraudulent practices and accounting errors. Its administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Common law legal system versus the civil law legal system In civil law system, legislation is the primary law source. As a result courts will usually base rulings on provisions of statutes and codes. When hearing business cases, courts normally reason merely on basis of general principles and rules in codes. On the other hand common law system use cases as the primary law source and statutes are taken as incursions and interpretations are narrow. Each an every state has a specific definition on doing business according to the common law. Foreign corrupt practices act Its provisions prohibit bribery of foreign officials of other governments by U.S. nationals prescribing record keeping practices and accounting. Any U.S. company that violates FCPA are fined up to $2million whereas individuals like directors and of companies and officers pay a fine of $100,000 and face imprisonment of 5 years or even both. In such cases there is imposition of civil penalties. References Fsboamerica.org. (2009). Warranty Deed vs. Quit Claim Deed. Retrieved from http://www.fsboamerica.org/Warranty-Deed-vs-Quit-Claim-Deed.cfm FMyownbusiness.org. (2003). Business Organization. Retrieved from http://www.myownbusiness.org/s4/ FThismatter.com. (2005). Estates in Land. Retrieved from http://thismatter.com/money/real-estate/estates-in-land.htm

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Difference Between Data Warehousing And Data Mining Information Technology Essay

Difference Between Data Warehousing And Data Mining Information Technology Essay The information systems (IS) field is terms of key development can be called data warehousing in database environtment. Different organizations receiving different significant returns than others because its benefits are plentiful. The organization will have different types of returns in the impact of data warehousing . Each company can be tie the benefit to the way in which it conforms to the framework as it shows in the analysis . We will see how dan organization can be transformed by data warehouse, Analysis also showing the explaination of differences in impact. A large manufacturing company (LMC) involving case study of data warehousing, a financial services company (FSC) are presented and discussed within the context of the framework and the Internal Revenue Service. Keywords : Multidimensional modelling; Conceptual modelling; Time-series; Data warehouses; Data-mining Introduction Data warehouses are becoming part of the technology. Data warehouses are used to consolidate data located in disparate databases. A data warehouse stores large quantities of data by specific categories so it can be more easily retrieved, interpreted, and sorted by users. Warehouses enable executives and managers to work with vast stores of transactional or other data to respond faster to markets and make more informed business decisions. It has been predicted that every business will have a data warehouse within ten years. But merely storing data in a data warehouse does a company little good. Companies will want to learn more about that data to improve knowledge of customers and markets. The company benefits when meaningful trends and patterns are extracted from the data. Data mining, or knowledge discovery, is the computer-assisted process of digging through and analyzing enormous sets of data and then extracting the meaning of the data. Data mining tools predict behaviors and futu re trends, allowing businesses to make proactive, knowledge-driven decisions. Data mining tools can answer business questions that traditionally were too time consuming to resolve. They scour databases for hidden patterns, finding predictive information that experts may miss because it lies outside their expectations. Data mining derives its name from the similarities between searching for valuable information in a large database and mining a mountain for a vein of valuable ore. Both processes require either sifting through an immense amount of material, or intelligently probing it to find where the value resides. What is Data Warehousing Data warehousing is a collection of decision support technologies that enable the knowledge worker, the statistician, the business manager and theexecutive in processing the information contained in a data warehouse meaningfully and make well informed decisions based on outputs. The Data warehousing system includes backend tools for extracting, cleaning and loading data from Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) Databases and historical repositories of data. It also consists of the Data storage areacomposed of the Data warehouse, the data marts and the Data store. It also provides for tools like OLAP for organizing, partitioning and summarizing data in the data warehouse and data marts and finally contains front end tools for mining, quering, reporting on data. It is important to distinguish between a Data warehouse and Data warehousing. A Data warehouse is a component of the data warehousing system. It is a facility that provides for a consolidated, flexible and accessible collection of data for end user reporting and analysis. A data warehouse has been defined by Inmom (considered one of the founders of the Data warehouse concept) as a subject-oriented, integrated, time-varying, non-volatile collection of data that is primarily used in organizational decision making. The data in a data warehouse is categorized on the basis of the subject area and hence it is subject oriented Universal naming conventions, measurements, classifications and so on used in the data warehouse, provide an enterprise consolidated view of data and therefore it is designated as integrated. The data once loaded can only be read. Users cannot make changes to the data and this makes it non-volatile. Finally data is stored for long periods of time quantified in years and bears a time and date stamp and therefore it is described as time variant. The format of data collected are not always the same eventhough each of these systems collect data . So, the combination of all these data from all sorts sources that combined together to form a single data and the combination of database forming a single homogenous form is what we called data warehousing. The data is not only subject-oriented and integrated but also time-variant and non-volatile collection of data to support management in making decision. 1) Time-variant that In order to make the reports that go in propotional with time , the data ware house that has been changed should be tracked and recorded. 2) Non-volatile Data warehouse is never deleted, so that data is read only and static and will be used for future reporting 3) Integrated Data is consistence and is representing all operational system. Data management and data retrieval are the proess that can define data warehousing. An organizations can integrate their various databases into data warehouses using process different capabilities and culturesThe idea of maintaining central data is brought by data warehouse. Although the concept itself has been around for years, like data mining data warehousing, is a relatively new term. Data Warehouse Design There are two different ways of Data Warehouse design; Ralph Kimball and Bill Inmons model. In Inmons architecture, before data being transferred to the data marts, data from OLTP database is firstly stored in a warehouse. In Inmons model view,tThe data warehouse is a real database. Kimballs architecture using OLTP database shows that data is transferrefed directly to the data mart. Based on the picture above, a collection of integrated data marts will form the data warehouse. What is Data Mining? Data or knowledge discovery or generally called Data mining. It is the process of getting data from different resources and turn them into information that can be useful for organization One example of tools to analyze is analyzing data using data mining software. Data from many different sources and with different uses and characters will be analyze by users. So, technically, data mining the process of finding correlations of fields in large relational databases. In general, data mining is the process of making data usefull after analyze it from different kind of information environment and turn into vary kind of useful information. . Data from many different dimensions or angles can be analyzed by users and then be summarized into the relationships . On the other hand, the process of finding or different in data mining is not an easy process and do need different process and analyze. There are five major elements in data mining : Data can be presented in graph or table and other formats. Data transaction is loaded onto the data warehouse system. Data is stored and managed in a multidimensional database system. Application software can be used to analyze and intrepenting data Information professinals especially who are involve in business world can access the provided data. Continuous Innovation The technology is not new nowdays eventhough data mining is a quite new. Take this case for example, One Midwest grecory is using Oracle software to look and search about the buying patterns of local. It has been discovered that whenever men bought cigarettes on Saturdays and Thursdays, they also want to buy beer. Then it also showed that Saturday is the day when these shoppers typically did their weekly grocery. However, they only bought a few items on Saturdays. It is concluded by the retailer that the reason they purchased the beer is to have it for the weekends ahead.. Furthermore, they have to make sure that the price are full for cigarettes and beer on Thursdays. What can data mining do? Here are the focus among a costumers retail, financial, communication, and marketing organizations which are data mining that been used by a company especially for the basic data. Product, the condition of product and the day of business can be some internal factors for this. Other than that the perfomance on sales, customer rights satisfaction, also profits for organizations can also determined by companies. Finally, transactional data can be viewed with details from the summary information. The development of products and promotion is also important to appeal to specific customer segments by getting demographic data from comments or even warranty cards provided by company. In order to transform supplier relationships. Applications of Data Mining The basic of data mining has been involved in many fields such as business, scientific research, banking sector and many more . All of these fields have been using data mining. Now its use is easier compare to what it was.. These tools can be used practically to carry out complex data mining techniques and get ease with it.. In order to do improve marketing field of and organization and try to understand its clients buying patterns, Data Mining is used by businesses. Data mining is used more widely than ever before because of expanding variety of tools and softwares in new era like it is today.. Intelligence agencies like FBI and CIA also use data mining for identifying terrorisms threats or even after the incident of 9/11 in America. It is really important to uncover terrorist plots. However the people concerned as data collected for such works will invade many peoples privacy.. Banking sector also using data mining for credit card problem detection and anything relation to credit c ard crime as what is happening now days. . It is also can reduce the risk of any credit card problem among their customers, especially to identify potetntial costumers and to state wether loan can be able to approve to any customers. Steps of Data Mining From the picture, we can see the step of data mining Data Integration: All the different sources contribute data which are collected and integrated. Data Selection: We have to select data and make sure that it is usefull for data mining. Data Cleaning: The data collected may not all correct and need to be checked again before being used to avoid data errors and uncertain problem. Data Transformation: Eventhough the data has been cleaned, to have data ready for mining, we still have to do something and transform data into the right form so that mining process will not be any problem. Many techniques can be used to complete data transformation suck as like smoothing, aggregation, normalization techniques. Data Mining: Techniques like clustering and association analysis are used among the many different techniques used for data mining only when we are ready to apply data mining techniques on the data to discover the interesting patterns. Pattern Evaluation and Knowledge Presentation: Transformation, visualization, removing redundant patterns are steps from the patterns we have generated. Decisions / Use of Discovered Knowledge. In order to make use of the knowledge which acquired to take better decisions, this step helps. Difference between Data Warehousing and Data Mining Data warehousing can be define as the inntegration and combination of data from different sources and various of format into a single form or a single schema. Huge amount of data can be provided by data warehousing with a storage mechanism. Meanwhile, The Enterprise has been provided with a memory by Data Warehousing and intelligenge is provided by data mining . So, the discovery of useful patterns can be done using the of data mining techniques on the data warehouse. Data Mining Tools In order to build companys own custom mining solution, they have to purchase mining programs. This program is designed for existing software and hardware platforms and the program can be integrated into new products and systems. For example in order to give the mined data more value, the organization has to determine data mining output into another output such as ware house as a neural network which is said quite common . This is because, , the data mining tool will gather the data if the other program makes decisions based on the data that has been collected. In the market place they are a lot of data minings that come in different model and tools or tecniques. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses. A right kind of data mining is really important to any organization because if the organization buys a wrong data mining and its nothing to do with their business goal, data mining will be useless. This is a really important consider especially for organizations which are going to expand. These three categories are the classification of most data mining tools: Dashboards. Is used to monitor information in a database and is installed in computer, dashboards reflect updates onscreen and data changes always wether in charts or in tables so that the user can see how the business is performing and working. Traditional Data Mining Tools. Data mining programs will be used in organization and the effect of it will be securely seen.. In order to monitor the data and highlight trends and others capture information residing outside a database. You can even see some of thiese tools on the desktop. Text-mining Tools. The ability to work as PDF and ability to analyze data and can be used in various kind of data processing from hard text to simple words. These tools can be used to scan content. There are a lot of unstructured scanned content for example information is scattered almost randomly across the document, audio or video data or internet based data or structured for example the datas form and purpose is known, we can say database content.. A wealth of information can be provided for organizations by capturing these inputs that can be mined to discover all kinds of concepts and trends or any other data processing in another environment. The Benefits of Data mining/ Data warehouse To Organization. By using Data warehouses business executives can look at the company as a whole unit. There must be reasons on spending so much money by many corporations to implement data instead of looking at an organization in terms of the departments that it comprises. . Data warehouses also use their ability to handle a lot of tasks in an organization involving many different departments. In order to make sure that every transaction will be made in certain time frame, the good transaction system will be set up by every organization The biggest problem with report and queries is the transaction can not be made in time frame and then will be late to be compiled. On top of that and in order to overcome the problem, many companies are working to come out with a good data warehouse and hopefully can be able to settle down any problems regarding transactions. Another benefit from data warehouse is the uses of data model for any queries regarding transactions and the outcome is really convincing.. Models for queries are really important especially to come out with good reports. Eventhough transaction processing system doesnt really need this but the implementing of a good model can help the company. Anyway, wrong modeling methods can slow down the process of transactions. Eventhough transaction process has to be at speed by the server units, but at the same time, they will slow down the process of query. Queries of data can be made using data ware house and this is one of the reason why it is very efficient. Anyway, a big number of transaction system can lead to big transaction system. So, the company always has to get ready to come out with different data warehouse or even worse, different models of processing. The combination of every departments in a company is really important in order to overcome any problems regarding processing and transaction of data. The Benefits of Data Mining Data mining allows companies to exploit information and use this to obtain competitiveadvantage. Data mining helps identify trends such as: why customers buy certain products ideas for very direct marketing ideas for shelf placement training of employees vs. employee retention employee benefits vs. employee retention Conclusion In order to discover trends and patterns in temporary data, we use time-series analysis as a powerful technique . Not only their management is expensive but these data also are also low-level of abstraction. Two main problems are always been faced by most analyst. First, to clean of the huge amount of potentially-analysable data and second to correct the definition of the data-mining algorithms to be employed. Data warehouses has been proved to be a powerful repository of historical data since their appearance especially for data-mining . In addition, their modelling paradigm for example multidimensional modelling, is not any different to the problem domain. Anyway, a coherent conceptual modelling framework for data-mining assures is believed as a better and easier knowledge-discovery process on top rank of data warehouses.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Enslaving Nature of Love Exposed in Lucretius Essay -- Lucretius Essay

Enslaving Nature of Love Exposed in Lucretius In Dryden's Lucretius, the speaker argues that (1) Love is a sickness, (2) Love's sickness enslaves, and (3) all attempts to remedy Love's sickness are vain and will only frustrate the lover. Just as Milton's Adam and Eve become enslaved to sin by disobeying God, so mankind becomes enslaved to Love when pierced with Cupid's "winged arrow". In Milton, there is redemption and freedom through Christ, but in Dryden, no salvation from love is possible. This poem leaves mankind in a hopeless, frustrated state, unable to break free from love's yoke. This essay will center on the last heroic couplet: "All wayes they try, successeless all they prove,/To cure the secret sore of lingering love". In order to prove the first premise, this essay will begin by examining the last line of the couplet which argues that the lovers are trying to "cure the secret sore". This line prompts the idea that love is a sore that needs a cure, but it also raises two questions: (1) why does the speaker call love a secret sore? And (2) how does the speaker use this imagery in the rest of the poem? In the poem's mythology, love is a sore left by Love's arrow (which probably alludes to Cupid's handy-work) as described in the first line of the poem: "he who feels the Fiery dart/ Of strong desire transfix his amorous heart". The "secret sore" can also refer to the idea that Love's wound is concealed (as an internal injury), and thus cannot be helped by external/physical remedies. The speaker argues that even sex proves unprofitable in trying to cure love: "Our hands pull nothing from the parts they strain,/But wande... ...ess appetite". It seems as though the speaker is trying to frustrate the lover by offering impossible remedies. The speaker amplifies frustration by using an eye rhyme to finish the poem. This doesn't show Dryden's lack of skill, but rather a way to frustrate a reader's rhyme. The last heroic couplet provides no hope and leaves only frustrating thoughts for the lover: "All wayes they try, successeless all they prove,/To cure the secret sore of lingering love". The speaker even argues that though Nature provides satisfaction for physical urges (e.g. hunger and thirst), Nature does not give Love the same satisfaction. The speaker describes a lover as a type of Sisyphus, enslaved in a vicious cycle of trying to accomplish the task (of fulfilling love's desires), only to have the problem roll back down and having to start over again.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Katherine and Bianca of The Taming of the Shrew :: Taming Shrew Essays

Katherine and Bianca of The Taming of the Shrew The Taming of the Shrew brings out the comedic side of Shakespeare where irony and puns carry the play throughout. In my paper, I will concentrate on one the irony of the play, the introduction of the two sisters. These two sisters begin off with the elder, Katherine, viewed as a shrew, and Bianca as the angelic younger of the two. However, as the play proceeds, we begin to see the true sides of the two sisters and their roles totally turn around. I will try to analyze the method in which Shakespeare introduces the two sisters and how he hints their true identity and the events for the rest of the play during the first two acts. Although even her father calls her a shrew, Katherine has a deeper character than the epithet would imply. From the beginning we see that she is continually placed second in her father's affections, and despised by all others. Bianca on the other hand, is identified as the favorite, playing the long-suffering angel, increasing Baptisa's distinction between the two. As Katherine recognizes her sister's strategy, her reaction is as one can imagine how another would react suffering this type of bias for so many years. She is hurt and she seeks revenge. This is seen in Act II, Scene I, when Katherine sums up her own state: "I will go sit and weep/ Till I can find occasion of revenge" (35-36). It is an immature response, but the only one she knows, and it serves the dual purpose of cloaking her hurt. The transformation, which she undergoes near the end of the play, is not one of character, but one of attitude. At the end of the play, we find out that her negative attitude becomes a positive one. The shrew is not a shrew at all beneath the surface. The play begins introducing Katherine with her father's words of shame towards her when he offers his eldest daughter to the two suitors of Bianca. The audience is then given their first impression of Katherine from the Gremio, a suitor of Bianca, right after her father's words when he says: "To cart her, rather.

The History of Harlem - Cultural Epicenter of America’s Black community

Over a significant time frame, African Americans have been forced to endure numerous hardships – one of which being the negatives stigmas that unfairly generalize their people, culture and way of life. Therese stereotypes of a whole nationality label Blacks as, â€Å"superstitious, lazy, ignorant, dirty, unreliable, (and even) criminal,† (â€Å"Stereotypes†). Such generalizations are products of the public’s perception, which has been diluted by rooted historic and current prejudice as well as the media’s conveyance of a well-known African American cultural center: Harlem. Despite negative connotations associated with it, Harlem stands as a community that strives to flourish and maintain its strong cultural status. George Canada, the founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone, states, â€Å"People think kids are all violent, and they’re all out fighting and shooting. Most of our children want to grow up in a peaceful community where they c an live their lives and become successful adults† (â€Å"Your City†). Because this area has been subject to consistent historic change, its past is rocky, which accurately mirrors the struggle of the African American people. In order to achieve a better understanding of both the African American community and its cultural hub, it is essential to know the area’s unique cultural history. From Renaissance to riots; drugs wars, violence and poverty, Harlem’s history as the cultural epicenter of America’s Black community may shed some light on the evolution of its current culture, people and stereotypes. In the 1920s, Harlem, New York had reached a cultural peak; â€Å"it became the most famous and influential black American ghetto† (Weisbrot). With the migration of African Americans to the north, Harlem became heavily concentr... ...l P. "Chapter 9: Harlem Renaissance - A Brief Introduction." A Research and Reference Guide - An Ongoing Project. 2 Feb. 2008. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature. 13 Nov. 2008 . "Stereotypes of African Americans." Stereotypes of African Americans. June 2008. Wikipedia. 28 Nov. 2008 . Weisbrot, Robert. "Harlem." Encyclopedia of Urban America. 340-41. Ebooks. OhioLink. Cincinnati. 13 Nov. 2008 . "Your City, Your News." NY1. New York City. 13 Aug. 2008. Harlem Children Rally Against Gun Violence. 13 Aug. 2008. NY1. 20 Nov. 2008 .

Saturday, August 17, 2019

BCOM 275 Article Rebuttal Essay

Smoking bans, specifically in public places, has been a topic of debate for several years now. This debate has been originated primarily from medical or health-related origins. Many have felt strongly against the ban of smoking in public places. Although, almost an equal amount of people support the smoking ban. This paper will acknowledge the pros to proceeding with the smoking ban to rebuttal the argument presented in the article titled, â€Å"The case against smoking bans† by Thomas A. Lambert and analyze the reliability, credibility, and validity of the data used to support his argument. According to Lambert (2012), â€Å"Government-imposed smoking bans are unwise†. â€Å"Risk based argument are insufficient because the slight risks associated with ETS cannot justify the substantial privacy intrusion occasioned by sweeping smoking bans† (p 34). The author’s support against the smoking ban is based on the fact that the statements regarding the need for the ban due to the increase of health care costs for the smoker and those effected by the second-hand smoke. Lambert supports his argument based on the findings of a comprehensive study in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997. The study states, â€Å"†¦smoking probably has the effect of reducing overall healthcare costs because smokers die earlier than nonsmokers. The study’s authors concluded that in a population in which no one smoked, health care costs would be 7 percent higher among men and 4 percent higher among women than the costs in the current mixed population of smokers and nonsmokers† (Government-imposed smoking bans are unwise, 2012, p 36). Although, this data is credible based on its source, this information cannot wholly be deemed valid based on no stated facts to compare healthcare costs of the nonsmokers. â€Å"Logical fallacie s are errors in reasoning† (Cheesebro, T.,  O’Connor, L., & Rios, F., 2010). There are four types of common logical fallacies, which are: faulty causation, hasty generalization, either/or thinking, slippery slope and faulty comparison. The justification based on the other data is an example of a hasty generalization and faulty comparison. A hasty generalization occurs when â€Å"†¦a few examples are selected to represent the whole of the conclusion† (Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., & Rios, F., 2010). By committing to these generalizations, your conclusions may be incorrect because you are only acknowledging the data that will solely support your argument. The author’s argument is also a faulty comparison because he treats the unique situations the same. He strongly believes that there is no significant difference in the costs of health care in comparison to those who do not smoke. But the author fails to mention the health effects of second hand smoke and why it should be banned in public places In contrast, smoking bans in public places should be implemented because there are many studies that reveal that there is a real problem regarding exposure to second hand smoke. According to the CDC (2012), â€Å"Since 1964, 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from exposure to secondhand smoke†. That statement alone, which is evidence based, is a valid argument why smoking in public places should be banned. Non-smokers should not have to be victims caused by careless smokers who are more interested in feeding their addiction and pleasures. It is intrusion of someone’s privacy if they do not want to be exposed to secondhand smoke. Public places refers to as restaurants, parks, multiunit housing and casinos etc. For children, secondhand smoke exposure can contribute to respiratory and ear infections and higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome. For adults, it can cause lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases. With that being said, if we choose not to smoke due to the health effects and increased risk of death, why should we forced to go down with the smokers? We have a choice and it should be respected. If these health conditions can be caused by secondhand smoke alone, consider what effects smoking has on a smoker’s body. As mentioned earlier, those who do smoke die earlier. So how can the statement regarding no difference in health care costs between a smoker and non-smoker be valid? In conclusion, due to the evidence-based bad health effects of secondhand smoke, smoking in public places should be banned. There is no justification for someone who chooses to live a healthy lifestyle in order to live longer,  to have a smoker determine how long they should live or what quality of life they should have. References Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Lambert, T. A. (2007). The case against smoking bans. Regulation, 29(4), 34-40. Retrieved on March 7, 2014 from, http://search.proquest.com/docview/210517192?accountid=458 Smoking and Tobacco. (2012). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on March 6, 2014 from, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/healt h_effects/index.htm