Community Development Essay

Achieving gender equality and empowering women are necessary to achieve social, economic and political development. Today, girls and women continue to benefit from health and education services with women surpassing men in enrolment and academic achievements in many situations. Women in Malaysia are also more actively involved today in politics and numerous other national initiatives. Malaysia’s commitment and dedication to the advancement of women is evident in many of its programs and policies in the last two decades. In 1985, the Government of Malaysia formulated the National Policy on Women as a guide for women’s participation in the development process. The Policy helps enhance women’s quality of life by overcoming challenges through poverty eradication and education. The stature of women became a primary objective of the 6th Malaysia Plan (1991 – 1995), where a special fund for the development of women became a significant and integral step towards empowering women in Malaysia. Subsequent Malaysia Plans continue to focus on the needs of women with recommendations to advance their position in society. By agreeing to the commitments set forth in the Beijing Platform for Action at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), the Government promised to 1) enhance the national machinery for women’s advancement; 2) increase women’s participation in decision-making; 3) safeguard women’s rights to health, education and social well being and 4) remove legal obstacles and gender discriminatory practices. In 1995, the Government also ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW). In 2001, the Government created the Ministry of Women and Family Development with a mandate to address issues on women and uplift the stature of women in the country. Malaysia’s Constitution was amended in August 2001 to prohibit discrimination in any law on the basis of gender. The Government continues to play a crucial and supportive role in achieving greater gender equality in the country, by providing a healthy environment for the advancement of women at both national and international arenas. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development which is responsible for addressing women’s issues in Malaysia has had its budget increase from RM 1.8 million (US$ 0.5 million) in 2001 to RM 30.5 million (US$ 8.6 million) in 2005, demonstrating the country’s serious commitment to the cause. Future challenges to be considered include: addressing the continued poverty among female-headed households; combating violence against women; raising the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming strategies; reducing women’s risk of contracting HIV; removing attitudinal challenges that impact capacity-building; and raising the level of women’s participation in the labour force, in business and in politics and government. KPWKM is headed by a Minister, currently held by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (UMNO). She is assisted by a Deputy Minister, currently held by Senator Heng Seai Kie (MCA). The following departments and agencies are under the purview of the KPWKM: * Department for Women’s Development  In 1975, the Government set up the National Advisory Council on the Integration of Women in Development (NACIWID) as the machinery to ensure the involvement of women in development. In 1983, the Secretariat for Women’s Affairs (HAWA) in the Prime Minister’s Department was established to take over the tasks of the NACIWID Secretariat. From 1997, HAWA functioned as a department under the former Ministry of National Unity and Social Development. In 2001, the Department was placed under the then newly established KPWKM and restructured as the Department for Women’s Development (DWD). By 2002, the DWD had set up branch offices in every state in Malaysia.[7] * Social Welfare Department  Initially set up in 1946 as the Community Welfare Department of Malaya, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) has evolved in fulfilling its role in national development. From initially being involved in mitigating the social problems brought about by the immediate post-war period, the role and functions of this department have expanded to cover prevention and rehabilitation services in social issues as well as community development.[8] * National Population and Family Development Board  The National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) was established in 1966 to improve the reproductive health status of women and men and encourage family planning. It has since evolved to include policy and advisory roles by assisting planners and programme managers to integrate population and family development into sectoral development programme planning as well as facilitate policy makers to consider population and family development factors in the formulation of national development policies and strategies.[9] * Social Institute of Malaysia  The Social Institute of Malaysia was set up to promote professional and semi-professional training in the field of training and research as well as social education to all social workers from various levels and groups from within and outside the country including non-governmental organizations. It currently operates from a 50-acre (200,000 m2) campus in Sungai Besi that was completed in 2001.

Dominoes vs. Pizza Hut Essay

The Indian domestic pizza market is growing rapidly with number of foreign brands entering into the sector to seek business opportunities. In the current scenario, Indian consumers are increasingly shifting towards varieties of Pizza offered by the well-known brands. Further, huge untapped potential in rural and semi-urban areas, quick investment recovery, simple equipment and small investment to open a pizza outlet also contributes to the development of domestic pizza industry in India. Thus, the domestic pizza market in India is estimated to grow with a CAGR of around 26% during 2011-2014. The two main contenders in this highly competitive market segment is Domino’s and Pizza Hut. Until 1996, Pizza in India was synonymous only a bready dough base slathered with some ketchup. Since 1996, there was a proliferation of ‘high-priced branded’ pizzas in the market, with the entry of international pizza chains. Domino’s and Pizza Hut, the two big US fast food chains entered India in 1996. Each claimed it had the original recipe as the Italians first wrote it and was trying desperately to create brand loyalty. Domino’s and Pizza Hut – tried to grab as large a slice of the pizza pie as possible. Domino’s and Pizza Hut expanded their market ever since they entered India. Domino’s had grown from one outlet in 1996, to over 500 outlets in April 2012. Pizza Hut too, which began with just a single outlet in 1996 has over 200 outlets in 2012. Domino’s entered India in 1996 through a franchise agreement with Vam Bhartia Corp. 3 The first outlet was opened in Delhi. With the overwhelming success of the first outlet, the company opened another outlet in Delhi. By 2000, Domino’s had a presence in all the major cities and towns in India. Pizza Hut entered India in June 1996 with its first outlet in Delhi. Positioning to customer needs. When Domino’s entered the Indian market, the concept of home delivery was still in its nascent stages. It existed only in some major cities and was restricted to delivery by the friendly neighbourhood fast food outlets. Eating out at ‘branded’ restaurants was more prevalent. To penetrate the Indian market, Domino’s introduced an integrated home delivery system from a network of company outlets within 30 minutes of the order being placed. However, Domino’s was not the trendsetter so far as home delivery was concerned. Delhi based fast food chain; Nirula’s was the first to start free home delivery in 1994. But where Domino’s stole the market was its efficient delivery record. GouthamAdvani, Chief of Marketing, Domino’s Pizza India, said, â€Å"What really worked its way into the Indian mind set was the promised thirty minute delivery. † Domino’s also offered compensation: Rs. 30/- off the price tag, if there was a delay in delivery. For the first 4 years in India, Domino’s concentrated on its ‘Delivery’ act. For its delivery promise to work, Domino’s followed an 11-minute schedule: one minute for taking down the order, one minute for Pizza-making, six minutes oven-time, and three minutes for packing, sealing and exit. Pizza Hut, on the other hand, laid more emphasis on its â€Å"restaurant dining experience. † It positioned itself as a family restaurant and also concentrated on wooing kids. Its delivery service was not time-bound. A company official said, â€Å"The Pizza making process takes about 20 minutes and since we don’t usually deliver to places which are beyond the reachable-in-half-an-hour distance, customers can expect home delivery within 45 minutes. † Moreover, analysts felt that Pizza was something that just was not meant to be delivered. Said Vivek Sure, Projects Manager, Pizza Express, â€Å"If you don’t eat pizza fresh, it turns cold and soggy. † However, Domino’s seemed to have overcome this problem through its delivery pack called ‘Domino’s Heatwave. Localizing the Menu Since its entry into India, Domino’s introduced nine new toppings for Pizzas to cater to the local tastes. Different flavours were introduced in different parts of India. Advani said, â€Å"The Indian palate is very definitive – people are extremely finicky and choosy, not too willing to experiment. Food tastes vary from region to region. To capture the market, we had to localize flavours. † Thus, Deluxe Chicken with Mustard Sauce’ and Sardines were confined to the East, Mutton Ghongura and Chicken Chettinad to the South and Chicken Pudina to Mumbai. Butter chicken, MakhaniPaneer and the ChatpataChana Masala were confined to the North. Very soon, Pizza Hut followed Domino’s and offered customized Spicy Paneer and Chicken Tikka toppings. Apart from this, it also opened a 100% vegetarian restaurant at Ahmedabad, a one-of-its-kind worldwide. The restaurant also offered a special Jain menu, which did not have a single root-based ingredient to fit in with the food habits of Jains. Another city-specific adaptation of its menu by Pizza Hut was the restaurant in Hyderabad, (Andhra Pradesh) which offered Halal meat and chicken only with no beef and pork products in the menu. MARKETING MIX 1. PRODUCTS PIZZA HUT a. Product differentiation: Worldwide and in India pizza hut has come to become synonymous with the â€Å"best pizza’s under one roof†. this is because at pizza hut the belief is that every pizza has its own magic thus making it a destination product which everyone seeks. It is this belief that has ignited the passion to create , innovate and serve the finest product the industry has to offer while setting standards for others to strive to replicate. Pizza hut is committed to providing uncompromising product quality, offering customers the highest value for money and giving service that is warm, friendly and personal. A critical factor in pizza hut’s success has been its unique dining experience. Crew members at pizza hut strive each day to provide ‘customer mania’ the kind of service that ensures that every visit of the customer is a memorable one. b. Pizza Features: Pizza hut has many unique features of their product due to which it attracts the customers. The product is classified into non-durable goods as it is a food item. Pizza hut differentiates itself with its competitors with respect to their wide range of offerings (menu items) one can find besides pizzas, range of pasta’s appetizers, cakes deserts etc. There are a large number of items to choose from. Some of the items are: * Pizza’s * Pasta and salads * Appetizers * Deserts * Beverages c. Mass Customisation: The main advantage of customisation is that one can customize his/her own pizza by selecting the bread and loading it with his/her choice of toppings. This creates variety in the customers mind and thus one can enjoy whatever he/she can imagine pizza hut can offer. The most unique feature is that there is ‘pan 4 all’ scheme where one can select 4 different types of vegetarian/no-vegetarian combination of pizza. This is a unique way of offering as there are many customers who come in groups where someone in the group may have different preferences. d. Conformance quality Pizza Hut products have high conformance quality all the products produced are identical and meet the promised specifications. e. Style Pizza is delivered in hot pans and served in style. The toppings are also dressed in a good fashion thus having ‘food in style ‘defines pizza hut experience. f. Service Differentiation * Dining: Once one enters a restaurant immediately the attendants initiates the ordering process by providing the menu. All associates are well trained in English and can take order from any type of customer. Pizza hut’s style of delivering the pizza is quite an experience. The restaurant is aesthetically designed. All the staff members are uniquely dressed, managers dressed specially. Also the tables and menus are all placed in a good manner. All orders placed are served within 15-20 minutes. * Delivery and takeaway:They have the concept of hot-dot in case of delivery, which means that the package is guaranteed to be delivered hot. There is a dot on the cardboard box that serves as a checking point as to whether the hot-dot status has been met or not. Also they place a tripod on top of the pizza at the centre so that the ceiling does not touch the toppings. DOMINOS a. Product Differentiation Domino’s pizza India has maintained its position in the market with its constant product innovation and maintenance of stringent service standards. More importantly it has established a reputation for being a home delivery specialist capable of delivering it’s pizza’s within 30 minutes to its community of loyal customers from its entire chain of stores around the country. As the name suggests ‘the pizza delivery experts’ customers can order their pizza’s by calling their hotline. Domino’s believes strongly in the strategy of ‘ think local and act regional’ . Thus time and again Domino’s has been innovating toppings suitable to the taste buds of the local population and these have been very well accepted by the Indian market. Also they have their promotional campaign ‘ hungry kya ? ’ which means call up Domino’s at any time of the day 24/7 whenever you are hungry and have the food in 30 minutes. b. Pizza Features. Dominos has many unique features of its product due to which it attracts its customers. The product is classified into non-durable goods as it is a food item pizza hut differentiates itself with its competitors with respect to their wide range of offerings (menu items) one can find besides pizzas , range of pasta’s appetizers, cakes deserts etc. There are a large number of items to choose from. The ‘chicken wings’ item has specially struck a chord with a lot of customers as such a kind of item is not available at any other pizza outlet. * Veg pizza * Non Veg pizza * Veg II pizza. * Non Veg II * Garlic breadsticks * Soft drinks (600 ml) * Chicken Wings * Choco Lava Cake * Butterscotch Mousse Cake c. Mass customisation The main advantage of customisation is that one can customize his/her own pizza by selecting the bread and loading it with his/her choice of toppings. This creates variety in the customers mind and thus one can enjoy whatever he/she can imagine domino’s can offer. The most unique feature is that ‘single slice pizza’ scheme where one can select any veg/non-veg pizza at a lower cost. This is a unique way of offering as there are many consumers e.g. Student segment who cannot always afford the premium price. d. Conformance quality Domino’s products have high conformance quality all the products produced are identical and meet the promised specifications. e. Style Pizza is delivered in paper boxes and served in style. The toppings are also dressed in a good fashion thus having quick service justifies the domino’s tagline. f. Service Differentiation * Dining: Though domino’s is mainly concerned with takeaway and home-delivery, to suit the Indian market it allows dine-in facilities as well. One can enter the restaurant and immediately place their order at the service kiosk and they would be provided with a token number and there is a led screen with indicated which order is ready for service. It’s mainly a self-help facility. Also pizzas are delivered in same cardboard boxes as in case of delivery, no such differentiation is there which is in stark contrast to that of the dine-in experience that customers enjoy at the more expensive pizza hut restaurants. * Home Delivery: Home delivery facilities in Domino’s are world renowned and super-efficient. The persons attending the customer calls are helpful in selecting the best economical orders as well. Also the delivery system is very efficient and very rarely has anyone complained about quality of delivery times. Also it is open 24/7 and this standard is maintained throughout India regardless of the livings standards of that place. 2. PLACE It is very important to decide where the marketer can deliver the value to the customer. This is done through effective marketing channels that make the product available to the consumer. India in 1996, with its first outlet in Delhi, has grown into over 101 outlets spread across 24 cities. In India, the majority of Domino’s outlets are delivery-based with only about 25% of the outlets being both delivery and â€Å"sit-down†. This is quite different from other retail food chains. Pizza Hut made its foray in India with a dine-in restaurant in Bangalore in June 1996. Starting with six restaurants in its first year, Pizza Hut has expanded to 73 restaurants in 19 cities and plans to scale up to 100 restaurants by end-2004 * At presentDomino’s has149 locations across India and (8,500). Worldwide * Dominos projection call for 500 stores by 2010 * The company has tied up with the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to set up pizza outlets in the latter’s petrol bunks and in the process save on real estate costs * The pizza chain will open such drive-in-drive-out outlets in around 100 IOC petrol stations in 16 different cities. It intends to invest around Rs. 40 crore to expand its network. Pizza Hut has 134 locations across India (and 13,000 worldwide); * Pizza hut projections call for 300 stores by 2012. † 3. PRICE. In India dominos is trying to attract not only the upper but also the lower and middle class people. So, it has a more widespread network of outlets even in suburban areas, whereas pizza hut is only present in major cities. These targeted customers are interested to spend on pizza but at a low price. They are eager to go for outing in any festival and as a cheap family restaurant dominoes will be most preferable. They do not need high class ambience or amusement in the restaurant So the establishment cost is low for the dealers and the price of the pizza is very reasonable for the customer. Company Price Range (Rs) Domino’s 39-265 Pizza Hut 75-350 Some of Dominos’ very successful pricing campaigns are * Fun meals for 4 @ 180 * Pizza mania @ 39 * Non-veg singles/doubles at 69/120 However pizza hut is not too far behind in targeting the lower income groups. The weekday meal @99 has been a major hit all over India attracting office goers and teenage students alike. However the main target segment for pizza hut is the rich and higher middle class people. They are offering an organised restaurant system with great ambience and for these demanding a higher price for pizzas. 4. PROMOTION DOMINO’S * Dominospizzas have decided to focus on the take-away market. * To give value to the customer Dominos came up with Rs 50 pizza * Dominos gave away a lot of free pizzas. Even today they give close to 1000 pizzas free during a week. * Dominos kept their promise of free pizza if it was late beyond 30 minutes. The company bore the cost * In November 2006 Dominos came up with double cheese crunch pizza. And it increased sales by 45 per cent * Besides that Dominos did a lot of ground activities in terms of alliances, radio advertising, etc. Dominos also have this program called the Rolex challenge. It’s a program run by Domino’s international where store managers are awarded a Rolex watch if the achieve a certain sales level in specified time. PIZZA HUT The advertising strategy for Pizza Hut is two-fold. Firstly, laying emphasis on it being an international brand with an Indian heart, Pizza Hut’s communication is reflective of family values, family bonding, etc. * Pizza Hut’s arranged marriage commercial in Indian settings, and the Palat pizza commercial in Hinglish. * Secondly, highlighting the premise that the pizza is a catalyst that brings people together ensures that this is a brand that connects with the Indian consumer. * The ‘Palat’ concept was launched in 2002, with the launch of Pizza Hut’s innovative range of ‘Stuffed Crust’ pizzas * An unconventional and fun product, the ‘Stuffed Crust’ pizza has a crust that is filled with a ring of mozzarella cheese that magically transforms the crust edge, compelling one to eat the pizza backwards – i. e. , crust first or ‘Palatke’. * Pizza Hut claims as much as 50% of sales from delivery in some stores, and ten of its outlets are takeout only. SEGMENTATION PIZZA HUT 1. Geographic Region: Pizza hut outlets in different parts of Indiaare a way of segmenting their markets according to region and finding out potential markets. City: They also segmented the cities as class I, classII, metros and small towns 2. Demographic Age: Under 10, 10-18, 18-25, 25-40, 40+ Family income: Middle class, upper middle class, high class Dual income earners: Yes/No 3. Psychographic Socio economic class: Urban 4. Behavioural Occasions: Birthdays, corporate lunches, parties, receptions Loyalty status: Low, medium, high User status: First time, regular, non-user DOMINO’S 1. Geographic Region:Domino’soutlets in different part of India are a way of segmenting their market according to region and finding out potential markets. City:They also segmented the cities as class I, class II, metros and small towns 2. Demographic Age:Under 13, 13-21, 21-35,35-50, 50+ Family income: Lower middle class, middle class, upper middle class, high class 3. Psychographic Socio economic class: Urban 4. Behavioural Occasions: Birthdays,parties,receptions,festivals, small office parties Loyalty status:Low,medium, high. User status:First time,regular,non-user TARGETING PIZZA HUT * In geographic segment they targeted countries where there were no pizza hut outlets. Initially opened in class 1 cities and then have now moved to sub-urban. * In demographic segment main target is young adults ranging from 25-40 and also dual-income earners. They basically aim the upper middle class and high class income segment. * In psychographic segment they targeted urban socio-economic classes. * In behavioural segment they targeted occasions such as birthday bashes and corporate lunches. They also targeted the first time users as they felt that the quality and taste would automatically make them a loyal customer. DOMINO’S * In geographic segment they targeted countries where there were no domino’soutlets. Initially opened in class II cities and then have now moved to class I, metros and smaller towns. * In demographic segment main targets are teenagers and college students ranging from 13-21yrs and young adults ranging from 21-35 yrs. They basically aim the upper middle class and middle class income segment. * In psychographic segment they targeted urban socio-economic classes. * In behavioural segment they targeted occasions such as festivals, hostel parties. They also targeted the first time users and also the regular users. SWOT ANALYSIS PIZZA HUT Strengths:1. Strong Universal image that customers easily recognise. 2. Successful customization3. Low competition in eastern part of the world4. Strong network with its franchisees| Weaknesses:1. Lack innovation2. High competition in western world3. Fixed overhead cost| Opportunities:1. Pizza as family dining option2. Pizza is a fast growing niche market3. Services on mobile and other electronic devices| Threats:1. Socio Demographic changes2. Consumers being price sensitive3. Competition from other brands| DOMINO’S Strengths:1. Worldwide Presence2. Leader in pizza delivery industry3. Strong brand image4. Strong network with its franchisees| Weaknesses:1. Declining in-store sales | Opportunities:1. Growth opportunities in developing economies2. Services on mobile and other electronic devices| Threats:1. Competition in the pizza delivery industry2. Increase in health awareness3. Increase in labour and food prices| CONSUMER PREFERENCES Primary Research Results RECOMMENDATIONS PIZZA HUT: 1. High quality personnel: Total cooperation of its employee’s thereby increasing productivity, beating competition and enhancing consumer satisfaction. 2. Pay more attention to untapped segment of Senior citizens. 3. Maintain the product quality by continuous innovations. 4. Emphasis on development of â€Å"Home Delivery† Network. DOMINOS: 1. Make more coupons available to customers: Offer specials for certain times or seasons 2. Improving online ordering procedures. 3. New products specific to location. 4. Customized pizza.

Marijuana Debate

Erica Del Vigna Coms 2 Negative Outline Proposition: The state of California should legalize marijuana. I. Introduction Thesis: Though I agree that marijuana should be put into a controlled environment, I believe it should not be legalized due to its poor health attributes, and its negative influence towards the youth and drug users. Preview: I will be explaining today why the affirmatives plan does will not work as a sufficient plan in California. I will start by refuting his claims that marijuana is not a gateway drug. I will also explain the future harm that legalizing this drug could do to the youth of our state.Finally, I will connect the link on drug users to criminals. Overall this drug does not benefit our future generations socially or for their health. According to Scripps Alcohol and Treatment Center in California, â€Å"we have yet to see a patient come through here who doesn’t attribute his addiction to having started with marijuana as a gateway drug†. II. Body A. Ills and significance refutation 1. The affirmative claims that marijuana is not a gateway drug, which is the farthest from the truth. Most people who are in a treatment center started off by occasionally using marijuana.As I stated in my previous quote from the Scripps alcohol center, most addicts blame their addiction habits to starting with a gateway drug like marijuana or alcohol. The clinician who was interviewed stated that society realizes the real dangers of marijuana as a gateway drug. Even though in 1996, medical marijuana was passed by California voters with Proposition 215 by a 56 % passing rate; in 2010, Proposition 19 failed because California voters did not want to legalize marijuana, as stated in the Christian Science Monitor dated May 2012. . The affirmative argues that law enforcement should spend their days fighting something more important than drug users. I strongly disagree with this because of the evidence showing that drug users lead to harsher crimes . Allowing people to use drugs is telling the youth of California that it is okay to smoke weed. This could potentially turn otherwise respectable children into drug using, criminal adults. In the article by the American Academy of Pediatrics, â€Å"Legalization of Marijuana: Potential impact on youth† in 2004, the doctors state that legalization of marijuana would have a negative effect on youth because in would decrease the adolescents’ perceptions of risk and increase their exposure to the drug. In comparison to a Dutch study from 1984 to 1992, decriminalization increases marijuana use by adolescents because making marijuana legal makes it available. American manufacturers of alcohol and tobacco market their products to young people and marijuana would be the same.Marketing research shows that if only 1% of 15-19 year old Americans began using marijuana, there would be approximately 190,000 new users. B. Cure refutation 1. —The affirmative’s plan will not work for multiple reasons. Although some may use the drug for health benefits, it will cause more problems to society than help. The Office of National Drug Control Policy director, John Walters states that Marijuana damages the brain, heart, lungs, immune system and contains cancer-causing compounds. It also impairs learning, memory, perception and judgment which are connected to car accidents and workplace accidents.It should not be legalized because it is too dangerous and causes severe health problems. In the article by Taxman and Thanner, â€Å"Risk, Need, and Responsivity† in Crime & Delinquency dated 2006, the authors agree that marijuana should not be legalized because 20% of the state drug offenders reported involvement with firearms and 24% of the state drug offenders had prior convictions for violent offenses.. Repeat offenders connected with weapons and violent offenses incur high costs; but keeping these criminals off of the streets is worth it. C. Cost-Benef its –There are 4 main disadvantages that could take place if we legalize marijuana: 1. Drug users throughout the general population may rise. 2. Many more people will be using firearm and could demonstrate violent behavior 3. More health damage than good could affect millions of people either as users or from second hand smoke 4. Moral and ethical values could be put in jeopardy III. Conclusion 1. California currently only allows medical marijuana users to legally purchase marijuana. If we allow all citizens to have access to this drug, we could potentially lead California down a very bad path.We would see far more crimes and cases of drug addiction. We do not want the future leaders and adults to think that it is politically or socially correct to use this drug. 2. It is clear from previous California elections that California’s people do not want the law to be changed. In order to keep the state safe, and healthy, it is crucial that marijuana is not legalized for rec reational use. Works Cited 1. Joffe, Alain and W. Samuel Yancy. â€Å"Legislation of Marijuana: Potential Impact on Youth. † American Academy of Pediatrics. 113:6 (2004): 632-638. 2. Taxman, Faye and Meridith Thanner. Risk, Need and Responsivity. † Crime & Delinquency. 52:28 (2005): 28-51. 3. Weil, A. T. et. al. â€Å"Clinical and Psychological Effects of Marijuana in Man. † Science Magazine. 162:1234 (1968): 129-132. 4. Benson, John et. al. â€Å"Medical Marijuana – should marijuana be a medical option? † Neighborhood Link National Network. Retrieved from www. neighborhoodlink. com/article/Community/Medical_Marijuana. 5. Khatapoush, S. and D. Halifors. â€Å"Sending the Wrong Message: Did Medical Marijuana Legalization in California Change Attitudes about use of Marijuana? † Journal of Drug Issues. 34:4 (2012): 751-770.

Summary for 'the parable of sower' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary for 'the parable of sower' - Essay Example Question #2: The destruction of the gated community where Lauren and her family live. The meeting of Lauren and Taylor Bankole on their journey north marks her first encounter with love. The transformation of her belief that God is change, into a religion and acquiring new followers in the form of Travis and Zahra. The disappearance of Lauren’s father and the death of her brother Keith. The enlargement of the north bound group. Question #3: Lauren Olamina is the leader of the group offering guidance to the group (Mayer 113), and the story is told from her point of view. Harry Balter being the only man initially provides added security. Zahra Moss proves to Lauren that she can teach people to read and write. Taylor bankole acts a source of wisdom and balances the age gap among members of the group because he is older than the rest of the group members. Question #4Dystopia is the setting of a story or film based on the future dysfunction of affairs in a community and members group together for protection against the chaos from outside. Characters group into a group of trusting individuals and shun others they do not trust. Question #7: The empathy disease is a condition of actually experiencing emotional and physical pain or pleasure of other people. Lauren, Grayson Mora, Emery Tanaka Solis, Tori and Doe are ‘sharers’. ‘Sharing’ in society is aimed at portraying the need to understand other peoples’ feelings and the good it could accomplish in attaining a better relationship among individuals. Question #20: The book is an enjoyable read because the issues it address are already present making it easier to identify with the characters’ situation. The book is a good recommendation to those who enjoy fiction based on near true circumstances or

300 (2006) Movie Critical Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

300 (2006) Movie Critical Review - Essay Example For ten days, Leonidas and his valiant men fight against the Persians. The Greek Ephialtes, however, defects to Xerxes and reveals a separate path through Thermopylae, which the Persians used to defeat the Greeks. Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) successful persuades the Council to send reinforcement to Leonidas, but it is too late. Leonidas and all his men perished. Nevertheless, the battle continues, since Dilios leads a larger Greek army against the Persian army and launches the Battle of Plataea. The film has not precisely depicted some of the causes of the Battle, beliefs and attitudes, technology, dress, events, characters and speech of the time, as it turned a historical fact into a romantic myth that emphasizes the inaccurate dichotomy between the â€Å"evil† Asians and the â€Å"good† white race. The film did not accurately depict the causes of the Battle at Thermopylae and severely dichotomized historical characters, although the Battle itself is not fictitious. The Battle of Themopylae truly occurred, which Herodotus and other ancient writers described. The film shows that Leonidas fought for freedom and independence of not only Sparta, but the whole of Greece, though this is a simplistic reason for his motivation, according to Eugene N. Borza, professor emeritus of ancient history at Pennsylvania State University. It was still unclear why the Persians charged to Thermopylae, so it is hard to answer why the Greeks prepared to go to war with the former at Thermopylae. The film also no longer explores the â€Å"complex issues faced by the Greek city-states confronting the Persian advance† (Borza). Nevertheless, the Spartans did courageously stand against the Persians and all of them died there, except those who defected to the Persians and deserted the Spartan army. Their last stand, as a result, has been subjected to numerous various interpretations, to which the film â€Å"300† also belongs. Furthermore, the film has depicted a r ather stereotyped dichotomy between Asians and whites. The Asians, specifically Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), are illustrated as the â€Å"embodiment of evil and mindless tyranny, as opposed to the Spartans who represent freedom and justice† (Borza). The black and white division between the Asians and the Greeks perpetuate Orientalism and not the real facts about the Persians as people and their leaders. The film does not capture the actual figures of the historical event, but it did highlight some factual military strategies. Leonidas did not have only 300 soldiers with him, because according to Herodotus, the â€Å"Father of History,† he also brought thousands other Greeks and slaves. Borza stresses that it is â€Å"ludicrous to suggest† that an experienced Spartan general like Leonidas would think that 300 men would suffice against tens or even hundreds of thousands of enemies. That thinking would border both hubris and stupidity. Borza asserts that the Spartan s tand at Thermopylae consisted of â€Å"a force of perhaps six to seven thousand Greeks.† Moreover, the location of Thermopylae was strategic, because â€Å"the Persians would be unable to take advantage of their massive preponderance in numbers; instead, they would have to face the Greeks in close-quarter, hand-to-hand combat† (Frye 39). Also, the casualties to the Asians were high, because the Greeks fought well and hard too (Borza). â€Å"300† specifically capitalizes on close-up and medium shots of the battle with spurting blood and flinging, cut-off body parts that would have happened in a real hand-to-hand battle. Thus, the location enhanced the strategy of the Greeks against the Persians, while Snyder ensures hardcore action battle scenes with graphic shots and

What Is Globalisation and How Does It Challenge World Politics Essay

What Is Globalisation and How Does It Challenge World Politics - Essay Example This essay stresses that as the world progresses, the growing unease fuelled by both political and economic disagreements have seen major countries across the world adopt measures that protect their interest. Held and Hirst state that China for example has introduced additional rules defined as serving ‘national security’ a situation that has increased economic uncertainty in China in terms of foreign investments. Countries like Russia on the other hand have developed what is referred to as sovereign wealth fund that is aimed at safeguarding the inward equity investments in Russia thereby encouraging internal economic activities. Australia introduced laws restricting takeover, a move that was seen as trying to block some nations from buying Australia’s natural resources. This paper makes a conclusion that it remains to be seen whether globalization will have an overall positive impact on the global setting. This is because, there is still a general feeling that globalization brings along selfish interest among those in control. This explains why international trade bodies such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), international justice institutions and arbitration courts such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the international community bodies such as the UN and EU have never been unilaterally embraced. The main idea behind the formation of these institutions may have been positive but, such institutions might be manipulated leading to further widening of the power gap that may eventually lead to a full blown confrontation between different nations across the world.

Societal Issues in The Lord of the Flies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Societal Issues in The Lord of the Flies - Essay Example Right and wrong begin to fall to the wayside with the introduction of the hunt. Jack uses clay to disguise his face and trick the pigs, changing the visual representation of himself, moving further from society and rendering himself unrecognizable. Both Ralph and Jack still have some connection to the past, but Jack is moving away from it to create his own world governed by the laws of hunting and survival. Without any adults on the island, the boys must learn to govern themselves; however, problems ensue.The youngest, the least influenced by society, are the first to run away, the first to show anarchy and the breakdown of societal control. The boys give up the chance for rescue for the chance to kill. Their value system has shifted significantly. The degradation of the natural world through burning fires or killing pigs mirrors the breakdown of the boys' socialized humanity. Roger throws stones near one of the younger boys, Henry.He aims a few yards away, still following the laws of society.Civilization forces him to limit his primitive violent instincts, but these constraints no longer fetter him by the end of the novel.

MHE510, Occupational Health and Safety, Mod 3 SLP Essay

MHE510, Occupational Health and Safety, Mod 3 SLP - Essay Example One must remember however, that the loudest noises do not matter if they are not in an area that exposes employees (Hager, 2007). Hearing loss can seldom be restored so it must be prevented. Once it is determined where the noise levels either need to be attenuated or the employee needs to be protected, one can establish the type of protection to use. Second, the issue of employee education must be approached as all of these employees must have a thorough understanding of what causes hearing loss is, how permanent it is, and how to protect themselves. The group of employees at risk according to this case study are the fork lift operators. When selecting a HPD or hearing protection device, many managers choose the cheapest that prevents the most exposure. The problem with this is that it may not be the right one for the kind of exposure that is found in this particular situation. Employees must also understand the OSHA rules that pertain to these issues. OSHA requires mandatory hearing protection for employees that are exposed to 8 hours of dBA of 90 or greater. There must be signs posted in areas where this equipment should be used and . Once it is decided what protection equipment is to be used, it must then be enforced with loss of job for not using the equipment as ask. According to Ross, (2007) the University of Washington recommends the following for hearing protection Some of the possibilities include earplugs which should not be used in a dirty area as employees will roll the plugs with dirty hands and then put them in their ears. Others that are useful are canal caps and ear muffs. The company will have better compliance if the employee can choose from the ones that work in their area, the one that is most comfortable to them. Canal caps resemble ear plugs but are on a flexible band which is worn over the head. They work as well as ear plugs but do not have to be put down in a dirty area. They may, however,

Social Democratic and Economic Progress in the Republic of Trinidad Essay

Social Democratic and Economic Progress in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago between 19902005 - Essay Example It is widely known for its natural beauties, tourist locations, and attractive sceneries. The country's capital city is Port -of -Spain, which has staked its claim to serve as the headquarters of the permanent secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.1 Everything is good for this country, which has seen several vicissitudes in relation to its economy, except for its instable political conditions. Backed by a strong multicultural, multiethnic and multi religious society, the democracy of Trinidad and Tobago has been undergoing several phases of political instability for the last decade-and-a-half seriously posing a threat to its economy in the long run. As the frequent political instability takes away the valuable time of the political parties, they find less and less time to concentrate on Governmental matters resulting in an administrative vacuum. This also generally paves the way for criminals to take an upper hand over law and order machinery over a period. If the political parties continue to fight among themselves neglecting the citizens' welfare, it will ruin the country's future Trinidad and Tobago political parties, including the smaller ones, must know that continued political instability may also result in three unwanted developments. 1. It may lead to people losing confidence in democracy and the political parties. ... 1. It may lead to people losing confidence in democracy and the political parties. Frequent elections and crises of leadership would badly shake the faith of people in the democratic system of governance. In addition, it would pose extra burden on the state exchequer with heavy and recurring spending on frequent elections. 2. Experience has shown that countries lacking in political stability are prone to invite military interference in the administration resulting in frequent coups, internal conflicts and rebellions.2 Pakistan is the best example for this. 3. Frequent political instability of a country would devaluate the country's credentials in the eyes of neighbors making it vulnerable to the pulls and pressures of big powers. Moreover, such countries would lose their bargaining power during economic negotiations at the international level. Thesis / main essay With ancestors of India, Africa, Europe, China, and the Middle East converging, residing, professing various faiths, and speaking various languages in this tiny republic, Trinidad and------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 What drives violent conflict available from http://www.strategy.gov.uk/downloads/work_areas/countries_at_risk/1factors.pdf; Internet; accessed 22 November 2005 3 Tobago mercifully presents a picture of 'unity in diversity'. During the 1990s, social awareness on the issues of harmony and coexistence had grown into wider proportions among various sections of Trinidad and Tobago people. As a country hosting residence to people of several races and groups, this nation has transformed itself into a symbol of co- existence and peaceful living. As per the information provided in the Wikipedia,

Biological Anthropology (Growth and Maturation) Essay

Biological Anthropology (Growth and Maturation) - Essay Example A more thorough examination could show that a propensity towards obesity is determined by genes, but genes alone cannot bring about the entire change. Moreover, the environment where in we subsist has been greatly transformed by culture (Hanson, 1981). How much we eat and even what we eat depends quite insignificantly upon the naturally arising food sources in the locality. Most people depend upon the availability of food at the grocery store, their food preferences, and their available money to buy food. These are cultural forces. The argument of this essay is that biological anthropologists has constantly studied comprehensively and rigorously traits that are readily observable, in this case body proportions, with the intention of proving that the environment influenced them less or possibly not at all. It has been quite simple to remove environmental factors in studying bodily proportions, but not at all simple to identify their form of inheritance in a majority of cases. Understanding the genotype from a relatively forced phenotype is more complicated when biological anthropologists take into account other features of bodily and facial appearance wherein the current diversity of human beings is evident. The capacity of the environment to modify the activities of those genes which set up the possibilities for human growth and maturation is well-documented. But the way in which they do so and level of environmental alteration are not practically quite well-known or understood hence it is important for academ ics to study this area of human evolution thru the lens of biological anthropology. This study will attempt to verify the argument put forth by initially discussing the theoretical perspective underlying it, which is the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Model, and then analytical approaches and evidence on the subject matter will be identified and

Scientific breakthroughs Essay Example for Free

Scientific breakthroughs Essay Scientific breakthroughs are achieved either by chance or by a thorough scientific research where people discover or come up with new information about the world they are living in. These research projects are designed according to a standard that provides qualitative and quantitative data through experimentation and analysis. Part of the standard in a scientific research/investigation is the questioning, followed by a potential guess or answer, before an â€Å"if, then† statement. This process or standard is referred to as the â€Å"Scientific Method. † One of the most important elements in the process of scientific method is the formation of hypothesis. Hypothesis is defined as a scholarly guess considered to be the potential answer to the question identified at hand. In order to come up with a specific hypothesis, a certain standard or protocol should also be followed. Questions resulting from observations are piled up and reworded to form a guess. The guess or hypothesis must be in a statement form and not as a question, can be experimented over a test, should be based on observations and information, and should foresee the projected results clearly. It is primarily composed of two variables namely, the independent and dependent variables. Identifying variables forms predominantly the entire process of hypothesis formation. As known, variable, from its root word â€Å"vary†, is a component that changes in the process of the investigation. Upon taking one variable at a time in the formation of hypothesis, the one selected is what we call the â€Å"independent† one. The independent variables could be in the form of abiotic and biotic. The former are the inorganic factors of an environment while the latter are results coming from the living elements of the environment. The dependent variable, on the other hand, is the variable that is directly examined by the researcher. Meanwhile, the researcher can use any of the three methods in writing a hypothesis. He or she can choose the manipulation hypothesis when using the independent variable for experimentation, the choice hypothesis when examining the preference of an organism, or the observational hypothesis when observing organisms where conditions cannot be changed (UTAS 2008 ¬). References University of Tasmania. (2008). Hypothesis Formation. Retrieved March 17, 2009, from http://www. utas. edu. au/sciencelinks/exdesign/HF2. HTM

Descartes Meditation Essay Example for Free

Descartes Meditation Essay 1. If Descartes’s aim is to find certainty, why does he proceed by doubting as many things as he can? He feels that as long as he goes on believing his old beliefs, laziness and habit will block him from receiving any truths. He feels that if he regards his beliefs in the same way as he does any falsehoods he can remain unbiased when judging information and only then will he receive real truths. 2. What reason does he give for doubting that the senses give knowledge? That a man asleep can have a realistic dream that he is having the same experiences as a man thats awake. 3. What does the experience of â€Å"dreams† show us concerning the senses? He talks about how real dreams appear even though they are proven to be deceiving. And if one can be deceived in a dream by all of their senses can they not also be deceived in reality by some supernatural demon. He says hypothetically that God may not have created earth, shapes, etc. and everything that we sense could be a form of deception. 4. Why can he doubt even that 2=3 = 5. He talks about the fact that he sometimes doubt others who claim to have the most perfect knowledge. And if that can be the case for them cant it also be possible for him to be wrong about â€Å"obvious† truths. Also, if one may feel that if Gods goodness would stop him from being deceived SOME of the time, wouldnt it stop him from being deceived ALL of the time since he is clearly deceived some of the time. Basically he is acknowledging the fact that he could be wrong.

Book Store With A Cafe Included Marketing Essay

Book Store With A Cafe Included Marketing Essay We have chosen a book store with a cafe included. We have chosen this as coffee shops and bookstores are popular in the city. We have also chosen Auckland Citys, Queen Street (main downtown) as our prime location. Since there are many surrounding businesses and universities, this seemed like the best location. Our target market for our product/ service will be ranging from the ages of 20 and over. We have these groups as our target audiences because 20 to 25 year olds are most likely to be university students. 25- 50 year olds is the working group that we have also targeted, this age group is most likely to gout for coffee while on breaks. Our older target market consists of ages 55 and onwards. This age group was chosen because many people have either left the workforce or retired. Retired citizens receive the gold plus card which gives them the privilege to travel free on public transport after 9 am. Many people in this age group tend to gather friends and go out. Market Analysis DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL SUPPLIERAs we will be running a combined product/ service company, our distribution channels for both would be different. For the bookstore our distribution channel would be: CONSUMER RETAILER This would be the most appropriate distribution channel as books will be bought directly from the supplier, which than will be sold on to the retailer (Village Poets Cafe) and then passed onto the consumers. A certain percentage of mark up will be added before sold on to the consumer. Our coffee house distribution will be different as this will require more than three channels. Products for the coffee house can either be bought directly from the producer or from the wholesaler who buys form the producer. Coffee houses will generally use both. So our distribution channel will consist of three channels. PRODUCER WHOLESALER OR RETAILER CONSUMER RETAILER CONSUMER ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS Demographic- our demographic ranges from age 20 to 55 plus. Our demographic market is so wide because of the combination of the bookstore and coffee store. The 20 25 age groups are mainly focused for the book store. This is because of the surrounding tertiary institution. As this is a book store and a coffee store, students that visit coffee shops usually like to sit and have a read. With both stores combined, students coming to buy can also be encouraged to buy a book or stationery. This way income will be generated from both the stores. Other age group of this organisation is mainly focused on the coffee house. This is the best place as people can just read and relax. Technology- technologies have huge impacts in businesses. As many new technologies have been developed, many jobs that needed human labour were replaced by machines. It is the sasme for books, as many application have been developed that makes it possible for readers to download and read books e.g. eReader and Kindle. This means that less people are buying fewer books. This also means that book stores are not generating as much income as they did. This is an abstacle for our book store as we will have to think of ways to attract customers to come into our store. Technology can be our biggest factor. Politics- the only political factor that will affect the coffee store are the health and safety and food safety measure. We will have to be able to get food safety certificates in order to run the coffee house effectively. We will also need to have effective pest control measures in place. If we fail to comply, the local council can penalise and this will affect the businesses reputation in the community. Natural Forces- for the coffee shop, the coffee beans would be imported from elsewhere. If not from another country than it would definitely be bought from a wholesaler who may import beans from another country. E.g. Ethiopian Sidamo Fair Trade Coffee beans from www.globalcoffee.co.nz. If there was a flood or drought in Ethiopia, than this may mean that the beans will be unavailable for some time and we may need to find alternatives. Other natural forces that can affect the business are earthquakes. As these are becoming common in New Zealand, we have to ensure that the premises are insured. Earthquakes could cause a lot of damage and may result in the premises being shut down for some time. Income will be lost for that time being. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Our main product of the store will be coffee and books. But as we are perceiving coffee as our main source of income, we will have to do lots of campaigning. We will lots of competitors at the location we are based on. Since we are located on queens street, our main competitors for coffee will be Starbucks/ McDonald McCafe, and for books will be Whitcoulls. We will compare prices for coffee. Prices of books will also be compared with the likes of Whitcoulls. Channel Market Comments Internet Amazon.com (Books) Ficton/Books/Magazines Lee Child story boo. k- A Jack Reacher Novel for 18.48 and Where We Belong for 16.78 Amazon offers an easy pathway for book lovers to buy books online. These are easily dispatched. Village Poets Cafe will have to have promotions that would want to make the customers come to the shop and get the books. Local Market- e.g. Whitcoulls Whitcoulls are really successful in New Zealand. They usually have cheap offers on books e.g. container sale. To maintain steady sales we will have to campaign on books with complimentary coffee perhaps or buy 2 books and get a coffee free. Local Market Starbucks and McDonalds (McCafe) Starbucks will be our main competitor. McCafe will also be competitive as they are more convenient for people and usually offer promotions such as Free Muffins. Established brands that take over will be a great way to test quality of coffee. MARKET MEASTUREMENTS Customer Perceptions No formal measurement of customer perceptions has been undertaken as yet. We are meaning to measure the perceptions through the advertisings. However, it is expected that customer response may be positive because of the convenience. Market Share Market share is not yet considered at this stage. Other Considerations Observation and feedback will be used as tools to measure the market against the competitors. For e.g. foot traffic and sales can be measured against competitors. Feedback from customers and determining the right price for the products/ services can be used to set up pages on social networks e.g. Facebook and also News paper advertisements. PROFITABILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY ANALYSIS In the current phase of the business, we are wanting to breakeven in the first few months. The profit margins will be very narrow. There will be lots of over heads to consider e.g. equipment purchase, employees, training, packaging, utensils, resources, rent, and electricity. Product 1 Large Coffee Product 2 Pastries Product 3 Books Retail Price 4.60 3.00 29.99 Expenses Coffee Beans 0.45 Paper cups 0.15 Freight Inwards 0.45 0.20 5.00 Electricity 0.70 0.50 1.50 Ingredients 0.60 0.70 Total Expenses per product 2.35 1.20 16.50 Gross Profit per product 2.25 1.80 13.40 Total gross profit altogether is 17.45. A projected sale for one week is $2000. 180 cups of coffee x 4.60 = $828 400 pieces of pastries x 3.00= $1200 100 books x 29.99 = $29999 which equals to $5027. Product 1 Product 2 Product 3 Gross Profit 2.25 1.80 13.40 Market Sales 180 400 100 Total Sales $405 $720 $1340 PC 1.2 a.) Cultural Factors -Peoples views of nature/technology as technology is expanding it is coming up with ideas that makes things available on fingertips e.g. Kindle book reader. This in many ways lessens the environmental factors. Peoples views of the organisation- we will have to demonstrate that we as an organisation are trust worthy. We will have to adopt and ask for opinions and suggestions to accurately monitor and measure sustainability and customer perceptions. b.) Ethical Factors We will be using Fair Trade coffee beans as well as coffee cups that are recyclable. We may also encourage customers to buy coffee cups that are reusable. Reusable coffee cups can be made available in store if we market it the right way and make its benefits bold. Recycling signs need to be emphasized on the cups. Not recycling effectively can become an issue overtime, there fore best practices will be put in place from the start. PC 1.1 SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths (Internal) Access to technology and teams having to necessary knowledge Knowledge of local market and geography Ability to design the store ourselves Weakness (Internal) Very less knowledge about the finance of the business Have to rely on foot traffic at the this stage Having to use only New Zealand suppliers Opportunities (External) Lots of new ways to market our products and services e.g. Facebook pages Making of more contacts with the suppliers locally Threats Lots of competitors (McDonalds, Starbucks, Whitcoulls) Weather New competitors Recession Suppliers not having enough stock or running out of stock PART TWO: MARKETING OBJECTIVES To get effective marketing campaign for Village Poets Cafe. Some marketing objectives that we have decided on are radio advertisements, flyers and facebook page. These marketing campaigns have been chosen specifically because they are the most common ways of making direct contact with potential customers. Our measures of success will be taken when the store has opened. We will conduct a little survey or just ask customers how they heard about the store. To make the objective attainable, we will have in place a set budget fro spending on campaigns and use resources or opportunities that may have been previously looked upon. With the target market in place we will work towards on how much the marketing will cost. The goal is to create an effective marketing campaign before the store opens to get customer traffic whether it be foot traffic or by other means. To find out whether the main objective had been achieved or not, will only be known when store has commenced business. Whether if the marketing campaign has been achieved or not will be known when the store opens but a time frame that we have given for marketing the store is at least 3 weeks. PART THREE: OPERATIONAL PLAN PC 1.3 Activities, Responsibilities, Timeliness and Resources Activities Responsibilities Timeliness Resources Flyers To create attractive flyers with promotions that would be eye catching and perhaps a glimpse of the store. Flyer to be colourful and should be catchy Zabeen/ Shaista To be produced before the store opens and be distributed prior to opening (one week) Laptop, Google, Promotional materials, Paper, Ink. Radio sales To establish radio stations that would be relevant to our audiences. Responsible for running adverts and scripting them. Need to sort out the suitable times e.g. mornings Amandip Two weeks before opening and two weeks after opening Market/ geographic research Target audiences Materials e.g. information for advertising Facebook To establish a Village Poets Cafe page on facebook. Also in charge for ongoing maintenance of the page and updating with photos and posts. Krishneel Page to be established and up and running by the opening of the shop. Ongoing Laptop and digital camera. COMMUNICATION PLAN As a medium based organisation, we have a communication plan that shapes our organisation. The communication plan is for our internal and external shareholders. Our values shape our communication plan. Our values are: Honesty our motives should be honest. Our customers and staff will be treated with honestly and work must be done with honesty. Respect be respectful towards customers and staff. By doing things with respect, business ethics will become stronger. Stakeholder Materiality To engage with the stakeholders, we as an organisation need to understand what resources are important for them. For most stakeholders, money is the biggest factor and rely on that as it is their livelihood as well as ours. Some of our stakeholders are: Customers- customers should receive value for their money. In return we provide them with coffee that is rich and offers value for money. E.g. large cappuccinos for $3.60. We would also stress on customers bringing in their own cups as a plan for promoting good environmental practices. Suppliers- need to be paid on time. This helps to create a relationship that can be mutual later on. Applying with the legislative rules and components and paying rent on time. Use the infrastructure and the facilities available on site regularly. Community- making sure that we also promote on environmental factors and recycle and throw away garbage appropriately and keep the business clean and tidy at all times. CONTINGENCIES AND OPTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION Some risks that Village Poet Cafe may face are poor weather, conflict with suppliers, staff shortages. Risk Probability Impact Rating Contingency Poor weather 1 2 2 Business maybe very slow on some rainy days, on rare cases. Can have rainy day promotions e.g. buy a book and get a cup of coffee free. Conflict with suppliers (Books and other wise) 1 3 3 Can be disruptive if bills are not paid on time. Ensure to pay bills on time and build trust over time. Staff shortages 1 2 2 Have enough staff to cover all shifts. Also employ students on part time / casual basis who are trustworthy. PROVISIONS FOR DATA ACQUSITION Since we are using flyers, radio and facebook as our intended ways of advertising, the best way to keep data acquisitions is to record daily sales. Also get the customers to give feedback on a form which could state them to tell us where they heard about Village Poets Cafe. Complaints and compliments can also be used to record feedback. MARKET POSITIONING Village Poets Cafe is a cafe with a bookstore which is not common in the New Zealand market. Village Poets Cafe wants to provide the best service to its customers in terms of providing the best coffee and a place for the customers to relax and unwind. Competitors such as starbucks, McDonalds, Whitcoulls are well known brands around the globe, but they dont provide the benefits of buying a book and taking time out to buy coffee as well and relax at the same time. Village Poets Cafe are to make sure and emphasise on this benefit of the store. We are to also emphasise on the Fair Trade Coffee beans that are to be used and recyclable coffee cups. MARKET MIX At Village Poets Cafe we will focus on the 4Ps Product- our focus is on coffee and books under one roof. Our focus is on why customers should come to us. It provides them with the benefit of being able to buy a book or magazine and relaxing afterwards with coffee. The advantage for our customers will be that they will also be able to sit and read there. People will come in for either on of the products. It is likely that at least coffee maybe purchased. Pricing- our price for a standard coffee is 4.60 which allows us to make a profit of $2.25. this price us reasonable when compared with our competitors. Prices off books will differ and maybe the same prices in some cases. Using schemes such as loyalty cards can be handy as it can be another way of promoting our store. Promotion- our products/ services are marketed using flyers, radio and facebook pages. Since we are a new business starting up, we will be working on attracting customers locally first. We will also be running promotions on buying 5 cups of coffee and get the 6th free. Also be running loyalty card schemes where a customer can get 10% after their 3rd purchase on the books. Market bonds can be made stronger when really interacting with customers and delivering with what they want. Place- as we are located on Queen Street, we wont be focusing on reaching out to new markets. We will be focusing on getting established in the current market. By 2013, we may look at expanding out of Queen Street. QUALITY CONTROLS Quality coffee will be an integral part for Village Poets cafe. We are ensuring that our coffee will be of Fair Trade and of top quality. We want to give customers, value for their money. Quality controls will be our focus and regular customer feedbacks will help us keep on track. EVALUATION PROCESSES AND CRITERIA Evaluation processes and criteria are embedded in the objectives. STEP 7 (PC3.2) Other marketing activity and potential synergies Internal synergies With Village Poets Cafe, inter synergies are very limited. External synergies We would need to engage with partners e.g. Fair Trade dealers to create a more environmental environment.

Death Camps Of World War II :: essays research papers

Starvation. Mass shootings. Gas chambers. Beatings. Mass murder. In the early 1940s, perhaps the most brutal attrocities ever committed on a people in our world’s history took place. It was World War II. The Nazi Regime, led by Adolf Hitler, was waging war across Europe. Occupied Poland became the place where those prisoners and captives held by the Nazis were sent to be eliminated. From 1941 through 1945 a total of some 3.5 million Jews met their deaths in Nazi extermination camps. These â€Å"death camps† as they are often referred to had the single goal of eliminating the Jews while hiding these crimes under a shroud from the rest of the world. Unlike the â€Å"concentration camps† of the same time, where Jews were brainwashed and ordered to do labor for the Germans yet still often killed, the death camps were devised solely for the mass killings of prisoners. There was no discrimination. Men fit for work, women and children of all ages were not sorted and suf fered the same fate. These events would be known as â€Å"the Final Solution† to the Jewish problem faced by the Nazis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Captive Jews were held in areas called â€Å"ghettos† ultimately commanded by the Germans. Following through with the elimination of the Jews, the Nazis gave them fierce living conditions often housing dozens of people in small buildings. Food was administered in very small amounts. Those that did not starve to death were either shot or sent to camps. Some were sent to concentration camps. There were also labor camps. During some of these trips, prisoners would be told that they were being relocated. Many of these people instead arrived at the extermination camps never to be heard from again. The Polish town known as Kulmhof, though more popularly known as Chelmno, was the first place where mass killings by gas took place as part of the â€Å"Final Solution.† It was established in December of 1941. The first man in charge of this operation was Herbert Lange. This â€Å"Sonderkommando† or special commander, was once in charge of a T4 euthanasia program in which he was the overseer of the murder of psychiatric patients in the town of Posen. He had control of about 150 assorted German security police and uniformed police. Twenty members had posts within the camp as well as many secondary units. There was also a group, called the Waldkommando, who operated in the surrounding forest to make sure no one could see what was happening inside.

Inetgrity:The Control of a Dream :: Economics Businesses Papers

Integrity:The Control of a Dream Last year I spoke to you on Patriotism, the Belief in a Dream. I tried to relate this subject to the commitment one feels to employees, suppliers, and customers from the day they first start their business until it is molded into success, and beyond. I termed Patriotism as a love for and devotion to the success of the business. During the journey of building and running a business there are numerous challenges that test the meddle of the many individuals involved. The foundation of this business must be built on a bedrock of integrity or these challenges will destroy it overnight. But what is integrity and how can you get it ? Webster’s dictionary defines the word as soundness of and adherence to moral principal and character going further to say that it is a state of being whole, entire, or undiminished, in perfect condition. It is not hereditary. It is more about breeding than birth. It is a â€Å"second nature† developed through education, experience, and choice. One needs to pay more attention to virtues like honesty, integrity, responsibility, respectfulness, and fairness to build the character that can help you navigate the ever changing world of business. Teddy Roosevelt reportedly said, â€Å"To educate a person in the mind but not morals is to educate a menace to society†. Rarely has this been more evident than in the past few years where we have seen the highly educated managers of once respected corporations such as Enron, Arthur Anderson, WorldCom and others wreck havoc on our economy. In the last decade we have shown great concern about the low moral code being proliferated by the media, the entertainment industry, fast rising businesses, and even our top elected officials. I do not see where much has been done to correct a glaring issue that tears at the very heart of American society. Building Character isn’t easy. It starts with attentiveness but it’s not just a matter of hanging posters or listing virtues. It requires serious and sustained effort to enhance the ethical consciousness, commitment, and competence of our workers and our families. Our domestic school system is thought to be taking the issue more seriously, but most are only giving it lip service. Cheating and disrespect flourish in classrooms and on sports fields; and young people are unintentionally nudged toward moral agnosticism, or a belief that there really is no right or wrong.

Essay --

Spinal Muscular Atrophy, also known as â€Å"SMA† is a genetic and also a motor neuron disease that affects the area of the nervous system that controls your voluntary muscle movements such as walking, crawling, and swallowing. When someone acquires this condition their muscles start to shrink as a cause to the muscles not receiving signals from the nerve cells in the spine that control function. Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a rare but serious condition. Spinal Muscular Atrophy affects about 8 out of every 100,000 live births and also causes death among more babies than any other genetic disease out there. About one in every forty people has this gene in them but may not have SMA so they are a genetic carrier. But in order for a child to have SMA, both parents have to carry the mutated gene and passed it to the child. Therefore this causes the child to have double copies of the abnormal gene. About 1 in 40 men and 1 in 80 women are carriers of the gene. Survival Motor Neurons are a protein that is produced by the survival motor neuron gene 1. The SMN protein is found all over the body, especially containing high levels in the spinal cord. This protein is important for maintaining specialized nerve cells called motor neurons that are located in the spinal cord and brainstem. When a person have An abnormal or missing SMN1 it causes serious problems due to the fact it isn’t receiving the proper communication from these cells resulting in nerve cells shrinking and over time dying. SMA is broken down into having four types. In order to determine the type you have is based on the physical achievement because each person is different. SMA is not a progressive disease, although over time people with this lose ability to coordinate due ... ...can see if this condition runs in the family. A physical examination is a good way to tell is there is any type of muscle weakness or spinal curvature. Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy is currently unavailable to correct this condition. But a person can take other steps to try to help comfort the situation they are in but there is no stopping it. Physical therapy is important because it can help work the muscle to prevent contraction of them. Breathing machines are an important to have because a lot of trouble falls under the breathing when the weakness of these muscles occurs. In conclusion there are a lot of conditions to be aware of that people don’t really think of. It is important to take precautions and pay attention to symptoms and conditions are body shows us. And get educated about different disease out there to protect our families and ourselves.

Information Systems Strategy at the Toronto Stock Exchange Essay

The exchange industry is undergoing a transformation brought about by globalization of financial markets, consolidation of exchanges, and the introduction of new competitive players due to technological advancements. The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE) is Canada’s largest equity market and has created and started to implement a plan to deal with these threats. Concurrently, the TSE has been recreating its technological platform, moving from its computer assisted trading system to the Torex system purchased from the Paris Bourse. Implementation problems have delayed the project from its original release date to three years later. During the time frame of this implementation, the TSE suffered several computer glitches causing closure of the exchange for temporary periods of time. The president and CEO needs to review the priorities of the TSE and consider what actions she should take to ensure the successful implementation of this new technology, and the long term alignment of information technology with TSE business strategies. The main issues for the Toronto Stock Exchang (TSE) company has been task of reconstructing the TSE to succeed in the face of significant industry and technological change. The recommendation for this case would be to focus on the security and the problems related to the system TOREX. Indeed, in this domain programs.

James Rachels and Psychological Egoism Essay

Psychological Egoism pertains to the doctrine where the object of all human actions is for the attainment of their self-interests. It occurs even in a situation wherein the acting agent seems to do a particular thing for the benefit of other people because it the very idea that he has able to do good for others may bring satisfaction to him. Psychological Egoism tends to create a bad characterization on the nature of man. It appears that man, in its state of nature, would only act so as to gratify his own interests and get all the things that would satisfy or that are pleasurable for him. As introduced earlier, the mere act of helping other people, just like sacrificing one’s enjoyment for the benefit of other people may showcase the principle of psychological egoism. To reiterate the point of the psychological egoism, all the ends of man is directed towards the attainment of pleasure. Hence, the reason why a person sacrifices his own enjoyment is for his own sake, or for his won pleasure. Therefore, he is not being unselfish but still selfishly acting. In this manner, the concept of altruism may not really be possible for the very reason, as presented above (that all acts are geared towards the gratification of self-interests even if an action seems selfless) that there is no really such thing as selflessness but always involves one self. Many people have been hooked with this belief that man is naturally selfish (negative or positive selfishness is still a form of selfishness). As a result, people try to use the principle of psychological egoism to defend their criminal or unjust acts. As how asserted, they are justly doing what their nature asks them to be – that they are acting naturally. But as how Socrates proved Glaucon wrong for saying that an unjust life is always beneficial than a just life, James Rachels attempted to evaluate the arguments held by the advocate of the psychological egoist in saying that man by nature is selfish and that it is natural that all his actions should be for his own pleasure. Rachels’ refutation against psychological egoism starts in his distinction of what it is to be called as selfish and what it is to be called not selfish. For Rachels, selfishness implies that all actions that are for the benefit of oneself and not considering their effects to other people. At the same time, Rachels elaborated the very idea of not being selfish. Not being selfish pertains to an act in which the acting agent considers the feelings or the welfare of other people recognizing the fact that he might do what could give him more pleasure but doing the other act so as to arrive at mutual or common benefit. The common misconception that most people have in considering the doctrine of psychological egoism is that for an act to be named as unselfish is to be able to bring advantages to other people but not getting anything from it. This is obviously the misinterpretation which tends to mislead those who find psychological egoism plausible. Rachels suggests that unselfishness does not necessarily mean absence of any advantage for the acting agent. The idea of being unselfish is that a person might only do things for his own good without taking into consideration other people’s well being but because he recognizes that others may also do the same action against him (considering the concept of justice), then he would not just act for his own sake. What Rachels want to emphasize in the book is the fact that the issue is not on the problem if selflessness is really possible. But what he sees is the fact that selfishness and unselfishness is really different from each other. The mere fact that a person consider how his friend would feel is he will stay with him during his hard times would really not make him selfish. Though he feels happy for helping his friend it does not follow that he isa acting egoistically. He satisfies himself and at the same time he brings good to his friend. And that is unselfishness for Rachels. The arguments of Rachels are so significant in a sense that he really brings out the object of the debate and the misconception imposed by the principle of psychological egoism – that is the distinction of selfishness from unselfishness, and the irrelevance of selflessness in the discussion. Rachels’ recommendations or interpretations against the psychological egoism is viable for the simple reason that one should consider the welfare of others in order that he could also expect that in return, others would also do the same thing. For Socrates, that is what the concept of justice is all about; and the same thing for Rachels. In essence, Rachels’ arguments against the doctrine of psychological egoism presuppose that man is not naturally bad or evil as how the advocates or proponents of psychological or ethical egoism say. He implies that the genuine nature of man is the fact that he looks for other people, he has compassion for them, and he recognizes that he does not only live for himself. In return, the greater good is achieved because if everyone would have the same attitude and realization about the world and mankind then all would be confident that they would not be unjustly treated by others or simply used as means to their ends. To sum up and conclude, Psychological Egoism proved nothing but the truest essence of justice. Rachels successfully shared a very interesting and very enlightening truth about the flaws of the psychological egoism. The debate was not if selflessness is possible or not. But the main argument is whether man could act unselfishly which Rachels proved to be possible. Considering the welfare of other people and at the same time being benefited by the same act was a very delightful idea that was effectively conveyed through Rachels’ arguments.

The history of special education

AbstractionThis essay will explicate how over the past 100 old ages particular instruction has become more diverse and invariably altering the manner handicapped pupils are being taught in public schools. How it views of the manner instructors are developing IEP programs for their pupils. I will explicate the different stages of particular instruction in its largest span of clip. It will discourse how the term† learned handicapped â€Å"was derived after it took the topographic point of phrase â€Å"brain injured† . And it will explicate the phases in which the IEP ‘s are developed and how a kid with particular demands should be taught to bring forth success. Additionally, this essay will discourse the tribunal instance of Brown v. Board of Education ‘s determination to demand that all particular demands kids be granted an chance to have a free and appropriate instruction. In past old ages people would lock their handicapped kids up in suites and insulate them from others because they were ashamed of them or because they were different and they did n't cognize how or what to make with them. This made affair worse, handicapped kids were left isolate and entirely, sometimes being abused physically and sexually, they were non considered human. This continued to go on until a few innovator, people who were advocators for kids with particular stood up for them and brought their instances to tribunal, but that ‘s something of the yesteryear now. The Torahs covering with particular instruction have changed for the better now. Particular instruction was one of the major country in instruction that was considered to be outraged and or considered to assist each other. Education for kids with acquisition jobs had emerged from no instruction for kids with particular demands to particular support for plans particularly for those persons with larning jobs. Mos tert, M. , & A ; Crokett, J. ( 2000, June ) The particular instruction for particular demands kids went through adult male Y phases before they were recognized by the tribunal systems. From 1800 ‘s to 1930 ‘s the first stage was called the foundation stage. This is when pupils who were identified and placed in particular instruction plans were treated and labeled as being brainsick, retarded, or encephalon dead. Some pupils were considered to hold some type of encephalon hurt because of the different research workers and surveies that have been performed on me. In the1930 ‘s to the 1960 ‘s. the passage stage began and this was considered to be the best clip of all time for these types of kids. They were taught were taught that they could n't truly assist these people. Researchers developed instruments for appraisals, analyzed specific types of larning jobs and besides presented a program for learning â€Å"brain injured† kids. At this phase the labeling of the kids with larning jobs was non every bit rough as â€Å"brain injured† . The pupils were called â€Å"children with minimum encephalon dysfunction† Then the turning stage for the instruction of pupils with larning jobs was subsequently called the Integration Phase which lasted from, 1960 ‘s to 1980 ‘s. Samuel Kirk, is responsible for the term â€Å"learning disabled† . He took those words and used it to replace the name of the first term â€Å"brain injury† . After this term took the topographic point of† encephalon injured† and minimum encephalon dysfunction† , it seemed like there was hope for kids with larning jobs. The U.S. legislative assembly began to acknowledge the rights of persons with disablements, which prevents schools from know aparting against particular needs pupils. The US legislative assembly Torahs demand that all of the rights be reserved for the rights of an person with particular demands to hold an appropriate instruction, even if the disablements are non covered under the particular needs jurisprudence. The instructors and pedagogues of particular needs pupils remain accountable for the appropriate instruction of these pupils, and they will be held accountable in the tribunal of jurisprudence even if it means losing their occup ation or locked up in gaol. Schools started set uping plans for the acquisition disabled. Support was provided for instructors to be trained in larning disablements. The most of import portion of the Integration Phase is the Education for All Handicapped Children Act ( PL 94-142 ) in 1975. This act was to guarantee that all pupils no affair what type of job they had would have a â€Å"free and appropriate public education.† ( IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities and Special Needs Act ) . The last stage is the Current Phase, from the 1980 ‘s to the present. One of the most of import stages in the plan is inclusion. Inclusion is when schools mainstream pupils into regular categories pupils with disablements in regular schoolrooms in their vicinity schools, with collaborative attempts and support services as needed for each single pupil. Another facet of the Current Phase is when the EMA of 1975 was written as IDEA in 1990. IDEA, persons with Disabilities Education Act, made it difficult to suspend or throw out pupil s with larning disablements because of their behaviour. IDEA besides required that each acquisition disabled kid have an IEP, Individual Education Plan. An IEP is a papers that must include current public presentation of the pupil, the one-year ends the pupils need to accomplish, particular instruction and related services. This Plan besides included the kid demands, engagement, if any, with nondisabled kids, alterations needed to take province trial, day of the months and topographic points of when and where particular services will be provided and the mensurating advancement of the kid, and any particular adjustments that the kid may necessitate. Before a pupil can hold an IEP, they foremost must be labeled as a pupil with a learning disablement. The parents, particular instruction instructors, the school counsel counsellor, regular instructor, the school ‘s psychologist, and the rule are ever notified and included in the programs for this meeting. There are phases to calculate out whether or non a kid has a learning disablement and need particular services. The first phase is detecting if a pupil is holding trouble in one or more capable countries. The following measure is to measure the kid ‘s suspected disablement country, but before this can take topographic point the school must have permission from the parents to measure the kid. The eligibility is decided by a group of qualified professionals along with the parent to find if the kid has a disablement defined in IDEA. If the kid is found eligible, the IEP squad will run into to discourse and compose and IEP for the handicapped kid within 30 yearss of the pupil being identified as handicapped. The IEP squad meeting is held and the IEP is written in collaborative attempts from all members of the IEP squad. ( U.S. Department of Education, 20, Feb, 2001 ) Services are so provided for the pupil. At the terminal of the twelvemonth, advancement is measured and the IEP is r eviewed. After this procedure takes topographic point, every three old ages the pupil is reevaluated. By jurisprudence certain persons must be involved in the authorship of a kid ‘s Individual Education Program. Parents must be involved because they know their kid and what their kid may necessitate. Regular instruction instructors, if the pupil will be mainstreamed into regular schoolrooms some clip during the twenty-four hours, are a demand on the squad, because they know the general course of study of the pupil. They besides have cognition of how to manage pupils with behavior jobs. The following member of the IEP squad should be a particular instruction instructor. This individual will be able to lend their cognition in how to modify general course of study and proving to assist the particular demands kid learn and demo what they have learned. The particular instruction instructor besides has the duty to learn the pupil and transport out the IEP procedure. The persons invol ved in the IEP squad are single who can construe ratings result ‘s, represent the school system, persons with cognition of particular expertness about the kid ‘s, representatives from transitional service bureaus and the pupil who the IEP is being written for. In decision, particular instruction has gone through many stages and phases of the manner a kid should be taught in the past decennary. The jurisprudence has made a way for those with larning jobs and now there is non halting them. Children with larning disablements eventually have a opportunity to stand out in school and the Torahs have made it possible for them to take advantage of the chances for them to hold normal life.

Bedside table development evaluation Essay

It is important for surveyors to convey to their client whether members of the public, builder or contractors in general proper care in establishing the variables that will affect any given project. Time upon reflecting these variables and the implications that can bring to a project need to be carefully reviewed, whether from a traditional procurement route or form example a design and build method. In reviewing these factors is it feasible to determine the relevant specifics whether to demolish a particular building? As new buildings through poor workmanship can also cause snagging problems or greater issues after practical completion. Therefore a written record of what has to be done in form of a pre-condition report is to be completed to ascertain all factors whether to reinstate, through either refurbishment or to demolish. Of course other variables such as the client’s costs programme and end user use must all be taken unto account, the current climate of environmental and carbon footprint issues continue to be an ever enforcing element with construction. Only when such a report is commissioned can it determine that the building is ‘statutory defective’ can the final decision of a building to be torn down can be decided. This can also be called a dilapidation report. In evaluating the varied mechanisms by which buildings are deemed to fail refurbishments is the valid reason to unsure that such a pre-condition report is submitted to the relevant parties to see much works are required to re-instate the building whether to its original form or improvements to current building regulation standards. An example of how the government is seeking to explore refurbishments activity into existing dwellings was the introduction of the Home Condition Reports (HCR) in 2004 which formed part of the Housing Act 2004. It is intended to aid that of the general public placing their property on the market for inspectors to create a pre-condition report for those prospective buyers. This would enable those buyers to identity areas with dwelling or single portfolio item to in more than one ways to fit into the whole-life cycle of a building. Put in lay mans terms what works needs to be done (if any). The report itself was in 4 parts as identified in table 1 below. What is important is that the government is seen to work towards improving the large stock of dwellings with in the United Kingdom (UK) that need to be graded into energy ratings and of which then people can through builder and contractors alike to start upgrade or enhance their own homes whether for resale or for their own purpose i. e. to reduce bills by adding another layer on insulation within the attic. Adding a greater life span to elements within the building through whole-life cycle of a building. This is further reflected within the new European Union (EU) Directive 2002/91/EC (2002) for the energy ratings. It is important to note that these HCR where later replaced by the Home Information Packs (HIP). Refurbishment and upgrading are the alternatives to demolition when appropriate. In a recent article Existing Stocks: The Facts, www. building. co. uk (Aug 2008) in this country i 24billion a year is spent on repair and maintenance of homes – Refurbishment is defined as to renovate, restore or revamp an existing building either to enhance its current state of repair or to update to other building regulations, it may be an office building where an air tight part L building regulation has to be stipulated or a dwelling to increase it’s thermal requirements under the new guild lines from the HIP’s Refurbishment works well when the building falls into correctable obsolescence, which means it has reached obsolescence stage only because it has poor acoustic, fire, or thermal performance, construction defects such as dampness or fungal attack, inadequate or relatively inflexible layout, poor amenities or facilities. But should refurbishment actions be taken when building falls into non-correctable obsolescence: is in poor location, inadequate building morphology (very inflexible layout or restrictive floor, ceiling heights, or serious construction failures). The decision to establish the reason(s) to either demolish, refurbish a building can vary significantly from the client requirements, through to building control, and of course things can change during the construction period, i. e. it may be that during a refurbishment programme that a greater amount of work is required like dry rot, and therefore a particular building may well be need to be gutted further or even take the step of demolishing it. When works to start on a building such issues can arise which may change the programme of works or structure of the building completely. With the best will ion the world unexpected items like this to happen, but with a good project team in place, then hopefully the advantage is to continue with the best solution possible, which may even be to demolish. The variables are unique to every single project and have to be taken on merit at that given time. The life expectancies of the components of a house depend on the quality of installation, the level of maintenance, weather, and climate conditions, and the intensity of use. These can of course through a good level of planned maintenance continue the whole-life cycle of the building and have the advantage of refurbishment opposed to demolition. Investing in home refurbishing work can save money if they are invested in it sooner than later. For example, fixing a potentially leaky roof at the early stage will save money in the long run by avoiding a costly repair job, when the roof becomes much more difficult to work with. It is much cheaper to ‘patch’ a small problem than to repair a large one. Same principle is found everywhere in life. For example, cars have some similar principle, unbalanced wheels, steering wheel shake will damage further down suspension, or unchanged oil, timing belt might cause complete engine failure. In maintaining what you have through either servicing or in construction case, whole-lie cycle refurbishment can the reasons to maintain an existing building are established. Some components may remain functional, but become obsolete due to changing styles and preferences or improvements in newer products as the same applies to the building. It can be structurally sound, but over a period of time parts of any building need to be maintained. Douglas, reports that the ‘Obsolescence is the process of an asset going out of use’ However, there are couple main issues why buildings become obsolescence. In addition, Clark (2009) noted that obsolete buildings as ‘those that suffer from structural, vacancy due to expire of their former use and require intervention (market or otherwise) to achieve a subsequent useful function’. Upgrading existing buildings rather than demolishing them avoids the loss of the embodied energy, making a valuable contribution to avoiding additional carbon emissions from demolishing. It is perceived that recycling a building rather than building from scratch is a step forward in maintaining a low carbon footprint. It could be then argued then why the government do not charge any Value Added Tax (VAT) on new building construction. Often the cost of maintenance and repair is the driving force to demolish older buildings. This can be especially true when there is a major defect within the building, e. g. base build defect from a structural problem. Most older buildings are poorly insulated and thus expensive to run, problems occur for example when a building is listed and therefore is unable to change many features due to the law and English Heritage constraints. In addition the cost of financing the project and the effect of inflation on building costs is less than that of building from new as for the most part refurbishment projects have a shorter development period. To demolish a building creates a huge waste of embodied energy (as mentioned above), a report by the government funded body Empty Homes Agency found that: ‘new construction emits nearly five times as much carbon dioxide per square metre as comprehensive refurbishment of an existing building’ Ward (2009). Furthermore, saving time is a major factor when proposing a refurbishment project, the pre-contract design and official permissions phases are normally faster than for a new development. As often building control can be less involved where plans for a new build are required to obtain planning permission. Consideration of the various factors of matters from the initial report and feasibility studies are the key to ascertain the extent of what can and can not be done to any given project. Refurbishment can in itself be extensive from a ‘facelift’ to a major remodelling of the interior of a building. Although, no doubt this will still be debated, but the way forward within industry seems by those through the government and institutions such as the Royal Institutions of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and English Heritage to seek the benefits of maintaining buildings in terms of whole-life cycles through sustainability and economies