Investigating Business Essay

In this section, I will give a detailed explanation of the marketing mix and why it is used in businesses. I will be giving a detailed analysis’ of the Product, Pricing, Place and Promotions. This section is based on about how I found my target market and then fulfilling their wants and needs. Marketing Mix Marketing mix: ‘Provides a recipe for effective marketing’: tutor2u. net Marketing is the term used to describe a range of activities within a business that are designed to keep existing customers and to gain new ones. The ‘marketing cycle’ begins with the objectives of the business, which feed into marketing objectives. Next comes, Market analysis, involving the business looking at its position in the market and the ways it can best take advantage. Market research will be used to fid out which groups can best be targeted, and how. Market planning will include how, when and where to target markets. It includes test produces and test marketing. A marketing mix needs to be developed so that a successful balance of price, product, promotion and distribution is achieved. The marketing mix: Product The product refers to the different range of products supplied by a business. A product can be either a good or a service. It is just one part of the marketing mix and will only be successful if properly combined with marketing. Good market researchers will identify where new products are needed or existing products can expand. The product lifecycle The product lifestyle shows the stages that a product goes through from development to decline. There are five stages to the life of a product and they are development, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The first stage is development. This is where the product is being developed it will not be growing as it is currently not on the market yet. Nobody will know what it is as it hasn’t yet been launched. The launch stage also known as the introduction is the second stage. This is where the product will begin to grow little by little. As it is a new product no body knows about it and therefore on a product lifecycle chart, it starts off at the very bottom, with no sales. The producer will need to create brand awareness so people know that the product exists. Brand awareness could be an objective set by the company. Brand awareness could be achieved in many different ways such as advertising in the local paper or on national T.  V. depending where the product will be sold in my case it will be sold locally so it will be most likely to be advertised in a local paper. When the consumers are more aware of the product they are most likely to buy it, as, sales will go up and the product then goes into its next stage of growth. Once, the product comes to the end of the decline stage then it is likely that the company will stop producing it, as they will eventually make a loss instead of a profit. However, not all products will reach the declining stage. The product lifestyle can be shown on a graph to the left. Currently, my product is at the development stage. I am currently finding out my customers need and wants through market research such as field and desk research, I am developing my product around what they want, this is important as they are buying it. If my product is successful it will evolve through the product lifecycle. As my product is a new product and not yet on the market I will need to do a lot of advertising to create brand awareness, through carrying this out successfully it will mean my product will get a good head start in the launch stage. When it becomes more popular I will the advertise in different ways such as television advertising, as this was the most effective way of advertising (results from questionnaire), with advertising in this way my product will be known nationally instead of originally locally. The marketing mix: Price Price is one of the elements of the marketing mix. The marketing mix term is used to refer to the balance between these different elements. Businesses need to get the mix right and in order to do this they need to decide on a price that is appropriate to the product. Most times, all prices determine by the interaction of supply and demand. In some countries, buyers and sellers still bargain until both are satisfied with the price. The auction process such as eBay mirrors this. However, this process can be time consuming and the seller usually sets the price and the buyer shows their acceptance of this by buying at that price. Price will vary according to the circumstances. Normally, if you start a new business you will have to research the market very carefully, examining competitors’ pricing very carefully. What will customers buy on price, example, buy the cheapest? The numbers of pricing strategies which can be used are the choice of pricing strategies that will depend to some extent on the long term objectives of the business- how it wishes to position itself in the marketplace, or how important its financial needs are. The examples of long term objectives are: * Making a profit * Pricing to keep the competitors out of the market * Pricing which positions the company at the luxury end of the market * Pricing to maximise sales and make the business a market leader. Commonly prices are based on the marketing needs of the business. There are often temporary price strategies used to achieve a particular short-term target, called tactical pricing. Promotional pricing is designed to increase sales quickly. This can be done using low prices or discounts, special offers or (buy one get one free. ) The marketing mix: Promotion Promotion involves telling the customers that a product exists, and attempting to persuade them to buy it. It is important to remember that this is just one part of the marketing mix; it is linked to other parts. Promotion is usually divided into advertising and sales promotion. Using different media such as TV, newspapers and magazines, posters, the internet and sponsorship are one of the different techniques of communication. Large businesses have the advantage of resources in promoting products to a mass market. Though, small businesses can make can make variety of promotional techniques in a local area or niche market and achieve good communication with the target market. One of the best promotional tools of a small business is a well-designed website. Place  Place is often referred to the fourth ‘P’ of the marketing mix. It has two key parts to it. Firstly, it is the market where goods and services are sold. This may be physical ‘place’ like a shop, market or trading floor, or it may have no physical existence but be the a market that exists on the phone or, increasingly, in cyberspace. The place where something is sold does not have to be solid; it just refers to the place where the transaction occurs. Secondly, ‘place’ refers to the transaction occurs. Secondly, ‘place’ refers the efficient distribution of goods. Most retail outlets can take many different forms. For example vending machines is a retail outlet, as is a department store. They are categorised by the type of range of goods or services they sell, and their geographical range and position. Multiples provide a brand identify for all of their sites. My product From carrying out primary and secondary research I have been able to choose exactly what my final product is. In carrying out field and desk research it enabled me to find out exactly who my target market is, how to segment the market and finding out and full filling my customers’ needs and wants. This is one of my four objectives. As my product is a new product it is currently at the introduction/launch pad, as nobody knows about it so far, but it will work its way along the graph. My product is a 3D indoor stimulating ride. As analyzed in my questionnaire a large group of the target market would like to see something different introduced in the theme park. This stimulator will include features that no other stimulator has ever included. As mentioned before, this ride is based on a classic book and film, Alice in Wonderland. Firstly the 3D stimulator will be one of the tallest stimulators in the world. The ride will be 395 feet high (beating Las Vegas Stratocasters record. ) with the speed of 150mph. As this is a suspense/vertical drop ride, people will be expecting to be entering a normal looking 3D stimulator ride but as the ride begins, they will be in for a shock. The ride will begin with a small voice of Alice speaking to the rabbit. After, the 3D screen will appear with the clip of Alice following the Rabbit. The ride will shake as it follows the motion of Alice’s footstep. As Alice’s follows the rabbit she will then see a small bottle labelled â€Å"drink me. † After Alice drinks the content from the bottle, the screen will switch off, a puff of white smoke will appear and a distorted nursery rhyme will be heard. The 3D stimulators will then shake vigorously and tilt forward. Flashing images of Alice’s face will appear from the screen with psychedelic patterns and colours. The stimulator will then spin around at a speed of 60mph for 40 seconds and unexpectedly stop. Then The ride will tilt even more and there will be an opening right below the people on the ride. This opening will have a slight cold breeze and will be pitch black. The ride will then drop down vertically from 395 feet, and that will be the end of the ride. This is the poster to my product: Safety As this ride will have a lot of dangers, safety is essential. Firstly, as the people will enter the simulator ride they will have to abide by the height restrictions (min. 1. 4m) anyone under that height will not be permitted onto the ride. Any pregnant women, people suffering from high blood pressure, heart problems or any other serious conditions, won’t be allowed on the ride. Seatbelts must be double checked before the ride begins. If any accidents occur during the rides i. e. vomiting then the ride will automatically stop and medical help will come straight away. Also, there will be paramedics in the area if any accident occurs. Branding From conducting my questionnaire in my primary research, it showed me that most people would prefer a scary themed ride, but I needed further information in how I was going to present the merchandises to the target markets. However from my secondary research it showed that most people would like a horror theme vertical drop ride. I decided to link the horror themed ride (chosen by the target market) with the other most popular choice, the 3D stimulator and combined the two together. For the merchandisers, I’ve decide to use Alice in terror land doll key chains, similar to the slasher film, Chucky the killer Doll. The features will include a sensor. The dolls eyes will follow you’re movement. This will also include a mini torch.

Books And Reading Essay

Topical Vocabulary 1. Categorisation: Children’s and adult’s books; travel books and biography; romantic and historical novels; thrillers; detective stories; science fiction/fantasy; non-fiction; pulp fiction. absorbing; adult; amusing; controversial; dense; depressing; delightful; dirty; disturbing; dull; fascinating; gripping; moralistic; obscene; outrageous; profound; whimsical; unputdownable. 2. Books and their parts: paperback and hardback; binding; cover; jacket; title; epigraph; preface; the contents list; fly leaf; bookplate; blurb; a beautifully printed book; a tome bound in leather; a book with dense print/ with loose pages. 3. Reading habits: to form a reading habit early in life; to read silently/incessantly/avidly/voratiously; to read curled up in chair; to read a child/oneself to sleep; to be lost/absorbed in a book; to devour books; to dip into/glance over/pore over/thumb through a book; to browse through newspapers and periodicals; to scan/ skim a magazine; an avid/alert/keen reader. 4. Library facilities: reading rooms and reference sections; the subject/author/title/on-line catalogue; the enquiry desk; computer assisted reference service; to borrow/renew/loan books; CDs and video tapes; rare books; to keep books that are overdue; books vulnerable to theft; to suspend one’s membership; to be banned from the library. I. Use the thematic vocabulary in answering the following questions: 1. Which books are you reading now? 2. Where is your favourite place to read? 3. Who is your favourite novelist? 4. Who is your favourite character? 5. Which contemporary author do you most admire? 6. Which is the first book you can recommend reading? 7. Which school text did you most enjoy? 8. What is your favourite children’s book? 9. Which book would you like to see filmed? 10. What is the most difficult book you have ever read? II. Work in groups. Find out about the last book each of your partners has read and make notes on these points: Author and title Type of book and what’s it about Reason for liking it Reason for recommending it to others III. Work in pairs. Choose the best alternative to complete these sentences: 1. Oliver Twist is a classic work of English †¦ . Literature non-fiction letters editions 2. The plot of the story was very exciting, but I didn’t find the †¦ . Persons people characters figurers 3. This book is a special edition for foreign readers, so there’s a(n) †¦ . Appendix glossary introduction preface table of contents 4. A novel is usually divided into several †¦ . Chapters units sections passages 5. If you need to find some information in a non-fiction book, look in the †¦ . Atlas blurb catalogue diary index review 6. Cambridge University Press is the †¦of the book you’re reading. Author editor printer publisher 7. A great novel has a good plot and a strong †¦ . Communication meaning message significance 8. The book was marvelously †¦ and it was a joy to read. Stylistic tedious well-written wonderful 9. Ernest Hemingway is one of my †¦ American writers. Best favourite ideal most popular 10. The thriller was so exciting that I couldn’t †¦ . Let it down look it up pick it up put it down 11. Even the †¦ characters in the book are really interesting. Less minor small tiny 12. I’d like to †¦ that book when you’ve read it. Borrow hire lend loan IV. In these sentences three alternatives are correct and two are wrong. Choose the best three alternatives for each: 1. The †¦ character in the book is called Oliver. Central main principal principle top 2. I enjoy her books because her style is so very †¦ . Dull entertaining readable tedious true-to-life 3. I found that the characters in the story were very †¦ . Amusing believable informative likeable thrilling 4. There were so many twists in the plot that I didn’t really think it was †¦ . Accurate authentic convincing realistic true-to-life 5. She doesn’t read any fiction because she prefers reading †¦ . Biographies short stories textbooks non-fiction science fiction 6. I can’t †¦ books like those – they just send me to sleep. Bear carry enjoy stand suffer V. Fill in the gaps in these sentences with suitable words: 1. You can borrow books from a †¦ or buy them from a †¦ . 2. A writer can also be called an †¦ . 3. I can’t afford to buy the book in hardback, so I’ll wait till it comes out in †¦ . 4. I can’t remember the †¦ of the book, but I know it had a yellow †¦ . 5. A book that tells somebody’s life story is called a †¦ . VI. Match each word in the column with the explanation: Ballad, biography, novel, drama, poem, fairy tale, poetry, story, rhyme, novelette a) a story in prose, long enough to fill in one or more volumes, about either imaginary or historical people; b) piece of creative writing in verse form, especially one expressing deep feeling or noble thought in beautiful language, composed with the desire to communicate an experience; c) simple song or poem, especially one that tells an old story; d) the art of a poet, poems; e) tale about fairies of imaginary origin; f) branch of literature dealing with the lives of persons; g) play for the theatre, radio or TV; h) verse for small children characterized by sameness of sound of the ending or two more words at the ends of lines of verse; i) short novel (story in prose); j) account of past or imaginary events. VII. Read the following extract and make with your groupmates the list of the books you would like to read while travelling: The Book- Bag Some people read for instruction, ad some for pleasure, but not a few read from habit. I belong to that company. Let us admit that reading is just a drug that we cannot get along without. Books are necessary to me and I never traveled far without enough reading matter. But when I am starting on a long journey the problem is really great. I have learnt my lesson. Once I fell ill in a small town in Java and had to stay in bed for three months. I came to the end of all the books I had brought with me and knowing no Dutch had to buy the schoolbooks from which intelligent Javanese, I suppose, got knowledge of French and German. So I read again after twenty-five years the plays of Goethe, the fables of La Fontaine and the tragedies of Racine. I have the greatest admiration for Racine, but I admit that to read his plays one after the other requires a certain effort in a person who is ill. Since then I have made a point of travelling with a large sack full of books for every possible occasion and every mood. There are books of all kinds. Volumes of verse, novels, philosophical works, critical studies (they say books about books are useless, but they certainly make very pleasant reading), biographies, history; there are books to read when you are ill and books to read when your brain want something to work at; there are books that you have always wanted to read but in the hurry of life at home have never found time to; there are books to read at sea; there are books for bad weather; there are books chosen solely for their length, which you take along when you have o travel light, and there are the books you can read when you can read nothing else. (from W. Somerset Maugham) VIII. See how many authors and titles you can match: For Whom the Bell Tolls Charlotte Bronte A Perfect Stranger Charles Dickens Airport Walter Scott Sister Carrie Dan Brown Tom Sawyer Daphne du Maurier Pride and Prejudice Arthur Hailey Martin Eden Danielle Steel Of Human Bondage Ernest Hemingway Alice in Wonderland Mark Twain Ivanhoe Lewis Carroll Rebecca Jack London David Copperfield Theodore Dreiser Jane Eyre Somerset Maugham The Da Vinci Code Iris Murdock Black Prince Jane Austen IX. Read the text and agree or disagree with the statements below: An English author once wrote: â€Å"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed or digested. † This quotation tells us how to read books of different kinds. Most travel books are to be tasted; it’s enough to dip into them and read bits here and there. If you are fond of crime stories (A. Christie, G. Simenon and the rest of modern favourites) you will read them quickly, you’ll â€Å"swallow† them. And then there are books that you’ll read slowly and carefully. If a book’s on an important subject, and a subject you’re interested in, you’ll want to chew and digest it. And you’ll want to weigh what the author says and consider his ideas and arguments. 1) Reading English fiction with a dictionary is very dull. 2) If the book is very exciting, you â€Å"swallow† it. 3) Nobody reads reference books for relaxation. 4) Reading thick science fiction books is tiring. 5) Very intelligent people don’t read detective stories. 6) Non-fiction books can’t be inspirational. 7) Travel books give you a lot of useful information. 8) Unfortunately many young people are not in the habit of reading poetry. 9) Great book-lovers never lend their books. 10) Lots of people buy books for their bright and beautiful jackets. 11) Bookcases and bookshelves are the best kind of decoration for a living-room. 12) It’s of no use collecting book issues of magazines and newspapers. X. Read the following passage and say if you agree with the author: Some people think that as more and more people have their TV-sets in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read a novel, when a play o television can tell you the same story with colour picture and action? Why read the biographies of famous men and women, when an hour-long television programme can tell you all that you want to know? Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers and magazines sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and entertainment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are published today as paperback books, which are reasonably cheap. A paperback novel, for example, is almost always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or theatre, and you can keep a book forever and read it many times. Books in the home are a wonderful source of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. Every home should have an atlas of the world, with large clear maps. It might be expensive, but a good encyclopedia is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. In addition, it is useful to have on your bookshelves other non-fiction books such as history books, science textbooks, cookery books, books about medicine and health, etc. It is equally important to have some fiction on your shelves, too. Then you can relax with a good story, or from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favourite poets. XI. Choose the best answer according to the information in the passage: 1. Which is easier to get the news from? a) newspaper b) the television 2. Which is usually quicker? a) to read a biography of a famous person b) to watch a TV programme about a famous person 3. Which is usually cheaper? a) a paperback b) an evening at the cinema 4. Which is usually cheaper? a) a paperback b) a hardcover book 5. Which is it most important to have in your home? a) non-fiction books, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias b) fiction, such as novels, short stories and books of poems c) a mixture of both: good non-fiction and your favourite fiction XII. Discuss the following questions with your partners: 1. Were your parents worried that you watched too much TV when you were younger? 2. Did you find TV more interesting than anything else when you were at school? 3. Programmes on what subject do you like most of all? 4. Can you learn all you want on TV? 5. Do you think you get more information from books or TV? 6. Is it easier for you to memorize facts watching TV or reading books? 7. What do you like more to read books or to watch TV? XIII. Different people enjoy reading for different reasons. You will read five people saying why they like reading novels. Which of them says that novels a) are good for improving language skills? b) make them forget their problems? c) add some adventure to their life? d) teach them how to act in certain situations? e) increase their knowledge of other cultures? Reading Novels Ricky: Oh, I love novels, especially if they have a good plot. I started reading them when I was 12, encouraged by my parents who were hoping I’d be a writer myself. As it happened, reading so much at an early age had an effect on my studies, my compositions were always very good! And I still read at least one novel a week. My own life isn’t terribly exciting, apart from my work, which is very interesting, nothing much happens. In the novels I read there’s always a lot going on, lots of thrilling events, and I can share in the experiences and problems of the characters. Ella: Well, I used to read only short stories. That changed when I moved to a new city and found myself in a job I didn’t really enjoy. I would get back home at about 5p. m. , make some supper and sit down to read a novel for the rest of the evening. Many of them are pretty unbelievable stories, and not particularly well-written. It’s not as if you can imagine yourself in any of those situations, but the thing is they take my mind off whatever’s worrying me. I’ve had long conversations about this with friends who think I should read better quality staff, but I know what I’m doing. Sally: Why I like reading novels? I remember as an adolescent, I used to read novels just so as to see how my favourite characters solved their problems. I thought I could then apply that to my own problems! And I’m not ashamed to say that’s still the case, that’s what I’m looking for in the novels I read, and that’s my reason for reading them. I always choose novels that are in a clear style, because I find complicated language difficult. And also I like the stories to be about countries and cultures I know well, because then I can understand the characters better. Tom: I think reading novels is helping me a great deal in my studies, and although I haven’t got much spare time, I always make a point of reading a couple of hours in the evening. I’m in my last year at secondary school, and frankly, reading novels is an excellent way of learning how people live in other countries, how they communicate with each other, what problems they have. That’s why I prefer novels with characters who are true to life, not the ones who have impossible adventures. I’m very lucky because my best friend also likes reading and we can often discuss what we’ve both read. Alex: I like reading novels because they help me develop the ability to write myself. I used to have real problems in producing a good piece of writing. It wasn’t that I lacked ideas, no, my teachers always said my compositions were interesting. But I couldn’t get my tenses right. That’s where reading novels helped. I don’t think you can learn much about other things from novels, because the situations are usually so unrealistic. Some people say that’s OK, if your life’s boring, you need the excitement of fiction. Well, my life’s exciting enough, so that’s not my problem. 1. Do you like to read novels? Why? 2. Do you think that reading makes a person intelligent? XIV. Comment on the following: 1. A house looks gloomy and joyless without books. 2. If the book is worth reading it is worth buying. 3. Books and friends should be few and good.

Cheapest auto insurance rates in El Paso

Cheapest auto insurance rates in El Paso This far western city in the state of Texas features a growing economy with towering skyscrapers, highways connecting different parts of Texas, beautiful driveways and tourist places that attract people from all over the world. So there is a lot of travelling going on in El Paso. Auto insurance is a must if you are living in El Paso. The state department of insurance requires all the cars to be insured. The minimum coverage requirement in El Paso is known as the 30/60/25 law. As per this law, you will be covered in three forms of insurance coverage. Individual bodily injury liability in which the company will pay a maximum of $30,000 to the person for injuries sustained in an accident. Second is total bodily injury liability whereby a total sum of $60,000 would be paid for all the persons seated in the car whi have been injured. The last is property damage liability whereby the company shall pay $25,000 for any damages caused to property. It is evident that being one of the biggest cities of Texas, Best Auto Insurance is a huge cost in El Paso. The average cost of insurance coverage in El Paso is higher as compared to the national average cost. So people are always looking forward to saving money in terms of insurance cost by opting for companies offering cheapest car insurance in El Paso. The rate of insurance prevailing in a city depends on a number of variables. One of these variables is the type and model of vehicle that is driven most in the city. According to research data, the most driven cars in El Paso include Ford, Chevrolet, Nissan Altima, Honda Accord and GMC Sierra. Apart from this, factors like number of accidents that take place in a city also determ ines insurance rate. As per ranking of safe driving, El Paso ranks as 50th city among 200 cities of the US which is not quite good ranking. Driving conditions in El Paso are also a bit difficult which lead to chances of accidents. Overall the weather in El Paso is hot and humid throughout the year. But when it rains, it can bring floods and thunderstorms, impairing the visibility of drivers. Road conditions are also not up to the mark and lead to accidents. Majority of roads are rated average or poor in condition. This leads to traffic congestion and accidents become a possibility. The amount of traffic rules violations prevailing in a city also impacts the rate of insurance. El Paso has some serious issues with drunk driving which the city aims to curb. Moreover, the high number of theft of vehicles also causes the average rate of insurance to go high in Texas. The good news for residents is that there are a number of companies from which you can shop ariud and get the cheapest auto insurance rate in El Paso. Some of these are Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Progressive and USAA. These are the top insurance companies in El Paso that offer the cheapest auto insurance rate.

United States Green Building Council Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

United States Green Building Council - Essay Example The researcher aims to provide an analysis on the topic of green building aspects, that can be traced back to the 19th century. Various architects are seen to have used variuos methods to decrease the impact of structure on the environment. Such systems and methods include ventilators and underground air-cooling chambers in order to regulate air temperature. In the 20th century buildings like New York times and Flatron Building used deep-set windows in controlling interior temperatures, these were effective and lessened the impact of the building on the environment. The USGBC, that is a main focus of this analysis was co-founded in 1993 by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in order to promote the design and construction of buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work in. the goals of USBC are well articulated in its mission statement. The researcher also aims to describe Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L EED), that can be described as a system for designing, constructing and certifying green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. It has a classification system that rate buildings depending on the number of points that a building scores on this scale. The researcher then concluds that today, LEED is used by a number of people including professionals such as architects, real estate professionals, property managers, interior designers, Landscape architects, construction managers, lenders and government officials.

Argumentive Reserch Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Argumentive Reserch - Research Paper Example Learners can acquire these skills when they develop appropriate attitudes and knowledge. This makes the main objective of conducting teaching and training programs to correspond to enhancement of knowledge, skills and attitude of learners. The main purpose of this essay is to argue the relevance of the message conveyed by some specific authors on the approach needed for conducting training and teaching programs (Chou, Chang, & Hauer, 2008). I believe that motivation towards learning and training is dependent on knowledge, skills, ideologies and a suitable environment. However, it is also clear that the number of students and the use of a multi-disciplinary approach are useful though the learning approach should not be specific. Counter argument I believe that the twenty steps are instrumental when handling students with learning difficulties. However, opposing ideologies indicate that these steps overwork the teachers, and compromise their ability to attend to other students. Further more, it is highlighted that people should recognise the social and cognitive skills of students while handling their learning needs (Hon and Watkins, 1995). However, the learning needs of a person transcends skills, and is dependent on the environment in several instances. I believe that the procedural steps that involve students in a workshop learning session enhances their interaction and comprehension (Chou, Chang, and Hauer, 2004). However, opposing arguments state that such an approach cannot accommodate a class with numerous students. It is only limited to a few number of students. Rao underscores the need to expose students to an environment where they easily interact with the elderly patients to improve their attitudes. However, attitude cannot be improved by exposure alone. It requires an interdisciplinary learning approach. Argument I believe that it is necessary assist the children with learning difficulties using fundamental steps. This can be successful with the provis ion of appropriate modifications in the learning process. Several steps are necessary in the quest to achieve such objectives. The authors use Greg’s experiences to develop some steps necessary for successful learning amongst children having trouble (Biddulph, Hess, & Humes, 2006). I find this rather disturbing because assuming that all children with learning difficulties are of the same level as Greg is wrong. Greg could have succeeded because the level of his difficulty was mild. Disorder depression does not adversely inhibit the process of learning. Greg listed a number of 20 steps that he considers appropriating in making a child with learning difficulties become successful (Biddulph, Hess, & Humes, 2006). I believe that Hon and Watkins’s attempt to evaluate social skills training program for Hong Kong students highlights the importance of valuing skills, and knowledge. They classify alcoholism, juvenile delinquency and depression as fundamental examples of behavio ral and neurotic problems that are responsible for psychiatric disorders. According to the authors, these are the causes of inadequate social skills. Hon and Watkins focus on directing additional efforts get to the training skills development programs for adolescents. However, these efforts mainly focus on the western countries. In response to this, they come up with well-knitted approaches to address

Making a decision and a decision tree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Making a decision and a decision tree - Essay Example Jaeger is better off harvesting the grapes immediately. In my opinion, Mr. Jaeger should be guided by the decision tree options, because the calculation of options is viable. This means that the options calculated in the decision tree have a chance of occurring. From the decision tree, it can be seen that the expected monetary values for the two options are very different, a margin that Mr. Jaeger cannot afford to dismiss. However, an analysis of the case indicates that the Riesling is not a large part of the winemaker’s business; therefore, Mr. Jaeger would not be ruined if he takes the gamble and losses. This means that the winemaker has the option of taking the gamble to impress wine connoisseurs, since the presentation of a quality wine would raise the reputation of the winery. After an analysis of the two options open to Mr. Jaeger, it can be concluded that the best decision would be to harvest the grapes immediately. This is because the expected pay off from waiting for the storm is not justified by an accompanied increase in

The Problem of Unwanted Births and the Awarding of Damages on a Public Essay

The Problem of Unwanted Births and the Awarding of Damages on a Public Policy Basis - Essay Example case a blessing.3 The circumstances posed to the Court of Appeal in Emeh required that it find some form of reconciliation between the two different stances of Udale and of Thake, though it was distinct from these two cases because the child had been born with disabilities. As a result, the damages awarded were restricted to those extra costs incurred as a result of the unwanted child’s disabilities, though the court claimed that it had awarded full costs. The approach as contained in Damages for the Birth of a Child4 suggests that Emeh was a result of the equation of unwanted pregnancy with consequential economic loss, and the damages were thus calculated according to â€Å"reasonably foreseeable financial loss directly caused by the unexpected pregnancy†.5 This approach was arguably taken too far in the decision of Benarr & Another v. Kettering Health Authority6in which it was held that damages could extend to private education of the unwanted child. ... the courts in relation to the decision of Emeh, and Ognall J in a subsequent similar case expressed his discomfort with a law that awards damages to the mother of a child, particularly if it is healthy; he said: â€Å"but there it is: that is the law†.8 Although the approach of the courts appears to be undecided on this matter, it is argued by some that awarding damages for both healthy and disabled unwanted children is perfectly acceptable according to principles of tort law,9 though decisions of the court have disagreed with this contention.10 There appears to be a major problem surrounding the distinction between unwanted healthy children and unwanted disabled children, and whether full or partial damages are to be awarded to both.11 It is suggested that the failure of the court in McFarlane to restrict its application to disabled children has caused an array of confusing exceptions to be created by subsequent cases on the topic.12 Yet what is the public policy behind the a pproach of the courts? It was claimed in Rees v Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust13 that there are major public policy implications for making public bodies that are funded by the public to pay large sums of money to parents of healthy children.14 Such an approach has claimed that awarding damages for healthy unwanted children simply takes the law of tort â€Å"too far†.15 While this would seem to be a reasonably grounded policy which aims to establish the importance of causing healthy unwanted pregnancies and unhealthy unwanted pregnancies, highlighting the graver financial (and psychological) inconvenience of the latter, it has attracted much criticism.16 Such criticism is however warranted if one is to view the normal application of tort law which functions to award damages to healthy

How has Google inc. maintained its long term sustainability within the Essay

How has Google inc. maintained its long term sustainability within the past five years - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Google Inc. is a leading international technology company which provides advertising, search, operating systems, and platforms, software and hardware products. Its search engine boasts of technology leadership, making the organization to acquire dominance over similar firms in the market. Be that as it may, the company is mired in antitrust investigations in Europe and America. Observers argue that the result of such an investigation may adversely affect the firm in the near future. To ensure that it retains its status as the leading online search company, Google has employed several competitive strategies. Google provides products that enhance internet advertising. It has a variety of services and instruments for all kinds of advertisers, ranging from simple text ads, mobile display ads, to publishers. Moreover, the organization provides mobile and other similar devices. It also offers products and services in over 100 languages acros s the world. The firm has three entities under which it carries out its activities: Motorola. Google and Motorola Home. The Google part of the organization comprises of advertising and other non-advertizing investments. It mainly centers on search, operating systems, and platforms, as well as enterprise products and services. The search investment is made up of a variety of index of websites and internet contents that the organization keeps and avails via the search engine to clients connected to the internet.

Compare and contrast the book with other materials Essay

Compare and contrast the book with other materials - Essay Example d that women were underrepresented in the work place because most of the jobs in the factories require a lot of physical energy making women unfit for these jobs. However, today with the major advancements in technology, a lot of jobs do not call for physical energy. This means that both women and men work well without difficulties. However, it is observed that even in these jobs, women are still underrepresented. I agree with the author that there is need to increase the diversity in the workplace by having an equal representation of both genders. It is true that both men and women have their biological differences, this also influences their perspectives and this can be tapped to get better performance at the work place. Women are also the care givers and homemakers; this should not be used as an excuse of not giving them jobs. However, I tend to disagree with the author that men should not be obligated to support their spouses. This is because the systems that already exist favor the male gender and removal of spousal support would only make the situation of the women worse. There is a need to have a complete overhaul of the current system and ensure that women get equal opportunities as the men and they would be able to support themselves. The salaries also need to be harmonized because you would observe in many instances women are given lower wages and salaries despite performing similar tasks to their male counterparts. The letter from Birmingham jail by Martin Luther King Junior is a justification of the nonviolent action that was being taken by Luther follow in Birmingham. The clergymen in the south have termed the move as untimely and unwise. According to him, the measures that the back people were conducting in order to have their rights given to them is incomparable to the injustices that the whites had metered towards the blacks. He says that they had burned down their houses, enslaved them and the segregation in Birmingham was worse than any other

Hong Kong Land Holdings Limited Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hong Kong Land Holdings Limited - Case Study Example Even though HKL gave the least bid, HKL lost MPFA to Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited because the tenant had certain technological and modern standards which Landmark did not fulfill. As a result HKL lost HK$ 900,201 per month from rental income. Threat of takeovers: Competitors believed that HKL was not fully utilizing its commercial properties. Subsequently so as to unlock the shareholder value the leading tycoons of Hong Kong tried to take over HKL. HKL sold some of its valuable holdings in order to fight of the take over. Even so two competitors, Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited and Hutchison Whampoa Limited, managed to secure a 4.7% interest in HKL. Location: Of the 11 estates it owns in Hong Kong, 8 of them are located in Central District (Exhibit 3). In addition the 11 Charter Road Development property is expected to be completed in 2002 which will further increase the market dominance in Central District (Exhibit 4). It is said that Central is the 'Financial Heart' of Hong Kong. So HKL's portfolio of Commercial Assets is concentrated in a promising market. Convenience: The buildings in HKL's holdings have ease of access to every from of public transportation-the railway, airport and subway. In addition the buildings are all linked by a Central Pedestrian Bridge System which eases the movement of those who work or shop in the buildings regardless of the weather. For instance Alexandra House & Prince Buildings are linked by pedestrian walkways that run across Ice House Street. There is also a walkway that links Jardine House to Swire house and One Exchange Square (Exhibit 15) Customer Groups: HKL has managed to attract leading brand retailers. Ermenegilo, Zegna, Prada, Ralph Lauren, and Gucci are some of the international brand retailers that are entering the Hong Kong market. These companies are beginning to see Hong Kong as a good market for their files. The presence of these clients increases the marketability of its retail properties particularly in Central District. Besides the brand retailers, HKL has also managed to create a portfolio of food and beverage shops in its shopping centers. This has improved the marketability of HKL's Holdings. Brand Name: Through its promotional activities HKL has managed to redefine its role as the leading landlord. It was also successful in building up a commercial image for Central District through its partners. Its long experience in the business has enabled it to become business partners with its tenants especially in Central which it has been working since 1889 Weaknesses Age of its properties: Most of HKL's buildings are more than 20 years old (Exhibit 14). With changing modern buildings and improved technologies, most tenants are willing to pay more for new buildings. Equity Fund Raising: Although HKL is working in Hong Kong, it is not listed in the stock market of Hong Kong because of political fears. Therefore cannot fund its needs locally by issuing shares. Nature of Leases: Most of HKL's lease terms were short term. In 1999 alone, 25% of leases were due for renewal. With short renewal cycles HKL is forced to reduce its rental prices in order to retain its existing customers. Threats Economic Problems: The Asian Economic Crisis and the handling

Financial Management Essay Example for Free

Financial Management Essay Introduction In this assignment I will be researching and discussing how to manage my own personal finances. For this I will have to research sources of income and write about different types of employment and unemployment. The affect these have on salaries and wages will also be investigated. I have also been asked to research and summarise allowances and benefits. As part of the management of my personal finances I must produce a personal budget over a specific period of time, on completion of this I will pair with a partner and discuss my findings. Task 3 Why is it important for me to manage my personal finance? * To help not to run out of money * Help me with budgeting * Scarce resource * Savings * Paying bills * Living alone * Managing money is skill Task 4 Jobseekers allowance Jobseekers allowance would be paid to me if I am eligible for it and looking for (seeking) work. I also would have to be age 16 or over to be able to receive jobseekers allowance. This source of income is relevant for me because I am over the age of 16, living on my own and I am currently looking for work. Income support Income support provides financial help for people ages 16 and over, who have low income or no money coming in at all. This money is for people who are not currently seeking work. This money is to help people with day to day living. Income support is relevant to me because this is the situation I am currently living in and I also receive income support myself. Child benefit Child benefit is parents that have children under the age of 16 or children under 19 in full time education. Child benefit is no longer relevant to me because I do not live will my mother any more. Housing benefit Housing benefit helps towards paying my rent which would be my local authority, but they dont cover all my housing costs. Housing benefit is eligible to people who are renting a room or living in a hostel of sum sort. I can apply for this by just going down to my local authority office and filling in a housing benefit form. Working families Tax Credit Working Tax Credit is for people who are employed or self-employed, over the aged of 16 and are working at least 16 hours a week. They also have to have at least one child. In couples, one person has to choose who receives the tax credits. The amount of tax credits they receive will depend on their annual income. Tax credits are not relevant for me because I am not responsible for any children and I am not currently working. Task 5 When preparing for employment the documents I would need: * CV * Covering letter * Application form * National insurance number * Bank details * Qualification certificates * P45 (maybe not for me yet) CV I would need a CV so that the employers get a brief summary of my qualifications and experience to-date. It would include the school and college I have attended. It will also include my past work experience. My CV will now include that I have recently worked at Superdrug. My CV will also have my references. References are very important as the employers may want to contact the referees to confirm I have the qualifications for the job, and if I am reliable and trustworthy enough for the job. Covering letter A covering letter is needed because it is a part of the formal requirement. It will show the employer where I heard about the advert and why I feel I would be right for the job. Application form Application forms are used to help the employer to separate the good candidates from the not so good candidates. They are also used to find out about information and candidates background. National Insurance No. Every one that has the right to work in the UK has the right to a national insurance number once they reach the age of 16. The national insurance number will show what national insurance contributions the worker pays over the course of his/her working life and also the contribution employers have made. Bank details Bank details are required in order for the employer to give you your wages. Wages are now paid by direct transfer from the employer to the bank account of the employee. Qualification certificates Proof of GCSEs and past qualifications are important because the employer will expect me to have certain right qualification in order to have the job. Superdrug have specific qualifications that are required, these are called essential qualifications. Task 6 Types of employment Self employment Being self employed is when you do not work for anyone else you have your own business. For example owning your own sweets shop is self employment. The income of the sweets shop will come from the customers who purchase the sweets. The income may also come from the bank if you borrow money. Freelance Freelancers are a different type of self employment. Instead of owning their own business they sell their services by working for different businesses. For example a freelance hair dresser would not have their own hairdressing business they would get to all kinds of other businesses and do hairdressing. Employee Employees are people who work for someone who controls what work they do. The employer is in charge of the employees income and deducts national insurance from the employees wages or salary. As long as they is someone handling your wages before you get them you are an employee. Task 8 Key points of each job Job title Retail manager Tasks to be carried out Retail managers are responsible for day to day running of department stores, chain stores, supermarkets and independent shops. They look after staff management, including taking on and training new staff, maintaining a good standard of customer care and increasing sales and profitability. Their duties usually include: * Making sure premises and displays are well maintained * Organising stock checking and re-ordering as necessary, through computerised or manual systems * Making sure targets are reached and all opportunities are taken to increase sales and profitability * Organising sales promotions * Recruiting, interviewing and training staff * Dealing with queries or complaints from customers Skills required A retail manager should: * Know the companys products and procedures well * Be committed to providing a high standard of customer service * Be able to lead and motivate a team * Have good knowledge of legal an d security issues * Have relevant commercial skills for business Qualifications required There are no set academic requirements to work in retail, although employers may prefer employees to have at list five GCSEs grades A-C and have some working experience in retail. Useful qualifications would include: * BTEC national reward in retail * OCR certificate in retail * BTEC Higher National Diploma in retail management * Degree in retail management Individual qualities required * Be confident, energetic and quick thinking * Have excellent spoken English and written communication skills * Be able to take responsibility and make decisions * Have a smart appearance * Be organised * Be able to deal effectively with problems and complaints Wage/salary Starting salaries are usually from around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,000 Experienced managers may earn from around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½15,000 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½26,000 Managers of large stores may earn up to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½65,000 or more. Job title Retail assistant Tasks to be carried out A retail assistant is responsible for making customers feel at ease when shopping and browsing around the store, directing them towards products and accepting payments. This job generally includes: * Restocking shelves and making sure merchandise is presented neatly * Greeting customers and answering enquiries about products * Operating computerised tills and barcode readers to scan items * Accepting payments for goods and wrapping them * Checking for stock items and ordering goods Skills required * To be accurate and thorough, even under pressure * To be trustworthy- they may be dealing with expensive products and large amounts of cash * To understand and follow companys policies for health and safety and hygiene * Stamina, in order to serve on the shop floor for long periods Qualification required Employers set their own qualification requirements. But usually look for good communication skills, a pleasant personality and look for at least to two to four GCSE grades. Individual qualities required * Have an approachable, polite manner * Have good communication skills * Have a smart personal appearance * Enjoy providing a good level of customer service Wage/salary Starting salaries for a retail assistant is around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½9,000 a year An experienced retail assistant may earn around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11,500 a year. Task 9 Why I think I am suitable for each job Retail assistant I think that I am suitable to work as a retail assistant because I have relevant experience within the retail industry. I have recently completed a 2 week work placement at Superdrug which is in the retail sector. During this period I was privileged to be responsible for replenishing stock, providing customer advice and keeping the shop floor tidy. This placement enabled me to develop vital skills such as team working, numeracy and customer service skills which are all needed in order to become a successful retail assistant. This work placement was a part of my BTEC introductory business coarse this qualification will also enable me to qualify to work as retail assistant. Retail manager I am qualified to work in the retail sector as a retail assistant but in order to qualify as a retail manager I would have to finish my BTEC introductory coarse and then go on to study for three more years to receive a BTEC national certificate in business. After this I would then need to go and study a degree in retail management in order to qualify for this job. I have good interpersonal and communication skills and while on my work experience I enjoyed providing good customer service these skills would help me with working toward becoming a retail manager. Retail managers are responsible for day to day running of department stores, chain stores, supermarkets and independent shops this may include Organising sales promotions and recruiting, interviewing and training staff. Task 10 Wage/salary deductions Gross pay Gross pay the amount of money an employee earns before any deductions are made such as tax or national insurance. Net pay Net pay is the money employees actually get for them to spend. National insurance contributions National insurance contributions is an amount of money that the employee has to pay towards there employers this is deducted by the employer from the employees wages. If you are self employed you also have to pay national insurance contribution, this is a small monthly payment and then a lump sum at the end of the year. National insurance code National insurance codes indicate an employees marital status and how long an employee has been working. Income tax There is a certain amount of money that every body is allowed to earn before they have to pay income tax, this is called personal tax allowances currently for people under the age of 65 this is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5,225 a year. If you earn any more than this you will have to pay income tax, how much you pay will depend on how much money you earn. Pensions/superannuation Pensions are long time investments that are designed to provide you with money in your old age when you are not able to work any more. The earlier you start your pension the more you get when you retire. Employees are usually offered a pension scheme when the start there job. The employer pays a contribution to your pension fund and so does the employee this is deducted out of the employees wages before it get to them. Union subscriptions A union is a large group of workers in a particular industry or profession. Unions provide benefits such as legal advice and can also provide support in cases of unfair treatment or dismissal. To subscribe employees would have to pay fees this is sometimes deducted from the employees wages before it is received or the employee can pay the fees themselves but it is not compulsory. Task 11 Allowances and Benefits Housing benefit Housing benefit helps towards paying my rent which would be my local authority, but they dont cover all my housing costs. Housing benefit is eligible to people who are renting a room or living in a hostel of sum sort. I can apply for this by just going down to my local authority office and filling in a housing benefit form. This benefits me because its helps me to save money gives me more money to spend on more important things. Council tax Council tax is an amount of money you pay if you are renting out a council property or of you have you own property with a certain amount of people living in there. Council tax paid to pay the council for giving you their service of letting you live in their property and council tax also pay for things like people cleaning the streets. Interest from savings Interest from savings is when you put money into the bank or a financial institution and earn extra money on top. This is called interest. When you get interest you have to pay income tax on that interest, the bank usually deducts the tax before pay the interest. This benefits me because I regularly put savings into my bank account. Inherited money Most people decide to leave money to their relatives when they die, this is called inheritance. Inheritance could be a small or large amount of money and it may be necessary to pay inheritance tax on it. Borrowed money Borrowed money is anything from a loan to a bank overdraft. Money can also be borrowed from a relative or close friend in this case the money you have borrowed is the money you pay back. If you take out a loan or overdraft which is quit a large amount of money this usually involves paying back the money monthly and each month interest is added on top of the money that you are paying. This result in you paying more that you actually took in the first place, it is much wiser that you save your money for whatever you want to get therefore you will earn interest on your money rather that earning it. Working Families Tax Credit Working families tax credits is for people who have at least one child under the age of 16 or 19 in full time education and earn an income which is below a certain level. The person has to be working at least 16 hours a week and must have savings below à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8000. this does not apply to me as I am not eligible for this because I have no children. Task 14 Explanation of how I planned my personal finances Spend or save As soon as I receive my money I spend it on things that I need such as food shopping and rent. Any money left over would get spent on the gym and my mobile phone then the rest would get put aside as my savings. Gambling Gambling is when you pay money hoping for a chance of winning more money. Doing this is dangerous because you are not guaranteed your money. Gambling is very addictive and if done regularly this could put you into debt that why I choose not to go down this road. Spending habits When I receive my money on a weekly basis I try and spend as little as possible on food shopping so that I have money left over for myself to spend on small luxuries for example a meal out with my friends. I sometimes tend to spend too much on luxuries and this sometimes gets me into problems but I always have someone at hand to help me. Money and lifestyle At the moment the amount of money I receive doesnt allow me to have the best of lifestyles but it is enough to put clothes on my back and to buy me shopping every week. To achieve the lifestyle I want I would need to find at least a part time job so I can earn more money than Im getting now. My expectations of work and money As long as I have enough money to buy me some food and to pay the rent I am ok for the moment. But I would like a bit more than that for example going on holidays and buying the latest clothing. To do this I would need to find a job and also make sure that I handle my personal finances correctly and do some budgeting for these luxuries. Short term accounts Every week I receive my income support into my bank account. I am currently using a current account all my bills are paid out of this account and all my Ema payment come into this account. I also have a short term savings account which I put money into every week. I use this account when I run out of money or need to pay for something important e.g. phone bill. Long term accounts A long term savings account is an account that allows you to build up interest on money that you are saving over a number of years. An example could be an ISA, this is an individual savings account because it is tax free provided the amount saved each year doesnt exceed à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,000. The interest is cumulative which means the amount of interest plus capital will increase year on year. Another example of a long term account is a bank loan. A bank loan is usually drawn over a long period. This is a lump sum of money that I borrowed from the bank and paid off over a long period of time. For example a mortgage is paid over a period of 25 years. Cheque book A cheque is a promise to pay someone in place of cash. When you are writing a cheque you write down exactly how much you are going to pay the person. The person then takes the cheque to the bank and waits for it to clear this takes between 3-5 days. It is important to make sure that you have the right amount of money in your bank so you dont go into debt. It is also important to keep a record of any cheques that have been written, this can be done by using stubs which are left in the cheque book after you tear it out to pay someone. The stubs are there so that you can note down the details of the cheque and will help keep track of your money. Credit cards A credit card is a card that you can use to pay for items of clothing or products. This card however gives you money on it but you have to pay it back you are also given a credit limit. To avoid spending more money than you actually have you should usually pay back the money within a month if the money is paid after this you will be charged interest. If you go over the limit that the company has given you interest will also be added. Also you can check how much money you are spending by checking a mini statement that you can get from a cash point. Debit cards Debit cards are cards that have your own money that you put on to the card. You can use this card to purchase virtually anything but instead of having a credit limit of borrowed money you are actually using your own money to purchase goods. A debit card allows you to take cash out of ATMs if you have enough money in your account. To see how much funds you have in your account through an ATM you are given a pin number by your bank to memorise this then allows you to draw cash from the machines and purchase items in shops. To check that no-one is stealing from you or to make sure you are not spending more money than your supposed to it is good to check your bank statement each month these are sent to you by your bank. The bank statement show how much money you had in your account originally, then show all payments that were taken out of that money. You can then check if there are any payments that you are unsure of or if any mistakes were made in you transactions. Paying bills Bills can be paid using direct debit or standing orders. This is when you money is taken out of you account and paid to a business for example, BT telephone company at the same time every month. This can help with budgeting, as you will know how much money is going out every month. To check that you are not paying out more than youre supposed to you can check the phone bill you receive every month. Remaining in credit It is important to manage your account carefully to ensure you stay in credit. You must make sure that when you making payments such as cheques and debit cards you have enough money to make those payments. If not you account will go in to debt and you will be charged fines for doing this, it will also build up a bad credit rating which will make it hard for you to get a mortgage or a credit card in the future. Task 16 Summary of holiday budget activity Why do you think it is important to manage your personal finances? I think it is important for me to manage my finances because it helps me to pay all my bills on time without getting into to debt. It also allows me to put money aside for unexpected emergencies. Managing my personal finances is a very important skill. This skill is extremely important if I would like to start my own business or borrow money from a bank. Managing my money correctly will enable me to live quiet a prosperous life in the long run. Did you find it easy or difficult to manage the finances given in exercises? give reasons I found managing finances quiet hard because you have to keep track of the money coming out of my income every week and there were a lot of different bills to pay and they were all different amounts. I also had to keep track of my spending at the same time to make sure that I didnt get into debt this was really difficult because you can get carried away when your sending your money on luxuries. After all that I have to calculate the total regular expenditure and then work out if I had any money left over to put aside as savings, overall this task was very challenging but it taught me a lot about how to manage my own finances. What did you learn from the exercise on budgeting over a period of time? From doing the budgeting exercise I learnt that saving the little scraps of money here and there builds up into to something big. Also cutting down on luxuries also helps in the long run because the money you have saved enables you to get those luxuries if you just give time. This budgeting exercise also taught me how to calculate my net cash flow which I previously did not know how to do. I also learnt that budgeting is important for everyone because it stop many people from getting into to debt and also helps them to save considerable amount of money. Bibliography BTEC introduction business-published by Heinemann in 2005 Heinemann Educational Publishers Halley Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8EJ ISBN 978 0 435401 21 4 John Ruskin college intranet site Unit 6 Financial Management

Bernie Madoff Essay Example for Free

Bernie Madoff Essay The things I will be talking about are the ways they examined the financial events surrounding Bernie Maddoff, and the events surrounding Enron. Also they way that Enron dealt with the consequences and implications for the lack of code of ethics. The financial events that were surrounding Bernie Maddoff where that â€Å" the financial world begins this week still in a daze over the spectacular collapse of an alleged Ponzi scheme by onetime Wall Street legend Bernard Madoff — possibly the biggest swindle ever committed by a single person. Its a stunning fraud that appears to be of epic proportions, Andrew Calamari of the Securities and Exchange Commissions New York Regional Office said in a statement after the FBI arrested Madoff last week. Its unclear how many institutions and individuals will suffer from losses that federal authorities say Madoff privately pegged at $50 billion. † The reason that he had easy assess to all of this was because he knew the system from being the chairman of Nasdaq from 1990-1991 and 1993. Another one was the â€Å"officials allege that Madoff falsified reports from a secretive money management service that he owned — run separately from his main stock transaction firm — to make it appear to be more successful than it was. Madoff allegedly kept it going by taking cash from unwitting new investors to pay customers who wanted to redeem their holdings. In a January SEC filing, Madoff said he managed $17. 1 billion in assets for 23 clients. But potential victims could number in the hundreds and possibly thousands and include major banks, hedge funds, charities and pension funds. Responding to an SEC lawsuit, on Friday, U. S. District Judge Louis Stanton in New York froze the assets and accounts of Madoffs investment business and appointed Lee Richards, an attorney at Richards Kibbe Orbe, as receiver. Madoffs lawyers have denied the charges but did not return calls for comment. Madoff was released after posting $10 million in bail. He faces up to $5 million in fines and up to 20 years in jail if convicted. The SEC and U. S. Attorneys office say their investigation is continuing and declined to comment. † Madoff got himself in trouble by using money he did not have to pay off customers from all the new invertors. Then after a while New York realized what he was doing so they arrested him for what he was doing because it was not ethical at all.

Temperature On The Membrane Permeability Biology Essay

Temperature On The Membrane Permeability Biology Essay Abstract The effect of various temperatures on the membrane permeability of Beta Vulgaris, more commonly known as the red beet, will be investigated in this experiment. Using seven different samples, each treated to a different temperature, it was possible to compare how temperature effects betacyanin secretion, which is not released under normal conditions. The amount of betacyanin pigments released was determined using light spectrophotometry at a wavelength of 475nm. It was found that an increase in temperature is related to the amount of betacyanin pigments which pass through the membrane. For example, at the temperatures 22 °C, 60 °C and 100 °C the values of absorbance were 0.0558, 1.285 and 1.401 respectively. This trend reinforces the belief that increases in temperature and the amount of betacyanin that is able to pass through the membrane is directly proportional because the membrane fluidity increases. Introduction Chemical structure of betanin, the most prevalent betacyanin in Beta Vulgaris (Sepà ºlveda-Jimà ©nez et al., 2004) Belonging to the Chenopodiaceae family, Beta Vulgaris, or more commonly known as the red beet is a root vegetable (Rhodes, 2008), and is red in color, due primarily to the presence of betacyanin (Czapski et al., 1988). Although there are different types of betacyanins, the main betacyanin of the red beet is betanin, which is present in high concentrations (Sepà ºlveda-Jimà ©nez, 2004). The stability of Betacyanin is susceptible to a number of factors, such as: temperature, pH, oxygen, light, water activity and certain metal ions (Czapski et al., 1988). These factors account for the amount of betacyanin released, as under normal conditions it cannot pass through the selectively permeable plasma membrane. The plasma membrane of prokaryotic cells is a selectively permeable membrane composed of an amphipathic phospholipid bilayer with embedded lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. It is described as selectively permeable because certain things can pass through the membrane without being impeded by the phospholipid bilayer, while other substances are completely blocked from passing through the membrane. These membranes must remain fluid in order to work properly. As temperature decreases a membrane becomes decreasingly permeable until the point where it finally solidifies, causing the membrane to rupture. However, as temperature increases, the membrane becomes too fluid, as the channel and carrier proteins embedded in the membrane start to deform; causing more substances to leak and pass through the membrane (Reese et al., 2011). In this experiment, we observed the effect that various temperatures had on the membrane permeability of Beta Vulgaris. Since an increase in temperature causes the membrane of prokaryotic cells to become more permeable, along with increasing the rate at which molecules diffuse, it is expected that an increase in temperature will cause more betacyanin to pass through the membrane. As temperature decreases, the membrane permeability is also expected to decrease, until the point where the membrane ruptures, allowing the contents to flow freely out of the cell (Reese et al., 2011). The primary objective of this experiment was to investigate that effect that the different temperatures had on the membrane permeability of Beta Vulgaris. Methods Six uniform cylinders of a diameter of 1.0cm and a length of 3.0cm were cut using a cork borer. These cylinders of red beet root were placed under running cold water and rinsed for approximately 5 minutes. A previously frozen (-20 °C) sample of beet root was inspected to ensure a length of 3.0cm and then thawed to room temperature. These seven samples of beet root were then put in a solution of 10mL of distilled water. Then, one solution of Beta Vulgaris was placed in the fridge at a temperature of 3 °C, the previously frozen sample along with another fresh sample were left at room (22 °C) temperature and four samples were placed in water baths of 40 °C, 60 °C, 76 °C and 100 °C. These solutions were left to incubate at the test temperatures for fifteen minutes. Once finished their incubation period, the solutions were transferred into fresh cuvettes, extracting the Beta Vulgaris core in the process. Following this, a SpectroVis Plus spectrophotometer by Vernier, using L ogger Pro 3.8.4, was used to determine the absorbance of each sample at 475nm. This process was then repeated four times (Mitchell et al., 2012). First, to analyze this data, the data was compiled into tabular form. Following this, the mean absorbance of each treatment was calculated in order to account for the different value of absorbance in each trial. Using the average value of absorbance, we were then able to calculate the standard deviation for each trial. As the data collected was sub dividable, it was deemed to be continuous. Therefore, a line graph was produced with standard deviation error bars (Mitchell et al., 2012). Results Among the different temperatures in which the beet cylinders were treated, variation observed in values of absorbance was expected. As seen in Figure 1, the highest absorbance value was 1.604, observed at a temperature of -22 °C. Comparatively, the lowest value of 0.0558 was seen at a temperature of 3 °C. Three points of interest can be seen in the graph. The first occurs in the frozen sample where the absorbance is the highest value on the graph. Second, the absorbance readings at 3 °C and 22 °C were extremely close, 0.0558 and 0.0588 respectively. Finally, the absorbance reading at 100 °C does not follow the increasing trend of absorbance value established from temperatures 3 °C to 76 °C. The value, 1.401, was in fact lower than that of 76 °C (1.438) but greater than the value observed at 60 °C. It can be noted that a general trend can be established. As the temperature of Beta Vulgaris increased, the absorbance and therefore the amount of betacyanin, also increas ed. However, the frozen and 100 °C samples did not seem to follow this trend. Figure 1. The effect of seven different temperatures on the absorbance of Beta Vulgaris, calculated using light spectrophotometry at a wavelength of 475nm. Discussion As the betacyanin pigments present in Beta Vulgaris are hydrophilic and require storage in a vacuole (Mukundan et al., 1998), it is crucial that some sort of treatment be applied to the beet root in order to ease the release of the pigments. In this case, the temperature was changed in order to make the membrane of the red beet more permeable to the release of betacyanin. However, there are more efficient ways to increase the loss of pigment. As stated by Czapski (1998), an increase in pH would have a greater effect in the changes of colour attributes, while temperature would have a smaller effect. Therefore, if pH had been varied in this experiment rather than the temperature, it would have been possible to increase the pigment loss by Beta Vulgaris. Variation in the results can be the consequence of many factors; such as the age of the beet root sample, cores from different beets were used and the amount of time the samples were treated at the test temperatures. The age of the beet would have played a large role as the proteins in the sample could already be broken down before the experiments are performed, thereby decreasing the amount of betacyanin that could be released. Furthermore, throughout the different trials, cores from different beets were used. These cores contained different concentrations of betacyanin, therefore affected the amount of betacyanin which passed through the membrane. Finally, the amount of time the samples were treated was also an important factor. These solutions were supposed to be treated for fifteen minutes; however, if left under treatment for more time, the amount of betacyanin secreted by the Beta Vulgaris would increase. It can be concluded that as temperature increases above 3 °C, the amount of pigment, betacyanin, which was initially unable to pass through the membrane, released is proportional to the increase in temperature. This is caused by the membrane becoming too fluid while the channel and carrier proteins embedded in the membrane start to deform (Reese et al., 2011), causing leakage through the membrane. In another similar experiment, the researchers concluded that the amount of betacyanin released was proportional to an increase in temperature (Thimmaraju et al., 2002); however, only the change between 40 °C, 45 °C and 50 °C Beta Vulgaris samples was studied. In the case of the frozen sample, the result can be explained in terms of the cell membrane; when frozen, the membrane of the cell ruptures (Roquebert and Bury, 1993). This results in the betacyanin passing through the membrane with relative ease. This experiment established the general trend that as temperature increases, the amount of betacyanin which passes through the membrane also increases. Although, two points of interest occur at -22 °C and 100 °C, which did not follow this trend. At -22 °C the membrane ruptured (Roquebert and Bury, 1993), which allows the pigment to be released freely. While at 100 °C a declining trend is established as the samples lost their viability (Thimmaraju et al., 2002). Further research in the area of the membrane permeability of Beta Vulgaris should focus on the effects that pH has on the amount of betacyanin released, comparing these results to those which have undergone temperature treatments. Literature Cited Czapski, J., Maksymiuk, M., Grajek, W. (1998). Analysis of biodenitrification conditions of red beet juice using the response surface method. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 46(11), 4702-4705 Mitchell, G, Roe, G., Beaulieu, G., and Creasey, D., Brand, D., Lisson, P., Marx R., and Metacalfe, R. (2012). Biology 190A Laboratory Manual. Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C. Mukundan, U., Bhide, V., Singh, G., Curtis, W. (1998). pH-mediated release of betalains from transformed root cultures of beta vulgaris L. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 50(2), 241-245. Reece, J. B., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V., Jackson, R. B. (2011).  Campbell Biology (9th ed.). San Francisco, California: Benjamin Cummings. Roquebert, M. F., Bury, E. (1993). Effect of freezing and thawing on cell membranes of lentinus edodes, the shiitake mushroom. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 9(6), 641-647. doi: 10.1007/BF00369571 Rhodes, D. (2008, January). HORT410 Vegetable Crops.  Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Purdue University. Retrieved  October  12, 2012, from http://www.hort.purdue.edu/rhodcv/hort410/spina/sp00001.htm Sepà ºlveda-Jimà ©nez, G., Rueda-Benà ­tez, P., Porta, H., Rocha-Sosa, M. (2004). Betacyanin synthesis in red beet (beta vulgaris) leaves induced by wounding and bacterial infiltration is preceded by an oxidative burst. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 64(3), 125-133. Thimmaraju, R., Bhagyalakshmi, N., Narayan, M. S., Ravishankar, G. A. (2003). Kinetics of pigment release from hairy root cultures of beta vulgaris under the influence of pH, sonication, temperature and oxygen stress. Process Biochemistry, 38(7), 1069-1076.

Justice and Injustice in Molieres Tartuffe Essay -- Tartuffe Essays

Justice and Injustice in Tartuffe  Ã‚   A theme of the play Tartuffe is justice. Justice, or the lack of justice, can be seen in the relationship between father and son, father and daughter, and guest and host. Lacanian philosophy, which focuses on language and the conflict that the male feels due to a disintegration of oneness, can be used to look at injustice as it manifests itself in the male conflict within the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Lacan, a male child experiences conflict with his father, who is associated with language and thus otherness. Once a child enters into the world of language he loses his sense of unity with his mother. In Tartuffe the father, Orgon is in conflict with his son, Damis. Damis is a rash person who does not think things completely through before choosing a course of action, as seen when he says abruptly, "I'll go and tell [Tartuffe] off-, I'm out of patience" (3. 1. 10). He verbally spars with his father, who is completely infatuated with the behavior of Tartuffe, to see Tartuffe for what he is. After eavesdropping on the conversation between Elmire, the wife of Orgon, and Tartuffe, Damis is convinced that he has the evidence that he needs to convince Orgon of his position, as indicated when he says, "And now I've proof that can't he disbelieved Proof that was furnished me by Heaven above" (3.4.24-25). 1 le then goes to destroy his father's view of Tartuffe.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Orgon, however, upon hearing that Damis has caught Tartuffe trying to seduce Elmire, immediately takes a defensive stance and instead of believing his own son, claims the accusation is false and defends the stranger saying, "Ah, you deceitful boy, how dare you try / To stain his purity with so foul a lie?" (3.6.15-16). He scolds him:... ...time a just man before he met Tartuffe.   Ã‚  Ã‚   There is much injustice in the play Tartuffe. This injustice as well as the justice that triumphs often comes through the use of language for the purpose of establishing either law or love. Sometimes a character takes on this language by association with other characters, and other times in reaction to the use of this language by other characters. Regardless of the source, language is a common medium for the expression of justice or its opposite. This language is used by characters as a result of the conflict that a male feels as described by Lacan, which more often that not, results in the expression of injustice. The expression of injustice is language-based because the male, by being exposed to language, is thrust into a world of alienation, and has experienced injustice from his first experience with language.   

Mr. Duffy :: essays research papers

In life people are be alone by choice, no matter if it was flat out what the wanted or alone due to some kind of forced circumstance that grew out of a previous choice they made, but when it comes down to it loneliness is never truly desired. In the short stories A Painful Case and Eveline we see examples of each type of loneliness. In A Painful Case Mr. Duffy for the most part of his life chooses to be alone. In Eveline, Eveline seems to be lonely because she’s unable to leave her duties to her family. In both stories the main characters display their desire to have someone near but when they’re finally given the chance it’s inevitably taken away from them, and then they’re driven back into the entrapment of loneliness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout Mr. Duffy’s life he has never found a satisfactory choice with anything, which explains why he sticks to a simple, plain, and routine life. He also never gave much thought to his own feelings or wrote them down most likely to assert his decision of being alone, so he wouldn’t start to rethink his decisions. But when he met Mrs. Sinico, they’re intimate discussions slowly led him into breaking down that wall that kept out all people from getting close to him. He was starting to unconsciously enjoy the company of an intimate friendship, but he couldn’t let it last for long so he pushed her away. For the longest time he didn’t realize that he missed that company until he was informed of her suicide. As he walked around the city listening for her voice to come and comfort him in his moment of shame and sorrow he finally understood for the first time in his life that he didn’t want to be alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eveline has always felt lonely ever since her mother’s death but especially now when there is nothing more she can do with her life but find someone to take her away and love her. Eveline’s desire for a better life seems like it may come true when she meets Frank who she thinks will take her away to Buenos Aires. When her chance comes along for her to leave with Frank she too pushes her chance away. She thinks that she no longer deserves a better life other than fulfilling her duties to her family and chooses to be alone for eternity. Mr. Duffy :: essays research papers In life people are be alone by choice, no matter if it was flat out what the wanted or alone due to some kind of forced circumstance that grew out of a previous choice they made, but when it comes down to it loneliness is never truly desired. In the short stories A Painful Case and Eveline we see examples of each type of loneliness. In A Painful Case Mr. Duffy for the most part of his life chooses to be alone. In Eveline, Eveline seems to be lonely because she’s unable to leave her duties to her family. In both stories the main characters display their desire to have someone near but when they’re finally given the chance it’s inevitably taken away from them, and then they’re driven back into the entrapment of loneliness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout Mr. Duffy’s life he has never found a satisfactory choice with anything, which explains why he sticks to a simple, plain, and routine life. He also never gave much thought to his own feelings or wrote them down most likely to assert his decision of being alone, so he wouldn’t start to rethink his decisions. But when he met Mrs. Sinico, they’re intimate discussions slowly led him into breaking down that wall that kept out all people from getting close to him. He was starting to unconsciously enjoy the company of an intimate friendship, but he couldn’t let it last for long so he pushed her away. For the longest time he didn’t realize that he missed that company until he was informed of her suicide. As he walked around the city listening for her voice to come and comfort him in his moment of shame and sorrow he finally understood for the first time in his life that he didn’t want to be alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eveline has always felt lonely ever since her mother’s death but especially now when there is nothing more she can do with her life but find someone to take her away and love her. Eveline’s desire for a better life seems like it may come true when she meets Frank who she thinks will take her away to Buenos Aires. When her chance comes along for her to leave with Frank she too pushes her chance away. She thinks that she no longer deserves a better life other than fulfilling her duties to her family and chooses to be alone for eternity.

Threats :: essays research papers

Anthony, soaked in his own perspiration after a friendly soccer match, barged through his classroom door angrily, with his soccer ball within his arm. He sat down, disposing his gear- grassy socks with its stink, goalkeeper’s gloves – into an NTUC Fairprice plastic bag. The thirteen-year-old then lay back in his chair, deep in thoughts, unaware of the quietness of an empty classroom late in the afternoon. â€Å"Boy, what an idiot you are! If you do not turn up for the next soccer practice, I’ll replace you with that boy from 1C, that Weixiang!† – The sight of his soccer match, Mr. Anderson, yelling into his face kept flashing within Anthony’s mind. The pot-bellied English man had a reputation for deafening his students with his voice, not much difference from using a loud hailer. Anthony is proud of his position, as goalkeeper of the C’ Division soccer team of the school. Never could he imagine Weixiang, that scrawny egg-shaped spectacles-rimmed nerdy homo-sapien replacing that post due to missing a few soccer practices for the sake of competing at Counterstrike games with his long-timed rivals at the cybercafe nearby. It is a hard-earned achievement for Anthony Tan, previous top-scorer in his lowly unheard Primary School; he has intentions of converting from his library-dwelling old self, to the sporty, sociable stud of Bukit Timah Secondary School. The ‘stud’ packed his school bag. His eyes felt dry. â€Å"Darn. I have been wearing these contact lenses since six this morning,† he thought, rubbing his left eye with the back of his hand. All he wanted to do was to shoot his way home to remove the irritating focuses. Anthony swung the bag across his back in a fashionable manner – similar to those American kids on TV hanging out at their school lockers. He dribbled his favorite ball – most desired 13th birthday gift, indication of start to teenage-hood. Out of the dark classroom, along the dimly lit corridors, attempting to make his way out of the school compound while showing himself as a well-inspired fan of Paolo Maldini. Dribbling on, with pillars in place as his defenders. He stopped. Slowly, in a dramatic manner, our hero ascended his right leg to a certain level. Anthony gave the soccer ball a hard deserving kick. How he wished it was the head of his Mathematics teacher. Our friend then discovered – venging anger on non-living objects with the hint of cruel imagination does cure vengeance within the heart.

Effects of Technology on Relationships

Yana Feldman Professor Ebersole Analytical Reading and Writing 0802 November 2, 2010 Advances in Communication and Intimate Relationships Instant digital and online communication of the modern world influences love and courtship in relationships. The generations of today allow their interpersonal relationships to be formed and shaped according to the technology that is offered. This is one of the many important matters that are influenced by technology. Technology is manipulating the world with positive and negative effects; it causes scientific advancement, it affects the economy, and importantly, it changes communication between people.This change can be seen in intimate relationships. To see how communication technology has changed love as a whole, one can observe how technology has changed different types, or stages, of intimate relationships. Three possible stages are an early dating stage at which flirting and courtship occur, a marital stage in which commitment is vital, and a long-distance relationship in which a couple is temporarily separated. These stages of relationships have changed in history and will continue to adjust according to society and, of course, technology. Communication has continuously been evolving ever since language existed.Language gives the distinctive ability for the evolution of human society. Language starts at the basis of spoken words; information is conveyed through conversation aloud or written in forms of letters. Efficient communication has involved written messages even in the earliest of civilizations. Since 522 BC written messages were sent between people in the Persian Empire. For a message to travel 2000 miles, it would take 10 days for a man on a horse at a speed of 200 miles per day; clearly, there were no other options or methods to send a message such a long distance.Until much more recent centuries, the only way to speed up the transferring of a message was to speed up the messenger himself. In the 11th century messages were sent slightly faster using pigeons (Gascoigne 1). As a next big step in the 15th century, the new technology of printing was invented. It spreads so quickly that every European country soon uses this new invention. The invention of the telescope in the 17th century allows for optical signals to be sent across a longer distance (Gascoigne 1).The application of electricity to enable communication did not come until much later in the form of the static electrical telegraph in the 18th century. Another long time passed post-telegraph telecommunications technologies before the speaking telephone would be invented (Winston 28). But by the time that Queen Victoria had ended her reign in 1901, the telegraph also left its greatest days behind (Standage 1). Distant signaling by voice appeared only 2 centuries ago—a very recent advancement considering how long communication has existed (Winston 33).The telephone was invented in the late 19th century—within 20 years , 2 million telephones existed in the United States. â€Å"During Queen Victoria’s reign, a new communications technology was developed that allowed people to communicate almost instantly across great distances, in effect shrinking the world faster and further than ever before. A worldwide communications network whose cables spanned continents and oceans, it revolutionized business practice, gave rise to new forms of crime, and inundated its users with a deluge of information. Romances blossomed over the wires† (Standage 1).Finally, the 20th century brought the inventions of the radio, television, and internet into human society; another influential invention was the famous cellular phones. These inventions spread to all parts of the world generously and quickly. With internet abilities, electronic mail became an option, and soon a preference over post mail. Instant messaging, text-messaging, and video chatting are all continuing to spread. Additionally, the convergenc e of internet and cellular devices can currently allow web access anytime and anywhere (â€Å"Internet† 1).The modern day communication options are incomparable to the early civilizations’ options. Modern communication capabilities cannot even be compared to the communication 200 years ago; so much has changed. Intimacy and loving relationships have always had certain steps and stages along the way. Dating and marriage are often regarded as popular topics of discussion. One can picture ladies gossiping and journalists commenting on what women should do, on what men should do, or how both parties should act in certain situations.However, love and intimacy are also sometimes observed in a more general and objective sense. The relationships of today can be compared with each other as well as compared to equal relationship settings of the past. Early developing intimate relationships today is a very open and general topic as compared to what it once used to be. â€Å"Cour tship no longer occupies a vital place in American culture. The term itself seems quaint and outdated† (Cere 4). Some researchers believe that the traditions of courtship eroded in the 20th century.They also believe that courtship’s end caused the destabilizing of marriage in recent years (Cere 4). Research shows that a device such as a cell phone and the text messaging that it offers substitutes face-to-face communication and is killing relationships. This is vital in an early developing relationship because communication in this stage can either cause the progress or downfall of the whole relationship. Interestingly, researchers have found that the reason men and women spend so much time on the Internet is because of the easy communication management and the environmental control that is offered.Particularly for the early stages of developing relationships, internet communication and other technological forms do not have any benefits (Kasallis). While research shows t hat text messages can be endearing and sweet for couples to interact and communicate, men and women may develop opposite opinions about the issue of text messaging. It seems that because text messaging (along with some other new technology) is so new, ground rules have not yet been established in the etiquette of the text message, and so for this reason these new technologies have had such pressure on early dating and flirting relationships (Pressner 1).In addition to the effects of text messaging and online communication to already developed intimate relationships, there is the whole issue of relationships that have been created in cyber ways. Social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, offer the communication between old and new acquaintances. Yet today’s technology does not nearly end there; in addition to such online social locations for communication, couples and singles are offered with online dating services, such as Match. com and eHarmony.Such online services (now also accessible on cellular devices ever since the Cell and Internet convergence) are lacking reality and are artificial. Yet this does not stop men and women. In fact, the disconnectedness often attracts their attention and is tempting and addicting. Another stage of relationships is marriage. The marital stage is considered the most committed and based on emotional attachment. In this stage, the couple is considered dedicated and can be referred to as family members; the couple can also bear children. Research shows that marriage, partially due to the previous dating stage, has also changed in recent times.In the past, the â€Å"courtship† dating stage set clear ground for marriage as a next step. Since early dating is affected in modern day, marriage is not regarded as the next conceivable step. Also with technology changes, divorce laws have changed, allowing marriages to end with no faults, and opening more options to couples. â€Å"Many of the essential features of lo ve as courtship — the longing for permanence, the desire to donate the self to another — must, in the economists’ story of courtship, be either submerged into contract theory or dismissed altogether as irrational† (Cere 10).The effects of online communication and text messaging on marriage are observed as well; with both positive and negative effects. Noticeably, a little free time along with the internet is possibly harmful and damaging to a married couple. With services on the internet such as dating, social networks, and pornography, a dedicated husband or wife could get carried away. Such services are easily accessed, easy to use, and emotionally easy to handle because no work is required to be put in as with a husband or a wife.Nevertheless, other researchers say that marriage has been made easier in recent years due to the interconnectedness. A husband or wife can always send an email, make a phone call, or even easier—send a text message to o ne another. With this ability, there appears yet another aspect: married couples do not experience the love and desire for each other when not together (Sahlstein 1). A simple phone call can eliminate any feelings the couple has of missing one another or of desire for the other. With such quick digital communication today there is less of this excitement as in previous years.A third type of a relationship is a long-distance relationship. A simple example of such a couple is when the husband must leave for the military for long periods of time. In the internet age today, this long distance relationship is aided by such programs like Skype. A couple can not only send quick e-mails, it can talk on the phone, send instant messages, and video chat. This is somewhat of a revolution in comparison to relationships even a hundred years ago. Long distance relationships have had problems in all cultures and times.Since beginning of history, long distance relationships was a matter that was avo ided at all costs. Yet in today’s world, technology has definitely benefited this form of intimate relationship, allowing a couple to stay in touch in numerous ways. Most interestingly, studies show that in such a relationship, being together and being apart mutually allow and constrain on another in multiple ways (Sahlstein 1). Modern society is enhancing and providing this ability for long-distance romantic partners to feel connected and still be separated at the same time.The technology, particularly for communication enhancement, has changed probably the most in recent years causing changes and adjustments in all areas. Relationships and interpersonal communication is just one area that is currently affected, and it is not yet clear if it for the ultimate better or the eventual downfall of intimacy between men and women. In dating, marriage, and long-distance relationships, the effects of communication technology are currently observable. However, new technology is being developed and new standards are being set; and so, one may only wonder where intimate relationships will end up next. New problems may arise, as they always do in time; yet with such an instinctive and desired emotion of love, humans and their relationships will have the ability to prevail.Works Cited Cere, Dan. â€Å"The Experts’ Story of Courtship. † Institute for American Values. 2000. 01 November 2010. . Gascoigne, Bamber. â€Å"History of Communication† HistoryWorld. 2001. 01 November 2010. . Kasallis, Theresa. â€Å"Text messaging affects student relationships. † Universe. 5 Jul 2006. 01 November 2010. . Perlman, Daniel. Intimate Relationships. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Humanities Social, 2008. Pressner, Amanda. Can love blossom in a text message? † USA Today. 29 January 2006. 01 November 2010. . Sahlstein, Erin M. â€Å"Relating at a distance: Negotiating being together and being apart in long-distance relationships. † Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 2010. 01 November 2010. . Standage, Tom. The Victorian Internet. New York: Walker Publishing, 2000. Winston, Brian. Media technology and society: a history: from the telegraph to the Internet. New York: Taylor and Francis e-Library, 2003. â€Å"Internet. † Encyclop? dia Britannica. 2010. Encyclop? dia Britannica Online. 01 Nov. 2010 .