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

Macroeconomic - Essay Example The shift of scarce resources from the private to the public sector would result in a budget deficit because the government would have to increase the interest rates in order to capture the attention of the population to buy the debt. An increase in the government spending in particular areas can also be an instrumental way of promoting technological innovation, the skills of the workforce and the social infrastructure. For instance an increase in government spending on transport infrastructure will not only have a cumulative effect on the aggregate demand but will also promote productivity and competitiveness (Riley). Likewise, if the government spends more on education, it would have direct effects on the population, producing more educated individuals and a skilled workforce. An increase in the spending of the government would have a direct impact on the aggregate demand. Increased government spending would cause an increase in the aggregate demand, which would in turn have an imp act on the entire economy. The increased AD would culminate in the rise in the output as well as the prices. Moreover over a long period of time, the increased government expenditure causes a fiscal policy multiplier, characteristic of increased consumer spending (Mankiw 484).

Chronic Diseases Essay Example for Free

Chronic Diseases Essay Finding out that you have any type of cancer will change your life and wonder how and why it happens to them. Even after many years and billions of dollars of research, we still dont know exactly what causes cancer. But we do know how to identify people who are at higher risk of developing specific cancers. A well-known cancer that majority women get but also men can get as well is breast cancer. Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the tissues of the breast. Everyone has a risk factor; a risk factor is anything that affects your chances of getting a particular disease. They are risk factors that you cannot change and those are: age, gender, family history of breast cancer, genes, and menstrual cycle. Your risks of developing breast cancer increases as you get older; most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men, but men have their chances as well. You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast cancer or other cancers such as: uterine, ovarian, or colon cancer. Some people have genes that make them more likely to develop breast cancer. Women who got their periods early, before age 12 or went through menopause late, after age 55 have an increased risk for breast cancer. Other risk factors are if you drink two or more glasses a day you can increase your chance of getting breast cancer. Also, being overweight is a risk factor of developing breast cancer. Many risk factors, such as your genes and family history, cannot be controlled. However, eating a healthy diet and making a few lifestyle changes may reduce your overall chance of getting cancer. Maintained a physical activity that will allow you to be at a healthy weight can help you reduce of getting cancer. Watch what you eat and how much you consume, it is said that if you reduce your intake of red meat will help you reduce your risk of getting breast cancer or any other cancer. Eating vegetables and eating more whole grain should be added or be a good portion in your daily diet. Also if you are aware of your risk factors you are already doing something to help you prevent getting cancer. Getting a screening test is also important to do even if your risk isn’t that high. A screening test looks for signs of cancer in people who have no symptoms. Also if you feel that you have symptoms, going to your doctor to check and do the screening test is important. Also when you have your daily check up at the doctors allowing them to do a simple regular breast examine. Your doctor will check if you have any abnormal lump in your breast. They are things you can do to help you prevent getting cancer but even so there is that small chance of you getting cancer. Talking to your doctor and being informed in what you can do is a very good option.

Change of Management in Nursing: Causes and Impacts

Change of Management in Nursing: Causes and Impacts Problems in nursing practices Nursing practice refers to the process of protecting, promoting and optimizing health and abilities, preventing illnesses and injuries through the treatment of human response. Nursing is a health sector which is concerned with the protection and the care of individual. The purpose of this assignment is to elaborate more about problems that are involved in the nursing practice, there importance and how they can be evaluated. In the nursing sector there are many problems which encounter the nurses working there hence this leads to a poor working environment or may also lead to poor nursing skills. Most problems encountered in the nursing sector are always influenced by the management in the health sector. Most health sectors have poor managerial skills which prove to have minimum likelihood of operating under good conditions. The managerial issues in the health sector have led to the diminish of good and quality nurses who are able to provide the best and reliable services to the patients in the hospitals. The managerial hierarchy is always involved in many factors concerning the health sector which includes:Staffing,Satisfaction on patient’s needs,Inter relationships among the working nurses, Job hazards and their appropriate safety in the sector, Advances in technology about the hospital equipments and Patient relationships. Managerial hierarchy is the stronghold’s part of a certain sector where it should provide the best skills for the proper working of the whole health sector. It is important and guaranteed that health sector should have the best working condition worldwide in order to ensure that each and every person with health problems is treated with much care. There are many important factors which are always applicable to the management in the health sector. They include: Good management reduces costs made to in the health sector. This helps in realization and maximization of results through fewer inputs by proper planning. The management will be able to use physical, financial resources in order to reduce cost production involved in the health sector. Good management will help in the realization of the sector’s goals. The nursing management will be able to arrange the best factors which are eligible to offer the best services to the patients through the nurses hence providing an effective manner of achieving its goals. Good managerial skills will establish equilibrium to the sector whereby it enhances the health sector to survive under different and variable working environment. There is optimum utilization of available resources. The management will utilize the human resources productively. It will provide maximum utilization of the scarce resources by providing its best solutions in the health sector for various uses. Good management will also provide essentials for the prosperity of the society. An efficient management will enable increase the welfare among the people of the society. In the journal, Advanced and Specialist Nursing Practice: Attitudes of Nurses and Physicians in Israel states that with the introduction of new and advanced nursing roles, the profession is undergoing dynamic change. Realization of such changes will be easier to accomplish if the nursing community and other healthcare professionals welcome the process of change in the nursing sector. The journal says that the goal is to evaluate Israeli nurses towards the introduction of new nursing roles and to expand the scope of nursing practice. In the journal Managerial responses to Medicaid prospective payment in the nursing home sector proposes that healthcare reform at the national level is extremely improbable. The nursing professionals should have adequate skills on the provision of care to the sick patients. It claims that with better skills in health sector helps in providing a suitable working environment (Brodsky Dijk, 2011). In the journal, Managing Nursing Assets: A primer on maximizing investment in people argues that nurse managers require critical competencies and skills to thrive in today’s health care environment. A nurse manager’s relationship with nursing staff is the primary variable that can reduce turnover and improve unit morale in a variety of different ways hence self confidence is required. Changing the health management staff refers to the processes and human beings and techniques deployed in order to effectively manage the required change for a better outcome. Change will always occur in a sector when there is a problem which continually exists. A change of health management will involve implementation and provided risks to the existing sector. The change should be realistic and also achievable. It can also be in terms of increased performance and reduction of costs. There should be a change in terms of management in the health and nursing sector. Management hierarchy should be stable in order to establish a good working environment for the nurses so that they can deliver good services to the patients in the hospitals. Establishment of changes in the health sector should be towards the realization of goals made through the provision of better services. Changing the old operating management leads to the birth of a new system which probably has better skills compared to the previous one. For a nursing sector to have benefits there should be adequate knowledge on how to effectively manage it. Without the existence of change control command system in a sector there will be assumptions that there is poor management in the health and nursing sector. There are many changes which are always suggested especially when there is suitability of changing the management board. This will include: Changing the control board in the health sector. This will involve targeting key people especially those who don’t give a well presented outcome of what they have done in the course of their work. Lazy managerial workers are supposed to be prevented from operating in such fragile health sectors so that better and quality services are provided. Nurses in the managerial hierarchy who have less skills about there work should be of rid to the health sector (Reid Coburn, 2010). There should be effective identification, validation and communication among the people working together. This will enable proper communication among the people working together in the hospitals hence providing a good working environment. Implementing and evaluating the change in practice. This will involve the building the systems for knowing the patients, identification of problems early, communicating them and managing the changes of the patient at an early stage. Integrating and maintaining the changes brought into practice. This will develop knowledge and skills in assembling topics concerning the clinical nursing issues. This will enhance recognizable knowledge and provide well formulated answers for clinical questions. There are factors which are considered during the implementation of the changes made. One of these strongly considered factors is the individual patient or family needs and preferences. Family backgrounds will largely affect the changes made through implementation. A certain family will come up with an idea of transferring their own patient to another hospital maybe due to poor services provided in the nursing facilities. This will lead to thorough and keen investigation of the nursing facilities which will probably lead to most changes which will cause implementation of the nursing structure. Most patients are unable to give their own thoughts on services offered to them. This is because there is limited patient engagement with the nurses present in the nursing facilities. The patients will be unable to interact with the nurses due to poor interaction skills experienced from the nurses hence there is limited communication among them. Patients are supposed to engage effectively in speaking for better services to be provided on them. Patients are supposed to conquer the obstacles which prevent them from engaging in decision making among them. The patient may have additional needs that are supposed to be analyzed in multiple dimensions. Patient values and there preferable needs are of clinical interview whereby the implementation of the nursing changes will lead to evaluation of patient values. There needs should be expressed to the managing sector so that the nursing team will provide with all the necessities while in the nursing clinics. This will ensure that all the system within which the practices for patient nursing cares differ from the majority or one’s own (Reid Coburn, 2010). Patients and family needs will lead to the analysis of ethical and legalized implications that the patient has to describe the boundaries of the nursing clinics. The value shared in decision making among the patient and families will be embraced even during conflicts. This will lead to the analysis of strategies that will empower the patients and families in terms of health care. Patients are engaged in active partnerships during illness moments hence there is respect over patient preferences and reasponsibilties.Barriers are eliminated to presence of families hence there is changes in nursing clinics. Integration of principles involved in effective communication with quality knowledge and safety among them will give a description of good reflective practice. Continued analyzing and improving of a patient’s level will enhance changes through communication with the nurses in the nursing care facilities (Flannery Grace, 2009). When patients demonstrate knowledge concerning their health, they will appreciate their strengths and weaknesses and practice the need for quality conduct. .Flexibility of the patient values are more important in terms of been supportive to specific interventions whereby there is impact implicated on changes made. Health cares managers should be able to recognize that there is need for engaging patients and family members in matters concerning them so that the health cares will deliver more and better resources to them. As there are changes taking place in the nursing sector, it is important to evaluate the results made after the changes have been made. Evaluating will involve the relations between the original strategy and the sector’s objectives. When the changes are not evaluated it will become difficult for the management sector to show how well they have been managing the whole process. When the management is able to review and monitor its own objectives there will be further improvements that is required in a health sector. When the change is not successful, the managers are still able to evaluate why the change process had to fail. The best way of evaluating change processes is through performance indices. If a sector’s objective is to increase productivity then its output can be compared to the input. Evaluation of the outcomes made helps in keeping the processes of change stable. Change is considered as the biggest challenge for all sectors even though large or small. Change is at a pace whereby it is universal and it is known to be increasing with time. References Brodsky, E., Dijk, D. V. (2011). Advanced and specialist nursing practice: Attitudes of nurses and physicians in Israel. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 40(2), 187-94. Retrieved from Reid, W. M., Coburn, A. F. (2010). Managerial responses to Medicaid prospective payment in the nursing home sector. Hospital Health Services Administration, 41(3), 283. Retrieved from Flannery, T. P., Grace, J. L. (2009). Managing nursing assets: A primer on maximizing investment in people. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 23(4), 35-46. Retrieved from

Love and Destruction in Alice Hoffmans Here on Earth :: Hoffman Here on Earth Essays

Love and Destruction in Alice Hoffman's Here on Earth Dangerous love was an attraction for March in Alice Hoffman's Here on Earth. The story suggests that her love is pure from the beginning and that she could only love her counter part Hollis. The twist and turns that this novel brings shows the doom that falls upon March and Hollis's relationship. The affection grows to lust and then to a need for their bodies. March and Hollis's need for the love of each other lead to each of their destructions. March begins with an attraction to Hollis that starts to break down her family life. March sees Hollis for the first time when they were both in their early teen years. March observes Hollis from a window on the first day and lays claim to him, "From now on, he's mine." (17). Hollis does not talk in the beginning of the novel. This lack of communication does not allow March to see his background. She finds out that later on in the novel that Hollis is a very angry man, "... of some other scorching scent, which March would later come to believe was anger." (19). This is a lead to March that danger is in loving Hollis. Huffman suggest that the love of Hollis and March will be difficult when Hollis became possessive of March. She was preparing for a night at the Coopers and Hollis was jealous of the relationship that she had formed. He became violent with March, "He was twisting her wrist; as soon as she shook free, she backed away. 'Leave me alone' she said." (27). Huffman knows that a love with one of the partners being jealous and possessive does not work and she makes that clear from the beginning. At that point Hollis leaves March angry while Huffman knows that love must not be built on the jealous rampage of one man. March spends years waiting on Hollis with hopes that he will return to her,"...before she knew it the pane of glass had become her universe, the empty road her fate." (28). March goes on to become another person but she knows in her heart that she will always love Hollis. This dooms her character to a life of sadness and regret. Her family is always different. March will never truly love Richard, her husband, and this strains their marriage to the extreme as the novel continues on, "I'll never be in love with you.

How Socio-Economic Classes Contributed to Events in 1800 Europe Essay

Described as â€Å"the divine distribution of men into different ranks, and at the same time uniting them into one society† (Gladstone, 1896), the socio-economic class order formed the structure and foundation of society in Europe. Consisting of three distinct entities and with a strong correspondence between economic prosperity and social standing, it would also serve as the backdrop for which historical phenomena would occur. Europe’s social order was not just the environment in which these events would materialize, but also a fundamental causal factor in three notable events; The French Revolution (1789-1799), The French Revolution of 1848 and Britain’s Industrial Revolution (1750 onwards). However, the origins of these events were also contingent upon other circumstantial factors. The roots of the first French revolution, arguably, are in The Enlightenment; the period of the philosophers. New philosophies advocating human rationality came to form by the mid 1700’s and were propelled into popular thought after the isolated, and highly charged, Jean Callas incident . Philosophers like Voltaire found the perfect vehicle in this incident to question the arbitrary use of power so prevalent in French society. The monarchy and the presence of the Social Order soon came into question. Across Europe, cafes sprung out to host discussion centered on the common theme of reason. Society cleaved toward enlightened ideas of rationality, equality and liberalism, leading to the growing questioning of the existing monarchial power structure. Alternative political ideologies for the state, from personalities like Rousseau and Locke, sprouted and undermined the legitimacy of the monarchy. While The Enlightenment is responsible for creating pressure from society against the monarchy, these ideas would have been impotent without suitable ground. The socio-economic categorizing of European society is a more fundamental cause of the first French Revolution because it provided this ground. The rigidity of the social order in late 17th century France accounts for the origins of the first French revolution. In theory, the social divisions were permeable and promoted mobility (Roberts, 1997). Across Europe, titles and estates could be purchased and so also, the privilege of the nobility. However the reality was often different. In light of booming trade, the demand for titles from the French bourgeoisie and returning nobility outstripped the number permitted by the social order . Furthermore, while the bourgeoisie enjoyed increasing economic power and could live equally, if not exceedingly, extravagant lives as the nobility, the social order shut this community out from the benefits of social privilege . This was exacerbated by the nobility’s stress on privilege in response to the new Bourgeois economic threat. The system’s disregard of merit in place of hereditary, and the fundamentally irrational social construct sowed discontentment within the second and third estate, where the ideals of enlightenment; rationality and equality, would find willing subscribers. Riding on the resentment toward society’s order and fuelled by The Enlightenment’s ideas did the French Revolution tear its way through to the Bastille. While the first French revolution was understandably a social battle, one could argue that the revolution of 1848 was born out of opposition to economic factors than on society’s social construct. The time leading up to 1848 was a time of gradual industrialization for France. Its products; rapid urbanization and changes in economic practices, broke familiar social patterns of the working class. For instance, the commercial system was rewritten by doing away with the cottage industry and previously public lands, privatized. Added to this, a burgeoning population, severe industrial and agricultural depressions in 1846 and Louis-Phillipe’s inaction in alleviating rural and urban poverty culminated to create great peasant discontent. The economic change that accompanied its deterioration galvanized the working class, triggering the third French revolution in 1848; aptly, also known as a Worker’s Revolution. However, it is artificial to separate economics from social class since there is a correspondence between social hierarchy and wealth. They are, after all, aptly named â€Å"socio-economic† classes. In analyzing yet another French revolution, an important observation to make is the persistence of Europe’s social order. Though the 1830 revolution delivered another great blow to the old social order (Magraw, 1987), and promised equality in opportunity and economic liberalism manifest in the abolishment of seigneurial practices for all, much had remained the same. Succinctly captured by Cobban’s argument that ‘it [did] not matter whether we [called] it aristocracy or bourgeoisie† , the cleaving of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie shows an adaption, not an eradication of the social order. The aristocracy kept to their ranks by continuing their distinctive politics and marriage practices (Magraw, 1987). Since most engaged with capitalism, they were mostly able to maintain their privileged lifestyle and control of much of the land . The Bourgeoisie continued to thrive, especially under the â€Å"Bourgeois King† and even went as far as to convert their wealth into land ownership. This neo-feudalism masquerading as the product of laissez faire economic practices, and the continuation of aristocratic dominance came at the expense of the working class. Thus did the working class continue in their economically disadvantaged positions. Their economic dependence on the old order’s aristocracy, had merely been replaced with a dependence on remnants of the same old order and a new Bourgeois one. The social order is a more fundamental account for the workers revolution, since it was responsible for creating the economic grievances of the working class which became the fuel for the 1848 revolution. The European social order again features as a causal factor in Britain’s Industrial Revolution. It is the very hierarchical nature of the class system that functioned as the engine for the Industrial Revolution. The industrial entrepreneurs of Britain, the main thrust for the innovation that characterized the revolution, took hold of Britain’s mineral resource advantage to affect rapid development. The motivations behind entrepreneurship are traced back to the make-up of society. Since social privilege was linked with economic wealth, successful merchants strived to purchase titles and convert their wealth into social status (Briggs, 1979). In this way, the extravagance of noble life, held in high regard, could be emulated. However, it is admittedly reductionistic to exclusively use the quest for noblehood to account for an entire revolution. Coupled with the desire for social advancement were also ideas from The Enlightenment and The Scientific Revolution; laissez faire economic practices and technological advancement respectively. Society as a whole was geared toward revolutionary development, equipped with the necessary ideology and possessing the necessary scientific capability. Nonetheless, the power of science and the power of thought would have remained a means without an end if not for the existence of Europe’s social class as the motivation to individuals for conomic advancement. Furthermore, the narrow elite which feature in Europe’s social order meant that there was a prolific number from the working class available for cheap employment and indeed, were the working class called upon for this. By 1850, more than 50% of the population were living in towns and city to work in factories and city-bound industries. The abundance of cheap labor comes from the old social order’s narrow top and wide base, and it sustained and accelerated industrialization to revolutionary measures. Thus, we trace back the origins of the Industrial revolution to socio-economic classes. Social hierarchical ascension was the motivation, and the demographic make-up, the sustenance. Evidently, the causality of the three historical events covered is not monolithic. Though the contributing factors are layered and many, the role of socio-economic class is central. Its rigid, persistent and hierarchical institution shaped the motivations of humanity and in doing so, account for the origins of major events in History.

Free Essays on The Perfect Storm

Junger mentions in the foreword that he wanted to write a fictional account of the last moments of the six crew members aboard the Andrea Gail and the events leading up to it. He uses secondary sources because very few primary sources exist, as the crew of the Andrea Gail are not alive. The purpose of using the secondary source information is to effectively make the last moments of the Andrea Gail crew seem more real to the reader who is reading it. Second source information is reliant on someone else’s information or account on something. The sources of information that he has included are weather charts, radio contact/conversation, interviews, research, historical precedents, factual information, statistics, shipping logs, anecdotes and survival stories. Weather charts are a secondary source used by Junger to effectively show the highs and lows of pressure in the atmosphere. This allows the reader to follow on with the weather pattern progress throughout the text. On page 123 and 132 Junger has used weather charts to note the movement of Hurricane Grace, how strong the winds are and how much sea it is pulling. By using weather charts it makes the last moments of the Andrea Gail seem more real as it explain how powerful the winds are so the reader can imagine what it was like and compare what the Andrea Gail may have had to deal with. Junger also uses radio contact/conversation as a secondary source in this text. It is used for various reasons such as distress calls or check up’s between ships. For example on page 119 there is a radio conversation between Linda Greenlaw and Billy Tyne. They check up on each other, talk about the storm and decide to talk later about supplies. Junger has effectively used radio contact/conversation as communication between boats and also so the reader can understand the events that lead the last days of the Andrea Gail. This makes the last moments of the crew members on the Andrea Gail seem real a... Free Essays on The Perfect Storm Free Essays on The Perfect Storm Junger mentions in the foreword that he wanted to write a fictional account of the last moments of the six crew members aboard the Andrea Gail and the events leading up to it. He uses secondary sources because very few primary sources exist, as the crew of the Andrea Gail are not alive. The purpose of using the secondary source information is to effectively make the last moments of the Andrea Gail crew seem more real to the reader who is reading it. Second source information is reliant on someone else’s information or account on something. The sources of information that he has included are weather charts, radio contact/conversation, interviews, research, historical precedents, factual information, statistics, shipping logs, anecdotes and survival stories. Weather charts are a secondary source used by Junger to effectively show the highs and lows of pressure in the atmosphere. This allows the reader to follow on with the weather pattern progress throughout the text. On page 123 and 132 Junger has used weather charts to note the movement of Hurricane Grace, how strong the winds are and how much sea it is pulling. By using weather charts it makes the last moments of the Andrea Gail seem more real as it explain how powerful the winds are so the reader can imagine what it was like and compare what the Andrea Gail may have had to deal with. Junger also uses radio contact/conversation as a secondary source in this text. It is used for various reasons such as distress calls or check up’s between ships. For example on page 119 there is a radio conversation between Linda Greenlaw and Billy Tyne. They check up on each other, talk about the storm and decide to talk later about supplies. Junger has effectively used radio contact/conversation as communication between boats and also so the reader can understand the events that lead the last days of the Andrea Gail. This makes the last moments of the crew members on the Andrea Gail seem real a...

Albinism essays

Albinism essays Albinism is a rare inherited defect in melanin metabolism. Albinism can affect two things, the skin and eyes which is called oculocutaneous albinism or just the eyes which is ocular albinism. The word "albinism" refers to a group of inherited conditions. People with albinism have little or no pigment in their eyes, skin, or hair. They have inherited genes that do not make the usual amounts of a pigment called melanin. One person in 17,000 in the U.S.A. has some type of albinism. Albinism affects people from all races. Most children with albinism are born to parents who have normal hair and eye color for their ethnic backgrounds. Often people do not recognize that they have albinism. (NOAH). Oculocutaneous albinism is from autosomal recessive inheritance; ocular albinism is from an X-linked recessive trait that causes hypopigmentation. In the United States both types of albinism are more common in blacks then in whites, Native Americans have a high incidence of the tyrosine-positive form (1 in 140 to 240). Infants with albinism may behave as if they are not seeing during the first weeks of life and gradually become visually attentive. This is now a well-documented condition. For X-linked inheritance, the gene for albinism is located on an X chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes, while males only have one X and one Y chromosome. This X-linked albinism occurs exclusively in males. The gene is passed from mothers who carry it to their sons. The mothers have subtle eye changes which an ophthalmogist could identigy, but mothers usually have normal vision. For each son born to a mother who carries the gene, there is one in two chance of having X-linked ocular albinism. The description is hereditary deficiency pigmentation. This could involve the entire body or part of the body. This is believed to be caused by an enzyme deficiency involving the metabolism of melanin during prenatal development. If a person has albinism then they ...

Free Essays on The Rise Of Capitalism And Western Dominance

The Rise of Capitalism and Western Dominance The West seems to be the most economically stable and powerful part of the modern world. This is largely true nowadays, but it hasn’t always been the case. Before the Renaissance, the civilizations of Western Europe were by far the most ignorant, uneducated, and unhygienic in the world, compared to the flourishing societies in India and China. Therefore, it is natural for one to be curious about what factors influenced Europe’s fabulous advance in prosperity. How did Europe catch up and eventually surpass the great civilizations in the Middle East and the Orient? Why didn’t those other societies experience a similar economic revolution? Countless factors influenced this unprecedented (and as yet, unrepeated) historic phenomenon, yet it seems clear that as feudalism gradually fell apart, the birth of capitalism paved the golden road to economic growth and prosperity in Europe. Feudo-manorialism was mostly a bane to economic, scientific, and technological progress in medieval Europe. While it would be untrue to say progress didn’t happen during the time period of C. E. 1000- 1500, it would be true to say that around 90% of Europe’s population was poor and had no possible way to progress themselves onto a higher financial plane (Rosenburg, 6). Nathan Rosenburg writes in his landmark work How the West Grew Rich that â€Å"The West had made progress, perhaps slow and irregular but still substantial, for five hundred years. Yet it was, by modern standards, poverty-stricken† (35). Serfs worked the land their entire lives as payment to their liege-lord for allowing them to live on his land. In return, the lord of the manor provided his tenants protection from marauding bandits, who most often took the form of knights loyal to a land-hungry neighboring lord. Indeed, land was the only kind of wealth that one could have; or more accuratel y, owning land was the only way of earni... Free Essays on The Rise Of Capitalism And Western Dominance Free Essays on The Rise Of Capitalism And Western Dominance The Rise of Capitalism and Western Dominance The West seems to be the most economically stable and powerful part of the modern world. This is largely true nowadays, but it hasn’t always been the case. Before the Renaissance, the civilizations of Western Europe were by far the most ignorant, uneducated, and unhygienic in the world, compared to the flourishing societies in India and China. Therefore, it is natural for one to be curious about what factors influenced Europe’s fabulous advance in prosperity. How did Europe catch up and eventually surpass the great civilizations in the Middle East and the Orient? Why didn’t those other societies experience a similar economic revolution? Countless factors influenced this unprecedented (and as yet, unrepeated) historic phenomenon, yet it seems clear that as feudalism gradually fell apart, the birth of capitalism paved the golden road to economic growth and prosperity in Europe. Feudo-manorialism was mostly a bane to economic, scientific, and technological progress in medieval Europe. While it would be untrue to say progress didn’t happen during the time period of C. E. 1000- 1500, it would be true to say that around 90% of Europe’s population was poor and had no possible way to progress themselves onto a higher financial plane (Rosenburg, 6). Nathan Rosenburg writes in his landmark work How the West Grew Rich that â€Å"The West had made progress, perhaps slow and irregular but still substantial, for five hundred years. Yet it was, by modern standards, poverty-stricken† (35). Serfs worked the land their entire lives as payment to their liege-lord for allowing them to live on his land. In return, the lord of the manor provided his tenants protection from marauding bandits, who most often took the form of knights loyal to a land-hungry neighboring lord. Indeed, land was the only kind of wealth that one could have; or more accuratel y, owning land was the only way of earni...

(discussion format ) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

(discussion format ) - Assignment Example Very similarly, many other companies benefit from introducing e-commerce into their business models, even smaller companies that market their products through third-party suites such as e-bay are booming. Thus, the internet can help a company to diversify in two ways: (a) Diversifying customer-base (ex: selling on ebay or on own website through e-commerce solutions) and (b) Diversifying product range (similar to what HP did). Moreover, the internet enables faster communication by the means of VoIP (Skype, IM, Yahoo!) and e-mail, and of course the easy promotion of a business by the means of social networking websites such as twitter or Facebook. Furthermore, websites such as YouTube and Vimeo are just more cheap promotional methods to increase customer base or help in the launch of a new product. Not only that but web 2.0 can also help a company earn more revenues, such as revenues from advertisements on owned website and revenues from selling products from related industries and act ing as an agent.

655 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

655 - Assignment Example In this regard, courtesy and friendliness have made me in networking especially in my college life as well as in my career. Since I am very social I have good negotiation skills that have enabled me to attain leadership positions and leadership awards. Since I push for timeliness and productivity, am considered a good performance analysis and the organization often consults with me in the evaluation of staff performance as well as the mentorship of new employees (Goleman, 2008). Additionally, high levels of honesty and truthfulness have made my employers and friends to trust my confidentiality in conflict management. On numerous occasions, I have been called for advises on social aspects as well as on career progression. However, due to limited social interaction skills, I believe that am not fully utilizing my nourishing behaviors to the maximum potential (Davenport, 2011). In this regard, I have started undertaking Sociology and psychology classes to solve the problem. I am currently involved in community groups that operate in the form of groups. My leadership development will assist me not only to reach my goals but also enable me to improve my social skills, improve my self-control and ultimately improve my self-confidence. The three levels of personality have a significant impact on Social intelligence. In this regard, individuals will use their thinking skills to interact with others. Such skills have a positive effect on social intelligence since individuals will gain good social skills that they will use to unite their families and community (Casserly, 2011). Additionally, human empathy also improves Social intelligence since it enables individuals to express their emotions to others without the fear of being controlled. The interactions develop social skills within the community. Lastly, good communication also improves Social intelligence since it acts as a medium to show personal impressions and opinions. My first

Working with Federal Reserves Publications Essay

Working with Federal Reserves Publications - Essay Example In the past Central Bankers have traditionally been close-mouthed and the Federal Reserve was often reluctant to state publicly what its current policy directive is; what its idea about future monetary policy actions including its predictions in relation to general economic conditions or interest rates (Ehrmann et al 2007). Hence periodic or regular publications may provide some detailed analysis of monetary policies for the preceding moths or years but does not divulge any information details regarding current of future polices. The conventional or common practice of the Federal Reserve in keeping quiet about present and future monetary policies have change recently becoming more transparent such that after meetings the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) publicly relates monetary policy decisions and central bank forecasts, which also includes justifications for any changes that were or are made (Ehrmann et al 2007). The justifications include considerations taken that resulted to the decision over the changes done on the said monetary policies. The trend of the economy and financial markets generally rely on the monetary policy standpoint and balance-of-risks appraisal of the Federal Reserves or Central Bank’s public statements in connection to inflation and other forms of economic circumstances. The transparency adopted by the Federal reserve lessens market uncertainty with respect to any future monetary policy. However, the Federal Reserve has an option to change its perception and views after making a public announcement regarding its policies. But even with the data or information made available on prior and future monetary policies, a precise determination of the effects of such policies on the general economy and its financial markets can be hard to identify mainly due to other economic factors that can change overtime. 2. Explain the Federal Reserve’s current view about inflation Inflation usually occurs when there is an excess demand, when prices rise when total spending made by consumers, business firms and the government go beyond the value of the total amount produced within a given economy (Roberts 2006). In relation to this, changes in monetary policies as well as fiscal policies contribute greatly to the level of demand which is affected by government purchases, total consumption and investments made (Roberts 2006). However, this has no actual connection to the price level that is similar to the actual price of a single commodity; especially if all other changeable factors are constant like income (wages) and the prices of other goods. The collective price level normally indicates that all other prices are shifting as well. Therefore, incomes usually rise and fall with the level of prices because income is obtained from the price and quantity of goods sold (Roberts 2006). Issues regarding shifts or changes in the economy are quite complicated sine in real terms output in answer to demand cannot increase bey ond the full level of employment which triggers an increase in spending that can merely be attained at higher prices. This can be illustrated in the Philips curve where total demand can be slimmed down or increased in tandem with supply in order to attain full employment output with supply in order to attain full employment output with stable prices. Reality wise, demand is affected by difference in government spending and taxation (fiscal policy) or by the variation s in monetary factors that affects business investment spending. As a whole, it is difficult for the Federal Reser

Sociology269 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sociology269 - Essay Example Steger’s definition tries to cover up all the factors affected by globalization unlike the errors committed by most people wherein they isolate the very complex nature of the concept on a certain premise like the political and economic spheres. One thing that must be considered is that the complex nature of globalization is parallel to the complexity of humankind since their acts that fall under globalization are considered to be â€Å"as old as humanity† (Steger 19). This assertion provides a condition that globalization can be considered a novel concept since it has made humans develop new technologies and developments to improve social condition. One thing that cannot be denied is that globalization has been significant to the lives of humans. There are several improvements in technology, cultural exchanges and global interaction that have been achieved through globalization (Steger 24). Since globalization has a notion of a borderless world, all the political, economic and social aspects of life are subjected to the â€Å"global social formations† (Steger 82). In this case, all the provincial, national, regional and global spheres are presumably controlled by these global groups like the WTO, UN, IMF and World Bank (Steger 41). In Grant MacEwan University City Centre Campus, there are several manifestations of the contested concept of globalization. Most of the time, the economic perpetrations of globalizations are the ones that are greatly manifested on the local level. However, it should not be denied that there are still products on the national level that competes with the global products. There are certain products in the campus that have caught my attention. One of them is the Two Toned Hoodie which is made in Canada and manufactured by Sharper Image. It is a jacket made of polyester and cotton. This jacket, in my opinion, highlights

The Role of Micro and Macro Factors In Business Decision Making Essay

The Role of Micro and Macro Factors In Business Decision Making - Essay Example This paper illustrates that economics enables firm’s in making the decision related to the production such as infrastructure and input cost, number of units, number of labor and their wages, and utility expenses, etc. are in a way to meet the market demand profitably. Additionally, the pricing decisions with profit margins are conducted on the basis of the competitive landscape of the business. All these plays defining a role in the future revenue stream for the business. Also, economics enables firm’s in making the decision-related to the production such as infrastructure and input cost, number of units, number of labor and their wages, and utility expenses, etc. are in a way to meet the market demand profitably. Additionally, the pricing decisions with profit margins are conducted on the basis of the competitive landscape of the business. All these are critical to maintaining the economic objective of achieving profitability for the firm. In addition to this, a manufa cturing concern like other businesses is also required to understand the macroeconomic factors. For example, government policies in the UK are attractive for local and international wind energy producers. These investments have the role in generating employment. The unemployment level and labor policy of the government will determine the cost of labor for the business (both skilled and unskilled). It also has an impact in determining the future demand for the business product. UK government has also lowered taxation to attract investors in the energy sector. In addition to these fiscal and monetary policy implications, GDP of the economy that determines the purchasing power of the people, etc. Also, the international trade regulations and policies of the country are also important to understand in case the input is imported from abroad or is to be exported to other countries. Hence, business economic play a guiding role in surviving and running and business successfully.

Global Leadership and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Leadership and Management - Essay Example The researcher states that in the light of one salient threat to the Kids Retail, mentioned in its SWOT analysis, which is the competition posed by the kid’s shops of the big chains like Wall-Mart and Limited Corporation, the researcher’s company could exploit this threat as a pivotal opportunity for international expansion. It is a pragmatic fact that the emerging kids’ apparel companies simply cannot contend with the retail and logistics potential of the established big chains. Considering the fact that apparel retailing is a capital and investment intensive business, our company could opt to emerge as a leading kids ‘apparel brand by striking pan-global alliances with leading apparel retail stores like Wal-Mart, Sears and JC Penny’s. Kids’ apparel business is required to contend with a complex market, considering the fact that a large segment of the consumers tend to fall without the typical consumer profile. Hence the resources saved on es tablishing new stores and supply and logistics operations, courtesy the alliances forged with the big global chains could be better spent on coming out with large lines during the main selling seasons that are spring, summer, back to school and holidays. At an international level, kids’ fashion happens to be one of the fast growing categories of clothing. So the time and resources saved by leaving retailing to the big clothing chains like Wal-Mart and JC Penny’s, the researcher’s company could focus on its core competencies like monitoring the international trends in kids’ clothing and fast adapting the products to the emerging trends.

Sociology269 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sociology269 - Essay Example Steger’s definition tries to cover up all the factors affected by globalization unlike the errors committed by most people wherein they isolate the very complex nature of the concept on a certain premise like the political and economic spheres. One thing that must be considered is that the complex nature of globalization is parallel to the complexity of humankind since their acts that fall under globalization are considered to be â€Å"as old as humanity† (Steger 19). This assertion provides a condition that globalization can be considered a novel concept since it has made humans develop new technologies and developments to improve social condition. One thing that cannot be denied is that globalization has been significant to the lives of humans. There are several improvements in technology, cultural exchanges and global interaction that have been achieved through globalization (Steger 24). Since globalization has a notion of a borderless world, all the political, economic and social aspects of life are subjected to the â€Å"global social formations† (Steger 82). In this case, all the provincial, national, regional and global spheres are presumably controlled by these global groups like the WTO, UN, IMF and World Bank (Steger 41). In Grant MacEwan University City Centre Campus, there are several manifestations of the contested concept of globalization. Most of the time, the economic perpetrations of globalizations are the ones that are greatly manifested on the local level. However, it should not be denied that there are still products on the national level that competes with the global products. There are certain products in the campus that have caught my attention. One of them is the Two Toned Hoodie which is made in Canada and manufactured by Sharper Image. It is a jacket made of polyester and cotton. This jacket, in my opinion, highlights

Global Leadership and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Leadership and Management - Essay Example The researcher states that in the light of one salient threat to the Kids Retail, mentioned in its SWOT analysis, which is the competition posed by the kid’s shops of the big chains like Wall-Mart and Limited Corporation, the researcher’s company could exploit this threat as a pivotal opportunity for international expansion. It is a pragmatic fact that the emerging kids’ apparel companies simply cannot contend with the retail and logistics potential of the established big chains. Considering the fact that apparel retailing is a capital and investment intensive business, our company could opt to emerge as a leading kids ‘apparel brand by striking pan-global alliances with leading apparel retail stores like Wal-Mart, Sears and JC Penny’s. Kids’ apparel business is required to contend with a complex market, considering the fact that a large segment of the consumers tend to fall without the typical consumer profile. Hence the resources saved on es tablishing new stores and supply and logistics operations, courtesy the alliances forged with the big global chains could be better spent on coming out with large lines during the main selling seasons that are spring, summer, back to school and holidays. At an international level, kids’ fashion happens to be one of the fast growing categories of clothing. So the time and resources saved by leaving retailing to the big clothing chains like Wal-Mart and JC Penny’s, the researcher’s company could focus on its core competencies like monitoring the international trends in kids’ clothing and fast adapting the products to the emerging trends.

Language of Hysteria Essay Example for Free

Language of Hysteria Essay During the 1690s, there was a mass hysteria due to beliefs of the existence of witches. With this fact came the Salem Witch Trials which occurred in Salem Village, Massachusetts. A young child began to exhibit abnormal behaviour and so she was taken in to be examined, they found nothing that could cause her to behave in such a manner. The entire village began to panick and started praying to God to get rid of evil. Conspiracies began to take rise in the village that made the villagers believe that there were witches in their village. Three women were accused of having relations with the Satan. Accusations grew larger and soon there were people who were tried and were killed. These events led to the Salem Witch Trials. The hysteria grew and began to worry people of high standings and soon the assumptions of witchcraft ended. Due to misconceptions and assumptions the Salem Witch Trials began. During the 1930s there was a mass hysteria of alien invasions. This became known as the War of the Worlds radio broadcast sent out by Orson Welles. Welles adds in effects that could cause the people to go into a state of panic. He got the idea from H. G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds. Bad timing became the cause of this mass hysteria. Due to the fact that during those times many people had radios and most families were listening to popular shows and by the time they got to Welles’ they were not able to listen to his introduction. They heard music being interrupted and surprising news of explosions and other sounds that exemplify an alien invasion. The people that tuned in to the radio broadcast late misunderstood and developed a fear and this one of the many causes of the mass hysteria in the 1930s. During the 1690s and the 1930s there mass hysterias like the Salem Witch Trials and the War of the Worlds radio broadcast that caused people to go into panic. These panic attacks were due to misconceptions and misunderstandings. The connection between these two mass hysterias is that the people misunderstood in both situations and caused them to start to panic. These two events have the common factor of how the events occurred.

Marketing Plan For Coca Cola

Marketing Plan For Coca Cola The Coca-Cola Company is one of the leading manufacturers, distributors, and marketers of non alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. They produce non alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups which are sold to bottling partners. The bottlers usually add carbonated water with the concentrates and sweeteners and then bottle the product and sell it to wholesalers or retailers. Coca-Cola owns more than 400 brands in which they market for in over 200 different countries (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Coca-Cola sells a variety of soft drinks, juices, sports drinks, teas, and water. They operate in eight segments, but most of their revenues come from three of those segments. Their three major segments are North America, South Asia and the Pacific Rim, and Bottling Investments. Their five other segments include Europe; North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East; Latin America; Africa; and Corporate. Coca-Cola also has the leading brand (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Their vision is to maximize profits and returns to shareholders. Coca-Cola wants to have skillful workers and inspire them to do the best that they can. They want Coca-Cola to be an enjoyable place to work at and for employees to be motivated in coming to work. The company likes to obtain a product line of beverages that satisfy the needs and wants of consumers. Coca-Cola wants to build trusting relationships with their partners and suppliers along the supply chain. Also Coca-Cola prides itself in making a difference in their community and their many contributions that work to improve the environment. The business decisions that Coca-Cola makes are guided by their values. Their main values include: leadership, passion, integrity, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and quality (Coca-Cola Company 2006). Coca-Cola has remained successful by maintaining strong values, visions, and mission. Marketing Objectives Future growth for Coca-Cola will emerge from their focus shift towards the global market as well as the health conscious market. They are implementing and continuing to build on their global strategy (FrontPage, 2007). Coca-Cola would like to continue to market to countries around the world outside of the United States. They are having growth in emerging markets in Latin America, the BRIC, and Western Europe (FrontPage, 2007). This will be their major focus in the future, because they feel this is where their major growth opportunities lie. Consumers are moving towards a healthier lifestyle, which in turn is causing Coca-Cola to expand their products to continue to meet their needs. They would like to focus on providing juices, sport drinks, and water lines that will aim at the more health conscious market. Coca-Cola has been performing trials on their Minute Maid Heart Wise orange juice to prove that it does help lower cholesterol and improve health. Also they are having trials for their Enviga green tea which can help boost metabolism. This new market is huge and creates a lot of growth opportunity for Coca-Cola (Credeur, 2007). The core of our business is healthy and its poised to capture significant growth over the coming years (Credeur, 2007). Consumer behavior is changing therefore Coca-Cola must adjust their marketing strategies and product lines to meet the consumers needs. Industry Analysis The Coca-Cola Company falls in the beverage industry with many other developing companies. Leading the beverage industry by generating revenues of $24,088 million dollars, Coca-Colas closest competition in this industry is Coca-Cola Enterprises and Anheuser-Busch. Others that fall into the industry include Pepsi Bottling, Molson Coors Brewing, Constellation Brands, Pepsi Americas, and Brown-Forman (Fortune 2007). The beverage industry is moving toward the more health conscious consumer. The market is shifting from soft drinks to juices, sport drinks, and water products. To remain competitive Coca-Cola must also enter into this market and follow the healthier trends. In many European countries, the increasing consumer trend toward a healthier lifestyle continues to grow demand for functional beverages that offer physical or mental well being, lower calories and other added values (Fuhrman, 2007). Consumers value products that are going to help them live a healthy lifestyle and feel better both physically and mentally. SWOT Analysis Strengths Coca-Cola has a lot of strength in their marketing plan and business. They are the worlds leading brand name, and they have a large scale of operations, and have continuing revenue growth in all of their three segments. Coca-Colas three major segments are Latin America; East, South Asia, and Pacific Rim; and Bottling Investments. These are the segments that earn the highest revenues. Each of these segments continuously grows in revenues each year. The revenues earned in these segments have helped The Coca-Cola Company to grow and expand (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Coca-Colas brand name is valued higher than their biggest competitor, Pepsi. Business Week valued Coca-Cola at $67,000 million and Pepsi at only $12,690 million. The brand of Coca-Cola is known globally and allows the company to enter new and emerging markets. Having a strong brand name also allows them to expand their company by adding products such as Cherry Coke and Coke with Lemon, and allowing them to meet different consumers needs. Coca-Cola owns the brand names of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Fanta which are four of the leading brands in soft drinks (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Coca-Cola, with large scale operations, is the leader in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. Selling in 200 countries, Coca-Cola owns 32 beverage concentrate manufacturing plants. They also own bottle water production and beverage facilities. The companys large-scale of operation allows it to feed upcoming markets with relative ease and enhances its revenue generation capacity (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Weaknesses Coca-Cola has three major weaknesses that occur internally in the company, they include: negative publicity, poor performance in North America, and decrease in cash from operations. In 2006, Coca-Cola was accused of selling a product with pesticide residues in India and received negative publicity. These residues contained harmful chemicals that could damage the nervous and reproductive systems and could potentially cause cancer. Coca-Cola was plagued with harmful publicity much like this scenario throughout the year. This type of publicity can affect their brand image and decrease demand for their products (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Coca-Cola focuses on North America as their major target market; therefore it is important for them to have a good performance for the target market. In 2006, Coca-Cola did not perform well and its market growth ceased in North America. The company actually got worse. If this poor performance continues, it could affect the overall companys growth in the future and could allow their competitors to surpass them (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Coca-Cola had a decrease of 7% in cash flows from operations in the year 2006. This affected the company by reducing the amount of funds available for Coca-Cola to reinvest in the company (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Coca-Cola must then finance their growth with debt which makes them vulnerable to interest rates. Opportunities Major opportunities for growth for Coca-Cola include acquisitions, the bottled water market, and the growing Hispanic population in the United States. This growing demographic segment gives Coca-Cola an opportunity to try and reach new consumers and expand their product lines. Some acquisitions of the Coca-Cola Company are Kerry Beverages Limited in 2006 which is headquartered in Hong Kong. By acquiring Kerry Beverages Limited Coca-Cola gained control over distribution and manufacturing joint ventures in nine major Chinese provinces (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). They also acquired Apollinaris in Germany, which sells sparkling and mineral water. Coca-Cola also took over TJC Holding, a bottling company located in South Africa. They even acquired companies in Australia and New Zealand. This enabled Coca-Cola to have a strong hold on the global market, which as a result helped their international operations grow and get stronger. It also gives them an opportunity for growth and to enter into new markets. The increasing health conscious market is just one of the new markets that Coca-Cola has shown a growing interest in, like the bottled water market. Bottled water is one of the most fast-growing segments in the worlds food and beverage market owing to increasing health concerns (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Threats Even a large and successful company like Coca-Cola has external threats. Three of their major threats are intense competition, dependence on bottling partners, and slow growth of carbonated beverages. The nonalcoholic beverage industry is highly competitive, leaving Coca-Cola with many competitors in their industry. Their largest ones are PepsiCo, Nestle, Cadbury Schweppes, Groupe Danone, and Kraft Foods. This intense competition influences Coca-Cola and their strategies. Key aspects that are affected are pricing, advertising, sales promotion programs, product innovation, and brand and trademark (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). The high dependence Coca-Cola has on their partners and suppliers makes them vulnerable. Most of the revenue that Coca-Cola generates comes from selling concentrates and syrups to bottlers, in which they have no ownership control. These distributors and bottling partners make their own business decisions and Coca-Cola has no say in the choices they make. Not having control over a major aspect of their business is a major threat. (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Target Market As Coca-Colas mission statement states it wants to refresh the world (Coca-Cola Company, 2006). Therefore the companys target markets are any and all consumers that have a thirst that demands satisfaction. However, there are some brands that target specific consumers. For example, Coca-Colas PowerAde is a sports drink that is aimed at athletic men and women, where as its diet soft drinks are targeted at consumers who are of older age (Clark, 2005). This type of marketing approach is referred to as market segmentation. Market segmentation is defined as the process of dividing a market into meaningful, relatively similar, and identifiable segments or groups (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 212). Two ways in which Coca-Cola segments its target market are by demographic and geographic segmentation. Before 1960 the Coca-Cola Company only had one beverage aimed at the entire soft drink market (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 212). Currently Coca-Cola offers a wide range of products includi ng coffee, tea, sports drinks, energy drinks, water and their well-known Coca-Cola soft drinks (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Market segmentation allows the Coca-Cola Company to market to people with different product needs and preferences. For example, in the past year the Coca-Cola Company felt like they needed to focus on the need that their products satisfy for their consumers. They came out with a beverage portfolio based on seventeen need states of their consumers. Some of these included relaxation, hydration, weight management, and heart health (MacAuthor Thompson, 2006). Therefore the Coca-Cola Companys target market strategy is to segment the entire soft drink market to better understand and design marketing mixes that specifically matched with the characteristics and desires of each segments. Marketing Mix: Product, Place, Price, Promotion Product: In order for an organization to be successful it needs to have a well-defined marketing mix. The marketing mix consists of the four Ps; product, place, price, promotion (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 48). Product is defined as everything, both favorable and unfavorable, that a person receives in exchange (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 48). The Coca-Cola Companys products consist of beverage concentrates and syrups, with the main product being the finished beverages (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Coca-Colas products can be viewed as both business and consumer products. Ultimately, the main goal of the Coca-Cola Companys is to satisfy a consumers personal want, which is the definition of consumer products (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 248). The type of consumer product the Coca-Cola Company creates is convenience product. Convenience products normally require a wide distribution in order to sell sufficient quantities to meet profit goals (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 285). In addition, the Coca-Cola Company often pays a certain amount to retail stores to resell their product. Therefore the Coca-Cola Company products can be considered a business product. The Coca-Cola Company has a fairly large product mix which contains about 400 brands, including diet and light beverages, waters, juice and juice drinks, teas, coffees, energy, and sports drinks (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). The Coca-Cola Company has increased its product mix width since 1960. This enabled the Coca-Cola Company to spread risk across many product lines rather than depend only on one and to help generate sales and boost profits within its organization (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 287). The Coca-Cola Company also packages its products different sizes to appeal to certain consumers (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 286). For example, Diet Coke is available in twelve-ounce or even six-ounce cans and various plastic containers, ranging from two liters to twenty ounces (Coca-Cola Company, 2006). The Coca-Cola Company has increased its product mix by product line extensions as well as creating new products. The Coca-Cola Company has extended its product line by introducing a variety of drinks (Will New Cokes, 2006). These include Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, Cherry Vanilla Coke, Coke Plus and many more to attempt to meet the needs of all of its consumers. The Coca-Cola Company also increases its product mix and broadens its market by the innovation of new juice and sport drink products (Marcial, 2007). This fairly large product mix enables the Coca-Cola Company to satisfy the needs of their consumers thirst, whatever it may be. This type of product mix allows the Coca-Cola Company to achieve its mission statement in which it states that it wants to refresh the world (Coca-Cola Company, 2006). Place/Distribution: Another crucial part of the marketing mix is place and distribution of an organizations product. Place and distribution strategies are concerned with making products available when and where customers want them (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 48). The Coca-Cola Company states in its mission statement that it wants to offer its products to all consumers globally (Coca-Cola Company, 2006). The Coca-Cola Company uses intermediaries (i.e. retailers and distributors) instead of directly selling to distribute its products worldwide (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). The Coca-Cola Company also uses intensive distribution strategies to make sure their products can be available everywhere. One low profile type of retailing that the Coca-Cola Company does to increase its distribution of its product is the use of automatic vending machines. These can be found in a number of places, such as schools and concert venues (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 411). Since their product is a convenience produc t, it requires a wide distribution in order to meet profit goals (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 285). Recently the Coca-Cola Company has focused more on their global strategy to help them increase their growth. Much of this growth is coming out of Latin America, the BRIC, and Western Europe (Innovation, acquisitions, 2007). Currently many Europeans are beginning to be more worried about their health, which has increased Coca-Colas Diet Coke and Coke Zero sales (Fuhrman, 2007). In addition, the Coca-Cola Company is in many other countries including India that are in the growth stage of the product life cycle (Marketing: New products, 2007). The Coca-Cola Companys growth in these areas are caused by their improved marketing to consumers, better relationships with bottlers, their live happily campaign in 200 markets, and the launch of Coca-Cola Zero. They also launched Minute Maid juice in India as well as China and Korea (Marketing: New products, 2007). Their innovation and introduction of new products as well as their winning culture has helped them begin to grow again worldwide. Price: Price of the product or service is another important part of the marking mix. Price is defined as what a buyer must give up to obtain a product (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 49). Price is the quickest and most flexible element to change in the marketing mix. The prices of the Coca-Colas Companies products vary according to the brand and the size in which they come in (Coca-Cola Company, 2006). The Coca-Cola Companys products are sold by a wide variety of distributors and retail stores, such as convenient stores and gas stations, as well as vending machines (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). The distributors and retail stores that the Coca-Cola Company deals with often implement their own pricing strategy (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). Gas stations and convenient stores usually sell Coca-Cola products at a fixed price. However, the retail outlets use a variety of pricing methods and strategies when selling Coca-Cola products (Coca-Cola Datamonitor, 2007). There is often competition pri cing of the Coca-Cola products and prices are set around the same level as its competitors. In addition there are also psychological pricing strategies that are used to make consumers perceive that the products are cheaper than they really are. Promotion: The fourth aspect of the marketing mix is promotion of a product. The promotions role in the marketing mix is to bring about mutually satisfying exchanges with target markets by informing, educating, persuading, and reminding them of the benefits of an organizations product (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 49). Since the Coca-Cola Company operates on a global scale, their promotional strategy needs to consider the external environment in which their products are. These external environmental factors include culture, economic and technological development, political structure, demographic makeup and natural resources (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 77). For example, the Coca-Cola Company promoted its new Coke Zero in Australia differently than it did in the United States because of the different external environmental factors associated with that segment (Alarcon, 2007). In addition, the Coca-Cola Company often has to adapt its advertisements in different cultures. For example, an ad in Singapore portraying teenagers careening down a store aisle on a grocery cart was perceived as too rebellious (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 129). The ultimate goal of any promotion is to get someone to by a good or service. There are four main aspects of the promotional mix that integrate together to create a competitive advantage for an organization. The four aspects of the promotional mix are advertising, public relations, sales promotion, and personal selling (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 411) The advertising part of the promotional mix allows the organization to reach the masses with its product. The Coca-Cola Company was built heavily on advertising and marketing investments. Today the Coca-Cola Company spends most of its money on advertising that maintains the brands awareness (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 468). Thus advertising is a main source in increasing consumer awareness. The Coca-Cola Company uses many forms of advertising, from TV advertisements to magazines and billboards (Steinberg Vranica, 2004). One target segment that the Coca-Cola Company is having trouble trying to advertise to is the more outdoor, health conscious and environmentally friendly consumer (Steel, 2007). The advertisers are unsure how to advertise to them in a green fashion where the advertisement achieves its goals of persuading, informing, and reminding as well as being environmentally friendly. Public relations part of the promotional mix helps maintain an organizations image and educate consumers (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 444). Many organizations hire outside professional help to deal with public relations within an organization. Public relations are the element in the promotional mix that evaluates public attitudes identifies issues that may elicit public concern, and executes programs to gain public understanding and acceptance (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 441). The type of public relations tools that the Coca-Cola Company uses widely are product placements and sponsorships (Steinberg Vranica, 2004). The Coca-Cola Company often uses is a spokesperson to appeal to the younger more youthful (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 163). An example of this can be seen in China where the Coca-Cola Company has increased advertising containing younger Chinese celebrities to help inform, persuade, and remind their target segment (Flagg, 1999). The Coca-Cola Company also uses publicity to try and create a good company image. An example of this is when the Coca-Cola Company invested 60 million dollars in creating a recycling plant in South Carolina. By creating this plant the Coca-Cola Company hopes to help eliminate carbon dioxide emissions and recycle a mast majority of their plastic bottles (Truini, 2007). This effort in trying to help reduce the carbon dioxide emissions strengthens the Coca-Cola Company image of wanting to create value and make a difference everywhere they go. Personal selling allows the organization to build relationships with their consumers or other business associates (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 444). Personal selling is defined as direct communication between a sales representative and one or more prospective buyer (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 443). Personal selling in the Coca-Cola Company often is done in a business-to-business fashion. An example of this is seen when the Coca-Cola Company was trying to boost their sales in North America by forming alliances with Nestea to create coffee and tea drinks (McKay Corderio, 2007). This demonstrates how the Coca-Cola Company uses personal selling in a business-to-business atmosphere to provide its consumers with a larger variety of products that can satisfy their need. The Coca-Cola Company also uses sales promotions to increase their effectiveness of their promotional efforts. The essence of sales promotion is to help stimulate a purchase (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 444). Some examples of sales promotions that the Coca-Cola Company uses are coupons and rebates and are used frequently because they are more likely to influence customers buying decision (Hair, Lamb, McDaniel, 2006, p. 442). Another type of sales promotion that the Coca-Cola Company is currently using is their coke rewards points promotion. My Coke Rewards is customer loyalty marketing campaign from the Coca-Cola Company. Customers enter codes from specially marked packages of Coca-Cola products into a website. These codes are converted into virtual points which can in turn be redeemed for various prizes or sweepstakes entries (Coca-Cola Company, 2006). The ultimate goals and tasks of promotion mix are to inform, persuade, and remind the target audience. Marketing Research The Coca-Cola Company is a mass company with many marketing channels. They are widely distributed throughout the world. Many marketing decisions they face are backed with data or conflicts that result in them creating a fancy or reasonable solution. Even though Coca-Cola does an excellent job of quenching ones thirst, they sometimes have trouble understanding what regions of the world to emphasize marketing certain products towards. To stay competitive, Coca-Cola conducts marketing research to try and better understand their consumers. Coca-Cola creates products and services that will help fit into the needs and wants of their marketplaces. They have found that people expect more from their beverages. To try and fill this desire Coca-Cola has developed the Beverage Institute For Health and Wellness. This institute develops and tries new product ideas that can contribute to their product line. In additions, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the Institute works with the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences to research the active ingredients in Chinese medicinal beverages and soups for the potential development of new beverages (The Coca-Cola Company Annual Review, 2006). Coca-Cola wants to be able to keep their market alive and constantly drinking their line of refreshments, so they continue to do research that will benefit their consumers, as well as being potential profits for the company. Coca-Cola within the last decade has been slowly grasping the idea of introducing and emphasizing products that may not be profitable in certain regions to other cultures where they may find value in such a product. For instance, Coke Zero is a product that carries no carbohydrates or calories and was not quite meeting the expected profits in the United States, but Coca-Cola started to advertise it more in Europe to areas that to enjoy it. This region seemed more concerned about their health and well being, which contributed to Coke Zero becoming more of a profitable product. Coca-Cola also develops interesting marketing techniques such as business to business strategies to make their products more appealing to the younger generations. According to marketing research, younger generations will pay more attention to consumer products when they are advertised in a modern and hip way. For example, Coca-Cola united with iTunes, so that whenever someone purchased a Coca-Cola product they would receive free songs to promote both products (Fuhrman, 2007).Since in younger generations are very music oriented. This relationship proves to be effective in promoting their products and attracting to the youth. Even though Coca-Cola has interesting ways to promote their products, they need to find an effective way that will sell and promote their whole product line. With more marketing research, Coca-Cola is now being scrutinized for selling their product in public schools. Upset parents and school faculty see the carbonated drinks as contributing to the nations obesity. The ban limits the company to selling products in schools to children less than twelve years old. The company has also agreed to only advertise healthier products towards this targeted market. A solution to this could be that Coca-Cola should input their marketing skills to other products, as well. In addition, The soft drinks giant would do better to concentrate its advertising efforts on newer products with greater growth potential (Datamonitor). With the Classic Coke, being one of the most popular carbonated drinks in the world. Coca-Cola could try and promote their other products that would acquire to different tastes. Coca-Cola could put more efforts towards their Dasani, Inc. brand, known for their bottled water. Bottled Water is a non carbonated drink that is becoming increasingly popular and more of a competition towards the carbonated and other drinks. Organizational Structure and Plan Coca-Cola implements an organizational strategy that better involves the employees and customers. The ultimate goal of Coca-Colas structure is to continually build customer relationships. Coca-Cola likes to have a flexible organizational structure that will be compatible with the market environment. Since 2006, the market has been seen as a complex environment and to help fix this problem, Coca-Cola conducted a thorough company analysis through their departments and segments. They assembled a diverse, multi-functional executive group mix from separate countries and divisions. They mixed these executives from the organizational levels and created a new business model that would accommodate to the centralized as well as local Coca-Cola divisions. Coca-Cola claims that the impacts and benefits of this new business model are already showing improvements. For example, Among our results, we improved our efficiencies throughout the supply chain, grew our volumes of single-serve presentations, and increased our EBITDAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (The Coca-Cola Company Annual Review, 2007). Coca-Cola has been making new improvements all over the globe for their operating segments. The eight operating segments in the Coca-Cola empire: North America; Europe, North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East; Latin America; Africa; East and South Asia, and the Pacific Rim; Bottling Investments and Corporate. Then each of these regions is broken down into smaller segments. The Coca-Cola segments work together as well as dependent from each other to fit their demographic segments. But all groups prove to be successful of share the similar approach and idea to operating: to create happy consumers through their products. Recently in 2006, Coca-Cola decided to move the operating group headquarters to Johannesburg, South Africa from its previous home in the United Kingdom. This enabled the company to be closer to more potential and current business, and be able to expand their empire through Africa. They also opened a new office in Cairo, which helped increase the products volume sale in that area by 23 percent (The Coca-Cola Company Annual Review, 2006). Coca-Colas repositioning and structure allows them to be more intact with their consumers and business. Financial Projections Coca-Cola has had an extremely successful year with improving the image of the company, introducing new product lines, acquiring companies, and increasing their products profitability from around the world. Coca-Cola expects to see a continue rise in profits through the next year. Even though the rising costs of commodities pose a threat, Coca-Cola will still prove to be profitable. With an upcoming year of hopefully new promising products, Coca-Cola might be looking at their lines of bottled water, juices, and sports drink to bring in most of the revenue due to their increasing popularity and consumer demand. The companys top sellers in 2006 were their sparkling beverages, juice and water products. From 2006 to 2007, the net income per share has already risen 2.6%. This increase is just the beginning for the company which shows extreme efforts towards the growth of the company. Coca-Cola will continue to expand its empire throughout the world. With already being sustainable in China and successful in India, Coca-Colas profit will only increase. For instance, Coca-Cola is set to switch its focus to the China market in an effort to sustain growth. The company said that with current economic growth continuing apace, China should be its third biggest market by 2008 (Coca Cola Looks to China For Future Growth, 2004). China is a very profitable segment for Coca-Cola and will only continue to contribute to increased profits. With excellent resources and planning, Coca-Cola can only bring in more consumers. The companys financial future projections are looking promising and the companys profits will continue to rise with more consumers drinking their products daily world wide. Summary The Coca-Cola Company demonstrates unique traits and strategies. Not only do they serve the world with quality products ranging for any type of taste, but they contribute to the well-being and restorat

Ozone :: essays papers

Ozone Ozone is an important molecule in maintaining the homeostasis in the environment. Ozone, the molecule O3, makes a layer in the stratosphere, situated 10 to 15 kilometers from the earth's surface. The dioxide molecule, O2 and Oxygen atom O, collide with each other result in the formation of Ozone, O3. In this reaction, the molecule O3 contains an excess of energy. Once the molecule is formed, it is not stable enough to last long. The energy-rich O3 molecules discards the excess energy by colliding with another atom or molecule and transferring the energy in the form of heat. In the results of the decomposition of ozone into O2 and O in the ozone layer, solar radiation is absorbed. This process of the chemical bond breaking causing the absorption of a photon by a molecule is called photodissociation. Radiation with sufficient intensity, is capable of separating the O3 molecule, resulting in photodissociation. The cyclic process formation and decomposition of ozone provides a shield against ultraviolet radiation that enter the earth's atmosphere. If it were not for the chemical reaction of radiation and ozone in the stratosphere, these high-energy photons would penetrate the earth's surface. The ozone layer absorbers about 99% of the harmful radiation which makes it possible for animals and plants to live on the planet. In 1974, F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina of the University of California proposed that chlorine from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) could deplete the ozone layer. Beginning in 1957 to 1985, the British Antarctic Survey had measured the average ozone concentration over Halley Bay in Antarctica. Up until 1974, the ozone concentration remained stable. Yet after 1974, the team observed a decline of the ozone layer to levels less than 10%. From this study the awareness over the danger of the "hole" and ultraviolet radiation and the destruction being done to the earth. Scientists believe the expanding ozone hole, which is centered over Antarctica was caused by Chloroflurocarbons. CFCs are released into the environment through such sources as spray cans , air conditioners, factories, refrigerants and cleaning products. CFCs are dangerous to the atmosphere because after they are released into the environment, the sunlight breaks down the compound. The chlorine molecules react with the ozone molecules by permanently breaking down the molecule, thus diminishing the ozone layer. This rise poses a major threat environment. In 1985, in Vienna and in 1987 in Montreal, a Protocol was signed proposing the gradual termination of use of CFCs over the decades. A dramatic reduction in the use of CFCs was agreed on. Regulations to limit the production of

Essay on Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide -- Euthanasia Physicia

Understanding Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide    This paper will address some of the more popular points of interest involved with the euthanasia-assisted suicide discussion. There are less than a dozen questions which would come to mind in the case of the average individual who has a mild interest in this debate, and the following essay presents information which would satisfy that individual's curiosity on these points of common interest.    Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in the state of Oregon and in the country of the Netherlands; these are the only two jurisdictions in the world where laws specifically permit euthanasia or assisted suicide. Oregon permits assisted suicide.(Oregon) The Netherlands permits both euthanasia and assisted suicide.(Review) In 1995 Australia's Northern Territory approved a euthanasia bill.(Rights) It went into effect in 1996 but was overturned by the Australian Parliament in 1997. Also, in 1997, Colombia's Supreme Court ruled that penalties for mercy killing should be removed.(Republic) However the ruling does not go into effect until guidelines, still to be drafted, are approved by the Colombian Congress.    The difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide is seen this way: One way to distinguish them is to look at the last act - the act without which death would not occur. Using this distinction, if a third party performs the last act that intentionally causes a patient's death, euthanasia has occurred. For example, giving a patient a lethal injection or putting a plastic bag over her head to suffocate her would be considered euthanasia. On the other hand, if the person who dies performs the last act, assisted suicide has taken place. Thus it would be assisted suicid... ...1 Medscape. Available at http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/psychiatry/clinicalMgmt/CM.v03/pnt-CM.v03.html, citing Jamison K.R., Night Falls Fast, New York, NY: Alfred Knopf; 1999. Accessed 3/19/01. Oregon's "Death with Dignity Act" (ORS 127.800-897) passed in November 1994 and went into effect in 1997. Republic of Colombia Constitutional Court, Sentence # c-239/97, Ref. Expedient # D-1490, May 20, 1997. "Review of cases of termination of life on request and assistance with suicide" was approved in April 2001. "Rights of the Terminally Ill Act," Northern Territory of Australia (1996). Wanzer,Sidney H. M.D. et al., "The Physician's Responsibility toward Hopelessly Ill Patients: A Second Look," 320 The New England Journal of Medicine (March 30, 1989), p. 848. Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second edition (1976).

Madonna’s Sex Book Essay

?According to Giselle Benatar of  Entertainment Weekly, there are two versions of how Madonna came up with the idea for the book. One was that she conceived the idea of an erotic photography book during the shooting of the film  A League of Their Own  in the summer of 1991. [1]  The second one is that  Judith Regan, vice-president and  editor-in-chief  of  Simon & Schuster, flew to  Los Angeles  in March 1991 to meet with Madonna and her manager  Freddy DeMann, armed with a proposal for a similar collection of photo-erotica. [1]  The singer had initially verified whether Regan had approached any other celebrities with this concept, as Madonna would be interested to be a part of it only if it was a unique idea. [2]  By the end of the meeting Madonna had agreed â€Å"in principle† to do a book called  Madonna’s Book of Erotica and Sexual Fantasies. She told Regan that DeMann would call her and work out the details regarding the book. [3][4]  However, Madonna never got back in touch with Regan, who assumed that the singer did not want to proceed with the idea. [1]  Madonna’s publicist Liz Rosenberg never confirmed nor denied Regan’s claim, but according to Benatar, Madonna started working on  Sex  before wrapping up  A League of Their Own. [1]  At firstWarner Bros. Records  and the executive directors at  Time Warner  were reluctant to allow Madonna to publish such a book, but finally gave in to the idea. Madonna, however, was forced to sign a contract that forbade her from showing  child pornography,  bestiality  and  religious imagery. [1]  Not long after signing this agreement Madonna founded  Maverick, a multi-media entertainment company. Since by contract she had total artistic control over any of the work released by Maverick, the agreement she signed with Time Warner concerning what not to do in  Sex  became obsolete. [5][6][7] Some of the pictures for the project were shot at  Hotel Chelsea, New York. Other locations included Times Square’s all-male burlesque  Gaiety Theatre. Originally to be titled  X, Madonna changed her mind when  Spike Lee’s film  Malcolm X  began to be promoted. (The film was released three weeks after the book. ) She would go on to tell  Vogue  magazine: â€Å"This is a really good symbol, and I thought of it first. â€Å"[8]  Warner Bros. commented that  Sex  was very difficult to produce, requiring contributions from many different printing and publishing companies. [9]  They also stated that in order to generate any profit, the book would have to sell at least 350,000 copies. [10][11]  Madonna hired top-notch talent for the development of the book;[12]  she counted on the help of friends from the music, film and fashion industry. [9]  The singer hired  Fabien Baron  as the art director,[13]  fashion photographer  Steven Meisel, editor  Glenn O’Brien, make-up artist Francois Nars and hairstylist Paul Cavaco. [1][6][14]  The  Sex  book had a range of influences – from punk rock to earlier fashion iconoclasts like  Guy Bourdin  and his surrealism, and  Helmut Newton, in its stylized, sado-masochistic look. [15]  Madonna originally wanted the book to be of an oval shape in order to simulate a  condom  but the printing and manufacturing of such a book would have been too expensive. Meisel would later comment: â€Å"Madonna and I can keep up with each other† and that â€Å"I’m doing things to make people think too. It’s not really to antagonize or to push people’s buttons. It’s really to present another way of seeing things. â€Å"[1] The pictures were taken almost entirely in  Super 8  format, and most of the photo shoots took place in  New York City  and  Miami. Locations in New York City included the  Hotel Chelsea  and Times Square’s all-male burlesque  Gaiety Theatre  (dancers from theatre participated in one of the book’s photo sessions), whereas in Miami the majority of the sessions were shot at a house Madonna had purchased just before starting the project, and in several beaches and streets. [1][5][16]  One morning during the four-day Florida shoot Madonna was prancing around her 14-bedroom house in Miami completely naked, when someone jokingly suggested she go out on the street, then, according to Baron â€Å"the next thing we’re in the street† where allegedly â€Å"cars screeched to a halt, motorists whistled, and one entranced cyclist fell off his bike. â€Å"[1]  This was just one of the many crazy episodes that took place during the shooting of the book. According to Baron, during the photo shoots â€Å"[Madonna]’d do something crazy and then we’d come up with something even crazier†. One of the most shocking photographs made for the book, which featured two women in  post-punk  attire flanking Madonna with one of them holding a knife to Madonna’s crotch, was dismissed as it was considered too violent. At some point, while the book was being produced, some of the photographs were stolen, but were quickly recovered by the  FBI. [1]  According to  New York  magazine, there were approximately 80,000  photographs taken for the book,[17]  but only a handful made the final cut. [1]  The printing of the book was extended for 15  days[11]  making the total production process last about eight months. [18] Design and content[edit] The picture shows the leather string worn by Madonna in theSex  book, as well as in the â€Å"Erotica† music video. Below the string, an image from the book can also be seen. Wrapped and sealed in a  Polyethylene terephthalate  (PET) Mylar bag,[19][20][21]  Sex  contains 128  pages and is  spiral bound  with an  aluminium  cover that has the word â€Å"Sex† stamped in the middle[14][22]  and a warning label. [23]  The front page also shows Madonna against a sky blue backdrop. [22]  Three different types of paper were used for the printing of  Sex  and the design was overseen by Madonna and Baron & Baron Inc. (consisting of Fabien Baron and the photographer Siung Fat Tjia) who had previously collaborated with the singer designing the cover art of her fifth studio album,  Erotica. [11][24]  As this was the first project for Maverick, the packaging was crucial; however Madonna did not have faith in Warner Book’s â€Å"mass-market† publication process. Hence Baron suggested to transfer the packaging job to Nicholas Callaway’s bespoke Callaway Editions. [25]  Charles Melcher, co-publisher with Callaway for the book, said that they usually did â€Å"exquisite art books, $100 high end, beautiful things†. But it was a challenge for them to process Madonna’s ideas into reality. The artist wanted the packaging to be sealed, so that the reader had to tear it up and read. [25]  They considered various kinds of clasps before zeroing on the idea of the sealed bag as a reference to a condom package. The metal cover was Madonna’s idea, who took the inspiration from the 1979 album,  Metal Box  by  post-punk  band  Public Image Ltd. [26]  Melcher recollects, â€Å"We were talking about materials for the cover, and we went into her kitchen. [Madonna] pointed at the metal plate at the back of her stove and said, ‘I want something like this’. I was very impressed with the way she interacted with her world to source things. â€Å"[26]  The company bought about 1,500,000 pounds (680,000  kg) of aluminium, a pound for each book. The designers had to do the front and the back covers, while rolling, stamping and ionizing the metal. [26] The book opens up with the introduction: â€Å"Everything you are about to see and read is a fantasy, a dream, pretend†. [27]  Throughout  Sex, Madonna offers  poems, stories, and  essays. [5]  She also uses the  pseudonym†Mistress Dita† as a homage to German actress  Dita Parlo; her friends in these stories are Bunny, Dex, Stella, Chiclet and Stranger. [3][28]  According to biographer  J. Randy Taraborrelli, a big part of the book is read as a letter to a  pornographic magazine. [3]  As a thank you for recovering the stolen pictures during the making of the book, in the credits of the book Madonna mentioned the FBI for † †¦ rescuing photographs that would have made  J. Edgar Hoover  roll over. â€Å"[14][29]  Madonna also wanted to explore the notion of power in  Sex. Melcher said that the artist wanted to talk about â€Å"gentle and hard, soft and violent [in  Sex]. She was playing out all those elements in her book. That was reflected in the materials: uncoated, soft paper on the inside and hard metal coating on the outside. â€Å"[25] Just like the text—which was mostly written on top of photographs—the photographs on the book are highly sexual and depict  nudity, simulations of sexual acts,  bondage,  homosexuality  and  analingus, with accessories such as knives, whips, masks and chains[5][17][30][31]  although full  intercourse  is never shown. [14]  Aside from unknown models, featured in the book are actress  Isabella Rossellini, rappers  Big Daddy Kane  and Madonna’s then boyfriend  Vanilla Ice,[18]  model  Naomi Campbell,[32]  gay porn star  Joey Stefano,[10]  actor  Udo Kier, socialite  Tatiana von Furstenberg, and nightclub owner Ingrid Casares; however theheterosexual  photos in the book involve only Madonna and Vanilla Ice. [14]  Madonna herself is featured partially or completely naked. One of the book’s most famous photographs shows Madonna  hitchhikingcompletely naked in Miami. [3]  The book also reflects a great part on Dita’s perspective towards her own sexuality. Dita writes in  Sex  that her â€Å"pussy† is a temple of learning[33]  and that exposing it, is really a homage to it (â€Å"It’s hard to describe it smells like a baby to me fresh and full of life. I love my pussy, it is the complete summation of my life†). [34]  Sex  contains statements like â€Å"ass fucking  is the most pleasurable way to get fucked and it hurts the most too†. [3]  Others include â€Å"[t]here is something comforting about being tied up. Like when you were a baby and your mother strapped you in the car seat. She wanted you to be safe. It was an act of love†[20]  and â€Å"I wouldn’t want a penis. It would be like having a third leg. it seems like a contraption that would get in the way. I think I have a dick in my brain†. [20][31]  In  Sex, Dita also pointed out that â€Å"A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want†. [35]  The book includes Madonna’s perspective on  pornography: â€Å"I don’t see how a guy looking at a naked girl in a magazine is degrading to women. Everyone has their sexuality. It’s how you treat people in everyday life that counts, not what turns you on in your fantasy. If all a person ever did was get off on porno movies I would say they are probably dysfunctional sexually, but I don’t think it’s unhealthy to be interested in that or get off on that. I’m not interested in porno movies because everybody is ugly and faking it and it’s just silly. They make me laugh, they don’t turn me on. A movie like  In the Realm of the Senses  turns me on because it’s real. I’ve been told there are some good  Traci Lords  movies but I’ve never seen them. I wouldn’t want to watch a  snuff movie. I wouldn’t want to watch anyone get really hurt, male or female. But generally I don’t think pornography degrades women. The women who are doing it want to do it. No one is holding a gun to their head. I don’t get that whole thing. I love looking at  Playboy  magazine because women look great naked. â€Å"[20] Release and promotion[edit] Rapper  Vanilla Ice  (left) and model  Naomi Campbell  (right) are among the celebrities that appeared in the book. Both appeared in explicit images along side Madonna. The initial preview of the book was met with a huge amount of controversy, as it showed a nude Madonna wearing a rabbit’s tail, shaving the  pubic hair  of a naked man, and cavorting outdoors with a dog, suggesting  bestiality. [8][17]  The Vatican  urged its people to boycott the release, saying that it was â€Å"morally intolerable†. [36]  Indian customs officials said that the book offended the country’s public morality. The  Press Trust of India  (PTI), India’s domestic news agency, quoted a top customs official as saying the book would be seized under a section of the Customs Act prohibiting entry of indecent literature. [37]  Citizens of  Alexandria, Virginia  filed a complaint with the city’s police department on behalf of a group called the Rapides Parish Chapter of American Family Association, claiming that it violated Louisiana’s anti-obscenity laws. [38]  South US Baptists did not want their Bibles coming off the same printing presses as Madonna’s  Sex  and threatened to stop doing business with a Chicago printer. The Nashville-based Baptist Sunday School Board, a division of the Southern Baptist Convention, reviewed their $2. 1  million ($3,529,215 in 2014 dollars[39]) printing contract with R. R. Donnelley & Sons. Board President James Draper said he was infuriated that Donnelley also printed â€Å"such an obscene book†. [40]Entertainment Tonight  reported that Madonna herself had initiated the mayhem with the explicit content in the music video for â€Å"Erotica†, walking bare breasted at designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s fashion show and posing nude in  Vanity Fair  magazine. [41]  A writer for  The Sacramento Bee  said that since the press wanted â€Å"controversy†, Madonna was willing to provide them â€Å"fodder† with her â€Å"antiques†. [42] Madonna then said she was â€Å"doing this to liberate America — free us all of our hang-ups†;[5]  she also revealed in a letter that â€Å"This book doesn’t tolerate risky sexual practices†. [3]  Nicholas Callaway from  Callaway Arts & Entertainment  said that the book was â€Å"inevitably going to be controversial. The book explores every aspect of sexual fantasy. It’s hard to calculate the effect, [but],  Sex  should be considered ‘art'†. [43]  Originally it was rumored that  Time Warner  was nervous about the release of the book; however, in an interview with  Vanity Fair, William Sarnoff, president of Warner Books, said he felt that Madonna â€Å"should pursue all avenues of creativity as she defines it†. The Warner company had also previously assured that they would make sureSex  reached its main  target audience  and also reminded that the book was safely wrapped in a Mylar bag to prevent in-store peeping and contained a warning label. [5]  Michael Kilian  of theChicago Tribune  published an article on October 7, 1992, regarding the then upcoming release of  Sex: â€Å"Prepare thyself, [†¦ ], The mega-event of the millennium is to occur in precisely two weeks. It’s an event far more mega than the November election, the collapse of communism or even the crowning of  Leanza Cornett  as the new  Miss America. † Kilian also described it as the â€Å"personal sexual fantasy picture book in all Christendom, then it goes far beyond all previous ‘truly twisted’ personal sexual fantasy picture books—perhaps beyond all imagining what such a book could be†. [43] On October 15, Madonna threw a pre-release party at New York City’s Industria Superstudio, and signed all the invitations under her  Sex  alter ego  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dita†. [44][45]  During the party, Madonna showed up dressed as  Little Bo Peep  and even carried with her a stuffed toy lamb. [29]  Madonna’s publicist Liz Rosenberg showed concern at first due to â€Å"what the parents of America’s impressionable teens will soon be thinking† but later said that it â€Å"all depends on your idea of lovemaking, which in Madonna’s case, should give new meaning to the word erotic†. [5]  Both  Waldenbooks  and  Barnes & Noble  prepared corporate statements that the managers could share with customers who are offended by  Sex. (Both statements defended the right of bookstores to provide â€Å"diversity and choice† to customers and say censorship is not the role of bookstores. )[23]  Many book stores, too, stated that the book would not be sold to anyone under 18 and that it would be for display only behind the cash register. [5][23]Bookstore owner David Epstein stated that â€Å"The feeling of most people who have ordered the book is that Madonna is something special, that this is cutting-edge art, [†¦ ], they’re not the kind of people who are buying it because it’s smut and dirty pictures. People are interested in it as art. â€Å"[23] Sex  was finally released on October 21, 1992, by editorials Callaway and  Warner Books;[14][43][46][47]  it was also the first work released by Madonna’s company Maverick. [1][5]  To accompany its release, a  comic book  as well as a promotional single containing a stripped-down version of â€Å"Erotica†, titled â€Å"Erotic†, were made available. The book was released by Madonna as alongside her fifth studio album  Erotica, which had been released a day earlier. [5]  With an initial print run of one million copies of the first edition in five continents and in five languages,[47]  the price of the book was $50 ($84 in 2014 dollars[39]) at retail, making sex an â€Å"expensive visual book†. [43][46]  Nevertheless, the book managed to break records regarding the number of copies pre-ordered before the release. Nicholas Callaway pointed out that the book was an unprecedented hit, because the print run of an average art book ranges between 5 and 10,000  units. [11]  He described it as â€Å"the largest initial release of any illustrated book in publishing history†. [10][11] Due to the high scandal and controversy surrounding the book, there wasn’t really any need for Madonna to promote it;[30]  however, one of the few promotions for the book Madonna did, was appearing on the cover of the October edition of  Vogue, where she appeared dressed in â€Å"Hippie trip† fashion. These photographs were taken by Meisel. [48]  After the book was released, on October 22, 1992,  MTV  aired a special called  The Day in Madonna, hosted by  Kurt Loder  (the title of this special was a pun of the title of the channel’s daily show  The Day in Rock), which profiled the release of Madonna’s  Sex  and her album  Erotica, even taking the book to the streets to allow people, including a sex therapist and group of real-life New York Citydominatrices, to view it. MTV also interviewed many people who had viewed the book on the day of its release at the HMV music store in New York City. In celebration of the release of the book, the store held a Madonna look-alike contest and set up a booth where people could view the book for one dollar a minute, with all of the proceeds going to Lifebeat, the music industry organization founded to help fund AIDS research. [9] Critical and commercial reception[edit] â€Å"I don’t think sex is bad. I don’t think nudity is bad. I don’t think that being in touch with your sexuality and be able to talk about it is bad. I think the problem is that everyone is so uptight about it and have turned it into a bad thing when it’s not, if people could speak freely, we would have more people practicing safe sex, we wouldn’t have people being sexually abused. † —Madonna discussing the negative backlash surrounding the book. [12] The book received negative reaction from critics,[47][49][50][51]  conservative and  feminist  Ã¢â‚¬Å"anti-porn† groups,[1][52]  due to its sexually explicit photographs which many characterized as â€Å"hardcore pornography†. [53]  Taraborrelli opined that much of the book appears surprising and not shocking. [54]  He derided the whole concept as childish and impetuous rather than an adult book. According to him, though Madonna insisted that she was trying to demystify sexuality altogether, the author believed she just wanted to publish pornographic text and pictures and get away with it. â€Å"She was being a brat, not a revolutionary†, the author concluded. [54]  Author  Lucy O’Brien  declared that the book was a bold, harrowing exercise in frustration, and despite Madonna’s attempt at invincibility, the book appeared as â€Å"a curious act of self-destruction†. [55]†The overwhelming effect of the book is numbing,† complained  Rolling Stone. â€Å"The images are derivative, and Madonna herself seems far too eager to shock; that, not even prurient arousal, seems the ideal response the book tirelessly seeks. The potency of  Sex’s subject matter is dissipated by Madonna and Meisel’s self-congratulatory – and silly – sense of their own ‘bravery,’ as if their naughty games were somehow revolutionary. â€Å"[56] Roger Catlin from the  Hartford Courant  said that the passages from the book were â€Å"too dirty to quote here, even the funny ones†. [8]  The Daily Beast  said that â€Å"the book is neither groundbreaking (save that it features a major star) nor particularly sexy [†¦ ]  Sex  is convincing only when it’s playful, as when she appears nude in a Miami pizzeria, chewing a slice while a baffled customer looks on. Elsewhere, she’s simply undressed with no place to go†. [19]  Richard Harrington from  The Washington Postgave the book a mixed review by saying: â€Å"Is  Sex  shocking? not really. Mostly because it’s Madonna, and somehow we’ve come to expect this from her. Is  Sex  boring? actually, yes†. [18]  During her review of the book, British author  Zoe Heller  from  The Independent  wrote that it was â€Å"the women who once saw Madonna as a witty feminist role model who have been most alarmist about her latest pornographic incarnation† and that â€Å"previously, they say, Madonna played with traditional images of feminine sexuality in a subversive, ’empowering’ way. But now, with sado-masochism and rape fantasies, she has gone too far. â€Å"[34]  Calvin Tomkins, author and  art critic  for  The New Yorker, wrote that â€Å"unfortunately, the book is going to be mistaken for  pornography†. [57]  In his review,  Ed Anger, columnist for  Weekly World News  said that: â€Å"Madonna may be the best singer in the world today, but she has no right to take off her clothes in her book†. [58]  Vanity Fair  deemed it â€Å"the dirtiest coffee table book to ever be published†. [12]  Caryn James from  The New York Times  was negative in her review stating that â€Å"There is plenty here to offend the meek (whips and chains), the self-righteous (gay men and lesbians), not to mention the tasteful (a tacky and cluttered art design)†. [14]  Vicki Goldberg  from the same newspaper was also dismissive of the photography of the book saying that â€Å"Unfortunately, not many of the images are very good photographically. Many are just pictures, or just porn†. [47] Despite all the controversy and negative backlash, which included the book being banned in Japan shortly after its release,[59]  Sex  proved to be a commercial success, selling 150,000  copies on its release day in the United States alone. [60]  Hundreds of copies of the book were pre-ordered, prompting book sellers to say that  Sex  was â€Å"shattering their sales records for advance purchases†. [61]  A week later, the book’s sales exceeded the 500,000  units[1]  and eventually topped  The New York TimesBest Seller list. [18]  Giselle Benatar wrote in her article â€Å"Sex & Money†: â€Å"This isn’t the publishing event of the year, it’s the publishing event of the century. â€Å"[1]  A day earlier, Tyra Braden from  The Morning Call  wrote that she and some friends concluded that the book â€Å"might become a collector’s item a few years down the road†. [22]  In just three days, the book had managed to sell more than 1. 5  million copies worldwide. [1] Social impact and aftermath[edit]. Madonna’s performances inThe Girlie Show World Tour  faced negative reactions from conservative groups who deemed the singer immoral. Dubbed at the time â€Å"The Queen of obscene†,[62]  Madonna and the  Sex  era is considered by many as the artist’s most controversial and transgressive period. [63][64]  The book, widely panned by the press, is regarded as one of the factors that shaped the social reaction and critique towards Madonna during the early 1990s. [31]  Her fifth studio album  Erotica  was affected by the negative press surrounding the book. [65]  In March 1993Spin  magazine wrote an article praising the book,[66]  but months later in  Mexico,  social communicologist  Nino Canun presented a  television special  called  ? Y Usted que Opina? (en: And what’s your opinion? ), where the audience, among them a  priest, presented their arguments as to why â€Å"this morally clueless singer shouldn’t perform in the country†, making reference to the then upcoming  Girlie Show World Tour  which was set to visit Mexico. Later, during her concert in Mexico, Madonna wore a  charro  sombrero  and simulated an  orgy  with her dancers onstage, as a response to these comments. [67]  Continuing her provocative imagery, Madonna starred in the erotic thriller  Body of Evidence, which featured the singer fully nude and in scenes engaged in simulated sexual acts. [68]  In March 1994,  Madonna appeared as a guest  on the  Late Show with David Letterman, using profanity that was required to be censored on television and handing Letterman a pair of her underwear and asking him to smell it. [69]  The releases of her sexually explicit film, album and book, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman all made critics regard Madonna as a sexual renegade. She faced strong negative publicity from critics and fans, who commented that â€Å"she had gone too far† and that her career was over. [70]  Later on the song â€Å"Human Nature† from her sixth studio album  Bedtime Stories  (1994), Madonna addressed the public backlash the book was still receiving, particularly with the lines â€Å"Did I say something wrong? Oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t talk about sex. I must have been crazy,† as well as the line â€Å"What was I thinking? â€Å". [31] The perfect iconic goddess of  True Blue  had all gone. In the same way that sixties beauties like  Nico,  Marianne Faithfull  and  Brigitte Bardot  set about destroying their beauty after they were famous, the very thing they felt limited them, Madonna annihilated hers. Within a few short years she moved from teasing flirtation to desperate sexual display. It is ironic that after the triumph of  Like a Prayer, she hits this bathos. Being a blond again set her off in the wrong direction. It was as if with the  Sex  book she showed the underside of the Hollywood dream —Lucy O’Brien,  Madonna: Like an Icon, page. 254[71] Madonna herself would later say: â€Å"I wouldn’t say I regret it. I’ve made mistakes and learned from them. Most people want to hear me say that I regret publishing my  Sex  book. I don’t. What was the problem was releasing my  Erotica  album at the same time. I love that album and it got overlooked. â€Å"[72][73]  However, author Andy Koopmans in his book  Madonna  (2002) would comment that the singer regretted both publishingSex  and recording  Erotica  and that the book â€Å"had affected everything she did later†. [74]  It was not until 2003 that Madonna would once again declare that she regretted nothing; â€Å"I’m not apologising in any shape or form [†¦] I was interested in pushing buttons and being rebellious and being mischievous and trying to bend the rules. There was a lot of irony in the  Sex  book and I am poking fun at a lot of things and I am being kind of silly and adolescent and I am being very f you, if a man can do it, I can do it. â€Å"[75]  A year earlier on 2002, Naomi Campbell confessed to â€Å"have a lot of respect for Madonna being bold enough to come out and do a book on sex. I’ve never reneged on that†. [76]  However in 2009, rapper Vanilla Ice, who was Madonna’s boyfriend at the time of the book’s creation, confessed to not being happy with the book once he saw it. â€Å"My friends were like, ‘Dude, that’s cool man’, but I was like, ‘I’m dating her, it’s not cool to see your girlfriend with all these other people’ [†¦ ] It kinda ruined the whole thing. I wonder what her kids think of that book? Here she is writing kids’ books now but they’re going to see it and go, ‘Mommy, what were you thinking? ‘†[77]Another of the book’s models, actress Isabella Rossellini, told  Out  magazine that she regretted her participation on the book; â€Å"I don’t think the book worked, even though the photos were extraordinary, and some of them quite memorable. I think there was a little bit of a moralistic sort of ‘I’ll teach you how to be free! ‘ – and that bothered the hell out of me. â€Å"[78] Later reviews towards  Sex  have become more positive. The authors of  The Porning of America: The Rise of Porn Culture, What It Means, and Where We Go from Here  (2008) have commented that â€Å"the book is particularly interesting in the way that, like many of Madonna’s works, it portrays sex in terms of domination and power†,[31]  whereas Jane Raphaely, editor-in-chief of  Cosmopolitan  praised Madonna’s â€Å"liberated behavior on  Sex  [†¦] the fact that she takes all forms of pornography and systematically demystifies it by putting it under her control†, in an article in 1996. [79] Brian McNair, author of  Striptease Culture: Sex, Media and the Democratisation of Desire  (2012) praised this period of Madonna’s career, saying that she had â€Å"porno elegance† and that â€Å"Sex  is the author of a cultural phenomenon of global proportions [due to the critics] and thanks to this Madonna established her iconic status and cultural influence†. [28] Legacy[edit] Sex  is now considered a bold,  post-feminist, work of art,[64][80][81]  besides being labeled a â€Å"cultural book†. Martin Amis  from  The Observer  wrote an essay discussing the book’s cultural meaning. [28]  Critical theorist  Douglas Kellner  affirmed that withSex  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Madonna became herself, an artifact of  pop culture†. [82]  French academic writer  Georges Claude Guilbert  (author of three books about Madonna) described  Sex  as one of the most successful publicity stunts in history[83]  whereas Russell W. Belk, author of  Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing  mentioned that the book is a  quality  product in  marketing. [84]  In 1992, Madonna had generated more than US$500  million ($840,289,305 in 2014 dollars[39]) to Time Warner in sales of both albums and the  Sex  book, despite the negative feedback. [85]  However, Taraborrelli commented in his book,  Madonna: An Intimate Biography, that those â€Å"who knew Madonna well at that time, knew what was really going on with her: theSex  book—and the outrageous antics that preceded it and would follow it—was really just something she used as a barrier between her and the rest of the world. â€Å"[54] For years it had seemed to Madonna that both her personal and professional life was extremely scrutinized by the public and  media, and although she had started this scrutinizing by her provocative works, she was tired of it. [54]  Being vexed at this interest in her personal life, Madonna fought back by creating the persona of a renegade, something so outrageous as to defy explanation, something found objectionable by most people. Taraborrelli said that in Madonna’s view, â€Å"she had no other way of fighting back†. [54]  The Boston Globe’s Matthew Gilbert analyzed the singer’s provocative attempt in an article published in the newspaper: â€Å"Madonna’s motive for baring her breasts to the public feels more like personal gratification, less like commitment to a cause. She’s not out to change the world. Let’s face it: Few people get erotic in front of millions of viewers for purely selfless political reasons. It’s hard to escape the view of Madonna as a difficult Catholic adolescent aiming the finger at everything repressive. And many of her songs are addressed to an authority figure of her youth — from God and Jesus Christ to her own father. The heart of Madonna’s outrageousness seems to lie beneath her liberal rationales, as if she’s acting out something private and the world is her couch, not to mention her bank. Her politics are largely Electral. â€Å"[86] According to some writers,  Sex  also helped Madonna make a name in the  porn industry,[62]  and earned her the title of  S&M’s first  cultural ambassador[87]  and was praised for recreating â€Å"porn-chic†. [88]  Humberto Quiroga Lavie pointed out that it was the fact that  Sex  was considered pornographic that helped it become a  bestseller. [89]  Steve Bachmann, on his book  Simulating Sex: Aesthetic Representations of Erotic Activity  pointed out that â€Å"perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of Madonna’s sexual phenomenon is the extent to which her book marked a new threshold in the pornographic franchise†. [90]  McNair wrote in his book that â€Å"Sex  brought out the personal underground to the surface of pop culture†. [28]  London art criticSarah Kent  wrote in  Time Out  magazine that the timing of  Sex  was â€Å"impeccable. [15]  Obsessions about the human body was in vogue, with Madonna’s book as well as artist  Andres Serrano’s â€Å"cumming shots† and  Jeff Koons’  The Jeff Koons Handbook, the latter portrayed fairytale pictures of the artist having sex with his pornographic actor wife,  Cicciolina. [15] Sex  has also become an important book in the  LGBT  community. Ben Shapiro, author of  Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future  wrote that due to its iconic status â€Å"Sex  adorns the coffee tables of hundreds of gay men andsperm banks†. [91]  Mark Blankenship, from the LGBT-oriented website New Now Next stated that â€Å"literature changed forever† with the publishing of  Sex. [92]  Madonna’s portrayal of  lesbian  love scenes in the book sparked debates about her own sexual preferences. [93]  This was an adjunct to the singer’s public relationship with comedienne  Sandra Bernhard, with whom she cavorted around, visiting lesbian night-clubs as well as partying. The LGBT communit