Poverty and Animal Rights Activist

The year is 2040. There are no animals. Most of the other races are literally extinct. Poverty is what makes up the countries' population. Could you imagine the world? I couldn't. I would hate to live in a world where there is a struggle to live. I would hate It even more if did nothing but sit and watch. These thoughts are what drive my passions to try and change the world. I believe that If we all take a stand against these horrifying issues, we could make a change In the world, together. For Instance, I'd like to change the world by alleviating poverty. And my passions can be my tool.There are poor people living out there without anything. It's a slow, and playfully to die and I don't think their lives should be taken from them so easily. I could use one of my passions, which Is writing, and I could write a book through a poor person's point of view. I also enjoy donating because It makes me happy to know that I helped someone In need. I could make money by slang, which Is also an other passion, to donate. I could have a food drive for the ones who are starving. Thus, the poverty rate plummets. As soon as I was exposed to the horror of poaching, I knell would be the one to ease it.Poaching animals is another flaw that I would like to fix . I could use my passion, writing, by creating persuasive speeches that could, hopefully, change their minds. Although that doesn't sound too safe, I could be an Animal Rights Activist. It's a job that I've dreamed of. Anyways if I make speeches, I would read them aloud in public areas. Hopefully, it would raise awareness and everyone would see the reality. And I also like reading and it could be an asset because it would help with researching. Despite the laws, discrimination is still around.I'd like to impact the world by ending all discrimination. In this century, society has corrupted itself an words are as painful as whips strikes against your back. Writing cold be useful by making speeches. Singing would be helpful. I c ould compose songs about equality for all and sing them at public places or where you could perform. Just spread awareness through every corner. I've always been captivated, interested, and good with social studies or history, and I could recreate the discriminating periods and Insert them in essays and hopefully ban it once and for all.I'm passionate about writing, donating, reading, singing, and dreaming of becoming an Animal Rights Activist. I strongly believe that my passions will be useful by changing the world. Lay writing could help with alleviating poverty and It could raise awareness which would be the rescue. Writing can be turned Into a persuasive speech to convince that the animals are In need of help. And people will be aware of the grotesque reality. Discrimination could be ended once and for all with the help of my voice. My singing would be an asset and It could really llama. And me, being anAnimal Rights Activist Is a dream. Jesse Owens once said, † We all hav e dreams. But on order to make tee dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort. † Poverty and Animal Rights Activist By foreordained it even more if I did nothing but sit and watch. These thoughts are what drive my passions to try and change the world. I believe that if we all take a stand against these horrifying issues, we could make a change in the world, together. For instance, I'd like to change the world by alleviating poverty. And my passions an be my tool.There are poor people living out there without anything. It's a slow, and painfully to die and I don't think their lives should be taken from them so easily. I could use one of my passions, which is writing, and I could write a book through a poor person's point of view. I also enjoy donating because it makes me happy to know that I helped someone in need. I could make money by singing, which is also another passion, to donate. I could have a food drive for the ones who are As soon as I was exposed to the horror of poaching, I knew† would be the one to Job that I've dreamed of.Anyways if I make speeches, I would read them aloud in studies or history, and I could recreate the discriminating periods and insert them in by changing the world. Lay writing could help with alleviating poverty and it could raise awareness which would be the rescue. Writing can be turned into a persuasive speech to convince that the animals are in need of help. And people will be aware of my voice. My singing would be an asset and it could really impact. And me, being an Animal Rights Activist is a dream. Jesse Owens once said, † We all have dreams. But

Rock and Roll Music

Rock and Roll has influenced the music industry more then any other genre. Barriers were broken by rock musicians pushing the limits of social behavior. The sixties were the time when changes in history took place. Artists continue to make an impact on people without even trying. Dancers, singers, musicians and athletes want to practice their talents without being bothered. Critics are always watching ready to voice their opinions. This is opposition is what calls publicity to the artists.â€Å"The Beatles were the greatest and most influential of the rock era, and introduced more innovations in popular music then any other rock band† (Authors of Billboard. com 1992-2005). Had it not been for the Beatles, there would be no Madonna, Britney Spears, Fergie, Beyonce or PussyCat Dolls. Elements of the Beatles Song â€Å"She Loves You. † In the sixties, the Beatles were the main pop group. By today’s standards, the Beatles music would hardly be considered real loud or wild. The Beatles were a group of friends who sang for recreational purposes.When they were discovered, they had no formal training. They did not care about auditions. They had no voice lessons. Without all of the technical aspects, their songs still had all of the elements that musicians today spend hours and days perfecting and refining. In the song â€Å"She Loves You,† the four band members are playing basic simple guitars. The instrument largely determines the overall aspects of any song. The highest musical technology is a waste if the artists do not know how to shape the song.Shaping is accenting the high points and low points of the song. Every artist’s has a unique way of shaping music his or her music. The dynamics is defined as the loudness and softness of a song (DuckWorth, 2004, P 358). In the song â€Å"She Loves You,† the dynamics do not have very significant level changes, according to today’s music analysis. Shaping makes up the melody o f the song. People like or dislike music based on the melody. The rhythm of the song sounds like it was in 4/4 time. It has repeated series of strong and weak beats.During the chorus, â€Å"She Loves Me† starts on the high notes or the strong beats of the song. When the musicians sing â€Å"yeah yeah yeah, that is when the weaker beats or phrases are accented. All of the Beatles songs sound improvised without much find tuning. When the song is recorded professionally, there are no significant changes from the time the artists were creating the song. The pitches, highs, mediums and lows of the song, is repeated through the entire length of the song. Conclusion;Rock and Roll has made waves since the sixties. Many people associate the songs that were popular at the time with world events. Music is a big influence on society. I love Rock and Roll music because it is uplifting and upbeat. Rock and Roll music is often played at celebrations, festivals, and concerts. Favorite Rock and Roll songs mark pleasant memories that are easily forgotten. People dance, run, workout, rollerblade to Rock and Roll music. Rock and Roll music has always accompanied close friends parties, and meetings.The Beatles music video can be viewed at http://video. google. com/videoplay? docid=2276715791126043108. Other sites that have plenty links to the Beatles music video links in full screen is AOL music. com. AOL provides hundreds of Beatles videos, interviews, documentary’s. Notes; DuckWorth, W. (2004 ) A Creative Approach to Music Fundamentals 8th Edition. Glossary Yudkin, J. (2004) Discover Music P 316-22. Authors of Billboard. com (1992-2005) Beatles Biography http://video. google. com/videoplay? docid=2276715791126043108

Hamburger and Wendy Essay

Introduction Wendy’s International (Wendy’s) is a restaurant company, which operates globally under Wendy’s brand of restaurant chain stores. The company’s headquarter is in Ohio, United States. Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas who opened the first Wendy’s restaurant on November 15, 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, United States. In 1972, the first Wendy’s franchise was sold. Wendy’s also stressed Wendy’s superiority through the â€Å"Quality Is Our Recipe† slogan and featured a red-haired, pig-tailed â€Å"Wendy† with dancing hamburgers. In mid-1975 Wendy’s opened its first international restaurant which located in Canada. In 1976, Wendy’s offered public stock with one million common shares sold at $28 per share. In November 15, 2009, Wendy’s celebrated its 40th year anniversary with more than 6,600 Wendy’s restaurant worldwide. Mission Statement â€Å"What We Believe† guidelines, which serve as both an internal mission statement and an external customer service goal, which include quality is our recipe, treat everyone with respect, do the right thing, profit means growth, and give something back. Vision. To continuously grow stakeholder value by leveraging the strengths of vibrant, independent restaurant brands. Products and Stores Old Fashion Hamburger Chicken and Wraps Garden Sensations Salads Fries and Sides Frosty Beverages Kids’ meal Wendy’s Restaurant Wendy’s SWOT Analysis Wendy’s is a leading successful restaurant operating and franchising company in North America. The company was ranked 562nd in the list of America’s largest corporation, as evaluated by the Fortune magazine, in 2007. A strong market position provides better visibility and increases the company’s bargaining power. However, Wendy’s faces strong competition from international, national, regional, and local retailers of food products. Competitors could affect to Wendy’s market share and its margins. STRENGTHS – Leading player in the U. S. – Market research strength – Strong management team – Effective advertising – Brand recognition WEAKNESSES – Fried food – Distribution problem – Weak research and development OPPORTUNITIES – Global expansion – Franchising Argentina, Chile, China – Mass customization THREATS – Strong competition such as McDonald and Burger King – Political environment. – Exchange rate – Health conscious consumer – Recession in economy worldwide . Analysis of Wendy’s Globalization Strategy There are more than 6,500 Wendy’s restaurants currently in 26 countries worldwide (Appendix B). Since early 2009, the company is very alert for international expansion of Wendy’s with new restaurant development in Singapore, the Middle East and North Africa, the Russian Federation, the Eastern Caribbean, Argentina, the Philippines and Japan. The company’s target is to open more than 8,000 Wendy’s restaurants outside of North America. New market expansion and further development within existing markets will continue to be major drivers of Wendy’s worldwide strategy. By maintaining superior quality, freshness, and operational standards worldwide, the customers could taste the quality Wendy’s hamburgers whether they visit Wendy’s in Dubai, Moscow, or Puerto Rico. In 2010 and 2011, Wendy’s was recognized by Zagat Survey as the food quality leader in the United States quick service restaurant industry, and also received their Top Overall designation. Wendy’s is also been awarded by the international organization. For example, in New Zealand Wendy’s has been voted as having the best tasting hamburgers for over ten years in a row. Wendy’s, Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), has experienced both competitive and economic challenges over recent years. However, the global QSR business has continued to grow significantly especially in emerging markets. According to Euro monitor International, this trend of category growth is expected to continue as show in Appendix C. According to the graph in Appendix C, the sales from previous year to future are a positive trend. In 2005, the global QSR sales were $376 billion and in 2010, it lifted up to $549 billion. The QSR sales in 2013 are forecasted that it could rise to $611 billion and it could go up to $678 billion in 2015. Franchising as Global Expansion Wendy’s provide new franchisees with the training and tools to run a Wendy’s restaurant. The franchisees will benefit from an image of leading brand in the quick service restaurant industry. Wendy’s provides support to its international franchisees through international corporate headquarters in Atlanta, and regional support offices in Miami and Hong Kong. The franchisees will benefit from Wendy’s expertise and ongoing support which including operations, training, marketing, engineering and site development, supply chain, quality insurance, and technology. Operations A skilled management team will help in preparing and opening the first restaurant and monitoring its progress as well as the future locations afterward. The reason of doing this is to ensuring that every restaurant in the system meets Wendy’s quality and service standards. Training The training is focused on how to exceed customer expectations and operate according to Wendy’s standards. Training will be provided for the head of operations and store managers at a regional training location. Marketing The franchisor marketing team will help franchisee maximize potential of the brand in that country market. Before the franchisees open the first restaurant, franchisor team will help to outline locally competitive aspects, identify key market opportunities, generate sales forecasts, and create a marketing plan. Franchisor will also provide an on-going support through existing marketing programs. Engineering and Site Development. When a location is selected, the engineering team will provide franchisees with guidance in developing the layouts and equipment plans. Supply chain Franchisor supply chain team will help in identifying efficient and safe suppliers. Franchisees will benefit from negotiated purchasing contracts with regional suppliers and be given support in developing a distribution system. Quality insurance The Quality Assurance team will approve new suppliers, local product adaptations and provide on-going monitoring of selected suppliers. Technology. Franchisor will help franchisees select restaurant technology tools to efficiently run and manage growing business such as manage labor costs, track food inventory, and analyze sales information. Wendy’s Strategy Map Wendy’s strategy map includes financial, customer, internal (operations), and learning and growth which Wendy’s needs to focus on to achieve its vision of growing stakeholder value and profitability can be readily identified and more easily accomplished. The strategy map presents a visual diagram and representation of the linkages among the four perspectives. Financial Perspective. Lower cost The basic instruction to lower cost is by reducing waste, improving reliability of orders, and increasing operational efficiency. This will very important considering during economic times as consumers are looking for a low cost with quality provider of food. Controlling for reducing waste, saving supplies, and ensuring ordering accuracy will allow the reduction in operational expenses and thus lower cost. Increase revenue Increasing revenue is a combination of raising prices and lower expenses. The revenue can be increased by expanding market share and penetrating the global market. Wendy’s should focus for expanding into overseas developed and emerging markets. Another way to increase revenue is to raise prices. Increase overseas expansion The building and expansion of more stores overseas, Wendy’s will not only able to help create stronger brand identity but also will allow increasing revenue through overseas stores while increasing market share. Moreover, it would be advantage to expand stores in the developed markets such as the U. K. , Canada, and Australia. It would be wiser for Wendy’s to expand operations in fast growing an emerging market such China, India, Russia and Easter Europe. Customer Perspective Lowest total price Wendy’s could provide the lowest total cost for price and value of service, which they effectively have been doing by offering comparable prices for products with superior service. Availability locations Wendy’s is currently the third largest provider of Quick Service Restaurant falling behind McDonalds and Burger King in the total number of available locations. Wendy’s can increase the number of available locations by focusing on urban and global markets to increase their presence in areas with the highest concentration of consumers which will allow them to achieve other goals of increasing revenue as well as creating stronger brand identity. High quality Wendy’s has storied past for providing high quality products. It already stood out when compared to competition. However, Wendy’s needs to continue to set high standards and organize initiatives such as always fresh ingredients and never frozen beef campaigns to ensure to customers that providing quality products. Internal Perspective (Operations) Increase operational efficiency As new technology is adopted, it is important to always stay at front of introducing and taking advantage of new technologies to increase operational efficiencies. Wendy’s can benefit over other competitors if they can develop a sense of timeliness and reliability for delivery orders. Improve reliability Other than providing the inexpensive offerings in a timely manner, what remains important is the expect reliability. Wendy’s needs to ensure that it provide a reliable product. Reduced waste As an operational perspective, reduction of waste is a huge concern. Wendy’s will have to focus on reducing waste as it has visions of becoming the lowest total cost fast-food provider. Moreover, reducing waste will allow more revenue as cutting expenses. Learning and Growth Perspective Management training programs Wendy’s currently has management programs. However, Wendy’s needs to create greater incentives for managers to attract brighter and more qualified candidates for management positions and to keep managers and hard working employees employed after training programs. Develop new products Wendy’s will need to focus on bringing out and introducing creative new products that will help stimulate excitement for their food offerings as well as take advantage of current trends towards healthier foods. Moreover, Wendy’s is suffering from poor menu diversity, thus the development of new products will help this issue. Open new stores Regarding to that Wendy’s needs to increase its total availability of location, this will allow for greater strong identity, increased revenue options, and greater penetration into capturing market share. Moreover, the opportunities as indicated in the brief SWOT analysis to create stores as a means to expand and grow. Wendy’s Enter Fast Food Market in Thailand. Fast food in Thailand continued to perform healthily during 2010 regardless of economic and political instability due to the strong financial positioning of leading chained fast food operators like CP All, YUM Restaurant International Thailand, Minor International, Central Restaurants Group, S&P Syndicated and McThai (McDonald), which accounted for 83% of fast food value sales in 2010. Although these players had to close down a number of outlets as a result of political instability in 2010, they still had sufficient cash flow to expand further, renovate existing outlets, and invest in marketing. In Thailand, there are many kinds of fast food. These are the major types of fast food industry in Thailand. First, Thai style fast foods include all main dishes of local food. Second, American style fast foods such as hamburger (number one market share), fried chicken, sausage, and bacon. The American fast foods are usually sold as a set with beverage. Third, other style fast foods such pizza, Japanese ramen (noodle), and Chinese streamed dim sum. Consumer Analysis These are some of the consumer surveys toward fast food in Thailand. – Group of age less than 20-30 is the main fast food consumer. This is because their perception toward fast food is convenient and easy to purchase. – The level of education is unaffected to fast food purchasing behavior. – Group of income less than 5000 Baht or 160 USD per month tend to consume fast food often. American Fast food already turned into world food. It is the fast growing business worldwide including Thailand. The changing of taste and lifestyle create the new trend of eating. Food for Thai people is the main factor and center of life. Since the globalization and technology entered along side with the changing of eating trend plus the creativity, the variety and development of food covered the entire nation. Thai people have obtained the Western eating behavior, thus this modern fast food has huger role in Thai people daily life. In the center area of tutor schools, the interview from two sample students says toward fast foods that â€Å"fast food is available everywhere† and â€Å"it’s the last-ditch choice†. From the center city to country side, fast food became a part of everyone which influences the growing of this western food business continually. Product Positioning Healthy Fast Food KFC Burger KingWENDY’S McDonaldSubway Marketing Mix Product Wendy’s offers fast food with reasonable price with good quality. The products are hamburger, chicken, salad, and fries. Wendy’s should emphasis on the fresh and good quality raw materials including beef, chicken, vegetable, and bread. Moreover, company need to do a product research and development in order to come out with new product which could meet with customer’s need. The term† fast food† should represent not only fast service food, but need to provide the nutrition and good for health. Price The price should be rely on the standard price of Wendy’s international and related to the local market price. In Thailand, the raw materials and labor cost are quite inexpensive, thus company could compete the price with the exiting competitors. Along with the price, company should offer the good service in order to impress the customer as a new coming. Place Wendy’s restaurant provides the eat-in service and take out which customer can buy back home. The restaurant location should locate at the general department store or business and tutor area. The store interior should be attractive with color and product photo. The other important thing is always keep the restaurant clean. Another channel is home service. Home service is a convenient for customers who unable to come to store. They can make an order through phone service. Promotion In order to get attraction from customer, Wendy’s should come out with the heavy sale support marketing activities last for about one to two months such as buy one get one free, and the souvenir. In order to remain the customers, company could offer the membership card for discount, collected point, and special event on the customer’s birthday. Conclusion Wendy’s is a fast food restaurant a chain store operates worldwide with 6,500 Wendy’s restaurants currently in 26 countries. With the global expansion strategy, the company planned to open more than 8,000 Wendy’s restaurants outside of North America. Wendy’s has awarded from variety organization worldwide as a guarantee of efficient performance such as the Zagat Survey as the food quality leader in the United States and the Top Overall designation, and the best tasting hamburgers for over ten years in a row from New Zealand. With the good performance from the exiting restaurant, it could push up and help promoting for new coming and provide an easy chance for Wendy’s to go as a global brand. Appendices Appendix A. America’s largest corporation evaluated by the Fortune magazine in 2007 Appendix B Source: Wendy’s international franchise brochure There are more than 6,500 Wendy’s restaurants currently in operation in 26 countries and territories worldwide. Since January 2009, we have aggressively laid the groundwork for international expansion of Wendy’s with new restaurant development announcements in Singapore, the Middle East and North Africa, the Russian Federation, the Eastern Caribbean, Argentina, the Philippines and Japan. We are targeting expansion to over 8,000 Wendy’s restaurants outside of North America. Appendix C. Global Quick Service Restaurant Sale (Historical – Forecast) Source: Wendy’s international franchise brochure. Bibliography http://www. aboutwendys. com/Our-Company/Our-Story/Accessed on Nov 3, 2011 http://www. aboutwendys. com/International/Support/Accessed on Nov 3, 2011 http://nyjobsource. com/wendys. htmlAccessed on Nov 3, 2011 http://retailindustry. about. com/od/retailbestpractices/ig/Company-Mission-Statements/Wendy-s-Mission-Statement. HtmAccessed on Nov 3, 2011 http://www. docshare. com/doc/189567/WendysAccessed on Nov 5, 2011 http://franchises. about. com/od/w/fr/wendys-international-franchise.htm Accessed on Nov 5, 2011 http://franchises. about. com/od/fastfoo1/fr/wendys. htmAccessed on Nov 6, 2011 http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2007/full_list/501_600. html. Accessed on Nov 6, 2011 http://www. nesdb. go. th/Portals/0/home/†¦ /scs/†¦ /scs-success-survey-bkk. pdf Accessed on Nov 6, 2011 http://www. fundinguniverse. com/company-histories/Wendys-International-Inc-company-History. htmlAccessed on Nov 6, 2011 http://www. gotomanager. com/news/details. aspx? id=2939Accessed on Nov 6, 2011 http://www. racing-club. net/board/index. php? topic=1177Accessed on Nov 6, 2011.

Theory to Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theory to Marketing - Assignment Example t of the products manufactured at HP can be used in small businesses, large enterprises, which also include educational facilities and health institutions. Some of the small businesses that can use these products include partnerships and sole proprietors. According to the context, HP products can be used in a photography company. Therefore as a sole vendor, in this photographic company, it is essential to address most of the needs of the business. The aspect of addressing the business needs is quite beneficial for the business (Malone, 2007). As a sole vendor, there are several aspects that I should incorporate to enhance success. According to the case provided, it is essential to manage time effectively to avoid any delays in the photography business. Selling and servicing the HP products to the photography company is also crucial as a sole vendor (Packard, 2006). The most vital aspect of a sole vendor is leveraging a trouble-free feedback loop. This enables the photography business to give feedback regarding the HP products. The feedback loop also enhances customer satisfaction hence; the photography business attracts more clients. The description provided proves that the sole vendors are supposed to create a system that tracks the results of the company. In fact, the sales department of any business is considered as the backbone of the

Factors that Lead to Hyperinflations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Factors that Lead to Hyperinflations - Essay Example To provide an empirical verification of hyperinflation phenomenon, a more focused study on the ravaging hyperinflation and its impacts on Zimbabwe are attempted in section 4. Some of the course correction that a country such as Zimbabwe requires to embark on to arrest its hyperinflation is presented in section 5, before section 6 concludes this essay. A number of economists have attempted to define inflation, in their own terminology. For professor Crowther, inflation is marked by declining value of money, and conversely the rising level of prices (197). Pigou observed that inflation occurs when money income expands more than proportionately to income earning activity (439). In general, inflation is associated with a state of abnormal increase in the quantity of money. Inflation is linked to the issue of too much currency in the economy (Hawtrey 60). For Coulborn, inflation is a monetary phenomenon where "too much money chases too few goods" (356). According to Keynes, inflation is caused by an excess of effective demand over supply (296). For Friedman, inflation is a process of steady and sustained increase in prices. Inflation, thus, is a monetary phenomenon characterized by high prices, and conversely falling values of money (17). Hyperinflation is a typical case of an extremely rapid growth in the general level of prices, las ting for a number of years. Although a rise in the general prices of more than 50 per cent is treated as hyperinflation, there is no well-defined threshold. All these definitions point to one basic point: When the quantity of money in circulation exceeds the total amount of goods and services in the economy, it results in extraordinary increase in prices which we define as hyperinflation. It may be noted that hyperinflation is also called a "runaway" or "galloping" inflation, where the quantum of money increases to an extent that its value declines to an incomprehensible level. Historically, hyperinflation has occurred in China, Greece, Taiwan, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Russia. In recent years, countries such as Chile, Argentina and Bolivia experienced hyperinflation. At present, hyperinflation in Zimbabwe is a great cause of concern for the economists as it continues to threaten the livelihood of its people. 3. Causes of Hyperinflation: 1According to Prof. Fisher, other things remaining constant, as the quantity of money in circulation increases, the price level also increases in the same proportion and the value of money decreases, correspondingly (45). 1In its rigid form, the quantity theory of money defends a strict proportionality between changes in the stock of money and the general level of prices. If M = stock of money in circulation, V = velocity, P = general price level, the theory states that the level of P depends on MV. Since V is assumed to be constant in the short-run, P and M are proportional to each other. Thus, if P represents the general price level, then 1/P captures the purchasing power of money. The implication is that when the stock of money increases, the value of money decreases, which reflects proportionately on the increase in general level of

Cleaning Oil Spills with Magnets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cleaning Oil Spills with Magnets - Assignment Example The EVTN voraxial oil separator development by Fort Lauderdale uses the centrifugal by the gravity force to separate two or more different liquids. It was used during the 2010 BP Oil Spill, with effects such as the provision of industrial and environmental separation technology, the development of the company for both sells and manufactures, and the establishment of the Florida precision aerospace company. The long-term effect of this oil spill, which is considered as the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, is hydrocarbon poisoning in the environment. However, it also paved the way for the establishment of the Exxon- Valdez voraxial separator. The long-term effects of magnetic soap are a high rate of marine and birds survival, the establishment of the industrial chemist, and the use of electrical melting point, and conductivity to clean the environment.

State Government Levy Tariffs on Imports Coursework - 1

State Government Levy Tariffs on Imports - Coursework Example The population of retired workers in America was 37.9 million as at December 2013, for instance (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2014). An increase in expenditure on Social Security and Medicare would hurt taxpayers and federal government on other sectors. Currently, the Federal government’s expenditure on other sectors such defense and sectors of security are equally high. Expenditure on defense and other sectors of security was $643 billion in 2013, representing 19 percent of the entire budget. Furthermore, the federal government’s expenditure is growing at a rate of 63 percent higher than the level of inflation, a trend that has been consistent for the past 20 years (Boccia, 2014). Based on the high level of expenditure that the federal government already has on social security and Medicare, it is unjustified to increase it. Lee, Johnson and Joyce (2008) recognize social security as a key income source for the retired. An increase would imply a consequential rise in the national debt. The greatest concern relates to a large population of retirees. Viable recommendations for the elderly to fund their retirement include proper use of personal savings. Programs to help the elderly boost personal investments would help them finance their retirement. Boccia, R. (2014). Federal Spending by the Numbers, 2014: Government Spending Trends in Graphics, Tables, and Key Points (Including 51 Examples of Government Waste). The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved December 14, 2014 from,

The current national security structure of the united states Essay

The current national security structure of the united states - Essay Example nsists of both statutory members who are President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense and statutory advisers who are the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) and the Director of Central Intelligence. National security and defense authority rests with the President and the Secretary of Defense as his principal assistant who is responsible for the military departments and their efficient operation. The National Command Authorities (NCA) represented by the President and Secretary of Defense direct the execution of military action and movement of troops. The Departments of Defense is responsible for maintaining Armed Forces to ensure effective military action, the security of the United States as well as advance of the national policies and interest of the United States. DOD is composed of Secretary of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff DOD Staff, 16 Defense Agencies, DOD field activities, military departments and combatant commands. The national security in 21th century was shaken by September, 11 terrorist attacks which questioned the security of U.S borders and its citizens. World known date altered the vision of national security and since then many changes were set in motion to protect border security and still welcome guests in the U.S. The most difficult thing about these changes was keeping the balance between stronger security and facilitating travel and commerce development. (Rice & Chertoff, 2005) As the border protection must be balanced against the demand for the free flow of commerce, Congress tasked the Department of Homeland Security not only with protecting the borders, but also â€Å"ensuring the speedy, orderly, and efficient flow of lawful traffic and commerce.† (Homeland Security Act) Creation of the Department of Homeland Security along with other important bodies like the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Homeland Security Council, the National Counterterrorism Center, and U.S.

Unit-4 Discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit-4 Discussion - Research Paper Example e, teenagers start driving practice with a minimum age of 151/2, and during the practice, the teenager is expected to be in the company of 25 years and above adult. Responsibility as a driver is also instilled in New Hampshire by the law that states that young drivers can only transport a single passenger below 25 years at a time, but this change when the driver is in the company of an adult above 25 years. Another law against drinking and driving entail a fine of $500 towards a first offence (Chen, 2006). A second state, which has put restrictions that have helped in reducing teenage fatalities because of car accident, is Illinois. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Program in Illinois has been effective in that it has increased driving privileges for responsible and safe drivers while at the same time identified reckless and dangerous drivers. Through the program, driving restriction on teenagers who drive safely is loosened from one driving staged to another (Chen, 2006). Various studies have indicated that there is a correlation between GDL policies and reduction of car accidents caused by teenage drivers. In particular, GDL has led to reduction of accidents caused by 16-year-old teenage drivers (Chen,

The Australian Health care system is founded on the concept of equity Essay

The Australian Health care system is founded on the concept of equity of access. Discuss this statement with relation to the con - Essay Example (Braveman, 2003). Identification of those people can be made through the use of census data using the criteria such as geographic, socio economic, epidemiological or clinical or through the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) or ambulatory care sensitive condition hospital admission data (Muecke, 2010). Australian initiatives The National Health and Hospital Reform Commission (2008) and the National Health Performance Framework (2004) have given rise to the following principles for delivering improved healthcare to rural and remote populations. Accordingly, the services should 1) be accessible and equitable in that services should be need based and payable consistent with paying capacity. 2) be needs based and should be sensitive to cultural differences, cultural diversity and choices 3) ensure early intervention aimed at maintaining wellness, prevention of illness and achieving optimal health. 4) aim at comprehensives of services through coordinated services of diverse spe cialists in the wake of incidence of chronic diseases, 5) ensure safety and quality of health care which should be appropriate, in time and effective consistent with the best available evidence, 6) be efficient by minimising cost and maximising value, 7) be sustainable and 8) be based on the principle of accountability (Humphreys & Wakerman, n.d ). The Final report June 2009 of the health reform commission towards a better health for all Australians by tackling major access and equity issues prioritises five issues towards that end. 1) First, to improve the health outcomes for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 2) Second, mental health care to be improved. 3) Third, to extend support for those living in remote and rural areas. 4) Fourth, improved access to dental health care. And 5) Fifth, Quicker access to health care in public hospitals (DepartmentOfHealthandAgeing, 2009). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. This long neglected segment of the Australia n population has caught the attention of the policy makers who have made determined efforts to give the top most priority for better health care delivery to these people. The Australian government have publicly apologised to these people. The intensity and sincerity of purpose to improve health outcomes to the First Australians living in isolation both in rural and urban areas have been unprecedented. Towards this end, a separate authority of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Authority (NATSIHA) has been formed. All the funding are aggregated and entrusted to this authority which is expected to utilise the funds for purchasing and commissioning the best available health care services. The services are expected to be effective, of high quality, appropriate to their culture and to meet the needs of these populations with a focus of the family and community of each member. Health care delivery does not mean treating illness alone. In order to promote their well bein g, their low nutrition intake has been targeted to be improved so as to close the health gap among these people. As a part of this initiative, vegetable and fruits hitherto unavailable to them owing to their remoteness are to be made available at their places of living at affordable prices (DepartmentOfHealthandAgeing, 2009). Serious mental illness The next priority has been accorded to

Culture, Technology, and Politics - Assignment Essay

Culture, Technology, and Politics - Assignment - Essay Example Politics on the other hand, influence culture in different ways ranging from education to religion to ways of life. Most governments prefer a clear separation of church and state. United States has free religion where everybody can be a member of any denomination. France goes a step further in separating state and religion by banning obvious religious symbols. This is different in England where there is a state church (Sclove, 1995). Historically, technology has been a political tool. It has politically favored some politicians as well as worked against some. This is more so in the recent past where technology has advanced to greater heights. The advent of i tunes, podcasting websites, MySpace and YouTube has shifted the political playing field. Biggest political hurdles such as fundraising and reaching out to voters have been overcome through technology. This was more evident in the 2008 US presidential elections. Candidates used social networks to fundraise as well as educate voters on their agendas in an attempt to woo for votes. In a different example, Howard Dean initially rose to prominence by using Internet donations to fund his campaigns. The same technology later led to his downfall through excessive internet play of the â€Å"Dean Scream† video. On the other hand, technology might cause political downfall. For instance, Google’s algorithms are also used to spread negative information abou t somebody else. During elections, video recordings and old political speeches have used to show differing political stands of a politician. This highlights the downside of technology in politics (Sclove, 1995). Politicians and governments use technology to further their cause. Governments use technological innovations as a regulatory tool. For example, United States government set up regulatory agencies like Federal Communication Commission and

Hybrid Cars Essay Example for Free

Hybrid Cars Essay Americans today do not realize that hybrid cars are not cost efficient to buy. This is caused by many factors, many having to do with price of production and gas prices. The cost of production for many hybrid cars is too high causing the car to be to expensive for consumers to buy. They end up paying so much more for a car that promises to save them money. These cars turn end up not fulfilling that promise and leaving people short on cash. It is true that a hybrid car will save money at the pump, but not enough to cover the cost of buying and maintaining the car itself. Gas prices are another reason why these cars arent worth it. The prices of gas today are around 3 dollars which is nearing a record high. Even with prices this high, people will not save enough money with less gas consumption to cover the extra costs of owning such a high maintenance and highly complex car. The math works out that spending more on a hybrid car over a similar small car will end up costing the owner more money. The only way to make the car cost efficient would be to own it for an abnormally long period of time, which most people do not do. Many people are not willing to pay this extra money on a car that is supposed to be good for the environment, but some people do. Hybrid cars are better for the environment because they produce less greenhouse gasses. These are the emissions that specifically hurt the layers of the atmosphere and are among other emissions that are bad for our earth. Hybrid cars burn less fuel and they burn it cleaner, so they produce less exhaust that can potentially cause smog in cities like Chicago, or that can hurt the atmospheric layers such as the ozone layer that so many people talk about being in danger. To some people, the extra cost of owning one of these vehicles is worth helping the environment, but to most it is not. People want fast cars that are fun to drive and that get decent gas mileage. Or a mom might want a van that can haul a lot of people and weight and still get decent gas mileage. A dad would want a truck that can pull a heavy load and do the heavy duty work and wouldnt care about gas mileage. All of these are reasons why people dont want a small, meek, gas sipping hybrid. The first thing that makes most people shy away from buying a hybrid car is the price tag. They see that extra five or six thousand dollars and they say, NO! People want a durable car that gets good gas mileage and has room for a family and that is safe. All of these features can be purchased on a regular car that costs much less than a hybrid. The perfect example for this is the Honda Civic. This car comes in many trim levels, one for each type of consumer, minus the person looking for the truck. The Civic Sedan, a four door car with room for five people, starts at 15k and is the perfect car for a small family. This car gets 30mpg city and 40mpg highway which is very good by todays standards. The Civic Hybrid, the same size as the Civic Sedan, costs 22k, thats 7 thousand more, and gets an increase of only 19mpg city and 11mpg highway. This means that they would not save enough money on gas to cover the 7k increase in price in under 10 years. Since the car gets better gas mileage, one would go to the pump less, but not enough to save that much money. The third is the Civic Si, this is the sporty version of the Civic that only comes with a manual transmission and is very quick. This car costs 21k, one thousand less than the hybrid. It is much faster is only has two doors. This car gets 23mpg city and 32mpg highway, not much worse than the Civic Sedan or hybrid, and is much faster and more fun. Why would a student pay one thousand dollars more for a car that is slower and more boring when the mileage increase isnt that much, they wouldnt. People want fun cars that get the job done and the Civic does that with great gas mileage and a low price, without having to be a hybrid car. Another example of this concept is the Toyota Camry. This is the best selling family sized sedan in the United States. This car comes in many trim levels but the ones we will look at are the base Camry and the base Camry Hybrid. For 2007 this car got a gorgeous remodel as well as a new engine in the base Camry and they added the Hybrid model. The base Toyota Camry costs 18k and has many features needed for a small family to fit in the car along with a lot of luggage. Do not be confused though, this car can be seen driving down the road pimped out with 20 (thats really big) rims and banging sound systems by college guys. It can also be seen with pick stickers and fuzzy dice in the window being driven by a couple college girls on the way to the beach. This is a very pretty, versatile car. The base Camry gets 24mpg city and 34 mpg highway. This is very good for a full sized car and will get the owner a long distance before having to refill the tank. The Camry Hybrid costs a pretty penny, but some say its worth it. This car gets 16mpg more city and 4mpg more highway than the base Camry. The huge gain in city mileage is due to the way Toyota makes their hybrid cars. They have the ability to switch fully from electric to gas power whereas the Honda Hybrid drive train can only go from minimal usage of each, but never fully switches. Toyotas is called Hybrid Synergy Drive and uses the electric engine most when accelerating and charges the batter when braking. The braking actually charges the battery more than the gas engine, so the car is able to shine when driving around the city because of the constant starting and stopping, the car uses almost fully the electric engine. This is why the Toyota Camry Hybrid gets such good gas mileage in the city. Lets face it though, a car that big wont be found driving around the city, most people will be office executives taking long drives from offices to home or to customers and they will not benefit as much. The Camry Hybrid only gains 4mpg over the base Camry on the highway so many people do not agree with spending eight thousand dollars more for the hybrid. This is definitely not cost efficient for the owner. People will like the 18k price of the base Camry because it comes with so many standard options and is ready to fulfill any soccer moms fantasy. When talking about Hybrid cars, there is one that stands above the rest in durability, functionality, style, price, and ability to save gas. That car is the Toyota Prius. This car could be the only argument one could make against this paper. It costs 22k and it does not come with a non hybrid counterpart. This car does cost more than say, a Corolla, but it has more room than a Corolla, and slightly less room than a Camry. It is in a class of its own and its only close competitor is the Honda Insight. The Prius is able to get 60mpg city and 51mpg highway. This is the best mpg rating of any production car and it actually is selling. You can see a Toyota Prius on just about any trip that you take and it does have unique styling that always turns heads. Although it costs more, the mpg rating of this car are almost double that of the nearest non hybrid competitor making it almost worth the extra price tag. However, the cost of maintaining such a highly complex car is greater than that of the base Civic or Corolla and will end up costing more. The Honda Insight, the other close competitor, costs 21k and gets 60mpg city and 66mpg highway. Those numbers were only the estimated numbers and consumers found them to be too high and actually got less mileage than that. Also, Honda doesnt make this car anymore so a customer would only be able to buy it used. These cars all shown, people will not save money on buying a hybrid car. The gas prices right now are not high enough to allow people to save money at the pump if they own a hybrid car. They will get better gas mileage and they will go to the pump less but they are only saving a small amount of money each year. If somebody spends 30 dollars every two weeks on gas in a regular car, that would cost them about 780 dollars a year. A hybrid car could probably go an extra week without needing gas so that would cost them 520 dollars a year on gas. They would be saving a mere 260 dollars a year on gas. If the hybrid car costs 7k more, then they would need to have the car for about 26 years to cover the extra cost of the car. No way would somebody own a car for that long this day and age. That is only covering the cost of the actually sticker price and not the extra costs of owning the vehicle, like fixing it and stuff, which would have to be done since the car would need to get fixed in the 26 year period. Many websites do a calculation of the cars which would be the lowest true cost to own. One website listed the Prius and the Camry Hybrid under their list of cars costing around 25k that would be the lowest true cost to own. This is excluding how long one would own the car for and how high the gas prices are. Also they did not list any hybrid under the coupes which are lowest cost to own and they dont say customer reviews on how fun these cars are to drive. The fact is that most people do no see it necessary to buy a car that costs so much more when they could get a car for less money that will cost them less money in the long run. People also want fun cars that will cost the same, but be much more fun to drive, even though they arent amazing at gas mileage, they still succeed in getting decent gas mileage, so people buy them. Also the hybrid drive train is not good for hauling heavy loads that is why there arent many pickup truck hybrids out there if any. Hybrid cars may cost more causing people to shy away from buying them, but they are better for the environment. People dont realize that driving a car can be the largest form of pollution. We drive by a paper mill and see all the smoke coming out of the stacks and say to ourselves how bad that must be for the air. Meanwhile we are sitting in a car, that when grouped up with many cars, is much worse than the thing we are complaining about. Pollution from cars causes smog, which deteriorates the ozone layers closest to us. This can cause for major extremes of hot and cold in the seasons. The atmosphere helps moderate the temperatures on earth by holding in heat during the winter and shielding out heat during the summer. Big cities have problems with smog which is a constant haze in the air caused by so many cars in one place emitting gasses bad for the environment. Cars also have toxins in their exhaust that can cause acid rain or global warming, and even cause cancer in some people. The water supply on earth is never growing or shrinking, the water we have is all that we get. When there is acid rain, that water has to go somewhere and may sometimes end up in drinking water or people who have wells might take showers in it. This is how it can cause cancer in as many as 1,500 people a year. There are many bad gasses that come from motor vehicles, but the three main ones are hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Hydrocarbons react with nitrogen. The best times for this to happen are in the summer when there is lots of sunlight and really high temperatures. This reaction causes something called ground level ozone. This is a type of gas that is supposed to be in the atmosphere but is in our breathing air. This can cause many things such as eye irritation, wheezing, and even permanent lung damage. Nitrogen Oxides also cause the formation of ground level ozone and are major factors in causing acid rain and water pollution. Finally, carbon monoxide, which is an odorless and invisible gas, causes a slowing of oxygen in the bloodstream which can impair ones senses and cause permanent mental damage. Cars are responsible for around 90 percent of the carbon monoxide in the air in most urban areas. All of these gasses can be reduced by driving a hybrid car, but the best way to reduce them is public transportation. Studies show that a person who uses mass transit, such as buses or subways, for a year, instead of driving to work, can keep about 9.1 lbs of hydrocarbons, 62.5 lbs or carbon monoxides, and 4.9 lbs of nitrogen oxides from being put into the air (Emissions). Other ways of reducing pollution from cars in the air are things such as driving at steady speeds, buying newer cars that have fewer bad emissions, keeping your car in good running condition, or even not topping off at the pump. People can help the environment by buying a hybrid car, but that isnt the best way. Using public transportation or even riding a bike if possible, would do a lot more good, and save somebody a lot of money. By using public transportation and by carpooling, people can save an estimated three thousand dollars a year (Emissions). Other numbers show that idling and stop and go traffic alone use 753 millions of gallons of gasoline per year (Emissions). People dont realize how much better it would be to just use public transportation. Instead, we want to go on our own schedules and have the freedom to go where we want when we want, and that costs money and causes pollution. The cost of a hybrid car over a regular car is too much. People will not buy a hybrid car when they can get a vehicle with very good gas mileage for much less money. They can get all the bells and whistles of a hybrid but spend around seven thousand less. Teenagers dont want a slow gas sipping car, they want a fast car with a loud exhaust. They cant get this from a hybrid car so they wouldnt spend the money to buy a slow hybrid when they could have a fast sports car. A dad needs his truck to haul stuff around and hybrid cars dont offer that. The mom needs the van to have a safe car for her family that can fit them and their luggage. The cost of gas prices right now is not nearly high enough to benefit the consumer who owns a hybrid car. There is some small benefit, about 300 dollars a year, but that would take 20 years to equal just the increased price of owning a hybrid, not to mention the added costs of the upkeep of such a complex car. People want the lowest price with the best package, and hybrid cars dont offer that. While they do offer benefits to the environment, people dont realize how important the environment is and they wont spend the extra money for benefits they wont see in their lifetime. Overall the hybrid car is not worth buying because the cost is just too great. Not only is it not worth it, but people are not buying them enough to make a difference to the environment anyways, further diminishing their value. Hybrid cars are not worth buying right now and will not be for many years to come.

A Comparison of Different Anti-Aging Strategies

A Comparison of Different Anti-Aging Strategies As a mild exfoliating procedure, microdermabrasion (MDA) every 1 to 3 months depending on the skin type would be a good preventive anti- aging strategy. A combination of MDA with chemical peels is helpful in photoaging. MDA is always done first followed by the peel. Several studies support the efficacy of this regime for photoageing. Superficial glycolic acid peels and 5% retinoic acid have been used. MDA can also be used as a transdermal drug delivery for various topical antioxidants Amongst lasers, visible/ infrared lasers and fractional lasers have been used for facial rejuvenation. Light systems including intense pulse light systems (IPL), light emitting diodes (LED), photodynamic therapy (PDT) and infrared lights have been used for correcting colour and textural alterations. Radiofrequency ( RF), ultrasound and plasma resurfacing technologies are non-laser systems useful in tissue tightening. Various devices have been developed which combine different technologies- the combination of electrical and optical energy techniques is termed as electrical and optical synergy (ELOS). All these technologies for non- ablative facial rejuvenation have been discussed in depth in chapter 43. Microneedling with dermaroller or in combination with RF technology has shown good results for skin rejuvenation. [55,56] Hyaluronic acid, vitamins and idebenone have been used as mesosolutions for preventive and therapeutic anti-aging benefits.[ 57] These therapies are frequently used in combination therapies. Botulinum toxin is chiefly indicated for dynamic lines correction (by relaxing the facial muscles) whereas fillers is indicated for the correction of volume loss which occurs with aging. For the upper 1/3rd face, botulinum toxin is the mainstay with hyaluronic acid as a supplement. Fillers are the mainstay for mid face, whereas a combination of toxin and fillers are needed for the lower 1/3rd face. [58] Autologous fat transfer, dermal fibroblasts and platelet rich plasma is now being used for volume enhancement in patients who do not desire artificial fillers. Thread lifts with polydioxanone (PDO) threads are being commonly used for lifting up of facial sagging and is chiefly used for structural changes due to aging. It is frequently used in combination with other techniques. Combination therapy is the mainstay in management of aging face. Relax, Refill and Resurface are the three main Rs for facial rejuvenation. Combination therapy of fillers and botulinum toxin is superior and frequently used in facial rejuvenation for relaxing and refilling. This combination provides a three dimensional approach to correction of aging face. Use of chemical peels and lasers, lights and radiofrequency technologies help in effective resurfacing. A systematic approach should be adopted based on the patient needs. An algorithmic and practical approach to management of the aging face in different decades of life based on author’s experience has been outlined below. [Illustration 50.6, 50.7 and 50.8] Clinical case scenarios of aging face and the management in different age groups has been provided. [Figures 50.5 to 50.9] 25 to 35 years: Illustration 50.6 a and b / figure 50.5 Clinical scenario: Management in a 35 year old female [concerns about periorbital folds and perioral lines] Figure 50.5 Products: Sunscreens, moisturizers Procedures: Treatment of tear troughs, marionette and faint nasolabial folds with injectable HA [restylane]. Thread lifts across the angles of the mouth. 35 to 50 years – Illustration 50.7 a and b/ Figure 50.6 a and b Clinical scenario: Management In 42 year old female homemaker with PIH to acne/ textural changes Products: Sunscreens, appropriate face washes, topical adapalene, non HQ skin lightening agent twice daily along with azithromycin pulse doses Procedures: Electrocautery of DPNs, Chemical peels with glycolic, salicylic and yellow peel at 2 weekly intervals, counseled for laser rejuvenation It is important to check for volume loss begins in this decade, however different parts of the face can age at varying rates. Mid facial sag is more evident with prominent nasolabial folds in this 40 year old lady. (Figure 50.7 a) Associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus or hypothyroidism should also be looked into, since it can hasten the aging process; as seen in this obese lady with hypothyroidism. (Figure 50.7 b) 50 years onwards- Illustration 50.8 a and b ( figure 50.8 and 50.9 a and b) Clinical scenario: Management in a 60 year old male executive (Figure 50. 8) Products: Sunscreens, moisturizers, Skin lightening agents – initially the Kligman’s triple combination cream containing (HQ 2%, tretinoin 0.05 and fluocinolone) on alternate night for 2 months followed by non HQ skin lightening agents. Procedures: Chemical peels with glycolic 35 to 50%, salicylic and mandelic peels. 3 HA syringes for his tear troughs, nasolabial, marionette lines and chin fold. 6 monopolar radio frequency sittings. Clinical scenario :Management in 50 year old menopausal home maker ( Figure 50.9) Products: Sunscreens, moisturizer, Skin lightening cream with arbutin, niacinaminde, kojic and flavonoids Procedures: Electrocautery of DPNs, MDA 2 sessions, followed by chemical peels – glycolic 35 to 50%, alternately in combination with lactic, salicylic, pyruvic and tretinoin There has been tremendous advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of aging. Knowledge about newer theories of aging and development of newer bioengineering techniques has led to a validated approach towards objective evaluation of various newer anti- aging products and procedures. Use of optical 3D skin imaging systems along with use of appropriate instrumental software has led to a standardized approach. [ 1] Products: Based on the newer aging theories, innovative anti- aging cosmeceuticals such as Sirtuin activating and anti- glycation products are being developed.[59] Novel topical drug delivery systems for anti- aging products; for example; pectin micro and nano capsules of retinyl palmitate and nano lipoidal forms of isotretinoin are being developed. [60,61]. Systemic and topical anti-oxidants are complexed with chitin nanocrystals and these have a positive influence on aging skin. [62]The interest and clinical research into the newer generation cosmeceuticals such as peptides, growth factors, cytokines and stem cells is continually increasing and controlled studies on the relevance of these emerging products are being performed. [47] Use of phytohormones and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) for skin aging is still in the nascent phase. [63,64] Procedures: Various devices including microneedles, microdermabrasion, electroporation, ultrasound and radiofrequency are now being used as transdermal delivery systems for the anti- aging actives. Amongst the novel use of injectables in anti- aging, mesobotox has been used for facial rejuvenation, and PRP, dermal fibroblasts, adipose tissue derived stem cells and autologous venous transplants have been used for soft tissue augmentation. [65,66] Amongst the technology based devices, non-ablative fractional lasers and radiofrequency is being increasingly used for rejuvenation of the aging skin. Newer wavelengths are being developed; for example infrared laser at 1565nm and a new fractional 1940 nm laser consisting of thulium rod pumped by pulsed alexandrite laser.[67,68] The shift towards combination of technologies and home based devices is seen amongst the various technology based equipment for anti- aging. RF devices are being developed in combination with other technologies or dev ices such as microneedling, ultrasound, cryolipolysis, LEDs and lasers. Home based non ablative diode and radiofrequency devices are being investigated for their role in photorejuvenation. [ 69] To conclude, the process of aging begins early in life. Both the patient and the dermatologist need to accept the factors which cannot be treated, identify the factors which can be treated and adopt evidence based preventive and corrective modalities for management of the aging face. It is the duty and responsibility of a dermatologist to provide appropriate anti-aging measures based on the patients’ needs and at different decades of life. Skin aging is a continuous process and begins early in life. Cutaneous aging can be classified as intrinsic and extrinsic types; both of which have classical clinical and histological manifestations. Understanding the pathomechanisms and newer concepts of skin aging has helped in designing optimal anti-aging strategies. A detailed history taking, clinical examination and needs assessment helps to formulate an appropriate treatment schedule. During evaluation of an aging face, changes in the three major characteristics-colour, textural and shape should be assessed. An objective evaluation can be done by standardized documentation and use of various grading/ rating systems. The preventive aspects include avoiding exogenous factors such as smoking, stress and UV radiation along with adoption of correct lifestyle habits in the form of regular exercise and a balanced diet. The corrective aspects include use of appropriate anti- aging products and procedures based on the age and needs of t he patients. Anti- aging products include antioxidants, cell regulators (retinods, alpha hydroxyl acids, peptides, growth factors, cytokines, stem cells) and hormone replacement therapy. The procedural modalities of treatment include basic procedures (electrocautery, microdermabrasion and chemical peels), use of technology based devices (lasers, lights, radiofrequency) and injectables (botulinum toxin, fillers, fat transfer, PRP, microneedling and mesotherapy). Combination of procedural therapies is most effective. Management of an aging skin should be done on a long-term basis and should be tailor made based on the needs assessment of an individual.

Importance of Border Security Measures in National Security

Importance of Border Security Measures in National Security ABSTRACT Border security contains continuously evolving policies due to the evolution of threats and terrorism. Since the US Border Patrol was created in 1924, their challenges and threats have changed, driving them to adapt their methods in order to maintain national security. National security experts continuously contend that indecisiveness and ineffectiveness within immigration concerns and border vulnerability leaves the country susceptible to even greater national security challenges. This study analyzes the US border security policies implemented in the past, the various measures used, and if they were considered successful. Focusing on the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administration, this study outlines the threats and challenges during that time and what successful measures were implemented. This paper will then analyze the threats posed and impact of breaches in border security, the action taken in response, and the effectiveness. INTRODUCTION This paper will analyze the measureable relationship between successful measures implemented, challenges, and effectiveness. The United States government has attempted to apply border control policies since the 1990s, however the emphasis placed on US border security has increased heavily in the past20 years. Globalization has amplified cross-border flow of goods, people, and money, further increasing the challenge of maintaining a states territorial sovereignty. To combat this rising challenge, there have been vast increases in border security funding, staffing and technology deployments. There are many challenges that each Presidential Administration has faced while addressing the question of border security. The sheer size of the border between the US and Mexico is a task all in its own. President Clinton inherited a war on the trafficking of illegal narcotics and organized crime, President Bush was left with the outrage and sheer shock after the 9/11 attack and President Obama dealt with the evolving terrorist threats by transnational actors and the continuous flow of illegal migrants into the United States. In response to these evolving challenges, each administration has implemented various measures in order to successfully combat threats to border security. This study will focus on the challenges of securing US borders and the successful measures implemented by each administration that has led to a more cohesive border security policy. METHODOLOGY Research Question What successful measures have successive US Administrations taken on the issue of border security? How effective have these measures been? Thesis Statement Each Administration has taken continuous measures to protect and secure borders and increase national security effectively. They have done this by adapting to continuously changing threats due to globalization. Data Collection This paper will rely on qualitative research to examine the measures successive US Presidential Administrations have taken on the issue of border security. This study will utilize the public White House Archives and peer reviewed articles to analyze the Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations to further compare the measures used and challenges faced. This paper focuses on the last three administrations because this is when the US began increasing border control agents and INS/DHS budgets. Literature has discovered that there are flaws within border security, but they often fail to see how far each administration has come in terms of effectiveness. LITERATURE REVIEW There is a 2,000 mile geo-political divide between the United States and Mexico, and it has become one of the most frequently crossed borders in the world. Border security provides safety for a country and is an important mean through which national security is implemented. It is essential to economic prosperity, national sovereignty, and homeland security (DHS, 2017). Border security is responsible for the control and examination of what enters and leaves a country. This aspect is especially important due to current terrorist threats and organized crime. Not only does border security deal with the movement and control of citizens in and out of a country, but they also control the spread of disease and prevent smuggling of weapons, drugs, and endangered animals. The data provided in the literature is mainly focused on the lack of cohesiveness within border security, but they fail to show what progress has been made. Each presidential administration is faced with evolving immigration issues due to globalization. This study will look specifically at the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administration focusing on their policies on border security and what successful measures were taken. This constantly evolving issue has resulted in literature seeking to explain this phenomenon based on the Organizational Design Theory (ODT). ODT contains the contingency theory school of thought. This theory is based on the concept that each situation is different and, in order to be effective, emphasis needs to be placed on the relationship between the environmental variable and the design. (Mintzberg, 1980). A flexible and adaptable adhocracy structure must be created in order to sufficiently address border security (Lunenburg, 2012). This coincides with the current border security issues the United States faces. The threats and challenges are evolving, therefore, the measures used to effectively address them should be developed based on each different situation. Although border security has been an important aspect of national security since the US Border Controls creation in 1942, it still remains a vague area of study with very little literature within International Relations. Overall, there was a substantial lack in coordination, information sharing, and synchronization within the border security logistics system (Nieto-Gomez, 2011). Also, due to the lack of consensus among policy makers and law enforcement agencies, policies have been historically inefficient. Very little literature has been written on the actual level of effectiveness in comparison to the growing list of challenges. The Migration Policy Institute created a report in 2011 on the challenges of effective border control in the US. This report highlights one of the major issues within border security by stating that 30-40 percent of the unauthorized immigrants in the United States entered legally, however, they overstay their visas due to poor monitoring (Koslowski, 2011). Another issue is one of practicality; objects of border control are not static (Koslowski, 2011). This paper will look at Edward Aldens research on the attempted overhaul of the visa system and the benefits we have seen (2012). Alden also delves into the challenge of securing a border with a sensible immigration system without weakening the US economy (2012). However, Aldens research focuses on immigration reform rather than preventative infrastructure (fencing). This study will also look at Josiah Heymans analysis on the US-Mexico border and the alternative vision of quality (dangerous entrants) over quantity (mass migration enforcement) (2013). However, this author argued that law enforcement at the ports should be border securitys main concern, rather than the areas in between port cities. This study focuses heavily on the vetting of migrants instead of the issue of illegal immigration. FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS Importance of Border Security Border security is an essential component of national security. It is more than just restricting territorial access through immigration reform. It also protects states against illegal movement of drugs, weapons, and contraband. Since the formation of sovereign nations, this has been a core action within states, and is seen as one of the most ambitious expansion of power in modern history. According to the Department of Homeland Security, border security is, the act of protecting our borders from illegal movement of weapons, drugs, contraband, and people, while promoting lawful entry and exit, is essential to homeland security, economic prosperity, and national sovereignty (2015). Due to growing violence by nonstate groups and transnational terrorism, there has been an overwhelming increase of focus on border security to combat recent national security issues. Weak and porous borders permit easy entrance into the US for terrorists and smugglers. While completely sealing the border is not feasible at this time, the ultimate goal is to reduce the possibility of dangerous people crossing the border (Koslowski, 2011). Threats The concept of border security has evolved greatly due to the threat of terrorism. The US federal government combats a variety of threats to their border. The main threats include illegal immigrants, organized crime, and terrorism. Illegal immigrants aiming to work and live in the US illegally creates a border security concern. Along with illegal entry offences, some unauthorized immigrants become involved in transnational crime during their migration. Organized crimes are criminal activities that are planned and controlled by powerful groups and carried out on a large scale (Organized Crime, 2017). These traffickers smuggle drugs, counterfeit goods, people, and firearms into the US. Their crimes included prostitution, commercialized vice, and money laundering. This has been identified as a threat to national security and border security (Ilias, 2011). These individuals are predominately non-ideological and are driven by the pursuit of profit. Transnational Terrorist is someone who illegally crosses the border with transformational goals that may include the destruction of a political or economic system. They are motivated by particular grievances about aspects of the society and they articulate their views on moral grounds (Rosenblum, 2013). Although the DHS has no credible information on terrorist groups operating along the US and Mexico border, the threat is still there. The Clinton Administration (1993-2001) This is when the US sees the first initial crackdown on border control. The main concern during this time was the threat of illegal drug smuggling across the Mexico and US border.   To combat these challenges, President Clintons strategy included the buildup of the Border Patrol and implementing Operation Gatekeeper and Safeguards 1993 (OIG, 1998). He allocated funds for 700 new border control agents, deployed underground sensors, infrared night scope, and began the progressive building of the wall between Mexico and the United States. The first formal national border control strategy was created in 1994 (Meissner, 2013). In 1996, Congress executed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA). This Act was created to combat the abundance of fraudulent immigration-related documents, alien smugglers, and increased criminal penalties for racketeering (Meissner, 2013). It further expressed the need for more patrollers, better procedures, and more advan ced technology. In addition, Clinton implemented the National Drug Control Strategy to block drugs at the border and cut off drugs at the source. This strategy increased drug enforcement agents for border and customs control of illegal drug trafficking. Their budget for 2000 included almost $18 billion to further prevent drugs from crossing the US border. We can measure the effectiveness of this Administration by looking at statistics and the progress it has made. This Administration was the first to place a high priority on the removal of criminal aliens. It introduced US governments commitment to allocate more funds for border resources and enforcement infrastructure. The Immigration Enforcement budget rose from less than $3 billion in 1993 to over $6 billion in 2001 (Meissner, 2013). Overall, this Administration made a noticeable effort to restrain illegal immigration and prevent drugs from crossing the border. There was a 2.5% decrease in drug relation crimes between 1993 and 2000 (Farley, 2016). The Bush Administration (2001-2009) The Bush Administration was subject to one of the biggest threats to national security. The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 sparked a transformation in the approaches traditionally used to secure borders and combat terrorism. This Administration strove to create a smart border that incorporated advanced tracking technology and extensive prescreening of low-risk traffic (Koslowski, 2011). This Administration implemented many new border security measures after the terrorist attack. One of the biggest changes was the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in order to streamline and improve the governments ability to protect their nations infrastructure and borders. It replaced 22 separate agencies to reduce the disconnected nature and create one strong mission. The Bush Administration also implemented the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This authorized the construction of almost 700 miles of additional fencing along the southern border (White House, 2008). It also approved more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, and lighting. In conjunction with the DHS, this Act also increased the use of advanced technology like cameras, satellites, and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce the infrastructure at the border. Additionally in 2006, President Bush approved Operation Jump Start. This two year support mission called for 6,000 National Guar d members to assist with surveillance, training, and installing fences (Rosenblum, 2013). Lastly, in 2008, all cross-border travelers were required to present further documents to establish their identity and citizenship preventing further illegal immigration. To fund these new implementations, the budget for border security and immigration enforcement increased by 159 percent. The budget rose from $4.8 Billion in 2001 to $12.3 Billion in 2008 (White House, 2008). The effectiveness of the measures taken by this administration can be show with statistics. Operation Jump Start apprehended over 5,000 aliens, seized 28,000 pounds of marijuana, and almost 1,500 pounds of cocaine (Operation Jump Start, 2015). The DHS saw a 20% reduction in apprehension of illegal aliens at the Southern border in 2007 (White House, 2008). This indicates that stronger security has deterred aliens from attempting to cross. Also in 2007, the US Customs and Border Protection and ICE returned or removed almost 1.2 million illegal aliens from the US and arrested over 3,300 gang members (CBP, 2011). The Obama Administration (2009-2017) The Obama Administration saw a decrease in illegal border crossing. This was mostly due to lack of jobs in US resulting from the housing market decline. During the first year of his term, Obama spent time reexamining current programs and prospective options for increased border security (Koslowski, 2011). In 2010, President Obama signed the Southwest Border Security Act. This allocated $600 million in supplemental funds to support an additional 1,200 National Guard troops and unmanned aircraft drones (Koslowski, 2011). President Obama was given credit for most border security deployed. This is referring to fences or technological and infrastructure improvements. In 2011, the United States Border Patrol reached their highest number of border patrol agents with 21,444, and the border patrol budget increased significantly from $5.9 billion in 2003 to $11.9 billion in 2013 (Koslowski, 2011). This study measures the effectiveness by looking at statistics. The Obama Administration deported 2.5 million undocumented people during his eight year term. This was more than any other Administration. In 2013, there was an increase of over 27% more apprehensions at the southwest border (414,000) compared to 2011 (Koslowski, 2011). CONCLUSION The security of the border between the United States and Mexico has become a concern of national security due to the massive increase of cross-border flows of goods, people and money. Each US Presidential Administration has made great effort to secure this border and fight the new and evolving threats. Overall, there have been many successful measures implemented by the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administration. President Clintons Administration inherited a war on the trafficking of drugs and organized crime and combated that with the first large increase of border control agents. The Bush Administration was subject to one of the most historical terrorist attacks in US history and responded by creating the DHS and implemented an overwhelming increase to the border security budget. Bush also built 700 miles of the borders fence. The Obama Administration saw a further increase of the border security budget, growth in immigration enforcement patrollers, and lengthened the border fence. In order to fully understand how successful these measures were, this study analyzed statistics. More than 4 million deportations of noncitizens have occurred since 1990 (Meissner, 2013).   Due to increased border security, the cities along the border that were once plagued with criminal activity have become some of the safest in the United States. Looking at crime rates systematically shows that crimes associated with illegal immigration, like breaking and entering and car theft are down substantially (Meissner, 2013). This indicates that illegal immigration is down. Since 9/11, there have been no publicly known instances of a terrorist smuggling Weapons of Mass Destruction to commit a violent act of terrorism via the US-Mexico border (Customs and Border Protection, 2011). THE USBP made 18,074 drug seizures in 2011 and seized more than $8.4 billion worth of narcotics along the southwest border in 2014 (CBP Security Report, 2014). Finally, illegal crossing from Mexico has fallen near the lowest level since the early 1970s and hiring a smugger to cross the border is now almost eight times more costly than it was in the 1990s. The data above shows that US Administrations have repeatedly implemented successful measures and have effectively increased border security. REFERENCES Alden, E. (2012). Immigration and Border Control CIAO, 32(1). Retrieved from http://www.ciaonet.org.library3.webster.edu/record/24456?search=1 Background to the Office of Inspector General Investigation Operation Gatekeeper (1998). U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://oig.justice.gov/special/9807/gkp01.htm Border Security: Comprehensive Immigration Reform (2008). White House Archives. Retrieved  March 6, 2017, from https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/immigration/html Border Security | Homeland Security. (2015). Retrieved February 18, 2017, from https://www.dhs.gov/border-security Department of Homeland Security (2015). Yearbook if Immigration Statistics. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://www.dhs.gov/immigration-statistics/yearbook/2015/table33 Farley, Robert. Bill Clinton and the 1994 Crime Bill. Fact Check. N.p., Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Mar. 2017. Heyman, J. M. (2013). A Voice of the US Southwestern Border: The 2012 We the Border: Envisioning a Narrative for Our Future Conference CIAO, 1(2). Retrieved from http://www.ciaonet.org.library3.webster.edu/record/32914?search=1 Koslowski, R. (2011). The Evolution of Border Controls as a Mechanism to Prevent Illegal Immigration (pp. 1-33). Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/evolution-US-border-controls-illegal-immigration Kostro, Stephanie Sanok and Scott F. Mann (2013).CIIS: Innovative Immigration and Border Control Reform. Retreived from http://www.ciaonet.org.library3.webster.edu/record/29251?search=1 Lunenberg, F. (2012). Organizational Structure: Mintzbergs Framework. Journal of Scholarly, Academic, Intellectual Diversity, 14(1). Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.library3.webster.edu/stable/425256 Meissner, Doris, Donald M. Kerwin, Muzaffar Chishti, and Claire Bergeron (2013). Immigration Enforecement in the United States: The Rise of a Formidable Machinery (pp.1-182) Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/immigration-enforcement-US Mintzberg, H. (1980). Structure in 5s: A Synthesis of the Research on Organization Design. Management Science, 26(3), 322-341. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.library3.webster.edu/stable/423910 Nieto-Gomez, R. (2011). The Power of the Few: A Key Strategic Challenge for the Permanently Disrupted High-Tech Homeland Security Environment. Homeland Security Affairs, (1-21). Operation Jump Start CBP Border Patrol and the National Guard. (2015). Retrieved March 7,  2017, from https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1021/~/operation-jump-startcbp-border-patrol-and-the-national-guard Organized Crime. (2017). The Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved March 6, 2017, from  https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/organized-crime Rosenblum, Marc R., Jerome P. Bjelopera, Kristin M. Finklea (2013). Border Security: Understanding Threats at U.S. Borders. (CRS Report for Congress No. R42969) (pp. 1-33). Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil.AU/awc/awcgate/crs/r42969.pdf Shayerah Ilias, Ian F. Fergusson. (2011). Intellectual Property Rights and International Trade  (CRS Report for Congress No. R134292) (pp. 1-42). Retrieved from  http://www.au.af.mil/AU/awc/awcgate/crs/rl34292.pdf US Customs and Border Protection. (2014). CBP Border Security Report (pp. 1-7). Homeland  Security.

The Impeachment of Andrew Jackson Essay example -- American Politics,

America was created on the principles of honesty, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Andrew Jackson exemplified these founding principles. This man insightfully closed a corrupt bank, preventing a possible financial meltdown in the world economy. He espoused the principle of federal law ascendancy and upheld nationalism by sending troops to prevent a civil war. Lastly, he did what was best for both settlers and Native Americans by issuing the Indian Removal Act. Demonstrating unparalleled foresight and dexterity, Andrew Jackson did what was necessary to move the country forward, thus making him one of the greatest presidents of the United States. Despite popular belief, Andrew Jackson actually prevented a catastrophic financial meltdown in the world economy by closing a corrupt bank, The Second Bank of the United States. It all started in 1819, nine years before Jackson’s election. â€Å"At that time, the Bank was lending credit to smaller state banks. Suddenly, it demanded that all state banks pay back their credit, which caused the Panic of 1819, leading to a decade-long depression† (sparknotes.com). From this, Jackson truly felt that was a disaster was brewing and set out to shut it down. In addition, only the wealthy who invested in this bank gain profit while the common people do not. In regard to bank loans, the wealthy obtained lower interest rates while the poor, who actually need the money, have a tougher time getting any loan. Here the ordinary man was not represented. Instead, it slowed down economic expansion and restricted the rise and success of the working class. Not only did it pose a do mestic threat, our national bank could cause international conflict and affect the global economy. Jackson stated ... ...sions seem unorthodox, but its true purpose emerges in years to come. He transformed our economy into a safe, secure, and prosperous money-making machine. He always stayed firm in federal law dominance and prevented a civil war that would have tore our young country apart. Finally, he maintained domestic tranquility with the Indian Removal Act, satisfying both the white settlers and the Native Americans. Strong-armed and unafraid, Jackson truly was the man of the people. In his farewell address to the country, Jackson reminded the people, â€Å"eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty,† (sparknotes.com) and encouraged change as a positive boost to the nation. America will forever remember him as one of the greatest presidents of the United States of America. Works Cited sparknotes.com The Americans u-s-history.com pbs.org iamthewitness.com

Listening for Understanding Essay -- Communication

Listening for Understanding Listening is an important form of communication. Unfortunately, many people who do not know how to listen believe they can listen well. They often say "I have been doing this all of my life of course I can listen". Listening is not inherited, or a personality trait, it is a skill that must be worked on and practiced. Anybody can become a good listener if they are committed to learn how and are willing to work hard. The first mistake that people tend to make when listening is to not make any type of comments while listening. They tend to just stand there and listen while the speaker talks. This can become very frustrating for the speaker and the listener. While the speaker may feel like he isn't being listened to, the listener may find some parts of the speakers talk confusing and hard to follow. Without comments, his concerns and confusion are never addressed. The simplest way to help a speaker along and show that you are listening is with subtle cues such as "hum", and "uh", "huh". While this is not a complicated form of listening it shows the speaker that you are paying attention to them. This is also good to way to show the focus of your attention is on the speaker. These subtle terms can be increased in effectiveness by adding good posture, proper facial expressions and eye contact to show the speaker that you are paying attention. Not only will this make the speaker more at ease, but it gives you a chance, as a listener, to help clarify the conversation such as "You don't say," "what?" etc. These comments can show the listener not only that you are listening but that you might have questions concerning what is being said. To be a good listener, one must always keep from becoming ... ...listened poorly or misunderstood the speaker than he is given the chance to correct any misunderstandings at that time. One of the most useful times to use paraphrasing is when someone is complaining to you. You always feel better when you feel like you have been truly listened too. It has the effect of calming you down and makes you feel much more important. Even if you are unable to fix the problem completely you feel like someone has tried to help you. Bibliography: Works Cited Adler Ronald B. and Elmhorst, Jeanne Marquardt Communicating at work McGraw- Hill, Companies, Inc, 1999 Anastasi, Thomas E. Listen! Techniques for improving communication skills CBI Publishing Company, Inc, 1982 Bone Diane The business of Listening Crisp Publications, Inc, Los Altos California, 1988

Professional Development Plan Essay

When forming teams in a professional work environment it is important to understand the personalities of your teammates to determine strengths and weaknesses. When a leader is able to define the strengths and weaknesses of the team members it is easier to delegate tasks, encourage brain storming sessions and be successful as a team. Team C is composed of five members all with great leadership skills and a desire to learn and complete excellent work together. The first week of class we completed a DISC assessment that identified our individual personality traits. According to â€Å"Disc Profile† (n.d.), â€Å"The initial DISC model comes from Dr. William Marston, a professor at Columbia University in the 1920s, who was curious about the behavior of normal people. He did not create an instrument from his theory, but others did† (Disc Overview). As a potential leader of this team, I was able to examine my own leadership styles and apply that to our assignment which is to create a professional development plan to identify the characteristics of the members to lead them to success. My DISC assessment concluded that I was a Cautious personality type. I see this in my personality. I often think or overthink what I do and tasks that I complete at work and in the school environment. I rarely rush into an assignment or partially complete an assignment. I often am very detail-oriented in projects and assignments. My leadership mentality is mainly to lead by example. I rarely will task another person without knowing exactly what is involved in completing the job. This is probably due to a desire to have control over a situation and know exactly what is involved and how long it will take to complete. Plus I am a person that prefers to build trust by having examples of competent behavior to reference. Three members of my team have the â€Å"Steadiness† personality. Betty, Shawn, and Harlan are more steady and security-oriented, meaning they prefer to know precisely what they are doing as far as job related and school related tasks are concerned. When leading them in the team I would make sure they  understand the assignments of projects we work on as a team and I may be able to help them understand the projects better by fully explaining what we would hope the result would be. This might help team members to have more confidence in the projects. Brian has an interactive personality and it shows as he is able to learn about an assignment and take charge in explaining and delegating tasks for it. Brain is very confident in his assessments of situations and tasks. He has a very good way of being so excited about an assignment that it influences others in a positive manner. If I were to lead this team, I would have to have an understanding of the strengths of Brian’s ability to motivate the team and my ability to help the others understand the project so we may be successful in completion. Betty, Harlan, and Shawn are the key players in this as they will strive to do an incredible job in maintaining a strong will to succeed and complete the tasks. As a general rule, the steady personality listens well, creates very strong relationship bonds and work very well with others (â€Å"Uniquely You†, n.d.). They are able to be objective about situations that other people might not handle well. They can handle stress well and are reliable and really care about others feelings and will often take action that will help others feel good. References Disc Profile. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/overview/ Uniquely You. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.uniquelyyou.com/disc.php

Dressen Case Study Essay

#1)I believe one major factor was how appealing Dressen had become during 1995, as opposed to previous years. It appeared that new management had turned the company around. Management stated Dressen was looking good for future growth during the end of 1995. I think management felt it was the opportune time to sell. They wanted to sell Dressen while they were making money and being successful, as opposed to hemorrhaging money from Westinghouse. Dressen was Westinghouse’s star performer in the Q3 of 1995. Sales increased 10% over the year-prior quarter. EBIT reached 12% of sales as well. Their growth strategy as well as technology and work processes lead management to believe that there was even greater growth potential. Dressen was now headed in the right direction. Management was trying to strike while the iron was hot. Another factor was the cash acquisition of CBS in August 1995 for $5.4 billion. The large purchase price had strained an already weakened balance sheet. There was also a $2 billion bridge loan that was due in February 1996. Businesses are meant to earn economic profit and mitigate the cost associated with them. Without effective and timely cost strategy, a business cannot climb the stairs of economic prosperity. Organizations have to be aware of how much cost they are incurring over a certain period of time, as most of the time, high operational costs can devastate the entire financial structure of an entity. Apart from the cost, it is also important for a company to be consistent in their earnings momentum because it is something that shareholders, as well as analysts, are looking for in a company. There are certain ratios that can be taken into account to analyze why Westinghouse would want to sell Dressen. Mentioned below are some calculations that justify why Westinghouse was intending to sell Dressen at the end of the fiscal year 1995: 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Net Sales 671 577 508 563 621 % Change -14.01 -11.96 10.83 10.30 Gross Profit 200 151 122 153 203 Gross profit margin 29.81 26.17 24.02 27.18 32.69 Net Income -40 -60 29 Net Profit Margin -7.87 -10.66 4.67 Dressen recorded a net profit of $29 in 1995, as compared to the net loss of $60 a year before, but the net profit margin of the company in 1995 was only 4.67%, which is still very low. The Gross Profit Margin in the same year was 10.30%, which shows that around 90% of the sales come under the net Cost of Goods Sold. This is a very high figure that businesses cannot sustain for a long period of time. Total assets of Dressen also showed a net decrease from fiscal year 1994 to 1995: Year 1994 1995 Assets $ in Million 705 657 Proportion -6.809 A decrease in the operational assets would not be acceptable for the company as a whole. Therefore, Westinghouse was willing to sell Dressen because the company was not doing well in its jurisdiction. #2)There are a number of valuation tools which could be used for the purpose of analyzing the effectiveness of a company as a whole. Warburg is considering paying $585 million for Dressen and we must analyze if this is a fair price for Warburg to pay. Price to Earnings is a ratio that is usually applied by investors on the entire investment in order to anticipate the expected dividend.  Specifically, it refers to the ratio evaluation of an entity’s price of shares in relation to earnings for each share. Price to Earnings ratio is generally symbolized as an earning multiplier or investment multiplier. However, there are some probability flaws in the P/E ratio, but it is still the most widely accepted technique to measure potential speculations. Market price to earnings is one of the most vital tools used to analyze the stance of investors while investing in the company. Five-year period analysis has been taken into consideration for Dressen: Question-2 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 Share Price Average 32 32 15 15 15 Earnings Per Share 0 0.00 -0.87 -1.31 0.60 Market Value to Earnings 0 0 -17.175 -11.45 24.88 The computation of Dressen’s Market Price to Earnings is showing that the  company did a good job in the fiscal year 1995, as its Price to Earning (P/E) or Market Value to Earning (MV/E) ratio had increased tremendously to a level of $24.88. The higher the P/E, then the higher the net worth of the company. Enterprise Value to Sales is a valuation method that is applied to assess the ratio of enterprise value to its market share price. The Enterprise Value to Price ratio allows investors to make a decision on whether the market share of the company is expensive or cheap. The ratio has also considerable influence on the company’s sales as it is utilized by many market analysts to avoid any manipulation over the turnover of an entity. The Enterprise Value to Sales analysis is mentioned below: 1994 1995 Market Capitalization $ in Million 458 481 Total Debt in $ million 247 176 Total Worth in $ Million 705 657 Less: Cash in $ Million 5 2 Net Worth in $ Million 700 655 Annual Sales in $ Million 563 621 EV/Sales 124.33 105.48 The Enterprise Value to Sales is high in both years 1994 and 1995. This shows me that the net worth of the company is high. EBIAT is a financial appraisal technique which is used to figure out the operating performance of a company. It refers to how much resources have been utilized to generate revenue within a given span of time. The financial evaluators are most likely to consider this ratio as an indicator of a company’s performance within a defined accounting cycle. This will allow them to set a point of time within the operating cycle that they can focus on. EV/EBIAT 1994 1995 Market Capitalization $ in Million 458 481 Total Debt in $ million 247 176 Total Worth in $ Million 705 657 Less: Cash in $ Million 5 2 Net Worth in $ Million 700 655 EBIAT in $ Million -2.5 10.4 EV/EBIAT (28,000) 6,298 The company recorded a net loss in the year 1994 of $-28,000, but it is a positive figure of $6,298 in the year 1995. My calculation for the Dividend Discount Model is as follows: P = Dividend / WACC – g WACC = 12% G = Growth rate = 4% = 1.2 / 12 – 8 1.2/ 0.08 P = $15 The average Share Price in the year 1995 was also $15. Taking all of this analysis into consideration, I believe that $585 million is a fair price to pay for Dessen. The net worth of Dressen in terms of financial value and share valuation are strong. I believe that Warburg is underpaying for Dressen. I believe Warburg got Dressen for a good price. I feel that Warburg should have paid more for Dressen, so with a purchase price of $585 million I believe Warburg got a great value. #3)Financial Forecasting is an important metric to use because it can estimate the future financial outcomes of a company. Analysts have to forecast the cash flows and debt obligations to analyze the financial competitiveness of a company as a whole. Two different ratios could be used to analyze Dressen’s ability to generate sufficient cash flows to service its debt. The two ratios I used for Dressen are the Cash Flow to Sales Ratio and Debt to Equity. The Cash Flow to Sales ratio is an important ratio which analyzes what percentage of the company’s sales are on credit, and how much of the sales are on cash. The computed ratio for the next five years is below: Operating Cash Flow to Sales 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Forecasted Operational Cash Flow 77 83 99 101 95 Forecasted Sales in Million $ 658 698 740 784 804 Operating Cash Flow to Sales 11.70 11.89 13.38 12.88 11.82 Average 12.33 The forecasted figure of the cash flow to sales is showing that the company is not efficient in getting their cash sooner as related to sales. The amount of operating cash flow to sales ranges from 11.70% to 13.38%, with an average of 12.33%. This shows that over 80% of Dressen’s sales are on  credit, which is not a good sign from the viewpoint of the company. The risk in generating sufficient cash flow will remain with the company for the next five years (1996-2000) as well, because the cash generating cycle of the company is too low and it has to be increased accordingly. The Debt to Equity ratio of Dressen for the next five years is below: Debt to Equity 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Total Debt in $ Million 530 501 455 409 357 Equity in $ Million 178 208 247 294 345 Debt to Equity 2.98 2.41 1.84 1.39 1.03 Average 1.93 The Debt to Equity ratio for Dressen (Forecasted) is showing that the level  of debt is twice that of the equity. This is against the restrictive covenants. A high debt/equity ratio generally means that a company has been aggressive in financing its growth with debt. This can result in volatile earnings because of the additional interest expense. Average Debt to Equity of the company is showing that the proportion of debt is nearly 68%, while the proportion of equity is 32%. This is very near to the restrictive covenants, in which debt should not be higher than 70%. There is a risk that this ratio will increase in the upcoming years. #4)For the Debt Rating analysis I decided to examine the Debt to total Capital and the liabilities to total assets. I wanted to figure out these ratings for 1994 and 1995, before the buyout. Question-4 Debt Rating 1994 1995 Average Subordinate Debt in $ Million 165 Capital 458 481 Percentage of Debt/Capital 36.03 34.30 35.16 Total Liabilities in $ Million 247 176 Total Assets in $ Million 705 657 Proportion 35.04 26.79 30.91 The Total Debt to Capital of Dressen on average is 35.16%. This would represent a rating category of â€Å"A.† Along the same lines, liabilities to assets have a figure of 30.91%. The bond rating in this particular scenario is also â€Å"A.† The coverage ratio is a measure of a company’s ability to meet its financial obligations. The higher the coverage ratio, the better the ability of the company to fulfill its obligations to its lenders. Analysts and investors perform coverage ratios to determine the change in a company’s financial position. The findings of the coverage ratio I performed on Dressen are below: 1994 1995 EBIT -2.5 10.4 Interest Expense 3 1 Coverage Ratio -0.83 10.40 This analysis shows that Dressen generates enough cash flow to pay its interest, specifically in the year 1995. Taking all of this information into account, I would assign an â€Å"A† rating to Dressen. #5)In order to analyze the level of business risk for the buyout, I decided to use the current ratio and the gearing ratio. The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company’s ability to pay short-term obligations. The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. This is an important ratio for Warburg because they need to make sure they can meet their short-term obligations after the buyout. Current Assets in Million $ 183 Current Liabilities in Million $ 95 Current Ratio 1.926 Dressen has a current ratio of 1.926. The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a company’s operating cycle and its ability to turn its product into cash. This ratio shows that Dressen is doing a good job as far as meeting its short-term financial obligations and promises. The gearing ratio is a financial ratio that compares some form of owner’s equity to borrowed funds. It is a measure of financial leverage that demonstrates the degree to which a firm’s activities are funded by owner’s funds versus creditor’s funds. A company with high gearing (high leverage) is more vulnerable to downturns in the business cycle because the company must continue to service its debt regardless of how bad sales are. If a company has more equity, then there would be more of a cushion, which would show financial strength. Debt 420 Equity 160 Assets 705 EBIT 10.4 Interest 1 Debt to Equity 2.625 EBIT/Interest 10.4 Equity/Assets 22.70 From this analysis, it can be determined that the Debt to Equity of the company is still high at 2.62%. Total Equity to Assets is relatively small at only 22.70%. This shows that most of the assets in Dressen have been bought using debt. From this analysis, it is found that the company is not risky when it comes to short-term financial obligations, but it will be in a dangerous situation in the long-term.