The African and Chinese legal systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The African and Chinese legal systems - Essay Example Although, laws are culture specific and effectivity of laws still has to originate between man and the natural law. No amount of positive laws will prosper if the self controlled order is not put into consideration. Human beings as intelligent as ever could not be presumed to have no culture. As human beings, they have their own way of settling conflict amount themselves which are born out of human experience. In both Africa and Chinese laws they have their history to look back. Various events in their history shapes the present Leal legal system under which they operate. They have their historical cultures to look back that point’s evidence to their existence and them the manner they settle conflicts among themselves. The Western denial or branding on African and Chinese laws could not contradict the existence of internally developed wisdom of each culture. Each group of people in the world has its own way of doing things. For other culture not respect another’s cultur e would be me missing the very point of existence. Perhaps the law must have something to do as well with geographical locations because how these people behave socially or individually is also a function of geographical location, where they could be found on earth.

Exchange Risks Essay Example for Free

Exchange Risks Essay The challenging issues in international business within the 20th and 21st century are currency and exchange rate risks. In the late 20th century, for instances, it has been clear that exchange rate risks considerations are critical for business survival. The economics crisis in the U. S. and most of European countries has displayed how the value of currencies in international business settings could alter the faith of millions of people, brought some to welfare and others to poverty. Concerning the business strategy into Brazilian market, the plan to strengthen market in the country is greatly influenced by economical factors such as the inflation figure of Brazil and the global economics crisis. The inflation figure is important since it influence the purchasing power of Brazilian. The global economic crisis also influences the country’s exchange rate of Brazilian currency that further influence the pricing of Bimbo bread products. In the light of this involvement, companies need to perform foreign currency risks assessments regarding the business activities. Most companies generally apply some of the financial tools that would protect them from foreign currency risk exposure, like futures, forward contract, etc. Recommendation The first analysis that Bimbo may take in expanding into foreign market is the country risk analysis. This is important factor for Bimbo since retail industry is low concentrated industry in which many local bread providers. In addition, country risk analysis also helps Bimbo in assessing whether a country has a set of policy that benefits business or vice versa. The figure 1 suggests that the more attractive a country is in terms of FDI index, the more likely that Bimbo must immediately presents in the country. Based on the FDI Index, we assess that Bimbo has performed suitable investment in Brazil. Since a country risk is only one factor in deciding a foreign direct investment, Bimbo must perform the next step that is to define marketing objectives to guide the company in assessing their productivity in foreign market. Figure 1 Top 25 Countries in term of FDI Confidence Index Source: A. T. Kearney Challenges of Grupo Bimbo in the U. S Choose the Suitable Entry Strategy In terms of market entry, there are many ways of entering a foreign market; each has its own economic and legal implications. Some entry strategies that multinational companies usually take are joint venture and foreign direct investment. Joint venture is a type of foreign market penetration strategy has a considerably large investment risk but this method consists of an opportunity to learn and create a greater presence in the targeted markets. Companies prefer to perform this type of market entry strategy when dealing with countries whose government put considerable restrictions on foreign ownership (Quick MBA, 2007). In case of Bimbo, the company may conduct joint marketing, for example, with local retailer named Lojas Americanas, a Brazil leading department store chain. This method provides Bimbo with the capability to learn the Brazilian retail market since at that time Customers’ Preferences Other risks in conducting international expansion are cultural issues. This factor then accumulates into becoming customers’ preferences. According to various studies in the field, culture is often an underestimated factor in managing corporate businesses. These studies also revealed that those companies that failed to place culture as an important business consideration often find themselves in a disappointing circumstance. Business investments that cost millions of US dollars could go down the drain due to such failure (Kwintessential, 2007). For instances, the Brazilian and U. S. customers consider the quality of product as the most important factor when deciding to buy merchandises. The other factors are price, value added and packaging. Today, however, realizing the global environment we are living in, companies are becoming increasingly cultural sensitive. There are various examples of corporations that hired people from various backgrounds and discover a synergy within their cooperation. In terms of Bimbo, in order to cope with cultural issues, the company also makes some cultural adjustment such as the use of advertisement media. If in the U. S. , the company spends many television advertising, in the Brazil, Bimbo takes many radio advertisings since many Brazilian housewives listen to the radio more often then watching television. Reference: Ball, Donald A. et al. (2002). International Business the Challenge of Global Competition. McGraw Hill Holt, David H and Wigginton, Karen W. (2002). International Management. Thomson Kotler, Philip. (2000). Marketing Management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc Kwintessential. (2007). Cultural Sensitivity in Business. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/cultural-services/articles/cultural-sensitivity. html Quick MBA. (2007). Foreign Market Entry Modes. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from http://www. quickmba. com/strategy/global/marketentry/.

Asian Paints Marketing Strategy

Asian Paints Marketing Strategy Asian Paints is Indias largest paint company and ranked among the top ten Decorative coatings companies in the world with a turnover of INR 66.80 billion. Asian Paints along with its subsidiaries have operations in 17 countries across the world with 23 paint manufacturing facilities, servicing consumers in 65 countries through Berger International, SCIB Paints Egypt, Asian Paints, Apco Coatings and Taubmans. Asian Paints aims to become one of the top five Decorative coatings companies world-wide by leveraging its expertise in the higher growth emerging markets. Simultaneously, the company intends to build long term value in the Industrial coatings business through alliances with established global partners. With Economic performance as objective the organization now has to develop short-term goals to reach the overall objective. These Goals are usually functional target such as production, Sales, new market develop, new product development and technology up gradation, once the goal are determined the strategies can be evolved to meet the goals. The organization is now on the way to achieve the overall objective of Economic (i) Customer Asset : The settings up Asian paints colour world, a chain of state art paint shop, is a major step towards building customer asset. At the same time company is focusing more in rural areas than urban area and continuing to provide good and quality service to the customer. (ii) Technology asset : Asian paint is one of first Indian company to go hi-tech. Asian paint has always kept its competitor at bay by constantly re-innovating its business process and system. (iii) Employee Asset : Asian paint always praise its employee for its success in the market. Company always considers employee as a biggest factor of its success. (iv) Dealer vendor relationship : Asian paint always maintain a close relationship with its dealers because company think that they play a major role in Asian paint recent success. (v) Brand Asset : Although it is operating in the commodity market but still Asian paint is investing heavily in branding. Gattu- Asian paint official mascot is very popular in India. Divisional objective: Asian paint has following division that are as follows: Decorative segment Asian paint is the leader in this segment. It is ahead that its competitor Nerolac and Berger in Decorative segment company still have certain objective for this sector that to increase it sales and to acquire maximum position in the market share in Indian paint market. Objective for decorative segment : To expanding its range in the economy segment. To strengthen its position in the emulsion segment in both exterior and interior emulsion. To continue its strategy of pricing aggression and increase it sales and to gain the market share along with a good operating margin. To focus on the rural market as company believes as it as been its objective since the beginning. To focus more on adcampaign for enhancement of their sales in urban as well as rural market. Industrial segment Asian paint second line of production deals with the industrial coating. The constraint in these segment is that it is not as successful as the decorative segment. In these sector it has to face a stiff competition from its nearest competitor Nerolac and Berger Paints. Objective for Industrial segment : To build new infrastructure in the country for Industrial coating to increase the production capacity. To develop the quality of the product with a higher technological up gradation. To increase the sales of the Industrial coating with the help of proper Ad. campaign programme. Automotive segment : Automotive is the third segment of the Asian paint. It is a product which company target for the automobile market in India as well as abroad. Objective of automotive segment : To put emphasis on continuous improvement in quality and productivity. To put emphasis on detect prevention To reduce variation and wastage in the supply chain Marketing Objective: Asian paints the leader in Indian paint Industry has a very strong marketing division. With more than 35% market share Asian paint is still growing in leaps and bounce to achieve higher targets. It is changing fundamentally with two objective in mind a huge ramp in the market share and better growth over the next three years. Previously company used to function as undifferentiated organization. But now they have divided it into three section each. And each section has its own independent support system, targets and performance parameter. Company marketing objectives are as follows: Asian paint is highly accepted in the urban sector and now the company is trying to access the rural market with low price product like Utsav targeting every customer of all income level. To increase its sales in the urban sector Asian paints today have 30 colour world located in different cities of India where any body can have the real taste of the colour. Online marketing has become an integrated part of the company and company is trying install a strong integrated for online marketing. Asian paints international unit, which have a dedicated marketing team is also targeting for a rapid growth in overseal market. Asian paint is following unlque strategy of marketing in the rural areas by using their official mascot. According to the company it feels that picture are more dominant than name. Asian paint website Asian paints com provides several information regarding the product and various other information that is being required by customer and dea Volumes and Profits : Indian paint industry is less than  ½ of the size of the Chinese paint industry by volume and less than 1/5 of the size of the US paint Industry by volume. In terms of Per capita consumption, the Indian paint industry lags behind the Pakistan and Sri Lankan markets also. Product : Paint Asian paint details with product that is (i) Decorative (ii) Industrial (iii)Automative. The product that this project will deal with will exclusively be decorative pains. Decorative Paints includes the following categories of product EXTERIOR WALLS : Asian Paints offers a range of emulsion paints for your exterior walls such as ACE, Apex, Apex Ultima, Apex Duracast and more, based on the specific demand of surface area. Interior Walls Distempers Distempers offer strong performance to the interior wall surface in terms of protection and adhesion. Tractor Acrylic Distemper, with better durability, is one of the best performing distemper made by Asian Paints. Emulsions Interior emulsions are advanced water based paints with better quality and shade range. Adhesion to wall surface, anti fungal properties and durability is more in emulsions. Enamels Enamels is a premium brand from Asian Paints, it is superior in terms of performance and gives that Perfect Finish for the walls. Competitors : In terms of gross sales we can rank the competitors of Asian paints as : Nerolac paints Berger Paints ICI Paints. In industry they are recognized as trailing firms. But with their high growth in the industry the competitors can touch or even overtake Asian paints, for that the three main competitors have different strategies. Initially one common strategy must be their mind is to increase the market share. Market Size: The market size of the Indian paints sector has been pegged at Rs 170 bn in value terms and is very fragmented. The per capita consumption of paints in India stands at 0.5 kg per annum as compared to 1.6 kgs in China and 22 kgs in the developed economies. Indias share in the world paint market is just 0.6%. The unorganised sector controls around 35% of the paint market, with the organised sector accounting for the balance. In the unorganised segment, there are about 2,000 units having small and medium sized paints manufacturing plants. Top organised players include Asian Paints (30% market share), Kansai Nerolac (20% market share), Berger Paints (19% market share) and ICI (12% market share). Decoratives: Major segments in decoratives include exterior wall paints, interior wall paints, wood finishes and enamel and ancillary products such as primers, putties etc. Decorative paints account for over 75% of the overall paint market in India. Asian Paints is the market leader in this segment. Demand for decorative paints arises from household painting, architectural and other display purposes. Demand in the festive season (September-December) is significant, as compared to other periods. This segment is price sensitive and is a higher margin business as compared to industrial segment. Industrial: Three main segments of the industrial sector include automotive coatings, powder coatings and protective coatings. Kansai Nerolac is the market leader in this segment. User industries for industrial paints include automobiles engineering and consumer durables. The industrial paints segment is far more technology intensive than the decorative segment. Customer Retention Asian Paints Limited, Indias largest paint company, has a reputation for professionalism and fast-track growth. Customers are at the core of all Asian Paints business activities. A simple but unbeatable concept of going where the customer is drives all its major initiatives. The company has an enviable reputation in the corporate world for professionalism, fast-track growth and customer-centricity. The Key Challenges addressed by the company are: A Fresh Approach to the Customer Experience  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Develop a direct link to the customer Standardize sales delivery processes used by Asian Paints Institute an online ordering and accounting system for providers Implement a real-time reporting system for employees and business partner   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Intermediary Retention Industry is characterized by the presence of intermediaries who have a very high influencing power on the purchase decisions of the consumer, especially in the urban areas. Using these intermediaries for initiating demand: The intermediaries (the painters, contractors, designers, decorators etc.) are used as a marketing arm of the company Occupy part of the intermediary space and try to sideline other intermediaries: Asian Paints has opened a service arm, which provides the services provided by the existing intermediaries in the market. Being present in different seditions of the value delivery system and having a strong brand equity in the Paints market would give AP the credibility to operate a strong service arm. The service based strategy of AP could have two different approaches AP could try to reduce the power of the intermediary by increasing the Pull for the product. The role of the influencer could be drastically reduced by increasing the power of the end-consumer. AP can achieve this by establishing a strong brand name for its brands.

The Effects of Industrialization on Norway’s Economy, Environment and P

The Effects of Industrialization on Norway’s Economy, Environment and Population Up until the beginning of the twentieth century, Norwegians were primarily fisherman and farmers. The fishing industry has been the basis of life and culture in Norway for hundreds of years. The fishing industry is still very important in Norway, however the discovery of oil in the North Sea has had a huge impact on the Norwegian economy and culture. Oil discoveries in the North Sea have made Norway a wealthy nation. Since the discovery of oil, Norway has become a highly industrialized country. Today, Norway has become very modern and technologically advanced. Industrialization is defined as, â€Å" To develop industry in (a country or society, for example)†. [30] The industry that is primarily being developed in Norway is oil. This industrialization has not only effected Norway’s economy but also its population and environment. Industry has brought a lot of jobs to Norway and many Norwegians are moving to Norway’s urban areas to be close to these jobs. More than 90,000 people work in the oil industry today. Around 20,000 are shift workers on the oil and gas platforms in the North and Norwegian Seas, Norway’s two main oil and gas-producing areas.[29] Unemployment in Norway is at an all time low. Immigration to Norway has increased because of the many job opportunities that the oil industry has brought to Norway. In my paper I will talk about the many ways in which industrialization has impacted Norway’s economy, population and environment. I think this is relevant to the class because it will entail discussions on immigration, economy, and population. Norway’s population grew more rapidly during the 19th century than during any oth... ...l obal+%2Bwarming+%2Bnorway&oq=&url=http%3A//www.dieoff.org/page129.htm&ti =The+Carbon+Bomb%3A+Climate+Change+and+the+Fate+of+the+Northern+Boreal+F orests&top=1486 [23] Greenpeace .org http://www.greenpeace.org/~climate/ [24] UDI http://www.udi.no/zengelsk/3834/index.html [25] A Place in the World Edited by Doreen Massey and Pat Jess [26] Away.com http://away.com/frames/lp.tcl?type=history&lp_region_id=310&page_id=01&page_locat ion= [27] Conde Nast Traveler http://www.concierge.com/run/concierge/OverviewDetail?geo_uid=5142 [28] Contemporary Review Magazine, May 1997 http://www.britannica.com/bcom/magazine/article/0,5744,239651,00.html?query=epz%2 0manufacturing [29] ODIN http://odin.dep.no/odin/engelsk/norway/economy/032005-990443/index-dok000-b-n-a.html [30] Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=industrialization

Luxury Brands Essay

ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE CONCEPT OF LUXURY: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS Bernard Dubois, Groupe H. E. C. Gilles Laurent, Groupe H. E. C. Even though recent years have not been extremely favorable for the luxury industry (the ComitT Colbert which includes many prestigious French names – Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, etc†¦ – reports a 1. 5% increase in real terms for 1993), its growth rate, considered over a longer period, remains impressive. Colbert companies have more than doubled their sales over the last eight years (ComitT Colbert, 1991, 1993). In 1993, they achieved a global turnover of about USD 5. 5 billion. The Pacific Rim countries represented 28% of that amount (21. 6% in 1988), equally divided between Japan and the other Asian countries. Interestingly enough, however, such growth in demand has not been matched by an equivalent progress in consumer research and what was estimated by McKinsey (in 1990) to be a USD 60 billion market largely remains unexplored territory (McKinsey, 1991). Some studies obviously have been conducted and published in the past but they tended to focus on relatively narrow aspects. For example, the consumption habits of the affluent have been investigated regularly since Veblen’s seminal work (Veblen, 1899) and, today, anecdotal reports (Stanley, 1988, 1991) as well as in-depth monographies of specific segments such as upper class wasps (Hirschman, 1988) or nouveaux-riches (LaBarbera, 1988) are available. Limiting the investigation of the luxury market to the analysis of privileged consumers however would fail to recognize that, under the influence of diffusion strategies adopted by many luxury goods companies (for brands such as Dior or Yves Saint-Laurent, accessories may represent up to two thirds of their sales), today’s demand for luxury goods primarily consists of â€Å"ordinary† consumers who, from time to time, transform their desire to acquire a luxury item into reality. Similary, a few studies have been published on luxury brands, for instance on issues such as their relative positions in people’s mind (Dubois and Duquesne, 1993 ; Weber and Dubois, forthcoming) or their adopters’ characteristics (Andrus, Silver and Johnson, 1986) but many luxury goods (houses, diamonds, furniture, etc†¦ ) belong to product categories where branding is not a salient dimension, while, at the same time, a few brands (such as FabergT) which were in the past considered as luxury names seem to have lost their affiliation to the luxury world, usually because they have overdiffused their products. Finally, some research has also been published on the determinants of the acquisition of luxury products, emphasizing economic (Leibenstein, 1950 ; Mason, 1981) socio-demographic (Dubois and Laurent, 1993) or cultural aspects (Dubois and Duquesne, 1993 ; Mason 1993) but no overall conceptual scheme, model or theory has been developed yet. Paradoxically, one of the untapped research areas concerns the very nature of perceptions and attitudes attached to the word â€Å"luxury† itself. This is somewhat surprising because even casual conversations reveal that the word â€Å"luxury† evokes rather strong connotations among people. Some attach to it very positive feelings while others are quick to express their disdain, but few are left indifferent. The absence of research on the word â€Å"luxury† also is unfortunate because, in several product categories, the luxury adjective is used routinely to segment markets and to position products. In the car industry for example, both manufacturers and consumers clearly identify luxury models (Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti, Cadillac, etc†¦ ) usually advertised as such. The same holds true for such services as hotels or restaurants. The objective of this paper is to report on an exploratory analysis of the perceptions and attitudes attached to the word (and underlying concept of) â€Å"luxury†. It is hoped that the results presented below will stimulate further research in the area and eventually contribute to the development of a theory of luxury acquisition and consumption behavior. METHOD In order to explore the meanings attached to the word â€Å"luxury†, a two-step survey methodology was adopted. Other approaches such as semiotics could also have been used but were left less appropriate to explore, and to some extent, quantify consumers’ attitudes towards the luxury concept (Wargnier, 1985). First, in-depth interviews were conducted by a professional psychologist with sixteen consumers selected for their widely different (and complementary) profiles. Both males and females were equally represented in the panel and age varied from 17 to 70 years. Occupations were also strongly contrasted, ranging from sales rep to student and from opera singer to mechanic. All interviews were conducted at home, on a face-to-face basis, and taped. On the basis of results obtained from such qualitative research, a battery of attitudinal items was developed and administered to a sample of 440 French consumers. Although not randomly drawn, the sample was chosen according to quotas set in terms of sex, age and geographical location. Given the nature of the topic under investigation, it was decided to overrepresent female respondents and to underrepresent lower income categories. All interviews were conducted by professional interviewers on a face to face basis. Although the questionnaire included many questions about specific product categories such as perfumes, jewelry, etc†¦ only the results connected with qualitative research and the general attitudinal statements are reported in this paper. RESULTS www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539 1/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent From the results obtained through qualitative research, several important themes emerge in relation to the concept of luxury. First, the world â€Å"luxury† itself is spontaneously associated with other terms such as (in decreasing order of frequency) : â€Å"upscale†, â€Å"quality†, â€Å"good taste†, â€Å"class†, but also â€Å"flashiness† and â€Å"bad taste†. All of these terms overlap in meaning to a certain extent but also have distinct connotations. For example, the key perceived difference between upscale and luxury products is that the former imply a relative position on an evaluative scale while the latter correspond to a self-contained entity. Upscale products also are naturally connected with material goods while the concept of luxury encapsulates symbolic and cultural values. During interviews, many respondents referred to abstracts concepts such as space, time, or freedom to convey their perceptions of luxury. The fact that both good taste and bad taste are associated with luxury, sometimes by the same people, clearly reveal the ambivalent nature of respondents’ feelings, a theme which has been recently investigated in the context of gift giving behavior (Sherry, McGrawth and Levy, 1993). Typical contrasts emerge on dimensions such as : essential/superfluous, decent/indecent, quality/gadget†¦ Given this ambivalence, it is not surprising to find that luxury items often provoke avoidance/attraction reactions. For many respondents, luxury products are desirable when contemplated at a distance, at a day-dreaming level : when a specific purchase is considered (sometimes â€Å"ruminated†), guilt feelings arise however and the buying act is experienced by many as a transgression, a not totally excusable attempt to break off daily routine and run away, at least temporarily. TABLE 1 (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) ATTITUDINAL STATEMENTS ABOUT LUXURY (/volumes/ap01/01274t01. gif) At the same time, the luxury transgression can also be a regression, a trip back to one’s idealized childhood, when everything was warm and smooth. This would explain why the concept of luxury was felt by many to be relative and idiosyncratic. During interviews, a number of respondents spontaneously started to describe â€Å"their† luxury, as if they were talking about a secret garden, only known to them. The dual nature of luxury-a world in itself and a world for me-certainly accounts for a large proportion of the ambivalence of feelings. Without oversimplyfing too much, one could say that many negative feelings are attached to â€Å"others’ luxury†, while the positive ones are kept for â€Å"my† luxury. On the basis of such themes, a battery of 34 attitudinal items was developed, pretested and administered. The attitudinal statements as well as the overall frequencies are presented in Table 1 and discussed in the following sections. Overall results tend to confirm conclusions obtained from qualitative research about the ambivalent nature of respondents’ feelings. As far as the concept itself is concerned for example, a majority of respondents considers that luxury is synonymous with â€Å"good taste†, is â€Å"pleasant†, â€Å"not old-fashioned† and â€Å"useful† but also â€Å"flashy† and â€Å"too expensive for what it is. † When commenting on their personal rapport to luxury, most respondents express a positive attitude (â€Å"I like luxury,† â€Å"I’m interested in luxury,† â€Å"Luxury makes me dream,† â€Å"Luxury products make life more beautiful†) but also confess their relative lack of expertise (â€Å"I don’t know much about it,† â€Å"I could not talk about it for hours†) and infrequent purchase activity (â€Å"I almost never buy luxury products†). When asked (in a projective mode) to comment on others’ behavior, a vast majority subscribes to the hedonic motive (â€Å"One buys luxury goods primarily for one’s pleasure†) and refutes the snobbish argument, but more than 50% of those who express an opinion consider that â€Å"people who buy luxury products seek to imitate the rich† and, on issues like â€Å"people who buy luxury goods try to differentiate themselves from others† or â€Å"people who buy luxury products are refined people† the sample is totally divided. Similarly, one out of two respondents does not support the idea of a heavier tax but one out of three welcomes such a proposal! In order to improve our understanding of the underlying attitudinal structure, correlation and principal component analyses were performed. Rather than displaying the full 34 x 34 correlation matrix, not easy to read (1156 coefficients), we decided to attempt to graphically represent the underlying structure, even though we recognize that it is not always possible to completely eliminate arbitrariness in positioning the items on the resulting map. Figure 1 depicts the map obtained when only intercorrelations higher than 0. 4 are considered. To make it easier to read and to interpret, all items which imply a favorable predisposition towards luxury are positioned on the left side of the figure while â€Å"negative† statements appear on the right side. Coefficients between 0. 40 and 0. 50 are indicated by dotted lines while solid lines correspond to correlations above 0. 50. Obviously, all coefficients are statistically significant. It appears that the backbone of perceptions and attitudes evolves around the attraction-avoidance dimension mentioned previously. The two attitudinal statements â€Å"I like luxury† and â€Å"I’m not interested in luxury† exhibit a strong (negative) correlation, with an absolute value which is the highest one in the whole matrix. From such a map, a number of conclusions can be drawn : 1. – There are two basic reasons underlying the lack of interest in luxury. The first one is a negative perception of the luxury world, considered in an absolute, general and abstract sense. Those who adopt this perspective tend to describe luxury goods as useless, old-fashioned, too expensive and flashy. Since they fail to see much value in luxury items, they do not develop an appetite for them. 2. – The second reason is more linked to a perceived lack of fit between the individual and luxury. Those who feel this absence of connivence tend to explain it in terms of their own inexpertise, their uneasiness with luxury environments and an impression of artificiality when they wear their luxury items (in case they own some). All those factors logically result in a minimal involvement in both interest for luxury goods and acquisition behavior. 3. – Although not reported on the map, the correlations between, on the one hand, those two sets of items and, on the other hand, the group of three statements related to the perceived reasons why others buy luxury goods (located at the extreme right of the figure) are statistically significant, typically in the 0. 20 – 0. 40 range. Those who don’t feel at ease with luxury goods and admit their incompetence also tend to believe that â€Å"others† buy luxury items to imitate the rich or to differentiate themselves from the rest of the population. www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx? Id=11539 2/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent Those who believe that luxury goods are too expensive and flashy have a similar perception of the behavior of â€Å"others. † But the factors underlying such perceptions are not the same for both groups. While the former find one more reason to deepen the gap which separates them from the world of luxury, it looks as if the latter have one more justification in support of their disdain of an environment perceived as sterile and futile. 4. – The two mechanisms underlying disinterest have their counterparts on the positive (left hand) side. Although not shown on the map, the correlation between â€Å"I like luxury† and â€Å"I could talk about it for hours† is highly significant (0. 32). People who like luxury also are people who feel knowledgeable about it, both in terms of expertise and familiarity (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987). The luxury world is â€Å"their† world and they move in it like a fish in water, as revealed by their strong opposition to the statement â€Å"I almost never buy luxury goods†. 5. – But the appetite for luxury goods can be also developed on a more abstract and symbolic dimension (upper left corner). Those who adopt this viewpoint see the luxury word as a source of fascination and enlightment. Luxury products make them dream and contribute, in their opinion, to a more beautiful life. This ethereal perception of luxury is also the most hedonic of all in nature, as revealed by the strong correlations obtained with the items related to pleasure. Luxury becomes a permanent source of inspiration and happiness, almost a goal for life, far beyond transient fads and fashions. All these facets of luxury are easily confirmed by the rotated factor structure. Applying the varimax procedure to the table of intercorrelations yields the matrix reproduced in Table 2. Ten factors were extracted explaining about 60% of the variance. While the last six correspond to specific items (or pairs of items) not directly linked with the core attitudinal structure but useful to illustrate such topics as price perceptions and their consequences (Factor 5), or the scarcity issue (Factor 6), the first four correspond rather closely to the structure discussed previously. Factor 1 expresses the lack of interest due to limited expertise and familiarity, while Factor 2 corresponds to the positive evaluation of luxury goods fostered by hedonistic motives. Factor 3 summarizes the negative perceptions attached to the behavior of others and Factor 4 corresponds to the mythical and symbolic values attached to the luxury â€Å"fairy tale†. Taken together, these four factors contribute to a better understanding of the underlying structure and can be helpful for someone interested in developing a short scale intended to measure attitudes toward the concept of luxury. As an illustration, the factorial structure of a subset of twelve items appears on Table 3 and is rather straightforward in its interpretation : While the first factor corresponds to perceptions related to the concept of â€Å"Luxury in general†, factor 2 expresses a more personal rapport to luxury, and the remaining two factors describe attitudes towards those who consume luxury items. CONCLUSIONS Despite the importance and growth of the luxury sector, the determinants of luxury acquisition and consumption have received very little attention in the consumer research literature. There is a distinct lack of systematic studies to model and test the processes whereby individuals develop an appetite for the world of luxury (or fail to do so). FIGURE 1 (/volumes/ap01/01276f01. gif) TABLE 2 (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) FACTOR STRUCTURE (/volumes/ap01/01277t02. gif) Given its exploratory nature, the present research only represents a first step in the development of a model of luxury acquisition and consumption. Only the attitudes towards the concept in general have been investigated here. The dual nature of those attitudes has emerged as a major conclusion of both qualitative and quantitative data: The structure of people’s predispositions towards luxury, as a concept, are affected both by their perception of the luxury world in general and their perceived personal fit with such a world. Future studies could investigate: 1) the socio-demographic and psychographic elements associated with such predispositions; 2) the role of specific product categories in the development of attitudes towards luxury and 3) the evolution of these predispositions over time. A program of research on each of these topics is being conducted by the authors and its results will be reported in future contributions. TABLE 3 (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) A TWELVE ITEM ATTITUDINAL SCALE ON THE CONCEPT OF LUXURY (/volumes/ap01/01278t03. gif) REFERENCES Alba, Joseph, W. and J. Wesley Hutchinson (1987), â€Å"Dimension of Consumer Expertise†, Journal of Consumer Research, 13, March, pp. 411-454. Andrus, David M. , Edward Silver and Dallas E. Johnson (1986), â€Å"Status Brand Management and Gift Purchase: A Discriminant Analysis†, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 3, Winter, pp. 5-13. ComitT Colbert (1993), Rapport 1992 – Perspective 1993, Paris : ComitT Colbert, and (1991), Rapport 1990 – Perspective 1991 – Paris : ComitT Colbert. Dubois, Bernard and Patrick Duquesne (1993), â€Å"Polarization Maps: A New Approach to Identifying and Assessing Competitive Position: The Case of Luxury Brands, Marketing and Research Today, vol. 21, n ¦ 2 (May), pp. 115-123 Dubois, Bernard and Patrick Duquesne (1993), â€Å"The Market For Luxury Goods: Income vs Culture†, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 23, n ¦1, pp. 35-44. www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539 3/4 3/4/13 Attitudes Towards the Concept of Luxury: an Exploratory Analysis by Bernard Dubois and Gilles Laurent Dubois, Bernard and Gilles Laurent (1993), â€Å"Is There a Euro-Consummer For Luxury Goods? â€Å", in Fred Van Raaij and Gary Bamossy (Eds), European Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 1, Provo, UT, Association For Consumer Research, pp. 58-69. Hirschman Elizabeth (1988), â€Å"Upper Class Wasps as Consumers: A Humanistic Inquiry†, in Elizabeth Hirschmann (Ed), Research in Marketing, vol.3, pp. 115-147, JAI Press Inc. LaBarbera, Priscilla A. (1988), â€Å"The Nouveaux Riches: Conspicuous Consumption and the Issue of Self Fulfillment†, in Elizabeth Hirschman (Ed), Research in Marketing, vol. 3, pp. 179-210, JAI Press Inc. Leibenstein, H. (1950), â€Å"Bandwagon, Snob and Veblen Effects in the Theory of Consumers’ Demand†, Quarterly Journal of Economics, vol. 64, n ¦2, pp. 183-207 McKinsey Corp. (1990), The Luxury Industry: An Asset for France, Paris: McKinsey Mason,Roger (1981), Conspicuous Consumption, New-York, N. Y. : St Martin’s Press Mason, Roger (1993), â€Å"Cross Cultural Influences on the Demand for Status Goods† in Fred Van Raaij and Gary Bamossy (Eds), European Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 1, Provo, U. T. , Association for Consumer Research, pp. 46-51 Sherry, John, Jr. , Mary-Ann McGrath and Sidney Levy (1993), â€Å"The Dark Side of the Gift†, Journal of Business Research Stanley, Thomas J. (1988), Marketing to the Affluent, Homewood, Ill. :Irwin Stanley Thomas J. (1989), Selling to the Affluent, Homewood, Ill. : Irwin Veblen, Thorstein (1899), The Theory of the Leisure Class, New-York: McMillan Wargnier, StTphane (1985), â€Å"Analyse STmiologique des Produits de Luxe†, MTmoire de DEA en STmiotique – Paris : E. H. E. S. S.. Weber, Daniel and Bernard Dubois (forthcoming), â€Å"The Edge of Dream: Managing the Brand Equity in the European Luxury Market† in Lynn Kahle and M. Chiagouris (Eds), Values, Lifestyles and Psychographics, Hillsdale, N. J. : Lawrence Elbaum Associates.. —————————————- www. acrwebsite. org/search/view-conference-proceedings. aspx? Id=11539.

Eating Disorder Essays

Eating Disorder Essays Eating Disorder Essay Eating Disorder Essay The Consequences of Eating Disorder among Teenagers Thesis Statement The effects of eating disorder are bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and anorexia nervosa. Content * First effect Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder in which a person binges and purges. The person may eat a lot of food at once and then try to get rid of the food by vomiting, using laxatives, or sometimes over-exercising. Second effect Binge eating disorder is characterized by compulsive overeating in which people consume huge amounts of food while feeling out of control and powerless to stop. The symptoms of binge eating disorder usually begin in late adolescence or early adulthood, often after a major diet. * Third effect Anorexia nervosa, also known as simply Anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. It is often coupled with a distorted self image which may be maintained by various cognitive biases that alter how the affected individual evaluates and thinks about her or his body, food and eating. Persons with anorexia nervosa continue to feel hunger, but deny themselves all but very small quantities of food. In Malaysia, anorexia nervosa rarely occurs to those who are diagnosed with eating disorder symptoms. Conclusion In conclusion, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and anorexia nervosa are the three consequences of eating disorder among teenagers. Survey Questionnaire * Some example of questions to be asked to the teenagers and students in UiTM Shah Alam. 1. How many times do you take meals in a day? 2. How many times do you take soft drinks in a week? 3. Do you prefer cooked meals or instant food? 4. Do you consume a large amount of food at one time? 5. Do you eat when depressed or bored? 6. Do you feel fear of gaining weight or becoming overweight? 7. Do you ever vomit deliberately after taking a meal?

life and death essays

life and death essays Society should pay more attention to animals and their rights. In my opinion, pursuing a vegetarian lifestyle is more humane. Animal cruelty should be publicized so people can be aware of the torture their dinner has gone through. Cows, Chicken, and pigs are the three main animals that we consume. Virgil Butler is a former employee of the Tyson chicken slaughter plant in Grannis, AR. In 2003 Virgil stated I have seen the chickens blinded by the ammonia fumes that build up in the houses. ...Ive seen chickens starve...because their feet were stuck in the muck... Cull the runts [means] pulling their heads off (Butler 1). Its obvious already that no living creature should be treated with such disrespect. Turkey and chicken are genetically altered to grow twice as fast and twice as large as an average turkey or chicken as of 20 years ago. All living creatures should be able to live their live the way most human beings do. Obviously they cant make money or get married, but they should be treated the same, in the fact that animals should not have to live their whole life in a cage, or have to be given hormones so farmers can make more money. There is no reason for man to take the life of a cow or pig for his own nourishment. With knowledge of the food pyramid everyone should be taking in approximately two to three servings a day. One serving is around two ounces; 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) of peanut butter, plus 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) of cooked dry beans is equal to two ounces. Already you are done with one serving, and no one has to die for it. I wouldnt be able to live off of peanut butter and beans any longer then the next guy, and those arent the only options. Plants also can provide you with protein, and the ones containing the most are : lentils, tofu, nuts, seeds, tempeh, miso, and peas. When becoming a vegetarian you need to also be aware of a vi...

Contribution of the EYFS to young children’s development and learning The WritePass Journal

Contribution of the EYFS to young children’s development and learning Introduction Contribution of the EYFS to young children’s development and learning IntroductionOpportunity to listen to childrenUnique Child’s opportunity to learnConclusionReferencesRelated Introduction Early Year Foundation Stage (EYFS) setting is an important surrounding for young children’s development. Positive relationships are built at this stage, where children learn through respectful and caring interactions. Practitioners are also able to give priorities to main person, and respectfully react to children and their parents’ respective opinions. The enabling environment at EYFS provides children with the needed time, space and materials to express themselves through plays, investigations and explorations of new ideas (Wood and Attfield, 2005). The practitioner is able to observe, organise and plan the flow of activities. Significantly, it is at this stage where a practitioner is able to identify the difference among children in terms of unique capabilities. In essence, developmental rates for children differ, with varied interests mostly influenced by the different socio-cultural and family backgrounds. Positive interactions Young children often rely on adult educators to stimulate and sustain their learning (Broadhead, Howard and Wood, 2010). One of the key goals of the EYFS is to create the ideal condition for learning to take place. EYFS also allows children to know the practitioners, thus enhancing trust and rely upon the adults for support. Studies show that â€Å"young children have their own ideas about what they wish and want to do† (Broadhead, 2010, p.29). Given freewill to choose what they want, they would passionately pursue their chosen career over those preferred by family members. Bringing children together in the EYFS programmes also provide them with the opportunity to share individual knowledge with each other. Through group plays, individual child is able to initiate their destiny, take the lead, make choices, and develop individual thinking capacity as well as new ideas. They are also keen to draw sense from things in their surroundings. The positive interaction is also observed in the manner in which children adapt play as a form of learning. Play is recognised as an important aspect of well-being and development of children. United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children (1989) states that play should be a fundamental commitment within the EYFS. Although the relationship between play and learning is not straightforward, research evidence suggests that different types of play â€Å"help children to learn and to become confident learners in their future lives† (Wood and Attfield, 2005, p.113). Other researches also indicate that children’s learning is enhanced when they interact with skilled adult in certain ways, thus promoting their good progress (Miller and Almon, 2009). The benefits of playful approaches to learning can never be overstated in the effective development of young children. EYFS settings are made with certain guidelines that focus on both short term and long term success. The best outcomes of children’s learning is often found in places where learners are exposed to a myriad activities, including initiatives spearheaded by children themselves and supported by skillful adults. The interaction between young children and skilled adults at EYFS has the ability to increase adult support. Studies have indicated that too little adult interaction and support can limit a child’s learning process (Miller and Almon, 2009). Similarly, play with adults although can be rich and be full of purpose, may be full of chaos and repetitive to an extent that it limits learning and exploration among the young children. The interaction is a critical aspect that will ensure the young children get professional support even as they grow and learn. Opportunity to listen to children EYFS allows practitioners to listen to young children and understand what they should be taught. At the same time, practitioners are able to set new challenges within the context that the young children can recognise. When the children are brought together through EYFS, the practitioners are able to acknowledge individual child’s ability and be fully aware of what they can learn, thus allow them to plan and provide for every stage in the learning process (Broadhead, Howard and Wood, 2010). When relationship has been developed between young children and adult practitioners, the latter knows the right thing to engage them during play, through the use of sounds, gesture, movements or objects (QCA, 2005). The practitioner is able to judge the extent of their engagement with the children during play, and when they are ready for the introduction of new skills. Practitioners, as skillful adults, use the EYFS to support and enhance young children’s learning by selecting from pool of strategies available and matching them according to the specific needs of the children. In the EYFS setting, decisions such as what to give children and what best ways to help them learn are made several times each day. A skillful practitioner is able to learn the children’s needs through listening to them in an EYFS setting, where they can also learn the nature of play and playfulness each child possess. Increase effective teaching Children often cherish moments when they are in control and periods when they acquire the feelings that they are autonomous in their daily learning. Neuroscience studies have shown that children are well motivated and intelligent learners who explore everything around them (Lancaster and Broadbent, 2003). Thus, when children are brought together in an EYFS, the teaching becomes more effective because the practitioners are able to build the right conditions for learning. Adults are also able to manage the pace of activities and ensure they learn through stimulating opportunities. When balance between spontaneous plays is established, the practitioner is able to evaluate the children’s choices and achievements and provide a guiding principle of learning to increase effectiveness. It is established that â€Å"too much directed activity often deprives children of the opportunity to engage actively when learning† (Broadhead et al., 2010). EYFS practitioner can increase effective teaching by arranging time, space and activities within the daily routine programme to reflect the overall combination which significantly support wellbeing of children. A combination of child-initiated plays and adult-led playful activities allows professionals to choose the right approach that will not only enhance the developmental stage of the children but also provide individual and group support as a form of effective teaching (Miller and Almon, 2009). For example, a particular day can be set to allow free play between children without any adult’s involvement. This approach provides children with the needed space, independence and relaxation. At the other end of the scale are days when short sessions are carefully planned and structured with activities that are useful when teaching specific skills. At the EYFS setting, skillful practitioners are able to impact young children positively by teaching them how to build positive identities through collaboration. Young children are also able to develop caring relationships with other people, manage and take risks, experience success, develop resilience, cope with failures, and develop ‘can-do’ attitude that is critical in the modern world’s increasing competitive environment. The high-quality provisions at EYFS are essential for children in their attempts to develop positive dispositions, which is the foundation for long-term learning success. Unique Child’s opportunity to learn Children often have different development rates, varied interests, different cultural backgrounds and unique families that define their early life experience (Rogers and Evans, 2008). EYFS themes allow them to explore these abilities, and design what fits each child according to their background. At the EYFS setting, practitioners are able to plan and structure activities that can be essential in the teaching of specific skills. This stage of teaching can benefit children with recognised special educational needs. Young children are also able to build their vocabulary and demonstrate to them how to use specific tools and equipments. Neuroscience studies show that human brains develop and function in an exploratory setting (Tovey, 2007), which is essentially offered at EYFS. The freedom to combine resources at the EYFS in many varied ways is important because of the flexibility of the cognitive development process. Unique children are able â€Å"to build pathways for thinking and learning, and to make connections across areas of experience in the process† (Miller and Almon, 2009). Theories of learning and development agree with the perspectives developed in brain research that learning is both individual and social, and that young children, particularly the ones with unique abilities, are not passive learners (Miller and Almon, 2009). These children drive their learning and development through selective choices on what they like, individual interests they make in these activities, the knowledge they acquire, and their motivation to do things with competence. Broadhead, Howard, and Wood (2010) observe that choices and interests of unique children are the driving forces that build knowledge, skills and understanding. For example, the children are constantly learning about themselves as well as their socio-cultural worlds when they play with other children and skillful adults Conclusion Young children learn in several ways as they grow up. First, it is recognised that children learn through play, both amongst themselves and with adults. It’s through play that children are able to explore, investigate and develop ideas. Young children also learn at the presence of other people, which allows them to develop emotional security and social skills. Through EYFS, children are able to meet these needs by being active and talking to themselves. They are also shown how to do things and how to meet physical and mental challenges, thus helping them develop lifelong learning habit. References Broadhead, P., Howard, J. and Wood E. (2010). Play and Learning in Early Childhood settings Theory and Practice, Sage, London. Lancaster, Y.P. and Broadbent, V. (2003). Listening to Young Children, Open University Press, Maidenhead. Miller, E. and Almon, J. (2009). Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School, College Part, MD, Alliance for Children. QCA (2005). Continuing the Learning Journey: INSET Package, QCA, London (ref. QCA/05/1590). Rogers, S. and Evans, J. (2008). Inside Role-Play in Early Childhood: Education, Researching Young Children’s Perspectives. Routledge: London. Tovey, H. (2007). Playing Outdoor: Spaces and Places, Risk and Challenge. Open University Press: Maidenhead. Wood, E. and Attfield, J. (2005). Play, Learning and the Early Children Curriculum. Paul Chapman: London.

Module 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 1 - Essay Example It focuses on how people live and survive in particular places and how they govern themselves, organize themselves, and create meaning. It bases its discussion on gender, social classes, the different races, nationality of individuals and sexuality. Sociocultural anthropology analyses findings from many areas of the economy. These include work, health, ecology, education, agriculture, social change and environment (Nanda & Warms, 2011). Sociocultural anthropology is a good area of study as it is the study of the most important part of human life. Such areas as work, education, and health form the base of human activities. Study of such areas has many advantages. It helps a person to understand others and know exactly how to handle different groups of people (Nanda & Warms, 2011). This will help a lot in my career as it will help me in handling my colleagues at the place of work. When in a position such a manager or a supervisor, it will help one to know how to handle the different em ployees at the place of work. It also helps one to understand all the differences between the different societies. One is able to know the strengths and weaknesses of the way of life of the different communities that exist (Ferraro & Andreatta, 2012). This will then help one in his career to know how to handle colleagues and managers. ... From the study, one is also able to understand the meaning of religion, community and family. This helps to appreciate the reaction of individuals in different situations at the place of work (Ferraro & Andreatta, 2012). This also equips one with knowledge on how to deal with the community members at the place of work. This may include the customers at the place of work and all other associates to the place of work. It enables for the presence of good understanding between community members and the business people (Jacoby & Kibbee, 2007). This includes the managers at the place of work and the employees. This understanding and integration boosts the smooth running of business activities and acquisition of necessary good for business. This can include such things as workers, business partners, investors into to business, raw materials and assets such as land for the expansion of the business (Nanda & Warms, 2011). Cultural lens is an approach of analyzing culture in different dimensio ns. It is an analytical system that helps experts to analyze and understand the cultural values, structures and assets in different cultural setups (Ferraro & Andreatta, 2012). This analysis helps in the understanding of the weaknesses and strengths in the different cultures. Use of cultural lens tries to clarify sociocultural assets and realities of societies in focus. It also explains the internal cultural tensions in conjunctions with the objectives of the various sub cultures (Ferraro & Andreatta, 2012). This study can then help the analyst to develop many skills on how to deal with the different communities. It helps one to develop skills on how to deal with communities, individuals and interest groups in a particular culture.

Study questions for The Rain God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Study questions for The Rain God - Essay Example .. /Give me silence, water, hope./Give me struggle, iron, volcanoes. / Fasten your bodies to me like magnets. /Hasten to my veins, to my mouth. / Speak through my words and by blood.Inspired by Neruda's poetric skills, Islas gives expressive voice to the dead, and retrieves the ghosts of a family and extended families from the oblivion of unrecorded history The relationship between father and son is tense because the father has an affair with his son's girlfriend. He does not believe in the traditional family structure since he did not get married although the family wants him to. He was always told by his father to be a man, but he is very sensitve and intelligent. Miguel Chico did not at all turn out the way his father wants him to be. He is not at all a dominat man or a patriarch. He is completely different from his father. His and his family thinks Miguel may be a homesexual because he does not conform to the normal family values Juanita is the wife of Miguel grande. She is a wife and mother. She trusts her husband completely and allows him to make all the decisions. Miguel cheats on Juanite.Nevertheless at some point he can not take the feelings of guilt anymore and he confesses his affaire with Lola to Juanita. Even in this situation Juanita does not think about her pain, but makes sure his pride as a man is not hurt.

The US Importation Benefits for World Development Term Paper

The US Importation Benefits for World Development - Term Paper Example Countries trade with each other because of the concept of comparative advantage and specialization.   Using the concept of Adams Smith as the basis of the theory it would not able to remember the foundation of having to import or to buy when it would cost more to make. If a foreign country can supply the United States with a commodity which would be cheaper than it can make, then there is a reason to buy from said foreign while at the same time allowing some of the produce of the US industry to be sold. In other words, the US would produce where it has some advantage. The need to specialize and trade for the same reason should govern the behavior of individuals at it meant to result in greater out and income.   A lawyer who is also a skilled painter can benefit to just hire a painter to paint his house. It is assumed that the lawyer can earn $50 dollars per hour and that the painter earns $20 an hour. Although the lawyer is a good painter, he would do best to just specialize in his work as a lawyer by hiring a painted, as he could be saving $20 per hour. That the world economy is benefited by US importation cannot be denied.   Ã‚  One cannot talk about the economy without going back to things about demand and supply of good and services. The demanders are the households, individuals, and entities and the suppliers are the firms. This interaction could result in economic activities that will the cause the continuous production of needs and wants as sustained by the continuing demand.   From the macroeconomic model, the economy of every country is then measured by GDP growth with the necessary components of consumption, investment, government spending, and net export or the result of exports after deducting imports. Imports by the US may result therefore to trade deficit whether the US could actually be consuming more than it produces or exports. It may there have a negative effect on its GDP. However, in business, one’s loss is another’s gain.

Strategic Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic Marketing Management - Essay Example Brief History Samsung electronics is one of the Asian technology firms which have been able to capture a good market in the global market. The firm is a part of the Samsung conglomerate that provides a number of services and products. The firm has been able to establish a large enough market niche, overcoming global giants such as Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia. In terms of its Smartphone sales, Samsung has been able to provide a strong competition in the global market, and this has enabled the firm to be able to increase its sales and revenues. However, although Samsung has been able to capture a big market share on the global market, the firm has not been able to capture the Canadian market where its main competitor, Blackberry, has a stronghold on the market. This is critical because the Canadian market is a particularly good one given the fact that the market is a high end market, with numerous potential customers. Goals To be the market leader Samsung intends to be the market leade r in consumer electronics. ... It also aspires to be able to deliver the best most innovative products especially in the smart phone industry. Increase a cream of the market customer base (price skimming) In the technology industry, price skimming is the best way for firms to get their research and development costs returned as soon as possible. Price skimming refers to the firm being able to sell of a new innovative product and a considerably high price to those people who are can to pay more to be the first to use the product (Baker and Hart 2008). Once this happens, the firm recovers its research and development costs which were incurred in developing that product. The firm can now sell the product to the lower market at a lower price. Since Samsung has a global market, the Canadian market could be the best market to act as its high profile market. Although the market for Samsung is a global one, it fails to have a market stronghold in market areas where the firm can use the market for price skimming. This is b ecause of a number o reasons. First one is the fact that the main markets where Samsung has a stronghold on the market cannot be used for effective price skimming. Black Berry has a stronghold in all the high profile markets, and this makes it possible for Black Berry to use price skimming. This ability also makes it possible for Black Berry to be able to invest properly without worrying about its research and development costs (Martin 2013). If Samsung is able to increase its market share in the Canadian market, it will also be able to do effective price scheming and thus positively affect its research and development process. Fig. 1.0 showing the market share of the main Smartphone brands. Note that Samsung is the only experiencing growth. Increase customer base Apart from having a

Ecommerce federal express Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ecommerce federal express - Essay Example Choosing a service, plus an option is the first step to placing an order with FedEx after a customer has opened an account, where services to choose from include U.S. packages and envelopes, international packages and envelopes, freight services, C.O.D. and other options. The second step, packaging the shipment, as stated in its website provides customers with packaging options, help tips for preparing the package for shipment, and packaging services. Processing the shipment, the third step, enables customers to use a FedEx electronic shipping tool such as the FedEx shipping manager which â€Å"helps a customer quickly and easily complete all of his/her shipping documents — from airbills and air waybills to bar-code labels, and more — online; apart from the FedEx shipping manager, there are â€Å"other FedEx ® electronic shipping tools simplify your shipping process and paperwork by: providing online airbills and air waybills, Commercial Invoices, and other customs documentation; preventing delays  caused by  inaccurate or incomplete documentation; saving you time  so you can  focus on more important matters† as stated in its website. E-commerce provides competitive advantage in both the outside-in and inside-out perspective of building an organizational capability. From an outside-in perspective, e-commerce allows FedEx to build relationship with its FedEx brand and its customers through its website which is part of its direct marketing efforts, allowing customers to interact with the company as it provides faster access for them to avail of the services, while it also works to reinforce the brand by allowing customers to check if the delivery of the availed service has been met according to what FedEx has promised them. The database also allows FedEx to keep track of its customers, know their preferences and

For patients in a home setting with wounds, does use of tap water to Research Proposal

For patients in a home setting with wounds, does use of tap water to cleanse wound affect rate of infection and healing compared to use of normal saline to cleanse wounds in a month period - Research Proposal Example Presently, this process has an initial integrated into the patients’ healthcare plan as opposed to previously when its application was because of an infection. Since the process was officially under inauguration, it has undergone several alterations that aid the science transferred to the bedside to aid in the healing intervention. The process use an acronym (TIME) which stands for tissue management, infection and inflammation, moisture control and balance and the final step is epithelial advancement. This process advances the art of wound healing without deviating from the base principles of moisture control, debridement and bacterial control. This framework is not a continuum and therefore is applicable in a large number of wounds (Fleisher & Ludwig, 2010). This framework is only applicable if the level of intervention is as thorough as the level of the assessment following it. The assessment helps identify how the wound is affecting the individual, cause of the wound and the effects of the individual on the wound. This aids in the determination of the healing process happening and the appropriate way to manage the wound. This process is also essential as the nurse in charge needs to collect data on how the wound’s management. The first step is debridement, which is a practice on empirical observation. Although this method has no proof of expediting healing, it is a clinical advice since it helps in striking a balance in the wound’s bio burden. After a wound, the body produces hormones and body enzymes form a corrosive compound on the surface of the wound. The control to this is simply making sure that a moisture balance is in place. Dressing and elevating it helps in minimizing this exudate therefore giving the wound an atmosphere for healing (Kifer, 2012). The most important step in wound healing, is balancing the bacteria on the wound. A wound contains microorganisms and tissue debris and this can delay healing. Pathogens

Strategic Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic Marketing Management - Essay Example Brief History Samsung electronics is one of the Asian technology firms which have been able to capture a good market in the global market. The firm is a part of the Samsung conglomerate that provides a number of services and products. The firm has been able to establish a large enough market niche, overcoming global giants such as Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia. In terms of its Smartphone sales, Samsung has been able to provide a strong competition in the global market, and this has enabled the firm to be able to increase its sales and revenues. However, although Samsung has been able to capture a big market share on the global market, the firm has not been able to capture the Canadian market where its main competitor, Blackberry, has a stronghold on the market. This is critical because the Canadian market is a particularly good one given the fact that the market is a high end market, with numerous potential customers. Goals To be the market leader Samsung intends to be the market leade r in consumer electronics. ... It also aspires to be able to deliver the best most innovative products especially in the smart phone industry. Increase a cream of the market customer base (price skimming) In the technology industry, price skimming is the best way for firms to get their research and development costs returned as soon as possible. Price skimming refers to the firm being able to sell of a new innovative product and a considerably high price to those people who are can to pay more to be the first to use the product (Baker and Hart 2008). Once this happens, the firm recovers its research and development costs which were incurred in developing that product. The firm can now sell the product to the lower market at a lower price. Since Samsung has a global market, the Canadian market could be the best market to act as its high profile market. Although the market for Samsung is a global one, it fails to have a market stronghold in market areas where the firm can use the market for price skimming. This is b ecause of a number o reasons. First one is the fact that the main markets where Samsung has a stronghold on the market cannot be used for effective price skimming. Black Berry has a stronghold in all the high profile markets, and this makes it possible for Black Berry to use price skimming. This ability also makes it possible for Black Berry to be able to invest properly without worrying about its research and development costs (Martin 2013). If Samsung is able to increase its market share in the Canadian market, it will also be able to do effective price scheming and thus positively affect its research and development process. Fig. 1.0 showing the market share of the main Smartphone brands. Note that Samsung is the only experiencing growth. Increase customer base Apart from having a

For patients in a home setting with wounds, does use of tap water to Research Proposal

For patients in a home setting with wounds, does use of tap water to cleanse wound affect rate of infection and healing compared to use of normal saline to cleanse wounds in a month period - Research Proposal Example Presently, this process has an initial integrated into the patients’ healthcare plan as opposed to previously when its application was because of an infection. Since the process was officially under inauguration, it has undergone several alterations that aid the science transferred to the bedside to aid in the healing intervention. The process use an acronym (TIME) which stands for tissue management, infection and inflammation, moisture control and balance and the final step is epithelial advancement. This process advances the art of wound healing without deviating from the base principles of moisture control, debridement and bacterial control. This framework is not a continuum and therefore is applicable in a large number of wounds (Fleisher & Ludwig, 2010). This framework is only applicable if the level of intervention is as thorough as the level of the assessment following it. The assessment helps identify how the wound is affecting the individual, cause of the wound and the effects of the individual on the wound. This aids in the determination of the healing process happening and the appropriate way to manage the wound. This process is also essential as the nurse in charge needs to collect data on how the wound’s management. The first step is debridement, which is a practice on empirical observation. Although this method has no proof of expediting healing, it is a clinical advice since it helps in striking a balance in the wound’s bio burden. After a wound, the body produces hormones and body enzymes form a corrosive compound on the surface of the wound. The control to this is simply making sure that a moisture balance is in place. Dressing and elevating it helps in minimizing this exudate therefore giving the wound an atmosphere for healing (Kifer, 2012). The most important step in wound healing, is balancing the bacteria on the wound. A wound contains microorganisms and tissue debris and this can delay healing. Pathogens

Allen, Douglas and Truth Essay Example for Free

Allen, Douglas and Truth Essay Conclusion A great deal of literature has been devoted to the subject of Black Christian Leadership during 1820 to 1860. How an enslaved people challenged yet still participated in the established religious system by founding, ad hoc and or organized significant religious groups with a social underlying movement. The essence of the multitude of visions was rooted simultaneously in a political, social and religious storm. However, thus knowing that a race has a strong or weak identity image based on current media of the day will not inform the listener about the nature of their true intent or power; however, since the records of the day is the only evidence we have, it gives considerable insight into the societal value system, political posture, and cultural stance. While Black leaders and churches were portrayed to have a greater capacity for audible and visible response to a speaker than any other group of religious listener at the time, the images were quick to focus on the probable survival of the comfort and consolation syndrome prevalent in black plantation churches. In these churches, the listeners, moved by sin and guilt but much more by the need to release tensions brought on by the daily miseries of slavery, came forth with vocal responses to particularly consoling passages in the preachers sermons. Allen, Douglas and Truth’s methods were clearly beneficial for the improvement of African Americans for then as well as well as any period. Promoting racial success was the most fundamental element in the struggle for racial uplift through the universal message of the religious institutions. Understanding and able to recognize the changing conditions would allow the national objective of racial equality be the sole purpose. As active leaders in the religious and social revolution of the late 1800’s, they knew that access to religious and social opportunities would lead to greater possibilities, i.e. education and commerce. Many of their contemporaries of the day given relatively few choices signed on to the teachings and messages presented by Allen, Douglass and Truth. This was option was clearly the proper path, noted by the number of successful Post slavery organizations and movements that flourished following the civil war. Even though African Americans had limited political power and remained segregated socially, pure religious and economic growth accelerated true racial uplift and the issue of economical inequality. Before the war, black spokespersons had unfailingly demanded that white America simply give them a chance to demonstrate the truths underlying their analyses of a prejudiced American society. Through the Civil War and Reconstruction, whites grudgingly conceded that chance. Everything was at stake in vindicating antebellum black religious and social thought. The role Black Religious leaders as spokespersons and positions as black leaders have assumed the destiny of the race and of America. Antebellum black northerners had been correct to employ the universalism of the American Revolution. This was an effort call the nation back to its first principles. In finality, the right to stress self-help, moral uplift, and elevation as the keys to rising in a liberal economic order and thus compelling the majority of American to yield rights to African Americans was the remaining position to assume. In a tacit understanding, Black religious leaders were clearly justified in their growing sense that the conversation with white America mattered when seeking the power of national acceptance and the eventually the ability to establish their own interests. Never before had visionaries of slave ancestry faced the hope and challenge of so practical a test of their ideas. Bibliography Satterwhite, John H. The Black Methodist Churches, unpublished background paper prepared for The Black Church in the African American Experience research project, p. 29. Campbell, James T. Songs of Zion: The African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States and South Africa. Publisher: Oxford University Press. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 1995. Page Number: 3. Rupe Simms Controlling Images and the Gender Construction of Enslaved African Women Gender and Society, Vol.15, No. 6 (Dec. , 2001), pp. 879-897 Deborrah E. S. Frable , 1997, Article Title: Gender, Racial Ethnic, Sexual andClass Identities. Journal Title: Annual Review of Psychology. Volume: 48. Page Number: 139+. Cedric J. Robinson, 1997, Black Movements in America. (New York: Routledge,. p. 179, 92 ) Conyers, James L. Black Lives: Essays in African American Biography. Publisher: M. E. Sharpe. Place of Publication: Armonk, NY. Publication Year: 1999. Page Number: 44. Bay, Mia. The White Image in the Black Mind: African-American Ideas about White People, 1830-1925. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. http://www. questia.com/PM. qst? a=od=90463626. Burrowes, Carl Patrick. Black Christian Republicanism: A Southern Ideology in Early Liberia, 1822 to 1847. The Journal of Negro History 86, no. 1 (2001): 30+. http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5000633712. Douglass, Frederick Life and Times of Frederick Douglass: His Early Life as a Slave, His Escape from Bondage, and His Complete History. Publisher: Collier Books. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 1962. Page Number: 202. Martin Jr. , Waldo E. The Mind of Frederick Douglass. Publisher: University of North Carolina Press. Place of Publication: Chapel Hill, NC. Publication Year: 1984. Page Number: 18. Mcfeely, William S. Frederick Douglass. Publisher: W. W. Norton. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 1991. Page Number: 217. Lampe, Gregory P. Frederick Douglass: Freedoms Voice, 1818-1845. Publisher: Michigan State University Press. Place of Publication: East Lansing, MI. Publication Year: 1998. Page Number: 1. http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/aia/part3/3narr3. html PBS, Allen, The Black Church Graham, Peter W. Byron, Sully and the Power of Portraiture. Wordsworth Circle 36, no. 4 (2005): 149+. http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5014835905. http://www. pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4narr2. html PBS Africans in America Kirby, John B. Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol. The Historian 61, no. 2 (1999): 429. http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001250782. Mandziuk, Roseann M. Commemorating Sojourner Truth: Negotiating the Politics of Race and Gender in the Spaces of Public Memory. Western Journal of Communication 67, no. 3 (2003): 271+. http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5002554424. Rael, Patrick. Black Identity and Black Protest in the Antebellum North. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2002. http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=101423509.

The Structure And Properties Of Surfactants

The Structure And Properties Of Surfactants Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and lowering of the interfacial tension between two liquids, or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as: Detergents Wetting agents Emulsifiers Foaming agents Dispersants STRUCTURE OF SURFACTANT Figure 1Surfactant molecule possess a dualistic character.This arises from the combination of a hydrophobic (water-rejecting) and a hydrophilic (water-preferring) group in one molecule.In a classical surfactant,the hydrophobic part usually consists of one or more hydrocarbon chains sometimes with various degrees of unsaturation and branching.However,the apolar part may also be partly or completely fluorinated or may be composed of a siloxane chain.The size and length of the hydrocarbon may vary considerably,but it must consists of atleast 8 carbon atoms.For the hydrophilic part(usually called the headgroup),there is a wide range of possible structures(Table1.1).The hydrophilic part can either be ionic or dipolar depending on whether the headgroup has a net charge or not. [1] PROPERTIES OF SURFACTANTS They enable the cleaning solution to fully wet the surface being cleaned so that dirt can be readily loosened and removed. They clean greasy, oily, particulate-, protein-, and carbohydrate-based stains. They are instrumental in removing dirt and in keeping them emulsified, suspended, and dispersed so they dont settle back onto the surface being cleaned. Surfactants are one of the major components of cleaning products and can be regarded as the workhorses: they do the basic work of breaking up stains and keeping the dirt in the water solution to prevent re-deposition of the dirt onto the surface from which it has just been removed. Surfactants disperse dirt that normally does not dissolve in water. As anyone who uses oil based dressings in the kitchen knows, oil and water do not mix unless shaken vigorously in the bottle. They separate almost immediately afterwards. The same is true when washing your dishes or clothes. With the addition of surfactants, oil, which normally does not dissolve in water, becomes dispersible and can be removed with the wash water. . CLASSIFICATION OF SURFACTANTS It is generally classified in 4 basic types depending upon the nature of the head group: Anionic Non anionic Cationic Amphoteric or zwitter-ionic Anionic Surfactants In solution, the head is negatively charged. This is the most widely used type of surfactant for laundering, dishwashing liquids and shampoos because of its excellent cleaning properties and high sudsing potential. The surfactant is particularly good at keeping the dirt away from fabrics, and removing residues of fabric softener from fabrics. Anionic surfactants are particularly effective at oily soil cleaning and oil/clay soil suspension. Still, they can react in the wash water with the positively charged water hardness ions (calcium and magnesium), which can lead to partial deactivation. The more calcium and magnesium molecules in the water, the more the anionic surfactant system suffers from deactivation. To prevent this, the anionic surfactants need help from other ingredients such as builders (Ca/Mg sequestrants) and more detergent should be dosed in hard water. The most commonly used anionic surfactants are alkyl sulphates, alkyl ethoxylate sulphates and soaps. Non anionic Surfactants These surfactants do not have an electrical charge, which makes them resistant to water hardness deactivation. They are excellent grease removers that are used in laundry products, household cleaners and hand dishwashing liquids. Most laundry detergents contain both non-ionic and anionic surfactants as they complement each others cleaning action. Non-ionic surfactants contribute to making the surfactant system less hardness sensitive. The most commonly used non-ionic surfactants are ethers of fatty alcohols Cationic Surfactants In solution, the head is positively charged. There are 3 different categories of cationics each with their specific application: In fabric softeners and in detergents with built-in fabric softener, cationic surfactants provide softness. Their main use in laundry products is in rinse added fabric softeners, such as esterquats, one of the most widely used cationic surfactants in rinse added fabric softeners. An example of cationic surfactants is the esterquat. In laundry detergents, cationic surfactants (positive charge) improve the packing of anionic surfactant molecules (negative charge) at the stain/water interface. This helps to reduce the dirtl/water interfacial tension in a very efficient way, leading to a more robust dirt removal system. They are especially efficient at removing greasy stains. An example of a cationic surfactant used in this category is the mono alkyl quaternary system. In household and bathroom cleaners, cationic surfactants contribute to the disinfecting/sanitizing properties. Amphoteric Surfactants These surfactants are very mild, making them particularly suited for use in personal care and household cleaning products. They can be anionic (negatively charged), cationic (positively charged) or non-ionic (no charge) in solution, depending on the acidity or pH of the water. They are compatible with all other classes of surfactants and are soluble and effective in the presence of high concentrations of electrolytes, acids and alkalis. These surfactants may contain two charged groups of different sign. Whereas the positive charge is almost always ammonium, the source of the negative charge may vary (carboxylate, sulphate, sulphonate). These surfactants have excellent dermatological properties. They are frequently used in shampoos and other cosmetic products, and also in hand dishwashing liquids because of their high foaming properties. An example of an amphoteric/zwitterionic surfactant is alkyl betaine. Figure 2 Figure 3 SURFACE TENSION Water has many unusual properties as a result of its ability to hydrogen bond. For example, the density of ice is less than that of the liquid and the predicted boiling point is almost 200 degrees C higher than it would be without hydrogen bonding. The water molecules at the surface of water are surrounded partially by air and partially by water. These surface molecules would be much more stable if they could be in the interior of the liquid where all their hydrogen bonds could be fulfilled (cohesion). Therefore, water normally tends to have the smallest surface possible, i.e. it has a high surface tension, in order to achieve the lowest possible energetic state. If a solid material more dense than water is placed on the surface of water, what happens next depends on the nature of the material. If the material is hydrophilic (water loving) it has a surface to which water is attracted. The adhesion of water to the surface of this material coats the surface of the object with water, reduces the surface tension, and causes the object to sink. If the solid object is hydrophobic (water fearing),the unfavorable interactions between the water surface and the object make it difficult to wet the surface. Two forces now come into play the energy it would take to overcome this repulsion and the force of gravity. If the force of gravity is strong enough, it will prevail and the object will sink (assuming that the object has a density greater than water). If the gravitational force is less than the surface tension then the object will float on the surface of the water. Surface tension is what permits water striders and other insects to walk across the surface of water and what enables a needle to float. Of course, the critical feature here is the amount of force per unit area put a needle into water end-on instead sideways and the needle will immediately sink. SURFACTANT FUNCTION Surfactants are also referred to as wetting agents and foamers. Surfactants lower the surface tension of the medium in which it is dissolved. By lowering this interfacial tension between two media or interfaces (e.g. air/water, water/stain, stain/fabric) the surfactant plays a key role in the removal and suspension of dirt. The lower surface tension of the water makes it easier to lift dirt and grease off of dirty dishes, clothes and other surfaces, and help to keep them suspended in the dirty water. The water-loving or hydrophilic head remains in the water and it pulls the stains towards the water, away from the fabric. The surfactant molecules surround the stain particles, break them up and force them away from the surface of the fabric. They then suspend the stain particles in the wash water to remove them. Surfactants can work in three different ways: roll-up, emulsification, and solubilization. Roll-up mechanism The surfactant lowers the oil/solution and fabric/solution interfacial tensions and in this way lifts the stain of the fabric. Figure 3 Emulsification The surfactant lowers the oil-solution interfacial tension and makes easy emulsification of the oily soils possible. Figure 4 Solubilization Through interaction with the micelles of a surfactant in a solvent (water), a substance spontaneously dissolves to form a stable and clear solution How can surfactants prevent dirt from being re-deposited? Surfactants have a vital role to play in preventing the re-deposition of soils like greasy, oily stains and particulate dirt on the surface or fabric from which they have just been removed. This works by electrostatic interactions and steric hindrance. Electrostatic interactions Anionic surfactants are adsorbed on both the surface of the dirt which is dispersed in the detergent solution, and the fabric surface. This creates a negative charge on both surfaces, causing electrostatic repulsions. This repulsion prevents the soil from re-depositing on the fabric. In the presence of hardness, however, this mechanism acts like a bridge between the suspended soil and the fabric. This is another reason why hardness sequestrants (a chemical that promotes Ca/Mg sequestration) are often used in detergents. Steric hindrance: Non-ionic surfactants like alcohol ethoxylates also adsorb on the dirt. Their long ethoxylated chains extend in the water phase and prevent the dirt droplets or particles from uniting and from depositing onto the fabric surface.Dirt is present in solution. The non-ionic surfactants adsorb to the dirt particles.Their long hydrophilic heads extend in the water phase and as a result prevent the dirt particles/droplets from uniting and from re-depositing onto fabrics. [2] SURFACTANT USES There are many uses of surfactant in different industries and different fields. Some of them are discussed below: Use of Surfactant in Detergents Surfactants are literally Surface Acting Agents. They are called this because they act to reduce the surface tension of a liquid, especially water. They are large molecules with two distinct parts. First there is a head which is hydrophilic. This means that it is attracted to water and soluble in water, usually because it has a positive or negative charge. The other part of the surfactant is the tail which is hydrophobic, meaning it is repelled by water. The tail is also lipophilic which means that it is soluble in organic solvents particularly oils and fats or lipids. It is this mixed structure which gives a surfactant its properties. When added to water the surface tension of water is reduced. The surface tension of water is caused by the hydrogen bonds which form between the slight charges on different parts of the water molecule (for further information see the water article). Surfactants break up these hydrogen bonds by remaining at the surface, their heads dissolved in the water but their tails extending out of the water, repelled by it. When the surfactant concentration increases sufficiently, micelles are formed. These are spheres of surfactant with all the heads on the outside protecting all the tails within.[3] Use of Surfactant in Cosmetics Shampoos and soaps clean by the use of surfactants (surface active agents). Surfactant molecules have both fat soluble (lipophilic) and water-soluble (hydrophylic) parts. The lipophilic part of the molecule sticks to oil and dirt, and the hydrophilic part allows water to then carry away the otherwise water-insoluble grime. Washing-up detergents work in the same way, although it isnt generally advisable to wash your hair with dishwashing liquid they are formulated to remove thick grease from plates, not to gently clean your hair! [4] Use of Surfactants to remove solvent-based inks from plastic films There is substantial economic and environmental incentive to remove the ink (deink) from heavily printed plastic films so that the plastic can be reused to produce clear films. In this study, polyethylene films printed with solvent-based ink were deinked using surfactants under a variety of conditions. Water without surfactant does not deink the solvent-based ink from plastic films over a pH range of 3 to 12. In common with earlier studies of water-based inks, it is found that solutions of cationic surfactants are the most effective for deinking of solvent-based ink but a pH of at least 11 is required. Presoaking of plastic film in aqueous solution of cationic surfactant increases the level of deinking. Limited studies performed with a pilot-size paper deinking apparatus on solvent-based ink removal indicates that the deinking of plastic film using surfactant solutions is technically feasible. [5] Pulmonary Surfactants and Therapeutic uses, including Pulmonary Lavage The present invention discloses useful surfactant molecules including polypeptides, proteins, and a variety of other organic molecules, as well as methods of making and using same. Surfactant compositions, including liposomal surfactant compositions, are also disclosed. Use of the surfactant molecules of the present invention in pulmonary lavage procedures for a variety of therapeutic applications is also disclosed, including the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome; the removal of inflammatory exudate from inflamed lung tissues; and the treament of meconium aspiration syndrome in infants. [6] Adsorption of non-petroleum base Surfactant on reservoir rock SURFACTANT molecules adsorb well to solid interfaces such as the porous media found in petroleum reservoirs.The adsorbed surfactant layer represents both an additional resistance to flow as well as loss of surfactant properties and is therefore, of fundamental importance in the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process that involves the flow of surfactant solution through porous media.According to Austad and Milter1, chemical flooding of oil reservoirs is one of the most successful methods to enhance oil recovery from depleted reservoirs at low pressure. [7] Use of Surfactant in Neonates Surfactant replacement therapy has become an established treatment for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). This article reviews the current evidence for the various practices regarding the use of surfactant in this condition, looking at surfactant type, timing of the first dose, size and frequency of the dose and the need for further doses. As the use of surfactant is expanding into other lung diseases in adults as well as children, we also review those neonatal conditions where surfactant may be of benefit and summarize the evidence published to date supporting its use in these conditions. [8] Surfactant as Antifog Many of the cheaper anti-fogs are made of surfactants like glycerin (soap) and water or alcohol combinations. That works for a very short period. Better anti-fogs usually contain advanced silicones but suffer from poor spreading. You have to rub them in and wipe off excess. [9] Surfactant as Fabric Softner Fabric softeners have long been used to soften fabric and prevent static cling. Available in dryer sheets or liquid form, fabric softeners are made up of surfactants or surface acting agents. It is these chemicals that create a softer, fluffier feel to your laundry. Surfactants contain chemicals with lubricating properties. These chemicals coat fabrics with a waxy film that lubricates them, causing them to feel smoother or fluffier. Its suggested that these lubricating chemicals also make ironing easier and reduce drying time and wrinkling. The lubricating properties of surfactants are a result of positive charges affecting negative charges. Surfactants are generally acidic and made up of positively charged particles. These positively charged particles attract the negatively charged particles within scratchy fabric. The negative charge is neutralized, creating a lower frictional resistance. Thus, there is less static cling and the fabric feels softer and less scratchy to touch. [10] Surfactant in Ski Waxes Once the ski is in motion, you are applying pressure and exerting friction, melting the snow, and creating a fine layer of water between your ski base and the snow. Control and maneuverability in skiing is derived from altering the structure of this water. Hertel wax systems perform a special process using an encapsulation process; tiny bits of surface-active agents formulated into the waxes interact with water, decreasing surface tension and friction, plus increasing control. The wax breaks up the water (snow) resulting in easier running, better control, added safety, and more fun. When commanded to turn, skis slide with ease. [11] Effect of oil soluble Surfactant in emulsions stabilised by clay particles Although surfactants and particles are often mixed together in emulsions, the contribution of each species to the stabilisation of the oil-water interface is poorly understood. We report the results of investigations into the formation of emulsions from solutions of surfactant in oil and aqueous suspensions of laponite. Depending on the salt concentration in the aqueous suspensions, the laponite dispersed as individual disc-shaped particles, 30 nm in diameter, or flocculated into aggregates tens of micrometres in diameter. At the concentrations studied, the flocculated particles alone stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. Synergistic interactions between the particles and octadecylamine at the oil-water interface reduced the average emulsion drop size, while antagonistic interactions with octadecanoic acid enhanced coalescence processes in the emulsions. The state of particle dispersion had dramatic effects on the emulsions formed. Measurements of the oil-water interfacial tension revea led the origins of the interactions between the surfactants and particles. [12] Surfactant in process for deinking of recycled paper A process for deinking recycled paper using a pressurized deinking module to separate ink from paper pulp stock. The addition of salts of imidazolinium based compounds with alkyl, alkenyl and amidoethyl side chains to the pulp slurry at the beginning of the pressurized deinking module cycle removes ink more effectively and results in a brighter recycled paper and an increase in yield of final paper stock. [13] Surfactant in Spermicides (NONOCYNOL-9) The most common active ingredient of spermicides is Nonoxynol 9. Spermicides containing Nonoxynol-9 are available in many forms, such as jelly (gel), films, and foams. Nonoxynol-9, sometimes abbreviated as N-9, is an organic compound that is used as a surfactant. It is a member of the nonoxynol family of nonionic surfactants. N-9 and related compounds are ingredients in various cleaning and cosmetic products. Its use is controversial because it may cause genital lesions. Nonoxynol-9s ability to kill microbes in vitro was initially taken as evidence that it might be effective at preventing STD transmission. However, more recent findings indicate that it may actually increase a persons risk of contracting STDs, especially if used frequently. This is because the chemical causes tiny abrasions inside the sensitive vaginal and anal walls. [14] Surfactant in Ferro Fluid:Magnetic Liquid Technology A ferrofluid is a stable colloidal suspension of sub-domain magnetic particles in a liquid carrier. The particles, which have an average size of about 100Ã… (10 nm), are coated with a stabilizing dispersing agent (surfactant) which prevents particle agglomeration even when a strong magnetic field gradient is applied to the ferrofluid. The surfactant must be matched to the carrier type and must overcome the attractive van der Waals and magnetic forces between the particles. The colloid and thermal stabilities, crucial to many applications, are greatly influenced by the choice of the surfactant. A typical ferrofluid may contain by volume 5% magnetic solid, 10% surfactant and 85% carrier. [15] Surfactant as Alkali Surfactant Polymers In the Alkaline Surfactant Polymer (ASP) process, a very low concentration of the surfactant is used to achieve ultra low interfacial tension between the trapped oil and the injection fluid/formation water. The ultra low interfacial tension also allows the alkali present in the injection fluid to penetrate deeply into the formation and contact the trapped oil globules. The alkali then reacts with the acidic components in the crude oil to form additional surfactant in-situ, thus, continuously providing ultra low interfacial tension and freeing the trapped oil. In the ASP Process, polymer is used to increase the viscosity of the injection fluid, to minimize channeling, and provide mobility control. Oil Chem Technologiess patented ORS and ORS-HF series surfactants are specifically formulated for each field to optimize the oil recovery. Crude oil characteristics, brine characteristics, bottom hole temperature, alkali, well history, and treatment design are considered to maximize the treatment results. [16] Other applications of surfactants are: In biochemistry, the practical as well as theoretical importance of surfactants may be illustrated with the following examples: Surfactants have allowed the investigation of molecular properties of membrane proteins and lipoproteins, acting as solubilizing agents and as probes for hydrophobic binding sites. The properties of surfactants, as well as further facts relevant to the particular experiments, must be carefully considered. Surfactants have successfully contributed to the purification of receptors in their active forms, such as the neuropeptide receptors and opiate receptors. All holoreceptor- complex and reaction- center isolations require the use of a surfactant in order to separate the integral protein systems from the rest of the membrane. Surfactants have been used in the investigation of the denaturation of bacteriorhodopsin and in thermal stability experiments of rhodopsin. The operations of exchange and removal of surfactants bound to membrane proteins are crucial and have been successfully applied to a wide variety of these proteins. The effects of surfactants on the function of membrane-bound enzymes such as cytochrome P-450 and (Na+ + K+)-ATPase have also been determined. Integral membrane proteins can be separated from hydrophilic proteins and identified as such in crude surfactant extracts of membrane or cells . Methods for the solubilization of low-density lipoproteins have advanced the understanding of the assembly, interconversion and molecular exchange processes with plasma lipoproteins. In electrophoresis, various techniques require the use of surfactants. The popular techniques of SDS-PAGE for the identification and subunit molecular weight estimation of proteins is based on a specific type of surfactant-protein interaction. 2D-PAGE uses SDS in one direction and Triton X-100 in the other. This technique has been used to identify proteins containing long hydrophobic regions and relies on the different binding ability of non-ionic surfactants to water-soluble and intrinsic membrane proteins. Isoelectric focusing, native electrophoresis and blotting are other electrophoretic techniques which may need surfactants for the solubilization or transfer of membrane proteins. In high performance liquid chromatography, common techniques such as ion-exchange HPLC, reversed-phase HPLC and sizeexclusion-HPLC may require surfactants to solubilize membrane proteins. Ionpair HPLC requires surfactants as reagents in order to achieve the separation conditions (ionpairing). Affinity surfactants have been used as reversibly bound ligands in high performance affinity chromatography. Crystallization of membrane proteins was achieved using short chain surfactants, which are believed to shield the hydrophobic intermembrane part of the molecule. Thus the polar interactions betvveen individual molecules come into play, providing the stabilizing force in crystallization. Surfactants are also employed to promote the dissociation of proteins from nucleic acids on extraction from biological material. Further applications of surfactants in biochemistry are the solubilization of enzymes in apolar solvents via reversed micelles and the isolation of hydrophobic proteins. [17] CAPTION TO FIGURES: Figure 1-http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/glossary/popup-roll-up-mechanism.html Figure 2-http://www.scienceinthebox.com/en_UK/glossary/popup-emulsification.html Figure 3-http://www.caes.uga.edu/applications/publications/files/html/B1319/images/Figure%202.jpg BOOK REFERREDFigure 4-http://www.inkline.gr/inkjet/newtech/tech/dispersion/surfactants.gif APPLIED SURFACTANTS:PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS -BY THARWAT F. TADROS WILEY-WCH PUBLICATION