Essay about ADHD and Adolescence - 1160 Words

ADHD and Adolescence Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a common mental disorder whose definition continues to change. Most clinicians make a diagnosis off of a list of symptoms in three categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. There are three different subtypes of ADHD: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type if both the inattentive criteria and the hyperactive/impulsive criteria have been present for the past six months; Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Inattentive Type if the inattention criteria are met but the hyperactive/impulsive criteria has not been present for the past six months; and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive†¦show more content†¦Generally they have difficulty staying on task, organizing, and scheduling tasks. They have trouble following through with tasks assigned to them even if they are repeatedly reminded. They simply are distracted internal ly or externally and fail to remember the task at hand. They tend to make careless mistakes because they’re doing something too fast and don’t have the patience to go back and check work. They also tend to lose things, sometimes more than once in a single week. It often appears that they are not listening. Other symptoms include fidgeting, squirming blurting out answers and interrupting others when they are talking. Most adolescents that have ADHD have been diagnosed earlier in life. For those who present symptoms in adolescence, it is a little more difficult to diagnose. Clinicians have to distinguish normal adolescent behavior with ADHD behavior. These two can be surprisingly similar, but an adolescent with ADHD usually takes the behavior to a more extreme level. An adolescent without ADHD might forget to do his/her homework once or twice a month. The adolescent with ADHD frequently forgets to do homework several times a week. An adolescent without ADHD mig ht delay taking out the garbage when asked to do so. The adolescent with ADHD rarely takes out the garbage, if ever, even after being repeatedly asked (Young 117). There are three basic types of treatment: education and adherence, medication, and psychosocialShow MoreRelatedExamples Of ADHD In Adolescence1276 Words   |  6 PagesADHD in Adolescence 1. Website 1- https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html I chose to focus my website comparison paper on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder primarily because I am an educator and a mother of 3. I believe this assignment will serve as a dual purpose in understanding how to recognize a website that will provide me with valid information, as well as educating me on the disorder. My first website of interest was https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html , I visited this websiteRead MoreEssay on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescents1340 Words   |  6 PagesAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is commonly referred to as ADHD. ADHD is a medical condition that is categorized by complications with inattentiveness or hyperactivity and impulsivity. However, these indicators must be severe enough to cause glitches with daily functioning in two of the following places: at home, in school, in the community or in the workplace. Sufferers of the disorder tend to have greater risks for other psychiatric and behavioral disorders. ADHD use to be thought of as a childhood disorderRead MorePharmacological Treatment Paper808 Words   |  4 Pages also known as ADHD, is one of the most frequent psychiatric conditions recognized in children (Am, 2007). 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Read MoreAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( Adhd ) Essay1370 Words   |  6 PagesAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) represents the most common externalizing psychopathology in adolescents, affecting 3-9% of the population. It is a developmental disorder and a chronic condition with associated symptoms and impairment that persists in approximately three-fourths of the cases into adolescence and in half of the cases into adulthood (Çuhadaroglu-Çetin, Fà ¼sun, et al., 2013). Adolescents with high levels of impulsivity and inattention have an increased risk for schoolRead MoreYouth Side Effects1116 Words   |  5 Pagesdistinguish early markers of BPD. Normal factors that underlie attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and BPD, including behavioral and neurocognitive debilitations, and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and BPD, for example, emotional and relational unsettling influences, point to conceivable formative connections between these youth issue and BPD. Two papers in this segment analyze ODD and ADHD as youth hazard factors for BPD in puberty and youthful adulthood. Strangely, the two papers foundRead MoreAttention Deficit / Hyperactive Disorder ( Adhd )1166 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD) has become one of the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in children and adolescent. â€Å"ADHD is defined as a chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity.† (Disney, 1999) There is concern about the possible connection between ADHD to substance use and abuse, during childhood and adolescence, since it is such an important developmental stage in life. â€Å"Substance abuse disorder is definedRead MoreEssay On Glts938 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Anxiety disorders are more frequently diagnosed during adolescence and childhood years. Studies looking into childhood disorders have displayed an outstanding level of comorbidity among other types of disorders including depression and alcohol addictions. 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Furthermore, adolescence who start drinking by the age 14 are five times more likely to become alcoholicsRead MoreThe Development Of An Individual And The Aspects Within Psychology1566 Words   |  7 Pagesparent, it becomes difficult to communicate with an adolescent that lies and cover up their emotional feelings. The known psychological theoretical perspective in the article is the decisions regarding the behavior of an adolescents actions. The adolescences disclosure and secrecy behaviors increase, while the parents controlling and soliciting behaviors arise. Evaluating contemporary application of psychology, the human and the behaviors as the human ageâ€⠄¢s changes over time has an effect on developing

Analysis Of The Central Subject Of Wuthering Heights By...

Midterm Paper The central subject of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is the love between Heathcliff and Catherine. The novel sets the narrative up for Edgar Linton s proposal to Catherine by having Catharine get bit by the Linton s dog and then having her stay at Thrushcross Grange. During this time, she is learning how to be a proper lady all while becoming closer with the Linton s. The novel sets the narrative up for Catherine s death by showing Catherine s relationship between Edgar and Heathcliff. Although, Catherine is married to Edgar she still has Heathcliff come around because she can t be apart from him. This exceptionally shows during Catherine s death when Heathcliff decides to stay with her, even though he knows Edgar is coming. The1998 film adaptation reveals the same central subject, however, it includes slightly different information and tools to portray the subject. In the novel WH, Catherine enters the room and appears to be disturbed and anxious. Catherine tells Nelly how Edgar Linton asked her to marry him, but she is looking to Nelly for what the right answer may be. She finally comes out and tells Nelly that she has accepted him. Nelly proceeds to ask Catherine why she loves Edgar, Catherine s response is because he is handsome, pleasant to be with, young and cheerful, and because he loves me. Catherine finally gets to the point that Edgar is rich. In her soul and heart, she is convinced she made the wrong decision. Catherine explains how sheShow MoreRelatedWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1555 Words   |  7 Pages2015 Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontà « Introduction The novel Wuthering Heights was written in 1847 by Emily Brontà «. The plot unravels with Lockwood visiting his landlord at Wuthering Heights; as Lockwood stays the night, he starts to discover items within the home and later a fatal vision appears, which causes him great curiosity. Lockwood returns back to his residence at Thrushcross Granges and listens to the history of his landlord, Heathcliff; told by an old servant at Wuthering HeightsRead MoreThe Marxist Mirror Of Emily Bronte s Wuthering Heights 1010 Words   |  5 Pagesindividuals in society, dependent on their social, political, economic beliefs. These issues which juxtaposed capitalism and fundamentally demanded equality, were extremely prevalent throughout Emily Bronte’s life, which occurred during the 19th century. The novel ‘Wuthering Heights’ which was written by Bronte, was published a paltry three months before ‘The Communist Manifesto’ was initially released. This ultimately prov es the underlying struggle of societal inequality throughout the 19th centuryRead MoreCause and Impact Analysis on the Main Character’s Suffering in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Novel Eat, Pray, Love7348 Words   |  30 Pagesreview above encouraged to conduct research and understanding in the content of novel. It gave motivated from the researcher interpreted the content of Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel eat, pray, love. The researcher also would give some evidence about the subject of the novel as spiritual and the genre of the novel was about memoir. In this story, the writer of this thesis would discuss of the main character’s suffering, the causes and the impacts that influenced of the main character’s suffering, andRead MoreInterpretation of the Text13649 Words   |  55 PagesThis does not mean that works of literature have nothing to do with reality. On the contrary, Walt Whitmans poems often address the reader directly; Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn has everything to do with the history of American slavery; and when Emily Dickinson writes, 1 never hear the word escape Without a quicker †¢blood, she is surely expressing her ovm feelings. The world of literature is watered by many streams - by the writers feelings, by the writers desire to stir the reader, and by

Analysis on Successful and Failed Company Free Essays

Analysis on Failed Company 1. Kodak Kodak founded in 1880 by George Eastman. Eastman Kodak, the 131-year-old film pioneer that has been struggling for years to adapt to an increasingly digital world, filed for bankruptcy protection on January 2012. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis on Successful and Failed Company or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Merced, January 2012) Example: In 1996, Kodak introduces Advantix Preview film and camera system, which Kodak spent more than $500M to develop and launch. One of the key features of the Advantix system was that it allowed users to preview their shots and indicate how many prints they wanted. The Advantix Preview could do that because it was a digital camera. Yet it still used film and emphasized print because Kodak was in the photo film, chemical and paper business. Advantix flopped. (Mui, 2012). Reasons of Failure: Kodak’s strategic failure was the direct cause of Kodak’s decades-long decline as digital photography destroyed its film-based business model. Kodak’s missed opportunities in digital photography. Kodak management’s inability to see digital photography as a disruptive technology, even as its researchers extended the boundaries of the technology, would continue for decades. George Eastman, who twice adopted disruptive photographic technology, Kodak’s management in the 80’s and 90’s were unwilling to consider digital as a replacement for film. The transformation from analog cameras to digital camera was failed. This limited them to a fundamentally flawed path. They cannot compete with the gradual rise of the mobile phone camera ( Apple iPhone, Samsung) and others strong competitors ( Nikon, Olympus, Canon). Kodak mistakes that people, in after the picture will continue to print it out, but this kind of thing more and more impossible. From this perspective, photo sharing more for communication, rather than personal memories. 2. Pets. com (internet and new technology failure) Launched in August 1998, Pets. com was created to sell pets food and accessories via the internet. Users of the site could browse through different categories, choose products they like and have them conveniently delivered to their home. On 7 November 2000 Pets. com announced that it could no longer continue as a business, and as such became the first US dot. com on the stock market to close. Pets. com folded after having burned through $300 million in less than two years. Over 300 people lost their jobs and the site was shut down. In a statement made to the press on that same day, CEO Julie Wainwright explained the situation. ‘It is well known that this is a very, very difficult environment for business-to-consumer Internet companies,’ she said. Reasons of Failure: Perhaps the main problem was that Internet users weren’t ready to order their pet food online. After all, dog food is dog food, and there clearly weren’t enough people searching for rare pet items that they wouldn’t be able to find in their hometown. In 1998, people will rather driving down to the shops and getting the pet food and accessories on the spot, rather than wait a few days delivery period. The strategy of offering extreme discounts clearly wasn’t working. According to Dan Janal, author of Branding the Net, the cost per customer acquisition for Pets. com was about US $80. He said ‘There’s no way you make that back when you sell a product with a paper-thin margin†¦ ’ But its discount policy wasn’t Pets. com’s only problem. It had also introduced free shipping – which was proving increasingly expensive for the company to sustain, especially when customers were ordering very little. One of its major mistakes was the excessive spending on marketing and advertising. During its lifetime Pets. com spent more than $70 million on marketing and an average of $400 to acquire each new customer (Bucholtz, 2000). Pets. com advertised more heavily than any other online pet e-tailer. Pets. com spent too much money on building awareness, and too little time questioning whether its Web site was a viable business in the long term. 3. Tesco in Japan Japan is the smallest of Tesco’s 13 international businesses, consisting of 129 stores in greater Tokyo and making less than ? 500m in annual sales, according to analysts’ estimates. According to Guardian News (August 31, 2011) noted that Tesco has decided to sell its Japanese business after eight years there. On June 18, 2012 Tesco sell half its operatio ns in the country to Japanese retailer Aeon Corp. for a nominal sum, the first of a two-stage exit. The two companies will form a joint venture, with Tesco investing some 0 million pounds (($63 million) to finance further fund restructuring. After that, Tesco will have no further financial exposure to the Japanese business. Reasons of Failure: †¢Lackluster economic growth In the almost decade-long period (it entered in 2003 through acquisition of local player C Two-Network) it was operating in the market, the retailer never seemed able to gain scale and traction in a notoriously difficult retail sector. In 2011, Tesco Japan made trading losses of ? 35m. †¢Wrong partner In Japan, C Two-Network at the time of acquisition had 78 stores and annual revenues of less than $0. 5 bn. By any stretch of the imagination it was not a major player in the Japanese retail sector. Plus, some of its stores required plenty of investment. †¢Tough competition Tesco’s competitors had been operating before the entry of Tesco and had built strong market dominance. Launching Tesco Express seemed a logical move given the existing store portfolio and the format’s success elsewhere. However, it faced stiff competition from local c-store giants such as 7-Eleven, LAWSON, FamilyMart and Ministop. In addition, these players have also expanded into residential price-focused supermarkets – LAWSON STORE 100. Beside this, rivals such as Seven I and AEON have really invested in improving their own ranges in recent years. ? 4. Harley Davidson Harley Davidson (H-D), the American motorcycle manufacturer has a loyal brand following not only in the U. S. but also in many countries across the globe. It also introduced a range of accessories to match the bike. A chain of retail shops sold H-D branded merchandise like T-shirts, jackets, caps, gloves, helmets key chains, socks, ornaments etc. Reasons of failure: A brand over-extension In the 1990s, it extended the brand too far and moves into inappropriate categories. The company introduced products like ties, infant clothes, wine coolers, aftershave and perfumes. Even the loyal fans did not like the idea, as it did not resonate with the tough brand identity. However, Perfumes and wine coolers were eroding the mystery of the H-D brand. After strong criticism from the loyal customers, the company pulled of many inappropriate products. H-D had learnt a branding lesson. More products did not mean more revenue and overextending the brand meant a short-term focus. The company has now admitted its mistake, and stopped producing perfumes and other inappropriate products. . Pan Am Pan American World Airways was one of the most famous brands of airline on the planet in the 1980s. Pan American World Airways known as Pan Am was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until it ceased operations on December 4, 1991. Reason of failure: †¢Tragedy – terrorist attack In 1988, disaster struck. A Pan Am plane (f light 103) on route from London to New York disappeared from radar somewhere above Scotland. Later it emerged that a bomb had gone off in the cargo area, causing aircraft to break in two. In total, 270 people were killed, including 11 on the ground. This horrible nature of the tragedy make Pan Am name was tarnished and could never recover. Despite the company’s constant promises of commitment to increasing its airline’s security, the public was simply not willing to fly with Pan Am due to decline in confidence. ? 6. Kellogg’s in India Kellogg offered Corn Flakes, Wheat flakes, Basmati rice flakes (ready to eat cereals) in India. Despite offering good quality and being supported by the technical, managerial and financial resources of its patent, Kellogg’s product failed in the Indian market. In April 1995, a 25% decline in sales happened in India. Reasons of failure: †¢Over confidence and ignorance of cultural aspects Kellogg’s believed that it is going to introduce the new breakfast products, heavily on the quality of crispy flakes. But pouring hot milk on the flakes made them soggy. Also Kellogg in its advertising campaigns hinted that the Indian breakfast was not nutrition and that Indian breakfast was not good for health. This deeply hurt the sentiments of the home maker. Once the home maker’s ego was hurt they psychologically turned themselves against the concept of corn flake based breakfast. Lack of understanding Indian consumer’s behavior and habits India is a country that has a history that comprises of traditional practices, which also include the regular and long followed eating habits. Kellogg’s failure was the fact that the taste of its products did not suit Indian breakfast habit. †¢Premium pricing policy Another reason for the low demand was deemed to be the premium pricing adopted by the company. The prices of its products were too much than the nearest competitors like Mohan’s Cornflakes. ? Analysis on Successful Company 7. Starbucks in China Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks announced that China will become its largest market outside the United States. It has opened over 500 outlets in the country, which are more profitable per outlet than in the U. S. China will soon become the biggest market outside the United States for Starbucks. The keys to Starbucks were to: †¢Create products tailored to China’s unique cultural tastes Instead of trying to force onto the market the same products that work in the U. S, Starbucks developed flavors (e. g. green tea-flavored coffee drinks) that appeal to local tastes. Rather than pushing take-out orders, which account for the majority of American sales, Starbucks adapted to local consumer wants and promoted dine-in service. †¢Position its brand as â€Å"aspirational† to allow higher product pricing. The average coffee sold in China is far more expensive than in the U. S. Carrying a Starbucks cup is seen as a status symbol, a way to demonstrate sophistication and the capability to afford a personal luxury for the up-and-coming middle class in China. Starbuck’s high pricing strategy of specialty drinks allows it to have its Chinese outlets be more profitable per store in China despite the lower sales volume. Overall in Asia, its operating margins are 34. 6% in 2011 versus 21. 8% in the United States. †¢Differentiate itself from its competitors Starbucks build-in spacious, comfortable air-conditioned or heated stores attracting professionals for business meetings. Starbucks former strategy was centred in offering a high quality product to a narrow consumer segment (coffee lovers). By offering high quality, these lead customers to have a lower sensitiveness on price, opportunity for higher margins, and an increase of customer loyalty. ? 8. Subway The main reason for their success is they are going with the right trends. Since people now are more concern on healthy lifestyle, food with less calories and more nutritional food. Subway constant expansion has turned us from choosing McDonald to ‘Eat Fresh’ value meal. At the end of 2010, Subway had 33,749 restaurants worldwide, in comparison to McDonald’s which had 32,737, the BBC reports. A major promoter of the Subway brand, and a huge boost to the company’s image, has been Jared Fogel, the young man who decided to go on a diet that simply consisted of Subway sandwiches. He was hundreds of pounds overweight, and successfully lost this weight on his Subway diet. Subway achieved its rapid growth, in part, by opening outlets in non-traditional locations around the world. It had very strategic in planning its locations. These include a car showroom in California, an appliance store in Brazil, a ferry terminal in Seattle, a riverboat in Germany, a zoo in Taiwan, a Goodwill store in South Carolina, a high school in Detroit and even a church in New York, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Subway Restaurants are pretty small; this mean their cost are very low and can fit basically anywhere. Another great idea Subway had was to introduce the 5 dollar foot long. As money becomes tighter and tighter, consumers didn’t want to waste money on lunch. For 5 dollars, you can get a decent amount of their subs. The nice, round price that can be paid with one bill has led to a song and tons of sales. 9. Blackberry in Indonesia Compared to all countries in Southeast Asia, Indonesia does have the largest number of BlackBerry users. The BlackBerry came to Indonesia in 2004, when Research In Motion (RIM) formed a partnership with local telecommunications company PT Indosat. There are about three million BlackBerry subscribers in Indonesia. Atika Shubert , 2009). Blackberry discovers the habits of the users in Indonesia. Indonesians love to use their phones to type and chat. People from all walks of life here like to form online communities and share information, especially on their BBM profiles which is ideal for this type of social engagement. So they come out with the phone that with keyboards and touch screen function. The iPhone’s touch screen has less appeal in this respect. Another reason is price. Blackberry phones cost about $500 when sold new, compared to an iPhone that costs around $900. But if bought on Indonesia’s â€Å"gray market† — in order words, smuggled in tax free — then a BlackBerry can be purchased for around $300. That caters not just to Indonesia’s high-end businessmen but also to the country’s growing and fashion-conscious middle class. (Atika Shubert , 2009). Another reason is accessibility. Indonesia’s Internet infrastructure is expensive and not always reliable. Getting a home broadband connection can cost as much as $100 a month. For many Indonesians, it’s easier, and cheaper, to get a web-enabled phone. (Atika Shubert , 2009). 10. Tesco in South Korea Tesco had been evolving itself, adjusting to the local market. It even change the name itself from Tesco to Home plus. When grocery chain Tesco wanted to expand their market share in South Korea without increasing the number of stores. They came up with a brilliant idea. Due to the people in South Korea work long hours and less leisure time. Also increase populations possess smart phones. They thought of an efficient way to sell their products. The Korean subsidiary Home Plus put up billboards in subway stations with their range of products, accompanied by QR, or Quick Response codes. All people had to do now is scan the QR codes with their cell phone and the groceries were delivered to their doorsteps. The South Korean market remains Tesco’s largest international business with sales of ? 4. 5bn and profits of almost ? 300m. (ReWiring Businees, 2011). According to Tesco’s Business Review in Asia, their Home plus concept is delivering remarkable results with sales growth of 33% and profits went up to over 50% in South Korea. They otherwise continue to make good progression with establishing a strong brand in Asian markets. List of references Atika Shubert (December 28, 2009). CNN tech: BlackBerry boom in Indonesia. Available from the world web: http://articles. cnn. com/2009-12-28/tech/indonesia. blackberry_1_blackberry-phones-iphone-mobile-phone? _s=PM:TECH Brand Failure (November 14, 2006). Internet and new technology failures: Pets. com. Available from the world web: http://brandfailures. blogspot. com/2006/11/internet-and-new-technology-failures. html Casestudyinc. com (Mar 12, 2012). A brand extension mistake by Harley Davidson . Available from the world web: http://www. casestudyinc. om/harley-davidson-brand-extension-failure Gray, Paul (December 23, 2009). Pets. com – A Classic Example of Product Development Failure. Available from the world web: http://www. brainmates. com. au/brainrants/pets-com-%E2%80%93-a-classic-example-of-product-development-failure Merced, Michael J. De La (January 19, 2012). New York Times: Eastman Kodak Files for Bankruptcy. Available from the world web: http://dealbook. nytimes. c om/2012/01/19/eastman-kodak-files-for-bankruptcy/ ReWiring Business (July 4, 2011). Tesco goes virtual again – Application of few success factors in South Korean retail business. Available from the world web: http://www. rewiringbusiness. co. uk/tesco-goes-virtual-again-%E2%80%93-application-of-few-success-factors-in-south-korean-retail-business/ Mui, Chunka (January 19, 2012). How Kodak Failed. Available from the world web: http://www. forbes. com/sites/chunkamui/2012/01/18/how-kodak-failed/3/ USA Today ( Feb 10, 2012). Rein, Shaun, CNBC. com Contributor: Why Starbucks succeeds in China and others haven’t. Available from the world web: http://www. usatoday. com/money/industries/food/story/2012-02-12/cnbc-starbucks-secrets-of-china-success/53040820/1 How to cite Analysis on Successful and Failed Company, Papers

Causes Of Divorce Essay Example For Students

Causes Of Divorce Essay It seems that more and more marriages are falling apart everyday. Divorce rates seen to be climbing astronomically. In so many of these divorces there are children to be considered. What is best for the child? Who will get custody? Will the child be scarred for life? It’s really hard to say. The overall effects on our children vary according to the factors involved. I am going to attempt to discuss a few of the problems that can occur with children of divorced families and what parents can do to ease the transition. I will limit this discussion to infantile age thru early elementary aged children. Let’s start with understanding the parents role concerning being together or being apart. Obviously, two parents can provide children with far more guidance, sustenance, and protection than one, and are more likely to prevent the kinds of psychological disturbance that may result from deprivations of these necessities . There may be strange reasons for divorce. People tend to believe that most of the marriages break down because of betrayal, financial fraud, alcohol or drug addiction, infidelity, and malice, says Jessica Elizabeth Opert, a famous interlocutor. In fact, divorces occur as a result of more insignificant everyday actions or inaction, which destroys communication and feelings between two people. Five the most unexpected divorce reasons Sometimes we feel that both of us are doing everything right, but the stuff is going wrong. To avoid unpleasant situations in your life, we want you to take a look at the most common unexpected divorce reasons: Lack of visual contact. When many people are asked about how they guessed that a partner fell in love with them, they respond that this was evident in their eyes. When people talk without distracting from a TV or smartphone, a special intimate connection disappears. In order not to break your marriage, try to dine with the TV off and without other distractions, put the mobile phones away from the bedroom. The spouses agree with each other in every single detail. Constant avoidance of conflicts, especially at the outset of relationships, leads to the fact that partners don’t develop skills in overcoming with difficulties. Don’t be afraid to say straight away that you do not like the behavior of a partner that frustrates you and what you would like to change. Fading passion and rare sex. Your conversations with a husband are focused only on practical issues such as who will take a daughter from kindergarten or what to buy for dinner? When almost all communication revolves around children and home, this is a bad sign. In order not to bring the case before the divorce, try to ask the husband more often, as his day passed and talked before bedtime. Such conversations bring together emotionally. Dependence on social networks. Social networks are a growing factor of divorce in our time; While you update the Facebook ribbon, you could dine with your spouse in a restaurant or take a walk in the park. Loss of personality. Paying attention to your wife or husband to the detriment of your own interests and dreams leads to the slow destruction of relationships. The same thing applies to a constant joint pastime. Don’t forget that you have personal space, friends, hobbies. Develop your personality and don’t lose it. The most common causes of family divorce Why do families divorce? Each pair has its own history of rupture; however, according to statistic, psychologists distinguish seven major reasons for divorce: If we talk about the reasons for the divorce of young families, then the first cause of divorce is the unwillingness to marry. Usually, such couples make a decision to marry because of love euphoria. And they have no idea of what family life is. The result of such a marriage will be endless quarrels, unwillingness to listen and hear each other, going to actions, sacrificing anything to keep the marriage. Another reason for broken marriages is the pernicious passions of one of the spouses. Alcoholism, drug addiction, game addiction all this makes family life unbearable. One more reason is marital infidelity. Betrayal can be understood, explained, but it’s very difficult to forgive. Many simply do not want to tolerate such a partners attitude and, as a conclusion, apply for divorce. Quite often the reason for the negative effects of marriage is material difficulties. As a rule, the responsibility for the lack of money in the family is put on the man. That’s why the wife accuses her husband, reproaching him in failure or unwillingness to earn. Relationships, wormhole which is material goods, are short-lived. Its hard for people to get along with each other; the whole family life is that men and women learn to co-exist together, respecting the rights and desires of the partner. If the spouses are different in temperament, they have fundamentally different views on the organization of life, the education of children, etc., it becomes difficult for them to find a compromise to maintain a long, harmonious relationship. Also, the reason for divorce may be sexual dissatisfaction or health problems, including reproductive problems. Often, instead of turning to a problem-solving specialist, the couple makes a decision to divorce. One of the very significant reasons is a lack of communication and a lack of intimacy. It’s so depressive when the couple has nothing to talk about. We say that women and man should be like plus and minus. But as far as you can see it works not in all cases. Unfortunately, every third couple is getting divorced today. That is because the attitude to divorce has become easier and because there is no psychological preparedness of the spouses for family life. Rudeness, mutual offenses, humiliation, disrespectful attitude to each other, reluctance to help at home affairs and upbringing of children usually lead to the divorce. So take care of each other, respect and listen to your partner to have a successful marriage.

Precise Acculturation free essay sample

Title: Marketer Acculturation: The Changer and the Changed Author(s): Lisa Penalosa, Assistant Professor of Marketing, College of Business, University of Colorado and Mary C. Gilly, Professor of Marketing, Graduate School of Management, University of California, Irvine Citation: Lisa Penaloza and Mary C. Gilly, â€Å"Marketer Acculturation: The Changer and the Changed† Journal of Marketing, Vol. 63 (July 1999), pg 84-104 Keyword:Acculturation, Multidisciplinary Theoretical Foundation, Critical Ethnographic Research Methodology, The Marketer Acculturation Process Article type: Research paper Abstract: Purpose: This article’s purpose is to explore and identify how marketers can deal and respond to acculturation in order to accommodate their customers’ resistance to new and old culture interaction and adaptation. This acculturation occurs on the levels of the firm, the marketer, marketplace and social relations Design/methodology/approach – This article utilizes Critical Ethnographic research focused mainly on the individual marketer’s process of learning to adapt to consumers of other culture in consideration of the firm’s important avenues of cultural adaptation and the success of the marketers with regards of competition and cooperation with competitors and other marketers. We will write a custom essay sample on Precise Acculturation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Findings – This study shows that social relations is the arena where marketer acculturation takes place. Marketers should strengthen relationships with the customers by getting involved with them and aligning their community’s interests. This is one way of bringing together people of same culture resulting to a formation of a niche market. Practical implications – The article helps firms plan their marketing strategy in terms of relating to the mechanics of cultural learning. It would be a challenge of acculturation to balance the approach in order to not demean and prejudice the market’s existing culture. Such process should be done with caution. A good example is using both languages eg. English and Filipino in advertising targeting Fil-Ams in California. Also another implications should focus on the market’s cultural needs and also synergizing with other marketers that instead of competing they are complementing. Originality/value – There have been studies regarding Acculturation for this strategy/approach is very timely in our society’s present situation especially in the countries of Canada, Australia, U. S. A, Dubai, Singapore and even the Philippines. Wider and deeper understanding of marketers regarding this approach can give more value to its alliances and customers leading all parties to a stronger long term partnerships. Title: Managerial Identification of Competitors Author(s): Bruce H. Clark is Assistant Professor of Marketing, College of Business Administration, Northeastern University. David B. Montgomery is the S. S. Kresge Professor of Marketing Strategy, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Citation: Bruce H. Clark and David B. Montgomery,†Managerial Identification of Competitors† 1998 [98-127] Keyword: Competition,Supplier Factors, Demand Factors, Competitive Behaviors, Competitor Identification, Managerial Identification of Competitors Article type: Research paper Abstract: Purpose and Approach: This article’s purpose is to gain knowledge on how marketing managers in practice identify competition and its competitors. Using a cognitive framework and two studies that analyze the procedures or processes that a marketing manager does in terms of competitor identification gave this topic a clearer picture on how it can be done. This research was fully supported by data and feedback coming from two groups of respondents, the first group of respondents for the qualitative study came from the marketing industry, MBA students and Managers and respondents for the quantitative study came from the MarkStrat2 simulation game. Findings – The studies’ resulted to a conclusion that respondents for the qualitative study (study 1) relied more on the supply based approached (what firms are and what they do) they also find the industry having few competitors. The respondents considered the threatening behaviors, size, success and studies of their competitors significant but not dominant in the competitor identifying process. On the other hand those respondents from Study 2 considered the target firm success is more dominant than the other attributes and behaviors. Practical implicationsValue – The study suggests that competitors are more likely identified by marketing managers in terms of supply based attributes/supplier factors; more experienced respondents considered or used fewer attributes in describing the competitors which give this topic a question whether these respondents have a narrow concept of competition. Also, when demand based attributes were discussed by the managers it was at a very broad level; customer perception, psychographic and geographic scope of markets, elasticity giving an impression that in identifying competitors the customer needs and behaviors are not the dominant factors considered. This results can lead to managerial error in deciding and interpreting competitive signals for it could lead to biased purchase or use of market research if we will base this on economic reality.

The 5 Secrets To Unleashing The Power Of Webinars To Drive Sales

The 5 Secrets To Unleashing The Power Of Webinars To Drive Sales How many Webinars have you attended? Presented? How would you rate them? Unfortunately, most Webinars fail because they’re poorly executed and take a lot of time and energy to produce. How can you create a worthwhile Webinar? Today, we’re talking to Todd Earwood, CEO of MoneyPath and creator of Webinar Works. He identifies the biggest difference between mediocre Webinars and those that drive sales results. Also, he describes five Webinar elements needed to increase a company’s ROI. When framed correctly, a Webinar adds value for a business. Software companies’ marketing tends to focus on inbound content-related emails and Webinars; Webinars bring marketing and sales together Webinar Works helps companies create unique and different Webinars; teaches them how to save time creating content and make it effective What are you doing wrong when it comes to Webinars? Hook is a dud and you can’t hold that stage no matter how good the content Webinars should include a host and thought leader; it’s a performance, not a PowerPoint, to keep people engaged and take action Webinar Elements: Worrying about the wrong metrics Targeting a niche to build a hook focused on pain Offering polls to engage the audience and qualify leads Segmenting follow up Creating a â€Å"can of soup† to repurpose contentLinks: MoneyPath Webinar Works HubSpot GoToWebinar Wistia Rev Write and send a review to receive a care package If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Todd Earwood: â€Å"Why are the big SaaS companies doing this (Webinars)? It brings together marketing and sales.† â€Å"It’s a performance. It’s not death by PowerPoint.† â€Å"I think the #1 thing that everyone’s getting wrong on Webinarswe’re worried about the wrong metrics.† But as real marketers, targeting real businesses and real customers, I think we can influence our thought leadership content with a little bit of sales strategic decisions that actually get both parties to win.

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

Quiz - Essay Example Which of the following actions can you ethically take? 13. Ojay Corp., A-C, Inc., and Kato Co. are competitors in the production and sale of knives. A year ago, the three firms agreed to share pricing information with each other on a periodic basis. As a result of this agreed sharing of information, the three companies regularly charge the same prices, including a minimum price that none of the three goes below and a maximum price that none of the three goes above. A fourth producer of knives is Bronco Co., the plaintiff in a Sherman Act section 1 lawsuit against Ojay, A-C, and Kato. Bronco claims in the lawsuit that the foregoing facts constituted price fixing and that Bronco suffered direct antitrust injury as a result. Assuming that Bronco is a proper plaintiff, which of the following is an accurate analysis under current antitrust law? B) If the court believes that the evidence demonstrates an agreement to fix prices, it will hold the defendants liable under section 1 without giving them the opportunity to make arguments concerning any allegedly sound business justifications for their agreement. D) If the court believes that the evidence demonstrates an agreement to fix prices, the defendants should succeed with an argument that they are not liable for any fixing of maximum prices, because any such price-fixing would have benefited consumers. 14. Mel is a securities broker who holds shares in Beanbag Inc. Mel does not disclose this to his customer Kim, whom he advises to buy Beanbag shares. Mel hopes that by not disclosing his conflict of interest, he will influence Kim to buy the shares. Kim, believing the information on Beanbag shares is given from Mels disinterested point of view, declares that buying Beanbag shares "sounds like an excellent idea" and purchases the shares. Which of the following statements is most

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment Example Most sweatshop employees are working in incredibly harsh conditions and suffer a great deal. Surprisingly, this is even a problem for staff in North America, because all of the jobs go to employees in sweatshops since they get paid barely anything to work. The manufacturers of these products are perfectly satisfied with providing incredibly low wages because it is not against the law to make deals like this. The employees are suffering while the manufacturers are extremely wealthy. The press is constantly describing the troubles that the sweatshops cause for their employees. As mentioned, the conditions are incredibly harsh and no Canadian or American worker would survive in those conditions. Some Mexicans even try crossing deserts in order to escape the rule of the sweatshop employer. Some of the measures that can be done to prevent people working in sweatshops is to create North American ideas to consumers about avoiding buying products from those labels. If Nike does not sell anyt hing, it can no longer function and would have to close down.

The impacts of both secondary education and bank credit rates on per Coursework

The impacts of both secondary education and bank credit rates on per capital gross domestic product - Coursework Example The study tells that gross domestic product measures a country’s total productivity level. It is defined as the total cost of economic outputs and consists of government expenditure, investments, net export, and consumption. Per capita gross domestic product, a derivative of real gross domestic product is on the other hand a product of population. Consumption in an economy is a factor of people’s disposable income. Similarly, available resources determine the level of a country’s export and hence its net export. Investments, which can be attained through public or private sectors also depends of capital through savings and loans while government expenditures includes spending from central and local governments. Commercial banks and other financial institutions therefore play an important role in economic development through availing investment capital in the form of loans. Provision of financial support also boosts the level of disposable income at a time and as a result boosts consumption. Banks lending capacity however depends on their credit rates that dictate availability of loans as well as loan interest rates. Financial crisis into low credit rates would therefore translate to lower circulation of money and a consequently strained economy through low consumption, investment and export levels. Education has also been identified as an integral factor of economic growth. Researchers and scholars argue that the level of income in jobs is significantly determined by a person’s academic qualifications.... Similarly, educated individuals are relatively more informed and tend to budget their incomes into savings and investments. These observations qualify secondary education, which is a step into colleges and universities, as an important factor to improving per capital gross domestic product (Bloom et al, 2005, p. 16). Research into determining existence and significance of relationships between variables such as per capita gross domestic product and its factors can be undertaken through regression analysis. Linear regression also determines degree of impacts of each explanatory variable in a model and is based on assumptions of linearity, homoscedasticity, and normality of variables (Newbold, Carlson & Thorne, 2010, p. 428; Ryan, 2011, p. 407, 408). This paper seeks to investigate the relationship between per capita gross domestic product and two dependent variables, rate of enrolment in secondary schools and credit rates of financial institutions. The paper will answer two research q uestions, ‘Is there a significant relationship between per capital gross domestic product and two dependent variables, secondary education enrolment and bank rates?’ and ‘Which of the two variables has higher effects on per capita gross domestic product?’ The paper will test the following sets of hypothesis, H 0: ?i=0; There is no significant relationship H 1: not all are zero; there is a significant relationship Using analytical approach, the effects of the two independent variables on per capita gross domestic product will be analysed. The paper will also test on the validity of statistical assumptions of regression analysis. Methods Participants in the project were selected nations whose economic data were

Effects of Waterborne Diseases

Effects of Waterborne Diseases Bacteria are a huge group of single cellular microorganisms known as prokaryotes. Prokaryotes are collection of organisms whose cell has no nucleus and are mainly unicellular. Bacteria are just a few micrometers long in size and on the basis of shape are classified in three basic groups: cocci, bacilli, and spirochetes. The cocci are rounded, bacilli are rod like in shape, and spirochete are spiral shaped. Some bacteria are pleomorphic, which means that they are variable in shape and can change their shape (Levinson 2008).Not all the bacteria are harmful some bacteria are harmless or even beneficial. They can help in promoting good health, some digestion and some serve medicinal purposes. Lactobacillis is a family of bacteria found in the human digestive tract. Acidophilus is a member of lactobacillis and it is the best known bacteria of this family aiding in the breakdown of lactose to lactic acid and also the breakdown of other sugars. The production of lactic acid in the body prov ides acidic environment in the body which can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. Acidophilus is also used in certain drugs. Bifidobacteria is also a beneficial group of bacteria and is present in the human digestive tract and helps in digestion as well as ; it has also shown some anti-tumor qualities. Some bacteria are beneficial in other ways like they are used in agriculture for plant growth and some are used for cleansing of water. (Jeremy Simon 2004). Waterborne Pathogens Many of the emerging pathogens nowadays are waterborne i.e. they take birth in water. Cholera has been a known disease in the world and two emerging waterborne pathogens are Vibrio cholerae O139 and Escherichia Coli (E.coli O157:H7). E.coli has not only become a problem for the underdeveloped nations but has also become a problem for the developed ones. This bacterium would be discussed subsequently. Vibrio Cholerae O139 is a pathogen which first infected many of the people living in Asia. It started in Bengal and then spread to India in 1992 (Ramamurthy et al. 1993, quoted by Sharma et al.2003) from where it entered the vicinities of Thailand. It is through different methods that these emerging pathogens are spreading all over the world giving a difficult time to the authorities who have not handled such cases previously (Sharma et al 2003; Smolinski et al 2003). Escherichia Coli 0157 Enterohemorrhagic Escerichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is the full name of the bacterium E. coli O157 which is a food and waterborne pathogenic strain of bacterium E. coli. The bacteria E. coli O157 was first known as a result of gastrointestinal illness in the early 1980s. E. coli O157 is different from other pathogenic E. coli in different ways like , E. coli O157 is sorbitol negative whereas 93 % of the E. coli ferment sorbitol, E. coli O157 does not produce heat stable toxin but some type of E. coli do produce it, E. coli O157 cannot hydrolyze 4-methylumbelliferyl -ÃŽÂ ²-D-glucuronide while other strains can. The E. coli O157 strain is most closely related to K12 strain, as they share a common backbone. These two strains are just about identical in gene sequence and also in length, but O157 at one specific point the base pairs of genes are reversed. There are hundreds of sections of DNA in each genome, 1.34 megabases code for 1,387 genes in the O strain called O islands and 0.53 meg abases code for 528 genes in the K strain known as K islands. The O157 strain only has 40% of the acquired genes, meaning 561 of 1387 genes can be assigned a function. There are 3574 protein- coding regions in the backbone and the average nucleotide identity is 98.5% between O157 and K12 (Perna 2001; Ramana 2004). Diseases Caused by E.Coli Some people who suffer from bloody diarrhea caused by E. coli O157 can also suffer from a syndrome known as hemolytic-uremic syndrome. This syndrome occurs because of the entrance of the exotoxin known as verotoxin into the bloodstream. In this syndrome the patient suffers from hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and renal failure. Anemia is a condition in which the patientà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s blood is deficient in red blood cells or hemoglobin so hemolytic anemia is that anemia which occurs due to the breakdown of red blood cells. The endothelium of the small blood vessels contains receptors for vertoxin. When the vertoxin enters the bloodstream it binds to the receptors present on the surface of the endothelium. The vertoxin will then destroy the endothelium to which it is attached and will cause hemolysis which means breakdown of red blood cells and release of hemoglobin from red blood cells. When red blood cells pass through these damaged blood vessels the red blood cells get distorted and at last lysis occurs. Thrombocytopenia refers to platelets deficiency in blood. In hemolytic uremic syndrome the patient suffers from thrombocytopenia because the platelets adhere to the already destroyed epithelium by vertoxin. Eventually the amount of functional platelets diminishes causing thrombocytopenia. The surface of the epithelium of kidney also has the receptors for vertoxin and by binding with the receptors, vertoxin destroys the kidney epithelium. The destruction of kidney epithelium leads to acute renal failure (Levinson 2008; Ramana 2004 Stephen et al 2004). Treatment and Prevention Vaccination for infections caused by E. coli does not exist but measures can be taken to prevent the occurrence of disease states associated with this bacterium. The water lines that are serving the purpose of supplying water that is used for consumption should be tested for the presence of bacteria. The presumptive coliform test is performed for checking the infiltration of water by feces and the coli levels according to this test should have a higher value tan 3 in a sample of 100 ml. The milk should also be examined and tests to check the presence of bacteria should be seen. In the hospital setting it should be made sure that those patients who are catheterized are given antibiotics prior to the process so that their chances of acquiring urinary tract infections are lowered. If patients who are on intravenous drugs or medications get infections again and again, these should also be removed. The cranberry juice contains tannins which have the ability to inhibit the binding of pili of that strain of E. coli which causes urinary tract infections to the urinary bladder epithelium. So the cranberry juice is used for the prevention of urinary tract infections. A person who gets travelerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s diarrhea should take medications like doxycycline in advance so that he cannot get infected. It should also be ensured that one is on a healthy diet which includes food that is properly cooked and water that is clean and these precautions should particularly be taken when travelling to areas where bacterial infections are common. (Ramana, 2004; Levinson 2008; Sheff 1999). Diagnosis of E.Coli In laboratory E. coli can be easily cultured on the nutrient agar as well as the Mac Conkey agar and the Eosin methylene Blue agar. They provide with grey, bright pink and metallic sheen colonies on the agars respectively. The most feasible temperature for E. coli is 37 degrees. Some of the E.coli strain forms lactose and if this lactose containing bacteria ferments then it would give a pink color with the Mac Conkey agar. While the ones which do not form lactose give a colorless result. It is seen that the bacteria gives different colors in different mediums. With EMB agar, the bacteria E.Coli gives a green sheen color. In laboratory diagnosis it is very important that the tests are able to differentiate between different bacteria. The characteristic feature which differentiates the E.coli bacteria from other lactose fermenting gram rods is its ability to produce the indole ring from the amino acid Tryptophan. Other than that it also has the characteristics of decarboxylation as it has the ability to decarboxylate the amino acid Lysine. E.Coli only uses acetate to produce carbon whereas other bacteria also have other sources to produce carbon. E.Coli O157:H7 does not have the ability to form the alcohol known as sorbitol whereas other bacteria do have the ability to form it. All these together can help to differentiate between other bacteria and E.Coli in laboratory diagnosis. If a human being is suspected to have this bacteria then majority of the tests are carried out on the stools. These stools show a positive sign of the bacteria if it is present in the human subject (Levinson 2008). Cases of E.Coli In 2006, biggest food-borne diseases were spread in Canada by the fresh spinach contaminated with E. coli. More than 200 people got sick and three deaths occurred and 31 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome were reported. The causes of the diseases were contamination of the spinach and the environmental risk factors for the contamination were the presence of pigs in the nearby areas, and surface waterways exposed to feces from cattle. And the precise way by which the spinach got contaminated still remain unknown because the spinach was contaminated before the investigation started (E. coli cases down in 2009, CDC says; Todd 2007). Vibrio Cholerae Vibrio cholerae is the major pathogen belonging to the group of vibrio which causes cholera. Vibrio cholerae are gram negative rods which are shaped like a comma. This bacteria can be divided into two groups in accordance to the antigen present in the cell wall. It is divided into O1 and non O1 respectively. The O1 bacterium always causes an epidemic disease where as the non O1 would may or may not cause a sporadic disease. Vibrio Cholerae is transmitted like E.Coli through contamination of the food or water with fecal material. In human beings this bacteria is either active or in a non active state which may make the individual asymptomatic. Sea animals such as oysters and shrimps carry the bacteria and if they are not cooked enough before eating they may transmit the bacteria to the host (Levinson 2008; Ramana 2004) Disease caused by Vibrio Cholerae The bacteria acts on the small intestinal walls where it colonizes itself and secretes enterotoxins. Colonization is a difficult process and to adhere to the intestinal walls the bacteria have to secrete mucinase. This mucinase dissolves the glycoproteins on the intestinal walls because of which the bacteria adheres to the walls of the intestine. Moreover an acidic medium may destroy the bacteria hence people who have taken antacids are more susceptible to the bacteria. Once the bacteria adheres to the walls it secretes an enterotoxin known as choleragen which produces the symptoms of cholera. Choleragen has two subunits known as the A and B subunit. With the help of the A subunit the bacteria is able to catalyze a reaction on the G8 protein. This G8 protein which becomes overly active then produces increased amounts of adenylate cyclise. This adenylate cyclise then activates protein kinases which opens ion channels. This is the major cause of loss of water from the cells as the ions along with them take the water to the lumen of the gut. This would then cause excessive diarrhoea as occurs in cholera. The gene which codes for cholera toxin is the CTX gene (Levinson 2008; Ramana 2004). Diagnosis Watery diarrhoea is a symptom of cholera caused by vibrio cholerae. It can be diagnosed on the basis of laboratory diagnosis. Stool is cultured which shows the presence of bacteria through colourless colonies of the agar MacConkey. Lactose is slowly fermented in the bacteria because of which MacConkey agar works on it. TSI agar can also be used on it because the bacterium ferments sucrose. TSI agar shows an acid butt without gas when the bacteria is cultured with it (Ramana 2004; Sharma et al 2003). Treatment The treatment in the case of cholera is adequate infusion of water and electrolytes in the body of the patient. This would balance his extracellular fluid and hence the person would not be affected majorly by the bacterium. Antibiotics can also be used in the case of these sporadic diseases. But they would not prove to be much effective when it comes to the destroying the bacteria. It may in some other way enhance the excretion of the bacteria from the body (Sharma et al 2003; Ramana 2004). Conclusion The waterborne bacteria such as Vibrio cholera and E.Coli can prove to be deadly if not treated within the specified time. The diseases caused by these bacteria have decreased in the developed countries in comparison to the underdeveloped countries. If certain measures are taken in the underdeveloped countries then the effects of the waterborne pathogens can be decreased even more.

charhf The Complex Character of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn – Complex Character Huckleberry Finn is a complex character. As this book progresses, so does Huck. Huck is about thirteen years old, from the low end of the white middle class. His father is a ruffian who disappears for months on end. This book starts off with Huck being `reformed' by the widow Douglas and therefore remains a marginalized member of society. He has not been brought up with the same social values as an average middle-class boy might be, but this helps to create Huck's unique personality. The way he has been brought up affects his traits, values, and relationships throughout the book. Although Huck's character progresses in this story his traits that he portrays at the end are very similar to those at the beginning. His ingenuity, morality, and intelligence are consistent throughout the story. Huck's ingenuity is shown throughout his clever actions. His decision to make his escape on the canoe look like a murder to hide his tracks is just one example, "And they'll follow that meal track to the lake and go browsing down the creek that leads out of it to find the robbers that killed me and took the things. They won't ever hunt the river for anything but my dead carcass. They'll soon get tired of that, and won't bother no more about me." This idea continues as he decides to dress up as a girl to gain information. Although this idea doesn't fully succeed because he is found out, it is an excellent plan, which also reviles his ingenuity. Another time we see this unique cleverness is when he pretends to be `George Jackson' to live with the Wilkes family. Also throughout this story, Huck develops his own morality, however it has a different turn from the accepted norm for that society at that time. An example of his morality coming through is how he didn't tell on Jim when he ran away. Although the society would see this as wrong, Huck took Jim's point of view and concluded to help him. Huck also showed his morality when he tried to return the stolen money to the girls and escape from the Duke and King after the burial.

Logical Arguments for and Against Laws Against Using Cell Phones While Driving

With more and more people using cellular phones, a new debate has surfaced. Should there be laws against using cell phones while driving? The statistics about distracted driving, which includes any type of distraction, show that distracted driving causes accidents. According to the United States Department of Transportation, 5,747 people were killed because of driving distractions and approximately 448,000 were injured in 2009 alone (1) Using a cell phone is just another way that driver are distracted. The debate rages on†¦should there be a specific law against using cell phones while driving.Some states are passing laws specifically for inexperienced drivers, just as they restrict the times inexperienced drivers are allowed to drive. For our purposed, however, we will look at the debate over whether or not there should be a law banning general cell phone usage. This is a very sensitive subject, mostly because both sides present some logical arguments, but a variety of fallacies can be found on both sides of this hot issue. This entire debate is nothing new. Distracted driving has been a hot topic since 1905, and there were no cell phones back then.The big advancement in technology then was windshield wiper blades. They were thought to be hypnotic, and distract drivers. (AAA). From there it went to the radio in the 1930’s. Here in the 21st century, we’ve landed on cellular phones. Same debate, different details. When it comes to hands free cell phone usage while driving, both sides have scientific studies and statistics to back up their cases. According to a study funded by AAA Foundation for Traffic safety, using a hands free device holds approximately the same distraction as tuning the radio (AAA).However, there are also reports that having a conversation while driving with a hands free device is much more risky than having a conversation with somebody who is also in the car with you (Dewar 327). A recent study showed that only 2% of people can safely multi task while driving. This was compared to the same amount of people who would make good fighter pilots (Cruz, pg 1). This quote from Matt Duffy shows how some opponents to a law feel. â€Å"I will vow to be careful while on the phone — and to use a headset or speakerphone whenever possible so that I can keep both hands on the wheel.But, I won’t take the vow to quit using the phone in the car. † (Duffy) The â€Å"vow† that Mr. Duffy is speaking of refers to a campaign by Oprah Winfrey. She has heavily campaigned for a law against using a phone without a hands free device and laws against texting while driving. In a press release, she stated: â€Å"My biggest hope for the No Phone Zone campaign is that it becomes mandatory that no one uses their phone in the car or texts while driving—just as seat belts are mandatory, just as driving while drunk is considered absolutely taboo, I'm hoping that this becomes not just law, but second na ture for all of us† (Harpo).We can look at Oprah’s statement as an â€Å"Argument by Analogy. † Her logic says that because we have driving laws about not wearing seatbelts and driving drunk, which are both dangerous activities, we should also have a law about using cell phones while driving, another dangerous activity. Opponents pose some interesting questions, though. As previously stated, there are other activities that distract drivers. Dealing with children in the car, changing the radio station, and eating are just a few. According to the NHTSA, of all 2009 fatalities that were caused by distracted driving, approximately 20% involved a cell phone (pg 8).So, they bring up laws against other distractions. Should there also be laws against these distractions, because they are just as, if not more, dangerous? (Johnstone) If we used Oprah’s argument by analogy, if these activities did cause just as many accidents as cell phones, she would have to back law s against these things, also. But this also presents the â€Å"slippery slope† fallacy presented by opponents. They are saying that if cell phones are banned while driving, we won’t be able to do anything that could be distracting while driving. (Kids?They would just have to walk). Opponents also show that, unlike eating in the car, cell phone usage can actually help with safety. For example, if people call to say they are running late, they may not speed. Accidents and dangers on the road can be reported more quickly (â€Å"Debate†). Another area of debate is enforcement. Already we are seeing that enforcement just doesn’t seem to be working very well. In areas with laws against texting, it is just difficult to catch somebody. Supporters of a law believe that new laws can be enforced, just as laws about using eatbelts and child safety seats were eventually enforced. (Reinberg). In the United Kingdom, where using a cell phone while driving is already ille gal, of 2,000 people only 3% said that they have ever been caught on the phone while driving. Many motorists are investing in car kits and hands free devices.The penalty in England for breaking this law is up to two years in jail. In the United States, for the few states that have laws, fines range from $50 to $600, with possible suspension of your drivers license. (Johnson) One opponent of cell phone laws offered this suggestion: I think instead the penalties for causing an accident while driving distracted need to be stiffened. Perhaps the loss of the license for a few years for causing an accident while texting behind the wheel would be more of a deterrent than the threat of a ticket that probably won't happen. † (â€Å"Alternative†) Opponents of a new law against cell phones repeatedly say that there is already a law against driving recklessly. That two percent of people who can multi-task, should they be pulled over if they are safely driving? What about the almigh ty dollar?Proponents of a cell phone law state how this would raise money for states, save in medical costs and all other costs caused by car accidents (â€Å"Cell Phone Ban†). Opponents say that it would COST more money, tying up the court system, and there would be costs involved in changing cell phone plans (less minutes would be used). Each side has their own statistics and research to back up their positions. It’s a classic case of stacked evidence. Each side is only presenting information that helps their case, and none that might hurt their case.Although states have the authority to regulate the actions of drivers (â€Å"Debate†), it has been shown that it might be more effective to have insurance companies and other markets try to regulate the usage of cell phones while driving. Insurance companies could charge a higher premium for cell phone users. With advancing technology, this may indeed be possible. Recently there was an iPhone app released that giv es ‘reward’ points for not using a phone in a car. It can detect if the phone is moving more than 5 miles per hour (Svensson). The real issue at the heart of this topic is about how much control the government should have over our time. In a perfect world, people would not take risks while they are driving. If a person couldn’t talk while driving, if it hindered their ability to drive, they just wouldn’t talk while driving. Because this debate is truly about governmental control, it will most likely continue for a very long time.WORKS CITED AAA. â€Å"On the Road: Distracted Driving. † AAA Exchange. AAA. n. d. Web. 19 October 2009. â€Å"An Alternative to Laws Against Texting While Driving? † opposingviews. om. Opposing Views, Inc. 21 April 2010. Web. 5 Oct 2010. â€Å"Cell Phone Ban Would Save Money, Research Shows. † Cbc. ca. CBC. 29 Sept 2010. Web. 19 Oct 2010. Cruz, Gilbert with Kristi Oloffson. â€Å"Distracted Driving: Should Ta lking, Texting Be Banned? † Time. com. Time, Inc. 24 Aug 2009. Web. 2 October 2010. â€Å"Debate: Banning Cell Phones in Cars. † Debatepedia. International Debate Education Association. 11 June 2010. Web. 5 Oct 2010. Dewar, Robert E, Paul Erson and Gerson Alexander. Human Factors In Traffic Safety. Tuscon, AZ. Lawyers & Judges Publishing Company, Inc. 002. Google Books. Duffy, Matt. â€Å"I Won’t Take the Oprah Pledge Against Cell Phones While Driving. † Mattjduffy. com. 29 Jan 2010. Web. 9 Oct 2010. Harpo, Inc. â€Å"The Oprah Winfrey Show Hosts No Phone Zone Day Friday, April 30. † Oprah. com. Harpo, Inc. 29 April 2010. Web. 3 October 2010. Johnson, Geoff with Leigh Montgomery. â€Å"9 States Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving. Is Yours On The List? † csmonitor. com. The Christian Science Monitor. 23 Sept 2010. Web. 19 Oct 2010. Johnstone, Michael. â€Å"What Kind of Laws are Reasonable for Driving While Talking on the Phone? InsightCommunit y. com. Floor 64. 19 Mar 2008. Web. 3 October 2010. Reinberg, Steven. â€Å"Nationwide Cell Phone Ban for Drivers Urged. † Washingtonpost. com. The Washington Post Company. 12 Jan 2009. Web. 4 October 2010. Svensson, Peter. â€Å"Phone App Fights Distracted Driving With Rewards. † Yahoo News. The Associated Press. 13 Oct 2010. Web. 19 Oct 2010. US Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts: Distracted Driving 2009. Washington, DC: NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis. 2010. web pdf.

5 Ways to Establish Your Writing Practice - Freewrite Store

5 Ways to Establish Your Writing Practice - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by editor and author Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), whose debut novel, Hot Season, won the 2017 Gold IPPY Award for Best Fiction of the Mountain-West. Â   Â   Â   If you struggle to establish a writing practice, don’t despair. While writing will never be a completely painless process, there are ways to make it easier on yourself (not to mention more fun). First, though, some real talk: Most people who want to write never do. Or, at least, they never make writing enough of a habit to finish any of the big projects they have in mind, be it a novel, a memoir, or a chapbook of poems. Say you have a great idea but you don’t know where to start. Or you get started with your project but then lose the thread, or get distracted, and never wind up finishing it. In either case, the following tips can help you get started, get back on track if you’ve stalled out- and, ultimately, get to the finish line with your project. 1) Brainstorming Terrified of the blank white page? You’re not alone. There’s something about beginnings that’s deeply intimidating- especially when it’s the beginning of something big. The thing is, the beginnings are all about brainstorming and daydreaming- and as it turns out, staring at a blinking cursor on a blank white page is really not the best way to do either of these things. Neuroscience suggests that this sort of big-picture creative thinking- about what you envision for your project, its concerns, its scope, even the voice you hear for it- is best accomplished while walking, or in the back of your mind as you’re going about other tasks, or as you’re falling asleep at night. In this way, you’ll be partnering with your subconscious mind, opening the door to associative connections that simply won’t arise if you try to push. What are the questions driving your project? What do you know about it, and what don’t you know? In the earliest stages of your writing process, as far as I’m concerned, you shouldn’t be writing at all- you should be thinking about your project in a way that clues you into what it is you really want to do, and how you really want to do it. 2) Visioning Once you’ve answered these sorts of questions, it’s time to set aside a few hours to envision where you’re going. Take yourself out for coffee on a Sunday morning, or set aside those precious hours after the kids go to bed. This is your time to flesh out and solidify your ideas. What will the plot of your novel be? What topics will your essays cover? What are the concerns of your poetry, the forms that inspire you, the specific themes you’d like to write toward? This is the time to take all those big-picture ideas you’ve had floating around in your head and solidify them into a real plan. Be as specific as you can- this plan will be the roadmap for your project. 3) Set aside a regular time Only have a half hour a day to write? Or even fifteen minutes? No problem. When you have a detailed plan for your project, it’s not hard to make use of small chunks of time to execute it. You may do nothing more than write a few sentences, or a paragraph, or a few lines of poetry. But if you write each day- preferably at the same time, but not necessarily- you will progress in your project. If you can find more time to devote to your writing practice on a daily basis, great- but remember, it can be hard to continue a practice that’s based on finding big chunks of time. If you can learn to write in smaller increments, you’ll wind up writing more often (which tends to be the key to finishing). And if you lose the thread, remember, you have a blueprint you can return to (and amend, if necessary). It’s not necessary to keep the big picture of your project in your head at all times- all that’s necessary is that you keep inching forward, whether it’s a little or a lot at a time. 4) Find your people One of the best ways to ensure that you stick to your writing practice over the long term is to find a group of people who will keep you accountable for creating new work. This group might be a traditional writers’ critique group, or it might be a generative group like Sit Down, Shut Up, and Write. If you live in a place where writers are scarce, even a Patreon campaign that makes you accountable to your sponsors for new work every month will do the trick. Of course, it’s possible to establish a writing practice in isolation- but over the long haul, it’s hugely helpful to know that there is someone on the other end, waiting to read what you’ve written. 5) Make it fun Finally, if you find your writing process losing steam, stop and ask yourself why. Is it because you’ve become too critical of your own work? Because you haven’t gotten the validation and direction that comes through feedback? Or because you’re pursuing the wrong project, one that your heart isn’t really in? In the end, you may find it something more like the fact that your writing desk is uncomfortable, or that you don’t like working where it’s too noisy (or too quiet). Maybe you need to draft in longhand, or outdoors, or next to a window. Maybe you need to write with a cup of coffee in hand, or after you’ve had a glass of wine, or after you’ve read a poem by your all-time favorite poet. Whatever it is, you owe it to yourself to find out, and experiment until you find the tools, setting, and context that sends a clear signal to your mind: writing is fun, and this is a great time to make it happen. Now it’s your turn. What do you struggle with in your writing practice? And what has proven most helpful to you in staying on track? Â   An author, editor, and educator, Susan DeFreitas’s creative work has appeared in (or is forthcoming from) The Writer’s Chronicle, The Utne Reader, Story, Southwestern American Literature, and Weber- The Contemporary West, along with more than twenty other journals and anthologies. She is the author of the novel Hot Season (Harvard Square Editions), which won the 2017 Gold IPPY Award for Best Fiction of the Mountain West. She holds an MFA from Pacific University and lives in Portland, Oregon, where she serves as an editor with Indigo Editing Publications.

German-American essays

German-American essays Individual Germans had been coming to the United States since the 17th century, and continued into the late 19th century at a rate exceeding that of any other country. The first to arrive as a group were religious dissenters who landed at Philadelphia aboard the Concord in 1683. These settlers from Krefeld, Frankfurt and Palatinate, were led by a young lawyer, Franz Daniel Pastorius. With William Penns help, Pastorius established "Germantown", the settlement near Philadelphia. Lately, Germantown became the distributing center through which the stream of German immigration poured into southeastern Pennsylvania, and finally overflowed down the Valley of Virginia into the back country of the colonies farther south(Bittinger, 10). By 1727 there were about 20,000 Germans in Pennsylvania; by the start of the Revolution in 1776, the number jumped to 110,000 to 125,000. They were mostly farmers, simple rural folk, a few were skilled artisans. They became the forerunners of today's "Pennsylv ania GermanDutch" culture, and had almost no subsequent connection with Germany. In this early period, political, social, and economic collapse, crop failures, famine, religious persecution and tyrannical rulers were the main factors in this first wave of German immigration. After the Revolutionary War, the revival of German immigration in the 1830's was due primarily to the economic opportunities which America had to offer to men and women who were eager to get ahead in the world. Cheap land, encouraging transportation companies and land speculators, and family letters from the New World spurred this tide, which "not only filled in the older eastern communities, but flowed westward along the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes into the Middle West"(Lass, 68). Censorship, espionage, and suppression drove German radical liberals out of their world (the universities and the Turner societies) into the New World. Another factor that led to Germa...

National Interests Vs Human Interests in Takastand Case Study

National Interests Vs Human Interests in Takastand - Case Study Example Here, the response of the entire world to the human interests issues of people in Takastand would play a major role. However, in planning the international conference it is important to first analyze the issues of Takastand. Case study reveals that the primary issue of the country is unnecessary political influence which has subsequently increased breach of human rights from the side of government officials. This paper aims to plan the international conference for the human security problems in State through following three steps: Economic: Economic stability and long term sustenance plays the most vital role in bringing peace and prosperity to a nation (Strauss-Kahn). This becomes even more significant when the state is facing various internal and external threats. Hence agenda of conference should be based upon the resolution that the residents of Takastand must be given equal employment and business opportunities. They must not be discriminated on the basis of ethical or religious background. Political: Currently the politics of Takastand are solely handled by one political party which is against the rules and regulations of democracy. Since this political party is also found to be supported by international criminal networks while enjoying complete authority over the police and military forces therefore it has started attacking the minorities and less influential social groups. These issues should be tackled through ensuring complete implementation of democracy by allowing different political parties to acquire same status in the national and provisional assemblies. Military: The issues pertaining to military in Takastand are actually associated with the super influential political party which not only discriminates people but it also practices illegitimate military control over them.

Chapter 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chapter 4 - Assignment Example For this to succeed, communication must be present as it facilitates identification of goals, request making, and problem solving. Collaboration allows mutual support as well as the ability to share knowledge appropriately. The chapter maintains that the most important aspects of collaboration include parity, trust, respect, and establishment of common goals. We also learnt that there are several communication styles that can be used and incorporate unilateral, directional, and transactional where transactional method is preferred since it favors a two way mode of communication. However, there are several barriers that affect communication and collaboration. These include cultural background, gender, age, interests and experiences. To eliminate these barriers, both the teacher and the family need to exercise strong communication skills. It is more helpful to ensure that both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication are exercised appropriately so as to eliminate the barriers. The barriers are responsible for miscommunication. Specifically, the teacher should ensure that they avoid quick fixes to certain problems, avoid minimizing feelings by using false reassurances, and ask the most appropriate questions. When barriers emerge, problem solving strategies are used to retaliate. Such strategies include avoiding emotional responses and relying on a step to step procedure. This process incorporates identification of the problem, generation of potential solutions, evaluation of those solutions, implementation of the selected solution, and evaluation of the so lution. These steps also ensure that a conflict is resolved in a constructive manner. There are several myths thought to reduce miscommunication that include more communication being better, communication being a natural ability, and open communication being effective in solving problems. We also

Politics surrounding Main character V in movie V for Vendetta Essay

Politics surrounding Main character V in movie V for Vendetta - Essay Example He nurtures tactics of surveillance and detection. He can turn deceptive to catch to attack the opponent. The sad experiences that V encounters prepared him, for the fight against the oppressors. He puts on a mask that acts a means of defense against his opponents. There are solemn political issues in the movie that drive the V to undertake his missions. Character V is unsatisfied by the nature of control by the British government in the movie. His reactions, therefore, have their basis on political concerns. The way through which the government leads the people is stressful and initiates opposition from the citizens. Character V is a representative of all the citizens forced to endure the atrocities of the oppressive government. Through his tactics, V fights against the forces promoting the oppression of citizens. The violent strategies applied by V in the movie are not to promote destruction in the country, but the desire to bring change. Political environments are inconsiderate of the rights of the people. The government does not grant the citizens civil liberty, for instance. Several curfews created by the government restrict the free movement of the citizens and deny them the freedom to interact and socialize. Such environment prompts the decision by V to oppose the regime by killing officials who are inconsiderate citizens' rights. There is a notable lack of interest by the public, which allows the government to violate the civil rights of the citizens. V calls on the society members to rise against to condemn the political actions in the society. The oppressors do not recognize the privacy of the citizens and undertake surveillance over their conducts without their awareness. According to V, the government does not administer freedom and liberty according to its officials claims. The nation is poor, and the citizens are suffering. All the plight of the citizens, according to V, result from failure by the government to protect its citizens. The control of the government is brutal, a condition that V would never tolerate as a condition in the country. In his opinion, there is a need for citizens to have a collective resistance against the government and oppose the oppression. The attacks by V and destructions are to sensitize the people to gain courage and advocate for their rights. V intends to have the citizens to launch full support for his actions that oppose the oppressive regime of the government. In V’s view, the continued idleness that the citizens have in addressing the various inhuman conducts of the government is a reason for their prevalence. That should the citizens continue with the reluctance to address the issue, the government is most likely to continue oppressing the citizens. There are scenes of torture that depict the extent of disregard for human rights by the government. Some of the tortures conducted result from political motives. The viewers get an insight of how unwillingness to advocate for change in the society can affect the government’s operations and create an oppressive regime. The government can disregard any right of the citizens when not under serious opposition from the citizens. Citizens, therefore, would continue to suffer. Citizens must have a unitary cooperation that can express their feelings about the government’s ways of conducting normal business. It condemns apathy of the citizens

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Essay Example for Free

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet Essay The tone of William Shakespeares Hamlet is set by the theme of madness and deception. The death of Hamlets father and the appearance of his ghost to his son sets into motion a series of events that end in leads to the near total destruction of the Danish court. No one proves to be safe from the pervasive nature of their own guilt, real or imagine, as the characters fall victim to Hamlets madness and the kings deception. Revenge and fear, in particular, play central roles in the eventual conclusions of the play, as it provides a vehicle for the concepts of madness and deceit, as well as the bloody and darkening shadow that falls upon Denmark itself. Even before he sees his fathers ghost among the castle walls, the seeds of suspicion and disgust have already grown to fruition within Hamlets mind. All that is needed to touch off this dark depression into full-blown action is a spark. This spark comes in the form of the deceased king, who gives voice to his sons suspicions. Its interesting, given the full blown form that Hamlets madness later takes, to consider that the conversation between father and ghost may have been a delusion. Though its hard to write off the apparition itself as false, since it is the guards who first see the ghost walking silently, the conversation between father and son is private and serves to provide justification for Hamlets later actions. In this way, its possible that this conversation was simply the beginning point for Hamlets growing insanity. From this first act, the other events fall in quick succession as though predicted. Death becomes a central almost fated result of the lethal mixture of Hamlets growing insanity and the guilt of the king There is a fine line between Hamlets realities and his delusions, as shown in the truth of his uncles deceit. Its important that the tragedy of Hamlet begins and ends with death, providing a full-circle to the Kings murder of his brother and Hamlets own revenue and death. This is due in part to the larger significance of death both as an ending and a beginning. The tragedy of Hamlet itself begins and ends with death while the dead themselves provide witnesses. Its important to note that even as the death should be released by the chain of events, they are not allowed to truly rest. From Hamlets father the king, to Ophelias drowned memory, they are allowed little reprieve. Instead their deaths act as cataclysms for more tragedy and death. It is Ophelia and Poloniuss deaths that cause Laertes to meet his death at the end of Hamlets poison-tipped blade. Connected to the idea of revenge, the dead are fuel to the fire and darkness that seep into the minds and actions of all involved. Given the heavy presence of death, it is no wonder that the images of darkness and the adjective â€Å"black† is repeated throughout the book. It seems to be almost an eternal night in Hamlets Denmark. There is no comfort. There is no hope, only sadness and death. Revenge, madness, and pride are connected in Hamlet through their common dark designs and darker endings. The need for revenge, which is bred from Hamlets encounter with his fathers ghost and eventually drives his madness, is not justice. This revenge is part duty, part self-preservation. Hamlet is lost in his new role in his family, with his mothers marriage to his uncle and the usurpation of the crown from Hamlets own head. In taking action against his uncle, Hamlet is defending the honor of his family and attempting to reclaim his own self which has been lost (I. iv. ll. 21). With the new developments, Denmark itself has become a prison (II. ii. ll. 241), and he is a prisoner to the awareness of his position and the growing need to exact revenge. It is important to make the distinction between the two, revenge and justice. Hamlet is seeking to right the wrong of his fathers death, at first through revelation but then when this fails through violence. There is not the sense that Hamlet expects to escape his own death in the process of exacting revenge but at the same time there is the maddened sense of invincibility about him. He hopes to regain part of himself in destroying his uncle, however, he is already lost to his own fear and insanity. The concept of blood is important throughout the play, both in literal form in showing the brutality of Hamlets actions, and as representative of family. The physical presnece of blood is seen throughout the play in the deaths of even those who do end in bloodshed, like Ophelia;. The final scene in Act V is the bloodiest, with the deaths of Laertes and Hamlet, the wounding of the King, and the poisoning of the Queen. That final scene is also a good example of the power of blood, in the family sense, as Hamlet finally gains resolution in the deception of his uncle and his mothers marriage and Laertes himself is able to avenge his sister and father. However, the concept of family goes much farther back in the play, to the very beginning with the first appearance of the dead king, still linked to his son and the tragedy of his blood, who himself is heard by Hamlet to call for revenge. For Hamlet, the concept of blood is perhaps the most sensitive and the core root to his own madness. A chief source of hurt pride for Hamlet is the marriage of his widowed mother to his uncle. In Hamlets eyes, not only has the new king usurped the role of his dead (murdered) brother but he has also taken over his brothers position in the Queens bed. This is not a difficult idea to understand; Hamlet obviously feels a strong loyalty to his father and to the idea of his own succession. However, Hamlets constant condemnation of the King and Queens marriage being â€Å"incestuous† shows more about Hamlet than his mother, who is constantly condemned by her son for the marriage. The king is Hamlets paternal uncle and therefore, unrelated to the Queen except through the marriage of his deceased brother, Hamlets uncle. Therefore there is no real incest going on between the newly married couple but rather a joining of past and present. Instead Hamlet is showing an intolerance to change, that when divorced of his uncles treachery, is not quite as damning. However, true to the form of the play, the marriage has been built upon the dark deeds of the King. Their marriage is a deceptive continuity, the Queen herself innocent to the dark deeds of the King. She is not wholly innocent, as she ignorantly believes in the innocence of the new King. While she obviously loves her son, in sensing and fearing Hamlets growing restlessness and insanity, she does in a manner turn away from him. Seeing only death in her sons countenance, it is understandable that she would ally herself with the calm presence of the new king. However, there is something of a resolution between mother and son. When the queen drinks the poison, the King has prepared for Hamlet, she joins the ranks of the innocent dead. Like Ophelia, the Queen becomes a kind of martyr to the ulterior motives of royal ascendency and the revenge of her only son. Though the King may have had larger ideas of their marriage, the Queens tragedy seems to be a belief in hope. In remarrying she is hoping to continue her life and in Hamlet she sees hope for her love and affection, even as he rejects her. Without the morality of justice, Hamlets revenge fails to provide any resolution. While death is certainly an end and a recurrent theme throughout the play, the persistence and skewed senses of madness prevent the carnage of the Danish court from representing an absolute ending. Instead, there simply seems to be no one else to truly die, no one else to suffer within this narrative of tragedy. Hamlets madness had acted in a way to bring about the complete destruction of all hed ever held dear, it spent not only the resolve of its master but everything which it touched. The court of Denmark is withered but no longer a prison to Hamlet as he can depart in death as he was never able to in life. Though Hamlet finds his revenge and his end, he does not find true peace. Fueled by his own depression and anxiety, the injured pride of a fallen son, Hamlet instead creates a cycle of violence and fear which in the end even he falls prey to.

An Analysis Of The Financial Situation Marketing Essay

An Analysis Of The Financial Situation Marketing Essay Upon the successful completion of ACCAs fundamental level, I met the eligibility criteria of BSc Honours Programme, offered by Oxford Brookes University in partnership with ACCA for ACCA students. I had to select a topic from a vast variety of more than twenty topics to embark upon. After short listing them one by one, I decided to choose Topic 8 The business and financial performance of an organisation over a three year period for my research project. There were several reasons for choosing this particular topic. Apart from my personal interest, I wanted to apply my academic learning into a real world scenario as studying F7, Financial Reporting in the fundamental level of ACCA and P2, Corporate Reporting in the Professional Level, gave me high conceptual grip of financial analysis. It would also prove helpful to me in the future as I have a strong desire to invest into Plcs through the stock exchange once I start my career as an Investment Banker. I wanted to analyze on an organisation that operated in a highly competitive environment so that I would be able to compare its results with a competitor to see the financial and operational performance and the relation to the proposed strategy. This would also help make the report more interesting for the readers. Increasing trend in fashion, new clothing brands being introduced and the rapidly changing style sense of people, brought me to the conclusion to select an organization in the clothing retail industry. After researching on a few of the leading brands in the clothing industry of UK, I decided to analyse the financial performance of Next Plc and to compare it with Marks and Spencers. United Kingdom Clothing Market: In 1992, the United Kingdom clothing market emerged from the recession of the late 1980à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s and has continued to benefit from the renaissance of High Street spending throughout the 1990à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s. In late 1996, early 1997, the clothing retail industry showed signs of being boosted by the continued growth in personal spending, aided most recently by the payments consumers received from the building society conversion. In order to prevent economic overheating, the United Kingdom government and its major financial institutions were keen to dampen consumer spending. This occurred with the Bank of Englandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²s decision to raise interest rates. The introduction of new entrants into the clothing market and their, expansion, growth and diversification of outlets both in the chain and independent sector at all ends of the market i.e high, mid, and low were also important factors in the development of the United Kingdom clothing industry. Furthermore the retailers, revolutionized and thought to introduce new ways to sell their products. One of the popular methods was via the mail-order catalogues. This has now been super seeded by the arrival of television and Internet-based clothing outlets. There are in excess of 25,000 clothes retailing businesses in the United Kingdom, with a combined outlet total of 45,500 outlets. 1.2 Company Profile The Next retail chain was launched in February 1982 and the first store opened with an exclusive coordinated collection of stylish clothes, shoes and accessories for women. Collections for men, children and the home quickly followed. Next clothes are styled by the in-house design team to offer consistency of style, quality and value for money with a contemporary fashion edge. (Next Plc, Business Overview, The Next Brand [online]) Next Plc is a brand name in the United Kingdom clothing market for stylish, trendy men and women between 20 and 40 years of age. Menswear, womenswear, childrenswear and babywear is part ot the expansion into all the sectors of the clothing market under the NEXT brand label. Today Next Plc employees over 30,000 people and operates from more than 500 stores in the UK and Eire and over 170 franchise stores overseas, including Europe, Asia and Middle East. This makes Next Plc, one of the biggest High Street retailers in the United Kingdom. Over the last few years several larger format stores have opened across the UK and, in October 2005, Next opened the anchor store at the Manchester Arndale Centre with a store in excess of 80,000 square feet. Next Plc mainly operates through 5 basic divisions: Next Retail operates the high street shops through more than 330 stores covering the UK and Ireland; Next Directory is the mail order division which also contain the e-commerce platform; Next Overseas operates retail outlets in the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East through franchise agreements; The company also provides home shopping and financial services, that make up the other 2 divisions: Ventura runs the financial services division by providing customer services management to clients wishing to outsource their customer contact administration and fulfilment activities Other activities include telecommunications software services and property management. For the first time in August 1985, Next launched its interiors range of soft furnishings for the home. Following the success of this diversification and the introduction of Next directory and home shopping, later in 1993, Next Plc announced its brand strategy, of One Brand Two Ways of Shopping, bringing together the common ranges across both retail and home shopping formats. 1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT The primary aim of this report is to evaluate the business and financial performance of Next plc between, the three years ended, from 28th January 2006 to 24th January 2009. The main focus of this report can be summarized into: To understand Next Plcs Business Strategy; and how it has facilitated Next Plc to achieve success. To analyze and present financial information in a manner which will enable to evaluate the overall financial performance of Next Plc from the year-ended 28/01/2006 to 24/01/2009. To analyze the nature of clothing retail industry and the competitive environment in which Next Plc operates, and the affects it had on the company. 1.4 Executive Summary Exciting,beautifully designed,excellent quality clothing and homeware;presented in collections that reflect the aspirations and means of our customers (Annual Report 06) Next Plcs aim is to provide its customers with good quality clothing at a reasonable price. According to Michael Porter, in terms of Porters Generic Strategies this would be more of a stuck in the middle position, as it is competing with the market cost leaders as well as product differentiators. However, the success of Next Plc has shown that it has successfully operated in such a mid-market position and has done very well to implement its strategy. The overall business strategy has been successful. Despite an ongoing programme of expansion over the last few years, the company has continued to increase profits, besides the decline in 2009 due to the unstable economy of United Kingdom. It has been forced to close only four outlets due to poor performance over the past years. The above chart shows a steady increase of 32.3% during the years 2004 to2008. This followed brand-strengthening strategies and a new perspective in overseas development. During the three fiscal years ended, the performance of the group can be summarised as follows; Turnover increased by 7.17% Profit before tax increased by 10.91% Earnings per share incresed by 32.41% Dividends increased by 25% Overall the figures are not much high, but they look promising and have shown a steady improvement over the years except in 2009 when the figures declined steeply. The group has set a target to increase its sales turnover in the years to come and increse its earnings per share, that is one of the most important financial objective. Uncertain economic outlook, rising tax rates and weakinig pound against euro and dollar may act as barriers to this target, but it is highly probable that it will be achieved, by better and efficicient stock, margins, costs, including overhead and administration cost controls. 2 INFORMATION GATHERING 2.1 Sources used and their reasons 2.1.1 Primary Research Primary research is the research in which the researcher collects original data directly about the product, market and organization by whatever means appropriate to answer the research questions i.e it is specificially related to a particular Research Project. It is data that did not exist before. Due to the availability of sufficient information from secondary sources, I felt that there was no need of primary data. Hence, most of my work is based on secondary sources. 2.1.2 Secondary research I used two main sources for the secondary research. Library I went through various books in the College library. I used BPP study text Success in your research and analysis project which gave me an initial outline, approach, and structuring for the project. Studying the Bsc Oxford Brookes Information Pack gave me the essential information on how to go about the project. The study texts published for ACCA examinations provided me with an array of analytical tools to use in achieving the aims of this report. Electronic research I mainly relied on the Internet to formulate this report, as there was vast information available on the internet, needed for this report. The various databases and search engines to collect the information I needed for the report were: Next Plcs website was the most important and authentic source of information. It provided me with the annual reports, company profile, its history and all the other information I needed for this report which includes the audited financial statements aswell. The website also had an archive of company news which gave me a hindsight of the more immediate matters faced by the company. Competitor websites (for the same reasons) Reuters website (http://stocks.us.reuters.com), this provided me with the financial statements of Sainsburys and Tesco for the past five years along with ratios of both companies and the industry averages for the current period. London Stock Exchange website, providing details of historic share performance and relevant industry and competitor news Using internet search engines (Google, and Wikipedia) to gather information related to Next Plcs and the UK clothing retail industry. Other business related databases used to obtain relevant industry and competitor news are: Financial Times (www.ft.com) Accountancy age (www.accountancyage.com) Business Week (www.businessweek.com) BBC (www.bbc.co.uk) 2.2 Methods Used Information gathering is a critical and crutial phase, as the whole of the research is based on the information gathered, so it should be done in an organized and systematic way. Information access has become simpler with extensive details and volume available online and offline therefore a plan has to be made beforehand to be able to extract the relevant and accurate material in order to form a well-structured and organized report, which is easy to understand to the users of the report. Main method I used to collect the information was to use the GOOGLE search engine. By just entering a few key words in the search bar it provided me with the links of numerious different websites, that contained loads of information, which was both relevant and irrelevant for this report,. So I went through all the information and chose the one that was relevant and necesaary to formulate this report. I wanted to have the relevant material in hand before I actually started the report writing process. I started my research way before I actually started to write the report, so as I used to browse different websites, I bookmarked the web pages which had the relevant articles so that I would not have any problems referencing the information if I had chosen to quote it in my report. I printed the Financial Statements of Next Plc that I downloaded from its website and had also imported it into MS Excel to perform the ratio analysis on. 3 ANALYSIS 3.1 PORTERS GENERIC STRATEGIES Next Plcs aim is to concentrate on the design, quality and value of the product, together with excellent customer service and deliver. ( John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2009) Michael Porter identified three generic strategies (See Appendix A) by which organizations gain competitive advantage. Porter argued that to be successful an organization should select and implement one of the strategies, i.e. either cost-leadership or differentiation. According to Porters viewpoint Next Plc would be a classic stuck in the middle whereby it is trying to compete with the Industry Cost Leaders, Primark etc. as well as the Product Differentiators, House Of Fraser However, the overall success of Next Plc has proved quite the opposite and there exists another viewpoint that a single generic strategy is not always best because within the same product customers often seek multi-dimensional satisfactions such as a combination of quality, style, convenience, and price. Next Plc seeks to provide its customers with fair price products without compromising on their quality and has been successfully operated in such a mid-market position. When interpreted narrowly as referring to the appeal of a product to its target buyers, the proposition that firms should not be stuck in the middle should not be taken to imply that companies must be down-market or up-market, but nothing in-between. Such a view is belied by the evident success of companies such as Next Plc, which earn substantial economic rents in a mid-market position. PIMS (Profit impact of marketing strategy) data and other evidence shows, however, that intermediate positions are indeed profitable and are successfully exploited by many firms. (Michael Cronshaw, Evan Davis and John Kay (1994), pp. 19-33) 3.2 SWOT ANALYSIS Next Plc STRENGTHS Brand Name Niche strategy WEAKNESSES E-Commerce Concentrated market OPPORTUNITIES Expand into EU Marketing Opportunity THREATS Competitor price war Economy Strengths BRAND NAME Next Plc uses its own label Next to sell its products. Customers of Next associate themselves with the Next label. As they use their own brand it is easier for them to react on customers wishes and to adapt them very quickly keeping control over the quality management. NICHE STARTEGY Next Plc adapts a niche strategy and its main target group is between the ages of 20-40. This strategy has worked quite well over the past years and it has emerged as one of the strengths of Next Plc, designing adult fashion wear for the people between 20-40. While some of its competitors have problems to satisfy this segment, NEXT managed it very well in the past, selling their stylish products at reasonable prices. WEAKNESSES E-COMMERCE Although Next Plc introduced its online shopping in 1999 and the entire collection is available to shop from on the internet, but Next Plc does not invest a significant amount on e-commerce as its competitors do. Debenhams for example invest approximately GBP 5m on internet technology while on the other hand Marks Spencer spend around GBP 50m on e-commerce and digital TV. Trend of internet shopping is increasing rapidly; therefore Next Plc should reconsider their IT strategy and invest more into e-commerce to stay in the competition. CONCENTRATED MARKET Next operates in a highly competitive retail clothing market, therefore there is concentration of similar type of clothing manufactures, e.g. Marks Spencer, Arcadia. This can damage Next, if competitors gain the market share or if consumers change their habits and Next does not adapt to these changes quickly. OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND INTO EU More than 90% of the revenue generated by Next Plc is within the UK under the brand names of Next Retail and Next Directory. However there is an opportunity to increase the revenue and sales by expanding its operation into EU countries. Next Plc has already its operations in mainland China, Hong Kong, Romania, Sri Lanka, India, Turkey but if it expands into EU it can diversify the risk of the concentration of UK retail market and the strength of Great Britain Pound over Euro, which currently is not that high due to the recession but in future this can be a good source of income. MARKETING OPPORTUNITY Next plc is already running a groundbreaking mail order operation Next Directory, which was launched in 1988 with a hardback, creating the blueprint for catalogue retailing. It is ranked number one among the High Street names that offer mail order clothing. This is an effective marketing techniques added by Next Directory, i.e. the online shopping service for its targeted age group 20-40 as they have little time to do their shopping. This could be a great opportunity for Next to increase its market share. THREATS COMPETITOR PRICE WAR The UK clothing retail industry is a highly competitive industry. Next Plc has over the past few years managed to compete very well and occasionally offering sale and promotions as well. However if cost-leaders retaliate this, it may have serious consequences as the business strategy of Next Plc is different to the cost-leaders, such as Primark, and it may not be able to compete with them in this area. Also indulging in a price war would mean that the quality of its products may have to be compromised. ECONOMY Due to the recent credit crunch, UK economy generally is facing a downturn. This has affected many industrys including retail. This is one of the main reason for the downfall in the revenue of Next Plc in 2009. The other worrying factor is the weakning of pound, this affects adversly to Next Plc due to its international suppliers. According to the analysts, UK economy will improve in 2010, and bringing back the sales for Next Plc. PEST Analysis Political: A stable and sound political environment is the basis for long-term decisions. The United Kingdom, as a Member State of the European Union, fulfils this prerequisite. The government has to act within a definite political framework to achieve the conditions of the European Union and this guarantees Next Plc a higher scope of economic actions. Another advantage of the European Union is the open transfer of goods. This makes it easier for Next Plc to sell their products in the different European countries. There are no trade barriers that aggravate sales. Economic United Kingdom had a stable economy in the last few years but since 2008, it is experiencing one of the worst recession in the history. This has affected almost all of the businesses in the United Kingdom. Due to this, Pound has become weaker than Euro and Dollar. This can be alarming for Next Plc, as these two are the main purchasing currencies oof the group. Secondly, due to this, foreign investments have become expensive for the group and it may become a hurdle for the group in order to expand overseas. The group now, can not exploit the favourable economic conditions of United Kingdom, when the Pound was exceedingly stong in the past few years where the group expanded its operaions the most. Social: The social structure has changed dramatically over the last few years. People are eager to find more convinent way to shop e.g internet shopping and shopping from home, due to the busy life and lack of time to go and shop from the retail stores. Nexts target customers are in the range of 20 to 40. People in this age group are much busier than rest and prefer to shop online, due to their interest in technology. In order to retain this customer age group, Next Plc must need to understand the needs of people and respond immediately. This will also result in customer satisfaction and an increase in market share for the group if it tends to satisfy its customers . Techinlogical: The age of Internet and the reception of new media reveal a lot of potential opportunities for Next Plc to boost profits Therefore the group relies heavily on its sub-brand Next Directory, through which customers can shop online, conveniently from home or through a mail order catalogue and the products are delivered the next day. Using this method the group can react instantly to changes in behaviours of its customers. 3.4 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE The activities of the company in recent years have resulted in an exceptional financial performance. 3.4.1 SALES REVENUE The sales revenue of the group increased reasonablly well in the two years 2006-2008. Revenue incresed from  £ 3106.20m to  £ 3283.80m during the year ended 27th January 2007 resulting in an increase of 5.71% and in the year ended 28th January 2008, revenue further increased by 1.37% showing a consistant performance. This was achieved by roburst performance of Next Directory, and an effective cost control system. These are good results in a period of economic slowdown and are a reflection of the efforts we have made in building and improving the Next brand. (John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) In 2009 the revenue of the group fell by 1.73% from  £ 3329.10M in 2008 to  £ 3271.50M in 2009. It was a tough year for the group, mainly because of the unstable economic conditions of UK as a whole, which began by the end of 2008 and still continues to worsen. Another reason for the decline in the turnover was the weakening of Great Britain Pound against dollar and euro, which are the main purchasing currencies of the group. But still the group did well to survive in these conditions and the management was pretty much optimistic about the financial conditions of the country. 3.4.2 PROFITABLITY RATIOS Gross Profit Margin The gross profit margin changed a little over the three years, this is because of the highly effective and efficient cost management of Next Plc. Revenue has increased over the years but the cost of sales hasnt changed much, proving that the group is cutting down its cost to save its customers from higher prices. In 2009, even under the tense economic conditions, the group has managed to decrease its cost of sales by 0.7% from  £2380m in 2008 to  £ 2,363m in 2009. This became possible due to the effective supplier management and good buying terms with its suppliers, even though pound got weaker against dollar and euro, which are the two main purchasing currencies of the group and higher tax rates, Next Plc aimed at reducing its costs rather than charging its customers with higher prices. Their response has been excellent,working hard with our suppliers to protect our customers from unaffordable price increases and our own margins, as far as possible. ( John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2009) Marks and Spencers G.P margin was 38.6%% in 2008 and this decreased to 37.2% in 2009. This shows that the economic conditions were affecting everyone. But still GP margin of Marks and Spencers is better than Next. This is due to the increased amount of revenue generated by Marks and Spencers over the years from 2007 to 2009, in contrast with Next Plc. Net Profit Margin In 2008 net profit increased by 0.68% from 15.45% in 2007 to 16.13% in 2008. This was mailny due to the increase in revenue and effective management of overhead costs. In 2009, net profit declined by 9.3% from 16.13% in 2008 to 14.62% in 2009. Along with the weak economic environment and the decline in sales, another reason for this decline was the 39.9% increase in the overhead costs since 2008. This increase in the cost was due to the overseas expansion of the operations and the investment to strenghthen the Next brand. We are also extending the Next Brand into new overseas markets where we believe there are opportunities to build profitable businesses. If this is successful it will bring new sources of growth over the longer term. (John Barton, Chairman Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) Our goal has been to put a little of the magic back into the Next Brand through our product ranges, marketing and shopfit (Simon Wolfson, CEO Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) In contrast to this, the Net Profit Margin of Marks and Spencers is quite low as compared to Next Plc. It showed a varied trend over the three year period, being 10.9% in 2007, increasing to 11.8% by the year ended March 2008. In 2009, net profit declined by 22.16% from 11.8% in 2008 to 9.6% in 2009. Marks and Spencers incurs a very high cost on its admin, selling and general expenses amouting to almost  £2400m on average every year where as, Next Plc incurs just  £ 345m a year. Return on Capital Employed The return on capital employed (ROCE) assesses profits with the amount of funds (capital) employed to make the profits. This increased from 49.77% in 2007 to -53.27% in 2008. This represents an increase of 3.5%. But due to the economic unstability, the group could not maintain its high ROCE over the years and it declined by 9.85% from 53.27% in 2008 to 43.42% in 2009. On the other hand Marks and Spencers ROCE in 2008 increased by 0.44% to 22.37%. In 2009, it declined by 9.75% to 12.62%. This difference shows that Next is managing its resources much better, despite the fact that the revenue generated by Next Plc is approximately 37% lower than Marks and Spencers. The reason for a low ROCE for Marks and Spencers is the high overhead costs. It must control its costs in order to generate a higher return and free up additional extra capital invested. 3.4.3 LIQUIDITY RATIOS Current Ratio: This is a measure of the adequacy of companys current assets to meet short-term liabilities as they fall due, i.e its a basic liqiudity ratio. A ratio between 1 and 2 thought to be a standard level of liquidity. Next Plcs current ratio was 1.33, 1.11 and 1.50 in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. This shows a healthy situation of the group as it has more current assests than its current liabiliteis as the ratio is greater than 1, therefore there does not seem to be any alarming situation for the group. If we compare the ratio of 1.50 in 2009, with the industry average of 1.93, it is very reasonable for the group but it can be improved by more efficient working capital management. Comparing the ratio to Marks and Specers, it was 0.52,0.59,0.60 respectively in 2007,2008 and 2009. This is because Marks and Spencers have a relatively high amount of current liabilities than Next Plcs, almost 30% more in year 2009. Quick Ratio: This differs from current ratio as it eliminates inventory from current assets providing a more useful position of the company to settle its immediate liabilities. Norms for quick ratios range from 0.7 to 1. Quick ratio of less than this is seen as a signal of illequidity. However, the trend of the ratio over time and comparison with the sector average are the most important indicator, as they are with current ratio aswell. Next Plcs quick ratio has been 0.82, 0.54, 0.93 for 2007 2008 and 2009 respectively. The ratio had a sharp decline in 2008 because of the  £242.7m short term debt raised by the company during the year in order to expand internationally. In 2009, the ratio was 0.93 which is quite good as compared to the industry average of 1.35. In comparison Marks and Spencers quick ratio was 0.22, 0.25, 0.30 in 2007, 2008 and 2009. This is quite alraming for the company as compraed to Next or the industry average, as it is very low. This is maily due to the high amount of debt finance invested in the group. This can be an alrming situation for the group as it can lead to illiquidity. This trend shows that Next Plcs in a better liquidity position and it may not face any problem settling short-term debts, whereas there may be pressure on Markss and Spencers suppliers. It indicates that Next Plc is making better use of its working capital. 3.4.4 GEARING RATIOS Capital Gearing Ratio: This indicates the extent to debt finance involved in a business. Next Plcs gearing ratio changed from 74.26% in 2007 to 111.22% in 2008 and 81.5% in 2009, whereas Marks and Spencers gearing ratio was 50.71% , 58.9%, 59.3% in 2007 2008 and 2009 respectively. In 2008, gearing ratio crossed over a 100% for Next Plc because of high level of debt taken by the group in order to finance the expansion and it exceeded the level of equity present in the group. We continued to invest in the Next Brand, spending  £39m refitting stores, maintaining advertising spend and improving the quality and design of our clothing and Home ranges (Simon Wolfson, CEO Next Plc, Annual Report 2008) Interest cover: The interest coverage ratio indicates the extent of which earnings are available to meet interest payments. An interest cover ratio of more than 3 times is considered safe as even if profits are reduced to half the company will still be able to meet its financing costs. Next Plcs had a very high interest cover of 15.37 in 2007. It then decreased to 12.38 and 9.74 in 2008 and 2009. On the other hand, the interest cover of Marks and Spencers showed a varied trend. It increased to 10.15 from 9.14 in 2008 and then decline by 51.6% to 5.24 times in 2009. Interest covere declined for both the companies in 2009. This was mailny due to the financial crisis the economy of UK is going through, but still it is much more than the safety margin i.e 3 times, therefore both the companies are in the position to settle their financial obligations. 3.5 INVESTOR OUTLOOK The earnings per share measures how much profit after tax is made for each individual share. (EPS) has been quite high for the group despite of the fall in the revenue in the 2009. The EPS of the group was 127.4p and it increased by 15.4% from 146.1p in 2007 to a record high of 168.7p in 2008. In 2009, EPS fell to 156p due to the fall in revenue. The continued use of surplus capital to buy back shares has again enabled us to deliver superior growth in earnings per share, our main financial objective ( John Barton, Chairman, Next Plc, Annual Report 08) The dividend per share of Next Plc was 44p and it then increased by 12.24% from 49p in 2007 to 55p in 2008. The group managed to maintain the same dividend per share of 55p in 2009, which is covered 2.8 times by earnings. Marks and Spencers EPS was 39.1p in 2007 and increased to 49.2p in 2008 before declining to 32.3p in 2009. The dividends per share were 18.3p, 22.5p, 17.8p in 2007,2008 and 2009 respectively. Despite having a very high EPS, the dividend payout ratio of Next Plc is much lower than Marks and Spencers. It was 33.5%, 32.6%, 35.2% in 2007,2008 and 2009 while the ratio of Marks and Spencers was 46.8%, 45.7%, 55.2% in 2007,2008 and 2009. This shows that Next Plc retains much of its profit as compared to Marks and Spencers. This can turn out to