I had experience scary,haunted hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

I had experience scary,haunted hotel - Essay Example The front desk was deserted, so I rang the bell and waited for someone to come and attend to me. I ended up waiting what seemed like a couple of hours even though in reality it was no more than two or three minutes. There was an eerie feel to the place. Part of me wanted to leave right then and there because I could sense that something was not quite right, but I needed a hotel room and there were very few rooms available in this town during the busy holiday season. Eventually a man dressed in a suit came down the stairs and introduced himself to me as the manager of the place. Before I could even enquire about a room, he immediately told me that I could stay in the VIP room for a discounted rate. This seemed too good to be true, but I took him up on the offer right away. The manager asked me if I could follow him upstairs so he could show me to my room and I promptly did. While going up the stairs, I noticed dark paintings on the walls of ghosts and skulls. An old man, probably one of the guests, came out of a room with a look of horror on his face. I stopped to see more of his facial expressions, but I was swept off my feet by a sudden gust of wind from down the corridor. The manager turned around with a smug look on his face and showed me into my room. One drawback to this room was that the lights did not turn on. As a result, the room was a little darker than usual, but I was not complaining since I was getting a discount. At that moment, the manager left the room and told me that he would be downstairs if I needed anything. I closed the door and lay down on the bed for a few minutes so I could gather my breath. Before long I had fallen into a deep sleep. A few hours later I woke with a hungry feeling in my stomach, so I got changed and headed out for a bite to eat. By this stage in was close to midnight, so I was not expecting for anyone else in the hotel

Euthanasia Essay Example for Free

Euthanasia Essay What is euthanasia? The simplest definition of euthanasia is just a painless death (Euthanasia). The word is most commonly used with when speaking about an animal that is suffering, â€Å"Oh what happened to your dog? † â€Å"He was unbearably ill so we had him euthanized. † However, euthanasia does not always apply to animals; it can be used in regard to any organism, including human beings. When humans put down animals there is never the question of why we should do it. The animal is most likely suffering and has very little to live for, and the decision to euthanize an animal is a much easier decision to make by virtue of it not being a human. But what if it were a human life? What if a fully autonomous individual wished for a painless release from their suffering? Would you let them do it? Would you intervene? How can you say whether or not that their decision is right when you have never experienced what they are? However, the overall arching question to euthanizing humans is, should it be legal? When ether was first used on October 16th, 1846 doctors of that time began to use the pain killer to relieve patients suffering at the ends of their lives (Accidental Inventions). It took only twenty-four years before a man named Samuel Williams proposed using the anesthesia to intentionally end an individual’s life. Williams’s suggestion sparked an argument that would last till the current day. However, a very heated portion of the debate on euthanasia took place in the thirty-five years following Williams’s assertion. The debate reached its peak in 1906 when a bill was pushed in Ohio to legalize euthanasia (the bill was defeated) (Emanuel). After 1906 support for euthanasia waxed and waned depending on the economic and political events of the time (i. . support was high during the great depression but then took a major blow when it was discovered to be used in concentration camps) (http://euthanasia. procon. org/view. resource. php? resourceID=000130). However, the history of euthanasia dates back much farther than just its debate in America. In fact, the issue of euthanasia dates back to the Roman Empire where physicians often preformed ‘mercy killings’ for patients (the doctors that did this were also doing it in violation of their Hippocratic Oath). After the Roman Empire the practice of euthanasia declined as the now dominant religion of Christianity opposed it. The following several hundred years saw a mostly one sided argument on euthanasia, until Samuel Williams began pushing for it in 1870. The following 130 years would see the most turmoil the debate on euthanasia had ever experienced, most of the argument taking place in America. Societies supporting euthanasia were formed, bills were proposed, economic climate changed people’s view of it, war changed their view again, petitions were made, and arguments over patient’s rights were had. After nearly 1900 years of nothing but opposition support for euthanasia picked up and fought back. The debate climaxed during the 1990’s with Dr. Jack Kevorkian starting to euthanize terminally ill patients who requested it of him. Dr. Kevorkian’s first assisted suicide took place on June 4th, 1990 and it wasn’t his last. Over the next eight years Dr. Kevorkian performed many euthanasia procedures the last being in November 1998 where Kevorkian showed the euthanization of a man on national T. V. , resulting in his arrest and his conviction the following year (Dowbiggin). Now, thirteen years after his conviction, Kevorkian is still a well known name, but whenever his name is used it is generally in a negative context. But should a man who helped so many people have his name sullied in such a manner? With Kevorkian’s arrest and conviction the major debate on euthanasia began to die down, leaving thirty-four states with laws that explicitly make euthanasia illegal, nine states with euthanasia governed by common law, five states have unclear laws regarding it, and only two states with legal euthanasia (Oregon and Washington) (Assisted Suicide Laws State by State). But should those be the only two states who allow their citizens the right to a graceful death? Should only 1/25 of the United States be given an option that should be available to all of the country? The lack of a legal euthanasia processes in forty-eight of the fifty states is an infringement upon United States citizens rights as human beings. In addition to completely fulfilling citizen’s civil rights a legal practice of euthanasia would save many people (including the government) money, and performing a euthanization would not even conflict with a doctors Hippocratic Oath as some people claim. The United States Constitution was written with the goal to set up a strong government that guaranteed the individual rights of her citizens. It states that citizens are granted â€Å"†¦certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. †(The Declaration of Independence). Should euthanasia not fall under the right to pursue happiness? When an individual is terminally ill their quality of life generally declines as they come to the nd of their life. A cancer patient who has struggled for years and is now losing their valiant battle will unfortunately not come to a graceful end. As the cancer cell begin to multiply and take over its victims can experience uncontrollable vomiting and voiding of the bowels, relentless pain, excessive bleeding from the smallest of cuts, drowning in their own bodily fluids, or dying from another horrific disease that slipped by the suppressed immune system (Orac). These are all possible deaths that one could experience from cancer, and not one of them is appealing, nor are these deaths limited to cancer alone there are many other types of ailments that can result in just as unpleasant deaths. If a patient is suffering from one of those diseases their last days alive will most likely be some of their most unpleasant. The unfortunate truth is that people suffering in such manners will most likely have little to no happiness left in their lives. There is only one path that can lead to some measure of happiness for those meeting such an unpleasant demise and that path is a graceful death. So if being released from one’s suffering brings happiness shouldn’t it be protected by the U. S. Constitution? In addition to the preamble of the Constitution supporting euthanasia there are two amendments in it that also support euthanasia. The Eighth Amendment states that there will be no â€Å"†¦cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. † (The United States Constitution). That amendment was established in order to prevent any torturing of prisoners; however, torture is defined as â€Å"extreme anguish of the body or mind; agony† and is that not the same denying someone euthanasia and letting them suffer for the remainder of their days (Torture)? The Ninth Amendment can also be considered as a safeguard for the rights of the terminally ill as it protect rights of any people not specifically mentioned in the Constitution (The United States Constitution), this can include the rights of the terminally ill to die. In order to protect the Constitutionality of euthanasia a federal law would have to be established that creates a legal euthanasia process. Such a law would be closely modeled after the laws in Oregon which sets out a specific outline for who can apply for euthanasia. This outline states that the individual must make three requests to die (two verbal and one written), be terminally ill with no more than six months to live, certified by two doctors that it is a serious request, checked to make sure that they aren’t mentally incompetent or epressed, informed of possible alternatives, and finally made to wait fifteen days to think it over (Euthanasia – Oregon’s Euthanasia Law). When a patient has finally gone through all of that the doctor then prescribes a deadly dose of barbiturates which the patient is allowed to pick up at their leisure and have the freedom of deciding whether or not to take it (A New Fight to Legalize Euthanasia). Such a law would limit any abu se as there is currently little to no abuse in Oregon already (Top 10 Pros and Cons). Even with a small amount of abuse the population of Netherland continues to support their euthanasia laws (Zurich Rejects ban on Suicide Tourism). However, even with strong Constitutional support and the experience of both a state and a country there is currently no push for a euthanization law in Congress, even though studies show that over 80% of adult American citizens support euthanasia (A New Fight to Legalize Euthanasia). Euthanasia is not only beneficial in the sense that it should be a civil liberty, but also it is economically beneficial. As cold and callous as that may sound euthanasia is a much cheaper, and much more pleasant, alternative to other treatments. The drugs required to euthanize an individual cost between $35 and $45 (Mathews) whereas the first six months of treatment for cancer range from $2,568 to $24,204 depending on the cancer type and severity (Costs of cancer Treatments). The cost for someone with leukemia is even greater, paying up to $150,000 for the first round of chemotherapy (Benzene and Leukemia). Those aren’t one time costs either, cancer treatments and treatments for other terminal illnesses can last for months or years and can rack up hospital bills in the range of hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. The real question though is who has to foot the bill? Well, for fifty million Americans who don’t have health insurance the answer is themselves, meaning they’re paying out of pocket thousands of dollars that they probably don’t have (Christie). There are also the people who are on Medicare or Medicaid who are now costing the government massive amounts of money for a treatment that may not work and could easily bring about more pain and suffering for a patient and their family. So if there is a family who can’t afford the treatments for a relative, and that relative has decided that there is no more they want to do with their life and that they are at peace and don’t want to spend months or years suffering horrendously, then that relative can choose an option that costs a mere $35 and saves hemselves from suffering and their family for descending into un-escapable debt (or pushing the government further into debt). Some of the opposition of euthanasia springs from the belief that euthanasia would break a doctor’s Hippocratic Oath as the general idea behind the Hippocratic Oath is the preservation of life. It is true that a version of the Hippocratic Oath says â€Å"I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Top 10 Pros and Cons). Another version of the oath has a similar statement, â€Å"†¦avoiding the twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism. That same version of the Hippocratic Oath also reminds the doctor to remember the effects a treatment could have on a patients relatives (Tyson). While the Hippocratic Oath may say it that a doctor should avoid ‘over-treating’ a patient it also says that â€Å"I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures that are required†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tyson). Well if the only benefit left to a dying patient is to do so with poise and dignity s hould euthanasia not be required (only if first requested by the patient of course)? Also, since the oath asks that a doctor keep in mind the effects on a patient’s relatives, shouldn’t a doctor be allowed to euthanize a willing patient to prevent the emotional scarring of watching a loved one die slowly and painfully? As for the preservation of life in the Hippocratic Oath one must ask, at what point is the life really worth living? When a patient reaches a certain degree of agony preserving their life would do more harm than good (Top 10 Pros and Cons). Though technically the Hippocratic Oath would actually be a non-issue, and there are two reasons for this. The first reason is that under the laws in Oregon (that a federal law would be modeled after) a doctor would not technically end the patient’s life; they would merely prescribe a lethal dose of barbiturates which the patient then takes (A New Fight to Legalize Euthanasia). The second reason is that since there are currently multiple versions of the Hippocratic Oath shows that it is an active and malleable document and subject to change at any point. Euthanasia is a touchy topic with many excellent points on both sides of the argument. Some people take issue with it for religious reasons and others condemn it for its use in Nazi death camps (Arendt, 53). But the only question that should be asked about legalization of euthanasia is, can you make that decision for everyone else? Should you make that decision for anyone when you haven’t experienced what they have? Unless everyone goes through the horrendous events that some of the terminally ill go through each day, there is no reason to not give them the freedom of a choice.

Understanding Wolff’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening Essay

Understanding Wolff’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening â€Å"Un-Utterable Longing† analyzes The Awakening from the diverse, yet overlapping perspectives of deconstruction, feminist/gender theory, new historicism, and psychoanalytic criticism. Much like Yaeger and Treichler, Wolff attributes Edna’s struggle and eventual demise to her failed search for a language that voices her (un)womanly desires. Wolff first adopts the new historicist viewpoint to situate Edna as a 19th-century southern woman, presenting a very real conflict between: the dominating values of her time and place; and her own innermost passions and needs. Wolff additionally deconstructs traditional ideals of sexuality, adultery, and gender roles while acknowledging the psychological turmoil and deterioration Edna experiences throughout the novel. Wolff’s essay, despite its faults, â€Å"combines perspectives† to provide a fuller representation, understanding, and appreciation of Chopin’s character and her story. Wolff begins by providing The Awakening’s historical background and the cultural obstructions hindering Edna’s sexual expression. Puritan conservatism had given way to Calvinist repression and it was believed as irrefutable fact that women only experienced the sexual impulse through their innate desire to procreate. Therefore, Wolff is able to claim that, â€Å"†¦ it is not enough to say that The Awakening is a novel about repression† (381). But rather it is, â€Å"†¦ about a woman whose shaping culture has, in general, refused her the right to speak out freely† (381). Here Wolff’s new historicist concerns provide not only an accurate backdrop, but a greater thematic interest. The novel is not just about Edna’s repression of her sexual feelings, but also about her societ... ...It is a fascinating and moving affirmation that Chopin is able to convey the success of feminine discourse through the trial and failure of her hopeless yet heroic character. However, given the bad reviews and the lack of attention her novel received, would it not also be the case that Chopin, like her character, failed to find an audience? If The Awakening failed to â€Å"speak† until fifty years after its publication, is that an indication of its failure or instead the failure of the early 20th-century readers? There seems to be a bit of a problem with Wolff’s argument here, for I do not believe that she would agree that Chopin’s lack of audience indicates her failure. Therefore Edna does not fail because she cannot find an audience, as Wolff asserts, but rather because she clings to the language of her society and does not invent a new one. That was left to Chopin.

Innocent Company Analysis

Innocent Company Analysis Table of Content Front sheet1 Table of Content2 Executive summary3 Introduction Internal analysis 1. 1 Mission, core values, and vision 1. 2Value Chain Analysis 1. 3Positioning Map 1. 4Success & Survival factors 1. 5Miles & Snow Adaptive Strategy External analysis 2. 1Segmentation Analysis 2. 2Porter’s five forces 2. 2Industry Life Cycle 2. 3PEST Analysis 2. 4Benchmarking analysis SWOT Analysis 3. 1Recommendations Executive summary: Introduction This report is an analysis about the company: Innocent Ltd.This company started its way in 1998 by three friends Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright and produces healthy drinks and food. Their current market share in the UK is now 78%. Internal Analysis The analysis of the company is started by the internal analysis that broadly examines the marketing practices, the values of the company, the value chain of the company, the positioning in the market, the vital success and survival factors and lastly the Mi les & Snow adaptive strategy. The company’s mission is to create a healthier lifestyle of the population by their products in order to ‘live well and die old’.This is supported by their vision that states that they want to become the earth’s favourite little food company and according to one of their values; creating a business they can be proud of. Moreover, as part of  the  internal analysis, a Value chain analysis has been carried out for Innocent Ltd. The value chain analysis identifies primary and support activities critical for the company’s success. Factors of the companies value chain within their primary and support activities seem very promising and are significant in the success of Innocent Ltd; their current market share of 77. 5% can support this.Nevertheless it is crucial that the company preserves consistency throughout their activities in order for them to sustain profitability, thus maintaining competitive advantage. Based on th e positioning map, Innocent found and filled a gap in the market and is free from its competitors based on quality and price. It is a premium product, however customers are willing to pay for this premium price due to its quality. In order to survive in the industry, it is vital for the company to maintain their innovative and creative marketing campaigns by taking customer preferences into account.In order to succeed, international markets for a huge opportunity for the organization. Due to this international expansion, the company could start to make more use of economies of scale, which increases the margins. The analysis have shown that organization can be seen as a prospector, due to the fact that they have changed the industry or actually started an industry, of healthy smoothies. They are continuously pro-active rather than re-active. External Analysis To move on with the External Analysis of the company, starting with the segmentation analysis.This shows that Innocents custo mers are mainly located in North-Western Europe and countries such as Austria and Switzerland. Based on the demographics, people that buy innocent are between 18 and 40 years old that are business people, mothers, on-the-go people and sports people that mostly come from the AB socio-economic group. The customers identify themselves with the brand and are as well believers and strivers. Their behaviour shows that they are enthusiastic and image seekers (because they find it cool to drink innocent).The porters five forces analysis shows that the competitive rivalry, buyer power and threat of substitutes form the biggest threat for the company. Potential entrants and supplier power are identified as a lower threat due to the fact that it costs a lot of money in order to compete with companies such as Innocent and enough suppliers are present that offer natural fruit products. Luckily enough for Innocent Ltd, the industry is still growing and therefore it can be argued that the industry is in its growth phase, even though they had some struggles with the recession.The PEST-Analysis is used to describe the macro environment of innocent on the subject of political/ legal, economic, social and technological aspects. The government cuts, 5 a day campaign and tax increase play an important role regarding the political issues in the macro environment. It is expected, that the economic climate as well as the smoothie market will improve in the future. The trend for healthy eating and the ethical behavioural consciousness plays a main role in this. It is also expected to have lots of innovation and communication developments regarding he technological macro environment. The benchmarking analysis in this report is applied as well in order to identify the main competitors of Innocent Ltd and to compare those companies with the organization. This analysis shows that Introduction: Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright founded innocent in 1998. (Below) They bought ? 500 wort h of fruit and set up a stall at a music festival in Parsons Green, London, selling smoothies. At the stall, the guys put up a sign asking ‘’should we give up our day jobs to make smoothies? ’ They had two bins; one labelled ‘’YES’’ and the other ‘’NO’’ and they asked people to vote using their empty bottles. By the end of the day the ‘’YES’’ bin was completely filled up. This made them decide to start Innocent as a new business. Reed stated ‘’Innocent was born from a bin test’’. (EN, the magazine for entrepreneurs, 2011) (CarMicheal, A, Photography, 2009) They worked hard to gain their capital to realize Innocent as a business; unfortunately they were refused finance from various mainstream banks.With perseverance they managed to source their capital from Maurice Pinto, an American, London based businessman who provided them with the ? 250,000 needed capit al. Pinto has since admitted to having made this decision more out of a sense of obligation than in the expectation of the kind of return he’s made on it – one of the best of his life, it turns out. (EN, the magazine for entrepreneurs, 2011) ‘’The idea was a simple one, like most good business strategies† Reed says. (EN, the magazine for entrepreneurs, 2011) Just over a decade later, Innocent now has an annual turnover of around ? 10m, has been growing by 20% year on year and currently has a around 75% share of the UK smoothies market. (BBC New- Business, 2010). The company now produces more than 30 different recipes and sells more than two million smoothies each week through 10,000 retailers in the UK and overseas. (Young, 2009) Internal Analysis 1. 1. 1Mission statement â€Å"To make natural, delicious food and drink that helps people live well and die old. † (Innocent Ltd, 2011) With this mission statement Innocent emphasises that they prod uce products that are natural and good for you.They explain that the products deliver a boost to vitality and because the products are 100% natural and healthy people will live longer by making their immune system stronger after consuming the vitamins. Ultimately their mission is that they want people to consume as much fruit and vegetable as possible in order to make society healthier. (Innocent Ltd. , 2011) 1. 1. 2Vision statement â€Å"Becoming ‘the earth’s favourite little food company. † (Innocent Ltd. , 2011) A vision statement is something a company aspires to become it should be a projection for the future of the company and where they want to grow. Ward, S 2011) Innocent wants to become the earth’s favourite little food company. Currently they have managed to attain 78% of the smoothie market (source %) in the UK and in the past 2 years Innocent has introduced new products to their brand, which means they are working towards their vision statement . 1. 1. 3Core values Core values hold the foundation to how a company performs. The core values of a company are constant and mark the way a company interacts, produces and presents itself. (NPS, 2010) Innocent has set 5 core values to their company; each value has an individual meaning explained below:Be natural Innocent produces products that are 100% natural, taste good and are healthy to consume. Being natural goes hand in hand with their mission statement where they aim to make society healthier. Be entrepreneurial Innocent started their company by seeing an opportunity; they first sold their smoothies at a music festival in London where they initiated their entrepreneurial approach. Innocent strives to be the best they can be and continuously incorporates creativity into their company to become better than the rest.Be responsible Innocent finds it important to stick to their core values and principles thus they want to be responsible for what they produce and how they educate the consumer. Be commercial Innocent is a commercial business and operates that way. Ultimately the profit they generate is a profit for both them and the customer. Innocent incorporates commercial behaviour in order to be tough and fair to the competition. Be generous Lastly Innocent finds it important to be generous and give back what they can to society.They are involved in various organizations for a good cause and have even set up their own Innocent foundation that provides sustainable farming for a secure future for farmers that produce Innocent fruit. (Innocent Foundation Ltd. 2011) Other organization they are involved are: The big knit (Age UK), innocent scholarship foundation, childcare vouchers, drinks for the homeless, buy one get one bee, taste not waste. (Innocent Ltd. 2011) 1. 2Value Chain Analysis Value Chain Analysis: ‘’The term value chain describes a way of looking at a business as a chain of activities that transform inputs into outputs that customers value.Customer value derives from three basic sources: activities that differentiate the product, activities that lower its cost, and activities that meet the customers’ needs quickly. ’’(Mulleady, F, 2011) Businesses often used the Value Chain Analysis to understand and examine different activities within the business, which contribute to customer value, which they aim to generate to help them gain competitive advantage. Michael Porter suggested that the activities which take place within a business can be grouped under two headings, primary activities and support activities.Primary Activities: Inbound logistics: Innocent produce their products from 100% natural goods, which adds to their overall image as a healthy food and drink label. Due to their values, Innocent do not use concentrates of any kind as they feel that they are very bad for you and hardly contain any original goodness which comes from a fruit. The majority of their products are smoothies, whic h are made from 100% real crushed fruit with no added ingredients or materials. Their other products such as the veg pots contain fresh vegetables, whole grains with herbs and spices.The soundness and efficiency of raw materials is high at Innocent as they link extremely well with the overall image of the company and what they aim to deliver to their customers. Operations (Manufacturing): The company headquarters, also known as the ‘Fruit Towers’ is located in Shepherds Bush, London. This is where the company is based and where the main operations and manufacturing of the products takes place. They have 150 people working for them at the ‘Fruit Towers’ and 250 acorss 9 other offices around Europe. In these offices, the recipies are made, the products are produced and packaging is carried out.A lot of effort is put into their packaging, here are a few examples: Excellent level of efficiency regarding productivity, quality and the layout and work flow design at operations at Innocent. Friendly working environment with an overall low staff turnover. Outbound logistics: Innocent products are sold over 10, 000 retailers, compared to 1 in 1999. Their retailers include supermarkets such as Asda, Tesco’s, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. (Innocent Website, 2011) Due to the accuracy and effective production line, the outbound logistics, which include the delivery of the inished goods and services, are all very efficient. Marketing and sales: * Identified customer needs: Innocent identified that there in today’s society, with worth ethics increasing rapidly and people always on-the-go, that people don’t have enough time to be healthy. So they decided to offer customers healthy products to help them towards consuming their 5 a day fruit and veg. * Innovation in sales promotion and advertising: excellent level of advertising with the main ones including Posters on public transport, television adverts which are very fun and or iginal, press adverts and billboards.Expanding by the year. Service: * ‘Banana phone’-deals with all consumer queries, good and bad comments, which are then passed on to the ‘Peoples champion’ * Email-Website has a list of name and image of all employees and a link to email them directly! * Post * Blog/Facebook/Twitter They fulfil the significant role of giving customers full attention when it comes to after care, complains, customer inputs for product improvement, their promptness in dealing with customer complaints and quality of customer education. Support activities: General administration: They now have 36 different products compared to 3 which they has in 1999. Innocent have the ability to identify new product and market opportunities. * Seem to work well in achieving their objectives which are mainly to provide fresh and healthy products * Their co-ordination and integration amongst all of the value chain factors is good-This is evident with their cu rrent market share of 77. 5% which has come from a result of their increasing number of employees, increasing their productivity and therefore increasing their retailers from 1 to 10,000 in just over a decade.All of this success has meant that 2 million smoothies are now sold a week which compares enormously to 20 per day sold in 1999. (Innocent Website, 2011) * Excellent Public image Human Resource management: * Generally the staff turnover seems to be low which is excellent for the company as the staff have a great level of knowledge about the company as a whole. * The working environment is very enjoyable and fulfilling for the employees. This effectively minimises absenteeism and keeps the staff turnover as a desirable level through motivation and job satisfaction.Technology development: * Staff carry outstanding ability of creativity and innovation * Experience of technicians such as the recipe maker is very good 1. 3Positioning map The perceptual map is a geometric comparison of how competing products are perceived; the dimensions used on the two axes represent the key attributes as seen by the consumer. It is used to generate knowledge about the parity and difference between competing products. (Fill, 2009) Innocent is placed at the high quality/slightly expensive point compared to its competitors.It could be said that Innocent has the perfect position as its closes competitor, Grove, is of lesser quality and is more expensive and not a lot of other competitors are nearby. The fact that there are not a lot of competitors in the area of Innocent shows that the company saw a clear opportunity in the market. As can be seen in the map, the position low quality/expensive is completely empty; this is probably because of the fact that low quality/expensive products in general are not that successful. (Fill, 2009) Looking at the perceptual map, it can be assumed that one of the factors that makes Innocent Ltd. arket leader is that they fill a gap in the market and had the first-mover advantage. 1. 4Survival & Survival factors Survival factors: In accordance to the report of Global Industry Analysts Inc, the global smoothies market will increase to 9. 0 billion in 2015. In order to survive in this market, it is vital for the company to keep the innovative and creative marketing campaigns alive. Although it seems to be that there is enough space for all competitors to expand, Innocent should be careful in their approach.Taking the customers preferences into account plays a main role in this process without ignoring the financial stability of the company. Success factors: Regarding the report discussed in the previous paragraph, exploiting international markets seems to be an attractive opportunity for Innocent Ltd. This will also increase the applicability of economies of scale for the company, which could have positive effects on costs as well as revenue. Strong relationships with suppliers and distributors will be needed, even strategic a lliances and collaboration forms a success factor of the company.Well-structured and carefully composed contracts should ensure the positive effects these attributes will have on the organization, such as; higher revenues, higher margins and therefore higher profits. Maximization of revenue and minimization of costs will enhance the financial capabilities of the companies, which can be used for marketing campaigns and investments in further developed technology in order to create even more sophisticated smoothies. Another essential success factor for Innocent ltd. is to stay ahead of competition, being pro-active instead of re-active.This should be accomplished by creative marketing campaigns and brand loyalty of the consumer. 1. 5Miles & Snow Strategy Analysis External Analysis 2. 1Market Segmentation Analysis A segmentation analysis is needed in order to identify the characteristics of the market population. The analysis is split up into four segmentation areas; geographic, demogr aphic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation respectively. According to the geographic segmentation, Innocent is distributed in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Finland, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland.However, future expansion could lead to a wider geographic area covered by the organization. In respect to the demographic segmentation, the company is aiming for hard working professionals that are interested in a healthier lifestyle, mainly between 18 and 40 years old. The income of the market is therewith above average (ABC1), due to the fact that the drinks are relatively expensive and mainly used by business people with a modern and trendy lifestyle. The people that buy innocent drinks psychographic identify themselves with the brand and feel therewith connected by the innovative and achievement focused approach of the organization.According to Innocent drinks, one of their key approaches is â€Å"to leave things a little bit better than we find them†. Therefore users of the products are also believers and strivers by supporting this organization. The psychographic part of the market segmentation might also be that the people feel good by drinking or eating the products, due to the fact that the products are healthy and the fact that the organization has its own foundation (Innocent Ltd, 2007) Customers of Innocent definitely can be segmented by behaviour.The marketing of innocent is making them enthusiastic about the brand and it becomes ‘cool’ as well to consume the products of Innocent. The market can therefore partly be seen as image seekers. The people that actually buy the products are young business people, mothers that buy these products as an alternative for the unhealthy sodas and fast food and people that often work out. Even though the company has the largest market share, still a lot of people don’t know the brand due to its short existing period. The group of first-time and po tential users is therefore attractive for the business.The marketing campaigns of Innocent should ensure that the brand awareness of the company increases. 2. 2. 1Market Segmentation summary: Geographic segmentation: | North-Western Europe| Demographic segmentation: | Business people + Mothers + On-the-go people + Sports people + People under 35 + AB socio-economic group| Psychographic segmentation:| Innovators, achievers, believers & strivers| Behavioural segmentation:| Enthusiastic, image seekers, first-time and large amount of potential users. | 2. 2Porters Five Forces Force| Ranking1 = no threat4 = big threat| Industry Analysis| Potential Entrants| 1| High start-up costs|Competitive Rivalry| 4| The juice market is very big with a lot of competitors| Buyer Power| 4| A consumer can easily switch brands| Supplier Power| 2| Many suppliers available| Threat of Substitutes| 4| A lot of substitute drinks for smoothies| The Porter’s five forces model is a holistic way of looking at the industry of interest and it shows whether it is interesting or not to enter a certain industry. The model does not only look at competition in the industry, but also at the threat of substitute products and services and new entrants, and the power of suppliers and consumers. Porter, 2008) Looking at the smoothie industry, the first force â€Å"potential entrants† is ranked with a one, which means that is this force is not a big threat. Although a lot of new smoothies enter the market every year, in general these come from established producers, for example Starbucks. (Innofood, 2011) A barrier for new entrance could be the high start-up costs. The second force â€Å"competitive rivalry† is ranked with a four and therefore a threat in the industry, this means that there are a lot of companies competing in this industry.Examples of main competitors of Innocent Ltd. are Tropicana, Grove, Ella’s Kitchen. â€Å"Buyer power†, the third force is ranked wi th a four, this is often the case in a highly competitive industry with a lot of different brands. Consumers can choose out of many different products, which makes it harder for companies to make them loyal to their brand. In the smoothie industry the fourth force â€Å"supplier power† is ranked with a 2 because their are many suppliers available in this industry and this makes it easy for companies to switch suppliers.The fifth and final force â€Å"threat of substitutes† is of course a four as there are a lot of substitute drinks for smoothies, water, soft drinks etc. The smoothie industry does not look too â€Å"sexy† considering the model. High competitive rivalry, buyer power and threat of substitution make it a difficult industry to be successful and thus profitable in. Low threat of new entrants and supplier power are interesting but do not weight off the other forces. (Porter, 2008) 2. 3Industry Life Cycle An Industry life cycle shows in what stage an or ganization is in the cycle of their life.An industry life cycle consists of four stages, introduction which is a stage for start-ups with a new product or within a new industry. The growth stage follows after, this is when a company expands, introduces new products and grows within the industry. The maturity phase is where a company is in consolidation it also shows a slowing in growth. Lastly the decline stage means sales are decreasing, company reached its peaks and during this stage a company could ultimately die. (Inc. 2011) Innocent ltd is currently positioned in the growth stage of their life cycle.They started with a healthy company and within the last 13 years (since 1998) the company grew towards a market share of 78%. In the past 2 years Innocent has been exploring new grounds and introducing new products to their company such as fruit tubes for kids and microwaveable food pots for those who need a quick meal. Innocent has yet to introduce more products and thus has not re ached the maturity stage yet. In recent years the smoothie industry has become more popular because people become more health aware and smoothies manage to tap into the health and convenience trend of today.The smoothie industry has exceeded into a growth stage and according to research is growing towards a continuously expanding market size which indicated the industry will remain in the growth stage for a long period. (Lloyd, A. 2011) 2. 4PEST Analysis Political: 5 A Day Campaign: Innocent profits from the ‘5 a day’ campaign the government and the NHS support. It states that: The Government recommends an intake of at least five portions of fruit or vegetables per person per day to help reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease and many other chronic conditions (NHS, 2011).One Innocent Smoothie provides 2 of the daily-recommended intake of 5 portions (Innocent, 2011). Government Cuts: Due to the current recession and a deficit of 156 billion pound, the government decided to save 6. 2 billion in the financial year 2010-11. This includes for example less spending on Civil service pay and the Home Office and therefore less purchasing power for these occupational groups (BBC, 2010). This might affect Innocent sales, because consumer might switch to cheaper brands or stop purchasing Smoothies at all, as Smoothies are relatively pricey and considered to be a tread or a luxury product, not an essential (Mintel, 2011).Corporate Tax decrease: The UK government has decided to reduce the corporate tax to 26% in 2011 and again in 2012 to 25%, compared to 28% what it used to be before (Directgov, 2010). This leads to an increase of revenue for Innocent. VAT increase: On the 4th of January the value added tax where increased to 20 per cent, former it was 17. 5% for standard-rated goods, which includes Smoothies, because they are rated as beverages(Directgov, 2011). In November 2010 Innocent unsuccessfully filed a suit against the 17. % of VAT that was cha rged on their products. They argued, that Smoothies are like â€Å"liquefied fruit salads†, because the raw materials for their drinks are Value added tax free (Helen and Hawkes 2011). But it was declared that a Smoothie is not an essential drink or aliment, but of luxuries, therefore a VAT of 17. 5% was applied (now 20%). This implicates a disadvantage for Innocent, because without the 20% VAT Innocent, could lower prices and increase sales or just have a 20% higher profit margin. Economical: Forecasted future growth in the Smoothie market:The overall trend in the Smoothie market in the UK regarding to sales is ascending. It is expected that sales will increase again from a total of 143 million pound in 2011 to 179 million pound in 2016. After sales have been declining from 2007 till 2009. The expected market growth is an opportunity for Innocent to increase their sales and therefore revenue. (Mintel, 2011) Expected bettering of the economic climate: As one can see in the gr aph, GDP in the UK has started to increase again since the 2nd quarter of 2009.Till the 3rd quarter of 2011 there has been a gain in GDP of about 3. 1% (Office for National Statistics, 2011). The treasury expects further growth in GDP over the next years as well as a decline in the unemployment rate. This will have positive effects on the future spending power of consumer, influence purchasing decisions and strengthens consumer confidence (HM Treasury, 2011). Premium brands such as Innocent will profit from an overall economic growth, because during recessions consumers will at first cut their spending on luxury, not essential good.Source: HM Treasury, (2011). Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts Source: HM Treasury, (2011). Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts Social: Trend for healthy eating and convenience: In the UK society there has been a long-term trend for healthy eating and convenience food. Innocent benefits fro m this trend because Smoothies and Innocent have the reputation to be healthy as well as their products are an easy way to eat five portions of fruit/vegetables on a daily basis in an increasingly fast moving society (Mintel, 2011).Awareness of ethical behaviour: Corporate Social Responsibility tends to be important to consumer, where more than three fifths of consumers believed it important that a company act ethically. Although during the recession this attitude change during the recession, where people were more concerned about their personal wealth and spending. Innocent with its core value being sustainability, profits from the consumer awareness on ethical behaviour of firms and therefore might experience an increase in its brand reputation and brand awareness (Mintel, 2011). Demographics:Most consumer who buy Smoothies are under 35 years old and those in the AB socio-economic group. Because they are more concerned about health and diet. The Graph shows that overall the UK pop ulation is aging this will lead to an increase of the population of consumers between 25-34, which are most likely to by Innocent products. Therefore Sales are expected to increase. But on the other hand, the over 55s are a large segment and are unlikely to purchase Smoothies (Mintel, 2011). Technological: Innovation: Ethical packaging and healthy products are the two main attributes the firms in the market concentrate on.Hence the firms focus on developing new ways of ethical and sustainable packaging, like Innocent, who introduced a bottle made of 100% recycled plastic(Mintel, 2011). Moreover the companies are trying to producer their products with as little additives as possible to bring forward the naturalness of the product. Another important factor for the firms in the market is the innovation of new recipes in order to attract new costumers, for example children or older people. Communication: â€Å"Above-the-line investment in the smoothies market rose by almost 50% in 2010 , to ? 6. 1 million. Due to the fact that all the products in the smoothies market are substitutes and switching costs are low, the companies have to build a relationship with the costumer in order to keep them buying their product. Political * Government cuts * 5 a day campaign * Tax increase (VAT) * Decrease of Corporation Tax| Economic: * Expected bettering of the economic climate * Forecasted future growth in the Smoothie market| Social * Trend for healthy eating and convenience * Awareness of ethical behaviour (CSR) * Demographic| Technological * Innovation * Communication| . 4Competitive Benchmarking Analysis | Innocent(Innocent ltd, 2011)| Tropicana(Tropicana, 2011)| Ella’s Kitchen(Ella's Kitchen ltd, 2011)| Market Share(Lloyd, A. 2011)| 78%| 3%| 2%| Target Market| Business people, mothers, sports people, on-the-go people| Only available for supermarket shoppers. Mothers (children, babies)| Competitive Advantages| 100% natural, strategic alliance with coca cola, | Inte rnationally established| Specially for babies and small children (stages), added value less costs | Core competencies| Brand advertising and communication| World leader in fruit juice manufacturing| Wide product range (drink, food and snack)| Competitive Strategies| Differentiation| Cost leadership| Differentiation Focus| CSR activities| Big knit (Age UK), innocent scholarship foundation, the innocent foundation, childcare vouchers, drinks for the homeless, buy one get one bee, taste not waste. |Expending carton recycling, waste reduction efforts, bottle recycling, rainforest rescue, PepsiCo sustainability. | Eco offices, terra cycle, recyclable packaging, super schools| Competitor ranking| X| 1| 2| Competitive benchmarking is a continuous process of comparing the output, performance and practice of an organization to its direct competition. The matrix gives an overview of the different aspects of Innocent and its closest competitors; Tropicana and Ella’s Kitchen. The matrix above shows that Innocent is a well established and growing company with an incredible market share of 78% in the UK smoothie market.The close competitors only share a 5% market share, the remaining market share is either by very small brands or own brands such as Tesco and Waitrose. Looking at the target market there are some variations, Ella’s Kitchen has a narrow focus on mothers who feed their babies and small children. Tropicana is generally only available to people shopping at supermarkets and Innocent is available in numerous locations from supermarkets, vending machines to supermarkets which means its accessible to the mass public and thus has the largest target market. (Mintel, 2011)Moreover, Innocent prides itself on it products being 100% natural and this is therefore a competitive advantage because very few competitors can state that they only use pure fruit without any processing such as pasteurization. Tropicana uses a pasteurization process in their juice, whic h makes it less healthy than innocent. (Tropicana, 2011) The strategic alliance with Coca-Cola can on one hand be a competitive advantage because Innocent can you the power Coca-cola has but on the other hand Coca-cola could be a bad influence and bad for their eco reputation.Tropicana has a competitive advantage over Innocent and that is that they already are international established and far greater than innocent has. Ella’s kitchen has a competitive advantage oriented towards their target group. They are considered a solid competitor in the smoothie industry and their major customer is the mother, which means that a majority of the target group ‘mothers’ favours ella’s kitchen over the others. Now about the core competencies, innocent has a very popular and a unique brand dvertising and communication that makes them differ from the others and stand out. Tropicana is the world leader in fruit juice manufacturing which is what makes them stand out and las tly Ella’s kitchen has a very wide product range but does compete high up in the smoothie market. When we look at competitive strategies we know that Innocent has a differentiation strategy because they have a broad target and their products are differentiated from the competition. Tropicana on the other hand has a cost leadership approach because they also have a broad target but low costs.Lastly, Ella’s Kitchen uses the strategy differentiation focus because they have a narrow target and a differentiation approach. (Institute for manufacturing, 2011) Finally when looking at the CSR activities all three companies are involved with corporate social responsibility but Innocent is definitely the leader and even has their own foundation. Overall we ranked Tropicana as a stronger competitor. SWOT Analysis All information gained from the tools is used to compose the SWOT analysis. The strengths and weaknesses of Innocent ltd. re derived from the internal analysis of this re port. To start with the main strengths of the organization, the market share of 78% in the UK smoothie market is definitely a strong point of the company. Moreover, the closest competitors (Tropicana ; Ella’s Kitchen) only have three and two percent respectively. This shows the power of Innocent ltd. in the smoothie market. In addition to their power, the brand awareness and the brand image of Innocent is therefore very high. The organization focuses on charity work and wants to ‘leave things a little bit better than we found it’. Innocent ltd, 2011) They have won several business awards such as the Barclays Green Leaders Business Award and the Business Commitment in 2008. Furthermore, their premium quality of their products differentiates themselves from their competitors and forms the basis of the brand loyalty and the cause of their high market share. The Banana phone and the AGM days support the customer loyalty due to the fact that it increases the involveme nt of customers in the organization. Their market share, brand loyalty and close retailer relationship support another strength of the company, which is that the roducts are placed at eye-height in the supermarkets and in clear sight at other retailers such as Starbucks. Despite of the many strengths of the company, our internal analysis of the organization also showed some weaknesses. The first weakness of the company is the price inflexibility, which means that the prices of smoothies are dependant on the prices of food. Furthermore, the competition remains a weakness of the company, due to the fact that established companies such as Starbucks are now starting fruit bars as well, which could negatively affect the sales of the Innocent products.Furthermore, the internal analysis showed that the organization is highly dependant on their smoothies sales. This is a weakness because when the sales or trend of smoothies declines, the whole revenue and profit of the company will decline as well. This is also mainly due to their narrow target market, which is the AB socio-economic group, that intensively reacts on the state of the economy. In times of recession, the smoothies are seen as luxury products, which cause a decline in sales during this time.To go on with the opportunities and threats gained from the external analysis. According to reports used in the analysis, the international smoothie market will be worth 15 billion in 2015, which causes a major opportunity for the company to go global. In addition, the government is supporting healthier lifestyles with the 5 a day campaign and the trend is to buy and eat organic healthy food, which could benefits Innocent as a healthy business in the future. In addition to this trend, an opportunity for Innocent is to differentiate more on healthy products.They already did with their veggie pots, however there are lot more opportunities for more healthy foods and drinks. Lastly, the strategic alliance with Coca-Cola mi ght negatively as well as positively influence Innocent Ltd. An opportunity for the company is to make more use of strategic alliances or partnerships in the future, which for example, could benefits and support the international expansion. And lastly, the external analysis showed some threats that could affect the business negatively. Firstly, it is necessary to monitor the competition in hat they are doing and anticipate on them in order to maintain their ‘prospector’ status according to their Miles ; Snow adaptive strategy. In addition, the prospector strategy could also lead to losses due to the risk that is associated with this strategy. Another threat is the fact that Innocent’s products are highly linked to the economic climate, with fewer sales in times of recession. Furthermore, substitute products form a threat for the company, for example when other soft drinks become healthier; the consumers could decide to buy those instead of the healthy innocent dr inks.And lastly, as discussed in the opportunities paragraph, the controversial alliance with Coca-Cola could negatively influence the brand image of Innocent Ltd. Appendix †¦ shows the overview of the SWOT analysis. Recommendations The strategic alliance with coca-cola can have a negative impact on the company, thus Innocent needs to be solid in not adapting the culture of coca-cola and stick to their own eco approach. If coca-cola influences them they might lose their CSR aspects.Another point is that Innocent has a very narrow target market and only AB socio economic people can afford to buy the products regularly. Innocent is also highly dependant on food prices, which are linked to the economic climate. If there is a change in the economic climate prices might increase which will affect their narrow target group even more. In order to avoid such a problem Innocent needs to stick to their prices or even try to lower them and possible increase sales because the demand will b ecome higher from a larger target group.Lastly, many companies such as Starbucks are also starting fruit bars and or juices which can ultimately become a threat to Innocent but in order to remain market leader in the smoothie industry Innocent should stick to their 100% natural policy and due to the current health trend the healthy consumer will prefer Innocent over the others. There are very few competitors that can also incorporate the 100% natural policy, they will also add sugars, additives or pasteurization processes which makes the product become less healthy hence if Innocent remains a healthy product they will always have a competitive advantage.ReferencesBBC Business news. (2011). Richard Reed, Innocent Drinks. Available from: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news /business- 11551271. [Accessed 01. 11. 2011]BBC, (2010). Spending Review: Cuts watch, department-by-department. [online]BBC News. Available from: http://www. bbc. co. uk/news /uk-politics-10924719 [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].Bu siness Dictionary 2011, Competitive Benchmarking [online], Available from: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition /competitive- benchmarking. html [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011]CarMicheal, A. (2009). Innocent. Available from: http://www. allycarmichael. om/photo_ 6035145. html. [Accessed] 29. 10. 2011]Directgov, (2010). Corporation Tax rates. [online] HM Reveue ; Customs. Available from: http://www. hmrc. gov. uk/rates /corp. htm [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].HM Treasury, (2011). Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts. online] Available from: http://www. hm-treasury. gov. uk /d/ 201111forcomp. pdf [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].Innocent Ltd. (2011), Innocent & Business Purpose, Vision and values [online], Available from: http://www. innocentdrinks. co. uk/careers/business/purpose/ [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011]Innocent Foundation Ltd. (2011), about the foundation [online], Available from: http://www. innocentfoundation. org/ [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011] Innocent Ltd. (2011). G allery. Available: http://www. innocentdrinks. co. uk/ bored/ gallery/. [Accessed: 04. 11. 2011]Mintel Group Ltd, (2011). Smoothies-UK-October 2011 Strength and Weaknesses. [online] Available from: http://academic. mintel. com/ sinatra/ oxygen_academic/ display/ i [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].Mulleady, F (2011). Strategic Perspectives. London: McGraw-Hill Education. p. 147-151. NHS, (2011). Why 5 a day?. [online] NHS. Available from: http://www. nhs. uk/ Livewell/ 5ADAY/ Pages/ Why5ADAY. aspx [Accessed 9. 12. 2011].NPS (2010), What are Core Values? [online], Available from: http://www. nps. gov/ training/ uc/ whcv. htm [Accessed: 11. 11. 2011]Office for National Statistics, (2011). GDP and the Labour Market. online] Available from: http://www. ons. gov. uk/ons/ dcp171780_242980. pdf

Social Phobia

Social Anxiety Disorder: Social Phobia The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines social anxiety disorder as a marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur (DSM). Exposure to these situations provokes an immediate anxiety response such as a panic attack (DSM). In order to be diagnosed, fear or avoidance of these situations must interfere significantly with the person’s normal routines, occupational or academic functioning, social activities or relationships, or a person must experience marked distress about having the phobia (DSM). In 400 B. C. , Hippocrates described a young man that displayed the symptoms of a social anxiety disorder. â€Å"He dare not come in company for fear he should be misused, disgraced, overshoot himself in gesture or speeches, or be sick; he thinks every man observes him† (Burton 2009). Throughout the 20th century, psychiatrists described extremely shy patients as having social phobia and social neurosis. British psychiatrists Isaac Marks and Michael Gelder proposed that social phobias be considered a distinct category separate from other simple phobias (Hope, Heimberg, Juster, & Turk 2005). In 1980, the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders introduced social phobia as an official psychiatric diagnosis. Social phobia was described as a fear of performance situations, but did not include fears of informal situations such as casual conversations or social situations. Patients with broad fears were likely to be diagnosed with avoidant personality disorder, which could not be diagnosed in conjunction with social phobia (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003). In 1985, psychiatrist Michael Liebowitz and psychologist Richard Heimberg initiated a call to action for research on social phobia (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003). Due to the lack of research on social anxiety disorder, the disorder came to be known by many as the â€Å"neglected anxiety disorder† (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003). In 1987, the DSM-III-R introduces changes in some of the diagnostic criteria. To diagnosis social anxiety disorder the symptoms must cause â€Å"interference or marked distress† rather than simply â€Å"significant distress. † It also became possible to diagnose social phobia and avoidant personality disorder in the same patient (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003). In 1994, the DSM-IV was released, and the disorder was defined as a â€Å"marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or possible scrutiny by others† (Weiner, Freedheim, Freedheim, Reynolds, Miller, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, Nelson, Gallagher, & Nelson 2003). The etiology of social anxiety disorder is largely attributed to genetics, and environmental factors. Family studies of individuals with social anxiety disorder show a higher incidence of the disorder than that found in the general population, and a twin study found a concordance rate of 15. % in dizygotes and a 24. 4% concordance in monozygotes (Kedler, Neale, Kessler, Heath & Eaves 1992. ). Of course, there is very little evidence that the genetic factors attributed to social anxiety disorder extend beyond the link between environmental factors since there is very little evidence of neurobiological factors. Other than the fact that se lective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective treatments for social anxiety disorder, there is little evidence to implicate dysfunction of the serotonergic system (Jefferson 2001. . The lack of empirical data identifying neurobiological factors in causing the onset of social anxiety disorder is best stated in a quote by Dr. Murray B. Stein, a Professor of Psychiatry and Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of California San Diego, â€Å"It is clear that we have a long way to go before we can speak with authority about the ‘neurobiology of social phobia’† (Stein 1998. ) Therefore, environmental factors remain the most referred to etiological agent in the onset of social anxiety disorder. Parenting traits such as over control, lack of warmth or rejection, and overprotection are known to be associated with the etiology of social anxiety disorder (Brooks, & Schmidt 2008). Some individuals with social anxiety disorder associate its onset with a specific social event or interaction that was particularly embarrassing or humiliating. Such a circumstance could be considered an adverse conditioning stimulus (Jefferson 2001). There is further evidence that poor results from quality of life assessments can be attributed to social anxiety disorder. Individuals with major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder have substantially poorer quality of life than community comparison cohorts. In many cases, the quality-of-life impairments associated with these anxiety disorders are equal to or greater than those seen with other chronic medical disorders (Rapaport, Clary, Fayyad, & Endicott 2005). Social anxiety disorder is a common disorder. The lifetime prevalence of SAD is somewhere between 7% and 13% in Western countries (Furmark 2002). Furthermore, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that social anxiety disorder is the most widespread of all the anxiety disorders, and the third most common psychiatric disorder after major depression and alcohol abuse (Brooks, & Schmidt 2008). Therapy and medication are the most common treatments for social anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most utilized form of psychotherapy, and has been found to be successful in seventy-five percent of patients (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). This type of therapy focuses on reminding the patient that it is their own thoughts, not other people or situations, that determine how they behave or react (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). In therapy, the patient is taught how to recognize and change the negative thoughts they have about themselves (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). Exposure therapy is also a common form of treatment for social anxiety disorder. In this type of therapy, the patient is gradually exposed to situations that they fear most (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). Exposure therapy enables the patient to learn coping techniques, and develop the courage to face them (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). The patient is also exposed to role-playing with emphasis on developing the skills to cope with different social situations in a â€Å"safe† environment (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). There are several medications used to treat social anxiety disorder. These medications are typically serotonin reuptake inhibitors including Paxil, Zoloft, and Prozac (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). A serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) drug such as Venlafaxine may also be used as a first-line therapy for social anxiety disorder (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). Typically, the patient begins with a low dosage, and is gradually increased to a full dosage, to minimize side effects (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). It may take up to three months of treatment before the patient begins to have noticeable improvement of symptoms (â€Å"Social anxiety disorder,† 2009). Social anxiety disorder remains a largely misunderstood, and under researched, disorder. Momentum through increased clinical research, in depth understanding through treatment, and stricter guidelines for proper diagnosis are positive indications that Psychology has recognized the debilitating effects of social anxiety disorder on patients. In time, clinicians will be better prepared to treat patients suffering from this disorder, and will improve the lives of patients. References Brooks, C. A. , & Schmidt, L. A. (2008). Social anxiety disorder: a review of environmental risk factors. Neuropsychiatr Disease and Treatment, 4(1), Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. ih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515922/ Burton, Robert. (2009). The Anatomy of melancholy. Charlottesville, VA: The University of Virginia. Furmark T. (2002). Social phobia: overview of community surveys, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 105, Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/11939957 Hope, Debra, Heimberg, Richard, Juster, Harlan, & Turk, Cynthia. (2005). Managing social anxiety. New York, NY: Oxf ord Univ Pr. Jefferson, J. W. (2001). Physicians postgraduate press, inc.. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 3(1), Retrieved from http://www. cbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC181152/ Kedler, K. S. , Neale, M. C. , Kessler, R. C. , Heath, A. C. , and Eaves, L. J. (1992) The genetic epidemiology of phobias in women: the interrelationship of agoraphobia, social phobia, situational phobia, and simple phobia. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. Rapaport, M. H. , Clary, C, Fayyad, R, & Endicott, J. (2005). Quality-of-life impairment in depressive and anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162(6), Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/9861470 Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). (2009). Mayoclinic. com. Retrieved (2010, April 25), Retrieved from http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/social-anxiety-disorder/DS00595/DSECTION=treatments%2Dand%2Ddrugs Stein, M. B. (1998). Neurobiological perspectives on social phobia: from affiliation to zoology. Biological Psychiatry, 44(12), Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/9861470 Weiner, Irving, Freedheim, Donald, Freedheim, Donald, Reynolds, William, Miller, Gloria, Gallagher, Michela, Nelson, Randy, Gallagher, Michela, Nelson, Randy, Gallagher, Michela, & Nelson, Randy. (2003). Handbook of psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Free Essays on Nike

From 1948 to 1973 Bill Bowerman was the head track coach for The University of Oregon, in Eugene. He was also an Olympian and an Olympic track coach. These were only some of his small steps he had taken towards rewriting to scrip for the new generations of athletes. In 1957, Phil Knight joined the University of Oregon track team as a middle-distance runner. Knight after receiving his degree in accounting from Oregon, he went to Stanford in hopes of an MBA. Soon after Knight graduated from Stanford he took a tour around the world. While traveling, Knight stopped in Japan to contact Onitsuka Tiger Company, who manufactures quality athletic shoes. His hopes were to convince them there were great marketing opportunities for their product in the United States. Knight was able to persuade them to manufacture his athletic shoe by telling Onitsuka Tiger Co. he owns his own company, which he called Blue Ribbon Sports. Now all Knight needed was some help to market and finance the start up cost of the company. In 1962 he returned to Eugene, Oregon, home of his former track coach and at that time still the powerhouse of American track and field. Knight approached Bowerman with a business plan for bringing low-priced, high-technologic, athletic shoes from Japan and marketing it in the U.S. Knight’s hopes were to remove the German domination in the U.S. athletic footwear industry. By early 1963 Bowerman and Knight formed a partnership under Blue Ribbon Sports. After each partner contributed $500 and shook hands, they started importing their Tiger shoes. Their first shipment of 200 shoes from Onitsuka Tiger Co. arrived in December of 1963. Knight, who worked for an accounting firm, used his spare time to promotion and selling the Tiger Shoe. He early distribution efforts were to sell the shoe out of his parents’ basement and out of the back of his car at local and regional track meets. Pretty soon, shoes from Blue Ribbon S... Free Essays on Nike Free Essays on Nike Do most consumers shop with a â€Å"social conscience?† (Think about it. Are you aware of where the products you purchase are made and under what conditions they are manufactured?) When consumers buy products, without knowledge of their origins, they could easily be breaching their own code of ethics. This is clearly seen in an assortment of industries. Each year hundreds of companies employ foreign labor for low wages and in terrible working conditions. For example, much public attention had been brought to Kathy Lee Gifford and her â€Å"sweatshops† overseas, as well as other unfair labor practices in third world countries. One of the greatest participants in this mistreatment of workers is the Nike Corporation. To earn the maximum profit for their products, Nike exploits thousands of workers each year by offering them diminutive wages and the worst conditions to work under. When famous athletes endorse Nike and consumers continue to purchase their products, they only encourage and support these inhumane practices causing them to virtually go unnoticed (Greene, 1998). Last August Donna Greene of the New York Times conducted an interview with Dr. Fredrica Rudell, Associate Professor of Marketing and Chairwoman of the Department of Marketing and International Business at Iona College in New Rochelle, on the subject of shopping with a â€Å"social conscience.† Dr. Rudell, who has chaired the Environmental Concerns Committee of Iona’s Peace and Justice Program for sixteen years, believes that each time a consumer buys a product he or she casts a â€Å"vote for the company that made the product†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Greene 1998). Dr. Rudell points out that companies respond well to what the consumers have to say, citing the environmental and health movements as examples. The Nike Corporation, unsurprisingly, was mentioned several times during the interview. She criticized their labor practices and pointed out that until the public pressured Nike ... Free Essays on Nike Introduction Timing Nike’s success can be attributed to the era of â€Å"fitness craze† in 80s, when indoor activity like aerobics became enormously popular. There was a revolutionary change in how people perceived about sports. No longer sports were regarded as merely for recreation. Rather, sports are essential in order to live in healthy and productive life. More and more people start to exercise among poplar ones were jogging and aerobics. As result, demand for athlete footwear increased. In 80s, Reebok with their stylish â€Å"FreeStyle† shoes, specifically for indoor activities, was number one at the time. But, very soon eventually Nike would take over Reebok and become dominant force in athlete footwear and apparel industry. Marketing Strategy Probably the most important marketing strategy( and very successful one) was endorsement of top athletes in every sport. It is this strategy that enable Nike to extend its popularity â€Å"beyond one segment, but in to children’s men’s, women’s and all the levels (cross-training, basketball, etc.)†( Peedin: 3).Endorsement was the primary weapon being used to attain its goals to dominate the market. Nike was pioneer in endorsing famous athletes to promote the products. It was not after proving the effectiveness of endorsement, other companies, such as Reebok, followed the footstep of Nike. First athlete to be endorsed was running star Steve Prefontaine in 1973 . Then came along with Jimmy Connors, tennis star in 1974. And in 1985, Michael Jordan, the most important athlete Nike ever had(Peedin: 3). The strategy was to make connection between products and athletes, not to emphasize the product itself in advertisement. To do so, Weiden & Kennedy, Nike’s advertising company, applies â€Å"image transfer†(#1). It is a method â€Å"to create a mood, an attitude, and then associate the product with that mood†. A connection implies that the best athletes prefer Nike products. For example, one c... Free Essays on Nike Nike is in the footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products industry. All of Nike’s chief products are athletically inspired. Its footwear consists of Men’s, Women’s, and Children’s shoes; further subdivided into the following categories: Running, Basketball, and Cross-raining. Nike’s shoes also address the market for outdoor activities. Its thorough response to these activities has been the introduction of the following shoe designs: tennis, golf, soccer, baseball, football, bicycling, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, aquatic activities, street/roller/ice hokey, and hiking. Nike is further addressing new niche markets every year. The principal products used in Nike’s footwear products are natural and synthetic rubber, plastic compounds, foam cushioning materials, nylon, leather, canvas, and polyurethane films used to make AIR-SOLE cushioning components. The main components used in making Nike’s apparel products are natural and synthetic fabrics and threads, plastic and metal hardware, and specialized performance fabrics designed to repel rain, retain heat, or efficiently transport body moisture. As of last year, Nike’s sales revenue was approximately $10.697 billion. The mix of Nike’s product sales varies considerably due to changes in seasonal and geographic demand for particular types of footwear, equipment and apparel. During fiscal 2003, Nike’s sales in the U.S. accounted for roughly 49 percent of total revenues as opposed to 51 percent in international markets. Total assets in 2003 were approximately $6.714 billion. This was comprised of cash and equivalents of $634 million, inventories of $1.515 billion, and working capital of $2.665 billion. As of May 31, 2003, Nike employed approximately 23,300 people. It is interesting to note that there has never been a material interruption of operations due to labor disagreements. Nike’s domestic distribution centers for footwear are loca... Free Essays on Nike Nike In today’s society, companies are striving for excellence. There are not many companies out there that we can say are excellent. The ones that we say are excellent have become that way because they have succeeded in four different areas, consumer excellence, product development, good promotional planning, and sponsorship. Nike has succeeded in all four areas and has benefited tremendously in their efforts to establish themselves as the top sportswear selling company in the world. Nike designs, develops, and markets high quality footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessory products. Nike is the largest seller of athletic footwear and athletic apparel in the world. They have been around for many years and have developed themselves as the most popular brand name in the sportswear industry. The company sells its products to approximately nineteen-thousand retail accounts in the United States and through a mix of independent distributors and licensees in approximately one hundred and forty countries around the world. Continuing, consumers around the world have become very loyal to Nike’s products and services. One of the main reasons why Nike has become so successful is because their consumers are extremely loyal and continue purchasing their products year after year. As expected, there are tremendous amounts of people ranging from the ages of five to eighteen purchasing Nike footwear and apparel. What society hasn’t expected is that people also ranging in age from twenty to forty year olds purchase Nike products. Males dominate most of Nike sales because in the past Nike has marketed their products to mainly male athletes. This is overwhelmingly true of course, but what Nike is now trying to do to make things both male and female orientated by intensifying the competition in the women’s market. They have recently hired Clare Hamil to VP of Women’s Business and are formatting a new unit to focus on w... Free Essays on Nike Introduction Former University of Oregon track coach and co-founder of Nike Bill Bowerman once said: â€Å"If you have a body, you are an athlete!† (NikeBiz) This way of thinking is how Nike conducts every aspect of their business. Every person is a potential athlete or â€Å"consumer†. This is a common term when used in the realm of athletics but when Bill Bowerman said this it was in direct reference to the shoe industry. From their marketing strategies to their selling philosophies, Nike has developed one of the most recognizable and demanded name and logo tandems ever. Nike, which is the Greek Goddess of Victory, was born in 1972 when BRS, Blue Ribbon Sports, launched its first branded shoe at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. A former University of Oregon track team member Phil Knight created Blue Ribbon Sports. At Oregon, Knight was coached by the legendary Bill Bowerman and then went on to become and alumni of the Stanford School of Business. BRS was crafted in 1962 when Knight made a deal with Onitsuka Tiger Company, a Japanese shoe company, to import their shoe to the United States. Knight had the idea to sell a low cost shoe with a very high quality. Knight had high aspirations of taking Adidas out the top spot in the athletic shoe market. In 1964, Bill Bowerman decided to join Knight as a partner at BRS to create a joint quest to be number one. Bowerman redesigned the Tiger shoes while Knight acted as the accountant/personal seller and went on the road to sell their newly crafted sneakers at track meets and local shoe stores. By 1966, Blue Ribbon Sports opened their first store in Portland, Oregon. Knight and Bowerman managed the store with the only other employee being a former Stanford runner Jeff Johnson. (story/chrono, 1) Signing First Endorsers During 1971, BRS caught a break when a trading company called Nissho Iwai introduced BRS to important letters of credit. This credit allowed BRS to subcontract it... Free Essays on NIke From 1948 to 1973 Bill Bowerman was the head track coach for The University of Oregon, in Eugene. He was also an Olympian and an Olympic track coach. These were only some of his small steps he had taken towards rewriting to scrip for the new generations of athletes. In 1957, Phil Knight joined the University of Oregon track team as a middle-distance runner. Knight after receiving his degree in accounting from Oregon, he went to Stanford in hopes of an MBA. Soon after Knight graduated from Stanford he took a tour around the world. While traveling, Knight stopped in Japan to contact Onitsuka Tiger Company, who manufactures quality athletic shoes. His hopes were to convince them there were great marketing opportunities for their product in the United States. Knight was able to persuade them to manufacture his athletic shoe by telling Onitsuka Tiger Co. he owns his own company, which he called Blue Ribbon Sports. Now all Knight needed was some help to market and finance the start up cost of the company. In 1962 he returned to Eugene, Oregon, home of his former track coach and at that time still the powerhouse of American track and field. Knight approached Bowerman with a business plan for bringing low-priced, high-technologic, athletic shoes from Japan and marketing it in the U.S. Knight’s hopes were to remove the German domination in the U.S. athletic footwear industry. By early 1963 Bowerman and Knight formed a partnership under Blue Ribbon Sports. After each partner contributed $500 and shook hands, they started importing their Tiger shoes. Their first shipment of 200 shoes from Onitsuka Tiger Co. arrived in December of 1963. Knight, who worked for an accounting firm, used his spare time to promotion and selling the Tiger Shoe. He early distribution efforts were to sell the shoe out of his parents’ basement and out of the back of his car at local and regional track meets. Pretty soon, shoes from Blue Ribbon S...

5 Ways to Prove Your Workplace Leadership Skills

5 Ways to Prove Your Workplace Leadership Skills This time of year is pretty blah†¦the holidays are long over, and you’re so far into your new year resolutions that- let’s be honest- you’ve probably lost track of them. It’s time for a jumpstart! One way to get back into your fresh January groove is to start building your leadership skills at work. These strategies can help you set yourself up for success for the rest of the year, even without that lovely new goal scent.1. Steer conversations.This is not to say that you should bully people into a particular outcome, or try to establish a particular point of view. This means stepping up when there’s a group situation, and making sure everyone stays focused on the task at hand. If a meeting seems to be meandering away from its purpose, be the one to say, â€Å"That’s great, but can we clarify how that applies to X?† or â€Å"I think that’s a great point, and we should set up some time to talk more about it after we finish u p here.† This not only keeps your attention where it should be, but it also shows people you’re committed to getting things done.2. Be proactive.Whenever possible, don’t wait for assignments to fall in your lap, or for your boss to tell you the next steps. Try to figure out what the next steps will be. And if they fall within your role, confirm that you’re handling them.If you’re not positive what the next steps are, confirm with your boss that you think X, Y, and Z need to be done- does she agree? Or if it’s clear that a group email conversation is slowly turning into a death spiral of unproductiveness, set up a meeting (with a set agenda) where everyone can call in or get in the same room to hash things out.Notekeeping is a great way to be proactive. In meetings, jot down notes about who was there, what major points were discussed, any open questions that still need to be answered, and whatever the next steps are. Then email them to everyon e who was at the meeting, ideally the same day. It may sound tedious, but it shows everyone that you’re taking the initiative to own the process. And it may save the day when, three days later, everyone’s having the same discussion over email, and you can be the hero who steps in with the reminder of what was already discussed/decided.3. Ask for feedback†¦This isn’t just a give-and-take between boss and employee. You can apply it to your meetings and everyday interactions with colleagues too. If you run a regular meeting, ask the attendees if the format works for them, or if there are any changes they’d like to see. (This can be done discreetly, over email.) Ditto for any workflows or processes that you’re in charge of running. It shows that you’re actively interested in making things better for everyone involved.4. †¦and be prepared to give it.This is an area that calls for your best workplace diplomacy- and it’s not an ope n invitation to criticize people. If you think a process could run more efficiently, and you have an idea of how to do it, pull your coworker aside and ask if he has thought of doing it a different way. It’s very collaborative, and can build your relationships as well. Don’t be afraid to share your (polite and professional, please) opinions!5. Be a single-tasker on big projects.If you have a high-profile task or project, set aside time that’s devoted just to that project. Most of us have jobs that require juggling a number of tasks and projects at once- but for top priorities, make sure you have time built into your schedule when you can concentrate fully on one at a time. No email, no new requests, no meetings.If your concentration is best in the morning, block out an hour or two right when you get in the office. If you have your best ideas late in the day, set a 3 pm â€Å"hunker down† time. The idea is to show commitment to your highest priorities, and develop the confidence to say, â€Å"This is what I’m working on right now† without letting others distract you.Even if you’ve let your workplace goals, uh, lapse a little, don’t sweat it- it happens to everyone at some point. But you don’t have to wait for the end of the year to start fresh. A little stepping up goes a long way, and you can start building your leadership skills ASAP.

75 Synonyms for Angry

75 Synonyms for Angry 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry† 75 Synonyms for â€Å"Angry† By Mark Nichol Are you angry? At the risk of infuriating you, or making you apoplectic or exasperated, here are dozens of words to use to describe your choleric condition more precisely: 1. Acrid: extremely harsh (also refers to an unpleasant taste or smell) 2. Acrimonious: harshly unpleasant 3. Aggravated: angrily agitated 4. Angered: made angry 5. Annoyed: angry about being disturbed or harassed 6. Antagonistic: angrily opposed 7. Antipathetic: expressing antipathy, or aggression or aversion 8. Apoplectic: violently angry, from the adjectival form of apoplexy, the former word for stroke 9. Ballistic: explosively angry, from the adjective describing projectile flight 10. Bellicose: aggressively angry, from the synonym for warlike 11. Belligerent: see bellicose 12. Bitter: harshly upset due to resentment 13. Blue in the face: see frustrated, from the idea of facial discoloration caused by extreme emotion 14. Boiling: extremely angry, with the figurative sense of being agitated like heated water 15. Bristling: defensively angry, suggestive of an animal’s hair bristling as it responds to a threat 16. Burning: extremely angry, from the notion of the body overheating because of the intensity of feeling 17. Caustic: cruelly angry, or sarcastic 18. Cheesed off: see frustrated (can also mean â€Å"bored† or â€Å"disgusted†) 19. Choleric: easily angered 20. Churlish: disrespectfully angry 21. Cold: angry in an emotionally remote manner 22. Contrary: uncooperatively angry 23. Cool: angry but with emotions are held in check 24. Embittered: made upset 25. Enraged: violently angry 26. Exasperated: see frustrated 27. Fired up: see hot 28. Fit to be tied: extremely angry, suggesting that the person angered should be restrained 29. Foaming: so angry as to suggest insanity caused by hydrophobia (rabies), from the idea that foaming at the mouth is symptomatic of the disease 30. Frustrated: angry or upset because of obstacles or challenges 31. Fuming: extremely angry, from the association of the person with a volcano or other heated natural phenomenon 32. Furious: intensely angry 33. Going crook: losing one’s temper 34. Hopping: so angry as to suggest that the person might jump up and down to express or assuage anger 35. Hopping mad: see hopping 36. Horn-mad: extremely angry 37. Hostile: actively intimidating, unfriendly, or resistant 38. Hot: angry, with the sense of physical discomfort caused by emotion 39. Hot under the collar: see hot 40. Icy: see cold 41. Incensed: see indignant 42. Indignant: angry because of a real or perceived slight or unjust attack 43. Inflamed: see hot 44. Infuriated: see furious 45. Irate: see furious 46. Ireful: see irate 47. Livid: intensely angry to the point of being unable to control oneself (livid, however, can also mean â€Å"bruised,† â€Å"pale,† or â€Å"colorful,† with the second sense associated with pain, shock, or fear) 48. Mad: angry; this term has so many other senses and is so easily replaced by any of its many synonyms that it is all but useless except in a statement starting with â€Å"I’m so mad I could . . .† 49. Outraged: angry about an offense 50: Perturbed: upset (also means â€Å"confused†) 51. Pissed off: angry 52. Rabid: see foaming 53: Raging: see furious 54. Rancorous: malevolently angry 55. Rankled: angry or resentful 56. Ranting: irrationally angry 57. Raving: see ranting 58. Riled: upset 59. Roiled: see riled 60: Seeing red: so angry that one’s vision is blurred, or one is stimulated as a bull in a bullfight 61. Seething: repressing violent anger 62. Shirty: angry 63. Smoldering: see seething 64. Sore: see indignant 65. Soreheaded: see indignant 66. Steamed: see hot 67. Steaming: see hot 68: Storming: having a temper or an anger suggestive of stormy weather 69. Stormy: see storming 70. Ticked: angry; also â€Å"ticked off† 71. Vitriolic: see caustic 72. Worked up: upset 73. Wrathful: see furious 74. Wroth: see furious 75. Wrought up: see â€Å"worked up† (This list deliberately omits annoyed and its synonyms, which are numerous enough to merit their own list.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryHyper and HypoEducational vs. Educative

The Confederacys Defeat in the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Confederacys Defeat in the Civil War - Essay Example The Confederacy lost the civil war to the Union, which consisted of the Northern states, and there are many reasons that are considered as being explanatory for this. From the very beginning of the war, the North had a number of advantages over the South, and they basically had large amounts of everything while the South had hardly anything at all. The Union had large amounts of land, and an ever-growing industry, while the South basically had only one main cash crop: cotton. This is one of the most major reasons as to why the Confederacy suffered defeat in the Civil War - they made a serious mistake by believing that its thriving cotton industry would be enough to sustain itself throughout the war, and they soon realized that their assumptions had been far off. The North were much more successful in regards to their decision making and other strategies, and although the Civil War was absolutely a trying time for both the Confederacy and the Union alike, the fact is that the question of the outcome was quite obvious from the start. The South was very ill-equipped and not prepared enough, while the North was prepared to endure the deprivation of war, and not only that, but as well, just to further add on to the dilemma of the South, they were basically sucked dry of any semblance of economic formidability, while for the North the war was actually economically beneficial, as even after only the first year of the war they found that they were experiencing an enormous industrial boom. From this we can conclude several different things in particular, namely the fact that the main reason the Confederacy suffered defeat in the Civil War is because they were not prepared. They did not strategize properly, and they were not at all financially prepared before or during the time of the war. The South had actually originally counted on the North not being able to keep themselves in the war, and assumed that they would eventually give up and thus allow the South to secede, however this did not happen, and this was largely in part due to the resolve of Lincoln. It has been considered as well that the longer the war went on, the more and more the North's odds of winning increased, and eventually the South was doomed. Reconstruction: A Success or a Failure Reconstruction was an attempt that was made during and after the Civil War by the United States in order to attempt to resolve the issues that existed from the war when both the Confederacy and slavery were destroyed. It was truly an era of unprecedented and severe political conflict and of incredible change, and this reconstruction of the United States was carried on by President Johnson after the assassination of President Lincoln, during the years 1865 and 1866. The reconstruction period was - and still is - considered as being a time of great hardship for the United States, and President Andrew Johnson is considered as being one of the most major and key players during this time, as it was he who was faced with the task of having to reunite the North and South together after the drama and severity of the Civil War. Basically the reconstruction was a period when all people needed new and enforced human rights, even African Americans, as up to this point they were a minority group which had no rights and were still considered as being less than full people in a society that proclaimed and

United States Supreme Court Case Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

United States Supreme Court Case - Term Paper Example ht to bring claims against the private sector on the neglect of the Clean Air Act if the Environment Protection agency fails in its part in the regulation of the emission of the gases by the power plants1. Connecticut v. American Electric Power Company, Inc. case was since filed by 8 states in 2004. This involved the New York City and 3 private petitioner environmental organizations up against the activities of an assortment of electric service companies. It was asserted by 2 complainants public nuisance under the state common law and the federal law as claims and argued that the natural resources as well as the human health will continue to suffer under the adverse effects of global warming. The plaintiff sought for the courts to have a resolution that would have the companies their carbon dioxide emanations. It was argued by the plaintiff that the power companies infringed on the public rights through the violation of the national common law of interstate nuisance or the alternative state tort law2. The plaintiff sought a decree that would set emissions of carbon dioxide and other green house gases for each of the defendants at the initial cap to be reduced annually. The complainants were dismissed by the district court in New York which was presiding over the case on the view that the case raised political inquiries that were thought to be inappropriate for a judicial resolution. It was argued by the court that the issues on climate change that had been presented by the plaintiff would require a delicate balancing of the environment, foreign, economic policies and the interests of the national security. This, the court argued that would be better handled by the political branch of the government rather than the judicial3, arguing further that ruling on such a matter would be tantamount to the court abrogating the role of the Congress to set legislations and standards for hearing such a case. The Supreme Court in 2007 ruled over the Massachusetts v. EPA, 549