Introduction of Pampers Swaddlers Diapers to PriceSmart Inc.

MADD proposition against DRUNK DRIVING essays

MADD proposition against DRUNK DRIVING essays Drunk driving is a dangerous problem that blankets American society. The continuous and ongoing threat of being involved in an accident with a driver under the influence of alcohol has risen since the year 2001. Despite the ongoing efforts of organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), alcohol related deaths have increased 5.2% over the course of last year. MADD has concluded that this condition is unacceptable, and intends to turn this condition into a social problem. Therefore, as of November 21, 2002, MADD has decided to propose a new campaign as part of their incessant effort to abolish drunk driving, Get MADD all Over again, in order to raise awareness and enhance the efforts to control this problem. MADD was founded in 1980 in order to support the victims of drunk driving incidents. Their mission is to stop drunk driving and prevent underage drinking. As of today, MADD has more than 600 affiliates and two million members and supporters. The social condition that has been established and confronted is the fact that underage drinking and the percent of accidents involving drivers under the influence has gone up. MADD is determined to turn this condition into a social problem. According to MADD, they urged the nation to adopt its eight-point plan to jump-start the war on drunk driving. Of the general driving age public, 98 percent see drinking and driving as a threat to their personal safety, and 86 percent feel it is very important to do something to reduce the problem, (Gallup Organization, 2000). The plan urges citizens and leaders to Get MADD All Over Again and calls for widespread use of sobriety checkpoints and other highly visible enforcement efforts, tougher laws for the more serious DUI offenders, court monitoring programs, higher beer excise taxes, enacting stronger seat belt laws, reducing underage drinking, and establishing a National Traffic Safety fund...

Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 18

Annotated Bibliography Example On the other hand, Carriveau is also based at the University of Windsor but in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. This research paper highlights the engineering issues associated with the turbine blades that come as a result of exposure to different conditions, namely, the Nordic, warm-humid, and desert-like environments. These conditions have been found to affect the surface of blades negatively. In addition, there is the threat by insects, which destroy the blades thereby power generation by the windmills (aerodynamic efficiency) is substantially reduced. It is apparent from the literature review by the authors that the current strategies that have been used to combat the inefficiency of the blades have caused a substantial reduction in income. Through their studies, the authors conclude that the perfect intervention would be a single surface engineered coat that would ensure that the destruction of the blades is minimized. The suggested coating is that of silicon-epoxy-based resins. This research paper was published on the Surface & Coatings Technology journal in 2008 depicting the resistance to corrosion by electroless nickel phosphorous (ENP) coatings on glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP), the most common material that is used in the construction of turbine blade, this follows the destruction of the blades by harsh weather conditions as well as other destructive substances. Through the research, the role of ENP coatings was elucidated. The research is focused on improving the efficiency of tapping wind energy. To develop a strategy of enhancing the efficiency and durability of the turbine blades, a uniform ENP coating was placed on each of the GFRP substrate through electroless plating. The amount of phosphorous in the ENP was inversely proportional to micro-porosity and directly proportional to thickness of the ENP coatings. It was therefore established that high content

Christian Louboutin (shoe designer) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Christian Louboutin (shoe designer) - Essay Example Christian Louboutin is a prominent French designer whose footwear has entailed shiny, red-lacquered soles, which have grown to become his signature. Christian Louboutin can be regarded as one of the most creative and prominent designers working today. Initially, his unique red-soled shoes were seen as a top secret treasure of an elite circle of Louboutin enthusiasts; nevertheless, sustained media attention has introduced Louboutin to the world and heralded unparalleled levels of popularity. As a result, Louboutin is worn by both fashion insiders and fashion-mindful celebrities and stylish women. The research of Christian Louboutin (shoe designer) is critical and should be understood by designer practitioners who strive to create unbeatable, unique brands. The essay seeks to engage students within a search for and analysis of contemporary design research. Background Louboutin started sketching shoes in his early teen years at the detriment of his academic endeavours. Louboutin had minimal formal training comprising of drawing and decorative arts at the Academie d’Art Roederer. For more than two decades, Louboutin’s designs including boot made from various animal hairs and a towering ten-inch slipper has been a market leader of luxury shoe design. The multiplicity of detail, form, and style are embodied in Louboutin’s shoes and designs can be regarded as reinforcing the allure of his one-of-a-kind creations (Welters and Lillethun 2011, p.511). Louboutin’s success can be partly linked to his love of travel, entertainment, and architecture, which guarantees that no two pairs of shoes are analogous (Craik 2009, p.29). Louboutin entered into the fashion industry in 1982 when he started as an intern at Charles Jourdan. For the subsequent decade, Louboutin learned his craft as he freelanced for high-profile fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent and Chanel. It was in 1992 that he launched his first shoe boutique in Paris, a number that has risen to over twenty five boutiques across the globe. Louboutin’s sought to avail his clients with an unbeatable experience, given that for each collection that he produced he would select artisans with certain skills, maintaining that it was essential to have his shoes crafted by skilled craftspeople rather than modern, mass-production machines (Welters and Lillethun 2011, p.512). Louboutin’s unique designs can be regarded as mainly influenced by fantasy, sex, and playfulness (Vartanian 2012, p.8). Discussion Louboutin’s distinct designs and signature features red-sole, high-heeled shoes are highly popular, especially among celebrities. Lo uboutin applies individualized approach when designing his collections to guarantee that he generates consistently innovative and desirable collections. His designs can be regarded to be in different, but highly appropriate design. This reinforces the notion that Louboutin’s shoes are not simple pieces of clothing, but also pieces of art (Renfrew and Renfrew 2009, p.117). Louboutin managed to develop an unmistakable signature by ensuring that all of his shoes featured bright red soles. A characteristic pair of his luxury shoes might also feature a stiletto heel and upper parts of coloured leather or exotic reptile skins. The price of the shoes normally ranges around $800 a pair. Louboutin’s shoes are renowned globally for their remarkably innovative design and distinctive glossy red sole. Louboutin’s lacquered red sole trademark is perceived as a â€Å"subtle status symbol† and can be regarded as highly alluring relative to the overt branding of the big-n ame luxury brands (Rauf and Vescia 2007, p.16). Louboutin contended that his utilization of the red colour mirror his conviction that red colour is a symbol of passion, blood,

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

Economic Development - Essay Example To what extend does the international environment positively or negatively magnify the situation? One remarkable indicator of inequality in North Africa is unemployment, which only enhances the tough condition of poverty, not to mention the inability of the government to supply the actual needs of its people. In this way, the government in North Africa needs to remarkably consider making some ways in order to make both ends meet for its people. Economically speaking, countries in North Africa struggle to at least feed a hungry stomach considering the inability of the government to provide sufficient water supply for farming, large quantity supply of fertilizer and substantial amount of investment for infrastructure to reduce transportation costs. The unemployed in North Africa contributed to a big discrepancy in the distribution of wealth. In this case, the industry could not sufficiently provide all the essential needs of the people. Although, there might be a good sign of improveme nt, the economy could not still sustain the balance flow of wealth because almost everybody seems to be wallowing in poverty. If there are many people having no jobs, poverty is remarkable because the wealth of the nation might just be limited at some certain level. On the other hand, the problem with food production due to global financial crisis substantially had made the situation even worse. In other words, among the most remarkable features of inequality especially in the case of North Africa, which consists of developing countries, are unemployment, lack of food production and even vulnerability to be at a disadvantage side as influenced by global economic trend. In other words, in North Africa, people’s source of income could be quite in a limit because there is less on agriculture but a bit higher on some industries. However, this source of income could still be unable to provide for many. The global financial crisis, for instance, brought food shortages in North Afri ca’s countries. In other words, agriculture can substantially help developing countries’ economy to survive. However, large private or government investment is necessary for agriculture, especially in sufficient water supply for farming. Furthermore, there is a need for coordination with international market for bringing in enough quantity supply of fertilizer, which is also necessary. Finally, investment by the government through infrastructure improvement is necessary to reduce transportation costs among farmers. In this way, farmers could save on costs associated with transportation and other relevant costs. In this case, there is a need for North Africa to keep in touch with the world especially in relevance to its financial condition. Global financial crisis is a significant component of international environment, but it is clear that it negatively affects the situation in North Africa especially at its poverty level and at the micro-level, its capacity for agricu lture. However, on the other hand, this marks a significant point in which North African governments should try to create ways and means in order to at least alleviate a substantially down situation for its economic and financial aspect in particular. The government, therefore, should ensure financial support from the international environment in order to at least reach a substantive ways in order to maximize its potential for food production. After all, agriculture could substantially boost a country’s economy especially of a developing one. It is at this point that the North African countries should seek support from the international environment, particularly investors which could not only promote high production output for agriculture but could also provide substantial employment. In other words, what

Health Essays Chronic Disease Management

Health Essays Chronic Disease Management Chronic Disease Management Chronic diseases have an effect on all countries, and the augment in their prevalence is to a great extend attributed to varying demographics, improved life expectancy, changing lifestyles, better disease management and management and a better understanding of the factors that cause poor health and disease. Laboratory, clinical and population-based research has revealed that a few risk factors are responsible for the prevalence of most chronic diseases: unhealthy diet and high energy ingestion, lack of physical activity and use of tobacco. Alcohol intake, environmental pollutants, age and hereditary factors also play a role. These risk factors are the same in men and women and across all regions in the world. The associated healthcare, financial and social burden of chronic diseases, which include diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive airway disease, hypertension, chronic depression, osteoporosis, end stage renal failure and stroke, are progressively on the increase. In the US alone to be specific, some 125 million people now suffer from at least one chronic disease. Chronic diseases are a tremendous burden to individuals and to countries and the available traditional healthcare methods are not able to meet the requirements for preventing and reducing this burden. It is because of this problem that chronic disease management has emerged as a new approach towards caring for patients with chronic diseases. Chronic disease management in clinical circles can be defined as an elaborate, systematic, multicomponent strategy to delivering healthcare while involving all members in the population or community who suffer from similar infections. Cardiovascular disease is chronic and is the first cause of death among the elderly in all countries. This observable fact was evident even 60 years ago, as Roberts noted that diseases of the circulatory system and pneumonia were the first causes of death among the aged in Jamaica in 1950. These diseases are to some extent the sequelae of advancing age. As life expectancies are increasing the prevalence of all noncommunicable disease is also increasing. Thus, one could adopt the approach that these are an foreseeable consequence of ageing and the focus therefore has to be on simply treating them when they do occur and applying the acknowledged interventions for secondary prevention once the first disease episode has occurred. It is possible to reduce the mortality from chronic diseases in general. Some of the developed countries such as Canada, Australia and the United States have succeeded in reducing mortality by applying preventive measures. Meeting the multifaceted needs of patients with chronic diseases is the single supreme challenge facing our healthcare system in most countries today. With the increasing numbers of patients suffering from chronic diseases, it is of the essence that clinicians, healthcare administrators and health policy makers plan and ensure that the healthcare delivery system is tailored to provide care for these patients across the band of their healthcare needs. Chronic disease management has been known to be the best and most comprehensive approach for providing holistic and comprehensive care for patients with chronic illnesses. The Kaiser Permanente care triangle has frequently been used to conceptualize Chronic disease care at three main levels Supporting self-care for patients suffering from chronic disease who are at low risk of complications and hospitalization. Disease management for people who are in need of regular routine follow-up and are at high risk of chronic disease. Case management for people who have complex needs and those who are high-intensity users of unplanned less important care. Managing chronic diseases at the system level has been the focus of many latest publications.1-4 In the US, the recent Institute of Medicine Report – Crossing the Quality Chasm – focused on the need to reorganize care delivery to meet the healthcare demands of populations of patients who suffer from chronic illnesses. In October 2001, the British Medical Journal and the Western Journal of Medicine both published special issues focusing on the problem of chronic diseases and tinted how various nations are dealing with this ever rising epidemic. It is therefore timely that all nations focuses on coming up with a better program to address the needs of patients with chronic disease, on the advances in clinical and non-pharmacological management, and the challenges faced in ensuring that patients receive optimal care meeting the needs at the various stages of their disease. Programme for chronic disease management A successful chronic disease management program should be designed while considering fundamental factors that are critical to its sustainability. First of all the program should be aimed at a certain specific condition within the population suffering. Then the nest important factor concerns the availability of evidence on which its functions should be based. A good program has to keep in its consideration the existence of obstacles which may be a hindrance to its successful implementation. Adequate measures should be put in check to ensure that there is a balance between quality and the economic of the objectives of the care to be given United States In the United States chronic disease management programs, also known as chronic care management, have become extensive. They are being favored by employer groups, health-care organizations and health payers, these programs are being increasingly raising concern because very little scientific evidence is available to justify their effectiveness and economic impact. Disease management was introduced and launched in 1990 by drug companies for the purpose of helping patients to comply with various medications and also to increase their sales. This programs have developed in the private sector to become such a competitive industry that these companies contract health plans to offer comprehensive care to various groups. They are then paid a fee by the health plans to guarantee a saving. Disease management programs are wide in the private sector; they offer care and support as part of benefits and support from physicians. Some programs have been organized in such a way that the physician can receive alerts whenever the patient needs medical attention or even when the services for preventing chronic diseases are long overdue. Some use professional clinical information systems which can integrate participant’s data for instance data which concerns claims data or self reports. This can be even acquired from multiples sources. However there is only a small number of beneficiaries who suffer from chronic illness and therefore account for the unproportionate share of medical expenditure. This results in such patients receiving fragmented care from a number of site providers and to add on the insult they receive repeated and costly hospitalization. The manifestation project was endorsed by the Medicare, Medicaid,and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA). In adding together to the BIPA projects, there arenumerous of other coordinated care demonstrations approvedby Congress in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, a capitatedDM demonstration recently initiated by the Bush administration,and an end-stage renal disease management demonstration. People are demandingto figure out ways to do disease management in the public sector that act in responseto patient-privacy concerns and that admiration the traditionalrole of the physician. Disease management programs have no effect on the state budget as they pay for administrative services while they are guaranteed by the government a savings offset in form of claims reduction. It is important to point out that even though the opportunities for cost savings and step up inhealth outcomes is great, the challenges of introducing disease management onwide scale in the Medicare program are momentous The patients increasing population is likely to bring up challenges which are not found in the private sector. France In France studies have shown a tremendous improvement in the state of health and quality of life for chronic illness patients. There has also been significant reduction in costs due to the implementation of coordinated networks for the treatment of asthma. The reduction in costs cannot be attributed to spontaneous national changes in management but rather it can be explained by the effect of the intervention program. This initiative can be said to be the first attempt towards implementation ofa disease management program in France. Italy In Italy the health system is aiming at utilizing Information technology tools to manage chronic diseases. In this country the population f over 65 years has be noted to be on the rise. What is worrying is that the number of chronic diseases also increases with this range of age. Approximately 90% of the aged people are suffering form chronic diseases and something has to be done in effect to prevent further repercussions. In the past Italian doctors have raised concern over the time that is used in treating patients with chronic diseases and therefore cam up with a resolution to use community care which such a program there is a shift from hospital based care to community based care. Such a program aims at reducing on the number of patients admitted with chronic diseases, removes patients out of hospital quicker and improving on the network for helping people with chronic diseases. This is to be done while the records are kept centrally and monitored while the services are moved to the community. In Italy there is also another program being put in place and it is called sole project as it is aiming at networking all hospitals with communities to give the citizens services. The program is also aiming at controlling flow of information so as to help the elderly patients. The idea must have been copied from the UKs pathways to telecare. Germany In German two laws were passed in the year 2001 to address the main problems in the healthcare system. Despite advance which have been made in diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, patients still experience secondary complications, The purpose of disease management program in Germany is to avoid repetition of diagnostic testing, by specialists or in hospitals thus assisting in containing the cost. In Germany chronic diseases management programs have a legal basis under which they operate. For instance in the year 2002 there was a reform law which laid down a complicated procedure for the establishment and implementation of disease management programs. These procedures included the characteristic features of a disease which qualifies to be included in the management programs. Implementation of disease management programs in Germany has been influenced by politics which is not like in the other countries. Germany has a longer experience with disease management programmes than the United States. The healthcare system in Germany has characteristics which have seen the introduction of disease management programs. This includes the free choice of the non-profit sickness funds who have to strike a balance between spending and income. There are also issues regarding to efficiency and quality on the side of those who are chronically sick The ministry of health in Germany anticipated that disease management programs will help to reorganize the fragment care for people suffering from chronic illnesses. The main challenge towards implementation of the programs regards to the defining of the minimum standards proves to be contentious and time consuming as people continue to suffer. Another challenge has been on implementing the program for Diabetes whose care requirements has been attacked by more than ten scientific societies. These scientists argue that the government and the sickness funds favored a minimal program which was created basing on studies with the highest level of evidence. Some claim that the programs were created under extreme time pressure. (R. Busse 2001) By way of the German-style DM programs the government anticipated a radicalGordian explanation to a knot of disheveled problems. While theauthentic experience with DM programs is by a long way larger and longerin the United States than in Germany, the German strategy couldbe of interest in the United States, where we have cream skimming andadverse selection having in fact blocked managed care infiltrationinto the Medicare population. One observable difference is theownership of the DM programs; in the United States they are to some extent connected with pharmaceutical companies or special DMP vendors. Whendisease management came up in Germany, analogous companies appearedon the market, with the hope for commercial triumph. Some sicknessfunds contracted them to assist them in preparing DM programs, but suchcompanies have more or less disappeared from the market The UK According to statistics in the U K lack of proper care to manage chronic diseases on a day today basis can lead to unnecessary complications and premature death. Children also suffer from chronic diseases for instance children below five years account for 15% of the cases(General household survey 2002) Self care has sometimes been ignored in the UK but it is a well proven approach to improving the situation of chronic diseases. According to data from the Department of Health’s Economic and Operational Research the effects of self care include; Reduced to visits to GP Sby over 40% for the high risk cases. Reduction in admissions to hospitals by about 50% in a Parkinson’s diseases The length of stay in hospitals for mental health problems reduce. Off work days can reduce by even more than 50% for patients suffering from arthritis Self care or management is not just an issue of providing information to the patients but it involves a range of other things to make it workable. Patients need care education regarding to self management of their sickness by helping stand what they ought to do and how to make adjustments towards their medical dosage and how and when they need healthcare. They also need quick reminders of when they should be attending to certain measures concerning their health. They need support from knowledgeable patients or even an expert in their disease and broader networks which can include attending to group practices involving the same kind of health condition. Their s uncertainty as regarding to self care however it is likely to improve in relevance because of the following: The increase of information that is availed to the patients. The ability of information technology to support self care. The possibility of having reliable and accurate home monitoring systems. The greater anticipation by many patients to be the locus of control. In the UK the main providers of care for chronic diseases are the primary care teams. They include community nurses, pharmacists, dieticians, opticians, podiatrists, and physiotherapists. Barriers for implementing disease management programs One major factor which hinders the implementation of these programs is the lack of proven after investment. This has tended to limit the health plan and interest of the disease management organization. Future of Disease management programs There is no acceptable best way to chronic disease management. Evidence that has been observed throughout the world brings out clearly that, to be successful, policy-makers should put into consideration: Providing well-built leadership and vision at the national, regional or organizational level which should oversee all that is required for the programs to succeed. They should ensure full-bodied collection of information and data-sharing among all the stakeholders in the health sector. Care should be provided based on people’s needs and an ability to identify people with different levels of need; They should also put in place measures that target key risk factors, including widespread disease prevention initiatives. Growing towards supporting self-management and empowerment of people with chronic diseases Policy brief should involving a wide range of stakeholders such as individuals, the voluntary and community sector, clinicians, private industry and public services. Future Disease management programs should be tailored to reduce the costs associated with care for people suffering from chronic illnesses. The growing costs of operations such as dialysis are still a major concern in most countries. But with the Disease management programs in place these costs are expected to decline and lead to improved care even through public health for chronic disease cases. However reducing the costs with DM programs has been successful in some areas but the drug treatment especially in diabetic cases seems to be an area where the growing costs are inevitable.

Privatization Essay -- Prisons Government Papers

Privatization In Taft, California, with a perimeter of razor wire, armed prison guards, supervise hundreds of medium security level federal inmates. Welcome to one of America's newest and fastest growing trends in the area of corrections. This new phenomenon is termed, The Corporation of Modern Corrections. Faced with an increase in prison overcrowding and aging institutions, court orders demanding immediate reform coupled with a straining budget, mandatory minimum sentences, and the public's attitude toward "getting tough on crime", America's justice system is in need of an overhaul. Thus, government leaders are ready to consider different options to help reduce the strain, while still meeting is legal responsibility to provide services. The option to emerge to the forefront is Prison Privatization - " the transfer of asset's and of production of public goods and services from government to the private sector."1 in other words, private interest is being given the opportunity to help alleviate the strain of taking care of a growing population more economically and efficiently than the government. The expansion of the private sector into the prison system began to generate considerable interest and controversy in the mid - 1980's. Currently, almost all prisons' contract some type of service from the private sector to provide support, such as, construction, medical and religious services. However, the concept of relinquishing controls of adult offenders to profit seeking companies fuels a very controversial and heated debate. Most arguments center on whether private companies can truly provide a more efficient service at a lower cost than public institutions while not sacrificing quality. While others focus on the philoso... ...hn D. The Privatization Decision, Public Ends, Private Means, New York, 1989 (INGLEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY) Smith, Phil. Private Prison : Profits of Crime,1993 Fall Issue Covert Action Quarterly. (Internet:http://mediafilter.org/MFF/Prison.html) Logan, Charles. Prison Privatization: Objections and Refutations (Internet:http://www.ucc.uconn.edu/~wwwsoci/fraser.html) Kicenski, Karyl L. The Corporate Prison: The Production of Crime and The Sale of Discipline, 1998 (Internet:http://speech.csun.edu/ben/news/kessay.html) Hunzeker, Donna. Private Cells, Public Prisoners, 1991 State Legislatures (Inglewood Library) Lemov, Penelope. Jailhouse Inc., 1993 Governing Magazine (Inglewood Library) Unknown Author. Assessing the Issue: The Pros and Cons of Prison Privatization. 1996 (Internet:wysiwyg://24/http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/6465/assess.html)

Coffee and Starbucks Essay

1. What was Howard Schultz’s original strategic vision for Starbucks? Is his 2010 strategic vision for Starbucks. Has Starbuck’s strategy evolved as the strategic vision has evolved? Howard Schultz’s first strategic vision for Starbucks was the fortunate result of a company trip to Milan, Italy to attend an international housewares show. On this trip, he visited various espresso bars and was able to recognize how the customers in these bars were usually enjoying the ambiance and atmosphere of the bar with a freshly-brewed espresso, latte, or another delectable coffee treat, in hand, that was sold from the bar. Howard felt Starbucks should align their initial business model with that of the numerous espresso bars he visited while in Malian-through transforming Starbucks from an exclusive retailer of its coffee products, to providing and serving their coffee products in-house to their consumers with an expanded product line (lattes, espresso’s, etc. ) in tow. In addition to the espresso bar vision for Starbucks, during his interview process with Starbucks, Howard expressed to the three original owners of Starbucks that he felt Starbucks has the potential to successfully expand beyond the metropolitan area of Seattle, a vision not seen nor shared by the owners at the time. As assumed, the current vision set in place for Starbucks has changed since the original one was envisioned in the spring of 1983. The current strategy for Starbucks no longer concerns adding simply a new service within their stores but revolves around increasing their sustainability, increasing corporate responsibility, being the undisputed coffee leader in the worldwide marketplace, expanding their global presence, and creating innovative growth platforms, just to name a few of the more recent visions for Starbucks. As with any great leader who sets in place a vision for their company, Howard Schultz’s vision for Starbucks is truly dynamic, and will be manipulated whenever conditions in the marketplace (i. e. economic, consumer demands, business opportunities etc. ) dictate the vision to be altered for the success and better of the company. 5. What â€Å"values† does Starbucks have? How well do they connect to the strategy and to the manner in which the company conducts its business? On their supplier-side, too many businesses today are focused on procuring the lowest priced goods for increasing their profit margins. Starbucks would rather ensure their coffee growers are being compensated fairly and well enough to support their families in their trade. Starbucks also assists their suppliers (â€Å"coffee-growers) in being able to grow high quality coffee beans, and ensure their coffee growers are consistently meeting the company’s stringent environmental responsibility. What drives Starbucks to do that? Starbucks possesses a number of values (beliefs) that demand fair-compensation for their coffee-growers (either through Starbucks directly or through an intermediate), a belief that all their consumers should have their demands met (through Starbucks â€Å"Just Say Yes† policy†), and trait of managing their growth (as opposed to an almost unmanaged and aggressive growth strategy executed under Starbuck’s former CEO, Jim Donald). The aforementioned values for their coffee-growers complements Starbucks current corporate and social responsibilities as a whole for ensuring the livelihood of their suppliers (the coffee-growers). In addition, with the current push by Starbucks to increase their number of LEED stores in the United States, their vision of becoming more sustainable and environmentally conscious is being realized with each and every LEED-certified store opening. In terms of the manner Starbucks practices their business, their business practices and visions do not fall in line with the more common United States business practices and visions currently seen in the marketplace (such as the push to become the â€Å"Low Cost Provider† for consumers). As demonstrated and stated, Starbucks practices their business differently than most global businesses do, through ensuring supplier financial sustainability (for their coffee-growers) coupled with unrivaled purchasing standards for their coffee beans, to also ensuring customer satisfaction remains high by consistently adding new features and benefits for their consumers to benefit from and increase their value derived from being a consumer with Starbucks. Recent benefits Starbucks has given to their customers are as follows: -Free Wi-Fi usage in all their United States location. – Discounts on coffee products for providing your own coffee cup to the barista (thus being more mutually environmental conscious and responsible) . – Providing various â€Å"paid† websites to their customers free of charge on Starbucks Wi-Fi network; such as access to WSJ. com, the website for the Wall Street Journal, and also other exclusive content Starbucks Chairman Howard Shultz talks to the †¦ Starbucks Chairman Howard Shultz talks to the media at the Vancouver Waterfront Station location, celebrating 20 years of Starbucks in British Columbia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) 7. What is your assessment of Starbucks? I feel Starbucks possesses a great moral compass in the field of business and excels at creating and executing strategic plans for their business that are dynamic, relevant, and complements their core values–thus I would rate Starbucks highly in my assessment. Starbucks, as mentioned before, is one of the few companies to ensure their suppliers (â€Å"coffee-growers) are receiving fair compensation. Furthermore, Starbucks has effectively taken on various corporate and environmental responsibilities at once through striving vigorously to purchase only ethically sourced coffee beans by 2015 for their coffee beans supply, and investing $20 million towards farmer loan commitments that will ultimately promote coffee grower’s crop yield, quality, and environmental standards, thus a mutual benefit to be had by both parties. In terms of a financial assessment, from 2009 Fiscal Year’s net profit of $390. 8 million to the $1,383. 80 net income earned in Fiscal Year 2012 (growth of over 350%!). It is safe to say, Starbucks financial strategy of increasing bottom line production through increasing the value of their products and services offered and sustained to their customers worked out perfectly for them. Starbucks has also decreased their debt to asset ratio by 11% from Fiscal Year ending 2010 to 2012 (. 424 to . 378 respectively). Clearly, a focus to clean one’s balance sheet with less debt and more activity is a strategy many businesses share in wishing they could accomplish but few truly accomplish it; with ease, Starbucks was able to do so effectively and considerably. All and all, as stated within this assessment and numerous times within this blog, Starbucks is a company to be hailed for due to their passion and determination to become even more sustainable with each passing day, being excellent corporate citizens, setting in place various plans that will extensively benefit their stakeholders in a sustainable manner, and promoting their financial and environmental position through creating a coffee â€Å"utopia† for the world to benefit from.

Changes in the Land essays

Changes in the Land essays Changes in the Land; Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England In this paper, I will answer the following question: Compare and contrast the impacts of the New England Colonists and New England Natives on that regions ecosystem. Explain the cultural, social and economic factors that account for the different impacts the two groups had on the land. For starters I would like to state that I really enjoyed reading this book. I found the facts and stories presented in the book to be very interesting and honest. I believe the author did a great job of looking at both perspectives and presented the information in a fair and concise manner. From my experiences growing up, a lot of the information presented in this book is rarely taught in the classroom. From what I can remember growing up, the emphasis is placed on Christopher Columbus and the other Europeans arriving at the New World and their trials and tribulations they experience here. Never is anything taught about how the Native Americans feel about this and how their way of living is affected by the new settlers. I am a graduate student in the Education field with the hopes of one day becoming a Social Studies/Psychology teacher and this is relevant information that I feel should be shared with the students. Not only that but I feel that by not sharing this information, we a re oppressing the lives of Native American students that we may have in our classrooms. Now that I have stated these points, I will step off of my soapbox and continue on with the relevant parts of my essay. The first specific change in the ecosystem I would like to discuss is deforestation. When the European settlers arrived and prior to their arrival, deforestation occurred for many reasons. When the European settlers arrived, they would clear the land to be able to establish homes and to be able to grow food. The tress that they cut down would be used to build homes for the ne...

Kids Should be Tried As adults essays

Kids Should be Tried As adults essays The Federal Government should have kids tried as adults. What happens to the teachers families who are killed in school shootings? I feel that the federal government should change these laws for the following reasons. It filters out bad kids, helps keep them off the streets, and lowers crime rates over all. It will help a lot of kids learn from their mistakes a lot faster due to the more severe punishments. And the most important of all, itll save lives. It keeps bad kids off the streets. The kids obviously need help, and for the government to make the laws more strict, it will help keep them off the street longer. A good example is a brutal slaying the occurred in March of 1989. a 13-year-old girl let two boyfriends into her home so they could kill her father, who was strangled, stabbed and beaten on the head with a fireplace poker. Thats just not acceptable in our society today. The police said that the father could have died from all three of the methods they used. Can you imagine your daughter having two of her boyfriends come over, and then stab you, strangle you, and beat you to death? Its more like torturing to death rather than killing. That doesnt sound too appealing if you ask me. I also feel that if kids like this know that they are too young, then they will just go off and kill someone knowing that they wont be severely punished. What is unusual about this one [case] is the age of the defendants and the brutality of the crime, Halford said. Halford was a detective at the scene of the crime. The defendants cannot be tried as adults because they are under the age of 16, so the maximum penalty they can face is sentencing to the California Youth Authority until the age of 15, the judge said. I believe that if theyre old enough to commit a crime like an adult, then they can serve the time like an adult. What happens if some ...

Corporate Social Responsibility - A code of ethics Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility - A code of ethics - Essay Example Over the past 3 years Bibbyoffshore have seen a exponential growth in their business, the company now operates 2 dive support vessels (DSV's) with a third due to come online in late 2007. The company is now of such a size that it is able to compete with the larger existing oil and gas service companies who have dominated the market over the past 15 years. As Bibbyoffshore desire to attract more complex, higher value contracts, certain client expectations, such as the way in which Bibbyoffshore view their responsibility to the environment and society, need to be met. This is reinforced by Bibbyline' own mission to maintain growth whilst operating within their core values of: This management report aims to investigate the relevance of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Ethics strategy for Bibbyoffshore. Initially the development of CSR and Ethics within the Oil and Gas industry will be discussed followed by a short business case for a CSR strategy. A three year implementation strategy will be suggested along with a code of ethics and finally some concluding remarks. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the contribution of the business to the sustainable development goals of the Government. It is about how the business takes account of its economic, social and environmental impacts in the way it operates-maximizing the benefits and minimising the downsides. CSR is a voluntary actions that business can take, over and above compliance with minimum legal requirements, to address both its own competitive interests and the interests of wider society. (csr.gov.uk). Working within developing countries the oil and gas industry has the opportunity to be to be a positive force in generating the hard currency revenue that governments need to help reach national development goals. While a company is working in a country they invest and develop infrastructure, such as roads, that serve the community. This helps develop the economy of the country as supporting services such as material supply for roads is purchased within the country pouring funds into the economy. The oil and gas industry plays a key role in technology cooperation and capacity building. It means helping the host country to meet the basic needs such as infrastructure, health, education, training, job creation, and water supply. In order to

Theater Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theater - Article Example Alas!  There emerges an energetic, fresh and composed man dressed up in black overall, pair of trousers, and socks. His black Spanish cape sits firm and symbolic on his head. His hands clutched around his crotch as he walks majestically to center stage, staring at the ground a little worried. Behind him follows a nonchalant woman dressed up in a grey dress. The man takes a turn and stands on some pulpit looking at the sky in awe. The woman scales up the single staircase and sits comfortably on the traditional chair. Another man in white, gray official and tie emerges at the entrance, gently scrubs as he gazes at the entrance board. He then walks to center stage, stands there shortly. He turns to a second woman behind him. They approach each other with intense passion, almost kissing†¦, but then the woman withdraws and runs to the back of the stage as a group of elegantly dressed female dancers storm the stage. They go round the man and take positions on stage, start dancing ma rvelously after signal from the lady queen who sits on the staircase as the woman on the traditional chair comes up. The dance surges in intricate patterns. One dancer woes the official man to join the dance but he is adamant. Finally, the female dancers win him over. They sit down and watch as the man starts to dance alone impressively on