Magic Squares free essay sample

Magic squares have intrigued people for thousands of years and in ancient times they were thought to be connected with the supernatural and hence, magical. Today, magic squares are considered magical because there are so many relationships between the sums of the numbers in the squares. So, what is a magic square? A magic square is an arrangement of the numbers from 1 to n2 in an n x n matrix, with each number occurring exactly once, and such that the sum of the entries of any row, any column, or any main diagonal is the same (Alejandre), called the magic constant or sum. The magic sum can be found using the formula (n(n2 + 1))/2 for any n x n matrix. There are many different variations of magic squares, of which, some have more ways of finding the magic sum in the square and others use geometric shapes or number words. The earliest known magic square was found in a Chinese book, Yih King, in which the legend of â€Å"Lo Shu† is told. We will write a custom essay sample on Magic Squares or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This magic square is a 3 x 3 matrix, with numbers 1-9, and the magic sum is 15. â€Å"The legend of â€Å"Lo Shu† or â€Å"scroll of the river Lo† tells the story of a huge flood that destroyed crops and land. The people offered a sacrifice to the river god to calm his anger. Every time the river flooded, there emerged a turtle that would walk around the sacrifice. It wasn’t until a child noticed a unique pattern on the turtle’s shell that told the people how many sacrifices (15) to make for the river god to accept their sacrifice.† (http://plaza.ufl.edu/ufkelley/magic/index.htm) This kind of magic square is known as the â€Å"traditional† magic square since it has no other special properties besides the ones noted above. The magic square is still common in China today. It is found on buildings and in artistic designs, and fortune tellers uses them in their trade. The magic squares then found their way to India. Here, the magic squares were not only used to spread mathematical knowledge but also had spiritual purposes. For example, a magic square was found in a medical book as a way to ease childbirth. The oldest magic square of order four (4 x 4) was found inscribed in Khajuraho, India dating back to the 11th or 12th century. http://www.markfarrar.co.uk/graphics/msq004.gif This kind of magic square has many more properties than a traditional magic square. In addition to the rows, columns, and diagonals, but also the broken diagonals (4+6+13+11=34), of any 2 x 2 block of number (9+6+4+15=34), the four corners (9+16+7+2), the corners of any 3 x 3 block (9+3+14+8=34) , and the sum of the middle two entries of the two outer columns and rows (6+3+ 12+13 = 34) all have the same sum. The first recorded magic square in Europe and most famous 4 x 4 magic square is found in the famous painting, Melancholia, by German artist Albrecht Duerer (1471 – 1528). The painting is said to â€Å"depict the indecision of the intellectual† (Britton). A unique â€Å"magic† property of this magic square is that the center entries of the bottom row are 15 and 14, which is the year the painting was made (1514). This magic square shares the same properties as the other mentioned 4 x 4 magic square only the rows and columns are interchanged in such a way to remain the constant sum of 34. We can use some properties of magic squares to construct more squares from other manufactured squares; 1. Magic square will remain magic if any number is added to every number of a magic square. 2. A magic square will remain magic if any number multiplies every number of a magic square. 3. A magic square will remain magic if two rows, or columns, equidistant from the center are interchanged. 4. An even order magic square ( n x n where n is even) will remain magic if the quadrants are interchanged. 5. An odd order magic square will remain magic if the partial quadrants and the row is interchanged.† (Hawley) In the seventeenth century, a Frenchman named Antoine de la Loubere created a method for constructing any odd n x n magic squares using consecutive numbers starting with 1. The general rule is that you move diagonal upwards and to the right. However, there are two exceptions. If your move is outside of the magic square, you put your entry on the opposite side of the row or column and if when you move, you land on an occupied space, you put the entry under your last entry. Many ingenious methods for constructing magic squares have been devised but all methods are only for specific cases or different types of magic squares. There are many famous names associated with magic squares including Martin Gardner, Leonard Euler, and Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin is known for his invention of large ordered magic squares. In his youth, he created an 8 x 8 magic square with magic sum of 260 and a 16 x 16 magic square with sum 2,056. These magic squares have the same properties as the traditional magic square except the diagonals do not add up to the magic sum but, other special properties exist. For example in the 8 x 8 magic square, the sum of half of a row or column is equal to half of 206 and each of the â€Å"bent† rows (as Franklin called them) of 8 numbers total to 206. Many more variations of magic squares and their constructions exist as well as different properties. Attractive patterns are seen by connecting consecutive numbers in a magic square. Alphamagic squares are constructed by using the number of letters in the word for each number, which generates another magic square.

Swot Analysis of Ambuja Cement Essay Example

Swot Analysis of Ambuja Cement Essay Example Swot Analysis of Ambuja Cement Essay Swot Analysis of Ambuja Cement Essay PIONEER INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES (PIPS) (Diligence Excellence) Since 1996 SWOT ANALYSIS Phase # I II Ambuja Cement Limited SUBMITTED TO : SUBMITTED BY : Prof. Vidushi Sharma Akhilesh Shrimore MBA-IIISem(MH-I) Roll No. -10010011 CONTENT : * Company profile * SWOT analysis * Recommendations/ suggestions * Conclusion * References sources COMPANY PROFILE * Ambuja Cements Limited formerly known as  Gujarat Ambuja Cement Limited  is a major  Cement producing company in  India. The Groups principal activity is to manufacture and market cement for both domestic and export market. * Founded in : 1983 * Founded by : Narotam Sekhsaria * The company’s management control got acquired by the global cement major Holicim in 2006. PROMOTERS Mr. Narotam Sekhsaria Mr. Suresh Neotia Mr. Onne Van Der Weijde Mr. A. L. Kapur Mr. B. B. Tandon Mr. P. K. Laheri Mr. Manmohan Malhoutra Mr. Sharadchandra Kale VISION To be the most admired and competitive company in the cement industry†. MISSION Create value for all – Delighted customer Motivated employees Enlightened partners Energized society Loyal shareholders Healthy environment TOP M ANAGEMENT CHAIRMAN : N S Sekhsaria VICE CHAIRMAN : Paul Hugentobler    DIRECTOR : M L Bhakta Markus Akermann Nasser Munjee Rajendra P Chitale Shailesh Haribhakti Omkar Goswami COMPANY SECRETARY : B L Taparia MANAGING DIRECTOR : Onne Van Der Weijde PRODUCTS PRODUCT NAME UNITS Cement Metric Tonnes Clinker Metric Tonnes CORPORATE OFFICES Head Office : MUMBAI Elegant Business Park, MIDC Cross Road B, Off Andheri Kurla Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai 400059 Tel: 022 – 40667000 LOCATION OF MANUFACTURING UNIT * Rabriyawas (Rajasthan) * Ambujanagar (Gujarat) Dhaulagiri(West Bengal) * Suli ; Rauri(Himachal Pradesh) * Daburji(Punjab) * Maratha Cement Works (Maharashtra) FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF THE COMPANY Year | 10-11 | 09-10 | Sales(Cr. ) | 4411. 54 | 4107. 15 | Gross Profit (Cr. ) | 1304. 69 | 1328. 27 | Depreciation (Cr. ) | 213. 48 | 176. 79 | Interest(Cr. ) | 48. 69 | 22. 43 | Taxation(Cr. ) | 336. 23 | 318. 16 | PBDIT(Cr. ) | 2,074. 70 | 2,104. 38 | PBDT(Cr. ) | 2,026. 01 | 2,081. 95 | E P S(Cr. ) | 7. 28 | 7. 79 | OPM(%) | 27. 77 | 31. 53 | GPM(%) | 28. 86 | 31. 93 | NPM(%) | 16. 70 | 20. 51 | Dividend Per Share(Cr. ) | 2. 60 | 2. 40 | Net Profit / Loss(Cr. ) | 754. 98 | 853. 40 | SHAREHOLDING PATTERN – AMBUJA CEMENTS LTD. Holders Name No. of Shares % Share Holding Promoters 12081909 0. 79% Foreign Promoter 759661201 49. 60% Foreign Institutions 363631987 23. 74% Financial Institutions 19688942 12. 85% General Public 117606774 7. 68% N Banks Mutual Funds 27357102 1. 9% Foreign NRI 17312703 1. 13% Other Companies 8847097 0. 58% Others 1036570 0. 07% Foreign Ocb 12870 0. 00% TOTAL 1327237155 100% SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS * ACL enjoys a reputation of being one of the most efficient cement manufacturers in the world. * The company has strategic partnership with  Holcim, which is the second largest cement manufacturer in the world. Having major share of Holcim so can take advantage of being MNC. * Best Quality. * Good Packaging. * Logistics Management. * Low Energy Consumption. * Ability to sell total production. * Consumer Preferences. * Consistency in Performance. * Cost Leadership. * IT integration. * Organizational structure. * Lower energy cost due to improved value coal and use of non conventional fuels. * Lower transportation cost due to increased transport through sea router for bulk shipping. * Excellent management team to cope with changing environment. * Very less dependent on government coal and power. High distribution efficiency and sound to cope up with economic situation. * Processing own Jetty and Ships useful for timely and cheap transport. * Lower transportation cost due to increased transport through sea router from bulk shipping. * Excellent innovation engineering and technological skill useful for operating excellence. * Excellent management team to cope with changing environment. * The su pply chain management system in the ACL is quite focused and good. WEAKNESSES * No International presence * Not able to exploit the advantage of being near the sea coast. * No national geographic coverage as in case of competition. Very limited fragmentation of plant, which avoid is presence in very sub regional markets. * The pace of new capacity addition by the industry has not been as fast as previously, therefore pricing pressure. * Does not match international Quality standard. OPPORTUNITIES * There is increase in Demand in India * They can undertake some Projects in Future * They can go Global * Company’s financial condition is good so they can start a new manufacturing unit and can increase production. * Basic raw material is easily available hence they can reduce cost to compete with other. Housing construction in the urban, affordable housing loan provision by bank, that can hike demand. * ACL Can get more foreign exchange by increase bulk cement capacity through th e ship. * Easy loan availability for housing finance. * Increased investments in infrastructure. * To penetrate in Southern India. * Not many restrictions by government. THREATS * Increasing Competition day by day. * High Capital Cost. * Raw Material ,Transportation and Power cost are increasing so it will lead to low profitability. * Threats from the economic cycles. I. e. Recession or growth. Government policies, local political changes interruption in management. * Exchange rate fluctuation having direct effect on bottom line as well as on export. * Market competitor’s price. * Surge in Oil prices. * RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Acquire poor performing cement factories outside India. 2. Venture into new business that requires cement. CONCLUSION Today, ACL has become one of the larger and profitable cement units in the Indian Cement Industry. It has done his job within a very short time by providing itself as an efficient unit. From the very beginning it has maintain high quality standard and it has been approved by granting it ISO 9002. Now slowly it is going towards the international market and has started to spread its wings over there. It is slowly and steadily moving towards the grand success. REFERENCES * www. ambujacement. com * www. wikipedia. org/wiki/Ambuja_Cements * www. scribd. com/doc/12881357/Gujrat-Ambuja-Cement * www. companiesandmarkets. com/ /ambuja-cements * www. live-pr. com/ /ambuja-cements-limited-ambujace * www. marketresearch. com/ /Ambuja-Cements-Limited THANK YOU !

Challenges Faced Rural Healthcare Facilities Health And Social Care Essay

Challenges Faced Rural Healthcare Facilities Health And Social Care Essay Twenty-five percent of the total population in the United States are living in rural areas and compared with urban Americans and healthcare facilities in rural areas generally serve low-income, the elderly, and individuals who are less informed and armed with less knowledge concerning health care prevention measures. Moreover, rural individuals accessing healthcare in rural facilities face barriers to healthcare such as fewer doctors, hospitals and health resources in generation and face difficulty in accessing health services. Statement of the problem   Hospital closures and other market changes have adversely affected rural areas, leaving State and Federal policymakers, and others concerned about access to health care in rural America. Considerable changes in the health care delivery system over the past decade have intensified the need for new approaches to health care in rural areas. Managed care organizations, for example, may not be developed easily in rural areas, partly be cause of low population density. Research Questions          The primary research question in this study is the question of whether rural health care facilities overcome the ongoing challenges to provide quality medical care to their communities. Rationale of the Research The rationale of this research is based upon the following facts: 1.) Rural Healthcare and Barriers to Accessing Care: Many small rural hospitals have closed, while other health care supply of primary care physicians and other health care provider facilities are in financial straits. Unavailability of resources and transportation problems are barriers to access for rural populations. 2.). The supply of primary care practitioners and other health care providers in rural areas is decreasing. Some are leaving rural areas to join managed care organizations elsewhere. 3.) Barriers to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Goals for improving the Nation’s health over the next decade can be achieved only if rural populations are included in efforts to remove barriers to access and use of clinical preventive services. 4.) Barriers Related to Lack in Health Care Technology. Technologies including telemedicine offer promise of improved access to health care, but their most efficient and effective applications need further evaluation. 5.) Organizational Barriers of Service Provision to Vulnerable Rural Populations: Low population density in rural areas makes it inherently difficult to deliver services that target persons with special health needs. Groups at particular risk include: the elderly; the poor; people with HIV or AIDS; the homeless; mothers, children, and adolescents; racial or ethnic minorities; and persons with disabilities. 6.) Consumer choice and the rural hospital. Factors that drive changes in rural hospitals have a critical effect on consumer choice and access. Significance of the Study This study is significant in that individuals in rural areas are likely to continue to receive less healthcare as well as less effective healthcare if rural healthcare does not gain necessary knowledge, informed by research study as to what should be done to better deliver health care services to those in rural areas. This study is of significance to several groups including patients depending on rural healthcare services, the families of these patients, the rural communities at large and the insurance companies who provide insurance coverage for individuals in rural areas.

Global Business in Emerging Regions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Global Business in Emerging Regions - Essay Example Furthermore, the objective of the essay is to: Understand the culture of Starbucks Understand the South Africa market potential The competitive analysis of Starbucks in South Africa Recommendation about the entry strategy mode of Starbucks in the emerging market Part A Company and Industry Analysis About Starbucks Company History Starbucks came to existence in the year 1971 in Seattle Pike Place market. It was formulated by three partners Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegal, and Gordon Bowker. The small store of Starbucks offered the finest coffee beans of the world. It was named after the first mate Moby  Dick, with the logo enthused by the sea which features a  twin?tailed  siren  from  Greek  mythology (2Starbucks  Coffee  Company 2011). In the year 1982, Howard  Schultz joined Starbucks as the director of operations and marketing. Subsequently, Starbucks was fully owned by Schultz in the year 1987, and stared expanding the business quickly (Starbucks  Coffee  Company 2011). Today, Starbucks is one of the largest coffeehouses, which employs more than thousands of employees and has a strong customer base. In the modern era, Starbucks in order to satisfy its customers has expanded the digital offerings and business strategies to extend its brands reach. Moreover, Starbucks is one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2012 and generated revenue of US$10,707 million (Cable News Network 2013). Organisational Culture The mission of Starbucks and the principles formed in the year 1990 are the basic foundations of the culture which is followed by Starbucks and its partners. The basic principles followed by Starbucks are to provide a better work environment and treat each individual with respect and dignity. To accept... Starbucks came into existence in the year 1971 in Seattle Pike Place market. It was formulated by three partners Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegal, and Gordon Bowker. The small store of Starbucks offered the finest coffee beans in the world. It was named after the first mate Moby Dick, with the logo enthused by the sea which features a twin†tailed siren from Greek mythology (2Starbucks Coffee Company 2011). In the year 1982, Howard Schultz joined Starbucks as the director of operations and marketing. Subsequently, Starbucks was fully owned by Schultz in the year 1987, and stared expanding the business quickly (Starbucks Coffee Company 2011). Today, Starbucks is one of the largest coffeehouses, which employs more than thousands of employees and has a strong customer base. In the modern era, Starbucks, in order to satisfy its customers, has expanded the digital offerings and business strategies to extend its brands reach. Moreover, Starbucks is one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best C ompanies to Work For in 2012 and generated revenue of US$10,707 million (Cable News Network 2013). The mission of Starbucks and the principles formed in the year 1990 are the basic foundations of the culture which is followed by Starbucks and its partners. The basic principles followed by Starbucks are to provide a better work environment and treat each individual with respect and dignity. To accept diversity and change along with enhancing and expanding the business throughout the world are key aims of Starbucks.

Hotel Rwanda & Death and the Kings Horseman Essay

Hotel Rwanda & Death and the Kings Horseman - Essay Example Moreover, he is portrayed as one who is selfless ads he risks his own life and that of his family to save all the people he has hosted at the hotel. The expected help to curb the Rwandan genocide from the white United Nations countries was no forthcoming. The disturbing issue was not addressed with the attention it deserved. It is only after the magnitude of killings was observed that international bodies, including the United Nations began to show concern. These white nations did not show the political ambition to stop the massacre that was going on in Rwanda. The Belgian peacekeepers were pulled out from the country after the death of 10 soldiers. The remaining soldiers, too little to manage the situation, were highly ineffective. All in all, foreign aid required to manage the horrible situation did not match the magnitude of the murderous spree. It is the neglect by the international community that forced Paul Rusasebagina to pursue use of bribes and favor to keep militias at bay. The film is very effective is showing the African crisis for what it was. It was a very sensitive situation that needed attention. It shows that the killings were real and the number of deaths was saddening. The film matches historical representation of the situation and gives it a visual feel to demonstrate the extent of horror.The role of international community in Rwanda signifies the initial problems that African countries face while trying to stop the crises. Getting international help takes a lot of time yet the murderous spree continue while decisions to help are still being discussed at a snail’s speed. Hotel Rwanda shows that some white nations have chauvinistic tendencies towards African countries as demonstrated in delay of peacekeeping and humanitarian aid. Before these nations can consolidate their decisions, the African disasters blow out of proportion. Consequently, they present the sent aid with difficulties in managing the crisis. This is an observed trend

Psychoanalytic Case Study of Preston Essay Example for Free

Psychoanalytic Case Study of Preston Essay Preston was concerned over his aggressive behavior towards other males in and outside of the home. He had frequent altercations with his brother, both of whom lived with their parents. Preston was adopted at a very young age. This was a major cause of his recent issues. He feared that his emotions would progressively get worse, and that something detrimental would happen. In accordance with psychoanalysis, Preston was allowed to explore these issues through free association. Preston was shown that his subconscious had been concealing issues related to his early adoption. Preston was shown constructive ways to deal with these issues. Preston continues to make progress in this area, and is exhibiting less signs of his previous issues. Psychoanalytic Case Study of: Preston A Conceptualization and Treatment Plan The individual in this case study presents a multitude of symptoms that are affecting his daily life. The individual has many factors from his childhood that would contribute to these issues. This study goes to show how the subject’s childhood has a direct relationship to the issues that he is currently experiencing. The identification of these issues is necessary in order for treatment to be successfully implemented. Presenting Concerns Preston presents himself as suffering from multiple issues that affect his daily life. He claims to have issues with forming any relationships with other males. He states that he is overtly competitive when dealing with these other males. His biggest issues arise when dealing with his brother. Preston was adopted at a very young age, and has always had issues getting along with this brother. This aggression has moved from just dealing with his brother to all males in general. There have been instances where the police have been involved in altercations that Preston has had at home. He fears that this will continue until he is arrested outside of the home. Preston still lives with both of his adopted parents and his brother. Preston has stated that he is constantly vying for his parents’ attention, and his aggression increases whenever someone else is monopolizing their time. He does not feel that he will always become violent, but that his anxiety is constantly increasing in situations such as this. He is afraid that his frustration and need to outdo others will end very negatively. Case Conceptualization It appears that one of Preston’s main issues is that of Displacement. According to Murdock (2013), this occurs when a subject shows anger towards someone who is less dangerous than the real cause of an issue (p. 40). Preston shows that he has issues in dealing with the fact that he still lives at home with his parents. He verbally abuses those that he sees as â€Å"better† than him. Preston does not wish to abuse himself over this issue. So, he abuses others that he believes will accept the abuse. He seems to blame others for whatever failings he has in life. He takes his frustrations out on whoever is the most convenient to him. This involves rage towards his brother, as well as friends of his parents. The fact that Preston was adopted as such an early age raises the issue of attachment bonds as well. It appears that Preston may have become overly attached to his adopted parents. Much of this may have to do with the way that they raised him. His parents were very protective, and would cater to his every need. This seems to have created a kind of subconscious reliance on his parents, and the need for their constant approval. This leads to the constant need for their attention as well as the need to outdo peers. The aggressiveness towards peers does not seem to have started until Preston was old enough to identify that was adopted. He seemed to be displacing fear that his current parents would abandon him onto others. This is the main subconscious issue that is affecting Preston. His fear of abandonment has caused him to irrationally fear any force outside of his parental relationship, including his brother. This affects his appraisal tendency, which is the way his brain perceives threats and relates to his aggression and depression (Gilbert, 2007, p. 47). This is the disconnect that is causing most of Preston’s issues. He feels threats that just are not there. He remains living with his parents, constantly vigilant of anyone that will take them away from him, including his brother. This has manifested itself in a sort of hyper-masculinity. Preston’s ego identifies no other way to express these abandonment issues other than with aggressiveness. Also, the fact that Preston’s aggression has continued to increase could be directly correlated with his parents aging. Perhaps he fears that not only could people take his parents away, but the fear that death is closing in on them. This could also be manifesting itself in Preston’s fear and frustration. Treatment Plan Goals for Counseling The goal for psychoanalytic therapy is to get Preston in touch with his subconscious. This serves to identify the root causes of his present issues. Preston will need to identify specific defense mechanisms that he created in childhood. The material that has shifted from the subconscious to the conscious will need to be readily identified (Murdock, 2013, p. 37). Once these mechanisms and thoughts are out in the open, it will be easier to discuss them and change present behavior. Interventions The fundamental intervention to employ with Preston will be â€Å"free association†. According to Murdock (2013), free association encourages the client to reveal whatever he is thinking even if it seems irrelevant or offensive (p. 49). This will be particularly helpful for Preston, and can reveal what his thought process is when he has these aggressive bouts. It seems that Preston has not been totally honest with himself. Free association can help him to bring out deep-rooted ideas for analysis and discussion. This intervention can provide logic and reason to the seemingly illogical thoughts he is experiencing. Establishing the Relationship I realized that Preston had issues in dealing with other males. I asked him if he would feel more comfortable dealing with a female counselor. He indicated that he did not react the same way to me as with other males. He stated that he realized that my sole purpose was to help him with his issues, and this made him not feel anxious or aggressive. I relayed that I was glad this was the case, but that I needed to be immediately notified if these sentiments changed. Whenever I felt that Preston was actually getting anxious or aggressive, I made him aware. I explained to him that he was projecting these feelings onto me, and that it was harmful to the counselor/client relationship. He quickly calmed down, and apologized. He seemed to genuinely understand my concern for his well-being. Analysis of Transference The occasions that Preston did display anxiousness/aggressiveness, he did seem to understand that he was doing so after it was brought to his attention. He realized that I was not causing his issues, and I attempted to apply this to his other personal relationships. We would analyze why he was feeling this way, and how it related to his childhood and parents. He came to the conclusion that if he did not get these feelings under control in session, then he was never going to get them under control outside of it. Insight Preston came to realize that he had subconscious issues regarding his adoption as a child. He understood that he was so shocked by learning he was adopted that he was afraid it was going to happen again. He learned that he was very afraid of losing his parents. He acknowledged that his aggressive outbursts were not about the people he was dealing with, but about his fear that his parents would somehow like them better and abandon him. Preston identified that this is not considered normal behavior for someone his age. He picked up various calming techniques, and needed to constantly remind himself that the issue was him, not others. I was able to assist Preston in identifying the root causes of different scenarios and emotions that he discussed. His visible anxiety and aggression seemed to be kept to a minimum. With his understanding of why he was experiencing these emotions, Preston seemed to be doing better in his daily life. He reports being able to hold a discussion with other males without feeling the need to be dominant. He has also taken steps in explaining his fears and issues with his parents. Conclusions The next main milestone for Preston will be to find a home of his own. This will take time and adjustment, but will be a great leap forward. Also, he is noticing some of the same issues he is dealing with in his brother. Hopefully, Preston can persuade his brother to seek the same sort of help that he has received. This will have to be gradual so as to not induce any sort of separation anxiety. However, if Preston continues with treatment and making positive choices, then he will be continuing on the path to recovery.

Falling Behind by Robert Frank Essay -- Falling Behind, Robert Frank

Robert H. Frank’s book Falling Behind is a short, lucid, and compelling account of what is going on with the middle class†(Alexander Kemestrios Ben). That is what one reviewer on Amazon.com commented about Frank’s book Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class. In order to engage readers and support their ideas, most argumentative nonfiction books use statistics, logical reasoning, personal anecdotes, and real-life examples. While all of these strategies such as should make an interesting and compelling argument, the question is not of how interesting the book is, but rather is it or is it not a quality argumentative nonfiction book? Before answering that question, we must first consider what makes a quality argumentative nonfiction book. A quality argumentative nonfiction book should engage readers with entertaining and unique ideas and also have well-explained and simplified ideas that are easy for the audience to understand. By these standard s, Falling Behind is partially a quality argumentative nonfiction book because, although it fully meets the criterion of having entertaining and unique ideas, it only partially meets the criterion of having well-explained and simplified ideas. In addition to being â€Å"the Henrietta Johnson Louis Professor of Management and Professor of Economics at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management,† Robert H. Frank is also â€Å"the co-director of the Paduano Seminar in business ethics at NYU’s Stern School of Business†(â€Å"Faculty and Research†). He earned a â€Å"B.S. in mathematics from Georgia Tech† and â€Å"an M.A. in statistics and a Ph.D. in economics† from the University of California at Berkeley (â€Å"Faculty and Research†). Frank has written and cowritten many books, as well as various... ...zon.com. Amazon, 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. â€Å"Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class.† Goodreads. Goodreads, 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. Finn, Daniel. "Smart for One, Dumb for All." Commonweal 135.5 (2008): 22+. Academic OneFile. Web. 6 Feb. 2014 Frank, Robert H. Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class. Berkeley: University of California, 2007. Print. Gross, Daniel. "Thy Neighbor’s Stash." NYTimes.com. Ed. Andrew Rosenthal. New York Times, 5 Aug. 2007. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. â€Å"Herpangina† MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 6 Feb. 2014 "Robert H. Frank." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2014. Whaley, Mary. "Falling Behind: How Rising Inequality Harms the Middle Class." Booklist 1 July 2007: 15. EBSCO Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.

B2B Marketing Theory and Relevant Examples

In Business to Consumer marketing, the consumers purchase the product because they derive pleasure out of it or because they need it in their everyday consumptions and not because they very much in need of it for improvement and to gain profit. Whereas in Business to Business marketing, business purchaser buys a product because they need it for them to become competitive, cost-effective and triumphant in the business line they chose (Smith, 2002). Another difference would be Business to Consumer marketing involves only â€Å"small transactions† since they are only concerned with the individual transactions.While Business to Business marketing conducts â€Å"large transactions† since their market includes another business entity or company (Oliva, 2007). The mode of selling of Business to Consumer marketing is only linear. Meaning, there is a direct and simple way of conducting a transaction. Whereas in the Business to Business marketing the purchasing process of a certa in company for a certain product would have to take series of processes before ordering the chosen product (Oliva, 2007).Another exceptional difference of the two would be, in Business to Consumer marketing, the customer of the company has a limited perception on the product that the company is providing. While in the Business to Business marketing, since the company is dealing with the intellectual persons, they have the capacity to fully understand the value of the product. Because of this, low profile advertisement or marketing communication will not take any effect on your target business customer (Smith, 2002).Under the Business to Business marketing, business entities are â€Å"information seekers† and always on search for new ideas that would improve their firm or company, have higher investment return or any information that would bring them to the top of their career. Whereas, individual consumers in Business to Consumer marketing are always contented with what is al ready available in the market. they lack initiatives to look for new ideas since they are just purchasing the company’s product/s for pleasure and not for improvement (Smith, 2002).Lastly, in B2B marketing, you have to be direct with your customer regarding your product. You cannot make some ‘flowery’ features just to have their ‘yes’ on your product. What you need is to be precise, direct to the point and state all the reasons why your customer should buy your product. On the other hand, in B2C marketing, the firm can add ‘colors’ to their presentation to attract the customers. The more creative you present it, the higher is the probability that your good will be purchased (Smith, 2002).The above said differences has to be consider by a Business to Business marketing type of firm fro them to easily gain the market share of their target customers or consumers. Like for instance, you are selling computer units to a telephone company. In t he presentation that you are going to do, you don’t have to hire commercial actors or actresses to present the features of your product. What you should do is to prepare a demonstration or presentation that will educate the telephone company regarding what will be the help of your computer to further improve their services.Sometimes you have to be technical with the term since that is the easiest way for the intellectuals to fully understand what you are saying. Role of Personal Selling in Business to Business Marketing Personal selling is the communication of the sales person with their possible customer done verbally for the purpose of closing the deal with the customer. The main focus of personal selling is to develop a good relationship with the potential buyers most especially the â€Å"will† to close the deal (tutor2u. com, 2007).One of the roles of sales person under the Business to Business marketing is the prospecting or trying to find new customers or consume rs. Since we are considering here a Business to Business type of marketing, it is important for the sales person to clearly identify the right type of customers for their product. The sales person should focus on business type customers and not individual customers. Therefore sales person should be direct when presenting the goods to the company managers or any other important person from the prospect company.What the sales person needs is to be precise, direct to the point and state all the reasons why the company should buy the product should buy your product. Another role of sales person is having communication with the current and probable customers regarding their product. Company managers are information seekers and thus, sales person should communicate from time to time to their potential and current customers regarding the latest information on the products of the sales person.For example, colorful or creative ads of, let say, your software company did not attract the busine ss entities to buy your products until you send them e-mails and journals that explains the features of your products in technical terms. Sales person should know the right means of communicating based from the type of their customers. An additional role of a sales person is the selling of the products, which includes getting in touch with their customer as well as responding to the questions and aiming to close the deal with the customer. For instance the sales person is selling computer units to a telephone company.What you should do is to prepare a demonstration or presentation that will educate the telephone company regarding what will be the help of your computer to further improve their services. Sometimes you have to be technical with the term since that is the easiest way for the intellectuals to fully understand what you are saying. Servicing is the third role of the sales person. Based from this role, the sales person should provide support and service to the customer from the delivery up to the post sales of the product. Providing products to a business customer is not enough.Often time, the sales person is being required to entertain additional questions upon delivery of their goods. Company officials are known for their being specific with the details. The sales person should be able to answer all the questions that might rise by any officials of their business customer. Sales person are also being tasked to gather information on their market in order for them to make necessary adjustments to their plans and other strategies. Customer businesses are very dynamic when it comes to choosing products for their company.It is important for the sales person to gather information on the current demand trend of their prospect company in order to make appropriate strategies and plans. The last but not the least is the allocation especially during the times of shortage. Sales person must have the ability to think on the ways by which he/she would allocate th e available stocks of the company.REFERENCES OLIVA, R. (2007) Business-to-Business Marketing Overview.SMITH, T. (2002) B2B Marketing? TUTOR2U. COM (2007) promotion – personal selling.

Social Structures of Han China and Ancient Rome

During the classical era, Han China and Ancient Rome were the pioneers for the change and the plethora of improvements that took place in civilized societies. The Han Dynasty consisted of persistent regional riots and rebellions against harsh state demands, and Ancient Rome expanded through the Mediterranean and areas of Hellenistic civilization.Together, these two civilizations introduced many essential changes in human life and provided an arena for the spread of organized civilizations. Although both Han China and Ancient Rome acquired powerful religious systems, Ancient Rome’s social structure was far more structured than Han China’s in regards to treatment of women and social status.Han China and Ancient Rome both demonstrated prosperous, influential religious systems that influenced other religious systems. In Han China, many followed Confucianism as a religion. Confucian teachings emphasized strong rulers and the consolidation of political power. Confucianism was not a religion, but a philosophy.It advocated rule by the highly educated, male elite, and it was primarily an ethical system. Respect for elders, art, music, and elegant calligraphy in the cultivation of scholar-bureaucrats were all important. Other Confucian teachings were Legalism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Confucianism has exerted a pervasive influence on other societies throughout Asia.Confucianism has affected and been incorporated in nearly every aspect of life. Education, government, behavior, and how the people should live their lives are all connected and Confucianism provided a code and a guide to have effective government and education, and lead a happy, successful life.China’s Confucian ideals, technological advancements, and prosperous agrarian state captivated major thinkers in Europe and the United States. The Roman Empire provided an arena for the spread of Christianity and the interaction of numerous diverse cultures. Christianity emerged during the first years of the Roman Empire under Augustus. Originally an offshoot of Judaism, early Christianity had little to do with Roman culture.In the centuries after Jesus' execution, many outside of Judaism converted to the new religion. Perhaps as many as 10 percent of the Roman population were Christian by the fourth century C.E. Christianity spread most rapidly among the poor and disadvantaged classes of the empire. Christianity also won converts from among those seeking a more emotionally satisfying form of religion. Roman stability and communications aided in the spread of the religion.The early political form of Christianity was drawn from the imperial constitution. In Christianity, bishops were governors of local communities and supervised activities from cities in which they resided. Bishops in the most powerful cities gained greater authority.The apostle Paul, who brought Christian beliefs to a wider public, was a critical figure in the dissemination of the new religion. Gradually Christi an theologians began to define religious beliefs in terms of Greco-Roman philosophy. Christianity became the most creative intellectual area of later imperial culture.In this sense, Christianity was an important conservator of earlier intellectual traditions. Refusal of Christian communities to participate in state rituals caused some early emperors to persecute individuals and groups. Persecution was only episodic, and eventually the state was able to allot to the Church a legitimate, if subordinate, place in the world.Women enjoyed more freedom and status in Han China than in Ancient Rome, which was a much more structured society for women. Because marriages were arranged with family alliances in Han China, young men had as little say in the choice of their spouses as women. Young brides usually could rely on their powerful relatives to ensure that they were well treated in the new home.Widowed women were permitted to remarry, and all women participated in family ceremonies. Women of upper class families were often tutored in writing, the arts, and music. Although political positions were reserved for men, women could sometimes exert powerful influence from behind the throne.In Ancient Rome, on the other hand, the Roman law stipulated that the husband is the judge of his wife. If she commits a fault, he punishes her; if she has drunk wine, he condemns her; if she has been guilty of adultery, he kills her. If divorced because of adultery, a Roman woman would lose one-third of her property and had to wear a special garment that set her apart like a prostitute.As wives and mothers, many aristocratic Roman women wielded political power, but only through their husbands. Inequality between men and women increased in the empire’s final stages. Roman family structure was very patriarchal.There was much less lenience in the class structure of Han China than Ancient Rome. In Ancient Rome, there was class conflict between the growing  ranks of the poor and the Roman aristocracy. Some political leaders attempted to aggrandize their careers on the basis of this conflict.Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, two tribunes, attempted to introduce land reform and other social legislation in favor of the poor between 133 B.C.E. and 123 B.C.E. Both were killed by aristocratic mandate. After 107 B.C.E., the Roman consul Marius began to use paid volunteers to staff his armies in place of conscripted Roman citizens.The creation of a permanent military force dedicated to its commander threatened the position of the Senate. A second commander, Sulla, drove out Marius and his political allies. A succession of military commanders dominated Roman politics thereafter. A civil war between two of them, Pompey and Julius Caesar, brought the republic to an end. After Caesar took over the government in 49 B.C.E., he introduced various reforms. The result was to destroy the political monopoly of the Roman aristocracy.Traditionalist senators plotted against Caesar and h ad him assassinated in 44 B.C.E. Caesar's death precipitated a civil war from which Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, emerged the victor. While maintaining the external appearance of the republic, Octavian created an imperial state. For his success, he was granted the name Augustus.The Han class systems were much different. In Han China, rebellion was almost nonexistent. Ordinary farmers held varying amounts of land, and those who worked on the land of others as tenants or did landless labor were even more miserable. Many peasants joined secret societies with colorful names. Merchant classes became wealthier and more numerous, but they found it incredibly difficult to translate their profits into political power or social status.However, even when people were unhappy, they did not complain. Status was often unchangeable, so unlike Ancient Rome, people did not and could not revolt. These great classical civilizations lend themselves to a variety of comparisons to other civilizations du ring the time.In particular, Confucianism of the Han Dynasty and Christianity of Ancient Roman have spread throughout the world. Because of the Roman Empire, Christianity has spread throughout Europe from Jerusalem to Mesopotamia. Today, it is most influential in North and South America and Europe.Because of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism and Confucian ideas have had an impact on Eastern Asia, especially Japan, Egypt, and Vietnam, and it has even influenced Taoism. Even though both Han China and Ancient Rome acquired  incredible religious systems, Ancient Rome’s social structure was far more controlling than Han China’s in regards to treatment of women and social status.

Summary of the Culture in China Essays

Summary of the Culture in China Essays Summary of the Culture in China Essay Summary of the Culture in China Essay I think my home country China is such an unique country from what it has been through in the past and what it achieved in the past 20 years, and when those long traditional culture meets the modern or western culture, they get mixed and form the culture as it is now. Now I’m listing and explaining according to the five dimension from my point of view. Power Distance I agree with the point that Hofstede gives 80, the power is highly centralized by the government, I think the primary reason is because China’s one party rule. All the big decisions are made by those 5 7 people in the top level, or some power could even been made only by the chairman. Therefore, the power is distributed from the top all the way down to regular people, not only in the political structure, but also in corporate where people worked, hierarchy is a common sense especially in state-owned companies, i. e. everybody should follow leader or manager’s direction. However, along with more and more foreign company came to China and some private or startup which bring advanced management or organization structure to China, a new trend of encouraging normal employee to come up with their own thought or opinion. An example that I can think about is the internet censorship in China. Since 2000, along with the information explosion and web 2. 0 are more and more popular around the world, people can get information or news from multiple sources over the internet, but Chinese government concerned a lot for their people that could gain more information other than government’s public news or media resources. Therefore a series technical methods has been implemented, such as IP blocking, DNS filtering and redirection, URL filtering, etc, all those kind of methods are called the Great Firewall of China. Furthermore, social networks are boosted nowadays, Chinese government is more sensitive on this and the situation is more and more intensified. I think even most people know that it is not a good approach to control people’s willing of exploring the internet, but this must be a power distributed unequally and nobody can question whether it is right in the whole hierarchy of power distribution system. Individualism I think the point is a little lower than I expect. I agree the example in Hofstede that considerations affect hiring and promotions with closer in-groups (such as family) are getting preferential treatment. The phenomenon is especially common in state-owned company, I heard of the stories like this almost from every family member or friend. Another example is many employee are toadying to their boss and hope to keep closer to the group that they belong to. But again, this phenomenon happens not that common in foreign company. From my experience, I worked for two foreign company before I came to US, although there are some rumor that some employee are hired because of some relationship with manager or manager’s manager, but I believe this things happened more rarely than state-owned company. Regarding to â€Å"Whereas relationships with colleagues are cooperative for in-groups they are cold or even hostile to out-groups. Personal relationships prevail over task and company. I heard of this kind of sayings for a long time but didn’t have met that, both in my schools or companies, I think those relationship between groups or teams are just competition, the objects are all hope to get job done better. My score on this dimension would be 60. Masculinity / Femininity I find there are some different understanding for â€Å"Masculinity / Femininity† in Hofstede and ppt slides, Hofstede’s definition for â€Å"mascu linity† is saying the society is achievement and success oriented, and â€Å"femininity† means the dominant value of society is caring for others and quality of life. In ppt slides, it also mentioned equality of men and women. I agree that give China a high score but expect the score should be higher, 90 or more. In my opinion, China is an extremely success oriented and driven country, both from the country perspective and from the personal perspective. As a developing country, China’s economic speed thrilling the whole world, it is a common sense that everything is good to economic numbers, it would be encouraged. However, in the other side, that also gives the society some downsides. For instance environmental problems, more and more factory or manufacturing plants are coming to China, but they also bring various pollution, and it will cost much more time to recover. Another example is Beijing 2008 Olympic Game, obviously it was a big success, and it a proud thing for every Chinese people, also in the other side, we cost too much for that. We spend too much money and energy, the whole country was preparing it for many years, massive construction have been completed in Beijing, the whole city has almost been rebuilt. Another good example for personal is Chinese’s education. Score or grade has always been the only measurement tool to judge a so called â€Å"good student†. Kids are learning hard since elementary school, and the pressure are more and more intensive when he or she growing up to high school, getting a better score in college entrance examination is the primary goal during all the three years in high school. Therefore, most students sacrifice nearly all other activities but keep learning day by day. College entrance examination lasting 2 days, during that two days, the exam is the only topic in most people’s life because every student’s whole family are involved. Half month later when the result comes out, some students who don’t satisfy their result choose to prepare another year and hope to get a better grade next year, however, that might waste a whole year in their best ages. That’s a consequence of the success orient. Uncertainty avoidance I think 30 is a little bit low for China. The points of â€Å"laws and rules may be flexible to suit the actual situation and pragmatism is a fact of life. † that Hofstede pointed out is correct in some situation. For example, when you’re in a car accident, to avoid making compensation or diminish the responsibility, most people will ask friends or families to see who is getting known someone in the local police office, that’ll have influence to policeman’s judgement the side that have more powerful relationship with the police might escape the charge or responsibility. But I don’t agree with Hofstede’s other examples, Chinese language is full of ambiguous meanings, that’s right, but it is only a specialty of a language, maybe it’s difficult to learn for most western people but you can’t say China is ambiguous or Chinese people tend to be ambiguous because you can’t distinguish them. Also I’m doubting the example that Hofstede cites, â€Å"the majority (70% -80%) of Chinese businesses tend to be small to medium sized and family owned. Many state-owned company are the main entity of the country, they are giant comparing to the small business. I think the biggest uncertainty of China is the policy changes, sometimes the changes are even opposite, for instance, in 1960s, the government encouraged families to have as many children as possible, then the population grew from around 540 million in 1949 to 940 million in 1976, since then the government began to make control, the one child policy had been pla nned as early as 1977 and mandated nationwide until 1979. Another example is China was encouraging the automobile industry since 2000, more and more family owned cars, but along with the big traffic problem in big cities of China, now the government proposed many ways to limit the growth of automobile, such as tax increasing, plate auction (people have to pay more than 40,000 RMB to get a car plate in Shanghai), cars are forbidden to drive on road every 10 days according to the last digit of the plate number, etc. Long term orientation I agree with the Hofstede’s opinion that China is long term orientation, people work hard and following the sharp increase in income, they tend to make savings, and the saving rate have continued to rise to the point that the national savings rate in China is now the highest in the world. Most people especially old ages tend to save money in the bank, also they tend to make real estate investment, they think that’s the best way to keep value, so China’s real estate value rises dramatically in the past 10 years. Furthermore, many people are considering to buy real estate for their children. I talked with a roommate from Taiwan, and make some comparison between China and Taiwan, hereby I make some summary of what he said. Power Distance He think Taiwan’s score on this is too high, he said it should be 45. Because Taiwan is a democratic country, Nationalist Party and Democratic Progressive Party come into power one after another, so they’re supervise each other. He also mentioned, like US, the president of Taiwan doesn’t have too much power, all the big decisions are made by different department as a whole, there is not such a role that is superior than all others. Individualism He said the score should be raised to 30 and taiwanese are not so egocentric that only care about themselves, family is also an important in people’s life. Masculinity / Femininity He said old man or woman used to be driven by success and achievement, but young people are more focus on how to live in a well-being, which means that the result is only a tool to measure a thing but not the only tool. Uncertainty avoidance He said in daily work, people have their clear tasks to do, and work hard on that, but for the future, most people don’t have a clear view. Long term orientation He said Taiwan is definitely a long term orientation, he gave me an example is the Military Service of Taiwan, in his age it was a duty to serve in the army, but nowadays it might change to voluntary, and the change will be announced soon. The benefit of this change is to save government’s huge cost for army. Another reason is government believe the future war don’t need too much soldiers, it more depends on high-tech.

Marketing Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example The company’s product – Daisy Make-up kit – is waterproof in design and does not fade during rains. The company has an utmost objective of reaching out to both local and international brides and brides’ maidens with the make-up kit while achieving 70 percent profit margin in its product’s sales. The first strategy that the company seeks to employ in enticing the prospective customers is merging high quality with price affordability. As such, it seeks to have the brand of high-quality make-up kit – Daisy Make-up Kit – that has significantly low and affordable price. The company shall embark on the creation of customer awareness and relations campaign by putting strategies in place for demonstrating to the customers how the product’s key features work. In so doing, Silva Company Limited shall be aiming at communicating to the prospective customers the competitive qualities of its brand make-up kit. The company shall place details of the demonstration with intensive description encompassing the quality if the product on its website that must also be updated from time to time. Another strategy shall involve aggressive advertisement of the product that the company shall conduct through different medium. It shall use print, audio and audio-visual media to reach out to the prospective customers. For instance, the company ought to take advantage of seasonal Bridal Magazines produced by reputable companies (Ferrell & Hartline, 2012). It shall also make use of the rapidly growing social media as a reach-out tool. Concerning marketing mix, the company intends to employ diverse customer-friendly means of acquiring and retaining its customers. Prices shall be set based on the customers’ levels of income and welfare. The company intends to offer focus on price affordability in relation to quality. The company intends to

Which ethnic groups claimed to have discovered the new world Essay

Which ethnic groups claimed to have discovered the new world - Essay Example Columbus is given credit probably because it was a well-communicated, planned and documented voyage. These may not have been possible for the earlier explorers. There are not enough records that add substance to their claim and except the Phoenicians who documented their travels in useful inscriptions; very few left any written records for their efforts. In 1872, on a plantation in Brazil, a stone, covered with strange carvings, was found in a field. The carvings were later identified as Phoenician writing, telling of a ship blown off course and landing in a strange, new land, some 2500 years earlier, after returning from a trip to the Middle East. The Phoenicians were well known as enthusiastic sailors and were one of the foremost to document their travels. They have been known to travel around the coast of Africa to the Arab lands. Also, historians agree that, in 1872, of Phoenician writing was not of a state to which the stone could have been a fake. The term Phoenician refers to the inhabitants of the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon and also included the Israelite tribes of Dan, Asher and Zebulon who resided near these cities along the east Mediterranean shore. These people also traded frequently along the northern African and Spanish coasts as well as the British Isles and navigated the Straits of Gibraltar called the "Pillars of Hercules". Diodorus of Sicily wrote, in the first century BCE, that the Phoenicians, while sailing along the west coast of Africa, were blown off course into the ocean by a "furious storm" and after many days being blown about, "arrived at the island and so they were the first to discover it." The only places, west of Europe that has navigable rivers are Cuba, Haiti and North and South America. (Pohl, 21). Also the early explorers tended to call even extremely large landmasses islands. (Boland, 28). As long ago as 1913, author T. C. Johnston in his book "Did The Phoenicians Discover America" claimed that the American continent was discovered and settled by Phoenicians and Hebrews who kept in contact with the Middle East for some three hundred years. He claimed that North America was the Biblical Ophir, visited by the fleets of King Solomon, and he outlined some twenty-six points of comparison between the civilization of the Eastern Mediterranean homelands of the Phoenicians and Hebrews and the Mayan, Inca and Aztec civilizations in the New World. More research by Professor Barry Fells points to Punic or Phoenician inscriptions found in New England, Ohio and West Virginia, and also the discovery of coinage and trade goods in the United States which had come from the Phoenician city of Carthage in North Africa. Numerous archaeological vestiges of Phoenician settlement have been found all the way down the Atlantic coast of Morocco dating back 3,000 years. A tablet found in New Mexico is inscribed in what appears to be early Hebrew in a Phoenician alphabet of a form used about 1000 B.C.E. in the eastern Mediterranea