Dendrochronology - Tree Ring Records of Climate Change

Dendrochronology is the formal term for tree-ring dating, the science that uses the growth rings of trees as a detailed record of climatic change in a region, as well as a way to approximate the date of construction for wooden objects of many types. Key Takeaways: Dendrochronology Dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, is the study of growth rings in deciduous trees to identify absolute dates of wooden objects.  Tree rings are created by the tree as it grows in girth, and the width of a given tree ring is dependent on climate, so a stand of trees will all have a near-identical pattern of tree rings.The method was invented in the 1920s by astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass and archaeologist Clark Wissler.  Recent applications include tracking climate change, identifying pending slope collapses, finding American trees in World War I trench construction, and using chemical signatures in tropical trees to identify past temperature and precipitation.  Tree ring dating is also used to calibrate radiocarbon dates. As archaeological dating techniques go, dendrochronology is extremely precise: if the growth rings in a wooden object are preserved and can be tied into an existing chronology, researchers can determine the precise calendar year—and often season—the tree was cut down to make it. Because of that precision, dendrochronology is used to calibrate ​radiocarbon dating, by giving science a measure of the atmospheric conditions which are known to cause radiocarbon dates to vary. Radiocarbon dates which have been calibrated by comparison to dendrochronological records are designated by abbreviations such as cal BP, or calibrated years before the present. What are Tree Rings? Cross section of a tree illustrating the cambium layer. Lukaves / iStock / Getty Images Tree-ring dating works because a tree grows larger—not just height but gains girth—in measurable rings each year in its lifetime. The rings are the cambium layer, a ring of cells that lies between the wood and bark and from which new bark and wood cells originate; each year a new cambium is created leaving the previous one in place. How large the cambiums cells grow in each year, measured as the width of each ring, depends on temperature and moisture—how warm or cool, dry or wet each years seasons were. Environmental inputs into the cambium are primarily regional climatic variations, changes in temperature, aridity, and soil chemistry, which together are encoded as variations in the width of a particular ring, in the wood density or structure, and/or in the chemical composition of the cell walls. At its most basic, during dry years the cambiums cells are smaller and thus the layer is thinner than during wet years. Tree Species Matters Not all trees can be measured or used without additional analytical techniques: not all trees have cambiums that are created annually. In tropical regions, for example, annual growth rings are not systematically formed, or growth rings are not tied to years, or there are no rings at all. Evergreen cambiums are commonly irregular and not formed annually. Trees in arctic, sub-arctic and alpine regions respond differently depending on how old the tree is—older trees have reduced water efficiency which results in a reduced response to temperature changes. Invention of Dendrochronology Tree-ring dating was one of the first absolute dating methods developed for archaeology, and it was invented by astronomer Andrew Ellicott Douglass and archaeologist Clark Wissler in the first decades of the 20th century. Douglass was mostly interested in the history of climatic variations exhibited in tree rings; it was Wissler who suggested using the technique to identify when adobe pueblos of the American southwest were built, and their joint work culminated in research at the Ancestral Pueblo town of Showlow, near the modern town of Showlow, Arizona, in 1929. The Beam Expeditions Archaeologist Neil M. Judd is credited with convincing the National Geographic Society to establish the First Beam Expedition, in which log sections from occupied pueblos, mission churches and prehistoric ruins from the American southwest were collected and recorded alongside those from living ponderosa pine trees. The ring widths were matched and cross-dated, and by the 1920s, chronologies were built back nearly 600 years. The first ruin tied to a specific calendar date was Kawaikuh in the Jeddito area, built in the 15th century; charcoal from Kawaikuh was the first charcoal used in (the later) radiocarbon studies. In 1929, Showlow was being excavated by Lyndon L. Hargrave and Emil W. Haury, and dendrochronology conducted on Showlow eventuated the first single chronology for the southwest, extending over a period of over 1,200 years. The Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research was established by Douglass at the University of Arizona in 1937, and it is still conducting research today. Building a Sequence Over the past hundred years or so, tree ring sequences have been built for various species all over the world, with such long date strings as a 12,460-year sequence in central Europe completed on oak trees by the Hohenheim Laboratory, and an 8,700 year-long bristlecone pine sequence in California. Building a chronology of climate change in a region today was first simply a matter of matching overlapping tree ring patterns in older and older trees; but such efforts are no longer based solely on tree-ring widths. Features such as wood density, the elemental composition (called dendrochemistry) of its makeup, the anatomical features of the wood, and stable isotopes captured within its cells have been used in conjunction with traditional tree ring width analysis to study air pollution effects, the uptake of ozone, and changes in soil acidity over time. Medieval Là ¼beck In 2007, German wood scientist Dieter Eckstein described wooden artifacts and building rafters within the Medieval town of Là ¼beck, Germany, an excellent example of the myriad ways the technique can be used. Là ¼becks medieval history includes several events that are pertinent to the study of tree rings and forests, including laws passed in the late 12th and early 13th century establishing some basic sustainability rules, two devastating fires in 1251 and 1276, and a population crash between about 1340 and 1430 resulting from the Black Death. Construction booms at Là ¼beck are marked by the extensive use of younger trees, which signal demand outpacing the ability of the forests to recover; busts, such as after the Black Death decimated the population, are denoted by a long period of no construction at all, followed by the use of very old trees.In some of the wealthier houses, the rafters used during construction were cut down at different times, some spanning more than a year; most other houses have rafters cut down at the same time. Eckstein suggests that is because wood for the wealthier house was obtained at a timber market, where the trees would have been cut and stored until they could be sold; while less well-off house constructions were built just-in-time.Evidence of long-distance timber trade is seen in wood imported for pieces of art such as the Triumphal Cross and Screen at the St. Jacobi Cathedral. That was identified as having been constructed out of wood that had been specifically shipped in from 200-300-yea r-old trees from the Polish-Baltic forests, probably along established trade routes from Gdansk, Riga, or Konigsberg harbors. Tropical and Subtropical Environments Clà ¡udia Fontana and colleagues (2018) documented advances in filling a major gap in dendrochronological research in tropical and subtropical regions, because trees in those climates have either complex ring patterns or no visible tree rings at all.  That is an issue because because since global climate change is in progress, we need to understand the physical, chemical and biological processes that effeect terrestrial carbon levels is increasingly important. The tropic and subtropic regions of the world, such as the Brazilian Atlantic Forest of South America, store about 54% of the total biomass of the planet. The best results for standard dendrochronological research are with the evergreen Araucaria angustifolia (Paranà ¡ pine, Brazilian pine or candelabra tree), with a sequence established in the rainforest between 1790–2009 CE); preliminary studies (Nakai et al. 2018) have shown that there are chemical signals which trace precipitation and temperature changes, which m ay be leveraged for gaining more information.   The elliptical rings on this tree from Turkey show that the tree grew tilted on a slope for several years, the part facing the upslope identified by the narrowness of the ring in the right hand side of the image. Mehmet Gà ¶khan Bayhan / iStock / Getty Images A 2019 study (Wistuba and colleagues) found that tree rings can also warn of impending slope collapses. It turns out that trees that are tilted by landsliding record eccentric elliptical tree rings. The downslope parts of the rings grow wider than the upslope ones, and in studies carried out in Poland, Malgorzata Wistuba and colleagues found that those tilts are in evidence between three and fifteen years prior to catastrophic collapse. Other Applications It had long been known that three 9th century Viking period boat-grave mounds near Oslo, Norway (Gokstad, Oseberg, and Tune) had been broken into at some point in antiquity. The interlopers defaced the ships, damaged the grave goods and pulled out and dispersed the bones of the deceased. Fortunately for us, the looters left behind the tools they used to break into the mounds, wooden spades and stretchers (small handled platforms used to carry objects out of the tombs), which were analyzed using dendrochronology. Tying tree ring fragments in the tools to established chronologies, Bill and Daly (2012) discovered that all three of the mounds were opened and the grave goods damaged during the 10th century, likely as part of Harald Bluetooths campaign to convert Scandinavians to Christianity. Wang and Zhao used dendrochronology to look at the dates of one of the Silk Road routes used during the Qin-Han period called the Qinghai Route. To resolve conflicting evidence over when the route was abandoned, Wang and Zhao looked at wood remains from tombs along the route. Some historical sources had reported the Qinghai route was abandoned by the 6th century AD: dendrochronological analysis of 14 tombs along the route identified a continuing use through the late 8th century. A study by Kristof Haneca and colleagues (2018) described evidence for the importation of American timber to construct and maintain the 440 mi (700 km) long defensive line of World War I trenches along the western front. Selected Sources Bill, Jan, and Aoife Daly. The Plundering of the Ship Graves from Oseberg and Gokstad: An Example of Power Politics? Antiquity 86.333 (2012): 808–24. Print.Fontana, Clà ¡udia, et al. Dendrochronology and Climate in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: Which Species, Where and How. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 13.4 (2018). Print.Haneca, Kristof, Sjoerd van Daalen, and Hans Beeckman. Timber for the Trenches: A New Perspective on Archaeological Wood from First World War Trenches in Flanders Fields. Antiquity 92.366 (2018): 1619–39. Print.Manning, Katie, et al. The Chronology of Culture: A Comparative Assessment of European Neolithic Dating Approaches. Antiquity 88.342 (2014): 1065–80. Print.Nakai, Wataru, et al. Sample Preparation of Ring-Less Tropical Trees for ÃŽ ´18O Measurement in Isotope Dendrochronology. Tropics 27.2 (2018): 49–58. Print.Turkon, Paula, et al. Applications of Dendrochronology in Northwestern Mexico. Latin American Antiquity 29.1 (2018 ): 102–21. Print.Wang, Shuzhi, and Xiuhai Zhao. Re-Evaluating the Silk Roads Qinghai Route Using Dendrochronology. Dendrochronologia 31.1 (2013): 34–40. Print.

Jane Eyre and Tess of the DUrbervilles Essay examples

Comparative Study - Jane Eyre and Tess of the DUrbervilles Comparison of Thomas Hardys Tess of the DUrbervilles and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontà « is possible as both authors were writing in the same time period; therefore both books contain certain aspects attributed to one genre: the Victorian Novel. However its is also important to realise the differences between the books as well as the similarities; the diversities are what give each novel its individuality and make it distinct from other books by the same author or included in the same genre. The first chapter of a novel is always vital as it is essential in capturing the reader and enticing them to read on. In addition, the opening section plays a part in†¦show more content†¦They torture her, referring to her as and animal and a madcat. Subsequently her living situations change, only for Jane to endure more harsh conditions at Lowood school: we had scarcely sufficient to keep alive a delicate invalid. Jane addresses the reader, clearly intoning that she is aware of this higher power fate has out-manoeuvred me yet later on rebuking it God has given us, in a measure, the power to make our own fate. This contrast highlights for both the characters and the reader the unpredictability and unsure feelings associated with fate. In the first chapter of both novels the reader sees how social status affects the way in which an individual is treated: Jane is thought of as a lesser being not worthy of treatment as a human: -bad animal! This is emphasised through the use of the animal insults, and because the reader sees them entirely from Janes point of view, it is hard to see any good in the Reeds. For Tess, her believed change in status is just one of the many aforementioned incidents which lead to her fate. Her familys intent belief that they are descendents of the DUrberville family causes them to behave differently, to change the way they think about themselves and other people. 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Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at Bmw Free Essays

string(139) " program for 2006 and newer models, which provides a 12-year limited rust perforation protection without mileage limitations \(http://www\." Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at BMW BMW is one of the world’s largest luxury car companies and it is easy to understand why. Not only does this premium auto brand have a high resale value, but strong brand loyalty and an even bigger profit margin than mass-produced cars (Holloway, 2002). This in turn enables the premium maker to spend more on research and development into the minds of its target market to make better, more advanced cars with a powerful brand image. We will write a custom essay sample on Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at Bmw or any similar topic only for you Order Now BMW is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company, which owns and produces the Mini brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW is well known for its sporty, yet sophisticated image which has been built up since the 1970’s with many motor sports victories, and its BMW Group’s worldwide mission statement, â€Å"To be the most successful premium manufacturer in the industry† (http://www. bmwgroup. com). The majority of BMW’s success is attributed to the development of a consistent marketing policy, the ‘market niche’ strategy. The company has built is brand on four core values, which are technology, quality, performance, and exclusivity, whereas BMW has traditionally positioned its brand to be perceived as the leader in performance (Arnold, n. d. ). In fact, the BMW group and all BMW models are all about performance on the road and inside the plant in which they are manufactured. The fundamental core benefits for BMW customers are reliability, durability, and style. People who buy BMW are also paying for the engineering and quality, not for breakdowns (Arnold, n. d. . Buyers normally expect certain qualities in their cars when they purchase at BMW. Brand associations of German luxury brands like BMW include powerful, high-quality, fast, pricy, luxurious, classy, and sleek (Holloway, 2002). BMW owners usually purchase because they know they can rely on its solid background of high-quality vehicles, and superior performance, but they also know they are getting a vehicle that looks sporty, classy, and expensi ve at the same time. Technology plays a huge role in the difference between BMW and its competitors. BMW has combined its superior quality product with that of technology to enhance BMW service experience for its customers. In fact, research by Wanke, Bohner, and Jurkowitsch, (1997) suggest that BMW’s Augmented Reality has created the bridge and extends the real world by adding virtual information to assist BMW Service staff in their highly demanding technical work. Using augmented reality, a BMW mechanic receives additional three-dimensional information on the engine he/she is repairing. For example, augmented reality can be used to help in diagnosing and solving the fault in and engine (Horatiu, 2009). Apart from the real environment, technicians can see virtually animated components, the tools to be used and hear instruction on each of the working steps through headphones integrated inside the goggles (Horatiu, 2009). Next stands the exclusivity of BMW’s potential product and the ideas’ genesis come up with. BMW now makes cars using resources that would otherwise be wasted by putting them to good use. For instance, the Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project at BMW used to reduce its reliance on natural gas and better utilizes the previously untapped methane, which is a byproduct of decomposing trash and can have harmful effects on air quality. By turning this methane into energy, the plant has reduced carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 61,000 automobiles from the U. S highways each year (Arnold, n. d. ). Today, 63 percent of the plant’s total energy is derived from landfill gas (Arnold, n. d. ). Not only that, this project has three core benefits, it reduces the amount of harmful greenhouse gases released into the air, allows BMW to use a wasted energy source by transforming the methane gas produced from the nearby Palmetto Landfill into electricity to heat for the plant, and it saves a lot of money for the company as a whole (Arnold, n. . ). BMW is now the first auto company in the world to use green energy to fuel its painting facility. Furthermore, since its inception, the project has been expanded to utilize landfill gas to fuel 23 oven burners in the paint shops at BMW and supply indirect heat to these areas (Arnold, n. d. ). In addition, marketers have classified BMW products as specialty goods be cause they have a unique characteristic or brand identification for which a sufficient number of buyers are willing to make a special purchasing effort (Kotler Keller, 2009). Consumers who purchase BMW’s are willing to go to great lengths and travel afar to buy one. In fact, BMW is a product that stands above the rest requiring very little if any comparison to other brands as buyers already know exactly what they are looking for when in search of this particular type of vehicle (Holloway, 2002). Thus consumers that purchase BMW’s are investment buyers and often have upscale purchasing habits. And it is this reason that BMW, unlike many other marketers, has stopped emphasizing demographics such as targeting customers based on age and income, and tarted targeting based on mind-set and lifestyle. BMW marketers understand that their customers are concerned about status, and so this is what they focus their attention on. When advertising BMW marketers have focused on the specifics of the BWM and emphasis are often placed on the fact that BMW is continuously managing its cars performance quality through time, and research (Boudette, 2005). It cons istently strives to improve its products and for years has produced high returns and market shares for this very reason. Ideally, BMW’s positioning has been maintained over such a long period of time because the company possesses and develops an incredible competitive advantage. In terms of price, BMW’s mid-range vehicles start around $29,400 up to the most prestigious and luxurious vehicles priced around $130,000 (Boudette, 2005). Additionally, every new BMW is covered by a limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship for the first four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. BMW also offers a rust protection program for 2006 and newer models, which provides a 12-year limited rust perforation protection without mileage limitations (http://www. You read "Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at Bmw" in category "Papers" bmwgroup. com). Additional accessories and services offered by BMW include iDrive, Real Time Traffic Information, BMW Roadside Assistance, and BMW assist all the more reasons why consumers choose BMW. iDrive links BMW vehicles’ with communications, navigation and entertainment functions allowing owners to make calls, listen to music, plot routes and find places to stop along the way, with just one controller all at the same time. Real Time Traffic takes owners down shorter and faster routes, preventing them from getting stuck in traffic. It identifies traffic accidents and delays in real time and continuously updates the service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while smaller markets report only during normal commuting hours (http://www. bmwgroup. com). BMW Roadside Assistance is a feature most BMW owners find comforting because if they are traveling and get a flat, run out of gas, or need a tow BMW will send someone out immediately to assist no matter where the customer is located. BMW owners are covered in all 50 states, in Canada and Puerto Rico, even if someone else is driving the vehicle. These services are offered 24 hours, 365 days a year, at no additional cost, and without any mileage restrictions (http://www. bmwgroup. com). BMW assist, on the other hand, works as a sense of security, and is there for BMW customer’s safety. It is a convenient service that adds peace of mind for BMW owners, and is suitably equipped in 2007 and later models. BMW assist is part of the Ultimate Service at BMW, and is included at no additional cost for up to 4 years. This service connects owners to a response specialist that can help with almost everything, from an emergency situation to directions and traffic information by just a push of a button (http://www. bmwgroup. com). At BMW distribution is about the use of consistent standards of quality, safety, and processes at all locations. They guarantee worldwide premium products made by BMW Group as well as the careful use of resources being the guiding principle behind all production and planning. Its living structure is what enables it to react flexibly to customer demands and market requirements and conditions throughout the world (Ludwig, n. ). This is why they have such flexibility in models, as well as their ability to build additional numbers of certain models in other plants, if necessary. BMW gives its consumers exactly what they want building models with options customized to fit the individual consumer (Ludwig, n. d). As a result, the company’s dealerships keep very few cars on the lot. Instead, BMW offers intimate showrooms where customers can view cars and place orders with individual custom options that they select (Ludwig, n. d). After the car has been selected and the customer has chosen their individual custom features, BMW directs its manufacturing plant to produce the car and deliver it within a matter of days. Logistically speaking, when it comes to BMW and the channel of information, it means using CRM to strengthen communications with its dealers and make it as easy as possible for potential customers to get all the buyer information they need (Ludwig, n. d). BMW group also uses e-commerce strategies as a means to explore the market for effective business. The group introduced an ordering system in 1998 which gives dealers the option of showing customers their desired car on the screen and confirming the delivery date on the spot. Through the use of this system, the time frame when the vehicle can be built with the desired fitting is configured within a few seconds and is reserved in the production process immediately (Ludwig, n. d). Furthermore, the manufacturing logistics department at BMW has such outstanding internal processes to such a level that when changes accord due to customers’ wishes regarding issues as omplicated as engine capacity to something as small as the color of the upholstery it can be immediately communicated, and in most cases resolved prior to shipment of the vehicle. Moreover, the company has adopted a consistent advertising strategy. In addition to the message of its values being portrayed in advertising campaigns, the company explicitly expresses one or more of these values in all BMW advertisements (J ones, 2010). Its design philosophy also runs through every BMW advertisement communicated through TV and print ads. Its brand imaged has been built up by using over 300 different types of color press advertisements, as well as 64 different types of television commercials (Jones, 2010). BMW ads are always consistent and focus on the substance of the cars themselves. However, it is important to point out that BMW also relies on its sensitivity to the environment, which is clearly seen by how the company’s advertisements evolved in response to economic, environmental and competitive changes. In addition, since the competition started to imitate BMW’s adverting messages of outstanding quality, BMW decided to come up with a more unique way to reach its target audience. The company did so by hiring Fallon Worldwide, an advertisement agency, to come up with new campaigns. Now BMW uses guerilla public relations campaigning as a means to drive sales. Its diverse promotion tactics include seeding news of the BMW Films at key Internet entertainment rumor sites and radio DJ programs in 20 key metro markets, and BMW manufacturers use web mostly to drive its brand (Jones, 2010). In fact, BMW takes the phrase â€Å"beyond the banner† seriously. In its ads for the BMW Compact, the car drives out of the banner ad and around the sides of the browser window, to show how it loves corners. BMW’s online strategy in the UK is highly-brand drive, with clickthrough considered to be a side benefit (Jones, 2010). Not only that, BMW uses traditional banner ads, with pull-down menus, Superstitials, transitional ads which appear between pages, sponsorship and dynamic html ads like the one mentioned previously to promote its brand message and to drive the benefit of ownership in terms of the driving experience (Jones, 2010). Superstitials are highly interactive, non-banner ads that can be any size on the computer screen and up to 100k in file size. They can feature animation, sound graphics capable of effectively conveying integrated advertising messages while protecting its Web site’s performance (Jones, 2010). BMW utilizes this form of advertisement to achieve multiple goals, including branding, direct marketing, commerce and entertainment. In conclusion, as a worldwide organization, BMW Group has a long and established heritage of manufacturing premium products and holding true to its four core values of technology, quality, performance, and exclusivity. Today, BMW is one of the most respected companies and recognizable brands in the world. This is due to the fact that the BMW Group continues its leading position in the premium segments of the domestic and international automobile markets. The BMW Group has long pursued the objective of continuously and permanently increasing its company value and has done so by playing an active role in both shaping internal economic success factors as well as corporate citizenship in society as a means to gain and retain loyal customers. References Arnold, P. V. (n. d. ). BMW: The ultimate reliability machine. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from http://www. reliableplant. com/Read/5197/bmw-reliability Boudette, N. E. (2005). BMW’s Push to Broaden Line Hits Some Bumps in the Road. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www. bimmerfest. com/forums/showthread. php? t=83762 Holloway, N. (2002). The best-driven brand. Forbes. com Inc. Retrieved March 01, 2011, from http://www. forbes. com/global/2002/0722/024. html Horatiu, B. (2009). BMW Augmented Reality. BMWBLOG News. Retrieved March 02, 2011, from http://www. bmwblog. com/2009/09/03/bmw-augmented-reality/ Jones, J. (2010). Driving Success Digitally. Response, 19(1) 30-35. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database. Kotler, P. , Keller, K. L. (2009). Marketing Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice Hall. Ludwig, C. (n. d). Standing atop the Welt of BMW’s vehicle distribution. Automotive Logistics. Retrieved March 5, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database. Wanke, M. , Bohner, G. , Jurkowitsch, A. (1997). There Are Many Reasons to Drive a BMW: Does Imagined Ease of Argument Generation Influence Attitudes? Journal of Consumer Research, 24(2) 170-177. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database. How to cite Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at Bmw, Papers

Childhood Obesity for Body Mass Index - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theChildhood Obesity for Body Mass Index. Answer: Introduction In medical, the term childhood obesity refers to the condition in which the body accumulates an excess of fat that results in affecting the health or well-being of a child negatively. The methods of determining directly about the body fat are difficult so the obesity can be diagnosed with the help of BMI (Body Mass Index). BMI determines the obesity among the children from two years or more. It is measured by the ratio of weight to the square of height. Obesity has become a rising prevalence among the children and having many harmful effects on health. This has been identified as a vital health concern. In the case of children, the term overweight has been used instead of obese because of it less stigmatising (Comans et al. 2013). The main cause for the children for becoming obese are genetic factors as well as environmental factors, unhealthy eating habit, lack of physical activities or a combination of all these factors or in rare cases due to hormones. Obesity also happens because of socioeconomic status, social policies and family practices like number of mothers have decreased breastfeeding and children are less engaged in outside games and more indulged in technology games like television or video games. In order to reduce the physical activity of their children parents are driving their kids to the school by car, as the member in the family are becoming less so the adults can afford foods packed with calories like candy or soda drinks for their children, having social get together for meal increases the rate of obesity in children. According to Hoque et al. (2014), the social issues that are helping for the increase of obesity in children are the quality of lunches that the schools are providing them is unhygienic; nowadays schools are giving more emphasis on studies and neglecting the physical activities. The children are getting access to the vending machines and the fast food made in restaurants, subsidies that the government are giving like corn oil, sugar. The prices of healthy foods are becoming high and unhealthy low, allowing the advertisement of fast food restaurants and the calories contained candy. In cities or town due to the increase industries and areas for building flats, children are not getting a park for playing. For reducing, the obesity parents must be supportive, talk about their weight, and focus on changing their family physical activities and eating habit and indulged them more in physical activities. Customer Profile Customer Jobs: Generally from the customer job we get to know about the needs of all the customers, the problem which they are facing and implementing necessary actions to get them solved and for these the tasks which they are performing. The customers because of their bad eating habits and lack of exercises especially the children are facing obesity at an early stage of life. The foods that the schools are proving to the children the quality is not good so the management must take good care of that. Their parents drive children to the school (Millar et al. 2014). The parents must stop this activity and give their children a bicycle for riding to school. The food that is made in food must be healthy especially for the children and take good care of their physical exercises. Customer Pains: Hayes et al. (2016) stated that customer pains signify the accumulation of all the emotions that are negative and the costs that are undesirable, the situation that the customers are facing and the risk they are experiencing or will experience from all these at the time or after the customer job has been done. This assignment deals with obesity that the children at a tender age will be or is facing due to unhealthy eating and indulging in less physical activities. By eating unhygienic foods, children will accumulate fat in the body that will turn into obesity and for that, they have to face problems like high cholesterol, early heart disease, bone problems, Diabetes and high blood pressure (Delavari et al. 2017). All these will make the kid less active and more suffer related to health issues. They will lose confidence and go into depression seeing other children actively participating in other activities (Javed et al. 2015). Parents and the management of health in sc hool have to take care of these children by looking into their eating habits and trying to indulge these children into physical activities like sports or swimming, which will slowly help them in reducing their weight, and come into the normal category of BMI. Customer Gains: The customer gets to know about the benefits and the aspiration of the customers and by doing the customer pain they can trigger their personal, economic as well as their functional areas. The children suffering from obesity can indulge in physical activities and can control their eating habits to help them in gaining positive emotions. This can help them to come into the normal category of BMI and other children will not let them feel alone (LeBlanc et al. 2015). They can participate in all functional activities as well as sports activities which will help them in gaining confidence and all these will results in children not suffer from diseases which cost more in case money and also in the health of the children at this early age (Krause et al. 2016). Solution After researching on the obesity that the children are facing at an early stage of age group due to the practices are done by the family and the social issues and to maintain the socio-economic status of their family. The parents are pampering their children because of less number of members in the family. They give their children all the modern facilities for maintaining the standard of living without realising that they are making their children less active in physical activities and helping them in becoming lazy by increasing their interest in modern technology like television, laptops or mobiles where they are wasting their time remaining at home without going out for playing. For these, they are becoming less active in sports and becoming unhealthy and eating of junk foods that take less time and have more calories in helping them become obese. ValueProposition Pitch: Communicating the Reasons Behind the Solution Product Services: According to Thind et al. (2015), product and services list the each and every products and service which can build around the value proposition of the services providing to the customers are helping them in receiving either of the functional or emotional or social. The health manager has to take steps in giving healthy food during the lunch that is given to the children keeping in mind that the food is excess in nutrition and less in fat. They must maintain a balanced diet in the lunch. The school management must indulge the students into the social activities like the planting of trees and playing games with other children, having competitions like swimming or races. Gain creators: The gain creators describes the way the products creates a gain for the customers and in which way it adds value quality of value for the customers (Bambra et al. 2015). The steps taken by the health managers will results in gain for the children, as they will become physically active as well as socially and environmentally active. They will build interest in nature and love to enjoy the beauty of nature that will give them fresh oxygen and reduces the diseases that will cause due to air pollutions. Their eating habit will change and will become good and healthy and they will not get interested in junk foods (Lacy et al. 2015). Pain relievers: In pain relievers, we get to know about the description of the products in what it is addressing the challenges that are needed and the pains the customers have to suffer and how the negative emotions, the unfavourable situations and the undesirable costs can be eliminated (Ho et al. 2014). The activities of the health manager will reduce the pain that the children are going to face at this stage of life. They will become physically active in socially as well as their mentality will be changed. They will play and interact with other children during playing instead of staying at home and watching television. They will not suffer from the diseases like high blood sugar or bone problem as they will not get into the category of obesity and enjoys the natural beauty of nature. This will reduce the cost the family will have to spend on the children for their diseases except for hormonal one. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that obesity has become popular among the children from the age of two and above. This problem is increasing especially because of the family factors and social factors and to maintain the standard of living in the society that is helping in increasing the chances of children for suffering from obesity that has become a major health concern among the public. Therefore, the activities of their parents and the health management of the school can reduce this by making them more indulge in physical activities and changing their unhealthy eating habits into healthy foods. School can provide healthy hygienic food by maintaining a balanced diet for the children during lunch. Family can stop preferring fast foods for its easily available in the market with fewer efforts for their family meal and family must build interest among their children to go out for playing with other children and enjoy the beauty of nature and be physically active. Reference List Bambra, C., Hillier, F., Cairns, J., Kasim, A., Moore, H. and Summerbell, C., (2015). How effective are interventions at reducing socioeconomic inequalities in obesity among children and adults? Two systematic reviews. Public health research., 3(1). Comans, T.A., Whitty, J.A., Hills, A.P., Kendall, E., Turkstra, E., Gordon, L.G., Byrnes, J.M. and Scuffham, P.A., (2013). The cost-effectiveness and consumer acceptability of taxation strategies to reduce rates of overweight and obesity among children in Australia: study protocol. BMC public health, 13(1), p.1182. Delavari, M., Snderlund, A.L., Swinburn, B., Mellor, D. and Renzaho, A., (2013). Acculturation and obesity among migrant populations in high income countriesa systematic review. BMC public health, 13(1), p.458. Hayes, A., Chevalier, A., D'Souza, M., Baur, L., Wen, L.M. and Simpson, J., (2016). Early childhood obesity: Association with healthcare expenditure in Australia. Obesity, 24(8), pp.1752-1758. Ho, M., Garnett, S.P. and Baur, L.A., (2014). Childhood obesity and insulin resistance: how should it be managed?. Current treatment options in cardiovascular medicine, 16(12), pp.1-16. Hoque, M.E., Mannan, M., Long, K., Niessen, L.W. and Mamun, A.A., (2014). Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents of the Indian subcontinent: a meta-analysis. Nutrition reviews, 72(8), pp.541-550. Javed, A., Jumean, M., Murad, M.H., Okorodudu, D., Kumar, S., Somers, V.K., Sochor, O. and Lopez?Jimenez, F., (2015). Diagnostic performance of body mass index to identify obesity as defined by body adiposity in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta?analysis. Pediatric obesity, 10(3), pp.234-244. Krause, S., Ware, R., McPherson, L., Lennox, N. and OCallaghan, M., (2016). Obesity in adolescents with intellectual disability: Prevalence and associated characteristics. Obesity research clinical practice, 10(5), pp.520-530. Lacy, K.E., Nichols, M.S., de Silva, A.M., Allender, S.E., Swinburn, B.A., Leslie, E.R., Jones, L.V. and Kremer, P.J., (2015). Critical design features for establishing a childhood obesity monitoring program in Australia. Australian journal of primary health, 21(4), pp.369-372. LeBlanc, A.G., Katzmarzyk, P.T., Barreira, T.V., Broyles, S.T., Chaput, J.P., Church, T.S., Fogelholm, M., Harrington, D.M., Hu, G., Kuriyan, R. and Kurpad, A., (2015). Correlates of total sedentary time and screen time in 911 year-old children around the world: the international study of childhood obesity, lifestyle and the environment. PloS one, 10(6), p.e0129622. Millar, L., Rowland, B., Nichols, M., Swinburn, B., Bennett, C., Skouteris, H. and Allender, S., (2014). Relationship between raised BMI and sugar sweetened beverage and high fat food consumption among children. Obesity, 22(5), pp.E96-E103. Thind, H., Davies, S.L., Lewis, T., Pekmezi, D., Evans, R. and Baskin, M.L., (2015). Does short sleep lead to obesity among children and adolescents? Current understanding and implications. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 9(6), pp.428-437.

Macbeth Quotes Explained

'Macbeth' Quotes Explained Macbeth, William Shakespeares bloodiest play, is one of the most quoted dramatic works in the English language. Memorable lines from the tragedy explore themes like reality and illusion, ambition and power, and guilt and remorse. Famous quotations from Macbeth are still recited (and sometimes spoofed) today in movies, TV shows, commercials, and even the daily news. Quotes About Reality and Illusion Fair is foul, and foul is fair:Hover through the fog and filthy air.(Act I, Scene 1) The Tragedy of Macbeth opens with an eerie, supernatural scene. Amidst thunder and lightening, three witches moan into the wind. They tell us that nothing is as it seems. Whats good (fair) is evil (foul). Whats evil is good. Everything is strangely reversed. The witches- also called weird sisters- are odd and unnatural. They speak in sing-song rhymes, but describe filth and evil. Theres an unexpected rhythm to their words. Most of  Shakespeares characters speak in iambs, with the emphasis falling on the second syllable: da-dum, da-dum. Shakespeares witches, however, chant in  trochees. The emphasis falls on the first syllable: Fair is foul, and foul is fair. This particular quote is also a paradox. By pairing opposites, the witches disrupt the natural order. Macbeth aligns himself with their twisted thinking when he echoes their words in Act I, Scene 3: So foul and fair a day I have not seen[.] Shakespeares witches are fascinating because they force us to question the natural order of things, as well as our notions about fate and free will. Appearing at key moments in Macbeth, they chant prophesies, spark Macbeths lust for the throne, and manipulate his thinking. Is this a dagger which I see before me,The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.Art thou not, fatal vision, sensibleTo feeling as to sight? Or art thou butA dagger of the mind, a false creation,Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?(Act II, Scene 1) The witches also set the tone for moral confusion and hallucinatory scenes like Macbeths encounter with a floating dagger. Here, Macbeth is preparing to murder the king when delivers this haunting soliloquy. His tortured imagination (heat-oppressed brain) conjures the illusion of the murder weapon. His soliloquy becomes a chilling apostrophe in which he speaks directly to the dagger: Come, let me clutch thee. The dagger, of course, cannot respond. Like many things in Macbeths distorted vision, its not even real. Quotes About Ambition and Power Stars, hide your fires;Let not light see my black and deep desires.(Act I, Scene 4) Macbeth is a complex and conflicted character. His comrades call him brave and worthy, but the witches prophecy has awakened a secret longing for power. These lines, spoken by Macbeth as an aside, reveal the  black and deep desires he struggles to hide. Lusting for the crown, Macbeth plots to kill the king. But, on reflection, he questions the practicality of such an action. I have no spurTo prick the sides of my intent, but onlyVaulting ambition, which oerleaps itselfAnd falls on the other.(Act I, Scene 7) Here, Macbeth acknowledges that ambition is his only motivation (spur) to commit murder. Like a horse spurred to leap too high, this much ambition can only result in downfall. Ambition is Macbeths tragic flaw, and its possible that nothing could have saved him from his fate. However, much of the blame can be placed on his wife. Power-hungry and manipulative, Lady Macbeth vows to do whatever it takes to advance her husbands murderous plan. †¦Come, you spiritsThat tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,And fill me from the crown to the toe top-fullOf direst cruelty! make thick my blood;Stop up the access and passage to remorse,That no compunctious visitings of natureShake my fell purpose, nor keep peace betweenThe effect and it! Come to my womans breasts,And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers,Wherever in your sightless substancesYou wait on natures mischief!(Act I, Scene 5) In this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth braces herself for murder. She rejects Elizabethan notions of womanhood (unsex me), and begs to be rid of soft emotions and female visitings of nature (menstruation). She asks the spirits to fill her breasts with poison (gall). Womens milk is a recurring motif in Shakespeares play, representing the soft, nurturing qualities Lady Macbeth renounces. She believes that her husband is too full o the milk of human kindness (Act I, Scene 5) to kill the king. When he waffles, she tells him that she would rather murder her own infant than abandon their murderous plan. †¦I have given suck, and knowHow tender tis to love the babe that milks me:I would, while it was smiling in my face,Have pluckd my nipple from his boneless gums,And dashd the brains out, had I so sworn as youHave done to this.(Act I, Scene 7) In this shocking rebuke, Lady Macbeth attacks her husbands manhood. She implies that he must be weak- weaker than his wife, weaker than a nursing mother- if he cannot keep his vow to take the throne. Elizabethan audiences would have been repulsed by Lady Macbeths raw ambition and reversal of traditional sex roles. Just as her husband crossed moral boundaries, Lady Macbeth defied her place in society. In the 1600s, she may have appeared as weird and unnatural as the witches with their eerie incantations. Todays attitudes are very different, yet ambitious and powerful women still arouse suspicion. Critics and conspiracy theorists have used the name Lady Macbeth to deride public figures like Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard. Quotes AboutGuilt and Remorse Methought I heard a voice cry Sleep no more!Macbeth does murder sleep.†¦What hands are here? ha! they pluck out mine eyes.Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this bloodClean from my hand? No, this my hand will ratherThe multitudinous seas in incarnadine,Making the green one red.(Act II, Scene 2) Macbeth speaks these lines immediately after murdering the king. To murder sleep has a double meaning. Macbeth has killed a sleeping man, and hes also killed his own serenity. Macbeth knows that because of this action, he will never be able to rest peacefully.   The guilt Macbeth feels stirs hallucinations and gruesome visions of blood. Hes shocked by the sight of his murderous hands. (They pluck out mine eyes.) In his tormented mind, his hands are soaked with so much blood, they would turn the ocean red.   Lady Macbeth shares Macbeths crime, but does not immediately show guilt.  She coldly returns the daggers to the crime scene and smears blood on the kings sleeping grooms so that they will be blamed. Seemly unruffled, she tells her husband, A little water clears us of this deed (Act II, Scene 2). Out, damned spot! out, I say! - One: two: why,then, tis time to dot. - Hell is murky! - Fie, mylord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need wefear who knows it, when none can call our power toaccount? - Yet who would have thought the old manto have had so much blood in him.†¦.The thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now? - What, will these hands neer be clean? - No more othat, my lord, no more o that: you mar all withthis starting.†¦Heres the smell of the blood still: all theperfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this littlehand. Oh, oh, oh!†¦Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not sopale. - I tell you yet again, Banquos buried; hecannot come out ons grave.†¦To bed, to bed! theres knocking at the gate:come, come, come, come, give me your hand. Whatsdone cannot be undone. - To bed, to bed, to bed! (Act V, Scene 1) The king is only one of many killings during Macbeths bloody reign. To hold onto his ill-gotten crown, he orders the slaughter of his friend Banquo and the entire household of Lord Macduff, the Thane of Fife. Macbeth suffers fits of hysteria and hallucinates Banquos ghost with blood-clotted hair. But its the hard-hearted Lady Macbeth who eventually collapses under the weight of guilt, and she is the one who gives this monologue. Sleepwalking, she wrings her hands and babbles about the stain of so much spilled blood.   The phrase Out, damned spot! can seem comical to modern readers. Lady Macbeths distraught words have been used in advertisements for products ranging from household cleaners to acne medicines. But this is the raving of a woman who teeters on the brink of madness.   Parts of Lady Macbeths monologue, like the incantation of the witches, depart from the traditional iambic pentameter. In a metrical pattern called a spondee, she strings together syllables that have equal weight: Out-damned-spot-out. Since each one-syllable word is equally stressed, the emotional tension is heightened. Readers (or listeners) are more likely to feel the impact of each word. The words themselves seem nonsensical. They are non sequiturs, jumping from thought to thought. Lady Macbeth is reliving all the crimes, remembering sounds, smells, and images. One after the other, she names murder victims: the king (the old man), Macduffs wife, and Banquo. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,Creeps in this petty pace from day to dayTo the last syllable of recorded time,And all our yesterdays have lighted foolsThe way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!Lifes but a walking shadow, a poor playerThat struts and frets his hour upon the stageAnd then is heard no more: it is a taleTold by an idiot, full of sound and fury,Signifying nothing.(Act V, Scene 5) Unable to recover from her guilt, Lady Macbeth kills herself. When this news reaches Macbeth, hes already in deep despair. Abandoned by his noblemen and knowing his own days are numbered, he delivers one of the most desolate soliloquies in the English language. In this extended metaphor, Macbeth compares life to a theatrical performance. Days on earth are as short-lived as the candles that illuminate the Elizabethan stage. Each person is nothing more than a shadow cast by that flickering light, a silly actor who struts about and then vanishes when the candle is snuffed. In this metaphor, nothing is real and nothing matters. Life is a tale told by an idiot†¦ signifying nothing. American author William Faulkner titled his novel The Sound and the Fury  after a line from Macbeths soliloquy. Poet Robert Frost borrowed a phrase for his poem, Out, Out - . Even the cartoon Simpson family embraced the metaphor with a melodramatic rendition by Homer Simpson. Ironically, Shakespeares tragedy ends soon after this somber speech. Its easy to imagine audiences blinking from the theater, wondering, Whats real? Whats illusion? Are we part of the play? Sources Garber, Marjorie. â€Å"Shakespeare and Modern Culture, Chapter One.† 10 Dec. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/books/chapters/chapter-shakespeare.html. Excerpted from the book, Pantheon Publishers.Liner, Elaine. â€Å"Out, Damned Spot!: The Best Pop Culture References That Came from Macbeth.† 26 Sept. 2012, www.dallasobserver.com/arts/out-damned-spot-the-best-pop-culture-references-that-came-from-macbeth-7097037.Macbeth. Folger Shakespeare Library, www.folger.edu/macbeth.Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Arden. Read online at shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/index.htmlThemes in Macbeth. Royal Shakespeare Company, cdn2.rsc.org.uk/sitefinity/education-pdfs/themes-resources/edu-macbeth-themes.pdf?sfvrsn4.Wojczuk, Tana. The Good Wife – Hillary Clinton as Lady Macbeth. Guernica, 19 Jan. 2016. www.guernicamag.com/tana-wojczuk-the-good-wife-hillary-clinton-as-lady-macbeth/.

River Birch Is a Favored Yard Tree in the Southern U.S.

River Birch Is a Favored Yard Tree in the Southern U.S. River birch has been called the most beautiful of American trees by Prince Maximilian, the emperor of Mexico when he toured North America shortly before his short-lived reign. It is a favorite yard tree in the southern United States and is sometimes messy to maintain if you are not hands-on when dealing with your yard. Betula nigra, also known as red birch, water birch, or black birch, is the only birch with a range that includes the southeastern coastal plain. It is uniquely the only spring-fruiting birch in North America. Although the wood has limited usefulness, the trees beauty makes it an ornamental highlight, especially at the northern and western extremes of its natural range.  Most river birch bark peels in colorful flakes of brown, salmon, peach, orange, and lavender and is a bonus for regions deprived of paper and white birches.  Ã‚   In his book, The Urban Tree Book, journalist, novelist, and publisher Arthur Plotnik entices amateur arborists to go tree peeping in U.S. cities. He gives vivid descriptions of trees he spots along his trek: Only the shaggy brown river birch seems truly adapted to cities, holding its own with urban heat blasts and the deadly borer. River Birch Habit and Range River birch grows naturally from southern New Hampshire south and west to the Texas Gulf Coast.  River birch is well named as it loves riparian (wet) zones, adapts well to wet sites, and reaches its maximum size in rich alluvial soils of the lower Mississippi Valley. Even though it loves wet ecosystems, the tree is heat-tolerant. River birch can survive modest droughts and does not compete with your lawn for water. River birch transplants easily at any age and grows into a medium tree of about 40 feet and rarely to 70 feet. River birch occupies large eastern north-south ranges in North America from Minnesota to Florida. The tree needs direct sunlight and is intolerant to shade.   River Birch Varieties The best river birch cultivars are the Heritage and Dura-Heat varieties. The Heritage or Cully cultivar was selected in 2002 as the tree of the year by the Society of Municipal Arborists. The trees wood has very little commercial value but is extremely popular as an ornamental tree that features salmon-cream to brownish bark that peels to reveal a creamy white inner bark that can be nearly as white as the white-barked birches. It is hardy  in  all U.S. climate zones, it is fast-growing, nicely forked, wind and ice resistant.   According to Michael Dirr,  horticulturist and a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia, who praise the varietal in his book, Trees: Heritage river birch is an excellent selection with superior vigor, larger leaves, and greater resistance to leaf spot. Dura-Heat is a somewhat smaller cultivar that features creamy white bark color, better tolerance to summer heat, better insect and disease resistance, and superior foliage to the species. It typically grows 30 to 40 feet tall as a single trunk or multi-trunked tree. Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit of a River Birch The tree has male and female catkins, which are slim, cylindrical  flower  clusters that are grouped in 3s. The small cone-like fruit  opens and sheds small  nutlet  seeds in spring. What makes yard work a chore with the river birch are the falling catkins, fruit, and flaking bark that constantly litter the yard. The summer leaves have a leathery texture with a dark green upper side and light green on its  underside. The leaf edges are teethlike, with a double serrated appearance. The leaves are in the shape of ovals. In the autumn, the leaf color is golden-yellow to yellow-brown, and leaves have a tendency to drop quickly. River Birch Hardiness Zone River birch  is hardy through zone 4 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture zone map. The USDA Hardiness Zone Map identifies how well plants will withstand the cold winter temperatures. The map divides North America into 13 zones, of 10 degrees each, ranging from -60 F to 70 F. So, for zone 4, the minimum average temperatures are between -30 F and -20 F, which includes the entire U.S. with the exception of Alaska.

Comparison between Marxism and Neoliberalism Essay

Comparison between Marxism and Neoliberalism - Essay Example Marxism is a system of economic, social, and political philosophy based on ideas that view social change in terms of economic factors. This theory asserts that for human beings to survive they must produce and reproduce the materials necessary for life. As a result, the societies are therefore governed by forces of production1. Karl Marx then views the society as a divide between those that own the means of production and those that provide labour to those that own the means of production. Therefore, according to Marx, political economy is not about the relationship between commodities, prices, supply and demand. It is about the owners of wealth, and how they use it to exploit others. This classification of society into the exploiters and the exploited is what led to the rejection of capitalism by Karl Marx. Marx believed that although capitalism develops the productive powers of human societies to historically unprecedented heights, it does so in ways, which are also disabling, expl oitative, and undemocratic 5. In order to change this unjust order in the society Marx advocated for a revolution which would see the distribution of wealth from the few owners of production to all members of the society. The changing of this order would have to be by force as the owners of production are not willing to give up the means of production and will keep exploiting the working class(proletariat) to maintain their status quo. The problem of political economy of capitalism lay in labour.

First assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

First assigment - Essay Example Personally, this artwork is the most beautiful set of limestone that I have ever seen in my entire life that is why I chose it for this assignment. The artwork is the Floor Mosaic Fragment Depicting Bacchus. The artwork is made of limestone tesserae with a dimension of 117.5 x 117.5 cm. The estimated date of its creation is before 5th century and its provenance is Daphne, from a villa at Daphne near Antioch or modern Antakya, Turkey (RISD Museum, nd). The artwork is an image of Bacchus in the center of the mosaic floor. The form of the whole artwork is a perfect square and inside the square is circle with a series of wave inside it. The color is flesh and inside the wavy circle is the image of Bacchus looking in the upper left corner of the box. He is wearing the typical roman garb with laurels on his head indicating that he holds a special position in roman society. I would like to compare the style of the artwork to Rembrandt’s later works where thick marks of brushes can be seen in the painting. It may look rough when scrutinized closely but its beauty is revealed when looked at a distance. The same is true with the floor mosaic fragment of Bacchus where its beauty can only be appreciated when looked at a distance because the color blends to form a complete whole portrait of Bacchus. There are also some details and decorations that may not be seen when the artwork is observed closely but can be appreciated when one steps back to appreciate the whole picture. For example, the roman leaves on the head of Bacchus may be just pebbles or lime stones when observed closely but when steps back, the intricate detail of the artwork can be appreciated. The same is true for the dress. Up close, it does not resemble to any work of art but just a collection of lime stones until of course one steps back and realize that it is in fact a dress. One has to remember that during that time, the formal method of drawing or painting did not yet

Cost and Price Analysis for Interagency Agreements Article

Cost and Price Analysis for Interagency Agreements - Article Example In the first section of the article, the author describes details about the cost and pricing analysis, and the various aspects of its differentiation. The author clearly marks that price is the birds-eye view while cost can be understood as the element by element review. Alongside, the author also states that price analysis can be used singly while cost analysis has to always involve price analysis. The ultimate outcome, as the author states, is to have the justification of fairness and reasonability of the analyses. The author also puts forth the idea for the sources of objective data coming from Historical Costs/Prices, Catalog or Market prices, Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs), Government Estimates, and Government Costs/Prices. Alongside this, further information regarding the value and program value has been given that clarifies any thoughts of the utility of the cost and price program. This section of the article gives a very good idea of the importance associated with the c ost and price analysis. The second section of the article is very much specific to the cost and pricing activity and practices in the inter-agency agreements. The article states that it is a common practice to have the price divided into cost components and have each justified with a written statement. The generally and widely used cost components include personnel, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual, construction, other costs, and the indirect costs.

Successfull marketing strategy analysis

Successfull marketing strategy analysis Marketing  is the process by which companies determine how products or services will be according of interest to customers, and the strategy use to increase in sales, communications and business development.  It is the process through which companies create value for customers and build strong  customer relationships  in order to capture and get good and positive feedback from customers in return. Marketing Planning Process: The planning process for the market can be described as shown in the figure below: For an organisation the target should be specific target, the objective concern as profitability, markets growth, efficiency, financial resources, organizational structure, and social responsibility. 2) Situational Analysis: Before developing a marketing strategy for a company this is important to conduct some analysis. This is form of essential part of any business or preparing marketing plan and should be reviewed over time to ensure that it is according to current situation. The following can be use to assess situational analysis for a company. The elements worth considering include: Product Situation What is current product? We cant break this definition up into parts such as the core product and any secondary or supporting services or products that also make up whats being sold. It is important to observe which different parts in order to be able to relate this back to client needs. Competitive situation To analyse the competitors what their situation and compare the feature/ benefit analysis. What are their competitive advantages? Distribution Situation Its about to Review the company distribution Situation how the product getting to market? Is it possible to get their through distributors or other intermediaries? Environmental factors Which external and internal environmental factors should be taken into account. This can include economic or sociological factors that impact on the companys performance. 3) SWOT analysis SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used in to a business to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project. Also specifying the objective of the business venture and identifying the internal and external factors that are in the favour and those which are not in favour to achieve that objective. 4) Assumption Made: While preparing a strategy in a business assumption are very important and need to be focus on that. Its mean we made some assumption while taking any decision. Furthermore to attempt the predict future outcomes from the external and internal things. Some of the assumptions that made when a business plane and process are made, very likely to come true. Assumption-based planning identifies and tests the assumptions made in a business plan, the formulation of hedging actions and the construction of what-if scenarios. 5) Marketing Objectives: These objects should be as follows: Long-term Brand Value New Product/ Innovation and service Clear Product Definition Growth in market share 6) Forecasting results of strategies: Comparison strategies for effectiveness: Comparing promotes development, concept development, and higher level thinking.   Some company didnt compare like-for-like products forever. Some company battle between their products. A comparison strategy is the  process of identifying how things are alike and different. Marketing mix: When marketing their products firms need to create a successful mix of the right product ,sold at the right price, in the right place ,and of course using the most suitable promotion. In order to achieve its goal ,the company has to implement the main four Ps of the marketing mix . mmix Product Strategy: Product strategy is any decision that helps the company continue to develop new products around its signature ,it is very important for a company to implement its plans in a better way by Defining the characteristics of a product or service to meet the customers needs. Ducati failed to maximize sales of its all-new Monster;  Ducati  has added the 804cc engine to the range. The thinking goes that the Monster 1100 is too big, the Monster 696 is too small, but, hopefully, the  Ducati Monster 796  will be, like a bowl of warm porridge, just right. That engine gets pulled out of the Ducati Hypermotard 796 and shares that bikes 87bhp, 58lb/ft and wet slipper clutch. Combined with a low dry weight of 167kg .(369lbs) and the bikes friendly, flat-barred riding position, those new figures could make the Monster 796 the perfect first big bike for target market riders.   Pricing strategy: Identifying the total cost to the user (which is likely to be higher than the charge you make) is a part of the price element. Monster 796 the Urban Icon, as the name suggests is a luxury item launched by Ducati for those who look for brand and status symbol, price hardly matters for them. As per our target market the professional and sports people are going to buy it so following the porters differentiation strategy the pricing strategy will be premium. The Monster 796 will be available in the UK from May 2010 onwards and will be priced at  £6,995, with the ABS version at  £7,695 because our customers look for quality not price. Promotion Strategy: This includes advertising, personal selling like attending exhibitions, and sales promotions like special offers, and also atmospherics such as creating the right impression through the working environment. Public Relations is included within Promotion by many marketing people. Promotion strategy for Ducati: Advertising: The advertising campaign will be focused on the two target markets identified in the target market section, (Males and females).The purpose of the advertising campaign is to increase brand awareness of the Monster 796 the Urban Icon. The sources of advertising are TV, Internet, Magazines, sport websites and the advertisement will show the new looks, features and the style of Monster bike. Sales Promotion:   Ducati will use sales promotion to increase brand awareness, market share and revenue. The use of Point of Sales Displays will be used with a gift coupon for the purchase of Ducati 796. Although, the use of Point of Sales Displays produces a short-term effect in revenue and market share, the brand awareness will have a long-term effect. The use of this sales promotion along with the rest of the marketing strategy will produce a long term increase in both revenue and market share. Direct Communications: Direct communications will be used to measure brand awareness, as well as increase brand awareness and market share.   A survey will be sent out as a focus mailing to Ducatis target markets. The survey will measure; brand awareness of insect repellents, likes and dislikes between Ducati and its competitors, and the outdoor activities of the survey taker.   Place Strategy:. Looking at location and where a service is delivered, in other words, Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. It can include any physical store as well as virtual stores on the Internet. Ducati has good relationship with its all dealers throughout the UK. The dealers are contributing a lot to the overall performance of the company. The company is recognising their efforts with the rewards to improve it distribution strategy. Ducati dealers from all over the UK gathered for the annual Ducati dealer meeting during the recent London Motorcycle Show at Excel. The dealers were presented with an overview of 2009 and the plans and strategies for 2010 which should prove to be exciting times for the Ducati dealer network with the launch of the eagerly awaited Multistate and other innovative bikes such as the Monster ABS models. ANSOFFS Matrix: The Ansoff Growth matrix is a tool that helps businesses decides their product and market growth strategy.. It is used by marketers who have objectives for growth. Ansoffs matrix offers strategic choices to achieve the objectives. (Johnson, G. et. al., 2002) Market Penetration Is one of the four growth strategies of the  Product-Market Growth Matrix  defined by  Ansoff. Market penetration occurs when a company enters/penetrates a market with current products. The best way to achieve this is by gaining competitors customers (part of their market share). Other ways include attracting non-users of your product or convincing current clients to use more of your product/service (by advertising etc). Ansoff developed the  Product-Market Growth Matrix  to help firms recognize if there was any advantage of entering a market. Market Development Market development is the name given to a growth strategy where the business seeks to sell its existing products into new markets. There are many possible ways of approaching this strategy, including: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New geographical markets; for example exporting the product to a new country à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New product dimensions or packaging: for example à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ New distribution channels à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Different pricing policies to attract different customers or create new market segment Product Development Companies develop new products in existing markets. This is called  product development. An organization that already has a market for its products might try and follow a strategy of developing additional products, aimed at its current market. Diversification The two principal objectives of diversification are Improving core process execution, and/or Enhancing a business units structural position. The fundamental role of diversification is for corporate managers to create value for stockholders in ways stockholders cannot do better for themselves1. The additional value is created through synergetic integration of a new business into the existing one thereby increasing its  competitive advantage Implementing the Ansoffs matrix growth strategies on Ducati Company Market Penetration: The company has to get some more market share buy promoting and selling its new Monster bike, especially in the UK market where its sale decreased by 18% last year. The company has a good brand name so it is easy for them to eat up the competitor market share if they can provide some more customer benefit. Product Development: As far as the new target market is concerned the company has a great opportunity to expand its market share with the launching of Ducati Monster 796 and to produce the similar and more modified models in near future which includes female bikes as well. Market Development: The UK sport market is very large and Ducati is not having the enough market share as compare to its competitors, so the company has to broaden its market in UK. Ducati has to increase the range of dealers and to make sure that every corner of the country is covered by the company. Diversification: Bringing the new vehicles like monster 796 is the good choice for the company in order to meet the customers new and requirements and expectations and the company has to focus on the green technology products soon in order to strengthen its reputation in market and to bring a change in company style. New Marketing Strategies (strategic options) 1-Porters Generic strategy (Differentiation Strategy): According to Michael Porter, the generic strategy is to be unique in the industry along some dimensions that are widely valued by buyers. It is rewarded for its uniqueness with a premium price. A firm that can achieve and sustain differentiation will be an above-average performer in its industry if its price premium exceeds the extra costs incurred in being unique. (Porter M, 1985) Ducati main target is people who look for quality instead of price; the company adds something more to their products as compared to the competitors. Differentiation strategy will help company to achieve its premium price and to meet the needs of the target customers. Michael Porter has classically defined five forces that drive industry competition, and has described a valuable approach to assessing the overall competitive dynamics of an industry. This approach has come to be known as a five-force analysis. (Colley.J et al, 2007) Managing change ( Kotter,1998) ,According to change management guru John Kotter, fewer than 15 of the 100 or more companies studied have successfully transformed themselves. While the particulars of every case vary, Kotter has identified eight critical stages of successful change management. Mismanaging any one of these steps can undermine an otherwise well-conceived vision. PESTEL ANALYSIS: Macro environment Macro is remote environment of a company comprising economic, social, political, technological and ecological. One way of looking at remote environment is PESTEL framework. http://www.businessmate.org/images/PESTEL.jpg Swot analysis: SWOT  analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues.  SWOT  stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  Strengths and weaknesses are internal  factors. Opportunities and threats are  external  factors. In SWOT, strengths and weaknesses are  internal  factors. For example: Strength  could be: Your specialist marketing expertise. A new, innovative product or service. Location of your business. Quality processes and procedures. Any other aspect of your business that adds value to your product or service. A  weakness  could be: Lack of marketing expertise. Undifferentiated products or services (i.e. in relation to your competitors). Location of your business. Poor quality goods or services. Damaged reputation. In  SWOT, opportunities and threats are  external  factors. For example: An  opportunity  could be: A developing market such as the Internet. Mergers, joint ventures or strategic alliances. Moving into new market segments that offer improved profits. A new international market. A market vacated by an ineffective competitor. A  threat  could be: A new competitor in your home market. Price wars with competitors. A competitor has a new, innovative product or service. Competitors have superior access to channels of distribution. Taxation is introduced on your product or service. Implementing SWOT analysis on Ducati company The following SWOT analysis will provide insights into Ducatis internal strengths and weaknesses at the end of the turnaround as well as the opportunities and threats posed by the external environment in which the company operates. Strengths Technical Excellence Efficient Value Chain ensure quality Strong Brand Location Advantages Effective management Strategic Alliances Weaknesses Narrow Target Audience Polarized sales Low economies of scale Sparse Dealer Network Limited Growth since yr. 2000 Opportunities Fast growing segment Customers of Japanese motorcycles have low brand loyalty Reduction in international trade barriers Threats Low price of competitors Competitors enjoy lower costs Competitors have high economies of scale and low cost of capital These strategies can be adopted for the best marketing: Branding strategy New product develops plc strategy Market segmentation positioning strategies Sustained marketing strategies with ethics and social responsibility Competitive strategies for marketing Relationship management strategies International marketing Some of the strategies explained below with example. Branding: Company brand is not what thinks of the company, its about what the customer thinks it is. And in an industry where the patent expiration clock is constantly ticking, its vital to make a lasting impression, and quickly, Patricia Malone offers five steps to creating a brand. Example: In the pharmaceutical world, when one considers the enormous pressure from reimbursement sources on providers to prescribe generics rather than brand-name products, the importance of branding prior to patent expiration is clear. Beyond that, the entire branding process has value for a company because it helps the business focus on, enhance and be consistent with its message. In addition, it enables a company to continually test the message and see if its being played back the right way. findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5351/is_200405/ai_n21348846/ Market Segmentation strategy: To compete successfully in todays volatile and competitive business markets, mass marketing is no longer a viable option for most companies. Marketers must attack niche markets that exhibit unique needs wants. Market segmentation is the process of partitioning markets into groups of potential customers with similar needs or characteristics who are likely to exhibit similar purchase behaviour. http://www.s-m-a-r-t.com/Exp_marketseg.htm Product Development Strategy: Effective project planning is critical to implementing new product development strategies. In some cases new product development strategy initiation includes original research but in this case research actually resulted in the formulation of the new product concept Example: Ground breaking research undertaken at Victoria University (VU) showed that children wake up to smoke alarms with familiar voices much more easily than they do with traditional smoke alarms that beep. VU Researcher Dorothy Bruck said: One hundred percent of children tested have woken to the mothers voice message- played at 1am in the morning. This compares to only 57 percent wakening to the current smoke alarm signal, played at the same time of night and at the same volume. This ground breaking new product development research set the stage for KidSmarts intellectual property suite and drove our new product development strategies. From the start, we mapped out our performance requirements, usability strategies and product cost targets. It was also critical early on in the new product development process to identify component suppliers and production strategies for all major components including the actual smoke sensor. bresslergroup.com/process/speed_planning.asp

Film Analysis of Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore Essay -- Movie

Film Analysis of Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore In the recent film â€Å"Bowling for Columbine,† Michael Moore claims that fear drives people to violence; a short animation clip is also used by Michael Moore to depict the history of the United States in the documentary. The animation brought out a number of issues that set people thinking. Issues on race, fear and violence are also discussed in the documentary (as well as the interview of Oprah Winfrey and Michael Moore.)It is shocking to realize how people have got involved in the culture of fear, and violence. The discrimination of the blacks in America is also discussed in the film. Having watched this documentary, I was totally appalled. Thoughts went through my head, and questions were left unanswered. Are people treated justly and equally? It seems to me that the answer is no. The world did not seem safe anymore, and an example of that being that bullets were made easily available in stores such as â€Å"K-mart†. â€Å"It’s an American tradition; it’s an American responsibility to be armed. If you’re not armed you’re not responsible.† is a quote given by a militia member. It seems to me that the Americans are caught up in their own world only worried about themselves. There is some form of self-obsession going on in the country, as people only care about their own well being, and another example is a quote given by a female militia member â€Å"Because, being a female, for one, I felt it was important to be able to protect myself with the best means possible. And one of those means is having a gun. When a criminal breaks in to your house, who is the first person you’re going to call? M... ... of guns, for example the killings of student in Columbine. In my opinion, â€Å"The biggest problem has been the gun possession by these adolescents in suburbia.† The six year old boy killing his classmate as the gun was of easy accessibility. All of these could have been avoided if fewer guns are involved. And with fewer guns, there would be less violence, more peace and security for the citizens of America. Thus in conclusion, I believe that more effort could be put in to stop all the issues of fear, killings and discrimination. Most of the issues could be avoided if people stopped being so paranoid and self-centred. I believe that the issues on killings and violence can be resolved peacefully without the involvement of guns. If people were to trust each other more, the world would be a much better place to live in.