Genetically- Modified Foods and Ingredients Essay

Visiting a supermarket has become a usual experience of each one of us. We have to read all the labels that warn us against genetically-modified ingredients and its expiry date. I, try myself to calm down that epidemic services take control over dangerous products. Yet, I have my doubts in eating my favorite snack, French fries that is done in a fast food. The cumulative effect of genetically-modified foods is particularly dangerous for sensitive populations, including kids, elderly people and people who have indigestion people and even us, whose normal healthy living people. I have studies literature on genetically-modified ingredients, trying to be objective in my judgment. Genetically-modified ingredients advance the modern biology achievements. These products and ingredients strengthen the resistance to herbicides and improve nutritional food contents. Genetically-modified (GM) foods production lessens time-consuming than conventional breeding. Molecular Biologists have not discovered yet how harmful GM products and ingredients are but they claim that GM foods may be environmentally hazardous. Only allergy was recognized as negative effect of GM foods. We, cannot break out from the GM products, since two-thirds of genetically modified crops are corn, cotton, soybeans, potatoes even the fruits we eat. This is just a sign that we should be well inform on what is going in our world especially in our foods that can affect our living. We cannot escape from this advancement in our modern world but we, people, can prevent this to have real healthy living life style.

Marketing Professional Practice Essay

Executive Summary This report aims to develop some feasible strategies for a non-profit making organization – Care For Your Heart to achieve objectives in certain areas: 1. Enhancing the public awareness of the organization’s profile and service; 2. Reaching the youngsters and working group segments; 3. Gaining more donations for future development; and 4. Strengthening the network with medical doctors or nurses as part of voluntary work. These objectives can be carried out by the three main recommended strategies, include rebranding, sponsorship campaigns, and volunteer programs. Before launching other programs, rebranding is recommended to refine the image of Care For Your Heart by designing a new logo and name, which is more professional and appealing to the target market. The rebranding is also related to the strategies for achieving the organization’s new direction. The sponsorship campaigns aim at attracting companies for sponsorship, enhancing public awareness, and attract donations. The prospective sponsors include Nestle, Hung Fuk Tong, Watson, and HKHC. The respective strategies are Nestle milk powder lid design, Turn in Your Can; Hung Fuk Tong Care For Your Heart soup series; Watson Heart Caring Bottle Label Competition and launch of water bottle, carboy bottle design and poster distribution at offices; Cardiac Health Care Bus, Health Care Charity Fund, professional health talks, and Charity Health Check Day. Furthermore, volunteers for current and future events and campaigns are sourced from IVE, medical colleges, doctors, and HKHC. These strategies provide substantial benefits to Care For Your Heart. By successfully striving sponsorship and donations, Care For Your Heart can enhance its visibility, awareness and credibility via appearance of logo on sponsor’s products and websites. Donation is easier to attract when the organization is more credible, and more funds can be used to offer more activities for its members and the public. The campaigns and volunteer programs allow the organization to reach its young and business target markets when products and events are exposed at heavy traffic spots and offices. The sponsorship programs will last for two years, and the volunteer program is on a continuous basis, which the details are shown in the timeline in the later part of this report. And the estimated budget is set. Background of Organization Care For Your Heart is a registered non-profit charitable organization formed by a group of cardiac patients together with their families since 1995. Its services mainly target cardiac patients and their families. In 1998, Care For Your Heart set up the first cardiac mutual help and resource center, and is committed to patients and the public health (Organization Introduction 2010). Up until 2011, Care For Your Heart has more than 2600 members, and over 180 volunteers (Number of Members 2010). Members mostly age around 51 to 80 (Age of Members 2010), and geographically concentrated in Hong Kong Island (Residence of Members 2010). The sources of funds is attracted from multiple channels; include donations, Community Chest, Social Welfare Department and other activities (Sources of Funds 2010). Logo of the Organization The flower-liked logo represents that the organization is concerned about heart related issues. Vision and mission of Organization Care For Your Heart aims to encourage mutual support spirit among cardiac patients and family support, so that the patients can positively face their illness (Organization Introduction 2010). It strives to enhance cardiac patients knowledge towards cardiac diseases, boost recovery, and prevent the opportunity of relapse; to act as a bridge between patients and medical institutions in order to provide all-round services; gather patients, protect and strive for rights and welfares; promoting social knowledge about cardiac disease, prevention, caring and accepting cardiac patients and enhance public awareness towards heart healthiness (Organization Introduction 2010). Care For Your Heart aims to increase the number of members; encourage members nd others to volunteer in charitable events and supporting activities; to attract more stable funding, such as monthly donation; to enhance awareness and educate public about the increasing trend of youngsters suffering from coronary heart disease; to motivate general public changing their lifestyle to improve health; to attract business groups’ awareness about cardiac disease; to establish a stronger network with doctors for f acilitating volunteer work, and other events and activities. (Future Prospect 2010). . Introduction The chairman of Care For Your Heart has illustrated the current issues faced by the organization and proposed several questions. This report is to develop feasible strategies for the organization to overcome its situation and further development in certain area. 1. Develop relevant strategies in order to enhance the public awareness of the organisation’s profile and service; 2. Attract more younger and working groups to join the organization; 3. Gain more donations for further development and 4. Strengthen a network of medical doctors or nurses as part of voluntary work. 2. Target Market 3. 1. Target Group The target market is defined by Care For Your Heart, basing on its current situation and problem. Based on research, heart disease has a rejuvenating trend and threatening working group aged 20 years old or above. These groups are targeted as they are constantly under high pressure and heavy workload. Business class with quick life rhythm typically lack of resting time. In addition, they always overlook the importance of keeping their heart healthy. 3. 2. Medical Doctor Another target group is the medical doctors. Medical doctors play an important role for these kinds of organization because of their professional medical knowledge. Other than that, Care For Your Heart inviting medical doctors for volunteering can expand their network in medical field and increase its credibility to the public . 3. 3. Partnership The following are some suggested partners for Care For Your Heart to cooperate with: * Nestle Hung Fook Tong * Watson * Hong Kong Health Check & Medical Diagnostic Group Limited Details will be illustrated in the following part of the report. 3. 4. Other Stakeholder Stakeholders| Details| Donors| * Existing donors (Social Welfare Department, The Community Chest, Food and Health Bureau) * Potential donors at all ages in global * It is important for a non-profit organization to have positive and enough reputation, which will influence donation . Policy from donation also affect the operation of the organization| University| * Helps to disseminate cardiac information * Helps to enhance the awareness of the organisation * Eg: Hong Kong College of Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong etc| Hospital| * Reach more cardiac patients * Helps to enhance the reputation of the organisation| General Public| * Opinions leaders who can influence the peers * cardiac patients and families| Media| * Global newspapers and magazines * TV stations, radio stations, newspapers and magazines publishers, leaflets, seminar| Potential Investors| * Corporations or individuals that are interested to invest in â€Å"Care For Your Heart† (Children’s Heart Foundation and The Hong Kong Tuberculosis, Chest and Heart Diseases Association: can enhance the awareness of â€Å"Care For Your Heart† and donation| 3. Campaign Strategy 3. 1. Rebranding As brand is a valuable asset, it allows organization to communicate a clear set of v alues toward its stakeholders. Non-profit organization is a kind of concept-brand which is associated with an abstract concept, such as cancer awareness, environmentalism or cardiac disease (Daly and Moloney 2004, 30). The current logo of Care For Your Heart is too old-fashion and poorly deliver the meaning about cardiac care issues. To best meet the target group, suggestion is given for the organization to redesign its logo and name. Rebranding  is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a new position in the mind of stakeholders (Daly and Moloney 2004, 30). The change in the name and logo of the organization may enhance public awareness and reputation. Furthermore, the newly established brand elements can also better related to the current situation that the organization is facing (Muzellec and Lambkin 2008, 284). The new logo and name designed for the organization aims to better suit the target group, and will be illustrate in the following: 3. 1. 1 New logo: The new logo echoes with the name â€Å"Care For Your Heart†, containing a hand showing a gesture of holding a heart. Hand represents human; gesture represents caring; heart represent cardiac and compassion. The new logo is simple, more eye-catching, and the meaning is more obvious at a glance than the old version, thus the target market can easily understand the role of Care For Your Heart. Furthermore, the logo shows the commitment of Care For Your Heart to embark on a new direction and coordinate with our proposed strategies. 3. 1. 2 New name: Care For Your Heart can rename its Chinese name from to. The new name provides formality, thus projecting a more professional image. Moreover, it can better represent the mission of Care For Your Heart, which is to gather cardiac patients for mutual help and enhance public’s concern of cardiac disease. 3. 2. Seek For Partnership To achieve the goals proposed by the client, it is necessary for the organization to engage some partnership in order to support its daily operation and further activities. There are four potential companies for partnering with Care For Your Heart to enhance awareness, funding supply and voluntary work, including: Nestle, Hung Fong Tong, Watson and Hong Kong Health Check & Medical Diagnostic Group Limited. These potential partners have similar vision and mission within Care For Your Heart in terms of concerning the health of people. The cooperation between â€Å"for profit† business and non-profit organization is called cause-related marketing (CRM), which both parties are involved to create mutual benefits. â€Å"For profit† business implemented CRM to build brands, revitalize corporate, carrying out corporate social responsibilities, and make community involvement visible (Papasolomou, and Kitchen 2011, 63). Non-profit organization can be benefited due to the contributions from the â€Å"for profit† business in order to meet its needs and objectives. CRM is proved to be an important marketing tool which demonstrates a firm’s commitment in addressing a social issue (Papasolomou, and Kitchen 2011, 63). The following are the strategies proposed to cooperate with the partners. 3. 3. 1. Nestle – Carnation Omega High Calcium Milk Powder Reason for partnership with Nestle Nestle is a well-known nutrition, health and wellness company which founded in Switzerland in 1866. The company’s mission is â€Å"Good Food, Good Life†, which is to provide great tasting, nutritionally superior food and beverage, and great services to consumers around the world (Nestle 2011). Creating shared value is a fundamental part of Nestle’s way of doing business to create long-term value for shareholders and society, which is beyond compliance and sustainability (Creating Shared Value 2011). One of its products, the Carnation Omega High Calcium Milk Powder is chosen as a health product for the World Heart Day in 2010 and 2011. This low-fat milk power can strengthen the heart and reduces cardiac related diseases. The ingredients and functions of this mike powder are the followings (Milk Powder 2008). i. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acid: Regulate body’s cholesterol level and benefit to the cardiovascular system. ii. Low-fat: Reduce fat absorption which benefit to the heart. iii. High in calcium: Benefit to the bones and prevent osteoporosis. iv. Vitamin A, B and E: Assist in metabolism and health function. This milk powder was sold in different channels as well as supermarket and drugstore in Hong Kong, such as PARKnSHOP, Welcome and Watson. Each of them operates more than 200 stores and has different customer segments. It is believed that Care For Your Heart can gain benefits through enhanced awareness, and obtaining stable and long-term based donation. Proposed Strategy I. Cardiac information inside the lid, and logo on the package. Cardiac information as well as â€Å"7 ways to protect your heart†, â€Å"Make your heart healthier†, etc. is suggested to print on the internal side of the lid. Every time when consumer opens the lid, they can read the information provided by Care For Your Heart. A colorful background can be used in order to attract their attention and increase the visibility of such information. Moreover, the logo of the organization is also printed on the package of the milk powder to gain awareness (Refer to Appendix 1 and 2). The followings are the suggested cardiac information. 7 ways to protect your heart: * Maintain appropriate cholesterol level by having low-fat diet * Maintain appropriate weight and balanced diets. * Eat 2 fruits every day * At least 30 minutes aerobic exercise per day * No smoking and alcohol * Remain a cheerful mood * Regular Body check II. â€Å"Turn in Your cans† Yoplait Yogurt, a France originated brand founded in 1964, had launched a campaign called â€Å"Save Lids to Save Lives† for 10 years. The main concept of this campaign was to raise money for charity organization and activities, such as Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation,  Race for the Cure, etc. Every lid that the customer reserved, Yoplait will donate US$0. 1 after they registered the code number on the lid online (Save Lids to Save Lives 2011). A loyalty program called â€Å"Turn in Your Cans† is proposed to achieve long-term relationship among three parties: the customer, Care For Your Heart, and Nestle. When customer finished one can of milk powder, they could turn in the can to a supermarket or drugstore, then Nestle could collect those cans for recycling. A stamp would be awarded per one returned can. When customer collected 3, 5 and 10 stamps, they can enjoy discount of 10%, 30% and 50% respectively for the next purchase. This campaign could increase customers’ loyalty towards this milk powder, and attract purchases from new customers. As a result, Nestle can gain an increase in sales, and Care For Your Heart can receive donations. III. 5% donation from the total sales of the milk powder To obtain long-term donation, Care For Your Heart could receive 5% of total sales from this milk powder. The milk powder is selling at the price around HKD$104. 6, which means Care For Your Heart can receive approximately HKD$5 from each can of milk powder sold. 3. 3. 2. Hung Fook Tong Reason for partnership with Hung Fook Tong Hung Fook Tong is the biggest herbal tea group in Hong Kong founded in 1980s. With more than 700 staff members, and over 100 stores among Hong Kong (Milestone 2011), it is persistent in using genuine ingredients with no added preservatives in the product. Producing and developing quality products are the philosophy of â€Å"making naturally† (Mission 2011). In 2011, Hung Fook Tong acquired the prime awards for corporate social responsibility 2011 from Prime magazine (Company news 2011), which shows that Hung Fook Tong continuously strive to fulfill corporate social responsibility. Hung Fook Tong has introduced a series of Chinese soup and individually packed soup into the market under its brand name. Those series of soup is nourishing, which helps to maintain good body condition and is good for health. As individually packed soup could reduce the time of making soup at home, it is typically popular among working class. Thus Hung Fook Tong is another suggested source to cooperate with for gaining long-term donation and enhancing public awareness. Proposed Strategy I. â€Å"Care For Your Heart† soup series There are several soup recipes shared by some Chinese medical doctors on Care For Your Heart website. Those soups are beneficial to the heart and can prevent heart attack. Care For Your Heart could cooperate with Hung Fook Tong to introduce these series of soup or invest in new soups for the target market. Such as: * Mushroom  soup with bamboo fungus and  lotus root. * Black hen soup with lily and cloud ear fungus. * Black hen soup with chestnut. These series of soup can sold at a cheaper price HKD$40 for increasing sales volume, which others series are sold at HKD$48 and HKD$63. II. Logo on the package front and cardiac information at the package back The logo of Care For Your Heart is suggested to put on the front side of the individually packaged soup, and some cardiac information at the back. This increases the visibility of the organization, as well as disseminating cardiac information when customer turns the package to look at the ingredient list of the soup. During the selection process, consumers make decisions base on the soup’s functions, thus the â€Å"Care For Your Heart series† can impress those that concern about heart health, and attract those customers that are previously not aware of the heart health series. The logo of Care For your Heart can also be placed on the menu to increase visibility (Refer to Appendix 3 and 4). III. 5 % donation from the total sales of â€Å"Care For Your Heart† series Care For Your Heart could receive 5% total sales of individually packed soup in order to obtain long-term donation. Each individually packed soup is sold at the price around HKD$40, which means Care For Your Heart can received approximate HKD$2 from each sold of the soup. IV. Coupon Hung Fook Tong can also sponsor 500 packs of coupons, which contains 10 pieces within one pack with a total value of HKD$398, to Care For Your Heart for voluntary reward purpose. 3. 3. 3. Watson Reason for partnership with Watson Firstly, Watsons Water under A. S. Watson Group is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hutchison Whampoa Limited, and is a world-renowned brand for supplying purest quality water. Moreover, the A. S. Watson Group has obtained a number of awards, such as â€Å"Asia’s Best Brand Award – for excellence in Branding and Marketing† in 2010 and 2011, â€Å"Caring Company† by the Hong Kong Council of Social Services from 2002 to 2011, and â€Å"Top Ten Brand names Award† by Chinese Manufacturer’ Association of Hong Kong in 2003 (Our Achievements 2011). Furthermore, A. S. Watson Group is positive related to healthiness, as it owns the Watsons Athletic Club which is committed in sponsoring and supporting local athletic events. This healthy association links with Care For Your Heart’s mission to improve public’s health issues. Secondly, the A. S. Watson Group is committed in performing corporate social responsibilities, and view CSR as opportunities. From A. S. Watson official website: â€Å"We encourage our business unites to develop programmes with organizations that are relevant to local community needs, and we support our employees’ effort in getting involved and contributing to society (Lai 2011). † This provides a favorable circumstance for Care For Your Heart to persuade Watson’s participation. Thirdly, Watsons Water has wide distribution channels, from street stores to big chained supermarkets. With the various availability of channels, it allows Care For Your Heart to increase exposure to the public and enhance the recognition of the company name. Proposed Strategy There are 3 main activities in this campaign: including Watsons bottled water label design competition, donation from the designed bottle, and cardiac slogan labels on Watsons Water carboy series and posters distributed to offices I. Watsons bottled water label design competition The first stage of this campaign starts with organizing a Watsons bottled water (both distilled and mineral water) label competition hosts by Watson and cooperates by Care For Your Heart. The theme of this competition is called â€Å" † – â€Å"Watsons Heart Caring Bottle Design Competition†, which encourage a submission of bottle label design aiming at enhancing public’s awareness towards cardiac disease. The competition will open for one to two months and targets youngsters age 15 to 25, whom are interested in drawing or design, and would seek for self-esteem through competition. The opening of this competition will be announced via newspapers (both paid and free), Watsons Water’s official website, and Facebook page. For motivation, awards will be given to the top three winners. The tentative prizes include: Champion: HK$5000 with certificate First runner up: HK$3000 with certificate Second runner up: HK$1500 with certificate All participants will also obtain a certificate as encouragement. After collecting all designs, both Watson and Care For Your Heart will have representatives appraising the designs and select the winners. A press conference will be held for the announcement and award ceremony of the top three winners. And their work will be launched on the bottle, which will be further discussed below. II. Launch of the specially designed bottle for donation to Care For Your Heart After the end of competition, the second stage of the campaign is the launch of this specially designed Watsons Water. The top three winners’ designs will be launched for 280ML to 800ML bottled water, both distilled and mineral. The distribution channels include all major types of supermarkets (Welcome, Parkn’ Shop, City’super etc. ), convenient stores (7-11, Circle K etc. ). The preparation for the label design will be around one month, and the tentative distribution period is set to be 2 to 4 months. Care For Your Heart can negotiate the percentage of total sales for donation with Watson. The recommended percentage is 5 to 15%. Furthermore, the label will contain information about the donation. For example: â€Å"Every bottle of water you purchase, Watson will donate $1 for Care For Your Heart on cardiac disease funding. † III. Cardiac info/ slogan on the Watson’s water carboy series in offices and posters distribution The third stage of the campaign is the launch of promotional label on Watsons Water carboy together with the distribution of posters to offices. The objectives of this event are to create opportunity for Care For Your Heart to reach the business sectors and to increase their awareness towards cardiac disease and provide some tips on prevention. This campaign will last for one to one and a half year. i. Poster Posters will be distributed together with the water bottles, and encourages offices to post it in the pantry or places near the water dispenser. The poster will contain some brief tips on preventing the formation of cardiac disease due to stress and imbalanced lifestyle. The information on the poster is the same as the information on the lids of the Nestle milk powder (Refer to Appendix 5). ii. Label A label is designed for 4. 5L, 12L and 18L bottles which fit most types of water dispenser, containing Care For Your Heart’s logo, slogans about heart protection. Appendix 6 shows an example of the label design. IV. 5% donation from the sales of designed Watsons Water bottle Watsons bottle water sold at the price HKD$6. 5, which Care For Your Heart can receive an approximate donation of HKD$0. 3 per bottle of the water sold. 3. 3. 4. Hong Kong Health Check ; Medical Diagnostic Group Limited (HKHC) Reason for partnership with HKHC Hong Kong Health Check ; Medical Diagnostic Group Limited (HKHC) is a company providing a variety of body check service to the community and has developed 15 health checking center in Hong Kong. The mission of the company is to provide  excellent  and  high standards of  imaging and  diagnostic services in order to improve  community  health under the concept of  preventive medicine. (About Us, 2011) It is chosen to work with Care For Your Heart as the two organizations are sharing similar missions of improving community health and health care awareness. Proposed Strategy I. Cardiac Health Care Bus The main functions of the Cardiac Health Care Bus are to provide free basic heart disease related health checks, for example, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol; and educate public about heart disease preventions. If patients are diagnosed to have a possibility of getting cardiac disease, they will be refered to HKHC for a comprehensive health check. A medical professional and two volunteers from Care For Your Heart will be on duty in the bus. There will be 6 buses available, 3 for New Territories, 2 for Kowloon and 1 for Hong Kong Island. The buses will serve everyday in two spots with two time periods, from 11a. m. to 3p. m, and 4p. m. to 8p. m. , which can serve around 50 to 70 people every day. This idea is feasible as it has been successfully adopted by other organizations, such as the Pok Oi Hospital. II. Health Care Charity Fund (HCCF) HCCF is a working partner of HKHC, who aims to implant the concept of â€Å"Health†¦ we care you care† to the community through educational and medical healthcare service (Vision and Mission. 2011). Its missions are to help the needy of the community by offering free health check services and organizing professional health talks; to increase the healthcare awareness of the community by promoting the concept of preventive healthcare through comprehensive periodic health check at the highest standard; and to serve the community through supporting volunteering services which organized by non-profit making organizations or collaborated with local communities (Vision and Mission. 2011). The nature of this organization fits with Care For Your Heart’s vision as both organizations achieve their missions by organizing talks, fund raising and voluntary work. Two programs are designed for corporation of CFYH and HCCF. i. Professional Health Talks Health talks will operate once each year at each community center in 18 districts by Care For Your Heart. The talks emphasize on heart care related topics, such as prevention, types of heart disease etc. Professional speakers are the volunteers from HKHC and talks are sponsored by HCCF. Each talk is opened for 100 to 200 audiences (depends on the population of the district) and is free of charge. The target of this campaign is to reach citizens in 18 districts within one year and four months for 6 districts. For the first four months, talks will operate in North, Tai Po, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun and Yeun Long; the next four months will operate in Kwai Tsing, Kowloon City Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin and Yau Tsim Mong; and the last four months will operate in Island, Sai Kung, Central and Western, Eastern, Southern and Wan Chai. ii. Charity Health Check Day The date of Charity Health Check Day is set on the World Heart Day in every year. 5 to 10% of body checks income from HKHC will donate to Care For Your Heart through HCCF. HCCF used this format previously with HKHC and the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) on mother’s and father’s day in 2011. Part of the body check income on that day was donated to HCCF, and the donations are used to provide personal emergency link for the elderly people (Tuesday Charity Health Check Day, 2011. ). 3. 3. Potential benefits receive by Care For Your Heart By the partnership with the above sponsors, Care For Your Heart can be benefited in various ways. I. Enhance awareness Firstly, as concerned by Care For Your Heart, it is currently facing low recognition by the public. To reverse this situation, its visibility, awareness and credibility can be increased by having Care For Your Heart’s name and logo appearing on sponsor’s events, and product packaging, which the product is well-recognized, easily found and consumed. Care For Your Heart can also leverage Nestle, Hung Fook Tong, Watson and HKHC’s goodwill on being healthy. Moreover, those sponsors enhance Care For Your Heart’s publicity by placing the organization name as the beneficiary organization at the end of the TV commercial. II. Reach the target segments Those proposed strategies allow Care For Your Hear to reach its desired target segments – the youngsters and businesses. Different channels were used for the distribution of the product by Nestle and Hung Fook Tong, such as supermarket, drugstore and MTR shop as well, which helps in increase exposure and visibility of its name and logo to different segment. Moreover, the Watson bottle water competition provides an opportunity for youngsters to demonstrate their stills in art, and act as a channel to educate them about cardiac diseases through participation. On the other hand, labels on carboy bottles and posters in office pantry can be an attention getting tool. By placing these at prominent spot, it can firstly get their attention. When they are continuously exposed to the information, they will be able to remember and recall the message. Furthermore, if the Cardiac Health Care Bus is successfully introduced, the mobility of those buses can further help Care For Your Heart in reaching more people in Hong Kong. III. Donation Donations can be gained through the sales of each product and the money can be used for funding daily operations or future activities. Furthermore, if the sponsors are willing to renew the contracts with Care For Your Heart, it will be able to obtain donations in a long-term basis. 3. 4. Potential benefits receive by sponsors I. Perform Corporate Social Responsibility The main benefit that Nestle, Hung Fook Tong, Watson and HKHC could gain is to accomplish its role in performing corporate social responsibility. Each company is committed to invest on creating shared value for society, as well as social welfare, environmental protection and other aspects regarding to the global compact. Companies could achieve its goals when cooperating with Care For Your Heart. II. Improved brand image Furthermore, the ultimate objective of performing CSR is to improve consumers’ perception towards the brand, which is being a contributor to the society thus enhancing goodwill. III. Boost Sales Each sponsor can boost its sales or expands market share due to its contribution to the society. Customers are more likely to choose a product when they realize that they can engaging in the contribution process (Stanalan, Lwin, and Murphy 2011, 51). IV. Benefits distributed by Care For Your Heart Care For Your Heart will provide the following benefits to all sponsors: * Have a one page free advertisement in the organisation magazine and annual report. Brief profile of the sponsors and the detail of ongoing campaigns on Care For You Heart website * Acknowledge the name and logo at the bottom of Care For Your Heart official website with hyperlinks to sponsors’ homepages * Acknowledge the name and logo on all promotion materials including newsletters, organisation magazines, broch ure covers or free gift bags etc. * Acknowledge the name and logo of sponsors on volunteers’ shirts * Provide at least one banner during any events * Announcement of sponsorships in all events or public speech * Guaranteed to be the only sponsor in the same category of industry * Allow to display company’s materials or products on the table for any events 3. 5. Volunteers’ recruitment The recruitment of volunteers for Care For Your Heart targets three groups: students from IVE, trainees of medical colleges, retired doctors, and the Hong Kong Health Check ; Medical Diagnostic Group. The details of the recruitment program are the followings. IVE On recruiting volunteers for Care For Your Heart, firstly, a non-academic volunteer program can be opened for the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education students majoring in Applied Nutritional Science, Pharmaceutical, Medical and Health Care, or Social services. Students are encouraged to apply the campaign throughout their study. This volunteer campaign requires students to participate in volunteer work for Care For Your Heart once in two weeks for four to six hours. The working time will be recorded and accumulated until they graduate or withdraw from the program. A quota on working time is set for students as a goal, for example, participating volunteer work for 72 hours in half a year. Students who have achieved the goal of this program will be rewarded with a non-academic award by Care For Your Heart, which is beneficial to their future career. Medical colleges’ trainees Secondly, trainees in medical colleges of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong are a considerable group for voluntary works. They obtain the required health care knowledge and elementary first aid skills. Moreover, this voluntary program can be included as part of the intern training. Similar with the program for IVE, a certificate will be given to participants as a reward, which helps their future career. Moreover, participants can enrich their practical experience before they enter the society. Medical professional Thirdly, doctors are another great source to attract as volunteers. They obtain the expertise in the cardiac field thus able to provide professional consultation for patients. Care For Your Heart can target this group by inviting those doctors that are seeking self-actualization, and appeal to them through mental motivation. For example, suggesting them to offer one or two days of voluntary consultation. By acquiring a sufficient number of voluntary doctors, members of Care For Your Heart can be benefited as it has more human resources to organize thorough functions and events for its members and the public, thus achieving the goals of increasing public awareness towards cardiac disease. Moreover, doctors can enhance their reputation and image by showing their sincerity in contributing to the society. Hong Kong Health Check ; Medical Diagnostic Group Lastly, referring to the event of the Cardiac Health Care Bus campaign, doctors from the Hong Kong Health Check ; Medical Diagnostic Group will volunteer for conducting simple tests and explain the health report to patients. Moreover, regarding this event, additional helpers are needed for showing information and assisting the doctor. These helpers can be chosen from IVE and medical college volunteers mentioned above. 3. 6. 5. Motivations to volunteers Besides, by analyzing their profile, Care For Your Heart can obtain data on the number of medical professionals and young volunteers the organization has attracted . ii. Amount of Donation Two sources of donations are needed to be evaluated: the public and partnership programs. By measuring the amount of donation from public and sponsoring partners, it can reflect Care For Your Heart’s reputation and credibility in public’s mindset. It can also show the benefits gain by both parties when the campaigns are launched (increased sales, product awareness and reputation). iii. Awareness Public opinion research will be conducted 3 times after 4, 12 and 24 months. The survey aims to collect data including: awareness and image of the organization; frequency and amount of donation; and awareness of activities and partnership program. The result will demonstrate whether the new strategies and rebranding are successful in enhancing the public awareness, especially within the working class. Regulate evaluation acts as a monitory function and can state the weaknesses of each program. Therefore, the organization can reinforce certain areas in order to achieve the ultimate goals. 6. Conclusion To conclude, Care For Your Heart could reach its target groups and deliver cardiac related information to the public by adopting the strategies mentioned above. Rebranding and those cooperative strategies can meet its goals effectively and efficiently. By performing cause-related marketing, all participating parties will receive benefits from the campaigns, as well as enhancing public awareness and improving brand image. The sales volume of the newly introduced products and the current product will also be increased, due to the change of customers’ perception towards the brand. The corporate partners will provide funding supply from the donations gained from product sales, and hence increase the cash flow of Care For Your Heart. Moreover, the reputation of Care For Your Heart will also be enhanced by the well-known partners. http://www. pokoi. org. hk/tc/services_cmedical. aspx http://www. hungfooktong. com/news/n017/index. html http://www.nestle.com/ http://www.aswatson.com/our-customers/ http://www.hungfooktong.com/tc/ http://www.yoplait.com http://www.hkhealthcheck.com/corp/tc/ http://www.hungfooktong.com/overseas_about.php http://www.aswatson.com/innovation/ http://www.hccf.org.hk/en/about_us.htm ;

Communication Skills Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication Skills - Article Example The tone of the teachers displays concern for the students and their futures. The teachers have made a clear attempt to try and find out solutions, tactics, and techniques to help the students develop better manners and display courtesy. There is a clear tone of personal interest in the work they do and an urge to learn newer techniques. The teachers display how well they lead by example and how their style of talking and teaching can affect the learning process of the children as well. There is a clear sense of responsibility, and active listening among all the members in the video. The body language and the non – verbal communication displayed shows a genuine interest in the discussions and is portrayed by taking notes of essential parts of the discussion. All the participants have been very alert throughout the discussion and have displayed all the basic skills of active listening. The teachers also display understanding and empathy with the fellow teachers and acknowledge the issues that they go through each day at work. This has been done in very simple actions like nodding their heads and taking notes of essential elements of the conversation and allowing the other to finish their statements rather than cutting the co – teachers off between sentences. Active listening allows a person to listen intently to what is being said, either in groups or even one on one. A person who actively listens should be able to restate in their own words, what the speaker has spoken. This displays understanding of the topic of discussion. The major skills that are involved in effective active listening include (StudyGS, 2009): a) To be ‘other – directed’: It is essential for a listener to focus on what the speaker is communicating and to follow and understand the speaker’s point of view (StudyGS, 2009). It is essential to not only listen to what is being said but to also study body language and other senses to recognise the

Cog week10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cog week10 - Essay Example Furthermore the base rate and a proper way to reduce it mentioned in terms of simple, uninterrupted, intentional time which result in greater skill in understanding and deducing the information we need by assessing the risks and rewards accurately is the right fit considering the decision making error. " Assignment 3 †¢ A brief description of one failure of deductive reasoning that you observed or experienced in the past week or so, similar to those in the "Wason Selection Task" and "Typical Reasoning" experiments.   A recent example that I experienced was that when I was home alone and waiting for the cable repair guy. I was working in the kitchen so when I heard a knock I didn’t bother to look but jumped to the conclusion that it was cable guy. So without thinking I asked him to come in since the knock on the door coincided with my thought process and anticipation regarding the cable guy. So I failed to use valid deductive reasoning as I followed the situation incorre ctly( p then q), so I assumed q then p. Later I realized how wrong I was when I realized I had invited a complete stranger into the house by incorrectly assuming it was the cable guy, an encounter which gave me a start as I momentarily stared at the unknown individual in shock. †¢ Then, in the context of your examples, explain the impediments (e.g., heuristic, bias, etc.) to each process (deductive and inductive), and suggest methods or techniques for improving each process   Heuristic is what basically influenced by reasoning for the incorrect assumption that the knock on the door was the cable guy. In order to improve my thinking process in such incidents and situations it is imperative that I keep a alert mind and recognize fallacies that occur in deductive reasoning. I should evaluate my thinking and consider alternatives which overcome any biases that I might experience and lead me to confidently draw conclusions without really considering them. †¢ A brief descripti on of one failure of inductive reasoning that you observed or experienced in the past week or so, similar to those in the "Wason Selection Task" and "Typical Reasoning" experiments.   An example that I can relate to that of inductive reasoning was when I saw these two dogs fighting over what appeared to be a large bone which was buried not too deep in this pile of things. During this fight another dog came and joined in the fight and the three fought over the bone for a while. When the third dog had joined in through these observations I assumed that he was actually the one that was the owner of the bone and that he had hidden it in the pile of things. However, after a while when I had looked away and turned my attention back towards them I saw that a man way aggressively waving to get rid of these dogs and that I had wrongly induced to be a bone was actually a large packet of meat shaped like a bone. †¢ Then, in the context of your examples, explain the impediments (e.g., he uristic, bias, etc.) to each process (deductive and inductive), and suggest methods or techniques for improving each process   Confirmation bias is the key reasons that lead to my inaccurate assumptions. Turns out I was focusing on all the aspects that seemed to confirm what I had already

Types Of Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Types Of Energy - Essay Example This form of energy is obtained by the conversion of wind energy a utilizable form of energy, for example, making electricity using wind turbines, wind pumps for pumping water, windmills for mechanical power or sails to propel ships. The important features of this form of energy include being clean, plentiful, renewable and zero emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) when in use. Large-scale production of wind power generation is done in wind farms which consists hundreds of single wind turbines connected to a network of electric power transmission. Its production is influenced by wind distribution in terms of strength and speed. This makes the production of wind power to be limited to certain places that experience winds that are substantially strong to turn turbines. This could be onshore and offshore places. Offshore wind power production involves the construction of wind farms inside in water bodies to generate electricity. Better wind speeds are available in these places compared t o on land/onshore. Some of the largest onshore wind farms are found in the US.Unlike other forms of energy, the production of wind power does take away farms from farm owners and neither does it render the land unusable for other purposes. It is highly compatible with agriculture. According to American Wind Energy Association (2009), landowners in the US receive a rental income of between $3,000 to $5,000 for each wind turbine as they continue to graze cattle or grow crops up to the foot of the turbines. In comparison to fossil fuels and other sources of power, the effects of wind power on the environment are less problematic. Their trends for the production and use of wind power have been rising and as of 2011, a total of 83 countries worldwide are using this form of energy on the commercial basis (REN21, 2011). Despite having lower levels of adverse environmental effects, wind power is not suitable for some places like Pitchandikulam because the area is forested. Trees act as windbreaks and therefore they reduce the speed and strength of the wind. This means that wind blowing over Pitchandikulam does not have sufficient power to turn turbines for generating electricity from wind. Pitchandikulam is also surrounded by other communities belonging to Auroville Green Belt and these communities are also forested and this reduces the power of the wind reaching this place. Pitchandikulam does not have an area with a very high altitude compared to its surrounding areas. This could have enabled it to utilize high-altitude winds for the generation of wind power. Alternatives energy supply or solution for Pitchandikulam which does not have a negative effect on the environment Wind power as a clean source of power could be the most suitable for Pitchandikulam. The alternative energy solutions or supplies for Pitchandikulam that do not have a negative effect on the environment is solar power. Solar power is a form of energy that is obtained from the conversion of sunlight into electricity. This is achieved through the use of various technologies that can be categorized as either active or passive depending on the mechanism through which they capture, convert and

Organizational Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Organizational Development - Research Paper Example It can be revealed that Fourwinds Marina which is one of the most extensive as well as complete marinas of its type in the United States occupies four acres of land. Jack Keltner had been the general manager of the Fourwinds Marina while the President of the Taggart Corporation, Sandy Taggart has been the owner of the Fourwinds Marina and the Inn of the Fourwinds. The main problem as pointed out by the Taggart has been the lack of knowledge of marina business along with lack of experienced general managers. Therefore from the case study it can be analyzed that there is requirement of major organizational development initiatives. Keltner seems to have analyzed the problems that the organization was facing and took steps in order to correct them in order to improve the organizational effectiveness. He analyzed that major changes were required over one year period. This report consists of the SWOT analysis of the organization and implication of the analysis. It also tries to describe th e marinas strategy and the organization and tries to list the Keltner’s list of actions. ... Moreover the Inn is successful enough in providing the customers with all the facilities required by them. Lack of experienced managers as well as knowledge on managing the marine is one of the weaknesses. In addition to this Bouys have not been a profitable segment for the organization which demonstrates lack of managerial expertise. Weak financial position has also been one of the problems of the company. The major threats for the organization is that The Indiana Department of Natural Resources exercises total control over the rates that can be charged on slip rental as well as room rates at the inn. Jack Keltners management strategy can be considered as an opportunity to improve the organizational efficacy. Implication of the SWOT Analysis After conducting the SWOT analysis, it can be revealed that there are major problems that Fourwinds Marine faced that hampers the effective operation of the organization. The strengths of Fourwinds Marine indicate that the company can aim at bec oming the market leader in the particular segment. The weaknesses indicate that there is need for immediate actions in order to overcome them. The threats indicate that the company doesn’t have control over the rates and the prices. From the opportunity analyzed it can be revealed that company’s overall operation can be enhanced. Marinas Strategy The strategy adopted by the marina can be considered as deliberate strategy. The slips need to be reserved by November 15 of each year or the slip is subject to sale on first-come basis. The slips are rented for a year and the amount varies depending upon the size of slip. The company adopts various boat rental strategies in order to meet the demands during the peak season. In order to protect the boats that are left in the water during

Marketing plan for Grey Goose Company Case Study

Marketing plan for Grey Goose Company - Case Study Example petitive price and extra ordinary taste, its level of preference is extremely high among the middle class of the society and so its brand value and market share is also quite high as compared to many other rival players such as Smirnoff, Skyy etc in the market of America. In spite of extreme aggressiveness, the demand and preference of Grey Goose Vodka is extremely high in the market of America as compared to other rivals. This is mainly due to the utilization of the special customized technology, which mixes potatoes in a unique way so as to present a unique quality and taste. Thus, due to this unique feature, the level of preference of Grey Goose Vodka is extremely high in the market. Moreover, as the vodka of Grey Goose might be consumed in both neat as well as in mixed way, so its level of demand is extremely high as compared to others. Thus, due to these above mentioned features, the sustainability and position of the organization of Grey Goose increased to a significant extent in this age of competitiveness. Positioning is the process of locating a specific product within the minds of the customers among many other rival brands in order to improve its total sale and market position. The organization of Grey Goose might try to re-position itself as a premium brand offering a wide range of superior and healthy malt spirits such as Grey Goose La Poire, Grey Goose L’Orange, Grey Goose Le Citron and many others. However, in order to improve its demand and customer base, it promoted itself as a healthier drink with superior quality, sophistication as well as modernity. Furthermore, in order to improve the sustainability and market share, all the products of Grey Goose are prepared from finest quality of ingredients that increased its level of preference among the adult section of the society. Hence, in spite of being a premium brand, its market share and total sale is quite high, due to its healthier taste as compared to others as presented below. Thus, from

Gender Inequality in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Inequality in the United States - Essay Example More than 50 percent law graduates are women but less than 25 percent are law firm partners. Women gets more than 70 percent of masters, doctoral and professional degrees collectively but holds less than 20 percent of full time positions as university professors. US is ranked 85th in the world on the basis of share women hold in national legislative body. Only 9 percent of the largest cities in US have female mayors. He further mentions with grief that out of 500 fortune companies more than 25 percent had no female executive officers. Even in the film industry only one out of 4 female nominations for the best director won the Oscar, whereas; 77 percent of Oscars were gone to men. Williams further highlighted women as higher scorers on the scale of various leadership traits designed by Pew Center study, Social and Demographic Survey. In his view; despite of better grades, traits, potential and creativity the conditions of women are diminishing day by day in every industry and sector o f US. Pozner’s View Jennifer Pozner, founder of Women in Media and News, is a feminist who has channelized all her education, expertise and energy in enlightening the status of women especially in media. She is of the view that; women are treated as â€Å"second class citizens† in TV channels. ... eep trenches settled by male dominated society, though women have gained a humongous visibility in the media but still they lack those decision making positions which enjoy the authority of crafting people’s mind. Pozner said; â€Å"Control of the media is the single most important issue of our time, the corporate-controlled media shape and inform our collective ideas about people, politics, and public policy, the corporate-dominated mass media are the key to why our fast-moving culture is so slow to change, stereotypes are so persistent, and the power structure is so entrenched† Pozner believes that Media has the power to change minds and attitudes bus since the decision making power resides within the masculine community thus; males decide what to inject in the minds of people. The vibrant visibility of females in the news room of TV channels and increased female reporters and correspondent corps is a buzz view created to portray that there exist no ceilings for women and women are given equivalence in all the industries and sectors. To Pozner, media world is a â€Å"big lie† and it is spreading a false feminist death syndrome by creating an impression that women are getting what they deserve to get which is unfortunately not the case. Russo’s View Russo said in his speech; â€Å"We're so busy putting out fires right now, that we don't have the time to talk to each other and strategize and plan for the next wave, and the next day, and next month and the next week and the next year. And, we're going to have to find the time to do that in the next few months. And, we have to commit ourselves to doing that. And then, after we kick the shit out of this disease, we're all going to be alive to kick the shit out of this system, so that this never happens again.† According

Protection of vulnerable people (ADULT WITH DEMENTIA) Essay

Protection of vulnerable people (ADULT WITH DEMENTIA) - Essay Example Being a serious mental disability, adults suffering from dementia face many challenge in their routine life particularly learning disabilities. These adults are often abused at different intervals of life. This paper aims to highlight the abuses and challenges faced by adults with Dementia. Moreover, the will provide methods through which the vulnerability of these adults can be reduced. The paper will also discuss laws and policies that safeguards adults with dementia. Background One of the serious health problems faced by adults across the world, particularly the UK is Dementia. This is because of certain factors. One chief reason is that the aging of people in the UK is increasing. For this reason, adults that are diagnosed with Dementia in UK are increasing every year. The term ‘Dementia’ is originally a Latin word which means irrationality; ‘De’ means without and ‘mens’ means mind, thus it illustrates that without mind (Adams & Manthorpe, 2 003). Previously unimpaired people can also undergo dementia. It is a progressive brain dysfunction in which the person faces long term decline in his mental capabilities. The chief cognitive regions of the brain affected by Dementia include memory, attention, language and problem solving which makes it difficult for the person to perform various tasks. If these dysfunctions stays or are present for more than 6 months, then it is in positive support for the diagnosis of dementia (Hughes, et al., 2006). Dementia is a growing disease in the UK. Many adults are facing challenges to continue their routine life normally and are abused at different points because of this mental disorder. Moreover, adults diagnosed with dementia also face some financial challenges that do not allow them to treat their sickness, thus increasing the problems. The government of United Kingdom has set some laws and policies for patients with mental sickness. This is to ensure that those diagnosed with mental d ysfunctions are getting proper treatment and are able to continue their life. Moreover, adults who are diagnosed with dementia also face learning disability issues (Keady & Harris, 2013). Body Abuses / Challenges Faced by Adults with Dementia To name there are a number of abuses and challenges that are faced by adults with Dementia. These challenges vary from person to person. According to a report conducted by Kings’ College London and Alzheimer’s society stated that it is estimated that by 2025 as many as one million people will have dementia in UK. This is a serious issue which raises many other problems for the adults making them vulnerable towards life (Alzheimer's Society, 2013). People have not understood dementia completely, thus they are not able to offer this disease a comprehensive reaction. For this reason, dementia adds to the miseries of adults. Where on one hand these adults find it hard to cope-up with their daily tasks, the disease and other factors in a variety of ways often abuse them. It is already discussed above that adults with dementia face issues with memory; this illustrates that they have problems remembering their name, the day, week, and month; in short they are not able to recall anything properly. This can be explained with the help of few examples. Imagine, you wake up one morning and you are not able to recognize the person or his name that is lying next to you. This gets even worse when you look at your siblings and other family members and asks

Gdel's Work in Set Theory Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gdel's Work in Set Theory - Case Study Example In his Logical Journey, Wings publications indicate that GÃ ¶del’s works began in 1930 when he started studying the consistency problems of classical analysis (Wang, 1996). At the time, there had been no rigorous justifications and explanations on the rigorous mathematics (Feferman, et al., 2003, p. 339). This study got its motivation from Hilbert’s works. Hilbert had been working towards the provision of a directly consistent analysis of the finitary methods. The problems that this work had formed the driving force to his study. Through this, GÃ ¶del’s wanted to prove the constancy of number theory by a finitary numeral theory (Barbara, et al., 1990). He also wanted to prove the dependability of analysis by number theory. He represented real numbers by the predicates in number theory. In so doing, he found out that he had to use the truth concept in order to verify the axioms of the analysis. He came with an enumeration of symbols, sentences, and verifications within the specified order. In so doing, he discovered that the impression of arithmetic truth cannot be given a defined form in arithmetic. He observed that if a way to define the truth within a system existed, it would lead to a liar paradox (Rahman, et al., 2008). This would show that the system is inconsistent with what is being studied. These arguments were later formalized so that they bring meaning to the existence of undecidable propositions without quoting any individual occurrences. It is observable that GÃ ¶del tried to reduce the c onsistency problem to that of arithmetic for ease of solving. At this point, he temporarily changed the direction with the aim of intruding another element. The element would prove an illumination solution to Liar Paradox (Winterburn, 2012, p. 47). This appeared to require the truth definition for the arithmetic. This, in turn, resulted to paradoxes, like the Liar paradox to mean that the sentence is a false one. GÃ ¶del then discerned paradoxes of this form would not necessarily come in existence if the truth were to be replaced with probability.

Leadership Study Essay Example for Free

Leadership Study Essay Question 1: What is your opinion of Gerry’s approach to evaluating the output of the new-product development group? While Gerry seems ready for fresh and new product ideas, his approach to evaluating ideas presented by Maria and the new-product development group is harsh and in my opinion put forth as disapproval vice constructive criticism. The team has been working hard and Gerry’s comments, â€Å"I get the impression that there is a lot of activity going on here, but it does not seem to be focused activity†, would make me defensive and rather than listening to Gerry, Maria is probably thinking about how to respond to the snide comments and feedback. Gerry could have been more tactful and should have been more supportive when turning down the teams ideas and putting Maria on the defensive. As a result, they are likely to interpret criticism as a personal attack on their self-worth.1 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 362) It would have been better in my opinion to say nothing or use tact in his approach and rather than criticize, he could have used it as a coaching opportunity and turned down Maria’s idea with constructive feedback. Question 2: Do you think that Maria is getting too sensitive to criticism? Gerry’s comments are not constructive but rather criticism so, no, I don’t think Maria is getting too sensitive to Gerry’s criticism. Garth Laidlaw pointed out that new-product development is a risky business and that 90 percent of new-product ideas never make it to the market shelves so Gerry should’ve expected some failures. I think Gerry should have come into the venture using what DuBrin calls a use loose-tight leadership style. Looseness refers to granting space for new ideas and exploration, whereas a tight approach means finally making a choice among the alternatives.2 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 365) Innovation is also enhanced when workers throughout the organization are able to purse absurd ideas without penalty for being wrong or for having wasted some resources.3 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 365) Question 3: How do constraints on creativity enter into this case? Gerry is not practicing transformational leadership and fostering an environment for change and innovation. The executive office sees a need for innovation, establishes a team and even places the team away from the corporate flag but I didn’t see Gerry having a clear vision or  providing any type of guidance on the types of goods or sector that the new product development group should focusing their talents. Information about establishing a climate for creativity can be divided into (1) leadership and managerial practices for enhancing creativity and (2) methods for managing creative workers.4 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 357) Gerry wants innovation and creativity, provided resources but his rigid leadership style would hinder creativity in any organization. One should provide excellent tools and resources, give creative people flexibility, turn down ideas gently, and employ creative people to manage and evaluate creati ve workers.5 (DuBrin, 2013, p. 366) The company seems focused on innovation for its own sake without a clear goal in mind, and Gerry is quick to criticize the ideas presented by the innovation team rather than recognizing opportunities in lemons. It takes a lot of lemons to make lemonade.

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay Example for Free

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay One of the disadvantages of globalization is the over-standardization of products through global branding. Using Emirate Airline to illustrate this point, globalization will means that their services are standardized which aim to serve all customers. They would lose their uniqueness of the business culture after they go global. Also, the over-globalization will result in the lack of creativity and product diversity Hongladarom (2002), Zekos (2004). Moreover, globalization can also create diseconomies of scale as not all countries have the same growth and economic cycle. For example, Emirate may operate very well in the Middle East and Europe market but expanding into Asia or America market will reduce their profit. This could be due to difficulties of coordinating activities in those new markets or the culture differences. It is also important to note that globalization will cause de-industrialization and high unemployment in the domestic market. Empirical evidences included: Mello (1997), Rodrik (1996), Fagerberg (1994).

Mcdonalds As Good Corporate Citizens Marketing Essay

Mcdonalds As Good Corporate Citizens Marketing Essay Introduction The topic area of this research paper is to explore corporate social responsibility. A specific company will be chosen, researched and analyzed in depth to confirm or disconfirm whether it is truly socially responsible in its business practices. The chosen company in question is McDonalds Restaurant. In the past, McDonalds has been seen as both corporately irresponsible and socially responsible and has since been trying to keep its reputation high within its local communities and worldwide. By studying in depth the positive and negative research associated with McDonalds and its business practices, a stronger decision can be made on whether it is truly a socially responsible corporation or is putting on a faà §ade. Literature Review From initial research, many articles on social responsibility exist, however literature specifically involving McDonalds and its social responsibility do not. As a result, the topics preliminary research started on the company website to obtain an idea of what McDonalds claims to be doing to be socially responsible. The movie Supersize Me, in which the producer eats himself into an unhealthy life and body with McDonalds food, has given McDonalds a particularly unhealthy reputation. Yet, McDonalds seems to be going out of its way to battle this reputation. However, the corporations out-of-its-way actions lead to questioning whether or not there is a line between doing it out of genuine care or doing it to put on a show. Thus, this research paper serves to test the question of the fine lines of corporate social responsibility. Methodology The approach for answering the questions mentioned above is to research as much as possible to find both negative articles against McDonalds approach to social responsibility and positive articles supporting McDonalds and its many social business practices. The goal is to collect as much positive and negative data from all types of sources, such as journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, databases and corporate websites. After all the research resources have been exhausted, the articles will be analyzed in terms of relevance to the question at hand and the most relevant examples will be analyzed individually in terms of the ethics of social responsibility. After interpreting all of the research together as a whole, the final result of whether McDonalds is a socially responsible corporation will be answered. Expected Results The group expects that the deep research into McDonalds intentions will yield more negative results than positive ones. It is expected that McDonalds is trying to put on more of a faà §ade than put into place actual socially responsible practices. Aside from its main and original charity practices, like the Ronald McDonald House and childrens charities, the group expects that the socially responsible acts that the corporation boasts on its website are not more than mere future promises that change with time but never become fully completed. Actual Results Environment McDonalds boasts that it prides itself on being environmentally safe and continuously innovative in its business practices. In the past, McDonalds eliminated its polystyrene packaging that had a problem being recycled and turned to newer, more environmentally friendly cardboard packaging. One of McDonalds more recent focuses have been on what they refer to as the Big Mac Problem, which is that beef production is one of the highest generators of greenhouse gases and the production practices are inefficient. However, without the pull in the beef production industry and without being able to eliminate the production of beef altogether, McDonalds would like to form a beef coalition, in which it trades with environmentally friendly groups and rallies or pushes many companies and farmers towards reducing greenhouse gases (Warner, 2009). Though McDonalds does not have the pull to change the direction of the beef production industry, it certainly has a plan to create that pull. The corporati on has also agreed to help reduce the amount of pesticide used in its potato supply chain by surveying suppliers and picking the ones that have the best pesticide reduction practices (Nations Restaurant News, 2009). As well as pesticide reduction, McDonalds has already implemented efficient, environmentally friendly, daily operating practices. The corporation has installed new fryers that are energy efficient and use less cooking oil, thus less waste (Nations Restaurant News, 2008). All around, McDonalds is implementing an act utilitarianism view into all of its environmental practices. By helping the environment, all of society benefits in health, in sustainability and in welfare. McDonalds may be taking smaller steps than what is expected of such a large corporation to help the environment and reduce their carbon footprint, but they are making sure they are benefitting the most people in every way while they do it. Health McDonalds is the most popular fast food chain in the world. With that prestige and recognition, comes the weight of both the positive and negative attributes associated with fast food. The largest criticism is by far the overall quality and health of their food. Amid the hype surrounding the 2004 documentry Super Size Me, there is a serious underlying issue that needs to be addressed. In favour of low prices and convenience, unhealthy and potentially dangerous fast food is consumed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦an average of 11 times every two weeks (Heart and Stroke, 2005). This is certainly not a situation unique to McDonalds, but the company receives a large amount of negative attention because of it. To combat the McDonalds image of unhealthy living and its association with obesity, the company launched several initiatives in the 2003-2005 timeframe. They completely retooled their menu to include Healthy Choices salads, improved Happy Meal options such as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦low fat white and chocolate milk, apple juice, and Apple Dippers (White, 2006). With the menu change, came a complete marketing overhaul. This included McDonalds new Im Lovin It campaign promoting an active lifestyle, as well as the use of Ronald McDonald as a positive health role model for kids. Throughout the launch of the campaigns until the present, McDonalds has remained committed to their new vision, testing such ideas as mini-gyms for children in select stores (Horovitz, 2006), and including stepometers with certain purchases (White, 2006). McDonalds recognized that their previous business practices and overall product were not consistent with what the general public was demanding. The cultural norm has shifted over the last few decades, and the average customer began demanding that options were made available that were consistent with a healthier lifestyle. The company knew it was losing touch with its customer base, and implemented the theory of Ethical Relativism when determining what the best course of action to take was. First, they considered if their actions were the cultural norm. In the past, selling greasy hamburgers and fries may have been enough to appease the public, but today the average person is concerned with their diet and overall lifestyle. This push for an alternative from fast food chains meant that McDonalds had to consider alternate menu options if they wish to meet that cultural demand. Next McDonalds asked if offering only unhealthy options was causing harm to anyone. They saw that by offering o nly nutritionally poor foods and ignoring the promotion of exercise, people were definitely being hurt. This is represented by the climbing obesity rates, and the escalading rates of heart disease and other diet-contributing diseases. Overall, McDonalds saw that the ethical thing to do was to promote better diet and lifestyle practices in addition to their traditional menu, and went above and beyond what was expected of them to achieve this. Toy Safety McDonalds has always been very committed to safety, and this is revealed through their commitment to the safety of their toys. The toys included in McDonalds Happy Meals are a staple for kids and parents alike, and McDonalds realizes that it is important these toys are the highest quality they can be. McDonalds has been recognized for their exceptional safety standards by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and acknowledges their contribution of both funds and technology to the commission. According to the Office of Information and Public Affairs, the funds donated purchased, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a computerized virtual child and a life-like breathing mannequin designed to evaluate choking and suffocation hazards (2001). This is a commitment to safety that goes above and beyond what was ever expected of McDonalds, and their track record indicates that their strict protocols are effective. Act Utilitarianism promotes the greatest good for the greatest number of people. McDonalds could have chose to save the money donated to the USCPSC, but decided that the financial pain experienced by spending this money is worthwhile when considering the overall well-being of its large youth consumer base. McDonalds could have also chose to produce cheap and unreliable toys for their Happy Meals to save money, but again, they have demonstrated that the price of potentially unsafe toys is not worth the small financial gain by doing so. Ronald Mcdonald House The Ronald Mcdonald house is just one of the ways Mcdonalds is being socially responsible. The program began in the 1970s when the first fund raiser launched to help children with leukemia. This program provides housing for families with very sick kids. The homes are nearby to hospitals which helps to keep the families together in a very difficult time for a very low cost (Ronald Mcdonald House). There are 12 Ronald Mcdonald Houses in Canada. Another part of the Ronald Mcdonald House is the Ronald Mcdonald Room. This is a room located within the hospital where the families of sick children can go. This room provides a place for parents and families to do their laundry shower, dine, cook food and use the bathroom facilities. Based on Act Utilitarianism, which is a theory that states that an action is ethical if it creates the greatest amount of happiness or pleasure for the largest amount of people. When Mcdonalds provides services for children with serious illnesses and their familie s this is creating happiness for all parties involved. The children are able to have their whole family around them in a time that is without a doubt scary for young kids. Because the children have their familys support and love this benefits the child greatly, as this will assist in their recovery from illness. Ronald Mcdonald House also benefits the parents of the children because they do not have to worry about the hassle of finding a place to live near the hospital at an affordable rate (A World of Charity: Children, families turn to RMHC in time of need, 2005). Parents are able to be close to their children when they are needed the most (Busch, 1998). The actions of the Ronald Mcdonald House are moral because they also conform to the theory of Rule Utilitarianism. Rule Utilitarianism is based on the fact that an action is moral if it creates the greatest good for the greatest amount of people but can also be sustained if everyone took that action in society. If every business i n todays society chose a charity that management felt strongly about this would be sustainable and create the greatest amount of good for all members of society. McHappy Day McHappy Day is one of McDonalds longest traditional events, held annually to help support sick children around the world. This event was established in 1977 as a one-day fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and has raised nearly over 26 million dollars in the past sixteen years (Z99, 2009). On this day, when you purchase a Big Mac sandwich, McMuffin sandwich or Happy Meal, McDonalds will donate $1.00 to its various childrens charities, which help support children in desperate need. In addition to the donations collected on this day, 10 cents from each Happy Meal sold regularly is donated to the Ronald McDonald House Program. (Marketwire, 2009) There are many ways in which someone can support McHappy Days in addition to purchasing the selected sandwiches. There are wristbands available for a donation of $2.00, or you can buy one of the McHappy Day products available for sale such as an apron, mugs, pens, bags, etc. You can also donate online through the McHappy Day website. Proceeds collected by the Ronald McDonald house Charities will help, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦build and maintain houses close to hospitals, allowing ill children to stay close to their families, creating homely retreat rooms within hospitals, and [providing] free holiday accommodation for terminally ill children and their families (McDonalds, n.d.). McDonalds McHappy Day celebrations are a special day for everyone in the McDonalds environment. Some locations are visited by special guests, sports and media personalities, politicians and entertainers as they roll up their sleeves to work behind the counter and show their support (Marketwire, 2009). This may be the biggest draw for the crowd: seeing celebrities and local figures, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦swap their glamorous day jobs for flipping burgers (Katu, 2007). For example, last years McHappy Day, Senior chief Mike Metcalf of Peel Regional Police visited his local McDonalds restaurant to lend a hand, helping to raise money for McHappy Day. Some of the proceeds from the purchase of selected sandwiches were also donated to the William Osler Hospital Foundation in Brampton, ON and Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga (Silver Creek, 2009). McDonaldsalso holds McHappy Days for elementary and middle schools. Students are given an opportunity to see their teachers flip burgers, deep fry fri es, fill drinks and more, on their designated McHappy school days. Teachers hand out McHappy school cards to their students, which are stamped with their schools name and address. When purchasing, they give the cashier the card and $1.00 of their purchase is given to their school. At the end of the day, employees, customers, volunteers, and sponsors alike embrace the spirit behind McHappy Day; the spirit of joy. They take comfort in knowing that they made a difference and helped someone that was less fortunate then themselves. The actions performed by McDonalds in partnership with the Ronald McDonalds House charities take the characteristics of Act Utilitarianism. Ones actions must promote happiness and avoid those actions that cause unhappiness. The consequences of your actions should matter to everyone, not just those that surround you. McHappy Day promotes happiness for all. It helps the less fortunate by allowing those that wish to make a difference to participate in their community, even though they may be too busy to volunteer in more detailed ways. It truly makes a world of difference for a sick child to know that someone cares enough to participate. Animal Welfare Another way in which Mcdonalds acts in an ethical manner is that they have begun to demand that suppliers treat animals with respect. The current process for slaughtering chickens is: the live chicken is picked up and hung upside down on hooks, they are then shocked in water that has electricity running through it (which does not always kill the chicken) and finally their throats are cut. Mcdonalds is currently working with their animal welfare board to find a more humane way of slaughter called controlled atmospheric killing (CAK) (Garber, 2005). The CAK method puts the bird to sleep painlessly with the use of a gas, which would eliminate a lot of the suffering that is endured during the traditional slaughtering process. Another action Mcdonalds is taking to promote the better treatment of animals is by asking hen farmers to stop the process of debeaking and molting hens. Debeaking is a common practice as it prevents the birds which are confined to tight cages with several other birds, from killing each other. The process is extremely inhumane, leaving the hens beakless. Mcdonalds has also got its suppliers to stop molting hens, this process is carried out when the hen is at the end of their egg producing life. At this point the hens are starved, which makes them produce even more eggs. This process is inhumane as it can result in the death of the hen. Although this is only a small step in the right direction with respect to the issue of animal welfare, Mcdonalds is moving toward a more humane treatment of food animals. The theory of rights (more specifically animal rights) proves that making sure animals are treated humanely before being slaughtered is the moral action to take. At first blush one may think that it is not in the best interest of Mcdonalds to be sure their suppliers are treating animals fairly because this will only drive the price of meat products up, which in turn will drive Mcdonalds sales down. However, whether Mcdonalds is taking this action out of a sense of duty to animals or to keep their corporate image high in the eyes of the consumer it is the moral thing to do (Fast Food and Animal Rights: An Examination and Assessment of the Industrys Response to Social Pressure, 2008). The fair and humane treatment of animals can and should be enforced, whether the animal is a pet or being prepared for slaughter, has t he right to live as close to it would in nature, be treated fairly, and free from abuse. Corporate Social Responsibility Making Good Business Sense, written by Richard Holme and Phil Watts, (representing the World Business Council for Sustainable Development) described Corporate social responsibility as the the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large. (Holme Watts, 2000) Many feel that McDonalds owes a debt to society, and that any ethically initiated activity that McDonalds takes part in is a ploy to divert peoples attention from the real issue of obesity. However, McDonalds has been interested in portraying the role of a Socially Responsible company for a longer period of time than societys recent search for a scape goat to take the blame of the wealthiest nations of the worlds rapidly growing obesity problem. In 2002, McDonalds released its first Social Responsibility Report. This report was a message to the stockholders of McDonalds, and their consumers that they were interested in ethics, and that it played an important position in the role of the company. In the report, McDonalds stated its various core values such as Giving back to the communities in which we do business, [being] committed to people and [being] dedicated to providing customers unparalleled levels of Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value. (McDonalds CSR, 2002) Despite McDonalds efforts, both the Social Responsibility Report and the company were heavily criticized. McDonalds April 14 Report on Corporate Social Responsibility is a low- water mark for the concept of sustainability and the promise of corporate social responsibility. It is a melange of generalities and soft assurances that do not provide hard metrics of the company, its activities or its impacts on society and the environment. (Hawken, 2002) in essence, H awken and many other critiques argument is that McDonalds used a qualitative one-sided narrative to keep people stockholders happy and consumers spending. They avoided any real issues and just used numbers and data in the scenarios that would make the company look good. McDonalds has released four more CSR reports since 2002. With every new report, McDonalds has committed to increasing the transparency of the corporation to the public, and including more quantitative data rather than simply focusing on future goals. In addition, with every outcry from the public over an issue with McDonalds business the company has strived to address the issue and documented the results. McDonalds also has a code of ethics the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Senior officers must adhere. The waiver that each must sign can be listed in the appendix. In addition, Ethisphere even listed Bob Langert, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility at McDonalds, one of its top 100 most influential people of 2008 . Ethisphere had this to say: Langert and McDonalds unveiled a state of the art corporate responsibility report in 2008. If your company is working on a CSR report at the moment, it would be a waste not to take a look at McDonalds for a little inspiration. (Ethisphere, 2008) This serves as a testimony to virtue ethics. The executive officers at McDonalds are striving to cultivate virtues characters and pursue the right life for the corporation. Conclusion Critiques still argue that the CSR reports are biased and many people will argue that McDonalds is a two faced company that is only working on repaying their super sized debt to the worlds health. This will most likely continue to do so for the length of time that North Americans blame other people for their own self indulgence issues that lead to obesity. McDonalds offers a product that people ask for. There are many different types of food that are unhealthy in copious amounts. The restaurant exists however, because there is demand. McDonalds makes enough money that customers are not just paying for food; but they are also paying for McDonalds to take the blame for bad health conditions. However it is important to realize that despite the general mood that people have towards McDonalds, their policies towards maintaining environmental sustainability, auditing supply chains to prevent animal cruelty, supporting children communities, offering healthy menu alternatives, company trans parency and reporting on social responsibility demonstrates that McDonalds has dedicated itself to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large.

Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): The Character of Meursault

The Character of Meursault in Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider)Â   Raymond typifies the beast-character in Camus' The Stranger (The Outsider). He is like Stanley from A Streetcar Named Desire (T. Williams), emotional and manly. Physical solutions come naturally to him, as we see when he mistreats his ex-girlfriend. Ideally, society is exactly the opposite; law and order attempt to solve things fairly and justly. I propose that Meursault is somewhere between these two extremes and that this is the reason why he is a societal outcast. This metaphor explains his major actions in the book: as he struggles to keep his identity, his personality comes in conflict with the norms of society and he is shut down. Just as an animal sticks to instincts, Meursault has a hard time feeling emotions such as remorse or compassion. Even the first page shows us this. Just as an animal leaves its family when it is old enough, never to return, when Meursault hears of his mother's death he is unattached, even uncaring. He had similar feelings when he sent her to live in the old people's home. Meursault has quite a passion for women; he starts dating Marie the very day after he finds out of the death. But like most animals, marriage is basically nonexistent for him; though he acknowledges it, it holds little meaning. When he is isolated in jail, he dreams of women; not Marie, whom he has been seeing for some time, but women in general. Like an animal he feels the urge to mate without any desire for monogamy. An animal has to focus on the present in order to survive, and as far as we know doesn't spend much time cogitating about its past. Meursault always lives in the present, hence his lack of remorse. Th is beast-like quality is one that get... ...s Meursault is not able, because of his very nature, to believe in a hereafter. His human side gives in to his animal side at the end when the chaplain tries forcibly to make Meursault see the light. His animal feels the threat of being tamed, or converted to the ways of human society, and so he explodes to save himself. Only twice in the novel does Meursault experience extreme pressure, once from nature and once from society, and at these points he gives himself over to his beast. This proves devastating from a certain point of view: the first time he compromises his chances of living, and the second time he compromises his chance of an afterlife. This self-preservation instinct is the only thing that keeps him in touch with his bestial side, and in spite of these consequences he triumphs over life in that he remains unique, he does not conform. Â   Â  

Advertising :: essays papers

Advertising Nowadays, advertising is a very big business. Very often is the major means of competing among firms. Furthermore, supporters of advertising claim that it brings specific benefits for consumers. First off all, they claim that advertising provide information to consumers about the quality or the availability of several products. This is very important for consumers because they do not waste time for searching (search costs). If we suppose, that consumers want to shop at the lowest price shop but, they do not know which is the store with the lowest prices, then they gather information by reading and watching advertisements and TV commercials respectively or by visiting several stores. This action of consumers makes prices to fall, but only if consumers have the appropriate information. Otherwise the prices may rise. Supporters of advertising also claim that advertising may encourage price competition among the firms, if prices feature significantly in the advertisement. In addition to this, by increasing sales through advertising, firms can gain economies of scale, which means that it will help to keep prices down. As we can understand information is very essential for consumers, not only because it lowers the prices, but also because it improves the quality of several products. The problem here is that it is unlikely for all the consumers to have perfect information. This means that the information is either imperfect or asymmetric. Imperfect information, as well as asymmetric information, lowers quality. Advertising may solve this problem in most cases. Consumers can gather information for several products through advertisements and because of this, producers must improve the quality of their products. But why firms advertise so much? As I noted above advertising increases consumer ¡Ã‚ ¦s information. So we can suppose that a firm which advertise much, has high quality products. A very expensive advertising campaign is something like a signal to potential consumers, that the firm believes that its product has good quality. Furthermore the company believes that because of its good quality products, is going to make repeat sales for a long time in order to  ¡Ã‚ §recoup the fixed costs of initial advertising ¡Ã‚ ¨. On the other hand, firms with poor quality products  ¡Ã‚ §that know that consumers will soon discover they have been misled about quality ¡Ã‚ ¨, do not invest much in advertising.

Essays --

In 1803, Thomas Jefferson, the president of the United States of America at the time, acquired an enormous amount of land from France in what would later be dubbed the Louisiana Purchase. The newly received land covered about 828,000 square miles and it was bought for roughly 15 million American dollars. In basically doubling the United States land, a simple 15 million for the land is considered one of the most rewarding political trades made in history. Previous to American ownership, France controlled this land for most of history with Spain having it for several years as well. France is documented to have held the land from 1699 to 1762 when it gave the territory up to Spain who was an ally at the time. However, under Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, France recaptured it in an effort to create a global empire. Jefferson, however, realized the potential of the land west of the Mississippi and additionally the area of New Orleans. He arranged a settlement with Napoleon to fund Fra nce $15 million on their home front in return for the land of the purchase, which the French leader agreed to. Jefferson identified Napoleon’s desperate need for capital at the time, as the war versus Britain in Europe was on the brink of occurring as well as a French slave revolt in Haiti during the early 1800’s. Napoleon recognized this as well and gave up on ambitions for a secondary North American empire. In retrospect, this acquisition was incredibly beneficial to United State’s expansion and now the massive amount of land encompasses all or part of many U.S. states and a pair of Canadian provinces. The modern day states with all or sections of their area within the purchase include; Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North ... ...ht the land from France it was agreed upon that the land extended as far as the 50th parallel. In the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, however, the land from the 49th parallel to the 50th was traded to the British in a deal for the Red River Basin, which is located just under the 49th. Much further south, the southeastern boundary of the Purchase was rather ambiguous as well. The United States wanted the land until the Perdido River and Spain wanted it as well. The United States truly just wanted the whole region and passed the Mobile Act in 1804, which recognized the western sections of Florida as part of the United States’ land. True resolve would only be found in the aforementioned Adam-Onis Treaty of 1819, with Spain. In this treaty, the United States really made further progress in defining boundaries and making their newfound lands as expansive as possible. Essays -- In 1803, Thomas Jefferson, the president of the United States of America at the time, acquired an enormous amount of land from France in what would later be dubbed the Louisiana Purchase. The newly received land covered about 828,000 square miles and it was bought for roughly 15 million American dollars. In basically doubling the United States land, a simple 15 million for the land is considered one of the most rewarding political trades made in history. Previous to American ownership, France controlled this land for most of history with Spain having it for several years as well. France is documented to have held the land from 1699 to 1762 when it gave the territory up to Spain who was an ally at the time. However, under Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign, France recaptured it in an effort to create a global empire. Jefferson, however, realized the potential of the land west of the Mississippi and additionally the area of New Orleans. He arranged a settlement with Napoleon to fund Fra nce $15 million on their home front in return for the land of the purchase, which the French leader agreed to. Jefferson identified Napoleon’s desperate need for capital at the time, as the war versus Britain in Europe was on the brink of occurring as well as a French slave revolt in Haiti during the early 1800’s. Napoleon recognized this as well and gave up on ambitions for a secondary North American empire. In retrospect, this acquisition was incredibly beneficial to United State’s expansion and now the massive amount of land encompasses all or part of many U.S. states and a pair of Canadian provinces. The modern day states with all or sections of their area within the purchase include; Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North ... ...ht the land from France it was agreed upon that the land extended as far as the 50th parallel. In the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, however, the land from the 49th parallel to the 50th was traded to the British in a deal for the Red River Basin, which is located just under the 49th. Much further south, the southeastern boundary of the Purchase was rather ambiguous as well. The United States wanted the land until the Perdido River and Spain wanted it as well. The United States truly just wanted the whole region and passed the Mobile Act in 1804, which recognized the western sections of Florida as part of the United States’ land. True resolve would only be found in the aforementioned Adam-Onis Treaty of 1819, with Spain. In this treaty, the United States really made further progress in defining boundaries and making their newfound lands as expansive as possible.

The Significance of Adult Education

Adult education encompasses planned and organized activities that consists of classes, lecture series, group study and systematic discussions and conference which involves mature men and women acquire new knowledge, understanding, attitudes, interests and values as a means of adapting and coping up with dramatic changes happening in the modern society and environment. It is dedicated to learning improvement and extension of opportunity for adults (encyclopedia Americana). Adult education is a form of continuing education that serves as a way of expanding horizons, developing understanding, creating meaningful activities and bridging the gap between generations. It has a critical role in a rapidly changing world by providing information and knowledge that people need in dealing with changing conditions. It is of great help in perceiving and solving crucial issues of the times. It can be a tool also for sustaining social relationship among aged adults. Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through ‘extension' or ‘continuing education' courses at secondary schools, or at colleges or universities. Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers. The practice is also often referred to as ‘Training and Development ‘and is often associated with workforce or professional development. It has also been referred to as andragogy (to distinguish it from pedagogy). Adult education is different from vocational education, which is mostly workplace-based for skill improvement; and also from non-formal adult education, including learning skills or learning for personal development. Programs provide one to one tutoring and small group sessions for adults at the 6th grade level or below. Public libraries, nonprofit organizations and school systems administer these programs across the country. Many adult education centers from community colleges receive grants from Welfare and Unemployment departments to offer training to welfare and unemployment recipients to help these individuals gain life and work skills to facilitate their return to the mainstream. They also provide programs for ex-offenders to reintegrate to society. There are underlying factors and forces which paved way for the development and improvement of Adult education. Changes in technological processes, in communication, in knowledge in social organization and in patterns of living implies that a modern man must constantly learn new ideas, new facts, new skills and new attitudes to keep up with the progress of the society. Through this kind of formal literacy education, adults develop the sincerity and aim to learn those things they need to know in order to cope effectively with the real life situation. Adult education is simply a continuation and way of improving prior knowledge of matured individuals. It believes and wanted to prove that adults are pragmatic learners. Adults frequently apply their knowledge in a practical fashion to learn effectively. They must have a reasonable expectation that the knowledge recently gained will help them further their goals. One example, common in the 1990s, was the proliferation of computer training courses in which adults (not children or adolescents), most of whom were office workers, could enroll. These courses would teach basic use of the operating system or specific application software. Because the abstractions governing the user's interactions with a PC were so new, many people who had been working white-collar jobs for ten years or more eventually took such training courses, either at their own whim (to gain computer skills and thus earn higher pay) or at the behest of their managers. Adults by social definition, individual need, and institutional expectation are responsible people that seek to enhance their identity through learning that further develop their competence. They have a strong need to apply what they have acquired and in order for them to be competent in that application, there is a reciprocal needs of interaction between them and the rapidly changing environment to produce a powerful desire for more knowledge.