Increasing Student Retention A Predictive Model Of...

Increasing Student Retention: A Predictive Model of Undergraduate Degree Non-Completion Abstract This study seeks to develop a predictive model of college student dropout, using aggregate high school variables and individual postsecondary achievement variables to predict non-graduating students’ academic year of departure. After performing multiple linear regression and discriminant function analysis, the research found that a cohort of students admitted in the fall 2007 semester from several universities could be assigned an academic year of departure using data readily available by the end of a student’s third academic term. The university can use this model to predict student departure and improve the effectiveness of student retention efforts by focusing on targeted times when at-risk students are predicted to drop out. Introduction While many academic, psychological, and institutional variables influencing undergraduate student dropout have been studied, these factors have generally only been examined using models that treat student dropout as a binary, dependent variable. One of the shortcomings of using logistic regression in the study of undergraduate dropout is that it restricts the study’s ability to infer when a given student is likely to drop out. In contrast, the present study considered undergraduate dropout as occurring over a set of intervals, in this case academic terms, and sought to identify those crucial times when students are considering departureShow MoreRelatedFactors Affecting Student Success3702 Words   |  15 PagesFactors Affecting Student Success in Associate-Degree Nursing Programs Introduction to the Problem The rate of academic attrition is an overwhelming concern that many associate degree nursing programs are facing. 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This is p ossibly dueRead MoreAttrition Rate of Online Learning12302 Words   |  50 PagesRATE by Lora Hines Bachelor of Science in Business Education December 1984 College of Education A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science in Education Degree Department of Workforce Education and Development In the Graduate School Southern Illinois University – Carbondale December 1, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..1 Read MoreEducation response Essay example43180 Words   |  173 Pagesareas 19 Chapter 3 Making the grade 27 Chapter 4 Getting ready – reaching out to potential applicants 33 Chapter 5 Getting in – university admissions 45 Chapter 6 Staying in – student retention 59 Chapter 7 Getting on – student outcomes 67 Chapter 8 How government can help 75 Annex Acknowledgements 87 References 89  © Crown copyright 2012 You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of chargeRead MoreIntercultural Competence Of International Recruiters37.9088 Words   |  37 Pagesevidence† to validate study abroad learning outcomes through proven testing methods (Anderson Lawton, 2015, p. 39). 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This course was prepared by CCU faculty members who are not only outstandingRead More THE IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES65118 Words   |  261 PagesDurham E-Theses THE IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES LEE, SHIUAN,EN,CHRIS How to cite: THE IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at LEE, SHIUAN,EN,CHRIS (2009) Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/242/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personalRead MoreSchool Management12126 Words   |  49 Pagesconducive learning environment in the classroom. School administration has two main goals: (1) ensure the safety of staff and students, and (2) create an environment conducive to learning. 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The Impacts of Homeschooling on Interpersonal Skills among...

2.5 Impacts of Homeschooling on Interpersonal Skills There are quite numbers of studies related to interpersonal skills and socialization of homeschooling children including the positive impacts and also the negative impacts. According to Hatter (n.d.), homeschooling children are often expose to a various situations and people throughout educational activities by their parents. Thus, homeschoolers actually gain very essential experiences by interacting with adults and children from different ages that can prepare the homeschoolers for the reality world (Hatter, n.d.). Homeschoolers also involve in many activities outside their home as many as 5.2 each week such as field trips, scouting, political drives, community volunteer work and many more (Ray, Research Facts on Homeschooling, 2014). According to Michelle Barone (2008), a licensed marriage and family therapist stated that homeschooling children will not easily be influence by peers and can make choices that goes against the group . According to a research by Kathi Moreau (2012), she concluded found out that socialization is not a problem of homeschooling and homeschoolers are actually more mature than non-homeschoolers (Moreau, 2012). Furthermore, Dr. Raymond Moore, author of over 60 books and article on human development said that â€Å"the idea that children need to be around many other youngers in order to be socialized is perhaps the most dangerous and extravagant myth in education and child rearing today† (Shaw,Show MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Homeschooling On The United States2162 Words   |  9 PagesRoosevelt, and Einstein are many other individuals that received a homeschool education. Homeschooling has become more popular over the years. According to the National Home Foundation Research Institute, homeschool population is continuing to grow at an estimated 2% to 8% per annum over the past few years (Ray). As parents choose to homeschool their children, they still have to follow regulations to make homeschooling legal within Illinois. The Illinois School Code (105 ILCS 5/26-1) states that any child

Insecticides Essay Example For Students

Insecticides Essay An insecticide is used to kill insects. There are many kinds of insecticides,but organic insecticides are the most commonly used (World Book, 1999). Organicinsecticides are split into three different categories: Chlorinated hydrocarboninsecticides, organophosphate insecticides, and carbamate insecticides (WorldBook, 1999). In this paper, Ill explore how toxic each of these insecticidesare, how they affect wildlife, humans, and the environment, and what we can doto help. WHY USE INSECTICIDES? Some insects, like white flies and mosquitoes,can carry deadly diseases that affect crops, animals and humans. Insects cancause about 5.5 billion dollars in crop and live stock losses every year. Someof the diseases they cause are Cattle Fever and Sheep Scab. The insecticides areused to kill insects and protect livestock (World Book, 1999). Insecticides canalso be used on flea treatments for cats, dogs, and other animals (Ackerman,1996). WHAT ARE ORGANIC INSECTICIDES? Organic Insecticides are the most commonlyand widely used insecticides. They are synthetic substances made from carbon,hydrocarbon insecticies, organophosphate insecticides (World Book 1999). Chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides, also know as organicchlorines, contain chlorine atoms (World Book 1999). Common members ofthis group are Acaralate, Acarol, Aldrin, BHC, Chlordance, Chlorobenzilate, DDT,dicofol, dieldrin, endosulfan, endrin, heptachlor, kepone, lindane, methoxychlor,mirex, perthen, TDE, and toxaphene (Hamm 1982). Theyre persistant because afterbeing used once, they can still affect living things for several years. This isbecause they dont break down chemically so theyre found in soil, animal andfish tissue, plants, and water (Hamm, 1982). These, and all persistantinsecticides, are trying to be replaced and restricted because they kill bird,fish, and other animals (World Book, 1999). Organophospahte Insecticides containphosphorus atom (World Book, 1999). Common members of this group are Abate,azinphosethyl, azinphosmethyl, Bidrin, bromophos, bromophosethyl,carbophenothion, and chlorfenvinphos (Hamm, 1982). They are used on food becausethey dont leave harmful depo sits behind (World Book, 1999). This is because thebreakdown rapidly into harmless components. They also break down in the presenceof water. They have less environmental danger than chlorinateed hydrocarbonswhich is why theyve almost replaced them for side scale usage (Hamm 1982). However, they are poisoness to people. One type of organophosphate, paratheion,is used to kill mites and aphids on fruit trees and vegetables. Another kind,malathion, are less dangerous to apply, so theyre widely used by farmers (World Book, 1999). Carbonates are the last kind of organic insecticide. They aremade from carbamic acid which is CO2NH3 (Hamm, 1982). They also contain one ormore amino groups that are of one nitrogen atom and two hydogen atoms. Theydont leave harmful deposits in food but some are harmful to warm bloodedanimals (World Book, 1999). Common members of this group are aldicarb, BUX,carbaryl, carbofuran, dimetilan, formetanate, methiocarb, methiocarb, methomyl,propoxur, and zectran. These are relatively new and might eventually replaceorganophosphates (Hamm, 1982). HOW TOXIC ARE THEY? Carbamates contain theinsecticide Sevin. Sevin has a low toxicity. It is effective against manyinsects that are resistant to other pesticides. Caramates also include theinsectide Bay gon, or Propoxar. Propoxar is highly toxic and has a long residuallife. Its effective against cockroaches, ticks, and other difficult insect andarachnid species (Hamm, 1982). Carbamates dont leave harmful deposits in food (World Book, 1999). The Chlorinated Hydrocarbon contain the insecticide DDT. DDTis moderately toxic and was once one of the most widely used insecticides butare now greatly restricted because it stays in soil and in water food chans(Hamm, 1982). They also endanger animals like birds and fish and theycontaminate the food that people eat. Since 1972, the U.S. Government phased outall use of DDT, but its still used in other countries (World Book, 1999). .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 , .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .postImageUrl , .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 , .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729:hover , .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729:visited , .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729:active { border:0!important; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729:active , .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729 .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc3f89301e42c538cb15a06ffe2b17729:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Great Gatsby's American Dream EssayOrganophosphates and carbamates carry some of the same risks. They are bothcommonly used and both have a high incidence of acute toxicity in animals andhumans. Both insecticides are used in flea treatments for pets. Theyre moredangerous than the other commonly used insecticides like pynethrins andpyrethoids. Symptoms of insecticide poisoning include: pinpoint pupils, blurredvision, tightness in chest, sweating, excessive tear production, salivation,nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. Cardio vascular andneurological problems can also occur. Problems with the nervous system aredecreased alertness, sleep disorders, memory loss, and paranoia. Long termeffects can occur in the immune system, nervous system, and reproductive system. HOW CAN WE HELP? Some people are trying to change by using more naturalinsecticides. Once insecticide is cow urine. Its used on cotton and protects itfrom whiteflies. It also works as a fertilizer. The iron, potassium, andmagnesium in it makes the grow better (Hecht, 1998). Another natural insecticideis chilli powder. The only problem with this is it can affect peoples eyes andskin (Hecht, 1998). Other insecticides are red pepper, Bacilluss Thuringienisis(B+), and garlic juice. B+ comes from a naturally occuring bacteria. You canmake your own insecticide if you mix 2 tablespoons of red pepper and six dropsof dish detergentent into a gallon of water, let it sit overnight, and then stirit throughly. That can protect cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, andcollards (Long, 1998). There are many different kinds of insecticides. One groupof these are organic insecticides. There are three different types of organicinsecticides. Each type has different insecticides, but they are all dangero us. Some of them are replacing each other and some are so dangerous theyre tryingto be phased out. Some people are trying to help by using natural things thatdont have so many risks. CONCLUSION I found that this topic was kind of hard toresearch. At first, I thougght it would be easy, but it wasnt. I found most ofmy information in books and encyclopedias because the internet and periodicalsbarely had anything I could use. Bibliography1. Ackerman, Lowell: http://www.pet- zone.com/petzone/health/dog/10043.htm. Pet Healthe Initiative, Inc. 1996 2. HAMM, James G.: The Handbook of PestControl. Toronto: Fitzhenry ; Whiteside Limited, 1982. 3. Hecht, David;Georges Badiane. Benign Urine New Internationalist, Junew 1998,12-16 4. Long, Cheryl. Defeat Pests with Hot Pepper OrganicGardining, March 98:10 5. DDT The World Book Encyclopedia. 1999 6. Insecticides The World Book Encyclopedia. 1999 7. Pesticides Websters New World Encyclopedia, 1992

The Veterinary Profession Essays - Veterinary Physician,

The Veterinary Profession When the first man set foot on this earth he longed for companionship. He wanted some one to keep him company, help him hunt and most of all, be a friend. Since that first step, when man domesticated animals, pets have been a growing part of many people's lives. It is estimated that over seventy-eight percent of Americans have some type of pet, ranging from a common dog to an exotic snake, sharing their home with them (Barns 1). Just like humans, animals get sick and need a special doctor with specialized training and knowledge in animal science. These specialists, known as veterinarians, help give people a better understanding of their animals, as well as caring for them in the event of illness or emergency. Since there are so many different types of animals, there are different sorts of vets, each with diverse duties, making it a complex and dedicated career. In 1762 in Lyons, France the very first school of veterinary medicine was established (Hopke 584). Through the efforts of a man named Alexandre Liautard, the science of veterinary medicine was developed as a science in the United States, thus starting the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1863 (Hopke 584). As time progressed, many new colleges appeared all over the US. Although they were small and often private, they sparked the minds of many interested in their animal companions. Ever since veterinary medicine made its way here from Europe, it has made enormous strides in reducing the amounts of diseases contracted by humans from both domestic and wild animals. Gruenewald 1 A veterinarian's duties and tasks are quite vast. In a single day, one doctor can treat a dog with a broken toe, a monkey with intestinal problems, and a horse with a case of the blues. Not only do veterinarians care for pets, livestock, wild, sporting and lab animals but they protect humans against disease communicable by animals. Their jobs are extensive: diagnosing medical problems, dressing wounds, performing surgery, prescribing and administering medicines, and vaccinating against diseases (Barns 1). Veterinarians not only need to be good with animals, but also with people as well because they must be able to communicate well with the owner in a way they can understand to find out what the problem with their pet could be. When most people think of a veterinarian, they think of a doctor that treats their dog or cat when they are sick. But that is only one kind of veterinarian. There is a wide assortment of vets in the field of veterinary medicine. First, there is the common companion vet, whose activities include diagnosing and treating smaller animals like the family pet and also advising the owner on proper care. Many practices offer kennels for boarding pets while their owners are away on vacation. Some vets even offer a grooming area. Of the 56,000 veterinarians in the United States, more than half of them are companion vets (Stockbridge 2). Most companion vets work in private practices, working normal office hours but are often called to emergency house calls at all hours of the night. The usual Gruenewald 2 companion vet works about forty-eight to sixty hours a week and sometimes has to work holidays and weekends (Hopke 584) Large animal veterinarians perform many of the same tasks companion veterinarians do, only on bigger animals such as horses and livestock. Often these doctors have to travel to their patients because the animals are more easily treated in their own environment due to their immense size. The patient may be in a rural area and the veterinarian will have to drive many miles to treat it. Large animal veterinarians often work out of well-equipped mobile clinics, which can be driven to the sick animal's location (Barns 1). Some large animal veterinarians are employed by larger farms and ranches to work specifically for their business to treat the animals on their grounds (Lidz 144). These locales often have nice, clean facilities and are a lot nicer compared to the harsh conditions a roving vet has to work with. Often zoos and wildlife refuges hire extremely skilled specialists to work on their staff and care for a wide assortment of exotic animals (Hopke

Supply and Demand The Case of Milk

Supply and Demand The Case of Milk Milk prices are soaring. Millions of consumers all over the world buy milk products on a daily basis and are not willing to give them up. Climate change, competition among biofuel producers, trade policies and other factors drive global milk prices and turn milk into one of the most expensive food products (Arnold, 2007). â€Å"Cows are fed with corn and as more corn is diverted to energy production, feed costs and dairy farmers in turn pass those costs up the food chain† (Doherty, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Supply and Demand: The Case of Milk specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Simultaneously, international milk producers fail to cope with the growing demand for milk. The demand for milk products is at all-time high (Arnold, 2007). The roaring global economy and rising incomes in India, China, and Latin America make the task of producing enough milk extremely challenging and virtually unachievable (A rnold, 2007). Milk products are similar to gasoline: consumers cannot give them up even when the price grows unbearable (Doherty, 2007). Financial experts predict that, as the price of milk increases, the demand for milk products is likely to remain unchanged (Doherty, 2007). Apparently, the elasticity of demand for milk and milk products is extremely low. Put simply, the global demand for milk and milk products is not responsive to changes in milk prices. It should be noted, that elasticity is the central measure of market responsiveness in microeconomics (Baumol Blinder, 2008). The main determinants of demand elasticity include the nature of the good, availability of substitutes, household budgets, and passage of time (Rittenberg Tregarthen, 2011). The nature of the good is directly related to demand elasticity: necessities like food products tend to have inelastic demand curves (Baumol Blinder, 2008). This is particularly the case of milk, since many consumers perceive milk as the fundamental ingredient of their diets and large food manufacturers use milk in their products. Milk does not have close substitutes, and substitutability remains one of the main factors of demand elasticity in microeconomics (Baumol Blinder, 2008). Given that the demand for milk is highly inelastic, the demand curve for milk will look as follows: Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fig.1. Inelastic demand for milk and milk products. Thousands of consumers spend their budgets on milk, because they believe it to be useful for their health. Consumers take the usefulness of milk for granted (Doherty, 2007). They treat milk as an excellent source of cheap proteins (Doherty, 2007). Therefore, if an advertising campaign spreads the message that milk helps to reduce weight, the quantity demanded will soar. Fig.2. Changes in quantity demanded and price after the adverti sing campaign. The price of milk in the short-term period will remain unchanged, as the growing demand for milk products does not reduce the costs of milk production. In short-term periods farmers will also experience the shortage of supply. In the long run, the price of milk will increase to create new market equilibrium. A mad cow disease epidemic will reduce the amount of milk in the market. The quantity demanded will drop, since customers will not be willing to purchase milk products and get infected. The supply curve will move to the left together with the demand curve. The price of milk will remain unchanged.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Supply and Demand: The Case of Milk specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Changes in the price of milk will cause no shifts in the demand curve. However, the quantity demanded will change. Consumers will want to purchase more milk at a lower price. An increase in the demand for milk products will manifest through movements along the demand curve. However, as the demand for milk increases, most farmers will fail to supply enough milk to the market, followed by the shortage of milk products. Consequentially, changes in the price of milk may move the supply curve to the left: possibly, milk manufacturers will have to adopt new technologies to meet the growing demand for milk. How the government price ceiling for milk affects the supply and demand of milk products depends on whether the ceiling price is below or above the market-determined equilibrium. Actually, the government price ceiling for agricultural products is a frequent object of microeconomic analysis. The government is believed to produce heavy influences on the stability and equilibrium in the milk market. The government-imposed price ceiling above the market-established equilibrium price will have no effects on either the supply or demand of milk. By contrast, the ceiling price below the market-e stablished equilibrium will cause profound effects on the supply and demand of milk. Farmers will not be able to charge the market price for milk. Some suppliers may choose to leave the milk market. Reduced supply will cause the shortage of milk products in the market. Consumers will fail to meet their demand for milk and milk products. Price control is one of the most controversial aspects of the market-government relationship. Government price ceilings reduce consumer prices, whereas price floors increase firms’ revenues and incomes (Economics Help, 2008). Consumers believe that government price ceilings limit suppliers’ ambitions and make goods and service affordable. Government price ceilings alter the market equilibrium in the agricultural market. Price controls are associated with numerous disadvantages. First, government price ceilings lead to the shortage of goods in the market (Economics Help, 2008).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Second, government controls of minimum prices raise consumer prices and result in oversupply of products and production inefficiency (Economics Help, 2008). Given that milk does not have close substitutes and is considered a food necessity, its demand is inelastic. As a result, any increase in price for milk will inevitably lead to an increase in total revenues, as slight reductions in quantity demanded are a trifle, compared with the revenues earned from increased prices (Quick MBA, 2011). Conclusion Milk prices are soaring. More consumers are willing to have milk in their diets. Climate changes, new technologies, and increased consumer incomes make the task of producing enough milk virtually unachievable. The elasticity of demand for milk and milk products is extremely low. Put simply, the global demand for milk and milk products is not responsive to changes in milk prices. Many consumers perceive milk as the fundamental ingredient of their diets and large food manufacturers use m ilk in their products. Milk does not have close substitutes, and substitutability remains one of the main factors of demand elasticity in microeconomics. When an advertising campaign spreads the message that milk helps to reduce weight, the quantity demanded will soar. Changes in the price of milk will cause no shifts in the demand curve. Any increase in price for milk will inevitably lead to an increase in total revenues, as slight reductions in quantity demanded are a trifle compared with the revenues earned from increased prices. References Arnold, W. (2007). A thirst for milk bred by new wealth sends prices soaring. The New York Times. Retrieved from nytimes.com/2007/09/04/business/worldbusiness/04milk.html Baumol, W.J. Blinder, A.S. (2008). Microeconomics: Principles and policy. Boston: Cengage Learning. Doherty, R.E. (2007). Milk demand stays strong despite high prices. Reuters. Retrieved from reuters.com/article/2007/06/20/us-milk-prices-idUSN2024940220070620 Economics Help . (2008). Price controls – advantages and disadvantages. Economics Help. Retrieved from economicshelp.org/blog/economics/price-controls-advantages-and-disadvantages/ Quick MBA. (2011). Price elasticity of demand. Quick MBA. Retrieved from quickmba.com/econ/micro/elas/ped.shtml Rittenberg, L. Tregarthen, T. (2011). Principles of microeconomics. Flatworld Knowledge. Retrieved from flatworldknowledge.com/node/28279#web-28281

Hosting a Book Launch Party on Facebook

Hosting a Book Launch Party on Facebook Whether or not you’re a Facebook fan, hosting an online launch party for your just-published book can gather readers and sell books.   Real-world book launches are useful for getting the word out about your print book via press releases to newspapers, but sometimes the response in terms of actual attendees leaves something to be desired. For a Facebook launch party, attendance is only limited Before you sign on to Facebook to create the event, you’ll need to design a header for the event page, the same size as your Facebook header (or get a design friend to put it together).   As in all design, colorful and eye-catching will draw the most interest.   Make sure the header gives all necessary info about the event in one glance (i.e., include the words â€Å"Book Launch†). Next, log on to your Facebook page and click on â€Å"Create an Event† on the right side of the page.   Upload your cover photo, choose the date, and fill in the rest of the fields.   One to two hours is a good amount of time- it takes a while for people to read and comment, and you don’t want to tire your fingers too much (once it DOES get going, you may be typing constantly).   When you’re done, click â€Å"Publish.† Post an opening comment to explain the event, and click on â€Å"Share† to invite your friends.   You can also add the event to your news feed.   You’re ready to go!   If there will be some time passing between the setup and the event, check the page regularly for questions (â€Å"How does this work?† comes fairly frequently). Now for an important tip:   Before the party starts, gather some snippets of information- short excerpts, a bit about why you wrote the book, the cover graphic, table of contents, a short

How are these works of arts reflect the tradition(s) of avant garde Essay

How are these works of arts reflect the tradition(s) of avant garde - Essay Example (Acton 25) A further understanding of the characteristics of avant-garde art can be achieved by examining paintings such as â€Å"The Scream† by Edvard Munch; Henri Matisse’s â€Å"The Dance† and â€Å"The Dance II†; â€Å"Portrait of Ambroise Vollard,† â€Å"Three Dancers† and â€Å"Woman with Mandolin† by Pablo Picasso and â€Å"Woman in Blue† by Fernand Leger. Expressionist artist Edvard Munch’s â€Å"The Scream† depicting an indistinct shape of a human whose face and mouth shown as distorted in fear or in anxiety. The figure seems to be unnerved by someone or something but may probably also be frightened by the bloodied sky overhead. In this painting from the Expressionist period, the artist portrayed the figure as an indistinct form to accentuate the raw emotion. The core of Expressionism was to paint and convey emotions through art therefore Munch exhibits in this painting the avant-garde way of addressing the principle of the art movement, which is to purely capture and express emotions through art without defining the form. Henri Matisse’s first version of â€Å"The Dance† shows lightly-hued human figures dancing and floating in plain green and blue background while â€Å"The Dance II† shows the human figures in an intense shade of red dancing and floating in a more vivid blue and green. The two paintings each possess an avant-garde character, the first version discards the foreshortening technique of painting; Matisse employed colors instead to give the figures an impression of distance and movement thus creating an innovation on the use of colors for his artwork. â€Å"The Dance II† has the same innovative avant-garde character as the first version, however, the artist made another new approach for the second version by using colors in their unmodified or slightly modified value resulting into colors that are more vibrant and more defined impression of

Social media make your life worse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social media make your life worse - Essay Example Social media is a platform where people from different backgrounds interact, exchange ideas or information in virtual networks. It depends on mobile and web based technologies to create platforms through which communities use, share and discuss the already existent information or content. Social media changes how communications are effected between organizations, communities and individuals at different levels. Social media has always been associated with positive incomes yet this is not the case, however its benefits are countless (Nigel 60). The negative side of the social media has impacts felt hard and they could destroy one’s view of the social sites, the world and even themselves. The benefits of using social media include; building good reputations, online marketing, career opportunities and income. For the individuals, they are able to improve their social relationships as well as networking as observed from an interview conducted between Crawford and Wang. Crawford ad mits to the advantage of the social media by saying â€Å"social media increase our social interaction and give us more ways to make social connections. It is help to make some new friends, something like that, everyone should like social media.† Social media uses different technologies that include; use of blogs, wall posting and crowd sourcing. Social media could interfere with the way someone views some ideas hence make one’s life worse if it’s not used in the right manner for the desired purpose. As Crawford states, â€Å"Social media wastes our time in chatting but we are totally updated with the present news which were happening around us. So, don't see social networking as threats but just as the opportunities where we can interact with the people globally.† It is evident that as much as social media has attractive features that make one glued to their mobile phones or computers for more time, it leads to time wastage as internet users spend more t ime on the social media site that on any other site. A research in the US shows that the total time spent on social media in mobile phones and personal computers increased by 37% in a year that is 121 billion minutes in 2012 compared to 88 billion minutes in 2012. Some school children even spend more time on social media than on their books; this corrupts their mind and makes them not concentrate on their school work. All this time wasted or spent unwisely in the social media leads to poor grades in school and under performance in the work stations. Social media has always been criticized because of its exclusiveness that is most sites do not allow the transfer of information from one site to another. This therefore leads to disparity in the sharing of information that is available due to untrustworthiness, informational reliability, media content ownerships and the different meanings of information as displayed by these social platforms (Kaplan 72). Information from one site to ano ther cannot be transferred to another hence creates individualism, which allows them to advertise and display their own information (Nigel 42). Some information that is displayed on most social media sites is destructive rather than constructive to one’s mind and view of daily activities. Some information regarding cults, death, use of warfare weapons could make one curious and ready to venture or find out the truth about such information. Pornographic pictures and linkages destroys one’s brain because they tend to be addictive, this leads to an increase in the number of rape cases, violence and other activities that are against our way of culture and belief as people from different backgrounds (Nigel 55). Social media leads

Imperialism and 1st World War Essay Example for Free

Imperialism and 1st World War Essay The portrayal of the artists is indeed a true picture of the horrors of World War I which cannot be envisioned by just reading accounts of the war as given in different readings. The paintings reveal the disgusting events that will surely put the shivers into the generation of today in realizing the atrocities and soul stirring hardships that were experienced by all those who were part of the war. While the monarchy of the combating countries relaxed and simply gave orders it were the soldiers representing the states that bore the brunt of the chilling circumstances. Soldiers were silent observers in seeing their colleagues butchered in helplessness while they themselves were lucky to come back alive into their trenches unaware of what the next day had in store for them. The medical corps and nurses were always on the alert to receive the dead and grievously wounded soldiers while those who were captured had to submit to the inhuman tortures at the hands of their captors. Several soldiers were maimed in leading a life of revulsion, helpless in leading a life of misery. The onslaught of gas attacks made several soldiers to die in agony while many suffered psychologically in being unable to lead normal lives. The fear of gas attacks was so severe that soldiers had to always move with gas masks in specified territories. There was always a sinister plan underway and it became difficult for the combatants to judge about who friends are and whom to understand as enemies. There was always an ongoing process to build tunnels and infrastructure to face the challenges of enemy attacks in a war that never seemed to end. All who were physically fit could be expected to be called for war duties with little hope of returning alive. The war was extensively destructive as nothing was spared and all means were used to inflict the maximum damages irrespective of the intensity of suffering and loss to life. Human life appeared to have no value nor did the sufferings of the masses for the leaders who gave orders to fight with the sole objective of winning the war. The focus was on winning over the adversaries by whatever means that was possible in using weapons and other means that inflicted maximum loss and suffering. References Discussion, Imperialism and 1st World War, http://dl. bergen. edu/webct/entryPageIns. dowebct

Costs And Contributions: The Wave From South Of The Border :: essays research papers

Costs and Contributions: The Wave From South of The Border Every year, hundreds of millions of people enter the US via land ports of entry, and the INS each year apprehends over 1.3 million aliens at or near the border. Over 90 percent of those apprehended near the border are Mexicans, and some who enter the US legally and illegally are carrying drugs into the US. This influx of illegal immigrants from south of the border has created quite a stir in many places. Is this good that people are coming to the U.S.? What will happen if this pattern keeps up? Will they steal our jobs? What effect will this wave of people have on us? These questions plague many and deserved to be answered in the following paper on: "Costs and contributions: The Wave From South of The Border". "Dowell Myers (USC) reported on his double cohort method--by age and year of entry-- of analyzing what happened to immigrants arriving in the seven southern CA counties after 1980. His analysis shows that especially young immigrants make considerable economic progress after their arrival--as measured by their total incomes--and that some of their behavior converges rapidly to that of natives, e.g., they rapidly abandon buses and drive cars to work. In southern CA, one-third of all bus riders are recent immigrants. Myers noted that immigration is raising other issues, including overcrowded housing. The US definition of acceptable housing was two or less persons per room until 1960, when the definition was change to one or less per room. However, as immigrants moved into southern CA, overcrowding jumped, raising questions about how aggressively cities should enforce housing codes developed during a non- immigrant era." Many are haunted by the question: will we be hurt? Over crowding has had a major impact on families living near the Mexican border lowering standards of living and living space as well. Also, citizens wonder about the filthy scum that comes from south of the border-are all illegal immigrants scum? George Vernez outlined an ambitious project that is dealing with the question of whether immigration is a plus or minus for CA by examining the effects of immigration on internal migration, on wages, and on public finances since 1960. Those studies showed that immigrants from most countries do catch up to similar natives in average weekly earnings after 10 to 20 years, but not immigrants from the major country of origin--Mexico. Furthermore, immigrant children tend to follow in their parents' footsteps, meaning that the children of Asian immigrants tend to do well in school, etc., while the children of

Human as a Complex Unit of Life Essay

The human body is a complex system of cells, most of which are grouped into organ systems that have specialized functions. These systems can best be understood in terms of the essential functions they serve: deriving energy from food, protection against injury, internal coordination, and reproduction. The continual need for energy engages the senses and skeletal muscles in obtaining food, the digestive system in breaking food down into usable compounds and in disposing of undigested food materials, the lungs in providing oxygen for combustion of food and discharging the carbon dioxide produced, the urinary system for disposing of other dissolved waste products of cell activity, the skin and lungs for getting rid of excess heat (into which most of the energy in food eventually degrades), and the circulatory system for moving all these substances to or from cells where they are needed or produced. Like all organisms, humans have the means of protecting themselves. Self-protection involves using the senses in detecting danger, the hormone system in stimulating the heart and gaining access to emergency energy supplies, and the muscles in escape or defense. The skin provides a shield against harmful substances and organisms, such as bacteria and parasites. The immune system provides protection against the substances that do gain entrance into the body and against cancerous cells that develop spontaneously in the body. The nervous system plays an especially important role in survival; it makes possible the kind of learning humans need to cope with changes in their environment. The internal control required for managing and coordinating these complex systems is carried out by the brain and nervous system in conjunction with the hormone-excreting glands. The electrical and chemical signals carried by nerves and hormones integrate the body as a whole. The many cross-influences between the hormones and nerves give rise to a system of coordinated cycles in almost all body functions. Nerves can excite some glands to excrete hormones, some hormones affect brain cells, the brain itself releases hormones that affect human behavior, and hormones are involved in transmitting signals between nerve cells. Certain drugs—legal and illegal—can affect the human body and brain by mimicking or blocking the hormones and neurotransmitters produced by the hormonal and nervous systems. Reproduction ensures continuation of the species. The sexual urge is biologically driven, but how that drive is manifested among humans is determined by psychological and cultural factors. Sense organs and hormones are involved, as well as the internal and external sex organs themselves. The fact that sexual reproduction produces a greater genetic variation by mixing the genes of the parents plays a key role in evolution.

Alexander Hamilton’s Financial Plan Essay

After the Revolutionary War, the United States was left with a $52 million dollar national debt as well as a $25 million dollar debt from the individual states. Alexander Hamilton developed a financial plan to  re establish the credit of the US by providing for the payment of the nation’s debts. Hamilton established the credit of the United States by paying off the national debt. One way he did this was by exchanging old war bonds for new Federal Reserve bonds. In the eyes of other countries, this proved that the United States was responsibly paying off its debts. This allowed the US to borrow money, and establish good credit once again. Good credit was extremely important to the United States because it was the basis for foreign trade, and was necessary for growth of the economy. Without good credit, the US could not borrow money, would not be able to fund businesses, and would not be able to keep a stable economy. Answer A is the correct choice because the main point of Hamilton’s financial plan was to pay off the national debt in order to restore the nation’s credit. Another way Hamilton proposed to pay the nation’s debts was to raise money through taxing. His plan increased taxes on imported goods, as well as placed a tax on items such as whiskey. This raise in taxes not only affected the rich but the poor as well because the tax related to a variety of items. As a result of the tax on whiskey, a group of poor farmers in Western Pennsylvania rebelled, resulting in the Whiskey Rebellion. Answer B is incorrect because the taxes placed by Hamilton’s plan affected not only those most able to pay, but the average citizen as well. One part of Hamilton’s plan that was not approved by Congress was to provide funding to manufacturers, in order to boost production and the economy. This plan failed in the end because of opposition from the South. He also proposed to create a â€Å"protective tariff† in order to protect US manufacturers from foreign competition. Answer C is incorrect because Hamilton’s plan favored industry over agriculture, not the other way around. Around the Time that Hamilton was creating his financial plan, the US adopted a policy of neutrality. The US did not allot money to any type of military buildup, or need any their military for defense. Answer D is incorrect because during the 1970’s the United States was in a time of neutrality. Therefore Hamilton did not need to spend money on national defense. Today, Hamilton’s financial plan still remains in effect. Federal Bonds are still issued by the government. A bond is purchased, and over a certain amount of time the bond matures into a larger amount at a profit to the holder. This allows the government to use the money owned by the bond holder until the bond is cashed in. These federal bonds now used in the 20th century were developed by Hamilton in the 1790’s. Alexander Hamilton created a financial plan to help establish the United State’s credit after the Revolutionary War. The main goal of his plan was to provide for the payment of the nation’s debts. He did this by reissuing bonds, creating a protective tariff to protect manufacturers, combining the debts of the states with the nation’s debts, and creating a national bank to control the US’s money.

Aesthetic Tinder Profile Essay Example

Aesthetic Tinder Profile Essay Example Aesthetic Tinder Profile Paper Aesthetic Tinder Profile Paper Tinder profile Unless you live under a rock, then you probably know what Tinder is and if not, will enrich your mind. Tinder is a groundbreaking phone application that has taken the online-dating scene by storm, due to its simplistic matching system; if you like ones profile and they just so happen to like yours too you have a match! However, it is not as easy as it sounds. Unless you set your profile up in an appealing manner, you are heading down a one-way street tit no mutual likes. So now you are probably screaming to yourself, How do make my profile appealing! worry no longer ,because am about to show you. There is not much you need material wise for an aesthetic profile; you will only need a smart phone with tinder downloaded. The first step is hands down the most important, post pictures where you look desirable. Make sure to have a minimum of three pictures to remove any doubt that the viewer might have about your looks. If you are struggling at finding a photogenic picture of yourself, take one! Please, cannot stress this enough, do not, I repeat, do not, take duck face or bathroom-mirror selfish. Most men or women are not attracted to ducks or reflections, do not be a goof. Moving along, you are now going to seal the deal with your profile text. Since Tinder is fast- paced application, describe yourself in words, no one is trying to read an essay! Most importantly, everything you are going to say should be embellished.

Optioning Your Screenplay to a Producer

Optioning Your Screenplay to a Producer Congratulations! Not only did you finish writing your 120-page cinematic opus, but you have a motion picture producer interested in bringing it to the silver screen. You’re ready to sell. Ready to see your name on the back of a director’s chair. Ready to chow down on craft service while Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams deliver your prose†¦ But wait, not so fast. What’s this agreement the producer’s handed you? An option? He’s not buying it? What does this mean? Well, let’s break it down†¦ What is an option exactly? An option agreement is an industry-standard document that interested producers give writers when they’re not quite ready to buy the script, but don’t want anyone else to buy it either. Maybe they don’t have enough money yet, aren’t sure they can get it made or don’t know what the budget will be (and the budget often determines the writer’s fee). An option simply gives the producer the exclusive right to purchase the material at any time during the term of the agreement. Here’s a sample option for reference:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kpiuHbB6zUJhm1FDUq__4OrB6LeaJ25QnJvF2fM_Vrw/edit?usp=sharing What do I need to have in place before optioning my script? First, make sure the script has been registered with the Library of Congress’ Copyright Office. This is crucial for your protection and necessary for the producer to prove chain of title to the eventual studio or distributor that picks up the film. Information on copyright registration can be found here:  https://www.copyright.gov/registration/performing-arts/index.html. For added protection, you can also register it with the WGA. Lastly, if the story is based on a real-life person, make sure you’ve acquired their life rights. How long should the option term be? Options can last however long you and the producer deem appropriate. Just remember that no one else can buy the script while that producer holds the option, so it may depend on your level of trust or how badly you want to work with him. One or two years is a fairly standard initial term, and it’s not unusual to have a one-year extended term triggered How much money should I ask for? Again, there’s no right or wrong answer here. Options can be as low as one dollar or as high as $10,000. As long as there’s consideration – something of value going from you to the producer and vice versa – the option is valid. The size of the fee will likely be based on the stature of the producer and how big the expected purchase price will be, but for a typical indie, $500 to $1,000 is common for the initial term. You might also negotiate a percentage (say 5-10%) of the expected purchase price. However, remember that the initial option fee is usually applied against the purchase price; so, if the producer pays a $2,000 option fee and the final purchase price is $20,000, he only owes another $18,000 to buy the script outright. What other elements should be part of the option? You certainly want the producer to lay out terms for exercising the option, including the purchase price, your writer’s credit, the notification procedure and exactly what rights he’s acquiring (just the film rights or also sequels, television, and other ancillaries). The compensation details are perhaps the most crucial though and should reference bonuses, backend participation and, if appropriate, fees for sequels, spin-offs and remakes. If the final purchase price can’t be determined yet because the budget is still undecided, ask for a percentage of the budget with a floor (i.e., 2% of the budget with a minimum of $20,000). What are those short-form documents at the end? The short form option and short form assignment are standard addendum to any option. The short form option, which states the deal between the parties in the simplest terms, is recorded with the copyright office

UK Government Policy Relating to the Human Right Essay

UK Government Policy Relating to the Human Right - Essay Example The study has found that the UK government has been able to evolve its disability policy in order to meet the changing need of the time in the light of globalization. The theoretical analysis of the impact of globalization on dibbled people has found that globalization has various negative effects on disables people in terms of employment status, income, education, etc. At the time of evaluating the practical issues relating to the effectiveness of the chosen policy in redressing the problem of disabled people, it has been found that despite making improvements in overall status of disabled people of the country, the disabled people is still lagging behind others. The concept of equal rights has not materialized in practice. As the report declares disability has been brought to focus in the global agenda currently which is a socio-cultural issue that remained in the side line always. It is often mistaken with other two terms – handicap and impairment. These terms were used to have a perception from the diagnostic angle. These terms often misguided the policy makers to take any required political action or for any other practical use. The strengthening of the rights of disability in Great Britain by the Disability Rights Commission has been better professed as a changeover towards achievement of social, cultural and economic rights and so as an act of affirming the incapability of dissolving the human rights. As such, that procedure of growth represented a tangible work out in the accomplishment of communal rights by a constitutional equality body and a momentous step towards the outset of disability rights as worldwide contribution, not just personage but marginal group privilege. This paper consi dered the distinguishing features of that demanding activity. From the exacting knowledge of DRC, the paper looked onward to considerations of broad significance to extra such bodies, together with the new Equality and Human privileges Commission. (Office of Disability Issues, 2010; Yeates, 2008) In April 2000, DRC was established which manifest the foremost institutional disclosure of equality in Great Britain. The CRE and EOC were there since the middle of 1970s. Lots of changes happened in the intermediate period and there was an air of change in the three social, political and legislative policies: The Race relation Act of 2001 introduced a new optimistic race obligation for the public sector in order to give consequence to the proposal of Stephen Lawrence inquiry. (De Haan, 2007; Yeates & Holden, 2009; Lavalette and Pratt, 2005) The Human Rights Act of 1998 was owing then to come into force on October 2000. A lot of the key necessities of the Disability Discrimination Act of 19 95 were still to be phased incrementally as well

Coursework world war 1 what events didworld war 1 cause and what were Essay

Coursework world war 1 what events didworld war 1 cause and what were the short and long term impacts of this war - Essay Example The Germans had to lose a large piece of their lands as their colonial power was dissolved and restrictions on armed forces as well as the war machinery were imposed. The size of the troops was restricted and Germany was not allowed to have an air force. The treaty also held Germany solely guilty for the bloodshed and demanded economic compensation for the damages done during the war. As a result, Germany lost areas of Alsace and Lorraine. Part one of the treaty stated a creation of a universal body that would maintain universal peace and hence the League of Nations was born. League of Nations was formed with an aim to arbiter international disputes and to play an important role in preventing future wars. The treaty of Versailles treaty created a wave of fury and unrest in the entire Germany and played a major role in initiating World War II by lighting the fire of vengeance in the heart of Germans. The end of World War I brought an economic recession in most of the participating cou ntries. The most visible short term impact of the war was inflation of prices, which affected almost every country including America. The countries had to break away from the gold policy and started issuing currency freely, taxes were increased and unavailability of goods became a common issue. As a result, thousands of people went bankrupt and many died at the hands of poverty.

Arts in Our Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arts in Our Lives - Essay Example One observed that women had been portrayed in different art works both as the subject or the model, and as the artist. Either way, the talents and skills manifested by women artists could be deemed at par with their male counterparts. The works are very inspirational and one strongly believes that even viewers who do not have some inclination in the arts could not help but appreciate these art works in colorful and vivid designs. The experience was therefore very educational and informative. The Pearl Jam concert was viewed online and was noted to have been held on the 31st of March, this year, at the Lollapalooza Festival at Sao Paolo in Brazil (Concerts Videos). One had actually attended other concerts and believe that the atmosphere of being amongst the crowd is significantly different, as compared to viewing the concert online. However, one could view that there was much power and intent enthusiasm in the crowd as manifested by the highly responsive audience. Since Pearl Jam is an alternative rock band, the songs were full of energy, dancing, singing with the lead singer, and vividly showing genuine enthusiasm for the band. From the audience, one could see that male and female are both fans of the band and therefore exemplifies that music knows no bounds on terms of gender, racial or ethnic orientation, or demographic factors. Finally, the film Man of Steel is another Superman movie of contemporary times. Since one had been a fan of Superman ever since the character appeared in comic books and had been shown in previous films, the new film was no exception to the heightened anticipation and elation that was felt for the super hero. Although one thought that the film could not possibly detract from the previous plot, the new actor who assumed the role of Superman, Henry Cavill, was very effective in enticing

Management accounting information and criteria

Management accounting information and criteria Management accounting information should comply with a number of criteria including verifiability, timeliness, comparability, reliability, understandability and relevance if it is to be useful in planning, control, and decision-making. Management accounting information should comply with a various number of criteria including verifiability, objectivity, timeliness, comparability, reliability, understandability and relevance if it is to be useful in planning, control and decision-making. Shall discuss the criteria to serve its natural purposes, which is for planning, control and decision- making. The first criteria of management accounting information are verifiability .Verifiability means observable to outsiders, in the context of a model of information. It refers to the ability of accountants to ensure that accounting information is what it purports to be. It also means that the selected method of measurement has been used without error or bias. The outsiders cannot see them and so references to those variables in a contract between the two parties cannot be enforced by outside authorities. An example of verifiability is that of two accountants looking at the same information like inventory valuation and coming to similar conclusions. Objectivity is also one of the criteria that useful in planning and making decision. Accountant reliance on verifiable evidence such as delivery notes, invoice, orders, physical counts or paper in the measurement of financial result. Objectivity makes it possible to compare financial statements of different firms with an assurance of reliability and uniformity. For instance, management accountant should not alter or change when provide the information to top level managers so that the manager can make the accurate decision without being influenced. Besides that, timeliness is one of the important parts for management may need to balance the relative merits of timely reporting and the provision of reliable information. More accurate information may take longer to produce. Therefore, to provide information on a timely basis it may often be necessary to report before all aspects of ma transaction or other event are known thus impairing reliability. For example, a company may test-market a potential new product in a particular city. However, a long wait for the accurate marketing report may unduly delay managements decision to launch the new product nationally and the information will be of no avail to the decision making process. Thus, the managerial accountants primary role in the decision-making process which is decide what information is relevant to each decision problem and provide accurate and timely data, keeping in mind the proper balance these often-conflicting criteria. The next criteria will be comparability. Comparability helps to make compare the financial statements of an entity through time in order to identify trends in its financial position and performance. Besides that, it also helps to compare the financial statements of different entities in order to evaluate their relative financial position, performance and changes in financial position. Hence, the measurement and display of the financial effect of like transaction and other events must be carried out in a consistent way throughout an entity and over time for that entity and in a consistent way for different entities. By giving an example, management accountant prepare the accountant information is a consistent way for every year, it is much easier for company to make comparison with the past accounting information or related entities. Next, reliability is the quality of information that allows those who use it to depend on it with confidence. The reliability of an item is the probability that the item will perform a specified function under specified operational and environmental conditions, at and throughout a specified time.   The best way to specify the reliability of an item depends upon how the item is expected to function. Here, our focus among the above four demand times is on the interval and continuous time demand cases. In the interval case, we are concerned with mission reliability or simply reliability. This is defined as the probability that an item will operate without failure throughout a specified interval. For example, where we are scheduling the next weeks production, the equipment reliability or probability that the equipment will operate throughout the week is our concern. However, if we want to evaluate the performance of a piece of equipment with a continuous demand, for instance, within th e last two years, the focus should be on the expected mean time between the failures events that cause the equipment to go down. In this case we may also focus on the availability of the equipment, which can be defined as the fraction of time that the equipment was actually operating. The next criterion is understandability. Understandability is assumed users to have a reasonable knowledge of business and economic activities and accounting and a willingness to know more the information with reasonable diligence. Information about complex matters that should be included in the financial statements because of its relevance to the economic decision making needs of users should not be excluded merely on the grounds that it may be too difficult for certain users to understand. For the example, management accountant should prepare the accounting information or summarize of the report and analysis that easily understood to the decision maker in order to let them easy to make final decision. Lastly, relevance is also one of the important parts in planning, control and decision-making. To be useful, information must be relevant to the decision-making needs of users. Information has the quality of relevance when it influences the economic decision of users by helping them evaluate past, present or future events or confirming, or correcting there past evaluations. Different decisions typically will require different data. The primary theme of this chapter is how to decide what information is relevant to various common decision problems. For example, an analysis on a project should not have any information on indirect costs because it is not relevant for making decision of the project and should include any prime cost because it is relevant cast for the decision-making. Give a brief explanation of how the criteria detailed in (a) might be conflict with each other, giving example to illustrate where such conflict might arise. Each criteria of management accounting information is to satisfy the management needing for information useful for planning, controlling and decision making. However, these criteria also face conflict amongst one another. Conflict simply refers to the incompatibility or interference of ones idea, event, or activity with another. In this case, the conflict between criteria will happen when satisfying a criterion affects another criterion being difficult to fulfil as they are in collision with each other. Accounting information should be useful for decision-making, must have relevance and reliability of these two main qualitative characteristics. However, these qualities often can conflict, requiring a trade-off between various degrees of relevance and reliability. A forecast of a financial variable may possess a high degree of relevance to investors and creditors. However, a forecast necessarily contains subjectivity in the estimation of future events. Therefore, because of a low degree of reliability, generally accepted accounting principles do not require companies to provide forecasts of any financial variables. For examples, accounting information requirements associated with the timeliness, predictive value and feedback value, while the predictive value of accounting information may be due to a lack of verification, so that the reliability of damage; on the contrary, if always insisted truthfully, then wait until the conditions are ripe when the accounting information may have lost its predictive value. As the reliability and relevance cannot have both, one can only depending on the degree of emphasis by choosing one of the two, leading to a different accounting treatment. One of the most typical is the right choice of accounting measurement attributes. Besides that, another conflict can be a result of the criteria of Timeless and verifiability. Information is useful when it is timely. To be timely, the information must be available when needed to define problem or to be begin to identify possible solutions. Those criteria might conflict with verifiability. It is because when needed verifiability information, it may take time to calculate or to get it after production process is end. Verifiability is the useful information when it is accurate. Before relying on information to make decisions, it is important to ensure that the information is correct. For example, a production manager has to decide the actual amount of pineapple to be used in produce of 10000 units of pineapple juices. But, because of the time given is limited, he has to prepared the report to top management by forecast the amount of pineapple will be used. Although he is meet the criteria of timeliness, he is might not meet the criteria of verifiable. He do not used the actual amount of pineapple will be used. It is because there are some problems may occur during the production process: cost of pineapples is lower or others factors. When the production is end, he will able to know the actual amount of pineapple will be used. So, the criteria timeliness is conflict with the criteria verifiability. Another conflict is between timeliness and reliability of information. Information is said to be reliable when they incorporate all aspects of a transaction as well as other events in order to facilitate users in deciding on any issue regarding the latter. However, most of the times in providing timely reporting, those aforesaid transactions or events are never taken into account as it occurs after the report is prepared and thus impairing reliability. In interest of timeliness, the reliability of the information is sacrificed, every loss of reliability diminishes the usefulness of information and as time pass, and either the reliability of the information drops or increase accordingly. For example, the material supplier decides to supply only one of the Material A. Company Y is very interested and is capable to buy the Material A. The supplier is interested on selling the Material A to Company Y, but there is no contract signed between them. As time passes, the supplier received an offer from Company Zs, with a higher price and shorter time compared to Company Y. Therefore, Material A is selling to Company Z and Y loses the Material A. Company Y is reliable on material supplier to get the Material A yet the supplier needed to sell the Material A in a shorter time to get the profit. So, supplier decides to sell it to Company Z. Thus, the criterion of timeliness is conflict with criteria of reliability. Question: 2 (Information for decision-making) The overriding feature of information for decision-making is that it should be relevant for the decision being taken. However, decision-making varies considerably at different levels within an organization, thus posing particular difficulties for the management accountant. Describe the characteristics of decision-making at different levels within an organization. Decision making is intertwined with the other functions, such as planning, coordinating and controlling. Decisions are made in order to change the companys current status to a more desirable state of affairs. Therefore, relevant information needs to supply by the Management Accountant to top management to make decision. In an organization, different levels of management are making different types of decision. This can be showed at the figure below. Figure 1: Levels of decision making Top level managers, or strategic managers, are also called senior management and executives, are individuals at the top one or two levels in an organization. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Operational Officer (COO), Chief Informational Officer (CIO), President, Vice President, Chairman and Board of Directors are examples of top level managers. They have the long-term vision for the company. They are not involved in day-to-day tasks need to possess conceptual skill so as to set the goals for the organization as a whole. For example, Jerry Yang, the former chief executive of YAHOO!, was criticized when a $44.6 billion acquisition bid from Microsoft failed under his watch. They frame the organizational policy. They are also responsible for mobilization of resources. They generally make large budgetary decisions for the company and are responsible to the shareholders and the general public. The success or failure of the organization rests on the s houlders of the top level management. Middle level managers, or middle managers, are those in the levels below top managers. Middle managers job titles include General Manager (GM), Plant Manager, Regional manager and Divisional manager. Middle level managers are responsible for carrying out the goals set out by top management with setting goals for their departments and other business units. Tactical decisions, the medium term decisions about how to implement strategy, are delegated to middle managers. Middle management decisions might include marketing a new product, communicating with and managing lower management and determining what issues need to be addressed with top level managers. Each individual middle management department develops a strategy to meet its inner departmental goals. Lastly, lower level management, which included office managers, shift supervisor, department manager, foreperson, crew leader and store manager, are responsible for the daily management of line workers the employees who actually produce the product or offer the service. Although first line manager typically do not set goals for the organization, they have a very strong influence on the company. These are the managers that most employees interact with on a daily basis. Operational decisions, short term decision or also called administrative decisions about how to implement the tactics affect daily tasks and generally handled by lower level managers. Supervisors or team leaders may decide employee related issues, such as pay rates, training, evaluations and disciplining or terminating employees. For example, supervisor may decide to reward the most productive employee with an employee of the month award, or offer incentives such as gift certificates. Explain how the management accountant must tailor the information provided for the various levels. Nowadays, management accountant is provides the information to users who are part of the organization in various level. But different level management has different information needed. Therefore, management accountant must tailor the information for them. First, before management accountant provide any information, he / she must clear with the company vision as the middle and bottom management of organization. Usually the top management is responsible for the long term strategic plans with the strategic decisions for the next 5 years to 10 years. Therefore, top management will create a mission, which is more specific goal that unifies company wide efforts. So, management accountant should prepare budgets for top management accountant to decide which projects have to undertaken to achieve the companys goals. Budget is a strategic plan that details the action that must be taken during the following year. It also pinpoint the responsibility of achieving the budgets to respective managers inline the company policies. For example, management accountant prepare the imposed budgets to top management before imposed to middle management to achieve targets. In middle management, they are responsible for developing and carrying the tactical plans to accomplish the organizations mission. Tactical plans specify how company will use resource, budgets and people to achieve company goals within its mission. In this level, management accountant will use various methods to decide the profit with minimum production costs. Profit volume analysis is one of the methods to calculate changes in cost and sales in determine the profit. Management accountant will calculate breakeven point where the level of sales of company needs to achieve at zero profit. After that, management accountant also prepared the report on scare resources which the supply of resources is limited by define the limit factor. Then, management accountant will produce the product that give higher contribution per limiting factor and take considerations of qualitative factors before final decisions is made. Final decisions is means whether to make or to buy the decision. It is situ ation where an organization is given a choice to produce by own resources or pay other organization to make the product. After management accountant prepare the information in form of cost volume profit, limiting factors analysis and decisions about activities either to buy or to make, middle management have to decide, carrying the tactical plans and delegating the responsibility of jobs to the operational management. Lower lever management is responsibility to carrying the operational plans where is related to day to day plans in producing products or services. For example, management accountant will determine the economic order quantity for lower management to know the amount of inventory they should reorder order to minimize ordering cost and holding costs. Therefore, lower level management will order the maximum order. There is the information that will be management accountant provided to various levels in order to suit various levels needs. (c)Give an example of a typical management decision, state at which level this would normally be taken and what specific information shoud be supplied to the decision maker. A typical management decision is that the pricing which to determine how much the customer need to pay and the seller receives in exchange for a product. To get the firms sales objective need to set for the prices. In determining the firms revenue is that the managers pricing decision is extremely important .The selling price times the number of units sold will know how much is the revenue gain. The pricing decision need to be determine by the manager, then provide a simple and useful pricing structure taking into consideration all of your business costs. Continue with choose one of the suitable pricing strategy so that can establish a market presence and last fine tune and adapt the general pricing policy in response to trends, in the market place the manager should also practices new innovative strategies to help solidify the competitive position. Companies that set prices to maximize the profits want to set the selling price to sell the number units that will generate the highest possible total profits. If a company sets prices too low, it will probably sell many units but may miss out additional profits on each unit (and even lose money on each exchange). If company sets prices too high , it will make a large profits but will sell fewer units. Again the companies will losses money, and it also will leave with excess inventory. If the managers decide to maximize the profit, Firstly, the middle managers who responsible to carry out the goals that set by the top management will held this tactical decision which how to held this pricing decision. They need to know the price setting tools to measure the potential impact which is to count out the cost and how much need to charge for the selling price .Before deciding on final prices, middle managers can use cost oriented pricing and breakeven analysis to determine how much sales volume the company needs to start making profit and to measure the potential impact. A music store manager would price the CDs by calculating the cost of making them available to shoppers. How much that the manager need to charge for the product is need to depends on how much the company pay for the inventory and the supplier. They also need to count for the operating cost , and how much is the company profits goal plus the company price will affect by the competitive pressures, industry standards and the perceived value of your product or the services in the eyes of the company customer. Thus, price would include the costs of store rent, employee wages, utilities, insurance, and the CD manufacturers price. If the manufacture price is RM 8 if the manager decided to sell it for RM 8 then will not get any profit. So, the manager need to decide to sell for higher then rm8 so that can earn profit. To be profitable, the manager must charge enough to cover the product and other cost. These factors determine the mark up. So, the manager should charge a reasonable markup of RM 7 over the purchase cost means at RM15 selling price. The markup percentage is 46.7 because RM 7 divided by RM15 times 100% equal 46.7%. If the markup is RM 8, so the selling price is RM16. The manager need to determine how much to sell to break even. Knowing that the variable cost is RM 8 means that the company is depending on how many CDs are sold. Say that fixed cost for keeping the company open for one year is RM 100000(no matter how many CDs are sold) The number that the managers need to sell is RM 15 each, the manager need to sell it in the breakeven point which is 14286 CDs. Breakeven point equal RM100, 000 divided by RM15 minus RM 8 equal 14286 CDs. If the company sells less then 14286 units then their company will lose money. If sell more then 14826 units then will earn profit. Assume that all the cost and variable cost is the same so the manager need to determine how much the price need to charge to the product and how much units they need to sell so that to maximize th e profit. As a conclusion, the decision of the manager is very important to the company because it will affect the whole company whether it will earn profit or loss in the short run or even in the long run.

Themes of Language and Racial Identity in Native Speaker, By Chang-Rae

Chang-Rae Lee’s Native Speaker expresses prominent themes of language and racial identity. Chang-Rae Lee focuses on the struggles that Asian Americans have to face and endure in American society. He illustrates and shows readers throughout the novel of what it really means to be native of America; that true nativity of a person does not simply entail the fact that they are from a certain place, but rather, the fluency of a language verifies one’s defense of where they are native. What is meant by possessing nativity of America would be one’s citizenship and legality of the country. Native Speaker suggests that if one looks different or has the slightest indication that one should have an accent, they will be viewed not as a native of America, but instead as an alien, outsider, and the like. Therefore, Asian Americans and other immigrants feel the need to mask their true identity and imitate the native language as an attempt to fit into the mold that makes up what people would define how a native of America is like. Throughout the novel, Henry Park attempts to mask his Korean accent in hopes to blend in as an American native. Chang-Rae Lee suggests that a person who appears to have an accent is automatically marked as someone who is not native to America. Language directly reveals where a person is native of and people can immediately identify one as an alien, immigrant, or simply, one who is not American. Asian Americans as well as other immigrants feel the need to try and hide their cultural identity in order to be deemed as a native of America in the eyes of others. Since one’s language gives away the place where one is native to, immigrants feel the need to attempt to mask their accents in hopes that they sound fluent ... ...silenced in this country, in order to have voice and be visible in society, one must strive to be a white American. They feel the need to embody and assimilate to whiteness because the white race has a voice and is seen, rather than silenced and unseen, in society. They are privileged with the freedom of not having to cope with the notion of being marked, silent, and unseen in society. This creates pressures for Asian Americans and immigrants to suppress their own cultural identities and assimilate to whiteness in an attempt to potentially be able to prosper and make a life for them in America. Asian Americans feel as though being who they truly are and express their unique cultural identities will alienate themselves even more than they already are. Chang-Rae Lee Works Cited. Lee, Chang-Rae. Native Speaker. NewYork: Riverhead Trade, 1996. Print.

Operations Management Report on Lux Soap Essay

Acknowledgement: We thank all those people who helped us in preparing this report. Immense hard work has been done by all the members of our group in compilation of this report. We also thank our instructor Mr Jawad Bhatti, who has helped us always by providing us with the much-needed guidance, kind behavior, moral support and her valuable time. Our contact person in Unilever Pakistan, Ms. Sarah Siddiqui also provided us with her expertise in the construction of the report and we are extremely grateful to her for providing us with valuable insight and information with respect to LUX. The preparation of this report was a wonderful learning experience. We learnt to work in a group efficiently and equally. The experience gained by the preparation of this report will surely be beneficial for us in the future, always. 2 Executive Summary: Lux soap first produced in United Kingdom in 1899. It was produced by British company name Lever Brothers. Lever Brothers was founded in 1885 by William Hesketh Lever and his brother James. They using glycerin and vegetable oil such as palm oil to manufacture soap called â€Å"Sunlight Soap.† The flaked version of soap called Lux soap. Glycerin was a lucrative byproduct of the soap making process, and by the end of 1886, Lever brothers also had a glycerin factory. The beauty soap industry has a few major producers of which Unilever holds market share of slightly less than 50%. Other competing brands like Dove, Rexona and Capri have started to have a strong consumer base, but LUX.’s product features distribution and promotional activities have created high brand loyalty for which it is still the market leader. Since the 1930s, more than 400 of the world’s most famous female celebrities have been associated with Lux. Sarah Jessica Parker, Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai and Mahira Khan are some actresses featured in Lux advertising campaigns in US, India and Pakistan. Today, Lux is the market leader in several countries including Pakistan, Brazil, India, Thailand and South Africa. Developed by Unilever, Lux (soap) is now headquartered in Singapore. Introduction Lux is a global brand developed by Unilever. The range of products includes beauty soaps, shower gels, bath additives, hair shampoos and conditioners. The brand was founded by the Lever Brothers (today known as Unilever) in 1899. The name changed from â€Å"Sunlight Flakes† to â€Å"Lux† in 1900, a Latin word for â€Å"light† and suggestive of â€Å"luxury.† In 1924, it became the first mass market toilet soap in the world. It is noted as a brand that pioneered female celebrity endorsements. As of 2005, Lux revenue is at 1.0 billion euros, with market shares spread out to more than 100 countries across the globe. Lux toilet soap was launched in the United States in 1925 and in the United Kingdom in 1928. Subsequently, Lux soap has been marketed in several forms, including hand wash, shower gel and cream bath soap. Since the 1930s, more than 400 of the world’s most famous female celebrities have been associated with Lux. Sarah Jessica Parker, Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai and Mahira Khan are some actresses featured in Lux advertising campaigns in US, India and Pakistan. Today, Lux is the market leader in several countries including Pakistan, Brazil, India, Thailand and South Africa. Developed by Unilever, Lux (soap) is now headquartered in Singapore. About Unilever Unilever is a multinational consumer product manufacturing giant operating in over hundred countries all around the globe. Unilever Pakistan is the Pakistan chapter of Unilever, where the company holds 60.75% share whereas the Government of Peoples Republic of Pakistan holds 39.25% share. Unilever’s one of the most popular brand in Pakistani  market is LUX. They have segmented the local market for  LUX according to geographical locations. It further  differentiates these segments into Socio Economic Cluster  (SEC) which takes into account the criteria of education  and profession which ultimately measures the financial  ability of consumers. The cluster is divided into five parts starting from A to E. Unilever targets the urban and sub urban upper middle class and middle class segment of the population, who falls under A to C of SEC. Tactical marketing tools, 4P’s,  are extensively used by the  company  to  market  LUX.  Though LUX is produced in  Pakistan, Unilever Pakistan  maintains the same standard  all around the globe. The  product is available in six  different  fragrances  under  three different sizes. Since the  demand  for  beauty  soap  market is to a great extent oligopolistic, variations in price lead to price war which can eventually break down the company’s market share.  Thus Unilever cannot provide a better price than its competitors. But the price is affordable by most of the people. Unilever Pakistan has outsourced its distribution channels to third party distributors which allow them to distribute LUX in massive  bulks amounting to around ten million pieces. It undertakes the largest promotional activities in the beauty soap industry. The beauty soap industry has a few major producers of which Unilever holds market share of slightly less than 50%. Other competing brands like Dove, Rexona and Capri have started to have a strong consumer base, but LUX.’s product features distribution and promotional activities have created high brand loyalty for which it is still the market leader. History of lux soaps: Lux soap first produced in United Kingdom in 1899. It  was produced by British company name Lever  Brothers. Lever Brothers was founded in 1885 by  William Hesketh Lever and his brother James. They  using glycerin and vegetable oil such as palm oil to  manufacture soap called â€Å"Sunlight Soap.† The flaked  version of soap called Lux soap. Glycerin was a  lucrative byproduct of the soap making process, and  by the end of 1886, Lever brothers also had a glycerin  factory. Lever opened their small office in New York in 1895. The company started selling Sunlight and Lifebuoy but did not doing well until 1916. Lux soap was first launched in United States in 1916. The Lux trademark  was registered in United States in 1900.  Lux soap was launched in India in 1929  and later in Pakistan. The soap’s very first  advertisement  featured  actress  Leela  Chitnis as its brand ambassador. It was  popularly known as ‘the beauty soap of  film stars.  From 1930s right through 1970s, Lux soap colors and packaging were altered several times to reflect fashion trends. In 1958 five colors were made up the range: pink, white, blue, green and yellow. In 1990s, Lux launching its own range of shower gels, liquid soaps and moisturizing bars. Today, Lux soap is sold in 100 countries and sales achieved 1.0 billion euros in 2005 alone. From 1930s right through 1970s, Lux soap colors and packaging were altered several times to reflect fashion trends. In 1958 five colors were made up the range: pink, white, blue, green and yellow. In 1990s, Lux launching its own range of shower gels, liqui d soaps and moisturizing bars. Today, Lux soap is sold in 100 countries and sales achieved 1.0 billion euros in 2005 alone. Building the Beauty Soap Credentials: Introduced in the US in 1924, Lux became the world’s first mass market toilet soap with the tagline â€Å"made as fine as French Soap†. In the first 2 years of launch, Lux concentrated on building its beauty soap credentials. Advertisements offered consumers â€Å"a beauty soap made in the French method† at an affordable price, with the promise of smooth skin. Made with fine-texture, rich in fragrance, and manufactured using a method created in France, the first Lux toilet soap was sold for 10 cents apiece. 1928–1940: 9 out of 10 stars  This era saw key launches of LUX in the UK, India,  Argentina and Thailand. The brand concentrated on  building its association with the increasingly popular  movie world, focusing more on movie stars and their roles  rather than on the product. In 1929, advertising featured  26 of the biggest female stars of the day, creating a huge  impact among the movie-loving target audience. This was  followed by Hollywood Directors talking about the  importance of smooth and youthful skin. This pioneered  the trend of celebrity product endorsements.  In 1931, Lux launched a campaign with older stars, â€Å"I am over 31†. The series of print ads had stars talking about preserving youthful skin. Lux also launched campaigns featuring interviews with Stars and Close Ups of Stars, bringing to life the ‘9 out of 10’ idea 40s & 50s: Romancing the consumer Using movie star as role models, Lux’s strategy was to build relevance by looking at beauty through the consumer’s eyes. While still retaining the star element, the focus  shifted to the consumer and the role of the brand in her life. Advertising commercials showed ordinary looking women with direct references to stars, such as Deanna Durbin. 60s: Romancing the brand The 60’s saw a shift in advertising to product stories and the romanticizing of brand through its â€Å"sensorial & emotional† dimensions. This was the era of ‘the film star feeling’ and the ‘Golden Lux’, featuring stars such as Sandra Dee, Diana Rigg and Samantha Eggar. The bathing ritual, the ‘fantasy’ element that has been the imagery of Lux, was created in this era. The brand also moved forward with launching LUX in the Middle East, entering a more conservative market. 70s: Dimensionalizing beauty Reflecting the shift in beauty trends in the 70s, the Lux stars stepped down from their pedestals and were portrayed as multi-faceted women with natural, wholesome beauty that the ordinary consumer could relate and aspire to. The executions were more of ‘a day in the life’ of the stars with focus on their ‘natural beauty’. Stars included Brigitte Bardot and Natalie Wood. 80s: Owning the category space Establishing itself as THE beauty soap for stars and  beautiful women, the 80s emphasized the importance of  skin care – the first step to beauty. LUX was launched in  China at this time. Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch and Cheryl  Ladd were some famous celebrities used during this time.  In India actresses Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Madhuri  Dixit, endorsed Lux soap. 90s – Early 2000s: Advanced skin benefits In the 90s, Lux moved from generic beauty benefits to focus on specific benefits and transformation. More emphasis on functionality and variant associations with different 12 skin types as well as mention of ingredients. The communication was far more regional specific and localized, using stars like Malu Mader and Debora Bloch. This period launched product brand extensions Shower Cream and Gels and Lux Super Rich Shampoo in Japan and China. 2000s: Beyond movie stars In early 2000, the focus shifted from specific skin benefits to a stronger emotional space. The brand provided the link between the aspirational role models and real life with the campaign, ‘Lux brings out the star in you’. The benefit was now more than just beauty, it was also about the confidence that comes from beautiful skin. In 2005, Lux encouraged women to celebrate and indulge their femininity with the â€Å"Play with Beauty† philosophy, with stars like Aishwarya Rai. The brand also connected with consumers to take a more ‘active’ stance on beauty. From 2008, building off the brand’s root  strengths, focus has shifted to beauty (vs.  femininity), appealing to consumers’  fantasies and aspirations. Lux believes  that ‘beauty is a female instinct that  shouldn’t be denied’ and showcases the  pleasure that every woman enjoys from  using her beauty, encapsulating that idea  in a simple phrase: Declare your beauty.  Today, LUX products are manufactured at 71 locations with more than 2000 suppliers and associates providing the raw materials. It has key markets in Pakistan, Brazil, USA, China, Bangladesh and South Africa, and is a market leader in India (for soap bars), Pakistan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia (for soap bars), Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam. Operations at Lux Unilever has established itself as a leader in the FMCG industry, given its wide product range which consists of home care, skin and hair care, beauty care and oral care products.  An FMCG (Fast-Moving-Consumer-Goods) is a regular model factory. Unilever under its skin care, soap category has 3 skincare brands; Lux (Middle Class), Dove (Upper Class) and Lifebuoy (Lower Class). Lux and Lifebuoy are produced (in-house production) in the factory located at Rahimyaar Khan in Pakistan while Dove is mainly imported as the production methods and procedure are extremely technical and critical to maintain the  high standards of the quality of the product. Another reason for importing Dove is the cost of production. Dove’s manufacturing is expensive due to the ingredients and raw material involved for it to produce in Pakistan and raw materials will be extremely expensive to import. Recently however, a rumor was spread in the market that Unilever Pakistan in order to cut down costs, will be outsourcing its production to Unilever South East Asian countries and will stop all the production in Pakistan. It was a rumor and completely untrue of them to be shifting to Malaysia. Unilever has one of the oldest factories in Pakistan and enjoy high EOS and have denied any intension to move production as it would be too expensive to produce outside Pakistan and import it back. The procurement of palm oil for Lux is the main ingredient in the production and manufacturing of the product. As palm oil is not produced in Pakistan, importing it from foreign suppliers is the best option available and costs are affordable for the company. Before the production is begun, capital expenditure is evaluated after which the setup is done for production in factories. The main raw material is in the production of Lux is palm oil which is imported due to its unavailability in the Pakistani region. This is the major head expense for Lux besides the facility itself. The production method for Lux and Life Buoy is batch processing and Dove is mainly produced through job order processing technique. Production is heavily dependent on palm oil. Production Process: The production method for Lux is batch processing and Dove is mainly produced through job order processing technique. Production is heavily dependent on palm oil. Lux Soap is the combination of animal fat or plant oil and caustic soda. The Soap needs two major raw materials: one is fat and the other one is alkali. Lux soap makers use fat that has been processed into fatty acids. This eradicates various impurities, and it produces as by-product water as an alternative of glycerin. Many vegetable fats, including olive oil and coconut oil, are also used. The alkali most commonly used is sodium hydroxide and sometimes, Potassium hydroxide is also used. Additives are used to enhance the color, texture, and scent of the soap. Palm oil is used for the manufacturing of Lux Soaps which is processed and bleached. This is then divided into two proportions as per the soap requirements; to manufacture Lux and Life buoy. After separation as per the proportions, alkali in the form of sodium hydroxide/ Potassium hydroxide are added to the palm oil barrels. Synthetic chemicals are added to clean and sterilize the mixture to remove any impurities. After this the mixture is divided into categories as per the product variety, after which perfumes and colors are added to give the soap a nice subtle fragrance and attractive color. Fragrances and perfumes are added to the soap mixture to protect the smell of dirt and leave behind a fresh smelling aroma. Substances to enhance the texture of soap include silica, talc, and marble pumice. Soap made without color is of a brown or dull grey color, but Lux manufacturers color the soap to make it more appealing to the end-user. Other material is then added according to the partic ular variety of soap. After the entire process of chemicals and ingredients have been added, the soap is further processed, cut and shaped into bars of soap according to the product specifications and SKUs of the product. The produced soap bars are then sent to packaging, where they are wrapped in the respective prepared packaging and transferred to warehouse until delivery has to be made. Loading and unloading of cargo and also wrapping of cargo is handled by labor but the process is mostly auto mated. Production Flow: Procured Palm Oil Is Processed And Bleached The Oil Is Divided Into Two Portions, For Lux And For Lifebouy Synthetic Chemcials Are Added To Clean And Steerelize The Mixture Other Ingredients Are Added As Per The Requirements Of The Product Variety Perfumes And Colours Are Added To The Mixture The Mixture Is Cooled, Further Processed And Cut Into Soap Bars The Bars Are Sent To Packagining Where They Are Wrapped In The Prepared Packs Packed Soap Bars Are Sent To Warehouses Until Delivery Costing and Expenses: The method of costing used for the manufacture of Lux Soaps is Batch Costing which is a part of Operation Costing. First of all the ingredients of the soap are mixed together in order to make a mixture. The entire mixture for the preparation of the soap produces, approximately, 1 lakh unit of soaps; this 1 lot will be treated as a batch  and will be automatically numbered by the help of machines during the process of packaging. The purpose of manufacturing the soaps using batch costing is that, it becomes easier for the company to track their product in the factory as well as in the market. For example, the end-user finds something wrong with the soap and sent a complain to the company, now if the management finds some defect in the manufacturing of the soap, it can easily track the batch number and withdraw all the soaps from the market that were produced in that particular batch. The cost of unit is determined by dividing the cost of the batch by the number of units produced in that batch. Given below is the cost sheet of Lux soap that shows the Material Cost, Prime Cost as well as the Factory Cost. PARTICULARS AMOUNT (in Rs.) Direct Material Acid Specialty chemicals Ordinary chemicals Perfumes TOTAL 6.45 0.11 0.04 0.81 7.41 Direct Labor 12.6 Direct Expenses 1.73 PRIME COST 21.74 Production Overheads Power 0.62 Maintenance 0.14 FACTORY COST 17 22.50 Revenue Generation and Costing: This table shows the details of the revenue and the cost generated to manufacture Lux Soaps REVENUE AND COST GENERATION OF LUX (Base for the preparation of Cost Sheet) PARTICULARS UNITS AMOUNT (in Rs.) Revenue Generated Sales Price Rs./packet 25 Sales Volume packets 3,20,000 Sales Revenue Rs. (in lakhs) 80 -Acid paise/ ml 4.5 -Specialty chemicals paise/ ml 2.75 -Ordinary chemicals paise/ ml 1.5 -Perfumes paise/ ml 7 Cost Generated Raw Material Prices Raw Material Volumes -Acid In 1000 litres 14.34 -Specialty chemicals In 1000 litres 0.41 -Ordinary chemicals In 1000 litres 0.29 -Perfumes In 1000 litres 1.15 -Acid Rs. (in lakhs) 6.45 -Specialty chemicals Rs. (in lakhs) 0.11 -Ordinary chemicals Rs. (in lakhs) 0.04 -Perfumes Rs. (in lakhs) 0.81 Rs. (in lakhs) 7.41 Raw Material Cost TOTAL Headcount -Manufacturing Numbers 11 -Marketing professionals Numbers 2 -Corporate employees Numbers 1 18 Average Monthly Salary -Manufacturing Rs./Month 10000 -Marketing professionals Rs./Month 15000 -Corporate employees Rs./Month 16500 Bonus on Salary (% of Salary) 12% Employee Cost -Manufacturing Rs./Month (in 10,000) 12.6 -Marketing professionals Rs./Month (in 10,000) 4.53 -Corporate employees Rs./Month (in 10,000) 1.63 TOTAL 18.76 Power Cost Rs. (in lakhs) 0.62 Packaging Cost Rs. (in lakhs) 1.73 Advertising Costs Rs. (in lakhs) 7.23 Commissions Rs. (in lakhs) 5.3 Maintenance Costs Rs. (in lakhs) 0.14 Insurance Premium Rs. (in lakhs) 0.5 Total Costs Rs. (in lakhs) 41.69 19 Strategy and Competitiveness: Vision: â€Å"We help people around the world meet every day needs for nutrition, hygiene and wellbeing, with brands that help people look good, feel good and get more out of life.† A clear direction: Unilever helps people around the world meet every day needs for nutrition, hygiene and wellbeing, with brands that help people look good, feel good and get more out of life. In 2009, they launched called The Compass – Unilever’s strategy for sustainable growth. At the heart of that vision is the philosophy of working to create a better future every day for their consumers and the communities in which they operate. Another key element of their strategy is our aim of doubling the size of Unilever while reducing our impact on the environment. It’s a goal the company is seeking to achieve by developing new ways of doing business through which can minimize our direct impact. The company is also working with suppliers, consumers and the retailers who sell the brands to improve their sustainability credentials too. By combining our multinational expertise with the deep roots in diverse local cultures, Unilever is continuing to provide a range of products to suit a wealt h of consumers. The company is also strengthening its strong relationships in the emerging markets they believe will be significant for future growth. â€Å"Achieving significant growth objectives while decoupling growth from environmental impact is a bold but challenging vision,† says Unilever CEO Paul Polman. â€Å"Not many companies have yet taken it on. But I believe it’s the only viable vision. One that builds on Unilever’s long-term heritage and achievement, while supporting a responsible future.† . Supply Chain Management: The supply chain of Lux is the core feature which looks after the efficient  running of the entire business production and processes. Supply chain is divided into two parts one is the efficiency and the other looks after quality control. Supply chain is the core of Lux sales since it is responsible to make the deliveries to the depot, distributer and ultimately the shops. To ensure the supply chain is well maintained Lux management has weekly meetings and a software to record our forecast, orders placed by distributors (primary sales) and ultimately the orders delivered to the distributor. MSO is in direct contact with the brand team. He is responsible for required production and also informs organizations about lag or delays in production and all logistics involved and other things related to production. Forecast is based on a trend line that is predicted out of exponential sales trend graph and marketing impact added on. There are 2 major raw materials that go into production besides acid and bases. One is palm oil which is ultimately brought to the factory for further processing. The other is perfume which is globally tested and supplied. Various people within the supply chain department are responsible for various functions such as one for forecast and right demand planning, one for production and quality assurance (R&D) and one for ultimate supply and logistics. The management of the supply chain has the following processes which creates the whole flow of the supply chain network: Planning: Demand Planning: This phase is the pre-production phase where business analysts and managers sit together and create a strategic plan based on two core functions, promotional value selling and the base line target. Demand planning is carried out for a period of 5 years at Lux Promotional Value Selling is where Lux managers sit together with the planning team and set targets to achieve in terms of sales and production after advertising and marketing campaigns Base Line is the bottom line target of sales which can be achieved even without any marketing efforts. This is what the brand will achieve in terms of sale at all costs Supply Planning: In this phase the team forecasts the demands with the supply in order to procure the material required for the manufacturing of the soap bars. The supply plan is derived from the demand plan. Material Requirement Plan is the procurement plan in which  vendors and suppliers are identified and the material is procured. The details of procurement are established and are further shared with the budget control team. Master Production Schedule is the detailed plan of how the product will be produced, All details are included in this portion in terms of batches, number of bars produced, time period, production methods and flow, Procurement is done and the material is sent to the production department Production where the manufacturing and packaging is done and stored Distribution where product is warehoused and further sent to distributors around Pakistan and the distributors further give it to whole sellers. Supply Chain flow: Planning Distribution †¢ Demand plan †¢ Supply plan †¢ Warehousing †¢ Distributors Demand Plan Production †¢Manufacturin g †¢Packaging †¢Promotional Value Selling †¢Base line target Procureme nt Supply Plan †¢MPS †¢MRP †¢Buying Department †¢Warehousing Strategy and R&D: Strategy: The strategy used by Unilever is in two regions, production and campaigns. In order to maintain their strategic function, the factory is one of the oldest in Pakistan. It was Rahim Yar Khan and it was initially Unilever HO. It was initially chosen because of the following factors: 1. Proximity to Labor: Majority of labor working in the factory reside close by in Punjab region which is densely populated 2. Proximity to Source of Supply: Water supply from the rivers flowing close by provide ease of water availability (Punjnad) 3. Storage and Warehousing: Since the factory site was owned by Unilever, there was no space shortage problem so expansion and new installments was possible along with ample space for warehousing. 4. Community Considerations 5. Accessibility Research and Development: In order to maintain the competitive advantage of being the leading beauty soap brand of Pakistan, the R&D department also supervises production and packaging. R & D and Supply both monitor production and quality. Each  machine involved is configured for production according to the amount required and for how much should be in each carton so that the carton does not explode. R & D carries out research and tries to increase efficiency by running machine trials. Further to ensure quality product is produced and any likely flaws are eliminated, batch inspections are done at random to check the quality. The Supply Chain acknowledges the capacity of the machinery and production figures, therefore R & D only work on improvement and monitoring. The R&D department also carries out focus groups and sample testing when introducing new variants in the product according to consumer insight gathered through research and development. The R&D is responsible for the 24  suggestions for upcoming variants, which is then strategically planned by the brand team and tested at a small scale. If successful, the new variant is sent for production. Total quality management: TQM is different for every company and is defined by each with respect to 5 major factors: 1. Conformance to specifications 2. Fitness quality 3. Value for price paid 4. Support services 5. Psychological factors Being a manufacturing firm, Lux observes strict manufacturing quality as the focus is on a tangible product with respect to the features, reliability and conformance. Total Quality management for Lux is split into R&D functions which look into formulation, quality assurance, and packaging and ultimately logistics transit trials. Various people within the supply chain department are responsible for various functions such as forecast and demand planning, one for production and quality assurance (R&D) and one for ultimate supply and logistics. The quality of production at lux relies on the following basic concepts: ï‚ ·