Criminological theories Free Essay Example, 1250 words

The young woman who is arrested for credit card fraud provides evidence for the choice theory as the woman takes her time to assess her situation and then come up with the ingenious idea of shoplifting from the card owner (Williams & McShane, 1998). This is further evidenced by the equipment she has for data collection. The equipment indicates readiness to commit crime, and the criminal further shows little remorse for the theft, as she pleads for the lower charge of shoplifting rather than terrorism. The classical theory also appears in the same scene since the young woman deems it advantageous to steal from the credit card owner. The episode further shows application of routine activity theory with DiNozzo and McGee talking about the youngster and the ease of acquiring credit card details to an extent of collecting their own details within the office. This theory intends to show how criminals work with regard to motivation, and how ease of access towards targets drives people towa rds crime. It also requires putting in place deterrent measures to prevent these according to the theory, which DiNozzo makes fun of saying it is better to have the old analogue card whose data cannot be stolen through close proximity, but by physical contact. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminological theories or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Gibbs then goes on to describe to Vance the situation the young woman is in by saying she will talk when she is ready. When saying this, the woman is already behind bars waiting questioning as to where she got the credit card information, and how she is related to the terrorists. The state of being behind bars indicates the application of the routine activity theory, where deterrent measures are put in place to prevent crimes from taking place. By considering the location and the lack of targets, a holding cell eliminates the possibility of criminal activities taking place. Another scene that offers the routine activity theory is that of solving the smugglers puzzle, where the investigators seek to find the three Palestinians assassins to prevent the death of Eli David. Although this crime gets Abby implying the rational choice theory, where the assassins shoot at the coast guards and kill the smugglers to ensure that they are not caught. This portrays the conscious choice to kill the smugglers and leave the burden of blame on them for shooting at the coastguard after the assassins take off in floating boxes. This theory befits the scene following the premeditated nature of the crimes they commit, and how they stand to benefit from getting away (Williams & McShane, 1988).

The Increase of Chemical Suicide in United States and Its...

Chemical suicide is a growing problem all around the world. This form of suicide was created in Japan, but now it is growing rapidly across the United States in recent years. People committing this type of suicide are looking to kill themselves, and also may want to harm or kill first responders in the process as well. This puts a large amount of people in danger in the immediate area where the chemicals are located. These situations might not be clear to first responders upon arrival and could cause injury or death if they are not wearing proper personal protective equipment. Chemical suicides became prevalent in the United States around 2008. Since then, the number of suicides has been rising faster as the years go by. These forms of†¦show more content†¦These situations are dangerous and have to be treated with extreme caution. When first responders are responding to a call of possible chemical suicide, they have to approach it with extreme caution and be very aware of th e situation. Most of the time at these situations, the person attempting to use these chemicals to commit suicide will post some kind of warning for first responders as well as other people. For example, a situation of chemical suicide in a car, the person might post a sign in the window of the car as a warning to people and first responders on scene. (FEMA.Gov). Although leaving a note or sign to warn people might happen, it is not always the case. Some chemical suicides will not be as noticeable as others. â€Å"A chemical suicide in a car can produce levels of 8,000 parts per million in that car. Unless the responder is aware of the danger and is wearing breathing apparatus when the door is opened, they may easily be killed with the first breath they take.† (Rowley). When approaching the scene, take time to do a full size up of the scene and look inside the car through the window. You might be able to see and buckets or cans that could have possibly been where the chemical s were mixed. (Oreshan III/Stevens, 2011). This is something that is simple that first responders can and should do but it is easily overlooked as well. There are other ways to tell if someone committed suicide with chemicals. For example, â€Å"a car couldShow MoreRelatedEssay On Containerized Shipping1724 Words   |  7 Pagesexplore the possibilities of a terrorist attack through the use of exploiting the current security measures in place to protect shipping containers, leading to the bringing of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), chemical weapons or the parts necessary to build either weapon into the United States. A risk analysis assessment will be conducted to explore the likelihood and impact of the use of maritime means to execute a terrorist attack. 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Cloning Technologies Essay Example For Students

Cloning Technologies Essay Science, in the past few years has made great strides in the field of mammalreproduction. Theyve worked for years to find out exactly what happens duringa pregnancy, and also how it works. Weve come so far in these stages as togain the knowledge needed to make oral contraceptives. However, I am not writingthis report to enlighten you on these subjects, or to debate the ethical issuesof them. This report is focusing on the creation of life, not the destruction ofone. Up until a few years ago, weve only known one way to reproduce, but now,thanks to the research and endless hours of experiments by those dedicated tofinding out if it really is possible another way, there is a new method ofreproduction called cloning. Im not going to debate the moral issues of thissubject, but rather tell you how its achieved. How does it work? There aretwo methods of cloning. The first, called embryo cloning, has been achievedyears before in frogs, other amphibians, mammals, and once it was tried withhum ans, however both attempts to do this with the humans failed. The secondmethod of cloning is achieved by using an adult cell, not an embryo. To do thisscientists remove an egg cell from a female, and remove the chromosomes,nucleus, etc, leaving no way for the mother interfere with the genetic part ofthe reproduction. However, the parts of the egg cell needed for cell growth anddevelopment are left intact. The cell from an adult mammal is then taken awayfrom its owner. Being placed in a cure dish, the cell is starved of nutrients,but is still kept alive. The reason for this: the cell must stop dividing inorder for cloning to take place. The nucleus from this cell is removed. Thenucleus and the egg cell are placed next to each other, and electrical chargesare emitted into them. These electrical charges make the two fuse, or combinetogether. After about 6 weeks, the egg cell, now artificially fertilized, isplaced back into the uterus of another female of the same species. Allowed togro w and develop as normal, the baby is born after the normal amount of timeneeded to let a baby develop. The result: a physical clone of the animal. Somefacts about cloning A friend of yours has an ingenious plan to take a cell froma dead person like Hitler, clone him, and try to take over the world, with hishelp. First off, your friend needs adjustment. Secondly, you couldnt clonehim to be the same person, with the same personality as before. Being placed ina different environment, with different situations, he would not developemotionally as he had before. On the contrary, you could turn him into a littlechoirboy if placed into the right situations. So if its that easy, whydoesnt a person like Bill Gates clone him self, just for fun` or to have aliving memoriam of himself when hes gone? It isnt that easy. The UnitedStates have taken steps to ban the cloning of people, passing the bill againstit two years ago. Its also expensive, and Dolly the sheep was successfullycloned after 276 u nsuccessful tries. So does anybody own cloning? Yes, believeit or not. Although the creators of Dolly were the first to clone an adultmammal, the company that owns the patent is the Massachusetts company ofAdvanced Cell Technology (ACT). A common misconception: clones will NOT have thesame DNA as the other animal. A type of DNA called mitochondrial DNA is notremoved from the mother during the fertilization. This DNA is used for energyproduction cannot be transferred with the hosts nucleus. So, it also is leftintact in the egg cell for the fertilization. In the present and future ofcloning What may we be expecting from cloning in the future? Try this for size:scientists recently made the news for cloning the first pigs. And pigs are oneof the animals more closely related to humans.so, Ill let you make yourown inference. Also, the team at the Roslin Institute has figured out how tomake a starved cell able to reproduce again. Their patent is still pending. Haveyou wondered why the team used a sheep to clone? The answer: sheep are closelyrelated to humans, just as pigs are, and in Scotland, where Dolly was cloned,sheep are very very very very very cheap. Some have had ideas of using cloningto bring back extinct species, and, mainly, help the endangered species go backto how they once were. Also, there are teams in different places working on waysto clone just organs of mammals for transplants. However, this is expected toturn out with poor results, because it is likely that the body will reject theseorgans, as it would others. The End While many believe cloning is an unnecessaryevil, others believe it will become a chief way reproduce crops, or livestockthat have favorable qualities about them. I believe that cloning can be usefulin these ways, but very dangerous in others. What Im saying is that weremeddling with technologies we dont know much about and further researchshould be done to discover what is needed to master this science before we gomaking our own spe cies of animals. We are still like novices to this newscience, and should respect it, not toy with it. .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 , .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .postImageUrl , .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 , .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012:hover , .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012:visited , .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012:active { border:0!important; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 { 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; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012:active , .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-col or: #2C3E50; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .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; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!impo rtant; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left: 18px; top: 0; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012 .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3ce22585380a6159a880395f004be012:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Great Gatsby (1465 words) Essay

Post Graduate free essay sample

In addition, the study group had encouraged her to illustrate her tentative answers with numerical illustrations using case data. Prior Knowledge Kim understood from the background readings assigned for her accounting course that Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) defined liabilities as â€Å"Probable future sacrifices of economic benefits arising from present obligations of a particular entity to transfer assets or provide services to other entities in the future as a result of past transactions or events. † Kim also knew under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) that liabilities were recognized on the balance sheet when â€Å"It is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will result from the settlement of a present obligation and the amount at which the settlement will take place can be measured reliably. † Further, Kim understood from her readings that there was a special set of accounting rules covering contingent liability recognition and disclosure. Under GAAP, a contingency is an existing condition involving uncertainty as to possible gain or loss. We will write a custom essay sample on Post Graduate or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

The Practice of Loving Kindness or Metta Defined

The Practice of Loving Kindness or Metta Defined Loving kindness is defined in English dictionaries as a feeling of benevolent affection. But in Buddhism, loving kindness (in Pali, Metta; in Sanskrit, Maitri) is thought of as a mental state or attitude, cultivated and maintained by practice. This cultivation of loving kindness is an essential part of Buddhism. The Theravadin scholar Acharya Buddharakkhita said of Metta, The Pali word metta is a multi-significant term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pali commentators define metta as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others (parahita-parasukha-kamana). ... True metta is devoid of self-interest. It evokes within a warm-hearted feeling of fellowship, sympathy and love, which grows boundless with practice and overcomes all social, religious, racial, political and economic barriers. Metta is indeed a universal, unselfish and all-embracing love. Metta often is paired with Karuna, compassion. They are not exactly the same, although the difference is subtle. The classic explanation is that Metta is a wish for all beings to be happy, and Karuna is a wish for all beings to be free from suffering. Wish is probably not the right word, though, because wishing seems passive. It might be more accurate to say directing ones attention or concern to the happiness or suffering of others. Developing loving kindness is essential to doing away with the self-clinging that binds us to suffering (dukkha). Metta is the antidote to selfishness, anger, and fear. Dont Be Nice One of the biggest misunderstandings people have about Buddhists is that Buddhists are always supposed to be nice. But, usually, niceness is only a social convention. Being nice often is about self-preservation and maintaining a sense of belonging in a group. We are nice because we want people to like us, or at least not get angry with us. Theres nothing wrong with being nice, most of the time, but its not the same thing as loving kindness. Remember, Metta is concerned with the genuine happiness of others. Sometimes when people are behaving badly, the last thing they need for their own happiness is someone politely enabling their destructive behavior. Sometimes people need to be told things they dont want to hear; sometimes they need to be shown that what they are doing is not okay. Cultivating Metta His Holiness the Dalai Lama is supposed to have said, This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple. The philosophy is kindness. Thats great, but remember that were talking about a guy who gets up at 3:30 a.m. to make time for meditation and prayers before breakfast. Simple isnt necessarily easy. Sometimes people new to Buddhism will hear about loving kindness, and think, No sweat. I can do that. And they wrap themselves in the persona of a lovingly kind person and go about being very, very nice. This lasts until the first encounter with a rude driver or surly store clerk. As long as your practice is about you being a nice person, you are just play-acting. This may seem paradoxical, but unselfishness begins by gaining insight into yourself and understanding the source of your ill will, irritations, and insensitivity. This takes us to the basics of Buddhist practice, beginning with the Four Noble Truths and the practice of the Eightfold Path. Metta Meditation The Buddhas best-known teaching on Metta is in the Metta Sutta, a sermon in the Sutta Pitaka. Scholars say the sutta (or sutra) presents three ways to practice Metta. The first is applying Metta to day-to-day conduct. The second is Metta meditation. The third is a commitment to embody Metta with full body and mind. The third practice grows from the first two. The several schools of Buddhism have developed several approaches to Metta meditation, often involving visualization or recitation. A common practice is to begin by offering Metta to oneself. Then (over a period of time) Metta is offered to someone in trouble. Then to a loved one, and so on, progressing to someone you dont know well, to someone you dislike, and eventually to all beings. Why begin with yourself? Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg said, To reteach a thing its loveliness is the nature of Metta. Through loving kindness, everyone and everything can flower again from within. Because so many of us struggle with doubts and self-loathing, we must not leave ourselves out. Flower from within, for yourself and for everyone.

How to Learn Multiplication Timestables in 21 Days

How to Learn Multiplication Timestables in 21 Days Lets face it, when you dont know your times tables, it slows down your progress in math. Some things you just have to know and committing the times tables to memory is one of them. Today, were in an information age, information is doubling faster than it ever used to and our math teachers no longer have the luxury of assisting us to learn the times tables. In case you havent noticed, the math curriculum is much larger than it ever was. Students and parents are now left with the task of helping to commit the times tables to memory. So lets get started: Step 1 First of all, you will need to be able to skip count or count by a certain number. For instance 2,4,6,8,10 or 5, 10, 15, 20, 25. Now you will need to use your fingers and  skip counting. Remember back in grade 1 when you used to use your fingers to count to 10? Now youll need them to skip-count. For example, use your fingers to count by 10. First finger or thumb is 10, second is 20, third is 30. Therefore 1 x 10 10, 2 x 10 20 and so on and so forth. Why use your fingers? Because its an effective strategy. Any strategy that improves speed with your tables is worth using! Step 2 How many skip counting patterns do you know? Probably the 2s, 5s and 10s. Practice tapping these out on your fingers. Step 3 Now youre ready for the doubles. Once you learn the doubles, you have the counting up strategy. For instance, if you know that 7 x 7 49, then youll count up 7 more to quickly determine that 7 x 8 56. Once again, effective strategies are almost as good as memorizing your facts. Remember, you already know the 2s, 5s and 10s. Now you need to concentrate on 3x3, 4x4, 6x6, 7x7, 8x8 and 9x9. Thats only committing 6 facts to memory! Youre three-quarters of the way there. If you memorize those doubles, youll have an effective strategy to quickly obtain most of the remaining facts! Step 4 Not counting the doubles, you have the 3s, 4s, 6s, 7s and 8s. Once you know what 6x7 is, youll also know what 7x6 is. For the remaining facts (and there arent many) you will want to learn by skip-counting, in fact, use a familiar tune while skip counting! Remember to tap your fingers (just as you did when  counting) each time you skip count, this enables you to know which fact youre on. When skip counting by 4s and when youve tapped on the fourth finger, youll know that its the 4x416 fact. Think of Mary Had A Little Lamb in your mind. Now apply 4,8, 12, 16, (Mary had a....)and continue on! Once youve learned to skip-count by 4s as easily as you can by 2s, youre ready for the next fact family. Dont worry if you forget the odd one, you will be able to fall back on your doubling strategy and counting up. Remember, being able to do math well means having great strategies. The above strategies will help you learn the times tables. However, you will need to commit daily time to these strategies to learn your tables in 21 days. Try some of the following: Each day when you wake up, skip count the fact family youre working on.Each time you walk through a doorway, skip count again (silently)Each time you use the washroom, skip count!Each time the phone rings, skip count!During every commercial when youre watching TV, skip count! When you go to bed each night, skip count for 5 minutes.If you stick it out, youll have your tables memorized in 21 days!Here are a few multiplication tricks to help you. Try these worksheets which are developed to correspond to the correct way of learning your multiplication tables.

Sucess and Dissapointment Stories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sucess and Dissapointment Stories - Assignment Example However, I realized that looking for her could take several hours and I would miss my assignment deadline with unpleasant consequences for my academic success. I finally decided that I would complete my assignment and then commit as much time as I needed to finding my cat. I rationalized that if I set about looking for my cat first I could end up not finding my cat and also failing my class. However, if I completed my assignment and submitted it on time, I could at least be assured of at least one successful task. Moreover, if I never found my cat, I would suffer for a while but I would recover eventually. But if I failed my class, it would have far reaching consequences for my future career. In other words, proportionality won out in the end. I completed my paper and submitted it on time. Relieved of the pressure of time constraints I was able to freely look for my cat and did in fact find her and bring her home. STORY SUMMARY: Prioritizing time and resources can be difficult when one relies on self-discipline and there is no external supervision. In the scenario described above I had to consider proportionality with respect to long-term consequences of prioritizing one task over the other. By taking this approach I was able to manage my time and resources productively and ended up accomplishing both tasks. FULL STORY: I purchased a wireless mouse for my computer and after only a few days it stopped working altogether. Unfortunately, I had disposed of the original packaging and could not find my receipt evidencing its purchase. I telephoned the retail store and explained my dilemma, but was informed that without a receipt, I would not be able to return the product unless it was credit or debit card purchase. Since the transaction had been made by cash, I had no chance of returning the defective mouse. Even so, I went to the store myself and asked for an audience with the store’s manager. Once

Case study (Starbucks) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

(Starbucks) - Case Study Example This strategy creates new business opportunity for Starbucks. By increasing the efficiency of the baristas in terms of delivering the order of its valued customers within the shortest period of time possible and maintaining the cleanliness and friendliness of the staff who are working within Starbucks coffee shops also creates competitive advantage for the company. Almost a decade ago, Starbucks has been focused on saturating the domestic market in the U.S. Since the company has already saturated the U.S. market, Starbucks began expanding its business within the global markets. Since anybody can easily establish their own coffee shop, competition within the coffee industry is very tight. As explained by Porter (1998, p. 1), competitive advantage is referring to the â€Å"search for a favorable competitive position within a particular industry†. Using the four major assumptions we have mentioned earlier, Starbucks management was able to successfully develop a competitive advantage in terms of improving the quality of services the company has been extending to its valued customers. There is a very tight market competition with regards to domestic and global markets of coffee products. In line with this, rivalry within the coffee industry is tight due to the fact that the capital requirements in putting up a coffee shop are not so expensive. This makes barriers to entry within the local and international coffee industry low. Since anybody can easily sell brewed coffee, the threat for substitute products is very high. Improving Starbuck’s services increases its market share within the coffee industry. Therefore, the company has gained more power over its suppliers. Since the company is able to purchase its raw materials by bulk, Starbucks is able to purchase its raw materials at a relatively low price. Considering that there are a lot of existing coffee shops around

Knowing Your Audience and Communication Release Essay Example for Free

Knowing Your Audience and Communication Release Essay On August 5, 2010, The Chilean Copper mine collapse with 33 workers confined in a 2,257 feet hole, which was the size of a mini studio apartment (msnbc.com news services, 2010). Their families, friends, and co-workers were worried frantically about their safety, and not being able to reach the miners left everyone at unease. The Rescuers and the Chilean Copper president’s came together to find a resolution as to the cause of this situation and how to rescue their employees. Families and co-workers of these miners have questions that wanted immediate answers, and it is the companies responsibly to provide answers. The company should have a plan of emergency action for these types of incident and be implemented in training programs when hired or promoted. There should be reputable spokesperson on hand to communicate with families, co-workers, and the media. The first action to take place is to immediately control the situation, and prevent any rumors from uprising through the workplace or the media. Have somebody Reputable from the company to hold a face to face verbal meeting explaining what emergency incident just occurred and what the companies’ plan of action is going to be. It is important to present only facts to this meeting so that there are no assumptions as to what is really taking place. Be honest, open, clear and concise in these meeting so the audience can listen and decode the message the spokesperson is conveying. The spokesperson should be able to answer all questions presented to the room, as long as the spokesperson has evidence to back it up. Otherwise, being honest and saying, â€Å"we are looking into that,† is the best option for this type of situation. If the company has a morning and evening shift, then having the meeting write when both shifts are about to cross would be an effective way to control any rumors, explain the situation, and answer any questions. This will save time so the company can delegate the situation currently on hand. The second action is to have another reputable spokesperson to notify the minors’ families of the incident. The first step to communicating to the miners loved ones is by phone and then a face-to-face verbal communication should take place. It is important to be sympathetic and compassionate when relaying this type of information to the families. Calling each miners emergency contact would be the start but should not provide too much information over the phone, but just ask the family or friend to come down to the job site immediately. Providing information over the phone can create media attention rapidly and cause panic to the person. Hold a meeting as soon as the miner’s family and friends have arrived and provide information that the company has facts on. Do not delude the people in thinking, the situation is worse or better than what the facts actually say, but be honest and clear about the situation. It is a good idea to have a mediator around if the company decides to have a verbally conversation that is one on one with a family member, and this will prevent any rumors as well. Inform the employees and families that it is in the best interest for the company and the families of the miners to avoid answering questions to the media. When speaking to the media without knowing all the facts or going based on what you heard without fully researching the situation can lead to panic and discomfort for the families and loved ones. For instance, in the situation the media publicly announced on August 26, 2010 that it would take the rescuer’s four months to rescue the miners. However, According to msnbc.com news services (2010), Health Minister Jaime Manalich said, they would not be rescued before the Fiestas Patrai’s,† and Fiestas Patrai’s is Chiles Independence Day celebration, held on September 18. That is only forty-four days, and a big difference from 120 d ays. Preventing the media from misleading reports can be achieved by avoiding the media. The company should offer counseling to the families and co-workers to help deal with this situation, and provide any assistance to make this incident go smoother for them. After the company has all the facts and knows what they are facing then have a reputable spokesperson address the media, family, friends, and co-workers with all the facts at hand. This will help all parties understand what they are in for and to start dealing with the situation at hand. Keeping the all parties informed throughout the rescue process though meetings or the media is important. Having somebody from the company to go to the miners loved ones face to face or calling them to ensure that they are well, is a great way to provide answer to the individual parties. This situation affects everyone, families, friends, co-workers, and global. It is never easy to try to control and sustain a crisis like this but avoiding rumors, which are usually just opinions from others around, can help everybody. The miners loved ones just have one care in the world, that is getting them out safe and healthy, and that is all that should matter, but sometimes the media likes to turn embellish the truth. The important thing in this type of situation is too continual to provide information to all parties so they are properly informed. It is better to hear from the people who are actually in the rescue process rather than an outside source. This will provide all parties some ease to their pain even if it is not good information; at least they understand the situation. Reference msnbc.com news services. (2010). Drill breaks through to trapped Chilean miners. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39558833/ns/world_news-americas/t/drill-breaks-through-trapped-chilean-miners/

Overworked Americans :: Materialism Materialistic Society Essays

â€Å"There is the constant pressure from our materialistic society to get nice cars, big TV’s, and brand-name clothes. So, what if we can’t afford the nicest cars and other items? We can now use financing and credit cards to get thrown deep into debt,† Michael*, a financial consultant from Northeastern Pennsylvania said. He said people are forced to work longer hours and get multiple jobs to pay off their debt. The expensive products create stress and lead to family problems, including verbal and physical abuse, he said. Americans are overworked and recognize the need for reduced job hours, but are addicted to spending money, he said. Michael said he has difficulty juggling his high-pressure job with a personal life, yet still insists on creating time for his family and friends. â€Å"There should always be time to try to relax and cool off after tough days, and I consider it imperative to do so,† he said. He said that people need to recognize that work correlates with their family and friends, and it is important to balance work with a social life. Kristen Randall, 22, of Rumson, New Jersey is a recent college graduate at the beginning of her career. She said she has minimal expenses at this stage in her life and works 40 hours each week. Randall said she would need an additional job if she had more bills to pay. â€Å"A lot of Americans need to work overtime because they have minimum wage jobs and these jobs don’t pay enough for them to make a living,† she said. Long work hours lend little time for leisure, which Randall said is an essential aspect of a person’s overall health. She said that people who repeatedly work overtime are too tired to exercise or spend time with family members. â€Å"When a person doesn’t have enough time to relax or participate in activities that they are interested in, they tend to be in a bad mood and take less care of themselves,† Randall said. She said that households with two working parents are sometimes forced to send their children to daycare, where they sacrifice quality time together and lose some control in raising their children. â€Å"If people are sacrificing a great deal because of their job, they are probably more likely to be unhappy. They may be tired and stressed out. This makes them less likely to be productive, pleasant employees,† Randall said. Daljinder Mann, a sales employee in Somerville, MA, attributed Americans’ increased working hours to the rising cost of living.

Health vs Wealth

WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT A Introduction: The present civilization is very conspicuously marked by the two words ‘health’ and wealth’. We are the inhabitants of this civilization. This world is going on ceaselessly. The course of this world is obvious and non-stop. The above two words convey a significant role in our daily life. In comparison to health and wealth it is very difficult to decide which one is more important. But from my point of view I think health is more important at every stage of our ongoing life. Basically there are lot of logic behind both the importance of health and wealth. But I think the logic behind health is more reasonable for its importance in our life. I believe this is because health is often taken for granted. Only when someone has become serious ill do people realize the true importance of their health and the health of their friends and family. Overview on health Health: Being physically healthy is of prime importance in life. Being ill or not feeling well can drastically affect your work. Obviously, if you feel physically and mentally healthy, you can be more productive. A person can be said to possess good health when he is free from any sort of physical or mental disease. This then becomes the most priced possession for man and something that even money can’t buy. Money can buy you medicines but it can’t buy you health just like money can buy you books but it can’t buy you knowledge. It has been scientifically proven that being physically active provides a seemingly endless number of overall health benefits to all of us. If we have health, we probably will be happy and if we have both health and happiness we have all the wealth we need. Health and intellect are two blessings of life. Happiness lies first of all in health. So, nutrients are directly related with energy and energy is essential for health. In order to achieve and maintain good health there is a certain guide of do’s and don’ts that you have to follow some activities. They are having sufficient and nutritious food, doing regular exercise, having proper sleeping habit etc. all these habits will result to a good health or a healthy person. Again some bad habits (Such as smoking, drinking, having junk food etc) are forbidden in order to have good health. 0verview on wealth Wealth: It is the ability of fully experiencing life. It is true that wealth will not make a person good, but there is nobody who wants to be poor, just for being good. And as Benjamin Franklin says â€Å"Wealth is not his, that has it, but his that enjoys it†. However, there is a tendency of large number of people to run after wealth. They work to gather more and more wealth. In this process they ignore their health. They do not take care in eating food at the right time. In the process of gathering more wealth, they also undergo a lot of stress. So many people spend their health in gaining wealth and then spend their wealth to regain their health. Without wealth it is not possible to have luxurious life. Although luxurious life can not bring happiness in life, most people are willing to have it. Again to have a better and higher education wealth is essential. Though wealth can’t make us happy, it is very essential to maintain a modern society and culture. Nowadays people are becoming very stylish. In order to follow modern fashion, style and technology wealth is essential. Above all I can say though wealth helps to maintain society and culture, but it can not make us fit. Health is More Important than Wealth Two things which are always on our mind are Health and Wealth. They are of utmost importance to all of us. Health and Wealth decide the quality of life we lead. If we want to lead a happy life, wealth and health are both important. The present civilization is very conspicuously marked by these two words ‘health’ and wealth’. We are the inhabitants of this civilization. This world is going on ceaselessly. The course of this world is obvious and non-stop. The above two words convey a significant role in our daily life. In comparison to health and wealth it is very difficult to decide which one is more important. It is very difficult to decide whether ‘health’ or ‘wealth’ is more important as both of them have enough logic behind their importance. But as I found more strong logic behind the importance of ‘health’ my opinion is â€Å"Health is more and more important than wealth†. Thus, it stands to reason that health leads to happiness much more than wealth. Therefore, health is more important than wealth. secret to happiness: I’ve noticed that people who are truly content with life are enthusiastic with what they do. This enthusiasm, along with good health, is the key to being happy. It also leads to self confidence and fulfillment in life too. It may also lead to success, wealth, and achievements. money cant buy happiness: Sure, there are a lot of people who enjoy earning money, yet they might not have much money or not be happy with their money that they already earned. I have a particular greedy friend who fits this description perfectly. I noticed that these types of people have much more satisfaction talking about how much money they earned, overtime hours collected, or money saved; rather than just being happy with their money. As a result, I think that the happiness from greed of wealth is very temporary, because greedy people can never have enough money. Health’-Precious gift of Allah: Health is the precious gift of God. However, it is our responsibility to take certain steps to make best use of this gift because a deteriorating body and mind is something that snatches away the charms of life. The charms of life are contained within the perimeters of maintaining good health. We all have seen movies and real l ive events where people are fighting for freedom. It is however important for us to understand that with freedom comes along with responsibility. When freedom is gained and that responsibility is not undertaken then injustice prevails. Much in the same way you are responsible for your own health. One does have the freedom of choice to live as they want but their physical bodies have rights over them. These rights must be accounted for by the individual if he is wants to be considered as a just person. It is highly naive to place the responsibility of maintaining good health on your doctor. Sure, there are a lot of people who enjoy earning money, yet they might not have much money or not be happy with their money that they already earned. I have a particular greedy friend who fits this description perfectly. I oticed that these types of people have much more satisfaction talking about how much money they earned, overtime hours collected, or money saved; rather than just being happy with their money. As a result, I think that the happiness from greed of wealth is very temporary, because greedy people can never have enough money. There are other types of people who are very materialistic. I have several friends that c ontinuously buy new toys (such as a new car, computer, camera, electronics, etc. ) and lavish entertainment expenses (such as vacations, dinner at expensive restaurants, etc. way more often than their actual needs or long term affordability. These people always appear to thoroughly enjoy their new toys yet continuously have little or no savings. Unfortunately, their new toys quickly become not so new any more, and a new toy is needed to feel temporarily happy again. In actuality, this is more of a distraction from the really important things in life, and not true happiness or contentment. Therefore, money can not buy happiness. True happiness is what people do with their life, their family, their friends, and everyone’s health. Money is a means to do more and live longer, yet quantity is seldom better than quality. Depression: When serious people concentrate mostly on serious issues that are mostly out of their control, they tend to become more depressed. Decision Making: When someone is full of stress, worry, anxiety, and depression, they are less clearheaded to think logically and carefully. Furthermore, these people tend to accomplish less too, since they are so preoccupied. Boredom: Serious individuals tend to become more bored with mundane tasks. They prefer to work on more important tasks and solve problems instead. Some example: ?When you feel ill, you stay in bed. You can get up and perform a few essential tasks, but that zaps your energy and slows your recovery time, but if they must be done because no-one is looking after you, then that is how it is. ?Now, if you were a Gangster, losing your health would cost you a lot, unless you were Mafia Boss. ?If you were a ruler of any kind, Queen, Company President, etc. you might get away with it, but you would still be worrying about some vassal or other trying to cheat you, and that costs a lot in recovery points too. As a super-productive person, such as one who needs to be physically fit or mentally alert all the time, no health equals no chance. If an athlete became seriously ill, it would be a big blow, if not an end, to his or her career. ?Without our health we are nothing, even normal folks can't work when they are sick, or more importantly can't enjoy life. And their families and friends suffer a lot too; that all costs. ?When you are ill, y ou use up your power points by turning them in them into healing energy. And you use up more points trying to help your loved ones cope with your condition. Or trying to still stay in your â€Å"game† whether that be business, farming, whatever! Nobody is happy; there is no positive wealth coming in, and things just get heavier and harder (poorer) until you recover. ?The saying is not about catching the odd cold or having flu, but you can see for yourself how zapped you become under those conditions. ?It has more to do with serious disease, mental, spiritual and emotional, as well as physical. That is when it makes sense. Conclusion: The present civilization is very conspicuously marked by the two words ‘health’ and wealth’. We are the inhabitants of this civilization. This world is going on ceaselessly. The course of this world is obvious and non-stop. The above two words convey a significant role in our daily life. In comparison to health and wealth it is very difficult to decide which one is more important. But from my point of view I think health is more important at every stage of our ongoing life. Basically there are lot of logic behind both the importance of health and wealth. But I think the logic behind health is more reasonable for its importance in our life. In the world we see men who have a lot of wealth but they are not happy. Though they have a luxurious lifestyle but they couldn’t have a peaceful and normal life. It is proven that happiness does not come always through luxury. It is also seen that their wealth has brought luxury but has driven away their happiness. On the other hand a poor man like a beggar or a rickshaw puller or a day labor who has a sound health may be contented and may taste happiness in their life. They are not the slave of wealth rather they remain happy with what ever amount they have earned. They can enjoy a sound sleep at night because they do not have any exces THE END

Familiar Writing Style

Speech without circumlocution sometimes can hurt others' heart. – tact: n. The ability to do or say things without offending or upsetting other people Ex) SAT evaluates students' tact to understand a college level education. 6. Appeal to authority: citation of information from people recognized for their special knowledge of a subject for the purpose of strengthening a speaker or writers arguments.Causal relationship: of, involving, or constituting a cause in a relationship; cause and effect relationships Declamation: a rhetorical exercise or set speech. Capricious: given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior. Conciliatory: intended or likely to placate or pacify. Contemplative: expressing or involving prolonged thought. Glib: (of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow. Linguistic: the scientific study of language and its structure, including the duty of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics.Pretentious: attempt ing to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc. , than is actually possessed. Strident: loud and harsh; grating. 7. L. The author put an anecdote about general misconceptions of familiar writing style on line 1-3. By criticizing the ideas which are opposite to his statement, his thesis can gain more power. This skill is the reduction to absurdity. II. The author used an antithesis on line 7-10. The author emphasized his idea through contrasting his idea with wrong conception.

Heat Engine Lab Essay Example

Heat Engine Lab Essay Example Heat Engine Lab Paper Heat Engine Lab Paper Heat engine lab Intro: when an engine runs, it pumps pistons that move up and down and provide energy to the engine to it to go. These pistons move because of pressure and heat. This work done on the system is not only mechanical but its also thermodynamic. When a piston undergoes one full cycle its displacement is zero because it comes back to its resting place. This means that its net thermodynamic work to be done should also be zero, as well as its total internal energy. In order to test this experiment is setup with the purpose of verifying that the mechanical work done in ifting a mass, m, through a vertical distance, h, is equal to the net thermal dynamic work done during a cycle by a mass lifting the heat engine. If we calculate the values for thermodynamic work and mechanical work they should be the same. Once these values are calculated they will be compared to each other and the conclusion will be drawn. Analysis: Once the results were printed, some values had to be calculated and compared to one another. The first value needed was the Thermodynamic Work on the system hich was founded by the equation: With=(pi(dA2))/4*(Pb-Pa)*(hc-hb). Where d was given to be 32. 5mm, Pb and Pa where the pressures at the points B and A measured in kPA, and hb and hc are the heights of the piston at point B and C. This comes out to be: Wth= 1. 37EA-2J. Next, the mechanical work had to be calculated using the equation: Wm= mgh. Where m is the mass in kg, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the change in height from B to C. This comes out to be: Wm= 1. 47EA-2J. When compared together these values should be identical because a Joule is a Joule s a Joule and the values shouldnt change. These reigns true with this experiment because of how close these values truly are to each other. Questions: 1). The temperatures do change from B to C and from D to A 2). Yes there is thermodynamic work done from B to C which is positive, and from D to A which is negative. 3). Internal energy of the system has no change because it came back to its starting place; this also is true for the net thermodynamic work done. Conclusion: In conclusion our experiment was a success. Once the experiment was run and the esults were printed, the values for thermodynamic work and mechanical work were calculated using the previous mentioned equation. When these values were composed to each other they were extremely close in value. These numbers were supposed to be identical thus its impossible to calculated the percent error because you can divide by zero. All though the percent error cant be calculated these were still extremely close to each other which shows that the experiment was a success and the purpose was proven right. heat engine lab By nlarocco

Calcite and Aragonite in Earths Carbon Cycle

Calcite and Aragonite in Earth's Carbon Cycle You may think of carbon as an element that on Earth is found mainly in living things (that is, in organic matter) or in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Both of those geochemical reservoirs are important, of course, but the vast majority of carbon is locked up in carbonate minerals. These are led by calcium carbonate, which takes two mineral forms named calcite and aragonite. Calcium Carbonate Minerals in Rocks Aragonite and calcite have the same chemical formula, CaCO3, but their atoms are stacked in different configurations. That is, they are polymorphs. (Another example is the trio of kyanite, andalusite, and sillimanite.) Aragonite has an orthorhombic structure and calcite a trigonal structure. Our gallery of carbonate minerals covers the basics of both minerals from the rockhounds viewpoint: how to identify them, where theyre found, some of their peculiarities. Calcite is more stable in general than aragonite, although as temperatures and pressures change one of the two minerals may convert to the other. At surface conditions, aragonite spontaneously turns into calcite over geologic time, but at higher pressures aragonite, the denser of the two, is the preferred structure. High temperatures work in calcites favor. At surface pressure, aragonite cant endure temperatures above around 400Â °C for long. High-pressure, low-temperature rocks of the blueschist metamorphic facies often contain veins of aragonite instead of calcite. The process of turning back to calcite is slow enough that aragonite can persist in a metastable state, similar to diamond. Sometimes a crystal of one mineral converts to the other mineral while preserving its original shape as a pseudomorph: it may look like a typical calcite knob or aragonite needle, but the petrographic microscope shows its true nature. Many geologists, for most purposes, dont need to know the correct polymorph and just talk about carbonate. Most of the time, the carbonate in rocks is calcite. Calcium Carbonate Minerals in Water Calcium carbonate chemistry is more complicated when it comes to understanding which polymorph will crystallize out of solution. This process is common in nature, because neither mineral is highly soluble, and the presence of dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) in water pushes them toward precipitating. In water, CO2 exists in balance with the bicarbonate ion, HCO3, and carbonic acid, H2CO3, all of which are highly soluble. Changing the level of CO2 affects the levels of these other compounds, but the CaCO3 in the middle of this chemical chain pretty much has no choice but to precipitate as a mineral that cant dissolve quickly and return to the water. This one-way process is a major driver of the geological carbon cycle. Which arrangement the calcium ions (Ca2) and carbonate ions (CO32–) will choose as they join into CaCO3 depends on conditions in the water. In clean fresh water (and in the laboratory), calcite predominates, especially in cool water. Cavestone formations are generally calcite. Mineral cements in many limestones and other sedimentary rocks are generally calcite. The ocean is the most important habitat in the geological record, and calcium carbonate mineralization is an important part of oceanic life and marine geochemistry. Calcium carbonate comes directly out of solution to form mineral layers on the tiny round particles called ooids and to form the cement of seafloor mud. Which mineral crystallizes, calcite or aragonite, depends on the water chemistry. Seawater is full of ions that compete with calcium and carbonate. Magnesium (Mg2) clings to the calcite structure, slowing down the growth of calcite and forcing itself into calcites molecular structure, but it doesnt interfere with aragonite. Sulfate ion (SO4–) also suppresses calcite growth. Warmer water and a larger supply of dissolved carbonate favor aragonite by encouraging it to grow faster than calcite can. Calcite and Aragonite Seas These things matter to the living things that build their shells and structures out of calcium carbonate. Shellfish, including bivalves and brachiopods, are familiar examples. Their shells are not pure mineral, but intricate mixtures of microscopic carbonate crystals bound together with proteins. The one-celled animals and plants classified as plankton make their shells, or tests, the same way. Another important factor appears to be that algae benefit from making carbonate by ensuring themselves a ready supply of CO2 to help with photosynthesis. All of these creatures use enzymes to construct the mineral they prefer. Aragonite makes needlelike crystals whereas calcite makes blocky ones, but many species can make use of either. Many mollusk shells use aragonite on the inside and calcite on the outside. Whatever they do uses energy, and when ocean conditions favor one carbonate or the other, the shell-building process takes extra energy to work against the dictates of pure chemistry. This means that changing the chemistry of a lake or the ocean penalizes some species and advantages others. Over geologic time the ocean has shifted between aragonite seas and calcite seas. Today were in an aragonite sea that is high in magnesium- it favors the precipitation of aragonite plus calcite thats high in magnesium. A calcite sea, lower in magnesium, favors low-magnesium calcite. The secret is fresh seafloor basalt, whose minerals react with magnesium in seawater and pull it out of circulation. When plate tectonic activity is vigorous, we get calcite seas. When its slower and spreading zones are shorter, we get aragonite seas. Theres more to it than that, of course. The important thing is that the two different regimes exist, and the boundary between them is roughly when magnesium is twice as abundant as calcium in seawater. The Earth has had an aragonite sea since roughly 40 million years ago (40 Ma). The most recent previous aragonite sea period was between late Mississippian and early Jurassic time (about 330 to 180 Ma), and next going back in time was the latest Precambrian, before 550 Ma. In between these periods, Earth had calcite seas. More aragonite and calcite periods are being mapped out farther back in time. Its thought that over geologic time, these large-scale patterns have made a difference in the mix of organisms that built reefs in the sea. The things we learn about carbonate mineralization and its response to ocean chemistry are also important to know as we try to figure out how the sea will respond to human-caused changes in the atmosphere and climate.

Images of Los Angeles presented in What We Do Is Secret Essay

Images of Los Angeles presented in What We Do Is Secret - Essay Example The scenarios and images describe surroundings and the state of life in Los Angeles. With that respect, this paper will base arguments and comparison of images of Los Angeles in the film ‘what we do is secret’. To begin with, the writer of the film what we do is secret Michelle Baer chooses words as infamous and legendary to describe Darby but rationally the words reflect on the image of the city of Los Angeles in the 1970’s. This shows that, even though the city of Los Angeles was infamous, it was also a legendary city. In the film, Darby and the rest of the Germ rock band crew present issues related to naivety, peculiarity, feebleness, as well as brilliance. These characteristics ultimately depict presence of real and true misfit of the city of Los Angeles. To some extent, the city appears to have some degree of negligence as showcased by the wretched life of young adults (Samudio and Lee 57). This is because, the Germs are cognitively high school dropouts, bad behaved, and careless drug users. Secondly, the images in the film are photographic tribute paid to the city of Los Angeles. It provides a fascinating journey through the cultural, sociological, political, and the industrial history of the city of Los Angeles. ... Additionally, this book gives a stern representation of the city of Los Angeles in all its grits and glory via events that made the world such as the two Olympics, the Rodney King riots, and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. All these events reveal that Los Angeles is a city of many dimensions. Moreover, the film describes the city of Los Angeles as the world’s entertainment capital, Hollywood, and showcases a variety of celebrities along with a number of notable residents that include architects, musicians, and artists. The film highlights in-depth condition of pop cultural movements of Los Angeles together with the state of music (Banham 168). The Germ bandleader, Darby knows not his biological father. On the other end, his mother is an alcoholic and his elder brother dies from heroin overdose. His school life portrays him as an avid reader who against all odds comprehensively develops into a frighteningly intelligent student. Presumably, the overall life feature of Darby displays and compares the state of art and the status of education system within the city of Los Angeles. The book ‘what we do is secret’ depicts the city of Los Angeles through contrasting points of view. For instance, it covers the city’s state of social life in conjunction with its status of its pop cultural movements. These conditions display contradicting issues since the book stretches its length to show presence of the city’s state of music, state of food fads, gangs, surfing, and hot rods. In short, it portrays the condition of food, which is healthy, state of music however associated with behaviors that lead to drug abuse, as well as the city’s

Bubbles by Chris Martenson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bubbles by Chris Martenson - Essay Example The 2007 housing bubble is a recent example of a bubble that has affected the American economy and the rest of the world. The author has shown that although the bubble started way back in 1998, it was still never stopped. As the author narrates, bubbles have their way around with the people. In other words, people always tend to get tricked into believing that things will be different. Based on the video, it is obvious that bubbles can be avoided if people stopped being guided by the false illusion that â€Å"this time, things will be different.† In addition, in the United States, the Federal Reserve failed in its duty to protect the public against the housing bubble. Even when the signs of the bubble started to show, the Federal Reserve continued to lower interest rates. It was rather using researches to convince the public that the housing was not going to create an asset bubble. From this, the video points to the importance of having an effective central bank system in prev enting such economic catastrophes. In the United States, the Federal Reserve failed to act on the problem before it became too big.  Finally, the video shows that an asset bubble is just an indicator of a bigger problem. The housing bubble was just an indicator of increased borrowing. There was an increase in debt from $27 trillion in 2000 to $48 trillion in 2007. This shows how asset bubbles affect other sectors of the economy. In addition, bubbles are destructive because people/organizations tend to make the wrong investments.

Discussion 2 Week 11 Best Practices Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion 2 Week 11 Best Practices - Assignment Example nagerial economics provided the theoretical frameworks for understanding the concept of demand and supply; as well as illuminating practitioners on differences in market structures (McGuigan, Moyer and Harris). From the experience in Katrina’s Candies, it was revealed that there are pricing strategies that should be applied depending on the market structure that the organization is in: either in an oligopoly or monopolist structure. Likewise, forecasting tools are analytical techniques which provide insights to the organization’s decision makers in terms of evaluating options according to anticipated results. The value of forecasting lies in the accuracy of identifying factors which could significantly affect the plans of the firm. As such, it is best practice to apply it and it helps in making responsible decisions based on projected goals. Finally, globalization takes into account increasing pressures for more competitors. As such, there is a need to undertake market research to discern the most-likely reaction and response of competitors should external factors affect the industry. The recession that affected the global market required application of transformed strategies to adapt and adjust to changes in demand and supply. As such, the reactions of competitors are useful inputs to work

Factors that contribute to quality of life

Factors that contribute to quality of life A report by Garavan, Winder and McGee (2001) Health and Social Services for Older People, Consulting Older People on Health and Social Services: A Survey of Use, Experiences and Needs concluded within its findings that older women viewed that they had a low quality of life. Stuart-Hamilton (2000) states that an element within the ageing concept is that men for varying reasons die at a greater rate than women after the age of 70 and that therefore it could be concluded that the ageing experience could be a longer process for women. The elderly population in Ireland is increasing in that according to Connell Pringle (2004) the projected population of older women in 2021 is expected to be between 375,000 and 389,000 which would indicate a rise of over 50 per cent from that in 2002. Ageing can be defined as the process of progressive change in the biological, psychological and social structure of individuals à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦aged 60 or over (Stein and Moritz, 1999;4). According to Greenstein (2006) social research is abstract in general in that the concepts are not easily measured because of the subjectivity of the topics and that a way of gaining a vague measure within the research is to ask the participants their level of satisfaction or dis-satisfaction in relation to the sub-themes. Ageing has a direct biological decline and because of this quality of life has been regarded to be directly linked by the health of the person versus ill-health. But health being defined by the World Health Organisation cited in (Bond and Corner, 2004:2) as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing have resulted in the concept that quality of life is much more complex and varied depending on other factors rather than being traditionally associated solely with health (Bond and Corner, 2004). Definition of Quality of Life Quality of life is not scientifically measureable in that it is very subjective to the individual depending on their experiences of ageing and that the terms well-being and life satisfaction are often used as a means of gaining an insight into the degree a person views that they are experiencing quality of life (Vincent, Phillipson and Downs, 2006). Research has shown that quality of life is subjective to the person, Abrams (1973) cited in (Bond and Corner, 2004:4) defines quality of life as the degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction felt by people with various aspects of their lives. This literature review will act as a base for a thesis that will explore the views of older women in Cavan as to the factors that contribute to quality of life. The definition of what is quality of life is not easily determined and many authors offer different domains as the priority but in fact the priority will be subjective to what the individual older person measures as the most important aspect to them (Nay and Garratt, 2009). There has been much focus on what is quality of life in recent years in terms of social policies that have in turn directed service provision and providing care that is impacting positively on a persons quality of life according to Vincent et al (2006). Quality of life according to Nay and Garratt (2009) typically measures general health, physical, cognitive, sexual and emotional functioning while also measuring the happiness of the person but it is subjective to the person in that what one person views as important may differ from another person. Factors such as employment, social networks, social activities, self-identity, financial security and cognitive and physical function are considered to impact on quality of life (Renwick et al (2003) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009). Also that quality of life in relation to older people is often used as an assessment measure of whether a service is supporting the needs of its clients in that it is not just a measure of quantity of life but that the life has quality within it so that the outcomes of supports or services are impacting positively on quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009). That measurement of quality of life is sometimes measured within one domain such as general health while others measure cover several domains. But in general the largest measurement of quality of life is the concept that it is directly connected to the health of the person and their satisfaction regarding their health (Nay and Garratt, 2009). Therefore Health Related Quality of Life is a term that is often used by service providers as a directive for their care provision (Nay and Garratt, 2009:352). Focusing quality of life within the domains of general health can create what is called the disability paradox in that older people rather than viewing their decline in health as an indicator of low quality of life that the expectation of inevitable physical and health decline has resulted in other factors such as social networks and their overall well-being as the domains used to measure their view of quality of life and that it is presumptuous to view that general health is the sole measure of quality of life (Carr and Higginson, (2001) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:353). According to Vincent et al (2006) people will view health, social networks and standard of living as important factors within their lives but that the importance of the factors will vary as the person proceeds along their life course. Research sources have shown the complexity in defining the key factors within quality of life and the initial reading by the researcher highlighted that the many elements could be loosely grouped within three sub-themes in relation to quality of life: (1) physical factors general health and physical mobility, (2) economic factors income, and standard of living and (3) social structure factors social networks, cultural environment but further reading has emphasised that even though these concepts are applicable that expanding them further will allow greater exploration and description. In that according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) that focusing on a narrow of domains could result in some domains appearing more important within the research than they possibly are. That domains such as health, income, and environment have an impact on a persons life satisfaction in general and are all inter-related but that the personality of the person will also impact on the how they measure their life satisfaction (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Walker (2005) suggests that as quality of life has no distinct key factors that most research focuses on health, environment, employment and relationships. That the environment has within it the physical, social, cultural and economic elements that can either enhance or reduce quality of life. Health has within it general health and the physical, mental and emotional health of the person. Employment covers income and can be related to the wealth of the person. The key concepts with regard to quality of life as suggested by Hughes (1990) cited in Bond and Corner (2004) are: (1) Physical environmental factors which include quality of accommodation, access to public services such as shops, transport and other public services such as libraries and other leisure outlets. (2) Social environmental factors which include family members, social networks, the level of support obtainable from family and social networks and the levels of leisure activities that the person is involved in. (3) Socio-economic factors which include the general standard of living, the income available to the person and other means of wealth. (4) Cultural factors which include the age, class, gender and religious leaning of the person. (5) Health factors which include general health, mental well-being of the person and physical mobility. (6) Personality factors which include whether the person is an optimist or pessimist, will all impact on the subjectivity by the person on their measure of life satisfaction. (7) Autonomy factors which include the degree that a person has the capability to make their own decisions. (8) Satisfaction subjective to the individual the level of satisfaction over all the areas of their life that they judge as important. There is no definitive on what factors contribute to quality of life, therefore (Arnold (1991); McDowell Newell (1996) cited in Nay and Garratt 2009:355) suggest that the measurement of quality of life should include objective indices such as economic circumstances and housing, those that measure subjective aspects such as morale, happiness and life satisfaction and those that contain both objective and subjective components, such as health related quality of life But according to Bond and Corner (2004) the subjective and objective aspects are interrelated an illustration of this being in that the objective element of health related quality of life could be subjectively not important to the older person who as of yet has not experienced any health issues that they view as impacting on their quality of life. There is a view according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) within society that the busier the life of an older person the more quality of life that they have. That the subjective measure of life satisfaction can be directly linked to the activities that an older person participates in that give a meaning to their life can be directly linked to one of the theories of ageing Activity Theory (Bond and Corner, 2004). That an indicator of life satisfaction can be the degree that an older person maintains activities within their community, in that the more activities indicate higher levels of life satisfaction. Bond and Corner (2004) disagree and agree with elements of this theory in that they state that although social networks and activities can maintain and support physical and mental health such as reducing depression that ageing has a biological element that can impact on health and reduces an older persons social network as confidantes become ill or eventually die and that it is wrong to e xpect an older person to engage in levels of activities to the degree that they did when they were much younger. Stuart-Hamilton (2000) suggests the concept that engaging in activities for the sake of them does not allow the older person the ability to make their own choices and that within the provision of services for older people that by assuming that any activity is better than none could be directly linked to the application of Disengagement theory whereby it is believed that the older person accepts that death is eventual and therefore prepares for death by choosing to dis-engage from society and that also it has a function of reinforcing the expected process of ageing in Western Society. Personality: And its link to health: One element within a persons personality is that it will relate to their choices with regard to their lifestyle such as diet, exercise all which can aid the life expectancy of a person but what if the persons personality has within it a negative outlook will this impact on how they view the ageing process and the biological decline and that rather than trying to improve their physical well-being by a healthier lifestyle that they approach death and illness as unavoidable and then reduce their activities and disengage from society (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Link between psychological well-being and personality and health: Research has shown a link between physical well-being and mental well-being in that according to Whitbourne (1987) cited in Stuart-Hamilton (2000) people that exercised and had levels of what they measured as physical well-being had a general feeling of overall well-being but therefore could it be said that people that have a poor physical well-being are more less satisfied with life (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Personality: Preference for lifestyle link: That the personality of a person whether they are an introvert or extrovert will also impact on the lifestyle they choose in that if they are an introvert it will probably follow that as they are older that they will not seek out social activities (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Disengagement theory Cumming and Henry, (1961) as cited in Stuart-Hamilton, (2000) suggest that as people get older that they automatically start to disengage from society in degrees as if in preparation for death and this is also supported by society in that the structures have come to expect this disengagement. This disengagement according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) can be as a result of many factors such as illness, loss of family members, low income that does not provide for activities and also their personality type in that what if they are introvert or extrovert and that disengagement theory has been criticised for the overall image that older people are cutting ties with society in preparation for inevitable death. According to Maddox (1970) cited in Stuart-Hamilton, (2000) this disengagement may simply be a an aspect of the persons personality and that it is not an element of ageing at all. Merriman (1984) cited in Stuart-Hamilton (2000) also criticises disengagement theory an d states that ageing policies within many countries encourage that older people have an high profile within their community. Activity theory was proposed as a way of combating disengagement theory according to Stuart-Hamilton (2000) in that it was proposed that the more activities that an older person engaged in the better their life satisfaction. But this does not allow for choices for the older person and what if their personality is such that enforced activities is wrong (Stuart-Hamilton, 2000). Issues related to measuring Quality of Life There are issues relating to the measurement of quality of life in that the domains are both subjective and objective. The objective indices, such as economic circumstances and housing; those that measure purely subjective aspects, such as morale, happiness, and life satisfaction; and those that contain both objective and subjective components, such as Health Related Quality of Life measures (Arnold, (1991) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:355). Vincent et al (2006) agrees that there are both objective and subjective domains but unlike Nay and Garratt (2009) attributes social factors within the objective domains by stating that the number of social networks that a person has is objectively measureable but that the quality of these social networks is a subjective element. Likewise Vincent et al (2006) states that health although measureable in terms of whether an illness was present and therefore objectively measureable that the domain is also subjective in that the importance of health to quality of life will depend on what the individual views health to be. The view by Vincent et al (2006) that the meaning of what is health is subjectively defined by the individual is illustrated by the disability paradox as per (Carr and Higginson, (2001) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009:353). In that older people rather than viewing their decline in health as an indicator of low quality of life in that the expectation of inevitable physical and health decline have resulted in other factors such as social networks as the domains used to measure their view of quality of life and that it is therefore presumptuous to view that general health is the sole measure of quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009). Anderson Bury (1988) cited in Vincent et al (2006) state that people can adjust to illness and develop coping skills so that the illness no longer factors as a significant domain to the person and this would therefore affect the measurement of health within quality of life research. Health and physical functioning as an objective measure in the domains of quality of life are mentioned continually and can in its simplest form according to Nay and Garratt (2009) be that if a person has a condition or range of illnesses be considered to have a low quality of life. But what if the adjustments suggested by Anderson Bury (1988) cited in Vincent et al (2006) were accommodations such as medication or lifestyle changes and were to adjust how the illness impacts on the person could it then be considered that although the health status remains the same but that the accommodations have resulted in the meaning of what is health to not be defined by illness or physical functioning. Therefore in relation to this research the aim is to explore the subjectivity of what the participant views as health and if any accommodations have impacted on the meaning of what is health. Economic factors such as standard of living are objectively measured according to Nay and Garratt (2009) in that income can be an indicator of a standard of living but according to Vincent et al (2006) this objective measure has to be balanced by the subjective measure of what is the expectation of a standard of living and according to Stuart Hamilton (2000) will be directly linked to past experiences of standard of living in that if a person has in the past had a particular standard of living the subjective measure will be linked to whether the same standard of living was expected by the person or not. Therefore in relation to this research with regard to economic factors as a domain within quality of life previous standard of living and expectations of standard of living as an older person and direct experience will be explored. According to Vincent et al (2006) quality of life has no scientific measurement that can define the exact objective degree of quality of life because there are so many variations of what is quality of life. That the experience of life may support or contradict what the objective measure describes as quality of life. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Quantitative methods are often the means of gaining information regarding what is quality of life but using quantitative methods will not allow for the subjectivity of individual experiences and their views on quality of life. That using structured questionnaires still conform to the researchers view of quality of life and does not allow for the exploration of the views of the older person. That these approaches do not allow for the symbolic nature and meaning of life to the individual (Vincent et al, 2006:158). Taking the view that as the person proceeds along the life course that their view of life will remain the same. Stuart Hamilton (2000) suggests that the life course Another challenge in relation to measuring quality of life and with particular reference to older people is that there can be such differences between each person in that as they age the experience in relation to physical, social, emotional, sexual and cognitive functioning is not as homogenous an experience and that these differing experiences will impact on what factors are key to quality of life (Stewart et al (1996) cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009). The setting that the older person lives within will impact greatly on the factors that are viewed as contributors to quality of life in that if a person is living within a residential unit that this group orientated setting will have different routines and rules in comparison to an older person living within community in general, and that for those within a residential setting that research has shown that dignity, self-determination and participation and accommodation of resident needs were considered to be the factors that impacted on quality of life (Nay and Garratt, 2009:357). That measurement of quality of life needs to consider the domains that are considered contributors within quality of life and that how the research is conducted in that the way that questions are asked can create a bias. As already stated biological decline is a natural aspect of ageing therefore if an indicator of quality of life were to be considered the level of physical functioning it would be inappropriate to ask the participant if they were physically able to do as much and for as long as they used to when they were younger and that this would not be a realistic indicator of quality of life according to Nay and Garratt, (2009). Measurement tools are World Health Organisation Quality of Life Instrument (whoqol) (Skevington et al 2004), cited in Nay and Garratt, 2009. Conclusion This literature review has explored the concept of quality of life and that the factors that are considered to contribute to quality of life are varied and can contain subjective and objective components and that older people in order to measure quality of life should not be viewed as a homogenous group.

Environmental Pollution Essay -- essays research papers fc

Environmental Pollution ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION Automobiles like these are around the world everyday, and their exhaust destroys our air everyday. Our environment is a major aspect of our life today. Many of us don't take our Earth seriously and think that as long as pollution doesn't hurt them they can go ahead and throw garbage on the ground or spill oil down the drain. Well to many people have that theory and they are killing off our Earth and also physically harming themselves from the air they breath and the water they swim in. Our Earth is fragile like a human and people don't know. There are many different types of environmental pollution (e.g. Water, air, atmospheric.) Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution, and also it smells pretty bad. Air pollution comes from many different sources. One of the major sources is carbon monoxide which manly comes from automobiles, but also burning of fossil fuels, CFCs etc. Air pollution does not leave the Earth it all gets trapped up in the atmosphere. This doesn't bother most people, and they think that it will not harm them. People burn down forests and people burn fossil fuels, and CFCs from aerosols. Every bit of this harms our atmosphere. Factories and transportation depend on huge amounts of fuel billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels burn they introduce smoke and other, less visible, by-products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles, the cumulative effect of air pollution poses a grave threat to humans and the environment. A big example of smog is LA you can see the smog just hovering above the city. I don't think any human alive should be subject to that kind of environment. Scientists believe that all cities with populations exceeding 50,000 have some degree of air pollution. Burning garbage in open dumps causes air pollution Scientist have discovered that over the South Pole the ozone has a high level of ozone depletion. A computer-enhanced map, taken from satellite observations of ozone levels in the atmosphere over the South Pole, shows the region of ozone depletion that has begun to appear each spring over Antarctica.  ... ...sp; I think that all kinds of environmental pollution can be stopped if we all use our heads and just think before we throw a piece of trash on the ground, throw it into a nearby garbage can. We should look at our Earth as a precious human being and treat it like it were a child of our own. We should not trash it and take advantage of it. If we abuse our Earth now who knows how it will get back at us in the future. Saving the Earth is such a simple task, and I think everyone should be involved in it rich or poor. If we don't save our Earth now someday it will be to late. There are programs out there that try to save the Earth, but not enough people corporate in these programs. If more people supported and joined into these programs maybe our world wouldn't be in such danger of dying. If our Earth dies it will surely take us all with it. BIBLIOGRAPHY Environmental Health, Carleson Lavonne Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1994 Acid Rain, Tyson Peter Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1992 Clean Water, Barass Karen Chelsea House Publishers, New York 1992 "Environmental Pollution" Comptons Interactive Encyclopedia 1996 "Smog" Encarta Encyclopedia 1996

Financial Analysis on Retail Industry Essay

This analysis studied financial information of three multinational corporations in the retail industry, Ralph Lauren, American Eagle, and Gap. This examination is predominantly and analysis of Ralph Lauren and American Eagle, and it compares its financials and performance to that of Gap. In order to reach a decision on which firm my company should invest in; we recreated and cleaned both company’s financial statements followed by an analysis using key financial ratios and metrics. My company is searching for the firm that would be more profitable in the following fiscal years. After completing an in-depth analysis of these companies, we concluded that Gap would be the best investment for future growth in the industry of retail. Gaps sales growth may not be relatively high compared to other industry leaders but it is on the rise. Also the sales decrease can be related to the closing of stores and restructuring of international operations. This also relates to net income growth showing signs of regression in the past fiscal years. Gap’s EBIT Margin and EBITDA Margin suggest that the company is healthy and also properly managed. These ratios show us that the sales growth and net income growth decreases are due to other factors in the business. Gap will show to be the right choice for our company to invest in as well as other industry research that we have done to help make this investment persuasive. Gap Inc.200920102011 Sales Growth-7.8%-2.3%3.3% Net Income Growth 16.1%14.0%9.3% EBIT Margin10.7%12.8%13.4% EBITDA Margin15.1%17.5%17.9% Case Write Up and Analysis All three of these multinational corporations generate their revenues in the apparel: retail brand industry. Gap is headquartered in San Francisco, California and the year-end date is January 30. American Eagle is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and their year-end date is January 30. Ralph Lauren is headquartered in New York, New York and there year-edn  date is April 3. To perform this case analysis to determine which company which is more profitable using key financial ratios and metrics accompanied with industry research and trends of the apparel retail sector. We have recreated and cleaned financial statements for Ralph Lauren and American Eagle, comparing both to Gap. Using these recreated financial statements, we have performed a case analysis of these three companies in order to find out which company was most profitable. Gap is the largest of the three with a market capitalization of nearly 16 billion while Ralph Lauren comes in second with roughly 15 billion market capitalization. Although Gap leads with market capitalization, American Eagle generates the most revenue that leads to highest net income as well, compared to both Gap and Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren does not lead these companies with its revenues and income but rather with its margins. They are consistently above the industry average and are also much higher relative to the other companies we analyzed. Ralph Lauren also shows the best percentage of sales growth in the past fiscal years. Sales Growth3 Yr Trend Polo14.3%21.8% American Eagle0.9%6.5% Gap-2.3%3.3% For apparel retailers, new fashion trends and steady flow of promotions will help a low single digits increase in sales in 2012. This is what you see with Gap and American Eagle they do not show major increases in sales growth but on steadily rising at roughly 5% in the three year trend. Ralph Lauren shows a jump of 7% which could be due to the luxury brand section of retail section because of the opportunities in emerging markets such as Asia and Latin America according to industry reports. American Eagle plans on accelerating growth through internet sales. This generates higher margins for the company, last year it accounted for 12% of company revenues. This trend is also apparent in the other two companies because most retailers want to offer the convenience of online shopping to customers. The online channel provides a cost effective way for retailers to widen their reach  across existing and new markets. Gap intensified its international strategy as well, opening stores in Eur ope and China, and outlets; accompanied by an e-commerce platform in Canada, Europe, and China. The company has 22% of sales from regions outside the US, up 7.6% from the year-ago period. This industry shows a thrust of penetration in the international markets looking to increase in the next few years. Teenagers also play an important role in the industry trends. With 7.1% of US population they have been a powerful force in retail with the leading beneficiaries being Gap, Abercrombie, American Eagle, and Urban Outfitters. This ties sales growth for both Gap and American Eagle due to a majority of the teen population shopping at these two companies. Helping increase sales growth and produce for revenues for the firm. The biggest window for opportunity in the retail sector seems to be the overseas markets but especially China, according to the S&P industry reports. Gap’s profitability has grown over the past three years showing larger EBIT and EBITDA margins which shows strong management and healthy earnings. Ralph Lauren is also growing profitably as well as their margins have increased with time. American Eagle has been on teetering between being profitable and running efficiently to stay in the game. Net Income Growth3 Yr Trend Polo18.4%20.0% American Eagle-16.8%7.9% Gap14.0%9.3% On the margin side of things Polo seems to be the best company, this is because they are a luxury brand which tends to have higher margins. This makes up for their lack of revenues because people buy less quantity of the luxury brands and tend to buy more of the standard products that are affordable and still have above average quality, such as Gap Inc. and American Eagle. The industry research showed that the recent drop in cotton prices will help retail companies enormously in profit margins. This will help companies such as Gap and American Eagle more than luxury brands like Ralph Lauren. This is shown in Gap’s trends in the past years for EBIT Margins; in 2009 they had 10.7% which increased to 12.8% in 2010; this is a 2.1% increase. This increased another .6% to 13.4% in 2011, this can be  projected to grow even more in 2012 with more drops in the cotton prices. Gap reported that two-thirds of their increases were in the drop in cotton prices. Polo has also seen increases in EBIT margins but not in such a drastic change. From 2010 to 2011 they had a .7% increase on EBIT margin and then slowed down to a .2% growth from 2011 to 2012. This is because they were less affected by the change in cotton prices. American Eagle showed a decrease in EBIT margins in 2012 with a change of -3.4%. This loss should not be as great as reported because in 2012 they had a loss on impairment of assets which is not a recurring expense. EBIT Margin3 Yr Trend Polo14.7%15.4%15.6% American Eagle10.6%10.7%7.3% Gap10.7%12.8%13.4% EBITDA margin adds back the expenses taken out from depreciation and amortization, two non-cash expenses. Adding back those two expenses increases both companies EBIT margins by 4-5% for the three years analyzed. Ralph Lauren’s EBITDA margins seem to be declining in the three year trend which could raise questions about their assets and property plant and equipment expenses being raised. On the other hand you can see Gap showing strong 1-2% increases in both EBIT and EBITDA. Another key metric of financial profitability of a firm is earnings per share. Ralph Lauren’s earning per share is $7.09, as they are a more profitable firm within the industry and do not have a lot of debt on their balance sheet, with little leverage, is the reason there earnings per share are consistent and usually higher than the other two firms. Gap’s earning per share comes in at $2.05, they do not carry a lot of debt on their statements which means they don’t carry much leverage as well, giving them a decent earnings per share. They also repurchased stocks from the public which is another reason the earnings per share are moderately low. American Eagle had a earning per share of $0.96, this is due to the fact that they have more shares outstanding than their net income at the end of each year. They also carry no debt on their balance sheet so do not need to leverage themselves. EBITDA Margin3 Yr Trend Polo19.4%19.0%18.3% American Eagle15.2%15.4%11.8% Gap15.1%17.5%17.9% Return on Equity shows how the company is profitable compared to their equity. Ralph Lauren and Gap have shown substantial growth on this in the past three years. This is due to their growth in sales due to expanding sales into emerging markets such as Asia and Latin America, while maintaining level equity in their companies. Gap was also able to buy back some stock which made them able to increase their return on equity. American Eagle has stayed constant the past three years, this happened because they increased equity similar to their increase in net sales. Return on assets shows how the company is profitable compared to their assets. Gap increased their return on assets because they closed numerous shops around the world that were not performing to their standards and also leasing all of their stores. This decreased their assets while maintaining high sales which gave them a better return on assets. Polo was able to increase return on assets by 1% each year, they were able to do this by having sufficient sales growth. The return on assets is also improved because many retail companies entered the fall season with inventory levels in line with sales trends. This means that companies are not over producing product so they are able to sell their product at a maximum price, this maximizes their sales in which maximizes their return on assets. This has the same effect on return on equity. ROE3 Yr Trend Polo15.4%17.2%18.6% American Eagle10.7%10.4%10.7% Gap22.0%22.5%29.5% ROA 3 Yr Trend Polo10.3%11.4%12.6% American Eagle7.9%7.5%7.8% Gap12.8%13.8%17.0% While analyzing financial leverage Polo has the most debt to equity on its balance sheets ranging in 8-9%. Compared to American Eagle and Gap which has little to no debt ranging from 0-1%. Gap has most likely paid of its debts from previous years and now rent their property and stores eliminating the cost of long term debt. American Eagle is very similar with actually 0% debt in the three year trend. Polo is a moderately leveraged company which brings on the additional risk of carrying debt, although can boost earnings per share for profitability. Maximizing sales by keeping inventory levels in line with sales trends helped maximize these companies leverage. Companies that over produce products have to sell at discounts to get rid of inventories; this is not good because they lose out on profits and do not maximize their leverage. Also companies that do not produce enough products lose out on sales; this also does not maximize leverage. All three of these companies were able to keep their inventories in line with sales trends. Gap was able to decrease their debt to equity by buying back stock and maintaining a normal level of debt. Polo was able to decrease their debt to equity by buying back some stock and maintaining a level amount of debt. Debt to Equity 3 Yr Trend Polo9.0%9.0%8.0% American Eagle0.0%0.0%0.0% Gap1.0%0.0%0.0% All of these companies had similar ideas with their cash activities regarding buying back shares in 2011. American Eagle has the best position on cash, this is due to that they have no debt to pay back so all of their cash back into the company or into dividends. American Eagle bought back shares in 2011 to possibly help raise earnings per share. Gap also has a good cash flow; they also did the same thing and bought back shares in 2011. Polo was the worst out of the three but is still in good standing; they followed suit and also bought back shares in 2011. It is important for Polo to have a good cash flow because they still have long-term debts to pay back. Ending Cash Balance201020112012 Polo $ 95.7 $ (123.3) $ 228.0 American Eagle $ 2,317.9 $ (63.2) $ 511.5 Gap $ 620.0 $ (812.0) $ 307.0 We expect Gap to be the most profitable because they have high revenues, little to no debt, in good standing with creditors, and have good margins. This is better than Ralph Lauren because industry research shows that luxury brands will slow in growth while standard brands will continue to grow. Although Gap does not have the highest sales growth their market capitalization will help them succeed in emerging markets such as Asia and Latin America. Also with the decrease in cotton prices Gap is now able to have larger profit margins while keeping a lower priced product with the same quality. This increase in profit margins Gap will be able to generate the most amount of cash flow. With the trends continuing with their margins combined with the growth of new markets their cash flow will increase substantially. Ralph Lauren has been noted so have some corporate social responsibility problems in Indonesia where they have broken up unions that have tried to improve working conditions. This issue as well as others should be considered because more and more people now a day are taking into consideration the companies CSR before buying their product. Gap Inc. sets a high standard for their manufactures to up hold health and safety standards. They admit that some places still do not follow these regulations but Gap puts in a lot of resources into fixing them or even terminating the business with them. This is good because they are socially responsible and are willing to terminate business to stay responsible. Most companies try to stay socially responsible by implementing certain regulations for working conditions in third world countries so they do not bad mouth their own firm. The International Labor Organization and United Nations try to keep them in check in order to protect people and the en vironment. The information that we would like to request from senior management at each firm would be the growth forecasts and document containing information about international expansion. It seems apparent that international markets are next big opportunity for the retail sector to increase revenues and income for most firms in this sector. This would help us invest in the company that will grow larger in the years to come as well as forecast numbers for potential growth which would help with our decision making process.