Teen pregnancies research paper free essay sample

Reaction Paper †Social Responsibility Essay

This part tells about the workers as partners of an organization or a business. As partners, workers have likewise the rights and benefits which are expected for them. With this rights they have, a few duties are additionally expected of them as a major aspect of the organization. Similarly, they likewise have some worker contract which they know among themselves that manage them as they oblige their everyday practice in their work environments. It likewise talks about some moral duties to workers which are extremely basic to fulfill their requirements and subsequently, make them as beneficial people. Each partner of an organization has their own privileges with relating obligations. These must be given to them with due regard. It might contrast contingent upon how they work in an organization and how they can influence in the company’s execution. All things considered, every capacity is basic and indispensable to the company’s tasks, in this manner, every individual should likewise be given the rights which are extremely due for them. As I would see it, finding out about representative relationship is a similar method of figuring out how to manage your workers. It resembles comprehending what spurs your representatives to progress nicely and by what means will you make them remain. Setting up or fabricating a decent relationship is significant in an organization since it can incredibly the company’s by and large execution of the organization. In the event that an organization has built up a decent worker relationship and representatives has the activity to get things done, at that point we can say that they are boss of decision. This implies they had the option to pick effectively who among the representatives are most appropriate in the activity and they had the option to furnish them with benefits which make them remain in their activity. There are numerous approaches to deal with your workforce and if circumstances require a representative decrease, this implies one needs to diminish its workforce either due to reducing of required work, diminishing the nature of administration or as a result of absence of assets to pay for the costs. Along these lines, the organization should likewise keep the great relationship in spite of the situation. From worker access to leave, a great relationship must be kept. All in all, this part is extremely valuable for businessmen since it tells about another significant partner of an organization which are the representatives. They are exceptionally basic to a company’s tasks and exchange. Without them a particular activity won't be done and whether large or little employment, it is fundamental and will affect the organization. Be that as it may, consequently the organization must ensure the rights and promotion uniqueness of the representatives. They should be given legitimate inspiration and be repaid with enough advantages which is sufficient with the sort of employment they have done. Additionally, their thoughts and security must be ensured by the organization. Whatever their positions perhaps, they should be regarded and treated decently and similarly. Along these lines, they can build up a decent representative relationship which will be reflected Part 8 †Consumer Relations Another partner of the organization are the shoppers. They are the ones who buy, utilize and discard items for themselves a really they assume a significant job in the activities of the organization. Much the same as different partners, they have the rights and benefits which they ought to get from the organization. These are the things the organization must consider to have the option to give their necessities and fulfill their needs too. As an organization, they have a few duties to every one of their partners like the purchaser. The facts confirm that satisfying these obligations can make the customer remain and help to set up a decent relationship among them. Over the long haul, it can create dedication among their shoppers. Looking on the financial perspectives, it is demonstrated that shoppers and the organization are associated by a monetary relationship. There is a bond between the two which makes a relationship among them. It is cash. Sufficiently genuine, cash is an essential instrument in financial turn of events. In spite of the fact that we may state that it doesn't gauge the monetary development of the nation, its course makes an incredible effect in the estimation of development, which is, still considered with certain components. Additionally, as a customer, I anticipate that my cash should get the incentive from what I purchase. The organization must make sure that they can give the estimation of theâ money the buyers pay for in return of the item or administration. Similarly, it is a help for buyers to realize that there are a few laws gave to ensure their privileges and to take care of their needs when circumstance calls for it. Like in the Philippines, the Republic Act 7394: The Consumer Act of the Philippines secures the shopper to potential dangers like misrepresentation from the organization. In any case, dismal to state, even with the presence of this demonstration, there are still a few offenses and mischiefs done by the organization. It is out of line for the purchasers who become the casualty of the organization. This isn't in effect socially mindful to as a partner of the organization. A few organizations attempt to trick their purchaser by enlightening bogus data regarding what they sell. Then again, there are additionally the individuals who observe the laws like giving guarantees and others. With every one of these viewpoints come the privileges of the shoppers which incorporate the option to pick, wellbeing, be educated, heard, look for change and security. With every one of these rights, I guessed right which isn't completely given to buyers is the privilege to security. With the ascent of the new advances of today, security is very overlooked. Data, thoughts, photographs, recordings, documents and others are being taken by individuals through innovation. It is a piece of the customers to have their security whether they have given their data to the organization. With this, the obligation has been passed to the organization to give their customer the protection they need. They should make sure about the data they have accumulated and use it for business purposes in the correct way and with the assent of the buyer. In conclusion, the altruistic perspectives are currently given more consideration by the organization. Social obligation has been a piece of each association now a days. This expands their consideration regarding pick the organization in view of the altruistic exercises they are engaged with. It draws in the customer with the attitude that if the join the organization or purchase in that brand, they can likewise help the recipients of the organization. Section 9 †Community Relations and Strategic Philanthropy This section centers around another partner which is the network. They areâ those citizenry who know about, worried about, or somehow or another influenced by the tasks and yield of the association. They might be the individuals around which likewise incorporates nature they are living into. All the angles which are being influenced by the organization activity legitimately or in a roundabout way are a piece of it. These are likewise influenced by a few through a few perspectives in social obligation. In this age, there are numerous issues that worry the network. Issues incorporate for the most part of the natural issue that is brought about by the tasks of the organization. The debasement of the magnificence of our mom earth because of certain organizations is truly obvious and enormously felt due to those neglected to produce into contemplations the results to its partners. Contamination and land use are some of it. Like in Manila, contamination has been an issue for quite a while. Numerous organizations are consistently playing out their activities without thinking about its belongings to the network. Large manufacturing plants are a portion of the individuals who ceaselessly add to the contamination. Likewise, another extremely famous issue with respect to the land use is the recovery being accomplished for business foundations. Like the SM Mall of Asia. The land utilized for that foundation has been recovered. This is one case of organization tasks that influence the network. Humanitarian commitments of the organization to the network are fundamental for the partners. It influences on how the will brand or see the picture of the organization. This part of the organization must be appropriately intended to accomplish what is truly needed. This section likewise discusses how an organization can appropriately plan for its generous usage. Through a key arranging of magnanimous usage, there can be a higher possibilities that the moves to be made are plausible and will work in the advantage of the organization. It very well may be done through a bit by bit system which is explore, sort out and configuration, draw in and spend. Through this means, it very well may be appropriately executed and will without a doubt help in the activities of the organization. As a network, they generally take care of the general government assistance of everybody who is an individual from their locale. In that viewpoint, the company’s magnanimous system is significant. Through this, they can address the requirements and worries of their key partners. This is the thing that social obligation isâ all about. Thinking about all the key partner of the organization should consistently be finished. It is imperative to fulfill their requirements and needs with the goal that each part of the organization can work viably and proficiently. Along these lines, all the individuals from the association will work well and it will be pondered the general picture of the organization. Having a constructive network relations and a vital charity must be accomplished if the individuals behind an organization or a business is really socially mindful. Making the right decision and what is only for your partners like the network is in effect socially mindful. Section 10 †Technology Issues Innovation has been obvious in each business foundation now a days. Indeed, even independent companies are utilizing innovation like number cruncher, clerks, fridges and others. These things are result of innovation and really, they are a major assistance in the tasks of the business. Be that as it may, looking on the opposite side, innovation can likewise make demolition an organization. For instance in an independent venture like PC shop.

An Introduction to Knowledge Management - Focus

An Introduction to Knowledge Management - Focus Nowadays, the boundaries of companies and organisations are blurring as the world is becoming increasingly connected.  As Dave Gray puts it: “by changing the way we create, access and share information, social networks are changing the power structure in society”. Knowledge management is a key way to harness these changes and in this article Ill explain why and how to do so. Knowledge Management Knowledge Management develops systems and processes to acquire and share intellectual assets and collective knowledge. It increases the amount  of useful, actionable, and meaningful information available, and seeks to increase both individual and team learning. In addition, Knowledge Management can maximise the value of an organisation’s intellectual base, across diverse functions and disparate locations. In this article  I will take you through the theories behind Knowledge Management and share three best practices, so youre able to take this advice directly to your business or organisation. Benefits of Knowledge Management There are two different sets of benefits associated with good knowledge management: traditional benefits and connectivity benefits. Traditional benefits are well known by most organisations. These include: better use of existing resources increased productivity and consistency establishment of best practices creation of institutional memory team retention faster learning curves competitive advantage capacity to replicate success. With these benefits, good knowledge management helps the organisation to stay flexible and adaptable, while promoting creativity and innovation. On the other hand, connectivity benefits include: internal and external support networks empowerment and engagement trust and reputation wider geographical reach a stronger and united voice, given that nowadays every member of an organisation is also an ambassador.   In recent times, these connectivity benefits are gaining more relevance as companies are adapting to new ways of operating. As a result, companies are  working more with both trusted partners and  freelance professionals, who are drawn on  for project work.   Get started with Knowledge Mapping! Sign up for MindMeister Try it free! Sign up for MindMeister Does Knowledge Management always work? Based on my fifteen years of experience and exposure to numerous companies and industries, my answer would be no. Every now and then, companies decide to embark on a knowledge management initiative, because many executives recognise intellectual capital as their most valuable asset. A typical mistake is to assign such an initiative to the IT department, when two key elements of knowledge management are the people involved and their willingness to share. For this reason, any Knowledge Management initiative should focus on the people, not the technology. Principles for good practice In this series of articles, we will elaborate on how to implement a successful knowledge management initiative and how collaborative mind mapping can help with this process. This innovative approach is based on the following three principles for good practice: 1. Have documents which are easy to create, share and re-arrange Members of your organisation should be able to share their knowledge in the easiest way possible. If the process  is difficult, the level of engagement and amount of contribution will reduce dramatically. Similarly, any knowledge domain is organic and will evolve with time, so the different domains and different knowledge assets will need to be re-arranged (forgotten even). This process should also be extremely easy. In my experience, SharePoint and Wikis won’t fulfill this principle, especially when it comes to re-arranging, which is why we advocate for knowledge mapping. A Knowledge Map on the social media strategy at MeisterLabs, for example, could end up looking something like this: 2. Knowledge should be organised as an ontology, not as a taxonomy In case I’m not using these big terms in their traditional sense; by taxonomy I mean a tree diagram, and by ontology I mean something like a network. We are all very familiar with working with folders and folders within folders (a taxonomy). Sadly, this system for storing information is not good enough for capturing our precious common knowledge. Different people access different domains of knowledge via different paths. Mind mapping allow us to create intuitive models of the common knowledge (ontologies) which are easy to navigate and work with. 3. The knowledge model should be built from the ground up This third principle is quite straight-forward: whatever the Knowledge Management system, it should be built from the ground up. We recommend building your Knowledge Management system around communities of practice and starting small. The way we do it is as follows: first choose a specific company objective that is closely connected to knowledge (low hanging fruit), second define a small community of practice around it and give them a clear goal. Finally, start working on that specific domain for that specific target. By doing so you will create a small but functional Knowledge Management environment, which is useful for everyone from day one. People within this community will feel ownership, will subsequently look after their domains and will feel comfortable using the platform. Next steps So there’s our overview of the benefits of Knowledge Management and the three key principles for good practice, to begin our Knowledge Mapping series. Stay tuned for the next article in which well discuss: What should be considered knowledge and what should be considered information and the differences between, using a few intuitive examples An introduction to Knowledge Mapping, as we demonstrate how to use MindMeister to map knowledge. In you enjoyed this article, check out the second article in the Knowledge Mapping series: How to Build a Knowledge Map. Get started with Knowledge Mapping. Try out MindMeister Its free! Try out MindMeister An Introduction to Knowledge Management - Focus Nowadays, the boundaries of companies and organisations are blurring as the world is becoming increasingly connected.  As Dave Gray puts it: “by changing the way we create, access and share information, social networks are changing the power structure in society”. Knowledge management is a key way to harness these changes and in this article Ill explain why and how to do so. Knowledge Management Knowledge Management develops systems and processes to acquire and share intellectual assets and collective knowledge. It increases the amount  of useful, actionable, and meaningful information available, and seeks to increase both individual and team learning. In addition, Knowledge Management can maximise the value of an organisation’s intellectual base, across diverse functions and disparate locations. In this article  I will take you through the theories behind Knowledge Management and share three best practices, so youre able to take this advice directly to your business or organisation. Benefits of Knowledge Management There are two different sets of benefits associated with good knowledge management: traditional benefits and connectivity benefits. Traditional benefits are well known by most organisations. These include: better use of existing resources increased productivity and consistency establishment of best practices creation of institutional memory team retention faster learning curves competitive advantage capacity to replicate success. With these benefits, good knowledge management helps the organisation to stay flexible and adaptable, while promoting creativity and innovation. On the other hand, connectivity benefits include: internal and external support networks empowerment and engagement trust and reputation wider geographical reach a stronger and united voice, given that nowadays every member of an organisation is also an ambassador.   In recent times, these connectivity benefits are gaining more relevance as companies are adapting to new ways of operating. As a result, companies are  working more with both trusted partners and  freelance professionals, who are drawn on  for project work.   Get started with Knowledge Mapping! Sign up for MindMeister Try it free! Sign up for MindMeister Does Knowledge Management always work? Based on my fifteen years of experience and exposure to numerous companies and industries, my answer would be no. Every now and then, companies decide to embark on a knowledge management initiative, because many executives recognise intellectual capital as their most valuable asset. A typical mistake is to assign such an initiative to the IT department, when two key elements of knowledge management are the people involved and their willingness to share. For this reason, any Knowledge Management initiative should focus on the people, not the technology. Principles for good practice In this series of articles, we will elaborate on how to implement a successful knowledge management initiative and how collaborative mind mapping can help with this process. This innovative approach is based on the following three principles for good practice: 1. Have documents which are easy to create, share and re-arrange Members of your organisation should be able to share their knowledge in the easiest way possible. If the process  is difficult, the level of engagement and amount of contribution will reduce dramatically. Similarly, any knowledge domain is organic and will evolve with time, so the different domains and different knowledge assets will need to be re-arranged (forgotten even). This process should also be extremely easy. In my experience, SharePoint and Wikis won’t fulfill this principle, especially when it comes to re-arranging, which is why we advocate for knowledge mapping. A Knowledge Map on the social media strategy at MeisterLabs, for example, could end up looking something like this: 2. Knowledge should be organised as an ontology, not as a taxonomy In case I’m not using these big terms in their traditional sense; by taxonomy I mean a tree diagram, and by ontology I mean something like a network. We are all very familiar with working with folders and folders within folders (a taxonomy). Sadly, this system for storing information is not good enough for capturing our precious common knowledge. Different people access different domains of knowledge via different paths. Mind mapping allow us to create intuitive models of the common knowledge (ontologies) which are easy to navigate and work with. 3. The knowledge model should be built from the ground up This third principle is quite straight-forward: whatever the Knowledge Management system, it should be built from the ground up. We recommend building your Knowledge Management system around communities of practice and starting small. The way we do it is as follows: first choose a specific company objective that is closely connected to knowledge (low hanging fruit), second define a small community of practice around it and give them a clear goal. Finally, start working on that specific domain for that specific target. By doing so you will create a small but functional Knowledge Management environment, which is useful for everyone from day one. People within this community will feel ownership, will subsequently look after their domains and will feel comfortable using the platform. Next steps So there’s our overview of the benefits of Knowledge Management and the three key principles for good practice, to begin our Knowledge Mapping series. Stay tuned for the next article in which well discuss: What should be considered knowledge and what should be considered information and the differences between, using a few intuitive examples An introduction to Knowledge Mapping, as we demonstrate how to use MindMeister to map knowledge. In you enjoyed this article, check out the second article in the Knowledge Mapping series: How to Build a Knowledge Map. Get started with Knowledge Mapping. Try out MindMeister Its free! Try out MindMeister An Introduction to Knowledge Management - Focus Nowadays, the boundaries of companies and organisations are blurring as the world is becoming increasingly connected.  As Dave Gray puts it: “by changing the way we create, access and share information, social networks are changing the power structure in society”. Knowledge management is a key way to harness these changes and in this article Ill explain why and how to do so. Knowledge Management Knowledge Management develops systems and processes to acquire and share intellectual assets and collective knowledge. It increases the amount  of useful, actionable, and meaningful information available, and seeks to increase both individual and team learning. In addition, Knowledge Management can maximise the value of an organisation’s intellectual base, across diverse functions and disparate locations. In this article  I will take you through the theories behind Knowledge Management and share three best practices, so youre able to take this advice directly to your business or organisation. Benefits of Knowledge Management There are two different sets of benefits associated with good knowledge management: traditional benefits and connectivity benefits. Traditional benefits are well known by most organisations. These include: better use of existing resources increased productivity and consistency establishment of best practices creation of institutional memory team retention faster learning curves competitive advantage capacity to replicate success. With these benefits, good knowledge management helps the organisation to stay flexible and adaptable, while promoting creativity and innovation. On the other hand, connectivity benefits include: internal and external support networks empowerment and engagement trust and reputation wider geographical reach a stronger and united voice, given that nowadays every member of an organisation is also an ambassador.   In recent times, these connectivity benefits are gaining more relevance as companies are adapting to new ways of operating. As a result, companies are  working more with both trusted partners and  freelance professionals, who are drawn on  for project work.   Get started with Knowledge Mapping! Sign up for MindMeister Try it free! Sign up for MindMeister Does Knowledge Management always work? Based on my fifteen years of experience and exposure to numerous companies and industries, my answer would be no. Every now and then, companies decide to embark on a knowledge management initiative, because many executives recognise intellectual capital as their most valuable asset. A typical mistake is to assign such an initiative to the IT department, when two key elements of knowledge management are the people involved and their willingness to share. For this reason, any Knowledge Management initiative should focus on the people, not the technology. Principles for good practice In this series of articles, we will elaborate on how to implement a successful knowledge management initiative and how collaborative mind mapping can help with this process. This innovative approach is based on the following three principles for good practice: 1. Have documents which are easy to create, share and re-arrange Members of your organisation should be able to share their knowledge in the easiest way possible. If the process  is difficult, the level of engagement and amount of contribution will reduce dramatically. Similarly, any knowledge domain is organic and will evolve with time, so the different domains and different knowledge assets will need to be re-arranged (forgotten even). This process should also be extremely easy. In my experience, SharePoint and Wikis won’t fulfill this principle, especially when it comes to re-arranging, which is why we advocate for knowledge mapping. A Knowledge Map on the social media strategy at MeisterLabs, for example, could end up looking something like this: 2. Knowledge should be organised as an ontology, not as a taxonomy In case I’m not using these big terms in their traditional sense; by taxonomy I mean a tree diagram, and by ontology I mean something like a network. We are all very familiar with working with folders and folders within folders (a taxonomy). Sadly, this system for storing information is not good enough for capturing our precious common knowledge. Different people access different domains of knowledge via different paths. Mind mapping allow us to create intuitive models of the common knowledge (ontologies) which are easy to navigate and work with. 3. The knowledge model should be built from the ground up This third principle is quite straight-forward: whatever the Knowledge Management system, it should be built from the ground up. We recommend building your Knowledge Management system around communities of practice and starting small. The way we do it is as follows: first choose a specific company objective that is closely connected to knowledge (low hanging fruit), second define a small community of practice around it and give them a clear goal. Finally, start working on that specific domain for that specific target. By doing so you will create a small but functional Knowledge Management environment, which is useful for everyone from day one. People within this community will feel ownership, will subsequently look after their domains and will feel comfortable using the platform. Next steps So there’s our overview of the benefits of Knowledge Management and the three key principles for good practice, to begin our Knowledge Mapping series. Stay tuned for the next article in which well discuss: What should be considered knowledge and what should be considered information and the differences between, using a few intuitive examples An introduction to Knowledge Mapping, as we demonstrate how to use MindMeister to map knowledge. In you enjoyed this article, check out the second article in the Knowledge Mapping series: How to Build a Knowledge Map. Get started with Knowledge Mapping. Try out MindMeister Its free! Try out MindMeister

The Truth About What Alcohol Abuse Does to a Fetus

The Truth About Fetal Alcohol Abuse Would you have ever thought of physically, mentally, and/or emotionally harming an unborn child? In the 1990s people have noted the significant impact alcohol-related birth defects are having on our society then and now. My essay will discuss alcohol consumption among pregnant women and its adverse effects on fetal development. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is physical and mental health problem that destroys a childs learning development. Women risk their unborn children when they consume alcohol during pregnancy and puts their children at risk for multiple constellations of abnormalities when they are born. Which also hinders babies from reaching their full potential in life.†¦show more content†¦Christine Gorman says that â€Å"FAS children have to be supervised at all times and my never become independent†. FAS causes a child to not know the difference from right and wrong thus getting them in a deep amount of trouble. FAS can cause a range of facial anomalies such as, short palpebral fissures, flat midface, indistinct philtrum, a thin upper lip and much more. Major organs systems such as the heart, kidneys, liver, and skeleton can be impaired. causes permanent damage to the child. Young children with FAS grow retardation, certain facial abnormalities and central nervous system impairment. Once the child has grown to their teenage years they can feel excluded from other kids and even adults. Some teens with FAS can feel suicidal. Teens can have suicidal thoughts and or actions. Babies exposed to alcohol in the womb have showed signs of developing their stress response. FAS children, teens, and adults take everything to heart and dont take the negatives to a domestic level. Babies exposed to alcohol in the womb have showed signs of developing their stress response. Even a healthy babies, brain development would be effected by living in poverty, with stresses ranging from a parents unemployment to violence, or even losing heat during co ld winters. FAS can cause memory loss among fourteen year olds whose mother had drank alcohol while their child was in the womb. FAS children and teens speak toShow MoreRelatedShould Abortion Be Morally Justified?1467 Words   |  6 Pagesinformation about the topic to make an educated decision. In addition, this is one of the greatest controversial topics in American culture currently, and it is significant to educate people on the material before aimlessly determining if abortion can be morally justified. The question remains, what is abortion? Abortion is when a person intentionally and deliberately ends a human pregnancy. While there are many various deliberations to be addressed, the emphasis will be on, is the fetus a living beingRead MoreIs Abortion Morally Wrong?1704 Words   |  7 Pagespeople to find their position. People who support banishing legal abortions are usually referred to as â€Å"pro-lifers.† They usually believe in standing up for the unspoken rights of the fetus and believe that the practice of abortion is morally wrong. Expanding upon the theory of predestination, it is believed that the fetus itself has its own freedom, and it is their job to represent and protect those God-given rights. The â€Å"pro-choicers,† on the other hand, are commonly mistaken as people who not onlyRead MoreA Secular Defense of Pro-Life2727 Words   |  11 Pageshaving abortion legalized, and the rights attributed to every human being; first, however, the stance taken in this paper will be further defined and clarified. 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Despite a tremendous amount of researcher with alcoholism into the cause of alcoholism and effective treatments, no one has been able to stop it yet. Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations† (Medical-Dictionary). Like any disease, alcoholismRead MoreThe Death Of The Indian Independence Movement1952 Words   |  8 Pagesdecades have verified and solidified this age-old truth. Dr. Jerome LeJeune, Professor of Genetics at the University of Descartes, Paris, discoverer of the chromosome pattern of Down s Syndrome and winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine stated, After fertilization has taken place a new human being has come into being†¦ this is no longer a matter of taste or opinion, it is not a metaphysical contention, it is plain experiment al evidence.... (When Does). As soon as the sperm makes contact with the egg

The Fight Against Human Trafficking - 1883 Words

During the Clinton Global Initiative in 2014, President Obama spoke up about the mistreatment of people through trafficking â€Å"The fight against human trafficking is one of the great human rights causes of our time† (Hagen). Even with every survivor’s breathtaking story of their abuse and of their time spent as slaves, there are still hundreds of thousands of women suffering everyday. In fact, known victims of human trafficking are disproportionately women who most commonly suffer one of two mistreatments: sexual exploitation and forced labor (Slavery and Human Trafficking). Human Trafficking is a global issue and it is up to the people and the government to stop this modern day slavery. Many of these victims are women who are forced into labor and sexual exploitation. However, through charity, federal laws, and the help of social activists, countries around the world can come together to help put an end to human trafficking. Trafficking for women primarily come in acts of sexual exploitation such as forcing women in prostitution, subjecting women to slavery and involuntary servitude, and forcing them into sexual acts for pornography. Through research and statistics we have an approximate percentage of the types of exploitation women endure during there abduction into slavery. On average, 80% of women trafficking victims endure sexual exploitation and 19% endure labor exploitation (11 Facts About Human Trafficking). In Iran, women are sold false lies of finding love andShow MoreRelatedAmerica s Fight Against Human Trafficking1773 Words   |  8 PagesThe United States of America has been fighting human trafficking since the 1800s, when slavery happened to be was outlawed. Since then, several laws have been passed to help the fight against human trafficking. 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Once imprisoned the victims are told they now have large debtsRead MoreThe Human Of Human Trafficking Epidemic1448 Words   |  6 PagesThe Human Trafficking Epidemic Introduction Dai is a victim of human trafficking. She became a victim when she met a military man and fell in love. He then convinced her to to move to a remote location with him. She agreed and once she got there, she was beaten and raped. She was eventually able to escape, but the man had taken all of her forms of identification. This meant that she was unable to really get any help or start a new life. From there she became a street walker to help make money soRead MoreHuman Trafficking Is The Second Largest Form Of Organized Crime1470 Words   |  6 PagesHuman Trafficking in Oklahoma Individuals all over the world are at risk of being abducted and sold into some form of human trafficking or forced prostitution. Worldwide, human trafficking is the second largest form of organized crime. This is especially true in Oklahoma. Interstate Highways Forty, Thirty-five, and Forty-four all three run through Oklahoma, stretching from coast to coast, and from Mexico to Canada. These highways make Oklahoma an ideal crossroads for human trafficking. Because ofRead MoreHuman Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery1531 Words   |  7 PagesHuman trafficking is modern day slavery that occurs with both genders of all ages. Human trafficking occurs mostly in poorer countries like Asia, and Eastern Europe and isn t solely sexual slavery; the victims can be used for labor purposes also. Organizations like Shared Hope International and Coalition Against Trafficking in Women fight to rescue the victims of human trafficking. These organizations spread the dangers of human trafficking through education and public awareness. Often times traffickingRead MoreHuman Trafficking : The Illegal Act Of Trading Humans1157 Words   |  5 PagesTH 2pm Final Draft Human trafficking is the illegal act of trading humans for any type of forced behavior, such as prostitution or labor. It is estimated by the United Nations that four million people around the world are victims of human trafficking each year. This global issue needs to be better controlled by foreign and domestic cooperation and awareness. One of the most important things to know about human trafficking is the different forms. While sexual human trafficking is the most commonRead MoreHuman Trafficking Is The Illegal Act Of The Trading Of Human Beings1510 Words   |  7 PagesHuman trafficking is the illegal act of the trading of human beings for the main purposes of sexual slavery, and forced labor. The 1400’s was the beginning of the African slave trade and has been going on ever since. This crime started in the 1400s and has been ongoing ever since, growing exponentially every decade. This crime is a violation of human rights and yet it is happening worldwide, even here in the United States. This needs to be stopped because victims in this system experience physicalRead MoreHuman Trafficking Annotated Bibliography Essay866 Words   |  4 PagesHuman trafficking An annotated bibliography Web Links Anti-Slavery International http://www.antislavery.org/ Anti-Slavery Internationals Trafficking Programme comprises three elements: campaigning to end human trafficking, lobbying for victim protection, and research on measures governments take to protect victims of trafficking, especially those who act as witnesses. The web site provides information about both current and historical slavery operations. The UN Global Programme Against TraffickingRead MoreHuman Trafficking in Houston Essay861 Words   |  4 Pagesneed to be aware of ongoing human slavery that tarnished the I-10 freeway and they need to know how they can stop the plague of Human Trafficking on Houston Texas. This past January, President Barack Obama recognized Human Trafficking Awareness month. In a published statement the President said he wanted to, â€Å"recognize the people, organizations and government entities that are working to combat human trafficking,† and â€Å"recommit to bringing an end to this inexcusable human rights abuse.† AccordingRead MoreNuclear Crisis Research Paper1194 Words   |  5 Pages2017 are†¦. North Korea nuclear weapons, illegal immigrants/DACA, human trafficking Native Americans. The political issues our country is facing are very serious because we are having to defend against North Korea setting off nuclear weapons that can easily travel to the United States. In addition, the United States is having to deal with DACA and how to solve this issue. The last issue the United States is facing is human trafficking Native Americans from their lands. One issue the U.S. faces is North

Inner Journey Cosi Free Essays

William F Buckley quoted â€Å"If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey most of us would never start at all†. This quote relates to journeys, specifically to inner journeys with the intention that many journeys are difficult and if individuals knew how difficult the journey was going to be, then most of us would not even commence the journey. A journey is simply a movement from one place to another. We will write a custom essay sample on Inner Journey Cosi or any similar topic only for you Order Now Physical journeys are gateways to inner journeys, which is a journey of the mind and spirit. Inner journeys take place when an individual experiences events or is involved in relationships that act as a catalyst to gain greater understanding about themselves and the world. Inner journeys can be deliberately initiated, but is usually the result of new circumstances where the individual changes themselves or their perspective of themselves, others or the world. Cosi the play written by Louis Nowra, the poem from the stimulus booklet, The Road Not Taken, written by Robert Frost, the film Coach Carter, directed by Thomas Carter and the song lyrics At Seventeen by Janis Ian are all texts which show an inner journey has taken place where perceptions of an individual, others and the world has changed. In studying this concept of inner journey through these texts, my understanding of individuals, the world and myself has significantly been expanded and developed to a large extent, and I too have experienced an inner journey as my views of myself, individuals and the world has changed. In the play Cosi an inner journey takes place unexpectedly in the protagonist, Lewis. Lewis gets a job with mental patients directing a play and at first is apprehensive about working with mental patients, though Lewis learns to respect the patients and treat them as individuals. Nowra uses a range of techniques such as dialogue, contrast lighting and metaphors to show the inner journey and the change occurring in Lewis. The use of dialogue demonstrates the change in Lewis. Before Lewis began his inner journey he saw political issues more important than love and fidelity, ‘love is not so important nowadays’ Lewis says in Act 1. At the end of the play, Lewis’s priorities, attitudes and values have changed as he realises that politics is not as important as love and fidelity. In Act Two, Lewis says to Lucy about the play ‘its about important things, like love and fidelity’ revealing that his priorities have changed. Lewis’s catalyst to begin his journey was his need for money. He says in Act One ‘I need the money, Lucy’, but by the end of the play he has grown to love the patients, become friends with them and see them as human beings ‘they need me†¦I’m not going to let them down’, Lewis says to Lucy in Act 2. The contrast with Lewis, and Nick and Lucy highlights the change in Lewis, as Nick and Lucy do not change, and do not experience an inner journey as they continue to see the world in terms of politics, and never come to an understanding of the important things like love and fidelity. Some inner journeys do not result in a change, which is the case with the mental patients, though they do gain confidence and come out of their shells. Lighting is another way in which Nowra demonstrates Lewis’s inner journey, and his learning experiences. The play begins in a burnt-out theatre, it is dark, which is a metaphor for Lewis’ lack of awareness, and Lewis is trying to find a light. In the middle of the play, during rehearsals, the lights go out and Lewis and Julie kiss. The lights come back on which suggests a transition has taken place, that Lewis is no longer ‘in the dark’ and is now at similar levels of the patients, as he starts to see them as ‘normal’. The outcome for Lewis is that he gains understanding and learns a lot about himself, others and the world. My knowledge of inner journeys has expanded deeply, as I now know, not all people change extensively as a result of inner journeys, but learning experiences. The poem The Road Not Taken is an extended metaphor for life and the difficult choices we are faced with and must making during out life journey. The metaphor transfers the journey from a physical one. The persona is confronted with the choice of two roads, both fairly similar ‘two roads diverged in a yellow wood’, and must decide which one he wants to travel. This is similar to Lewis’s situation where he has to decide between politics, and true love and fidelity and which is more important. The persona, with ultimately choosing the one that was ‘grassy and wanted wear’ and the ‘ one less travelled by’. He wanted to break away from the norm and experience something new. This road may be more rewarding despite the fact it presents more challenges. The inner journey is depicted through the use of language techniques such as, extended metaphor, first person pronoun, repetition and symbolism. The use of first person pronoun ‘I’ shows that it is a personal journey where choices need to be made. The repetition of ‘I’ in the last stanza highlights the speaker’s solitude and that he is proud of the choice he has made ‘and I-I took the one less travelled by’, also emphasises that we are responsible for our own decisions on our own journey. It helps the audience connect to the poem and inturn reflect on their own inner journey experiences. Frost uses symbolism in the word in the first line of the first stanza in ‘yellow’ of the wood. This symbolises the season autumn and the autumnal time in ones life where time is running out and decisions need to be made, this demonstrates the start of his inner journey. The speaker wants to choose both roads but knows he can only decide on one road to travel, and has regret in ‘Sorry I could not travel both and be one traveller’, this is like many of life decisions. In the end, the persona is satisfied with the decision and the inner journey has transformed him into a unique individual and ‘made all the difference’. In learning about Frost’s poem, it has helped me understand the difficult choices we are faced with making everyday and how we wonder ‘what if’ even after the choice has been made. I have come to an understanding about the world as decisions we make today, have a huge effect on our future and what tomorrow will be like. It is evident that in Coach Carter an inner journey has taken place in the young characters, just like Lewis in Cosi. The film covers the story of Coach Ken Carter, a basketball coach given the job to coach a high-school basketball team, Caucasian and predominantly African American young, troubled and angry boys. Junior, Jason, Cruz, Worm and Kenyon are the only boys that change significantly, as a result of an inner journey. Like the mental patients in Cosi, Coach’s son Damien, who is also part of the team, goes on an inner journey but does not result in a significance change, only learning experiences. The director, Carters uses various techniques including characterisation, contrast, language and dialogue to show the boys inner journey taking place. Coach sets rules and guidelines for the boys to follow with basketball and school and if they do adhere there are consequences. ‘I took this job because I wanted to affect change in a special group of young men’ Coach says. Coach is the boy’s catalyst for their inner journey. Before the boys met Coach they were academically troubled as they were skipping classes as well as basketball practice and therefore losing a majority of their basketball games. Carter successfully uses characterisation of the boys throughout the film to show their alteration. Contrast is used in the language of the boys before and after their journey, to show that the inner journey has taken place to the audience. At the beginning of the film the boys used harsh, vulgar language, ‘nigga’ and ‘dog’. This is contrasted with their language at the end of the film, as they no longer use derogatory language instead, they treat people with respect. This is shown in the language when they refer to Coach as ‘sir’. The boys eventually reach their expected grade point average and win all their basketball games. The boy’s alteration is shown through dialogue with the boys and Coach. At the beginning of the film, Worm rudely asks Coach ‘are you some country church nigga? ’. This dialogue is compared with the dialogue at the end ‘Sir, I just want to say thankyou, you saved my life’, Worm tells Coach. This shows that Worm’s inner journey was a success. Coach tells the boys ‘I came to coach basketball players and they became students, I came to teach boys and they became men’. This dialogue of Coach shows the boy’s transformation from boys to men. The boys had two paths to choose from, like the persona in The Road Not Taken. The boys chose the path that was most difficult, as it would require them to work and study hard in school. Coach said ‘I promise to do everything in my power to get you to college and a better life’, and that’s exactly what he did. At the end of the film, the boys lost their championship, but they ‘achieved something that most people spend their whole lives trying to find, that ever-elusive victory within’. The boys learnt that there is much more in life than winning basketball. Watching this film has helped me to understand that a relationship can act as a catalyst for inner journeys, and can have a significant effect on an individual’s life. At Seventeen, is a song and an example of an inner journey and how inner journeys can change an individual’s perception of things or people. The inner journey in this text is the journey of growing up and seeing life from a different perspective. It is Ian’s reflection of her teenage life at ‘seventeen’, the pains of growing up and what it was like being unattractive and unpopular when ‘names were never called when choosing sides for basketball’. This song was recorded when Ian was twenty-four, by then she was older and wiser. In Ian’s younger years she was not socially accepted and back then to her, it meant everything to be a ‘beauty queen’. Through the use of techniques such as dialogue, first and second person, symbolism and past and present tense, Ian is able to emphasise her inner journey. Ian’s experiences of ‘lacking in the social graces’ and ‘inventing lovers on the phone’ are revealed through dialogue. This technique highlights she was once different and uneducated by the ways of popularity and lived in an unreal world to appear popular to society. Her journey has transformed her into a mature adult and ‘it was long ago and far away’. She has now developed as a person because of her experiences as a teenager. The use of both first and second person lyrics in ‘I learned the truth at seventeen’ and ‘those of us with ravaged faces’ makes the song more personal and shows delve into the personas deepest thoughts, as she recalls them and allows the listener to identify with how she is feeling. It helps the listeners to empathise and connect with the song as many teenagers today are experiencing a similar inner journey of acceptance and adolescence life. Ian has used symbolism in ‘ugly-duckling girls like me’, and the implication here is that she turns into a swan eventually, which symbolises that she grows into a well-accepted human being. This change highlights that an inner journey has occurred as Ian has learnt to accept herself and that there is more to life than looks. The technique of past tense used in ‘called’ and present tense in ‘call’ is used by Ian to reflect and show her perspective changing over time, as she has travels on the inner journey of life. At Seventeen articulates that as you get older you view life differently because of your past experiences and inner journeys. These composers have each explored the concept of inner journey through various techniques to highlight the inner journey taken place. In studying these texts my understanding has been developed has expanded. I have acknowledged that inner journeys are an important part of everybody’s life and this allows individuals to gain greater understanding about themselves, others and the world. How to cite Inner Journey Cosi, Papers

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Literary Essay free essay sample

With great power comes great responsibility. Many people have great power, but tend to abuse it. A common example of this abuse is using people below ones authority to do most of the work, or black mail them. Then there are the people who utilize power carefully whilst not abusing them. In the novel â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest† by Ken Kesey, McMurphy ultimately wins the power struggle with Nurse Ratched which leads to the patients recovery, her loss of control over the ward, and Nurse Ratched’s struggle for power. Before McMurphy arrived at the ward, Nurse Ratched had complete dominance over the patients. They did exactly what she said, no questions asked. She kept them there by making them feel insecure and unfit for society. Nurse Ratched had a logbook setup that appeared to be beneficial to the patients. In reality, the logbook was a method for Nurse Ratched to gather information which would be used against the patients for sending them to the main building. We will write a custom essay sample on One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest Literary Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page â€Å"They spy on each other. Sometimes one man says something about himself that he didn’t aim to let slip, to get enough evidence to have some guy reconditioned† (Kesey, 15). Nurse Ratched is exploiting the patients by making them turn against one another, they do not realize this as they are blinded by the fact that they get rewarded. The guy that wrote the piece of information in the log book, he gets a star by his name†¦and gets to sleep late the next day. † (Kesey,15). They desperately need the reward, to feel the slightest bit of comfort, due to the lock of freedom they get in the ward. After McMurphy arrived at the ward, he noticed that most of the patients were not mentally ill, and had no reason to be there. â€Å"I can understand it with some of those old guys on the ward. They’re nuts. But you, you’re not exactly the everyday man on the street, but you’re not nuts. † (Kesey, 195). Most of the men had lost their personalities, confidence, guts which caused them to deem themselves unfit to go back into society. â€Å"You could get along outside if you had the guts†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Sure! †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ If we had the g-guts. † (Kesey, 195). The men had been drained of all they had by Nurse Ratched, they had nothing left. In order to help them regain what they had been stripped of, McMurphy took them on a fishing trip. The fishing trip gave them some time outside of the institution, they were free to do whatever they wanted knowing they were ot being watched, or in the presence of Nurse Ratched. The fishing trip was very therapeutic to the patients, as it taught them a bit of how to deal with the outside world. â€Å"We were three jackets short, and there was a fuss as to who’d be the three that braved that bar without jackets. †¦ Everybody was kind of surprised that Billy had volunteered, took his life jacket off right away when we found we were short, and helped the girl into it. † (Kesey, 252). Before McMurphy came the ward, Billy would never have volunteered for anything. He would not have the confidence to stick out of the crowd. Billy rising above the crowd is a clear indication of the positive influence McMurphy had on the ward. They learn how to resolve their own issues, and see themselves as men. This gives them a huge positive influence on their confidence. Slowly, they start to realize they have proven themselves to the outside world. At end of the fishing trip, they show everyone their huge catches, and are proud of what they did. The men eventually get their confidence back and their back to how they were when they first joined the ward if not better. During the party McMurphy was throwing for his last day, most of the men had their confidence back, Billy Bibbit also lost his stutter after losing his virginity. The patients discussed about leaving the hospital after a few more weeks, whereas at the beginning of the novels they had no guts to leave. This also shows they no longer fear Nurse Ratched. At the beginning of the novel, the ward had complete control over the patients. The rules that were enforced would run the patients lives, such as the daily routine everyone had to follow, toothpaste locked away, and loud music. They did not get any say in what they wanted. As the novel progressed, Nurse Ratched gradually lost control. †We can see the nurse’s face get red and her mouth work as she stares at him, everybody’s watching what she’s going to do—even the black boys and the little nurses†¦she flips a switch and the TV picture swirls back into the gray†¦Ã¢â‚¬ You’re committed, you realize. You are †¦ under the jurisdiction of me†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Mr. Harding! You return to your†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Mr. Har-ding! †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ You men—Stop this. Stop! † We’re all sitting there†¦and she’s ranting and screaming behind us. † (Kesey, 143-144). This is the first incident Nurse Ratched had no control over the patients in the ward. In her furious mentality, she suspends privileges in an attempt to display her authority again, and starts rationing cigarettes. That did not help much as the men still question her authority and her control goes downhill from here as there is not much she can do anymore. As soon as McMurphy set foot in the hospital, she knew he was a threat to her by the way he acted. She tries one of her old tactics and tries to humiliate McMurphy by calling him â€Å"Mr. McMurry† (Kessey, 25). She sees McMurphy as a threat from the beginning as can be seen by what she said, â€Å"That is exactly what the new patient is planning: to take over. He is what we call a ‘manipulator’. (Kessey, 27). His first attempt at changing Nurse Ratched fragile system was to change the routine, but he did not have any supports. He needed a team to make changes to the place, as Nurse Ratched required a majority vote, so McMurphy made a bet with the ward members, to drive her off the throne, without her having any power over him. He disobeys ward policies, such as taking showers when they were not permitted, and brushing his teeth. When Nurse Ratched arrived to work that day, she went berserk but kept it to herself. Another incident was when he claimed someone stole his clothes, and he takes off his towel only to see whale shorts. â€Å"She closes her eyes and concentrates. She cannot have them see her face like this, white and wrapped with fury. She uses all the power of control that is in her. Gradually the lips gather together again under the little white nose, run together, like the red-host wire had got hot enough to melt† (Kesey, 99-10). This was a major incident that lead to her fall from the throne, she could not handle all the trouble McMurphy was causing. Another point when he also broke her down was when they were watching the blank TV imagining the World Series. She was completely helpless as, no one would listen to her. She thought she could shut him down once and for all when she tells McMurphy he is committed, but he reclaims himself by shattering the window not once, but twice. In the end, McMurphy’s last act was choking, and exposing Nurse Ratched’s weakness, he stripped her of her clothes, and exposed her chest to everyone, which she tried so hard to conceal from everyone throughout the novel. This completely broke down Nurse Ratched, and in revenge, she lobotomized McMurphy. She may have gotten rid of him, but he succeeded in destroying the system, and throwing her off the throne. As most people left the Ward after that, or transferred, McMurphy may be gone, but his work will haunt her forever. In conclusion, Nurse Ratched has lost her power forever, as she has no control over the institution or authority left, in exchange for McMurphy’s life, and the freedom of many of the wards patients. The patient’s recovery leads to the loss of Nurse Ratched’s control, which caused Nurse Ratched to struggle for power. In the end, she did not win by getting rid of McMurphy, as he weakened the power she had over people forever. As William Edward Hickson said, â€Å"If at first you do not succeed, try, try again†. McMurphy was a perfect representation of this goal, he kept going against Nurse Ratched to break her down. One should always keep trying to achieve their goal, very few succeed the first time. Works Cited Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Penguin Edition. United States of America: New American Library, February 1963

10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments

10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments Ask anyone how they promote their blog, and chances are pretty good that commenting on other blogs wont top the list. Most of us turn to social media to promote our blogs  because it works, and works quickly and measurably. With all of the social media outlets available, and a recent startling movement by a few large blogs to close blog comment sections, its easy to dismiss the idea of using your precious time going to blogs and leaving comments. Often, the comments you see are either great post, thanks!, blatant link spam, or (horrors) like something youd find in YouTube. Why Are Blog Comments Losing Favor? Bloggers have a love-hate relationship with their own blog comment section, too, for several reasons. Blog comments are not great for measurement. Judging your blog by the comments section can be disheartening. Though the number of comments helps towards your social proof, it is often less an indicator of actual readership and more an indicator of how controversial your post is. The truth is, blog comment numbers arent an accurate indicator of actual readership. Most readers dont participate on your blog, a phenomenon known as participation inequality. This means that 90% of the people lurk and dont participate, while 1% account for most of the participation. (Nielsen Norman Group) This means, as Nielsen pointed out, that blog comment sections arent a good place to get feedback because 1% of the people doing the talking might not be the most ideal percentage to base changes on. You might have nine readers that love what youre writing, but if you only hear from the one that doesnt (and more often than not, people are spurred on by a negative reaction to leave a comment), it is disheartening. Blog comments are tempting for spammers. Incessant spamming is one of the reasons Copyblogger decided to close the comment section on their blog. The amount of time it took to police spam comments, and the sheer volume, was a tipping point. In a little over eight years, Copyblogger has published more than 130,000 approved comments. Which is pretty amazing, right? But over that period, that’s only about 4% of the comments that were left on the site. The remaining 96% were pointless, time-wasting spam. Thats over 3 million spam comments that Copyblogger has had thrown their direction!  On my low-traffic personal WordPress blog, I am frequently blown away by the amount of spam I receive in the comments. In just a few months, the numbers climb high. Granted, I have a plugin in place to catch nearly all of it (as does Copyblogger), but there are still a handful each day that gets by and end up in my email asking for moderation. I can only imagine how much Copyblogger had to deal with. Numbers that big are terrifying to some degree when I realize how quickly, without a simple spam plugin, my blogs comment section would a disaster. Spammers are incredibly sneaky. Ever get one of those comments that you just cant be sure if its spam or not, its that real? Spammers know that many bloggers require moderation only on the first comment made on a site. Once theyve been approved, they have free rein. So they leave a comment that you decide is real, and open the door to them. The threat of spammers, and the wasted time dealing with them, is exhausting. Blog comments have to be moderated. When it comes to comments on my personal blog, I have my WordPress settings as tight as they can be and a strict policy in place as to what kinds of comments Ill allow (no insulting me or other readers, stay on topic, no excessively foul language, etc.).  Spammers and the bad behavior of netizens  have forced me to moderate my comments when in the early days of blogging I took pride in letting the discussion unfold in real time sans moderation. I regret that I have to moderate, but without moderation, conversation can turn ugly. Bloggers are responsible for what appears on their blog; it is their property. You do not want to allow questionable comments that insult, attack, threaten or suggest harm to another person. While logical fallacies, overused memes, and trolls are probably inevitable even in legitimate comments, most of the truly awful you can head off at the pass by simply keeping it from being published. Moderation of blog comments means comments dont appear right away. It means some commenters dont understand why their comments dont appear and they submit multiple similar comments. It means some folks get upset when they dont see their legitimate comment right away and get after you for censoring   them (yep, its happened to me). But without moderation of comments, your blog will be spam central. Long and short of it? Because of spammers and people who cant behave, your comment section is going to take some effort to maintain and protect. Moderation will be required. Bloggers are afraid of Google. The idea of your comments section somehow bringing a penalty to your site is terrifying to bloggers. Though Matt Cutts has reassured bloggers that taking part in blog comments in a legitimate way is perfectly fine, recent penalty action taken by Google has bloggers a bit on edge. With good moderation and spam controls, and making sure that links in the comments section are no follow (which WordPress now does) you can protect yourself somewhat. It is important to take a serious rein on your comments section and be purposeful about it. You dont have to be afraid of SEO penalties as long as you protect your own comments section and dont use other blogs comments sections as a way to spam for your own site. Conversation is on the social networks, not the blog. Another reason Copyblogger provided for ending their comments was that the discussion was happening elsewhere, on social media.  This is discouraging if you are trying to build social proof on your actual blog, and see social media comment streams as a form of sharecropping your content off of your blog property. A blog comments section might seem antiquated in the face of this new conversation. If youve been blogging a while, youve probably noticed that social media has meant two things for your blog comments: They have dwindled considerably as people go to social media. The comments are shorter as social media shortens attention spans or gives people a place to write their own thoughts. (In the early days of blogging, some blog commenters had no blogs; they used blog commenting as the way they built their online reputation and authority.) Comment systems, though, are evolving. Plugins that support social media integration, or a comment system like Disqus, help tie your blogs comments into that social pulse. In that sense, you can bring that outside conversation back onto your own property. People are doing it wrong. Yes, some people (as in, you and me an others) arent doing the whole blog commenting thing the right way. Its hard to have purely altruistic motives, sometimes. What is it were doing? Well We participate in blog comments for linking purposes.  If you head into it at all thinking that youll get a link back to your site, youre doing it wrong. Youll be moderated, spammed, and possibly penalized. All we have to say is nice post, good job.  A comment section is for conversation. While Im familiar with the feeling of enjoying a post, having nothing to say, but wanting to let the blogger know, it would be better to share the post on social media and say this was a good post rather than create acres of comments that say good job. Anyone else roll their eyes when trying to sift through good job! and I agree! comments to get to something meatier? Were trolls. Were just there to argue and be jerks. Lets admit it. Weve all lost it in a blog comments section somewhere, and hang our heads in shame at who we became. We dont understand our comment is in the wrong place. How many times have you read a blog post where the author helpfully suggested a tech fix of some sort, just to be kind, and the comment section quickly fills with people (of all temperaments) wanting help from the author troubleshooting why it didnt work?   Sometimes we mistake a blog post on a particular topic as the place to go for help on that topic, and it isnt. Blog comments are for the strong. New to blogging? You may or may not be ready for the emotional toll some blog comments can take on you, depending upon what kind of posts you write and how much of a flashpoint your topics are. Blog comments can be hurtful and discouraging if you let them get to you. Even if you moderate them, you are still going to read them whether you publish them or not. It can be an open door to letting people shred or mock what was a very important thing to write about. If you are prone to taking things personally or are unable to distance yourself from what random strangers say to you, blog comments can be a real drag on your motivation to keep blogging. On the other hand, if you stick with it, you learn a very valuable skill: how to ignore people who are insignificant in your life. Comments on your blog will either give you a thick skin or cause you to give up.Why Blog Comments Are Important After reading all of that–practically an entire blog post on why you should abandon blog comments ASAP!–you might be convinced to do just that. Surely they arent worth the hassle or the threat of your innocent blog commenting activity creating a penalty for your blog. Hold on just a minute. Most of us arent Copyblogger, and arent experiencing the level of spam they were. Most of us dont have the volume of conversation happening elsewhere that they do; our social media conversations are smaller and need a home base on the blog. And, most importantly, participating in the comment sections of blogs does have a positive impact. All of the negatives aside, I love blog comments on a carefully moderated blog. Why? 1. Discover new blogs. I have probably found more useful sites, links, information, and downloads not through online searches but by people in blog comment sections sharing a relevant source. Plus, a well-written comment with a thoughtful take on the topic will often cause me to visit the website of the commenter. That comment is a preview of how their blog posts will be. I have found a huge chunk of the blogs I load into my RSS reader through blog comments sections, and where do you suppose I turn when I want to find content to share? That RSS reader. Taking time and leaving a relevant, useful comment is a way to bring people over to your website. Plugging yourself shamelessly in every post is a turn-off. 2. Learn more about the topic. A well-researched blog post isnt all there is to say on a topic. Word count or time restrictions can keep your ultimate guide blog post from not quite being the ultimate guide. The experience, knowledge, and resources commenters can bring to your post in the comment section add to the understanding of the topic. Im fairly certain, for example, that when you get to the end of this post, youll be thinking she forgot to mention this important thing and youll take it upon yourself to mention it (hint hint). Thats the beauty of blog comments: readers get to help build on the original post, helping the author and other readers learn more about the topic. Whether opposing view or adding to the supporting view, theres more to be said about most topics, and readers can help each other by commenting. 3. The enjoyment of being a regular. A coffee shop near where I work knows what Im going to order before I order it. I love that. I love going in and having them pick up the conversation where we left off. Its the joy of being a regular. The comment section of your blog is where the regulars (or the usual suspects, if its that kind of blog :-) gather. They know each other, they know your blog and can link back to old posts or other specific comments from the past. Regulars help turn your blog from being a sequential posting of articles into something organic that references itself. Plus, theres the ownership issue. I have had a handful of people who have read and commented on my personal blog for more than ten years, some of whom Ive met and weve become real-life friends. When you comment (and get response) regularly on a blog, you almost feel like you have ownership there, that its important you stay involved. Thats exactly the kind of reader and commenter you want.  Heck, some regulars even police the comments section and help you, as if they were forum moderators. They feel like its partly their place, too, and they want to help keep it clean. Blog comment sections are like the coffee house of the internet, where you introduce the discussion and let the regulars get busy discussing it. 4. Networking that works. Taking part in your own blog comment section shows the world youre not a hermit.  It says that you   are not just a one-way street, blasting your content out to them but unwilling to hear them back. (This is especially important if you are trying to build your blog traffic and get a bigger audience.) Being a one-way content pusher is sort of the equivalent of handing out business cards en masse and not bothering to do much listening as you turn around and walk away. It doesnt work. The back and forth conversation in blog comments, and and honest willingness to listen, is good networking. Just like you find new blogs to read, you make connections with the other regulars and break free of the limited circles of your social media. Blog comment sections bring in people you might not have discovered, otherwise, and truly expand your networking circles. One-sided networking never works. In order to make connections that matter, we have to be willing to give and take, and meet people outside of our usual social groups. 5. People link to where theyre being talked about. Ive found that if I have written a post that is getting some serious comment action, involving other bloggers and asking questions often leads to them writing a post about the conversation, and linking to my original post.  When Ive had a long run in a comment section and been actively participating, and I think Ive left some pretty good comments, you know what I do? I link to the post and often blog about it. It functions on the same principle as why small town newspapers run so many photos of the local sports team. I learned early on as a small town newspaper reporter that mentioning the names of people in the community in stories, and featuring their kids in school activities, was how you sold papers. Its the same reason people buy that expensive Whos Who book: theyre listed in it. We like to promote whats promoting us. 6. Easier-to-follow conversations. A lot of conversation happens on social media, sure, but it isnt always easy to follow. Some might be on Twitter (where following a discussion is like chasing the tail of a kite on a windy day), others on Google+. Different people saying interesting things, but because those multiple conversations are on different platforms? Never the two shall meet. And, conversation on social media fades away as the news feeds change. Its always been a frustration of mine that this happens. Admittedly, some of the social features of some comment systems that adjust the order of the comments according to votes by readers can be confusing, as they arent a threaded in-order conversation. While that technique helps commenters police out bad comments (in theory) it does add to confusion, too. But, at least all of the discussion is in one place. Taking part in blog comment sections makes it easier for readers who find the post to follow along and make sense of how the discussion goes. Latecomers can see what has already been said. 7. Social proof for your blog. If you see a listing of four blog posts, three with 6 comments listed, and one with 145 comments listed, which post are you going to dive into? Probably the 145-comment post. Clearly there is something going on there and lots of people are actively talking. We like to see what others are talking about, and we are more likely to join in because there are enough others in the conversation that it wont be too terrifying (this is especially true for lurkers who dont participate much). This is social proof in action, the idea that where we see a crowd, there must be something good.  Asking questions in your own comments is a good way to keep the ball rolling. Comments help encourage other comments; its a very good reason to respond to comments in your blog posts. Blog comments are great social proof. The more you have, the more you get.8. Get new ideas for fresh content. Has this ever happened to you? You write a post about topic. The discussion is active, and you find yourself leaving long comments. Pretty soon you think its probably best to write a whole new blog post because the topic has expanded and given you a lot to talk about, all thanks to the blog comments section. At the very least, youve probably found yourself realizing that there were questions or directions your readers have suggested that would make a great new blog post (or two or three). Thats happened here on this blog, even. It was in our blog comments where a reader brought up the need for social proof. It was a comment that piqued my curiosity and got me doing some research. I eventually wrote a blog post. Ive also written blog posts based on comments found on other blogs, too. Inevitably, I link back to the other blog (win for them), and I get a great post idea (win for me). Plus, I have a legitimate reason to leave a comment and say I wrote a post about this here and perhaps get some new readers. The comment section is a great place for idea generation. Its a group of people, batting ideas around.

MMC - SAT Scores, Costs and Admissions Data

MMC - SAT Scores, Costs and Admissions Data Marymount Manhattan College Admissions Overview: Marymount Manhattan College accepts over three-quarters of those who apply, making it accessible to the majority of applicants. Students can apply to the school through the schools application, or with the Common Application. In addition, students are required to send in test scores from the SAT or ACTthe majority of applicants submit SAT scores, but both are accepted equally. Additional materials include high school transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a personal statement. Admissions Data (2016): Marymount Manhattan College Acceptance Rate: 78%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 480 / 600SAT Math: 450 / 570SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 22Â  / 27ACT English: 21Â  / 30ACT Math: 18Â  / 25What these ACT numbers mean Marymount Manhattan College Description: Originally established in 1936 as a Catholic two-year womens college, Marymount Manhattan College is now a nonsectarian four-year liberal arts college. The college consists of two buildings on 71st Street in Manhattan, and the school is proud to declare the city itself as its campus. Students come from 48 states and 36 countries. MMC students can choose from 17 majors and 40 minors, and the college has particular strengths in communications and performing arts. Prospective students with strong grades and standardized test scores should look into the College Honors Program for an enriched learning environment. Academics at Marymount Manhattan College are supported by a 12 to 1Â  student / faculty ratio. Students have all the opportunities of New York City at their fingertips, but they can also participate in any of the colleges 39 student clubs and organizations. The college does not have any varsity athletic teams. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 2,069Â  (all undergraduate)Gender Breakdown: 23% Male / 77% Female89% Full-time Costs (2016Â  - 17): Tuition and Fees: $30,290Books: $1,000 (why so much?)Room and Board: $15,990Other Expenses: $7,500Total Cost: $54,780 Marymount Manhattan College Financial Aid (2015Â  - 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 94%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 93%Loans: 83%Average Amount of AidGrants: $13,810Loans: $7,778 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:Â  Art, Business, Communication Arts, Dance, English, Psychology, Sociology, Theatre Arts. Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 73%Transfer Out Rate: 41%4-Year Graduation Rate: 36%6-Year Graduation Rate: 45% Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like MMC, You May Also Like These Schools: Baruch College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphHofstra University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphAdelphi University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphThe New School: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphManhattan College: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNew York University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphSyracuse University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphJuilliard School: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphBoston University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphLIU Brooklyn: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Marymount Manhattan College and the Common Application Marymount Manhattan uses the Common Application. These articles can help guide you: Common Application essay tips and samplesShort answer tips and samplesSupplemental essay tips and samples

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

Proposal - Research Paper Example This research proposal aims at establishing the impact that the use of social media as a means of communication has had on human conduct and behavior. A number of issues have been presented in favour of continued use of social media as a means of communication. Some of the arguments include quick means of information delivery, promotion of business operations, aiding learning in schools among other views. Arguments against the use of social media include loss of privacy, identity theft, loss of face to face interaction among others. However there is less information that can be used to defend either stand on the impact of social media on human beings and this forms the basis for this research proposal. The methods that will be applied in data collection will be based on both secondary and primary sources. This will include the use of questionnaires with open end questions presented to students who use social media as a means of communication, personal interviews aimed at receiving direct feedback from various categories of people and online research on the topic. The statistical analysis will take into consideration the variation between the qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data will be done by computing the mean and standard deviation of all the values. Correlation coefficients between human behavior and usage of social media will be taken into consideration. Linear regression will also be undertaken when analyzing the specific cases where social media influences the behavior of human beings. Analysis of the content from in depth interviews will form part of the qualitative

Emergency Response Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Emergency Response Plan - Assignment Example The purpose of this program is to ensure that the emergency response is always efficient so as to manage the disasters. Conversely, the program aims at minimizing potential risks or danger to the individuals, staff, residents, visitors, and volunteers. Nonetheless, the purpose of this program is to ensure that all operations are in a state of continuity so as to effectively mitigate the risks. Moreover, an emergency response plan is never complete without clear objectives (Gandy et al., 2014). In this case, the response plan primarily aims at providing directions and outlining processes that are necessary for managing personnel, facilities, equipment and all resources during the emergency. Besides, the plan aims at minimizing the potential impacts of the disaster through maintenance of operational standards in readiness, preparedness, and awareness of the emergency situation. Though least important, the plan aims at laying the foundation for developing training programs relating to e mergency response management. The report in particular strives to develop an emergency response plan for severe storms or thunderstorms as one of the frequent disaster situations. Damages that tropical storms and tornadoes leave on the facilities they strike are enough to call for a detailed emergency response plan that can help in mitigating immediate and residual effects of such natural disasters.

E-commerce :: essays research papers

E-commerce. Does this sounds familiar to you? Of course it does but most of us doesn’t really know and understand what is all about. We know that everything today is growing ‘e’ now but we really don’t know what does it mean by that. E-commerce means electronic commerce, which means that commerce, is now electronic. In general term, trading electronically or you can say trade on the internet is called e-commerce. This concept has been widely used in the market now, since last 2 years and almost each and every company is coming out with this new formula to stay in the market. Almost each and every superstore has their web site and facility to their customers to buy products online. In the 21st century each and every individual among us will be running out of time and nobody wants to go out to shop and waste 4 to 5 hours rather every one of us would prefer to shop online at the same price and get delivered at our door step. The electronic retail marketplace dema nds the highest attention to visual graphic design quality, coupled with the ability to construct an electronic catalog. This catalog must support multiple layouts and instant credit card transaction processing. There are certain advantages and disadvantages of trading on the net. Advantages ? One can buy each and every product sitting at home. ? It saves lot of time. ? Sometimes it saves lots of money too. For example, “ when I registered for this fall term I visited the book store and figured out that the total cost including all the books was $ 390 and when I surfed on the net, the same books I bought on the net for $ 320 including shipping and it was at my doorstep in two days. Thus, I saved 70 bucks sitting at home and saving my time.'; ? Also when the companies start their business they give lots of gifts and promotions for the customers who buy from their web site which one cannot find in stores at all the times. ? Even each and every newspaper in the market is now online so you don’t need to buy from the newstand and save the same money which you can use for different purpose. ? These shopping web sites also offer points towards everything that you purchase online and later on you can redeem this points to shop something free or use it towards your sky miles and fly free around the world. E-commerce :: essays research papers E-commerce. Does this sounds familiar to you? Of course it does but most of us doesn’t really know and understand what is all about. We know that everything today is growing ‘e’ now but we really don’t know what does it mean by that. E-commerce means electronic commerce, which means that commerce, is now electronic. In general term, trading electronically or you can say trade on the internet is called e-commerce. This concept has been widely used in the market now, since last 2 years and almost each and every company is coming out with this new formula to stay in the market. Almost each and every superstore has their web site and facility to their customers to buy products online. In the 21st century each and every individual among us will be running out of time and nobody wants to go out to shop and waste 4 to 5 hours rather every one of us would prefer to shop online at the same price and get delivered at our door step. The electronic retail marketplace dema nds the highest attention to visual graphic design quality, coupled with the ability to construct an electronic catalog. This catalog must support multiple layouts and instant credit card transaction processing. There are certain advantages and disadvantages of trading on the net. Advantages ? One can buy each and every product sitting at home. ? It saves lot of time. ? Sometimes it saves lots of money too. For example, “ when I registered for this fall term I visited the book store and figured out that the total cost including all the books was $ 390 and when I surfed on the net, the same books I bought on the net for $ 320 including shipping and it was at my doorstep in two days. Thus, I saved 70 bucks sitting at home and saving my time.'; ? Also when the companies start their business they give lots of gifts and promotions for the customers who buy from their web site which one cannot find in stores at all the times. ? Even each and every newspaper in the market is now online so you don’t need to buy from the newstand and save the same money which you can use for different purpose. ? These shopping web sites also offer points towards everything that you purchase online and later on you can redeem this points to shop something free or use it towards your sky miles and fly free around the world.

Hansson Private Label Case Study Essay

This project is to identify and analyze HPL (Hansson Private Label ) company’s new investment decisions based on a series of calculations include: Operating Cash Flows (OCF), Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Sensitivity Analysis. The analysis suggests that Hansson should be very cautious regarding the investment proposal that is developed by his manufacturing team. Although the projections and analysis of the project for the next 10 years proposed by Robert Gates seems reasonable and will generate positive NPV and an IRR greater than the discount rate, NPV is very sensitive with regard to unit volume and unit selling price changes. A decrease in the projected unit volume and selling price might produce a negative NPV. Company Background and Performance Analysis The Hansson Private Label (HPL), started in 1992 when Tucker Hansson bought over Simon Health and Beauty Products with 42 million (17 million with debt), is a company that manufactures personal hygiene products including soap, shampoo, sunscreen, mouthwash, and shaving cream (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). Over the years, HPL has grown steadily under Hansson’s conservative expansion strategy, which is to expand only when Hansson makes sure that the capacity with any new facility should be at least 60% (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). Right now, the four plants of HPL are all operating at 90% capacity, and the business generated 681 million in revenue in 2007. The market for personal care industry is mainly driven by the unit selling price, which has increased by an average of 1.7% each year in the past four years. Unit volume has increased less than 1% annually. Taking down to the company level, we can see that HPL has been growing steadily with revenue incr eases by about 35% in 2007 compared to 2003. The company has maintained an average growth of 8% in revenue throughout the five years. The net income has also grown by 33% from 2003 to 2007. Net income margin has averaged 5.3% each year in the last five years. HPL’s balance sheet for the past five years was looking better with total assets increased by 13% from 337.8 million in 2003 to 380.8 million in 2007, and long-term debt decreased by 40% from 91.6 in 2003 to 54.8 in 2007. Cash flows from operations have averaged 32 million throughout the years, which  means the company has well controlled its operating cash flows. It is not difficult to conclude that Hasnsson’s conservative expansion strategy has worked out well for HPL and the market share has reach a little over than 28% of the private label industry. Currently, Hansson is facing a new investment opportunity initiated by its largest retail customers that could take the business into the next level and significantly increase its competitive force in the private label industry. Since HPL is already operating near full capacity, the project requires Hansson to invest in new facility which costs $45,000 to accommodate for the additional production capacity (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). However, this investment is not without significant risks. First and for most, Hansson would need additional debt to finance the new projects. This will double HPL’s debt to value ratio and creates financial distress for the company and Tucker Hansson since most of his personal wealth is tied up with the company. Secondly, this important customer is only willing to commit to a three year contract with HPL. At the end of expiration date, it is uncertain whether the customer will continue to buy HPL’s products. In case it does not renew the contract, Hansson will have to find alternative customers in order to keep the production capacity going. Thirdly, because the risks associated with the new project increase the overall risks with HPL, the shareholders and creditor might require a higher rate of return. And since creditors claim the debt first in case of default, stockholders would have to live with the residue. If HPL cannot operate at the projected capacity, the value of the company will be largely decreasing, and put the company at danger. Investment Evaluation -Cash Flow Forecasts-capital planning and recommendations for change The cash flows of each year during the lifetime of the project are derived by net operating income plus depreciation and minus the change in net working capital. Depreciation is included in the net income because it is tax deductible, and then it is added back because depreciation is a non-cash expense and should be added back to the cash flow statements. The change in net working capital is also taken into account in OCF since it is the change in cash flows. The calculation of OCFs is based on the projections developed and proposed by Robert Gates, the leader of the manufacture team.  The production capacity starts at 60% in the first year of the project’s lifetime, and thereon steadily increases up to 85% at the end of the project. As mentioned earlier, the largest retailer is only willing to sign a contract of 3 years. The projection for capacity of 60%, 65%, and 70% in the first three years are reasonab le because there is enough demand from this customer. However, assume the customer decides not to buy products from HPL after the expiration; there is not enough demand for such high capacity in the next 7 years unless it finds other customers who are willing to buy their private label products. The project would become over optimistic for HPL. The unit selling price is another important contributor to the overall OCFs. Gates forecasts that the selling price will increase at 2% each year throughout the 10 years with a start at $1.77. Given that the market for private label products is growing considerably fast in recent years with consumers’ increased acceptance level, the projections for unit selling prices seem reasonable. However, a little fluctuation in unit selling price has a big impact on the cash flows and net present value. The sensitiveness of NPV in regards to the selling price will be discussed in detail in the sensitivity analysis session. One more factor that we are concerned about is the raw material costs for production. Right now the cost for raw material sits at $0.94 per unit in 2009 and steadily increases by 1% each year during the lifetime of the project. What if the costs growth is set too low? If the costs of raw material are happen to be higher than the projected figure, NPV again might be negative. Therefore, Hansson needs to take all these factors that might impact the project’s NPV into account and do a separate analysis for each one of them. And then make final decisions by combining the effects of each factor. -Sensitivity Analysis-NPV and IRR Using Gates’ projection and assume everything goes well as planned; the investment has an NPV of $5249. NPV is calculated using present value of future cash flows and the initial investment. Working capital of the last year of the project is returned to the cash flow, and is taken into account in the calculation of NPV. IRR of the project is 10.22%, greater than the discount rate of the investment. Both NPV and IRR suggest that Hansson should invest in the project. Sensitivity analysis of NPV and IRR is conducted to determine the sensitiveness of NPV and IRR in response to  changes in the parameters. First, a unit price increase about 7% from $1.77 to $1.90 is used to calculate the effect. With starting price at $1.90 and other things remain unchanged; the project has a positive NPV of $33,547 and IRR of 19.25%. Similarly, when the starting price increases to $2.00, the correspondence NPV and IRR is $55,314 and 25.31% respectively. On the other than, if the price decreased b y 10% of the original price projection; the project has an NPV of -$3458 and IRR of 7.02. And in this case, the project needs to be rejected. As we can see from the attached spreadsheets, NPV and IRR are very sensitive to price changes. Even a small fluctuation in price could result in a negative NPV of the project and an IRR smaller than the discount rate. Using the same method, we also measure the sensitiveness of the NPV and IRR on unit volume changes. When the unite volume decreases by 10% of the original forecasts, the NPV of the project becomes a negative of $10,176, and a corresponding IRR of 4.32%. And if the unit volume is increased by 10% of the original, the NPV changes to a positive of $22,043 and a IRR of 15.64%. These figures deviate far from those in the otherwise normal scenario, which also suggests that NPV and IRR are quite sensitive to changes in the unit volume. In other words, if the unit selling price does not grow as forecasted and that the demand is not as optimistic; it is highly possible that the stockholders of the HPL will experience losses. Careful consideration should be given to the market pr ice and demand, and what is the true drive force of the private label industry. Industry Analysis In 2007, the personal care industry had total sales of 21.6 billion and the private label industry accounted for 4 billion of the total with 2.4 billion whole sales from manufactures (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010). HPL, as one of the leading manufactures, had over 28% market share of that total. Exhibit 2 of the private label share of U.S consumer packaged goods spending (Stafford, Heilprin, and Devolder, 2010) shows that the unit share and dollor share both grow at approximately 1% each year from 2005 to 2007. One thing I am curious about is that the growth is the true growth or as a result of the inflation? If it is due to the inflation, the projections of sales would be far off leading to a failure of the project. Hansson has to be especially careful with this assumption and weight the inflation effects  accordingly. It is found that the retail giants and mass merchants have shown increasing interests in developing in-store brands (private labels) because of the attrac tive marginal benefits and low costs provided by the private label products. Another reason is to achieve a distinct shopping destination for customers and maintain customer loyalty (L.E.K, 2013). One implication for HPL, under such trends, is that the marketing team should pay more attention to packing. Packaging has become a crucial element for the retailors and the private label industry. Innovative packaging not only strengthens private label’s competing power with national brands but also impress consumes by presenting value adding features including user friendly, modern, and appealing green packaging (L.E.K, 2013). If HPL is able to incorporate the innovative packaging into its program, the company will be more competitive and take more market share even after the contract with its customer expires. Recommendation and Discussion The project has a positive NPV and an IRR greater than the discount rate (9.38%), which means that in theory, Hansson should take this investment opportunity. However, I wonder if the projections are a bit too optimistic. In this paper, we only test the sensitivity on price and volume changes. The management should look at the factors that will have essential impact on the project such as the limitation of the contract with this customer and the industry growth figures. It is better to break the investment lifetime into two portions, and calculate NPV and IRR separately. The first portion is the 3-year contract period, and we are pretty sure that the project will be profitable in this period. The second portion would be the remaining period after the contract expires. This is the part where uncertainty problem lies. As we discussed earlier, the customer might or might not continue to buy products with such volumes with HPL, and given the fact that this industry is largely controlled by retailers; HPL should make clear whether it is able to find a replacing customer of this scale. Another issue with this investment is that Robert Gates could intentionally push Hansson to take the project because they think the company has reached to a maturity stage and there would be no opportunity for further growth. This is the principal-agent problem we talked about at the start of the module. If  Hansson is confident enough in Gates’ projection, this project is worth taken. Using the data provided in the case, we also calculate the discount rate of the project and get a rate (9.44%) that is slightly higher than the rate (9.38%) provided. The required rate of return of equity is determined by the CAPM. The beta of HPL is the average beta of similar companies in the similar industry which is a beta of 1.4. Market risk premium, riskless rate, and the portion of debt and equity are also given in the case, and these are used to calculate the WACC. The higher discount rate suggests that the project is riskier than proposed and higher discount rate should be used. An alternative for Hansson could be finding an investor who’s willing to invest in the project and share the profits and risks with the company. However, the downside of this option is that the cost of equity is higher than the cost of debt. Cost of equity is 10.7% as calculated in the WACC spreadsheet, whereas the cost of debt that is with 25% D/V is only 7.75%. But this option allows Hansson to diversify away some of its risks, and that Hansson is less financially distressed. That all been said, Hansson should consider the suggestion of incorporate innovative packaging into its product line if Hansson were to take this project after careful evaluation of the financial and non-financial risks. The benefits of innovative packaging would allow HPL stands firmly in its competing position against the competitors. Reference Stafford, E., Heilprin, J., and Devolder, J., (2010) ‘Hansson Private Label, Inc.:Evaluating an Investment in Expansion’, Harvard Business School (Accessed: 06 April 2014). L.E.K Consulting (2013) ‘Generic No More: How Packaging Innovation Can Help Private Label Gain Market Share’, Executive Insights, XV(23), pp. 1-4. Available at:http://www.lek.com/sites/default/files/L.E.K._How%20Packaging%20Innovation%20Can%20Help%20Private%20Label%20Gain%20Market%20Share.pdf (Accessed: 9 April 2014).