Assessing The American Fast Food Industry Business Essay

Surveying The American Fast Food Industry Business Essay The world has become a quick paced condition where individuals work on close calendars. This has decreased chance to get ready home prepared dinners and has made brisk cheap food suppers well known particularly for grown-ups who transport to and from work and the children who consider it to be a treat. This pattern has made it workable for the inexpensive food industry to flourish. This exceptionally serious industry has a huge market made of all periods of the populace. The eateries presently produce sound imaginative and nutritious food which conquers the feelings of dread clients have about undesirable weight control plans. The business has been profoundly fruitful in the United States and has slowly expanded its venture to take advantage of the developing scene advertise. This has caused the inexpensive food industry to form quickly into a global industry. 1.2 INDUSTRY OVERVIEW A drive-through eatery is interchangeable with speedy and newly arranged food which is helpful to the purchasers. The most well-known dinners served are: burgers, franks, sandwiches, chicken and pizza. The side dishes generally include: servings of mixed greens, fries, heated beans, prepared potatoes, onion rings and a wide assortment of pastries. Refreshments like soda pops, filtered water, hot cocoa, espresso, tea, milkshakes and juice are likewise offered close by with the dinners (Hovers, 2010). Cheap food establishment chains, for example, Subway, Burger King, McDonaldHYPERLINK http://www.buzzle.com/articles/mcdonalds/HYPERLINK http://www.buzzle.com/articles/mcdonalds/s, Prã ªt-a-Manger and Pizza Hut oblige requests for fish, lean meat, exceptional eating regimen feast parts, and other impressive provincial varieties (Buzzle, 2010). 1.3 ORIGIN OF FIRMS IN THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRY The starting points of drive-through eateries in the USA which is otherwise called cheap food capital of the world can most likely be followed to a particular date 7 July 1912 when a drive-thru eatery was opened in New York City by Horn Hardart. The foundation offered its glad clients a determination of pre-arranged quick nourishments which were shown behind little glass windows and coin-worked spaces (Yusef, 2002). The improvement of cheap food which is a major business as at today can be followed back to America which had incredible effect globally (Yusef, 2002). In spite of the fact that there was without a doubt inexpensive food everywhere throughout the world in some shape or structure hundreds of years back, it truly began to turn into a business venture when social, producing and financial conditions made it less expensive to eat out (Rowlinson, 2002). 1.4 INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRY The internationalization of the food administration industry was spearheaded by, is as yet being ruled by, U.S. based brisk help cafés (QSR), for example McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, and Pizza Hut. The choice by these organizations to go universal was related with the extraordinary possibility of outside food administration markets and to support Americans voyaging abroad. It is intriguing to take note of that American inexpensive food is grasped by youngsters in numerous remote nations as design food, a component of the famous Western culture. This has added to the accomplishment of snappy help eatery tasks in numerous outside nations. (Yu, 1999). As per the National Restaurant Association in the United States, there are around 160 U.S. possessed food administration organizations working universally, this is shown in figure 1 Eateries chain Complete us units Complete outside units Mc Donalds 21,022 8,923 KFC 9,863 4,784 BURGER KING 8,874 1,817 SUB WAY 12,516 1,668 WENDY 4,933 564 Table 1: Total US units incorporate both organization possessed and establishment claimed units. Source: Personal correspondence, National Restaurant Association. (Washington, DC, 1997) The organizations in the inexpensive food industry (QSR) will in general internationalize quick by embracing diversifying as a method of section (Yu 1999). Yu likewise recognized that the inexpensive food industry will in general follow dwelling industry in internationalizing its activity. This is a result of development in populace and financial turn of events. The creator distinguished six world districts these organizations have internationalized as Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. The internationalization history could be followed to the 1990s and has internationalized enormously spreading to various pieces of this world .This could seen to agree with Uppsalas Model of internationalization where firms will in general steadily draw to nearer nations to diminish vulnerability for example clairvoyant separation. Likewise, the model tends to the issue of target information which has added to their purposes behind internationalizing because of simple exchange of information. (Johanson and Wiedersheim, 1975). 2.1 POPULAR TARGET MARKET The business created its most grounded development outside the US, with the end goal that their objective markets were in Europe, Asia/Pacific, Middle East-Africa (Apmea) activities. Europe area has been the most famous objective market for firms in the business on account of its political and social soundness (Yu, 1999) while different districts depended on factors like populace. 2.2 GEOGRAPHICAL CLUSTER The principle target advertise for the USA quick nourishments are Europe, Asia pacific, Middle East and Africa. In these nations they have some type of centralization of drive-thru eateries in zones near schools to describe school neighborhood food situations, shopping centers and the air terminals. The geo-coded databases research shows that cafés are deliberately situated at schools, shopping centers and air terminals which have been utilized to inspect locational examples of drive-through eateries in kindergartens, essential and auxiliary schools in Chicago. The utilization of bivariate K work measurable strategy by most specialists to evaluate the level of bunching (spatial reliance) of drive-through joints around school, shopping center and air terminal areas. Drive-through eateries are focused inside a short strolling good ways from schools, and furthermore near shopping center, air terminal which may uncover youngsters in school to low quality food conditions in their school neighborhoods. This may help other people, for example, the explorers and shopaholics (Austin et al, 2005). As indicated by Austin from the Harvard School of Public Healths Prevention Research Center aggregated a far reaching rundown of 613 drive-through joints in the city of Europe, just as a rundown of 1,292 open and private kindergartens, primary schools, center schools and secondary schools. Whereby every eatery and school was doled out longitude and scope arranges and evaluation tract distinguishing proof codes. Utilizing measurable techniques, the analysts evaluated the separations among schools and eateries and determined the level of grouping. 3.0 FOREIGN MARKET ENTRY MODE Firms Number of remote outlets Mc Donalds 8,923 KFC 4,984 Burger King 1,817 Sub way 1,668 Wendy 564 Taco Bell 348 Pizza Hut 482 Little Caesars 379 Table 2: Firms area in different mainlands Source: Personal correspondence, National Restaurant Association. (Washington, DC, 1997) and yearly Report The table recognized a few nations the quantity of remote outlet where the above US inexpensive food firms work. The significant market passage modes utilized by these organizations in this industry is diversifying. Diversifying could be viewed as one of the passage modes utilized by associations, which includes an authoritative understanding between an organization and an individual or another organization where the franchisor gives the option to work together under a typical exchange name an endorsed way, over a predefined timeframe and place in return for sovereignties or the installment of different charges. The organization offering the privilege is known as the franchisor, the organization/person who purchases and keeps up the privilege is the franchisee, and the privilege been purchased is alluded to as the establishment (Mendelsohn, 2004). 3.1 THE APPROPRIATENESS OF THE STRATEGY As indicated by Alan et al (1999), the advantages that accumulate to firm that takes part in diversifying as a method of section into outside business sectors incorporates: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢ ¢ Reduced expense and money related hazard related in entering an outside market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢ ¢ Serves as a decent motivating force to assemble gainful activity quicker. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢ ¢ It offers key coalition which helps the franchisee to profit by economies of scale and permits the franchisor the administrative adaptability of a littler firm. Erramilli et al (1990), in his examination distinguished that the administration business utilizes Franchising as a method of section. This is especially so on the grounds that Fast food firms offer delicate help and his thoughts regarding delicate assistance firms depend on the way that such firms can't trade their item since sending out essentially require a partition of maker and shopper and along these lines they need to depend on authoritative technique for example diversifying/authorizing so as to extend their market. Arnold (2003) recognized that diversifying is the most proper for duplication of a plan of action or arrangement, for example, an inexpensive food retail organization and menu. He further recognized that inexpensive food isn't culture bound in which promoting information (i.e., the item or administration explicit information associated with advertising this specific contribution) is in any event as significant as neighborhood showcase information (i.e., the information required to work effectively in a specific domain). It is likewise critical to take note of that in such organizations, the neighborhood administration work force are an essential separating factor, and these will clearly still be nearby in direction regardless of whether they work inside a universally reliable business format.(Arnold 2003: 2) Another thought proposed by scientists depends on Governments in many creating nations are getting mindful of the monetary advantages that diversifying can bring, and are encouraging the passage of outside franchisors in their business sectors (Pelton et al, 1997). Tayeb (2000), recommended that Franchising appears to be fitting for firms who need to hold control which will be partner

The Ethics Of Outsourcing At Mattel

Also, this article will address how corporate culture assumed a job in the choice to re-appropriate the assembling procedure to offices, which were not keeping lawful measures. Catchphrases Matter, corporate culture, morals, Fraud, item wellbeing. Solidify Classification MIM. BRB/BRB/Introduction/Corporate culture is characterized as the common qualities and/convictions of people inside an association (Statistics/and Satanist, 2009). Corporate culture is a significant/range colleague/acknowledgments to inspect when scientists endeavor to clarify untrustworthy conduct inside an organization.Previous inquire about in the region has principally centered around the positive viewpoints culture that is identified with firm execution (Deal and Kennedy, 1982 Peters and Waterman, 1982 Dimension, 990). It is additionally imperative to considerer/BRB/that the corporate culture can have negative effect handle/a firestorms tasks if the way of life bolsters exploitative and/criminal operations. Th is investigation inspects how one organization, Matter, built up a culture which permitted the exploitative and unlawful activities of its providers to adversely influence its tasks. R/BRB/focused uniquely on the low cost of creation of the Chinese providers. By permitting the quality principles to drop to conceivably perilous levels, Matter manageress/concentrated distinctly on their own personal circumstances since their/dish colleague/spermatozoon was straightforwardly connected to the monetary exhibition of Matter. In this manner, Matter directors disregarded potential wellbeing issues with the creation of the toys in China since lower levels of creation circle/BRB/greater expenses per unit would have an immediate effect handle/their absolute degree of pay for the year.As an outcome, Tiber/doesn't make a difference whether the absence of value controls/were purposeful or not. Since Amateurism's name goes handle/the last item, its chiefs were responsible forbs/the activities of t heir providers (Hegiras and Sims, pay off/Shanghaiing and Vital, 1990 Granite, 2003). BRB/1. The main review of toys/In 2006, 75 percent of all toys fabricated overall originated from China. Inside China, one area, Gudgeon, is the area of 5,000 of Chinaware's 8,BRB/range colleague/Spartan assembling plants.It is assessed that 1. 5 million specialists are utilized in Gudgeon toys fabricate (McLeod, 2006). Matter makes roughly 65 percent of its toys there. The enterprise states tabor/BRB/it requests that the toys that are re-appropriated to other/makers must consent to the security norms/built up by Matter. Crude materials that would lager/utilized by a redistributed maker are first sent Toby/the Matter control office so as to confirm they matter/all security standards.Matter has been producing innate/China since the first Barbie was made there in 1 959. BRB/The partnership has built up various longer/standing associations with China manufacturers,BRB/which may have lead to progressiv ely loosened up checking and/control of its activities (Story, 2007). Furthermore,BRB/Matter was a significant client for these providers, so Tiber/ought to have total authority over the assembling/break as it identifies with the degree of value and consistence with government guidelines and standards.However, Amateurism's top level chiefs appeared to brew/BRB/On August 1, 2007, Matter needed to review just about 1. BRB/million toys that were made in China. More than 80 toys/contained conceivably risky degrees of lead in thebe/paint on the toys. Quite a while provider of Matter had/range schoolmate/punished non-affirmed paint color which abused Amateurism's and the toy productively norms (Bugaboos, 2007). On August 2, 2007, Matter gave an official statement where it clarified its course f activity to address the problem.Matter worked with the U. S. Customer Product Safety Commission and other administrative organizations around the globe to pull the toys off the racks and end the ap propriation of any toy that contained the unsuitable degrees of lead. Robert Cocker, Chairman and CEO expressed that liquored apologize to everybody influenced by this review, particularly the individuals who purchased the toys in questioningly understand that guardians/BRB/trust us with what is generally valuable to climatically/kids. What's more, we additionally perceive that trust is earned. R/we will probably address this issue, improve circle/yester and keep up the trust of the families tabor/have permitted us to be a piece of their lives by acting/dependably and rapidly to address their conquistadors/(Matter, 2007). BRB/Sarah D. Satanist, Peter A Satanist, 2010. BRB/This review was in spite of the way that Matter was rabbet/of the potential lead danger at any rate a month earlier,BRB/BRB/Problems and Perspectives in Management, Volume 8, Issue 4, 201 For/BRB/when one of the European retailers that sold Matter/items toward the beginning of July found lead in a portion of its/to ys.On July 6, 2007 Matter halted creation characteristic/he processing plant, which they accept was the cause of thebe/lead paint. Remarking on the provider utilizing thebe/lead paint, CEO Chart expressed this was a provider which had worked for Matter for 1 5 years and lectureships question someone that just begun making toys/range schoolmate/support crawled comprehend our guidelines, they comprehend our program, and something turned out badly. That Herodotus. It is a prerequisite set up by Matter that those re-appropriated processing plants making Matter toys must utilize paint and other material from affirmed suppliers.As an outcome, Matter was uncertain about whether the producer bustiest paint from bar/BRB/provider who was not confirmed or whether the pioneer/paint originated from an ensured provider. In 2007, BRB/percent of Amateurism's all out incomes were based handle/the toys that were fabricated in their 11 industrial facilities in China which they claimed and worked (Stor y, AAA). BRB/2. Why lead painter/Lead is added to paint so as to build thebe/range cohort/punished in which the paint dries, to expand the solidness of the paint and to improve the capacity of the paint to oppose dampness which could cause consumption (Wisped).Lead paint is additionally simpler to apply on hard reface and can create a more extravagant/BRB/shading than paint without lead. The net outcome is tabor/lead improves how the paint is utilized in the creation procedure, however the lead isn't permitted to be added to the paints. Along these lines, paint in which pioneer/has been included is sold ATA Custodianship's cost of ennobler/third of the expense of paint that does exclude pioneer/(Barbara, 2007). BRB/Matter had permitted the neighborhood providers to actualize their own wellbeing testing which brought about the delivery of polluted toys from the processing plants in China/to kids around the world.The providers had/dashed to utilize less expensive paint which contained pioneer/to lessen fabricating costs. The provider tabor/made the toy Lee Deer Industrial Company was/explored by the Chinese Government for its/job in the utilization of corrupted paint. The provider expressed/that it was cheated by its own paint provider, challenge/sold Lee Deer Industrial the paint which included/the lead. Lee Deer Industrial guaranteed that they were/not mindful that the paint was defiled shrink/length colleague/radiant (Zamias and Casey, 2007).The Chinese government restricted Lee Deer Industrial from sending out any more toys until a full examination was finished. The net outcome was that Lee Deer Industrial needed to stop its tasks, which prompted the self destruction offer/BRB/its organizer Ghana Shogun. Awkwardness' reaction in bar/public statement to the self destruction was that liquored were/BRB/upset to catch wind of this lamentable encephalitis is bar/individual hardship not a corporate occasion. Any misfortunes/of life is a disaster and we feel for th e family during/this troublesome tentative (Cody and Joe, 2007). BRB/3.The second review/On August 14, 2007, Matter gave a second major/review of toys produced in China. The backed/call incorporate extra toys made with paint debased with lead just as a great many different toys which have magnets which could turn out to be free and/could be gulped by youngsters. An expected/436,000 toys were being reviewed because of lead painter/An extra 18. 2 million attractive toys were being/reviewed after announced wounds and demise of kids/length schoolmate/Spanish had gulped the magnets after they had gotten free from the toy.Matter expressed that the attractive toy review included 63 diverse changes of toys including such notable brand names as Pillory/Pocket, Batman, and Barbie. The lead paint reviewed/toys included brand names, for example, the characters offer/Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer and Disingenuous Carobs/(Story and Barbara, 2007). The senior VP of overall quality confirmation at Matter, Jim Walter, expressed that Matter had ldquostrengthenedrdquo its/three-point check quality framework to guarantee that toys/with lead would not enter the marketplace.Thebe/three point framework incorporates confirming that lone affirmed providers of paint will be utilized to make the toys, a required testing of each group of toys/created, the fixing of value controls including irregular reviews during the assembling procedure and the testing of each creation run offer/finished toys (Barbara and Story, 2007). As was/the case with the main review, a subcontractor was/used to gracefully the paint to Amateurism's contractual worker natural/China.Hong Lie Dad provided the paint to Early/Light Industrial which didn't know that the painter/had been defiled with lead. Early Light had/been a contractual worker for Matter for a long time. Matter/had utilized somewhere in the range of 30 and 50 contractual workers in China/and many subcontracted out piece of the creation/procedure t o a subcontractor. Lee Deer, the contractual worker/of the first Matter review lost its permit to send out and thusly left business (Story and Barbara, 2007). Lee

What is a Bond

What is a Bond Do you save your money or invest it?Like many people, you may have grown up knowing that you should have savings. It is indeed a good practice to have savings. But is it the best way to safeguard your financial future?To some extent, it is good enough.But in many other ways, investing your money is a better alternative.Investing is a term used to refer to various ways of making an income from your money. One way of making this income is by investing in a bond.By reading this article, you will learn the basics of bonds so as to be able to invest in them. You will also know the different types of bonds as well as their advantages and disadvantages.Before we get to the basics, let’s differentiate between bonds and their close relative, equity.Bond vs EquityBonds and equities are two ways in which you can earn money from investing in a company. Both are investment opportunities but are very different from one another.The biggest difference is in what happens after the initial purchase. When you become an equity holder, you essentially become a shareholder. A certain percentage of the company becomes your property.When the business does well, you get a share of the profits in the form of dividends. With a bond, the situation is different.When you buy a bond, you become a creditor to the business.The business owes you money equivalent to the amount you have put in as well as other payments like interests.You however do not become a shareholder neither do you share in the profitability of the company.Although shares attract a lot of attention as they get reported in the mainstream media, bonds are equally popular.This is especially the case with long-term investors or those putting their money away for reasons like retirement.This is because bonds have some advantages which shares cannot rival. More on this in the section about advantages and disadvantages of bonds. To understand bonds, let’s look at the common terms used when talking about them.You can use this li st as a reference when you need to recall these basics.BOND BASICSThere are certain terms whose meaning you must know if you are to understand bonds.Below are those we will look at in this section.IssuerA bond issuer is the person, organization or government institution which issues a bond. It is the body which is in need of funds and has decided to get them via this method.It may have other financial options available such as bank loans, sale of shares but has chosen the bond option. The issuer is responsible for setting the terms of the bond.These terms are what will determine the attractiveness of the bond.As the party borrowing money, the issuer’s credit rating will also play a role in determining the attractiveness of the bond.LenderThe lender is the person, organization or institution which lends money to the bond issuer by purchasing the bond issued.The lender will typically analyze the terms of the bond before deciding whether to buy it or not.Since buying a bond is an inv estment decision, the lender needs to be savvy in regards to this matter. If the lender is not experienced, he will normally hire an expert to do the analysis for him.The expert will then advice on which bonds are best to invest in.PrincipalThe amount which totals the investment made by the lender is what is referred to as the principal. This is also called the bond’s face value or par value.The principal is the the amount of money the issuer will pay the bondholder once the bond matures.For example, the bondholder may have invested $10,000 in a bond whose maturity date is 5 years. At the end of this period, the issuer will pay back $10,000 to the lender.The principal never changes and it must be paid back in full. This is separate from all other payments which are paid in the course of the investment period.Maturity DateEvery bond issued has a date by which the lender is supposed to be paid back his money. This date is called the maturity date.Depending on the bond, the maturity date could be anything from 5 â€" 10 years. Some bonds have a longer maturity period.Whatever the period is, the lender has to know it before purchasing the bond.CouponA bond’s coupon is its interest.When a bond is issued, part of the agreement is for the issuer to pay the lender small amounts of money periodically.This payment is normally done either annually or semi-annually.For the coupon to be determined, the coupon rate has to be known too.The coupon rate is simply the interest rate. It is the coupon rate that fixes the amounts payable every set duration.The amounts are calculated as a percentage (coupon rate) of the invested amount (principal).Coupon DateThis is the date of a coupon payment.Since coupons are paid either once or twice a year, the counting starts after the bond purchase.Often, this will be the same day for the bondholders.YieldThe bond’s yield is the return offered by the bond. It is a measure of how profitable the bond actually is. This measure is often use d when deciding which bond to invest in.Yield is measured in two ways: current yield and yield to maturity.Current yield represents the return you will get for holding the bond for one year.Yield to maturity on the other hand, calculates the total return you get from holding the bond till maturity.TYPES OF BONDSWith these terms aside, let’s look at the types of bonds you can invest in.Coupon BondsCoupon bonds are the most common type and also most attractive.They are simple to understand as they don’t have many options to consider other than the interest payment, rate and maturity date.Coupon bonds are those which offer a coupon payment at the end of a specified period. This period is either annually or semi-annually.The coupon will be calculated according to the principal and coupon rate and paid accordingly.This is what provides a guarantee source of income which is synonymous with bonds.Zero-Coupon BondsThese bonds do not have coupon payments as is the case with coupon bonds. They are also called accrual bonds.The only payment offered is the total accumulated value at maturity.This does not make them unattractive. They attract investors by initially trading at a discount.For example, an issuer may need $1 million for a project. He may then opt for a bond whose par value is $1,000.Since he does not intend to have coupons as part of the deal, he can then sell the bonds at $980.This means that for every bond purchased, the investor will get a $20 discount.If you buy the bond, you will actually have spent $980 and saved $20. You will thus have “earned” $20 through savings. Callable BondsCallable bonds provide the option of the bond being “called back” before maturity. This means that the issuer can buy them back some time in the course of the bond period.This can pose some challenges for you as the investor, while making it easier for the issuer to manage his financial burden. Bonds will typically be called when the market interest rates are falling .This helps the issuer to sell bonds at a lower coupon rate, thus reducing his burden.If you are an investor of such a bond, then you lose an opportunity of selling your bond at a high price. The high price will be occasioned by the lower interest rates.For example, your bond could have provided a 5% coupon rate.Most likely, this was the prevailing interest rate in the market. After 3 years, the prevailing market rate falls to 4%.This makes your bond, which pays at a coupon rate of 5%, more valuable than those currently in the market.With a higher value, the bond trades at a higher price. This offers you more profits if you sell.On the other hand, the issuer will opt to buy back the bond so that he cuts down on the high coupon payments.The new bond he issues will now have a coupon rate of 4%.Putable BondsThese bonds are very similar to callable bonds only that they work in reverse. With putable bonds, it is not the issuer who buys back the bonds. It is the bondholder who sells the b ond back to the issuer.This option can prove very useful for you in the future if you suspect that the bond would fall in value.If it does, you will be able to get back your principal and invest it elsewhere. Preferably in the more valuable bonds coming into the market.The situation for this comes when new bonds are being issued with higher coupon rates. This reduces the value of the bond you are currently holding.Traditionally, you would have been locked out of this new investment by the maturity period which is not yet due.With a put option, you get to sell the bond and use your money to buy another one.Putable bonds may not be very common but they come in handy when the issuer seeks to pay lower coupon rates. The option to sell the bond when needed attracts many bondholders. As such, the issuer is guaranteed to raise the required amount easily.Convertible BondsThese bonds offer an option of converting your bond investment into the company’s shares.They provide this option for t he investors who may be interested in it.However, the option can also be of great benefit to the issuer.Since the option is stated at the beginning, as an investor, you will know about it.But of greater importance to know, is the reason behind the option being included.Bonds are a means for organizations or governments to borrow money for a project. You will thus have to look at the project being undertaken to be sure of the possible benefits.If the project will be successful, then you can convert your bond into shares and sell them later as the prices go up.This is likely to happen because with the success of the project, there will be more people interested in the company’s shares. This makes the prices go up, offering you a profit if you sell. For the issuer, converting your bond into shares will be a welcome move.The biggest benefit is that the issuer will no longer need to pay coupons periodically.That means reduced expenses.At the same time, once you are a shareholder, it me ans there is no principal to be paid at maturity. That is another plus for the issuer.This outcome will actually make the company more profitable since their expenses will be reduced.The situation will be similar to when there are fewer creditors.Exchangeable BondsThese are just like the convertible bonds but with a slight difference.They are convertible for stocks though not of the issuing company.These bonds will offer the opportunity for bondholders to convert their investment into the stock of a company in which the issuer has a stake.The stake held by the issuer will then be “shared” with you. This makes you a shareholder in the other company.With this in mind, you need to examine carefully the details of the bond agreement before buying it.You may also need to consult some experts to know the profitability of the company whose shares are on offer.ADVANTAGES OF INVESTING IN BONDSBonds are an investment option taken by many. But as usual, it isn’t the only available one.Wh en it comes to investment options, there are preferences.Some people prefer certain options while others prefer different ones.If you are just getting started in investments or are looking to diversify your portfolio, how do you know whether bonds are a worthy choice?Here are some advantages to consider.Better Than Banks’ Savings AccountThe tradition way of saving money as known by many is through a savings account.The thought of putting your unused money in a safe place is good enough.But when the bank tells you that your money will earn you interest, it becomes better.But just what is it better compared to?Certainly not bonds.When you invest in bonds, you will prove this for yourself.If you have ever calculated the interest rate offered by your bank, you will realize it is really small. Bonds on the other hand, offer a better payment than your bank.In fact, your bank is most likely investing in some bonds.Most preferably government bonds or others from stable companies.The combi nation of bonds investing and loans is what makes banks report huge profits.If you are keeping your money in the bank, it will be a good idea to consider moving it to a bond.Provide Guaranteed Income StreamsOne great beauty of bonds is the annual or semi-annual payments of coupons.Depending on your needs, this payment can easily take care of your expenses.Especially if your investment in the bond is big.These payments are guaranteed in the bond agreement and unless something drastic happens, the payment cannot fail.One of the unfortunate turn of events which could stop the flow of this income is the bond being called.As explained above, this basically brings to an end the bond agreement.Something else that could happen is the issuer being declared bankrupt.This automatically stops the payments. But the good thing is that your investment (principal) is largely protected by law.Apart from these situations and any other like them, you are always assured of getting your interest payment at the date agreed upon.Offer Legal Protection in Case of BankruptcyOne of the biggest advantages of bonds over shares is the legal protection under the law.Bondholders and shareholders both have a stake in the company.The stake is however significantly different, particularly in the eyes of the law.This difference becomes clear when the issuer is declared bankrupt.A declaration of bankruptcy is an investor’s nightmare. If you are a shareholder, you will experience the worst part of the nightmare since your investment will be gone.If you are a bondholder, you will also suffer some losses because you will no longer be able to receive periodic coupon payments.Nevertheless, you will often be guaranteed to have your principal paid back.This will happen either in full or partly. It will depend on the exact financial situation the issuer is in.The law dictates that bondholders should be treated like creditors.Therefore, when a company starts paying back its lenders, bondholders are one of those guaranteed to receive payment.While creditors like banks may come first, rarely will bondholders lose out on all their money.This is unlike what happens to shareholders who are not prioritized.Potential for Reduced Tax BurdensSome bonds, especially those from the state government or municipality can be tax-free. The interest paid from these will enjoy either reduced taxes or be entirely free of tax deductions.When the government issues such a bond, it is often looking to attract investors.As such, the tax incentive is meant to entice as many investors as possible.This happens mostly when the issuer perceives that there is little interest in the market for bonds. It can also be used to supplement a low coupon rate.The current market rate may be quite high and so to match up to it, a tax incentive can be utilized.Investing in a bond which promises reduced or no tax deductions can be a good decision.Apart from saving you the time and expense involved in filing, your income wi ll be higher than if you invested in taxable bonds.Preservation of the PrincipalThe preservation of your principal is yet another laudable advantage of the bond investment.When the bond matures, you get your principal paid back to you in full. This gives you the opportunity to reinvest it somewhere else.Of course, being a shareholder gives you something similar though not quite.For shares, you will have some work to do. You will have to trade your shares at the current market price in order to get your “principal” back.This can be tricky considering that there may be little to no interest in the shares of the company.Also, the prices may be too low for you to recover your initial investment amount.More than that, you may have to spend more time waiting for enough people to buy all your shares in case they are many.The bond investment definitely stands out in making your life easier.You will receive back your money with little effort from your end.DISADVANTAGES OF INVESTING IN BO NDSMany advantages do not mean the absence of disadvantages.With all the good that can come from investing in bonds, here are some risks involved.The Risk of Being Called BackOne of the biggest risks involved in bonds comes from the possibility of being called back.As discussed in the section on callable bonds, this is not your preferred situation.First of all, you incur a loss in the sense that you will no longer receive the expected income.Upon the bond being called, you will no longer receive the remaining coupon payments. Note that those payments were in your plan. You probably had set your recurrent expenses to benefit from them.Now that they are no longer available, what do you do?You will most likely opt to buy another bond. Whereas this is a good choice, the coupon rates are now lower.That means less income coming your way.This is the second challenge which you will face. And part of the challenge is getting a bond which offers a good deal.Most bond purchases require some ti me to check them out and confirm their suitability.The industry in which the issuer operates is also important to consider.You may need an understanding of the factors which could affect the bond’s future performance.This exercise may take precious time at a time when you are looking to quickly re-invest your money.Interest Rate RisksRisks associated with fluctuating interest rates can cause an unfortunate situation for your bond investment.This is because you become stuck in a situation which you probably want to opt out of.For example, you may have invested in a bond paying at a coupon rate of 6%.With changes in the market interest rates, new bonds with a higher rate, say 6.5%, become available.You will have to choose one of two choices. Stick with your bond till maturity or sell it and buy the available ones.If you choose to stick with your current bond, you are choosing a lower income according to market rates.If you choose to sell your bond and go for the new bonds, you suffe r loss since your current bond has decreased in value.It will not be attractive to investors.This makes selling difficult.The decrease in value means that selling will attract a lower price than what you bought it for.Credit Rating RisksIn most cases, it is easy to avoid this risk because you first investigated the bond before buying. Credit rating risks are those associated with defaulters.This is where the bond issuer may fail to pay the promised coupons.Bond issuers’ credit ratings are usually published by independent analysts like Moody’s and Standard and Poors.In most cases, many investors still seek external advice. When an issuer’s credit rating falls, it means that he is likely to default on coupon payments.This could point to worse scenarios in the future.The project which necessitated borrowing may not raise enough money to pay coupons. The issuer could also be having no money to facilitate the payments.In this case, even your principal is at risk.Some bonds come wit h no collateral backing. This means that if the issuer is unable to pay, your money is lost. To cover for this, such bonds, usually called debentures, will often have higher coupon rates.CONCLUSIONBonds offer an attractive investment option that is way better than a bank’s savings account.Find out what moves the industry involved and understanding the factors which could affect your bond’s value.Once you settle that, make your investment and enjoy the benefits.

Investigating The Intrinsic Differences Among The...

Abstract The following research paper tests and investigates the intrinsic differences among the two tasks present in the generation task and the affects it has on memory. We believe that the relation of generating a word compared to simply reading a word has a more lasting effect on the brain and its memory sensors. This experiment consisted of generated words or read words followed by a rule (associate, category, opposite, rhyme, synonym) in which the participant was given the first word and asked to read or generate the following word following the rule type. After a certain period of time the participants, which consisted of students currently enrolled at Texas AM, were asked to recall the words they generated or read. Results indicated that that when a word is generated it is recalled at a more accurate rate. This essay is geared to establish and report findings based on the phenomenon manifested among a vast amount of experiments over the years, the generation effect. While there were many informative articles which slightly applied to the generation effect no true conclusion is reached, therefore this essay attempts to compile all ideas to come to one solid finding. The generation effect was developed as a part of memory research, and it states that individuals tend to recall words that they personally generated better than words participants were given. Since this phenomenon has been an important part in many studies yet seemed to have no true solidShow MoreRelatedWhy I Am A Professor Essay4077 Words   |  17 Pages It has been the unexpected, unpredictable, and sometimes unsuccessful episodes in my academic career that have inspired my current pursuit of research and my goal to become a professor. As the daughter of two professors, I have always had an appreciation for critical thinking and the scientific method. One of my earliest experiences in scientific research was inspired by a television documentary on ants. Learning that ants communicate through chemical scents emitted onto the ground, I immediatelyRead MoreTechnology And Its Effect On Education10000 Words   |  40 Pagesperception of the provision of education and its quality in relation to digital transcendence and pedagogy (Dede, 2005a; Denham Gadbow, 2002; Geraci, 2005; Howe Strauss, 2000; O Neil, 1995; Oblinger, 2003; Strauss, 2005; Zemke, 2001). So what has changed so dramtically? How have we come to a point where students feel so disaffected that leaving the learning environment altogether seems the only viable option? Recent deficits in student outcomes in traditionally held values of literacy andRead MoreMarriage Guidance: Summary Notes19959 Words   |  80 Pagesand unconscious, about how he/she should behave as a loving partner → Consider the way your partner wants to be loved Individual differences and their impact on the couple relationship Couples enter a relationship with a set of expectations based largely on their past experiences, and further determined by gender and ethnic differences. Gender Differences Similarities → Both have fundamental needs of self-esteem, survival, intimacy and growth → Both need the sense of having some controlRead MoreEffects Of Point And Line Defects On The Properties Of Graphene9719 Words   |  39 Pagesbe attributed to its two dimensional (2-D) honeycomb space frame structure as illustrated in Fig. 1. 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ISBN 978-0-9808743-1-0 This work is copyright and has been published by the Safety Institute of Australia Ltd (SIA) under the auspices of HaSPA (Health and Safety Professionals Alliance). Except as may be expressly provided by law and subject to the conditions prescribed in the Copyright Act 1968 (CommonwealthRead MoreFactors Affecting Motivation to Learn English25117 Words   |  101 PagesLANGUAGE AMONG CHINESE STUDENTS IN JOHOR BAHRU BY OOI CHOON LEAN MP061113 EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 581225-07-5846 SUPERVISOR ASSOC PROF DR AZIZI HJ YAHAYA ii ABSTRACT There has been an ongoing debate about the importance of the English language. Employers are lamenting that new graduates these days lack communicative proficiency in English. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors which contribute to English proficiency in Chinese students in Johor Bahru. 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Antigone By Sophocles Antigone - 1478 Words

Throughout Antigone, Antigone is a presented as a strong woman who is both dedicated to her family and her community. That said, there is much conflict between these two dedications. In this paper, I will give examples of Antigone’s different individual responsibilities and her philosophies and explain how those conflict with the commitment that she is to have to her community and indirectly, her king. Ultimately, I will argue that Sophocles demonstrated his values of family, the way of the gods, and doing what is right through Antigone’s response to the conflicts between her values and the commitment she is meant to have towards her community. Within the first few hundred lines of Antigone, Sophocles shapes the reader’s perception of Antigone and her philosophical beliefs. When speaking to her sister, Ismene, about her plan to bury their brother, Antigone states â€Å"I’ll do what’s honorable, and then I’ll die† (Sophocles, 750). Antigone’s willingness to die for a cause that she feels is honorable and right demonstrates a particular value in regards to her philosophies on right and wrong. Antigone demonstrates that the conflicting nature of her beliefs and the king’s beliefs on the right way to deal with Polyneikes’ death will not hold her back from doing what she believes is right. As a member of the Thebes community, Antigone felt a very strong sense of responsibility towards the gods and what they expected from their people. Antigone continues to challenge her sister byShow MoreRelatedAntigone By Sophocles Antigone912 Words   |  4 PagesIn Sophocles, â€Å"Antigone† begins with the stages of grief as Antigone mourns the loss of her two brothers, Polyneikes and Eteokles, who die simultaneously in face-to-face combat in Thebes. Eteokles dies with honor fighting for the Thebesians and is honored with rituals and a proper burial. The body of Polyneikes, who attempted to burn the city of Thebes, is left for the dogs and birds to savage. Thesbesian’s law forbids anyone giving a traitor, like Polyneikes, a proper burial, for that itself isRead MoreAntigone By Sophocles Antigone1525 Words   |  7 Pagesneglect nothing that the gods demand† (1349-1350). Sophocles’ Antigone takes place in a trying time for the city of Thebes, when Oed ipus, their king, and most of the royal family have died, and Creon has just been appointed the new king. Throughout the play, Creon tries on his power as the new ruler, and seems to believe that the gods will not be angry with some of his choices as king, even though they directly violate the divine law. However, in Antigone, when there is a conflict between the divine lawRead MoreAntigone, by Sophocles1997 Words   |  8 PagesThe death of Antigone is truly a tragic episode in the Theban Plays, where she hung herself with a woven linen of her dress. By convention, her death would be characterized with feminine quality. However, Antigone, one of the few female characters in the book, possessed distinguishable female characteristics that are as remarkable as a male hero. Antigone was determined when she made up her mind to bury her brother. She was an agent of her words and took up the risks that accompanied to her deedsRead MoreAntigone by Sophocles1059 Words   |  5 Pages In the book Antigone, Creon and Antigone can be considered as the tragic heroes of the play. Antigone is considered the tragic hero because of the characteristics she shows such as her ambition to defeat Creon, Creon shows more of the characteristics clearly. Creon is the king of Thebes. He is also Antigones uncle. Creon became king after a fight between Eteocles and Polyneices. One may see Creon as a harsh and controlling ruler, but he is not good nor bad because he shows signs of both like whenRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles Essay1869 Words   |  8 PagesIn Sophocles’ play Antigone, two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices fight for the thrown of Thebes. The war comes to an end when both brothers die fighting for the honor, and their uncle Creon becomes the king of Thebes. Upon his coronation, Creon issues a decree that Eteocles, the former king of Thebes, will be honored with a traditional military burial, while his brother Polynices will be â€Å"left unwept, unb uried, a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content† (SophoclesRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles1892 Words   |  8 PagesAntigone †¢ Title: Antigone by Sophocles †¢ Genre: Play; Tragic drama †¢ Historical context: Written circa, 442 B.C.E. in Athens Greece. Performed circa, 441 B.C.A. Its literary period was classical. While Antigone was the first written of Sophocles’ three Theban plays, it was the last of the trilogy. It was performed during a time of national unrest. Sophocles was appointed to serve as a general in a military crusade against Samos. The significance of the historical events during that timeRead MoreThe Choices Of Antigone And Sophocles Antigone1560 Words   |  7 Pagesthat Antigone and Creon face in Sophocles’ Antigone differ, their decisions often end up pitted against each other’s, inviting comparison. Since I am juxtaposing the characters’ degrees of rightness, I believe that the rightness of the reasoning, not just their ultimate stances, should be examined. The entirety of his or her argument, not just the conclusion, must be taken into account. I’ll also note that my perspective of rightness could an d does conflict with that of the gods in Antigone and SophoclesRead MoreAntigone by Sophocles622 Words   |  3 PagesIn the playwright Antigone by Sophocles, the characters reveal their values while exposing a life lessons through their actions, dialogue, thoughts ,and effects on others. Antigone starts with two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, being killed at battle. Creon, the king of Thebes, declares that Eteocles’ death will be honored and Polyneices’ dishonored. He instead will lay unburied to become the food of animals. When the play opens, Antigone takes Ismene, Antigone and Ismene are sisters of the deadRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles1495 Words   |  6 PagesAs one of the most famous tragedies ever written, Antigone, by the Greek playwright Sophocles, has received much notoriety as well as much speculation. Set in the city of Thebes after a devastating civil war between the brothers Polyneices and Eteocles, the play begins after the brothersâ₠¬â„¢ deadly struggle for the throne. Polyneices and Eteocles have already caused the undue deaths of one another, and without another man in their immediate family available, their uncle Creon travels to Thebes to seizeRead MoreCharacterization of Antigone in Sophocles Antigone2448 Words   |  10 Pages     Ã‚  Ã‚   Sophocles’ tragic drama, Antigone, presents to the reader a full range of characters: static and dynamic, flat and round; they are portrayed mostly through the showing technique. In â€Å"Sophocles’ Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone,† Charles Paul Segal takes the stand that there are two protagonists in the drama (which conflicts with this reader’s interpretation): This is not to say that there are not conceptual issues involved in the characters of Creon and Antigone. But the

Decision Driven Organisation Free Essays

The Decision-Driven Organization Harvard Business Review – June 2010 The subject discussed in the article â€Å"Decision–Driven Organization† is that structural reorganizations should be done based on the decisions that matter the most to the organization instead of the goals that the organization is trying to reach. The coauthors stressed on how important this issue is and that it should be taken into consideration by organizations while preparing for reorganization since. As shown in the examples provided, a lot of companies went through structural changes for the wrong reasons aiming at a better performance and ended up decreasing it instead of increasing it. We will write a custom essay sample on Decision Driven Organisation or any similar topic only for you Order Now On the other hand, the examples about decision-driven reorganization had better results in improving the company’s performance. The coauthors focused in specific on the reasons why reorganization should be done around the set of critical decisions for an organization and supported it with examples and surveys about reputed companies showing that reorganizations around goals failed in view of the facts that it ignored the decision making process and that performance and structure don’t have a strong relationship. The arguments that the authors used to demonstrate his point are the performance and the importance of decisions. As per the coauthors, the main goal of all reorganization is to reach better performance. What the managers fail to see is, that the performance of an organization is not only determined by the organization’s structure; as shown by the examples provided in this article, sometimes changing the structure to meet a certain goal can slow the decision making and create problems rather than help solve them which results in a poor performance. The methodology used in this point is very convincing especially that it shows the result of a survey conducted on a large amount of organizations worldwide, and the coauthors added a short test to give the readers the ability to compare the result of their organization to the result of those who were subject to the survey. The coauthors also debated the fact that using a SWOT analysis is not the right tool to be used while starting reorganization and suggested to start it with decision audit instead; a decision audit is done by considering two types of critical decisions, big decisions which have separately a major impact and small decisions which have altogether an important impact; and then, if and only if reorganization is necessary it should be applied where the decisions matter the most. The authors also supported this suggestion with an actual example dated from 2006 which strengthened their point. Each suggestion in the decision audit was supported with an example which attracted the reader towards using this strategy. Another tool used by the coauthors to help the readers rethink twice before reorganizing a company is a small survey that should be conducted on the company in hand in order to check if the reorganization is needed or not. The authors also discussed how to conduct a decision-driven structure and what are the steps to be followed chronologically. How to cite Decision Driven Organisation, Essay examples

Statistical Methods Rates and Proportions †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Statistical Methods Rates and Proportions. Answer: Introduction: A health promotion campaign will be developed for sunbed users. It is evident from the paper of Murray and Turner (2004) that most people are unaware of risk of cancer due to use of sunbed. On the other hand some people are aware yet use as they are behaviour is controlled by behaviours, some ignore the risk factors, some use it because it is less time consuming. The aim of the campaign is to create awareness of the dangers associated with excess use of the sunbed. It includes messages on early detection of skin cancer and sun protection strategies. Such campaigns have been successful in Australia when launched with large scale communication programmes (Kemp et al. 2010). The campaign will emphasise on appropriate use of sunscreen and other behavioural changes such as avoiding direct exposure to strong sunlight. The campaign is justified because it aims to eliminate the misconception of the participants that sunbeds are safer than exposure to sun as found in findings of Murray and Turner (2004). In order to design a health promotion campaign the best approach is to use qualitative research evidence due to gain in perspective of the larger population on the targeted topic. This type of the research helps in understanding the type of meaning that the people assign to the social phenomenon. Collecting data through interviews highlights, the mental process that determines particular behaviour. Therefore, it is east to design the health promotion campaign (Merriam and Tisdell 2015). In this paper the study design used was population based case-control-family study to investigate the association of sunbed use and risk of early-onset melanoma. The data was collected using interview method from January 2001 to December 2005. Questionnaires were designed for the participants for collecting demographic information and details of melanoma diagnoses. Structured questionnaires were designed for participants for telephonic interview. In addition, cases (604) and controls (479) were asked questions to estimate the level of exposure to specific site on melanoma. Further, using unconditional logistic regression, associations were determined by odd ratio. Factors such as sex, age, city, family history, education and exposure to sun and sunlight were adjusted. The results were compared to those who never used sunbed. The odds ratio of never using a sunbed 1.41 at 95% confidence interval (1.011.96). It was 2.01 at 95% confidence interval (1.22-3.31) for Ever use group. The odd ratio means that the odds of occurrence of an outcome in case of particular exposure compared to the odds of outcome without particular exposure. Based on the results and the findings it can be interpreted that the Ever use group appear to be at greater risk of developing melanoma when compared to the never use group. Participants in the category of Ever use and who have used for more than 10 sessions in lifetime have 41% higher risk than those in the never used sunbed. These findings indicate that the use of sunbed and UV radiation exposure increases the risk of melanoma (early onset). It can be interpreted that the risk increases with the number of times the sunbed is used. It means once used in early stage, later exposure works as cumulative effect. Over all it indicates that the risk or melanoma onset is higher for those who have used many times at early age. The term statistical significance refers to an event which is very unlikely to have occurred considering the null hypothesis. It indicates that the relationship between more than two or two variables have not caused by random chance. The data is thus tested by p value where P denotes probability. It is the probability that the random occurrence can justify the findings or outcomes of event. If p value is lower than or equal to 5%. If the p value is set at 5% it means that the random occurrence can occur once in every 20 times (Fleiss et al. 2013). When a confidence interval is chosen say 95% , then the probability of error is 5%. It mean that the value beyond the range is rejected. Thus, in the given paper the values of ever use and never use are statically significant. For the participants below 25 years the association was stronger for melanoma diagnosed, as it is evident from the OR values, for first use OR was 1.64. Since the odd ration is greater than 1 the control is better than the intervention. Those above 25 years of age and have ever used sunbed the OR was 1.06. In this case also the control is better but the intervention is slightly better then the former one. It means that the outcome is not same in both groups or else the ratio would have been 1 (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015) . Based on the study findings the risk associated with those who are 25 years or older and have used sunbed for first time include OR of 1.06. There is a lower risk of melanoma when compared to those below 25 years and have used first time. The study did not exclude the possibility of recall bias. There is need of excluding this bias because the study uses cases and controls. There is high probability that the accuracy of reporting the exposures to sunbed may differ in both the groups. If recall bias is not excluded then the participants with sunbed exposure may recall memories (more common in press) more thoroughly than the control group. In addition, there might also be an occurrence of selection bias. It means that the subjects are not truly representing the population that produced the cases. Since, there is a poor participation by both the groups; it might happen that the results are manipulated by the previous exposure to sunbed. It means the true association between the exposure and the outcome may not be achieved. It is thus not possible to deduce the association of early onset of melanoma even if the exposure was since early adulthood. According to Wheeler, (2017) after the NSW ban on the commercial use of solariums, the article reports campaign against the ban. Further, the article showed the probability of rise in black market. It may cause rise in price of the desired product with the rise in unreported taxable income After ACT has joined NSW on banning commercial use of solariums, there is a fear, that sunbed will be used privately. It may lead to misuse, as there is no governing authority or professional supervising the use it may lead to adverse health consequences (Eadie 2017) Current interests related to career are to excel as health information management professional. It includes a combination of science, information technology and business. The figure given below shows the eligibility criteria for the job of health information manager The key skills required by the health mangers are ability to obtain and interpret the health related data. It also includes good written and verbal communication skills and ability to think critically (Abdelhak et al. 2014). The specific skills I have developed in HBS108 are ability to interpret health related data. For instance in this assignment I have learned the way to identify the odd ratio of the given scientific data and interpret the findings by its critical analysis. The assignment and presentation have also helped in enhancing my verbal communication and non-verbal communication skills. References Abdelhak, M., Grostick, S. and Hanken, M.A., 2014. Health information management of a strategic resource. Elsevier Health Sciences. Cust, A.E., Armstrong, B.K., Goumas, C., Jenkins, M.A., Schmid, H., Hopper, J.L., Kefford, R.F., Giles, G.G., Aitken, J.F. and Mann, G.J., 2011. Sunbed use during adolescence and early adulthood is associated with increased risk of early?onset melanoma.International journal of cancer,128(10), pp.2425-2435. EADIE, C. (2017). Bunbury solarium owner shutting up shop after commercial ban. [online] Bunbury Mail. Available at: https://www.bunburymail.com.au/story/3044179/bunbury-solarium-owner-shutting-up-shop-after-commercial-ban/ [Accessed 29 Apr. 2017]. Fleiss, J.L., Levin, B. and Paik, M.C., 2013.Statistical methods for rates and proportions. John Wiley Sons. Kemp, G.A., Eagle, L. and Verne, J., 2010. Mass media barriers to social marketing interventions: the example of sun protection in the UK.Health promotion international, p.daq048. Merriam, S.B. and Tisdell, E.J., 2015.Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley Sons. Murray, C.D. and Turner, E., 2004. Health, risk and sunbed use: a qualitative study.Health, risk society,6(1), pp.67-80. Palinkas, L.A., Horwitz, S.M., Green, C.A., Wisdom, J.P., Duan, N. and Hoagwood, K., 2015. Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research.Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research,42(5), pp.533-544. Wheeler, C. (2017). NSW bans the commercial use of solariums. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-bans-the-commercial-use-of-solariums-20141226-12dvjj.html [Accessed 29 Apr. 2017].

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Essay Summary Example For Students

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Essay Summary A monologue from the play by William ShakespeareMOROCCO: Some god direct my judgment! Let me seeI will survey th inscriptions back again.What says this leaden casket?Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath. Must give for what? for lead! hazard for lead?This casket threatens; men that hazard allDo it in hope of fair advantages.A golden mind stoops not to shows of dross;Ill then nor give nor hazard aught for lead.What says the silver with her virgin hue?Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves.As much as he deserves? Pause there, Morocco,And weigh thy value with an even hand:If thou best rated by thy estimation,Thou dost deserve enough; and yet enoughMay not extend so far as to the lady;And yet to be afeard of my deservingWere but a weak disabling of myself. We will write a custom essay on THE MERCHANT OF VENICE Summary specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now As much as I deserve? Why thats the lady!I do in birth deserve her, and in fortunes,In graces, and in qualities of breeding;But more than these, in love I do deserve.What if I strayed no farther, but chose here?Lets see once more this saying graved in gold:Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.Why thats the lady! All the world desires her;From the four corners of the earth they comeTo kiss this shrine, this mortal breathing saint.The Hyrcanian deserts and the vasty wildsOf wide Arabia are as thoroughfares nowFor princes to come view fair Portia. The watery kingdom, whose ambitious headSpits in the face of heaven, is no barTo stop the foreign spirits, but they comeAs oer a brook to see fair Portia.One of these three contains her heavenly picture.Ist like that lead contains her? Twere damnationTo think so base a thought; it were too grossTo rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave.Or shall I think in silver shes immured,Being ten times undervalued to tried gold?O sinful thought! Never so rich a gemWas set in worse than gold. They have in EnglandA coin that bears the figure of an angelStamped in gold but thats insculped upon;But here an angel in a golden bedLies all within. Deliver me the key.Here do I choose, and thrive I as I may!

Bated vs. Baited

Bated vs. Baited Bated vs. Baited Bated vs. Baited By Sharon The expression with bated breath is recorded as appearing for the first time in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice towards the end of the 16th century. It refers to having subdued or restrained breathing because of some strong emotion. The verb to bate, which means reduce the intensity of; take away; or lower in estimation or amount (an archaic usage), has long since disappeared from common use. So its no surprise that its often misspelled as baited. According to Merriam Webster, bait means to persecute, harass or lure. Heres an example to illustrate the two meanings: She waited with bated breath to see if he would take the bait. Here are some quotations illustrating their usage: the end of the year approaches, practically everyone in the fashion, beauty and interior design industries waits with bated breath to see what Pantone will proclaim as the official color for the upcoming year. (www.chicagotribune.com) the world - or at least, the American public - waited with bated breath on Thursday for the National Archives to release its final batch of records related to the assassination of (www.usatoday.com) Channel and blue catfish are good on hot dogs, shrimp, Spam, and frozen shad. Yellow catfish are good on juglines baited with live perch. (www.chicagotribune.com) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Talking"Gratitude" or "Gratefulness"?Present Participle as Adjective

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 5

Case study - Essay Example Perspectives in global media culture addresses debate on globalisation, including those regarding the local-global dialectic, questions of cultural agency, indigenous media, and identity politics. It explores key issues of the politics of representation, with particular attention being paid to questions of sub alternate, multiculturalism, cultural nationalism and media imperialism, new technologies and transnationalism (Athique, 2014). The following essay considers the example of a media house with a huge employability attraction with an example of a media text. The media text will be analysed with reference to the following questions: the different cultures represented in the particular media text; the global, local, institutional, professional and/or media cultures that have informed the creation of that particular media text; and finally, the forms of media literacy and/or the ethical norms observed. Apple Inc is an American multinational company formed in the year 1977. It designs, develops and sells consumer, computer applications, online services, and personal computers. Its best and most renowned products include the iPhone brand of phones, the iPod music play, the Mac line of computers, and the iPad line of tablet computers. As the organisation the recently acquired my services, it requires a media text to introduce its recently launched, a new line of iPhone phones. But first, before we proceed further we need to examine what a text is and how it is important to what Apple Inc. Wishes to communicate to the general public. A text is a media product that we want to examine, whether it is a television program, a poster, newspaper article, a popular song, latest fashion among others (McQuail, 2010). A text has a denotative meaning, and this essay aims to discuss such features as its narrative structure, how the meanings are communicated, and implicit values in the media text. The central

FINISH LINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FINISH LINE - Essay Example Connick mentions that seasonal sales period is a high time for a store to make greater profits, but it comes with difficulties, as well. During the busy season, avoiding stock out is imperative. A seasonal stock should be carefully monitored on a daily basis and to avoid empty stock, the store manager must call the warehouse every day for that. Finish Line must take care of everyday pricing, assortment, space management, inventory management on a daily basis, and must show prowess in handling business decisions when it comes to seasonal products. There are many people complaining about wrong shoe size or the shoes that are outdated in fashion terms. There are researches, like the one mentioned by Better Health Channel (2013), that put high emphasis on foot care when it comes to running and jogging. So, the customers need the types of shoes that are not only in fashion but also take care of their feet. The buyers are the ones that have to face a lot of risk because even if Finish Line takes three months as its lead time, the other shoe making companies mentioned in the case study take at least six months. This means that customers have to wait for long to see what would be the changes in fashion in the offing. A new fashion is most likely to show up in six months. If the customer rates store A high in style-by-style ranking, store B lesser than that and store C the least in ranking then Finish Line would have to make decisions in keeping the inventory of store A available at all the time. The reason is very evident; if the customers have ranked according to style, then this means that they are fashion conscious and want to look up to date in shoe styling. This gives rise to the fact that the customers that ranked store A high in style would, most of the times, like to buy from store A. Straightforwardly, Finish Line would have to take special care of inventory management at store A. Considering this scenario

Low MicroRNA-21 Expression in HPV-Induced Carcinogenesis

Low MicroRNA-21 Expression in HPV-Induced Carcinogenesis Low microRNA-21 expression in the development of a favorable microenvironment for HPV-induced carcinogenesis Introduction Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are the most common sexually transmitted agents. High risk types of Human Papillomavirus, as HPV16, are the causative agents of virtually all cases of cervical cancer and a significant proportion of other anogenital cancers, as well as some head and neck cancers [1-3]. The K14-HPV16 transgenic mice model is specially used to study the HPV-associated squamous cells cancers. In this model, the expression of early region genes (E2-E8) of HPV-16 is driven by the keratin 14 promoter/enhancer [4]. The K14-HPV16 transgenic mice develop epidermal hyperplastic lesions that progress to dysplastic lesions and ultimately to invasive cancer. The expression of HPV oncogenes E6 and E7 induces epithelial carcinogenesis through well-defined premalignant stages before de novo carcinoma development [5]. The basal cells are mitotically active and thus may develop further mutations in response to a proliferative stimulus, and the expression of K14 has been shown to persist in well-differentiated squamous carcinomas [6]. This model of multistep epithelial neoplasia will facilitate the study of both the epigenetic and the genetic factors that regulate neoplastic progression and coordinate malignant conversion. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression by base pairing with mRNAs, leading to the inhibition of mRNA translation or its degradation. In normal cells, miRNAs control numerous processes including proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis [7]. Furthermore, these molecules are described as key regulators in many diseases including, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, viral infections and cancer. Some miRNAs are lost during tumorigenesis whereas other miRNAs are upregulated. Previous data indicates that miRNAs are important to distinguish subtypes of cancers, where the histological diagnosis is complex and difficult. Furthermore, it also may be a useful tool to diagnose cancers of unknown origin and to study cancer predisposition [8]. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) has been implicated in various aspects of carcinogenesis. In most solid tumors, miR-21 is overexpressed and thus influences cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis [9-11]. However, the interplay between miRNAs, human papillomavirus (HPV) genes and how these interactions contribute to HPV-associated cancers remain elusive and not well understood. The tumor microenvironment associated to miRNAs plays an increasingly appreciated role in cancer (ref whiteside) however, the microenvironment prior to tumorigenesis can influence the carcinogenesis process. In this study we investigated the expression profile of microRNA-21 in K14-HPV16 transgenic mice, using ear and chest skin samples. Thus, we evaluate the importance of the microenvironment associated with the miR-21 expression and predisposition to HPV-induced carcinogenesis. Material and methods Transgenic mice K14-HPV16 mice on a FVB/N background were generously donated by Drs. Jeffrey Arbeit and Douglas Hanahan, from the University of California, through the USA National Cancer Institute Mouse Repository. Generation of K14-HPV mice has been previously reported [12]. After one week quarantine, the animals were kept as breeder pairs in accordance with National (Portaria 1005/92 dated October the 23rd) and European (EU Directive 2010/63/EU) legislation, under controlled conditions of temperature (23 ±2 ºC), light-dark cycle (12h light/12h dark) and relative humidity (50 ±10%), using hardwood bedding. A standard diet (Global Diet 2014, Harlan, Barcelona) and water were provided ad libitum. Health checks were performed daily. Genotyping of HPV-E6 and E2 (referencias genotipagem Hugo?) 15 offspring females from consecutive litters were genotyped at weaning, using tail tip samples. To genotyping were used tail tips of mice of the strain FVB, wild-type or hemizygous. Tissue lysis was performed using MAGNAPure DNA Tissue Lysis Buffer and Proteinase K for 17 h at 65  °C. Nucleic acids were extracted by the High Pure Viral Nucleic Acid Kit following the manufacturers instructions. To test the efficacy of the method of DNA extraction was investigated the presence of mouse-ÃŽ ²-globin gene. The presence of integrated HPV was assessed by amplification of HPV-E6 and HPV-E2 genes by polymerase chain reaction methodology (PCR) in-house. The resulting genotypes were confirmed to the respective phenotypes. After genotype determination, all animals were sacrificed at 22 to 26 weeks-old and completely necropsied. Ear and chest skin samples were collected into TRIzol (Invitrogen) for miRNA analysis and matched samples were collected into 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological processing. For these procedures, 13 skin samples (ear and chest) of 8 hemizygous females (+ / -) were collected. As control were used 14 skin samples of 7 wild-type females (- / -). Histology Skin samples were fixated in 10% neutral buffered formalin for 48 hours, routinely processed and paraffin-embedded. Histological sections (2 µm-thick) were obtained and stained with haematoxylin and eosin (HE) for examination on light microscopy. Samples and their lesions were classified as normal skin, epidermal hyperplasia and epidermal in situ carcinoma by two independent, blind researchers (CL and RGC). miRNA expression analysis To study miRNA-21 expression, the skin samples were macerated with the TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen) for RNA preservation. The extraction of total RNA was performed using aHigh Pure RNA Isolation Kit(Roche Applied Science), according to manufacturer’s instructions. RNA quality was assessed by measuring the absorbance at 260 nm and its purity was evaluated by the ratio of absorbance at 260/280 nm. cDNA synthesis The conversion of miRNA to cDNA was performed using TaqMan ® MicroRNA Reverse Transcription Kit ( PN 4366596 , Applied Biosystems ®, Foster CA, USA ), using sequence-specific stem-loop primers from each miRNA (miR-21 and snoRNA-202). The amplification conditions were as follows: 30 min at 15 °C, 52 min at 42 ºC and finally 10 min at 85 °C. miRNA-21 relative quantification We used qPCR technique to measure the relative expression of miR-21 (StepOne Real-time PCR Systems; final volume: 20 uL, with1Ãâ€" TaqMan ® Universal Master Mix II Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California USA; 1x MicroRNA Assay (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California USA) and 2 uL cDNA. As endogenous control, we used snoRNA-202. Statistical Analysis Data analysis was performed by the computer software IBM ®SPSS  ®Statistics for Windows (Version 20.0). The 2ΔΔCt method, along with Student’s t-test was used in order to evaluate any statistical differences in the normalized expression of the miR-21. To analyze the normalized relative expression (-ΔCt) of the different groups, we considered the results corresponding to 99% representation of the population ( ±2).      Results Genotyping and histological analysis We observed the presence of integrated HPV DNA (E6 and E2 ORF) in 53% of mice. All cases with HPV-E6 expression also presented HPV-E2 expression. All mice with integrated HPV DNA demonstrated, phenotypically, various degrees of persistent epidermal and squamous mucosal hyperplasia, characteristic lesions associated to HPV infection, previously described in Arbeit et al. study [12]. After histologic evaluation we observed that, in all cases with integrated HPV DNA, the ear tissues presented epidermal in situ carcinomas while the chest tissues showed epidermal hyperplasia. In wild-type mice we observed normal histology. MiRNA-21 expression profile in tissue of transgenic versus wild-type mice To investigate a possible direct influence of HPV16 on the miR-21 expression profile, we analyzed the relative expression between the all tissues (ear and chest) of transgenic mice and the tissues of the control group. We did not found statistical difference in expression levels between both groups (p=0,615). When we compare the miRNA-21 expression in ear and chest samples, singly, we also did not found statistical difference in expression levels between transgenic and wild type mice (Fig.2). MiRNA-21 expression profile in normal tissue To study the miR-21 normal expression profile in tissues, we quantified the expression of miR-21 in the ear and chest skin samples of the control group. We observed that the ear tissues have lower expression levels when compared to chest tissue (p = 0.036) (Fig.3 a)). Mir-21 expression profile in tissues of transgenic mice To compare the relation between miR-21 expression and lesion type, we analyzed the histology of ear and chest samples from transgenic mice and we quantified the expression of miR-21 in the same. We detected that lower expression levels of miR-21 are associated with cancerous lesions as in situ carcinomas (ear) compared with hyperplastic lesions (chest) (p=0,043) (Fig.3 b)). Discussion Recent studies have associated miR-21 to the pathogenesis of various diseases, including cancer. (ref) MiR-21 overexpression is observed in the majority of carcinomas and hematological malignancies. However, understanding of the potential role of miRNA-21 in previous microenvironment to the development of HPV-associated lesions remains elusive. In cervical cancer, it is accepted that HPV infection is the most important factor for transition from normal cervical epithelium to cervical pre-neoplastic intraepithelial neoplasia and subsequently to invasive cervical cancer. However, the influence of others factors including the microenvironment are poorly investigated. Microenvironment associated to miR-21 may be key factor to the predisposition of cancer. We studied that the expression of miR-21 in normal tissues could be important in development of HPV-associated tumors. Our results demonstrate that, in transgenic mice, all ear tissues presented epidermal in situ carcinomas and chest tissues showed epidermal hyperplasia. Thus, we hypothesize that these interesting facts could be related to different miR-21 profile expression of both tissues. Our results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference between the miR-21 expression in HPV-positive samples and controls, concluding therefore that the presence of HPV does not directly influence the expression of this microRNA. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that differences in the miR-21 expression existing in the normal tissue microenvironment are an important determinant of the HPV-induced carcinogenesis process. Several studies have expanded the concept that inflammation is a critical component of tumour progression. Many cancers arise from sites of infection, chronic irritation and inflammation [13]. Thomas X. Lu et al., identified an IL-12/IFN-g–dependent pathway as the most prominent upregulated pathway in the lungs of OVAchallenged miR-21-/- mice compared with wild-type littermate controls, providing substantial evidence that this is the major pathway dysregulated in the miR-21–deficient mice [14]. As IL-12 is a major cytokine that regulates Th1 versus Th2 decisions primarily by inducing T cells to produce the Th1 cytokine IFN-ÃŽ ³ [15], may be related to inflammation responsible for tumor progression. These facts that relate the miR-21 downregulation with increased inflammation may explain our findings that tissues with lower miR-21 expression are more likely to develop a carcinogenic pathway. Pten has been verified as a miR-21 target in pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular cancer and squamous cell carcinoma [16, 17]. (†¦) References 1.Walboomers, J.M., et al., Human papillomavirus is a necessary cause of invasive cervical cancer worldwide. J Pathol, 1999. 189(1): p. 12-9. 2.Watson, M., et al., Using population-based cancer registry data to assess the burden of human papillomavirus-associated cancers in the United States: overview of methods. Cancer, 2008. 113(10 Suppl): p. 2841-54. 3.Major, T., et al., The characteristics of human papillomavirus DNA in head and neck cancers and papillomas. J Clin Pathol, 2005. 58(1): p. 51-5. 4.Coussens, L.M., D. Hanahan, and J.M. Arbeit, Genetic predisposition and parameters of malignant progression in K14-HPV16 transgenic mice. Am J Pathol, 1996. 149(6): p. 1899-917. 5.Masset, A., et al., Unimpeded skin carcinogenesis in K14-HPV16 transgenic mice deficient for plasminogen activator inhibitor. Int J Cancer, 2011. 128(2): p. 283-93. 6.Stoler, A., et al., Use of monospecific antisera and cRNA probes to localize the major changes in keratin expression during normal and abnormal epidermal differentiation. J Cell Biol, 1988. 107(2): p. 427-46. 7.Chen, C.Z., MicroRNAs as oncogenes and tumor suppressors. N Engl J Med, 2005. 353(17): p. 1768-71. 8.Paranjape, T., F.J. Slack, and J.B. Weidhaas, MicroRNAs: tools for cancer diagnostics. Gut, 2009. 58(11): p. 1546-54. 9.Chan, J.A., A.M. Krichevsky, and K.S. Kosik, MicroRNA-21 is an antiapoptotic factor in human glioblastoma cells. Cancer Res, 2005. 65(14): p. 6029-33. 10.Iyevleva, A.G., et al., High level of miR-21, miR-10b, and miR-31 expression in bilateral vs. unilateral breast carcinomas. Breast Cancer Res Treat, 2012. 131(3): p. 1049-59. 11.Kulda, V., et al., Relevance of miR-21 and miR-143 expression in tissue samples of colorectal carcinoma and its liver metastases. Cancer Genet Cytogenet, 2010. 200(2): p. 154-60. 12.Arbeit, J.M., et al., Progressive squamous epithelial neoplasia in K14-human papillomavirus type 16 transgenic mice. J Virol, 1994. 68(7): p. 4358-68. 13.Coussens, L.M. and Z. Werb, Inflammation and cancer. Nature, 2002. 420(6917): p. 860-7. 14.Lu, T.X., et al., MicroRNA-21 limits in vivo immune response-mediated activation of the IL-12/IFN-gamma pathway, Th1 polarization, and the severity of delayed-type hypersensitivity. J Immunol, 2011. 187(6): p. 3362-73. 15.Gately, M.K., et al., The interleukin-12/interleukin-12-receptor system: role in normal and pathologic immune responses. Annu Rev Immunol, 1998. 16: p. 495-521. 16.Darido, C., et al., Targeting of the tumor suppressor GRHL3 by a miR-21-dependent proto-oncogenic network results in PTEN loss and tumorigenesis. Cancer Cell, 2011. 20(5): p. 635-48. 17.Meng, F., et al., MicroRNA-21 regulates expression of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene in human hepatocellular cancer. Gastroenterology, 2007. 133(2): p. 647-58. Fig. 1 Mice genotyping. The presence of integrated HPV was assessed by amplification of HPV-E2 (b) and HPV-E6 (c) genes by polymerase chain reaction methodology (PCR) in-house. Mouse-ÃŽ ²-globin gene was used as endogenous control (a). Fig. 2 Normalized relative expression of miR-21 in transgenic mice (HPV+) and wild-type mice (HPV-), in ear (a) and chest tissue (b). 1

Privacy and Computer Technology Essay

Privacy is a valuable interest and is now threatened more than ever by technological advances. Privacy is defined as the ability to control the collection, use, and dissemination of personal information (Fast Trac Course ). At one time people could once feel confident that what others may find out about them would be treated in a way that it would probably do any harm. Information technology has been beneficial for privacy. By having access to ATMs and online banking we rarely have to present ourselves to a teller. Online shopping offers similar benefits such as being able to shop without standing in long lines and being able to compare prices and research products before purchasing. However, since so much of what we do daily is done using a computer, it can pose a serious threat to privacy. This information can then be recreated to create detailed personal profiles that could not have transpired in pre-digital days. Furthermore, this information can be distributed far, wide, and immediately without our consent or even knowledge. Judicial remedies are unlikely to produce a satisfying or sensible balance between companies’ economic prerogatives and customers’ privacy interest. New technologies that has either unconsiously adopted or resourcefully applied privacy practices will continue to threaten personal privacy. Business will have to find ways to address this uneasiness. If companies remain complacent, underestimating the degree to which privacy matters to customers, harsh regulation may be waiting in the wings. The best way out is for businesses and customers to negotiate directly over where to draw the lines. (What is Privacy?) There are many databases and Internet records that track or keep record of information about an individual’s financial and credit history, medical record, purchases and telephone calls. Most people do not know what information is stored about them or who has access to it. The ability for others to access and link the databases, with few controls on how they use, share, or exploit the information, makes individual control over information about oneself more difficult than ever before. For example, the caller Id was originally designed to allow you to screen your calls and protect from receiving unwanted calls from harassers, telemarketers, etc†¦ In turn it involved privacy concerns for both the caller and the person called. Over the years, there has been a clash between privacy and advancing technologies, which can make a compelling argument for overriding the privacy intrusions. The challenge of improving security while protecting privacy is called Real Id. The real ID act provides significant challenges. It was signed into law on May 11, 2005 (public law 109-13). After may 11, 2008 â€Å"A federal agency may not accept, for any official purpose, a dirvers license or identification card issued by a state to any persin unless the state is meeting the requirements†. The real ID act defines what information and features must appear on the card, what documentation must be presented before a card can be issued, what verification the state must do before a card can be issued, and security measures to prevent tampering counterfeiting and duplication of the card. The Real Id requires states to confirm the identities and documentation of applicants, Make drivers licence and ID cards extremely difficult to counterfiet, and to assure one driver one record so that you will be able to own only one licence which only go for people that has mutliple addresses . The Real Id Act is really the outgrowth of the 911 commision reccomended that the licence be improved and it should be a national standard. Represenative James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis) who was the cahir of the house judiciary committee said â€Å"American citizens have the right to know who is in their country, that people are who they say they are , and the name on a drivers licence is the holder’s real name, not som alias.† Historically the licence has been a state function so the act tailors the mandate that you must present this identification. The challlenges comes from the act because the real ID act was written by Congress without expressing privacy protections. Some of the privacy challenges are what information should be stored in the machine readanble zone?, who should have access to the information stored in the machine readable zone?, and what information, if any will be centralized in order to facilitate the necessary data exchange among the state?. I feel that there should be some limitations on the information stored in the readable zone and the data systems protect the personal information from unauthorized uses and disclosure. Information about individuals is used by businesses to provide customers with a huge array of targeted goods and personalized services that consumers have come to expect. If it lands in the wrong hands, this same information can result in harm to the very individuals it was meant to serve. The protection of an individual’s personal information has business implications that extend beyond the privacy of any one individual. Private information relative to certain businesses and industries is protected by various laws. For example the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws protect private medical information. Many states have enacted their own laws, and the federal government is regulated by the Privacy Act of 1974. Legislatures are increasingly responding to calls for greater protection of private information, and stories of improper disclosures of large volumes of private information receive prominent media attention. At present, there is no broad, general federal law protecting the privacy of customer information; most protections are aimed at particular types of information (such as medical or student records,) or particular types of businesses (such as medical providers, banks, and financial service businesses). Customers and consumers expect their information to be protected and businesses that recognize the need to make privacy part of their business strategy are ahead of the game. Many companies have gone to great lengths to protect information using technological advances. However, the ability of a business to protect private information it collects as part of its business is only as strong as its weakest link â€Å"the human factor† something that technology just can’t overcome. Having knowledge of privacy and security should be aimed at individuals who work with private information to help understand the ways that this information can be disclosed inadvertently. We are now moving into an era where there will always be a digital observer. Unlike footprints left in the sand, our online data trails often stick around long after the tide has gone out and they are growing rapidly. Digital footprints are trails of information left by a person’s interaction in the digital environment (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_footprint). They existed since day one or even before you were born. Internet users don’t realize that every time they use the internet they leave digital footprints. This includes massive amounts of data in the form of email, documents, images, games, music, apps, movies, login and logouts, visits to a web-page, accessed or created files, chat messages or any other material showing the activities being done on a website. What people don’t understand is when you try to reduce your digital footprint you actually make it larger. When trying to reduce your digital footprints interested parties can still use data they have found for evidence, data mining or profiling purposes. This doesn’t mean that you can’t try to protect yourself but you should take precautions when accessing or posting personal information on websites. People need to be proactive and take control of their digital footprint. Due to increased utilization of social media, we should have a heighted awareness of privacy. Being aware of what personally identifiable information that is included in your online profile is very important. Publicy exposed private information on the web can also be used to steal your idenity and money. With more employers’ using the internet to find out about their current or potential new employees, it is good to know in advance what information is floating around the internet about you. You should only put PII in your profile that you wouldn’t mind the entire world including potential or current employers to view. For example, you can find this out by searching for yourself in Google to see what comes up. Also, be wary of strangers. People can misrepresent themselves and their motives so when posting on any social media website it is good to limit who is allowed to contact you and what you tell strangers with whom you communicate with (U.S. Department of State Priva cy Tips). Privacy is so important not just to my online presence but also to my financial documents. Financial privacy is a another term for a multitude of privacy issues, ranging from financial institutions ensuring that their customers information remain private to those outside the institution as well as individuals ensuring that they are protecting their privacy in the privacy of their homes. These documents can be protected by guarding your social security number, calling carefully, and cleaning your name off call lists. Unless you are paying your income taxes, you shouldn’t place your social security number on checks and don’t keep your number in your wallet. A stolen or lost wallet with your social security number can make it easy for someone to obtain new credit in your name. An 800 number is a convenient cost saver, but not if the company you call isn’t reputable. Your call can be the electronic source for undesirable solicitation lists or cause fraud by giving ou t your credit card number to someone who misuses it. You can ask companies you buy from not to release your name to others. You can also have your name eliminated from mass mailing lists by writing to the Direct Marketing Association. Protecting your financial privacy is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The fair credit reporting act guarantees access to your credit report for free. If you at anytime feel your credit has been compromised you should visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website. (How to Deal with a Security Breach) In summary, There are many threats to privacy but there are ways you can prevent compromise by criminals and by privacy invading infestations. There are many things you can do to increase to increase your privacy especially online. Protecting your privacy online requires keeping your computer safe from many types of online dangers. Some of the ways to prevent online dangers are making sure the sites you vist is safe beofre sharing personal information. This incluses your real name, email address, credit card number, etc†¦.The next way is to make sure your online account is properly configured for ideal privacy protection. This includes making sure to use a password that are hard to break. The next way is to protect wireless connection from dangers or intrusions. When connecting to the internet via a wireless connection make sure that you re suing a protected password. The next way is to remove yourself from search databases. This can be done by sending a email through a reputable website such as private eye, 123people.com, or intelius.com. Another way is by increasing the privacy of your browser. This a very important part of protecting your online privacy but it also secures your computer against malware and other threats. Lastly, use a temporary credit card number that is linked to your financial account but is only valid for single or limited transactions. Bibliography (Wikipedia, pg 1) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_footprint Fast Trac Course How to Deal with a Security Breach The Three Basic Forms of Business Ownership What is Privacy?