Review of The Drunkard’s Walk †How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Mlodinow Essay

Read the book â€Å"The Drunkard’s Walk – How Randomness Rules Our Lives† by Mlodinow and pay special attend to the following questions. Some of these questions may appear on quizzes and exams. Chapter 1 Peering through the Eyepiece of Randomness 1. Explain the phenomenon â€Å"regression toward the mean.† In any series of random events an extraordinary event is most likely to be followed, due purely to chance, by a more ordinary one. 2. What factors determine whether a person will be successful in career, investment, etc.? Success in our careers, in our investments, and in our life decisions, both major and minor—is as much the result of random factors as the result of skill, preparedness, and hard work. 3. Was Paramount’s firing of Lansing the correct decision? After she was fired, Paramount films market share rebounded. No, Lansing was fired because of industry’s misunderstanding of randomness and not because of her own flawed decision making. Lansing had good luck at the beginning and bad luck at the end. Chapter 2 The Laws of Truths and Half-Truths 1. What coined the term probability, or probabilis? (Latin: probabilis credible) Cicero’s principal legacy in the field of randomness is the term he used, probabilis, which is the origin of the term we employ today. But it is one part of the Roman code of law, the Digest, compiled by Emperor Justinian in the sixth century, that is the first document in which probability appears as an everyday term of art 2. What is the rule for compounding probabilities? How to compute probability that one event and another event both happening? According to the correct manner of compounding probabilities, not only do two half proofs yield less than a whole certainty, but no finite number of partial proofs will ever add up to a certainty because to compound probabilities, you don’t  add them; you multiply. That brings us to our next law, the rule for compounding probabilities: If two possible events, A and B, are independent, then the probability that both A and B will occur is equal to the product of their individual probabilities. 3. Is the Roman rule of half proofs: two half proofs constitute a whole proof, correct? What do two half proofs constitute by the rule of compounding probabilities? 4. Suppose an airline has 1 seat left on a flight and 2 passengers have yet to show up. If there is a 2 in 3 chance a passenger who books a seat will arrive to claim it, what is the probability that the airline will have to deal with an unhappy customer? What is the probability that neither customer will show up? What is the assumption? What is the probability that either both passengers or neither passenger will show up? 5. In DNA testing for legal trial, there is 1 in 1 billion accidental match and 1 in 100 laberror match. What is the probability that there is both an accidental match and a lab error? What is the probability that one error or the other occurred? Which probability is more relevant? Chapter 3 Finding Your Way through a Space of Possibilities 1. What is â€Å"sample space†? 2. What is Cardano’s law of the sample space? (P. 62) 3. In the Monty Hall problem, why should the player switch after the host’s intervention? Chapter 4 Tracking the Pathways to Success 1. The grand duke of Tuscany’s problem: what is the probability of obtaining 10 when you throw three dice? What about 9? 2. What is Cardano’s law of the sample space? 3. What is the application of Pascal’s triangle? 4. For the Yankees-Braves World Series example, for the remaining 5 games, what is the probability that the Yankees win 2 games? 1 game? 5. What is mathematical expectation? 6. Explain why a state lottery is equivalent to: Of all those who pay the dollar or two to enter, most will receive nothing, one person will receive a fortune, and one person will be put to death in a violent manner? Chapter 5 The Dueling Laws of Large and Small Numbers? 1. What is Benford’s law? Discuss some applications in business. 2. Explain the difference between the frequency interpretation and the subjective interpretation of randomness. 3. Do psychics exist? 4. What is tolerance of error, tolerance of uncertainty, statistical significance? 5. Describe some applications from the book of the law of large numbers and the law of small numbers. Chapter 6 Bayes’s Theory 1. Two-daughter problem In a family with two children, what are the chances that both children are girls? Ans: 25% In a family with two children, what are the chances, if one of the children is a girl, that both children are girls? Ans 33% In a family with two children, what are the chances, if one of the children is a girl named Florida, that both children are girls? Ans: 50% 2. How to apply Bayes’s Theory to determine car insurance rates? Ans : Models employed to determine car insurance rates include a mathematical function describing, per unit of driving time, your personal probability of having zero, one, or more accidents. Consider, for our purposes, a simplified model that places everyone in one of two categories: high risk, which includes drivers who average at least one accident each year, and low risk, which includes drivers who average less than one. If, when you apply for insurance, you have a driving record that stretches back twenty years without an accident or one that goes back twenty years with thirty-seven accidents, the insurance company can be pretty sure which category to place you in. But if you are a new driver, should you be classified as low risk (a kid who obeys the speed limit and volunteers to be the designated driver) or high risk (a kid who races down Main Street swigging from a half-empty $2 bottle of Boone’s Farm apple wine)? Since the company has no data on you—no idea of the â€Å"position of the first ball†Ã¢â‚¬â€it might assign you an equal prior  probability of being in either group, or it might use what it knows about the general population of new drivers and start you off by guessing that the chances you are a high risk are, say, 1 in 3. In that case the company would model you as a hybrid—one-third high risk and two-thirds low risk—and charge you one-third the price it charges high-risk drivers plus two-thirds the price it charges low risk drivers. Then, after a year of observation—that is, after one of Bayes’s second balls has been thrown—the company can employ the new datum to reevaluat e its model, adjust the one-third and two-third proportions it previously assigned, and recalculate what it ought to charge. If you have had no accidents, the proportion of low risk and low price it assigns you will increase; if you have had two accidents, it will decrease. The precise size of the adjustment is given by Bayes’s theory. In the same manner the insurance company can periodically adjust its assessments in later years to reflect the fact that you were accident-free or that you twice had an accident while driving the wrong way down a one way street, holding a cell phone with your left hand and a doughnut with your right. That is why insurance companies can give out â€Å"good driver† discounts: the absence of accidents elevates the posterior probability that a driver belongs in a low-risk group. 3. Probability of correct diagnosis Suppose in 1989, statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show about 1 in 10,000 heterosexual non-IV-drug-abusing white male Americans who got tested were infected with HIV. Also suppose about 1 person out of every 10,000 will test positive due to the presence of the infection. Suppose 1 in 1,000 will test positive even if not infected with HIV (false positive). What is the probability that a patient who tested positive is in fact healthy? Ans: So if you test 10 000 people you will have 11 positives – 1 who is really infected, 10 are false positives. Of the 11 positive testees, only 1 has HIV, that is, 1/11. Therefore the probability that a positive testee is healthy = 10 / 11 = 90.9% 4. O. J. Simpson trial According to FBI statistics, 4 million women are battered annually by husbands and boyfriends in U.S. and in 1992 1,432 or 1 in 2500 were killed by their husbands or boyfriends. The probability that a man who batters his wife will go on to kill her is 1 in 2500. The probability that a battered wife who was murdered was murdered by her abuser is 90%. Which probability is relevant to the O. J. trial? What is the fundamental difference between probability and statistics? Ans: 1) Relevant one is the probability that a battered wife who was murdered was murdered by her abuser = 90%. 2)the fundamental difference between probability and statistics: the former concerns predictions based on fixed probabilities; the latter concerns the inference of those probabilities based on observed data. Chapter 7 Measurement and the Law of Errors 1. Election Why did the author argue that â€Å"when elections come out extremely close, perhaps we ought to accept them as is, or flip a coin, rather than conducting recount after recount?† Ans: (pg= 127 and 128) Elections, like all measurements, are imprecise, and so are the recounts, so when elections come out extremely close, perhaps we ought to accept them as is, or flip a coin, rather than conducting recount after recount. 2. What is mathematical statistics? Ans: Mathematical statistics, provides a set of tools for the interpretation of the data that arise from observation and experimentation. Statisticians sometimes view the growth of modern science as revolving around that development, the creation of a theory of measurement. But statistics also provides tools to address real-world issues, such as the effectiveness of drugs or the popularity of politicians, so a proper understanding of statistical reasoning is as useful in everyday life as it is in science. 3. Wine tasting Should we believe in wine ratings from those â€Å"wine experts†? Why or why not? Two groups wine tasting experts produce the following results: (a) 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 (b) 80 81 82 87 89 89 90 90 90 91 91 94 97 99 100 Compare the two groups of data. (pg 134) From the theoretical viewpoint, there are many reasons to question the significance of wine ratings. For one thing, taste perception depends on a complex interaction between taste and olfactory stimulation. Strictly speaking, the sense of taste comes from five types of receptor cells on the tongue: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. The last responds to certain amino acid compounds (prevalent, for example, in soy sauce). But if that were all there was to taste perception, you could mimic everything—your favorite steak, baked potato, and apple pie feast or a nice spaghetti Bolognese—employing only table salt, sugar, vinegar, quinine, and monosodium glutamate. Fortunately there is more to gluttony than that, and that is where the sense of smell comes in. The sense of smell explains why, if you take two identical solutions of sugar water and add to one a (sugar-free) essence of strawberry, it will taste sweeter than the other.15 The perceived taste of wine arises from the effects of a stew of between 600 and 800 volatile organic compounds on both the tongue and the nose.16 That’s a problem, given that studies have shown that even flavor-trained professionals can rarely reliably identify more than three or four components in a mixture 4. Can professional mutual fund managers (stock pickers) beat students who pick stocks by tossing coins? 5. What is the margin of error in a poll? Should variation within the margin of error be ignored in a poll? Ans: < 5% (or 3.5%). Yes, any variation within the margin of error should be ignored in a poll 6. What is the central limit theorem? Ans: The probability that the sum of a large number of independent random factors will take on any given value is distributed according to the normal distribution. Chapter 8 The Order in Chaos 1. Who are the founders of statistics? Graunt and his friend William Petty have been called the founders of statistics, a field sometimes considered lowbrow by those in pure mathematics owing to its focus on mundane practical issues, and in that sense John Graunt in particular makes a fitting founder. 2. How did Graunt estimate the population of London in 1662? What is Graunt’s legacy? From the bills of mortality, Graunt knew the number of births. Since he had a rough idea of the fertility rate, he could infer how many women were of childbearing age. That datum allowed him to guess the total number of families and, using his own observations of the mean size of a London family, thereby estimate the city’s population. He came up with 384,000— previously it was believed to be 2 million. Graunt’s legacy was to demonstrate that inferences about a population as a whole could be made by carefully examining a limited sample of data. But though Graunt and others made valiant efforts to learn from the data through the application of simple logic, most of the data’s secrets awaited the development of the tools created by Gauss, Laplace, and others in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 3. How did Poincare show the baker was shortchanging customers? French mathematician Jules-Henri Poincarà © employed Quà ©telet’s method to nab a baker who was shortchanging his customers. At first, Poincarà ©, who made a habit of picking up a loaf of bread each day, noticed after weighing his loaves that they averaged about 950 grams instead of the 1,000 grams advertised. He complained to the authorities and afterward received bigger loaves. Still he had a hunch that something about his bread wasn’t kosher. And so with the patience only a famous—or at least tenured—scholar can afford, he carefully weighed his bread every day for the next year. Though his bread now averaged closer to 1,000 grams, if the baker had been honestly handing him random loaves, the number of loaves heavier and lighter than the mean should have  diminished following the bellshaped pattern of the error law. Instead, Poincarà © found that there were too few light loaves and a surplus of heavy ones. He concluded that the baker had not ceased baking underweight loaves but instead was seeking to placate him by always giving him the largest loaf he had on hand. 4. Are all data in society such as financial realm normal? (Yes) Are film revenue data normal? (No) For one thing, not all that happens in society, especially in the financial realm, is governed by the normal distribution. For example, if film revenue were normally distributed, most films would earn near some average amount, and two-thirds of all film revenue would fall within a standard deviation of that number. But in the film business, 20 percent of the movies bring in 80 percent of the revenue. Such hit-driven businesses, though thoroughly unpredictable, follow a far different distribution, one for which the concepts of mean and standard deviation have no meaning because there is no â€Å"typical† performance, and megahit outliers, which in an ordinary business might occur only once every few centuries, happen every few years. 5. Who dubbed the phenomenon â€Å"regression toward the mean†? Explain its meaning. Galton dubbed the phenomenon—that in linked measurements, if one measured quantity is far from its mean, the other will be closer to its mean—regression toward the mean. 6. Who coined the term â€Å"the coefficient of correlation†? Explain its meaning. Galton coined the term â€Å"the coefficient of correlation â€Å".The coefficient of correlation is a number between −1 and 1; if it is near  ±1, it indicates that two variables are linearly related; a coefficient of 0 means there is no relation. 7. Discuss the applications of the chi-square test?(Pg 165 166 167) Pearson invented a method, called the chi-square test, by which you can determine whether a set of data actually conforms to the distribution you believe it conforms to. 8. What is statistical physics? James Clerk Maxwell and Ludwig Boltzmann, two of the founders of statistical physics. Statistical physics was aimed at explaining a phenomenon called Brownian motion. Statistical physics is the branch of physics that uses methods of probability theory and statistics, and particularly the mathematical tools for dealing with large populations and approximations, in solving physical problems. 9. What is a drunkard’s walk or random walk? The random motion of molecules in a fluid can be viewed, as a metaphor for our own paths through life, and so it is worthwhile to take a little time to give Einstein’s work a closer look. According to the atomic picture, the fundamental motion of water molecules is chaotic. The molecules fly first this way, then that, moving in a straight line only until deflected by an encounter with one of their sisters. As mentioned in the Prologue, this type of path—in which at various points the direction changes randomly—is often called a drunkard’s walk, for reasons obvious to anyone who has ever enjoyed a few too many martinis (more sober mathematicians and scientists sometimes call it a random walk). Chapter 9 Illusions of Patterns and Patterns of Illusion 1. What caused the table to move, spirit? not a direct consequence of reality but rather an act of imagination. 2. What is significance testing? Significance testing, was developed in the 1920s by R. A. Fisher, one of the greatest statistician for scientific research. It is a formal procedure for calculating the probability of our having observed what we observed if the hypothesis we are testing is true. If the probability is low, we reject the hypothesis. If it is high, we accept it. 3. Why did Apple founder Steve Jobs made the ipod’s shuffling feature â€Å"less random to make it feel more random†? Spencer-Brown’s point was that there is a difference between a process being random and the product of that process appearing to be random. Apple ran into that issue with the random shuffling method it initially employed in its iPod music players: true randomness sometimes produces repetition, but when users heard the same song or songs by the same artist played back-to-back, they believed the shuffling wasn’t random. And so the company made the feature â€Å"less random to make it feel more random,† said Apple founder Steve Jobs. 4. Suppose there are 1000 mutual fund managers picking stock for 15 consecutive years by each tossing a coin once a year. If a head is obtained, he/she beats the market (a fund manager either beats the market average or not). What is the probability that someone among the 1000 who would toss a head in each of the 15 years? From Nobel Prize-winning economist Merton Miller: â€Å"If there are 10,000 people looking at the stocks and trying to pick winners, one in 10,000 is going score, by chance alone, and that’s all that’s going on. It’s a game, it’s a chance operation, and people think they are doing something purposeful but they’re really not.† Ans: The chances that, after fifteen years, a particular coin tosser would have tossed all heads are then 1 in 32,768. But the chances that someone among the 1,000 who had started tossing coins in 1991 would have tossed all heads are much higher, about 3 percent. 5. What is confirmation bias? When we are in the grasp of an illusion—or, for that matter, whenever we have a new idea—instead of searching for ways to prove our ideas wrong, we usually attempt to prove them correct. Psychologists call this the confirmation bias, and it presents a major impediment to our ability to break free from the misinterpretation of randomness. Chapter 10 The Drunkard’s Walk 1. What is the butterfly effect? The butterfly effect, based on the implication that atmospheric changes so small they could have been caused by a butterfly flapping its wings can have a large effect on subsequent global weather patterns. 2. Can past performance of mutual fund managers predict future performance? No.

Coraline Book review

Coralline is a horror story featuring a family that has recently moved to a new house. Coralline, a young girl, detests the move. When she discovers a door in the drawing room, she becomes curious. When she looks the first time, there is Just a brick wall, but the next time she checks, there is a passageway to an alternate universe. Coralline starts to believe that she likes this newfound world more, but will it stay that This British novella takes place in a community in Britain in summer 2002. This is a horror book but isn't as frightening as other books.The main characters are Coralline Jones, Mrs.. Jones, Mr.. Jones, The Cat, The Other Mother, and The Other Father. The story is told in third person and focuses mainly on Carolina's adventures. The plot revolves around a young girl named Coralline traveling through a door in her house to an alternate universe that has other versions of her parents that try to take her from the real world. Coralline believes she likes it there at fi rst and wishes she could live there but soon finds the evil in her other parent's plans. There are two possible themes to this book.The first is be careful what you wish for and the second is it's hard to look past the surface when it looks so perfect. This book was incredibly interesting and very different from any horror book I've ever read. Although it didn't terrify me like other books might, it was written differently and had a very interesting plot. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new book or a good book to read. I read this book due to the interest In the movie that I saw when I was younger and I enjoyed It twice as much as I loved the movie. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.

Body ownership

Body ownership Body Ownership The sense of one’s own body has been a subject of debate among researchers for many years. It is argued to be a very specific type of knowledge, illustrated as being a non-conceptual and somatic (e.g., Kant, 1781/2003; Bermu ´ dezas cited in Lango, et al., 2007). It has been argued that this type of knowledge, often referred to as ‘‘embodiment† (Arzy, Overney, Landis, Legrand, 2006), or ‘‘corporeal awareness† (Berlucchi Critchley, 1979) is compulsory, to experience various types of sensory information (Kant, 1781/2003; Johnson, 1987; Lakoff, 1987; Merleau-Ponty, 1945/1962; Piaget, 1937/1954 as cited in Lango, et al., 2007). In other words, one has to have some sort of knowledge of one’s own body in order to experience emotions and sensations. It has been argued that gaining this type of knowledge is crucial for formation of personal psychological identity (Cassam,1997; Edelman, 2004). Rubber hand illusion allows for the manipulating the brain into perceiving an external object- the rubber hand, as being a representation of the body (Tsakiris &Haggard, 2005). Self awareness has been argued to be mostly represented by the sense of the body ownership. Moseley( et al., 2008) provoked the rubber hand illusion and demonstrated one of rubber hand illusion’s effects- taking ownership of an artificial counterpart- which leads to decrease in the temperature in the real hand. They found that this phenomenon was limb-specific, in other words similar effect have not been found to occur in the not stimulated hand. They argued that this is phenomenon is demonstrating that physical self and the physiological regulation of self are closely linked in the top down manner to an individual’s body awareness. It also seems likely that if body awareness is disrupted by cognitive processes, that might lead to changes in the body temperature regulations, in the rubber hand illusion case, making it de crease. This therefore leads to conclusion that if an individual’s starts perceiving and artificial body part it will have an effect on the rest of the body (Moseley, 2008). Body ownership has been argued to be a sort of knowledge that that your body belongs to you, and is constantly there, is a basis for the aspect of self-awareness. Individuals suffering from for example schizophrenia, autism, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, anorexia nervosa, and bulimia have been found to have a disturbance in their body ownership. These disorders have also been found to have a connection to the disruption of the body temperature regulations (Moseley, 2008). Moseley (et al., 2008) has demonstrated that such disruption in the body ownership can be a consequence of a Rubber Hand Illusion. RHI consequences in participant’s perception that the touch they are experiencing is actually an effect of the stimulation given to the rubber hand. That consequence in participant’s taking an o wnership of the rubber hand. Additionally, Moseley (et al., 2008) found that there was a positive correlation between the vividness of the rubber hand illusion experience and the decrease in the skin temperature in the adequate hand. This suggests that the more an individual experiences the RHI the more will the temperature in their hand decrease.

Kwon's Investigation to the Artists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kwon's Investigation to the Artists - Essay Example Traditionally, the word â€Å"art† had a limited meaning but with the passage of time, it has broadened its meanings and forms. Public art has faced many controversies from the critics all over the world. But feminist art has emerged in the history as a strong and the most controversial medium through which the efforts and achievements of the feminist artists have sought a medium to reflect the experiences and various colors of a woman’s life. This has changed the idea of contemporary art. The history of feminist art has its roots deeply ingrained in the history of art and therefore, the changes brought by the feminist artists have contributed greatly in changing the history of art. In other words, we can say that feminist artists have intervened in the history of art. The feminist art movement started with the idea that everyday experiences in a woman’s life should be represented through art, where they have been either neglected or underestimated by various fac tors such as the society, culture, politics etc. The emergence of feminist artists took place even before the rise of the feminist art movement in early 1971. ... In addition later in year 1971, women artists were excluded from the exhibition and art galleries by Corcoran Biennial in Washington D.C. which provoked an organized protest from New York Women in Art against the gallery owners for their discriminatory actions. Later in the same year, Judi Chicago founded Feminist art program at Cal State Frenso. Judi Chicago was one of the most recognizable activists in the Movement. She has played a key role in creating awareness among the feminine artists for their roles, rights and contributions in the artwork. In 1972, Judi Chicago came up with another masterpiece entitled as â€Å"WomanHouse† along with Miriam Schapiro at California Institute of Arts. WomanHouse drew the attention of crowds as well as gained the national publicity for the active work from the activists of the Feminist Art Movement (Harper; 1985). This was a collaborative effort by the students to display their artwork; expressing their feelings for being discriminated an d condemned by various performances. It is imperative to understand the term â€Å"feminist art.† This has raised a debate between the art historians and theorists around the globe. It is still difficult for them to understand and extract the exact meaning of feminist art as a movement, a milestone in art history or is it a diversified shift in artwork. Many critics have compared this form of art as an unreal and challenging way of performing art and making it to be seen by the audience. Feminist art has raised many questions that are closely associated with Postmodernism. Feminist art gave a new meaning and dimension to its form. However, Postmodernism has denied the inflexible nature

Wind power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Wind power - Essay Example I selected wind energy as my topic as it is a renewable source which has no harmful results. It is safe for the environment and the people also. I will explain in the project about global warming. Then i will explain green house effect and carbon dioxide effect. Then will come the turn to explain wind energy and its benefits. The advantages it has to the environment. It is a non-renewable source of energy. It is formed when dead plants and animals are buried in the earth for millions of years. There are many types which exist in this world. They are burned to give energy. Over 86% of our needs today are met because of burning of fossil fuel.2 Now days, global warming is a very big issue being discussed everywhere. It is defined as the average increase in earth’s temperature. This increase causes a change in the world climate which is not desired. A hotter earth can lead to natural disasters like rainfalls, melting if the snow and increase in sea level. It also has a huge impact on the plants animals living in this world and also the humans. The biggest problem is that nobody notices the change in temperature but in future the change will be very harmful.3 Coming to the fact about green house gases. What is this? The earth is surrounded by various gasses which are holded by the gravitational pull. Other than nitrogen and oxygen there are some other gasses in the atmosphere also. These gases have traces made up of Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Neon, Helium, Methane, Hydrogen, Nitrous Oxide and Ozone. The human activities result in emission of four principal greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and the halocarbons. All these gasses have GWP (Global Warming Potential).4 The radiation of the sun passes through the atmosphere; are absorbed by the green house gasses and in turn increase the temperature of the earth surface and lower atmosphere. It has now been understood

Business strategies of Zara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Business strategies of Zara - Essay Example This research will begin with the PESTEL analysis of Zara. PESTEL is a tool which helps in analyzing the external environment for the company. This tool divides the macro environment into six factors which are Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal. The PESTEL tool will be utilized to assess the impact of these external factors on the apparel industry in Spain. Among several measures, the Spanish government has increased the corporate tax rate from 24 percent to 24.75 per cent including royalty payments. The increase in tax rates would be effective from 01 January 2012. The increase in tax rates has also been imposed on multinational corporations investing in Spain. The increase in corporate tax rate has led to an increase in the prices of garments and affected the apparel industry of Spain. The current economic situation of the economy is very weak and the average GDP growth of the economy has been very slow since 2007. The GDP growth of Spain was 3.7 p ercent in the year 2009 and 0.2 percent in the year 2010. There has been a major decrease in consumer spending and employment. However, the apparel industry of Spain has been recovering steadily amidst the recession. The export value of garment increased from $68,120 in the year 2009 to $88,821 in the year 2010. As estimated by the analyst the rise in consumer spending on textiles and food would increase by the end of the year 2013. Social As per a survey conducted by Fashion United, a resident of European Union spent 5.3 percent of their salary on clothing and footwear (Fashion United, 2013). This reflects that fashion plays an integral part in the lives of Europeans. Europeans like wearing fashionable clothes and footwear as it enhances their personality. The apparel industry manages to yield profits even amidst a slow economy. Technological Technology plays a pivotal role in the fashion industry. Information Technology has helped the fashion companies of Europe in improving the supply chain management. Majority of the fashion companies use their official website as a medium to communicate and provide information to their customers. European fashion companies use their website extensively as an important communication tool. Technology like Location Based Mobile Technology permits the retailers to track and communicate with their customers (Wang et. al., n.d.). Environmental Most of the European companies have introduced their own environment policies which believe in the conservation of environment and preventing environment degradation. Fashion companies in Europe have introduced their own environmental policies which include usage of ecological fabrics and biodegradable materials in the manufacturing of clothes and footwear. Legal Plagiarism is a huge offence in the fashion industry (Jones, 2005). As per the intellectual property act the company can obtain ownership rights for its work to prevent plagiarism (Canberra Institute of Technology, 2011). In the year 2007, John Galliano was found guilty by the court of France for plagiarism for copying the design of Willam Klein (Daily Mail, 2007). The retail companies found guilty of plagiarism will be tried in the court of their respective countries. Porter’s Five Forces Model Before developing a business strategy, a company needs to identify the forces which affect the profitability of an industry (Henry, 2008). The five forces are as follows 1) Threat of new entrants: If a particular industry is witnessing high profit then it would naturally attract new entrants. A lot of time and cost is invested by the

Loyalty programmes..reflective statement for dissertation Essay

Loyalty programmes..reflective statement for dissertation - Essay Example However, on moving ahead with the research I realized the amount of hard work research work would demand. The preparation of research proposal was also difficult as this was the first time that I did such extensive research for a particular topic to ensure that I stay within the scope of the research I set before me and at the same time meet the requirements of the university. Before conducting the research studying deeply the different research categories like explanatory research descriptive research as well as exploratory research gave me an insight into which kind of research category to use in which situation. This was useful as it allowed me to understand the pros and cons of different research strategies like action research, grounded theory, surveys, etc. in order to decide upon the most suitable research strategy for my dissertation. It was through this process that I was able to develop an analytical frame of mind that helped me to quickly overcome the problems that I faced in conducting the research. I had to change my plan from conducting face to face interview to survey questionnaire because of the unavailability of responsible marketing / operations heads despite of calling 50 hotels for scheduling interview. Even designing the survey questionnaire was not easy and the data collected through this method was scrutinized by the supervisor for its limitations to ensure the objectiveness of the research is maintained at all times. The presentation of findings and analysis required use of different tools which I had to learn during the course of the research. The structure of the dissertation was also considered to be an important element of my research. I had to look at examples how a good dissertation needs to be written. The work flow should be in such a way that it covers different aspects of the research for better understanding of its users. The writing was built upon strong objectives and research questions which

The Analysis of Film production as a popular cultural production in Essay

The Analysis of Film production as a popular cultural production in Korea - Essay Example The poor quality of the films in Korea was due to limited budget of production and lack of well-developed system and structures compared to the Hollywood films which had taken over Koreans’ market. Between 1993 and 1998, the Korean market share in the film industry had steadily decreased by 15% threatening its existence in the industry. The film Shiri which was a hit in 1999 was about a North Korean spy who was preparing a coup in Seoul and it sold more than two million tickets. It also recorded more than 5 million viewers catapulting to the top of the South Korean box office and took the place previously held by the film ‘Titanic’. This film made the Samsung Entertainment group to create a production system and also initiated large-scale fundraising of money to improve the film industry. Koreans market share in the film industry also increased by 39.6 percent. This was a great achievement in the Korean popular cultural production as it brought fame to the country . The increase in the market share also inspired many Korean film-makers convincing them that good financial support system and a selected quality can make Korean film productions successful. The film Shiri also opened doors for other films in Korea such as the Matrix to gain fame in the world. Additionally, the five-day working week law applied in this country promoted its film production in a big way since most people visited theatres during their long weekends. As a result, the Korean film market expanded by 18% annually and by 2002, the film industry had over 100 million audiences. As of 2004, many Korean films had become more popular in the world than the Hollywood films. In addition, major distributors of the Hollywood movies such as Warner Brothers and DreamWorks saw great potential in Korean films and began to acquire the copyright of remakes of the several movies  that had been big hits the Korean market.  

GIS design and technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

GIS design and technology - Essay Example The paper tells that Geographical Information System (GIS) was created with the ability to assemble, analyze, manipulate, update, store and display information which has been geographically referenced according to the location of the data. For it to function it requires a vast amount of data hence making the projects which use GIS very expensive. Its data originate from images of satellites, maps, GPS data from survey an all other instruments which can attribute data. Before the development of Internet GIS large amount of data of different field like road networks, sewer lines, telecommunication lines and natural resources were useless as they were available in large unorganized states which makes them hard to retrieve and analyze. The creation of GIS solved this problem hence the organization of GIS databases which had all the information needed. Elangovan attributes GIS development is to different disciplines like databases, computer science, computer mapping, Computer Aided Design , remote sensing, geography, Cartography and many more. Different discipline had different functions in the GIS. Databases is used to store, manipulate and retrieval of the data. Computer mapping is used to create maps in the computer while the remote sensing is used to take satellite images. Through the combination of these and other disciplines the GIS emerged a super field which is very helpful. The development of GIS can be generally grouped into four stages of development according to Elangovan (2006, p.10). Between 1960 and 1975 there was introduction of the GIS concept. Due to this fact only few people used in mainframe computers. In between 1973 and early 1980s though many experiment and practice were done, there was little information as individuals were the one doing the research hence duplication of work. There was development of many GIS software between 1982 and late 1990s. This improved the growth of GIS. The last stage is between 1990 and 2000. In this stage there was standardization of the GIS due to the easy availability of software both for ensuring user friendliness and for a platform for working. After 2000 GIS had multi use like virtual reality, mobile mapping and web based GIS. Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1965 was successful in the creation of processing of graphic data through computer aid. This fastened the development of GIS. Agencies in USA, Canada and the UK started using the GIS for the processing of large data amounts. The first to use GIS was the Canada government. The Canadian government used the GIS for management of land and other resources. The US government used the GIS for Geographical Retrieval and Analysis System (GIRAS) which is used to analyze data on the use of land and land cover. In 1970s the Swedish bank on land data used the GIS to make the registration of land and properties automatic. After the development of Geographical Information Mapping and Management System (GIMMS) by the University of Minnesota , in 1963, there was publishing of the Atlas of Britain through the use of information in the GIS. It was printed by the Bickmore and his team of cartography. In 1970 there was publishing of the first multicolour map in Britain. The production of commercial GIS was done by the Harvard Graphic labs in 1970. There was also creation of many cartographic packages like GIMMS, GRID, GEOMAP and MAP. Between 1970s and 1980s there was development of many GIS packages. In 1975 after the first academic meeting about GIS in the UK there was release of the

Cause and Effects of Watching Too Much Television Essay Example for Free

Cause and Effects of Watching Too Much Television Essay Cause and effects of watching too much television Discoveries and invention of devices are always welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuse its benefits and be adversely affected by it. This was the case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-ray and within five years, the British Army was using a mobile x-ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers in the Sudan. Television was also invented with positive thoughts in mind – there would be no national borders, education and communication would be worldwide, etc. However, we are now trying to overcome its physiological and psychological adverse effects on human beings. People mainly watch television for entertainment especially when they are bored or â€Å"have nothing to do†. It is also used for relaxing, as most people like to sit and back and relax while watching their favourite television show. Watching the television however, may become addictive and a hard habit to break. There are many effects of watching too much television. One of the physiological effects of watching television in excessive amounts is eye-strain. It is true that there are specifications for watching television; television should be 5 m. away from the eye, the room should be adequately lit, television should be placed at the same height with our eyes, etc. However, these do not prevent our eyes from getting tired if we keep watching television for a long time. Another effect is obesity, which is widely observed in people who like watching television and eating snacks everyday (there is even a term â€Å"television snacks† to refer to fast food that is suitable for eating in front of the television). Television is such a powerful machine that people cannot get away from it – it is addictive. Apart from the physiological effects, television also causes psychological effects. One is a result of being exposed to violence. After seeing so many violent scenes on television, people start considering violent actions normal and they lose their sensitivity to their environment. Partly connected to this effect, the interpersonal communication among people decreases. Being insensitive to the suffering of other people causes people to become alienated. Also, after coming home from work people seek to relax n front of the television, and generally people prefer watching television to talking to each other. This issue is very important since lack of interpersonal relationships mostly end with divorces. Shortly, inventions are meant to be beneficial for human beings, if we know how to benefit from them. Television is one of such inventions that need to be used for the right purpose only – being educated and entertained for a reasonable (according to age) period of time. We may, then, be safe from or at least reduce the adverse physiological and psychological effects of watching too much television.

Sources Of Finance For A Public Limited Company Finance Essay

Sources Of Finance For A Public Limited Company Finance Essay Finance is the basic ingredient of a business. Insufficiency or absence of cash can pose a threat for a business. Without cash a business is unable to survive. Various sources of finance help to fulfill the needs of wages, advertising, expansion, payment of interests etc (Pride et.al, 2009). Different sources of finance are used depending upon their maturity period. Each source has its advantages and disadvantages. Sources of finance The sources of finance are broad classified into the following: Long term Finance Medium term finance Short term finance Long Term Sources of Finance Long term sources of finance are those methods that are adopted to provide finance for a long period of time. This period of time must be of one year and above. Long term sources are generally complex and are usually adopted to fund activities like going for acquisitions, product extensions, or buying up of new premises etc. Example of long term financing includes a 40 year mortgage or a 10 year treasury note. The sources of long term finance are: Debentures Debentures are the long term loans raised from public by a Public limited company. These debentures are usually ranged from 0.01$ to 100$ with varied interest rates. Debentures are floated with certain terms and conditions and are generally secured against the assets of a company (Chakraborty, 2004). Advantages of debentures Debentures are a well suited mode of long term financing as the interest payable on debentures is made before taxation. Another advantage of debenture is that they are payable even when the company does not produce profit. Issue cost of debenture is low as compared to that of preference capital and equity. Disadvantages of debentures As mentioned above, certain terms and conditions are set out for debentures. Failure to meet those conditions, like interest and principal repayment requirement, can result in not only financial and social humiliation but can also lead to bankruptcy. Debentures are influenced by the inflation rates. If, by chance the inflation rate significantly drops down, then the real cost of the debt will become higher than what was initially set (Chandra, 2008). Convertible debentures Convertible debentures offer the advantage of quick conversion of debt into equity. Convertible debentures are similar to the normal debentures in terms of interest rates specification and the principal payment, except that in convertible debentures the buyer has the option of converting them into companys issuing share at a pre decided ratio. Convertible debentures are used by the companies to attract investors. Like the Essar steel, India issued convertible debentures coupled with warranty and loyal coupons as well as optionally fully convertible debentures to attract investors (Nidheesh, 2009). Advantages of convertible debentures Convertible debentures are favorable for the issuing company as they offer low interest payments as compared to the traditional debt. For investors they offer a secure means of investment through participation in the stock options and guaranteed coupon payments. There will be no capital gains tax for the holders of convertible debenture. Disadvantages of convertible debentures In case of bankruptcy, the debenture holder has a low priority claim on the companys asset as compares to the straight debt holders. The Valuation techniques for convertible debentures are a bit tricky and may require additional scrutiny (Hanif, 2001) Common Stock Common stock is a long term security that is issued to the owners of the company. Advantages of common stock Common stock offer several advantages. Common stocks are liquid i.e. they can be easily and readily bought and sold. The risk associated with common stock is very less as it is only limited to the initial cash investment made. They are labeled to be high returners as compared to the other sources of investment. Disadvantages of common stock The owners of common stock are last to be paid in the business after payments to employees, suppliers, creditors etc. The stock prices are usually unstable, that is they rise and fall quickly. So the investors are required to be vigilant in this regard. Preference shares Preference shares refer to those shares that offer a fixed percentage of dividends that is paid in preference to the common shares to the stock holders. Advantages of preference shares There advantages are: In preference shares the company is not forced to pay the dividends in the period when the profits are poor. Preferred shareholders receive their payments first as compared to the common stock holders in event of bankruptcy. Disadvantages of preference shares They are riskier, as unlike other instruments, they are not secured against the assets of the company. The interest yield on preference stock is low as compared to the loan stock In case of non-payment the preferred stock holders, unlike debenture holders cannot call for a receiver for the claims (Carter et.al, 1997). Mortgage A mortgage is a long term source of finance that is given by the borrower to the lender in exchange for the security of the real estate property. One can choose between a fixed rate and adjustable rate mortgage depending upon ones risk bearing capacity, financial health and other requirements. Advantages of mortgage The mortgage financing makes the borrowing flexible and affordable as it provides ownership of real estate along with the provision of financial aid. The interest rate on mortgage is tax free. The fixed schedule of mortgage payments allows you to plan up your cash flux and plan your needs and requirements accordingly. Disadvantages of mortgage The default risk is high in case of mortgage. The mortgage terms and conditions requires for collateral to be penned as security. The lender has a right to claim on the security in case of default payments. Finance Strategy: Finance simplified for you Government grants/loans Government grants are of great assistance to the entrepreneurs in terms of providing the financial hold up. Many of the government organizations are able enough to finance the young entrepreneurs to help them develop the right strategy for their business. The government organizations grant is not only limited to the strategic thinking phase, they also help the entrepreneurs in putting the plan to reality and also supporting the stat up costs (Gruber, 2009). Advantages of Government grants The government grants are easily and readily available for a business idea. Although a lengthy application process is involved, yet the process is much quicker than the other lenders. Like SBA (Small Business Association) approves a loan in 3-5 business days. The interest rate is lower for government grants especially in case of student loans. Disadvantages of Government grants The element of bureaucracy is usually involved to approach for the grants The government organization giving the money, try to exert influence on the business management. The grantee is subjected to tougher terms and conditions in order to be eligible fot the grant. Retained Profit Retained profit involves allocation of profit from an existing business to be reinvested in to the same business for the purpose of financing. This money can be used to buy new equipment, machinery, raw material and other such type of investments. Advantages of retained profit This type of self financing helps the company to withstand any contingency requirements and uncertainties or even a calamity. The cost of raising finance from outside source is saved through the retained profit move. There are no lengthy legal formalities involved in this type of financing. Disadvantages of retained profit Some companies falsely use the retained profit as a means of manipulating the value of shares and dividends. Improper use of retained profit in risky adventures may result in a loss.(Rajni and Hiro, 2008) Medium term sources of finance: Medium term financing or intermediate financing is done for a period intermediate between 1 to 10 years. Medium term financing is generally done for the purpose of maintenance or up gradation of the business like making improvements in the plant, buying up of raw material, assets and equipment. The sources of medium term finance are: Loans Loans are a means of providing long term financing for activities such as buying of fixed assets like plant and equipment, funding up of working capital and or covering losses. Advantages of loans Through loan, the financing is secured for the life of a loan. You can purchase a loan for almost everything now. Loan helps you to make things affordable. You can match the term of your loan to the life of an asset you want to purchase. For example you can take a loan of three years for a machine whose working life is three years. Disadvantages of loans If you miss a monthly payment, things might get difficult for you that may include penalties or even your property possession. It is a long term commitment. Some banks offer repayment facility but they charge extra fees for repayments. Venture Capital Trust Venture capital trust refers to those companies that are listed on the London stock exchange, and are in search of investors to raise an equity capital of about 10 to 30 million pounds. The VCT managers are given three years to invest cash, glitz and bonds into different companies. Advantages of venture capital trust VCTs are particularly famous for providing tax efficient investment. They provide tax free dividends Offer Tax free capital growth Disadvantages of venture capital trust The VCT investment mode has higher risk associations as compared to life insurance fund, collectives and other modes. The major risks are: The Unquoted companies (UK Smaller Companies) Liquidity issues (ability to sell shares) Market timing risk Leasing A lease in agreement of purpose signed for a specific time frame, conveying the use of a particular resource. Leasing is preferable when the cost of purchasing equipment is higher than the cost of leasing. The lessee gets the rights to use the equipment in exchange of rental payments to the lessor. For example in the golf industry, the golf operators make use of leased golf cars, leased golf aeration equipment, mowing machines etc. Advantages of leasing In lease financing the interest rate is fixed throughout the course of payment Leasing helps in the conservation of capital as it does not outline any requirements of deposition of cash at the beginning. Leasing a property is much simpler as compared to mortgage financing. (Schmidgall, 2004) Disadvantages of leasing In lease you have to bear the cost of equipment maintenance as specified, when you are not even the owner of the equipment. Lease payments are to be paid till the termination of the original term period. So even if a lessor is facing a downturn he is still supposed to make the payments that can be troublesome. Hire Purchase Nowadays, machines transport vehicle, equipment etc are bought through hire purchase. Possession of the good is transferred to the hirer but the ownership is only given after the last installment has been paid. Hirer can also choose to pay off all the installments in one go. Advantages of hire purchase The hirer is not bound in case of hire purchase. How can either wait for the full payment term or can go for the purchase by paying the amount at once. The cost of equipment under hire purchase is less as compared to leasing. They have little statutory control Disadvantages of hire purchase The cost of maintenance is to be burnt by the hirer thus reducing his profit margin. 20 to 25 percent advance payment has to be paid to the vendor at the time of hire purchase contract.( Maheshwari, 2003) Business Angels Business angels refer to those people that have a lot of money that they are looking to invest somewhere. They are one step ahead of friends, family founders etc. Venture Capitalists Business Angels Friends Founders and family High Risk Lower (But still somewhat high risk) (Source: Sources of funding for Australias Entrepreneurs by Howard Frederick, Siri Terjesen, pp.30) Advantages of business angels As compared to the financial institutions, raising funds through business angels is beneficial as it does not involve high fees. Business angels offer different investment criteria from other instruments, offer longer investment opportunities, convenient investment processes and lower targeted rate of returns. Disadvantages of business angels Business angels try to make there say in operations of the business, and can also affect the business expertise, their value and their contribution. There is a history of a small proportion of business angels turning out be devils, fulfilling their own motives rather than contributing into the good of the business Business angels, unlike the venture capitalist are less like to re investment in the same business (Frederick and Terjesen, 2007). Short term sources of finance: The money needs for less than a year are fulfilled through short term financing. They provide a cash influx or the fulfillment of short term inventory needs and repairs as well as short term investments. For example retailers like Wal-mart make use of short term financing to build up their inventories before peak selling periods. The sources of short term finance are: Bank Over drafts Bank overdrafts are a short term medium of financing that fulfills the contingency needs of the business especially for the adjustments in the fluctuations of cash flow and sudden demands. Advantages of bank overdrafts Over draft is a simple and supple means of financing The interest is chargeable on the everyday overdrawn amount. Disadvantages of bank overdraft The bank can call for repayment at any time. Cannot be borrowed for larger amounts The rate of interest for bank draft is higher than that for loans. Trade credit Trade credit is the easiest source of financing, where the suppliers of a business enable you to take up the material with the flexibility of making the payment later on. So whenever material equipments etc are taken without on-spot cash payment, trade crediting is involved. There are certain terms and conditions involved in trade crediting and depending on those terms the crediting can be costly. For example the terms involved in purchasing supplies from a supplier on trade credit is 3 percent cash discount within 12 days and a net date of 30 days. By this the supplier is lending you two percent discount on purchase price within those 12 days. However, by using the trade credit benefit you are conserving your money for 18 more days. If we calculate on an annual basis the 3 percent discount missed may cost you more. Advantages of trade credit Trade credit is readily and conveniently available, since the suppliers are up for a business easily If the company is facing any financial flops, Trade credit sourcing may be beneficial as the suppliers are lenient in giving finances. Usually no or minimal security or guarantees are required in case of trade credit Disadvantages of trade credit The giving up of the cash discount offered by the suppliers, in case of early payment, can be the biggest drawback for taking up trade credit, The firms credit rating may get affected through trade crediting (Shim and seigel, 2007) Factoring Factoring is a source of financing that is based upon the business outstanding invoices. It works in the way that the business sends a copy of the invoice received from the customer to the factor. The factor pays a set amount of the invoice value that usually makes 80 to 85 percent of the total amount to be paid. This payment is readily done usually within twenty four hours. However, a small number of invoices make the factoring uneconomical. Companies that have a turnover rate of 200,000 pounds and above can make use of the factoring. For example in India, several measures have been taken for factor development. Like the State bank of India formed SBI Factors and commercial services limited in various states of India to help the small scale businesses who were suffering the shortage of capital.(Page 81) Advantages of factoring Factoring helps in the improvement of the firms credit management Factoring enables a continuous inflow of funds Factoring can be of great benefit particularly in case of need. Disadvantages of factoring Among the different forms of short term financing, the cost of factoring is higher than others Factoring may damage the good will of the firm from clients point of view, as he may see it as a sign of financial weakness (Banjerjee, 2005) Invoice Discounting Invoice discounting is very similar to factoring except for a minor difference. In factoring the third party approaches the customer for the settlement of invoices and manages the other business details. But in invoice discounting the customers are totally unaware of your financing relationships. The company itself maintains responsibility for the ledgers and invoice processing. Advantages of invoice discounting As the customers are unaware, so the companys goodwill is not much affected As the cash is readily available it can be used for future investments and fund other orders The management no longer need to spend time on unpaid accounts and can utilize their time in planning elsewhere Disadvantages of invoice discounting Terminating the agreement can be difficult in case of invoice discounting Disputed invoices can sometimes pose a problem and should be carefully dealt with. Conclusion So whether you are thinking of setting up a new business or extending the existing one, money will always be the first and the foremost requirement. One should always properly assess the business resources for financing, as some sources may be suitable for business finance and other might not be. For example setting up a road side coffee stall requires different type of financing than setting up a garment industry business. But for many business the issue is not only to identify the right source of finance but also to find where to get the funds for setting up, expansion purpose and likewise. Therefore it is imperative to analyze the various source of financing available to a business and to assess thoroughly the appropriation of the resources in relation to the business. Investment readiness is always needed. A wealthy and beneficial financial package should, therefore, be selected as it is not only the question of money, but also the question of the whole of the life cycle of the business.

Abortion Essay -- Abortion

Abortion A young women who just recently married at the age of 24 is six months along in her pregnancy. By her eighth month, she has came across complications. Within one week, they continue to get progressively worse. She is eventually rushed to the hospital. There her symptoms are studied by medical professionals. She soon is told that her complications are so severe that they might cost her her life. She is now faced with a choice. A medical dilemma of saving her life with the use of an abortion, or the moral dilemma of saving her childs life. What is right? In the U.S. about 1.6 million pregnancies end in abortion. A majority of women in America with an income below 11,000 are 3 times more likely to abort their unborn child rather than those whose income is above 25,000. Also, women who are divorced or unmarried are 4 to 5 times more likely to abort than a stable married woman.(1) The most commonly used procedure for an abortion is the vaccum aspiration which is used during the first trimester (from conception to three months). A tube is simply inserted into the cervix and the contents within the cervix are vaccumed out.(1) Another commonly used type of abortion focuses on the second trimester. This type of abortion is called dilation and evacuation. By this trimester the fetus has slowly developed bones, bulk, and contains movement. Which leaves the second trimester not as easy. Once the fetus and placenta are removed, tweezers are then used to take out the larger parts of the fetus. By the time the fifth month approaches the fetus has entered its third trimester where the abortion becomes both serious and dangerous. As a mother in her fifth month, doctors would induce her with drugs to put her into labor as if she ... ...ause of it’s immoral and life begins at conception. Women have been given the right to have an abortion under the United States Consititution, but this right is still being protested by the people that fight for the unborn’s rights. Pro-life activists claim that its immoral because they simply defined it as murder. Life begins at conception another strong point brought up by pro-life activists. Before a child is born it is given all of it's necessities to survive. Before birth the child heart beats, the gastric juices flow in the stomach, and all it's necessary organs are intact. The unborn child thinks, dreams, and feels pain.(1) The abortion issue is a constant debate in our society and it is amazing that faith and reason can determine the life of a child. Maybe soon the abortion issue will reverse, and people will see the rights of the unborn as a great importance.

Diary extracts from Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice). :: English Literature

Diary extracts from Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice). EXTRACT ONE: The first ball =========================== A new gentleman arrived in the neighbourhood, and is now renting Netherfield, a large house with extensive grounds. Of course my mother is very eager for one of her daughters to marry him, as he is single, and possesses a large fortune. Last night, at the ball it was evident who he would marry out of my sisters, and that would be Jane, my eldest sister. Not surprisingly he chose Jane, as she was by far the best looking woman there and had the finest character. Mr Bingley brought with him his friend, Mr Darcy, who we all agree to be of bad character. He was so proud that he didn't dance with any of the guests apart from Mr Bingley's close acquaintances. He was so shameless that, when Mr Bingley asked him why he wasn't dancing, and then indicated me as a suitable partner for him, he did not feel the need to lower his voice or take into consideration my feelings. He replied to Mr Bingley that I was "tolerable". If he had any compassion, he would have asked me to dance or not said anything, but now, his personality is very decided. He is proud, arrogant and selfish. EXTRACT TWO: At Netherfield =========================== I am at Netherfield, still waiting for my poor sister Jane to recuperate. I suspect she will be well soon, and we shall both be able to return home. Last night, I waited in the drawing room with the Hursts, the Bingleys, and of course Mr Darcy. The evening passed with interest, as I had ample time and opportunity to study the characters of those who were with me. There were many amusing characters, but the most amusing person had to be Miss Bingley, as I could not help but notice that she was very obviously attempting to flirt with Mr Darcy, and that Mr Darcy was ignoring her efforts deliberately. Whenever I remarked to Mr Darcy on a matter, he became more interested in me than her, even if it was a debateable comment, or even a rude one. I do not know what to think of this. Surely Mr Darcy cannot be attracted to a person such as me who is just "tolerable" I his eyes? The Next day ============ Jane joined the company last night in the drawing room, as she was feeling much healthier. She and Mr Bingley were inseparable, and again I had time to amuse myself watching Miss Bennet and Mr Darcy. I think that she was a little hurt when Mr Darcy and I got into a debate,

Autism Essay -- Chromosome Disorders

What is autism? "Autism is a potentially severe neurological condition affecting social functioning, communication skills, reasoning, and behavior. It is considered a "spectrum disorder," meaning that the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a variety of combinations, ranging from extremely mild to quite severe" (Fergus 2002 para.1). Autism was first reported in 1943 by a Dr. Leo Kanner of John Hopkins University. Dr Leo Kanner based his theory on 11 children who showed signs of withdrawal from human contact, this started at age 1 between the years of 1938 to 1943. In the 1940’s, the research of autism was so rare and this was a new case, Dr. Leo Kanner based the disability to be schizophrenia which in the eyes of the parents they thought they were at fault. In the 60’s, that is when the knowledge of autism and the treatments came clear. (Edelson Para. 8) Having the basic history of autism will let people understand where and how Dr. Leo Kan ner had come across the disability. Some people have never heard about autism and the treatments that go into helping someone with autism. The three main points that will be discussed are treatment, prognosis, and the quality of life. Having a child with autism can make life difficult but with therapy and treatment children with autism can grow to be what society calls normal. With a child who has been diagnosed as autistic, this starts the wheels turning of what is to do next. The diagnosis of autism is based on I.Q. tests and observations; this will introduce what needs that the child may have. As physicians observe children with autism and evaluate how severe each child may be. Depending on the severity of the children depends on the course of treatment th... ...riskfactors Autism Research Institute. (2008). What is autism? Retrieved August 29, 2008, from Autism Research Institute: http://www.autism.com/autism/index.htm -Autism Society of America. (n.d.). Unique needs and abilities. Retrieved August 29, 2008, from Autism Society of America: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=life_edu_unique Autism Spectrum Disorder program. (2000) Wichita State University. Retrieved from September 20, 2008, from http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=vbain&p=/AutismSpectrumClinic/ Pediatrics (Oct 2005): 54(10). General OneFile. Gale. Apollo Library. R etrieved from September 20, 2008 from . American health line. (2007). Pediatrics: Reports on Autism. Retrieved on September 20, 2008 from University of Phoenix Library. Lee LC (2007) Quality of life. Retrieved from September 20, 2008 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

Powering Houses Worldwide With Hydroelectricity Environmental Sciences Essay

Hydroelectricity is used as a renewable energy beginning that is viewed as a ‘green ‘ and safe option to fossil fuels and coal combustion workss. However, the environmental impact of building dikes and the after effects of edifice dike has been minimize to let hydroelectricity to look as a safe alternate resource.How Does Hydroelectricity Work?Once the dike is constructed and able to work the system itself to make hydroelectricity is comparatively simple. Water from the reservoir goes down into the consumption, so through the consumption where it so drives the turbine to power the generator. This converts gravitative possible energy into electricity since the jurisprudence of preservation of energy must be followed. The energy from the generator will so be stored in the human dynamo and when needed, will be transferred through power lines to the desired location. The Three Gorges Dam in China which is the largest dike in the universe works precisely like this but has been constructed with 26 turbines which go along the 2,335m long and 18 m high dike.Environmental ImpactWhen a reservoir is created, considerable decomposition of organic stuff occurs. Besides, O depletion in the reservoir occurs. This causes the release of nursery gases ( CHa‚„ and COa‚‚ ) to leach into our environment. The Bacterial decomposition of the organic stuff is a consequence of the after consequence of fundamental law of the dike which contributes to greenhouse gases and furthermore, planetary clime alteration. Looking at the Three Gorges Dam in China, the environmental impacts are inordinate. The dike has submerged 100s of mills, mines and waste mopess. Located merely upstream of the dike is a big industrial centre which is making a bog of sewerage, silt and industrial pollutants and waste in the reservoir. Landslides around the reservoir are caused by eroding of the reservoir itself. Not merely is this massively impacting the environment around this country, but worldwide and is besides jeopardizing one of the universe ‘s biggest piscaries in the East China Sea. ( Before and after at the dike site ) ( Before and after upstream of the dike site ) ( Three Gorges Dam – China )Impact on societyThe effects of nursery gas emanations from the reservoirs contribute to planetary clime alteration. The societal effects of planetary clime alteration are complex and instead bad. Extreme conditions events have been linked to planetary clime alteration which indicates that the effects of clime alteration will happen at a much broader graduated table. Hydroelectric workss contribute to greenhouse gases are little compared to other major beginnings such as fossil fuels and coal combustion workss. In 1996 Pearce estimated that COa‚‚ emanations from reservoirs entire to 7 % world-wide semisynthetic COa‚‚ emanations. Canada ‘s emanations entirely add up to 12 % of their ain nursery gas emanations over the following 50 old ages. This high sum will go even more of import when renewable beginnings deplenish.Methylmercury BioaccumulationMethymercury is an organic molecule produced mincingly by bacteriums from in organic quicksilver of course present in stuff flooded during the creative activity of a reservoir. The effects of this bacterial are found when worlds consume fish found in the reservoirs and 100km distance downstream. The bacterial is a neurolysin which affects human foetus ‘ because they are peculiarly sensitive to methymercury. The taint of the reservoir with methymercury can temporally last from 20-30 old ages or more. Alternate Form of Energy – Powering Houses With Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion ( OTE ) OTE uses the temperature difference that exists between deep and shallow Waterss to run a heat engine. As with any heat engine, the greatest efficiency and power is produced with the largest temperature difference. OTE can finally be used to power places precisely how hydroelectric workss do with a big lessening of environmental impact. OTE is a renewable energy that produces really small waste and can be made cost effectual on a big graduated table.How Does Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Work?The Earth ‘s oceans are heated through the Sun which creates a temperature difference which contains a huge sum of solar energy. OTC takes the hot surface H2O and uses it to boil another liquid like propane which has a really low boiling point, it so becomes a gas. The propane within the system is ne'er burned. The boiling propane so turns a turbine which generates the electricity which is carried to set down though an underwater overseas telegram dispersed through power lines in order t o power houses.A pipe is used to make the cold ocean H2O which is used to chill and distill the propane back to liquid signifier. This is similar to steam turbines. This method converts solar radiation to electricity which follows the jurisprudence of preservation of energy. Hawaii has been the premier location for the United States for proving OTE because of its warm surface H2O and entree to deep, cold H2O.Will Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Work?This alternate energy is still being perfected due to the challenge of efficiency. OTE has to travel a really big measure of H2O in order to bring forth electricity. The existent efficiency is around 2-3 % due to the demand to pump the H2O and the thermic loss. All designs have been made on a little graduated table and are largely experimental. One of which is in Hawaii, bring forthing 50 kW of electricity. The largest is in Japan and produces double the sum of Hawaii ‘ OTE. However, if a successful OTC is built, it is expected to bring forth 2 megawatts of electricity. Nevertheless, a full graduated table OTC would be a big sum of money and would be instead hard to construct until it can be made cost efficient.Advantages of Ocean Thermal Energy ConversionOTC is a dependable, clean and safe energy beginning which can be used to bring forth electricity in all conditions conditions. Fresh H2O production is merely one of the possible good byproducts of OTEC. The cold deep ocean H2O can be used for aqua-culture ( fish agriculture ) .Emissions towards nursery gases are about 4 % but OTC does non foul H2O around the system unlike dikes. Effectss can besides be minimized by dispatching the cold H2O at deepnesss greater than 50m.Benefits from OTC on YourselfOTC will extinguish the demand for coal and fossil fuel combustion workss which will assist forestall the full effects of planetary clime alteration. OTC can assist supply a cleaner Earth for coevalss due to its clean system with small pollutants. Switch overing t o this safer option will lend to a better tomorrow.Comparing Dams to OTCEfficiencyDue to OTC being still in the test phase, the efficiency is highly low compared to China ‘s extremely efficient dike. However, if OTC can be perfected in a big graduated table, the efficiency will increase and may go more efficient than the Three Gorges Dam. 94 % 3 %EmissionsComparing OTC nursery gas emanations versus the worldwide reservoirs, the reservoirs have significantly more emanations than OTC. OTC proves to be the cleaner and better beginning of energy.

Halina Mountain Resort a Case Study Essay

Sarah Norton is an MBA student who specializes in market research. She has one semester left until graduation and is working as a graduate assistant. She is a person with very high ethical values and she is very religious. She looks for a job in Hammonsville, where she wants to stay. She starts working for the Wise Research Corporation, a field research services company. They have offices in Dallas, Hammonsville and Tulsa. She travels to Dallas to start her training for the job and finds out that the company’s behavior to the different stakeholders is very unethical. Sarah, a very ethical person with high values, finds herself in a big dilemma – should she stay with the company or better, resign from the job even though she quit her graduate assistantship. In the situation analysis, environmental, cultural and political trends are discussed. The economy in general is not in a growing stage and the ethical behavior in business is not sufficient. Nevertheless, there is a growing trend to increase ethical behavior, and many companies and associations develop a code of ethics for their business or industry. In the second part of the paper, the problems appearing from the situation are discussed. Unethical behavior and it’s impact on the stakeholders of the company lead to Sarah’s decision whether to resign form the job or not. In the third part, a solution is presented which is the resignation from the job. A justification of the chosen solution follows and also an implementation strategy. II. SITUATION ANALYSIS A. Environment 1. Economic conditions and trends The economic conditions are important in this case because they are not favorable to find a job; especially not for lower managers like MBAs just graduating from college. The American industry is in the process of downsizing. Please note! This is not an example of text written by our writers! Essaypedia.com is a database of essays that were collected at open web resources. You can use them at you own risk following the citation rules below. But we recommend you to order a custom plagiarism-free essay written just for you from one of our writers. Place an order, add your paper details and enjoy the results! You can keep in touch with your writer, check the draft of your paper and send your order for revision for free. If you are hesitating to place an order – just ask for a quote! In Appendix one, unemployment figures are provided, and show see that unemployment was very high in the years 1994/1995. 2. Cultural and social values and trends Unethical behavior is becoming more and more common in business life. One can observe unethical behavior every day by simply watching the news. This results from the following developments: à ¼ the high value society places on economic success à ¼ profit share being the sole objective à ¼ intense competition between departments, people or companies à ¼ management being concerned with the â€Å"letter of law† rather then with â€Å"the spirit of law† à ¼ ambiguous corporate policies regarding ethical behavior à ¼ inadequate controls allowing people to get away with behaving unethically à ¼ business leaders failing to comprehend the public’s ethical concern à ¼ the â€Å"let the buyer beware† custom prevails (Greenberg J., Baron R. A. (2000) p. 31). Since these trends in industry have created a very unsatisfying condition, business leaders are trying to increase morale values in business life and many companies develop a code of ethics, a mission about ethical behavior or an organizational culture with high ethical standards. 3. Political and legal issues In the field of market research there is a code of professional ethics developed by the Market Research Association (MRA). However there is no nationwide standard for collection and handling of data for market researchers. This Code of Ethics is provided in Appendix II. 4. Summary of environmental opportunities and threats The economy in general is not in a growing stage and the ethical behavior in business is not sufficient. Nevertheless, there a returning trend to move to a more ethical behavior, therefore many companies and associations develop a code of ethics for their business or industry. There is no nationwide standard for ethical matters in market research and no law for ethical behavior. The Code of Ethics of the MRA is the only attempt to set some ethical rules how to operate a marketing research company. B. Industry 1. Classification and definition of industry Opinion and marketing research is a multi-billion-dollar industry dedicated to providing valuable information to companies, which focus on sales and services. Opinion and marketing research: à ¼ helps manufacturers to identify, to understand and to meet consumer needs and wants à ¼ saves the consumer money by providing data to companies to help them reduce the costs associated with new product failures. à ¼ assists manufacturers and service providers to improve the quality and usefulness of the products and services. Consumers make their opinions on products, services and issues by answering questions of market researchers. The consumer can influence manufacturers to incorporate consumer opinion into products, services and procedures. About 72 million Americans are interviewed in an opinion and marketing research study yearly (www.mra-net.org). The case tells us that outside research suppliers are a growing industry. Wise Research is such an industry. 2. The Code of Ethics and the responsibilities of the marketing research industry The Marketing Research Industry Association writes industry the following about ethics in the marketing research industry: â€Å"Research knowledge and the value of research are communicated to both the business community and the public at large, while complying with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances. MRA (Marketing Research Association) expects members to follow principles of honesty, professionalism, fairness and confidentiality to guard the interests of the public and our clients in order to promote good business practices. MRA’s Code of Data Collection Standards consists of the responsibilities of respondents, clients, and data collectors not only to each other, but also to the general public and business community. All MRA members must sign and adhere to the Code of Data Collection Standards. The standards are enforced, and complaints of alleged unethical behavior may be filed against an MRA member who is suspected to have violated the Code† (http://www.mra-net.org/codes/index.cfm). This Code of Ethics is applicable for members of the MRA. It shows how important ethical behavior in marketing research is. The book â€Å"Marketing Management† by J. Paul Peter and James H. Donnely Jr. also talks about ethical behavior in the marketing research sector. Peter and Donnely base their ethical Responsibilities on Gilbert A. Churchill Jr. â€Å"market research: Methodological Foundations†. They trace the ethical responsibilities to three different groups: respondents, clients and employees. Responsibilities to respondents are: à ¼ Preserving respondent anonymity à ¼ Avoiding mental stress for respondents à ¼ Avoiding questions detrimental to respondents à ¼ Avoiding the use of dangerous equipment or techniques à ¼ Avoiding deception of respondents à ¼ Avoiding coercion of respondents. The responsibilities to clients are: à ¼ Providing confidentiality à ¼ Providing technical integrity à ¼ Providing administrative integrity à ¼ Providing guidance on research usage. And last the responsibilities to the employees are à ¼ Creating an ethical work environment à ¼ Avoiding opportunities of unethical behavior (p. 41). 3. Summary of the industry analysis The market research industry is very unique and provides important information to the different industries selling products and services to consumers. They normally work with a very high standard of ethical behavior; the MRA summarized these ethics in the Code of Ethics. C. Firm 1. Description of the company Wise Research is a market research company. It’s business is field research in shopping malls which categorizes it as a field research company. Field research companies do data collection on research projects. Wise Research has been operating in this business for 25 years and has several subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are all mall research offices. The head office and two other offices are located in Dallas, TX, one is located in Tulsa, OK and one is located in Hammonsville, MI. The office in Hammonsville has exited for 10 years. The company is involved in fieldwork, although they do not generate questionnaires or analyze the collected data. The core competence of Wise Research is to collect data for other marketing research firms, and these firms provide the information to their clients. One can conclude from the descriptions of the company that it does not have a mission statement, a philosophy or a particular strategy concerning organizational culture and ethical behavior. There is no marketing budget and the office personnel recruits the clients. The lack of ethical behavior of Wise Research leads to a severe damage of their reputation in the long run and to any marketing efforts. Clients will realize in a post purchase evaluation that the data delivered by Wise Research is manipulated and not valid. 2. Financial condition One can assume that the financial situation is not very good since we learn from the case that benefits promised to employees are paid with a delay. This happens to Cindy, the office supervisor in Dallas. Also, the management discourages employees from talking about their salaries. Another evidence for a poor financial situation is that Sarah is told that she could make $ 25,000 a year with a 40-hour week, which is not true. The company owns no computers; this indicates that they only possess very few assets. The company does not have a marketing budget. 3. Management philosophy and managerial climate The case does not say anything about the management philosophy, but is does talk about the behavior of the management, which drastically influences the organizational culture and climate. The behavior of the management is very unethical. They force their employees to fake organizational figures and they also put a substantial pressure on the employees. They take advantage of personal situations of their employees (such as in the case of Cindy – she desperately needed a job, they paid her less money than other employees) and this gives management an image of dishonesty to employees and to clients. Their behavior is also very informal; the interview with Sarah indicates this. 4. Organizational structure The owner of the company, Bill Wise, is also the president. His wife Karen works for the company too. The headquarters of the company is in Dallas, and there are four more offices. The offices work with very uneducated staff. Every office has a local manger who carries the responsibility. The office managers communicate directly with the owners of the company. 5. Organizational culture The organizational culture and also the organizational climate are influenced by the managerial climate. Climate and culture are two different subjects, but they are associated. Hofstede (1998) states in an article â€Å"Attitudes, values and organizational cultures† the following about climate and culture: â€Å"Climate derives from sociology, culture from anthropology, and this affects the methods by which they are studied; climate is more closely linked with individual motivation and behavior than culture, which resides entirely at the organizational level; climate has an evaluative connotation and partly overlaps with satisfaction; cultures can be different without one being objectively better than the other. [†¦] Climate can fruitfully be seen as a subset of culture†(p. 496). The organizational culture of Wise Research is very unethical and this is lived and enforced by the management. The organizational climate is very poor because of the bad managerial climate. 6. Sarah’s job According to Bill and Karen Wise, Sarah’s job has the following work conditions: the pay is $11 a hour, and she can earn $ 25,000 a year with a time per week of 40 hours. The benefits are health insurance premiums at the same level as the Dallas employees. The Missouri employees normally do not get health insurance benefits. One week of vacation was offered after one year of employment. Performance reviews are held after three and nine months. Raises are only given after performance reviews. 7. Summary of the condition of Wise Research The condition of Wise Research, especially in a long-term consideration is very poor. The financial situation is poor, there are no marketing activities at all and the behavior of the management plus the organizational climate and culture is unethical. The management might consider it’s unethical behavior as strength for the company to generate profit in the short run, but after some time the different stakeholders of the company will find out and switch to the competition. D. Sarah Norton – the new employee 1. Sarah’s personality Sarah Norton is 32 years old and she was brought up in Missouri by a morally strong family. The values in her education were religion coupled with high moral standards. She is respected and liked by family, friends, and colleagues. She never tries to convince other people to share her views in moral standards, ethics or religion. She has one younger sister and a boyfriend in Hammonsville and she is very close with them. 2. Location Sarah lives in the city of Hammonsville, Missouri. Hammonsville has about 150,000 inhabitants. Hammonsville is the town where she wants to work since her sister and her boyfriend Jeff live there. The city of Hammonsville does not have many opportunities to work as a market researcher, because a small town like this does not contain many industries that need market research. 3. Education and work experience Sarah started to work after graduating from high school for the state of Missouri. She worked in the professional registration office of the â€Å"Board of Healing Arts†. The office is operated in a very professional manner, and this is what Sarah liked most about her work there. After a couple of years in the job, Sarah decided to get a college degree in marketing and management. She went to Hammonsville State University because she wanted to be near her sister. While studying she worked at the local state vocational rehabilitation office. She also worked at a restaurant, for which she had been responsible in the absence of the owner. People liked her at work because she has a positive work ethic; she is intelligent and has strong moral values. She graduated from the university (double major) with honors. Since she wants to work in the field of marketing research, she worked in many research projects to get experience. She learned how important the ethical handling of data is, and she knows the Code of Ethics by the Marketing Research Association. In 1994 she started her MBA with a specialization in market research. She works as a graduate assistant and is responsible for five more graduate assistants in the marketing department. In 1995 she decides to look for a job. 4. Summary of Sarah’s characteristics Sarah is a very skilled, educated person with high moral, ethical values and a religious attitude. She is intelligent, has a lot of project experience in marketing research as well as a good college education. Unfortunately she has not graduated from her MBA program yet. She is not flexible in choosing her workplace since she wants to stay in Hammonsville with her boyfriend and her sister. III. PROBLEMS FOUND IN SITUATION ANALYSIS A. Statement of primary problems 1. Evidence of problems Sarah Norton applies for a job at Wise Research after reading their job advertisement in the newspaper. After two interviews she gets hired and is sent directly to Dallas for on the job training. During the first week of training, Sarah understands that the company’s treatment of employees and customers is very unethical. She realizes that she is very unhappy with the situation and she needs to make the decision if she wants to stay with the company or not. These are the different problems I found in the situation analysis: Ethical Issues: Professionalism à ¼ The company operates in a very unprofessional way. The job advertisement is placed in the Hammonsville News Monitor, on Sunday, July 9th, 1995. It doesn’t say the name of the company, nor does it give any specific job requirements. It only gives a reference to details about an entry-level management position. Instead of an address a PO-Box is named. à ¼ The following interview is not very professional either. Sarah meets Mr. and Mrs. Wise in a hotel room in Hammonsville, without knowing that she was going to meet Mrs. Wise too. The interview is very informal and the clothing of the Mr. and Mrs. Wise is not appropriate for a business interview. The office facilities are not shown to Sarah. à ¼ The second interview is as informal as the first one. à ¼ The training process also shows a high level of unprofessionalism. Sarah receives an Airport Pick up from the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wise. He invites her for lunch and behaves in a very informal manner and tries to impress Sarah with different statements. He also tries to discover contents of about the phone call Sarah made earlier to the Hammonsville office to find out more about the job. Even though she does not respond to the question he tries several times. Also, he has only a very little understanding of the research process and is not able to answer her questions. à ¼ There are no computers in the company. à ¼ The knowledge of the interviewers and other staff of the company about the data collection process is on a very low level. Ethical issues: Organizational culture à ¼ Before the interview Sarah called the company to find out more about what they are doing and the local manager reacts very irritated when he hears that she is invited for a job interview. It tells us that the manger does not know what is going on in the company and that the communication is bad. Later in the interview she learns form Bill and Karen Wise that this local mangers was laid off and that she is hired to replace him. As a matter of fact, he is still at the company and he does not know yet, that he will be laid off. à ¼ Another indicator of unethical organizational culture in the company shows the fact that Sarah is asked not to tell anybody why she is at the company when she starts her training. The other employees are told she is an auditor. Because of this, she has to be at the company first in the morning so that no one can see her clock in. à ¼ More evidence of dishonesty is shown by the information that actual working time in the company is 37,5 hours, not 40 as said in the interview. This decreases Sarah’s annual salary and she does not earn the promised amount. The dishonesty to employees and different treatments of employees show the low level of organizational culture. For example the company pays Cindy less than Sarah even though they have more or less the same job. Management took advantage of Cindy’s situation when she was hired and her raise of salary was delayed. à ¼ Another incident gives information about the organizational culture: one of the interviewers is supposed to be laid off because this interviewer talked to somebody else in the company about her salary. The management initiates this lay off. The employee is in a very bad financial and social situation that does not impress the management at all. After begging to keep the job, the interviewer is allowed to stay. Ethical issues: The Code of Ethics The Code of Ethics is shown as Appendix II. There are several actions by Wise Research, which interfere with The Code of Ethics by the MRA. Reports about how many interviews are completed per hour are manipulated so that these reports show the exact number required. With this method Wise Research manipulates the figures regarding how many potential interviewees were screened. Wise Research uses family members and relatives of the interviewers to answer survey questions if they run out of time. They use these relatives several times with different names, so that the clients cannot find out. This affects the validity of the data.

Handout Research Methods in Applied Linguistics Essay

How did the UK population talk about Mexico between 1970’s and 1993? Corpus analysis of the word ‘Mexico’ in the BNC, also with the word ‘Mexican’ as they are directly related. For this assignment I will use the BNC (found 1531 tokens for ‘Mexico’ and 680 for ‘Mexican’), where I will analyse how the UK talked about Mexico between the 1970’s and 1993. My major area of study is business, and I am interested in finding out how discourse analysis using corpora can be used in Marketing, but particularly in the marketing of Mexico in the UK. The UK is currently in 3rd place, following the United States of America and Canada, of the number of visitors (by air) to Mexico. However, the number of visitors from the UK is only 6% of the number of visitors from the United States of America. The Mexican government is concerned that the image of Mexico overseas is not being marketed well. After reading statements from the president of Mexico and articles about the new strategies to promote tourism to Mexico in the UK, there seem to be two main reasons why the tourism from the UK in Mexico has not grown: 1) the media have made people believe that the security situation in Mexico is worse than it actually is and 2) the distance and the costs of travelling to Mexico are too high. Looking at the statistics from 2008 to date, the number of visitors has not changed dramatically so I wonder if perhaps is not the distance and is not the way Mexico is marketed in the UK currently, but the way Britons have had Mexico portrayed to them throughout their lives (if we talk about the adults of today and the generation before them). So, with this research, I aim to find out if the image of Mexico that we are shown in the Media today in Britain is something new or if it is the image that has been present in the UK since the 1970’s. This type of analysis, and perhaps in a bigger scale, could be used to promote and market Mexico in the UK as it would show how people talk about the country and this will give the government a real idea of what needs to be changed and how they can create better marketing with the purpose of increasing the number of visitors from the UK in Mexico and potentially from other countries in Europe. Reading list: Using Corpora in Discourse Analysis (Baker, 2006) Exploring Corpus Linguistics: Language in Action (Cheng, 2012) Discourse Analysis: A resource book for students (Rodney H. Jones, 2012) Secretaria de Turismo (SECTUR), Web Site www. sectur. gob. mx Consejo de Promocion Turistica de Mexico’ (CPTM), Web Site. www. cptm. com. mx Sistema Integral de Informacion de Mercados Turisticos (SIIMT), Web Site. www. siimt. com El porvernir (2011; accessed 20120) Web Site| | | | | | | | | | | www. elporvenir. mx