The Efficient Market Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Efficient Market Hypothesis - Essay Example In this way, only information bears the power to move market prices. There happens to be three levels of market efficiency as delineated by Fama (1970) viz. weak, semi-strong and strong. According to Fama (1970), weak form of market efficiency that market prices are affected by a stock's past performance and previous returns. The semi strong form of market efficiency suggests that market prices reflect all the available information. This degree of market efficiency exists when there are no under or over valued securities in the market and when new information affects market prices very rapidly. The strong form of market efficiency elaborates that all types of information, whether public or private, affects market price of securities. Despite the importance of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, its validity is highly debatable in the literature which is discussed in this essay. According to the Efficient Market Hypothesis, stock prices move in negative and positive directions while responding to information and announcement of events. However, there has been staunch concern owing to market anomalies that indicate deviations from Efficient Market Hypothesis such as Holiday effect [e.g. Ariel (1990)], Monday effect [e.g. French (1980)], November effect [e.g. Bhabra, Dhillon and Ramirez (1999)], January effect [e.g. Bhardwaj and Brooks (1992)] and P/E ratio effect [e.g. Basu (1977)]. Critics are also of the view that movements in stock prices also reflect psychological factors and irrationality on the part of investors [e.g. La Porta, Lakonishok, Shliefer, and Vishny (1997), Shleifer and Summers (1990) etc.]. There has also been significant evidence that economic conditions great affect stock returns [e.g. Schwert (1989)]. The following paragraphs examine the Efficient

Prius Essay Example for Free

Prius Essay Analysis of 4P’s – Product, Place, Price, Promotion f. SWOT Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Prius g. Competitors Against Toyota Prius h. Target Market of Toyota Prius 3. Objectives a. Corporate Objectives b. IMC Objectives 4. Time Frame 5. Promotion Strategies a. Print Advertising b. Internet Advertising c. Sponsorship Activity d. Exhibition 6. Promotion Budget 7. Appendix 8. References 1. EXECUTION SUMMARY This Integrated Marketing Communications Proposal is a one-year communications plan, which is to be launched in Hong Kong, for the Toyota Prius. It aims to further raise the awareness of the Prius and in turn increase the market share and sale. Market analysis identified the target market, which consists of two groups: private and corporate buyers. Consequently a communications strategy that makes use of various media has been created. Newspaper and car magazines as the print advertisements, the Internet, sponsorship activity and exhibition will be the main media. The Creative strategy is designed to emphasize the unique selling points of the Prius and weaken the target markets objections. The budget (HK$1,000,000) has been allocated for the events and advertisements this year. The majority of the budget will be spent on the 2 two-day exhibition, followed by the print advertising. 2. SITUATION ANALYSIS a. Background Information of Toyota Motor Corporation Toyota is a Japanese car manufacturing company founded by Sakichi Toyoda in 1937. They have four key strategies which aim at customer satisfaction, quality assurance, continuous improvement and reduction of waste. Toyota has manufactured various types of cars such as Corolla and Carmy. After continuous improvement, Toyota is likely to be the best seller in the world this year in terms of sales. . Communication History of Toyota Motor Corporation Crown Motors, the local agency of Toyota, has published various advertisements for its vehicles through newspapers, magazines, TV commercials, exhibitions and sponsorships, etc. However, there are merely few local sponsor activities and exhibitions for Prius and thus it is still new to local drivers. c. Background Information of Toyota Prius Toyota Prius is one of the worlds first commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid automobiles. It released in Japan in 1997 and then worldwide in 2000. By the end of 2003, nearly 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe and North America. In Latin, â€Å"Prius† means before or first. Technologies applied in the Prius are brand new and advanced ideas so that the Prius suits the name for the series. The Prius has won a number of awards, which are shown below. d. Awards Attained by Toyota Prius †¢ 1997–98  ¦ Car of the Year Japan †¢ 2003  ¦ Scientific American names Toyota Motor Corporation as Business Leader of the Year (Scientific American 50; December, 2003) for its singular accomplishment in the commercialization of affordable hybrid cars. 2004  ¦ Motor Trend Car of the Year  ¦ Car and Driver Magazines Ten Best List  ¦ North American Car of the Year Award †¢ 2005  ¦ European Car of the Year e. Analysis of 4P’s – Product, Place, Price, Promotion The Prius was released locally in 1999. Apart from the large comfortable driving environment, it was the first vehicle that introduced the â€Å"Hybrid Synergy Drive†, which helps the car become exceptionally fuel economical. The distribution of the Prius is mainly located at the six local Crown showrooms. The price of the Prius is around HK$230,000 which is a bit higher than the ther series or Japanese cars because Toyota positioned it as advanced technology vehicle with the features of environmental friendly and fuel-saving technologies. The major promotion channels used were exhibitions, car magazines and sponsorships of environmental protection events. According to the previous brand promotion of Toyota, newspapers, television commercials and the Internet were also used. f. SWOT Analysis of Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Prius i. Strength Toyota is Japan’s largest and the world’s third largest car manufacturer with assurance of reliability and high quality image. Toyota was one of the first manufacturers to introduce the concept of â€Å"Just in Time† production that allows to reduce operating cost and overheads and to respond to customer demand quicker. The yearly budget for RD is set at the highest amongst car manufacturers for various research centres around the world. This willingness to invest has brought Toyota an innovative image and created products such as the Prius. The Prius has advanced technologies which aim at environmental protection. It lets drivers save fuel and thus needs low maintenance cost in the long run at affordable price. i. Weakness Reputation of Toyota is not enough to convince buyers who like to express themselves with their choice of car, thus prefer cars with higher prestige from manufacturers such as Mercedes. Appearance of the Prius may relatively not as outstanding and attractive to potential buyers. According to Wikipedia, the Prius has been criticized for its aesthetics and handling characteristics. T oyotas life cycle assessment shows that the amount of energy required to manufacture a Prius is higher than that of a similar gasoline powered vehicle. iii. Opportunities Toyota’s new hybrid technology has proven very successful worldwide and already created several brand extensions and derived models. Toyota could obtain the benefits of being the first in the market, currently 90% market share in hybrid vehicles. The introduction of new models in growing segments offers opportunities. The Internet also helps the marketing of cars, thus improve communications and reduce operating cost by offering online showroom, online booking of test drives, nearest dealer locator, online purchasing and e-brochures, etc. Increase in fuel prices can also be treated as one of our opportunities as the Prius is fuel-conservative vehicle. iv. Threats Major threat comes from rich and big competitors. Indirect competition comes from alternative methods of transport. Other government incentives are also aimed at reducing the usage of cars, such as the increase in tax. These actions can reduce the number of car purchases and reduce eventual profits. g. Competitors Against Toyota Prius Toyota Prius being an environmental-friendly and energy-efficient vehicle, competitors will be defined as those which have similar technologies in the manufacture of fuel-saving engines. Honda Civic GX and Insight are energy-efficient vehicles but not for sale in Hong Kong. Also, General Motors FlexFuel series and Hybrids series are powerful competitors in the same situation. Hence, Toyota is the local pioneer in this product line. h. Target Market of Toyota Prius The target market can be split into two major categories: B2B customers and private consumers. B2B customers are fleet and corporate buyers, who buy cars either for hire or rental or for company fleets. The environmental features make the Prius particularly interesting for business buyers because of his low operating cost. Private consumer is either male or female and between the age group targeted at 25 and 39 years old. Some of them are likely to be married and with family responsibilities. They are affluent, well-informed and educated adults. They may be of upper middle class. They pursue environmentally-friendly lifestyle. 3. OBJECTIVES Objectives exist on three levels, corporate, marketing and communication, in which marketing and communication are regarded as the integrated marketing communications (IMC) objectives. a. Corporate Objective It can be summarized as shareholder wealth maximization and is ultimately achieved through higher profits and increased sales. b. Integrated Marketing Communications Objectives Toyota Prius is at the growth stage of product life cycle. As the environmental friendly technology of the Prius still being the pioneer in the industry, the objective is defined to be long term. It is important to further raise the awareness of this feature to the public by 30% at the end of this year, which in turn increase the market share aimed at 25% and increase the sales by 25%. It is hoped that by the proposed promotion strategies, it can fully reach the target market and make the potential buyers aware of the Prius. Then, during the events and in the advertisements, we can educate them and explain the technical knowledge and advantages of the Prius, so that they are excited about the Prius and develop the word-of-mouth. It is hoped to motivate buyers to find out more about the Prius by visiting our website to order brochures or a test drive. Visits to exhibitions and showrooms may lead to the act of purchase which is our ultimate goal. 4. TIME FRAME 5. PROMOTION STRATEGIES To promote the Prius, we have considered several means including the use of newspaper and car magazine as print advertising, Internet advertising, sponsoring activities and exhibition. a. Print Advertising i. Newspaper The main objective of newspaper advertisement is to perform the function of teaching consumers in the learning process. The next step is to attract the readers to the exhibitions and showrooms to do the feeling process. In the newspaper advertisement, we use the theme that the Prius only emits leaves but not pollution. It is a fresh car. We have two sets of advertisements. The first one is for advertising the Prius during the exhibition period. Another one is during the period without exhibition. The slogan â€Å"Prius, it’s fresh† is still used in these advertisements to make the whole campaign consistent. Here explains the two designs. The first one is used during exhibition period. It is published in a coloured full page. As the main theme of this set of advertisement is to connect the Prius with a fresh sensation, the main color of the page will be green. A white Prius runs down a green road. At the back of the car is a cluster of leaves. It shows the idea that the Prius would make the place it runs green. At the top left corner we can see the awards that the Prius got in the last few years. They tell customers that even professionals appreciate the Prius much. At the same time, three icons are used to conclude the main features of the Prius: low emission, high energy efficiency and the auto-charge function. The bottom of the page includes information about the exhibition, the venue and the time. At the bottom right corner there is a coupon. People can bring the coupon to the exhibition and get a model of the Prius. The plan is to attract more readers to come to our exhibition and feel the Prius. Another advertisement will be published during non-exhibition period. It will be published in a coloured quarter page. The design of this advertisement will also be used to relate the Prius to a fresh atmosphere. The background of the page is a large piece of grasslands. The back of the Prius is coloured with a pattern of cluster of green leaves. The slogan and three icons are also put in the page to recall readers’ memory that it used to be the Prius’ advertisement. At the bottom of the page is a list of showrooms demonstrating the Prius. We hope that readers who are interested in will go to the showrooms directly to feel how fresh the Prius is. ii. Car Magazine Besides newspaper, car magazine will also be used as one of the printed advertisements. According to the result of our questionnaire, most of the interviewees obtain the car information by the car magazine. It shows that car magazine is the main channel to promote. We have chosen CarPlus ( ) to promote because it is one of the members of South China Media Limited. Car Plus is positioned as the middle-class car magazine and it is suitable for our target group. Also, CarPlus is top three car magazine in Hong Kong. It is believed that after we have post the printed advertisement on CarPlus, it can increase the awareness of the Prius among potential car buyers. The theme is â€Å"Prius integrates with the nature†. The design of the print advertisement divides into two pages. The first page creates a natural environment so grassland is used as the background. Then, the grassland has a blank car shape and there is only a slogan â€Å"Today, Tomorrow†. The print advertisement is made simple and being curious so that it can create stopping power and let the reader to feel interested in the advertisement first. The second page is different from the previous one. The background is green and the car place at the middle. It is to create a fresh look of the advertisement and provide more details. There are several logos describing the feature of the Prius. b. Internet Advertising Internet is one of the most important media channels of automobile products. Based on the questionnaire’s result, Yahoo! is the main search engine of our target group. Therefore, a floating advertisement is used in order to bring awareness of the Prius. When the Internet users open the Yahoo! ebsite, the image of the Prius will appear in the screen, followed by a sound effect which is the sound of car engine. If the user is interested, he/she can click it and it will link to Toyota website. The Internet floating advertisement aims to raise the awareness of the customers and give them a fresh impression about the Prius. c. Sponsorship Activity For sponsorship activity, HK$50000 is spent on the World Widelife Fund (WWF) to promote environment protection. We will sign contract with WWF to makethe Prius the appointed car of the organization. As WWF focuses on nvironmental-friendly events, using the Prius will not only increase the reputation of the organization, but also increase the awareness of the Prius. We will give WWF a special price, near the wholesale price. The objective of this campaign is to connect the Prius to environmental-friendly business. Every time when people see the Prius, they will be able to think of fresh environment. d. Exhibition According to the findings of the survey, it shows that (% of interviewees ) usually visit car exhibition before purchasing cars. In order to raise the awareness of the Prius among our target audience, two exhibitions will be held this year. . Time Two exhibitions which will last for 2 days are scheduled to be held on 29th and 30th July, and 24th and 25th November this year. In order to better allocate the available resources, Flighting schedul ing method will be used. The exhibitions are arranged to be held at these two periods since it is expected that people’s purchasing desire are higher before the summer vacation and Christmas. ii. Venue Shatin New Town Plaza is chosen since it is one of the largest exhibition venues in the New Territories. In addition, the rent ($80,000/day) and space provided (3,600sq. ft) are suitable to carry out the exhibition. As Shatin is a well developed town, many people, especially middle classes, settle there. Holding the exhibitions in Shatin would probably increase the chance of reaching our target audience. The circulation of Shatin New Town Plaza per day ranges from 250,000 to 300,000, estimating 15. 6% of the people shopping there are our target customers, aged from 25 to 39 years old, according to the data from statistics of the Shatin New Town Plaza and Census. iii. Settings of Exhibition For the first exhibition on 29th and 30th July, a press conference will be held together with the exhibition. Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Hong Kong will introduce the main features of the Prius and answer the queries from the mass media and the public. Hence, the press conference allows people to get more information about the Prius. At the same time, overhead projection of the Prius video will be shown on the screen during the press conference and throughout the exhibition to create the feel of high technology. On the second day of the exhibition, there will be a cheque giving ceremony for sponsoring WWF to enhance the image of environmental protection of the Prius. For the second exhibition on 24th and 25th November, a famous artist who loves driving cars and is the representative of â€Å"Environmental Friendly Star† ( ) of Shatin Junior Chamber ( ), Miriam Yeung ( ), will be invited to share the feeling of using the Prius. With the famous artist giving professional opinions, the environmental friendly image of the Prius can be strongly established and strengthened. Background music, like birds singing, will be played throughout the exhibition, so as to create the feel of being in the nature, making people feel refreshing and environmental conscious. In addition to auditory stimulation, visual effect will also be emphasized. Flowers and plants will be used in the exhibition. They are used to enhance the environmental friendly image of the Prius. To strengthen the image, the Prius will be displayed on an artificial meadow with the shape of a leaf. All the above use the idea of classical conditioning since they serve as an unconditional stimulus and gives rise to an unconditional response, refreshing and environmental conscious. Through contiguity and repetition, this unconditioned stimulus will develop an association with the conditioned stimulus, appearance of the Prius, and thus gives rise to the conditioned response, the Prius is refreshing and environmental conscious. The floor plan of the event is shown as below. [pic] It is important to ensure the target audience can experience the full car visually so as to understand more about the Prius. One of the Prius is specially processed to be a partially transparent car, thus people are able to see the internal structure, like the hybrid engine of the Prius. Two normal Prius will be exhibited. People can experience the comfort of the car and professional opinions are given by salesmen at the same time. According to Foote, Cone ; Belding Grid, cars should use the model of Informative (The thinker) since the involvement of the target audience is high and it requires more thinking processes. Therefore, learn- feel- do model is used. Through the exhibition, target audience are able to learn more about the car from the transparent car model and the professional opinions from the salesmen, also, customers can feel and experience the comfort of the car. These settings are used to increase the chance of purchase. Board and decoration will be placed in the exhibition hall. Besides, decoration of trees and leaves will be placed so as to stress the feature of â€Å"environmental-friendly† of the car. The boards will show the features of the Prius and with the emotional appealing graphics. The customers could learn more about the product through the statistics and comparison. iv. Use of Manpower Personal selling in exhibition is very important since cars are high involvement product and more convictions are needed for purchase. Personal selling will be carried by salesmen who are trained to be familiar with the Prius in advance. Salesmen should be able to tell the advantages and features of the Prius and to answer queries from customers. The Prius will be promoted by sex appeal. Three beautifully dressed ladies will stand in front of three Prius respectively. It is used to increase the awareness of potential customers and photographers to take photos for them. Moreover, nine salesmen will be distributed around three Prius, promoting and answering queries raised by people. v. Exhibition Rundown On 29th July, 2006 |11:30-12:30 |Opening ceremony + Press conference | |12:30-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | On 30th July, 2006 11:00-13:00 |Exhibition | |13:00-14:00 |Cheque giving ceremony of sponsoring World Wildlife | |14:00-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | On 24th November, 2006 |11:00-13:00 |Exhibition | |13:00-14:00 |Sharing from artist— | |14:00-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | On 25th November, 2006 |11:30-15:00 |Exhibition | |15:00-17:00 |Racing queen for photo taking | |17:00-21:00 |Exhibition | |21:00-22:00 |Clearing | 6. PROMOTION BUDGET 7. APPENDIX 8. REFERENCES

Carrying A Concealed Weapon, In California, Is A Threat To Society Essa

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Matilda Crabtree, 14, was shot and killed by her father when she jumped from the closet and yelled ‘BOO’ to scare her parents; her last words were, ‘I love you, daddy.†(Rottenberg 87) Laws that regulate carrying concealed weapons (CCW) have been wildly debated in the California and the US. There have mainly been two different types of laws. One is a type of legislation known as â€Å"may need† laws, which issues licenses to people who are in absolute need of carrying a concealed weapon. The other is known as â€Å"shall use† laws, which is a lot more lenient for people and makes it easier for the general public to get a gun. This law gives state authorities to issue concealed weapon licenses to any adult who does not have a felony conviction or history of mental illness. The use of firearms is justifiable only when a person is threatened with serious bodily injury. It does not mean that if a person is stealing your system from your car, you can shoot them. Legalizing concealed weapons to the general public is a direct attack on society’s safety in public places. Too many people will resort to force instead of a chance to runaway; everyone would rather be a hero. At the moment there are 31 states in the United States that permit people to possess a concealed weapon; California is not one of them. Carrying a concealed weapon is a threat to society because there have been too many accidents, concealed weapon laws might cause criminals to act more violently, and finally carrying concealed weapons might stimulate violent confrontation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Shall use† CCW laws do not cut down the amount of gun violence. Even though these laws are pretty recent, studies show that more carefree concealed weapon laws will not decrease the amount of gun related violence. Based on data collected from three states, University of Maryland researchers David McDowall, Colin Loftin, and Brian Wiersema found that the homicide rates did not significantly drop in these states following the adoption of Concealed Carry Laws. Instead, in three of the five cities studied these researchers found a statistically significant increase in the rate of gun related homicides - 74% in Jacksonville, 43% in Jackson, and 22% in Tampa (Ford 65).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carrying a concealed weapon creates a false sense of security and diverts attent... ...nal, even when well-trained police officers are involved. The idea that poorly trained, self-appointed vigilantes are running through our streets looking to become heroes, should not make any of us feel safer. Arming a society does not create civility nor does it produce solutions to gun violence. We cannot solve our society’s disease of violence by arming ourselves with the epidemic. Work Sited Fisherman, Steve (1993, October). â€Å"What You Know About Guns Can Kill You,† Vogue, 32-38. Ford, Liam T.A. (1994, August/September). â€Å"Gunning for Change,† Reason, 64-66 Kirchner, Paul (1994, February). â€Å"Defending Gun Ownership,† Chronicles, available from 934 N. Main St., Rockford, IL. 61103-7061 Reese, Charley (1996, January). â€Å"You Can’t Beat an (Armed) Woman,† Conservative Chronicle, available from Box 29, Hampton, IA. 50441. Rottenberg, Annette T. (1997). Cease fire advertisement. The Structure of Argument. Boston: Bedford Books a division of St. Martin’s Press Inc. Sojourners (1994, March). â€Å"Annie Get Your Gun,† available from 2401 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009. Voll, Daniel (1995, March). â€Å"The Right to Bear Sorrow,† Esquire, 79-83

The risk of depression in elderly individuals Essay

This study aims at investigating whether there is significant difference between depressed and non depressed individuals level of physical activity. The study will involve two groups of participants: depressed and non depressed groups. Depressed individuals will be selected on the criteria that an individual has been in the past diagnosed with chronic or acute depression in any of the hospitals in the location while non depressed participant will be people who have never been diagnosed with depression in their life time. Data from both groups will be collected through time series analysis where the physical activity of the participants will be monitored three times a day at regular intervals during the day. This will be followed by analysis of temporal dynamic for participants between physical activity and depression through investigation of vector autoregressive. Each participant in the study will be required to fill a self- registration form for 3 times of a day. In addition each p articipant will be fitted with accelerometer to monitor their motions to determine their physical activity. The research will be based in name of the location. Time series approach will be used for objective comparison between the two types of the study groups. This will give adequate information on the state depressed individuals and those that are not on the nature of their physical fitness that reflect direct to their physical activities. Mood of the participants will be measured using positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark and Tellegen 1988). The positive affects will include the following terms as related to the study; active, excited, alert, attentive, enthusiastic, determined, proud, inspired, strong, and proud in addition to happiness (Ingram, 2009). On the other hand negative affects will include afraid, hostile, ashamed, guilty, distressed, guilty, irritable, nervous, jittery, sacred, and scared in addition to sadness (Ingram, 2009). Other factors contributing to physical inactivity in both the groups under study will be considered so that a better conclusion on the research question can be reached. Consequent ly, questionnaires will be a rich tool to examine the past history of the two groups under the study so as to be able to get details on their physical activities for a given period of time. The data on physical activities between the two groups of people will be entered and analyzed using various appropriate statistical tools such as statistical package for social scientists (SPSS). The data will be compared between the participants with depression and those without so as to determine whether there is significant difference between patients’ with depression and those without. Further, depression will be investigated whether it affects the physical fitness of a person thus affecting his or her physical activities. Elective period description The elective period will involve data collection from both the group of participants by use of time series analysis and questionnaires. The data that will be collected will then be analysed using various statistical methods in order to compare the findings in relation to the study question. Depression is a condition that is becoming common to populations in the world. It is among the five non-communicable diseases that are prevalent across social class in societies (Bloom et al, 2011). The burden of the condition has continued to increase year and year and it was found recently to be between 10 and 15% globallyThe condition is associated with negative effects to the quality of health and life, which are major determinants of physical activity in patients diagnosed with it (Onat, DelialioÄŸlu, & Uà §ar, 2014). The main symptoms of depression are depression mood and lack of interests in various activities. The depression condition has been linked with physical inactiveness. The physical inactivity has been the major hindrance to depression treatments because of impaired body metabolic processes (Teychenne, Ball, & Salmon, 2008). Therefore, the physical activity presents is an important indicator of depression Depression is caused by environmental, biochemical and genetic factors. Some environmental causes include marital conflicts, stress due to loss of employment, death of a close relative, and other social related issues (Chen et al, 2014). Biochemical factors include depletion of monoamine and hormonal imbalances that might be triggered by environmental factors. Genetic factors have also been linked to depression where some genes mutations that are inherited in family lineages cause heredity transfer of the condition (Chen et al, 2014). The numerous causes has led to increased incidences of depression and so there is need to find ways in which the effect of the condition can be reduced so as to ensure high quality of life and health among populations (Hafslund, Espehaug, & Nortvedt, 2012). It has well been documented that patients with depression experiences physical inactivates. However, much of the studies carried out on the relationship between depression and physical activities have showed inconsistence (Teychenne et al, 2008). People that have not experienced depression experiences decreased physical inactivity that has been related to other causes other than depression. Few studies have been conducted to compare how physical activities differ between these two groups of populations. Physical activity is an important factor in remission of depressed patients (Dinas, Koutedakis, & Flouris, 2011; Azar et al, 2010). Therefore, it is important to study the physical activity in depressed people and compare it with non depressed people. Any significant difference between the two groups will be important in therapeutic management of depression and thus lowering its burden. This research study investigates whether there is significant difference between depressed and non depressed individual physical activities in name of the location of the study. The population has its own characteristics in terms of social, ethnic and economic characteristics. A problem statement/question Physical activity is an important therapeutic consideration in depressed people. However, few studies have been conducted and therefore inadequate data is available to ascertain physical inactivity as one of the factors in depressed people. To contribute more on this data, the research aim to address the question, if there are difference between depressed and non depressed individual’s physical activity. Indication of the importance/significance of the study This study will highly target audience from medical profession, rehabilitation centre who are particularly involved in management of depression, patients suffering from depression, and communities at large. The results of the study will be expected to increase and build on the knowledge on how depression relates to the physical activities thus improving depression management and treatment. The outcome will be important to health profession in making decision on what type of management that should be adapted to depressed patients. Moreover, the results will help policy makers in health care system to develop appropriate policies that will help health care providers to deal with the condition. Therefore, the study will impact positively to health care system. The study will increase knowledge to patients with depression and help them to increase physical activity thus reducing the negative impact of depression. Hence, the study will play an important role in reducing the burden of depr ession globally. Moreover, this study will form the basis in which other similar studies can be conducted and developed. Hypotheses statement Do depressed and non-depressed individuals differ significantly on their levels of physical activities? The null hypothesis will be there is no significant difference between the depressed and non depressed individual physical activities while the alternative will be that there is significant difference between depressed and non depressed physical activity. Detailed work plan In the figure 1 below, the research process will involve reassessment period of two weeks. During the two weeks prior to the study, potential participants will be notified through posters and meetings and the whole procedure of the study communicated so as to prepare them for the whole period. In addition, the period will involve screening of depressed participants as detailed below. At the end of the 2 weeks, a sample of 30 depressed and 30 non depressed participants will be drawn. This will be followed by the research process that will take a period of one month (4 weeks). The actual data collection process will take place in this place and the research tools will be employed at this phase. Data analysis processes will take place for a period of 4 weeks, which will be followed by report completion and submission that is estimated that will take place for 2 weeks. This will mark the end of the research study processed. The project will run for one month (30 days) for both groups of individuals. The data will be collected 3 times a day for the entire period for both self reported reports and questionnaires detailing participants past physical activity. The accelerometers will be inserted to patients for the entire period of the study so as to monitor their movement or motion during the period of the study. A total of 60 participants will form the study sample. 30 will be depressed patients recruited from outpatient clinic in the name of the hospital. On the other hand, 30 non depressed patients will be recruited from the general population who have never been diagnosed with depression. The participants’ inclusion criteria will involve of age of between 20 and 50 years limit; able to complete the whole study for 30 days through filling self reports and wearing accelerometer for 24 hours the entire period. To determine illegibility of depressed participants they will be screened for depressive symptoms using various depression diagnostic protocols such as Beck depressions inventory (Stulz, & Crits-Christoph, 2010). Similarly, non-depressive patients will be assessed using the same diagnostic evaluator to prevent erroneous inclusion of depressed participant in non depressed sample. The importance of carrying out the assessment before the study is to ensure that participants are placed correctly in the study groups. On the other hand, the participants will be excluded in the study if they have been diagnosed of Psychotic Disorder or Bipolar Disorder; Somatic disorders mainly affecting HPA axis function, or under ANS- Medication, which affects HPA function and vi sual-hearing impairments, and finally pregnant participants will be excluded through carrying out a pregnancy test). The self report will be used to measure depressive symptoms (time analysis series). This will involve a regular measurement at the frequency of three times a day for three months. Self report is an important tool that measures depressed symptoms in a more reliable way thus giving high valid results (Uher et al, 2012). In addition to self report, questionnaires will be used to measure depression symptoms. The data collection will involve self-filled reports and questionnaires. In addition, readings on accelerometers will be monitored in 24 hours and the readings recorded on self-report for 30 days. Questionnaires that will be conducted inform of interviews are expected to give the outcome of the patients depression history and the physical activities. The time series analysis is expected to give details of events and physical activities on time interval that will be recorded in the self-report. The accelerometer is expected to give the results on the motion of the participant throughout the study period. The motion of the participants will be important in determining how active the participant has been during the study. Expected results The outcome of this study is expected to answer the study question. The expected results will be that there is significant difference between depressed and non depressed patients. Depressed patients are expected to show decreased activities while non depressed participants are expected to show increased physical activities thus linking depression to physical inactiveness. Decreased physical is a characteristic of depressed people and therefore, an increase in physical activity in theses people is associated with positive impact of depression by decreasing it. Plan for elective period The research will involve a period of 30 days to carry the actual study by administering questionnaires, monitoring time series analysis, and accelerometer. The other period that will be few weeks will involve data analysis and writing of the project report to finality. This will ensure that the desired objective of the study will be accomplished within the study period. References Azar, D., Ball, K., Salmon, J., & Cleland, V. J. (2010). Physical activity correlates in young women with depressive symptoms: a qualitative study. International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 7(1), 3.Bloom, D.E., Cafiero, E.T., Janà ©-Llopis, E., Abrahams-Gessel, S., Bloom, L.R., Fathima, S., Feigl,A.B., Gaziano, T., Mowafi, M., Pandya, A., Prettner, K., Rosenberg, L., Seligman, B., Stein, A.Z., & Weinstein, C. (2011).The Global Economic Burden of Noncommunicable Diseases. Geneva: World Economic Forum Chen, J., Li, X., Natsuaki, M., Leve, L., & Harold, G. (2014). Genetic and Environmental Influences on Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents. Behavior Genetics, 44(1), 36-44. Dinas, P. C., Koutedakis, Y., & Flouris, A. D. (2011). Effects of exercise and physical activity on depression. Irish journal of medical science, 180(2), 319-325.Hafslund, B., Espehaug, B., & Nortvedt, M. (2012). Health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression related to mammography screening in Norway. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 21(21/22), 3223-3234 Ingram, R. E. (2009). The international encyclopedia of depression. New York: Springer Là ©pine, J. P., & Briley, M. (2011). The increasing burden of depression. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat, 7(Suppl 1), 3-7. Onat, Åž., DelialioÄŸlu, S., & Uà §ar, D. (2014). The risk of depression in elderly individuals, the factors which related to depression, the effect of depression to functional activity and quality of life. Turkish Journal Of Geriatrics / Tà ¼rk Geriatri Dergisi, 17(1), 35-43. Stulz, N., & Crits-Christoph, P. (2010). Distinguishing anxiety and depression in self-report: purification of the beck anxiety inventory and beck depression inventory-II. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 66(9), 927-940. Teychenne, M., Ball, K., & Salmon, J. (2008). Physical activity and likelihood of depression in adults: A review. Prev Med 46, 397-411 Uher, R., Perlis, R. H., Placentino, A., DernovÃ… ¡ek, M., Henigsberg, N., Mors, O., & Farmer, A. (2012). Self-report and clinician-rated measures of depression severity: can one replace the other?. Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269), 29(12), 1043-1049. Watson, D., Clark., L., A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 54:1063-1070. Source document

What Is Strategic Spatial Planning Environmental Sciences Essay

IntroductionStrategic spacial planning is arguably an attack which rails against the discourse of the scientific rational comprehensive theoretical accounts of be aftering which has and still does keep a big influence in current manners of planning. This short essay will hopefully explicate to contrivers why a strategic spacial planning attack is more contributing in the current context which we find ourselves in. This will be done through replying a set of inquiries which will clear up the attack, its intent and methods, how it differs from rational comprehensive attacks of maestro planning and land usage planning, why contrivers should utilize it, what can be expected from it, and its utility.What is Strategic Spatial Planning?Strategic spacial planning is a method to assist work out complex spatial jobs through making strategic visions and new spacial individualities. Harmonizing to Kaufman and Jacobs ( in Albrechts, 2001 ) strategic systems originated in the US around the 1950 â €˜s due to the demand for quickly altering and turning corporations to be after efficaciously and pull off their hereafters at a clip when the hereafter seemed ill-defined. In Europe, strategic spacial planning dated back to the 1920s and 30s, and was used to direct the activities of others ( Mastop in Albrechts, 2001 ) . From Albrechts ( 2006 ) it can be understood that the word ‘spatial ‘ brings into focal point the ‘where ‘ of things, the creative activity and direction of particular ‘places ‘ and sites every bit good as the interrelatednesss between different activities in an country, and important intersections and nodes within an country. This spacial focal point allows for a more effectual manner of incorporating different dockets – such as, economic, societal, and cultural – and their spacial impacts ( Albrechts, 2006 ) . The word ‘strategy ‘ has its roots within a military context ; in ancient conflict ground forcess would work out a scheme prior to the conflict on how best to get the better of the enemy. It is understood that this type of scheme had four basic elements – an accurate apprehension of the existent state of affairs, realistic ends, focused resources in countries where they would be most effectual, and continuity of the action until the coveted result is achieved ( Albrechts, 2010 ) . These elements are strongly rooted in systems of strategic spacial planning. In its entireness, strategic spacial planning is a procedure which is directed at a limited figure of strategic cardinal issue countries. It determines an countries strengths and failings in the context of its chances and menaces ; it scans external tendencies, and the resources that are available. It gathers major public and private stakeholders and allows for a wide and diverse procedure of engagement. It develops a realistic long-run vision along with schemes in order to pull off and act upon spacial alteration. Importantly it is orientated towards determinations, actions, consequences, and execution, in the short, average and long-run ( Albrechts, 2001 ) . â€Å" It is so impossible to understand material topographic points and societal nodes such as ‘the metropolis ‘ , ‘the city-region ‘ and ‘the part ‘ in footings of a unidimensional hierarchy of graduated tables † ( Albrechts, 2010:6 ) . This definition illustrates that strategic spacial planning is non a individual construct or process, but it is a set of constructs, processs and tools that are tailored carefully to whatever state of affairs is presented ( Albrecht, 2001 ) . Furthermore it is a development-led attack and a transformative and integrative, public sector-led, and socio-spatial procedure through which a vision, consistent actions and agencies for execution are produced ; these are so able to determine and border what a topographic point is and its potency of what it may go ( Albrechts, 2006 )How does it differ from MASTER PLANNING and LAND USE PLANNING?In order to understand the difference one needs to understand the principle of land usage planning and maestro planning. Land usage planning is a procedure of be aftering which is concerned with the location, strength, signifier, sum, and harmonisation of land development required for a assortment of spacial utilizations ; such as lodging, industry, diversion, conveyance, instruction, and agribusiness. A land usage program in this case fundamentally embodies a proposal as to how land should be used within a set of considered policy as enlargement and restructuring advancement in the hereafter ( Albrechts, 2004 ) . Traditional land usage planning is a more inactive planning attack aimed at commanding land usage through a zoning system and through ordinances. This harmonizing to Albrechts ( 2006 ) seems unfit for bridging the spread between plan-making, political decision-making and execution. This was one of the grounds why the demand arose for a different type of be aftering – a move off from regulative policy and instruments to a development-led attack which aims to step in more straight, coherently and selectively in societal world and development – strategic spacial planning ( Albrechts, 2006 ) . For Albrechts ( 2001 ) strategic spacial planning is to a certain extent rendered towards an integrated socio-economic class of action that supersedes the mere focal point on land usage planning. For Master Planning on the other manus, Friedman ( 2007 ) found that it is about a universally recognized signifier of planning pattern. His study found that in state after state, metropoliss through their authoritiess are mandated to bring forth maestro programs. Basically within these maestro programs states specify future land utilizations and location determinations. Maestro planning is a wholly inactive pattern and harmonizing to Friedman ( 2007 ) it needs to be rethought as it is out of line with the dynamic flows of globalization. Friedman ( 2007 ) defines master be aftering as being typically municipal programs instead than regional programs, and as being entirely concerned with land usage instead than with the entire spectrum of urban policy issues. They are drawn up by a specialised subdivision of municipal authorities instead than through a wider procedure of collaborative deliberation, and the procedure used to pull up maestro programs and acquiring them approved takes old ages therefore rendering them out-dated by the clip they can be implemented. Besides they are top-down, with comparatively minimal citizen engagement, and in conclusion when it comes to big scale undertakings ; maestro programs are frequently set aside to let for necessary alterations in land usage and circulation forms ( Friedman, 2007 ) . Opposing this, spacial planning is derived non from an functionary, compulsory character like maestro planning but from a function that coordinates instruments closely intertwined with urban policy formation and the design and execution of large-scale undertakings. Spatial be aftering involves a scope of histrions that include communities, authorities functionaries and private stakeholders. The chief intent of spacial planning is non to mandate peculiar land uses – as is in the case of maestro be aftering – but to let for a better coordination of urban policies and large-scale undertaking developments across infinite, to prove alternate policies and designs through revising their societal deductions, and to let for an informed public discourse about them ( Friedman, 2007 ) . In metropoliss such as the new downtown peninsula of Vancouver, maestro planning has been abandoned for systems of spacial planning in which be aftering returns by manner of affecting public hearings, bargaining, and dialogues. The consequences of this passage over a period of 25 old ages are testimony to the viability non merely of the Vancouver theoretical account but besides of the more abstract spacial planning theoretical account ( Friedman, 2007 ) .What are its chief PURPOSES and METHODS?Strategic spacial planning as mentioned earlier is used for complex jobs where governments at different degrees and different sectors and private histrions are reciprocally dependent ( Albrecht, 2001 ) . The theoretical account designs plan-making constructions and develops content, images and determination models which can act upon and pull off spacial alteration. It is about building new thoughts and processes that can transport these constructions through, therefore bring forthing ways of ap prehension, ways of consensus, and ways of organizing and mobilising for the intent of exercising influence in different spheres ( Albrecht, 2006 ) . Both is the short and long term, strategic spacial planning focal points on bordering determinations, actions, undertakings, consequences and execution, and incorporates monitoring, feedback, accommodation and alteration of the result. Its intent therefore is non a new political orientation prophesying a new universe order but as a method for making and maneuvering a better hereafter for a topographic point based on shared values ( Albrechts, 2006 ) . Albrechts ( 2006 ) goes farther on to explicate that the seven chief purposes of a strategic undertaking are – to develop an incorporate advanced attack for the assorted undertaking types ; to develop a to the full operational model based on sustainability ; to develop tools for quality direction ; to broaden the multi-actor/multi-level policy scenes and to measure current scenes ; to circulate the attack ; to develop an educational theoretical account ; and to set up a web of cognition between research workers, professionals, and authoritiess ( Albrechts, 2006 ) . The capacity for these undertakings to present the coveted result is dependent foremost on the system itself and on the conditions underlying it – such as structural restraints, and political, cultural, and professional attitudes towards spacial planning. The planning procedure is non intended to flux swimmingly from one stage to the following. It is a dynamic and originative procedure wherein new positions and facts that arise today may change the determinations made yesterday ( Albrechts, 2010 ) . This illustrates that it is ne'er a fixed procedure but is in a uninterrupted start of alteration from get downing to stop. The visions and frames which guide this procedure are ne'er ‘a given ‘ , instead they are to be constructed. The procedure of picturing is the procedure by which groups develop visions of future provinces for themselves, their administrations, metropolis, or their part that are clear, powerful and realistic. Basically this means that the visions are to be constructed within a specific context and scale sing issues that are of involvement within that infinite and within a peculiar combination of histrions. This is to be done within a method that to the full recognises the conditions of power, inequality, and diverseness. â€Å" The vision describes a metropolis or part as it may look like in the hereafter, and it must appeal to the long-run involvements of histrions who have a interest in the metropolis or part † ( Albrechts, 2010:8 ) .Why do this sort of planning?Strategic spacial planning undertakings conduct an in-depth survey of the country, therefore giving pen chant to the location being affected over anything else. With this these undertakings study external tendencies and the resources available hence leting for a wide and diverse procedure. Besides, by doing usage of this type of planning, contrivers are able to aim a assortment of countries ; including urban, rural, and economic countries ( Albrechts, 2006 ) . In the case of urban countries, strategic urban undertakings are utile as they aim to consolidate, transform, restructure or recycle the urban countries for new and emerging demands from public and private histrions. With respects to rural countries, strategic undertakings are utile as they aim to transform rural and suburban kineticss into a more sustainable and qualitative signifier of development while non burying to heighten the cultural significance of these infinites. Last, economic countries are seen as an of import portion of the attempt to maintain up international economic fight. Strategic undertakings seek to turn away from the old construct of concern Parkss spacial construct and direction to a focal point on the demands of houses that are to be translated into specifically designed employment locations ( Albrechts, 2006 ) .And what can we anticipate from it?This inquiry can be divided into two parts ; ‘we ‘ as contrivers and ‘we ‘ as the populace and private histrions. First, the essay will mean to the reference the latter portion. Strategic spacial planning undertakings are strategic to accomplish visions, ends, and aims from a assortment of policy sectors, and are to incorporate the community being affected. Visions is arguably one of the most of import factors of strategic undertakings as they are expected to be placed within the specific context, topographic point, clip and degree, and are to see specific issues that are of involvement to the different histrions ( Albrechts, 2006 ) . Basically what can be expected from strategic spacial planning undertakings is a critical analysis of the chief procedures and structural restraints which form infinites, which adds into a realistic, dynamic, integrated, and declarative long-run vision. It will supply a program for short-run and long-run actions, a budget, and a flexible scheme for execution ( Albrechts, 2010 ) . In footings of the undertakings eventual execution, it will supply believable committednesss to action battle and a clear and expressed nexus to the budget therefore leting for citizens, private-sector, different degrees of administration, and contrivers to come in a consensus ( Albrechts, 2010 ) . ‘We ‘ as contrivers will anticipate a different set of tools, tools which will steer the contriver on what to anticipate when moving as a strategic spacial contriver. For Albrechts ( 2010 ) , he finds it unthinkable that the contriver should move simply as a impersonal perceiver and chorus from playing a function in the building of visions and images. Alternatively, Albrechts suggests that contrivers should be needfully involved, and instrumental in confirming, explicating and implementing images and visions. This is a logical position, as if contrivers simply observe, there expertness in certain state of affairss are non shared, and their utility would be greatly undermined. Strategic spacial contrivers are to alternatively, challenge their ain ‘mental discourse ‘ which limit their creativeness, and get down afresh therefore leting for their creativeness and resourcefulness to flux and to be used in formulating, designing, and constructing new constructs and discourses ( Albrechts, 2010 ) .How utile is it?Strategic spacial planning is a flexible procedure that trades with complex jobs and is able to repair to a broad scope of jobs, but besides trades with each job unambiguously. This characteristic makes the attack really utile as it applies to a scope of different issues. For illustration ; the metropolis of Barcelona started utilizing a strategic planning attack in 1988 in order to heighten the cooperation between the public and private sector with the hope that the sweeten ing will beef up the place of the metropolis as a campaigner for the Olympic Games ( Albrechts, 2010 ) . The metropolis of Turin which was inspired by Barcelona besides undertook a strategic attack in the mid 1990 ‘s, for Turin this formed the footing for rethinking the potency of a former monopolistic town that had been extremely affected by the rise of the car industry. The purpose for Strategic spacial planning here was to transform Turin into a European city – â€Å" a metropolis of activities and know-how † ( Albrechts, 2010:5 ) . For the metropolis of Bilbao, the vision was to transport the metropolis into the economic, fiscal, and cultural capital of the Atlantic Arc. Last, for Prague, strategic spacial planning focused on incorporating the metropolis into European constructions ( Albrechts, 2010 ) . From this it is clear that strategic spacial planning is applicable to a diverse scope of issues and can accommodate easy to what is required in the context for which it is visualizing, therefore rendering it a utile attack to planning.DecisionFrom the information discussed in this essay the attack of strategic spacial planning has been explained. Through utilizing such an attack to be aftering it can be deduced that infinites can be become more active and synergistic both on a local graduated table – and the sectors within that scale – and on an international graduated table. â€Å" In short, episodes of strategic spacial planning informed by â€Å" relational complexness † constructs which accumulate sufficient power to â€Å" go † efficaciously and have digesting stuff and mental effects should be judged in the long-run in footings of their capacity to enrich the inventive resources, originative energies and administration civilizations through which quality of life and experience of diverse citizens and stakeholders in peculiar topographic points are likely to be enhanced. † ( Healey, 2006:19 )

Welcome to The Essay Experts MBA Admissions Blog!

Welcome to The Essay Experts MBA Admissions Blog! The Essay Expert looks forward to providing value to MBA and EMBA applicants in two major ways: 1) by offering MBA admissions consulting services and 2) by sharing interesting and useful information in our MBA Admissions Blog. This blog is a forum to discuss issues of concern to MBA and EMBA applicants. We look forward to sharing our take on a wide range of issues so that you will be poised for success as you enter the application process. Youll see many items here written by our newest and most senior admissions consultant, Larry Sochrin. Larry is one of the most experienced MBA admissions consultants in the business, having worked in this field for over 14 years. He holds an MBA from Wharton, and previously interviewed applicants to the school as an alumnus. A senior trainer, Larry has delivered seminars for groups of admissions consultants on topics ranging from interviewing to applying to international MBA schools. He has also given training seminars for prospective business school applicants, as well as for firms who offer admissions consulting support as an employee benefit. Larry has guided clients through several thousand MBA applications. He has answers to just about every possible question you might encounter as you go through the admissions process. Category:UncategorizedBy Brenda BernsteinNovember 17, 2011

Pricing-to-Market and Its implications for PPP The WritePass Journal

Pricing-to-Market and Its implications for PPP Conclusion Pricing-to-Market and Its implications for PPP IntroductionReview of PTMImplications of PTM for PPP and empirical evince on thatConclusionReferenceRelated Introduction At present, with the increasing process of globalization, the world is integrated as a huge market. International trade is becoming increasingly important between countries. Therefore, exchange rate are now of great concern, people care about its ups and downs, and its implications, especially, to what extent will the exchange rate change influence the price of imported or exported goods. It is important to introduce the idea of PTM to understand this question. The article will first introduce the concept of pricing to market, and then introduce the implications of pricing to market for purchasing power parity. Finally, I will give the conclusion. Review of PTM PTM is considered to be a phenomenon, and this happens in international trade between countries. When the market is in division and there is no â€Å"hot money†, exporters could set different prices according to the places importing from them; they could choose either producer currency pricing or local currency pricing. When producer currency is used, devaluation reduces export price of local commodities, change in exchange rate has conducting effect to price, therefore guarantees the effectiveness of one price law and purchasing power parity; however when local currency pricing is chosen, devaluations of producer currency does not affect export price of commodities since they are priced in local currency. International trade cost is essential in pricing to market. Atkeson and A.Burstein(2008) stated that without international trade costs, even in the presence of variable markups that lead to incomplete pass-through, we have no pricing-to-market. Hence, imperfect competition with variable markups is necessary, but not sufficient, for pricing-to-market. It is widely believed that PTM does not apply to all categories of goods, that it , the extent of Pricing to market varies in different goods trade. Krugman.P(1987) stated that:† PTM is not universal, pricing to market seems to be limited to the transportation equipment and machinery industries† according to his research on US and Germany. In short, PTM refers to the action of a firm to set different price of the same product in different markets. Implications of PTM for PPP and empirical evince on that 1. PPP was first formally introduced by Gustav Cassell in 1920, it was aimed to provide a standard for currencies to slove the problem of compensations after the first world war. It indicates that when consumers purchase identical products in any market worldwide, the quantity of money should be the same when measured in one currency (Hallwood and MacDonald, 2000). At present time, PPP has two functions in economics: one, to judge a currency has whether been over or under estimated, second, as a tool of conversion, to convert GDP or GNP of one country from its own currency into another, therefore compare the economic strength between them. PPP has now been developed into two forms, the absolute ppp and relative ppp. Absolute ppp is based on the law of one price, the theory of absolute purchasing power parity states that the same basket of goods should sell for the same price everywhere (Alessandria,GKaboski,P,K, 2009), while relative ppp debates that exchange rates can be adjusted according to the inflation differentials existing in two markets (Pilbeam, 2006). Unquestionably, the implication of PTM for purchasing power parity is influential according to many researches and studies done. PTM weaken the influence of PPP. The theory of PPP indicates that significant change in exchange rate should result in the devaluation of national inflation and appreciation of national deflation. But the truth is that, either the ups or downs of exchange rate did not significantly affect the inflation. One reason why exchange rate is such insignificant is obvious: exchange rate does not affect volume of trade and total price, as what people expected. The reason lies here is PTM, producers exporting commodities to other countries did not change exporting prices as people expected. For instance, when Japanese producer exporting automobiles into American market, they will set their products’ dollar price on the basis of specific situations in American market. If yen was in an appreciation, they would, by and large, reduce the yen price but not raise th e dollar price to maintain its current business scale in American market. They would rather to eliminate the effects caused by change of exchange rate by adjustments within the enterprise itself. In such condition, exchange rate could not play the important role as it should have played. Betts,C and Devereux M,B (1998) argued that: â€Å"PTM plays a central role in exchange rate determination and in international macroeconomic fluctuations.† The pass-through from exchange rate changes to prices is strongly restricted by actions of PTM.   They also stated that: â€Å"PTM generates departures from purchasing power parity; it tends to reduce the comovement in consumption across countries, while increasing the comovement of output.† (Betts,C and Devereux M,B ,1998). Generally, according to theory of one price and purchasing power parity, changes in exchange rate would pass through efficiently to prices, that prices will be adjusted until it fits the changes in exchange rate, and there will finally be equilibrium. But PTM, as personal actions of enterprises, to some extent, obstructs the channel of passing through. In the conditions of high PTM extent, devaluation of exchange rate has a very limited impaction on the prices determination of imported commodi ties, as (Betts,C and Devereux M,B ,1998) stressed:†the allocative effects of exchange rate changes are therefore wakened.† PTM also has important welfare implications for the transmission of monetary policy shocks. (Betts,C and Devereux M,B ,1998). In a situation under PPP, an unexpected expansion of monetary policy will result in increase in welfare of all organization, no matter home ones or foreign ones. Betts,C and Devereux M,B ,(1998) concluded that: â€Å"Monetary policy is a ‘beggar- thy-neighbor’ instrument in the presence of PTM†. 2. The phenomenon of pricing to market is everywhere in our daily life, and it significantly weaken the influence of law of one price and theory of purchasing power parity, tells people the truth that the same amount of currency could not always buy same basket of goods in different countries’ market. Since the same product could be priced differently in two countries, there will be space of arbitrage. I found exactly the same mode of DELL laptop both sold in U.S and China, on EBay, this dell allienware m15x is priced $1449.99, on the official site of dell china, it is priced 16999 RMB, according to the present exchange rate of RMB over US dollar: 6.573, 16999RMB is $2586, it is $1086 more that in US. Obviously, the transportation cost to bring one laptop from US to China is far more less than $1086. It can be implied that many people will try smuggling commodities like this laptop to earn profits. Conclusion As above discussion, PTM is important in the determination of exchange rate, higher the PTM is, less influence will the exchange rate change make on prices. It also makes significant welfare implications for the transmission of monetary policy shocks. PTM and its implication on PPP is still necessary to be further researched. Reference Krugman, P. (1986), â€Å"Pricing to Markets when exchange rate changes†, In: Arndt, S.W., Richardson,J.D. (Eds.), Real-Financial Linkages among Open Economies. MIT Press, Cambridge. Mark, N. C. (2001), International macroeconomics and finance: theory and econometric methods, Wiley-Blackwell. Sarno, L. Taylor, M.P. (2002), new open-economy of macroeconomics. In The economics of exchange rate, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Hallwood, P. and MacDonald, R. (2000) International Money and Finance, 3rd ed.Blackwell. Pilbeam, K . (2006) International Finance, 3rd ed. MacMillan. Atkeson,A Burstein,A (2008) â€Å"Pricing-to-market, Trade cost, and International Relative Price*†.   University of California, Los Angeles and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Alessandria,GKaboski,P,K   (2009) â€Å"Pricing-to-Market and the Failure of Absolute PPP† Betts,C and Devereux M,B (1998),   â€Å"Exchange rate dynamics in a model of pricing-to-market† in Journal of International Economics 50 (2000) 215–244 alienware m15x items- get great deals on PC Laptop notebooks,alienware m17x items on eBay.com! (2011). Retrieved March 9, 2011 from http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=alienware+m15x_frs=1_trksid=p3286.c0.m359 ç ®â‚¬Ã¥ â€¢Ã©Å¡ Ã¥ ¿Æ' ç § Ã¤ º «Ã¤ ¸ ºÃ¤ ½   Dell ä ¸ ­Ã¥â€º ½Ã¥ ¤ §Ã©â„¢â€  (2011). Retrieved March 9, 2011 from http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/ap/topics/microsite/zh/odg_campaign?c=cncs=cndhs1l=zhs=dhs~ck=mn

The Safavid Empire of Persia

The Safavid Empire of Persia The Safavid Empire, based in Persia (Iran), ruled over much of southwestern Asia from 1501 to 1736. Members of the Safavid Dynasty likely were of Kurdish Persian descent and belonged to a unique order of Sufi -infused Shia Islam called Safaviyya. In fact, it was the founder of the Safavid Empire, Shah Ismail I, who forcibly converted Iran from Sunni to Shia Islam and established Shiism as the state religion. Its Massive Reach At its height, the Safavid Dynasty controlled not only the entirety of what is now Iran, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, but also most of Afghanistan, Iraq, Georgia, and the Caucasus, and parts of Turkey, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. As one of the powerful gunpowder empires of the age, the Safavids re-established Persias place as a key player in economics and geopolitics at the intersection of the eastern and western worlds. It ruled over the western reaches of the late Silk Road, although the overland trade routes were quickly being supplanted by ocean-going trading vessels. Sovereignty The greatest Safavid ruler was Shah Abbas I (r. 1587 - 1629), who modernized the Persian military, adding musketeers and artillery-men; moved the capital city deeper into the Persian heartland; and established a policy of tolerance towards Christians in the empire. However, Shah Abbas was fearful to the point of paranoia about the assassination and executed or blinded all of his sons to prevent them from replacing him. As a result, the empire began a long, slow slide into obscurity after his death in 1629.

Cutural psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cutural psychology - Essay Example All countries have not arrived at the same compromises in these respects, but global consensus is a pressing need. Variations in culture can distinguish nations from each other (Heine). The theocratic countries of the Middle East stand out in sharp contrast, with a dominant cultural form all of their own. It is not language, dress, and customs, which define culture entirely: the overwhelming predominance of one faith puts its own stamp on how people behave and interact with each other. The Hindu Kingdom of Nepal and the Vatican are other examples of cultural uniformity through faith within territorial boundaries, though they are marginal in the political equations between countries. There is little room for variations and minority expressions in such societies, for the pressures to conform are irresistible. People tend to be conservative, and much importance is attached to observing customs in the ways of ancestors. Individual rights recede in to the background, and faith is used to suppress even relatively minor dissent. There are strong moral undertones to regimentation in such countries. It would be unfair to blame organized religion for putting culture in straight jackets. Totalitarian states have the same effect, and even put religion down with heavy hands in order to establish the unitary authority of governance and ideology. Petty dictators and monarchs tend to strike some kind of understanding with religious authorities, but political establishments are not inclined to share power. The extent to which such bigotry was practiced by the erstwhile Soviet Union is not visible in the China of the 21st century, but the primacy of the State is essentially a Communist phenomenon. People with liberal minds may rejoice at the modern culture of Europe and the United States, given that individual freedom has such priority in these

The entrepreneurial organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The entrepreneurial organization - Essay Example They can only thrive in an environment of relative freedom. Under industrialization, bureaucracy was the dominant form of organization. The factory was designed to produce standardized products; the bureaucracy was designed to produce standardized decisions. Many major corporations of today developed in an industrial society, based on a bureaucratic model of machine-like division of function, routine activity, regularity, seeming permanence, and a long vertical hierarchy. It was a world of mass markets uniform goods and services, and long production lines. During the 1990's, however, the top-down authoritarian management style began yielding to a networking style of management. Horizontal communication in a networked environment is freer and more fluid, with few bureaucratic barriers. In the new style of management, people learn from one another peer to peer, everyone is a resource for everyone else, and each person gets support and assistance from many different directions. In any bureaucratic structure, people tend to feel they cannot change their environment and thus may never seek the information that might change it. In sharp contrast, the new emerging form of organizations supports change, innovation, and individual initiative to an optimal degree. Intrapreneurship simply represents an organizational culture that allows employees flexibility and authority in pursuing and developing new ideas. Intrapreneurship is nothing but entrepreneurship practiced within the context of a large established organization. An intrapreneur is involved in the "venturing" process, that is, in developing a new business inside a corporation from its initial idea until it becomes a viable business. Often an intrapreneur must lead a project with an entrepreneurial vision , willingness of using power , leadership, motivation and ability to overcome resistance and barriers (Johansen, 2002). Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950) was a pioneering researcher in the field of entrepreneurship, he studied the role of the entrepreneur as an innovator, i.e., the person who develops a new product, a new market, or new means of production. Schumpeter distinguished between dependent and independent entrepreneurs, the former being those who are connected to an existing company, and the latter being those who start their own companies. Although coined and popularized by Gifford Pinchot in 1985, the term 'intrapreneur' (short for intra-corporate entrepreneur) essentially means what Schumpeter called a dependent entrepreneur. Several factors in organizations can have an influence on intrapreneurship/entrepreneurship. Usually, there are any number of barriers to innovation that can occur in organizations. Among all these factors and barriers, the degree of bureaucratic-style management within an organization can have the most adverse impact on the levels of individual initiative. 2. The Paradigm Shift Bureaucratic-style management is fading from the scene, albeit gradually. Mega corporations may be thriving, nonetheless their internal structures are becoming more geared towards innovation. Once considered a contradiction in terms, corporate intrapreneurship has become widely accepted in successful companies, such as 3M, Intel, and Coca-Cola.Also, in the fiercely competitive world of high

Analysis of the fashion industry, Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analysis of the fashion industry, - Assignment Example Fashion weeks held in the US brings in huge amount of money into the country’s reserve. On the other hand, the UK fashion industry is worth  £26 billion (Pithers, 2014). Even in the UK, this industry accounts for high number of jobs. Report states that during the London Fashion Week, more than  £100 million of orders are placed. In fashion industry, the market is segmented according to brands, which is generally concerned with creativity involved in the product design and another as per market, which again is determined by price of the product that the consumer is willing to pay. The clothing that are made in factory setting and not by hand are referred as ready-to-wear (RTW). They are also sold in the market in standard sizes (D’Aveni, 2010). These cloths are manufactured so that consumers can wear them without excessive alteration owing to the standard sizes. On the other hand, diffusion line is created by high-end fashion brands or fashion designers. These are secondary merchandises, which are available in the market at lower prices. This helps in increasing sales volume as the customer base becomes wider with lowering of the price. By leveraging desirability of the premium ranges, designers successfully tap the market through a halo effect (D’Aveni, 2010). In case of RTW clothes, the buyers’ needs are taken care of as sizes offered are standardised in nature and fit properly to majority of individuals. These clothes hardly require any alteration, which means the product is available to consumers at the desired time. Generally, this is followed by all fashion brands at present. The diffusion, on the contrary, is to increase the consumer base as brands start a secondary merchandise line, which is sold at lower prices than the primary one. There are takers for fashionable merchandises if available at affordable price. The brands are aware of the same, which is why they have taken the path of

Marketing strategy 4Ps of luxury brands and mass-market brands Essay

Marketing strategy 4Ps of luxury brands and mass-market brands - Essay Example Hence, we saw businesses catering to a specific group of people sharing similar characteristics than catering to the needs and wants for the general heterogeneous and diverse people. This way their strategies and focus would only be on a specific group, which would consequently lead to effective strategies and results. For instance, Burberry moved up-market and focused only on the first class society. Whereas, Abercrombie & Fitch targeted the middle class people and teenagers. Not only this, but we saw many businesses expanding their size of operations by going across the borders. An appropriate example of this would be Abercrombie & Fitch opening their first shop in Hong Kong in 2012, and extending their operations to the Asian market as well. Now, we are going to go to the next slide which will explicitly compare and contrast the marketing mix of the four companies named: Burberry, Coach, Next, and A&F. As you can see, the first row shows the price comparisons of these companies. The price strategy for Burberry and Coach is to provide the luxurious goods at high prices i.e. expensive and grandiose image. On the other hand, A&F and Nexts price strategy ranges from high to medium prices respectively. The second row deals with the product strategy for each business. We are going to discuss each one by one. First is Burberry. Burberrys product strategy is to provide high quality designer garments, and to diverse in its product portfolio which contains shoes, bags, and fragrances apart from the garments. It is most famous for its trench coats. Second is Coach. Coachs product strategy is similar to the Burberrys except for the fact that it focuses on leather goods such as handbags, wallets, briefcases and luggage. High quality and diversification is the product strategy. Next we have "Next". Its product strategy differs from the first two. It does not aim for high quality "pricy" luxurious goods. Instead,

Whole Foods Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Whole Foods - Case Study Example Thus, changing business dynamics to suit the transforming business environment ensure that companies not only survive but are also able to maintain their competitive advantage within the industry. The paper would therefore be analyzing Whole Food Inc for business initiatives that has helped them to maintain their market position even during the recessive period. Analysis of Whole Food Whole Food Market was started in 1980 in Austin, Texas as local supermarket that focused on natural and health food with emphasis on organically produced food products. As one of the largest retail market chains of organic food, the company’s 276 retail outlets across US, UK and Canada have seen stupendous revenue growth of 30% by 1991 and 20% since 2000. The company intends to achieve a target of 400 stores with revenue worth $12 billion by 2010. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Food, has been an exemplary leader whose intrinsic beliefs in the strategic vision and core values of the company have steere d it to the path of enviable success. Strategic vision and core values Company’s vision is to become a global brand for best quality natural and organic food and best food retailer in every community that it serves. The mission statements of the company are designed to meet the food requirements of the people by providing them with healthy food so that they can lead a healthier life and live longer. The core values of the company highlight sustainable business practice and are fundamentally based on ensuring customer satisfaction not only through quality food that is organically produced by also by empowering them with knowledge and information that would promote their general well being. The core values are aligned to their vision and mission. Interests of all stakeholders including workforce, customers and supply chain is taken into consideration within the business strategy of Whole Food. Business strategy and operational efficiency The company ensures customer satisfactio n by providing them with high quality of natural and organically produced wide variety of food products. The Whole Food stores had large, open format on huge area, often exceeding 40,000 square feet. The stores had well defined segments with cafeteria facility which ensured that customers could also taste and test the quality food that they would be buying. The brochures and information about food products and sustainable business practice were made available. The organizational culture emphasizes diversity in workplace and promotes cross cultural understanding to create barrier free and encouraging environment. The team leaders within the stores are empowered to make independent decisions that ensures improved performance outcome. The company fulfills its social accountabilities through measures of employees’ welfare schemes, environmental concerns and charitable works in the area of education, training and development of entrepreneurial skills etc. Its suppliers of food pro ducts from low waged countries were helped financially to ensure quality produce that also helped them to raise their living standard. It has introduced various innovative measures to propagate its environmental policies among its in-house staff and business partners. It has also facilitated wider interaction with various focus groups and forged alliances to motivate and promotes proactive participation of the public and workforce in its drive for environmental conservations. The growth plans of companies are primarily through opening of new stores and through acquisition of smaller stores which have also been into the same business. The company’s philosophy of ‘Whole Food, Whole People, Whole Planet’

The relationship between cancer disease and nutrition Article

The relationship between cancer disease and nutrition - Article Example The alterations in these markers are a potential risk for cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This study seeks to investigate on the long-term effect of low carbohydrate scores on incidence of cancer in a prospective cohort study. The researchers used a population-based prospective cohort health intervention comprising of residents of the northern Swedish country of Vasterbotten age group 40 to 60 years. The secondary data was obtained from an ongoing intervention programme that determined number of potential health risk factors using a participant administered diet and lifestyle questionnaire. In this study the recruitment was about59% (Nilsson, Lena et. al, 2013). A 24hr hour recall validated food frequency questionnaire was administered and a blood sample for biomarkers analysis in the study participants. Prospective cancer cases were identified through a regional cancer registry. The researchers used a Cox regression analyses on low-carbohydrate high protein score and explored the role of metabolic risk profile, micronutrient levels and adequacy of energy intake on health. There was a positive correlation between protein (primarily animal sources) and fat (both saturated and unsaturated) intake with increasing low carbohydrate high protein (LCHP) scores (Nilsson, Lena et. al, 2013). However, there was no correlation between LCHP scores and cancer incidences except for non-dose dependent respiratory tract cancer in men. The study reported an inversely association between the risk for colorectal cancer and intake of high saturated fat in women. Interestingly this association was positive in men (Nilsson, Lena et. al, 2013). This study provided vital information on safety of increase in protein and reduction in carbohydrates. For determination of carbohydrate limitation effects further studies encircling a variety

Whole Foods Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Whole Foods - Case Study Example Thus, changing business dynamics to suit the transforming business environment ensure that companies not only survive but are also able to maintain their competitive advantage within the industry. The paper would therefore be analyzing Whole Food Inc for business initiatives that has helped them to maintain their market position even during the recessive period. Analysis of Whole Food Whole Food Market was started in 1980 in Austin, Texas as local supermarket that focused on natural and health food with emphasis on organically produced food products. As one of the largest retail market chains of organic food, the company’s 276 retail outlets across US, UK and Canada have seen stupendous revenue growth of 30% by 1991 and 20% since 2000. The company intends to achieve a target of 400 stores with revenue worth $12 billion by 2010. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Food, has been an exemplary leader whose intrinsic beliefs in the strategic vision and core values of the company have steere d it to the path of enviable success. Strategic vision and core values Company’s vision is to become a global brand for best quality natural and organic food and best food retailer in every community that it serves. The mission statements of the company are designed to meet the food requirements of the people by providing them with healthy food so that they can lead a healthier life and live longer. The core values of the company highlight sustainable business practice and are fundamentally based on ensuring customer satisfaction not only through quality food that is organically produced by also by empowering them with knowledge and information that would promote their general well being. The core values are aligned to their vision and mission. Interests of all stakeholders including workforce, customers and supply chain is taken into consideration within the business strategy of Whole Food. Business strategy and operational efficiency The company ensures customer satisfactio n by providing them with high quality of natural and organically produced wide variety of food products. The Whole Food stores had large, open format on huge area, often exceeding 40,000 square feet. The stores had well defined segments with cafeteria facility which ensured that customers could also taste and test the quality food that they would be buying. The brochures and information about food products and sustainable business practice were made available. The organizational culture emphasizes diversity in workplace and promotes cross cultural understanding to create barrier free and encouraging environment. The team leaders within the stores are empowered to make independent decisions that ensures improved performance outcome. The company fulfills its social accountabilities through measures of employees’ welfare schemes, environmental concerns and charitable works in the area of education, training and development of entrepreneurial skills etc. Its suppliers of food pro ducts from low waged countries were helped financially to ensure quality produce that also helped them to raise their living standard. It has introduced various innovative measures to propagate its environmental policies among its in-house staff and business partners. It has also facilitated wider interaction with various focus groups and forged alliances to motivate and promotes proactive participation of the public and workforce in its drive for environmental conservations. The growth plans of companies are primarily through opening of new stores and through acquisition of smaller stores which have also been into the same business. The company’s philosophy of ‘Whole Food, Whole People, Whole Planet’

Read the article, and answer the question Assignment

Read the article, and answer the question - Assignment Example Personal power arises due to individual knowledge or expertise, which an individual possesses and can act with authority due to this know how. Formal power can either be reward, legitimate, coercive or information (Dillard 27). Coercive power involves infliction of fear to an individual, with threats such as low pay, to get a person to act in a premeditated manner. Reward power is opposite of coercive, and it involves promises of positive rewards for compliance with certain conduct. An individual in a position to distribute such rewards is viewed to have power over others. Legitimate power arises in formal organisation structure, representing the power a person receives as a result of his or her position in the formal hierarchy. Information power stems from a person control over information, which other organizational members do not have (Dillard 29-45). Personal power can either be expert, referent or charismatic. Expert power is a powerful source of influence, which stems from possession of a special skill, or knowledge. Referent power arises where people want to associate with an individual who has immerse resources, and as result, such an individual can exercise power over them. Charismatic power streams from an individual personality and interpersonal style, such that other people exercises follower sensitivity over such an individual (Dillard 34-47). Manager objectives in exercising power over different generations of a Company are to achieve set goals. Kate admits that 20 years ago, legitimate power had greater influence, because all she did was tell people what to do, and they executed without resistance. She points out that in the contemporary business environment, negotiations and influence plays a significant role in managing employees. This can be attributed to personal power, because expertise power is the most influential power

IKEA Essay Example for Free

IKEA Essay

Federal Govt. Vs. States :: essays research papers

Federal Sovereignty vs. Rights of the States Continued†¦. Federal Sovereignty versus States Rights was not a new problem to the United States. First appearing during the writing of the Constitution and continuing through Hamilton’s Bank and the Federalist Papers, this debate raged right into the 19th century, beginning with the Hartford Convention, where delegates proposed that a state had the right to â€Å"interpose authority† in a case of â€Å"dangerous and palpable infractions.† However, this was only the first in a series of arguments that would in the end, result in civil war. The next major step was the handling of cases for businesses. During the 1810’s and 20’s Chief Justice John Marshall passed made several rulings reducing state power. In Sturges v. Crownshield, he decided that a state could pass bankruptcy laws but could not be applied to debts incurred before the ratification of the law. During Dartmouth College v. Woodward, he ru led that a state (or any party) could not cancel a contract without the consent of the other side. He struck again, in 1815, this time at the New York ferry monopoly by saying that the state could not regulate commerce on borders. Finally, in 1819, he stated that the bank was constitutional and that the federal law was supreme over the states, who had no right to tax it. In doing this, he sharply defined the rights of the states as subordinate to those of the nation’s. However, Marshall’s rulings did not last long. During the term of Andrew Jackson, the Bank was destroyed by the president. Staring with vetoing the renewal of the Bank’s charter, he set out to eliminate what he though was a corrupt monopoly. By demolishing the Bank, he allowed smaller state banks to assume more power. Finally, during the early 1830’s, nullification came into question. In this situation, South Carolina had declared a government law, (tariff bill) void because a convention fo und it to be unconstitutional. While John Calhoun argued that the Constitution was based on false assumptions and that a minority of the nation could reassume its independence. However, Jackson saw the truth. He knew that if a state could ignore the laws then the Union would cease to exist. Because of Jackson’s strong will and the Force Bill (allowing more federal power with the president’s authority to execute revenue laws), South Carolina backed out and the Union was saved†¦. Federal Govt. Vs. States :: essays research papers Federal Sovereignty vs. Rights of the States Continued†¦. Federal Sovereignty versus States Rights was not a new problem to the United States. First appearing during the writing of the Constitution and continuing through Hamilton’s Bank and the Federalist Papers, this debate raged right into the 19th century, beginning with the Hartford Convention, where delegates proposed that a state had the right to â€Å"interpose authority† in a case of â€Å"dangerous and palpable infractions.† However, this was only the first in a series of arguments that would in the end, result in civil war. The next major step was the handling of cases for businesses. During the 1810’s and 20’s Chief Justice John Marshall passed made several rulings reducing state power. In Sturges v. Crownshield, he decided that a state could pass bankruptcy laws but could not be applied to debts incurred before the ratification of the law. During Dartmouth College v. Woodward, he ru led that a state (or any party) could not cancel a contract without the consent of the other side. He struck again, in 1815, this time at the New York ferry monopoly by saying that the state could not regulate commerce on borders. Finally, in 1819, he stated that the bank was constitutional and that the federal law was supreme over the states, who had no right to tax it. In doing this, he sharply defined the rights of the states as subordinate to those of the nation’s. However, Marshall’s rulings did not last long. During the term of Andrew Jackson, the Bank was destroyed by the president. Staring with vetoing the renewal of the Bank’s charter, he set out to eliminate what he though was a corrupt monopoly. By demolishing the Bank, he allowed smaller state banks to assume more power. Finally, during the early 1830’s, nullification came into question. In this situation, South Carolina had declared a government law, (tariff bill) void because a convention fo und it to be unconstitutional. While John Calhoun argued that the Constitution was based on false assumptions and that a minority of the nation could reassume its independence. However, Jackson saw the truth. He knew that if a state could ignore the laws then the Union would cease to exist. Because of Jackson’s strong will and the Force Bill (allowing more federal power with the president’s authority to execute revenue laws), South Carolina backed out and the Union was saved†¦.

Two Scavengers in a Truck,Two Beautiful People in Mercedes and Nothings

Two Scavengers in a Truck,Two Beautiful People in Mercedes and Nothings Changed Compare and contrast of two poems from different cultures- ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two beautiful People in Mercedes’ and ‘Nothings Changed’. ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in Mercedes’ by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, is a poem about four very different people brought together by traffic lights turning red. The poet is protesting against the inequalities within a democracy. ‘Nothings Changed’ by Tatamkhulu Afrika, is a poem which is also protesting, but about the way black people are treated in a place where the poet used to live, in District Six, in South Africa, where apartheid took place. In the poem ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in Mercedes’, the poet compares four people. The four people are brought together by the traffic light turning red. The poem is set in downtown San Francisco at 9 O’clock in the morning. First he describes the two garbage men in their truck. He compares them with a very elegant couple in their Mercedes, who have a very different lifestyle. The poet describes the two garbage men as- ‘two scavengers up since four a.m. grungy from their route’ This phrase creates the image of vultures swooping around San Francisco early while everyone is asleep, because vultures are often described as scavengers. The word ‘grungy’ also makes it clear to the reader that the garbage men are dirty and grubby. The writer tells us that the garbage men have been up since four a.m. This tells us that they are hard workers. In contrast, the poet describes the couple in the Mercedes as- ‘The man in a hip three piece linen suit with shoulder length blond hair and sun... ...manner, and the writer clearly wants to make himself heard. The poet, Tatamkhulu Afrika also talks about his own personal experiences, but on the other hand Lawrence Ferlinghetti, just writes about people he might have seen on the street. I personally preferred ‘Nothings Changed’ by Tatamkhulu Afrika, although I really liked ‘Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in Mercedes’ by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, I thought ‘Nothings Changed’ was more thought provoking and I think I learnt more about the poet from it, because he was not afraid to express his feelings and opinions. However, I agree with both of the poets on their opinions. I think that everyone should be treated equally and no one should be made to feel like they are worse than someone else, just because they do not have a sophisticated car or because they are a different race or colour.