Behind Closed Doors Essay -- essays research papers fc

Behind Closed Doors Over the years, many people have believed that the issue of sexual harassment should not be discussed in public. Sexual harassment was to be discussed behind closed doors. In spite of this, the social and political systems have changed instantaneously. This social problem has affected men and women throughout time; however, it seems that the women of our society more closely look at this issue. This social topic has encouraged women to establish organizations in order to help them discuss the issues more openly and to demand equality including fairness and justice throughout the workplace and in their social lives as well. In recent years, sexual harassment has been one of the most serious and widespread problems found in the workplace. For this reason, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed, by the United Nations in 1948, to help everyone in their fight for self-respect and dignity. Indeed sexual harassment is an issue that complicates employment decisions. People also recognize that it is an issue involving the creation of an antagonistic or offensive work environment. In many instances, the issue of sexual harassment is not something minor that can be easily solved. Sexual harassment, in most cases, involves a superior’s behavior towards a subordinate. As mentioned before, most forms of sexual harassment occur in the workplace. An employee can charge an employer with sexual harassment as a result of the misconduct of managers, fellow employees, vendors, and even customers. Eventually, sexual harassment can cause a hostile work environment. It is true, for the most part, that sexual harassment comes in many forms in the workplace. There are two significant ways in which one can identify sexual harassment. They are called the â€Å"Quid Pro Quo† and the â€Å"Hostile Environment Harassment.† The essence of the Quid Pro Quo theory of sexual harassment occurs when an employee is confronted with sexual demands to keep her job or obtain a promotion. This is a true violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which is also referred to as the Title VII Act. Even though sexual harassment by its very nature is complicated to define, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provides a general description of sexual advances. [The several basic varieties of the Quid Pro Quo harassment indicate the unwelcome sexual advances and requests for... ...sex with him. She had bee going on with his sick plan for six months. The owner as far as we know hasn’t been charged with anything, but the boss is in jail for some felony concerning the blackmail. My friend still has deep seeded emotional problems with the men that she works with. She has been to a psychiatrist only to be told that it is a healing process and that it takes time. I think that this ordeal has hurt her mentally more than anything else. In conclusion I’d like to ask everyone, male and female, to think before you act. What you might think is a harmless joke could be just the opposite to someone else. What can we do as individuals and as a group to stop this to commonly practiced act? Works Cited Aggarwal, Arjun P. â€Å"Sexual Harassment in the Workplace† Butterworths Canada Ltd. 1992 Lindemann, Barbara and Kadue, David D. â€Å"Sexual Harassment in Employmet Law† Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) Transactional Reporting Services 1993 Caggiano, Christopher â€Å"The Inc. Faxpoll† Multimedia Publications Inc. 1992 Baridon, Andrea P. â€Å"The New Rules and Realities for Managing Men and Women at Work† McGraw Hill Inc. 1994 Serepca, Beth â€Å"Sexual Harassment† Internal Auditor October 1995

This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen Essay -- Analysis, Tadeusz

The sullen narrative This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen poignantly recounts the events of a typical day in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. The author, Tadeusz Borowski, was Polish Holocaust survivor of Auschwitz, the series of death camps responsible for the deaths of the largest number of European Jews. Recounted from a first-person point of view, the novel unfolds at dawn as the unnamed narrator eats breakfast with a friend and fellow prisoner, Henri. Henri is a member of Canada, the labor group responsible for unloading the Jewish transports as they arrive into the camps. They are interrupted by a call for Canada to report to the loading ramps. Upon the arrival of the transport, the narrator joins Henri in directing the prisoners to either life, in the labor camps, or to death, in the gas chambers. In reality the path is neither one of life or death, rather it is routing prisoners to inevitable death or immediate death. Regardless of how many times he is aske d, the narrator refuses to disclose to the transport prisoners what is happening to them or where they are being taken. This is camp law, but the narrator also believes it to be charitable to â€Å"deceive (them) until the very end†(pg. 115). Throughout the day the narrator encounters a myriad of people, but one is described in great detail: a young woman, depicted as being unscathed by the abomination that is the transport. She is tidy and composed, unlike those around her. Calmly, she inquires as to where she is being taken, like many before her, but to no avail. When the narrator refuses to answer, she stoically boards a truck bound for the gas chambers. By the end of both the day and of the novel, the camp has processed approximately fifteen thousand p... ...urvivors crawling towards me, clawing at my soul. The guilt of the world had been literally placed on my shoulders as I closed the book and reflected on the morbid events I had just read. As the sun set that night, I found no joy in its vastness and splendor, for I was still blinded by the sins of those before me. The sound of my tears crashing to the icy floor sang me to sleep. Just kidding. But seriously, here’s the rest. Upon reading of the narrators’ brief excerpt of his experience, I was overcome with empathy for both the victims and persecutors. The everlasting effect of the holocaust is not only among those who lost familiesà ·, friends, /6mà ·illions of their very race, but also with the prisoner workers who were-and have been-relentlessly tormented by (the guilt of their actions) (their guilt). This (novel, story, event, etc..) will not soon be forgotten.

Costa Coffee Strategy

MMS assignment: Costa Coffee STRATEGY: 1. Identify, analyse and discuss Strategic issues in Costa Coffee. â€Å"Costa has flourished in a recession which has claimed many victims in the industry,† says Whitebread company. 1The reason for this success is its strategy. Using the PESTEL framework will help identify, analyse and discuss Costa’s strategy. Despite the importance of political, environmental, technological and law factors, for the purpose of this essay we will focus on the economic and social factors affecting Costa Coffee. We will first see how economic factors such as the recent raise of coffee beans price influence Costa’s prices. We will then use social factors such as consumer trends to identify the different trends today and explain how Costa is reacting to them. Through this essay we will have then explained how â€Å"Costa has flourished in a recession which has claimed many victims in the industry,†2 The main economic factor affecting the coffee market today is the raise of coffee beans price. Due to heavy rains brought on by Caribbean storms in the coffee producing 1 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 2 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] countries from Central America, coffee prices have increased3. Coffee futures have gone up 35% since June 2010 to reach the highest price for a pound since December 1997: $1. 848. 4 This is a significant problem because coffee beans are raw materials for coffee shops. Hence if shops do not have coffee beans or not enough, their sales will plummet. As John Wolthers, a trader at coffee exporter Comexim in Santos reports: â€Å"It's a great time to be a producer, and a difficult time to be a roaster. 5 Because these prices are due to natural disasters, it is possible that they will not change until at least end of 2010 or 2011. A normal consequence would therefore be to raise prices in order to retain money. However, Whitbread PLC, owner of Costa Coffee, announced November 10th 2010 that â€Å"it has no plans to increase beverage retail prices , even as it remains concerned over escalating wholesale costs. † 6One of the reasons for this action is because Costa had already bought many coffee beans before the storm hence has enough to provide the outlets with enough beans during this period of increased prices. This shows that Costa â€Å"plans† its purchases well because as we 3 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 4 Danby, T. and Sellen, T. 2010. No Relief in Sight for the Coffee Market. [online] 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Available at : [Accessed on 23 December 2010] 5 Danby, T. and Sellen, T. 2010. No Relief in Sight for the Coffee Market. [online] 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Available at : [Accessed on 23 December 2010] 6 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Available at: ; http://www. tradingmarkets. com/news/stockalert/sbux_wtbrf_-update-whitbread-s-costa-coffee-plans-no-retail-price-rises-1297481. html; [Accessed 23 December 2010] 7 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Available at: < http://www. tradingmarkets. com/news/stock- can see, thanks to its bulk-buying in coffee beans, it is now unaffected, unlike the other coffee shops, by the coffee bean market. However this could be a risk because one can never know exactly how many beans are consumed per day and Costa does not know for certain how long these prices will remain high. Another reason Costa would not want to raise prices could be because in a period of recession, where consumers are being more and more careful with the way they spend their money8 they will not want to buy a drink at Costa if it is too expensive. Moreover if it is therefore cheaper at Starbucks or Caffe Nero for example why would they want to pay more for the same drink? Hence a third reason for Costa’s decision is due to the competitiveness with the all the other coffee stores. The final reason is â€Å"With total sales growing at 33% year on year, and like for like sales up 9%†9, and with over 1,100 outlets in the UK and 130 new shops to open within this year in the UK10 perhaps Costa is not too affected by the increase of coffee beans price. Hence, with the increase of coffee beans, Costas strategy is not to increase prices for different reasons which demonstrate Costas strength in the coffee industry which therefore explains why it has flourished during the recession: Costa stops at nothing. lert/sbux_wtbrf_-update-whitbread-s-costa-coffee-plans-no-retail-price-rises-1297481. html> [Accessed 23 December 2010] 8 Rodenberg, J. , n. d. Costa Coffee vs Starbucks. [online] Templates Wise. Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2010] 9 Hospitability And Catering News. , 2010. Costa Coffee has wins „Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain?. [onl ine] Available at: [Accessed on 23 December 2010] 10 Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Moreover, social factors such as consumer trends enable us to see how Costas strategy is brilliant. According to CJ Bobrowski, Head of Costa Systems, â€Å"With greater insight into trends we can adapt more quickly to any changes in consumer needs, helping us to stay ahead of competition in a crowded marketplace. â€Å"11 Hence identifying and explaining the trends and how Costa adapts to them explains its success. For this essay, we will focus on three trends. With prices that cannot increase due to competitively another way in which companies can now compete is through quality. As more and more coffee shops open in the UK, demonstrating high quality is an important aspect for consumers today. With each one providing the same type of product, they need to know which one is the best quality-wise. One of Costa’s advertisements promotes its cappuccino by saying: â€Å"Sorry Starbucks, the people have voted. †12 This advert clearly shows the consumers concern for quality. Through this advert Costa shows it has clearly adapted to consumers new trend. The thirst for an experience is another trend. It has become so important that a word for consumers searching for an experience was invented: â€Å"Transumers†13. Consumers no longer look for simple coffee but for an experience. Costa provides this by training its baristas at official training academies opened by Costa. In fact in 2009they invested in a third Training Academy. Therefore, each of their barista have been professionally trained to provide each 11 Bobrowski, CJ,. [online] Torex Retail Holdings Limited. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] 12 Rodenberg, J. , n. d. Costa Coffee vs Starbucks. [online] Templates Wise. Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2010] 13 Trend watching. , 2006. Transumers. [online] Trendwatching. om. Available at: < http://trendwatching. com/trends/transumers. htm> [Accessed 23 December 2010] customer with the best coffee. 14 This is important for no other coffee shop has invested in training academies which makes Costas drinks even more of an experience for consumers. The â€Å"Nintendo Wii Fitness† is increasingly bought which shows consumers’ concern for health. They are especially more t roubled about the amount of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar in their food. 15 Hence health has become a trend. In order to respond to this, Costa has different techniques. The first is to provide consumers with different types of milk: soya or skimmed for no extra cost. 16However, Costa does not advertise enough this aspect hence many customers are not aware of these options. They need to increase the marketing for this aspect in order to be fully responding to this trend. The second technique is working with the Food Standards Agency to reduce salt and saturated fat and indicate their quantities. 17This way, the products stay the same with less fat and consumers know how many calories they absorb. This is very risky for Costa. Many consumers are not aware of how many calories there are in their beverages and could be 14 The Food and Drink Innovation Network,. 2009. Costa Opens third training academy in Newburry. [online] Food & Drink Innovation Network. Available at: http://www. fdin. org. uk/2009/06/costa-opens-third-training-academy-in-newbury/ [Accessed 17 December 2010] 15 Foods Standard Agency, 2008. Consumer confidence rises around many food issues. [online] Crown copyright. Available at: [Accessed on 16 December 2010] 16 Morgan, J. , 2008. Fast food menu is recipe for obesity. [online] Cambridge Newspaper Ltd. Available at: [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 17 Food Standards Agency, 2010. Healthy catering commitments. [online] Crown Copyright. Available at: [Accessed on 14 December 2010] shocked like Rebecca: â€Å"It's lethal! I don't want it now [†¦] I know there's a lot of fat in them too. â€Å"18 By observing the trends and adapting to them despite possible negative consequences, Costa proves that â€Å"[great] insight into trends [helps costa] to stay ahead of competition in a crowded marketplace. 19 Costa has been able to â€Å"make it through† the â€Å"rough patches† despite the increase of coffee beans price and its ability to identify and adapt to consumer’s trends. However will they have to increase their prices soon? With such sales growing 33% year on year20 will this firm be able to be at the top of the coffee shop list? 18 Sky News HD, 2009. Cancer Fear Of Calorie-Laden Iced Co ffees. [online] BskyB. Available at: [Accessed on 14 December 2010] 19 Bobrowski, CJ,. [online] Torex Retail Holdings Limited. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] 20 Hospitability And Catering News. , 2010. Costa Coffee has wins „Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain?. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 23 December 2010] MARKETING: 2. Analyse Costa’s Marketing; and then reflect on how it compares to the marketing of Starbucks. Deborah Dougherty, professor of Management and Global Business at Rutgers Business School, and Cynthia Hardy, professor of Management and Marketing at the University of Melbourne, agree that it is difficult for old organisations with a big history to innovate due to the challenges of new technology and global competitors. 1 Costa Coffee being a new organisation hence should not have many problems innovating its products and processes. Being part of the young rising coffee shop industry, Costa Coffee’s number one competitor is Starbucks. Dr. Robert G. Cooper, expert in the field of innovation, published The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation in which he establishes â€Å"Eight Actionable Critical Success Factors† for innovation. 22 In this essay we will only use certain factors to explain how Costa’s service and product innovations are better than Starbucks but how, despite this; Costa is still a little behind for the future. In order to be competitive in today’s UK coffee shop industry, service innovation is vital. Costa and Starbucks have therefore launched a new loyalty card because as Jeffery Young, managing director of Allegra Strategies notices: â€Å"Electronic loyalty cards provide an 21 Dougherty, D and Hardy C,. 1996. Sustained Product Innovation in large, mature Organisations: overcoming innovation-to-organization problems. Academy of Management Journal, 39(9, pp. 1120. 22 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] opportunity to engage in rich dialogue with customers and track their behavior. †23 Hence this card will not only improve the dialogue between customers and firm but also will enable the companies to innovate their manufacturing process or services in order to adapt to the changing behavior. 24 Although the service is the same, are the reasons behind this innovation the same? One of Cooper’s critical innovation success factors is the justification of the project. 25 For Costa, this new card is a positive sign; its use is to replace the successful old card. According to a year-long trial in Scotland, one in three transactions was using the old card26. Hence in order to thank the customer’s loyalty, Costa wanted to add â€Å"rewards† and innovate the card so that one no longer had to top-up money on the card in order to purchase but would simply pay with money and then receive points that would transform into rewards. 27 The justification for Starbucks’s loyalty card is not for the same positive reasons. For them, with â€Å"sales decline and customers brew at home or visit competitors†, this new loyalty card is a 23 Thomas, J,. 2010. Costa Coffee rolls out customer loyalty card. online] Haymarket Business Media. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 24 Thomas, J,. 2010. Costa Coffee rolls out customer loyalty card. [online] Haymarket Business Media. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 25 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] 26 EatOut,. 2010. Costa Launches New Coffee Club. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] 27 EatOut,. 2010. Costa Launches New Coffee Club. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] echnique to hopefully rebound profits by attracting customers back to the store for its benefits with the card. 28 Therefore, this innovation shows that although both companies propose the same service through their loyalty cards, the reasons behind this same service differs which shows that Costa is raising compared to Starbucks who is struggling against its competitors. Another example that shows that Costa’s innovation is better than Starbucks’s is the launch of a new drink: The Flat White. Although Starbucks is the first to have inaugurated this drink, Costa is the one who has the biggest impact in the UK29. Costa Coffe is the only one to have followed Cooper’s fifth critical innovation success factor : â€Å"A well-planned, adequately-resourced and proficiently-executed launch. †30 Indeed, Starbucks only launched the drink in London whereas Costa, several weeks after, launched it nationally. By launching nationally, Costa was able to sell its new product everywhere whereas Starbucks, only in London31. Hence out-of-London people could believe Costa is the â€Å"founder† of the Flat White, which could therefore lead them to a competitive advantage. Starbucks is the perfect example for Cooper’s statement: â€Å"In some businesses, it’s almost as though the launch is an 28 Startz, S,. 2009. Starbucks Boosts â€Å"Rewards† With Revamped Loyalty Program. [online] 2001-2010 brandchannel. Available at : [Accessed 14 December 2010] 29 Westfield London. n. d. Costa Coffee. [online] 2008 Westfield Group. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] 30 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] 31 Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? ationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] after-thought – something to worry about after the product is fully developed. †32Moreover, Costa says to have invested â€Å"more than twelve months’ research, involving the training of 6,000 baristas, at a cost of ov er one million pounds. †33This also shows they followed Cooper’s fifth factor. However, Starbucks says that their baristas had trained themselves due to customers’ requests and that the â€Å"education in the making of the drink was anyway already readily available from a number of barista trainers†. 4 Perhaps Starbucks is right, but according to an independent survey by Tangible Branding Limited consumers prefer Costa’s Flat White to Starbucks’s. 35 This could be explained by the twelve months research and training of 6,000 baristas with a cost of one million pounds. Furthermore, both companies follow Cooper’s second innovation success factor: â€Å"the voice of the customer†. According to Costa's core skills trainer Tim Douglas the Flat White â€Å"will attract some of our latte drinkers who are looking for a milky drink with a broad strength of flavour, and cappuccino drinkers who want a milkier drink with a much richer coff ee 2 Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] 33 Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? nationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 34 Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? nationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 35 Westfield London. n. d. Costa Coffee. [online] 2008 Westfield Group. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] flavor. 36 Hence this drink will be able to satisfy the gap between lattes and cappuccinos. Costa is purely reacting to the customers’ need for this â€Å"gap-filling-space†. On the other hand, Starbucks is innovating this drink due to their very negative â€Å"customer’s voice†. Their consumers find their coffees â€Å"too bland and milky†37 w hich is why, the Flat White is the perfect drink to launch because it is â€Å"Stronger, smaller and less milky† than most of their drinks. 38 Therefore, although Costa and Starbucks are using the same product innovation, they have different reasons which show that Costa is becoming more competitive than Starbucks. Although this essay has proved that presently, Costa is innovating for more positive reasons than Starbucks, this state might change in the near future. During a period of recession it is important that firms react to this economical problem. Starbucks, as opposed to Costa, has seemed to understand this and has innovated in â€Å"at-home† machines. The Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine39 or the Barsita Aroma Grande coffee machine enable consumers who do not necessarily want to go out to have a Starbucks coffee to stay at home 36 Williams, A,. 2010. Great White Hope. online] William Reed Business Media Ltd 2010. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] 37 Wallop, H,. 2009. Starbucks to sell ‘flat white' for those fed up with milky coffee. [online] Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010. Available at : [Accessed 17 December 2010] 38 Wallop, H,. 2009. Starbucks to sell ‘flat white' for those fed up with milky coffee. [online] Copyright of Telegraph Media Gr oup Limited 2010. Available at : [Accessed 17 December 2010] 39 Justin,. n. d. Starbucks Barista Espresso Marchine. [online] Coffee-Mker-Review. net. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] and make one. Costa should look into this innovation for the future, especially with this economic crisis that continues to worsen. However, Costa may not want to produce these machines because consumers drink their coffees not only for the beverage itself but also for the environment Costa provides, for the â€Å"experience† and unique touch each Barista has when they make one. Hence, perhaps selling these machines would not be of great utility for them. Starbucks is a great competitor for new and rising coffee shops such as Costa. But through this essay we have seen that Costa Coffee is becoming the â€Å"number one† competitor with Starbucks due to its respect to Cooper’s â€Å"Eight Actionable critical success factors†. However, Costa must not forget that Starbucks may be a little weak in the UK but is very strong internationally and that Costa’s next step to compete with Starbucks could perhaps be to have a bigger and stronger position internationally. Referencing List: Bobrowski, CJ,. [online] Torex Retail Holdings Limited. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] Bottonwood,. 2010. Productivity and Coffee Shops. [online] The Economist Newspaper Limited 2010. Available at: [Accessed 13 December 2010] Boughton, I,. 2010. Costa Coffee launches the „flat white? nationwide. [online] Reed Business Information. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Bowers, S. , 2008. John Derkach: Singular vision fuelled by double macchiato. [online] Guardian News and Media Limited 2010. Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] Cooper, R,. n. d. From Experience: The Invisible Success Factors in Product Innovation. [online] Product Development Institute Inc. Available at: [Accessed on 17 December 2010] Danby, T. and Sellen, T. 2010. No Relief in Sight for the Coffee Market. [online] 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Available at : [Accessed on 23 December 2010] Dougherty, D and Hardy C,. 1996. Sustained Product Innovation in large, mature Organisations: overcoming innovation-to-organization problems. Academy of Management Journal, 39(9, pp. 1120. EatOut,. 2010. Costa Launches New Coffee Club. [online] Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] Foods Standard Agency, 2008. Consumer confidence rises around many food issues. online] Crown copyright. Available at: [Accessed on 16 December 2010] Food Standards Agency, 2010. Healthy catering commitments. [online] Crown Copyright. Available at: [Accessed on 14 December 2010] Hospitability And Catering News. , 2010. Costa Coffee has wins „Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain?. [online] Available at: [Accessed on 23 December 2010] Justin,. n. d. Starbucks Barista Espresso Marchine. [online] Coffee-Mk er-Review. net. Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2010] Morgan, J. , 2008. Fast food menu is recipe for obesity. [online] Cambridge Newspaper Ltd. Available at: [Accessed on 15 December 2010] Ndzamela, P. , 2008. Credit crunch putting the bite on cafe culture. [online] Thomson Reuters. Available at: < http://www. reuters. com/article/idUSTRE4AC7YE20081113> [Accessed 15 December 2010] Prynn, J. , 2008. Coffee shop boom time as chains defy crunch. [online] Evening Standard. Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2010] Rodenberg, J. , n. d. Costa Coffee vs Starbucks. [online] Templates Wise. Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2010] Sky News HD, 2009. Cancer Fear Of Calorie-Laden Iced Coffees. [online] BskyB. Available at: [Accessed on 14 December 2010] Smith, A. , 2009. Coffee Price Too Steep? Blame the Weather. [online] Time Inc. Available at: [Accessed 15 December 2010] Startz, S,. 2009. Starbucks Boosts â€Å"Rewards† With Revamped Loyalty Program. [online] 2001-2010 brandchannel. Available at : [Accessed 14 December 2010] The Food and Drink Innovation Network,. 2009. Costa Opens third training academy in Newburry. [online] Food & Drink Innovation Network. Available at: http://www. fdin. org. uk/2009/06/costa-opens-third-training-academy-in-newbury/ [Accessed 17 December 2010] Thomas, J,. 2010. Costa Coffee rolls out customer loyalty card. [online] Haymarket Business Media. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] Trend watching. , 2006. Transumers. [online] Trendwatching. com. Available at: < http://trendwatching. com/trends/transumers. htm> [Accessed 23 December 2010] Wallop, H,. 2009. Starbucks to sell ‘flat white' for those fed up with milky coffee. [online] Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010. Available at : [Accessed 17 December 2010] Westfield London. n. d. Costa Coffee. [online] 2008 Westfield Group. Available at : [Accessed on 15 December 2010] Williams, A,. 010. Great White Hope. [online] William Reed Business Media Ltd 2010. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread Says Costa Coffee ‘Flourished' During Recession. [online] 2010 FOX News Network, LLC. Available at: [Accessed 23 December 2010] Zekaria, S. , 2010. Whitbread's Costa Coffee Plans No Retail Price Rises. [online] 2010 The Connors Group, Inc. Ava ilable at: ; http://www. tradingmarkets. com/news/stockalert/sbux_wtbrf_-update-whitbread-s-costa-coffee-plans-no-retail-price-rises-1297481. html [Accessed 23 December 2010]

HAPA children Essay

The present paper describes the results extracted from qualitative naturalistic ethnographic observation that was conducted among the sample of college students, both multi- (â€Å"Hapa†) and monoracial, to investigate their childhood experiences in regard to racial identity. The research immersed the concepts of â€Å"race† as a new social construct and of multiracial identity against the three coping strategies: a race-conscious, a race-neutral, and a class-conscious one. To reflect the multiplicity and worthiness of individual responses, the method of in-depth interview was chosen. Results showed that there is strong correlation between racial identity in comfortable/uncomfortable self-positioning and the socio-economic status of the family, psychological climate within a family, the presence/absence of role-models, and the degree of racial awareness in the broader (school) context. More research is needed to assess the type of correlation between multiracial identity in regard to â€Å"Hapa† children and educational level of their parents, the period of naturalization in the current locality, and gender of â€Å"Hapa† subjects, as well as the effect of coping strategies on multiracial identity. Introduction The word race refers to a class of people who are perceived as physically unique on the basis of certain traits, such as skin color, hair texture, and facial features. These unique features allow people to distinguish others’ origins based on their appearance. However, when interracial marriage became more popular, the population of mixed-raced children increased dramatically, and people can no longer identify others’ race based on their appearance. Interracial relationships became a trend and part of American culture. The U.   S. earlier census established six categories for race: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White, and Hispanic or Latino. However, in the 2000 Census there were already sixty-three categories for race (there were eleven subcategories under â€Å"Hispanic ethnicity† alone). Interracial marriages include unions among these 63 groups. Regardless of what types of ethnic groups are involved in the relationships, one important outcome of these relationships is children. An identity crisis has become the most debated issue about mixed-raced children. The research will focus on the identity development of one distinct mixed-raced group, the Hapa. â€Å"Hapa† is a Hawaiian word used to describe half-Hawaiian mixed-raced children. Nowadays, the word â€Å"Hapa† has become a popular term to describe half Asian and half White children. The research will compare the differences in developing identity between Hapa children (a mixed-raced group) and children of a single race. It is argued here that Hapa children tend to have a harder time when developing their identity in comparison to children of a single race. Cross’ model of Black racial identity development (Cross, 1971; found in Tatum, 2004, p. 117+) was adopted to assess individual perceptions and experiences in regard to race and identity within a sample of college students. Modern discourse on the issues of race and multiraciality was analyzed to identify four possible sets of factors (socio-economic status, the SES, acculturation, national origin, and demographic characteristics; in Morning, 2001, p. 61+) affecting self-identification in a race-biased context. The U. S. college students were recruited to participate in the survey on the point. The present research fits into the paradigm of qualitative, naturalistic and ethnographic research (Boas, 1943; Blumer, 1969; Lincoln and Guba, 1985; Woods, 1992; LeCompte and Preissle, 1993; in Cohen et al. , 2000, p. 136). (3) It is qualitative since it operates non-numeric data, i. e. the data is derived from observations and conversations and not from statistic analysis. The aforementioned respondents shared their feelings and attitudes on the point of racial issues in political, cultural, and social spheres in regard to phenotypical and ideological conceptualizations of â€Å"race. † The research is naturalistic since the testing of hypotheses took place in natural and naturalistic environments as opposed to artificial and controlled settings such as laboratories. The research is ethnographic since it dealt with people in their variety and subjectivity of perceptions but still constituting a cultural group (â€Å"Hapas†). Thus, the key characteristics of qualitative, naturalistic and ethnographic research being the set of flexible constructions of meanings on the issue of â€Å"race† taken by the â€Å"insiders† of a community can be observed here. The present research paper is structured along the traditional model. In the Literature review section, current interpretations of race, multiraciality and identity development are analyzed to be applied further to the current research. In the Method section, the research strategies and tools of the present investigation are discussed within the framework of qualitative, naturalistic and ethnographic investigation. In the subsequent sections, the data collected through the questionnaires and interviews is discussed. The Conclusion section summarizes the facts revealed in the survey and restates the hypothesis to arrive at the implications for the further study and practice in regard to the issues of race and identity. Literature review Spencer underlined that multiracial identity is deeply rooted in the assumptions â€Å"that race exists and that the offspring of persons from two different racial groups is a multiracial individual† (1999, p. 88). There is a popular concept of phenotypes or â€Å"physical expressions of genetic inheritances† (Ifekwunigwe, 2004, p. 4) lying in the foundation of the theory about human races. Recently, however, more and more researchers have started to argue the notion of â€Å"discrete or pure biological ‘races’† (Jones 1996, Rose et al. 1984; in Ifekwunigwe, 2004, p. 3). They stressed the importance of internal differences that persisted within a group modeled as a solid biological race. The modern concept of racial formation predicts that race is a social construct to a greater extent than a biological one. Ropp drew a bottom line in the argument stating that multiracial subjects did not fit into the biological race network (2004, p. 263). Omi and Winant defined the process of racial formation as â€Å"the socio-historical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed† (1994, p. 55). In the first edition of the book, they argued that â€Å"racialization [is the] extension of racial meaning to a previously racially unclassified relationship, social practice of group† (Omi & Winant, 1986, p. 64). Williams stressed that â€Å"races have been socially constructed in such a way that they have remained separate, monoracially-boundaried, exclusive, and unequal† (p. 168). The reference to races being created â€Å"socially† implies that people create the network of prejudices, attitudes and perceptions masking their personal and political bias by referring to skin, hair and other physical or â€Å"phenotypical† parameters.

Current issue in government contract Essay

The issue is focus on the financial aspect in the company operations. The law is so strict enough in the budget allocated for any accounts which are voluntary. Below is the issue accordingly; auditing the company’s accounts on a voluntarily basis: â€Å"A request from the Secretary General of the Department of Finance to audit, the annual accounts of Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd. I agreed to audit the company’s accounts on a voluntary basis pending the enactment of legislation to put the company and its operations on a statutory footing. The audit, which was completed in June 2001, covered a period from the date it commenced operations on December 10, 1999 to the end of the year 2000. Almost ? 2 million was allocated from the Department of the Taoiseach’s Vote to meet the costs of the company in the initial period. The committee will see from the accounts that something around ? 560,000 of that went to fitting out the offices which were rented in Blanchard town, ? 400,000 went to pay for executive services for the last four months of the year 2000 and ? 313,000 or so went on consultants’ fees (Purcell. http://www. irlgov. ie)†. Corporate governance arrangements, tendering for executive services, fee levels for executive services, credit card expenses and the tax status of the company. I can expand on the specific issues during the course of the examination if the committee so wishes. The main activities of the company during the period of the accounts were developing an architectural and environmental scheme for the company, devising the structure of a competition for the provision of the various facilities on the site and latterly organizing a competition for the provision. In my own opinion of the issue, I could rather say, if the provision issue provides the enhancement of the development of the company’s progress then it is so much advice able to adopt the audit more profoundly. Then continuous monitoring of the results of the issue to the point of view of the rest of the people concerned to either it resulted to a positive outcomes or not. If it has positive outcomes then it would be better to enhance such auditing issue just for the good of the company and all the concern as well. Other Issues â€Å" 1.) A person’s children or other lineal descendants such as grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it does not mean all heirs, but only the direct bloodline. Occasionally, there is a problem in determining whether a writer of a will or deed meant issue to include descendants beyond his or her immediate children. While a child or children are alive, issue refers only to them, but if they are deceased then it will apply to the next generation unless there is language in the document which shows it specifically does not apply to them. This issues looks unfair to the new generation to which no how on how comes they are a part of the problem for infact they just come in existing. 2) n. any matter of dispute in a legal controversy or lawsuit, very commonly used in such phrases as â€Å"the legal issues are,† â€Å"the factual issues are,† â€Å"this is an issue which the judge must decide,† or â€Å"please, counsel, let us know what issues you have agreed upon. † In these issues, as long as it is following the legalities it has to be abided. The judge is the one to promulgate laws that was agreed upon standards. So if it is in my case I don’t need to argue at all though it hurts to accept facts but facts must prevail. 3) v. to send out, promulgate, publish or make the original distribution, such as a corporation selling and distributing shares of stock to its initial investors. I will rather agree to this statement, this is for the reason of visibility to everybody of what was going on the promulgation. There should be participation to everybody’s concern. 4) n. the shares of stock or bonds of a corporation which have been sold and distributed (â€Å"Issue†. http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com)†. A Problem in Contracts Assurance contracts are a financial technology that facilitates the private creation of public goods and Club goods in the face of the free rider problem. The free rider problem is that there may be actions that would benefit a large group of people, but once the action is taken, there is no way to exclude those who did not pay for the action from the benefits. This leads to a game theoretic problem: all members of a group might be better off if an action was taken, and the members of the group contributed to the cost of the action, but many members of the group may make the perfectly rational decision to let others pay for it, then reap the benefits for free, possibly with the result that no action is taken. The result of this rational game play is lower utility for everyone. â€Å"Assurance contracts operate as follows: In a binding way, members of a group pledge to contribute to action an at least N-1 other members also make the same pledge. If N members sign the pledge (perhaps by a certain expiration date), the action is taken. If the quorum is not reached, the parties are not bound to carry through the action (â€Å"Assurance Contract†. http://en. wikipedia. org)†. â€Å"The binding mechanism may be a contract enforced by a government, a contract enforced by a private organization (e. g. a mediator, a protection agency in an anarcho-capitalist society, etc. ), an escrow organization (in such cases, the â€Å"binding contract† is â€Å"signed† by depositing funds in advance, which are later either disbursed according to the contract, or refunded), etc. Many economists argued that the central planning and bureaucratic directions are necessary to produce public goods. There is at least some types of public good can be produced privately by profit seeking entrepreneurs. A new and more powerful form of assurance contract and discusses, without making rigorous is called a dominant assurance contract. This was contracts that exhibit on the goods or product. There are two problems involved in the production of public goods, the preference revelation problem and the contribution problem. One focus we have for sure is on the contribution problem, how to get agents voluntarily contribute to providing the public good. This will limit the analysis of good, which naturally comes in lumpy quantities, or goods for which we can deduce into an efficient size. If a bridge or road or light house is to built we can probably estimate the efficient size from the information about preferences and technology (Tabarrok, Alexander. March 6, 1996. http://mason. gmu. edu)†. Under this issue we can include the government contracts which were brought to news for publicly seen. A recent decision by the Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has potentially momentous consequences for bankrupt government contractors and their creditors. â€Å"That court, with jurisdiction over the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D. C. , the primary place of business for many government contractors, has held that the debtor/contractor filing for reorganization of the Bankruptcy Code is not automatically entitled to continue performing its federal contracts. Instead, the government can obtain permission from the bankruptcy court to immediately terminate such contracts (Government Contracts. 1999. http://www. hklaw. com)†. This decision may result in contractor being forced into liquidation proceedings, with little remaining for its creditors. In my own opinion it is inhuman to say getting all proceeding of the debtor on which nothing left for her living. This means that, the same saying killing the debtor for not paying all the debts. It’s too much contract not giving any pardon to debtor itself. If I were to judge I have to see to it that I can make adjustment prior to both the company and the debtor. There must be equal distribution. Government Contract Commitment to the client and the promise of innovative solutions is the core of Government Contracts Consultants. Government Contracts Consultants is organized as a small woman-owned, SBA certified HUB Zone company organized to meet the ever-growing needs of business by providing creative information technology, administrative and acquisition management support services and training to government and commercial clients. Our areas of expertise included. â€Å"M3 Federal Contract Practice Group, LLC. (M3) works on behalf of Prime contractors, Subcontractors, and International companies doing business with the U. S. Government. M3 is a highly recognized U. S. Government contract consultant firm comprised of subject matter experts that focus on and comprehend every element of the federal procurement field from business development, writing winning proposals, contract management, contract closeout, and claim resolution. M3 Federal is the only company within the federal procurement field that provides an all encompassing teaming solution for any company willing to get into the federal procurement field or that has been in the federal field and has complex procurement issues to resolve. M3 Federal Contract Practice Group specializes in all areas of government contracting and federal procurement including (â€Å"M3 Federal Contract†. http://www. m3federal. com): †¢ Contract Claims †¢ Preparation †¢ Submittal †¢ Resolution †¢ Audits †¢ Qui Tam Actions †¢ Fraud †¢ Bid Protests †¢ Proposal Development DoD Facility Clearances †¢ DoD Personnel Clearances †¢ Intellectual Property Rights †¢ Export Regulation & Compliance †¢ Commercial Contracts †¢ Joint Ventures/Teaming Agreements †¢ Contract Administration †¢ GSA Schedules This are all gives us the background of what covers the entire contract. The overview of this contact will focus on business. Business will be better off if it follows a standard to avail. Conclusion: We have dealt with five issues that differ in many ways. Issues has an act by the Government that goes beyond the terms of a Fixed Price Contract, Cost Type, Cost Plus Award Fee, Research & Development Contract, etc. or any contract termination that has a consequential ripple effect upon the entire contract and/or Contractor, impose a substantial risk to the Contractor and require immediate action by the Contractor to ensure no financial denigration to reputation. In the sense of Government contract it is legal and purposely design to make progress not only the company but also the people at large. It is properly impose so that everybody will understand the agreement agreed upon. But in the case of problem issues it is focusing more often to the people who have not agreed to to their previous contract or might be things they fail to do and the other parties tends to claim and will sewed the debtor for example. Also problems sometimes will come out to be in the case of agreement which was not abided. If I will to make sure that agreement should complied I have see to it , that my opponents could make a written not just verbal agreement to whom I can claim even if problem arise. Reference â€Å"Assurance Contract†. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Assurance_contracts â€Å"Issue†. http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/issue Government Contracts. 1999. http://www. hklaw. com/Publications/newsletters. asp? ID=70)† â€Å"M3 Federal Contract†. http://www. m3federal. com Purcell. http://www. irlgov. ie/committees-02/c-publicaccounts/020321/Page1. htm Tabarrok, Alexander. March 6, 1996. http://mason. gmu. edu/~atabarro/PrivateProvision. pdf Sovereign acts by the Government, such as dictating to the Contractor, orally or through un-priced or unsigned modifications are a manifestation that you are working to defective specifications and/or performing added scope work. If any of the following conditions apply to your contract, you may be experiencing lost funds and may be entitled to additional mo whether or not the end item meets contract requirements. Any change in this methodology, not covered by a modification, is a delay to the contract and in many cases is considered added scope work entitling the Contractor to be monetarily Contractor must be aware that a rejection, not supported by a specific contract citation is improper, and that a Contractor is not obligated to perform the work until a citation is given or a modification is made to the contract.

Catholic scandal

Bishop acknowledges the role of crisis Dallas (AP) - American Roman Catholic bishop started a historic gathering of civilian sexual abuse on Thursday and after their mistake triggered the crisis, Infiltration Photo AP Slide AP AP Photo Slide AP Photo Catholic Church Abuse The controversial audio / video casualties are required to further tolerance and accountability Church (WFAA, Dallas) Bishops, Discussion on Sexual Abuse by Pastor (AP) We will take action to propose a recommendation aimed at reforming the efforts of the Church's abuses. The American Catholic Children Sexual Love Scandal occurred in 2002, and it is reported that many archbishop leaders transferred to a new pastor instead of reporting or demolishing a pastor abusing a minor. The scandal involved almost all of the parishes of American Catholics, including 4,400 pastors and 110,000 children abused between 1950 and 2002. Child marriage is legal in several countries. For example, in Yemen, more than a quarter of girls ar e married before 15 years of age. Just in 2010, a 12-year-old bride from Yemen died of internal bleeding after intercourse. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a 12-year-old girl from Saudi Arabia to marry an 80-year-old man. Child sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church is a long-standing story that proves that it can be said to be one of the most historical scandals of the century. This is a scandal embodied in Mashiel and embodied in Macheel, effectively destroying the belief and trust that Catholics and Roman Catholics do not have, is the oldest religious institution in the Western world, to the ancient Rome I am back. Times. In addition to the New York Times article Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church: Why It's a Story, countless other magazines, magazines, television stations continue publishing and broadcasting the media on church sexual abuse scandals . Just in 2016, New Yorker announced an article entitled Understanding Catholic Abuse by President Benedict. The C atholic Church is currently suffering from a very serious and serious scandal, Catholic priests and pedophiles sexual abuse. Last year, the Catholic Church had to distribute more than $ 100 million to the resolution of sexual abuse. But when the two Catholic priests in Boston were accused of abusing over 100 boys and young people, the crisis became mainstream. Churches around the world have influenced this scandal. - Cults can be defined as a group of people centered on human religious, social or political ideology (Martin, 2003). This is a sport that respects certain people, uses operation techniques to recruit members and collect funds. Cults require that members fully fund their work and use it to fund the members and provide sexual services for the benefit of the leaders.

WHAT MATTERS IN AMERICA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

WHAT MATTERS IN AMERICA - Research Paper Example In this chapter, Goshgarian talks about the impacts of social networking sites on people’s lifestyles. Several social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other social sites are currently available in the internet, and they provide an effective means through which people virtually interact with each other. The impact of internet on the social life has been a controversial debate in the American society. Many people have contradicting opinions on its effect on the contemporary American society and culture. A review of studies indicated that social networking sites have less impacts on the social life than many people usually believe. Internet is the latest means of interpersonal communication system following telegraphs and telephones. Other researches also indicate that social networking sites have also changed the patterns of life; however, the patterns of social life still remain the same despite of these internet-induced changes (Goshgarian 68). Social networking sites are speculated to have positive impacts on people’s everyday lives, since it improves the quality and frequency of interpersonal communications among different people. Through virtual connections, people easily access their colleagues leading to engagements and happiness in society and families (Goshgarian 27). According to Goshgarian, electronic communication result in weaker social ties, since many people lack adequate time to physically visit and interact with their friends. He writes that â€Å"More and More, people build their social network around their colleagues instead of their neighbors and families† (Goshgarian 331). The internet also allows many people to work from their homes, and this gives them less time to physically interact with other people. In addition, the internet also enables people to virtually interact more easily than through other means of communication, have romantic affairs, access their bank accounts and