Arguments against Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Arguments against Gay Marriage - Essay Example It is naturally ordered towards procreation and bringing up a family. On the contrary, gay marriages are inherently sterile unions. For partners to have children, they must circumvent natural means through costly alternatives or employ surrogates. With the partners belonging to the same sex, the union ignores a child’s best interests by denying it the presence of a father or mother (Boswell 11). Gay marriages defeat the government’s purpose of benefiting marriages (Moore et al 6). Governments depend on stable families for the social health of the society they govern. One of the reasons they bestow benefits to marriages is that by their pure nature, marriages are recognized as the key institutions responsible for creating and raising society. A faltering family falters society. Opposite sex marriages raise children in a natural and morally acceptable atmosphere, providing both parents’ affection (Moore et al 14). Gay marriages lack such conditions. Their primary purpose is the personal pleasure of two individuals in a sterile union and is, therefore, not entitled to the protection most States extend to opposite-sex marriages (Moore et al 15).  Ã‚  

Visitor Attraction Management on London Eye UK Essay - 1

Visitor Attraction Management on London Eye UK - Essay Example This essay discusses the origin of the London eye and its birth, and the millions of people, both citizens and tourists that it attracts. Its features and major activities that are inclusive including the recent developments and innovations are discussed. The opportunity section covers a wide range of those opportunities that the management has grabbed and made a fortune out of them. Secondly, the foreseen opportunities like the 2012 London Olympics are also discussed, as well as survey on external environment and how to outwit the rival competitor. The challenges are inclusive of what the attraction has faced since its birth and the future hindrances that may occur as its operations continue. Moreover, the paper discusses the competitive advantage and the factors that would lead to the attraction attaining and sustaining its competitive advantage. Recommendations are given on the issues that need to be evaluated to maintain the stability of the attraction. Marketing strategies like cost leadership and product differentiation are explained. Effective management is also explained in a way that would help the attraction to improve its employee’s performance and at the same time meeting the customer’s needs. The tourist classification is reviewed hence providing management with options on how to continue attracting a good number of visitors. Mainly the role of management in this attraction business is explained through a committed management team and motivated staff, which contribute to success.

Starbucks Is The Leading Retailer And Roaster Marketing Essay

Starbucks Is The Leading Retailer And Roaster Marketing Essay My assignment strives to outline the marketing strategic approaches to be undertaken for the next year by the Starbucks is the leading retailer and roaster for brand specialty coffee in the world. It has over7,500 stores located worldwide. As Starbucks continues to expand, it will encounter all sorts of new product markets, with new and demanding customers for unique and appealing products. Entering this new market, Starbucks will face many challenges to compete and to retain brand recognition of its primary products, yet increases awareness of its new product line. Situational analysis Company As Mathew Carmean and his fellows (Sewer, Andy,January 26, 2004 p.70) tell us: Starbucks is the leading retailer for roaster and brand specialty coffee in the world. It has over 7,500 stores, which are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and the MiddleEast. Besides high quality coffee drinks, Starbucks sells bottled coffee drinks, such as Frappuccino andStarbucks DoubleShot. [ibis]Starbucks revenue is growing by 20% a year and is opening approximately three stores every day.Starbucks is capable of managing its successful operations by having steady market growth. It achievedthis by financing through their cash flow instead of franchising, selling stock or increasing their financialleverage). Its strategy to success is blanket an area completely. This approach is to cuts down ondelivery and management costs, shortens customer lines at individual stores, and increases foot traffic forall the stores in an area, that gives Starbucks a competitive advantage. Customer At first only professionals and educators went to Starbucks, but now it attracts a much wider demographic of customersincluding people of different ethnic backgrounds and ages. Today, Starbucks has the striking number of 25million visitors in its stores each week. This success is due to the combination of high quality drinksand friendly environment with good music, comfortable chairs, and good services. This creates theStarbucks experience which customers can relate to that lead to brand loyalty. In addition, Starbucksneeds to deal with customers cultural preferences in all its worldwide locations to maintain customers loyalty. Competitors To ensure further market growth and be competitive, Starbucks is developing new products for non-coffee drinkers. Starbucks provides its current customers and attracts new customers not only with quality products but also with varieties flavors that customers desire. Starbucks two largest competitors are Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme, both are national chains. These companies use aggressive price-cutting, up to 20%, for their drinks. Other competitors are small local coffeehouses, and other coffee brands like Tullys and Petes Coffee. Their direct competitors for the new product line are Orange Julius, Jamba Juice, fast food chains such as McDonalds and Burger King, and other small coffee alternative providers. Complementors Starbucks has teamed up with Bank One to offer the Starbucks Card Duetto Visa. This is a stored-value card and traditional credit card. Starbucks has also introduced a T-Mobile Hotspot service which allows the Starbucks customer to have access to wireless internet for a fee.  Offering more services like the Visa card, wireless internet and customized CD will add more value to the Starbucks experience and help draw more customers to Starbucks which will lead to higher revenues. Managerial Problem Starbucks strategic goal is to increase market share of the non-coffee drinker; they have begun byintroducing an extension of a product line targeted to this segment. To ensure market growth, Starbuckshas repositioned one of its current products, the Frappuccino line, this product has been extended toinclude 3 new flavors; Double Chocolate Chip Crà ¨me, Vanilla Bean Crà ¨me, and Strawberries Crà ¨me,introduced throughout the summer months. Faced with the challenge of entering a new competitivemarket Starbucks must compete to retain brand recognition of its primary products, yet increaseawareness of its new product line by expanding the retail stores in the international markets. SWOT analysis  will help emphasize exactly what Starbucks is doing right or wrong. It will provide us an insight on what the company is good at, and in what areas Starbucks could use assistance. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) are described below: Starbucks SWOT Analysis Strengths It is a global coffee brand built upon a reputation for fine products and services. It has almost 17,000 stores in 49 countries.   The organization has strong ethical values, commitment to the environment, and community activists. Weaknesses The organization has a strong presence in the United States of America with more than three quarters of its cafes located in the domestic market. In order to reduce business risk, expansion is needed. Starbucks has a reputation for new product development and creativity. However, they remain vulnerable to the possibility that their innovation may falter over time, and product acceptance will come to a halt eventually slowing growth. Opportunities The company has the opportunity to expand its global operations. New markets for coffee such as India and the Pacific Rim nations are beginning to emerge. Co-branding with other manufacturers of food and drink, and brand franchising to manufacturers of other goods and services both have potential. Threats Starbucks success has led to the market entry of many competitors and copycat brands that could pose potential threats. How they combat these threats will determine their future. Starbucks is exposed to rises in the cost of coffee and dairy products. Starbucks is a large company with a competitive advantage that is shrinking because of its huge success. This is because Starbucks model has been copied successfully by its competitors and this poses a serious threat to the company. If Starbucks cannot retain its differentiator strategy, it is doomed to fall out of popularity, as it would end up being a store that is selling nothing more than a cup of coffee.   With majority of its stores concentrated in United States, Starbucks is also limiting its growth and exposing itself to risk. Any negative changes in the domestic market could severely hurt Starbucks viability as a firm. If Starbucks can retain its strengths and build on opportunities, while suppressing weaknesses and extinguishing threats, it will be able to grow throughout the world market. The SWOT analysis also gives a starting point for a discussion on what Starbucks can do to reduce its weaknesses. Due to its large size, Starbucks sets trends for the industry that can be backed up by the volume of their delivery. Exactly how long Starbucks can dominate the market depends on Starbucks itself. Starbucks has a large number of stores for coffee outlets, all of which are owned outright by the corporation and no franchisees. Minimal revenue requirements have been placed on each store, and those that fall short are closed. The company closed down over 600 stores that fell short of its revenue requirements (Fiscal 2008 Annual Report). The large number of stores is a huge asset or a liability, depending on how one assesses the situation. If there is a strong economy and people have disposable income, then there is a benefit on having so many stores to generate revenues. On the other hand, during economic downturns, the vast number of stores will become a huge financial liabi lity. By consistently enforcing revenue requirements for each store, Starbucks will able to maintain or increase its same store sales, and while at the same reducing one of the weaknesses of being so large. The company has managed to maintain the competitive advantage because it has offered conveniences and an atmosphere customers can enjoy. As long as Starbucks fulfills its customers wants and needs, Starbucks will continue to be a leading force in the market. Starbucks should continue to create more value at its stores. Starbucks has created a perception that it is focused not just on profits, but also on societal agendas. The companys stores have become a medium for people and communities to come together and promote a better place to live in an environmentally conscious society. Starbucks found a niche market where it identified what makes its customers happy, and has delivered it to them. Continuing to accomplish this will allow Starbucks to maintain its competitive advantage for years to come. Marketing Vision and Mission statement of Starbucks Mission Statement of Starbucks To inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Vision of Starbucks   Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow. Marketing Objectives of Starbucks To create a Starbucks experience that makes people come for the coffee, stay for the ambience and environment, and return for the connection. To build an image separate from smaller coffee chains. To clearly communicate the values and commitments of the Starbucks business to their customers, instead of only growth plans publicized in the media. Marketing strategies Implemented by Starbucks Growth Strategy This well-known marketing tool was first published in the Harvard Business Review (1957) in an article called Strategies for Diversification. It is used by marketers who have objectives for growth. Ansoffs matrix offers strategic choices to achieve the objectives. There are four main categories for selection. Ansoffs Product/Market Matrix Market Penetration With this approach, Starbucks will try to sell more of the same product to the same customers at a competitive price. Here itwilladvertise, introduce a loyalty scheme, launch special promotions, to encourage more people within the existing market to choose its products, or to use more of it. By working toward this goal, Starbucks wants to open new stores in both new andexisting markets, expand their product development process, and cater to customersneeds to eventually improve their financial position and dominate market share. Market Development With this approach, Starbucks will target new markets or new areas of the market. It will try to sell more of the sameproducts to different people. However,we will target different geographical markets at home, use different sales channels, such as online or direct sales if weare currently selling through the trade, target different groups of people, perhaps different age groups, genders or demographic profiles from our normal customers. Product Development With this approach, we will sell more things to the same people with new products. Here we will extend our products by producing different variants, or packaging existing products in new ways. Starbucks can apply the following product development strategy Fresh and rich brewed Italian espresso Offers pastries and other appetizing confections Sells coffee-related accessories (mugs, coffee makers, cups, espresso, etc.) Expanded sales into supermarkets of whole bean coffee Introduction the widely popular drink, Frappuccino, to the public Strives for satisfied customers and a welcoming environment Works to have highest standards of excellence in way of business Offers newspapers and other reading material, popular music, and Internetaccess Ansoffs matrix is one of the most well know frameworks for deciding upon strategies for growth. CompetitiveStrategy Porter five forces Generic strategies were used initially in the early 1980s, and seem to be even more popular today. They outline the three main strategic options open to organization that wish to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Each of the three options are considered within the context of two aspects of the competitive environment: Sources of competitive advantage   are the products differentiated in any way, or are they the lowest cost producer in an industry?  Competitive scope of the market   does the company target a wide market, or does it focus on a very narrow, niche market? Michael Porters Analysis of Starbucks Michael Porter, a Harvard Professor introduces his ideology of the Five Forces model that shapes the competition in the industry.    Each force is interrelated and therefore leads into the other to show the elements directly involved in the further success or ultimate success of the firm.   Ã‚   Starbucks Coffee Company, throughout its existence since 1971, with its great management team, innovative style of thinking and strong will to succeed in compliance with its mission and vision statements has and continues to overcome its barriers by recognizing such strategic planning as those included in Porters five forces model. The model includes such components as Barriers to Entry, Supplier and Buyer Power, Threat of Substitutions, and most importantly the Industry Competitors. Starbucks throughout its existence has addressed each and every one of Porters forces with a positive edge that has greatly contributed to the success of the company. Starbucks took manyrisks and spent capital that it really did not have.    To build a corporation based on intuition and a trip to Italy has undoubtedly paid off in the long run which is evident throughout the year that Starbucks has been in operation.    Howard Schultz, CEO and founder of the company, has stuck to his conviction not to sacrifice long-term integrity and values for short-term profit.    He knew if he played his cards right and stuck to his guns it would only be a matter of time that Starbucks would become the world largest coffee industry in the world.    He wanted the company to become and international outlet for coffee consumers which not only included men and woman but also addresses the needs and wants of those of all ages and nationalities, children, students and any other category of people that have and interest in Starbucks diverse product line. With constant dedication to the companys vision and mission statement and believing in the value of market share and name recognition and how critical they are to the success. (http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Michael-Porters-Analysis-Starbucks/33231) Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning Segmentation One dimension of segmentation will be demographics (age and household status). Starbucks have to selected married couples age 23 50 with children to be our primary target market. According to the research, it is found that these households spend more than other households on non-alcoholic beverages away from home. The Company will evaluate each segment based upon potential business success. Opportunities will depend upon factors such as: the potential growth of the segment the state of competitive rivalry within the segment how much profit the segment will deliver how big the segment is how the segment fits with the current direction of the company and its vision. Starbucks does not have any special segments or we can say that it is not focusing on a specifically group rather than company is focusing on the people who want to relax themselves by a taking a cup of coffee and company is providing them the environment that the customers want. Targeting As the Starbucks is extremely careful ineach step of coffee making, it is trying to maintain a long-standing relationship with its customers and similarly they do not have any real competition threats.Starbucks is will target office workers, with middle to high incomes, who have a desire topurchase premium products.While evaluating the consumer market the conclusion is that the ideal consumers economic profile will beUpper Middle Class, Privileged Class, While the age demographics will be Students and Youngsters, Professionals, Families, and Mature Consumers. Gender and Ethnic or Religious Background is researched to have minimal or no effecton the choices concerning coffee. Positioning Positioning is undoubtedly one of the simplest and most useful tools to marketers. After segmenting a market and then targeting a consumer, you would proceed to position a product within that market. Remember this important point. Positioning is all about perception. As perception differs from person to person, so do the results of the positioning map e.g what you perceive as quality, value for money, etc., and is different to my perception. However, there will be similarities. This is the main strength of this tool. Marketers decide upon a competitive position which enables them to distinguish their own products from the offerings of their competition (hence the term  positioning strategy). Store Ambience Goal: To make customers want to linger Social Appeal-Offer a sense of community, a place where peoplecan come together. Physical layout Seating areas to encourage lounging Appear upscale yet inviting Aromas Smoking is banned in all stores Employees are asked to refrain from wearing perfumes orcolognes, and prepared foods are kept covered socustomers would only smell coffee aromas. Sounds Play soothing CDs that are also for sale Often offer live music Customer Service The company sees a direct link between customer satisfaction andcustomer loyalty. The company believes that employee satisfaction leads to customersatisfaction (Moon). MARKETING MIX Product Starbucks should try to position themselves as a premium product in the coffee industry in Asia bycreating a high standard, introducing innovative products and providing excellent service.They should open new retail stores in the downtown area and also try to maintain the quality control of the coffee beans throughout Asia.  Consumers can enjoy theexperience; they encounter at Starbucks, and now for those who seek a high quality non-coffee drink canenjoy the same experience. By introducing these new summer drinks, Starbucks will enjoy an entirelynew segment to market its products in Asia. When looking at the sales revenues for the summer drinks it isimportant to consider that some of the existing customers will inevitably cross over and begin consumingthe new drinks. In the end, the expansion of the product line is a wise decision because of the ease ofadoption to Starbucks reputation for quality as well as the low cost of implementation. Price Price and quality determines the value of the product. Therefore, Starbucks have to base their price strategy on the competition of quality.It alwaystries to deliver the high value promised to the consumers. They have to buy the quality beans,give effective and efficient training to staffs, and moreover, make an atmosphere to enjoycoffee. These all justify theirpricing and show how price supported their positioning. Place Distribution channels links the organizations product or service to its consumers; andin a producer-consumer (direct supply) channel, as in the case of Starbucks, maintaining apersonnel relationship with the customers is significant (BrassingtonPettitt, 2000). However, from a distribution point of view Starbucks has an advantage by sticking on to itswinning store location formula for its new stores (refer case study). Starbucks always selectedhighly visible locations and opened stores as clusters. As demandwill grow, as these store clustersmake them able to manage the increased traffic and to keep their competitive position.In thesame way, they can take care about the services provided in the stores. Starbucks invested heavily in training their staffs and did innovativetactics to manage their human capital. Thus they differentiated themselves in the market byconstantly providing higher quality services Promotion One advantage that may set Starbucks apart is the having a solid online marketing program. It should hire qualified online marketing managers to oversee its websites functions and appeal so that consumers to patronize the site will see all the humanitarian work Starbucks is doing and use it as a competitive edge to retain customers and curb product substitution. A search engine optimization campaign should be launched to ensure that anyone searching for terms related to the services Starbucks offers finds the Starbucks website and spends a significant amount of time there. Blogs and forums discussing the humanitarian work of the company may be added to increase consumer awareness of the companys activities. Artworks can be designed to boasteach citys personality, and it is used on traveler mugs and T-shirts, recruitlocal ambassadors from new partners and from customers to promote their brand.The Company is not using advertising but they can use those funds for acquiring key locations and establish a national dominance before others about specialty coffee bars. Relationship Marketing Starbucks Relationship Marketing activities can be done in two common ways like internally and externally. For example, internally, relationships are enhanced by introducing a cooperative and goal oriented organizational structure with effective control systems, retaining competent management, employing effective operational processes and international expansion strategies. Employees are   referred to as partners with both part and full time staff treated equally by offering both stock options and full medical coverage. Externally, Starbucks core strategy should be centered on building lasting customer relationships through trust and commitment with its stakeholders (Refer case study). After analyzing the information about what media the target audience prefers, we should come up with the following: newspapers, internet, outdoor, magazines and radio. Two certain types of magazines are mostly used. Those are womens interest and news and entertainment weeklies. Some of the specific vehicles for magazines will be Better Homes and Garden, People and National Geographic. As for newspapers, it should be locally distributed carriers that run the Parade supplement. The internet usage varied across a wide variety of content. Therefore, a key word association will be the most local choice to select their certain interests as well as the name Starbucks itself. Radio is also another that will have to change as far as format is concerned. This will vary depending on the market the radio is in. They do share common listening times. These times are from 10am to 3pm, Monday through Friday, and 3pm to 7pm on the weekends. Outdoor being another selection of media to reach our target audience it is a way of being in the community as they transit from one place to another. The location of this will be selected based upon spot market rating for the most showings in the specific areas. FUTURE PROMOTION AND EXPANSION PLANS: Starbuckswill be launching more branches all over Asia after developing an evenfirmer hold on the local western markets. The expansion will be planned for the nextyear that is 2011. The next targets should be India, Srilanka, Pakistan, and in cities of China.For that purpose again the launch will not be very extravagant, but the alreadyestablished repute in the metropolitan of western and the attachment of TV programsand stars will do the required marketing. Ads will be published in the leadingnewspapers and some bill board advertising should also be done. But overall it will below key marketing activity.Allocated budgetshould be kept in mind while launching the product in the Asia. Conclusion As stated earlier, Starbucks historically positioned itself as an upscale brand. Due to the economic downturn and increased competition from large quick-service restaurant chains and specialty retailers, the company sees its profits being eroded. The company introduced new products that would appeal to price-skittish customers and implemented techniques that would standardize its stores and reduce costs. The new strategy carries with it its own risks. Since Starbucks enjoyed such a rapid growth in its business, the company can expands its stores anywhere in the globe where there is a more profitability. It means that Starbucks stores are as readily available as McDonalds and as such the Starbucks experience the company asserts it provides, might be seen as no different than the experience of McDonalds. As in the case of appealing to mass market with bottomless coffee, Starbuckss core customer might move to other stores where they perceive the experience is still being provided. If Starbucks continues to increase its storeswhile measuring and implementing of its various cost cutting initiatives, Starbucks is likely to see increased profitability. The company is also introducing 100 new stores in US, and 200 new stores in International markets, which might positively affect the company provided they are successful. Aggressive adoption of no-frills products to bring in new customers could also affect Starbuckss profitability. Until now, any increase in commodity prices are more or less offset by companys high prices, but a no-frills products would put downward pressure on companys profitability, and possibly even damage Starbucks image as an upscale brand. Biblograhy 1) Mathew Carmean, Julie Anstett, Julia Toochette, Joel Ennis, Joey Eaton, Trang P. Huynh ,: 2003 The Starbucks: The Non-Coffee Treat 2) KatieTewell, Bethany Odom, Kelly Snider, December 12, 2006, Starbucks Marketing Plan 3)www.Marketingteacher.com 4)http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Michael-Porters-Analysis-Starbucks/33231

Tibet :: essays research papers

The purpose of this term paper is to study a religion I am not familiar with. The religion can not be a from the USA. This narrows the options for my term paper. The paper must inform on historical parts of the religion. It also needs to present two problems the religion is going through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tibetan Buddhism is the religion I chose for my term paper topic. The religion has always spurred my interest me. The simplicity of the Tibetan monk’s life is amazing. They have no need for material possessions. They live off of what the earth offers them. I find that hard to understand, but very interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  China took over Tibet in 1959. Tibet was closed to outside visitors. The Tibetan Buddhist were severely brutalized. Their religion was repressed due to the communist regime that had taken over their home. This is one of the problems I will be discussing in my term paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gender and identity are an issue that I plan on covering in my term paper. I am very curious to see what the gender roles are in this religion. They could be the same as what I am used to in the US, or they may be very different.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most difficult part of this term paper for me will be finding the information I want to write about. I want to find information on gender and identity but I am not sure if it will be what I am looking for. It will also be difficult to be non bias. I was raised in a Christian home and I will find it hard to understand the Tibetan Buddhists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christianity is the religion I am most familiar with. I went to a private Christian school in elementary school. We went to church every morning at that school to learn about the bible. I also went three times a week with my grandparents to a Southern 2 Baptist Church. Later in life I became the youth minister for the same church I attended as a child. I had no choice in the religion I belonged to. It was given to me. It was almost forced upon me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Dialogue Decalogue is very important in this type of term paper. There can be no bias. The reader does not want my opinion on Tibetan Buddhism. They want me to stick to the facts. Though the one part of this I find difficult is the part where I have to understand the religion completely.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Final Paper: â€Å"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down† By: Anne Fadiman Meghan Maloney 26 April 2013 To understand the struggles that the Hmong people face living in America it is important to understand where they come from and what they have gone through. The majority of the Hmong people originate from the mountainous country of Laos. The mountains created isolation from the neighboring cultures and cultivated a clan identity. They were part of a society where everyone worked together and lived off the land. They also practiced oral tradition since they could not read or write any language.Unfortunately, in the 1960’s Laos became the battlefield for the Vietnam War. The land was destroyed and the Hmong were forced to move or fight. Many evacuated while many were trained and armed by the U. S. as a secret guerrilla army. During this time of war, the Hmong lost all self-sufficiency, and became dependent on the U. S. for food as well as survival. An exodus of Hmong from Laos to Thailand was the death of many. The Hmong were hunted and forced to leave everything behind. The clan identity was left behind as well for it was everyman for himself. Those that were lucky enough to make it to Thailand were faced with assimilation.The Hmong saw assimilation as an insult and a threat to their culture. In order to resist oppression, the Hmong took the United State’s promise of land and government support, and moved to America. Still resisting assimilation in the U. S. , the Hmong were faced with culture shock. One of the biggest differences between Hmong culture and American culture is the practice of medicine. Anne Fadiman in â€Å"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down† tells this clash as the story of Lia Lee and her American doctors. Lia Lee is a Hmong child that was born in the U. S. n July 19, 1982, after her parents, Foua and Nao Kao Lee, moved to America. She was delivered at a hospital in Merced, California they way Americans th ink is normal-on a metal table, scissors to snip the placenta, washing the baby with soap, and putting the baby in a heated box. Normal childbirth for the Hmong would be the mother pulling the baby out herself in silence on the dirt floor of their hut and then burying the placenta under the house. The Hmong believe that when you die your soul will come back to get your placenta. When Lia was three months old, her sister, Yer, slammed the front door in her face.Moments later Lia’s eyes rolled up, her arms flailed over her head, and she fainted. Lia’s parents believe that the noise of the door had been so frightening that her soul fled her body and became lost. The resulting symptoms are recognized as Quag Dab Peg, â€Å"The spirit catches you and you fall down†. Having Quag Dab Peg gives the person the power to perceive things others cannot see, and is a prerequisite for the journey into the realm of the unseen. Quag Dab Peg is considered an honor and blessing in Hmong culture. It allows the person the opportunity of becoming a txiv neeb, or spirit healer.It also confers an enormous amount of social status in the community because the txiv neeb is seen as a person of high moral character since the spirit chose them. In Hmong culture, saving face is of high importance. Foua and Nao Kao Lee brought Lia to Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC) after she had 20 of what Americans call seizures. At times, the Lees believed that Lia’s epilepsy wasn’t as much of a medical problem as a gift. The Hmong believed in shamanistic animism, which asserts that malevolent spirits are constantly seeking human souls, especially those of vulnerable or unloved children.Their hope was that if the spirits decided to keep hold of Lia, that long-term she would become a tvix neeb, and if she did not become a tvix neeb, then their hope was that the sickness would be short-term. The American doctors in MCMC view the Hmong as problematic patients and were not empathetic with the traditional Hmong lifestyles. Because there are no interpreters, communication is always an issue, they bring lots of family members with them as well as animals, and they make loud noises. When Foua and Nao Kao arrived at MCMC Lia had stopped seizing and was coughing.The doctors were forced to as they put it â€Å"practice veterinary medicine† since they couldn’t talk with the Lees, and treated Lia for her cough. They diagnosed Lia with early bronchiopneumonia because she exhibited those symptoms. The doctors had no way of knowing that the bronchial congestion was caused by aspiration of saliva or vomit during her seizure without trying to communicate with the Lees. The doctors put a pen and paper in front of the Lees and had them scribble on it. The doctors assumed the Lees would be able to buy and administer the medications that the paper described in detail.In reality the Lees had no idea what they just signed and walked out. This same situ ation happened a few more times until one time the Lees brought Lia in when she was still seizing and Dr. Dan Murphy was on shift. Dr. Murphy had some knowledge of the Hmong and could certainly diagnose her with epilepsy. In Hmong-English dictionaries Quad Dab Peg translates to epilepsy. Lees parents and the American doctors both knew what disease she had but to different cultures it meant different things. As stated above, in Hmong culture it was a privilege and was caused by Lia losing her soul.In American culture, we believe epilepsy is caused by a sporadic malfunction of the brain due to a head injury, tumor, infection, etc. We view it as a disease and that it needs to be taken care of by giving the person anticonvulsant drugs since there is no cure. This is just what Dr. Murphy did. Lia was discharged with specific instructions on what medications to take, how much of each, and what time of day they were to be taken. Considering Hmong don’t have the same time keeping sys tem as Americans, can’t read, don’t know how to measure medicine, and don’t believe in all this medication, Lia did not receive any medication.The Lees believed a txiv neeb could help Lia, so they had one come over and sacrificed a cow for her. It did not help and the American doctors continued to see Lia not getting better when her parents kept bringing her to MCMC. The American doctors thought that because Lia had no levels of medication in her blood her parents were guilty of child abuse. If they would have seen how much the Lees loved and cared for Lia at home they would have known this was not the case. Instead, they got the government involved and took Lia from the Lees and sent her to a foster home.The Lees welcomed Lia home after a year apart and lots of work with a social worker, Jeanine, whom was very interested in the Hmong and helped with administering the seizure medications. Hmong have many customs and folkways that are contradicted by those of the American mainstream and medical communities; for example, upon Lia’s arrival home her parents sacrificed a cow to propitiate ancestors and cure her illness. They performed traditional Hmong medial practices like coin rubbing, pinching Lia, gave her an herb necklace, and tried changing Lia’s name so that the spirit would leave her body and not be able to find her.On Nov. 25, 1986 not long after being home, Lia had another seizure episode. After ten minutes had passed, Foua and Nao Kao got in touch with their nephew who could speak enough English to get an ambulance. By calling for an ambulance Lia was given more attention upon arrival in the emergency room, but it delayed her treatment. Lia continued to seize for two hours and was barely breathing. A twenty-minute bout of status elipticus is considered life threatening. Lia was transferred to Fresno Intensive Care Unit for Pediatrics.Foua and Nao Kao thought that Lia was being transferred because the doctor at MCMC was going on vacation, but in fact it was because Fresno had a pediatric unit. At Fresno Lia was diagnosed with septic shock, the result of a bacterial invasion of the circulatory system that triggers the failure of one organ after another starting with the lungs and then moving to the brain. She also developed a condition in which her blood cannot clot. Lia’s EEG was flat. She had no brain activity left. The doctors decided to discontinue the anticonvulsants because she was dead to them.The doctors explained that her seizure medicines lowered her immune system responses, which allowed a bacterium to take over and stop brain activity. Foua and Nao Kao were somewhat right; the doctors were giving too much medicine and not enough neeb. It is most likely though that if the Lees were still in Laos, Lia would have died before she was out of her infancy, from a prolonged bout of untreated status epilepticus. Foua and Nao Kao finally got permission to bring their daughter home as they had been insisting the whole time. Lia went home on Dec. , 1986 as a quadriplegic, spastic, incontinent, incapable of purposeful movement, and in a persistent vegetative state. To Lia’s parents she went home as their little princess that they loved with all their heart. At home, Lia’s parents adored her and never left her side. They fed her teas from powdered roots and herbs, made several pig sacrifices, and bathed and dressed her multiple times a day. Because of the quality care Lia was receiving, she was stable and her medical check-ups decreased. Lia did not die but did not recover.Examination of this unfortunate story of a clash of two cultures has led to the discovery of what can be done to facilitate cooperation between cultures. Dr. Arthur Kleinman from Harvard Medical School designed a series of eight questions to elicit a patient’s explanatory model and enable the understanding of other cultures. The questions include: â€Å"What do you call the proble m? Why do you think it started when it did? What kind of treatment do you think the patient should receive? What do you fear most about the sickness?If the doctors at MCMC had taken the time to find a translator and sit down with the Lees to ask these questions, Lia might not be in a vegetative state. Other suggestions that could have aided in cooperation between the doctors and patients are female doctors for female patients, involvement of the patient’s families in all decisions, the use of interpreters who are both bilingual and bicultural, and the practice of conjoint treatment. The doctor using Western allopathic medicine can cure the disease but the indigenous healer heals the illness. This strategy promotes trust between the cultures.One person’s worldviews should not dominate another’s because they feel it is right. We need to realize our view of reality is only a view, not reality itself. In the U. S. , the medical community rarely has ways to communica te with people of cultures so radically different from mainstream American culture; even a good translator will find it difficult interpreting concepts between the two different cultures' world-concepts. Doctors need to be able to transcend culture and practice cultural responsiveness where they listen to patients and respond to them both as members of their cultures and as un-stereotyped individuals.A whole doctor-whole-patient approach is imperative: Ask not what disease the person has but rather what person the disease has. I am glad to hear that we have been moving in this direction as an American culture since 1995. Medicine in the U. S has been teaching students to separate emotions from the patient; dissociation is part of the job. In the last decade, efforts have been made to correct this way of thinking, and realize you are treating another human being not a universifiable body. Classes incorporating culture studies are being required as part of medical school and undergrad uate school curriculum as well.

Canned Tuna

As a result of numerous consumer complaints of dizziness and nausea, Promofoods requested that eight million cans of tuna be returned for testing last year. Promofoods concluded that the cans did not, after all, contain chemicals that posed a health risk. This conclusion is based on the fact that the chemists from Promofoods tested samples of the recalled cans and found that, of the eight chemicals most commonly blamed for causing symptoms of dizziness and nausea, five were not found in any of the tested cans. The chemists did find that the three remaining suspected chemicals are naturally found in all other kinds of canned foods. The argument is based on consumer complaints of nausea and dizziness after consumption of canned tuna. But chemists have tested some samples of canned tuna and have reported that they are free from any chemical which can pose a health risk. In response to the complain of the customers, some eight million cans of tuna has been sent and tested by the chemists of Promofoods. The chemists reported that the canned tuna are free from the five out of the eight chemicals which can cause symptoms of dizziness and nausea. And the other three cannot be blamed because they are naturally found in all types of canned food. But the results of the test do not provide strong evidence to proof that the canned tuna is free from chemicals which can pose health risk. The chemists have reported that the three chemicals found in canned tuna are found in other canned food also. So, they are harmless. But we should remember that chemicals in contact with different substances behave differently. So, the three chemicals might become harmful when they come in contact with tuna. So, the chemists must have tested how these chemicals behave when they are present in canned tuna. Again, a substance might be harmless when it is present in small amount. But the same substance might be harmful when it is present in large amount. So, while testing the chemists should have determined the percentage of these chemicals in canned tuna. The test reports are being based on the tests done on the eight million samples but not on those which actually caused the customers to complain. The consumed cans should have been brought and tested in order to proof with stronger evidence the safety in consumption of canned tuna. Again, the chemists have concentrated only on the eight chemicals which can cause dizziness and nausea. But there are chemicals too which can cause these effects in the consumers. Therefore, the chemists should not totally ignore the presence of other chemicals. In short, we see that the tests conducted by Promofoods have failed to provide sufficiently strong evidence that can proof that the canned tuna was not responsible for causing dizziness and nausea among the consumers. It should have performed more detailed analysis of the consumed cans and reported the results with stronger evidence and precision.

Hamza Debut Albums and Skateboard Essay

Hamza Debut Albums and Skateboard Essay Hamza: Debut Albums and Skateboard Essay October 28, 2013 Advanced 1 Reading/Writing Skateboarding The are a lot of sports in this world. Every human being goes to what is better for him, what he like the most. Today in this essay, I’m going to write about one of my favorite sports, and one the most useful ones. It’s skateboarding. Skateboarding can be useful in many cases, spatially if you walk a lot or you always be late for work and you need to get to your location as fast as you could Before you start with the process we need to know where can we buy a good skateboard and which skateboard can be good for the person who’s going to use it. The best and nearest place to college you can get a good skateboard from is at the University Dr street in Tempe, I don’t know the place’s name but you can find it easily near K market. When you find it, and get inside, and start looking for a skateboard to buy. Ask the guys who’re working there. They have so much experience and can tell you what’s the best skateboard for you, but remember to tell them that you’re a rookie and why’re you buying it. After you get a skateboard don’t leave the shop until you buy safety gear, like a helmet. remember, safety first. Secondly, after you buy a skateboard, you need to find a good place to train. Usually skateboard training can be good in many places, like : a garage, parking places, empty yards with a brick floor and more like those empty places with good floors Finally, the most important things that will help you learn fast and good skateboarding are so many. The easiest but not the fastest way is experience. Try riding your skateboard as much as you can, even if you don’t know how to ride it at first, try to. Because you will learn how to by time. The

Alternative Meanings for Hand and Names of Its Parts

Alternative Meanings for Hand and Names of Its Parts Alternative Meanings for â€Å"Hand† and Names of Its Parts Alternative Meanings for â€Å"Hand† and Names of Its Parts By Mark Nichol The human hand is such a quintessential element of our anatomy we wouldn’t be human without ours (specifically, without our prehensile thumbs) that we have applied the word to many literal and figurative senses other than the physiological one, as well as a wealth of idiomatic phrases (too many to list here). Here’s a discussion of alternative meanings of hand, as well as those for its parts. Hand can refer to participation or an offer of assistance, or it denotes a round of applause. It applies to a body part or a component of an object resembling a hand, and a symbol resembling a hand with an outstretched index finger is called a hand, or an index. An aspect, direction, or side is called a hand; on the other hand, the word also refers to the concept of control, possession, or supervision. One can give one’s hand as a pledge (usually, in reference to marriage), and one’s signature or handwriting is called one’s hand. The word denotes ability or skill, or interest or participation or a significant role. In card or other games, hand refers to the cards or game pieces held, to a round in a game, or to a player in a game; by figurative extension, it means â€Å"the strength of one’s position.† In the realm of a rougher game, pugilistics (boxing), or in fighting in general, hand identifies a punch. The creator or producer of a work might be acknowledged as a hand; it could also reference someone with knowledge of or skill in a specific topic, or handiwork or workmanship. The word also applies, more mundanely, to an employee or worker, especially a laborer, or a member of a ship’s crew (or the figurative equivalent). In a sense more akin to tactile connotations, hand describes the feel of a material. Finger, too, has other meanings, including something resembling a finger in shape or function, or a measurement equivalent to the general width of a finger. As a verb, it means to identify or to touch, to extend as a finger would be extended, or to play music using one’s fingers. Likewise, thumb applies to something with a thumblike appearance, and, as a verb, it means â€Å"to leaf through a book or to cause wear by doing so,† or â€Å"to hitchhike or to signal for a ride by holding out one’s thumb.† A knuckle, too, is something that looks like a joint in a bodily appendage (or, in the case of a cut of meat, is that anatomical part from livestock), including a weapon worn on the knuckles and more commonly called brass knuckles. Knuckle can also refer to a part of a hinge or to a structural component with the appearance of a knuckle. To knuckle is to press or rub with one’s knuckles. Palm extends to objects that might remind one of that part of the hand; the palm tree derives its name from resemblance of the fan-shaped leaves to a hand. A palm is also the act of palming; to palm is to conceal with one’s hand or to stealthily give or take something, or, by extension, to commit fraud. It also means to touch with one’s palm, as in the basketball violation of resting a ball in one’s hand during dribbling. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsRules for Capitalization in TitlesFew vs. Several

Baron in the Trees Analysis

Baron of the tree is a wonderful short story by Italo Calvino. This is a young baroness about 12 years old living in Umbrossa town. One night, Cosimo decided not to eat the nasty snail plate that his sister made that night, so he went to the Great Holm's oak tree in his garden and never got down. . Cosimo can still be a baron and live an adventurous life all day. When they came to Italy to fight Austrians, he was able to help the Napoleonic army, protect the town from pirates, and build a system to irrigate to stop summer firefires. Calvino's most famous book may be an invisible city and cosmology. Both are wonderful, but according to my taste, the best works of Calvino are trilogy with coat of arms, baron of tree, descenders of crow, and no. Knight of existence. My favorite is a baron on a tree, running on a tree and telling a young baron living his life. However, it is only over 200 pages. Therefore, I will name a nonexistent knight, this is a novel about cry, a real knight, and he is summoned to Charlemagne's good faith and faith to the sacred cause. As a bonus, most versions include a similarly good short story for the 17th century visitors The Cloven Viscount. Ding, Ding! Let's say that the author should be judged by his five best books and five best books. In the case of Calvino, they are supposed to be a baron of trees, perfect cosmology, a non-existent knight, and Viscounts of Cloven, invisible streets, and Markovado. According to this standard, William Maxwell and Tolstoy are also strong competitors, but he seems difficult to become a top team. In a recent speech at Missouri State University you have commented that you like physical books that are better than the screen and Kindle is not very appealing for you. You mentioned that as well - I must admit that I did not accept this - your human soul as a Rube Goldberg device: choice of your own adventure story Hold a hidden page only when reading the story before. Did you consider the physical nature of t he text when you write or complete the book?

The Theme of Sexuality in Their Eyes Were Watching God Research Paper

The Theme of Sexuality in Their Eyes Were Watching God - Research Paper Example novel, and Hurston describes it in the context of slavery to show that it was a regular and repeated aspect of the black woman’s experience in slavery, and occurred in the early formative age of adulthood in the place of a woman’s education. The relation of racist authority to rape in the narrative is that Janie’s father and grandfather are both portrayed as white, and the educational system is equated in lineage with the system of slave ownership. This is a fundamental social and political critique that is introduced through the common dialect of the Southern woman and related through her personal sexual experience. The historical base is expressed by Zora Neale Hurston through sexual relationships, and this interracial sexuality is paradoxical, integral, and structural in her writing throughout the novel. In this context of repression, Hurston presents only a brief glimpse of the hope for genuine love in youth, which is quickly replaced with a black folk tradition that is portrayed as repressive to womanhood in a manner equally to be resisted and run away from as slavery. The repression of family tradition is portrayed through forced marriage, which implied another type of rape and forced servitude of the woman. Janie’s compromise is to arrange a marriage on her own terms that supports her own self materially on her own terms, even if she has to leave everything she knows to do so. Thus she provides for her needs while giving herself a limited economic role in the society at large through her husband’s business. When this ends early through the death of Joe Starks, Janie has the ability to choose any man in her society from a position of independent stature. Rather than the professor or tycoon, Hurston presents Tea Cake as a model of the black male with whom Janie most identifies. Their love also accelerates into death, but in this instance it is from the increased slow burn of passions, rather than their extinguishment. In the end, the gossip of black

Aesthetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Aesthetics - Essay Example Aesthetics In a midst of such diversity it’s at times easy to understand some works as form of art, while in some instances it raises serious questions as to whether some pieces and performances are forms of art. It’s in such circumstances that the art historians, curators, artists, art critics and even philosophers step in to explain why the works ought or ought not to be regarded as work of art. The diversity form of art found in museum, galleries, theatres, auditoriums and even in literature has necessitated the need for theoreticians to develop an elaborate arguments and systems on the various form of art and as to what ought to be referred as work of art. Over the years, various theoreticians have come up with various arguments and theories on what should be described as works of art. This discussion however will place its emphasis on Arthur Danto’s arguments and theories on the works of art based on his essay, `The Artworld’ and the validity of his arguments. Danto defines an art world as something that the eye cannot decry an artistic knowledge, and knowledge of the history of the art. He discuses two theories of art that is the imitation theory and the reality theory. The imitation theory depicts an art work where an artist imitates the image of the object he or she is drawing or painting. He criticizes this theory brought forth by philosophers Socrates and Hamlet.

The Tourism Industry of Dubai Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Tourism Industry of Dubai - Essay Example Dubai is known internationally as one of the premier tourist destinations of the world, especially among the high-income and elite group of tourists. It is also regarded as one of the richest places in the world where Dubai is always desired for mass tourism. There is apparently an endless variety of vacation opportunities in this part of the world with positive intervention and support from both government and industries. Notably, the government of UAE aims at developing Dubai as the chief tourist destinations in the world, making use of its unique tourism features operating as a differentiated tourist hub and thus obtaining the competitive advantages of almost no close substitutes. The place is considered as the jewel of UAE because of the fact that it offers luxury, sumptuousness and outstanding facilities to the tourists with a magnificent blend of tradition and modern cultures. It has been observed that outstanding hotels, shopping malls, and skyscrapers are the well-known chara cteristics of Dubai. It has been further viewed that Dubai offers great opportunities and verities for all potential tourists in accordance with the taste of the people visiting the city. It has also been noted that the shopping malls of Emirates situated in this place provide a variety of options to the customers from fashion to home furnishing. Furthermore, Dubai also focuses on developing its sports tourism industry sector facilitating various sports through Ski Dubai resort and other similar amenities (Henderson, 2006).... Gigantism engaging huge amounts of money had been the vision of tourism in Dubai owing to which many prominent projects of tourism development have raised significant threat to the scarcity of natural resources. Apart from environmental threats, the city is also affected by regular governmental intervention from the national and international levels, which is often termed as the ‘War Zone’. It is worth mentioning in this context that US military forces had been operating in Dubai, using the city as a vital base to perform spying activities on Iran, which has significantly influenced tourism rates within the city. Money laundering has also been a mostly debated issue in Dubai. Moreover, Dubai is also criticised for the slavery related issues. Behind the ultra modern and luxurious hotels of the city, there lies a dark world where slavery is still being practiced. Issues related to forced labour are also seemed to be quite significant in the city. Irrespective of such issue s, Dubai had been able to maintain its peace avoiding any considerable terrorist attacks and rendering due scope to attract a variety of tourists from around the world (Davis, 2007; Keane & McGeehan, 2008). Emphasising these characteristics of the tourism market in Dubai, the paper would intend to evaluate the extent to which the city deciphers or rather illustrates the features of modern urban tourism. The intention of the paper will be thus concentrated on connoting if Dubai presents a new paradigm of urban tourism. Discussion Illustration of Dubai as a Tourist Place Dubai is known internationally as one of the premier tourist destinations of the world, especially among the

The Cost of War How Government Can Strategically Reduce the Cost of Essay

The Cost of War How Government Can Strategically Reduce the Cost of War - Essay Example Now, it has been unanimously concluded that wars do much damages than it do the goods. The huge costs involved in wars put heavy strain on the state’s finances and jeopardize the future prosperity. The only solution to reduce the number of wars, if not stop wars at all, is to create an environment of global peace and tranquility. In this regard, all the parties involved, such as the governments and the global populations have to unitedly play a proactive role to spread the message of peace and universal brotherhood. The history of human civilization is replete with innumerable wars, many of which were indeed colossus in nature and were incredibly costly. Though many wars waged earlier are credited with many remarkable developments for the humankind such as the rise of capitalism, breaking out from the oppressive rulers, creation of administrative state, repossession of own territory, class struggle etc., but at the same time these brutal wars have had imprinted their indelible adverse impact on the mankind also. The huge monetary costs apart, these wars resulted into loss of invaluable human lives, which cannot be measured or consoled through money. Wars also result into inestimable demand on the scarce resources of the country. In modern times, it is believed in some quarters that wars benefit the economies of the first world countries which are rich to begin with, or countries which initiated the war. Again, it is believed in some other quarters that wars do not necessarily benefit the develo ped countries, rather wars can sometimes make these countries worse off. Whatsoever, it is undeniable that wars involve some costs such as the cost of servicing army / military, costs of rebuilding destroyed areas, human costs, environmental costs, etc. It is not easy to quantify these costs involved in wars, but the states can definitely adopt some

Are E-cigarettes Healthier Than Normal Cigarettes Research Paper

Are E-cigarettes Healthier Than Normal Cigarettes - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that there are several positive aspects of using E-cigarette. One of the positive aspects of E-cigarette is that it delivers lower level of toxins that that of conventional cigarette. Toxins may be lower but it still contains some which provide the taste of using normal cigarette. The smoking of normal tobacco contains huge number of chemicals. Some of the chemicals are still unknown. But still all of the contained chemicals are harmful and dangerous. E-cigarette contains less harmful chemicals such as vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine and other flavored chemicals. The ratio of chemicals provided in E-cigarette is much less than that of chemicals in normal cigarette. This paper makes a conclusion that E-cigarette is much healthier than that of normal cigarettes. Regardless of being healthier device, it also has some shortcomings which can cause severe harm to human beings. E-cigarette has lower quantity of toxins than that of conventional cigarettes. Normal cigarettes pollute the environment with harmful chemicals. But the use of E-cigarette reduces the amount of harmful chemical emission. This is due to the fact that it releases water vapor which contains fewer amounts of injurious chemicals. It is cheaper option and provides same experience as that of normal cigarettes. The usage of E-cigarette delivers huge threat to the children. It can be easily accessible with the help of internet and mall kiosks E-cigarette is as dangerous like normal cigarettes.

The Tourism Industry of Dubai Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Tourism Industry of Dubai - Essay Example Dubai is known internationally as one of the premier tourist destinations of the world, especially among the high-income and elite group of tourists. It is also regarded as one of the richest places in the world where Dubai is always desired for mass tourism. There is apparently an endless variety of vacation opportunities in this part of the world with positive intervention and support from both government and industries. Notably, the government of UAE aims at developing Dubai as the chief tourist destinations in the world, making use of its unique tourism features operating as a differentiated tourist hub and thus obtaining the competitive advantages of almost no close substitutes. The place is considered as the jewel of UAE because of the fact that it offers luxury, sumptuousness and outstanding facilities to the tourists with a magnificent blend of tradition and modern cultures. It has been observed that outstanding hotels, shopping malls, and skyscrapers are the well-known chara cteristics of Dubai. It has been further viewed that Dubai offers great opportunities and verities for all potential tourists in accordance with the taste of the people visiting the city. It has also been noted that the shopping malls of Emirates situated in this place provide a variety of options to the customers from fashion to home furnishing. Furthermore, Dubai also focuses on developing its sports tourism industry sector facilitating various sports through Ski Dubai resort and other similar amenities (Henderson, 2006).... Gigantism engaging huge amounts of money had been the vision of tourism in Dubai owing to which many prominent projects of tourism development have raised significant threat to the scarcity of natural resources. Apart from environmental threats, the city is also affected by regular governmental intervention from the national and international levels, which is often termed as the ‘War Zone’. It is worth mentioning in this context that US military forces had been operating in Dubai, using the city as a vital base to perform spying activities on Iran, which has significantly influenced tourism rates within the city. Money laundering has also been a mostly debated issue in Dubai. Moreover, Dubai is also criticised for the slavery related issues. Behind the ultra modern and luxurious hotels of the city, there lies a dark world where slavery is still being practiced. Issues related to forced labour are also seemed to be quite significant in the city. Irrespective of such issue s, Dubai had been able to maintain its peace avoiding any considerable terrorist attacks and rendering due scope to attract a variety of tourists from around the world (Davis, 2007; Keane & McGeehan, 2008). Emphasising these characteristics of the tourism market in Dubai, the paper would intend to evaluate the extent to which the city deciphers or rather illustrates the features of modern urban tourism. The intention of the paper will be thus concentrated on connoting if Dubai presents a new paradigm of urban tourism. Discussion Illustration of Dubai as a Tourist Place Dubai is known internationally as one of the premier tourist destinations of the world, especially among the

Are E-cigarettes Healthier Than Normal Cigarettes Research Paper

Are E-cigarettes Healthier Than Normal Cigarettes - Research Paper Example This essay stresses that there are several positive aspects of using E-cigarette. One of the positive aspects of E-cigarette is that it delivers lower level of toxins that that of conventional cigarette. Toxins may be lower but it still contains some which provide the taste of using normal cigarette. The smoking of normal tobacco contains huge number of chemicals. Some of the chemicals are still unknown. But still all of the contained chemicals are harmful and dangerous. E-cigarette contains less harmful chemicals such as vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine and other flavored chemicals. The ratio of chemicals provided in E-cigarette is much less than that of chemicals in normal cigarette. This paper makes a conclusion that E-cigarette is much healthier than that of normal cigarettes. Regardless of being healthier device, it also has some shortcomings which can cause severe harm to human beings. E-cigarette has lower quantity of toxins than that of conventional cigarettes. Normal cigarettes pollute the environment with harmful chemicals. But the use of E-cigarette reduces the amount of harmful chemical emission. This is due to the fact that it releases water vapor which contains fewer amounts of injurious chemicals. It is cheaper option and provides same experience as that of normal cigarettes. The usage of E-cigarette delivers huge threat to the children. It can be easily accessible with the help of internet and mall kiosks E-cigarette is as dangerous like normal cigarettes.

Lowering the Drinking Age Essay Example for Free

Lowering the Drinking Age Essay The legal drinking age has been a continuously debated subject in the United States since its establishment. The national legal drinking age of twenty-one years old was placed in 1984 and still holds to the present, but many have begun questioning whether twenty-one is still an appropriate age for our current society. Much of this debate starts with college campuses and binge drinking. As a senior in high school, and soon-to-be freshman in college, I began wondering if the drinking age is still suitable for present times, and if it should be altered. According to University of Michigan, approximately 80% of high school students have tried alcohol before graduating, and 60% have gotten drunk. With these statistics, it seems evident that the legal drinking age is not efficiently doing its job, and should be reviewed. So the question arises: Should the legal drinking age be changed? I started my research with â€Å"Repeal the Drinking Age,† by Jeffrey Tucker, Publisher and Executive Editor of Laissez Faire Books, from his own Mises Daily blog. In his article, Tucker begins his blog by discussing how most countries’ legal drinking ages are eighteen, but in the â€Å"land of the free,† the limit is set at twenty-one, even though the nation knows it is not working. Tucker relates the current drinking age to Prohibition, stating that the twenty-one age limit is rather liberal, and that putting restrictions on alcohol, like during Prohibition, only results in bigger problems. He then concludes that the drinking age is based on â€Å"one overarching argument: driving,† where we simply do not want drunken teens on the road. Read Also:  Easy Exploratory Essay Topics Tucker also states that the data on drunk driving â€Å"cannot be statistically attributed to the national minimum drinking-age law. † Tucker concludes by saying if we are serious about a â€Å"free society,† the nation needs to repeal the minimum drinking-age law. When exploring Tucker’s article, I have to agree that Prohibition was a terrible attempt by the United States to help fix social issues, but relating the drinking age to Prohibition is a bit of a stretch. I also agree that the decrease in fatalities involved with drunk driving definitely cannot be awarded solely to lowering the drinking age. Numerous other sources, such as a better understanding of risks with alcohol through schooling, much safer cars, and an increase in legal punishment, also play a major role in the decrease of drunk driving and fatalities. But relating the issue to what our founding fathers would say, and the ruining of a â€Å"free society† by not eliminating the drinking age, seems a little outlandish. Although the article did take the issue a little out of proportion, Tucker makes a good point about the current restriction obviously not working, colleges accepting this fact, and ignoring it. The article is a good base for an opinion about abolishing the drinking age completely, but I would also like to explore an opinion of simply lowering the drinking age. The next article I read was â€Å"Why the Drinking Age Should be Lowered,† an article in a scholarly journal written by Professor Ruth Engs associated with Indiana University. Professor Engs starts her article saying that the legal drinking age should be lowered to eighteen or nineteen years old, and that she has come to this conclusion after over twenty years of researching college youth and the history of drinking. Engs continues by stating that people under the age of twenty-one are more likely to be binge drinkers, consuming over five drinks at least once a week, and that 22% of students under twenty-one are binge drinkers, compared to 18% of legal drinkers. Engs then goes on telling other statistics about an increase in problems related to irresponsible drinking. Such problems include excessive drinking, getting into fights, and missing class, blaming the issues on â€Å"underground drinking† by underage drinkers. The article is concluded by Engs saying that the drinking age â€Å"is not working, and is counterproductive,† and that the minimum age should be lowered to help teach responsible drinking and decrease alcohol abuse. Professor Engs makes a very compelling argument in her article by not only discussing why the drinking age should be lowered, but also the issues with having the current age limit. I agree with Professor Engs’ description of underage drinking as an â€Å"enticing forbidden fruit,† a â€Å"badge of rebellion against authority,† and a symbol of adulthood. These comparisons actually sound realistic and show how underage drinking is a problem in the first place. Engs also uses statistics to support her opinion, proving that underage drinking is a serious problem. In my opinion though, Engs fails to consider the possible issues that could arise from lowering the drinking age. It is difficult to expect eighteen year olds to learn responsible drinking from their parents and peers, when in reality the exact opposite could be happening from alcoholic parents or irresponsible friends. With this article I learned numerous statistics about binge drinking and problems associated with underage drinking. The source seems very valid, and serves as a great opinion supporting why the drinking age should be lowered. While the article creates a persuasive argument on lowering the drinking age, I would also like to explore ideas behind increasing the drinking age. My final article, â€Å"Should the Legal Drinking Age Be Raised to 25 to Eliminate Deadly College Partying? † is written by Stephenson Billings, an investigative journalist for christwire. com. Billings takes a very strong opinion on the subject of the drinking age, thinking that it should be raised immediately, along with the banning of all alcohol on college campuses. Billings writes of alcohol being a â€Å"foul liquid† that keeps students from maturing into adulthood, and corrupts their ethics. He also writes about alcohol turning women into â€Å"lusting wolves,† and compares underage drinking to the most extreme of alcoholics who only care about alcohol throughout their lives. The author mentions the problem of legal drinkers buying alcohol for minors, openly allowing them to drink illegally and irresponsibly. Billings ends with the â€Å"straightforward† resolution of ending illegal drinking by raising the drinking age to twenty-five years old and eliminating alcohol from educational premises. Even though the article is put to the extreme, Billings does make a few good points. Billings views on drinking in college are over exaggerated, but are accurate in some cases. Extreme binge drinking does take place among colleges in America, and such colleges need to create strict penalties for such occasions, possibly banning alcohol from certain fraternities or even the college altogether. Billings also makes a good point about older students turning younger ones â€Å"onto the party† by buying them alcohol illegally, allowing them to drink irresponsibly. But the rest of Billings’ article is sent so over the top that I felt almost annoyed by his constant attacking of alcohol in general. A great example, I have driven around town past midnight before, but definitely was not drinking or using drugs. The stereotypes he uses to describe those who drink illegally are overstated and outlandish. The article gave me a totally different aspect on the drinking age and added to my growing opinion that the current drinking age is not quite working. Although the article did create another aspect for me to consider, the extremeness of it made it unlikely for me to base any decisions upon it. As I sum up the research for my exploratory essay, I still have more articles to read, aspects to understand, and statistics to find, but I believe I have come up with a good conclusion to the drinking age debate. Clearly the twenty-one year old age limit is not effective, and is blatantly being broken. Underage drinking is happening more than ever, while taking place irresponsibly and encouraging binge drinking. With the rise in binge drinking comes the obvious rise of problems associated with it, such as drinking too much, skipping class, and starting fights. Although the drinking age has helped lower the number of fatalities from drunk driving, other factors have also assisted in the decrease. If we as a nation can emphasize alcohol education in our schools, teaching responsible drinking and wise decision making, I believe lowering the drinking age can help save lives, and even increase the maturity of current underage drinkers. A drinking age of nineteen seems more appropriate for teens maturing, hopefully creating safer drinking in college, while keeping it mainly out of high school. Before making any rash decisions though, and agreeing to make an actual constitutional change for the subject, I think I need to do more research and look into more aspects of the topic.

Brewery industry in Europe Roay Unibrew Analysis

Brewery industry in Europe Roay Unibrew Analysis CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Overview This paper consists of seven chapters: Chapter 1 explains the aim of the given topic, describes the brewery industry in Europe, and focuses the development of the brewery industry and polish economy after the fall of a communism in 1989 In chapter 2 I decided to present a theoretical background of the strategy and macro-environment theory Chapter 3 focuses the research methodology and approach that was taken in order to analyse it Chapter 4 describes the market analysis, and shortly considers the competition Chapter 5 is about the internal analysis of Royal Unibrew Poland. It presents strategy of the company, its mission and vision of the development. Marketing mix was taken into consideration as well. Chapter 6 was devoted to the analysis of the gathered data And in chapter 7 there are presented conclusions and recommendations for the future Topic and purpose of thesis Strategy is an incremental part of every company, and its success depends mainly on the way it is developed and implemented. Expansion to the foreign markets requires long-term planning and thus good preparation. These factors influence the companys current and future position on the chosen market. The aim of my thesis is to prove that well-developed strategy is the main key to success in expansion to the foreign markets, and it will be based on the case of the polish branch of the Dutch brewery company, Royal Unibrew. Royal Unibrew entered the polish market in 1995, and since this year it has become one of the leading beer producers in Poland. This country has become an opportunity for the foreign investors after the fall of the communism in 1989. Royal Unibrew decided to wait a few years until the polish economy stabilizes, then entered the brewery market and invested in its significant brands. Its further successes were supported by the well-derived strategy, acquaintance with the polish culture, potential customers needs, and rules of the new market. Strategies vary along with the cultures and Case of Royal Unibrew investing in Poland is a great example of the successful foreign investment, which required a clear vision of the companys long-term future, supported by a lot of effort, budget, and experience of the management. Strategy plays here a very important role, and therefore it is considered in the topic of this thesis. Strategy is a part of the vision. is a part of the strategy. Therefore implementation of the strategy Why is the strategy so important for the company? Why is the strategy so important? There is no victory without a good plan of campaign. Strategy is a long-term plan, connected with the current and future position in the environment, and consistent action plan, which helps achieve the goal that has been set earlier. It differentiates one company from another, and separates winners and losers. However, the company cannot focus too much or too less on its vision, because the result may be tragic, for example it influences board problems in personnel, quality, or poor productivity. If we ask any manager about vision of the strategy, he or she is going to give a broad range of different solutions, in order to make person understand difference between corporate strategy and operational planning. Companies Strategy as a determinant of business success in the expansion to the foreign markets : The brewery industry market in Europe and CEE Main players on the market Brewery industry is one the most developing branches in the world. Constantly increasing beer consumption, changing habits of the consumers often looking for the low percentage beers and the developing technology have a strong influence on the further development of the beer industry. European market is rich in different brewery brands, and it is the region, where beer is mostly consumed in the world (http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/163751154.html ). However, their position on the market depends on the sales, and therefore some of them stick only to the domestic market and become local leaders ( for example Fà ¶roya Bjà ³r, the only producer of beer and soft drinks in the Faroe Islands, close to Denmark ). Thus, basing on the data from the year 2007, there are ten main players on this market in Europe: Heineken, Interbrew/Ambev, Carlsberg, S N, SABMiller, Radeberger Gruppe, Coors, Anadolou Group, Mahou S.A. and Bitburger. These brewery groups compete very aggressively with each other and promote themselves on each possible occasion ( f. ex. Oktoberfest in Germany Heineken, or World Cups Carlsberg ). They have an advantage over the rest of the brewery companies, because they possibly often use all marketing tools channels, in order to attract peoples attention: TV commercials, internet pop-ups, radio commercials, billboards, posters on bus or train stations. Their strategies are professionally reconsidered and promotion campaigns easily remembered. The meaning of the brewery industry for the economy Economy is strongly influenced by the brewery industry. Brewery market sales in Poland in 2008 made almost 35,6 million hectolitres, what in financial term gave almost 45 billions PLN. This amount was equal to the governments spending for defence which was provided in 2009. There was a double increase between 1993 and 2002 in the beer production, and in 2006 by 7%, where the average Pole has drank about 87 litres. If we compare this achievement to year 1996, we can observe a big difference there were consumed only 29 litres of beer. Polish beer amateurs have caught Europeans, and drink nowadays almost 95-100 litres per year. When it comes to the beer consumption, Poland holds the fifth position in Europe. Brewery industry is one of the main revenues sources for the Treasury. According to the data from year 2007 provided by the Brewing Industry Employers Association of Polish Breweries, it has conducted almost 1,48 billion zloty ( PLN ) for duty. Comparing to the analogue year 2006, there was a 3% increase observed. Moreover, CEOs of the leading breweries were satisfied about the sales. Kompania Piwowarska has sold 18% of the beer more than in 2006 ( 2,2 millions hectolitres have been consumed), and Royal Unibrew Poland boasted with the 5% increase in sales, and 13% in revenues. Target group description Target group of the beer companies varies, because there are different brands of beer with the different tastes. Brewery companies usually focus mature people, men and women, at the age of 18 + ( in some countries 16 + ), and with different needs. Some of them want to relax in silence with a bottle of a good beer at home, some need more excitement with a group of friends at the disco or pub ( they are as well very active, full of energy and optimism ). In order to describe the target group correctly, company has to consider more factors, such as: education, occupation, income, place of living, style of living, way of spending free time, needs of the customer. There is a high potential in the brewery market. Companies focus different target groups. For example Cooler is a great tasty lemon or apple refreshing beverage of the Royal Unibrew company. This product has been designed specially for women looking forward to refreshment during a hot days and nights. According to the data provided by the Royal Unibrew Poland, tasty beers become very popular among women, because there is not such a strong bitterness as it appears in the traditional beers, have a very delicate flavour, and low percentage of alcohol. ( wlasne badania my own contribution to the market research ) Another good example is Tyskie beer, beverage well known in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and Lithuania. (http://www.noltychy.pl/news,1355,beerfest-najwiekszy-festiwal-piwa-w-polsce-chorzow-28-30-08-2009r.html ). Its target group are traditional beer fans mainly working men, with the families, whose priority is their family. Work and other values are subordinated to it. They are loyal customers. As it is said, beer is just for their enjoyment, a form of relaxation, and kind of reward. They do not want to escape from the reality, like many other beer consumers. (http://www.ddb.pl/index.php?dzial=stronasID=350 ) General view of the polish economy After the transformation in 1989 Basic problem Poland had to deal with after the fall of the communism were its internal economic problems. Any kind of investment was impossible because the former system contributed huge foreign debt, and 500% hyperinflation ( until 1990 ). Prof. Grzegorz Kolodko mentions, that because of the increasing financial, economic, social, and political imbalance former socialist economies had lost their tempo, and then ability capacity to grow . Moreover, he explains this situation as follows: Huge deficiencies, caused by the inflation pressure, which source lays in the structure and wrong macro-economic management, intensified micro-economic inefficiency and prevented fulfilment of the social needs. The first non-communist government, led by Tadeusz Mazowiecki , decided to implement a so called Balcerowiczs plan ( first minister of finance after 1989 ). The idea of this plan was to liberalise internal prices, increase import, tighten the financial policy and wages control towards enterp rises, implement the interest rates which are higher than inflation, stabilize the dollar and implement possibility of its exchange. Polish economy was stabilized and was opened to the world. Banking system and monetary and credit policy have been reformed. New government created capital market, labour market, and implemented privatisation law in 1990. Transformation of the ownership, independence of the companies, and stimulation of the internal competition were very important in the reformation systems. Policy of the state assets privatization, free-market principles implementation, and decrease of the budget deficit were very fruitful: Inflation decreased to 43%, and during the next years it was just a one-number value Government was so successful, that the creditors decided to lower debt up to 50%, and foreign companies were eager to invest in Poland Year 1991 Warsaw Stock Exchange has been launched. Gross Domestic Product was increasing year by year 4% in 1993, and 7% in 1995. Polish Zloty has been denominated, and dollar stabilized the success of the polish reforms Poland is nowadays a country with the stabilized political system and still developing economy. Whats more, it is an active member of the World Trade Organisation ( WTO ), Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development ( OECD ), and Central European Free-Trade Agreement ( CEFTA ). Transformation processes had a strong influence on the re-valuation of all of the economic areas. Free-market rules, which are based on the dominating and still growing private entrepreneurship position, have been effectively implemented after 1989. Private sector was the main engine of the economic growth. Whats interesting, private sector has led to 75% of increase in the Gross Domestic Product, and employed 70% of the professionally active polish society. Development of the polish economy throughout the years 1995-2005 After the transformation in 1989, polish economy observed a strong economic growth throughout the years 1995-2005, and recession in 2001-2003 in the meantime. Next years are characterised by the constantly changing growth rate with an emphasis on the expected relatively high rate of growth in the subsequent years. Poland is a country with the big economic dynamics. In concentrates mainly the Gross Domestic Product generation in some Polands areas. Years 1995-2005 belonged to Wielkopolskie, Slaskie, Dolnoslaskie, Mazowieckie, and Malopolskie Voivodeships ( provinces ). Since 1996 it has been a member of the OECD, which unites the richest countries in the world. Economic growth in this year was very slow, however still high. GDP increased by 6,6%, and was one of the highest in Europe. Situation of the polish economy today Polish economy has developed very much after the transformation in 1989, and has become one of the biggest economies in the world ( 6th economy in the European Union, and 21st economy in the world ). According to the OECD IX report from 2006, polish economy is in a good condition, since it joined European Union in May, 2004. Social-economic policy has been positively assessed by OECD, and the country has potential to grow and quickly develop. But the main problem Poland has to get through is high rate of unemployment, GDP is below 45% of the EU average, university education doesnt prepare young people for their potential jobs, too high social transfers, and entrepreneurs still have to face the administrative barriers. OECD report mentions areas which have to be changed in order to make polish economy grow faster. First of all these barriers, such as in the supervision or administrative area have to be lifted for the entrepreneurs, simplifying the taxation system, reducing the parafis cal burden and elimination of the corruption. Next thing to consider is improvement of the economic flexibility, and reducing the start-up costs. However, the latest data, presented by Eurel Hermes analysts, shows that the global crisis from 2009 had a strong impact on the global, and polish as well, economy. External financing gap has deepened, and thus government decided to cover it by liquidating the foreign exchange reserves, which melted by 28% from 2008 until the first quarter of 2009. Polish economic structure corresponds to the economic structure of the well developed countries. 64% of the Gross Domestic Product is generated by the services, 32% by the industry, and 4% by the agriculture. Ratio of exports to GDP is 40%, and thus polish economy is not open enough as the foreign economies of the region. Whats more, it has not been influenced negatively by the global recession, which spread over the trade links. Polish economy has been one of the well developing and healthiest in the emerging Europe for the first half a year of 2009. However, as a country which is dependent on the rest of the world it had felt results of the global financial crisis, especially in the . Value of the Polish Zloty has decreased in relation to the major world currencies. However, according to the statistics, GDP has increased in 2009 by 1,7%. Whats more, Central Statistical Office informs, that the industry labour productivity has increased by 2,4%, with the 5,5% smaller employment growth and increase of the average monthly gross payment by 4,9%. Development of the brewery industry Brewery industry revolution started in the 19th century, when the craftsmen decided to change their profession for the well developing business. Thanks to the improvements in the technological development, focusing mainly the methods of bottom-fermentation development of the beer, which required cooling fermenters. Owners of the smaller businesses decided to give up, and gave place to the technologically stronger plants. These were the times, when Okocim brewery from Brzesk began to take its first steps in this business. Most important for the brewery industry were its first ten years of the 20th century. Polish market was seized by almost 500 breweries. Formulas of the beers have been enhanced, and thus new tastes were implemented. Development of the brewery industry had a significant impact on the beers consumption every beer lover drank almost 35 litres of this beverage. Progress of the beer industry development was stopped by the First World War. It bloomed at the end of the gap between First and Second World War, and gained the similar results that it had in year 1915. During the World War II there were thirty six breweries on the lands that belonged to the General Government ( administrative-territorial entity, created under the decree of Adolf Hitler in year 1939 ). After the war first government, the communist party, decided to take over all of the breweries. There were new enterprises coming into existence, like for instance Kasztelan brewery from Sierpc ( small polish town ), but the political situation of the country was very adverse for this industry. However the state enterprises were doing their best to follow the western standards with the different degrees of success. After the transformation in 1989 polish breweries had to adapt to the new market economy, and therefore were able to show their real potential. Beer has a very long historical background, and it still finds new amateurs all over the world. Technological development, production improvements, and increasing demand for this beverage make its sales increase every year. Moreover, thanks to the innovation in the polish brewery industry and its potential, foreign investors feel more encouraged than before 1989. Global brewery industry Global brewery industry is a business which consists of a few dominating multinational companies and hundreds of other smaller beer producers, such as home made or regional breweries. According to the statistics, there are almost 134 billion litres of beer sold per year, what enriched the global treasury by $294,5 billion in 2006. Such a high revenues global brewery industry owes to the Asian, Eastern European, and African beer fans (http://wyborcza.pl/1,75248,1882229.html). Consumption of the beer increases every year. Canadean firms report shows, that in year 2002 there was almost 1,4 billions hectolitres drank all over the world. This number was said by analysts to increase by 7% in 2005. According to the statistics, predictions have come true and it reached 1,5 billions of hectolitres. This table shows, that Czech Republic is the leader in the beer consumption. Each beer fan from this country drinks yearly almost 157 litres of this golden drink . Republic of Ireland takes the second place with 131,1 litres drank, and Germany third place with 115,8 litres. Poland is said to be one of the most drinking countries in the world. According to these data, its position is not that high, because it takes 18th place with 69,1 litres per each beer drinking Pole annually. Modern brewery market wide opened for the other types of beer selling. Microbrewery is responsible for producing a limited amount of beer, which depends on the region and on the authority. It has permission for making 18,000 hectolitres per year, in order to adjust the production to the predetermined standards required for the regional breweries. Nowadays, the global brewery market leader is Belgian Anheuser-Busch InBev with 25% of the market share. It was taking the third position after SABMiller, the first leader, and InBev which holded the second place. In 1987 its first equivalent, Anheuser-Busch decided to merge with InBev, and this operation has led it to the top in the brewery industry. Its fourteen brands, out of 300, generate almost $ 1 billion annually in revenue (http://www.ab-inbev.com/ ) Overview of the brewery industry in Poland after 1989 Transformation in 1989 has led to intensive changes in the polish brewery industry. They are connected with the increase in the beer consumption, and production concentration in the newest great breweries. Looking back at the changes that were implemented in the polish economy after 1989, and comparing them to what the former government has achieved between years 1945-1989, we can observe a positive influence of the new political system and thus potential and opportunities to increase growth in every area. Brewery industry in Poland had experienced a violent sales growth between 1994-2000, and then the consumers slowed down their beer consumption. But this situation did not have any negative impact on its further development. On the contrary brewery market is still developing and growing, and high operation profits have been observed in this branch. There are four main and few local brewery companies operating on the polish market ( and their market shares in %; data for year 2009): Kompania Piwowarska ( Brewing Company; brands: Tyskie, Lech, Zubr ) 45% Zywiec Group ( brands: Zywiec, Warka, Tatra ) 35% Carlsberg Poland ( Carlsberg, Okocim, Harnas ) 13% Royal Unibrew Poland ( Lomza, Strzelec ) 4% Other 50 breweries; with below than 10% of the market shares, are Belgia from Kielce, Perla from Browary Lubelskie, and Brok from Koszalin. ( there are 50 small breweries in Poland ) (http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume7/issue2/economics/art-10.html) Comparing the situation on the market from the last year to year 2008, we can observe a diametrical changes that occurred in the meantime. There were three main players on this market two years ago: Kompania Piwowarska ( 41% ), Zywiec Group ( 34%) , and Carlsberg Poland ( 12%). Royal Unibrew joined them in 2009. As we see, market shares of each of them have increased at least by 1% ( Carslberg Poland and Zywiec Group ), and by 4% ( Kompania Piwowarska ) after one year. Situation on the brewery industry today There are two fields which characterise the todays brewing industry: Global aspect, where most of the large breweries groups decide to merge Regional aspect In this case small and medium-sized brewery companies start to actively operate on their market and therefore develop a wide range of products which have their roots in the territory they come from Nowadays the global brewery market offers its consumers almost 1,5 billions of hectolitres. In year 2003 the leader and the best beer producers market on the global brewery market and was Anhauser Busch, with the almost 130 millions of beer hectolitres sold all over the world. SABMiller took the second place with 125 millions of hectolitres sold, and third place belonged to Heineken with 99 millions of hectolitres sold. In 2010 two breweries decided to merge: Belgian InterBrev and Brasilian Ambev. According to the analysts predictions, effect of this merge will lead to the annual sale of 190 millions hectolitres in the future. Introduction to the Royal Unibrew Poland History of the company Royal Unibrew was the local leader in the brewery market, but during its 150 year old existence it has becomethe second largest brewery group in Denmark. It has been operating on the European brewery market since 1856, however the name of the company is of recent date. Two companies, Faxe Bryggeri A/S and Jyske Bryggerier A/S (Ceres Bryggerierne and Thor Bryggerierne), operating on the Dutch market in the 80s wanted to grow stronger and thus become leaders in the brewery industry in Denmark. They decided to merge in 1989, and changed the name for Bryggerierne Faxe Jyske A/S, but the final decision was Bryggerigruppen A/S in 1992. The company is listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange since 1998, and one forth of its shareholders ( 14,000 of all ) are foreigners. Now, Faxe, Ceres and Thos complemented each other perfectly: Faxe was strong in the retail trade and on soft drinks and lager beer with nation-wide status. On the export side, Faxe was traditionally strong in the German, UK and Swedish markets Ceres and Thor manifested themselves with strong beer and special products in Jutland and in restaurants and bars. Ceres strongest export strongholds were Italy and the Caribbean. In the beginning of its foreign expansion Royal Unibrew focused Italy, Germany, and the Carribean as its first export markets. Strong brands of Ceres have made it a leader among the imported brands in the Italian market. Its product Der Grosse Dane has won the hearts of the German society. There are three markets Royal Unibrew takes into consideration: The Western Europe Market consisted of the beer and juice markets in Denmark, Italy, Germany, and Cross-Border Trade The Eastern Europe Market consisted of the beer, juice and soft drinks markets in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland Malt and Overseas Markets international markets for malt drinks, beer and soft drinks exports to markets where there are no companys representatives Royal Unibrew decided to invest in Poland in the early 90s, and then started exporting Faxe beer from Denmark to Poland. It expanded the business in Poland in 1994, created a trade-distribution company and named it Faxe Poland LLC. Next step it made was purchasing its first breweries in Jedrzejà ³w and Koszalin in Poland in 2005. Royal Unibrew is the second alcohol producer in the Baltic states, and the largest Scandinavian alcohol exporter. There are four breweries on Denmark, three in Poland ( Strzelec in Jedrzejà ³w, Strzelec/Brok, Lomza Brewery, Sagittarius/Brok, and half of the shares in Perle ) and one non-alcohol plant in Latvia. Companys position on the market Royal Unibrew Poland is the fourth biggest brewery company on the polish market ( after Kompania Piwowarska, Carlsberg Poland, Grupa Zywiec S.A. ) with the 3% of market shares.. http://www.google.com/search?hl=enrls=com.microsoft%3Aen-gb%3AIE-SearchBoxrlz=1I7ADSA_enq=rynek+piwowarski+w+POlsceaq=faqi=oq= Royal Unibrew has been operating on the global market for 150 years already, and it focuses mainly the regional brands. There are thirteen breweries and one plant for the non-alcoholic drinks production. Polish branch of Royal Unibrew implements the strategy that involves the development of the strong regional brands. Company has been searching for many years for brands which are heavily related with their regions and liked by their consumers. Therefore the main Royal Unibrew Polands regional brands are Lomza, Brok, and Strzelec. Company invested in year 2009 in the development of Lomza brand. Lomza has joined the Royal Unibrews strategic brands portfolio, as one of its strongest brands in the polish market. With almost 40 years old tradition, it has the biggest potential among Royal Unibrews brands. Lomza has many loyal consumers, and it is very popular in the north-east part of Poland. Thanks to Lomza brand Royal Unibrew Poland has a gained a strong position in the north-east region, Baltic Coast in the area of Central POmerania, and in the south: Malopolska and in Silesia, close to Rybnik town. Company has observed the Lomza brands increasing presence in the Warsaw area, and in the commercial networks in whole Poland. CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH AND DESIGN ON METHODOLOGY The Research Background The aim of my research was to find out how the strategy makes company successful during its expansion to the foreign market. Royal Unibrew is a Dutch global company, and I decided to focus its polish branch. The reason for this approach is that the management board from Warsaw and people living and working in this city are more accessible for me in order to get an appropriate data for my research. I had a possibility to have a closer look on the different types of data that I was provided with, and thus describe them in my MA thesis, and answer the stated primary and secondary questions: Primary How does the strategy influence the Royal Unibrew international success? Secondary What motivated Dutch to invest in brewery business in Poland? What were the main entry barriers, that Royal Unibrew had to deal with? How has the strategy influenced the current position on the market? Deductive approach has been undertaken in this research. Qualitative Research Method Approach ( bardziej zglebie temat niz zwykle suche dane, subiektywne poglady ludzi ) This approach has helped me in gaining detailed data about situation of the Royal Unibrews alcohol products on the polish market, and deepen it by considering different different approach methods. Face-to-face interview with Mrs Beata Pawlowska ( CEO of the Royal Unibrew Poland ) and survey among beer consumers of a different age and gender were required to make this analysis better understood. They were asked about the motivations behind choosing the given beer brand. Customers choice is driven by the prepared strategy, which is implemented by the company and thus the good advertisement. I took a closer look at the information covered in the magazines and newspapers articles about the brewery market in Poland, subjective opinions of people, and internet different latest data sources were taken into consideration as well. They will help me support the data I gather for my thesis research. Poland is an attractive country for different types of investments. Dutch branch of Royal Unibrew found an opportunity for extra revenues after fall of communism in Poland in 1989 and thus open up for the developed western side. It had to adapt to the brand new culture and A larger group of respondents was helpful and thus I could have a more clear view on the beer demand from the practical side. However, with the respect to the scheduled time of Mrs Beata Pawlowska and beer consumers, in accordance with Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill ( 2000 ) all ethical issues had to be considered during the interview. When it comes to the consumers opinions, they were relatively similar. They appreciate Lomza beer, because it tastes more bitter than Zywiec, Warka, or Zubr. They said that the more bitter is the chosen beer, the more masculine is the person that drinks it. I asked also a seller working in the local area shop ( Jago in Warsaw, Bielany district ) about the beer which is more appreciated by the customers. According to their opinions price of the product is very attractive ( Lomza 3 zl, Zywiec 3,50 zl, Warka 3,70 zl ), and thus they are more eager to buy it. Lower price actually does not result in the clients suspicion towards the beer, because they dont really care about its quality. Zywiec and Warka are considered often by both genders in the age between 20 and 45, however there appeared a strong increase in the Lomzas sales. This is confirmed by Mrs Beata Pawlowska: Within ten months in year 2009 we have increased our sales by 4%, and I can say that we have closed the previous year with the 5% increase (http://www.poranny.pl/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100121/REGION99/794675231). Lomza beer is sold in 500 ml bottles, and interviewed people mentioned that thanks to its shape it is easy to handle and therefore they enjoy it more while drinking. They put an emphasis on the beers association with the summer, when it easily quenches thirst. Taste of bitter beverage makes them feel relaxed. This means, that the value of the Royal Unibrew Polands products gained importance in the consumers eyes. Moreover, distribution and sales increase of the Lomza beer has been supported by the marketing actions and TV campaigns in the whole Poland. Frequent promotions and low prices catch customers attention, and So the results are positive for the company. Data Collection I collected the data by interviewing CEO of the Royal Unibrew Poland, accidental people, the local shop seller, and searching through the internet database. Sample group was chosen for this approach, and both genders were asked different questions that were strongly connected with the companys strategy. I focused a non-standardised unstructured interviews, where the data needed for the research could be analysed in-depth. I followed Sauners, Lewis and Thornhill ( 2000 ) where they inform that the sample group should have an opportunity to talk freely about the area of the chosen research. Non-directive approach was taken in this case. This method is good for the area of my research because it helps me gain a