Year of the Flood

The Nightmare Scenario The charges of Atwood in the novel â€Å"Year of the Flood† are based off her idea that never throughout the entire existence of creation has an animal categories had the way to its own mass termination that it actually included it inside its very fingertips.Advertising We will compose a custom article test on Year of the Flood explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is thought is obviously motivated from the conceivably damaging powers of atomic holocausts, unmitigated hereditary designing and an undeniably troublesome society where the potential for class fighting is a developing worry as observed by the ongoing uprisings in the Middle East. For Atwood, her annihilation of decision is passing by plague wherein humankind is cleared out by a plague that was at first masked as a prophylactic. While the Geneva Convention on Human Rights has prohibited the utilization and improvement of organic operators as a methods for fighting, in thi s way saving mankind the chance of biting the dust because of a harmful ailment, the reality remains that reviews despite everything do proceed in the domain of hereditary designing wherein the privileged insights of the hereditary code are consistently being investigated by researchers. For Atwood the structure of our way of life including sciences, religion and individuals are inalienably imperfect and deprived for change. The present standard in the public eye is in the encouraging of the idea of social imbalance which can and will make issues later on comparable to participation between all areas of mankind (Brooks, 11). It is because of this that Atwood depicts the future in such a dystopic group since it is really a sufficient impression of what the world will resemble should nothing be finished. Comparable to the study of hereditary building, it has had the option to make bioengineered corn that is increasingly impervious to sickness, made viable methods for treatment through hormones and quality treatment, all while the study of hereditary designing is still inside its outset. Then again different negative results have likewise come about, for example, bioengineered crops that people are really adversely affected by and untold symptoms on the human body by the present horde of medications and immunizations created by pharmaceutical organizations. While far-fetched, the chance is still there for calamity to happen; one proclamation by Atwood in the book sums up this chance â€Å"this was not a conventional pandemic it wouldn’t be contained after two or three hundred thousand passings, the pulverized with bio-apparatuses and blanch, this was the Waterless Flood the Gardeners so frequently had cautioned about, it had all the signs: it went through the air as though on wings, it consumed the urban communities like fire, spreading germ-ridden hordes, dread, and butchery† (Atwood, 20). This specific statement from the book shows how an organic infection can move through society; unhindered, relentless and un-killable.Advertising Looking for paper on writing dialects? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The point that Atwood is attempting to make in this specific occasion is that with each progression we take towards logical advancement is a potential advance towards human termination. On account of the activities of Craker she apparently places that if progress isn’t tempered with adequate mental courage and care the outcome could be sad. With the goal for mankind to show up at level appeared in â€Å"Year of the Flood† current patterns and practices don’t should be misrepresented rather letting them finish on their present strategy will unavoidably prompt the current dystopic future appeared in the novel (Snyder, 19). Effectively unmitigated toxins being discharged into the environment have released all way of disease for mankind, the proceeded wit h development of the hole among rich and poor will definitely arrive at a breaking point and disorderly hereditary trials done for the sake of science can and will release some type of hereditary distortion onto the world that will make life increasingly hard for humankind (Brooks, 15). The unavoidable bad dream situation needn't bother with any further impetus nor misrepresentation with the goal for it to happen, rather, inaction by government pioneers, networks and researchers will realize it somehow. Critical Thinking After a snapshot of self-contemplation I would need to state that I would group myself just like a by and large skeptical mastermind. While I don’t circumvent taking a gander at the conceivable negative ramifications of the different activities mankind has submitted I am not all that guileless as to expect that valid and positive change won't come without some type of catalyst activating it. For instance right now locales, for example, the U.A.E, Australia an d China have been actualizing progressively tough techniques for web restriction so as to keep the overall population from â€Å"being harmed† by different antigovernment purposeful publicity at present multiplying the web at the present time. What must be seen however is that the web is probably the best device today for social and political change as found in the ongoing uprisings in the Middle East. One scene from the novel really shows the certainty of such an activity † then the CorpSeCorps had banned guns in light of a legitimate concern for open security, saving the recently designed shower firearms for themselves, and out of nowhere individuals were authoritatively weaponless† (Atwood, 24).Advertising We will compose a custom exposition test on Year of the Flood explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the improvement of the web as a genuine apparatus of social change and change it does not shock anyone that legislatures would then advan ce in to control it similarly as the CorpSeCrops stepped in as referenced in the novel with the end goal of â€Å"public security†. As such dependent on what can be found in the present with respect to progressively tough government authority over the lives of their residents one really want to stay skeptical as the very instruments residents can use to retaliate are gradually being detracted from them. Humankind and machines Generally, the basic role of machines has consistently been to make human lives simpler. Truth be told their advantages have been referenced in the book in the accompanying section â€Å"The food came in through the security fixed entrance, in addition to there was the minifridge with snacks, and the water was separated, coming in and out both† (Atwood, 7). As such it tends to be seen that it is even in the assessment of Atwood that as machines show signs of improvement in giving human needs so to does the chance of the personal satisfaction incre ment. Then again it can likewise be expressed that as machines keep on developing so to will the occupations recently done by people be eliminated for cold machine proficiency. Truth be told it can even be seen in different segments of the book where the expanded disconnection of the informed portion of the populace in the conditions gave by the organizations is because of the way that an expanding measure of human employments being redistributed to robots which cause an enormous level of the populace to live in neediness. In that capacity, while it very well may be said that while machines show signs of improvement the nature of human life will build this level of value will be progressively separated towards the more elite classes of society. Changing Along With Machines One of the messages Atwood attempts to bestow in the novel is the idea of kinship anyway this idea can be further deciphered as thinking about your individual man. What must be thought about is the way that alongs ide enhancements in machines humankind should likewise improve alongside them. This doesn't mean the advancement of the physical self but instead the advancement of thought wherein mankind builds up an adequate enough ability to comprehend that its proceeded with activities will hurt as opposed to help humankind in general. In that capacity, this implies growing new cultural structures that cultivate fairness as opposed to imbalance, better social standards that emphasis on ethics and morals lastly the advancement of oneself to envelop both an adoration forever and the longing to secure it. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. The Year of the Flood. first. London: Bloomsbery, 2009. 3-48. Print.Advertising Searching for paper on writing dialects? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Find out More Creeks Bouson, J. â€Å"â€Å"We’re Using Up the Earth. It’s Almost Gone†: A Return to the Post-Apocalyptic Future in Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood.† Journal of Commonwealth Literature 46.1 (2011): 9-26. Scholastic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. Snyder, Katherine V. â€Å"It’s the End of the World As We Know It.† Women’s Review of Books 27.2 (2010): 19-20. Artistic Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. This paper on Year of the Flood was composed and put together by client Jazlyn A. to help you with your own examinations. You are allowed to utilize it for research and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; be that as it may, you should refer to it in like manner. You can give your paper here.

Module 3 Assessing a Research Study Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 3 Assessing a Research Study - Term Paper Example The exploration article utilizes materials that have been composed, talking about the advancement that has been made in the clinical or medicinal services segment, in light of the utilization of EMR administrations and programming, as a method of tending to the examination question. Subsequently, the utilization of writing audit is utilized to seek after and underscore the sensible connection between the needy variable (degree of profitability examination [ROI]) and autonomous variable (the development and utilization of EMR innovation). 2. The example size contains human services associations that bargain in endocrinology, general medical procedure, orthopedics, cardiology, nephrology, podiatry, ophthalmology, urology, word related medication, dermatology, hypersensitivity and immunology, family practice and gastroenterology. 5. The article obviously shows how the profits on ventures (ROI) have advanced when the appearance or utilization of EMR administrations (unwavering quality). This incorporates the introduction of real figures, and rates of expanded profitability (legitimacy). Two-route Analysis of Variance: unmistakably in the exploration, factual information have been utilized to depict the way in which a given clear cut and autonomous variable influences diverse ward factors. To be sure, the scientist, Dr. Sindhwani makes end such that the coming or utilization of EMR innovation has profoundly expanded all the previously mentioned and tried components of ROI in social insurance/clinical establishments. Dr. Sindhwani as the analyst investigates (remotely) the control of unessential factors by recognizing the spot of other relatable innovations, for example, Smart-telephones, their dominance and an expanded skill for precise coding as elements that will spike onwards, EMR’s returns on ventures. In the investigation, Dr. Sindhwani discovers that the utilization of EMR has altogether expanded the tried components of profits on speculation (ROI). Especially, Dr. Sindhwani is clear cut that outlining expanded from 0.5 to 1 (half

Schizophrenia vs. Schizoaffective Disorder

Schizophrenia vs. Schizoaffective Disorder Schizophrenia Print The Difference Between Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder By Adrian Preda, MD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on November 17, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on January 31, 2020 Schizophrenia Overview Symptoms & Diagnosis Causes & Risk Factors Treatment Living With In Children In This Article Table of Contents Expand Defining Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder Schizophrenia Schizoaffective Disorder Subtle Differences Duration of Mood Episodes Duration of the  Psychotic Symptoms and the Disease Relationship Between Mood Symptoms and Psychotic Symptoms Differences in Treatments View All Schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia are two different disorders, each with  its own diagnostic criteria and treatment. They are both defined as psychotic disorders in the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V). There are many similarities between schizophrenia  and  schizoaffective disorder, including the core  psychotic symptoms of hallucinations,  delusions, and disorganized thinking. There are also important differences, including the prominence of mood features, which is required for the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, but not for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.?? It is important to distinguish between the two because the prognosis is different, and treatment for the mood disorder symptoms is necessary for schizoaffective disorder, but might not be necessary for schizophrenia. Defining Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder With both of these psychotic disorders, hallucinations and delusions tend to occur. Hallucinations False sensory perceptions (hearing voices, seeing images, or feeling sensations that are not there) Delusions False beliefs (people are visiting through time travel or someone is secretly disguised as someone else) With both schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, the person who has the illness lacks insight into perceptual problems and false beliefs.?? For both conditions, the symptoms usually begin when a person is in his or her early 20s, and there may be a family history of the disease. Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental illness that causes severe psychotic symptoms that interfere with the ability to relate to others, to think clearly, to take care of ones self, to hold down a job, or even to be in touch with reality.?? It is usually difficult to interact with others due to psychotic symptoms. Besides psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, people with schizophrenia often have incoherent speech and disorganized behavior. They generally exhibit a flat affect (not showing much emotion) and tend to speak much less than average. Often, a person with schizophrenia has deficits in attention, memory, ability to process new information, and trouble with problem-solving.?? An Overview of Schizophrenia Schizoaffective Disorder Schizoaffective disorder is a mental health condition in which a person experiences psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, or flat affect, along with symptoms of a mood disorder, such as depression and/or mania.?? There are two types of schizoaffective disorder: Bipolar type: characterized by episodes of mania and major depressionDepressive type: characterized by episodes of major depression without mania What Is Schizoaffective Disorder? Subtle Differences Subtle  differences  in  symptoms  can help differentiate between the two disorders. For example, a person who has schizophrenia can become depressed or manic, but these mood disordered symptoms are not generally a prominent or persistent part of the condition.?? The time course, prognosis, and treatment also differ in small ways.   Important differences between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder include the following. Schizophrenia Symptoms begin in early 20s Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, flat affect Chronic, persistent psychotic symptoms Schizoaffective Disorder Symptoms begin in early 20s Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, flat affect along with a mood disorder (depression or mania) Episodes of psychotic symptoms   Duration of Mood Episodes A person who has schizoaffective disorder is likely to experience severe mood symptoms accounting for more than half of the total duration of illness.?? On the other hand, a person who has schizophrenia may also experience mood episodes, but the total duration of the mood symptoms is brief compared to the duration of the psychotic symptoms. Duration of the  Psychotic Symptoms and the Disease The psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia tend to be persistent, while in schizoaffective disorder, they tend to come and go.?? In terms of the course of the disease, most people who are diagnosed with schizophrenia have a  chronic and persistent course of illness. On the other hand, most people diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder experience episodes of symptoms, and are more likely to have symptom-free intervals than people who have schizophrenia. However, this is not a hard and fast rule; in some people, the opposite is true. Relationship Between Mood Symptoms and Psychotic Symptoms In schizophrenia, mood symptoms are not expected to occur without psychotic symptoms. The psychotic symptoms are almost always present, but the mood symptoms come and go. In schizoaffective disorder, the psychotic symptoms may or may not be present during the times when a person is experiencing depression or mania.?? That said, the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder requires that the psychotic symptoms be present for a long enough time (at least a couple of weeks) when a person is not experiencing any serious mood symptoms. Are You Experiencing Positive Psychotic Symptoms? Differences in Treatments The treatment of schizophrenia relies mostly on a special group of prescription medications called antipsychotics. These include older the older antipsychotic medications  haloperidol  and chlorpromazine, as well as newer medications,  risperidone, olanzapine, ziprasidone, quetiapine, asenapine, or lurasidone.?? Maintenance treatment for schizophrenia is almost always an antipsychotic medication. The treatment for the psychotic symptoms of schizoaffective disorder also includes antipsychotics. Paliperidone (invega), an atypical second generation antipsychotic, is the only medication that has the FDA approved indication to treat schizoaffective disorder, although all of the other antipsychotic medications are commonly used.?? For mood symptoms, people who have schizoaffective disorder are prescribed antidepressants if they have the depressive type, and mood stabilizers, such as valproate  or lithium, if they have the bipolar type.?? People who have schizophrenia usually do not need to take mood stabilizers or antidepressants, but sometimes, these medications are needed in addition to antipsychotics. A Word From Verywell Living with schizoaffective disorder is very much like like living with schizophrenia, except that there is a prominent mood component with schizoaffective disorder. These two conditions are not the same as schizoid personality disorder or schizotypal disorder, which are personality disorders that also impact thinking and the ability to relate to others.?? People who have these personality disorders do not have the same degree of psychosis and lack of insight that is characteristic of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. If you are worried that you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, please seek out help from a healthcare professional. While these disorders are serious and interfere substantially with daily life, they can be managed with proper treatment. The Best Online Therapy Programs

The Challenges of Raising Tobacco and Alcohol Taxes

Will raising tobacco and alcohol taxes decrease consumers and benefit to fund states and people for the rising medical costs? It has been said a lot about the dangers of smoking and drinking. We hear about it everyday in the mass media and from health professionals. It is hard to see people losing their voice, being unable to work and in the end dying because of cancer. It is also painful to watch the whole family from a household dying as a result of their car being hit by drunk driver. There are lots of children, adults and hardworking people who died as a result of drinking and driving. McLLelan Deborah , on Washington News Letter Section states about tobacco and alcohol: Cigarettes kill close to 435,000 Americans and cost society tens of billions of dollars annually. Alcohol use causes more than 100,000 deaths each year in the U.S. and is related to a number of health and Social problems. Econometric studies estimate that a $2 per cigarette pack increase would prevent roughly 2 million premature deaths over time by deterring youths from starting to smoke and encouraging smokers to quit. Increases in alcohol prices have also been shown to keep youths from drinking. (Nations Health Mar93, Vol. 23 Issue 3, p4) The fight against this problem has to be an ongoing process. It is a major issue that involves lives. Increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol improves the health of people and can benefit the government and people to finance the rising medical cost. AlthoughShow MoreRelatedRaising Taxes on Tobacco and Alcohol1637 Words   |  6 PagesRaising taxes on tobacco and alcohol The harmful effect of tobacco and alcohol are well profound and experienced in the daily lives of people across the world. It has been mentioned and medically proven that some of the deadliest conditions like liver cirrhosis and cancers are associated with the consumption of these two substances. The rate of the abuse apparently is increasing with the heightened networking of the globe and the use of these two substances has fast moved to the abuse levelsRead MoreEconomy: Taxes are Good Especially at the Macroeconomic Level684 Words   |  3 PagesTaxes– the word which sent ripple effects once the mind interpreted the word. A surcharge, something paid above and beyond the good you’re paying for. At times one might burst boughs of anger in coloured word as your initial calculations on what you were going to pay are wrong. Wait a minute, those taxes are working for us– or are they? If you look at the economy at a macro level, it doesn’t take a genius to see that taxes are generally good. When looking at the expenditure approach GDP=C+I+G+NxRead MoreIncrease Taxation Of Tobacco Products On South Korea And Reduce The Levels Of Noncommunicable Diseases1733 Words   |  7 PagesAmy Tseng G H 511: Problems in Global Health Critical Analysis Paper December 2, 2014 Word Count: 1,536 Increase taxation of tobacco products in South Korea to reduce the levels of noncommunicable diseases Introduction and Background One of the major global public health challenges of the 21st century is noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Current global mortality from NCDs remains exceedingly high and continues to increase. According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2014 estimates, 38 millionRead MoreThe $ 6.7 Million Budget Gap For The Next Fiscal Year830 Words   |  4 Pagessuggestion of what you, our Mayor, can do to meet the next fiscal year budget. Piggybacking a considerable sales tax of  ¾ cent onto the state’s current rate of 8% is a good idea. Piggybacking is the best option I would recommend to you as a method of raising the revenue. The attachment of the tax would make the people pay more than they do while making sales. The idea can raise revenue that can be helpful to meet the budget. Te people will have to pay as every day people make sales and therefore cannotRead MoreThe Effects of Lowering the Drinking Age to 181126 Words   |  5 PagesRhetoric and Composition 15 December 2012 Lowering The Drinking Age Alcohol is considered to be a large problem in society today. Especially with young adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. Which presents the question of whether or not the drinking age should be lowered. Lowering the legal drinking age to eighteen would have positive and negative influences on society. Positive through raising more government taxes and keep high school age and young college students out of troubleRead MoreEssay on Higher Education and Financial Aid from the Government1667 Words   |  7 Pagesvery significant changes have been made by our government offering improved financial aid to current and future students, more can still be done. Our politicians could increase the Pell Grant maximum to coincide with rising tuition costs, increase taxes on irrelevant goods and services to provide students with more direct funding, set up a â€Å"reward system† that would place more responsibility on the students (rather than themselves), and most impo rtantly, our two main parties in office need to agreeRead MoreEffect of Cigarette Smoking Essay2834 Words   |  12 Pagespresented with few grammatical and spelling errors, correctly referenced with Harvard reference style | | | | | | | General Comments 1st Marker Deborah Richardson 2nd Marker Introduction This presentation evaluates the impact of tobacco smoking in Nigeria with a proposed structured strategy based on theoretical approaches and public Health models to tackle this complex Health problem in a bid to improve and protect Health. Until recently, non communicable diseases stillRead More Globalization Has A Negative Impact on Global Health1799 Words   |  8 Pageswill examine how globalisation has helped alcohol and tobacco trade around the world and in doing so affected health, how globalization has enabled the global community to combat these issues and an estimation of alcohol and tobacco consumption in different countries. This essay will also contain statistics from the World Health Organization based on alcohol and tobacco to illustrate the impact of globalisation. Alcohol: The question as to when alcohol was invented is still unknown, but the discoveryRead MoreAnti Smoking Programs For Smoking1589 Words   |  7 Pagesother campaigns have taken on the challenge of combatting anti-smoking with the tobacco industry’s promotion. The â€Å"truth† campaign, specifically, imposed an early and effective model for anti-smoking programs to follow, therefore making it highly successful. The â€Å"truth† campaign is one of the most recent large-scale national anti-smoking programs used to change attitudes and beliefs towards smoking. In 1998, the Florida Department of Health launched this tobacco prevention program that featured aRead MoreAmerica s Fiscal 2017 Budget1719 Words   |  7 Pagesas Louisiana was awash in one-time revenue, including federal funding to the state to aid recovery from disasters such as hurricanes Katrina and Gustav. Critics of the state s use of one-time revenue said it shielded the effects of lowering income taxes that caused a long-term structural deficit. Now, the rains in Louisiana have added to its revenue misery and exacerbated the vulnerability to revenue weakness in the natural resources sector, or, as Marcia Howard wrote: Clearly, there are states

Taking a Look at Anorexia Nervosa - 1158 Words

Anorexia Sickness can quickly become a disease. An eating disorder called anorexia nervosa begins as a type of diet but turns into a disease that can severely affect many aspects of your life. This occurs when people reach the point of starvation because they are overly conscious of their weight, even though they may be dangerously underweight. When someone becomes obsessed with their self-image, action must be taken to provide the best treatment for them. Anorexia can become a serious problem that will change the way you think, act and feel. Because of various factors, individuals are devastated emotionally mentally by anorexia. One factor that triggers anorexia begins at an early age. Particular childhood events can lead to eating†¦show more content†¦In other cultures, eating disorders are just as ubiquitous. A study was done by Osvold Sodowsky, and it proved that Black and Native American women who were more accommodating with the American culture showed more symptoms o f anorexia than those who were less accepting of the white American way of living (Northwestern University). This proves that the impact from the media, especially in America, provides a hope for something that isn’t reachable. In past years, it was said that anorexia was most commonly found in upper-middle class White women, but over time, women of different ethnicities are also commonly confronted with anorexia. (Duckworth, Freedman). It is possible to lose enough weight to fit the standard that is set, but can hurt your life in so many different ways. Eating disorders are not just about food and weight; they affect someone both psychologically and emotionally. â€Å"Anorexics punish themselves for their perceived failures and self-hatred by restricting their food intake.† (Engel). Although this may be the case, people with anorexia don’t just take food from their lives, the fact that they have self-hatred to trigger it causes many more complications and long-term effects. Clearly, anorexia is not just a weight issue. Individuals mainly use food to control how they are feeling if they are placed in a conflict or feel insecure.Show MoreRelatedTaking a Look at Anorexia Nervosa1613 Words   |  7 Pagesthat I have learnt a lot about eating disorders and anorexia nervosa in particular. I researched the DSM V diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. The criteria that must be met include an intense fear of gaining weight (even if the patient is severely underweight), restriction of calorie intake relative to requirements leading to a significantly low weight and an altered perception of one’s own body weight/shape. Sufferers of anorexia nervosa can be subdivided into two types: restricting (who cutRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, And Binge Eating1694 Words   |  7 Pagesactivities, eating disorders are becoming more and more common. There are three main types: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating. Binge eating is when you consume large amounts of food at one time, following the intake with no attempt to prevent weight gain. Bulimia is when you consume large amounts of food at one time, followed by an attempt to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting. Anorexia Nervosa is when you limit your food intake to little-to-none with the outcome of weight thatRead MoreThe Dangerous Effects of Eating Disorders1100 Words   |  5 Pagesthat you eat and how much you weigh, you often focus on little else (http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eating-disorders/basics/def inition/con-20033575 ). There are three main types of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa is the fear of gaining weight. If you have bulimia nervosa, you eat large amounts very quickly, and then you purge. Lastly, binge eating is where you feel out of control and you eat, and eat, and eat, and you cannot stop. Eating disorders can cause serious physical problemsRead MoreAnorexia Nervos Eating Disorders Association1013 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects about 0.5 to 1 percent of women in the United States today. (Anorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association) While, that may not seem like a lot of people are suffering from Anorexia nervosa it has received a significant amount of attention due to the consequences of developing this disorder. For example, it is reported that five to twenty percent of people who have Anorexia Nervosa will eventually succumb to theirRead MoreEating Disorders And Eating Disorder1410 Words   |  6 Pages as defined by our text book for class, is psychological disturbances that lead to certain physiological changes and serious health complications. The three most common and most easily identifiable forms of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. While most people who have eating disorders tend to be women from white middle-class upper-class families, eating disorders span social class, ge nder, race, and ethnic backgrounds (Floyd, Mimms, YeldingRead MoreEating Disorders Among Young Adults1015 Words   |  5 Pagessociety seeing famous people look like that it makes people take drastic measures to become skinny like them. Some people just don’t eat, others eat too much and then they make themselves throw up, and others don’t eat and then go exercise too much. Also we live in a society that is surrounded by food. In the United States there is a fast food restaurant on almost every corner and yet there is still an issue with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. When itRead MoreEating Disorders : Anorexia Nervosa998 Words   |  4 Pageseven social factors. Their main concern tends to focus on the amount of weight but yet gorge on varieties of unhealthy high calorie products (silverthorne1). In consequence females start to have Anorexia Nervosa or even Bulimia Nervosa. Even though both disorders are dangerous similarity Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia have common symptoms on an individual’s health and can even lead to termination of their life. Initially both disorders can be caused by becoming obsessed with unhealthy foods such asRead MoreEating Disorders : Anorexia Nervosa1443 Words   |  6 Pageseating disorders can be characterized in three ways which include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa can be further broken down into two types which are anorexia nervosa restricting type, and anorexia nervosa binge/purge type. Eating disorders if approached early enough can be reversed with no damage or very minimal damage to the person. One characteristic of an eating disorder is anorexia nervosa. This characteristic as described by Hoeksema (2014) is seenRead MoreThe Risks And The Management Of Adolescents With Eating Disorders1218 Words   |  5 Pageswas supplied by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. The ultimate goal of this research was to educate dental professionals on anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and how to identify the predisposing factors. To begin, Hicks and Roberts start off by start off by telling us that statistically speaking anorexia and bulimia are serious medical conditions that most commonly effect adolescents and young adults. In 2014, 70 million people worldwide showed clinical signsRead MoreEating Disorders and the Media941 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, â€Å"the body type portrayed in advertising as the ideals is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.† (â€Å"ANAD†) Body image has been a controversial theme because of the influence of the media. It is a widely known fact that eating disorder cases are on the rise. The concept of body image is a subjective matter. The common phrase, â€Å"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder,† holds true meaning in this sense. One’s

Simple Linear Regression Free Essays

string(661) " 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 Appraised Value \(in Thousands of Dollars\) Review: Inference for Regression We can describe the relationship between x and y using a simple linear regression model of the form  µy = \? 0 \+ \? 1 x 1000 900 Sale Price \(in Thousands of Dollars\) 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 Appraised Value \(in Thousands of Dollars\) response variable y : sale price explanatory variable x: appraised value relationship between x and y : linear strong positive We can estimate the simple linear regression model using Least Squares \(LS\) yielding the following LS regression line: y = 20\." Stat 326 – Introduction to Business Statistics II Review – Stat 226 Spring 2013 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 1 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 2 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Example: Real Estate, Tampa Palms, Florida Goal: Predict sale price of residential property based on the appraised value of the property Data: sale price and total appraised value of 92 residential properties in Tampa Palms, Florida 1000 900 Sale Price (in Thousands of Dollars) 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 Appraised Value (in Thousands of Dollars) Review: Inference for Regression We can describe the relationship between x and y using a simple linear regression model of the form  µy = ? 0 + ? 1 x 1000 900 Sale Price (in Thousands of Dollars) 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 Appraised Value (in Thousands of Dollars) response variable y : sale price explanatory variable x: appraised value relationship between x and y : linear strong positive We can estimate the simple linear regression model using Least Squares (LS) yielding the following LS regression line: y = 20. 94 + 1. 069x Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 4 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Interpretation of estimated intercept b0 : corresponds to the predicted value of y , i. We will write a custom essay sample on Simple Linear Regression or any similar topic only for you Order Now e. y , when x = 0 Review: Inference for Regression Interpretation of estimated slope b1 : corresponds to the change in y for a unit increase in x: when x increases by 1 unit y will increase by the value of b1 interpretation of b0 is not always meaningful (when x cannot take values close to or equal to zero) here b0 = 20. 94: when a property is appraised at zero value the predicted sales price is $20,940 — meaningful?! Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 5 / 47 b1 0: y decreases as x increases (negative association) b1 0: y increases as x increases (positive association) here b1 = 1. 069: when the appraised value of a property increases by 1 unit, i. e. by $1,000, the predicted sale price will increase by $1,069. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 6 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Measuring strength and adequacy of a linear relationship correlation coe? cient r : measure of strength of linear relationship ? 1 ? r ? 1 here: r = 0. 9723 Review: Inference for Regression Population regression line Recall from Stat 226 Population regression line The regression model that we assume to hold true for the entire population is the so-called population regression line where  µy = ? 0 + ? 1 x, coe? cient of determination r 2 : amount of variation in y explained by the ? tted linear model 0 ? r2 ? 1 here: r 2 = (0. 9723)2 = 0. 9453 ? 94. 53% of the variation in the sale price can be explained through the linear relationship between the appraised value (x) and the sale price (y ) Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 7 / 47  µy — average (mean) value of y in population for ? xed value of x ? — population intercept ? 1 — population slope The population regression line could only be obtained if we had information on all individuals in the population. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 8 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Based on the population regression line we can fully describe re lationship between x and y up to a random error term ? y = ? 0 + ? 1 x + ? , where ? ? N (0, ? ) Review: Inference for Regression In summary, these are important notations used for SLR: Description x y Parameters ? 0 ? 1  µy ? Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 9 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Description Estimates b0 b1 y e Description Introduction to Business Statistics II 10 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Review: Inference for Regression Validity of predictions Assuming we have a â€Å"good† model, predictions are only valid within the range of x-values used to ? t the LS regression model! Predicting outside the range of x is called extrapolation and should be avoided at all costs as predictions can become unreliable. Why ? t a LS regression model? A â€Å"good† model allows us to make predictions about the behavior of the response variable y for di? rent values of x estimate average sale price ( µy ) for a property appraised at $223,000: x = 223 : y = 20. 94 + 1. 069 ? 223 = 259. 327 ? the average sale price for a property appraised at $223,000 is estimated to be about $259,327 What is a â€Å"good† model? — answer to this question is not straight forward. We can visually check the validity of the ? tted linear model (through residu al plots) as well as make use of numerical values such as r 2 . more on assessing the validity of regression model will follow. 11 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 12 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II Review: Inference for Regression What to look for: Review: Inference for Regression Regression Assumptions residual plot: Assumptions SRS (independence of y -values) linear relationship between x and  µy for each value of x, population of y -values is normally distributed (? ? ? N) r2 : for each value of x, standard deviation of y -values (and of ? ) is ? In order to do inference (con? dence intervals and hypotheses tests), we need the following 4 assumptions to hold: Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 13 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 14 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression †SRS Assumption† is hardest to check The †Linearity Assumption† and †Constant SD Assumption† are typically checked visually through a residual plot. Recall: residual = y ? y = y ? (b0 + b1 x) The †Normality Assumption† is checked by assessing whether residuals are approximately normally distributed (use normal quantile plot) plot x versus residuals any pattern indicates violation Review: Inference for Regression Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 15 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 16 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Returning to the Tampa Palms, Florida example: 100 50 Residual 0 -50 -100 -150 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 Review: Inference for Regression Going one step further, excluding the outlier yields 0. 2 0. 1 0. 0 -0. 1 -0. 2 -0. 3 4 4. 5 5 5. 5 log Appraised 6 6. 5 7 Residual Appraised Value (in Thousands of Dollars) Note: non-constant variance can often be stabilized by transforming x, or 0. 5 y , or both: Residual 0. 0 -0. 5 -1. 0 -1. 5 4 4. 5 5 5. 5 log Appraised 6 6. 5 7 outliers/in? uential points in general should only be excluded from an analysis if they can be explained and their exclusion can be justi? ed, e. g. ypo or invalid measurements, etc. excluding outliers always means a loss of information handle outliers with caution may want to compare analyses with and without outliers Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 17 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 18 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression normal quantil e plots Tampa Palms example Residuals Sale Price (in Thousands of Dollars) 100 .01 . 05 . 10 . 25 . 50 . 75 . 90 . 95 . 99 Review: Inference for Regression Residuals log Sale 50 Regression Inference Con? dence intervals and hypotheses tests -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 Normal Quantile Plot -50 -100 Need to assess whether linear relationship between x and y holds true for entire population. .01 . 05 . 10 . 25 . 50 . 75 . 90 . 95 . 99 Residuals log Sale without outlier 0. 2 0. 1 0 -0. 1 -0. 2 -0. 3 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 This can be accomplished through testing H0 : ? 1 = 0 vs. H0 : ? 1 = 0 based on the estimates slope b1 . For simplicity we will work with the untransformed Tampa Palms data. Normal Quantile Plot Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 19 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 20 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Review: Inference for Regression Example: Find 95% CI for ? 1 for the Tampa Palms data set Con? dence intervals We can construct con? dence intervals (CIs) for ? 1 and ? 0 . General form of a con? dence interval estimate  ± t ? SEestimate , where t ? is the critical value corresponding to the chosen level of con? dence C t ? is based on the t-distribution with n ? 2 degrees of freedom (df) Interpretation: Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 21 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 22 / 47 Review: Inference for Regression Review: Inference for Regression Testing for a linear relationship between x and y If we wish to test whether there exists a signi? cant linear relationship between x and y , we need to test H0 : ? 1 = 0 Why? If we fail to reject the null hypothesis (i. e. stick with H0 = ? 1 = 0), the LS regression model reduces to  µy = ? 1 =0 versus Ha : ? 1 = 0 ?0 + ? 1 x ? 0 + 0  · x ? 0 (constant) Introduction to Business Statistics II 24 / 47 = = implying that  µy (and hence y ) is not linearly dependent on x. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 23 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Review: Inference for Regression Review: Inference for Regression Example (Tampa Palms data set): Test at the ? = 0. 05 level of signi? cance for a linear relationship between the appraised value of a property and the sale price Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 25 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 26 / 47 Inference about Prediction Why ? t a LS regression model? The purpose of a LS regression model is to 1 Inference about Prediction 2 estimate  µy – average/mean value of y for a given value of x, say x ? e. g. estimate average sale price  µy for all residential property in Tampa Palms appraised at x ? $223,000 predict y – an individual/single future value of the response variable y for a given value of x, say x ? e. g. predict a future sale price of an individual residential property appraised at x ? =$223,000 Keep in mind that we consider predictions for only one value of x at a time. Note, these two tasks are VERY di? erent. Carefully think about the di? erence! Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 27 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 28 / 47 Inference about Prediction To estimate  µy and to predict a single future y value for a given level of x = x ? we can use the LS regression line y = b0 + b1 x Simply substitute the desired value of x, say x ? , for x: y = b0 + b1 x ? Inference about Prediction In addition we need to know how much variability is associated with the point estimator. Taking the variability into account provides information about how good and reliable the point estimator really is. That is, which range potentially captures the true (but unknown) parameter value? Recall from 226 ? construction of con? dence intervals Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 29 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 0 / 47 Inference about Prediction Much more variability is associated with estimating a single observation than estimating an average — individual observations always vary more than averages!! Inference about Prediction Therefore we distinguish a con? dence interval for the average/mean response  µy and a prediction interval for a single future observation y Both intervals use a t ? critical value from a t-distribution with df = n ? 2. the standard error will be di? erent for each interval: While the point estimator for the average  µy and the future individual value y are the same (namely y = b0 + b1 x ? , the of the two con? dence intervals ! Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 31 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 32 / 47 Inference about Prediction Con? dence interval for the average/mean response  µy Width of the con? dence interval is determined using the standard error SE µ (from estimating the mean response) SE µ can be obtained in JMP Keep in mind that every con? dence interval is always constructed for one speci? c given v alue x ? A level C con? dence interval for the average/mean response  µy , when x takes the value x? is given by y  ± t ? SE µ , where SE µ is the standard error for estimating a mean response. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 33 / 47 Inference about Prediction Prediction interval for a single (future) value y Again, Width of the con? dence interval is determined using the standard error SE µ (from estimating the mean response) SEy can be obtained in JMP Keep in mind that every prediction interval is always constructed for one speci? c given value x ? A level C prediction interval for a single observation y , when x takes the value x ? is given by y  ± t ? SEy , where SEy is the standard error for estimating a single response. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 34 / 47 Inference about Prediction The larger picture: Inference about Prediction The larger picture cont’d. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 35 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 36 / 47 Inference about Prediction Example: An appliance store runs a 5-month experiment to determine the e? ect of advertising on sales revenue. There are only 5 observations. The scatterplot of the advertising expenditures versus the sales revenues is shown below: Bivariate Fit of Sales Revenues (in Dollars) By Advertising expenditure Inference about Prediction Example cont’d: JMP can draw the con? dence intervals for the mean responses as well as for the predicted values for future observations (prediction intervals). These are called con? dence bands: Bivariate Fit of Sales Revenues (in Dollars) By Advertising expenditure 5000 5000 Sales Revenues (in Dollars) 4000 3000 2000 1000 Sales Revenues (in Dollars) 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Advertising expenditure (in Dollars) 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Advertising expenditure (in Dollars) Linear Fit Linear Fit Sales Revenues (in Dollars) = -100 + 7 Advertising expenditure (in Dollars) Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 37 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 38 / 47 Inference about Prediction Inference about Prediction Estimation and prediction (for the appliance store data) Estimation and prediction – Using JMP For each observation in a data set we can get from JMP: y , SEy , and also SE µ . In JMP do: 1 2 We wish to estimate the mean/average revenue of the subpopulation of stores that spent x ? = 200 on advertising. Suppose that we also wish to predict the revenue in a future month when our store spends x ? = 200 on advertising. The point estimate in both situations is the same: y = ? 100 + 7 ? 200 ? 1300 the corresponding standard errors of the mean and of the prediction however are di? erent: SE µ ? 331. 663 SEy ? 690. 411 40 / 47 Choose Fit Model From response icon, choose Save Columns and then choose Predicted Values, Std Error of Predicted, and Std Error of Individual. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 39 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II Inference about Prediction Estimation and prediction (cont’d) Note that in the appliance store example, SEy SE µ (690. 411 versus 331. 63). This is true always: we can estimate a mean value for y for a given x ? much more precisely than we can predict the value of a single y for x = x ?. In estimating a mean  µy for x = x ? , the only uncertainty arises because we do not know the true regression line. In predicting a single y for x = x ? , we have two uncertainties: the true regression line plus the expected variability of y -values around the true line. Inference about Prediction Estimation and prediction (cont’d) It always holds that SE µ SEy Therefore a prediction interval for a single future observation y will always be wider than a con? ence interval for the mean response  µy as there is simply more uncertainty in predicting a single value. Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 41 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 42 / 47 Inference about Prediction Example cont’d: JMP also calculates con? dence intervals for the mean response  µy as well as prediction intervals for single future observations y. (For instructions follow the handout on JMP commands related to regression CIs and PIs. ) Inference about Prediction Example cont’d: To construct both a con? ence and/or prediction interval, we need to obtain SE µ and SEy in JMP for the value x ? that we are interested in: Month Ad. Expend. S ales Rev. Pred. Sales Rev. StdErr Pred Sales Revenues StdErr Indiv Sales Revenues Let’s construct one 95% CI and PI by hand and see if we can come up with the same results as JMP: In the second month the appliance store spent x = $200 on advertising and observed $1000 in sales revenue, so x = 200 and y = 1000 Using the estimated LS regression line, we predict: y = ? 100 + 7 ? 200 = 1300 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 43 / 47 Need to ? nd t ? ?rst: Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 44 / 47 Inference about Prediction A 95% CI for the mean response  µy , when x ? = 200: Inference about Prediction A 95% PI for a single future observation of y , when x ? = 200: Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 45 / 47 Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 46 / 47 Inference about Prediction Example cont’d: Advertising exp. Sales Rev. Lower 95% Mean Upper 95% Mean Sales Rev. Sales Rev. Lower 95% Indiv Sales Rev. Upper 95% Indiv Sales Rev. Month Stat 326 (Spring 2013) Introduction to Business Statistics II 47 / 47 How to cite Simple Linear Regression, Papers

School Vouchers Essays - Education Economics, Alternative Education

School Vouchers Education School Vouchers There has been a lot of debate recently over the use of school vouchers. Voucher programs offer students attending both public and private schools tuition vouchers. It gives taxpayers the freedom to pick where their tax dollars go. In theory, good schools will thrive with money and bad schools will lose students and close its doors. Most people feel that taking taxpayer money from public schools and using this money as vouchers for private schools is a violation of the constitution. Most private schools in America right now are run by religious organizations. There has been a lot of controversy over this issue mainly because of the importance of an education in a modern society. School choice initiatives are based on the premise that allowing parents to choose what schools their children attend is not only the right thing to do, but is also an important way for improving education. Instead of a one-size-fits-all model, School choice programs offer parents various options from which to pick the educational settings they believe will work best for their child. However, there is Supporters of school vouchers claim that it levels the educational playing field for lower income families who would have the option to send their kids away from an ?ineffective? poorly funded public schools. Some lower class families feel that their kids would have a better chance with a tuition voucher to go to a private school where more money is spent on education. Many feel that vouchers would undermine public schools, by taking away public money for smaller class sizes, teacher training and innovative curriculum. Also, many feel that vouchers would erode the support for public education. In Milwaukee, voucher schools say they do not give special services to students with disabilities. Most of the voucher schools refused to sign a letter that they will honor constitutional rights such as free speech and due process. The letter stated that the schools would not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, pregnancy, or marital status. Despite the controversy surrounding vouchers, the private school choice movement may be gaining support. In June of 1999, The Florida legislature approved a plan to give children in the state's worst schools taxpayer-funded tuition payments to attend qualified public, private, or religious schools. While state-accepted programs that provide public money for students to attend private and religious schools are already in place in Cleveland and Milwaukee, the Florida action is important because it is the first comprehensive voucher plan to be approved by a state. However, this year, a Florida judge struck down the Florida's legislature year old program that allows students to get away from troubled and poorly funded schools. The Judge stated tax dollars may not be used to send the children of this state to private schools, the Judge ruled. He based his decision on the 1998 amendment that Florida voters added to the state constitution declaring an efficient, safe, secure and high-quality system of free public schools to be a paramount duty of the state. Judges in a lower court have had mixed rulings on this issue. Some judges have upheld the voucher programs and some have struck them down. This issue is yet to be decided by the US Supreme Court and continues to cause debate until the Supreme Court settles it.

Free Essays on Learning And Development

Learning and Development Learning and development of children needs to be met in many different ways. I saw this through observing and viewing the Seasons of Life Video’s. In observing I saw that teachers have to be aware of each child’s present level of functioning. This determined the manner in which they were taught and how praise or discipline was administered. Therefore, how a child learns and develops. In viewing the Season’s of Life videos I saw that there are many cultural, gender, and social class issues in today’s world. In the classroom, these things need to be addressed very carefully and tactfully. Children’s diversities should be nurtured and embraced not criticized in order for the children to develop properly. Through the years I have become increasingly aware that I learn best as a visual learner. This is shown in Artifact 1. Not everyone learns the same. Teachers have to develop many different teaching styles to accommodate each child. I saw this in an observation I did with a special education class. Each child took turns working on a number activity. Every time a new student came up the teacher explained the activity a different way. Because the teacher knew how these children learned, she was best able to show the children how to do the activity in their learning style. In today’s growing world, students and teachers need to have knowledge of computer and presentation skills. As anyone can already tell, I have computer skills. I think it is very important for schools to have students on computers a certain amount of time a week. Presentation skills are also something good for students to have. Many times in student’s lives, they will be able to use presentation skill. Through an observation, I saw this being taught. The students each had to put together a science project and present it on a certain night. They also had to use the computer for doing some things for this p... Free Essays on Learning And Development Free Essays on Learning And Development Learning and Development Learning and development of children needs to be met in many different ways. I saw this through observing and viewing the Seasons of Life Video’s. In observing I saw that teachers have to be aware of each child’s present level of functioning. This determined the manner in which they were taught and how praise or discipline was administered. Therefore, how a child learns and develops. In viewing the Season’s of Life videos I saw that there are many cultural, gender, and social class issues in today’s world. In the classroom, these things need to be addressed very carefully and tactfully. Children’s diversities should be nurtured and embraced not criticized in order for the children to develop properly. Through the years I have become increasingly aware that I learn best as a visual learner. This is shown in Artifact 1. Not everyone learns the same. Teachers have to develop many different teaching styles to accommodate each child. I saw this in an observation I did with a special education class. Each child took turns working on a number activity. Every time a new student came up the teacher explained the activity a different way. Because the teacher knew how these children learned, she was best able to show the children how to do the activity in their learning style. In today’s growing world, students and teachers need to have knowledge of computer and presentation skills. As anyone can already tell, I have computer skills. I think it is very important for schools to have students on computers a certain amount of time a week. Presentation skills are also something good for students to have. Many times in student’s lives, they will be able to use presentation skill. Through an observation, I saw this being taught. The students each had to put together a science project and present it on a certain night. They also had to use the computer for doing some things for this p...

Make a Glowing Ice Sphere Using Ice

Make a Glowing Ice Sphere Using Ice There are a few different ways you can make a non-toxic glowing ice sphere. You can even make a glowing crystal ball that you can float in a bowl of punch to drink. Glowing Ice Sphere Materials The most important item for this project is a mold that you can use to make a sphere of ice. You can use a plastic snap-together ball, meant for making your own holiday ornaments or you can fill any hemisphere containers to put together two halves of a sphere. Look for ice cube trays that make rounded ice, small bowls, large measuring spoons, melon ballers, etc. Plastic and metal containers work well; dont use any container made from thin glass, since it may shatter when you are freezing the ice. How to Make Water Glow for the Ice You have a few different ways to make your ice glow. Tonic Water - BlueTonic water glows blue when it is exposed to a black light due to the fluorescence of quinine, the ingredient which gives tonic water its characteristic flavor. You can freeze tonic water and float your ice sphere in a punchbowl. This type of glowing ice is completely safe to eat or drink. Highlighter Water - Any ColorIf you squeeze the ink from a non-toxic fluorescent highlighter pen into water and pour it into a mold, you can get an icy sphere that glows brightly under a black light. Although the ice is non-toxic, it isnt good to eat or drink. Use highlighter ink when you want a wide selection of colors or want brightly glowing ice. Glowing Ice - Greenish YellowIf you mix a little non-toxic glowing paint into some water and make an ice sphere, you will have an ice ball that glows in the dark for an extended period of time. This type of ice makes a great snowball. Shave the ice or slush it up in a blender, pack it into a snowball shape, expose it to a bright light , then turn out the lights and have a snowball fight in the dark. Watch a YouTube video tutorial showing how to make a glowing ice ball and see what they look like.

Carmen Jones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Carmen Jones - Essay Example Carmen Jones was a 1943 musical which was later adapted to film in 1954. Much of the original cast was African American during a time in this country when segregation was still prominent. This fictional story is centered around one character by the name of Carmen Jones and is done so in musical fashion. Carmen Jones is a young woman who makes parachutes for the flyboys in the American military. Incidentally, Carmen falls in love with one flyboy in particular named Joe. Joe however, is initially in love with another girl by the name of Cindy Lou. Joe intends to marry Cindy Lou on his next day of leave only to spurn Carmen’s jealousy enough to cause her to destroy a parachute. Since the parachute is government property, Carmen is in danger of getting in to trouble for doing so, so she must flea and does so with Joe. As they run off together, Carmen is able to both enchant and seduce Joe, who quickly forgets about Cindy Lou. As a result, Joe does not return to his post as he is s upposed to and therefore is court marshaled. Carmen in the meantime, meets a boxer in a saloon who invites her and her friends to attend his next boxing match. At first, Carmen does not consent to go but then later sees the wealth bestowed on her friends by Husky the boxer, and so therefore decides to accept the advances of Husky while rejecting Joe altogether. While at the apartment of Husky the boxer, Carmen has her cards read to her wherein she learns that death is soon coming for her. Additionally, Joe is confronted with Cindy Lou who wishes fro him to return to her and marry her. He rejects her completely as he is in love with Carmen. Incidentally, it is Joe who comes for her shortly after this in hopes of convincing her to come back to him. When she rejects him, he kills her thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the cards. In looking at the multi-layered themes of this piece, there is a lot to

The importance of banqueting and what type of events there are and how Essay - 1

The importance of banqueting and what type of events there are and how banqueting fits in - Essay Example Many guests introduce each other during a banquet and thus one can consider banqueting as a social event. Here you meet new people and make friends. Even the marketers, now days, use banqueting to promote and advertise their products. Many marketers even hold lucky draws and other brand activities during a banquet and all of this signifies the great importance that banqueting holds for people of our generation. A special event is a one-time event and does not recur on a continuing basis. This makes it unique and it basically held for the purpose of ground breaking, grand opening or other significant moments in life. Concerts and job fairs are also considered as special programme because they cannot be repeated or reproduced. Since, special events are one-time events, special management techniques are required to make these events a success. Many people suffer from improper management of these events which kills the purpose of these events. Therefore, planning these events is the key. You need to make sure that you have the resources and manpower to arrange and successfully host the event. A good starting point in the event management is developing a check list of the resources that you need. A written checklist is important because it can be referred to in the future and important details are not forgotten. Once the event is successfully stage, you need to take some time after the event to evaluate the significance of the event, that is how well it was hosted and stage. For this, a written document is better because you can write down the details while still fresh, reducing the chances that you forget your mistake and they might reoccur again. These steps make events unique and fulfill the purpose of ho lding special events. Banqueting fits in any event as a closing gesture, and signifies the end of an event. The food that is to be

Benefits and Compensation in Human Resources

Benefits and Compensation in Human Resources What are your benefits is the first thing many applicants ask. Benefits indirect financial and nonfinancial payments employees receive for continuing their employment with the company are an important part of just about everyones compensation. They include things like health and life insurance, pensions, time off with pay, and child-care assistance. Most full-time employees in the United States receive benefits. Virtually all employers offer some health insurance coverage. Employee benefits account for between 33% 40% of wages and salaries (or about 28% of total payrolls). Pay for time not worked is the most costly benefits, because of the large amount of time off employees. Compensation is a primary motivator for employees. People look for jobs that not only suit their creativity and talents, but compensate them-both in terms of salary and other benefits-accordingly. Compensation is also one of the fastest changing fields in Human Resources, as companies continue to investigate various ways of rewarding employees for performance. It is important for small business owners to understand the difference between wages and salaries. A wage is based on hours worked. Employees who receive a wage are often called non-exempt. A salary is an amount paid for a particular job, regardless of hours worked, and these employees are called exempt. The difference between the two is carefully defined by the type of position and the kinds of tasks that employees perform. In general, exempt employees include executives, administrative and professional employees, and others as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. These groups are not covered by minimum wage provisions. Non-exempt employees are covered by minimum wage as well as other provisions. It is important to pay careful attention to these definitions when determining whether an individual is to receive a wage or a salary. Improper classification of a position can not only pose legal problems, but often results in employee dissatisfaction, especially if the employee believes that execution of the responsibilities and duties of the position warrant greater compensation than is currently awarded. When setting the level of an employees monetary compensation, several factors must be considered. First and foremost, wages must be set high enough to motivate and attract good employees. They must also be equitable-that is, the wage must accurately reflect the value of the labor performed. In order to determine salaries or wages that are both equitable for employees and sustainable for companies, businesses must first make certain that they understand the responsibilities and requirements of the position under review. The next step is to review prevailing rates and classifications for similar jobs. This process requires research of the competitive rate for a particular job within a given geographical area. Wage surveys can be helpful in defining wage and salary structures, but these should be undertaken by a professional (when possible) to achieve the most accurate results. In addition, professional wage surveys can sometimes be found through local employment bureaus or in the pages of trade publications. Job analysis not only helps to set wages and salaries, but ties into several other Human Resource functions such as hiring, training, and performance appraisal. As the job is defined, a wage can be determined and the needs for hiring and training can be evaluated. The evaluation criteria for performance appraisal can also be constructed as the specific responsibilities of a position are defined. Other factors to consider when settling on a salary for a position include Availability of people capable of fulfilling the obligations and responsibilities of the job, Level of demand elsewhere in the community and/or industry for prospective employees, Cost of living in the area, Attractiveness of the community in which the company operates, Compensation levels already in existence elsewhere in the company. There are many federal, state, and local employment and tax laws that impact compensation. These laws define certain aspects of pay, influence how much pay a person may receive, and shape general benefits plans. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is probably the most important piece of compensation legislation. Small business owners should be thoroughly familiar with it. This act contains five major compensation laws governing minimum wage, overtime pay, equal pay, recordkeeping requirement, and child labor, and it has been amended on several occasions over the years. Most of the regulations set out in the FLSA impact non-exempt employees, but this is not true across the board. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is an amendment to FLSA, which prohibits differences in compensation based on sex for men and women in the same workplace whose jobs are similar. It does not prohibit seniority systems, merit systems, or systems that pay for performance, and it does not consider exempt or non-exempt status. In addition, the United States government has passed several other laws that have had an impact, in one way or another, on compensation issues. These include the Consumer Credit Protection Act of 1968, which deals with wage garnishments; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which regulates pension programs; the Old Age, Survivors, Disability and Health Insurance Program (OASDHI), which forms the basis for most benefits programs; and implementation of unemployment insurance, equal employment, workers comp, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs and laws. For the most part, traditional methods of compensation involve set pay levels (wage or salary) with regular increases. Increases can be given for a variety of reasons, but are typically given for promotions, merit increases, or cost of living increases. The Hay Group points out that there is less distinction today between merit increases and cost of living increases: Because of the low levels (3 to 4 percent) of salary budget funding, most merit raises are perceived as little more than cost of living increases. Employees have come to expect them. This base pay system is one that most people are familiar with. Often, it includes a set salary or wage, a set schedule for merit increases, and a set benefits package. Benefits are an important part of an employees total compensation package. Benefits packages became popular after World War II, when wage controls made it more difficult to give competitive salaries. Benefits were added to monetary compensation to attract, retain, and motivate employees, and they still perform that function today. They are not cash rewards, but they do have monetary value (for example, spiraling health care costs make health benefits particularly essential to todays families). Many of these benefits are nontaxable to the employee and deductible by the employer. Many benefits are not required by law, but are nonetheless common in total compensation packages. These include health insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, some form of retirement plan (including profit-sharing, stock option programs, 401(k) and employee stock ownership plans), vacation and holiday pay, and sick leave. Companies may also offer various services, such as day care, to employees, either free or at a reduced cost. It is also common to provide employees with discounted services or products offered by the company itself. In addition, there are also certain benefits that are required by either state or federal law. Federal law, for example, requires the employer to pay into Social Security, and unemployment insurance is mandated under OASDHI. State laws govern workers compensation. As businesses change their focus, their approach to compensation must change as well. Traditional compensation methods may hold a company back from adequately rewarding its best workers. When compensation is tied to a base salary and a position, there is little flexibility in the reward system. Some new compensation systems, on the other hand, focus on reward for skills and performance, with the work force sharing in company profit or loss. One core belief of new compensation policies is that as employees become employee owners, they are likely to work harder to ensure the success of the company. Indeed, programs that promote employee ownership-and thus employee responsibility and emotional investment-are becoming increasingly popular. Examples of these types of programs include gain sharing, in which employees earn bonuses by finding ways to save the company money; pay for knowledge, in which compensation is based on job knowledge and skill rather than on position (and in which empl oyees can increase base pay by learning a variety of jobs); and incentive plans such as employee stock options plans (ESOPs). Compensation programs and policies must be communicated clearly and thoroughly to employees. Employees naturally want to have a clear understanding of what they can reasonably expect in terms of compensation (both in terms of monetary compensation and benefits) and performance appraisal. To ensure that this takes place, consultants urge business owners to detail all aspects of their compensation programs in writing. Taking this step not only helps reassure employees, but also provides the owner with additional legal protection from unfair labor practices accusations. Todays competitive business environment is forcing companies to rethink how to attract and retain top talent without sacrificing business goals. Employee compensation and benefits are an employers primary tools to attract and retain talented employees, but they are facing more scrutiny now than ever. Plan fiduciaries are under increased pressure to adhere to rigid standards in light of recent corporate scandals. Waves of employee benefits legislation and regulation threaten to swamp employee benefit plan administration. Many companies are faced with unmotivated employees whose poor attitude can greatly affect the growth of the company. By introducing incentives, companies can boost employee morale tremendously. A few examples of employee incentives are paid vacations, company sponsored social activities, stock options, and bonuses or pay increases based on performance. These are just a few activities that can lead to a more productive work environment. HR is usually faced with suggestions but is unable to put them into company policy. The most challenge Human Resources department facing is employees turnover. Meeting the demands of todays changing business environment requires building and retaining a loyal and motivated staff. Therefore, finding and keeping quality employees so as to reducing turnover is one of the key challenges of HR department. Employees who feel theyre underpaid will also feel theyre undervalued and are more open to potential offers from outside firms. To a firm, the effects of turnover can be costly. The time and money it takes to recruit, rehire and retain can quickly cut into a firms bottom line. Besides the costs, especially for the high-technology companies, employees turnover means high risks of losing its important technologies and clients. To develop a loyal, motivated workforce and keeping turnover at a minimum, the first step is finding and hiring good people. Therefore, Its crucial to have a recruiting strategy in place. Secondly, it certainly takes more than money alone to attract and retain skilled professionals, its helpful to offer competitive compensation packages, for example: to be flexible and tailor compensation to individual employees; pay a little more than prevailing salaries at other firms; acknowledge your employees contributions as frequently as possible; offer staff members opportunity and reward them when they succeed. Thirdly, creating an employee-friendly work environment also play a role. The implication is clear: The more enriching your work environment, the more likely you are to retain a staff of satisfied, productive employees. The single most challenging issue facing HR executives today is the benefits package a company offers to its employees. Such benefits as retirement plans, healthcare, family leave plans and vacation time are becoming increasingly important to employees. However, such benefits are costing companies a tremendous amount of money each year and its on the rise. Human Resource executives must find a middle ground that will not only please its employees, but also be affordable to the company. The most challenging HR issue facing companies today is the ability to offer a competitive incentive package. Employees today want to work for a company that offers reasonable salaries, excellent health benefits, a pension plan and comprehensive 401k plans. Not to mention tuition reimbursement, child care centers, fitness centers, life insurance, and the all-important paid time off. Each of these perks is very costly to the company, but without them the quality of their workforce would be sacrificed. Companies seem to be adding more benefits to attract and retain employees, but with the increases in the cost of these benefits who know how long they will last. HR executives need to understand their company and be able to offer as many benefits as possible without hurting the profitability of the company. If you own your own business, your employee compensation and benefits package can be the deciding factor for many potential employees. And its not just the money. To make your company competitive and attractive to job candidates, you have to offer an exceptional total benefits package. That makes it a very important part of your business planning and management process if you hope to hire (and keep) top employees. Of all the disciplines in the human resources field, compensation is one of the most complex. Handling compensation issues requires knowledge of employment trends, the value of experience and credentials for various positions and industries, negotiation skills, company budget and the organizations bottom line. Economic conditions also play an important role in compensation and benefits issues. Addressing compensation issues can range from developing competitive wage scales to weighing the advantage of bonus and incentive payments. The term compensation means financial payments such as wages and salary paid to employees. Compensation also includes bonus and incentive payments, raises and company stock awarded to employees. Compensation specialists often have knowledge of both compensation and employee benefits. This is one reason why human resources departments sometimes combine compensation and benefits into one departmental function. HRs efforts to integrate compensation strategies and practices are a key component of successful mergers and acquisitions. In todays whirlwind of mergers and acquisitions (MAs), everyday HR issues such as employee compensation may get blown aside as countless financial and legal priorities take center stage. However, recent research suggests that HR could play a greater role in successful MAs, and, the earlier HR gets involved, the better. Depending on the circumstances of the deal-and the compensation policies of the merging companies-HR may be called on to splice disparate payment plans into a program that fits the new organization, or HR may have to discard the original plans and then create a program from scratch that complements the merged entities. Either way, old and new employees will be concerned about what is happening with their pay, so HR also must develop an effective communications plan to inform and reassure them. Compensation represents the largest of all expenses in most organizations, and it is in turmoil. The Federal governments statements are inconsistent and have resulted in much uncertainty. Executive Compensation is a global issue, including who is an executive, CERP implications, and long and short-term incentives. While some employers are reducing hiring and merit budgets, freezing salaries, decreasing bonuses and pay, passing on of benefit costs, and gasp cutting out 401k contributions they should also remain concerned about holding on to their most talented employees when the economy recovers. With decreasing revenues, sales compensation structures are being revised, such as the trend away from a revenue basis to a profit basis. Then there are the changes in 401(k) and other plans Companies are cutting their match, and the IRS is providing guidance. It is the biggest pain of Compensation and Benefits how to introduce the fair and transparent compensation policy to the organization. In the public sector, this issue is quite easy to solve as their compensation scheme are pretty rigid and people get used to them. But in the large corporations the transparency and fairness of the compensation policy can be a real issue to the employees. The organizations usually know what it means to have a fair and transparent compensation policy. But the pressure of the business and the constant need to change makes almost impossible to make the compensation policy transparent and fair to all the employees. It needs a lot of time and effort. Fair Compensation Policy needs a clear definition of job descriptions and job profiles in the organization. The value of each job must be evaluated and the organization must develop a clear system of jobs within the organization. In this stage the HRM is under a big pressure as the managers know about the impact of the job evaluation to the real salaries and bonuses. The whole system must be clearly supported by the Top Management of the company. When the organization has a clear system of job evaluation and all the job positions are put in the correct order, the organization can develop the Fair Compensation Policy. The fair compensation policy takes the following inputs, job, evaluation, job market situation, business strategy, preferences of the organization. Based on the inputs the HRM can prepare the fair compensation policy, which enables the company to reach better performance. The HRM is responsible for the correct setting and keeping the rules during the procedure of creation of the fair compensation policy. The fair compensation policy means the fair value of each job in the organization and clear process of reaching this fair value. Transparent Compensation Policy is about opening the rules for the compensation policy to employees. When the employees have a chance to understand the principles of the compensation policy and they can take them as fair to them, you are successful in the implementation of the Transparent Compensation Policy. The Transparent Compensation Policy is about the courage to open the rules and the compensation policy must be ready to be open. In case, the compensation policy is not fully implemented and the employees are not fully in the compensation range, it is very dangerous to make compensation policy transparent. Honestly, these basic rules about the Fair and Transparent Compensation Policy are easy to write, but very hard to follow in the real business life. But every HRM should implement Fair and Transparent Compensation Policy to support the performance of the business and to increase satisfaction of employees.

Current Market Conditions Competitive Analysis Essay

Before investing time, money, and resources into new product development, every company must fully understand the existing market competition. Analyzing competitors in depth will help a company determine future potential success of the new product segment. Though Keurig is the industry leader in coffeemakers and coffee portions, they too experience factors affecting supply and demand. In addition, Keurig often sees many attempts to compete with their product. However, it is important to note that even the competition has great potential. The critical points of researching the current market include knowledge of any issues that may affect long-term profitability as well as how the company can compete in the market. With successful research and analysis, the company can consider ways in which they can maximize their success and profit-making potential in their new market. Keurig Products Founded in 1992 by John Sylvan and Peter Dragone, the Keurig leads today’s market with a single brew technology that revolutionized the way many people drank morning coffee (McGinn, 2014). The chosen name â€Å"Keurig† means a form of excellence and is a name Sylvan found in a Danish-English dictionary (McGinn, 2014). The company took years to develop with minimal success and changed hands in 2006 (McGinn, 2014). Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. purchased Keurig in 2006 and turned the company into a multi-billion dollar company (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). In the 2010 fiscal year, Keurig sold more than $330 million worth of single-cup brewers and more than $800 million worth of the single K-Cups (McGinn, 2014). What began as an office-based machine is now available in more than 9,000 retail stores for the home (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). The Keurig is a single-portion machine that brews a consistent single cup of coffee every time the machine runs a cycle. Through patented technology, the Kuerig system includes three components unique to the company (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). The three components include their unique single-cup brewer, the patented K-Cup, and one of the largest selections of gourmet  teas, coffees, and hot cocoas (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). First, the brewer combines the precise amount of water with temperature and water pressure for consistent flavor every brew time (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). Second, the K-Cups combine roaster specifications with filters and barriers to produce the most flavorful and consistent cup of coffee with every brew (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). Last, the Keurig system offers more than 170 varieties with blends from 12 brands (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). Defining the Market According to Mifflin (2014), the Keurig system offers something that many of the competitors do not. Keurig offers the ability to brew fresh cups and blends for less than ten cents per cup (Mifflin, 2014). The savings with this system is significant in that competitors cost around $.45 to $.50 each with similar types of single coffee pods and capsules (Mifflin, 2014). Because of this cost saving, yet advanced technology, Keurig’s target market includes both employees of the corporate world and households. The methods and strategies of their market include not focusing solely on the commercial office segment, but including the household as well as the home office segments. The Keurig plans included a successful rollout into the commercial and home office segments, which then can provide a springboard for the launch into the household segment. Keurig has many competitors but Starbucks seems to be the biggest threat. Starbucks is known for their gourmet coffee. Starbucks provides up scaled fresh vanilla bean coffee along with other wonderful brands. With this economic state Starbucks prices has caught up with them which caused the demand to decrease. Starbucks was forced to face reality and lower there price and even close a couple of stores along with reducing staff. This proves that the cost of the coffee is elastic and if the price is too high then the demand will decrease. Even with success there are factors that affect demand such as availability, competition, developments and costs. Due to the increasing demand for the Keurig system, consumer prices continue to rise. Many consumers argue that a case of 15 K-Cups cost an inexpensive $9.99, while others argue that one can purchase a 31.5oz of Colombian ground coffee for the same price. To stay ahead of the competition and attempt to fight some of the arguments, Keurig also produced the My K-Cup product. The My K-Cup product allows the consumer  to use the machine without purchasing standard K-Cups and instead use store-bought grounds to brew a single cup of coffee. In addition to the factors affecting demand are the factors affecting the supply. Neejan (2014) speaks of economics in general in that when the supply will increase if and when foreign producers enter the market. Just as well, Nee jan (2104) speaks of technology in that with the improvement of technology, productivity will rise because production can become robotic. Neejan (2104) concludes that for the same amount of costs it is possible to supply more of the product, thus the supply curve will shift to the right. This effect Keurig because if the supply decrease then the demand will increase. It the product is not present the consumers will shop where the supply is this means a lost in revenue. According to â€Å"Market Equilibrium† (N.A), â€Å"graphically, changes in the underlying factors that affect demand and supply will cause shifts in the position of the demand or supply curve at every price. Whenever this happens, the original equilibrium price will no longer equate demand with supply, and price will adjust to bring about a return to equilibrium.† This relates to Keurig given the scenario the outcome could be the same .Keurig has a lot of competition everything about the product Keurig has to be aligned. The competition lies with the store who can prepare the coffee and have it readily available. Also, the machine is not portable, and the competition could have an advantage for convenience when it comes to outside the home workers. Issues and Opportunities That Affect its Competitiveness and Long-Term Profitability Price elasticity of demand is an important factor for any firm’s profitability. It measures the responsiveness of consumers to a change in the product’s price (Colander, 2013). If consumers are very responsive to a change in price demand is elastic, while demand is inelastic if consumers are relatively unresponsive to a change in price (Colander, 2103). The more inelastic the demand is, the higher prices companies can charge for the product with higher profits. A key factor in determining the price elasticity of demand is the availability of substitutes. Some available substitutes include Mr. Coffee, Bunn, and Bloomfield Because of multiple  substitutes, technological innovation is critical. Through technological innovation, Keurig can differentiate its product from substitute products. By differentiating with new technology, Keurig can reduce the price elasticity of demand and make demand inelastic. Doing so allows for an increase in profits and works in direct relat ion to the creation of the K-Cup technology. With the cost effectiveness and reliability of the Kuerig, issues can arise that will affect the long-term profitability of the product. For example, in 2009 alone, the Kuerig coffee maker sold well over 2,000,000 units, equaling to significant labor costs associated with the product (CITATION). The amount of physical labor required to build the units, coupled with the multiple variations of models, proves high capital costs within manufacturing. For example, in initial years temporary workers constructed the K-Cups (CITATION). After Green Mountain Brewing Coffee Brewers acquired the company, a top priority became hiring full time employees to produce K-Cups at a much faster rate (CITATION). Additional issues with the Keurig product include the waste of K-Cups and an increase in competition. According to one consumer, the K-Cup is producing a significant amount of waste for landfills (Gordon, 2014). The products are not biodegradable or recyclable and any means of trying to do so comes with a price from Keurig (Gordon, 2014). Though the company is addressing some of the economic concerns, many consumers feel that the company focuses more on profits than sustainability (Gordon, 2014). Also, as new Keurig systems enter the market with an attempt to address specific issues, consumer prices only continue to rise. Simple and basic competitive systems such as the Mr. Coffee brewing system range around $75 to $100 (CITATION). Howeve r, competitive Keurig models can cost as much as $250.00 (CITATION). When considering future challenges of Keurig, there is an issue of cost in comparison with competitive models, but also with the concept that kitchen appliances come and go as a fad product (McGinn, 2014). The real strength of the Keurig system in terms of revenues is in fact not the brewing system, but instead the continued sales of the K-Cup (McGinn, 2014). Factors Affecting Variable and Fixed Costs Variable costs are those costs that change as the output changes (Colander, 2013). In contrast, fixed costs are those costs that remain constant and are  not affected by production volume. As the total cost of brewing a Keurig cup of coffee can range from ten to fifty cents, this cost is a fixed cost that remains constant in total. This cost is not affected by volume of production, but vary on a unit basis. The base unit saves ten cents by one brewing their own grounds (Mifflin, 2014). As consumers consider costs, one can calculate that with brewing 200 cups per day, the consumer will save $20 per day, $140 per week, totaling $7,280 per year. By using individual blends, Keurig provides a significant savings to the consumer. Labor costs are variable depending on a number of factors, including the number of brewers and number of K-Cups. Labor costs may increase to meet supply and demand of the units. To offset some of the labor costs, Keurig introduced the My K-Cup to the market, the refore decreasing the labor costs for standard K-Cups on the market. Controlling some of the labor cost will have to be born at the market and choosing to use your own blend as shown above will save a significant a lot in return to offset labor cost (THIS REDUCES CONSUMER COSTS, NOT THEIR LABOR COSTS). Supply and demand comes into play when you sent wages, just as it does when companies determining the price of products. If there is a shortage of workers unfortunately, wages will have to go up to attract a good worker, but if there is not the shortage wages, labor will be reasonable, and the cost of productivity will go down. (twist, 2010) (THIS SITE DOES NOT LOAD PROPERLY AND RELATES TO THE HOUSING MARKET) Recommendations on Maximizing Profit-Making Potential Perfect competition refers to markets that do not have participants large enough to have the market power to set the price of a homogenous product (Colander, 2013). There is always room for growth and changes to increase the profit making potential for companies and still stay competitive in the market. In order to compete successfully and remain profitable, a company must have a competitive strategy. A critical step in the strategy is having a lower cost producer, meaning that the company will produce or manufacture their product for the lowest possible cost without losing any of its value. This type of strategy will provide the company with a cost advantage that is comparable or relative to its competitors. The results of Keruig utilizing these recommendations will provide the Keurig with two options. First, they can undercut their competitors, thus resulting in the increase of their  share on the market. Second, they can continue selling their products at a price that is similar to their competitors, which would result in them having a higher profit margin. Keurig does not need to limit or sacrifice the quality of their product which may lead to a decrease in sales. Rather, Keurig can reduce their costs with a few options. Keurig can purchase more efficient production equipment, purchase other fixed or capital assets to increase efficiency, or do away with one or more of their cost producing activities. In addition, Keurig can source less expensive raw material suppliers, reduce employee overtime costs, or reduce the amount of waste in their products. Conclusion References Colander, D. C. (2013). Microeconomics (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Gordon, A. (2014). Opinion: Keurig needs to brew up solutions for wasteful K-Cups. Retrieved from http://thelantern.com/2014/02/opinion-keurig-needs-brew-solutions-wasteful-k- cups/ Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.. (2014). Corporate profile. Keurig. Retrieved from http://www.keurig.com/in-the-news/2010/~/media/Files/News%20And%20Media %20PDFs/keurig_CoProfile.ashx McGinn, D. (2014). The buzz machine. Boston.com. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/ business/articles/2011/08/07/the_inside_story_of_keurigs_rise_to_a_billion_dollar_coffe e_empire/ Mifflin, M. (2014). Single serve brewer buying tips and Keurig brewer features. About.com. Retrieved from http://housewares.about.com/od/coffeemakers/qt/Keurig-Brewers-and-Single-Serve-Buying-Tips.htm Neejan, S. (2014) What are the factors affecting demand and supply? Answers. Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_factors_affecting_demand_and_supply