Why Do We Shop for What We Do Not Need?

Consumer – One who delights advertisers by acquiring unnecessary products in accordance with the motto â€Å"I spend, therefore I am. † – The Cynics Dictionary All people shop for things that they do not need. When asking a person why he needlessly goes shopping, a typical answer is â€Å"because it makes me feel good. † In fact, there are many reasons why people, particularly in America, feel compelled to shop, spend, and buy things in an almost mindless automation where the consumer rationalizes the question of need. However, why do we shop for a twentieth pair of shoes? Why shop for another gadget that we might need? Why do people spend hours shopping for unaffordable stuff that is merely garnish? Shopping, apart from a practical need, is an emotional experience. This very real phenomenon is as serious as it is intriguing to those interested in this type of behavior. According to Pamela Danziger, a consumer industry consultant, â€Å"There is a desire to satisfy a need [. . . ] that is the simple answer to a profoundly challenging question† (27). In clarifying the meaning of the word â€Å"need† in Danziger's assertion, it is important to understand that this fundamental aspect pertains to an emotional need rather than a practical one. Further, to help answer this question of why people shop needlessly, marketing scientists who study shopper behavior define emotional need as motivators. With this understanding, the question can be addressed: What motivates us to shop for what we do not need? * Shopping is fun and exciting: Perusing, trying-on, and trying-out dazzling new wares at a pulsing metropolistic-wonderland of fashion departments is an ecstatic experience with its mixture of excitement and adrenaline. Comparable to going to an amusement park, it is an occasion where there are people, places, and things to see, do, and . . buy. * Shopping is an escape: Dr. Drew Pinsky, a coping strategies specialist at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena, California, professes, â€Å"Shopping is a way of managing unpleasant feelings. † Similar to attending a museum or a movie theater, shopping allows us to take our minds off our problems. â€Å"Time heals† and we can give ourselves ample time at the mall interacting with salespeople as if they are museum guides, or spending a few hours window-shopping as if we are watching it all on the silver screen. Shopping allows us to feel like a celebrity: Generally, whether we are shopping at a warehouse home improvement store, an uptown fashion mall, or the local car dealership, starry-eyed salespeople roll out the red carpet for prospective buyers. This is truly an available fantasy world for an indulging shopper. As shoppers, we can walk into a showroom (as this is our celebrity privilege) greeted by our fans and receive all of the attention we deserve; pampered and fussed over, our stardom is at hand. The above emotional motivators are well-founded characteristics of shopper's behavior per the findings of extensive research by marketing academics. Gary Witt, Professor of Marketing at Western International University, attests, â€Å"[Shoppers] do not want your product or service; they want [. . . ] a secret door to their heart's desires. † This is now common knowledge among marketing strategists who work with advertisers to appeal to shoppers. In this way, we are incessantly subjected to marketing and advertising designed to entice us to shop and buy. All people, even those with the most resistant of base psychological mechanisms regarding this behavior, are in some way influenced by the persistent, ubiquitous bombardment of various media and its message of commanding people to shop. In addition, shopping mediums such as catalogs, the internet, and The Home Shopping Network on cable television, intended to offer convenience allowing a devoid of the annoyances of conventional shopping such as parking and disgruntled salespeople, are only defeating to the communal shopper and the emotional experience a shopping trip provides. Shopping at home does not compare to the escalatored big-city, big-room department store with its buzzing energy and exciting glamour where a shopper is there seeing and being seen. This is the essence of modern shopping. As a an activity in and of itself, shopping is a relatively recent development in which masses of people venture out and seek to moddycoddle their desire to satisfy an emotional need. Shopping provides not just a means to the necessities of life, but a meaning for life. As cleverly promoted by marketing and advertising, shopping is a cultural condition legitimized as â€Å"the good life† and â€Å"the American way. â€Å"

Wal-Mart Market Analysis

Wal-Mart Market Analysis Wal-Mart is the second largest company in the world. Its focus is on mass merchandising as opposed to specialty merchandising. The idea behind mass merchandising is to offer products and services in one convenient store to better manage a consumer’s time. An example of how Wal-Mart mass merchandisers is by offering a multitude of products and services within one convenient store. They sell sporting goods, electronics, housing needs, clothing, groceries, consumables, and toiletries all in one convenient location. Similar to a mall, Wal-Mart meets all of its customers’ needs in one location. This is a very valuable ability because it allows the customer to have more control over his or her time. (Research and Markets, 2010) The company operates under three main operation segments. Its most common segment will be its Wal-Mart. The second common segment found in the United States is Sam’s Club. Sam’s club is similar to Wal-Mart except that it is larger in size and puts more emphasis on wholesale retail. They are more popular with businesses and large families. The company’s last segment consists of International stores. Though Wal-Mart has few locations outside the United States its name is widely known. (Research and Markets, 2010) Within the United States, Wal-Mart has a variety of mass merchandising locations. Wal-Mart’s products and services within each location are based on demographics and surrounding stores. Superstores, discount stores, and neighborhood markets are the three types of stores Wal-Mart might open, given a certain demographic. If a community is large and consists of multiple school districts and many families, Wal-Mart will consider opening a Superstore or neighborhood market. Within a neighborhood market, Wal-Mart offers lower pricing to compete with higher priced stores such as Targets, Kohls, ShopRites, ACMEs, and Super fresh. Even shopping malls competing with Wal-Mart. Discount stores are located in smaller communities, mostly consisting of elderly individuals or small families. (Research and Markets, 2010) Wal-Mart’s is a very powerful company due to its low pricing and high volume. It drives mom and pop shops and local small retail stores out of business due to the inability to compete with such a large chain. Although this is disappointing, Wal-Mart is one of the largest employers, providing jobs for over a million employees. So it does its share to contribute to employment. (Market Research, 2010) Everyday Wal-Mart is increasing its market share. Years back Wal-Mart was just another retailer, but due to massive expansion and lower prices, Wal-Mart now competes in almost every type of retail business. Wal-Mart is now opening grocery stores, gas stations, and supercenters that sell everything imaginable in order to maximize its market share. Everyday Wal-Mart is devising new ideas to keep a huge control over the market share. Ideas of incorporating a grocery store within a clothing store were farfetched 10 years ago, but now it is typical to buy dairy products and sporting goods all in one store. Now farfetched and even crazier ideas such as selling used cars, financial services, and home improvement needs can be realized within Wal-Mart’s ability to expand its products and services. (Market Research, 2010) Wal-Mart has the ability to continue growing to higher and even deeper depths. The goal for Wal-Mart is to not let its goals of expanding interfere with its normal and everyday operations. Low prices and convenience are a must for Wal-Mart to continue operating. Today Wal-Mart is a common name in retail just as Ford is common to automobiles. ? References Market Research, Initials. (2010). The Age of wal-mart. Retrieved fromhttp://www. marketresearch. com/map/prod/805195. html Research and Markets, Initials. (2010). Analysis of wal-mart stores. Retrieved from http://www. researchandmarkets. com/reportinfo. asp? report_id=552122

History and Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History and Art - Essay Example With other major concerns such as economic crisis, war between nations, and population growth, who would pay immediate notice to the fact that behind the aesthetic beauty of an art piece, a battle is being fought against sexism and racism for the sake of the underrepresented artists? While it may be too delicate an issue to dwell on surface as to draw public attention on a larger scale, strong advocates of gender and racial equality like the Guerrilla Girls, as they call themselves, apparently, could not but admit silence is shame and argue: â€Å"You don’t have to have a penis to be a genius† (Guerrilla Girls 202). Most of us may claim to possess different perspectives on the matter and plainly express that besides the problematic social and cultural structure which basically governs the manner by which inequality prevails among sexes and races, there are other deeper troubles that deserve a more adequate focus. However, our attitude of ignoring the issue that merely a bout ten percent of museums or galleries consist of art exhibitions by women and artists of color can be held accountable for the existence of all other chief worries that fail to be attended to in proper terms due to insights and ways of living that maintain their racist and patriarchal nature. As long as there lives lack of empowerment for women and non-whites, it is self-evident that equilibrium and harmony would not settle right where they ought to be unless a balance is struck somewhere for a significant realization that in professing to improve a nation, both sexes regardless of race must come in front to execute equal control of change and progress. Upon thorough examination of the article, I suppose this is the ultimate goal that sustains the principal reason of the Guerrilla Girls for continuing to be â€Å"the conscience of the art world (203).† I admire the Guerrilla Girls for their feminist and anti-racist stance since the 80s especially because despite the gorill a masks they wear for anonymity and the rather annoying taunting style of protest for the main cause, they demonstrate an unconventional approach of hurling insults at prominent sexist and racist figures alike. Having waved their banner with jest-filled pronouncements of deviation from what they perceive as sickening norms of injustice within race and gender, such female organization serves as a degree of innovation to radical feminist groups whose overly serious actions on meeting similar ends cost lives and immunity to the point of dormancy. This is widely evident via the controversial works which earned them huge critique via statements and efforts as â€Å"When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable, What Will Your Art Collection Be Worth?† and the gradual transformation of the Whitney Museum Biennials which used to practise racial and sexual exclusion (204). By injecting a concept of provocative humor into ideals, the Guerrilla Girls manage to have weaved an object of interest to which art supporters become naturally drawn. Among the recent fruits of their endeavor I believe was Anya Kivarkis, the recipient of the Sienna Gallery Emerging Artist Award in 2007 for creations like ‘Blind Spot’, ‘Neo-Palatial: Objects of Virtue and Vice’, and ‘Extreme Beauty’. I feel that her projects reflect how the political struggle of the Guerrilla Girls has truly paid off for though female, her expertise in the field of

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

Australian Politics - Essay Example ournal articles that deal with the issues of work hours, working on weekends, fall in birth rates, difficulties faced by the children of working mothers, etc. Due to the paucity of time and space, it has not been possible to explore this subject at a much greater depth, nevertheless, the main contentious issues have been addressed. This research endeavours to establish that despite the government’s various pieces of legislation in respect of work place rights, the situation has not shown much improvement. In this context, the available literature on this topic had been perused. Further, a reference had been made to journal and newspaper articles, government documents, etc. The stance of the government is that the situation has improved considerably, whereas the reality is otherwise and reveals that the situation is going from bad to worse. If the situation is not addressed on a war footing, then there could be a severe reduction in Australia’s population. The need of the hour is to strictly implement the extant legislation. Over a period of thirty years, Australia has obtained the dubious distinction of being the only country with high incomes, where working hours are not only very long but also where work takes place during nights and on weekends. This has had a very serious impact on the family life of Australians. The health of many employees has been adversely affected due to this work culture. Family relations are at an all time low and children have to deal with bad tempered parents whose decisions are unpredictable (Wade, 2007). Such extreme working hours has become universal and twenty percent of the workforce work for at least fifty hours a week. Further, the number of employees who are compelled to work on weekends is around thirty percent and two million people work on Sundays. There is no system of compensation for these extra hours of work on the weekends (Wade, 2007). The three decade old era of material prosperity in Australia, has a dismal

Corporate and business strategy case study Essay

Corporate and business strategy case study - Essay Example 2) The other key issue is that the company’s chocolates are seasoned. For example the box chocolates show the sales of almost 35% during the period of 10 weeks before the Christmas, a further 10% are for the Easter, including three million Easter eggs. Typically the company sells almost ï‚ £10m in last 72 hours of Christmas. 3) Chocolates of the company are hand made this makes the process of automated packing difficult for the boxed chocolate. The other companies on the other hand like Cadburys make moulded chocolates, which makes the automated packing easier. 4) Thorntons long-term strategy included vertical integration and product differentiation. This means the top person in the company belonged to a particular family. The product differentiation apart from the taste of the chocolate was also marked by the freshness of the chocolate. 5) One of the key issues has been the taste of the chocolates manufactured by the company. Thorntons range of the continental chocolates has made the company largest selling specialist of assortment chocolates in the UK. of Thorntons’ chocolates. However, since the demand of company’s chocolates is seasonal this puts extra pressure on requirement of the manpower during the peak season. The requirement of casual staff for packing purposes increases which leads to reduction in efficiency. Also the sales during peak season become almost ten fold hence there is requirement of extra staff at the retail stores also during the peak season. This makes the company more dependent on the casual staff. The casual staffs are quite expensive and it is not easily available. As it is the requirement of the casual staff in general in the market is more during the festive seasons. Also the casual staff is untrained, hence it has to be trained, which requires some of the resources of the company. The casual staffs have lower speed of working thus reducing the efficiency. The other critical issue is that the chocolates

Health Care Policy in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Health Care Policy in the United States - Essay Example Health care in the United States has evolved considerably since its inception. Prior to 1990s, people rarely spoke about health care coverage issues, as health care was considered exclusively for the upper middle class of the society (Kronenfeld, 2002). Over the years of economic development in the United States, the health care policies came to include the middle and lower income classes of society. Over the course of 50 years, the United States has transformed the health care system into a billion-dollar industry. The companies, shareholders, and stakeholders associated with the health care system experienced huge gains and rapid growth throughout the period. The general health care was viewed important by each and every American; they took pride in the development of the system within the country, the increasing use of ever-evolving technologies, and the growth of modernized hospitals located throughout the country (Kronenfeld, 2002). Americans across the nation started believing that health care system was one of the contributing factors behind the enormous economic growth. A series of statistical studies regarding the health care system of the country revealed that they system was collapsing. Several independent researchers within the system concluded that the health care system was in a position of providing proper health care to only 60% of the chronically ill of the country. One of the main reasons supporting this theory was that about 15.8% of Americans were not covered by health insurance despite the United States spending 12% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1990 on health care (Patel & Rushefsky, 2006). The other industrialized countries of the world – mainly Canada, West Germany, and Japan – spent much less on the health care of the country, yet were still able to provide comprehensive coverage to a greater portion of their populations. Use of the most advanced techniques for improving health care thus did not translate into a h ealthy population (Kronenfeld, 2002). Key amongst the problems with the health care system of the United States was the existence of more than one health care system. According to the study made by Torrens in the year, 1988 there were four different health care systems in the country. The first system covered the middle and the high-income group of the country – those were regularly employed and possessed comprehensive health insurance policies. The second system covered the poor population – those without any insurance coverage. The third and the fourth system of health insurance covered the working military personnels and their dependents and the retired military people, respectively (Kronenfeld, 2002). The health care system of the United States in essence had most of the population covered by private insurance and the government providing insurance mainly for the backward section of the society. To overcome the loopholes of the system of health care of the country and to alleviate the problems relating to the presence of more than one health care system in the country, one option is to form a nationalized health care system with the government of the country acting as the single player of the health care system. The total spending of the system of health care would be done from the government budget. Hence the government

The Influences of Jesus in Contemporary Education System Essay

The Influences of Jesus in Contemporary Education System - Essay Example The schooling and education system moulds a child in his/her earliest stage to live in the present stage as a good human being .For this the education system has to adopt various principles which may help to guide the students in order to live with dignity in this world. The importance of principles of Jesus Christ and its adoption in the education system lies here. In this context let’s explore the influence of the Jesus in the contemporary education system. admit that the education of the children cannot be in the way that they are undergoing a mere teaching but they should be diligently instructed. Further they say that â€Å"our Lord has provided the perfect environment for our children to be trained. That environment is the community where the order of God prevails under the good government of God. In this environment our children are being trained according to Gods purpose on earth with concentric vision of how to accomplish this purpose. They, as vital parts of the community, are being prepared to attain to the highest goal possible in this life — to enter the kingdom of heaven.† centuries, in Europe in their tradition of theatre, have adopted such method. Theatre in Jesuit schools created an aesthetic environment in which students could both ponder their relationship to the world, and evaluate the consequences of human action The Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuit order, was founded by Saint Ignatius Loyola in 1534, with the dual purpose of promoting reform within the Roman Catholic Church, and preaching the Gospel in foreign lands. The establishment of colleges played a key role in the renewal of the Catholic Church in the wake of the Jesuit education, in general, is intended to help students attain "perfect eloquence," i.e., the cultivation of ones intellectual, ethical, and spiritual potential(3) Within this context, theatre had two main functions. It

International Marketing Plan for Sephora Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Marketing Plan for Sephora - Essay Example Among the cosmetics line, the fastest growing segment is color cosmetics (Nail enamels and lipsticks). Lakme, a local brand, Tips & Toes, and Revlon have the lead in this segment. Sephora’s sensitivity to the needs and requirements of their customers is an asset in their penetration in India. Since market penetration levels of international cosmetics brands in India are low, Sephora should sell local brands, such as Lakme, the highest selling local brand, in their retail outlets. They could also partner with local product producers to produce cosmetics with local brands such as what Hindustani Lever did to the Lakme brand, by owning the cosmetics production plant of the Tata Group of Companies. Since Indians slowly consider Western women as their model for beauty Sephora should introduce products that will accomplish this beautification dreams. They should include in their product line skin and teeth whitening products that will make Indian skin and teeth similar to occidental women. In terms of their service, they have to capitalize on the enhancement of Indians’ education and knowledge on cosmetics. Since most of their probable customers belong to the middle class, they should aim to adjust their product packaging and quality to cater this growing market. India’s economy is currently booming at a considerable level. And most of its population is inexperienced in using cosmetics, which make education and training important to them. Other cosmetics giant had already entered India. However, most of them produce heterogeneous products. Amway, a major cosmetics player in India, offers a wide array of products such as health and nutrition products. Avon also produces apparel, Hindustani Lever, a subsidiary of Unilever, is more of a producer of household commodities than a cosmetic producer. Sephora’s focus on the cosmetics market is one of their strengths in India market. Their specialization on cosmetics makes them

Folk Music Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Folk Music - Research Paper Example Folk music has existed for hundreds-thousands of years, even though the word only got to be used in the late 19th century. This music was popular especially during the romantic period. Beethoven and Josef Haydn were two popular composers who made arrangements of folk music. Many people also composed dances that would accompany this precious music. Fork music got to its peak in the 1950’s through help from Jimmy Rodgers. This style lasted with popularity until the mid sixties when ‘folk rock’ became popular and the Beatles mania era swept the world. Folk rock was followed by ‘protest music’ where the singers sang the opposite of ethnicity, which was an essential part of folk music and thus, protest music is the complete contrast of true folk music. Folk music revival had completely died by 1975 and was not rejuvenated until late 1990s though the revival contained lesser extent than the original music. While not in a peak revival today, folk music is st ill popular. It is not anticipated to disappear anytime soon given the number of years it had survived. It was transmitted through oral tradition. In the early days (before the twentieth century), factory and farm workers were usually illiterate, so they acquired songs by memorizing them. This was not mediated by books, transmitted media or recorded. The music was usually related to national culture. It was particularly social and from a particular culture or region. Folk songs normally commemorated personal and historical events. Particular songs are used to celebrate important event and days e.g. Christmas, Easter or during weddings and/or funerals (Kip pg 34). These events brought children and nonprofessional singers together to participate in a public arena thus creating emotional bonding. Another characteristic is that it has been performed by custom over quite a

The troubled history of the Airbus A380 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 3

The troubled history of the Airbus A380 - Essay Example In addition, Soft Systems Methodology allows to identify analyze multiple levels of the problem with purpose of finding the most effective solutions that take into account relationships and dependencies that might not be clearly seen using the Hard Systems Methodology. The analysis and evaluation have shown that the role of systems and operations management is underestimated by Airbus management in the process of managing separate projects and overall business operations. In addition, effective systems and operations management strategies have not been integrated within the company well enough due to lack of organization, strong leadership and communication, among other factors. Business process reengineering, total quality management, Lean and Six Sigma approaches to improvement have been analyzed with the purpose of determining the most effective for Airbus to use. The analysis has shown that business process reengineering would be the most appropriate for Airbus approach because i t implies implementing radical changes within rather narrow time frames. Rapid changes, in their turn, show to be the most effective in attempts to radically improve organizational performance. It is recommended that Airbus uses business process reengineering approach for improving its systems and operations management. Furthermore, decision making and supporting systems, such as transaction processing systems, management information systems and decision support systems should be incorporated into organizational operations in order to align information systems and operations management of the company. Introduction Airbus is, as the company writes about itself, a technology-oriented organization that created its first jet in 1974 (Airbus.com, 2011). In 1991 the company started working an idea of creating a super-large passenger aircraft. The jet would become the largest airplane ever made. Consequently, the work on its creation was sure to be complex and demanding. However, it took t he company 14 years, since 1993 when Airbus started working of the development of the ‘super jumbo’, for the new aircraft to take off in full service in 2007 (Slack, Chambers and Johnstone, 2010). As Slack, Chambers and Johnstone (2010) report, it took the company so many years to, finally, complete the project, because of a number of problems within the organization. Most of them, such as weak organization of production processes, poor leadership or use of incompatible software by different departments, are related to of systems and operations management practices of Airbus. Therefore, the goal of the given report is to determine and analyze how systems and operations management concepts are used by the company and how systems and operations management is integrated into the business. Soft Systems Methodology will be used for analyzing the situation and making recommendations about how the Airbus information systems and operations management should be updated to suppor t and improve their business efficiency. Furthermore, people, technology and organisational issues involved in improving the operations at Airbus will be assessed and analyzed in order to clarify how in particular Airbus can improve its business processes through the update and improvement

C P Snow and the Second Law of Thermodynamics Essay Example for Free

C P Snow and the Second Law of Thermodynamics Essay The scientist and the literary intellectual represent two cultures that are drifting apart from each other to such an extent that each is becoming increasing ignorant of and alien to the other, and because they must represent a body of knowledge as a whole, the consequence is that, though specialization, both the scientist and the intellectual are becoming effectively ignorant. Analysis: Though C P Snow claims to be speaking from a common ground between the two cultures that he envisages, I would argue that he is squarely placed in the scientific camp, and is by no means an intellectual. The manner in which he describes the rift between the two cultures has a distinct whiff of â€Å"shallow optimism† about it, which is the intellectual trait of the scientist. He advocates a simple dialogue between the two camps, which is very much reminiscent of Enlightenment thinking, which, before the advent of modern science, maintained that scientific education was the key to overcoming all social ills, and dialogue is but a means to educate each other. Snow is right in thinking that the two camps had grown apart unawares, and that at one time the cultured man endeavored to keep abreast of knowledge as a whole. But a fundamental point seems to escape him, and that is that modern science entails specialization, and neither does he suspect that it could be the root of the problem. While he acknowledges the existence of specialization in science, he tries to make out that it need not be divisive. His advocacy is of a holistic understanding, and on the strength of this plea he wants to effect a negotiation between the two camps. â€Å"Don’t carry your specializations too far,† he seems to be saying to both the scientists and the intellectuals, â€Å"because both the arts and the sciences are important, and one is in danger of becoming ignorant if one loses complete touch with any one of them. † The propositional content of his plea is correct, but the mistake is to sound it on the platform of modern science, which is divisive in its fundamental aspect. If one is committed to the scientific outlook one must live with specialization. We can take his example about the literary intellectual knowing the second law of thermodynamics as a testing point. He thinks that literary intellectual should at least know this law, which is accepted among physicists as being fundamentally significant. The equivalent feat of for a physicist would be of having read a play by Shakespeare, he suggests. But concentrating on the first point, why should one know the second law of thermodynamics if one will never question its validity? Science functions by constant questioning, and no scientist is ever trained to carry absolute dictates about with him. A literary intellectual may come to it in two ways. He may absorb it as in inviolable dictate, in which case it would not be science at all. Or he may come to it with the proper outlook of the scientist, which is the questioning one. If on the second trajectory, he may either be captivated by the question, or he may deem it not worth his while. If he is captivated, and he remains honest to his intellectual proclivities, then he cannot but pursue the question further, to the detriment of usual literary occupation. But it is more likely that he deems it not worth his while, in which case he returns to the field in which he is proficient and interested. And in due course, through neglect, he forgets how to state the scientific principle at all. If the last is the most natural and likeliest outcome, there is little point in pushing the second law of thermodynamics to the literary man. He has arrived at the status quo of not knowing the law at all, because that is the most natural state of affairs for him. In his situation he has better things to occupy himself with. For Snow to suggest that he ought to know the second law smacks of the arrogance of science, which is an arrogance rooted in naive optimism. Then again, a scientist should only be expected to enjoy a performance of Shakespeare, but certainly not to analyze it. Literary understanding calls for a profound understanding of human nature, which is certainly not part of the equipment of the scientist, who is trained to detect only empirical evidence. To tell a scientist to analyze King Lear would only confuse him, and if he tried too hard it would blunt his scientific perception. Snow would be better advised to consider the underlying philosophy of science, rather than external practice of the separate disciplines. It is a tacit understanding among members of the scientific society (of which literary intellectual are a part) that each practice his own specialization. Only the fruits are to be enjoyed by all, and this is the true egalitarian dimension of atomized science. The notion of â€Å"progress† comes from the understanding that the fruits of specialization confer on all, and it is this notion of progress that binds all members of scientific society. In its original conception modern science was defined as an egalitarianism of knowledge, and apparent loss of this is what Snow is lamenting. But such egalitarianism has not disappeared; it has only become impractical for a single person to keep up with the expanding body of knowledge. But more important than knowledge sharing is the philosophy that underpins it, and this philosophy still unites the particle physicist and the Shakespeare man. In calling for a new, and strained, egalitarianism of knowledge, Snow is only betraying his naivete of the world, which is the characteristic naivete of the scientist daring to speak on the humanities. Works Cited Snow, Charles Percy. The Two Cultures. Ed. Stefan Collini. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Public Health System Essay Example for Free

Public Health System Essay Health policy and entire health care system in both the USA and Great Britain create a core for national quality standards. Dealing with health as a key condition for local and global human activity representatives of medical spheres in these two countries on opposite sides of the ocean have long-term experience which differs greatly in terms of functional, financial, and social issues. Financing. In the UK financing of the industry is done out of taxation paid by people on regular basis. 130 billion of dollars annually are spent to cover expenditures of healthcare system: paying out salaries for physicians, facilitating hospitals, providing latest medical technology and treatment (Hadikin, 2003). British health policy does not require from patients to pay on the scene since it has already been done automatically by their tax procedure. Sometimes those having problems with eyes or teeth will have to pay very small amounts to cover the cost for particular tests. However, such co-payments are not common in the UK and are covered by government for special society layers including aged and young people, special patients with chronic diseases, etc. The state pays directly to doctors and cover fees for a wide range of hospital services (Hawkes, 2007). In the USA payments for healthcare are done through private insurance system. Many believe that British system is more convenient since patients receive â€Å"free at the point of service† medical treatment. American healthcare sector is employee-employer based (54%) with partial governmental funding (46%) for the poor, the disabled, Native Americans, and elderly adults. Average American spends annually approximately $6,400 for healthcare where $2,880 is covered by government, $2,675 by private insurance, and more than $800 paid directly to doctors or other additional services. Unlike the US with population equal to more than 302 million people, the UK with its 61 million of citizens spends $2,720 each year to be confident in high-quality medical treatment. Described in detail, $2,370 are covered by British government received through national taxation and other $350 go directly from patients for extra services required (Sultz Young, 2008). Challenges. Over years health policy in Great Britain has been facing significant obstacles in its strive for providing high-quality national medical service. First of all, due to the fact that all costs having to do with healthcare are covered through taxation without going directly to doctors on daily basis physicians tend to be less efficient. On the other hand being confident in that medical system is paid for by the government people with light complaints which can be easily treated at home with help of drugs purchased in the nearest drugstore immediately make an appointment unreasonably disturbing physicians who may have very urgent problems to take care of. Also, being structurally located under the government health policy in the UK must follow the rules set from above. That’s why if the government representatives decide that specific drug is cost-ineffective they may choose not to cover such medications. It is especially true for drugs against cancer which have always been extremely expensive with only several month effect and certain plastic surgeries which are considered to be addition features of healthcare and may never be crucial to health (Hawkes, 2007). Sadly enough, Great Britain tends to keep young people and those less than eighty years old in focus. The thing is that significant number of people in their eighties tend to be seriously ill whereas average life expectancy in Britain reaches 79. Unlike the US, where doctors do their best to save people no matter how old they are, English government refers to limited financing and number of able-bodied people who have the potential but need treatment. Unfortunately, anti-cancer treatment costs a lot and in majority of cases prolongs life of an aged person for couple of months only. In the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is authorized to decide whether specific drug in particular case is worth to be covered and normally they conclude that it is not. One more problem encountered by health policy in Britain again has to do with money issue. Governments have specific amount of money to spend annually on a person who has health problems. However, costs for drugs and medical treatment are constantly escalating and quality of service, therefore, is gradually dropping making this proportion more and more blurred (Hawkes, 2007). The biggest challenge for American citizen regarding health policy is a necessity to pay bills for all services they receive including various tests, prescriptions, visits to physicians, etc. Regardless of the fact that this tradition has a long-term history it has caused enormous inequity between the rich and the poor. Having created two healthcare bodies called Medicare and Medicaid which handle financial issues of old and poor people accordingly, they are far from being perfect. Firstly, people with membership in one of these institutions should go through never-ending bureaucratic procedures that require time and effort valuable for both aged people and low-income society representatives. Secondly, having received long-awaited registration they are provided only with basic services and typically have almost no choice while selecting doctors and hospitals (Barr Dowding, 2008). In terms of care organization any insurance-based system including American one provides care upon request. For instance, when a person gets heart attack s/he is transported to the hospital, receives necessary medical treatment, and post-traumatic prescription. In Great Britain similar procedures are planned in advance. Thus, British doctors should calculate how many beds for what kinds of patients should be provided, how much vaccine should be purchased to immunize specific number of people and so on. Both American and British health policies have one thing in common having to do with technical issues of the system. Speaking about response times, neither of these states has a set regulation regarding standard response time applicable to all locations under any conditions. There exist certain agreed rules between providers of emergency service and official authorities that instruct required response times. Significant number of these regulations, however, have to do with private emergency service providers who cover only small portions of society. Both Americans and British have concluded that every location throughout these two countries should be provided with 8-minute medical help. (Davis, 2005) Irrelevant of the absence of set rules regarding response times cardiac arrests are considered to be the most urgent and demanding emergency calls in entire emergency service system. Majority of people who experience cardiac arrest should be provided with proper treatment including electric shock with ALS intervention within the first minutes. Figures show, that the sooner the ambulance arrives the more chances it has to save the patient from permanent brain death and irreversible processes which start occurring in human body shortly after the cardiac arrest. It happens on very rare occasions that the person survives receiving help within more than ten minutes. (Davis, 2005) Taking apart from cardiac arrest, response times for normal emergency calls that have to do with physical injuries or wide range of attacks vary from 12 to 14 minutes. Specifically, Wales show the worst result ever obtained in Great Britain in terms of response time and emergency service. According to recent statistics average Welsh emergency service provider arrives not earlier than 20 minutes after the emergency call. British authorities claim that it is totally unthinkable to demonstrate such low performance and that this part should be immediately improved. (Brindley, 2008) In conclusion it would be appropriately to note that both health policies have their advantages and drawbacks as basically any other system. The following table highlights key features of American and British healthcare sectors: Health policy in the UK Health policy in the USA Advantages Drawbacks Advantages Drawbacks Every member of society is provided with medical care Random cases of poor quality service due taxation payments as opposed to direct ones Better consumer choice provided due higher cost for medical services Only insured ones get the best service and treatment Because of sufficient NHS funds treatment and drugs cost less Some misuse medical treatment due to longing for communication and company (especially old people) Active implementation of latest technological equipment and scientific innovations in medical sphere Many retired people choose to work since it’s the only way to receive medical insurance Patients receive decent treatment regardless of their age, social status, or level of income Many claim they do not receive the right to choose a hospital or a doctor they like Patients visit hospital only in cases when it is really necessary, reasonable, or urgent Prices for medical treatment and drugs are higher because of debates and policy on governmental levels References Barr, J., Dowding, L. (2008). Leadership in Health Care. London: SAGE Ltd. Breen, N., Woods, J., Bury, G., Murphy A. Brazier, H. (1999).   A national census of ambulance response times to emergency calls in Ireland. Journal of Accident Emergency Medicine, 17, 392-395. doi:10.1136/emj.17.6.392 Brindley, M. (2008). Ambulance Response Times Worst In UK. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from WalesOnline Health News Web site: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2008/06/20/ambulance-response-times-worst-in-uk-91466-21109781/ Davis, R. (2005). The Price Of Just A Few Seconds Lost: People Die. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from USA Today Web site: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/ems-day2-cover.htm Hadikin, R. (2003). Effective Coaching in Healthcare. London: Books for Midwives. Hawkes, N. (2007). NHS’s Advantages And Shortcomings. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from Frontline Web site: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/interviews/hawkes.html Sultz, H., Young, K. (2008). Health Care USA: Understanding Its Organization and Delivery. New York: Jones Bartlett Publishers

Internal and external analysis of Walkers crisps

Internal and external analysis of Walkers crisps The first section of paper will introduce the background information of PepsiCo Inc. and then followed the company mission and vision. Then PepsiCo UK Ireland division is focused and further narrowed down to Walkers Crisp, the snack food product line of the division. The next section is the market situation analyses which identify the market size and growth in UK snack food industry followed by the external analysis conducted in the form of PESTLE. Subsequently, the internal analysis of Walkers Crisps and its competitor which consist of McCoys Crisps and Pringles is conducted to highlight the competitive advantage of Walkers Crisps. Last section covers the market segmentation; targeting and positioning of Walkers Crisps in UK with the recommendation on Walkers Crisps marketing strategy as well as its implications on the division illustrated in forecast budget. Table of content 1.0 Company Background 2 1.1Management Overview 2-3 1.2 Financial Situation 3 2.0 Mission Statement 4 2.1 Mission 4 2.2 Vision 4 2.3 Value 4 2.4 Goal 4 3.0 Market Situation 5 3.1 Market Size and Growth 5 3.2 Market Trends 5-6 3.3 External Environment Analysis 7-9 3.31 Political Environment 7 3.32 Economic Environment 7 3.32 Social Environment 7 3.34Technological Environment 7-8 3.35 Legal and Regulatory Environment 8 3.36 Natural Environment 9 3.4 SWOT Analysis of Walkers Crisps 10-11 3.5Competitors Situation (SWOT Analysis) 12-13 4.0 Marketing Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning 14-16 5.0 Marketing Objectives 17 6.0 Marketing Strategy 6.1 Product 18-19 6.2 Promotion 19-20 6.3 Price 20 6.4 Place 20 7.0 Assumptions 21 8.0 Forecast and Implication 22-23 Appendix 24-26 Bibliography 27-29 Company Background PepsiCo, Inc. is the world leader in convenient snacks, foods and beverages. The corporation is founded in 1995 by Donald M. Kendall, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepsi-Cola and Herman W. Lay, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Frito-Lay, through the merger of the two companies (PepsiCo Inc., 2010). Over the years, PepsiCo, Inc. continues to make effort to increase company portfolio by expanding market in different countries which resulted nearly 200 countries are selling products under the corporation. PepsiCo is now a listed company on the Dow Jones North America Sustainability Index and Dow Jones World Sustainability Index (PepsiCo Inc, 2010). 1.1 Management Overview Figure Business Units of PepsiCo As illustrated in Figure 1, the four main divisions of PepsiCo are PAF, PAB, PepsiCo Europe and PepsiCo Asia, Middle East Africa (AMEA). PepsiCo UK and Ireland (PUK) is classified as PepsiCo Europe division. Under the leadership of Richard Evans, President of PepsiCo UK Ireland, Walkers achieved its highest-ever market share and the brand was re-established as a British icon (PepsiCo UK Ireland). Walkers has been core brand of PUK and mainly manufactured in United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Walkers is also the UKs favourite crisps brand which owned by Frito-Lay which its current logo a derivative of the North American Lays logo. Currently, Walkers Crisps hold 47% share of the UK crisps market (Net Resources International, 2010). 1.2 Financial Situation In overall, PepsiCo grew 5 % in net revenue on a constant currency basis as compared to 2008 which was upset by the unfavourable economy condition. PepsiCo American Foods dominant 48% group net revenue. PepsiCo American Beverages and PepsiCo Europe fell 7.5% and 2.4% respectively. However, PepsiCo Asia, Middle East Africa (AMEA) grew 9% which increase the total net revenue of the group (PepsiCo, 2009). According to the annual report, PepsiCo Europe snack food volume in last year declined 1% as compared to 2008 with 6% growth. Walkers in the United Kingdom declined at a low-single-digit rate which is caused by macroeconomic challenges. Source: Annual Report 2009 2.0 Mission Statement 2.1 Mission The mission of PepsiCo is to be the worlds premier consumers product company focused on convenient foods and beverages. We seek to produce financial rewards to investors as we provide opportunities for growth and enrichment to our employees, our business partners and the communities in which we operate. And in everything we do, we strive for honesty, fairness and integrity (PepsiCo Inc., 2010). 2.2 Vision PepsiCos vision is put into action through programs and a focus on environmental stewardship, activities to benefit society, and a commitment to build shareholder value by making PepsiCo a truly sustainable company (PepsiCo Inc., 2010). 2.3 Value PepsiCo stressed on the commitment of delivering sustained growth through empowered people acting responsibly and building trust (PepsiCo Inc, 2010). 2.4 Goals Non financial Goals 1. To reduce water consumption in global by 20 percent per unit of production by 2015. 2. To grow savoury snack and liquid refreshment beverage market share in the top 20 markets. 3. To develop a group of leaders who better understand how to work more cohesively at the global level in multidiscipline teams. Financial Goals 1. To improve brand equity scores for PepsiCos 19 billion-dollar brands in top 10 markets. 2. To grow savoury snack and liquid refreshment beverage market share in the top 20 markets. 3. To grow the companys nutrition businesses from $10 billion to $30 billion in the next decade. 3.0 Market Situation 3.1 Market Size and Growth According to Key Note, the UK snack foods market in terms of retail sales has a strong of 8.4% was seen between 2008 and 2009 as manufacturers passed on steep rises in commodity costs for items such as potatoes, sunflower oil and nuts. The total value of the market has increased by 12% between 2005 and 2009 to reach  £2.39bn. Potato snack gained 85% of UK snack foods market followed by other savoury snacks and snack nuts (MyCompanyPR, 2010). 3.2 Market Trend High demand in safety and healthy foods Consumers demand in safe and healthy snack food is an emerging trend. According to Report, there been a high proportion of consumers interested in natural and healthful food and drinks increases, so will sales of products with naturally nutritionally rich and quality calorie content. Manufacturers of snack foods reducing salt and fat content in their foods through the introduction of light and low-fat variants to respond to health issues. Emphasis has been placed on the use of more natural ingredients, as well as on baked, rather than fried goods (MyCompanyPR, 2010). The trend is more distinct when UK government has imposed restrictive food and drink nutritional labelling regulations as to control the obesity population in the country. Global media influence consumers choice Consumers buying behaviour change in a way of becoming active information seeker on the food nutritional and calorie content before purchase decision is made. The availability of Internet allows consumers have greater access to products information around the world. Thus, more and more snack manufacturers share their product nutritional label in their official websites for consumers references. Consumers embraced ethical product On the other hand, more people are inspired to buy food that has minimal impact on the environment. This shows that consumers product evaluation work more than just the tastiness or quality but take consideration of the food products packaging and manufacturing process. Therefore major marketers and retailers are increasingly tapping into this trend by offering more ethical products, upping their corporate responsibility efforts through energy-efficient green facilities and sustainable business practices, and increasing their associated cause-related marketing efforts (Packaged Facts, 2010). According to Mintels Global New Products Database (GNPD), in between 2005 and 2010 to date, there have been 17,208 food and drink products launched in Europe that make some claim towards being ethical. Between 2005 and 2009, Mintel identified a 963 per cent increase in product launches in the category, from 445 products in 2005 to 4,732 last year (Decision News Media SAS, 2010). Mintel comments that  the key shift in the focus of ethical products: from animal-friendly to  environment-friendly  products is a sustainable factor for many snack manufacturer in rebuilding brands. 3.3 External Environment Analysis 3.31 Political Environment UK practices the integration of three government departments on food labelling policy which are Food Standards Agency (FSA), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Department of Health. FSA has the responsibility for food safety aspect in nutritional labelling in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England, Department of Health responsible for nutritional policy and Defra become responsible for country of origin labelling and various other types of food labelling not related to food safety, and food composition policies in England. 3.32 Economic Environment The economy of United Kingdom is in the recovery stage after having a severe recession in 2009. The GDP growth of UK in 2010 quarter two remain unrevised from the increase of 1.2% published last month (Office for National Statistics, 2010). Consumer disposable income is medium low as the household consumption expenditure rose slightly rose by 0.7% in latest quarter. A rise in world commodity prices for grocery product have indirectly increase food price. PepsiCo UK Walkers is in the disadvantage position due to an increase in operation cost and engage in price war to attract more market share. 3.33 Social Environment Obesity is the major health problem of the UK nations and healthy eating is one of the trends in food and drink sectors in UK. Consumers actively scrutinize the ingredients and nutritional labelling as a way to choose the right snack foods. PUK Walkers Brands respond to the change of consumer preference toward healthy snack by using Sun Seed oils to cook their crisps in order to reduce saturated fat content of the crisps. Walkers also provide a front-of-pack Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) label to inform consumers about the amount of energy and key nutrients provided in a portion of the product, and the contribution they make to the GDA for that nutrient (PepsiCo UK Ireland, 2010). 3.34 Technological Environment According to ITU, 82.5% of the population in UK are Internet user. Most popular sites visit overall among UK Web user are Google, YouTube and social network visits have climbed from about 10% of all UK site visits to 11.88% of the total (eMarketer Inc., 2009). PUK Walkers Crisps has adapted to the surfing trends and connect consumers through social network. Last year, Walkers Crisps launched a Do us a Flavour, Pick us a winner campaign which uses electronic vote via mobile,  Facebook  or email was successful to capture the heart of the nation inviting the public to create the next great flavour of Walkers Crisps (Enzo Annunziata, 2009). Year Users Population % Pop. Usage Source 2000 15,400,000 58,789,194 26.2 % ITU 2005 35,807,929 59,889,407 59.8 % Nielsen Net//Ratings 2007 38,512,837 60,363,602 63.8 % Nielsen//NR 2009 48,755,000 61,113,205 79.8 % Nielsen Online 2010 51,442,100 62,348,477 82.5 % ITU Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/eu/uk.htm Besides snack manufacturers start to embrace green technology on their production. PUK adapted to the change by upgrading Walkers brands with eco- friendly packaging by using starch derived from potato peelings to make chips bag, thus helping save on costs by recycling potato by-products (TFTS Technology, 2010). 3.35 Legal Regulatory Environment UK government has been imposing restrictive regulatory pressure on food safety. The Food Safety Act 1990 is one of the main food laws in UK by preventing food business from rendering food injurious to healthy (Section 7) and selling to the purchasers prejudice any food which is not of the nature or substance or quality demanded by the purchaser (Section 14). Food companies that offence the Section 7 or 14 will be penalized with fine up to  £5,000 per offence or a prison sentence of up to six months (Food Standard Agency, 2010). The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 is the food hygiene rules for all food businesses, applying effective and proportionate controls throughout the food chain, from primary production to sale or supply to the food consumer (Food Standard Agency, 2010). 3.36 Natural Environment According to Report of Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK environment is improving as the serious incidents affecting water, air and land are dropping from year 2002 to 2008. However, climate change like drought has a huge impact in food production. PepsiCo UK Ireland has taken initiative on reducing the carbon footprint in their manufacturing, distribution and packaging processes, and those of their suppliers. They switching to 100% British potatoes to lower food miles, reusing waste oil in biodiesel in their trucks as well as practice light-weighting of packaging. As a result they achieved a 7% reduction of Walkers carbon footprint between 2007 and 2009 (CIB, 2010). Source: http://www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/environment/inlwater/kf/iwkf11.htm 3.4 SWOT Analysis of PepsiCo UK (Walkers Brand) Strength UK market leader in crisps Experienced management teams and board of directors. Strong manufacturing and distribution system Provide a variety of crisps flavours using familiar and natural ingredients Strong financial support from PepsiCo Inc. Launch the first Carbon Reduction Label Weaknesses Walkers brands sales declined Inaccuracy in product nutritional labelling Commodity price is inconsistent. Opportunity Increasing consumption of snack Eating healthy snack is a trend High demand in environmental friendly processed food as in packaging Threat Snack viewed as unhealthy product Intense Competition Water stress and crop failure in region Volatile in foreign exchange rate Strength PepsiCo UKs (PUK) favour internally are its strengths of an experienced managements team and board of directors which give a clear direction of the selling strategy of Walkers Crisps. Besides, PUK and Walkers actively engage with carbon emissions reduction from its supply chain to packaging has scored the company a good reputation in the effort of preserving environments. Walkers brand uses healthy oil to fry or baked the crisps which suit consumers demand of healthy snack food. Walkers brand also gain competitive advantage of being the first product that launched Carbon Reduction label which other competitors could have takes time to imitate in future. Weakness The weakness of PUK is the sales volume of Walkers crisps is decreasing attribute to the consumers negative perception of snack food. Walkers brand crisps have been engage with a number of problem and complaint about inaccuracy in nutritional label. In particularly, Walkers claimed their flavour is suitable for Coeliacs but not entirely gluten free (contains barley malt). Once consumers find the product labelling is misleading, they would not repurchase the item as it indicated the product is unsafe to consume. Nevertheless, the increase in commodity prices due to the disruption of unfavourable climate imposes high production cost to the company. Opportunity and Threat Favourable external factors include the rising demands of snack, food processing technological breakthrough in packaging which addressing the consumers demand of environmental friendly product which start practising by competitors. Main threat of PUK is disruption of production due to adverse climate such as water stress will increase the crop failure. PUK Walkers crisps face intense competition from both direct and indirect competitors which would adversely affect its current market share in UK snack food industry. United Biscuit Ltd and Procter Gamble Company are the direct competitors of PUK whereas the indirect product competitors are Kraft Food, Nestle and Kellogg. 3.5 Competitors Brand Situation (SWOT Analysis) The main competitors of Walkers Crisps are McCoys Crisps and Pringles. The table below shows the SWOT analysis of these companies. Competitors Brands McCoys Crisps Pringles Manufacturer United Biscuit Ltd  [1]   The Procter Gamble Company Country of Origin United Kingdom United States Market Shares 29% 21% Strength Dominance the young male market e.g. Slogan: the original and best crisp designed specifically for men and their distinctive tastes.  [2]   Special flavours as compared to other e.g. curry flavours Consumers can control the proportion of salt and addictives in their snack Strong financial support from the group Wide manufacturing facilities Approach different group of consumers from children to adults Slogan: Once You Pop, The Fun Doesnt Stop! Unique canister packaging  [3]  and sealable lid Differentiation on crisps shape: a hyperbolic parabolic saddle shape Strong financial support form group Weakness Salty and Fattening Fail to approach female and children market Organisation less focus on the brand Inconsistency in campaign effort especially in social network. Higher price as compared to other normal potato product Opportunity Increasing consumption of snack High demand in environmental friendly processed food as in packaging  [4]   Demands for exotic flavours snack is still high Able to approach different group of consumers Produce new flavours Threat Market share widen by other non-potato snack product Market share widen by other non-potato snack Competitive snack market climate Addiction of product Engage in negative food issues: HVP Salmonella recalls  [5]   *the calculation of market share has included potato crisps, snack, and nuts. 4.0 Marketing Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Segment base Children Youth Adults Demographic Age Income Occupation Family life cycle Below 12 Parents allowance Student Kids 13-24 Below 2000 Students, Part-timers Single, couples 25 44 Above 2000 Self-employed, Full-timers, Professional Single, couples, married Geographic Country Regions United Kingdom Scotland, North Ireland, Midlands Psychographic Social class Lifestyle Middle, High Leisure Middle, High Leisure, Fast-moving Low, Middle, High Fast-moving, convenient, less constraint Behavioural Usage rate User status Medium Regular Heavy Regular Medium Regular Crisps and savoury snack consumption by age group and gender Gender Age Group 2-10 11-18 19-34 35-49 50-64 Males Mean 19 22 18 19 16 Median 18 18 13 13 13 % consumers 79 87 56 37 22 Females Mean 20 23 17 13 13 Median 18 19 12 9 11 % consumers 86 84 53 45 26 Modified source: Low income diet and nutrition survey by food standard agency Percentage of crisps and savoury snack consumption according to country / region Gender Country / region England Scotland Wales North Central /Midlands South All England Men (%) 30 45 28 33 41 32 Females (%) 32 42 36 36 40 29 Modified source: Low income diet and nutrition survey by food standard agency Targeted groups The primary targeted is the youth which is from 13 year old to 24 year old. Low income diet and nutrition survey by Food Standard Agency reveal that 79% male and 86% female of this group consumed crisps and savoury snack. Older children and teens can be manipulated by the strong emotive messages in advertisements. The secondary targeted group is adult between the ages of 25 and 44. This group are medium snack consumers which has less budget constraints as compared to youth group. The frequent user of snack is working adult living in a fast moving lifestyle. Convenient snack become the instant meals for working adult who has less time on cooking their own meals. MarVariety of flavours Fatty Homogenous flavours Healthy Walker Crisps Pringles Chips McCoys Crisps Kettle Chips Doritos ket Positioning of Walkers Crisps Figure Perceptual map of Walker Crisps Walkers Crisps is benefited in the sense that positioned itself to be a healthy crisps which provides variety of flavours. Figure 2 shows that Walkers Crisps closest competitor is in house brand Doritos, and other competitors brands like Pringles Chips and Kettle Chips are far below its because consumers perceive them as fattening and homogenous in term of flavours. In term of crisps flavour, McCoys Crisps is the closest competitor of Walkers attributed to its uniqueness of crisps flavours which keep most innovative consumers buying on it. 5.0 Marketing Objectives (SMART) To increase the market share of Walkers Crisps in UK market. To increase the sales volume of Walker Baked by 30% from 2010 to 2012. Walkers to remove all artificial flavour enhancers, colours and preservatives, by 2012 (PUK Health Report). 50% of savoury snacks to be baked, or include positive nutrition*, by 2015. Increase availability of Walkers Baked by 25% by 2012 for consumers on-the-go. Trial marketing campaigns to transition consumers who have high per-capita consumption of savoury snacks to healthier alternatives, from 2010 (PUK Health Report). 6.0 Marketing Strategy 6.1 Product Strategy As discussed earlier in market situation analysis, consumers healthy eating demands are the key focus of PepsiCo UK in snack foods industry. PUK is recommended to remain focus its competitive advantage on producing healthful snack with healthy oil with eco-friendly packaging. Out of the five product extension under Walkers brands as shown in Table 1, PUK should undertake brand building of Walkers Baked because its contain less than 70% fat content which believe to meet consumers demand of healthy snack food. Table Walkers Brands Crisps Product Product Description Flavours Walkers Crisps Source: http://walkers.co.uk/?redirect=null#/our-range Potato crisps that cooked in Sun seed Oil which contained lower saturated fat. Ready salted, Cheese Onion, Prawn Cocktail, Salt Vinegar, Roast Chicken, Smoky Bacon, BBQ Rib, Steak Onion, Marmite, Tomato Ketchup, Pickled Onion, Worcester Sauce Walkers Light Source: http://walkers.co.uk/?redirect=null#/our-range/walkers-lights Potato crisps that is deliciously light, 33% less fat than ordinary crisps and under 115 calories. Cheese Onion, Sea Salt Cracked Black Pepper, Simply Salted, Sour Cream Chive Walkers Max Source: http://walkers.co.uk/?redirect=null#/our-range/walkers-max Deep ridge potato crisp, which gives more crunch and fuller flavour. Chargrilled Steak, Cheese Onion, Paprika, Cheeseburger Walkers Baked Source: http://www.walkers-baked.co.uk/ Crunchy potato crisp that oven baked twice and contained 70% less fat than other Walkers crisp. Mango Chilli, Cheese Onion, Bacon Cheddar, Sour Cream Chive, Ready Salted, Salt Vinegar Walkers Extra Crunchy Source: http://walkers.co.uk/?redirect=null#/our-range/walkers-extra-crunchy Potato crisp that sliced thicker, cooked little longer and crunchier than regular Walkers. Simply Salted, Salt Malt Vinegar, Cheddar Sour Cream, Sweet Chilli Chicken, Flame Grilled Steak http://www.scholieren.com/werkstukken/24548 6.2 Promotion Strategy Key promotion programs that PepsiCo UK is recommended is featuring in sponsorship of home event (treasure hunt), collaborative promotion with cinemas and social network advertising. Sponsorship of Walkers Baked Treasure Hunts PepsiCo UK will be sponsoring a charity event named Walkers Baked Treasure Hunt which participants are encouraged to have minimum purchase of two packages of Walkers Baked. The group will also donate 1% of the revenue in each purchases of Walkers Baked to the Carbon Trust Fund. The event is intended to promote the significant of human role on preserving the Earth by reducing the carbon emission. Besides, it could facilitate sales of Walkers Bakes and re-emphasize the environmental friendly brand image of Walkers. Collaborative promotion with cinema People tend to associated snack food with entertainments like watching movie. Therefore, PepsiCo UK should made strategic partnership with local cinemas like Cineplex, to enable the cinema to sells the Walkers brand crisps to the ongoing audiences. In addition, Cineplex can work closely with Walker Crisps through screening the brands commercial and collaborate with movies freebies giving away promotion. Social Network Advertising Walkers Baked Fan Page will be set up as an arena to connect fans about the product. By recruiting fan can increase the popularity of Walkers Baked and fans will be constantly updated with the incoming events like Walkers Baked Treasure Hunt and other seasonal promotions. Past events images will be uploaded to reconnect the existing fans. 6.3 Price Strategy Pricing of Walkers Baked vary according to place and size of the product. Pricing in petrol station and convenience store are fixed whereas the pricing of retail is varying depending on the special occasion (e.g. Easter Day) and competitors brand pricing. The price strategy of undertaken by Walker Baked includes psychological pricing which priced at  £1.99 instead of  £2 and competitors based pricing. 6.4 Place Strategy Walkers Baked crisps will be mass distributed in most of the shops in petrol kiosk such as Shell and BP. Walkers brands snack vending machine in entertainment parks such as bowling centre and cinema as a way to increase consumers exposure to the product. Besides, Walkers Baked crisps will be placed at the middle condola or shelve in hypermarket like Asda, Tesco and other convenient shops because consumers can pay more attention to products put at middle shelves as it is reach on hand easily. 7.0 Assumptions There will be no large fluctuation are made in the market. The company mitigates the exchange rate fluctuation through buying and selling forward in principal currencies of activity and aligning currency of cost with the currency of sales. The financial data of PepsiCo UK and Ireland is assumed to be included in operation review of PepsiCo Europe in PepsiCo Annual Report 2009. Sales and operating profit PepsiCo UK Ireland is assumed to be the net revenue and operating profit of PepsiCo Europe Division respectively. Operating expenses in year 2009 is assumed to be 7% of the total sales. 8.0 Forecast and Implication Forecast Budget of PepsiCo Europe Division from 2009 -2012 Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 $m $m $m $m Forecast Sales 6727 7000 7700 8470 Cost of Sales 5795 5950 6468 7030 Percent 86% 85% 84% 83% Operating Profit 932 1050 1232 1440 Percent 14% 15% 16% 17% Operating expenses 471 420 385 339 Percent 7% 6% 5% 4% Profit 461 630 847 1101 Percent 7% 9% 11% 13% With the stimulation of mar

Capitalists? :: Free Essays Online

Capitalists? Capitalism is the American way to create massive amounts of wealth through exploitation of helpless or naive people. When capitalism controls one’s future it becomes a noose that will control how one grows up and lives in the future. An example of this type of controlling capitalism is the new Marriott Hospitality Public Charter High School in Washington D.C. that trains mostly black*, inner city, high school students to become desk clerks, sales directors, and caterers (Hedgpeth). Washington Post Staff Writer Dana Hedgpeth in her article â€Å"If You Can’t Hire ‘Em, Train ‘Em† describes this process and the way the Marriott Company is going about creating their ‘future’. While Hedgpeth praises Marriott for its attention to underprivileged high school students, the question remains whether the attention given to these students in this school is the type of attention that will allow them â€Å"to be all they can be†? Marriott and other supporters of this school believe that what they are doing is creating a chance for a lost cause. In Washington D.C. there are plenty of poor black parents who would immediately send their child to a Marriott Charter School instead of a D.C. Public School where the classes are huge, the teachers are less inclined to care about the students, and fights or killings sometimes occur. The high school graduation rate of Washington D.C. in 1998 was approximately 57 percent, which is one of the lowest graduation rates in the country (The Manhattan Institute For Policy Research). †It’s better then having no chance at all,† says Rory Holderness, an inner city Baltimore native, who went to public school, saw fights almost everyday, and two of his friends dropped out of high school. Marriott thinks that their new charter school will be helpful to inner city high school kids that might not have a future or enough money to go to college. â€Å"The l abor market is very tight these days†¦ [These] students†¦ will take on jobs in the city’s largest industry †, said William R. Tiefel, who is the chairman of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, and Emily Vetter who is the president of the Hotel Association of Washington, D.C. (Hedgpeth). Although nothing is guaranteed in life, Tiefel and Vetter have basically promised these District students that if they do not go to college from their charter school they will have secured a job in the â€Å"city’s largest industry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Hedgpeth).

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act (Amendment) of 1918 Essay

Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act (Amendment) of 1918   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On April 2nd 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the United States of America, went before Congress and called for a declaration of war. Both the House and the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of going to war with Germany.?# This was an act that led to much resistance among the American people. Not four months earlier the American people re-elected President Wilson, partly because of his success in keeping the United States out of this European war. However, a series of events, such as the Germans continuing submarine warfare and the attacks on five American ships, led President Wilson to sever diplomatic relations with Germany and send the United States into what would be labeled as World War I. As a result of the war the government enacted the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 which led to the suppression of anti-war documents and sentiments, as well as the prosecution of over two-thousand individuals.#   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite earlier resistance to the war by the American people, once war was declared patriotism swept over the nation. However, patriotism rose to it?s peak and quickly turned to an intolerance for any kind of dissidence of the war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With a general intolerance for opponents of the war the government began to repress groups advocating against the war, as did private organizations. One such organization created to suppress anti-war ideals was the Committee on Public Information (CPI). CPI was put in place to provide trustworthy information to the public, as well as stifle any misleading wartime rumors. However, the CPI ended up creating propaganda for the government to distort the views of the American people and worked to destroy and discredit all those who opposed the government?s ideology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?The effect of such incessant propaganda was to promote hysterical hatred of all things German.?# Any individual who had the audacity to speak against the war was assaulted either verbal or physically, and on many occasions murdered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the ideals of the government on the war growing in the nation, Congress passed the Espionage Act of 1917. After a joint session of Congress, where President Wilson reported on relations with Germany, the first of three bills that would create the Espionage Act of 1917, was introduced. The Congr... ...istory.? 2002. PageWise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 2004). ?Espionage.? 2000-2004. The War to End All Wars. Michael   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Duffy. Original Material. Primary Documents Online.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 2004). ?Clear and Present Danger? Test. 2004. Exploring   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Constitutional Conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22 November 2004). ?The U.S. Sedition Act.? 1996. World War I Document Archive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22 November 2004). ?The Sedition Act of 1918.? 2003. (22 November 2004). ?Espionage Act.? 2004. Education on the Internet & Teaching   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  History Online.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (22   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  November 2004). Stone, Geoffrey. Judge Learned Hand and The Espionage Act   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of 1917: A Mystery Unraveled. Schenck v. United States; Baer v. United States. Essential   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Documents in American History. 1919. Essential   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Documents. ?The Sedition Act of 1918.? 1918. From The United States   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Statues at Large.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (22 November 2004). ?Text of The Sedition Act.? 2004. Wikipedia, the Free   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Encyclopedia. (22 November   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2004). ?The Wilson Administration.? 2002. U.S. History.com.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (22 November   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2004). Zinn, Howard. Progressive. May (2004). 16-20.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?Opposing the War Party?.

My Country Armenia :: History

My Country Armenia Everybody loves to go to different places.On weekends people enjoy going out of town.I like to visit my country Armenia. You and your freinds are going to take a trip to Armenia. Armenia is a small European country that was part of the Soviet Union. However, you will have to make some preparations and do some research so as to make the best of use of your time and money.So, my country Armenia has a lot of interesting and attractive places to visit for tourist. Now I want to introduce some of the beautiful places in my country Armenia. They are Yerevan, Echmiadzin and Lake Sevan. One fantastic place to visit in my country is Yerevan. Yerevan, the capital of Armenia is a big and beautiful city. It has a population of about one million people; also, it is a mixture of ancient old, and new. Yerevan was built on tragedy and dreams. The heart of Yerevan of the city is Republic Square. In the centre of the square towering over it stands a magnificent building. It houses the Museum of History of Armenia and the National Art Gallery. They are all built in the style of national architecture. In front of the National Gallery there is a beautiful fountain where the townspeople like to walk in hot summer evenings. This fountain is continued by a series of fountains in the park across the square. Also, Republic Square is the hub of major avenue and streets. The city is climb to the top of the hills, you will see a sweeping panorama. One of them is the Swallow's Fortress park. In the same park you can see the pride of the townspeople-Sports and Concert gall that graces the hill. It is a modern construction latest in architecture. Moreover, the cultural centre of the city is Theatre square on the site of which Opera-House is located. It is an impressive building with a beautiful collonade. The Opera-House overlooks a green are of parks, too. In one of the parks of Yerevan in a quiet corner is the Pantheon of the distingnished people of Armenia. In addition, Yerevan is a city of students. There are more than 20 higher educational institutions. Above all, Yerevan is a very hospitable city. Nowhere in the world you find such traditions of receiving guests as in Transcaucasia. Another fantastic place to visit in my country Armenia is Echmiadzin.

Management of Learning Disabilities

This semester we have spent the majority of our time learning about and discussing how we can best assist exceptional students. Many of these students are individuals with learning dissabilities. Although it would be difficult for every teacher to understand the distinctions, symptoms, weaknesses and strengths of every disability, it can be very helpful to have a general knowledge of the disabilities that may hinder a student†s ability to learn. Unlike other disabilities like paralysis and blindness, a learning disability (LD) is a hidden handicap. A learning disability does not disfigure or leave visible signs that would invite others to be understanding or offer support (Council for Exceptional Children (CEC),1999). Therefore as teachers it will be our responsibility to provide that understanding and support for those children already diagnosed and also be alert to the warning signs that may be symptoms of a previously undetected disability. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (NIMH, 1999) describes learning disabilities as follows: LD is a disorder that effects people†s ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can show up in many ways. As specific difficulties with spoken and written language, coordination, self-control, or attention. Such difficulties extend to school work and can impede learning to read or write or to do math. Learning disability can be lifelong conditions that, in some cases, affect many parts of a person†s life: school or work, daily routines, family life, and sometimes even friendships. In some people, many overlapping learning disabilities may be apparent. Other people may have a single isolated learning problem that has little impact on other areas of their lives (National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), 1999). It is important to remember that the term â€Å"learning disability† does not apply to students who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual or hearing problems, mental retardation, emotional problems, or disadvantaged due to their environment, culture or economic background (US Department of Education (USDE), 1999). Knowing what constitutes a LD is only the beginning. Diagnosing and treating a learning disability is not a diagnosis in the same sense as diabetes or chicken pox. These have a known cause, distinct symptoms and treatments. LD, on the other hand, is a very broad term that covers an array of possible causes, symptoms, treatments, and outcomes. There is no medication to â€Å"cure† a learning disability (NCLD, 1999). If seen listed, the number of disabilities may be daunting. However, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed. (DSM-IV) (DSM-IV, 1994) divides LD†s into three broad categories. The first category is Developmental Speech and Language Disorders. This includes disorders where children have trouble controlling their rate of speech and may be behind their peers in learning certain speech sounds. Difficulty being able to express oneself through speech as well as trouble understanding certain aspects of speech all fall within this category (Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDAA), 1999). The second category is Academic Skills Disorders. Under this category falls Developmental Reading Disorder, more commonly known as dyslexia. Reading disorders are believed to effect 2-8% of all elementary school children(The International Dyslexia Association (IDA), 1999). Developmental Writing Disorder, where a child has difficulty with vocabulary, grammar, hand movement or memory and Developmental Arithmetic Disorder where a child has difficulty recognizing numbers and symbols and understanding abstract concepts also fall under this category. The last category is known as â€Å"other† Learning Disabilities. The most commonly known are the attention disorders. Although Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are not actual learning disabilities they may have a major impact on the child†s ability to learn (CEC, 1999). Another aspect that separates a learning disability from other disabilities is that currently the cause is unclear. In the past it was believed that LD†s were the result of a single neurological problem. However recent research seems to indicate that most learning dissabilities do not stem from a specific area of the brain, but from difficulties in bringing together information from various regions of the brain (NIMH, 1999). There are several possible reasons how a child might develop these subtle disturbances in the brain. When the brain is developing as a fetus is highly vulnerable. If it†s development is disrupted early in the development that fetus may die or suffer from more severe dissabilities. If, however, the disturbance occurs later in development when the cells in the brain are becoming specialized (this is when areas associated with attention, thinking and emotion develop as well as processing sight, sound and other senses) then the result may show up as a LD as the child develops (NIMH, 1999). The use of tabacco, alcohol, or other drugs during pregnancy may also have damaging effects on the unborn child. Many drugs taken by the mother are passed directly onto the fetus. Babies born to mother who smoke for instance are more likely to have a low birth weight. Newborns born under weight tend to be at risk for a variety of problems one of which is a learning disability. Alcohol may distort the developing neutrons and if taken in large amounts may result in fetal alcohol syndrome, a condition that leads to intellectual impairment (NIMH,1999). Complications during pregnancy or delivery are another possible cause of a LD. In some instances the mother†s immune system will react to the fetus as a virus and fight it as if it were an infection. This may lead the forming brain cells to settle in the wrong places. Lack of oxygen during delivery can impair brain function and result in a LD as well (NIMH, 1999). It is also a fact the LD†s seem to run in families. This may indicate a genetic link of some kind. Although LD can run in the family, there is usually a slight difference in the disability. For example, a parent that may have a writing disorder may have a child that has difficulty expressing him/herself in speech (NCLD,1999). There could be another reason why LD†s run in the family. It is possible to attribute some learning difficulties to the family environment. For example, if a parent has a disability where s/he has difficulty expressing themselves through language then they are more likely not to talk as much to their children or the language they use may be distorted or they may use the wrong words often enough so that the child is unaware the s/he is using the wrong words also. The child lacking a good model to follow when acquiring language skills may then acquire a disability of his/her own (NCLD, 1999). Another possibility is that toxins in the child†s environment may effect the development of the child†s brain in early childhood. In a study conducted by the National Institute of Health, a connection was made between the amount of lead in the environment and learning disabilities (NIMH,1999). Though many of the possible reasons a child may have developed a learning disability can not be changed, environmental causes can. Many learning disabilities are not noticed until a child enters the formal learning environment (Council for Learning Disabilities (CFLD), 1999). Therefore, teachers are often the first to observe a child†s persistent difficulties in mathematics, reading or writing and must be knowledgeable about what to look for and how to identify a LD. A student with hyperactivity is relatively easy to identify due to there impulsive behavior and excessive movement, however, what about the child who is quiet and polite or the child with above average intelligence who has been able to maintain passing grades? These children are less likely do be identified and may go unnoticed and undiagnosed. Although some children reach developmental milestones (first step, first word, ability to write one†s own name†¦ etc. ) later than others, there are a few things to keep in mind when trying to informally identify a learning disability. If a milestone is already quite delayed, if there†s a history of LD in the family or if there are several delayed skills than a teacher should notify the students parents and relay his/her concerns (CEC,1999). At this time, parents have the opportunity to have their child tested free of charge through the local public school system or they may choose to have an outside evaluation. Documentation is then brought to the school and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is created. It is a teacher†s responsibility to implement the goals and objectives of an IEP in the classroom. Due to the individuality of each student and his/her disability, accommodations may vary among students. There are several different strategies that may help children to succeed academically. For example, printing assignments on a certain color paper or encouraging a child to use a colored overlay may significantly help them to process written information. Older students with developmental writing disorders may benefit from bringing a lap top computer to class to take notes or use for any written assignments. It may also be necessary that a student has someone to take notes for them or have assignments read to them aloud. These are just a few of the possible accommodations that may help students learn more efficiently (LDAA,1998). Insuring each child receives the best education possible is a never ending task yet it is one each teacher takes on when s/he enters the classroom. By educating oneself about the different ways students learn, having the ability to notice when there appears to be a gap in a child†s intelligence and the skills s/he has achieved and being familiar and educated about what you can do to help each child fulfill his/her potential can only make for a better educator. Management of Learning Disabilities This semester we have spent the majority of our time learning about and discussing how we can best assist exceptional students. Many of these students are individuals with learning dissabilities. Although it would be difficult for every teacher to understand the distinctions, symptoms, weaknesses and strengths of every disability, it can be very helpful to have a general knowledge of the disabilities that may hinder a student†s ability to learn. Unlike other disabilities like paralysis and blindness, a learning disability (LD) is a hidden handicap. A learning disability does not disfigure or leave visible signs that would invite others to be understanding or offer support (Council for Exceptional Children (CEC),1999). Therefore as teachers it will be our responsibility to provide that understanding and support for those children already diagnosed and also be alert to the warning signs that may be symptoms of a previously undetected disability. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (NIMH, 1999) describes learning disabilities as follows: LD is a disorder that effects people†s ability to either interpret what they see and hear or to link information from different parts of the brain. These limitations can show up in many ways. As specific difficulties with spoken and written language, coordination, self-control, or attention. Such difficulties extend to school work and can impede learning to read or write or to do math. Learning disability can be lifelong conditions that, in some cases, affect many parts of a person†s life: school or work, daily routines, family life, and sometimes even friendships. In some people, many overlapping learning disabilities may be apparent. Other people may have a single isolated learning problem that has little impact on other areas of their lives (National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), 1999). It is important to remember that the term â€Å"learning disability† does not apply to students who have learning problems that are primarily the result of visual or hearing problems, mental retardation, emotional problems, or disadvantaged due to their environment, culture or economic background (US Department of Education (USDE), 1999). Knowing what constitutes a LD is only the beginning. Diagnosing and treating a learning disability is not a diagnosis in the same sense as diabetes or chicken pox. These have a known cause, distinct symptoms and treatments. LD, on the other hand, is a very broad term that covers an array of possible causes, symptoms, treatments, and outcomes. There is no medication to â€Å"cure† a learning disability (NCLD, 1999). If seen listed, the number of disabilities may be daunting. However, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed. (DSM-IV) (DSM-IV, 1994) divides LD†s into three broad categories. The first category is Developmental Speech and Language Disorders. This includes disorders where children have trouble controlling their rate of speech and may be behind their peers in learning certain speech sounds. Difficulty being able to express oneself through speech as well as trouble understanding certain aspects of speech all fall within this category (Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDAA), 1999). The second category is Academic Skills Disorders. Under this category falls Developmental Reading Disorder, more commonly known as dyslexia. Reading disorders are believed to effect 2-8% of all elementary school children(The International Dyslexia Association (IDA), 1999). Developmental Writing Disorder, where a child has difficulty with vocabulary, grammar, hand movement or memory and Developmental Arithmetic Disorder where a child has difficulty recognizing numbers and symbols and understanding abstract concepts also fall under this category. The last category is known as â€Å"other† Learning Disabilities. The most commonly known are the attention disorders. Although Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are not actual learning disabilities they may have a major impact on the child†s ability to learn (CEC, 1999). Another aspect that separates a learning disability from other disabilities is that currently the cause is unclear. In the past it was believed that LD†s were the result of a single neurological problem. However recent research seems to indicate that most learning dissabilities do not stem from a specific area of the brain, but from difficulties in bringing together information from various regions of the brain (NIMH, 1999). There are several possible reasons how a child might develop these subtle disturbances in the brain. When the brain is developing as a fetus is highly vulnerable. If it†s development is disrupted early in the development that fetus may die or suffer from more severe dissabilities. If, however, the disturbance occurs later in development when the cells in the brain are becoming specialized (this is when areas associated with attention, thinking and emotion develop as well as processing sight, sound and other senses) then the result may show up as a LD as the child develops (NIMH, 1999). The use of tabacco, alcohol, or other drugs during pregnancy may also have damaging effects on the unborn child. Many drugs taken by the mother are passed directly onto the fetus. Babies born to mother who smoke for instance are more likely to have a low birth weight. Newborns born under weight tend to be at risk for a variety of problems one of which is a learning disability. Alcohol may distort the developing neutrons and if taken in large amounts may result in fetal alcohol syndrome, a condition that leads to intellectual impairment (NIMH,1999). Complications during pregnancy or delivery are another possible cause of a LD. In some instances the mother†s immune system will react to the fetus as a virus and fight it as if it were an infection. This may lead the forming brain cells to settle in the wrong places. Lack of oxygen during delivery can impair brain function and result in a LD as well (NIMH, 1999). It is also a fact the LD†s seem to run in families. This may indicate a genetic link of some kind. Although LD can run in the family, there is usually a slight difference in the disability. For example, a parent that may have a writing disorder may have a child that has difficulty expressing him/herself in speech (NCLD,1999). There could be another reason why LD†s run in the family. It is possible to attribute some learning difficulties to the family environment. For example, if a parent has a disability where s/he has difficulty expressing themselves through language then they are more likely not to talk as much to their children or the language they use may be distorted or they may use the wrong words often enough so that the child is unaware the s/he is using the wrong words also. The child lacking a good model to follow when acquiring language skills may then acquire a disability of his/her own (NCLD, 1999). Another possibility is that toxins in the child†s environment may effect the development of the child†s brain in early childhood. In a study conducted by the National Institute of Health, a connection was made between the amount of lead in the environment and learning disabilities (NIMH,1999). Though many of the possible reasons a child may have developed a learning disability can not be changed, environmental causes can. Many learning disabilities are not noticed until a child enters the formal learning environment (Council for Learning Disabilities (CFLD), 1999). Therefore, teachers are often the first to observe a child†s persistent difficulties in mathematics, reading or writing and must be knowledgeable about what to look for and how to identify a LD. A student with hyperactivity is relatively easy to identify due to there impulsive behavior and excessive movement, however, what about the child who is quiet and polite or the child with above average intelligence who has been able to maintain passing grades? These children are less likely do be identified and may go unnoticed and undiagnosed. Although some children reach developmental milestones (first step, first word, ability to write one†s own name†¦ etc. ) later than others, there are a few things to keep in mind when trying to informally identify a learning disability. If a milestone is already quite delayed, if there†s a history of LD in the family or if there are several delayed skills than a teacher should notify the students parents and relay his/her concerns (CEC,1999). At this time, parents have the opportunity to have their child tested free of charge through the local public school system or they may choose to have an outside evaluation. Documentation is then brought to the school and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is created. It is a teacher†s responsibility to implement the goals and objectives of an IEP in the classroom. Due to the individuality of each student and his/her disability, accommodations may vary among students. There are several different strategies that may help children to succeed academically. For example, printing assignments on a certain color paper or encouraging a child to use a colored overlay may significantly help them to process written information. Older students with developmental writing disorders may benefit from bringing a lap top computer to class to take notes or use for any written assignments. It may also be necessary that a student has someone to take notes for them or have assignments read to them aloud. These are just a few of the possible accommodations that may help students learn more efficiently (LDAA,1998). Insuring each child receives the best education possible is a never ending task yet it is one each teacher takes on when s/he enters the classroom. By educating oneself about the different ways students learn, having the ability to notice when there appears to be a gap in a child†s intelligence and the skills s/he has achieved and being familiar and educated about what you can do to help each child fulfill his/her potential can only make for a better educator.