Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Mergers and Acquisitions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Mergers and Acquisitions - Essay Example An examination led by UNCTAD (2006) shows that 17 percent of the FDI on the planet include South-North and South-South streams and of this the cross-fringe acquisitions possess a huge extent. This venture would investigate the cross outskirt acquisitions with a knowledge into the reasons driving the acquisitions and compelling variables affecting such acquisitions. Elements propelling cross fringe procurement Various speculations have been built up that clarify the essentialness of the mergers and acquisitions. As per Efficiency speculations the principle thought process behind such arrangements is to misuse the advantages emerging out of cooperative energies or economies of scale. Market power hypotheses feature that acquisitions lead to oligopoly benefits. Office hypotheses express that the obtaining and securing bargains relieve organization issues like evacuating the wasteful administrative staff. This hypothesis likewise expresses that it might likewise offer ascent to office is sues, for example, indiscreet administrative choices exclusively guided by the thought process of domain building. Other than this the obtaining bargains are additionally guided by the points of interest emerging from the ‘benefits of diversification’. Despite the fact that there is no single hypothesis on mergers and acquisitions anyway these speculations have collected experimental help. Studies have demonstrated that the investors of the objective firm advantage the most in such arrangements while the investors of the bidder firm don't get any quick profit by the arrangement. The strange return that that the bidders can appreciate is either somewhat negative or zero. The joined return of the bidder-target firm is seen as generally positive demonstrating that the obtaining bargains lead to esteem creation. It has likewise been seen that the stock cost of the objective firms’ display better yields on account of money offers when contrasted with the stock offers; unfriendly takeovers when contrasted with amicable takeovers; and different bidder when contrasted with challenges by single bidders (Gregoriou and Neuhauser, 2007, p. 1). The achievement related with the M&A bargains has evaded numerous partnerships. Imprints and Mirvis (1998) express that the disappointment paces of such arrangements is around 50 to 75 percent. In spite of the vulnerabilities related with the arrangement the securing and obtaining bargains are on the ascent. The different advantages emerging out of the arrangement incorporate administrative collaborations, cost cooperative energies, advertise collaborations and so on. The wellsprings of collaborations incorporate united buys, creation, organization, advertising, showcase power, strategically pitching, securing of specialized mastery, patent, ability of the objective, showcase extension and so forth. In the level acquisitions that include mix of two organizations having a place with a similar division the prin ciple thought process is picking up piece of the overall industry of the objective firm. This occurs on account of developed businesses where the chances of development are about depleted, nearness of overabundance limit and so forth. Even acquisitions bring about improved income, investment funds in cost and better development openings (Hitchner, 2006, p.106). The getting firm additionally deals with the client base of the objective firm along these lines raising the absolute income base of the bidder firm.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Why is education important to enlisted service members Essay

For what reason is instruction critical to enrolled administration individuals - Essay Example An assistance member’s expulsion from society during their term of administration can be a mind blowing challenge to them, and free instruction can help decrease this issue. Like jail detainees, enrolled administration individuals spend a lot of their time sequestered from â€Å"normal† society †while on organization they live by various standards and codes than they would back home. This can make re-progressing into society very troublesome, however training, which gives the two ways to appropriate work on return and can give viewpoint to a real existence in the military can help smooth these advances among â€Å"normal† and â€Å"military† society. Another significant motivation to give free instruction to support individuals is the distinctive expertise characteristics and profession length they get from working in the equipped administrations. The normal military vocation isn't a deep rooted one †the vast majority decide to resign from this tiring vocation way generally right off the bat throughout everyday life (contrasted with different callings) some get out when their first term of administration is done, while some make it into their thirties and forties. At the point when they resign, they regularly have a long and gainful life in front of them †yet not really that numerous aptitudes that can make an interpretation of legitimately to a new position arrangement. Indeed, some addition specialized aptitudes in correspondences or upkeep, and obviously they learn things like trust, collaboration, etc from working in the military yet this might be of just restricted utility. Instruction, either as courses, declarati ons or whatever else, can help enrolled individuals get a cheerful and profitable second profession in non military personnel life. Training may not be the silver projectile to all of humanities burdens, yet it can help smooth changes among military and regular citizen life, prompting significant long haul benefits for the individuals who serve our nation. Giving 100% educational cost help can help furnished administrations individuals with their arrival to regular citizen and post

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Interpersonal Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder

Interpersonal Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment and Therapy Print Interpersonal Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder Treating Social Anxiety Disorder With Interpersonal Therapy By Arlin Cuncic Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of Therapy in Focus: What to Expect from CBT for Social Anxiety Disorder and 7 Weeks to Reduce Anxiety. Learn about our editorial policy Arlin Cuncic Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on October 21, 2019 Social Anxiety Disorder Overview Symptoms & Diagnosis Causes Treatment Living With In Children Maskot / Getty Images Interpersonal therapy (IPT) is a 12- to 16-week treatment program originally developed for depression. IPT was created by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman in the 1980s.   Interpersonal therapy has been shown effective in the treatment of eating disorders and bipolar disorder. Given that one-third of patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) do not respond to medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and because of the interpersonal nature of SAD, interpersonal therapy is now being considered as a potential treatment alternative. IPT is a highly structured treatment focused on the social context of mental health disorders. A major goal of treatment is to improve an individuals interpersonal functioning. Stages of Interpersonal Therapy IPT generally progresses through three phases consisting of weekly treatment sessions. Phase 1: (Sessions 1 - 3) During phase 1, your therapist will identify the interpersonal areas in your life that need attention. This includes taking an inventory of all the key relationships in your life, and the main areas of interpersonal difficulties, such as being socially avoidant or non-assertive.Phase 2: (Sessions 4 - 14) Your therapist will address the problems in your relationships.Phase 3: (Sessions 15 - 16) In the final phase, your therapist will discuss and review your progress and prepare you for the end of therapy. Areas of Intervention In the interpersonal therapy model of depression, four areas are usually addressed during treatment: interpersonal disputes, role transitions, grief, and interpersonal deficits. Below are the key aspects of each area. Interpersonal Disputes: Your therapist will identify problems with communication and teach you problem-solving strategies for your relationships.Role Transitions: Your therapist will help you find solutions to deal with problems in adapting to new circumstances.Grief: If grief over a death or another loss has played a role in your difficulties, it will be explored.Interpersonal Deficits: Your therapist will help you to identify problems in the way that you relate to others. If you are lacking interpersonal relationships in your life, your therapist will use the relationship between you and him/her as a basis for exploring difficulties and will help you learn how to develop new relationships. Interpersonal Therapy for Depression Interpersonal Therapy Techniques Many IPT techniques are adopted from other therapies, such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy and CBT. Some of the techniques used by an interpersonal therapist are listed below. Clarification: Your therapist will help you figure out how your own misconceptions or biases are playing a role in your relationships, or how your thought or behavior patterns influence your interactions. Supportive listening: Your therapist will listen in a supportive way, without being judgmental or critical, to help you feel more comfortable and open up. Role-playing: You and your therapist will role-play interpersonal situations so that you can see them in a different way and also get practice. For example, you might role-play what happens when you try to make conversation with strangers. Communication analysis: This technique involves your therapist having you remember in detail a social interaction that you had that caused you emotional pain. In doing so, you and your therapist will identify any unhealthy patterns that are reinforcing your social anxiety. Encouragement of affect: Your therapist will help you express and manage your emotions to make changes in your life. Research on IPT for Social Anxiety Disorder Research into the use of interpersonal therapy with SAD is still in its infancy. In one small study of 9 patients with SAD, 78% were rated as having much or very much improved symptoms after treatment with IPT. Patients also gave concrete examples of positive changes after therapy, such as finding a new job, returning to school, or dating.   In a critical review, interpersonal therapy was found to show better outcomes for SAD than psychodynamic psychotherapy, but lesser outcomes compared to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). IPT for SAD has even been delivered through mobile devices (mIPT); however, findings show that interpersonal therapy delivered in this type of self-help format is less effective compared to mCBT. Although IPT appears promising as a treatment for SAD, much more research is needed. In particular, researchers have noted that interpersonal therapy may require further modification to make it applicable to anxiety disorders. Are you receiving IPT for social anxiety? Overall, it cant hurt and may even help. However, it seems that if offered the choice between CBT or interpersonal therapy, given the present research evidence, you would be best to go the route of CBT. A Word From Verywell Interpersonal therapy for social anxiety disorder is still in the early stages of being evaluated in terms of its effectiveness. However, this may be a promising form of treatment for you, particularly if you struggle with interpersonal conflict in addition to social anxiety disorder. An Overview of Social Anxiety Disorder

Friday, May 22, 2020

Guidelines Of Guidelines Regarding Milk Banks Essay

persons. Texas requires its health department to provide guidelines regarding milk banks, and also requires health insurers to provide breastfeeding services to new mothers who are discharged early after delivery. Florida has several statutes encouraging breastfeeding information in various settings. State laws pertaining to breastfeeding are varied in their nature and scope. Leaders can provide mothers with relevant laws and related information, but should refrain from interpreting laws or offering legal advice. If there is no state law in place, the mother may wish to educate her employer about the benefits of providing a time and place to express milk. There is information available from La Leche League that can be given to the employer. There are supporting programs also, like (WIC) Woman Infant and child program is for both breast feeding moms and bottle feeding moms. According to WIC is a federal program designed to provide food to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children until the age of five. The program provides a combination of nutrition education, supplemental foods, breastfeeding promotion and support, and referrals for health care. WIC has proven effective in preventing and improving nutrition related health problems within its population. They also have lactation consultants with support groups. They teach you ways to breastfeed, different types of holds, milk supply and how long frozen milk last. Most papers, books andShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Breastfeeding Versus Bottle Feeding1452 Words   |  6 Pages Wouldn’t it be easier if there was a single book of guidelines for how to care for infants that was used and respected at a global level? Certain aspects of infant care around the world tend to be controversial topics; therefore it can be difficult to decide which guidelines to follow. For example, when it comes to things like the importance of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, or how long an infant should be breastfed, you will likely get different opinions depending on whom and where you askRead MoreBreastfeeding And Human Milk Has Many Health Benefits For Mother And Baby Essay2402 Words   |  10 PagesScientific studies have shown that Breastfeeding or human milk has Many health benefits for mother and baby that are both short and long term. Breast feeding has been endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, C DC, US Department of health and human services, office of surgeon general along with Many others. Nearly All of the agencies involving children provide some form of education on breastfeeding, for example when to breastfeed, how long to breastfeedRead MoreCsr of Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad4738 Words   |  19 PagesNature/ Background of Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (Dutch Lady Malaysia) is a branded manufacturer of dairy products in Malaysia. It was incorporated in 1963 as a manufacturer of sweetened condensed milk called Pacific Milk Industries (Malaya) Sdn Bhd. Dutch Lady Berhad then converted into a public company and became the first milk company in Malaysia listed on the Bursa Malaysia in 1968. Dutch Lady Berhad is a subsidiary company of the Royal FrieslandCampinaRead MoreHealthy Hair1332 Words   |  6 Pagessuch as spinach and broccoli are an excellent source of vitamin A and vitamin C which is needed to produce sebum, the body’s natural hair conditioner. Coconut is also considered as an excellent food for hair. Dairy products such as fresh yoghurts and milk not only strengthen your hair but also add shine to it. Avoid processed and canned foods as they are not really helpful in providing nutrition to your hair. If you maintain a healthy, balanced diet then there’s nothing that can stop y ou from achievingRead MoreA Project On Sardar Sarovar Dam931 Words   |  4 PagesRajasthan) and quench the thirst of the drought prone areas of Kutch and Saurashtra in Gujarat. It was also aimed at hydroelectric power generation for the local community where power supply was eratic. The SSP has taken several turn especially regarding the height of the dam which have consistently been altered disregarding the humanitarian severity of the project on the community. Following a written petition by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) calling for a comprehensive review of the projectRead MoreInternational Investment Forum Part IIi1219 Words   |  5 PagesDecember 29, 2014 When negotiations are completed successfully, both companies would contact their lawyers to arrange a contract and create joint venture guidelines that abide both French Laws and the laws in North America. Ensure the contract agrees to both companies and is signed to certify the agreement. Step 4 – January 7, 2015 Open company bank account in France and invest starting capital of 25% of yearly profit. Step 5 – January 8, 2015 Contact the Centre de Formalità ©s des Entreprises (CFE)Read MoreProject Report of Dairy Farming2103 Words   |  9 PagesEntrepreneurs in rural areas has made a tremendous impact on the agrarian economy of the country. With present production level of 98 million tons milk per annum, India ranks first in t he world and 55% of the total milk produced comes from buffaloes. (The world trade in milk and milk products is about US$ 10 billion.) Indias present export earnings from milk and milk products are mere 0.06 percent of global trade. The Agriculture and processed food products have a large scope in the global market. It isRead MoreCritique of Systematic Review1360 Words   |  6 Pagesfor the first six months. This includes countries that have a high rate of breastfeeding initiation. Recent data has shown that the exclusive breastfeeding rates over the last 15 years have only risen about six per cent, from 33% to 39%. Breask milk protects children against childhood illnesses s uch as gastroenteritis, respiratory tract infections, otitis media, atopic dermatitis, asthma, and SIDS. Studies have also shown that children that are breastfeed have improved cognitive development andRead MoreInternship Report on Ztbl20418 Words   |  82 PagesZarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd. Chapter 1 Introduction to Report CHAPTER 1 â€Å"INTRODUCTION TO REPORT† 1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY The Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited is the premier financial institution geared towards the development of agriculture sector by providing financial products and services to their customers. It is a common practice at universities during the completion of the masters and bachelors program to attain practical experience in different fields. Students are required to undergoRead MoreNestle Corporate Social Responsility7065 Words   |  29 Pagesamusing,it helped be identify and appreciate the company’s efforts to try its best to give back to the society in which it successfully operates. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of my report is to analyse the performance of NESTLE PAKISTAN regarding its discharge of social responsibilities and the measures adopted by the company in achieving its social objectives. This report is about Leadership for Corporate Sustainability and how NESTLE have collectively evolved an integrated approach to

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Up in Arms About Fifth Grade 5th Grade Essay Samples?

Up in Arms About Fifth Grade 5th Grade Essay Samples? There's, naturally, a limit on the range of pages even our very best writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but generally, we figure out how to satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. Despite the fact that you pay for homework, we provide those options at no cost. Also keep an eye on where each bit of information is found so it is easy to cite your sources in the event the teacher requires it. If you need an example written by means of a student check out our vast group of completely free student models. The thesis statement is the principal idea of the essay and it expresses what you would like to tell the reader in a couple of sentences. What are a few examples of essay introduction grabbers. Maybe you've written this sort of essay before. Every essay followed the very same standard structure. Whether you must make a paper of special flawlessness, just purchase an essay here and our writers will provide help. Thinking up good narrative essay topics sounds like it would be somewhat easy, but it isn't as easy as you might think. Manual of writing including an essay outline format in various formats, be utilised to control group essay straight away. There's no need to opt for a wide topic since it would acquire difficult. Pick the subject that's topical and interesting for your intended audience. In fact, prior to making an order you're able to find a price quote on your essay. Click the image below to get to the join page. A persuasive speech is provided for the use of persuading the audience to feel a particular approach to take a specific action or to support a particular view or cause. You'll be surrounded by writing professionals throughout the plan of order placement, and once you opt to purchase essay and select an allocated writer, things are likely to get e ven more exciting. Write an essay convincing your buddy you ought to begin swapping meals each and every day. Students are trained to compose a story for a narrator who has experienced a scenario. You've got an idea to increase your school. Your work is to choose whether or not there ought to be a particular age when kids are given access to a smartphone. A fifth grader is also predicted to respond and rate others' and their very own work. Consider your favourite year in school. The Basic Principles of Fifth Grade 5th Grade Essay Samples You Will be Able to Benefit From Starting Today The debut of each written work ought to have a very clear thesis statement or argument. Your paragraphs do not connect one another's meaning and the whole thought of your essay may be incomprehensible. The 3 body paragraphs are unquestionably essential to the success of the five paragraph essay. They are the foundation of the essay. The Fundamentals of Fifth Grade 5th Grade Essay Samples Revealed It's given as a typical school assignment and an important part in an examination collection. The previous part is to begin writing a draft based on the aforementioned measures. Our regular weeklymanagement meeting. Paper in a little small business plan for 7th edition. Simile is a kind of figurative language that may be put to use as a literary technique. If you're going to be using professional stipulations, then be sure to supply meanings also. Take into consideration how you have heard the expression evidence used. Observe that the objective of a persuasive speech is like the purpose for writing an argumentative or persuasive essaythe organizational structure and kind of info in a persuasive speech would be. You might produce some rather interesting ideas. These strategies are certain to help you acquire the creative juices flowing! This is because we're true friends and we're bound by the usual interests. Persuasive speech topic suggestions for high school students Write a last paper. To get ready for the demands of middle school and higher school writing, fifth graders ought to be mastering skills necessary for strong nonfiction writing. Once students become conscious of the techniques utilised in oral arguments, then they apply them to independent persuasive writing pursuits and analyze the job of others to determine if it includes effective persuasive methods. They need to learn how to write persuasive essaysthis skill is critical because it is often tested.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Summary of President Lyndon Free Essays

Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to persuade his listeners to act in order to guarantee equal voting rights for all Americans by using the phrase â€Å"the American Promise. † He began his peech in a way that suggests his message would surpass the current constraint facing the nation. We will write a custom essay sample on Summary of President Lyndon or any similar topic only for you Order Now The current constraint, he felt, was a â€Å"turning point in man’s unending search for freedom† and â€Å"equal rights. † It is part of the American Promise, which is to guarantee the freedom and equality of every man in America. Johnson suggested throughout his speech that denying equal rights to African Americans, illustrated by the violence in Selma, AL, signify a threat to the values our nation. To keep African Americans from enjoying the freedom and equality guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution would break our nation’s promise, Johnson mentions throughout his speech. In short, the President held the dialect of democratic freedom and equality to help guarantee equal voting rights to African Americans. Johnson also argues that the issue confronting the county was of historic significance. He suggested that although the United States kept African Americans from enjoying the benefits of freedom and equality for many years, the nation had not broken its promise†yet; however destiny had crossed the nation’s ath at this exact time, for the decision to be made, keep the promise or break it. The president stresses that such a moment came â€Å"rarely in any time. † Therefore, the nation must take hold of the opportunity. His speech helped deflate Southern resistance to equal voting rights by making racial discrimination at voting booth seem fundamentally un-American. By doing this Johnson directly put supporters of segregation on the losing side of an issue of principle. No one could argue persuasively that voter discrimination was in line with American values. Out of this peech President Johnson crafted a compelling Justification for immediate passage of a strong federal voting rights law. His speech became the framework for public and congressional deliberations. At a time ot urgency and chaos, his speech to congress and to the nation provided focus and clarity on a very important and sensitive issue of that time. President Johnson’s speech is remarkable because it made the idea of equal voting rights meaningful and compelling through shared interests, motives, and intentions in order to secure the passage of one of the most important civil rights laws for the country. How to cite Summary of President Lyndon, Papers

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Total War in Modern World History

One of the history’s seeming paradoxes is the fact that, the more humanity appears to be affiliated with the values of progress and enlightenment, the bloodier are the wars, in which the world’s most technologically and culturally advanced countries find themselves plunged into.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Total War in Modern World History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nevertheless, despite the paradoxical subtleties of the phenomenon in question, the earlier mentioned state of affairs can be best referred to, as such that has been dialectically predetermined by the very laws of history. In this paper, I will explore the validity of the above-stated at length, while promoting the idea that the very emergence of the term ‘total war’ cannot be discussed outside of the fact that, throughout the course of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was specifically the Westerners’ gr owing awareness of what the concept of ‘nationhood’ stands for, which began to define the qualitative dynamics on the arena of international politics. The origins of the term ‘total war’ can be traced back to the era of the Napoleonic Wars. After all, it was namely Napoleon, who took a practical advantage of the policy of a nationwide ‘mass mobilization’, as the main principle of staffing the French army with soldiers (Broers 253). This suggestion contains a clue, as to why it proved possible for Napoleon to be able to do it, in the first place. Ever since the time of the French Great Revolution, it became a commonplace practice among Europeans to go about constructing their sense of self-identity along the lines of what happened to be the particulars of these people’s national, rather than religious or socially-sectarian affiliation. In its turn, this predetermined the main characteristic of the Napoleonic Wars – the fact that, d uring the course of hostilities, the combatants on both warring sides tended to perceive the significance of their involvement, as such that related to what these people were, in the ethno-cultural sense of this word. It is needless to mention, of course, that this created objective preconditions for the concerned warfare to be marked with utter cruelty – one of the total war’s main features.Advertising Looking for term paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The reason for this is apparent – the very paradigm of war between the two or more nations presupposes that, regardless of what happened to be their age, gender or social status, the citizens from from involved countries do contribute (directly or indirectly) to the continually applied war-effort. In its turn, this naturally makes the legitimate targets of military operations. This suggestion explains the sheer cruelty, with which the French soldiers were trying to ‘pacify’ the Spanish civilians, during the course of the so-called ‘Peninsular War’ (1807-1814). Nevertheless, its contemporary sounding the concept of ‘total war’ has attained at the time of the WW1. After all, it is not only that this war resulted in the deaths of great many civilians, but also it has brought about the rise of a new military strategy, the advocates of which believed that the war’s actual objectives must be consistent with the notion of ‘totality’. Eventually, this resulted in the qualitative transformation of the term ‘soldier’. Whereas, prior to the outbreak of the WW1, soldiers used to be encouraged to act in the ‘knightly’ manner, while at the front-line, from the year 1914 onwards, this effectively ceased to be the case. The mentioned war’s ‘totality’ resulted in the creation of the situation when, regardless of what happened to be the particulars of their national affiliation, the front-line soldiers began to be progressively discussed in terms of a ‘cannon meat’ (Neilson 19). The historical account of the WW1, provides us with the insight into what can be considered the additional indications of a particular military clash deserving to be considered a ‘total war’. These indications can be outlined as follows: a) The deployment of the airforce, as the mean of causing damage to the hostile country’s economic infrastructure and the instrument of terrifying civilians. The validity of this suggestion can be well illustrated in regards to the bombing missions, carried out by German Zeppelins against the city of London through the years 1915-1918. b) The dramatic boost, provided to the pace of the technological progress by the ongoing hostilities. As a direct consequence of the WW1, the Western civilization has undergone nothing short of a technological revolution.Advertising W e will write a custom term paper sample on Total War in Modern World History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, before the outset of the WW1, there were only 600 internal-combustion vehicles in Britain; whereas, by the time this war ended, the country’s automotive industry has managed to manufacture 60.000 cars, which differed drastically in quality/technology from the ones produced before the war. The reason for this is apparent – only the states (at the time of a ‘total war’) are able to invest adequately in the economy’s technologically intense sectors, while overlooking the scope of potential hazards – these hazards to not come even remotely close to the danger of the country’s territory facing the prospect of being occupied by the enemy. c) The fact that those states that end up losing a ‘total war’, are commonly being deprived of their de facto independence. For example, according to the Treaty of Versailles, signed in the aftermath of the WW1, Germany was required to pay an enormous monetary contribution, while forbidden to continue maintaining its military airforce and fleet, which in turn has effectively reduced this country into nothing short of a semi-independent ‘bantustan’. d) The deployment of wartime propaganda for the purpose of dehumanizing the enemy. In the time of the WW1, it became a commonplace practice, on the part of the warring countries’ governments, to invest heavily in the production of propagandistic posters, which portrayed the enemy soldiers as murderous beasts, who were born to kill and destroy, as their only the purpose in life (Strayer 1025). This, of course, created additional prerequisites for the WW1to end up gaining the fame of being utterly atrocious. Nevertheless, it was namely during the course of the WW2, that the term ‘total war’ has attained its modern-day meaning. P artially, this has to do with the fact that it was in 1943 that this term was mentioned for the first time by Dr. Goebbels, when he was holding his famous ‘Sportpalace Speech’ in Berlin.Advertising Looking for term paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While addressing the crowd, he pointed out that, regardless of what happened to be their gender and age, all Germans are expected to actively contribute to the country’s ongoing war-effort (Overy 622). However, the actual reason why many historians refer to the WW2, as the most illustrative example of what ‘total war’ is all about, is that during the course of this war, the actual objective of many military operations (at least on the part of the Germans) became the physical elimination of the whole nations. For example, as it is now being known for just about anyone, Nazis strived for nothing less than ‘freeing’ world of Jews, in the physical sense of this word. Essentially the same they planned to do with the Russians – the so-called ‘Plan Ost’, designed by the SS Reichsfà ¼hrer Himmler, contained a number of detailed provisions, as to how the population of Russians could be reduced down to 30 million, within the matter of 10 y ears. It needs to be mentioned that, in respect of conducting a particularly atrocious warfare (‘total war’), the Allies did not fall too far behind their German counterparts. The full legitimacy of this statement can be shown in relation to the Allied bombing of Dresden on February 13, 1945, during the course of which, at least 75.000 of German civilians have lost their lives in the artificially created firestorms (Beck 332). The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US, stands out as yet another illustrative example – even though that there was no any immediate military necessity to proceed with this bombing, President Truman nevertheless did choose in favor of it. This provides us with the clue, as to the probably the most crucial sign that a particular war may indeed be discussed in terms of the ‘total’ one – the warring parties’ preoccupation with trying to kill as many ‘enemy’ civilians, as possible. Within the context of a ‘total war’, the considerations of morality have no place, whatsoever, because this type of war is being fought exactly for the purpose of ‘freeing’ the most attractive environmental niches on the planet, which in turn can only be achieved by the mean of elimination these niches’ former occupants physically – pure and simple. In light of what has been said earlier, in regards to the discussed subject matter, the paper’s initial thesis may indeed be considered thoroughly valid. After all, as it was shown, it is namely the objective laws of history that predetermine the outbreaks of ‘total wars’ and not the ongoing ‘decline of morals’, as some naà ¯ve people continue to believe. Works Cited Beck, Earl. â€Å"The Allied Bombing of Germany, 1942-1945, and the German Response: Dilemmas of Judgment.† German Studies Review 5.3 (1982): 325-337. Print. Broers, Michael. â€Å"The Concept of â⠂¬ËœTotal War’ in the Revolutionary Napoleonic Period.† War in History 15.3 (2008): 247-268. Print. Neilson, Keith. â€Å"Total War: Total History.† Military Affairs 51.1 (1987): 17-21. Print. Overy, R. J. â€Å"Mobilization for Total War in Germany 1939-1941.† The English  Historical Review 103.408 (1988): 613-639. Print. Strayer, Robert. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources, Volume  2. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. Print. This term paper on Total War in Modern World History was written and submitted by user Jovani S. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Kingsford Charcoal Essays

Kingsford Charcoal Essays Kingsford Charcoal Paper Kingsford Charcoal Paper Brand managers Marcilie Smith Boyle (HBS MBA Class of 1996) and Allison Warren were getting together for their weekly Kingsford Charcoal (Kingsford) debriefing meeting in February 2001 at Cloroxs corporate offices in Oakland, CA. As the job-sharing brand managers for the $350 million charcoal business, Smith Boyle and Warren had a lot to discuss during their Wednesday overlap day. Both women were assigned to the brand in July 2000, just as it became apparent that the summer results were going to come in below forecast. Since the 1980s, Kingsford had continued to enjoy steady, moderate growth of 1-3 percent in revenues each year. During this time, the charcoal category as a whole had been growing as well. However the summer of 2000 represented the first softening in the overall charcoal category in several years, and Smith Boyle and Warren were tasked with determining the causes and coming up with recommendations. As the team analyzed various trends relating to competition, pricing, advertising, promotion, and production, Smith Boyle and Warren were faced with a series of critical strategic decisions that would impact the future trajectory of the Kingsford brand. Kingsford had not raised prices in several years, nor had it advertised in any significant way since 1998- options that now required consideration. With Kingsfords long track record of being heavily driven by sales and merchandising activities, Smith Boyle and Warren wondered whether there was an opportunity to balance this effort and invest more in rekindling consumer interest in charcoal grilling( ). They realized that this initiative could significantly impact the brand image and the advertising message. There were also some production issues looming( ) in the horizon- if Clorox did invest in building( ) the Kingsford business, would the existing capacity be adequate? Smith Boyle and Warren were scheduled to meet with their marketing director, Derek Gordon, the following week and they were eager to get his feedback on their recommendations before Kingsfords annual business review later in the month. GRILLING IN AMERICA People cook over an open flame the world around but Americans do it more often and better Grilling is the essential American culinary art, ( ) a glorious birthright( ) celebrated everyday from coast to coast. Its a passion, a party, a way to cook that wont let you call it a chore( ). Its about playing with fire under an open sky, wielding a mean spatula ( ) in one hand, a cool drink in the other. Most of all its a surefire means ( ) to get yourself from here to a decent ( ) meal having loads of fun. Make that a great meal. - Excerpt from the front flap of Born to Grill:An American Celebration (1998) by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison By the late 1990s, three out of four U. S. households owned a barbecue grill which over 80 percent of grill ownership being among younger, larger, higher-income families. The total number of barbecue events In the United States had gone up from 1. billion in 1987 to 2. 7 billion in 1995 and over3 billion In 2000. Just over half of grill owners were heavy/medium users but they did the vast majority of the barbecuing (more than 85 percent of all occasions). Over 60 percent of barbecuers were men and the most popular occasions cited for grilling were: July 4, Labor Day, Memorial Day, ( ) and special occasions such as tailgating ( , â€Å" †). Common reasons for a barbecuing included great flavor, desire to be outdoors, hanging out with family and friends, change of pace, easy clean-up, and informality. Although barbecuers had greatly expanded their cookout repertoire (all the things that a person is able to do) over time, the foods that typically topped the â€Å"cooked frequently† list had not changed much. The most popular foods for the grill included hamburgers, steak, hot dogs, chicken breasts, pork chops, ribs, and sausages. Roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables, and marinated vegetables ( ) were the side dishes grilled most frequently. Charcoal and gas grilling were the two most commonly used grilling methods. Although charcoal grilling took longer to set up and cook, most die-hard rillers preferred charcoal grilling over gas grilling for its hands-on experience and the flavor imparted to the food ( ). Gas grilling, on the other hand, was preferred by those that were looking for convenience, greater control over cooking temperature, short cooking times, and ease of dean-up. CLOROX COMPANY HISTORY The Clorox Company (Clorox) was founded in 1913 as The Electro-Alkaline Co mpany. Its first product was industrial strength liquid bleach made from a combination of chlorine and sodium hydroxide. The bleach was originally made in Oakland, California, and sold in the Bay Area. In 1922, the company changed its name to the Clorox Chemical Company, and soon expanded its distribution to the rest of the United States. By 1957, Clorox was the leading producer of bleach in the United States and it changed its name to The Clorox Company. Procter Gamble( ) was attracted to Cloroxs category leadership and offered to buy the company in 1957. Although the sale was completed, the U. S. Federal Trade Commission challenged ( ) the acquisition on the grounds that the combined company could create a monopoly in household liquid bleach. Alter ten years of litigation, the U. S. Supreme Court forced PG to divest ( ) Clorox, and in 1969, Clorox became an autonomous company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. After obtaining its independence, Clorox pursued an aggressive growth strategy ( ) driven by acquisition and internal research and development. By 2000, the company had over 50 products that were marketed to consumers around the world. As of June 30, 2000, Clorox had annual sales of $4. 1 billion and net earnings of $394 million. For reporting purposes, the company split its results into three major categories: U. S. Household Products and Canada (40 percent of sales), U. S. Specialty Products (45 percent of sates) and International (15 percent of sales). (See Exhibit 1 for Clorox company financials. ) In addition to Clorox Bleach, household products included Glad, water filters (Brita), and cleaning products such as Formula 409, Pine Sot, Soft Scrub, liquid Plumr, Tilex, and Ready Mop. Specialty products consisted of cat litter (Fresh Step, Scoop Away); auto care (Armor All, STP); charcoal and lighter fluid (Kingsford, MatchLight); and dressings and sauces (Hidden Valley, ICC Masterpiece). Nearly all of Cloroxs products were among the leaders in their respective categories. Each product group was managed by a brand team that typically consisted of a brand manager and several associate brand managers. The brand organization was generally responsible for setting the business strategy understanding the consumer, developing advertising, creating short-term forecasts and helping with sales promotions. As a result, the brand team had to work closely with other functions, particularly sales, product supply and finance. Gordon explained, One of the key functions of the brand team is to understand the consumer and apply that learning. Clorox sold the majority of its products to grocery retailers and distributors, worldwide military installations, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs and drug, discount, hardware, and variety stores. The company relied on its own sales force as well as a combination of brokers/distributors. Clorox also sold products to professional/institutional customers through a network of brokers and manufacturer reps. As of June 2000, Clorox had approximately 11,000 employees worldwide. KINGSFORD CHARCOAL Kingsford represented one of the largest product groups within Cloroxs portfolio. In 2000, charcoal represented approximately 9 percent of Cloroxs revenues, and a substantially higher percentage of its net income. The business was started in the 1920s when Henry Ford developed a process for turning wood scraps ( ) into charcoal briquettes ( ) that burned longer and hotter than regular wood. E. G. Kingsford, a lumberman ( ) and relative of Fords, helped build the first briquette plant and commercialized the business. The plant was later bought by an investment group and then purchased by Clorox in 1973. Product and Pricing Kingsford Charcoal was manufactured from wood, minerals, limestone, starch, borax, sodium nitrate, and sawdust ( , , , , , , ) in a two-part procedure. The process began with transforming waste wood (e. g. , scrap from furniture plants) into wood char ( ) in a $15-$20 million retort ( ) facility that heated wood in an oxygen-controlled atmosphere. The wood char was then combined with the other ingredients in a $20-$30 million facility that converted the materials into pillow shaped briquettes. As of June 2000, Kingsford had five plants in the U. S. each of which housed both parts of the operation. Some of the charcoal briquettes were packaged as-is in blue bags and sold as Kingsford Charcoal (regular or blue bag), while others were treated with Kingsford lighter fluid and sold as Kingsford Match light in red bags (â€Å"instant or red bad†). The bulk of the volume for both types was sold in three sizes: 10-pound, 20-pound and 48-pound bags) regular, and 8-pound, 15-pound, and 30-pound (two 1 5 pound bags) for instant. The largest size was typically available only in club stores such as Costco and Sams Club, while food stores (e. . , supermarkets), mass merchandisers (e. g. , Target, K-Mart), and drugstores (e. g. , Walgreens), and Wal-Mart carried a mix of the other size. In 2000, food stores accounted for 66 percent of total charcoal sales; mass merchandisers and Wal-Mart for just over 15 percent; drug stores for 2 percent; and club stores and other non-tracked channels accounted for the remaining 16 percent. Regular charcoal represented approximately 75 percent of total shipments, with the 20-pound size of sales comprising approximately 60 percent of sales. Pricing varied based on the product and the size. In January2001, the average price to consumers for the regular 10-pound bag was $4. 25 and the regular 20-pound bag was $6. 78. The average consumer prices for the instant bags were $5. 20 for the 8-pound and $8. 07 for the 1 5-pound bag. In most channels, Kingsford competed with Royal Oak and private label brands. The private label brands typically sold at a 25-30 percent discount to Kingsford with Royal Oak being typically priced between the two. Virtually all of the private label products were manufactured and distributed by Royal Oak. Key Success Drivers Kingsfords business was seasonal, with nearly 60 percent of consumer purchases occurring between May 1 and September 1. (See Exhibit 2 on page 674 for 2000 sales by week. ) The Memorial Day and July 4th holiday weekends represented 35 percent of Kingsfords annual sales, fueled in large part by store-based promotions organized by the Kingsford team. Smile Boyle explained, Our sales team makes a big impact with retailers to ensure that there always are at least 7,500 pounds on the floor during the primary grilling months. Summer holidays are particularly important and Kingsford often contributes trade money to help reduce prices for our products during those key weekends. The Clorox sales team had years of experience in working with key accounts and many of the senior sales executives at the company such as Grant LaMontagne, Vice- President of Sales, had sold charcoal earlier in their careers. LaMontagne believed that Clorox really understood the category. He explained: Our success in the charcoal category is discipline†. This has led to a constancy of marketing and sales actions over time, and a consistency in the message communicated within our own sales and marketing organization, to the channel, and to the end consumer. I have found that successful brands can get derailed over time when the firm begins to tinker with the brand. In their effort to grow the business, it is common for marketers to change the brand image as they go after new market segments. Over time, such actions create enormous confusion within the firm and in the marketplace. The net result is that the various sales and marketing efforts begin to operate at odds with one another. When Warren took over the brand manager position in July 2000, she recalled hearing from the sales team at least five times in her first week: With Kingsford, the key is â€Å"display†- you need to pile it high and watch it fly- Display drives sales since over a third of charcoal purchases are impulse purchases. When the weather is good, shoppers bump into charcoal displays in the store and think, Today would be a great day to barbeque? Our job is to make the charcoal visible and let the weather do the work. In terms of product quality, Kingsfords lab tests showed that its product was superior to Royal Oak and the private label brands. Consumer studies also showed that Kingsford was perceived as a better product with approximately 60 percent of surveyed consumers indicating that Kingsford is a high quality brand, relative to 13 percent for private label. KINGSFORD BUSINESS IN 1999- 2000 When Smith Boyle and Warren started with the group, Gordon had warned the two brand managers that it would be difficult to achieve the forecasts created earlier in the year, as business was starting off at a slower pace. Warren recalled: Derek said to me on my first day with the brand, Welcome to Kingsford. Based on how July 4th is shaping up, you are already in the hole and there is no additional money to spend. Kingsford didnt do as well as we had hoped in fiscal 2000 [ending June 30], and we are concerned that fiscal 2001 doesnt look much better. Were hoping you and Marcille can figure out what to do. Smith Boyle added, We felt the pressure right away. Kingsford is such an important part of Coloroxs overall performance that when Kingsford misses its number, there is a good chance that Clorox will miss. Smith Boyle and Warren started with an in-depth analysis as to why the category appeared softer than it had in previous years. The charcoal category had slowed from 4 percent growth from 1998 to 1999 to 2 percent growth from the first half of 1999 to the first half of 2000. The forecasted growth for the second half of 2000 looked even worse, and by the end of 2000 the entire category was down relat ive to 1999. The declines were most pronounced in the food channel, with a 5. 7 percent decline during the second half of 2000. (See Exhibit 3 for volume growth by channel. With the help of two associate brand managers, the team ran numbers on all of the different factors that could have led to a softening in the category. The analysis revealed some interesting trends. The team was surprised to find a narrowing of the price gap across the various charcoal brands as a result of a series of private label price increases that the channel had passed along to consumers. By the end of 2000, the prices of private label bags were nearly 10 percent higher than they were in 1999 across all channels, the biggest price jump in years. See Exhibit 4 on page 676 for pricing trends. ) Smith Boyle explained, In prior years, prices rarely moved more than 5 percent over the course of the year. We found that stores had recently increased the price of their private label brands. We also found that Royal Oak had increased prices during this period. Finally, although we had kept the Kingsford prices constant, several of our channel partners had chosen to increase Kingsford prices as well to consumers during this period. The Kingsford team believed that gas grilling could have captured some of the consumers that had negatively reacted to the charcoal price increases. In 2000, gas grill shipments grew 8 percent relative to 1999 with 9. 3 million new gas grills being shipped, while charcoal grill shipments dropped 3 percent year over year with just under 6 million new charcoal grills shipped (see Exhibit 5 for grill shipments from 1996 to 2000). Overall, charcoal grill penetration had trended down since 1997, while gas grill penetration had trended up. In 2000, approximately 54 percent of U. S. households owned a gas grill, relative to 49 percent that owned a charcoal grill, and approximately 20 percent of U. S. households owned both grill types (see Exhibit 6 for grill penetration trends). Smith Boyle and Warren also believed that Kingsfords absence of media advertising further contributed to the category weakness. Neither Royal Oak nor the private label brands did any advertising, so when Kingsford did not advertise, there was no charcoal message on the air. This was compounded by the fact that while Kingsford had reduced its media spending from over $6 million in 1998 to a little over $1 million in 2000, gas grilling had increased its media spending during the same time period from less than $4 million in 1998 to over $10 million in 2000. Warren explained, The charcoal category was now paying the price for several years of reduced advertising. This trend was further exacerbated by a reduction in promotional activity across the category. In past years, Royal Oak had contributed substantial funds towards merchandising opportunities at retailers such as temporary price reductions, features and displays. However, these efforts were pulled back during 2000. In addition, the Kingsford team speculated that retailers might have been inclined to do fewer major promotions for Royal Oak after the price increases. The private label brands had fewer feature and display promotions during 2000, but stores did continue with temporary price reductions (see Exhibit 7 for category merchandising in 2000). Kingsfords merchandising in 2000 was consistent with that in 1999. A final factor that contributed to category softening was traced to weather patterns in 2000. Precipitation and temperature comparisons with 1999 showed a slight increase in rainfall in October through December 2000, coupled with a major drop in temperatures. Average U. S. temperatures in November and December 2000 were nearly 10 degrees lower than temperatures during the same period in 1999. Fall and winter grilling were positively correlated with mild temperatures, so the cold weather reduced opportunities for grilling occasions. Although the overall category sales volume dropped in 2000, Kingsfords volume rose slightly and its market share had increased. For the first half of 2000, Kingsford had a 56. 1 percent market share, relative to 7. 7 percent for Royal Oak and 34. 9 percent for private label. For the second half of 2000, Kingsford rose to a 59. 5 percent market share while Royal Oak dropped to 6. 4 percent and private label shifted to 32. 7 percent (see Exhibit 8 for market share trends). According to Smith Boyle, The price increases drove more consumers to Kingsford, so we benefited to a large degree. But given our large market share, our success is tied in to the overall success of the category, so we couldnt be complacent? In addition to the data on market trends, Smith-Boyle and Warren had access to a detailed internal segmentation study of over 300 heavy Kingsford users (that grilled at least 6 times a month) that uncovered three heavy charcoal user segments: Regular Exclusive users that grilled exclusively with regular charcoal; Instant Exclusive users that used only instant charcoal; Instant Acceptors that were comfortable and committed to both charcoal types. The three segments accounted for roughly 30,10, and 60 percent of all heavy Kingsford users, and 28, 11, and 62 percent of the total volume consumed by these users respectively Exhibit 9 on page 680 summarizes the findings of the segmentation study 2001 BUSINESS DECISIONS With all the analysis and consumer segmentation information in hand, Smith Boyle and Warren started to think about an action plan to present at their business review meeting with senior Clorox executives. They knew profitability was critical, and they believed continued growth was important as well. After a series of meetings with Gordon and others at the company, they focused on four areas: pricing, advertising, promotion, and production. Pricing The price increases by both private label and Royal Oak raised a number of key questions: Should Kingsford increase prices as well? if so, how big a price increase should they consider? Should they raise prices for both regular and instant and for all channels? If they did raise prices, would retailers pull back on the merchandising support (e. g. , features and special displays) they have been giving to Kingsford over the last several years? Would a price increase drive consumers to purchase other brands? Or worse yet, to gas grills? In order to help answer these questions, the brand team did price elasticity studies for several different scenarios to estimate the volume and profitability impact from potential price increases. The scenarios included: (1) a moderate price increase (-4. 0 percent) only for dub stores, (2) a small (-2. 5 percent) blue bag price increase across all channels, (3) a moderate (-5. 0 percent) blue bag increase across all channels, and (4) increasing both blue bad and red bad by 5 percent across all channels. For each scenario, the Kingsford team estimated the impact on volume, sales, and profit, while also accounting for potential withdrawal of merchandising support (see Exhibit 10 for information from the elasticity studies). Gordon believed that raising prices was a great way to increase short-term profits and would provide some money that could be reinvested in Kingsford and other businesses in Cloroxs specialty division. In addition, it ensured that Kingsford would stay within the targeted 25-30 percent price gap relative to private label. There were, however, some potential drawbacks. Sales director Nick Vlahos believed that Kingsford had gained a great deal of goodwill with Cloroxs channel partners over the last year that could translate into increased opportunities for Clorox. He explained: We’ve been working with our retail partners over the last several years to increase promotion of Kingsford, particularly at the expense of Royal Oak. If we hold off on any price increases for another year, we might be able to convince more chains to focus distribution and merchandising support on Kingsford and private label. Weve been advocating this two-brand strategy for some time, and this could be our year to see it happen. If we do raise prices, we may lose all the merchandising momentum we have gained. In fact, a price increase might cause us to lose some big accounts altogether, particularly because we dont have a clear justification for the higher price point. Smith Boyle and Warren agreed with Viahoss assessment, but Smith Boyle explained that: Taking price increases is particularly challenging for sales people: retailers inevitably resist, and we all knew that the sales team was being compensated based on volume. In reality, there is never a good time for a price increase; its a matter of finding the best of the bad times. The retailers almost certainly wouldnt be surprised with a price increase given what our competitors have done over the last year. As for the consumers that buy Kingsford, charcoal is considered a happy product- its associated with family and fun- so that sometimes gives us more leeway with pricing changes. Advertising Smith Boyle and Warren believed that anticipated volume losses from a potential price increase could be restored through increased advertising. Kingsford had gradually decreased its advertising since 1996, as more money was spent on sales promotions, reduced revenue spending, and dropping to profit. As of February 2001, the forecasted advertising spending for Kingsford was under $1 million. (See Exhibit 11 for Kingsford marketing spending from FY 97 through forecasted FY 01. ) According to Warren, The prevalent belief around the company was that Kingsford was a sales-driven business and that advertising would be a waste of money. The brand team disagreed and looked for ways to build their case. They started by hiring a third Marketing Management Analytics (MMA), to analyze the effects of advertising on Kingsford sales in past years. MMAs analysis of 1998 spending indicated that TV advertising drove a 7 percent incremental volume increase in targeted markets in 1998, and the benefits accrued in 1999 as well with an estimated 3-4 percent volume increase from the residual impact of advertising. Based on the data provided by MMAs marketing mix analysis, Smith Boyle and Warren believed that Kingsford should be spending at least $7 million on advertising during the peak grilling season of April-September. They knew it would be difficult to get those funds, but they believed that base volume would continue to rode if Kingsford didnt start advertising again. Gordon offered to help them apply for $5-7 million of mid-year funds from a corporate kitty; but he wanted the team to first think through their intended advertising message. In past years, the brand team had worked with agencies to develop separate messages for regular charcoal and instant. From 1991 through 1998, the message for regular was based around product q uality relative to other charcoal: lights twice as fast as other coals and Lights faster, burns longer. Nearly all of the MMA effectiveness studies were based on these advertising campaigns. Match light advertising was based on a different message targeting higher end customers seeking convenience. In 1996-1998, Match Light advertising centered on a Ready in 15 minutes message and in 1999 the team had reverted to a 1991 spot need just one match. Smith Boyle and Warren wondered if they should go back to the 1998 advertising that had proven results, or if should they try a different message. In past years, Kingsford had viewed other charcoal brands as its biggest competition; it now appeared that gas grills might be the product to beat. They debated if they should be advertising to grow the number of grilling occasions overall, to focus on growing the charcoal category or to focus on growing Kingsfords share within the charcoal category They thought about incorporating data from a blind taste test performed with 796 men and women ages 18-54 in Sacramento, Dallas, Tampa, and Chicago in June 2000 that had asked consumers to compare chicken, steak, or hamburgers cooked over Kingsford Charcoal to those same foods cooked over gas. Across all meat types, 2-to-1 participants preferred the taste of charcoal-grilled food to gas. Tasters commented that meat grilled over charcoal has a real barbecue flavor, has a smoky flavor, and tastes like it was grilled over a real wood fire. The brand team wondered if there were specific advertising executions that could leverage this data in a meaningful way. Promotion As the brand team focused on pricing and advertising, the sales group took the lead on thinking through Kingsfords promotional strategy. Clorox worked to optimize four sales levers at each distribution outlet: Merchandising, Assortment, Pricing and (MAPS). Within merchandising, the Kingsford sales team worked with stores to feature the product in circulars that were mailed to local consumers and to get Kingsford displayed on prominent end of aisle displays (end-caps). Assortment reflected the different Kingsford stock keeping units (SKUs) that were carried by each store. Here, the team focused on making sure that the individual stores were stocking the appropriate mix of SKUs that maximized sales volume. The Kingsford marketing team used scanner data to develop detailed quantitative models for each local market that the sales team used to educate the management of the individual stores on these issues. Pricing represented the various everyday prices of each SKU and the target numbers for temporary price reductions. The Kingsford sales team helped the channel partners plan the frequency and depth of price reductions since the volume spikes from price promotions were very significant. Shelving related to where Kingsford products were located, both in terms of aisles and exactly on which shelf each SKU was located. It was important that Kingsford products were treated consistently across stores members of the sales team spent a great deal of time visiting store managers and working on the execution details. Kingsford also worked with customers to capitalize on big holidays with targeted Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day promotions. According to LaMontagne: On a sunny July 4th weekend a Wal-Mart store could sell 5,000 pounds of charcoal in one thy. It is critical that each store keep enough product on the floor in a central location. This not only serves a reminder but generates the impulse to purchase. Ideally we want each person who walks into a store to see pallets of Kingsford charcoal and we push to get our charcoal in two different locations. When the displays are combined with featured pricing and inclusion in store circulars, Kingsford does particularly well- which is good for us and good for the store overall. Our research has shown that consumers who buy Kingsford charcoal tend to spend 30 percent more during their store visit than consumers who do not buy charcoal. We do our best to show these data to stores so that they can see the benefits of promoting Kingsford. The Kingsford team was also working on plans to extend the grilling season outside of the peak summer months by creating NASCAR promotions for March, April, September and October as well as by encouraging fall tailgating events. Dawn Willoughby, sales merchandising manager, explained, We have put together a 12-month plan to increase charcoal consumption. The goal is to increase grilling occasions and we want stores to help reinforce this objective? The sales team pursued co-marketing opportunities with other brands such as Pepsi and Budweiser to help pay for increased promotions throughout the year. As the sales team worked with stores on the various promotions, they also continued to push the stores to focus primary support on two brands- Kingsford and private label. LaMontagne explained: We see ourselves as custodians of the charcoal category. Our research shows that supporting too many brands of charcoal hurts the channels revenues and profits. For example, with too many SKUs to manage, the channel would routinely face stock-outs of the popular products that could lead to lost sales, or even worse, lost customers if the consumers switched stores altogether. Armed with compelling evidence on lost revenues and margins, we are going to the channel with a message of less is more? We are telling them that brands in the middle such as Royal Oak are driving consumers away from the premium brand that was sought out by brand-loyal consumers or away from the stores profitable private label brand. Product and Capacity The Kingsford team hoped to increase growth through a combination of advertising and promotion and therefore was working with the Clorox product supply group to ensure adequate supply. Based on the numbers run by the product supply team, it looked as if the plants were currently running at approximately 80 percent of total capacity. As a result, there would only be supply issues if volume grew more than 5 percent for several years in a row. It was difficult and expensive to build additional capacity Bill Lynch, Vice-President of Product Supply explained: A new plant can cost $30-$50 million to build and it could take at least five years once Clorox started the permitting process. It could take two to three years just to acquire all of the necessary regulatory approvals. If we want to expand one of our current plants, we still need to go through a two-year permitting process. In addition, some of our plants are not expandable- often for environmental reasons. If Kingsford did run out of capacity; there were not many alternative sources for charcoal production. The business could try approaching a competitor in the United States or looking at several offshore options. if those turned out to be prohibitively expensive, the Kingsford team ran the risk of running out of product towards the end of the summer season. 3 A shortfall in supply would mean that Kingsford would have to pacify its customers by moving pallets around the country to wherever demand was greatest, a very expensive proposition. CONCLUSION Smith Boyle and Warren were interested in getting Gordons perspective on how Kingsfords growth objectives fit into the broader context of the overall company growth targets. Cloroxs stock price in December 2000 was at a three-year low when Clorox had warned Wall Street that its sales growth would not be as high as it had predicted earlier in the year. On January 31 2001, Clorox had announced its second quarter earnings, which included a 6 percent decline in sales for the company. Clorox Chairman and CEO Craig Sullivan said, While these results are in line with the estimates we announced on December 14, we are obviously disappointed with our performance this quarter. Over the past 45 days we have heightened our focus on those activities that are most critical to securing a solid foundation for future growth. We are taking action, first and foremost, to regain momentum on our core businesses in the United States. Smith Boyle and Warren felt Clorox was relying on Kingsford to improve sales and profits, and they didnt want to let the company down. They knew their recommendations about pricing, advertising, promotion, and capacity could make a big difference for both Kingsford and Clorox as a whole. Armed with all the research data, they were eager to develop a strategy for taking the Kingsford brand to a new level of growth and profitability. With this in mind, Smith Boyle and Warren walked out of the building on Wednesday evening, planning to talk more the following week. They waved goodbye with their usual parting message, See you next Wednesday! †

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

A - H Glossary of College Terms

A - H Glossary of College Terms By term: A - H | I - R | S - Z College Terms: A - H Academic Probation: If your grades fall below a certain level, your campus may place you on academic probation. This traditionally means that you need to raise your GPA or face the possibility of being removed from your school for academic reasons. Adjunct Professor: A professor who is usually part-time or not on campus with a long-term contract (and, consequently, not eligible for tenure). Alumna: Female graduate or former student. Alumnae: Female graduates or former students. Alumni: Male graduates or both male and female graduates. Alumnus: Male graduate or former student. Area Coordinator (AC): This person usually oversees an area of your residence hall, or an area of your campus. They have more responsibility, and may sometimes supervise, Resident Advisers (RAs). Area Director (AD): This is usually just another title for an Area Coordinator (AC). Board of Directors/Board of Trustees: Most colleges have a board that oversees all parts of the campus. Traditionally, the board hire s (and possibly fires) a president; manages the college or university’s finances; and is responsible for all major policy decisions. Many college and university boards comprise alumni, faculty, staff, community leaders, and (sometimes) students. Board of Regents: Similar to how a Board of Trustees oversees a single college or university, a Board of Regents traditionally oversees a state system of public colleges or universities. College: In contrast to a university, a college traditionally only offers undergraduate degrees and programs. (There are, of course, some exceptions to this definition.) Commencement: Usually another name for graduation. Convocation: On some campuses, each year starts with a convocation ceremony where the new class is officially welcomed and the academic year formally begins. Dean: A Dean is someone traditionally in charge of a major area of a college. For example, there may be a Dean of Students, a Dean of the Faculty, and a Dean of Arts Sciences. Discipline: On a college campus, a discipline is often synonymous with a major. It usually refers to a field of study. (Of course, if you are charged with violating campus or community rules, you may be required to have a disciplinary hearing†¦and t hat definition is more traditional!) Discourse: A conversation, exchange of words, or dialogue, usually incorporating a wide range of views and opinions. Faculty: The faculty, or a faculty member, is generally anyone who teaches at the college. FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form is required for any student who wants to be considered for federal aid of any kind. Make sure you get your form in by the deadline! Fees: Fees can be charged for anything from seeing a doctor in the campus health center to returning your library books late. Additionally, you may see something listed as student fees, which cover some student services that the school provides and/or may be the basis for the student government budget. Financial Aid: Anything related to the way you are paying for school. Loans, scholarships, grants, work awards, and any other resource you use are all considered part of your financial aid. Graduate Assistant/Graduate Adviser (GA): A GA is often the same thing as a Graduate Student Instruc tor (GSI). Graduate Instructor (GI): A GI is often the same thing as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI). Graduate Student Instructor (GSI): A GSI is often a graduate student who helps out in your classes. They made grade papers, lead seminar discussions, and sometimes teach classes. Grants: Similar to scholarships in that you dont need to pay them back. Some grants may be connected to your course of study or allow you to do research while still having your financial needs taken care of. (For example, you may earn a grant to cover your room and board while you do summer research with a professor.) Hall Coordinator (HC): A hall coordinator is typically in charge of your entire hall and oversees Resident Advisers (RAs). Hall Council (HC): A Hall Council is a small governing body that serves as a student voice and helps make decisions and plan programs for your hall community; frequently the same thing as a Residence Council. Hall Director (HD): Hall Directors are often the same things as Hall Co ordinators (HCs).

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Gender Roles in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Roles in Islam - Essay Example Specifically, this takes a closer look on how Islamic society treats its male and female members. This also analyzes how this tradition affects the new generation of males and females in particular. In Muslim societies women and men are expected to behave in accordance with social, cultural or religious codes. They have various reasons from doing so but what is most dominant is the fact that they want to make create a line separating men from women and that they want to distinguish between what is considered to be 'masculine' or 'feminine'. These gender roles are learned within a particular social and cultural context. More so, these gender roles are affected by factors such as education and economics (Armstrong 489). In practice, gender roles are often affecting women thereby adversely impeding their self determination in areas such as their socio-economic status, status within the family, health, life expectation, independence, freedom and even their rights (Armstrong 490). This clearly reflects the gender bias that is happening inside the Muslim communities. For them, women are still the weaker sex and males are the dominant ones. For them, women are essential for male for they should act as their partners and because they are essential for men, Muslim societies tolerate men from having numerous women (provided that men can financially support all his women and his offspring equally). For them, women are accessories to the male's harem and that the males are the ones who would ensure on the availability of food, shelter and other basic commodities, while the women should stay at home and manage what is being given by the males. For the Islam, women should not be in command the decision making is the sole responsibility of the males. In short, women in Islam, are often expected to be obedient wives and mothers remaining within the family environment, whereas men are expected to be protectors and caretakers of the family Although the Qur'an views women and men to be equal in human dignity, this spiritual or ethical equality has not been reflected in most Muslim laws. Like for example, women do not have equal rights to make independent decisions in relation to choice of marriage or even of their partners. Still, women are not the deciding factors when it comes to obtaining a divorce and custody of the children (Armstrong 489). The Reactions Now, there have been various reactions from the female side. Reformists and feminists have challenged women's lack of rights and lack of control over their own lives in Muslim Laws through the various techniques discussed in the section (Armstrong 494). Central to this challenge has been the reinterpretation of Qur'anic verses which seemingly privilege men over women and reinforce gender roles. Qur'an verse 4.34, which refers to men as 'guardians' (qawamun) (over women), has been used to justify gender roles. Likewise, this verse is used to give merit as the why men enjoy certain privilege over women. Reformist and feminist scholars have argued that the concept of guardianship has formed the basis of particular "gendered roles" in Muslim societies (Denny 494). Scholars have also explored how verse 4.34 has been interpreted and used to limit women's autonomy, freedom of movement and access to economic opportunities and independence. They found out that the concept of 'guardianship' actually only meant to ensure that a woman who is bearing

Monday, February 3, 2020

International relations Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International relations - Article Example This section uses realism theory to explain relationships among state and non-state actors in the international system. Realism is based on the idea that the international system exists according to the Hobbestian state of nature, which is anarchic and brutal. There is no centralized authority in the system. The influential states have powers that they use to subjugate the poor and powerless in the system. The paper evaluates three supranational regimes in order to understand the theory in detail. States agree to form governments that control internal affairs. It is not surprising that any sovereign state has the power to enforce and prescribe laws. These powers are limited in the international system because there is no Leviathan that controls the activities of all members. The manner in which African states and other developing countries conduct politics is a matter of great concern when it comes to the issue of classical realism. From liberalists’ point of view, the drives to power and will to dominate is based on liberty in which peoples’ freedom to determine the nature of politics is given priority in the society. According to Kenneth Waltz and Wendt, people are free to elect the leader they want. They are also at liberty to contribute to the government without restrictions. Neorealist focuses on the international system in which states are considered as the key actors. ... The difference between classical realism and neo-realism is based on how they view the causes of conflict in international relations. Classical realism view unchanging human nature and self-interest as the major causes of conflict in international relations while neo-realism consider state anarchy as the major cause of conflict in international relations (Harrison 89). Question 3: Persistent underdevelopment The dependency theory is utilized in international relations to predict dependency in third world countries. Dependency has been defined as a condition in which the growth and expansion of an economy is conditioned or determined by growth and expansion of another economy. This means that a dependent state cannot experience a self-sustaining development that is; it cannot be self-reliant because its economy is a reflection of the developed state’s economy. The process of dependency is sustained by foreign aid including technical assistance and military aid. The aid does not enhance the economy but it strengthens dependency relations. The aid further marginalizes the dependent countries since they create permanent debts. Marxists argue that neither mercantilism nor liberalism guarantee human happiness this is because the owners of the means of production control the markets whereas the state is the property of the elite. It therefore postulates that people should determine their own destiny through collectivization of interests (Allen and Thomas 69). Liberalism argues that politics and economics have no relationship whatsoever. The market according to liberalists is self-regulating because it operates on its internal logics. It claims that the market

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Disagreement Aid the Pursuit of Knowledge

Disagreement Aid the Pursuit of Knowledge Many people believe that disagreement is simply like a husband and wife arguing with each other about whether the dress makes her look fat. However there is a great deal more to disagreement than just conflict between two people and from understanding the notion of error, truth, mistake and belief and how they cause disagreement to occur or trying to win your claim leads to interesting knowledge. Disagreement can actually aid the way to pursuit the knowledge in the ways of knowing of reason, emotion and sense perception in the areas of knowledge of human and natural science. This essay will show you how disagreement helps to pursue knowledge. Is it certain that disagreement aids the pursuit of knowledge? This following example will show that it does. One disagreement in natural science that has aided us humans to know more about our universe than before came from the dispute between scientists in the Theory of Quantum. In 1905 Albert Einstein stated that Max Plancks theory of the quantum was right and he proved his point by using an experiment with light, which showed that sometimes light acts as a wave. This shocked a lot of scientists because to them it was crazy as saying a rock acts like a wave. Niels Bohr disagrees with this idea because it went against the classical law of physics which applied to every object in that time. This disagreement made Bohr come up with a methodology proving his idea against Einstein by using hydrogen atoms to show that light isnt a wave. The disagreement between the two founders of quantum mechanics caused them to think further to discover more of the truth. Later Bohrs idea of a fix equation for an atom to behavior like particle was disproven by Max Born who building on Einsteins earlier work said that the quantum mechanics could be found by probability. However Einstein spoke strongly against this idea because he believed God does not roll a dice  [1]  and disagreeing with Borns idea of probability which held that everything was made up by chance. Einstein refused to accept quantum indeterminism and sought to demonstrate that the principle of indeterminacy could be violated, suggesting experiments which should permit the accurate determination of incompatible variables.  [2]  Then he came up with the two slip experiment to help prove his theory by using reason. All of this back and forward arguing between scientists gave us the further knowledge of quantum mechanics bringing us closer to the real truth. By using the way of knowing reason, they experimentally proved facts to argue each other and showing way of knowing emotion, their pride made them stand for their point of view on which view of quantum was true. Another example that really shows that disagreement aid the way to pursuit the true knowledge is disagreement between Alice Stewart and other doctor during 1950s in Oxford. Alice Stewart was trying to identify the cause of child cancer which later discovers that it is cause by X-rays during woman is pregnant. From Ted talk by Mergaret Heffernan about this story she stated that, Alices daughter told me that every time Alice went head-to-head with a fellow scientist,  they made her think and think and think again. It show clearly that disagreement between Alice and her fellow scientist help them to understand the true meaning and further information into the research.  [3]   Disagreement aid the way to pursuit the true knowledge because from disagreement over the answer help scientist find more way and perspective to solve the problem. On the other hand this disagreement may not aid the way of pursuit knowledge because of the close mindedness of the people. These people will not find disagreement and aid because from viewing their own result as the real truth which then closed down all possible answer from other people. For example in the past, it is how Catholic Church believing in geocentric and strongly against all other idea of heliocentric, that was claim by Nicolaus Copernicus. From this classic example it shown that Catholic believe in geocentric because they believe that god was born in planet Earth which mean that Earth is definitely the center of the universe. They believe in this theory and even against an idea of heliocentric. Even theory of heliocentric can be proving by an observation of star. As we have seen emotion also can play an important role in finding the truth because being scared to be proven wrong makes some people close the way to develop their idea or refuse to check their assumption so that the real knowledge of truth cant be revealed. From the article Separating The Pseudo From Science by Michael D.Gordin, we get a good idea on disagreement in science between science and pseudoscience. There is not a demarcation between pseudoscience and science because both areas can add to range of human knowledge. As Gordin said If scientist uses some criterion such as peer review to demarcate, so will the fringe. The brighter the light of science-that is, the greater its cultural prestige and authority-the sharper the shadow, and the more the fringe flourishes.  [4]  The pseudoscience on the fringe will expand the size of the knowledge because pseudoscience views and investigate thing from different perception than normal science. We do have to be careful that it is possible that someone who doesnt know anything about science can claim something is scientific and true based on non-empirical evidence which can lead them off the track. We need to justify any claim by peer reviews that scientist do before we can add to our theoretical or concrete knowledge bases. Disagreement in the human science field can be shown in the field of history which country disagreeing with each other to cause the war to happen. For example American civil war was happen from one conflict or one disagreement which is about slavery. Northern of United States claim to free and end the slavery in the country however Southern part wanted to continues with the slavery because it will affect their economic in a bad way if the slavery end. The disagreement led further to cause a war against two sides of United States. From historical point of view we can see that disagreements over time over how a war began help to find the true cause of the war. However the knowledge is not certain because of the perception of the viewer who views one country or bias one more than another. There are no absolute truth behind disagreement in human science because history can be record in hatred which causing the truth to be change. On the other hand it may not help to find the absolute tru th but from using disagreement help to increase and change the way to approach which can help to discover some knowledge behind. For me the most interesting areas where disagreement aids the pursuit of information are in the areas of knowledge of mathematics and human science. Disagreeing with teacher over either answer was correct or not help to pursuit more knowledge on mathematic than normal because from this I can understand more on how to solve the question by looking at why am I wrong or finding prove to show why I am right. There are a lot of formula and way to solve the question so it is certain by discussing with teacher and sharing our different views, he and I can help each other learn that even though the formula or method isnt the same but the answer in the end is the same. In human science there is a lot of disagreement, because human can understand each other behavior more through sense perception and emotion than by scientific evidence. This lack of hard proves easy lead to an argument. From my experience people will start to know each other more and more when they are disagreeing with each other because it is our human nature to control ourselves and present the information in the best possible way. If that isnt their real behavior, the real behavior will be revealed when they are face with strong rapid change of emotion from arguing with other people. On the other hand in some situation arguing with other people will not lead to knowing each other more but lead into destruction of friendship. Disagreement in both human science and natural science can aid the pursuit of knowledge like in the way like Einstein and Bohr arguing to discovered quantum mechanics through the argument between themselves and how historian discover the meaning and the purpose of history by learning about disagreement which led to war between country. However this knowledge that came from disagreement may be not the real truth for everything because my truth and your truth are not same, like each scientists and historians view thing in different point of view. So everyone must freely look at both sides. Disagreement can help the pursuit the knowledge if we have the reason and right emotions to be open minded enough to listen to other people ideas and accepts the fact that they also can be saying the truth from another perception. Disagreement Aid The Pursuit Of Knowledge Disagreement Aid The Pursuit Of Knowledge Disagreement may aid the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences because disagreement fosters new research to justify rival theories. Openness to allow disagreeing points of view and theories to be presented is important because it challenges scientists and prompts them to justify their points of view through a genuine dialogue. In this essay I will focus on biology and economics then I will try to discuss how ways of knowing are linked to disagreement. I will also endeavor to show how disagreement has helped me in the process of knowledge acquisition. 1858 was the year when Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallaces new theory was published the evolutionary theory that was thoroughly expounded in the famous treatise On the Origin of Species (1859)  [1]  by Ch. Darwin. In contrast to Lamarck, Darwin proposed the concepts of the common descent and the branching tree of life, which means that two totally different species could have a common ancestor. The theorys fundament was the idea of natural selection, and it was based on a variety of evidence from animal husbandry, geology, biogeography, embryology, and morphology. Evolution underlies every aspect of the form and behavior of organisms. We can see a proof of this in the way species behave and adapt as a result of natural selection. The ability to adapt is exhibited in activities such as locating food, keeping away from predators or finding mates. Life forms can also react to selection by working together with each other, by assisting their relatives or entering in a symbios is of shared advantage. In the end, evolution creates new species through separating the familial populations of organisms, forming new groups that are not able to produce a common generation. Today, the contemporary evolutionary theory is accepted by the greater part of scientists. On the other hand, evolution is still a controversial notion for a number of theists. While a number of religions and denominations are prepared to accept the theory of evolution, making it compatible with their beliefs, there are creationists who purport that evolution is opposing the creation myths present in their religions. As the responses towards the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation in 1844 show, the most controversial feature of evolutionary biology is the inference that human beings descend, together with apes, from a common ancestor and that the intellectual and ethical abilities of humans possess the same inherited attributes as those characteristic of animals. In a number of countries, particularly the United States, these strain between science and religion has produced the current conflict between creation and evolution, a religious conflict connected with politics and p ublic education. While scientific areas such as cosmology and geology also clash with a number of interpretations of religious books, evolutionary theory encounters noteworthy antagonism from religious theoreticians and practitioners. The debate over evolution shows how disagreement encourages more detailed research and, as a result, contributes to the pursuit of knowledge. However, it also shows that disagreement is not only about gathering reliable knowledge, but also about the way one undertakes the acquisition of it. Because theism had been a deeply-rooted philosophy for a very long time, people felt some kind of emotional attachment to it. The same, however, can be said about evolutionists. This can be seen from the fact that the supporters of evolution did not reject the theory in light of new controversial findings. In my opinion, the fact that the evolutionists accept evolution as a basic principle is not disputed by the creationists. It is absurd to say that creationists use the beliefs of the evolutionists to show that they doubt evolution. The purpose of quoting the supporters of evolution is to show the disputable issues in the field of evolution, which are being studied. Another example of the role of disagreement in science is exhibited in the field of modern economics, especially when it comes to the long-run equilibrium  [2]  . It is a notion that aggregate demand is equal to long-run aggregate supply. Given that there is disagreement among different economic concepts, we distinguish between Keynesian equilibrium output in the long run and the new classical equilibrium output2. According to new classical economists, economy will always try to achieve a long-run equilibrium at the full employment level of output. Thus, long-run equilibrium is where the aggregate demand curve meets the vertical long-run aggregate supply curve. The effect of any changes in aggregate demand will be only on the price level. In each case the equilibrium level of output is where aggregate demand is equal to long-run aggregate supply. According to the Keynesian economists, however, this equilibrium level of output may be found at different levels. They believe that the economy may be in long-run equilibrium at a level of output below the full employment level of national income. This will be the case if the economy is operating at a level where there is spare capacity. In this view, the equilibrium level of output depends mainly on the level of aggregate demand in economy. In the Keynesian view, aggregate demand can increase in such a way that there is an increase in the level of r eal output, without any resulting increase in the price level. No clear conclusion has yet been made concerning the long-run equilibrium in macroeconomics. Instead of having a weak and formal equilibrium, vigorous disagreement between experts would give the decision-makers the opportunity to come up with meaningful alternatives that inform and enrich discussions. Writing this essay invoked a memory of a disagreement I had with a classmate of mine over GMO (Genetically modified organism). Few months I watched a TV program on CCTV it was an attempt to introduce the advantages of GMF. I know that the problem with genetically modified food is probably the most significant one. But I am quite aware for the fact that there are genetically modified elements in many other products. This program is very interesting and it widens the eyes. The one that I am sure of is cotton. It has brought many discussions all over the world. However, at the same time a friend of mine was convinced by a text in a website called Ten disadvantages of genetically modified food  [3]  . We started doing a lot of research to support our personal argument. Thus disagreement aided our individual pursuit of knowledge. We did not reach a conclusion due to lack of enough reliable information. He asked me: Can you imagine a genetically modified human being- can it be perfect? Sure, we have to be careful as one day we, human beings, can be modified too. A genetically modified human is the logical continuation of this process. And as far as I know, many claim that choosing the genes for your children and improving their genetic material is good as long as we help them avoid diseases. But in my opinion is same of his, once we start doing this, there will be no going back. And one day some science fiction movies will become reality. When scientists aspire to speak in an unified voice, they usually do so in a quite scientific way: they make and launch consensus reports. The idea is to compress the knowledge of many experts into a single point of view that can resolve disputes and help policy-making. But the process of reaching such a consensus often works against these goals, and can challenge the very authority it tries to project. The idea that science best asserts its authority through consensus statements differs from the real process of scientific development. Consensus is good for textbooks; real science makes its progress by increase challenges to the existing state of always-incomplete knowledge. Science would present greater importance to politics if it uttered the broadest set of likely interpretations, possibilities and perspectives, anticipated by the top experts, rather than forcing meeting to a purportedly unified voice. To conclude, a disagreement can often stop you from rushing into dire decisions and choices. They allow you time and give you space to think over it though you may get annoyed by the delay and hindrances. It is always possible you that may have done big homework on a decision, but you still may have left unnoticed a simple, but vital point, which the dissenting person can perceive when looked from a dissimilar viewpoint. Disagreement has fostered the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences such as biology and economics, because disagreement has led to additional research. We should not be afraid to disagree or recognize disagreement. Real leaders accept disagreement as truly successful one must periodically welcome a liberal dose of disagreement in every main or significant decision one takes, even if one is a specialist in what one does.