Frankenstein and his creature are in fact the same person

When considering this question one must first take note of the discrepancy between the literal presentation of the relationship between Frankenstein and his creature, and the figurative presentation of that. Are Shelley's intentions predominantly to bring our attention to the fixed sequence of events – to perceive the story in a literal manner – or to a more implicit message; an analogy of bodily union between the two antagonists? Of course, today, when one utters the name ‘Frankenstein' the first image thought up is that of a detestable, monstrous, green entity with bolts through the neck. This is indeed erroneous when taking Shelley's novel into account, yet it still offers us an allusion to the idea of the double. It has frequently been suggested that the creature assumes the role of a doppelginger – or alter-ego – to Frankenstein. That he is merely an extension, or reflection of his creator (indeed ‘creature' implies ‘creator'). They both assume various synonymous roles throughout the novel; for example, their corresponding isolation, the omission of female influence in their matters, their juxtaposed intentions to take revenge, and of course the simple fact that Victor is presented as a solitary ‘parent' to the creature – the only person with whom the creature has an emotional bond. So, let us first look at this issue of Victor's and the creature's ‘father-son' relationship. Of course, the common interpretation of this matter is that Frankenstein manages to usurp the roles of both God and the female.What is the difference between a figurative and a literal analogy? Indeed, ‘like father like son' has a profound meaning here, and the creature is, in effect Victor's â€Å"own vampire† – his child. The most indicative portrayal of this usurping of the female (the mother) follows immediately after the creature's ‘awakening', with Frankenstein's horrifically symbolic dream of Elizabeth – his potential and prearranged partner – being degraded into the corpse of his dead mother. This does seem to provide an implicit metaphor for sexual depravity – that Victor's exploits lead him to isolate himself from both the world's populace and, in turn, any form of carnal satisfaction. Let us, then, look further into this issue of isolation. The reasons for both Victor's and the creature's solitude differ markedly, but are nevertheless explicably connected. Victor is essentially isolated by his ‘Promethean' strive for knowledge: â€Å"†¦ how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow† This – Victor's own claim – provides us with an allusion to a man ‘punching above his weight' (to put it facetiously). As with Prometheus – the Greek Titan – Victor, in the early parts of the novel, contemplates the power of fire (this trek into the unknown – when taking into account Walton's ominous expedition to the Arctic – has also led critics to propose a Frankenstein-Walton double). This knowledge is then utilised by him in the creation of his creature – in parallel with Prometheus, striking discontent with godly authority. As the 1931 film version of Frankenstein adequately made out, â€Å"†¦ Now I know what it's like to be God†. Frankenstein is an introvert – departing the archetypal family life to take up his place at Ingolstadt. He concedes vast quantities of his own life to create life – the monster being his Adam. It is therefore rather ironic that this concession of life is seemingly deemed worthless – and a waste – after Victor abandons his creature. The reason for this abandonment is essentially predicated on the creature's repulsive physical appearance – his ominous manifestations striking fear into his creator. This now brings us onto the creature's reasons for isolation. He is an outcast from the world to the extent that even those he thought to be well-natured and understanding – the De Lacey family – callously repel him. He is excluded from domestic life, albeit involuntarily, i la his creator. Looking at one interpretation, we might view this rebuttal of oddities as an attack by Shelley on societal conditioning (displayed effectively by the young, innocent William's preconceptions of the monster as an â€Å"ogre† and a â€Å"fiend†) and the corrupt narrow-minded outlook of society towards what, on the surface, appears to be evil, but is in fact benevolent (the creature being a ‘noble savage'). The monster's situation arouses a poignant sense of pity in the reader. His solitude – a common theme throughout Gothic literature – forces him into â€Å"malignity† (this word having been repeated frequently throughout the novel by Victor as narrator). The creature is, therefore, not just a reflection of Adam, but also of Satan – an outcast from heaven (of course, the monster's ‘heaven' can possibly be interpreted to be the respect and understanding of man towards him). Furthermore, the creature strikes similarities with John Milton's representation of Satan in Paradise Lost (â€Å"Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven†). The monster's murderous exploits cast an ominous light over him – he is now the villain. What we can see, then, is a complex matrix of doubles – the creature and Adam, the creature and Satan, Frankenstein and God, Frankenstein as the parental dichotomy and, of course, the creature and Frankenstein. Another pointer to there being a bodily union between the two antagonists comes in the form of their intentions – namely, that of revenge. The creature intends to take revenge on his creator and conversely the creator intends to take revenge on his creature. One interpretation is that this is an embodied symbol of one man – Frankenstein (this introvert) – attempting to suppress the ugly, odious side of his nature. One can draw parallels with Robert Louis Stephenson's 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – the split personality indicating a doppelginger motif holding weight throughout the Gothic genre. The creature's and the creator's intentions, their natures and, of course, their purpose are all intertwined. The monster is Victor's â€Å"own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to [him]†. Indeed, Frankenstein feels equally culpable for the deaths of William, Justine, Elizabeth and Clerval. Like the monster, Victor: â€Å"†¦ had begun life with benevolent intentions and thirsted for the moment when [he] should put them in practice and make myself useful to my fellow beings† But progressively they both – as an interrelation – decline into being feeble, ‘malignant' characters. These intentions and emotional attachments do continue to intricately link both the creator and his creature (God and Adam, father and son). Other literally presented occurrences in the novel, for example, the arrest of Frankenstein in Ireland for the murder of Henry continue to supply evidence of Shelley's overriding intention. This detainment was no mistake. It was simply a figurative portrayal of Victor's arrest at the expense of his darker side – both he and the creature are equally culpable and both are one and the same. Also, Aya Yatsugi offers the notion of a ‘mirror stage'. Frankenstein and the creature's perception of each other through the window in the Orkneys comparable to a ‘reflection'. This being supplemented by Victor's destruction of the creature's mate and the subsequent murder of Elizabeth by the creature – again, the sequence of events is too intricate and precise for us to rule out the possibility for Shelley's intentions to have been for that of the double (this dichotomous murder of partners also continues to support the omission of the female). To summarise, then, it is of great import that there is nothing to rule out the possibility of Shelley delivering this work as a purposeful analogy; pointing to a bodily union of Frankenstein with his monster. Of course, we must understand that if one is to perceive the novel in this manner it will always be subjective and never constant. Yet, the evidence is there, as a supplement, for those who harbour this view. The creature and creator are spiritually one and the same. Their positions in the narrative and corresponding actions are crucially paralleled. Victor is the creature's father, Victor is the creature's God, Victor is the creature's focus of vengeance, and Victor is the only entity with which (possibly with the exception of the De Laceys) the creature has a poignantly governed relationship. Yet, to say that these two characters are ‘the same person' is possibly stretching this idea to an unaccountable degree. Indeed, they may just be separate characters with strong parallels – Shelley's narrative simply outlining their synonymy and corresponding situations. Maybe Shelley's message is essentially bringing our attention to the fact that these two characters, despite being at each other's throats throughout, still maintain such a powerful understanding and spiritual bond. Nevertheless, this issue will forever be open to argument.

My Influential Person in Life Essay

Power plant A power plant is an industrial facility that generates electricity. The source of the energy may vary, and includes nuclear, geothermal, diesel, among others. This energy is used to run the generators to provide more energy.A power plant is a building or station that is built to provide the production of power. It usually powers its local surrounding cities or towns. TRANSMITION LINE A transmission line is a material medium or structure that forms a path for directing the transmission of energy from one place to another, such as electromagnetic waves or acoustic waves, as well as electric power transmission.However in communications and electronic engineering, the term has a more specific meaning. In these fields, transmission lines are specialized cables and other media designed to carry alternating current and electromagnetic waves of highfrequency (radio frequency or higher), high enough that its wave nature must be taken into account. Transmission lines are used for purposes such as connectingradio transmitters and receivers with their antennas, distributing cable televisionsignals, and computer network connections. Electric GenerationThe electricity generation sequence involves taking charge from the Earth, doing work on it to give it energy (expressed in terms of voltage), transporting the energy via a distribution system, using the energy, and dumping the spent charge back to the Earth. The Earth acts as a charge reservoir and reference potential for the energy transfer process.While this picture of the Earth as the reservoir of charge from which charge is taken and to which charge is returned after the energy is used is the â€Å"big picture† of the large generation and distribution system, it may not be applied too literally in the local situation. You cannnot depend on a â€Å"ground† connection to the Earth to be sufficient as the path by which charge returns to the Earth. In particular, just a connection to a grounding rod is not a sufficiently low resistance path to provide shock protection by quickly carrying charge to the Earth in the case of a short circuit to ground. For electrical safety, the ground wire must be â€Å"bonded† back to the neutral of the supply transformer to force the tripping of the breaker in a ground fault situation. Electric Power Distribution| Grounding and Bonding| | Index Practical circuit concepts| HyperPhysics***** Electricity and Magnetism| R Nave| | Go Back| Electricity distribution is the final stage in the delivery of electricity to end users. A distribution system’s network carries electricity from the transmission system and delivers it to consumers. Typically, the network would include medium-voltage (1kV to 72.5kV)[1] power lines, substations and pole-mountedtransformers, low-voltage (less than 1 kV) distribution wiring and sometimes meters.

Research approach in the social world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Research approach in the social world - Essay Example s, many researches were conducted regarding teenage pregnancy (Colleta, 1981; Barth and Schinke, 1984; Crockenberg, 1987; Whitehead, 1994; Kelly, 1997; Cater and Coleman, 2006). According to Teenage Pregnancy Associates (2011: 1), despite the case that the teenage pregnancy rate in United Kingdom decreased about 18 percent since 1998, England still had the highest rate accumulating a total of 35,966 conceptions under 18 years old in 2009. It is the case that the society in which we live in highly discriminates and stigmatises teenage pregnancy. There are different ‘imaginative measures’ to make teenage motherhood look nasty, disagreeable and immoral, thus ‘uglifying’ teenage pregnancy (Whitehead, 1994: 55 – 81). Girls who have been pregnant at an early age are labelled as sluts, ho, promiscuous, ignorant, incompetent, irresponsible, and so on (Kelly, 1997: 165 – 180). In this case, these young girls are stigmatized for being young moms. However, this concern is not just personal but also with the trend, the society is also alarmed. Different institutions like government, economy, education, church, and most specially, the institution of the family have been upset with the numbers young mothers. Basically, the reason that has pushed me to investigate this research topic regarding teenage pregnancy is because of how our society views these pregnant teens as well as the teenage moms. Thus, the necessity to conduct an exploratory study of the experienced and circumstances contributing to the crisis of teenage pregnancy can be backed – up by the current situation of our society in relation to the issues on teenage pregnancy. However, in this study, instead of looking from the perspective of society, this will examine the perspective of the young moms. The question of who will be the beneficiaries of this academic endeavor is not only the pregnant teens and teenage moms but the society as a whole because as the stories of these girls are told through this

Budgeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Budgeting - Essay Example (Klammer, 1999) A financial reporting system should have several components including assets, which refer to resource primarily controlled by an enterprise. Assets are ownership of a company and should be well recorded in the financial statements to be clearly reflected. Liabilities should also be clearly recorded and equity as well included in the financial statements. Equity is residual interest in assets after all liabilities have been taken care of and is also called owner’s equity. Operating budget versus activity based budget An operating budget refers to a yearly budget presented in terms of cost accounts, functional categories and budget classification code among others. It consists of estimates of total value of resources needed in operation. It is used to track operations in maintenance, wages as well as dividend payments among others. An activity based budget is one in which activities happening in a specific organisation are recorded and costs associated to them ar e recorded as well. (Cokins, 2006) This is followed by act of associating these costs with a company’s goals and hence from this, an activity based budget is developed. ... Though goals are set, both budgets have little or no control at all on whether or not the goals will be achieved. Both activity based budget and operating budget engage all stakeholders hence success or failure is attributed to all. Activity based budgeting and operating budget display some differences. Activity based budget is majorly based operating activities and costs as opposed to operating budget which is based on budget classification codes and cost accounts. Operating budget keeps track of maintenance operations, salaries and wages, and interest payments. Activity based budget on the contrary mainly focuses on a company’s goals and how much has been achieved. (Proctor, 2009) Management of ICBI should adapt activity based budget. It is not hard to come up with and it is rather cheap since it avoids a bloated budget by making sure that relevant activities are recorded and costs associated to them. ICBI management should be sure of goals of the company, activities and res ources required to run these activities. These activities should be recorded and tied with codes. Having recorded all activities required for performance, every cost code should then be associated with costs relevant to them and with special attention to goals of ICBI. Budget guidelines for ICBI There has to be a plan before any budget is made and this plan has some guidelines to help develop it. A budget cannot be made by one mind but requires to have a group of individuals that will work together to help develop a comprehensive budget. It should be prepared within the generally accepted principles and procedures of accounting. A budget should incorporate

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 21

Business Ethics - Essay Example To that effect, the image of Shell has been falling down worldwide. In order for Shell to counter this negative publicity that has tarnished its image, it should operate in an ethical manner. It should adopt the utilitarian view of ethics whose goal is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number. The Ogoni people in this case constitute the greatest number of people who have been negatively affected by the operations of Shell so they deserve to get better treatment from this company. The management of Shell should also ensure that their actions do not violate the rights of the local people such as the right to live in a clean and safe environment. It has been observed that the company’s failure to uphold ethical principles has impacted negatively on its operations. Therefore, the company’s goals and objectives should be shaped by different ethical principles in order to fulfill the interests of the stakeholders who may be affected by its operations. 2. There are various implications to Shell and its stakeholders (Interest of conflict between the foreign owners and the local citizens) that need to be considered in order for it to operate ethically. Whilst Shell may argue that it is primarily concerned with generating profits that would benefit the stakeholders, there is a conflict of interest where it can be observed that its actions negatively impact on the local communities. In order to operate ethically, Shell should try to create a fine balance between its profit needs as well as fulfilling the needs and interests of the members of the local community. Enlightened companies encourage their managers to be socially responsible and try to seek ways to protect the long run interests of their stakeholders and the environment (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Essentially, all companies operate within a certain environment and it is their obligation to protect that same environment. In case of Shell, it

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGMENT 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGMENT 2 - Assignment Example It is recommendable for the company to make use of a flexible benefit option that will allow employees to get compensation in accordance with their desires and needs. Performance appraisal is defined as the structural formal interaction between supervisors and subordinates which usually take the form of a periodic interview through which the subordinates work performance is examined in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities for improvement and skill development. Performance appraisal system (PAS) is aimed at improving the performance of the overall organization by encouraging a high involvement level and motivation on the employees, as well as increases participation (Toppo & Prusty 2012). The system also establishes a process to use in the achievement of accountability and responsibility in the process of executing programmes in the organization. The human resource management of the Coca-Cola India Ltd believes that on the importance of employees as they are the main drivers of the company. The HR considers the employee as being its greatest assets and it requires their ultimate dedication to employments to make the best out of the company. The main objectives of using the appraisal system to the company are to: Recognize the top performers of the company- The company aims at recognizing and providing positive feedback on all top performers in order to ensure that they are motivated and challenged to enhance the growth of the company Improve planning- The Company aims at reviewing the status of all bottom performers in order to take all appropriate actions. The appraisal system helps the company to prepare performance improvement plan for all the bottom performers. Performance delivery and review of results- The Company aims at assessing the progress of the business results, assessing the progress on the competencies and development of the workers and to make clarifications on the

Du's Use of the Imagery of Rose in the Tale of Kieu Essay

Du's Use of the Imagery of Rose in the Tale of Kieu - Essay Example From a feminist perspective, the rose imagery can perceived as a part of the male dominated society imposed culture of stylizing the female body as well as female gender in a manner that serves the patriarchy’s purpose, the best, of subjugating and subordinating them for satisfying their carnal hunger. In Nguyen Du’s â€Å"The Tale of Kieu† the use of rose imagery and its comparison with the protagonist Kieu essentially depicts the patriarchal scheme of creating a culture that is supposed to stylize the female as weak, feeble and incapable to taking any difficult responsibility. I said this because Du depicts a woman’s sufferings in a society that is essentially ruled and dominated by Confucian patriarchal values and the imagery of ‘flower’ and ‘rose’ serves him the best to uphold the society’s view of women. In the â€Å"Tale of Kieu† the imagery of rose is fraught with a number of meanings and attributes such beaut y, loveliness, sexual appeal, fragility etc. In plain eyes, an imagery of rose represents Kieu’s purity, chastity and a number of other virtues. In fact these virtues make the protagonist so lovable, desirable, pretty and admirable. The narrator describes her as a rose which has lost its home: â€Å"Alone with her dilemma in deep night, /†¦../ A rose afloat, a water fern adrift: / such was the lot her future held in store† (Du, line 216-220). Kieu’s beauty has been significantly symbolized by the rose imagery. Obviously the story of Kieu, who is as beautiful as a rose, is more heartrending and poignant. It instantly evokes the readers’ pity for the protagonist. At the brothel, while sitting by the window Kieu was watching a â€Å"washed out rose†. In fact Du has depicted such scene in order to intensify the pitiful situation of Kieu’s life: â€Å"Her feelings snarled like raveled skeins of silk. / Through window bars she gazed at mists beyond / a washed out rose, a willow gaunt and pale† (Du, line 40-44). In fact, in â€Å"the Tale of Kieu† a rose has been used as a symbol of lust. Kieu is not only beautiful but also she is sexually appealing like a â€Å"fragrant rose†. Once, Kim was attracted to Kieu sexually. But the protagonist had been able to save her rose-like chastity and purity. But her sexual beauty is as appealing as a fragrant rose is. The narrator of â€Å"The Tale of Kieu† describes the scene as following: â€Å"A fragrant rose, she sparkled in full bloom, / bemused his eyes, and kindled his desire. / When waves of lust had seemed to sweep him off, / his wooing turned to wanton liberties.† (Du, line 342-348) In the same fashion, the image of a rose has been used to refer to Kieu’s sexual attractiveness in the following lines: â€Å"He could not drive her from his haunted mind./†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦../ Silk curtains veiled her windows like dense clouds, / And toward the rose within he'd dream his way. (Du, line 245-250) Remarkably the ‘rose’, that is Kieu, in these lines seems to an object what a boy dreams of and the phrase â€Å"he'd dream his way† indicates that Kieu is a sexual existence, since a matured boy’s way of dreaming of a girl must be associated with sexuality. Ironically the similarity between Kieu and a rose is a reference to her weakness also. By drawing Kieu’s similarity to a rose, the author also reminds the readers of Kieu’s helplessness and weakness. Women’s fragility and weakness have conveyed through the rose

The Concept of the Augmented Product to A&F Essay

The Concept of the Augmented Product to A&F - Essay Example A&F would have a hard time adjusting to this type of external competitive threat because it would be increasingly difficult to make A&F appear viable to a virtual marketplace who has shifted away from the organic in favor of the technological. They must be adaptable and continue to understand the trends of their current demographic. Their design is all synonymous with youth and beauty and lifestyle attitudes. From their flagship mural to their in-store displays, everything is done to elicit this sensation in-store. It appears they’ve positioned their brand well, but on a more adaptable positioning map, I would suggest that A&F be prepared to shift a little more to the right and a little more to the left when necessary in order to draw in a different demographic (with only minor adjustments to the brand) when sales volumes decline. I think all brands have pressures and stresses. A&F faces the real possibility that they could be outperformed by up-and-comers if they don’t consider contingency plans for their current marketing efforts. Though short-term they are finding considerable profitability through their new expansion efforts, they must realize (and it appears they do) that they must be flexible. They have obviously invested a lot of funds into new technologies which improve both their in-store operations and their international merchandising campaigns. This means they are growing and meeting the demand of a global marketplace. So, an initial assessment it would seem that A&F is doing very well in this area. From Porter’s Five Forces viewpoint, they don’t currently face a great deal of rivalry, as nobody has been able to establish a brand identity as strong as A&F in this type of fashion marketing arena. Many of the barriers to entry have been completed and changed by the efforts of other  retailers who have spread into European nations. A&F obviously maintains the capital necessary to expand if they wanted a more rapid market entry across Europe, so they seem reasonably secure in being more aggressive.  

Therapeutic approaches Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Therapeutic approaches - Essay Example From a research conducted by Flower et al (1999), it is evident that, the major reasons towards conducting research in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is to create an opportunity whereby emotional disorders are minimized, as well as, ensuring client take part in active participation in reduction of social disability risks and relapses. Barker (2003) indicates that, in the assessment procedures, it is important that patients are directed towards identifying their problems, establishing the best way forward towards attaining the best solution for their problems, and finally formulate means of working towards their therapies. The Becks inventory indicated that the client in question was suffering from depression, from an analysis and assessment of the transcript. William (1992) indicated that depression is the causative agents of depression are inclusive of dejected moods, feelings of guilt, loss of happiness, pleasure, appetite as well as, concentration. Depression also, has a high relationship with poor concentrations of clients; low energies have also been characterized in depressed individuals. Becks’ five area assessment, according to William and Garland (2002) gave comprehensive answers on why individuals experienced distorted reasoning abilities, behavior and symptoms in the course of assessment. The thoughts of Grand et al (2007) are in line with those of William and Garland (2002) in relation to the model consisting of the five principles. The model highlights issues of the environment, moods, perceptions, characteristic behaviors as well as, individuals’ physical responses. This model is useful for enabling attain an understanding on how various elements are useful are important, in the assessment and introduction of vital CBT skills. Barker (2003) argues that, this form of assessment strategy is useful for a clear evaluation of patient Marie. This strategy will assist on a great mile, why the patient thinks of her situation, why she is inclined to think that way, and if her perceptions affect her both physically and emotionally. From Marie’s response, as indicated in the respondents’ transcript, it is evident what the patient needs and the interventions required for assistance to the patient. One of the earliest symptoms of distorted emotions is deformed posture. This fact can be justified by M1 and M2. From M18 and M19, the feeling of melancholy, guilt and despair are evident. This is also an explanation of Marie’s distorted behavior as evidenced in M14. Marie is indicated to have responded ‘yes’ to a nurse, which meant that she had issues with something that belonged to her being taken. Fox and Convoy, argue that in the assessment process that it is mandatory that people are enlightened on the need to be open on their problems, as well as set clear goals on what they aim to achieve at the end of the therapy. The patient’s symptoms are evident in M18 and M19, whereby the patient’s response may either indicate the patient’s fright or sadness. The patient may also be indicated to

Accounting Terminology Essay Example for Free

Accounting Terminology Essay Each of the following statements may (or may not) describe one of these technical terms. For each statement, indicate the accounting term described, or answer â€Å"None† if the statement does not correctly describe any of the terms. a. The level of sales at which revenue exactly equals costs and expenses. Break-even point. b. Costs remain unchanged despite changes in sales volume. Fixed Costs. c. The span over which output is likely to vary and assumptions about cost behavior generally remain valid. Relevant Range. d. Sales revenue less variable costs and expenses. Contribution margin. e. Unit sales price minus variable cost per unit. Unit contribution margin. f. The reduction in unit cost achieved from a higher level of output. Economics of scale. g. Costs the respond to changes in sales volume by less than a proportionate amount. Semi variable costs. h. Operating income less variable costs. â€Å"None†. Exercise 20.7 – Using Cost-Volume-Profit Formulas Exercise 21.2 – Home Depot’s Financial Statements: Incremental, Sunk, and Opportunity Costs Read the footnote in Appendix A referring to Home Depot’s decision to close all of its remaining big box stores in China. Write a short paragraph identifying the incremental, sunk and opportunity costs associated with this decision. Assume that any cost savings will be invested elsewhere in more productive stores. Incremental costs relate to the difference in costs between alternative courses of action and incremental revenues. The incremental costs that would be that would occur from either remodeling or closing Home Depot an existing location would include cost of materials, overhead from the actual physical remodel, labor that includes employee pay for rearranging and moving merchandise during a remodel if it occurred, designing and planning costs. Opportunity costs are important factors when it comes to decision making because they define the costs of taking some action in terms of the value foregone or that’s given up due to a particular action taken place. Opportunity costs of remolding would include profits on lost sales if the store is closed during remodeling, loss of current sales due to decrease in customer traffic (due to excessive noise, smell, dirt and inconveniences. Stores could potentially lose profit if they are not able to stock the full line of products or keep items stocked during a remodel. Whereas a sunk cost is an outlay that has been irrevocably incurred at some time in the past; sunk costs cannot be changed no matter what course of action is taken and are irrelevant for purposes of decision making involving the future. Sunk costs related to either remodeling of the store that would need to be taken into consideration include original costs of the current store (decorations, paint, shelves, displays, carpet) and designs that will need to be replaced or removed during either remodeling or closing. Exercise 21.6 – Incremental Analysis: Make or Buy Decision The cost to Swank Company of manufacturing 15,000 units of a particular part is $135,000, of which $60,000 is fixed and $75,000 is variable. The company can buy the part from an outside supplier for $6 per unit. Fixed costs will remain the  same regardless of Swank’s decision. Should the company buy the part or continue to manufacture it? Prepare a comparative schedule in the format illustrated in Exhibit 21-6. It would be more beneficial for the company to manufacture the part rather than buy it from an outside provider. Brief Exercise 22.9 – Flows of Costs through Manufacturing Accounts The President of Cold Moo Ice Cream Company, a chain of ice cream stores in the Midwest, was unhappy with the actual six-month profit figures for the  company recently prepared by the CFO. The president asked the CFO for a profit breakdown, by store, of the actual six-month results. When the President received the report, he was extremely upset and called the CFO, into his office. The President stated, â€Å"These reports show that each store in the chain is profitable, but our company results are unprofitable! How can this be?† The CFO pointed out that each store was allowed to set prices for ice cream based on its cost structure. However, the stores’ cost structures did not include headquarters costs of the costs of advertising and delivery of products. What are the three characteristics for operating a successful responsibility accounting system? Consider whether the accounting system at Cold Moo Ice Cream Company includes the three characteristics of a successful responsibility accounting system. How could the responsibility accounting system at Cold Moo be improved? As the Textbook states, â€Å"measuring performance along the lines of management responsibility is an important function. A responsibility accounting system holds individual managers accountable for the performance of the business centers under their control and provides top management with information useful in identifying strengths and weaknesses among units throughout the organization.† The three characteristics of a successful operating accounting system will include budgets, will measure the performance, and contain timely performance reports. â€Å"Budgets serve as performance targets for each subunit in an organization. The accounting system will measure the performance of each responsibility center, and timely performance reports are prepared that compare the actual performance of each center with the amounts budgeted.† When reports are preformed frequently, it allows center managers to be able to keep their performances on target, and helps with the evaluation of the managers. It does not appear hat Cold Moo Ice Cream is following the timely reports method of the accounting system, which is essential to ensuring the financial information is accurate as possible, and to improve this aspect should be more intertwined with the actual budget and more accurately present how the performance of the store is measured. To do so the responsibility income statement should also be presented, this  contains not only the operating results of a particular part of a business but also the revenue and expenses of each profit center within that part, which could be extremely important to see how those centers within the same area measure and stack up against one another. For the responsibility income statement to be informative and useful it should essentially and efficiently be able to detail Variable Costs, Contribution Margin, Fixed Costs, Traceable Fixed Costs and Common Fixed Costs. In addition, fixed costs that are common to both product lines amount to $125,000.00. Instructions a. Prepare Chocolatiers’ responsibility income statement for the current month. Report the responsibility margin for each product line and income from operations for the company as a whole. Also include columns showing all dollar amounts as percentages of sales. b. According to the analysis performed in part a, which product line is more profitable? Should the common fixed costs be considered when determining the profitability of individual product lines? Why or why not? According the analysis in part a, the solid product line is more profitable. When determining profitability of any product line, common fixed costs should not be considered. Only the costs that are directly traceable to the product lines should be included. Common fixed costs are not directly traceable to any product, as they are arbitrarily allocated in proportion to a chosen factor, for example, machine hour or square feet of a certain space occupied. c. Chocolatiers has $15,000.00 to be used in advertising for one of the two product lines and expects that the expenditure will result in additional sales of $50,000.00. How should the company decide which product line to advertise? The effects of this campaign will typically be in both sales and variable costs, and therefore the company should select the product line based on which product will have the highest contribution margin ratio, which is the  percentage of sales, service revenues or selling price that remains after all variable costs and variable expenses have been covered. This method takes into consideration the limited time frame of the advertising campaign, where fixed costs will most likely not be affected.

Operations Management Questions and Answers

Operations Management Questions and Answers It is essential for studying operations management because operation is one of the most integral functions in businesses around the world, and we have to face it from day to day whether we work in production or service industries. If we only choose a limited functional perspective, we will surely restrict our decisions. In other words, we cannot see an overall picture and do not meet requirements of employers. Additionally, we study operations management to maintain efficient production or service processes with a workforce in order to readily adapt to new equipment and schedules, on the other hand, to ensure smooth and efficient operation. Studying operations management provides necessary ideas, techniques and principles which can be used in both manufacturing and service industries. The principles of process thinking can be applied across the business. Overall, operations Management is an interesting and challenging field of study. 2. What is the difference between the terms production management and operations management? The difference between the terms production management and operations management is that production management is related mainly to manufacturing. Meanwhile, operation management includes manufacturing as well as service industries. 3. How does the function of an operations manager differ from the function of a marketing manager or a finance manager? How are these functions similar? The function of an operations manager is to create the supply of goods, whereas the marketing managers function is to create the demand for goods. Meanwhile the function of a finance manager is to secure and allocate the capital to produce the goods. These functions are similar because decisions made by all three managers affect four types of operations decisions including process, quality, capacity and inventory. Therefore, a high level of integration is needed between decisions made by the marketing, finance, and operations managers. 4. How is the operations management field related to the fields of human resources, information systems, or accounting? The human resources function directly influences the skills level of operations workforce, their capacity and availability to perform work, and their ability to work as a team towards common goals. Operations management is a major internal customer of information systems, and as a result, these systems generally support specific operations decisions such as capacity determination, forecasting, quality management, inventory control, and scheduling. Be similar to finance, accounting interacts with all four decision categories in operations, particularly when capital or measurement of operations is required. 5. Describe the nature of operations management in the following organizations. In doing this, first identify the purpose and products of the organization; then use the four decision types to identify important operations decisions and responsibilities. a. A college library b. A hotel c. A small manufacturing firm a. A college library Purpose: Make information available to students and faculty. Products: Services and products in the forms of books, periodicals, reference materials, the internet, etc. Process: First, designing the way the facility is arranged with an emphasis on fiction, non-fiction, reference, periodical, and administrative sections. Second, we decide the kinds of office equipment will support the students and staff. Third, we determine how materials will be recorded, checked in/out, and returned to their proper book-shelf. Fourth, we determine the type of information technology equipment that used to support the circulation process and student internet access. Fifth, we consider who will be responsible for library operation and who will monitor and evaluate their performance. Quality: Be sure that materials are up to date and relevant. Make sure that the staff is available to assist library. Manage feedback system to monitor student and faculty satisfaction. Capacity: The library services and materialss demand affect the size of the shelves, what it carries, the number of librarians, and when those employees are scheduled Inventory: How many books, magazines, encyclopedias, computers needed to meet the demands of students and faculty b. A hotel Purpose: Provide a comfortable place for guests Products: Services and goods in the forms of room service, beds, premium linens, pools, night-clubs, foods, etc. Process: First, information architecture will be required to support the guest reservation, payment, check in/out, and entertainment processes. Second, equipment needed to support the room, housekeeping, and food service divisions. Third, job descriptions and performance standards required for staff in each of those divisions. Fourth, management needed for monitoring employee performance and resolving guests feedbacks. Quality: Be sure that the rooms are clean, and affordable. Make sure that staff maintains friendly attitudes with guests. Capacity: Local demands determine the number of available rooms, the convenience provided, and how many employees of each department will serve. Inventory: Local demand affects inventory variation to support the hotels administrative, household management, and food service divisions. c. A small manufacturing firm Purpose: Provide merchandise with high quality to the consumer at the lowest possible cost Products: Physical goods come along with the essential services to support those goods Process: What type of industrial facilities will be equipped? How large a facility will be needed to house the production line and administrative support offices? How the goods will be designed, manufactured, packaged, marketed, and supported? Quality: Use a quality control process to detect and reduce defects. Make sure that staff maintains friendly attitudes with customers during all levels of the sales and support processes. Capacity: Physical facilities labor. Inventory: What, when how much raw materials kept on hand to facilitate the manufacturing process? 6. For the organizations listed in questions 5, describe the inputs, transformation process, and outputs of the production system. a. A college library Input: The librarys staff decides and collects books, periodicals, reference materials which match the colleges requirements Transformation: First, accountant pays out for the cost of buying books, shelves, and other facilities. Second, librarians arrange and lay out books so as to make them available to students and faculties. Output: Students and faculties refer and borrow books, periodicals, reference materials. b. A hotel Input: Rooms and amenities, employees, capital, and other resources. Transformation: Use those above inputs to offer hotel services. Output: Customers hire and use services c. A small manufacturing firm Input: Energy, materials, labor, capital, information. Transformation: tracking all component parts, work in process, packaging materials. Output: finished goods, and general supplies. 7. Describe the decision-making and the process view of operations management. Why are both these views useful in studying the field of operations management? The decision-making is a process of deciding or settling something important, especially in a group of people or in an organization. On the other hand, it is the way we choose between alternative courses of action using cognitive processes memory, thinking, evaluation. The process view of operations management provides a basis of defining service and transformation process as well as a foundation for analysis and design of operations. Both these views are useful in studying the field of operations management because the decision-making provides a foundation to divide operations into part such as process, quality, capacity and inventory. Meanwhile, the process view provides essential insights for the productive processes in functional areas. 8. Write a short paper on some of the challenges facing operations management in the future. Use newspapers and business magazines from the library or the Internet as your primary sources. Operations management is not a sustainable thing. It always changes and copes with new challenges in the future. First, globalization is one of the integral challenges facing operations management today and into the future. Operations managers will have to face global competition today and in the future. One of the examples is the lawsuit between Apple and Samsung now. Apple has started proceedings against Samsung for copying the designs of iPhone and iPad (Daily Mail, 2011). Although Samsung a Korean company is a supplier and partner of Apple an American group, the lawsuit still happens because they are competitors on mobile devices field. Second, environmental responsibility will affect operations management in the future. The changes in environmental rules may change processes and capacity. Third, operations management will face awareness of technology and its trends as an indispensable challenge. Technology has changed everything in operations and it will continue. For example, automation system could replace human resource more than ever. Overall, those things are only three parts of challenges facing operations management in the future. However, they are typical challenges today and into the future. 9. Review the want ads in The Wall Street Journal or use the Internet to look for management positions that are available for operations management graduates. On Monster.com, MANUFACTURING BWAY Corporation has sought an operation manager for coordinating manufacturing process. This position includes production, scheduling, safety, maintenance/à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹repair, quality management. Candidates have at least five years experiences as a Production Operations Manager; college degree and effective communication ability. Also, it requires candidates to be able to ensure quality and delivery performance for the plant (Monster, 2011). 10. How do changes in the environment, such as demand changes, new pollution control laws, the changing value of the dollar, and price changes, affect operations? Name specià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ c impacts on operations for each change. Changes in demand, law, currency value, etc. affect significantly to operations. Operations have to adapt to such changes quickly. The demand changes will increase or decrease the number of products, thereby affect process, capacity and inventory. On the other hand, every addition and change in the pollution control laws, operations must consider that production process use safe and certificated resources. If a manufacturing process does not match the law, it will be redesigned and reconsidered. The changing value of dollar will cause a lot of effects. It will affect the environment such as the customers demand, transportation cost, etc. Price changes will increase or cut down the input cost, thereafter affect production cost and finished goods price. 11. Find examples of well-run and poorly run operations in recent business periodicals such as BusinessWeek, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal. What can you learn from these examples? On the Wall Street Journal, there is an article that describes Fujitsu, a well-run operation in the difficult time after disasters (Osawa, 2011). Fujitsu has prepared for all possible contingencies in order to reconsider the production process after catastrophes. I can learn from this example something valuable, particularly, Fujitsu has clear plan and they made decision quickly after disasters. Therefore, the production system was not interrupted for a long time. In one BusinessWeeks article, MGM Grand had an issue on engaging employees with operations. Sometimes employees did not know what meetings were at the hotel (BusinessWeek, 2009). From this example, it is clear that stuck of staff would affect operations such as customer loyalty, return visits, and spending in the hotel. 12. Identify some of the current trends in operations that you think are of critical importance. Some current trends in operations that are critical importance: Global Competition Operations Strategy Supply Chain Management Lean manufacturing 13. Describe how operations process thinking can be applied to the following types of work: a. Acquisition of another company. b. Closing the books at the end of the year. c. Marketing research for a new product. d. Design of an information system. e. Hiring a new employee. Operations process thinking can be applied well to various types of work by following process, quality, capacity and inventory. a. Acquisition of another company Process: Consider and seek to take over another company or at least gain a controlling interest in that company. Quality: Minimize the expenses of cash in making the acquisition. Capacity: Ensure that we can borrow a significant amount of money to pay for the acquisition. b. Closing the books at the end of the year. Process: Prepare financial statements. Quality: The accounting revisited to ensure all statements are proper. c. Marketing research for a new product. Process: Corporate staff makes some of the process decisions. They have developed a standard that is simply sized to à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ t customers demand. Quality: Products must follow certain standards for quality that have been set by the corporate staff. Capacity: Decisions about capacity determine the maximum level of output of products Inventory: Select appropriate suppliers and decide how much components to order and when to place orders. d. Design of an information system. Process: Analyze and design system requirements from different perspectives. Quality: Ensure that design meets the requirements. Capacity: The information system has ability to satisfy every work today and into the future.

Euthanasia Essay example -- essays research papers fc

LEGALIZATION OF PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE I. Beginning   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. â€Å" Whose life is it, anyway?† These were the words of the late Sue Rodrigues, a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  high-profile, terminally-ill resident of British Columbia, Canada, who suffered   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). She was helped to commit suicide by a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  physician in violation of Canadian Law.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Most people in North America die what may be called a bad death. One study   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  found that â€Å" More often than not, patients died in pain, their desires concerning   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  treatment neglected, after spending 10 days or more in the intensive care unit. †   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. I believe that because so many people are dying so painfully, there are more reasons   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  or physician-assisted suicide to be legal than not. II. Middle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Physician-Assisted Suicide is:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1. a form of euthanasia in which a doctor gives access to a person the means to kill him   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  or herself   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. A Physician is:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1. a doctor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Steps in the process and methods of Physician-Assisted Suicide   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1. There are three ways:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a. One method is Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s â€Å"Suicide Machine. In this process,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the patient must first activate it by pushing a button. Then, three solutions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  are injected in order; first, a harmless saline, then, a sleep-inducing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ative, and finally the lethal drug.   &n... ...Home Page. 5 May 1998   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Remmelink Report, The. 1990-1991. . Robinson, Bruce A. ReligiousTolerance.org Home Page.1 Jan. 2000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . â€Å"Saga of Dr. Jack, The.† About.com. 21 Mar. 2000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . â€Å"Self-Deliverance: New Technology.† ERGO! . 1 Dec. 1999.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Simon, Melissa. Home Page . Walker, Richard. A Right To Die?. New York, New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. Weiss, Ann E. Bioethics: Dilemmas in Modern Medicine. Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc. â€Å"When Death is Our Physician.† Ultimate, Pro-Life Resource List. Dec. 1999   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  . Yount, Lisa. Issues in Biomedical Ethics. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, 1998.

Why the Spanish Armada Invaded Britain and Lost Essay -- essays resear

Spanish Armada Essay In this essay I am going to look at why the Spanish armada wanted to invade Britain and why they failed to do so, was it down to luck or were the British too smart for the Spanish. And was it all England's glory? The Spanish wanted to invade England was mainly to turn England back into a catholic country, and to get Queen Elizabeth of the throne and to get a queen who was for the catholic monarch on the throne. However there are many other reasons: Firstly Philip II couldn?t accept that was not the king of England, as he was married to Queen Mary I, who was the Queen before Elizabeth. Secondly, when Philip proposed to Elizabeth she turned him down. Another reason is Elizabeth wouldn?t stop the privateers from robbing and sinking Spanish ships, which were carrying gold over the ocean, however it is to be said that Elizabeth ?turned a blind eye to it?, which means that she knew it was happening but wasn?t taking any notice. The last straw was when Elizabeth executed Mary Queen of Scott?s, who would have been Philips choice of queen to rule England, in 1587. The battle at first sight looked at it should have been a complete walkover for the Spanish, as there army was much stronger, however if you want a successful battle you must have a successful plan. Before the fleet even set off Sir Francis Drake, Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, damaged many of the Spanish ships in Cadiz, this is just one of the reasons why the Spanish failed to invade England. The Spanish set-sail in May 1588 with 131 ships, this was after the bad weather held them back. One of the main downfalls of the plan is when the Spanish were supposed to be landing in the harbour at Calais, on the 6th August 1588, the Spanish were not sure... ...t of the ships got shipwrecked. The weather was an enemy to the Spanish around 6 times during the whole duration of the battle. So this can go down to luck for the English. It would be easy to give the glory to England, however the Dutch rebels, who were rather good sailors, gave the English a helping hand to finish off the remains of the Spanish fleet. I conclusion, it is clear that there was some good smart moves by the English, however most of the battle was down to luck, mainly the weather ,that was on England?s side. It is also quite easy to pick out a number of faults in the plan, the Spanish should have planned better and been more prepared e.g. firing the correct size cannonballs. Also it wasn?t just the English who were attacking the Spanish, the Dutch rebels were good sailors so that would back up the English when perusing the Spanish round Scotland. Why the Spanish Armada Invaded Britain and Lost Essay -- essays resear Spanish Armada Essay In this essay I am going to look at why the Spanish armada wanted to invade Britain and why they failed to do so, was it down to luck or were the British too smart for the Spanish. And was it all England's glory? The Spanish wanted to invade England was mainly to turn England back into a catholic country, and to get Queen Elizabeth of the throne and to get a queen who was for the catholic monarch on the throne. However there are many other reasons: Firstly Philip II couldn?t accept that was not the king of England, as he was married to Queen Mary I, who was the Queen before Elizabeth. Secondly, when Philip proposed to Elizabeth she turned him down. Another reason is Elizabeth wouldn?t stop the privateers from robbing and sinking Spanish ships, which were carrying gold over the ocean, however it is to be said that Elizabeth ?turned a blind eye to it?, which means that she knew it was happening but wasn?t taking any notice. The last straw was when Elizabeth executed Mary Queen of Scott?s, who would have been Philips choice of queen to rule England, in 1587. The battle at first sight looked at it should have been a complete walkover for the Spanish, as there army was much stronger, however if you want a successful battle you must have a successful plan. Before the fleet even set off Sir Francis Drake, Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, damaged many of the Spanish ships in Cadiz, this is just one of the reasons why the Spanish failed to invade England. The Spanish set-sail in May 1588 with 131 ships, this was after the bad weather held them back. One of the main downfalls of the plan is when the Spanish were supposed to be landing in the harbour at Calais, on the 6th August 1588, the Spanish were not sure... ...t of the ships got shipwrecked. The weather was an enemy to the Spanish around 6 times during the whole duration of the battle. So this can go down to luck for the English. It would be easy to give the glory to England, however the Dutch rebels, who were rather good sailors, gave the English a helping hand to finish off the remains of the Spanish fleet. I conclusion, it is clear that there was some good smart moves by the English, however most of the battle was down to luck, mainly the weather ,that was on England?s side. It is also quite easy to pick out a number of faults in the plan, the Spanish should have planned better and been more prepared e.g. firing the correct size cannonballs. Also it wasn?t just the English who were attacking the Spanish, the Dutch rebels were good sailors so that would back up the English when perusing the Spanish round Scotland.

North Korea Famine Essay -- North Korean Famine World Essays

North Korea Famine Abstract Famine is the one of the biggest problems in the world. More than 800 million people are suffering from hunger. The people of North Korea suffer from hunger on the level of the notorious Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia famines. They just suffer in silence behind the world media. There are several facts about the North Korea famine. One of the main factors for the North Korea famine is political problems: The North Korean government ignores s people’s everyday lives and only does things for preparing war. Moreover, the North Korean government, North Korea dose not like allow relief agencies to personally deliver the grain to those who need it most, causes some general problems for getting contribution from other countries. My research paper reports fact about the North Korean famine. For example, how serious the North Korea famine is, what problems North Korea have. This paper suggests before considering a lot of problems; everybody in the world should help North Korea hungry peop le for economical, political, and national reasons. There are a lot of innocent people, especially children. Introduction Famine is the one of the biggest problems in the world. A lot of children die from hunger. What is famine? The problem of famine is manifold. Famine is not only a condition of a lack of food but of inadequate planning, inadequate notification, slow responds, government pride, misdirected aid, politics, ignorance, and incompetence. North Korea is a current example of all of these facts. In North Korea, many people are suffering in silence without attention of the world’s media. The tragic Ethiopian famine of 198... ...e.abcnews.go.com/sections/world/koreafood108/index.html (Mar1999). 2. The campaign to stop Famine in North Korea. "Things Korea" Auguest 1997. http://soback.koornet.nm.kr/~pixeline/heeyun/korea/factsht.htr (February 12 1999). 3. Agency France-Presse (AFP). "Starving Nkorean Children Filmed Searching Rubbish for Food" 21 Dec 1998. http://www.reliefweb.int ( April 10 1999). 4. Relief Web "World Food Program" 31 May 1996. http://www.reliefweb.int ( April 21 1999). 5. Mennonite Central "Famine in North Korea" 1997. http://www.reliefweb.int (February 5 1999). 6. The Brawn Daily Herald, Inc "Silent Disaster" 1997. http://www.pbs.org/newsshour/forum/august97/korea4.htm (2 April 1999). 7. Online Newshow "The North Korea Famine" August 26 1998. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/august97/korea4.htm (6 February 1999)

Experience with a Computer Repair Shop

First of all let me start off by saying I personally have had a bad experience with a computer repair shop in the pass especially when it comes to them backing up of your pictures, videos, documents and all your files to a DVD. Some repair shops say they will back up all your files for a cost to a DVD. The problem with that is a DVD only hold up to 4GB of memory. What if your computer has two hard drives or has 1TB of files and stuff that needs to be backed up. Here is when it becomes a scan because one DVD cannot save all of that memory and then they want to charge you extra, preferably and arm and a leg. Best buy has done that to me before when I had a virus on my computer and I only used my computer so save videos, pictures, play video games, visit social sites and read and send email. It was the worst experience I have ever had and I would never take my computer back to the geek squad ever again. Cost me about $400 bucks to remove a virus. I couldn’t believe it.I can only imagine someone that uses their computer to create files and for their business and professional reasons. They would have a bigger computer and have a lot more files that need to be backed up than the normal person. That would affect them a whole not more than it would do me. Then the shop would not even reinstall their apps so they would have to do that all over again. That would be a pain in the butt and a whole other story.Computer repair shops now a day have people that work in it that are lazy and don’t know what they are doing and it’s not right for a customer who is paying good money for crappy service. I mean don’t get me wrong you have repair shops that do a good job and fixes your computer makes it a lot faster and a whole lot better when they do a good job by actually removing the virus and saving your memory as promise for a fair price. But this repair shop has both its good and bad. They will format your hard drive and reinstall the OS, but they wil l only saving pictures, videos and documents to only one DVD and that is a problem.

British Perspective on the Boston Tea Party Essay

In 1773 parliament passed the tea act in which the British pay less for tax to ship places. This made the prices of tea lower from Britain. Since Boston’s tea would be more expensive nobody would buy it from them. The tea act was just another problem adding up between the colonists and britain. This made the colonists want to be independent from Britain. The colonists decided to rebel and dumb three hundred and forty two chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The act was given the name the Boston Tea Party. Most of the British thought of the Boston Tea Party as an act of terrorism. Really the Boston Tea Party was just another step to independence for the colonists. In 1763 the British put a line along the Appalachian Mountains so the the colonists could not move into the Ohio River Valley. This was called the Proclamation Line. The British prohibited the colonists from their land to protect them from the Indians. The colonists who went against the British and crossed the line were later killed by the Indians and then asked for the British to protect them again. When the colonists asked for help they British were still in a lot of debt from the war they fought to protect the colonists. They put British soldiers on the line to protect the colonists. This was a little bit rude of the colonists to try moving into the Ohio River Valley when the British were trying to help them. The fact that the British were forbidding the colonists from passing the Appalachian Mountains made them very mad. They looked at it as the British not allowing them to settle into more land. The colonists were not allowed to buy and live on the land that they fought and won a war for. It was there land and they were being deprived their right to their own property. The Sugar Act happened in 1764, the next thing to make the colonists angry. The sugar act put tax on sugar from other countries making it more expensive. The sugar was now more expensive than the British sugar. The British perspective on it was logical because they were in major debt from  the war they fought for the colonists. They were just hoping that the colonists would by their tea so they could use the money to pay off the debt. They thought they were being fair by not taxing their sugar so the colonists would not have to pay a tax. The way the colonists saw the Sugar Act was an act of selfishness. The British taxed the tea the colonists used to buy because it was cheaper. The British had no right to tax the colonists. They had no say in how much the tax should be or what it was on. They used sugar everyday it was completely unfair. In 1765 the British made the Quartering Act. It required for british troops to have to live in the colonists homes when they were stationed in the colonies. The British thought it was only fair for the colonists to take care of their soldiers. Many of those soldeirs fought in the war against the French and Indians. It would cost too much for Britain to pay to build housing for the soldiers. The colonists did not like the Quartering act. They did not want to take care of the soldiers. First of all because the soldiers were the ones from keeping them to get to the rest of their land in the Ohio River Valley. Now they were being forced to take care of the soldiers. Nobody wanted to because they did not even have enough room in their homes. They did not have enough money to clothe and feed them either. The soldiers were very rude to the colonists and kind of scared most of them too. In 1767 a powerful British man named Charles Townshend had the idea of putting taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and other everyday products of the colonists. The reason for taxing these products was so Britain could get more money for their government. They also did it for more power over everyone. The colonists did not like the Townshend acts. It was just a way for Britain to take more money. The colonist rebelled just like they did with the quartering and sugar act. They boycotted British products. The trade between  them dropped by fifty percent as a result in the boycott. They claimed it was unconstitutional because the colonies did not have any say in the Parliament. The debate wether or not the colonies had represntation in parliament was not settled until the revolution. The Tea Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1773. The British made it so the colonists could not but any tea from any one else besides the East India Company. The East India Company was poor and the British wanted to help them with their business. The tea act made the price of tea lower from the East India Company so everyone would buy from them. They said that it was a benefit to the colonists because they could get tea cheaper now. The tax on the tea was very minimal and they just wanted to put a tax on it to show they have the right to tax. This made the Colonists look at the Tea Act as another taxation without representation situation. It meant they could not buy tea from anyone else and so their tea would lose its business. They were also angry because it went against the english right of only being taxed by the elected representatives not the parliament. The Sons of Liberty were a group of patriots who were dedicated to getting independence for the colonies. They Sons of Liberty Believed in being free. They were a secret group that wanted to fight for America. The group formed when the British Empire became on of the most feared powers in the world. Samuel Adams formed the Sons of Liberty. The British saw the Boston Tea Party as an act of terrorism. They saw it as a group of drunk and crazy people dumping their tea into the boston Harbor with out paying for it. They completely rebelled against the government and wasted a lot of money after all that the British have done for them. On December 16, 1773 the Sons of Liberty boarded three British ships. They dressed up as Mohawk Indians in order to be able to access the ships. They also had to arm themselves with hatches and axes to make their disguises more believable. They opened and dumped every single chest into the Boston  Harbor. This was called the Boston Tea Party. When it was over there were three hundred and forty two wooden chests floating in the water. Many other people boycotted the tea in the same way later on. The colonists did this to show independence. I can see how the British thought the Boston Tea Party was an act of Terrorism. I believe that the Boston Tea Party was not an act of terrorism. Britain took advantage of the colonists. Even though they tried helping the colonists a few times they still should not have used us to make more money for their government. They should be able to run and take care of their own money issues without taking the colonists money. The colonists were definitely right in taking action and rebelling against the British in every way they could. The Boston Tea Party was just another step closer to the independence of America.

Sample Contents of Feasibility Study

Sample Executive Summary For Your Business PlanApril 5, 2011 – 11:14 am Earlier in Invest Engine Blog we have talked about  executive summary contents  and  how to write executive summary. Using all this information we shall now pass to actually writing an executive summary taking restaurant business plan as an example. Writing executive summaries is among the most important business skills. The majority of investors whom you’ll address with your project will read your executive summary first. And only then will decide whether to proceed with your start up or leave it alone.So let’s get started! 1. Executive Summary Cover Passing along a naked text is not a good idea. So do provide a cover for your executive summary. The executive summary cover page should contain: * your company logo; * the title of your project; * your contact information; * the subtitle â€Å"Executive Summary† (not to confuse this document with the full version of your business p lan). 2. The Opening Statement: Who? What? When? Where? Why? From the very first sentence it should be understood what your project is about. Showing respect to your readers’ time and attention is highly appreciated.So if you can answer the  Five W’s  in a single sentence, it is perfect. But sometimes it is better to break it down into smaller sentences. And DO avoid general phrases and adjectives like â€Å"great†, â€Å"unique†, â€Å"exclusive† as they make you look boastful right from the start. From the cover page of our  sample restaurant executive summary  the reader knows that the project is called: â€Å"BBQ-5 – barbecue restaurant in Chicago, IL†. So the opening statement of the executive summary could be: â€Å"BBQ-5 is a new barbecue restaurant in Chicago, IL founded by Mr. BBQ.This will be the fifth restaurant of â€Å"Mr. BBQ Family of Restaurants† – the barbecue chain founded in 2005 and is alread y well-known in The Great Lakes area. † 3. Brief Company ProfileYou are sure to provide some detailed information about your company background, its mission and business objectives in your business plan. But the major highlights should be put into executive summary as well. Typically you are expected to say: * When was your business founded? * What are the major industries and regions of operations? * What are your business mission and business objectives? How many people work in your firm? * What is your position in the company? In the sample executive summary we are going through it is stated that  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the  chain was founded in 2005 and is already well-known in The Great Lakes area† (the info about the year the business was founded and the region of operation is provided). And so it is continued: â€Å"The other restaurants are located two in Cleveland, OH, one in Detroit, MI and one in Milwaukee, WI. Each of the restaurants started by Mr. BBQ reached the break -even point within a year. Though Mr. BBQ and Mrs. BBQ are principle owners, it is Mr.BBQ’s  intention to offer outside ownership in â€Å"BBQ-5? restaurant on an equity, debt, or combination basis in order to facilitate the opening of BBQ-5 restaurant and further growth of the chain. † From this paragraph it is clear that the principal figures in the company are Mr. BBQ and Mrs. BBQ and their major business goal is  Ã¢â‚¬Å"further growth of the chain†. 4. Project Description Normally executive summary should always be written last. You already have a perfectly written product description in your business plan and can now copy-paste the highlights into your executive summary.It should really take minutes! In the business plan for BBQ-5 restaurant it was stated that location is a key success factor. So in the executive summary it would be perfect to start with the advantages of the location and target audience of the restaurant: â€Å"BBQ-5 will be opened in leased premises in the very heart of Chicago – the Loop district. The Loop is the center of Chicago’s cultural, commercial and financial institutions. It is also the major tourist destination. And the neighboring district – The North Side – is the most densely populated residential section of the city.It is also a popular take-away destination. So BBQ-5 will target residents of The Loop district, office workers and tourists. † Then we briefly describe restaurant’s projected capacity, its specialization and the key competitive advantages (these are also copy-pasted from the business plan): â€Å"The restaurant will specialize in traditional style barbecue meals: smoked pork, veal and fish, steaks and sandwiches. The menu will also include a variety of vegetarian meals and the widest range of sauces. The restaurant’s projected capacity is 340 seats. After that you can outline main business objectives of the project showing that you have a clear vision and know your goals. Then write a paragraph about major risks of your project but stay positive providing your solutions right away. Stress the strong sides of your company and the competencies of the team behind the project. 5. Key Business Plan Numbers By the moment you write executive summary you are supposed to know  exactly  how much funding you need. So provide the highlights in the form of investment summary table. It puts investment structure vs. nvestment purposes of your project. So anyone reading your executive summary will understand what you need money for, how much of your own capital you invest and how much is expected from other sources (direct investment, bank loans, start up grants etc. ) Also state how much revenues your project will generate (revenue projections) and of course the payback period of your project – how long will it take for your project to become cash flow positive. ple Projects  >  Sample #4| Sample #4| [The data in this form is either fictitious or has been adapted with a firm's permission. Company: Bentonville Medical Clinic   Contact Person: George Hendrichs Title: Business Manager/Administrator Telephone: (910) 273 – 8457 Fax: (910) 273 – 5419 Address: 413 Harmon Place, Greensboro, NC 27412BackgroundProvide an overview of the company, the nature and size of the primary product(s)/service(s) and operations, and a brief description of the department/function/product that is the main focus of the study. Bentonville Medical Clinic is a 12 year old medical firm specializing in the practice of obstetrics and gynecologic services.The main office, located in Greensboro, is where the primary administrative functions such as coordination, billing, insurance claims, etc. are carried out, but the firm is also comprised of two satellite offices located in Reidsville and Eden. The firm employs 1 administrator, 7 clinical personnel, 9 clerical workers, and 5 physicians, who rotate through each of the three offices on a regular basis. Gross revenues for 1991 were roughly $3. 1 million, as a result of 37,000 patient encounters. The bulk of the revenues are taken in by the Greensboro office, which accounted for 72% of all receipts.Revenues grew regularly through 1990, but have leveled off since then as a result of the efforts of the government and other agencies to control health care expenses. Some primary points of emphasis for Bentonville Medical Clinic are: (1) maintenance of high quality of patient care, through the regular and efficient assimilation of new technologies, (2) continuous improvement of business efficiencies and cost reductions, and (3) provision of a reasonable return on investment for the firm's partners. The Project To Be StudiedDescribe the situation to be studied, and if possible, identify the specific issue(s)/problem(s) to focus on.One of the basic problems with health care today is the government wishes to control health costs, yet demands the highest quality of service available. Often, the government wishes only to pay amounts for these services that barely exceed the cost a medical firm incurs in providing them. The focus of the group will be to evaluate the costs of various types of patient visits versus the payment plans instituted by the government (the RBRVS system that calculates costs for medicare, for example), and determine how these plans affect Bentonville Medical Clinic's cash flows and revenues.Outputs DesiredWhat specific results would be expected, e. g. reports, recommendations, etc. Outputs desired from this study include:(1) Determination of the amount of medicare volume that can be profitably handled;(2) Identification of the various costs involved in particular types of patient encounters (which types of visits are most/least profitable for the firm)(3) Determination of how cash flows being affected by programs such Medicare's RBRVS cost conversion factors(4) Suggestions for some possible alternative s/strategies through which Bentonville Medical Clinic can maximize revenues in the current environment.Required/Available Resources- (List special or unique data, software, personnel, etc. required, or available):Summary/Key Word Information:Estimated team size: 2-3 person team   How was project obtained? : Referred by John Adams, Alum Previous Project? : No Project Focus – Primary: Accounting/Finance Other areas: Strategy, Health Administration Keywords: Costing, and cash flow analysis Brief Abstract: Contrast patient visits with reimbursement plans to assess the equity of payments received and determine their affect on overall cash flows and revenues. | Sample #1| [The data in this form is either fictitious or has been adapted with a firm's permission. ]Company: Comfort Apparel   Contact Person: Sam Talbott Title: Marketing Manager Telephone: 336. 555. 1234 Fax: 336. 555. 1234 Fax: (336) 745-7025 Address: 1234 Comfort Blvd. , Winston-Salem, NC 27123BackgroundComfort App arel manufactures and markets high-quality, high-value apparel using screen printing and embroidery.Comfort holds exclusive contracts with several boards of education in the Southeast to provide shirts, hats and sweatshirts with school logos for state championships in all major sports. Other boards are being pursued for contracts. A significant volume of business is obtained through short-term contracts with colleges, universities and sports associations to provide logo apparel for ceremonies and sporting events.Comfort provides consumer value by offering a high-quality embroidery look at prices comparable to regular screen-printed products with quick turnaround on short notice. The Project To Be StudiedAt Comfort, ordering, scheduling, invoicing, inventory control and shipping are done manually. Management decided to switch to an electronic system because of frequent and often unanticipated surges in volume, as well as recent overall growth. Several of Comfort’s accounts hav e requested EDI systems and other electronic media, including use of the Internet, to process orders and shipping.The study group will be responsible for determining what system could capitalize on emerging technology and be most appropriate for the company and how best to implement the system. The study will look at three main operating areas: * Information systems between Comfort and our manufacturing operations * Information systems between Comfort and our customers * Information systems between Comfort and our suppliersThe team must propose whether members will focus on one, two or all of the above applications.Outputs Desired * Provide Comfort with a list of information systems that capitalize on the latest technology and that could be installed and implemented, along with pros and cons of each * Propose a schematic design and determine the costs and benefits of each alternative * Recommend the best alternative and provide a plan for implementation| Sample #3| [The data in this form is either fictitious or has been adapted with a firm's permission. ]Company: Gourmet House Software Services   Contact Person: Rachel BenedictTitle: Director of Development Telephone: (910) 277 – 2347 Fax: (910) 277 – 9547 Address: 1600 Watley Plaza, Winston-Salem, NC 27011BackgroundProvide an overview of the company, the nature and size of the primary product(s)/service(s) and operations, and a brief description of the department/function/product that is the main focus of the study. Gourmet House Software Services is a relatively small â€Å"software house† that specializes in software for restaurants and wholesale food distributors.The purpose of this type of software is to allow the user to better and more efficiently purchase and utilize their inventory and delivery systems. Gourmet House System is going into its twelfth year of business, and they estimate that they have roughly 160 users of their specialized software. The Project To Be StudiedDescri be the situation to be studied, and if possible, identify the specific issue(s)/problem(s) to focus on. The current computer system software being sold by Gourmet House is a third generation software component.They feel it is necessary to upgrade their software to a fourth generation, but want to make sure they can successfully market this new product to existing customers, as well as to other potential markets. The study group should concentrate on the following areas:(1) The various methods that could be used to market this new product to current market segments, while maintaining support and customer satisfaction for older products;(2) Identify any other feasible markets for this new product. Outputs DesiredWhat specific results would be expected, e. . reports, recommendations, etc. The outputs desired from this project would be as follows:(1) A list of options and an action plan for the introduction of the new software component(2) A risk analysis of the planned introduction, co mplete with benefits and drawbacks. (3) Financial considerations involved (ROI, etc). Summary/Key Word Information:Estimated team size: 2-3 person team   How was project obtained? : Wilson Thomas, Alum Previous Project? : No Project Focus – Primary: Marketing, Strategic PlanningOther areas: New Ventures, Business Strategy Keywords: Marketing and identifying new niches Brief Abstract: Recommend a marketing plan for a fourth generation of a software package and identify new markets the firm might enter in order to increase revenues and profits. | Sample #2| [The data in this form is either fictitious or has been adapted with a firm's permission. ]Company: Mountain Broadcasting Company Contact Person: Ms. I. M. Astarr Title: President Telephone: (910) 253-7827 Fax: (910) 253-1329 Address: 4321 Galaxy Boulevard, Mt.Airy, NC 27411Background-  Provide an overview of the company, the nature and size of the primary product(s)/service(s) and operations, and a brief description of the department/function/product that is the main focus of the study. Mountain Broadcasting Company is a locally-owned radio company which operates under the call letters of WMBC (FM) and WNCB (AM). It employs 17 people, including 6 salespeople. The Project To Be Studied-  Describe the situation to be studied, and if possible, identify the specific issue(s)/problem(s) to focus on.Mountain Broadcasting contacted the Schools of Business to conduct a survey and analyze the results to determine what factors are critical when current and prospective advertisers make the decision to use radio as an advertising medium. Mountain Broadcasting also wanted to learn how effective its salespeople were compared to the competition, be it radio stations, television stations, or magazines and newspapers. Mountain Broadcast hoped to learn what it could to ultimately leading to an improvement in the company's profitability. Outputs Desired-  What specific results would be expected, e. . reports, re commendations, etc. Outputs desired from this practicum include:(1) Which local sales staffs within the industry are perceived as most competent/least competent? (2) What affect do program formats and program contents have on advertisers' decisions to buy? (3) How do the rates charged by WMBC and WNCB compare with other stations and how are they perceived by their customers with respect to the value received? (4) What affect do promotional support, purchase incentives, and the buying procedure have on the purchasing decision? 5) Which stations are perceived as most effective for reaching specific demographic targets? (6) How do stations' production capabilities affect their advertising rates? Methodology-  Possible strategies and analytical tools to employ. The data for this study will be generated by telephone interviews of approximately 100-200 prospective advertisers. The prospects will include current radio and non-radio advertisers, current customers, and non-customers of the stations, and direct advertisers and agencies and/or media brokers. The team will be supplied by the client with the list of prospects. | * ————————————————- About Us * ————————————————- Academic Programs   * ————————————————- Admissions * ————————————————- Beyond Academics * ————————————————- Careers & Internships * ——————————————â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Diversity * ————————————————- Faculty & Research * ————————————————- News & Events * WFU Charlotte Center | | Home  >  Beyond Academics  >  WF Business Solutions  >  Sample Projects  >  Sample #1| Sample #1| [The data in this form is either fictitious or has been adapted with a firm's permission. ]Company: Comfort Apparel   Contact Person: Sam Talbott Title: Marketing Manager Telephone: 336. 555. 1234 Fax: 336. 555. 1234 Fax: (336) 745-7025 Address: 1234 Comfort Blvd. , Winston-Salem, NC 27123BackgroundComfort Apparel manufactures and markets high-quality, high-value apparel using screen printing and embroidery.Comfort holds exclusive contracts with several boards of education in the Southeast to provide shirts, hats and sweatshir ts with school logos for state championships in all major sports. Other boards are being pursued for contracts. A significant volume of business is obtained through short-term contracts with colleges, universities and sports associations to provide logo apparel for ceremonies and sporting events.Comfort provides consumer value by offering a high-quality embroidery look at prices comparable to regular screen-printed products with quick turnaround on short notice. The Project To Be StudiedAt Comfort, ordering, scheduling, invoicing, inventory control and shipping are done manually. Management decided to switch to an electronic system because of frequent and often unanticipated surges in volume, as well as recent overall growth. Several of Comfort’s accounts have requested EDI systems and other electronic media, including use of the Internet, to process orders and shipping.The study group will be responsible for determining what system could capitalize on emerging technology and be most appropriate for the company and how best to implement the system. The study will look at three main operating areas: * Information systems between Comfort and our manufacturing operations * Information systems between Comfort and our customers * Information systems between Comfort and our suppliersThe team must propose whether members will focus on one, two or all of the above applications.Outputs Desired * Provide Comfort with a list of information systems that capitalize on the latest technology and that could be installed and implemented, along with pros and cons of each * Propose a schematic design and determine the costs and benefits of each alternative * Recommend the best alternative and provide a plan for implementation| |

The Wisdom of Crowds

The Smartest People May Not be as Smart as a Crowd, but Who can Find a Smart Crowd? In The Wisdom of Crowds, author James Surowiecki contends that the â€Å"smartest people† are often not as smart as a group of individuals formed under the right circumstances (XIII). Surowiecki backs up his claim by giving numerous real life examples of crowds that meet the criteria of having diversity of opinion, independence, decentralization and aggregation, and have proven to be smarter than almost any one individual in the group.Surowiecki has proven that he has a strong case for his theory of smart crowds but the exclusivity of this group of people has me wondering just how easy it is to identify or form such a group for practical purposes if no expert is available to mitigate a situation. I feel that such ability would take practice and an increase in awareness to master, but still, I do believe it can be done by almost anyone.Without addressing the specific argument of the reasonable e ase of any one person being able to form a smart crowd, Surowiecki does provide a persuasive example in favor of my theory when he tells the story of the missing submarine Scorpion in May 1968. With no experts immediately available, naval officer John Craven assembled a group of men with a wide range of knowledge and asked them to submit their best guess on questions about the submarine’s disappearance from a variety of scenarios he concocted (XX).The result of his survey was a calculation of the answers that led to a location found to be only 220 yards away from where the submarine was found five months after it disappeared (XXI). Craven did this on the fly and without the help of any of the â€Å"smartest people† and found a better solution than any one expert ever did. Although an expert like Surowiecki finds it easy to identify examples of a wise crowd, I had to ask myself if I could do the same.I found myself thinking back to when I had been placed on a committee at work whose goal it was to come up with a good solution on how to integrate personnel from different departments on a volunteer basis only. On this committee were two representatives from each respective department (filling the diversity of opinion and decentralization requirements) and one Supervisor sent to guide the group.As a group, we developed several possible solutions to this issue and were sent back to our departments to deliberate on our own as to what we thought was the right course of action so that we could come to a decision at our next meeting. By the next meeting it was found that the majority of us had independently decided that by allowing employees the most freedom, by way of being able to travel to any department they liked, we would get the most participation through volunteerism.We were soon overrided by the supervisor and told the most beneficial way to go about it was to narrow the option down to only allow travel to one department where it was believed tho se who did volunteer would potentially learn the most; this is the option that was adopted. Over the next few months, employees were allowed the opportunity to travel to the specified department, and few took advantage of it. It was soon after decided, by a group of supervisors, that in order to get better participation employees should be allowed to travel to which ever department they liked and by allowing this freedom they did receive more participation.What this proved to me, was that our small group of independently thinking people were able to identify a solution that the employees saw as a correct one and that the smart person in the group, counting on his expertise, forced our hand in a less desirable direction. Despite the smart person taking over our group, I can say with confidence that I was indeed part of a wise crowd. Since I consider myself an amateur at developing or identifying a wise crowd, and Surowiecki an expert, I next sought a source I deemed to be novice to s ee what imput they could they could offer on my theory.My sister Abby and her husband Carlos are owners of a boutique custom cake and cupcake shop called Nadia Cakes, and last year they decided to expand their business from California to another state; in July they drove across the country in search of the perfect place to open their new shop. They stopped in several states, casually talked with local communities and surveyed surrounding areas before coming to the tentative solution that Minnesota was in need of a custom cake and cupcake shop and would be a great place to call home.In an effort to make as informed a decision as possible, they decided to do market research in the form a survey in the community they had identified as a promising location. They chose two different shopping centers they were considering for their store and surveyed 100 shoppers in each. The shoppers were asked multiple questions during the survey including where they usually buy cakes, and if a boutique cake and cupcake shop were to open in the area how likely they would be to purchase cakes there.Through this diverse, independent crowd who drew on their local knowledge, they were able to aggregate the information they collected and learned which shopping center would be best for their business and that the community was highly in favor of a shop like theirs opening in the area. The information my sister and her husband collected led them to move to Minnesota where they have had an overwhelming response from the community even though it will be several months more until the shop opens.In just the two months they have been there they have been featured live on CBS, Fox and NBC morning shows and their following on their Facebook Advertising page for Minnesota has risen to 2,000. And if that isn’t enough proof that the crowd was right, the fact that they can hardly keep on top of all of the future cake and cupcake orders pouring in via Facebook and email is. Although I still s truggle to identify a wise crowd on my own, I am happy that I was able to identify these few examples from an expert, novice and beginner, and am confident that others can as well.My experience with the wise crowd at work was a strong example to me of how anyone can be involved in one and good evidence that the smartest person isn’t always right. My sister is simply a small business owner with good work ethic and without even knowing it, created her own wise crowd with great results and no need for an expert. Surowiecki is surely correct that the smartest people aren’t always right and his method to finding a solution without them is certainly valid in my book. Works Cited Surowiecki, James. The Wisdom of Crowds. New York: Random House, 2005. Print