Role of Information Technology in Kentucky Fried Chicken Essay

Role of Information Technology in Kentucky Fried Chicken - Essay Example Information system helps to change or restructure the business and also quickens the response time to changes in the environment. There are various features of information system that can help a firm gain competitive advantage. For example the decision support system helps firms to align their information system with the business strategies. Then there is the Enterprise resource planning solutions that link the business process with the firm’s objective of optimizing the enterprise resources. Also there is the database system that having â€Å"data mining† capabilities which makes the best use of information for production, innovation and marketing (Hemmatfar, Salehi & Bayat, 2010, p. 158-160). For the purpose of this report let me first describe about the Fast food industry. It is one of the largest growing industries. The industry is characterized by the foods which are prepared and served quickly. Typically, the foods of this industry are sold in retail food outlets or in a packaged form. The major market players of this industry are Kentucky fried chicken, McDonalds, Pizza hut, Dominos, Arby’s, Subway, Fingers and Del Taco among various other players. Franchise operation acts as the most crucial element of this industry. The noticeable foodstuffs includes pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, French fries, fried chicken, ice creams and also foods like noodles, fried rice and soups among the others. Presently information technology is widely used in fast food industry. The market share of KFC and its competitors are as follows:- Figure 1 (Source: pugetsoundoff, n.d.). Information technology plays an essential role in the unprecedented growth of fast food industry. In this sector the functions of Information technology is significant as it helps in research and development process, marketing process and also in the financial segment. Information systems help organisations in the fast food industry to not only deliver products and services at low c osts but also deliver differentiated products and services. Organisations are using information system to create niche markets for themselves and at the same time focus on developing new and innovative products. The current applications being used in fast food industry include the following:- Point of sale system – It manages the total selling process of an outlet. This is also responsible for the formation and printing of the receipt. A typical retail food outlet POS includes a computer, receipt printer, bar-code scanner, customer display and a cash drawer. Apart from these basic requirements the system sometimes also consists of debit & credit card reader. The next application includes these cash registers are coupled with the computerized system which automatically prepares accounting reports and facilitates reordering of inventories. It also helps in tracking the internal orders and sales. The other application which is very much in use is the Customer Relationship Manage ment System. Customer relationship management (CRM) is all about managing and increasing customer relationships that can help the company to drive the costs down and increase the viability of products and services. (Anderson & Kerr, 2001, p.1-11). Data about customers like

Is Gambling a Social Problem Essay Example for Free

Is Gambling a Social Problem Essay Gambling is an act of playing for stakes in the hope of winning. It also involves a significant risk as the material good (usually money) wagered in the game may be lost if the player does not win. Common forms of gambling include cockfighting (which usually results in the death of one or both roosters), casinos (which has become a profitable business), slot machines (convenient for those who want to play individually), bookmaking (often used for predicting the winners of sports competitions), and caracruz (simplest form of gambling which has existed since ancient history). There is an ongoing debate among social scientists, psychologists, business lobby groups, and others on the benefits and dangers of gambling. Some anti-gambling social activists argue that gambling is a serious social problem, while others argue that gambling problem is a problem of certain individuals who suffer from psychological ills and that in certain circumstances gambling on the contrary is a significant source of income (for example, for Native American tribes). Gambling Is a Social Problem ?Gambling is associated with a range of social issues and thus needs to be designated as a social problem. According to research on the topic, there is a correlation between various social problems and gambling. For example, Hardoon et al. , point out in their study that gambling problem among adolescents they studied stemmed from the lack of healthy familial and peer support, drug use problems, behavioral problems, problems related to family issues, and the parental gambling problems as well as their substance abuse. According to Hardoon et al. , there is a significant familial contribution to gambling problems. Read more:  Ã‚  Essays on Social Issues Many of their respondents said that their elder siblings had a strong influence in their decisions to experience gambling. Many of the respondents who suffered from gambling problems said that their parents themselves were problem gamblers. The study by Hardoon et al. , also points out that children of problem gamblers suffered from insecurity and a sense of â€Å"pervasive loss† (170). They also argue that gambling problem among parents leads to various kinds of familial dysfunctioning, including drug addiction, conduct problems, and delinquency. Hardoon et al. , also point out that there is a connection between gambling and substance use. â€Å"Compared to nongamblers,† they write, â€Å"adolescent gamblers are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, and use drugs† (171). Gamblers are three times more likely to use drugs than non-gamblers. Gambling and substance use problems among adolescents often leads to delinquency and illegal behavior. Adolescents suffering from serious gambling problems are also likely to experience difficulty in school such as decreased academic performance and poor grades. More than half of the problem gamblers Hardoon et al. , studied suffered from conduct problems as well. They were more likely to break rules, get into troubles with individuals in authority, frequently display oppositional behavior, and join anti-social activities (171). This study in general demonstrates that the gambling problem is part of larger social issues and there is a clear correlation between gambling and various social problems. Another study on the impact of gambling on college students suggests that about 1. 6% of the U. S. dult population meets the diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling (Level 1), and 3,85% reportedly suffer from subclinical (Level 2) gambling problems. Among college students, the rate of gambling problem on both levels is twice as high as it is among the general adult population. There are significant social and health-related problems associated with adolescent gambling problems. Adolescents and young adults addicted to gambling suffer from serious stress-related problems. Many of them attempt and even complete suicides. Among these adolescents and young adults, the rate of disorderly familial relationships is much higher. There is a higher rate of comorbidity with other addictive disorders, and there are more frequent instances among these adolescents and young adults of arrests and convictions. The study concludes that â€Å"social norms–based social marketing campaigns (emphasizing accurate descriptive norms for alcohol) to successfully reduce alcohol use on campus† needs to be reworked and applied for combating gambling problems among college students (Larimer Neighbors 241-242). This is another testament to the fact that gambling is a social problem and that the way to reduce it is to employ tools which are used for combating other social problems. Illuminating in this case is the experience of Native American tribes in the United States. With the passing of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, which mandated legislative basis for managing and regulating Indian gaming, the number of casinos has sharply risen in Native American communities. As a result of this, one study of this phenomenon points out, Native Americans â€Å"are four to six times more likely to be pathological gamblers and two to five times more likely to be problem gamblers than non-Indians† (Momper 139). The study also cites poverty, unemployment, and historical injustice as factors that contribute to the development of gambling problems among indigenous groups. According to this study, there is a similar correlation between the practice of excessive gambling and predisposition to other social and behavioral problems such as alcoholism, drug use, and disruptive behavior among Native American groups—but in significantly higher numbers than it is among non-Indians in the United States. Gambling is Not a Social Problem ?While it is true that gambling addiction, just like any other addictive behaviors such as alcohol addiction or drug addiction, is a social problem, gambling itself is not a social problem. Participants of gambling make conscious decisions and they have the freedom to stop the practice whenever they think it is detrimental to their financial, psychological, and social conditions. For example, in the year 1999 the National Gambling Impact Study Commission surveyed the U. S. opulation and found out that 86% of Americans had gambled some time in their lives, and that 68% gambled in 1999 alone (Seligman 86). Out of this large segment of the population who regularly gamble, only a tiny percentage of the population suffers from serious gambling problems. ?Discussions over the use of gambling are sometimes controversial because it is one of the businesses in America which has a bad reputation, on the one hand, and is so popular that more and more Americans are demanding gambling opportunities, on the other. Due to its popularity, gambling has been legalized in all states except Hawaii, Tennessee, and Utah. Residents of these states also gamble, by traveling to other states or by taking advantage of online gambling opportunities. Total wagering in the Unites States is around $900 billion a year (constituting 10% of personal income), and the lion’s share of wagering takes place in casinos ($600 billion). And casinos now exist in twenty nine states. But these are official figures and unofficially the extent of gambling among Americans is likely to be much higher (Seligman 87). Gambling in the United States is a legitimate form of business, and designating it a social problem would necessitate that we label other legitimate forms of business as social problems as well. As Seligman points out, â€Å"Wall Street offers plenty of bets with risk/reward opportunities that mirror those of slot machines—a long shot with occasional huge payout. Buying out-of-the-money puts on an airline stock just before a union vote would fall in that category. If the members unexpectedly vote against wage concessions, you could make a killing on the bankruptcy† (Seligman 89). Some critics of gambling who criticize it from an economic perspective, say that, while gambling consumes time, energy, and resources, it does not produce any real output. But that argument can be used against most kinds of financial transactions and speculating, both of which are acceptable, and in today’s world, necessary components of international financing. As for the charge that problem gambling leads to comorbidity with other social problems such as alcohol abuse and drug use, more research is required to determine the nuances of this connection. Does excessive gambling lead to alcohol abuse or is it the way around? If it is the former, then it is the problem of gambling addiction which needs to be labeled a social problem and remedied. If it is the latter, then it is the problem of alcoholism rather than gambling because alcohol abusers have more than one way of ruing their lives (gambling is not their only option), and even here the issue is the abusive consumption of alcohol, not alcohol consumption in general. Those who see gambling as a social problem ignore the fact that gambling may—and in many cases it does—lead to positive social outcomes. This is generally the case in the Indian reservations in the U. S. As Momper points out, an IGRA passage which aimed at encouraging gambling on reservations for the purpose of raising the standards of living on the poorest reservations â€Å"was the only federal policy that produced lasting effects for tribes, inasmuch as the unemployment rate (38 percent) on 214 reservations with casinos decreased by 13 percent from 1989 to 1995. Even if one takes into account the increase in the number of problem gamblers, other social and economic gains from casinos on reservations greatly outweighed the negative consequences of this business. In addition to creating jobs, casinos on reservations provided the American Indian community with various social services and strengthened their social bonds (Momper 142; Cornell et al. , 1998). While it is true that gambling addiction as increased among American Indian residents as a result of building casinos, in many instances improvements in standards of living took many of them out of poverty, decreasing the rate of behavioral problems and anti-social activities. ?In summary, both proponents of gambling-is-a-social-problem thesis and their opponents have strong arguments at hand. The debate is likely to continue without being resolved as it is a controversial topic and gambling among the U. S. population leads to mixed results: both positive and negative.

Physical and Psychosocial Problems of Radiation Therapy

Physical and Psychosocial Problems of Radiation Therapy Introduction and background: The word â€Å"cancer† itself is traumatic in nature. It effects a person not only physically but also psychologically, financially, culturally, socially, and spiritually etc. According to World Health Organization( WHO) report (2014), in 2012 worldwide 14.1 million adults were diagnosed with cancer, and among them 8.2 million were died. Moreover, breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of death. In the USA, among all types of cancers the breast cancer is the highest incidence rate because one in ten women is having breast cancer (Njeh, Saunders, Langton, 2012). Breast cancer incidence increased more than 20% (WHO Press Release, 2013). Furthermore, cancer is also one of the leading causes of deaths in the developing countries. In Pakistan, the most frequently diagnosed cancer is breast cancer for females. The incidence of breast cancer is higher in western countries but Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer among all the Asian countries, (Pink Ribbon Pakistan). It i s estimated that 1 in 9 Pakistani women will develop breast cancer at some stage of their life. (Shokat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Research Center). The cancer patient suffers a lot from the physical and psychosocial problems not only because of the disease process but also from the treatment related problems. As, one out of two patients with cancer experience psychiatric disorder especially depression (Reyes-Gibby, Anderson, Morrow, Shete Hassan, 2012; Spoletini, et al, 2008). There are certain treatment modalities for cancer such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Each of them is potential to produce various threats for the cancer patient. Radiation therapy is also an important treatment performed before and after surgery which also has various harmful effects on the patient. Beside that it is significant part of cancer treatment but its impact on patient’s quality of life and nursing management is less addressed in literature. According to Welle, (1998) radiotherapy patients are perceived as self-caring and their needs are not taken care of. However, numerous researches have been conducted nationally and internationally to identify the different problems and their intervention of the cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and surgery. As a result evidence based body of knowledge have been generated this is contributing in quality nursing care and health teaching, impacting on the patient’s quality of life. Moreover, some of the international studies highlighted the problems faced by the patients receiving radiation therapy but as per my best knowledge very little work has been done in the field of nursing to remedy these problems. Most importantly, in the context of Pakistan very little work has been done pertinent to this issue. However this study is significant to contribute in the existing body of knowledge for nurses to care for breast cancer patient more holistically. Moreover, this study may be helpful to develop the teaching material for patients receiving radiotherapy to enhance their quality of life. In addition, the findings of this study will be helpful for nurses working in Pakistan. This study may improve the teaching interventions of nurses caring for cancer patients in government hospital and may have positive effect on their knowledge, attitude, and skill pertinent to RT. Purpose: The aim of this paper is to identify the physical and psychosocial problem of the patient pertinent to radiation therapy, as well as the nursing management and health teaching for the patients for enhancement of their quality of life. Study Questions Question 1: What are the different physical and psychological problems of the breast cancer patients undergoing RT in Pakistani context? Question 2: Is there any association between RT and compromised quality of life of the patient. Question 3: What kind of health teaching is necessary for the nurse to give the patient before and after RT? Question 4: what are the feeling and perceptions of breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy ? Data sources The review of literature was conducted through data bases CINAHL PubMed , Mosbys Nursing Consult, Science Direct, and Google Scholar were search for published research articles relevant to this paper. The combination of the following key terms was used to retrieve relevant literature by punching â€Å"physical/psychological problems, breast cancer, problems with radiation therapy, quality of life, patient education etc†. Search generated 283 articles, 52 duplicate results excluded. Through a selection process title and abstract screened, among those 20 were found to be relevant to the topic. Literature review Radiation therapy is one of the options totreat the cancer, uses high-energy x-rays or gamma rays targeted at the tumorto shrink the tumors or kill cancer cells(Radvansky, Pace, Siddiqui, 2013). During the course of the treatment about two-thirdsof patients will undergo radiation therapy(Guo et al. 2013).According toPotthoff et al (20013). More than 90% of all breast cancer patients receive adjuvant radiotherapy, given after breast conserving surgery as well as after mastectomy to avoid recurrence of cancer. Darby et al (2011) found in their meta-analysis study that RT after breast conserving surgery reduces 15-year risk of breast cancer death rate from 25†¢2%. This widely used therapy has its side effects like other cancer treatments; it is also potential for causing great physical as well as psychosocial problems as other cancer treatment do (Egestad, 2013). Physical problems related to radiation therapy for breast cancer patients Radiation therapy affects cancer and normal cells equally within the treated area, result in injuryof the cells which lead to side effects. The radiation therapy induced side effects include skin and mucous membrane toxicities, sleeplessness, pain, swelling, dyspnoea, cough and nausea. (Rose, 2011; Darby et al, 2011; Adams, 2009;Currie Wheat 2006; Gordils-Perez,Duell,2003).Skin problems are the most frequent side effect among all and nearly 85%–95% of patients receiving radiation therapy will develop some degree of skin damage (Bergstrom, 2011). There are many long term side effects of breast irradiation like cosmetic changes hyper pigmentation, fibrosis, lymphedema, and damage to underlying normal structures (Perez,Duell,2003). Therefore it is very important to remedy this problem because this side effect of radiation therapy limits the patient’s ability to tolerate the treatment (Currie,Wheat, 2006).In their study Potthoff et al (20013) .reported that 80% of the patie nts experience fatiguewho receive RT. They defined fatigue is a â€Å"persistent, subjective sense of tiredness related to cancer or cancer treatment that interferes with usual functioning and that is usually not relieved with rest and is not related to an excessive amount of activity† (p.3).In another qualitative study Poirier, (2011) found out that fatigue is also very common in patient getting radiation therapy and it affects their role functioning in daily life. In this way the fatigue may affect the quality of life of the patient. Another side effect of RT is reported in of the studies is sleep disturbance. According to the study conducted by Dhruva, et al (2012).approximately 50% breast cancer patients reported sleep disturbance at the initiation of radiation therapy. Quality of life of the patients Breast cancer due to its poor prognosis and treatment related problems affect the quality of life of the patient. Kirchheiner et al. (2013) reported that â€Å"mean QOL in the total cohort is 58 ±27% (100% indicates excellent QOL)† (p.425). Similar to other treatment choice RT related side effects also have impact on the quality of life of the patient. The quality of life is defined by WHO (1997) â€Å"concept affected in complex way by the person’s health, psychological state, and level of independence† (p.1). As the National Cancer Institute (2011). Mentioned that 38% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer experience abandoned symptoms resulting from the disease and its treatment. Therefore, the side effects of RT affect the quality of life of the patient (Currie, Wheat, 2006). In addition, sleep disturbance is another problem found to be an important contributor in affecting the quality of life of the patient. In this connection, a study conducted by Gra ydon (1994) highlighted that sleep disturbance and fatigues were the main areas of the life of women affected by RT. Since the fatigue, influence the physical, cognitive and emotional aspects and the prevalence ranges from 30-70% in women with breast cancer, reaching up to 80% when they are undergoing radiotherapy (Alcantara-Silva, Freitas-Junior, Freitas, Machado, 2013). This is one of the most frequent side effects of radiotherapy, and it may interfere with self-esteem, social activities and quality of life. Moreover, the fatigue and pain related to radiation therapy may affect the sexuality of the patient by decreasing the desire and arousal and skin changes including burns and tattoos affecting body image and self-esteem (Varela, Zhou, Bober, 2013; Mercadante Vitrano Catania , 2010). These symptoms lead to compromised quality of life of the patient. In this regard nurses need to give the high quality care by addressing the all aspect of patient life to enhance the QOL of their patients undergoing RT. Moreover, with the advancement of health science the patients expectquality oflife (QOL) beyond just survival therapy Psychological problems The women diagnosed with breast cancer have remarkable impact on her psychological well being. As Halkett , Kristjanson , and Lobb (2008) highlighted that women with breast cancer receiving radiotherapy, experience many kinds of fears like fear of unknown and getting burnt, damage to internal body parts, and anticipating tiredness. These kinds of fears may threaten the women which may have negative impact on compliance with the treatment. Rose, (2011) highlighted that patient may feel high level of stress at the start RT because of unfamiliar technology, potential side effects and being in an environment with other cancer patients. Moreover, the outcome of the study of Reyes-Gibby et al. (2012) shown that depression among women was positively associated with symptoms of disease and treatment. Thus the diagnosis and treatment can have a profound influence on a woman’s psychosocial and overall well-being. Role of nurse in RT patient’s care and education The above mentioned literature suggests that patients who receive radiation therapy face significant challenges and require care during the period of their treatment. Nurses are direct care provider in any health care setting. They play a significant role in their specialized field in various health care settings. Therefore, they can play a significant role in improving quality of life of the cancer treatment recipients. During the RT course, patients may go through many complex physical and/or emotional responses (Rose, 2011). A randomized trial study conducted by Christman, Cain, (2004) concluded that patients receiving concrete objective information reported maintaining higher levels of usual function than those not receiving. Furthermore, giving information about symptom experiences helped them to mentally prepare uncertainty about their symptom experiences. Oncology nurses need to own the responsibility of their patient and identify the patient need. The Meta analytical finding s support the usefulness of psychosocial interventions for improving QoL in adult cancer patients. In this regard a comprehensive nursing care of the patient can improve the physical as well as psychological care of the patients. Importance of Patient education Providing cancer patients with appropriate information regarding their treatments, side effects of treatment and coping strategies allows them to feel more control over disease and its related problems. It helps them make better choices of treatment modalities ( Barnett, et al. 2004). The study findings of Zeguers et al (1012) highlighted that now the RT patients want comprehensive information about their disease, treatment, and procedures, side effects, and prognosis with the mean scores between 4.1 and 4.4 on a scale from 1 to 5. In contrast ,Barnett, et al. (2004). Emphasized that information needs vary among different individual therefore, a patient-centred approach must involve according to the tolerance and need of the patient. Reference: Adams, L. (2009). Managing Side Effects inRadiation Therapy Patients.Radiation therapist, 18(2) Alcantara-Silva, T. R.1., Freitas-Junior, R., Freitas, N. M., Machado, G.D. (2013) Fatigue related to radiotherapy for breast and/or gynaecological cancer: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Nurse. 22(19-20). 2679-86. Christman, N. J., Cain, L. B. (2004)The Effects of Concrete Objective Information and Relaxation on Maintaining Usual Activity During Radiation Therapy. Oncology nursing forum – 31( 2) 39-44 Currie G, Wheat J.(2006) Wheatgrass extract as a topical skin agent for acute radiation skin toxicity in breast radiation therapy. Joumal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society12(l):7—11. Gilani, S. Kamal, A. S. Akhter, G. M., Kamal, A. S. Akhter, S., Akhter, A. S. (2003). A differential study of breast cancer patients in Punjab, Pakistan.Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, 53(10), 1-3. Graydon, J. E. (1994). Women with breast cancer: their quality of life following a course of radiation therapy. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19(4), 617-622. Guo, Z., Tang, H., Li, H., Tan, S., Feng, K., Huang, Y., Bu, Q., Jiang, W. (2013). The benefits of psychosocial interventions for cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 11(121), 1-12.doi: http://www.hqlo.com/content/11/1/121 Dhruva, A., Paul, S. M., Cooper, B. A., Lee, K., West, C., Aouizerat, B. E., Dunn, L. B., Swift, P. S., Wara, W., Miaskowski, C., (2012). A Longitudinal Study of Measures of Objective and Subjective Sleep Disturbance in Patients with Breast Cancer Before, During, and After Radiation Therapy.Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 44(2) Darby, S., McGale, P., Correa, C., Taylor, C., Arriagada, R., Clarke, M., Cutter, D.,Davies, C., Ewertz, M., Godwin, J., Gray, R., Pierce, L., Whelan, T., Wang, Y., Peto, R. (2011). Effect of radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery on 10-yearrecurrence and 15-year breast cancer death: meta-analysis of individualpatient data for 10,801 women in 17 randomised trials. Lancet 378:1707–16. Reyes-Gibby, C. C., Anderson, K. O., Morrow, P. K., Shete, S., Hassan, S. (2012). Depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life in breast cancer survivors.JOURNAL OF WOMEN’S HEALTH, 21(3), 1-9. Njeh, C. F., Saunders, M. W., Langton, C. M. (2012). Accelerated partial breast irradiation using external beam conformal radiation therapy: A review. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, 81, 1-20. National Cancer Institute. (2011). Surveillance Epidemiology and EndResults (SEER) stat fact sheets: Breast. Retrieved from: http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html Potthoff, K., Schmidt, M. E, Wiskemann, J., Hof, H., Klassen, O., Habermann, N., Beckhove, P.,Debus1,J. Ulrich, C. M.Steindorf, K. (2013). Randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effects of progressive resistance training compared to progressive muscle relaxation in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy.Bio Medical CentralCancer 13(1),162. 2- 11 ShaukatKhanum Memorial Cancer Hospital Research Centre: Breast cancer awareness month. Retrieved on February, 10th 2014 from: http://www.shaukatkhanum.org.pk/news-a-events/events/228.html Radvansky, L.J., Pace, M.B., Siddiqui, A., (2013)Prevention and management of radiation- induced dermatitis, mucositis, and xerostomia. American Journal of Health System Pharm. 70(12)1025-1032. Rose, P. (2011). The experience of receiving radiation therapy.Australian Journal of Cancer Nursing.12 (1) Poirier, P (2011) The Impact of Fatigue on Role Functioning During Radiation Therapy Oncology Nursing Forum38, (4) Gordils-Perez, J., Duell, R. W.(2003)Advances in Radiation Treatmentof Patients With Breast Cancer.clinical journal of oncology nursing7( 6 ) 629-638 Spoletini, I., Gianni, W., Repetto, L., Bria, P., Caltagirone, C., Bossu, P., Spalletta, G. (2008). Depression and cancer: An unexplored and unresolved emergent issue in elderly patients.Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology 65 143–155 Pink Ribbon Pakistan. Retrieved from: http://www.pinkribbon.org.pk/?p=377 Varela, V. S., Zhou, E. S., Bober, S. L., (2013).Management of sexual problems in cancer patients and survivors.CurrProbl Cancer 3719–352 Wells, M. (1998) Whats so special about radiotherapy nursing? European Journal of Oncology Nursing 2 (3) 162-168 World Health Organization: The International Agency for Research on Cancer, (2013)Press Release: Latest world cancer statistics. Retrieved on February, 10th 2014 from: http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2013/pdfs/pr223_E.pdf WHO (2014) Media Centre: Cancer Fact sheet. Retrieved on February 14, 2014 from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/

Women in Shakespeares Sonnet 130 Essay -- Sonnet 130 Shakespeare Wome

Women in Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 Shakespeare is expressing, though not in the first person, that he knows women are not the perfect beauties they are portrayed to be and that we should love them anyway. He uses two types of descriptions, one of their physical beauty and the other of their characteristics to make fun of all those ‘romantic’ poets trying to ‘brown nose’ the girls they like. One of the physical attributes, in the first quatrain, that he mentions is his â€Å"mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,† meaning she has no ‘twinkle’ in her eyes. In the first quatrain, he also speaks of coral as being â€Å"far more red† than the lips of his mistress; this is a use of imagery to show her non-beauty. He also recognizes that there are â€Å"no such roses† on her cheeks in the second quatra...

The Main Purpose of Farce

The main purpose of farce is to make people laugh, so as a result the laughter connects people and becomes a means of agreement among them. Ratajczakowa distinguishes five types of texts according to their level of comedy and association with farce or comedy:The low comical that uses only means of farce to induce laughter;The moderately that uses using humour as a way of expression and intellectualisation;The highly comical that limits humour and uses various aesthetic categories to bring a smile and emotion to the addressee;The tragicomic that connects non comical matters with comical representations which makes the audience confused and evokes contrasting emotions;The non comical abandoning humour that does not even try to evoke a pleasant mood. Further distinctions between comedy and farce are noticeable at the level of structure as well as the rules of creation. The author of a comedy could present the ability to create based on the principles of drama. Also, comedy marks the probability and avoidance of absurdity, so it represents a closed entity with an ordered storyline. Surprise is the main source of its humour. Farce is funded on none of these principles, since it is much more independent, disordered, and amorphic. It is a way of expressing mockery of a lower class of the world, so that the body language is the language of farce. With time, these two genres have evolved in a complex relation to each other, it is even believed that without farce's vulgarity and carnality, comedy would be tedious. 1.3. Physical humour With time, salacious jokes and physical humour have been added to the concept of low comedy, so the concept of physical humour has become extremely popular among comedians. The so-called â€Å"slapstick comedy† is based on violent acts, but presented in a hilarious form. Many slapstick comedians perform without speaking, because their performance was supposed to be more about amusing movement than verbal content. For this reason, they have to be extremely expressive. The contemporary name of this kind of physical

Population Growth and Company

Introduction The main purpose of the research done in the report is to discover and analyze the strategic intent and various other strategies to evaluate the internal and external influences that the company could go through owing to the dynamic market it operates in. Moreover, the evaluation of these strategies would involve examining the company's performance in United States, the chosen host country. The performance would be looked upon with the use of the company's annual reports since financial position of an organization is an important indicator of performance in the market.The research conducted is based on the secondary research approach considering the fact that the data pertaining to the company's strategies and performance is available at various sources on internet. From the financial evaluation of the company, key findings extracted indicate that the company is running with fruitful profits and is expected to continue its good financial performance in the coming years. The sales growth rates are high and are expected to remain high.Moreover, its worldwide presence makes its inevitable for the company to yield high profits. This is cause if the company suffers a loss in one of the host countries, it offsets by the profit earned in other host countries, a benefit of global presence. Limitations of the study being conducted are numerous. Firstly, the research is a secondary research which may not be as useful in evaluating the internal and external strategies that the company adopts.Moreover, evaluation of the strategic environment may be accurate since the data on their website is authentic, but it may lack the truth which could have been obtained from the company through a qualitative research using the tool f In-Depth interviews with company officials or by gauging consumer perception of their brands, which could have helped in Judging their consumer demand and thus rightful profitability and expectation of future sales. The report would mainly be structured according to the priority of the findings that need to be extracted from the study.The first thing that would be evaluated is the company's and the host country's strategic environment analysis which would first involve the evaluation of various internal and external strategic environmental analytical tools. This would be followed y the analysis of the company's internal environment. The external strategy would be evaluated of the host country, as it serves as an external source. The next section would be dedicated to discussing the participation strategy of the company, which meaner identifying the initial market entry modes that the company used to enter the US market.Moreover, the reason for entry modes used in this country will be discussed as well, with the help of identifying the advantages and disadvantages of the entry modes used, internal and external environment the company had at the mime of its entrance in USA and the key influences that persisted in the coun try and that persuaded the company to expand in this host country. The next section would involve a review of performance of the company. This will be evaluated using financial reports of the company, helping us see the sales growth, profitability, market share and the effort put in for corporate social responsibility activities.Final section would be a forecast based on the secondary research conducted and the findings future prospects in the host country, by forecasting its sales growth levels it could expect in the US market. The forecast will be of the next five to ten years based on the financial performance, market share, sales growth and Corporate Social Responsibility in the host country. This would also help in identifying the key influencing factors that could have an impact on the company's future development in the host country and their impact on the company as a whole.The last section of the report would include certain recommendations based on the findings of the rese arch conducted for this report, thus helping us analytically and practically see whether the suggestions put forth could be implemented and have practicability enough to be used in reality (meaning they are not out of context though they can be hypothetical but must be realistic and implantable). 2. About the Company Deanne, the original company was found in Barcelona, USA in 1919 by Isaac Caracas as a small factory that produced yogurt. He named the organization Deanne which meant â€Å"Little Daniel† after his son Daniel Caracas.The first yogurt began selling in the year 1923 to the pharmacies due to it being recommended by doctors for its therapeutic qualities. Ten years later the company moved to France from USA and the first French factory was built. The company moved to New York later after the World War II and Daniel Caracas employed a Swiss-born Spaniard partner named Joe Metzger. The company name was changed in the USA to Daemon to give it a more American touch. In 1 968, Deanne aired its first campaign on TV. In the years, it launched its first diet (low fat) yogurt named Deanne Designated.In 1992 the company became an official sponsor of the national sports event of Olympics which was held then in Barcelona. Since 1998, the Group of Deanne has been categorized into three business divisions around the globe; Fresh Dairy Products (including courts, desserts and infant foods), Beverages (including mainly packaged water) and Biscuit and Cereal products. Geographically the company is now spread along countries in almost all the continents of the world (Empress, 1998). 3. Company and Host Country Strategic Environment Analysis 3. 1.Internal Environment Analysis The company aims towards resolving 6 issues as objectives of providing quality products to their customers; Innovation and rethink its achievements, embody approach positive power where the company aims to provide health food so as to embody it as a source of pleasure, connect, contact, conve rsation (this statement presents the fact that Deanne makes of use of every available meaner of contacting their customers), securing access to its raw materials, adapting the models and build its future (Deanne adopts the strategy of expanding in new markets (different countries) by adapting its models and products and lastly, growing reconciling economic and social ( this statement represents the fact that a company draws on its environment as measured by economic development. The mission of the company is to grow as a leader while working for the health of the consumers. Another part of its session is that it wishes to become a consultative organ for professionals through the various research activities it conducts and the company's culture.The reason for the company to be a market leader in the food industry is the fact that the company products, varieties in flavors and healthy pleasures. Considering the organizations situation, the company mainly employs the internal strategy of maintaining a sustainable growth levels based on its corporate philosophy or ideally high growth levels of its shares by taking into account the following criteria; supporting profitable Roth in the business account that is an elementary component for the type of industry the company operates in, privileging the operating margin for enjoying the profitability on investments and accomplishing human and social policies (a particular element helping the firm gain huge success).For the firm, to achieve these objective mentioned above, it has to develop a global vision which incorporates the core values that the firm operates on, thus displaying the internal environmental attributes of loyalty, customer relationship and customer satisfaction. Namely, the arioso attributes that the company values and is included in the set of its core values are following; Openness: The company quotes and defines this value in the following words â€Å"Diversity is a source of wealth and change a cons tant opportunity'. Curiosity: This refers to an approach towards awareness and forecasting accurately, being in sync with other people, not accepting rigid ideas and models and imagination. Agility: Energy, suppleness, adaptability, vivacity, speed Simplicity: The term simply refers to the attributes of informality and practicality in a management style.Enthusiasm: Zeal, determination to do something, willingness to achieve goals. Boldness: Willingness to explore new, unconventional ways and take risk. Passion: Conviction, enthusiasm to lead, pleasure of work and the ability to rise above expectations and achieve excellence. Appetite for challenge: Optimistic, zealous and physical desire to grow and take the lead. Humanism: Showing concern for individuals (in this case consumers, employees or citizens). Sharing and Responsibility: Approach emphasizing on dialogue, transparency and teamwork. Responsibility is mainly focused on safety of people and products, thus acting pop- socially and environmentally friendly.Respect of others: Is sensitive to cultural differences, and aims to treat social and commercial partners with respect. Proximity: Mainly this term represent the idea of staying close to everyone like colleagues, consumers and clients, suppliers, stockholders and society. The company earns about 31 percent of sales from emerging markets, which is close to the target that the company has set for business that is 40 percent of the business on emerging markets and 60 percent in developing nations. About 60 percent of the sales of the brand fall under the following brands, Deanne, Avian, LIZ and WAHOO. These brands thus enable the company to optimize its advertising outlays.The advertising outlay serves as a key source that provides the company with fruitful rewards in terms of profitable growth based on the core value innovation and closer customer relationships. Moreover this key strategy has merged with the extension and promotion of brands called tag bra nds like Vitamin for low fat products and Prince for brands pertaining to children. Being a global brand, Deanne consists of various business lines and in each of these branches or lines Deanne is the world market leader. The market leader session that it holds is owing to the factors like marketing expertise, industrial efficiency, the breadth of the product range, and Research and Development (R;D).The company gained its world position by building upon strong position both the closer customer relationships and balanced long term relationships with major retailers, unrivaled acquaintance with local consumers and a recognized capacity for effective communication. Another value that the company caters to and that defines the company's internal environment is the steady thirst for innovation to gain optimum consumer satisfaction. His process of developing a new innovative product begins with the identification of the customers' needs. Since the company attaches great importance to thi s matter, the brand is built upon recognized marketing expertise, efficient R;D, strong brands and unrivalled experience in the categories of nutrition and health. N order to maintain a sustainable growth, the company has gone all the way to build a dual philosophy unique program that has made the business' success inseparable from the respect of people and environment. The company's compassion for excellence has demonstrated its ability o the dynamic market and thus the changing environment it operates in. This the company does so with high potential commitment of their teams and simple structures that promote initiative and past experience they gained (Deanne. Com, 2012). 3. 1. 1 . Value-added Chain analysis Being the largest firm in the food industry, the company has designed its product in such a way so as to differentiate it from its competitors. He strategy to do this is to create the good's perceived value such as it is indicated as being a premium product, create loyalty of the brand in hearts of the consumers and thus achieve low price insensitivity (lesser magnitude fluctuations in demand owing to the changes in price). This the brand does through its focus on the quality, the health and the real taste of their product. Additional elements that add up to the loyalty are creativity, innovation and customers' service. The company spends a huge amount of money on R;D to adapt to the dynamic market. So to achieve this differentiation, the company employs an evaluation approach called Value-added Chain analysis. This method thus helps in understanding the part of operations of the company that create value.It specifies how a product moves from a raw material to its final form which is sold in the market (Annual Report, 2011). For this company, the value chain has been divided into two segments which are namely Primary activities and Secondary activities. 3. 1. 1 . 1. Primary activities The company aims for superior handling of the raw material of its prod ucts so as to reduce the damage to the minimum and thus improve the quality of yogurt. As part of this superior handling thus, the company makes yogurts using the best of ferments and fresh products to provide their customers with high quality food. This remarry activity is known as Inbound logistics.The operations of production along the same lines are aimed to be performed most efficiently. The operational efficiency is achieved by consistent manufacturing of products which they may call attractive and by responding promptly to customers' specifications thus producing products according to their specifications or preferences. For instance, the quality of yogurt is protected and sustained by its packaging. Furthermore, the label on the packaging has the main purpose of attracting customers and providing them with maximum necessary information about the product. The quality is further maintained by owing to its daily production. This is known as outbound logistics.Considering the ma rketing and sale of the function of the company, the company has a strong coordination among its R&D department, marketing department and product development department. According to the corporation, the key to success is product innovation. In the services, the company has the service of client telephone service which responds to the consumers' queries, doubts and takes into account their opinions regarding various things. The secondary activities that take place in the organization are pertaining to infrastructure where the company has highly efficient and developed information systems helping them better comprehend the customers' preferences in purchasing. For understanding the customer, the company implements various tools like phone interviews, focused groups and other types of market research.The company's human resource department has a compensation program that major aims to compensate employees in order to motivate them to work creatively and productively. Deanne further ma kes an immense amount of investment in Research and Development by investing in technologies which thus low them to produce products at a consistently high quality. Moreover, the company has certain systems and procedures installed helping them find highest quality raw materials for production (Deanne Sustainability Report, 2011) 4. External Environment analysis There are various external factors or environmental factors that impact the organization on the whole.One of the major factors that have an impact on the company and can be considered as an external factor is the Demographics of the country in which it is operating. The USA population accounts for approximately 313 million. The median age of the country is 36. Years with the median age of males being 35. 6 years and the median age of females being 38. 2 years. Population growth rate is 0. 899 percent as per 2011, thus indicating a low growth, though the company's popularity in the country is immense. Highest age demographic is on average 65 years. 82 percent of the country's population resides in the Urban cities and towns. Annual rate of change of arbitration in the country as of 2010 is 1. 2 percent. The net migration rate in the country is 3. 62 migrants per 1000 population in July 2011.According to the US law, the articles 4 and 12 state that all yogurts must contain the yogurt† consideration in case they have alive bacterium at high levels. By high levels of alive bacterium the law meaner Yogurt bacterium must not be less than 10 million per gram. The company fulfills this requirement to the highest level and thus faces no breach against law, thus operating efficiently. The country is a Mediterranean country, with people following a Mediterranean diet where yogurt is an essential component of people's diet and thus displays a huge market for the company's product. Not only US families, but families in other countries like Greece and Italy also consume yogurt as an essential part of their die t.The country's specific segments like children, parent's and grandparent's consume the product as a dessert, breakfast and snack or Just for pleasure, thus making the company's product a success in this host country. Moreover, company's products like Vitamin are targeted towards people who are self conscious and wish to look good so as to become acceptable in the society. These societal trends and the country's cultural trend are country's economy has grown substantially regardless of it being a developed nation beforehand as well and thus the willingness to pay higher for food has increased due o the country's economic development. The family consumption levels have increased leading to increased demand of the company's products in the US market.The US economy being the largest and most technologically powerful country has a per capita GAP of $48,100. GAP according to the Purchasing Power Parity (APP) is $15. 04 trillion in 2011. Real GAP growth of the economy is 1. 5 percent. Pop ulation below poverty line amounted to about 15. 1 percent which is very low, thus displaying the company's high demand in the economy. The composition of the industrial sector in the economy on the other hand is 19. percent as of 2011. Highest household income of the country is 30 percent as of 2007, with the distribution of family income, according to the Gin index amounting to 45 in 2007. Inflation rate is 3 percent, which is quite low compared to other host countries. He country comes under the top ten markets in which Deanne operates with a 7 percent share contributed to the total sales growth. These statistics thus display the ideal situation for the company and has thus shown a significant increase in the Group's profits owing to its profitable operations in USA (Index mind, 2012). Being a constitution based federal republic, strong democratic traditions are followed kin the country, thus indicating the country's openness to international participants into the economy. The US government thus divides the country's food products under three differentiations. First category of food products being taxed is those used by humans or animals for their diet, on which the tax levied is 7 percent.The second category is that including bread, flour, milk and milky products, fruits, vegetables and other food products related to this category. The tax levied on these products is 4 percent. The third group includes all products that are not included in the two categories above. The tax levied on these products is 16 percent. Deanne being a food producing company thus has to pay almost all three taxes mentioned, owing to its wide portfolio of food products (Mind, 2012). Being a highly technologically advanced nation, the country helped Deanne make use of its various efficient technical tools, thus making it easier for the company to evaluate and perform market research to find the sales potentials among the various food categories it offers.Looking at the census data, t he R&D expenditure allocated by the government to the manufacturing industries as a percentage of net sales has reduced from 0. 7 percent to 0. 4 percent. This has been due to the government's greater allocation of funds towards the ecological development representing that US nation is an CEO friendly nation working upon sustaining the health of its ecological system (United States Census Bureau, 2012). Considering the geographical location fact Or's that impact the company in the host country, Deanne is highly affected by the US agricultural market as food industry has a major chunk dedicated to agricultural products in the country.Generally the climate of the country is temperate. However in the states of Hawaii and Florida, the climate is tropical, in Alaska it is arctic, in the Great Plains which is situated on the west of the Mississippi River, and the climate is semi-arid. Considering these weather conditions, the company has launched food products taking into account these we ather conditions so as to attract customers to enjoy summers with chilly yogurt products which account for 58 percent, Baby nutrition accounting for 19 percent, Water accounting for 17 percent and Medical nutrition accounting for 6 percent. Deanne US market is an emerging market for the product Missouri†.The operations of the firm are running efficiently owing to its developed economy and high living standards, making the population willing to purchase their product higher compared to even the originating nation Spain. However, despite these fruitful rewards there are certain challenges which the company had to face owing to the existence of various international food manufacturing firms and small competitors in the form of restaurants, food stalls on streets and small scale food manufacturing companies. The introduction of the product Yogurt in the US market has brought about a huge boom in the company's sales. This Greek yogurt had gone through the benefits in the US economy , due to the fact that the economy had highly technologically advanced tools that the company could use for yogurt production.The one major benefit that helped the company flourish in the US economy due to this particular product is the adoption of a new technology which the company adopted so as to assist them in catering to the consumer demand. This technology helped the organization improve to only the quality of the yogurt being produced, but also enhance the quality of other products in the portfolio. However, like any other business, the company faces certain threats in the economy. 4. 1 . Porter's Five Forces Model Analysis 4. 1. 1. Threats of entrants The company when entered the US economy faced the threat of new competitors who might enter the economy. These included competitors like frozen yogurt producers like Tutu Fruit.Apart from that, being the initiator of and identifying the market for yogurt in US, it is probable that the company will face even more new entrants as the time goes by. 4. 1. 2. Power of Suppliers: It might be difficult for the company to operate in the host country owing to its unfamiliarity with the suppliers available and may thus give an opportunity to the suppliers to exploit their power and overcharge for the supplies being provided, thus increasing the company's cost. 4. 1. 3. Threat of Product substitutes: The company also faced the threat of substitute products of yogurts like the frozen yogurt of Tutu Fruit. However, being the initiator, the company is the market leader in yogurt production in the country. 4. 1. 4. Power of buyers:Being a market leader and a multinational, the company has the power to bargain its way from suppliers and gain the benefit of lower cost supplies, despite their unfamiliarity with the product since the suppliers in US would want to be a supplier of such a huge organization. 4. 1. 5. Intensity of rivalry among competitors: Despite being a market leader, the company still faces an intense compe tition in the product yogurt as well as in other product categories launched in the industry (Deanne Sustainability Report, 2011). 5. Participation Strategy After conducting a market research, Deanne identified some of the key success reduce to product and thus elaborate on the success of these products due to these factors. Vitamin, a product category of Deanne, is known for its good taste and low fat.Other factors were the numerous kinds of products that came under this product line. Vitiating includes products like drinks, mousse and a regular yogurt. This was a star product for the company since the company yielded huge amounts of profits from the sale of this product. The other factors that led the company's products to yield high profits are the high quality of products, taste and the health factor associated with these products. The company entered the US economy after conducting a comprehensive research to evaluate the potential of the products it offers. The results showed that US is an emerging market for the product Yogurt, and thus have a huge potential to grow in the US industry.Moreover, the decision of entering the US economy was taken mainly due to its strong economic situation and the availability of advanced infrastructure in terms of the technological tools available their that could help the organization produce its products in high quality. The strategy that it implemented while entering the country is a global strategy the many used while expanding in various countries around all the continents available. The strategy that the company adopted at the time was to achieve high growth rates or maintain a steady growth by establishing itself in the emerging markets of the products in the product portfolio of the company by conducting market research and evaluating the lifestyle trends of the country they target to enter. This is what was done when entering US market.The emerging markets were evaluated on two parameters by the company, the econ omic dimensions of product affordability by looking at the country's income trends and standard of living and alee-addition by evaluating the willingness of buying the product and how much consumers want the product. This the company did in order to stay in closer proximity to the foreign markets they wish to operate in, disperse around the globe to attain higher growth levels and stay more attuned to its market. The major strategy which the company implemented aimed for boosting the company's market share by achieving global presence in the products it offers. This it attempted to do so by focusing on three fundamental priorities.The first priority was to reweighs the reduce portfolios in order to ensure that the prices offered in each country are appropriate considering the country's economic scale of pricing. The second priority was to increasingly focus on the promotion and point of sale events of the company's products to ensure that the promotional and advertising activities a re reaching the right customers and are effective enough to attract their attention. The last priority is to initiate a shift in the advertising of the company's products to bring into limelight and focus upon the product's quality so as to ensure the customers get highest value for the money they pay.Thus the company participation strategy in the host country is mainly to identify the emerging markets in the products they offer and establish in them to attain its broader vision of global presence (Deanne 1 1, 2012). 6. Performance overview The company has been enjoying high profitability and high growth rates since its expansion globally. The company has experienced a solid growth of 7. 7 percent in HI in the first half of 2012 and a 5. 9 percent growth the like-for-like category of the divisions experienced a rising trend in the sales levels in the first half, particularly in the second quarter of the year. In United States, Deanne made 7 percent of its sales in 2011, which amount ed to 19. 3 billion Euro ($billion).