Economics and United States Essay Example for Free

Economics and United States Essay Introduction to Allstar Brand Allstar Brand is a United States based consumer products company that produces and sells ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals, OTC (over-the-counter or nonprescription) drugs, and consumer products. It is an $8.9 billion firm that was formed in 1924 and competes with a variety of larger and smaller firms, depending on the product market. It has a number of leading brands in various product categories. Over the years, it has expanded its product category width through internal new product development and acquisition of brands as well as companies. Allstar has operations in Europe and alliances in Asia. These have proven to be very successful markets that performing exceedingly well. But these markets are maturing very quickly, and with increased competition and slowing populations, it is now necessary to look elsewhere for continued growth and profit margins. The Allstar Board believes that to generate the kind of growth needed to drive their stock price, Allstar needs to develop a market presence in South America. South America is a region of great potential. With a population of approximately 450 million, the region represents a population that is 50 percent larger than that of the United States and Canada. The dominant national language across South America is Spanish, as is the case with Argentina. A variety of trade enhancement actions have put in place in recent years. The MERCOSUR agreement was set up among the South American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, including association agreements (but not membership) with Bolivia. This agreement reduces trade barriers among these countries and has encouraged a variety of companies to establish production inside their borders to take advantage of low labor costs and fairly seamless access to neighboring markets. For accounting purposes at Allstar’s corporate offices, revenues and costs are converted into US$. Therefore, fluctuations in the exchange rate will affect consolidated reports directly. Allsmile Demographics Allsmile, a toothpaste brand, is a key asset of Allstar Brands. It is one of the company’s highest recognition brands in the United States. It is produced in the United States and in Germany for the United States and European markets, respectively. A large number of stock keeping units (SKUs) are produced. South Korean and Japanese manufacturers also produce Allsmile under license for distribution and sales in Asia. There have been reformulations of the brand, but as of today, the product formulations are essentially the same across all markets for a given SKU (although there are slight differences in packaging and in the type and intensity of flavoring that are thought to reflect regional preferences). With an entrance to South America, it may end up being cost effective to build a plant in South America instead of shipping products from the United States. Current world toothpaste sales total approximately $10 billion. The largest country market for toothpaste is the United States, with $1.4 billion spent during the past year. Toothpaste is available in a number of sizes, delivery systems, textures (paste or gel), and formulations. The basic toothpaste product is a paste or gel with flavoring and one or more active ingredients that provide specific benefits to consumers. A general description of these variations in the United States market is listed below. It is important to note that not all companies produce all possible combinations as each company determines where the holes in the market are and where the most money can be made. Why Argentina? Below is a market attractiveness index for the potential countries Allstar could enter. We have listed five criteria which we believe most accurately provide the best comparative results. The importance weight displays the percentage of importance to the criteria compared other criteria. Under each country is a rating. The ratings illustrate the importance of the criteria in that specified country. The assessment combines the importance weight of the criteria’s and the overall assessment of the country. As you can see by this chart, we have determined that Argentina would be the best country to sell Allsmile toothpaste. Background on Argentina Argentina is a large country comprised of approximately 1,068,302.2 square miles, slightly smaller than 3/10 the size of the United States. It has a democratic government that was set up in 1983. It has a population of 39.9 million people of which about 49% are male and 51% are female. Of the population, 97.1% of the people ages 15 and higher can read and write. Eighty-eight percent of the population lives in urban areas. The population of Argentina is pretty steady and is only growing at 0.96%. At 97%, Argentina is comprised primarily of Spanish and Italian (white-skinned) people. The life expectancy of Argentina is quite high with males living to 76 years of age and women living to 80. The age structure of Argentina is typical of what it to be expected for a South American country. The Age Structure Chart below shows the different classifications. Argentina’s Economy Argentina currently has a strong economy compared to its neighbors. Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, and an export-oriented agricultural sector. It has a large industrial section. Over the past decade however, the country has suffered recurring economic problems of inflation, external debt, capital flight, and budget deficits. Growth in 2000 was at negative 0.8%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the governments ability to pay debts and maintain the pesos fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened in 2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a zero deficit, to stabilize the banking system and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. The pesos peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated in February. The exchange rate plunged and real GDP fell by 10.9% in 2002, but by mid-year the economy had stabilized. GDP expanded by about 9% per year from 2003 to 2005. Growth is being led by a revival in domestic demand, solid exports, and favorable external conditions. The government took corrective action and boosted spending ahead of the October 2005 midterm congressional elections, but strong revenue performance allowed Argentina to maintain a budget surplus. Inflation has been rising steadily and has now reached 12.3%. The unemployment rate for Argentina is currently 11.5% which translates to businesses the people have money to purchase products. As you can see on the Market Comparison Chart below, Argentina is the leader in GDP/Capita and is second in GDP Growth and CPI Growth. Argentina’s Infrastructure Argentina, while smaller than some countries in South America, has a great infrastructure. Argentina has 21,183 miles of railways, 129,463 miles of highways, and 6,835 miles of waterways. In addition, Argentina has 11 ports and harbors and 1,333 airports. This expansive infrastructure makes doing business in Argentina very reliable and smooth. As mentioned before, Argentina falls under the MERCOSUR Agreement which allows for seamless transactions between the countries under the agreement (Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and Bolivia). This agreement reduces trade barriers among these countries and has encouraged a variety of companies to establish production inside their borders to take advantage of low labor costs and fairly seamless access to neighboring markets. The chart below shows the benefits of doing business in Argentina. It also points out the extra costs of doing business outside this agreement. When deciding whether to build a plant in Argentina, we recommend looking at another country. It is important to take into effect all factors. For example, one may at first glance think Mexico is the most suitable to manufacturing, and this may be the case if the company was going to do business in the United States or Canada. However, when doing business in South America, it is important to stay within whichever trade agreement you will be doing business under. Otherwise, high tariffs and duties will blanket your company. It is also very important to look at means of distribution, specifically shipping. The table below shows the per unit costs for shipping toothpaste from various manufacturing locations, assuming the usual shipping mode for each origin – destination combination. As you will notice, having a plant in the United States is not so valuable because imports to Latin America come with a high price on shipping comparatively from shipping from within Latin America. As mentioned earlier, it is of great importance to note that in addition to shipping originating within Latin America, one also has no import duties or tariffs if shipping is done within the regional shipping agreements, such as is the case with the MERCOSUR agreement. Distribution channels in Latin America have traditionally been grouped into four categories: traditional, self-serve, hypermarket, and newly emerging is web purchases. Traditional channels are small, independent stores or open market areas almost exclusively served by wholesalers (indirect distribution). Self-serve is a more developed store where customers serve themselves, but that typically offers a narrow line of merchandise. These may be independent or part of a regional chain but are almost all locally owned. Convenience stores and grocery stores would fall in this category. Hypermarkets are a new style of channel that is found primarily in cities. These are usually large stores with a wide variety of goods and typically purchase items directly from the manufacturer (direct distribution). Many of the hypermarket chains are foreign owned or allied with a global distributor, such as Wal-Mart or Carrefour. The chart below shows the toothpaste distribution within each channel.

The Contemporary Hospitality Industry In The UK

The Contemporary Hospitality Industry In The UK INTRODUCTION OF HOSPITALITY hospitality in my own understanding is between guest and host it includes the venue or location and how to entertain the guest that provides the quality of service for the purpose of hospitality. It is also means that when and where there are foods and drinks operate in any establishment there is a hospitality means. Like in United Kingdom hospitality now a day change in so many ways because before establishments in food and beverages must close early before night comes and no one is allowed to operate so the effect for the hospitality means are low in terms of business income to every business owner and of course to the government of this country. But now a day hospitality in this country establishment like food and beverages, convenient store, bars and clubs also restaurants are a huge part of contribution in sharing a national income to the government of United Kingdom. And aside from the many varieties of hospitality establishment in United Kingdom th ey are allowed to operate more time some are till mid time of the morning but the security of the cities are become more strict in terms of caring and visualizing the people because some teenagers become more aggressive when they are drunk so for the concerned of the good citizens like policemen they keep on patronized to keep the peace and safety of every one. STRUCTURE OF THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY-3 from top to bottoms like a pyramid shape this is how I illustrate the structure of a business in hospitality industry from top of course is the owner then a big role from a called area manager or head manager or either deputy manager down to assistant manager then shift managers it is categorized in many sectors for the shift managers because under this there are so called leader shift manager, kitchen manager, accountant or accounting department manager, the head security and staff, logistic and human resource management, the maintenance manager under this are the apprentice and staffs, the front counter, crew members, crew trainee, kitchen staff, coordinators staff, security staff from this sectors are the bottoms of the structured phase of hospitality but from this sectors where in the lower position are the managers started to gain performances defend on their knowledge, talent, ability and skills on how they be graded to promote on the nex t high level of position till they reach the position as being manager because of their impeccable performances. But this is not an easy task for everyone because it is required the ability to show how dedicated you are in your workplace the experiences for every candidates to pass through, specially the difficulties on how to handling the unconditional problem situation of the duties and responsibility on how an employee manage the success of his/her responsibility. But with the regards to the operational structure of this establishment I want to elaborate the significant about the different of the two hospitality industry that I chosen the first one is the mc Donald restaurant which I am working now and the second one is the Reflex bar which is openly visit most of the week just for the pleasure of unwinding my long stay in this country as part of international student or let say because sometimes you can escape from thinking back how is the family in the country where I came from or as easily called just to ease the called Home sick. Operationally mc Donald restaurant operates usually with crew members, crew kitchen members and a shift manager while in functional the information technology, the human resources and the area manager are not seen mostly in the restaurant. While in the Reflex bar operational team member mostly in the establishment you can meet first is the security who check the identity of every customer to make sure that they are in the right age because the establishment serve liquor beverages then inside you will meet the second security who are assigned in taking the entrance fee of five pounds for every customer who visit the bar then in inside of the bar are the bar tender and the waitress and waitress their role gives more means to hospitality in the bar because they can contribute efficient service to the customer because I like their being polite and too generous to commit the needs of the customer like the way they manage the mixing of the wine with the style of their own creation. About the functional operation of the Bar the head chef cannot be seen in this establishment in which is the different from the mc Donald that you can see how the kitchen crew operates but they are equal in human resource and area manager and the owner as well in functional term. 1.1 I choose Mc Donald as part of my task, because this is where I work and also I can rely more of information I need to gather and it is also relevant to my course. Our restaurant is more on walk in types of restaurant and I find some information on the internet that Mc Donald restaurants are about to 30,000 restaurants, serving 52million people in more than 100 countries each days. Also that 70% of the restaurants are operated and owned by independence both male and female. Also in this field of business I can elaborate some scale of economies for this restaurant. The external economies that the cost per unit depends on the size of the industry and the internal economies that the cost per unit depends on the size of the individual firm, also in scale of hospitality it gives a big company access to a large market by allowing them to operate with a greater geographical reach. While in the scope of hospitality are cost Advantage that result when firms provide a variety of product or deli very of a single output. It can arise from the sharing or joint utilization of inputs and leads to reduction unit cost. In regards to the diversity of this restaurant products and service are complete in terms of meal deals from drinks to burgers and with a portion of chips or French fries. With regards for the accommodation of this restaurant the first thing people can observe is the five star remarks that stick on the front door of the restaurant showing the rate from the board of health and safety regulatory then also the warm welcome service of the crew member for being their politeness. Secondly the facilities are complete in terms of technology because we have the WI fi free internet connection for the customer also the clean and a nice place to eat and relax and a good place for the children especially for the family to visit. While in the Reflex bar the number of the customer compare to the number of the costumer of mc Donald restaurant are too far from the number of their c ustomer who visit in a day because reflex bar operate only at night time while the restaurant operate night and day. Also the mc Donald serve a variety of foods in terms of promotional offer in every month we have a rotational offer of the new product and with the big help of advertizing and the media as well it helps a lot to introduce the product to promote it with the part of a meal deal also. So the tendency customer are not feeling fed up for the burgers because aside from the promotional product they offer some free as well specially in the childrens meals this is the biggest different in part of the Reflex bar in which they only have a brochure to offer for the customer and most of their promo are only free entrance but with the regards to the food and drink are still in the same price customer can get. 1.2 1.2 The second choice that I pick is the Bar which I usually visit just located in reading town, THE REFLEX bar of the 80s I love to visit the bar every Saturday because that is the big night of the week. It feels unwind to me. Inside the bar you can feel their music, but the set up of the business is more focus on beverages and some foods too. But they were popular on the ambiance especially their sounds thats maybe the reason people love to visit the place. And I could also say, that because the tendency of the bar is focus more on the mature customer because 80s songs now a days are more likely to the 30yrs old up persons. Unlike some bars are fits for the teenagers only and the tendencies or the impact for social community are very strict and so complicated because of their youngest age while in the reflex bar is not because more of the customers are professionals. But also one of the things that I like in this bar is the strict of the staff and friendly as well and very polite to th e customer. But in regards to the services structure of this establishment there are various dissimilar and similar when it comes to operational and functional. Operational the mc Donald restaurant operates without the security personnel while in the reflex bar is required with the security staff because they serve different liquor beverages. And functional both mc Donald and reflex bar are similar in like human resource management, information technologies, and the maintenance management and of course the owner of the establishment. 1.3 People 1st is the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism. We are working to transform skills in the sector, particularly in the areas of management and leadership, customer service and craft skills. We are committed to ensuring that public funds support the industry to develop only those qualifications and programs that meet the needs of employers. http://www.people1st.co.uk/ In my own understanding to this I think now a day the government of United Kingdom gives the skilled person the opportunity to have the better job benefits and also for the foreign student like us it is more beneficial when u meet the requirements the new program gives the international student to have a working permit visa as long as you finish the course in a diploma or a managerial course because according to the government in this country they ensure to support the public funds for the development of the industry. The British Hospitality Association has been representing the hotel, restaurant and catering industry for 100 years. The Association exists to ensure that the views of the British hospitality industry are represented in a forceful, coherent and co-ordinate way to government and policy makers in the UK and internationally, in order that its members businesses can flourish. The British Hospitality Association (BHA) was established in 1907 as the Incorporated Hotel Keepers Association. In 1910 it merged with a new and entirely separate organisation called Incorporated Association of Hotels and Restaurants, taking on the latters name. http://www.bha.org.uk/details.cfm?page=suppliers In this matter world wide support organization or rather known as globalization is the best I can explain because now a day every country share and support the needs of the industry specially the field of hospitality industry in this country. Like in mc Donald before they started from a few franchising then they come up to establish their own products like owning a huge farm for their potatoes and made their own French fries as well as the process of the milk from their own farm land as well to give support to the farmers of this country that is also agreed to the policies of the government in United kingdom. 1.3 The Institute of Hospitality is the professional body for managers and potential managers in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industries is an internationally recognised management organisation with UK and international regional branches covers all sectors of the industry including hotels, contract catering companies, restaurants, pubs and clubs, as well as leisure outlets, theme parks and sports venues is a registered charity and has a worldwide membership with a wide range of benefits provides members with designatory letters which confer a respected acknowledgement of an individuals qualifications and specific industry experience enables members to  network with industry contacts, to develop professionally and to progress through the membership grades of the Institute. The Institute of Hospitality is a registered educational charity and works closely with all hospitality, leisure and tourism agencies, education and awarding bodies, and government departments, providi ng an interface between education and industry. Home Institute of hospitality in my own explanation, like in impact international college giving a student especially like us international student who are taking up higher national diploma in hospitality management are giving the chance to become a professional in the field of hospitality. Impact school is one of my examples as the institute of hospitality that help the international student gain both the education and a career diploma. Their instructor is highly skilled and trained profession that enhances us to more information about the world of hospitality and guided us to become one of them in the future. HND in Hospitality Management Unit 1 Task Two The Contemporary hospitality Industry 2.1 In this task still I choose the restaurant and a bar as part of the topic in my assignment the highlight of this two hospitality establishment are the restaurant that operates in day and night and the bar that is operates more on the night according to my chosen field. The mc Donald and the reflex bar. The big issues for this two is the restaurant roles and responsibility, the restaurant is more on training because it operates with the many structures of trainees that compose of both part time and full time and most of the participant are a variety of foreign workers. While in the bar, the staff is mostly hired in this country because it required most important of their English communication because the type of business is more comply on how you communicate to the customers for fast service quality. And the type of foods and drinks they offer in this establishment are very different because in the restaurant it is fit to eat and drink for the children and adult while in the bar, wine and liquor beverages are serve for the adults only and the types of foods as well are fit for the young and adults only. Also the dissimilar types of customer comes in this two hospitality establishment are in a huge differences the restaurant customers comes for eating accommodation only while the customers in the bar are comes for the pleasure of enjoying the music, dancing and of course a group of parties and an event of celebrating birth day parties for young and adults this is in more of drinking rather than eating. Another thing is the place or the site of the venue for these two different catering industries I observe most that the restaurant where sited in a place where more people visited like in the huge car parking space or most in the malls or near in the public places that most people visit unlike in the bars you can site them most in the town cities that are nearest in the police station that are intact to communicate in case of any violence happen in the scene. 2.2 In this sector the roles and responsibilities of the staff for each establishment are a very important for every business because this is the characteristic and the main highlight that asses and manage the business. The criteria for every individual qualification are in different requirement, I can describe that the head of the business is the store manager in a restaurant with the support of the assistant manager who impose the action taken from the order of the store manager. Then the assistant manager divided the special task for the shift managers in different schedule and different assignment so that every body can share their particular task and also train and develop the staff as well. They manage the information gather according to the order of the store manager and this is how my work place manages the team in our restaurant in mc Donald. With regards to my understanding in this task about how the staffing affect the issues for hospitality I can added that if you pursue to w ork hard definitely they will give you a priority to trust that will attain me more benefits in having more time to work, they also increase my hourly rate and a good recommendation that will promote me in the next level of achievement and this is how I attain my position as crew trainee and also they promote me as a role model crew member. Then they look forward on what is my back ground in educational attainment I take Hotel and Restaurant Management in the Philippine and now taking Higher National Diploma in Hospitality Management which I think, that in the future I can use it as one of my reference to get a better job. As a matter of fact they are looking forward for me to grab the opportunity to become one of their managers. But it is complicated to my time schedule in college because the slot of the schedule programmed for the trainee of managers will be conduct on the day of my college days. I use this field of my experience as part of my task because I believe it has a relev ant to the question. In added also about the roles of the staffs, this time is about the duties and responsibilities of the operational members for the kitchen staff they manage to control the foods they cook like the burgers it should not be more than the tabulated daily burgers must be made and they should follow the flow of business, if its busy on the unexpected days kitchen staff must be pro active on their duty to follow the good process of hot and good quality of burgers. In the chicken side is also the same process should the kitchen crew must follow and they should be connect to each other meaning if the chicken side is busy and the burger side or grilled side we called is not, then they should give assist to support the fast way of serving the customers. And for us the front counters we should follow the six steps for hospitality ways this are greet first the customers welcome them then take the order then take the money and assemble the foods then the fifth is present the foods and last greet goodbye to the customers. Must all be done in a lovely smile to serve every customers visit the restaurant? HND in Hospitality Management Unit 1 Task Three The Contemporary hospitality 3.1 In this task the standard operating procedures of the food safety first must meet the requirements of the health and safety regulations. Meaning for the small establishment at least meet the three stars not lower than that and for the big establishment like mc Donald, Kentucky fried chicken, burger kings and many other big establishments must be graded a five stars from the health and safety regulatory board. They put stickers on the front of the establishment that marks five stars to show to the public that they pass the requirement of clean and healthy foods requirements. Now in actual presentation I have the experience in organizing and preparing the needs of restaurant by the role of maintaining the cleanliness of the restaurant as a matter of fact my store manager is very proud of me when I do the cleaning. I remember when we have the expected big visitors from health and regulatory staff we are given a grade of 96 percent in cleaning because I have done the good quality of clea ning, organize the stocks in a proper way the freezer foods stock are arrange in an organize first in first out boxes, tables and chairs where detailed clean for the purpose and safety of the customer eat in the restaurant. As an operational team worker this is my contribution in my work place as well in this task. In legislative issues resulting from recent developments that affecting the hospitality industry the regulations that changes are No smoking inside the premises of the restaurant also no liquor allowed to drink in the premises. In the contrary of that the restaurant, gives free internet access to use for their guess while dine inside the restaurant. When it comes to tips not all the times or most are lucky to have the tips because its as fast food type of restaurant but in the drive thru I am popular because of my different strategy is diverting hospitality that makes most of the customer likes me and the result tends to receive me most of having a tips from the customer but, its not about the tips I am happy its the way the customer appreciates my service and I could also added this experience of mine as entertainment because the management found that when I am in the drive thru window customers keep coming because of my different entertainment to them. They love my being politeness. In understanding developments in managerial they give opportunity to each crew a training provided for any candidates who meets the requirements number one is the most achievements in dedicated hard working. Then follows every socs gained by the crew its the social oriented customer satisfaction. 3.2 The current image of the hospitality industry, before establishment in hospitality are very limited in terms of, time of business, types of business. Now a days I could really differentiate the big issues that changes the establishment in hospitality because now they can serve longer time for food and beverages industry even in the hotel accommodation as well. And that maybe the cause of increase in establishment growth in every cities and town, this are some example of the image happen now in the industry of hospitality the popular perception are happens now because of the increasing number of establishment growth in food and beverages and also the improvement of their quality in terms of fast growing foods trend because now a day people are more busy in their life style and the tendencies of their time to eat and cook are limited so they tend to prepare eating out and ordering take away foods that are now serving in most restaurant. Another trend that helps more impact to increase the expansion of foods and beverages establishment is the exposure of media. With the help of advertisement people easy inform about the new trend of product they offer in foods or even in the beverages as well.

No Online Privacy in America :: Essays Papers

No Online Privacy in America Along with its many benefits, the march of technology makes an encompassing surveillance network seem almost inevitable. We owe much of the privacy we have enjoyed in the past to a combination of immature technology and insufficient manpower to monitor us. But these protective inefficiencies are giving way to efficient technologies of data processing and digital surveillance that threaten to eliminate our privacy. Already we are tracked by our credit-card transactions, our passes through the fast-lanes at toll booths, our cell phone calls. Each year brings more sensitive and widespread sensing devices, including cameras, microphones, and, potentially, biological sensors, all of which are being connected through increasingly efficient networks to increasingly more powerful data processing and storage. Cameras are proliferating, in toll plazas, on public streets, and in public parks. We welcome them as crime-fighters, even as they eliminate our ability to move through the world untracked. Face and voice recognition software may soon permit image data from surveillance cameras to be cross-referenced to data based profiles of each person observed. To get a hint of the future, enter your street address at globexplorer.com. You will see a satellite picture nearly good enough to show a car parked in your driveway, or in mine. Better resolution is coming soon. We are moving toward a transparent society in which our actions and transactions are followed, our lives tracked and documented, by folks we neither know nor trust; each of us a star in our own Truman Show. (online Privacy) By now, you have probably heard a lot of debate over the USA Patriot Act, the federal legislation passed to give investigators more tools for apprehending terrorists. Proponents of the law say we need it to protect ourselves. Opponents say it threatens our constitutional rights. Nevertheless, whatever position you take on these issues, it is important to know how the new law will affect your life online. The Patriot Act is complex and powerful. It broadens the definition of terrorism and increases the penalties for terrorism. Some of the more sweeping changes involve electronic surveillance. The act permits federal investigators to use more-powerful tools to monitor phone calls, e-mail messages, and even Web surfing. We all hope that means agents will be better able to arrest terrorists and foil their plans. But the changes also mean we now have even less guarantee of privacy on the Net.

Evolution of the Geeks Essay -- Essays Papers

Evolution of the Geeks In the past 20th century, the word geek has evolved into many different meanings. The term branched off to create a person with low social skills, often with high intelligence, a person highly interested in computer technology, and a person with a devotion to something that places him or her outside of the mainstream. Geek usually has negative connotations within popular culture, where being a geek tends to be an insult. The term can also be a badge of honor among subcultures, such as the know-it-all of Star Trek. Media dictates popular culture. The television sitcoms I’ve watched growing up all displayed who is the stereotype for a geek. Steve Urkel from Family Matters, Screech from Saved By The Bell, Ross from Friends are some examples. All are viewed as highly intelligent and with low social skills. Yet the word is still evolving and currently is accepted as an honor. Examples of cool geeks of the 21st century are hobbits from Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Seth Cohen from The O.C, and Napoleon Dynamite. The consensus of the word geek by the media shapes the society’s minds of what is perceived to be true. The term stereotype is usually referred to be a term of abuse. It gives society a short cut to identify and categorize people. The word also evokes a consensus among all of society. According to the Oxford English Dictionary Online, the word geek was introduced as the lowest of carnival performers, often displaying acts of swallowing live animals. It evolved in the 20th century to represent a person who is highly intelligent yet lacks the ability to socialize. This representation inflicts psychological and social behaviors that often consider geeks as outcasts and victim to abuse from the ... ... taped-up glasses, the 21st century is welcoming the geek to the mainstream. Geeks are adorable, relatable, and provide comic relief. With the following of Harry Potter fans and quirky geek icons such as Napoleon Dynamite, the geek of today is the ultimate cool. Now geeks put the pop in pop culture. Works Cited Lester, Paul M., ed. Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1996. Long, Tom. â€Å"Great geek portrayals save â€Å"Dynamite† from its clichà ©s.† Rev. of Napoleon Dynamite, by Jared Hess. The Detroit News on the Web 2 July 2004. 20 October 2004 < http://www.detnews.com/2004/screens/0407/07/e01-201089.htm>. Oxford English Dictionary Online. . Soergel, Matt. â€Å"RETURN OF THE NERDS: Geeks are the coolest things in movies this summer.† Florida Times Union 28 Jul. 2004, city ed., c-1.

The Character of Caliban in Shakespeares Tempest Essay -- Essays on Sh

Caliban is one of the primary antagonists in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. It is impossible to understand the Tempest without first understanding the character of Caliban. Through the exploration of the character of Caliban the reader gains an understanding of his importance within the play and that he is simply not just black and white, there is also a great deal of grey. It is the characters ambiguity that enables him to be human inside although appearing bestial on the outside. Caliban is a great example of a character being much more than one dimensional, almost to the point of being nearly a real person. While there is a great emphasis on the pure and the good, everyone has within them a darker side. Which is that of depravity and evil thoughts. This is what makes us human. It is how we deal with these thoughts and balance them that makes us a person. It is also the way in which this almost, 'alter ego' manifests itself to both to yourself and the rest of mankind, that distinguishes between good and bad people: 'This thing of darkness, I must acknowledge mine' Arguably, The Tempest is a play that focuses upon the character of Prospero and his power to punish verses his power to forgive. Many scholars believe that the play is also nearly an autobiographical work, written towards the end of Shakespeare's literary career. This idea is reinforced throughout the play, especially towards the end and in the epilogue: ?...my ending is despair, Unless I be relieved by prayer.? Epilogue: 15-16 And ?I'll break my staff, Bury it in certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound I'll drown my book? 5:1:54-57 Therefore, our understanding of Caliban's position in th... ...our understanding of Caliban and The Tempest as a play is therefore one of great importance. He puts an angle on Prospero's character that other aspects of forgiveness and that of the wronged Duke simply do not cover. He shows up Prospero's faults and the fact that Prospero is only human, capable of anger, hatred, and punishing those who are guilty in his eyes. Works Cited Bevington, David. The Necessary Shakespeare Third Edition. United States: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Print. Cengage, Gale, Michael L. LaBlanc Ed.† The Tempest (Vol. 72) - Introduction." Shakespearean Criticism. Vol. 72, 2006. eNotes.com. 2003. 29 Oct, 2009. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. 5th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004. 1574-603.

Different control sensors Essay

The idea of a pressure sensor is to ultimately measure and monitor the pressure of either gasses or liquids. But, what is pressure? Well, pressure ultimately is an expression used to describe the process of the force that is used when restraining a gas or a liquid from expanding. It has a certain measurement normally in the force per unit area. When the pressure is measured it can be monitored in a number of ways, but, most typically it is done with an electrical signal. We can see many examples of pressure monitors/switches in appliances all over the world today. Pressure sensors are found in items such as cars and lifts. For example, a person walks up to a door and they wish for it to be opened on arrival, with a pressure switch located in the floor as soon as the pressure switch is activated the door will open, this form of switch will tend to require a form of displacement. Another example if where a pressure switch/monitor may be found is within a car. When the tyres reach a certain pressure the control system kicks in and then they are warned to pump them up. If we consider large industries such as factories with combustion engines then we need to bear in mind that there needs to be some form of indication when present conditions change within the mechanism, this is also where a pressure sensor will come in handy. The picture on the top left of this paragraph is similar to what may be found in an industrial placement. A Rotary Switch A rotary switch is used when we have a devise that needs to operate or change to two or more different states, for example, a rotary switch may be used for; A fan that regulates heat at different speeds A radio that needs to operate on different frequencies The most common type of rotary switch is the rotary light switch, and the way in which this works is pretty straight forward. A rotary switch is a device that has a rotating shaft connected to one terminal capable of making or breaking a connection to one or more other terminals (the rotating shaft can be seen in the picture on the left) to many other types of electrical switching mechanisms, the electromechanical rotary switch provides a desirable means to control large numbers of circuits over a wide range of currents, voltages and power requirements. Rotary switches provide electrical control for the following types of equipment; Medical equipment, Aircraft, computers,   Industrial controls,   Communication,   Ordnance,   Ground support equipment Different types of rotary switches are used in a variety of electric devices. They are in the form of at least two parts and have a rotatable switching means arranged in a grouping and a rotary knob having a coupling element which can be pushed into or onto the switching means. The rotary switches are provided with a contact/sensor system and with a detent mechanism. The detent mechanism determines the number of possible switch positions. Rotary switches may feature different switch positions that can be set by rotating the switch spindle in one or another direction. Rotary switches may convert positions into binary numbers; such switches are known as coded switches. A rotary electromechanical encoder includes the overall characteristics of a rotary switch, but has additional mechanical movements. Pyrometers A pyrometer comes in very useful in industrial places where measuring and controlling inputs and outputs of a computer system become far too dangerous for a human to undertake the responsibility. It is often used to determine and control the temperature; however, it can also be used for radiation purposes. The word pyrometer is derives from the Greek word for fire, â€Å" † and the Greek word for measure, which is â€Å"meter†. As previously said, pyrometers are optical aids and although now days there are many forms of pyrometer as the need for more specific, demanding control systems are required the most basic still works on the principle below; On the previous page we can see how a basic optical pyrometer works, the only problem being that it can display temperatures that are high (up to around 700oC, but is inefficient for very low temperatures. As temperature inside the work place/furnace increases, so does the filament inside the pyrometer giving off a red colour, indicating the heat capacity. Using digital readouts the user can use the pyrometer to calculate the temperature of the material and also use the pyrometer to heat the material or furnace, or wherever the control system is placed to whatever they require. Thermocouples A thermocouple is a very simple heat/temperature sensor and comprises of two components. One end is joined tightly and the other end is separated. It is the end that is separated that is considered to be the output of the control system, and this is the end that actually generates the voltage. This voltage is then proportional to the heat or temperature to which it is measuring. This then means that the hotter the temperature the more voltage is output. Below can be seen the two most commonly found applications of thermocouples; Measuring room temperature Monitoring the presence of a pilot light It is the actual materials used within the control system that determines the application. There are then thermocouple types derived which can be used for differing purposes. Thermocouples are easy to use and require no batteries or fancy electronics. However, the voltage signals generated are very small so an amplifier may be required if you wish to read the temperatures into a computer Control System Thermometers Control system thermometers consist of a normal day to day thermometer that’s connected to an electric circuit. Then, when the heat/temperature reaches a certain level it can be indicated or displayed in a number of ways, for example if connected correctly we could have it so that the temperature, when it hits 20, displays a red light located somewhere else, and, then when it falls below the light goes off. Inductosyn The idea of an inductosyn is to read the measurements of current within a system and then make extremely accurate measurements or movements based upon these readings. The principal in which it works is as follows. Incremental Absolute An inductosyn has a metal block in which grooves are cut out. Along these grooves are continuous strips of magnetic metal, then, a current is passed from one end to the other. The sliding block has an identical strip set in to it completes the circuit when connected with the other strip. Now we have the possibility of resistance change, by sliding the sliding block from one end to the other we have a system that changes the resistance of the circuit. This then increases and decreases the current accordingly. This is then output to a display which the user can see. This relationship between current and movement can then be used to move objects very small distances with a tremendously high degree of accuracy. This is all based on the current. Thermistor A thermistor is a type of resistor that varies resistance in a computer control system according to the temperature readings. Thermistors are thermally sensitive resistors whose prime function is to exhibit a large, predictable and precise change in electrical resistance when subjected to a corresponding change in temperature. A temperature sensor application would be compared to that off the one found in a central heating system. A sensor would detect the temperature in the air, by using a thermometer and then change as desired using something like a thermistor. The thermistor would act as the thermostat. Therefore, when the thermostat is changed, we can change the output of the heating system accordingly. The thermistor is widely used and often unknown to the untrained eye. Linear Limit Switches The theory behind the linear limit switch is very straight forward. Basically the linear limit switch is a button, that when activated starts a process. In relation to computing it’s like an event drive operation. For the linear limit switch to be activated it must be pressed. For example, in a lift, how do we get the lift to stop going up, or, stop going down, or stop on the right floor. It would be of my opinion that a linear limit switch is implemented, so that when the lift reaches the required floor, a switch is activated and the lift stops and the doors open. However, its not limited to lifts, the linear switch is a very common device. In the picture on the left we can see a clear example of a linear limit switch. The operation needed to be performed is for that of the swimming pool cover, when the cover reaches the end of the pool the switch is pressed and the motor stops working, this then stops the problem of the cover falling off of the reel.

Nurse Betty

â€Å"Nurse Betty† is not so much a movie about a nurse, but it is a good depiction of how  nurses can sometimes be portrayed by the media. In this film a small town waitress named Betty  fixates on one doctor as portrayed in her favorite soap opera, â€Å"A Reason To Love.† After witnessing her husband’s murder while watching an episode Betty begins to  become delusional, believing that she is a nurse in the hospital where the character of Dr. Ravell  from the soap opera works. Betty also believes herself to be his ex-fiancà © and that she is still in  love with him. As this delusion takes hold she packs her bags and leaves the scene of the crime to  head to Los Angeles to find him. Because of her delusions Betty does not often relate well with others. She has convinced  herself that she is an actual nurse and is in love with Dr. Ravell. For this reason she fails to  understand why others cannot accept this.  The remaining nurse, doctor and hospital administration portrayals are all minor roles.  Many are little more than walk-ons and cardboard cut-out soap opera stereotypes. The ones who  are really in these positions and not characters from the soap opera are portrayed more fairly than  the soap characters.  When Betty arrives at what she believes is the hospital where Dr. Ravell works the  administration is at first depicted as sincere in response to her claims of being a nurse and  looking for Dr. Ravell, an acclaimed cardiologist who should work there. Even though he has  never been heard of before. Little is shown of how Betty handles herself as a nurse. Mainly this is due to the fact  that she is not a nurse. Even though she believes herself to be one. The other minor portrayals of  nurses in this movie are generally positive and believable.Overall this movie shows several examples of how Hollywood portrays those in the  medical profession. Both with the medical professionals as characters and with the more  stereotyped soap opera characters. LaBute, N. (Director). (2000). Nurse Betty [Film] Hollywood: Gramercy Pictures