Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Marketing Analysis of Gloria Jean’s Essay

Australian Coffee Making industry Australian coffee industry continues to mature and surge ahead. Australia has emerged as one of the most discerning and profitable coffee locations in the world, and the amazing monetary figures spent on coffee in Australia each year support global perceptions that Australians are in a position to judge the merits of good coffee. Over the past five years, Australia’s Cafes and Coffee Shops industry has demonstrated itself to be a complex, highly competitive and successful industry. Industry players have benefited immensely from the nation’s love of quality coffee, which steered the industry through the recent economic downturn, during which it outperformed rival hospitality industries such as restaurants and catering. Specialty coffee shops in Australia are becoming a lucrative sector, as a result of a growing coffee culture and increasing franchising opportunities. Australia’s strong coffee drinking culture has heavily influenced growth in specialty coffee shops , especially among the younger generation Gloria Jean’s in Australian Market Gloria Jean’s Coffees is dedicated to offering the world’s highest quality specialty coffee – from bean to cup. Australian owned and locally operated, the Gloria Jean’s Coffees family now stretches far and wide across the globe, with over 1,000 coffee houses in 39 countries. It is combination of passion, commitment to their communities and dedication to delivering the highest quality coffee to their guests that unites their global team in the same Vision – to be the most loved and respected coffee company in the world. Gloria Jean’s Coffees was founded by Gloria Jean Kvetko in 1979 in Chicago, USA. Gloria Jean’s Coffees began as a small coffee and gift shop in Chicago USA which now has over 110 locations throughout the U.S. Gloria Jean’s Coffees USA is owned by Diedrich Coffee, Inc located in Irvine, California. In 1995, Nabi Saleh and Peter Irvine, former Managing Director of advertising agency DDB Needham, visited the United States to sample the Gloria Jean’s Coffees brand. Saleh and Irvine identified the opportunity for this brand in Australia, purchasing the international licensing rights from Diedrich Coffee, Inc. They established Jireh International Pty Ltd the company that holds the right to franchise Gloria Jean’s Coffees in Australia, and purchased the rights to the Gloria Jean’s Coffees brand for all other countries from Diedrich Coffee, Inc, with the exceptions of the USA and Puerto Rico. In late 1996, Jireh International Pty Ltd opened the first Gloria Jean’s Coffees store in Miranda, Sydney, and two weeks later another in Eastgardens, also in Sydney. These stores were set up to test the concept in the Australian market. In early 1998, Gloria Jean’s Coffees Australia franchised its first store and within six years had opened 185 stores owned and operated by more than 100 franchisees. In 2003, a franchise opened in Darwin; this meant that the brand was now established in every Australian state and territory. Jireh International Pty Ltd formed a North American Affiliate, Praise International North America, Inc. and as of June 14, 2009, the North American rights were sold by Diedrich Coffee to the American Affiliate of the Australian holding company. Vision of Gloria Jean’s To be the most loved and respected coffee company worldwide. Mission of Gloria Jean’s Gloria Jean’s Coffees is committed to building a unified family, consistently serving the highest quality coffee and providing an outstanding and personalized service in a vibrant store atmosphere. Objective of Report The objective of the report is to identify the corporate and business strategies of Gloria Jean’s, its main competitive strengths and the possible threats that Gloria Jean’s may confront in the future. External Environment Analysis of Australian Coffee Making Industry Macro Environment (Six segments) Analysis Global Segment: Gloria Jean’s Coffees has strongly entering into global markets. It has teamed up with six new Master Franchise Partners in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Oman and Azerbaijan. Gloria Jean’s Coffees followers will soon be able to enjoy a handcrafted cup of coffee in these global markets. The groups of consumers are very passionate about brands, especially such global lifestyle brands as Gloria Jean’s Coffees. Economic Segment: Australia has had one of the most outstanding economies of the world in recent years. As a high-growth, low-inflation, low interest rate economy, it is more vibrant than ever before. There is an efficient government sector, a flexible labor market and a very competitive business sector. Gloria Jean’s has taken this opportunity as consumers in Australia have higher disposable income and are willing to spend more. Demographic Segment: Gloria Jean’s Coffee is currently targeting small market segment, young adults segment, which comprises people age 18 to 25 years old, compared to Starbucks, 15 to 64 years old. Besides that, Gloria Jean’s mainly focuses on female customers, where half of the sales came from that particular gender. Political Segment: In Australia there are some rules and regulations that were created for the coffee industry, such as the Fair Trade Certificate and the Rainforest Alliance. Where the Fair Trade certification is an alternative marketing system designed to give the disadvantaged farmers guaranteed prices for their product while The Rainforest alliance focuses on how farms are managed rather than how products are traded. Gloria Jean’s has to follow these rules when they entered into Australian market. Socio-Cultural Segment: Australia’s strong coffee drinking culture has heavily influenced growth in specialty coffee shops, especially among the younger generation. Coffee drinking has become an integral part of the modern lifestyle in Australia and specialty coffee shops have become more than just a place for coffee. This is an advantage for Gloria Jean’s to survive in the Australian market. Technological Segment: Technological developments in the coffee industry are very limited. Ordering is one area where technology can be used. Gloria Jean’s buys and roasts its own coffees – controlling the process from the bean to the cup. Therefore it is important for them to know every aspect of the coffee industry to ensure that the products offered by them are top standard quality products and available at all times. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis According to Porter, there are five forces that determine industry attractiveness and long-run industry profitability. These five â€Å"competitive forces† are— (a) The threat of entry of new entrants, (b) The threat of substitutes, (c) The bargaining power of buyers, (d) The bargaining power of suppliers and (e) The degree of rivalry between existing competitors. The coffee making industry in respect of Porter’s five forces analysis is given below: Threat of new entrants: There are no barriers to entry in coffee shop market. The cost to set up a new coffee business is proportionately lower than those associated with developing new business in other industries. Even the four largest players within this market only have limited market share, totaling not more than 2% of the business. To open a coffee shop usually only requires small amounts of capital for fixtures, fittings and coffee machines. Baristas and cafà © trained staff are readily available, and to train new staff does not take long and is not costly. So we can say that it is the high threat of new entrants. Bargaining power of buyers: It is very easy for coffee buyers to consume different coffee and other options. In urban locations, there are numerous options for coffee drinkers. Cafà © can be located on practically every corner in all major cities in Australia. Additionally a number of restaurants and diners serve coffee, as do some fast food chains. Individuals can also drink instant coffee or use coffee vending machines. So there is high bargaining power of buyers. Rivalry among competitors: As there are a number of competitors in the market, rivalry can be considered to be fairly high. In many instances, competitors operate next door to one another. It is not uncommon for cafà © strips to surround office complexes and major urban entertainment venues. In more sub urban environments, cafes are still littered throughout shopping malls, coffee stalls are commonly visible. So we can say that rivalry of competitors is high. Bargaining power of supplier: Suppliers cannot influences cafes as much as is possible in other industries. Due to the number of cafes in the market, working relationships are often not that close. Coffee beans are a highly traded commodity in both developed nations and in the developing world where much of the produce is grown. This leads to an effectively developed and efficient market in the trade of coffee beans. The result is that both originating and whole sale suppliers cannot compete much on price differentiation. They must instead differentiate via the quality of their beans. So we can say that there is weak bargaining power of suppliers. Threat of substitute: As mentioned previously, customers are able to switch to rival cafes at little or no cost. Quite often to use a substitute cafà © involves walking an additional ten to hundred meters in highly urbanized areas. There are also countless other venues that can be used for social meetings, such as pubs, restaurant and the like. Business meetings can be held at offices or at the venues mentioned above. Coffee is also substituted quite regularly by tea and other caffeine products. It can also be substituted by instant products that are widely available in supermarkets. There are now a number of powdered mock cafà © options available at different stores. Coffee machines are also more affordable and can be used in households. Thus threat of substitute is stronger. As a whole – Threat of new entrants – High Bargaining power of buyers – Strong Rivalry among competitors– High Unattractive Industry Threat of substitutes– High Bargaining power of suppliers – WeakLow Profit Potential Internal Environment Analysis of Gloria Jean’s Resources of Gloria Jean’s Resources are inputs into a firm’s production process, such as capital, equipment, and the skills of individual employees, patents, finance, and talented managers. Resources are either tangible or intangible in nature. With increasing effectiveness, the set of resources available to the firm tends to become larger. 1. Tangible resources * Financial resources * Physical resources * Technological resources * Organizational resources 2. Intangible resources * Human resources * Innovation resources * Reputation resources Gloria Jean’s has to emphasize on both its tangible as well as intangible resources. Gloria Jean’s Coffees management team manages to expand their franchises internationally and have full control over their franchisee. It is trying to boost up their franchise revenue and retail sales. There are currently 470 Gloria Jean’s stores located in Australia, and they serve more than seven million coffees each month. Gloria Jean’s Coffees actually provides an ongoing support for all their franchisee. It is one of a dedicated company that strives and has done countless effort in order to make sure that the products they sell have a huge impact on people’s daily lives. They have continuously developed their beverages to look tempting to attract customers. It has a strong brand image for its premium quality and excellent taste.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Amended Budget Paper And Excel File

Riordan Manufacturing Inc is an international company specialized in the manufacturing of plastic products. Based in USA, Riordan Manufacturing has manufacturing plants in Georgia, Michigan, Albany and Pontiac. To achieve international status, and produce high quality products, Riordan Manufacturing has opened another plant in Hang Zhou in China. One of the aims of the Riordan manufacturing is to remain competitive in order to achieve market advantages. To achieve this aim, the management of Riordan manufacturing has initiated a policy to constantly change the business environment, and employ latest technology.To achieve global expansion, Riordan manufacturing has decided to initiate global market expansion through the introduction of virtual organization. The Riordan’s virtual organization involves the introduction of electronic commerce in order to sell the company products worldwide through the application of internet. In the present global competitive environment, e-busine ss has become one of the potent tools by which organization achieve competitive market advantages. Thus, Riordan manufacturing has decided to employ e-business to increase efficiency in sales and marketing through the implementation of virtual organization.For the successful implementation of virtual business organization, Riordan manufacturing needs to employ Information Technology (IT) supports in order to install both hardware and software, and efficient implementation of operation costs is very essential. The objective of this paper is to amend the overall budget of FY2004. The amendment will reveal the increase on expenditures on items such as hardware, software and outside IT support by 4%. The paper also amends the budget by decreasing the overall budget by 2%.Finally, the paper provides the rational behind the changes in the budget of Riordan manufacturing FY2004. To achieve the business growth, Riordan intends to implement virtual organization. To achieve efficient virtual organisation for Riordan manufacturing, it is essential to adjust the consolidating operating budget of FY2004. Essentially, paper amends consolidating Operating Budget Cost IT center for Riordan manufacturing FY2004 and in the amendment, the following requirements are reflected.First, there is increase on expenditures on items related to hardware, software, and outside IT support services by 4 percent. Moreover, there is decrease in the overall budget by 2 percents. The paper provides the rational behind the changes on the budget amount in the next section. 1. 2: Rational behind the changes on the budget. First, integration of IT has become of the major objectives of many organisations. In the present contemporary competitive environment, organizations now realise that integration of IT tools has become potent tools by which organizations gain market advantages.With the realization of potential benefits that IT has provided for the success of organization, Riordan manufacturing has also decided to integrate IT tools in its business operation. This has vividly revealed from the company memorandum written by Hugh McCauley, and sent to Michael Riordan, Maria Trinh, and Dale Edgel on September 10, 2003. From this memorandum, the Riordan manufacturing has dedicated to employ the latest technology to support the continuing business operations.Proper integration of latest Information Technology in the business model necessitates the integration of latest hardware and software so that Riordan manufacturing could achieve high competitive advantages for its virtual business organisation. To achieve these aims, there is need to make changes in the budget by increasing the spending on the items related to hardware, software, and items outside IT service by 4% . The increase in the spending on these items is very critical for the successful implementation of virtual organisation that Riordan manufacturing intends to implement.The increase in the spending on the outside IT service is also very critical because there is need to implement employee training for the continuous implementation of web based business of Riordan manufacturing. Employee training is very critical for the smooth running of virtual organization. Employee will be in charge of processing of orders sent by customers online. Moreover, employee will ensure that orders received online are dispatched to clients. Thus, employee training is very critical to ensure that Riordan’s employees are capable to handle these tasks.Thus, increase in spending to achieve this aim is one of the reasons to amend the overall budget. Apart from employee training, maintenance and contract will also be critical for the smooth running of virtual organization, the increase in spending on this item will ensure the smooth continuity of virtual organization. The contact for the virtual organization will consist of Web hosting, off site data storage, and hardware maintenance. The items revealed in the con tract are very critical for the virtual organisation. Web hosting is indispensable for web based business.Hardware maintenance is very critical in order to avoid web failure. Offsite data storage is also very critical for web based business, off site data storage is very essential for data security because there may be data loss through theft, fire disaster, and other unforeseen circumstances. Thus, the increase in spending on these items will enhance viability of Riordan virtual organization. Moreover, the changes in overall budget are critical in order to reduce the overall budget by 2%. The reduction in the overall budget by 2% is essential to reduce overall operating costs of Riordan manufacturing.According to Kuzic, Fisher, and Scollary (2002) the advantages of virtual organisation is to achieve the reduction in operating costs. One of the advantages of decrease in the operating costs is to increase the company’s revenue, and this will lead to the increase in the yearly net profit of Riordan manufacturing. 2: Conclusion The paper provides the amendment of budget for the Riordan manufacturing consolidated operating budget cost IT center for the FY2004. In the amendment, there are changes that reveal the increase in the spending on items related to hardware, software and outside IT items by 4%.Moreover, there is decrease of overall budget by 2%. The paper presents the rational behind the overall changes in budget. The rational provided are to meet the aims of Riordan manufacturing in order to implement the latest technology to achieve competitive market advantages. The overall decrease in budget by 2% is also essential. This is to decrease the operating costs of Riordan manufacturing in order to increase the company’s net profits. Reference Kuzic, J. Fisher,J. & Scollary, A. (2002). Electronic Commerce Benefits, Challenges And Success Factors in the Australian Banking and Fina

Monday, July 29, 2019

Explain how Machiavelli's discussion of virtue (virtu) in The Prince Essay

Explain how Machiavelli's discussion of virtue (virtu) in The Prince differs from that of the ancients like Plato and Cicero. Give examples - Essay Example It is immoral and unethical, maintains Plato, for a ruler to rule solely by might. Machiavelli has stated, ""A Prince, therefore should have no care or thought but for war, and the regulations and training it requires, and should apply himself exclusively to this as his peculiar province; for war is the sole art looked for in one who rules" (Machiavelli, P. 70)." Therefore, it is clear that Machiavelli's idea of virtu' is not one that is based on moral character, but rather, based on utility. For Machiavelli, virtu' outweighs morality when the needs of the situation demands it; for Plato, one must preserve morality at all times. Plato believes in utopian ideals and propositions; Machiavelli, was a realist. Cicero, on the other hand, maintains that there was no distinction between that which was morally good and what was useful to man. His concept of duty is directly opposite the concept of duty as forwarded by Machiavelli. Cicero believed that pleasure may be enjoyed by man, but that there is a right and moral way to enjoy pleasure. For example, sex is an enjoyable activity and may thus be engaged in by man, but it is wrong to have sex with another man's wife. To quote from Cicero, "Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason." Even their concepts of government are markedly different. Machiavelli would be wont to argue for the top-down approach, i.e., a good ruler is essential, a ruler who must be feared, more than loved. Cicero, on the other hand, believes that people should work together for the betterment of the community. Hence, he espouses a bottom-top approach. Describe the role of virtue in friendship, according to Cicero. Cicero's work, "De Amicitia" (On Friendship) captures this thinker's thoughts on friendship, and particularly, the role that virtue plays. A very enlightening passage in this work, translated in English, reads: "I can only advise you to prefer friendship to all things else within human attainment, insomuch as nothing beside is so well fitted to nature, -- so well adapted to our needs whether in prosperous or in adverse circumstances. But I consider this as a first principle -- that friendship can exist only between good men." Much ado is made regarding the moral dimension of friendship - that it should be based on nature, and not on need, on love and not on benefit. To quote the good philosopher once again, "But in friendship there is nothing feigned, nothing pretended, and whatever there is in it is both genuine and spontaneous. Friendship, therefore, springs from nature rather than from need, -- from an inclination of the mind with a certain consciousness of love rather than from calculation of the benefit to be derived from it." Hence, Cicero believes that truth-telling is an important aspect of friendship, and that the truth must be told to a friend, even though the truth hurts. But perhaps the most important point made by Cicero is that virtue is the very framework of friendship, it is the very bulwark on which friendship rests - Virtue, I say to you, Caius Fannius, and to you, Quintus Mucius, -- virtue both forms and preserves friendships. In it is mutual agreement; in it is stability; in it is consistency of conduct and character. When it has put itself forth and

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 71

Assignment Example The defendant and the plaintiff agree under the supervision of the court to implement the decree. An example of a consent decree is in divorce situations where the couple decides to settle under the supervision of a court. Disparate impact is the discrimination against a class that occurs due to the employer’s neutral employment practice, when the employer has a disproportion along the protected line. Disparate treatment is discrimination against an individual in a protected group that occurs due to unequal treatment from the employer, compared to the others. Using the four-fifths rule, the rate of selection of each group is calculated by dividing the number of the selected persons in a group by the number of total applicants in that group, and the group with the highest selection is observed. The impact ratios are then calculated by comparing this selection rate with the highest group. Any group with a substantially less selection rate than that of the highest group is observed. The employer defences against discrimination charges include job relatedness, business necessity, BFOQ, and BFSS. In job relatedness the employer argues that the employee does not work effectively. In the business necessity, the employer argues that the protected employee must have a given business necessity. The BFOQ will be based on their qualifications while the BFSS will be based on the selection criteria or a ratio. A hostile working environment is an offensive working environment that is characterized by unlawful physical or verbal harassment that shows hostility towards an individual basing on color, religion, race, gender, national origin, age, disability, his or her relatives, friends, and associates. Organizations can have policies that describe the constituents of a hostile working environment, and what is an inappropriate behaviour. It can also inform and educate employees on the organizational policies. They should investigate all

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Commodity Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Commodity Risk Management - Essay Example Commodities with higher price volatility subject the consumer or the producer to greater probability of incurring loses or attaining gains on the future sales and buying of the product. Commodities with greater share in enterprise earning or production costs are faced with greater exposure to price risks. Various commodity risk management instrument are available and are mostly used by large producing firms, large consuming firms, trading firms, marketing firms or departments and other business ventures. The current market trends have led to the limitation of middlemen and traders and the transactions between the producer/ manufacture and final consumer have increased considerably. When the world commodity prices fall, the producer is at risk as he is not able to cover for his production costs. Also, a commodity dealer who buys products and keeps them in a warehouse is faced by the risk of not recovering his original purchasing costs. Those who process the goods are faced by double r isks due to the inputs and outputs. The final consumer only experiences the problem of increased prices. Price risks also affect traders, importers and exporters (Rutten and Blarel, 1996) The are several methods that are adopted for the management of commodity price risks, These include the adoption of marketing strategies that help time sales and purchases, Forward contracts, futures long term contracts, the use of over the counter markets. Commodity linked bonds and the use of swaps (Kolb, 1991).The choice of the instrument to use is difficult as the over the counter market is not open and transparent. The price determination depends on the bargaining strength and the availability of vital information. There is also the counterpart risk if he fails to fulfill the obligations imposed on him. Types of instruments used Forwards contracts; this involves the formation of an agreement to deliver a given quantity of goods at a given future date. The agreed forward price is paid when the product is delivered. The contract contains the price of the commodity and the quantity specified for delivery at a given date in the future. The 'long position' or the buyer receives the commodity and pays the forward price and the 'short position' or the seller delivers the commodity (UNCTAD, 1998). Futures contract: this is an agreement to deliver a given commodity in the future. The price is paid at a specified future date and at a future price payable at the time of delivering the commodity. They differ from the forward markets since they are 'marked to the market' this means that the contracts are settled each trading day. Future prices are either greater or less than the forward price. Due to the evaluation of the prices per given trading day, future contracts are usually preferred. Forward contacts are usually traded in exchanges. Futures may require settlement on daily basis if the are market to market. They are safer because the clearing house guarantees the fulfillment of the contract terms by all parties (Morgan, 1992) Cash market The behavior of most commodities in the market is determined by the cash and storage markets. The term spot price is used to refer to the immediate purchase of commodities. That means the products are bought and delivered at that time. The cash market is greatly

Friday, July 26, 2019

Comparing and Contrasting 4 states in Middle East Essay

Comparing and Contrasting 4 states in Middle East - Essay Example Crane was in favor of a Palestinian state, and made several declarations in contra of the Balfour Declaration, which called for the creation of the Jewish state. Israel was actually the brainchild of Theodore Herzl, â€Å"†¦who founded the Zionist political movement.†2 â€Å"On 29 November 1947, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly voted in favor of [Partition Resolution (UN Res. 181)]†¦replacing the British mandate with two independent states†¦The UN partition resolution laid down a timetable for the termination of the British mandate and for the establishment of [both] Jewish [and] Arab state[s]†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 3 Relations between the West and the Middle East were not always entirely contentious. In the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence between Sir Henry McMahon (the British High Commissioner in Egypt) and the Sharif of Mecca (Hussein bin Ali), the two men discussed the political future of the Middle East—McMahon encouraging an Arab revolt within the Ott oman Empire, since it had sided with Germany as an ally. Speaking of the Middle East, the Masjid-e-Suleiman was The Mosque of Solomon—the site where a large amount of oil was located. Palestine was a former British colony. Lebanon was a former French colony. The Druzes migrated due to the civil war in Lebanon in the 1860s. The Maydan Quarter of Damascus and the Druze was basically a riot over grain that led to a rise in Arab nationalism in Syria. In Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt—there were a bunch of â€Å"Accommodationist Notables†, wealthy prominents who were considered to have stakes in controlling mandates in the Middle East. With the advent of the Bombing of the King David Hotel (carried out by Irgun, which, like Lehi was a Zionist paramilitary organization), there were Britons, Arabs, Jews, and others killed. What had happened was that Irgun had been given a mandate by a man named Moshe Sneh. He ordered his men to dress up—one man as a Sudanese, ot her men as Arabs—in order to pass security. Someone warned the Palestine Post that the bombing was about to occur. Also, the French consulate was apparently warned in advance. However, the appropriate warnings did not go off in the Hotel, which was owned by Jewish nationals. The bombing lit off a firestorm in Britain. The bombing was decried, and Irgun was called a terrorist organization. This was done partly because Zionist Jews wanted to make a statement against a Nazi-British alliance. Anti-Jewish sentiment was also strong in Britain, and Britain’s occupancy of the Palestinian state only served to deepen the divide between Britain and what would one day become Israel. In fact, the Irgun organization would one day have their members absorbed into the state of Israel’s Likud party, which has somehow been involved in every major election in Israel since the early 1950s. Speaking about divisions of land in the Middle East, The Sykes-Picot Agreement was basically an Anglo-French agreement post-World War I that followed a previous agreement which carved Syria, Kurdistan, Acre, and Haifa between Russia, Britain, an unnamed Arab state, as well as Palestine. The pilfering of land would not be unique to the Middle East, however. Operation Barbarossa was Nazi Germany’s invasion of Soviet Union territory in 1941, Hitler claiming that his people needed more space. Hitler would continue to invade most of Western Europe and a large part of Eastern Europe. However, when he tried to march against Russia, his soldiers found themselves not

New Business Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

New Business Proposal - Essay Example kit, 2011). The product is targeted towardsa customer base that has concern for the environment, and wants to contribute to its wellbeing by reducing their eco/foot print impact etc. The product is also expected to do well in the market because of its uniqueness and the fact that no online retailer has done this before. The detailed marketing strategy of the product has been discussed as follows: Product Strategy: The reusable and recycled bags are to be made of both recycled cotton and plastic materials. The brand awareness of ASOS will be relied upon as one of the key competitive advantages. Along with that, the good relationships of the ASOS brand with the suppliers and the high purchasing power that it has will also serve as a plus for the awareness and promotion of these bags. Another key aspect that would greatly benefit the product would be that of first mover advantage as up till now no online retailer has come up with this sort of idea. The bags will be made available to the markets of the UK and Ireland only. These bags would be large in size so as to serve for accommodating things for multiple purposes (posting, usage etc.) and they would have the ASOS logo on them. A specific percentage of the revenues generated would be granted to charities so as to better create an impact in terms of working towards the collective good of people and the overall society. The product is to be similar to Anya Hindermarch’s ‘I am not a plastic bag’ concept that encouraged people not to use plastic bags (Winterman, 2007) with a number of customized touches added to it. These would include a more stylish outlook, larger size that is to add to its value in terms of convenience, and finally, because of its outlook and size, these bags would be multipurpose serving the purposes of both shopping and delivering. The bag would also have specific customer number ID on it which would allow bag tracking/identification. The bag would be designed as such that i t would ensure maximum protection of the clothes etc. placed in it. The bags would say, â€Å"Yes I shop at ASOS because I carry their delivery envelope shopping bag†. Once, the product has established itself in the market, the producers can even go on to offer a variety in the colours and styles being offered and can eventually go on to offer customization options as well to grab all the more market share. Pricing: The pricing strategy has been decided to be cost based pricing in which the price is set in accordance to the production costs inculcating costs of goods and fixed assets plus a specific amount of profit margin (Allen, 2012). On that note, the price of the bags has been estimated to be in the bracket of about ?2.00 or 2.50 as a certain percentage of the revenues would also be going to some welfare cause or charity and hence that would also be kept under consideration while setting the final price. Place: The bag would be produced and supplied by a supplier with th e design accustomed to ASOS brand. Special trainings would be given to the logistics team in terms of identifying the bag, instructions on usage of the bag, dealing with lost or damaged bags (small charge, goodwill replacements) and in terms of teaching customers on how, why and where to use the bags. Promotion: The

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Benefits Management Plan for the Perth Arena Project Case Study

Benefits Management Plan for the Perth Arena Project - Case Study Example Reduce congestion in the parking lots in Perth city 680 capacity underground parking bay to be provided by November 2011 Perth city tracks movement of vehicles into and out of the city and their numbers in the parking lots DHW (Department of housing and works) Failure of parties involved in the project to take responsibility. Poor cost estimation Improve the appearance of Perth Arena and create the perception that it is a cool place to visit. Minimized cost of raising a car park by having it fabricated within the Arena $2 million saved by having an underground park bay by end of 2009 $2 million budgetary reduction in Perth Arena upgrading cost DHW Poor cost planning Negligence of responsibilities and errands Save the Australian government money required in upgrading and remodeling cities. Increased revenues resulting from parking fees (600 new bays) $79200+ annual increase in parking fees by end of 2012 Assess the amount of parking profits collected in 2012 and in 2013 and calcu late the change in terms of percentage VenuesWest and DHW Poor revenue collection systems Depreciating value of the Australian dollar as a result of changes in time value of money. Improved economic sustainability of the facility

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Answer all questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer all questions - Essay Example However, things changed soon after I discovered that my friend lied to me.1 Although I clearly told him that I need a car that should cost $4000, I was very much infuriated to find out later that the deal was actually for the car to be sold to be at the price of $6000. Since he was my friend, I had complete trust on him and I signed the documents without thoroughly going through them and this was my biggest mistake. On finding out about the correct situation, I was left in the middle of nowhere and since I had signed the deal, I had to pay 2000 extra for the car. This happened few years back when I was in studying in college and it happened to be one of my biggest mistakes in life but I learnt a lot from this experience and now I make every decision very carefully. 2 Work Cited Cash, Thomas, F., & Pruzinsky, Thomas. Body Image: A Handbook of Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice. Guilford Press, 2004, pp 91. Rosengren, Karl, E. Media effects and beyond: culture, socialization and l ifestyles. Routledge Publishers, 1994, pp 181.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Compare and contrast any two theories of social disorder in Essay

Compare and contrast any two theories of social disorder in contemporary UK society - Essay Example ve been advanced by social scientists such as Buchanan and Monderman to explain social order and they include; the modernist approach and flexible approach (Taylor et al. 2009). Social disorder is the direct opposite of social order. In other words, it is, as noted earlier, a situation such as an act or a process that the society considers disruptive of its normal way of life. Social disorder is usually in contravention of the normal beliefs in a society and it usually attracts attention and calls of actions to counter it. Taylor et al. (2009) gives an example of the Dangerous Dog Act of 1991 that was passed by the United Kingdom’s parliament in reaction to several incidents of severe injuries inflicted by aggressive dogs mostly on children. The social order, which is the normal way life in the United Kingdom is that dogs live with people in that society in a friendly way without biting. But when the same dogs turn against their masters, then the normal way of life is disrupted and this is the social disorder. This prompts the government to act by passing a law that aims at preventing such future acts that amount to social disorder. From the above example, social disorder is an undesirable situation. This is a direct opposite of social order. For these reasons, the latter is acceptable by the society as compared to the former. Contemporary United Kingdom considers various behaviours as disorderly and they include drunkenness, violence, littering, sale and use of illegal drugs, use of threatening behaviour, crimes, shouting in public, hooting in a quiet residential area at night, just to mention but a few. These disorderly behaviours are indicative of social disorder and a clear indication that social disorder is not necessarily what other people do not entertain. To explain social disorder, various social scientists have come up with various theories such as moral panic, policing the crisis and media effects research approaches. The foregoing discussion

Monday, July 22, 2019

Internet Activities 9.1 and 10.2 Essay Example for Free

Internet Activities 9.1 and 10.2 Essay 1. What are the key benefits of implementing a supply chain solution such as SAP? The key benefits that any company would achieve from using systems typically like the SAP supply chain solutions include the following: †¢ A quicker response for changes occurring in the market †¢ Having higher margins than the competitors by saving on operational costs †¢ Transparency of information in the business which would lead to a smaller cash recover cycle †¢ Increased synchronization in the business and its operation. The business will be able to set it priorities in an organized fashion †¢ The ultimate result of using such systems would be an increase in the satisfaction of the customers as the system can provide for customization. †¢ The company will also be able to track and monitor the compliance of the company with the regulations in the markets it is operating in. In short the business is able to synchronize the supply of the company with the demand in the market, be more responsive to the changes in the market pertaining to price and supply/ demand fluctuations as well as have a reliable and efficient network which can monitor the supply chain 2. What are the likely challenges in implementing a supply chain solution? The biggest challenge faced by the company in implementing a supply chain solution is to integrate it with the existing business processes at the company. All business tend to be somewhat different in their operation and the business language, but when using a software solution for the supply chain, then the business processes relating to the supply chain activities have to be exactly the same as required by the software. Otherwise the business would have discrepancies existing between the supply chain activities and the supply chain reporting and records stored by the software. In this case the efficiency of the system and the process is sacrificed. Exercise 10. 2: 1. In what ways does Volkswagen’s website illustrate the characteristics of integrated marketing communications? The characteristics of an integrated marketing communication are that it is coherent, consistent, has continuity and is complementary. The website for Volkswagen shows that the different methods of communication like, getting a quote online, emailing the company, registering for a certified car, finding the nearest show room etc, all is integrated on the website and communicated to the customer. Similarly all the messages on the website about the uniqueness of the cars are not contradictory and therefore supporting consistency in communications. The WebPages are continues in their format and play on the same message again and again which is â€Å"when you are in a Volkswagen, it is in you†. The color scheming, the format of the WebPages and the messages and content displayed on the site supports each other and is complementary in nature 2. How does Volkswagen go beyond its own communications to create its unique identity? Volkswagen has been able to differentiate itself from its competitors by handing the design board over to the customer. Using the website the customers can design their own personalized VW and Beetle cars. This provides for extensive customization to the products. The company also invested in a transparent manufacturing plant in Dresden to show the customers how their automobiles are made. The company has also advanced in the RD function by inviting customers to come to the factory and design the car they want. This interactive and two way communication through the website as well as on location has enabled the country to establish its unique spirit while going beyond the scopes of an automobile manufacturer. References 1. SAP Supply Chain Benefits, available at: http://www.marketing-online.co.uk/ch8.pdf

Web Database Based Inventory System

Web Database Based Inventory System Web database based inventory system is for management of items, orders, customers and payment. This system helps in Stock management, payment, and orders. This system allows conducting payment for customers and for ordered items in the purchase order. The main objective of this project is about the design of Web-based inventory system. Bakery feyasse use traditional paper based inventory system to manage his information concerning customer, ordered item, item and payment. There are several problems with this system such as time consuming, hard labour and sometimes lost of information. The sales growth and order misplacement cause a great deal of work for Bakery Feyasse. The manual system is prone to errors resulting major complaints from customers. The volume of data and complexity of analysis to be conducted seems overwhelming using their manual system which sometimes raises suspicions of returned results which are also difficult to correct or verify. After careful investigation, discussion thorough analysis of existing method, it was agreed that a new effective system is required to solve Bakery Feyasse problems. After reviewing the possible design choices, it was decided that MySQL database and PHP script language is the best economical fit for Bakery Feyasse system in terms of cost, ease of maintenance, interface design and upgradability using Microsoft windows platform. The database would be link to the companys website via PHP script language. The online server will enable employee to enter, create, update and delete information online. 1.1. Project objectives 1. To create a system that will assist the Bakery employee at their different task 2. To explore the ideas involved in the development of a web database inventory site. This web database inventory system will include the main function as following: Select data from database Update information into the database Delete information from database And add information into database The objectives of this project are: Design a relational database Implement this database Testing the new system Evaluate the system 1.2. Personal objectives My personal objective for this project is to complete the project on time. I set up a monthly time table to carry out different task. My enthusiasm is that after completing this project. I will gain more knowledge in computer technology. To enable me to succeed this project, I used the skills I gain last year in MySQL, and SQL. I also learn how to create a dynamic web site which I did not know. I learn new script language which is PHP. 1.2. 1. Career objectives Gain my BSc Honours Degree. Gain more skills in Programming language, Computing science and Information Systems Technologies. 1.2. 2. Academic objectives 1.Learn programming language such as PHP and MySQL Learn how to use PHP script language to create a form to retrieve information from website Learn how to connect MySQL Database with dynamic Website How to use PHP code to retrieve information from MySQL database How to create HTML form How to use HTML form to retrieve information from database How to create database table using MySQL application. 1.3. Project Limitations I am entirely conscious that my assignment is to create a web database system which is not an easy task and I am also aware of the short I have got to accomplish this task. So the time is my target. I am thinking of finish on time. Time management has been considered because; I also got one exam to prepare. 1.4. Gantt chart 1.5. Literature review At the start of my project, the researches have been made to gathering information because many activities go into the development of a new system. Understanding system requirements, choosing database-tier software, designing databases, and building the tier are the first steps in successful web database application development. The following issues have been explored: Information System Analysis Database Database management systems Database Server Database tier Information Systems Analysis System Analysis System Design This phase show how the system run. Prototype This phase will enable the employee to understand the functionality of the new system. Implementation Development of the new system Testing The new system is tested in order to verify its functions Database A database is a collection of related data. The data stored is rows, which make up a simple customers, items, orders and payment details. Database Management System Database Management System enables the users to retrieve relevant information. It refers to information infrastructures that compose of relevant information. Database system creates and maintains a database and enables individual business application to extract the data in order to create report. Database server Database server is a system designed to manipulate the database. Its function is to store, retrieve, and manage information. Its plays an important role in web services and provides the n-tier connection through the Internet users via their web browser. Database tier Database tier is the base of a web database application. In a three-tier architecture application, the database tier manages the data. The data management typically includes storage and retrieval of data, as well as managing updates, access by more than one middle-tier process, providing security, ensuring the integrity of data, and providing support services such as data backup. 1.6. Technical review The web based database inventory system is creating using MySQL application and PHP script language. The interface of the system is developed with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The system is accessible anywhere that have access to Internet. 1.6.1. Wed Based Database Systems development tools Dreamweaver CS3 Dreamweaver CS3 Dreamweaver is a full-featured Web application development tool. Its features not only assist with creation and editing Web pages, but also with managing and maintaining the entire Web site. MySQL MySQL implies the Client /Server architecture, which compose of a server process and client process. A server process manages the logical database management. A sever process takes of how the data is stored and organized. The client process would be described as process that accesses the server in order to store, retrieve, update and alter the database schema. SQL SQL (Structured Query Language) SQL used to communicate with most databases. You can manage your database, retrieve data from it, or add data to it using SQL queries. You build and send an SQL query to the database. The database responds by performing the action defined by the query or, if the database is unable to perform the requested operation, its returns error message with information about the problem. Cold Fusion ColdFusion is a tagged language, developed by Macromedia, who is also the developer of Dreamweaver. A stand-alone Web server is also included as part of ColdFusion. The stand-alone server is fine development, but you should use a more powerful Web site. ASP ASP Application Server Pages (ASP) is Microsoft technology. It built into IIS (Internet Information Server).When you use ASP technology; you have your choice of languages VBScript or JScript. When you set up your Dreamweaver site, you specify which language you want to use. 1.6.2. Web Based Database development technologies PHP PHP is a Scripting Language that is interpreted on the web server before the webpage is sent to a web browser to be displayed. This can be seen in the expanded PHP recursive acronym  PHP-Hypertext  Pre-processor. 1.7. Technologies used 1.7.1. PHP and MySQL PHP and MySQL work in combination, where the database is MySQL and the script language is PHP. How PHP and MySQL work together? PHP collect information and MySQL store information. PHP will create retrieve information form for the system, but MySQL keep the information in a format PHP. 1.7.2. Why use PHP and MySQL PHP and MySQL combine together make easy the development of a dynamic Web page. HTML creates useful web pages with the addition of PHP and MySQL where you can collect information. 1. 8. Methodologies Approach 1.8.1. Prototyping Prototyping is most appropriate methodology for systems that include data querying, online data updating, and on-line data reporting functions. It is used to create appropriate data access interfaces for users and to help identify the capabilities that users wants in the system, such as the options on a menu used by the a system. 1.8.2. Rapid Application Development Its basic process is to get systems personnel and users together in formal meetings, where they rapidly develop systems that provide users with their information needs. 1.8.3. Chosen Methodology Prototyping Methodology Development choice has been influenced by several factors: 1. Clarify the user requirements 2. Familiarity with the base technology 3. System complexity 4. Need for the system reliability 5. Time pressure 6. Need to see progress on the time schedule. 7. And when timelines are short because they best enable me to adjust the functionality in the system on the basis of a specific delivery date. CHAPTER 2 ANALYSIS 2.1. Bakery Feyasse profile Bakery Feyasse is a Bakery that was created by Malan Kouao in 1988. The business started in 1988 with one Bakery and after continuous progress a second Bakery has been created in 2008. The diagram below show the Bakery Structure Production manager Sale manager Manager Chairman Department manager Department manager Department manager Fig: Bakerys Feyasse structure 2.2. Existing system (appendices) The Bakery use traditional paper based where the employee checks the availability of the items by querying the items books, and fills the book by using paper and pen. Moreover the ordering process is made by pen and hand and it is time consuming to contact the production and it causes slow moving for the customer order and there is risk of mistake caused by the employee. All employee access the same data, share the same information .The salesperson check the availability of the items by querying the production department. The production department check the availability of the items from the book register manually. After knowing the availability, he fills up the availability book manually so that the salesperson will know which item is available. The account manager checks the stock items manually in order to re order the product. The information about the item, the customers, and the suppliers is kept in a temporary contact book 2.2. Current Systems The proposed system is a web based inventory system. The staff of each department can work peacefully at their department. The system allows the staff to fill up the order payment, the order, the item order form. The objective of the new system is to create an online access database to store all data concerning the Bakery. The main activities performed by the system are. The system provides data processing and storage. The system display system functionality. The system functionality is accessible by clicking selected task. The system will allow the staff to insert information through the selected page. The system will allow the staff to cancel information. The system will allow the staff to process a payment. The system will allow the staff to update information. 2.2.1. Benefits with current system 1. To increase the good organisation in item availability, customers details, orders, ordered items and payment data inputting by using database system. 2. Salespersons will be able to view the list of items produced by the production department anytime 3. Customers details can be kept 4. Order can be kept for future monthly report. System Requirement Analysis At this stage I met the user to obtain a detailed understanding of Bakery needs. A functional specification, process model, logical model are defined. Analysis of the problem where Bakery Feyasse try to find a solution with the new system Defining the problem Identify the problem causes Specifying the solution Identifying the users requirements, And identifying new opportunity for using new technology 2.2. Users Requirements Define the objectives of the new system and develop a detailed description of the function that the new system will perform The system provides data processing and storage. The system display system functionality. The system functionality is accessible by clicking selected task. The system allows the staff to insert information through the selected page. The system allows the staff to cancel information. The system allows the staff to process a payment. The system allows the staff to update information. The manager shall be able to do the job of the salesperson 2.3. System Specification The system would enable end-users (employee) to create, update information All information about customer, item, order and payment will be stored in a database, which the web database inventory system will display through different interfaces Allows the deletion and appends information Facility to query the database Enables the manipulation of sales activities Tracking user activities using the system 2.4. Use Cases Select order/customer details Add order/customer details Delete order/customer details Update order/customer details Use cases description (appendices) CHAPTER 3DESIGN 3.1. Architectural Design Logical design Physical design 3.1.1. Entities and Attributes Bakery Feyasse will have a relational database system with the following entities and attributes. customer (cust_id, cust_name, cust_address,cust_city) order(order_id,cust_id*,item_id*, quantity,item_price, total_price) payment(order_id*,payment_id, payment_type, payment_description, amount) item(item_id ,item_name, item_price, item_description) 3.1.2. Connecting To Database In order to issue MySQL data manipulation statements, we must specify a username, a password and a database to use. This information will have been provided by your systems adminsistrator. If you are running MySQL yourself, then skip ahead to the section on  Creating a Database in Part 6   then come back to this point. Either way you should now have in your possession a database name, a valid password for that database and a password. For the purposes of these workshops the following example values will be used. Database Name vworksDB Valid MySQL Username vworks Password mypass In order to log into MySQL correctly we must pass information to the MySQL client program when we start it. This is done with the following commands and syntax. $ mysql -u -p 3.1.2. Database Design using MySQL MySQL database is made up of database which contains tables. A table is a section of the database for storing information. mysql> show columns from item; ++-++++-+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | ++-++++ | item_id | int(11) | NO | PRI | NULL | auto_increment | | item_name | varchar(50) | YES | | NULL | | | item_price | float(6,2) | YES | | NULL | | | item_description | text | YES | | NULL | | ++-++++-+ mysql> show columns from order; a refaire +-+-++++-+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | ++-++++-+ | order_id | int(11) | YES | | NULL | | | item_id | varchar(50) | YES | | NULL | | | quantity | int(11) | YES | | NULL | | | item_price | float(6,2) | YES | | NULL | | | total_price | float(6,2) | YES | | NULL | | +-+-++++- mysql> show columns from customer; ++-++++-+ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra | ++-++++-+ | cust_id | int(11) | NO | PRI | NULL | auto_increment | | cust_name | varchar(20) | YES | | NULL | | | cust_address | varchar(20) | YES | | NULL | | | cust_city | varchar(25) | YES | | NULL | | | cust_phone | varchar(25) | YES | | NULL | | ++-++++-+ mysql> show columns from payment; ++-++++ | Field | Type | Null | Key | Default | Extra ++-++++ | payment_id | int(11) | NO | PRI | NULL | auto_increment | order_id | int(11) | YES | | NULL | | order_date | date | YES | | NULL | | payment_type | varchar(10) | YES | | NULL | | payment_description | varchar(20) | YES | | NULL | | amount | float(6,2) | YES | | NULL | ++-++++ 3.4. Database Normalisation (Appendices) 1NF customer(cust_id,cust_name,cust_address,cust_city) order (order_id, cust_id*,item_id*, quantity, item_price,total_price) payment(order_id*,payment_id,payment_type,payment_description,amount) 2NF customer(cust_id,cust_name,cust_address,cust_city) order (order_id,cust_id*,quantity,total_price) payment(order_id*,payment_id,payment_type,payment_description,amount) item(item_id ,item_name, item_price,item_description) 3NF customer(cust_id,cust_name,cust_address,cust_city) ordered_item(order_id,quantity,total_price) payment(order_id*,payment_id,amount) item(item_id ,item_name, item_price, item_description) payment_type(payment_type,payment_description) 3.5. Entity Relationship There are three kinds of relationship. One-to-one relationship means that one of each thing is used in the relationship One-to-many relationship means one row in one table is linked to many row in another table. Many-to-many relationship means many rows in one table are linked to many rows in another table. 3.5. SQL QUERIES Talking to Databases Using SQL SQL is an abbreviation for Structured Query Language. It is a surprising natural language that allows us to talk to relational databases, such as MySQL, to request and modify data. It also allows us to get information about and modify the framework that contains the data, databases themselves, and tables within them. The queries formed with SQL can range from the simple to the very complex, which makes it an extremely powerful tool for working with data Inserting, Updating, Selecting and Deleting. Insert data into database table The INSERT INTO statement is used to add new record in a table. Syntax INSERT INTO table_name VALUES (value1, value2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) [reference] mysql> INSERT INTO CUSTOMERS VALUES( -> 10,Gnahore Hortense,34 webster road,Bermondsey), -> (11,Kouakou Nkruma,10 salisbury court,London); mysql> SELECT * FROM CUSTOMERS; ++++ | CustID | NAME | ADDRESS | CITY ++++ | 10 | Gnahore Hortense | 34 webster road | Bermondsey | 11 | Kouakou Nkruma | 10 salisbury court | London ++++ Select data from a database table. The SELECT statement is used to select data from a database. Syntax SELECT column_name [reference] FROM table_name mysql> SELECT * FROM CUSTOMERS; ++++ | CustID | NAME | ADDRESS | CITY ++++ | 10 | Gnahore Hortense | 34 webster road | Bermondsey | 11 | Kouakou Nkruma | 10 salisbury court | London ++++ Update data in a database existing records in a table. The UPDATE statement is used to modify data in a table. Syntax UPDATE table_name SET column1=value, column2=value2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [Reference] WHERE some_column=some_value. mysql> UPDATE CUSTOMERS -> SET ADDRESS =45 clement road -> WHERE CustID =11; Delete data in a database The DELETE FROM statement is used to delete records from a database. Syntax DELETE FROM table_name WHERE some_column= some value [reference] 3.6. Web Database Structure Home page Description of home page: 3.6.1. Menu structure BAKERY FEYASSE MAIN MENU CUSTOMER ITEM ORDER PAYMENT Page description: 3.6.1.1. Order page structure BAKERY FEYASSE ORDER SELECT ORDER ADD ORDER UPDATE ORDER DELETE ORDER Page description: 3.6.1.2. Select Order page 3.6.1.3. Add Order Page 3.6.1.4. Update Order page 3.6.1.5. Delete Order page SQL is not exclusive to MySQL, nor should it be mistaken as being a part of PHP. Its also not the only database query language out there. It is, however, the most popular. If you learn how to speak SQL, that knowledge translates to a range of other popular database products. Working with Existing Databases through PHP Whether you are using PHP and MySQL, or another combination, the same basic procedure for working with a database applies. First, a connection to the database server is established. This connection usually lasts for the lifetime of the running script. Additionally, as you will later see, there are instances where they can be contiguous across scripts. Next, a specific database is selected to work with. Only one database at a time can be selected per connection, but you can switch to different databases without terminating the connection. You can also have multiple connections established within the script, each with an independent selected database. Finally, once you have a connection established and a database selected, you can begin to work with the tables within them by using SQL to issue various commands. Data can be retrieved, added, modified, or deleted, and changes can be made to the selected database itself. When finished, the connection to the database server is terminated manually with mysql_close(), or automatically with the end of the script. Lets take a closer look at each step separately Things to Remember MySQL is a popular relational database product SQL is a language used to communiate with MySQL (and other databases). It allows information to be retrevied, modified, and deleted. It also provides a means to modify databases and tables. Databases are similiar to associative arrays. Each database can contain one or more tables. Each table is composed of records divided into fields. Working with a database through a PHP script follows this basic process: Connect to the server, select a database, perform any queries on the database, close the connection. SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE make up SQLs data manipulation commands. The data retreived from a table can be limited in different ways: Specific columns can be returned by including them within the query, the WHERE clause can be used to to include or exclude specific records, and LIMIT can cap the number of entries that are returned. Results can be sorted using the ORDER BY clause. By default, String Type fields are sorted alphabetically; Numeric Type fields are sorted from smallest to largest. When creating a new table in a database, a unique table name must be specified. In addition, a name, field type, and length are defined for each column in the table. In almost every case, a table should have an AUTO_INCREMENT Primary ID column defined. All of PHPs MySQL handling functions return FALSE if there is an error in the query or the query fails. Using mysql_error() returns the exact error reported by MySQL. Connecting to MySQL Just like a multi-user computer system or an FTP server, MySQL allows different user accounts to be established with individual levels of access. To establish a connection to MySQL, three pieces of information are required: the hostname of the database server, the username for the account, and the associated password. This information is passed to the mysql_connect() function, which attempts to establish the connection: $connect = mysql_connect(hostname,username,password); The function returns a value TRUE on success, and FALSE on failure, so it is useful (though not necessary) to assign the function to a variable. In the above example, $connect is used. It can be evaluated to avoid performing any additional queries if the connection attempt failed: if ($connect==FALSE) { print Database connection failed; exit; } It is also useful to store the results in a variable because the function returns a unique connection identifier upon success. The variable then can be passed to any of PHPs MySQL handling functions (typically as the second parameter) to specify that  this  database connection should be used, as opposed to any other active ones within the script. Selecting a Database Once a connection is set up, the next step is to select a database. To do this, all that is needed is the name of an existing database: mysql_select_db(database); As with mysql_connect(), this function returns TRUE or FALSE depending on whether the database was successfully selected. To specify which connection the function should use, we can pass a connection identifier to the function: mysql_select_db(database,$connect); Without the second parameter, the function uses the database connection that was last established within the script. Querying the Database The mysql_query() function is essentially a PHP wrapper for performing SQL commands. Any valid and complete SQL statement can be passed as a parameter to this function. Four types of queries make up SQLs data manipulation statements. They are as follows: SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE. SELECT The SELECT query is used to retrieve data from one or more tables within a database. As youll learn later, we can also select data from multiple tables using Table Joins, but the simplest type of SELECT statement works with only one table at a time. The syntax looks like this: SELECT * FROM users Essentially, this statement says, Select all the fields in all the rows of the table called users. The asterisk is a wild card character that tells MySQL that it should grab anything available in the specified tables. To request this data from a PHP script, we pass the query to the mysql_query () function. Because we are expecting records to be returned from the database, the function must be assigned to a variable. The query is a string, so PHP requires it to be surrounded by quotes. (Variables are often passed as part of queries and SQL requires that string values in WHERE clauses and INSERT statements be surrounded with single quotes. Though single quotes can be used here, it is generally preferable to use double quotes for clarity.) $result = mysql_query (SELECT * FROM users); Just like mysql_connect () and mysql_select_db (), this function will return FALSE if there is an error in the SQL. If the function is successful, however, $result will hold a resource identifier. Because the variable just holds an identifier, we cannot get any of our records by outputting $result. To get the data, we need to pass the result to another PHP function, mysql_fetch_array (). This function returns an array of each record from a SELECT query, line by line. Unless you know for a fact that your query will only return a single record, it is advisable to use a while loop to itinerate through each row of the result set. The function maintains an internal place mark of which record it is on, so the loop will terminate once all of the records have been returned. Lets return to our sample database from the start of the article and the select statement above to see how you would output the data: while ($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)) {   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   print $row[id].,.$row[name].,.$row[email].; } Notice that the array indexes of $row match the column names of the table. The array generated by mysql_fetch_array() can optionally be an associative or a numeric array. By default, records are accessible by both types of keys. So, the id column (the first column in the table) can be accessed as $row[id] or $row[0]; INSERT INSERT is used to add a new record to a table. The syntax looks like this: mysql_query(INSERT INTO users (id,name,email) VALUES(,Name, [emailprotected]'); By now, the first part of this query should look fairly familiar to you. It begins with the SQL command we are going to perform, in this case INSERT. Because we are inserting a new record, INTO is included, followed by the name of the table we are adding it to. The first set of parentheses surrounds a list of the fields within the table. These must be listed in the same order that they occur in the actual table. The second portion defines the values that are going to be added. They must match the order of the fields within the query and the table for them to be inserted in the proper location. Like the field names, SQL requires that each value be surrounded by quotes, because they are strings. If there is no value to be inserted, the position for the value must still be reserved by using empty quotes. If you are inserting values for all of the fields, the field listing may be left out: mysql_query(INSERT INTO users VALUES(,Name, [emailprotected]'); MySQL will insert the values into the columns in the order that they appear. UPDATE So far weve covered sele

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Stem Cells for Cell Replacement Therapy in Parkinsons

Stem Cells for Cell Replacement Therapy in Parkinsons Stem Cells for Cell Replacement Therapy Said AL Hakmani Introduction Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that results from damage to the neurons in the brain that produce the chemical named dopamine. The dopamine sends signals to parts of the brain that controls movement, allowing movement of smooth muscles. In Parkinson’s disease there is loss of the dopamine neurons. Symptoms of the disease include abnormal movement and tremor when a significant amount of dopamine has been lost. It is still not known exactly what causes Parkinson’s disease and the detailed pathophysiology is an area of active research (1, 13). Parkinsons disease is of progressive nature, which implies that it deteriorates with time. But this happens gradually over numerous years. On the other hand, researchers are doing a great deal of exploration to better comprehend what is occurring in the cell. Some studies show that Parkinson disease is associated with an abnormal gene in some individuals, however so far there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that it’s genetically inherited (1). Braaks hypothesis recommends that Parkinsons disease starts in the digestive tract and in the brain’s centre of smell. The hypothesis is upheld by the way that side effects connected with digestion and smell happen at an early stage of the disease. Professor Jia- Yi Lis research team has now possessed the capacity to tack this methodology further, from the gut to the brain in rat models. The experiment demonstrates how the poisonous protein alpha-synuclein is exchanged starting with one cell, then onto the next before arri ving at the brain’s movement center, leading to the characteristic movement impairment seen in Parkinsons disease. He proves that disease process really can go from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system, in this situation from the wall of the gut to the brain (3, 23). Usually people start to have symptoms of Parkinson’s disease between the ages of 50 and 60 years. But in certain cases it starts earlier. The first presenting symptom of Parkinson’s disease is tremor (shaking or trembling). It affect the hands, arms, or legs. It is one of the most common signs, but not everyone has it. Also, not everybody with a tremor has Parkinson’s disease. The tremor often starts only on one side of the body or just one arm or leg. In addition, Parkinson’s disease can cause stiff muscles all through the body, so it causes problems like inconvenience gulping or constipation. In the later phases of Parkinson’s disease a person may have fixed expression, trouble talking and other problems. Some individuals lose mental skills (1, 22). Figure 1 shows the nerve cells in the brain (1) The power of stem cell Stem cells have the potential to develop into various cell sorts in the body during life and schedule growth. In many different tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing without limit to replace other cells as long as the animal or person is alive. At the point, when a stem cell divides, every new cell has the capacity either to remain a stem cell or get to be an alternate kind of cell with a more specific function, for example, a red blood cell, a muscle cell, or a brain cell and other cells (5). The stem cells are featured from other cell types by two essential characteristics. First, they are capable of renewing themselves through cell division, frequently after long periods of inactivity. Second, under some physiologic or trail conditions, stem cell can become tissue- or organ-particular cells with special functions. In particular organs, for example, the gut and bone marrow, they consistently separation to repair and supplant exhausted or harmed tissues. Moreover, in diverse organs, for example, the heart and the pancreas, stem cell just partition under exceptional conditions (5, 20). Researchers fundamentally worked with two sorts of undeveloped cells from animals and human: embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic stem cells. Researchers in 1981 found approaches to get embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos. In 1998 the definite investigation of the science of mouse undifferentiated cells prompted the revelation of human stem cells. However, these cells are called human embryonic stem cells. The embryos utilized in these studies were the result of invitro fertilization strategies for reproductive purposes. When they were no more required for that reason, they were donated for research with the informed consent of the donor (5, 21). Scientists made an alternate achievement by distinguishing conditions that would permit some particular adult cells to be reprogrammed to accept stem cell-like state in 2006. This new sort of stem cell, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) (5). These IPS cells may be used in the future to make the patient’s own cells, a safe cell source that is free from other factor which affects the patient. Animal studies in rat and mouse have been carried out to test the possibility of replacing the lost neurons and results have shown that these cells can develop into dopamine neurons. In human studies, it is possible to measure the increase of dopamine neuron function in the striatum of the patient by using positron emission tomography (5). The Stem cells are essential for living organisms for different reasons. In the three to five days old embryos, called a blastocyst, the internal cells give rise to the entire body of the organism, including all of the many specific cell sorts and organs for example, the lungs, heart, skin and other tissues. In certain adult tissues, such as bone marrow, brain, and muscle, the adult stem cells create replacements for cells that are lost through ordinary injury, or disease. The stem cells make new potentials for treating diseases such as heart disease and Parkinson disease. However, much work remains to be carried out in the research facility to understand how to use these cell therapies to treat disease (5).Research on stem cells continues to advance about how can an organism develops from a single cell and how can healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. The stem cell research is one of the fascinating areas in contemporary biology (5).Many researchers believe that em bryonic stem cell could be an excellent source of dopamine neurons because they can grow in a culture dish and make into any type of cell after long time in culture. Now, the dopamine neurons have been generated from the Human embryonic stem cell. One research study used the special type of companion cell with specific growth factors to promote the differentiation of the embryonic stem cell through several stages into dopamine producing cell (5). Growth of the Human Embryonic Stem Cell To grow the human embryonic stem cell, the cells will grow in the culture dish and will spread and divide on the surface of the media. The culture dish contains the mouse feeder cell which provides the nutrients into the culture media to grow the cell. However, researchers now devised a method to grow the embryonic stem cells without mouse feeder cells to avoid the risk of transfer of viruses from the media to the human (5,6 ,18). The tests used to identify embryonic stem cells in the laboratory are lacking. But, the laboratories that grow the human embryonic stem cells use different types of test such as: Growing and subculture of the stem cell for many months to make sure of the health of the cell. The use of techniques to determine the presence of transcription factors that are produced by undifferentiated cells. There are two important transcription factors Nanog and Oct-4. Both factors help the genes to turn on and off to maintain stem cell undifferentiation and self-renewal (5, 24). Conversion of human ES and iPS cells One study of culture of stem cell found that the effectiveness of PSCs mouse derived DA neurons have shown efficacy in the models of Parkinson Disease. The developing midbrain is characterized by expression of the floor plate (FP) marker FOXA2 and the roof plate marker LMX1A. Canonical WNT signalling is critical for both roof plate function and midbrain DA neuron development. WNT activation incite LMX1A expression and a neurogenic change of PSCs derived midbrain FP towards DA neuron fate. Exposure to CHIR potent GSK3B inhibitor known to strong activate WNT signalling induce LMX1A in FOXA2 and FP precursors. CHIR is more potent than recombinant WNT3A or WNT at inciting LMX1A expression. The efficiency of LMX1A induction depends on the time of CHIR exposure it effect from 3-11 days. Thus, CHIR is the most critical factor for inducing coexpression of FOXA2/LMX1A. FOXA2/LMX1A coexpression require strong expression of SHH signalling using purmorphamine small molecule agonist. Treatment wi th SHH agonist and FGF8 in the absence of CHIR show significant lower expression of FOXA2 by day11 and complete absence of LMX1A expression. An expression of, NGN2, LMX1A and DDC showed establishment of midbrain neuron precursor fate already by day11. Both midbrain FP and DA neuron induction ready to reproduce in independent ES cell and human induced PSCs line. In culture TH positive cells showed coexpression with NURR1 only in FP derived DA neurons coexpressed FXOA2 and LMX1A. Few GABA and serotonin can observe. But, DA level present in culture about eight times higher in FP (9, 12, 15, 19). There are several lines of evidence to demonstrate a crucial role for SMAD signalling during neural induction. Studies in frog identified bone morphogenic protein (BMP) inhibitors, including, follistatin, chordin and noggin as the basic neural affecting factors in the Spemann organizer (10). The drug SB431542 was demonstrated to improve neural prompting in an embryoid body-based hES cell neural induction protocol. SB431542 inhibits the Lefty/Activin/TGFÃŽ ² pathways by blocking phosphorylation of the ALK5, ALK4, and ALK7 receptors. In addition, Noggin or SB431542 treatment improves the neural induction and blockade the SMAD signalling to achieve full neural conversion. The hES cells were exposed for 72 hours to the drug SB431542 or Noggin and observed the growth factor of neural induction was monitored by expression of PAX6 earliest marker of neuroectodermal differentiation. The combined treatment with both Noggin and SB431542 increased the efficiency of neural induction to more than eighty percent of total cells , compared with less than ten percent PAX6 cells when used Noggin or SB431542 alone(10, 17).However, the only PAX6a converts the human embryonic stem cell to neuroectoderm (11, 16). Figure 2: show the model of proposed mechanisms contribute the action of Noggin and SB431542 (10). From the diagram above at the higher density, essentially CNS cells that are PAX6 are formed which are equipped of giving rise to R-NS cells and example capable neuronal populations of motoneurons and dopaminergic neurons inside 19 days of differentiation. While at lower densities both CNS fates and neural crest fates are observed. The neural crest lineages include melanocytes and the neural crest precursor cells amenable to designing and subtype determination reactions (10, 18). In this figure3 shows one research on mice how the people try to make new dopamine. Isolated ventralmidbrain cells were expanded and patterned in vitro before to transfection to overexpress WNTs. The cell phenotype was examined following in the vitro differentiation or transplantation into Parkinsonian mice. Morphogens SHH and FGF8 significant increase the proportion of TH positive spheres out of total spheres compared with FGF2 treatment alone (13). Dopamine Dopamine is a chemical signal that transfers information from one neuron and the next neuron. The receptors found on the cell surface bumps the signals down to the receiving neurons. The dopamine interested in many different important pathways and it found primarily in the mesolimbic pathways which starts with cells in the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain (2).Dopamine plays a number of roles in human and other animals. It controls many functions such as movement, memory, pleasurable reward, attention, sleep, learning, mood, inhibition of prolactin production, and behaviour. The increase and deficiency of this dopamine chemical are the cause of several diseases like Parkinson’ disease. In the brain, part called the basal ganglia controls movement. Basal ganglia thus rely on upon a certain amount of dopamine to function. The action of this occurs by dopamine receptors D 1-5. The deficiency in dopamine in the brain may become delayed and uncoordinated the movement and other function of the body (3). The dopamine is an important neurotransmitter in the brain. Substantial part of the overall dopamine in the body is produced outside the brain by mesenteric organs. The production of dopamine within the central nervous system, depend on the dopamine biosynthesis. There are two steps of dopamine biosynthesis takes place in the cytosol of CAergic neurons and starts with hydroxylase of L-tyrosine at the phenol ring by tyrosine hydroxylase to produce DOPA(4, 14). Figure4 shows the neuronal dopamine metabolism(4). This figure5: show how process of the fibroblasts are taken to culture to induce neural stem cells to make dopamine neurons and transfer to the patient to functional recovery (25). Good Manufacturing Practice There are many challenges to the use of stem cells for replacement therapy. However, the good manufacturing practice (GMP) is a quality assurance system that is used to make sure the product of stem cells is good and safe to use for treatment. The GMP in human embryonic stem cell culture required several components for good clinical practice. First, the culture or the feeder media that use in the laboratory must be reached with standard of GMP. That is why so many are now trying to grow these cells in feeder free conditions. Finally, all components of the culture and cryopreservation media should be validated for use in the GMP system and be non animal derived products (7). The ethical issue surrounding the use of embryonic cell need be carefully controlled. In UK human embryonic stem cell can gathered from left over embryos produced as part of in vitro fertilisation. This can done under strict UK guidelines from Human Fertilisation Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the human tissue authority (HTA) only in the early stage embryos can be used in research up to a maximum of fourteen days of development(8). Conclusion In my conclusion, the development of the research in the recent year will found the treatment of some diseases that affect the human in the neuron system like Parkinson’s disease. In addition, the study of stem cell research may treat disease by transplanted the cell to the body of the human, but the risk factor that makes this study difficult is the potential of the stem cell growth. The study of stem cell factor may solve the problem of cell growth. Also, the feeder that use to make culture is important to grow the cell without any contamination. There are many factors that help the stem cell to grow in the culture dish. These factors make stem cell to grow fast and convert to the different type of tissue organs. Also, there are some inhibitors that inhibited the factors when stem cells are converted to the different sorts. The research on the stem cell still under the process of trail. It is successful to treat some disease, but in other disease is still trying in animal model if it’s successful may try with human, those have Parkinson’s disease.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

The Power of Models and Modeling Essay -- Science Agriculture Essays

The Power of Models and Modeling Models have evolved since the turn of the century. There are models for most any item or system that exists. Developments in mathematics have enabled the world of models to explode. Now most everything can be modeled using some sort of mathematics. Agriculture is field that must rely on predictions. The Farmers Almanac is a source of information that allows one to predict upcoming events. The data in the Almanac is used to model events, especially hydrologic events that can occur in the future. The models that are created today are complex and involve numerous computations that only a computer can do. These models are used in a wide variety of tasks. Models have long been a vision to people, now they are a reality, and have been used to create systems that produce cost-efficient and effective answers to everyday problems. RESTRICTIONS ON MODELING As with life, models come with restraints. These constraints must be weight to see the proper â€Å"give and take† ratio to ascertain a compatible model. There are numerous restraints exist among modeling. The obvious is the budget of the project. The more money available, the precision of the model increases. The use of complex mathematical relationships with multiple iterations leads to the need of vast amounts of computer time. The trade off is the computer time and cost is marginal compared the salary of an individual that is capable to do these mathematical computations. Educated personnel with extensive knowledge and understanding of the model are necessary to determine if the data created makes sense. Finally a model is of no use if there is not real world data to simulate. Simulation of this data checks the validity of th... ...Drainage and Uncontrolled Drainage. Paper No.87-2548. Presented at the ASAE Int’l Winter Meeting in Illinois, December 15-18, ASAE, ST. Joseph, MI (Parsons 1987) Kuo, Wen-Ling, Tammo S. Steenhuis, Charles E. MuCulloch, Charles L. Mohler, David A. Weinstein, Stephen D. DeGloria, and Dennis P. Swaney. 1999. Effect of Grid Size on Soil Moisture for a Variable –Source-Area Hydrology Model. Water Resources Research, Vol. 32, No11, 3419-3428. (Kuo 1999) Muà ±oz-Carpena, Rafael, John E. Parsons, J. Wendell Gilliam. 1998. Modeling Hydrology and Sediment Transport in Vegetative Filter Strips. J. of Hydrology. 214, (1999): 111-129 .(Muà ±oz-Carpena 1998) Skaggs, R. W., M. A. Breve, and J. W. Gilliam. 1995. Predicting Effects of Water Table Management of Loss of Nitrogen from Poorly Drained Soils. European Journal of Agronomy, Vol 494: 1-11. (Skaggs 1995).

Friday, July 19, 2019

Loneliness and Isolation in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay -- Frank

Throughout time man has been isolated from people and places. One prime example of isolation is Adam, "the man [formed] from the dust of the ground [by the Lord God]" (Teen Study Bible, Gen. 2.7). After committing the first sin he secludes "from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken" (Teen Study Bible, Gen. 3.23). This isolation strips Adam from his protection and wealth the garden provides and also the non-existence of sin. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, is able to relate to the story of Adam and the first sin to help her character, the Creature, associate with Adam. The Creature is able to relate because "[l]ike Adam, [he is] apparently united by no link to any other being in existence" (Shelley 124). In other ways the creator of the creature, Victor Frankenstein, also identifies with the tale of the first human, but with a different character, God. "God created man in his own image" (Teen Study Bible, Gen. 1.27) and unlike Frankens tein "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" (Teen Study Bible, Gen. 1.31). Frankenstein brought a life into the world but did not take the responsibility to lead and guide his creature to benefit himself or the created. Unlike God's creature who did in turn prosper. Instead of prosperity Frankenstein receives a life of loneliness and responsibility of many unnecessary deaths. The Creature, like his creator, lives his life in isolation from society. His only goal is to be loved and accepted by those around him. Through these circumstances the effects of isolation and loneliness are brought to life by the creature and the creator thought their pasts, social statuses, emotions, and dreams and fantasies. A pe... ...st occurrences, as Adam did. Each character leads the reader to believe he may not have reached his end if he were not in seclusion. Works Cited Abbey, Cherie D., ed. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Vol. 14. Kansas City, MO: Gale Research, 1987. Draper, James P., ed. World Literature Criticism. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. Goldberg, M.A. "Moral and Myth in Mrs. Shelley's Frankenstein." Keats-Shelley Journal 7 (1958): 27-38. Schoene-Harwood, Berthold, ed. Columbia Critical Guides: Mary Shelley Frankenstein. New York: Columbia UP, 2000. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Signet, 1994. Teen Study Bible. Jean E. Syswerda, ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993. Telgen, Diane, ed. Novels for Students. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. Wolf, Leonard. The Annotated Frankenstein. New York: Leonard Wolf, 1977.

A Streetcar Named Desire: Visual, Aural and Spatial :: English Literature

Streetcar Named Desire: Visual, Aural and Spatial The sound for ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is effective but this could be built upon to improve it and create a more intense atmosphere. The stage directions do state when sound should be used, they usually state the piece of music and the way in which it should be played, for example â€Å"Blue piano and the hot trumpet sound louder†. I think that if an amalgamation of types of music such as; instrumental music, recorded sounds and vocal pieces. This would provide a range of sounds and would be more interesting for the audience. More sound could be used to reflect the action taking place in the play, an example being when, in Scene Ten, when Blanche is trying to get hold of Shep Huntleigh and is getting more and more distressed this would be an appropriate time for some fast paced music to enhance her panic. The space on the stage could have been used a lot more effectively. The actors could use the whole of the stage, split certain parts of it up to represent different rooms and scenes, also the changing of space to create dramatic effect. A good example of a use of this changing space is in Scene Ten before Blanche gets raped by Stanley, the scene could start with the space room sized and then as he becomes more dominating over her it shrinks to show how trapped she feels. The scenery in the play needs to be relevant to the era and surroundings of New Orleans, realistic enough so that the audience know where they are and are interesting but not so much that it takes the focus of the play away from the actors, the scenery should be life like, for example the flat, if it is flat like then the audience can relate with the characters and it can make it feel more real. The era of the play is also set by the costume that the actors wear to suggest the time and conditions that the characters live in, the costumes should also dictate the class of the people in the play as there are clear divides. For example Blanche would wear long frilly summer dresses to show that she is still living in the past and wears clothes that draw attention to herself and most importantly, make her look attractive. Blanche’s make up would be highlighted to show her vanity but also to give the appearance that she is younger than she is. The scenery would show to the audience exactly what it is that she

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Literacy Narrative

Kyle Crifasi Richard English IV, 1B 31 August 2011 Literacy Narrative Typically, people think of reading when they see a novel or a short story, but I think of reading when I’m out on the baseball field. When I hear the word â€Å"reading†, unlike most people, I think of a green grassy baseball diamond at night, with the lights lighting it up, filled with fans in the stands. Believe it or not, I read all the time on the field. I read the ball coming off the bat when I’m playing in the field. When I hear the â€Å"ding† of the metal bat and hard, rubber ball colliding, I know that there is a chance I could make a great play. I can see the ball getting bigger and bigger as in approaches me. I read the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand, picking up the spin as soon as I can so I can know when and where to swing to make solid contact with the ball. I even read people’s body language when I’m pitching. I can tell a lot about the batter by how he’s standing and the facial expression on his face. Learning how to read all of these things took lots of practice and discipline. Throughout the years, all of my coaches have stressed how important it is to react to what I see through my â€Å"readings†. I learned to read these things when I was just a little four foot tall, 60-pound kid. A bit after I started to learn how to read words on paper, I was learning to read on the field, too. I find the reading that I do on the field much more fun than reading a book or story. I believe that my love for baseball grew because I felt a connection with the type of reading it involved rather than the kind of reading done with books. These readings are important to me so I can do my job and be the best player I can be on the field. When I’m at bat, I have to read the spin on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand as fast as I can so I can react with the perfect swing at the best time in the right location. If I don’t read it correctly or if a pitch fools me, I swing and miss. I’ll have to deal with striking out for the rest of the game until I get my next chance to show what I can do. When I’m in the outfield, my job is to catch anything that’s hit into my area. I have to be able to read the ball right when it makes a connection with the opposing batter’s bat. I have to know how high its going, how hard its hit, which way it’s spinning, and which way the wind will blow it. If I read one of these things wrong, it could turn out to be bad for the team and embarrassing for me if I miss it. Coach Broussard would always tell me to look into the opposing batter’s eyes when I pitch. That intimidating look that a pitcher can give will really get in the batter’s head. He will be wondering hundreds of different thoughts before I throw the ball exactly where I want it. I’m the one in control and he is just going through his mind trying to figure out, or guess, which pitch I’m about to throw him. After a couple pitches, when I have him right where I want him, I can play around with his mind even more. I can throw anything I want and I can even waste a couple bad pitches hoping he’ll swing and miss, just to make him look stupid. When I can read all of these things correctly, that’s when I can play the best and it’s because of my coaches and what they have taught me that have made me so great at â€Å"reading†. Reading is important in my life not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Without learning how to truly read and write, I would not be able to accomplish anything in life. I remember when I first learned to read. I was about three years old and my mom would read books to me and I would follow along with her. She would read the books with the gold spines and they were always books that made me happy and I was always happy to read them. I always enjoyed reading back then more than I do now. The books that I read now, I’m usually forced to read and they usually aren’t interesting to me. To me, reading means many things, not only the reading of text on a page but actions of others and myself as well. Most other people may not say that they will think of baseball games when thinking of how they read in real life, but I view the game of baseball that way and I like to share about how I can read in many different ways in life. Reading books is definitely not one of my favorite hobbies to do, but every once in a while I will find a good book that will catch my interest for the next couple of months. My learning experience from reading on the field has taught me another meaning of literacy that I would not have realized if I had not thought about what reading really meant to me. I can now understand how I use reading in all different aspects of my life better, and not just in the classroom but throughout my everyday activities, like baseball. Words: 1000 Literacy Narrative Literacy Narrative Learning to read, write, and compose is a major part of every human beings life and if your guided and/or helped to becoming a good reader, writer, or composer that is double the excellence. Learning to read, write, and compose is a privilege. Not all humans get this privilege of learning these special qualities. These qualities not only help you with other humans but with yourself in the rest of your life. These qualities or traits you obtain help you in everyday life to help you live a life at ease without the struggle of not being able to read, write, compose, and such. When I was very young, my parents would read to me every night I went to sleep. They would tell me â€Å"Austin, it’s time for bed,† and I would run to my room to my blue bookshelf that I had in the corner of my room. Now, they would be following close behind me and re-emphasize that I could only choose two books, but usually I convinced them to let me pick out three books instead. I loved having a ton of books when I was young and all of them made it to my bookshelf. My favorite books were â€Å"The Little Engine That Could† and another book that was about a bear that went outside to play and got ants in his pants. This book usually got a little giggle out of me as a child and oh how I loved my parents reading it and all the other books to me. This explains my sprint to my room every night as a youngster. Having my parents read to me at a very young age somewhat jumpstarted my brain and led me to learn lots of words and phrases as a kid. Being that they read to me every night, I always was listening and hearing words and even sometimes having an image to relate words to. I believe that the reading that was done for me every night before I went to bed was a large part of my learning to read. At this age, it was almost as if I’d rather not see the words, but just listen to them and look at all the pictures. As I grew up I started to really enjoy reading. I think that all the reading my parents did for me, encouraged me to become an avid reader then. At this age, I became the biggest fan of â€Å"The Magic Tree House† series by Mary Pope Osborne. I read these books from cover to cover and enjoyed every one of them. After finishing one of the books, I would love going and telling my parents all about the story line and what happened in it. When I would finish the last book that was published, I would pre-order the next book that was coming out and start reading it the day I got it. These books always drew my attention and most definitely sparked my likings for reading in elementary and middle school. In elementary and middle school my mom would always pick me and my little brother up. One thing I would always seem to notice is that my mom was usually on the phone so I couldn’t tell her about my day the second I got in the car, but when she eventually got off; my brother and I were full of words. We both loved talking and telling stories about our days. Whenever my dad would arrive home after work around 6 pm every night, I would notice he always got in and hit his desk with piles of papers and work to do that night. He would have some leisure time to read the paper and eat dinner but then he was paying bills and getting his deadlines met for work. My mom and dad always had these big complicated conversations in the kitchen too when I was around, usually about my dad’s work drama, with these words that I had no idea existed. As I grew up, my interest for books started to somewhat slip off the map. I didn’t always have a book that I was working on and I wasn’t ever really as excited to read like I was when I was much younger. The projects and homework started to pile up a lot more once school progressed from elementary school to middle school to high school and I feel that it almost eats away at my free time to do any casual reading anymore. When I did have a project or an interesting reading for homework though, I would enjoy doing the research and learning new things about the certain topics. When my love for books continued to fade away, I picked up a new hobby of reading magazines and the newspaper. I love reading things in the paper that I know have to do with my city and me and love reading an interesting magazine whether it’s the new edition of Sports Illustrated or the Hunting Gear Magazine full of cool articles about new weapons across the globe. I started reading the paper every morning and subscribing to interesting magazines on the internet that I just couldn’t get enough of. I believe that all my life experiences and my classes as a young child led me to being a very successful reader and writer. I feel that the reading and writing I learned and accomplished really helped me to be able to write more civilized and professional and allowed me to hold more professional conversations with my parents, friends, other adults, and so on. My early experiences with reading really led me to a more successful life in reading thanks to all the reading my parents contributed to me when I was younger. Like I said, I believe that the reading they did was the biggest help to my learning in reading and will lead me to having successful college years and having a successful career later in life. Literacy Narrative Kyle Crifasi Richard English IV, 1B 31 August 2011 Literacy Narrative Typically, people think of reading when they see a novel or a short story, but I think of reading when I’m out on the baseball field. When I hear the word â€Å"reading†, unlike most people, I think of a green grassy baseball diamond at night, with the lights lighting it up, filled with fans in the stands. Believe it or not, I read all the time on the field. I read the ball coming off the bat when I’m playing in the field. When I hear the â€Å"ding† of the metal bat and hard, rubber ball colliding, I know that there is a chance I could make a great play. I can see the ball getting bigger and bigger as in approaches me. I read the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand, picking up the spin as soon as I can so I can know when and where to swing to make solid contact with the ball. I even read people’s body language when I’m pitching. I can tell a lot about the batter by how he’s standing and the facial expression on his face. Learning how to read all of these things took lots of practice and discipline. Throughout the years, all of my coaches have stressed how important it is to react to what I see through my â€Å"readings†. I learned to read these things when I was just a little four foot tall, 60-pound kid. A bit after I started to learn how to read words on paper, I was learning to read on the field, too. I find the reading that I do on the field much more fun than reading a book or story. I believe that my love for baseball grew because I felt a connection with the type of reading it involved rather than the kind of reading done with books. These readings are important to me so I can do my job and be the best player I can be on the field. When I’m at bat, I have to read the spin on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand as fast as I can so I can react with the perfect swing at the best time in the right location. If I don’t read it correctly or if a pitch fools me, I swing and miss. I’ll have to deal with striking out for the rest of the game until I get my next chance to show what I can do. When I’m in the outfield, my job is to catch anything that’s hit into my area. I have to be able to read the ball right when it makes a connection with the opposing batter’s bat. I have to know how high its going, how hard its hit, which way it’s spinning, and which way the wind will blow it. If I read one of these things wrong, it could turn out to be bad for the team and embarrassing for me if I miss it. Coach Broussard would always tell me to look into the opposing batter’s eyes when I pitch. That intimidating look that a pitcher can give will really get in the batter’s head. He will be wondering hundreds of different thoughts before I throw the ball exactly where I want it. I’m the one in control and he is just going through his mind trying to figure out, or guess, which pitch I’m about to throw him. After a couple pitches, when I have him right where I want him, I can play around with his mind even more. I can throw anything I want and I can even waste a couple bad pitches hoping he’ll swing and miss, just to make him look stupid. When I can read all of these things correctly, that’s when I can play the best and it’s because of my coaches and what they have taught me that have made me so great at â€Å"reading†. Reading is important in my life not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Without learning how to truly read and write, I would not be able to accomplish anything in life. I remember when I first learned to read. I was about three years old and my mom would read books to me and I would follow along with her. She would read the books with the gold spines and they were always books that made me happy and I was always happy to read them. I always enjoyed reading back then more than I do now. The books that I read now, I’m usually forced to read and they usually aren’t interesting to me. To me, reading means many things, not only the reading of text on a page but actions of others and myself as well. Most other people may not say that they will think of baseball games when thinking of how they read in real life, but I view the game of baseball that way and I like to share about how I can read in many different ways in life. Reading books is definitely not one of my favorite hobbies to do, but every once in a while I will find a good book that will catch my interest for the next couple of months. My learning experience from reading on the field has taught me another meaning of literacy that I would not have realized if I had not thought about what reading really meant to me. I can now understand how I use reading in all different aspects of my life better, and not just in the classroom but throughout my everyday activities, like baseball. Words: 1000 Literacy Narrative Literacy Narrative Learning to read, write, and compose is a major part of every human beings life and if your guided and/or helped to becoming a good reader, writer, or composer that is double the excellence. Learning to read, write, and compose is a privilege. Not all humans get this privilege of learning these special qualities. These qualities not only help you with other humans but with yourself in the rest of your life. These qualities or traits you obtain help you in everyday life to help you live a life at ease without the struggle of not being able to read, write, compose, and such. When I was very young, my parents would read to me every night I went to sleep. They would tell me â€Å"Austin, it’s time for bed,† and I would run to my room to my blue bookshelf that I had in the corner of my room. Now, they would be following close behind me and re-emphasize that I could only choose two books, but usually I convinced them to let me pick out three books instead. I loved having a ton of books when I was young and all of them made it to my bookshelf. My favorite books were â€Å"The Little Engine That Could† and another book that was about a bear that went outside to play and got ants in his pants. This book usually got a little giggle out of me as a child and oh how I loved my parents reading it and all the other books to me. This explains my sprint to my room every night as a youngster. Having my parents read to me at a very young age somewhat jumpstarted my brain and led me to learn lots of words and phrases as a kid. Being that they read to me every night, I always was listening and hearing words and even sometimes having an image to relate words to. I believe that the reading that was done for me every night before I went to bed was a large part of my learning to read. At this age, it was almost as if I’d rather not see the words, but just listen to them and look at all the pictures. As I grew up I started to really enjoy reading. I think that all the reading my parents did for me, encouraged me to become an avid reader then. At this age, I became the biggest fan of â€Å"The Magic Tree House† series by Mary Pope Osborne. I read these books from cover to cover and enjoyed every one of them. After finishing one of the books, I would love going and telling my parents all about the story line and what happened in it. When I would finish the last book that was published, I would pre-order the next book that was coming out and start reading it the day I got it. These books always drew my attention and most definitely sparked my likings for reading in elementary and middle school. In elementary and middle school my mom would always pick me and my little brother up. One thing I would always seem to notice is that my mom was usually on the phone so I couldn’t tell her about my day the second I got in the car, but when she eventually got off; my brother and I were full of words. We both loved talking and telling stories about our days. Whenever my dad would arrive home after work around 6 pm every night, I would notice he always got in and hit his desk with piles of papers and work to do that night. He would have some leisure time to read the paper and eat dinner but then he was paying bills and getting his deadlines met for work. My mom and dad always had these big complicated conversations in the kitchen too when I was around, usually about my dad’s work drama, with these words that I had no idea existed. As I grew up, my interest for books started to somewhat slip off the map. I didn’t always have a book that I was working on and I wasn’t ever really as excited to read like I was when I was much younger. The projects and homework started to pile up a lot more once school progressed from elementary school to middle school to high school and I feel that it almost eats away at my free time to do any casual reading anymore. When I did have a project or an interesting reading for homework though, I would enjoy doing the research and learning new things about the certain topics. When my love for books continued to fade away, I picked up a new hobby of reading magazines and the newspaper. I love reading things in the paper that I know have to do with my city and me and love reading an interesting magazine whether it’s the new edition of Sports Illustrated or the Hunting Gear Magazine full of cool articles about new weapons across the globe. I started reading the paper every morning and subscribing to interesting magazines on the internet that I just couldn’t get enough of. I believe that all my life experiences and my classes as a young child led me to being a very successful reader and writer. I feel that the reading and writing I learned and accomplished really helped me to be able to write more civilized and professional and allowed me to hold more professional conversations with my parents, friends, other adults, and so on. My early experiences with reading really led me to a more successful life in reading thanks to all the reading my parents contributed to me when I was younger. Like I said, I believe that the reading they did was the biggest help to my learning in reading and will lead me to having successful college years and having a successful career later in life. Literacy Narrative Kyle Crifasi Richard English IV, 1B 31 August 2011 Literacy Narrative Typically, people think of reading when they see a novel or a short story, but I think of reading when I’m out on the baseball field. When I hear the word â€Å"reading†, unlike most people, I think of a green grassy baseball diamond at night, with the lights lighting it up, filled with fans in the stands. Believe it or not, I read all the time on the field. I read the ball coming off the bat when I’m playing in the field. When I hear the â€Å"ding† of the metal bat and hard, rubber ball colliding, I know that there is a chance I could make a great play. I can see the ball getting bigger and bigger as in approaches me. I read the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand, picking up the spin as soon as I can so I can know when and where to swing to make solid contact with the ball. I even read people’s body language when I’m pitching. I can tell a lot about the batter by how he’s standing and the facial expression on his face. Learning how to read all of these things took lots of practice and discipline. Throughout the years, all of my coaches have stressed how important it is to react to what I see through my â€Å"readings†. I learned to read these things when I was just a little four foot tall, 60-pound kid. A bit after I started to learn how to read words on paper, I was learning to read on the field, too. I find the reading that I do on the field much more fun than reading a book or story. I believe that my love for baseball grew because I felt a connection with the type of reading it involved rather than the kind of reading done with books. These readings are important to me so I can do my job and be the best player I can be on the field. When I’m at bat, I have to read the spin on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher’s hand as fast as I can so I can react with the perfect swing at the best time in the right location. If I don’t read it correctly or if a pitch fools me, I swing and miss. I’ll have to deal with striking out for the rest of the game until I get my next chance to show what I can do. When I’m in the outfield, my job is to catch anything that’s hit into my area. I have to be able to read the ball right when it makes a connection with the opposing batter’s bat. I have to know how high its going, how hard its hit, which way it’s spinning, and which way the wind will blow it. If I read one of these things wrong, it could turn out to be bad for the team and embarrassing for me if I miss it. Coach Broussard would always tell me to look into the opposing batter’s eyes when I pitch. That intimidating look that a pitcher can give will really get in the batter’s head. He will be wondering hundreds of different thoughts before I throw the ball exactly where I want it. I’m the one in control and he is just going through his mind trying to figure out, or guess, which pitch I’m about to throw him. After a couple pitches, when I have him right where I want him, I can play around with his mind even more. I can throw anything I want and I can even waste a couple bad pitches hoping he’ll swing and miss, just to make him look stupid. When I can read all of these things correctly, that’s when I can play the best and it’s because of my coaches and what they have taught me that have made me so great at â€Å"reading†. Reading is important in my life not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Without learning how to truly read and write, I would not be able to accomplish anything in life. I remember when I first learned to read. I was about three years old and my mom would read books to me and I would follow along with her. She would read the books with the gold spines and they were always books that made me happy and I was always happy to read them. I always enjoyed reading back then more than I do now. The books that I read now, I’m usually forced to read and they usually aren’t interesting to me. To me, reading means many things, not only the reading of text on a page but actions of others and myself as well. Most other people may not say that they will think of baseball games when thinking of how they read in real life, but I view the game of baseball that way and I like to share about how I can read in many different ways in life. Reading books is definitely not one of my favorite hobbies to do, but every once in a while I will find a good book that will catch my interest for the next couple of months. My learning experience from reading on the field has taught me another meaning of literacy that I would not have realized if I had not thought about what reading really meant to me. I can now understand how I use reading in all different aspects of my life better, and not just in the classroom but throughout my everyday activities, like baseball. Words: 1000