Swot for Topman - 1287 Words

5.0 SWOT Analysis Strengths: Topman already has more than 309 fashion stores nationwide with another 50 stores outside the United Kingdom division. Topman boasts the worlds largest fashion store in London with over 200,000 shoppers per week, Topman gets twice deliveries per day and 7,000 looks per season. In the year 2006, Topman’s operating profit hits 110 million with its annual sales of 600 million now. It brings a strong brand image of Topman based on the successful achievement to consumer’s mindset. Strong brand image builds confidence and reliability towards Topman’s product. In a nutshell, expending Topman’s market in Vietnam has a strong potential to gain sustainable profit. Topman has their very own Internet website where†¦show more content†¦Therefore, it is detached from the Vietnamese market. Opportunities: Topman will be opening their first stores in America (New York) in 2008 also a store in China the same year and are currently looking for shop space in Paris. These were actually a starter and its greatly hoping to expand in these countries. Topman’s unique style and flair is reminiscent of their European roots, and offer Vietnamese the opportunity to explore new fashion options which taps into the new Anglophilia fashion craze. Topman could grab the attention of Vietnamese as its clothing line is embedded with strong European fashion feel. Topman is welcome innovations and creativity with open arms. The interest and the support of up coming fashion graduates and discovering the next big thing in talent at the same time as keeps their collections fresh. Their strong design teams creates new looks that are not just catwalk lead. Expanding stand alone shoe stores throughout the country their only competitors would be faith and office who sell to a similar customer Topman can also offer their premium range. Expanding their children’s wear, many fashion conscious mothers shop at Topman. They would buy on trend clothing at reasonable prices for their children; this could work and be successful, and would prove a threat to competition including the Baleno and MNG. Topman would be the first to enter the Vietnam market. This could bring a lot ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Topman SWOT Analysis1275 Words   |  6 PagesTopman SWOT Analysis Strengths: Topman already has more than 309 fashion stores nationwide with another 50 stores outside the United Kingdom division. Topman boasts the worlds largest fashion store in London with over 200,000 shoppers per week, Topman gets twice deliveries per day and 7,000 looks per season. In the year 2006, Topman’s operating profit hits 110 million with its annual sales of 600 million now. It brings a strong brand image of Topman based on the successful achievement to consumer’sRead MoreFashion Marketing1282 Words   |  6 Pagestshirts, wool jumpers, plain black work trousers and shirts etc. (http://www.ciao.co.uk/Topshop) Its primary sales come from a range of products including clothing and fashion accessories, and is mainly known for its women s clothing, with Topman having been created in the late 1970s to cater for male customers. The business has also expanded into the online fashion retail arena. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Topshop) Type of market they opperate in is defined as the Fashion market. Topshops typicalRead MoreTopshop Marketing Plan5356 Words   |  22 Pagesshaped by the UK’s market trends. The UK’s consumers are driven by the economical and political unstable environment and the digital evolution. The internal analysis indicated that the company is preforming well compared with its competitors. The SWOT analysis presented that TOPSHOP has important strengths and opportunities which could overwhelm the threats and weaknesses. The Porter’s Five forces analysis indicated that the power of buyers and the competitive rivalry are high whereas the threatRead MoreTopshop in Mexico5565 Words   |  23 Pageseducation * Government policies support FDI * There is a competitive retail environment in Mexico * Mexico’s infrastructure is poor but improving and is high on the political agenda * Topshop has recently sold 25% stake of the Topshop and Topman chain, making them debt free and open to investing in global expansion * There is a growing middle class * The target demographic is middle class females between the ages of 15-34 * A joint-venture with a department store is recommendedRead Moretopshop marketing plan1483 Words   |  6 Pageslike to achieve An outline of the main products and services sold A financial analysis of your business including sales and profitability A S.W.O.T. analysis of your business to set a line in the sand]   SWOT analysis The strength of the Topshop Corporation is that the owner of Topshop is the Arcadia Group, which can provide favorable management and strong financial support for its subsidiary company. Moreover, the Topshop brand has take a large marketRead MoreThe Analysis of Zara4664 Words   |  19 Pageswithin the marketing environment of ZARA. 1 1.1 Introduction of marketing environment 2 1.2 Macroenvironment-----PESTLE analysis of ZARA 2 1.3 Microenvironment analysis of ZARA 4 1.4 Poter’s three generic strategies on ZARA 4 1.5 SWOT analysis of ZARA 5 2 The importance of market research,marketing mix and service innovation for Zara 6 2.1 The importance of market research for ZARA 6 2.2 The importance of Marketing mix for ZARA 9 2.3 The importance of ZARA’S ServiceRead MorePrimark Strategic Marketing Audit5274 Words   |  22 PagesStrategy Appendix 12. Distribution strategy 24. Brand Identity Prism 14. The Competition 15. Brand Positioning Map 16-17. HM 18-19. Financial Analysis 25. Rogers Theory of Innovation 26. Consumer Segmentation Table 27. Ansoff’s Matrix Theory 28. HM SWOT Analysis 29. Like for Like Comparison 20-21. External Analysis 30. PESTLE Analysis 22-23. Objectives 31-32. Bibliography This marketing audit will critically analyse the current marketing situation for the leading high street brand Primark, withRead Moreâ€Å"an Analysis of Marks and Spencer’s Current Strategic Position, and How Marks and Spencer’s Will Develop These Strategies in the Future.†3095 Words   |  13 PagesExecutive director for marketing Steve Sharp stated that although past advertising campaign were very successful in getting the message across, it was important for Marks and Spencer to keep looking forward and to move on. (CorporateMamp;S, 2010) Swot Analysis Strengths: * Excellent and quality products * Mamp;S high street giant, Stores all over UK high streets * Financial strength, large slice of market share in many retail sectors, leader in others * Long term relationshipRead MoreZara Mkg Plan5206 Words   |  21 PagesÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….......3 2.1 Market Summary Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…3 2.1.1 Market Demographics Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….4 2.1.2 Market Trends Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….5 2.1.3 Market Needs Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…......6 2.1.4 Market Growth Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…7 2.2 SWOT Analysis Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..8 2.2.1 Strengths Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….8 2.2.2 Weaknesses Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….9 2.2.3 Opportunities Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….10 2.2.4 Threats Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…...10 2.3 Competition Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Read MoreZaras Marketing Strategy4316 Words   |  17 Pagestough market conditions have favoured speciality chains such as Zara, which can respond to consumers more quickly and at lower cost. (excerpt from Fà ¡shion attack by Euro-retailers on our ˆ3.3 billion market in Sunday Business Post, 16 November 2003). SWOT Analysis Zaras strengths are its resources and capabilities that can be used as a source for developing a competitive advantage. The absence of certain strengths may be viewed as weaknesses. Although Zara has a successful business model that differs

Wiley GAAP Policies and Procedures Example

Essays on Wiley GAAP Policies and Procedures Assignment ï » ¿ Wiley GAAP Policies and Procedures 1) Blockbuster uses a 40 years amortization timetable. This is not appropriate, as the current practice is to relate the amortization period to the nature of the business acquired. In this case, it falls under hi-tech acquisition whose amortization timetable should be 5-7 years. 2) 2 Intangible assets in 1988 $24,754,000.00 Less Intangible assets in 1987 $12,149,000.00 Intangible assets acquired in 1988 $12,605,000.00 Amortization of Intangible Assets Accumulated amortization in 1988 $769,000.00 Accumulated amortization in 1987 $196,000.00 Amortization for 1988 $573,000.00 Intangible assets acquired in 1988 $315,125.00 Amortization on earlier Assets $257,875.00 value of intangible assets $10,315,000.00 5 year amortization on: Earlier Intangible Assets $2,063,000.00 Intangible assets acquired in 1988 $2,521,000.00 Total Amortization $4,584,000.00 Earnings per Share Net Income $15,498,000.00 Less Amortization expense $4,584,000.00 $10,914,000.00 EPS $.40 Contribution to EPS $.16 If the 5-year amortization were to be applied to goodwill instead of the 40-year timetable, the company would have to recognize the goodwill in larger amounts. That would mean net income would decrease hence Earnings per share would also fall. It would also decrease their tax liability as the business would deduct the amortization expenses from the net income. 3) 3 Net Income $15,498,000.00 Less Video Superstore Purchases $4,145,200.00 Adjusted net income $11,352,800.00 EPS $.42 Contribution to EPS $.14 Video Superstore purchases contributed $.14 towards the Earnings per share. If these purchases were to be omitted from the 1988 revenues, Earnings per Share would fall by $.14 to $.42. 4) BV depreciates its â€Å"base stock† over a period of 36 months, on a straight-line. It makes no provision for salvage value of the â€Å"base stock†. 5) 5 Hit Tapes $7,835,750.00 Depreciation $3,134,300.00 Contribution to EPS 0.10 Earnings per share is given by (Net Income-Preferred Dividend) / Average Outstanding Common Stock. Therefore, if the depreciation method were to change to accelerated from straight-line, the business will record a higher value of depreciation expense. The business will have to recognize this higher value up front. Net Income will therefore decrease due to this depreciation expense. The fall in Net Income will lead to a fall in the Earnings per Share. The contribution to Earnings per Share by the depreciation is $.10 hence the accelerated depreciation will cause a $.10 drop in Earnings per share. 6) 6 Sales to Franchisees $28,187,360.00 Cost of sales to Franchisees $21,313,240.00 Net Income From Sales to Franchisees $6,874,120.00 Contribution of EPS by Sales to Franchisees 0.25 Sales to Franchisees accounted for 68% of total sales. That amounted to $28,187,360, which translate to a net income of $6, 74,120. The total contribution of these sales towards Earnings per Share is $.25 to the Earnings per Share. Therefore, the sales to Franchisees raised Earnings per Share by $0.25. 7) 7 Area Development Fees $552,000.00 Initial Franchise Fees $2,415,000.00 Income from Franchisees $2,967,000.00 Net Income $15,498,000.00 Less Income from Franchisees $2,967,000.00 Adjusted income $12,531,000.00 EPS 0.467 Contribution to EPS $0.10 Area Development fees and initial franchise fees are a source of revenue for the business. They therefore increase the Net Income for the business. The net contribution of these fees to Earnings per Share is $.10. Therefore, Earnings per Share will rise by $.10 due to area development fees and initial franchise fees. 8) 8 EPS as per the Statements $.58 Less contribution by Amortization $.16 Less share of contribution to EPS by Video Superstore Purchases $.14 $.28 Less contribution by Accelerated Depreciation $.10 $.18 Less Contribution by Income from Franchisees $.10 EPS $.08 Add back contribution by sales to Franchisees $.25 EPS $.33 After making all the adjustments, BV’s Earnings per share is $.33. That is after subtracting the Earnings per Share contribution by amortization of goodwill, Video Superstore purchases, accelerated depreciation and Income from Franchisees and then adding back contribution by sales to Franchisees. 9) 9 Adjusted EPS $.33 Add back contribution by Video Superstore Purchases $.14 New EPS $.47 Ignoring adjustments for Question number 3, the earnings per share after all the adjustments would be $.47. that is arrived at by adding back the Video superstore purchases to the adjusted Earnings per Share. 10) What would BV's Price/Earnings ratio be, given all of the above adjustments (including #3)? 10 Market Price per Share $33.50 Earnings per Share $.47 Price/Earnings Ratio 100.96 Price/Earnings ratio is given by: Market price per share / Earnings per Share Therefore, with the adjustments, the Price/Earnings ratio is 100.96. That likely indicates higher growth in the future. It would therefore be a strong indicator to investors. The high P/E ratio will therefore attract investors. References Bragg, S. M. (2008). Wiley GAAP Policies and Procedures. New York: John Wiley Sons

Marketing Strategy and Plan for Trapt Bar- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theMarketing Strategy and Plan for Trapt Bar. Answer: Introduction The report on Trapt Bar and Escape Room would be mainly a reflective of mine as a part of my marketing portfolio. In the report I had to analyse the trend followed by Trapt Bar and Escape Room. In the analysis I covered how it would fit into the trend I identified (worlds apart trend) as appropriate and segmented the market so that the organization can use that trend. I have also formed a positioning statement, along with proposing and justifying three marketing strategies while considering marketing Ps and Porters Typology of generic strategies. In the rest of the write up I would be reflecting on the marketing lessons I learnt throughout this experience. The games at the bar are enjoyable and especially suitable for people like me who love to face challenges and participate in active games. Trapt Bar is breaking all the norms and rule of indoor lifestyles culture with the help of the latest technologies. Most of the people in the world today look for living quiet, sedentary life indoors and Trapt is aiming to break this chain and make people experience the world head on and not from the boundaries of a screen (TRAPT Melbourne 2017). I believed that the worlds apart trend approach would be the most suitable for this kind of experience because of the upcoming change that the society would be facing. Current situational crises requires individuals to be assertive and adaptive (London 2014). Resettlement in the third world countries is an opportunity for families to start over again. This newly formed families are a good target audience for such games as I believe they are the ones who require escaping from the harsh realities of the world from time to time for gaining courage and adapting to changes in the environment. From my experience and knowledge of such games, I have understood that these games ask for cooperation and teamwork to solve the puzzles. The games make the players feel competitive and eager to give results. These games also facilitate effective decision making skills, which can be very useful in the fast corporate world (Lohr 2012). In this way, the games are a good source of learning too, along with being a way of unwinding from stress after work. I am positive that in future if I become decision maker of any kind I would definitely keep on coming back to the Bar to toughen my mid for tough decisions to take. As I mentioned earlier, it facilitates team bonding, acceptance of other peoples opinions, keeping patience and being focused and engaged. All these improves confidence in the players, as it has done with me (Kapp 2012). This trend approach is becoming more successful in attracting a varied range of customers due to the potential of catering to the changing scope of life issues. Customers get the chance to both hone their skills and have fun, and bonding and facing challenges together. All these would help Trapt expand their services market reach. References Kapp, K.M., 2012.The gamification of learning and instruction: game-based methods and strategies for training and education. John Wiley Sons. Lohr, S., 2012. The age of big data.New York Times,11(2012). London, M., 2014.Career barriers: How people experience, overcome, and avoid failure. Psychology Press. TRAPT Melbourne. 2017. TRAPT Bar Escape Rooms in Melbourne's CBD. [online] Available at: https://www.traptmelbourne.com.au/ [Accessed 27 May 2017].

Wordl war an Example of the Topic History Essays by

Wordl war ABSTRACT As a result of Second World War in 1943, that leads to the crashing of the Navy TBD-1 Devastator in the Florida coast. After which Mr. Chaplin salvaged the devastator and the controversial issue surrounding the retaining of the devastator to the US Navy. This essay tries to unveil the legal approach in the attempt to justify the duo action of the either part to the argument. the essay looks at the definitions of the confusing terms and tries to rate between n lost, misplaced and abandoned property which applies to the case and why. Then it gives an evaluation of interlink of the government and private property issues weighing the possible common good for the citizen. While yielding the ethical and legal recommendations about the issue of devastator TBD-1 between Mr. Chaplin and the US Navy. As we pose a challenge to the federal government as to why see the need to retrieve the devastator now? And why did Mr. Chaplin was allowed to salvage the devastator? The source of authority and d ocumentation? In regard to federal government which is the unity of several partly governing states that have a central government system. This includes governments like Belgium, Canada, Australia, Brazil and the US. Under federal system of government property legally is considered an aggregate of rights which are guaranteed and protected by the government. The term property right also incorporates rights of use and enjoyment for lawful purposes (Jan, 1998 p. 231). Pertaining the issue summing the devastator that crashed in 1943, eight miles of the coast of Florida, in order to establish between the federal US government and Mr. Chaplin who the plane, its point of worth looking at fundamental issues about the plane. These issues include as to whether the plane was lost, misplaced or abandoned. The lost property is a property that has been left somewhere by the owner negligently or carelessly. While the misplaced property is a property that the owner has intentionally put that property in a place but unintentionally leaves it there. This is not clear whether the owner is conscious or unconscious in the circumstances surrounding the misplacement of the property. Lastly, the abandoned property is that property which is left somewhere by the owner intentionally and he has no intention of retrieving that property. From the above insight into the plane matter. (William, 1987, p.825)Its clear that it was abandoned by the virtue that it was a federal property in the first fact, and then secondly the federal government thought defense of Navy made no efforts to locate the plane since the time it crashed until Mr. Chaplin recovered it. Therefore it meant that the Navy officials and only after Mr. Chaplin retrieved it they saw the significant value of the devastator. This may also me an lack of the concern with government property. Need essay sample on "Wordl war" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed History of property ownership laws Law relating to property historically as it continues to be modified from natural law to community where the current law draws the distinction; private and government property. But however this law system in civil society is greatly influenced by the lawyers in their interpretations when arguing the case out because of the technical jargon involved. But have specification for authority in the federal property. (William, 1987, p.895). For instance the license in respect of federal real property shall be signed by the minister having the administrator of the property (section 6 to 15 of the act). There it brings the question as to whether man exists for the sake of government or government for man. In view with historical ownership of property the essence was that the property was lawful power, which a person has to a thing. The right of a person to property can be seen as possession part, possession and use and lastly in the dispose. In the case devastator initially was possessed by Navy in the government and then abandoned. When Mr. Chaplin retains it he posses it and uses although he doesnt meet the legal notion of the Navy TBD-I Devastator as his property, because at first he was not authorized by the minister of defense and therefore lack the legal obligation to own the plane. But on the other hand then it after chaplain has located it using his own resources (Jan, 1998 p. 131). Pay the fact that property righ t is the possessing and use which Chaplin used and though abandoning the grant had the right for disposition. However, the grant has the advantage of due to legal support it has over Mr. Chaplin who took the possession of the plane through the laws of jungle. Because of the sovereignty reasons of the government it therefore calls for government to remain protected and privacy over its property cannot be same and in fact the government should always give the description and guidelines on the private property ownership. This is because the government objective will be well defined like keeping the devastator in the National Museum Moral Aviation. That will be in the defense purposes for entire federal state. Unlike Mr. Chaplin who can decide any day at any time to change it use and has no scrutiny measures to his decision. Recovery of federal property by the private organization should be regulated depending on the sensitivity of the goods and their technological appeal. Therefore the government property laws should not be same as those stipulating private ownership. Because the the government always aims at safeguarding the common good. Mr. Chaplin recovery bid is limited since he can not consult the Navy because he had no legal authority to do so. Legally he did not own the plane, but however it needs to be seen that those firms that have contract with the government need to be protected so as not to undergo injustices arising from unconsitutionalized policies (William, 1987, p.892) The US law can be applied in the sense that it states that the buyer is not authorized to export, re-export, or transfer goods or trade them without authority from minister concerned with the department under which the good falls. This gives the bench mark by the fact that devastator was a government technology and was meant to be protected by the government. In this regard the government was secure when the devastator was below the ocean than in the hands of a private owner in this case Mr. Chaplin. Because an individual will not take into account the value, consequences and impact of such technology so therefore cannot be entrusted with it. Ethically, Mr. Chaplin is entitled to reimbursement, because should the US Navy had done the salvage of the devastator should they have not spent? So therefore Mr. Chaplin deserve to be given the value of the resources used in the operation to retrieve the devastator in the view that the plane belonged to the government which is true, while the money used to salvage it was Mr. Chaplins. Definitely the Navy should have devastator back because of protection of their technology, archeological and historical reason to protect sovereignty and privacy of the government. The big question is if proper documentation was used before the start of salvage of the Devastator, and who authorized with what capacity. In conclusion, then federal government has different property laws from the unit government systems. In the main issue surrounding the claim of legal authority to own the devastator, there is no clear legal policy structure in determining the legal issue surrounding property ownership in relation to government and private or organizational ownership. This also results into no clear legal course to be used for the private company or organizations or individuals in claiming the ownership of government property. Because there is lack of legal policy structure to prosecute and sue the government (William, 1987, p.491) However, the constitution amendment in 2006 on disaster recovery personal protection act, tries to give light in regard to property acquisition and ownership as it gives private organizations best protection against losses that they may incur during business transactions in emergency times against the over protection of the government by constitution during such times especially in trade of fire arms. However his are some of the sensitive dealing that needs extra precaution when giving out such ago a head order from the government to the private businessmen and organizations (Jan, 1998 p. 284). The other big issue is to clarify the degree of possession of ones property between the federal government property possessed by private entity and the private property possessed by the government. Reference: Frank .I, (1970). Comments and cases; New York, West pub .co. John wingine, (1919). Source book of law and legislation of military in times of war; New York, West pub. Co. Alice m. Rivrin, (1992). Reviving the American dream; Eelarvapolitica. Brookings inst. Press. William Greider, (1987). How the reserve runs the country; New York, federal reserve banks. Jan Liatos, (1998). Laws of protection of property rights; Michigan, aspen publishers William, 1987, p.895)

Atomic Bombs and How They Work

Atomic Bombs and How They Work There are two types of atomic explosions that can be facilitated by Uranium-235: fission and fusion. Fission, simply put, is a nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits into fragments (usually two fragments of comparable mass) all the while emitting 100 million to several hundred million volts of energy. This energy is expelled explosively and violently in the atomic bomb. A fusion reaction, on the other hand, is usually started with a fission reaction. But unlike the fission (atomic) bomb, the fusion (hydrogen) bomb derives its power from the fusing of nuclei of various hydrogen isotopes into helium nuclei. Atomic Bombs This article discusses the A-bomb or atomic bomb. The massive power behind the reaction in an atomic bomb arises from the forces that hold the atom together. These forces are akin to, but not quite the same as, magnetism. About Atoms Atoms are comprised of various numbers and combinations of the three sub-atomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons cluster together to form the nucleus (central mass) of the atom while the electrons orbit the nucleus, much like planets around a sun. It is the balance and arrangement of these particles that determine the stability of the atom. Splitability Most elements have very stable atoms which are impossible to split except by bombardment in particle accelerators. For all practical purposes, the only natural element whose atoms can be split easily is uranium, a heavy metal with the largest atom of all natural elements and an unusually high neutron-to-proton ratio. This higher ratio does not enhance its splitability, but it does have an important bearing on its ability to facilitate an explosion, making uranium-235 an exceptional candidate for nuclear fission. Uranium Isotopes There are two naturally-occurring isotopes of uranium. Natural uranium consists mostly of isotope U-238, with 92 protons and 146 neutrons (92146238) contained in each atom. Mixed with this is a 0.6% accumulation of U-235, with only 143 neutrons per atom. The atoms of this lighter isotope can be split, thus it is fissionable and useful in making atomic bombs. Neutron-heavy U-238 has a role to play in the atomic bomb as well since its neutron-heavy atoms can deflect stray neutrons, preventing an accidental chain reaction in a uranium bomb and keeping neutrons contained in a plutonium bomb. U-238 can also be saturated to produce plutonium (Pu-239), a man-made radioactive element also used in atomic bombs. Both isotopes of uranium are naturally radioactive; their bulky atoms disintegrating over time. Given enough time (hundreds of thousands of years), uranium will eventually lose so many particles that it will turn into lead. This process of decay can be greatly accelerated in what is known as a chain reaction. Instead of disintegrating naturally and slowly, the atoms are forcibly split by bombardment with neutrons. Chain Reactions A blow from a single neutron is enough to split the less-stable U-235 atom, creating atoms of smaller elements (often barium and krypton) and releasing heat and gamma radiation (the most powerful and lethal form of radioactivity). This chain reaction occurs when spare neutrons from this atom fly out with sufficient force to split other U-235 atoms that they come in contact with. In theory, it is necessary to split only one U-235 atom, which will release neutrons that will split other atoms, which will release neutrons ... and so on. This progression is not arithmetic; it is geometric and takes place within a millionth of a second. The minimum amount to start a chain reaction as described above is known as supercritical mass. For pure U-235, it is 110 pounds (50 kilograms). No uranium is ever quite pure, however, so in reality more will be needed, such as U-235, U-238, and Plutonium. About Plutonium Uranium is not the only material used for making atomic bombs. Another material is the Pu-239 isotope of the man-made element plutonium. Plutonium is only found naturally in minute traces, so useable amounts must be produced from uranium. In a nuclear reactor, uraniums heavier U-238 isotope can be forced to acquire extra particles, eventually becoming plutonium. Plutonium will not start a fast chain reaction by itself, but this problem is overcome by having a neutron source or highly radioactive material that gives off neutrons faster than the plutonium itself. In certain types of bombs, a mixture of the elements Beryllium and Polonium is used to bring about this reaction. Only a small piece is needed (supercritical mass is about 32 pounds, though as little as 22 can be used). The material is not fissionable in and of itself but merely acts as a catalyst to the greater reaction.

Introduction and Overview to World War I

Introduction and Overview to World War I World War I was a major conflict fought in Europe and around the world between July 28, 1914, and November 11, 1918. Nations from across all non-polar continents were involved,  although Russia, Britain, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary dominated.  Much of the war was characterized by stagnant trench warfare and massive loss of life in failed attacks; over eight million people were killed in battle. Belligerent Nations The war was fought by two main power blocks: the Entente Powers, or Allies, comprised of Russia, France, Britain (and later the U.S.), and their allies on one side and the Central Powers of Germany, Austro-Hungary, Turkey, and their allies on the other. Italy later joined the Entente. Many other countries played smaller parts on both sides. Origins  of World War I European politics in the early twentieth century were a dichotomy: many politicians thought war had been banished by progress while others, influenced partly by a fierce arms race, felt war was inevitable. In Germany, this belief went further: the war should happen sooner rather than later, while they still (as they believed) had an advantage over their perceived major enemy, Russia. As Russia and France were allied, Germany feared an attack from both sides.  To mitigate this threat, the Germans developed the Schlieffen Plan, a swift looping attack on France designed to knock it out early, allowing for concentration on Russia. Rising tensions culminated on June 28th, 1914 with the assassination of  Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand  by a Serbian activist, an ally of Russia. Austro-Hungary asked for German support and was promised a blank cheque; they declared war on Serbia on July 28th. What followed was a sort of domino effect as more and more nations joined the fight. Russia mobilized to support Serbia, so Germany declared war on Russia; France then declared war on Germany. As German troops swung through Belgium into France days later, Britain declared war on Germany too. Declarations continued until much of Europe was at war with each other. There was widespread public support. World War I on Land After the swift German invasion of France was stopped at the Marne, the race to the sea followed as each side tried to outflank each other ever closer to the English Channel. This left the entire Western Front divided by over 400 miles of trenches, around which the war stagnated. Despite massive battles like Ypres, little progress was made and a battle of attrition emerged, caused partly by German intentions to bleed the French dry at Verdun and Britains attempts on the Somme. There was more movement on the Eastern Front with some major victories, but there was nothing decisive and the war carried on with high casualties. Attempts to find another route into their enemy’s territory led to the failed Allied invasion of Gallipoli, where Allied forces held a beachhead but were halted by fierce Turkish resistance. There was also conflict on the Italian front, the Balkans, the Middle East, and smaller struggles in colonial holdings where the warring powers bordered each other. World War I at Sea Although the build-up to war had included a naval arms race between Britain and Germany, the only large naval engagement of the conflict was the Battle of Jutland, where both sides claimed victory. Instead, the defining struggle involved submarines and the German decision to pursue Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (USW). This policy allowed submarines to attack any target they found, including those belonging to the neutral United States, which caused the latter to enter the war in 1917 on behalf of the Allies, supplying much-needed manpower. Victory Despite Austria-Hungary becoming little more than a German satellite, the Eastern Front was the first to be resolved, the war causing massive political and military instability in Russia, leading to the Revolutions of 1917, the emergence of socialist government and surrender on December 15. Efforts by the Germans to redirect manpower and take the offensive in the west failed and, on November 11, 1918 (at 11:00 am), faced with allied successes, massive disruption at home and the impending arrival of vast US manpower, Germany signed an Armistice, the last Central power to do so. Aftermath Each of the defeated nations signed a treaty with the Allies, most significantly the Treaty of Versailles which was signed with Germany, and which has been blamed for causing further disruption ever since. There was devastation across Europe: 59 million troops had been mobilized, over 8 million died and over 29 million were injured. Huge quantities of capital had been passed to the now emergent United States and the culture of every European nation was deeply affected and the struggle became known as The Great War or The War to End All Wars. Technical Innovation World War I  was the first to make major use of machine guns, which soon showed their defensive qualities. It was also the first to see poison gas used on the battlefields, a weapon which both sides made use of, and the first to see tanks, which were initially developed by the allies and later used to great success. The use of aircraft evolved from simply reconnaissance to a whole new form of aerial warfare. Modern View Thanks partly to a generation of war poets who recorded the horrors of the war and a generation of historians who castigated the Allied high command for their decisions and ‘waste of life’ (Allied soldiers being the Lions led by Donkeys), the war was generally viewed as a pointless tragedy. However, later generations of historians have found mileage in revising this view. While the Donkeys have always been ripe for recalibration, and careers built on provocation have always found material (such as Niall Fergusons The Pity of War), the centenary commemorations found historiography split between a phalanx wishing to create a new martial pride and sideline the worst of the war to create an image of a conflict well worth fighting and then truly won by the allies, and those who wished to stress the alarming and pointless imperial game millions of people died for. The war remains highly controversial and as subject to attack and defense as the newspapers of the day.

What is considered as Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

What is considered as - Essay Example For someone keen in film studies, it’s clear that the few chosen characteristics of cult cinema are often in opposition with those of mainstream cinema as well as the differences in their audience. Irrespective of the different opinions in theorizing cult cinema, several of its features are inarguable; a cult film is defined through a sub cultural ideology, which marks it to exist in opposition to the mainstream because of their niche appeal, and composed of identifiable textual divergence. Besides their nature to appeal to viewers’ subversive instincts, the sense of nonconformity and irrationality in the film, Bentley-Baker reiterates Corrigan and White depiction of cult films as â€Å"ephemeral or non commercial films that, despite their lack of traditional cultural value, have survived to yield fascinating glimpses of the past† (2010). Some consider it a private genre with egregiously eccentric characters, often featured for exhibition at odd hours like midnight and known to trigger passionate attachments. Criteria set to establish cult films entail marginality, violation of boundaries (transgression), composed of iconography and cause self identified audience group among others. The popular genre of horror films together with fantasy and science fiction films are the few that lend themselves for the treatment of cult cinema. Based on the newly formed idealist and dystopian characteristics of horror films, especially the slasher sub genre, they have acted as the intersection with, or a vehicle in production of cult films. Looking into it, you will establish that most modern directors and film makers began with mastery of horror movies, before graduating in cult film makers. Slasher films which gained popularity from the 80s is composed of generative storylines involving psychopathic killers trailing on selective victims, has formulaic portrayals of violence, drenched in taboos and with

Censorship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Censorship - Essay Example In my personal case, I would consider censorship to be the deliberate suppression of speech, communication, information, ideas and opinions in order to influence another person. Additionally, censorship can also be either good or bad or both, depending on the situation or what the author of an article entitled â€Å"The Ed Sullivan Show and the (Censored) Sounds of the Sixties† had termed as the contexts in which censorship occurs (Inglis 565). This article is an examination of the general and particular contexts in which censorship was imposed on the content of written and performance songs during the 1950s and the 1960s. The music industry at that time had seen the need to exercise censorship on some forms of music which they had found to be offensive to public morals such as glorification of sex, drugs, violence or political views. In particular, music industry executives were concerned with the immense popularity of rock & roll music within the younger generations and its capacity to influence these people with regards to song content such as references to blasphemy, sexual content, violence, drugs and political extremism. The period mentioned in article was one of political conservatism. Censorship is controversial because it conflicts with rights under the First Amendment which is guaranteed by the Constitution. However, censorship can change over time because a societys mores and values also change over time. This is the same case with a persons values which can change over the course of his lifetime. In other words, a person while younger may be liberal in most matters but then gradually becomes a conservative with regards to certain issues such as sex, choice of music, clothing preferences and political views. The issue of censorship is also a matter of personal opinion and this is what makes it an extremely controversial topic to discuss. A person may have different opinions

Know the benefits of an online presence Essay Example for Free

Know the benefits of an online presence Essay In this assignment I have to identify and describe five principal benefits that businesses gain by having a simple online presence. Remote locations The internet is a boon to anyone who lives miles away from a main shopping centre because they can simply select the items they want and order them online. This is vastly increases the choice of goods and services available to someone who lives in the highlands and Islands of Scotland for example. Customers with travel difficulties Even people who live in urban areas may not be able to get around as easily as they would wish from mothers with young babies to the elderly. In this case, it is far more convenient to buy online particularly when the whether is bad. Poor transport links In many rural areas bus services are very limited and train services may be non-existent or mainly available during the rush hour. Whilst it may be worthwhile taking a long or tedious journey on a special occasion, most people would prefer to make routine purchases quickly and easily online. Marketing Benefits Marketing benefits relate to those gains a business makes in a relation to knowing more than its customers, being able to target its products, services ad the website itself to meet Their needs. This will also make there company well known to other foreign countries and will be willing to do a transaction knowing of there prestige Compete with competitors The aim here is to prevent competitors getting online edge. This may be improving on the products, or services offered, the speed of delivery, the cost of delivery and/or constantly reviewing the style and design of the website itself to utilize new technological developments. It is quicker and easier to understand and compare competitor activities online than by visiting their stores or obtaining information on their products and services offline. Market research There are several ways in which organizations can obtain information from users of its website methods which you can do this is Through log files and cookies both log files and cookies collect information on site usage and provide valuable marketing information. Users can set their browsers not to accept cookies and not al sites have these. Every site, though, produces log files. These are the data records created by the web server that hosts the site Website activity software provides more detailed analysis of the log files than ISP would provide. Subscribers can find out which search engines drive traffic to the site, which pages are the most popular and particular page, that might be significant. Online Market Research this can range from a small pop-up questionnaire that asks a user to assess their online experience to comprehensive customer survey sent by an e-mail to registered users of the site or to volunteers who have agreed to form an online focus group. Rapidity of response to customer interest A web presence provides the opportunity to respond quickly to customers but not all firms take advantage of this. A website can provide several opportunities for customer contact, such as call me buttons and e-mail messages, but speed of response is vital Research has shown that internet users expect a faster response than customers who enquire by telephone or letter.

How has Blake depicted the tiger in this poem? :: English Literature

How has Blake depicted the tiger in this poem? At the very start of the poem it is clear in what way Blake wishes to portray the tiger. The first words he uses -"Tiger! Tiger!" is an aggressive start to the poem thus implying that Blake is trying to put the tiger across as an aggressive animal. The next two words, "Burning bright" give the image of power and awe. This added to the next two lines,- "What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?" with words like 'fearful' and 'immortal' reinforces the tiger's image of power and strength and its God-like qualities of immortality and omnipotence. The next stanza gives the tiger an almost mythical status, with the line "In what distant deeps or skies, burnt the fire of thine eyes?" This gives the reader an image of the tiger being some legendary creature from the stars, this coupled with the image of the burning eyes adds another degree of god-like power to the creature commanding more awe and fear. The third stanza gives the reader the image that it took enormous strength to "Twist the sinews of [its] heart. The stanza finishes with the lines "What dread hands and what dread feet?" conjuring quite blatant ideas of dread and extreme fear associated with this mystical beast. The fourth stanza reinforces the creation imagery of the previous with the images of the tiger's creator being compared to a blacksmith giving the idea of the tiger being forged out of metal. "In what furnace was thy brain? What the anvil? Etc" The penultimate stanza gives the final idea in the poem with the almost apocalyptic imagery of 'stars throwing down their spears' giving the tiger an even more awe-inspiring quality. The stanza finishes with "Did he who made the lamb make thee?" Which gives the idea of disbelief at the prospect of a creator making a harmless pleasant creature such as the lamb and a dangerous mighty and awful creature like the tiger. b) Explore the ways Blake uses imagery and repetition in this poem. The most obvious repetition in this poem is the "Tiger! Tiger!" repetition. This, as I mentioned before, gives the poem an aggressive start and almost sets the scene for the rest of the poem, having the readers anticipate an almost violent and powerful poem. This line appears in the first stanza and in the final stanza where it is repeated, save for one word. In the final stanza the lines "What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry" Are replaced by the line "Dare frame thy fearful symmetry." This gives the idea of

Six thinking hats technique

Title (of the technique): Six thinking hats technique Purpose: The generation of new and innovative ideas is the main aim of using creative techniques. Often people fail to look at a problem from all angles and they may fail to look at the emotional, intuitive, creative or negative viewpoints. The six thinking hats technique is a powerful technique created by Edward de Bono in the early 1980’s to look at decisions from different point of view.The purpose of applying this technique is that it encourages parallel thinking and helps people move away from their habitual thinking styles and towards a more well-rounded view of a situation. Description: The six thinking hats technique identifies six different modes of thinking that are meant to be directed at parallel to solve a certain problem on hand. Each thinking mode is represented by a different coloured hat and each colour is defined by the role that it plays in the process of problem solving.The process can be performed indiv idually or within a group environment and once the participants understand the necessary techniques involved they can proceed to address the problems at hand. They will all work together toward the same objective. When used correctly the hats separate ego from performance which allows everyone to work cooperatively toward a desired goal. Equipment needed: There are few things that are required to perform a successful six hats brainstorming session. Firstly the individual or group should have prior knowledge of the skills required.A pen, paper and innovative attitude and a simple and easy way of distinguishing people’s different colours at all times as the different coloured hats are metaphorical. Requirement for success . Educated audience (familiar with de Bono’s Technique) . Discipline from each person involved- while using the hat people need to stay in that particular mindset . Time under the hat should generally be short . Use any hat as often as needed . Set out to think in a certain direction . Don’t categorize people in a group beforehand (e. g. he is only a green hat). Everyone can and should use all hats . Be specific about where you want the thinking to go Process: Each hat represents a certain thinking style: White hat – Objective, neutral thinking in terms of facts number and information. With this hat you focus on the data that is available. Red hat- Emotional, with judgments, suspicions and intuitions. With this hat you look at a problem using intuition, gut reaction and emotion. Black hat- Negative sees risks and thinks about possible failure points. This hat looks at all the bad points of the decision to try and see why it might not work.Yellow hat- Positive, optimistic, clear, effective and constructive. This hat helps you think positively and to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Green hat- Creative, seeks alternative. The green hat is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. I t is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. Blue hat (Meta hat) – thinking about thinking, the blue thinkers role is to keep an overview of what thinking is necessary on the subject. Recommended use in innovation:Many successful people and companies have embraced de Bono’s six thinking hats technique as it allows the necessary skepticism and emotions to be brought into what would have been purely rational decisions. It opens up an opportunity for creativity within decision making. Plans developed using this technique will be much more sound and resilient than would otherwise be the case. Advantages or benefits: . Leads to more creative thinking . Improves communication and decision making . Allows a person to say things without risk . Provides a common language . Diversity of thoughts Saves time . Create, evaluate and implement action plans . Removal of ego (reduces confrontation) . Helps people work against type, preference . Help people use more of their brains . Focus (one thing at a time) Limitations: The technique is not good to solve short term problems as people need to first be introduced to the method and become familiar with it before it can be used. If it is not monitored correctly it can also become time consuming. You can’t get the right answer asking the wrong questions the group needs to be sure that they are focused in the right direction. references

Panera Bread Company: Still Rising Fortunes? Essay

Panera Bread is a renowned restaurant that has come about from the merging of great companies and people. However, the beginning was actually with Au Bon Pain which was started in Boston’s Feneuil Hall as a demonstration bakery. Louis Kane was struck by this store’s growth potential and purchased the business in 1978. Between 1978 and 1981 the company opened 13 stores, but subsequently closed 10 of these stores, in the Boston area and had major debt. Ronald Shaich, a recent graduate from Harvard, opened the Cookie Jar in 1980 and befriended Louis Kane. In 1981, the friends merged the Au Bon Pain and the Cookie Jar to form one business known as Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. The co-CEO’s were able to lower debt, expand the business, and centralized facilities for dough production. In 1985, the company added fresh made sandwiches to their production when they noticed customer behavior of purchasing a baguette cut in half and using cold cuts brought from home to make sandwich es. This allowed for a new way to reach customers with fast service, all the while staying nutritious. Panera opened in three business segments: company owned bakery-cafà © operations, franchise operations, and fresh dough operations. The key initiatives of Panera’s growth was focused on growing store profit, increasing transaction and gross profit per transaction, use its capital smartly, and put in place drivers for concept differentiation and competitive advantage. During the recession, while other companies were lowering pricing and quality of goods, Panera was doing the opposite. The company instead targeted customer who could afford to spend an average of $8.50 on lunch. So during 2009, the company raised prices twice, on bagels and soups, which enabled the company to provide more for less. This attitude also allowed the company to maintain employees and customer satisfaction. By keeping labor consistent with sales and continuing to invest in its employees as a way to better serve its customers. In 2009, Panera had sales of nearly $2.8 billion and was ranked as the large st fast casual chain. Panera learned from its competitors, none of those competitors had yet to figure out the formula for Panera’s success. Panera has continued to add new and exciting products to its menu and strive to meet the expectations of its customers, and this included the new breakfast sandwiches introduced in 2008. The menu was redesigned and its menu boards with the hope of drawing the customer eye to the highest margin items. These new menus also included the calorie information for items in 2010, well  before any other company did so. The company has been able to anticipate and react to changes in food and supply costs, included fuel, proteins, dairy, wheat, tuna, and cream cheese in effort to drive gross profit per transaction. Resources: When dealing with resources there a few that jump out such as: Panera’s intellectual capital, its financial position, and the executives. Each of these resources enable the company to grow and provide service to customers while maintaining their current standards. Panera has been able to see their company continue to generate profits, keep employees working, and grow the company. Since the company is so good to their employees and franchisees, these employees are eager to maintain quality, which in turn leads to more loyal customers. Panera realized that the key ingredient was the kind of people behind the counter who provides the customer service. Because the company is maintaining quality, which includes freshness and nutrition this allows the customers to choose this casual fast food location for a much better meal. Since the company is doing well financially, they are able to continue expanding, which leads to more jobs and potential for the areas surrounding the store. Th is in turn enables the company to maintain their financial position and continue to invest in new ventures. Capabilities: Panera offers a great value on their products. This healthy option offers a number of varieties which enable customers to get anything from soup to pastries. Since trends are always changing, Panera does a good job in changing their menu to keep with customer demands. This ever changing menu has offerings to satisfy changing customer preferences, improve its products, and maintain customer interest. By maintaining the customer interest in its menu items Panera must continue to do research and develop new goods. As Panera doesn’t have a test kitchen, these items are instead tested these items out directly in the cafà ©s. The research and development team have twice yearly retreats that allow these team members to â€Å"out do† each other with their creations. Panera has also been able to negotiate the real estate locations so that be actually favors the company. This is also true with the ordering food products and other goods. Most of these companies will offer discoun ts on goods due to the name recognition and  stability of the company when others are failing. Core Competencies: When looking into core competencies Panera has proven and developed many of these. The goal in the beginning was to sell high quality food with a mid-price level. Panera has since exceeded the goal and customer expectations in the casual fast food category. The company continues to maintain these expectations by having fresh dough distribution centers in regional areas. This provides the product quickly and allows for faster use which keeps the product fresher for customers. While Panera strives to maintain these standards, the company also reaches out to the surrounding community by giving away left over bread to homeless shelters and collects donations for other charities. Panera also believes in providing bakery-cafà © operators the chance to participate in the success of the location, which enable the company to attract and maintain experienced and highly qualified personnel. Findings of Fact: Franchising a Key to Success: Franchising is a key component in the growth that Panera has experienced. Since a franchisee is purchasing the use of the Panera name, this means that they are also purchasing the business model and trademark for their location. This allows the company to grow quickly and the franchisee contributes the resources and capabilities necessary to implement the Panera concepts and strategies. The franchise program began in 1996, and as of December 2009 there are 795 franchise-operated bakery-cafà ©s open throughout the US and Canada. There are also commitments to open another 240 additional locations. Panera sells locations via the Area Development Agreements (ADAs) and the franchisee must be able to meet financial requirements set forth by Panera. The strategic choice perspective, which proposes that not only does the company adapt to changing environments, but they also have the opportunity and power to reshape their own environment, means that Panera is able to draw customers who can a fford to spend a little more. By opening franchises across the country, the company is reaching for a functional strategy by achieving corporate and business unit objects. By implementing the strategy that each franchisee must open a set amount of locations within their development area can allow the company to expand and reach a greater  amount of customers. In 2009, 57.6% of the company’s bakery-cafà ©s were owned by franchises comprised of 48 franchise groups. Panera does not facilitate the construction or development of the area where a location will be built. Franchising is a great way for Panera to enter new markets with little to no cost to the company. This can be seen with how Panera moved into the Canadian market. Panera entered into a credit facility with a Canadian franchisee and in March 2010, Panera had repurchased the locations in order to be more directly involved in the new Canadian market. By implementing ways for franchisees to continue to expand and generate more sales Panera would be able to lower some of the standards set to become a franchisee and this would allow for more opportunities for growth both inside and outsid e of the US and Canada. Quality and Concept Different from Competitors: Facing competition from numerous sources in its trade area means that Panera has to offer something unique. This means that Panera offers something different, such as fresh-baked artisan breads, fresh sandwiches, soups, and salads without worrying about whether it was nutritious. The unique dining experience to customers, combined with nutritious food and fast service keep customers coming back. The friendly atmosphere, which includes comfortable seating, warm tones, and convenient locations can offer customers a better option to be able to hang out and possibly spend more money. Panera handles this obstacle by offering specialty food, casual dining, and quick service cafà ©s. However, competitive factors include location, environment, customer service, price, and quality of products. This means that Panera competes for the best locations, hourly employees, and customers. The corporate culture within Panera has always been a collection of beliefs, expectations, and values learned an d shared by the company employees. This results in employees striving to be the best that they can be when offering quality service and products. There are competitors who have begun to test the concept of â€Å"upscale† dining, may also test the health and wellness or sustainability component that could be included. By being able to maintain their core beliefs such as no chemicals or preservatives, the company is able to bring customers back to simpler times and provide good, quality food. Since Panera is able to  dedicate themselves to their concept the company has enjoyed brand loyalty, positive name recognition, and goodwill. Since Panera operated on three business segments such as company-owned bakery-cafà © operations, franchise operations, and fresh dough operations the company is able to keep a better feel for those segments and maintain standards. Panera was able to extend its strong values in unpretentious ways in a welcoming atmosphere. Locations were often donating bread and baked goods to community organizations in need which showed that they were involved in bettering their community. By ensuring that Panera sets the standards that competitors much strive to reach, the goal is to find a propitious niche, such as the casual fast food dining experience with specialty foods. Financial Growth Panera reported a 48% increase in net income of $25,845 million during the first quarter of 2010. Panera believed that its primary capital resource was cash generated by operations. The principle requirements for cash have resulted in the company’s capital expenditures for the development of new company owned bakery-cafà ©s. By putting this capital to work for the company, such as purchasing new equipment, remodeling locations, or other needs such as enhancements to information systems or infrastructure, will be able to maintain standards for products. The company has access to a $250 million credit facility, which as of December 2009, had to borrowings outstanding. Panera will be able to use its cash flow from operations and available borrowing under its existing credit facility will be sufficient to fund its capital requirements for the foreseeable future. Panera should continue to invest in training, labor, and quality products. Panera was able to increase costs, which resulted in better products while other competitors were cutting costs, and this resulted in a more loyal customer. The company should continue to increase performance and be able to increase stock prices. The franchise agreements also provide a source of income when fees are due. These royalties and fees in fiscal year 2009 were up and with the franchisee opening more locations that should continue to grow. Finding ways to provide quality products at a mid-level cost to the customer will continue to ensure that Panera will continue to see growth in the future. Panera should begin to spend some of the capital on marketing.  Although most of the marketing has been done by word of mouth, there is no reason why the company couldn’t do some advertising. This would increase customer knowledge and traffic within the locations. Overall Panera Bread Co. Inc. is a stable company which has continued to grow as other competitors scaled back in the recent recession. Panera offers quality food, customer service, and a welcoming environment which some other competitors do not offer. By offering this type of arrangement for customers, it encourages more spending and allows customers to take their time while getting their meals faster. Being a national leader in business can allow the company to meet obligations and ensure that the capital will continue to grow. Panera will continue to set standards and strive to meet them every day. Works Cited Wheelen, Thomas L. and J. David Hunger. Strategic Management & Business Policy. 12th Edition. Boston: Pearson. 2012. Print

Wastewater Treatment essays

Wastewater Treatment essays The reason for me doing this report is because I could not attend class enough to grasp the concept of Wastewater Treatment. This report is an overview of each stage of the treatment of sewage. I have included a diagram of a typical sewage plant. The wastewater that enters a treatment plant contains debris that might clog or damage the pumps and machinery. The material is removed by screens, and is burned or buried. The wastewater then passes through a comminutor (grinder), where all the organic material such as leaves are mushed smaller so that they can be removed later. Back in the day, long narrow channel-shaped settling tanks, known as grit chambers, were used to remove all the inorganic substances like sand, silt, gravel, and cinders. These chambers were made to allow inorganic particles 0.008 in. or bigger to settle at the bottom while the smaller particles and most of the organic material that remain in suspension pass through. Today, spiral-flow aerated grit chambers with hopper bottoms, or clarifiers with automatic scrapper arms are used. The grit is removed and disposed of as sanitary landfill. Grit build up can reach from 3 to 8 cubic feet per1 million gallons of wastewater. With the grit removed, the wastewater goes into a sedimentation tank, where the organic materials removed. The method of sedimentation can remove about 20 to 40 percent of the biochemical oxygen demand and 40 to 60 percent of the suspended solids. The big boys in the industry use a chemical process known as coagulation and flocculation in the sedimentation tank. I really dont know much about this subject so Im The alternative to sedimentation is a treatment called flotation, in ...

When to Punctuate Titles in Italics or Quotes

When to Punctuate Titles in Italics or Quotes You may have wondered in the middle of typing up a research project: do I italicize  a song title? What about a painting?​ Even the most experienced writers have a problem remembering the proper punctuation for certain types of titles. Books are italicized (or underlined) and articles are put in quotation marks. Thats about as far as many people can remember.​ There is a trick to remembering how to treat titles, and it works well enough that you can commit most types of titles to memory. Its the big and little trick. Big things and things that can stand on their own, like books, are italicized. Little things that are dependent or that come as part of a group, like chapters, are put into quotation marks. For example, you can think of a CD or an album as a major (big) work that can be divided into smaller parts, or songs. The individual song names (small part) are punctuated with quotation marks. For example: The Sweet Escape, by Gwen Stefani, includes the song Wind It Up. While this is not a perfect rule, it can be helpful for determining whether to italicize or surround in quotation marks when you have no resources at hand. Furthermore, you should italicize or underline any published collection, like a book of poetry. Put the individual entry, like a poem, in quotation marks. However: a long, epic poem that is often published on its own would be treated like a book. The Odyssey is one example. Punctuating Titles of Works of Art Creating a work of art is an enormous task, isnt it? For that reason, you can think of art as a big accomplishment. Okay, that might sound corny, but it will help you remember! Individual works of art like paintings and sculptures are underlined or italicized: Michelangelos DavidMona LisaThe Last SupperThe Pieta Note: A photograph, although not less significant or important, is often much smaller than a work of created art, and is placed in quotation marks. Following are guidelines for punctuating titles according to Modern Language Association (MLA) standards. Titles and Names to Italicize A novelA shipA playA filmA paintingA sculpture or statueA drawingA CDA TV SeriesA cartoon seriesAn encyclopediaA magazineA newspaperA pamphlet Titles to Put Into Quotation Marks PoemShort storyA skitA commercialAn individual episode in a TV series (like The Soup Nazi on Seinfeld)A cartoon episode, like Trouble With DogsA chapterAn articleA newspaper story More Tips on Punctuating Titles Some titles are merely capitalized and not given additional punctuation. These include: Religious works, like The Bible or The KoranBuildingsMonuments

Nestle Safety Training Program Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nestle Safety Training Program - Assignment Example and upgrade their safety measures in such a way that employees along with contractors and others are protected, as they add value to the company (Nestle safety and health). They are further striving to accomplish one of their main goals and that is having zero injuries and accident in regard to their workers. Currently, there are two departments working in collaboration to adhere to the company’s law regarding safety and health of their employees. The two departments are The Safety and Health Functional Leadership Team and The Safety and Health Council. The former is a group of senior safety and health professionals from across the world who meets on daily basis to pinpoint priorities and convey challenges, learning, and good practices. Similarly, the latter council consists of senior fellows from various areas of the business who adjudicate the evolution and execution of programs and provide support and resources. Moreover, the organization believes that human behavior is also one of the factors which may lead towards the occurrence of accidents and injuries; therefore, Nestle implements programs that motivate employees to converse with the peers and management about safe and at-risk behavior. To emphasize on the seriousness of health and safety measure, all executive board meeting starts with an overview of the health and safety that is why the aforementioned council is held four times in a month, which is a quarterly meeting. In addition to this, these departments have installed Nestlà © Occupational Safety & Health Management (NSMS) which strive towards improving and upgrading health and safety procedures, policies, standards, and process. Now moving towards the safety training programs, Nestle has established a roadmap for this very own purpose. Following are some of these programs which include Personal Ownership and Engagement.

Obesity Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Obesity Policy - Essay Example Obesity Policy Obesity can occur in any age group but it tends to increase with age " infants with excessive weight gain have an increased incidence of obesity in later life (Charney etal 1976)4. It has a female preponderance and certain genetic component in its causation as evidenced by twin studies, which show a close relation between the weights of identical twins even when they are reared in dissimilar environments (Falkner 1980)5. Physical activity and fitness's are important modifiers of mortality and morbidity related to over weight and obesity (WHO 2003)6 but according to Falkner it is the reduced energy output that is the main etiological factor behind obesity. Food habits play important role in weight gain and obesity, the composition of the food, the periodicity at which it is consumed and the amount of energy derived from it are the factors, which modulate body weight. A diet containing more energy than needed may lead to prolonged postprandial hyperlipidemia and to deposition of trigly cerides in the adipose tissue resulting in obesity (Oliver 1981)7. Other factors include psychosocial, familial tendency, endocrine, ethnicity and drugs like corticosteroids etc. Its is a positive risk factor for hypertension, diabetes, gall bladder diseases, congestive heart disease and certain cancers (hormonal and large bowel). It also predisposes to other conditions like varicose veins, abdominal hernia, osteoarthritis of knees and hips. Flat feet; sleep apnea and respiratory problems etc. the Framingham Heart Study in United States of America reveals that there is a dramatic increase (20%) in sudden death among overweight adults as compared to those with normal weight. Healthy People 2010 are a comprehensive set of disease prevention and health promotion objectives for the Nation to achieve over the first decade of the new century and one of the objective is to reduce obesity up to 15% in adults by 2010.the objectives are 19-1: - increase the proportion of adults who are at a healthy weight from 42 % to 60% by 2010. 19-2: - Reduce the proportion of adults who are obese from 23% to 15% by 2010. 19-3: - Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese from 11% to 5% by 2010. In order to achieve this objective health care planning has to be done and an obesity policy has to be made which has to be implemented at various health care levels, the work done has to be evaluated and depending upon the results relevant modification should be made in the policy to achieve better results. OBESITY POLICY The policy is to educate the American public on the dangers and medical quandaries that obesity causes and to help eradicate this epidemic from our nation. PLAN: Health education is planned in connection with a health service for proper implementation. This health service provides health education about hazards of obesity in the following three methods Individual approach: by personal interviews in hospitals, consultation rooms, and health care centers or peoples houses. Health education is given at every interaction with the patient about the etiology, risk, prevention and control of obesity. It will be the principal duty of the physician and nursing staff to

Movie Analysis Supersize Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Movie Analysis Supersize Me - Essay Example Culture of the Spanish influenced to build up the behavior of the persons engaged in that drama. The documentary ‘supersize me’ is a behavioral oriented and cultural oriented movie with much impact on the current prevailing US culture. The region where the story takes place is in United States and the culture affecting the hero of the story was the American culture of having fast food from the posh restaurants, in the movie context the starring character finds his 5 time daily food in Mc Donald restaurant. The environment which describes here is the food experimenting intention by the hero ,where he also wanted to establish that the outside junk foods are good for health and it will cause no effect on the health, there he doesn’t follow the principle’when health is lost something is lost’. The values mainly depicted in the movie are the cultural values which were priorly stated and the family values where the utmost care taken by the family in bringi ng back to normalcy. Personality: Personality of the person is the self-concept. That is, they offer a structure for the person so that a reliable pattern of behavior can be build up. It is the particular amalgamation of attitudinal, emotional, and behavioral reaction patterns of a human being. At the same time as there are various different theories of personality that explain the relevance and components of the personality traits of the individual. A short definition would be that personality is made up of the attribute patterns of belief, approach and behaviors that create a person unique. Besides to this, personality arises from inside the human being and remains reasonably reliable throughout life. Some of the basic individuality of personality consists of: Psychological and physiological, multiple expressions, Consistency and finally the It impacts behaviors and actions. This particular drama Biutiful follows the personality traits of the people. Story is usually talks about t he relationship between the father and his children’s. The unique personality of the father, children develop their own culture and attitude to react with the certain situations. Motivation: The motivation is a widely described behavior of individuals, where they are the tendency for the doing the particular actions due to external or internal stimuli. The internal factors of the motivation are the within the individual as they arise due to the basic need fulfillment of the person,or to achieve a particular goal.There can also be the motivation due to less-apparent causes like the altruism and selfishness,the motivation is indirectly related to emotion. Non-behavioral psychologists observe motivation to have two proportions, intensity (strength) and direction (behavior focused) As the Maslow’s hierarchy of the needs is considered; there are four kinds of needs for an individual. The hierarchy model of Abraham Maslow is in the pyramid form, from the bottom. It states th e psychological need of a person where the person is more selfish in his own ways and he gives priority to his personal comfort than considering the needs and wants of others. The main constraints of the psychological needs are the breath, food, finance and the other essential resources. The second is the safety need which mainly emphasis on the safety and security of the family, finance, resources and the security of oneself from any other calamities and robbery. The next step in the pyramid shows the necessity for the love and care

What Is Meant By The Term Business Sector Marketing Essay

What Is Meant By The Term Business Sector Marketing Essay A business sector can be defined as three different things. These are the public, private and voluntary sector also known as the community sector (not for profit). The three different sectors have different purposes and I will go through what these are. The private sector is quite the opposite from the public sector. The private sector is run by private individuals and not controlled by the government. In the UK the private sector employs the majority of the workforce and is responsible for allocating most of the resources within the economy. The main role of private sector businesses is to make a profit from the services and products they provide for their customers. Some examples of private sector businesses include retail sales, catering, entertainment and health and fitness. Virgin is an example of a massive private sector company that makes a major contribution to the wealth of the United Kingdom. We can also break this down further as the private sector contains businesses that are run differently to others. These include a sole trader, a partnership, a private limited company, a public limited company and a franchise. I will now go into detail about why each of the businesses is different which will show why although still falling under the same category of the private sector these businesses are slightly different from each other. Sole Trader A sole trader is a company run by only one person so, will have to fund the business out of their own pocket. This type of business is easily set up and you are your own boss which also means all the profits that the business makes you are able to keep all to yourself. This all sounds well and good however, a sole trader also has some disadvantages. First of all, the owner will have to deal with any loss to the company which is unlimited liability. It could also be quite hard in getting the money to set up a business as the banks have a stereotypical view of sole trader businesses going out of business in the first year. You also might find that you have to work long hours and get very little holiday if any at all. Sole traders are usually quite small businesses such as an electrician or a plumber. Partnership A company run by between 2-20 people. It could be much easier for a partnership to get the money together to start a business as banks look favourably on partnerships as they tend to succeed more compared to for example, a sole trader. Again, we have disadvantages and advantages of a partnership. Any loss made within the company can be split between the owners but equally any profits will also have to be divided between all owners. The decision making process could be a disadvantage too. There could be split views on a certain matter which could cause friction between the owners. Private Limited Company A company owned by shareholders and run with limited liability. A downside to a private limited company would be that they cannot offer company shares to the public (float its shares on the stock exchange) this could restrict access to finance especially if the business wishes to become larger. Because a private limited company has limited liability they are only liable to any debts up to a maximum of what they have invested themselves. This of course is a good thing. You can only lose what you are prepared to put in. A private limited company also has tighter control on who it issues shares to so this is another good thing. Public Limited Company Only two people are needed to run a public limited company however, there is no upper limit. The public including other businesses can buy shares in the company which is good as this means a company can expand by doing this. Most of the shares are bought and sold through the stock exchange and for the publics benefit the share prices are printed in the newspapers so that the public can know the prices. Also, like a private limited company, shareholders have limited liability so, if a company were to go bankrupt then the shareholders are only responsible for the value of their shares. Franchise A franchise is an agreement between two parties to allow an entrepreneur to run a business for somebody else but, operate under their name and to sell its goods or services. This agreement grants the rights to operate a certain business at a single address. The rights in the agreement could allow for use of a company trademark, designs and book keeping etc. There is a much reduced risk in setting up a franchise as opposed to the above examples as the name that you are using to trade under is already a well established business therefore this reduces the risk of setting up a business dramatically. You pay for the image the company has already established. Voluntary Sector This sector works on very limited budgets. This sector has organisations ranging from national bodies to small local groups. These include youth and community groups, touring clubs, social clubs, sports club associations and art associations. The voluntary sector organisations do not make a profit but at the same time they must work in credit if they are to not go bankrupt. People who work for these organisations do not get paid. The money comes purely from donations or fundraising. 2 + 3. Name three businesses from three different Business Sectors and describe by writing a paragraph on each, what each business does. Public Sector NHS The NHS is publicly funded and provides mostly free services to anyone who lives in the UK however, there can be some charges associated with eye tests, dental care and prescriptions. The business purpose of the NHS is to provide a service to the public rather than making a profit. It is the largest publicly funded health service in the world and is funded by the government. Around 60% of the budget allocated to the NHS is used to pay staff. Drugs and other supplies take up 20%. The remaining 20% is split between things such as training costs, medical equipment, catering and cleaning. Below is a diagram of how the NHS works: NHS.gif Image taken from: www.nhs.uk/England/AboutTheNhs/Default.cmsx Private Sector Carphone Warehouse Known as the Phone House outside of the UK the Carphone Warehouse has three different fields of operation: Distribution, data services and telecom services. The Carphone warehouse sells mobile phones, accessories and even insurance. They provide sales of goods where the customer can purchase anything they like within a selected branch over the counter. They also have a website where customers can purchase goods and have them conveniently delivered to their home saving time and money. Also, like many successful businesses they have expanded their business nationwide and even abroad which has proved very successful. The main aim for a private sector business such as the Carphone Warehouse is to make a profit from the services they provide to their customers. A private sector company is very unlikely to get involved in the non profit area of business. Store numbers at 31st December 2009 european_map.jpg Image taken from: www.cpwplc.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=123964p=irol-history Voluntary Sector Oxfam Oxfam was founded in England in 1942. It is a non-political, independent organisation, with no religious affiliations. Oxfams aim is a simple one: To work with others to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering. This is given on their website www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/kidsweb/oxfam/whatox.htm Oxfam have programmes in over 70 different countries. They work with local people to help improve their life. They might help train health workers, set up a school and safeguard water supplies. Oxfam respond to emergencies helping people who have been hit by a disaster like that of a hurricane or a flood. They also speak up on behalf of people to ensure that governments listen to them and act on better supporting people in disaster hit areas. A voluntary sector organisation such as Oxfam does not work like the other sectors do. They do not exist to make a profit and are not funded by the government. They rely on donations and fundraising by everyday normal people to help them keep running. 4. Justify why each of the 3 businesses is in its sector Public Sector NHS The NHS is in the public sector which is paid for by the government. It is in this sector precisely for that reason. The government pays the staff employed by the NHS who are doctors, nurses and midwifes etc. The NHS is different from a private sector company as it doesnt seek to make profits but instead it provides a service to the people. They might charge for a few things like a prescription or an eye test but overall the NHS is a free service funded by the government which comes from tax payers money. Private Sector Carphone Warehouse The Carphone Warehouse is in the private sector as its main aim is to make a profit and to maximise its profits. All private sector companies have the same aim. They all exist to make a profit. They are not funded by the government (public sector) and they do not exist to provide a free service and rely on donations to run the business (voluntary sector). This is why the Carphone Warehouse fits into the private sector. Voluntary Sector Oxfam Oxfam is in the voluntary sector as its neither funded by the government nor set up to make a profit. Oxfam is a registered organisation that aims to help people in need. The services they provide are free. The money to help keep the charity running has to be raised from fundraising and donations. 5. Describe the term Business Classification According to www.rmcareers.com the term Business Classification means: The systematic arranging of business operations into groups or categories according to certain criteria. Another way to explain this is to say that we have three different Business sectors, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. These three sectors are split according to the type of service they provide, this is what we call Business Classification. For example, the primary sector takes natural resources and converts them into primary products. All businesses that fall under this category are therefore classed as primary. We can include in the primary sector, agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining, oil extraction and quarrying. The secondary and tertiary sectors are arranged in the same way. The secondary sector is made up of businesses that manufacture finished goods. Manufacturing industries such as vehicle production, making of clothing and engineering all come under the secondary sector. Finally, the tertiary sector is made up of businesses that sell a product to the public. The tertiary sector provides services to the general population and businesses. We can include retail, transportation and restaurants under the tertiary sector. So, to conclude, Business Classification means to organise businesses into sectors that match the criteria in which they operate. 6. Explain why it is important to have a Business Classification system It is important to a lot of people including the government that we have a business classification system so, we can notice certain areas which need improving or so that people such as investors know where to invest their money (or to at least have an idea). To give an example of this, we could have a potential investor who is looking to invest some money into a certain business sector. This person would need to know what is happening in the different sectors so he can know how secure his investment within that area is. If he didnt have the correct information that he needed then he might put a lot of money at risk not knowing what will happen to it whereas, with the correct information and by looking at the growth and decline in certain sectors, he can be more sure of where his money would be safer placed. It is also important that we have a Business Classification system so that the government can successfully record information from the different business sectors to show which areas are growing and which are declining. This is vital so that our economy is always progressing the best that it could be. The government will know by looking at the different sectors which areas need money put into them and which areas dont need as much help. 7. Provide one example of a business from each type of Business Classification and say why it has been included in that classification Primary Fishing Fishing is a primary sector business as fishermen take natural resources and convert them into primary products. In this example it would be the many different types of fish that they catch (natural resource) and then turn into a primary product allowing them to be sold at a fish market or similar. Secondary Car Manufacturing Car manufacturers fit into the secondary sector as they create a finished usable product such as in this example a car. They manufacture a product so they fall under the secondary sector. Tertiary Supermarkets A supermarket falls under the tertiary sector as they provide services to the general population and to businesses. A supermarket will typically purchase manufactured goods from secondary sector businesses and sell them to the consumers. An example could be fish. At first a primary product which is then manufactured (a secondary product) then sold to the public by the supermarket (tertiary). 8. Explain which sectors as identified by the Business Classification System, are growing and which are declining Primary Although in the primary sector there are certain areas which are growing such as the production of organic food and the extraction of minerals, overall the sector is declining. We can see various different reasons for this including that of non renewable resources. We only have limited amounts of things such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. All of these things cannot be produced, grown or generated. Once these are gone, they are gone. A number of Nottingham mines have closed over the years including the RJB owned mine which saw its profits drop dramatically leading up to its closure. The coal reserves soon ran out which caused hundreds of employees to transfer to other mines in the region. We are now importing a lot of non renewable sources from abroad. We do this because finding new resources can be very expensive and difficult. This, of course, causes the primary sector to decline. Secondary The secondary sector is declining and I think the obvious thing here is of course the advances in technology. Why would a business pay for somebody to do a job when we now have robots that can do things at a much lower cost and perhaps even better than a human? Also, a lot of companies have now relocated abroad to countries where manufacturing costs are much lower so that they can continue to make profits instead of paying high labour costs. Examples could be of the textile and ship building industries which have vanished due to cheap imports. This also causes the secondary sector to decline. Tertiary The tertiary sector is forever growing and this is because everyone needs a service that falls under the tertiary sector. Everyone needs to eat so we have places like McDonalds and Burger King. As a country becomes more developed there is an increasing need for tertiary sector services such as transport and banking. The tertiary sector should keep steadily growing over time because again the demand for goods is growing.

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Radiation has always been in everyday life even before Roentgen discovered x-ray. The mountains give off natural radiation, other forms of radiation are coal burning power plants, x-rays from a TV, and an airplane ride. The average dose from background radiation is about 360 mrem every year. There are two types of radiation, nonionizing and ionizing radiation. Examples of nonionizing radiation are microwaves and radio waves broadcasting. Ionizing radiation refers to gamma and x-rays. Ionizing radiation means that the rays are able to remove an electron from the atom then ions can be formed. The ions can cause damage when reacting with other atoms. Cells are able to be repaired if low dose are received. However, if cells get a high dose, the cells will be damaged or possibly die. If the cell is damaged permanently then it is referred to as a mutated cell. There are ways to better understand how radiation affects the body when compared to other every day activities. If an occupational worker receives 1 rem per year then is it possible that 51 days is expected to be lost. A person that smokes 20 cigarettes a day takes about 6 years off of their life. People that are overweight by 15% take about 2 years off of their life. In actuality radiation would seem as though it is not any more harmful than other everyday activities people decide to do such as smoke, chew tobacco, or sky dive. The risk of taking days, weeks, years off of ones lives will always be present depending on the activity they choose to be part of. However, radiation exposure in the healthcare field is used to extend the patient’s life by helping them find out what is going on in their body. A patient that comes in with RLQ pain, nausea, and vomiting then an abdomen x-r... ...om the radiation, the source of radiation comes from beneath the patient. Spot fluoroscopy should be utilized to minimize radiation to the patient, radiologist, and radiologic technologist. Radiologist and radiologic technologist must wear a lead apron and thyroid shield. A lead shield is put on the front to protect the radiologist and the tech. (Statkiewicz-Sherer, 1983) Radiation has changed drastically over the past 118 years. Exposures are much quicker, digital imaging is a possibility in most hospitals, and most importantly, radiation protection. Many people have died, some without realizing that they were killing themselves, for the advancement of x-rays. Because of these advancements physicians are able to tell patients what is going on very quickly and without much delay. It is very important to remember the 3 cardinal rules: distance, time and shielding.

Thistles by Ted Hughes. Question: Critically analyse the poem

Question: Critically analyse the poem, paying attention to diction & imagery, showing how they are effective in describing thistles. P : Thistles are described as if they were nature's avengers. Q : Thistles ‘spike' ‘Against the rubber tongues of cows and the hoeing hands of man & ‘†¦a revengeful burs of resurrection' R : Thistles inflict pain towards ‘the hoeing hands of men' which gives readers the spa image of men destroying the plants in the soil  with a hoe, perhaps for the unnecessary need for urbanization and other recreational purposes. It seems that the thistles are punishing man for destroying nature. Even though the ‘cows' mentioned somewhat destroy plants, or to be specific, grass for it is their staple food, they seem to not be a part of the ones punished for their rubber tongues' gives the image of a lifeless tongue where it does not feel pain, having the qualities of rubber- lifeless and feeling nothing. Hence, the thistles are described as avengers for those who abuse and destroy nature for unnecessary wants. It seems as if avenging is the purpose of the thistles' existence and for their resurrection- the phrase ‘a revengeful burst of resurrection seems to give the image of revenge, powering the process of resurrecting the thistles. Hence, the suggested reason for their existence and their behavior in punishing men describes them as if they are nature's â€Å"avengers†. P : Despite being described as â€Å"nature's avengers†, they seem to have an evil side that is abeing brought alive by what could be perceived as the evil present in the world as represented by – â€Å"underground stain of a Viking†. Q : â€Å"From the underground stain of a decayed Viking†, † the gutturals of dialects† & space every one manages a plume of blood†. R : Readers get the impression that thistles are being brought to life ‘From the spaceunderground stain of a decayed Viking'. Now, a Viking is a monstrous, wild and spaceevil legendary barbarian and the fact that its remnants are absorbed in the growth of spacethistles could suggest that evil is being transferred to them as seen from their evil spaceacts or purpose in trying to hurt innocent animals (‘cows'), men and even plague the space'summer air'. Also, it seems as though the spirits of the dead Vikings are spacewhispering to the growing thistles with ‘the gutturals of dialects' perhaps to impart spacetheir evil nature and character. It is seen that after being grown amongst the space spac ‘decayed Viking' and taking its essence (like fertilizer from a dead animal) and after spacebeing imparted of the Viking's evil nature, the next line that comes shows that evil spaceis being put into action where Every one manages a plume of blood'. R : Furthermore, it seems as though thistles began and end with the presence of blood- spac'From the underground stain of a decayed Viking' they grow and before growing spac'grey like men', ‘Everyone manages a plume of blood'. Hence, this parasite-like spacebehavior gives thistles an evil character for it thrives and is brought alive with blood spaceand that it's suggested sole purpose in life is to hurt those alive (to get ‘a plume of spaceblood') for that is the only thing that they seem to do in the poem before dying. In spaceaddition to that, ‘blood' or rather, bleeding is associated with being caused by pain spaceand those who thrive on it is said to be somewhat inhumane and evil, like thistles. P : Thistles have the characteristics of a Viking, perhaps because they absorb the spaceremnants and essence of Vikings. Q : ‘Of splintered weapons and Icelandic frost thrust up', ‘They are like pale hair and spacethe gutturals of dialects' & ‘Every one manages a plume of blood'. R : The metaphor ‘splintered weapons' and ‘Icelandic frost' gives the idea of spacethistledowns that outline thistles. These thistledowns could be sharp, being like space'splintered weapons' and could be the part that spike ‘the rubber tongues of cows spaceand hoeing hands of men'. One can imagine the image of the thistledowns getting spacestiff and ready to spike (‘Icelandic frost thrust up'). These thistledowns have spacesimilarities to that of a Viking's ‘pale hair' and ‘the gutturals of dialects' are like spacethe whizzing sound thistles make as they disperse through the air, trying to find spacevictims or their prey to spike them for blood. Hence, it seems that the evil nature spaceand the physical appearance of Vikings are being passed down to thistles perhaps as spacethey absorb the essence of dead Vikings which is represented by the word ‘stain' spacethat could of blood. Afterall, it is believed that one would posses the characteristics spaceof whose essence they have absorbed into themselves. In addition to the mentioned spacecharacteristics passed down, the predatory nature of Vikings is similar to that of spacethistles for both is bloodthirsty, ‘a plume of blood' being the goal in life. P : Thistles are also endlessly revengeful Q : ‘Every one a revengeful burst / Of resurrection' & ‘Their sons appear / Stiff with spaceweapons, fighting back over the same ground'. R : Thistles, in this poem is described in an almost chronological form where the spores spaceor seeds are being dispersed (‘crackle open under a blue black pressure') on to the space'underground' where the ‘stain of a decayed Viking' acts as a source of fertilizer spacethat completes thistles' growth before the thistles spike the air again and manages a spaceplume of blood' each. Then they ‘grow grey like men' and die as suggested by the spacewords ‘mown down', perhaps by man in the process of mowing their green lawns in spacethe summer. However, notice that after this batch of thistles are dead, ‘Their sons spaceappear / Stiff with weapons, fighting back over the same ground'. The word ‘sons' spaceand ‘feud' make the situation seem as if it is a battle (for battles are usually fought spaceby men). ‘Fighting back over the same ground' shows the characteristic of thistles spacebeing endlessly revengeful for the thistles are being â€Å"born† over and over again. spaceFurthermore, the fact that the â€Å"battle† is staged in the summer' that occurs in the spaceearlier half part of the year symbolizes the fact that thistles' time would not be up spaceany time soon and that they would continue â€Å"fighting†. The ‘blue-black pressure' spacethat causes the dispersal of the spores or seeds may also symbolize the immense-spacepressure the thistles have on their offspring, perhaps in their expectancy of the spaceoffspring fighting after their time. It may be ambiguous, carrying the fact that after space'Thistles spike the summer air' and get â€Å"injured† by being â€Å"mown down† by men spaceor being chewed by ‘cows' (I do not suppose cows swallow such spiky plants. They spaceperhaps spit them out. Furthermore, thistles are mentioned to only pass through spacecows' mouths and to the ‘rubber tongues' which could imply that thistles are not spacebeing swallowed) they painfully, in their injured condition as suggested by the word space'blue-black', as if having wounds, they ‘crackle open' themselves to disperse the spaceseeds or spores. Hence, even though the process of breeding another generation of space†army troops† is painful, the thistles carry on. This shows their endless revenge for spacethey do not stop at anything to fight. P : Thistles are also described as annoying pests, a nuisance to the living and the dead. Q : ‘Against the rubber tongues of cows and the hoeing hands of men', ‘ Thistles spike spacethe summer air', ‘From the underground stain of a decayed Viking' & ‘Their sons spaceappear†¦fighting back over the same ground'. R : Thistles are portrayed as bothersome. Firstly because they plague the happy and spacecheerful atmosphere of the ‘summer air'. The line ‘Thistles spike the summer air' spacegives this impression. The ambiguous word ‘spike' could mean that they simply spacespike the air with their sharp body. On the other hand, it could mean that they spaceplague the air and sort of poison the cheerful summer air with pain that is delivered spaceas they ‘manage a plume of blood'. Thistles bother animals even when they are spaceeating (cows) as suggested by the line ‘Against the rubber tongues of cows' and spacethistles disrupts men's work by poking them as they work as suggested by the line space ‘Against†¦the hoeing hands of men'. It is not only those alive that are being spacebothered. Ancient ‘decayed Viking' in the ‘underground' are also being fed on, as spacesuggested by the word ‘stain' which gives us the impression of a bloodstain, in the spaceline ‘From the underground stain of a decayed Viking'. It is almost a parasite-like spacebehavior for the thistles seem to be taking blood from animals, man and even spacecompose, which makes them a nuisance for they rob away peace- imagine thistles spacespiking you every moment when you are trying to enjoy the ‘summer air'. In spaceaddition to that, the fact that thistles are being produced after their â€Å"forefathers† spacehave served their purpose (in obtaining ‘a plume of blood' each) let us see thistles spacein the light where they appear to be irksome in the sense that they do not stop spacebothering and disturbing.